Category: Technology

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is bumping up its release date. The animated adventure will now open on April 5th in over 60 markets (it was previously slated for April 7th). Giving the movie a five-day opening over Easter weekend is an old Hollywood trick that could help pad its initial earnings and lead to marketing-friendly headlines touting its early success.

The film stars the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Chris Day as Luigi, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Jack Black as Bowser. It was initially scheduled to release in December, but Illumination and Nintendo announced early last year they were pushing it back to this April. Throughout April and May, the movie will release in ten additional Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European markets; Japan’s release is timed to coincide with the Golden Week Holidays on April 28th.

The movie will mark Mario’s first big-screen starring role since 1993’s ill-fated Super Mario Bros., starring Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, which bombed at the box office but became something of a “so bad it’s good” cult classic in later years. Before that, children of the late 80s and early 90s enjoyed The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, a live-action / animated series starring Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells.

The upcoming Mario film could be a barometer for audiences’ appetites for video game movies. Hollywood adaptations of gaming IPs have a long track record of (rightfully) bombing with box offices and critics. Still, HBO’s excellent The Last of Us series has been a notable exception that Nintendo and Illumination would love to continue on the big screen.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-super-mario-bros-movie-will-arrive-in-theaters-two-days-early-194505444.html?src=rss 

Google announced that it’s rolling out Pixel Watch fall detection starting today. Like the Apple Watch feature of the same name launched in 2018, Google’s version also uses motion sensors and algorithms to determine if you’ve fallen and need help. However, Google says it won’t accidentally call emergency services for winter sports accidents, as the Apple Watch’s crash detection has done.

If the Pixel Watch detects a possible fall and a lack of movement for about 30 seconds, it will vibrate, emit an alarm and display an onscreen message checking on you. If it wasn’t a bad fall, tap the “I’m OK” button to dismiss the alert; tap “I fell & need help” if you want it to call 911. Otherwise, the sound will continue for about a minute and grow louder in its final seconds. If you still haven’t responded to the alert by then, it will contact emergency services automatically, playing them an automated message requesting help at your location. (You’ll also have the option of speaking to the 911 operator from the watch.)

You can activate the feature on the “Updates” page in the Watch Companion app on your paired phone or in the Pixel Watch’s Personal Safety app.

Google says its fall detection should avoid false positives. “Worried that doing burpees or hitting the ski slopes will trigger an accidental emergency call?” Google wrote in its announcement post. “Your Pixel Watch knows the difference between taking a hard fall and performing a vigorous physical activity or even quickly recovering from a small stumble — thanks to our machine learning algorithms and rigorous testing. The motion sensors and algorithms can monitor for a sudden impact and your body’s responses and instinctive reactions to falling. We trained this process using a broad variety of human and simulated fall data and other motion patterns to accurately detect real falls and minimize potential false alarms.”

Google adds that you can supply data to help it improve the feature by toggling the “Help improve fall detection” option. This will send the company motion-sensor data of any events detected as falls.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-pixel-watch-gets-fall-detection-starting-today-204521485.html?src=rss 

When President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law in 2022, it put $52 billion in tax credits and funding on the table to help bolster the semiconductor industry in the US, with $39 billion specifically earmarked for semiconductor manufacturing incentives. Now, we’re starting to see how that initiative is going to play out: The Biden Administration has officially launched the first CHIPS for America funding opportunity, laying out the application process for “projects to construct, expand or modernize commercial facilities for the production of leading-edge, current-generation and mature-node semiconductors.”

The “first” in first funding opportunity is the key word here: At the start, CHIPS for America is specifically looking to fund projects that align with the program’s “vision for success” that seeks to have a number of leading-edge logic fabrication facilities and DRAM chip manufacturers by the end of the decade, as well as hitting specific production capacity goals for “current-generation and mature-node” semiconductors. The program plans to offer more funding opportunities for R&D and manufacturing equipment facilities at a later date. Applications for those programs won’t launch until late Spring and Fall of 2023, but the CHIPS Program Office is open to receiving statements of interest from hopeful applicants.

The program also includes strict guardrails for how funding is used. Applicants who are awarded CHIPS funding will be prohibited from using the payments for stock buybacks or to pay out dividends, and payments will be tied to meeting specific milestones. It’ll be awhile before the first recipients of CHIPS funding are announced, but hopeful projects can begin submitting applications on March 31, 2023. Want all the details? Check out the full CHIPS for America announcement right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/white-houses-39-billion-in-chip-manufacturing-incentives-are-now-up-for-grabs-210717317.html?src=rss 

Tesla’s Investor Day isn’t here quite yet, but we may already know one of the company’s biggest announcements. According to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Elon Musk has promised to build the automaker’s next gigafactory in northern Mexico — specifically in Monterrey, the capitol of the northern state of Nuevo Leon. It’s a deal that’s been in the works for some time: Late last year, Musk visited Nuevo Leon to meet with the Governor of the region.

