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In less than a month, if everything goes according to the plans that President Donald Trump announced last week, the U.S. will impose 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. (Here is your obligatory reminder that the cost of any tariff is paid by the importer and ultimately, by extension, the U.S. consumer.)

Recent research from S&P Global found that the impact of higher tariffs will be uneven. In other words, some businesses will pass along the cost but others might not. Which side of that dichotomy a business falls on depends on who its customers are.

Take Mavericks Manufacturing Partners in Escondido, California, which makes metal components for the energy and defense sectors. Steel is set to get hit with higher tariffs next month and the price aluminum is already rising, said CEO Chris Blench.

“The tariffs don’t even have to be in effect. It’s just the threat of them. And that’s creating a tremendous amount of uncertainty,” he said.

As a result, Blench said he’s going to have to ensure that the prices he’s charging his clients account for that uncertainty.

So now, when he writes up a bid for a project: “We’ll just have that one little asterisk on the material component that says, you know, depending on the price of that particular material at the time of award, we’re going to pass on whatever our cost is,” he said.

Blench said he can do that because his customers — largely the Defense and Energy departments — are so big they’re not going to sweat the increase.

And besides, his competitors do the same thing.

“We’re trying to compete on our efficiency and other credentials of our businesses. But when it comes to the raw materials, if the price goes up 25%, all of the other competitors are going to be passing that along,” he said.

Not every business has the leverage to do that.

Satyam Panday, chief U.S. and Canada economist at S&P Global Ratings, said if your customers are small businesses, “you would probably want to think twice, before doing that, in your renegotiations of the contract. You probably have to share the costs.”

There’s also a third kind of business, one where passing along the cost of tariffs might not make sense at all.

“You know, beer has always been this affordable luxury. It should be very accessible,” said J.C. Hill, the owner of Alvarado Street Brewery which operates a few locations in the Monterey Bay area of California.

Because he sees beer as an affordable luxury, Hill doesn’t want to pass along any cost increases to his customers. Especially after all of the inflation in recent years.

“And in the past we have been able to raise prices to not take that hit directly. You know, before inflation. And I think now, people are less likely to want to pay more,” he said.

Hill is expecting the price of aluminum cans to rise, along with the price of stainless steel fermenters, kegs and other equipment.

He’s keeping an eye out for used equipment and said he doesn’t want to have to do anything drastic, like lay off employees.

“It might just be one of those things where we just have to wear it on the chin. And hopefully ride it out,” he said.

In the meantime, Hill said his goal is to keep growing the brewery’s capacity a little bit every year, so he can cover his costs by selling more beer.

The second season of The Last of Us now has a firm premiere date. HBO has announced that its adaptation of Naughty Dog's games will hit the network and Max on April 13. "Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind," HBO said in a press release. Ominous!

Warner Bros. Discovery had already confirmed that the latest batch of episodes would arrive this April, in large part to make sure that the season is eligible for next year's Primetime Emmy Awards. Given that the third season of The White Lotus premiered this week, a mid-April start date makes sense for TLOU. There are only seven episodes this time around in any case, and they'll all air before the Emmy eligibility window closes on May 31.

The second season of the series is based on The Last of Us Part 2, but it won't take us through all of the events of the second game. It'll take at least two seasons to retell the story of that terrific, if overly lengthy misery simulator. 

In the meantime, if you haven't played the sequel yet, you'll soon be able to do just that on PC. The Last of Us Part II Remastered will hit Steam and the Epic Games Store on April 3. Meanwhile, the game's developer, Naughty Dog, recently revealed its tasty-looking first entry in a brand-new sci-fi franchise.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-last-of-us-season-2-premieres-on-hbo-and-max-on-april-13-211022032.html?src=rss

Indie horror game Mouthwashing is making the leap to consoles. Developer Wrong Organ shared today that its creepy creation will be available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch later this year. As well as appearing in the digital storefronts, the console versions will get a physical release and additional merch courtesy of Fangamer.

This is one of many truly excellent horror games that debuted in 2024. Mouthwashing harkens back to the low-poly look of games from the early 2000s, the type you would have found cutting edge at the time and which still retains a nostalgic appeal for many players. But rather than cultivating any warm fuzzies, Mouthwashing tells the tale of the doomed space ship's crew as they turn on each other, lose their minds and die.

Wrong Organ also announced that the game has reached 500,000 sales to date on Steam, which is a solid performance for a team that specializes in surreal, story-driven games and is only on its third release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/horror-game-mouthwashing-will-land-on-consoles-later-this-year-204817692.html?src=rss

The fallout continues from the recent WhatsApp hacking campaign (by a still-unconfirmed entity) that targeted nearly 100 journalists and activists. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that a collection of Italian media groups has filed a criminal complaint with the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office. They hope to discover who installed the zero-click spyware, which was made by the Israeli-founded Paragon Solutions.

According to Bloomberg, the complaint describes the spyware as an "intolerable intrusion into the personal and professional dimension of journalists," exposing them and their sources "to enormous and still persistent risks for their individual safety." It alleges that those responsible violated Italy's laws banning the "illicit installation" of eavesdropping equipment.

