Engadget

21.03.2024 18:20 Just as it did in the US last year, Warner Bros. Discovery is transitioning HBO Max to just Max in Europe, folding in Discovery+ content and live sports in the process. Max will first be available on the continent in the Nordics, Iberia and central and eastern Europe on May 21. It will hit Poland, the Netherlands, France and Belgium shortly afterward . This will be the first time that WBD's streaming service will be available in France and Belgium, and those are the first new territories for the platform in over two years. All told, Max will soon be available in 25 European countries and 65 countries and territories globally as it aims to compete with the global reach of Netflix. In the countries where Max is available in Europe, that will be the only place where viewers can watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympics . The Olympic Games will be available on all Max subscription plans on the continent. As in the US, Max will be available in several tiers in Europe. There will be a basic ad-supported plan in select countries and a standard plan, with the option to stream on two devices simultaneously in Full HD resolution and up to 30 downloads for offline viewing. The premium plan offers 4K streaming with Dolby Atmos on up to four devices at once, and up to 100 downloads for offline viewing. Pricing will vary by country. There will be a sports add-on that includes Grand Slam tennis, cycling’s Grand Tours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, livestreams of linear networks Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 and lots more. Max will also offer live linear networks in some countries on select plans, including CNN International in France and Poland. In many cases, HBO Max will update to Max automatically, though some users will be prompted to download the new Max app. Current HBO Max subscribers will retain their profiles and viewing history after the switch. Eurosport and Discovery+ subscribers will receive details on how to sign up for Max. Meanwhile, WBD revealed that the second season of Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon is coming to HBO and Max in the US on June 16, and the following day in Europe. The company also released a pair of "dueling" trailers for the season that show the story from the perspectives of the Green and Black Councils, respectively. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hbo-max-will-soon-just-be-max-in-most-of-europe-too-164548284.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 DoorDash just announced the launch of a drone delivery pilot program, in partnership with Alphabet’s Wing. The testing began in Christiansburg, VA , and is limited to only "eligible items" from fast food chain Wendy's. Whether that includes the iconic Frosty dessert/fry condiment is as yet unclear. There’s only one affiliated Wendy’s location, but local consumers should see a “deliver by drone” tab on the DoorDash checkout page. The company says orders should arrive in 30 minutes or less, making high-flying drones about as fast as a standard pizza delivery in the 1980s. DoorDash also says that Wendy’s is just the first restaurant partner, suggesting that more are on the way. The company believes that drones will offer more “efficient, sustainable, and convenient delivery options for consumers.” To that end, the online food delivery platform plans on opening up the program to more US cities throughout the year. If all of this sounds eerily familiar, you aren’t imagining things. These types of pilot programs have been popping up all over the place. This isn’t even DoorDash and Wing’s first partnership. The companies teamed up in 2022 to do something similar in Australia. The program was a success, eventually expanding to 60 participating restaurants in Queensland. Wing is the clear leader in this field. The company recently began offering drone deliveries from Walmart to Dallas consumers. Earlier this year, Wing unveiled a new delivery drone that reaches speeds of 65 MPH, with a maximum payload capacity of five pounds. That’s, according to my math, nearly six Wendy’s Baconators.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/doordash-is-testing-a-drone-delivery-feature-in-virginia-163015059.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 A year ago, I visited TikTok’s US headquarters to preview its new “transparency center,” a central piece of its multibillion-dollar effort to convince the US its meme factory isn’t a national security threat. That effort has failed. The company’s negotiations with the government stalled out and the company is now facing its most serious threat to a future in the United States yet. Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that, if passed into law, would force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face an outright ban in the US. That lawmakers view TikTok with suspicion is nothing new. Because TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China, they believe the Chinese government could manipulate TikTok’s algorithms or access its users’ data via ByteDance employees. But what has been surprising about the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is that it managed to gather so much support from both sides of the aisle seemingly out of nowhere. After a surprise introduction, the bipartisan bill cleared committee in two days with a unanimous 50 - 0 vote, and was approved by the full House in a 352 - 65 vote less than a week later. Of the dozens of bills attempting to regulate the tech industry in recent years, including at least two to ban TikTok, none have gained nearly as much momentum. But the renewed support for banning or forcing a sale of TikTok doesn’t seem to be tied to any newly uncovered information about TikTok, ByteDance or the Chinese Communist Party. Instead, lawmakers have largely been rehashing the same concerns that have been raised about the app for years. One issue often raised is data access. TikTok, like many of its social media peers, scoops up large amounts of data from its users. The practice has gotten the company into hot water in the past when many of those users were discovered to be minors. Many lawmakers cite its large cache of user data, which they claim could be obtained by Chinese government officials, as one of the most significant risks posed by TikTok. “Our bipartisan legislation would protect American social media users by driving the divestment of foreign adversary-controlled apps to ensure that Americans are protected from the digital surveillance and influence operations of regimes that could weaponize their personal data against them,” Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, on the bill’s co-sponsors, said in a statement. TikTok has repeatedly denied sharing any data with the Chinese government and says it would not comply if they were requested to do so. However, ByteDance has been caught mishandling TikTok user data in the past. In 2022, ByteDance fired four employees, including two based in China, for accessing the data of reporters who had written stories critical of the company. There’s no evidence those actions were directed by the Chinese government. In fact the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would do little to address the data access issue, experts say. Even if the app was banned or controlled by a different company, Americans’ personal information would remain readily available from the largely unregulated data broker industry. Data brokers gain access to vast troves of Americans’ personal data via scores of apps, websites, credit card companies and other businesses. Currently, there are few restrictions on what data can be collected or who can buy it. Biden Administration officials have warned that China is already buying up this data, much of it more revealing than anything TikTok collects. “The data that's been collected about you will almost certainly live longer than you will, and there's really nothing you can do to delete it or get rid of it,” Justin Cappos, an NYU computer science professor and member of the NYU Center for Cybersecurity, told Engadget. “If the US really wants to solve this, the way to do it isn't to blame a social media company in China and make them the face of the problem. It's really to pass the meaningful data privacy regulations and go after collection and go after these data brokers.” The House recently passed a bill that would bar data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to “adversary” countries like China. But, if passed, the law wouldn’t address the sale of that data to other entities or the wholesale collection of it to begin with. Digital rights and free speech advocates like the Electronic Frontier Foundation have also raised the possibility that the US forcing a ban or sale of TikTok could give other countries cover to enact similar bans or restrictions on US-based social media platforms. In a letter to lawmakers opposing the measure, the EFF, American Civil Liberties Union and other groups argued that it would “set an alarming global precedent for excessive government control over social media platforms.” David Greene, a senior staff attorney at the EFF notes that the United States has forcefully criticized nations that have banned social media apps. “The State Department has been highly critical of countries that have shut down services,” Greene told Engadget, noting that the US condemned the Nigerian government for blocking Twitter in 2021. “Shutting down a whole service is essentially an anti-democratic thing.” Intelligence officials held a classified briefing with members of Congress about TikTok shortly before the vote on the House floor. That’s led some pundits to believe that there must be new information about TikTok, but some lawmakers have suggested otherwise.“Not a single thing that we heard in today’s classified briefing was unique to TikTok,” Representative Sara Jacobs told the Associated Press. “It was things that happen on every single social media platform.” Likewise, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Jim Hines, said that TikTok is “largely a potential threat … if Congress were serious about dealing with this threat, we would start with a federal privacy bill.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-case-against-the-tiktok-ban-bill-161517973.