Even so, there were some questions about if Tesla could get approval to build in the area — after Monterrey suffered severe water shortages in 2022, President López Obrador said the government would not grant permits for water-hungry factories. After a series of phone calls with Elon Musk, Tesla was granted an exception. “There is one commitment that all the water used in the manufacture of electric automobiles will be recycled water,” López Obrador said of the call, adding that the factory would also represent “a considerable investment and many, many jobs.”

As for what Tesla plans to build in Monterrey, Mexico? We’ll have to wait a day to find out. The Mexican President wasn’t clear on exactly what the new factory would be producing, though it’s worth noting that Tesla has already announced a massive expansion of its facility in Reno, Nevada, where it’s investing $3.6 billion to build a battery factory and mass produce the Telsa Semi truck. López Obrador noted that we can expect to hear more details on Wednesday, March 1st — and hey, that’s Tesla Investor day.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-selects-monterrey-mexico-as-the-site-of-its-next-gigafactory-192534657.html?src=rss 

Nishad Singh, a co-founder of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has pleaded guilty to US federal fraud and conspiracy charges. Singh, who was FTX’s director of engineering, is the third member of Sam Bankman-Fried’s inner circle to agree to cooperate with prosecutors in the case against him. Former executives Caroline Ellison and Zixiao “Gary” Wang previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

Singh pleaded guilty to six criminal counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the US by violating campaign finance laws. He agreed to forfeit the proceeds of his actions, as Reuters reports. Bankruptcy filings showed that Singh received a $543 million loan from Alameda.

Singh admitted to making illegal donations to political candidates and PACs under his name using funds from Alameda Research (FTX’s sibling hedge fund and crypto trading firm). He claimed the donations were intended to bolster the political influence of FTX and Bankman-Fried (aka SBF), according to The Wall Street Journal. Singh added that he agreed with the stances of those he donated to but didn’t pick the candidates. Per OpenSecrets, he contributed $8 million to Democratic PACs and campaigns during the 2022 election cycle.

Moreover, Singh said he found out in mid-2022 that Alameda was borrowing billions of dollars in customer funds from FTX. It emerged by September that Alameda wasn’t able to repay those funds. Singh additionally claimed that he falsified FTX’s revenues at SBF’s behest to make the company more palatable to investors.

SBF now faces 12 criminal charges after an indictment detailing four additional ones was unsealed last week. Among other things, he has been accused of stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds and misleading investors and lenders. Notably, in light of Singh’s plea, the charges include alleged violations of federal campaign finance laws by donating to a super PAC under the names of two executives. SBF, who was arrested and extradited from the Bahamas in December, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial is set for October.

On the same day Singh made his guilty plea, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed civil complaints against him. The agencies said Singh is cooperating with the SEC’s ongoing investigation and that he agreed to settle with the CFTC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftx-co-founder-nishad-singh-pleads-guilty-to-fraud-and-conspiracy-charges-192939749.html?src=rss 

Apple released the latest refreshes to its MacBook Pro laptops just last month, but a new deal has brought the 14-inch model down to $1,799 at Amazon and B&H. That’s $150 off this configuration’s typical going rate on Amazon, $200 off Apple’s MSRP and the largest discount we’ve seen to date. B&H’s listing says the deal is only scheduled to last through Tuesday. Note that only the Space Gray model is discounted.

This deal applies to the entry-level 14-inch model, which includes a new M2 Pro chip with a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. The 14.2-inch Mini-LED display has a resolution of 3,024 x 1,964 and supports refresh rates up to 120Hz for smoother scrolling. There’s a 1080p webcam inside an iPhone-style display notch, plus three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, a full-sized SD card slot, a MagSafe connector for charging and a headphone jack.

We gave the latest 14-inch MacBook Pro a review score of 92 back in January. Although that review was based on a higher-power configuration than this discounted model, the general benefits are the same here. The new MacBook Pro is essentially just a speed bump, but it remains a fast and sturdily-built notebook for power users. Its display is still superb, its keyboard and trackpad are still comfortable, its speakers are still top-notch and its battery life can still genuinely last beyond a full work day. On the flip side, the whole thing is still expensive (even with this discount) and hardly upgradeable, but that’s a familiar story for Macs. This entry-level model also comes with a 67W charger, while the more expensive configurations include a faster 96W adapter in the box.

