ArduinoMania

HP is once again revamping its Envy laptop line, but this time it's more about who the company is working with than the raw specs. The headliner, the Envy x360 15.6-inch convertible, is billed as the first IMAX Enhanced-certified PC. Buy the version with an OLED screen (only 1080p, oddly enough) and you can watch Disney+ movies in the taller ratio with DTS:X spatial audio. There are also promises of exclusive remastered HDR content, although we wouldn't buy a computer just to revisit movies.

There are other reasons to consider HP's latest models, of course. Both the 15.6-inch and new 14-inch Envy x360 have improved screen-to-body ratios, the latest processors (13th-gen Intel Core for either, and AMD's Ryzen for the 15.6-inch) and upgraded webcams with manual privacy shutters and auto lock/wake features that secure your machine while you're away. The larger two-in-one also has the option of GeForce RTX 3050 graphics versus the RTX 2050 in the older model (sorry, no RTX 4050 here) and wrings out up to 15 hours of battery life versus 10 for its predecessor. The two x360s top out at 16GB of RAM.

HP

The lone conventional laptop update, the Envy 17.3-inch (pictured at middle), shares the camera, 13th-gen Core and available RTX 3050 graphics of the x360 15.6-inch. You only get an extra half-hour of battery life (nine total). but the 32GB RAM ceiling and optional 4K LCD should help if you're juggling heavy-duty apps.

The Envy x360 14-inch is shipping now with a starting price of $850. Its 15.6-inch counterpart arrives before the end of April with a $950 entry point. You'll have to wait until May to get Envy 17, which starts at $1,150. These aren't radical revisions, but the IMAX-certified laptop may be worth considering if you just have to watch the latest Marvel movies in the best-possible quality — so long as you don't need 4K, at least.

The Oversight Board has issued its response to Meta’s request to help it reevaluate its COVID-19 misinformation rules. The social network first asked the Oversight to weigh in on the rules last summer, noting that it policies had resulted in an “unprecedented” number of removed posts but that the pandemic had “evolved” considerably since the rules were first put in place.

In its policy advisory opinion, the Oversight Board said that Meta should continue to remove false claims about the pandemic that are “likely to directly contribute to the risk of imminent and significant physical harm,” but that it should "reassess" the specific claims that qualify for removal. The board also recommended that Meta make it easier for external researchers to study misinformation, and study how its own algorithms could contribute to the spread of harmful misinformation.

When Meta first asked the Oversight Board about its COVID-19 misinformation rules, many speculated that the company was looking to soften its stance. Prior to the pandemic, the company rarely removed users' posts on the basis of misinformation. Instead, it relied on fact checkers to evaluate such questionable content, and information rated as false was down-ranked to make it less visible.

But at the start of the pandemic, Meta said it would remove misinformation that health experts said was likely to lead to harm. The result, as the Oversight Board notes, is that 27 million posts were removed from Facebook and Instagram between March 2020 and July 2022. The company currently lists 80 specific claims that qualify for removal, including allegations that COVID vaccines cause magnetism and that the pandemic is linked to 5G technology. 

In its advisory, the Oversight Board said that as long as the World health Organization designates COVID-19 as a global health emergency, Meta should continue to remove the most harmful misinformation. But it notes that the company has not consulted with public health officials or other experts to assess whether all the claims it removes continue to pose a serious threat.

“Should Meta find that any claims are no longer false or no longer ‘likely to directly contribute to the risk of imminent physical harm, such claims should no longer be subject to removal under this policy,” the Board writes. And while the Oversight Board didn’t attempt to weigh in on any of the specific claims, it did say that Meta should consult with a range of exerts, including those versed in virology, disinformation, human rights and “freedom of expression."

Notably, the Oversight Board is also, once again, pushing Meta to examine its own role in helping misinformation spread. The board recommended the company “commission a human rights impact assessment of how Meta’s newsfeed, recommendation algorithms, and other design features amplify harmful health misinformation and its impacts.” The Oversight Board made a similar recommendation in the wake of January 6th, saying that Meta should look at how its own decisions contributed to the insurrection, but the company declined to commit to new research. 

The Oversight Board touched on another thorny topic for Meta: the ability of external researchers to study what happens on Facebook, which is particularly consequential for misinformation research. The board pointed to reports that Meta is getting ready to disband CrowdTangle, the analytics tool used by researchers and journalists, and said that “research tools should be strengthened rather than discontinued."

“Meta should institute a pathway for external researchers to gain access to non-public data to independently study the effects of policy interventions related to the removal and reduced distribution of COVID-19 misinformation, while ensuring these pathways protect the right to privacy of Meta’s users and the human rights of people on and off the platform,” the board wrote.

As with all Oversight Board recommendations, Meta isn’t obligated to change any of its policies, but it is required to respond to each recommendation within 60 days.

Proton has announced the launch of Proton Pass, a secure password manager it claims has a "more complete encryption model" than its competitors. This marks the security company's latest expansion after finding success as ProtonMail, its encrypted email service, and eventually rebranding as Proton with a Calendar, Drive and VPN. 

