Posts with «author_name|igor bonifacic» label

Apple’s mixed-reality headset may come with a magnetic cable for its external power supply

At the start of 2023, Bloomberg’s Gurman reported Apple’s forthcoming mixed-reality headset would feature an external power supply. At the time, he said the company made the decision to offload the battery for a few reasons. Apple was concerned about the device overheating. It also wanted to make the headset lighter and thereby more comfortable to wear.

Ahead of WWDC 2023, the venue where Apple is expected to announce the headset, Gurman has shared more information about what to expect from the wearable’s external battery. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, he says the device, rumored to be named “Reality Pro” or “Reality One,” will feature two ports: a USB-C interface for data transfers and a “new proprietary charging connector.” Judging from Gurman’s description, the latter is reminiscent of Apple’s recently reintroduced MagSafe power port. The included power cable reportedly features a round tip that magnetically attaches to Apple’s headset. After inserting the cable, Gurman says you rotate it to lock it into place.

Apple

As for the power supply, it’s about the size of an iPhone and looks similar to Apple’s own MagSafe Battery Pack (pictured above). The component can reportedly power the wearable for up two hours on a single charge. Recharging the pack involves a USB-C cable connected to a MacBook Pro power adapter. Gurman speculates Apple will allow customers to buy additional packs separately since a single one provides so little uptime.

More than anything, Gurman’s latest report underscores how much of a first-generation product Apple’s headset will be when it arrives later this year. With the device employing such a cumbersome power delivery method and coming in at a rumored $3,000, it’s hard to imagine the average consumer running out to buy Apple’s latest gadget.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-mixed-reality-headset-may-come-with-a-magnetic-cable-for-its-external-power-supply-171341879.html?src=rss

Apple’s 2022 iPad is back on sale for $399

If you missed the chance to buy Apple’s 2022 iPad when it was $50 off earlier this month, now you have another opportunity to purchase the tablet at a discount. For the time being, Amazon is offering the device at a starting price of $399. That’s a return to the iPad’s best-ever price.

The sale includes all color, storage and networking variants of the 10.9-inch tablet. Colorway options include pink, blue, silver and yellow, and you can order the device with either 64GB or 256GB of storage. Apple also offers an LTE variant that features cellular connectivity. With the $50 discount, you’ll pay $549 for either the 256GB WiFi model or the 64GB LTE model. The top-spec variant is currently $699.

Engadget awarded the 10th-generation iPad a score of 85 when it reviewed the device last fall. The tablet features a refreshed design reminiscent of the iPad Pro and iPad Air. Apple removed the Home button found on the previous model, replacing it with an edge-facing Touch ID button that doubles as a sleep button. The company also outfitted the tablet with its A14 Bionic chipset and repositioned the front-facing camera so that it has a landscape orientation, making the tablet better suited for video calls. Note that the 2022 iPad is not a great choice if you’re an artist as it doesn’t support the second-generation Apple Pencil. With the redesign also came a more expensive price tag, something Amazon’s discount helps address.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-2022-ipad-is-back-on-sale-for-399-151741360.html?src=rss

Ubisoft is bringing ‘Far Cry 6’ and three other recent games to Steam

Ubisoft is about to bring another handful of games to Steam in the coming months. As spotted by PC Gamer, Far Cry 6, Riders Republic, Rainbow Six Extraction and Monopoly Madness will arrive on the storefront on May 11th, June 8th, June 15th and June 22nd, respectively. On PC, all four games are currently only available through the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft’s own Connect marketplace.

Following a three-year absence from the platform, Ubisoft began releasing its games on Steam again in the winter of 2022. The first batch of titles included Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Anno 1800. At the start of 2023, the company then released The Division 2 and Watch Dogs: Legion, among a handful of other titles that were previously unavailable on Steam. When Ubisoft left the storefront in 2019, it said the decision led to pre-orders for The Division 2 increasing by six times on its own storefront (where Ubisoft did not have to pay Valve’s up to 30 percent cut of sales). As for the company’s decision to return to Steam, Ubisoft has only said it’s “constantly evaluating how to bring our games to different audiences wherever they are,” a statement that suggests the size of Valve’s userbase may outweigh the value of sharing a smaller portion of sales with a partner like Epic.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ubisoft-is-bringing-far-cry-6-and-three-other-recent-games-to-steam-204545630.html?src=rss

Tesla wins lawsuit over Autopilot Model S crash

This week, Tesla defeated a lawsuit that blamed the company’s Autopilot for a 2019 crash, reports Reuters. On Friday, a California state court jury found the driver assistance software was not to blame for a Model S crash that left the driver of the vehicle with a fractured jaw, missing teeth and nerve damage. Justine Hsu sued Tesla in 2020 after her EV swerved into a center median on a Los Angeles city street while Autopilot was engaged. She sought more than $3 million in damages, alleging defects in the software and the design of Tesla’s airbags.

