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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown will be released on May 22 for PC via Steam. As the name indicates, this is a turn-based strategy RPG. It also happens to be the first turn-based game in franchise history.

It’s being developed by Strange Scaffold, who made the fantastic El Paso, Elsewhere. There’s a new trailer with plenty of gameplay, which is always nice. One thing that sets this tactical RPG apart from rivals like Unicorn Overlord is that the battles take just a few minutes to complete. As a matter of fact, they look even zippier than the streamlined fights found in the Mario + Rabbids series.

The story sounds downright depressing for a TMNT game. “Splinter and Shredder are dead, and as the Turtles approach adulthood, they're not just growing up... they're growing apart,” a description reads. To that end, most of the levels are played solo with just a single turtle. Come on guys. Hash things out over a large pizza pie!

There’s no price yet, but preorders are open. Publisher Paramount Game Studios has yet to say anything about a potential console release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-tactical-takedown-comes-out-on-may-22-191533579.html?src=rss

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday it's creating a new Council for National Security within the agency. The FCC's announcement doesn't go into much detail about what the group will do, but a list of its broader goals focuses on US competition with China, including in AI and other tech sectors.

The FCC's statement on the Council for National Security says its three-part agenda includes:

• "Reduce the American technology and telecommunications sectors’ trade and supply chain dependencies on foreign adversaries"

• "Mitigate America’s vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, espionage, and surveillance by foreign adversaries"

• "Ensure the US wins the strategic competition with China over critical technologies, such as 5G and 6G, AI, satellites and space, quantum computing, robotics and autonomous systems, and the Internet of Things"

Although the statement mentions foreign adversaries several times, it only calls out China specifically.

Council for National Security Director Adam ChanAmerica in the World Consortium

The Council will include representatives from eight Bureaus and Offices within the FCC, an arrangement the agency says will foster cross-agency collaboration and information sharing. Adam Chan, who serves as the FCC's security counsel, as the director of the Council on National Security.

"Today, the country faces a persistent and constant threat from foreign adversaries, particularly the CCP," FCC Chairman Carr wrote in the agency's press release. "These bad actors are always exploring ways to breach our networks, devices and technology ecosystem. It is more important than ever that the FCC remain vigilant and protect Americans and American companies from these threats. Because these threats now cut across a range of sectors that the FCC regulates, it is important that the FCC's national security efforts pull resources from a variety of FCC organizations."

In FCC Chair Carr's thus far brief tenure the agency, has been aggressive, controversial and aligned with President Donald Trump's goals — not surprising given Carr wrote Project 2025's chapter on the agency. His moves in the first (not yet) two months of the administration have included investigating media outlets, probing Comcast over its DEI practices and seeking public opinion on which regulations the agency should "delete, delete, delete."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-fcc-is-creating-a-new-council-for-national-security-within-the-agency-184417942.html?src=rss

Fortnite will be available on Arm-based Windows machines later this year. In a blog post, developer Epic Games said that it is working with Qualcomm to get the hugely popular game compatible with the new Windows architecture by offering Windows on Snapdragon support for Epic Online Services Anti-Cheat, also known as Easy Anti-Cheat.

Microsoft has making a big push to convert its computing ecosystem to Arm-based hardware with Windows 11, especially as it puts more resources behind its line of Copilot+ PCs. While Qualcomm said last year that most games should be compatible with its Snapdragon chips, titles with kernel-level anti-cheat tech would pose a problem. And that's the approach Epic takes to prevent cheating in Fortnite and with its Easy Anti-Cheat program.

Epic didn't offer any more specific timeline other than "later this year," but having support for the company's games and services will be important for getting gamers and game developers to convert to the Arm systems.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/epic-is-bringing-fortnite-to-arm-based-windows-systems-181528822.html?src=rss

Google is updating Android to support Auracast, a Bluetooth LE technology that makes it possible to create, listen to and switch between public broadcasts of Bluetooth audio on the devices you already own. At its simplest, Auracast could let you to tune your Bluetooth earbuds to a muted TV in a public space and hear its audio. For Google, though, it sounds like the company is primarily interested in using the feature to make hearing aids even more helpful.

Google plans to use Auracast as a way to get Bluetooth audio streaming to hearing aids paired to your phone or tablet. If a TV or streaming device supports Auracast, you'll be able to use your Android device to connect the hearing aids directly to the source and hear what's playing. The company says any presets you've tweaked to customize how your hearing aids sound will carry over to audio you hear through Auracast, too. On Pixel 9 devices, you can even skip diving into settings to switch to the broadcast and instead scan a QR code to immediately connect your hearing aids.

The feature is coming to the Pixel 9 via the third Android 16 beta, which is also getting released today. Besides Auracast, the pre-release software includes a new accessibility option that lets you outline text to make it easier to read and a "Local Network Protection" feature that will give anyone with an Android 16 device "more control over which apps can access devices on their local network," Google says.

