Fujifilm's X100V was, for some reason, a huge hit on TikTok. This made it hard to buy, despite its tiny form factor and retro Fuji appeal. Fortunately, the company is here to make money offer an improved update, the 40.2-megapixel X100 VI. While keeping the same retro form, it has much faster shooting speeds, in-body stabilization, 6.2K 30p video and more. Video-wise, it can also capture at 4K at 60 fps and 1080p at 240fps.
Fujifilm's X100VI is now on pre-order for $1,600 in silver or black, with shipping slated for early March 2024. Money to burn? Desperate for the TikTok cachet? The company is also offering a special edition version "engraved with the corporate brand logo from Fujifilm's founding in 1934" for $2,000.
A project in the UK has explored if a Garmin Venu 2 wearable (and dedicated companion app) could free up doctors and nurses, six minutes at a time. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) can diagnose and monitor a number of cardiovascular maladies. This includes conditions, like pulmonary hypertension, which, if untreated, are eventually fatal. This project, however, crunches the test down to a simpler one minute.
Because the research was funded by a charity, the British Heart Foundation, the watch had to offer good value for money, and Garmin, with its established health research division, gave the team "confidence in the accuracy of the sensors." The study suggests cutting the test to one minute has no detrimental effect on its outcome or accuracy, and patients are far more likely to run the test regularly if they can do so at home.
The retailer plans to boost its ad business with Vizio's TV systems.
Walmart is buying Smart TV manufacturer Vizio for $2.3 billion, the retail giant announced as part of its latest earnings report. While Walmart has long been one of the major sellers of Vizio TVs, the company says the acquisition "enables a profitable advertising business that is rapidly scaling" via the company's SmartCast OS. The companies plan to combine their ad businesses, with Vizio increasing Walmart's access to more consumer info, like viewing data. The deal is subject to regulatory approval.
Apple announced on Tuesday that its latest iPhones can retain 80 percent of their original charging capacity after 1,000 cycles — double the company's previous estimate — without new hardware or software updates. And because timing is everything, the change will arrive in time for upcoming EU regulations that will assign an energy grade for phones' battery longevity.
Some tiers will soon be more expensive in the UK, Canada, Australia and Turkey.
After laying off around 500 workers and reducing how much streamers make from Prime subscriptions, Twitch is increasing the price of its subscriptions for the first time. The service says it's "updating prices in several countries to help streamer revenue keep pace with rising costs and reflect local currency fluctuations." The first markets to feel the impact of those changes are the UK, Canada, Australia and Turkey. On the plus side, streamers will have the same revenue share, so they'll earn more from subscriptions in those regions.
Nintendo's Switch 2 (not its official name) was widely expected to arrive sometime this year, but that may not happen. Now, the company is reportedly telling publishers the next-gen console is slated for release in the first quarter of 2025.
If that did happen, it would mimic the release of the original Switch, which was announced in October 2016 and came out in March 2017.
What can you expect from Nintendo's next console? We don't know much yet, including the name. Rumors suggest it'll have backward compatibility with Switch, along with 4K capabilities and visual quality similar to that of the PS5 and Series X. It could use NVIDIA's DLSS upscaling tech to ramp up the graphics of older games, too.
In the interim, there's a Nintendo Direct tomorrow that will focus on new third-party games.
It's looking into addictive algorithms, harmful content, privacy and more.
TikTok is in the EU's crosshairs over potential Digital Services Act (DSA) breaches around the safety of minors and other matters. The formal proceedings will focus on addictive algorithms, the rabbit-hole effect, age verification issues and default privacy settings. It's getting into it: The European Commission will also probe ad transparency and data access for researchers.
The safety of young users seems to be a major driver: It will force the social media site to ensure high levels of privacy, safety and security for minors with default privacy settings — like it did for Meta's Instagram and Facebook.
Sony laid down a gauntlet with the 24.6-megapixel A9 III. It's the world's first mirrorless camera with a global shutter, a much-awaited holy grail feature. It completely eliminates rolling shutter distortion found on CMOS cameras by reading the entire sensor at once. It also boosts speed and removes the need for a mechanical shutter. However, as the first of its kind for Sony cameras, it's expensive ($6,000) and has a reduction in still image quality, due to the nature of a global shutter. But the benefits far outweigh those — this is one fast, accurate camera. Check out the full review.
France and Italy already restrict phones during class.
Experts and regulators have expressed concerns about children's wellbeing and distraction due to their phones while at school. The UK government has become the latest to announce guidance for banning the use of phones during school. It follows other European countries, like France and Italy, which prohibit phones in classrooms.
Some schools in the UK already have no-phone policies in place, but these guidelines could bring widespread adoption and uniformity. "This is about achieving clarity and consistency in practice, backing headteachers and leaders and giving staff confidence to act," Gillian Keegan, the UK's secretary of state for education, said in a press release.
NASA wants volunteers for its second year-long simulated Mars mission, the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA 2). For the mission's duration, starting spring 2025, the four selected crew members will live in a 1,700-square-foot 3D-printed habitat in Houston. It's paid, but we don't know how much. At least living costs will be nil.
