Technology - Kalakshar US

WhatsApp introduces new creative tools for status updates

WhatsApp will soon allow users to post collages, music and new stickers as part of their WhatsApp Status. The status feature within WhatsApp functions similarly to the Stories feature on Facebook and Instagram. Users can share text, photo or video to their status, which will disappear after 24 hours.

Since March, users have had the option to add a song clip to their status and can select songs from the app’s music library. These music clips can be 15 seconds long when posted with photos or 60 seconds long when posted with videos. Now, those clips can be turned into stickers to add some musical flair to your status. Users also have the option to share the song itself as a standalone status update.

A new “Layout” feature will let users create a collage of up to six pictures and share them in their status in a customized layout. A new sticker called “Add Yours” will ask your followers to engage with your status by responding with their own photos. Photos can also now be turned into stickers, which can then be resized and reshaped before being added to your status.

According to Meta, the new status features will start rolling out soon and will become more widely available on WhatsApp in the coming months.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/whatsapp-introduces-new-creative-tools-for-status-updates-180516963.html?src=rss

Facebook sees rise in violent content and harassment after policy changes

Meta has published the first of its quarterly integrity reports since Mark Zuckerberg walked back the company’s hate speech policies and changed its approach to content moderation earlier this year. According to the reports, Facebook saw an uptick in violent content, bullying and harassment despite an overall decrease in the amount of content taken down by Meta.

The reports are the first time Meta has shared data about how Zuckerberg’s decision to upend Meta’s policies have played out on the platform used by billions of people. Notably, the company is spinning the changes as a victory, saying that it reduced its mistakes by half while the overall prevalence of content breaking its rules “largely remained unchanged for most problem areas.”

There are two notable exceptions, however. Violent and graphic content increased from 0.06%-0.07% at the end of 2024 to .09% in the first quarter of 2025. Meta attributed the uptick to “an increase in sharing of violating content” as well as its own attempts to “reduce enforcement mistakes.” Meta also saw a noted increase in the prevalence of bullying and harassment on Facebook, which increased from 0.06-0.07% at the end of 2024 to 0.07-0.08% at the start of 2025. Meta says this was due to an unspecified “spike” in violations in March. (Notably, this is a separate category from the company’s hate speech policies, which were re-written to allow posts targeting immigrants and LGBTQ people.)

Those may sound like relatively tiny percentages, but even small increases can be noticeable for a platform like Facebook that sees billions of posts every day. (Meta describes its prevalence metric as an estimate of how often rule-breaking content appears on its platform.)

The report also underscores just how much less content Meta is taking down overall since it moved away from proactive enforcement of all but its most serious policies like child exploitation and terrorist content. Meta’s report shows a significant decrease in the amount of Facebook posts removed for hateful content, for example, with just 3.4 million pieces of content “actioned” under the policy, the company’s lowest figure since 2018. Spam removals also dropped precipitously from 730 million at the end of 2024 to just 366 million at the start of 2025. The number of fake accounts removed also declined notably on Facebook from 1.4 billion to 1 billion (Meta doesn’t provide stats around fake account removals on Instagram.)

At the same time, Meta claims it’s making far fewer content moderation mistakes, which was one of Zuckerberg’s main justifications for his decision to end proactive moderation.”We saw a roughly 50% reduction in enforcement mistakes on our platforms in the United States from Q4 2024 to Q1 2025,” the company wrote in an update to its January post announcing its policy changes. Meta didn’t explain how it calculated that figure, but said future reports would “include metrics on our mistakes so that people can track our progress.”

Meta is acknowledging, however, that there is at least one group where some proactive moderation is still necessary: teens. “At the same time, we remain committed to ensuring teens on our platforms are having the safest experience possible,” the company wrote. “That’s why, for teens, we’ll also continue to proactively hide other types of harmful content, like bullying.” Meta has been rolling out “teen accounts” for the last several months, which should make it easier to filter content specifically for younger users.

The company also offered an update on how it’s using large language models to aid in its content moderation efforts. “Upon further testing, we are beginning to see LLMs operating beyond that of human performance for select policy areas,” Meta writes. “We’re also using LLMs to remove content from review queues in certain circumstances when we’re highly confident it does not violate our policies.”

