Category: Technology

Amazon is revamping its 8-inch tablets for the first time in two years, but their biggest improvement might rest in the software. The company has introduced new Fire HD 8 models that introduce a “Tap to Alexa” feature. You can not only control the assistant exclusively using touch, but pair with a supporting Bluetooth switch or use text-to-speech to have commands spoken for you. This is particularly helpful for people with speech and mobility disabilities, but could also be useful if you just don’t want to speak (say, to avoid waking your baby).

There are some meaningful hardware upgrades. Amazon claims 30 percent faster performance through a new six-core processor, and the design is billed as thinner, lighter and more durable than its predecessor. You can also expect a slightly longer 13-hour battery life. You’re limited to 2GB of RAM and wired charging on the base model , but an uprated Fire HD 8 Plus (pictured above) bumps up to 3GB of RAM while adding wireless charging, faster wired charging and a higher-quality five-megapixel camera.

Don’t expect dramatic improvements in other areas. The 2022 Fire HD 8 starts at $100 with the same 32GB of (thankfully expandable) storage, and tops out at 64GB. You’ll pay $120 for the 32GB Plus model, which also has a 64GB option. You don’t need to buy one to get Tap to Alexa, at least. Amazon is making the feature available today for 8th-generation or newer Fire tablets in the US, UK, Germany and Japan.

Parents may appreciate the expanded child-friendly selection, though. The Fire HD 8 Kids includes the familiar two-year “worry-free” warranty, year-long Kids+ subscription and rugged case for $150, but there’s now Disney Princess- and Mickey Mouse-themed variants for $160. You can also buy a $150 Kids Pro tablet (shown at middle) for ages 6-12 that provides parent-controlled store access in addition to the other Kids edition perks. As in the past, these may represent the best values — you can give young ones a tablet that will hopefully survive years of rough-and-tumble use.

 

The number of video streaming services available has increased dramatically over the past few years as everyone decides they want a piece of the pie. The days when Netflix was your only option are long gone now, and while that’s great for all of us itching to discover our next favorite TV show, it can also be confusing and expensive. You’re now tasked with figuring out which video streaming services have the content you want to watch, which fit into your budget, which have the most compelling original series and movies, and more.

We at Engadget wanted to make that process easier for you so we’ve compiled a list of the best video streaming services you can subscribe to right now, with our favorite picks spanning across all content types and budgets. Now, should you go out and subscribe to all of the services listed here? Probably not, unless you’re a true cord cutter aching for content. But these are the services that offer the best bang for your buck, regardless of whether you’re a sports buff, a classic movie lover or a general streaming enthusiast.

Netflix

Compared to other streaming services, no one offers more high-quality content at a single price than Netflix. Pick any category you can think of and Netflix probably has something that will fit the bill. Plus, new content is released every week and as a worldwide service, Netflix is consistently adding movies and TV shows from around the globe that can change the viewing experience in ways you may not have considered (Are you sure you’re not into K-Dramas, Finnish detective thrillers or British home improvement shows?).

Netflix is available in almost every country on the planet, and its app or website runs on most of the devices that connect to the internet. Those apps are also some of the most easy-to-use of any service. That doesn’t mean it’s always simple to choose something to watch, but when it comes to swapping profiles or simply picking up where you left off, it doesn’t get better than this. If you’re heading off the grid — or onto a plane — then you can easily download most (but not all) of its content to watch on your iOS or Android device.

If you somehow don’t have Netflix already (or someone to share a login with) then getting a taste of it is a little more complicated than it used to be. Netflix dropped its free trial period in the US a while ago so it’s important to have all your information in order before going in to create an account.

The other thing to keep in mind is that maybe if you’ve let your account lapse, the service that exists now is very different from what you would’ve seen two years ago, or five, or ten. Remaining the dominant player in subscription streaming has required adjustments to stay on top with a changing mix of content and plans to choose from.

In the US, there are three levels of Netflix you can subscribe to. All of them include unlimited access to the same content, work on the same devices, none of them include advertisements and you can cancel or pause them at any time. The difference between Basic ($10 per month), Standard ($15.50 per month) and Premium ($20 per month) comes down to picture quality and the amount of simultaneous streams allowed.

