We don’t know how much Kanye West (aka Ye) is paying, but he's decided to buy the controversial "free speech" social media app Parler. The deal appears to be happening quickly, with the company behind Parler, Parlement Technologies, expecting to close the transaction by the end of 2022.

West was locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts following a weekend of antisemitic posts. “In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves," West was quoted in the announcement.

"The proposed acquisition will assure Parler a future role in creating an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome," said Parlement Technologies CEO George Farmer.

Parler was recently reinstated to the Google Play app store after being banned in January 2021, following the US Capitol insurrection. A Google spokesperson said at the time the removal was down to the app's lack of "moderation policies and enforcement that remove egregious content like posts that incite violence." Apple removed the app for similar reasons but restored it in May. Will a new controversial owner tempt new users to the controversial social network?

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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New iPad Pro M2 models are reportedly just days away

We'll also see a new entry-level iPad and Macs later in the year.

The next-generation iPad Pro with Apple's latest M2 processor will arrive in "a matter of days," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It will be the first new model since May 2021 and will reportedly offer a 20 percent speed boost over the M1 version. Apple will also introduce an iPad dock with an integrated speaker in 2023. The idea is that users could attach an iPad to the device and get a full home hub/smart speaker experience – very similar to the Pixel speaker dock Google revealed alongside its Pixel Tablet.

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The best cheap Windows laptops for 2022

You don’t have to settle for a Chromebook.

Engadget

You probably don’t think of cheap Windows laptops when you think of daily drivers. But it would be a big mistake to ignore these devices. There’s a reason companies like Acer, ASUS, Dell and the like make Windows devices under $500. Affordable Windows notebooks are great options for people that only use a computer to check email, shop online or post on Facebook. They’re also suitable for kids who have no business putting their sticky little hands on a $2,000 gaming rig. We’ve highlighted the best devices out there.

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Konami will reveal what's next for the Silent Hill series on October 19th

It's been a decade since the last game if you don't count 'P.T.'

Konami

Almost a decade to the day since it released the last Silent Hill game (as long as you don't include P.T.), Konami is finally ready to reveal what's next for the franchise. The company will divulge the "latest updates" for the series during a stream that starts at 5 PM ET on October 19th. We’re expecting an actual game: Composer Akira Yamaoka and art director on the first three games, Masahiro Ito, shared news of the upcoming stream. Both have previously hinted they're working on a new Silent Hill title.

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Amazon’s employee attrition costs $8 billion annually according to leaked documents

And it gets worse.

Amazon churns through workers at an astonishing rate, well above industry averages. According to leaked documents seen by Engadget, that attrition rate now has an associated cost. “[Worldwide] Consumer Field Operations is experiencing high levels of attrition (regretted and unregretted) across all levels, totaling an estimated $8 billion annually for Amazon and its shareholders,” one document stated. The company's net profit for its 2021 fiscal year was $33.36 billion. “Regretted attrition” – workers choosing to leave the company – “occurs twice as often as unregretted attrition” – people being laid off or fired – “across all levels and businesses,” according to the company’s internal research.

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Over-the-counter hearing aids go on sale in the US

You no longer need a prescription.

Adults in the US with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can now buy hearing aids online or from a store without a prescription, medical exam or audiologist fitting. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule in August that allows stores and online retailers to sell over-the-counter (OTC) devices starting today. The move could save consumers thousands of dollars on hearing aids, according to the White House. Taking Walmart’s options as an example, they cost between $199 and $999 per pair. The company claimed comparable prescription hearing aids cost between $4,400 and $5,500.

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Last week, Kanye West (aka Ye) was locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts following a weekend of antisemitic posts. Now, the saga has taken a sharp turn with news that the hip-hop mogul is acquiring the controversial "free speech" social media app Parler. The deal appears to be happening quickly, with the company behind Parler (Parlement technologies) saying that the parties expect to close the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2022. The acquisition price was not revealed.

The proposed acquisition will assure Parler a future role in creating an uncancelable ecosystem where all voices are welcome," said Parlement Technologies CEO Geroge Farmer. "In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves," Kanye added.

