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15.04.2025 20:20 A few years ago, I gave up on my Gmail inbox. I used to be meticulous. I would assign labels to every new email that came in, starring those that I wanted to find later easily. But between a job in journalism and way too much spam, the volume of new messages became unmanageable. And as of this article, I have more than 21,000 unread emails. After trying Notion's new email client, I might have a chance to reclaim my inbox. With Notion Mail, Notion isn't trying to reinvent email. "I feel like every email client has their own system, and many have a religious onboarding experience," Notion Mail Lead Andrew Milich tells me over video chat. "You know, it's either keyboard shortcuts, a screening feature, a chatbox or something else. We tried to do something more lightweight." Milich knows a thing or two about rigid email apps. Before joining Notion, he was the co-founder of Skiff, a startup that offered, among other things, end-to-end encrypted email. Notion acquired Skiff at the start of 2024. Since then, the Skiff team has been working on Notion Mail. For those keeping track, Notion Calendar was similarly born out of the company's acquisition of Cron. "We want Notion Mail to stand alone as an email product you would love and want to use independent of Notion, but also one that every existing Notion user will find familiar and enjoyable," Milich says. To that point, current Notion users will find much that's familiar. For instance, in the compose window there’s support for slash commands, code blocks and Markdown shortcuts. However, it's the new features Milich and his team created for Notion Mail that are what make the app interesting. Notion It starts with two related tools: AI labels and views. The first time you open Notion Mail, the software will analyze your inbox and suggest personalized labels for broad categories of messages, and create corresponding folders where those emails will be automatically sorted. You can filter, group and sort emails independently within each view for added flexibility. If you ever want to create additional AI labels, a button at the top of the interface to do so quickly. Additionally, any labels you create through Notion Mail will be preserved in Gmail, and your data won't be used to train future AI models. "We try to sync as much data as possible, so that means all these labels, even the ones that are applied by AI as the emails are received, get synchronized to Gmail too," Milich says, adding, "we've deliberately moved drafts and sent lower and tried to focus users on the labeling, views and templates." The final pillar of Notion Mail revolves around scheduling. Provided you've granted Notion Calendar access to your Google Calendar, you can insert booking links directly within the compose window by typing "/schedule". For the recipient, a single click will get them on your calendar. Notion Outside of those big features, Notion Mail offers the usual time savers you'll find in its competitors, including suggested replies, keyboard shortcuts and a built-in AI editor for drafting and editing messages. There's also a snippet library you can use to save yourself from writing the same section of text over and over again in different emails. In the short time I've had with Notion Mail, I've noticed it's incredibly flexible. According to Milich, the app isn't designed to push users toward a goal like inbox zero that isn't obtainable in a modern context. Instead, he says his hope is that Notion Mail limits how much the act of managing your inbox drains your time, energy and attention, and so far I can say it has done exactly that. If you want to try Notion Mail for yourself, Notion is making the client available to everyone, including free users, at no additional cost. You will only need to pay for the app if you frequently use some of its AI features. At launch, it works with Gmail. Milich says support for Outlook and iCloud is on the roadmap, but didn't share a specific date.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/notion-mail-is-a-powerful-but-lightweight-email-client-for-busy-people-150007543.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 20:20 Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is a solid ereader and writing tablet that’s handy for things like scrawling on ebooks and taking notes. The device is back on sale for a record-low price. It’ll currently run you $325, which is $75 or 19 percent off. This deal is for the second-generation model, which Amazon released last year. Our main qualm about the Kindle Scribe 2 was its high price of $400, which has been mitigated by this sale. We gave the Kindle Scribe 2 a score of 86 in our review and it’s our pick for the best e-reader E Ink tablet. We appreciated, among other things, the slick design as well as the smooth reading and writing experience it offers. The Scribe provides a low-latency writing experience with no real perceptible delay between making a mark on the screen with the companion pen and it showing up on the display. There are multiple brush types to choose from, such as a marker, pencil and fountain pen. You can create multiple notebooks and add pages or change the templates as you see fit. You have a decent-sized canvas on which to make your notes and scrawls as the Scribe has a 10.2-inch display. Obviously, it hooks into Amazon’s Kindle ebook ecosystem, though you can borrow digital tomes from libraries and access them here. Moreover, you can listen to Audible audiobooks via Bluetooth. 