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 There's some positive news on the accessibility front coming out of today's Microsoft event. Alongside the business-oriented Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10, the company has revealed the first Surface Pro Keyboard with bold keys. Compared with its other keyboards, Microsoft says this one has a brighter backlight that, combined with the bold font, should make the keyboard easier to read and reduce eye strain. Of note, the keyboard will only be available in US English and exclusively in the US and Canada. As with other new Windows keyboards, this one has a dedicated Copilot key. The AI chatbot will allow you to enable accessibility features without having to traipse through menus for the option you're seeking. You might ask Copilot to "switch on live captions" or "enable the magnifier," and it will carry out that action for you. In addition, Microsoft is making its Adaptive Accessories available to commercial customers for the first time. The company released the modular mouse, hub and other accessories for consumers back in 2022. The aim of the Adaptive Accessories is to help those who have difficulty using a standard keyboard and mouse to create a setup that works for them, so they can be more productive and more easily get the most out of their favorite apps.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-latest-surface-pro-keyboard-has-bold-keys-to-boost-readability-160052653.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 Two devices conspicuously missing from Microsoft's Surface and AI event last fall are finally here — and they're both what we expected and a bit surprising. Today, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, sporting the same designs as the previous models but now with the AI smarts of Intel's new Core Ultra CPUs. You won't be able to buy them at Best Buy, Target or any other retailer selling Surface Devices, though. Both of these computers have the foreboding words "for business" attached to their names, so you'll only be able to buy them from the Microsoft's website or commercial resellers. If you're a bit baffled by this, you're not alone. It almost seems like Microsoft is gearing up to leave the consumer PC market, but a spokesperson tells us that's not the case. "We absolutely remain committed to consumer devices," they said in a statement. "Building great devices that people love to use aligns closely with our company mission to empower individuals as well as organizations. We are excited to be bringing devices to market that deliver great AI experiences to our customers. This commercial announcement is only the first part of this effort." Microsoft It sounds like new consumer hardware is on the way eventually, but keeping two long-awaited devices out of retailers doesn't inspire confidence. Alongside the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Laptop Go 3 last year, Microsoft also quietly revealed the Surface Go 4 for business, aiming that budget tablet towards enterprise and education customers. That wasn't exactly a death sentence for that machine, but it did kill much of the buzz we typically see when new Surface hardware arrives. So what does all of this mean for the Surface Pro 10 for business and the Surface Laptop 6 for business? For diehard fans of Microsoft's PCs, they offer some notable upgrades alongside those new Intel Core Ultra chips, but they'll be a bit harder to buy than before. The average consumer likely won't even realize they exist, especially since older Surface hardware will still be at Best Buy and other retailers. Let's dive into what's new: The Surface Pro 10 comes with the Core Ultra 5 135U or Ultra 7 165U CPU, and it can be equipped with up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. While its tablet case is the same as before, Microsoft also shoved in a new 1,440p webcam with an incredibly wide 114-degree field of view. Microsoft calls this an AI enhanced camera, but that just means it can tap into Windows Studio effects using the Core Ultra's NPU for AI workloads. The Surface Pro 10's 1,440p webcam.Microsoft The Surface Laptop 6, once again, comes in 13.5-inch and 15-inch models and can be equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and Ultra 7 165H CPUs. Those chips are far more powerful than the U-variant options in the Surface Pro 6, so they're better options for more demanding tasks. The Laptop 6 can also be configured with up to 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It offers more graphics options than its tablet sibling: The 8GB RAM model has plain Intel graphics, but if you go for more memory you'll get Intel's more powerful Arc graphics. Oddly, the Surface Laptop 6 doesn't share the Pro 10's sharp new camera, it's stuck with a 1080p HD option instead. If, for some reason, you need to use smart cards regularly, you can also configure the Laptop 6 with a built-in smart card reader. Microsoft Both the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 also come with a new Copilot key, which we've also seen on Dell's new XPS laptops and a few other AI PCs. I haven't found the key particularly useful on other systems, but at this point Microsoft is so committed to putting its Copilot AI everywhere that it would be embarrassing not to have it on new Surface machines. Microsoft claims the Surface Pro 10 is 53 percent faster than the Pro 9 in the 3DMark TimeSpy benchmark, while the Surface Laptop 6 is twice as fast as the previous model. These aren't machines you'd want to rush out to buy if you have a Pro 9 or Laptop 5, but thanks to the AI-powered Intel CPU and refined webcam, the Surface Pro 10 could be a compelling leap forward if you have an older Surface tablet. While it's unclear if focusing on business users will actually pay off for Microsoft, the Surface Laptop 6 and Pro 10 are a sign that the company is still trying to make a mark in the PC market. If anything, though, we're more intrigued by what Microsoft has cooking next for consumers. By shoving its aging tablet and laptop design towards corporate users, the company may have room to innovate a bit more. Perhaps we'll actually see a Surface foldable PC this year? The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for Business are available for pre-order today starting at $1,200 each. They'll begin shipping out to customers on April 9th. Catch up on all the news from the Microsoft Surface and AI event right here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-surface-pro-10-and-surface-laptop-6-are-here-but-you-wont-find-them-in-stores-160022629.