The other major component to Zuckerberg’s policy changes was an end of Meta’s fact-checking partnerships in the United States. The company began rolling out its own version of Community Notes to Facebook, Instagram and Threads earlier this year, and has since expanded the effort to Reels and Threads replies. Meta didn’t offer any insight into how effective its new crowd-sourced approach to fact-checking might be or how often notes are appearing on its platform, though it promised updates in the coming months.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/facebook-sees-rise-in-violent-content-and-harassment-after-policy-changes-182651544.html?src=rss

PS Plus annual subscriptions are up to 33 percent off

Sony is offering PS Plus subscription plans at a deep discount. An annual subscription to the Premium tier is available for just $107, which is a discount of 33 percent. This promotion is running until June 11, giving gamers a bit of time to think things over.

For the uninitiated, PS Plus Premium provides full access to the Game Catalog. This library includes hundreds of PS4 and PS5 titles. Each month, users also get a handful of free games and some PlayStation Store discounts. Other exclusive benefits include game trials, online multiplayer, cloud streaming and access to the Classics Catalog. This is a collection of older games.

That’s a whole lot of perks, and the main reason a subscription to PS Plus topped our list of the best PS5 accessories. It’s an easy and budget-friendly way to pad out that library, especially for those who just purchased a console. Recent additions to PS Plus include standout titles like Balatro and Battlefield V.

An annual subscription to the PS Plus Extra tier is also on sale for $101, which is a discount of 25 percent. This is basically the same thing as Premium, but lacks game trials and cloud streaming. No matter which tier you choose, remember to cancel before the year runs out or you’ll be locked into the original price.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ps-plus-annual-subscriptions-are-up-to-33-percent-off-165355268.html?src=rss

Amazon and The New York Times enter AI-related licensing agreement

The New York Times and Amazon have entered into a multi-year licensing agreement that will allow Amazon access to much of the publication’s editorial content for AI-related uses. In a press release announcing the deal, The New York Times shared that this agreement will bring new features for customers like accessing summaries or excerpts of Times content using Alexa. It will also allow Amazon to train its AI models on The New York Times content.

In announcing the deal, The New York Times shared, “The collaboration will make The New York Times’ original content more accessible to customers across Amazon products and services including direct links to Times products and underscores the companies’ shared commitment to serving customers with global news and perspectives within Amazon’s AI products.” Access to content from NYT Cooking and The Athletic is also included in the deal.

AI models require training on vast amounts of data, and many of the companies building them are likely running afoul of copyright laws by training on protected materials. OpenAI and Google went so far as to ask for a government exemption to copyright laws for their models to train freely. The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for training their models on the company’s content without permission back in 2023, though the case is still ongoing.

Licensing agreements can offer additional revenue streams for companies willing to hand over user data or allow AI models to train on content created by their employees. The Washington Post is one of several major publications that have signed deals with OpenAI earlier this year. The specific contents of today’s deal, such as how much Amazon is paying, have not been disclosed. Amazon has been on a tear releasing AI-powered tools for shopping, book recaps and product explanations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-and-the-new-york-times-enter-ai-related-licensing-agreement-155019578.html?src=rss

The best microSD cards for the Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 comes with 256GB of built-in storage, eight times more than the original Switch and four times more than the Switch OLED. But the new console’s improved performance means that some games will hog a ton of that space: Cyberpunk 2077 is a 60GB download, for one, while Split Fiction checks in at 73GB. Other titles aren’t nearly as big, but chances are you’ll eventually want to add more room to the device.

When you do, you’ll need a microSD Express card. These are not the same as the standard microSD cards you may have bought for the first Switch or other gaming handhelds — they’re newer, faster and significantly more expensive. But if you want more space, they’re your only choice. If you’re looking to grab one today, we’ve laid out the best microSD cards for the Switch 2 and broken down what you should know before you buy.

The best microSD cards for the Switch 2 (and why you might want to wait to buy)

The SanDisk microSD Express Card and Lexar Play Pro.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

The Switch 2 is the first mainstream device to require microSD Express for storage expansion, so there aren’t many options available to buy just yet. To make things easy, here’s a list of every microSD Express card we’ve seen at retailers at the time of writing:

Remember: You’re looking for microSD Express, not “Extreme,” a la the branding SanDisk uses for some of its conventional microSD cards. A microSD Express card will have a big “EX” logo printed on it — if you see that, you should be good to go.

