Engadget

28.01.2025 18:45 Boom, the startup developing a new generation of supersonic aircraft, has achieved a major milestone after its test plane broke the sound barrier for the first time. The XB-1 “Baby Boom” piloted by Tristan “Gepetto” Brandenburg, flew through the Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor over the Mojave Desert. XB-1 reached a speed of Mach 1.1 at an altitude of 35,000 feet for a few minutes before running out of airspace authorized for supersonic travel. The plane would go on to break the sound barrier a total of three times before it returned to base. It’s the first time a civilian aircraft has broken the sound barrier while flying over the United States. Engadget covered Boom in an extensive profile back in 2020, where the company was gearing up to unveil XB-1 and make preparations for test flights. Since then, it has been undergoing a barrage of tests, with a series of subsonic test flights starting from March 2024 through the end of the year. In the background, the company has been signing deals with major airlines including United and American, to supply passenger jets for civilian service. This craft, dubbed Overture, has a planned top speed of Mach 1.7 — equivalent of 1,305 miles per hour — which would cut existing travel times in half. At least, for the folks who could afford a ticket. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/booms-xb-1-jet-breaks-the-sound-barrier-for-the-first-time-164930546.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 18:45 The Google Nest WiFi Pro 6E mesh router is on sale for $120 via Amazon. That’s a discount of 40 percent, which is one heck of a deal. This discount only applies to the light green model. This unit easily made our list of the best mesh routers, and for good reason. It’s a reliable and easy-to-use device. The installation process is simple, which can’t always be said of mesh systems. We called it the perfect router “for folks who want to set their network up and then forget about it.” That’s me. I’m that folk. The Nest WiFi Pro provides reliable tri-band Wi-Fi, so it’s great for streaming movies, gaming, web browsing and just about everything else. It also offers various useful integrations. It supports Matter, Thread and Google Assistant, as a start. We recommended this router at the full price, so we definitely like it at half the cost. There are a couple of minor caveats here. This sale provides just a single unit, which offers 2,200 square feet of coverage. However, those with larger homes and multiple dead zones will likely need to pick up a second router to add to the system. Also, it’s not quite as fast or powerful as some rival Wi-Fi 6E routers. 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/googles-nest-wifi-pro-6e-is-cheaper-than-ever-with-a-40-percent-discount-163456635.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 18:45 OpenAI has begun offering a version of ChatGPT designed for US government agencies. ChatGPT Gov includes many of the same features found in the Enterprise offering of the chatbot, including access to the company’s GPT-4o model. “By making our products available to the US government, we aim to ensure AI serves the national interest and the public good, aligned with democratic values, while empowering policymakers to responsibly integrate these capabilities to deliver better services to the American people,” OpenAI said in a blog post published Tuesday. Before today, US government employees were already using ChatGPT in their day-to-day work. According to the company, federal, state and local government workers at 3,500 agencies across the country have sent more than 18 million messages since 2024. With today’s announcement, those same agencies can now self-host ChatGPT within their own Microsoft Azure commercial or government cloud environment. In practice, that should make it easier for government IT heads to ensure the tool is used safely. OpenAI’s move to offer ChatGPT Gov comes after the company announced it was partnering with SoftBank to build $500 billion worth of AI infrastructure within the United States over the next four years. Many immediately questioned whether OpenAI had the money to fund Stargate to the level it said it would. After the announcement, The Information reported that SoftBank and OpenAI would each commit about $19 billion to the project to start, far less than the $100 billion the two had said they would deploy “immediately.” More broadly, the arrival of ChatGPT Gov comes amid uncertainty about the strength of the American AI industry. On Monday, US tech stocks dropped dramatically after DeepSeek, an AI assistant from a Chinese startup, unseated ChatGPT as the top free app in the App Store over the weekend. DeepSeek purportedly spent less than $6 million to develop its R1 model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-debuts-a-version-of-chatgpt-for-us-government-agencies-162809443.