Kim Kardashian looked stunning when she rocked a tiny bubblegum pink bikini while lounging by the pool in sexy new photos.
Kim Kardashian looked stunning when she rocked a tiny bubblegum pink bikini while lounging by the pool in sexy new photos.
Ryan Reynolds, Dad Of 4, Jokes that Vasectomies ‘Don’t Actually Work’ In New Aviation Gin Ad: Watch
The ‘Deadpool’ star made a brief cameo alongside country singer Jessie James Decker in the latest ad for his line of gin.
The ‘Deadpool’ star made a brief cameo alongside country singer Jessie James Decker in the latest ad for his line of gin.
Vodafone and Three plan to merge into the UK’s largest mobile network
Vodafone has announced its intentions to merge with Three, pulling together the UK’s two remaining standalone mobile networks. The move comes in a market that has seen major consolidations in recent years between Virgin Media’s merger with O2 and BT Group’s purchase of EE. If regulators approve the deal, Vodafone and Three’s new company will become the largest mobile phone operator in the UK, with an estimated 27 million customers.
“Three UK and Vodafone UK currently lack the necessary scale on their own to earn their cost of capital. This has long been a challenge for Three UK’s ability to invest and compete,” (Three Owner) CK Hutchinson Group Co-Managing Director Canning Fok said in a statement. “Together, we will have the scale needed to deliver a best-in-class 5G network for the UK, transforming mobile services for our customers and opening up new opportunities for businesses across the length and breadth of the UK.” Vodafone will own 51 percent of the company, while CK Hutchinson controls the rest.
The merger with Vodafone isn’t the first time Three has tried to couple up with a competitor. In 2015, its parent company announced plans to buy O2 for £10.25 billion ($12.96 billion), but the European Commission and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the purchase over concerns of “reduced competition” and “higher prices.” However, O2 was able to merge with Virgin Media in 2021 after the CMA determined that similar concerns were unfounded. Vodafone and Three are attempting to sweeten the latest deal with a promise to invest £11 billion ($13.9 billion) across ten years in the UK’s 5G infrastructure, in line with the government’s targets.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vodafone-and-three-plan-to-merge-into-the-uks-largest-mobile-network-123642148.html?src=rss
Jeff Bezos, 59, & Lauren Sanchez, 53, Hold Hands As She Rocks A Crop Top In Portofino: Photos
While continuing their European summer vacation, Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos stepped out in Portofino for an evening stroll on June 13.
While continuing their European summer vacation, Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos stepped out in Portofino for an evening stroll on June 13.
The Morning After: OpenAI and Microsoft aren’t happy
Microsoft may own almost half of OpenAI, but a recent expose hints the pair aren’t the happiest of bedfellows. The Wall Street Journal claims the AI company warned Microsoft not to incorporate GPT-4 into Bing search without further training, but it did so anyway. It resulted in several high-profile examples of odd behavior, including bots arguing with users, and at least one instance of a user being urged to dissolve their marriage and elope with Bing instead.
There’s resentment, too, on Microsoft’s side, finding its own internal AI projects overlooked in favor of OpenAI. Which, despite the close financial ties, is very much free to work with Microsoft’s rivals in plenty of fields. It’s led to a situation where the pair are working together, and yet against one another. And that’s never a recipe for success.
– Dan Cooper
The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.
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Reddit’s CEO reportedly told staff the community’s API protest will blow over
Popular subreddits plan to extend API protests indefinitely
There’s almost nothing in the human spirit as indomitable as the phrase, “You sure about that, pal?” It’s something Reddit CEO Steve Huffman seems unable to stop milking in his user base after sending a memo to staffers saying the API protests would “pass.” His internal missive added that, despite tens of thousands of communities going dark, there was no “significant revenue impact.” Consequently, those in charge of the communities have pledged to keep their protests running indefinitely, with one user inviting Reddit’s leadership to “f- around and find out.”
Toyota claims its future EVs will have a range of over 600 miles
And something about hydrogen.
Daniel Cooper / Engadget
Toyota has announced its next-generation EV battery will have a range of 621 miles, or 1,000 kilometers. It’s part of a long series of announcements from the company that kickstarted the EV revolution finally embracing the technology. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Toyota announcement without plenty of sweet words about hydrogen, but we all know the writing’s on the wall for that one, at least for small and mid-size vehicles.
