Cryptocurrency cleaned up its act this week as spot Bitcoin ETFs made their Wall Street debut in January. The digital tokens are looking almost unrecognizable from what the industry represented just a few years ago, leading to the question, is Bitcoin still crypto?
You can grab a pair of the well-reviewed Google Pixel Buds Pro earbuds for $140 via Wellbots. Just enter the code “60ENGDGT” at checkout to get that sweet discount of $60, which is 30 percent off the MSRP. This isn’t the lowest price ever for these earbuds, but it’s close.
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro made our list of the best wireless earbuds, and for good reason. These are likely the best choice for Android and Pixel phone users. To that end, you’ll get access to Google Translate’s conversation mode, which translates conversations in near-real-time. These transcriptions are read in the language of your choice and piped right into the earbuds. We also noted that the audio drivers are much-improved over its predecessor, delivering deep and punchy bass.
In our official review of the earbuds, we called out the impressive active noise cancellation (ANC) performance, which was missing from the previous generation. We also liked the Bluetooth multipoint connection option and the reliable touch controls, which is something that earbud manufacturers often struggle to get right.
Not everything’s rosy in Pixel Buds Pro land, however, as the spatial audio feature still needs some work. Another major complaint was the price, an issue that this limited-time sale pretty much solves. As for other specs, the Google Pixel Buds Pro earbuds last up to 11 hours per charge, with up to 31 hours when including the charging case. These earbuds offer IPX4 water-resistance and wireless charging.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-google-pixel-buds-pro-are-on-sale-for-140-right-now-140007113.html?src=rss
Cryptocurrency cleaned up its act this week as spot Bitcoin ETFs made their Wall Street debut in January. The digital tokens are looking almost unrecognizable from what the industry represented just a few years ago, leading to the question, is Bitcoin still crypto?
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 phones are all about AI, but how do they compare against Google’s AI tech? This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss what works and doesn’t about Samsung’s ambitious new smartphones, and why it may be a good thing for the Korean giant to directly compete with Google. Also, Senior Editor Karissa Bell joins to discuss the social media CEO Senate hearing, which, unsurprisingly, doesn’t really amount to much.
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!
Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra reviews: AI with mixed results – 0:47
Senate gathers social media CEOs over online child safety – 15:15
Graphic images of Taylor Swift on X prompts U.S. bill to let people sue over sexual deepfakes – 28:11
Universal Music Group pulls songs from TikTok during talks on a new music rights deal – 33:05
Delaware court denies Elon Musk’s “unfathomable” Tesla payday – 38:31
Neuralink claims to have implanted its first chip in a human test subject – 40:32
Google reveals new text-to-image generative AI tool, ImageFX – 41:46
Working on – 47:00
Pop culture picks – 51:29
Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Karissa Bell
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-samsung-galaxy-24-reviews-133002731.html?src=rss
Welcome to another installment of Gizmodo’s Animal Crime of the Week, an exploration of animals and their mischievous behavior. Let’s talk about the Great Ape Escape of 2019, when a band of chimpanzees at the Belfast Zoo in Northern Ireland brazenly scampered to the edge of freedom.
AI-generated voices mimicking celebrities and politicians are making it harder for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight robocalls. FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel wants the commission to recognize calls that use AI-generated voices as artificial, making the use of voice cloning technologies in robocalls illegal.
Under the FCC’s Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), artificial voice or recording calls to residences are against the law. If AI-generated voice calls are recognized as illegal under the existing law, it’ll give state attorneys general offices nationwide “new tools” to crack down on scammers.
The FCC’s proposal comes shortly after some New Hampshire residents received a call impersonating President Joe Biden, telling them not to vote in their state’s primary. A security firm performed a thorough analysis of the call and determined it was created using AI tools by a startup called ElevenLabs. The company subsequently banned the account responsible for the message.
— Mat Smith
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Snap is recalling its Pixy drone after battery fire
Google reveals another text-to-image generative AI tool, ImageFX
Niantic is bringing an AR skateboarding game to Apple Vision Pro
Meta Quest headsets get spatial video playback, just in time for the Apple Vision Pro launch
Hulu is the latest streaming service to crack down on password sharing
Elgato introduces its first-ever HDMI 2.1 capture cards
Comcast is discontinuing its Xfinity 10G Network branding to describe its internet service after a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel found the term could mislead consumers into thinking that Comcast’s cellular and broadband services would offer much faster speeds than current-generation networks.
Google is adding generative AI to Maps. The feature’s in early access and only available in certain areas and for select Local Guides members. It allows you to speak to the app using natural language to discover new places. Ask the app what you’re looking for, like a specific kind of restaurant, and the company’s large-language models will analyze information from all of its listings, along with insights from community members.