Last year, Proton acquired SimpleLogin, an email alias company, with that new team responsible for most of Proton Pass' development. The new password manager utilizes a 32-byte random vault key that only the specific user can access, another level of encryption at the item level, and the same sharing securities tested on their calendar and drive systems. Usernames, websites and emails can all be encrypted alongside newly created email aliases and notes — none of which the company can access. Proton bills itself as an "open source company," meaning anyone can inspect if their systems work as described. 

Proton Pass notably enters the market after the password manager, LastPass, was hacked last year, with bad actors accessing sensitive information like customer meta data and third-party integration secrets. The liability left more room for rival secure password companies — something Proton seems to be capitalizing on. Andy Yen, Proton's founder and CEO, made a not-so-subtle reference to it in Proton Pass' announcement: "We’ve always been worried about the risk posed by a major password manager breach, which unfortunately became a reality with the recent hack of LastPass." 

Currently, Proton Pass is only rolling out in Beta form for lifetime and visionary Proton plan members. Any eligible customers should receive an email to their Proton Mail account in the next week. Proton Pass should launch publicly "later this year."  

A federal judge recently gave initial approval to a $725 million settlement between Meta and Facebook users alleging the company shared their personal data without proper consent. If you used Facebook between May 2007 and December 2022 and lived in the US during that time, you’re eligible to get cash from the settlement. It’s not going to be life-changing money, though. Given the number of users, expect to get a few dollars.

The claim form recommends adding “confirmation@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com” to your contact list to ensure any important correspondence doesn’t end up in your spam folder – even though that sounds utterly like a spam email account.

– Mat Smith

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Tesla's latest price cut brings Model 3 pricing below $40,000

This is the automaker's sixth price cut for the year.

Tesla has slashed its electric vehicles' prices for the sixth time this year, on the eve of its next earnings report. It has quietly lowered the price for the Model 3, so the rear-wheel drive variant now starts at $39,990, $2,000 less than buyers paid for it earlier this month.

Earlier this year, Tesla cut prices drastically across its lineup, with some models dropping by up to 20 percent. As Tesla notes on its website, the rear-wheel drive model now only qualifies for $3,750 in tax credits after the government's change in guidelines took effect on April 18th. Tesla's other cars are still eligible for the full $7,500 tax credits, including Model Y vehicles, which also got a price cut.

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Google Fi adds a one-week eSIM trial and Wireless to its name

The Simply Unlimited plan now includes cellular connectivity for some smartwatches.

Google Fi has announced a series of updates and a name change. From now on, the mobile virtual network operator will be Google Fi Wireless. And if you have an eSIM-compatible device, you'll be able to test out Google Fi Wireless at no cost in the seven-day free trial. Google started the trial last month, and it's now available more broadly. If you don't cancel the Google Fi Wireless trial within a week, you'll join the Simply Unlimited plan (which you'll still be able to quit at any time).

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Google might announce a foldable Pixel phone at I/O next month

The Pixel Fold may ship in June for $1,700.

Engadget

CNBC claims the Pixel Fold will be announced at the I/O conference on May 10th and ship in June. The device will reportedly cost around $1,700 and be in a similar form factor to the Galaxy Z Fold series, unfolding like a book, not like a flip phone. The Pixel Fold will have a 5.8-inch external screen and 7.6-inch folding display and claims the "most durable hinge" of any foldable, according to the report. Google apparently says it’ll pack a larger battery that lasts up to 24 hours in normal use.

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An AI-generated song featuring Drake and The Weeknd pulled from streaming platforms

Universal Music Group says the song violates copyright.

Over the weekend, a song called “Heart on My Sleeve” went viral for featuring AI-generated voices that do a pretty good job of mimicking Drake and The Weeknd singing about a recent breakup. On Monday, Apple Music and Spotify pulled the track following a complaint from Universal Music Group, the label that represents the real-life versions of the two Toronto-born artists. A day later, YouTube, Amazon, SoundCloud, Tidal, Deezer and TikTok did the same. In a statement, Universal Music Group argued the training of a generative AI using the voices of Drake and The Weeknd was “a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law."

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Google's advertising customers will soon be able to use the company's generative artificial intelligence to create ad campaigns, according to the Financial Times. Apparently, the tech giant is gearing up to embed its generative AI, the same technology powering its Bard chatbot, into its Performance Max program. Performance Max can already help customers determine where their ads should run and generate simple ad copy. But the Times' says the AI's addition will give it the capability to create sophisticated campaigns similar to those designed by marketing agencies. 

The company has reportedly shown ad customers a presentation entitled "AI-powered ads 2023," telling them that its technology can generate advertisements based on the imagery, video and text they supply. In addition, Google told them that the ads its AI creates will fit the audience they aim to reach and will be designed to enable them to reach sales targets and other goals. 

At least one person expressed concerns about the possibility of Google's ad tool spreading misinformation, the Times says, because it could be optimized to convert new customers with no concern for facts. Back when Google posted on ad on Twitter about Bard, for instance, the chatbot spouted a falsehood claiming that the James Webb Space Telescope had taken "the very first pictures of a planet outside of our own solar system." In truth, it was the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope that took the very first images of exoplanets that we had ever seen. Google has assured the Financial Times that it will put firm guardrails in place to prevent errors and misinformation when it rolls out AI-powered ads in the coming months. 