Nintendo says the Switch 2 technically supports cards with a capacity up to 2TB, but we haven’t seen any microSD Express model go beyond 1TB just yet. It’s also worth noting that GameStop and Onn (Walmart’s in-house electronics brand) aren’t manufacturers, so it’s unclear who exactly is making their cards.

Currently, stock for each of these cards has been extremely spotty. SanDisk’s microSD Express Card has also increased in price since it first went up for sale in February; originally, it cost $45 for 128GB and $60 for 256GB. Either way, all of these cards are far pricier than traditional microSD options. The Samsung Pro Plus, for example, costs $17 for 128GB, $25 for 256GB, $43 for 512GB and $90 for 1TB as of this writing.

All microSD Express cards will have this “EX” logo printed on them.

Nintendo/Engadget

We’ve already tested SanDisk’s Express card and the Lexar Play Pro for our broader guide to the best microSD cards. Between the two, SanDisk’s card has much faster sequential read speeds — up to 899 MB/s vs. 712 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark, to name one benchmark — which theoretically makes it better equipped to reduce load times.

The Play Pro is quicker for sequential writes (up to 720 MB/s vs. 650 MB/s), available in more sizes and should be cheaper at 256GB whenever it’s in stock. (SanDisk says the 128GB version of its card has slower sequential writes than the 256GB model, too.) Random performance is about equal, so the two should be similarly adept at keeping large games like Mario Kart World running smoothly.

We mainly tested those cards on a Windows PC and Mac, though. How they perform on the actual Switch 2 remains to be seen. We’ll test as many options as we can once we have our hands on the console, but for now we can’t say if it’ll render all microSD Express cards to similar speeds. That was largely the case with the first Switch: Once a (regular) microSD card hit a certain threshold of performance, there wasn’t that much practical difference between it and other alternatives. The Switch 2 is working with a different standard, but if something similar were to happen again, the “best” microSD Express card would simply be the most affordable one from a reputable brand in the capacity you want.

That brings us to our main piece of advice: If you can hold off on buying one of these things early on, that’s probably a good idea. It’s not just about the lack of testing — truthfully, we’d be surprised if any of the cards above were truly “bad.” It comes down to value: Barring more tariff shenanigans, all of these cards are as expensive today as they’re ever likely to get. The Switch 2 is already popular and will continue to be, thus more microSD Express cards will need to be made and prices will (eventually) come down. Try to use all 256 of the gigabytes baked into the Switch 2 first, even if it means having to delete a game or two. But if you’re absolutely sure you want more space right away, the cards above should be good enough.

What are microSD Express cards?

A microSD Express card like the one on the right has a second row of pins on the back.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Most microSD cards are based on a standard called Ultra High Speed (UHS), of which there are three versions: UHS-I, UHS-II and UHS-III. The vast majority of cards you may have bought in the past utilize UHS-I. These have one row of pins in the back and a theoretical maximum data transfer speed of 104 megabytes per second (MB/s). (Though many cards are able to surpass that limit with proprietary tech and card readers.) The original Switch has a UHS-I microSD slot, as do most other gaming handhelds like Valve’s Steam Deck.

UHS-II cards add a second row of pins and can reach up to 312 MB/s. These are pricier and much less common than cards based on UHS-I, but they’re supported by some cameras and higher-power handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally X. UHS-III, meanwhile, is twice as fast as UHS-II in theory (624 MB/s), but no microSD cards have actually used it.

UHS-I cards have held on over the years because they’re cheap, widely supported and fast enough for the things most people need them to do: record 4K video, stash photos and so on. But with the Switch 2, Nintendo needs more. The new console is dramatically more powerful, which allows it to run demanding games that may have originally been built for stronger hardware like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or gaming PCs. The device also uses UFS 3.1 storage internally, which is much speedier than the eMMC storage used by the original Switch. (A custom file decompression engine should help improve load times as well.) So if the Switch 2 is going to accept microSD cards, it needs ones that won’t bring a serious drop-off in performance and can hold up with modern games.

The Nintendo Switch 2.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Hence, SD Express. This standard has technically been around since 2018 but mostly went nowhere until the Switch 2 came along. It also uses a second row of pins, but it lets microSD cards take advantage of the PCI Express (PCIe)/NVMe interface, which is the same underlying tech used by modern SSDs. As a result, it can produce considerably faster read and write speeds, with a current theoretical maximum of 985 MB/s.

