Category: Technology

Dyson is hosting a week-long sale on many notable products. This includes the well-regarded Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum for $300 off, bringing the price down to $700. This is the best discount we’ve seen on this particular model.

The Vis Nav made our list of the best robot vacuums. This was primarily based on the item’s superior suction power, especially when compared to rival units. We said it had the strongest suction power of any robovac we’ve tested and made short work out of dog hair stuck to carpeted floors. We noted that the suction power is on par with the company’s stick vacuums in our official review.

The unit also boasts a fantastic obstacle avoidance system, thus the 360 in the name. Cameras and LED lights help the vacuum navigate around things like furniture. It doesn’t fully avoid crashing into a chair leg once in a while, but we found that this happened rarely. We also never got any alerts that the robot got stuck somewhere while working.

The bin here is on the larger side, but this unit is missing some key features found with other pricey robot vacuums. This is a really good vacuum and nothing else. It’s not a hybrid unit, so there’s no mopping functionality. It also lacks a self-emptying base.

Dyson is also selling the V8 Absolute stick vacuum for $360, which is a discount of $160. The 15s Detect Submarine Absolute wet and dry vacuum is on sale for $800, which represents $200 in savings. This week’s sale also includes stuff like hair dryers and air purifiers.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/dyson-week-deals-include-the-360-vis-nav-robot-vacuum-for-300-off-183002169.html?src=rss 

OpenAI has announced that it will be partnering with the US General Services Administration (GSA) to offer ChatGPT Enterprise practically free of charge to the entire executive-branch federal workforce for one year. The dozens of agencies under this umbrella encompass over two million civilian workers. Each agency will be able to access ChatGPT Enterprise for $1 for the year-long period. The year-long trial will also include an additional 60 days of ChatGPT’s most advanced models like Deep Research and Advanced Voice Mode with no use limits. This comes one day after the GSA approved OpenAI, Google and Anthropic for the federal AI vendor list.

In the blog post announcing the partnership, OpenAI said: “This effort delivers on a core pillar of the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan by making powerful AI tools available across the federal government so that workers can spend less time on red tape and paperwork, and more time doing what they came to public service to do: serve the American people.”

Part of the administration’s plan calls for any AI used in the federal government to be free of ideological bias, yet simultaneously President Trump’s “Preventing Woke AI” executive order directs that AI must not favor “ideological dogmas such as DEI.” How OpenAI will deal with the administration’s own ideological slant remains to be seen. Current attempts at creating a “maximally truth-seeking AI” have not gone as planned.

According to Bloomberg, OpenAI will not use data from federal workers to train or improve ChatGPT. Addressing whether the $1 price point will buy future loyalty from the current administration, commissioner of the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service Josh Gruenbaum told Bloomberg that no agency would be required to renew after the first year. “These technologies are changing and evolving at breakneck speed. We don’t want to commit ourselves. This is almost like it’s a trial run in some ways.” CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman had previously donated $1 million to President Trump’s inauguration fund.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is-giving-chatgpt-enterprise-to-the-executive-branch-workforce-for-1-165812036.html?src=rss 

Israel has allegedly been recording and storing millions of phone calls made by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank as part of a large surveillance effort dating back to 2022, according to reporting by The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call. The report suggests that the country has been shuttling these recordings to Microsoft Azure cloud servers.

Company CEO Satya Nadella allegedly okayed the effort personally after meeting with a commander from Israel’s military surveillance agency, Unit 8200. He reportedly gave the country a customized and segregated area within the Azure platform to store millions of phone calls made each day without knowledge or consent from Palestinians.

According to sources within Unit 8200, these recordings have assisted in the preparation of deadly airstrikes and helped shape military operations throughout the region. Israel has long been intercepting calls in the occupied territories, as it basically controls the entire Palestinian telecommunications infrastructure.

This new method, however, reportedly captures the conversations of a large pool of regular civilians. The mantra when building out the project was to record “a million calls an hour.” Leaked Microsoft files suggest that the lion’s share of this data is being stored in Azure facilities in the Netherlands and Ireland.

