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CIA brainwashing experiments helped make Outlast an iconic horror series
The Sleep Room in The Outlast Trials is named after a real-life space at McGill University’s Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal, where from 1957 to 1964, doctors conducted mind-control experiments on patients as part of the CIA’s MK-Ultra initiative. Led by Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron, these tests included electroshock therapy, sensory deprivation and heavy doses of psychedelic drugs. One patient, Linda MacDonald, went to McGill seeking help for symptoms of postpartum depression after giving birth to her fifth child. She was placed in a drug-induced coma for 86 days in the Sleep Room, and records show she was treated with 109 rounds of shock therapy. MacDonald lost her identity, memories and motor skills; she had to be toilet trained all over again.
Another patient, Robert Logie, was 18 years old when he went to McGill with leg pain. He ended up in the Sleep Room, where he was injected with LSD every other day for weeks, his syringe sometimes spiked with sodium amytal — “truth serum” — and other drugs. A speaker positioned under his pillow played the phrase, “You killed your mother,” on a constant loop for 23 days. Meanwhile, his mom was alive and well. Logie left McGill with amnesia, insomnia and a painful leg.
The old McGill hospital is just two miles away from the Red Barrels offices, where the Outlast games are made.
“The name of the Sleep Room in Outlast Trials, we took that from McGill hospital,” Outlast series writer JT Petty said. “In the 1960s, they had the Sleep Room where they would treat trauma with LSD and induced comas. It was insane. And the people who came out of that came out severely damaged, in worse shape than they were before.”
“There are still active lawsuits going on because of these events,” Red Barrels co-founder Philippe Morin added. (And he’s correct.)
Like all of Red Barrels’ games, The Outlast Trials draws from dark and true stories of government-backed inhumanity, religious manipulation and capitalistic greed, particularly during the 20th century. Trials is a cooperative four-player horror experience where participants, called Reagents, are trapped in the secret Sinyala Facility run by the Murkoff Corporation. The goal is to graduate therapy by completing objectives and surviving monstrous villains in various maps, including an orphanage, courthouse, police station and toy factory. As in the other Outlast titles, gameplay mainly involves running and hiding from prowling, deranged sadists, though this time you’re not alone.
“The first Outlast, it goes back to the oldest games, you're playing hide and seek,” Morin said. “In Outlast Trials, it's like you're stuck in a haunted house with friends. And it’s, how do we get out of here? That was the initial premise.”
Red Barrels
Trials exists in a world familiar to Outlast fans. It’s a prequel to the original Outlast, which came out in 2013, and Outlast 2, which landed in 2017. Trials replaces the series’ camcorder with a pair of night-vision goggles, and the Sleep Room is the game’s lobby. Here, players can purchase prescriptions for upgrades, arm wrestle other Reagents, customize their cell and prepare for the missions ahead. Bulbous black-and-white TVs are mounted in one corner of each cell, displaying messages like, “no religion,” and, “free yourself,” in a jarring rhythm.
Trials entered early access in May 2023, went fully live in March 2024 and received its first major DLC drop in July, introducing the docks and a new baddie named Franco “Il Bambino” Barbi. Franco is a New Orleans mafia nepo baby with a degradation kink and a gun obsession, plus he has a habit of murdering his sexual partners. He’s eager to do the same to the Reagents trapped in Sinyala.
Franco joins two other Prime Assets, or bosses, in The Outlast Trials. There’s Mother Gooseberry, a deranged former children’s-show host who carries a duck puppet with a giant dental drill inside its beak, and Leland Coyle, a white supremacist and corrupt police officer with an insatiable desire to torture and kill people with his stun rod. Every enemy in the Outlast series employs a unique brand of violent cruelty, their favored forms of torture shaped by generational traumas and dangerous societal norms.
“We do a lot of work trying to make the characters kind of iconic and human despite being monsters, and that kind of love for horror characters — I feel like you know when you’re doing it right,” Petty said. “I'm a 1980s kid, I grew up on Freddy and Jason and all those guys and it's, I think comfort is the right word.”
It’s easy to see the demented priests, sadistic doctors, demonic cult leaders and free-swinging penises in the Outlast games and write it all off as edgelord shit, nothing more. But especially with McGill hospital looming just beyond Red Barrels’ front door, the commentary is clear, and this brand of gruesome social analysis was the plan from the start.
“All the games are about extremists,” Morin said. “People who take something and just go too far with it, whether it's religion, science, money, weapons, whatever it is.”
Outlast 2 tells a story about cult members who believe the antichrist is about to be born, resulting in a wave of ritual sacrifice, abuse and mass murder in the Arizona desert. The original Outlast takes place inside Mount Massive Asylum, an even-more-twisted stand-in for the McGill hospital.
“In the first Outlast, there's a lot about the archetypes of 20th century history,” Petty said. “There’s a character who’s a soldier, there’s a character who’s a businessman, there’s a character who's a priest, representing these big, cultural moments of the 20th century. I don’t want to get too grand with it, but there is the notion that everybody's so apocalyptic right now. Like, how did we end up here? I feel like that's the subtext of what Outlast is always about. Who made money getting us here?”
The original Outlast was a cult hit in 2013.
Red Barrels
As the main writer for all Outlast games, Petty’s job is to take the team’s wildest, most potentially offensive ideas and make them palatable for a horror audience. He works with motifs of murder, torture, neglect, mental illness, sexual violence, bigotry and religion, and through comedy and hyperbole, transforms them into caricatures of greed, ego and oppression. There’s an undercurrent of humor in the Outlast games, strategically deployed to further highlight the terror.
“We have to come up with the worst, most horrible, most perverse thing that could possibly happen to you,” Petty said. “And then like two months later, it feels like, come up with something slightly worse and more horrible.”
“You know, for kids!” Morin joked. Later in the conversation he said, “The reality is, we know we're not surgeons operating on brains…. We’re creating entertainment. You need to have fun with it.”
There are no hard boundaries when the Red Barrels team is brainstorming new characters or themes, but Petty and Morin adhere to the same general wisdom when approaching sensitive topics: Don’t punch down.
“We don't want to victimize people who are already victims,” Petty said. “We're dealing with a lot of sensitive issues — mental illness, sexuality and violence, all of this stuff. And I just want to make sure we're always sympathetic.”
Red Barrels
This approach to extremism has resonated with millions of players, allowing Red Barrels to turn Outlast into an enduring horror franchise encompassing single-player narrative games, a multiplayer live-service experience and a graphic novel series over the past 11 years. The first two Outlast games sold a combined 15 million units and pulled in $45 million for Red Barrels, while The Outlast Trials has been purchased by more than 1 million players already. There’s a healthy community of content creators playing and dissecting the games on Twitch and YouTube, too.
