Kalakshar US

WhatsApp has come to an agreement with the European Union following the controversy over its early 2021 privacy policy change. After discussions with the European Commission and EU consumer protection regulators, WhatsApp will make it easier for users to reject updates to the terms of service. The Meta-owned brand will also “clearly explain” when rejecting those terms will limit use of services, the Commission says. People can also dismiss notifications about these updates, and delay reviewing those updates.

The company further confirmed that it’s not sharing personal data with other Meta brands, including Facebook, for the sake of advertising. It also isn’t sharing that data with third-parties, the Commission says.

WhatsApp sparked an outcry at the start of 2021 when it asked users to share data like connection info and transactions with sibling brands like Facebook as part of its new privacy policy. While little changed for users, some interpreted this as a sign WhatsApp was sharing messages and calls with Facebook. That prompted a mass exodus to competing secure messaging services like Signal and Telegram. WhatsApp tried to reassure users that it couldn’t access the end-to-end encrypted conversations, but the backlash led the company to pause the policy rollout. When it did reintroduce the new terms, it added clarifications but warned that the service would gradually stop working unless users agreed to the terms.

The European Commission got involved in January last year, when it responded to unfair practice allegations by asking WhatsApp to better explain how it uses people’s data. Last June, it also asked WhatsApp to more clearly explain its business model and whether or not it profited from personal data.

We’ve asked Meta for comment. The Commission’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network plans to “actively monitor” WhatsApp’s application of these promises with future policy updates. Any violations could prompt fines and other penalties. The chat giant also isn’t the only one facing scrutiny. The Commission says it’s continuing to look for “dark patterns,” or attempts to unfairly push users into accepting subscriptions, policy changes or other unwanted features. Don’t be surprised if there are more agreements like WhatsApp’s in the near future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-will-make-it-easier-to-reject-updates-to-its-terms-of-service-151007438.html?src=rss 

Those who’ve been looking for more details on Nothing’s next earphones won’t have to wait much longer. The company will spill the beans on the Ear 2 on March 22nd. There’s an event scheduled for 10AM ET that day and you’ll be able to watch it on Nothing’s website, which claims that the Ear 2 will have “better sound” and “better clarity.”

The latest Ear 2 teaser suggests that the charging case will cling onto the transparent aesthetic of Nothing’s other products to date. The image shows a beetle pushing what appears to be a charging case outside of the frame. Founder Carl Pei’s companies have a predilection for drip feeding information about products, so we could learn more about the Ear 2 in the run up to the event. 

Nothing released the Ear 1 in summer 2021. It followed up on its first earbuds up with last year’s Ear Stick. The Ear 2 will be Nothing’s fourth product, as it released the Phone 1 in 2022.

Late last year, there were indications that Nothing is set to debut a different set of earbuds under a flanker brand. There were references to Particles by XO earbuds in Nothing Phone 1 firmware at the end of last year. Renders suggested that the earphones could have a peanut-style design. In any case, we’ll find out what’s on the immediate horizon for Nothing in a couple weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nothing-will-show-off-the-ear-2-earbuds-on-march-22nd-152839424.html?src=rss 

FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried may be stuck using a feature phone. In a letter seen by Bloomberg, prosecutors said Bankman-Fried’s lawyers had agreed to modify the terms of his bail agreement. Provided the judge overseeing the case agrees to the changes, SBF will be restricted to using a “non-smartphone” without internet connectivity. Unless a lawyer is present, he will also be forbidden from contacting current or former FTX and Alameda Research employees. The proposed restrictions came after Bankman-Fried allegedly attempted to contact the general counsel of FTX’s US subsidiary over Signal at the start of the year. District Judge Lewis Kaplan threatened to revoke Bankman-Fried’s bail and send him to jail before the start of his trial after learning the disgraced entrepreneur may have influenced potential witnesses.

Under the modified bail agreement, SBF would be allowed to use a laptop to surf the web, but his access would be filtered through a VPN that would limit him to two categories of websites. One category would include resources his defense team says are critical to his case. The other has 23 websites SBF could use to order food, read the news and watch streaming content.

– Mat Smith

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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Amazon is shutting down some of its cashier-less Go stores

It’s paused construction on its second headquarters, too.