Shortly after his return to Twitter, West posted an antisemitic message, which was eventually pulled by Twitter. "The account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitter’s policies," a spokesperson said at the time. The rapper also shared a screenshot on Instagram with another antisemitic message, and was similarly restricted by that site. 

According to the Twitter post above, future (we think) Twitter owner Elon Musk expressed concerns about West's tweet, saying "I think he took [them] to heart." Apparently, he did so by purchasing a rival service. 

Meanwhile, Parler was only recently reinstated to the Google Play after being banned in January 2021 following the US Capitol insurrection. A Google spokesperson said at the time that the removal was due to the app's lack of "moderation policies and enforcement that remove egregious content like posts that incite violence." Apple restored the app to the iOS store in May.

As the above comments suggest, Parler and West are lauding the acquisition as a boon for free speech. However, if Parler allows racist, sexist or antisemitic posts like the one that got Kanye removed from Twitter and Instagram, it would likely be quickly pulled again from the App Store and Google Play. 

Developing...

SpaceX's next lunar passengers could include one of the earliest civilian spacefarers. As CBS Newsreports, original space tourist Dennis Tito and his wife Akiko have signed up as passengers on the company's second planned Moon voyage. They aim to travel within roughly five years, joining 10 other travelers aboard Starship. Tito didn't say how much he and Akiko would pay for the trip.

Dennis Tito built his fortune as a financial analyst, but he's best-known for paying Russia $20 million to take him to the International Space Station in 2001, making him the first space tourist. Akiko, meanwhile, is well-suited to the trip as a jet pilot. She would be one of the first women to fly around the Moon in Starship, SpaceX said.

SpaceX intends to have the spacecraft circumnavigate the Moon, getting as close as 124 miles from the lunar surface before returning home. The first journey is linked to Shift4 founder Jared Isaacman's Polaris Program and should include Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa alongside six to eight additional passengers.

While the news helps solidify SpaceX's tourism plans, there are more than a few challenges. To start, Dennis Tito is 82 — while he's stepping up his fitness regimen, he might be nearing William Shatner's age when the Star Trek icon visited space with Blue Origin. There's also the question of Starship's readiness. SpaceX has struggled to get its flagship vehicle up and running. While there has been progress, even the first orbital test flight might be months away. That, in turn, could push the first commercial flights beyond 2023.

Even so, this announcement could represent an important milestone. Thus far, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have broadly pulled ahead in space tourism. The Titos' plans suggest SpaceX's program is finally attracting more interest, albeit from wealthy people who won't blink at paying a fortune for a lunar sightseeing expedition.

More than a year after it was first announced, Amazon has shared a trailer for Good Night Oppy. The upcoming documentary will recount the story of NASA’s Opportunity rover, or Oppy as it was lovingly known by its creators. The documentary was directed by Ryan White (Assassins), with Angela Bassett, best known for her roles in Black Panther and Contact, providing narration. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab helped with the project, sharing archival footage and knowledge of the rover’s mission.

Opportunity was one of two rovers NASA landed on the surface of Mars in 2004. What was initially supposed to be a 90-day mission turned into a 15-year adventure exploring the surface of the Red Planet. During that time, the rover helped reveal that Mars once had oceans made of water and even broke the record for the longest off-Earth drive. Along the way, it sent stunning images of Mars. Good Night Oppy will start a limited theatrical run on November 4th before it heads to Amazon Prime Video on November 23rd.

Kanye West’s return to Twitter has been short-lived. Less than a day after Elon Musk welcomed him back to the platform, the rapper saw his account suspended for posting an antisemitic message. On late Saturday night, West, who goes by Ye now, said he would go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” In the same message, West defended himself, suggesting he wasn’t antisemitic because “black people are actually Jew.”

According to BuzzFeed News, it took some time before Twitter removed the hateful tweet. However, as of Sunday, it’s no longer possible to see the message on West’s timeline. “The account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitter’s policies,” a company spokesperson told Engadget.