Supporting The Outlast Trials is a lot of work, especially for such a small team. The prototype alone took two years of conceptualizing and coding, and the project spent six years in development before going live in early access in 2023. As a living game, Red Barrels not only has to maintain the experience they shipped with The Outlast Trials, but players now expect new content, monsters, missions and mechanics on a regular basis.
Most online multiplayer experiences that look like The Outlast Trials — meaning AAA-level games — have teams of hundreds of developers, and many are backed by companies worth billions. Red Barrels has just 65 employees, and 20 of them joined just in the past year.
“We're now in a war of content creation,” Morin said. “We have to ship content as quickly and efficiently as possible. And to be honest, we’re still learning how to do that because a lot of us are used to, once you ship a game, you get a big downtime, conception phase and all that. But there's none of that right now.”
Red Barrels
Red Barrels is only now expanding because they need people with expertise in multiplayer and live-service design. Morin and Red Barrels co-founders David Chateauneuf and Hugo Dallaire worked at EA and Ubisoft for years before going indie, managing large teams as senior developers. They founded Red Barrels because they wanted to get hands-on with game development again, ideally with a small crew of passionate horror fiends. (Also, Ubisoft turned down all their horror pitches. Thankfully — can you imagine if Ubisoft had greenlit the original Outlast? It probably would’ve been called something like Dr. Murkoff’s Manifesto and the gore would’ve been dialed way, way down. It might’ve given Miles a gun. Maybe, instead of sadistic psychiatric staff, its enemies would’ve been animatronic Rabbids. It could’ve gotten a Just Dance tie-in. Truly, the horror.)
Nowadays, Morin is doing less and less design as his studio becomes more complex, but he’s still involved in the creative process. Red Barrels just recently hired another writer, Jonathan Morrel, meaning Petty is no longer the entirety of the narrative department. The studio has a flat internal structure, where there aren’t harsh distinctions between roles like level designer and game designer. “We’re just all designers,” Morin said.
It’s hard to overstate just how small Red Barrels is, particularly considering the AAA quality of the Outlast series.
“I do remember the moment where, for IT support, I stopped going to one of the company's founders,” Petty said. “Hugo used to basically be IT for the company, as well as art director, co-founder. And it was pretty recent, right? It was like eight years into Red Barrels where he stopped being the IT guy.”
Morin added, “He just didn’t want anybody else to do it.”
Morin said that larger studios are always sniffing around Red Barrels, looking to acquire its talent and IP, but none of their pitches have looked better than independence so far. Red Barrels ended up creating the original Outlast with personal savings, loans and a $1 million investment from the Canada Media Fund. Even back then, there was an offer on the table from a major company that would have resulted in a few extra months of production time.
Red Barrels
“But at that point, we had been working so hard to try to make this game on our own and didn't want to give up our independence,” Morin said. “We were not ready to do that, we were so close to shipping the game. So we just doubled down and worked our asses off to be able to ship the game without needing extra money. But there were options. So I think it's, ‘Never say never,’ but up until now, no. We never felt the need to go get more financing to be able to make the games we wanted to make on our own. We'll see if we can keep on doing that.”
For Red Barrels, the focus right now is The Outlast Trials. There isn’t time for anything else — but maybe there will be in the future.
“Ultimately, our goal would be to have two IPs, two projects in parallel, and have them be different enough so that people who need a change of scenery can go from one to another,” Morin said. “I mean, I love the world of Outlast and the reality is that you could narratively make [the second project] fit inside the same world and just do a different kind of gameplay experience. That could always be done as well. But I think creating an IP is a very hard thing, and so when you have success, you don't want to waste it.”
The Outlast Trials is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cia-brainwashing-experiments-helped-make-outlast-an-iconic-horror-series-195055899.html?src=rss
Apple is reportedly forging ahead with a rotating, iPad-like tabletop device
Apple appears to be going full steam ahead on an iPad-like tabletop device from which you may be able to manage smart home products, oversee household security and take part in video calls. The device, which could debut as soon as 2026, is said to have a thin robotic arm that moves around a large display. Apple's riff on products like the Google Nest Hub and Amazon's Echo Show may be able to tilt the screen up and down using actuators and rotate 360 degrees. It's slated to be running on an offshoot of iPadOS for the time being.
Apple is said to have greenlit the device in 2022 but work on it intensified in recent months after the company scuttled its multi-billion boondoggle car project. Indeed, Kevin Lynch, Apple's vice president of technology who oversaw the car project and until recently was in charge of smartwatch and health software, is in charge of the device's development, according to Bloomberg.
Hundreds of Apple employees are now said to be working on the tabletop system, which the company reportedly sees as a way to take advantage of its Apple Intelligence tools. Siri and Apple Intelligence are expected to be the main control methods for the device. With a voice command, you may be able to turn the display to face you. It was reported earlier this year that Apple was planning a push into the realm of personal robotics, an effort that includes the tabletop device.
However, there's said to be some internal concern over whether consumers will actually want this product, especially given that Apple already has a strong foothold in the tablet market. Pricing could have an impact on demand as well, with the company aiming to sell the device for around $1,000.
This is one of several devices Apple is working on as it aims to further diversify its offerings and boost its bottom line, Bloomberg notes. While the iPhone still accounts for about half of Apple's revenue, sales have been relatively lagging in recent quarters. This year's lineup, expected to arrive in September, is slated to have relatively modest hardware upgrades with Apple placing more focus on software updates such as Apple Intelligence features.
The other products Apple is reportedly working on include smart glasses and AirPods with built-in cameras. Foldable iPhones and iPads may also be in the works.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/apple-is-reportedly-forging-ahead-with-a-rotating-ipad-like-tabletop-device-193236425.html?src=rss
The FTC finalizes its rules clamping down on fake online reviews
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) crackdown on fabricated reviews and fake consumer and celebrity testimonials has produced new official federal regulations to prevent the use of these practices on websites and e-commerce hubs. The FTC approved the new rules against the buying and selling of fake reviews and product testimonials with a 5-0 vote on Wednesday. The rules will become effective in 60 days.
The new FTC rules address the practice of buying and selling fake consumer reviews, including the use of AI-generated consumer and celebrity testimonials for products or services. They also prevent “providing compensation or other incentives conditioned on the writing of consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, either positive or negative” and prohibit “a business from misrepresenting that a website or entity it controls provides independent reviews or opinions” about products or services, according to a statement released by the FTC.
The formal ban also comes with stiff penalties for violators of the new rules. Fines could reach as high as $50,000 per violation.
The FTC officially announced its intent to seek new rules for such practices last October. The Commission has been trying to get control of fake online reviews and testimonials for years. The first such case was resolved in 2019 against the Amazon seller Cure Encapsulations Inc. The company was accused of paying for fake feedback for its weight-loss products from the amazonvierifiedreviews.com website, and the FTC slapped them with a $12.8 million fine. The FTC has also investigated similar cases against the supplement maker The Bountiful Company for “review hijacking” its products’ reviews and ratings on Amazon that ended with a $600,000 fine, and the skincare maker Sunday Riley that created fake online reviews by ordering employees to write them.
