Category: Technology

Apple Pay Later is kaput. The company confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday that it’s killing the service only two years after first announcing it at WWDC 2022 — and only seven months after it became available to everyone in the US.

The company said at its developer conference last week that loans through third-party service Affirm are coming to Apple Pay later this year, so the two would have been redundant. “Users in the U.S. will also be able to apply for loans directly through Affirm when they check out with Apple Pay,” the company wrote in a newsroom post after its WWDC keynote.

According to TechCrunch, Pay Later is already disabled as an option when checking out with Apple Pay, and it won’t accept any new loans moving forward. However, those with current payment plans can still access those through the Wallet app.

“Starting later this year, users across the globe will be able to access installment loans offered through credit and debit cards, as well as lenders, when checking out with Apple Pay,” Apple wrote in a statement to TechCrunch. “With the introduction of this new global installment loan offering, we will no longer offer Apple Pay Later in the U.S.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-pay-later-is-dead-long-live-affirm-loans-202524989.html?src=rss 

The US Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, says that social media should come with warning labels about its potential health impacts much like warnings on cigarettes and other tobacco products. In an op-ed in The New York Times, Murthy says that social media is an “important contributor” to the teen mental health crisis.

“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents,” Murthy wrote. “A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.”

It’s not the first time Murthy has raised mental health concerns surrounding social media. Last year, he issued an advisory that made similar arguments last year, saying that social media posed a “profound risk” to teen mental health. In his latest op-ed, Murthy cited a study showing that higher social media use was associated with an increased risk for anxiety and depression, as well as a survey where almost half of teens reported that “social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.”

As Murthy notes, warning labels can’t happen without cooperation from Congress. And it’s unclear what kind of support he might have for such a measure, though lawmakers around the country have shown some support for things like age verification laws as they look to crack down on social media companies over teen safety issues. 

He also points out that warning labels alone wouldn’t make social media safer, but would help better inform parents, schools, doctors and others. “There is no seatbelt for parents to click, no helmet to snap in place, no assurance that trusted experts have investigated and ensured that these platforms are safe for our kids,” he wrote. “There are just parents and their children, trying to figure it out on their own, pitted against some of the best product engineers and most well-resourced companies in the world.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-surgeon-general-says-that-social-media-like-cigarettes-should-come-with-warning-labels-171005572.html?src=rss 

The US government has sued Adobe and two senior company executives for allegedly deceiving consumers by hiding early termination fees and making them jump through hoops to cancel subscriptions to Adobe products.

The complaint filed by the Department of Justice on Monday accuses the Adobe of pushing consumers towards its “annual paid monthly” subscription plan without adequately disclosing that canceling the plan within the first year could result in an early termination fee. The complaint also alleges that Adobe’s early termination fee disclosures were buried in fine print or required consumers to hover over tiny icons to find them.

“Americans are tired of companies hiding the ball during subscription signup and then putting up roadblocks when they try to cancel,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. “The FTC will continue working to protect Americans from these illegal business practices.” Adobe did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Engadget.

The FTC said that it took action against Adobe after receiving complaints from consumers around the country who said that they were not aware of Adobe’s early termination fee. It noted that Adobe continued the practice despite being aware of consumers’ confusion. Any consumers who reached out to Adobe’s customer service to cancel their subscription encountered other obstacles like dropped calls and chats and being transferred to multiple representatives, the FTC’s statement adds.

