It is a big day for Destiny 2, as the game's long-awaited Lightfall expansion is out now. On Steam, the expansion's launch seemingly helped the game reached a new concurrent player record.
The game reached more than 300,000 peak concurrent players on Steam today, a new all-time high for the Bungie game. According to historical data on SteamDB, Destiny 2's previous concurrent player record was around 128,000 players, so Lightfall really did juice up the game's numbers as Bungie hoped.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Now Playing: Destiny 2: Lightfall - Launch Trailer
Destiny 2 is also available on console platforms, so the 300,000 peak concurrent player figure only represents a fraction of the game's total audience. It's expected that Destiny 2 on PlayStation and Xbox saw an uptick in usage coinciding with the launch of Lightfall, too.
Destiny 2 is a free-to-play game, and the Lightfall expansion is available by itself for $50 or via the Annual Pass for $100.
Lightfall ushers in a brand-new year in Destiny 2 and a new season, Defiance, featuring new activities to take part in, Exotics to collect, and weekly missions to engage in. For more, check out GameSpot's rundown of everything to see and collect in the new season.
You can also check out GameSpot's Lightfall story primer that recaps everything that's happened since the Beyond Light expansion's release in November 2020.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
The Jack Dorsey-backed social network could be getting closer to becoming a reality.
Image: Bluesky
Bluesky, the decentralized project that originated within Twitter, has arrived on the Apple App Store as an invite-only social network, as first reported by TechCrunch. The listing also gives us one of our very first glimpses at the app, which closely resembles Twitter down to the timeline and profile pages.
The project’s backed by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, and has been working on an app powered by its open-source social protocol for months now, called the Authenticated Transfer Protocol, or “AT Protocol” for short. Bluesky describes it as a “federated social network” where separate networks exist within a single hub.
According to Bluesky, AT Protocol is built based on four main ideals: account portability; algorithmic; performance; and interoperability. This framework is supposed to allow you to easily transfer your account data to another Bluesky provider as well as give you more control over what you see on a network, among other things.
While Bluesky initially made the app available in a private beta for developers in October, it appears the company’s willing to expand the test just a bit more now that it’s on the App Store. The website doesn’t offer any details about when the app could become available to the general public or how many testers are allowed to use the app, but it lets users join a waitlist for access.
The project’s origins within Twitter raised concerns about what would become of Bluesky following Elon Musk’s takeover, as it relied on the social network for funding. However, last year, Bluesky spun off as a separate company, noting that “independence is important to the success of the project,” and added Dorsey to its board.
Judging by the screenshots posted on the App Store and the ones included in TechCrunch’s article as part of a hands-on experience, Bluesky looks promising so far, featuring separate tabs for home, search, and notifications in addition to a Twitter-like “repost” ability. We don’t know when (or if) Bluesky will come to Android, but I sure hope it does. With more Twitter alternatives like Bluesky, Mastodon, and Hive gaining traction, it almost feels like the golden age of social networks again.
Article From & Read More ( Twitter's decentralized alternative Bluesky arrives as an invite-only iOS app - The Verge )
https://ift.tt/etsmRlg
Technology
On Monday, Snapchat announced an experimental AI-powered conversational chatbot called "My AI," powered by ChatGPT-style technology from OpenAI. My AI will be available for $3.99 a month for Snapchat+ subscribers and is rolling out "this week," according to a news post from Snap, Inc.
Users will be able to personalize the AI bot by giving it a custom name. Conversations with the AI model will take place in a similar interface to a regular chat with a human. “The big idea is that in addition to talking to our friends and family every day, we’re going to talk to AI every day,” Snap CEO Evan Spiegel told The Verge.
But like its GPT-powered cousins, ChatGPT and Bing Chat, Snap says that My AI is prone to "hallucinations," which are unexpected falsehoods generated by an AI model. On this point, Snap includes a rather lengthy disclaimer in its My AI announcement post:
"As with all AI-powered chatbots, My AI is prone to hallucination and can be tricked into saying just about anything. Please be aware of its many deficiencies and sorry in advance! All conversations with My AI will be stored and may be reviewed to improve the product experience. Please do not share any secrets with My AI and do not rely on it for advice."