The government isn’t the only entity trying to discourage the buying and selling of fake reviews. The service recommendation website Yelp created a database that lists businesses who received warnings for posting or buying fake reviews for its Yelp page.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-ftc-finalizes-its-rules-clamping-down-on-fake-online-reviews-191339646.html?src=rss
There’s another BlackBerry movie coming out and this one’s a documentary
If you weren’t sated by last year’s dramatic retelling of the BlackBerry story, you’ll have another chance to witness the rise and fall of the once-iconic smartphone. Filmmaker Eddie Schmidt, one of the directors behind Netflix’s Ugly Delicious, is prepping a documentary about the handset, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The documentary is currently in production and is being made by Unrealistic Ideas, which is a production company founded by Mark Wahlberg aka the guy from Fear. This team was behind HBO’s McMillions, a documentary miniseries about the infamous McDonald's Monopoly promotion scam.
The project is currently untitled and there’s no release date, but we do know that the filmmakers have been given exclusive access to the Research In Motion Alumni Association. So there will be plenty of interviews with former executives who were involved in the BlackBerry story in one way or another. The film will also include “an array of never-before-seen archival footage.”
Director Schmidt shared a statement and said that he is excited to “explore this unpredictable real-life saga at the intersection of technology and popular culture.” One thing the documentary won’t have, however, is actor Glenn Howerton absolutely crushing it as former Research In Motion CEO Jim Balsillie.
BlackBerry was a legitimately good movie. We highly recommend it, particularly for the scene embedded above. I mean, come on!
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/theres-another-blackberry-movie-coming-out-and-this-ones-a-documentary-173618810.html?src=rss
There’s another BlackBerry movie coming out and this one’s a documentary
If you weren’t sated by last year’s dramatic retelling of the BlackBerry story, you’ll have another chance to witness the rise and fall of the once-iconic smartphone. Filmmaker Eddie Schmidt, one of the directors behind Netflix’s Ugly Delicious, is prepping a documentary about the handset, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The documentary is currently in production and is being made by Unrealistic Ideas, which is a production company founded by Mark Wahlberg aka the guy from Fear. This team was behind HBO’s McMillions, a documentary miniseries about the infamous McDonald's Monopoly promotion scam.
The project is currently untitled and there’s no release date, but we do know that the filmmakers have been given exclusive access to the Research In Motion Alumni Association. So there will be plenty of interviews with former executives who were involved in the BlackBerry story in one way or another. The film will also include “an array of never-before-seen archival footage.”
Director Schmidt shared a statement and said that he is excited to “explore this unpredictable real-life saga at the intersection of technology and popular culture.” One thing the documentary won’t have, however, is actor Glenn Howerton absolutely crushing it as former Research In Motion CEO Jim Balsillie.
BlackBerry was a legitimately good movie. We highly recommend it, particularly for the scene embedded above. I mean, come on!
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/theres-another-blackberry-movie-coming-out-and-this-ones-a-documentary-173618810.html?src=rss
Meet the man who set a world record by hooking up 444 consoles to one TV
Chances are you’ve got a couple of old video game consoles gathering dust in your closet right now. Would you be able to hook all of them up to your TV without some kind of adapter? Meet a guy who owns 444 game consoles and has them all hooked up to a single television, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Ibrahim Al-Nasser of Riyadh holds a Guinness World Record for the most video game consoles hooked up to a single television. His collection includes some of the classics such as the first Sony PlayStation, the Nintendo 64 and (his personal favorite) the Sega Genesis, complete with the 32x and Sega CD expansions. He also owns and can play games on those handheld plug-and-play consoles with arcade classics like Ms. Pac-Man and Dig Dug that you find in Target, classic and modern handhelds like the Hyperkin SuperBoy and obscure consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey.
Al-Nasser uses a series of switchers to play each console on a single screen. He keeps track of their location and powering procedure on an Excel spreadsheet. He’s even organized his collection so the cables aren’t showing or creating the kind of tangled mess most of us have to deal with when we have just two consoles hooked up to a single television.
That may sound like a lot of video game consoles for one collection but it’s far from the actual record. Linda Guillory of Garland, Texas currently holds the record for the largest collection of playable gaming systems with her collection of 2,430 items, according to Guinness World Records.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/meet-the-man-who-set-a-world-record-by-hooking-up-444-consoles-to-one-tv-171848639.html?src=rss
PS Plus Game Catalog additions for August include The Witcher 3 and Cult of the Lamb
Sony has revealed the next slate of additions to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers. There's a clear headliner this month in the shape of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt Red's immensely popular action RPG is often on sale for just a few bucks, but PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers won't have to pay anything extra to check it out if they haven't already played it. Both PS4 and PS5 versions will be available.
Cult of the Lamb, one of the standout indie games of the last couple of years, is coming to the Game Catalog as well. It's adorable and brutal, and now you can play with a friend in local co-op mode. Other additions for both Extra and Premium subscribers in August include Wild Hearts (EA's take on the Monster Hunter series), Watch Dogs 2, Ride 5, Sword Art Online: Last Recollection, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet and Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization.
Sony is bringing some very fun classics to the mix for Premium members in the form of the TimeSplitters series from the PS2 era. TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect will all join the lineup. It's still a bummer that Free Radical Design, a studio that was working on a reboot of the series, has been shut down but at least the original trilogy still exists.
Elsewhere, PS3 title Sword Art Online: Lost Song will be available through the Game Catalog but only via cloud streaming. There will also be a PS VR and PS VR2 game for Premium members in the shape of Vacation Simulator.
Note that these additions may differ depending on your region. So it's worth double checking the Game Catalog lineup when Sony introduces the latest additions on August 20, just in case there are any surprises.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ps-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-august-include-the-witcher-3-and-cult-of-the-lamb-165608880.html?src=rss
PS Plus Game Catalog additions for August include The Witcher 3 and Cult of the Lamb
Sony has revealed the next slate of additions to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers. There's a clear headliner this month in the shape of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt Red's immensely popular action RPG is often on sale for just a few bucks, but PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers won't have to pay anything extra to check it out if they haven't already played it. Both PS4 and PS5 versions will be available.
Cult of the Lamb, one of the standout indie games of the last couple of years, is coming to the Game Catalog as well. It's adorable and brutal, and now you can play with a friend in local co-op mode. Other additions for both Extra and Premium subscribers in August include Wild Hearts (EA's take on the Monster Hunter series), Watch Dogs 2, Ride 5, Sword Art Online: Last Recollection, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet and Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization.
Sony is bringing some very fun classics to the mix for Premium members in the form of the TimeSplitters series from the PS2 era. TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect will all join the lineup. It's still a bummer that Free Radical Design, a studio that was working on a reboot of the series, has been shut down but at least the original trilogy still exists.
