Mac Mini computers with M2 and M2 Pro are the cheapest way to get Apple's latest processors, and now Amazon is sweetening the deal a bit more. The entry-level 256GB Mini M2 is on sale at $580 for a savings of $19 over the regular price, while the 512MB Mini M2 is $770, or $29 off. And if it's the 512 Mini M2 Pro model you're seeking, it can be found at $1,250, netting you a $49 discount. These appear to be Amazon's new normal prices, but they're less than we're seeing at Apple's Store.
The Mac Mini is tiny but mighty, with the M2 model easily powerful enough for productivity chores and multitasking. The M2 Pro, meanwhile, is a low-key content creation demon, beating the Mac Studio's M1 Max version and on par with the MacBook Pro 14-inch with M2 Max.
On top of that, you get killer connectivity, with two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections, HDMI 2.0 (with 4K 240Hz and 8K 60Hz output), two USB-A ports, a headphone jack and gigabit Ethernet (upgradeable to 10 gigabit). The M2 Pro model adds two additional USB-C ports, making it even more useful for creatives with a ton of accessories.
The Mac Mini M2 won't replace your gaming machine, but it can handle nearly everything else you throw at it. We wouldn't recommend the overpriced storage or RAM upgrades either, as the M2 is much more efficient with RAM than typical PCs. Still, if you're looking for a cheap but powerful Mac, this is the way to go.
Microsoft has struck a 10-year deal with NVIDIA to bring Xbox games to the GeForce Now streaming service. The company's president, Brad Smith, made the announcement at a press conference in Brussels, where he, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, Activision Blizzard head Bobby Kotick and other prominent figures attended a European Commission hearing over Microsoft's proposed takeover of Activision Blizzard.
Smith said that, if the deal goes through, Activision Blizzard games like the Call of Duty series will be available on GeForce Now as well. The publisher removed its titles from the cloud gaming service in 2020. Smith's GeForce Now announcement came hours after he confirmed that Microsoft will bring Xbox games to Nintendo platforms under a binding 10-year deal — and Activision Blizzard titles if the acquisition closes. NVIDIA is now supporting the Activision Blizzard deal, Smith said.
“Xbox remains committed to giving people more choice and finding ways to expand how people play,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a statement. “This partnership will help grow NVIDIA’s catalog of titles to include games like Call of Duty, while giving developers more ways to offer streaming games. We are excited to offer gamers more ways to play the games they love.”
Users will need to buy copies of games from the Xbox PC, Steam or Epic Games stores to play them on GeForce Now. It's not clear when Xbox games will be available to stream through the service, which has more than more than 25 million users. However, NVIDIA said it and Microsoft "will begin work immediately to integrate Xbox PC games into GeForce Now."
The agreement will afford players another way to stream Microsoft's games from the cloud almost anywhere that they have a sturdy enough internet connection. Currently, Xbox Cloud Gaming (which requires a Game Pass Ultimate subscription) is the main way to do that. The NVIDIA deal is an attempt by Microsoft to placate regulators' concerns over the Activision takeover by showing that Xbox Cloud Gaming won't be the only exclusive way to stream its games.
Earlier this month, the UK's competition regulator said that the proposed $68.7 billion Activision acquisition could result in a "substantial lessening of competition in gaming consoles" and "harm UK gamers." The Competition and Markets Authority found that Microsoft already had a 60-70 percent share of the cloud gaming market and that, should the deal go through, it would "reinforce this strong position." In December, the US Federal Trade Commission sued to block the merger.
As tablets get more powerful, some are becoming suitable replacements for laptops. That's particularly the case with the higher capacity models of Apple's iPad Pros. Right now the larger, 12.9-inch models with either 1TB or 2TB of storage are $200 off at Amazon. The deal covers both the Wi-Fi only models and configurations with cellular connectivity. The sale brings the 1TB, Wi-Fi model down to $1,599 instead of $1,799 and makes the 2TB Wi-Fi plus cellular model $2,199 instead of $2,399. A $200 discount still doesn't make these cheap devices by any stretch, but if you've been thinking about upgrading your laptop, and also want the portability of a tablet, this could be a good time to buy.
