Are you ready for Samsung’s summer salvo of foldables, wearables and peripherals? Yes, it’s that time again, and the company’s Unpacked event is likely to share two foldable smartphones, a new Pro wearable and probably some new software tricks.

Judging by the leaks, it won’t be a major shakeup, but the new Galaxy Z Fold may borrow design cues from the S22 Ultra, ensuring a more contemporary look. The next-gen Galaxy Z Flip, the clamshell one, looks even more like its predecessor, so we’re waiting on confirmation on exactly what has changed. This is the series helping Samsung sell its foldable family to the world — hopefully, the company has ways to capitalize on this enthusiasm. And throw in a bigger battery.

Samsung looks set to reveal its Galaxy Watch 5 Pro next week, too. You might not get the knurled bezel of previous Samsung smartwatches, but the Pro would upgrade from a steel case to light-but-strong titanium. Samsung inadvertently hinted at the Pro name in its Health app, although it didn’t provide further clues.

Samsung Unpacked will stream on Wednesday, August 10th at 9 AM ET, and we’re reporting live on all the big reveals. We’ll probably have some minty fresh opinions on foldable phones, too.

— Mat Smith

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The best Nintendo Switch games for 2022

A guide for beginners, from A to Z trigger.

The Switch continues to approach the status of Nintendo’s best-selling “home console” ever — and seven Switch games have already outsold the Wii U console. It’s thanks to the Switch’s unique hybrid format and an ever-growing game library with uncharacteristically strong third-party support. However, the Switch's online store isn't the easiest to navigate, so this guide helps the uninitiated start their journey on the right foot, once again updated for 2022.

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Paramount+ hits 43 million subscribers

It's not just leaning on Star Trek. Well, not completely.

ViacomCBS has revealed that Paramount+ added 3.7 million subscribers in the second quarter, with more than 43 million total users. And that's after withdrawing from Russia. The company partly credited the surge of expansions to more countries, including the UK, Ireland and South Korea. These gains are good, but the overall Paramount+ subscriber count is still tiny compared to Netflix (220.7 million) and Amazon Prime Video (over 200 million).

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Something is making the Earth spin faster and days shorter

A negative leap second may be needed to correct clocks.

Buena Vista Images via Getty Images

Sure, it sounds like some bleak sci-fi premise, but it’s happening. According to scientists, midnight on June 29th arrived 1.59 milliseconds sooner than expected. It was the shortest day in over half a century. Scientists believe earthquakes, stronger winds in El Niño years, ice caps melting and refreezing, the Moon and the climate could all affect rotation speed. Some have suggested the Chandler wobble — a small deviation in the Earth’s point of rotation — may be having an effect, too.

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Microsoft is testing an Xbox Game Pass family plan

Folks in Ireland and Colombia can try it out now.

After months of rumors, Microsoft is starting to test an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate family plan in the wild. Xbox Insiders in Colombia and Ireland can try out the new offering that allows them to add up to four other people to their plan, as long as they're in the same country. Those folks will get access to all the benefits of Game Pass Ultimate, including a library of hundreds of titles for console, PC and cloud gaming. If you're in either country, you can buy the Xbox Game Pass — Insider Preview plan from the Microsoft Store, though enrolment is limited.

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Instagram is expanding NFT features to more than 100 countries

The app started a public test of NFTs in feed posts, messages and Stories in May.

Once we’ve all collectively sighed, Instagram is doubling down on digital collectibles. After a test launch in May, the app is expanding its NFT features to more than 100 countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas. Instagram users can include NFTs in their feed and messages, as well as in augmented reality stickers in Stories. NFT creators and collectors are automatically tagged for attribution. You can't buy or sell NFTs on Instagram just yet, but the company has strongly hinted it's working on a marketplace. Perfect timing, Meta: The non-fungible token (NFT) market just fell off a cliff.

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Winamp is the music software that just won't die. In the first update in four years, the producers described it as the "culmination" of years of hard work, including two teams and a pandemic-dictated hiatus. The result is a lot of under-the-hood upgrades and improvements, but it’s still the music player a lot of us remember.