Elsewhere, PS3 title Sword Art Online: Lost Song will be available through the Game Catalog but only via cloud streaming. There will also be a PS VR and PS VR2 game for Premium members in the shape of Vacation Simulator.
Note that these additions may differ depending on your region. So it's worth double checking the Game Catalog lineup when Sony introduces the latest additions on August 20, just in case there are any surprises.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ps-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-august-include-the-witcher-3-and-cult-of-the-lamb-165608880.html?src=rss
Apple is finally opening up NFC to third-party developers in iOS 18.1
Apple isn’t just opening up Near-Field Communication (NFC) access in the European Union; it’s offering third-party access to functions like tap-to-pay in the US and other regions. The company posted a notice on Wednesday announcing that third-party developers can start implementing their own contactless transaction systems through an API in the upcoming iOS 18.1.
The move follows Apple’s “legally binding” agreement with the European Commission last month to comply with EU regulations — specifically, the Digital Markets Act (DMA). That followed a four-year investigation by the governing body that found Apple liable for restricting rival mobile wallet developers from accessing the iPhone’s underlying payment tech.
Once iOS 18.1 arrives, developers can offer contactless payments (and other transactions) using the iPhone’s Secure Element, which Apple Pay also uses. The Secure Element is a dedicated chip designed for storing sensitive information accessed via the Secure Enclave, which handles encryption and biometric data.
In addition to tap-to-pay systems, NFC handles functions like digital car keys, transit cards, compatible home locks, hotel keys, student IDs, event tickets and retail loyalty and reward cards. Apple says government IDs will be “supported in the future.”
The API will initially be available not only in the US and EU regions but also in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.
Developing…
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-is-finally-opening-up-nfc-to-third-party-developers-in-ios-181-164028928.html?src=rss
Waymo driverless cars have gotten inexplicably chatty, honking at one another all night
Waymo driverless cars in San Francisco have been coming back online at night and honking at each other, as reported by CBS News. Videos have begun circulating showing dozens of the vehicles sitting in the same parking lot and just honking away without a care in the world. This has, obviously, irked some human neighbors who need sleep.
Is this a sign of the forthcoming AI apocalypse or is it some robotaxis learning how to flirt? Unfortunately for those looking for a “robots in love” narrative, it’s neither. It’s just an error within the security software. Simply put, the software mandates a honk when another car gets too close. These particular Waymo taxis sit right next to one another in a cramped parking lot when not in use and, well, there you go.
"We recently introduced a useful feature to help avoid low-speed collisions by honking if other cars get too close while reversing toward us," the company said in a statement. "It has been working great in the city, but we didn't quite anticipate it would happen so often in our own parking lots.”
Waymo says that it has updated the software to address the issue, noting that “our electric vehicles should keep the noise down for our neighbors moving forward.” So that’s that. Another mystery solved.
Despite this brief foray into vehicular anthropomorphism, Waymo is still expanding its taxi service. It’s currently available to anyone with the app who’s located in San Francisco, Phoenix and a small section of Los Angeles. The company recently touted that these robotaxis complete 50,000 paid trips per week.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-driverless-cars-have-gotten-inexplicably-chatty-honking-at-one-another-all-night-162115440.html?src=rss
Our favorite cheap wireless earbuds drop to just $49
There are many, many options for earbuds, all the way up to high-end sets that are bursting with features and deliver stellar audio. But for folks who are looking for a solid pair of earbuds that work well without breaking the bank, there are plenty of options in that area too.
Our pick for the best budget wireless earbuds is the Soundcore by Anker Space A40. You're in luck, because that model has dropped back down to their record low price of $49. It often retails for $80, so that's a $31 discount. Given that we felt the Space A40 already offered great value at the full retail price, this is a strong deal.
The lightweight earbuds should be comfortable to wear for extended listening sessions. The battery life is rated for 10 hours, with the charging case adding an extra 40 hours of listening time. Anker says that 10 minutes of fast charging will add four hours of listening time.
As you might expect from a lower-cost pair of earbuds, there's not as much detail in the sound profile as in higher-end models, though they offer warm tones and decent bass performance. EQ settings are adjustable in the Soundcore app, as are touch controls.
The Space A40 earbuds have an IPX4 rating for water resistance, so they should endure everyday sweat and light rain without much of an issue. You can use each earbud independently and connect them to two devices simultaneously.
What makes the Space A40 really stand out compared to rival models is the active noise cancellation (ANC), which performs very well for a set of earbuds in this price range. Adaptive ANC tech adjusts the intensity of the noise cancellation depending on your surroundings. However, higher pitched sounds won't be completely blocked out. You also have the option of adjusting ANC levels manually. The transparency mode isn't bad, either.
On the downside, the mic quality isn't fantastic, so folks on the other end of a phone call may not hear you super clearly. There's no auto-pause when you remove an earbud either. However, those are but small quibbles considering how well the Space A40 earbuds perform in other departments.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-cheap-wireless-earbuds-drop-to-just-49-155507153.html?src=rss
Ninja's DualZone air fryer is on sale for $150 right now
Ninja's DualZone air fryer is on sale for $150 right now via Amazon. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen all year for this kitchen mainstay. The sale drops $50 from the sticker price, which is a discount of 25 percent.
We chose the Ninja DualZone as one of the best air fryers out there, and the primary reason is right there in the name. The dual cooking zones are incredibly handy, letting home chefs prepare two different foods simultaneously. Each chamber allows for independent temperatures, cooking modes and more. Of course, the zones can also be chained together to whip up a whole bunch of one thing, like fries or nuggets.
We appreciated how quickly this oven heats up, with little to no preheating time required. It’s also fairly quiet during use, which isn’t always the case with air fryers. Some of them are downright cacophonous. Another neat little feature is that the oven will automatically adjust cooking times so that both ingredients in each chamber finish at the same time.
On the downside? This is a beast of a kitchen gadget that takes up a whole lot of counter space. It might not be the best fit for studio apartments and the like. The sale does only apply to the 8-quart model and not the even beefier 10-quart version. This is good for preserving counter space, but bad for those looking to cook a whole lot of stuff at once.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ninjas-dualzone-air-fryer-is-on-sale-for-150-right-now-150803947.html?src=rss
Until Dawn remake hits PS5 and PC on October 4
Until Dawn, a beloved PlayStation 4 exclusives, is getting a fresh lick of paint. The narrative horror game has been rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5 and now the new version has a very fitting spooky season release date. It’s coming to PlayStation 5 and PC on October 4.
Ballistic Moon, the studio that handled the remake given that original developer Supermassive Games is juggling several other projects, says the focus was on making the game feel more cinematic and intimate. That’s somewhat apt, given that a movie adaptation just started filming.