We gave the iPad Pro a review score of 87 when it debuted late last year. The latest generation of the iPad Pro didn't see a total rebuild like the standard iPad did, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Pro already benefited from having an amazing screen and superior build, but this time around, Apple increased processing power with the addition of their M2 chip. The latest operating system, iPadOS 16, added Stage Manager, an innovative multitasking system that lets you easily use multiple windows while working with your iPad.
Combine the software tweak with a faster chip, and you've got a slab that aspires to do laptop duty — especially after adding in accessories like the Magic Keyboard and the latest generation Apple Pencil. On the screen front, the 12.9-inch Pro features a Liquid Retina XDR panel with mini-LED backlighting for great range and contrast. The Pro also houses a solid, all-day battery and robust speakers. Around back, there's one 12-megapixel wide and one10MP ultra wide camera, plus a flash and LIDAR scanner. The ultra wide 12MP front-facing camera is still oriented to the portrait side, making you a little off-center on video calls if you're docked into a keyboard. It's also not a light tablet, weighing in at a pound and a half, but perhaps that's to be expected from such a powerful machine.
Beats Fit Pro debuted in late 2021, but the earbuds remain the best true wireless option from the Apple-owned company well over a year later. Today, Beats is adding three new colors for the fitness-focused model: coral pink, volt yellow and tidal blue. These new hues join black, white, stone purple and sage gray in the company's lineup. They'll be available Thursday, February 23rd for $200 from Apple and other retailers.
Since their arrival, Beats Fit Pro have been some of our favorite workout earbuds. In fact, we've named them the best option for those activities in our most recent buyer's guide. You get all of the convenience of Apple's AirPods in a more comfortable design. That includes hands-free Siri, Adaptive EQ, spatial audio and quick pairing. The Fit Pro also offer solid noise-canceling performance and punchy bass that keeps the energy up while not overpowering the rest of the mix. There's no wireless charging and some features are exclusive to iOS, but Beats does offer a dedicated app for Android users for a fit test, customization and other items that are built into Apple's software.
In recent months, we've seen the Fit Pro for as low as $145, though they were most recently on sale for $150. However, you may not find a deal on the new colors any time soon.
You can now test your racing skills against Sony AI’s GT Sophy – the one already wiping the floor with folks who get paid to play this professionally – when it arrives in today’s update for Gran Turismo 7 on the PlayStation 5 today. Players will face off against four GT Sophy AI opponents, all with vehicles specced slightly differently. There will be a four-circuit series separated by difficulty, too. The GT Sophy races will only be available until the end of March.
Meanwhile, an amateur Go player beat a highly-ranked AI system after exploiting a weakness discovered by a second computer. By exploiting the flaw, American player Kellin Pelrine defeated the KataGo system decisively, winning 14 of 15 games without further computer help.
It's a rare Go win for humans since AlphaGo's milestone 2016 victory. FAR AI developed a program to probe KataGo for weaknesses. The trick was to create a large "loop" of stones to encircle an opponent's group, then distract the computer by making moves in other areas of the board. Even when its group was nearly surrounded, the computer failed to notice. Now we just need to figure out how to use this strategy on the Gran Turismo circuit…
– Mat Smith
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OnePlus has teased a version of its latest phone, the OnePlus 11 Concept, with... lots of LED lights. The "flowing back" has a unibody glass design with a meandering stream-type LED lighting pattern with a ring around the camera module. (Yes, it does remind us a little of the Nothing Phone 1's transparent, light-up back.) It will be revealed on February 27th at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 in Barcelona.
Consistency and versatility in an attractive package.