The one major upgrade here is the new chip. To be clear, this variant of the M2 Pro isn’t worth the upgrade for most owners of the prior MacBook Pro, and its graphics performance is still clearly behind the M2 Max chip available in the pricier Pro models. Because of the way its NAND chips are configured, this entry-level model’s storage performance is technically slower than the last entry-level 14-inch Pro as well. 

That said, this is still a powerful notebook. Any storage drop-off isn’t likely to be noticeable the vast majority of the time, and the CPU and GPU performance here is still a nice jump for most looking to upgrade from an older Intel-based Pro. While the M2 MacBook Air is the better buy for most people in need of a general-purpose laptop, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is a great choice for those willing to pay for more performance, and this deal makes it at least a little more affordable. 

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/apple-2023-macbook-pro-with-m2-pro-is-200-off-right-now-164333083.html?src=rss 

Now that IO Interactive (IOI) has wrapped up Hitman: World of Assassination, it’s moving on to the next logical step: a James Bond game. But the studio is also moving in a more surprising direction, as it announced today that it’s making an online fantasy RPG. “This idea — that a diverse group of individuals with different skills and strengths can work together and become more than the sum of their parts — is what inspires us,” the studio wrote in a blog post.

Of course, IOI didn’t go into much detail about the project, which it describes as “just the start of our journey into this new world we are making.” However, it did say memories of tabletop fantasy RPGs influenced the decision. “From the Fighting Fantasy books compelling you to choose your path, alone, against wizards, lizards, and thief kings. To the togetherness, camaraderie, agony, and delight found around the tabletop. For some it meant taking the role of a game master: Part storyteller, part AI opponent, part guide, part villain. For everyone around that table it meant creativity, imagination, building a world together, and a shared goal in creating a great game experience.”

The indie studio says the game will be a new IP designed to “entertain players and expand for many years to come.” It says all of its studios, including locations in Copenhagen, Malmö and Barcelona, will work together on the project.

IOI will develop the RPG alongside its upcoming James Bond game, codenamed “Project 007,” which it’s working on with license holders MGM and Eon Productions. It seems a natural fit for the studio, as it could take the beloved core Hitman gameplay, create a new story with new maps, add a James Bond coat of paint and have a game many people would love to play. (It could change its formula more than that, but it won’t need a radical departure.) IOI has said its title would be its own Bond story that won’t use the likenesses of any established Bond actors; the studio even said it could become another spy trilogy. The title doesn’t yet have a release date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hitman-studio-io-interactive-is-making-a-fantasy-rpg-game-165722089.html?src=rss 

Despite what companies would like you to believe, you don’t need to get a new phone every year or two. So while Samsung’s 2023 lineup of its Galaxy S flagship phones may seem underwhelming when compared to the last generation, it’s not a bad thing that these devices offer little reason to upgrade. It’s just that after having said the same thing about the 2022 models, as well as competing phones from Apple and Google, it feels hard to be excited about non-folding smartphones anymore.

Like most of the competition, Samsung has focused on tweaking the S23 series’ camera and software features, alongside small adjustments to display and design. We’ve also got the typical processor upgrade and promised battery life improvements, which are objectively good things on paper, but in reality don’t impact your daily use that much.

We’ve already reviewed the S23 Ultra which, thanks to a large screen, onboard S-Pen and 200-megapixel camera, is aggressively targeted at power users. For everyone else looking to get a new Android phone, there’s the S23+ or the S23. Samsung hasn’t made the smallest model available to review yet, so we’re focusing on the Plus model here. If you’re considering Samsung’s middle child, it’s probably only worth it if you’re currently using something at least three years old or if you’re outside the US.

Design

One of the most noticeable changes between the S23+ and its predecessor is this year’s cleaned up appearance. The two phones are basically the same, save for the shiny camera housing on the back of the older model, wrapping around the top left corner. Samsung introduced this “contour cut” housing on the S21, and I grew to like the aesthetic, especially on the lavender and pink versions.

Looking at the S22+ and S23+ side by side, I’m ambivalent – they’re both inoffensive. Whether you prefer the cleaner look depends on your personal taste. Functionally, nothing is too different between the two designs — the S23+ wobbles slightly less, but that was never a huge deal on the S22. I liked the lavender color of our review unit, as well as the green version I saw at Samsung’s hands-on event, but the cream and black options bore me.

In terms of physical dimensions, the differences between the two generations are negligible. They’re practically the same weight, width and length and exactly the same thickness. The S23+ is slimmer and lighter than the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Plus, though those two have larger displays.

