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30.01.2025 20:50 You won't have to wait too much longer to find out how the story of Squid Game wraps up. Only a month after the second season premiered, Netflix has revealed that the final episodes of its biggest non-English language series ever will arrive on June 27. That's a remarkably short window, especially considering that there was a gap of over three years between the first and second seasons. As was the case the last time around, the third season will pick up right where the previous one ended . Meanwhile, Netflix has revealed that season two of Squid Game is already its third most-downloaded series of all time, behind the first season in top spot and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Netflix announced the Squid Game season three release date as part of an expansive look at its 2025 film and TV slate. On the movie side, there's another Knives Out murder mystery to look forward to in the fall, as well as Guillermo del Toro’s take on Frankenstein this November. As for Netflix's shows, the animated adaptation of Devil May Cry will debut on April 3. The company reaffirmed that the next seasons of Black Mirror, Wednesday, The Witcher and Stranger Things will arrive this year, but no dates have been confirmed for those as yet. To speculate for a moment, a fall premiere date for Stranger Things season five seems likely. Both that and Squid Game are among the company's franchises and putting some distance between their final installments makes sense.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/squid-game-season-three-will-hit-netflix-on-june-27-162235783.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 20:50 The countdown to Super Bowl LIX is underway, which means it's a decent time to grab a new TV at a discount. If you were hoping to upgrade your living room before the Chiefs and Eagles do battle , we've picked through Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers to find a few Super Bowl 2025 TV deals that are actually worth considering. To be clear, many of the deals we've found stem from TVs naturally falling in price around this time of year more than sales specifically tied to the Super Bowl. In general, most TVs follow a similar pricing timeline: arrive in the spring, drop a little over the summer, receive a larger price cut around the holidays, then gradually become cheaper until being discontinued the next year. This pattern is happening again now, and with manufacturers like Samsung and LG unveiling their 2025 lineups during CES earlier this month, last year's models will probably fall even further in the coming months. That said, if you're itching to make a change right now, a handful of well-reviewed TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung, TCL and Hisense are back down to the prices we saw around Black Friday. In some cases, they're even cheaper. While we at Engadget do not formally review TVs, we've scoured reviews from other sites we trust and picked through price histories to ensure the discounts are genuine deals. LG B4 OLED TV for $600 at Best Buy : This ties the lowest price we've seen for the 48-inch LG B4, which is the entry-level model in LG's 2024 OLED lineup. While it's not as bright or color-rich as some higher-end alternatives, it still offers the essential perks of any good OLED TV: superb contrast with deep black tones, clear motion, wide viewing angles and the like. It's also a nice value for gaming, as it has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support refresh rates up to 120Hz. It's just better off in a darker room, and this particular model is relatively small. Hisense U7N QLED TV for $698 at Amazon : Several reviewers we trust say that the U7N delivers better brightness, contrast and HDR performance than most TVs in its price range. It's built with most of the features expected from pricier LED sets, including quantum-dot color, mini-LED backlighting and a 144Hz refresh rate. It also runs on the handy Google TV platform. Its viewing angles are poor, so it's not great for watching shows with a large group, and you may need to tinker with settings to get an optimal image. But the 65-inch model should be a strong value at this price, which is only about $20 more than the all-time low we saw briefly around Cyber Monday. Also at Walmart and Best Buy. The Samsung Frame TV.Amy Skorheim Samsung The Frame 2024 QLED TV for $868 at Woot : This deal from Amazon subsidiary Woot has been live for a few weeks, but it ties the best price to date for the 55-inch version of Samsung's stylish Frame TV outside of a one-off eBay coupon deal. You'd buy this set for its design above all else: It can't match the contrast and color volume of other TVs in its price range, as it lacks local dimming altogether, but it's convincingly built like a framed piece of wall art that can blend in with your home decor. Its matte panel helps it fend off glare in a bright room, and you can display actual artwork onscreen when you're not watching something. It's worth noting that Samsung unveiled a new and improved "Frame Pro" TV at CES, but we'd expect that to cost more whenever it arrives. TCL Q651G QLED TV for $370 at Amazon : The Q651G is a fairly basic LED TV that might appeal to gamers on a budget, as it can play at a fast 120Hz refresh rate — albeit only when you drop the resolution from 4K to 1440p or 1080p. It's another one without local dimming, so its contrast is limited. Most reviewers suggest that the Hisense U6N provides a brighter and much more dynamic image for not much more. However, while the U6N can also play in 1440p/120Hz, the TCL model has a wider variable refresh rate range in that mode. In simpler terms, that means it'll have an easier time allowing your PS5 or Xbox games