Technology - Kalakshar US

The next Samsung Unpacked event takes place on July 9

It’s almost time for another one of Samsung’s Unpacked events. The third Unpacked to be held this year (following installments in January and May) will take place on July 9 at 10AM ET. It will emanate from Brooklyn, New York and stream on the Samsung Newsroom, the company’s website and its YouTube channel.

Samsung is promising a look at the “next evolution of Galaxy AI and the ever-expanding Galaxy ecosystem.” The company usually debuts its latest foldables in the summer, so we are expecting to see the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 here. As if there was any doubt that this Unpacked will focus on foldables, an image Samsung sent out along with event invitations (embedded below) makes that clear. It’s looking like the rumored Galaxy Z Fold Ultra is in store too, as a teaser video includes the phrase “Ultra Unfolds.” Way to be subtle, Samsung.

Samsung

A new Galaxy Watch also seems likely to make an appearance, while rumors have been flying around that this Unpacked may feature a Galaxy S25 FE, which is slated to arrive later this year. We may even get a glimpse of a Samsung tri-fold phone. Meanwhile, the Android XR headset that Samsung has been working on with Google is slated to arrive this year — this Unpacked seems like a good opportunity for the company to spill the beans on that.

If you’re already pretty sure that you’re going to switch to a new Samsung device, you don’t necessarily have to wait until July 9 to make a reservation for one of the upcoming models. In fact, if you make a reservation starting tonight on Samsung’s website, you can receive a $50 credit.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-next-samsung-unpacked-event-takes-place-on-july-9-230044736.html?src=rss

Apple read your mean tweets about Liquid Glass and Finder

The more things change, the more they stay the same. After unveiling some new visual elements to the next generation of its operating systems during WWDC 2025, Apple has already walked back some of the proposed design revisions. 9to5Mac noticed that the most recent developer betas included changes to the new Liquid Glass operating system appearance and to the Finder app icon.

Liquid Glass was divisive from the start. The idea of layering transparency in the user interface appealed to some, while others felt it was needlessly fussy and hard to read, especially when using the Control Center. In the second developer beta of iOS 26, Apple has increased the darkness and blur on the background when the Control Center is active.

The other controversial change centered on the imagery for the Finder app in macOS Tahoe. The previous developer beta flipped the colors in the icon, putting blue on the right and white on the left. It’s a reversal of decades of Mac design, which has long had a lighter shade on the right and a darker color on the left, even as other details of the face illustration have changed. And people were not pleased about it. The usual color layout has returned in the current developer beta.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-read-your-mean-tweets-about-liquid-glass-and-finder-222230726.html?src=rss

Media Matters is suing the FTC to block investigation into X advertiser boycott

Media Matters for America has sued the US Federal Trade Commission, claiming that the agency is unfairly targeting it in retaliation for past criticisms of the social media platform X in violation of the organization’s First Amendment rights. It’s the latest move in the ongoing hostilities between the nonprofit media watchdog and X owner Elon Musk.

“The Federal Trade Commission seeks to punish Media Matters for its journalism and speech in exposing matters of substantial public concern—including how X.com has enabled and profited from extremist content that proliferated after Elon Musk took over the platform formerly known as Twitter,” the complaint from the watchdog states. “The campaign of retribution against Media Matters must stop.”

This back-and-forth legal battle began in 2023 when Media Matters published a report finding that X ran advertisements next to antisemitic posts, which led to many prominent companies withdrawing their ads from the social media network. After Musk threatened to file a “thermonuclear lawsuit” in response, X sued Media Matters later that year, claiming the organization was attempting to push advertisers into boycotting its service. CEO Linda Yaccarino called the report “misleading and manipulative” in a note to X employees, while a representative from Media Matters told Engadget: “This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X’s critics into silence. Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court.”