WhatsApp said it reached out privately to notify the victims of the hack, which reportedly took place in December and targeted users across Europe. Three Italian victims have come forward, including Francesco Cancellato (a journalist and head of Fanpage.it) and activists Beppe Caccia and Luca Casarini. The latter two focus on charity with the group Mediterranea Saving Humans.

WhatsApp said the zero-click hack used malicious PDFs sent to groups on the platform. The company has since released a fix to prevent future uses of the exploit.

Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaking in Parliament in Rome.ANDREAS SOLARO via Getty Images

The scandal is putting pressure on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her far-right Brothers of Italy party. Earlier this month, the government confirmed that at least seven Italian phones were involved in the campaign and that its National Cybersecurity Agency was investigating. Arturo Di Corinto, a spokesman for the agency, told Bloomberg this week that the investigation was ongoing.

The Italian government has denied involvement in the hacks, but speculation abounds. Last week, Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed in parliament that the government had a long-standing contract with Paragon to assist with intelligence and national security-related issues. However, he insisted the law was "rigorously respected."

The Guardian reported that Paragon recently suspended a contract with Italy after the spyware attack became public. However, Ciriani said the intelligence services contract with Paragon is still active, which suggests there was a second agreement. Indeed, Israel's Haaretz reported that Paragon had two contracts with Italy to use its military-grade Graphite software, which WhatsApp has said was used to infect the victims' devices.

Paragon, essentially a professional spyware company, has a policy of only doing business with democratic governments. It recently entered into a controversial $2 million contract with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department. Paragon was acquired in December by American private equity company AE Industrial Partners. The company hasn't yet commented on the hacking.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/italian-media-groups-file-criminal-complaint-over-the-whatsapp-hack-on-journalists-203150860.html?src=rss

The iPhone 16e, Apple's replacement for the iPhone SE, has plenty of features that make it a good deal, from its A18 chip to the fact that it actually comes with an OLED screen. But one glaring omission in its spec sheet makes no sense: Why doesn't this $599 phone have MagSafe?

Despite looking a lot like an iPhone 14, and using components that are similar to the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16e doesn't support MagSafe or fast wireless charging. Apple expects iPhone 16e owners to be happy with the same wireless charging speeds as an iPhone SE released in 2022, and the slight advantage of using a USB-C port rather than a Lighting port.

The iPhone 16e's missing MagSafe feels particularly strange because the feature has been a given for years at this point. Apple introduced MagSafe to its smartphones with the iPhone 12 as a magnetic accessory and charging standard, and has included it in every phone since. MagSafe borrows the name of the magnetic connectors on Apple's laptops, but with some key differences. MagSafe on an iPhone means you have strong built-in magnets that let your phone attaches to cases, mounts, wallets and stands, without any extra fiddly pieces. When you charge over MagSafe, you also get faster charging speeds, bumping things from 7.5W charging to up to 25W charging with the right charging brick.

Chris Velazco for Engadget

More importantly, using magnets to directly guide a charger to charging coils largely eliminates the possibility of a phone being on a charger but not actually getting charged. It's likely one of the main reasons why MagSafe was adopted into the wider Qi2 wireless charging standard — it just makes the whole thing a lot more convenient.

That doesn't really explain why Apple would leave it out of the iPhone 16e, though. The company's definition of what makes a "Pro" feature is always in flux, and it will often will leave features or components out to justify a lower price. But Apple and its partners likely sell a lot of MagSafe accessories, doesn't Apple want to sell those to iPhone 16e owners, too?

The interesting wrinkle in all of this is Qi2, which has been available for phone makers to use since 2023, but hasn't seen widespread adoption outside of Apple's phones. Samsung, a company that should have more than enough money to work Qi2 into its flagships, instead offers a case you can buy if you want to use Qi2 charging on the Galaxy S25. Other Android makers are no better: you won't find Qi2 on the Pixel 9, Motorola Razr+ or Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 6. It's possible Qi2 or MagSafe is more expensive (or difficult) to include than it appears, and Apple has been "generous" all this time. That might make the decision to not support the standard make more sense. But that doesn't change the fact that the iPhone 16e's lack of MagSafe is very annoying.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-16es-lack-of-magsafe-doesnt-make-sense-202101406.html?src=rss

Twitch has rolled out a number of changes to its violation enforcement system. The biggest change is that now infractions will disappear from an account “after a set amount of time.” This is great news for long-time creators, as minor violations stacked. This led to folks getting suspended as these smaller infractions piled up.

The platform says that most minor infractions, like cheating in an online game, will expire after 90 days. More serious violations, like participating in hateful conduct, will remain on an account for one to two years. The worst behavior will still result in an immediate suspension. Also, if a user is indefinitely suspended due to the accumulation of multiple violations, they can apply for reinstatement after six months.

Twitch

This isn’t any type of “get out of jail free” card. Twitch is also upping the consequences for repeatedly violating the rules in the same policy category. Each time a similar infraction occurs, the length of a suspension will increase. This will be true even if the severity of the offense hasn’t gone up. The platform says this new rule is to help “people understand the importance of adhering to our Community Guidelines without needing to resort to an indefinite suspension.”

Finally, Twitch is making good on its promise for increased transparency regarding policy violations. For most policy violations, users will now get a detailed email regarding the reasoning behind any suspension decision. This data will soon include specific chat messages or stream snippets. The information will also reside in the Appeals Portal. This starts with chat messages, with video clips coming later on.