At the Basic level you can expect 480p, aka DVD quality, and only a single stream available. If you’d like to watch streams in HD and allow for the possibility of up to two streams at once, then you’ll need to step up to the Standard package. If you share your account with multiple people or have a newer 4K display, then you may want the Premium package. You can watch content in the highest quality available going all the way up to 4K/HDR (F1 Drive to Survive, Stranger Things and Altered Carbon are some of my favorites at the level) and have four streams at once on one account.— Richard Lawler, Senior News Editor

Amazon Prime Video 

If you think of Amazon’s Prime Video package as a Netflix-lite, or even if you’ve only used it once or twice then you may be underestimating the options available. The ad-free (other than trailers) subscription service is available as part of Amazon Prime, which you can purchase for either $15 per month, or $139 annually. While the subscription started out as a way to get free shipping on more purchases, Amazon has tacked on benefits that extend across books, music, games and even groceries. If you’d prefer to get Prime Video only, it’s available as a standalone for $9 per month.

We’ll focus on the video service, which includes a selection of original and catalog content that is a lot like what Netflix and the others offer. In recent years Amazon Prime has increased its original output with award-winning series like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as well as highly-regarded genre content like The Boys and The Expanse.

When it comes to where you can watch Amazon Prime Video, the list of options rivals Netflix. Streaming boxes and smart TVs, whether they’re part of Amazon’s Fire TV platform or not, are almost a given. Game consoles? Check. The only major gap in compatibility was Google’s Chromecast, and it closed that hole in the summer of 2019.

Amazon also has a significant amount of content that’s available to watch in 4K and HDR and unlike Netflix it won’t charge you extra for the privilege. The same goes for simultaneous streams — Amazon’s rules say you can have up to two running concurrently. When it comes to downloads, Amazon allows offline viewing on its Fire devices, Android and iOS.

The only downside is that Amazon’s apps aren’t quite on par with Netflix in terms of usability. While all the features are there, simple things like reading an episode summary, enabling closed-captions or jumping out of one show and into another are frequently more frustrating on Amazon than on other platforms. The company also frequently insists on bringing its Fire TV-style interface to other platforms instead of using their native controls. That can make it harder to use, although on platforms where it hews to the built-in controls, like Roku, can be easier to use.

One other thing to think about is that Amazon’s video apps link to its on-demand store, and include access to Channels. For cord-cutters who just want a consistent experience across different devices, that means you can easily buy or rent content that isn’t part of the subscription. Amazon Channels lets you manage subscriptions to Britbox, Showtime, Paramount+ and others.

Last but not least, there’s one thing Amazon has that you won’t get from Netflix, and can’t get from Hulu or YouTube: Thursday Night NFL action. Prime Video is now the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football, starting with the 2022 season. — R.L.

HBO Max

In 2020, HBO decided to take the fight to its streaming competitors with HBO Max. It supplanted the existing HBO channels, as well as streaming via HBO Go or HBO Now by refocusing on original content and rebuilding the service for the modern era. HBO Max has the advantage of linking to one of the deepest (and best) content libraries available, drawing from the premium cable channel’s archives, the Warner Bros. vault, Studio Ghibli, Looney Tunes, Sesame Street and Turner Classic Movies.

If you pay for HBO from one of the major TV providers, then congratulations — you probably already have access to the full HBO Max experience. Just activate your account and start streaming. Otherwise, you can subscribe directly over the internet. HBO Max has a free 7-day trial, and costs $15 per month (or $150 a year) for the no-ads tier.

The company just came out with an ad-supported tier, which costs $10 per month or $100 per year. Along with ads, you won’t be able to download content for offline viewing. Currently, HBO Max only offers 4K HDR streaming for certain content, and only those with the ad-free plan can access it. It can support up to three streams simultaneously, and offers individual profiles.

Since launch, HBO Max has come to more TV platforms and it’s now available on Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung and others. You can also stream it via a browser, Sony and Microsoft’s game consoles or with mobile apps on Android and iOS. It also includes support for AirPlay and Google’s Cast feature, which help it work with more smart TVs than just the ones listed here.

HBO Max content includes premium stuff that Warner yanked back from Netflix and others, like full series runs of Friends and The Fresh Prince, or DC Universe-related TV series and movies. The HBO library speaks for itself, with Game of Thrones, The Wire and older stuff like Band of Brothers, Flight of the Conchords or Entourage. It’s also investing in all-new content for HBO Max, like its Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon and a series based on the Last of Us video game.

