In the US, Montana and North Carolina have been leading the list of states with the highest number of searches for "VPN" over the past few days. That's most likely because their new age verification laws have gone into effect on January 1, and adult websites are now either requiring a copy of visitors' government IDs or have blocked access in the regions altogether. As 404Media reports, Pornhub has chosen to block people in both states from accessing its website instead of asking for verification. The other websites owned by its parent company Aylo (formerly MindGeek), including Brazzers, Redtube and YouPorn, are also no longer accessible. 

If anybody in Montana and North Carolina tries to access an Aylo website, they'll see a video message from performer Cherie DeVille, explaining that giving a copy of their ID to adult platforms puts their children and their privacy at risk. "We believe that the best and most effective solution for protecting children and adults alike is to identify users by their device and allow access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that identification," DeVille added. 

That's the same video message users from other states with similar age verification laws see when they visit Pornhub. Montana and North Carolina are but the latest states to require adult platforms to verify visitors' ages: Louisiana started the trend in early 2023, and since then, Utah, Arkansas, Mississippi, Virginia and Texas have passed their own versions. In North Carolina's case, the rule was approved as part of legislation that requires high school students to take computer science classes. 

Other adult websites not owned by Aylo are using third-party providers to authenticate users' ages in lieu of blocking whole regions altogether. Pornhub uses Louisiana's digital driver's license wallet app to verify local users' identities, but not all states have ID apps that work with its system. The website told us that its traffic in Louisiana dropped by 80 percent when the state started enforcing its age verification law. That makes this new development another potential blow to Aylo after it was slapped with a $1.8 million fine in December for hosting and profiting from pornographic content that featured sex trafficking victims.

Samsung’s Unpacked event is coming early this year, so set your calendar for January 17 at 1PM ET. Typically, these events drop the first week of February, so this is an interesting switch-up, given the proximity to CES 2024. This will be an in-person event, at the SAP Center in San Jose, but will also be live streamed across Samsung’s various channels, including YouTube.

This is Samsung, so it’s not advertising any details regarding this year’s Unpacked. We do, however, have some ideas. It’s highly likely the company will not only announce the arrival of the Galaxy S24 flagship smartphone series, but will open up pre-orders immediately following the event. To that end, the company has already started a “pre-reserve” program in which you plop down your name and email address to pre-order, well, something.

You won’t know what you’ve pre-ordered until January 17. Thankfully, there’s no commitment here and you even get a $50 credit toward whatever devices Samsung has got cooking up. The company made a similar offer last year, so it must have worked out.

Speaking of last year, we got the Galaxy S23 line in all of its glory. The Galaxy S23 and S23+ were minor refreshes, so perhaps the S24 will up the ante a bit. In 2022, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S22 smartphone line. Are you seeing a pattern? Just like Apple tends to use September for new iPhone announcements, Samsung drops new Galaxy smartphones at Unpacked.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the presentation will just be Galaxy S24 smartphones. Samsung tends to also announce new laptop iterations at the first Unpacked each year, so we could get the Galaxy Book4 or something similar.

Samsung has released some details regarding a trio of forthcoming Odyssey gaming monitors, just ahead of CES 2024. These are all OLED displays with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400. Each monitor also features the company’s proprietary anti-glare technology that minimizes daylight and ambient light reflections.

First up, there’s the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G95SD curved ultra-wide monitor. The screen offers DQHD (5120x1440) resolution, a 0.03ms response time, a 240Hz refresh rate, a 32:9 aspect ratio and access to both Samsung’s smart TV platform and the company’s cloud-based Gaming Hub. The aesthetics are on point, with a slim form factor and a slightly smaller size than the mammoth Odyssey Ark.

Samsung

The Odyssey G80SD is the first flat 32-inch OLED gaming monitor in Samsung’s lineup. It features 4K UHD (3840x2160) resolution, a 16:9 aspect ratio, a 0.03ms response time and a snappy 240Hz refresh rate This ultra-thin monitor is made for cramped desks, with a width of just under four millimeters. The peak brightness is 450 nits and the monitor ships with CoreLighting+ technology for unique ambient lighting schemes.

Samsung

The relatively diminutive 27-inch OLED G60SD boasts a 360Hz refresh rate and a QHD (2560x1440) resolution. This monitor also ships with Samsung’s CoreLighting+ tech, for ambient tomfoolery, and a slim, metal form factor. The display can be adjusted for comfort via tilt, pivot and swivel.