Amazon is closing down two cashierless Go stores in New York City, two in Seattle and four in San Francisco on April 1st, according to multiple reports. Bloomberg noted these are part of Amazon’s latest cost-cutting moves amid slowing sales growth. In January, the company expanded its planned job cuts from 10,000 to 18,000 positions. Company spokesperson Jessica Martin said: “We remain committed to the Amazon Go format, operate more than 20 Amazon Go stores across the US and will continue to learn which locations and features resonate most with customers.”

Continue reading.

Tesla slashes Model S and X US prices by up to $10,000

It’s the second big price cut on those models this year.

Tesla has cut the prices of its high-end Model S and Model X electric cars by $5,000 and $10,000, respectively, according to changes on its website seen by TechCrunch. It’s the second time this year the company has chopped prices, so the Model X has dropped $21,000 from $120,990 at the beginning of the year to just $99,990 currently. The Model S, meanwhile, has fallen from $104,990 to $89,990 since January 1st – a steep $15,000 reduction. However, neither car qualifies for Federal Tax rebates set to expire later this month, as those only apply to SUVs priced below $80,000.

Continue reading.

Amazon offers Mar10 Day sale discounts on popular Nintendo Switch games early

If you don’t already own ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,’ it’s 35 percent off.

Super Mario celebration/sales opportunity, March 10th (Mar10) might not be for another few days, but that’s not stopping retailers like Amazon from offering Mario Day deals early. Ahead of Friday, the company has discounted a handful of Nintendo Switch titles that feature the mustachioed plumber. For instance, Super Mario Odyssey is 33 percent off, making it $40 at the moment. Meanwhile, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is $39 currently, down from $60.

Continue reading.

Razer Edge review

A new breed of gaming handheld.

With the rise of cloud gaming, there’s a newer breed of mobile machines, like the Razer Edge, trying to make things even more travel friendly. Instead of relying solely on local performance, the Edge runs Android for lightweight apps, while services like GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud gaming provide the computing power for more demanding titles. But is the Razer Edge something you really need?

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-justice-department-wants-to-keep-sam-bankman-fried-on-a-flip-phone-121649715.html?src=rss 

If you don’t need accessories like extra thumbsticks, D-Pads and more, Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Series 2 Core controller gives you all the benefits of the regular Elite Series 2 at a significantly lower price. Now, you can get on even cheaper, as it’s on sale at Amazon for just $110, or $20 (15 percent) off the regular price.

Buy Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 Core (White) at Amazon – $110

As mentioned, the Elite Series 2 Core is the same as the Elite Series 2, aside from the white instead of the black color and lack of accessories. It offers a wrap-around rubberized grip, shorter hair trigger locks and 40 hours of battery life. You get an Xbox wireless connection with the Xbox One and Series S/X consoles, reducing latency and letting you use the headphone jack. You can also connect it to a PC via Bluetooth. The Xbox Accessories app provides customization options like button remapping, sensitivity curve adjustments, dead zones, vibration intensity tweaking and LED colors.

If you decide you want the normal Elite Series 2 accessories after all, that’s no problem — just purchase the $60 Complete Component Pack separately. That gives you everything missing from the Core model, including a carrying case, a thumbstick-adjustment tool, a charging dock, two classic thumbsticks, one tall thumbstick, one dome thumbstick, one cross-shaped D-pad, two medium and two mini paddles, as well as a USB-C cable. Best of all, with the sale, you could buy the component pack and Elite Series 2 Core controller and still save over purchasing the regular Elite Series 2 model.  

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/microsofts-xbox-elite-wireless-controller-series-2-core-is-15-percent-off-right-now-090227471.html?src=rss 

Anker’s charging accessories are of higher quality than most third-party products, but they also tend to be more costly. Now, you can now grab a number of Anker chargers, cables and more at Amazon with discounts up to 48 percent. Some of the more interesting deals include the 24,000 mAh capacity 737 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K) priced at $100 (33 percent off), the 47W Nano 3 charger at $30 (25 percent off), the 20,000mAh PowerCore Essential 20K PD battery charger for $48 (20 percent off) and MFi certified USB-C to Lightning cables at a 39 percent discount. 

Shop Anker charging accessories at Amazon

The Anker 737 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K) offers a lot of battery power for $100. With 24,000mAh of capacity and 140W of output, it can juice up an iPhone 14 almost 5 times or a 2021 iPad Pro 12.9″ 1.3 times. At the same time, it comes with a digital display that shows the output and input power and estimated time for the portable charger to fully recharge. And you can connect multiple devices at once, as it has a pair of USB-C ports along with a USB-A input.

