Google and Amazon’s Israeli cloud contracts reportedly require them to sidestep legal orders

Chalk this one up under “The most clever (alleged) legal sidesteps this side of Tony Soprano.” On Wednesday, The Guardian published a report about a so-called “winking mechanism” regarding Israeli cloud computing contracts with Amazon and Google. The stipulation from 2021’s Project Nimbus is said to require the US companies to send coded messages to Israel. According to the report, whenever Google or Amazon secretly complies with an overseas legal request for Israeli data, they’re required to send money to Israel. The dollar amount indicates which country issued the request.

The coding system reportedly involves country dialing prefixes. For example, if Google or Amazon hand over Israeli data to the US (dialing code +1), they would send Israel 1,000 shekels. For Italy (code +39), they would send 3,900 shekels. (Out of morbid curiosity, I discovered that the highest dialing code is Uzbekistan’s +998.) There’s reportedly even a failsafe: If a gag order prevents the companies from using the standard signal, they can notify Israel by sending 100,000 shekels.

The Guardian says Microsoft, which bid for the Nimbus contract, lost out in part because it refused to accept some of Israel’s terms.

In a statement to Engadget, an Amazon spokesperson highlighted customer privacy. “We respect the privacy of our customers, and we do not discuss our relationship without their consent, or have visibility into their workloads,” they wrote.

The Amazon spokesperson denied that the company has any underhanded workarounds in place. “We have a rigorous global process for responding to lawful and binding orders for requests related to customer data,” they said. “[Amazon Web Services] carefully reviews each request to assess any non-disclosure obligations, and we maintain confidentiality in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. While AWS does not disclose customer information in response to government demands unless we’re absolutely required to do so, we recognize the legitimate needs of law enforcement agencies to investigate serious crimes. We do not have any processes in place to circumvent our confidentiality obligations on lawfully binding orders.”

We also reached out to Google and the Israeli government for statements, and we’ll update this story if we hear back. The Guardian’s full report has much more detail on the alleged leak.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-and-amazons-israeli-cloud-contracts-reportedly-require-them-to-sidestep-legal-orders-164635805.html?src=rss 

Magic Leap reveals an Android XR smart glasses prototype

Magic Leap is once again trying to make a name for itself in augmented reality. The company revealed an Android XR smart glasses prototype and it extended an existing partnership with Google. It said it built the glasses “as a reference design for the Android XR ecosystem.”

They look similar to other modern smart glasses, with thick frames to house all of the electronics and what appears to be a camera lens on the left side. Magic Leap hasn’t revealed too much more about the glasses, other than to say that, “by combining Magic Leap’s waveguides and optics with Google’s Raxium microLED light engine, the two companies are developing display technologies that make all-day, wearable AR more achievable.”

The glasses, of course, use Google’s Android XR operating system. Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset, the first device that runs on the operating system, arrived last week.

Although it has been through the wringer over the last several years, Magic Leap is still kicking around. In 2022, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund became the majority owner of Magic Leap and it has since pumped over $1 billion into the company. 

Magic Leap failed to make headway in the consumer market with its AR headset after reportedly selling just 6,000 units in six months. Magic Leap pivoted to focus on the enterprise market with the Magic Leap 2, which it released in 2022. 

In July 2024, it was said to have laid off 75 employees — primarily from the sales and marketing teams — as part of another change in direction to license its tech. A couple of months before that, Magic Leap announced a deal with Google to “advance the potential of [extended reality] technologies,” and that partnership is starting to bear fruit. It was reported late last year that Google brought in 100 Magic Leap staffers to work on Android XR projects.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/magic-leap-reveals-an-android-xr-smart-glasses-prototype-165200068.html?src=rss 

More people watched a fake NVIDIA livestream than the real thing

It looks like a hundred thousand people fell for a fake NVIDIA livestream featuring an AI-generated version of CEO Jensen Huang, as reported by PC Gamer. Perhaps the scariest part is that the fake stream ran at the same time as an actual NVIDIA event and dwarfed the live viewership numbers.

