Windows parental controls are blocking Chrome

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Microsoft is making it harder to use Chrome on Windows. The culprit? This time, it’s Windows’ Family Safety feature. Since early this month, the parental control measure has prevented users from opening Chrome. Strangely, no other apps or browsers appear to be affected.

Redditors first reported the issue on June 3 (via The Verge). u/Witty-Discount-2906 posted that Chrome crashed on Windows 11. “Just flashes quickly, unable to open with no error message,” they wrote. Another user chimed in with a correct guess. “This may be related to Parental Controls,” u/duk242 surmised. “I’ve had nine students come see the IT Desk in the last hour saying Chrome won’t open.”

A Google spokesperson pointed Engadget to a statement in its community forum. “Our team has investigated these reports and determined the cause of this behavior,” Community Manager Ellen T. wrote. “For some users, Chrome is unable to run when Microsoft Family Safety is enabled.”

Curiously, Microsoft hasn’t fixed the bug after 17 days. (Go figure!)

Microsoft

Windows Family Safety is an optional parental control feature for families and schools. It lets them manage children’s screen time, filter their web browsing and monitor their activity.

There are a couple of workarounds while we wait for the company to take action. One is to turn off the “Filter Inappropriate Websites” setting in Family Safety. However, that removes the security feature, letting the kids run wild on the World Wide Web. (Weeee!!) A simpler fix is to navigate to your Chrome folder and rename chrome.exe to something like chrome1.exe.

Engadget emailed Microsoft for a comment. We haven’t heard back, but we’ll update this story if we do.

If you’ve ever installed Chrome on Windows, this bug may trigger deja vu. Microsoft has a long history of desperate tricks to keep you on its default products. That has included obnoxious prompts, pop-up ads for Bing and begging users to stick with Edge. At least European users will get some relief. Microsoft is scaling back its cheap tactics there to comply with EU regulations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/windows-parental-controls-are-blocking-chrome-170247515.html?src=rss 

Snap is acquiring Saturn, a calendar app used at thousands of high schools

Snap has acquired Saturn, a calendar app for high school and college students. The company didn’t disclose the terms of the deal but said that close to 30 of Saturn’s full-time employees will be joining Snap as part of the acquisition.

It’s not clear what exactly Snap has planned for Saturn, but the company confirmed to Engadget that the calendar app will continue to operate as a standalone service. It also suggested that the acquisition could help Snap bring calendar-focused features into Snapchat.

A calendar app may seem like an odd choice for Snap, but there’s clearly a lot of overlap between the two services’ users. According to Snap, about 80 percent of US high schoolers attend schools that support Saturn (its App Store page says it’s available at more than 17,000 high schools). Snap is used by more than half of US teens, per Pew Research.

Saturn is also much more social than the typical calendar app. It has a Snapchat-like design that allows teens to easily share and compare their schedules with friends. It also supports features specific to many high school students’ routines, like block schedules, rotation calendars and extracurricular activities. Saturn also has features for college students, though it doesn’t seem to be as widely used among that slightly older demographic.

The startup, founded by Dylan Diamond (Saturn’s CEO) and Max Baron (COO) has previously raised money from a number of high-profile investors, including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Jeff Bezos’ Bezos Expeditions. Forbes reported in 2021 the startup had raised $44 million.

Jim Lanzone, the CEO of Engadget’s parent company Yahoo, joined the board of directors at Snap on September 12, 2024. No one outside of Engadget’s editorial team has any say in our coverage of the company.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/snap-is-acquiring-saturn-a-calendar-app-used-at-thousands-of-high-schools-160046915.html?src=rss 

What to expect at the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked

The next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event could be announced any day now. The summertime event usually happens in July or August. No date has been officially set, but at least one rumor suggests that it will all go down on July 9 at 10AM ET, and New York City is being floated as the likely location.

Whenever it happens, we expect that the next Unpacked will center on the latest developments to Samsung’s lines of foldables and wearables. A lot of it may be business as usual, but the company has hinted that some possibly exciting new additions are in the works.

Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Based on the usual annual cadence, this summer Unpacked 2025 will most likely introduce the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7. One recent leak claimed that Gemini Live will be a core part of the foldables’ presentation, and considering AI is the buzzword for every tech presentation these days, it would be strange if Unpacked didn’t follow suit. AI features got a positive reception from both our Fold 6 and Flip 6 reviewers, although they fell more under the umbrella of parlor tricks than valuable assets.

