Technology - Kalakshar US

Apple TV and Peacock team up on a bundle that costs $15 per month

There’s a new streaming bundle in town. Apple TV and Peacock are teaming up to offer a combined subscription that starts at $15 per month. This will allow access to all original programming from both platforms, in addition to Peacock’s stable of network and cable shows.

This is a mighty fine deal, given that Apple TV recently changed both its name and price. The platform costs $13 per month now on its own. Peacock starts at $11 per month. In other words, this is a discount of around $9 each month. In this economy, we’ll take any savings we can get.

There’s one caveat here. The $15 price tag is for Peacock with ads. The subscription shoots up to $20 per month for an ad-free version. However, a standalone subscription to ad-free Peacock is $17 on its own. This bundle becomes available on October 20. Additionally, Apple One subscribers will get a 35 percent discount on Peacock Premium Plus plans. It’s always nice when two lonely corporations find friendship, isn’t it?

For the uninitiated, Apple TV is the company’s big-wig streaming platform. It’s primarily known for sci-fi like Severance, For All Mankind and the upcoming Pluribus. The platform is also host to plenty of comedy, like The Studio, Shrinking and Ted Lasso.

Peacock is NBC’s streaming service. It streams old-school network programming like The Office, Grimm and Superstore. The service features a stable of original programming like Poker Face, Twisted Metal and the underrated Mrs. Davis. The platform also recently premiered a little show called The Paper, which is a spinoff of The Office. Against all odds, this is actually a great little sitcom and a worthy successor to the original.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/apple-tv-and-peacock-team-up-on-a-bundle-that-costs-15-per-month-170403406.html?src=rss

The FCC wants to expel one of Hong Kong’s biggest telecom operators from US networks

The FCC is moving to expel Hong Kong Telecom (HKT) from US telecom networks, citing national security concerns. The agency sent HKT an “Order to Show Cause,” which directs the company to explain why the FCC should not begin revocation proceedings against it.

The 30-page order outlines the agency’s reasoning, including a focus on applying new certification and disclosure requirements to entities “owned by, controlled by or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary.”

“Today’s Order continues the FCC’s work of ensuring that CCP-controlled entities that pose national security risks to our country cannot connect to our telecom networks,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in a statement announcing the move. HKT is one of the largest telecommunications companies in Hong Kong and is a subsidiary of communications giant PCCW. Roughly 18 percent of PCCW is owned by China Unicom, a state-owned telecommunications company.

HKT is not the only target of the agency’s ongoing effort to root out potential vulnerabilities. On October 28, the FCC will be voting on steps to further strengthen guardrails under its equipment authorization program to protect US networks and the communications supply chain against national security threats.

The past month has seen ramped-up regulatory activity from both China and the United States aimed at companies that operate in or generate revenues from one another’s markets. Chinese regulators have been investigating large tech acquisitions, telling local companies not to buy American AI chips and tightening export controls on rare earth minerals. Much of this comes against the backdrop of trade negotiations between the two countries.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-fcc-wants-to-expel-one-of-hong-kongs-biggest-telecom-operators-from-us-networks-155204605.html?src=rss

Unionized EA staffers are not happy about that proposed Saudi-backed acquisition

EA employees involved with the Communications Workers of America union have issued a sternly-worded statement against the recently-proposed private acquisition of the company by Saudi-backed investors, according to a report by Eurogamer. The complaints don’t involve Saudi Arabia’s long history of human rights violations, but rather that workers weren’t represented in any negotiations for the $55 billion deal.

The employees worry that any jobs lost as a result of the purchase would “be a choice, not a necessity, made to pad investors’ pockets.” In addition to this formal response, unionized workers have issued a petition that urges regulators to scrutinize the deal.

I just signed a @theactionnet petition: Make @EA Better for Workers and Gamers – Not Billionaires. Sign here: https://t.co/YEwBBwPmJQ

— John Chau (@JChau95) October 16, 2025

“EA is not a struggling company,” the statement reads, going on to note that the company’s success has been driven by workers. “Yet we, the very people who will be jeopardized as a result of this deal, were not represented at all when this buyout was negotiated or discussed.”

