Comcast's recent speed upgrades now extend beyond the high end. The cable giant is increasing speeds for most of its Xfinity tiers across the US. The entry-level Performance Starter (aka Connect) plan is bumping up from 50Mbps to 75Mbps, while the biggest relative gains come to regular Performance (Connect More) customers climbing from 100Mbps to 200Mbps. Performance Pro/Fast service is increasing from 300Mbps to 400Mbps, while Blast/Superfast users will get 800Mbps instead of the previous 600Mbps. And you no longer need Comcast's absolute best plans to cross the gigabit threshold — Extreme Pro and Ultrafast (now Gigabit) customers have upgraded from 900Mbps to 1Gbps.

The flagship Gigabit Extra/x2 plan still peaks at 1.2Gbps for many customers. Comcast is in the midst of deploying 2Gbps service to more states, and in some cases offers 6Gbps access. The telecom hopes to cover over 50 million homes and offices with 2Gbps by the end of 2025, and plans to offer "10G" and next-gen DOCSIS 4.0 service in the future.

These upgrades aren't dramatic in most cases, but they could make a difference at the lower end by enabling higher-quality streaming and better service for multi-person households. The challenge, of course, is that rivals aren't sitting idle. AT&T is deploying 2Gbps and 5Gbps fiber to dozens of urban areas, and Google Fiber will soon provide 8Gbps service on top of restarting expansion. Comcast may be more competitive, but it won't always have the fastest options.

The entry-level increase might also irk regulators. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recently proposed raising the definition of broadband to 100Mbps. A Performance Starter or Connect customer would fall short of that new goal. If that baseline takes effect, Comcast would have to increase speeds again to satisfy the Commission and help fulfill goals of improving internet access for rural and low-income Americans.

Netflix is making it easier to boot moochers out of your account while still letting them hang onto their viewing preferences. So, when you get fed up of an ex continuing to use your account, you can send them on their way with their recommendations, viewing history, saved titles in My List, game saves, subtitle appearance and other settings intact when they start their own account. That's assuming you ended things on good terms, anyway — you might still want to kick them out without warning.

The feature is rolling out to all users starting today after Netflix initially tested it in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. Profile transfers will be enabled automatically in all countries except South Korea and the US. You'll need to activate it from your settings in those two nations.

You'll get an email when the profile transfer tool is available on your account. After that, you'll be able to access the Transfer Profile option from the drop-down menu that appears when you hover over your profile icon on the homepage. From there, it's a case of following the directions to set up a new account. It's not clear whether you'll be able to transfer your profile to an existing account. Engadget has asked Netflix for clarification.

Netflix

Netflix says this is a long-awaited feature and the company is framing it as a helpful option for those going through some changes in their life, such as a relationship ending or someone moving away from their parents' account to start a new one with profiles for all their own family members. However, Netflix is also looking to crack down on password sharing.

In August, it started charging users in five Latin American countries more if they share their accounts on an ongoing basis with people who live outside of the primary residence. That came after a trial run in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, which suggests that account sharing fees may be coming to more territories after the broader rollout of profile transfers. We may soon start hearing about people getting kicked out of Netflix accounts because their friends or parents don't want to pay extra.

Netflix is taking account sharing more seriously, particularly in light of the fact that its total number of subscribers dropped for the first time this year. It lost around 1.2 million in the first six months of 2022.

If you do suddenly find yourself having to pay for your own Netflix account, though, you'll soon have the option to transfer your profile to a cheaper, ad-supported plan. That tier will be available starting on November 3rd. It costs $7 per month, but it won't include access to the full Netflix library or offline viewing.

Adults in the US with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can now buy hearing aids online or from a store without a prescription, medical exam or audiologist fitting. The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule in August that allows stores and online retailers to sell over-the-counter (OTC) devices starting today.