Most of these changes are rolling out right now. Twitch recently added something called Enforcement Notes that inform users if certain trends violate one of its policies. It also publishes notes to alleviate “widespread community confusion” and alert folks as to which behaviors “are and aren’t out of bounds.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/twitch-community-guideline-violations-will-now-disappear-from-accounts-after-a-set-time-195122034.html?src=rss

The demise of Humane is perhaps the most predictable tech story of 2025. The company tried to build some buzz around its AI Pin in late 2023, marketing the device as a tiny replacement for smartphones and playing up the fact that Humane’s co-founders were former Apple employees. The problem was that it wasn’t really clear what the AI Pin would do to justify its $700 asking price (plus a $24/month subscription).

It didn’t take long for things to spiral out of control. The AI Pin was released in April of 2024 to some of the worst reviews I’ve ever seen for a consumer tech product. Just a month after launch, reports surfaced that the company was already trying to be acquired — for the positively ludicrous sum of $750 million to $1 billion dollars. At the same time, it was rumored that Humane sold only 10,000 Pins, a far cry from the 100,000 they had planned for. HP was named as a potential suitor last May, and the company smartly waited until they could pluck Humane for a comparatively paltry $116 million.

As it turned out, waving your hands and shouting about the promise of AI doesn’t make it any easier to build compelling hardware — we slammed its high price, terrible battery life, slow performance, excessive heat and hard-to-use projected display. (And Engadget was far from the only publication to eviscerate this device.)

Hayato Huseman for Engadget

For a device whose main interface was conversational, the challenges the AI Pin had answering questions or executing commands made it a non-starter. Even when it did what was asked, it did it in some strange ways, like sending generic texts instead of letting you dictate what exactly you wanted to say. Its camera rarely worked as intended; after taking photos and viewing them on the projector, the Pin would get extremely warm and sometimes just shut down entirely. Speaking of that projection screen, it was nearly impossible to actually see it outdoors, even on a cloudy day. And interacting with it made our reviewer Cherlynn Low want to “rip [her] eyes out.”

Oh, let’s not forget that its extended battery case was recalled because it was a full-on fire hazard!

The whole debacle is an illustrative example of how most consumer-grade AI isn’t ready for prime time. Google and Apple may be trying to shove Gemini and Apple Intelligence down our throats on nearly every product they make, but those tools are additive, built on top of the strong foundations of each company’s existing platforms. In Humane’s case, there was nothing to fall back on. And the combo of terrible voice responses and recognition paired with a projector display that was not at all ready for prime time (not to mention the other hardware failings) was far too much to overcome.

There was simply no intelligence to be found here, artificial or otherwise.

To be fair to Humane, building hardware is notoriously difficult; first-generation products often have glaring flaws, even when you’re talking about massive companies like Apple. The first iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch may have shown huge promise, but they also had strange omissions and performance issues that made them hard to recommend to everyone.

Some companies manage to figure that out; Pebble is a great example of a hardware startup that survived some early issues to find some success. It beat Apple, Samsung and Google to the smartwatch market, and did it in a way that has yet to be imitated (maybe that’s why the company is being resurrected). The Pebble wasn’t exactly the most elegant piece of hardware, but both the watch and its software worked well enough that it paved the way for the more advanced smartwatches we have today. Of course, that wasn’t enough to keep Pebble alive, as the company eventually filed for insolvency and had its assets picked up by Fitbit (which was later purchased by Google, if you’re keeping track).

Humane’s situation at launch wasn’t entirely different — it was trying to build a new type of hardware altogether, and history tells us that the first products in a new space are going to be far from perfect. But, if there had at least been a glimmer of useful software, Humane might have survived to improve on those hardware problems with a future version. But its assistant was so bad that it killed any potential that the AI Pin had. There was simply no intelligence to be found here, artificial or otherwise.

My takeaway from the Humane disaster is that it’s too soon to spend your hard-earned money on the promise of AI — the marketplace isn't solidified at this point, and trusting a brand-new company like Humane to get this sort of thing right is several bridges too far. (If you're not convinced, look at the similarly flawed Rabbit R1.) Apple Intelligence is still half-baked at best, but at least you can turn it off and ignore it. But the AI Pin, well, relied completely on AI, and it wasn’t just “not ready” — it was one of the worst devices we’ve ever tried in our nearly 21 years as a publication. For some thousands of early adopters, that means their Pin will be a brick in just a few days, with no financial compensation coming their way. But hey, at least it will still be able to tell you its battery level.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-humane-ai-pin-debacle-is-a-reminder-that-ai-alone-doesnt-make-a-compelling-product-190119112.html?src=rss

Instagram is rolling out an update for its messaging system that adds several new tools. These features could allow Instagram to better compete with direct-messaging rivals like Apple iMessage and various third-party platforms.

First up, there’s music-sharing. The update lets users share tunes in both one-on-one messages and group chats. Just open up the sticker tray and tap on the “Music” option. This will open up a search bar of Instagram's audio library. There are a couple of caveats here. The song has to be available via Instagram and clips are maxed out at 30 seconds.

Direct messages will also now have a translation tool that works with 99 languages. The functionality here looks incredibly simple. Users just have to hold down a message and tap “Translate.” The translated message should appear directly below the original one. Easy peasy.

