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Android 15 Beta 2 was announced today, during the second day of Google I/O.
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Rejoice! Android 15 Beta 2 drops today.
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Ilya Sutskever has announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he's leaving OpenAI almost a decade after he co-founded the company. He's confident that OpenAI "will build [artificial general intelligence] that is both safe and beneficial" under the leadership of CEO Sam Altman, President Greg Brockman and CTO Mira Murati, he continued. In his own post about Sutskever's departure, Altman called him "one of the greatest minds of our generation" and credited him for his work with the company. Jakub Pachocki, OpenAI's previous Director of Research who headed the development of GPT-4 and OpenAI Five, has taken Sutskever's role as Chief Scientist.
— Ilya Sutskever (@ilyasut) May 14, 2024
While Sutskever and Altman praised each other in their farewell messages, the two were embroiled in the company's biggest scandal last year. In November, OpenAI's board of directors suddenly
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 Apple discontinued the ninth-generation iPad with a Lightning port last week, meaning that its entire iPad lineup now uses USB-C. However, the company still sells a handful of devices and accessories with Lightning for now.
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Today is the official launch day of the new iPad Pro models, and these updated tablets mark the biggest feature and design refresh that we've seen for the ?iPad Pro? in several years. We picked up one of the new 13-inch models to check out everything new.
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 One of the new iOS 18 accessibility features that Apple previewed today is a Reader Mode in the Magnifier app, which will convert words in images to uniform lines of text. Apple did not provide any specific details about the feature, but it shared a screenshot showing that users will be able to change the font and have the text read aloud.
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These security features will be available later this year.
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 Apple today previewed new accessibility features coming with iOS 18 later this year, and this includes some new options for CarPlay.
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A great stylus can make or break note-taking and artistic endeavors on an iPad. We've found all the best deals on the very best options.
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NEW RESOURCES Loudoun Now: 246 Years Project: Morven Park Works to Tell the Stories of the Enslaved. "Their names and stories deserve to be known. That is the foundation of the 246 […]
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Google just announced at an update coming to Android for Cars that should make paying attention to the road just a tiny bit harder. The automobile-based OS is getting new apps, screen casting and more, which were revealed at Google I/O 2024.
First up, select car models are getting a suite of new entertainment apps, like Max and Peacock, for keeping passengers busy during road trips. The company hasn't announced which makes and models are getting this particular update, and there are dozens upon dozens of major car models that use this platform. Still, more entertainment options are never a bad thing.
To that end, Android Auto is getting Angry Birds, for those who want another game to fool around with while stuck in traffic. The once-iconic bird-flinging simulator is likely the best known gaming IP on the platform, as Android Auto's other games include stuff like Pin the UFO and Zoo Boom.
Cars with Android Automotive OS are getting Google Cast as part of a forthcoming update, which will let users stream content from phones and tablets. Rivian models will be the first to get this particular feature, with more manufacturers to come.
Google's also rolling out new developer tools to make it easier for folks to create new apps and experiences for Android Auto. There's even a new program that should make it much easier to convert pre-existing mobile apps into car-ready experiences.
Android Auto is becoming the de facto standard when it comes to car-based operating systems. Google also used the event to announce that there are now over 200 million cars on the road compatible with the OS. Recent updates to the platform allow users to
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Is the Internet down again? It's not always your provider's fault. CNET explains how to identify and rectify the five most common internet connectivity issues.
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The conference showed off AI features coming to Google Search, and Donald Glover helped debut a new generative video app called Veo.
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Make tea and coffee faster with an electric kettle.
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But wait, isn't "web search" what you're supposed to get with a standard Google query, without any need to click on a secondary tab? Yes and no. Google's official SearchLiason Twitter account explains that the Web tab filters results so that only text-based results will be returned, stripping out images, videos, shopping products, maps, and all the other allegedly helpful modern additions to Google. It's practically a time machine to when searching the web really did focus on text, without a huge amount of additional context and add-ons.
Crucially, this is also going to strip out a lot of the extras that Google has been building into search in the "All" tab, for reasons both customer-facing and profit-driven. In addition to standard advertising, Google has been sticking more and more modules into search, crowding out conventional text-driven web results. This is only going to get more visible with the new Gemini-driven AI additions Google showed off yesterday at Google I/O.