Android Headlines is back with renders of what it claims show the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The foldable sports a slimmer profile than the prior model and the navy blue chassis is certainly pretty. It also indicates that both the cover display and inner display are reportedly bigger in this design, up to 6.5 inches and 8.2 inches, respectively. The publication also showed purported images of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 that also pointed to increased screen real estate.

There may be a third player in the foldables lineup for this Unpacked. A teaser from Samsung last month pointed toward a Galaxy Z Fold Ultra that will come with Galaxy AI. There are no specs in the blog post, but the company insists that this will have “industry-leading hardware, cutting-edge performance and seamless AI integration optimized for the foldable format.” This doesn’t appear to be the tri-fold design we’ve heard rumblings about, but that would be a fun reveal if Samsung does pull that off as a surprise announcement.

Galaxy Watch 8

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

Amy Skorheim for Engadget

On the wearables front, the only thing we’re really anticipating is news about the Galaxy Watch 8. But the anticipation is pretty mild.

This smartwatch collection from Samsung hasn’t really pushed the envelope for several years; the Galaxy Watch 7 was the third iteration where our reviewers felt the new model offered only incremental improvements over the previous generation. So either this Unpacked will be yet another round of small gains on the specs or Samsung will surprise us with some substantial upgrades. Improved battery life would be a big plus.

Galaxy S25 FE

For the past few weeks, Samsung fans have been speculating that a new smartphone announcement could be on the way soon. Although the company’s standard mobile hardware is usually unveiled at the start of the year, we’ve seen some credible rumors that a new Galaxy S25 FE is in the works. If Samsung is looking to release a new version to that line in the fall, it would make sense to announce and open pre-orders at the summer Unpacked.

The Galaxy S24 FE had some solid specs but was a little pricey to be a true budget model, especially with an underwhelming set of AI features. So far, the leaks about the S25 FE also point toward continued underwhelm, with claims that its cameras won’t be seeing much in the way of upgrades, although it may be getting a boost to performance and battery if rumors that it will use the Exynos 2400 processor turn out to be true.

We’ll be keeping you posted with all the Unpacked news as it happens, as well as covering the event with a liveblog, so stay tuned!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/what-to-expect-at-the-next-samsung-galaxy-unpacked-150001731.html?src=rss 

Nothing’s first over-ear headphones leak ahead of July unveiling

Nothing has probably made its biggest impression in the tech world with its distinctive mid-range Android phones (like the 3a Pro pictured above). But the UK-based brand’s first product was actually wireless earbuds, and now it’s preparing to unveil its first over-ear headphones on July 1. As is often the way, though, we don’t have to wait until then to get our first look at the upcoming cans, as pictures have leaked online ahead of the London launch event.

As you’d expect from a Nothing product, the Headphone 1 – if these leaked images are indeed legitimate – looks like nothing else on the market. A number of photos uploaded to Instagram by Nothing Fan Blog show off a typical transparent design, which looks a bit like someone has glued a cassette tape to a slab of smooth metal. It looks like the headphones will be available in black/gray and silver/white colorways.

It’s hard to determine what materials Nothing has opted for from the leaked photos, but it looks like there are at least three buttons: two on the side of the left earcup and one on the top. In one photo you can also see a wire attached to the bottom of the headphones, so presumably they’ll have a 3.5mm connector.

Again, we don’t know for certain if this is the final design of the Headphone 1, but aesthetically speaking they could definitely stand out in what is an enormously crowded market.

Nothing CEO Carl Pei confirmed that the Headphone 1 will arrive on July 1 alongside the brand’s new flagship phone, the Phone 3, during a live appearance at SXSW in London earlier this month. Engadget’s Igor Bonifac was impressed by Nothing’s Phone 3a and 3a Pro when he reviewed both phones earlier this year, with the caveat that they carry a limited US warranty.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/nothings-first-over-ear-headphones-leak-ahead-of-july-unveiling-150631940.html?src=rss 

Early Prime Day deals include the 8BitDo Micro gamepad for only $17

Amazon Prime Days begins again on July 8, but early deals are already starting to trickle out. For instance, the 8BitDo Micro gamepad is on sale for just $17. This is a record-low price and represents a discount of 33 percent. However, the deal only applies to the green colorway.

The Micro is a Bluetooth controller designed for the Nintendo Switch and Android devices, but it should also integrate with gadgets like the Steam Deck and iPhones. The company has released a firmware update for Switch 2 compatibility, so that should work too. We’ve tested other 8BitDo controllers with Nintendo’s new console and came away impressed.