Fellow has a proven track record for well-designed, sturdy coffee gear. The company makes everything from travel mugs to kettles, including a grinder primarily designed to prepare beans for pour-over. Fellow’s second grinder is more versatile, used to prep beans for nine-bar espresso in addition to pour-over, French press, cold brew and much more. It’s consistent, easy to use and, well, stylish.
Google Chrome has increasingly become a resource hog over the years, vacuuming up more and more of your system's memory and battery life with reckless abandon. Now, Google is doing something about it. As part of Chrome 110 for Windows, Mac and Chromebook desktops, the company is rolling out memory- and energy-saver modes. The features, which Google announced in December, are now enabled by default. You can turn them off in the Performance section of Chrome settings. Memory Saver puts inactive tabs on ice to free up RAM for other pages and apps. When you click on a frozen tab, you'll be able to continue from where you left off.
Over the 14 years since it debuted, Google Chrome has increasingly become a resource hog, vacuuming up more and more of your system's memory and battery life with seemingly reckless abandon. At long last, Google is doing something to make the browser less of a strain on your computer. As part of Chrome 110 for Windows, Mac and Chromebook desktops, the company is rolling out memory and energy saver modes.
The features, which Google announced in December, are both enabled by default. You can turn them off from the Performance section of the Chrome settings.
Memory Saver puts inactive tabs on ice to free up RAM for other pages and apps. When you click on a frozen tab, you'll be able to continue from where you left off. As Android Police notes, a speedometer icon in the address bar will show that the tab was inactive and now it's in use again. There's the option to exempt certain sites from Memory Saver too. Google claims that the feature reduces Chrome's memory usage by up to 30 percent. You know what else would help? Closing tabs you aren't using!
Energy Saver, meanwhile, can start limiting background activity, video frame rates and animated effects when you're using Chrome and your laptop or Chromebook's battery level drops below 20 percent. It's also possible to configure the feature to kick in as soon as you unplug the charger to improve efficiency. When Energy Saver is active, you'll see a leaf icon next to the address bar, not to mention fewer visual effects in the tab you're using.
TikTok is rolling out a new program in the US that's designed to help creators increase their earning potential and "unlock more exciting, real-world opportunities." The Creativity Program builds on initiatives like the Creator Fund. TikTok wrote in a blog post that it took feedback from previous efforts into account while building the program.
Details are relatively scant for now, but TikTok says the Creativity Program will be invite-only at the outset before opening up to all eligible creators in the US in the coming months. Participants need to be at least 18 years old; meet the minimum follower and video view counts; and have an account that's in good standing. TikTok hasn't said how many followers a user will need to take part, but a previous report suggested the floor is 100,000 followers, a significant jump from the 10,000 baseline for the Creator Fund.
In addition to meeting certain concrete metrics, TikTok says users need to post "high-quality, original content longer than one minute" to be able to earn through the Creativity Program. It added that creators will be able to track video eligibility on an updated dashboard and see their estimated revenue alongside video performance data.
Many creators have taken fire at TikTok, with some claiming that they've received payouts of just a few dollars for videos that were viewed millions of times. The TikTok Creator Fund was unveiled in 2020 with an initial commitment of $200 million. Soon after, the company said it would support hundreds of thousands of creators with over $2 billion in funding over the next three years. TikTok hasn't confirmed how much it plans to pay out through the Creativity Program, but confirmed to TechCrunch it will "provide a higher average gross revenue for qualified video views" under a revised formula.
TikTok is starting to roll out the Creativity Program in the US after testing it in France and Brazil over the last few months. The company has other monetization plans in the works, according to reports, such as a way for creators to paywall their videos. The Stateside debut of the Creativity Program comes soon after YouTube started sharing ad revenue with Shorts creators.
A strong amateur Go player has beat a highly-ranked AI system after exploiting a weakness discovered by a second computer, The Financial Times has reported. By exploiting the flaw, American player Kellin Pelrine defeated the KataGo system decisively, winning 14 of 15 games without further computer help. It's a rare Go win for humans since AlphaGo's milestone 2016 victory that helped pave the way for the current AI craze. It also shows that even the most advanced AI systems can have glaring blind spots.