Last month, while Musk was still closely tied to President Donald Trump’s administration and working with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the FTC launched its own investigation into Media Matters to determine whether the group illegally colluded with advertisers. The FTC is now comprised of only three Republican commissioners following Trump’s dismissal of two Democratic commissioners, which those former civil servants said was an illegal action by the president since their terms cannot be ended early without “good cause.” Considering that earlier today, the FTC allowed a $13.5 billion acquisition within the advertising agency on the condition that purchaser Omnicom cannot engage “in collusion or coordination to direct advertising away from media publishers based on the publishers’ political or ideological viewpoints,” it seems unlikely that the regulator will be receptive to Media Matters’ case.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/media-matters-is-suing-the-ftc-to-block-investigation-into-x-advertiser-boycott-204514805.html?src=rss

Tesla’s first robotaxi rides are already running into a few bumps

Tesla launched its robotaxi service over the weekend, with only a small number of cars and heavy human supervision on and off the road. While less impressive than previously promised, the company’s caution ultimately seems for the best — at least one robotaxi attempted to drive on the wrong side of the road, based on a video posted to X and spotted by Bloomberg.

The ride video shared by Rob Maurer is largely uneventful, with the Tesla navigating turns and lane merges with few issues. Except for around seven minutes or so into the ride, when the Tesla’s wheel starts jerking back and forth and the car briefly crosses onto the wrong side of the road. As Bloomberg notes, “a honking horn can be heard as the Tesla re-enters the correct lane over a double-yellow line, which drivers aren’t supposed to cross.”

Here’s my entire first Tesla Robotaxi trip from start to finish. Ten miles across south Austin. Timestamps in comments. pic.twitter.com/cr6y4z1UWB

— Rob Maurer (@TeslaPodcast) June 22, 2025

The Tesla may have corrected itself on its own or under the influence of someone monitoring the ride remotely, but the in-car supervisor didn’t appear to do anything. That’s not the only instance of potentially unsafe driving Bloomberg spotted. Early riders have shared multiple instances of robotaxis going over the speed limit, though that might be more of a reflection of the cars driving around Tesla’s vehicles than their collective need for speed. Waymo, which also operates in Austin, strictly follows the posted speed limit as a rule.

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system has been heavily criticized in anticipation of the company’s robotaxi launch and the eventual introduction of its Cybercab, which doesn’t have a steering wheel. Earlier in June, The Dawn Project staged a demonstration showing a self-driving Tesla plowing through child-sized mannequins eight times in a row. The company’s Full Self-Driving system is also currently being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over its involvement in four different crashes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/teslas-first-robotaxi-rides-are-already-running-into-a-few-bumps-205308245.html?src=rss

Riot Games shuts down Hypixel Studios and ends development of Hytale

Here’s a bit of sad news for gamers. Hypixel Studios is shutting down and ending development of Hytale. The game looked pretty nifty, combining action-RPG mechanics with Minecraft. Riot Games purchased the developer back in 2020, though it has been working on Hytale a lot longer than that.

Development is ending immediately and the company will be shutting down “over the next few months.” Hypixel CEO Aaron “Noxy” Donaghey said the decision was made when it “became clear we couldn’t bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.”

“Over time, as our vision evolved and the genre matured around us, the bar kept rising,” he continued. “Our technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a major reboot of the game engine, the team found that Hytale still wasn’t as far along as it needed to be.”

Donaghey doesn’t blame Riot. He went on to say that the company behind League of Legends and Valorant offered the staff “generous severance” and is helping impacted employees find new opportunities. We contacted Riot Games for a comment and will update this post if we hear back.

This is a bummer. The game looked pretty darn cool and recent developer updates teased reworked biomes, improved graphics and a lot more. Now we’ll never know what could have been.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/riot-games-shuts-down-hypixel-studios-and-ends-development-of-hytale-190435047.html?src=rss

The Xbox PC app will soon integrate your various game libraries into one place

Microsoft is getting ready to make the Xbox PC app your go-to gaming hub, regardless of where you buy your games. The company has announced that Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview will get early access to a new aggregated gaming library within the Xbox PC app for Windows 11 PCs as well as handheld devices. The new feature is coming to the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X this holiday season.

Gamers’ libraries are often split across different platforms like Steam, Xbox, Epic Games, and others. With this new update, Windows aims to aggregate your gaming library entirely within the Xbox app, allowing your Game Pass titles, as well as titles from Battle.net, to all be launched from one place. The announcement did not call out any other launchers or libraries by name but made references to more storefronts being supported in the future.

