Category: Technology

My AI, the in-app digital assistant that rides herd on your Snapchat Plus experience, has suffered numerous breakdowns and technical malfunctions since its debut in February. Tuesday was more of the same as the chatbot took it upon itself to post single-second-long Stories to users’ feeds and then go unresponsive for extended periods of time. Thing is, My AI doesn’t have the capacity to post to Stories. And now it’s got a bunch of people on Twitter wondering if we’re at the dawning of the Singularity.

As first reported by TechCrunch, the My AI chatbot posted a two-tone image in Stories, which one user mistook for a shot of their ceiling. What’s more, upon being asked about the mysterious post, the bot would either go dark or respond that it was suffering a technical issue. This explanation proved insufficient for many users, causing minor panic and jokes about the AI system’s imminent awakening. In the end however, it really was a technical issue.

“My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch, adding that “At this time, My AI does not have Stories feature.”

The My AI bot is bundled as part of the company’s $3.99/month Snapchat Plus package and offers users a variety of features. These include AR filter recommendations and suggestions for restaurant and activities based on currently popular places on the Snap Map. It also offers AI functionality in group chat, photo and video snaps, and text messages, as well as an AI persona. A text-to-image genAI is also reportedly in the works, though the ads have already arrived.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/snapchats-my-ai-chatbot-glitched-so-hard-it-started-posting-stories-190809341.html?src=rss 

New York City will ban TikTok from government devices, The Verge reported on Wednesday. City agencies have 30 days to remove the ByteDance-owned app from their devices. Employees will not be allowed to download or use TikTok on their city-sanctioned tech effective immediately. This comes three years after New York state banned TikTok from government devices in 2020, according to Times-Union.

NYC Cyber Command, a subset of the Office of Technology and Innovation, spurred the decision after reporting to the city that TikTok posed a security threat. “NYC Cyber Command regularly explores and advances proactive measures to keep New Yorkers’ data safe,” a City Hall spokesperson said. “As part of these ongoing efforts, NYC Cyber Command determined that the TikTok application posed a security threat to the city’s technical networks and directed its removal from city-owned devices.”

Other states and localities, notably Montana, have made waves banning TikTok more generally across the jurisdiction. But on a wider scale, most legislators have taken an approach banning the app for government employees, including the federal government. Thirty-three states across parties lines now have restrictions on the use of TikTok on government-owned tech.

As legislation continues to resurface considering a total ban on TikTok and other apps affiliated with the Chinese government, ByteDance fights to proven that its not a threat to national security. TikTok CEO Shou Chew even testified in front of Congress reiterating that “ByteDance is not an agent of China.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/new-york-city-bans-tiktok-for-government-employees-174806575.html?src=rss 

Google will stop supporting Assistant on smartwatches running Wear OS 2 in the near future. “Google Assistant support on this watch is ending soon,” reads a message in the latest version of the Wear OS companion app, as spotted by 9to5 Google. “Please upgrade to a newer watch that supports Google Assistant and runs Wear OS 3 or later.”

The companion app is only needed for devices that use Wear OS 2 or earlier versions of the operating system. There’s a dedicated Assistant app for Wear OS 3 devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, Fossil smartwatches and, of course, the Pixel Watch.

This move will impact many older watches dating back to 2020 and earlier, including models from Tag Heuer, Mobvoi, Motorola, Oppo, Xiaomi, Misfit, Casio and LG. Wikipedia has a helpful list of Wear OS devices and the latest version of the operating system that they support. However, since it’s Wikipedia, it’s worth double checking elsewhere to confirm whether your watch can, in fact, run Wear OS 3.

It’s not clear when Google plans to end Assistant support on these older watches. If you rely on Assistant on a Wear OS 2 device, though, you might want to upgrade soon. As it happens, Google is expected to unveil its second Pixel Watch within the next couple of months. The company typically holds a major hardware event every October.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/older-wear-os-devices-will-soon-lose-google-assistant-support-180004200.html?src=rss 

Opera announced today that its Aria AI assistant has made its way to iOS. The feature launched on desktop in June and stems from a partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Opera says Aria, now available on all major desktop and mobile platforms, has tallied over a million users on desktop and Android.