The final version of Android 16 is still a ways off, but the developer beta is available to download today on supported devices. If you don't want to experiment with the beta, Google says you can try out Auracast with a Samsung Galaxy device running One UI 7 and compatible hearing aids from GN Hearing or Starkey.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/auracast-support-is-coming-to-android-180050425.html?src=rss

First announced back in 2023, NVIDIA is finally releasing a playable demo for Half-Life 2 RTX. If you own the original game on Steam (and if you don't, what's your excuse?), you can download the preview on March 18. The showcase will allow players to see how Orbifold Studios has reimagined Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt with ray tracing. NVIDIA says the full release will arrive "at a later date."

Ahead of the demo's release, NVIDIA is also releasing RTX Remix, the modding toolkit Orbifold used to remaster HL2, to the public. The suite is available to download today, and includes support for many of the company's latest technologies, including multi-frame generation via DLSS 4. Additionally, NVIDIA says RTX Remix features an “easily mastered” interface that allows modders to add fully ray-traced lighting and AI-enhanced textures to older games without fuss. For more dedicated teams, RTX Remix makes it possible to rebuild every asset in a game.

Beside the chance to see Half-Life 2 in a whole new light, there's another good reason to revisit the game next week. Viktor Antonov, Half-Life 2's visionary art director, passed away in February at the age of 52. All video games are a collaborative effort, but if there's one person who helped make Half-Life 2 so memorable, it's Antonov. He designed most of City 17 and the Combine technology that gives the game its unique visual identity.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/a-demo-of-half-life-2-rtx-arrives-next-week-on-steam-171908066.html?src=rss

A year-long subscription to the meditation app Headspace is on sale right now for just $42. The typical price is $70, so this represents a savings of 40 percent. It also breaks down to $3.50 per month. The sale is part of the app’s acknowledgement of Sleep Awareness Week, which is a thing that’s going on right now.

A subscription to Headspace gets you access to the app’s entire library of meditations, sleep sounds, yoga routines and fitness content. It also delivers curated meditations and inspirational videos each day.

Headspace topped our list of the best meditation apps, and with good reason. We loved how the meditation courses are organized, as each one builds on top of skills learned in the previous session. Each course also offers a variety of instructors, just in case you grow fond of a particular person.

The integrated search engine makes it easy to find what you’re looking for and members even get access to tangential stuff like wellness podcasts. The app’s colors are calming and neutral, with an aesthetically pleasing design running throughout. It’s just a simple and well-made meditation app that’s perfect for both experts and newcomers.

There's a free trial of 14 days, but the promotion ends on March 18. That means you really only have a few days to check things out and make a decision. If you do end up purchasing the year, remember that the price shoots up to $70 when it runs out. Make sure to cancel ahead of time, unless you’re fine with paying full price.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-one-year-of-headspace-for-40-percent-off-170017814.html?src=rss

A steady stream (sorry) of expansions has helped keep the terrific PowerWash Simulator in the zeitgeist over the last couple of years, but developer FuturLab has been beavering away on a sequel as well. You won't have to wait too long for it either, as PowerWash Simulator 2 is slated to debut later this year.

The follow-up has a fresh campaign mode that picks up from where the first game left off, new locations to make scum-free, enhanced soap(!) and the option to customize your home base, which your friends can visit. Also new is the ability to share campaign progress when you play online with your buds. Best of all, there will be a two-player split-screen mode this time around. It's always great to have more couch co-op games to play.

The supremely relaxing and satisfying PowerWash Simulator was a surprise hit. FuturLab says more than 17 million players have adjusted their nozzles to spray away virtual grime in a wide variety of locations.

PowerWash Simulator 2 is set to hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC in late 2025 (sidenote: have you cleaned your system lately?). More details will be revealed next month. 

Eurogamer reports that the game is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 as well, but no Nintendo platforms were mentioned in FuturLab's press release. The studio told Engadget that "Whilst we would like to release on Switch 2, there are no current firm plans. We have no timeframe or news there." That said, Nintendo plans to reveal much more about its new console on April 2, so perhaps we'll hear about a Switch 2 edition of PowerWash Simulator 2 then.

Meanwhile, there are no plans for a VR version this time, FuturLab told Eurogamer. The studio ended support for PowerWash Simulator VR in January, with CEO Kirsty Rigden saying that version was running at a loss. FuturLab reassigned members of its VR team to other roles.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/powerwash-simulator-2-will-arrive-later-this-year-164534571.html?src=rss

Dear Apple,

As you know, your Apple Watch SE is not new. The second generation came out in September 2022 alongside the Series 8 and the first iteration of the Ultra. You’ve given the iPhone, all models of the iPad, AirPods, MacBooks and both the flagship and premium smartwatches updates since then — but not the budget smartwatch. Last month, my editors asked me to see how the Watch SE stacks up in 2025 and I was happy to oblige. I love getting my hands on novel tech, analyzing, evaluating and experiencing a device (then giving it back when I’m done so I don’t have to accumulate more stuff). But this review left me cold. The Apple Watch SE feels bland and decidedly lesser-than in 2025.

It’s a fairly safe bet we’ll see a new model of the SE soon. There are, of course, rumors. Plus, the launch of the iPhone 16e suggests you are still interested in churning out more affordable versions of your devices. There’s about a $150 price difference between the SE and the base Apple Watch Series 10. The latter goes for $399 at full price and as low as $329 on sale. The SE costs $249 and has gone for as little as $149. While I don’t expect a budget watch to have everything the flagship does, there are a few features that feel non-negotiable in 2025 as well as some reasonable compromises that most budget-conscious buyers will probably be willing to accept. As a daily smartwatch wearer and consumer gadget reviewer, I’m offering you my completely free advice on what I’d like to see on the next Apple Watch SE.

