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Insta360 has decided to spin out its own drone company, Antigravity, allowing it to operate independently. The new sub-brand is now developing an as-yet-unnamed drone that can record 360-degree video, similar to Insta360’s X camera series.

Details are currently limited, as the company finalizes its first product. However, Insta360’s Antigravity says its drones will be aimed at existing drone owners, looking for more creative video options as well as beginners “intimidated by the learning curve of flying a drone”. If the company’s drones can utilize the 360-degree camera sensors that made it famous, you’d likely be able to reframe and curate angles and views as you flew, given the sensors would capture everything. Antigravity said: “If you’re looking to capture moments without missing the shot,” – this is for you.

It isn’t the first time that Insta360 has dabbled with drones. A few years ago, it introduced the $430 Sphere, which attaches the company’s 360-degree cameras to a chassis that can be mounted on the DJI Mavic 2. Using its own algorithms and technology, the sphere could capture 360-video footage, stitched together from the camera sensors, making the drone ‘invisible’ in the resulting footage. The device is currently out of stock.

The company is launching its own drone, accompanied by a dedicated development team. Insta360 says this was due to the additional complications of making drones, with far more challenges, specialized technical knowledge and (of course) regulatory compliance. It’s a lot more than an action cam. The Antigravity team said this would help keep development agile, and that we can expect to see new product lines and even accessory ecosystems “in the near future.” 

It plans to reveal the drone in August 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/insta360-spin-off-antigravity-360-degree-video-drone-130048742.html?src=rss 

After previously saying that the US would block exports of key AI chips to China, Donald Trump’s administration may have backtracked. The US will now temporarily block restriction on exports of chips and other technology to China, the Financial Times reported. The aim is to help Trump book a meeting with China President Xi Jinping later this year in order to strike a trade deal, according to people familiar with the matter. 

Export controls are dictated by the US Commerce Department, which was reportedly told to avoid tough moves on China, according to eight people including current and former US officials. Trump is said to have wanted to avoid angering Xi due to the risk of China retaliating further on the export of crucial rare earths and magnets. 

Last week, NVIDIA said it would be able to resume selling key AI chips to China after being blocked earlier by the Department of Commerce. “The US government has assured NVIDIA that licenses will be granted and NVIDIA hopes to start deliveries soon,” the company stated in a blog post. Today’s news of frozen export controls effectively backs up that statement.

However, 20 people including security experts and former US officials, including from Trump’s previous administration, wrote the Department of Commerce saying it was a bad idea to give China access to advanced AI chips. “This move represents a strategic mis-step that endangers the United States’ economic and military edge in artificial intelligence,” they said in a letter. “By supplying China with these chips, we are fueling the very infrastructure that will be used to modernize and expand the Chinese military.” 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/trump-temporarily-drops-export-controls-to-smooth-negotiations-with-china-120021499.html?src=rss 

If you’ve put off getting a new MacBook then today is your lucky day. Right now, the 2025 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air M4 are available on Amazon for record-low prices. The 13-inch model is our pick for best MacBook to buy this year. 

You can pick up the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 for $799, down from $999 — a 20 percent discount. This model comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. You can upgrade to 512GB SSD for $999, down from $1,199, another all-time low price, or 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for $1,199, down from $1,399. 

Then there’s the 15-inch MacBook Air M4, whose cheapest model is on sale for $999, dropping from $1,199. The 17 percent discount is the best deal we’ve seen since the pair debuted in March. As with the 13-inch model, the 16GB and 512GB SSD option is also a record-low price, dropping to $1,199 from $1,399. Then there’s the 24GB upgrade, which is $1,399, down from $1,599.

We’re big fans of the MacBook Air M4, giving it a 92 in our review. Part of that comes from an already lower starting price for the MacBooks than their predecessors. The 2025 models also get a speed boost thanks to the M4 chip and are very thin with a 0.44-inch thickness. Neither the 13- or 15-inch will drag you down, weighing 2.7 pounds and 3.2 pounds, respectively. Plus, they both have excellent battery life, lasting over 18 hours while playing an HD video. 

The big differences in the 15-inch model mostly come down to size. The screen is obviously bigger, as is its trackpad. Other than that, it offers better speakers than its 13-inch sibling. 

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-macbook-air-m4-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-123031171.html?src=rss 

The second round of deferred resignations for NASA staff closed on Friday, and the agency says roughly 3,000 employees applied to leave, according to Bloomberg. The Trump administration first offered the deferred resignation program as a buyout to government workers in January as it gutted the federal workforce under the guidance of DOGE — then led by Elon Musk — asking employees to resign while still receiving benefits and pay for a period of time. In the earlier round, 870 NASA employees reportedly opted to leave. The space agency opened a second round in June, with a July 25 deadline.

The latest batch of applications brings the total to nearly 4,000 employees, or roughly 20 percent of NASA’s workforce, according to a statement provided to Bloomberg. It comes after Politico reported earlier this month that over 2,000 senior NASA staff members have agreed to leave.

NASA is grappling with proposed budget cuts that could crush the agency’s science programs and result in the loss of thousands of jobs. A group of current and former NASA employees called on Interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy to reject the “harmful cuts” in a letter published on July 21, writing that recent policies “threaten to waste public resources, compromise human safety, weaken national security, and undermine the core NASA mission.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-may-lose-close-to-4000-employees-after-latest-deferred-resignation-round-204452249.html?src=rss 

The streets of Tromaville, New Jersey are calling once again as the video game adaptation of the off-the-wall cartoon series Toxic Crusaders gets a release date. Seen in an official trailer from Retroware that was shown off during San Diego Comic-Con and shared online by IGN, the Toxic Crusaders game is releasing on December 4 on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Steam.

As a true callback to the quirky cartoon from the ’90s, the video game is designed as a side-scrolling beat ’em up, all packaged in a fitting pixel art style. In Toxic Crusaders, you can select up to seven characters from the series, each with their own unique movesets and abilities, and join together for up to four players in local co-op. For Toxic Crusaders fans wanting more after the original series ended without a second season, this adaptation picks up where things left off. You’ll still run into some familiar faces, like the story’s main villain, Dr. Killemoff and his two bumbling henchmen.

For followers of the franchise, it’s been a discouraging journey since Retroware first announced the adaptation for release in 2023. It’s been delayed a couple of times, but the latest trailer finally offers a definitive date. If you can’t wait until December, you can catch The Toxic Avenger film — which is a reboot of the original movie from 1984 that the Toxic Crusaders cartoon was adapted from — in theaters on August 29.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-video-game-adaptation-of-cult-classic-toxic-crusaders-cartoon-finally-gets-a-release-date-213050227.html?src=rss