Category: Technology

Sony is holding a State of Play livestream dedicated exclusively to the upcoming adventure game Ghost of Yōtei. It starts on July 10 at 5PM ET. It will stream on the official PlayStation YouTube and Twitch accounts.

The company promises “nearly 20 minutes” of gameplay hosted by developer Sucker Punch. The stream will also show off “new weapons, new ways to personalize your journey at the edge of Japan, new special modes and much more.” The game comes out on October 2, exclusively for PS5.

For the uninitiated, Ghost of Yōtei is a sequel to the popular Ghost of Tsushima. However, it features a new protagonist, era and location. It takes place in Hokkaido, Japan in the early 1600s, which is over 300 years after the events of the first game.

It’s still an open-world adventure and Sony promises “even more freedom and variety than in Ghost of Tsushima.” The gameplay looks more open than the original, as players can hunt down the six major bosses in whatever order they choose. We’ll find out a whole lot more about how the game works on July 10.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/heres-how-to-watch-sonys-ghost-of-yotei-state-of-play-showcase-172043456.html?src=rss 

Senators Tim Sheehy and Elizabeth Warren have introduced a bipartisan bill to enshrine a right to repair for military equipment. The legislation, called the “Warrior Right to Repair Act,” would codify the right-to-repair provisions that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put in place through the Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform memorandum from April 30.

The Department of Defense has not been immune from restrictive practices set forth by manufacturers, and much like the average consumer, has been hamstrung in its ability to repair its own equipment by clauses in its purchase agreements. According to the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the current system leads to excessive repair and sustainment costs, and can even impede military readiness.

“When our neighbors, friends and family serve in our military, we expect them to get what they need to do their jobs as safely as possible,” PIRG Federal Legislative Director Isaac Bowers wrote regarding the newly introduced bill. “Somehow, that hasn’t included the materials and information they need to repair equipment they rely on. It’s time we fixed that.”

A recent PIRG poll showed that enshrining the right to repair for the military is supported by an overwhelming majority of the American electorate, with almost 75 percent of respondents supporting the initiative.

The right-to-repair movement has been in an ongoing battle between consumers, manufacturers and lawmakers. States like Oregon have passed their own right-to-repair laws, though manufacturers continue to run afoul of regulation. Senator Warren introduced a similar bill in 2024 without a Republican co-sponsor, but it was never brought to a vote.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-military-might-finally-win-the-right-to-repair-173539873.html?src=rss 

Prime Day isn’t a bad time to grab that iPad you’ve been eyeing. Amazon’s mega-sale has Apple’s latest entry-level tablet for a record-low price. You can pick up the 11th-generation iPad, which only launched a few months ago, for $280. That’s a hefty discount from its standard price of $350.

This entry-level model gives most people everything they need in a tablet. For browsing, streaming content, reading, gaming or video calls, it’s more than up to the task. If you want to use it for light work, Apple sells a Magic Keyboard Folio with a built-in trackpad. (It’s also on sale for Prime Day.) And it will get a big productivity upgrade this fall with the introduction of iPadOS 26.

The iPad (A16) has a few compromises over more expensive models. Its processing power, while plenty for most people, isn’t on par with the M-series models. It doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. Like the iPad Air, it uses Touch ID instead of Face ID. It works with the base-level Apple Pencil, not the Pro version. And its 10.9-inch screen lacks ProMotion (a higher frame rate) and an anti-reflective coating.

This model starts with 128GB of storage. That’s double what you got in older versions of the entry-level iPad. It has 6GB of RAM, an increase from the 4GB in its predecessor. It should have no problem lasting through the day: Its battery is rated for 10 hours of use.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-latest-ipad-drops-to-a-new-low-of-280-for-prime-day-160424351.html?src=rss 

The Meta Quest 3s virtual reality headset is on sale as part of Amazon Prime Day. The 128GB model is down to $249, which is $50 off, and the 256GB version now costs $329, which is a discount of $70. These are both record-low prices. It’s also worth noting that the 256GB model comes with a digital copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow.

This made our list of the best virtual reality headsets and it’s the perfect entry point for budget-conscious consumers. For the uninitiated, the Quest 3s is a pared-down version of the flagship Quest 3. It looks nearly identical to the OG model and keeps the same hardware specifications. It boasts the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor and 8GB of RAM.

Meta did have to cut corners on the lenses a bit. The 3s doesn’t have the nifty pancake lenses of its more expensive sibling, but the Fresnel lenses get the job done. It also ships with the same Touch Controllers, which we found to be light and comfortable. The joysticks feel smooth and accurate and the buttons are responsive.

This can run all of the software that the Quest 3 can run, so newcomers will have access to a robust catalog of games and experiences. The only major downside is that the 3s lacks a headphone jack, so folks will have to plug in a USB-C adapter for more immersive audio. I highly recommend doing this. The external speakers are fine, but VR is all about total immersion.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-meta-quest-3s-drops-to-a-record-low-price-for-prime-day-162613112.html?src=rss 

An imposter has been using AI to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a report by The Washington Post. The fraudster has been contacting various government officials, including three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress.

These officials received voice messages and texts that mimicked Rubio’s voice and writing style. An official department memo says the imposter “left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals” and invited the others to join the platform.

We still don’t know who is behind this mimicry, but the memo from the Department of State says that the goal was to gain “access to information or accounts” of these government officials. It also suggests that diplomats throughout the world should “warn external partners that cyber threat actors are impersonating State officials and accounts.”

The unknown actor posing as Rubio reportedly created a Signal account in June with the display name “marco.rubio@state.gov.” We don’t know if the AI facsimile of Rubio managed to get any sensitive information.

