In an otherwise incremental update, one of macOS Sonoma’s marquee features is interactive desktop widgets. Although Apple now lets you add widgets to the Notification Center on older versions of macOS, with Sonoma you can plop them down right on the desktop. Here’s how to set up and start using customizable widgets on your Mac computer.

Notification Center widgets

First, if you have any existing Notification Center widgets you’d rather put on the desktop, you can now drag them over directly. They’ll move seamlessly back and forth between the two places, and you can reposition them around the desktop to find a spot you like.

How to access the widget gallery

Apple added a widget gallery (similar to the one on iOS) to make setup easy. Start by right-clicking (or ctrl-clicking) on an unused space on your desktop, and choose the “Edit Widgets” option. The widget gallery will open, displaying available ones from installed Mac apps and your iPhone (if you have one).

Will Shanklin / Engadget

The gallery’s main window (above) displays all widgets, while the left sidebar lets you scroll through the list of apps with available ones. If your iPhone’s widgets aren’t showing, ensure your handset is running iOS 17 or later, signed in with the same Apple ID as the Mac and on the same Wi-Fi network.

For apps with both macOS and iOS versions, you’ll see “On This Mac” and “From iPhone” tabs on the upper right where you can switch views. Whichever you choose, tapping on a widget will immediately place it on your desktop, or you can drag it around until you find a spot you like.

How to customize widgets

Once you’ve placed a widget on your desktop, you can right-click (or ctrl-click) on it to view its available options. If you want to make it bigger or smaller, you can switch between sizes in this menu. In addition, “Edit [widget name]” lets you adjust its specific settings (when applicable). You’ll also see the option to “Remove Widget.”

Apple

Many native macOS widgets are interactive, allowing you to change settings or perform other tasks without opening the corresponding app. For example, you can check off to-do list items in Reminders or toggle your lights on or off in the Home app — right from the widget. Unfortunately, iPhone widgets on your Mac aren’t interactive and will prompt you to “open [app] on your iPhone to continue” if you click them.

Patreon announced a rebranding of its platform through a series of updates on Wednesday. New features give creators more personalization and control while offering supporters more ways to follow their favorites. In addition, the platform is integrating more free content, allowing every creator to host communities non-paying members can access. Patreon also tweaked its branding with a new logo, color themes, photography and fonts.

Perhaps the most notable update for creators is the ability to bolster their communities for free members. Creators can now let people join for free, offering content and updates for non-paying members while (optionally) hiding things like early access to podcasts or videos behind a paywall. They can also use a new commerce tool to sell individual pieces of content like recordings, videos and downloadable files. It makes the platform more of an all-in-one social hub for fans who aren’t ready to pay but may decide to later.

Patreon frames its changes as moving creators away from being prisoners to algorithms and back to connecting directly with their most eager and loyal fans. The company says those with early access to the program attracted over 160,000 new fans to their communities.

Patreon

Creators now have greater customization over their pages, including their layout, colors and how posts display. “Whether you’re highlighting your most popular posts, organizing your podcast episodes into seasons, or putting together a video series, you have the creative freedom to arrange and present your work in a way that helps your members dive into exactly what they’re looking for and discover new posts to love,” the company wrote in a blog post. Patreon says early testing shows increased discovery and engagement (especially on older posts) when featured in one of the new collections.

Patreon is also adding chats and member profiles. “Chats are led and managed by creators, which means they can shape the culture and set the right tone for their communities,” the company wrote in a post announcing the features. Members can report problematic messages, and creators will have a hub to review them.

Finally, the Patreon app is getting a redesign. The company says the updated app is crafted for the most hardcore fans, prioritizing their experience. Fans’ homepages will now display content as creators arranged it instead of chronologically. “Instead of dropping into a content overload, members log in and instantly see everything they want at a glance,” the company wrote about the new app. “Their homepage is organized by creator, not by post, which means fans can see a creator’s latest work next to their community conversations and anything else going on in their world. It’s creativity in context, the way creators intended.”

Without fanfare, Rockstar updated the PlayStation 4 version of the original Red Dead Redemption on Tuesday to play at 60fps on the PS5. The 2010 open-world Western launched on PS4 and Switch in August but only runs at 30fps on those platforms — a point many fans took issue with. PS5 owners will now see smoother framerates when playing the title in backward compatibility mode.