This is an extremely tiny gamepad that still manages to pack in 16 buttons. It’s a near-perfect way to play retro-tinged 2D platformers. Did we mention it’s small? This thing will easily fit in a pocket or just about anywhere else. The company wasn’t kidding around when they named it Micro.

There’s one caveat. The diminutive size of the 8BitDo Micro doesn’t allow for actual joysticks and there’s no haptic engine for rumble or anything like that. This isn’t the best controller for brand-new AAA games. If you absolutely must have a pair of joysticks, for FPS titles and the like, the 8BitDo Lite SE is also on sale for $22.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/early-prime-day-deals-include-the-8bitdo-micro-gamepad-for-only-17-151924406.html?src=rss 

Meta and Oakley announce new ‘perfomance AI’ smart glasses for athletes

Meta is expanding beyond its popular Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses with a new lineup of frames created in collaboration with Oakley. The Oakley Meta HSTN (pronounced HOW-stuhn, apparently) will be available in several variants, not unlike Meta’s other smart glasses. Meta first teased that it had a new partnership on the way earlier in June, and rumors that the company was expanding beyond its current frames were reported by Bloomberg back in January.

Despite rumors that the Oakley glasses would feature a camera embedded in the bridge of the frame, these first models keep the lens on one side and an LED privacy light on the other. The ultra-wide 12MP camera can capture footage in 3K, compared with the 1080p video that the Meta Ray-Bans are capable of recording. Along with taking POV video calls, shooting photos and livestreaming what you see, the camera can be used to answer questions about what you’re seeing with the help of Meta AI.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Threads that these frames, which are based on Oakley’s HSTN style, are “built for action.” So they’re perhaps designed to be more durable than Meta’s older models, though they have the same IPX4 water resistance rating. They feature Prizm and Prizm Polarized lens tech from Oakley, which are designed to protect wearers’ eyes from ultraviolet light.

The battery is rated for eight hours of typical use on a single charge (which would be double that of the Meta Ray-Bans) and up to 19 hours on standby. With the included charging case, you should be able to juice up Oakley Meta HSTN glasses from zero to 50 percent of battery capacity in 22 minutes, and to 85 percent in 45 minutes. The case, which is not water-resistant, is said to deliver up to 40 additional hours of on-the-go charging.

The new frames have open-ear Bluetooth speakers, five onboard microphones and speakers for talking to Meta AI and the ability to take calls, send messages and play music from your phone. There are touch controls on the side of the frames where you can adjust volume and so on. 

Meta has also been rolling out live translation features for its smart glasses. The company says the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses can help with accessibility too. You’ll be able to send messages and take photos hands-free. Meta notes that its AI will be able to describe what the camera is seeing. In addition, wearers will be able to connect to the Be My Eyes network and receive assistance from sighted volunteers.

Meta/Oakley

Meta and Oakley say these are “Performance AI glasses.” You’ll be able to ask Meta AI for contextual information that might help in the moment, such as the wind speed so you can try to adjust for that while you’re playing golf.

Meta working with Oakley shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Oakley is owned by EssilorLuxottica, the same fashion conglomerate that owns Ray-Bans. The companies extended their partnership with a new long-term agreement in September 2024 so that they could “collaborate into the next decade to develop multi-generational smart eyewear products.”

The first, limited-edition Oakley Meta HSTN have gold accents and 24K Prizm Polar lenses. They cost $499 and will be available to preorder starting on July 11 in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Meta and Oakley plan to bring the lineup to Mexico, India and the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Other models will arrive later in the summer and start at $399. They’ll be available in the following frame and lens colors:

Oakley Meta HSTN Desert with Prizm Ruby Lenses

Oakley Meta HSTN Black with PrizmPolar Black Lenses

Oakley Meta HSTN Shiny Brown with Prizm Polar Deep-Water Lenses

Oakley Meta HSTN Black with Transitions Amethyst Lenses

Oakley Meta HSTN Clear with Transitions Grey Lenses

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/meta-and-oakley-announce-new-perfomance-ai-smart-glasses-for-athletes-140312796.html?src=rss 

’28 Years Later’ Ending Explained: See Our Breakdown

The Rage virus has destroyed Great Britain in ’28 Years Later,’ and someone named Jimmy is a new figure in the film. (Warning: spoilers are ahead for ’28 Years Later.’)

The Rage virus has destroyed Great Britain in ’28 Years Later,’ and someone named Jimmy is a new figure in the film. (Warning: spoilers are ahead for ’28 Years Later.’) 

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