As much as we all love our gadgets, they all contribute to a growing e-waste problem. Knowing where to recycle your used electronics can help mitigate that — but if you want to take it a step further, you could seek out more sustainable products like Acer's Vero line of "eco-friendly" laptops. Not only is the latest model of Acer's Aspire Vero 15 more powerful, but the company says it's built with more sustainable materials than ever, too.

Boiled down to the specs, the new Acer Aspire Vero 15 is a pretty standard spec upgrade — outfitting the notebook with an 13th generation Intel Core processor available in i3, i5 and i7 configurations, up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and as much as 1TB of storage. The latest revision also has an upgraded 1440p QHD webcam with AI noise reduction and voice enhancement features, two thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports, as well as two typical USB connectors, HDMI out and an audio jack.

The product line's eco-friendly credentials stem from a chassis built partially from post-consumer recycled plastics all cardboard packaging — and Acer says it's upgraded that aspect of the machine too. The new Aspire 15 Vero is now built from 40 percent PCR plastics (up from 30). The company also says the production process used 30% less CO2 than previous models. The laptop's circuit board is smaller too.

If that sounds like the machine for you, it won't be long before you can get your hands on it. The Acer Aspire Vero 15 launches in June, starting at $699.99.

HP is once again revamping its Envy laptop line, but this time it's more about who the company is working with than the raw specs. The headliner, the Envy x360 15.6-inch convertible, is billed as the first IMAX Enhanced-certified PC. Buy the version with an OLED screen (only 1080p, oddly enough) and you can watch Disney+ movies in the taller ratio with DTS:X spatial audio. There are also promises of exclusive remastered HDR content, although we wouldn't buy a computer just to revisit movies.

There are other reasons to consider HP's latest models, of course. Both the 15.6-inch and new 14-inch Envy x360 have improved screen-to-body ratios, the latest processors (13th-gen Intel Core for either, and AMD's Ryzen for the 15.6-inch) and upgraded webcams with manual privacy shutters and auto lock/wake features that secure your machine while you're away. The larger two-in-one also has the option of GeForce RTX 3050 graphics versus the RTX 2050 in the older model (sorry, no RTX 4050 here) and wrings out up to 15 hours of battery life versus 10 for its predecessor. The two x360s top out at 16GB of RAM.

HP

The lone conventional laptop update, the Envy 17.3-inch (pictured at middle), shares the camera, 13th-gen Core and available RTX 3050 graphics of the x360 15.6-inch. You only get an extra half-hour of battery life (nine total). but the 32GB RAM ceiling and optional 4K LCD should help if you're juggling heavy-duty apps.

The Envy x360 14-inch is shipping now with a starting price of $850. Its 15.6-inch counterpart arrives before the end of April with a $950 entry point. You'll have to wait until May to get Envy 17, which starts at $1,150. These aren't radical revisions, but the IMAX-certified laptop may be worth considering if you just have to watch the latest Marvel movies in the best-possible quality — so long as you don't need 4K, at least.

Starting today, Uber Eats customers in Fairfax, Virginia can get their next meal delivered by a robot. In an expansion of the company’s existing partnership with Cartken, Uber has begun offering automated deliveries in the city’s Mosaic District. With today’s announcement, a select number of the more than 40 restaurants in the area have begun transporting their food aboard Cartken’s six-wheeled robots. Among the restaurants participating in the pilot include Our Mom Eugenia, Pupatella and RASA.

Uber has been testing autonomous delivery robots in a handful of markets throughout the US. Last May, the company launched two pilots in Los Angeles with the help of Motional and Serve Robotics. More recently, Uber signed a 10-year deal with Nuro to use the company’s vans for autonomous deliveries in California and Texas. Cartken, it should be noted, also works with Grubhub to deliver food on college campuses. The firm’s robot uses NVIDIA’s Jetson tech, alongside cameras and sensors, to navigate streets and sidewalks. They can travel at up to six miles per hour and carry about two full paper grocery bags of cargo to their destination.

Bluesky, Jack Dorsey's alternative to Twitter, is now available by invitation only on Android devices after arriving on the App Store in February, The Verge reported. The app has a number of Twitter-like functions, letting you search for and follow other users, create posts (with photos) and more. It's currently in beta, though, so has a limited number of users (reportedly around 25,000) and is missing features like direct messages. 

Bluesky first came about in 2019 as a Twitter-backed side as a new type of decentralized standard for social media platforms. It officially broke off from Twitter in 2021, and has since joined the ranks of upstart Twitter clones like Mastodon that appeared following Elon Musk’s takeover. 

The app is designed to let users decide how they want to see and consume social media. "For developers, an open marketplace of algorithms will provide the freedom to experiment with and publish algorithms that anyone can use," CEO Jay Graber wrote last month. "For users, the ability to customize their feed will give them back control of their most valuable resource: their attention."

