Engadget

23.04.2025 16:11 Apple TV+ has a ton of popular originals like Ted Lasso, Severance, Slow Horses, For All Mankind, Foundation and Silo. If you've been meaning to check them out, you can do so for less right now. Apple TV+ is on sale right now for $3 per month for the first three months, bringing the total cost to just $9 for the entire period. That saves you a total of $21 off the standard $10 monthly cost of the subscription that we consider to be one of our favorite streaming services. But the deal expires on April 24, so you only have a bit more time to grab it. Apple's shows won 10 Emmy Awards in 2024, including a Slow Horses victory for outstanding writing in a drama series. Although its films weren't up for anything at this year's Oscars, it received 13 nominations in 2024, including Best Picture nods for Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon. Both new and qualified returning subscribers are eligible for this deal. You also must sign up via Apple directly and not through a third-party provider or your mobile wireless provider. If you don't want to pay full price after three months, just remember to cancel before the renewal date. Check out our coverage of the best streaming deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-apple-tv-deal-ends-soon-get-three-months-of-access-for-only-9-193009579.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 16:11 You can sink a lot of money into your kitchen without even realizing it. There’s no doubt that some of the best kitchen gadgets are on the pricey side, but there are also plenty of budget-friendly tools that can make your time meal prepping, cooking for a party and reheating leftovers much easier. All the recommendations on this list are either products I use currently, or more affordable versions of something I decided to splurge on after years of food prep. You may not consider every single item an essential for your kitchen, but all of them can save you time when you need to get dinner on the table quickly. Best cheap kitchen gadgets for 2025 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/best-cheap-kitchen-gadgets-130049897.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 16:11 Meta's Oversight Board has deemed Meta was right to leave up two videos reported for hate speech and harassment, though it recommends changes for the company. The decision follows revisions Meta made in January to its Hateful Conduct Policy. The Board started looking into the two posts last August. One of the videos showed a trans woman being confronted in a bathroom by another woman who misgenders the trans woman and asks why they should be allowed to use the women's room. The included caption states that the trans woman is a "male student who thinks he's a girl." The second is of a trans woman winning a track race with onlookers disapproving. That caption similarly calls the individual, a "boy who thinks he's a girl" and names the person . In its decision, the Board claims that "public debate on policies around transgender peoples' rights and inclusion is permitted, with offensive viewpoints protected under international human rights law on freedom of expression." Yes, you did read "offensive viewpoints" and "permitted" in the same sentence. It goes on to state that a majority of the Board couldn't find a strong enough "link" between removing these posts and limiting harm to trans individuals and that they didn't "represent" harassment or bullying. "Transgender women and girls' access to women's bathrooms and participation in sports are the subjects of ongoing public debate that involves various human rights concerns. It is appropriate that a high threshold be required to suppress such speech," the decision continues. The Board states that Meta's recent "hastily announced" policy changes didn't influence its decision but that it is concerned about content and implementation. "Meta should identify how the policy and enforcement updates may adversely impact the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, including minors, especially where these populations are at heightened risk," the Board states. "It should adopt measures to prevent and/or mitigate these risks and monitor their effectiveness. Finally, Meta should update the Board every six months on its progress, reporting on this publicly at the earliest opportunity." The Board also calls out a specific line in Meta's updated policy which states, "We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words such as 'weird.'" It recommends Meta remove the word "transgenderism," a phrase organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign called out as signaling "a disturbing alignment with anti-LGBTQ+ political rhetoric."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/metas-oversight-board-criticizes-companys-hastily-announced-hate-speech-policy-changes-120042137.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 16:11 I liked Logitech's MX Creative Console when I tested it last year, but one of biggest issues was a lack of support for specific content creation and other apps. The company has rectified that with a major update now available on the company's Logi Marketplace. It expands the console's compatibility to several key apps including DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Lightroom and Figma. As a reminder, the MX Creative Console is a control panel that connects to your Mac or PC and is designed to speed up creative chores for apps like Adobe Premiere and Photoshop. It's more compact than rival consoles and features a modern design and a pair of slick control dials, along with dynamic display keys that change depending on the app and page you’re looking at. A key new addition is support for Adobe's Lightroom, rather than just Lightroom Classic as before. It lets you use the dial controller on the MX Creative Console to straighten images or adjust brightness, contrast and clarity. The buttons can also be set up to do things like rate and flag images for quicker processing. Logitech also worked with Blackmagic Design to get the console working with DaVinci Resolve, a popular editing and effects app that's an alternative to Adobe Premiere Pro. You can now use the console to navigate the timeline, cut, trim and retime clips and navigate Fusion's effects nodes efficiently. It added similar functionality for Apple's Final Cut Pro, while also letting you do precise color grading via the app's Color Wheels. For the interface design tool Figma, the MX Creative Console lets you quickly access essential tools and actions, manage assets, text alignments, spacing and layout adjustments and adjust text size, weight and height with the dial. Logitech got into creative control surfaces in a big way when it purchased Steam Deck rival Loupedeck in 2023. The $200 MX Creative Console arrived a year later, and though it took Adobe nearly seven months to release a major update, support for the new apps makes the console far more versatile. "Adding these highly requested plugins will unlock the MX Creative Console’s potential for a broader range of creative professionals,” noted Logitech GM Anatoliy Polyanker. