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Waymo has introduced an option for teen accounts, allowing young passengers to take rides in its driverless robotaxis without adult supervision. The program is only available in metropolitan Phoenix for now, but the company said it plans to offer the service in other cities down the line.

Teen riders are added to a regular Waymo account and all ride receipts go to that adult. Ride information can also be shared with a parent for real-time updates. The program is available for teens aged 14 to 17, and up to four passengers can share a robotaxi with a teen rider as long as they are all older than 14. Waymo is also promising that its support team has been trained to handle these younger customers and to know when a parent needs to be contacted.

Rideshare platforms such as Uber have been offering access for teenagers to get around without a parent or guardian. Driverless cars may be a more appealing option for parents since there’s no unknown driver alone with their children; Waymo has highlighted that angle on its website.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-is-adding-teen-accounts-for-autonomous-vehicle-rides-without-parents-225205185.html?src=rss 

Jeff Williams is stepping down from his post as chief operating officer at Apple, the company announced today. Sabih Khan, senior vice president of operations for the company, will take over the COO title later this month. Following Williams’ retirement later this year, the design team that he had overseen will report directly to CEO Tim Cook. He also leads the teams for the Apple Watch and the company’s Health initiatives, but no details have been shared yet about who will head up those sections.

Williams joined Apple in 1998. He was named to the COO position in 2015, the first to hold the title for the company after Cook left the role to become CEO. “Jeff and I have worked alongside each other for as long as I can remember, and Apple wouldn’t be what it is without him,” Cook said of the outgoing exec.

Khan is another longtime Apple employee, with three decades at the tech giant. After joining the executive team in 2019, he helmed Apple’s global supply chain. According to Cook, Khan “has advanced our ambitious efforts in environmental sustainability, helping reduce Apple’s carbon footprint by more than 60 percent.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-coo-jeff-williams-is-retiring-this-year-221330481.html?src=rss 

In 2024, the FTC was set to implement the “click to cancel” rule, which would have placed requirements on companies to be forthright about the terms and conditions and exit options for their subscriptions. Since that time, the agency has become a less independent part of the executive branch and in May, it delayed enforcing some parts of this rule to July 14. Today, the entire plan appears to be dead in the water after judges in the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decided to vacate the rule.

The “click to cancel” rule, which was officially named the Negative Option Rule, drew appeals from industry associations and individual businesses. These parties argued the FTC had failed to follow correct procedures and conduct an analysis before issuing the rule. The judge panel has agreed with them.

“While we certainly do not endorse the use of unfair and deceptive practices in negative option marketing, the procedural deficiencies of the Commission’s rulemaking process are fatal here,” the ruling reads. “Vacatur of the entire Rule is appropriate in this case because of the prejudice suffered by Petitioners as a result of the Commission’s procedural error.”

The judges may not endorse those actions, but it looks like for the foreseeable future, businesses will be able to keep taking them without consequences.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftcs-click-to-cancel-rule-has-been-struck-down-by-federal-judges-at-the-eleventh-hour-213503860.html?src=rss 

Odds are you aren’t too familiar with the group of animals called zooplankton, which include copepods, krill and salps. On land, they’re most commonly used as fish food. Underwater, however, they’ve been quietly making a substantial contribution to slowing global warming. The BBC reported on the latest research into zooplankton by an international team, published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography, that detailed just how much these tiny critters have been impacting the planet’s temperature.

In the spring and summer time, the animals consume phytoplankon, which are photosynthesizing bacteria and organisms that live on the ocean’s surface. After gorging themselves on this feast, zooplankton descend into the deeper waters around Antarctica to hibernate and burn off the fat created by eating phytoplankon, which releases carbon dioxide. This behavior has had the added benefit of storing carbon hundreds of meters underwater, where it can take decades or sometimes centuries to re-emerge and add to warming the atmosphere. 

“If this biological pump didn’t exist, atmospheric CO2 levels would be roughly twice those as they are at the moment,” co-author Professor Angus Atkinson from Plymouth Marine Laboratory told the BBC. “So the oceans are doing a pretty good job of mopping up CO2 and getting rid of it.”

It was already known that zooplankton played a role in facilitating carbon storage, but the new results detailed just how effective these aquatic critters have been in helping slow the planet’s warming. They said zooplankton are responsible for transporting 65 million tons of carbon each year to the depths of the Southern Ocean. That’s the equivalent of a year’s emissions from 55 million diesel cars.

But since we seem incapable of having nice things, zooplankon are also at long-term risk. The climate change that they have been helping to stave off poses a threat to these species in the form of higher water temperatures, disturbances to ocean layers and extreme weather events. There’s also an industry for krill harvesting; according to the UN, about 500,000 tons of krill were removed from the ocean by commercial operations in 2020. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/we-have-a-surprising-underwater-ally-in-combatting-climate-change-zooplankton-190613506.html?src=rss 

Sony is holding a State of Play livestream dedicated exclusively to the upcoming adventure game Ghost of Yōtei. It starts on July 10 at 5PM ET. It will stream on the official PlayStation YouTube and Twitch accounts.

