Demi Lovato’s whirlwind romance with Max Ehrich led to a quick engagement and an equally dramatic split. Learn more about her ex-fiancé, his career, and what he’s been up to since.
Demi Lovato’s whirlwind romance with Max Ehrich led to a quick engagement and an equally dramatic split. Learn more about her ex-fiancé, his career, and what he’s been up to since.
Did you know Hugh has only been married once? Here is everything to know about his wife, Anna Elisabet Eberstein.
Did you know Hugh has only been married once? Here is everything to know about his wife, Anna Elisabet Eberstein.
If Intel wants to come back as a chip fab, its upcoming Core Ultra series 3 laptop processors will be a crucial part of that. The company has just revealed more information about those processors (codenamed Panther Lake), that will use its 2-nanometer 18A process and be built in the US at its Arizona plant.
The Core Ultra series 3 system-on-chips will be utilized mainly in high-end laptops along with “gaming devices and edge solutions,” Intel said. The company noted that they’d blend “Lunar Lake-level power efficiency with Arrow Lake-class performance,” though it usually boasts that with all new Core chips.
They’ll offer up to 50 percent more processing performance compared to previous generations, with some versions sporting as many as 16 performance cores (P-cores), along with efficiency cores (E-cores). Chip density will improve by 30 percent, while performance per watt will rise 15 percent.
Intel’s integrated Arc GPU also sees a 50 percent performance bump compared to the last generation, with a maximum of 12 cores in high-end versions. They’ll also see an updated XPU design for AI acceleration with up to 180 Platform TOPS (trillions of operations per second).
Intel called its 18A architecture “the most advanced semiconductor node developed and manufactured in the United States,” adding that it’s “fully operational and set to reach high-volume production later this year.” As recently as two months ago, however, the company was reportedly struggling with the yields it would need to even start production, let alone make a profit.
It would be an understatement to say that Intel needs the new node to succeed. In August President Donald Trump said that the company’s new CEO Lip-Bu Tan should resign before walking that back after a successful meeting between the two. Later, Trump announced that the US government was taking a 9.9 percent ($8.9 billion stake in Intel) and last month, NVIDIA said it was throwing Intel a $5 billion lifeline to the company forPC and data center CPUs. In its July Q2 earnings report, Intel said it lost $2.9 billion and would lay off up to 20 percent of its workforce.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/intel-gives-us-a-glimpse-of-its-panther-lake-core-ultra-chips-130010879.html?src=rss
Both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Bank of England are warning of an AI bubble that could burst sooner than later, citing soaring valuations and stock prices. Speaking at the Milken Institute in Washington DC, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, said that “uncertainty is the new normal and it is here to stay” and that we should all “buckle up.” In discussing financial conditions, she said that “fired up by optimism about the productivity-enhancing potential of AI, global equity prices are surging.”
The Bank of England, for its part, has said that “the risk of a sharp market correction has increased,” and that “equity market valuations appear stretched, particularly for technology companies focused on artificial intelligence (AI).” It also notes the increasingly common concern that AI might not deliver all that it has promised. A record of a recent Financial Policy Committee meeting at the Bank of England reads, “downside factors included disappointing AI capability/adoption progress or increased competition, which could drive a re-evaluation of currently high expected future earnings.”
The AI craze has been in full swing since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022 and its explosive growth since then. The chatbot kicked off a flurry of investment, such as Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar deal in 2023. And, of course, the biggest tech companies followed OpenAI’s lead with products like Google’s Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Apple Intelligence.
Since then, the ChatGPT maker has inked hundreds of billions of dollars in purchasing and investment agreements with the likes of AMD and NVIDIA in the race for AI dominance. Competitors like Anthropic, whose CEO thinks AI will replace half of all white-collar jobs within five years, have found the backing of other tech giants like Google and Amazon.
Integrations for AI tools continue to grow, and the proliferation of the technology keeps entering new spaces, like music. There’s no telling how everything will play out, but in the meantime AI can help us shop for shoes by looking at our feet.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/leading-financial-institutions-are-worried-about-a-looming-ai-bubble-130827642.html?src=rss
You can get Sony’s WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones for $250 in a limited time deal for Amazon Prime Day. That’s $150 off its launch price, $50 off its regular Amazon list price and only a cent more than its all-time low of $249.99. While the model was released a few years ago, it’s still a fantastic alternative to the newer but pricier WH-1000XM6, which you can also get with a discount of $20 from Amazon right now. We gave the WH-1000XM5 a score of 95 when we reviewed it and praised its redesign for providing a massive increase in comfort.
