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21.04.2025 20:10 Meta says it's doing more to make sure as many of its younger users as possible are using the teen accounts that it has rolled out for Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. Starting today, it's testing artificial intelligence tech in the US to detect whether a person is a teen — even if they've lied about their birthday to make it seem like they're an adult — and then move them to a teen account. The company says it has taken steps to make sure that the age-detection tech is accurate, but in case it makes a mistake, users that the AI suspects of being a teen have the option to change their settings and stick with an adult account. While Meta has been using AI for age detection for a while, it says employing the tech in this way is a "big change." Meta debuted teen accounts in Instagram last fall and recently expanded them to Facebook and Messenger. Teen accounts have stricter privacy settings and parental controls. These accounts are, for instance, automatically set to private and prevent teen users from messaging strangers. The company says it has enrolled more than 54 million teens into such accounts and that 97 percent of users aged between 13 and 15 have chosen to keep them enabled . The company adds that over 90 percent of the parents it has surveyed agree that teen accounts have helped keep their kids safe on Instagram. Also starting today, Meta says it will send parents on Instagram a notification about resources they can use to talk to their teens about why it's important to have the correct age on their profiles so they can be enrolled in teen accounts. Meta says it's working on other ways to ensure users have age-appropriate experiences, such as backing federal legislation to require app stores to seek parental permission whenever an under-16 wants to download an app.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-using-its-ai-age-detection-tech-to-shuffle-more-young-users-into-teen-accounts-142014188.html?src=rss

21.04.2025 15:51 If you're looking for a way to improve your streaming experience without buying a whole new TV, our top pick for the best streaming device is down to an all-time-low price. The Google TV Streamer 4K is on sale for $79, which is a 21-percent discount from its regular price. This new streaming device came out at the end of last year and effectively replaced Google's Chromecast. This is the lowest price we've seen on it since launch, and you can grab it from Amazon or direct from Google. We gave the Google TV streamer 4K an 87 in our review thanks to features like its great interface that keeps everything organized and clear, even across different streaming sources. It also has a simple, easy-to-use remote and switches between content very quickly. However, it does require an HDMI cord and doesn't work with Wi-Fi 6 or 6E. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-google-tv-streamer-4k-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-133539103.html?src=rss

21.04.2025 15:51 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly held a second private Signal chat on upcoming Yemen strikes with members including his wife, brother and personal lawyer, according to The New York Times. Sources said that Hegseth shared flight schedules for F-18 Hornets targeting Houthis in Yemen, much as he did on a separate Signal chat the same day that accidentally included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief. It's not clear that any of the people in the group chat would need to know about the attacks, though Hegseth's brother and lawyer both have jobs at the Pentagon. Jennifer Hegseth, the Defense Secretary's wife, is not employed at the defense department, the report states. The second chat, called "Defense | Team Huddle" was created by Hegseth prior to his confirmation and included a dozen or so people from his professional and personal circle, . It was initially created to allow discussions around routine schedule and administrative information on Hegseth's personal device. A US official told the NYT that there was no national security breach, but wouldn't comment on whether Hegseth shared detailed targeting information. "The truth is that there is an informal group chat that started before confirmation of his closest advisers. Nothing classified was ever discussed on that chat." Trump administration officials previously defended Hegseth over the first breach, asserting that no classified information was ever shared. However, Democrats in Congress expressed alarm. "If true, this incident is another troubling example of Secretary Hegseth’s reckless disregard for the laws and protocols that every other military service member is required to follow," said Senator Jack Reed, senior Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. "Every day he stays in his job is another day our troops' lives are endangered by his singular stupidity," added Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/hegseth-reportedly-shared-yemen-attack-details-on-second-signal-chat-with-his-wife-and-others-123046480.html?src=rss

21.04.2025 15:51 If you've been thinking about upgrading your old Apple Watch, or you're keen on picking one up for the first time, you can save $100 on the latest model at Amazon. The Apple Watch Series 10 has dropped to $299 in a few colorways, which is a record-low price. That's the price for the 42mm GPS version, but the GPS + cellular model is also on sale for $100 off — down to $399 in a handful of color options. Considering the Apple Watch typically only gets updated once a year along with iPhones in September, this is a good deal to snag now while the Series 10 will remain the flagship smartwatch in Apple's lineup for a few more months. The Apple Watch Series 10 is our pick for the best smartwatch overall, though note that you'll need a compatible iPhone to use it. We gave the wearable a score of 90 in our review. Admittedly, this is a relatively iterative upgrade. If you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or 9, the upgrade might not be worth it. But if you're an Apple Watch newcomer or you're upgrading from an older model, this is probably the one to go for. The Series 10 has a larger screen than its predecessor, which makes it easier to see notifications and such. The thinner frame looks nicer too. However, while the Apple Watch Series 10 is great for fitness and wellness tracking, it's a bit disappointing that the device lacks the blood oxygen feature seen in earlier models . Check out our coverage of the best Apple 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/the-apple-watch-series-10-drops-to-299-at-amazon-155611677.html?src=rss

