Kalakshar US

For roughly the same price as a flagship smartphone, you could instead buy an affordable humanoid robot that’s meant for consumer and educational use. Noetix Robotics, a Beijing-based startup, revealed its Bumi robot that’s priced at nearly 10,000 yuan, or around $1,400.

Unlike higher-end robots, the inexpensive Bumi stands at around three feet tall and weighs about 26 lbs. You won’t find Noetix’s latest robot on assembly lines or in research labs, especially since early demos only show Bumi walking around and dancing. According to a TechNode report, Bumi will offer a programming interface that allows for learning or creative tasks. The report also noted that Noetix is planning to put the Bumi up for preorders later this year. Before the Bumi, Noetix Robotics showed off its expertise by competing in the world’s first half-marathon for robots with its N2 model, which was one of four robotic competitors that completed the race.

At such a low price point, Bumi beats out another relatively affordable option that was announced earlier this year. In the summer, Unitree showed off its R1 robot that starts at $5,900 and could handle complex tasks. While the Bumi sets a new price tag to beat, both Noetix and Unitree are offering more affordable options than Tesla’s Optimus bot, which had an early price estimate of around $20,000.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chinese-startup-shows-off-a-dancing-humanoid-robot-that-starts-at-1400-174010960.html?src=rss 

Just like a minor upgrade in specs, Apple’s latest M5 MacBook Pro gets the slightest improvement when it comes to repairability. According to iFixit’s teardown, the M5 MacBook Pro is the first of its kind that lets you replace the battery without having to remove the trackpad. However, Apple’s official method of replacing the battery still requires navigating an arduous process that may steer most users away.

For anyone willing to tackle the DIY repair, Apple’s Self Service Repair Store only offers a Top Case with Battery and Keyboard in its product parts catalog. Since the only option to replace the battery is buying this main chassis part with both the keyboard and battery pre-installed, MacBook Pro owners will also have to disassemble an irritating number of unrelated screws and hardware — except for the trackpad — just to replace a battery. However, iFixit confirmed that Apple included a slightly upgraded 72.6Wh battery with the latest MacBook Pro compared to its predecessor’s 72.4Wh battery.

It’s minor progress for battery replacement, so iFixit still gave the M5 MacBook Pro a four out of 10 repairability score, meaning it’s possible to do yourself, but it’s “tougher than it needs to be.” The latest score is a bump down from the M1 MacBook Pro that earned a five out of 10, but Apple has made incremental steps towards making MacBook repairs more accessible.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-makes-the-m5-macbook-pros-battery-ever-so-slightly-easier-to-replace-154124765.html?src=rss 

Spotify recently came under fire for running recruitment ads for ICE, which ask users to “join the mission to protect America” and to “fulfill [their] mission,” in the US. Despite music labels calling on the streaming service to stop serving ICE recruitment ads, Spotify doubled down. A spokesperson for the company told The Independent that the ads are “part of a broad campaign” by the US government running across different channels and that they do not violate its policies. The spokesperson advised users to just mark ads with a thumbs up or down so that the app can learn their preferences. 

In addition, several artists have pulled their music from Spotify recently over its CEO’s, Daniel EK’s, investments in European defense tech firm Helsing. The defense company builds drones, aircraft and submarines, and it also sells AI software that can analyze sensor and weapons data from battlefields. Spotify has been facing backlash for its payout rates, which artists argue are unfair and lower than what other services pay, over the past few years as well. 

So if you want to cancel Spotify, whether for any those reasons or another one altogether, you can follow the instructions below. 

How to cancel via web:

1. Log into your Spotify account in your browser. 

2. Go to Account in the dropdown menu that shows up when you click on your Profile. 

3. Find Cancel Subscription under the Subscription section. 

4. Spotify will tell you that you’ll hear ads every 15 minutes on a free account, along with the date when your premium access will end. Click “Continue to cancel” at the bottom of the screen. 