When it comes to sound quality, we found its bass punchier than its predecessors’. The model provided more depth and more clarity than the WH-1000XM4, which made the listening experience more immersive. Sony doubled the the number of processors and the number of microphones that handle noise cancelation on the WH-1000XM5, as well, making it better at blocking sounds with higher frequencies like human voices.
Of course, the WH-1000XM6 has better sound quality and an improved active noise cancellation technology. But with a price of $450 — currently $428 for Prime Day — it’s a much bigger expense. If you don’t mind getting an even older model, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is also on sale for $188. The model, released in 2020, has dated features by now compared to the newer iterations of the headphones. But Sony’s WH-1000X headphones have always been some of the best, and a five-year-old model could be better than some newer devices out there.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonys-wh-1000xm5-headphones-drop-to-250-for-prime-day-133009798.html?src=rss
The season 2 finale of ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ looks bleak for everyone’s favorite troublemaker. Here’s what we know about Alex Russo’s fate.
The season 2 finale of ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ looks bleak for everyone’s favorite troublemaker. Here’s what we know about Alex Russo’s fate.
California has passed three new bills designed to boost privacy for internet users, governor Gavin Newsom’s office announced. The biggest one, AB 566, builds on a 2018 law by requiring web browsers to let users universally opt-out of allowing third parties to sell their data.
The original California Consumer Privacy Act from 2018 only let Californians opt out third-party data sharing one site at a time. However, AB 566 signed into law yesterday by Newsom requires web browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Safari to allow users to opt out of all third-party tracking with a single setting. “This law will help people protect their personal data by allowing them to simply switch a toggle that tells businesses they can’t sell or share it,” said Consumer Reports policy analyst Matt Schwartz.
The bill was originally passed by the California legislature last month, but its signing by the governor wasn’t necessarily a done deal. Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year for being overly broad as it also applied to smartphone operating systems. He also said that major browsers already offer one-click opt out for third-party data sharing, though Consumer Watchdog said at the time that none offer a universal way to decline data sharing.
Two other bills will also help internet users keep their data to themselves. SB 361 boosts the Data Broker Registration Law (Delete Act) signed into law in October 2023 by giving consumers more information about which personal information is collected by data brokers and who else might have it. AB 656, meanwhile, requires social media companies to make canceling an account straightforward and clear while it triggers full deletion of the user’s personal data.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/california-just-passed-three-bills-to-boost-internet-privacy-120031025.html?src=rss
Back in January, Netflix co-chief executive officer Gregory Peters said the service is rolling out party and couch co-op games that you can stream online in the future. Now, Peters has announced that several party game titles that you can play on your TV are coming this holiday season at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles. “We’re creating a completely new way to play games — one that’s as easy as streaming a show on a Friday night,” the service said in its announcement.
The new games, which you can play with friends for free, include Lego: Party, a title that will typically cost you $40. You’ll also be able to play Boggle Party, wherein you compete with friends by finding words in a jumbled-up letter grid within a time limit, and Pictionary: Game Night that will have you guessing what your friends are drawing. In Tetris Time Warp, you and your friends can play different eras of of the game, from the 1984 original to the classic Gameboy version. Finally, in Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends, you’ll have to play detective and deduce which friend is the “party crasher.” To play the games, you can turn your phone into a controller by scanning a QR code.
Netflix’s gaming push showed signs of trouble earlier this year when its canceled release plans for six titles that were already announced and removed 20 titles from its library, including popular ones like Hades. The company then chose to prioritize specific categories for a more focused library, namely party games, games for kids, well-known titles like Grand Theft Auto and games based on its shows like Stranger Things.
Some people have been seeing the Games tab on their TV for a while now, but it only contained the same games you can play on mobile. These new party games will initially be “available on select TVs,” such as on devices powered by Roku, and only “in certain countries” only. In its announcement, though, the company said it “plans to roll out [games on TV] further over time.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-is-bringing-party-games-to-tvs-123034128.html?src=rss
Sound is a complicated topic in cars. Some cars are good because they’re very loud. Some cars are good because they’re very quiet. A select few cars can be counted in both categories. Really, only Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N has managed to check both boxes, but if Ferrari’s promises about its first EV are to be believed, we may soon have another entrant.
At an event at the company’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy, Ferrari unveiled the first proper details about its first EV, the Elettrica, which is set to fully debut next year. We’re missing a few key details (such as what it looks like), but after spending a day talking to the various engineers behind this machine, I can finally reveal what makes this car move and how it might sound, too.
Power is a key metric for any Ferrari, and the Elettrica has plenty of that. Four electric motors, one per wheel, combine to generate a figure somewhere over 1,000 horsepower. That would put it close to the power of the company’s new F80 supercar, but in an era of 2,000-hp EVs, the Elettrica’s output isn’t exactly stunning.