Display and audio

Speaking of, one area that Samsung did somewhat improve on the S23+ is its screen. Yes, it’s mostly the same as before, with the same size, same FHD+ resolution and an up to 120Hz refresh rate. By now you probably have heard reviewers like myself extol the virtues of screens with high refresh rates and how great they are for scrolling your Instagram or Reddit feeds. The S23+ is no exception.

But it’s now capable of hitting up to 1,750 nits when outdoors compared to 1,200 nits before, meaning it should be easier to read in sunlight. There haven’t been many sunny days recently, so it’s been hard to put this to the test. But, the S23+ still offers a vibrant, colorful screen as is typical for Samsung’s mobile products. 

Meanwhile, when it comes to audio, the Galaxy S23+ is as good as any flagship smartphone. That is to say it offers clear vocals and ample volume, but is slightly lacking in bass. Voices of The Weeknd, SZA and Rihanna all sounded clear in the songs that I listened to, though the instruments in the latter’s cover of Love On The Brain sounded a little messy.

Cameras

The triple rear camera system on the S23+ is the same as before. That is to say, its main 50-megapixel sensor is accompanied by a 10MP telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide. Up front, though, the S23+ has a new 12MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and 80-degree field of view.

As a professional pixel peeper (™), I could make out just the slightest difference in sharpness between selfies taken with the S22+ and S23+, specifically in the highlighted strands of my hair. There was some distortion in the pictures taken with the older phone, whereas the same lines were tack sharp on the 12MP version. Overall, though, barring some general color temperature variations, it was hard to tell the two images apart.

Compared to the Pixel 7 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro, the S23+ has a slight advantage in retaining detail, thanks to its dual-pixel autofocus as well. I shot some selfies with a friend as we were cackling maniacally one night, and Samsung’s flagship was the only one that retained the gorgeous greens, purples and blues in her hair, while capturing every individual strand of her eyelashes. You could even see the texture of the pigmentation in her purple eyeshadow.

The Pixel’s 10.8MP front camera managed to capture the hues in her hair too, but its picture simply wasn’t as detailed or clear. Meanwhile, the iPhone’s 12MP photo barely showed any of the colors in my friend’s tresses.

Though they remain unchanged, the S23+’s rear cameras are still pretty capable. In most situations with adequate light, they deliver pictures that are similar in quality to the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro. My shots of the New York cityscape one overcast day all showed slightly different coloring. The S23+ had the deepest, brightest blue, while the Pixel was the most neutral. Samsung’s 3x telephoto lens let me get the closest to faraway buildings and still get crisp pics, though Google’s algorithms still made for clean results.

In low light, however, the Pixel consistently outdid the S23+, with better exposure and retention of clarity in my numerous shots of mouth-watering food. Whether it’s a shiny fried shrimp or a plate of tantalizing scallops, the Pixel delivered more even highlights than the S23+. Google’s portrait mode also consistently kept subjects in focus, although every now and then the S23+ would produce a photo with surprisingly accurate outlines of my subjects.

While it’s not at the same level as Google’s or Apple’s flagship cameras, the S23+ isn’t lagging far behind and offers some versatility for those looking to take shots from a distance.

Performance and battery life

This year marks the first time Samsung is using a Snapdragon processor in all variants of the Galaxy S series, regardless of where they’re bought. That means if you were relegated to using a version with Samsung’s own Exynos chip in the past, getting an S23 would be a bigger upgrade for you than someone in the US. Exynos models have been criticized for performance and battery life drawbacks compared to their Snapdragon counterparts, so trading your S22 in for an S23 would make more sense in Europe or Asia than in the US.

The S23 series is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, which is a customized version of Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line mobile processor. It has slightly higher clock speeds than the regular edition, so if this is the only deciding factor for you when choosing between a Galaxy and, say, a OnePlus, then know that this difference is extremely slight.

In daily use, the S23+ felt as zippy as any of the new phones I’ve tested lately. Whether I’m dragging and dropping my face between apps, learning Japanese on “Hey Japan,” mindlessly scrolling on Instagram or trying to get into Genshin: Impact, the S23+ never hiccuped. I generally expect pretty smooth performance out of new phones like this, so I can’t say I’m especially impressed, and it’s probably more realistic to evaluate performance after a few months with the phone.

I can, however, talk about how impressive the battery life has been. In general the S23+ has matched the Pixel 7 Pro that I also carried around while testing their cameras, and both devices stuck around for longer than two days without a charge. Granted, I wasn’t heavily using either during that time, mostly whipping them out to take photos and videos throughout the day.

On our video rundown battery test, the S23+ clocked a whopping 25 hours, which beats pretty much every phone we tested in 2022, as well as the Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11.