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 18:45 You'll only need to remember the name Incention for the brief moment you're reading this post, because you'll likely never have to think about it again. As Variety reports, it's a new platform for building new Hollywood IP using the combined power of AI tools, fan contributions and the blockchain. Incention describes itself as "a new blueprint for building modern franchises, where IP holders, communities, and agents collaborate seamlessly in an endless playground rooted in real IP." Because, of course, the real problem plaguing Hollywood today is the inability to build franchises with user-generated content, unproven AI tools and blockchain hype. Incention's first franchise — the modern Hollywood term for "story" — is Emergence, a sci-fi premise from Blade and The Dark Knight writer David S. Goyer. It centers on a universe where a white hole appears and spews out mysterious high tech objects. Goyer describes it as a "creative sandbox" for artists and fans to build "limitless narratives" across multiple genres and mediums. Atlas, an AI agent that's meant to be a "creative partner," serves as Incention's main AI tool for developing content. It'll be able to come up with ideas, help story direction and even generate full videos, according to the company. Incention also claims that Atlas can post autonomously to social media platforms to improve itself, perhaps because social media engagement for real franchises is too dangerous for humans these days. Incention is powered by the Story blockchain, which will help to track the content produced by fans and creators across all of its franchises. Again, a major problem that needed to be solved. The NFT grift is over, and we've yet to see any product outside of Bitcoin and other digital currencies tapping into the blockchain effectively. “A couple of years ago, I realized that it’s not going away, it’s going to completely embed itself within society," Goyer told Variety. "So I tried to learn as much about it as I could, whether it be ChatGPT or Midjourney or the various other tools, and I think those have useful applications that don’t necessarily put people out of a job — although there are a lot of potential AI applications that could. But in this instance, we’re not putting anyone out of a job. If anything, this is a tool to allow people that normally wouldn’t have an entry point into Hollywood or publishing houses or things like that." The big problem Incention faces, though, is that it's not actually fixing anything in Hollywood. Similar to the short-lived Quibi, the entire impetus behind Incention is driven by technology, instead of genuine demands from creators or a franchise-hungry public. And unlike Quibi, Incention isn't launching with nearly $2 billion in funding or the Hollywood bonafides of someone like DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg. Incention also seems to fundamentally misunderstand how fan-produced content works. People aren't spending hours on their fanfic, fanart and cosplay simply because they want to get paid. They're doing it because someone created a story and characters that genuinely moved them. Good luck getting the same sort of support from a generic-sounding franchise like Emergence. "The entertainment industry stands at a crossroads," Incention wrote in a "manifesto" of its vision. "As AI generates an endless stream of content, traditional entertainment grapples with an existential crisis: How do we preserve human creativity while harnessing the power of modern technology? The answer is not in resistance, but in collaboration and shared upside." I give it a month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/incention-is-a-desperate-attempt-to-make-new-hollywood-ip-with-ai-fans-and-the-blockchain-162024019.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 18:45 Sens. Brian Schatz and Ted Cruz are re-introducing a bill that aims to ban social media platforms from knowingly letting kids aged under 13 from using them. The bipartisan Kids Off Social Media Act was introduced last year, but it didn't progress beyond the committee stage. However, KOSMA may pick up more momentum this time around given the current political landscape. “I'm going to do everything I can to get it passed out of committee and advanced on the floor and signed into law,” Cruz told The Washington Post. “Ted and I are in the middle of about two dozen different disagreements and disputes, but the one thing that seems to unite the political parties is that we need to protect small children from the negative outcomes of being on social media,” Schatz said. Cruz is now the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee . Not only that, Republicans are in control of both houses of Congress while Lina Khan is no longer head of the Federal Trade Commission. Under KOSMA, that agency would have extra regulatory power over social media platforms. Some Republicans were reluctant to hand Khan those reins. “I think that understandably caused significant reluctance on the part of Congress to entrust any additional authority on the FTC,” Cruz said. If KOSMA becomes law as it stands, social media platforms would have to delete any accounts held by users aged under 13 as well as any data collected from those children. It would also block them from using data collected from users aged under 17 to algorithmically suggest or promote content. Furthermore, it stipulates that schools would have to block students from accessing social media services on school devices and networks in order to keep receiving certain subsidies. Schatz was among a bipartisan group of senators that introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act in 2023. That bill aimed to set 13 as the minimum age for using social media, and require parental consent for under 18s to access such platforms. However, the bill did not pass through the Commerce Committee. Last July, two online safety bills that ostensibly sought to protect minors, the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act and the much-derided Kids Online Safety Act , passed the Senate in a 91-3 vote. However, neither passed through the House before the previous Congress ended on January 3.