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/logitechs-mx-creative-console-editing-panel-now-supports-davinci-resolve-and-lightroom-120035406.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 16:11 Following reported delays over political concerns, the European Commission has penalized Apple and Meta over anti-competitive activities. The fines of €500 million and €200 million respectively are the first to be issued under Europe's new Digital Markets Act , according to the EC. The fines were issued after what the Commission called extensive consultation with the two companies after the probes were opened in March 2024. Apple violated the DMA by blocking developers from informing customers about sales and other offers outside the App Store. "Consumers cannot fully benefit from alternative and cheaper offers as Apple prevents app developers from directly informing consumers of such offers," the Commission wrote, adding that it failed to demonstrate the restrictions are "objectively necessary." The €500 million fine levied against Apple takes into account the "gravity and duration" of the non-compliant behavior. The EC also ordered Apple to remove the restrictions and refrain from imposing them in the future. However, the Commission also closed its investigation into another Apple matter around app choices "thanks to early and proactive engagement by Apple on a compliance solution." Namely, Apple changed its browser choice screen, made it easier for users to change default settings for things like calls, messages, keyboards and password managers, and agreed to allow users to uninstall apps like Safari. Meanwhile, the EC hit Meta for its "consent or pay" system that forced EU users to either shell out €10 monthly for an ad-free subscription or be forced to share their data. Meta introduced a new version of the free personalized ads model in November 2024 that supposedly uses less personal data to display ads , but the Commission is still assessing that. The €200 million fine thus takes into account the time period between March 2024 and November 2024 when Facebook was violating DMA rules. However, Meta could face further penalties depending on how the EC evaluates the new personalized adds. On a positive note for Meta, the EC rules that Facebook Marketplace is no longer designated under the DMA, following "careful assessment of Meta's arguments and as a result of... additional enforcement and continued monitoring measures." Last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg specifically urged President Trump to intervene on potential EU sanctions around the pay for privacy issue. The White House also released a memo in February saying it could retaliate against any European DMA sanctions against US tech companies. However, Meta has its own problems in the US that could have more dire consequences. The Justice Department accused it of squashing competition through acquisition and could force it to sell off key apps like WhatsApp and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-and-meta-hit-with-first-fines-under-europes-new-digital-markets-act-112545713.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 11:50 It’s rare for a turn-based RPG to excite the editorial team beyond Engadget’s usual core RPG fans. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has many excited, however. Maybe it’s the dreamy Belle Époque aesthetic and design. Maybe it’s the gloriously pulpy concept of an all-powerful Paintress dooming humankind to an ever shortening mortal clock. Maybe it’s the characters, bolstered by a starry voice artist roster, and nuanced animation and story. Maybe, at this point in gaming, it’s the $50 price tag. Maybe it’s just the treat of a turn-based RPG for those of us not looking for another real-time action RPGs. Expedition 33 does a great job setting up its world in a way that allows everyone to get on board. Lumiere, which seems to be a chunk of Paris plus change, is doomed to repeat a cycle of death, with a powerful godlike figure, the Paintress, looming on the horizon. The vestiges of humanity send out expeditions each year to “the Continent” in a bid to stop the death. This is the story of Expedition 33, although it’s not the 33rd, but closer to the 77th, with the clock counting down from 100. Sandfall Once you’re exploring the dangerous world beyond the safety of the city, you’ll discover that each expedition, while failing at ending the Paintress, made progress in different ways, paying it forward for the expedition that followed. Some groups set up grapplehook points across the world, while others figured how to use the world’s painty powers to tattoo themselves to boost their combat powers. Some tried to reach the Paintress on boats and submarines, but failed miserably. It gets the player excited about exploring the world and the lore, even before you’ve left the safety of Lumiere. You start the game as Gustave, picking up party members throughout the early part of the game. While not all of them are part of your battle party, Gustave seems to have a connection with many other members of Expedition 33. A farewell party, tinged with hope, pessimism and loss, sets up the journey before things go wrong, pretty much as soon as they land. Expedition 33 introduces its battle system and