Once upon a time, Winamp was the MP3 software of choice, where many of us kept our music files from fledgling digital stores and peer-to-peer apps. Parent company AOL (which was also once Engadget's owner) shut down work in 2013, years after the likes of Spotify took hold. But, following an acquisition by Radionomy, Winamp lives on. Still.

— Mat Smith

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OnePlus 10T review

Speed above all.

Engadget

OnePlus’ mid-year phone refresh is unusual. The 10T has the fastest Snapdragon chip, but a lot of compromises. According to Engadget’s Sam Rutherford, it’s a solid device at an affordable $649, but say farewell to the Alert Slider, wireless charging and a dedicated US carrier launch partner — for now.

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Apple might delay iPadOS 16 release until October

The company is struggling with the Stage Manager multitasking feature.

Bloomberg reports Apple might delay iPadOS 16 by a month or so. The main issue is said to be with the Stage Manager multitasking tool, which will only be available on M1-powered iPads. It allows users to resize windows and have them overlap. However, those who tried the beta by and large found the feature buggy — something we noted in our iPadOS 16 preview. Previous reports indicated Apple has new iPads lined up for later this year, and delaying iPadOS 16 could mean it emerges closer to the new tablets as well.

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Nintendo’s Switch sales drop as it contends with chip shortage

Game sales also fell, but first-party sales improved.

Nintendo's Switch sales fell significantly last quarter, dropping to 3.43 million units compared to 4.45 million during the same period last year, according to its earnings report. The company chalked up the Switch sales issue to a parts shortage, the same thing Sony struggled with. "Hardware production was impacted by factors such as the global shortage of semiconductor components, resulting in a decrease of hardware shipments," the company said.

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NASA says retired astronauts must act as space sherpas on private flights to the ISS

The new policy aims to increase passenger safety on commercial space flights.

NASA will soon require a retired astronaut to serve as mission commander on all private flights to the International Space Station, according to an agency notice posted today. The policy — which has yet to be finalized — is intended to both increase passenger safety and reduce any strain on existing ISS operations. According to the notice, the new changes came after “lessons learned” on last April’s Axiom Space flight, where passengers paid $55 million each to fly on the first private astronaut mission to the ISS. The hectic two-week trip took a toll on both the ISS and Axiom crews.

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The best PlayStation 5 games for 2022

Load up your new console with these excellent titles.

Sony

It’s Sony’s turn. As always, we looked for games that generally offer meaningful improvements over their last-gen counterparts when played on PS5 or are exclusive to the system. Our 2022 update sees two third-party titles — Deathloop and Final Fantasy VII Remake — join the overwhelmingly in-house fray.

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College textbook maker Pearson eyes NFTs to claim a cut of second-hand sales

Apparently, a $300 required textbook isn't enough of a grift.

NFT advocates often tout the technology's ability to grant the creator a cut of second-hand sales as one of its major attributes. That’s what intrigued Pearson, a major textbook publisher. “In the analogue world, a Pearson textbook was resold up to seven times, and we would only participate in the first sale,” CEO Andy Bird told Bloomberg this week. “The move to digital helps diminish the secondary market.” Do you know why students resell textbooks? Because they're darn expensive.

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You can now buy Ticketmaster tickets on TikTok

A tongue-twisting way to see tours.

TikTok has teamed up with Ticketmaster to help users discover events and buy tickets directly through the app. Music artists, comedians, sports teams and venues can search for relevant Ticketmaster events and link to them on their videos. The feature is only open to select creators at the outset. TikTok is increasingly focusing on music: Earlier this week, it emerged the company may be working on its own music streaming service.

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Microsoft has flagged a formatting bug that freezes Outlook whenever you open emails with complex tables, including, er, Uber receipts. The glitch is so powerful it even crashes Word, too. The problem was first noted in a standard release of Outlook, but existing beta and Current Channel Preview versions face the same bug if they try to open messages with tables.

