Category: Technology

Nvidia is reportedly planning on making Arm-based chips for Windows PCs. According to Reuters, the company has “quietly begun” taking on Intel by designing processors compatible with Microsoft’s operating system. The report says Nvidia could begin selling the chips as early as 2025.

The move is part of Microsoft’s broader goal of challenging Apple with Arm-based processors for Windows PCs. According to preliminary Q3 data from research firm IDC, the iPhone maker has nearly doubled its market share since launching the Arm-based Apple Silicon three years ago. The company’s in-house Mac chips balance performance (including on-chip AI tasks) and battery life to a degree that Intel’s processors have yet to match.

When reached via email by Engadget, Nvidia spokesperson Hector Marinez said the company declined to comment.

Nvidia has recent experience with Arm-based chips, but they’re designed for data centers. Nvidia announced plans to buy Arm Holdings in 2020 for $40 billion. However, the company pulled the plug on the deal in early 2022. 

AMD is also reportedly preparing to launch Arm-based PC chips as early as 2025. The two companies will join Qualcomm, which has made Windows laptop processors since 2016. Reuters reports that Qualcomm’s exclusivity agreement with Microsoft for Arm-based Windows chip designs will expire in 2024, opening the door to new challengers soon after. Windows on Arm hasn’t exactly been a rousing success to date.

“Microsoft learned from the 90s that they don’t want to be dependent on Intel again, they don’t want to be dependent on a single vendor,” Jay Goldberg, chief executive of consulting firm D2D Advisory, told Reuters. “If Arm really took off in PC (chips), they were never going to let Qualcomm be the sole supplier.”

As Microsoft (along with much of the tech industry) bets its future on generative AI, the upcoming chips will unsurprisingly focus heavily on it. The company has reportedly urged chipmakers to bake advanced AI-powered capabilities into their silicon. Microsoft recently launched Windows Copilot, which provides an OpenAI-powered chatbot in a persistent sidebar to respond to contextual queries anywhere in Windows.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-is-reportedly-working-on-arm-based-processors-for-windows-pcs-211337968.html?src=rss 

The Department of Justice has expanded its investigation into Tesla, the company has confirmed. In an SEC filing, Tesla said the agency has issued subpoenas for information related to “personal benefits, related parties, vehicle range and personnel decisions.” In January, Tesla confirmed that the DOJ sought details from the company regarding Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features for its electric vehicles.

According to Reuters and Consumer Reports, Tesla vehicles didn’t hit Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) range estimates in road tests. The EPA tests vehicle ranges on rollers in a lab. The New York Times points out that all EVs have a lower range in colder temperatures, but even in warm weather, a Tesla Model Y ran out of juice at least 50 miles below its claimed range in Consumer Reports’ tests.

Tesla, which has been penalized in other countries for failing to disclose that its EVs have shorter ranges in low temperatures, reportedly formed a special team that sought to quash complaints about the distance its cars can travel on a single charge. The team is said to have told customers who flagged such issues with their EVs that EPA range figures were merely predictions and that the range would be reduced due to battery degradation.

As the Times notes, when the term “related parties” is used in a regulatory filing, it often refers to senior management, company directors or major shareholders. Earlier this year, it was reported that Tesla opened an internal investigation to determine whether CEO Elon Musk dipped into company coffers to help fund a glass house he was building. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and SEC are said to have asked the company for information related to the house and other personal benefits afforded to Musk. 

In its filing, Tesla noted that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the SEC and other local, state, federal and international regulators have also sought information from the company related to a variety of investigations and inquiries. Tesla does not have a PR department that can be reached for comment.

“To our knowledge, no government agency in any ongoing investigation has concluded that any wrongdoing occurred,” Tesla said in its SEC filing. “We cannot predict the outcome or impact of any ongoing matters. Should the government decide to pursue an enforcement action, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on our business, results of operation, prospects, cash flows, financial position or brand.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-doj-tesla-probe-has-expanded-to-include-ev-driving-ranges-201050660.html?src=rss 

Meta is starting to ramp up its growth-hacking tactics for Threads in a bid to boost engagement on the Twitter competitor. The social network is promoting its newest app by cross-posting Threads posts to users’ Facebook feeds, the company confirmed Monday.