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/senators-again-attempt-to-ban-pre-teens-from-social-media-160535890.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 18:45 The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has announced its preliminary findings that the cloud services market "is not working as well as it could be." That relatively vague statement follows a 16-month investigation into the UK's cloud services market, especially its two largest providers, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft. Both companies hold between a 30 and 40 percent market share, followed by Google at five to 10 percent. Despite the vague thesis statement, the CMA's investigation has so far raised a few critical points and recommendations. It found that there are alternative cloud suppliers face significant barriers to enter and expand in the market. Also, that "technical and commercial barriers" limit customers' ability to switch providers, such as data transfer charges. Specific to Microsoft, the CMA stated that the company uses its large software presence to limit how effectively AWS and Google can compete when it comes to customers who want to use that software while on the cloud. The CMA reports that UK businesses and organizations have increased their spending on cloud services by 30 percent each year — hitting £9 billion in 2023. Given this £9 billion spend, the CMA stated that paying just five percent more than prices in a "well-functioning market," would cumulatively cost another £430 million annually — more if the growth continues. "Given the size of capital investment and economies of scale required to provide cloud infrastructure services, there may be a natural limit to the number of providers who can compete effectively in these markets," the CMA's states in its release. "For this reason, it is vital that competition between even a small number of providers works well for customers." The inquiry group points to a new solution: Strategic Market Status designation for AWS and Microsoft's cloud services. The label comes courtesy of the UK's new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act and would allow the CMA to enforce greater regulation and pro-competition directives on the two services. "Should AWS and Microsoft be designated as having SMS, the CMA would be able to consider the interventions we have considered in this inquiry relating to egress fees, technical barriers and Microsoft’s licensing practices," the release further states. Earlier this month, the CMA opened investigations into whether Google's search practices and mobile ecosystems should receive SMS designation. The regulator is also probing Apple in the second instance. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-seeks-greater-regulatory-power-over-microsoft-and-amazon-web-services-cloud-computing-services-155757650.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 18:45 Home security cameras provide a massive peace of mind. I want to know if anyone is coming to my door while I'm away or, for that matter, when I'm home alone. This sanity doesn't exactly come cheap, but, right now, you can get a two-pack of the Blink Mini 2 for just $40, down from $80. The essentially buy one, get one free sale is available on Woot. The Blink Mini 2 is a plug-in camera that shines a built-in LED spotlight on any after dark visitors. Overall, the device offers better image quality at all times of the day than its predecessor. The Mini 2 will give you realtime motion alerts and you can get features like person detection if you pay for the Blink Subscription Plan. You can also shop a four-pack of the Blink Mini 2 for $75, down from $160 — a 53 percent discount. Overall, we're a big fan of Blink's products, naming the Blink Outdoor 4 our choice for best wireless security camera in 2025. 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/pick-up-a-blink-mini-two-pack-while-its-on-sale-for-40-143108752.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 18:45 Building a working nuclear fusion reactor has proven to be a daunting challenge even for multiple wealthy nations, as we've seen with the much-delayed ITER project. However, a private start-up called Helion thinks it can build one and start supplying energy by 2028 by taking a different approach than other reactors. Founded in 2013, Helion is in the news thanks to a $425 million funding round, backed by billionaires like Sam Altman and Peter Thiel. With more than $1 billion raised, the company is now valued at $5.4 billion. Nuclear fusion, which combines hydrogen atoms to form helium, is the holy grail for green energy. It's carbon free, and unlike current nuclear plants, produces no long-term radioactive waste. At the same time, reactors could produce enough electricity to power small cities. Sustained