Graber has said that moderation is one of the last pieces of the puzzle to solve before the app opens to the public "because we wanted to prioritize user safety from the start," he wrote in a recent blog post. It'll apparently use a mixture of automated filtering and server-level moderation controlled by admins. Then, "we will let users subscribe to additional sets of moderation labels that can filter out more content or accounts." 

Starting on April 25th, advertisers using Microsoft's social media management tool will no longer be able to access Twitter on their dashboard. As Mashable has first reported, the tech giant has announced on its Advertising platform page that its Digital Marketing Center's Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform tool will no longer support the social network in a few days' time. The announcement comes almost a month after Twitter revealed how much users will have to pay to access its API. While the company wasn't that forthcoming when it came to pricing for enterprise customers, Wired previously reported that the cheapest package available for them cost $42,000 a month. 

Although Microsoft could easily afford to pay that, it seems to have chosen to drop Twitter instead. Removing support for the website on its social media management tool means advertisers will no longer be able to use it to create, manage or schedule draft tweets, as well as to view past tweets and engagements. Microsoft has noted in its announcement that other social media channels, such as "Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn will continue to be available."

After Microsoft's announcement, Elon Musk responded to a tweet reporting its decision with a threat to take legal action against the company. "They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time," Twitter's owner wrote. He didn't elaborate on how Microsoft illegally trained anything using Twitter data, but it's worth noting that the tech giant is a key backer of ChatGPT developer OpenAI. The executive co-founded OpenAI back in 2015, but he distanced himself from the organization and has been vocally criticizing the chatbot and AI as a whole as of late. Musk also recently revealed his plans for his own AI company that could rival OpenAI and Google. 

Whether Musk's lawsuit threat would actually materialize remains to be seen. Regardless, Microsoft's decision came at a very bad time for Twitter. The website has been steadily losing advertisers since Musk took over, and according to digital marketing analysis firm Pathmatics by Sensor Tower, less than half of its top 1,000 advertisers spent money on ads in January. 

In March, Amazon’s Luna gaming service expanded to Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. Now the platform is available on Samsung Gaming Hub in those same countries. As a refresher, the hub is an app that comes with 2021 to 2023 Samsung Smart TVs. Among other features, it offers a way to quickly access a host of cloud gaming services, including GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming. In the US, Amazon Luna users have had the ability to access the service through Samsung Gaming Hub since last August.

If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can access a small library of complimentary games. The selection of free games with Prime changes every month, but this month’s lineup includes Yakuza Kiwami 2 and The Jackbox Party Pack 3. You can subscribe to additional channels from Amazon and Ubisoft to access additional titles. If you want to give Luna a try on your Samsung TV, you will need an internet connection capable of download speeds between 10Mbps to 20Mbps and a way to control the games. You can use an Amazon Luna controller, a Bluetooth- or USB 2.0-compatible controller or a phone with the Luna controller app installed.

Marvel announced today that its Comixology-operated Marvel Comics app is shutting down this June. Fortunately, comic fans who bought issues in the app can access them in the company’s self-operated Marvel Unlimited app. The shutdown comes several months after layoffs at Amazon (Comixology’s owner since 2014) reportedly hit the comic storefront especially hard.

The Marvel Comics app will shut down on June 2nd. Exactly one month before that — May 2nd — is the cutoff date for new purchases in the old app. Any purchases made up to that date will transfer to Marvel Unlimited.

Android users who bought digital comics through the Comixology Marvel Comics app have an effortless transition: do nothing, and your comics should appear in Marvel Unlimited. (That’s because the Android app already required a Marvel account.) But iOS users have a few extra steps. First, you’ll need to open the Comixology Marvel Comics app on your iPhone or iPad. Then, follow Marvel’s instructions to link a Marvel account to the old app. After that, your old purchases should appear in Marvel Unlimited.

You won’t need a Marvel Unlimited subscription to access your purchases from the old app. But to entice you to buy into its service, Marvel is offering a discounted price of $5 per month for the first year with coupon code UNLIMITED. (It’s usually $10 / month or $70 if you pay for an entire year.) Marvel Unlimited is like Netflix for Marvel comics, offering access to over 30,000 issues from the Marvel universe. Like the Comixology-run app, there’s usually a delay of around three months between an issue’s initial release and its availability on the subscription platform.

Although Marvel has apparently gone out of its way to make this transition relatively smooth, it still illustrates the potential for chaos when digital content shifts platforms. We don’t own any of this stuff, so when parent companies mismanage apps, lay off workers and shuffle priorities, we’re left to hope mega-corporations want to do right by their customers — a trust factor worth bearing in mind any time you buy a comic, game or any other digital media.

Snapchat’s ChatGPT-powered AI personality is expanding to all the app’s users. An upgraded version of “My AI,” the in-app chatbot that was previously limited to Snapchat+ subscribers, is now launching globally, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel announced at the company’s Partner Summit event.