And standard users aren't the only ones who are complaining. The adulteration of "pure" text search with auto-generated results keeps Goo
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Zip zap zoom! After months of testing, these are our favorite electric bikes that won't break the bank.
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After shirking tradition and devoting its entire Google I/O keynote to showcase how it's stuffing AI into everything imaginable, the company has reserved day two to catch up on the one-time star of the show, Android. Alongside the arrival of the second Android 15 beta on Wednesday, Google is unveiling previously unannounced security features in its 2024 mobile software, including AI-powered theft detection, Google Play fraud protection and more.
Theft Detection Lock is a new Android 15 feature that will use AI (there it is again) to predict phone thefts and lock things up accordingly. Google says its algorithms can detect motions associated with theft, like those associated with grabbing the phone and bolting, biking or driving away. If an Android 15 handset pinpoints one of these situations, the phone's screen will quickly lock, making it much harder for the phone snatcher to access your data.
A fallback Remote Lock feature lets you quickly lock your handset if someone manages to take it without triggering Theft Detection Lock. With Remote Lock, you can (you guessed it) remotely lock the phone's screen from any device with only your phone number and the completion of a "quick security challenge." This is designed to avoid situations where someone gets their phone taken (or loses it) but doesn't know their Google account password to access Find My Device.
Along similar lines, Offline Device Lock automatically locks your phone's screen — requiring authentication to unlock — when it's
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 Google is rolling out Android 15's second public beta in tandem with the second day of the Google I/O developer conference. Google announced that many new features, fixes, and tweaks are coming to the operating system, including Private Space and Theft Detection Lock, which are designed to help protect your stuff. A…
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At I/O, Google showed off new features in Android 15, the latest version of Wear OS, improvements to Google TV, and more.
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 OpenAI and Google showcased their latest and greatest AI technology this week. For the last two years, tech companies have raced to make AI models smarter, but now a new focus has emerged: make them multimodal. OpenAI and Google are zeroing in on AI that can seamlessly switch between its robotic mouth, eyes, and ears.
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 Today, Apple announced a host of new accessibility features, such as eye tracking and vocal shortcuts, that should arrive on iPhones, iPads, and Apple Vision Pros later this year.
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 Apple today previewed many new accessibility features coming later this year with software updates like iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2. The announcement comes one day ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
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Some of those pasta making hacks and shortcuts may be sabotaging your spaghetti.
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A group of TikTok creators have joined the legal fight to keep the app from being banned in the United States. Eight creators have sued the US government in an effort to block a law requiring TikTok's parent company ByteDance to sell the service.
The lawsuit claims that the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment rights of the creators who depend on the platform. "They have found their voices, amassed significant audiences, made new friends, and encountered new and different ways of thinking—all because of TikTok's novel way of hosting, curating, and disseminating speech," it states. "The Act's ban of TikTok threatens to deprive them, and the rest of the country, of this distinctive means of expression and communication."
The lawsuit comes one week after TikTok filed its own lawsuit against the government. According to
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Heat pumps can help you ditch fossil fuels at home. This one blends in while keeping you comfotable.
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Google's upcoming Wear OS 5 update is all about extending battery life.
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Google is introducing new AI-powered safety tools in Android 15 that can lock down your phone if thieves nab it.
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 You only need two letters to describe best the latest iteration of Google's big yearly developer shebang: AI. That's right; Google I/O has touched on a slew of new features coming to the Mountainview company's software ecosystem, specifically what could be coming to the still-in-betaAndroid 15. A big chunk of these…
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Microsoft also said that the mouse-and-keyboard experience will also be accessible via the Microsoft Xbox app for Windows later this month.