21.04.2025 15:51 A good keyboard can make all the difference for your work setup. If you primarily work on a laptop, switching from the built-in keyboard to a wired or wireless keyboard can be more comfortable and ergonomic while adding functionality like extra keys and shortcuts into the mix. If your daily driver is a desktop, a keyboard will be an essential accessory that can elevate your rig whether you're using it to work a 9-to-5 with it or play AAA games in your free time.But the world of keyboards is vast, and we at Engadget have tried out dozens over the years including gaming keyboards, ergonomic keyboards, mechanical keyboards and more. If you're just starting to think about the best keyboard for you, or you're ready to upgrade from an aging peripheral, we gathered all of our top picks for the best keyboards you can get right here. Best keyboards for 2025 What to look for in a keyboard Design Size The first thing you’ll want to consider when it comes to your next keyboard’s design is size. There are a number of different keyboard layouts to choose from, but the most common are full-sized, tenkeyless and those smaller than tenkeyless. Full-sized keyboards, or 100 percent, include a function row at the top and a complete number pad with arrow keys on the right side, along with all of the rest of the alphanumeric keys you’d expect. Tenkeyless, or 80 percent, removes the number pad but keeps the arrow keys and the function row, reducing the overall width measurement of the board by a decent amount. Compact designs keep things ultra simple by including only the alphanumeric keys and modifiers like Alt, Shift, Ctrl and others and they come in different sizes like 60 percent, 65 percent and more. These are the most popular sizes out there, but you can find plenty of other designs that include different mixes of keys along with the standard letters and numbers all should have. Aside from size, there are two other big categories that you could use to define a keyboard: ergonomic and mechanical. Ergonomic keyboards are designed with, you guessed it, better ergonomics in mind, taking into account where you should position your fingers, hands and forearms to maintain proper posture. Separately, mechanical keyboards use mechanical switches that differ greatly from the membrane or scissor-switch keyboards you’ll find dominating most wired and wireless options widely available today. We have guides to the best ergonomic keyboards and best mechanical keyboards, but we’ll summarize what you need to know about both here. Ergonomic keyboards If you deal with discomfort from working at a computer all day, ergonomic keyboards can help. These specially designed boards re-orient the keys, allowing you to hold your elbows farther apart and maintain a straighter line from your forearms to hands. Some people find this subtle change more comfortable. Ergonomic keyboards typically fall into two categories: Alice and split. The former is a single unit with an A-shaped gap in the center of the keys. Split models come in two separate pieces which you can arrange as you like on your desk. Additional ergonomic features like tenting and negative tilt can make typing feel even more comfortable, and are often available on both Alice and split boards. Tenting raises the middle of the keys up so your hands take on more of a “handshake” position. Negative tilting lowers the top of the keyboard to keep your wrists angled downward instead of back towards your forearms. The way the keys are arranged on the keyboard may make typing easier as well. Traditionally, keyboards are staggered, with one row of letters slightly offset from the row beneath it. Columnar keyboards arrange the keys in a grid of rows and columns. This style takes a little getting used to, but some people find it allows them to type faster. You can also make the keys of some keyboards do more than just produce letters. Programmable boards let you map shortcuts and other functions, which may keep you from reaching for the mouse quite so often, saving you time and possibly strain as well. Mechanical keyboards Mechanical keyboards have blown up in popularity as more people have been thrust into creating their own workspaces at home. It’s easy to see why: Compared to a traditional membrane keyboard, a good mechanical board is more durable, more satisfying to press and, most importantly, infinitely more customizable. The best of them usually come with a price premium, but even some cheaper models let you “hot-swap” between keycaps, switches and other materials, letting you tinker with different typing sensations and sound profiles until you find a combination that best expresses your preferences. Do you want each press to feel deep and full or fast and light? Do you need them to sound loud and clacky or almost totally muffled? Do you prefer your keycaps to look subdued and professional, stuffed with RGB lights or written in an Elvish language from The Lord of the Rings for some reason? With the right mechanical keyboard, it’s all up to you — the only things really holding you back are your imagination and your wallet. We have a dedicated buying guide that digs deeper into the key aspects to consider when buying a mechanical keyboard, so we encourage you to look at that for a full rundown. To keep things high-level, the most influential part of your purchase is your keyboard’s switch type. These little mechanisms slot underneath the keycaps and generally have the biggest effect on how your keyboard feels and sounds as you type away. You can broadly separate mechanical switches into three buckets: linear, tactile and clicky. Linear switches feel smooth all the way down; they’re often popular with gamers since they tend to be light and fast to actuate. Tactile switches create a tangible “bump” sensation partway through a press; many people who spend all day typing prefer them because they clearly confirm each press without being all that loud. Clicky switches are functionally similar to tactiles but make an audible “click” sound to match the bump; your coworkers may hate them, but others love the full-throated sense of feedback they provide. To be clear, just because two switches fall within the same bucket doesn’t mean they feel or sound exactly the same. The only way to figure out which switch works best for you is to do your research and, preferably, try some out for yourself. Other keyboards have a mechanical-style feel but are built on different mechanisms entirely. The hot new trend in gaming-focused keyboards, for example, is Hall effect switches, which use tiny magnets to register keystrokes and let you customize the sensitivity of each press. Optical switches, meanwhile, offer similar functionality by replacing the physical contact point of a typical mechanical switch with a beam of infrared light. More recently, we’ve seen a couple keyboards launch with inductive switches, which can work like magnetic switches but use inductive coils in the keyboard’s printed circuit board to cater to all switches collectively and don’t require a sensor for each individual switch. We touch on a couple of magnetic-switch keyboards in our picks below, but for a fuller breakdown of this sort of tech, we recommend you check out our dedicated buying guide to the best gaming keyboards. Connectivity You’ve got two options here: wired or wireless. Wired keyboards typically have an attached cable that plugs into a USB-A or USB-C port on your computer , although some come with cables that can be removed. Wireless keyboards connect to your machine either via Bluetooth or a wireless receiver dongle. There’s always the chance of some latency with wireless keyboards, so keep that in mind if you’re picking one up to use primarily with a gaming PC. Of course, you’ll only have to worry about battery life with wireless keyboards.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-keyboard-120000018.html?src=rss