As noted above, real-world performance won’t be quite that fast. Even if it was, the best microSD Express cards would still be much slower than the NVMe SSDs used by the PS5 and Xbox. (Sony recommends SSDs with sequential read speeds of at least 5,500 MB/s.) And they’ll fall well below their peak speeds under sustained loads: SanDisk, for instance, says sustained write speeds for its 128GB Express card can drop as low as 100 MB/s.

But they’re still a marked improvement over old UHS-I cards, and in theory, they should be quicker than some older SATA-based SSDs when it comes loading game levels, asset streaming, retrieving saves or copying games to external storage. Whereas SanDisk’s microSD Express card can produce sequential read speeds around 900 MB/s, Lexar’s Professional Silver Plus — the top UHS-I pick in our general microSD card guide — topped out just over 200 MB/s, and that’s with a proprietary reader. (On the first Switch, it’d be closer to 100 MB/s.) Sequential writes and random speeds were three to four times better as well, and sometimes even more depending on the benchmark we used.

It remains to be seen how well these Express cards will hold up with extended use, and there’s no way to know exactly when their sky-high prices will drop. Non-Switch 2 devices that support microSD Express are still exceedingly rare, and the standard itself isn’t backwards compatible with UHS-II, so you’ll be limited to UHS-I speeds if you want to use your card with another device (unless you buy a pricey external reader). Still, while the increased costs and limited selection are annoying, the tech itself seems worthy of a next-gen Switch.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-best-microsd-cards-for-the-nintendo-switch-2-160052535.html?src=rss

Nintendo’s updated mobile app will make sharing Switch 2 screenshots a lot easier

Nintendo is gearing up for the launch of the Switch 2 on June 5, and to ensure you’re ready to go when the console arrives at your door, you’ll need to download the latest update for the newly renamed Nintendo Switch App. The app, which was previously called the Nintendo Switch Online app, had added a number of new features, including a more seamless screenshot interface, GameChat functionality and placeholder icons for game-specific services like Zelda Notes. The latter will become usable on launch day.

Arguably the most useful addition is the revamped screenshots and video upload feature, which allows you to link your phone to your Switch 2 and wirelessly upload in-game media to the app, either manually or automatically. This was already possible on the original Switch (and is hardly a revolutionary feature), but doing so involved some needlessly clunky QR code scanning that didn’t always work. Now, screenshots and gameplay clips should just appear in the app, where you can save them locally. Up to 100 files can be stored in the app for 30 days from the point of upload, and once you hit the limit the oldest files will disappear if not saved.

Another big Switch 2 feature is GameChat, Nintendo’s new multiplayer voice chat functionality. Via the Nintendo Switch App you’ll be able to receive notifications for GameChat invites, friends coming online and friend requests. Your added friends will be displayed on the home screen of the app. Again, no one who’s been playing games on a modern PlayStation or Xbox console for the last decade is going to be blown away by any of this stuff, but it looks like playing online with friends on Switch 2 is going to be mercifully less fiddly than on its predecessor.

The Zelda Notes icon now appears when you open the Nintendo Switch App, but it won’t be functional until June 5. The app, which is only compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, effectively functions like a sat nav for tracking down missing Koroks and shrines on your save file. You can also share your Autobuild creations in TotK with friends, edit in-game photos and check play records such as the number of enemies defeated and total game overs.

Nintendo is making small tweaks to some of its other services ahead of the Switch 2’s arrival. Over on Nintendo Switch Online (not to be confused with the mobile app), where you can play a selection of emulated classics from Nintendo’s back catalogue, a new Switch 2-exclusive rewind feature will be added to the N64 library, as well as a new CRT filter option. These features were already available for NES and SNES games on the service, and it’s not entirely clear why original Switch owners won’t benefit from the additional N64 options as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendos-updated-mobile-app-will-make-sharing-switch-2-screenshots-a-lot-easier-143842317.html?src=rss

Sonos home speakers are up to 26 percent off right now

Sonos is selling a bunch of its speakers at a discount via Amazon. This includes the well-regarded Era 300 smart speaker, which is down to just $359. That’s 20 percent off and notable because this particular speaker rarely goes on sale. It’s a Sonos miracle!

The deal applies to both the black and white colorways. The Era 300 is a highly capable device that we praised in our official review, saying that it “sounds excellent.” We went on to say that it offers a premium experience that far surpasses other products in the company’s lineup, like the Era 100. This is also true when compared to rival speakers like Apple’s HomePod.