We should mention, however, that HBO Max has recently canceled several shows ahead of the Discovery+ merger as a cost-cutting move. It is deprioritizing kid and family content, leading to the removal of Sesame Street spin-offs and a handful of Cartoon Network titles. Movies like Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt has also been axed. Despite these changes, HBO Max still has one of the best content libraries of any streaming service and is worthy of consideration. — R.L. and Nicole Lee, Commerce Writer

Hulu

Hulu started out as a bit of a curiosity — a joint venture by NBC, News Corp and a private equity firm to compete with Netflix by offering new episodes of TV shows. Then, after Disney joined up in 2009, bringing along its content from ABC and the Disney Channel, Hulu became a streaming network worth paying attention to. Today, Hulu’s focus is still on recent TV episodes, but it also has a strong library of original series and films (like The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building), as well as an archive of older TV and movies that often puts Netflix to shame.

Now that Disney owns a majority controlling stake in Hulu, following its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the service is less of a collaboration between media giants. (Comcast still offers NBCUniversal content, but it can choose to have Disney buy out its shares as early as 2024.) Instead, it’s yet another feather in Disney’s increasingly important digital empire, alongside Disney+ and ESPN+. That may not be a great thing for the competitiveness of streaming services in general, but for subscribers it means they can look forward to even more quality content, like all of the FX shows that hit Hulu earlier this year.

Hulu subscriptions start at $7 a month (or $70 a year) with ads. You can also bump up to the ad-free plan for $13 a month (worth it for true TV addicts). The company’s Live TV offering is considerably more expensive, starting at $70 a month with ads and $76 a month ad-free, but you do get Disney+ and ESPN+ services bundled in. Hulu allows two of your devices to stream at the same time, and you can also download some content for offline viewing. Live TV subscribers can also pay $10 a month for unlimited streaming at home (and for up to three remote mobile devices).

Given that it’s one of the longest-running streaming services out there, you can find Hulu apps everywhere, from TVs to set-top boxes. The company has been slow to adopt newer home theater technology, though — we’re still waiting for surround sound on Apple TV and many other devices, and there’s no HDR at all. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Editor

Disney+

Disney+came out swinging, leveraging all of the company’s popular brands, like Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel. It’s your one-stop-shop for everything Disney, making it catnip for kids, parents, animation fans and anyone looking for some classic films from the likes of 20th Century Pictures. And unlike Hulu, which Disney also owns, there aren’t any R-rated movies or shows that curious kiddos can come across.

Given the company’s new focus on streaming, Disney+ has quickly become a must-have for families. And at $8 a month (or $80 a year), it’s a lot cheaper than wrangling the kids for a night out at the movies (or even buying one of the Disney’s over-priced Blu-rays). You can also get it bundled with ESPN+ and Hulu for $14 a month. Some Verizon FiOS and mobile customers can also get Disney+, Hulu and ESPN for free.

Disney+ supports four simultaneous streams at once, and also lets you download films and shows for offline viewing. (That’s particularly helpful when you’re stuck in the car with no cell service and a crying toddler. Trust me.) You can access Disney+ on every major streaming device and most TV brands. While the service launched without support for Amazon’s Fire TV devices, it’s now available there as well. — D.H.

Apple TV+

Apple spared no expense with its streaming platform, launching with high profile series like The Morning Show. While they weren’t all hits initially (See you later, get it?), Apple TV+ has since amassed a slew of must-watch programming like Ted Lasso, Severance, and For All Mankind. Clearly, the iPhone maker is taking a different approach than Netflix or Disney, with a focus on quality and big celebrity names, rather than bombarding us with a ton of content. But that strategy seems to have paid off.

For $5 a month, there’s a ton of great shows and movies to dive into. But if you’re a dedicated Apple user, it may be worth moving up to an Apple One plan, which also bundles Apple Arcade, Music, and 50GB of iCloud storage for $15 a month. Step up to $20 monthly, and you can bring in your whole family with up to 200GB of iCloud storage. And for $30 a month, Apple throws in News+ and Fitness+. – D.H.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV is a great option for cord cutters who still want to watch live TV without having to sign up for a contract. It carries over 85 different channels, so it’s highly likely that you won’t miss your cable or satellite subscription at all if you switch over. YouTube TV even carries your regional PBS channels, which is a rarity on most streaming services.

Where YouTube TV really shines is in the sports department. Not only does it offer sports-carrying channels like CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, TBS and TNT, it also offers specific sports coverage networks like the MLB Network, NBA TV and the NFL Network. You can even opt for a Sports Plus package for an additional $11 a month if you want specific sports channels like NFL RedZone, FOX College Sports, GOLTV, FOX Soccer Plus, MAVTV Motorsports Network, TVG and Stadium. Unfortunately, however, YouTube TV recently lost the rights to carry Bally Sports regional networks, which means that you won’t get region-specific channels such as Bally Sports Detroit or Bally Sports Southwest.