The Mars Dune Alpha habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center simulates life for future explorers on the red planet, where the environment is harsh and resources limited.
Applicants must be US citizens aged 30 to 55, speak English proficiently and have a master's degree in a STEM field, plus at least two years of professional experience, a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft. Or two years of work toward a STEM doctoral program.
I barely qualify for two of those requirements — good luck to the rest of you.
It's been investigating Apple's App Store rules since a 2019 complaint from Spotify.
Apple may be facing a fine of roughly $539 million (€500 million) from the EU and a ban on its alleged anti-competitive App Store practices for music streaming services, according to The Financial Times. The publication cites five unnamed sources and says the European Commission will announce its ruling early next month.
The investigation was prompted by a 2019 antitrust complaint filed by Spotify and focuses on App Store rules that, at the time, prevented developers from directing customers to alternative subscriptions outside the app, which could be notably cheaper as they didn't have to include Apple's 30 percent fee.
The company will use Reddit content to train its AI models.
Anadolu via Getty Images
Your dank memes, confessional posts and excessively strong feelings on Baldur's Gate 3 couplings will soon train an artificial intelligence company's models, according to Bloomberg. The website reportedly signed a deal "worth about $60 million on an annual basis" earlier this year.
When Reddit started charging companies for API access in April 2023, it said pricing would split in tiers so even smaller clientele could afford to pay. Companies need that API access to train their chatbots on posts and comments. This is likely the top tier of all that.
Intuitive Machines' own attempt at the first-ever commercial Moon landing is off to a good start. After launching without a hitch on Thursday, it snapped a few incredible images of Earth. The team posted a series of updates on X at the end of the week, confirming the lander has passed some key milestones, including engine firing, ahead of its touchdown.
If the image itself isn't unappetizing enough, the description might put you off. South Korean researchers have made a hybrid rice variant, infused with cow muscle and fat cells, creating a bright pink grain that is one part plant and one part meat. The team hopes to eventually create a cheaper and more sustainable source of protein, with a much lower carbon footprint than actual beef. But please: change the color.
The meat cells grow both on the surface of the rice grain and inside of the grain itself. After around ten days, you get the finished product. The study, published in Matter, suggests the rice grains taste like beef sushi, which is made of cow and rice. So yes, that tracks.
Bose's $299 Ultra Open Earbuds sit outside of your ear canal and clip onto the ridge of your ear to stay in place. Due to the open nature of the design, active noise cancellation (ANC) is moot. Open-type earbuds have become increasingly popular, mostly for the allure of "all day" wear by allowing you to stay in tune with your surroundings, so Bose developed this model that fixes all the issues of its previous design. They seem more of a fashion accessory than a wearable, however.
On the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the company is bringing four of its games to "the other consoles." Contrary to previous rumors, Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are not coming to PS5 or Switch for now. Reports have suggested that Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Halo and Gears of War may appear on Nintendo and Sony hardware. Both of those consoles have a far larger install base than Xbox Series X/S, which are estimated to have shipped a combined 27 million units, compared with 54.8 million PS5s and nearly 140 million Switches.
It's still in testing before being offered to the public.
OpenAI on Thursday announced Sora, a brand new model that generates high-definition videos up to one minute in length from text prompts. Sora, which means "sky" in Japanese, won't be available to the general public any time soon. Instead, OpenAI is first offering it to a small group of academics and researchers who will assess harm and its potential for misuse. The company said on its website: "The model understands not only what the user has asked for in the prompt, but also how those things exist in the physical world." Other companies including Meta, Google and Runway, have either teased text-to-video tools or made them available to the public. Still, no other tool can generate videos as long as 60 seconds.
Here is the best Agility Writer Review by Reyman Cruz.
What is Agility Writer?
Agility Writer is a content writing tool designed to streamline the content creation process for businesses and individuals. It leverages AI technology to assist users in generating high-quality written content, including articles, blog posts, website copy, and more.
Top Features of Agility Writer
AI-Powered Writing Assistant: Agility Writer utilizes AI algorithms to provide real-time guidance and suggestions during the writing process. It helps users optimize content for clarity, tone, grammar, and style.
Content Generation: The tool offers a variety of templates and frameworks to help users quickly create different types of content, such as SEO-friendly articles, persuasive marketing copy, and engaging social media posts.
Content Optimization: Agility Writer analyzes user-generated content and provides recommendations for improving readability, structure, and overall effectiveness. It suggests synonyms, alternative phrases, and potential areas for expansion.
Collaboration and Team Management: The tool enables users to collaborate with team members on content projects. It provides options for sharing drafts, assigning tasks, and reviewing feedback.
Benefits of Using Agility Writer
Time Savings: Agility Writer's AI-powered assistance can save users a significant amount of time by eliminating the need for lengthy research and editing processes.
Improved Quality: The tool helps users produce high-quality content that is grammatically correct, stylistically appropriate, and optimized for SEO.
Increased Productivity: By streamlining the content creation process, Agility Writer enables users to create more content in less time, boosting their productivity.