fusion reaction that produces more energy that it consumes has never happened, though. The largest project, ITER , is projected to cost up to $22 billion and won't go online until at least 2034 — and still hasn't produced a sustained reaction. The longest fusion raction is 1,066 seconds , set just recently by the EAST reactor in China. So how does Helion think it can succeed? Most experimental reactors compress plasma using magnetic or inertial confinement, which heats it enough to spark a fusion reaction. Once that happens, the fusion-generated heat powers a steam turbine to generate electricity. Polaris 2024 pic.twitter.com/stHliJz8pB— Helion December 30, 2024 Helion is using a different approach by dispensing with the steam turbine. Fuel is injected into both ends of the hourglass shaped reactor, then heated to form a plasma. Magnets form the plasma into a donut shape and fire them at each other at speeds up to 1 million MPH. They collide in the narrow middle section of the reactor and are further compressed by magnets there. That heats them up to the magic 100 million degrees Celcius, creating fusion. "As the plasma expands, it pushes back on the magnetic field from the machine's magnets," Helion explains on its website. "By Faraday's Law, the change in field induces current, which is directly recaptured as electricity, allowing Helion's fusion generator to skip the steam cycle." This system is simpler and potentially more efficient than a steam turbine. However, while the company has achieved fast enough pulse rates to achieve fusion, it has only done so on a small scale to date. "There some big engineering challenges to get to those high repetition rates at the kind of big pulse powers where we talk about millions of amps," CEO David Kirtley told TechCrunch. And that's the rub with every other reactor. Fusion produces a huge surge of energy all at once and so far no one has been able to control and harness that. Helion thinks its simpler system will help, but has yet to prove it can do it experimentally, let alone commercially. Still, the company say sits seventh-generation reactor, Polaris, is now "in operation" but has declined to share any results to date. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/a-private-start-up-called-helion-aims-to-have-a-working-fusion-reactor-by-2028-142020697.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 18:45 Lucid's newly launched Gravity SUV will be able to access Tesla's Supercharger network across the US and Canada starting on January 31. And since the electric vehicle comes with a built-in port that supports the North American Charging Standard , it doesn't need an adapter to be able to plug into Tesla's Superchargers. The automaker says Gravity became the first non-Tesla model to be sold with a NACS charging port when its first production models were delivered to an initial batch of customers in December 2024. At the moment, only the more expensive $94,900 Grand Touring model is available for purchase, but the company plans to release the $79,900 Touring model sometime in late 2025. Emad Dlala, VP of Powertrain at Lucid, said the automaker developed a "new, unique technology" to ensure the Gravity's full compatibility with chargers rated at 500V and 1,000V. To be exact, the Lucid Gravity has a 926V charging architecture, so charging times will differ based on the charging station it's plugged into. Dlala said that the technology the company developed allows the Gravity to "charge seamlessly at up to 400 kW on 1000V charging equipment and at sustained speeds of up to 225 kW on 500V architecture fast chargers, including Tesla V3 Superchargers." Lucid pledged to support the North American Charging Standard back in 2023 and vowed to give its customers access to an adapter for its vehicles. The company said that the Lucid Air, its electric sedan that doesn't currently come with built-in NACS ports, will also gain access to Tesla's Supercharger network sometime this second quarter. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/lucids-gravity-suv-gets-native-tesla-supercharger-access-on-january-31-140048997.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 13:30 Obsessed with throwing money and resources at AI in any way they can, the likes of OpenAI, NVIDIA, Google and Amazon all just got a surprise. Out of seemingly nowhere, Chinese AI assistant DeepSeek is suddenly the top-rated free app on Apple’s App Store in the US and elsewhere, beating more familiar names, like ChatGPT. The open-source DeepSeek V3 model reportedly requires far less computing power than its competitors and, depending on who you believe, was developed for under $6 million. Shocks all around — especially for OpenAI and all the billions it has floating around. Focusing on coding and research, DeepSeek’s models are similar to other AI assistants you’ve heard of. Its first DeepSeek-R1 release is available under an MIT license, so it can be used commercially without restrictions. How does it compare with the far pricier US rivals now China is unable to import the most powerful AI chips? Well, to start with, DeepSeek’s founder Liang Wenfeng reportedly stockpiled NVIDIA A100 chips before the US export ban and is pairing those with less powerful chips from China. An MIT Review report also suggests the side effect of the US sanctions are