There's no pricing yet, though that could come when CES 2024 actually starts next week. Samsung has promised that each will release sometime this year. For reference, the company announced a slew of Odyssey gaming monitors at CES 2023, and they were all out in the wild by the middle of the year.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

If you've got some gift card money to spend after the holidays and are looking to grab a new pair of wireless earphones, here's a deal worth noting: Apple's AirPods Pro are back on sale for $190 at Amazon, Target and Best Buy. We've seen the noise-canceling earphones fall to this price a few times over the last couple of months, but it still comes within a dollar of the best deal we've tracked. The offer applies to latest version of the earphones, which comes with a USB-C charging case as standard. For reference, Apple normally sells the pair for $249, though it's almost always gone for less at third-party retailers since arriving last September.

The second-gen AirPods Pro are the "best for iOS" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds, and we gave the Lightning-based model a score of 88 in our review back in September 2022. This USB-C model adds slightly improved dust resistance and lossless audio support with Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset on top of the new charging port but is effectively identical otherwise. That means it still delivers pleasant and warm sound, effective active noise cancellation (ANC), a superb transparency mode, and a host of features that make life easier for Apple device owners, including faster pairing, hands-free Siri, virtual surround sound (which is personalized to your fit) and Find My tracking. 

A software update last fall added a few more helpful tricks, including an "Adaptive Audio" mode that automatically adjusts the ANC and transparency modes based on your surroundings and lower the volume when you start a conversation.

You really need to be an iPhone owner to get the most out of the this, though. Even then, the AirPods Pro's call quality and six-hour battery life are just OK, and its sound isn't as customizable as competing models. Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer better ANC, the Beats Fit Pro has a better fit for the gym and Sony's WF-1000XM5 is more well-rounded on the whole. Apple may also add ANC to its lower-cost AirPods at some point in 2024, according to a recent Bloomberg report (though new Pros aren't expected until 2025). And if you already own the Lightning-based Pros and just want the USB-C case, you can now buy the latter separately. All that said, at this price, the USB-C AirPods Pro remain a solid value for Apple diehards in search of a new pair of premium wireless earphones.

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

Generative AI provoked a lot of discussion last year around images, text and video, but it may soon affect the gaming industry as well. Square Enix said it plans to be "aggressively applying" AI and other cutting-edge tech in 2024 to "create new forms of content," according to president Takashi Kiryu's New Year's letter. 

"Artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential implications had for some time largely been subjects of academic debate," he said. "However, the introduction of ChatGPT, which allows anyone to easily produce writing or translations or to engage in text-based dialogue, sparked the rapid spread of generative AIs. I believe that generative AI has the potential not only to reshape what we create, but also to fundamentally change the processes by which we create, including programming." 

The company will start by using it to improve productivity in development and assist in marketing. "In the longer term, we hope to leverage those technologies to create new forms of content for consumers, as we believe that technological innovation represents business opportunities," Kiryu added. Square Enix also plans to build more immersive AR and VR experiences, including "new forms of content that fuse the real world and virtual worlds." 

Kiryu name-checked ChatGPT, despite the fact that its creator OpenAI was recently sued by The New York Times for copyright infringement. In the gaming industry directly, companies including Valve have said they may restrict games that use AI on their platforms over similar concerns. 

Square Enix didn't specifically state that AI would be used to generate content in the form of characters, voices, environments or anything else, though. Rather, it appears to be more of a broad aspiration than anything specific. The company has made similar proclamations in the past about blockchain, NFTs and Web 3.0, but it only gave those scant mention in this year's letter. 

CES 2024 is just around the corner and tech companies are already providing sneak peeks of what we can expect to see on the ground in Las Vegas. LG is bringing a range of wonderful, weird gadgets to the showcase, including the newly announced DukeBox by LG Labs. The audio device marries old and new with vacuum tube audio working alongside transparent OLED panel technology. 

Vacuum tube audio has been around for over 100 years and is beloved for its ability to produce a warm sound quality that highlights each instrument — almost creating the sense that musicians are playing the music live. The DukeBox utilizes this technology alongside front-facing bottom speakers and 360-degree speakers on top. The vacuum pipes remain visible for an extra retro feel, though the OLED display's transparency is adjustable. 

The DukeBox is kind of like a smart speaker for people who want a more sleek, retro design. While it's reminiscent of old jukeboxes, this device isn't exclusive to music. It has the option to play content like movies or even create a "fireplace" with the tubes visible along the flames. 

LG claims its Labs zone at CES 2024 will be twice the size of last year's space. The company has also announced other products that will be on display, like the CineBeam Qube, a 4K projector with 3,840 x 2,160 resolution images measuring up to 120 inches. The three-pound device also has image-mapping and a handle that could pass for a crank. 