its take on turn-based RPGs in easy-to-digest parts. First you’re taught the basics of parrying and dodging, as well as a Free Aim shooting mode, which gobbles up your activity points just as much as a straightforward attack, but can be used to hit weak points or sabotage powerful attacks of your enemies. Quick-time actions, pressing the right button at the right time, will ensure your skills do even more damage, but are more crucial for parries and dodges. You’ll want to refine your ability to parry attacks as soon as possible. Parries have a shorter success window than dodges, but offer extra action points for the character, and if performed perfectly, set up an automatic counterattack. Later abilities, learned from Pictos can augment your parries to offer mild healing, extra action points, and even more powerful counter attacks. From the mid-game onwards, parrying will likely be your life. Sandfall There’s then the addition of elemental attacks, which can apply status effects, augment future attacks and more. Initially, I found the skill sets of each character, which are entirely different, a little complicated. Sure, Gustave’s shot ability was laced with Lightning, but it also applied the Mark status effect, which adds 50 percent more damage to whoever attacks the same enemy next. It all soon clicked into place, though, and I was cuing up each character’s attack to build upon the last. Alongside their unique skills and spells, each character has their own fight mechanic too. Our preview touched on Gustave’s super-charged robot arm, Lune’s elemental stains which she can store up and apply to add more oomph to spells, and Maelle’s battle stances that can risk weakened defense for heavier hits. The party is eventually joined by Sielle, who has a light-dark mechanic that tags enemies, building up momentum to convert into considerable damage, or a mixed hit-and-heal attack. Then there’s monkey-monk Monoco who is both the comic relief and blue mage, collecting defeated monster’s feet and wielding their moves in combat. Those skills are further complicated by a Beastial wheel, which spins after each attack Monoco makes, and augments certain families of attacks. For example, if wearing the Caster mask, a regen spell will also heal the party substantially. Like I said, initially confusing, but you get to grips with it. In the later game chapters, enemies will often deliver seven-hit combos, with some attacking all of your party each time. You’ll find yourself dodging, parrying and leaping over attacks in a bid to shore up ability points, or just keep yourself alive, and it can get a bit stale at times. But! When you nail that boss’ attack pattern, flawlessly countering the evil older man and his eight laser cane attacks, and your three-person party coalesce into a group counter attack, severing a considerable chunk of his health bar. Urgh. I felt like an athlete—an artist. Sandfall There are no random encounters, so like Metaphor Re:Fantazio enemies exist in the world, ready for you to sneak attack – or just avoid. The auto-save system is forgiving, and even kindly keeps three saves at hand, so you can perhaps retreat from an area you’re not quite ready for. And you will get thrashed by a random super enemy when you push your luck. There are also a few difficulty spikes, but it’s often a matter of attack pattern recognition. While there are distractions and optional areas to explore, Expedition 33 guides you in a relatively linear fashion for most of the game. As more exploration options become available, you’re eventually able to easily return to past areas, and go obliterate that one monster with the giant spear that shamed you in the early hours of your playthrough. Most transport options come from befriending a giant plushie-kind-of-mythical-creature called Esquie, who can swim, blast through rocks and eventually fly you around the world. To do so, however, you’ll have to find his friends. Those friends are stones that add skills. So while he can fly as soon as you meet him, he can’t carry you until you find his special stone buddy. I love this kind of RPG nonsense. Gestrahl villages add some welcome comic relief amid all the death, family strife, and betrayal. Fortunately, the cast of Expedition 33 have the dramatic bonafides to deliver on the emotional beats, including Charlie Cox , Jennifer English Ben Starr and Andy Serkis . There are both French and English VAs, and I’d recommend playing through at least part of the game in both. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi – or at least made me feel somehow cultured. There are numerous other playfully French touches and clichés, including a droopy Eiffel Tower and a series of formidable enemies: a tribe of mimes. Sandfall Sandfall decided to forgo maps; there’s an overworld map, accessible by pressing up on the D-pad, but it lacks an overlay, and you’ll have to zoom in significantly to see the areas’ labels. The bigger frustration is the lack of mini maps in core areas. While it’s not an open-world exploration kind of game, there’s some latitude for exploring off the beaten path, which is nearly always rewarded with new equipment . However, without a map, I often found myself running in circles, struggling to find a way forward. It’s a good thing, then, that the environments are gorgeous and filled with detail. I need a camera mode added to this game, as soon as possible. The sinister Monolith, counting down the years, always seems to be visible from cliff sides, valleys, and abandoned train stations, always in a very aesthetically pleasing way. Even the campsite that the group uses to save, rest and develop friendships overlooks the Paintress’ countdown clock. We covered the faux underwater level from the early part of the game in our preview, but there are several more meticulously designed levels and areas later in the game. One optional distraction partway through is a vertiginous structure made of gravity-defying floating objects and parts of buildings that you can climb up for a mini-game. There’s also a fractured snowy Belle Époque ski resort that you have to hike up, and a broken city, skewered by swords of light, to fight through on your way to confront the giant, weepy