Microsoft says it’s developed a fix to reach beta users "shortly" and get to everyone in a patch arriving August 9th. If you really need to see a breakdown of that last Uber trip, you can revert to the earlier version in Windows by running Command Prompt instructions in Microsoft's support document.

— Mat Smith

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• Report: The US organ transplant network is failing desperate patients

• Chevy Bolt owners must choose between rebates and battery defect lawsuits

The Engadget guide to the best midrange smartphones

Who says greatness has to be expensive?

The middle of the smartphone road has amazing options that balance price and features. These days, you can still get incredible cameras, vivid screens and decent battery life without breaking the bank. But there are so many — so where do you start? How about this guide? We’ve just updated it with a new overall winner.

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James Webb Space Telescope captures the Cartwheel Galaxy in stunning detail

Infrared light detection has increased the detail.

NASA

NASA and its partners on the James Webb Space Telescope have shared a fresh look at the Cartwheel Galaxy. It reveals extra details about both the star formation and the black hole at the center of the galaxy, which is around 500 million light-years from Earth. Using infrared light detection, JWST could peer through the dust that obscured the Cartwheel Galaxy from view when other telescopes observed it.

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Samsung and iFixit now offer self-repair parts and tools for Galaxy devices

Fix your smartphone or tablet on your own terms.

iFixit

Samsung's self-repair program, in collaboration with iFixit, is finally available. You can now try to fix your Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21 or Galaxy Tab S7+ with officially sanctioned components and tools, complete with guides to walk you through the repair process. The initial selection is just screen and batteries, charging ports and back glass, with prices ranging between $67 (for a charging port on any model) to $227 (for a Tab S7+ display).

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Amazon offers same-day Prime delivery for select retail chains

The Prime perk is currently available in 10 US metro areas.

Amazon is giving some Prime members another perk. Subscribers in more than 10 US metro areas will now be able to shop from select local brick-and-mortar stores through Amazon and have the items delivered to their home on the same day. At the moment, participating retailers include apparel brands PacSun, Superdry and Diesel, as well as popular vitamin retailer GNC.

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Logitech and Tencent are making a cloud gaming handheld

They're working with Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now.

Logitech and Tencent have announced they're working on a handheld cloud gaming device. They're blending the Logitech G brand's hardware know-how with Tencent's software prowess. According to their landing page, the device is tentatively — and imaginatively — called the Logitech G Gaming Handheld. It will "support multiple cloud gaming services," Logitech said. Tencent and Logitech are working with the Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now teams at Microsoft and NVIDIA, so expect the handheld to support both platforms.

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Taiwan's presidential website hit by cyberattack ahead of Nancy Pelosi's visit

The site was bombarded by more than 200 times the normal traffic.

As more than 300,000 people anxiously watched the flight path of SPAR19, the US Air Force plane carrying Nancy Pelosi on her tour of Asia, Taiwan’s presidential website went down in an apparent cyberattack. According to Taiwanese presidential spokesperson Chang Tun-Han, the attack originated outside Taiwan and saw the website bombarded with more than 200 times its regular traffic. They claim the website was back to normal operation “within 20 minutes.”

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In a recent filing, Microsoft told New Zealand’s Commerce Commission that Blizzard Activision produces no “must-have” games. Weird thing to say when the company plans to spend $68.7 billion to buy the gaming giant behind Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft and plenty more.

In the document, Microsoft said: “There is nothing unique about the video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard that is a ‘must have’ for rival PC and console video game distributors that give rise to a foreclosure concern.”

Attempting to downplay the importance of Call of Duty is just one of the ways Microsoft has tried to placate regulators. In February, the company pledged it would continue to make the franchise available on PlayStation consoles beyond any existing agreements between Sony and Activision.

— Mat Smith

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An e-bike sharing company co-founded by Usain Bolt appears to have shut down

It left its equipment in the streets in some cities.

An e-bike- and scooter-sharing startup co-founded by Olympian Usain Bolt appears to have stopped operations. Bolt Mobility offered bikes in five cities, including Portland, Burlington, Vermont and Richmond in California, and others. "We learned a couple of weeks ago (from them) that Bolt is ceasing operations," a transportation planner in Chittenden County, Vermont, told TechCrunch. "They’ve vanished, leaving equipment behind and emails and calls unanswered.”