Like Microsoft’s Bing Copilot and Google’s Search Generative Experience, Aria can answer questions and respond to context around active web pages. The assistant taps into OpenAI’s GPT API while using Opera’s Composer architecture for real-time web results. “As an expert in both web navigation and browser functions, Aria facilitates AI collaboration in tasks such as information retrieval, text or code generation, and product inquiries,” Opera’s Kseniia Sycheva wrote in the company’s announcement post today.

Using the AI bot will require an Opera account, but nobody will be enrolled by default. “You have the autonomy to opt in based on your preference for engaging with AI services,” the company wrote. “Once activated, Aria offers intelligent insights, innovative ideas, and responsive voice commands.” As TechCrunchnotes, Aria is available from the “more” menu (the far right tab on the bottom) in the Opera iOS app.

In addition to the chatbot, Opera for iOS includes a built-in ad blocker and supports Apple Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which limits cross-site tracking. The browser also has a built-in VPN service you can use for free. The updated app with Aria is available today in 180 countries, including the US and the European Union.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/operas-ai-browser-assistant-is-now-available-in-its-ios-app-181021204.html?src=rss 

Valve just dropped a Steam Client Beta update that finally introduces a sought-after feature. The Steam Remote Play service will now offer 4K support, providing a series of presets to allow gamers to find the perfect high-res settings for preferred titles. Prior to this update, 4K was still possible when playing remotely, but it required plenty of experimentation with settings and didn’t always work right. This should fix many of those issues.

This move lets gamers finally make use out of high-end peripherals, like 4K monitors, when engaging with remote streaming play. For the uninitiated, Steam Remote Play is a useful service that streams PC games from your Steam library to phones, tablets, laptops and related devices. Its sibling service, Steam Remote Play Together, adds online multiplayer to the mix, actually allowing players who don’t even own the game to join in competitive or co-op play.

4K streaming isn’t the only new feature included in this update, though it’s certainly the most notable. Valve also now allows users to resize the settings window and it has made the back button more reliable when making minute adjustments, like fiddling with 4K streams. The company also fixed a whole bunch of bugs, like folders not being re-created when verifying game installations and overlays freezing when file dialogs are displayed.

Finally, Big Picture Mode received some minor bug fixes and Steam added support for the Indonesian language. The update is available for download now, but this is a beta so you may want to wait until an official final release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/steam-remote-play-now-officially-supports-4k-gaming-182020228.html?src=rss 

Amazon is tightening the purse strings again, raising prices for Music Unlimited subscriptions. This latest increase impacts Prime members and family plan users, as originally spotted by The Hollywood Reporter. The Amazon Music Unlimited Individual Plan for Prime members is going up from $9 to $10 per month, or $89 to $99 per year. The Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan is shooting up from $16 to $17 per month, or $159 to $169 per year.

These rates begin immediately for new subscribers, but pre-existing customers have a grace period until September 19 before they kick in. As for the why, Amazon magnanimously stated that the price hikes will help bring “even more content and features.” Aw, shucks. You shouldn’t have.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Amazon has raised Music Unlimited prices this year. Back in January, the costs went up for students and non-Prime subscribers, and last year Prime members got yet another increase. So, basically Prime members saw prices jettison from $8 per month to $10 per month in just over a year. That’s a lot of new content and features.

Amazon isn’t the only streamer taking extra dips into our bank accounts. Just about every known streaming service has been raising prices this past year. YouTube Premium went up form $12 to $14 per month, Tidal got an increase, Apple Music and Apple TV+ experienced price hikes, Spotify shot up from $10 to $11 per month and that’s just the beginning. Other streaming services like Peacock, Paramount+, Hulu and Max all raised their prices, likely to add those new content and features everyone’s been talking about.

In related news, Amazon Music Unlimited pays artists around $5,000 per million streams, which is in line with Apple Music and Spotify. In a perfect world, some of that price hike money would go to the people that actually make the stuff that populate these platforms. This is not a perfect world.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-music-unlimited-raises-subscription-prices-again-164553310.html?src=rss 

Who’s ready for some (bad opinions from the internet while you watch) football? YouTube has revealed some more NFL Sunday Ticket features for the upcoming season. As you watch games, you’ll be able to view a live chat and read what other people think about a certain play or call. Live chat and polls will be available on both mobile and TVs.