This is something even Ferrari’s chief product development officer, Gianmaria Fulgenzi, admitted: “It’s very easy and simple to create power in an electric engine. It’s not difficult.” Cornering, he said, is what it’s really all about. He called current performance EVs “elephants,” capable of going quickly in a straight line but failing miserably at being compelling machines to drive.
That’s partly why the Elettrica has four motors. That way, the car’s traction and stability management systems can modulate power to maximize grip at each tire individually, rather than relying on one or two motors with differentials to try to manage wheelspin.But it goes deeper than that. The Elettrica can also steer each rear wheel independently, more or less on the inside or outside of the turn to help manage (or perhaps even induce) oversteer.
The front motors and inverter on the Ferrari Elettrica.
Finally, the Elettrica will have active suspension, a novel type that debuted on the Purosangue SUV and is also used on the F80 supercar. Ferrari’s dampers replace traditional valves and oil with an electric motor that provides the resistance. This means, again, the damping and ride height of the car can be adjusted independently at each corner, nearly instantly.
All that, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said, will result in an EV that drives like none other on the road: “We want to show that we are able to harness any technology in a unique way.” Making a compelling EV, a type of car that many decry as too samey, would be a bold way to do it.
One key factor to this is a unique sound. Ferrari engineers knew that they needed to come up with some sort of acoustic accompaniment for the Elettrica, but they also knew it had to be authentic. “We didn’t create a fake sound, like a starship or something like that,” Fulgenzi said. “We wanted to have exactly the sound of the electric engine.”
Ferrari came up with a solution similar to the one Porsche used for the Taycan, but it executed it in a novel way. In the Taycan, Porsche sampled and remixed the sounds of the car’s electrical components. For the Elettrica, Ferrari actually installs an accelerometer inside the casing of the rear electric motors. That sensor picks up the harmonic resonance and runs it through a digital amplifier to create a sound that isn’t a sample — it’s actually coming directly from those motors.
Fulgenzi likens it to an amp on an electric guitar, picking up the near-inaudible vibration of the strings and turning it into (potentially ear-splitting) sound. That’s perhaps a bit aspirational, but the proof of course will be in the listening, something that Ferrari sadly hasn’t let me (or anyone else) do just yet.
The rear motor and inverter for the Ferrari Elettrica.
They’re also not showing anyone what the thing looks like, but it seems safe to expect that this machine will bear a shape and design unlike any Ferrari that’s come before. That’s because Ferrari is, for the first time, working with design house LoveFrom, better known as the house that Jony Ive built after leaving Apple in 2019 and then sold to OpenAI for $6.5 billion.
LoveFrom has worked on a fair few projects since its inception, but this will be the company’s first car. Given that, we have absolutely nothing to go on when it comes to visual style. But if I had to guess, I’d say something with a minimalist vibe is on the menu based on Ive’s previous work. (And also his own car collection, which features a lot of classic bits of iconic British motoring.)
What we do know is that the Elettrica will have four doors and four seats. No, then, this won’t be a proper sports car, instead sitting somewhere between grand tourer and SUV. It’ll be something designed with a bit of practicality and comfort, able to waft calmly and quietly if you like. Or, with the twist of a few knobs on the steering wheel, it’s able to tighten up and get loud when you’re feeling more rowdy.
With somewhere north of 330 miles of range, it should make for a decent tourer, too. That comes from a 122 kWh (gross) battery pack that’s split up into 15 modules, each containing 14 NMC pouch cells. The cells are initially sourced from SK On, but Ferrari made it clear they’re not tied to that supplier.
Indeed, the company hopes to evolve the battery pack design and chemistry over the years, keeping some version of it available for decades to come. This is, after all, a Ferrari, a machine that ostensibly will just keep getting more valuable as it ages. That, though, is a challenge currently stymying other makers of premium EVs.
Can Ferrari make a truly desirable, truly premium EV? Having Jony Ive’s name attached certainly doesn’t hurt. We’ll all have to wait until early next year to see how it looks and how it sounds. I personally won’t get too excited about this car until then, but I am very glad that it even exists. Back in 2011, Luca Di Montezemelo, then-CEO of Ferrari, told me that Ferrari would never make an EV. I was skeptical of his statement back then, and 14 years later, I’m glad to see the company finally coming around.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ferraris-first-ev-is-coming-next-year-with-big-speed-big-sound-and-a-jony-ive-design-083000380.html?src=rss
This year’s fall Prime Day is almost on the books. But you still have time to save on some of our favorite tech. Yes, it’s October and it’s a little early to start thinking about holiday shopping. But it would be remiss to ignore the upcoming festivities entirely because you can actually save some money on good gadgets during this sale.
