Category: Technology

Google may have only recently begun rolling out its Veo generative AI to enterprise customers, but the company is not wasting any time getting a new version of the video tool out to early testers. On Monday, Google announced a preview of Veo 2. According to the company, Veo 2 “understands the language of cinematography.” In practice, that means you can reference a specific genre of film, cinematic effect or lens when prompting the model.

Additionally, Google says the new model has a better understanding of real-world physics and human movement. Correctly modeling humans in motion is something all generative models struggle to do. So the company’s claim that Veo 2 is better when it comes to both of those trouble points is notable. Of course, the samples the company provided aren’t enough to know for sure; the true test of Veo 2’s capabilities will come when someone prompts it to generate a video of a gymnast’s routine. Oh, and speaking of things video models struggle with, Google says Veo will produce artifacts like extra fingers “less frequently.”

Separately, Google is rolling out improvements to Imagen 3. Of its text-to-image model, the company says the latest version generates brighter and better-composed images. Additionally, it can render more diverse art styles with greater accuracy. At the same time, it’s also better at following prompts more faithfully. Prompt adherence was an issue I highlighted when the company made Imagen 3 available to Google Cloud customers earlier this month, so if nothing else, Google is aware of the areas where its AI models need work.

Veo 2 will gradually roll out to Google Labs users in the US. For now, Google will limit testers to generating up to eight seconds of footage at 720p. For context, Sora can generate up to 20 seconds of 1080p footage, though doing so requires a $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription. As for the latest enhancements to Imagen 3, those are available to Google Labs users in more than 100 countries through ImageFX.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-new-ai-video-model-sucks-less-at-physics-170041204.html?src=rss 

The European Space Agency (ESA) has just signed a €10.6 ($11.1) billion contract to build the IRIS constellation. It’s the EU’s most ambitious space program in a decade and is designed to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink network. The contract will last 12 years, and the first launch is expected in 2029.

IRIS, which stands for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite, will consist of almost 300 satellites launched by European rockets. It’s built on top of two other EU satellite constellations, Copernicus and Galileo, the largest Earth-observation program and most accurate GPS system, respectively. Though most of the satellites’ work capacity will be used to provide commercial broadband services, a significant part is dedicated to security and crisis management. Most of the satellites are planned for a low earth orbit, but some will be in a medium earth orbit.

Of the €10.6 billion, €6 billion comes from the EU, while the ESA is forking over €550 million. The remaining €4 billion will come from the private sector.

The ESA is partnering with the European Commission through SpaceRISE, an industrial consortium led by European satellite operators SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat. Other members include Deutsche Telekom, Airbus and Thales, according to the Financial Times.

Since IRIS is many years away, Starlink will likely dominate the current satellite internet market. Recently, SpaceX completed the first direct-to-cell satellite constellation, which will allow phones to be connected even in remote areas.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/europe-will-build-its-own-secure-satellite-network-161115164.html?src=rss 

For years, reporting has claimed employees and contractors at Amazon’s warehouses are injured at unusually high rates, often attributed to a high pace of work. On Sunday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions published an investigation that claims Amazon’s own internal research reached similar conclusions — and then ignored them, The New York Times reported.

The Senate Committee, chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders, published its 160-page report, which among other things, details the results of two internal Amazon initiatives meant to study worker injuries: Project Elderwand and Project Soteria. The former identified an upper bound of repetitive motions workers could perform before substantial risk of injury would occur, and noted that current quotes were above that rate. The latter indicated a link between work speed and injury. Both studies recommended relaxing the pace of work, but executives chose not to do so.

Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said that Sanders’ report used what she called “out-of-date documents” (the studies were conducted in 2020 and 2021). She continued saying that Amazon’s work environment has improved recently, and that a Washington State judge had rejected allegations that Amazon required its employees to work in an unsafe environment.

