Category: Technology

The Insta360 X5 ($550) is the company’s latest 8K 360 action camera and, while it remains a different proposition to traditional action cams, it is more powerful, more reliable and easier to use.

The X5 has a larger 1/1.28-inch sensor compared to the X4‘s 1/2-inch sensor, ensuring more detail and a notable boost to low-light performance. The issue with wide-angle camera capture is that detail gets lost, especially in low-lit settings. The specification upgrades this time around reduce that substantially, including up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range.

Over the years, I’ve tried to incorporate 360-degree cameras into my workflow, using them both on vacation or at events. However, a lot of the content I capture is either during the evening or in a dark venue, literally the main weakness of these kinds of cameras. In a bid to address those shooting conditions, Insta360 introduced a new PureVideo mode that with AI noise reduction and dynamic range optimization for clearer, brighter footage in low-light conditions. It’s not perfect, but it moves dim video from unusable to decent, if not outright good. With a 5nm AI chip and two imaging chips, the X5 can also now capture Active HDR on footage at up to 5.7K 60 fps.

This chip array also reduces processing time. Insta360 doesn’t specify how much faster, but anecdotally, on-device processing and file transfers to my smartphone were noticeably faster. Videos are saved almost instantly onto the camera, while saving several short clips to my phone took around 30 seconds, compared to minutes on previous devices.

While the X5 doesn’t offer higher resolution video than its predecessor, it packs in even more shooting options, like InstaFrame, which is fast becoming my go-to shooting mode. InstaFrame can record a typical “flat” video and a 360-degree video at the same time. The notion is that this gives an “instantly shareable” flat video, with no reframing or heavy editing needed.

But when you do have to, Insta360’s companion smartphone app has been further improved, with some incredibly useful editing tools. You can re-edit 360-degree video to focus on the user, or force a single view. It’s all quite intuitive too, which is a trait that shouldn’t be ignored.

The X5 an incredibly versatile tool, and there’s something to be said for a camera that can capture everything. However, in less favorable conditions (or when you’re not the camera person), you might prefer the simpler settings and shooting methods of a traditional action camera.

The X5 does perform better in lower light, but it doesn’t quite match the improvements we’ve seen in low-light smartphone photography in recent years. Despite my cautiously walking around in the late evening to capture low-light footage, there was a vibration after-effect as the camera struggled to stabilize the footage. This can be reduced by staying still, but even with PureVideo (which can also be a little too aggressive addressing noise), it’s not quite there yet. I will continue to test the camera and provide further impressions. Insta360 pushed a firmware update to the X5 hours before I published this story, adding 4K60fps recording in single-lens mode, and several resolution bumps across other recording modes.

Design-wise, you have to get up real close to tell the difference between the X5 and the X4. They’re largely the same size, although Insta360 has switched to a polygon effect on the front, with a panel for the mic (and a new mesh wind guard).

The battery compartment and microSD slot are secured with a double latch where the microSD slot lives, and are protected by solid covers with sliding locks. Both sides of the camera have a grippy texture, with record and mode buttons nestled under the screen.

With the same threaded mount, Insta360’s existing selfie sticks will work with its latest camera, although fast-chargers and cases won’t, due to hardware changes. The most important thing: Insta360’s bullet time effect is still here – if you have the right peripheral.

Most of the settings adjustments, like its predecessors, are found in pull-down menus from, well, pretty much every side of the screen. Swiping right will take you to the gallery, while manual camera options are a left swipe away. Toggles and lock settings are located in the dropdown menu. There’s a lot, but if you’ve used a smartphone, you should find the basic navigation familiar.

There’s a whole list of smaller notable hardware improvements on the X5 compared to the predecessor, too:

Scratch-resistant glass lenses —- which are replaceable

Larger capacity battery that lasts up to 180 minutes

Faster-charging battery (0 to 80 percent in 20 minutes)

New built-in steel mesh wind guard

IP68 waterproofing up to 49 feet

Magnetic mounting system

‘Twist to shoot’ record feature, to initiate recording by twisting a connected selfie stick

The Insta360 X5 is now on sale, priced at $550, with an Essentials Bundle also available for $660. The bundle includes an extra battery, fast-charge case, “invisible” selfie stick, lens guards and a carry case. That’s $50 more than the Insta360 X4 was at launch. The improvements to both low-light performance and new shooting modes may be worth the price increase, but don’t expect crisp 4K (or 8K) video if light is an issue.

Competition in this category remains relatively limited. Ricoh continues its Theta series, with a similar camera form factor, but seems to focus on stills more than video, while GoPro’s Max 360 camera lacks features like traditional 4K video capture, let alone 8K recording. The best alternatives are arguably Insta360’s other 360 cameras, like last year’s X4.

While there are less major spec and design changes compared to last year, the Insta360 X5 is another step forward for this type of camera, both in terms of imaging and in simplifying how you share what you capture.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/insta360-x5-launch-date-price-hands-on-132439941.html?src=rss 

Uber Shuttle is expanding to Atlanta. This is the company’s bus service that takes people to airports. Shuttle operations will launch in the region next month, delivering folks to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

There will be numerous routes for residents to choose from. Uber says it’ll be picking people up from various locations throughout downtown and midtown, with service scheduled for every 30 minutes from 6AM to 10PM every day of the week. As previously mentioned, these shuttles will also take folks from the airport to the same locations.

