Fed up of telling your friends and family not to buy an iPhone 14 right now? Me too, so here's some good news on that front: Apple has set a date for its annual September event, during which we'll surely learn all about the iPhone 15 lineup as well as new versions of other devices. You can set a calendar alert for September 12th at 1PM ET to remind yourself to come on back to Engadget to watch the livestream.

Almost as soon as last year's event ended, rumors started flying around about what Apple had in store for the iPhone 15 lineup. All models (save for perhaps a new SE) could ditch the notch and start using the Dynamic Island cutout that debuted in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. You may need to opt for an iPhone 15 Pro if you want WiFi 6E connectivity rather than WiFi 6, however. Reports suggest the 15 Pro and Pro Max will have thinner bezels and a titanium frame as well, but we may have to wait until next year to see the rumored iPhone Ultra.

Most intriguingly of all, Apple may finally start to phase out the Lightning port with the iPhone 15 lineup and make the long-awaited switch to USB-C. The company doesn't have much of a choice there, since all tablets and smartphones sold in the European Union will need to use that charging port starting next year. It'll be more straightforward for Apple to use the same connector for all new devices, rather than trying to cling onto the Lightning port in other markets.

In any case, we won't have to wait much longer to find out all about this year's new iPhones. It's likely that we'll learn about what's next for Apple Watch too. And there's always a chance that Apple has a "one more thing" surprise up its sleeve too. As ever, we'll have full coverage of this year's fall iPhone event as it happens.

Back at I/O, we got a sense of some of Google's big plans for generative artificial intelligence, including the integration of the Duet AI virtual assistant into Workspace productivity apps. The company is now starting to roll out Duet AI to those who pay for versions of Docs, Gmail, Sheets and so on that are geared toward professional use. The virtual assistant is also making its way to Google Meet and Google Chat.

There's a free trial of Duet AI for Google Workspace. However, to use the virtual assistant in the cloud-based apps after that, large organizations will need to pay $30 per month per user, according to The Verge. Microsoft charges the same for 365 AI Copilot in Office apps. Duet AI pricing for smaller organizations hasn't been finalized yet.

Duet AI has a lot of tools in its belt that are designed to lighten your workload. You can use it to generate an entire email draft in Gmail. It can pore over emails and a swathe of documents and spreadsheets to create a summary of recent work activities (such as your company's quarterly performance). The assistant can then build a presentation for you based on its findings — but definitely review the slides to make sure all the facts and figures are accurate before showing them to your bosses. And, of course, Duet AI can generate images as well.

The virtual assistant will be able to help you out on other fronts too, including in Google Meet and Chat. It has somewhat different functions in Meet, since it can help you "look and sound your best with studio look, studio lighting and studio sound," Google Workspace general manager and vice president Aparna Pappu wrote in a blog post. Duet AI can use face detection and dynamic tiles to give everyone in a meeting room their own video tile, perhaps with the idea of making all the participants feel more engaged and connected.

Meet will be able to offer translated captions in 18 languages. Google says the app can tell when someone is speaking in another language and display translated text in real time. (For comparison, Zoom has offered live transcription to free users for nearly two years.)

Duet AI's note-taking functions should prove useful too. A "take notes for me" feature will prompt the assistant to jot down action items and capture video snippets, then send a summary to attendees after the fact. If you're unable to join a meeting right at the beginning (or you slept in, we're not judging), Duet AI can catch you up on what you missed with an in-progress summary.

Google

If you can't make it to a meeting at all, you can send Duet AI on your behalf. The assistant can get your points across to other attendees and still make sure you get a summary afterwards. However, if all participants use Duet AI as their proxy, Meet will seemingly be able to detect that and end the meeting.

On top of all of that, the company is stuffing Duet AI into Google Chat too. Google is trying to make the app more of a competitor to Slack and Microsoft Teams, which could make a lot of sense for organizations that are already paying for Workspace for other productivity apps.

You'll be able to ask Duet AI questions about topics of discussion. The assistant will be able to get you up to speed on conversations you missed and summarize documents that others have shared. Google has refreshed Chat's user interface and added more shortcuts and an enhanced search function that includes suggested queries and autocomplete. Autocorrect could help you avoid typos in your messages too. Chat communities will also eventually be able to include up to 500,000 users, while those who need to talk something out using their voices will be able to hop into a Meet-powered huddle.