innovations that focus on efficiency and collaboration. All the attention and a small financial market wobble has put DeepSeek in the crosshairs for “large-scale malicious attacks.” Those cyberattacks mean new user registration may be slow, so if you’re intrigued, you’ll have to wait to check it out. — Mat Smith Get this delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The biggest tech stories you missed Everything Samsung announced at the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event Curvy sides, flat edges: The Galaxy S25 and the arbitrary shape of smartphones NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 review: Pure AI excess for $2,000 What if the Nintendo Switch 2 is too big? The iPhone notch might return A new SE model may almost be here. Majin Bu Device leaker Majin Bu shared on X what they claim is the new iPhone SE 4. As proof, they posted a video of the device from all angles and four photos of both a black and a white model from the back. With a single camera and a smaller-seeming body to current iPhones, the big twist is the return to a notch. At this point, all iPhones available from Apple’s store have a Dynamic Island cutout instead of the notch. Traditionally, the SE series has a throwback hardware design, so this would make sense. And hey, the Pixel 8a needs some competition. While the dummy phones leaked look convincing, Majin Bu has missed with some of their predictions and leaks in the past. So pinch of salt, and all that. Continue reading. Here’s a Darth Vader Tamagotchi With a silicone helmet case. Bandai Namco Yes. Yessssss. Continue reading. Bluesky’s moderation report shows how quickly harmful content grew Reports increased 17x compared to 2023. As X continued to walk the plank, Bluesky experienced explosive growth last year. That meant a big ramp up in its moderation efforts. Bluesky said user numbers jumped from 2.9 million users to nearly 26 million. Its moderators received 17 times the number of user reports in 2023 — 6.48 million in 2024 compared to 358,000 the previous year. The bulk of these reports were regarding “harassment, trolling or intolerance,” spam and misleading content . Moderators took down 66,308 accounts in 2024, while its automated systems took down 35,842 spam and bot profiles. Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121642950.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 13:30 Independent book stores can now get a cut of the ebook market. Today, Bookshop.org announced the addition of ebooks to its website. As it does with physical books, the online retailer prompts shoppers to designate a local book store at checkout, then sends part of the purchase price to that store. Since it started selling physical volumes in 2020, Bookshop.org has funneled more than $35 million to indie booksellers. During a recent chat, CEO Andy Hunter told me hundreds of stores have credited Bookshop.org with their ability to stay in business through the shutdowns caused by the pandemic. Now through the added ebook sales, those stores will have one more revenue stream — and shoppers will have another way to support neighborhood stores. "It's not a good business strategy to say, 'Come to us for your books, but when you need an ebook, go to Amazon'" he said. The site will offer more than three million ebooks from every major publisher and the entire profit from the sale will go to the customer's chosen store. If a user doesn't designate a store, profits will partly channel into a pool for all participating bookstores and the rest will return to Bookshop.org. The company will also make money from publisher ads on its website. Because ebook prices are set by the publisher, titles will cost the same as they do from Amazon, Kobo, Google Books or elsewhere. In addition to the new category, Bookshop.org is also introducing a new reader app for iOS and Android devices today. Through the app, readers can explore curated lists of books, search the ebook catalog, read previews and add books to their wishlist. You'll still need to head to Bookshop.org on a browser to make purchases — just as you do with other ebook sellers so they can avoid Apple and Google's steep in-app billing commissions. Reading books on the app should feel familiar to anyone who's used a tablet or smartphone ereader app, offering highlights, annotations, type and font adjustments and text searches. In addition to swipeable pages, you can also set the text to a vertical endless scroll mode, an option I haven't seen in other ereader apps. Bookshop.org Probably the most intriguing feature is Quote Sharing. As I was talking with Hunter, he pointed out that when people share quotes from books on social media, it's often via a typed-out quote alongside a picture snapped of the physical page or the cover of the book. If you want to read that book, you're going to have to put in a little work to find it and buy it. With Quote Sharing in the Bookshop.org app or browser reader, up to 300 characters of text can be highlighted and shared on Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky or anywhere else you can share regular weblinks. The generated link creates a formatted post with the quote, along with the book cover image. Anyone who clicks the link will be taken to a webpage with the quote in context, above a button to buy the book. Hunter