Among machine-learning researchers, "hallucination" is a term that describes when an AI model makes inaccurate inferences about a subject or situation that isn't covered in its training data set. It's a well-known drawback of current large language models such as ChatGPT, which can easily make up convincing-sounding falsehoods, such as academic papers that don't exist and inaccurate biographies.
Despite Snap's strong disclaimer about My AI's tendency to make stuff up, the firm says its new Snapchat bot will be pinned above conversations with friends in its own tab in the Snapchat app and will "recommend birthday gift ideas for your BFF, plan a hiking trip for a long weekend, suggest a recipe for dinner, or even write a haiku about cheese for your cheddar-obsessed pal."
Snap does not reconcile how the same bot that cannot be "rel[ied] on for advice" can also plan an accurate and safe "hiking trip for a long weekend." Critics of the galloping rollout of generative AI have seized on this kind of dissonance to show that perhaps these chatbots are not ready for widespread use, especially when presented as a reference.
While people have made something of a game of trying to circumvent ChatGPT and Bing Chat's workarounds, Snap has reportedly trained its GPT model to not discuss sex, swearing, violence, or political opinions. Those restrictions may be especially necessary to avoid the unhinged behavior we saw with Bing Chat a few weeks ago.
And doubly so, because "My AI" may have something powerful running under the hood: OpenAI's next-generation large language model. According to The Verge, Snap is utilizing a new OpenAI enterprise plan called "Foundry" that OpenAI quietly rolled out earlier this month. It gives companies dedicated cloud access to OpenAI's GPT-3.5 and "DV" models. Several AI experts have speculated that "DV" may be equivalent to GPT-4, the rumored high-powered follow-up to GPT-3.
In other words, the "hallucinations" Snap mentioned in its news release may come faster and be more detailed than ChatGPT. And considering the highly convincing nature of other GPT models, people may just believe it, despite the warnings. It's something to watch in the months ahead as new GPT-powered commercial services come online.
Article From & Read More ( “Sorry in advance!” Snapchat warns of hallucinations with new AI conversation bot - Ars Technica )
https://ift.tt/SbUeI18
Technology
A video of a tense scene from Alien is crashing some Pixels. Extra spooky.
Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
A specific YouTube video is causing some Pixel phones to crash, as reported by Android Authority. When those who are affected by the problem try to watch the video, their phone instantly reboots. Some, including Android Authority, have also said their phones present cellular network issues afterward. (Android Authority said those issues were fixed after another reboot.)
In a Reddit thread, some users report running into the issue with their Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6A phones, and one Verge staffer’s Pixel 6 crashed when they tried to watch the video. However, the issue doesn’t seem to be affecting everyone; Android expert Mishaal Rahman says it didn’t crash his Pixel 6 Pro, while others in the Reddit thread say their Pixels can watch the video as well.
The video itself, which is two years old, is a scene from the classic sci-fi horror film Alien that’s available in 4K HDR. While we don’t recommend watching it if you’re on one of the potentially affected phones, here is the link to the video. It’s unclear what’s causing the crash, and we’ve reached out to Google for comment. However, some have speculated it comes down to the way the Pixels handle color, which is what apparently caused a certain wallpaper to crash some Android phones.
Back at CES, Lenovo showed off a huge portfolio of new devices including a true dual-screen laptop and a desk lamp that doubles as a webcam. But now, Lenovo is back at Mobile World Congress with a few more refreshed notebooks and tablets headlined by two interesting updates to the ThinkPad Z family.
Designed to be ideal companions for hybrid workers, the new ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 and Z16 Gen 2 feature an all-AMD setup. You’ll be able to choose from a range of Ryzen 7000 processors and even an optional Radeon 6650M graphics card on the larger Z16, along with up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage. However, for people who are constantly hopping on and off video calls, the ThinkPad Z13 and Z16’s new communication features might be the bigger draw.
