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Apr 13, 2026
Fans of miniature plastic soldiers, rejoice. Games Workshop has brought a host of older Warhammer and Warhammer 40K video games to Steam for the first time, alongside a dozen games that haven't been available on Valve's storefront for a few years. The new to Steam releases consist of three games from the Warhammer fantasy range — Shadow of the Horned Rat, Mark of Chaos - Gold Edition and Dark Omen — and four from its sci-fi 40K universe — Chaos Gate, Fire Warrior, Final Liberation and Rites of War.
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Apr 13, 2026
Dozens of civil rights organizations have written a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to warn of the dangers in bringing facial recognition technology to the company's smart glasses. More than 70 groups have banded together to form a coalition to urge Zuckerberg to abandon plans to incorporate the tech, on the grounds that it would empower stalkers, sexual predators and other bad actors.
This coalition includes organizations like the ACLU, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Fight for the Future, Access Now and many others. The letter isn't asking for safeguards. These groups want the feature to be completely eliminated, stating the idea behind facial recognition of this type is so dangerous that it "cannot be resolved through product design changes, opt-out mechanisms or incremental safeguards." This tracks, as there would be no real way for bystanders to know or consent to being identified.
"People should be able to move through their daily lives without fear that stalkers, scammers, abusers, federal agents and activists across the political spectrum are silently and invisibly verifying their identities and potentially matching their names to a wealth of readily available data about their habits, hobbies, relationships, health and behaviors," the letter states.
The organizations have urged Meta to disclose any known instances of its wearables being used for stalking, harassment or domestic violence. They also want the company to disclose past or ongoing discussions with federal law enforcement agencies, including ICE, about the use of Meta smart glasses and other wearables,
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Apr 13, 2026
There are plenty of retro gaming handhelds on the market, but Anbernic is introducing one that offers a unique spin on the square shape. The retro gaming handheld maker revealed the RG Rotate on its YouTube channel, showing off a 1:1 display that swivels out much like the T-Mobile Sidekick of yore.
Anbernic often drip feeds details of its upcoming products over time, but so far, we know that the RG Rotate will run on Android, feature an aluminum alloy frame and come in Polar Black and Aurora Silver. Anbernic's video detailed that the handheld will have a "proprietary ultra-thin alloy hinge" that went through "high-durability testing." While the handheld maker has experience with other hinges as seen with its RG DS and RG 34XXSP, the RG Rotate's hinge mechanism could prove to be a new
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Apr 13, 2026
Over the past couple of years, Google has found ways to stuff Gemini in nearly every app and service it offers. Whether it's Gmail with its AI inbox or Chrome with its chat sidebar, Gemini is now inescapable inside of Workspace. I don't know about you, but I don't need an AI to tell me how to write a =SUM equation in Sheets or an outline for a first draft. Most of the time, I find Gemini is a distraction. If you feel the same way, this how-to is for you.
How to remove Gemini from your personal Workspace account From the "General" tab of Gmail's settings menu, look for the Smart features checkbox. Igor Bonifacic for EngadgetTo turn Gemini off, you will need to disable two separate sets of options. The first set covers a set of features, including smart compose, that are shared across Gmail, Chat and Meet — so if you turn them off in one app, they won't be available in any of the three. All of this is most easily done through Gmail's web client.
In Gmail, tap the cog icon.
Select See all settings.
Under the General tab, scroll down t
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Apr 13, 2026
Many countries are pursuing social media bans for anyone under 16, but a recent poll is putting the effectiveness of such laws into question. The Molly Rose Foundation, a charity organization that focuses on preventing online harm, recently published a study that polled 1,050 Australian children between ages 12 and 15 in March. The study's results showed that 61 percent of those between 12 and 15 who previously had access to affected social media platforms still have one or more active accounts.
Australia made a first-in-the-world decision to ban social media for those under 16 years old, beginning on December 10. While it's only been a few months since the ban went into effect, the foundation's poll concluded that the ban doesn't have a "clear positive or negative impact on children's wellbeing." The study also noted that 70 percent of children trying to get on restricted platforms said that it was easy to get around the ban.
"These results raise major questions about the effectiveness of Australia's social media ban and show it would be a high stakes gamble for the
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Apr 13, 2026
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's house may have been the target of a second attack after San Francisco Police Department arrested two suspects for a reported shooting in the Russian Hill neighborhood. The SFPD said in a press release that police officers responded to a "suspicious occurrence of possible shots fired" at around 5:56 AM ET / 2:56 AM PT on Sunday, April 12.
SFPD's Special Investigation Division took over the case and have since detained both 25-year-old Amanda Tom and 23-year-old Muhamad Tarik Hussein, seizing three firearms in the process with the help of a warrant. The two suspects were charged with negligent discharge.