Give us a bigger (not better) display

I usually wear an Apple Watch Series 9 but before that, I sported a hand-me-down Apple Watch Series 4 with a scratched screen. Apart from the scuff, the screen on the 40mm Apple Watch SE I reviewed feels identical to the one on that wearable from 2018. In fact, both have the same size display areas, which is cramped and dinky compared to the generous real estate on the 42mm Series 10. Of course, the newest Apple Watch received a 2mm size bump, so a more direct comparison would be to the 40mm 9th-generation watch, which has 150 sq mm more room, thanks to thinner bezels. Considering the growing amount of information our watches handle, I’d like a bigger panel to view it on.

The brightness and overall clarity of the SE’s OLED Retina display is perfectly adequate. There’s no need for the higher-end LTPO 3 technology the latest watches have. And the SE’s 1000 nits of brightness is plenty, too. Even in bright sunlight, the screen is legible. True, it can’t get down to a single nit of brightness like the newer watches can and, while that’s distracting in a dark room, using sleep focus at bedtime turns the screen off completely.

When I upgraded to the Series 9, the feature I most looked forward to was the always-on display (AOD). That’s because my Series 4 required me to lift my wrist repeatedly before finally lighting up. It was irritating to simply check the time. But when I reviewed the Galaxy Watch 7, I turned off the AOD for much of the testing and didn’t miss it a bit. Turns out, if the watch reliably and quickly snaps to attention when I flick my wrist, AOD isn’t as crucial. So if losing that feature can keep the cost down, that’d be an acceptable tradeoff. Currently, checking the time on the SE is slightly, but not significantly better than my experience with my older watch. Which could be solved by a more advanced processor.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget Let’s have a faster (not the fastest) chip

I realize when I say the processing power of the Apple Watch SE feels sluggish, I’m dishonoring my 14-year-old self whose pipe dream was owning a Casio calculator watch. But still, compared to my experience with current models, the SE lags. Opening apps, controlling music playback, starting workouts and talking with Siri is just slower than it should be. A budget watch doesn’t need to pack the zenith of Apple’s system-in-package (SiP), but stepping up to 2023’s S9 chip would make the watch feel satisfyingly zippy.

A processor bump could also enable double tap, which debuted with the Series 9. But that’s not critical — I could take or leave the gesture control feature. It doesn’t feel as accurate or as integrated with the OS as, say, Samsung’s version on the Galaxy Watch. Though I have to admit, with my Series 9, it does feel a little magical when I can double pinch to start a suggested walking workout — especially when I’m grappling with the leash of a crazy puppy.

The S9 chip also enables on-board processing of Siri requests, which means those don’t have to borrow a connected phone’s internet. If I’m on a bike ride and want to log it as such, I can just ask Siri, even if I left my phone at home. (True, the cellular-enabled SE can complete those requests without a phone, but the price bump and monthly service fee for that configuration starts to muddy the idea of a budget watch.) Siri requests are also completed much faster when they’re handled on the watch itself. When I want Siri to quickly set a two minute timer for steeping green tea, the process with the SE just takes too long.

For Pete’s sake, make it charge faster

My dad’s name is Pete. And if he had an Apple Watch SE (instead of his Series 7), I know he’d want it to recharge in a reasonable amount of time. Overall, the battery performance on the SE is surprisingly good. I can get through a full day that includes tracking a run, a Fitness+ workout, setting timers, obsessively checking the weather, logging meds and taking a couple of dog walks — all with enough juice left to track my sleep. By the time I wake up, it’s usually time to stick the watch on the charger. That’s a similar experience to my Apple Watch Series 9. But instead of getting the battery refilled while I shower and get ready for the day, the SE takes over two hours to go from around ten percent to a hundred. That’s too long to wait.

Keep your titanium and sapphire crystal

Budget models always get handed the less-expensive materials and that’s OK. The aluminum alloy Apple uses in its non-premium watches strikes a good balance between durability and lightness. The Ion-X glass on the front isn’t as robust as sapphire glass, but it’s less expensive. I’m not trying to speak for all budget-conscious folk, but I and every other frugal person I know tends to swaddle all expensive tech in screen protectors, cases and all manner of other protective measures the moment it leaves the box. So if slightly less robust materials can shave dollars off the asking price, by all means, Apple, do so.

We’ve seen rumors that your next SE might be housed in a plastic case with brighter colors on the watch bands, possibly in an effort to appeal to kids. I’d need to see what type of plastic you feel is strong enough to stand up to the chaos of children, but if it can last a few years without failing while also keeping the price down, I’m open to the idea.

It’s OK if my watch isn’t a doctor’s office

Fitness tracking is high on my list of non-negotiable features. And accuracy for that requires a suite of sensors — a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, altimeter and an optical heart rate readeran optical heart sensor, gyroscope and accelerometer, GPS connection and an altimeter. The SE has all of those and the data collected from my tracked workouts and runs were on par with what my newer watch would gather.