That’s because in addition to new full HD webcams, you’ll also get support for Wi-Fi 6E and Dolby Voice-enabled microphones, so you should look and sound good on Zoom meetings. But my favorite new feature is the TrackPoint Quick Menu that can be summoned by simply double-tapping the company’s signature red nub. This opens a window that lets you quickly adjust things like camera settings, mic volume, voice dictation, noise suppression and more. You can even customize which settings you want to see so you have fast access to the things you tend to change most often and I think it’s a great way of adding new functionality to a classic component like the TrackPoint.
Other specs include up to a 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED display on the Z13 Gen 2 or a larger and higher resolution 16-inch 4K OLED panel on the Z16 Gen 2. Lenovo has also retained handy features like an electronic shutter for the webcam, in addition to dual speakers with Dolby Atmos, two or three USB ports depending on the system, and a dedicated SD card reader on the Z16.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Meanwhile, to help improve your mousing experience, both the Z13 and Z16 Gen 2 feature a Fusion FX touchpad from Sensel, which adds more sophisticated haptics, better palm rejection and more. On top of being physically larger (120mm across), long-time Trackpoint fans will also appreciate that Sensel’s touchpad supports three virtual haptic buttons that run across the top of the touchpad, so you’ll still have easy access to left and right mouse clicks without having to reach too far.
Finally, the last big change for the Z13 is that alongside the default aluminum finish, as part of its commitment to sustainability, Lenovo is also introducing a new flax fiber lid which is made from waste material collected during the harvesting process. This material is something we’ve seen before on a handful of concept cars from companies like Porsche and Polestar, but Lenovo says this is the first time this reinforced flax fiber material will be available on a consumer electronic device.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Admittedly, this isn’t for everyone, but I kind of like it because it looks almost like a futuristic take on wood paneling. Not only does this add a bit of warmth to the laptop’s appearance, just like a nice piece of furniture, each flax fiber lid features a unique grain, which gives the whole system a bit of added personality. On top of that, Lenovo says the lid is bonded to a top cover made from 75 percent recycled aluminum.
While their designs aren’t changing a ton (aside from that new lid option on Z13), the addition of speedier components, larger touchpads and better conferencing features should make the second-gen ThinkPad Z-series laptops even better at getting work done – both at home or in the office. And thanks to its optional flax fiber lid, the Z13 Gen 2 might be the most stylish and sustainable ThinkPad yet.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2 is expected to go on sale sometime in July starting at $1,249, with the ThinkPad Z16 Gen arriving a bit later in August starting at $1,749.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.
Xiaomi is trying to push into the high end of the smartphone market with the Xiaomi 13 Pro. It will pit the Chinese giant against rivals Apple and Samsung.
CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty Images
Xiaomi launched its flagship smartphone globally on Sunday as the Chinese electronics giant attempts to take a slice of the high-end market and challenge Apple and Samsung.
The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro were originally launched in China in December, but now the Beijing, China-headquartered company is bringing the devices to markets overseas.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro device sports a 6.73-inch display and the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset from U.S. firm Qualcomm. It has a triple-lens camera and other premium features like ultra-fast charging. The company talked up the capabilities of its camera that it "co-engineered" with German firm Leica.
The Xiaomi 13 starts at 999 euros ($1,053) while the 13 Pro starts at 1,299 euros.
Xiaomi had a rough year in 2022 with its smartphone shipments declining 26% year-on-year, according to research firm IDC, the biggest fall among the top five biggest handset vendors. The company swung to a loss in the September quarter, the latest financial results available.
Xiaomi has faced a number of headwinds, in particular a more difficult macroeconomic environment with a slowing economy in China. A total of 1.21 billion smartphones were shipped in 2022, which represents the lowest annual shipment total since 2013, according to IDC.
"Xiaomi is facing multiple headwinds inside China from an ever-popular Apple iPhone, a surprisingly strong Honor, and fickle Chinese consumers who often switch between Android hardware brands in a flash," Neil Mawston, an analyst at TechInsights, told CNBC via email.
Honor is the Chinese smartphone brand that was spun off from Huawei.
Xiaomi has turned into one of the biggest smartphone makers over the years via a strategy of bringing out high-spec devices at very competitive price points. It began pushing into overseas markets around seven years ago, pursuing a similar strategy. But it is now looking to push into the higher end of the market, where margins are higher and the market is still growing.