The company promises “nearly 20 minutes” of gameplay hosted by developer Sucker Punch. The stream will also show off “new weapons, new ways to personalize your journey at the edge of Japan, new special modes and much more.” The game comes out on October 2, exclusively for PS5.

For the uninitiated, Ghost of Yōtei is a sequel to the popular Ghost of Tsushima. However, it features a new protagonist, era and location. It takes place in Hokkaido, Japan in the early 1600s, which is over 300 years after the events of the first game.

It’s still an open-world adventure and Sony promises “even more freedom and variety than in Ghost of Tsushima.” The gameplay looks more open than the original, as players can hunt down the six major bosses in whatever order they choose. We’ll find out a whole lot more about how the game works on July 10.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/heres-how-to-watch-sonys-ghost-of-yotei-state-of-play-showcase-172043456.html?src=rss 

Senators Tim Sheehy and Elizabeth Warren have introduced a bipartisan bill to enshrine a right to repair for military equipment. The legislation, called the “Warrior Right to Repair Act,” would codify the right-to-repair provisions that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put in place through the Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform memorandum from April 30.

The Department of Defense has not been immune from restrictive practices set forth by manufacturers, and much like the average consumer, has been hamstrung in its ability to repair its own equipment by clauses in its purchase agreements. According to the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the current system leads to excessive repair and sustainment costs, and can even impede military readiness.

“When our neighbors, friends and family serve in our military, we expect them to get what they need to do their jobs as safely as possible,” PIRG Federal Legislative Director Isaac Bowers wrote regarding the newly introduced bill. “Somehow, that hasn’t included the materials and information they need to repair equipment they rely on. It’s time we fixed that.”

A recent PIRG poll showed that enshrining the right to repair for the military is supported by an overwhelming majority of the American electorate, with almost 75 percent of respondents supporting the initiative.

The right-to-repair movement has been in an ongoing battle between consumers, manufacturers and lawmakers. States like Oregon have passed their own right-to-repair laws, though manufacturers continue to run afoul of regulation. Senator Warren introduced a similar bill in 2024 without a Republican co-sponsor, but it was never brought to a vote.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-military-might-finally-win-the-right-to-repair-173539873.html?src=rss 

Prime Day isn’t a bad time to grab that iPad you’ve been eyeing. Amazon’s mega-sale has Apple’s latest entry-level tablet for a record-low price. You can pick up the 11th-generation iPad, which only launched a few months ago, for $280. That’s a hefty discount from its standard price of $350.

This entry-level model gives most people everything they need in a tablet. For browsing, streaming content, reading, gaming or video calls, it’s more than up to the task. If you want to use it for light work, Apple sells a Magic Keyboard Folio with a built-in trackpad. (It’s also on sale for Prime Day.) And it will get a big productivity upgrade this fall with the introduction of iPadOS 26.

The iPad (A16) has a few compromises over more expensive models. Its processing power, while plenty for most people, isn’t on par with the M-series models. It doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. Like the iPad Air, it uses Touch ID instead of Face ID. It works with the base-level Apple Pencil, not the Pro version. And its 10.9-inch screen lacks ProMotion (a higher frame rate) and an anti-reflective coating.

This model starts with 128GB of storage. That’s double what you got in older versions of the entry-level iPad. It has 6GB of RAM, an increase from the 4GB in its predecessor. It should have no problem lasting through the day: Its battery is rated for 10 hours of use.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-latest-ipad-drops-to-a-new-low-of-280-for-prime-day-160424351.html?src=rss 

The Meta Quest 3s virtual reality headset is on sale as part of Amazon Prime Day. The 128GB model is down to $249, which is $50 off, and the 256GB version now costs $329, which is a discount of $70. These are both record-low prices. It’s also worth noting that the 256GB model comes with a digital copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow.

This made our list of the best virtual reality headsets and it’s the perfect entry point for budget-conscious consumers. For the uninitiated, the Quest 3s is a pared-down version of the flagship Quest 3. It looks nearly identical to the OG model and keeps the same hardware specifications. It boasts the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor and 8GB of RAM.

Meta did have to cut corners on the lenses a bit. The 3s doesn’t have the nifty pancake lenses of its more expensive sibling, but the Fresnel lenses get the job done. It also ships with the same Touch Controllers, which we found to be light and comfortable. The joysticks feel smooth and accurate and the buttons are responsive.

This can run all of the software that the Quest 3 can run, so newcomers will have access to a robust catalog of games and experiences. The only major downside is that the 3s lacks a headphone jack, so folks will have to plug in a USB-C adapter for more immersive audio. I highly recommend doing this. The external speakers are fine, but VR is all about total immersion.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-meta-quest-3s-drops-to-a-record-low-price-for-prime-day-162613112.html?src=rss