Elgato’s Stream Deck MK.2 is on sale for $130, a discount of $20 from the MSRP of $150. That’s 13 percent off and actually beats the sale price from last week’s Amazon Prime Day event. If you’re a podcaster or a livestreamer, this is a pretty good time to snag this highly useful streaming device.

This is the latest and greatest Stream Deck, and we said it sets a new standard for the industry when we placed it in our list of the best game streaming gear. Not to be confused with Valve’s Steam Deck, this similarly-named device boasts a hub of 15 LCD hotkeys that you can customize to your liking to simplify livestreaming, podcasting and related activities.

For instance, one button press can turn on a connected accessory, instantly mute a microphone, adjust the lights, trigger on-screen effects or activate audio clips, to name a few examples. You have 15 of these keys, and each can be customized as you see fit. You can even set them to perform in-game actions, like any standard keyboard shortcut.

Additionally, many users have found these devices useful for programming, media editing and any other profession/hobby that could use a bit of hotkey simplification. The buttons are also really satisfying to press.

The main reason you’d get this, however, is right in the name. It’s for streamers that have to moderate a fast-moving chat all while gaming or performing some other task. Each button has a tiny display to let you know at a glance the end result of each press. Over time, you won’t even need these mini displays, instead relying on simple muscle memory, just like keyboard hotkeys. Each of the major streaming platforms, like Twitch and YouTube, offer their own plugins for the device complete with a set of commonly-used adjustment options.

While many of the flashy, marquee mobility and transportation demos that go on at CES tend to be of the more... aspirational variety, Honda's electric cargo hauler, the Autonomous Work Vehicle (AWV), could soon find use on airport grounds as the robotic EV trundles towards commercial operations. 

Honda first debuted the AWV as part of its CES 2018 companion mobility demonstration, then partnered with engineering firm Black & Veatch to further develop the platform. The second-generation AWV was capable of being remotely piloted or following a preset path while autonomously avoiding obstacles. It could carry nearly 900 pounds of sutff onboard and atow another 1,600 pounds behind it, both on-road and off-road. Those second-gen prototypes spent countless hours ferrying building materials back and forth across a 1,000-acre solar panel construction worksite, both individually and in teams, as part of the development process. 

This past March, Honda unveiled the third-generation AWV with a higher carrying capacity, higher top speed, bigger battery and better obstacle avoidance. On Tuesday, Honda revealed that it is partnering with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority to test its latest AWV at the city's Pearson Airport. 

The robotic vehicles will begin their residencies by driving the perimeters of airfields, using mounted cameras and an onboard AI, checking fences and reporting any holes or intrusions. The company is also considering testing the AWV as a FOD (foreign object debris) tool to keep runways clear, as an aircraft component hauler, people mover or baggage cart tug. 

The AWV is just a small part of Honda's overall electrification efforts. The automaker is rapidly shifting its focus from internal combustion to e-motors with plans to release a fully-electric mid-size SUV, as well as nearly a dozen EV motorcycle models by 2025, and develop an EV sedan with Sony. Most importantly, however, the Motocompatco is making a comeback. 

Apple has unveiled a new Apple Pencil. The latest model costs $79 ($69 for education) and it pairs and charges via a USB-C cable. It’ll be available in early November and it’s compatible with every iPad that has a USB-C port.

This is the company’s most budget-friendly Apple Pencil yet. It’s $20 less than the original model and $40 cheaper than the second-gen Apple Pencil. Apple says features of the new version include pixel-perfect accuracy, low latency and tilt sensitivity.

There's no pressure sensitivity this time around, though, so if you want that feature, you'll need to stick with either of the previous iterations. While you can attach the USB-C Apple Pencil magnetically to the side of your iPad for storage (in which case it will go into a sleep state to prolong the battery life), there's no wireless charging support either. To top up the Pencil's battery, you'll need to slide back a cap to expose a USB-C port and plug in a charging cable.

Apple

Unlike the second-gen Pencil, you won't be able to double tap the latest version to change drawing tools. Apple has also declined to offer free engraving this time around. However, if you have an M2-powered iPad, you'll be able to take advantage of the hover feature that's supported on the second-gen Pencil. That enables you to preview any mark you intend to make before it's actually applied to your note, sketch, annotation and so on.