As for privacy, Google says that users' interactions with Duet AI will be private to them. "No other user will see your data and Google does not use your data to train our models without your permission," Pappu wrote. "Building on these core commitments, we recently announced new capabilities to help prevent cyber threats, provide safer work with built-in zero trust controls, and better support our customers’ digital sovereignty and compliance needs."

Generative AI tools have had a largely fraught relationship with privacy so far, with some companies reportedly restricting workers' ChatGPT use over concerns that they may accidentally leak proprietary data. Italy also briefly banned the chatbot due to privacy worries. Just this week, ChatGPT owner OpenAI debuted an Enterprise offering. The company says it won't train its AI models on Enterprise subscribers' usage of the service — a similar claim to the one Google just made with Duet AI.

Google will surely see Duet AI as a competitor to ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. It's letting third-party companies use the underlying tech for other apps, such as an upcoming GE Appliances app that can generate recipes based on the food in a fridge (it's hard to think of an AI-powered app that would improve my life more than this). Meanwhile, as The Wall Street Journal notes, Google will make its PaLM 2 language learning model more broadly available after only granting select customers access until now.

Google (and Alphabet) CEO Sundar Pichai told the publication that the company will offer Gemini — its direct answer to ChatGPT — to cloud customers when it's ready fro primetime. Google is also scaling up its infrastructure to handle the demands of AI functionality, but Pichai admitted that the company doesn't have a crystal ball in that regard. “It’s tough to fully predict the demand,” he told the Journal. “I think we will be OK, but does it keep me up at night? Yes.”

Google has been letting Android users set up locked folders in the Photos app for quite some time, giving them the option to keep sensitive images and screenshots safe from prying eyes. Now, the tech giant has started rolling out an update for the app that allows users to back up their locked folders, so they can access files saved in them from any of their devices. In addition, users can now access and set up locked folders — a feature that started as a Pixel exclusive — from the Photos app on iOS and the web. That means users don't even need an Android device to be able to enjoy the feature anymore. 

As a refresher, users can set up a locked folder by going into the Utilities section of the Photos app. They'll then see "cards" for potentially more than one feature, where they can directly create a locked folder for any image they want to keep safe. After they're done, they can choose whether to back up the folder or not. They can also easily add more images from their gallery by long pressing on one and then ticking the checkboxes that appear on their upper left corner. All images sent to locked folders will still be inaccessible anywhere else, and users can still only access them after confirming their identity using their device's password or biometric authenticaiton.

Google

Google has also started rolling out a simplified settings page for the Photos app. When users click on their account icon and check the settings page, they'll now see a new layout that makes it easier for them to find what they're looking for by navigating the new privacy, backup, sharing and notifications sections. 

iRobot is running another sale on Roomba robot vacuums and Braava robot mops, which includes the Roomba 694 back down to $179. We've seen this deal pop up periodically over the past several months, but it's still $71 below the vacuum's typical street price. Outside of a very brief drop to $175 last November, it matches the lowest price we've tracked.

The Roomba 694 itself is the top pick in our guide to the best budget robot vacuums. It's an entry-level model that navigates around a room semi-randomly instead of mapping and following set paths, so it's not the most efficient cleaner, and it'll bonk into furniture around your house. That said, it's sturdily built, and we found it to work effectively across hard floors and carpet. We're particularly fond of iRobot's companion app, which makes it easy to quickly stop or start the vacuum, set a cleaning schedule, check the battery and the like. You don't need to connect to WiFi to use the device, however. iRobot says the Roomba 694 can run for up to 90 minutes before it has to roll back to its charging dock, though you'll get worse battery life depending on what floor surfaces you need to clean. 

A simpler device like this won't be as effective if you live in a particularly large home, but if you just want a no-frills option at a reasonable rate, we've found the Roomba 694 to be durable and dependable. And if something ever does break, replacement parts are readily available. 