Those returning to the game will see updated character models, environments, interactable props, visual effects and animations. The switch to UE5 allowed the developers to make the most of upgraded rendering and ray-tracing capabilities too. Death scenes should look more grisly too, thanks to "more realistic real time fluids" and a revamped injury mask system.
Much of the action will now be from a third-person perspective with a controllable camera, rather than the purely fixed angles of the original game. Ballistic Moon also says it added more collectibles and revamped the prologue to tweak the pacing. In addition, the studio is bringing in more accessibility and usability settings to help as many folks as possible experience Until Dawn.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/until-dawn-remake-hits-ps5-and-pc-on-october-4-141559338.html?src=rss
Why is the Sonos app so broken?
Following a major update back in the spring, the Sonos app was very broken and missing key functionality. The company admitted it made a huge mistake in pushing the redesign too soon and explained that it has since uncovered more “issues” that have prohibited it from adding those missing features. Users were quickly frustrated, and now the company is so mired in fixing its app problem that it delayed two products that are ready to launch ahead of the holiday season. Let’s discuss how we got here, what happened with the app, the consequences Sonos is facing and what likely happens next.
The backstory
Sonos released a completely rebuilt version of its app for Android, iOS and desktop in May. The total redesign was focused on making it easier to play different kinds of content while also creating a hub that’s better suited for finding what you need. Of course, it also has to work with the company’s various speakers and soundbars, and the overhaul took place ahead of the release of the first Sonos headphones. Those cans, the Ace, brought new functionality that had to be supported in the app, so the company thought it was time to wipe the slate clean.
“We viewed re-architecting the app as essential to the growth of Sonos as we expand into new categories and move ambitiously outside of the home,” CEO Patrick Spence said on the company’s Q3 earnings call. “In addition to its more modern user interface, the new app has a modular developer platform based on modern programming languages that will allow us to drive more innovation faster, and thus let Sonos deliver all kinds of new features over time that the old app simply could not accommodate.” He also noted that “performance and reliability issues had crept in” over the company’s history, so the user experience had already suffered as a result of the aging platform.
Billy Steele for Engadget
Some customers will always be resistant to change. The new customizable interface took some getting used to, but that wasn’t the problem. The app was missing basic features like sleep timers and alarms. Users also reported the inability to rearrange speakers in different rooms, speakers working intermittently and trouble completing other basic tasks. Some say they can’t reliably load the app on the first try.
“We developed the new app to create a better experience, with the ability to drive more innovation in the future, and with the knowledge that it would get better over time. However, since launch we have found a number of issues,” Spence explained in July. “Fixing these issues has delayed our prior plan to quickly incorporate missing features and functionality."
Spence laid out a roadmap for fixing the problems in the same blog post, which initially included restoring the ability to add new products to your home setup. Even I had trouble adding the Ace headphones to the app at first, but after a few tries I eventually got it. Spence also said that the company had released updates to the app every two weeks since the redesign launched on May 7, and that it would continue that schedule alongside detailed release notes. The most recent version, which included TV Audio Swap with the Ace headphones and older Sonos soundbars, delivered a handful of very basic things — like the ability to clear the queue on the iOS version.
“Since I took over as CEO, one of my particular points of emphasis has been the imperative for Sonos to move faster,” Spence said on the earnings call. “That is what led to my promise to deliver at least two new products every year — a promise we have successfully delivered on. With the app, however, my push for speed backfired.”
The fallout
Sonos
Customers have been understandably upset since early May, which is well-documented in the r/sonos subreddit. But, user satisfaction isn’t the only issue that the company is facing. With the new version of the app so busted it had to be fixed before missing items could be added, Sonos has delayed the launch of two new products that were ready to go on sale in Q4. Spence said that the company enlisted “the original software architect of the Sonos experience,” Nick Millington, to do “whatever it takes” to remedy the issues.
And it’s not just a headache for customers. Sonos dealers and installers, which make up a significant part of the company’s business, are allegedly so frustrated with what they encounter trying to do their jobs that some of them have paused sales. “As an installer when you try and talk this up to somebody to buy, it is extremely embarrassing at this point when you have to just say ‘well, the parent company is having issues,’ it makes you look like the jackass,” one Reddit post explained.
Spence explained on the company’s Q3 earnings call that the app debacle would cost between $20 and $30 million. CFO Saori Casey said that sum is due to the loss of sales stemming from the software problem and having to delay two new products that would’ve generated more revenue. As such, Sonos had to revise its Q4 financial guidance to lower expectations until this “chapter,” as Spence describes the current fiasco, is resolved.
While the company hasn’t revealed any details on what either of those two now-delayed products might be, there have been rumors that offer some clues. Bloomberg reported in November that the company was working on a soundbar that would surpass the capabilities of its current flagship, the Arc, in addition to a set-top TV streaming box. Both of those products would be hot-ticket items for the holidays, especially for the Sonos faithful.
Sonos Arc
Kyle Maack/Engadget
Bloomberg explained that the new soundbar would likely be $1,200, or $300 more than the Arc. Additionally, the new model would include “new technology” following the company’s acquisition of Mayht Holding BV. In Sonos’ announcement of that move, it said that Mayht “invented a new, revolutionary approach to audio transducers.” More specifically, the company’s engineering methods allow it to build transducers, a basic component of speakers, that are smaller and lighter without sacrificing quality.
According to that same Bloomberg report, the Sonos TV streaming box will be powered by an Android-based OS with various apps for different services. The device is also said to act as a hub for Sonos gear in the home. Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision should be on the spec sheet, and voice control will reportedly play a significant role in the gadget’s operation.
Bloomberg further explained that Sonos was working on a new high-end amplifier that could cost at least $3,000 and new eight-inch ceiling speakers. Frustrated dealers and installers would likely be hesitant to sell such expensive items with the app in the current state, if Sonos could even add the functionality to make them work. Any of these could be the two products the company was forced to delay, and any of them would’ve likely padded the bottom line before the end of the year. And that would be on top of the early sales of the Ace, a device that should be popular this holiday season.
What happens next?
Sonos has a clear plan for how it intends to fix its buggy app, but there’s no timeline for exactly how long that will take. The company has yet to deliver a TrueCinema feature for its Ace headphones that will map a room (with the aid of a soundbar) to virtually recreate the acoustics for a more realistic experience. And as we learned recently, new products have been delayed for the time being.
“Building a new software foundation was the right investment for the future of Sonos, but our rollout in May has fallen dramatically short of the mark,” Spence said on the earnings call. “We will not rest until we’ve addressed the issues with our app, and have delivered new versions that materially improve our customers’ experiences.”