21.04.2025 05:40 Spoilers follow for The Last of Us season two, episodes one and two HBO’s The Last of Us showed viewers in season one that it would lean heavily on the source video games for major plot points and general direction of the season while expanding on the universe, and season two has followed that to the most extreme end possible. Episode two sees Tommy and Maria lead the town of Jackson Hole against a massive wave of Infected, the likes of which we haven’t seen in the show yet. This was a complete invention for the show, one that gives the episode Game of Thrones vibes, or calls to mind a battle like the siege of Helm’s Deep in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It’s epic in scale, with the overmatched defenders showing their skill and bravery against overwhelming odds; there is loss and pain but the good guys eventually triumph. That mass-scale battle is paired with the most intimate and brutal violence we’ve seen in the entire series so far, as Joel’s actions finally catch up with him. His death at the hands of Abby and her crew of ex-Fireflies from Seattle is truly upsetting, even if you know it is coming — and that in the twisted world that Joel and Abby inhabit, it was a form of “justice.” Of course, it was pretty obvious after the first five minutes of episode one that this is where Abby’s journey would take her, but it sure happened fast. You could say the same thing about when Joel dies in the video game, but ever since the HBO series was announced I’ve been wondering about just how Craig Mazin would choose to tackle the events of the second game and Joel’s death. Part of me wondered if we wouldn’t know for sure Joel was dead until near the end of the season, or if we might not find out Abby’s motivations until much later. But after two episodes, we know that Abby’s dad was the doctor Joel killed at the end of season one to save Ellie, a fact that makes her disturbing lust for vengeance more understandable to the television audience. In the game, on the other hand, players didn’t find that out until much later — a move that cast Abby in the role of "villain" that made Ellie’s own desire for revenge more relatable for the player Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO But what works in a game doesn't necessarily work in a more passive adaptation. I do think there was a way for the writers to save the full reveal for Abby’s motivations for later, but I didn’t really bump on how things played out here. Similarly, I wasn’t really bothered by the introduction to Abby’s crew and her desire to find Joel that happened at the beginning of the season premiere. But I do know a number of people who played the game feel like this has robbed the show of some mystery and changed the momentum in a way that didn’t work for them, and I can appreciate that argument. For anyone who hasn’t played the games, though, I’m sure that seeing the co-lead character killed off in the second episode of the season was a bit of a shock, no matter how much it was hinted at — particularly after Joel went out of his way to save Abby from certain death. In another world, you could imagine that blunting her need for revenge, or at least having her forgo the extended torture of a helpless Joel. But she’s clearly captivated by the opportunity in a way that even her friends are a bit horrified by. Ellie being there to find Dina unconscious and then forced to watch Abby deliver the final blow is the cherry on the disaster sundae that is this episode. It’s even harder to swallow when you consider their last interaction was Ellie’s extreme rebuff of Joel at the dance the night before. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO It’s truly a wild choice for such a high-profile show, even though there was nowhere else for it to go. Pedro Pascal has been everywhere the last few years, and The Last of Us could have been his signature role. Joel’s death doesn’t fully diminish that, but obviously even if we see him in flashbacks in this season and the next, it won’t be the same as him leading an episode. To let such a marketable and popular star go must have been a tough pill for HBO to swallow, though chances are that the network knew from the beginning of negotiations that would have to happen. Regardless, it’s a move up there with the death of Sean Bean’s Ned Stark in terms of subverting audience expectations about who is going to lead the show going forward. That’ll fall to Bella Ramsey for the rest of the season. I will say that Mazin and director Mark Mylod did a great job of balancing the many stories and cast members in this episode. Kaitlyn Dever gets her first extended amount of screen time and captures Abby’s barely-contained ferocity in a way that feels like a great tribute to the game source material, despite the fact that she is not nearly as physically ripped as Abby is in the game. Her scenes with Joel and Dina are absolutely chilling, even before she has Joel on the ropes; big credit to Pascal and Isabela Merced, again, for showing a major range of emotions as they help Abby escape from the Infected only to be betrayed. Kaitlyn Dever in HBO's The Last of UsPhotograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO Ramsey, meanwhile, shares a lot of time with Young Mazino’s Jesse as they go on patrol and frantically search for Joel; back in Jackson, Gabriella Luna and Rutina Wesley as Tommy and Maria keep Jackson from falling to the Infected. It’s a lot of threads to tie together, and the fact that this episode includes the biggest battle we’ve ever seen as well as Joel’s capture and death without feeling overstuffed is a testament to the writers, directors and cast. Speaking of that Infected battle, I wasn’t fully sold on it when I saw teases in the trailers for this season, but it was a thrilling delight. I loved seeing the preparations Jackson put into place, like the oil barrels coming down