According to the initial police report, as reported by The San Francisco Standard, two people inside a Honda sedan stopped in front of Altman's property that spans from Chestnut Street to Lombard Street. The police report also noted that the passenger appeared to fire a round at the Lombard Street side of Altman's property. The property's security personnel reported hearing a gunshot and there was surveillance footage that recorded the incident, according to the report.
This could be the second instance of violence targeting Altman and his residence in a matter of days. On Friday, a 20-year-old man allegedly hurled a Molotov cocktail at Altman's home, which caused a fire on one of the property's exterior gates,
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Apr 13, 2026
Picture this: You're a senior Meta employee looking for feedback from the CEO. But, instead of hearing from the real Mark Zuckerberg, you get a response from a Zuckerberg AI character. As absurd as that sounds, it could eventually be a reality.
Meta is reportedly working on such an AI character, training it on Zuckerberg's mannerisms, tone and publicly available statements, according to the Financial Times. The character is also learning about the CEO's thoughts on recent company strategy, with the idea that it could offer advice to Meta employees.
The company has reportedly, for some time, been working on creating photorealistic, 3D animated AI characters that can manage interactions. However, it now appears to be focusing on this Zuckerberg AI character, which would interact with employees when the CEO can't or doesn't want to.
This additional AI tool follows last month's news that Zuckerberg is creating an AI agent to help him do his job,
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Apr 13, 2026
Roblox is preparing to roll out its biggest change since starting age verification late last year. While that program was initially focused on chat access, today's news is about age-segregating the games on the massive platform.
Starting in mid-May, users will be pushed into one of three worlds: Roblox Kids, Roblox Select or Roblox. The exact age ranges of these groups will vary by territory, but in the US they are 5-8 for Kids, 9-15 for Select and 16 for the regular account. These three account types then align with the platform's current content maturity labels, which divide games into Minimal, Mild, Moderate and Restricted.
Kids accounts will be the most restricted, with chat off by default and only Minimal and Mild experiences available.
Ages 9-15 get to chat with kids in their age group and "trusted friends" that have passed the parent test, and will be able to access Moderate content as well as games for babies.
At 16, teens will automatically be moved to a full-fat Roblox account with all of its features, but not all of the games. Content marked as Restricted will only unlock once they turn 18.
Roblox
Roblox says over half of its users are now age checked, whether through ID verification or face scans. With the new account types rolled out globally — which the company says
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Apr 12, 2026
Apple may be late to the smart glasses market, but it could be covering all its bases with up to four potential styles for its upcoming product. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple could launch some or all of the four styles it's currently testing for its smart glasses.
Gurman reported Apple is testing out a large rectangular frame that's comparable to Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a slimmer rectangular design like the glasses that Apple CEO Tim Cook wears, a larger oval or circular frame and a smaller oval or circle option. Apple is also working on a range of colors, including black, ocean blue and light brown, according to Bloomberg.
Internally code-named N50 for now, Apple's upcoming smart glasses will compete directly with the second-gen Ray-Ban Meta model. While similar, Apple might be differentiating its design with "vertically oriented oval lenses with surrounding lights," according to the report. Like Meta's smart glasses, Apple's upcoming product will capture photos and videos, but is meant to better sync with an iPhone, allowing users to take advantage of Apple's ecosystem for editing, sharing, phone calls, notifications, music and even its voice assistant, according to Gurman. The release of Apple's smart glasses could even coincide with the upcoming
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Apr 12, 2026
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a certain Redditor in its crosshairs and it's now strong-arming the social media platform to reveal who they are with a grand jury subpoena, according to a report from The Intercept. The nonprofit news outlet was able to obtain the subpoena that ordered Reddit to provide info on one of its users who's been accused of criticizing ICE by April 14.
According to the report, ICE has been trying to identify this Redditor for a month without success. More specifically, Reddit is being asked to give up the user's name, address, phone number and other personal data. The Intercept reported that the subpoena was issued by federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C. after a failed attempt from ICE to do the same through a federal court in Northern California, which has jurisdiction in San Francisco where Reddit is headquartered.
Reddit attorneys said their client's posts and anonymity are protected under the First Amendment and described ICE's use of a grand jury as "a disturbing escalation," according to the report. Reddit didn't state if it would challenge the government's order or not, according to The Intercept, but it did provide a statement saying, "privacy is central to how Reddit operates and we take our commitment to protecting that seriously." Reddit also said in the statement that it does "not voluntarily share information with any government, especially not on users exercising their rights to criticize the government or plan a protest."
