‘Twas the afternoon before Star Wars Day, and all through the internet, Hasbro was stirring our wallets with yet another big stream of reveals from the galaxy far, far away. Appropriately, given that 2024’s Star Wars Day coincides with the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, many of these goodies are celebrations…
‘Twas the afternoon before Star Wars Day, and all through the internet, Hasbro was stirring our wallets with yet another big stream of reveals from the galaxy far, far away. Appropriately, given that 2024’s Star Wars Day coincides with the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, many of these goodies are celebrations…
Microsoft shared its responsible artificial intelligence practices from the past year in an inaugural report, including releasing 30 responsible AI tools that have over 100 features to support AI developed by its customers.
Microsoft shared its responsible artificial intelligence practices from the past year in an inaugural report, including releasing 30 responsible AI tools that have over 100 features to support AI developed by its customers.
Epic Games won its antitrust lawsuit against Google in December when a federal jury found that the latter violated US antitrust laws with regards to how it runs the Play Store. A few months later, the gaming developer submitted its list of demands, which if implemented will blow the Play Store wide open. Now, Google has filed an injunction telling the court that no, it will not give Epic what it wants without a fight, because the company’s asks “stray far beyond the trial record.”
The remedies Epic had submitted would require the court not just to create a global regulatory regime to set prices for apps, Google wrote in the filing as seen by Engadget, but also to micromanage “a highly complex and dynamic ecosystem” used by billions of consumers and app developers around the world. If you’ll recall, Epic wants Google to open up Android to third-party app stores and to make its catalog of apps available to those stores. It also wants restrictions on pre-installed apps to be outlawed and to prohibit any Google activity that incentivizes third-parties.
Google said that bowing down to all those demands would “effectively prevent [it] from competing,” which in turn would negatively affect Android users and developers. Epic’s proposals only benefit Epic, Google said in its filing, and will harm other developers by depriving them of control over where their app is distributed. Manufacturers will no longer be able to take advantage of the partnerships Google typically offers, while users have to deal with additional security and privacy risks.
The company also slammed Epic over the “vagueness” of its proposed injunction, which would require the repeated and ongoing intervention of the courts. Similarly, Epic’s demands would apparently require the court to micromanage Google’s business.
“Epic’s demands would harm the privacy, security, and overall experience of consumers, developers, and device manufacturers,” Wilson White, Google’s Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy, told Engadget in a statement. “Not only does their proposal go far beyond the scope of the recent US trial verdict — which we will be challenging — it’s also unnecessary due to the settlement we reached last year with State Attorneys General from every state and multiple territories. We will continue to vigorously defend our right to a sustainable business model that enables us to keep people safe, partner with developers to innovate and grow their businesses, and maintain a thriving Android ecosystem for everyone.”
Google said that if Epic truly wants to promote competition rather than create “an unfair, court- supervised advantage for itself,” then it would take cues from its settlement with the state officials that previously accused the company of abusing its dominance on Android app distribution. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was, unsurprisingly, unhappy with that settlement, tweeting at the time: “If Google is ending its payments monopoly without imposing a Google Tax on third party transactions, we’ll settle and be Google’s friend in their new era. But if the settlement merely pays off the other plaintiffs while leaving the Google Tax in place, we’ll fight on. Consumers only benefit if antitrust enforcement not only opens up markets, but also restores price competition.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-says-epics-play-store-demands-are-too-much-and-too-self-serving-123023699.html?src=rss
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 comes close to having practically everything you could want or need in a gaming laptop, almost to the point of excess. There may not be many folks out there who demand numpad controls on a mobile device. Why? Because why not? The only thing it’s missing is an SD card slot. Knowing just how…
Boom’s supersonic XB-1 test jet has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to fly past Mach 1, the company announced. Tests are slated to take place later this year at the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor in Mojave, CA, and the results could help prove the feasibility of the design in areas like fuel consumption, speeds and flight characteristics.
“Following XB-1’s successful first flight, I’m looking forward to its historic first supersonic flight,” said Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl. “We thank the Federal Aviation Administration for supporting innovation and enabling XB-1 to continue its important role of informing the future of supersonic travel.”