Paintess, who’s always slumped on the horizon. Side quests and distractions from the main story are minimal until later in the game, and I found myself happily moving on without completing them, hoping for an easy way to backtrack to areas. That doesn’t quite ever happen, although a Doctor Who-esque house found within the game, with doors attached to various places across the Continent, would have made a convenient shortcut. Instead, you have to wait until you’ve found Esquie’s stone for flying, which comes pretty late into the game. Once Esquie takes to the skies, there’s no shortage of mini quests and new areas, including gorgeously hued floating islands, paintings to test your battle strategies and curios that help bolster smaller story beats. I haven’t finished all of the optional bosses and quests, but the only frustrating ones so far have hinged on some precarious platforming segments. It’s not great; it's frustrating. These characters were not built for leaps of faith. And if you’re sprinting, don’t be surprised if you parkour roll off the platform you landed on, and fall to your death. Without spoiling the story, many of the characters have a degree of plot blindness that stretches incredulity. It can be especially jarring when woven amid a lot of heaviness, themes of loss, death of close friends and the whole attempting-to-save-the-world when no-one even knows if it’s possible. Sandfall I’m willing to forgive the high-concept wankery to an extent . Still, when new characters join you, almost certainly connected to mysterious enemies trying to kill you, you’d expect other party members might have a few questions. You can tell the team loves RPGs. The director said he was “starving for turn-based RPGs” and he’s helped make quite the meal. The RPG inspirations come from many places. You can easily see the affection for both the Persona and Final Fantasy series in places. Still, during the battles, it was Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, of all things, that came to mind, with the judicious use of timing and quick button presses being the best way to win – or at least survive. Another thing that Expedition 33 does right is a rather fantastic run of battles, cinematic set-pieces and exploration towards the end. The final villain, too, is someone I was hoping to fight – no random evil big bad here, like we have suffered in one or ten RPGs past. Expedition 33 is a solid, enjoyable RPG – and I’ve already started. However, later into the game, and on the higher difficulty level, it devolves into a rhythm action game, especially on damage-sponge bosses. Although that might not be what turn-based RPG fans want, it adds urgency and focus to fights. It’s also a gorgeously made and well-considered world. A strong endorsement for it all is that I’m still hunting down records of every expedition that came before Gustave, Maelle and Lune.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/clair-obscur-expedition-33-review-an-original-hit-rpg-090012488.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 11:50 May the 4th be with you is almost upon us, so get ready for an influx of Stars Wars paraphernalia. That includes new merch, such as Casetify's collaboration with Star Wars. Yes, starting today, Star Wars fans can get a series of branded accessories for devices ranging from iPhones to wireless chargers. One of the most over-the-top items available is a Darth Vader AirPods holder. As you can see above, it's an entire stand for your AirPods that almost looks like a little bobblehead doll. But, it fits your AirPod case and leaves space for the keychain to poke out. Plus, Casetify claims it's "complete with authentic breathing sound effects" — a purchase that truly falls under the category of something you never knew you needed. The Darth Vader head follows similar Casetify products, including a stand that looks like RX-78-2 from Gundam. It also held both AirPods and another case from the anime collaboration. A separate roll out with Neon Genesis Evangelion included an AirPods case based on the head of Evangelion Unit-01. As for the Star Wars collection, you can check out all the products below and purchase items starting at $32. Some of the themed accessories will be available to buy in bundles. Casetify This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/casetifys-latest-airpods-case-is-a-darth-vader-head-080012607.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 01:31 Google is under the microscope following a court ruling last year that it has a monopoly over online search, but the future of its vast suite of digital services is still uncertain at this stage. Last month, the Justice Department suggested that Google would need to sell off the Chrome browser; if the tech giant does make that move, there's already at least one interested buyer. Bloomberg reports that Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, spoke at a hearing today about the Google monopoly situation and was asked whether OpenAI would be interested in acquiring Chrome. “Yes, we would, as would many other parties,” he said. Users can currently use the ChatGPT AI assistant in Chrome through a plugin, but Turley said there could be deeper integrations if OpenAI owned the browser. Under OpenAI's hypothetical ownership, Chrome could "introduce users into what an AI first experience looks like." Chrome isn't the only property Google may lose control over. A separate judge determined earlier this month that Google has also been engaged in anti-competitive behavior over online ad tech. It's no surprise that any other major tech operation would be interested in acquiring one of the many popular services Google has developed over the years. The real question is which one of them landing a purchase wouldn't create a new monopoly. For now, the DOJ is allowing Google to continue its AI investments amid the break-up talk, but adding the browser to OpenAI's holdings may raise new concerns. Since the wheels of justice often turn slowly, it may be a while before we learn the outcomes of the recent Google rulings. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/openai-says-it-would-buy-chrome-if-google-is-forced-to-sell-215239832.