Meta

There’s a new way to pin messages, images or even Reels to the top of chats. Hold down the message and tap “Pin.” Instagram says folks can pin up to three messages per conversation. I could see this being handy to keep oft-requested information at the ready, though it’ll likely be used primarily for memes (not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

Instagram will also let people schedule messages by long-pressing the send button. This can be used to plan messages up to 29 days in advance. Finally, the platform has introduced a way to invite people to a group chat via a QR code. All of these tools begin rolling out today to iOS and Android users worldwide. A web update is in the works but isn’t available just yet.

Instagram sure has been busy adding new features to its software. It recently began testing a dislike button for comments. The platform announced that it was working on a video-editing app, similar to CapCut. The service even expanded the length of Reels to three minutes, likely to compete with TikTok. It also recently got rid of third-party fact checkers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-adds-a-whole-slew-of-new-dm-features-in-latest-update-184535399.html?src=rss

Valve is handing Team Fortress 2 modders the keys to the kingdom, as long as they don't try to make any money from it. The company has added the client and server game code to the Source software development kit (SDK), allowing fans to create new games and experiences based on TF2.

"Unlike the Steam Workshop or local content mods, this SDK gives mod makers the ability to change, extend or rewrite TF2, making anything from small tweaks to complete conversions possible," Valve explained. Modders will be able to publish their creations as new games on Steam if they wish.

The main catch is that Valve is offering the TF2 source code on a non-commercial basis, so any mods or content therein that are based on the SDK have to be available for free. The company also notes that much of the content that's in players' inventories — most of the in-game items, in fact — were created by the Steam Workshop community. "To respect that, we're asking TF2 mod makers continue to respect that connection, and to not make mods that have the purpose of trying to profit off Workshop contributors' efforts," Valve said. "We're hoping that many mods will continue to allow players access their TF2 inventory, if this makes sense for the mod."

On top of adding the TF2 source code to the SDK, Valve is making other updates to its other multiplayer games that run on Source, its old game engine. Those include 64-bit binary support, a scalable heads-up display/user interface and prediction fixes for the likes of Day of Defeat: Source, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Half-Life Deathmatch: Source and Counter-Strike: Source.

It's not too surprising that Valve is handing over the TF2 source code at this point. The game has largely been in maintenance mode for a long time as the company focused on other projects. It took the company years to remedy a major bot invasion, indicating just how low TF2 is on its list of priorities. Giving fans the client and server code could be a sign that Valve is ready to wind down official support for the game. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/valve-hands-the-team-fortress-2-source-code-to-modders-183223667.html?src=rss

The embattled EV truck maker Nikola is going kaput. The company just announced a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and a plan to sell off assets. These assets will be sold at an auction, pending court approval. Nikola noted it has $47 million in cash on hand to fund the bankruptcy proceedings and begin the sale process. The company has reported between $500 million to $1 billion in assets, but liabilities totaling $1 billion to $10 billion, according to a court filing.

“Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic factors that have impacted our ability to operate,” said Steve Girsky, President and CEO of Nikola.

Those market and macroeconomic factors are real, as EV adoption growth rates have slowed a bit. However, Nikola is a special case. The company has been embroiled in numerous scandals in recent years, so this news caps off a particularly dire fall from grace for the once-buzzy EV maker.

Nikola was founded in 2015 with a mission to create zero-emissions heavy trucks. The company secured a lucrative partnership with GM in 2020, but things fell apart soon thereafter. It was credibly accused of fraud, thanks to a report by short-selling firm Hindenburg Research. This report even included a video showing a Nikola truck rolling down a hill to simulate driving.

Our investigation of the site and text messages from a former employee reveal that the video was an elaborate ruse— $NKLA had the truck towed to the top of a hill on a remote stretch of road and simply filmed it rolling down the hill. pic.twitter.com/n2NLDGInzR

— Hindenburg Research (@HindenburgRes) September 10, 2020

This “elaborate ruse” caused the SEC to begin an investigation which led to founder Trevor Milton stepping down as board chair and CEO. Later, he was arrested and indicted on fraud charges. Milton was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison. The company settled with the SEC for $125 million. It goes without saying that GM backed out of that partnership.

The company did go public in 2020 and began shipping its first trucks in 2021. However, reports indicated that Nikola was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars on every truck it sold. All told, the company only made around 600 vehicles, many of which were recalled due to a variety of defects.

This subpar performance caused the stock to crater, stumbling from a high of over $1,000 per share to, as of this writing, $0.47 per share. I guess only one company named after the guy who invented alternating current (AC) energy is allowed to consistently fall below expectations without making a dent on its valuation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ev-truck-maker-nikola-has-finally-called-it-quits-172516625.html?src=rss

The new iPhone 16e is designed to get Apple Intelligence into as many hands as possible. Apple recently began activating its AI features by default during iOS setup, suggesting a harder push to spur adoption and establish iOS as an AI-first platform. Putting the company’s suite of AI tools on a $599 iPhone should do the trick.

Apple Intelligence’s arrival on an entry-level iPhone is thanks to one of its biggest upgrades from the SE: the A18 chip (the same processor from the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus). That makes it Apple’s cheapest AI-equipped model by $300. However, that's quite a bump up from the (now-retired) iPhone SE's $429.