Atari wants everyone to game like its 1985 — just with better technology. The console maker has announced the acquisition of over 100 PC and console titles launched in the 1980s and 1990s from Accolade, Micropose and Infogrames. Atari's ownership and catalogue have changed hands a bit since its heyday, so the purchase includes a homecoming for some of Atari's IPs. It's also adding Accolade's trademark to its vault. 

The newly Atari-owned games include the Demolition Racer series, Bubsy and Hardball. “Many of these titles are a part of Atari history, and fans can look forward to seeing many of these games re-released in physical and digital formats, and in some cases, even ported to modern consoles," Wade Rosen, Atari's CEO, said in a statement. 

Atari is really gunning for a comeback, with a "multi-year effort to transform the company" and investments in IPs people care about (reimagined versions of Asteroids and Missile Command are reportedly in the works). Just last month, Atari put through deals for Nightdive Studios and the IPs of 12 Stern Electronics Arcade Classics, including Berzerk and Frenzy. At the time, Rosen called the games a "perfect fit for our strategy of commercializing classic retro IP.” The Nightdive Studios acquisition is notable not just for the games it provides, but for its technology. Nightdive specializes in remastering retro games for modern systems, while also improving their quality — exactly what Atari aims to do. 

With its latest purchase, Atari says it will rerelease already existing games on modern consoles and create new adaptations of past storylines. The timeline here makes a lot of sense: Nightdive specializes in doing this, so it's going to make that a lot easier.

Starting today, Uber Eats customers in Fairfax, Virginia can get their next meal delivered by a robot. In an expansion of the company’s existing partnership with Cartken, Uber has begun offering automated deliveries in the city’s Mosaic District. With today’s announcement, a select number of the more than 40 restaurants in the area have begun transporting their food aboard Cartken’s six-wheeled robots. Among the restaurants participating in the pilot include Our Mom Eugenia, Pupatella and RASA.

Uber has been testing autonomous delivery robots in a handful of markets throughout the US. Last May, the company launched two pilots in Los Angeles with the help of Motional and Serve Robotics. More recently, Uber signed a 10-year deal with Nuro to use the company’s vans for autonomous deliveries in California and Texas. Cartken, it should be noted, also works with Grubhub to deliver food on college campuses. The firm’s robot uses NVIDIA’s Jetson tech, alongside cameras and sensors, to navigate streets and sidewalks. They can travel at up to six miles per hour and carry about two full paper grocery bags of cargo to their destination.

When Tesla held its opening party for the company's Giga Texas factory last year, Elon Musk said that it will finally start selling the Cybertruck in 2023. Now, we can narrow down the timing for its launch even further. According to The Verge, Musk just told Tesla investors during its most recent earnings call that the automaker will hold a delivery event for the Cybertruck in the third quarter of the year. Tesla will start manufacturing the vehicle this summer, but volume production won't begin until 2024 like the company had previously said.

Musk reportedly told investors during the call that it "takes time to get the manufacturing line going, and this is really a very radical product." He added: "It's not made in the way that other cars are made." The production version Cybertruck Tesla showed off on stage last year had no door handles and could automatically tell if its owner is nearby and it should open its doors. It's still made out of stainless steel like the automaker initially envisioned, though, and that's more expensive than steel typically used in the industry. As The Verge notes, the electric vehicle requires special welding techniques, and its smaller components are custom-made. 

The Cybertruck has been delayed several times since it was first announced back in 2019. Tesla's original and very optimistic initial launch date was 2021, but it was pushed back to 2022 and then to 2023. The vehicle's prices were originally supposed to start at $39,900 for a single-motor configuration to $70,000 for a three-motor one. Tesla warned earlier this year, however, that its final specs and pricing have yet to be determined and could be based on several factors, such as supply chain shortages and the economy.  

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Bluesky, Jack Dorsey's alternative to Twitter, is now available by invitation only on Android devices after arriving on the App Store in February, The Verge reported. The app has a number of Twitter-like functions, letting you search for and follow other users, create posts (with photos) and more. It's currently in beta, though, so has a limited number of users (reportedly around 25,000) and is missing features like direct messages. 

Bluesky first came about in 2019 as a Twitter-backed side as a new type of decentralized standard for social media platforms. It officially broke off from Twitter in 2021, and has since joined the ranks of upstart Twitter clones like Mastodon that appeared following Elon Musk’s takeover. 

The app is designed to let users decide how they want to see and consume social media. "For developers, an open marketplace of algorithms will provide the freedom to experiment with and publish algorithms that anyone can use," CEO Jay Graber wrote last month. "For users, the ability to customize their feed will give them back control of their most valuable resource: their attention."

Graber has said that moderation is one of the last pieces of the puzzle to solve before the app opens to the public "because we wanted to prioritize user safety from the start," he wrote in a recent blog post. It'll apparently use a mixture of automated filtering and server-level moderation controlled by admins. Then, "we will let users subscribe to additional sets of moderation labels that can filter out more content or accounts."