Logitech’s new keyboard can be recharged by any kind of light

Logitech has launched the Signature Slim Solar+ K980, a new solar-powered keyboard that you don’t need to put under the sun whenever it runs low on battery. The company says it can use “light from any light source to stay charged and ready to use” and that you can use it in complete darkness for up to four months once it’s fully charged. As long as the light source reaches 200 lux in brightness, which is considered dim lighting during daytime, it can charge the keyboard. “Even the need to think about charging can be a distraction, so we designed Signature Slim Solar+ to take that off your plate completely,” said Art O’Gnimh, the General Manager of Core Products Group at Logitech.

You don’t have to think about plugging the keyboard in or changing its battery: It’s powered by a rechargeable battery that Logitech says can last up to 10 years. But if it does malfunction, the company told The Verge that you can replace it on your own, because it’s encased in plastic and is sold by iFixit. The keyboard absorbs light through a strip above the keys themselves, which use a scissor-switch mechanism and are in a full-size layout with a separate number pad. It’s compatible with multiple operating systems, and you can link it with up to three multi-OS devices and jump from one to the other with its Easy-Switch keys. If you use the Logi Options+ app, you can program its action key to automate simple tasks and to customize its AI launch key to instantly fire up the AI chatbot of your choice. 

The Signature Slim Solar+ K980 is now available for $100. Logitech is also selling a business variant with a USB-C receiver for $110 and a North America-exclusive model with a layout specifically for Mac for $110. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/logitechs-new-keyboard-can-be-recharged-by-any-kind-of-light-120019932.html?src=rss 

Spotify now directly integrates with DJ software

Spotify just announced integration with popular DJ software platforms like rekordbox, Serato and djay. This will make it much easier to build out sets from playlists and to do cool stuff like blend tracks.

The company says that users “will be able to access their entire library and playlists directly within desktop DJ software,” with just one caveat. This is only for Premium subscribers. The integration is available in 51 global markets.

It looks pretty easy to get started. Just log into a Premium account directly inside of the preferred DJ software. That’s pretty much it.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t a brand-new idea. Spotify offered something similar for years, but stopped supporting third-party DJ platforms in 2020. This was a business decision that was believed to be based on rights constraints.

The platform has been busy lately. Spotify recently introduced lossless streaming and an in-app messaging feature. However, it still pays artists peanuts while making nearly $17 billion each year. It’s also worth remembering that CEO Daniel Ek is heavily invested in a military AI company called Helsing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-now-directly-integrates-with-dj-software-090055300.html?src=rss 

Apple TV+ indefinitely delays its domestic extremism thriller ‘The Savant’

Apple has delayed the release of its new series The Savant just three days before it was supposed to premiere on September 26, Deadline reports. The series follows an investigator, played by Jessica Chastain, who infiltrates a domestic extremist group in the US. Apple hasn’t provided a new release date for the show.

“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone The Savant,” the company shared in a statement to Deadline. “We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.” The timing of the sudden delay, and the lack of explanation for why the company is delaying the show, could be telling. Disney made a similar knee-jerk reaction in placing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on indefinite hiatus following a joke Kimmel made about the reaction to the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Given that The Savant likely focuses on preventing acts of political violence, it might make you wonder who Apple is worried its show will offend. But it’s also entirely possible that the company is trying to avoid people making any kind of association between its TV show and a very public assassination.

Apple generally avoids rocking the boat whenever possible, particularly when it could hurt its business interests. The Problem With Jon Stewart was reportedly cancelled when Jon Stewart wanted to cover topics Apple deemed controversial, like China and artificial intelligence. Apple does business in China, so it seems likely the company was skittish about airing anything that could be viewed as criticism, even if having difficult conversations was the premise of Stewart’s show. The decision to pull The Savant, even if despite reading like the company is worried about offending right-wing extremists, was likely made from a similar place of caution.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-tv-indefinitely-delays-its-domestic-extremism-thriller-the-savant-223044979.html?src=rss 

Google AI Mode now speaks Spanish

Google’s AI Mode is continuing its rapid global growth. Today, the company announced that this addition to Google Search is rolling out in Spanish. The new option is available in all countries that support AI Mode. The move will allow Spanish speakers around the world to engage with this AI chatbot in their language of choice when asking more complicated questions than a search engine can typically answer well.  

The proliferation of this AI enhancement to Google’s traditional search has happened at a break-neck pace. AI Mode was first introduced in March and then made available across the US in May. The first language expansion came earlier this month with the addition of AI Mode in Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Brazilian Portuguese.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-ai-mode-now-speaks-spanish-223346697.html?src=rss 

How to watch Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show livestream

Curious to see if those Forza Horizon 6 rumors are true? You may not have long to wait. Xbox’s presentation at the Tokyo Game Show 2025 is fast approaching. You can watch the event live right here on September 25 at 6AM ET.

Forza Horizon 6 is rumored to have a Japan setting, making this week’s event a logical venue for its announcement. That’s not the only thing to go on. Windows Central reported last month that it had seen official documentation suggesting the game would be announced at the Tokyo Game Show. An Xbox executive producer even posted earlier this month that it would be an event “you don’t want to miss.” (Am I sadistic for hoping he was hyping up something like a new Xbox dashboard feature?)

The Xbox brand could use some positive mojo. Last week, Microsoft announced that it would raise console prices for the second time in less than five months. The increase, which begins on October 3, was “due to changes in the macroeconomic environment.” (That sounds like a copywriter’s answer to “How do you say ‘tariffs’ without actually saying ‘tariffs?'”) It’s all the more reason the company would love to shift your focus to something fun.

