Category: Technology

Google’s seemingly unrelenting quest to infuse AI into every aspect of your online life just got a lot more global in scope, with the company expanding its AI Mode in Search to over 180 new countries. AI Mode has previously only been available in the US, India and the UK, and while English remains the only supported language right now, Google says it’ll add more soon.

Google is also expanding its AI Mode’s agentic capabilities, so you can now use natural language to find restaurant reservations. Google says you can ask about getting a dinner reservation with conditions such as group size, date, location and your preference of cuisine, all of which be taken into consideration when AI Mode pulls in its results from across the web. Suggestions will be presented in list form with the available reservation slots. It’ll also provide a link to the booking page you need. Google also plans to add local service appointments and event ticketing capabilities soon, with Ticketmaster and StubHub among its partners.

AI Mode leverages Google’s web-browsing AI agent Project Mariner’ its direct partners on Search and resources like Knowledge Graph and Google Maps when prompted to find you somewhere to eat. It has partnered with the likes of OpenTable, Resy and Tock to incorporate as many restaurants as possible and streamline the booking process. Right now, this feature is exclusive to those subscribed to the wildly expensive Google AI Ultra plan in the US, and can be accessed through its Labs platform. If you opt into the AI Mode experiment it can also remember your previous conversations and searches to give you results that more closely match your preferences.

Finally, if your AI-powered conversations are simply too interesting to keep to yourself, Google will now let you bring others in when you tap the “Share” button on a response. This allows your chosen contact to join the conversation at that point and ask their own follow-up questions. Google uses planning trips or parties as examples of when you might want to collaborate with someone else on an AI-assisted task. The original sender can delete shared links whenever they like.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-ai-mode-is-expanding-to-180-countries-and-adding-an-agentic-restaurant-finder-154833417.html?src=rss 

Apple is once again raising the price of its streaming service. Apple TV+ is shooting up to $13 per month, from $10 per month. This is effective immediately.

Current subscribers will see the price change 30 days after the next renewal date. There’s one spot of good news here. The pricing for the yearly subscription remains unchanged, as does the cost of an Apple One bundle.

Many platforms start cheap before slowly turning the heat up, using the drug dealer method of salesmanship. However, Apple really did a speed run here. The platform isn’t very old and cost $7 per month as recently as 2023. Now it’s nearly twice that amount. In a recent earnings call, the company said that overall Apple TV+ viewership rose “strong double digits year over year.”

The platform has been generating mainstream buzz. Severance has proven to be a gigantic hit and The Studio scooped up plenty of Emmy nominations this year. The platform’s also a sci-fi powerhouse, releasing shows like For All Mankind, Invasion, Foundation, Murderbot, Silo and Dark Matter, among others.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/apple-tv-subscriptions-just-rose-to-13-a-month-150516370.html?src=rss 

Sennheiser’s most expensive Ambeo soundbar is getting a substantial update. The company announced that the Ambeo Soundbar Max, a $2,000 beast of a living room speaker, will gain two features it calls Customizable Immersion and Voice Enhancement Mode. Plus, the company is adding lossless audio support on top of Dolby Atmos Music. The firmware update will equip the Max with Ambeo OS2 and is available via free download through the Sennheiser Smart Control app for iOS and Android. 

With Customizable Immersion, Sennheiser will give users the ability to adjust volume levels for side, top and center channel virtualization. The company says this will allow customers to tailor the immersion to their preferences or to the content they’re watching. As you might expect, Voice Enhancement Mode boosts dialogue to ensure it remains clear when sound effects or music would otherwise overpower the mix in movies, TV shows or during sports events. 

The Ambeo Soundbar Max already offered support for spatial audio for tunes via Dolby Atmos Music, but now the living room speaker will allow you to play lossless audio too. Sennheiser says you can expect up to 24-bit/96kHz through Google Cast and up to 24-bit/192kHz from Tidal Connect. 