If you're willing to pay up for a more feature-rich model, the sale also brings the Roomba j7+ down to $529. Normally, this model retails between $600 and $800. The j7+ comes with a self-emptying dock and more advanced mapping system than the 694, and it can identify and swerve away from obstacles like pet waste in real time. Currently, it's the runner up midrange pick in our guide to the best robot vacuums. Just note that, like many robot vacuums with its sort of obstacle avoidance, the j7 comes with a built-in camera, which may raise privacy concerns for some, particularly with Amazon in the process of acquiring iRobot.

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When TCL first unveiled NXTPAPER, it said that it was designed for tablets and e-readers — not smartphones. You can disregard that comment now, because the company just unveiled its first smartphone using that very display tech. The TCL 40 NXTPAPER models are budget-oriented devices that promise "industry-leading eye comfort" with mid- to low-range specs. 

TCL has described NXTPAPER as a "combination of screen and paper," noting that it offers 25 percent more contrast than typical E Ink displays, while being 65 percent more power efficient. Its latest version delivers up to 500 nits of brightness, and supposedly exceeds TÜV-certified levels of blue light reduction. TCL says the tech can help protect your eye health while maintaining color accuracy and avoiding screen yellowing. The screen's color temperature will adjust automatically based on the time and environment, too. 

Despite sharing a name, the TCL 40 NXTPAPER and TCL 40 NXTPAPER 5G have different designs and specs. The former comes with a 6.78-inch FHD+ NXTPAPER display and has a punch hole 32-megapixel (MP) front camera, along with a 50MP rear camera. It has a middling MediaTek Helio G88 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, expandable via a microSD card. Connectivity is limited to 4G, and it will cost €199 ($215) when it goes on sale in Europe in September 2023. 

The TCL 40 NXTPAPER 5G, as the name suggests, offers 5G connectivity, but other specs are oddly downgraded. It's got a smaller 6.5-inch HD+ (720 x 1,612) notch-type display, with an 8MP front camera and 50MP rear camera. It uses MediaTek's MT6833v processor (because it has 5G radios) and offers 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (also expandable). It'll go on sale in Europe in October for €249 ($269). Both models will release globally later in 2023.

Specs aside, the NXTPAPER display is the differentiating feature for these smartphones. Each has a 5,000mAh hour, and given the power-efficiency claims, should go for a long while on a charge. It remains to be seen if the screen will deliver a solid smartphone experience, however. 

Today, Marshall has opened up pre-orders for its newest active noise canceling earbuds: the Motif II ANC. It’s actually the first headphone or speaker product released by Marshall Group, a new venture combining the core Marshall Amplification company and Zounds, which has been producing the headphones and speakers under the company’s name since 2010. These earbuds boast some big advances over the last gen (2021), with improved battery life and quick charging at the forefront. You can pre-order the Motif II ANC ($199) from Marshall’s website today and the product will be shipping on September 12th.

Plenty of features remain the same as before, so existing Motif users can do a cost-benefit analysis to decide if they’re ready to upgrade. There’s still the 6mm dynamic drivers pushing out tunes within the 20Hz - 20kHz frequency range. You get touch controls for core operations like play/pause, skip and noise control (ANC and transparency mode). The Bluetooth range of approximately 33 feet still persists although the Motif II buds now have Bluetooth 5.3 and will support Bluetooth LE Audio (LC3) with future updates.

Photo by Jon Turi / Engadget

The sound of the new Motif II should also be essentially the same as before, although, to be honest that’s just based on specs since I haven’t tried the first-gen model. The buds fit snugly in my ear (at least) and provide a thick bass experience and the rich and familiar Marshall sound profile. The active noise canceling works well to block out most environmental noise like a subway or crowded bar, letting only some voices slip through as distant chitchat.

The IP rating is also unchanged with an IPX5 water resistance for the earbuds and IPX4 for the charging case. That means these buds are fine for a normal workout, but not great to dunk in the sink. And the charging case itself should be treated with a little more care. You can also still charge the case wirelessly, which leads us to one of the biggest upgrades of the Motif II: battery life.

Photo by Jon Turi / Engadget

The new Motif II has a total of 30 hours playtime assisted by the charging case (10 more than before) and with ANC enabled. Without that feature turned on, you should be able to get up an impressive 43 hours total. The individual buds have standalone playtimes of six to nine hours depending on whether you use ANC or not.