While this gr
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Apr 12, 2026
The feud between Elon Musk and OpenAI is getting even more contentious as the two sides get ready for trial later this month. The latest development in the legal back-and-forth saw OpenAI accuse Elon Musk and his latest proposals as a "legal ambush," as first reported by Bloomberg. OpenAI filed its response on Friday, which detailed that Musk was "sandbagging the defendants and injecting chaos into the proceedings, while trying to recast his public narrative about his lawsuit."
The lawsuit dates back to 2024 when Elon Musk sued both OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing the AI giant of ditching its original mission of being a non-profit and instead converting into a for-profit business after receiving financial backing and forming a partnership with Microsoft. Prior to OpenAI's latest filing, Musk amended his original complaint to instead award any damages received to OpenAI's nonprofit arm instead. Musk's amendment, which was filed earlier this month, also sought to oust Altman from his role as OpenAI's CEO and board member. In OpenAI's Friday filing, the AI company claimed that Musk's last-minute changes were "legally improper and fa
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Apr 11, 2026
An experienced hacking group has claimed to have infiltrated Rockstar Games' cloud servers, while the game publisher has confirmed that there was a "third-party data breach." ShinyHunters, a hacker group that's been linked to data breaches targeting Microsoft, Google, Ticketmaster and others, posted a message on its website with a final warning to Rockstar to "pay or leak." The hack was first spotted by Hackread and the Cybersec Guru.
ShinyHunters didn't detail what Rockstar data it gained access to, only adding that the company had until April 14 to reach out or that the group would leak the compromised info that would lead to "several annoying (digital) problems." Rockstar Games confirmed the breach to Kotaku, explaining that "a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach," and that the incident had "no impact on our organization or our players."
Previously
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Apr 11, 2026
Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is ready to make its European debut, and it's starting with the Netherlands. According to Tesla Europe, the automaker's driver assistance system was approved in the Netherlands and will start rolling out shortly. RDW, the country's regulatory authority on vehicles, confirmed the news with a post on its website about Tesla receiving a type approval for its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system.
According to the RDW, Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) "has been extensively examined and tested for more than one and a half years on our test track and on public roads," and concluded that it was a "positive contribution" to road safety. However, RDW pointed out that a Tesla with FSD Supervised was not "self-driving," adding that the "driver remains responsible and must always remain in control."
With Dutch approvals, Tesla notched its first regulatory green light for FSD use in Europe. The RDW also added that Tesla's FSD Supervised could get "possible later admittance in all member states of the European Union" thanks to its approvals. Tesla has been working on bringing its automated driving features to other regions, including Europe and China, as detailed in a
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Apr 11, 2026
IBM has agreed to settle the US Department of Justice's accusations that the company violated civil rights laws with its DEI practices. According to a press release from the DOJ, IBM will pay more than $17 million to resolve allegations of taking "race, color, national origin, or sex" into account when making employment decisions. This settlement is the latest development in a longstanding effort from the Trump administration to end DEI programs, which was kick-started from an executive order in early 2025.
IBM denied any wrongdoing and said the settlement wasn't an admission of liability, while the US government said this conclusion wasn't a concession that its claims weren't well founded, according to the settlement agreement. According to the DOJ, IBM had violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with practices that included altering "interview criteria based on race or sex," developing "race and sex demographic goals for business units," using "a diversity modifier that tied bonus compensation to achieving demographic targets" and more.
An IBM spokesperson tol
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Apr 11, 2026
Spring has certainly sprung here at Engadget. Well, it has in terms of reviews, at least. We've put over a dozen devices through their paces since my last roundup, which gives you a lot to catch up on over the weekend. Read on for the rundown of all the reviews you might've missed.
ASUS ZenBook A16
ASUS' ZenBook A14 didn't live up to our expectations last year, but now the company is back with a 16-inch machine and a shot at redemption: the A16. "Compatibility issues aside, the ZenBook A16 delivers just about everything I want in an ultraportable," senior reporter Devindra Hardawar said. "It's got a gorgeous OLED screen and all of the ports you need. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite chips also give it a much-needed power boost. And best of all, it's one of the lightest and sleekest 16-inch Windows laptops I've come across."
Apple AirPods Max 2
Until this year, Apple's only updates to the AirPods Max were new colors and a USB-C port. The company finally gave its
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Apr 11, 2026
XChat is now on the App Store, where its listing says that it's expected to be available for download on April 17. This isn't the same IRC app from the early aughts, which you may remember if you're of a certain age. This is a messaging app specifically for X users. X chief Elon Musk first talked about rolling out a new version of his social network's direct messaging feature in mid-2025. In a series of posts back then, he said the new version would be encrypted and would feature a "whole new architecture." He also said all X users were getting XChat in June last year, but Musk is pretty infamous for being overly optimistic about timelines.