One particularly strong selling point for sports fans is that instead of always remembering to record a particular game, you can just choose to “follow” a specific team and the DVR will automatically record all of its games. Plus, if you happen to have jumped into the match late, there’s a “catch up with key plays” feature that lets you watch all the highlights up until that point so that you’re up to speed.

YouTube TV is on the expensive side at $65 a month, which might not be much more than your basic cable package. If you want to add 4K viewing (which is currently only available through certain sporting events) plus unlimited streaming, you’d have to cough up an additional $20 a month.

It currently offers one of the best cloud DVRs available. YouTube TV’s DVR has unlimited storage plus you have up to nine months to watch your recorded content before they expire. There are also no DVR up-charges here; you can rewind or fast forward through the recorded content as you please by default. We should note, however, that the on-demand content on YouTube TV does have ads which you can’t fast-forward through.

There’s also a plethora of premium channels that you can add for as low as $3 per month, such as Showtime ($11 a month), HBO Max ($15 a month), Starz ($9 a month), Cinemax ($10 a month) and EPIX ($6 a month). You can also subscribe to an Entertainment Plus bundle that includes HBO Max, Showtime and Starz for $30 a month. Other niche add-ons include CuriosityStream ($3 a month), AMC Premiere ($5 a month), Shudder ($6 a month), Sundance Now ($7 a month), Urban Movie Channel ($5 a month), and Acorn TV ($6 a month). — N.L.

Hulu with Live TV

Aside from on-demand and original content, Hulu also offers a Live TV add-on that lets you stream over 80 channels without a cable or satellite subscription. It’ll cost $70 a month, but that includes access to both Disney+ and ESPN+. Pay about $6 more and you’ll also be able to watch on-demand shows without any ads, which can’t be said with YouTube TV. As of April 2022, Hulu’s Live TV option also has unlimited DVR for up to nine months. That includes on-demand playback and fast-forwarding capabilities.

Hulu allows two simultaneous streams per account, but you can pay $15 more if you want unlimited screens (and up to three remote mobile devices). If you want, you can also add premium add-ons to your Hulu plan, such as HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, or Starz.

Hulu’s Live TV service is a great option for sports fans, as it has access to channels like CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, TBS, TNT and more, all of which should deliver content for fans of most major sports like football, basketball and baseball. Hulu also added NFL Network and NFL RedZone in 2021. However, Hulu plus Live TV does not carry the NBA TV or the MLB Network, so you could miss out on additional sports coverage. — N.L.

ESPN+

Without a doubt, ESPN’s standalone service is the best deal in sports streaming. No one can compete with the network when it comes to the sheer volume of content. The platform hosts thousands of live college sporting events, plus MLB, MLS, NHL, NBA G League games and more. There’s plenty of pro tennis as well, and ESPN+ is an insane value for soccer fans.

On top of select MLS matches, ESPN+ is the US home of the Bundesliga (Germany) and the EFL cup (Carabao Cup). It’s also the spot for the UEFA Nations League international competition in Europe.

ESPN offers a slate of original shows and the full catalog of its 30 For 30 series on the service. And lastly, ESPN+ is the home of UFC. Fight Nights, Dana White’s Contender Series and other shows stream weekly or monthly, plus the app is how you access PPV events.

That’s a truckload of sports for $10 a month. If you splurge for Disney’s bundle with Disney+ and Hulu (ad-supported), you can get all three for $14 per month. — Billy Steele, Senior News Editor

Paramount+

Formerly CBS All Access, Paramount+ may get the most attention for originals like Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard and The Twilight Zone, but it’s becoming a sports destination as well. The app began streaming NWSL soccer matches last summer when the league returned to the pitch. CBS also announced that All Access would be the streaming home of the US women’s league. Unfortunately, you can’t watch every match there, but it’s a start.

Soon after, CBS added UEFA Champions League and Europa League soccer to its sports slate. The Champions League is the biggest competition in club soccer, pitting teams from various countries around the continent against each other to see who’s the best. Europa League does the same, but with less glory. Paramount+ is now the home of Series A soccer (Italy) and will broadcast CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, which the US Men’s National Team will participate in.

At $6 a month with limited commercials, or $10 a month ad-free, Paramount+ isn’t a must have sports destination just yet. You can stream NFL and other games that air on your local CBS station inside the app, but the network is still filling out a well-rounded slate. For now, it’s more of a necessity for soccer fans than anything else. — B.S.

