As expected, Stellantis, the parent company of Dodge and Jeep, has pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy charges related to its efforts to conceal the amount of pollution produced by its diesel engines. The world’s fifth-largest automaker agreed this week to pay $300 million in penalties to end a multi-year investigation by the US Justice Department, Reutersreported on Friday.

Federal prosecutors accused Stellantis of violating the Clean Air Act, alleging the automaker attempted to deceive US regulators by selling vehicles it knew did not meet national emissions standards. The Justice Department said Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which merged with Peugeot parent company PSA to form Stellantis in 2021, installed illegal software designed to cheat government emissions tests.

According to the agency, the company “purposely” programmed its cars to produce fewer emissions during testing than under normal circumstances. The settlement covers approximately 100,000 vehicles sold in the US between 2014 and 2016, including SUVs and pickup trucks produced by the automaker for its Jeep and Ram brands.

In addition to paying a fine, Stellantis has agreed to submit Clean Air Act compliance reports to the Justice Department as part of a three-year probation period. Additionally, three Stellantis employees are awaiting trial for criminal charges related to the case. The deal comes five years after Volkswagen famously pleaded guilty to its own emissions scandal. “Dieselgate” saw the German automaker eventually pay more than $20 billion in fines and legal settlements.

With summer quickly approaching, Fortnite’s newest season kicked off on Sunday. After Epic Games fundamentally changed how people could play the game in recent months, season three sees Fortnite return to its comfort zone. To start, Ballers, the hamster ball-like vehicles Epic Games retired in Season X, are back with a few functionality tweaks. They can now traverse over water and a battery limits how far they can travel. If that’s not your style, season three introduces rideable boars and wolves, both of which allow you to continue shooting while riding them.

Epic Games has made a few tweaks to Fortnite’s island. A new location called Reality Falls features bouncy mushrooms, purple trees and loot-filed caves. It’s also home to the Reality Tree, which will release seed pods players can plant. The resulting sapling will stay in the same place between matches. Caring for your tree will reward you with special loot. Among the new weapons Epic is adding this season include the Designated Marksman Rifle, which, as the name suggests, is most effective at long range.

As always, there’s also a new battle pass to purchase, promising a Darth Vader skin to go alongside the recently released Obi-Wan cosmetic. That’s not all as far as Disney properties are concerned. Later in the season, Epic will give players the chance to earn an Indiana Jones skin. You’ll have about three months to earn everything the battle pass has to offer.

Clubhouse has laid off some of its employees, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. It’s unclear exactly how many staff the company let go, but at least some now-former workers left voluntarily to pursue opportunities outside of Clubhouse. Among one of the more high-profile departures was Nina Gregory, a former National Public Radio editor who joined the company to head up its news partnerships initiative. Clubhouse also lost its community and international leads.

“A handful of roles were eliminated as part of streamlining our team, and a few individuals decided to pursue new opportunities,” a Clubhouse spokesperson told Bloomberg. “We are continuing to recruit for many roles across engineering, product and design.”

According to the outlet, the layoffs are part of a broader restructuring at Clubhouse as the company looks to rethink its growth strategy. Clubhouse found early success in the first year of the pandemic, thanks in part to the fact you needed an invite to start using the app. Unfortunately, it also quickly drew the attention of a handful of well-funded competitors, including Meta, Twitter and Spotify, all of which replicated the app’s core functionality within their own platforms. Clubhouse has done its best to offer the best live audio experience it can, adding features like real-time captioning and high-quality audio streaming to match and surpass its competitors, but it faces an uphill battle against tech giants.

With summer around the corner, Sonos has discounted both of its Bluetooth speakers. For a limited time, you can buy the Sonos Move and more affordable Roam for $319.20 and $143.20, down from their usual $399 and $179 price tags. It’s a rare discount from the company, and Amazon is matching, with both Move and Roam available for less. If you’re looking at buying a Roam speaker, note that the recently announced Wave, Sunset and Olive models aren’t included in the sale.

Of the two speakers, the Roam is probably the better purchase for most people. Not only is it more affordable than Move, but it’s also more portable thanks to its smaller size and lighter weight. Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham gave the Sonos Roam a score of 87 when he reviewed it in 2021, calling it a much easier sell than its predecessor. He praised the speaker for its audio quality and versatility but found battery life fell short of the 10 hours promised by Sonos.