Fortunately, there’s no skimping on the Apple Intelligence features for the cheaper model; you get all the AI goodies found in the more expensive iPhones. That includes AI writing tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, ChatGPT integration and notification summaries.

Apple

The phone has a much bigger display than its predecessor: 6.1 inches, up from the 2022 iPhone SE’s mere 4.7 inches. It’s also the first entry-level model to adopt modern iPhones’ full-screen design with Face ID. (Pour one out for the now-retired home button.) However, it doesn’t have the Dynamic Island found on recent higher-end models.

It also gets the Action button, the customizable physical shortcut on the phone's side. It debuted in the iPhone 15 Pro series and is found in all iPhone 16 models.

The iPhone 16e also complies with EU standards by switching from Lightning to USB-C, which is probably the least surprising thing about it. It also lacks MagSafe charging, sticking with standard Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5W.

A list of geeky tech specs doesn’t tell the whole story but can still serve as a starting point. Here’s how the new entry-level iPhone compares to Apple’s previous model and its two biggest Android-running rivals: the Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A35 5G. (Although the A35 isn't quite in the same price range, it serves a similar niche in Samsung's lineup.)

iPhone 16e

iPhone SE (2022)

Google Pixel 8a

Samsung Galaxy A35 5G

Price

$599 / $699 / $899

$429 / $479 / $579

$499 / $559

$400

Dimensions

146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches)

138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches)

152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm (6 x 2.9 x 0.4 inches)

161.7 x 78 x 8.2 mm (6.37 x 3.07 x 0.32 inches)

Weight

167g (5.88 ounces)

144g (5.09 ounces)

188 g (6.7 oz)

209 g (7.37 oz)

Screen size

6.1 inches

4.7 inches

6.1 inches

6.6 inches

Screen resolution

2,532 x 1,170 (460 ppi)

1,334 x 750 (326 ppi)

1,080 x 2,400 (430 ppi)

2,340 x 1,080 (389 ppi)

Screen type

OLED

Retina HD LCD

60Hz

Super AMOLED

up to 120Hz

SoC

Apple A18

Apple A15 Bionic

Tensor G3

Exynos 1380

RAM

N/A

4 GB

8 GB

6 / 8* GB

* Non-US only

Battery

"up to 26 hrs video playback"

2,018mAh

4,492 mAh

5,000 mAh

Storage

128 / 256 / 512GB

64 / 128 / 256 GB

128 / 256 GB

128 / 256* GB

MicroSD up to 1TB

* Non-US only

Rear camera(s)

48MP, f/1.6

Wide: 12 MP, f/1.8

Wide: 64 MP, f/1.89

Ultrawide: 13MP, f/2.2

Wide: 50MP, f/1.8

Ultrawide: 8MP, f/2.2

Macro: 5MP, f/2.4

Front camera

12MP, f/1.9

7 MP, f/2.2

13MP, f/2.2

13MP, f/2.2

Water / dust rating

IP68

IP67

IP67

IP67

Wi-Fi

Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax)

802.11ax

Wi-Fi 6E

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

Bluetooth

v5.3

v5.0

v5.3

v5.3

OS

iOS 18

iOS 18

Android 15

Android 14

One UI 6.1

Colors / finish

Black / White

Aluminum

Midnight / Starlight / (Product)Red

Aluminum

Obsidian / Porcelain / Aloe / Bay

Navy / Lilac

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-16e-vs-the-competition-171306115.html?src=rss

Google is introducing two small but meaningful enhancements to its Lens technology. To start, Chrome and Google app users on iPhone can now draw, highlight or tap on text and images to carry out a visual search of what they see in front of them. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Google is basically bringing over an interface paradigm it debuted last year with Circle to Search on Android to iPhone. While the implementation is different and more limited due to the constraints of iOS, the idea is the same: Google wants to save you the trouble of opening a new Chrome tab or saving a screenshot when you want to find more information about an image you see.

For now, Google says you can access the new feature, whether you’re using Chrome or the Google app, by opening the three-dot menu and selecting "Search Screen with Google Lens." In the future, the company will add a dedicated Lens shortcut to the address bar in Chrome.

Separately, the next time you use Lens, you’ll be more likely to encounter Google’s AI Overviews, particularly when you use the software to find information on more unique or novel images. In those instances, you won’t need to prompt Lens with a question about the image you just snapped for the software to try and offer a helpful explanation of what you’re seeing. Instead, it will do that automatically.

Ahead of today’s announcement, Harsh Kharbanda, director of product management for Google Lens, gave me a preview of the feature. Kharbanda used Lens to scan a photo of a car with an usual surface on its hood. An AI Overview automatically popped up explaining that the car had a carbon vinyl wrap, which it further said people use for both protection and to give their rides a more sporty appearance. According to Kharbanda, Google will roll out this update to all English-language users in countries where AI Overviews are available, with the feature first appearing in the Google app for Android and iOS, and arriving soon on Chrome for desktop and mobile devices.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-lens-for-iphone-now-lets-you-draw-to-do-visual-searches-170055399.html?src=rss

Apple's home button died on Wednesday at the age of 18, surrounded by family and friends (including its partner, Touch ID). The home button, which launched on the original iPhone and later spread to the iPod touch and iPad, was unceremoniously axed this morning with the release of the new iPhone 16e.