If you’re on mobile, make sure to request the desktop site after you log into your account on your mobile browser. Take note that if you’re part of a Spotify Family or Duo plan, only the plan manager will be able to cancel your subscription altogether. If you follow the same steps above as a member, you’ll only remove your account from the plan, but the manager will continue paying for it. 

How to cancel via third-party provider:

If you pay for your subscription through third-party providers, you can follow these instructions instead.

Cancel via Google

1. Fire up the Google Play app and tap on the icon for the account you use. 

2. Go to Payments & subscriptions. 

3. Tap on Subscriptions. 

4. Find Spotify among your subscriptions and tap on it. 

5. Tap on Cancel Subscription at the bottom of the screen, select a reason for cancellation and confirm it. 

Cancel via Apple

1. Go to Settings in your iPhone or iPad. 

2. Tap on your name and go to Subscriptions. 

3. Find Spotify and go through the cancellation process. 

Cancel via carrier

Instructions for this may vary, depending on your carrier. Generally, however, you can follow these steps. 

1. Log into your carrier account on its website. 

2. Find the option to manage your subscriptions under your account. 

3. Find Spotify and go through the cancellation process. 

What happens after you cancel

You’ll still have access to Spotify’s premium features until your next billing cycle begins. That means you still won’t encounter ads and will have access to offline downloads, as well as unlimited skips and higher audio quality. You’ll be able to access your Spotify library even with a free account, but if you want to find another streaming service to pay for, you can check Engadget’s list of best music streaming services in 2025. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/how-to-cancel-your-spotify-subscription-133022215.html?src=rss 

If you’re moving on to a new Apple Watch, selling your current one or fixing some software hiccups, you’ll probably need to disconnect it from your iPhone. Apple calls this unpairing; it’s the step that wipes your watch, breaks the connection to your phone and removes Activation Lock so the next person can use it. The good news is that unpairing is straightforward whether you have your iPhone nearby or not. Here’s how it works, along with why you might want to disconnect your watch in the first place.

How to disconnect Apple Watch using your iPhone

The simplest way to unpair your Apple Watch is through your iPhone.

Keep your iPhone and Apple Watch close together.

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

Navigate to the My Watch tab, then All Watches at the top.

Tap the info button next to the watch you want to disconnect.

Select Unpair Apple Watch, then select Unpair [your Apple Watch name].

If you have a cellular model, choose whether to keep or remove your cellular plan. Remove it if you’re selling or giving away the watch. Keep it if you plan to pair it again later

Enter your Apple Account password when asked to turn off Activation Lock, then select Unpair.

Your iPhone will create a backup before erasing the watch. When you set up a new Apple Watch, you can choose to restore from that backup and carry on with your data and settings intact.

How to disconnect Apple Watch without your iPhone

If you don’t have your paired iPhone with you, you can still reset your Apple Watch directly. This will wipe your data, but won’t create a backup and Activation Lock will remain, so keep that in mind if you want to save your information.

On your Apple Watch, open Settings.

Select General, then scroll down and select Reset.

Select Erase All Content and Settings.

Enter your passcode if prompted.

For cellular models, choose whether to keep or remove your plan.

Your watch will erase itself and restart as if it were brand new.

Why you should disconnect your Apple Watch

There are a few reasons you might want to unpair your Apple Watch. Maybe you’re upgrading to a new model and need to start fresh. Maybe you’re trading it in, selling it or handing it down to someone else. You might also need to disconnect your watch if you’re troubleshooting. Sometimes a clean reset is the easiest way to fix syncing issues, missed notifications or fitness data that isn’t updating.

Whatever the reason, unpairing keeps your data safe, makes sure a backup is stored and disables Activation Lock. That last step is important because if you skip it, the next owner won’t be able to use the watch.

What happens to your data when you disconnect your Apple Watch?

When you unpair your Apple Watch using your iPhone, the watch creates a backup that includes app data, settings and most health and fitness information. This backup is stored on your iPhone and will transfer to iCloud if you have backups turned on. That makes it easy to restore everything on a new watch.

If you reset from the watch without your iPhone, a backup is not created. Your data will be erased and the watch will be wiped clean, but Activation Lock remains.