You can stream Microsoft’s event below on September 25 at 6AM ET.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/how-to-watch-xboxs-tokyo-game-show-livestream-204657743.html?src=rss 

Major League Baseball will adopt an automated challenge system in 2026

Next year, baseball reasons will have one less reason to rage at the umpire. Major League Baseball announced today that it will introduce the Automated Ball Strike challenge system in the 2026 season for all spring training, championship season and postseason games. In other words, next year there will be a way for the players to attempt to overturn an umpire’s call about whether a pitch counts as a strike or a ball if they disagree with the initial decision. 

ABS uses a network of a dozen camera to record every pitch thrown. The umpire will still call the pitch a ball or strike as usual, but under the new system, the pitcher, catcher or batter can immediately challenge that decision. Coaching staff and other players cannot offer input on whether or not a challenge is initiated. If the cameras show any part of the ball touching the batter’s strike zone, the pitch will be counted as a strike. All teams will begin a game with two challenge opportunities, and only lose them if they challenge unsuccessfully. For games that go into extra innings, a team will get an additional challenge if it has none remaining at the start of the additional gameplay.  

Baseball has taken a gradual path to introducing this tech. ABS has been tested at the Triple-A level since 2022, and it finally got a chance in the majors during spring training and in the All-Star Game this year. Other sports have also been leveraging electronics to ensure that gameplay rules and scoring are consistent. Football/soccer has implemented a video assistant referee (VAR) system in several leagues, including FIFA and the UK’s Premier league. Tennis is also adopting electronic line calls at Wimbledon and other tournaments. Even the electronic systems are not infallible, but considering how much any high-level athletic endeavor can be won or lost by millimeters, having a backup for the human eye seems like a net positive.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/major-league-baseball-will-adopt-an-automated-challenge-system-in-2026-205023531.html?src=rss 

Amazon is closing all Fresh grocery stores in the UK

Amazon is pivoting its grocery operations in the UK, announcing that it will close 14 of its Amazon Fresh stores in the country. The remaining five Amazon Fresh locations in the UK will be converted to the Whole Foods Market brand. Rather than the brick and mortar shops, Amazon said it will focus on online grocery deliveries within the region. In 2026, the company said it expects to add perishables to its Same-Day Delivery orders for UK customers, which was just introduced in the US last month.

The move echoes a similar contraction in 2023, where Amazon said it would shutter both some Fresh supermarkets and some Go convenience stores. Many of these shops highlighted the Just Walk Out tech from Amazon, which it introduced in the US in 2018 and in the UK in 2021. Just Walk Out eliminated cashiers in those stores and instead charged customers by using a network of cameras, sensors and human observers to calculate the tab for a person’s purchase and then charge them afterwards. However, the approach turned out to have problems with cost, accuracy and privacy to the point of being unsustainable; Amazon stopped using Just Walk Out in the US last year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-closing-all-fresh-grocery-stores-in-the-uk-195200222.html?src=rss 

There’s more than one way to make an Xbox handheld

With the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally only a few weeks away on October 16, the fantasy of a portable Xbox is about to be a lot more real. As a recent video from YouTuber James Channel shows, though, with a first-generation Xbox and the right components, you can make your own version of an Xbox handheld right now. Just don’t expect it to be pretty.

James’ “portable monstrosity” strips away the original Xbox’s large plastic casing and thick internal cables and preserves the bare essentials: a motherboard and the console’s disk drive, with a new flash drive and a display from an iPod video accessory. All those components are precariously mounted between the left and right halves of an Xbox controller, for a complete package that seems less easy to hold than ASUS’ current handheld PCs, but only marginally so. It’s a quick and dirty assembly with a surprising amount of super glue — a far cry from the polished Xbox 360 handheld created by YouTuber Millomaker — but it gets the job done.

You can already stream Xbox games to a multitude of screens, or play their PC versions on a growing number of handheld PCs. You don’t need to turn an original Xbox into a portable device, but considering Microsoft and ASUS have yet to announce pricing for their new handhelds, maybe keep this cheaper alternative in your back pocket.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/theres-more-than-one-way-to-make-an-xbox-handheld-201503415.html?src=rss 

Costco reportedly stops selling Xbox consoles online

Costco has reportedly stopped selling Xbox consoles online throughout the US and UK, according to reports by The Gamer and others. The wholesaler has removed any mention of the console and related accessories and games from its website. I checked this myself and, sure enough, the search yielded no results.

The site still has dedicated sections for both Sony and Nintendo and is selling the PS5 and the Switch family of consoles, along with accessories and games for each system. It’s unclear if online unavailability has extended to brick-and-mortar locations, but some Reddit users noticed a distinct lack of Xbox products at the retailer. We reached out to Costco to ask what’s going on and will update this post when we hear back.

Costco/Engadget

We don’t know why Costco would make this move, but there’s a chance this is in relation to Microsoft’s poor showing this console generation. The PS5 has sold nearly 80 million units, while the Xbox Series X/S has sold around 42 million units.

The Xbox One also struggled during the previous generation, leading some to speculate that Microsoft has been preparing to exit the console business. The company has denied this and there have been rumors that it’s actively working on the follow-up to the Series X/S. However, the company has also begun porting its games to rival consoles.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/costco-reportedly-stops-selling-xbox-consoles-online-184906670.html?src=rss 

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