The iPhone 16e replaces the iPhone SE, switching to the full-screen design Apple first adopted with 2017's iPhone X. Since the third-gen iPhone SE was the last remaining Apple product with a home button, that means there isn't a single product left in Apple's lineup that uses any version of the iconic feature.

Unless you pay close attention to these things, you may not have realized that the home button had several iterations through the years. It launched in 2007 as part of the first iPhone's seismic arrival. That version pressed inward mechanically, bounced back up with a spring and lacked biometric authentication. (That's right, kids, an old-fashioned passcode was your only option!) That first iteration also had a symbol on it: a square with rounded corners to represent app icons.

The same type of home button launched a few months later on the iPod touch, which Apple finally discontinued in 2022, and a few years later on the first iPad.

Brad Molen for Engadget

The home button was paired with Touch ID beginning with 2013's iPhone 5s. Visually, it was marked by a surrounding metal ring, and the biometric sensors were housed under the button. That version still used a mechanical spring mechanism.

The Touch ID home button made its way to Apple's tablet with the iPad Air 2 the following year. The lowly iPod touch never saw such highfalutin features.

Perhaps the least concerning change of 2016 was Apple's transition to a solid-state home button in the iPhone 7. Like the trackpads in modern MacBooks, that version sensed your finger's presses and used haptic feedback to simulate a click inwards.

The technical trickery did such a smashing job of fooling the brain that many users had no idea the updated button wasn't physically moving. The change made it easier for Apple's engineers to seal the phone — it was the first model with a water and dust resistance rating (IP67). The solid-state home button never arrived on the iPad, with Apple's last home button-laden tablet (2021's ninth-generation model) still pairing Touch ID with mechanical presses.

Will Lipman for Engadget

Before today's news of the home button's demise, the writing had been on the wall for a long time. The iPhone X (2017) was the first blow, with Apple describing the full-screen flagship as a product that would "set the path for technology for the next decade." (Uh oh…) By 2022, Apple had removed the home button from the last iPad (moving Touch ID to its power / sleep button in the entry-level model) and discontinued the easily forgotten iPod touch. The third-generation iPhone SE, which also launched that year, ran the last leg of the home button marathon, chugging away by itself until it finally met its end today with the release of its Face ID-equipped successor.

It's been a good run, home button, and you will be missed.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/pour-one-out-for-apples-dearly-departed-home-button-164350259.html?src=rss

It's truly a USB-C world and we're just living in it. Apple has not only announced the new iPhone 16e with a USB-C port and also discontinued the iPhone 14, the final Lightning port relic. That's right, Apple is no longer selling any devices with a Lightning port, the true end of an era. 

Once upon a time, the Lightning port was the new guy in town. Apple first introduced it in 2012 as a replacement to the bulky 30-pin dock connector. 

The Lightning port didn't go down without a fight, though. While most other companies have been on the USB-C train for some time, Apple only swapped out the Lightning port when the EU forced its hand. In 2022, the EU announced that all new mobile devices — so phones, tablets and earbuds — had to come with a USB-C charging port. The bloc set the end of 2024 as a deadline, but Apple started the shift with its iPhone 15, released in September 2023. Laptops have until Spring 2026 to comply, but Apple has already shifted its MacBooks to USB-C chargers.  

Another Apple technology relic, the venerable Home Button, has also been discontinued as of today. The old iPhone SE was the last device in Apple's lineup to feature it — truly a day where some classic Apple interfaces are going away forever.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-officially-bids-farewell-to-the-lightning-port-after-13-years-163402113.html?src=rss

Apple's cheapest iPhone got a refresh and an unexpected name today. Instead of the widely anticipated iPhone SE 4, the company unveiled the new iPhone 16e, and it shifts to a full-screen design with Face ID while putting Apple Intelligence on an entry-level model for the first time. It also comes with an Action button, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro. You can pre-order the new model starting this Friday (February 21) ahead of its February 28 release date.

The iPhone 16e looks much like the iPhone 14, one of Apple's 2022 models. The new phone has a much larger screen than previous iPhone SE — a spacious 6.1 inches — along with Face ID and swipe-based multitasking gestures. (The model it replaces had a Touch ID home button.) It has a notch at the top of the screen, not the floating Dynamic Island from higher-end iPhones.

Apple Intelligence is increasingly central to the company's strategy, so don't be surprised to see Apple's iPhone SE marketing center around it. In addition to zippy performance, the phone's A18 chip enables features like generative AI writing tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, ChatGPT integration and notification summaries. The phone is the cheapest entry point into Apple Intelligence by hundreds of dollars.

The phone has a 48-megapixel Fusion "2-in-1" camera with a 2x telephoto system. Compared to the more expensive iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the SE's lack of extra rear cameras is one of the most noticeable things you'll miss out on. 

The new iPhone 16e comes in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage tiers, and is available in white and black colors options. At $599, the iPhone 16e is also $150 more than previous iPhone SE models, which typically cost around $429. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 starts at $799, and the additional $200 gets you a better camera system and a more modern design.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-16e-was-just-announced-heres-when-to-pre-order-the-new-smartphone-162258599.html?src=rss

It’s never a bad idea to have a portable power bank on hand, just in case your devices run a little low on juice while you’re out and about. Anker makes some of our favorite power banks, and one has dropped to its lowest price to date. The Anker 633 Magnetic Battery is currently 27 percent off at $40.