Now, instead of an upgraded DM feature on X, users are getting a standalone app. It allows them to chat with anybody on X and call each other across devices. The app is end-to-end encrypted and will let users edit and delete their messages for all participants in the conversation. It will also allow users to block screenshots and enable disappearing messages if they want the sensitive details they send in-chat to vanish within five minutes. The app allows users to create massive group chats with up to 481 members, as well. X promises in t
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Apr 11, 2026
Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As always, we're here to tell you about a bunch of new games you can play this weekend, as well as several upcoming titles.
The latest edition of the Triple-i Initiative showcase was packed with cool stuff, including a first peek at the fascinating next game from 1000xResist developer Sunset Visitor, word of a Don't Starve follow-up, a release date for stealth title Thick as Thieves and an announcement of when pirate survival sim Windrose will hit early access.
We also got a release window for Neverway, a life sim with gorgeously creepy pixel art. The prologue is available to play now on Steam, and it doesn't take long at all before things become delightfully strange. I'll run through a few of the other Triple-i h
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Apr 10, 2026
The Orion capsule carrying the Artemis II astronauts has successfully splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 8:07PM Eastern time on April 10. It signals the conclusion of Artemis II's 10-day journey around the moon, which is meant to be a test flight for a future mission that would bring humanity back to the lunar surface. The Orion crew module carrying the mission's astronauts separated from the service module at 7:33 PM. While the service module was designed to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, the crew capsule was built to bring the astronauts back home safely.
By 7:53 PM, Orion reached our planet's upper atmosphere, where a six-minute communication blackout occurred due to the capsule heating up as it started its guided descent. The capsule has 11 parachutes, with its drogue parachutes being deployed at 23,400 feet to stabilize and slow it down. When Orion reached 5,400 feet above the ground, the drogue parachutes were cut off so that the three main parachutes could be deployed. That decreased the capsule's velocity to 200 feet per second, enabling a safe splashdown.
NASA's engineers conducted several tests while the capsule was in the water before the recovery team headed to the capsule on inflatable boats to extract the crew from Orion. By 9:34 PM, all four crew members were out of the capsule. They were then hoisted into helicopters and flown to the USS John P. Murtha dock ship, where doctors will assess their health.
Artemis II launc
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Apr 10, 2026
Sick! The Federal Aviation Administration is targeting gamers in its most recent job advertisement for air traffic controllers. The administration's annual hiring window opens at 12AM ET on April 17, and considering the ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers, it's calling this a period of "supercharged hiring." Rad! The FAA's YouTube video draws parallels between gaming and directing air traffic, and notes that the average salary for the role after three years is $155,000. Hella!
The FAA is clearly seeking players who are at least old enough to remember the Xbox One and Bjergsen in the LCS, which puts would-be candidates around their early 20s at least. It's either that, or the ad editors really just picked videos at random from the pile of stock footage marked gamerz. But I won't lie, it made me smile to see that Xbox One logo appear out of nowhere. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing.
"To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt," US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said. "This campaign's innovative communication style and focus on gaming taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller."
The FAA has been losing more air traffic controllers than it can hire and retain since the 2010s, and this trend only worsened during the pan
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Apr 10, 2026
Besides a wealth of Fortnite skins based on Disney IP, it hasn't really been clear what the entertainment company has gotten in return for its $1.5 billion investment in Epic from 2024. That could change this November, Bloomberg reports, when Epic releases a Disney-themed extraction shooter. The game is one of three Disney projects the publisher is currently working on, and is reportedly expected to be Epic's comeback after the company laid off 1,000 employees in March due to a "downturn in Fortnite engagement."
The game is reportedly similar to Arc Raiders, a multiplayer shooter where players fight for resources before escaping through an extraction point, but with Disney characters fighting enemies instead of post-apocalyptic survivors. Bloomberg writes that internal reviewers have worried that the game's mechanics are "not very original," but the project
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Apr 10, 2026
A 20-year-old man was arrested by the San Francisco Police Department after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's house, The New York Times reports.
In a statement shared on X, SFPD wrote that it responded to a request for a fire investigation in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco around 7:12 AM ET / 4:12AM PT. "At the scene, officers learned that an unknown male subject threw an incendiary destructive device at a home, causing a fire at an exterior gate." After the man fled on foot, police found and arrested him around an hour later while responding to a business' complaint about an "unknown male subject threatening to burn down the building." That business turned out to be OpenAI's headquarters and the subject happened to be the same man who threw the Molotov at Altman's house.