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 01:31 Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion, but tensions between Mark Zuckerberg and the app’s founders persisted for years afterward. On Tuesday, Instagram’s former CEO and cofounder Kevin Systrom took the stand in Meta’s antitrust trial in Washington D.C and offered a firsthand account of how Zuckerberg viewed the photo-sharing app as a “threat” to Facebook. Systrom, who ran Instagram until 2018, said that Zuckerberg slowed hiring and other investments into Instagram despite its success. Zuckerberg, Systrom testified, "believed we were a threat to their growth," and as a result "was not investing" in the photo-sharing app, according to testimony reported by The New York Times. As The Times notes, Instagram had only a fraction of the employees as Facebook even after reaching 1 billion users. "As the founder of Facebook, he felt a lot of emotion around which one was better, meaning Instagram or Facebook," Systrom reportedly said. Tensions between Instagram’s founders and Zuckerberg over company resources have been previously reported, but Systrom’s testimony is the first time he’s publicly spoken in detail about the issues that ultimately led him to resign from the company. On the stand Tuesday, Systrom said that Zuckerberg “believed we were hurting Facebook’s growth,” according to Bloomberg. Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram is central to the FTC’s case against Meta. The government has argued that Meta’s purchase of WhatsApp and Instagram were anticompetitive and that the social media company should be forced to divest the businesses. Systrom’s testimony comes a week after Zuckerberg took the stand and defended Meta’s $1 billion Instagram acquisition. However, a 2018 email from Zuckerberg that surfaced earlier in the trial showed that the Facebook founder was aware as early as 2018 that he could be forced to spin off the services into independent entities.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagrams-former-ceo-testifies-zuckerberg-thought-the-app-was-a-threat-to-facebook-202112282.html?src=rss

23.04.2025 01:31 Max now requires a fee for extra members who join a plan outside of the household. Each person who joins a subscription plan will cost $8 a head, no matter which access tier the main account holder is on. This type of "extra member" charge is how several streaming services have tried to cut down on password sharing by users. Netflix introduced this approach in 2023 and Disney+ followed suit in 2024. The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned platform has at least temporarily allowed live sports and news content to be viewed for free, which is a nice perk for as long as it lasts. Max last raised its subscription prices in 2024, so hopefully viewers will get a reprieve on any more new costs for the rest of this year. These non-household members will be able to stream Max content from their own accounts on one device at a time, and they'll have access to the same plan benefits such as video quality and downloads. In addition, when an extra member joins a plan, they can import their existing watch list and preferences with Max's new profile transfer option.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/max-implements-8-extra-member-charges-on-all-subscription-plans-195228707.html?src=rss

22.04.2025 21:10 Wheel of Time is getting a new video game adaptation. The popular fantasy book series has already seen an imagining for the small screen with an Amazon Prime Video series that is currently airing its third season. Now iwot Studios, which has a hand in creating the Amazon show, is launching a new game studio to create a AAA open-world RPG set in the same fictional universe. iwot brought in Craig Alexander to helm its new video game studio. Alexander has held management and leadership roles at game operations including Warner Bros. Entertainment, Activision, EA and Sierra On-Line. According to Variety, the studio is projecting a three-year development for the game, which seems pretty ambitious considering the it's still hiring team leads. iwot is also behind a planned live action movie as well as an animated feature film set within the same world as Wheel of Time. According to iwot Studios CEO Rick Selvage, the company will have "a lot of continuity in regards to how we approach our transmedia strategy" across the different projects. This isn't the first time Robert Jordan's books have been source material for a game. Legend Entertainment released a first-person shooter based on Wheel of Time in 1999, and it's still available to play on modern hardware thanks to the preservation efforts at GOG.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/wheel-of-time-is-getting-a-new-aaa-open-world-rpg-adaptation-184741772.html?src=rss

22.04.2025 21:10 Pinterest is testing a new prompt that warns kids to get off the app during school hours, as reported by The Verge. The pop-up warning encourages minors in the US and Canada to stop using the app and turn off notifications until the end of the day. "Focus is a beautiful thing," the prompt says. "Stay in the moment by putting Pinterest down." This prompt only appears to kids aged 13 to 17 and only between 8AM and 3PM on weekdays. It’s a large-scale test, so Pinterest says the prompt will reach "millions" of minors. The platform says it's the first tech company to institute this kind of "proactive" feature to help kids build healthy online habits. That may be true in the world of social media, but any rabid Nintendo fan will remember the incessant prompts to take breaks in the Wii, DS and 3DS eras. Pinterest CEO Bill Ready has also announced the company’s support of phone-free school policies. Some European countries have banned phones in schools in recent years. Here in the US, New York is close to implementing a statewide ban that’s informally called a “bell-to-bell” restriction. Several other states are in the process of developing their own bans. To go along with this initiative, Pinterest is providing a $1 million grant to the International Society for Technology in Education to "support school leaders in creating a healthy digital culture in their schools." This money will fund task forces across a dozen states to help develop policies that “improve students’ digital wellbeing.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/pinterest-will-warn-kids-not-to-use-its-app-during-school-hours-171512379.html?src=rss

