Hasta La Gadget!

In a couple of months, you’ll be able to get Microsoft’s mobile games from its own store. Xbox President Sarah Bond has revealed at the Bloomberg Technology Summit that the company is launching a web-based store where you can download its mobile games and get add-ons or in-app purchases at a discount. Bond said the company has decided to launch a browser-based store instead of an app to make it “accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what” so that you don’t get “locked to a single ecosystem.”

Microsoft will only host its own games to start with, which means it will feature a lot of titles from Activision Blizzard. If you’ll recall, it snapped up the gaming developer and publisher in a $70 billion deal that closed last year. You’ll most likely find Candy Crush Saga, which has apparently generated $20 billion in revenue since it launched in 2012, and Call of Duty’s mobile games in the first batch of titles available for download. Bond said that Minecraft may also be one of the first games you can get. 

An Xbox spokesperson told Bloomberg that this is “just the first step in [the company’s] journey to building a trusted app store with its roots in gaming.” Microsoft plans to open the app store to third-party publishers in the future, though it didn’t share a timeline for that goal. 

The company first announced its intention to launch a gaming store for Android and iOS devices last year shortly before rules under the EU’s Digital Markets Act became applicable. To comply with DMA rules, Apple and Google have to allow third-party app stores to be accessible on their platforms and to offer alternative billing systems for purchases. They’re also compelled to allow app sideloading, which will be a massive change for Apple, a company known for its “walled garden” approach to business. 

Operators of third-party app stores will get to avoid some of the fees Google and Apple charge, but they’d still have to pay the companies for bypassing their mobile platforms’ official stores. Both tech giants have already outlined how they’re changing things up to comply with the DMA regulations. The companies’ rivals found the changes they’re making insufficient, however, prompting the European Commission to start investigating their compliance plans. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-web-based-mobile-game-store-opens-in-july-090044359.html?src=rss

In a couple of months, you’ll be able to get Microsoft’s mobile games from its own store. Xbox President Sarah Bond has revealed at the Bloomberg Technology Summit that the company is launching a web-based store where you can download its mobile games and get add-ons or in-app purchases at a discount. Bond said the company has decided to launch a browser-based store instead of an app to make it “accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what” so that you don’t get “locked to a single ecosystem.”

Microsoft will only host its own games to start with, which means it will feature a lot of titles from Activision Blizzard. If you’ll recall, it snapped up the gaming developer and publisher in a $70 billion deal that closed last year. You’ll most likely find Candy Crush Saga, which has apparently generated $20 billion in revenue since it launched in 2012, and Call of Duty’s mobile games in the first batch of titles available for download. Bond said that Minecraft may also be one of the first games you can get. 

An Xbox spokesperson told Bloomberg that this is “just the first step in [the company’s] journey to building a trusted app store with its roots in gaming.” Microsoft plans to open the app store to third-party publishers in the future, though it didn’t share a timeline for that goal. 

The company first announced its intention to launch a gaming store for Android and iOS devices last year shortly before rules under the EU’s Digital Markets Act became applicable. To comply with DMA rules, Apple and Google have to allow third-party app stores to be accessible on their platforms and to offer alternative billing systems for purchases. They’re also compelled to allow app sideloading, which will be a massive change for Apple, a company known for its “walled garden” approach to business. 

Operators of third-party app stores will get to avoid some of the fees Google and Apple charge, but they’d still have to pay the companies for bypassing their mobile platforms’ official stores. Both tech giants have already outlined how they’re changing things up to comply with the DMA regulations. The companies’ rivals found the changes they’re making insufficient, however, prompting the European Commission to start investigating their compliance plans. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-web-based-mobile-game-store-opens-in-july-090044359.html?src=rss

On Wednesday, OpenAI released a draft of its Model Spec sheet that details how it intends its AI models to behave. There is a section focusing on NSFW content that gives the impression that the company is exploring ways to makeAI porn, but the company says that is not happening.

Read more…

It’s that time of year again. Google’s annual I/O keynote is upon us. This event is likely to be packed with updates and announcements. We’ll be covering all of the news as it happens and you can stream the full event below. The keynote starts at 1PM ET on May 14 and streams are available via YouTube and the company’s hub page.

In terms of what to expect, the rumor mill has been working overtime. There are multiple reports that the event will largely focus on the Android 15 mobile operating system, which seems like a given since I/O is primarily an event for developers and the beta version is already out in the wild.

So let’s talk about the Android 15 beta and what to expect from the full release. The beta includes an updated Privacy Sandbox feature, partial screen sharing to record a certain app or window instead of the whole screen and system-level app archiving to free up space. There’s also improved satellite connectivity, additional in-app camera controls and a new power efficiency mode.

Despite the beta already existing, it’s highly probable that Google will drop some surprise Android 15 announcements. The company has confirmed that satellite messaging is coming to Android, so maybe that’ll be part of this event. Rumors also suggest that Android 15 will boast a redesigned status bar and an easier way to monitor battery health.

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Android 15 won’t be the only thing Google discusses during the event. There’s a little acronym called AI you may have heard about and the company has gone all in. It’s a good bet that Google will spend a fair amount of time announcing updates for its Gemini AI, which could eventually replace Assistant entirely.

Back in December, it was reported that Google was working on an AI assistant called Pixie as an exclusive feature for Pixel devices. The branding is certainly on point. We could hear more about that, as it may debut in the Pixel 9 later this year. 

Google’s most popular products could also get AI-focused redesigns, including Search, Chrome, G Suite and Maps. We might get an update as to what the company plans on doing about third-party cookies and maybe it’ll throw some AI at that problem too.

What not to expect? Don’t get your hopes up for a Pixel 9 or refreshed Pixel Fold for this event, as I/O is more for software than hardware. We’ll likely get details on those releases in the fall. However, rules were made to be broken. Last year, we got a Pixel Fold announcement at I/O, so maybe the line between hardware and software is blurring. We’ll find out soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-googles-io-2024-keynote-160010787.html?src=rss

Pets are our loving companions and offer moments of levity even when times are tough. Though it’s hard to say whether they understand humor, they certainly provide us with plenty. From cats stuck in stone walls to dogs stuck in cat doors, our domesticated animals give us something to live for—and occasionally laugh at.

Read more…