Rockstar updated the game with patch 1.03, pushed to PlayStation owners on Tuesday. The patch notes state the higher framerates are only available to PS5 owners, not the standard PS4 or even the more powerful PS4 Pro. In other areas, the patch also added an option to enable subtitles when first starting the game and incorporated requisite “bug fixes and improvements.”

Rockstar Games / Take-Two Interactive

There was no shortage of online grumbling about Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive charging $50 for a 13-year-old game without significant upgrades like 4K visuals or a faster framerate. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick defended the pricing in August, saying, “That's just what we believe is the commercially accurate price for it.” He noted the inclusion of the Undead Nightmare DLC to help justify the cost, describing the expansion as “a great standalone game in its own right when it was originally released, so we feel like it's a great bundle for the first time, and certainly a great value for consumers.” The zombie-themed DLC adds roughly six hours of gameplay.

Although the digital version of Red Dead Redemption has been out for PS4 and Switch since August, the physical version doesn’t arrive until October 13. So, at least owners of the boxed version playing on PS5 will enjoy 60fps from the start.

During its Made by Google event on Wednesday, the company announced that it’s integrating its Bard AI chatbot into Google Assistant. The company describes the feature as combining Bard’s “generative reasoning” with Assistant’s “personalized help” to provide more contextually aware responses for mobile users. It will be available within the next few months. The feature was first rumored this summer.

“While Assistant is great at handling quick tasks, like setting timers, giving weather updates, and making quick calls, there is so much more that we've always envisioned a deeply capable personal Assistant should be able to do,” said Google VP of Assistant / Bard Sissie Hsiao during the keynote. “But the technology to deliver it didn't exist until now.”

Similar to Amazon’s recently announced Alexa with generative AI, Assistant with Bard aims to provide a “more personalized helper” than the relatively simplistic smartphone assistants (also including Alexa and Siri) we’ve grown accustomed to over the past decade. Google says Assistant with Bard can help with tasks like planning trips, searching emails, creating grocery lists and sending messages. You can interact with it through text, voice or images — more conversationally and with more contextual info than with the standard Google Assistant.

Google

“Say you all decide to go on a hike with your dog, but you reach a fork in the trail,” said Hsiao during the product demo. “Snap a photo of the trail marker and ask, ‘What path do you recommend for a group and my small dog?’ And just like that, you know the North Trail is the best.” The demo then showed the user using Assistant with Bard to write a cute social caption for their dog. “This conversational overlay is a completely new way to interact with your phone and lets Assistant with Bard meet you wherever you are,” summarized Hsiao.

Google says the feature is in its early developmental stages and will soon launch for early testers. Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro users will find out about expanded availability in the coming months, and the company adds that it will eventually be available on Android and iOS.

Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.

During its Made by Google event on Wednesday, Google announced that it will begin rolling out several new Pixel features, including the Pixel Fold’s dual-screen interpreter mode. The novel translation feature, which Engadget tested earlier this year, uses the phone’s folding display to translate both sides of a live conversation.

Dual-screen interpreter mode uses the Pixel Fold’s inner and outer screens to let two people who speak different languages speak face to face, viewing the other person's translated words on their screen in real time. For example, the Pixel Fold owner holds the device while viewing the other person’s live-translated text on the inner screen. Meanwhile, the other person will see the Pixel owner’s spoken words translated on the outer display.

Although there are translation options for viewing both sides of a conversation on the same display for non-folding phones (the standard Google Translate and Apple Translate both do this), dual-screen interpreter “cuts down on the typical back and forth that happens when everyone has to share a single screen,” Engadget’s Sam Rutherford noted after testing the feature. He described it as part of “a growing number of functions available on foldable you simply can’t get when using a traditional glass brick.”

Google

The Pixel Tablet, which we said in our review earlier this year could have a “potentially bright future” with the right software updates, is also receiving a few updates today. The tablet’s Kids Space, a child-friendly mode to teach and entertain little ones, now has a new navigation bar. The streamlined controls make it “easy to switch between apps and get to the home screen.” Additionally, Pixel Tablet owners can now ask Google Assistant to play podcasts and the news without unlocking the device while in Hub Mode (the smart display state it switches to when docked).

In addition, Google is pushing several other Pixel software updates, including a new camera interface. “It’s even easier to discover Pixel’s amazing camera features with a new camera interface that makes navigating photo and video features a breeze,” the company wrote in a statement provided to Engadget ahead of the launch. In addition, Android 14 brings new clock and wallpaper collections and the ability to customize lock screen quick actions. The company is also adding new monochromatic themes to use with Google apps via Material You’s wallpaper-matching dynamic color system.