Neither the DukeBox or the CineBeam Qube currently have a release date or price. LG will likely release more information on these and other new products at CES this month. The showcase should also give us a chance to test out the products' quality for ourselves and provide an informed recommendation. 

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

New Year’s resolutions are usually set with the best intentions – I may have already failed at one of mine already — but the right tools (and resolution, if I’m honest) can make achieving those goals easier.

Naturally, with all the wearables and smartwatches around, there’s a fitness theme to half of our guide, but smartwatches can help nudge you into better habits and even remind you to meditate, which is something I’ve set up on my Apple Watch this week.

We’ve also got to-do list app recommendations, cable organizing advice (that is a weak-ass New Year resolution) and help on how to cultivate a new reading habit in 2024.

What are your resolutions for the coming year? And what will you do (or buy) to achieve them?

– Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

The Morning After: The biggest tech stories of 2023

The biggest winners in tech in 2023

How to find and cancel your unused subscriptions

Some Vizio TV owners can claim a share of a $3 million settlement

CES 2024: What we expect to see in Las Vegas this year

Wireless TV, plug-and-play solar and next-gen headphones.

The Engadget team is prepping itself for another tour (in military terms) of Las Vegas. CES is back again. Alongside the glory of huge TVs in every size, new autonomous car tech and weird robots that will never make it outside of tech trade shows, we’ve compiled a few predictions for all the tech companies and startups planning to attend. We’ve got next-gen headphones, new display technology and more.

The show officially runs from January 9 - 12, though we'll be on the ground well before that. The first CES-related events will kick off on January 7, so get ready!

Continue reading.

LG is bringing a 4K projector with a weird handle to CES 2024

The CineBeam Qube weighs just 3 pounds.

LG

LG’s latest 4K projector looks a little like, well, I’ll say it: an objet d’arte from TJ Maxx. I say that from a place of love: I’d love a projector that looks like this. I mean, it has a handle that looks like a crank! The style does betray the high-tech insides. The CineBeam Qube can blast 4K images that measure up to 120 inches, with an RGB laser light source, a 450,000:1 contrast ratio and 154 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

Continue reading.

Meta's Quest 2 headset is about to get even cheaper

The price has dropped permanently to $249 following the launch of the Quest 3.

Meta is permanently cutting the price of its Quest 2 VR headset to $250 following the launch of the Quest 3, according to Meta’s official Quest blog. The Quest 2 has been on sale at that price since Black Friday anyway, but a new official retail price might spell even better deals for the previous-gen model in the next few months.

Continue reading.

Take a look at this dreamy timelapse of Mars

From NASA’s Curiosity rover.

NASA

NASA’s robotic Mars explorers were given some time off, as a natural phenomenon would likely interfere with communications. Leading up to the pause, the Curiosity rover was put in park — but its Hazard-Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams) kept snapping away. By the end of the period, Curiosity recorded the passage of a Martian day over 12 hours from its stationary position, as the sun moved from dawn to dusk. 

Take a look.

New Year’s resolutions are usually set with the best intentions – I may have already failed at one of mine already — but the right tools (and resolution, if I’m honest) can make achieving those goals easier.

Naturally, with all the wearables and smartwatches around, there’s a fitness theme to half of our guide, but smartwatches can help nudge you into better habits and even remind you to meditate, which is something I’ve set up on my Apple Watch this week.

We’ve also got to-do list app recommendations, cable organizing advice (that is a weak-ass New Year resolution) and help on how to cultivate a new reading habit in 2024.

What are your resolutions for the coming year? And what will you do (or buy) to achieve them?

– Mat Smith

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

The Morning After: The biggest tech stories of 2023

The biggest winners in tech in 2023

How to find and cancel your unused subscriptions

Some Vizio TV owners can claim a share of a $3 million settlement

CES 2024: What we expect to see in Las Vegas this year

Wireless TV, plug-and-play solar and next-gen headphones.

The Engadget team is prepping itself for another tour (in military terms) of Las Vegas. CES is back again. Alongside the glory of huge TVs in every size, new autonomous car tech and weird robots that will never make it outside of tech trade shows, we’ve compiled a few predictions for all the tech companies and startups planning to attend. We’ve got next-gen headphones, new display technology and more.

The show officially runs from January 9 - 12, though we'll be on the ground well before that. The first CES-related events will kick off on January 7, so get ready!

Continue reading.

LG is bringing a 4K projector with a weird handle to CES 2024

The CineBeam Qube weighs just 3 pounds.

