Fujifilm’s X100V was, for some reason, a huge hit on TikTok. This made it hard to buy, despite its tiny form factor and retro Fuji appeal. Fortunately, the company is here to make money offer an improved update, the 40.2-megapixel X100 VI. While keeping the same retro form, it has much faster shooting speeds, in-body stabilization, 6.2K 30p video and more. Video-wise, it can also capture at 4K at 60 fps and 1080p at 240fps.

Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s X100VI is now on pre-order for $1,600 in silver or black, with shipping slated for early March 2024. Money to burn? Desperate for the TikTok cachet? The company is also offering a special edition version “engraved with the corporate brand logo from Fujifilm’s founding in 1934” for $2,000.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

OnePlus rejoins the smartwatch scene with the promise of a 100-hour battery life

Apple Music debuts a monthly version of its annual Replay feature

Tinder is bringing its advanced ID verification system to the US and UK

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Dr. Garmin will see you now

Can a smartwatch free up doctors’ time?

A project in the UK has explored if a Garmin Venu 2 wearable (and dedicated companion app) could free up doctors and nurses, six minutes at a time. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) can diagnose and monitor a number of cardiovascular maladies. This includes conditions, like pulmonary hypertension, which, if untreated, are eventually fatal. This project, however, crunches the test down to a simpler one minute.

Because the research was funded by a charity, the British Heart Foundation, the watch had to offer good value for money, and Garmin, with its established health research division, gave the team “confidence in the accuracy of the sensors.” The study suggests cutting the test to one minute has no detrimental effect on its outcome or accuracy, and patients are far more likely to run the test regularly if they can do so at home.

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Walmart is buying smart TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion

The retailer plans to boost its ad business with Vizio’s TV systems.

Walmart is buying Smart TV manufacturer Vizio for $2.3 billion, the retail giant announced as part of its latest earnings report. While Walmart has long been one of the major sellers of Vizio TVs, the company says the acquisition “enables a profitable advertising business that is rapidly scaling” via the company’s SmartCast OS. The companies plan to combine their ad businesses, with Vizio increasing Walmart’s access to more consumer info, like viewing data. The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

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Apple says the iPhone 15’s battery has double the promised lifespan

All four models can retain 80 percent of their original charge after 1,000 cycles.

Engadget

Apple announced on Tuesday that its latest iPhones can retain 80 percent of their original charging capacity after 1,000 cycles — double the company’s previous estimate — without new hardware or software updates. And because timing is everything, the change will arrive in time for upcoming EU regulations that will assign an energy grade for phones’ battery longevity.

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Twitch is increasing channel subscription prices for the first time

Some tiers will soon be more expensive in the UK, Canada, Australia and Turkey.

After laying off around 500 workers and reducing how much streamers make from Prime subscriptions, Twitch is increasing the price of its subscriptions for the first time. The service says it’s “updating prices in several countries to help streamer revenue keep pace with rising costs and reflect local currency fluctuations.” The first markets to feel the impact of those changes are the UK, Canada, Australia and Turkey. On the plus side, streamers will have the same revenue share, so they’ll earn more from subscriptions in those regions.

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Nintendo’s Switch 2 (not its official name) was widely expected to arrive sometime this year, but that may not happen. Now, the company is reportedly telling publishers the next-gen console is slated for release in the first quarter of 2025.

If that did happen, it would mimic the release of the original Switch, which was announced in October 2016 and came out in March 2017.

What can you expect from Nintendo’s next console? We don’t know much yet, including the name. Rumors suggest it’ll have backward compatibility with Switch, along with 4K capabilities and visual quality similar to that of the PS5 and Series X. It could use NVIDIA’s DLSS upscaling tech to ramp up the graphics of older games, too.

In the interim, there’s a Nintendo Direct tomorrow that will focus on new third-party games.

— Mat Smith

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Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct will focus on upcoming third-party releases

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The EU opens a wide-ranging probe into TikTok

It’s looking into addictive algorithms, harmful content, privacy and more.

TikTok is in the EU’s crosshairs over potential Digital Services Act (DSA) breaches around the safety of minors and other matters. The formal proceedings will focus on addictive algorithms, the rabbit-hole effect, age verification issues and default privacy settings. It’s getting into it: The European Commission will also probe ad transparency and data access for researchers.

The safety of young users seems to be a major driver: It will force the social media site to ensure high levels of privacy, safety and security for minors with default privacy settings — like it did for Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.

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Sony A9 III camera review

The future of cameras is fast.