The company is at a standstill until its app is fixed, with a full product pipeline plugged up for the foreseeable future – if the reports are to be believed. From the looks of it, Sonos planned to release an app that wasn’t completely done, but one that it thought was stable enough to use, with the goal of adding features over time to improve the overall experience. However, the complete rebuild was essential to the new technology and devices Sonos has in the works, since the company has been clear the old app wouldn’t have supported them. And since one of those items was the Ace, Sonos had to decide if it could wait longer to release its first headphones, a highly-anticipated product, or just go ahead with what it had.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/why-is-the-sonos-app-so-broken-140028060.html?src=rss
https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/why-is-the-sonos-app-so-broken-140028060.html?src=rss
Engadget Podcast: Breaking down Google's Pixel 9 launch event
Google has officially dropped its major 2024 devices a few months earlier than usual. At its Made By Google event this week, the company unveiled the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, as well as its foldable follow-up, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. As for new accessories, we got the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra chat about everything from this event, and why the heck we didn't hear more about Android 15.
(Apologies for any audio issues in this episode, it was partially recorded in a noisy hotel room.)
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
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Credits
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low
Producer: Devindra Hardawar
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-breaking-down-googles-pixel-9-launch-event-131925200.html?src=rss
Apple finally allows Spotify to display pricing in the EU
Spotify can now show its users in the European Union how much its plans cost within its iOS app after their trial period ends. The company has revealed that it's opting into Apple's "entitlement" for music streaming services in an update to an old blog post. This "entitlement" was created after the European Commission slapped Apple with a €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) fine back in March for restricting alternative music streaming apps on the App Store. The commission's decision followed an investigation that was opened when Spotify filed a complaint against the tech company, accusing it of suppressing its service in favor of iTunes and Apple Music.
Apple initially rejected the update that Spotify submitted in April this year to add "basic pricing and website information" on its app in Europe. Now that Apple has approved changes, users will be able to see pricing information, as well as promotional offers, within the Spotify app for iPhones. They'll also see a note saying that they can go to the Spotify website to subscribe to any of the service's plans. However, the service chose not to provide users with an in-app link that would give them access to external payment options. As The Verge notes, it's because Apple recently tweaked its App Store rules in the EU, stating that it will still take a cut of developers' sales even if customers pay via third-party providers.
"Unfortunately, Spotify and all music streaming services in the EU are still not able to freely give consumers a simple opportunity to click a link to purchase in app because of the illegal and predatory taxes Apple continues to demand, despite the Commission’s ruling," Spotify wrote in its post. It added that "if the European Commission properly enforces its decision, iPhone consumers could see even more wins, like lower cost payment options and better product experiences in the app."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/apple-finally-allows-spotify-to-display-pricing-in-the-eu-123010178.html?src=rss
Meta killed Crowdtangle, an ‘invaluable’ research tool, because what it showed was inconvenient
It’s the end of an era for social media research. Meta has shut down CrowdTangle, the analytics tool that for years helped tens of thousands of researchers, journalists and civil society groups understand how information was spreading on Facebook and Instagram.
For a company that’s never been known for being transparent about its inner workings, CrowdTangle was an “invaluable” resource for those hoping to study Meta’s platform, says Brandi Geurkink, the executive director for the Coalition for Independent Technology Research. “It was one of the only windows that anybody had into how these platforms work,” Geurkink tells Engadget. “The fact that CrowdTangle was available for free and to such a wide variety of people working on public interest journalism and research means that it was just an invaluable tool.”
Over the years, CrowdTangle has powered a staggering amount of research and reporting on public health, misinformation, elections and media. Its data has been cited in thousands of journal articles, according to Google Scholar. News outlets have used the tool to track elections and changes in the publishing industry. It’s also provided unparalleled insight into Facebook itself. For years, CrowdTangle data has been used by journalists to track the origins of viral misinformation, hoaxes and conspiracy theories on the social network. Engadget relied on CrowdTangle to uncover the overwhelming amount of spam on Facebook Gaming.
Meta wasn't always quite as averse to transparency as it is now. The company acquired CrowdTangle in 2016, and for years encouraged journalists, researchers and other civil society groups to use its data. Facebook provided training to academics and newsrooms, and it regularly highlighted research projects that relied on its insights.
But the narrative began to shift in 2020. That’s when a New York Times reporter created an automated Twitter bot called “Facebook Top Ten.” It used CrowdTangle data to share the top Facebook pages based on engagement. At the time, right-wing figures and news outlets like Dan Bongino, Fox News and Ben Shapiro regularly dominated the lists. The Twitter account, which racked up tens of thousands of followers, was often cited in the long-simmering debate about whether Facebook’s algorithms exacerbated political polarization in the United States.
Meta repeatedly pushed back on those claims. Its executives argued that engagement — the number of times a post is liked, shared or commented on — is not an accurate representation of its total reach on the social network. In 2021, Meta began publishing its own reports on the most “widely viewed” content on its platform. Those reports suggested that spam is often more prevalent than political content, though researchers have raised significant questions about how those conclusions were reached.
More recently, Meta executives have suggested that CrowdTangle was never intended for research. “It was built for a wholly different purpose,” Meta’s President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, said earlier this year. “It just simply doesn't tell you remotely what is going on on Facebook at any time.” CrowdTangle founder Brandon Silverman, who has criticized Meta’s decision to shut down the service ahead of global elections, told Fast Company it was originally meant to be a community organizing tool, but quickly morphed into a service “to help publishers understand the flow of information across Facebook and social media more broadly.”
Clegg’s explanation is a “retcon,” according to Alice Marwick, principal researcher at the Center for Information Technology and Public Life at University of North Carolina. “We were trained on CrowdTangle by people who worked at Facebook," Marwick tells Engadget. “They were very enthusiastic about academics using it.”
In place of CrowdTangle, Meta has offered up a new set of tools for researchers called the Meta Content Library. It allows researchers to access data about public posts on Facebook and Instagram. It’s also much more tightly controlled than CrowdTangle. Researchers must apply and go through a vetting process in order to access the data. And while tens of thousands of people had access to CrowdTangle, only “several hundred” researchers have reportedly been let into the Meta Content Library. Journalists are ineligible to even apply unless they are part of a nonprofit newsroom or partnered with a research institution.
Advocates for the research community, including CrowdTangle’s former CEO, have also raised questions about whether Meta Content Library is powerful enough to replicate CrowdTangle’s functionality. “I've had researchers anecdotally tell me [that] for searches that used to generate hundreds of results on CrowdTangle, there are fewer than 50 on Meta Content Library,” Geurkink says. "There's been a question about what data source Meta Content Library is actually pulling from.”
The fact that Meta chose to shut down CrowdTangle less than three months before the US presidential election, despite pressure from election groups and a letter from lawmakers requesting a delay, is particularly telling. Ahead of the 2020 election, CrowdTangle created a dedicated hub for monitoring election-related content and provided its tools to state election officials.
But Marwick notes there has been a broader backlash against research into social media platforms. X no longer has a free API, and has made its data prohibitively expensive for all but the most well-funded research institutions. The company’s owner has also sued two small nonprofits that conducted research he disagreed with.