The approval arrives just weeks after a successful X-B1 test flight at subsonic speeds by a pair of test pilots. It follows a thorough review and environmental assessment, and mandates a chaise plane to trail the XB-1 to monitor and record flight safety, according to the company.
The company will conduct 10-20 flights before attempting to break the speed of sound. It will systematically expand the flight envelope during that time to confirm performance and handling qualities, while performing in-flight checks of all systems and demonstrating a safe margin to flutter/vibration boundaries. Test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenberg will be at the controls during the first supersonic flight.
Passenger flights are still a long way away, though. The XB-1 is a scaled-down version of Boom’s ultimate goal, a commercial liner called Overture that’s expected to carry under 100 passenger at “business class” comfort levels. The company has said that plane will be able to fly from Tokyo to Seattle in four hours and thirty minutes.
NASA is also working on a supersonic jet called the X-59 with a reduced sonic profile, but Boom Supersonic hasn’t provided much detail on how it plans to reduce the, well, supersonic boom.
The company has seen its share of issues, with test plans delayed and a rupture with original engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce. The company subsequently partnered with a company called FTT to develop its own custom “Symphony” jet engine. Despite those setbacks, the company already has customers lined up, with American Airlines and United Airlines having place orders for multiple jets.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/booms-xb-1-supersonic-jet-has-been-authorized-to-break-the-speed-of-sound-120036963.html?src=rss
Hugo Gernsback was a pioneer in the world of science fiction during the first half of the 20th century—so much so that the Hugo Awards are named after him. But Gernback also edited serious tech magazines and came up with ideas that were often way ahead of their time. Or, in the case of the office “isolator” pictured…
The Rabbit R1 is finally here, and it’s yet another useless AI gadget. Sure, at $199 with no monthly fee, it’s a lot cheaper than the $699 Humane AI Pin. But the R1 is slow, hard to use, and doesn’t actually do much. The much-promised “Large Action Model” mostly powers things you can easily do on your phone. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget’s Sam Rutherford chat with CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco about the Rabbit R1 and whether AI devices are necessary at all. Just like cameras, the best AI device is the one you always have with you: your smartphone.
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!
Rabbit R1 review: appealing design, underwhelming performance – 0:49
Tesla lays off Supercharger development team leaving future of the network unclear – 25:28
FCC fines U.S. wireless carriers $200m for selling customer location data – 30:05
Razer will refund all Zephyr mask purchases over false N95 filtering claims – 32:52
Drake deletes track featuring an AI clone of Tupac Shakur’s voice – 35:16
Working on – 36:23
Pop culture picks – 40:18
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Sam Rutherford
Guest: Lisa Eadicicco from CNET
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-why-tiktok-will-never-be-the-same-again-113009291.html?src=rss
Tom Clancy’s XDefiant is almost upon us. Ubisoft is releasing the free-to-play first-person shooter on May 21 for the Xbox Series X|S, the PS5 and PC through Ubisoft Connect. The developer is kicking things off with the preseason version of the game, which is scheduled to last for six weeks before XDefiant’s first season officially starts. Ubisoft announced the game way back in 2021, promising team-based matches with a focus on gunplay that will include elements from other games in the Tom Clancy universe.
The preseason will offer five different game modes with 14 maps, 24 weapons and five playable factions inspired by Ubisoft’s other franchises. Players will need to choose their faction before the match begins and before they respawn. They must also choose their primary and secondary weapon — their options include assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns and sniper rifles — and a grenade. To customize a weapon, they can add barrel and muzzle attachments, such as sights and grips.
Each faction will give players access to two active abilities, one passive buff and another ultra ability that they have to charge up while the match is ongoing. Libertad, one of the available factions, puts a focus on healing, while members of the Cleaners faction can use fire to burn their opponents. Echelon players can reveal enemy locations with their stealth technology, whereas Phantoms’ abilities can block damage. The last faction available, DedSec, is for those who want to play as hackers.
When the first season launches, Ubisoft is adding four new factions, 12 new weapons and 12 new maps to the game. According to the Year 1 roadmap the developer shared last year, it expects to roll out four seasons with the game’s first year, with each one adding more new content meant to keep players engaged, invested and more likely to come back and keep playing.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ubisofts-first-person-shooter-xdefiant-is-launching-on-may-21-074940344.html?src=rss
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