Posts with «author_name|sarah fielding» label

Borderlands 4 will have individual difficulty settings for co-op players

Earlier this week, 2K announced that it will release Borderlands 4 on September 12 — 11 days earlier than planned. Now, we're getting another look at the latest in Gearbox's series, including new features and a full-length gameplay trailer.  

One of the most interesting tidbits announced is that Borderlands 4 will offer individual difficulty settings in co-op multiplayer. So, one person could play on easy and another on hard while still maintaining fluid gameplay. It's a cool option if you want to play with great gamers but not face the same intense challenges. 

Along with the new trailer, you can also watch a 20-minute deep dive into the game, if you so please. The State of Play presentation from creative director Graeme Timmins and senior project producer Anthony Nicholson shows "the nitty-gritty details of how you'll wreak havoc across Kairos and take down the Timekeeper." 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/borderlands-4-will-have-individual-difficulty-settings-for-co-op-players-121626097.html?src=rss

Spotify lets EA Sports FC players stream music during gameplay

Spotify is getting into gameplay — kind of — through a partnership with EA Sports. The music streaming platform has teamed up with the sports video game maker to give users integrated streaming access while playing EA Sports FC 25

This partnership should allow players on the PS5 and Xbox Series X or S to access Spotify music, podcasts and audiobooks. The only catch? It's currently a pilot program and only available to users in Australia and Saudi Arabia. Oh and it's exclusive to Spotify Premium subscribers. 

Applicable players will see a new Spotify tab in the main menu section and can log into their accounts there. They can then access Spotify from the set-up or pause menus — so they will have to interrupt gameplay to choose a song. The latter is also where gamers can skip or pick a new track. These tracks will show up as a small icon at the top of the screen. 

Players can opt out of the game's default audio in favor of their Spotify playlist. However, Spotify cautions that "certain music" won't be available right now. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-lets-ea-sports-fc-players-stream-music-during-gameplay-140733183.html?src=rss

Google Wallet adds support for UK passports

Google Wallet has supported copies of US passports since December and now its UK residents' turn. The company has announced that UK passports will soon be available as digital passes in Google Wallets on Android devices. 

To start, Google is partnering with Rail Delivery Group, which provides Railcards — or discount passes — for a range of travelers. Applying for a Railcard requires identity verification (some of them are also age-based) and individuals should be able to use their digital ID for proof. 

Google also announced further updates and features to its Wallet. More states, including Montana and Arkansas, will soon have the ability to put their government IDs in their Google Wallet, and places like Georgia and Maryland will be able to use their digital IDs at the DMV. While travelers can use US passports stored on Google Wallet at select airports, Google cautions that ID passes for UK passports won't work at TSA for now. 

The company is also bringing Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) technology to Google Wallet. It should also for quick age verification while "ensuring there is no way to link the age back to your identity." Google might use it with its own products or when verifying a person's age on partner apps. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-wallet-adds-support-for-uk-passports-123019945.html?src=rss

X is bringing 4K video uploads to premium subscribers

X (formerly Twitter) has been leaning into video content more and more since Elon Musk took over. The latest shift, announced by X's engineering account, sees the platform rolling out 4K video uploads to some of its creators. 

The new video resolution should soon be available for all premium subscribers. Currently, they can share videos in 1080p that are a max of 8GB in size and about three hours in length. X has also taken steps such as creating a vertical videos feed a la TikTok and Instagram Reels. 

We're starting to roll out 4k video uploads for some creators.

Coming soon for all @Premium subscribers!

— Engineering (@XEng) April 29, 2025

If you're one of the many people done with the platform — and want nothing to do with Musk — then you can delete your X account. We have a step-by-step guide on how to fully deactivate your profile and clear most of your tweets (posts?) from X. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/x-is-bringing-4k-video-uploads-to-premium-subscribers-120044356.html?src=rss

Yelp will use AI to help restaurants answer calls and make phone reservations

Yelp has announced new AI-powered call answering features for restaurants and services as part of its Spring Product Release. With the service, currently under development, the company hopes that "businesses never have to miss a call again.” 

"In this next step of our product transformation, we’re continuing to harness AI to unlock the potential of Yelp’s rich data in ways that build trust and simplify decision-making — whether users are hiring a pro or booking a reservation," Yelp's chief product officer, Craig Saldanha, said in a statement. "By grounding our AI in real consumer behavior and business data, we’re creating intuitive, transparent features that improve the experience for everyone on Yelp."

The AI-powered system "will be fully integrated into Yelp's platform with customizable features and the ability to answer general questions, filter spam, transfer calls when needed, and capture messages." For restaurants, it will make reservations, put guests on a waitlist and highlight deals like happy hours. It will be part of Yelp Guest Manager, which is also getting a few updates to streamline operations — plus, a new Guest Experience Survey. 

Users calling services will be able to provide project details, get answers to follow-up questions and receive a call back from the company. For example, if a person has an issue with their car, they can give information to the AI system and receive potential solutions. Every business will be able to customize the AI service's greetings, choose when a call should be forwarded and determine follow-up questions.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/yelp-will-use-ai-to-help-restaurants-answer-calls-and-make-phone-reservations-143320476.html?src=rss

WhatsApp is reportedly bringing voice and video calls to browsers

Microsoft will shut Skype down on Monday, May 5, in less than a week's time. While it's long fallen by the wayside in favor of Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, more users might be turning to WhatsApp. The Meta-owned messaging platform is reportedly working on a feature that would bring voice and video calling to its web browser, WABetaInfo reports

WhatsApp already allows voice and video calls on its Mac and Windows apps, but this update would allow users to access these functions without downloading an app. While I'm happy to have the app on my personal computer, this could benefit anyone who doesn't want to download WhatsApp on a work computer. Right now, the feature is only under development, but there's a preview of it below. 