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 The Meta Quest 2 may not be Meta's latest and greatest virtual reality headset, but it remains a strong value for those who want to give VR a try without spending a ton of cash. Now, it's even more affordable: A new deal has dropped the headset down to $199 at several retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Meta's own online store. That's $50 below the device's standard going rate and the largest discount we've seen. At Walmart, the discount comes with a $50 credit to the Meta Quest Store. The retailer says that you'll need to redeem the credit in VR within 90 days of activating the headset, but it's still a nice way to save on any games or apps you plan on using first. Best Buy, meanwhile, is throwing in Logitech's Chorus add-on speaker for no extra cost. There are no special bonuses at Amazon as of this writing, but the deal comes as part of the company's wider Big Spring Sale event. We gave the Quest 2 a review score of 89 when it was released back in 2020, and it's now the top budget pick in our guide the best VR headsets. To be clear, if you can afford the newer Meta Quest 3, you should still buy that instead: It has better screens, a faster processor, more RAM and a modicum of mixed reality functionality. Its full-color passthrough makes it easier to interact with the real world while keeping the headset on, and the whole thing should hold up better with new games going forward. But it costs $500. For far less cash, the Quest 2 can still run just about all of the platform's best games and apps, from Asgard's Wrath 2 to Walkabout Mini Golf. It's still completely wireless and relatively comfortable — insofar as a VR headset can be comfortable — and it gets around the same two to three hours of battery life. Compared to the Quest 3, its LCD screens aren't as sharp and have a narrower field of view, but they should still be sufficient for most people getting into VR for the first time. With a link cable, it can still hook up to a gaming PC and play VR games like Half-Life: Alyx as well. If you've been curious about VR but aren't sure if you'll use your headset as anything more than a toy for occasional gaming, the Quest 2 should be enough, and this deal makes the upfront investment a little less daunting. Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-meta-quest-2-vr-headset-is-on-sale-for-a-low-of-199-151521310.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 Samsung just provided availability details for a full range of new TVs as part of its Unbox Discover event. These include Neo QLED 8K models, Neo QLED 4K models and various OLED boxes. Many of these TVs were originally teased at CES, but now preorders are actually open for consumers looking for a new way to watch that upcoming Star Wars show. Samsung calls the NEO QLED QN900D the “slimmest, most premium 8K TV to ever hit the market.” It’s got everything you can think of, including AI to upscale content to 8K. This should lure in curious, yet wary, consumers into the world of 8K televisions. Most content providers lack native 8K streaming options, which can be a major bummer. Samsung’s AI Upscaling Pro feature can also upscale HD / SD media into 4K. Another algorithmic feature, Real Depth Enhancer Pro, helps boost the contrast between the foreground and background, which should make fast-paced content like F1 races easier to follow. The TVs also include Samsung’s Gaming Hub, Dolby Atmos audio and support for Wi-FI 6E. Finally, it boasts the company’s proprietary Infinity Air design language, which ensures that the image reaches all edges for increased immersion. The 8K QLED QN900D is available in 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch versions, with prices starting at $5,000. Yeah, they aren’t cheap. Samsung The 8K NEO QLED QN800D models are slightly cheaper, starting at $3,500. These TVs are still plenty capable, with the same AI upscaling features found in the QN900D. As a matter of fact, it’s got nearly everything found with its more expensive sibling, including Dolby Atmos audio, the same depth enhancing tech, Samsung’s Gaming Hub and more. The QN800D, however, isn’t quite as slim and it doesn’t feature the Infinity Air edge-to-edge design. The refresh rate maxes out at 165Hz, compared to 240Hz with the QN900D. It’s also available in 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch models. There are also a pair of Neo QLED 4K sets that boast much of the same tech, with some limitations. The QN90D and QN85D offer AI upscaling, but only to 4K, for obvious reasons. They include the same entertainment software, including Samsung’s Gaming Hub, and feature Dolby Atmos audio. The primary difference between the two is that the QN90D