This is Apple's latest step in its transition away from the Lightning port, which was largely prompted by European Union rules. The company started embracing USB-C on iPads several years ago, while it ditched the Lightning port in all iPhone 15 models. It'll take Apple a while longer to move away from Lightning entirely. Several devices it sells — such as older iPhones, AirPods Max, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and the first-gen Apple Pencil — still use that charging port. But this is another step toward an all-USB-C future, and one fewer charging cable you'll need to carry around.

Microsoft’s new Copilot AI has wormed its way into nearly every aspect of Windows 11. However, there’s a bit of a learning curve, but don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. We've put together a primer on the company's new AI assistant, along with step-by-step instructions on how to both enable and disable it on your Windows computer.

What does Microsoft Copilot do?

Microsoft’s Copilot is a suite of AI tools that work together to create a digital personal assistant of sorts. Just like other modern AI assistants, the tech is based on generative artificial intelligence and large language models (LLM.)

You can use Copilot to do a whole bunch of things to increase productivity or just have fun. Use the service to summarize a web page or essay, write an email, quickly change operating system settings, generate custom images based on text, transcribe audio or video, generate a screenshot and even connect to an external device via Bluetooth. It also does the sorts of things other AI chatbots do, like creating lists of recipes, writing code or planning itineraries for trips. Think of it as a more robust version of the pre-existing Bing AI chatbot.

How to enable Microsoft Copilot

Update your computer to the latest version of Windows 11

First of all, you need the latest Windows 11 update, so go ahead and download that first. 

1. Head to Settings and look for the Windows Update option. 

2. Follow the prompts and reset your computer if required. 

You’re now ready to experience everything Copilot has to offer. If Microsoft just dropped an update, you may have to wait a bit before it reaches your region. Click the tab to automatically install the latest update when available.

Once your computer is updated, click the Copilot button

As for enabling the feature, click the Copilot button on the taskbar or press Win + C on the keyboard. That’s all there is to it.

How to disable Microsoft Copilot

Engadget/Terrence O'Brien

Microsoft Copilot isn’t an always-on feature. Once it shows up in the taskbar, it only works when you ask it something. However, if you want to disable or delete the feature entirely, you have a couple of options.

The easiest method is to remove it from the taskbar. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Open up Settings and click on Personalization. Next, tap the Taskbar page to the right side. Look for Taskbar Items and then click on the Copilot toggle switch to remove it from the line-up. This ensures you won’t ever accidentally turn it on via the Taskbar, but you can still call up the AI by typing Win + C.

If you want to delete the toolset entirely, the process is a bit more involved. Start by opening a PowerShell window. Search for Windows PowerShell, right-click on the results and select the option to run as an administrator. Next, click yes on the UAC prompt. This opens up a command prompt.

Paste the following into the window: reg add HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot /v "TurnOffWindowsCopilot" /t REG_DWORD /f /d 1

That should do it. Every trace of Copilot will disappear from your system.

What are the limitations of Copilot?

This is new technology, so the limitations are extensive. Like all modern LLMs, Microsoft’s Copilot can and will make up stuff out of thin air every once in a while, a phenomenon known as hallucination. It also doesn’t retain information from conversation to conversation, likely for security reasons. This means it restarts the conversation from a blank slate every time you close a window and open another one. It won’t remember anything about you, your preferences or even your favorite order from the coffee shop down the street. Finally, it doesn’t integrate with too many third-party sources of data, beyond the web, so you won’t be able to incorporate personal fitness data and the like.

What's the difference between Github Copilot and Microsoft Copilot?

There is a primary difference between the two platforms, despite the similar names. Github Copilot is all about helping craft and edit code for developing software applications. Microsoft Copilot can whip up some rudimentary code but it’s far from a speciality. If your primary use case scenario for an AI assistant is code, go with Github. If you only dabble in coding, or have no interest at all, go with Microsoft.