The statement calls out the huge number of layoffs that have impacted the industry in recent years. Unionized staffers note that “every time private equity or billionaire investors take a studio private, workers lose visibility, transparency and power.”

“We are calling on regulators and elected officials to scrutinize this deal and ensure that any path forward protects jobs, preserves creative freedom and keeps decision-making accountable to the workers who make EA successful,” the statement reads. “The value of video games is in their workers. As a unified voice, we, the members of the industry-wide video game workers’ union UVW-CWA, are standing together and refusing to let corporate greed decide the future of our industry.”

Eurogamer reached out to the FTC to inquire about the status of the proposed acquisition but the agency refused to comment on the grounds that it doesn’t speak about “pending mergers or acquisitions.” It’s worth noting that President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is involved with the purchase. The Financial Times recently suggested that the deal won’t face any real opposition, as “what regulator is going to say no to the president’s son-in-law?”

As previously noted, the proposed deal is valued at $55 billion. This would take the company private for the first time in its 35-year history. Various entities have partnered to make this deal, including the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake and Kushner’s Affinity Partners. US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal have also voiced concerns about this acquisition.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/unionized-ea-staffers-are-not-happy-about-that-proposed-saudi-backed-acquisition-155559256.html?src=rss

Spotify partners with the big three music labels on ‘artist-first AI music products’

Spotify sees the music industry’s AI problem, and it’s going to do… something about it. On Thursday, the company published a blog post heavy on principles, partnerships and vague plans. Unfortunately, it’s practically devoid of specifics. The most explicit bit is that it’s partnering with the big three music labels. Together, they’ll “develop responsible AI products that empower the artists and songwriters they represent, and connect them with the fans who support them.”

The move follows Spotify’s announcement last month that it would clean up the AI slop proliferating on its platform. The company frames today’s news as a direct defense against competition from unauthorized AI music production. “If the music industry doesn’t lead in this moment, AI-powered innovation will happen elsewhere, without rights, consent or compensation,” the company wrote.

Spotify says artists don’t find that current AI tools are “built to power their careers, their businesses, and their fan bases.” That will inform whatever comes out of the partners’ plans. “We’ll develop new products for artists and fans through upfront agreements, not by asking for forgiveness later,” the company wrote.

Spotify laid out four principles that will guide its hazy plans for “artist-first AI music products.” The first is through partnerships with labels, distributors, and publishers. (In addition to the big three of Sony, Universal and Warner, Spotify is partnering with digital rights company Merlin and the French music label Believe.) The other tenets include choice in participation, fair compensation and artist-fan connections.

Although it’s been forced to clean up the AI mess that grew on its platform, Spotify has adopted AI features of its own. Most notably, that includes its AI DJ. But it’s also released a personalized daylist and AI Playlist features. The company differentiated its tools from unauthorized ones it’s combating. It described its AI features as helping listeners to discover and connect with real artists.

“Our goal is to ensure the future of music innovation happens responsibly, and to invite the best minds in AI to help build it,” Spotify wrote.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/spotify-partners-with-the-big-three-music-labels-on-artist-first-ai-music-products-161047159.html?src=rss

Twitch adds a new live-shopping feature powered by Amazon Ads

Twitch will now allow its users to buy products without dragging them away from the stream they’re watching. Announced ahead of TwitchCon, which kicks off today in San Diego, Twitch is launching the live-shopping feature in partnership with e.l.f. Cosmetics, a sub-brand of e.l.f. Beauty. The tech is powered by Amazon Ads.

The brand’s eyes.lips.first. shoppable element will appear on its official Twitch channel, e.l.f.YOU!, which Patrick O’Keefe, the company’s Chief Integrated Marketing Communications Officer, said was designed to “empower female gamers, celebrate creativity and build confidence at the intersection of makeup and the streaming culture.” Twitch users can purchase e.l.f. Cosmetics products as they discover them in a stream, without being taken to a separate page.