Mouse and keyboard support has existed for years on the Xbox, though only on titles that supported them. On the PC, you'll need to have either the Google Chrome or the Microsoft Edge browser installed, plus, of course, a mouse and keyboard. Even then, there will only (?) be 26 titles that Microsoft will support with a mouse and keyboard:
ARK Survival Evolved
Atomic Heart
Cities: Skylines - Mayor's Edition
Cities: Skylines - Remastered
Deep Rock Galactic
Doom 64
Fortnite (browser only)
Gears Tactics
Grounded
Halo Infinite
High on Life
House Flipper
Inkulinati (Game Preview)
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Norco
Pentiment
Quake
Quake 2
Sea of Thieves
Slime Rancher 2
Sniper Elite 5
State of Decay 2
Terraria
The Sims 4
Valheim (Game Preview)
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We've tested the latest home security systems in our own homes. Now we've picked the best options for professional installs, DIYers, smart home geeks and lots more.
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 Boeing may be subject to criminal prosecution after the Department of Justice (DOJ) accused it of violating the terms of a 2021 settlement agreement.
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Summer is coming and so is the heat. Here's your guide to cooling clothing in hot weather.
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You don't need a professionally monitored system to keep your home safe. Assemble your own DIY home security system with our top picks.
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A dead-simple, wonderfully nifty test offers a quick and reliable way to check the actual charge state of a battery, keeping you from rashly discarding good batteries or buying new ones unnecessarily.
Battery full or flat? This simple test reveals it
All you need for this test is the battery you want to check. If available, have a new, fully charged battery ready to compare the results. This is how it works:
Make sure you have a flat and firm surface, such as a table, in front of you.
Drop the battery vertically onto the surface from a height of about 20 centimeters (roughly 8 inches).
Pay close attention to how the battery hits the surface and how it behaves afterwards: A fully charged battery usually tips over and stays put. An empty battery, on the other hand, often bounces back a little and bounces up a few centimeters.
Why? Alkaline batteries contain a gel-like substance that absorbs the impact when fully charged. When the battery is flat, this substance dries out and hardens, making the battery more likely to bounce back.
Extend battery life with these 4 tips
Switch off devices correctly: Make sure you switch devices off completely when
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Don't be fooled by its compact size; the Bluetti EB3A is a true powerhouse. With a robust 600W AC inverter and a 268Wh battery pack, it's more than capable of breathing life into your gadgets. If you plug in one of those mini-fridges, it will even keep your… "juice" cold for a few hours.
Plus, it's so lightweight and compact that you can easily carry it around in one hand, making it the perfect companion for your outdoor adventures.
The coolest part about the Bluetti EB3A is that it features nine outlets, allowing you to charge all sorts of devices. There are two AC outlets, two USB-A, one Type-C port, and even a wireless charger, so you can use the power station as a table for your phone and have it ready for your next doom-scrolling session in no time.
Those who love going off the grid can get the Bluetti EB3A and pair it with a solar panel. In fact, there's a bundle that's almost $200 off right now, pairing the EB3A with a 120W solar panel that is super easy to carry anywhere.
Of course, this setup is also excellent for home use, especially when there are power outages, and you need to keep your devices alive un
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Price When Reviewed$1,949
Best Prices Today: Gigabyte Aorus 16X
Retailer
Price
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 Apple's new M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air models feature a battery health setting that is new to iPads and when enabled prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times, which can extend battery lifespan.
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The Pixel 8 is Google's current flagship, but the 8A offers a bunch of the same features at a budget-friendly price.
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If you're looking to book a summer vacation somewhere but don't want to overspend, Matt's Flights will help you track down the best airfare and travel deals.
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Thunderbolt Share is a new Intel specification that connects two PCs via a cable, one to each Thunderbolt port. Alternatively, you can connect it to a Thunderbolt dock instead. Thunderbolt Share offers several options, all at blazing 40Gbps or higher speeds: control another PC, transfer files, sync them, or even migrate one PC to another. Is it a killer sneakernet replacement? Sure seems like it for local networks.
The idea? You or your family own more than one PC. If they're Thunderbolt-capable, Share will unlock a number of handy additional sharing capabilities without needing to set up a workgroup, a network switch, or any other solution. Dock makers, too, will see an advantage: suddenly, Thunderbolt hubs like the Plugable 5-in-1 Thunderbolt Hub (USB4-HUB3A), part of our list of the best Thunderbolt docking stations, won't just be designed primarily for external displays with Thunderbolt ports.
