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 There are widespread reports of Apple users being locked out of their Apple ID overnight for no apparent reason, requiring a password reset before they can log in again.
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After months of anticipation, President Biden finally signed the TikTok divestment into law this week. It will force ByteDance to either sell TikTok to another company within a year, or see the app banned from US app stores. Is this a wise move to rid control of the social app from the Chinese government, or is it government overreach before TikTok has done anything wrong? Engadget Senior Editor Karissa Bell joins Cherlynn and Devindra to dive into what's next for TikTok.
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!
Topics
The US TikTok ban is signed into law, what happens now? - 0:57
Devindra and Cherlynn's take on whether bad product reviews hurt tech companies - 20:42
Meta opening QuestOS to third party hardware developers - 31:39
Apple ‘Let Loose' virtual event scheduled for May 5 - 33:48
Leading AI companies pledge to keep kids safe (though harm is already evident) - 41:48
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses add multimodal AI - 43:58
X is allegedly working on a smart TV app - 47:01
Working on - 48:02
Pop culture picks - 56:29
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 Earlier this week, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted an updated forecast for Apple's Vision Pro headset, claiming production was being cut to 400,000 or 450,000 units compared to a previous market consensus north of 700,000. This came after a related report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who said in his Power On newsletter that demand for Vision Pro demos is "way down" while sales in some locations have significantly slowed.
Naturally, this incited a lot of panic and hand-wringing among Apple enthusiasts who feared that the headset that was supposed to change VR forever might not have the staying power they expected. However, before anyone else starts clutching their pearls, I want to let you in on a secret: It doesn't actually matter how many headsets Apple sells.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
First, let's talk production numbers. Is it 400,0
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A Google program will provide AI skills training and funds to underserved communities, schools and small businesses.
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Amazon has some of the highest-rated Bose headphones on sale for record-low prices. That includes the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, which have best-in-class active noise cancellation (ANC). Usually $429, the wireless cans are now only $379, matching an all-time low.
Engadget's Billy Steele praised the headphones' sound, ANC and comfort in our review, but he also found them a bit expensive at their standard retail price, so this sale could be the right time to snag a pair. The headphones are comfortable for long listening sessions — with enough battery life to keep up. Although their "Immersive Audio" spatial listening mode is a bit hit-or-miss (and not for everyone), the feature pairs incredibly well with some tracks and genres. The headphones are our runner-up picks in Engadget's noise-canceling headphones guide.
Battery life is impressive, and our review unit surpassed Bos
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Google's Pixel Buds Pro remain one of our favorite pairs of true wireless earbuds, offering robust active noise cancellation (ANC), punchy bass, reliable touch controls and a host of convenient features for Android users in particular. That said, given how competitive the wireless market is these days, they aren't the greatest value at their standard list price of $200.
Today, though, Wellbots is running a sale that brings the pair down to a more palatable $135 with the checkout code ENGPIX65. This isn't an all-time low — the buds fell as low as $117 in a similar deal last October and went for $119 for much of the holiday season — but it's the best price we've tracked in 2024. For reference, the device dropped to $139 last month. This offer applies to each of the set's colorways.
Engadget's audio expert Billy Steele gave the Pixel Buds Pro a review score of 87 back in 2022. By default, they have a sculpted, hyped-up sound with thumpy bass and elevated treble. It's the kind of signature that won't suit audio purists but should work well with modern pop music. As with many pairs, though, you can tweak the sound with a graphic EQ. The earbuds themselves have an IPX4 water-resistance rating, so they should be able to withstand typical workouts. Battery life is solid at roughly seven hours with ANC on or
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According to a court document viewed by Engadget, the Federal Trade Commission accused Amazon of using Signal's disappearing messages feature to conceal communications as part of its antitrust suit against the company. The FTC says the retailer continued to auto-delete its communications even after the agency notified it that it was under investigation and asked it to preserve them. Founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos and current CEO Andy Jassy are among the accused.
"For years, Amazon's top executives, including founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos, discuss[ed] sensitive business matters, including antitrust, over the Signal encrypted-messaging app instead of email," the FTC wrote in the full document, acquired by (Bezos-owned) The Washington Post. "These executives turned on Signal's ‘disappearing message' feature, which irrevocably destroys messages, even after Amazon was on notice that Plaintiffs were investigating its conduct."