The SE lacks an electrical heart rate sensor so it can’t take an ECG reading. There’s also no temperature sensor, which the Series 10 uses to help predict ovulation and menstrual cycles. If and when your company ever works out the patent dispute over its blood oxygen sensor, I imagine a new Apple Watch SE won’t get that capability either.

That’s fine. I’ve used the ECG reading exactly once — to test it out for comparison on another smartwatch review. I was hyper-obsessed with my ovulation cycle for a total of six months, approximately eight years before my now seven-year-old kid was born. While it’s neat that our watches can compile so much data, I think it’s more important to cover the basics: tell me when I’m really hauling on a run and when my heart rate gets up to 170 on a HIIT workout. We can get those more specialized, seldom-used health assessments elsewhere.

The SE doesn’t have a depth gauge or a water temperature sensor either. That’s also fine. I don’t think anyone in the market for a budget wearable will mind terribly that it isn’t designed to go scuba diving with them.

Newer flagship Apple Watches have an ultra wideband (UWB) chip inside to help with more precise finding of a misplaced iPhone and supports additional interactions with a nearby HomePod. I use my watch to find my phone up to three times per day. The UWB enables a more precise way to locate devices, and that interface pops up on my Series 9 each time I ping my phone, offering a cute little game of hot and cold, pointing an arrow in the direction of my missing handset. But I mostly ignore the directions and just listen for the da-ta-da-ta-ding-da-ding of the phone’s ringer. Which is to say, I didn’t miss the lack of UWB in the least on the SE.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget Wrap-up

When the Apple Watch SE came out in 2022, Engadget’s Cherlynn Low called it the best smartwatch $250 can buy. That was certainly the case at the time. But two and a half years later, it’s reasonable to expect more from your budget timepiece. I remember the decade or so post-college when $250 represented more than my monthly food allotment. For many, even an “affordable” Apple purchase is still a significant one.

For the same money, people can get a lot more if they step outside of your walled ecosystem. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch FE is just $200. Not only does it have the same sensors as the company’s flagship wearable, it can also perform an ECG. For $200, we could also get a Fitbit Versa 4 instead. True, it doesn’t pack nearly as many features as the Pixel Watch 3, but it covers the basics well, tracking activity, delivering notifications and going for up to six days on a charge. It’ll even pair with an iPhone. And then there’s the Garmin Forerunner 165. Right now it’s our editors’ favorite running watch and it can be had for $250. Making a quality $250 smartwatch isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

Apple, you can save your premium materials, super specialized sensors and nice-to-have extras like UWB connections for your flagship and premium models. That way, people who are willing to pay more will still feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. Just focus on the features that make a difference to everyday users, and forget those inessential perks. There’s still room for you to make a reasonably priced watch that doesn’t feel like a second-class accessory.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/revisiting-the-apple-watch-se-in-2025-left-me-with-a-long-list-of-update-requests-163046835.html?src=rss

Finding the perfect laptop without breaking the bank isn’t as hard as you might think. These days, the best cheap laptops still pack a lot of punch, offering great features without a premium price tag. Whether you need a laptop for work, school, streaming or just staying connected, there are plenty of affordable options that can handle your everyday needs. You don’t have to settle for outdated tech, either — many budget laptops now come with decent processors, long battery life and even sleek designs that won’t cramp your style.

Of course, not all budget laptops are created equal. That’s why we’ve rounded up the top picks to help you get the most value for your money. From student-friendly Chromebooks to Windows laptops for light productivity, there’s something for everyone.

Table of contents

• The best cheap laptops of 2025

• What to look for in a budget laptop

• A note about refurbished laptops

The best cheap laptops of 2025

What to look for in a budget laptop

First, we at Engadget consider anything under $1,000 to be “budget” in the laptop space. The reason for this is twofold: even the most affordable flagship laptops typically start at $1,000 or more, and if you go dramatically lower than that (say, $500 or less), that’s where you’ll really start to see compromises in performance. You’ll typically find the best cheap laptops striking a good balance between power and price in the $500 to $1,000 range. But in this guide, we’ll cover top picks at a wide range of prices — there are a number of excellent options on the low and high end of the budget spectrum.

Arguably the biggest thing to look for in a cheap laptop is build quality and a decent spec sheet. You might be able to find configuration options with the latest generation CPU chipsets, or you may have to go for one that has a slightly older processor. We recommend looking for models with solid state drive (SSD) storage instead of a traditional hard drive, as SSDs provide faster performance. And if you can find a PC with the latest internals, it’s worth the investment. However, going with a CPU that’s just one generation behind likely won’t make a noticeable difference in performance.

Along with processors, you should also consider the amount of memory and storage you need in a daily driver. For the former, we recommend laptops with at least 8GB of RAM; anything with less than that will have a hard time multitasking and managing all those web browsing tabs. The latter is a bit more personal: how much onboard storage you need really depends on how many apps, files, photos, documents and more you will save locally. As a general rule of thumb, try to go for a laptop that has at least a 256GB SSD (this only goes for macOS and Windows machines, as Chromebooks are a bit different). That should give you enough space for programs and files, plus room for future operating system updates. And if you need a machine for light productivity or Android emulation, some laptops even support Android apps natively, which can add extra versatility.