The Ambeo Soundbar Max originally arrived in 2019 as the Ambeo Soundbar. Sennheiser changed the name when it expanded the Ambeo Soundbar lineup, which now includes the mid-sized Plus and compact Mini options. The Max was $2,500 at launch before rising to $3,000, but the company is now selling it’s biggest home theater unit for $2,000. That may seem like a lot for one piece of your setup, but Sennheiser promises the combination of bass performance and Ambeo tech means you won’t need a separate subwoofer or rear satellite speakers. Those claims held up during my review of the soundbar back when it debuted.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/sennheiser-updates-the-ambeo-max-soundbar-with-lossless-audio-customizable-immersion-and-more-134707400.html?src=rss 

Sony’s WH-1000XM5 once topped our lists of best noise-canceling headphones and best wireless headphones, and were only usurped by the follow-up XM6. This line of headphones is consistently impressive and the WH-1000XM is truly in a league of its own. So we get excited when one of the all-around best headphones out there goes on an aggressive sale. You can pick up a pair of XM5s right now for just $274, which is 32 percent off its normal retail price of $400.

In our review of the XM5 we awarded a score of 95 out of 100, impressed with just about every aspect of the set with the notable exception of its price, which makes a sale like this all the more exciting. The XM5s are supremely comfortable, thanks to a slim cushioned headband and soft earcups. In our review, we had no problem wearing them for hours at a time and never felt uncomfortable pressure on the ears or head.

30mm carbon-fiber drivers deliver excellent audio, delivering a wide and immersive soundstage. The XM5 carries eight total microphones as part of its active noise-canceling system, up from four on the previous model, and delivers top-of-class ANC.

The battery life on these headphones is best in class, with around 30 hours of listening per charge. Touch controls on the outside panel of the right ear cup help you control your music with ease, allowing you to play, pause, skip tracks and adjust the volume right from the headphones. The only real downside at this point is you’re buying a pair of headphones that are three years old; the XM6 offers some noteworthy improvements. But, of course, it’ll cost you.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your headphones, or picking up your first pair of real high-quality cans, then take advantage of these savings. The sale price of $274 applies to the black model only, though the other colors are 18 percent off, selling for $328.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonys-wh-1000xm5-headphones-are-32-percent-off-ahead-of-labor-day-143447083.html?src=rss 

Hollow Knight: Silksong has a release date of September 4. You heard right, people. This is not a drill. One more time for those in the back, Hollow Knight: Silksong is now scheduled to be available in just a few weeks. The news dropped as part of a “special announcement” YouTube stream, and it’ll be playable at Gamescom. For those of you at the event in Cologne, the game will be availabe at both Nintendo and Xbox’s booths. Expect very, very long lines.

The original Hollow Knight game was a huge debut hit for indie studio Team Cherry in 2017, and the popularity of the moody metroidvania has created quite the fervor around the DLC-turned-full-sequel. The project was delayed in 2023 and fans have been hoping for a Silksong launch announcement at just about every major gaming event since.

The development process has taken a long enough time for Silksong‘s existence to become a bit of a gaming meme. There were trustworthy-sounding claims from a Nintendo Direct in April that the title would launch this year, which gave fresh hope (and fresh patience) to the punishing platformer’s players. Even with a launch date now provided, though, there’s always the chance for it to be postponed again. So let’s keep the mood at “cautiously optimistic.” Just in case.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hollow-knight-silksong-will-be-out-on-september-4-143856097.html?src=rss 

Chinese action camera (and now drone) company Insta360 has unveiled a premium addition to its lineup of compact cameras. The Insta360 GO Ultra is being billed as a new, more powerful product line in the GO series, instead of a replacement for the GO 3S.

This next generation represents a substantial step up in performance, powered by a new 5nm AI chip, which is a big jump from the 14nm chip found on the GO 3S. It also benefits from a larger 1/1.28-inch sensor, roughly twice the size of the one in the 3S. All of this unlocks better image quality with support for HDR, 4K capture at 60 fps and double the frame rate of the 3S. The Ultra also offers PureVideo, an enhancement that uses AI-powered algorithms to reduce noise and increase brightness in low-light captures.

The form factor for the Ultra is largely the same as the 3S, with a compact camera body that can be optionally housed in an Action Pod that offers additional battery life and a 2.5-inch flip touchscreen for live camera view. The Ultra weighs 53 grams (around 1.9 ounces), 14 grams more than the 3S, and sports a square body, as opposed to the pill-like shape of the 3S.

The slightly larger body means a 70-minute standalone battery life, which is just over 80 percent more than the 38 minutes on the 3S. The Action Pod extends this to 200 minutes. The Ultra also offers removable storage, expandable up to 2TB.