Tesla denied liability for the accident. It argued Hsu used Autopilot on a city street, a practice the company warns against in the software’s user manual. The jury awarded Hsu no damages and said the automaker did not intentionally fail to disclose facts about Autopilot. As Reuters notes, it’s believed the trial is among the first involving the driver assistance mode. While the result won’t be “legally binding in other cases,” it is expected to inform how lawyers tackle future incidents involving the technology.

The result of the case is also unlikely to ease the scrutiny Tesla already faces related to its claims around Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” software. At the start of the year, the automaker confirmed the US Department of Justice had requested documents linked to the two features. The company is also under investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for Autopilot collisions involving parked emergency vehicles.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-wins-lawsuit-over-autopilot-model-s-crash-185405972.html?src=rss

Leaked Pixel Fold video shows an internal display with chunky bezels

Days after CNBC reported Google plans to announce a foldable Pixel phone at I/O 2023, an alleged video of the device has started circulating online. On late Friday evening, leaker and developer Kuba Wojciechowski shared what he says is a clip of the Pixel Fold. Wojciechowski told The Verge the footage is a month old. Unfortunately, the video doesn’t show off any features that definitively identify the foldable as one of Google’s, so take what you see with a dose of skepticism, but for what it’s worth, Wojciechowski has a reliable track record.

😉😉😉 pic.twitter.com/zTpEo18K4y

— Kuba Wojciechowski :3 (@Za_Raczke) April 22, 2023

The Pixel Fold will reportedly cost around $1,700 when it arrives later this year. According to CNBC, the device will feature a book-like design with a 5.8-inch external screen and a 7.6-inch folding display. It’s also said to sport the “most durable hinge” of any foldable to date and a battery that can last up to 72 hours through the use of an "Extreme Battery Saver" mode.

Separately, the Pixel Tablet also made a recent public appearance. The device is part of Google’s “Shaped by Water” installation at Milan Design Week. In an Instagram video spotted by 9to5Google (scroll over to the final video in the gallery), you can see the device appear alongside other Made by Google devices, including the Pixel Watch. The video doesn’t reveal a lot we didn’t already know about the Pixel Tablet. The design of the device aligns with the one Google showed off at I/O 2022 and again last fall. What’s new is that there’s a coral variant, in addition to Pixel 7 Pro-like “Hazel” and “Snow” colorways the company has shown off in the past.

Google will likely have more information to share about both the Pixel Fold and Tablet come May 10th.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/leaked-pixel-fold-video-shows-an-internal-display-with-chunky-bezels-164425413.html?src=rss

Uber Eats starts offering autonomous food deliveries in Fairfax, Virginia

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.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uber-eats-starts-offering-autonomous-food-deliveries-in-fairfax-virginia-100023523.html?src=rss

Amazon Luna hits Samsung's smart TV Gaming Hub in Canada, Germany and UK

In March, Amazon’s Luna gaming service expanded to Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. Now the platform is available on Samsung Gaming Hub in those same countries. As a refresher, the hub is an app that comes with 2021 to 2023 Samsung Smart TVs. Among other features, it offers a way to quickly access a host of cloud gaming services, including GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. In the US, Amazon Luna users have had the ability to access the service through Samsung Gaming Hub since last August.

If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can access a small library of complimentary games. The selection of free games with Prime changes every month, but this month’s lineup includes Yakuza Kiwami 2 and The Jackbox Party Pack 3. You can subscribe to additional channels from Amazon and Ubisoft to access additional titles. If you want to give Luna a try on your Samsung TV, you will need an internet connection capable of download speeds between 10Mbps to 20Mbps and a way to control the games. You can use an Amazon Luna controller, a Bluetooth- or USB 2.0-compatible controller or a phone with the Luna controller app installed.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-luna-hits-samsungs-smart-tv-gaming-hub-in-canada-germany-and-uk-203744962.html?src=rss

Copyright in spotlight after streaming platforms pull AI-generated Drake song

If you spent almost any time on the internet this week, you probably saw a lot of chatter about “Heart on My Sleeve.” The song went viral for featuring AI-generated voices that do a pretty good job of mimicking Drake and The Weeknd singing about a recent breakup.