After determining the best performance you can get while sticking to your budget, it’s also worth examining a few different design aspects. We recommend a laptop with an IPS display for better viewing angles and color accuracy, though premium models with OLED displays are becoming more common and can offer deeper blacks and vibrant colors. Pay attention to port selection, too — many budget models offer plenty of ports, while higher-end ones tend to prioritize minimalism with fewer connections. If connectivity matters to you, look for options with USB-C, USB-A, HDMI and an audio jack.

And speaking of practical features, keep an eye on GPU performance if you're shopping for a budget-friendly gaming laptop. While integrated graphics are fine for casual users, a dedicated GPU will improve gaming and creative workloads. We also recommend checking the refresh rate of the screen, as a higher rate will make a noticeable difference in both games and scrolling-heavy apps.

A note about refurbished laptops

Refurbished laptops are another option to consider if you need a new machine and don’t want to spend a ton of money. Buying refurbished tech can be tricky if you’re unfamiliar with a brand’s or merchant’s policies surrounding what they classify as “refurbished.” But it’s not impossible — for laptops, we recommend going directly to the manufacturer for refurbished devices. Apple, Dell and Microsoft all have official refurbishment processes that their devices go through before they’re put back on the market that verifies the machines work properly and are in good condition. Third-party retailers like Amazon and Walmart also have their own refurbishment programs for laptops and other gadgets as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-budget-laptop-150038435.html?src=rss

After being one of the first companies to roll out a Deep Research feature at the end of last year, Google is now making that same tool available to everyone. Starting today, Gemini users can try Deep Research for free in more than 45 languages — no Gemini Advanced subscription necessary. For the uninitiated, Deep Research allows you to ask Gemini to create comprehensive but easy-to-read reports on complex topics. 

Compared to say Google's new AI Mode, Deep Research works slower than your typical chatbot, and that's by design. Gemini will first create a research plan before it begins searching the web for information that may be relevant to your prompt. When Google first announced Deep Research, it was powered by the company's powerful but expensive Gemini 1.5 Pro model. With today's expansion, Google has upgraded Deep Research to run on its new Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model — that's mouthful of a name that just means it's a chain-of-thought system that can break down problems into a series of intermediate steps.

"This enhances Gemini's capabilities across all research stages — from planning and searching to reasoning, analyzing and reporting — creating higher-quality, multi-page reports that are more detailed and insightful," Google says of the upgrade. 

If Deep Research sounds familiar, it's because of a variety of chatbots now offer the feature, including ChatGPT. Google, however, has been ahead of the curve. Not only was it one of the first to offer the tool, but it's now also making it widely available to all of its users ahead of competitors like OpenAI.     

Separately, Google announced today the rollout of a new experimental feature it calls Gemini with personalization. The same Flash Thinking model that is allowing the company to bring Deep Research to more people will also allow Gemini to inform its responses based on information from Google apps and services you use. 

"With your permission, Gemini can now tailor its responses based on your past searches, saving you time and delivering more precise answers," says Google. In the coming months, Gemini will be able to pull context from additional Google services, including Photos and YouTube. "This will enable Gemini to provide more personalized insights, drawing from a broader understanding of your activities and preferences to deliver responses that truly resonate with you."

To enable the feature, select "Personalization (experimental)" from the model drop-down menu in the Gemini Apps interface. Google explains Gemini will only leverage your Search history when it determines that information may be useful. A banner with a link will allow you to easily turn off the feature if you find it's invasive. Gemini and Gemini Advanced users can begin using this feature on the web starting today, with mobile availability to follow.   

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-gemini-deep-research-is-now-available-to-everyone-160043485.html?src=rss

Your digital life can get just as cluttered and chaotic as your "IRL" life if you're not too careful. And if you work remote even some of the time, that can add to the massive amount of online information you're juggling on a regular basis. That's why many of us on the Engadget team have done a lot of trial and error with a bunch of digital tools to see if any of them can help us keep things organized personally and professionally. Thankfully, there are tons of good productivity tools out there — these are some of our favorites, many of which are free or have free tiers that you can dive into if you're keen on trying them out.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-engadget-teams-favorite-productivity-tools-to-get-things-done-160025276.html?src=rss

Apple announces updates to its smartphone lineup every autumn, but the company often has a hard time keeping the details under wraps. Ahead of the official unveiling of the iPhone 17, we've already heard quite a few hints about what may be in store. Here's what we know and what we're expecting.

When will the iPhone 17 series be announced?

Most years, the flagship smartphones are introduced in September. It's a little early to have the specific dates; some years, Apple only gives a week or two of lead time between sending invites and hosting the event. But years of past precedent show that sometime in September should be when the 17 models make their debut.

What will the new iPhone 17 lineup include?

Design leaks suggest that Apple is building an ultra-thin smartphone, likely to be named the iPhone 17 Air to match Apple's ultralight laptop designation. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, often a solid source of advanced intel about Apple, reported in January that the iPhone 17 Air will be equipped with a basic A19 chip and will only have a single camera lens. It may also use Apple's new in-house modem, which was introduced in February on the iPhone 16e. More details about this development may leak ahead of September, but that's what we know for now.