Amazon was cited last year by OSHA at half a dozen warehouses for “failing to keep workers safe.” An investigation by the Washington Post in 2021 found Amazon warehouse workers are seriously injured at a rate nearly twice that of the warehousing industry at large; it echoed similar findings by Reveal from 2019.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-ignored-internal-studies-on-injuries-senate-investigation-claims-144611988.html?src=rss 

Are you ready for the holiday travels and the long hours on your phone that accompany them? Whether you’re using your device for directions or entertainment, it’s a pain when you’re phone just dies. Try to avoid this by picking up one of our choices for best power banks and portable chargers, like Anker’s 200W Prime Power Bank — our favorite premium power bank.

Anker’s Prime Power Bank with a 100W charging base is currently available for $110, down from $185. This 41 percent off deal brings the power bank and charging base back down to a record-low price. To start from the bottom, its charging base has a USB port and two USB-C ports. You can use them while the base is plugged in and juicing up the power bank. As for the power bank, it can charge a MacBook Air once and an iPhone 14 or Galaxy S23 3.4 times. The power bank’s sleek screen shows how much battery the Anker device still holds. 

If you’re only really interested in the power bank then you can get it for a lot cheaper. The Anker Prime Power Bank is available on its own for just $78 — a 40 percent discount. This deal is also a record-low price for the device and offers all the same perks just sans-base. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ankers-prime-power-bank-with-charging-base-is-back-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-150600518.html?src=rss 

If you’re looking for a holiday gift, Masterclass has something that may catch your attention. As part of a special holiday offer, you can get two MasterClass annual memberships — one for yourself and one to give away as a gift — for the price of one. Memberships start at $120 per year, which lets you watch on one device at a time, $180 grants access to two devices simultaneously and allows for downloads, and a Family membership covers six devices. Your giftee will get the same level of membership you buy for yourself. 

If you have a loved one interested in filmmaking, cooking, business, writing or just generally improving themselves, MasterClass is the ideal gift. A membership includes access to 180 different big name instructors teaching on topics they know a lot about. Classes on offer sound like an A-list roll call: Martin Scorsese and Jodie Foster teach lessons on filmmaking, Mark Cubain lays out his business knowledge, Questlove shows you how to DJ and Margaret Atwood gives a seminar on writing.

Classes range from around two to six hours and are broken up into shorter lessens, usually between 10 and 20 minutes. There are even exercises and community forums to get you actually doing the things the teachers teach. Recently, MasterClass added series as part of its lineup, such as GOAT, which are 20 minute episodes covering a single topic (such as making a grilled cheese or playing pickleball) that feel more like a mini documentary than a lesson. The mobile app also offers series of short, swipeable videos, for a highly polished TikTok feel.

Engadget has tried out the service and found it to be like a really smart streaming service, where you get to watch masters talk about how they go about their craft. Even if you bought it to mostly learn about filmmaking, for instance, you can also about peripheral elements like comedy from Steve Martin, Kevin Hart and Judd Apataow. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/masterclass-subscriptions-are-buy-one-get-one-free-in-this-last-minute-gift-deal-140039669.html?src=rss 

Social media platforms and other online services operating in the UK are facing new regulations. Ofcom, the UK’s communication services regulator, has released over 40 safety measures that applicable organizations must carry out by mid-March 2025. The new guidance follows last year’s passage of the Online Safety Act, which implements new protections for children and adults online. Ofcom’s role includes providing compliance codes and guidance for relevant companies. 

Ofcom introduced new measures tackling areas such as fraud, moderation and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Online services must take steps like nominating a senior person who is accountable for complying to its duties for illegal content, complaints and reporting. Moderating teams must be “appropriately” trained and have enough resources to quickly remove illegal content. Plus, relevant companies, such as social media platforms, should improve their algorithms to limit the spread of illegal content. 

The regulator’s required anti-CSAM safety practices include hiding children’s profiles and locations, not allowing random accounts to message children and using hash-matching and URL detection to quickly find and shut down CSAM. 