says the goal is to "make conversations around books feel like a native part of the social web." As someone who is invested in ereaders, I asked whether Bookshop.org ebooks would be readable on Kindles or Kobos. Hunter told me his company is already working on compatibility with Kobo devices and has also been in talks with Amazon to potentially allow Kindles to display titles purchased from Bookshop.org. Integration with Kobo could come as early as this year; Amazon cooperation will likely take longer. Another forthcoming feature allows indie booksellers to sell ebooks directly from the bookstore's own website using Bookshop.org's tech. That partnership won't be available at launch but should go live in spring of 2025. Hunter told me a story from the initial investor phase from the print-only iteration of Bookshop.org. When potential investors learned he couldn't beat Amazon on price or speed, he was laughed out of the room. They assumed no one would be willing to pay more or wait longer for a book, no matter how worthy they thought independent bookstores might be. Five-plus years later, not only were those investors proven wrong — the company's continued existence suggests at least some people can spare a few extra bucks and some patience to support bookstores — now with ebooks, Bookshop.org can indeed match Amazon on both price and speed, since even the largest e-retailer can't discount ebooks and delivery is instantaneous no matter where you buy from.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/bookshoporg-is-now-selling-ebooks-113033975.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 08:40 Yes, Google Maps is renaming the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America," but you won't see it when you open the app just yet. In a series of tweets, the News from Google account has revealed that the Maps app will roll out an update with the name change after the US government updates the Geographic Names Information System , which serves as the "federal and national standard for geographic nomenclature." Google Maps will also change the name of the highest mountain peak in North America from Denali, the name given to it by Alaskan Natives, to Mount McKinley when GNIS reflects its new official designation. When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.— News from Google January 27, 2025 Google said it's a longstanding practice for the company to apply name changes in Maps only after they've been updated in official government resources. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to change the body of water's name, and the Interior Department announced on Friday that it's now officially known as the Gulf of America. However, only users in the US will see it labeled as such. It will still be called the Gulf of Mexico for users in Mexico, while users from outside either country will see both names in their Google Maps app. Google said that another official longstanding practice is to show official local names when they vary between countries, and as Reuters notes, it has applied the rule to many other areas with naming and territorial disputes like the Sea of Japan. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-maps-will-rename-gulf-of-mexico-to-gulf-of-america-but-only-for-us-users-043726929.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 04:10 Amazon Roku, Apple TV and Google TV are all worthwhile streaming platforms. Each of them lets you view thousands of movies and TV shows on major apps like Disney+ and Netflix. And seeing all your favorites on a big-screen TV is way better than watching it on a smaller laptop or smartphone screen. But Amazon's Fire TV has a leg up on them when it comes to built-in VPN compatibility. Unlike archrival Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV system offers VPN apps straight through its built-in app store. That's important if you want to watch a show or movie that's otherwise unavailable in your country. Fire up a VPN, set your virtual location and you'll likely get a different set of viewing options on many streaming services — or the ability to access ones to which you otherwise didn't have access. We’ll explain the details and tell you how it works. Choose the right VPN for your Fire TV For starters, we’re going to assume you have a Fire TV device. If you don’t, we have good news: If your TV doesn’t already have Fire TV streaming built-in, the add-on devices are frequently on sale at Amazon for as little as $25 or less. Grab the Fire Stick 4K Max if you want a good balance of price versus performance — just make sure it’s on sale for $40 or less. Once you have your Fire TV hardware set up, it’s time to choose a VPN — and that’s where the Fire TV operating system shines. A long list of VPNs, including all of our current top picks for the best VPNs, are available on the platform and they’re as easy to download and install as any of the video apps. The Engadget-approved VPNs currently available on Fire TV include: ProtonVPN Windscribe ExpressVPN CyberGhost Surfshark We’ll leave it to you to research which VPN offers the best combination of features and value for you, but a word of warning: With the exception of the first two listed above, we don’t recommend using a free VPN, as they’re notorious for collecting and selling your data to advertising networks