to run smoothly. This discount marks a new low for the 65-inch model. Also at Best Buy. The Samsung S90D.Samsung Hisense U8N QLED TV for $900 at Amazon : The U8N's picture quality is a broad step-up from the U7N above, with better contrast, more vibrant colors and supremely high peak brightness. It still has most of the same drawbacks — mediocre viewing angles, minor blooming in a dark room, just decent upscaling of lower-res content — but it should be a worthy upgrade if you have more cash to burn. This is another discount we saw for much of November and December, but it ties the all-time low for the 65-inch variant. Also at Best Buy. Samsung S90D QD-OLED TV for $1,198 at Amazon : The S90D stands out for its QD-OLED panel, which mixes the benefits of an OLED display with quantum dots to boost color performance. Most reviews say that it can put out a wider gamut of more vibrant colors and brighter HDR highlights than more traditional OLED TVs like the LG C4. It also has four HDMI 2.1 ports that can play up to 144Hz. It doesn't support Dolby Vision HDR, however, and Samsung's Tizen interface can be clunky. The company has also made the aggravating step of using both QD-OLED and more standard WOLED panels within the same product line, but this 55-inch version comes with the superior display in North America. This deal is the second-best price we've ever seen and about $150 off this variant's average street price in recent months. Also at Samsung and Best Buy. The Sony Bravia 7.Sony Sony Bravia 7 QLED TV for $1,198 at Amazon : The Bravia 7 isn't as strong of a value as the Hisense U8N, but some reviews suggest that it's a decent alternative if you're willing to trade some contrast and peak brightness for a more accurate picture out of the box. Like the Hisense TV, its image washes out when viewed from an angle and it only has two HDMI 2.1 ports for gaming. In general, most people will be happier with a good OLED TV around this price. But if you want a brighter LED TV that looks great right away, this one might be worth a look. This is a new low for the 55-inch model. Also at B&H and Best Buy. Roku Ultra for $79 at Amazon : Roku's Ultra set-top box is overkill for most, but it might be worthwhile if you prefer the simplicity of Roku's interface and need built-in Ethernet and USB ports. It supports just about all the major apps and HDR formats, plus it lets iPhone owners cast video from their phone via AirPlay. Unlike the cheaper Roku Streaming Stick 4K, it also comes with a rechargeable remote that has backlit buttons, built-in voice controls and a lost remote finder. We call it the best Roku player in our guide to the best streaming devices. This deal was available for much of the holiday season, but it ties the latest model's all-time low. Also at Roku, Walmart and Best Buy. TV deals that are no longer available LG C3 OLED TV for $1,197 at Amazon : The LG C3 was released in 2023, but it's not a huge downgrade from last year's LG C4, so it's still worth considering when it's available for less. The C4 should be slightly better in terms of brightness and color volume, plus it supports refresh rates up to 144Hz rather than 120Hz, though the latter is only really useful for PC gaming. Neither model can quite match the QD-OLED panel on the Samsung S90D, but the C3 will still look excellent if you're not comparing the two side-by-side and just want to save some cash on a larger premium display. This discount ties the lowest price we've tracked outside of a handful of in-store-only and eBay coupon deals. Sony A95L OLED TV for $2,498 at eBay via BuyDig : The A95L is wildly expensive even with this discount, but many reviewers agree that it's the best TV on the market if money is no object. It's another QD-OLED TV like the Samsung S90D, but it's more color-accurate out of the box and should be better at preserving details in shows that aren't presented in 4K. It also supports Dolby Vision, unlike Samsung's TVs, and its Google TV software is generally easier to navigate than Tizen. The only serious drawback is that it's limited to two HDMI 2.1 ports, which may be annoying for those who own a soundbar and multiple game consoles. This discount from ties the lowest price to date for the 65-inch model; just use the code SAVEBIG20 at checkout. It comes from eBay via BuyDig, which Sony lists as an authorized seller. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-2025-super-bowl-tv-deals-we-could-find-161012484.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 20:50 Nothing is launching a new device, the Phone 3a Series, on March 4. That's a year after the London-based company launched the Phone 2a, which is a budget version of the brand's Phone 2 model released in 2023. Nothing models with "a" in them are typically the less expensive versions of those without — its Ear a earbuds are also cheaper than the Ear, for instance, — but there's no Phone 3 for which the 3a would serve as a budget alternative. Most likely, the Phone 3a is simply named as such, because it would be in the same price range as the 2a that sold for at least $349 at launch. "For the Series we have a different set of users," Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis said. "When people buy a smartphone some are looking for the greatest specs, they want the latest innovations and processors. Yet there are some other users that are equally excited about tech, but are happy with just a great user experience — that’s who the Series is for. We're really focused on the core user needs in terms of camera, screen, processor, and of course design." If you want to be notified when Nothing unveils the Phone 3a on March 4 at 5AM ET, you can sign up to get an alert on the company's website. We'll, of course, keep you updated, as well. In addition to announcing the Phone 3a's upcoming launch, the company has also revealed that it has surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenue since it was founded in October 2020, half of which Nothing earned in 2024. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-is-launching-the-phone-3a-series-on-march-4-150026313.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 20:50 What a difference a year makes. When Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 for Business last March, it almost seemed as if the company was giving up on the consumer PC market entirely. Of course, just a few months later, we got the new Surface Pro and Laptop Copilot+ systems, which was also the debut of Microsoft's AI PC initiative. Now, the company is rounding out its Surface family by updating its Business machines — those meant for corporate customers — with Intel's new Core Ultra 200V AI PC processors. Say hello to the new Intel-equipped Surface Pro and Surface Laptop for Business. If you've been eagerly awaiting a cellular-equipped Surface Laptop, Microsoft also says it'll launch a 5G model later this year. Aside from that, the big change with Intel's new Core Ultra chips is their larger 48 TOPS NPU, which will allow them to handle more complex AI tasks than before. In comparison, the original Core Ultra chips had much smaller 10 TOPS NPUs. The upgrade will particularly relevant for advanced AI features like Windows Recall, which requires a 40 TOPS NPU at the very least . Microsoft Aside from better AI performance, you can expect Intel's Core Ultra 200V chips on the Surface Laptop 7 to be around 26 percent faster than the Laptop 5 when it comes to multitasking, while also delivering double the graphics performance and three times better battery life. We haven't seen performance metrics for the new Surface Pro, but Microsoft claims it offers double the battery life in Teams calls compared to the Surface Pro 9. Microsoft Just like other Copilot+ systems, the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop also come with Microsoft's Pluton chip for security. The company says Pluton hardware will also get an update with a Key Storage Provider feature later this year. It will "allow for more secure storage and management of cryptographic keys," according to Microsoft. As for accessories, there's also a new $200 Surface USB 4 Dock, which includes two USB-C connections, USB-A, Ethernet and HDMI. It also supports fast charging for both new systems — and for that price, it damn well better. Microsoft The new Intel Core Ultra 200V-equipped Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will be available on February 18, starting at $1,500. And if you're looking for better battery life, you can opt for the Qualcomm Snapdragon variants as well .This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/microsofts-surface-pro-and-laptop-for-business-are-getting-intels-new-ai-pc-chips-150001906.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 15:30 In November, Transport for London announced new steps to regulate e-bikes, but a lack of legislation or power meant that most of the onus fell to e-bike services to do the right thing. Now, Lime CEO Wayne Ting has announced a £20 million five-point London Action Plan to help with overcrowding and poor parking, multiple publications report, including UKTN. "The feedback we’ve received from London residents, community groups and elected officials is why we’re launching our London Action Plan," Ting stated. "We recognise the need for meaningful investments to accelerate change and improve parking, starting with more funding for dedicated e-bike parking, and additional operational capacity and processes." An investment of £5 million will go into creating 2,500 additional e-bike parking spaces. Part of the plan will also include expanding Lime's on-street team to 400 people and aiming to move or collect about 4,000 bikes daily. Plus, Lime intends to use improved AI to confirm proper parking in end of trip photos. The action plan directly responds to TfL's statement at the end of last year. "The new policy sets out that TfL will consider taking action against operators who allow their bikes to be parked outside of designated places on red routes and on TfL land, which includes areas such as station forecourts and bus garages," the organization said. "Operators are ultimately responsible for ensuring their bikes are deployed and parked bikes appropriately." As someone living in London, I can certaintly attest that Lime bikes are scattered everywhere around the city. Lime claims that 49 percent of 18 to 34 year olds in London rent an e-bike weekly. The company also states that 2024 saw an 85 percent increase in annual journeys.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lime-announces-25-million-action-plan-to-help-fix-londons-e-bike-chaos-141559309.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 15:30 If there are two things Netflix has been pushing over the last couple years its live sports and games. A large part of this initiative has come through its partnership with WWE to stream live shows. But, starting fall 2025, Netflix subscribers will also be getting exclusive access to WWE 2K video games on mobile. The WWE 2K series first launched 25 years ago and has remained extremely popular. Now, the organization is leaning further into its partnership with Netflix to give the streamer unique access. This announcement comes shortly after Monday Night Raw, WWE's flagship show, began weekly live streams on Netflix in the US, UK, Latin America, Canada and more. It's the first time in over 30 years that the show hasn't aired on a linear TV network. Netflix is reportedly paying WWE $5 billion over 10 years for the ability to air Monday Night Raw and other WWE programs. WWE 2K will join over 100 games currently available in Netflix's library. It also won't require ads or in-app purchases. Subscribers can also check out some of the best games on Netflix include Kentucky Route Zero, Triviaverse and Before Your Eyes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflix-is-the-exclusive-home-of-wwes-2k-fighting-game-on-mobile-140059055.