Each new roster includes a base model, but over the years, Apple shakes up the variety of phones it offers. Most likely there will be an iPhone 17 and an iPhone 17 Pro. Apple has also committed to the size matters philosophy, and has been building an iPhone Pro Max option with an even bigger screen and better battery life; the 17 roster will almost certainly have one as well. 

The iPhone 17 Air seems primed to take the place of a potential iPhone 17 Plus. Since the iPhone 16e was only just introduced in February at a surprisingly high price point, it seems unlikely that there will be a new addition to that lower end of the spectrum, the models that were previously called SE. 

What will iOS 19 be like?

Jon Prosser at Front Page Tech dropped a video in January that points to how a redesigned Camera app might point to more drastic changes to come for the operating system in the upcoming iPhone line. Earlier in March, Bloomberg also backed the assertion that an iOS overhaul is in the works. There hasn't been a notable overhaul of iOS for several generations, and it could be exciting to see Apple pushing the envelope on software again. 

And while we don't have any formal leaks about this, it seems all-but guaranteed that Apple is going to continue pushing its Apple Intelligence suite. We're still waiting on some promised updates to Siri that are meant to take advantage of AI tools, so ideally those will be fully finished and integrated by the time the 17 series arrives.

The company typically shares more details about its upcoming plans for software during its Worldwide Developers Conference. WWDC 2025 will most likely be happening in early June, so expect to hear more about the operating system this summer. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-17-pro-max-and-air-everything-we-know-about-apples-new-phones-153024282.html?src=rss

The Samsung Evo Select microSD card is on sale via Amazon. The 512GB model is down to just $33, which is a record-low price and one heck of a deal. This is the newest iteration of this card, with read/write speeds up to 160 MB/s. It’s worth noting that only the 512GB version is on sale right now, and the other sizes range from $15 for 64GB to $80 for 1TB.

We love this thing and it easily found a place on our list of the best SD cards. It offers a ten-year warranty, which is nice, and the price range is typically on the lower side. We called the sequential and random read speeds “respectable” in our benchmark tests. This isn’t the absolute fastest SD card on the market, but it’s a near-perfect storage solution.

To that end, the 512GB model can fit over 200,000 photos in 4K and over 300,000 images in smaller formats. As for video, it holds 80 hours of FHD footage and around 24 hours in 4K. This is also a durable card, with added protection against water damage, extreme temperatures and accidental falls.

On the downside, we come back to the question of speed. The sequential write speeds fall just under 70MB/s, via benchmark tests on CrystalDiskMark. This means that we can’t really recommend this card for use inside of a camera. For simple storage expansion, however, the price can’t be beat.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-samsung-microsd-cards-drops-to-an-all-time-low-price-151637426.html?src=rss

Meta will start testing its Community Notes model, with which it's replacing human fact checkers, on Facebook, Instagram and Threads in the US on March 18. Notes won't appear publicly on posts right away. The company wants to make sure the writing and rating system is working as intended before the notes start showing up for everyone.

Things will work in a similar way to Community Notes on X, Meta says, with the idea that users bring extra context to posts that could use more explanation, clarity or perhaps a correction. In fact, Meta will initially base its ratings system on X’s open-source algorithm. "This will allow us to build on what X has created and improve it for our own platforms over time," the company said in its announcement.

Meta notes that it will adapt X's algorithm and Community Notes program for its own platforms. It may change the algorithm to modify how Community Notes are ranked and rated. "We’re building this in the open while learning from contributors and seeing how it works in practice in our products," Meta wrote. "We don’t expect this process to be perfect but we’ll continue to improve as we learn."

Around 200,000 people have signed up as potential Community Notes contributors so far across Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The system will consider the rating history of each contributor and take into account those who tend to disagree with each other. It won't necessarily matter how many contributors approve a note — Meta will only include one on a post when "people who normally disagree decide that it provides helpful context." This, the company claims, is intended as a safeguard against bias.

Meta

Meta spun up its fact-checking program in 2016 with the idea that it would rely on expert third-party fact-checking teams to assess posts because it didn't want to be the arbiter of truth itself. The company contends that experts have their own perspectives and political biases, which impacted choices about what and how to fact check.

Of course, Community Notes contributors will have their own biases but not necessarily the knowledge of subject matter experts. Still, Meta says that a consensus from people with a range of viewpoints will be enough for a Community Note to be published.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, said back in January that President Donald Trump's reelection was part of the reason the company changed its approach, claiming that it was "a cultural tipping point" for free speech. For many years, conservatives have accused social media platforms of censoring their voices.

"Community Notes allow more people with more perspectives to add context to more types of content, and because publishing a note requires agreement between different people, we believe it will be less prone to bias," Meta claims. "This requirement is also a safeguard against organized campaigns attempting to game the system and influence what notes get published or what they say."

Fact-checked posts were often downranked in Meta's algorithms but notes won't affect a post's visibility on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Notes will be limited to 500 characters and will require a link. They won't include author names, at least at first. It won't be possible to submit notes on ads at the outset, though contributors can write them for just about any other posts, including those from the company and its leaders, as well as other public figures.

To begin with, Community Notes will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French and Portuguese. More languages will be added down the line.