from the walls and the flamethrower brigade surrounded by snipers up on the buildings. Of course, all the best-planned defenses fail once the Infected get through the wall and all hell breaks loose, and the show successfully had me questioning whether the town would make it even though the idea of it fully falling seemed like a deviation too far from the game. It definitely felt like a response to the criticisms of a relative lack of Infected action in season one, but it worked, and the juxtaposition of the disaster befalling Jackson at large as well as the smaller-scale loss of one of its most important citizens added another layer to the grief. Infected Score: 11/10 The showrunners say season two will have more Infected than season one — let’s see if they’re sticking to their word. Tommy taking down a Bloater with a flamethrower in front of a Mailboxes Etc. store? Barrels of oil lighting a field of Infected on fire? The extremely creepy reveal of the “live” Infected buried and laying in wait under a field of frozen ones that emerged and chased Abby right into the path of Joel? Jackson’s guard dogs coming to the rescue to keep the horde from overtaking the town? This was the most epic action we’ve seen out of the show yet, on a scale that we didn’t get in the games. It’ll be hard to top this battle.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-last-of-us-season-two-through-the-valley-recap-well-that-happened-020017596.html?src=rss

21.04.2025 01:02 Star Wars Celebration is heading back to Los Angeles for the first time since 2006 to mark the franchise’s 50th anniversary in 2027. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, then simply called Star Wars, first hit theaters in 1977 and the rest is history. The location was announced during the closing ceremony of this year’s event, which took place in Japan. Star Wars Celebration 2027 will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from April 1 to April 4, 2027. This year’s Star Wars Celebration brought a ton of announcements and previews into upcoming developments for the franchise. We finally got a real look at Star Wars Zero Company, a single-player turn-based tactics game expected to be released in 2026. ILM also revealed a bit more about its Meta Quest mixed-reality experience , Star Wars: Beyond Victory, and it was confirmed that Ryan Gosling will star in a film called Star Wars: Starfighter, per The Hollywood Reporter. And of course, there will be a Fortnite collaboration. With the Galactic Battle season beginning May 2, Darth Jar Jar is coming to Fortnite. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-next-star-wars-celebration-will-be-held-in-la-in-2027-for-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-first-film-194628408.html?src=rss

20.04.2025 19:20  Nintendo surprised us with a little blast from the past this weekend, uploading a 34-year-old Super Nintendo commercial featuring Paul Rudd to its YouTube channel — and it’s released a sequel for the Nintendo Switch 2. Rudd appears in the Switch 2 promo wearing the same outfit he wore back in 1991, but this time he’s playing Mario Kart World with some celebrity friends over the new GameChat social feature. It’s a charming callback to the original SNES ad, which itself is deliciously ‘90s and a real treat to revisit in 2025. Commercials today just don’t hit the same. Nintendo has steadily been drumming up the hype for the Switch 2’s arrival since it was announced at the beginning of April. The company recently held a livestream to share a more in-depth look at Mario Kart World, which launches on the same day as the new console, revealing some of the new courses, items and assistive features like Smart Steering. We’ve still got some time to wait before it’s all here, though. Pre-orders for the Switch 2 open on April 24, and the console will be available starting June 5. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-shares-a-vintage-snes-commercial-starring-paul-rudd-as-he-reprises-the-role-for-switch-2-171316112.html?src=rss

20.04.2025 19:20 Nintendo finally revealed when gamers in the US and Canada will be able to place their orders for Switch 2 consoles. Nintendo announced that Switch 2 pre-orders will open on April 24 in both regions. Price has remained the same, even in the face of tariffs: the Switch 2 console alone will cost $450, while the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle will cost $500. However, Nintendo also stated it will adjust prices of Switch 2 accessories due to "market conditions." "Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions," the company said in the press release. Also in its statement, the company apologized for the pre-order delay and reiterated that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be widely available starting June 5. How to pre-order the Switch 2 In addition to direct from Nintendo, you'll be able to snag a Switch 2 from participating retailers when the console becomes available. Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart and Target have confirmed they'll be opening pre-orders on April 24. GameStop said it will be accepting pre-orders both in stores and online, the latter starting at 11AM ET that day. Target's pre-orders will open at midnight. We also expect it to be available from Amazon. There's some fine-print attached to pre-ordering directly from Nintendo. According to the pre-order page on Nintendo's site, you must be 18 years or older, sign in with your Nintendo account and register your interest in pre-ordering. Then, you'll be sent an invitation email when it's time to play your pre-order, and the invitation will be valid for 72 hours. And then there's this bit of info: "Invitation emails will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis to registrants who have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2025." That seems to mean those who have paid for Switch Online in the recent past and those who have spent a good amount of time playing Switch games as of late will get first pick at buying a Switch 2. There's no telling if these same restrictions will apply if you want to pre-order from third-party retailers. Pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 from: Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon Tariffs and the Nintendo Switch 2 During its most recent Direct presentation at the start of April, Nintendo showed off more of the Switch 2 than it ever had before. That included the reveal of the April 9 pre-order opening date, in addition to the original $450 starting price. Shortly after, President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on China and other countries, prompting Nintendo to delay pre-orders in the US and Canada. In a reversal, President Trump then announced a 90-day pause on steep “reciprocal” tariffs affecting 75 countries, but also