Engadget

Sony laid down a gauntlet with the 24.6-megapixel A9 III. It’s the world’s first mirrorless camera with a global shutter, a much-awaited holy grail feature. It completely eliminates rolling shutter distortion found on CMOS cameras by reading the entire sensor at once. It also boosts speed and removes the need for a mechanical shutter. However, as the first of its kind for Sony cameras, it’s expensive ($6,000) and has a reduction in still image quality, due to the nature of a global shutter. But the benefits far outweigh those — this is one fast, accurate camera. Check out the full review.

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The UK moves another step closer to banning phones in schools

France and Italy already restrict phones during class.

Experts and regulators have expressed concerns about children’s wellbeing and distraction due to their phones while at school. The UK government has become the latest to announce guidance for banning the use of phones during school. It follows other European countries, like France and Italy, which prohibit phones in classrooms.

Some schools in the UK already have no-phone policies in place, but these guidelines could bring widespread adoption and uniformity. “This is about achieving clarity and consistency in practice, backing headteachers and leaders and giving staff confidence to act,” Gillian Keegan, the UK’s secretary of state for education, said in a press release.

Continue reading.​​

NASA wants volunteers for its second year-long simulated Mars mission, the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA 2). For the mission’s duration, starting spring 2025, the four selected crew members will live in a 1,700-square-foot 3D-printed habitat in Houston. It’s paid, but we don’t know how much. At least living costs will be nil.

The Mars Dune Alpha habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center simulates life for future explorers on the red planet, where the environment is harsh and resources limited.

Applicants must be US citizens aged 30 to 55, speak English proficiently and have a master’s degree in a STEM field, plus at least two years of professional experience, a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft. Or two years of work toward a STEM doctoral program.

I barely qualify for two of those requirements — good luck to the rest of you.

— Mat Smith

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Epic plans to launch its own iOS storefront in the EU this year

Microsoft should exit the console business

Engadget is looking for experienced writers

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The EU is reportedly hitting Apple with a $539 million fine in antitrust probe

It’s been investigating Apple’s App Store rules since a 2019 complaint from Spotify.

Apple may be facing a fine of roughly $539 million (€500 million) from the EU and a ban on its alleged anti-competitive App Store practices for music streaming services, according to The Financial Times. The publication cites five unnamed sources and says the European Commission will announce its ruling early next month.

The investigation was prompted by a 2019 antitrust complaint filed by Spotify and focuses on App Store rules that, at the time, prevented developers from directing customers to alternative subscriptions outside the app, which could be notably cheaper as they didn’t have to include Apple’s 30 percent fee.

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Reddit reportedly signed a multi-million content licensing deal with an AI company

The company will use Reddit content to train its AI models.

Anadolu via Getty Images

Your dank memes, confessional posts and excessively strong feelings on Baldur’s Gate 3 couplings will soon train an artificial intelligence company’s models, according to Bloomberg. The website reportedly signed a deal “worth about $60 million on an annual basis” earlier this year.

When Reddit started charging companies for API access in April 2023, it said pricing would split in tiers so even smaller clientele could afford to pay. Companies need that API access to train their chatbots on posts and comments. This is likely the top tier of all that.

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Intuitive Machines’ moon lander sent home its first images

The landing attempt is scheduled for February 22.

Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines’ own attempt at the first-ever commercial Moon landing is off to a good start. After launching without a hitch on Thursday, it snapped a few incredible images of Earth. The team posted a series of updates on X at the end of the week, confirming the lander has passed some key milestones, including engine firing, ahead of its touchdown.

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Sometimes, timing ruins things. Take this week, instead of detailing the disgust I feel towards this 'meaty' rice, this week's Morning After sets its sights on Mark Zuckerberg, the multimillionaire who's decided to review technology now. Does he know that's my gig?

The Meta boss unfavorably compared Apple's new Vision Pro to his company's Meta Quest 3 headset, which is a delightfully hollow and petty reason to 'review' something. But hey, I had to watch it. And now maybe, you'll watch me? 

We also look closer at Waymo's disastrous December, where two of its robotaxis collided with a truck. The ... same truck.

This week:

🥽🥽: Zuckerberg thinks the Quest 3 is a 'better product' than the Vision Pro

🤖🚙💥💥: Waymo robotaxis crash into the same pickup truck, twice

🚭🛫🚫: United Airlines grounds new Airbus fleet over no smoking sign law

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GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy group, has published its first annual report on the video game industry. It found that nearly 20 percent of all players in the United States identify as LGBTQ, yet just 2 percent of games contain characters and storylines relevant to this community. And half of those might be Baldur's Gate 3 alone. (I half-joke.) The report notes that not only does representation matter to many LGBTQ players, but also that new generations of gamers are only becoming increasingly more open to queer content regardless of their sexual orientation. We break down the full report here.