Listen to this AI generated song featuring Drake & The Weeknd.

It goes so damn hard.

It's by "Ghostwriter977" on TikTok and it's blowing up on socials + streaming platforms.

UMG, which controls around 1/3 of the global music market, has already asked streaming platforms to ban… pic.twitter.com/roz2EfI48M

— Roberto Nickson (@rpnickson) April 16, 2023

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.

At least, they tried to comply with the complaint, but as is always the case with the internet, you can still find the song on websites like YouTube. Before it was removed from Spotify, “Heart on My Sleeve” was a bonafide hit. People streamed the track more than 600,000 times. On TikTok, where the creator of the song, the aptly named Ghostwriter977, first uploaded it, users listened to “Heart on My Sleeve” more than 15 million times.

In a statement Universal Music Group shared with publications like Music Business Worldwide, the label 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." The company added that streaming platforms had a "legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists."

It’s fair to say the music industry, much like the rest of society, now finds itself at an inflection point over the use of AI. While there are obvious ethical issues related to the creation of “Heart on My Sleeve,” it’s unclear if it’s a violation of traditional copyright law. In March, the US Copyright Office said art, including music, cannot be copyrighted if it was produced by providing a text prompt to a generative AI model. However, the office left the door open to granting copyright protections to works with AI-generated elements.

“The answer will depend on the circumstances, particularly how the AI tool operates and how it was used to create the final work," it said. "This is necessarily a case-by-case inquiry. If a work’s traditional elements of authorship were produced by a machine, the work lacks human authorship and the Office will not register it." In the case of “Heart on My Sleeve,” complicating matters is that the song was written by a human being. It’s impossible to say how a court challenge would play out. What is clear is that we’re only the start of a very long discussion about the role of AI in music.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/copyright-in-spotlight-after-streaming-platforms-pull-ai-generated-drake-song-183513972.html?src=rss

Here's how to claim your cut of Meta's $725 million Cambridge Analytica class action settlement

Following years of litigation over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, 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. While it will be a few more months before that money starts making its way to people, you don’t need to wait to submit a claim.

You can start the process by visiting the settlement website and clicking or tapping the “Submit Claim” button at the top of the page. There’s a full set of instructions on the page, but the short version of what you need to do is provide your contact information and the email, phone number or username associated with your Facebook account. If you have more than one account, file for the one you’ve had the longest.

You also need to complete an eligibility check, which involves stating whether you lived in the US between May 24th, 2007 and December 22nd, 2022, and if you were a Facebook user over that same time period. Lastly, you need to sign the form and indicate how you would like to be paid. Venmo and PayPal are options if you don’t want to share your bank information.

The deadline to submit an online claim is August 25th, 2023 at 11:59PM PT. You can also submit a claim by mail, provided it’s postmarked by August 25th, 2023. After completing the form, make sure all the information is accurate. Note that you can only submit one claim.

If you have questions about the process, you can contact the settlement administration by emailing info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com or calling 1-855-566-2233. One last thing, 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.

How much you can expect to receive from the settlement will depend on how many people submit valid claims, and how long you were a Facebook user during the eligibility period. If every person who can apply does, you’re looking at a payout of at most a few dollars. The final approval hearing is scheduled for September 7th. Payments should be mailed out after the court grants final approval and any appeals are sorted out.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/heres-how-to-claim-your-cut-of-metas-725-million-cambridge-analytica-class-action-settlement-163255438.html?src=rss

The best cheap kitchen gadgets in 2023

The best kitchen gadgets make certain cooking tasks easier without taking over your drawers. What’s more, some of the most useful ones won’t break the bank. All the recommendations on this list are either products I use currently, or more affordable versions of something I decided to splurge on after years of cooking. Not every item is essential, but they’re all things I’ve come to appreciate when I need to get dinner on the table quickly.

Victorinox Honing Steel

There are few things worse than cooking with a dull chef’s knife. It’s unsafe and a waste of time. You need a way to maintain your blades, and a good place to start is with a honing steel. Contrary to popular belief, a honing steel won’t sharpen your knives; what it will do is realign the blade. With consistent use of one, you can get away with actually sharpening your blades once every six months to a year. Almost any model will do the job, but for an affordable option, consider the 10-inch Swiss Classic Honing Steel from Victorinox. It comes with a comfortable handle that makes mastering the motion of honing a knife easy. Best of all, it costs less than $30.