It’s simple to set up and offers the company’s proprietary Trueplay tuning system. This feature optimizes the sound of the speaker to the unique acoustics of a room by leveraging an internal microphone. It measures how sound reflects off surfaces and adjusts the EQ to match. It’s pretty nifty.

As for connectivity, it can pair with another Era 300 speaker for a true stereo experience. It also includes a Bluetooth receiver and line-in options. Of course, the speaker integrates with just about every streaming music service. The built-in mic also allows for voice assistant control, but only with Siri and Alexa. Google Assistant is left out of the party.

This speaker goes all-in on spatial audio, and the results are mixed. Sometimes it’s sublime and sometimes it’s kind of eh. This is more of a dig on the technology itself. It has serious potential but is still experiencing growing pains. The only real downside of this speaker is the exorbitant asking price, which has been slightly alleviated by this sale.

As previously mentioned, other Sonos products are available at a discount. This includes the Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar, which is 26 percent off at $369. These deals are available via Sonos itself. There’s also an ongoing sale on portable speakers.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-home-speakers-are-up-to-26-percent-off-right-now-150857008.html?src=rss

Elon Musk leaves DOGE amid tanking Tesla sales

Elon Musk has left his role as the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk wrote on X. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”

DOGE is a Trump administration initiative with the stated goals of cutting wasteful government spending, modernizing IT systems and maximizing efficiency in various departments — even though DOGE itself was initially set to have two leaders, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out to focus on a bid to become Ohio’s governor. Musk’s tenure there has been an eventful one, to put it mildly, as DOGE has taken a chainsaw to the government over the last four months.

Musk’s slash-and-burn approach (similar to the one he adopted in his early days at X) played a role in hundreds of thousands of federal workers being turfed out — reportedly including some working at an agency that regulates Tesla. DOGE officials were involved in firing workers who it turned out had essential roles and had to be quickly hired back. In some cases, federal judges ordered the reinstatement of fired federal employees.

DOGE has inserted staffers into many government agencies. It demanded access to sensitive data including federal employee information and Treasury Department financial records, a request that a judge granted this week despite 19 attorneys general trying to prevent that over privacy and legal concerns.

Elsewhere, DOGE has been using generative AI chatbots to try to automate some government tasks. (A custom version of ChatGPT used by the Department of Veterans Affairs is called, in all seriousness, VAGPT.) The initiative also reportedly monitored government communications for criticisms of Musk and President Donald Trump. It was also reported last month that the Social Security Administration was moving all its official communications with the public to X, the social network that Musk owns.

Given his status as a Special Government Employee, Musk could only legally serve in his position for 130 days in a one-year period. The 130 days are up as of May 30, though DOGE is slated to remain operational until July 4, 2026.

Musk’s departure comes at a time of turmoil for some of his higher-profile companies. It emerged this week that, between April 2024 and last month, sales of new Tesla electric vehicles dropped by half in Europe. — despite EV sales in the region rising overall by 28 percent. In Quebec, said to be the most EV-friendly market in Canada, Tesla sales reportedly sank by 87 percent between the first three months of 2024 and the same period this year. Overall, Tesla deliveries dipped by 13 percent in that timeframe.

Tesla’s business is interlocked with Musk and the public persona of its CEO. Its reputation has been damaged in the eyes of many given Musk’s political dealings, personal views, his association with DOGE, the agency’s actions and his efforts to help Donald Trump win the presidency.

Activists have called for boycotts of Musk’s companies and staged protests at Tesla showrooms. Many Tesla owners have been trying to distance themselves from Musk by placing stickers on their cars. Others have sold their EVs, even though that meant taking a financial hit amid plummeting resale values. Protestors have targeted Cybertrucks and others have made fun of the vehicle and owners of it on social media. (In fairness, that’s not entirely to do with Musk’s association with DOGE and the president — the Cybertruck is an absolute eyesore).

Meanwhile, SpaceX had mixed results with its latest Starship test flight this week. While the spacecraft reached space, the payload door got stuck and it was unable to deploy its payload of fake satellites. As for the Super Heavy booster, which had been reused after the successful seventh test flight, that was supposed to splash down into the ocean but, six minutes after launch, it experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

So Musk has plenty to concern himself with as he officially leaves DOGE, but he’s been critical of a federal budget bill. As he prepared to depart his government role, he expressed “disappointment” with the Trump spending bill, suggesting in an interview that it “undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.” The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the House passed last week, will end most clean energy tax credits, including those on EV purchases. Tesla has claimed that “abruptly ending the energy tax credits would threaten America’s energy independence and the reliability of our grid.”