High-end smartphones, those that cost over $800, accounted for 18% of the total handset market in 2022, up from 11% in 2020, Canalys data shows. Xiaomi's push into the premium tier will pit it against Apple and Samsung, which will be a challenge for the Chinese rival. Samsung and Apple devices accounted for 92% of the high-end market in 2022, according to Canalys.
"Competing with Apple and Samsung is incredibly difficult. Not just matching market leading products, but particularly going up against enormous companies with exceptional brand awareness, high-end perceptions, experience focused solutions and product ecosystems with high user-stickiness," Runar Bjørhovde, research analyst at Canalys, told CNBC via email.
Xiaomi is the latest Chinese smartphone player that is trying to crack the high-end of the market. Oppo launched its first foldable phone for the overseas market this month that costs more than $1,000.
Article From & Read More ( Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi takes aim at Samsung and Apple with latest $1,000 device - CNBC )
https://ift.tt/fXgIj5U
Technology
iPhone thieves who spied on a victim's passcode before stealing the Apple device can easily reset settings preventing its owner from accessing it.
According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, victims have reported phones stolen out of their hands or at bars and other public places, finding they had been locked out of their accounts.
Bad actors with knowledge of a passcode are able to easily reset the victim's Apple ID password in the Settings app.
They can turn off Find my iPhone, preventing the owner from tracking it or remotely wiping the device, as well as remove other devices from the account.
In one case, a thief opened an Apple Card by finding the phone owner's last four digits of their Social Security number in photos. Another said she had lost photos of her family permanently. Most of the victims filed police reports and one filed an identity theft claim with the Federal Trade Commission.
A spokesperson for Apple told the paper that the iPhone is the most secure consumer mobile device and that the company works "tirelessly" to prevent new and emerging threats.
FILE PHOTO: A man holds an iPhone 14 as Apple Inc's new models go on sale at an Apple store in Beijing, Sept. 16, 2022.
"We sympathize with users who have had this experience and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how rare," the spokesperson said, adding that the tech giant believes these crimes are uncommon because they require the theft of the device and the passcode. "We will continue to advance the protections to help keep user accounts secure."
An iPhone prompting to enter the passcode is seen on Oct. 25, 2017.
Use Face ID or Touch ID in public to prevent wandering eyes and prying hands, according to the spokesperson, and hold hands over the screen when inputting a passcode.
Article From & Read More ( Apple iPhone thieves using simple trick to take everything, report finds - Yahoo Finance )
https://ift.tt/rvgJ7h0
Technology
Asymco analyst Horace Dediu joins 'The Claman Countdown' to discuss how Apple stock could perform in 2024 as the tech giant tries to diversify iPhone products away from China.
iPhone thieves who spied on a victim's passcode before stealing the Apple device can easily reset settings preventing its owner from accessing it.
According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, victims have reported phones stolen out of their hands or at bars and other public places, finding they had been locked out of their accounts.
Bad actors with knowledge of a passcode are able to easily reset the victim's Apple ID password in the Settings app.
They can turn off Find my iPhone, preventing the owner from tracking it or remotely wiping the device, as well as remove other devices from the account.
A mobile phone passcode security screen is seen in this photo illustration in Warsaw, Poland, 2022.((Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
They can also set up a recovery key to prevent a victim from recovering the account.
In one case, a thief opened an Apple Card by finding the phone owner's last four digits of their Social Security number in photos. Another said she had lost photos of her family permanently. Most of the victims filed police reports and one filed an identity theft claim with the Federal Trade Commission.
A spokesperson for Apple told the paper that the iPhone is the most secure consumer mobile device and that the company works "tirelessly" to prevent new and emerging threats.
FILE PHOTO: A man holds an iPhone 14 as Apple Inc's new models go on sale at an Apple store in Beijing, Sept. 16, 2022. (REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
"We sympathize with users who have had this experience and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how rare," the spokesperson said, adding that the tech giant believes these crimes are uncommon because they require the theft of the device and the passcode. "We will continue to advance the protections to help keep user accounts secure."
