Kalakshar US

X has, once again, quietly changed its rules around deadnaming and misgendering without an explanation. With the latest change, it seems that there will be no penalties for misgendering or deadnaming people on X after al, except in cases when it may be “required by local laws.”

The update, which was first spotted by Mashable, comes after X appeared to reinstate some aspects of Twitter’s former policy, which fell under its hateful conduct rules. Prior to Elon Musk’s takeover, Twitter had barred targeted deadnaming and misgendering. That section of the company’s rules then disappeared last April. Then, last week, ArsTechnica noted that the policy was quietly updated to indicate that X would “reduce the visibility of posts that purposefully use different pronouns to address someone other than what that person uses for themselves, or that use a previous name that someone no longer goes by as part of their transition.”

While it wasn’t a full reversal of the earlier policy — under the company’s previous leadership, intentional misgendering was grounds for a suspension — it seemed that there once again would be penalties for this type of harassment. Now, that section of Twitter’s rules is prefaced with “where required by local laws.”

As with so much of what happens at X, there is significant confusion about the policy as the company’s rules seem to change based on the whims of Musk rather than a considered process. This was on display over the last fewldays as Musk fielded several complaints from right-wing personalities about last week’s change. On Thursday, Musk told one such account that the update “is just about repeated, targeted harassment of a particular person.” But by Saturday, Musk was offering a new explanation. “Turns out this was due to a court judgment in Brazil, which is being appealed, but should not apply outside of Brazil,” he said.

X didn’t respond to a request for comment about the policy or why it was changed twice in a matter of days. But Musk is known to be sympathetic to people who regularly engage in anti-trans harassment. One of his first moves after taking over the company was to reinstate a number of accounts banned for violating the company’s previous hateful conduct policy. He has also repeatedly mocked people who specify their pronouns and publicly criticized X staff for attempting to apply the company’s “freedom of speech, not reach” policy to a transphobic documentary.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-walks-back-its-misgendering-policy-after-right-wing-complaints-202433498.html?src=rss 

Google is releasing new features for the first-gen Pixel Watch, and they include the health-monitoring capabilities that launched with its successor. The older wearables will now be able to detect whether you’re working out and can automatically start tracking your activity and then stop when you’re done. In particular, it works for running, walking, elliptical training, spinning, outdoor biking and rowing. 

You’ll also be able to track the time you spend in different heart rate zones, which could help you optimize your workouts. Plus, you’ll be able to set a goal pace for your exercise sessions to get a notification for when you’re not performing up to par. In case you want your first-gen Pixel Watch to help you feel more relaxed instead, simply fire up the Fitbit Relax App on the device to guide you through some breathing exercises. 

For travelers, though, Google’s most exciting update for watches isn’t just for its Pixel line. The company has rolled out public transit directions for devices running Wear OS 3 and above, which means you can check what kind of public transportation you can take right on your wrist — it will even display your public transit options’ real-time departure schedules. You’ll now also be able to navigate an unfamiliar location without taking out your phone through a compass-enabled map view on your watch. 

The company is releasing features for different devices under its Pixel line, as well. Pixel phones will now be able to share 10-bit HDR videos directly to Instagram Reels and will be able to upload Ultra HDR Photos to the app. In addition, the Pixel 8’s “Circle to Search” feature is coming to Pixel 7 and Pixel Pro phones, giving you a quick way to do Search queries without having to switch apps. All you have to do is draw a circle around or highlight an image, a video or a piece of text to look up the information you need. Finally, a “Call Screen” feature will give you access to a “hello” chip you can tap while a call is being screened. Google Assistant can ask the caller to speak, so you can get an idea of why they’re calling, and it can also ask them to wait a bit longer if you can’t pick up their call just yet. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-updates-the-first-gen-pixel-watch-with-health-monitoring-features-190002033.html?src=rss 

Google just announced that some Pixel phones are getting next-gen call screening. This improves on the pre-existing Call Screen feature by implementing a new Hello button. Once tapped, the system will deploy Google Assistant to speak on your behalf.

The digital assistant will ask the caller why they’re trying to reach you, and you’ll be able to hear the response in real-time. If it sounds important, you can interrupt and begin the call. If not, you can kick them to the curb and go back to watching TV.

Google Assistant already worked to screen calls in a similar way, but the Hello button gives the user ultimate control as to when to begin the screening process. There’s even an option to tell the caller to wait a little bit, if you can’t get to the phone quite yet. In addition to the real-time element, the tool still captures transcripts of these screenings to peruse at your leisure. The new Call Screen update is only available for the Pixel Fold and Pixel 6 phones and newer.

This is part of a larger March features drop for Pixel phones. Google’s smartphones will now be able to share 10-bit HDR videos directly to Instagram, with no processing required. This is similar to the approach Samsung recently took with its Galaxy S24 native camera update.