22.04.2025 21:10 Fellow has been slowly growing its collection of coffee gadgets with its brewers, scale, grinders and more. But up until now, there's always been a big hole in its lineup. That changes today with the arrival of the company's first espresso machine: the Espresso Series 1. When I got to try it out a couple weeks ago prior to launch, Fellow CEO Jake Miller said the goal was to make a device that "baristas would be excited to use and that they could actually afford." That said, at $1,500, it certainly isn't cheap. However, when you start comparing the Espresso Series 1 capabilities to competing machines, that price quickly begins to make a lot of sense. That's because unlike a lot of similarly priced rivals, Fellow's offering offers a ton of ways to customize and adjust the brewing process, which includes control over not just temperature, but also pressure, extraction time, steaming and the ability to create or download profiles for specific beans. Sam Rutherford for Engadget When compared to other modern machines, competitors like the $1,350 Meticulous support custom profiles and pressure settings, but it doesn't have a built-in steamer for milk like the Series 1. And if you want a ton of control over everything, espresso enthusiasts often look to even more complex and expensive options like the Decent, which goes for well over $3,000. So while Fellow's latest product might seem pricey, it feels very reasonable in context. Now, I will admit that when I saw the Series 1 in its cherry red hero color, I thought Fellow had departed from its previous design language. But after closer inspection, it’s clear the company still retains its focus on clean lines while still making the device easy-to-use. It just has a bit more character now thanks to elements like the polished stainless metal brewer and the wood accents on the included 58mm portafilter's handle. The Series 1's base kit comes with both a single-wall double-shot basket and a pressurized double-shot basket. Fellow even went out of its way to create a rear housing made from a single sheet of metal with curvy corners, because the company wanted the back to look just as good as the front. Similar to the Aiden, the Series 1 features a circular screen, except this time it's slightly larger. And while you can adjust everything using the espresso machine's single control dial, for more complex tasks like creating custom profiles, it'll probably be easier to use Fellow's free companion app instead. When it comes to brewing, I really appreciate that if you just want a cup of espresso, the Series 1 streamlines things and makes it easy to bust out a cup quickly. There are three rather self-explanatory buttons on top for espresso, steaming and dispensing hot water. Plus, there are a ton of small but handy features like a temperature-sensing wand that helps take a lot of the guesswork out of making perfectly frothy milk. Fellow even thought about stuff like someone's daily workflow, which is why there's a small rubberized mat on top of the machine for storing demitasse cups. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Of course, the proof is in espresso. The Series 1 produced a cup with a surprising amount of crema that highlighted the beans' fruity notes. It was rich and smooth and pretty much everything I want in a shot of java. It also made the brewing process very approachable, because for people who might not have a ton of experience, there are guided brew settings as well. Normally, when I want espresso, I go out to a coffee shop because I've yet to find a machine that hits the right balance between modern styling and ease of use while still having the ability to adjust and tinker with settings. But with the Espresso Series 1, it feels like Fellow has made a machine that delivers on everything that all levels of enthusiasts can get into. Sam Rutherford for Engadget The Espresso Series 1 will be available for $1,500 in three colors: cherry red, malted chocolate and black. However, Fellow says early buyers can get a special launch price of $1,200, which includes a $100 credit for the company's Drops program that offers a curated selection of coffee beans for purchase. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/the-espresso-series-1-is-the-new-crown-jewel-in-fellows-coffee-gadget-lineup-170008473.html?src=rss

22.04.2025 21:10 I try to play as broad a swathe of games as I can, including as many of the major releases as I am able to get to. Baldur's Gate 3 garnered near-universal praise when it arrived in 2023, and I was interested in trying it. But when I watched gameplay videos, the user interface seemed distressingly busy. There were far too many icons at the bottom of the screen and my brain crumbled at the sight of them. I am yet to try Baldur's Gate 3. Two years later, I had similar feelings ahead of checking out Overwatch 2's Stadium, a major new mode for a game I play nearly every single day. Blizzard gave members of the press a spreadsheet that detailed all of the possible upgrades and powers for each hero, as well as a list of modifiers that any character can use. With two dozen or so unlockables for each of the 17 heroes that will be in Stadium at the jump and about 70 general upgrades, that's hundreds of different options Blizzard is adding to the game all at once. As I scrolled through the list, I was surprised that a feeling of dismay washed over me. I started to worry that Stadium might not be for me. Figuring out how to combine the items and powers in effective ways for so many different characters seemed completely daunting. It doesn't help that I'm growing tired of more and more major games having RPG elements with deeper character customization. Taking some of the decision making out of my hands by giving a character a defined set of abilities and weapons with no stat or gear upgrades to worry about is more my speed. Thankfully, Blizzard has some good ideas on how to welcome players into this new mode. And, as it turns out, once