We’ve nearly reached the gaming company Razer’s yearly convention (in modern times: streaming event with lots of products), and a pair of devices have been revealed early. Razer itself revealed the Razer Seiren V2 Pro and the Razer Seiren V2 X, two streaming-friendly microphones made to deliver rich and clear audio for the masses. The Razer Seiren V2 X is … Continue reading
Brave is very confident in its privacy-centric search engine — so much so that it’s giving Google the boot. As of today (October 19th), Brave will use the engine as its browser’s default search tool, replacing Google in the US, UK and Canada. It’ll also supplant DuckDuckGo in Germany and Qwant in France, with more countries seeing the switch in the “next several months.”
Your browser will keep its existing search engine settings, and you can always pick Google or another competitor if you’re so inclined. The change in defaults is available across desktop releases as well as Android and iOS.
Brave Search is effectively billed as the anti-Google engine. It doesn’t track you, your search history or what you’ve clicked. While its independent index won’t necessarily be robust as Google’s, Brave is betting that the default position will significantly boost adoption.
You can help improve the results, too. Brave has launched a Web Discovery Project that lets volunteers contribute data to improve Brave Search’s overall quality. The feature is anonymous and makes the data “unlinkable,” rendering it useless to ad customers or hackers. It runs automatically as you browse. The opt-in nature will limit WDP’s usefulness, but Brave is clearly hoping to find enough participants that it narrows gaps with heavyweight rivals.
Google’s Pixel 6 is almost here after months of hype. The company is livestreaming the Pixel 6 launch event starting at 1PM Eastern, and you can watch it with us on Engadget’s YouTube channel (below) for an extra dash of insight.
The focus is on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, of course — both are expected to herald Google’s return to flagship-class phones with improved cameras, flashier designs and a custom AI-centric processor. We’d also expect to hear news about Android 12 availability, however, and we wouldn’t rule out news on Pixel Pass or other service-oriented features. As much as Google has said so far, it might have plenty more to say during its presentation.
Over the weekend, accessory maker Dbrand made headlines when it stopped selling its PlayStation 5 “Darkplates” following a cease-and-desist letter from Sony. At the time, the company promised it would have more to say about the subject, and now it has. On late Monday evening, the company took to Reddit to announce a second version of the faceplates it says Sony won’t have a legal case against.
“By creating a brand new design, Darkplates 2.0 successfully closes the loop on this dispute and neutralizes any future infringement claims from Sony,” the company said. It also claims its plates will make your PS5 look “considerably less ugly.” You can be the judge of that last one.
In addition to a new design, the panels feature cutouts for the PS5’s 120mm intake fans. Citing data from Gamers Nexus, Dbrand claims its new plates will maximize your PS5’s thermal performance without the need to run it naked. Sony’s latest console doesn’t have overheating issues. That’s true of both the launch variant and the new revised model that comes with a smaller and lighter heatsink. That said, running components at lower temperatures generally extends their lifespan over pushing them to the limit. If you’re worried about dust making its way into your console, each set of Darkplates comes with a pair of mesh dust filters you can mount inside of the panels.
The new panels are available to pre-order starting today for an introductory price of $59.05 for the set. You can choose from three colors: matte black, retro gray and classic white. Alongside the faceplates, Dbrand is selling lightstrips you can use to tint your PS5’s side LEDs. They’re available in nine different colors, with a single one priced at $5.95. Dbrand will release the panels in waves, with the first, sold-out set shipping in November, and then the second and third waves following in December and January.
We wouldn’t necessarily count on plates making those dates. Dbrand says Sony will “probably” sue it again. It’s bullish on its prospects, but then again, it’s up against a much larger company.
The dirtiest fossil fuel is enjoying a renaissance in the U.S., but it could usher in a dark age for the climate.
In September, a very large, incredibly powerful magnet was unloaded in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance in Southern France to be incorporated into the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a major international collaboration that is attempting to prove the economic and technical feasibility of nuclear fusion.
She’s baaaaaaack. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency’s Climate Prediction Center said last week that a La Niña has developed in the Pacific Ocean and is set to last through the winter and into next spring. That’s bad news for the record drought in the West.
The one good thing about Hollywood reimagining Batman every few years is that we get a new Batmobile each time. In Matt Reeve’s upcoming take on the caped crusader, Batman will cruise around Gotham in what looks more like a garage build muscle car than a repurposed tank, and thanks to Hot Wheels, you’ll soon have the…
Prince Philip was previously awarded Consort of the Year by Oldie magazine in 2011.
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