In any case, it’s unclear whether DOGE has actually met its mandate of slashing government spending. A tracker on the DOGE website claims to have saved taxpayers some $170 billion by canceling contracts and laying off workers, but reports suggest that the “Wall of Receipts” is full of misleading or inaccurate claims. A fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute think tank suggested to CBS News this month that the figure is more likely to be around $80 billion.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported on Thursday that, since Trump took office in January, federal spending has actually increased by 8.7 percent compared with the same period in 2024. That’s largely due to spending on Social Security, Medicare and other social insurance programs, as well as interest payments on the federal debt. However, the report notes that the full impact of the DOGE-led cutbacks may not yet been factored into the figures, given the up-front costs involved in ending programs and canning so many workers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/elon-musk-leaves-doge-amid-tanking-tesla-sales-153859407.html?src=rss

Volkswagen ID.Buzz review: A head-turning EV microbus with unfortunate flaws

While we’re still waiting for a true electric minivan to hit the US, VW’s ID.Buzz microbus is close. It’s a unique family hauler that’ll definitely get your neighbors buzzing. No, seriously, during my week of testing I had over a dozen conversations with strangers who were fascinated by the ID.Buzz. One of my neighbors stopped their car dramatically when they saw it, backed up, and just had to give me a thumbs up and praise it as “cool as hell.”

My kids were similarly enamored, they loved its cute design and enormous interior space. In many ways, it’s the family EV I’ve been dreaming of — something that could comfortably seat seven people and carry tons of cargo for road trips. Unfortunately, its high $60,000 starting price and relatively lackluster 234 mile range hold it back from true greatness.

Really, though, those issues were obvious when VW announced its US launch details for the ID.Buzz last year. I was more intrigued to see if it was a complete flop for VW, or if there was something compelling about it despite those flaws. After testing the ID.Buzz for a week, I’ve noticed one surprising thing: It makes everyone smile. It may not look exactly like VW’s classic ’60s microbus, but it elicits a similar amount of joy. And that’s refreshing compared to the response I’ve seen to other large EVs like the Cybertruck (my son calls it the “ugly truck”) and the ridiculous Hummer EV.

Sure, it’s sort of coasting on vibes, but the VW ID.Buzz still has plenty of practical benefits if you don’t mind the high price and charging a bit more often during road trips. And as I’ll explain below, it’ll likely be an enticing option once it hits the used market in a few years.

What is the VW ID.Buzz?

Most cynically, the ID.Buzz is an attempt to milk the brand nostalgia for VW’s hippy-era Type 2 microbus. VW never quite gave up on those vehicles, but its later models dropped the cute rounded aesthetic and looked more like commercial vans. What makes the ID.Buzz truly interesting is that it transforms a beloved classic into a cutting-edge EV, with an enormous infotainment screen and modern features like adaptive cruise control.

It also makes a great first impression, since it doesn’t look like anything else on the road. There’s a rounded front end that evokes the playfulness of the original model, and its two-tone color design (on some trims) simply pops among a sea of boring (and often white) cars in traffic. Sure, VW has done this before, but the Buzz is still a great reminder that EVs don’t have to look like traditional vehicles. There’s no front engine to worry about, just a big battery and electric motors. In the Buzz’s case, you can choose from rear-wheel drive and “4Motion” all-wheel drive dual motors, delivering 282 and 335 horsepower, respectively.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

The ID.Buzz offers the seating of a minivan — with room for six to seven people depending on your configuration, and convenient sliding second-row doors — plus the height and storage capacity more akin to cargo vans. With all of its seats up, the Buzz offers an acceptable 18.6 cubic feet of storage, which is enough for a typical grocery run or a stroller and a diaper bag. Fold the third row down, though, and you get a far more useful 75.5 cubic feet of space. You could also remove the second and third row of seats entirely to get a massive 145.5 cubic feet of space.