The FTC’s action follows a wave of customer outrage over Adobe’s latest terms of service. Users were concerned that Adobe’s vague language suggested that the company could freely use their work to train its generative AI modes. In response to the backlash, Adobe announced updates to its terms of service to provide more detail around areas like AI and content ownership.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-us-has-sued-adobe-for-early-termination-fees-and-making-subscriptions-hard-to-cancel-165808358.html?src=rss 

Starting with the first Galaxy Buds, Engadget’s audio expert Billy Steele has reviewed every pair of buds Samsung has produced — and he calls 2022’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro the company’s best effort yet. Right now, Woot is selling pairs in either white, black or the perky purple hue of our review unit for 48 percent off the standard list price. That brings them down to $120 and the lowest price we’ve tracked. The listing indicates the sale will stick around until Friday or when the stock runs out, whichever comes first.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are the company’s latest buds (though at this point they’re approaching the two-year mark). You can think of them as Samsung’s answer to Apple’s AirPods because they work best when paired with a phone from their own manufacturer. The Galaxy Buds will work with other Android Phones, and can work with Apple products (just with a number of missing features) but some capabilities, like 24-bit audio, are reserved for Samsung devices.

Overall, Billy gave the buds a score of 88 in his review and found himself impressed with the audio (after being underwhelmed by Samsung’s previous attempts). He appreciated the punch of the bass and open sound that’s both “full and filled with details and clarity.” The ANC is good too, effectively blocking the sound of a coffee grinder and the improved fit — thanks to a smaller design and pressure-relieving vents — makes the buds comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. The touch inputs allow for the control of a lot of functions without reaching for a phone, but adjusting the buds in your ear can sometimes result in mistaken taps. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-buds-2-pro-drop-to-a-record-low-of-120-155346593.html?src=rss 

Neopets has been trying to get back its once substantial userbase over the past year by fixing and relaunching its classic games, holding timely events and releasing new features meant to get people hooked on the virtual website again. Today, Neopets is launching a new storyline — or as the website calls it, a new “plot” — which is typically a site event that requires players to solve puzzles, fight opponents in the Battledome and do other activities in order to participate. Neopets says it spent the past three years crafting a narrative that “resonates with players from all walks of life” for the plot called “The Void Within.”

The storyline will feature a new protagonist named Nyx who’ll embark on a journey with players to explore “themes of community, family, inclusion, well-being and identity.” Together, they’ll have to find a way to banish the gray curse that’s killing all the colors across the Neopets universe. As part of the event, players will get access to new items, like a range of diverse hairstyles, as well as pride and accessibility customization options, for their characters. The website has also removed outdated terms and lore used years ago, has given the Library Faerie a wheelchair and has introduced new social media mascots with accessibility items like hearing aids. 

The Void Within starts rolling out today, with more episodes coming out one by one until early 2025. Neopets is also advising old players to log in if they haven’t visited in recent years, because it’s removing accounts that have been inactive for a decade by October, ahead of its 25th anniversary.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/neopets-is-back-with-a-new-storyline-thats-meant-to-foster-inclusivity-161213313.html?src=rss 

YouTube is borrowing a page from X (Twitter) and adding a community notes feature ahead of the 2024 US election. The company wants the short viewer-created blurbs to add relevant context to videos, such as pointing out misinformation or old footage passed off as new.

Notes will roll out initially as a pilot program for “a limited number of eligible contributors,” who will receive an invitation via email or Creator Studio. The invited participants will need to have an active YouTube account in good standing.

During the pilot phase, “third-party evaluators” will rate notes’ helpfulness to help train the system. YouTube says it wants to launch notes gradually to test and fine-tune the feature before making it more widely available. Look no further than YouTube’s often toxic video comments to see why that’s necessary.

Once the feature is calibrated and widely available, you’ll see them under videos “if they’re found to be broadly helpful.” Viewers will be asked to rate notes as “helpful,” “somewhat helpful” or “unhelpful” — and tell them why (for example, it cites good sources or is written clearly).

Note ratings will be determined by a bridging-based algorithm, which looks for connections among disparate groups. For example, if people who have historically rated things differently agree on a particular note’s helpfulness, that one will more likely appear. It sounds like the system could still be abused, especially considering how many online tribes today share an unflinching belief in the same debunked misinformation. But hey, we’ll reserve judgment until we see it in action.