I actually started playing Stadium, my anxious feelings swiftly melted away and I had a great time with it. Blizzard bills Stadium, which will go live for all players as part of season 16 on April 22, as the third pillar of Overwatch 2. It will nestle alongside the Competitive and Unranked modes and only be available in a ranked format. Stadium is a very different take on Overwatch 2. For instance, it has a more sports-like presentation. Thanks to some tweaks to maps that seem a little out of the Apex Legends playbook and a new, looser announcer, it feels a bit more like a spectator sport than the lore-infused Competitive and Unranked formats. The maps in Stadium are either new stages or condensed versions of existing ones, with rounds typically lasting just a few minutes each. On paper, Stadium is a more tactical spin on Overwatch 2, though with a vastly different approach than the likes of Valorant or CS:GO. Neither of those games really landed for me , adding to my concern that I wouldn’t gel with Stadium. This is a best-of-seven, 5v5 format built around customizing your hero during a match with various upgrades. What's more, this is the first time players can opt for a third-person view at all times. The first-person view is still there if you prefer it. It's a little redundant to think of Stadium as Blizzard's answer to Marvel Rivals. It's been in development for over two years — it was conceived before Overwatch 2 even debuted and long before Marvel Rivals siphoned away a chunk of the player base. Still, it's hard not to make the comparison. Blizzard Entertainment There's a lot to drink in here. Ahead of my hands-on time with Stadium, I asked game director Aaron Keller how the Overwatch 2 team designed the mode to avoid making it feel too overwhelming and how the developers hoped to ease players into Stadium. The team has done a few things with the aim of making the transition "a little less intimidating" for both long-time players and newcomers to the game, such as having a tab with example builds in the Armory, the pre-round shop where you select your upgrades. "If you want to, when you're playing a hero for the first time, you can just click through a custom, designer-built set of powers and items that you can unlock over the course of that match," Keller said. "It takes a little bit of what can be an overwhelming decision-making process out of your first-time experience, but you'll still be able to feel yourself grow in power." Restricting the initial roster of heroes to 17 out of 43 can help players get to grips with Stadium, Keller suggested, though Blizzard will add more characters to the mode each season . The lack of hero swapping could also be a boon here. "All you're really gonna have to focus on is what your hero, your team's heroes and the enemy team can do over the course of that match," Keller said. The lack of hero swaps did seem odd at first. One of the things that initially drew me to Overwatch was that each character had a defined set of abilities. The idea of being able to switch to a different hero to counter a particular menace on the enemy team was such a core part of the Overwatch experience for so long, but that faded over time. The switch to role locks and the new perks system, which incentivizes sticking with one character over the course of a match to unlock useful upgrades, have diminished the freedom of swapping to any other hero at any time. In Stadium, rather than hero swaps, the answer to countering a pesky opponent is optimizing your build. "A lot of Stadium takes place during combat, but it's just as important to be able to put a strategy together around what you're unlocking in the Armory," Keller said. "It becomes much, much harder to do that if you can't predict what the heroes are going to be on the enemy team from round to round." To help players from feeling like they're unable to deal with a certain enemy , players will be able to put together counter builds in the Armory. "We've got anti-barrier builds you can use. We've even got anti-beam builds that are available to different heroes," Keller said. "If you're going up against a Zarya, there are some things that you, or people on your team, are going to be able to do to counter that." Through the Armory, you can unlock up to four powers. These are powerful and/or ridiculous abilities that you can pick from every other round. These are locked in for the duration of a match. One power sees Ashe's ultimate cost slashed in half, but when she deploys B.O.B., he's just a little guy with lower attack speed and durability. Mini B.O.B. is just far too adorable for words. Another power lets Kiriko players spawn an AI-controlled clone of the support for a few seconds after she teleports. Along with powers, there are items. These are purchased with earnable currency and can be swapped out before each round. You get some currency at the beginning of a match and earn more by playing well — dealing damage, scoring eliminations, healing allies, collecting a bounty by taking out an enemy who's crushing it and so on. Common and rare items boost your stats, but epic items are the ones you want. These are the more expensive upgrades that you unlock more of the longer a Stadium match goes. Mei has some really great tweaks, such as the ability to move faster if on ground that she freezes, being able to remove a burn effect with her chilling primary fire and turning into a rolling ice ball that damages opponents. One enemy I faced used a combo of Mei's ice ball and ice wall to trap me, with both abilities damaging my hero at the same time. I'm stealing that strategy. Blizzard Entertainment Orisa, meanwhile, can use her javelin spin to fly a short distance. Ana can cast her powerful Nano Boost through walls and to multiple allies. Soldier: 76 can get a short burst of his auto-aiming ultimate after damaging an enemy with his Helix Rockets. This is just scratching the surface of the items on offer, and the options can compound on each other to make abilities wildly powerful. "I mostly just want to present a space for players where they feel like they can take the elements they really love about the other core modes that we have and just push them. Find that character that