But let’s be real: Amazon doesn’t always make it easy to find what you’re looking for. Amongst the pages and pages of bad deals you could sift through, you may come across a couple of actually good deals on tech that’s worth your money to begin with. You don’t have to go sifting through that nonsense though — that’s where we come in. We’ve curated the top ten Prime Day deals on tech you should shop for before the event ends tonight. And no, not all of them will cost you an arm and a leg.
Apple AirTag (four-pack) for $65 (34 percent off): If you’re an iPhone user, there are really no better Bluetooth trackers than AirTags. Attach one to your keys with an AirTag holder, slip one into your wallet or throw one into the bottom of your carry-on suitcase to monitor the location of your belongings using the Find My app. As is usually the case, picking them up in a multi-pack like this is cheaper than buying just one AirTag alone. And while you’re at it, you can pick up a pair of Belkin AirTag holders for less thanks to Prime Day deals, too.
Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 75418 for $31 (30 percent off): ‘Tis the season for advent calendars. They’ve flooded the internet, as they usually do this time of year, and there are plenty to choose from (and stock up on) before we get to December. Lego has a bunch, and this Star Wars one will be fun for everyone, not just kids, to open up each day at the end of the year.
PNY microSD Express card (128GB) for $38 (15 percent off): This is really the first time we’ve seen Switch 2-compatible microSD Express cards on sale since they started coming out in earnest earlier this year. No, you unfortunately cannot just buy any microSD card on the market and use it with your new Switch 2. The console only works with these newer cards, and thankfully they are more available now than they were back in April when the Switch 2 went on pre-order for the first time. We’ve tested a good number of the cards on the market today and found that they’re all pretty solid, so the best microSD card for Switch 2 is the microSD Express card you can most easily afford.
DJI Neo drone for $159 (20 percent off): The DJI Neo may be an inexpensive, beginner-friendly drone, but it has powerful features like subject tracking and quick shots. It can shoot video at up to 4K 30 fps and is quick and maneuverable, though it’s also fairly loud. In our DJI Neo review, we praised it for its speediness and general ease of use, even for folks who have never operated a drone before. You can also grab one with three batteries and a charger for $229 (21 percent off).
Anker Nano portable charger (5K) with built-in USB connector for $20 ($10 off): Small? Check. Easy to use? Check. No need to remember a cable? Check. We tested this one for our battery guide and found it to be a good option for anyone who wants a no-fuss (and very compact) way to power up their phone on the go. It works particularly well with the latest iPhones, but it also works with other gear that carry USB-C charging ports.
Leebein 2025 electric spin scrubber for $38 (46 percent off): This is an updated version of my beloved Leebein electric scrubber, which has made cleaning my shower easier than ever before. I bought the old version not too long ago, and it’s become one of the most used pieces of tech in my house. It comes with seven brush heads so you can use it to clean all kinds of surfaces, and its adjustable arm length makes it easier to clean hard-to-reach spots. It’s IPX7 waterproof and recharges via USB-C.
Anker Laptop Power Bank (25K 100W) for $90 ($45 off): This might be the only power bank you need if you’re a commuter or you travel often. It’s one of our favorites because it has a high enough capacity and wattage to power laptops (as its name suggests), and it has two built-in USB-C cables: one attached to the side, and a retractable one that extends up to two feet. That means you don’t have to remember to bring a cable with you in your kit. It also has a handy display that shows the amount of charge the battery still has, and the output wattage flowing to your devices.
Roku Streaming Stick Plus 2025 for $24 (40 percent off): This is our top pick for the best streaming device for accessing free and live content. The dongle supports 4K video and HDR and doesn’t need to be plugged into the wall for power. It’s a great way to access any streaming service you could ask for: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and many more. Plus, if you’re not on the market for a new TV, it’s also a good way to make an old set feel new again.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3 months) for $57 ($33 off): Microsoft recently jacked up the price of Game Pass Ultimate to $30 per month, but you can get around that by stacking codes — at least, for now. Pick up this code for three months of the service at the old rate and you’ll save some cash. Amazon’s even offering a small discount on the typical $60 price.
Shark AI robot vacuum with self-empty base for $230 (58 percent off): A version of one of our favorite robot vacuums, this Shark machine has strong suction power and supports home mapping. The Shark mobile app lets you set cleaning schedules, and the self-empty base that it comes with will hold 30 days worth of dust and debris.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-10-prime-day-tech-deals-you-should-shop-before-day-2-ends-190018499.html?src=rss