Lavatools Javelin

If you cook meat, you need to get yourself an instant-read thermometer. It will take all the guesswork out of braising, searing and roasting animal protein, making those dishes safer to eat and more delicious.

There are plenty of affordable instant-read thermometers out there, but I like the $27 Lavatools Javelin. It’s not the fastest thermometer on the market – taking about four to five seconds to deliver a temperature reading – but it’s accurate to within a single degree Fahrenheit. The Javelin is also magnetic, so you can stick it on your fridge or knife holder for easy storage. Best of all, the casing is IP65-certified against water and features an antimicrobial coating Lavatools claims will inhibit 99.9 percent of pathogen growth. Oh, and you can buy the Javelin in nine different colors, including a cheerful “Wasabi” green hue.

OXO Good Grips Food Scale

After an instant-read thermometer, one of the few items I think everyone should have in their kitchen is a food scale. I know what you’re thinking: aren’t food scales only useful for baking? The answer is no. They will streamline every aspect of your cooking by allowing you to do away with measuring cups, while also giving you more accurate measurements overall. A scale is also essential if you’re calorie counting or tracking your macros.

After trying a few different scales, I like this OXO Good Grips stainless steel model. At under $60, the OXO model is a bit pricier than other food scales but it comes with a few features that set it apart. The first is a handy pull-out display that makes it easy to read the scale even when you have a large bowl on top. Plus, it also comes with an imperial/metric toggle. It’s handsome, too, with a design that’s easy to clean.

Prepworks by Progressive Magnetic Measuring Spoons

I’ll admit, sometimes it’s not practical to use a food scale to sort out ingredients, and you need to turn to a measuring spoon. After owning a few different models over the years, I’ve come to swear by magnetic ones. They’re easier to separate and subsequently easier to clean. Prepworks by Progressive makes a thoughtfully designed set where each spoon features both a round and narrow end. The latter is perfect for measuring spices since it can fit in most jars.

Microplane Professional Series Grater

If you’re like me, you probably bought a box grater at the start of your cooking journey only to find out it’s terrible. I’m here to tell you there’s a better way to grate cheese and zest limes, and it’s called a Microplane. There are a few different variants, but they all offer the same advantages over a box grater. Being smaller, a Microplane is easier to maneuver over bowls and other dishes. As for what model to buy, I like the Professional Series line for its wide blade and clean design. For zesting, you want to go for the “Fine” model. The “Ribbon” variant is also great if you want to shave chocolate and cheese.

Zwilling Handheld Vacuum Sealer Machine

In the last few years, vacuum sealers have become affordable enough that most home cooks can add one to their kitchen. They’re a great way to reduce waste since meat and produce stored in airless bags will last longer. The right one can also help you reduce plastic waste. Zwilling makes an affordable handheld model that supports an ecosystem of reusable bags and containers that are also on the budget-friendly end of the spectrum. The bags are freezer- and dishwasher-safe, so you can easily sanitize them after storing meat in them. The only thing to complain about the Zwilling vacuum sealer is that it charges over micro-USB(!).

Zulay Silicone Utensil Rest

Before moving to Portugal, my neighbor gifted my partner and I a silicone utensil rest. Since then, this simple tool has been an indispensable part of my kitchen arsenal. Once you start cooking at the stove, it helps to have all your tools right in front of you. A utensil rest helps with that while reducing the amount of cleanup you have to do afterward. Once you’re done, you can just toss it into the dishwasher. Best of all, you can buy one for about $10.

Cuisinart Electric Kettle

While an electric kettle is nether essential for cooking or preparing tea and coffee, it can make both those tasks faster, safer and easier. You can spend a lot to buy a kettle with multiple temperature settings, but unless you’re a tea connoisseur, I don’t think that’s a feature most people need. Cuisinart’s JK-17P1 boils water faster, looks nice on a countertop, and best of all, won’t break the bank.

Crate and Barrel Salt Cellar

Shortly after reading Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and learning the importance of salting dishes from within, I bought my first box of kosher salt. I didn’t have a good way to store it at the time, so I used a small bowl whenever I went to cook. The problem with that approach was that the salt would dry out if I left the bowl out. A salt cellar solves that by adding a lid to the bowl. Crate and Barrel makes a nifty (and attractive) acacia wood model that comes with an attached lid so that the two parts never get lost or separated.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-cheap-kitchen-gadgets-130049897.html?src=rss