Paul McCartney is using AI to create a final song for The Beatles
It’s likely to be a 1978 demo written by John.
Sir Paul McCartney has announced he’ll release one last song from The Beatles, which was recorded with the help of AI. It comes from the same trove of John Lennon demos used to make “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” in the mid ‘90s. A third song, “Now and Then,” was on the same tapes, but electrical interference rendered Lennon’s vocals unusable. McCartney was inspired to go back to the material after watching Peter Jackson’s Get Back, which used AI to extract clean dialog audio from the studio noise. The song will be released later this year, but be warned – George Harrison didn’t think much of it when they tried to re-record it in the ‘90s.
Embracer announces layoffs and game cancellations after a $2 billion deal falls through
It could have implications for some mid-tier game revivals in the works.
You’d be forgiven for not knowing the name Embracer, a publisher that has spent big to pick up a roster of big, if not blockbuster, games franchises. It’s the name behind the names behind series like Borderlands, Homeworld, TimeSplitters, Tomb Raider and The Lord of the Rings. Sadly, it also managed to tie itself in financial knots after an unnamed deal, reportedly worth $2 billion, fell apart back in May. Consequently, it’s announced it’ll need to restructure to survive, with several as-yet unannounced games on the chopping block and the potential for mass layoffs in the near future.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-openai-and-microsoft-arent-happy-111544921.html?src=rss
Shark’s self-emptying robot vacuum with a 30-day capacity base is 45 percent off
If you’ve been looking at Shark’s self-emptying robot vacuums, now’s your chance to get one for almost half the price. The Shark AV2501S model, which comes with a base that has a 30-day capacity, is currently 45 percent off at Amazon: It usually sells for $550, but you can get it right now for $300. That’s only a dollar off its all-time low from Black Friday last year. Shark’s AV2501S is a cheaper version of the AV2501AE model that comes with a base that can hold 60 days’ worth of dirt.
The vacuum uses 360-degree LiDAR vision to accurately map your home and be able to effectively clean it while avoiding objects in its path. It can even adapt to the changes that happen in your house, which are most likely plentiful if you spend any amount of time in it. Once it has a layout of the floor, the vacuum cleans it in a precise matrix grid and takes multiple passes to ensure that it sucks up all the dust, pet hair, dander and debris that it can.
This particular model can clean for two full hours before it needs to return to its dock and recharge. It has the capability to pick up from where it left off once it’s done charging, and it can automatically empty the dirt it collected into its base, which you only have to empty once a month. In addition, the vacuum supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to set cleaning schedules and initiate on-demand cleaning simply by issuing voice commands. Of course, you can also do those via Shark’s mobile app, which we found easy to use when we tested it out.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sharks-self-emptying-robot-vacuum-with-a-30-day-capacity-base-is-45-percent-off-113146728.html?src=rss
Google Home’s new script editor can make smart device automations even more powerful
Google released its redesigned Home app last month, adding routines to give users more control over smart home automations. Now, it’s introducing a new script editor, the company announced in a Google Nest blog post. It gives users even more granular control over automations, letting them do things like “dim lights and lower blinds when the living room TV is on after dark,” to cite one Google example. It does require some basic programming abilities, though, as it uses the YAML data serialization language.
Building an automation requires three elements: starters, conditions and actions. A starter triggers the automation, for example flipping on the TV in the above example. Conditions, meanwhile, are prerequisites to be met before the script will run; for example the time must be between sunset and sunrise. Finally, actions specify which devices will then be triggered, i.e., lowering the blinds and turning off the lights.
Google
While Google already offers a decent level of control with routines, you can’t do things like program multiple starters in an automation or set conditions. The script editor, in comparison, allows the use of nearly 100 starters, conditions and actions that can be used for creating custom automations.
The script editor is available in a public preview build of the Google Home app or on the web, along with a variety of sample scripted automations. Google has provided a step-by-step guide as well. It works across Google Home and third-party smart home devices, and automations work with popular sensors including Matter-supported sensors. For more, check out the Google Nest blog.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-homes-new-script-editor-can-make-smart-device-automations-even-more-powerful-103019126.html?src=rss
Anker’s new Solix home energy storage includes a modular solar battery system
Device charging company Anker is moving into Tesla’s territory with the launch of the Solix line of home energy products, including a modular Powerwall-like battery storage system, the company announced at an event in New York City. It also introduced a smaller battery aimed at folks living in condos and apartments that can be used with its existing balcony-mounted solar panels.