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-second-gen-kindle-scribe-is-back-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-143105483.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 20:20 4chan, the controversial forum known for birthing early meme culture and Gamergate, is down, following an apparent hack. Per Downdetector, reports of an outage began circulating late Monday evening, with users sharing updates on connection issues through the early hours of Tuesday morning. As of the writing of this article, it's possible to access the website following a long delay, but clicking on any of the board links leads to a timeout. According to screenshots shared on Imgur , it appears a hacker gained shell access to 4chan's hosting server. They then went on to post images of the site's phpmyadmin page, and appear to have doxed the entire moderation team alongside many of the site's registered users. While it seems some users took steps to protect their identities, many appear to have used their primary email address to register for the forum, with .edu and even .gov addresses reportedly appearing in the list leaked emails. It's unclear what this means for the future of 4chan, but some social media and Reddit users are speculating this could be the end of the internet's most infamous forum. In addition to doxing much of 4chan's userbase, the hacker also appears to have leaked the site's source code, revealing security holes that have existed since around the time Hiroyuki Nishimura bought the forum from creator Christoper Poole. It may take months to rebuild a more secure version of 4chan. If this is the end of 4chan, it would be the most significant de-platforming of extreme right-wing internet users since Kiwi Farms temporarily went down in 2022. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/4chan-the-internets-most-infamous-forum-is-down-following-an-alleged-hack-142516392.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 15:41 If you have been hemming and hawing over whether to buy a new MacBook, then a current sale might just sway you. Right now, Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip is down to $1,049 from $1,299 — a 19 percent discount. The deal brings our choice for best budget MacBook to just $50 more than its all-time low price. Apple released the 15-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip in 2024. We gave it a 90 in our review thanks to features such as the M3's fast performance, with a much bigger speed boost than we expected. The 15-inch option also offers a six-speaker array, compared to the 13-inch's quad-speaker array. Plus, it has a sturdy design, along with a great keyboard and trackpad. Our big con was that this MacBook Air still doesn't have USB-C ports on both sides. Yes, it seems minor, but when your charging cable just reaches where you're sitting, having the option to plug it in on either side makes a big difference. 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-15-inch-m3-macbook-air-is-250-off-right-now-131324637.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 15:41 There's another development in the saga that is governments accusing Google of monopolistic practices favoring its search app and Chrome. The Japan Fair Trade Commission has issued a cease and desist order to Google, demanding the tech company end all efforts to gain preferential treatment on Android phones. The watchdog alleges that Google required phone makers to preinstall Chrome and Google Search on Android phones — along with setting Chrome as the default browser. It also claims they had to place the icons for each app on the home screen. This arrangement came due to the tech company's power as provider of the Google Play app ecosystem, which Android manufacturers need to install before distribution. However, the JFTC further claims that Google sweetened the deal, agreeing to give these phone manufacturers a slice of its ad revenue. As of last December, six Android phone manufacturers allegedly had these deals with Google. These arrangements have been ongoing since at least July 2020, if not earlier. The JFTC's decision follows an investigation, opened in October 2023. It comes the same week as a Japanese delegation, led by Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa, will visit the US to negotiate tariffs. The US has expressed similar concerns to Japan. Last November, US federal judge Amit Mehta called Google "a monopolist" within the search engine industry and called on the company to sell off Chrome. An evidentiary hearing on the matter is set to begin later this month, with a trial commencing in May. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/japan-clamps-down-on-googles-android-app-pre-install-deals-130050220.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 15:41 At long last, NVIDIA has announced its budget GeForce RTX 50-series, but don't expect any major discounts over the previous models. The RTX 5060 will start at $299, just like the RTX 4060 did when it launched two years ago. Of course, it's unclear how many people will actually be able to nab it at that price, given the volatile nature of the GPU market and further fluctuations from the Trump administration's sloppy tariff deployment. NVIDIA is also launching two variants of RTX 5060 Ti GPUs with 8GB and 16GB of VRAM, priced at $379 and $429, respectively. Those faster GPUs will arrive on April 16, but we don't have a firm date for the RTX 5060 besides a vague May release. While NVIDIA touts the typical performance improvements, the real selling point of the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti will be their full support of DLSS 4 upscaling and 4X multi-frame generation. In my reviews of the RTX 5070, 5070 Ti and 5090 cards, I was surprised how much DLSS 4 boosted frame rates while still delivering excellent image quality. But it'll be interesting to see if that technology will see much benefit from slower cards like the 5060 and 5060 Ti. NVIDIA Curiously, NVIDIA isn't divulging full specs for these GPUs just yet, even though plenty of early details have already emerged. Officially, the company says the RTX 5060 is powered by 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM, 19 TFLOPS Blackwell shader cores, 5th-gen tensor cores with 614 AI TOPS performance and 4th gen RT cores that can hit 58 TFLOPS. Unofficially, reports claim it also has 3,840 CUDA cores. In comparison, the RTX 4060 had 3072 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. The RTX 5060 Ti reportedly steps things up to 4,608 CUDA cores and the aforementioned 8GB and 16GB GDDR7 RAM options. NVIDIA says its Blackwell shader cores offer 6 TFLOPS more performance than the 5060, which should be plenty noticeable in typical gameplay. The RTX 5060 is mostly a 1080p-focused card, while the RTX 5060 Ti is far better suited to 1,440p gameplay — as long as you don't need obscene framerates. According to NVIDIA's benchmarks, the RTX 5060 can reach 234 fps in Hogwarts Legacy while playing in 1080p with maxed out graphics settings and 4X frame-generation. The RTX 4060, in comparison, hits around 110 fps with 1x frame generation. NVIDIA claims the 5060 can also reach 148 fps in Cyberpunk 2077, 220fps in Avowed, and 330 fps in Marvel Rivals in 1080p with the same graphics settings and frame gen. It could be the perfect card if you're rocking a 240Hz 1080p screen. As for the RTX 5060 Ti, NVIDIA says it can reach 108 fps in Cyberpunk while playing in 1,440p with Full RT graphics settings and 4X frame generation. That's double the 4060 Ti, which reached 52 fps with 1x frame generation. Even when native performance is solid, NVIDIA also says DLSS 4's transformer upscaling model can improve overall image quality and latency. The 5060 Ti can reach 61 fps and 70ms latency in Hogwartz Legacy natively, but the latency drops to 47ms with DLSS 4 enabled . As usual, a scaled down version of the RTX 5060 is also headed to laptops, which NVIDIA says will start at $1,099. We don't have specs for that hardware either, but the company claims it'll be able to reach 146 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 while playing in 1080p with ultra graphics settings and 2X frame generation. In comparison, the mobile RTX 4060 reached 60fps with those settings, and it was also limited to 1x frame generation. The real challenge for NVIDIA with the GeForce RTX 5060 family lies in pricing. The company doesn't directly control how OEMs price their cards, and numbers could also fluctuate wildly depending on stock and economic conditions. So sure, the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti sound compelling for their price, but it remains to be seen if those figures are actually realistic for consumers. And it'll be interesting to see how AMD responds with cheaper new GPUs, after its Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT cards walloped NVIDIA's current mid-range options. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidias-geforce-rtx-5060-gpu-starts-at-299-rtx-5060-ti-at-379-130020340.