The updates will roll out to the Pixel Tablet and older Pixel phone models (Pixel 5 / 5a and 4a) beginning today. Owners of newer devices (Pixel 7 series, Pixel 6 series and Pixel Fold) may have to wait as Google says their updates will arrive “over the next few weeks.”

Samsung announced a new portable solid-state drive (SSD) today. The Portable SSD T9 offers up to 2,000 MB/s sequential read and write speeds through the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface. The SSD ships in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB options.

Samsung says the T9 is around twice as fast as its predecessor, the T7 (Engadget’s previous pick for the best portable SSD). “The USB interface enables two lanes of 10 Gbps operation to provide 20 Gbps data transfer rates which delivers faster speeds when transferring high-resolution videos or large files, effectively saving creators’ time during heavy workloads like video editing,” the company wrote in a press release. Samsung says it can transfer a 4GB video in nearly two seconds or a 90-minute 4K recording in 12 seconds.

Samsung

The device has an aluminum body with a rubber covering. Samsung says this allows it to withstand drops up to nine feet (one foot shorter than the T7 Shield). The company describes the cover as being ideal for heat control and comfort when gripping it. The SSD ships with USB Type C-to-C and USB Type C-to-A cables, and it includes a five-year limited warranty.

The T9 is compatible with Samsung’s Magician software, which enables performance benchmarks, security features and firmware updates. The software runs on Windows, macOS and Android.

The Samsung Portable SSD T9 is available today at Samsung’s website and retail partners (including Amazon). The drive costs $140 for 1TB, $240 for 2TB and $440 for 4TB.

A Cruise autonomous vehicle (AV) was reportedly involved in a horrific accident in San Francisco on Monday evening. A pedestrian crossing a street was hit by a car, which sped off. However, the hit-and-run hurled her in front of a Cruise driverless taxi, which stopped on top of her leg as she screamed in pain. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the woman was still in critical condition at 9:30AM ET on Tuesday.

The pedestrian was reportedly walking in a crosswalk at Market and Fifth in San Francisco when she was hit by a green car, which fled the scene. A witness allegedly told investigators that he watched the first car strike the woman, causing her to roll off its side and into the path of the Cruise car. As the autonomous taxi proceeded through the green light, it ran over her and came to a complete stop, pinning her leg under its rear axle and tire. Cruise says there weren’t any passengers in the AV, which was in autonomous mode.

The SF Chronicle says that it viewed a video recording of the incident provided by Cruise to confirm the sequence of events. The company offered to make the video available to Engadget, but we declined.

A bicycle delivery person reportedly tried to reassure the woman that an ambulance was coming and that it would be okay. “She was just screaming,” the cyclist reportedly told the SF Chronicle. City firefighters arrived and used the jaws of life to lift the car off the woman, who was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with “multiple traumatic injuries,” according to fire captain Justin Schorr. He said the car appeared programmed to stop and turn on its hazard lights after sensing an obstruction (in this case, a human being) beneath it.

“At approximately 9:30 pm on October 2, a human-driven vehicle struck a pedestrian while traveling in the lane immediately to the left of a Cruise AV,” Cruise communications manager Hannah Lindow wrote in a statement to Engadget. “The initial impact was severe and launched the pedestrian directly in front of the AV. The AV then braked aggressively to minimize the impact. The driver of the other vehicle fled the scene, and at the request of the police the AV was kept in place. Our heartfelt concern and focus is the wellbeing of the person who was injured and we are actively working with police to help identify the responsible driver.”

The nightmarish incident occurred as driverless taxis have expanded their reach in the city. Cruise and Waymo got approval from California regulators this year to operate and charge fares for fully autonomous cars in San Francisco at any time of the day. However, the state’s DMV asked the company in August to reduce its fleet of driverless taxis by half, pending an investigation into crashes involving the AVs. Cruise agreed to operate no more than 50 autonomous taxis during the day and no more than 150 of them at night.

The film-focused social media site LetterBoxd has new ownership. Cofounder Matthew Buchanan announced on Friday that Tiny, a venture capital firm, has bought a 60 percent stake in the platform. The New York Times reported that the deal values Letterboxd at over $50 million. Buchanan and fellow founder Karl von Randow will retain minority shareholder positions and continue to lead the company as they insist “very little else will change.”