The move could save consumers thousands of dollars on a pair of hearing aids, according to the White House. Walmart is now selling them through its website, Sam's Club, more than 1,000 in-store Vision Centers and 474 Sam’s Club Hearing Aid Center locations. Walmart's options cost between $199 and $999 per pair. The company claimed comparable prescription hearing aids cost between $4,400 and $5,500.

Walgreens and CVS are also now selling OTC hearing aids. Best Buy and Hy-Vee will begin selling them online this week and in stores a little later.

Last week, Sony announced two hearing aid models that it created with WS Audiology. The CRE-C10 has a battery life of up to 70 hours on a single charge, according to Sony. That model will be available sometime this month. The CRE-E10, meanwhile, will cost $1,300. Sony claims it has a battery life of 26 hours, though you'll be able to recharge it wirelessly. The CRE-E10 can also connect to an iPhone for audio playback.

Jabra revealed a set of hearing enhancement earbuds in August 2021. While they were initially available from hearing care clinics, but Jabra says they're now on sale as OTC hearing aids. Early last year, Bose announced what it claimed were the first FDA-cleared hearing aids that don't need a prescription or visit to a doctor.

Nearly 30 million Americans are believed to have some degree of hearing loss, including 10 million folks under the age of 60. Over-the-counter hearing aids could drastically improve many people's quality of life, especially since the devices should be far less expensive. However, those who have severe hearing loss or anyone aged under 18 will still need a prescription for hearing aids, the FDA ruled.

TikTok is once again updating its livestreaming features, and this time the biggest improvements affect the people who can't watch. For starters, the upgrade now lets TikTok Live users host adult-only broadcasts. If a stream is likely to include lots of colorful language or tackle traumatic subjects, you can make sure the audience is mature enough to handle it. The option will be available in the "coming weeks." And no, it's not an officially sanctioned alternative to OnlyFans — TikTok's policies still forbid sexually explicit content.

The social video service is also raising the minimum age for hosts from 16 to 18 starting November 23rd. TikTok pitches this as a logical extension of its restrictions on teen content, but it also comes after incidents of abuse. Older viewers have sexually exploited teen hosts, for example, while teens have made threats against schools. In theory, the higher minimum age will reduce the number of school-age kids using Live to get into the kinds of trouble that wouldn't be possible using pre-recorded clips. Accordingly, a feature arriving in the weeks ahead will remind creators to block keywords they've filtered out in the past.

There is one upgrade that brings more people into the fold. A recently expanded Multi-Guest feature now lets a host invite up to five other participants using either a grid or panel layout. This can be helpful for pro creators who want to air full-fledged shows, of course, but it could also be helpful for any streamer who wants to bring more friends into a conversation.

TikTok is facing government pressure to implement audience controls like this. American and British officials are worried the social network might harm children, whether through promoting unhealthy behavior or jeopardizing privacy. Age restrictions won't necessarily prevent abuses of live broadcasts, but they could indicate that TikTok is addressing key concerns.

Almost a decade to the day since it released the last Silent Hill game (as long as you don't include P.T.), Konami is finally ready to reveal what's next for the franchise. The company will divulge the "latest updates" for the series during a stream that starts at 5PM ET on October 19th.

The publisher announced the showcase in a tweet that includes a link to a placeholder Silent Hill website. Presumably, you'll be able to watch the stream there.

It seems there's at least one new game in the pipeline. Composer Akira Yamaoka and Masahiro Ito, the art director on the first three games, shared news of the upcoming stream, as Video Game Chronicle notes. Both have previously hinted that they're working on a new Silent Hill title. Yamaoka also handled the score for Bloober Team's The Medium — according to reports, that studio is working on a remake of Silent Hill 2 after teaming up with Konami last year. 

Other Silent Hill projects said to be in the works include an episodic, narrative-driven series and a playable teaser in the vein of P.T. for a new mainline game. P.T. was an interactive teaser for Silent Hills, a planned full game from Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. However, Konami canceled Silent Hills in 2015 and Kojima left the publisher in contentious fashion. The Silent Hill series has been dormant ever since, other than crossovers such as Pyramid Head showing up in Dead by Daylight.