Ofcom consulted with the tech industry, charities and parents, among other entities. It also heard from children about their horrifying experiences of receiving predatory messages online and opinions on new regulations. “As an evidence-based regulator, every response has been carefully considered, alongside cutting-edge research and analysis, and we have strengthened some areas of the codes since our initial consultation,” Ofcom stated in its release. “The result is a set of measures — many of which are not currently being used by the largest and riskiest platforms — that will significantly improve safety for all users, especially children.”

The Online Safety Act includes “organizations big and small, from large and well-resourced companies to very small ‘micro-businesses.’ They also apply to individuals who run an online service,” Ofcom states. It gets a bit vague, though, with Ofcom adding the business must have a “significant number” of UK users or have the UK as a target market. The Act covers “user-to-user services,” such as social media, online gaming and dating sites. It also impacts “search services” and online businesses that show pornographic content. 

Ofcom has the power to fine non-compliant sites £18 million ($22.7 million) or 10 percent of their qualifying global revenue, if a higher number. In “very serious cases” Ofcom can seek a court order to block a site’s UK presence. Ofcom plans to release further guidance across the first half of 2025. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-internet-watchdog-gives-social-media-companies-three-months-to-improve-safety-or-face-huge-fines-130018908.html?src=rss 

CD Projekt Red took us by surprise when it dropped a cinematic trailer for The Witcher 4 at The Game Awards, revealing Ciri as the new protagonist. Amidst all the excitement, some observant fans also noticed that Geralt of Rivia’s adopted daughter seems to sound pretty different than before, and not just in a ‘several years have passed’ kind of way. In a statement to TheGamer, CD Projekt Red confirmed that Ciri has been recast. While she was previously voiced by Jo Wyatt, Ciara Berkeley has taken over the role.

“Ciara Berkeley was cast as Ciri for The Witcher 4 Cinematic Reveal Trailer,” a spokesperson for CD Projekt Red told TheGamer, and later added that Berkeley voices Ciri in the full game too. “Ciara is a talented actress who impressed us with her enthusiasm and vocal acting skills, and in this trailer we believe she truly brought Ciri to life in a way that is both faithful to the character and exciting for fans of the series.” So there it is.

The Game Awards brought a ton of announcements last week in addition to our first look at The Witcher 4. You can catch up on all the biggest news here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cd-projekt-red-confirms-it-recast-ciris-voice-actor-for-the-witcher-4-001144689.html?src=rss 

Hackers behind a cyberattack that targeted Rhode Island’s public benefits system were able to get the sensitive data — including Social Security numbers and some banking information — of hundreds of thousands of people, and they have threatened to release it as soon as this week if they aren’t paid a ransom, Rhode Island governor Dan McKee said in a press conference on Saturday night. The Rhode Island government opened a toll-free hotline on Sunday (833-918-6603) to provide information on the breach and how residents can protect themselves, but you won’t be able to find out for sure if your data was stolen by calling in. People who may have been affected will be notified by mail.

The attack targeted the RIBridges system, maintained by Deloitte, which is used to apply for Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), HealthSource RI healthcare coverage and other public benefits available to Rhode Islanders. A press release from McKee’s office notes that “any individual who has received or applied for health coverage and/or health and human services programs or benefits could be impacted by this leak.”

It’s thought the hackers were able to get information including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and “certain banking information.” Deloitte first detected the breach and notified state officials on December 5, and determined on the 11th that there was “a high probability that the implicated folders contain personal identifiable data from RIBridges.” It confirmed the presence of malicious code on December 13 and subsequently shut the system down, before officials announced the attack to the public the same day.

The system is now offline while Deloitte works to secure it, which means that anyone who needs to apply for one of the affected programs will have to do so by mail, and people who are currently enrolled won’t be able to access the online portal or app. The state said it so far hasn’t detected any identity theft or fraud relating to the attack, but it will be offering free credit monitoring to anyone affected by the breach. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/hackers-may-have-accessed-hundreds-of-thousands-of-rhode-islanders-sensitive-info-in-ribridges-cyberattack-194621262.html?src=rss