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 15:41 Chipolo has launched a new Bluetooth tracker that works with both Apple Find My and Google Find My Device networks. The Chipolo Pop comes in the same form factor and colors as the Chipolo One, which is one of Engadget's best Bluetooth trackers for 2025. But unlike One that only works with the Chipolo app, the company's Spot line that only works with Apple Find My and its Point-branded trackers that only work with Google's network, Pop is compatible with all three. The Chipolo Pop has a range of 90 meters or 300 feet, longer than the older Chipolo models' 200-feet range. It's dust and water-resistant and is powered by a replaceable CR2032 battery that can keep the tracker running for up to a year. Pop works with Apple's Find My network on iPhones installed with iOS 14.5 or later and iPads with iPadOS 14.5. Android phones and tablets must be running Android 9 or later with Google Play Services if you want to link them with the Pop tracker. Even if you technically don't need the Chipolo app, installing it will give you access to extra features like the ability to call your phone by double-pressing the tracker, as well as the ability to change its ring volume to up to 120 dB and to change its ring tone. A single Pop tracker will set you back $29, but you can get a four-pack in various colors for $89 instead of $116. If you order straight from Chipolo's website, you could get your order as soon as April 20. You can also pre-order the tracker from Amazon, though the model will be released on the e-commerce website on April 30. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/chipolos-pop-bluetooth-tracker-works-with-both-apples-and-googles-find-my-networks-120014022.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 15:41 Just before the weekend, the US Customs and Border Protection published a list of products excluded from Trump’s tariffs, including smartphones, PCs, memory chips and let’s say 80 percent of everything we write about at Engadget. However, that’s more because they’ll be siloed into a specific product category. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an interview on Sunday: “Those products are going to be part of the semiconductor sectoral tariffs, which are coming.” The new exclusions would exempt many devices and parts from both the 10 percent global tariff and the steeper tariff on China. Lutnick told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that, in doing this, the president was “just making sure everyone understood that all of these products are outside the reciprocal tariffs and they are going to have their own separate way of being considered.” He added that semiconductor tariffs are coming “in probably a month or two.” Maybe reassess that Switch 2 pre-order. — Mat Smith Get Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! Everything else you might have missed How to use the Apple Passwords app Doctor Who The Robot Revolution review: Meet Belinda Chandra The best wireless headphones The Last of Us season 2 premiere review The Meta Quest 3S is on sale for a record-low price The Espresso 15 Pro is a pricey, good portable monitor It’s bright, it’s portable, it’s expensive. Engadget At $699, it's a bit pricey, but the Espresso 15 Pro has pretty much everything you could want in a travel-friendly 15-inch display. And if you’re regularly wielding two screens on the go, this could be an investment. It’s brighter than predecessors, has a slick design and a stand and can even add touch support to Macs — if you want that. Continue reading. OpenAI is phasing out GPT-4.5 for developers GPT-4.1 is actually newer and, importantly, cheaper to run. OpenAI is sunsetting GPT-4.5 from its developer API in favor of its new GPT-4.1 model. (Yeah, confusing. When it launched, OpenAI described GPT-4.5 as its best and most capable model so far, in part because it was a more natural conversationalist. Can’t find it? OpenAI says GPT-4.1 is exclusively for developers using OpenAI’s API. So you won’t find it as an option in the public-facing ChatGPT interface. Continue reading. Samsung keeps rugged gadgets alive with new phone and tablet IP-rated for enterprise. Samsung Samsung has announced two new rugged devices, the Galaxy XCover 7 Pro and the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro, which feature removable backplates and user-replaceable batteries. It’s an enterprise affair but comes with all of Samsung’s Galaxy AI features and Google’s latest features, like Circle to Search. The toughness credentials include IP68 water and dust resistance, MIL-STD-810H certification for drops, programmable buttons and a battery you can replace yourself. Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111558256.