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Apple's App Store homepage will soon feature ads

You'll also see them on individual app pages.

Apple famously bragged it’ll never invade your privacy to serve ads, but it does have an ad business on its App Store and elsewhere. The company is now expanding that business by adding a new ad slot to its Today homepage tab and on individual app pages. The company says these new ad slots will adhere to Apple's policies on privacy and transparency, by not offering personalized ads to users under 18, never using sensitive data and avoiding hyper-targeting.

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The best Xbox games for 2022

Whether you have Series X, Series S, One X or One S, there's something here for you.

Engadget

Microsoft’s console strategy is unique. Someone with a nine-year-old Xbox One has access to an almost-identical library of games as the owner of a brand-new Xbox Series X. That makes it difficult to maintain meaningfully different lists for its various consoles — at least for now. But while next-gen exclusives may be few and far between, there are a lot of gamers who simply haven’t experienced much of what Microsoft has had to offer since the mid-'10s.

It’s in that frame of mind that we approach this list, now updated: What games would we recommend to someone picking up an Xbox today? Expect more updated guides to the best games throughout the week.

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Twitter investor sues Elon Musk in a bid to force through $44 billion takeover

The proposed class action suit accuses Musk of breaching his fiduciary duty to Twitter shareholders.

Reuters

It's not only Twitter trying to force Elon Musk to buy the company for $44 billion. An investor filed a proposed class action lawsuit to try stopping Musk from backing out of the deal. Luigi Crispo's suit accuses Musk of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty to Twitter's shareholders. Musk last month claimed the company made “false and misleading representations,” and that it misrepresented the number of bots and fake accounts on its platform. Crispo concurred with Twitter's claims that Musk is using false claims about bots and spam to wriggle out of the deal without a valid legal standing.

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Spotify's latest fancy feature for Premium users is a play button

Premium features.

It’s 2022 and Spotify is adding the most basic of functions to its iOS and Android apps: dedicated play and shuffle buttons on playlists and album pages. Until now, tapping the button on most playlists started playback, shuffled. This vanilla playback ‘feature,’ however, will only be available to Spotify Premium subscribers.

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TikTok might be working on a music service

There’s already a "TikTok Music" trademark application filed.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has filed a trademark application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for "TikTok Music." The service would let users "purchase, play, share, download music, songs, albums, lyrics... live stream audio and video... edit and upload photographs as the cover of playlists... [and] comment on music, songs and albums."

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Google has responded to last week’s rumors that it may sunset its Stadia gaming service this year: “Stadia is not shutting down,” the official Stadia Twitter account told a concerned fan in a tweet spotted by PC Gamer. “Rest assured we’re always working on bringing more great games to the platform and Stadia Pro.”

I mentioned in my story about Xbox’s streaming adventures into Samsung TVs that it’s all been a little too quiet on the Stadia front when rival game streaming options have upped their game. Hopefully, Google has some exciting plans to reveal sooner rather than later.

— Mat Smith

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Samsung's Repair Mode keeps your data hidden from technicians

But it's only available on Galaxy S21 phones in Korea for now.

With horror stories of hackers selling personal information, it can be stressful to send your smartphone for repair. Yes, you could wipe your phone, but then you have to go through the hassle of restoring it afterward. Now, Samsung has introduced a solution with its own Repair Mode.

According to a Korean announcement spotted by SamMobile, you can activate the new mode under Battery and Device Care in Settings. Samsung didn't explain the technology behind the feature, but when activated, it’ll hide your personal information, photos, messages and linked accounts. Only the device's pre-installed apps will be visible to the technician.

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Some former ‘Witcher 3’ developers are making an online action game set in Japan

The project doesn’t have a release date yet.