NBC Peacock

NBC made it clear before Peacock’s debut that Premier League soccer would be available on the standalone service. What we didn’t expect was that the network would put so many games there, basically forcing anyone who’s more than a casual fan to subscribe. This is partially due to PL scheduling. In the US, that means you need the $5/month service and access to NBC Sports network (through cable or live TV streaming) to follow comprehensively.

NBCUniversal had a similar structure in the past where one game per time slot was broadcast on NBC Sports and NBC Sports Gold was used as the overflow. Gold was also the home to cycling, Olympic sports and more. Now the Premier League is being used to push the new service Peacock, and with the current scheduling format, even more games are relegated to streaming only. Thankfully, Peacock does offer match replays, so there’s some added value there if you can’t be parked in front of your TV all day on Saturday and Sunday. Games currently run from about 7:30AM ET to around 5PM ET (matches usually at 7:30AM, 10AM, 12:30PM and one around 2:30 or 3:00PM).

Peacock also shows coverage of US Open tennis, NFL Wild Card games and will host “select events” from upcoming Olympics in Tokyo and Beijing. There’s also a smattering of sports talk shows available for free with paid users getting on-demand replays of Triple Crown horse racing and more. — B.S.

The Criterion Channel

While it’s easy to find modern films on Netflix and other streaming services these days, classic cinema is often tougher to find. FilmStruck tried to solve that problem, but it couldn’t find a large enough audience to survive. Now there’s the Criterion Channel, which delivers a rotating array of its cinephile-approved library for $11 a month or $100 a year. (Where else can you stream something like the incredible ramen noodle Western Tampopo?)

It’s a service that’s built for movie lovers: It’s chock full of commentary tracks, conversations with writers and directors, and some of the company’s renowned special features. The Criterion Channel also does a far better job at curating viewing options than other services. Its double features, for instance, pair together thematically similar films, like the classic noir entries Phantom Lady and Variety. What’s more, its editors make it easy to find all of the available films from a single director, for all of you auteur theory connoisseurs.

Sure, it costs a bit more than Hulu and Disney+, but The Criterion Channel gives you access to a library that’s far more rewarding than the latest streaming TV show. You can watch on up to three devices at once, and there’s also offline viewing available for iOS and Android devices. It also supports major streaming devices from Apple, Amazon and Roku, but as far as TV’s go, it’s only on Samsung’s Tizen-powered sets. Unfortunately, The Criterion Channel is only available in the US and Canada, due to licensing restrictions. — D.H.

Shudder

Sometimes, a good horror movie is the only way to deal with the constant anxiety of a global pandemic, a potential climate apocalypse and the seeming downfall of modern society. If that describes your personality, it’s worth taking a look at Shudder, AMC Network’s streaming service dedicated to everything spooky. You’ll find plenty of horror classics, like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but Shudder has also gotten into the original content game with unique films like Host, which takes place entirely over a Zoom call.

If you’re a bit squeamish, Shudder probably won’t sell you much on horror. But for fans of the genre, it’s a smorgasbord of content to dive into. You can try it out free for seven days, and afterwards it’s $6 per month (or $57 annually). Shudder only supports viewing one stream at a time, and there’s no support for offline viewing yet. You can find Shudder on major streaming device platforms, but since it’s so niche, don’t expect to find it on smart TVs anytime soon. — D.H.

 

TikTok is adding new rules for accounts belonging to politicians, government officials and political parties ahead of the midterm elections. The company says it will require these accounts to go through a “mandatory” verification process, and will restrict them from accessing advertising and other revenue generating features.

Up until now, verification for politicians and other officials was entirely optional. But that’s now changing, at least in the United States, as TikTok gears up for the midterm elections this fall. In a blog post, the company says the update is meant to help it enforce its rules, which bar political advertising of any kind, more consistently.

By verifying their accounts, TikTok will be able to block politicians and political parties from accessing the platform’s advertising tools or other revenue generating features like tipping. Accounts will also be barred from payouts from the company’s creator fund, and from in-app shopping features.

TikTok says it also plans to add further restrictions that will prevent politicians and political parties from using the platform to solicit campaign contributions or other donations, even on outside websites. That policy, which will take effect “in the coming weeks,” will bar videos that direct viewers to third-party fundraising sites. It also means that politicians will not be allowed to post videos asking for donations.