YouTube users will be able to watch real-time NFL highlights on Shorts. On Sunday afternoons, these highlights will include a red Live ring around the channel’s avatar, and clicking on this will take users to the NFL channel’s Live tab. There, Sunday Ticket subscribers can decide which game (or games, thanks to the multiview options) to start watching.

One other thing that could be helpful for viewers is key plays, a handy YouTube TV feature that the platform is bringing over to Sunday Ticket. You’ll be able to catch up on a game that you couldn’t watch or check out big plays before joining the live action. This feature will only be available on TVs this season, which is the first under a multibillion-dollar, seven-year pact that YouTube has with the NFL for Sunday Ticket rights.

Naturally, YouTube is looking to recoup its investment on Sunday Ticket and it’s now offering fans more ways to sign up. Starting today, there will be a monthly payment plan option for Sunday Ticket in most states to help fans spread the cost of a subscription over a longer period. It may take a few days before the option is available on YouTube and YouTube TV in your area. 

However, the monthly plan won’t be available to folks in Georgia, New York, Minnesota, Nevada, Missouri, Tennessee or New Jersey. Residents of those states will need to pay for a season-long Sunday Ticket subscription (which now starts at $349) up front. Meanwhile, YouTube says student plans will be available sometime in the next week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtubes-nfl-sunday-ticket-includes-live-chat-and-highlights-in-shorts-170037161.html?src=rss 

Valve has updated Steam’s minimum pricing policy for some non-USD currencies, which could impact those who sell games and expansions for less than the equivalent of $5. The company warned publishers and developers that the move could lead to games and DLC using lower pricing being unavailable to purchase in some regions if they don’t make adjustments, while they may not be able to offer discounts as deeply as they used to.

According to Valve, the aim of the revised policy is to align minimum pricing with recommended currency conversions the company issued last October. It updated those recommendations “to adjust for some currencies drifting significantly in value over time.”

As such, the base price for a game or expansion must be at least the equivalent of 99 cents. The minimum price for a discounted game or DLC is the equivalent of 49 cents. 

Developers and publishers may need to change the pricing of their products in some countries. As Game Developer notes, they’ll have to be mindful of how they handle discounts too. Publishers and developers of games that usually cost $4.99 or less will need to make sure they avoid going below the threshold during sales. Valve offers price management and discount tools on Steam to help them navigate such issues.

The move may also impact players who create Steam accounts in different countries to take advantage of regional price differences. While the new thresholds won’t necessarily impact blockbuster games, they could make it somewhat less viable for players to change their virtual location to the likes of Turkey and Argentina to pick up a grab bag of indie games and other deeply discounted titles.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/steam-changes-could-increase-game-prices-in-some-countries-154516181.html?src=rss 

As part of a larger Anker sale at Amazon, the 622 MagGo portable charger is down to a record low of $40. That’s a 43 percent discount off its usual $70 MSRP. We’ve tried and liked this portable battery pack and recommend it in our gift guide to travel tech. The MagSafe-compatible, 5,000mAh unit will give an empty iPhone a partial charge, filling it between 50 and 75 percent, depending on the model and age of your phone. And while it charges, the fold out stand holds your screen at an angle for viewing (though of course, using your phone while it charge will slow down the process). 

A few more Anker accessories are worth calling out from the sale, including the 11-in-1 USB-C hub, which is $55 after a 45 percent discount off its $100 price tag. The hub connects to a laptop via USB-C and features eleven ports in total, including Ethernet, HDMI, SD card readers and multiple USB-C and USB-A slots. That should let you use just about any peripheral you might need. 

A cable with a high wattage rating, like the Anker 140W USB-C to USB-C cord, will let you take advantage of the speed offered by fast charging bricks. While this one doesn’t support media display, the exterior sheathing is made from plant based materials like corn and sugar cane. Right now it’s $13 after a 29 percent discount. 

Another charging accessory, Anker’s 511 30W Nano 3 charger is one of our favorite accessories for Apple Watches and it’s down to $17 instead of its usual $23. If you’re thinking of getting the upcoming Series 9 smartwatch, you’ll need a power brick since the new wearables don’t come with one. The 511 is compact, foldable and has built-in safeguards to protect against overheating. It’s even powerful enough to juice up an iPhone. 

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/anker-battery-packs-and-accessories-are-up-to-45-percent-off-right-now-160042574.html?src=rss