Like most Insta360 cameras, much of the design is geared toward action shots for the more adventurous among us. The GO Ultra’s IPX8 rating means it’s waterproof down to 33 feet underwater. A magnetic clip system makes it easy to attach the GO Ultra to a piece of clothing or equipment and start capturing your adventure in 4K.

The Insta360 GO Ultra is available now worldwide for $450.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/insta360-launches-new-action-camera-with-removable-storage-130019177.html?src=rss 

Masimo, the medical technology company whose lawsuit led to the temporary sales pause of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2, has sued the US Customs and Border Protection days after Apple released its redesigned blood oxygen monitoring feature. This is just the latest update in the lengthy legal saga between Masimo and Apple, which started when the former sued the iPhonemaker in 2021, accusing it of infringing on several of its light-based blood oxygen monitoring patents. After a court sided with Masimo in 2023, Apple was forced to stop selling the Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2 in the US for a few weeks. 

In order to circumvent the import ban for the devices, Apple removed the Blood Oxygen app for the watch models sold in the US. Just a few days ago, however, the company introduced a “redesigned Blood Oxygen feature” for the Watch Series 9, Series 10 and Watch Ultra 2 models. The feature works by measuring and calculating data from the watches’ sensors on their paired iPhones instead. Users will then be able to view their blood oxygen data in the Respiratory section of the Health app. 

Apple said the update was “enabled by a recent US Customs ruling.” But Masimo said in its complaint (via Bloomberg Law) that it only heard about the ruling, which was handed down on August 1, when Apple made the announcement. It argued that the agency typically requires both sides to be heard before making such decisions and that Customs “exceeded its authority.” Masimo is now asking the court to put an injunction on UCBP’s decision and, ultimately, to only allow imports of the devices if their blood oxygen-tracking function is disabled.

“Each passing day that this unlawful ruling remains in effect irreparably deprives Masimo of its right to be free from unfair trade practices and to preserve its competitive standing in the US marketplace,” Masimo said.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/masimo-files-lawsuit-over-apples-redesigned-blood-oxygen-monitoring-feature-130054895.html?src=rss 

In-flight internet is crappy, but more and more airlines think that Starlink is the solution. The latest company to sign with the SpaceX affiliate is Alaska Air Group, which announced that it will start offering Starlink Wi-Fi next year and expand the service to its entire fleet by 2027. “With Starlink already live on [Alaska Air Group subsidiary] Hawaiian Airlines, we’re proud that we’ll offer… gate-to-gate connectivity on nearly every aircraft across both airlines,” CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement. 

The company noted in a separate announcement that it will offer the perk for free to members of its new loyalty program called Atmos Rewards. T-Mobile, a partner with Alaska, will also offer a “seamless, ad-free Wi-Fi log-on” to the in-flight Starlink service, with more details to be announced later this year. Alaska Air touted the benefits of “ultra-fast speeds… up to 7x faster than the geostationary satellite-based Wi-Fi systems that most airlines use today.” 

Other airlines may jump on board soon, too. British Airways is also on the verge of announcing a Starlink deal, Bloomberg reported, and SpaceX has also reportedly been in conversation with Dubai’s Emirates. Both of those are flagship carriers in their respective nations, so winning the business would be a large coup for Starlink against legacy operators like Viasat and Echostar. 

Switching to Starlink isn’t necessarily cheap, though. It reportedly costs around $300,000 to equip a 737 and around half a million to install the system on a 787 Dreamliner. On top of that, airlines pay around $120 monthly per seat, plus another $120 for live TV, according to Bloomberg‘s sources. (None of the airlines in negotiations have confirmed any details.)

Despite those costs, carriers see reliable in-flight internet as a potential game-changer, as it would allow customers to work, communicate and stream videos or live TV. If the latter can be done reliably, it might even allow airlines to get rid of heavy and expensive on-demand entertainment systems. 

The main downside for potential customers is SpaceX’s owner, Elon Musk. Some may view his fractured relationship with US president Donald Trump as a negative, while end-users may be turned off by his political affiliations — something that has seemingly affected sales of his Tesla EVs of late. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/alaska-air-will-offer-starlink-in-flight-internet-starting-next-year-120023852.html?src=rss