The features drop also expands the company’s recently-launched Circle to Search tool to Pixel 7 smartphones. As the name suggests, this lets people search for stuff by simply drawing a circle around the object. The tool was previously only available for Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 users.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pixel-phones-just-got-next-gen-call-screening-190034396.html?src=rss 

Apple revealed some new M3 MacBook Air laptops today and one of the marquee features is that they can drive two external displays while the lid is closed. It’s pretty weird when the Air line gets a feature missing from the beefier MacBook Pro line, but Apple’s on top of it. The company just announced that this feature is also coming to standard M3 MacBook Pro laptops via a software update, as reported by 9to5Mac.

There’s no details as to which software update would include the new tool, though macOS Sonoma 14.4 is in active development, so that’s a possibility. The feature should work exactly how it does with the forthcoming M3 MacBook Air, as the two lines share a processor and a similar architecture.

This update is going to be for 14-inch MacBook Pro laptops with the standard M3 chip. The more powerful versions with the M3 Pro and Max chips can already do this, so the 16-inch model doesn’t require a software update. Prior to this, you could only use the regular M3 MacBook Pro to drive a single external monitor with the lid closed. 

Apple Silicon MacBook Pros have been able to drive multiple external displays all the way back to the M1 Pro chip, but never with standard M-series chips. Apple hasn’t offered up a reason as to why this took so long to get going on chips without Pro or Max in the name. In any event, this is going to be huge for current M3 MacBook Pro owners looking for more screen real estate. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-m3-macbook-pro-is-getting-multi-display-support-just-like-the-air-193844930.html?src=rss 

Both Amazon and Best Buy have kicked off new sales on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup, taking up to $150 off the unlocked versions of the recently released smartphones. The 6.8-inch Galaxy S24 Ultra and the 6.7-inch Galaxy S24 Plus are each $150 off at $1,150 and $850, respectively, while the 6.2-inch Galaxy S24 is $100 off at $700. We’ve seen a handful of trade-in and gift card offers for the phones since they were released in late January, but these are their largest cash discounts to date. As a reminder, the S24 Ultra and S24 Plus start with 256GB of storage, while the base S24 starts with 128GB. If you need more space, higher-capacity models are also discounted. The deals apply to multiple color options, too.

Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro remain the top picks in our guide to the best Android phones: They take better photos, generally provide a cleaner software experience and typically cost less. That said, we note Galaxy S24 Ultra as a good alternative for those who’re willing to pay for more premium hardware. It runs on a faster chip (Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3), has a gorgeous OLED display and gets longer battery life. Its titanium frame should be a bit more durable long-term, plus it comes with Samsung’s S Pen stylus. Samsung did jack up the price by $100 over last year’s model, though this deal neuters that hike at least a little bit. We gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra a score of 89 in our review earlier this year.

The smaller Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus aren’t quite as high-end but may still be worthwhile if you want to avoid a Pixel. Both earned a score of 87 in our review. They still get you a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, a rich 120Hz OLED display and seven years of software updates. That software includes the same suite of hit-or-miss AI features, including a live language translation tool. The S24 Plus lasts longer on a charge, but the base S24 may appeal to those who want something more compact. The S24 Ultra has a more advanced camera array, though, with a sharper main lens and an extra telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. These two also use aluminum frames instead of titanium. We’ll inevitably see larger discounts on each of these phones in the months ahead, but if you’ve been sitting on an older Galaxy device and want to upgrade today, this is a decent chance to save.

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/samsungs-galaxy-s24-phones-are-up-to-150-off-at-amazon-and-best-buy-164520013.html?src=rss 

Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad is 40 percent off right now via Amazon. That brings the price down to $180, which is a savings of around $120. It’s not the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the 11-inch keyboard, but it’s certainly close. Typical sales drop it to around $250 or so, so this is still one heck of a deal.

This is the perfect keyboard to turn your 11-inch iPad Pro or Air into a standalone workstation. There’s a reason, after all, why it ended up on our list of the best iPad accessories. It magnetically attaches to the tablet, with a hinge that keeps the screen floating above the keyboard. In other words, it basically turns your iPad into a laptop.

We praised Apple’s Magic Keyboard for its emphasis on comfort and the precise trackpad. There are dozens upon dozens of competing third-party products out there, but none of them get the job done quite like this luxury keyboard. The major issue here is the price, which this sale somewhat alleviates.

There is one other potential issue on the horizon. There are rumors circulating that Apple is about to announce a new range of iPads, which may or may not work with this keyboard. If you’re buying a keyboard for an iPad you already own, that’s no big deal. If you want to buy both at once, however, you should wait for an official announcement.

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/apples-magic-keyboard-for-the-11-inch-ipad-pro-and-air-is-40-percent-off-172148756.html?src=rss