The actual keynote speech of NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) garnered around 20,000 live views, while the fake stream maxed out at 100,000 live views. Even weirder? The fake Huang was talking about some crazy stuff mostly involving bogus crypto investments.

The deepfake spoke of “a crypto mass adoption event that ties directly into NVIDIA’s mission to accelerate human progress.” The avatar urged viewers to scan a QR code to, uh, send in cryptocurrencies. It’s unclear if any of the 100,000 viewers fell for this obvious scam that asked people to send the world’s richest company money to “accelerate human progress.”

The fake video has since been deleted. I haven’t been able to check it out to see just how real it looked and, thereby, how it was able to lure in 100,000 viewers. Before we all start screaming into the night about how reality doesn’t matter anymore, there are a few things worth considering.

First of all, we don’t know anything about the 100,000 accounts that were watching the fake stream. We don’t know where they’re from or even if the accounts were tied to real people. It’s also worth noting that the real stream has since garnered 200,000 views, despite just having 20,000 live viewers. We don’t know what kind of promotional tools the fakers used to draw in people or how long people stayed once they clicked.

Finally, there’s Huang himself. The man has hosted four GTC conferences just this year, and dozens upon dozens in previous years. There is an absolute abundance of footage of him standing on a stage and talking about stuff. That’s a whole lot of video for bad actors to use as AI training data.

Also, the real stream wasn’t exactly a barn burner. The most notable news we got was the announcement of a partnership with Uber to promote autonomous driving. This wasn’t an event to hype up new graphics cards or anything like that. The company revealed some government contracts, if that’s your bag.

Down.. pic.twitter.com/SqyS7LFfx5

— SamAI – Sora Sam Altman (@SoraSamAi) October 12, 2025

So we might not be cooked just yet, but the water is certainly getting hotter. Earlier this month, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman donated his likeness to the growing Cthulhu that is the AI video generator Sora 2. Users quickly got to work making Altman do all kinds of unsavory things, like stealing GPUs from Target and eating a grilled Pikachu. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/more-people-watched-a-fake-nvidia-livestream-than-the-real-thing-170035672.html?src=rss 

YouTube adds automatic AI upscaling for low-res videos

YouTube is rolling out some updates aimed at making visuals look better on its TV apps, including automatic AI video upscaling. To begin with, YouTube plans to upscale videos that were uploaded in under 1080p to an HD resolution. It aims to support 4K upscaling in the future.

The platform will still retain the original files and video resolution options. Creators can opt-out of the AI upscaling feature, which it’s calling Super Resolution, as well as automated audio adjustments. The platform says it’s also working with select creators to test larger video uploads to allow for higher-quality footage.

Creators will soon be able to upload thumbnails in higher quality too. YouTube will increase the thumbnail file limit from 2MB to 50MB. 

As for viewers, it seems like YouTube saw those annoying automatic previews Netflix has had for the last decade and decided to copy that playbook. “Viewers will be able to see and flip through their favorite YouTube channels with immersive previews on the homepage, enhancing content discovery and engagement,” Kurt Wilms, the senior director of product management for YouTube on TV, wrote in a blog post. 

Elsewhere, YouTube has added a contextual search function to its TV apps. When you search for something from a creator’s channel page, videos from said channel will appear first in the results. That’s a smart, logical idea.

With people watching YouTube on TV more than on mobile these days, it only makes sense for the platform to invest in improving the experience there.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-adds-automatic-ai-upscaling-for-low-res-videos-170342511.html?src=rss 

Dodgers vs. Blue Jays, Game 5 tonight: How to watch the 2025 MLB World Series without cable

The 2025 Fall Classic is tied up again after Game 4 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays saw Toronto dominate to win 6-2. The World Series continues with one more game in Los Angeles tonight — Wednesday, Oct. 29 — at 8PM ET/5PM PT. The World Series odds favor the Dodgers ahead of tonight’s game. Every 2025 MLB World Series game will air on Fox and Fox Deportes. 

Of course, Fox is a “free” over-the-air channel, so any affordable digital antenna will pull in the game if you live close enough to a local affiliate. But if that’s not an option, here’s a full rundown of how to watch the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series, even without cable.