It’s a familiar move for Meta, which regularly uses the Facebook feed to promote new features, including those from its other apps. The company has inserted Instagram Reels into recommendations in Facebook’s feed for years, and also allows businesses on WhatsApp to buy ads that appear in Facebook feeds. But unlike those efforts, it seems that Threads promotions on Facebook are not optional.

“We’ve launched an update to make it easier for people to see the latest content from Threads directly on Facebook and Instagram,” the company wrote in response to a Threads user who asked how to keep their posts off of Facebook. “But we’re listening to feedback like yours as we continue to build on this.”

Meta began testing the promotion of Threads posts on Instagram in August, but the move to put posts on Facebook without providing an opt-out feature, seems to be more controversial. Some users are pointing out that they use Threads much differently than Facebook and may not want their Threads posts to be put in front of their Facebook friends. 

We’ve reached out to Meta for more information about how it recommends Threads posts and if it intends to allow users to opt out of that kind of sharing. But the company has previously hinted that it would one day use its much larger apps to try and boost Threads. When Threads reached 100 million sign-ups shortly after it launched, Mark Zuckerberg remarked that the growth had happened with “mostly organic demand” and that the company hadn’t “even turned on many promotions yet.” (Interestingly, that post has since been deleted.)

Threads’ initial explosive growth proved to be short lived, however, with engagement dropping considerably in the weeks that followed. Anecdotally, the service feels much more lively in recent weeks, and downloads have started to once again tick up, according to a recent report from Insider.

But a report from analytics firm SimilarWeb, which tracks web traffic, suggests the company still has a lot of ground to make up. “In the US, where Threads attracted the most attention, September Threads usage on Android was down 40% from where it was in July,” senior insights manager David Carr wrote in the report. Given those trends, and that Meta has been steadily adding new features like post editing and keyword search, it’s maybe not all that surprising the company would now be trying to juice Threads’ growth, even if its tactics for doing so are unpopular.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-promoting-threads-posts-on-facebook-and-theres-no-way-to-opt-out-202057606.html?src=rss 

Between October 27 and 29, home theater sets from Sonos will be 20 percent off. The Ray + Sub Mini, which is regularly priced at $708, will be available for $565.99. The rare deal on the subwoofer and soundbar bundle, which works great for listening to music or getting a more immersive movie-watching experience, could make a great holiday gift for someone living in an apartment or smaller space.

The Ray soundbar, which secured a spot on Engadget’s list of best soundbars, is compact but equipped with four class-D digital amplifiers. The device has a “solid stereo presence” for its size, and can pair with other Sonos speakers to improve bass performance. We gave it a score of 82 in our review thanks to its solid sound quality for both music and TV audio and easy setup process. As mentioned above, it’s arguably best for those living in smaller spaces; anyone with a big living room will want to step things up to a larger soundbar.

The Sub Mini, which pairs with the Ray, connects to Wi-Fi with any 5GHz broadcast-capable router and can reach down to 25Hz. The device received praise in our review for its “excellent bass” considering its size and for how easily it can connect with Sonos’ wired speakers. This deal might be one worth checking if you’re on the hunt for a practical sub and soundbar, but the Ray + Sub Mini is just one of many entertainment sets on sale right now. The most expensive topline set, the Ultimate Immersive Set with Arc, which normally is listed for $2,596 is available for $2,211.

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/sonos-home-theater-sets-are-up-to-20-percent-off-this-weekend-174800255.html?src=rss 

The Venn diagram of HomePod owners and YouTube Music subscribers probably doesn’t have a lot of overlap. However, those who use both Apple’s speakers and Google’s music streaming service may be pleased to learn that the two now play more nicely together. YouTube Music is now available natively on HomePod, meaning that you can ask Siri to play tracks from the service even if your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch aren’t close by. 

