Blizzard Entertainment is being sued by former Chinese publishing partner NetEase after servers shutdown in January when the two failed to reach a continuation agreement. NetEase is seeking ¥300 million Yuan (roughly $43.5 million) in damages, which the company says will be put toward issuing refunds for discontinued games and recouping investments from unsold merchandise inventory.

The suit has multiple components. NetEase says Blizzard was supposed to handle customer refunds with regard to discontinued games and that it got stuck with the bill. NetEase also alleges that the original contract was worded in such a way as to grant Blizzard “unequal terms and conditions” in favor of the publisher’s “unilateral rights," as reported and translated by MMO-focused gaming website Wowhead. A representative from Blizzard’s parent company Activision told Engadget that it has yet to see any formal paperwork announcing the lawsuit and said that NetEase is “contractually responsible” for refunds and anything else that falls under the “operations” umbrella.

NetEase also alleges that it provided Blizzard with a large advance to make future titles. The Chinese developer says that not only were these titles never finished or released, but that Blizzard never returned any of the seed money. Again, Activision had no comment as it has not seen the suit. 

Blizzard and NetEase were successful partners for the past 14 years before negotiations broke down to renew the long-term licensing agreement. This led to a complete cessation of all Blizzard games and services in the region, including popular properties like World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, Starcraft and Diablo III, among others. Millions of Chinese players lost access to their accounts and related data. Some started fresh with new accounts in other regions, but most (112 million people) opted for a refund.

The agreement did not end amicably, with reports of NetEase staffers tearing down the Blizzard offices and livestreaming the destruction of a World of Warcraft statue. NetEase's president of global investment and partnership, Simon Zhu, also seemed to call out a high-ranking Blizzard staffer as a “jerk” in a LinkedIn post. Now there’s an alleged lawsuit to add even more fuel to the fire. This is a developing story so we will update this post when and if Activision/Blizzard receives a copy of the lawsuit.

BeReal, Apple's iPhone app of the year for 2022, wants you to know that it's still going strong. The app sends users a notification at a different time each day, prompting them to drop everything and share photos taken with their phone's front and rear cameras simultaneously. You have a two-minute window to do this, with the idea that you'll share authentic updates from your life (you likely won't have enough time to fix your hair or find a spot with great lighting first). Your friends are notified when you post late or retake your photos.

This approach has caused some teething issues. It has led to people sharing mundane photos of their computer screens or taking out their phones simultaneously during a class, as The New York Times reported recently. Citing data from an analytics company, the publication suggested that the app's user numbers have nosedived by around 61 percent in recent months to under six million as the novelty factor waned and biggerrivals started to copy BeReal.

On its new blog, BeReal claims it actually has more than 20 million daily active users. In its inaugural post, the BeReal team notes it has been quiet as it's been busy. "But [that] means people have been guessing about what we’ve been up to and how things are going, and not always accurately," the post reads. 

BeReal

Meanwhile, BeReal has debuted a feature that could lead to an uptick in engagement and perhaps keep wavering users onboard. Bonus BeReal, which the company is testing in the UK before expanding to the rest of the world soon, allows users to post two extra snapshots per day at times of their choosing — as long as they share their regular BeReal on time.

The move could undercut the spontaneous authenticity that BeReal strives for, as it will give users a chance to pose for and edit their extra posts. However, BeReal notes that it may make changes to the feature.

For those who prefer an Android phone to an iPhone, we think Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 is the best smartwatch you can get. Right now Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung are all selling the 40mm size for $219, which matches the all-time low price we saw earlier this year. In addition to being the top Android pick in our guide to smartwatches, the wearable earned an 85 in our review, thanks to its solid build, ample health tracking capabilities and a clean design that looks much more like a traditional timepiece than the square Apple Watch. 

The Watch 5 doesn't look much different from its predecessor, maintaining the clean lines and minimalist design, but it now has tougher Sapphire Crystal glass. Our reviewer, Cherlynn Low, found the Galaxy Watch 5 did a better job than an Apple Watch at tracking sleep. It also beats out other WearOS-based devices at tracking activity, quickly recognizing when you're moving and suggesting to record your activities. The battery will give you a little over a full day on a charge and the recharge rate is speedy, so a 30 minute charge will give you another half day of juice. 

The improved, curved sensors get closer to your skin to give you body composition readings and take EKG for better health tracking. And of course, it's a capable companion for your Android phone, controlling your music, sending notifications, letting you reply to messages and delivering on-wrist navigation. 

For those with larger wrists, or who simply want a larger display, the 44mm Galaxy Watch 5 is also on sale. Amazon is selling it for $249, which is a $60 discount and the lowest price the watch has gone for since its debut last year. Both Best Buy and Samsung are currently matching that deal, so if you'd rather buy from those outlets, you can. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Canadian synth-pop artist Grimes says AI artists can use her voice without worrying about copyright or legal enforcement. “I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with,” she tweeted on Sunday. “Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings.”