With the expansion, My AI has a number of new Snapchat-specific features. It can provide Snapchat users with recommendations for restaurants and other activities based on what’s popular in the Snap Map, and can suggest augmented reality lenses. Users can also add the AI to group chats, and set a custom name and avatar (via Bitmoji) for the AI persona. My AI is also now able to respond to photo and video snaps. For now, it can only respond with text messages, but Snap says that “soon” it will be able to respond to snaps with its own AI-generated art. (That feature will, however, be exclusive to Snapchat+.)

While My AI’s rollout has been limited until now, the company says that My AI has already been a hit with users, who exchange 2 million messages a day with the bot. Snap’s implementation of OpenAI’s technology has also been criticized, though. The Washington Post reported that the bot engaged in inappropriate conversations and gave questionable advice to researchers posing as teens.

Now, Snap says that My AI uses “additional moderation technology” so that users’ can be temporarily restricted from the feature if they “misuse the service.” The company also says the AI has been trained to consider the age of the user it’s messaging with to help prevent chats from veering into unsafe territory. Additionally, parents will eventually be able to use the app’s parental control feature, Family Center, to track how much time their teens are spending chatting with their new AI friend.

Even so, Snap seems to be well-aware of the limitations of My AI, which it has previously described as “prone to hallucination.” Even Spiegel, who has suggested that interacting with AI like ChatGPT will soon be an everyday activity, was somewhat cautious in his endorsement “My AI certainly makes plenty of mistakes, so you can’t rely on it for advice, but it’s definitely entertaining,” he said.

Google Fi has announced a series of updates, including a change to its name. From now on, the mobile virtual network operator will be known as Google Fi Wireless. While that's not quite as snappy, it should be clearer to consumers what the service actually is.

If you have an eSIM-compatible device, you'll be able to test out Google Fi Wireless at no cost. That's because there's a seven-day free trial. Google started testing the trial last month and it's now available more broadly. If you don't cancel the Google Fi Wireless trial within a week, you'll join the Simply Unlimited plan (which you'll still be able to quit at any time).

Other providers already offer eSIM trials, including Verizon (which has a 30-day trial) and T-Mobile, which offers potential customers the chance to try its network for three months at no cost. T-Mobile's network powers Google Fi Wireless, but the latter will hope that its bells and whistles will lure folks to that service.

The Simply Unlimited plan costs as little as $20 per user per month, depending on how many people are included. It offers unlimited data (throttled after 35GB), calls and texts in the US, Canada and Mexico, along with spam call blocking, a VPN and 5GB of tethered data. Google Fi Wireless is sweetening the deal further, as the plan now includes cellular connectivity for certain smartwatches at no extra cost. 

The service already included Pixel Watch connectivity on the Flexible and Unlimited Plus plans. That device is now supported on the Simply Unlimited plan as well. Moreover, Google Fi Wireless has also started offering Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro connectivity on all three plans. 

Elsewhere, Google is offering a phone at no cost for every new line that's added to any plan, as long as you make a 24-month commitment. You can snag a Google Pixel 6a, Samsung A14 or Moto G Power through this offer, which is based on bill credits.

As part of Google Fi Wireless' mission to recenter the service around families, it's rolling out a redesign of the namesake app starting today. It'll be easier for parents and guardians to manage safety settings, Google says. Among the options are to only allow trusted numbers to call or text a child's device. The app will also offer the ability to manage your Google Fi Wireless plan and add new members.

Google may be close to launching its long-rumored foldable Pixel phone. CNBCclaims to have seen internal communications revealing that the Pixel Fold will be announced at the I/O conference on May 10th, and ship in June. The device will reportedly cost around $1,700, or close to the $1,800 Samsung asks for the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

The company may tout a few advantages over its rival. The Pixel Fold will have a book-like design with a 5.8-inch external screen and 7.6-inch folding display, but will supposedly have the "most durable hinge" of any foldable, according to Google. It should also be water-resistant and pack a larger battery that lasts up to 24 hours in normal use, and 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver.

Don't expect performance gains. The Pixel Fold will apparently use the same Tensor G2 chip as in the Pixel 7 series, and previous leaks suggest it might have cameras that predate the Pixel 6. As with other Pixels, the draw may be the 'pure' Android experience — this will be the first opportunity to see Google's own approach to foldable devices.

The price is still steep compared to regular Pixel phones, which top out at $899 for the Pixel 7 Pro. Google may sweeten the deal by encouraging trade-ins, however. The company may even offer a free Pixel Watch to Fold buyers.

If the details are accurate, the foldable Pixel may not be an easy sell. Google is expected to debut the Pixel 8 this fall, and that's likely to include upgrades like a third-generation Tensor chip. With that in mind, North Americans have had few options for foldable phones beyond the Galaxy Z Fold series and previous-gen Moto Razr models. The Pixel Fold may stand out simply by providing real competition in a small category.