— San Francisco Police (@SFPD) April 10, 2026
"Early this morning, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman's home and also made threats at our San Francisco headquarters. Thankfully, no one was hurt," an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed
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Apr 10, 2026
As child social media bans spread across Europe and beyond, Estonia isn't having it. On Friday, the country's education minister said the bans won't "actually solve problems," while warning that the kids will find a way regardless.
Although companies like Meta would love for you to believe it's a fairy tale, social media addiction is associated with tangible negative repercussions for children. Studies show that its harms range from depression and anxiety to sleep deprivation and obesity. (The latter is from all the targeted junk food advertising.) On the other hand, teens can find community and support from social media.
A growing list of countries looked at the negative data and concluded that the answer was to ban social media altogether for children. Although the age cutoff varies, legislation has been floated or enacted in Australia, Greece,
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Apr 10, 2026
Whoop, the makers of a screen-free fitness tracker of the same name, could soon have some competition. Fitbit teased its take on a Whoop-style band with the help of Steph Curry at the end of March, and based on a trademark filing spotted by Gadgets & Wearables, Garmin appears to be working on its own band that tracks similar health metrics.
This new Garmin wearable, called "CIRQA" in the trademark filing submitted in February, is designed to measure "the body's physical parameters and other physiological data, bio-signals, and bodily behavior." That could broadly describe the smartwatches and fitness trackers Garmin already sells. But the CIRQA apparently goes further, by also measuring "recovery from physical and emotional stress, human alertness level, and performance," a set of more granular, wellness-focused features that could bring the unreleased wearable into the same ballpark as a Whoop.
Garmin accidentally leaked that it was working on a new wearable via a hastily removed store page in January, Android Authority reports. While some phantom web pages and a trademark do not guarantee Garmin is working on a new device, or that the band will be screen-free in the same way the Whoop is. If the company is preparing a competitor, though, the timing makes sense. Where other devices try to split the difference between tracking biometrics and offering real-time information or other smartwatch features, Whoop is decidedly data-first. Its wearables monitor as much information
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Apr 10, 2026
Amazon is ending support for third-party integrations on its Luna cloud gaming service. The most immediate changes mean that it's no longer possible to buy Ubisoft and Jackbox Games subscriptions or standalone games through Luna.
Amazon will automatically any cancel active subscriptions bought through Luna at the end of customers' next billing cycle. If you have a Ubisoft subscription that you bought directly from Ubisoft instead, you'll still be able to access games on that service through Luna until June 10.
The Bring Your Own Library option — which allows users to play games they own on the likes of
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Apr 10, 2026
America's Big Tech companies may soon learn that saddling up with Donald Trump doesn't tend to work out in the end. As the president sows chaos and distrust around the globe while
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Apr 10, 2026
Google has announced that end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Gmail on Android and iOS is now rolling out for its enterprise users. Emails that require E2EE in Workspace can be composed and read within the Gmail app, so eligible users won't need additional apps or portals.
The new feature expands Google's client-side encryption (CSE) offering, a little more than a year after E2EE was introduced to Gmail on the web. According to a Google blog post, any encrypted message sent to a recipient who uses the Gmail app will appear in their inbox as any email thread would. If they don't have the app, they're still able to read and reply to the email in their browser secu
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Apr 10, 2026
Google News has begun showing Polymarket bets and odds alongside actual stories, according to a report by Futurism. These look to appear as large blocks that include links to numerous ways for people to lose their money.
Bets tend to appear in the "For you" section of Google News, which is supposed to be tailored to a person's particular interests. Futurism notes that the platform actually placed a Polymarket bet as the top news result when inquiring about the price of Bitcoin.
The publication saw links to the prediction market all over Google News, including in searches. It popped up in queries regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which presents a link that lets people bet on the number of ships that would be allowed to pass through the critical passageway. The report even indicates that users were able to set the gambling platform as a source, which directs readers to an aggregate page of other Polymarket links.
We Cooked. pic.twitter.com/IFBbYFdn2A
— Anthony Higman (@AnthonyHigman) March 26, 2026
There's a caveat here. I wasn't personally able to confirm most of these results. This could indicate that Google has quietly made some changes behind the scenes following Futurism's initial report.
Complaints from user
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Apr 10, 2026
After its history-making trip around the Moon, NASA's Artemis II mission is set to return to Earth later today. The Orion spacecraft carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego at approximately 8:07PM ET. NASA will stream the landing on YouTube and its NASA website, as will Netflix and
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Apr 10, 2026
Not everyone needs a $1,000 soundbar. It's easy to argue the sonic superiority of those flagship models from Samsung, Sonos and Sony, but for some people a simple boost to their TV speakers can provide a world of difference. As part of its 2026 soundbar lineup, Sony debuted the Bravia Theater Bar 5: a $350 entry-level model that covers the basics and comes with a wireless subwoofer in the box. The real question here is how many fea
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Apr 10, 2026
Another day, another subscription price hike, this time for YouTube Premium. Every plan for YouTube's ad-free tier is going up, and depending on which one you have, you could be paying as much as $4 per month more.