LG

LG’s latest 4K projector looks a little like, well, I’ll say it: an objet d’arte from TJ Maxx. I say that from a place of love: I’d love a projector that looks like this. I mean, it has a handle that looks like a crank! The style does betray the high-tech insides. The CineBeam Qube can blast 4K images that measure up to 120 inches, with an RGB laser light source, a 450,000:1 contrast ratio and 154 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

Continue reading.

Meta's Quest 2 headset is about to get even cheaper

The price has dropped permanently to $249 following the launch of the Quest 3.

Meta is permanently cutting the price of its Quest 2 VR headset to $250 following the launch of the Quest 3, according to Meta’s official Quest blog. The Quest 2 has been on sale at that price since Black Friday anyway, but a new official retail price might spell even better deals for the previous-gen model in the next few months.

Continue reading.

Take a look at this dreamy timelapse of Mars

From NASA’s Curiosity rover.

NASA

NASA’s robotic Mars explorers were given some time off, as a natural phenomenon would likely interfere with communications. Leading up to the pause, the Curiosity rover was put in park — but its Hazard-Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams) kept snapping away. By the end of the period, Curiosity recorded the passage of a Martian day over 12 hours from its stationary position, as the sun moved from dawn to dusk. 

Take a look.

The developers of Tekken 8 are boosting the upcoming game's accessibility with color blind options, but some experts and users say some of the settings may cause more harm than good. One filter in particular that displays horizontal and vertical black and white lines appears to be causing headaches and vertigo, and may even "hospitalize players (or worse), in the same way as the infamous Pokémon episode," said gaming accessibility specialist Ian Hamilton in a post on X. (We have embedded a still from the game at the bottom of the article. Viewer discretion is advised.)

The various filters were posted by X user @itwhiffed, who said "why is no one talking about the color blind accessibility of Tekken 8." His post thread shows multiple filters for red, green and blue blindness, with different strength settings for each. However, one set of filters also shows characters as vertical and horizontal lines, with different white or black backgrounds. 

"Accessibility folks, please stop directly sharing the tweet showing Tekken characters as striped lines," said EA's senior GM for accessibility, James Berg. "The video autoplaying is giving folks migraines. Due to it having parallel lines moving unpredictably, covering much of the screen, I'd expect it's doing worse as well." 

He went on to add that "patterns of lines moving on a screen creates a contiguous area of high-frequency flashing, like an invisible strobe... [and] human meat-motors aren't big fans of that." That was verified by some users on X, with one saying the filter "gave me instant vertigo just from a 2-3 second clip that accidentally saw." Tara Wake Voelker, Xbox Game Studios accessibility lead, meanwhile, suggested the Tekken 8 team use EA's photosensitive epilepsy safety testing tool. 

Tekken's director Katsuhiro Harada responded to the outcry, saying "a few people, albeit very few, have either misunderstood the accessibility options we are trying, or have only seen the video without actually trying them out in the demo play." 

He added that the game features "multiple types of color vision options" for players with color blindness, not just one pattern, and that there is "quite a range of adjustment." He also noted that the feature received positive feedback from many demo play participants. 

"The intent here is fantastic — it's great to see Tekken becoming more accessible," said Berg. "Please take the advice from Ian and Tara's posts. We all want to see this succeed." Harada and the Tekken 8 team still have time to do that, as the game is due out on January 26th. 

Bandai Namco

It's a new year and you're going to need fresh tools to accomplish all those goals for 2024. A new iPad is a great way to keep track of and produce lots of tasks, especially when touting a 22 percent discount. That's right, the 10th-generation Apple iPad 64GB model is back down to its Black Friday all-time low of $349, dropping from $449. The $100 savings is available in the Silver, Blue and Pink versions, with the Yellow model available for $399. 

Apple's 10th-gen iPad came on the scene at the end of 2022 with an entire new design — namely removing the home button, a 10.9-inch screen and moving Touch ID to the lock button. We gave it an 85 in our review thanks to those updates and additional features like an A14 Bionic chip. It's an upgrade from the 9th-generation's A13 model but still falls behind the M1 and M2 in the iPad Air and Pro. 

Notably, the 10th-gen iPad also introduced a landscape edge to its front-facing camera — the first instance of this across any model. This update is a big deal for anyone who uses their iPad to take video calls. The battery is solid as well, lasting 11 hours and 45 minutes while playing a movie from the iTunes store and nearly 10 hours when it (and an attached keyboard) were in work mode all day. Speaking of the keyboard, this model's Magic Keyboard Folio comes in two pieces and is an improvement from the 9th-gen's version. However, it's not very stable for lap use and retails for a steep $250 — though it's on sale right now for $219. 

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