An iPhone prompting to enter the passcode is seen on Oct. 25, 2017. (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Use Face ID or Touch ID in public to prevent wandering eyes and prying hands, according to the spokesperson, and hold hands over the screen when inputting a passcode.
On Friday, Meta announced a new AI-powered large language model (LLM) called LLaMA-13B that it claims can outperform OpenAI's GPT-3 model despite being "10x smaller." Smaller-sized AI models could lead to running ChatGPT-style language assistants locally on devices such as PCs and smartphones. It's part of a new family of language models called "Large Language Model Meta AI," or LLAMA for short.
The LLaMA collection of language models range from 7 billion to 65 billion parameters in size. By comparison, OpenAI's GPT-3 model—the foundational model behind ChatGPT—has 175 billion parameters.
Meta trained its LLaMA models using publicly available datasets, such as Common Crawl, Wikipedia, and C4, which means the firm can potentially release the model and the weights open source. That's a dramatic new development in an industry where, up until now, the Big Tech players in the AI race have kept their most powerful AI technology to themselves.
"Unlike Chinchilla, PaLM, or GPT-3, we only use datasets publicly available, making our work compatible with open-sourcing and reproducible, while most existing models rely on data which is either not publicly available or undocumented," tweeted project member Guillaume Lample.
Today we release LLaMA, 4 foundation models ranging from 7B to 65B parameters.
LLaMA-13B outperforms OPT and GPT-3 175B on most benchmarks. LLaMA-65B is competitive with Chinchilla 70B and PaLM 540B.
The weights for all models are open and available at https://t.co/q51f2oPZlE
1/n pic.twitter.com/DPyJFBfWEq
Meta calls its LLaMA models "foundational models," which means the firm intends the models to form the basis of future, more-refined AI models built off the technology, similar to how OpenAI built ChatGPT from a foundation of GPT-3. The company hopes that LLaMA will be useful in natural language research and potentially power applications such as "question answering, natural language understanding or reading comprehension, understanding capabilities and limitations of current language models."
While the top-of-the-line LLaMA model (LLaMA-65B, with 65 billion parameters) goes toe-to-toe with similar offerings from competing AI labs DeepMind, Google, and OpenAI, arguably the most interesting development comes from the LLaMA-13B model, which, as previously mentioned, can reportedly outperform GPT-3 while running on a single GPU. Unlike the data center requirements for GPT-3 derivatives, LLaMA-13B opens the door for ChatGPT-like performance on consumer-level hardware in the near future.
Parameter size is a big deal in AI. A parameter is a variable that a machine-learning model uses to make predictions or classifications based on input data. The number of parameters in a language model is a key factor in its performance, with larger models generally capable of handling more complex tasks and producing more coherent output. More parameters take up more space, however, and require more computing resources to run. So if a model can achieve the same results as another model with fewer parameters, it represents a significant gain in efficiency.
"I'm now thinking that we will be running language models with a sizable portion of the capabilities of ChatGPT on our own (top of the range) mobile phones and laptops within a year or two," wrote independent AI researcher Simon Willison in a Mastodon thread analyzing the impact of Meta's new AI models.
Currently, a stripped-down version of LLaMA is available on GitHub. To receive the full code and weights (the "learned" training data in a neural network), Meta provides a form where interested researchers can request access. Meta has not announced plans for a wider release of the model and weights at this time.
Sony's State of Play for February 2023 is a wrap, and we've got you covered with details on all of the reveals for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2. The show delivered reveals for a trio of new Street Fighter 6 roster additions, as well as our longest look yet at Rocksteady's upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Read on to learn about everything announced at the latest State of Play.
Rocksteady Shares Extended Look at Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
We got our biggest look yet at Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which showed off the game's combat, RPG, and live service elements. We saw gameplay of Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang, and Deadshot, as they romp around the metropolitan levels destroying all enemies in sight. Rocksteady also talked about post-launch support, including a cosmetic battle pass, gear score mechanics, and upgradable weapons.