Meanwhile, a third Silent Hill movie may be on the horizon. Christophe Gans, who directed and co-wrote the first film in 2006, said this year that he'd completed a script for another movie. Gans also hinted this month that Konami was working on several Silent Hill games. It seems likely that we'll find out more about those very soon. Here's hoping Konami brings back P.T. as well.

Discord is making it more affordable to pay for perks if a $10 Nitro subscription or Premium Membership is beyond your budget. After testing, the company is launching a $3 per month Nitro Basic plan on October 20th that offers 50MB file uploads and enables custom emoji anywhere. You'll miss out on regular Nitro's 100MB uploads, HD video streaming, custom profiles, server boosts and most Activities (more on those in a moment), but this might be useful if you just want to upload short videos or flaunt emoji from a streamer's server.

Activities (shown above) are also rolling out in earnest. Chatters can now play games, watch videos and otherwise share experiences without having to leave the app. Only Putt Party and Watch Together viewing are available for free, but regular Nitro users can invite non-subscribers to join an expanded catalog that includes games like Chess and Sketch Heads. More Activities should be available as developers build for Discord's platform.

Apps are becoming more useful at the same time. Discord is now testing Premium App Subscriptions that let you pay to unlock features without heading elsewhere first. And if you're running a server, there's now an App Directory that helps you find useful add-ons.

The strategy behind Nitro Basic and the other upgrades is clear. Discord is hoping to not only reel in more subscribers, but to foster an app ecosystem that ultimately bolsters the company's bottom line. Having said this, you might not mind if this helps you pass on a full-fledged Nitro account or participate in a viewing party.

Torontonians now have another way to get cannabis without having to wait too long for it to show up, as Uber Eats is offering deliveries in the city starting today. Uber Eats has teamed up with cannabis marketplace Leafly to offer residents swift weed delivery from local, licensed retailers. Uber Eats claims this is a world first for a "a major third-party delivery platform." Users in Ontario have been available to order weed through the app since last November, but until now items were only available for pickup.

If you're in the city and feel the need to take the edge off, you can select the cannabis category or search for one of the retailers (Hidden Leaf Cannabis, Minerva Cannabis and Shivaa’s Rose are the first three to sign up). You'll receive a warning that you need to be of legal age, which is 19 in Ontario, to view the products. After you place an order and the retailer confirms it, one of the retailer's own licensed "budtenders" will deliver your items. As is the case with alcohol orders, the delivery person will verify your age and level of sobriety before handing over the goods.

Uber Eats claims the move will reduce the need for people to buy cannabis from the underground market. While the app might make it easier for people to order some cannabis, it's already possible to do so from some retailers on Leafly's platform. Some offer delivery within 45 minutes, but Uber Eats may be faster in many cases. 

PayPal is doing finally doing significantly more with its three-year-old Honey acquisition besides a name change. The payments giant has launched a unified PayPal Rewards program that merges Honey's cash back and discount-finding features with store offers and other PayPal-specific perks. You now have a single place to manage and use all the service's money-saving features. This will include a range of "card products" in the future, the company said.

The Rewards program is available in the US today, and you can check it out in a dedicated section of PayPal's mobile app. If you've earned Honey Gold points, they'll become PayPal Rewards points you can access in one place by linking accounts.

The move might not have much of a practical impact if you were already taking advantage of these deals before. It might be easier to keep track of them, however. There's also little doubt PayPal hopes you'll try Honey or other money-saving services if you hadn't considered them before.

After announcing it nearly a year ago, Mercedes-Benz is finally rolling out Apple Music's Spatial Audio in select electric and luxury vehicles. The Dolby Atmos-powered surround sound audio already works on multiple Apple devices including the HomePod speaker, Apple TV and AirPods headphones, but it's the first implementation in vehicles.