E.l.f. Launched on Twitch in 2020 and often collaborates with gaming content creators to boost brand awareness. Twitch’s move into live shopping is likely at least partly inspired by TikTok, which launched the TikTok Shop back in 2023, where businesses can display their products and have affiliate videos placed in users’ feeds. TikTok creators can earn commission if a product they’re promoting is converted into sales.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/twitch-adds-a-new-live-shopping-feature-powered-by-amazon-ads-162554481.html?src=rss

Why does Amazon need five TV streamers?

What’s in a name? Apparently quite a bit, according to Amazon. The company recently announced yet another change to its Fire TV devices lineup, which just means they renamed a few things yet again. The family now includes the $35 Fire TV Stick HD, the $40 Fire TV Stick 4K Select, the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, the $60 Fire TV Stick 4K Max and the $140 Fire TV Cube.

That was a pain to type out and probably a pain to read (my apologies). Two of those devices were “rebranded” previously within the past year, so if you’re confused, you’re likely not alone. What’s a humble shopper to do when you’re trying to decide which is the best (and budget-friendly) option to upgrade an old TV so you can binge-watch Hunting Wives and ask Alexa about tomorrow’s weather forecast?

I’ll make your decision quite easy: just get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Really, if you’re looking for the best streaming device, period, we recommend turning to Google for that. But if you’ve decided Amazon’s Fire TV lineup is where you want to spend your money, the 4K Max is the best option of the bunch. Not only has it stuck around without being subject to a “rebrand” for quite some time, but it also has arguably the best balance of features and price of any Fire TV streaming device.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max gives you 4K streaming capabilities with Dolby Vision and all the HDRs that matter, Dolby Atmos audio and support for Amazon Luna and Xbox Game Pass. (It has some decent retro gaming chops, too, as our Jeff Dunn has previously explained.) Aside from the lack of an onboard Ethernet port present on the Fire TV Cube, the 4K Max has the same Wi-Fi 6E support as the more expensive Cube, plus the same 16GB of storage and 2GB of memory.

When compared to the other dongles in the Fire TV lineup, things get even more perplexing. The $60 4K Max and the $50 4K Plus are essentially the same stick, but the latter has less storage, only Wi-Fi 6 capabilities (not 6E), a standard Alexa Voice remote and no support for the Fire TV ambient experience, which turns your TV into an Alexa smart display when you’re not actively watching anything. Step down further once more to the $40 4K Select and you miss out on Dolby Vision and extra memory, and you’ll have to settle for Wi-Fi 5.

If you’re going to make all those compromises to save a few dollars, then you should just get the entry-level $35 Fire TV Stick HD. The biggest thing here is that it only supports 1080p streaming, but that will be ok for some people. We consider it to be the best budget streaming device on the market right now, and for folks just looking to make a cheap, basic upgrade to an aging set — go off and know your $35 was well spent (or, pro tip: wait for a sale and pick one up for less than $20).

The case for the $140 Fire TV Cube isn’t a strong one, but it’s one that I’ll admit might be attractive to some users. It adds into the mix an Ethernet port, hands-free Alexa controls (meaning you don’t have to press a button on its remote to activate the virtual assistant, you can just talk to it) and it can control your other entertainment devices like a cable box and game console. It ultimately gives you more control over both the other things in your entertainment ecosystem and Alexa all in one device.

That means Amazon has three strong streaming devices with very clear value propositions: the $35 Stick HD, the $60 4K Max and the $140 TV Cube. Affordable, mid-tier and high-end categories are covered and most people will find something that fits in their budget and their needs with these three. The two Sticks sandwiched in the middle do nothing but confuse consumers. Looking at a comparison chart of all the Fire TV streaming devices, you might start to ask yourself, do I really need Wi-Fi 6E over Wi-Fi 6? Will one extra gigabyte of memory make a difference? Can I live without the Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced?