The feature is awfully similar to one that was rolled out initially under the Jack Dorsey era of Twitter and expanded globally after Elon Musk bought the company in 2022. At the time, Musk described the feature as “a gamechanger for improving accuracy on Twitter.” X, as it’s known today, isn’t exactly known for its accuracy, but YouTube apparently saw something worth copying in the crowd-sourced context.

As for when you will see community notes, YouTube says the pilot will launch on mobile in the US first. The company anticipates mistakes during this test phase as it tweaks its algorithms. Everyone else in the US can expect to see notes appear “in the coming weeks and months.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtubes-community-notes-feature-rips-a-page-out-of-xs-playbook-162145673.html?src=rss 

The premise of A Quiet Place always seemed like great fodder for a game: make too much of a racket and a blind, noise-sensitive alien will most probably kill you. Six years after the original movie hit theaters, a video game spinoff is almost here. A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is coming to PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year.

Developer Stormind Games (Remothered, Batora: Lost Haven) has crafted a first-person horror adventure based on the movies. You’ll play as a young woman who attempts to steer clear of those terrifying creatures while dealing with her inner fears and family turmoil. All you’ll have to help you survive the aliens is whatever tools you can find, such as a flashlight or homemade noise detector. But as the movies and game trailer make clear, just a single noise can spell doom.

Publisher Saber Interactive first announced a video game version of A Quiet Place in 2021 and initially planned to release it in 2022. It took an extra couple of years and perhaps a change of studio (Saber initially said iLLOGIKA and EP1T0ME were working on the project), but The Road Ahead now seems to be just a few months away.

Meanwhile, a prequel movie will hit theaters later this month. A Quiet Place: Day One stars the brilliant Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn of Stranger Things fame.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-quiet-place-the-road-ahead-is-coming-to-pc-playstation-and-xbox-this-year-150813192.html?src=rss 

It has hit that time of year when all the rinky-dink chargers I bought have given up, and it’s time to invest in some quality options. I’m personally a big fan of Anker, so it’s exciting that Amazon is currently discounting some of Anker’s best charging gear. Included in the sale is 30 percent off Anker’s MagGo magnetic charging station, dropping its price to $70 from $100. This discount brings the Qi2-certified device to a new all-time low.

Anker’s MagGo magnetic charging station is a great choice if you’re looking for an all-in-one option for a range of devices. The 8-in-1 charger comes with two USB ports, two USB-C ports, three AC outlets and one magnetic pad. It offers 15W of power for wireless charging and gets faster when wired to devices — increasing to 67W for charging your MacBook through the USB-C port, for instance. Anker claims that speed can bring your laptop to 50 percent in just 26 minutes.

If you’re just looking for a wireless charging pad, then you can opt for Anker’s MagGo magnetic wireless charging pad instead. It’s touting a 10 percent discount right now, which only saves you about $2 — it’s available for $20 rather than $22 — but it’s still something. The best deal of the bunch is half off Anker’s 622 MagSafe power bank (5,000mAh), dropping its price to $35 from $70. It’s a great option if you have a newer iPhone and want to have easy, cordless charging wherever you go.

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/ankers-magnetic-charging-gear-is-up-to-50-percent-off-right-now-134525337.html?src=rss 

The next Nintendo Direct is scheduled for June 18 at 10AM ET. Nintendo said during its latest earnings call that a showcase would take place sometime in June and the company has stuck by its word. The Direct is just far enough away from Summer Game Fest to let Nintendo have all of the attention to itself.

The stream will run for around 40 minutes and focus on games coming to Switch later this year. It really does feel like this is the swansong period for the Switch, as Nintendo confirmed it will finally reveal the console’s successor by next April. However, the company has made it clear that there will be no discussion of the Switch 2, Super Switch or whatever the next console is called during the Nintendo Direct. 

That said, here’s hoping Hollow Knight: Silksong will show up here — that highly anticipated sequel was a notable no-show during Summer Game Fest. I have my fingers crossed for a Donkey Kong platformer too. It’s been too dang long since the last one.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-next-nintendo-direct-takes-place-on-june-18-141639750.html?src=rss