Enhanced Consistency: The collaboration features of the tool ensure that all team members are working towards a consistent brand voice and style.
Pricing and Plans
Agility Writer offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs and budgets. Plans start at $19 per month for the Basic plan, which provides access to the core writing assistant and content generation features. The Premium plan, priced at $49 per month, includes additional features such as advanced content optimization, collaboration tools, and priority support.
Alternatives to Agility Writer
Jasper (formerly Jarvis): A popular AI-powered writing tool that offers similar features to Agility Writer.
Writersonic: A content writing tool that specializes in generating SEO-optimized and persuasive content.
Copy.ai: A writing assistant that offers a wide range of templates and use cases, including content for marketing, social media, and e-commerce.
Conclusion
Agility Writer is a valuable tool for businesses and individuals seeking to enhance their content creation process. Its AI-powered features, content generation capabilities, and collaboration tools can help users save time, improve quality, and increase productivity. While there are alternative options available, Agility Writer's comprehensive feature set and competitive pricing make it a solid choice for a wide range of users.
Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has posted his own review of Apple's Vision Pro on Instagram, coming inexplicably for our jobs here at Engadget.
In a video shot direct from a Meta Quest 3 (oh of course), Zuckerberg didn't mince his words. He said he expected the Quest to be the better value for most people, because it's "like seven times less expensive" than the $3,500 Vision Pro. Eventually, he concluded that the Quest 3 was "the better product, period."
Zuckerberg thinks the Quest is "a lot more comfortable," noting that the headset's field of view is wider and has a brighter display than the Vision Pro. He added that the Quest had a bigger library: Meta's Quest, unlike the Vision Pro, has access to the YouTube and Xbox apps. And that's definitely a fair criticism.
All in all, two out of five Zucks. Don't forget to like and subscribe.
Kimi gave viewers access to pirated shows and movies.
An app called Kimi curiously outranked well-known streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video in the App Store's list of top free entertainment apps this week. Now, Apple has pulled it, probably because it gave users access to pirated movies.
Kimi was disguised as an app that tests your eyesight by making you play 'spot the difference' between similar photos. In reality, it was packed with bootlegged shows and movies. If anyone remembers the heyday of pirated movies on slow internet connections, you got to relive the variable video quality of yesteryear.
Walmart might buy budget TV maker Vizio. The rumored $2 billion deal would make Vizio a house brand for the retailer and would allow the company to compete directly in the affordable smart TV space currently dominated by Amazon and Roku. Vizio has been eyeing up buyers for years. It was nearly purchased by Chinese media conglomerate LeEco back in 2016, which was another $2 billion deal, but that fell through. If the purchase happens, Walmart would also have access to all of that sweet, sweet customer data collected by Vizio's smart TV platform.
Since 1979, Arctic ice has shrunk by 1.35 million square miles and Antarctic ice is now at the lowest level since records began. Frozen Arctic, a report produced by the universities of the Arctic and Lapland alongside UN-backed thinktank GRID-Arendal, collates sixty geoengineering projects that could slow down or reverse polar melting. A team of researchers examined every idea, from those already in place to the ones at the fringes of science. Daniel Cooper breaks down some of the possible solutions.
United Airlines had to ground its new Airbus A321neo planes, not due to a major safety issue, but because the light-up "no smoking" signs are automated.
A 1990 ruling mandates that the signs on aircraft must be manually operated by the crew. Airbus A321neo features software that automatically displays the signage during a flight, so the crew doesn't switch it on and off. Bear in mind that smoking was fully banned from both domestic and international flights nearly 25 years ago.
Even more frustratingly, automated signage systems are not even new. Many air travel companies apply for exemptions with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) – which United did for its entire fleet back in 2020. However, the company's Airbus A321neo is so new that it doesn't fall under that protection.
The federal agency has now permitted United to fly its fleet of A321neos, five in all, while evaluating those pesky signs.
It uses an external module powered by Raspberry Pi.
The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool can interact (or hack) wireless devices and smart home systems, connecting through IR, NFC, RFID, Bluetooth and physical connections. Now, it can even play games, thanks to a partnership with Raspberry Pi. A new add-on can run games programmed in C, C++ and MicroPython. To suit the quirkiness of Flipper's device, it even features sensors for hand-tracking. The Video Game Module can also output video to external displays.
It will see a limited release in the US as part of a 'developer program.'
Engadget
Nothing says it will reveal its latest Phone 2a on March 5th. However, instead of an official release like the Phone 2, the device will be part of a "developer program in the US." The company didn't reveal any images of the device or pricing, but the company may use a simplified Phone 2 esthetic, given the naming convention. The Phone 2 had a unique design with a transparent Gorilla Glass back and 11 LED "Glyph" strips.
Sarah Silverman's lawsuit against OpenAI will advance but some of her legal team's claims have been dismissed. The comedian sued OpenAI and Meta in July 2023, claiming they trained their AI models on her books and other work without consent. US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín threw out parts of the complaint on Monday, including negligence and unjust enrichment, but the principal claim remains; that OpenAI directly infringed on copyrighted material to train its AI models.