The musician’s declaration comes in the wake of streaming platforms removing an AI-generated song using simulated voices of Drake and The Weeknd. Universal Music Group (UMG), which represents both artists, called for the purge after “Heart on My Sleeve” garnered over 15 million listens on TikTok and 600,000 on Spotify. UMG argued that publishing a song trained on its artists’ voices was “a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law.”

Grimes takes a considerably more open approach, adding that she has no label or legal bindings. “I think it’s cool to be fused [with] a machine and I like the idea of open sourcing all art and killing copyright,” she added.

This isn’t Grimes’ first time weighing in on AI. The artist collaborated with mood music startup Endel to launch an AI-generated lullaby app in 2020. She was inspired to create “a better baby sleeping situation” for her son, X Æ A-XII. In addition, she predicted in 2019 that generative AI could mean “the end of art, human art,” continuing by saying, “Once there’s actually AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), they’re gonna be so much better at making art than us... once AI can totally master science and art, which could happen in the next 10 years, probably more like 20 or 30 years.”

In addition to music, generative AI is already disrupting numerous industries, including visual art, writing, online media and voiceover work. After its sudden arrival — and rapid improvements — within the past year, AI content creation has set off numerous legal, ethical and copyright firestorms. Unfortunately, it will likely worsen before society and copyright laws settle on any consensus. In March, the US Copyright Office said AI art, including music, stemming from a text prompt couldn’t be copyrighted. But it left the issue far from settled as it left the door open to granting copyright protections to works with AI-generated elements.

Grimes’ offer to split royalties says it would apply to any “successful” AI song using her voice, leaving some confusion over where that cutoff is. Either way, she sounds ready to back up the offer with tools artists can use, promising, “We’re making a program that should simulate my voice well but we could also upload stems and samples for ppl to train their own.”

Amazon’s well-reviewed hybrid tablet, the Kindle Scribe, is receiving a software update that brings some new tools to the e-reader/doodle machine. The most notable feature here is the ability to send documents directly from Microsoft Word to the e-reader with just a few clicks. This allows you to read documents on the go and physically annotate them using the touchscreen and a Scribe pen. This is great for making edits on the fly, or just drawing pizza slices all over a college essay.

The feature is similar to the pre-existing Send to Kindle web interface tool, which lets you easily transfer files between external devices and the e-reader, but everything is done right in Microsoft Word. You’ll find this feature in the export tab, though an active Microsoft 365 subscription is required.

Physically annotating PDF documents is also getting a boost with this update, thanks to a new contrast slider. The slider increases the readability of the document itself or of any physical notes you add to the document via the stylus. This feature is available for any PDFs imported via Send to Kindle or for any pre-existing PDF documents available through the Kindle Store.

The Kindle Scribe is notable for having plenty of screen real estate, and this update gives you new ways to interact with that 10.2 inches. There’s a new multi-column layout for reading two pages at once (if you are into that kind of thing). This feature is only for landscape orientation.

Finally, there’s a newly-implemented bird’s eye view tool for notebook page management, letting you see nine notebook pages at once and make appropriate changes to single items or entire batches. You can now add or insert pages to pre-existing notebooks, move pages around and delete single pages.

Amazon has been pretty good about updating the Kindle Scribe to meet the needs of consumers. In recent months, the e-reader has gotten new digital brushes, integrated subfolders and more.

The Supreme Court will soon hear two cases that could decide whether or not government figures can block their critics on social networks. The court has agreed to tackle appeals from California and Michigan residents who claim officials violated First Amendment free speech rights by blocking them on social media in response to critical commentary.

In California, Christopher and Kimberly Garnier believe Poway Unified School District members Michelle O'Connor-Ratcliff and TJ Zane unfairly blocked them on Facebook and Twitter for writing hundreds of critical comments on talking points like school budgets and race. Michigan's Kevin Lindke, meanwhile, says City Manager James Freed violated his rights by blocking him on Facebook over criticism regarding the pandemic.

The cases have had different outcomes so far. A federal judge sided with the Garniers in 2021, and an appeals court upheld the decision noting that O'Connor-Ratcliff and Zane both used their social accounts in an official role. However, the federal judge in the other case ruled for Freed in 2021, who won an appeal in 2022. Freed wasn't acting as City Manager when he blocked Lindke, the judges found.