The suspension comes after West’s Instagram account was similarly restricted by Meta. In a post that has since been deleted, West shared a screenshot of a message he sent to Sean “Diddy” Combs where he implied the rapper was being controlled by a group of powerful Jewish people, reports NBC News. 

The American Jewish Committee condemned the post and comments West made during an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier in the week. "The behavior exhibited this week by Kanye West is deeply troubling, dangerous, and antisemitic, period,” the organization said on Twitter. “There is no excuse for his propagating of white supremacist slogans and classic antisemitism about Jewish power, especially with the platform he has.”

After his Instagram suspension, West took to Twitter to lash out at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. That post is still on the platform.

Kojima Productions is making a game with Elle Fanning (The Great). The studio announced the collaboration as part of an elaborate teaser campaign that began back at the Tokyo Game Show in September. At the time, it shared an image featuring a face obscured in shadow with the tagline “Who Am I?” On Friday, fans got an answer to that question when PAX Aus attendees found a QR code with a link to the Kojima Productions website. The webpage hosts an updated version of the image that features a portrait of Fanning.

Kojima subsequently shared a tweet implying there would be more teasers and an eventual reveal to follow. As for what they point to, Polygon suggests Friday’s teaser is most likely tied to a Death Stranding sequel. In May, actor Norman Reedus shared in an interview he had “just started” work on a second game in the series. Although Kojima Productions has yet to formally announce the title, a producer with the studio shared Kojima’s tweet using the hashtag #DeathStranding. That tweet has since been deleted.

However, it’s worth noting Kojima is working on at least one “completely new game” with Microsoft. The “Where Am I?” image the auteur shared may also point to “Overdose,” a horror game Kojima is reportedly making with Death Stranding and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress Margaret Qualley. Either way, Kojima is likely to share more information about his next project at The Game Awards on December 9th since he has a long history with host Geoff Keighley.

Google started teasing its Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones, the Pixel Watch and even the Pixel Tablet months ago. Finally, we’ve got all the specs (and prices). The Engadget team even got to briefly test everything but the tablet – which is coming out next year.

The Pixel 7 Pro is probably the more exciting of the two phones, thanks to its three-lens camera system on the back. This year that includes an upgraded telephoto camera with the same Quad Bayer PD technology as the main 50-megapixel sensor. It has a 5x optical zoom, and the high-resolution sensors mean you can pull a 10x zoom cropped picture at 12.5-megapixels.

The Pixel Watch – rumored for years – is finally launching next week. It will last up to 24 hours with its always-on display, and it can be fast-charged to 50 percent in only 30 minutes. Can Google make WearOS a compelling smartwatch option? Stay tuned.

It was a long morning of announcements from Google. We’ve pulled together the biggest stories below.

– Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

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• Google Pixel 7 camera app adds Cinematic Blur

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Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro hands-on

Slicker design, same great pricing.

It’s the second generation of Google Pixel phones powered by its in-house Tensor chips. Next-gen chips come with a next-gen design, with new aluminum camera bars across both the Pixel 7 ($599) and Pixel 7 Pro ($899). The finishes of the two phones vary slightly, with the Pixel 7 getting a brushed aluminum look while the Pixel 7 Pro has a shiny, polished chassis. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford prefers the matte finish. The Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch 90Hz OLED screen, making it a tiny bit smaller than the outgoing Pixel 6. You’ll have to wait a little longer for our full verdict on the new camera array, but we already noticed a smoother zoom experience and more detailed shots.

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Now TikTok is copying Instagram with Photo Mode

Very retro.

We’re all used to seeing Instagram copy TikTok. Now, in a new twist, TikTok is copying Instagram with a new feature called Photo Mode. The update allows TikTok users to share multiple still photos in a post, along with captions of up to 2,200 characters.

The new photo posts, which can also feature music, will appear in users’ For You page alongside videos. Social networks are all converging. If you didn’t notice, in the last six weeks alone Instagram,TikTok and Snapchat have come up with their own take on French upstart BeReal (Instagram’s hasn’t formally launched yet). Twitter introduced a TikTok-style feed for full-screen videos. And YouTube Shorts, itself a TikTok clone, added TikTok-style voice-overs.