boasts a 144Hz refresh rate, while the QN85D maxes out at 120Hz. These sets range in size from 43 inches all the way to 98 inches, with prices starting at $1,400. Samsung Finally, there are the OLED TVs. The S95D and S90D both offer pristine OLED panels, AI upscaling to 4K, depth-enhancing tech, a host of smart features and Dolby Atmos audio, among other tools. There are some subtle differences between the two models. The S95D features the company’s HDR Pro technology, while the S90D includes HDR+. Generally speaking, HDR Pro sets are brighter, which leads to a richer and more natural contrast. The S95D is available in sizes up to 77 inches, with prices starting at $2,600. The S90D is available in sizes up to 65 inches, with prices starting at $2,000. All of the above TVs are available right now for preorder. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-bunch-of-new-samsung-tvs-are-finally-available-for-preorder-from-8k-qled-models-to-77-inch-oleds-150036534.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 When Samsung announced its unique Music Frame speaker at CES, the company left out two key pieces of information: price and availability. It's following up now that the device is nearly ready to ship. The Music Frame is up for preorder starting today for $400. Samsung says it's planning to start shipping the speaker next week for an April 1 arrival, so you shouldn't have to wait too long to use it. While the Music Frame will complement Samsung's Frame TVs, the speaker holds printed artwork rather than housing a display. But, you can swap the bezels for a different color as needed. Still, the idea if for otherwise obtrusive home theater gear to blend in rather than stick out. Music Frame is equipped with two woofers, two tweeters and two mid-range drivers and offers Dolby Atmos sound. The company says that having the woofers fire out the back and the other drivers face the front leads to a clear, natural sound profile. Samsung's SpaceFit tech is used to calibrate the audio to the room you place the speakers in so that their "wide radial sound range" stays in prime operating condition. Plus, Music Frame is compatible with the company's Q-Symphony tech that utilizes TV speakers as part of a home theater setup. You can also install two of them beside your TV for a stereo pair, with the ideal companion being the Frame. Samsung says Music Frame can also be used as rear speakers in the living room or as a standalone subwoofer. The Music Frame is a smart speaker too, offering access to Bixby and Alexa with a spoken cue. Plus, it's ready to be wall mounted or can sit on a table using the built-in stand. What's more, Music Frame can be used as a standalone Bluetooth or Wi-Fi speaker. That connectivity enables wireless Dolby Atmos, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Chromecast and AirPlay. Samsung's Tap Sound feature allows you to play whatever is on a compatible phone on the Music Frame by gently tapping the device on the speaker. During my brief demo at CES, I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality of this speaker. It's more powerful than I expected, with crisp, clear highs and mids. The bass was more subdued, but that could've been due to the clamor of the crowded demo area, so I'll reserve judgement there. I was also only able to hear selected music tracks, not the speaker being used with a TV. As part of the preorder process, Samsung is offering a $50 credit on its website if you preorder there before April 11. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-music-frame-speaker-is-now-available-for-preorder-for-400-150002344.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 The Amazon Big Spring Sale features deals on many fun products but also some important, practical devices. Take TP-Link's Deco XE75 AXE5400, far from a flashy new tech toy but one of the best mesh Wi-Fi router systems of 2024. The three-pack Wi-Fi 6E system is currently down to $310 from $351 — a 12 percent discount and a record-low price for the trio. A single TP-Link Deco XE75 is also on sale, with a 24 percent discount cutting its price to $130 from $170. We gave the TP-Link Deco XE75 an 87 in our review thanks to its nice balance between quality and affordability. The three-pack covers up to 7,200 square feet and provides up to 5,400Mbps for 200 devices. It doesn't just cover that space but does so reliably and with a fast connection. Plus, it offers basic security and parental controls at no extra cost. We found the setup to be pretty easy overall. You just have to plug in one of the TP-Link Deco XE75 routers to get started. From there, you just set up your Wi-Fi name and password before plugging in the other nodes. Each one will need its own name based on where you place them. The connection took about 10 minutes to kick in from there. Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring salesc event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/one-of-our-favorite-mesh-wi-fi-systems-is-down-to-a-record-low-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-145048802.