Capcom Reveals Three New Street Fighter 6 Characters
Zangief, Lily, and Cammy have all been confirmed for Street Fighter 6. Each character got a brief gameplay showcase displaying their unique fighting styles. Cammy got the biggest makeover, coming into Street Fighter 6 with a new hairstyle and jacket. Lily joins the cast as a newcomer to the series.
Baldur's Gate 3 Launches on August 31
We got a lengthy trailer for the upcoming Baldur's Gate 3, along with a release date of August 31. The trailer showed off various classes, shots of the multiplayer, and combat. The game is set for release on PlayStation 5 and PC.
New Resident Evil 4 Trailer Confirms the Return of Mercenaries Mode
We got another new look at Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake, which confirmed the presence of Mercenaries mode, which is a classic feature from the original game. The trailer also gave us our first look at a boss fight with Jack Krauser, and Leon heading through the minecart section. We also learned a special demo of the game is on the way.
Bungie Reveals Destiny 2: Lightfall Launch Trailer Ahead of Next Week's Launch
Destiny 2's latest expansion, Lightfall, is just five days away from its launch on February 28. To get players ready, Bungie shared the launch trailer for the upcoming expansion. The trailer highlighted the battle between the Guardians and The Witness and Callus' Shadow Legion of Cabal. We also got a new look at the upcoming Strand subclass.
Sony Reveals Five Games Heading to PSVR2 This Year
Sony kicked off the show with five new games coming to PSVR2 sometime in 2023. The first game shown was The Foglands, a haunted first-person shooter showing off combat against skeletons, spiders, and more. We also got a look at a VR survival game called Green Hell, which showed the player creating tents, bows, and other tools to survive in a harsh rainforest environment.
Up next was a fast-paced FPS with some telekinesis powers called Synapse. The game takes place in a black and white world, with the only color seemingly coming from your character's powers. Then, we saw a sci-fi stealth game based on the iconic Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. The game showed shooting and stealthing around a space station. The last game shown was Before Your Eyes, a colorful interactive adventure about memories where everytime you blink, you jump forward in time.
Tetris Effect Developers Reveal New Project Called Humanity
The team behind Tetris Effect revealed a new title called Humanity, which shows a spirit-like dog leading hundreds upon hundreds of humans in Lemmings-like fashion. We also saw a creation tool, where players can create and share levels with others around the globe. The game is coming this May on PS5, PS4, PSVR, and PSVR2.
Tchia Launching into PlayStation Plus Extra Tier This March
Tchia is the upcoming Wind Waker-like exploration game from Awaceb, and we learned it's launching into PlayStation Plus' Extra and Premium tiers on March 21. For more on this game, the developers shared an official gameplay overview last weekend at IGN Fan Fest.
Goodbye Volcano High Coming to PS5 and PS4 on June 15
We got a release date for Goodbye Volcano High, the coming-of-age narrative game coming to PS5 and PS4. The game will launch on June 15. The trailer showed off narrative conversations between the characters and some rhythm sections, as you play through band practice for the main characters' band.
Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections Gets New Trailer
Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections collects the Ultimate Ninja Storm series and reconnects them into one story. We saw gameplay of the battle between Naruto and Sasuke, as well as tons of other characters from across the series.
New Trailer for Digital Extremes' Wayfinder
We got a new look at the upcoming action RPG Wayfinder, where you can work together with friends to push back a hostile force that's taken over the world. The latest trailer was a gameplay overview, showing off combat and a giant boss battle.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
Samsung has started shipping its 2023 Neo QLED TV line, and it won't surprise you to hear that you'll pay a premium for its ultimate models. The company's 8K, Mini LED-based QN900C (shown above) starts at $5,000 for a 65-inch set, while a 75-inch variant costs $6,300. The 85-inch version has yet to be priced. If you value 8K but don't need the full feature set, the QN800C begins at $3,500 for a 65-inch screen and tops out at $6,000 for an 85-inch panel. The 75-inch edition also hasn't received pricing.