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 15:30 GrubHub is partnering with Avride, an autonomous robot delivery company, to expand its offerings on college campuses. The pair have launched 100 robots on The Ohio State University's campus, but have plans to expand further. “Our robots have already proven their value in campus environments, delivering convenience and delight to students,” said Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO of Avride, in a release. “We’re thrilled to be working with Grubhub to scale this success and expect to see hundreds of our robots serving campuses already in 2025.” Avride launched a new model last October, notably ditching its six wheels for a more efficient four. The robots can hold a decent amount of food, such as an assortment of pizza and drinks, the company states. They also have customizable LED panels that offer animated designs, such as the college's colors. The robots can also make 180-degree turns instantly, thanks to a new mechanical connection between each side's wheel pairs. Plus, they can move faster than their predecessor and can park on inclines. This partnership adds to GrubHub's existing robot delivery presence on campuses. Since 2021, the company claims it has delivered hundreds of thousands of orders using robots on dozens of schools. That year, it partnered with Russian tech company Yandex — which used to house what is now Avride in its autonomous driving wing. However, that bit of the company spun-off as its own entity, divested its Russian assets following the country's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and rebranded as Avride. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/grubhub-is-bringing-new-delivery-robots-to-college-campuses-140028029.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 15:30 It feels like every major tech company is totally convinced that AI is the future. And for all I know, they may be right. But while we’re waiting for someone to develop our seemingly inevitable AGI-based overlords, we have to suffer through every baby step to get today’s machine learning-powered features. Unfortunately, that’s a problem for gadgets like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — because when the biggest focus of a new $1,300 flagship smartphone is iterative AI updates, the device can feel a bit underwhelming. Combine that with hardware that seems like it’s been frozen in time for the last couple of years and you get something that leaves you wanting more. Design and display: Rounded corners, Gorilla Armor 2 and not much else For this year’s Ultra, Samsung wanted to give the phone a softer, more curvy appearance to reinforce the familial resemblance between it and its less expensive siblings. And by rounding off the S25 Ultra’s corners, I’d say mission accomplished. Elsewhere, its front and back glass are now made of Corning Gorilla Armor 2, which features a new version of the company’s anti-reflective coating and looks great. When combined with bezels that are 15 percent smaller than before, you get a phone with super clean lines and a slightly larger 6.9-inch display without an increase in its physical size. But make no mistake, the S25U still feels a lot like the last two Ultras that came before it. Its flat edges give it a very boxy feel, and even though the Note line is dead, there’s still the requisite cubby hole for the S Pen. However, for 2025 the included stylus has gotten a minor downgrade now that Samsung has removed support for Bluetooth Low Energy. This means it no longer supports Air action gestures, so you can’t use it as a remote camera trigger or to do things like switch cameras or change photo modes. Samsung claims this loss of functionality shouldn’t be a big deal as a tiny fraction of people actually used the feature. Plus, if you want a way to remotely snap a photo, there are other methods like holding your hand up to the camera or using a Galaxy Ring or Watch. But if you’re one of the few who did enjoy Air actions, it’s an unfortunate step backward. Thankfully, for those who absolutely need a stylus with gesture support, you can still get that functionality from Samsung’s optional S Pen Pro. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget One small thing I do want to call out is the improved anti-reflective coating on the S25 Ultra’s screen. It strikes an almost perfect balance between typical glossy displays and the matte texture used on traditional desktop monitors. Colors remain vivid while still cutting out the most distracting forms of glare, and with a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, the screen dazzles in practically any environment. Performance: More speed than you’ll know what to do with The Galaxy S Ultra has never lacked power, but that didn’t stop Samsung from adding even more speed thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. This thing absolutely flies and there’s not much you can do to slow it down. Samsung has even tightened up the animations in One UI so that the phone feels as responsive as its benchmarks suggest, which are up as much as 30 to 40 percent depending on the task . The one wrinkle to this is that, when under heavy loads, the S25 Ultra does become a bit power-hungry, which can result in slightly faster-than-expected battery drain when doing heavy multitasking or running demanding apps. Software: Just what you wanted, more