Funny enough, you could technically fit three people into the Buzz’s third row, but US regulators have taken issue since that row only has two seatbelts. VW has recalled existing vehicles and says it’ll be adding “unpadded trim parts” to reduce the seating area. Yes, it’s the rare recall where you’ll actually lose a bit of functionality in the name of safety. (Nobody is actually forcing Buzz owners to do that, though…)

As for other niceties, the ID.Buzz offers an enormous 12.9-inch infotainment screen (I’ve never seen Apple CarPlay look so big before), a smaller driving information screen behind the steering wheel and an optional heads-up display. There’s also a panoramic sunroof option, which can’t be opened but can be tinted to look opaque on demand. Our review unit didn’t have that sunroof, unfortunately, and the interior certainly felt a bit gloomier because of that. If I were seriously considering the ID.Buzz, I’d argue the sunroof a is requirement. (Admittedly, it could be a problem if you’re trying to get babies and toddlers to sleep, since the interior will never truly get dark. But kids outgrow napping fairly quickly, and it’s easy to find canopies for car seats.)

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

What’s good about the VW ID.Buzz?

The best thing about the ID.Buzz is the vibe you get while driving it around town. People will stop and stare at it, kids will point at it excitedly and harried parents will approach it like the monolith from 2001. It’s as if VW’s designers took Marie Kondo’s advice to heart: It simply sparks joy. As I dropped off my son at daycare one morning, one of the school’s admins dragged me outside and demanded to see the interior. “I wish I could retire in this thing and travel the country,” she said.

The ID.Buzz is also very capable as an EV. Despite its large size, it’s quick to accelerate and incredibly comfortable on the highway and bumpy roads. Parking was a bit annoying, but the Buzz was also easy to maneuver thanks to the large infotainment screen, which could display both single-camera and 360-degree overhead views at the same time. I had a much easier time backing into spots than I did with much smaller cars.

The Buzz’s large second row could easily fit three carseats side-by-side, assuming you get the models with the middle bench seat. I was able to hook up my son’s carseat and my daughter’s booster chair in a few minutes, without the finger-cramping I usually experience with my Volvo XC90 SUV. (One downside to the second row? You can’t open its windows fully, instead only a smaller section of the windows open up.)

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

I also instantly appreciated the Buzz’s enormous storage area, as it was able to fit a large pile of charity donations that were sitting in my garage. That included a bike trailer for kids as well as an old high chair. We were able to fully load up the trunk with the third-row seats down, and there was still room in the second row for additional gear. That trip likely would have been possible with my Volvo, but it would have involved cramming in large items more creatively. With the ID.Buzz, I didn’t break a sweat.

Now that I’m several years into being a suburban dad with two kids (sigh), I’ve learned to appreciate the benefits of less flashy and more practical transportation. And there’s no doubt the ID.Buzz is useful. In addition to that donation drop-off, I was also able to comfortably pile my parents into the Buzz along with my kids for a day trip. My dad thought the third row was absolutely huge, and my mom had no trouble sitting in the second row alongside the child and booster seats.

There’s no other EV that’s this flexible. The Rivian R1S is far more expensive, and the Kia EV9 is great but doesn’t offer as much storage. And neither of those cars have minivan-like sliding doors, which are a life-saver in tight parking spots. There’s no true EV minivan in the US at this point, the best you can get is the hybrid Toyota Sienna (which I loved) and the plug-in hybrid Pacifica (which I had to dump because of Chrysler’s terrible build quality).

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

What’s bad about the VW ID.Buzz?

The hardest pill to swallow with the Buzz is its $60,000 starting price, which can escalate to over $70,000 if you want all the fixins. Basically, it’s a luxury curiosity for those who can afford it, not something that’s easily attainable for everyone. Its price could be excused if the Buzz also offered everything we see in comparable EVs, but its short 234-mile range is just inexcusable when the EV9 can reach 309 miles for around the same price. For such a large vehicle, you’d think VW would be able to stuff in more batteries.

Realistically, the Buzz’s range only becomes a problem during long road trips, where you’ll have to charge more often compared to other EVs. But that can be an annoying process, since you’ll typically have to spend at least half an hour at a charging station to get ready for the next leg of your trip. VW says the Buzz can go from 10 to 80 percent charge on a 200 kW DC fast charger in 30 minutes, but those aren’t available everywhere. One hour of level 2 AC charging got me 12 percent of additional battery life, while level 1 trickle charging at home added 20 percent of juice over 14 hours.

It’s also worth noting that range estimates vary dramatically in cold weather, or if you’re cranking the Buzz’s heat or air conditioning. That’s why it’s always smart to aim for as much range as you can, even if you don’t think you’ll be driving that much.