"Mercedes-Benz drivers who are already subscribed to Apple Music gain immediate access to an ever-growing selection of songs and albums available in Spatial Audio," the companies said in a press release. And if you're not an Apple Music subscriber, select Dolby Atmos content will be available from Universal Music as well. 

The feature will be available in the select EQS and EQE sedans and SUVs (including the new EQE SUV), along with Mayback and S-Class vehicles. To use it, you'll need to own a vehicle with the MBUX interface and optional 31-speaker Burmester 3D or 4D sound systems, an option that starts at $4,550 on top of the price of the vehicle (the 2023 EQE 350 sedan is expected to start at $70,000 or so). The technology will come to other models "soon," according to Mercedes.

Apple Music's Dolby Atmos implementation creates a 3D soundstage by spreading sounds across different channels, though the level of the effect depends on a song's mix. In the Mercedes implementation, the spatial audio effect will come from six of the 31 speakers located above the driver. Other speakers include four near-ear speakers in the front seats, eight sound transducers (two per seat) and two amplifiers that pump out 1,750 watts of power. 

SpaceX sent a letter to the Department of Defense last month, asking the Pentagon to take over paying for Ukraine's use of its Starlink satellite internet. According to CNN, SpaceX told the department that continued access would cost the company over $120 million for the rest of 2022 and almost $400 million over the next 12 months. "We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time," the company wrote.

Now, company chief, Elon Musk, seems to have backtracked, writing on Twitter that SpaceX will "keep funding” the service in Ukraine.

The Pentagon confirmed after the letter became public that it's been discussing payments with SpaceX, but it’s also looking into alternatives. Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, said: "There are other entities that we can certainly partner with when it comes to providing Ukraine with what they need on the battlefield."

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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'Dead Space' hands-on: The return of gruesome sci-fi horror

It won’t be in time for Halloween, sadly.

EA

The original Dead Space came out 14 years ago, immersing us in ravaged corridors in the middle of space. Dead Space was a terrifying space horror. And this is what the remake has to compete with. Engadget’s Jessica Conditt thinks the new Dead Space nails it – mostly. The game hits PC, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles on January 27th, 2023.

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Google Fiber will offer 5Gbps and 8Gbps internet plans in early 2023

Your cable provider's best plan suddenly seems mediocre.

Google Fiber's sudden revival will include a dramatic boost to internet speeds. Google has revealed it will offer 5Gbps and 8Gbps plans in early 2023 at monthly rates of $125 and $150. Both tiers will include symmetric upload and download rates, a WiFi 6 router and up to two mesh network extenders. It’s a big jump from the previous-best 2Gbps service Google introduced in 2020 and could make a big difference if you're a gamer or thrive on cloud computing.

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Razer’s cloud gaming handheld will cost $400

It’s expected to launch in January.

Razer

The Razer Edge is a handheld console for cloud gaming. (Yes, it’s a trend now.) The Edge has a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz and a Full HD+ resolution of 2,400 x 1,080. Razer claims the display has 87 percent more pixels than competitors’ devices. The Steam Deck’s screen, for instance, has a 1,280 x 800 resolution. The Edge comprises an Android 12 tablet inside the new Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller. Initially only available in the US, it will come with dedicated launchers for Epic Games, Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now pre-installed. You'll also be able to access remote play services, such as Steam Link, Moonlight and Parsec.

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Acer’s cloud gaming Chromebook is a solid laptop

Even if you don’t game.

Last week, Google and hardware partners ASUS, Acer and Lenovo announced a somewhat surprising initiative to build Chromebooks expressly for cloud gaming. (Yes, just after Google gave up on its own Stadia game service.) While many Chromebooks are a riff on the classic 13-inch laptop, the first round of these devices have large, high-resolution screens with fast refresh rates, anti-ghosting keyboards and powerful processors. Nathan Ingraham, Engadget’s Chromebook expert, is loving the premium screen and keyboard.

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