announced that the tariff imposed on China will go up even further . We now know that the original $450 price for the Switch 2 will remain the same in the US and Canada, but based on its official statement, it appears Nintendo is leaving the door open for potential future price increases. We also know that Nintendo started moving some of its Switch console manufacturing to Vietnam in 2019. The reciprocal tariff for Vietnam was set to be 46 percent, but that appears to be on hold for now in favor of a 10 percent reciprocal tariff that’s now in effect for the 90-day pause period. It has been speculated that Nintendo will ramp up production of Switch 2 consoles in Vietnam so it can stay on schedule, even if it sells the console at a loss in the short term. More Switch 2 details We knew from the teaser trailer for the Switch 2 that Nintendo's new hardware would be bigger and would have a new approach to the detachable Joy-Cons. The new Joy-Con 2 have a new C button, mouse controls and a built in gyroscope for tilt control. The console has a built-in mic to support a new feature called Game Chat that will let you communicate with friends in-game. The device is indeed a bit larger, with a 7.9-inch LCD screen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR and a 1080p resolution. When docked, you'll be able to play at up to 4K on your TV, and Nintendo says it improved the consoles internal speakers as well. The new dock also has a built-in fan to keep the console cool and help maintain performance during long play sessions. The Switch 2 has dual USB-C ports for charging, and the base storage amount has increased to 256GB. The Switch 2's storage can be expanded like the previous model, but it will only work with newer microSD Express cards. The Switch 2 has a number of accessories that you'll be able to purchase separately as well. Those are the accessories that Nintendo stated will receive price adjustments — otherwise known as price increases. The new Switch 2 camera will now cost $55, instead of the original $50 price tag; the new Switch 2 Pro controller will be $85 instead of $80; an extra pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers will set you back $95 instead of $90 and a Joy-Con charging grip will go for $40 instead of $35. Check out Nintendo's official statement for all of the accessory price adjustments.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-pre-orders-open-thursday-in-the-us-starting-at-450-plus-everything-else-you-need-to-know-140931297.html?src=rss

20.04.2025 04:30 Beijing held what’s being called the world’s first half-marathon for robots, allowing bipedal bots to compete alongside human runners, and as one might expect, ridiculousness ensued. The robots, which had human operators running with them, for the most part struggled to make it through the course at all, let alone complete the full 13 miles within the four-hour cutoff time. “One fell at the starting line,” Bloomberg reports. “Another’s head fell off and rolled on the ground. And one collapsed and broke into pieces.” They may not be gold medalists just yet, but the videos sure are entertaining. The humanoid robot half-marathon in Beijing just started! pic.twitter.com/8vr2nXQwuR— The Humanoid Hub April 19, 2025 According to Bloomberg, 21 robots participated in the race, but the winner — X Humanoid’s five-foot-ten Tiangong Ultra — was one of only four to make it all the way to the end in the allotted time. And at two hours and 40 minutes, its finishing time was more than double that of the winning human runners. The teams were allowed to do battery swaps and even switch out their robots mid-race for substitutes, though doing that came with time penalties. Along with Tiangong Ultra, which ran at around five miles per hour, the robot runners included Noetix Robotics’ N2, a Gundam-inspired robot, a “female-looking” bot called Huan Huan, and the 30-inch-tall Little Giant robot made by local college students, Bloomberg reports. Many of them were wearing human running shoes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/a-bunch-of-robots-ran-a-half-marathon-alongside-humans-and-it-was-incredibly-goofy-215134524.html?src=rss

19.04.2025 23:20 Spoilers for “Lux.” It’s an interesting time to be a long-running science fantasy media property in the streaming TV age. Star Trek is in the grip of an existential crisis as it fears it’s too old-aged to be relevant. Star Wars became a battlefield in the culture war and, to duck all future bad faith criticism, gave us The Rise of Skywalker. And then there’s Doctor Who, which is somehow managing to plough a 62-year furrow and still fill it with original ideas. Don’t believe me? This week the Doctor and Belinda go up against a sentient cartoon holding the patrons of a 1950s cinema hostage. James Pardon / BBC Studios / Disney / Bad Wolf It’s 1952 in a sparsely populated cinema as the audience watches a breathless newsreel on the power of the atomic bomb. The projectionist flips over to a Merrie Melodies-style cartoon of Mr. Ring-A-Ding , an old-timey song-and-dance character. Just then, a beam of moonlight shines through the window, reflecting off a teaspoon and strikes the screen. Mr. Ring-A-Ding comes to life, talking directly to the scoffing audience before emerging into the theater to the sound of screams. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Belinda are in the TARDIS trying to work out why it’s refusing to land on May 24, 2025. Belinda asks why he doesn’t just take the ship back to his home planet for a fix, but she doesn’t get a satisfactory answer. Instead, the Doctor has built a gadget that will help pull the TARDIS back to the present day, it just needs to land in a few other places first. The pair wind up in Miami in 1952 and while the Doctor initially insists Belinda stay indoors, she’s eager to see what it’s like. They step out into the night of 1952 Miami, outside the cinema from the pre-credits, albeit three months after Mr. Ring-A-Ding came to life. Since then, the theater has been locked shut, with the 15 patrons in the audience going missing; the projectionist, Reginald Pye, has stayed behind to act as caretaker, playing films to an empty room. They visit the diner across the street and meet the mother of one of the missing patrons, Mrs. Lowenstein, who fills in the backstory. They head into the cinema and Mr. Ring-A-Ding makes it clear he’s about to trap them in film before a Mr. Ring-A-Ding short stays playing on the screen. While he’s distracted, the Doctor and Belinda hot-foot it to the projection room where they meet Pye, who has been looking after the cinema patrons, all of whom have been trapped in a strip of film. Pye has been keeping Mr. Ring-a-Ding alive and appeased by playing movies for him every night. But the sinister cartoon has also given Pye something in return: He has a film