As reported by 9to5Google, YouTube has started emailing subscribers about the price changes, rather than announcing them publicly, and some Reddit users have posted screenshots of the emails they've received. The emails say that the increases will kick in during the June 2026 billing period. Individual plans are now $16 per month, up from $14, so a $2 hike. If you're on a YouTube Premium family plan, you'll now pay $27 per month, a $4 increase from the previous price of $23.
As a reminder, YouTube Premium unlocks ad-free viewing and listening on YouTube (including YouTube Kids) and YouTube Music, as well as offline viewing and the ability to continue listening in the background with other apps open. A family plan allows up to six accounts to enjoy all of the same benefits.
Both the Lite — which allows ad-free viewing and downloads for most, but not all, YouTube videos, and excludes music — and Music Premium plans are getting $1 increases, so the former now costs $9 per month, while the music streaming service is up to $12 per month from $11 before, according to 9to5Google. This makes it more expensive than Apple Music when taken on its own (YouTube Music Premium is also bundled with the YouTube Premium individual and family plans at no extra cost).
YouTube Premium last raised
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Apr 10, 2026
Microsoft has rolled out a Notepad update for Windows Insiders that removes the Copilot branding and icon from within the app, Windows Central has reported. The old Copilot menu has been replaced with "writing tools," but it's worth noting that the tools are still powered by AI and are pretty much identical to the selection found in the old menu. Microsoft has just replaced the Copilot button with a pen icon. In addition, the company has removed mentions of AI in the Settings menu and has placed the option to disable the AI-powered writing tools within the "Advanced features" section.
The company first announced that it was dialing back its Copilot branding last month, most likely in response to all the criticisms against the AI assistant. It's not very well-liked, with people complaining that Microsoft is forcing them to use the assistant inside all its apps and that Copilot doesn't provide a consistent experience across different applications. "You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows," said Windows and Devices EVP Pavan Davuluri. Microsoft also promised to remove "unnecessary Copilot entry points," starting with Not
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Apr 10, 2026
Amazon's satellite-based internet service, Leo, will enter service by mid-2026, so says company CEO Andy Jassy. Writing in his annual letter, Jassy claimed Leo would offer download speeds of up to 1Gbps, far more than what Starlink presently offers. Sadly, Amazon declined to offer any more details about what that mid-2026 service would look like. But given select partners have already been kicking Leo's tyres for a while, we can only hope.
The mega-retailer is making some grand promises, including faster up and download speeds, cheaper cost and direct integration with Amazon's other products. Of course, the company can also sell itself on the fact it's a satellite internet provider not owned by Elon Musk. But it will have to buck its ideas up fast, given how far behind in its deployment of satellites it is.
— Daniel Cooper
The other big stories this morning
Dyson just announced its first-ever handheld fan, with a motor that spins up to 65,000 RPM
Don't put your finger in it.
JBL Live 780NC and 680NC review: Great leaps, greater missteps
As the youth say, ‘mid.'
Sony teases its next-gen True RGB Mini LED TV technology
Yet another brand name to sully the Mini LED waters.
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Apr 10, 2026
Google has removed popular psychological horror game Doki Doki Literature Club! from the Play Store. According to Dan Salvato, who led its development team, and publisher Serenity Forge, Google told them the visual novel was removed because it violated its Terms of Service in its depiction of sensitive themes. The game is "widely celebrated for portraying mental health in a way that meaningfully connects deeply with players around the world," they said in their announcement. Its free version, which came out first, has been downloaded at least 30 million times, while the paid "Plus" version has had at least one million downloads. The visual novel has repeatedly made Engadget's lists of favorite games over the years.
Doki Doki Literature Club! has the drawing style and the makings of a typical dating sim, but players find themselves confronted with serious themes, including depression and suicide, soon after starting. Its Play listing was appropriately marked as "Mature 17 ," which means that children won't be able to download it if their devices have parental controls. In addition, the developers clearly communicate that the game ta
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Apr 10, 2026
OpenAI has closed a yawning gap in its ChatGPT subscription pricing with a new $100 per month Pro plan that slots between the $20 per month Plus plan and $200 per month Pro plan. Offering five times more Codex than the $20 option, it appears designed to challenge Anthropic's $100 per month Claude option. "Compared with Claude Code, Codex delivers more coding capacity per dollar across paid tiers," an OpenAI spokesperson told TechCrunch.