Founded in 2011, Letterboxd was a rare independently owned social network. It grew significantly during pandemic lockdowns as homebound users sought new movies to stream (and communities to chat with). Lacking the clutter of Amazon-owned IMDb, the website and app provided a haven for film buffs who wanted to write and read reviews, rate movies, create watch lists and socialize with fellow enthusiasts.

Letterboxd’s cofounders frame the move as less about selling out to big money and more a growth opportunity. “Teaming up with Tiny represents a big leap forward for us,” Buchanan and von Randow wrote in a statement. “We see this as a huge win for our community, enabling us to cement Letterboxd’s future with additional resources without sacrificing the DNA of what makes it special.”

The site doesn’t currently support television series, but the founders say they’re working on a way to offer that. They insist they want to incorporate TV shows “only once we know we can do it right.” Letterboxd partnered with Netflix earlier this year, bringing the streaming service’s recommendations to the social platform. 

“We’ve been huge fans and users of Letterboxd for a long time and could not be more excited to join forces with Matthew, Karl, and the rest of the team for the long-term,” said Andrew Wilkinson, Co-founder of Tiny. “If you’re running out of things to watch, it’s because you haven’t used Letterboxd yet — and we believe that the potential for superior discovery is a large opportunity.”

The federal government will conduct a nationwide alert test on Wednesday, October 4. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will send notifications to cell phones (as well as radios and TVs) to test the National Wireless Emergency Alert System and ensure the system (including the public’s familiarity with it) is ready for a real crisis.

The cellphone portion of the test will assess Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) nationwide. If you live near a decent-sized metro area, there’s a solid chance you’ve received AMBER alerts through this system before; it can also broadcast signals for imminent threats, public safety and presidential notices in a national emergency. The test’s WEA portion will use FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system that can broadcast emergency notifications through various communications networks.

If your cell phone is set to English, you’ll receive a message at around 2:20PM ET reading, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” Those with phones set to Spanish as their primary language will see, “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”

Of course, the messages will be accompanied by a “unique tone and vibration.” Based on past tests we’ve received, that could easily be described as “a jarring and obnoxious alarm that will immediately make you stop what you’re doing, utter select obscenities and pick up your phone to make it stop.”

Using the Emergency Alert System (EAS), the television and radio portion of the assessment is scheduled to happen simultaneously. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.

The cell phone part of the test is scheduled to last for about 30 minutes, but you should be able to dismiss the notification and shut up your phone as soon as you see and hear it. And in the (extremely unlikely) event of an actual emergency on Wednesday, the test will take place a week later on the backup date of October 11.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court agreed to take on two landmark social media cases with enormous implications for online speech, as reported by The Washington Post. The conservative-dominated court will determine if laws passed by Texas and Florida are violating First Amendment rights by requiring social platforms to host content they would otherwise block.

Tech industry groups, including Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and Google, say the laws are unconstitutional and violate private companies’ First Amendment rights. “Telling private websites they must give equal treatment to extremist hate isn’t just unwise, it is unconstitutional, and we look forward to demonstrating that to the Court,” Matt Schruers of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), one of the trade associations challenging the legislation, told The Washington Post. The CCIA called the order “encouraging.”

The groups representing the tech companies contesting the laws say platforms would be at legal risk for removing violent or hateful content, propaganda from hostile governments and spam. However, leaving the content online could be bad for their bottom lines as they would risk advertiser and user boycotts.

Supporters of the Republican-sponsored state laws claim that social media companies are biased against conservatives and are illegally censoring their views. “These massive corporate entities cannot continue to go unchecked as they silence the voices of millions of Americans,” said TX Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who recently survived an impeachment trial accusing him of abuses of office, bribery and corruption. Appeals courts (all with Republican-appointed judges) have issued conflicting rulings on the laws.

The US Supreme Court voted five to four in 2022 to put the Texas law on hold while the legal sparring continued. Justices John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett voted to prevent the law from taking effect. Meanwhile, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch dissented from the temporary hold. Alito (joined by Thomas and Gorsuch) said he hadn’t decided on the law’s constitutionality but would have let it stand in the interim. The dissenting Kagan didn’t sign off on Alito’s statement or provide separate reasoning.

The Biden administration is against the laws. “The act of culling and curating the content that users see is inherently expressive, even if the speech that is collected is almost wholly provided by users,” Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar said to the justices. “And especially because the covered platforms’ only products are displays of expressive content, a government requirement that they display different content — for example, by including content they wish to exclude or organizing content in a different way — plainly implicates the First Amendment.”