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 01:10 Espresso Displays makes some of our favorite portable monitors, but up until now, it felt like there was a hole in its portfolio. That's because aside from its flagship model — the $800 Espresso 17 Pro — the other members of the family are slightly more affordable fare like the $469 Espresso Touch 13 and $499 Touch 15. Today, the company is plugging that gap with the Espresso 15 Pro, which packs everything I like about its bigger sibling in a more portable package for $699 . Design and display One of the things I appreciate about Espresso is that it doesn't try to do too much. The 15 Pro features an ultra minimalist design made from simple sheets of matte black aluminum along with glossy glass in front . Granted, the monitor does have a bit of a chin, but aside from two USB-C ports stashed in the corner, that's really the 15 Pro's only defining exterior feature, so I'm not that bothered. All told, the display weighs 1 pound and 11 ounces, which sounds a lot heavier than it feels. As for its specs, the Espresso 15 Pro's 4K LCD panel delivers nearly everything you want and then some. Brightness tops out at 550 nits , which is higher than the 450 nits on the 17-inch model. It also covers 100 percent of the Adobe RGB spectrum with 10-bit color . The one thing I wish Espresso included was a 120Hz refresh rate instead of being capped at 60Hz. That said, unless you're gaming or editing videos, that limitation may not be a huge factor. Setup and special features Sam Rutherford for Engadget Getting the 15 Pro up and running couldn't be easier. Each USB-C port has enough bandwidth to carry power and data over a single cable, so you just need to plug in the included cord, and off you go. The one exception is for laptops that can't send out much power via USB-C, but I tested the monitor with 4 different laptops and none of them had issues. The display even automatically downloaded the EspressoFlow software, which adds touch support to your Apple notebooks. You also get the new Glide feature that automatically positions the monitor in the right place depending on how you have it arranged next to your laptop. And by some black magic, the 15 Pro nailed it when it correctly laid out the monitor to the left of my notebook's built-in screen. As someone who has recently been forced to use a Mac for work, the ability to quickly and easily add touch support to Apple's laptop is super nice. And while I'm far from a digital Degas, you can even use the display for drawing and sketching as the monitor also works with the company's optional stylus. This makes the 15 Pro an ideal travel companion for both people who want more screen real estate or a portable way of creating art on the go. Accessories In addition to screen protectors and pens, there are also a couple of important stand accessories for the 15 Pro. The first is the $49 Espresso Case, which is more of a magnetic folding cover that protects the screen while in transit that can also flip around back to become a kickstand when you're working. Like the display itself, it's a fairly simple affair that does exactly what you expect it to. However, for those who want something more substantial, the 15 Pro also works with Espresso's $69 Stand+. It's more like what you'd see on a traditional desktop monitor, except that it can fold up for improved portability while also packing a really strong magnet that allows you to mount the monitor in a variety of positions. This thing might be too pricey for some, but I've quickly grown to appreciate how easy it makes putting the 15 Pro in the perfect position. It's more well-built than a lot of the desktop monitor stands I have. The obvious drawback is that at 1 pound and 4 ounces, the Stand+ weighs almost as much as the display itself, which is rather hefty. Wrap-up Sam Rutherford for Engadget The Espresso 15 Pro has nearly everything I look for in a premium portable monitor. It features well above average brightness, a sleek but sturdy design and super simple setup. It also comes with a few special features like Glide and added touch support for Macs that help you get more out of the devices you already own. And thanks to a wealth of accessories, it can adapt to almost any use case. While I'd like a higher refresh rate, not having it is far from a deal-breaker. That would almost certainly increase its price, and considering that the 15 Pro is already somewhat costly, starting at $699 for the monitor and the Stand+, I'm not sure the added expense would be worth it. Regardless, if you want a really portable monitor that's also more than good enough to use at home, there aren't many other displays that can match the Espresso 15 Pro.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/espresso-15-pro-review-just-a-really-nice-though-pricey-portable-monitor-230046315.