The new policies are the latest piece of TikTok’s strategy to prepare for the midterm elections. The company already began rolling out an in-app Elections Center to highlight voting resources and details about local races. But enforcing its ban on political ads has proved to be challenging for TikTok, which has had to contend with undisclosed branded content from creators. The new rules don’t address that issue specifically, but the added restrictions for campaigns and politicians will make it more difficult for candidates and other officials to evade its rules.

 

LG was supposed to release another phone with an unusual form factor after The Wing as an answer to Samsung’s foldables. At CES 2021, the company confirmed that it was working on a phone with a rollable display and that it was going to be available later that year. It never got to launch the device before shutting down its mobile business after its newest models, which included the Wing, failed to gain traction. But now, a hands-on video by Korean tech reviewer 뻘짓연구소 (BullsLab) shows just how close LG got to launching the phone that would’ve simply gone by the name “Rollable.”

While the Wing featured a rotatable display on top of a smaller one underneath, the Rollable was designed to have a screen that stretches out until the phone becomes a small tablet. In the video, you’ll see how responsive the device is and how quickly it starts expanding after the YouTuber swipes at the screen with three fingers. Whatever’s displayed on screen — even the animated wallpapers — automatically adjusts itself. At one point, the reviewer places three books beside the phone to show that its motor is strong enough to move the pile as it stretches out.

In addition to the stretchable main display, the phone’s back panel also functions as an extra screen that can house a handful of widgets, including ones for the camera, calendar and music. If you fire up the camera app from that extra screen, you’ll be able to take selfies without powering on the main phone. 

Based on the device BullsLab reviewed, the Rollable would’ve launched with a Snapdragon 888 CPU, up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Those were top-level specs that would’ve put the Rollable in the same category as flagships, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21. 

Since LG’s mobile business no longer exists, there’s little to no chance for the Rollable to, well, roll out. It’s worth noting that Oppo also showed off a rollable phone back in 2021, but it was just a prototype, and we haven’t heard anything about it since then.

 

After all the rumors and teasers, Peloton’s $3,195 rowing machine is finally official. It packs a 24-inch HD display and electronically-controlled resistance. That kind of resistance, which typically feels different to Concept2 rowers in your local gym, doesn’t mean it’s particularly small, however – you might want to check you have the space in your home. Peloton claims the Row can offer on-screen feedback on your form as you work out.

That will have to be some incredible coaching, given that its price tag is far higher than its rivals. The aforementioned (and benchmark) Concept2 rowing machine doesn’t have a screen, Bluetooth or any digital tricks, but it’s also under $1,000. Hydrow’s cheapest rower, the Wave, is priced at $1,495, while the premium model is still hundreds of dollars less than the Peloton Row. It’s an expensive gambit for a company still getting its house in order, adjusting its prices and reconsidering its approach.

Preorders for the Row start today in the US. The company expects to ship the machines in December – just in time for those 2023 fitness resolutions.

– Mat Smith

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NVIDIA’s $1,599 GeForce RTX 4090 arrives on October 12th

The GeForce RTX 4080 will start at $899.

NVIDIA’s 40 series GPUs are finally here. The company unveiled the GeForce RTX 4090 and GeForce RTX 4080 today at its GTC 2022 keynote. Taking full advantage of its new “Ada Lovelace” architecture, NVIDIA says the two GPUs offer significantly better ray tracing performance – and generally a lot of power for a lot of money. The first of the new GPUs will arrive next month when the GeForce RTX 4090 goes on for sale for $1,599 on October 12th. There will be two different variants of the RTX 4080. The base model will start at $899 and features 12GB of GDDR6X memory and 7,680 cores, while a 16GB version with 9,728 cores will set you back a cool $1,199. Both configurations will arrive sometime in November.

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iOS 16 review

Apple opens the lock screen.

With iOS 16, Apple has focused on modernizing the iPhone lock screen, making it a more useful part of how you interact with your phone. These changes also make it easier to use the iPhone’s Focus modes, which remain a little complicated to set up. Overall, the company has made lots of minor changes that add up to a better iPhone experience. Apple’s Messages app continues to improve, and the increasingly useful Visual Lookup feature is something an Android device can’t quite replicate — yet. These iOS updates are usually followed by a few extra tweaks – and Apple has already fixed its weird battery percentage indicator. Was it my review? (It wasn’t.)

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Spotify dives into audiobooks with a library of over 300,000 titles

Each one requires a separate purchase.