of his late wife who Mr. Ring-A-Ding can bring back as a “real” person, at least for a few moments each night. Following on the theme of coercion from last week, the carrot is also a stick, since Mr. Ring-A-Ding also threatens to destroy that film if Pye steps out of line. Naturally, Mr. Ring-A-Ding isn’t just a beloved old-timey cartoon character but a god, one of the same pantheon as the Toymaker, Maestro and Sutekh. His real identity is Lux Imperator, or Lord of Light, and he's determined to consume all the light he can, including the most delicious meal of all — the atom bomb he’s been learning about in the newsreels. To prevent the Doctor and Belinda frustrating his plans, he manages to trap them in a cartoon. The Doctor and Belinda are turned into two-dimensional drawings, with two-dimensional minds and characterizations. In their panic, they confess their anxieties, including the Doctor’s worries he can’t get Belinda home. As they do so, they acquire physical depth until they return to their normal selves, and then break the fourth wall into… someone’s living room. The Doctor and Belinda are greeted by a trio of Doctor Who fans watching the episode who are shocked and delighted to meet their heroes. The fans, Hassan Chowdry , Lizzie Abel and Robyn Gossage explain, uh, Doctor Who to the Doctor. The season’s subconscious theme of Steven Moffat envy continues, with the trio saying their favorite episode is “Blink.” Robyn also points out that the end of the episode is pretty obvious given that celluloid is highly explosive. There’s even time for the fans to be called annoying — a facet they will admit to with a heavy dose of self-awareness. The trio ready to kick the Doctor out as the episode hits the 30-minute mark, which means it’s time for the third act. But they’re also sad, realizing that they’re the fictitious ones, not the Doctor and Belinda, as they don’t have surnames. They know the characters that don’t have surnames are unimportant, incidental figures in the story that will die when the time travelers crawl back through the screen. The Doctor and Belinda return to the cinema, where the previously kind Mrs. Lowenstein has hauled a police officer in to arrest the pair for trespassing in a whites-only cinema. The Doctor fairly instantly calls BS, especially since the police officer is wearing a New York-style uniform: They’re still in the film, and when they break out, the Doctor and Belinda meet Lux / Mr. Ring-A-Ding once again. Lux magically summons up long lengths of filmstrips that act like ropes, wrapping them around his wrists and raising him up high. He turns on the projector which draws the Doctor’s regeneration out as light, projected onto Mr. Ring. A Ding. Belinda, meanwhile, heads off to a storage cupboard, pulls out lots of film and throws it on the floor. But Reginald the projectionist won’t give her the matches she needs to start the fire until, uh, the ghost of his wife, briefly returning as a solid person, hands him the matches. Belinda then blows a hole in the roof of the cinema big enough to expose Mr. Ring-A-Ding to sunlight, which causes him to exponentially grow until he’s not just bigger than the planet but bigger than the universe itself. Or something. In the daylight of Miami, Belinda asks the Doctor how exactly Lux / Mr. Ring-A-Ding was destroyed. “We’re 60 percent water and we can still drown,” he explains as the formerly trapped patrons of the cinema emerge from their three month imprisonment. The Doctor and Belinda have bonded over their shared worries, and Belinda is a lot more comfortable with her slightly longer route home. As they head into the TARDIS, Mrs. Flood greets the crowd and tells them if they want to see a really exciting sight, they should watch the ship disappear. Sadly, she adds, it’s a “limited run,” which will end on May 24th. BBC Studios / Disney / Bad Wolf Eight disconnected thoughts about “Lux.” Density Like “The Robot Revolution” before it, “Lux” is packed full of concepts and themes that could easily be the sole subject of a story. This thematic density has always been a part of Doctor Who — a show that has often worn its deep political and literary ambitions on its sleeve — but it can be both a blessing and a curse. Just think about the sheer number of ideas this one episode is playing with, touching upon: How time travel as a plot device can be implicated by race. How media habits and consumption have changed in the last century. How human nature hasn’t changed in the last century. How awful it is to be held hostage by your own desire. What it would be like if a fictional character discovered they were fictional. That’s a hell of a lot of stuff to get through in 45 minutes, even if you’re not going to explore any of them. Though it may be a thrilling high-wire act Davies is pulling off, the result doesn’t have anything weighty to say. Not that I expect or need every episode to be About Something In A Very Special Way, but these themes aren’t meant to be just window dressing. Ironically, and to contradict what I just wrote, I found “Lux” to be far more enjoyable than “The Robot Revolution.” Free of the burden of having to introduce Belinda and lay down the shape of this year’s overarching storyline, the episode is able to focus on just being itself. Everything here joins up in a more satisfying way, and the emotional beats, while rushed, at least make sense. Rhyming history As soon as Ncuti Gatwa was held aloft by moving filmstrips, I realized how closely the scene mirrored the conclusion of “The Devil’s Chord.” I’m not surprised, given both episodes feature the Doctor fighting a member of the Pantheon’s roster of rogue gods. After all, our heroes turn up in what is ostensibly the past of our living memory to battle a god using pop culture as a vehicle . For the filmstrips here, Maestro dragged the Doctor and Ruby around Abbey Road with ribbons of music notation. Soft Elbows In the few times Doctor Who has acknowledged its fanbase, it’s with a loving elbow to their ribcages. It helps that the series is so tied to the UK’s cultural DNA that everyone is a fan, even if they’re not a fan. Perhaps more importantly, Davies, Moffat and Chibnall were all prominent fans before they had TV careers. All of us are capable of conceding we are bloody annoying at times and insufferably smug at others. One thing did occur to me: All three times Doctor Who has acknowledged its fanbase — Whizzkid in “Greatest Show", the members of LINDA in “Love and Monsters” and here — the themes are the same. Doctor Who fans are always kind-hearted, a little bit annoying and they get taken advantage of by a bad faith figure . Isn’t that interesting? Importance A key trait of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor is his compassion, even going so far as to kiss a Roomba to apologize for turning it off. When