The Department of State is also tracking a second campaign in which a bad actor impersonated a government official. This one started in April, according to CNN, and involves a “Russia-linked cyber actor” who “conducted a spear phishing campaign targeting personal Gmail accounts” by posing “as a fictitious Department official.” The person behind this effort reportedly attempted to convince officials to link a third-party application to their Gmail accounts that “would almost certainly grant the actor persistent access.”

This follows an FBI alert from May that warned of “malicious actors” impersonating “senior US officials to target individuals, many of whom are current or former senior US federal or state government officials and their contacts.” The message went on to tell anyone receiving “a message claiming to be from a senior US official” that it might not be authentic.

Of course, AI mimicry has been spreading like wildfire in recent months and years. Robocalls pretending to be Joe Biden were all over the place during last year’s presidential election and there was a law enforcement investigation into efforts to impersonate President Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/marco-rubios-ai-imposter-has-been-contacting-senior-government-officials-153436657.html?src=rss 

If you’ve been eyeing Ooni’s pizza ovens, but haven’t yet taken the leap, there are a few tasty Prime Day deals that will save you some cash. The biggest savings is on the company’s electric model, but there’s gas and wood-burning options as well. So, if you’re in the market for a new pizza oven to power your summer patio parties, read on for the best deals on Ooni wares you’ll find this week. And if you’re looking for other kitchen tech deals, we’ve got a detailed guide for that right here. 

Ooni Koda 12 gas-powered pizza oven for $319.20 (20 percent off): The Koda 12 is the best option for beginners in this bunch since the gas burner allows you to focus on making pizza instead of maintaining a fire. The max temperature of 950 Fahrenheit means you’ll be churning out pizzas in about a minute. 

Ooni Karu 2 Pro for $671 (21 percent off): If you prefer a wood-fired pizza oven, the robust Karu 2 Pro is down significantly from its usual $849 asking price. Here, you get a large front viewing window to monitor the cook as well as a digital temperature display so you know when the oven is ready for action. And the extra height allows you to cook more than just pizza.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/ooni-pizza-ovens-are-up-to-30-percent-off-during-prime-day-2025-140013882.html?src=rss 

Amazon has asked its white collar employees to help fulfill grocery deliveries for Prime Day, according to The Guardian. The company has reportedly sent out a Slack message to its corporate workers in New York City, asking for “volunteers to help [it] out with Prime Day to deliver to customers on [its] biggest days yet.” That message went out to everyone from engineers to marketers. Specifically, Amazon wants its officer workers to “volunteer” their time in two-hour shifts between 10AM and 6PM from Tuesday to Friday this week. 

The volunteers are “needed” to pick items for grocery orders from Amazon’s Fresh warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn. They’re expected to pack the groceries in bags and boxes and then place them on receiving carts. Since the volunteers can’t completely abandon their normal jobs, they will be able to take calls and meetings in a conference room. New York is one of Amazon’s busiest locations, and the company most likely expects an increase in grocery orders this week, since it offers Fresh discounts for Prime Day. Couple that with a free trial for its delivery services, and people are bound to put in orders during the event. 

Amazon is known to hire thousands of extra workers to help fulfill the surge in orders for Prime Day, which takes place from July 8 to July 11 this year. So why did it have to ask corporate employees to volunteer? Well, the manager who sent out the call said it would help “connect” Amazon’s warehouse and corporate teams. Griffin Buch, Amazon’s spokesperson, said this wasn’t the first time that Amazon’s corporate employees have been “invited to volunteer” for warehouse fulfillment. “This support is entirely optional, and it allows corporate employees to get closer to customers while enabling our store teams to focus on the work that’s most impactful,” Buch explained.

To note, Amazon doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to the working conditions in its warehouses. A previous report from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) showed that Amazon warehouse workers suffer more injuries that their counterparts outside of Amazon. The company has also been accused of union-busting several times in the past. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-asked-corporate-employees-to-help-fulfill-grocery-deliveries-for-prime-day-131022042.html?src=rss 

Samsung is making a bigger push into healthcare. It is buying Xealth, a platform focused on digital health tools and care programs. Terms of the deal, such as the purchase price, haven’t been disclosed. Samsung expects the acquisition to be wrapped up by the end of the calendar year, pending closing conditions (such as any necessary regulatory approvals).

Samsung says the deal will help to advance its “transformation into a connected care platform that bridges wellness and medical care bringing a seamless and holistic approach to preventative care to as many people as possible.” That involves creating “synergy” between its wearable tech and Xealth’s platform by bringing together health data measured on its devices and clinical records at hospitals. Samsung says the integration can “create a link between home health monitoring and clinical decision-making through enhancements to Xealth’s platform, with the provider-patient relationship at the center of that effort.”

Xealth enables doctors to monitor and schedule care for patients at scale. More than 500 hospitals in the US and 70-plus “digital health solution partners” use Xealth, which spun out of the Providence health system. All of those will be able to access Samsung’s platform.

News of the Xealth acquisition comes just a couple of weeks after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr spoke of his desire to have every American sporting a wearable within the next four years, a vision that led to raised eyebrows from critics. While Samsung may be sniffing an opportunity there, its acquisition of Xealth may have been in the works for some time. In any case, it’s clear that Samsung is looking to diversify beyond its core businesses.

What’s more, Samsung announced the Xealth deal on the same day it projected a 56 percent drop in operating profit for the second quarter (compared with the same April-June period in 2024). This is, in large part, because of poor sales of its AI chips.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/samsung-buys-xealth-to-integrate-its-wearables-into-the-healthcare-system-120502530.html?src=rss