Hasta La Gadget!

Meta has announced a new virtual reality headset, and it’s called the Quest 3S. As rumored, this is a lower-cost variant of the Meta Quest 3, which we consider the best VR headset for most people. At $300, it looks to be a suitable entry-level replacement for the popular but aging Quest 2. Meta is aiming it squarely at VR newbies, those upgrading from an older headset and anyone else who’s been holding out for a more affordable option — if you’re thinking about taking the plunge, here’s what to know before you pre-order.

To make way for the new headset, Meta has discontinued the Quest 2 and more expensive Quest Pro. The company says both headsets will remain available either through the end of the year or until stock runs out. It plans to sell official accessories for the two “for a bit longer,” though. 

The Quest 3, meanwhile, will now include 512GB of storage at its standard $500, giving it another advantage over its new sibling. Previously, the higher-capacity Quest 3 cost $650, while the base model came with 128GB of space. Meta will now sell that 128GB model for $430, but only while supplies last. If you order a 512GB Quest 3 by April 30, you can get the same Batman: Arkham Shadow bundle included with the Quest 3S.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/how-to-pre-order-the-meta-quest-3s-vr-headset-171958398.html?src=rss

Meta just revealed the budget-friendly Quest 3S VR headset at its annual Connect keynote event, but it also made a sad announcement about some of its previous headsets. The company will stop selling both the Quest 2 and the Quest Pro by the end of the year.

“With Quest 3S on the shelf, we’re officially winding down sales of Quest 2 and Pro. We’ll be selling our remaining headsets through the end of the year or until they’re gone, whichever comes first,” the company wrote in a blog post that also announced the pending launch of the Quest 3S.

The company will be selling Quest 2 and Pro accessories for “a bit longer” after the stock of headsets runs out. This includes the carrying case, the Touch Pro controllers and bundles like the Quest 2 Active Pack. Meta recently lowered the price of the Quest 2 to $200, and it’s still a decent headset for beginners. The Quest 3S is better in every way, but it starts at $300, while the standard Quest 3 costs $500.

It’s the end of an era for the Quest 2. This was a hugely successful headset, as it launched during the dog days of COVID-19. For many, it became a crucial item to survive endless isolation, along with stuff like Zoom and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. 

It’s the end of an error (see what I did there?) for the Quest Pro. This headset never caught on, likely because it was originally priced at $1,500 before being quickly lowered to $1,000. It still costs a grand from Meta, but can typically be found for around $900 via Amazon and other retailers.

As they say, out with the old and in with the new. The Quest 3S is, essentially, the new Quest 2. It starts at $300, boasts the same CPU as the original Quest 3 and handles full-color passthrough.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-will-stop-selling-the-quest-2-and-quest-pro-by-the-end-of-the-year-173704500.html?src=rss

Alongside the Quest 3S and AI updates, we got a glimpse of Meta’s future at Meta Connect. After teasing the device several times in recent months, the company finally gave the world a proper look at its “full holographic” augmented reality glasses, which it’s currently calling Orion. Meta is packing a lot of tech into those chunky frames, which aren’t coming to market just yet.

The company first revealed five years ago that it was developing holographic smart glasses, but it has actually been working on the project for a decade. It claims that this is “the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made” and results from “breakthrough inventions in virtually every field of modern computing.” For one thing, it uses itty bitty projectors to display holograms onto the glasses.

These glasses appear far less cumbersome to wear than previous mainstream AR products such as Magic Leap, Microsoft’s Hololens and even Google Glass. They also don’t block you out from the rest of the world like a virtual reality headset (though Meta’s headsets do allow you to see what’s around you via the onboard cameras). As a result, you can see wearers’ full faces, eyes and expressions without having to resort to a weird, eerie workaround like Apple is doing with EyeSight on the Vision Pro.

Meta

Meta said Orion is lightweight and works both indoors and outdoors. The company claims that the glasses allow for “digital experiences that are unconstrained by the limits of a smartphone screen” as they overlay holographic elements on top of the real world. In addition, Meta said Orion integrates contextual AI to help you gain a better understanding of the world around you.

The company added that you’ll be able to look inside a fridge with the glasses on and get Meta AI to come up with a recipe based on what you have. You should be able hop onto video calls via Orion and view and send messages on Messenger and WhatsApp. Based on images that Meta shared, there will also be holographic versions of various other apps, such as Spotify, YouTube and Pinterest. 

Meta

There’s one key reason why Meta has been able to keep Orion lightweight: not all of the required tech is actually in the frame of the glasses. Orion comes with a required wireless puck that handles much of the processing and beams apps and content to the device. There’s also a bracelet that you’ll need to wear for gesture control. 

You’re likely going to have to wait a few years to get your hands on this device (or at least a version of it). For the time being, Meta employees and “select external audiences” are able to use Orion. That’s in order to help the company learn more and iterate on the product as it works toward a consumer version of the AR glasses.