It’s now possible to set YouTube Music as the default music service on HomePod. That means you won’t have to add “on YouTube Music” when you bark a command at Siri. If you configure your HomePod in that way, you can still play music from another supported service by saying its name when you make your Siri request (for example “Siri, play Bad Bunny on Deezer” or “Siri, play Taylor Swift on Apple Music”).

To change the default music service on HomePod, open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad. Tap the More button (the one with the three dots) and then Home Settings. Go to your user profile under People, then select a default service in the Media section.

Having native YouTube Music support is a welcome update. HomePods don’t support too many services natively beyond the likes of Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn Radio and iHeartRadio. It’s possible to stream audio to a HomePod from an iPhone, iPad or Mac as well.

With iOS 17, you can ask your HomePod to play music from Spotify and it will do so as long as your iPhone is nearby. Siri needs to route the request through your mobile device via AirPlay. While there’s no native Spotify support on HomePod as yet, that change should certainly make things a little easier for some folks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-homepods-now-have-native-youtube-music-support-180428371.html?src=rss 

Xbox is presenting a showcase on Wednesday to highlight the various third-party titles coming to Microsoft’s gaming consoles, Windows computers and Game Pass. The festivities kick off on Wednesday, October 25 at 1PM EST. You can watch via the official YouTube channel or on Twitch.

The stream promises a “fresh mix of indie games and familiar favorites” from third-party companies like Remedy, Studio Wildcard, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and more, with 20 minutes of trailers and gameplay footage on the docket. Consider this Xbox’s version of those Nintendo Indie World showcase events.

So what should you expect during the stream? Microsoft hasn’t released a list of games that’ll take center stage, but did drop some teases. The company says it’ll reveal the “latest information” about Yakuza-adjacent RPG Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Dungeons of Hinterberg. It also promised a launch trailer for the long-awaited Alan Wake II, which releases at the end of this week, and the first gameplay footage of Ark: Survival Ascended. There should also be some surprises, so can we have a little Hollow Knight: Silksong trailer… as a treat?

The stream will be available in 30 languages, including American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL.) Additionally, Xbox says that YouTube streams will be in 4K at 60fps, which should be a good way to suss out real-world graphical performance.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-watch-xboxs-third-party-games-showcase-172052353.html?src=rss 

The Biden administration and the US Commerce Department just named 31 regions as “tech hubs”, drawn from nearly 400 applicants. These hub areas are spread across the country, in addition to territories like Puerto Rico, and each spot could share in $500 million of funding as originally detailed in the CHIPS and Science Act that was signed into law back in 2022.

The administration hopes to use these hubs to “catalyze investment in technologies critical to economic growth, national security and job creation” with an end goal of helping “communities across the country become centers of innovation critical to American competitiveness.” Additionally, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters that the program seeks to diversify the country’s tech interests, moving away from traditional hubs like Silicon Valley, Seattle and Boston, as reported by Yahoo.

To that end, these hubs will focus on everything under the sun, from artificial intelligence, biotech, clean energy, semiconductors, quantum computing and more. Examples include a hub in Washington state that’s developing new materials for next-gen fuel-efficient aircraft, a Wisconsin program seeking to make advancements in personalized medicine and a New York organization researching new battery technologies, among 28 others. It’s worth noting that many of these hubs are in small or medium-sized cities, with Raimondo saying that “people shouldn’t have to move to get a good job.”

There’s one caveat. Snagging one of these coveted hub designations doesn’t guarantee federal funding. The Commerce Department will follow each program throughout the next year, with funding to follow. Raimondo says that five to 10 hubs will receive up to $75 million. With 31 hub areas and just $500 million to disperse, that could leave many locations in the financial cold.