AI Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget The S25 Ultra’s main focus for this year is on improved AI. This can be seen across a number of new and improved features with the general goal of making all of its tools more powerful, more intuitive and in many cases, easier to use with your voice. The first major addition is Samsung’s Now Brief, which adds a personalized feed filled with things like the weather, local traffic, upcoming calendar appointments, the news and more. It gets refreshed periodically throughout the day and by using what Samsung calls its Personal Data Engine, it will attempt to learn what you like instead of having you check off a list of tickboxes. It’s a handy tool, though for anyone already familiar with the Android ecosystem, it’s not especially groundbreaking. And it does take time for the phone to understand what you do and don’t care about, which adds a bit of a learning curve to the process. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Now Briefs also works with Samsung’s Now bar to surface relevant events in other areas of the phone — specifically your lock screen and notification shade. It’s meant to help you keep tabs on apps you’re using or stuff like sports scores, with the ability to toggle between different things simply by swiping left and right. It’s helpful, but forgive me if this is becoming repetitive, because many of these look like duplicate versions of stuff like Google’s Live Notifications. Meanwhile, if you open the Edge Panel by swiping in on the tab on the right side of the screen, you’ll see even more AI features. AI Select is a revamped take on Smart Select, which helps you take screenshots, turn videos into gifs and more. Drawing Assist is the tool formerly known as Sketch to Image, which lets you create art by doodling with the S Pen or using text inputs. And then there’s the self-explanatory Interpreter app, plus an icon for Now Brief in case you don’t like using the widget. All of these sort of work just like you expect them to, and in some cases like when drawing, the resulting images are a touch more detailed and realistic than before. But to me, the biggest upgrade across Samsung’s second-gen AI suite is a slightly more cohesive UI that makes learning what each tool can do a bit easier. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Perhaps my favorite new use of AI is improved natural language commands throughout the phone. For example in the Gallery app, you can search for specific subjects just by hitting the asking Gemini . It’s a convenient way to quickly find a specific photo amongst thousands of shots — though once again, there’s similar functionality in Google Photos. But more importantly, you can use voice commands to do stuff like change device settings or even add events to your calendar. And you don’t even need to be very specific. When I asked the phone to add the next Knicks game to my calendar, I didn’t need to give it any more information than that. It all feels slightly magical, even if it’s not an essential part of my day. Cameras: A new ultra-wide sensor but that’s about it Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Like its predecessors, the S25 Ultra features a 200-megapixel main camera and a 50MP telephoto with a 5x zoom. The one upgrade is a new 50MP sensor for its ultra-wide lens . As you’d expect, expansive landscape pics look a touch sharper thanks to the increased resolution, though aside from that, there aren’t a ton of immediately obvious improvements to the rest of the phone’s general image quality. As you’d expect, in bright light the S25 Ultra captures lovely images with rich details and vibrant colors. However, I did notice that Samsung’s penchant for going slightly overboard on sharpening can still be an issue. The new ultra-wide sensor also provides a noticeable upgrade in image quality to the point where I prefer it over what the Pixel 9 Pro can do. But I must admit, compared to the main camera or even the 5x zoom, that lens is the one I use the least, so it doesn’t have as much of an impact on my overall photography. In low light, the S25 Ultra nearly kept pace with Google’s Night Sight mode on the Pixel 9 Pro, and in a few situations, it pulled ahead. However, I had a hard time spotting how much of an effect Samsung’s improved noise reduction had on nighttime graininess. Regardless, even with a few hiccups, the S25 Ultra proved it can hang with other top-tier shooters from Google and others. Meanwhile, in the Camera and Gallery apps, there are some handy tweaks including the new Audio Eraser feature. It uses AI to identify a handful of different sound types before creating a custom EQ that lets you adjust things on the fly. This is great for those times when you’re shooting video and ambient sounds make it hard to hear what people are saying. You can also create and save custom photo filters to ensure all your pics on social media have a unique and consistent look. Additionally, for more advanced users, there’s a virtual aperture setting that gives you a bit more control over depth of field, though it's still not nearly as good as being able to physically switch lenses like you can on a proper camera. And for even more demanding content creators, Samsung created a new Galaxy Log video format that allows you to more easily edit and color grade your footage. That said, unless you’re a YouTuber or hardcore video junkie, you may not get a ton of use out of these tools, especially with the latter of the two being restricted to Samsung’s Expert Raw app . Battery life and charging: Samsung is cutting corners with its Qi2 “readiness” Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget The size of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 5,000 mAh power pack hasn’t changed in five years, but that’s OK