The FTC wants a federal judge to compel Amazon to provide documents related to its data handling. The government agency says the retailer didn't disclose its Signal use until March 2022, ahead of a Wall Street Journal article highlighting
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New grants for Solar for All programs aim to install solar panels and boost community solar access nationwide. Here's the list of grantees near you.
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Another week is coming to a close, which means it's time for another roundup of good tech deals. This week's highlights include a new low on Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is $200 off and down to $1,100 for an unlocked model. That's not exactly cheap, no, but any savings should be welcome for what we consider the best premium Android phone. Elsewhere, a trio of recommendations from our wireless earbuds buying guide are on sale, including
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The Dell XPS 13 comes equipped with an Intel Core i7-1250U CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. That's more than enough oomph for office work, school work, day-to-day tasks, and so on. The 13.4-inch display has a resolution of 1920×1200, a refresh rate of 60Hz, and a maximum brightness of 500 nits. Given those numbers, the display should produce a vibrant and sharp-looking picture. Also, according to Dell, this machine can last up to 12 hours on a single charge. That's a good result, more than a full workday, but you may see a different number depending on the brightness level.
This is a really good deal, so make sure you take advantage of it now.
Get the XPS 13 laptop for $799 at Dell
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NEW RESOURCES Not quite new to me, but I'd forgotten about it, and it needs more attention now it's been updated. University of Delaware Poison Book Project: Updates to the Arsenical Books […]
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Embarking on an exploration of the extended detection and response (XDR) sector wasn't just another research project for me; it was a
The post The Quest for Extended Detection and Response (XDR): Unraveling Cybersecurity's Next Generation appeared first on Gigaom.
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 One of the most stunning concept cars the world has ever seen was shown for the first time at Auto Shanghai this week, when MG took the wraps the EXE181 concept - an aerodynamic electric hypercar with one of the best drag coefficients ever seen in any registerable, road-going vehicle. If it reaches production, it will become the world's most aerodynamically efficient automobile.
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Drake apparently learned it isn't wise to mess with Tupac Shakur — even decades after his untimely death. Billboard first spotted that the Canadian hip-hop artist deleted the X (Twitter) post with his track "Taylor Made Freestyle," which used an AI-generated recreation of Shakur's voice to try to get under Kendrick Lamar's skin.
The takedown came after an attorney representing the late hip-hop legend threatened to sue the Canadian rapper for his "unauthorized" use of Tupac's voice if he didn't remove it from social channels within 24 hours. However, the track was online for a week and — unsurprisingly — has been copiously reposted.
"The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac's voice and personality," Howard King, the attorney representing Shakur's estate, wrote earlier this week in a cease-and-desist letter acquired by Billboard. "Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac's publicity and the estate's legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use."
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The bill that will force a sale or ban of TikTok in the United States is now law. President Joe Biden signed a package of foreign aid bills that included the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," one day after the legislation was approved by the Senate.
In a statement, TikTok said it would challenge the law in court, which could delay an eventual sale or ban. "This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court," the company said. "We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation. This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans."
The law gives TikTok's parent company ByteDance, which is based in China, up to a year to sell the app to a new owner. If the company fails to divest, then TikTok will be banned from US app stores and web hosting services.
Unlike previous attempts to force a sale or ban of the app, the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," had overwhelming bipartisan support and was able to move through Congress with remarkable speed. The original version of the bill, which called for a six-month window to divest, passed the House in March, just days after it was introduced. An updated version, which allows up to 12 months for a divestment,
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 Popular accessory maker Nomad today announced the launch a second-generation glow in the dark band designed for the Apple Watch, with the new version featuring a much more pronounced glow than before.
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Streaming giant Roku has recently been targeted by a pair of cyberattacks, and the company confirmed over a half million Roku accounts were compromised.
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North Korean hackers stole nearly $400 million worth of cryptocurrency in 2021, making it one of the most profitable years yet for cybercriminals in the severely isolated country, according to a new report.
Hackers launched at least seven different attacks last year, mostly targeting corporate investments and centralized exchanges with a variety of tactics including phishing, malware and social engineering, according to a report by Chainalysis, a company that tracks cryptocurrencies.
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