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Watch the first trailer for the new CG 'Super Mario Bros.' movie

Chris Pratt, Jack Black and Anya Taylor-Joy star in the CG blockbuster.

Nintendo

Yes, we got our first peek at the incoming Mario movie. The clip shows Bowser (played by Jack Black) terrorizing a penguin kingdom in his quest for an invincibility star. Mario (Chris Pratt) soon makes an abrupt entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom, while his brother Luigi (Charlie Day) appears briefly, too. Super Mario Bros. is expected to premiere April 7th, 2023.

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Google Pixel Watch hands-on

Its first smartwatch.

Engadget

Finally, it’s here. The Pixel Watch, priced at $349. And Engadget’s Cherlynn Low says it’s “one of the most beautiful smartwatches” she’s ever seen. (Though I’m not sure I agree.) The device is only available in one size, 41mm, but many straps knowingly tread the styles of its Apple rival. On that note, it’s about the same size as the small Apple Watch. The device feels like a polished pebble, thankfully covered in a custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which gives some assurance it’ll survive a fall or scrape. Read on for our early impressions.

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Judge in Twitter v. Elon Musk postpones trial to October 28th

A new trial could be scheduled in November.

The Twitter v. Elon Musk trial is now on hold as the two sides hammer out a deal for Musk to complete his buyout of the social media company. On Thursday, Judge Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick, chancellor of Delaware’s Chancery Court, stayed the trial until October 28th, following a motion from Musk's lawyers to call off the trial. However, if the two sides cannot close by the end of the month, a trial could be back on.

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Apple iPhone 14 Plus review

It’s an iPhone, but bigger.

If you want an iPhone with a big screen and better battery life without forking over a ton of money for a Pro Max model, the new iPhone 14 Plus is exactly what you've been waiting for. Like the standard model, the iPhone 14 Plus features two rear cameras and an A15 bionic chip, but with a larger 6.7-inch screen. It has the kind of prodigious battery life most handsets can only dream about.

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It's finally clear just what the long-expected Super Mario Bros. movie will look like. Nintendo and Illumination have shared a teaser trailer (below) offering a peek at the computer animated blockbuster. The clip shows Bowser (played by Jack Black) terrorizing a penguin kingdom in his quest for an invincibility star. Not surprisingly, we know who will come to their rescue — Mario (Chris Pratt) makes an abrupt entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom, while his brother Luigi (Charlie Day) makes a cameo.

The movie also stars The Queen's Gambit's Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, among other big names. Super Mario Bros. is expected to premiere April 7th, 2023.

If the teaser is anything to go by, the creators aren't taking any chances. This appears to be a straightforward CG movie meant to appeal to a wide audience — you won't have flashbacks to the odd 1993 live action film. With that said, the top-tier actors and lavish visuals might help it stand out if the iconic gaming franchise isn't enough by itself.

Bruce Willis may have retired from acting following a diagnosis of aphasia, but a version of him will live on in future projects. Last year, the actor's "digital twin" appeared in an ad for a Russian telecom created by a company called Deepcake. Now, it's being reported that he sold his rights for future film, advertising and other projects to Deepcake, according to the company's website and The Telegraph. 

Engineers created the digital double drawing from content in Die Hard and Fifth Element, when Willis was 32 and 42, respectively. With his likeness now on the company's AI platform, it can graft his likeness onto another actor's face in a relatively short amount of time. However, Willis's estate has final approval on any projects. 

In the ad for Megafon, Willis's face was swapped onto actor Konstantin Solovyov. "I liked the precision of my character. It's a great opportunity for me to go back in time," Willis said in a statement on Deepcake. "With the advent of the modern technology, I could communicate, work and participate in filming, even being on another continent. It's a brand new and interesting experience for me, and I grateful to our team."

In March, Willis's family announced that he was retiring from acting to due a diagnosis of aphasia, which impairs communication and comprehension. In the last few years, the 67-year-old has appeared in a series of projects amid concern about his cognitive state.