Additionally, the CHIPS and Science Act is a robust piece of legislation that drops more than $280 billion into various sectors, so these hubs represent less than 1/500th of the allocated funding set aside by the bill. There’s $52 billion in tax credits and funding for US chipmakers to expand domestic production, $7 billion for clean hydrogen and $1.5 billion to “boost US leadership in wireless technologies and their supply chains.” The bill also sets aside $10 billion to “invest in regional innovation and technology” which is the exact point of these hubs, so maybe more money is coming down the line.

Biden has asked Congress for an additional $4 billion to fund even more regional tech hubs, but, well, that would be part of the full-year budget and you may have noticed that the House still lacks a speaker with a government shutdown on the horizon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/biden-administration-designates-31-new-tech-hubs-to-encourage-innovation-155812340.html?src=rss 

Amazon Prime Video announced Monday that the Fallout television series will premiere on April 12, 2024. The news came from a short teaser video the streaming service posted on its social channels, including Instagram, styled like a Pip-Boy interface. The series, initially announced in 2020, will adopt a “serious and harsh” tone while adding “ironic humor” and “B-movie nuclear fantasies.” 

The live-action series, from Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, will have an original (canonical) story set in the Fallout gaming universe. It will take place in 2077, beginning in Vault 33 in Los Angeles. As fans of the game know, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland following the events of “The Great War” on October 23, 2077. That date has become known as “Fallout Day” among the game’s fans — an ideal day for Amazon to reveal the series’ premiere date.

Fallout will star Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Walton Goggins (Justified), Aaron Moten (Emancipation), Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time), Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island) and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks). Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner are the series’ executive producers, writers and showrunners. Additional executive producers include Athena Wickham of Kilter Films, along with Bethesda’s Todd Howard and James Altman.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-fallout-series-finally-has-a-release-date-163430938.html?src=rss 

SpaceX has struck a deal with the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch four of Europe’s Galileo navigation satellites into orbit using its Falcon 9 rocket, The Wall Street Journal has reported. It’ll be the first time Elon Musk’s company has launched any EU satellites containing classified equipment.

The ESA had planned to launch Galileo satellites using its homegrown Ariane 6 rocket, but the latter has seen frequent delays and isn’t expected to make its inaugural launch until 2024 at the earliest. The deal is still subject to final approval by the EU Commission and member states, according to ESA director of navigation Javier Benedicto. 

SpaceX would launch the satellites from US territory, according to the terms of the deal. It would mark the first time Galileo equipment has been carried into orbit outside of European territory, barring early test versions launched from Kazakhstan. All other Galileo satellites have launched from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana — using Soyuz rockets at first and the Ariane 5 system later on. 

News of the deal isn’t a big surprise, as it was reported this summer that Europe was seeking to cut a deal with SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to “exceptionally launch Galileo satellites.” Another alternative would have been Russian-built Soyuz rockets, but that was off the table due to EU sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. 

Ariane 6 was originally slated to launch in 2023, but multiple delays have pushed the first launch back to 2024. Recently, a short hotfire of the Vulcain 2.1 engine was delayed, and a long-duration static-fire test was pushed back from early October to late November. The Ariane 5 rocket is no longer an option, as it was retired after its final launch in July. 

SpaceX’s launched Europe’s Euclid telescope in July, and is slated to launch two other EU spacecraft in the near future. As it stands, the ESA only plans to make four Galileo launches using the Falcon 9. Musk himself has had a tenuous relationship with the EU — most recently, a top European Union official is warned him about the spread of misinformation on his social network platform X amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The Galileo system is key for Europe, as it makes it independent from the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and satnav systems from Russia and China. It’s also used by EU military and security services to transmit encrypted messages. The service went live in 2016, but additional satellites are required to bolster the existing network. “It is a matter of robustness,” said Benedicto. “We have 10 satellites that are ready to be launched, and those satellites should be in space, not on the ground.” 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spacex-will-launch-esa-navigation-satellites-amid-delays-with-the-eus-own-rockets-140030424.html?src=rss