You shouldn’t be asking yourself these questions; you have better things to do. There are only three Fire TV streaming devices worth considering, and I’d take it one step further and say most people should just get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max when it inevitably goes on sale for Black Friday for around $35. You’ll spend less and get a better product.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/why-does-amazon-need-five-tv-streamers-163014576.html?src=rss

For its next trick, Quantic Dream is trying to compete with League of Legends and Dota

It’s been quite a while since we’ve heard much about Quantic Dream’s Star Wars: Eclipse. The studio revealed that project at The Game Awards back in 2021 and details have been scarce since then. As it turns out, the developer of Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human had been working on a second game this whole time. It’s one that sees Quantic Dream venturing into entirely new territory, because the studio is making its first multiplayer game.

Spellcasters Chronicles is a 3 vs. 3 MOBA with a third-person perspective that’s akin to Marvel Rivals. Each round lasts 25 minutes, with teams summoning minions, battling to conquer territory and earning victory by destroying their opponents’ lifestones. So far, so typical MOBA. But Quantic Dream has a few tricks up its sleeve that it hopes will help make Spellcasters Chronicles stand out in a highly competitive live-service market.

It’s a magic-based MOBA with characters that have unique abilities, personalities and backstories. Every one of these mages has the ability to fly at any time and for as long as they want. So you can freely take to the skies to get a bird’s eye view of the battlefield and help you make decisions about what to do next. You can duke it out with enemies in the air too.

Along with attacks, support spells and summoning armies with hundreds of creatures, players can use their magic to plunk down buildings and shore up their defenses while altering the environment. There’s interplay between characters too, as you can infuse allies (including summoned creatures) with spells. One mage, for instance, might add fire to a tankier teammate’s hammer, so there are synergies to discover. “Something we wanted to push is the sense of creativity,” game director Greg Diaconu told reporters ahead of the reveal.

Spellcasters Chronicles

Quantic Dream

Eventually, you’ll be able to bring giant, game-changing titans into battles. Each player can summon one. Whenever a titan appears, it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation for the opposing team, since these are powerful creatures that can completely change the course of a round.

“It was important for us to create a sense of spectacle,” Diaconu said. “Something that’s as fun to watch as it is to play.”

It all seems quite action-packed, but there’s a heavy strategic element to Spellcasters Chronicles as well. Before you go into a battle, you’ll select your spells and summons, including your titan — so this is a deckbuilder game too. In the thick of the action, your team will need to decide when to pressure the map and try to expand your territory while capturing altars of power, totems that will grant you resources. Speaking of which, each spell has a limited number of uses, so resource management is a factor too.

Spellcasters Chronicles is free-to-play, but there are no pay-to-win concerns here. In-game purchases will be purely cosmetic. Expect battle passes full of new looks for the characters. Lots of updates are in the pipeline too, including new mages, spells and creatures.

Seven years in the oven

Quantic Dream started making Spellcasters Chronicles seven years ago (so before Netease bought a stake of the company and eventually the whole shebang). Although the studio decided to keep making narrative-driven single-player games after Detroit: Become Human, it wanted to try something new as well. The idea was to take the team’s experience of working on interactive storytelling to a different genre by creating a multiplayer game with a stylized look.

“Multiple teams are fully dedicated to crafting the next generation of great games, including something very different, a competitive multiplayer experience, born from the same spirit of curiosity and creativity that has always defined us,” Quantic Dream founder David Cage wrote in a blog post on Thursday. “This new title may surprise our fans as it is very different from what we have done so far. But taking risks, challenging ourselves, exploring new ways of playing and telling stories, and attempting what seems impossible, has always been part of our DNA.”

In the world of Spellcasters Chronicles, gods are no more and mages who are able to harness an energy called the Source will shape the future. Quantic Dream hasn’t shared too many details about the plot and characters of Spellcasters Chronicles just yet — the reveal focused on gameplay. That’s perhaps in part because the studio is leaning into a community-driven narrative approach. Victories and defeats will contribute “to the evolving Tapestry of Fate, where seasonal decisions will change gameplay, lore and map meta.”