A group of former CD Projekt Red developers is working on a new online action game set in feudal Japan. This week, Dark Passenger co-founders, Jakub Ben and Marcin Michalski, announced the formation of their studio and put out a call for talent in a series of tweets. Ben and Michalski were part of the art team on The Witcher 3 and did contract work on Cyberpunk 2077.

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Free AI tool restores old photos by creating slightly new loved ones

There's a risk of a 'slight change of identity.'

Wang, X. et. al

A free tool developed by Tencent researchers, GFP-GAN (Generative Facial Prior-Generative Adversarial Network) can restore damaged and low-resolution portraits. The technology merges info from two AI models to fill in a photo's missing details with realistic detail in a few seconds. However, it's making educated guesses about missing content, so you might see a "slight change of identity." That’s not grandma. You can test it out right here.

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This is probably what Samsung's new foldables will look like

These look like official press images of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4.

Evan Blass

Samsung is set to unveil its next foldable phones in just a few days, but these marketing photos leaked by Evan Blass give the game away a little. He posted images of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 in different colors, suggesting hardware design that doesn’t differ too much from Samsung’s last foldables. The company’s Unpacked event is scheduled to take place on August 10th.

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Last month, Instagram started testing a full-screen display for photos and videos. And we didn’t like it. Now, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says the test will be wound down over the next couple of weeks. “For the new feed designs, people are frustrated, and the usage data isn’t great,” Mosseri said to Platformer.

He added: “When you discover something in your field that you didn't follow before, there should be a high bar — it should just be great,” he said. “You should be delighted to see it. And I don't think that’s happening enough right now."

Instagram brought in the full-screen feed and larger number of recommended posts to compete with TikTok and to contend with the pivot from photos to videos. The time spent by people watching Reels grew by 30 percent last quarter, and Mosseri said users' gradual embrace of video was happening, regardless of Instagram’s own movements.

In an earnings call on Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said around 15 percent of the posts people see on Facebook (and even more on Instagram) are recommended by algorithms. Zuckerberg expects the volume of recommended posts to double over the next year or so.

— Mat Smith

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NASA’s plan to bring rock samples back from Mars involves space helicopters

It was so impressed with Ingenuity, NASA’s making two more space helicopters.

NASA has altered the Mars Sample Return Program meant to bring back the rock samples the Perseverance rover has been drilling and collecting from the Jezero crater. Instead of sending a rover to the red planet like originally planned, the program will use Perseverance itself and send over two helicopters. The Earth Return Orbiter and Sample Retrieval Lander will take off in fall 2027 and summer 2028. Their journey to and from the red planet will take years, so the samples aren't expected to arrive on Earth until 2033.

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The PS5 finally gets 1440p support

The feature is in beta but will likely be available to all soon.

The PlayStation 5now supports 1440p, at least for gamers with access to its beta software. While the console has supported 1080p and 4K output from the start, 1440p support is still a much-requested feature by players who use monitors instead of TVs. However, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which rolled out for the console in April, is only available for 1080p and 2160p. VRR gives the screen the ability to sync its refresh rate with the game for a smoother experience. It's not quite clear why it's not available for 1440p output.

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Senate deal would revive EV tax credits for GM, Tesla and Toyota

The Inflation Reduction Act would also offer credits for used EVs.

Engadget

Automakers might just get the EV tax credit extension they've been hoping for. Senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin may have agreed on an Inflation Reduction Act that would replace the 200,000-unit cap on federal EV tax credits with a system that would restore those perks for GM, Tesla and Toyota. According to Bloomberg sources, the new approach is a compromise that would switch to price- and income-based limits, drop union manufacturing requirements and even offer credits for used EVs.

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Google Pixel Buds Pro review

With noise cancellation, the company’s best earbuds yet.

Engadget

Google’s latest Pixel Buds are its best yet, due mostly to the company finally checking a missing box: active noise cancellation. They do cost more, however, but the sound quality impresses, and there’s a host of handy features, like hands-free access to Assistant. There are a few shortcomings, but they remain Google’s best buds yet. Read on for our full verdict.