Still, Meta claims that Orion is not just a research prototype but is instead “one of the most polished product prototypes we’ve ever developed, and is truly representative of something that could ship to consumers.” By continuing to work on the product internally, “we can keep building quickly and continue to push the boundaries of the technology, helping us arrive at an even better consumer product faster,” the company said. Part of that iteration includes bringing down the price of the glasses to make them more affordable, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

A roadmap that leaked last year indicated that Meta planned to release its first consumer AR glasses in 2027, though the company says it’s aiming to do so “in the near future.” As it happens, Snap also recently debuted its fifth-gen AR Spectacles, but for now those are only available to developers who are willing to pay a monthly $99 fee.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-reveals-its-orion-smart-glasses-175353381.html?src=rss

Google filed a complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission on Wednesday. In it, Google accused Microsoft of making it prohibitively expensive for cloud customers to move their work from Azure to other providers, like Google Cloud.

Google claims Microsoft’s cloud licensing terms restrict European customers from switching to competing cloud platforms despite “no technical barriers to doing so.” In a blog post explaining its complaint, Google wrote that Microsoft’s practices have “significantly harmed European companies and governments,” costing European businesses €1 billion ($1.1 billion) annually, wasting taxpayer money and stifling competition.

Amazon’s AWS leads Europe’s cloud market. Microsoft’s Azure is second, followed by Google in third. Oracle, Salesforce and IBM rounded out the top six in Q2 2024.

On Wednesday, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the EU governing body received Google’s complaint. “We will assess it according to our standard procedures,” EC spokesperson Lea Zuber wrote.

Google’s complaint referred to a settlement this summer between Microsoft and CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe), the trade body for Europe’s cloud industry. The latter filed a complaint against Microsoft in late 2022, accusing the company of anti-competitive practices with Azure (strikingly similar to Google’s complaints from today). The full details of the settlement, which led to CISPE withdrawing its complaint, weren’t made public. CISPE wrote in July that Microsoft would make changes to address its concerns. Those included releasing an enhanced version of the Azure Stack HCI, which would bring features that Microsoft’s customers enjoy to European cloud providers.

In a statement to Engadget, Microsoft was optimistic that the EC would dismiss Google’s complaint. “Microsoft settled amicably similar concerns raised by European cloud providers, even after Google hoped they would keep litigating,” a Microsoft spokesperson wrote, referring to a Bloomberg report that Google offered a $500 million alternative deal to keep the antitrust complaint alive. “Having failed to persuade European companies, we expect Google similarly will fail to persuade the European Commission,” Microsoft’s spokesperson wrote.

Google says Windows Server is at the heart of its complaint. Describing it as “a must-have workhorse in many IT environments,” the company says Microsoft changed its practices after cloud computing became a more lucrative business. “But as Azure faced more competition, Microsoft introduced new rules that severely limited customer choice,” Google wrote.

Google said the licensing terms Microsoft adopted in 2019 “imposed extreme financial penalties” on companies who wanted to use Windows Server software with Azure competitors like AWS and Google Cloud. “Microsoft’s own statements indicate that customers who want to move their workloads to these competitors would need to pay up to five times more,” Google wrote, citing an archived 2023 webpage comparing Azure pricing to that of AWS. Google said Microsoft also limited security patches and created other barriers to choice in cloud providers.

Google also linked to research from Professor Frédéric Jenny, a French economist and chair of the OECD Competition Committee. The study claims that European companies and government organizations pay “unfair, additional costs” to customers who license software to run on cloud infrastructure from independent service providers. Professor Jenny claimed those choosing non-Microsoft cloud providers “sucked an additional €1,010,394,489 out of the European economy in 2022.”

Google Cloud’s Head of Platform Amit Zavery wrote on Wednesday that Microsoft’s practices lock customers into Azure, hurt cybersecurity and limit innovation. Zavery also spoke with CNBC, advocating for a more open market for cloud providers. “Today the restrictions [do] not allow choice for customers,” he said. Zavery wants Microsoft’s restrictions “to be removed and allow customers to have and choose whatever cloud provider they think is best for them commercially and technically.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-microsoft-183050473.html?src=rss

iRobot’s Roomba Combo Essential bundle is available for $280 right now via QVC. This is a discount of $170 for a combo pack that includes the Roomba Combo 2 robovac and the self-emptying base. The vacuum typically costs $280 all by its lonesome, so this basically gets you a free base. However, the vacuum is available for just $200 right now via Amazon without the base.

This is certainly a budget-friendly entry in the company’s lineup of robot vacuums, but it gets the job done. The company says this model outperforms the Roomba 600 Series, with 20 times more suction power. It’s also a vacuum/mop hybrid, so it can handle all aspects of floor cleaning.

It accesses the same smart navigation algorithm as other iRobot vacuums, which allows it to move freely around the space without bumping into things or falling down stairs. The battery life is also on point, allowing for around two hours of use per charge. Of course, it’ll return to the charging base on its own when the battery gets low.

It also integrates with the company’s proprietary app, which lets people customize a whole host of settings and dictate cleaning schedules. The only major downside of this vacuum is that it doesn’t typically come with a self-emptying base, but this bundle does. It holds up to 60 days of debris, so that’s two glorious months of laying on the couch without having to do a dang thing.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/irobots-roomba-combo-essential-with-self-emptying-base-is-170-off-right-now-184650126.html?src=rss