If you don’t need that much power, Anker’s 525 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K PD) comes with 20,000mAh of capacity and 20W of output, enough to get an iPhone 12 to 50 percent in just a half hour. Plus, it has a second 18W port for another device. In terms of capacity, you can charge an iPhone 13 up to five times and an iPad Mini 2.5 times. 

If it’s a small but powerful charger you need, Anker’s compact 47W 523 Nano 3 smartphone/tablet charger is on sale for $30 (25 percent off), giving you a quick charger at an excellent price. And if you need a new cable to connect your iPhone, the company’s 6-foot Powerline+ MFi certified charging cord is available at just $20 in a two-pack, netting you 39 percent in savings. A number of other products are on sale too, so check them all out here. 

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/anker-charging-accessories-are-up-to-48-percent-off-in-amazon-sale-104022119.html?src=rss 

Tesla has cut the prices of its high-end Model S and Model X electric cars by $5,000 (5.2 percent) and $10,000 (9.1 percent) respectively, according to changes in its website seen by TechCrunch. 

It’s the second time this year the company has chopped prices, so the Model X has dropped $21,000 from $120,990 at the beginning of the year to just $99,990 currently. The Model S, meanwhile, has fallen from $104,990 to $89,990 since January 1st — a steep $15,000 reduction. 

Neither car qualifies for Federal Tax rebates set to expire later this month, as those only apply to SUVs priced below $80,000 and cars under $55,000. Still, they’re likely to push many fence-sitters over the edge. That tracks with what CEO Elon Musk said on Tesla Investor’s Day, that “the desire for people to own a Tesla is extremely high… [but] the limiting factor is their ability to pay for a Tesla.”

Most Model 3 and Y vehicles do qualify for the rebates, thanks to Tesla’s January price cuts on those EVs. (As a reminder, it’s a “nonrefundable” tax credit, so you’ll only benefit if you have a federal tax liability of at least $7,500.) After mid-March, however, the rules will change and many EVs that currently qualify may become ineligible.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-slashes-model-s-and-x-us-prices-by-up-to-10000-074541439.html?src=rss 

Hydrogen holds promise for zero-emissions aviation, via either fuel-cell electric motors or jet engines that burn H2 directly. Now, Universal Hydrogen has announced that it completed a 15-minute test flight in a 40-seat Dash-8 commuter plane using a fuel-cell hydrogen engine. The company called the flight “historic” and said it is “committed to being North America’s first zero-emission airline.” 

With a fuel cell from Plug Power and electric motor built by magniX, the power plant is the largest ever to take to the sky. However, it was only installed on the left side of the aircraft, while a standard Pratt & Whitney turboprop engine was fitted to the right wing for “safety of flight,” the company said. It supplied the engines with emissions-free “green” hydrogen (made via electrolysis from renewable power sources), connected via its own modules that keep the highly volatile gas in liquid form for up to 100 hours.

The Dash-8 was highly modified to accommodate the engine, 30kg (66 pounds) of liquid hydrogen and two racks of electronics and sensors. While the turbine engine was mainly used for takeoff, pilots were able to cruise mostly on hydrogen power during the second circuit. The flight attained a height of 3,500 feet. 

Though it had some yaw due to the imbalance in power, “the airplane handled beautifully, and the noise and vibrations from the fuel cell powertrain are significantly lower than from the conventional turbine engine,” said chief pilot (and former US Air Force test pilot) Alex Kroll. The company received FAA approval for the flight just weeks ago. 

The British/American firm ZeroAvia flew with a similar configuration on its twin-engine, 19-seat Dornier 228 plane earlier this year. Airbus recently announced that it’s building a fuel cell that could power a 100-seat aircraft around 1,150 miles, and Rolls-Royce recently completed tests of a jet engine converted to run directly on hydrogen fuel. 

Potential problems still abound, though. Hydrogen has about a quarter the energy density of regular jet A fuel, so it’s only good for short hops. And as I’ve detailed in an explainer, there’s very little hydrogen fuel infrastructure, it’s tricky to work with and extremely explosive. Still, Universal Hydrogen is confident it can beat the odds. “Our business model resolves the chicken-and-egg problem between hydrogen airplanes and hydrogen infrastructure by developing both in parallel and with a uniquely low-cost approach,” said CEO and co-founder Paul Eremenko. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-dash-8-commuter-plane-flew-for-15-minutes-with-a-hydrogen-fuel-cell-engine-060607763.html?src=rss 

Windows has frequently made managing multiple audio devices a hassle. Over the years, Microsoft has tried to improve the experience in a few ways. In 2021, for example, the company simplified how Windows 10 categorized Bluetooth devices. In spite of those efforts, it often feels like the OS doesn’t make switching between audio outputs and managing sound levels as easy as they should be. For instance, I wish Windows 11’s Quick Setting panel would allow me to adjust audio levels on a per-app basis.