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Ghosting can hurt, for sure. When someone suddenly cuts off contact, doesn’t show up at a date or just unmatches on one of those many dating apps, it sucks. One Filipino lawmaker is trying to make it stop, which could be a tall order. Arnolfo Teves Jr., a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, said ghosting was "a form of emotional cruelty and should be punished as an emotional offense."

The bill — yes there’s proposed legislation — doesn't offer specific penalties, but Teves suggested in an interview that community service might work. The bill tries to define a dating relationship as one where the parties live together without being married or are "romantically involved over time and on a continuing basis."

Teves said neither casual acquaintances nor “ordinary socialization” constitutes a dating relationship. But those are likely the connections that ghost the most. The bill doesn’t account for blocking someone without explanation if they're being creepy or threatening, which can often be the case. (Why am I coming across as a regular ghoster / ghostee?) Silently ditching a conversation is usually easier than being honest, sadly. It’s not cool, but I’m not sure it’s truly a criminal offense.

— Mat Smith

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Google Photos for Chromebooks is getting a video editor and movie maker

The feature should be available this fall.

Google Photos is getting a significant update that has the distinction of first arriving on Chromebooks. Your photo and video library will get a new movie editor and video editing features this fall as part of a Chrome OS update. You’ll be able to make videos similar to the highlight clips the app already automatically makes, and select a theme, people or pets you want to feature in it; from there, Google Photos will pull together a movie using video clips and images from your library. Google isn’t saying yet if these video editing features will come to the mobile apps for iOS and Android, but Google Photos has usually had feature parity regardless of platform.

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Is DALL-E's art borrowed or stolen?

Creative AIs can't be creative without our art.

Midjourney

Generative Artificial Intelligences (GAIs) are systems that create pieces of work to equal the old masters in technique, if not in intent. But there’s a problem: These systems are trained on existing material, often using content pulled from the internet, from us.

DALL-E 2, Open AI’s system for creating “realistic images and art from a description in natural language” is the current star of GAIs. A user could enter the phrase “teddy bears shopping for groceries in the style of Ukiyo-e,” and the model will produce pictures in that style, often to a pretty high standard. But this all prompts several questions on ownership, data biases and the law of art. Engadget’s Daniel Cooper explores the future of AI-generated images.

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The best projectors you can buy

Plus how to choose one

Samsung

Projectors have come a long way from the clunky, dim models of the past. The latest models are brighter, sharper, more discreet and easier to install than ever. There are a lot of different types of projectors, though, ranging from ultra short throw to portable to long throw. There are also a lot of technical terms, so it’s the perfect topic for our latest Engadget guide, which explains everything you need to know.

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Spotify has 188 million Premium users, but continues to lose money

Overall user figures grew to 433 million, but the company lost $197 million in the quarter.

The music streaming company hasn’t yet felt the effects of a looming global recession. Unlike Netflix, which had to report a fall in its overall customer base, Spotify has seen both free and paying accounts grow. It now has 433 million users, up from the 422 million reported at the end of the first quarter. Of those, 188 million pay for Premium, a leap of six million from three months ago. Spotify’s plan to pivot toward cheaper forms of audio content, like podcasts and audiobooks, should help to keep new listeners streaming away.

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PlayStation VR2 will offer live streaming support and a Cinematic Mode

You can also get a peek at your environment to avoid collisions.

Finally, some early details of PlayStation VR2's software experience, not just the hardware. Sony teased a few key features for its PS5 VR headset, including live streaming support. If you have a PS5 HD Camera, you can broadcast both gameplay and a view of yourself. As you might guess, that could be helpful for Twitch streamers and YouTubers. The company also explained how it will handle non-VR content, with a 1080p Cinematic Mode that displays the PS5 interface and conventional games on a virtual screen at refresh rates between 24Hz and 120Hz.

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Instagram's TikTok-like test feed is underwhelming, and a lot of people hate it. But it’s not going anywhere. Social network head Adam Mosseri posted a Twitter clip acknowledging the video-focused trial feed is "not yet good." He also said Instagram would invariably become more video-centric over time, as that was the content being shared on the network.