Hassan, Lizzie and Robyn say they're "not important" as surname-less side characters, it irked me that the Doctor didn't push back. Production Much like last week’s episode, “Lux” is wonderfully well-made with every quarter of the production team operating at their peak. Mr Ring–A-Ding is a triumph, capturing the rubber hose style of animation from that era utterly perfectly. The 2D version is great, and the 3D edition he tries to evolve into at the conclusion is the right sort of horrifying. Belinda After “The Robot Revolution,” plenty of fans online suggested Belinda knew a little more than she was meant to. Specifically, she knew the name of the TARDIS despite the Doctor calling it his spaceship earlier in the episode. At the start of “Lux,” Belinda says the Doctor is a Time Lord so his people should be able to fix the malfunctioning TARDIS. I can see why fans, trained on mystery box shows, would be intent on mining lines of dialog in this fashion. But I think they’re chasing shadows: Davies has never been that sort of writer and probably isn’t going to start seeding his dialog with hints that subtle now. The way I read it, the Doctor has probably gotten used to giving new friends an introduction of the basics. You could easily imagine a cut-for-necessity scene where the Doctor rattles off the whole “time lord with their own time and space machine” spiel. And you’d expect them not to race toward the more trauma-dump-y elements of their biography, like being the last of them still alive. Belinda was also surprised to see the TARDIS land in 1950s Miami, even after seeing it in space last week. Given the theme of the episode was Belinda slowly embracing her time with the Doctor it makes more sense. That said, it’s interesting that Davies’ specifically focused on the surnames of minor characters for his column in this month’s Doctor Who Magazine. Naturally, he was wrapping a tease for a future episode inside an anecdote about having to clear even minor character surnames with the show’s legal department. And when the Doctor meets the fans, Robyn points out she knows how the episode ends because she read the leak about it online. I should admit, too, that I read the fairly detailed leak about this episode that included the reveal of this fourth-wall-destroying scene. I would never suggest Davies is playing four-dimensional chess with the audience, but if the detailed leak of this episode came from the production office as a further tweak of the metafiction then, bravo. Queer representation The awning outside the cinema is advertising a Rock Hudson movie, and Belinda comments that she learned about the late actor on a HIV training course. He was one of the first people in the public eye to pass away from AIDS, causing a shift in public attitudes. Before Hudson’s death, the US had refused to sanction additional funds to support research into combatting the disease. Doctor Who has shied away from directly addressing plenty of social issues during its long run, or even allegorically. Despite the vast number of queer people who were involved in its creation and production, such topics were treated as taboo. That the show can now make such a direct reference to Hudson feels refreshing, especially if it prompts some folks to read up on the issue. The politics of race There are better qualified writers who can discuss the issues around race and racism that the episode features. “Lux” is set in 1952, two years before Brown v. Board of Education, in a Miami that is segregated. It’s not the first episode of Doctor Who to deal with this, nor the first of Ncuti Gatwa’s tenure that has intentionally highlighted that the Doctor is played by an actor of color. I suspect that one moment in particular will provoke discussion: When Belinda is outraged to learn the diner is segregated. The Doctor shuts down her objections, saying that he has toppled worlds, and has sometimes lived in worlds and let them “topple themselves.” For the latter, his approach is to “shut up and shine,” suggesting he sits on the respectability politics-end of the spectrum. It’s perhaps here that we see the limits of what stories Doctor Who can tell given these events took place in our own recent history. The lead character can topple other worlds in any era, but given we’re all aware of human history, can’t act to rid the world of this injustice. Which affirms the theory that the show is fundamentally conservative in nature since one of the Doctor’s main driving forces is to protect the course of history as it presently is. Mrs. Flood corner Now we know Mrs. Flood can appear wherever the TARDIS is, so it’s likely she’ll be popping up in every episode, just like Susan Twist did last year. Here, she simply repeated her ominous threat that the Doctor’s time is running out, which is due to happen on May 24th. May 24th is when this season’s seventh and penultimate episode will air.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/doctor-who-lux-review-hope-can-change-the-world-190033447.html?src=rss

19.04.2025 23:20 A NASA spacecraft will make a close approach to an asteroid in the main belt on Sunday afternoon, in the second of several asteroid flybys planned for its 12-year mission to study remnants of the early solar system. The Lucy spacecraft will be 596 miles from asteroid Donaldjohanson — named after the paleoanthropologist who discovered the “Lucy” hominin fossil — at the closest point of its pass, which will occur at 1:51PM ET, according to NASA. Lucy will use three instruments to capture detailed observations as the object gets closer, rotating with the asteroid over a few hours to get the full picture. It will stop tracking just before the asteroid is nearest, when it’ll have to shield its instruments due to the position of the sun to prevent damaging them. The spacecraft previously visited a small asteroid called Dinkinesh in 2023, and its observations revealed that the asteroid is orbited by what’s known as a contact binary, or a peanut-shaped double moon “made of two smaller objects touching each other,” NASA explained at the time. After Donaldjohanson, Lucy will move on to its main targets, a handful of “Trojan” asteroids orbiting the sun in the same path as Jupiter. It’s expected to reach the first of those objects in 2027. “Every asteroid has a different story to tell, and these stories weave together to paint the history of our solar system,” Tom Statler, Lucy mission program scientist, said in a press release. “The fact that each new asteroid we visit knocks our socks off means we’re only beginning to understand the depth and richness of that history. Telescopic observations are hinting that Donaldjohanson is going to have an interesting story, and I’m fully expecting to be surprised — again.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasas-lucy-spacecraft-is-about-to-have-its-second-close-encounter-with-an-asteroid-180735995.html?src=rss