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 The US Department of Justice and more than a dozen states have filed a lawsuit against Apple in federal court, accusing it of violating antitrust laws by making its hardware and software products largely inaccessible to competitors. Apple's "walled garden" approach to business, as it's so often called, makes it difficult for rivals to compete and for customers to switch to other companies' products. The lawsuit comes on the heels of the European Commission slapping Apple with a €1.8 billion fine. Apple, the commission concluded, prevented music streaming developers from "informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available" outside the App Store. "Apple undermines apps, products, and services that would otherwise make users less reliant on the iPhone," Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote in a press release published by CNN. "Apple exercises its monopoly power to extract more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others." The complaint alleges that Apple has illegally monopolized the software app market, with the DOJ suggesting that the company used its control over iOS to block innovative apps and cloud streaming services from the public. The suit also suggests that Apple has made it harder for Android messages to appear on iPhones, obstructed rival payment platforms and restricted how competing smartphones integrated with iOS devices. "By stifling these technologies, and many others," the complaint reads, “Apple reinforces the moat around its smartphone monopoly not by making its products more attractive to users, but by discouraging innovation that threatens Apple’s smartphone monopoly." Apple has issued a statement regarding the suit, suggesting that it would hinder its ability to make the types of gadgets and software that made it one of the most valuable companies in the world. The company also said the lawsuit, if successful, would "set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people's technology." The New York Times first reported that the DOJ, which was apparently approaching the conclusion of a probe into the company, could file "a sweeping antitrust case" against Apple back in January. While the department initially focused on the the strategies the company took to protect the iPhone's dominance, it reportedly expanded its investigation's scope to cover other aspects of Apple's business. According to The Times', the DOJ also looked into how the Apple Watch is capable of deeper integration with the iPhone than rival wearables' and the fact that competing operating systems can't access the company's iMessage service. This lawsuit against Apple is just the latest proof of the government's increasing scrutiny on the biggest players in the tech industry. The Justice Department had previously accused Google of maintaining an unfair monopoly over search and search-related advertising, and it also filed a separate antitrust lawsuit accusing the company of illegally monopolizing the digital ads market. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, accusing it of certain monopolistic practices that include prohibiting merchants from offering their goods at lower prices on other platforms. The commission and more than 40 US states sued Meta in 2020, as well, for buying former rivals Instagram and WhatsApp to squash competition. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/justice-department-files-antitrust-lawsuit-against-apple-over-its-infamous-walled-garden-144834571.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 Nineteen years after its debut, Reddit is now a publicly traded company. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as RDDT for the first time on Thursday, with mascot Snoo on hand to ring the opening bell. The company aimed to sell 15.3 million shares at $34 a pop to raise around $519.4 million. Stockholders collectively planned to sell 6.7 million shares in the IPO for a total of $228.6 million . The IPO price values Reddit at just under $6.5 billion. The sale’s underwriters also have the option to buy 3.3 million shares at the IPO price over the next 30 days. So if the stock soars over the next few weeks, the underwriters can pick up shares relatively cheaply. If all those sell, Reddit will pull in another $112.2 million or so. One other interesting aspect of Reddit going public is that it invited long-term users in good standing the chance to snap up shares at the IPO pricing over the last few weeks. It’s been a long road for Reddit to go public, and it’s doing so long after many of its peers . Conde Nast bought Reddit in 2006, just over a year after the platform went live, and spun it back out as an independent subsidiary in 2011. Reddit first filed for an IPO in 2021. The company has had plenty of controversies to address during its run. Last year, users protested against the company's decision to start charging for API access, effectively killing some third-party apps that hooked into the platform. Thousands of subreddits went private and/or stopped letting users post for a while. Indeed, in its S-1 filing, Reddit notes the importance of its users, stating that if "engagement declines, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects will be harmed." Most recently, Reddit signed a deal with Google said to be worth $60 million a year to train the latter’s AI models on user-generated content. Reddit later said the Federal Trade Commission was looking into the arrangement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-is-now-a-publicly-traded-company-144455403.