Cases like this took the spotlight in 2019, when then-President Trump and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both faced accusations they violated free speech rights by banning critics. To date, courts have typically ruled based on whether or not officials are using their accounts for business. Even a personal account used for official activity amounts to a public space where criticism must be allowed, a federal appeals court found when hearing Trump's case. These issues haven't reached the Supreme Court until now. The legal body's decisions could settle the question and force officials to allow critics so long as the posts don't amount to harassment or threats. 

We’ve all been there: sitting in the back of a cab as it crawls through downtown traffic, the clock on the dash mocking you with its inexorable march towards a missed final boarding call and non-refundable ticket fees. Racing to make your flight is an experience nearly as old as commercial aviation itself — and one which has seen repeated solutions attempted throughout the years. Today, companies like Uber and Hyundai or United Airlines and Archer are working to get fleets of eVTOL aircraft to serve as short-hop air taxis, ferrying travelers from city centers to airports while avoiding the mess and hassle of ground-based traffic. In the ‘60s, companies like Chicago Helicopter Airways (CHA) just used a bunch of repurposed US Navy helicopters whose rotors almost never catastrophically failed. Almost.

Following WW2, the US government found itself with a massive surplus of military aircraft — we’re talking North of 150,000 individual planes, helicopters and sundry whirlybirds that all needed somewhere to go that wasn’t storage or a scrap yard. At the same time, an emergent middle class got the chicken in every pot and car in every driveway it was promised, along with all of the traffic and congestion that that particular American dream creates. So, in the early 1950s, the Federal government launched a series of grant programs to promote commuting via helicopter as an intra-city alternative to driving, simultaneously addressing both issues.

The CHA began its existence in post-war America 1948, as a regional mail delivery service operating in greater Chicagoland with a fleet of Sikorsky S-58C and H-34A Choctaw helicopters, but switched to carrying human passengers from 1956 to 1963. Its five-stop route moved between its home base in Winnetka, Illinois and O’Hare and Midway airports, the now defunct Meigs Field, and Gary, Indiana.

For $5 in 1962 money (or just under $50 today) travelers could get from Winnetka at the North end of the city to Terminal 3 at O’Hare, and do it in under ten minutes. Or for $11, sightseers could reserve space aboard a city-wide “Complete Triangle Flight” helicopter tour of Chicago. According to digitized pamphlets archived at TimetableImages, anyone flying to or from “Europe, South or Central America, Alaska or across the Pacific,” on Air France, BOAC Lufthansa, Mexicana, Northwest, PAA or TWA were entitled to a free helo-transfer between Midway and O’Hare.

At its peak in 1960, CHA operated 126 flights and carried 6,000 passengers daily. However, that success did not last long past the tragedy of Flight 698. On July 20th, 1960, 11 passengers and two crew members took off from O’Hare airport, headed for Midway under clear skies. Minutes into the journey, disaster struck when the main rotor failed and came apart. The crew attempted an emergency landing but were thwarted when the tail rotor subsequently broke off and the aircraft nose-dived into Forest Home Cemetery. It burst into flames, killing all 13 aboard.

Just three years later in 1963, CHA’s business had dropped off by half with just 3,000 people opting for helicopter rides to the airport. By 1966, the federal government’s grant programs had run their course and funding quickly dried up, effectively putting an end to CHA’s operations. The company attempted a comeback with limited service in 1969 but shuttered again for good in 1974. 

The CHA wasn't alone in its air commute aspirations. It was joined by similar services in Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC and the San Francisco Bay Area. European cities launched their own services as well including Paris, Brussels, Dooseldorf and between the UK's Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

Clearly the issue was that the aircraft of the day only had a measly single rotor to provide lift and placed it at risk of major mechanical failure. That’s not an issue with modern VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, such as the six-rotor Bell Nexus, which was to be used in Uber’s now defunct air taxi service, a similarly-specced offering from Volocopter, or the five-rotor version that Boeing tested in 2019.

However, finding reliable funding remains a challenge — even Larry Page’s pet VTOL project, Kitty Hawk, ceased operations in 2022 — which has resulted in much of the technology’s development concentrating amidst existing aerospace corporations. Airbus is working on a VTOL of its own, as is Honda, while United announced plans to buy 500 units outright from VTOL maker Eve Air Mobility to jumpstart its fleet. Joby Aviation, which purchased Uber’s air taxi business in 2020, just received significant investment from Delta as well.

The UK government doesn't want to sit idle while foundational AI models like ChatGPT flourish. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan have pledged an initial £100 million (about $124.5 million) to establish a Foundation Model Taskforce. The team will develop AI that ideally makes the country "globally competitive," and will work with the industry to make these systems safer and more reliable.

The taskforce is inspired by the COVID-19 vaccine unit from the height of the pandemic. The group will report directly to both the Prime Minister and Technology Secretary, and have a chairperson announced this summer. The funding comes alongside roughly £900 million ($1.1 billion) in the UK budget devoted to both an exascale supercomputer and dedicated AI research resources.

