Author: matthewephotography@yahoo.com
Reuters reports that a European consumer watchdog has filed lawsuits against game publishers Epic Games, Electronic Arts, and Roblox over the misuse of in-game currency. The European Consumer Watchdog said it had “identified numerous cases where gamers have been tricked into spending their money,” and called on authorities to “provide a safe gaming environment for consumers.”BEUC noted that consumers cannot see the actual price of digital items purchased using in-game currency and said in-game purchases should always be displayed in real money. It added that companies’ claims that gamers prefer premium in-game currency are false, that consumers are often denied…
Last year, I experienced my first iPhone launch cycle at Engadget, and was engrossed by the frenzy. It felt like I wasn’t a respectable member of the tech world if I didn’t have at least one shiny new piece of technology. So I went to an Apple Store on launch weekend for the iPhone 15 and put in an offer to buy one. While I waited my turn, I idly played with the display model. Compared to the iPhone 11, my enthusiasm faded. The bright grid of apps, the softly rounded corners, the one button on the right, the two…
The Roomba robot vacuum is currently discounted by up to $620 at Wellbots, which is a really good discount, so if you’ve been saving up for a robot vacuum, now might be the time to take the plunge.The best deal is the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, marked down to just $780. The standard MSRP is a whopping $1,400, so you’ll save $620 on the hybrid vacuum/mop. Just enter “ENGAD620” at checkout.Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetThis is a great deal for a hybrid unit. Save $620 with codeENGAD620$780 WellbotsWe gave this robot vacuum great praise in our official review, calling it “the ideal robot…
It’s clear that Marvel has been leaning more and more into awesome female superheroes lately, and the upcoming Mystique series will only strengthen that trend. Sometimes hero, more often villain, Declan Shalvey is trying to give Mystique the focus she deserves, especially given her importance in the era of Krakoa. Now, in the From the Ashes era, the character is all about espionage, working behind the scenes to protect mutants and keep them safe. Having received a preview copy, I couldn’t help but share my thoughts on this fantastic first issue:From the very first panel, it’s clear that Mystique #1…
Following the executives’ departure, the entire Annapurna Interactive team left the company, according to Bloomberg. Apparently, the video game publisher’s president, Nathan Gailey, had been in talks with Annapurna Pictures founder Megan Ellison to spin off Annapurna Interactive as a separate entity. A company spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that the two sides had explored the possibility of a spinoff, but the talks fell apart. Gailey and other executives at the publisher resigned and left the company as a result, followed by the rest of the team.”All 25 Annapurna Interactive team members have resigned,” the team said in a joint statement.…
It’s Friday again and welcome to the latest issue of The Fantastic Five, our roundup of the best comics of the week! This week, the Skybound Transformers masterpiece continues and Marvel’s Star Wars series comes to an end. Read on!Best Comics for the week of September 11, 2024#5: Avengers Assemble #1If you’re a fan of the classic Avengers story, you’ll love Avengers Assemble #1. Big team-ups, big-scale action, and great dialogue make this a must-read for Avengers fans of all ages.Read David Brooke’s full review.#4: Precious Metals #4Precious Metal may be the pinnacle of powerful action, fantastic characterization, and expert…
California firefighters had to spray 50,000 gallons of water to put out a roadside fire in a Tesla Semi, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a preliminary report. Firefighters used aircraft to drop fire retardant around the “scene” as a precaution, the board said.The accident happened at 3:13 a.m. on August 19 on the I-80 Freeway east of Sacramento. The tractor-trailer left the road while rounding a curve, struck a traffic sign, and then struck a tree. The driver was uninjured but was taken to the hospital as a precaution. California Highway PatrolThe Tesla Semi’s massive 900 kWh…
With the iPhone 16 event over, we have a ton of thoughts after trying out all of Apple’s new hardware. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn talk about the iPhone 16 and the full Pro lineup, and Senior Reporter Billy Steele shares his experience with the AirPods 4 and Apple Watch Series 10. After all, the Apple Watch has stolen attention from the iPhone.Listen below or subscribe in your favorite podcast app. If you have any suggestions or topics you’d like us to cover on the show, please email us or leave a comment. Also, be sure to check out…
OpenAI has unveiled yet another artificial intelligence model, this one called o1, which the company claims can perform complex reasoning tasks more efficiently than previous models. Apparently, o1 has been trained to “think longer before responding to a problem.” According to the company, “(The model) refines its thought processes, tries different strategies, and learns to recognize mistakes.”The more considered responses mean it processes prompts much slower than GPT-4o. And while it may think more, o1 doesn’t solve the problem of hallucinations, a term that refers to AI models making up information. “We can’t say we’ve solved hallucinations,” Bob McGrew, OpenAI’s…
While you could say the Bluetooth earbuds space is thriving, you could also say the amount of variety in the market can make it confusing to decide which pair will be the best Bluetooth earbuds for you. There are plenty of high-quality options out there, with solid active noise cancellation (ANC), sound quality and designs, so for many, the decision will come down to unique features that big companies like Sony, Bose, Apple and Samsung put in their products.I’ve tested and reviewed dozens of sets of earbuds a year for Engadget, constantly pitting new models against the previous best across…