How to watch the L.A. Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Game 5

You can stream Fox on any live TV streaming service that airs Fox local stations, including DirecTV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. MLB World Series games will also be available on Fox’s new streaming platform, Fox One.

More ways to watch the 2025 World Series

How to watch the MLB World Series from Canada: 

When is the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays game time?

Game 5 of the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series is tonight, Oct. 29 at 8PM ET/5PM PT. 

What channel is playing the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays?

Every game in the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, will air on Fox and Fox Deportes.

When is the 2025 World Series?

Game 5 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays is scheduled for Oct. 29, 2025.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays World Series schedule

All times Eastern. Series tied-2-2.

Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 29, 8PM ET

Game 6: Friday, Oct. 31, 8PM ET

Game 7*: Saturday, Nov. 1, 8PM ET

*if necessary

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/dodgers-vs-blue-jays-game-5-tonight-how-to-watch-the-2025-mlb-world-series-without-cable-173501690.html?src=rss 

An Azure outage is affecting Microsoft 365, Xbox and Minecraft

Microsoft’s Azure cloud service is experiencing an outage that appears to have hit both Microsoft 365 and Xbox. Both services show spikes in outage reports on DownDetector around 12PM ET, and the Azure status page indicates Microsoft is dealing with issues with “Azure Portal access.”

In the most recent Azure status update as of writing, Microsoft says that “starting at approximately 16:00 UTC, we began experiencing Azure Front Door issues resulting in a loss of availability of some services. In addition, customers may experience issues accessing the Azure Portal.”

Developing…

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/an-azure-outage-is-affecting-microsoft-365-xbox-and-minecraft-172032483.html?src=rss 

Chris Evans’ Kids: How Many Children He Has After Welcoming Baby With Alba Baptista

Chris may be known as a superhero on screen, but he’s also one off-screen to his family. Here’s what we know about his personal life.

Chris may be known as a superhero on screen, but he’s also one off-screen to his family. Here’s what we know about his personal life. 

Amazon is winding down its still-popular New World MMO amid mass layoffs

Amazon Games is winding down support for New World: Aeternum amid layoffs in the division and even deeper job cuts across its parent company. The game debuted on PC in 2021 and it landed on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S just over a year ago.

“After four years of steady content updates and a major new console release, we’ve reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to continue supporting the game with new content updates,” Amazon Games wrote in a blog post. “The recently launched Season 10 and Nighthaven update will serve as the final content release for New World on PC and consoles. It is only after much consideration that we’ve reached this decision.”

Players will still be able to buy New World for now, and it will remain available to PlayStation Plus subscribers on the Extra and Premium tiers “until further notice.” Amazon is making this month’s Nighthaven expansion available to everyone for free too.

The company said it will keep the game’s servers up and running through 2026, “allowing our community time to continue their adventures in Aeternum.” In terms of how long fans will be able to keep playing the game, Amazon said it will provide more details about “what to expect in the coming months.” It pledged to “provide a minimum of six months’ notice before making any changes that impact your ability to play New World: Aeternum.”

According to Bloomberg, Amazon told staff in a memo this week that, as part of widespread layoffs, it would dial back work on big-budget games, especially MMOs — a category that New World falls under. Updates for Throne and Liberty and Lost Ark — MMOS that Amazon publishes but are developed externally — will continue, the company confirmed to MassivelyOP. Amazon did not comment on the status of a planned Lord of the Rings MMO.

Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann told me last year that Amazon started its big push into games with MMOs because it saw an opportunity. At the time, there weren’t too many titles in that genre popping up. However, he noted that “we’re evolving out of the MMOs” into other genres, hinting then that the division was changing focus. (Amazon’s first AAA game, the free-to-play shooter Crucible, didn’t last long after its debut in 2020.)

New World is still a popular game. It got off to a blistering start, with a peak concurrent player count of 914,000 on Steam. This past weekend, it at one point had nearly 50,000 concurrent players on that platform. It was also one of the highest grossing games on Steam in 2021.