As the name suggests, you can attach a compatible phone (it's designed primarily for iPhones with MagSafe support) to the power bank magnetically for wireless charging. The 633 folds out at the back, so it doubles as a stand. You can use the device to hold your phone during the work day, or to position it horizontally to watch videos in landscape mode while you're perhaps on a train or plane. It's possible to plug in the Anker 633 Magnetic Battery while you're charging your device wirelessly as well.

Anker notes that the USB-C port (which allows you to charge all kinds of other devices) has a maximum input and output of 20W. As such, you can charge your device up to three times faster than with a regular 5W charger, the company says. It'll be faster than charging your device wirelessly too, as that function has an output of 7.5W.

The power bank has a capacity of 10,000mAh. That's enough to fully charge an iPhone 16 between two and three times. Meanwhile, Anker has some safety measures in place to help protect the charger and your devices. The MultiProtect system's features include temperature control, foreign object detection and radiation shielding.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/an-anker-10k-magnetic-power-bank-is-cheaper-than-ever-161515297.html?src=rss

After three years, Apple has finally unveiled its next entry-level iPhone. The iPhone 16e takes over for the iPhone SE in the company's lineup. It borrows the blueprint of the iPhone 14 and spices it up with (among other changes) an updated processor that's ready for Apple Intelligence. At $599, it's the cheapest AI-equipped iPhone by $300.

As leaks suggested, the fourth-generation iPhone 16e resembles the iPhone 14, the company's 2023 standard (non-Pro) model. This is the first entry-level model to adopt the iPhone’s modern full-screen design. That means it's also the first with Face ID. At 6.1 inches, this is the biggest screen yet on an entry-level model. (The 2022 iPhone SE is only 4.7 inches.) But like Apple's 2017 to 2022 flagships, it has the notch at the top of the display, so you’ll still have to pay for a more expensive model to get Dynamic Island.

Some external details differ from those of the iPhone 14. It has a USB-C port instead of Lightning, and like older iPhone SE models, it has only a single camera lens on the back. However, it's a 48MP "2-in-1" with integrated 2x zoom capabilities, which is quite an upgrade over the last SE.

Apple

It also gets the Action button, the customizable physical shortcut button that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro. On the other hand, it lacks the MagSafe charging found on Apple's more expensive handsets: It only supports Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W. That aligns with the iPhone SE it replaces, but it could still be a big drawback for some buyers.

One of the biggest differences is inside, where you'll find the A18 chip — the same one powering the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. In addition to fast and smooth performance, the A18 enables Apple Intelligence, which the company recently began activating by default during onboarding. (You can still turn it off in Settings.) You get Apple's generative AI writing tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, ChatGPT integration and the recently tweaked notification summaries — all in a sub-$600 iPhone. Not bad if you're into those things.

The new iPhone SE comes in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage tiers. You can order it in black and white finishes.

At $599, the 2025 iPhone SE is priced comparably to Google's $499 Pixel 8a and Samsung's $400 Galaxy A35 for those wanting flagship-esque features in a more affordable handset. You can pre-order the new iPhone SE starting on February 21 at 8AM ET, ahead of its February 28 ship date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-16e-gives-you-apple-intelligence-for-599-161435332.html?src=rss

World models — AI algorithms capable of generating simulated environments — represent one forefront of machine learning. Today, Microsoft published new research in the journal Nature detailing Muse, a model capable of generating game visuals and controller inputs. Unexpectedly, it was born out of a training set Microsoft built from Bleeding Edge.

If, like me, you had completely erased that game from your memory (or never knew it existed in the first place), Bleeding Edge is a 4 vs. 4 brawler developed by Ninja Theory, the studio better known for its work on the Hellblade series. Ninja Theory stopped updating Bleeding Edge less than a year after release, but Microsoft included a clause in the game’s EULA that gave it permission to record games people played online. So if you were one of the few people who played Bleeding Edge, congratulations, I guess: you helped the company make something out of a commercial flop.

So what's Muse good for anyway? Say a game designer at Blizzard wants to test an idea for a new hero in Overwatch 2. Rather than recruiting a team of programmers and artists to create code and assets that the studio may eventually scrap, they could instead use Muse to do the prototyping. Iteration is often the most time-consuming (and expensive) part of making a video game, so it’s easy to see why Microsoft would be interested in using AI to augment the process; it offers a way for the company to control runaway development costs. That’s because, according to Microsoft, Muse excels at a capability of world models the company calls persistency.

"Persistency refers to a model’s ability to incorporate (or 'persist') user modifications into generated gameplay sequences, such as a character that is copy-pasted into a game visual," says Katya Hofmann, senior principal research manager at Microsoft Research. Put another way, Muse can quickly adapt to new gameplay elements as they’re introduced in real-time. In one of the examples Microsoft shared, you can see the "player" character immediately react as two power-ups are introduced next to them. The model seemingly knows that the pickups are valuable and something players would go out of their way to obtain. So the simulation reflects that, in the process creating a convincing facsimile of a real Bleeding Edge match. 