We don’t know the exact location of the stops yet. Uber says it’ll share that information closer to launch in May. We do know that riders will be able to book up to five seats at a time from up to one week before the departure. As usual, customers will be able to track the real-time location of their Uber Shuttle via the app.

The fare will also be displayed on the app and the company promises it won’t use surge pricing. Early users will pay just ten bucks to use the service, but the cost will eventually go up. Uber says prices will, however, max out at $18.50 per ride. Uber Shuttle has been operating in NYC for a while now, with service to both LaGuardia and JFK.

Uber also released a bit of news regarding a partnership with Delta. This allows folks to rack up Delta SkyMiles by using Uber. The partnership even extends to Uber Eats.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-shuttle-is-launching-at-the-atlanta-airport-110018400.html?src=rss 

After that whole tariff tango, Nintendo is readying its North American pre-order system for the Switch 2. The original Switch 2 price will remain the same, $450, as will the original $500 for the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle. However, some Switch 2 accessories will receive price adjustments due to “market conditions.”

(As a non-North American, I may have splurged on the Piranha Plant Switch 2 camera — I have no regrets.)

Take a picture. It’ll last longer.

There are some fine-print details attached to pre-ordering directly from Nintendo. You must be 18 years or older, sign in with your Nintendo account and register your interest in pre-ordering. Then, you’ll get an invitation email when it’s time to play your pre-order, and the invitation will be valid for 72 hours. And for extra jeopardy: “Invitation emails will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis for registrants who have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2025.”

If you don’t meet those criteria of die-hard/flush with cash Nintendo fan, there are other options: Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart and Target have confirmed they’ll open pre-orders on April 24.

— Mat Smith

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Bluesky is getting an official verification system

And blue checkmarks.

Bluesky is adopting an official verification system, after all. The company said it plans to grant blue checkmarks to “authentic and notable” accounts. It will also allow some trusted organizations to verify users.

The platform previously resisted centralized verification, relying instead on a domain-based verification system, which allows users to change their handles to match domains they’re associated with.

It’s a bit of a mess. For example, when Barack Obama joined Bluesky recently, his handle did not use a custom domain. Individual Bluesky employees ended up publicly vouching for the former president.

The company will now proactively verify certain accounts and add a prominent blue checkmark to their profile. It’s still not clear what criteria Bluesky will use to verify its users.

Continue reading.

Nintendo is going after the person behind last year’s massive Pokémon leak

It wants Discord to give up the user’s identity.

Nintendo is going after the leaker behind last year’s massive Pokémon data breach. It wants Discord to reveal the identity of the person behind the leak, who goes by the name GameFreakOUT on the platform. Nintendo said in a subpoena the person uploaded “confidential materials not released to the public” to a Discord server called FreakLeak. After that, the leaked materials spread to every corner of the internet.

It included early character designs, source codes and even an upcoming Pokémon MMO.

Continue reading.

Using generative AI will ‘neither help nor harm the chances’ of Oscar nominations

Both The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez came under fire for using AI.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided AI is fine. The issue of award-nominated films using AI was first raised in 2024 when the productions behind Best Picture nominees The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez both admitted to using the tech to alter performances. “With regard to Generative Artificial Intelligence and other digital tools used in the making of the film, the tools neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination,” AMPAS writes.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-112038131.html?src=rss 

As lawmakers, regulators call for social media companies to do more to protect the mental health of their youngest users, teens’ perception of social media also seems to be changing. A growing number of teens say that social media is harmful and takes up too much of their time, according to a new report from Pew Research.

The report, which was based on a survey of 1,391 teens and parents in the United States, sheds light on how teens’ perspective on social media has changed amid increasing calls to hold online platforms accountable for the alleged harms they’ve done to their youngest users.

According to the report, 48 percent of teens now view social media as a “mostly negative” influence on other people their age. That’s a significant jump from the last time Pew polled teens on the question in 2022, when just under a third of teens said the same. The number of teens who view social media as “mostly positive” also decreased, from 24 percent in 2022 to 11 percent in the latest poll. “Teens’ views of the impact of social media on their peers has grown increasingly negative,” Pew’s researchers note.

Interestingly, teens are significantly less likely to report that social media is harmful to themselves specifically. Only 14 percent of teens polled by Pew reported that social media “negatively affects them personally.” Pew’s researchers don’t speculate on the reason for that disparity, though the report notes that there have been growing conversations about the effect social media has on teen mental health, including a warning last year from the US Surgeon General.

Pew’s report also suggests that teens are becoming increasingly aware of how much time they spend on social media platforms. Forty-five percent of teens said they “spend too much time” on social media, up from 27 percent who said the same in 2023. A similar proportion of teens said that social media negatively affects their sleep (45 percent) and productivity (40 percent). And 44 percent of teens report that they’ve “cut back” their smartphone and social media use overall.

While this report is unlikely to settle the long-running debate about whether social media is more helpful or harmful to young people, the fact that teens’ views are shifting is telling. At a time when some lawmakers have proposed banning younger kids from social media altogether, Pew’s report suggests that adults aren’t the only ones worried about the issue.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/teens-are-becoming-more-worried-about-the-effects-of-social-media-113027657.html?src=rss