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Microsoft’s Windows 11 beta testers may start seeing ads in the Start menu

13Apr

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Microsoft’s Windows 11 beta testers may start seeing ads in the Start menu

Microsoft is exploring the idea of putting ads in your Windows 11 Start menu. To be specific, it's looking to place advertisements for apps you can find in the Microsoft Store in the menu's recommended section. I could hear you sighing in defeat if you've used Windows 10 extensively before — the older OS serves ads in the Start menu, as well, and they're also for apps you can download. At the moment, Microsoft will only show ads in this version if you're in the US and a Windows Insider in the Beta Channel. You won't be seeing them if you're not a beta tester or if you're using a device managed by an organization.Further, you can disable the advertisements altogether. To do so, just go to Personalization under Settings and then toggle off "Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and...

Meta is stuffing its AI chatbot into your Instagram DMs

13Apr

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Meta is stuffing its AI chatbot into your Instagram DMs

On Friday, people around the web noticed a new addition to their Instagram: Meta AI, the company’s general-purpose, AI-powered chatbot that can answer questions, write poetry and generate images with a simple text prompt. The move isn’t surprising. Meta revealed Meta AI in September 2023 and has spent the last few months adding the chatbot to products like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, so adding it to Instagram seems like a no-brainer.“Our generative AI-powered experiences are under development in various phases, and we’re testing a range of them publicly in a limited capacity,” a Meta spokesperson told Engadget, which suggests that not everyone has the feature available yet. TechCrunch, which first noted the news, said that Meta AI was showing up in Instagram’s search bar. But for som...

Roku suffered another data breach, this time affecting 576,000 accounts

12Apr

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Roku suffered another data breach, this time affecting 576,000 accounts

has in as many months. While it was looking into a previous incident in which 15,000 accounts were affected, the company learned that another 576,000 accounts had been compromised.In both incidents, Roku believes that the attackers used a method called credential stuffing. "It is likely that login credentials used in these attacks were taken from another source, like another online account, where the affected users may have used the same credentials," the company says.Roku added that, in fewer than 400 cases, attackers used victims' Roku accounts to buy streaming subscriptions and Roku devices using stored payment methods. However, the hackers did not gain access to full credit card numbers or other payment information.The company has reset the passwords for all affected accounts and in...

12Apr

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Technology

The best tablets for 2024

A tablet can make a great addition to your tech toolkit. It can replace an e-reader, serve as a more portable laptop replacement or simply be a shared device for watching movies or checking social media at home. However, with four different families of iPad, a plethora of Android options and Windows-based alternatives like the Surface Pro, it can be difficult to figure out which will serve you best. We at Engadget have tested and reviewed dozens of tablets over the years, and we continue to try out the latest models asa they hit the market. Below, we've solidified our current top picks, plus all of the information you should know before picking up the best tablet for you.Editor's Note (April 2024): For anyone thinking about buying a new tablet, you may want to hold off for another few mon...

X won’t let users hide their blue checks anymore

12Apr

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X won’t let users hide their blue checks anymore

X will no longer allow users to hide their blue checks, regardless of whether they paid for premium or not. On Thursday, the app began notifying users that “the hide your checkmark feature of X Premium is going away soon.”The change comes shortly after X unexpectedly began adding blue checks to the accounts of “influential” users with at least 2,500 followers who pay for a premium subscription. While Elon Musk suggested that change was meant to be a perk, some of his critics — including formerly verified users — were less than pleased with the blue badge appearing on their accounts, lest others suspect them of actually paying for a subscription.

Apple may start releasing AI-centric, M4-powered Macs later this year

11Apr

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Apple may start releasing AI-centric, M4-powered Macs later this year

It's only been five months since released , but we may not have to wait long to see laptops and desktops with M4 chipsets. According to , Macs with M4 processors could start arriving later this year (which isn't necessarily a massive surprise given the cadence of Apple silicon chips so far). While the M3 lineup didn't offer , the M4 series could be a gamechanger since Apple is said to be placing far more onus on artificial intelligence this time around.There will be at least three main versions of the M4, according to the report, and Apple is expected to update every model of the Mac with one of those chips. As things stand, Bloomberg says Apple will release iMacs, an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, more powerful 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and Mac minis with M4 chips by early 2025...

Mercedes’ new EQS looks a lot more like an S-Class

11Apr

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Mercedes’ new EQS looks a lot more like an S-Class

Mercedes-Benz has released a preview of its 2025 EQS electric vehicle model that comes with a new grille design featuring chrome slats against a deep black background along with a standing star on its hood. With just those changes, the upcoming EQS more clearly resembles Benz's S-Class vehicles, its counterpart in the automaker's non-EV lineup, than its predecessor does. In addition to the more traditional Benz look and upgrades that make its seats more comfortable, the 2025 EQS will also come with a larger battery.Its new battery has a larger usable capacity of 118 kWh, compared to the older model's 108.4 kWh. Of course, the higher the kWh, the longer an EV's range is — the first EQS had an EPA-estimated 350 mile-range, so expect Mercedes to announce a longer range than that. The 2025 EQ...

You can grab the Nothing Phone 2 for $74 off right now

11Apr

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You can grab the Nothing Phone 2 for $74 off right now

Amazon has the Nothing Phone 2 on sale for the first time since its launch. The offbeat mainstream smartphone alternative is $74 off its usual price. The deal includes the version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it’s ready for activation on T-Mobile or AT&T.NothingGet the boldly unconventional Nothing Phone 2 for only $625. $625 at AmazonThe Nothing Phone 2 has an unusual design, with a transparent back revealing an eye-pleasing arrangement of its internal hardware. The aesthetic is a throwback to tech from the late 1990s and early 2000s, like Apple’s iMac G3 and Nintendo’s Game Boy Color. Meanwhile, the Glyph Interface on the phone’s back uses LED strips to show customizable lights and patterns for your notifications. It’s a charming package that stands out in a sea of sma...

Marshall portable speakers are up to 25 percent off right now

10Apr

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Marshall portable speakers are up to 25 percent off right now

Marshall portable speakers are up to 25 percent off . The sale includes the attractive and highly useful Middleton speaker, . This is a discount of 21 percent and marks a record low for the portable Bluetooth device.MarshallThe Middleton made our list of the , and for good reason. It’s the company’s flagship portable speaker, so it’s packed with both bells and whistles. It offers 50-watts of 360-degree sound and a rugged IP67 exterior. There are dual woofers and tweeters for the front and back, in addition to passive radiators along the side. In other words, people attending your backyard barbecue will have no problem hearing the tunes, and the same could be true of your neighbors.The speaker also features the company’s Stack Mode, allowing it to easily pair with other Marshall speakers. ...

The bootleg Nintendo Network replacement no longer requires jailbreaking

10Apr

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The bootleg Nintendo Network replacement no longer requires jailbreaking

The Pretendo Network, an open-source Nintendo Network alternative, no longer requires a hacked Wii U console. With Nintendo’s servers for the obsolete console shutting down on Monday, the Pretendo Network shared a new workaround that provides (limited) access to its homebrew servers without jailbreaking your dusty old console.An SSL (secure sockets layer) is a protocol that encrypts the connection between a device and its servers. The Wii U’s SSL exploit (branded as “SSSL”), discovered by the Pretendo Network’s shutterbug, lets you connect to the network with only a simple DNS change, which you can do on the stock firmware. “We’ve been holding on to this exploit for this day for quite some time, in case Nintendo decided to issue patches for it,” the network’s creators wrote in a blog post...