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If the image itself isn’t unappetizing enough, the description might put you off. South Korean researchers have made a hybrid rice variant, infused with cow muscle and fat cells, creating a bright pink grain that is one part plant and one part meat. The team hopes to eventually create a cheaper and more sustainable source of protein, with a much lower carbon footprint than actual beef. But please: change the color.

Yonsei University

The meat cells grow both on the surface of the rice grain and inside of the grain itself. After around ten days, you get the finished product. The study, published in Matter, suggests the rice grains taste like beef sushi, which is made of cow and rice. So yes, that tracks.

— Mat Smith

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The best robot vacuums on a budget for 2024

Ayaneo's NES-inspired mini PC is more than a retro tribute

Marvel’s X-Men ‘97 will pick up from where the 90s animated series left off

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Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review

Function meets fashion.

Engadget

Bose’s $299 Ultra Open Earbuds sit outside of your ear canal and clip onto the ridge of your ear to stay in place. Due to the open nature of the design, active noise cancellation (ANC) is moot. Open-type earbuds have become increasingly popular, mostly for the allure of “all day” wear by allowing you to stay in tune with your surroundings, so Bose developed this model that fixes all the issues of its previous design. They seem more of a fashion accessory than a wearable, however.

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Xbox confirms four of its games are coming to more popular consoles

Not Starfield or Indiana Jones, however.

On the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the company is bringing four of its games to "the other consoles." Contrary to previous rumors, Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are not coming to PS5 or Switch for now. Reports have suggested that Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Halo and Gears of War may appear on Nintendo and Sony hardware. Both of those consoles have a far larger install base than Xbox Series X/S, which are estimated to have shipped a combined 27 million units, compared with 54.8 million PS5s and nearly 140 million Switches.

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OpenAI’s new model can generate minute-long videos from text prompts

It’s still in testing before being offered to the public.

OpenAI on Thursday announced Sora, a brand new model that generates high-definition videos up to one minute in length from text prompts. Sora, which means “sky” in Japanese, won’t be available to the general public any time soon. Instead, OpenAI is first offering it to a small group of academics and researchers who will assess harm and its potential for misuse. The company said on its website: “The model understands not only what the user has asked for in the prompt, but also how those things exist in the physical world.” Other companies including Meta, Google and Runway, have either teased text-to-video tools or made them available to the public. Still, no other tool can generate videos as long as 60 seconds.

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Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has posted his own review of Apple's Vision Pro on Instagram, coming inexplicably for our jobs here at Engadget.

In a video shot direct from a Meta Quest 3 (oh of course), Zuckerberg didn't mince his words. He said he expected the Quest to be the better value for most people, because it's "like seven times less expensive" than the $3,500 Vision Pro. Eventually, he concluded that the Quest 3 was “the better product, period."

Zuckerberg thinks the Quest is "a lot more comfortable," noting that the headset’s field of view is wider and has a brighter display than the Vision Pro. He added that the Quest had a bigger library: Meta’s Quest, unlike the Vision Pro, has access to the YouTube and Xbox apps. And that’s definitely a fair criticism.

All in all, two out of five Zucks. Don't forget to like and subscribe.

— Mat Smith

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X let terrorist groups pay for verification, report says

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An earnings typo sent Lyft's stock price into the stratosphere

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is an odd, eye-catching ode to simpler times

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A piracy app outranked Netflix on the App Store before Apple pulled it

Kimi gave viewers access to pirated shows and movies.

An app called Kimi curiously outranked well-known streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video in the App Store's list of top free entertainment apps this week. Now, Apple has pulled it, probably because it gave users access to pirated movies.

Kimi was disguised as an app that tests your eyesight by making you play ‘spot the difference’ between similar photos. In reality, it was packed with bootlegged shows and movies. If anyone remembers the heyday of pirated movies on slow internet connections, you got to relive the variable video quality of yesteryear.

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Walmart might buy budget TV maker Vizio

This could make the retail giant a formidable rival to Amazon and Roku.

Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

Walmart might buy budget TV maker Vizio. The rumored $2 billion deal would make Vizio a house brand for the retailer and would allow the company to compete directly in the affordable smart TV space currently dominated by Amazon and Roku. Vizio has been eyeing up buyers for years. It was nearly purchased by Chinese media conglomerate LeEco back in 2016, which was another $2 billion deal, but that fell through. If the purchase happens, Walmart would also have access to all of that sweet, sweet customer data collected by Vizio’s smart TV platform.