Microsoft has been facing increased scrutiny regarding its role in Israel’s 22-month offensive in Gaza. CEO Nadella was interrupted by an employee at a keynote speech in May, with the worker pleading for the executive to “show how Israeli war crimes are powered by Azure.”

Earlier this year, the company commissioned an external review that “found no evidence to date” that Azure or its AI products were “used to target or harm people” in the territory. Today’s reporting suggests otherwise. Unit 8200 sources indicate that intelligence drawn from this data was used to identify bombing targets. Microsoft says it has “no information” about the kind of data stored by Israel on its servers.

“At no time during this engagement,” a company representative added, “has Microsoft been aware of the surveillance of civilians or collection of their cellphone conversations using Microsoft’s services, including through the external review it commissioned.” Sources say that usage of the surveillance system increased during the campaign in Gaza. So far, 60,000 people in the territory have been killed, including over 18,000 children.

Microsoft isn’t the only company that has been accused of assisting Israel in what many are calling a genocide in Gaza. A report recently found that Google employees have repeatedly worked with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel’s Defense Ministry (IDM) to expand the government’s access to AI tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/israel-is-reportedly-storing-millions-of-palestinian-phone-calls-on-microsoft-servers-161127912.html?src=rss 

It’s almost the end of the road for Hulu as a standalone app. Now that it fully owns Hulu, Disney will entirely integrate the streaming service into Disney+. It will roll out a new, unified app next year.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the price of a Disney+ subscription is going to skyrocket in 2026. A Disney spokesperson told Variety the company will still offer standalone plans for Disney+ and Hulu.

Disney CEO Bob Igor said on an earnings call that having Disney+ and Hulu on the same tech platform should help the company reduce costs and provide it with more ways to package ad sales. For users, Iger said the unified app will offer an “improved consumer experience.” Iger and Disney CFO Hugh Johnston said merging the services “will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news and industry-leading live sports content in a single app.” Disney+ is also slated to get a more personalized homepage and other new features in the coming months.

There will be a notable change for Disney+ users outside of the US as well. Disney will rebrand the Star tile in the app to Hulu starting this fall.

Disney has been nudging its streaming services more closely together for a while. Last year, it integrated Hulu content into Disney+ in the hopes of getting more people to pay for a bundle that includes the two services.

On top of all that, Disney says it will soon (for the most part) stop disclosing subscriber numbers for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, following the likes of Netflix in taking such a step. Between them, Disney+ and Hulu had 183 million subscribers at the end of June, up 2.6 million from the end of March. Meanwhile, the new ESPN streaming service is set to debut on August 21.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disney-will-unhinge-its-jaw-and-swallow-hulu-in-2026-144458503.html?src=rss 

ESPN’s long-awaited new standalone streaming service will launch on August 21, alongside an overhauled ESPN app that gives users a “more personalized, dynamic viewing experience.” Simply (and potentially confusingly) called ESPN, the new platform arrives just ahead of the new NFL season and the US Open tennis competition, as well as a number of other returning sports that ESPN broadcasts.

ESPN’s streaming service will be offered with a choice of two plans. The $30 per month ($300 annually) “unlimited” offering includes access to all of ESPN’s linear networks, as well as ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+ and ACCNX. With this plan, you’ll have access to all of ESPN’s live events, on-demand content and original documentaries, and if you bundle it with Disney+ and Hulu you’ll pay nothing extra for the first 12 months. This is a launch offer, so no guarantees it’ll apply for long.

The alternative is ESPN’s “select” plan, which costs $12 per month ($120 per year) and includes access to all content on ESPN+, the company’s other streaming subscription service that will continue to operate beyond the arrival of the new platform. ESPN says existing ESPN+ subscribers will automatically be put onto an ESPN select plan.

ESPN also announced today that it has agreed a deal to exclusively broadcast all WWE Premium Live Events in the US, from 2026. All WWE PLEs will stream on ESPN’s new platform, with major events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble available to watch in their entirety. You’ll be able to stream 2026’s NFL Draft, as well as a new daily show dedicated to the draft.