Mosseri also defended the rise of recommended posts in users' feeds. He said they were the "most effective and important" way for creators to grow their audiences. Users can pause all recommendations for a month, but is that a priority for creators, or the audience? It’s a bit of a chicken-or-egg situation.

— Mat Smith

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• Meta is shutting down its couples messaging app you didn't know existed

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• PlayStation VR2 will offer livestreaming support and a 'Cinematic Mode'

• Two of Europe's biggest internet satellite companies are merging to take on Starlink

• The best smart home gadgets you can buy right now

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Russia says it will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024

The country will focus on building its own space outpost.

The head of Russia's space program says the country will withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024. It will instead focus on building its own space station as a successor to Mir. Russia, and its cosmonauts will remain on the ISS for at least the next two and a half years to fulfill obligations to partners. Earlier this month, NASA and Roscosmos signed an agreement to swap seats on flights to the ISS starting in September.

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Logitech's new Aurora gaming accessories are 'inclusive' but expensive

They offer new colors, designs for smaller hands and pricey accessories.

Logitech

Logitech’s Aurora Collection is a line of "gender-inclusive" gaming accessories: a mouse, keyboard and headset. The devices are built around "comfort, approachability and playfulness," based on "feedback from women gamers across the community," the company said. There are some interesting features but at relatively high prices, indicative of a pink tax for products designed for women.

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Seville is naming heat waves like hurricanes, thanks to climate change

Zoe arrived this week.

The city of Seville is trying something new to raise awareness of climate change. With oppressive heat waves becoming a fact of life in Europe and other parts of the world, the Spanish metropolis has begun naming them. The first one, Zoe, arrived this week, bringing with it expected daytime highs above 109 degrees Fahrenheit (or 43 degrees Celsius). It’s a system akin to ones organizations like the US National Hurricane Center have used for decades to raise awareness of impending tropical storms, tornadoes and hurricanes. The idea is that people are more likely to take a threat seriously and act accordingly when it's given a name.

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This is what Saudi Arabia's 100-mile long emission-free smart city could look like

The Line is part of Saudi's controversial Neom mega-city project.

Saudi Arabia

The Saudi government has released image renders of what The Line could look like. The linear city was designed to only be 200 meters (656 feet) wide, but 500 meters (1,640 feet) tall and 170 kilometers (105 miles) long. It will house multiple communities encased in a glass facade running along the coast and will eventually accommodate up to nine million residents. The plans feature no roads or cars, and the city would run purely on renewable energy. The Line is part of Saudi's $500 billion Neom mega-city project, beset with controversy from the time it started. Around 20,000 people will be forced to relocate by its construction.

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Sometimes the headline says it all: A chess-playing robot accidentally broke the finger of its seven-year-old opponent during an exhibition match in Moscow. The child apparently moved his piece too soon, and the robot grabbed his finger and squeezed it, resulting in a fracture.

A video shows the robot grabbing the boy's finger and holding it for several seconds before a group of people come to free him.

The boy competed the next day, finishing the tournament. His parents, however, have reportedly contacted the public prosecutor's office. Russian chess official Sergey Smagin downplayed the incident, calling it "a coincidence" and saying the machine was "absolutely safe." Which I’m not sure is true.

— Mat Smith

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Anker's third-gen GaN chargers have improved temperature monitoring

The initial line-up of GaNPrime devices: 5 products and a power bank.

Anker has revealed its third-generation gallium nitride (GaN) chargers, barely a year after the previous batch. The company is branding the new line-up of power bricks and portable chargers as GaNPrime. Anker said it worked with several partners to create products that last longer and are more sustainable. It claims GaNPrime is the "most intelligent, most powerful and greenest multi-device charging system ever created."

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Intel strikes a deal to manufacture MediaTek’s chips

Its foundries will add 'significant capacity' for MediaTek in North America and Europe.

Intel and MediaTek have formed a strategic partnership to build chips. The aim is to ensure MediaTek has a "more balanced, resilient supply chain," with added capacity in the US and Europe. It looks like Intel won’t be building chips for smartphones but for less glamorous devices used in industrial computing, medical devices and internet-of-things applications.