“There is no upside to most of these platforms to letting researchers muck around in their data, because we often find things that aren't PR-friendly, that don't fit the image of the platform that they want us to believe.”
While CrowdTangle never offered a complete picture of what was happening on Facebook, it provided an important window into a social network used by billions of people around the world. That window has now been slammed shut. And while researchers and advocates are worried about the immediate impact that will have on this election cycle, the consequences are much bigger and more far reaching. “The impact is far greater than just this year or just work related to elections,” Geurkink says. “When you think about a platform that large, with that much significance in terms of where people get their sources of information on a wide array of topics, the idea that nobody except for the company has insight into that, is crazy.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-killed-crowdtangle-an-invaluable-research-tool-because-what-it-showed-was-inconvenient-121700584.html?src=rss
The best USB-C hub for 2024
To squeeze the most productivity possible out of a laptop, or even a high-end tablet, you might need to plug in more stuff than your machine natively allows. A USB-C hub connects to a single port on your device, and through that you can attach a monitor, keyboard, mouse and even external storage. Plus, when you’ve got all your bells and whistles plugged into a hub, freeing up your device to be more mobile is as simple as unplugging one thing. Then, when you return to your desk, one step fully connects you again. We checked out hundreds of hubs before testing out 15 highly rated options to find the best USB-C hubs you can get today.
What to look for in a USB-C hub
Hub vs docking station
The first thing to decide is whether you need a USB-C hub or a docking station. There’s no set standard for what differentiates the two, but docking stations tend to have more ports, offer a separate DC power supply and cost more, with some reaching upwards of $400. We have a separate guide to the best docking stations to check out if you’re looking for something bigger than what we’re discussing here. USB-C hubs, in contrast, have between four and 10 ports, can support pass-through charging and typically cost between $30 and $150.
Hubs make more sense for smaller setups with just a few peripherals, such as a monitor, a wired keyboard and mouse, and the occasional external drive. They’re also more portable, since they’re small and require no dedicated power. That could be useful if you change work locations but want to bring your accessories with you, or if you want to replace your laptop with a more powerful tablet. A docking station makes more sense for someone who needs a robust setup for their laptop, including multiple external monitors, webcams, stream decks, microphones and so on.
Both docks and hubs make it easy to grab your laptop off your desk for a meeting or other brief relocation and when you get back, plugging in one cable gets all your accessories reconnected.
Ports
The first port to consider is the one on your laptop or tablet. For a USB-C hub to work, it needs to connect to a port that supports video, data and power — all of which is covered by anything listed as USB 3.0 or better. The port, of course, needs to be Type-C as well. The sea of laptops out there is vast, so it’s hard to make generalizations, but modern laptops should have at least one USB-C port that will suffice, and indeed, every one of our top picks for the best laptops do.
Next, it’s a matter of finding a hub that has the right connections for your needs. Most hubs offer some combo of HDMI, USB, memory card, Ethernet and 3.5 mm ports. If you have a 4K monitor and would like at least a 60Hz refresh rate, you’ll need a hub with an HDMI 2.0 port — HDMI 1.4 only goes up to 30Hz. HDMI 2.1 will handle 4K at up to 120Hz, but hubs that have adopted that standard aren’t as common just yet. Keep in mind that a low refresh rate can cause your screen to feel laggy, making your mouse appear glitchy and your webcam movements to look delayed.
Additional USB ports on these accessories are usually Type-A or Type-C. They can support data with different transfer rates, typically 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Some ports only handle passthrough power and no data, and some can do data, power and video, so it’s best to check the spec list to make sure you’re getting the support you need. Keep in mind that a hub may bill itself as a 7-in-1, but one of those ports may not be usable for anything other than charging.
Standard SD and microSD slots are useful for transferring data from cameras and the like. Ethernet ports may deliver faster internet speeds than your Wi-Fi and a hub with a 3.5mm jack can bring back the wired headphone connection that some laptops have ditched.
Power delivery
Nearly all of the USB-C hubs I tested support passthrough charging. That means if your laptop or tablet only charges via USB, you don’t have to take up another port on your laptop to keep everything topped up. Unlike a docking station, powering a hub is optional. The one exception is if you want to close the lid on your laptop while you work on an external monitor. Most computers will go into sleep mode if the lid is closed without power, so either the laptop or the hub will need to be plugged into the wall to prevent that from happening.
Many of the newer hubs include a 100W power delivery (PD) port, with a healthy 80 to 85 watts going to your computer (the hubs take a little of the juice for themselves, hence the 15-watt or so difference). In my tests, sending power through the hub made them run even hotter than they do already, so I prefer to charge the computer directly. But for tablets or other devices with no extra ports, that PD option is important.
Some PD ports are also data ports — which is both good and bad. On one hand, it feels wasteful to use a perfectly good data port just for boring old electricity. But on the other hand, USB-C connections that only carry a charge are less versatile, and it makes it seem like it has more accessory hookups than it actually does.
Design
There’s surprisingly little design variation among hubs. Most look like a flat slab, a little smaller than a smartphone, and have an attached Type-C host cable. The hues range from a silvery black to a silvery gray. Some are thinner than others, some have all ports on one edge and some have ports on both sides. All of this is just to say that aesthetics probably won’t make or break your buying decision.
One variation that could tip the scales is the length of the cable. A longer one will give you more freedom as you arrange the hub on your desk, potentially even letting you hide it behind your laptop. Or you may prefer a shorter one to keep the hub neatly set beside your laptop.
How we test USB-C hubs
Before we test anything, we take a look at what’s available and how they’ve been received by shoppers, forum-goers and other publications. I became familiar with a few reputable brands when I was testing docking stations, so I looked into hubs from those companies as well. I focused on items that would help with an average day of productivity — not high-end setups or demanding gaming situations. Once I settled on a dozen or so that would make good candidates, I had them shipped to my humble office in the desert and started testing them out over the course of a few weeks.
I used an M1 MacBook Pro as the host computer and plugged in accessories that include a 4K Dell monitor, a ZSA USB-C ergo keyboard, a Logitech USB-A gaming mouse, an Elgato USB-C 4K webcam, a Logitech streaming light, a USB-A 3.0 Sandisk thumb drive, a USB-C Samsung T7 Shield external drive and a pair of wired headphones I got for free on an airplane (I should probably invest in some wired headphones, but the cord dangling on my chest drives me nutty so all my earbuds are wireless). I used high-end HDMI and USB-C cables to ensure that any data or connectivity issues weren’t related to my equipment.
Then I put each USB-C hub through a gamut of basic tests. I looked at what could be plugged in at once, the resolution on the monitor, data transfer speeds, the overall build quality of the hub and general usability factors, like the placement of the ports and the length of the cords. And, finally, the price to value ratio helped determine the best ones for a few different use cases.