According to Fatima Kardar, corporate vice president of gaming AI at Microsoft, the company is already using Muse to create a "real-time playable AI model trained on other first-party games," and exploring how the technology might help it bring old games stuck on aging hardware to new audiences. 

Microsoft says Muse is a "first-of-its-kind" generative AI model, but that’s not quite right. World models aren’t new; in fact, Muse isn’t even the first one trained on a Microsoft game. In October, the company Decart debuted Oasis, which is capable of generating Minecraft levels. What Muse does show is how quickly these models are evolving. 

That said, there's a long way for this technology to go, and Muse has some clear limitations. For one, the model generates visuals at a resolution of 300 x 180 pixels and about 10 frames per second. For now, the company is releasing Muse's weights and sample data, and a way for researchers to see what the system is capable of.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-trained-an-ai-model-on-a-game-no-one-played-160038242.html?src=rss

“Marketplace Morning Report” watches one documentary a month for our Econ Extra Credit project, to analyze films focused on business, economics and other themes. During this Black History Month, we’re watching the 1992 documentary “Color Adjustment,” directed by Marlon Riggs, which looks at the depiction of African American people during the first 40 years of television.

Karsonya Wise Whitehead, founding executive director of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice at Loyola University Maryland, spoke with “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio to pick up where the film leaves off, with a survey of today’s media landscape. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

David Brancaccio: From “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” early on, to “The Cosby Show,” what Americans tended to see if they weren’t watching the news were images of Black people that were, I mean, the film shows, comforting to white people, intended not to dwell on injustice and conflict. And beyond that, the documentary shows how mass culture like TV could be a mainstream values reinforcement device. Here’s a clip. It’s cultural critic Patricia A. Turner in the documentary:

Patricia A. Turner: The most successful shows depicting the African American experience in America are shows like “Cosby” that reaffirm the American dream and hardcore middle-class values, where you work hard, you are rewarded with good looking children, good looking wives, nice cars, nice households, and that image is the one that’s perpetuated.

Brancaccio: Professor Whitehead, here in 2025, what do you think: different or similar now?

Karsonya Wise Whitehead: I don’t think it’s changed as far as we would like it to change. I think that the problem that happens in the media is that when we see progress, so what they call redemption, there’s always regression. So when we look at all the trends that happen the media, yes, you can find the shows that kind of speak to your experience. I’m talking about the greater representation, the greater media representation that people are flocking to. Some of the images, you’re either completely washing the images out. We don’t talk about race at all, where you have a very diverse cast, but they don’t deal with the fact that race is a constant in our society. Or you have this amazing erasure of Black folks from the narrative, saying it’s just about the story, so we don’t actually have to have diversity. Or you go so far to the left that you’re trying to figure out where the greater things that can apply to what we’re dealing with at this moment.

Brancaccio: Now, we’re coming up, I was just looking at the calendar coming up, really, on five years since the murder of George Floyd. And among the many industries that responded in the wake of that was the entertainment industry. Promises to bring in more diverse content creators, showrunners, you know, important people, people toward the top, as well as the rank and file. You’ve seen the surveys, is that happening?

Whitehead: It happened. I always use this past tense, because one of the things that happened after the, unfortunately, state-sanctioned murder of George Floyd, you had companies, you had businesses, you had organizations who began to understand the power of both the African American gaze and the power of the African American dollar. So it was this push that if there was not more representation, if the stories were not more fully represented on the screen, then we were not going to support them. We were going to say there was an issue. We know there was a concern around being canceled, there was a concern around being boycotted, that you had the entertainment industry begin to respond to. My concern is that now that we’re five years out, now that we see this, kind of this push in a different direction, will the entertainment industry continue to be the place that uplifts multiple perspectives, whether it’s having more people of African American descent who are behind the camera, who are in the production room, who are writing the stories? It’s not just being in front of the camera with that one or two actors showing up. It’s about being able to be a part of the creative process all the way along.

Niantic, the company that developed the wildly popular augmented reality (AR) game Pokémon Go, is reportedly considering selling its video games — and according to a source speaking to Bloomberg, the deal could be worth just $3.5 billion. The company raised additional funding at a $9 billion valuation back in 2021.

Many people still play Pokémon Go, but the game no longer enjoys the same popularity it had during its launch and the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are around 80 million monthly users as numbers reported midway through last year, but that's a steep decline from the game's peak of 232 million active players. During those same heady days, Pokémon Go was generating close to a billion dollars annually; now it's bringing in about half of that.

Pokémon Go was also a breakthrough success Niantic was unable to replicate, despite its follow-ups being essentially reskins of the same AR experience. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite lasted around three years, while NBA All World survived only five months. Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now are still around, but have never been the cash cows of their older sibling. The company also raised funding in 2021 on the promise of creating a “real-world metaverse,” which has yet to materialize.

Niantic also has not been immune to the broad layoffs affecting the games industry. It dumped eight percent of its workforce and canceled four projects back in 2022. The following year, it laid off another 230 employees and killed a Marvel-related project.

The reported party Niantic is considering selling its games division to is Scopely, which is owned by Savvy Games Group. Savvy Games Group is part of Saudi Arabia’s government-linked Public Investment Fund, which has stakes in EA, Activision, Nintendo and more.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/pokemon-go-developer-niantic-may-sell-its-games-division-for-a-mere-35-billion-160027485.html?src=rss