“When a player installs a game from a supported PC storefront, it will automatically appear in ‘My library’ within the Xbox PC app, as well as the ‘Most recent’ list of titles in the sidebar—making it easier than ever to jump back into your games,” said Manisha Oza, product manager for Xbox. They added, “And this is just the beginning. We’ll continue rolling out support for additional PC storefronts over time.”

Users will be able to curate these combined libraries, while hiding or excluding particular storefronts and including others. The rollout is exclusive to the Xbox Insider Program for now, which is free to join if you’re curious to try the new PC Gaming Preview.

Microsoft has been making moves recently to bring its gaming services to par with other major players in the space, including a rumored unification of its console, PC, and handheld platforms. With Microsoft having recently announced its ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, it makes sense to strive for a more seamless player experience where all compatible games can be launched from one environment. We have reached out to Microsoft for clarity on what libraries are being included in this new all-in-one launcher model.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-xbox-pc-app-will-soon-integrate-your-various-game-libraries-into-one-place-192452664.html?src=rss

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory shares first images from planned decade-long survey of the sky

The National Science Foundation just shared the first images captured by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a sample of the footage it’ll capture as part of a planned decade-long survey that’s starting later in 2025. The project, dubbed the “Legacy Survey of Time and Space” is predicted to lead to the discovery of “millions of new asteroids within the first two years” the survey is running.

In just a 10 hour period, the National Science Foundation says that the Rubin Observatory “discovered 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids in our solar system, including seven near-Earth asteroids.” The long-term survey project could lead to even more insights, particularly into larger cosmic unknowns like dark matter and dark energy.

The idea is appropriate given the observatory’s origins. Jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the Large Synoptic Telescope in Cerro Pachón, Chile was renamed the Vera C. Rubin Observatory after astronomer Vera C. Rubin, who’s research into gravitational rotation was used as conclusive evidence of the existence of dark matter.

The short video embedded above should give you a good sense of the scale of the Rubin Observatory’s operation. That’s a stitched together view of about 10 million galaxies captured during 10 hours of photography, “roughly .05 percent of the approximately 20 billion galaxies” the observatory will capture during its survey.

“The amount of data gathered by Rubin Observatory in its first year alone will be greater than that collected by all other optical observatories combined,” the National Science Foundation says. “This treasure trove of data will help scientists make countless discoveries about the universe and will serve as an incomparable resource for scientific exploration for decades to come.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-vera-c-rubin-observatory-shares-first-images-from-planned-decade-long-survey-of-the-sky-192557094.html?src=rss

US House reportedly bans WhatsApp on government devices

US congressional staffers have reportedly been told that they’re no longer allowed to use WhatsApp on government devices. The House of Representatives’ chief administrative officer (CAO) is said to have informed workers on Monday that the app — including the mobile, desktop and web-based versions — is not permitted on House-managed devices.

“The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption and potential security risks involved with its use,” the CAO wrote in an email, according to Axios. Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal (despite how easy it might be to accidentally invite a reporter to a sensitive group chat), iMessage and FaceTime were reportedly cited as acceptable alternatives, and the CAO reminded workers to be vigilant regarding potential phishing scams.

“We disagree with the House Chief Administrative Officer’s characterization in the strongest possible terms,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X. “We know members and their staffs regularly use WhatsApp and we look forward to ensuring members of the House can join their Senate counterparts in doing so officially. Messages on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning only the recipients and not even WhatsApp can see them. This is a higher level of security than most of the apps on the CAO’s approved list that do not offer that protection.”

The step follows limitations on congressional staffers’ use of other apps (including generative AI ones) that the CAO has deemed to be risky. Those include ChatGPT, TikTok, DeepSeek (which some states and federal departments have also banned from government devices) and Microsoft Copilot.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-house-reportedly-bans-whatsapp-on-government-devices-161557444.html?src=rss

F1 the Movie review: A shameless Apple ad that will blow your socks off

The first thing in F1 the Movie, before a single word of dialog is uttered, is a pair of AirPods Max. They’re so comfortable, Brad Pitt’s lovable loser protagonist Sonny Hayes is able to sleep with them all night, then hop up and begin his day of driving fancy race cars. If you paid $550 for the AirPods Max, you too could be like Brad Pitt!