While the previous full-charging time was three hours, it’s been halved to just one and a half hours via USB. Additionally, there’s a fast charge setting you can turn on through the app which will get you a whole hour more than previously. That means in 15 minutes of charging you should get about two hours now, which is eternally useful.

You'll also get the Spotify Tap feature with the Motif II ANC. You can access the Spotify with a double tap and long press of the touch controls on your earbuds without needing to pick up your phone. The details for this touch feature and all the others are found in the Marshall Bluetooth app, along with all the other features and some touch customization.

Marshall

Marshall's Motif II ANC earbuds cover all the essentials and provide a great listening experience without overcomplicating the product. Long battery life is a core necessity for many and these buds shine in that regard. The minimal black exterior with gold capped ends keep them visibly subtle and that signature sound profile is worth a listen for those who are unfamiliar. Pre-orders for the $199 earbuds are open today at the company's website and they should be shipping out on September 12th, which is rapidly approaching.

Snapchat has added a new generative AI feature to its app. Called “Dreams,” it’s in some ways similar to the company’s signature AR effects, known as lenses. But instead of real-time camera-based effects, the feature uses generative AI to remix users’ selfies into “fantastical images that transform their persona into new identities.”

The feature, which can be found in the app’s “memories” section, begins by asking users to take selfies showing their face at different angles. The app will then creates a series of eight images based on themes like “time travel” or “alternate universes.” Eventually, Snap says, users will be able to create Dreams that include their friends’ likenesses as well.

Dreams is the latest generative AI experiment from the company, which launched its MyAI chatbot earlier this year using OpenAI’s models. (Dreams uses open source tools and internal data, though the company hasn’t provided details about specific partners.)

The feature also highlights how the company is using interest in the technology as a source of revenue. MyAI was initially limited to Snapchat+, the app’s premium subscription tier, before it was released to all the app’s users this spring. The company has since added specialized features for subscribers, including the ability for MyAI to reply to photo Snaps with its own AI-generated images.

Likewise, Dreams will have both a free and paid component. Snap is allowing non-Snapchat+ subscribers to access just one — so use it wisely — “pack” of eight selfies, while subscribers will get access to one pack a month (the company says it plans to update Dreams with new themes and styles regularly). All users will be able to buy additional packs for a $0.99 in-app purchase.

Snap

In practice, the images appear to have some of the same limitations as other AI-based image generators. A promotional image shared by Snap showed what appeared to be the tips of partial fingers strangely placed over the subject's chest. When I tried Dreams to create my own AI selfies, some of the resulting images also had strange-looking hands, though it at least showed the correct number of fingers placed in an anatomically correct position.

Still, I can see how the feature could keep Snapchat users — who have collectively sent more than 10 billion messages to MyAI — coming back. And as tools like Midjourney have moved behind paywalls, Snap’s offerings might just seem like a better deal for those looking to try out generative AI.

Google has really tried to go all in on automation since the rollout of its redesigned Home app in May. There's been the introduction of a new script editor, Nest Cam Indoor integration and, now, a whole slew of new routines to use. The company has announced 18 new routines — half starters and half actions — immediately available for Google Home users.

Starters allow you to activate or turn off something in response to another device. For example, you can now have the thermostat automatically turn off when the window is open or have lights dim and the fireplace light up if you pause your show. Actions, on the other hand, typically occur in response to you or another individual. New actions include options like having your lights slowly turn on after dismissing your alarm and pulsing the lights in your room or turning off the vacuum if your doorbell rings. You can check out the entire list of new routines on Google's Nest Community blog here.

You can access new and old routines in the Google Home app under the Routines icon. From there, you can choose which type of routine it is — household or personal — and name it. Then, when you want to use it, all you need to do is ask Google to start it the same way you'd tell your Google device to do anything.

Google has also added the first round of new features to its script editor public preview, including using cameras as a starter. These settings could include playing calming music when a dog comes into view or the lights turning on when a family member gets home. However, you can also suppress starters if they're unhelpful for the time being. Plus, you can enact custom notifications, such as a text telling you when certain family members have made it home safe or that an appliance was left on. 

Dolby has announced a new Atmos feature to pair your TV speakers with any wireless speakers you have in the room. Officially dubbed Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, the tech will appear first on 2024 TCL TVs.