Pelrine's victory was made possible by a research firm called FAR AI, which developed a program to probe KataGo for weaknesses. After playing over a million games, it was able to find a weakness that could be exploited by a decent amateur player. It's "not completely trivial but it's not super-difficult" to learn, said Pelrine. He used the same method was to beat Leela Zero, another top Go AI.
Here's how it works: the goal is to create a large "loop" of stones to encircle an opponent's group, then distract the computer by making moves in other areas of the board. Even when its group was nearly surrounded, the computer failed to notice the strategy. "As a human, it would be quite easy to spot," Pelrine said, since the encircling stones stand out clearly on the board.
The flaw demonstrates that AI systems can't really "think" beyond their training, so they often do things that look incredibly stupid to humans. We've seen similar things with chat bots like the one employed by Microsoft's Bing search engine. While it was good at repetitive tasks like coming up with a travel itinerary, it also gave incorrect information, berated users for wasting its time and even exhibited "unhinged" behavior — likely due to the models it was trained on.
Lightvector (the developer of KataGo) is certainly aware of the problem, which players have been exploiting for several months now. In a GitHub post, it said it's been working on a fix for a variety of attack types that use the exploit.
The rumors were true: Facebook parent company Meta is preparing to launch a Twitter Blue-like subscription called Meta Verified. On Sunday morning, Mark Zuckerberg took to his newly launched broadcast channel to share the news. He said the subscription service would give users a blue badge, additional impersonation protection and direct access to customer support. "This feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services," Zuckerberg said, adding Meta would test the subscription first in Australia and New Zealand before rolling it out to other countries. Meta Verified will cost $15 per month when users subscribe through the company's apps on iOS. On the web, where Apple's up to 30 percent commission on in-app purchases doesn't apply, the service will cost $12 per month. The subscription will cover both Instagram and Facebook accounts.
12 bucks a month to be verified on Facebook... I wonder if people will keep that same Twitter Blue outrage energy 😅 pic.twitter.com/ZPJsIHBerO
Rumors that Meta was preparing to trial a paid verification service started to swirl at the beginning of February when reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered code referencing "paid blue badge" and "identity verification."
Microsoft has formally approved a way to run Windows 11 on ARM-based Macs, if not in the way you might hope. In a new support article, the company has "authorized" using Parallels Desktop 18 to run the ARM versions of Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise on M1- and M2-based Macs. If you need Windows for work, you can theoretically use the virtual machine without angering your IT manager.
As you might guess, there are limitations. You can't run 32-bit ARM apps, in part because Microsoft is deprecating 32-bit software for all ARM Windows builds. Devices won't work unless they have Windows 11 ARM drivers. You can't use anything that depends on another layer of virtualization, such as Android apps, the Linux sybsystem and Windows Sandbox. Don't expect to run some games, either, as anything that requires at least DirectX 12 or OpenGL 3.3 won't work.
It's been possible to run Windows 11 in Parallels on ARM Macs since 2021, and it even ran reasonably well. You needed to use an Insider preview of the OS at the time, though, and Microsoft said at the time that it didn't plan to support new Macs. The sanctioned approach clears up licensing headaches, and Parallels Desktop 18 now lets you download and install Windows 11 with little effort.
As The Vergeexplains, it's not certain how Microsoft has changed the licensing — until now, it only licensed ARM versions of Windows directly to PC vendors. We've asked the company for comment. Parallels says you can buy either an individual Windows 11 Pro license or go through your employer's usual purchasing process.
This won't satisfy users who want native Windows support like they had with Intel-based Macs running Apple's Boot Camp. You won't get the performance or compatibility you would on a PC built for Windows on ARM. It may be the closest you get short of a collaboration between Apple and Microsoft, though, and it might do the trick if there's a must-run Windows productivity app.