to fund shoddily-protected servers. Note you can install as many VPNs as you’d like on Fire TV, if you’d like to cross-test them at your leisure. Installing the VPN Installing it is easy once you know which Fire TV VPN you want to use. Head to Find > on the main menu and simply search the name of your preferred VPN – just type “VPN” if you’d like to scroll through all of the options available. There, you can find the service you want and start installing. The process shouldn’t take too long. Once it’s completed, you’re ready to start using it. Using your Fire TV VPN Once you’ve downloaded the app, navigate to it on your Fire TV dashboard. You’ll have to enter your username and password or sign up to create an account. Some VPNs might require you to create an account on your smartphone or computer beforehand. Once logged in, you can either click the “Connect” button on your VPN or browse the server list to choose which country you want to tunnel to. Once connected, return to the Fire TV home screen and reload your streaming platform of choice to verify if the content is different. If it is, your VPN is working and you’re ready to stream. VPN options for other streaming platforms Don't have a Fire TV? Good news: Robust VPN options exist for the other major streaming platforms, too. How to use a VPN on your Apple TV How to stream via a VPN on Roku How to use a VPN on Google TV or Chromecast This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-stream-video-on-fire-tv-with-a-vpn-101822093.html?src=rss

28.01.2025 04:10 Pebble is back, baby. On Monday, Google open-sourced the OG modern smartwatch’s software. Although that paves the road for anyone to make new Pebble-esque wearables , one high-profile figure has already raised his hand: Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky. Google says the open-source PebbleOS includes most of the software’s source code. The only exceptions are proprietary code for chipset and Bluetooth software. Google’s Matthieu Jeanson, Katharine Berry and Liam McLoughlin wrote that developers face “a non-trivial amount of work” in finding replacements for the stripped-out pieces of code. Migicovsky says he spurred the project by asking friends at Google if they would open-source the software. The Pebble founder, who went on to run Beeper , wrote on his blog that he wants his planned smartwatch to be a modern take on the original Pebble — a spiritual successor that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. “No one makes a smartwatch with the core set of features I want,” he wrote. “I had really, really, really hoped that someone else would come along and build a Pebble replacement. But no one has.” Kickstarter His wishlist for the as-yet-unnamed product includes an always-on e-paper screen, long battery life, a “simple and beautiful user experience,” physical buttons and hackability . Those were indeed the hallmarks of the innovative and charming Pebble, which broke Kickstarter records and preceded Apple, Samsung and Google’s models by several years. “The new watch we’re building basically has the same specs and features as Pebble, though with some fun new stuff as well,” the Pebble founder wrote, adding that his team still needs to nail down the product’s exact specifications and timeline. “It runs open source PebbleOS, and it’s compatible with all Pebble apps and watchfaces.” Developers can get Google’s open-sourced Pebble OS on GitHub. And if you’re interested in Migicovsky’s as-yet-unnamed spiritual successor to the 2013 smartwatch, you can sign up for updates on its webpage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/google-open-sources-the-pebble-smartwatchs-software-and-its-creator-is-making-a-new-model-220526568.html?src=rss

27.01.2025 23:03 On the same day Apple launched iOS 18.3 to the public, its dedicated sports app got a few tweaks — including beefed-up soccer coverage. Apple Sports also now has a new way to navigate favorites and broadcast info for each game’s page. Apple has invested heavily in soccer for Apple TV+, scooping up the exclusive global rights to Major League Soccer until 2033. The streaming service also has several exclusive MLS documentaries, including one about Lionel Messi. His arrival in America’s premier soccer league quickly doubled the service’s subscriptions. In a far less expensive move, today’s Apple Sports update adds the ability to track match scores from England’s FA Cup, the EFL Championship and the League Cup. The update adds a couple of UI tweaks, too. You can now swipe left or right to quickly scroll through your favorite teams and leagues. And it’s easier to find out how to watch games: Each page now shows which network each nationally broadcast game is on. Apple Sports arrived in February 2024 as an easy, ad-free way to track scores and standings — including on the iPhone’s Lock Screen through Live Activities. The app launched with support for basketball, hockey and soccer, the three major sports active last February. It was later updated to include baseball and football ahead of MLB and the NFL’s opening days. In December, Apple added the ability to schedule Live Activities and a tab in the Play-By-Play section for video highlights.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-sports-adds-the-fa-cup-and-other-uk-soccer-tournies-202654579.html?src=rss