Actors have already appeared as digital versions of themselves, notably in The Book of Boba Fett with a young Mark Hamill. Digital versions of Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing also appeared in Star Wars: Rogue One, despite the fact that both are deceased. James Earl Jones recently sold Disney the right to recreate his voice using AI, so he could retire. 

The practice has stoked controversy. Deepfakes vary widely in quality, but many approach the "uncanny valley" where characters don't look quite right because of stiff movements, dead eyes and other issues. There's also the question of rights, as deceased actors can't turn down posthumous film roles, even if the family or estate approves. 

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, next year’s iPhone could introduce a change to Apple’s naming convention. It could call its largest and most expensive device in 2023 the iPhone 15 Ultra instead of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Gurman expects the iPhone 15 to feature USB-C, among other “bigger changes” – which he didn’t elaborate on at this point.

Engadget

Interestingly, Gurman thinks Apple might not hold another event this fall. He says the company will announce new Mac mini, MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models before the end of the year, but that they’ll likely be iterative and land without the Apple event fanfare.

– Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

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• Apple Pay Later may not arrive until next year due to 'technical and engineering' setbacks

In ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader was voiced by an AI so James Earl Jones could retire

Respeecher recreated the actor's voice as it was in 1977.

Disney

James Earl Jones has said goodbye to Darth Vader. At 91, the actor recently told Disney he was “looking into winding down this particular character.” That forced the company to ask itself how do you even replace Jones? The answer Disney eventually settled on, with the actor’s consent, involved an AI program. Respeecher can use archival recordings and a “proprietary AI algorithm” to create new dialogue featuring the voices of “performers from long ago.”

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'The Witcher: Blood Origin' debuts December 25th on Netflix

Meanwhile, season three of ‘The Witcher’ arrives next summer.

The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel to Netflix's live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's fantasy novel series, will debut on December 25th. Set thousands of years before the story of the Witcher Geralt and Ciri, Blood Origin will center on the moment in the Witcher universe when humans, elves and monsters all come to inhabit the fantasy world of the series. Actress Michelle Yeoh stars as Scian, the elven protagonist. Originally slated to run six episodes, Blood Origin will instead be four episodes long.

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'Oxenfree II: Lost Signals' is delayed until 2023

Night School Studio needs more time to make the sequel ‘truly special.’

The sequel to 2016’s Oxenfree won’t arrive until next year, the developer announced on Saturday. “To make Oxenfree II truly special and add more localizations, we’re moving our release window to 2023,” the studio posted on Twitter. News of the delay came shortly after Netflix announced subscribers could download the original game for free. Yes, more than six years after its PC debut, Netflix is making Oxenfree available freely to those with a subscription to its streaming service.

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UK police arrest alleged ‘GTA VI’ hacker

The 17-year-old may also have been responsible for an Uber cybersecurity incident.

Police in the UK have arrested a 17-year-old suspected hacker, with reports connecting it to the Rockstar Games hack that led to a major Grand Theft Auto VI leak. The individual may have been involved with an intrusion on Uber as well. The arrest is the result of an investigation involving the City of London Police, the UK's National Cyber Crime Unit and the FBI. According to reports, he was arrested earlier this year for hacking Microsoft and NVIDIA.

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Amazon will hold a Prime Early Access Sale on October 11th and 12th

The holiday shopping season will begin earlier than ever this year.

Amazon plans to hold a second sales event this fall, exclusively for Prime members. The second Prime Day of the year, dubbed Prime Early Access Sale, will be on October 11th and 12th in the US, UK, Canada and 12 other countries, following the same two-day format as the original event. That said, we don’t know what sort of discounts this event will include. There will probably be a Kindle or two, though.

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Watch the trailer for NieR: Automata's spinoff anime

It arrives this January.

A1 Pictures.

Square Enix’s genre-twisting RPG, NieR Automata was a cult hit in 2017. Now, an anime adaptation is almost here. Titled NieR: Automata Version 1.1a, it will debut in January 2023. NieR creator Yoko Taro shared the release window, adding that the anime's story would differ from its source material.

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