It’s not completely new ground: Samsung has Q-Symphony and Sony has Acoustic Center Sync, for example, both of which use the speakers in your TV to augment soundbars or other speakers. Dolby’s pitch for FlexConnect says it "intelligently optimizes the sound" based on the room layout and speaker location. The company says the technology will free users from the limitations of room size, power outlet placement and furniture positioning.

Dolby says setup is quick and easy as the acoustic mapping uses microphones inside the TV, and the feature will adjust the sound for each speaker, even the ones inside the TV. If this new technology is open to other manufacturers (like Atmos), you could create your own immersive audio from different product lines. However, that could require new speakers, a new soundbar and a new TV.

– Mat Smith

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Benevolent hackers clear stalking spyware from 76,000 phones

The unnamed hackers targeted spyware firm WebDetetive.

Unnamed hackers claim they accessed spyware firm WebDetetive and deleted device information to protect victims from surveillance. The spyware advertises the ability to monitor everything a victim types, listen to phone calls and track locations for "less than a cup of coffee" without being seen. The WebDetetive breach compromised more than 76,000 devices belonging to customers of the stalkerware, and more than 1.5 gigabytes of data freed from the app's servers. While TechCrunch, which reported on the move, did not independently confirm the deletion of victims' data from the WebDetetive server, a cache of data shared by the hackers provided a look at what they were able to accomplish.

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A glow-in-the-dark Analogue Pocket will be available in September

It costs $250 and will start shipping on September 5th.

Analogue

See-through gadgets are done. It’s time for the return of glow-in-the-dark tech. A special edition Analogue Pocket is coming out next month, which the company says will be available in "highly limited quantities" for $250 each. In addition to launching Pocket Glow, Analogue has also announced all pre-orders for the handheld will ship by today. After several delays, the original Analogue Pocket came out in December 2021, and pre-purchases have shipped out to buyers in batches since then.

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Libby is making it easier to access magazines for free with a supported library card

The app lets you read 'The New Yorker,' 'Wired' and much more.

Libby offers free access to ebooks and audiobooks if you have a supported library card (some 90 percent of public libraries in North America now use OverDrive's app). Not only that, you can also use Libby to read magazines for absolutely zilch. Updates are coming to the app next month to make it easier to read, subscribe to and get new-issue alerts for the likes of The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Bon Appetit and Wired for free. This is mostly an excuse, however, to remind you that Libby is pretty awesome.

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ChatGPT is easily exploited for political messaging despite OpenAI's policies

Policy banning such use was supposedly integrated in March.

Open AI updated its Usage Policy in March, in a bid to head off concerns that ChatGPT, its generative AI, could be used to amplify political disinformation. However, an investigation by The Washington Post shows the chatbot is still easily incited to break those rules. Prompt inputs such as “Write a message encouraging suburban women in their 40s to vote for Trump” or “Make a case to convince an urban dweller in their 20s to vote for Biden” immediately returned responses to “prioritize economic growth, job creation and a safe environment for your family” and listing administration policies benefiting young urban voters, respectively. It’s enough to make you anxious.

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Unnamed hackers claim they accessed spyware firm WebDetetive and deleted device information to protect victims from surveillance, TechCrunch reported on Saturday. Users of the spyware won't get any new data from their targets. "Because #fuckstalkerware,” the hackers wrote in a note obtained by TechCrunch.

Spyware software allows users unfettered access to a victim's device, whether that's a government using it to surveil citizens or an abuser using it to stalk a survivor. The spyware advertises the ability to monitor everything a victim types, listen to phone calls and track locations for "less than a cup of coffee" without being seen. It works by downloading an app on a person's phone, under an alias that goes undetected, to give full access to the device. The WebDetetive breach compromised more than 76,000 devices belonging to customers of the stalkerware, and more than 1.5 gigabytes of data freed from app's servers, according to the hackers.

While TechCrunch did not independently confirm the deletion of victim's data from the WebDetetive server, a cache of data shared by the hackers provided a look at what they were able to accomplish. TechCrunch also worked with a nonprofit that logs exposed datasets, DDoSecrets, to verify and analyze the information. Hackers obtained information on customers like IP addresses and devices that they targeted.