WhatsApp just made logging in a much simpler and faster process, at least on Android devices. The Meta-owned chat application has launched passkey support for Android, which means users no longer have to use OTPs from two-factor authentication to be able to log into their account. Passkeys are a relatively new login technology designed to be resistant to phishing attacks, password leaks and other security vulnerabilities plaguing its older peers. 

They're made up of cryptographic pairs consisting of one public key and one private key that lives on the user's device. Services that support passkeys don't have access to that private key, and it also can't be written down or given away. Without that private key, nobody else can log into somebody's account. Now that WhatsApp has launched passkey support, users can log in using their device's authentication procedure, so they can simply verify their identities with their face, fingerprint or their PINs. 

While a lot of applications still don't have passkey support, the list continues to grow. PayPal launched passkey logins for Android back in March, while TikTok rolled out support for the technology in July. More recently, 1Password rolled out passkeys to all its users on desktop and iOS after testing the login solution for three months. 

Volta Trucks has declared bankruptcy in Sweden after four years in business. The EV manufacturers' board announced the news in a statement that thanked its workers and pointed to its existing accomplishments and unattained potential. "We created the world's first purpose-built 16-tonne all-electric truck, including a unique cab and chassis design, that would have contributed to decarbonising the environment and enhanced the health and safety and air quality of urban centres." The company had piloted its delivery vehicle, Volta Zero, in five European countries and originally planned to expand to Los Angeles in mid-2023. 

Volta Trucks blames its situation, in part, on that of another bankruptcy: Its battery supplier, Proterra, filed for bankruptcy protection in August following cost-trimming efforts. According to Volta Trucks, this turn of events reduced the number of vehicles it planned to produce and made raising the capital necessary to continue operations more challenging. 

The EV industry has faced a great deal of layoffs and closures, especially from startups navigating the ever-evolving (and supply chain issues-plagued) field. Lordstown Motors declared bankruptcy in mid-2023 after five years in business, and Arrival has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs with all signs pointing toward bankruptcy — to name only two examples. As was the case with Lordstown Motors, Volta Trucks could seek a buyer for its existing technology. 

Myspace is getting the documentary treatment, with a film currently in the works chronicling the rise and fall of arguably the first big social network. When it launched in 2003, you chose your top eight digital friends, and drama ensued. The platform went mainstream, becoming an important music promotional tool long before Bandcamp or even YouTube.

The movie will be a joint project between production companies Gunpowder & Sky and The Documentary Group. Gunpowder & Sky has produced documentaries like 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez and Everybody’s Everything, about deceased rapper Lil Peep. The Documentary Group’s behind shows like Amend: The Fight for America and The Deep End, a series focusing on spiritual wellness guru Teal Swan.

Maybe, just maybe, we’ll even learn what Myspace Tom’s last name is.

— Mat Smith​​

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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 review

Bigger and better.

Sony

Web-swinging around New York City in Marvel’s Spider-Man might be the best game mechanic in recent times, but why not add wings? With the sequel, Insomniac did just that — and gave players two Spideys to control.

The team has also streamlined and expanded combat movesets and abilities. A lot of the gadgets from the first game return, but they’re easier than ever to access. Previously, if you wanted to use a gadget, you’d have to hold R1 and switch from your web-shooters to another option. Now, web shooters are always triggered by mashing R1, but you can hold R1 and hit one of the four face buttons to activate your slotted gadgets. It’s all further augmented by a compelling plot featuring the likes of Venom’s symbiote, the Lizard, Sandman, and more.

Continue reading.

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses review

Instagram-worthy shades.

Engadget

After a week with the Meta and Ray-Ban’s latest $299 smart sunglasses, they still feel a little bit like a novelty. But Meta has improved the core features, with better audio and camera quality, as well as the ability to livestream directly from the frames. If you’re a creator or already spend a lot of time in Meta’s apps (Facebook, Instagram, even WhatsApp), though, there are plenty of reasons to give the second-generation shades a look. These Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses feel more like a finished product.

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The Nintendo 64 gets a retro console remake from Analogue.

The Analogue 3D will output old game carts in 4K.