It’s hard to ignore the blatant commercialism of F1 the Movie, you might as well call it a $300 million ad for Formula One everything Apple. The film is produced by Pitt and F1 darling Lewis Hamilton, and it’s Apple’s first stab at producing a big budget summer blockbuster for theaters. In the hands of Joseph Kosinski, the director behind the thematically similar Top Gun: Maverick, F1 the Movie is undoubtedly thrilling, delivering an unparalleled sense of speed that more than rises to the occasion of “big, dumb, fun summer flick.” As a connoisseur of action films and just about anything that features wildly fast cars, I’d go as far to say that F1 is one of the best racing films ever made.

Apple

Sure, you’ve seen this movie before — one where absurdly beautiful people devote their lives to their sport, all for the love of the game. In many ways, Kosinski and writer Ehren Kreuger are just repeating what they did for the Top Gun sequel. F1 the Movie swaps Tom Cruise with Brad Pitt as a talented-but-washed up lead (who is always right about everything, of course), and replaces fighter jets with Formula One racers. Kosinski even replicates part of the magic of that previous film by placing cameras within the cars (powered by iPhone sensors and Apple’s A-series chips, Wired reports, as well as unreleased Sony 6K cameras) to accurately capture the experience of driving at speeds of 200 miles per hour.

If you can get past the generic characters and formulaic nature of the film — Pitt’s Sonny Hayes is a fallen racing star recruited by an old friend (Javier Bardem) to save his struggling F1 team, all the while butting heads with a young publicity-obsessed teammate (Damson Idris) — F1 the Movie‘s sheer technical prowess makes it a must-watch Summer blockbuster on the biggest screen you can find. On IMAX screens, it’ll be presented in that format’s extra-tall 1.90:1 aspect ratio for its entire duration, instead of switching between aspect ratios like other IMAX films. (I saw it on a local theater chain’s premium screen and it looked great, but I also plan to get a full IMAX viewing soon.)

While Apple would probably want us to focus on the novelty of using iPhone cameras in Formula One cars, it’s the Sony cameras that truly make F1 more than your typical racing film. As you can see in behind the scenes footage, those cameras can rotate quickly in the middle of the race. That helps Kosinski capture the hectic nature of driving at incredibly fast speeds — we instantly go from seeing the point of view of the road to the driver’s struggle to keep pace with the action. They’re reacting to extreme G-force and struggling to hold onto the wheel,and we’re right there with them.

F1 is one of those films where you might find yourself unconsciously holding your breath during its most extreme set pieces. But it’s also one of those movies where you’ll probably have to turn off your brain a bit to truly enjoy it. Ignore the uncritical adoration for Formula One racing, the fact that Pitt’s character is almost a total cipher or the stereotypical romance.

Apple

The riskiest thing F1 does is place Sonny Hayes’ AirPods Max – which aren’t waterproof or water resistant in any way – perilously close to his ice bath after a brutal race. (I could easily see Apple executives giving Kosinski a note to make sure the AirPods Max never touches water. We wouldn’t want to have unrealistic expectations for Apple products, after all.)

Some sports films are transcendent explorations of the nature of human endurance (Chariots of Fire), or character dramas where winning isn’t really the point at all (Rocky.) And sometimes car go fast. That’s still perfectly enjoyable.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/f1-the-movie-review-a-shameless-apple-ad-that-will-blow-your-socks-off-144808364.html?src=rss

Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 review: Technically proficient but lacking soul

In previous years, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 probably would have been called an Inspiron. However, after the company revamped its naming scheme earlier this year, all of its consumer PCs now share its name, with a few extra identifiers that call out size, design and status (aka how fancy it is). While I still think Dell’s choice to ditch the iconic XPS tag is a mistake, streamlining its portfolio makes a lot of sense, especially for people simply looking to buy a new laptop.

The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is one of the company’s first consumer laptops to feature its updated naming scheme and refreshed styling. And to little surprise, this machine is a solidly competent midrange laptop for everyday productivity with a bit of extra flexibility thanks to its convertible design. But despite all these changes, it feels like something is missing.