Volkswagen

Beyond the obvious problems, I also hated the Buzz’s capacitive touch controls, which are spread across its steering wheel buttons, infotainment center and window controls. While there are indentations and a bit of haptic feedback when you hit something, like pumping up the volume or choosing the next music track via the steering wheel, it’s hard to differentiate those controls from nearby capacitive buttons. It’s far too easy to tap the cruise control functions while you’re just trying to change the volume, and vice versa.

Since it’s hard to actually feel where certain buttons are, I found myself looking down to make sure I was hitting the right option, which is something I absolutely hate doing while driving. Similarly, trying to adjust HVAC settings on the bottom portion of the infotainment screen can easily trigger the capacitive buttons below them, which was another reason I had to occasionally take my eyes off the road. Thankfully, VW appears to be focusing on physical buttons for future vehicles, but ID.Buzz owners are still left with a frustrating interface.

The ID.Buzz’s rearview mirror controls… how do they work?

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

Here are just some of the ways the capacitive buttons infuriated me:

It’s difficult to turn on the cruise control and adjust your speed without looking down.

It’s tough to control the rear windows from the driver’s seat, since it involves hitting a capacitive “Rear” button. There are only two controls for windows, so you have to choose between controlling the front and second-row windows. Even more annoying, the Buzz would sometimes disable the rear window option after a few seconds.

I spent at least 10 minutes trying to figure out how the rear-view mirrors are controlled, and I still have no clue. It’s an inscrutable combination of a joy-stick, turning dial and capacitive controls.

Should you buy the VW ID.Buzz?

At this point, given its price and range, the VW ID.Buzz just doesn’t make sense for most people. If you really want a three-row EV, you’ll likely be better served by the Kia EV9 or the Hyundai Ioniq 9, which offer more range for a similar price. And if you absolutely need something that’s like a minivan, the Toyota Sienna is hard to beat. While it’s not a full EV, its hybrid setup still offers a healthy 36 MPG.

But, I’ve also noticed that used EVs tend to drop in price far quicker than gas cars. You can currently find the Polestar 2, which launched at around $60,000, for $30,000 or less in the used market. While I can’t guarantee the Buzz will drop that far, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see used versions for around $40,000 in a few years. And at that point, it could be a decent purchase even with its relatively low range.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

Wrap-up

It’s clear that the ID.Buzz is a big swing for VW, and it’s truly unique since there aren’t any EV minivans outside of China. It’s just a shame that it’s held back by some obvious issues. The ID.Buzz is still undeniably useful though, especially if you don’t plan on taking many road trips, so there’s a chance it’ll become more compelling as its price falls.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volkswagen-idbuzz-review-a-head-turning-ev-microbus-with-unfortunate-flaws-143024824.html?src=rss

NVIDIA’s native GeForce NOW app is now available for Steam Deck

The Steam Deck just got even more useful. NVIDIA’s native GeForce NOW app is now available for the portable console, after being teased back at CES. This allows Steam Deck owners to stream the entire library of over 2,200 games, with up to a 4K resolution at 60FPS.

There are some benefits to using this service even when the game already runs natively on the Steam Deck. The integration provides HDR, DLSS 4 and Reflex on supported titles and the settings can be pushed much higher than usual. This is a streaming platform, so the Steam Deck is more or less just a display for cloud content.

To that end, NVIDIA promises a massive increase in battery life when using GeForce NOW as compared to running a game natively on the console. The company says players could squeeze around 50 percent more use out of the Steam Deck before requiring a charge. This is a big deal, as the Deck is a noted battery hog.

It also allows players to run games that aren’t available on the handheld. GeForce NOW pulls its library from Steam, Epic Games Store, Game Pass for PC, Ubisoft, Blizzard’s Battle.net and other places. NVIDIA says that it can be used to run games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Monster Hunter Wilds and Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 “at max settings without worrying about hardware limits.” That’s an enticing proposition.

The Steam Deck is also easily docked to a TV, offering a way to play the aforementioned titles on the big screen. There’s a free version of GeForce NOW to try it out, but it comes with serious caveats. The queues are generally much longer here than with paid subscriptions and users are limited to play sessions of one hour. The company’s offering a six-month Performance membership right now for $30. This reverts back to $50 once the period expires.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nvidias-native-geforce-now-app-is-now-available-for-steam-deck-130016615.html?src=rss