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Can geoengineering stop the ice caps from melting?

We’re not ready for what’s coming.

Getty Images

Since 1979, Arctic ice has shrunk by 1.35 million square miles and Antarctic ice is now at the lowest level since records began. Frozen Arctic, a report produced by the universities of the Arctic and Lapland alongside UN-backed thinktank GRID-Arendal, collates sixty geoengineering projects that could slow down or reverse polar melting. A team of researchers examined every idea, from those already in place to the ones at the fringes of science. Daniel Cooper breaks down some of the possible solutions.

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United Airlines had to ground its new Airbus A321neo planes, not due to a major safety issue, but because the light-up “no smoking” signs are automated.

A 1990 ruling mandates that the signs on aircraft must be manually operated by the crew. Airbus A321neo features software that automatically displays the signage during a flight, so the crew doesn’t switch it on and off. Bear in mind that smoking was fully banned from both domestic and international flights nearly 25 years ago.

Even more frustratingly, automated signage systems are not even new. Many air travel companies apply for exemptions with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) – which United did for its entire fleet back in 2020. However, the company's Airbus A321neo is so new that it doesn’t fall under that protection.

The federal agency has now permitted United to fly its fleet of A321neos, five in all, while evaluating those pesky signs.

– Mat Smith

The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool can now play games

It uses an external module powered by Raspberry Pi.

Engadget

The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool can interact (or hack) wireless devices and smart home systems, connecting through IR, NFC, RFID, Bluetooth and physical connections. Now, it can even play games, thanks to a partnership with Raspberry Pi. A new add-on can run games programmed in C, C++ and MicroPython. To suit the quirkiness of Flipper’s device, it even features sensors for hand-tracking. The Video Game Module can also output video to external displays.

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Nothing's next phone will debut on March 5

It will see a limited release in the US as part of a 'developer program.'

Engadget

Nothing says it will reveal its latest Phone 2a on March 5th. However, instead of an official release like the Phone 2, the device will be part of a "developer program in the US." The company didn't reveal any images of the device or pricing, but the company may use a simplified Phone 2 esthetic, given the naming convention. The Phone 2 had a unique design with a transparent Gorilla Glass back and 11 LED "Glyph" strips.

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Sarah Silverman’s copyright lawsuit against ChatGPT gets reduced

But the core accusation remains.

Sarah Silverman’s lawsuit against OpenAI will advance but some of her legal team’s claims have been dismissed. The comedian sued OpenAI and Meta in July 2023, claiming they trained their AI models on her books and other work without consent. US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín threw out parts of the complaint on Monday, including negligence and unjust enrichment, but the principal claim remains; that OpenAI directly infringed on copyrighted material to train its AI models.

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Electric vehicles from Stellantis brands, including Dodge and Chrysler, will start using the NACS connector in select models next year. The automaker will also offer an adaptor for existing vehicles, so drivers can use NACS or Combined Charging System (CCS) ports.

Tesla open-sourced its EV charging connector back in 2022. Back then, it rebranded it as the North American Charging Standard (NACS), pitching it as better than rival chargers with “no moving parts, is half the size, and twice as powerful”.

The pitch worked, and automakers — Volkswagen, GM, Volvo, Polestar, Mercedes, Honda, BMW, Lucid — gradually sided with NACS. Stellantis says it’s still committed, with other car manufacturers, to building a network of more than 30,000 fast charging points on highways and in urban areas in North America by 2030. These stations will support NACS and CCS.

— Mat Smith

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Dell gaming laptops are up to $560 off right now

Meta is testing a trending topics feature on Threads

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Intuitive Machines will attempt first commercial moon landing

It could make history with its Nova-C lander.

Houston-based space company Intuitive Machines is gearing up for an actual moonshot. It’ll try to land a spacecraft named Odysseus on the lunar surface — ideally without it breaking. The mission follows Astrobotic’s unsuccessful attempt in January; that company’s lander, Peregrine, never made it to the moon. Odysseus is the first of three Nova-C landers Intuitive Machines plans to send to the Moon this year, all of which will have commercial payloads and NASA instruments on board. Its mission, if it nails a soft landing, will be a short but potentially valuable one for informing future excursions. Orbiting probes have found evidence of water ice at the lunar south pole, which could be used for astronaut subsistence and even fuel.