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 01:10 In a decision almost certainly informed by the recent tariff chaos, NVIDIA is going to start making some of its AI chips and supercomputers in the US. The company announced that it's building and testing its Blackwell chips in Arizona and it plans to manufacture its AI supercomputers — presumably the recently announced DGX Spark and DGX Station — in Texas. NVIDIA says TSMC is already making Blackwell chips in Phoenix, Arizona and the company is partnering with Amkor and SPIL for testing and packaging. In Texas, the company's supercomputers will be made by Foxconn in Houston and Wistron in Dallas. "Mass production at both plants is expected to ramp up in the next 12-15 months," NVIDIA says. It's not entirely clear which version of NVIDIA's Blackwell chips TSMC will actually be building, but the chip maker plans to be equipped to handle a wide variety of manufacturing for US tech companies, including Apple and Qualcomm. TSMC received $6.6 billion in funding from the CHIPS Act under the Biden administration and committed to spending an additional $100 billion to expand its US operations in March. NVIDIA has benefitted most directly from the current AI boom, and stood to be harshly impacted by the latest round of tariffs announced by President Donald Trump. As of April 11, some of those tariffs have been "paused" for computers and chips, saving companies like NVIDIA from some financial strife, but moving some manufacturing to the US is a much more permanent way to avoid the ongoing trade war.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/nvidia-is-going-to-make-ai-chips-and-supercomputers-in-the-us-213534618.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 01:10 Intel is selling off its majority share in chip-maker Altera as part of its new CEO's first steps toward stabilizing the company. The 51 percent stake sold today for $4.46 billion in a deal that is expected to close in the second half of this year. "Today's announcement reflects our commitment to sharpening our focus, lowering our expense structure and strengthening our balance sheet," CEO Lip-Bu Tan said of the sale. Altera makes field programmable gate array chips, which are often used to power retro gaming hardware such as the Analogue consoles. The company's other products have applications ranging from military to telecom sectors. Intel acquired Altera in 2015 for a hefty $16.7 billion, which means its current valuation has taken quite a dive since that purchase. However the sale should still provide some cash flow to Intel at a critical juncture. Tan was appointed Intel's CEO in March, following the departure of Pat Gelsinger as the company's top exec. He is expected to help change course for the company following a long string of poor decisions, and from the start of his appointment, it seemed likely that Intel would see some streamlining of its business.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/intel-is-selling-off-a-majority-stake-in-chip-maker-altera-for-446-billion-205015269.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 01:10 OpenAI has announced its phasing out GPT-4.5 from its developer API in favor of its new GPT-4.1 model. When it launched, OpenAI described GPT-4.5 as its best and most capable model so far, in part because it was a more natural conversationalist and could capably mimic some notion of emotional intelligence. Despite what its name suggests, GPT-4.1 is supposed to be better and more efficient. OpenAI says GPT-4.1 is available exclusively to developer's using OpenAI's API, and comes in three sizes, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4.1 nano. That means that if you won't find it as in option in the public-facing ChatGPT interface, but you could someday interact with an agent that leverages the model's improvements. GPT-4.1 is supposed to be better at coding and "long context understanding," according to OpenAI, with support for "up to one million tokens of context" and knowledge of the world up to June 2024. Important to the decision to phase out the GPT-4.5 Preview, GPT-4.1 is also cheaper to run. OpenAI says the model is "26 percent cheaper than GPT-4o for median queries." The company imagines developers using GPT-4.1 to build agents that can work in software engineering environments, one of the more popular uses for generative AI. Even though GPT-4.5 will be eventually removed from OpenAI's API, the model preview will still be available in ChatGPT if you wan't to play with it. OpenAI says the GPT-4.1 family is available to use today via the company's API. GPT-4.5 will be fully-phased out in three months on July 14, 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is-phasing-out-gpt-45-for-developers-185554841.html?src=rss