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 Amazon's latest multi-day deals event, the Big Spring Sale, is going on right now. While not as heavy on tech deals as regular Prime Day is, there are some good discounts available on tech we recommend, including a number of Apple devices. In truth, the pickings are pretty slim — and most Apple deals are not explicitly tied to the spring sale — but they're still worth noting as some of the best tech deals we found amongst all of the other discounts available on Amazon right now. Here are the best Apple deals we could find in the Amazon Spring Sale. As a reminder, Amazon says this sale will run through March 25 and isn't exclusive to Prime subscribers. A quick PSA on iPad deals Most people should hold off on buying a new iPad right now. Apple is widely expected to announce new tablets in the coming weeks, with past reports suggesting that we'll see two new iPad Pros, a refreshed iPad Air and an all-new Air model with a 12.9-inch display. That said, neither the 10th-gen iPad nor the iPad mini are expected to be updated until later in 2024, so if one of those slates suit your needs and you absolutely must buy a new tablet today, both should be a little safer to buy than the iPad Air or iPad Pro. We'll highlight a couple of decent prices on those devices below. Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-big-spring-sale-the-best-deals-on-airpods-apple-watches-macbooks-ipads-and-more-110027294.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 I vividly remember Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone on January 9, 2007, a device he dubbed a touchscreen iPod, mobile phone and “internet communicator” all in one product. I immediately looked at my Motorola Razr with a burning sense of hatred. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, it’s pretty easy to say the iPhone launch was the most transformative event in the last 20 years of consumer technology. Even though the original model was lacking in a lot of important ways, its impact was so immediate and monumental that the history of consumer technology was instantly split into two eras: PreiPhone and Post iPhone. Take the personal computer revolution, for example. Moving room-sized computers from research institutes into something a regular person could buy and use in their home was undoubtedly a huge advance, but there were multiple inflection points in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s that helped usher in modern computing. The trinity of the Apple II, Tandy TRS-80 and Commodore PET 2001 in the ’70s represented the first wave, followed by the rise of the IBM PC and Macintosh in the ’80s. Things really took hold in the ’90s with the dominance of Microsoft Windows; the arrival of Windows 95 was a particularly transformative moment. In more recent history, the laptop became a viable and then dominant in the late ’90s and 2000s, which changed how most people think about computing. These were all events that moved the personal computing marketplace forward, but it’s hard to say one was more important than the others. It was more of a gradual rise and fall of various technologies that brought us to the modern era. But the mobile phone market was completely reshaped by the iPhone, even if it took a few years for the effects to play out. Companies like BlackBerry, Palm and Nokia clung to the pre-iPhone conception of a smartphone for too long, focusing on business users and physical keyboards and not materially improving the software experience. Those companies are gone or irrelevant to mainstream consumers now. Palm’s introduction of its own webOS and Microsoft’s purchase of Nokia to push Windows Phone forward were reasonable efforts to challenge the iPhone, but they were far too little, too late. Hardware and software quality was hit or miss in both cases, but the main issue was that developers never embraced either platform, largely because consumers adopted iPhone and Android so quickly. The best iPhone apps usually never hit those devices, leading to inevitable doom. On the other hand, Google and Samsung went all-in on Android almost immediately and quickly reaped the rewards of having an alternative to the iPhone. Android had enough similarities to iOS while also offering enough differentiation to capture a new part of the market. That’s particularly true internationally, where the massive variety of price points and devices was a huge advantage in markets where most people were priced out of Apple’s products. And given that Android arrived just a few months after Apple launched the iPhone App Store meant developers quickly started writing apps for both platforms, giving Android the support it needed. Essentially, everyone either followed in Apple’s footsteps or quickly went extinct. It goes without saying that the iPhone reshaped a number of other businesses as well. The late aughts were awash with single-function gadgets, from obvious things like digital cameras, portable gaming devices and the iPod. In the Post iPhone Era, consumer-grade digital cameras and portable music players are extremely niche — the iPhone’s camera is more than good enough for most people, and the iPhone itself quickly cannibalized the iPod. Portable gaming systems are enjoying a bit of a resurgence, but the popularity of games on a phone that anyone can pick up and play is unmatched. If Nintendo’s Wii made its mark by offering casual gaming, the iPhone and the App Store quickly took that concept on the go. Both Call of Duty Mobile and Candy Crush Saga have peaked at about 500 million players, while