The modular battery system, set to arrive globally in 2024, will be scalable from 5kWh of power (enough to run an average-sized house for a few hours) up to 180kWh, which could feasibly power a house for nearly a week. It’s designed to deliver backup power to both existing and new solar installation, and Anker promises it will “provide high levels of safety and durability, seamlessly transfer to off-grid power and be compatible with home energy equipment such as heat pumps, oil- and gas-powered generators.” It will also work with a “forthcoming EV charging solution,” the company wrote.
The system will use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and operate at temperatures ranging from -20C to 55C (-4F to 131F). It’s controlled by Anker’s power management system and available with an app. Anker has yet to provide the all-important pricing, but said more information will be available “later this year.”
By comparison, Tesla’s Powerwall 2 units have nearly triple the power (13.5kWh each), cost $11,500 each installed and can be scaled up to 135kWh. Standalone Powerwall installations qualify for a 30 percent residential federal investment tax credit, along with any state incentives.
Anker
Along with the modular battery, Anker unveiled the Solarbank E1600 battery pack as part of an energy storage system for apartments and condos. Set to be sold in Europe, it follows the company’s recently launched Solix RS40 balcony solar panel system, and is compatible with “99 percent of the balcony PV products on the market,” the company said.
It’s modular, available in sizes from 1.6kWh to 3.2kWh (enough for a few hours of power), and works with most micro-inverters including the ones bundled with the RS40 solar panels. Once plugged it into a standard home power socket, it’ll absorb any excess energy from the solar panels and feed it back to the home if the grid goes down. Anker promises a “five minute DIY installation,” and said it can support 6,000 charging cycles or double the industry average. It can also be controlled via an app.
The new storage products join Anker’s existing lineup of batteries (now branded Solix as well), like the 767 PowerHouse 2.05kWh designed for campers and outdoor use, and charged with an optional 200W solar panel. Anker now joins companies like Ecoflow (with its modular 3.6kWh-25kWh Delta Pro battery) and others in the burgeoning home energy storage market.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ankers-new-solix-home-energy-storage-includes-a-modular-solar-battery-system-085432144.html?src=rss
McDonald’s just released a Grimace Game Boy Color game
You probably wouldn’t think of McDonald’s if you’re asked to guess which company would release a retro game this year. But yes, the fast food giant did indeed launch a 2D retro game seemingly in the style of Game Boy Color, and it’s all in celebration of Grimace’s 52nd birthday. The company teamed up with Krool Toys to develop the platformer that you can play on a modern PC or a mobile device. In it, you control Grimace on a skateboard as he searches for his missing friends — and collect enough milkshake for all his guests — before his birthday party begins.
While I fumbled a bit trying to control the purple mascot as he jumped over obstacles and slid across hand rails, I could only blame my own clumsy handling of the game’s controls. The game worked smoothly on a computer, and you can even expand the screen if you don’t mind getting blurry graphics, which truly do look like they were created for Nintendo’s old handheld. The game was most likely created using a drag-and-drop tool for Nintendo handheld games called GB Studio. Indie developers like Krool have been using the program to create retro games, because doing so from scratch is typically very time- and resource-consuming. As a nice nostalgia-inducing bonus, even the website for the game is a throwback to the era marked by colorful and busy Angelfire, Lycos and Geocities web pages.
McDonald’s only officially released Grimace’s Birthday as a fun little game you can play on PC and mobile, but people were quickly able to find and share a copy you can download. While it’s not an official release, it will allow you to play the game on a Game Boy emulator in case have one.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mcdonalds-just-released-a-grimace-game-boy-color-game-093540230.html?src=rss
Sylvester Stallone’s Daughter Sophia, 26, Reveals She Has A Hole In Her Heart
As she geared up for her annual heart check-up during the June 14 episode of ‘The Family Stallone’, Sophia opened up to Sly about the emotions surrounding her heart surgeries.
As she geared up for her annual heart check-up during the June 14 episode of ‘The Family Stallone’, Sophia opened up to Sly about the emotions surrounding her heart surgeries.