15.04.2025 01:10 Ubisoft has open-sourced Chroma, the company’s in-house colorblind assistance tool. It’s available for download via GitHub and is described as a "one-stop solution for detecting color blindness-related issues in games." Here’s how it works. It throws a filter over the game screen that simulates various types of color blindness. This allows testers to flag accessibility issues in real time. The tool uses the Color Oracle algorithm and integrates with both single or dual-screen setups. It works with hotkeys and there’s a customizable overlay for adjusting settings. Ubisoft says that applying the filter will not impede game performance. Ubisoft It’s important to note what this software does and who it’s for. It simulates how a person with color blindness will experience a game, allowing devs to take action. It doesn’t fix anything on its own. However, knowing is half the battle as they say. This move by Ubisoft should allow other devs to address these concerns before shipping a game out the door. Ubisoft isn’t the only company that has been widening the availability of accessibility tools. EA recently made a whole bunch of accessibility patents open-source. This included photosensitivity and speech recognition tech.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-just-open-sourced-its-colorblind-assistance-tool-chroma-184546640.html?src=rss

14.04.2025 20:10 Meta plans to start using data collected from its users in the European Union to train its AI systems, the company announced today. Starting this week, the tech giant will begin notifying Europeans through email and its family of apps of the fact, with the message set to include an explanation of the kind of data it plans to use as part of the training. Additionally, the notification will link out to a form users can complete to opt out of the process. "We have made this objection form easy to find, read, and use, and we’ll honor all objection forms we have already received, as well as newly submitted ones," says Meta. The company notes it will only use data it collects from public posts and Meta AI interactions for training purposes. It won't use private messages in its training sets, nor any interactions, public or otherwise, made by users under the age of 18. As for why the company wants to start using EU data now, it claims the information will allow it to fine tune its future models to better serve Europeans. "We believe we have a responsibility to build AI that’s not just available to Europeans, but is actually built for them. That’s why it’s so important for our generative AI models to be trained on a variety of data so they can understand the incredible and diverse nuances and complexities that make up European communities," Meta states. "That means everything from dialects and colloquialisms, to hyper-local knowledge and the distinct ways different countries use humor and sarcasm on our products. This is particularly important as AI models become more advanced with multi-modal functionality, which spans text, voice, video, and imagery." Meta notes other AI companies, including Google and OpenAI, have similarly used data from European users to fine tune their own systems. Today's announcement follows the initial release of Meta's new Llama 4 models. After some early hype, the company was accused of gaming LMArena, a website where humans compare the outputs of different AI models to rank them. Researchers noticed Meta had provided an experimental version of Llama 4 to the site "optimized for conversationality.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-will-start-using-data-from-eu-users-to-train-its-ai-models-175307338.html?src=rss

14.04.2025 20:10 The Meta Quest 3S is on sale for $269 via Amazon. This is a record-low price for the 128GB VR headset, as it typically costs $300. It comes with a download code for Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month trial for Meta Quest+. This is the platform’s version of Game Pass or PS Plus, with an extensive catalog of playable titles. The Quest 3S made our list of the best VR headsets, and for good reason. It offers a similar experience to the standard Quest 3, with just a couple of cut corners. This means that the graphics fidelity is a bit lower with the 3S, as it doesn’t have those sweet pancake lenses. However, it does have the exact same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip as the Quest 3 and uses the same Touch Plus controllers. They offer decent motion controls and responsive joysticks and buttons. There’s no headphone jack, but we found the speakers to be adequate in most cases. Plus, you can always insert a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter or just pair wireless headphones. Just like the original Quest 3, this one can connect to gaming PCs over USB-C or wirelessly. This allows folks to play AAA titles intended for power-hungry computers and not standalone VR headsets. It can also wirelessly stream gameplay to Chromecast devices or to AirPlay devices by mirroring the Quest app from an iPhone. We called it "impressive VR for $300" in our official review. This is even more true with today’s sale. The only caveat here is this is the 128GB version, which could fill up pretty fast. Batman: Arkham Shadow, for instance, is around 20GB. The 256GB model is on sale for $369 instead of $400. 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-meta-quest-3s-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-174954820.html?src=rss