Alongside the new streaming service, ESPN has also redesigned its app to offer a more personalized experience. New features include an updated multiview screen, integrated game stats, betting information and built-in fantasy sports management.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/espns-new-streaming-service-arrives-august-21-150026297.html?src=rss 

Thirteen years ago, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars, inside Gale crater in particular. It was originally sent to the red planet for a two-year mission, but it was extended indefinitely just a few months into its operations. The rover has several goals, most of which are meant to help scientists determine whether Mars could ever have supported life in the past. And while it’s still very much operational and doing science, NASA has had to make adjustments and give it new capabilities to ensure that it can keep running. 

In a new post celebrating the 13th anniversary of the rover’s landing, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has detailed the updates the Curiosity team has had to implement. To start with, the team manages the rover’s daily power budget with great care to make sure it can do its job and last longer. See, Curiosity uses a power system called Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), which relies on decaying plutonium pellets to generate energy. As the plutonium decays over time, it takes longer and longer for the system to recharge the rover’s battery. 

That’s why the team now meticulously factors in every device that draws on the batteries. They consolidate Curiosity’s tasks to shorten the time the rover is active to also reduce the energy used. The ground team, for instance, tells Curiosity to talk to an orbiter while driving or moving its robotic arm instead of doing one task at a time. If the rover finishes its tasks early, it can go to sleep early and recharge for the next day, which JPL says maximizes the life of the MMRTG. 

Over the past years, NASA has also rolled out updates to change how the rover’s robotic arm drill collects samples and to improve its driving capabilities. JPL developed an algorithm to reduce wear on the rover’s wheels, as well, so they can last longer. 

From the time Curiosity had landed on Mars, it has provided us with multiple discoveries and new information. It discovered organic molecules in Martian atmosphere and soil, detected “startlingly high” levels of methane that’s a gas typically produced by life as we know it, and it found evidence of ancient megafloods on the red planet. And water, as you know, could indicate the presence of life. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-explains-how-it-keeps-the-curiosity-rover-running-13-years-later-124530184.html?src=rss 

States will lose out on their share of a $42 billion broadband fund if they attempt to dictate rates that internet services providers (ISPs) charge low-income customers, according to a new FAQ from the Trump administration seen by Ars Technica. That means ISPs — which are subsidized by the government in order to provide low-cost plans — will be able to set such rates under the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) program.

The new language appeared in a BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice (RPN) from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in June. “Per the RPN, states may not apply state laws to reimpose LSCO (low-cost service option) requirements removed by the RPN… violation would result in rejection of the final proposal [for states to receive funds].” It added that the the NTIA would only approve plans with low-cost rates set by ISPs. 

The new language would hand ISPs a major win if it holds up. New York state, for one, requires ISPs with more than 20,000 customers to offer $15 broadband plans with minimum 25Mbps download speeds, or $20 plans with 200Mbps speeds, to low-income customers. That law, the Affordable Broadband Act, has held up despite attempts by providers to strike it down in court.

Other states are reconsidering similar laws now. California recently withdrew a bill requiring $15 broadband plans after the NTIA said it could lose out on BEAD funds worth up to $1.86 billion. That decision was excoriated by consumer groups who pointed out that the Supreme Court itself declined to overturn New York’s law. 

As he’s done many times now, Trump is using federal funds as a cudgel to keep states in line — despite the fact that states’ rights are usually supported by US courts. New York assemblymember Amy Paulin, who spearheaded the state’s $15 broadband law, said that she believes the NTIA rule only applies to the other 49 states that don’t have price mandates. “It’s our understanding that any [ISP] BEAD awardee would have to comply with the Affordable Broadband Act regardless of federal subsidy,” she told Ars Technica. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/trump-tells-states-theyll-lose-out-on-broadband-fund-if-they-try-to-dictate-rates-123020395.html?src=rss