because you still get great battery life. On our local video rundown test, it lasted an incredible 29 hours and 27 minutes, which is up almost two hours compared to last year’s phone. That said, it’s important to note that the S25U loses in both capacity and longevity to the OnePlus 13, whose 6,000 mAh cell posted an even better time of 30:18. Wired charging is staying put at up to 45 watts and annoyingly it's a very similar story when using wireless pads as well. That’s because while technically the S25 Ultra supports version 2.1 of the WPC’s Qi charging spec and is said to be “Qi2 ready”, because Samsung didn’t include magnets inside the phone, it won’t work with the wide variety of Qi2 accessories on sale today. At least not without some help. For that, you need to rely on a Qi2 charging case to add the proper alignment and mounting point needed to attach magnetic peripherals. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget For a lot of Android phones users, this is really disappointing after seeing the wealth of MagSafe gadgets that iPhone users have enjoyed for several generations. As the biggest phone maker on the planet, Samsung has a lot of sway when it comes to fostering the adoption of useful protocols like Qi2 and seeing them stop short of truly supporting the spec is a bit bewildering. Wrap up The S25 Ultra is a hugely versatile phone, but this edition of Samsung’s flagship is hard to get excited about. That’s because while it's one of the few handsets with an included stylus and a long 5x telephoto zoom, its general hardware and capabilities haven’t changed much since the previous generation. Or even two models back for that matter. Even so, the screens on Samsung phones are unrivaled while camera quality remains among the best. And while its battery hasn’t gotten bigger in years, longevity remains strong. Then you add in a new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with blazing performance and you get a phone that’s good at pretty much everything. But for $1,300, it better be able to deliver on all that and more. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget And it's that “and more” where the S25 Ultra’s value proposition gets a bit awkward. The phone’s biggest advancements are more powerful software and AI. Features like AI Select, Now Brief and improved natural language commands make the phone smarter and easier to use. But consider this: If you could pay for those tools separately, how much extra would you fork over to get more sophisticated AI on your phone? For many, that number might be zero, or at the very least a way less than the price of upgrading and the hassle of setting up a new phone and then figuring out how to use it. This means a lot of what Samsung focused on in this generation feels more like a bonus rather than a must-have feature. And when you can get around 90 percent of the phone’s capabilities from previous models, the most dangerous thing Samsung is asking buyers to consider is why they need to upgrade at all. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-review-too-much-ai-not-enough-ultra-140022798.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 15:30 Vodafone has demonstrated the capabilities of a new satellite network by making what it calls the "world's first" satellite video call, albeit with some caveats. The company used partner AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird satellites specifically designed to transmit 4G/5G mobile broadband signals from space. That technology will give users broadband cellular capability with any 4G/5G smartphone in remote areas lacking traditional mobile coverage. In its demonstration, Vodafone Group's chief executive Margherita Della Valle explained that the BlueBird satellites can connect directly with a regular smartphone, then transmit the signal back to Vodafone's terrestrial network via a satellite link. She then took a call from an engineer in a remote mountain region of Wales, a "nought spot" with no cellular coverage. The quality was a bit low-res and had substantial lag, but was decent otherwise. AST SpaceMobile's five BlueBird satellites have onboard communications arrays that give off-the-shelf smartphones the same voice, data and video speeds as a broadband tower, up to 120 megabits per second. Once operational, the satellites will provide "non-continuous cellular broadband service across the United States and in select markets globally." That will allow cell users to communicate even in areas with limited broadband tower coverage, like rural communities or national parks. SpaceX's Starlink has already made a satellite video call using a regular mobile phone, so Vodafone hedged its claim substantially. Specifically, the company said it made the "world's first space video call from an area of no coverage using a standard mobile phone and commercial satellites built to offer a full mobile broadband experience." T-Mobile is working on a similar US network in partnership with Starlink's Direct-to-Cell service, but it will be limited to text messages at first. It's also possible right now to connect to dedicated satellite phone networks using specific iPhone and Google Pixel models that have custom modems — but that's limited to low-data communications like SMS messages and emergency alerts. Vodafone's network, by contrast, would allow a full-fat broadband cellular experience when it launches in Europe, likely by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, AT&T, Verizon and AST SpaceMobile will begin testing in the US this spring, but no launch date for stateside service has been announced yet. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/vodafone-demonstrates-worlds-first-satellite-video-call-with-a-standard-mobile-phone-134509766.