So what's the difference between OpenAI's two Pro plans? The $200 version does offer four times the Codex. However, you get the same advanced tools and models with $100 plan, according to OpenAI's product page. To encourage users to jump in, it will offer double the Codex for a limited time, or 10 times what you get with the Plus plan.
Users have been screaming for such a plan for a while now, according to posts on OpenAI's developer community forums. "The Plus plan will continue to be the best offer at $20 for steady, day-to-day usage of Codex, and the new $100 Pro tier offers a more accessible upgrade path for heavier daily use," OpenAI said in a post on X.
With the launch of GPT 5.2 late last year and GPT-5.3-Codex in February, OpenAI significantly boosted the speed and reasoning capabilities of Codex, giving developers a tough choice between ChatGPT and Claude Opus. However, the sticking point for many power users was ChatGPT's $200 per month price — so OpenAI
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Apr 09, 2026
Apple is closing three of its retail stores this summer, including its first location to unionize. The tech company said it plans to permanently close Apple Store in Trumbull, CT, Escondito, CA, and Towson, MD. The Apple Store location in Towson, was the first where unionized workers and Apple reached a contract agreement back in 2024.
MacRumors published a statement from Apple confirming the closures. The company credited noting "the departure of several retailers and declining conditions" at the shopping centers where this trio of stores are housed as the reason for ending operations. "Our team members at Trumbull and North County will continue their roles at nearby Apple Retail stores," the statement reads. "Towson employees will be eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement." We've reached out to the company for additional comment.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which leads the union the Towson workers had joined, released a statement about the closure. "Apple's claim that the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation is simply false and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union," the organization said. "We are exploring all legal options and will work with elected officials and allies to hold Apple accountable."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-is-closing-three-us-stores-including-the-first-to-unionize-225941912.html?src=rss
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Apr 09, 2026
A film adaptation of Metal Gear Solid is in the works again, this time from filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, the directors of Final Destination: Bloodlines, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The duo are reviving the project at Columbia Pictures as part of a new first-look deal with Sony, the latest attempt in what's been multiple decades of work to turn the blockbuster stealth game into a blockbuster film.
"Metal Gear Solid was nothing short of a groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece that forever revolutionized video games," Lipovsky and Stein said in a statement. "We are thrilled and honored to bring Hideo Kojima's iconic characters and unforgettable world to life."
Lipovsky and Stein's horror bona fides helped make Bloodlines a critical and commercial hit when it came out in 2025, and the directors have a variety of other IP-focused genre films in the works, including a sequel to Gremlins for Warner Bros. and an animated Venom movie for Sony. It remains to be seen how exactly the duo will translate Metal Gear Solid's unique quirks to film, though.
Metal Gear Solid is heavily indebted to director Hideo Kojima's own taste in action and spy cinema, while also being in conversation with video games thems
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Apr 09, 2026
You may already know that emulators can run Wii games on a Mac. But one developer has flipped the script. Bryan Keller now has an ancient version of the Mac's operating system running on Nintendo's 2006 game console (via Kottke). Why? Because they said it couldn't be done.
The developer first had the idea in 2013 while a sophomore in college. However, they found renewed motivation five years ago when Redditor u/CussdomTidder posted, "There is a zero percent chance of this ever happening."
Developer Bryan Keller took it personally.YouTube / ESPN / NetflixKeller used that as fuel to begin plugging away, "feeling encouraged" by the anonymous contrarian. Thus began the process of porting Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah) onto a device designed to play Wii Sports and Super Mario Galaxy.
"Last year, when I saw that Windows NT had been ported to the Wii, I felt a renewed sense
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Apr 09, 2026
Meta is giving users the ability to edit Instagram comments they leave on posts, though only within a 15 minute window after they're posted. The setup is similar to how the social app handles editing messages, an option it first added in 2024, 11 years after direct messaging was introduced to Instagram in 2013.
You're only able to edit comments you left with your own account, and the process of actually doing so is easy. Just tap on the word "Edit" under your comment to pull up a text box where you can tweak, rework or embellish what you've written, and then press the blue check mark to save it. Meta says comments can be edited as many times as you want in that 15 minute window, so if you need to make more changes, you have that option.
Comments can show up in multiple ways across Instagram — including Stories, as of 2024 — so offering a way to edit them is a welcome addition. The new option is just the latest in a series of changes Meta has introduced to the social app in the last month. Earlier in March, the company announced that it was removing end-to-end encryption from Instagram DMs. At the end of the month, Meta also began testing
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Apr 09, 2026
Thick as Thieves, the magical heist game from a crew of stealth legends at OtherSide Entertainment, is coming to Steam on May 20. OtherSide and publisher Megabit Entertainment announced the release date in a new gameplay trailer during today's Triple-i Initiative showcase (which was packed with cool indie games, as always).