Wrap-up

It might feel like nitpicking, but with so few meaningful changes, the S23+ doesn’t feel like it’s worth upgrading to if you’re using an S22 or S21. That is, at least, if you’re in the US. Those who are living with an Exynos version of an older Galaxy flagship will likely find a greater improvement in performance and battery life, making it a more worthy upgrade.

But just because the S23+ isn’t chock full of surprises and updates doesn’t mean it’s not a good phone. It still ranks up there as one of the best Android phones around. Samsung has consistently delivered capable phones with thoughtful software and features in the last few years and with the S23+, it continues to be a serious contender for those looking for an excellent Android phone.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s23-review-a-solid-phone-thats-probably-not-worth-the-upgrade-173026346.html?src=rss 

Google says client-side encryption (CSE) is now generally available for Gmail after it enabled the feature on Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets and Meet last year and in Calendar earlier this month. The company opened a CSE beta for Gmail and Calendar late last year, but now all organizations on a Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Plus or Education Standard plan can enable the privacy protection feature. The option isn’t available on personal Workspace plans or Google accounts just yet.

Although Workspace “encrypts data at rest and in transit by using secure-by-design cryptographic libraries,” CSE gives organizations total control over their encryption keys. “Starting today, users can send and receive emails or create meeting events with internal colleagues and external parties, knowing that their sensitive data (including inline images and attachments) has been encrypted before it reaches Google servers,” Google wrote in a blog post.

Workspace admins will need to enable CSE, which is off by default. Once it’s enabled for your organization, you can add CSE to any message in Gmail by clicking the lock icon on the right side of the “To” field and turning on the “Additional encryption” option. The compose panel will turn blue and may read “New encrypted message.” Meanwhile, in Calendar, you can click the shield icon next to an event title to add “additional encryption” to the description, attachments and Google Meet call.

Encrypting the likes of Drive files and Calendar events is certainly welcome, but CSE protections may be most effective in Gmail. Organizations are perhaps more likely to send emails externally than share files or calendar invites with third-parties, after all. In any case, Google says that all essential Workspace apps are now covered by CSE.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-expands-gmail-client-side-encryption-to-more-users-171226086.html?src=rss 

Tecno, a relatively unknown mobile brand on our side of the world, surprised us with a pop-out portrait lens on its Phantom X2 Pro flagship phone back in December. For its MWC event today, the Chinese company brought us the Phantom V Fold, which happens to be the first horizontally-folding phone to be powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000+ processor (hello, Oppo Find N2 Flip!), rather than something from Qualcomm. This usually means a lower entry barrier, which is always a good thing.

Like Honor’s Magic VS and Xiaomi’s Mix Fold 2, the Phantom V Fold has opted for a body that’s wider than Samsung’s counterparts — just not as wide as Oppo’s. Tecno’s “virtually crease-free” foldable screen comes in at 7.85 inches with a 2,296 x 2,000 resolution, and on the other side, you’re greeted by a 6.42-inch 2,550 x 1,080 sub-screen. Both AMOLED panels feature a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. As far as durability goes, the claim here is that “the device is capable of 200,000 folds,” which matches that of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, though that’s just half of what the Chinese competition has achieved lately.

The Phantom V Fold comes with a complete set of cameras, too. On the rear side, there’s a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (2x optical zoom) and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera. These are surrounded by an eco-friendly back cover — in black or white — composed of recycled plastics. Then you get two punch-hole selfie cameras: a 16-megapixel one on the foldable screen, and a 32-megapixel version on the outer screen. The latter is fine for video calls on that smaller screen, but you’d probably want to unfold the phone and use the main camera instead for better selfies.

Tecno didn’t cheap out on the battery here, either. The Phantom V Fold packs a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charge. This reaches 40-percent charge in 15 minutes, or 100-percent charge in 55 minutes. That’s a tad slower than the Chinese competition, but it still beats the Galaxy Z Fold 4 — assuming you don’t mind missing out on wireless charging.

On the software side, the Phantom V Fold runs on Tecno’s HiOS 13 Fold based on Android 13. The company claimed that it’s customized the folding experience on its device for the top 1,000 most downloaded apps globally, and 90 percent of which have also been optimized for split-screen and multi-window modes.

So how much more affordable is the Phantom V Fold? Well, not bad. The base model with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage costs $1,099, whereas the 512GB variant is asking for $1,222. These are very competitive when compared to Samsung and even Honor outside of China, though prices will vary across countries — namely India, in this case, followed by various African and Latin American countries where Tecno is usually active in.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tecno-phantom-v-fold-pricing-availability-mwc-2023-174526995.html?src=rss