Meta intends to roll out Community Notes in the US once it's content that the program is more or less working as intended. When the notes start to show up publicly, the company will no longer show new fact-check labels from third-party fact checkers in the US. Meta plans to adopt this approach around the world, but in the meantime it will maintain its fact-checking program in other countries.

However Meta talks up Community Notes, the system is unlikely to be a silver bullet for stemming the spread of falsehoods. Community Notes have not stopped the flow of misinformation on X, according to studies. Last month, X owner Elon Musk (now a "special government employee") said he was trying to "fix" Community Notes, claiming that they were "increasingly being gamed by governments and legacy media."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/facebook-instagram-and-threads-will-start-testing-community-notes-on-march-18-151144820.html?src=rss

We’re in the thick of spring break travel, and Miami Beach has long been a hot spot for student revelers. In recent years though, the annual party scene in March has escalated into stampedes and even fatal shootings. After pressure from residents and bad publicity, officials have announced they’re over the chaos.

The city has implemented a number of rules to keep tourists and residents safe. The strict rules in Miami Beach will be in place through March, and — over the next two weekends specifically — police will institute DUI checkpoints and run license plates to screen for previous criminal offenders.

The idea is to deter large, rowdy crowds with security checkpoints at popular beach entrances and high fees for weekend parking. Two city garages, for instance, will charge up to $100 a day.

The restaurants of the Art Deco hotels also have to shut down their sidewalk seating on the main drag in South Beach.

Holding back tourists though, could hurt local businesses that count on spring break for big profits. These include those forbidden from renting out vehicles like electric bikes, scooters or mopeds.

“We just gotta work with what we’ve got,” said Antonio Prades, who manages a store called Fly E-Bike Miami in South Beach. He said he’s hoping to sell scooters since he can’t rent them out.

A low-end scooter can cost about $300, and renting a scooter for about a week would be more expensive, since rentals start at $70 daily.

“It wouldn’t make sense just to rent something when you can just buy a scooter, a bike, and then resell it and you can even make a profit on it,” Prades said. Tourists would need to find a buyer before they go home, however.

Prades and other business managers in the area are generally not thrilled with the restrictions but are trying to work with the city.

A popular nightlife venue on the main drag in South Beach lacked large spring break crowds that typically form in March, after Miami Beach officials have implemented strict rules to safeguard tourists and locals from violence. (Verónica Zaragovia)

“It’s also the business owners’ responsibilities to not overserve,” said Kyle Grossman, a supervisor at Fat Tuesday, a frozen cocktail bar in South Beach. “Greed breeds some of those disastrous situations.”

Grossman feels like some of the city’s measures are just too much, like barricades to block street parking, because, he added, even families could feel unwelcome. 

“They’re going, ‘What am I getting myself into?’ Too many restrictions make good people also weary,” he added.

Still, the city is going full stop on the rules. It put out a video on social media to let visitors know that police will be enforcing them, like stopping people from drinking in public or using a speaker on the beach.

Jelani Massey, visiting Miami Beach on spring break from college in Washington, D.C., doesn’t mind the rules. He was expecting to find the unruliness of past years.

“People to be dancing on top of cars and the streets to be full,” he said. Instead, South Beach was pretty quiet when he arrived — and he’s happy with that.

“This is my first time being here for spring break, but it seems really safe, really fun,” Massey said. “A lot of people just having a good time.”

The strict rules don’t seem to have turned visitors off. Hotel occupancy rates went up last year even with restrictions, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. So far, March this year looks about the same.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has determined that the country's mobile browser markets are "not working well for consumers and businesses" and "holding back innovation." Most of the watchdog's ire is directed at Apple for policies such as requiring mobile browsers to use its engine, WebKit and, thus, limiting competitor's abilities to differentiate from Apple. The report also points out that Safari has received access to key functions of WebKit and the operating system, earlier or to a greater extent than its competitors. This final report ends an investigation that began nearly four years ago. 

The CMA released a preliminary report in November, but has since removed two issues, thanks to updates from Apple, along with Google. In December, a software update at Apple changed how people can swap their default browser, while Google shared new evidence around its prompts created to encourage Android users to have Chrome as their default browser. 

The concerns around limiting innovation and growth remain. The independent inquiry group in charge of the final report, however, pulls its recommendation from another ongoing probe. In January, the CMA began investigating whether Apple and Google's mobile ecosystems, including their mobile browsers, should be given Strategic Market Status (SMS). This designation would allow the CMA to have greater regulatory powers over Apple and Google, as well as issuing pro-competition directives. 

If Apple and Google do receive an SMS designation, then the inquiry group recommends the CMA imposes "measures which could enhance the ability of other browsers to compete by offering new, innovative features to consumers, as well as enabling users actively to choose their preferred mobile browser which could drive competition." It could take until the fall for the CMA to make a decision on Apple and Google's SMS status. It's unclear what, if any, steps the watchdog might take in the meantime to mitigate this report's concerns. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-watchdog-finds-apples-mobile-browser-policies-are-restricting-innovation-140049033.html?src=rss

Federally-run tribal colleges were among the targets of February’s mass-downsizing of the government workforce. Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico each initially lost about 20% of their staff. 