You're more likely looking at a 4K TV, and you'll be glad to hear those are considerably more affordable. At the high end, the QN95C ranges from $3,300 for a 65-inch display to $5,800 for an 85-inch beast. The lowest-priced sets are in the mid-tier QN90C series, however — that starts at $1,200 for a compact 43-inch design, with five other sizes that culminate in a $4,800 85-inch set. If you're looking for (relative) value for money, the QN85C is available for $1,500 in 55-inch form and climbs to $3,800 for the QN85C. Samsung hasn't yet shared details of the 4K-capable QN935C, which offers thinner bezels and top-firing speakers that enable Dolby Atmos without external speakers.
All 2023 Neo QLED TVs fit better into your smart home. They include both Matter Thread and SmartThings-friendly Zigbee hubs that coordinate compatible devices.
The QN900C's hook isn't just its 8K resolution. It's extremely bright at 4,000 nits, and it boasts improved contrast as well as HDR "remastering" for older content. All the QN-series TVs boast Mini LED as well, although they're poised to be iterative upgrades compared to their 2022 counterparts. Like last year, the standout is arguably the OLED model — the S95C is your pick if you demand perfect black levels and minimal lag.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 and Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are arguably two of the best noise-canceling earbuds available. I put them through a series of real-world tests to see which pair would come out on top.
Apple says the AirPods have doubled their noise canceling function since the first AirPods Pro generation. Bose has also significantly improved its noise canceling in comparison to the previous model. CNET reviewer David Carnoy said the first-gen Bose QuietComfort Earbuds's noise canceling beat the AirPods Pro, so I was keen to put the two newer models to the test.
So I went for a mini adventure across London to see how well they fare in a variety of situations, from an open park to the London Underground. Check out the embedded video to find out which is the true noise-canceling king.
Unveiled almost three weeks ago, Samsung's newest heavyweight contenders for the title of best phone money can buy have reached brick and mortar stores and their earliest adopters via online delivery on Friday, February 17.
Generally met with praise by reviewers across the world wide web, the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra are obviously not perfect, and if you happen to be rocking a unit that feels a tad buggy, you might be pleased to hear that a little software update is already making its way to users in select global markets.
We're primarily talking about European countries like Germany, Poland, and the UK, although the over-the-air rollout may have also kicked off in the US as far as unlocked devices are concerned.
For a first post-release update, this is actually not that small of a collection of add-ons, new features, and performance enhancements, tipping the scales at a pretty substantial 600MB or so.
For the time being, we have no idea exactly what's included in this update apart from February 2023 security patches. As the rollout expands to more regions and users, of course, we should quickly find out everything there is to know in terms of actual changes and improvements, as well as what Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra owners think about all that's new and revised.
As usual, the pre-installed software on Samsung's latest ultra-high-end handsets feels quite stable and smooth, although a few little bugs and glitches are also almost always part of the early adopter experience.
If you haven't purchased one of these bad boys yet, you can obviously still do that and get some absolutely massive discounts from Samsung, especially with the right carrier and the right device trade-in.
Article From & Read More ( Samsung's first software update for the Galaxy S23 series is already rolling out - PhoneArena )
https://ift.tt/RhKPH4c
Technology
Get ready for new emoji to hit your iPhone. A total of 31 new emoji designs arrived on iOS with the release of the first iOS 16.4 developer beta on Thursday, according to Emojipedia.
The new emoji include a new smiley, a shaking head, new animals like a moose and a goose, and new heart colors, including plain pink and light blue. The plain pink heart has been a long-sought emoji, according to Emojipedia, which named it one of the site's top emoji requests in 2015. Last year's big emoji drop in iOS 15.4 included a melting face, a biting lip and a pregnant man, with 37 new designs total.
A moose, donkey and goose are some of the new emoji iPhone users might see soon.
Emojipedia
Emojipedia said the new emoji all come from Unicode's September 2022 recommendation list, Emoji 15.0.
There isn't any word yet on when the new emoji will be available across iOS devices, and the designs of the new emoji might change between now and their final release on iOS.
Apple released a handful of bug fixes and patches with the release of iOS 16.3.1 on Monday, a few weeks after the release of new features in iOS 16.3.
An ex-Marine says an old girlfriend has been relentlessly harassing him, his family and current sweetheart – including sending X-rated photos and videos of him, court papers allege.