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The NFL+ streaming service arrives today starting at $40 per year

It's more affordable than Game Pass but has some viewing restrictions.

NFL

NFL+ gives you access to live football streams and ad-free library content through the NFL App and the web, starting at $40 per year or $5 per month. Spend $80 per year or $10 per month on NFL+ Premium and you also get ad-free match replays. There are some catches, however. While you'll have live audio for every game regardless of device, live video is only available for live local and primetime games on phones and tablets — you can't use this to watch a playoff run on your TV.

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Google marks Play Store's 10th birthday with a new logo

A matching promo offers extra points for rewards program members.

Google

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Google is… unveiling a new logo. No, no free games or trials, but you can get extra points if you’re signed into the app store’s rewards program. Which apparently exists.

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Funko moves into video games with former Traveller's Tales developers

The vinyl figurine company and 10:10 Games are making an action platformer.

Funko

Funko, which is best known for its Pop vinyl figurines, is about to venture into new territory. It's making video games with the help of developer 10:10 Games. The studio is led by Jon Burton, the founder of Traveller's Tales and TT Games. Funko says its first game will have "major third-party studio integration," which probably shouldn't be a big shock given the high-profile licensing deals.

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We’re already in the run-up to Apple’s next hardware showcase, likely centered on its phones and wearables. This could include a shake-up for the Apple Watch — the first since the Series 4 watch back in 2018. The high-end variant of the Apple Watch Series 8 may feature the largest display Apple has ever crammed into its smartwatches, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

With a bigger battery and Apple’s long-rumored Low Power Mode, the Watch ‘Pro’, Gurman also says, could go multiple days on a single charge. Which is kind of the dream for Apple wearables, at least for me.

Rumors suggest Apple is teeing up a lot of new hardware for the fall. Beyond new phones and wearables, we could see refreshed iPads and next-gen HomePods, possibly with screens.

— Mat Smith

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Marvel's new Disney+ 'Daredevil' series arrives in 2024

Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprise their roles in ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’

Nearly four years after Netflix canceled Daredevil and the series more recently made its way over to Disney+, Disney confirmed it’s developing a new 18-episode TV show for its streaming service. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio will both reprise their roles as Daredevil and Kingpin.

Given Cox’s surprise appearance in the latest Spider-Man movie, it might not be a complete shock. It came alongside a lot of new trailers and announcements for Marvel at the San Diego Comic-Con — we’ve pulled together some highlights in our links above. There’s also the non-Marvel news of a Lord of the Rings trailer...

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Lenovo Yoga 9i review

Possibly 2022’s best 2-in-1.

Engadget

The 2022 Yoga 9i might not be the best-looking 2-in-1, but according to Engadget’s Sam Rutherford, its performance, battery life and audio are some of the best on a modern convertible. For the latest model, Lenovo has also increased the aspect ratio to 16:10, which gives you a bit of extra display for improved productivity, while also adding a gorgeous OLED screen option. And unlike a lot of its rivals, the Yoga 9i includes some handy accessories, including a stylus and a protective travel sleeve, meaning you don’t have to pay extra.

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How TikTok can help you get better at studying

A growing group of educational influencers can help.

Study influencers on Tiktok are showcasing study tips, math tutoring and even college application help, all aimed at furthering your learning. It’s still a good idea to limit how much time you spend scrolling. And watching study-themed TikToks is not a substitute for… actually studying.

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Baidu's latest robotaxi has a removable steering wheel

Initially, that doesn’t sound safe.

Baidu

Automakers are frequently keen to show off self-driving concept cars without steering wheels, but Baidu is close to putting a vehicle like this on real-world roads. The tech giant has unveiled a new robotaxi, the Apollo RT6, with a removable steering wheel. The option lets ride hailing services offer more space for passengers — maybe for extra seats or even desks. The car will cost businesses the equivalent of $37,000 in China, and it should first enter use with Baidu's own Apollo Go service in 2023.

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