Activation Lock is tied to your Apple Account and helps keep your watch secure if it’s lost or stolen. It turns on automatically when you pair your watch with your iPhone. That’s why unpairing isn’t the same as a simple reset. You need the Apple Account and password associated with the watch to turn off Activation Lock.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/how-to-unpair-your-apple-watch-from-your-iphone-120052222.html?src=rss 

We finally have a release date for Mouse: P.I. for Hire. The delightfully animated game, which marks Troy Baker’s first time playing a rodent private eye, is slated for March 19, 2026.

Based on its trailers, you’d be forgiven for viewing Mouse: P.I. for Hire as Cuphead meets Doom. Although it does include FPS action, Engadget’s Jessica Conditt discovered surprising depth behind its whimsical brutality. The game “has more to offer than shock-value cartoon violence,” she wrote. “This is a clue-gathering, photo-snapping, girlfriend-avenging, noir detective simulator that happens to star a bunch of slick-talking mice and rats, and I’m fully into it.”

Baker plays Private Investigator Jack Pepper, the game’s protagonist. When he isn’t hunting clues or sneaking around during the game’s quieter moments, he’ll have a delightful arsenal on hand. This includes wacky ones like a turpentine gun that melts the inked “skin” of your foes. Fun stuff.

Like Cuphead, Mouse‘s most obvious point of comparison, it uses hand-drawn frames to recreate that old-school style. It also deploys an original jazz soundtrack recorded by an orchestral ensemble. It’s all presented in a gritty, film noir aesthetic.

You can check out the release date trailer below. Mouse: P.I. for Hire will launch next March on PC, Switch 2, Switch, PS5/4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/mouse-pi-for-hire-arrives-in-march-2026-195454228.html?src=rss 

We all have anecdotal evidence of chatbots blowing smoke up our butts, but now we have science to back it up. Researchers at Stanford, Harvard and other institutions just published a study in Nature about the sycophantic nature of AI chatbots and the results should surprise no one. Those cute little bots just love patting us on our heads and confirming whatever nonsense we just spewed out.

The researchers investigated advice issued by chatbots and they discovered that their penchant for sycophancy “was even more widespread than expected.” The study involved 11 chatbots, including recent versions of ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude and Meta’s Llama. The results indicate that chatbots endorse a human’s behavior 50 percent more than a human does.

They conducted several types of tests with different groups. One compared responses by chatbots to posts on Reddit’s “Am I the Asshole” thread to human responses. This is a subreddit in which people ask the community to judge their behavior, and Reddit users were much harder on these transgressions than the chatbots.

One poster wrote about tying a bag of trash to a tree branch instead of throwing it away, to which ChatGPT-4o declared that the person’s “intention to clean up” after themself was “commendable.” The study went on to suggest that chatbots continued to validate users even when they were “irresponsible, deceptive or mentioned self-harm”, according to a report by The Guardian.

What’s the harm in indulging a bit of digital sycophancy? Another test had 1,000 participants discuss real or hypothetical scenarios with publicly available chatbots, but some of them had been reprogrammed to tone down the praise. Those who received the sycophantic responses were less willing to patch things up when arguments broke out and felt more justified in their behavior, even when it violated social norms. It’s also worth noting that the traditional chatbots very rarely encouraged users to see things from another person’s perspective.

“That sycophantic responses might impact not just the vulnerable but all users, underscores the potential seriousness of this problem,” said Dr. Alexander Laffer, who studies emergent technology at the University of Winchester. “There is also a responsibility on developers to be building and refining these systems so that they are truly beneficial to the user.”

This is serious because of just how many people use these chatbots. A recent report by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society suggested that 30 percent of teenagers talk to AI rather than actual human beings for “serious conversations.” OpenAI is currently embroiled in a lawsuit that accuses its chatbot of enabling a teen’s suicide. The company Character AI has also been sued twice after a pair of teenage suicides in which the teens spent months confiding in its chatbots.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/surprising-no-one-researchers-confirm-that-ai-chatbots-are-incredibly-sycophantic-185935470.html?src=rss