Some have been hired back, but a lawsuit filed by three tribal nations and Indigenous students says that’s not enough. 

Ella Bowen is a freshman at Haskell Indian Nations University. She’s studying to be a teacher. Her academic advisor helped her map out all the classes she needs to graduate. 

“My whole four-year program was laid out in her computer,” she said. But last month, Bowen’s advisor was abruptly let go along with dozens of other faculty and staff. 

Now, Bowen said professors are taking on extra courses, and students are filling in for fired custodians and cafeteria workers. 

“I think everybody’s really stressed out and sad as a community here, but we’re all trying to work together,” she said.

Bowen is part of the group suing the federal government over these firings. Their attorney, Jacqueline De León with the Native American Rights Fund, said Haskell and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute help fulfill the federal government’s trust responsibility to tribes.  

“You know, as part of the bargain with the United States to give up vast swaths of land, Native Americans were guaranteed, in many treaties, education,” she said.

De León said that tribes had a right to be consulted on downsizing at the two colleges — which, according to the federal government’s own watchdog agency, are chronically understaffed. 

“Even if some staffing cuts had to happen, tribes had the right to talk about the structure of those cuts, indicate which programs are of the most priority to them,” said De León.

The Department of the Interior declined Marketplace’s request for an interview about the lawsuit. 

Twyla Baker is president of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College in North Dakota, one of 33 tribal colleges not run by the federal government. Those institutions are safe from federal layoffs, but she said they still rely on government support to fund some job training and academic programs. 

“Our sponsored programs are about anywhere from 60% to 75% federal dollars,” she said — including some grants currently frozen by Trump’s DEI order. “Everything’s kind of just ground to a halt with everything that’s going on.”

Many tribal colleges are the only institutions of higher education in their rural regions, and Baker said they’re bracing for lean times. 

WhatsApp never waits long between updates and this time it's reportedly changing how replies look. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is currently working on a feature that would put all replies to the same message in one thread. A look at it appeared in an Android update available through the Google Play Beta Program. 

Right now, WhatsApp allows users to reply directly to a message and shows the original on top of the new message. However, users have to click through each response to see any earlier replies or the first message quoted. The new update would instead show every message in the thread in one place, making the flow of conversation clearer. 

WABetaInfo

The update is currently under development, but should be available in individual or group chats, communities and channels. It would especially be beneficial for those latter ones, considering it's always impossible to keep track of an ongoing conversation between multiple people. In the meantime, there's no word yet of when this will roll out, though it probably won't be too long if it's already showing up in a beta. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/whatsapp-is-reportedly-developing-reply-threads-134516511.html?src=rss

Here’s today’s shocking stat: The U.S. real estate that faces major wildfire risk is worth $9 trillion. For flood risk, it’s $7 trillion. For wind risk: $17 trillion. These numbers all come from a new climate risk analysis from Zillow. And half of the top 10 cities with the most fire-prone real estate value are in California.

California is well-represented in this analysis because, even though there’s a lot of climate risk, “there’s a housing crisis here. There’s just more people that want to live in California than there are homes to put them in right now,” said environmental economist Judson Boomhower with UC San Diego.

That housing shortage makes homes more expensive, he noted. The high fire-risk homes in Zillow’s report sold for 49% more than low fire-risk homes.

“These risks have been around for a long time. They’re getting worse,” he said. “It seems like real estate markets haven’t fully priced them in historically.”

Home insurance companies have already started to react — that’s why they’re dropping home policies in California. Home prices lag behind, because climate risk is only one factor in a home’s value.

“Many high-risk areas are desirable places to live for other reasons, like being near an ocean,” said Zillow senior economist Kara Ng.

That’s already started to change, she said. Homes with extreme fire or flood risk in the study are less likely to sell or go pending.

“These fire- and flood-prone homes do simply sell, but at a greater discount than compared to the initial list price,” Ng said.

She added that higher flood-risk homes also see more mortgage application denials and withdrawals.

Snapchat's future includes generative AI video Lenses, wherein users can watch themselves cuddling with virtual animals on screen. The first three Lenses the app has launched include the Racoon and Fox, which animate the animals into a Snap. Meanwhile, the third one called Spring Flowers will generate a bouquet of flowers and use a zoom-out effect to reveal who's holding it. All three Lenses, as well as future ones Snapchat releases, are powered by a generative video model the company built in-house. Snap says it will be adding more every week to expand users' options. 

"We have a long history of being first movers to bring advanced AR, ML and AI tools directly to our community, and we’re excited to see what Snapchatters create," Snap said in its announcement. The company added an OpenAI-powered chatbot to its app back in 2023, and it has released more AI features since then. Last year, Snap introduced an AI video-generation tool for creators that allow users to create videos from text prompts. The tool was released to a small subset of users, but it showed that the company was working on AI video for the app. 

For now, only users paying for the $16-per-month Snapchat Platinum subscription tier will have access to the app's new AI video Lenses. The new Lenses will show up first in the carousel for subscribers and will work with both front and rear cameras. Any AI video a user creates will be automatically saved to Memories, and they can then share them directly with friends, to their Stories and with the public through Spotlight.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/snapchat-launches-generative-ai-video-lenses-130056731.html?src=rss