Best USB-C hubs for 2024
Other hubs we tested
HyperDrive Next 10 Port USB-C Hub
There’s a lot to like about HyperDrive’s Next 10 Port USB-C Hub. The tethered cable is a lavish 13 inches long, the HDMI 2.0 port outputs clear and crisp 4K visuals at 60Hz and the data transfers are screaming fast. It has the coveted two USB-C data ports plus a PD port, and there’s even a headphone jack. The only thing that holds back a full-throated endorsement is the way our unit handled a streaming light. Having it on at full brightness made the webcam flicker every time. The issue went away at 75 percent brightness, but the same problem didn’t happen on any other hub I tested.
Anker 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1)
There’s nothing wrong with the Anker 341 USB-C hub. In fact it’s a current recommendation in our iPad accessories guide and it comes at a great $35 price. It gives you two USB-A ports as well as SD slots. But at this point, a 1.4 HDMI connection, which only supports 4K resolution at 30Hz feels a little retro. There’s also just a single USB-C downstream port and the data transfer tests proved to be a touch slower than the other hubs. But if you’ve got a lower resolution monitor and don’t need more than one USB-C, you won’t be disappointed with it.
Startech 4-Port USB-C Hub (data only)
I only became aware of Startech when I started researching for this guide. The quality is decent and the yellow accents are a welcome bit of color in the otherwise very gray world of hubs. The performance is solid, with no hiccups that I encountered. The brand’s 4-Port USB-C Hub has a long cord that wraps around the hub itself, which is unique. It doesn’t bother with power delivery, which isn’t an issue if you can power your computer directly. But the four USB ports (three Type-A and one Type-C) max out at 5Gbps and there’s no HDMI connector. It goes for $46, and unfortunately for it, there are cheaper ways to get a few more USB ports for your setup.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-usb-c-hub-120051833.html?src=rss
https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-usb-c-hub-120051833.html?src=rss
Proton VPN's browser extension is now free for all users
You can now get and use Proton VPN's browser extension even if you're not a paying user. The extension used to only be accessible if you're on one of the service's paid plans, but now you can install it as long as you're on a Firefox- or a Chromium-based browser. Proton VPN was our top choice for VPNs last year, because it was fast and doesn't collect data that passes through its network.
Its apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux have always been free to use, but the unpaid service does come with limitations. The service's paid plans are faster, has over 100 countries to choose from and lets you connect up to 10 devices at once. Meanwhile, the free version struggled to stay connected at times when we tested it out. Still, it does its job and now it comes with access to the service's browser extension, which lets you keep your Proton VPN connection within your browser only.
Yes, the extension will let you use your standard internet connection outside of your browser. If you're using an app that doesn't work properly when you're on a device-wide VPN, but you want to protect your connection or circumvent region-based website blocks, the extension can solve your problem. Proton unfortunately has no plans to release a Safari browser for now, but we'll let you know if that changes. You can get the Chrome and Firefox extensions from Proton VPN's official website.
The company has also recently launched a new plan called Proton Duo, if you're considering paying for its products. It was specifically designed for two users who'll then get to share 1 TB of storage space (with additional 15 GB of bonus storage every year), as well as full access to Proton Mail, Drive, Calendar, Pass and VPN.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/proton-vpns-browser-extension-is-now-free-for-all-users-100049528.html?src=rss
The Morning After: The biggest reveals from Google’s Pixel 2024 event
Google’s big Pixel event was packed with phones, and the company has redesigned them all. No more Cyclops camera band, now it’s an Among Us camera oval. That’s across all the Pixels (barring the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold). There are new flattened sides and softer corners, making these phones look more like iPhones than ever before.
First up, the entry-level Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch screen, slightly larger than its predecessor, and a substantial camera bump up to a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens. New AI-powered photo editing tricks, like Add Me and Reimagine, join features I use daily on my Pixel 8, like Magic Editor and Night Sight.
It’s joined by the same-sized Pixel 9 Pro and the 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL. Technically, the Pixel 9 Pro is the new proposition: the best Pixel camera in a more convenient size. Besides screen size and battery, specs are the same across both Pro phones. The base Pixel 9 has a matte satin finish, while the Pro devices have a shiny, polished treatment. (I wish it was the other way around, personally.) Alongside that 50- and 48-megapixel camera duo, there’s a third 48MP cam with a 5x telephoto zoom. That’s the ‘pro’ part.
One surprise was that Google’s brand-new $1,000 Pixel 9 Phones won’t launch with Android 15.
This may be because the new Pixels are out earlier than usual. Android 14 arrived in October last year, so we can expect to hear more about Android 15 in the fall. Don’t worry, though. There’ll still be plenty of new AI features — which we’ll play with once our review devices land. Trust and believe.
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories you might have missed
All the AI features coming to the Pixel 9 phones
Google Pixel 9 and 9 Pro hands-on
Pixel Watch 3 hands-on: A bigger screen
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are its first earbuds that work with Gemini AI
Waiting for a new Fitbit smartwatch? Google says that’s the Pixel Watch 3
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Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold hands-on
A clever new shape and even bigger displays.
Engadget
Google’s first attempt at a foldable was different. The company went for different screen ratios, an insane price and capable cameras. This year, don’t call it the Pixel Fold 2, because this is Pixel 9 Pro Fold. As well as a revamped design, it has what Google says is the largest display of any phone on the market. Farewell, passport shape. The new foldable has a 6.3-inch outside display almost identical in size to the standard Pixel 9. But inside… boom. An eight-inch screen that beats Samsung, OnePlus and other rival foldables.
With cameras, a new module houses a 48MP main camera, a 10.5MP ultrawide camera and a 10.8MP telephoto cam with a 5x optical zoom. It’s not quite the Pixel 9 Pro, but on paper, it sounds capable. Still, no support for a stylus.
Continue reading.
Gemini, Google’s AI-powered chatbot, is the default assistant on Pixel 9 phones
This is the new Google Assistant.
The default assistant on all these new Pixels will be Gemini — Google’s AI-powered chatbot — not Google Assistant. “Gemini is an evolution of the Assistant,” said Sissie Hsiao, Google’s vice president and general manager of Gemini Experiences. Gemini, powered by Google’s own family of large language models, can apparently do everything the classic Google Assistant could do. To be clear, you can still use Gemini as your assistant on most current Android phones, Pixels or otherwise — but only if you opt in.
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Hackers may have leaked the social security numbers of every American
A dump of 2.7 billion records.
Several months after a hacking group claimed to be selling nearly three billion records stolen from a prominent data broker, much of the information appears to have been leaked on a forum. According to Bleeping Computer, the data dump includes 2.7 billion records of people in the US, including names, social security numbers, potential aliases and all physical addresses they are known to have lived at. Worse still, it’s all unencrypted. It may be worth taking some steps to protect yourself against fraud and identity theft.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-the-biggest-reveals-from-googles-pixel-2024-event-111519925.html?src=rss