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 15:30 You'll finally be able to download all the episodes in an entire season on Netflix with just one tap if you're on iOS. The streaming service introduced the capability on Android years ago, but it remained a "much-requested" feature for users on iPhone and iPad until now. It's not unusual for Netflix to give Android users access to a certain capability first — it took a year for Smart Downloads, which automatically deletes downloaded episodes you've already seen and then downloads the next one in a series, to be available on iOS. "We've heard that downloading episodes one-by-one has been a pain point for iOS members — something we're now addressing with this rollout," a Netflix spokesperson told Variety. It's certainly great to have if you like stocking up on shows you can watch for long flights or cross-country road trips. The option to download entire seasons is available for all the shows currently on the streaming service. To download multiple episodes all at once, find the button for the new feature next to the Share option on the series' page in the Netflix app. While tapping the button will download all the episodes in a season automatically, you can still manage individual episodes under the Downloads section in the My Netflix tab. Netflix This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-finally-lets-ios-users-download-an-entire-season-with-one-tap-133025196.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 15:30 Microsoft is closely associated with OpenAI's ChatGPT AI model, but the software giant has no qualms about playing the field. Microsoft announced that it's bringing the DeepSeek-R1 AI model to Copilot+ PCs soon, starting with Snapdragon X devices and following later with Intel Lunar Lake and AMD Ryzen AI 9 PCs. The DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-1.5B model will arrive "soon" on Microsoft AI Tookit for developers, with more powerful 7B and 14B variants coming later. The 1.5B model isn't powerful compared to the higher-tier 32B and 70B models, but MIcrosoft points out that the models are "NPU-optimized" for Copilot+ PCs. The minimum configuration for such computers is 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM and an NPU with at least 40 TOPS . "These optimized models let developers build and deploy AI-powered applications that run efficiently on-device, taking full advantage of the powerful NPUs in Copilot+ PCs," Microsoft wrote. It added that it implemented systems to take advantage of low-bit processing to ensure the R1 models could run locally on NPU hardware. At the same time, Microsoft is bringing DeepSeek's R1 model to its Azure AI Foundry platform, The Verge reported. It joins other AI models on that service, including GPT-4, Mistral AI, Meta-Llama 3 and others. That comes as a bit of a surprise, given that Microsoft is reportedly probing whether DeepSeek used OpenAI's technology in an unauthorized manner. AI pundits have also expressed concerns about privacy issues around China-based DeepSeek, something that Microsoft addressed in a Marketplace Community post. "DeepSeek R1 has undergone rigorous red teaming and safety evaluations, including automated assessments of model behavior and extensive security reviews to mitigate potential risks," wrote Microsoft senior product marketing manager, Justin Royal. DeepSeek shook up the AI world with its R1 model, which doesn't require nearly as much computing power as competing models. That spooked markets yesterday, causing a selloff in chip giant NVIDIA and other AI-adjacent stocks. OpenAI, which has been sued by multiple newspapers and publishers around the world for copyright infringement, recently accused DeepSeek and other Chinese AI startups of "distilling" its models. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/deepseek-is-coming-to-windows-copilot-pcs-130041096.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 10:52 Tesla will introduce a paid autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin, Elon Musk said during an earnings call discussing the automaker's financial results for 2024. As TechCrunch reports, he said the company will use cars with no human driver behind the wheel and with the unsupervised version of its Full Self-Driving software, which Tesla has yet to release. The service will launch with the company's internal fleet in Austin this June before expanding to other locations in the US. And then next year, Tesla owners will be able to add their cars to the fleet whenever they want, kind of like how people can list and unlist their properties on Airbnb, Musk said. He explained that the automaker wants to iron out any kinks first, such as making sure billing works well and that the robotaxis will stop at the right spot when they're ordered. Since the plan is to allow vehicle owners to add their Teslas to the company's robotaxi fleet, the automaker is also planning to release its unsupervised FSD software in California and other regions in the US before the year ends. Knowing Musk's tendency to overpromise on timelines, though we'd take that announcement with a grain of salt. Musk has been talking about robotaxis for a while now and said back in 2019 that Tesla will "have over a million robotaxis on the road" within a year. When he launched the Cybercab in 2024, he said he envisions a future wherein people own several robotaxis that they can then earn money from through a ridesharing network. It's worth noting that Waymo started offering fully autonomous rides to select users in Austin in late 2024 and will be launching the service fully in the city sometime this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/elon-musk-says-tesla-will-launch-a-robotaxi-service-in-austin-this-june-044745591.