speaks to them and just push it as far as they can," senior game designer Dylan Snyder said when asked what would make the team's work on Stadium feel like it paid off. "If we start seeing people sharing builds around and saying 'guys, I found this, this is the answer in this scenario, check this out.' They do write-ups on that, to me that's a win. Any numbers or metrics aside, to me, that's the mark of something that has landed with people." Overwatch 2's practice range is there for a reason I'm glad I took some time to play around with all of the heroes in the Stadium version of the practice range before hopping into a match. I started to get a feel for what each hero could do with maxed-out example builds. Certain abilities can quickly become very powerful if you pick powers and items that complement each other. When I hopped into matches, I made a conscious choice to stop worrying about understanding everything and to embrace the side of Overwatch 2 that I love the most: full-blown chaos. Relying on the example builds was a big help at the outset. By focusing on those — and selecting the items that I felt would be the most effective at any given time — I didn't have to overthink anything. Just quickly pick a power and some items and try to enjoy myself, before switching to more powerful items as soon as I had a chance. That was my strategy. Because of that, I've been having an absolute blast with Stadium so far. Playing around with all the new stuff you can do as all of the heroes is far more engaging than I've expected. Piling every resource into survivability as a tank or weapon upgrades as a damage hero makes sense, but each hero has a ton of flexibility. For instance, I could have gone all in on upgrading Ashe's Dynamite. But having a second Coach Gun charge to simultaneously blow up a trio of additional sticky explosives that can spawn when Ashe's Dynamite detonates was very impactful. I picked up quite a few kills with that trick. Blizzard Entertainment My favorite upgraded ability so far is being able to fly while using Reinhardt's charge. He can soar across nearly half a map in a few seconds. It's absurd. Not even flying heroes are safe from Reinhardt barreling them into a wall. I'm a bit more mixed on the third-person view. It does have a lot of advantages, such as a wider field of view and peeking around walls. Until now, I've often had to use a dance emote to secretly peer around a corner. A lot of players will also appreciate being able to get a better look at the skins they've worked so hard to unlock. But I think some of the game's tactility is lost in third-person mode. In that perspective, Reinhardt feels a little slower and the satisfying smack of his hammer when it clatters an enemy feels less impactful. It's also a little jarring to switch from a third-person view to aiming down a rifle's sights with Ashe or Ana. So, although the third-person perspective works well for heroes like D.Va, Kiriko and Lucio, I'm glad the first-person mode is still an option. Meanwhile, Soldier: 76 feels completely overpowered as things stand. He's been an ever-present in my matches and those playing as him usually ended up with the most currency out of everyone in the lobby. But that's the kind of thing the developers will be keeping a close eye on. It'll be even tougher to balance Stadium than the other modes, and doing so will be an ongoing process. When I first started playing Overwatch in 2016, it took me several weeks to get my head around all of the heroes' abilities and how they could be combined or countered. It's going to take me a while to fully understand all of the new stuff here given the multiple layers of complexity, but I'm happy to just relax and have fun, and passively absorb all of the information instead of poring over it like I'm studying for a test. Despite my initial reservations, I can see myself sticking with Stadium for a while. I've seen some wild stuff already, and things are going to get more bananas in the coming months as Blizzard folds more heroes into the mode. Plus, the Overwatch 2 I know and love is still there. If I ever feel too overwhelmed in Stadium, I can always retreat to the comfort of my beloved Mystery Heroes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/overwatch-2s-frenetic-stadium-mode-is-a-new-lease-on-life-for-my-go-to-game-165053113.html?src=rss

22.04.2025 21:10 Earlier this year, right as TikTok and other ByteDance apps were temporarily pulled from Apple and Google’s app stores, Meta announced that it was working on a new video editing app tailored to Instagram creators. That app, called Edits, is now finally rolling out as Meta continues to try to leverage the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future to draw more creators to its apps. As previewed in its earlier app store listings, Edits promises much more advanced editing tools than what’s been available in Meta’s apps. The in-app camera allows creators to capture up to 10 minutes of video and publish to Instagram in “enhanced quality.” It also features popular editing effects like green screen and Instagram’s extensive music catalog. In keeping with Meta’s current focus on AI, Edits comes with a couple AI-powered features as well. The “animate” feature allows users to create a video from a static image, while “cutouts” enables video makers to “isolate specific people or objects with precision tracking.” And unlike ByteDance’s popular editor CapCut, Edits doesn’t export videos with a watermark of any kind . While Edits is launching months after CapCut came back online in the US, Meta is adding some Instagram-specific features to lure Reels creators. This includes in-app post analytics, as well as the ability to import audio tracks they’ve previously saved in the app. And it sounds like Instagram creators can look forward to more specialized features in the future. In a blog post, the company notes that the current version of the app is merely “the first step” for Edits, and that it plans to collaborate with creators on more functionality going forward. Edits is out now in the App Store and Google Play.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-is-rolling-out-edits-its-capcut-competitor-163045930.html?src=rss