The fed-up Mount Ephraim, N.J., man had a long-distance romance with Dezarae Collins, 27, for over a year, but was “unable to handle” their 2015 breakup and “embarked on a years-long course of harassment,” he claims in a New Jersey federal lawsuit and in an interview with The Post.
“I didn’t think this would be something I would have to drag around with me forever and something I would have to explain to every romantic partner I would ever have,” the 29-year-old man – whose identity is being withheld – told The Post.
The former Marine corporal – identified as S.S. in the suit – has “lost multiple jobs,” had to change his phone number over 100 times, and had strained relationships with his family, former girlfriends and a current partner who were all targeted by Collins’ harassment, the court papers allege.
Dezarae Collins has been sued by her ex-boyfriend who claims she harassed him for years after they broke up.
S.S. and Collins dated for about a year-and-a-half, but because she lived in Oregon — and for much of that time S.S. was deployed abroad — he sent her the racy photos and videos, the filing says.
He said during his Marine deployment, he often had no phone signal — and when he came to a port, “my phone would explode with texts.” Collins even called through to his command to try to reach him, he said.
Dezarae Collins and S.S. dated for about a year-and-a-half.Linkedin/Dezarae Collins
“I couldn’t take it anymore,” he said. “I wanted to break up with her.”
Yet afterward, “she kept pushing and pushing and trying to get back with me,” he said.
S.S. and his parents would allegedly get concerning calls from Collins threatening to kill herself or telling him she missed him, he said.
According to S.S., Collins mailed his family letters – including one with a naked photo of him. And he alleged she called and texted him, his family and loved ones countless times from 22 different phone numbers — and has contacted his friends on social media.
S.S.’s current girlfriend told The Post that Collins allegedly contacted him 5,500 times in the span of 10 days in October 2022. S.S. alleges that beginning that same month, Collins escalated the harassment by sharing X-rated photos of him with his current girlfriend, her family and his family, the filing claims.
The ex-boyfriend says Collins relentlessly called and texted him, forcing him to change his phone number over 100 times.
In total, Collins sent them two videos and 12 images over 77 times by text message, the suit claims.
She also posted a naked photo of S.S. on Craigslist.
“She doesn’t give up,” S.S. said.
S.S.’s girlfriend told The Post she got fired from her job a few weeks ago — with her employer telling her they didn’t want anything to do with the drama after she took time off from work to go to court and got called in by the police over the issues with Collins.
Throughout the years, S.S. said he tried getting restraining orders — which were difficult to follow through with since he was traveling for the Marines. And both he and his current 33-year-old girlfriend struggled to get a restraining order because of the complications of living in different states from Collins, the current girlfriend claimed.
The ex-boyfriend says he got a restraining order against Collins earlier this month.Facebook/Nicole Collins
Earlier this month, S.S. and his family — who have made reports to the cops — successfully won a restraining order against Collins, according to police and state records obtained by The Post.
He’s suing for at least $150,000.
“I want it to cease and be done with,” S.S. said of his lawsuit hope.
The current girlfriend said she hopes information obtained in the federal suit will help prosecutors to bring a criminal case against Collins. She said prosecutors have had a difficult time with the case since Collins lives in Oregon and they reside in New Jersey.
“I hope she will leave us alone,” the girlfriend said. “I hope [the lawsuit] will keep other people protected from her.”
The ex-boyfriend says he wants the years-long campaign of harassment to stop.Facebook/Nicole Collins
The girlfriend alleged Collins works with children in the field of psychology — and “that’s scary.”
Daniel Szalkiewicz, the lawyer for S.S., told The Post: “Our client has lost years of his life to Defendant’s harassment, always fearing when and how Defendant would strike next.
“His intimate images have been shared with his family, his fiancee’s family, and the world at large.”
Collins didn’t return The Post’s request for comment.
Article From & Read More ( Woman sent x-rated photos of Marine ex to his family, girlfriend, posted online: suit - New York Post )
https://ift.tt/NPYVSQe
Technology
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24468357/bluesky_ios_app.png)
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24100084/226337_Pixel_7_and_7_Pro_AKrales_0531.jpg){kind=tracking}