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 05:40 Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has only been in his post for a day and already making it clear that the agency will be ignoring the role vehicle pollution plays in worsening climate change. Duffy sent a memo to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calling for a review of fuel economy standards to align with President Donald Trump's goals of promoting the use of oil, natural gas and biofuels. The memo claims that "artificially high" fuel economy standards have made new cars prohibitively expensive for US buyers and could negatively impact the US auto industry. It's the latest swing of the pendulum as the country's leadership changes hands once again. Trump's first presidency saw a rollback of fuel efficiency standards that had been enacted by Barack Obama, followed by the EPA introducing its strictest standards to date when Joe Biden assumed office. President Donald Trump's transition team had already signaled in December that he would walk back moves by previous administration to strengthen fuel efficiency standards and promote electric vehicle adoption. Today's development isn't a surprise, but it's still bad news considering multiple international reports have demonstrated that the planet's rising temperature will cause extreme and catastrophic weather events. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/us-department-of-transportation-moves-to-cut-fuel-efficiency-standards-235205073.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 05:40 Meta has agreed to pay President Donald Trump $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit stemming from the social network’s decision to suspend Trump's Facebook account following the riots at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. According to The Wall Street Journal, there had been “little activity” surrounding the lawsuit until Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg flew to Mar-a-Lago following the election. “Toward the end of the November dinner, Trump raised the matter of the lawsuit,” The Journal reports. “The president signaled that the litigation had to be resolved before Zuckerberg could be ‘brought into the tent.’” Much of the settlement will reportedly go toward funding Trump's presidential library. Settling the lawsuit is the latest step Zuckerberg and Meta have taken to appease Trump, who at one point during the campaign threatened to imprison the Facebook founder for “plotting” against him. Following the election, Zuckerberg ended Meta’s longtime fact-checking program and rolled back content moderation standards that prohibited dehumanizing language and slurs targeting immigrants and LGBTQ people. He also ended corporate diversity programs and added Trump backer and UFC CEO Dana White to Meta’s board. Zuckerberg had a prominent seat at Trump’s inauguration, alongside other tech CEOs. News of Meta’s settlement broke just as the company released its latest earnings results. During a call with analysts, Zuckerberg said that 2025 was “going to be a big year for redefining our relationship with governments.” Though he didn’t mention Trump by name, he said that “we now have a US Administration that is proud of our leading companies, prioritizes American technology winning, and that will defend our values and interests abroad.” Zuckerberg, who earlier this week said the company would spend as much as $65 billion on AI investments this year, predicted that Meta AI would reach 1 billion users in 2025. He also commented on the rise of DeepSeek, an open-source AI assistant from China, saying that it’s “strengthened our conviction” about open source AI. “One of the things that we're talking about, is there's going to be an open source standard globally,” he said. “And I think for own national advantage, it's important that it's an American standard.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-will-pay-25-million-to-settle-a-lawsuit-with-donald-trump-over-his-2021-facebook-suspension-234046291.html?src=rss

30.01.2025 00:20 NASA and its partners have published the first wave of information about the samples collected in the OSIRIS-REx mission. "The findings do not show evidence for life itself, but they do suggest the conditions necessary for the emergence of life were widespread across the early solar system, increasing the odds life could have formed on other planets and moons," NASA said in a press release.The OSIRIS-REx mission used some pretty fascinating tech to autonomously acquire rocks and dust from an asteroid called Bennu. Asteroids can act as time capsules, and Bennu reflects what was happening in the solar system roughly 4.5 billion years ago. After a total journey of 3.9 billion miles, the capsule returned safely to Earth on September 24, 2023.One paper about Bennu, appearing in the journal Nature Astronomy, revealed that the samples contained 14 amino acids and five nucleobases also found in life forms on Earth. They also uncovered high levels of ammonia in the Bennu samples, as well as formaldehyde; when those two combine in the proper conditions, they can form complex molecules such as amino acids.The second publication appeared in Nature, and it detailed the environment those molecules formed in. Their assessment found evidence of a "brine," identifying a set of minerals that could have been left behind as salt water evaporated."Data from OSIRIS-REx adds major brushstrokes to a picture of a solar system teeming with the potential for life," said Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA Goddard. "Why we, so far, only see life on Earth and not elsewhere, that’s the truly tantalizing question."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasas-osiris-rex-mission-teases-new-insights-on-how-life-began-223527954.html?src=rss