Spotify has officially added audiobooks as yet another listening option in its app – for when you run out of podcasts, right? Starting today, US users will see a dedicated section for the format that allows standalone purchases via a web link. The company says its library will contain over 300,000 titles at launch. As well as their own section alongside music and podcasts, audiobooks will show up in your recommendations on the main page.

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YouTube’s ‘dislike’ button barely works

That’s according to a new study on recommendations.

If you’ve ever felt like it’s difficult to “un-train” YouTube’s algorithm, you’re not alone. One major issue, according to new research conducted by Mozilla, is that YouTube’s in-app controls such as the “dislike” button, “prevent less than half of unwanted algorithmic recommendations.” Of the controls available on YouTube, the most effective was “don’t recommend from channel,” which prevented 43 percent of unwanted recommendations, while “not interested” was the least effective and only prevented about 11 percent of unwanted suggestions.

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The Windows 11 2022 update is here

But should you care?

It’s already been a year since Windows 11 launched. Somehow. It’s a good time for an update, then. Much like the improved Windows Update experience, the vast majority of new features in this 2022 update are under the hood. Those include a slew of accessibility upgrades including system-wide live captions and a preview of improved voice commands for using your PC and transcription.

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TikTok reportedly gives ‘a bit more leniency’ to popular accounts

A two-tier moderating system.

As recently as last year, TikTok used a two-tier moderation system that gave preferential treatment to its most popular users, according to Forbes. The publication obtained an audio recording of a September 2021 meeting where the company detailed an internal feature called “creator labels” that was reserved for accounts with more than 5 million followers.

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Google is releasing a tool that makes it easier to remove search results containing your address, phone number and other personally identifiable information, 9to5Google has reported. It first revealed the “results about you” feature at I/O 2022 in May, describing it as a way to “help you easily control whether your personally-identifiable information can be found in Search results.” 

If you see a result with your phone number, home address or email, you can click on the three-dot menu at the top right. That opens the usual “About this result” panel, but it now contains a new “Remove result” option at the bottom of the screen. A dialog states that if the result contains one of those three things, “we can review your request more quickly.”

You can then monitor the request in a new menu item in the Google app called “Results about you,” available by tapping your user profile at the top right. You can then monitor the progress of requests via filters “All requests,” “In progress” and “Approved.” 

The same page also lets you make a new request with a “Why would you like to remove this result” step. Options there include “It shows my personal contact info,” “It shows my contact into with an intent to harm me,” “It shows other personal info,” “It contains illegal info” and “It’s outdated.” Previously, though, Google has said that not all requests may be granted:

It’s important to note that when we receive removal requests, we will evaluate all content on the web page to ensure that we’re not limiting the availability of other information that is broadly useful, for instance in news articles. And of course, removing contact information from Google Search doesn’t remove it from the web, which is why you may wish to contact the hosting site directly, if you’re comfortable doing so.

The new feature has only rolled out to a limited number of users in the US and Europe, 9to5Google notes (I’ve yet to see it in France and I’m in the Google app beta). In the meantime, you can remove other personally identifiable information or doxxing content from Google Search via a removal request — there’s more information about that available here.

 

Twitch has announced a significant change to its policy amidst rising concerns about the presence of gambling streams on the platform. On Twitter, Twitch said it will prohibit the streaming of gambling websites that feature slots, roulette and dice games unlicensed in the US and other regions that “provide sufficient consumer protection.” The policy change will take effect on October 18th, and Twitch promises to release the full policy language and more details before that date.

So far, the list of banned sites include some of the most well-known ones out there, including Stake.com, Rollbit.com, Duelbits.com and Roobet.com. Not a surprise, since you could already find plenty of streams on Twitch with gambling content from those domains. Twitch says that it “may identify others” going forward, so the list of banned websites will likely grow longer. The website will continue allowing websites that focus on certain types of gambling content, though, including sports betting, fantasy sports and poker. 

Twitch issued the statement after some of the platform’s most popular streamers, including Pokimane and DevinNash, threatened to boycott it on Christmas week if it doesn’t ban gambling streams and sponsorships. They banded together in response to one streamer’s admission that he had scammed followers and fellow streamers out of around $200,000 to feed his addiction to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. As Kotaku explains, CS:GO features weapon skins that have real-world monetary value, and gambling websites use them as casino chips. The revelation reopened the discussion of gambling streams on Twitch in a big way, with people pointing out that they could lead to deceitful behavior by streamers and could be damaging to the website’s young users.