Officials aren't shy about their hopes. The UK wants to have "sovereign" AI technology that spurs the economy while avoiding the ethical and technical pitfalls that have led experts to call for a six-month pause on experiments. Such models can sometimes be inaccurate or exhibit strange behavior, such as refusing to answer questions or even criticizing users. Donelan sees trustworthy AI as an edge in the field that can help create medical treatments, aid public services and fight climate change.

To some degree, the UK already has a major presence in AI. Google's mainly London-based DeepMind team produces cutting-edge AI research, for instance. However, the hottest systems in recent memory have been developed elsewhere — ChatGPT is the work of US-based OpenAI. The taskforce theoretically keeps British AI relevant despite this trend toward foreign-born technologies.

Those who are perhaps a little tired of playing Ticket to Ride or Settlers of Catan at Thanksgiving will have a new way to get mad at their extended family members starting next year. That's because Call of Duty: The Board Game is on the way. Pre-orders will start this fall on Kickstarter.

Activision teamed up with board game publisher Arcane Wonders, along with Genuine Entertainment and Evolution to make the game. Call of Duty: The Board Game is said to be a fast-paced blend of combat, strategy and tactical planning. However, an announcement video that brings to mind the Marvel Studios production logo doesn't shed more light on how the game actually works.

What we do know for now is that, as you may have guessed, you and your companions will take on the guise of soldiers. You'll battle your opponents with combat skills and a variety of weapons. Arcane Wonders says there are a number of scenarios and gameplay modes to choose from, while the action takes place across several maps from the Call of Duty games.

There’s no word yet on whether you’ll be able to set off a nuclear bomb in your living room if you reach a high enough kill streak to wipe out everyone and somehow still win the game. More Call of Duty: The Board Game details will be revealed in the coming months.

As Apple’s WWDC approaches, the rumor frequency for the company’s VR/AR headset is gathering pace. ​​Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the device, rumored to be named Reality Pro or Reality One, will have two ports: a USB-C interface for data transfers and a “new proprietary charging connector.” Judging by Gurman’s description, the latter is reminiscent of Apple’s recently reintroduced MagSafe power port. As for the power supply, it’s about the size of an iPhone, similar to Apple’s own MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhones. The component can reportedly power the wearable for up to two hours on a single charge, but you’ll be able to buy extra packs, given how quickly the headset may drain them.

It doesn’t sound particularly elegant, but there are reasons for it. At the start of 2023, Gurman first hinted at an external power supply. He reported Apple was concerned about the device overheating, while also chasing a lighter, more comfortable headset.

– Mat Smith

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Days after CNBC reported Google’s plans for a foldable Pixel phone at I/O 2023, an alleged video of the device is circulating online. On late Friday evening, leaker and developer Kuba Wojciechowski shared what he says is a clip of the Pixel Fold. Unfortunately, the video doesn’t show any features that definitively identify the foldable as a Pixel device, but if this is the real thing, be prepared for some noticeable borders to the device’s internal screen. The Pixel Fold will reportedly cost around $1,700 when it arrives later this year. According to CNBC, the device will have a book-like design, with a 5.8-inch external screen and a 7.6-inch folding display. It’s also said to sport the “most durable hinge” of any foldable to date and a battery that can last up to 72 hours in Extreme Battery Saver mode.

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Twitter adds blue checks to accounts of dead celebrities

Tapping the icon says the deceased individuals are "subscribed" to Twitter Blue.

Twitter has begun handing out blue ticks to celebrity users and accounts with more than one million followers. Among the users who received the verification but say they did not pay for the service include author Neil Gaiman, actor Ron Perlman, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Twitter comic dril. Also, accounts that once belonged to Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant and Anthony Bourdain, celebrities who died long before Musk’s takeover of Twitter, were also reverified over the weekend. On Friday, Musk claimed he was “personally” paying the Twitter Blue subscription for a few celebrities, including LeBron James and Stephen King.

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You can't share Xbox clips directly to Twitter anymore

The change is likely down to Twitter's decision to charge for API access.

Microsoft said it had to switch off the option to upload Xbox screenshots and clips directly to Twitter from Xbox consoles as well as the Game Bar on Windows. There are other options, but they're a little more inconvenient. You can use the Xbox mobile app to download console captures and share them to Twitter.

When asked for comment, Xbox declined to shed more light on the reason for the change. It seems likely that Microsoft dropped the built-in sharing option due to Twitter's decision to charge at least $42,000 per month for enterprise access to its APIs. That move is breaking functionality for all kinds of organizations, including disaster response services. This week, Microsoft said it would soon remove Twitter integration from its social media management tool for advertisers.

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