We shouldn’t have to wait too long to see how all of that works in practice. Quantic Dream will run a closed beta for Spellcasters Chronicles on Steam later this year, and the game is set to hit consoles with cross-play support in 2026. Those who are attending TwitchCon San Diego this week can try out the MOBA there.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/for-its-next-trick-quantic-dream-is-trying-to-compete-with-league-of-legends-and-dota-150000283.html?src=rss

The Vision Pro will get an iPad app in upcoming iPadOS update

Buried in the press release for the upgraded Vision Pro headset that Apple announced yesterday was the news that the dedicated Apple Vision Pro app is making its way to iPad via iPadOS 26.1 later this fall. This means iPad users can browse Vision Pro content like apps and games from their tablet and queue downloads for the headset without needing to put it on each time.

The Vision Pro app has been available on iPhone since the arrival of iOS 18.4 in April, and features a regularly updated selection of curated spatial content that Apple thinks Vision Pro users might want to try. Open it up today, for example, and it’ll point you towards the Lungy app’s audiovisual meditations, the travel show Elevated on (the recently and very confusingly rebranded) Apple TV, some recommended games and a list of education-focused apps available on Vision Pro. The Vision Pro app also includes news and tips for using the headset, as well product information and account settings. All of the same features will be offered in the iPad version of the app.

In case you missed yesterday’s announcement, Apple has introduced an improved Vision Pro headset powered by the same M5 chip housed in its new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. This should represent a fairly significant jump up from the first-gen product’s M2 chip. Web-browsing will be faster, as will loading apps and just generally navigating menus on your headset.

The M5 chip also features a new 10-core GPU, which should significantly boost gaming performance, and without handing us any battery specs (which the company never likes to do), Apple says the upgraded Vision Pro should last a bit longer too. The M5 Vision Pro is now ready to pre-order now and still costs $3,499. Apple will start shipping the device on October 22.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-vision-pro-will-get-an-ipad-app-in-upcoming-ipados-update-142904090.html?src=rss

Microsoft’s next Windows 11 AI gamble: Just say “Hey Copilot”

Over a decade since Microsoft tried to make talking to Cortana on PCs a thing — and spectacularly failed in the process — the Windows giant is taking another swing at voice commands with its Copilot AI assistant in Windows 11. Starting today, the company is rolling out an upgrade to its existing Copilot Voice and Vision features which will let you say “Hey, Copilot” and then ask your PC a question based on what’s on the screen. If you’re looking at pictures of Hawaii, for example, you could ask your Windows 11 PC where exactly they were taken, have it plot you a flight plan and potentially even give you some budgeting tips to afford that island vacation.

Microsoft’s jaunty promotional videos for the Copilot features, set to Vampire Weekend’s almost two-decade-old “A Punk,” make the process look practically seamless. One user asks Copilot to show them how to stream their music in the “best possible quality,” and the AI proceeds to highlight the exact location of the streaming settings in Spotify, while suggesting they choose the lossless option. Another person asks Copilot to write up a short biography based on their photo portfolio. Now Copilot isn’t just about searching the web or generating novelty AI art, it’s making it easy for users to perform practical tasks without much effort.

Microsoft is clearly striving for the convenience of the Star Trek ship computer, a dream that also pushed Amazon to invest billions in its Echo devices and Alexa. The difference with Copilot is that you’re not just talking to a faceless speaker — Microsoft is also trying to make Windows 11 aware of what you’re doing on your screen. The “Hey Copilot” feature and all of the Copilot Vision are cloud-based, so you’ll have to live with image data of your desktop making its way to Microsoft’s servers. That involves a level of trust the company has lost with many users, especially after the messy debut of Recall, its first flagship AI-powered feature.

It doesn’t help that many people are still peeved about the death of Windows 10 support this week. Unsurprisingly, the company stresses that “Hey, Copilot” is a purely opt-in feature that’s buried in the Copilot app settings. (Of course, that can always change, especially if the company wants to juice AI engagement stats in a few years.)