 

As recently as last year, TikTok employed a two-tier moderation system that gave preferential treatment to its most popular users, according to Forbes. The outlet obtained an audio recording of a September 2021 meeting where the company detailed an internal feature called “creator labels” that was reserved for accounts with more than 5 million followers. When it came to moderating those users, many of them influencers and celebrities, TikTok reportedly filtered them through a separate moderation queue that saw the company treat those accounts differently.

“We don’t want to treat these users as, um, like any other accounts. There’s a bit more leniency, I’d say,” one employee with TikTok’s Trust and Safety said during the meeting, according to Forbes. On its website, the company states its Community Guidelines apply to “everyone and everything on TikTok.”

TikTok did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. A spokesperson for the company told Forbes it is “not more lenient in moderating accounts with more than 5 million followers,” adding it does not have moderation queues based on follower counts.

If the report is accurate, TikTok would not be the first company to treat its most influential and powerful users differently. In 2021, The Wall Street Journal detailed how Meta’s XCheck system had allowed millions of high-profile Facebook and Instagram users to skirt its rules. In one incident described by the report, the system “blocked” Facebook moderators from removing nude photos Brazilian soccer star Neymar posted of a woman who had accused him of sexual assault. The post was viewed more than 60 million times before Meta took action. Additionally, the company did not ban Nyemar’s account, even though he shared non-consensual nudity in violation of its Community Guidelines.

 

Ever since the world got its first look at iOS 16’s reintroduced battery percentage indicator at the start of last month, people have voiced strong opinions about the icon. Many, including Engadget Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low, felt Apple could have done a better job with it. In its current iteration, the icon remains static – displaying only a percentage – until your iPhone’s battery depletes below 20 percent capacity. It’s a design decision that makes the indicator less useful than it ought to be since in most cases you need to look closely to see how much battery you have left.

Thankfully, Apple is working on an improved version of the icon. Earlier today, the company released the second iOS 16.1 beta (via MacRumors). Among other things, the update introduces a tweak to the battery percentage indicator. Now, instead of the icon only turning red when your iPhone’s battery dips below 20 percent charge, it will also gradually deplete as the battery does. It’s a small change, but one that improves usability.

Beta two also includes a tweak to the lock screen. When you plug your phone to charge, a battery percentage indicator will briefly appear above the time, bringing back a feature from iOS 15. On the iPhone 14 Pro, you’ll also see one appear within the Dynamic Island. The next version of iOS 16 does not have a release date yet. We’ll also note here that Apple could further tweak some of the changes found in beta two.

 

GM wants to exclusively sell electric vehicles by 2035, and it’s now trying to nudge the US government toward the same goal. The automaker has teamed up with an advocacy group, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), to develop recommended principles for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) car emissions standards from the 2027 model year onward. The guidelines are meant to accelerate EV adoption in a socially conscious way — and, of course, help GM’s bottom line.

The brand wants standards that ensure at least half of new vehicles sold by are zero-emissions by 2030, with a 60 percent reduction in emissions across a lineup compared to 2021. They need to address multiple pollution sources (such as CO2, nitrogen oxides and particles) and be “performance-based,” GM argues. The company also believes there should be an optional pathway to speed up the launch of breakthrough emissions-reducing technology, and that standards should ensure the benefits of reduced pollution apply to everyone (such as vulnerable communities). Not surprisingly, GM hopes for tight coordination between the public and private realms, including complementary investments.

GM and the EDF want a quick decision process. They’d like the standards to be proposed this fall, and completed by fall 2023. The standards should last until 2032 at a minimum, the partners said, but they also hoped the EPA would extend that to 2035.

There might not be much opposition to the basic concept. President Biden already wants half of new vehicles to be emissions-free by 2030, and the EPA reversed Trump-era standards rollbacks in December. Meanwhile, California, Massachusetts and New York State expect to ban sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035 and frequently push for stricter standards than the federal government. The principles and resulting EPA standards would theoretically help politicians reach these targets sooner by encouraging manufacturers to electrify their fleets quickly.

Whether or not GM and the EDF get their way isn’t clear. The EPA isn’t guaranteed to take the principles to heart, and a change of presidents could lead to weaker rules. We’d add that GM has altered its stance on emissions reductions depending on who’s in office. The firm backed the Trump administration’s efforts to revoke waivers letting California set tougher requirements, only to change its tune after Biden won the 2020 election. Still, we wouldn’t expect GM to back out any time soon. The company has staked its future on EVs, and it stands to profit if the market shifts to eco-friendly vehicles a little sooner.