Minecraft is the top-selling game of all time, with 300 million copies sold. Most AAA blockbuster titles don’t crack 50 million copies sold. Moving from that Razr to an iPhone was a breath of fresh air. Watching YouTube and movies I had purchased via iTunes transformed my plane rides or commutes. Being able to browse real web pages and use a solid enough email client on the go made me more productive . The “touchscreen iPod” felt like a futuristic and intuitive way to navigate my music library. It took until the iPhone 4 in 2010 for Apple to really focus on camera and image quality, but that didn’t stop people from shooting tons of photos and uploading them to Facebook. Even 2009’s iPhone 3GS took respectable enough snapshots and videos that my photo library started growing exponentially, and I’m glad to have a lot of those old, grainy shots from my late 20s. And about a year after the first iPhone, the App Store blew open the doors on what was possible. Games, productivity tools, better messaging apps, social media, streaming music and everything else we associate with a modern smartphone quickly burst forth. Some people didn’t really consider the first iPhone a “smartphone” since you couldn’t install third-party apps, and Apple wisely saw the writing on the wall and fixed that glaring omission. Whether all of the changes that followed the iPhone’s rise are a good thing is debatable. Having near-unlimited access to the internet at all times often feels like more than we can handle, and smartphones have enabled all kinds of digital abuse. Our privacy has gone out the window as these devices log vast amounts of data about our movements and desires and spending habits and search histories on behalf of the biggest companies in the world, who monetize it and try to keep us addicted. Steve Jobs almost certainly did not have all of this in mind when he pulled the iPhone out of his pocket in 2007, and the technology advanced so quickly we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. The ramifications of all this will take decades to fully play out, and to some degree, many of us are already pulling back from the “always connected, sharing everything” mindset the iPhone enabled. The specter of government regulation, at least from the EU, coming for companies like Apple and Google is impossible to ignore, though it’s hard to imagine much happening to loosen their dominance in the near term. Regardless of what changes, there’s no doubt we live in a world where, thanks to the iPhone, the most important computer in people’s lives is the one in their pocket. To celebrate Engadget's 20th anniversary, we're taking a look back at the products and services that have changed the industry since March 2, 2004.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-iphone-changed-tech-overnight-almost-20-years-later-nothing-else-has-come-close-140041198.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 The Amazon Spring Sale continues today, and among all of the clothing, outdoor and home products on sale, there are a few good tech deals to be had. Unlike regular Prime Day, the Big Spring Sale is not exclusive to Prime members, which is great for any and all shoppers with items to check off on their lists. However, it’s also not like Prime Day in that the number of tech deals available is much less than that of Amazon’s summertime deals event. If you’re on the hunt for a new pair of wireless earbuds, a power bank or a cordless vacuum, though, we at Engadget are here to help. We’ve scoured Amazon’s site to find the best tech deals to come out of the Big Spring Sale — check them out below. Best Spring Sale deals under $50 Best Spring Sale deals on Apple devices Best Spring Sale deals on headphones, earbuds and speakers Best Spring Sale deals on Anker devices Best Spring Sale deals on smartphones Best Spring Sale deals on gaming gear Best Spring Sale deals on smart home tech Best Spring Sale deals on Amazon devices Best Spring Sale deals on other tech Best tech deals available elsewhere on the web Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/these-are-the-best-tech-deals-from-the-amazon-big-spring-sale--save-on-headphones-speakers-gaming-gear-and-more-132004286.html?src=rss

21.03.2024 18:20 If you're one of the holdouts with an iPhone who hasn't wanted to shell out for AirPods, your time has come. The Amazon Big Spring Sale has brought Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro down to a new all-time low price. The earbuds are down to $180 from $249 — a 28 percent discount and $10 less than their previously best deal. Apple's AirPods Pro scored an 88 in our review and hold a spot on our list of best wireless earbuds for good reason. The second-gen earbuds came on the scene in 2022 with updates such as swiping to control volume and richer, consistent sound coming through. Then there's the addition of the H2 chip, which helps with that improved sound quality and boosts the earbud's active noise cancellation abilities to double that of their predecessor. Battery-wise, the second-gen AirPods Pro lasted about six hours and 15 minutes when we tested it through a mix of calls, transparency mode and ANC. While most of the changes occurred internally, Apple also shrunk the ear tip to give more people a better fit. Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-second-gen-airpods-pro-drop-to-a-new-low-of-180-during-the-amazon-spring-sale-125120361.html?src=rss