And yet it seems that Amazon’s games division will now focus more on Luna, the cloud service for which it rolled out an overhaul just last week. It reportedly plans to keep releasing “casual and AI-focused games” for Luna, such as Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg, which puts an AI-generated version of the rapper in a Judge Judy-type role for court case-style debates between players. Amazon’s most recent game for PC and consoles is King of Meat, a co-op dungeon-building platformer that has so far reached a peak Steam concurrent player count of just 253.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-winding-down-its-still-popular-new-world-mmo-amid-mass-layoffs-150500426.html?src=rss 

Grammarly has rebranded to Superhuman

Grammarly is no more, at least with regards to its name. The AI-powered writing assistance tool founded in 2009 has been absorbed into a new software platform called Superhuman. It follows Grammarly’s acquisition of Superhuman Mail earlier this year, with the former taking the somewhat unusual step of adopting its newly obtained company’s name, rather than the other way around.

Superhuman unites Grammarly, Superhuman Mail and the AI work assistant Coda (also acquired by Grammarly in 2025) in one productivity suite, allowing users to access all three tools as part of a single plan. The company has also launched a new AI assistant called Superhuman Go that is included in every Superhuman plan tier and is baked into the Grammarly browser extension for Chrome and Edge.

Superhuman Go’s capabilities include assisting with professional-sounding email responses, fetching information and scheduling meetings. At launch it can connect to your Google Workspace apps and Microsoft Outlook, with the idea being that the AI is always there making suggestions in the background, rather than you needing to ask it for assistance.

Superhuman plans to add additional functionality to Coda and Superhuman Mail, such as turning ideas from meetings into drafts and more effectively organizing your inbox according to your schedule. Its vision for the rebrand is that instead of thinking of Grammarly as a writing agent alone, you utilize all of its different agents and platforms to work more productively.

Anyone previously using Grammarly can now use Superhuman Go, and the Superhuman suite is being bundled into a number of different plans. The $12 per month (billed annually) Pro plan offers unlimited paragraph rewrites and translations in 19 languages — a feature Grammarly added earlier this year — while the Business plan costs $33 per month (billed annually) and includes Superhuman’s mail client.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/grammarly-has-rebranded-to-superhuman-151001417.html?src=rss 

Nintendo is releasing a massive Breath of the Wild vinyl soundtrack collection on eight LPs

Nintendo is teaming up with Laced Records on a couple of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vinyl soundtrack releases, which is pretty darned cool. There’s even a massive 8-LP box set that ships with some franchise-friendly bells and whistles.

Let’s start with that box set. It’s available in limited-edition colored vinyl or standard black vinyl. At eight vinyl records, it probably includes just about every piano twinkle and wind rustle found throughout the game. All told, there are 130 newly remastered tracks.

The records here are split into themes, mirroring a player’s progression through Hyrule. These themes “revolve around exploring the Kingdom of Hyrule, freeing the Divine Beasts from Calamity Ganon’s hold and discovering the mysteries of the Shrines.”

It ships with a nifty-looking collector’s case and comes with 16 art prints depicting various scenes from the game. The 8-LP collection costs $195, which is high but not the worst deal in the world. That breaks down to around $24 per record.

Nintendo/Laced Records

The double-LP collection is a more standard affair, with 34 tracks pulled from throughout the game. These include musical cues from visiting the Great Fairy Fountain, Hyrule Castle and other locations. This one costs $50 and is also available in both black and colored vinyl.

Both collections are available to pre-order right now via Laced Records and My Nintendo Store. They won’t be shipped until June 19, 2026.

This is one of the first major Nintendo game soundtracks available in a physical format outside of Japan. Breath of the Wild is an interesting choice here for an initial vinyl release, given that the game’s soundtrack is known for mood-setting vibes but not really known for bops.

Composers Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, Hajime Wakai and Soshi Abe filled the game with gentle piano riffs, nature sounds and rhythmic pieces to accompany battles. However, it does have a few absolute bangers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-is-releasing-a-massive-breath-of-the-wild-vinyl-soundtrack-collection-on-eight-lps-151531479.html?src=rss 

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