Reviewing the Sonos Move in 2019, Ingraham awarded the speaker a score of 80. At nearly $80 off, the discounted Move addresses one of the major shortcomings of the speaker: its hefty price tag. The Move is one of the most versatile Bluetooth speakers you can find, with features like wireless charging and a water-resistant design included as part of the package. But that adaptability comes at the cost of a device that is heftier than your average portable speaker.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Less than two months after someone compromised the official Bored Ape Yacht Club Instagram account to steal $2.4 million worth of NFTs, BAYC creator Yuga Labs is again facing questions about its security measures. In the early hours of June 4th, a scammer carried out a phishing attack that netted them 32 NFTs worth approximately 142 Ethereum, according to Web3 is Going Great. After obtaining the login credentials of a community manager, the hacker reportedly used the official Bored Apes Discord to promote a fake giveaway exclusive to holders of Bored Ape, Mutant Ape and Otherside NFTs.

“Do not mint through ANY other websites,” the announcement said after linking to the website the hacker used to steal the NFTs. “This is the only official site!” According to data from blockchain security firm PeckShield, one BAYC and two Mutant Apes tokens were stolen in the scam. At the current Ethereum exchange rate, the entire 32 NFT trove is worth approximately $256,000.

We’ve reached out to Yuga Labs for comment. The company has yet to share an official statement on the incident – though it quickly locked down the Bored Apes Discord after the scam took place. The server, among a handful of other ones tied to high-profile NFT projects, was also hacked at the start of April when a bad actor compromised the CAPTCHA bot Yuga Labs used to deter spammers.

The 2022 MacBook Air may not come in as many colors as anticipated. Tweeting on Friday evening, Bloomberg’s Gurman said reports that the new model would come in “several colors” were likely “exaggerated.” He expects Apple to sell the 2022 MacBook Air in four hues: space gray, silver, blue and gold. The final color will look more “champagne-like” than the current gold offered by Apple, according to Gurman.

Going into WWDC 2022, most reports had suggested the 2022 MacBook Air would feature a redesigned chassis reminiscent of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro. Additionally, leaker Jon Prosser and others have said the new model would come with a white keyboard, leading to speculation that Apple would offer the computer in multiple colors like the recently redesigned 24-inch iMac.

Apple is widely expected to announce the new MacBook Air on day one of WWDC 2022. “I think the only way it doesn’t is if the China factory shutdowns created such a supply and release date gap that it wouldn’t make sense to announce it on Monday,” Gurman later tweeted. With WWDC mere days away, we won't have to wait long to see what Apple has planned for the MacBook Air.

Apple has reportedly enlisted Hollywood directors like Jon Favreau to create video content for its long-rumored mixed reality headset. According to The New York Times, the filmmaker is developing an experience that brings the dinosaurs from Prehistoric Planet, the Apple TV+ original series he helped produced, to life on the device.

Corroborating recent reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, The Times states the headset is “expected to ship next year.” It will reportedly feature a design that’s reminiscent of a pair of ski goggles. With the start of WWDC 2022 mere days away, it’s unclear if Apple will have anything to say about the device on Monday.

However, The Times reports the company plans to announce new software tools that would allow developers to add additional camera and voice features to their apps, thereby creating the framework for experiences that you could navigate without a visual interface.

Citing “two people familiar with the project,” The Times reports that “continuing challenges” with battery life made Apple decide to delay the headset to 2023. That broadly aligns with reporting Bloomberg published at the start of the year that said the company was likely to delay the device due to development issues like overheating.

One of the first things I set out to do when I joined Engadget in the summer of 2018 was to build a beautiful home office. At my previous job, I didn’t get many opportunities to work remotely, so it wasn’t a priority. That turned out to be a mistake, because when I began working from home I found it quickly wore me down. My kitchen simply wasn’t cutting it as an office – so I set out to change things.

Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

Piece by piece, the office I built in my bedroom came together into a space where I enjoyed sitting down to write. But it wasn’t until this year that it felt like it was complete. The piece that was missing was the BenQ Screenbar, a lighting fixture you install on your monitor.