Analogue’s 3D aims to be the ultimate Nintendo 64 console tribute, playing original cartridges on modern 4K displays. All Analogue’s machines use field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) coded to mimic the original hardware. Instead of playing often legally questionable ROM files, like most software emulators, Analogue consoles play original media, without the downsides that software emulation often brings. The Analogue 3D is currently slated to ship in 2024, but no price yet.

Continue reading.

Snapchat has rolled out two new features, including the ability to embed content from the platform into a website. Users can now embed Lenses, Spotlight videos and public stories or profiles through their computer browser by clicking the embed button under share options. This will automatically copy the code — just as competitors like Instagram and TikTok have long allowed users to do. 

Following years of trying to broaden from just a platform to send pictures back and forth with friends, the option to embed is a logical next step from Snapchat. It builds on other features like articles and discovering local places of interest and, in 2022, Snapchat for Web. 

Along with embeds, Snapchat has also launched an OpenAI-powered feature that lets users extend their snaps to include more of their possible surroundings. The tool is reminiscent of Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill but, in this case, estimates what the entire border area looks like versus one targeted piece. Engadget has confirmed this feature is available for Snapchat+ subscribers. 

The company has regularly been using AI tools as perks for its now five million-plus Snapchat+ subscribers. The company's AI-powered Dreams feature — which lets users generate eight packs of "fantastical" images — is limited to one time only for regular users or one set per month for Snapchat+ subscribers. Anyone can buy extra packs for $0.99 each.

Snapchat was quick to hop on the AI boom, rolling out a chatbot called My AI using "OpenAI's GPT technology that the authors have customized" back in February. Initially also available solely to Snapchat+ subscribers, My AI expanded to all global users two months later with everything from restaurant recommendations to photo responses (as has been the case for AI bots in 2023, not always appropriately). 

Disney its turning Gargoyles, its animated cult classic from the 90s, into a live-action TV series for its streaming service. It's also teaming up with two of the most well-known names in horror films today to make it happen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Wan's Atomic Monster production company and Gary Dauberman are in the early stages of developing a live-action Gargoyles for Disney+. You may know James Wan as the creator of The Conjuring franchise and as co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises, in addition to directing Aquaman. Dauberman, a frequent Wan collaborator who had written the Annabelle movies, will serve as showrunner, writer and executive producer.

Gargoyles ran for three seasons from 1994 to 1997. It was more complex and darker in tone than your typical Disney cartoon and revolved around a clan of "gargoyles," species of nocturnal creatures that turn to stone during the day, along with police officer Elisa Maza. The clan used to live in a castle in Scotland before they were betrayed by humans and were cursed to be frozen in stone. A thousand years later, the gargoyles wake up in New York City and choose to serve as its protectors at night. 

Of course, whether a live action Gargoyles is a good thing or a bad thing depends on how you liked Disney's remakes so far. We could only hope that Dauberman and Wan's company could do the show justice, especially since it will mostly likely use a lot of CGI to stay true to the source material. Disney has been getting a lot of flak over its use of CGI lately, which critics consider visually unappealing and subpar, including in movies like The Little Mermaid and Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Much like how Huawei developed its own HarmonyOS as an Android substitute, Xiaomi is about to pull a similar move to bolster its ecosystem — especially with its electric car due to arrive in the first of half next year. Dubbed "HyperOS," this MIUI replacement will apparently be a blend of Android and Xiaomi's very own "Vela" system, hence a "completely rewritten underlying architecture" that would supposedly allow users, vehicles and smart home — of over 200 product categories — to connect with one another seamlessly. It's safe to assume that Xiaomi's electric car will also feature HyperOS, thus going head to head with Huawei's Aito line of EVs.

In a Weibo post, CEO Lei Jun said development on HyperOS dates back to 2017, with a mission to build "a unified, integrated system framework that supports the entire ecosystem of devices and applications." The exec added that this new platform will debut on the upcoming Xiaomi 14 series smartphones, which have apparently entered production, though he stopped short of sharing a launch date (rumors say end of this month). Separately, when asked on X whether HyperOS will be heading to Xiaomi's international line of products, Lei only responded with "stay tuned." And so we shall.