WABetaInfo

WhatsApp has taken additional measures recently to make calling easier. In March, the platform launched a call menu feature for one-on-one and group chats. It allows users to quickly choose a type of call from within the chat or to send a call link. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/whatsapp-is-reportedly-bringing-voice-and-video-calls-to-browsers-130026611.html?src=rss

Duolingo will replace contract workers with AI for content creation

Duolingo is now going to be "AI-first," the company has announced — aka it will drop employees in favor of using AI. In a publicly shared email, CEO Luis von Ahn outlined how Duolingo will "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle." This follows the company's January 2024 decision to cut 10 percent of its contractors, in part because AI could do their tasks. 

In the email, von Ahn points to Duolingo's "need to create a massive amount of content, and doing that manually doesn’t scale. One of the best decisions we made recently was replacing a slow, manual content creation process with one powered by AI. Without AI, it would take us decades to scale our content to more learners. We owe it to our learners to get them this content ASAP." 

The CEO claims that Duolingo still "cares deeply about its employees" but that it needs to remove bottlenecks to best utilize them. To that end, it will be looking for experience using AI both in hiring and when doing performance reviews.  

In the email, von Ahn admits that AI is far from perfect — wow, who knew? But, he states that Duolingo should move with urgency, rather than wait and take "occasional small hits" quality-wise. We'll have to wait and see what these AI-powered prompts will look like as a result. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/duolingo-will-replace-contract-workers-with-ai-for-content-creation-123058970.html?src=rss

Duolingo will replace contract workers with AI

Duolingo is now going to be "AI-first," the company has announced — aka it will drop employees in favor of using AI. In a publicly shared email, CEO Luis von Ahn outlined how Duolingo will "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle." This follows the company's January 2024 decision to cut 10 percent of its contractors, in part because AI could do their tasks. 

In the email, von Ahn points to Duolingo's "need to create a massive amount of content, and doing that manually doesn’t scale. One of the best decisions we made recently was replacing a slow, manual content creation process with one powered by AI. Without AI, it would take us decades to scale our content to more learners. We owe it to our learners to get them this content ASAP." 

The CEO claims that Duolingo still "cares deeply about its employees" but that it needs to remove bottlenecks to best utilize them. To that end, it will be looking for experience using AI both in hiring and when doing performance reviews.  

In the email, von Ahn admits that AI is far from perfect — wow, who knew? But, he states that Duolingo should move with urgency, rather than wait and take "occasional small hits" quality-wise. We'll have to wait and see what these AI-powered prompts will look like as a result. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/duolingo-will-replace-contract-workers-with-ai-123058178.html?src=rss

Apple's M4 MacBook Air drops to a new record-low price of $849

If you've been waiting for a good deal on Apple's latest M4 MacBook Air, today seems like a good time to take the plunge. Both Amazon and Best Buy are currently selling the new MacBook Air for $150 off its list price, bringing the notebook down to a record low of $849 from $999. That's the best discount we've tracked. Between the two retailers, all four of the device's color options are on sale.

Note that this price applies to the entry-level model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. If you're willing to pay extra for more storage space, a version with a 512GB SSD is also $150 off at $1,049. If you want more memory, a variant with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is similarly discounted at $1,249. Both of those deals represent all-time lows as well. 

Apple only released the MacBook Air M4 in mid-March and we've since named it 2025's best MacBook overall. We gave it in a 92 in our review, as it still packs an accurate (albeit 60Hz) display and excellent keyboard in a slim, sturdy build that weighs 2.7 pounds and measures 0.44 inches thick. But it's the M4 chip that really gives the Air a boost; the 13-inch model has a 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, all of which are more than fast enough for most everyday tasks. Battery life is another plus: The notebook lasted over 18 hours while playing HD video in our testing.

If you're looking for something a little bigger, then it might be worth getting the 15-inch MacBook Air M4. That one is also $150 off in several configurations at Amazon and Best Buy, starting at $1,049 for 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD and moving up to $1,449 for 24GB of RAM and double the storage. Again, each of these deals mark new lows. Apart from its larger display, the 15-inch MacBook Air has a larger trackpad and better speakers than its 13-inch counterpart but is largely identical otherwise. 

Update (4/28/2025): Several configurations of the M4 MacBook Air have dropped further in price since this article was first published, so we've updated our post accordingly.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-m4-macbook-air-drops-to-a-new-record-low-price-of-849-144625334.html?src=rss

Apple's M4 MacBook Air drops to a new record-low price

Those waiting for a good deal on Apple's latest M4 MacBook Air should check out Amazon now. The online retailer has the new MacBook Air for $100 off, down to $899 from $999, which is the best discount we've seen. At the moment, the discount is only available on the midnight color option.

Apple only released the MacBook Air M4 in Mid-March and it's already our pick for 2025's best MacBook overall. We gave it in a 92 in our review thanks to features like its 13.6-inch liquid retina display and slim build — it weighs 2.7 pounds and is 0.44 inches thick. But, it's the M4 chip that really gives this MacBook Air a boost. The 13-inch model has a 10-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. Plus, it lasted over 18 hours while playing HD video. 

If you're looking for something a little bigger and with more RAM, then it might be worth getting the 15-inch MacBook Air M4. It's currently down to $1,449 from $1,599 and offers 24GB of RAM, compared to the 13-inch's 16GB. Similarly to the 13-inch deal, this one is also only available at the discounted price in the midnight colorway.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-m4-macbook-air-drops-to-a-new-record-low-price-144625480.html?src=rss