I put off buying the Screenbar for a few years, mostly because of its $170 CAD ($109 USD) price tag. So why then didn’t I buy a regular table lamp you ask? Well, the Screenbar drew my eye for a few reasons. I live in a small condo in Toronto, so a lamp that could sit on my monitor, instead of my table, was appealing because space is at a premium, especially on my small desk. Additionally, the Screenbar shares a feature I love on the Philips Hue lights. Out of the box, you can adjust the color temperature of its LEDs — no need to buy separate bulbs. BenQ also claims the Screenbar produces less glare than a traditional table lamp due to how you position it on top of your monitor.

Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

Setup is also easy. A USB-C to USB-A cable connects the Screenbar to your computer, providing it with all the power it needs. You don’t need to install any software on your PC to use the device. Four capacitive buttons on the top allow you to turn the Screenbar on and off, adjust the color temperature and brightness, or turn on automatic brightness. BenQ sells a more expensive version of the Screenbar that comes with a puck you can place on your desk for more convenient access to the controls, but that’s unnecessary for most people.

The one downside of the Screenbar is that it takes up space you could otherwise use to mount a webcam. With a flat, 27-inch monitor like my Dell, it’s possible to fit both, but neither could sit dead center.

Depending on your needs, that could dissuade you entirely from considering the BenQ Screenbar. For me, it was an easy decision to make. I don’t need to do a lot of Zoom calls. The position of my office desk also isn’t ideal for video calling. When I sit down to write, my back faces a wall-to-wall window. That’s not an easy scene for a web camera to expose. My solution has been to use my MacBook Air and sit by the side of the window when I need to jump on Zoom.

Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

Looking back now, I wish I had bought the Screenbar earlier. To say it has transformed the atmosphere of my bedroom and office would be an understatement. Winter in Toronto is a long, dark affair. In January and February, the sun can set as early as 5PM. My mood, like many people’s, can vary greatly depending on the amount and quality of light that filters into my home. The fact you can adjust the color temperature of the Screenbar’s LEDs between 2700K and 6500K means it can produce warm, bright, sunlight-esque whites, making it ideal for all-day use and even color-sensitive work like photo editing. In my experience, it’s the perfect solution for a small space.

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has begun accepting claims related to Activision Blizzard’s $18 million settlement with the agency. Starting today, current and former US employees of the publisher who believe they experienced sexual harassment or gender discrimination while working at its offices from September 1st, 2016 to March 29th, 2022 can file for an award. Those who decide to take part in the claims process can also make specific non-monetary requests of Activision Blizzard and the EEOC. For instance, they can ask that the publisher remove harmful documents such as disciplinary notices from their personnel file.

It will be interesting to see how many workers apply for an award. When the settlement was first approved by a federal judge in late March, many current and former Activision Blizzard employees criticized the EEOC for not going nearly far enough to hold the company accountable. The fact claimants won’t be able to take part in future litigation against Activision Blizzard, including the ongoing lawsuit from California’s fair employment agency, may also make some workers reluctant to file. Then there’s the amount itself. Former employee Jessica Gonzalez is appealing the settlement on the basis that $18 million is insufficient redress for everyone who may come forward with a claim against Activision Blizzard.

After launching in 2020, the Google TV app is now available to download on iOS. If you already have the company’s previous Google Play Movies and TV software installed on your phone, this app will replace it. As with its Android counterpart, the Google TV app allows you to use your smartphone as a remote for your Google TV or Android TV OS device, making it easier, among other things, to type the titles of movies and TV shows you want to watch.

You can also use the app to aggregate content recommendations from various streaming services. Not every platform is supported – Netflix is missing, for instance – but the fact you can create a single watchlist for every service you pay for is handy. Additionally, it’s possible to create watchlists around your favorite actors. And as you rate movies and shows, the app will refine its suggestions. You’ll also find personalized feeds with links to news, reviews and more. Lastly, there’s a dedicated section for content you’ve purchased and rented from Google.

You can see most of the functionality on display in the iPhone rendering Google shared – just don’t look too closely at the notch. Download the Google TV app from the App Store.