The recommendation engine will also recall what you’ve asked in the past, hopefully honing future suggestions.
After threatening to do so earlier this week, Universal Music Group (UMG) is pulling the catalogs of performers it represents, including Taylor Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and others. There are no longer tracks listed in the profiles of some of the world’s most notable artists, and any UMG music featured in TikTok videos will be muted going forward. Universal had previously said TikTok wanted to pay a “fraction” of the rate paid by other social media sites.
This is the perfect picture for this story. Reality Labs, Meta’s division for AR, VR and the metaverse, generated more than $1 billion in revenue during the final quarter of 2023, thanks to its Quest headsets and the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The division, however, still lost $4.6 billion in the quarter and more than $16 billion in 2023. Legs are expensive.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-fcc-wants-to-make-ai-voiced-robocalls-illegal-121559520.html?src=rss
“You wouldn’t steal a car. You wouldn’t steal a handbag,” said that infamous 2000s anti-piracy commercial from the Motion Picture Association. “Piracy is stealing.”
One of Google Search‘s oldest and best-known features, cache links, are being retired, Google’s search liaison said in an X post seen by The Verge. Best known by the “Cached” button, those are a snapshot of a web page the last time Google indexed it. However, according to Google, they’re no longer required.
“It was meant for helping people access pages when way back, you often couldn’t depend on a page loading,” Google’s Danny Sullivan wrote in the post. “These days, things have greatly improved. So, it was decided to retire it.
Hey, catching up. Yes, it’s been removed. I know, it’s sad. I’m sad too. It’s one of our oldest features. But it was meant for helping people access pages when way back, you often couldn’t depend on a page loading. These days, things have greatly improved. So, it was decided to…
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 1, 2024
Nowadays, however, the feature is used for more than just a web page backup. Many people rely on it to check to validity of a site, and SEO managers can employ the feature to check their pages for errors. Many users, particularly news professionals, use the cache to see if a website has recently been updated, with information added or removed. And sometimes, a cache can let you check a site that’s geoblocked in your region.
Previously, clicking on the three-dot menu next to a result would open an “about this result” dialog with the Cached button at bottom right. Now, however, it opens a much larger menu showing a website’s “about” page, a Wikipedia descrtipoin, privacy settings and more. The cached button is now nowhere to be seen.
None of the comments in Sullivan’s replies were positive, with one SEO user saying “come on, why delete the function? It’s really helpful for all SEO.” Sullivan did say that Google may one day add links to the Internet Archive where the cache link button used to be, within About This Result.
However, that sounds like it’s far from a done deal, and would shift a massive amount of traffic over to the Internet Archive. “No promises. We have to talk to them, see how it all might go — involves people well beyond me. But I think it would be nice all around,” he wrote.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-search-is-losing-its-cached-web-page-feature-113503903.html?src=rss
“You wouldn’t steal a car. You wouldn’t steal a handbag,” said that infamous 2000s anti-piracy commercial from the Motion Picture Association. “Piracy is stealing.”
If you’re in the market for a Fire TV device it’s a good time to buy, as Amazon is having an early Valentine’s Day event. The Fire TV Stick 4K is on sale for $35, for a savings of $15 (30 percent) off the regular price. You can also grab the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $40, netting you 33 percent ($20 off). And finally, the Fire TV Cube is priced at $115, near its lowest price ever.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Amazon’s most powerful streaming stick, thanks to a faster processor that delivers 40 percent more power than the one in the Fire TV Stick 4K. That translates to faster app start times and more fluid menu navigation, for a better overall experience. The Fire TV Sitck 4K Max also comes with WiFi 6 connectivity, as well as support for Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos audio, along with Alexa commands via the Alexa Voice Remote.
While not quite as zippy, the Fire TV Stick 4K is slightly cheaper at $35. It’s a great option if you want a low-profile streaming device that can handle 4K content. It also supports Dolby Vision and HDR, and comes with the Alexa Voice Remote, which lets you search for and launch content with voice commands. Frankly though, for the extra $2, I’d grab the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
The Fire TV Cube is Amazon’s most powerful streaming device with a hexa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It supports 4K, HDR content with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and it has picture-in-picture live view as well. You’re also getting hands-free Alexa controls, too, letting you turn off your lights or check the weather, even with your TV off.
Finally, don’t forget about Amazon’s Fire TV soundbar that’s back on sale for $100, for a savings of nearly 20 percent. It can enhance your TV audio via dual speakers, with access to 3D surround sound, while offering DTS Virtual X and Dolby Audio support.
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/amazon-fire-tv-streaming-devices-are-up-to-33-percent-off-101521171.html?src=rss
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