Thankfully, Microsoft is finally preparing to solve that minor annoyance for Windows users. This week, the company detailed the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview and it just so happens to include a redesigned Quick Settings volume mixer. The updated interface element not only allows you to switch between audio devices but you can also use it to enable spatial sound and adjust volume output on a per-app basis, two things you can’t do with the current design. What’s more, Microsoft has added a dedicated shortcut to make accessing the feature faster. Once you have access to the volume mixer, press the Windows, Ctrl and V keys on your keyboard at the same time to open it.

“With this change, you can now tailor your audio experience with more control and fewer clicks to better manage your favorite apps,” Microsoft says of the redesigned interface. As Bleeping Computer points out, the new volume mixer is reminiscent of the popular EarTrumpet mod. There’s no word yet on when Microsoft plans to roll out the latest Windows Insider features to regular users, but here’s hoping this one doesn’t take long to make its way to the general public.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-testing-a-redesigned-windows-11-audio-mixer-224417187.html?src=rss 

More than a decade after the release of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valve is reportedly preparing to announce a new version of its landmark tactical shooter. Moreover, a beta release could arrive as early as later this month. According to esports journalist Richard Lewis (via VGC), Valve has been working on a sequel to CS:GO for some time, and that game is “about ready to go.” He says the studio recently hosted a secret playtest of the first-person shooter that involved a group of professional players who flew to Seattle. According to Lewis, Valve tentatively plans to begin beta testing the game with the broader Counter-Strike community by April 1st at the latest. “The big priority is getting this out and then polishing it, fixing any bugs and bringing it up to the level people expect from CS,” one of Lewis’ sources told him.

As for improvements, the new Counter-Strike will reportedly feature improved graphical fidelity thanks to a behind-the-scenes shift to Source 2, the latest version of Valve’s in-house game engine. Additionally, Lewis says the game will support 128-tick servers, a feature that would bring CS in line with Valorant and reduce latency. Valve is also said to have significantly improved the matchmaking experience, which should make the community less reliant on third-party services like FACEIT. Valve did not immediately respond to Engadget’s comment request.

Rumors suggesting that a new Counter-Strike game is right around the corner have been going around for years, but there are a few reasons to assign more weight to this latest report. To start, Lewis has a strong track record. In 2015, he wrote a report confirming rumors that one of the leading professional CS:GO teams at the time had purposefully thrown a match. There’s also corroborating evidence to support his claims. At the start of the month, a few CS:GO fans found evidence that NVIDIA’s GPU drivers have included references to “csgo2.exe” and “cs2.exe” since February. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-new-counter-strike-game-is-reportedly-in-development-and-could-arrive-later-this-month-202010791.html?src=rss 

Apple is readying to release a new 24-inch iMac as early as the second half of the year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman reports the development of two new iMac models has reached “a late stage,” with Apple recently beginning manufacturing tests. Gurman expects volume production of the 2023 iMac won’t start for at least another three months, but the good news is the refreshed models will feature a handful of improvements.

Most significantly, the 2023 iMac will reportedly include Apple’s next-generation M3 system-on-a-chip. Gurman notes the new chipset is likely to offer significant performance and power efficiency gains given that it’s expected to take advantage of TSMC’s upcoming 3nm process. Other changes could involve the iMac’s internal components, some of which have reportedly been redesigned by Apple. Gurman says the company is also planning to employ a “different” manufacturing process for attaching the iMac’s stand. That said, the all-in-one will still feature a 24-inch screen and come in the same cheerful colorways as its 2021 predecessor.

Alongside a new iMac, Gurman says the company is readying to release the long-rumored 15-inch variant of the MacBook Air, as well as a refresh of the 13-inch model and its first Apple Silicon Mac Pro. He expects those Macs to arrive will arrive between late spring and sometime this summer. Less clear is whether the new MacBook Airs will ship with M3 chips. Gurman speculates “at least” the 13-inch model could feature Apple’s latest chip given that the company already offers an M2 version of the ultraportable.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-could-release-an-m3-powered-imac-as-early-as-the-second-half-of-2023-175959648.html?src=rss