Design

Like it did with its model names, Dell has reworked the design of its laptop family. The 16 Plus 2-in-1 features a solid build consisting of smooth aluminum panels on top and bottom with a matte finish and rounded edges. Its 360-degree hinges are small and subtle while still providing plenty of support for tent and tablet modes. But in some ways, it feels like Dell may have gone a bit too minimalist, as the laptop’s only distinguishing characteristic is the classic Dell logo in the center of its lid.

Port selection is good, but not outstanding, with two USB-C sockets (one supports Thunderbolt 4 while the other handles DisplayPort 1.4), one USB-A, a HDMI 2.1 slot and a 3.5mm audio jack. However, considering its size, I would have liked to see one more USB-C connector, particularly on the right side of the system. Only being able to charge using the ports on the left can be a bit awkward depending on your setup. The lack of a microSD card reader isn’t ideal for content creators either.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The keyboard feels great and includes a full number pad for those who need one. Unfortunately, I don’t love the 16 Plus’ touchpad. Even though it’s rather large, it felt surprisingly unresponsive. At first, nearly a quarter of the time I tried to right-click, I simply got nothing. Granted, I was able to adapt, but no matter what I did, clicking never felt quite right.

Dell’s speakers are also somewhat disappointing as they are hidden behind two small slits on the bottom of the system. This results in audio that sounds flat, hollow and distant, even when the volume is turned up. Given the choice, I would trade the physical number pad for up- or forward-firing speakers positioned on either side of the keyboard, though I admit that might not be a popular choice for anyone who has to do a lot of data entry.

Display

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The 16-inch touch display on our review unit is a bright spot as it features Dell’s optional 2,560 x 1,600 mini LED screen. Not only can it produce up to 600 nits of brightness, it also has a slightly faster 90Hz refresh rate than the default 300-nit 1,920 x 1,200 FHD+ panel. And after using it for several weeks, this display is definitely one upgrade worth paying for. Colors are richer and more saturated while also providing better brightness, contrast and black levels than a basic LCD panel.

Performance

Packing either an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V or Ultra 7 258V chip, along with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, the 16 Plus has more than enough speed for everyday computing tasks. Because these laptops can reach either 40 or 47 TOPS, depending on the processor, they support all of Microsoft’s Copilot+ AI features. That said, it doesn’t support discrete graphics, so this machine isn’t a great choice for anyone who regularly needs to do things like serious video editing, gaming or 3D modeling.

Battery life

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Thanks to its 64WHr battery, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 offers above average longevity. On PCMark10’s Modern Office rundown test, it lasted eight hours and 12 minutes. That’s significantly better than rivals like HP’s Spectre x360 16 (slightly over five hours), but still a far cry from smaller and less powerful models like the ASUS Zenbook A14 (18:16).

I also appreciate that Dell’s included 65-watt charger is relatively compact. The 16 Plus supports charging over USB-C (with either of its ports), so you can also use a third-party brick if you prefer.

Wrap-up

The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is a perfectly competent hybrid laptop. Its hinge allows the system to transform into various modes to better adapt to your needs. Its chassis is well built even though it’s not particularly eye-catching. Performance is solid and battery life is slightly better than average for its class, while Dell’s optional mini LED display provides a great viewing experience. And starting at just $750 (or around $1,400 for the fully loaded model review here), this system feels very reasonably priced.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

My main issue is that between its revamped name and new streamlined design, the Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 suffers from a complete lack of personality. It’s a totally serviceable machine, but it doesn’t have a single trait or feature that endears itself to its user. Same goes for its name. At least with Apple, you know you’re getting a MacBook or an iPad. With this thing, Dell is the name of the company, but now it’s also the name of the laptop too? Or is it just called the 16 Plus 2-in-1? Either way, it’s awkward.

Now I fully admit that not everyone feels this way about their gadgets, because at the end of the day, a PC is just a tool. But as someone who likes to feel connected to the devices I buy, Dell’s PC revamp has produced something that’s hard to love.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-16-plus-2-in-1-review-technically-proficient-but-lacking-soul-153003908.html?src=rss