Copilot Actions

Microsoft

I suspect it’ll be even harder for users to swallow where Microsoft wants to take Copilot: Giving it the ability to perform Windows tasks on its own. That’s the goal of the experimental Copilot Actions feature, which initially debuted as a tool that could perform tasks on websites. Once enabled, Copilot Actions can be prompted to handle manual tasks, like resizing and straightening an a folder of photos. If any questions pop up, it can prompt you to answer them within the Copilot app. And as Copilot Actions is handling its job in the background, you’re free to do anything else you’d like on your computer.

Conceptually, Copilot Actions sounds similar to handing off a task to a real life assistant — but just like a human assistant, there’s always a chance something could go wrong along the way. It’s also not hard to imagine the feature being coopted by nefarious malware down the line, since it’s basically a Windows script in a better interface. Microsoft says it’s tested Copilot Actions “extensively” internally, and it’s rolling out the feature slowly to gather feedback.

Just like “Hey, Copilot,” it’s entirely opt-in, and you can see everything Copilot Actions is doing step-by-step in the Copilot app. Microsoft says you’l be able to jump in and take control of a Copilot Action job at any point, as well as control the permissions of AI agents in Windows 11’s user settings. Copilot tasks are also performed in a contained environment, according to Microsoft, which allows for even more specific permissions controls as well as runtime isolation (so Copilot can’t affect the rest of your system beyond its specific task).

And as if we’re not already inundated with Copilot all over Windows 11 already, Microsoft also plans to add an “Ask Copilot” search function right on Windows 11’s taskbar. The company claims it’s part of a mission to make the taskbar “a dynamic hub” for accomplishing tasks, but personally I like to keep my taskbar clear so I can cram in more app windows. Like everything Microsoft is announcing today, the Ask Copilot bar will also be entirely opt-in.

As someone who’s been skeptical of Microsoft’s Copilot initiatives so far, I could actually see myself using “Hey Copilot” if it works as advertised. It sounds far more practical than the old Siri voice commands, which were limited by simplistic language models from a decade ago. Microsoft is also expanding AI actions built into Windows 11, including a new integration with Manus, an AI agent that can do things like turn several documents into a website, as well as Filmora, which lets you create AI videos right from the File Explorer.

The new “Hey Copilot” and Copilot Vision features are available today on all Windows 11 PCs that have access to Copilot. Microsoft is also making Copilot Vision broadly available around the world today where Copilot is available. Copilot Actions and the Ask Copilot taskbar feature will “gradually” become available to Windows 11 Insiders, according to Microsoft.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsofts-next-windows-11-ai-gamble-just-say-hey-copilot-130000875.html?src=rss

Pinterest will let you ‘dial down’ AI slop in your feeds

Pinterest is taking new steps to reduce the amount of AI slop its users are seeing. The service is adding settings that allow people to “dial down” AI-generated content in a number of categories that are “highly-prone” to such imagery, the company said in an update.

While most social platforms have grappled with how to deal with the rise of AI-created content, Pinterest has been particularly inundated. Its image-board UI has proven particularly susceptible to AI slop, and users have complained about the difficulty of finding content created by humans.

Now, Pinterest is offering users more control over how much AI content appears in their recommendations. The service is adding a “refine your recommendations” setting that allows you to toggle generative AI content from specific categories, including art, architecture, beauty, fashion, entertainment, health, home decor and sport. According to the company, these topics have seen an influx of AI-generated content, but users should “expect even more additions in the future.”

Notably, Pinterest isn’t promising to root out generative AI content entirely. Rather, it says the new settings should “dial down” the amount of AI-based content they’re seeing in a particular category. A spokesperson for the company says this is because not all AI-generated content on the platform is low quality and some users are in fact open to seeing AI-generated material.

The setting also applies only to image pins, not video, so it likely won’t do much to prevent Sora or other AI-created video clips from appearing in your feeds. For AI-created or AI-edited content that does continue to surface, Pinterest says it will label these posts more prominently. The company started experimenting with labels back in May, but has now “ramped up” its tools for identifying such content.

Pinterest’s new settings are available now on desktop and Android and will be available on iOS in the next few weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/pinterest-will-let-you-dial-down-ai-slop-in-your-feeds-130000337.html?src=rss