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You no longer have to visit an Apple Store if you forget your Vision Pro passcode

A new update, available Monday, lets you reset the headset at home.

Engadget

There are always early issues. If you were one of the Vision Pro owners that lost their passcodes in the first week of ownership, you had to visit an Apple Store (or ship the device to AppleCare) to reset it and be able to use your $3,500 device again. Fortunately, visionOS 1.0.3 will let you do the password reset at home.

But seriously, if you forgot your password in the first week — you’ve got problems.

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Phil Spencer will address Xbox multiplatform rumors on February 15

Will Microsoft go cross-platform?

The internet has been buzzing the last couple of weeks with rumors that Microsoft will begin publishing Xbox first-party games on competing consoles. The company promised it would soon share more details about its “vision for the future of Xbox,” and that looks to be coming on February 15. Phil Spencer will appear on the Official Xbox Podcast to share “updates on the Xbox business.” It’s an unusual move, with Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, and Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios, joining Spencer on the podcast.

There have been all kinds of rumors flooding the web, from Hi-Fi Rush coming to the Nintendo Switch to Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle showing up on the PS5. All may become clear later this week.

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The Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to a sleep apnea detection feature on Galaxy Watch devices in the US. It has already picked up approval in South Korea, but Samsung says this is the first approval of its kind in the US.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects around 25 percent of men and a tenth of women in the US, according to the National Sleep Foundation. And it can get serious. Left untreated, it can increase the risks of heart attacks and strokes.

With the feature, people over 22 who have not been diagnosed with the condition can check for signs of sleep apnea using their smartwatch and phone. It looks for signs of moderate-to-severe OSA over a two-night monitoring period. To use the feature, users must track their sleep for more than four hours twice over ten days.

Samsung plans to add the sleep apnea monitoring tool to compatible Galaxy Watch wearables in the third quarter of 2024.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Who makes money when AI reads the internet for us?

Instagram and Threads will no longer recommend political content

Apple reaches possible settlement with the startup it sued for trade secret theft

Apple Vision Pro review

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Dyson’s new lightweight hairdryer looks like a periscope

Attachments affect the output.

Dyson

Dyson’s signature Supersonic hairdryer hasn’t changed much since its launch back in 2016, but why not reveal a new look at New York Fashion Week? The Supersonic r is a tube-shaped hairdryer that dwarfs its predecessor, and it’s just 325g (around 11.5 ounces) — almost half that of the original Supersonic. Dyson is asking for $570 — it’s aimed at professionals.

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Court orders Elon Musk to testify on his Twitter takeover

Musk and the SEC now have a week to agree on a time and place for his testimony.

A federal judge has ordered Elon Musk to comply with the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) subpoena and testify again in its probe of his Twitter takeover. The order comes after Musk failed to appear for a testimony in September and later refused to attend a rescheduled interview, prompting the SEC to sue. US Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler sided with the SEC after Musk tried to challenge its subpoena, which he claims is seeking irrelevant information and is harassment. The SEC claims it has new documents in relation to the probe and has further questions for the X owner.

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The best mirrorless cameras for 2024

There are a lot of options.

Engadget

After years of decline due to smartphones, it looks like the camera market is on the upswing — with Canon, for one, seeing solid growth in 2023. And as with 2022, we saw many new models arrive last year from Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon and Panasonic, featuring faster speeds, better focus, improved video and — it is 2024 — occasionally AI-powered features. We pick out our favorites at multiple price points.

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Welcome to the weekend. First, read our Vision Pro review, but also try not to look directly at Devindra's Vision Pro avatar. I think it may be cursed. Yes, Apple's vision of the future of computing is here to bleed early adopters of thousands of dollars. I half-joke: Apple has brought its intelligence to AR, gesture interfaces and high-technology (those screens!) to drop jaws around the world. But you might not need one just yet. We also touch on the biggest podcast in the world getting bigger and those perennial folding iPhone rumors. It might happen, but you'll probably get a foldable iPad first. 

This week:

↩️📱↪️: Apple has reportedly made foldable iPhone prototypes

🍎🥽: Apple Vision Pro review: Beta testing the future

🎙️👨🏼‍🦲: Joe Rogan’s $250 million deal with Spotify

Read this:

Do you need all the AI tricks under the sun to make a competitive smartphone in 2024? Well, OnePlus is here to disprove that. The OnePlus 12 has the same speedy performance and better battery life than the Galaxy S24+, along with solid cameras and a great screen for $200 less. There are few, if any, AI tricks, but that doesn’t detract much from great battery life, high-res cameras, and an $800 price. Full review right here.

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