There's just one thing. Intel didn't take the simple route and just make Thunderbolt Share part of the Thunderbolt spec. Instead, Thunderbolt Share will be a software app Intel will license to PC and dock makers. And it won't work for legacy Thunderbolt 3 or USB devices either — not officially, anyway. In short, you'll have to keep track of which devices are Thunderbolt Share-capable, because without one, Thunderbolt Share won't work. A special logo, however, will help.
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Practice these ten simple habits to help protect your vision for years to come.
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EVENTS Tom's Guide: Google I/O 2024 live blog — all the big Gemini AI and Android 15 news. "A couple of Tom's Guide reporters were at Google I/O in person today to […]
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 Comcast plans to launch a streaming bundle later this month that will include Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV , according to a new report from Variety. Reportedly called StreamSaver, the bundle will be discounted but only available to subscribers of Comcast TV or internet service.
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The United States is taking additional measures to quash China's influence on its economy. The White House has announced a tremendous increase in tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese imports, including semiconductors, steel, aluminum and EVs. The latter's tariff is set to increase fourfold, from 25 percent to 100 percent—a move that the White House claims "will protect American manufacturers." The announcement further reported that China's EV exports grew 70 percent between 2022 and 2023.
Other tariff increases, such as the jumps from 25 percent to 50 percent for semiconductors and solar cells, are also significant. Then there are batteries, which are getting a tariff raise from 7.5 percent to 25 percent. Medical products are also a part of this hike, with tariffs on needles and syringes increasing from zero percent to 50 percent.
The Biden administration stresses that American companies need a real shot at competing against Chinese imports. "China's unfair trade practices concerning technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are threatening American businesses and workers. China is also flooding global markets with artificially low-priced exports," the White House stated in a release. Biden's decision builds on tariffs implemented by his predecessor and current election opponent, Don
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It is now up to the Justice Department to decide whether to file charges against the aircraft maker.
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The lawsuit is the second major legal challenge to a new law that could lead to the video app's nationwide ban.
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 The new iPad Pro and iPad Air will begin arriving to customers over the next 24 hours. It appears that the initial batch of the devices will have a special build of iPadOS 17.4 preinstalled, but an iPadOS 17.5 software update will be available in the Settings app right away, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.
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A dead-simple, wonderfully nifty test offers a quick and reliable way to check the actual charge state of a battery, keeping you from rashly discarding good batteries or buying new ones unnecessarily.
Battery full or flat? This simple test reveals it
All you need for this test is the battery you want to check. If available, have a new, fully charged battery ready to compare the results. This is how it works:
Make sure you have a flat and firm surface, such as a table, in front of you.
Drop the battery vertically onto the surface from a height of about 20 centimeters (roughly 8 inches).
Pay close attention to how the battery hits the surface and how it behaves afterwards: A fully charged battery usually tips over and stays put. An empty battery, on the other hand, often bounces back a little and bounces up a few centimeters.
Why? Alkaline batteries contain a gel-like substance that absorbs the impact when fully charged. When the battery is flat, this substance dries out and hardens, making the battery more likely to bounce back.
Extend battery life with these 4 tips
Switch off devices correctly: Make sure you switch devices off completely when they are not in use. Even in standby mode, some devices can continue to consume energy, which puts unnecessary strain on the batteries.
Remove batteries: If you are not using an appliance for an extended pe
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Virtually overnight, the Middle East has emerged as the most powerful geopolitical force in the tech industry, due in part to the Biden administration's fears about China.
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 Google today announced several new AI features that it is building into the Android 15 operating system, giving us some insight into what Apple's iPhone operating system will be competing with later this year.
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 With manufacturers around the world starting to end production of their iconic internal-combustion-engined automobiles, it might be time to start thinking about one last snarling beast to take into the EV wilderness with you … and this car presents as a contender for several reasons.
Continue Reading
Automotive, Transport
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NEW RESOURCES NextGov: SSA launches public data hub for customer service goals. "Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O'Malley has been on the job for over 100 days, and now the public has […]
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Not all connected speakers have a voice assistant built in. The Sonos One SL, for instance, doesn't have a microphone. So, if you want to use your voice to control such devices, you may need to pick up a secondary smart speaker, such as Amazon's Echo Dot. As luck would have it, that little Alexa-enabled device is on sale for $28. That's 44 percent off and just $5 more than the record-low price.
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