19.04.2025 18:50 EA and Lucasfilm shared first look at Star Wars Zero Company, a new single-player strategy game set in the Star Wars universe, at Star Wars Celebration in Japan. The game was originally announced in 2022 as one of three new Star Wars titles being developed or co-developed by Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor, including a new first person shooter and another entry in the Jedi series. There isn't a firm release date yet, but Star Wars Zero Company will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 in 2026. "In Star Wars Zero Company, players will step into the shoes of Hawks, a former Republic officer, to command an elite squad of cunning operatives through a gritty and authentic story set in the twilight of the Clone Wars," according to a press release published alongside the announcement trailer. Star Wars Zero Company was born out of a collaboration between Respawn and a new studio called Bit Reactor. The inspiration the game clearly draws from XCOM: Enemy Unknown and other Firaxis strategy games didn't happen by accident. Bit Reactor's staff includes some former Firaxis' employees, and the founder and creative director of Bit Reactor, Greg Foertsch, was a senior art director on XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2. "Our vision for Star Wars Zero Company is grounded in gameplay design pillars that weave in the immersive Star Wars galaxy with engaging turn-based tactics gameplay," Foertsch said in a statement. "It’s our aim to deliver a game with an original Star Wars story from the Clone Wars era that has meaningful outcomes from player choices, and deep turn-based tactical combat with an approachable and cinematic presentation." Striking some kind of balance between the mass appeal of Star Wars and the niche expectations of strategy and tactics fans has always been the goal of Zero Company. In an interview with PC Gamer in 2024, Foertsch and Bit Reactor's lead animator Hector Antunez suggested that they wanted their Star Wars game to have the cinematic storytelling of Respawn's games without missing out on a satisfying strategy experience. "I don't think that complexity equals depth," Foertsch said, "and I think that that's really what we're focused on. Differentiating that nuance between those two things."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/star-wars-zero-company-looks-like-xcom-with-jedi-and-droids-135850369.html?src=rss

19.04.2025 18:50 Tempest Rising, a real-time strategy game that's being called a "spiritual successor" and an homage to Command Conquer, is now available to everyone. It was supposed to be released on April 24, but according to its developers, it was "unexpectedly made available" on April 17 for all players who pre-ordered the game. Instead of pulling it back, they've decided that the best and most seamless solution was to just release it a week early. The game was developed by Danish studio Slipgate Ironworks and Polish studio 2B Games. In its Steam page, the developers said it was "inspired by RTS greats of the 90s and 2000s." It's set in a modern day alternative history scenario, wherein the world is at war to control the "Tempest vines" growing across the planet. The player takes on the role of Commander for either the "highly mobile and advanced" Global Defense Forces peacekeeping corps or the Tempest Dynasty, which the developers describe as "hard-hitting and desperate." A third faction will be available in multiplayer mode. Each faction has different strategies and combat techniques players can choose from, and players will be able to customize their army for each mission in the two 11-mission campaigns. Players can still get the "Commander Pack" pre-order bonus if they buy the game before April 24, giving them access to all bonus content. And since getting access to the game a week early was supposed to be an exclusive perk for those who've pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition, the developers are making it up to them with new in-game bonuses that will be revealed "as soon as possible." This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/real-time-strategy-game-tempest-rising-has-been-released-early-to-all-users-130033479.html?src=rss

19.04.2025 04:00 Blizzard has finally shared how hero bans will work in competitive Overwatch 2. The new step will let teams ban heroes they think are overpowered or annoying to play against, without letting them game out who their opposing team might want to play. The feature is a common part of other competitive games like League of Legends, and is a meta-game in its own right. For Overwatch 2, Blizzard hopes to use the "Ban Phase" mostly to let players remove heroes they find frustrating, and gather data to use when the game is rebalanced. When you first launch into a competitive match, you'll get the option to select your "Preferred Hero," which signals to your team who you don't want to ban. Then you'll rank three heroes you want to remove from the match, with your first choice given the most weight, and your last choice, the least. Blizzard says all teams and players vote simultaneously, but chat will be blocked off between opposing teams until voting ends. Blizzard Once all the votes are in, they get tallied using the following guidelines: The team with the most votes for a specific hero will be considered the “first” team, and will guarantee that their chosen hero is banned. In the case of a tie, the first team is decided randomly. Then, the other team becomes the “second" team. If the heroes they voted to ban were not the first team's banned hero, then their most and second most voted heroes are banned. If the second team's most or second most voted pick was also the first team's, then the second team's third most voted hero is removed instead. And finally, the second most voted hero on the first team is banned, with the same caveat the second team had. When the number of votes for a hero is tied, the game picks the hero voted by the most players in the lobby . Ties beyond that are broken randomly, and regardless of how the votes shake out, there's a limit of two bans per role. If you don't want to ban any heroes or don't know who to ban, you can also skip voting and let your teammates decide for you. Blizzard first announced it would add hero bans to Overwatch 2 with its Season 15 announcement, which introduced a perks system to the game. Hero bans are set to arrive with Season 16 on April 22, which will also include the new Stadium mode, five-on-five matches where players earn currency to spend on upgrades between rounds, and have the option to play in third-person. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-explains-hero-bans-ahead-of-their-introduction-in-competitive-overwatch-210319297.html?src=rss