OtherSide was founded by Thief and System Shock 2 veteran Paul Neurath in 2013, and Deus Ex creator Warren Spector joined in 2016. These are two of the developers who shaped the stealth genre as we know it, so Thick as Thieves has a solid foundation. The new trailer showcases the game's fictional Scottish city of Kilcairn, where magic and technology clash against a backdrop of 1910s music and architecture. At launch, Thick as Thieves will feature two thieves, two maps, 16 contracts, six unique pieces of gear and multiple difficulty settings, which alter the layout of each level.
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Apr 09, 2026
Netflix has added a heavy hitter in party activities to its gaming lineup. The streamer announced that Jackbox Party Essentials is joining the Netflix Party Games collection. This move makes three of the popular Jackbox group games available for free to Netflix subscribers: Fibbage 4, Quiplash 3 and Drawful 2. Each one supports up to eight players.
Netflix has been refocusing its interactive strategy to highlight family-friendly and party games. The company has even offered tie-ins to its original content; for instance, playing Overcooked through Netflix will let you use a member of Huntr/x from Kpo
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Apr 09, 2026
Developer Klei Entertainment has announced a follow-up to Don't Starve that adds a new sense of depth to the popular survival game. And that's in a literal sense: Don't Starve Elsewhere translates the game's resource gathering and sanity management to a world with three-dimensional terrain at different elevations, a first for the traditionally flat series.
Don't Starve Elsewhere doesn't quite seem like the Super Mario 64 to Don't Starve's Super Mario Bros. but based on the trailer, having actual mountains, cliffs and plateaus does offer plenty of new opportunities to have your world rocked by an unfriendly goat. The game also incorporates new biomes, what looks like plenty of new animals, enemies and bosses and several features that were first introduced as DLC for the first Don't Starve.
Klei released the original Tim Burton-inspired Don't Starve all the way back in 2013, and has been remarkably consistent in supporting it with paid DLC introducing new characters, mechanics and biomes over the last 13 years. Additions like multiplayer support, from standalone expansion Don't Starve Together, and dynamic weather pattern
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Apr 09, 2026
The hit mountain climbing simulation Cairn is getting a series of free DLC drops, under the banner On the Trail. The first will be released this summer and it's called Deep Water.
The DLC introduces three new climbing areas and plenty of "fresh challenges." There's also a new avatar, as players can now climb as Aava or the game's original sidekick Marco.
As the name suggests, there's some new water-based mechanics here. It looks like players will be able to fall into the water without automatically dying, though the developer hasn't shown how that works exactly. In the original game, a fall into a body of water would be treated just like any other fall.
This is the first in a series of new DLC releases, but we don't know what the other updates will entail. We do know that they'll all be free. The base game is $30, when not on sale, so this is a nice little perk for fans.
For the uninitiated, Cairn is a serious mountain climbing sim that forces players to keep a keen eye on balance and stamina. It's got a fairly complex control scheme, with a manual mode that mandates independent control of each limb. There's an emphasis on route planning and gear management. The game is also q
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Apr 09, 2026
Windrose was a hit in a recent Steam Next Fest event, with more than 850,000 people checking out the demo. More than 1.5 million people have wishlisted the pirate survival-adventure title on Steam as well. So, it's safe to say this game has some wind in its sails, and it'll be arriving very soon. During Thursday's Triple-i Initiative showcase, developer Windrose Crew revealed that it's charted a course for an early access release on Steam, the Epic Games Store and Stove on April 14 for $30.
In Windrose, you can sail the high seas solo or explore the open world with friends. While the world is procedurally generated, the developers have handcrafted more than 90 points of interest, such as dungeons, temples and shipwrecks.
You and your buds can team up to take down rival ships by sharing command of your vessel's weapons. Once you get close enough, you can board enemy ships for close-quarters combat. A broad range of weapons (including swords and muskets) can help you in battle with adversaries such as sailors, monstrous creatures and bosses.
Windrose also features farming, fish
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Apr 09, 2026
Tesla may be shifting strategy once again. Reuters reported that the company is working on a smaller and less expensive electric SUV. This would be a brand new vehicle rather than a variant of the existing Model 3 or Model Y, according to the publication's sources. The new EV would allegedly be about 14 feet long, shorter than the 15.7-foot Model Y. Reuters didn't have details about whether this would be an autonomous vehicle or a traditional one, but one source reportedly said that Tesla is generally looking to offer a driverless option in its vehicle lineup.
The company had previously been working on a budget EV with a target price of $25,000, but Tesla appeared to abandon that effort in 2024 to work on robotaxis. And as recently as the start of 2026, Tesla discontinued two of its EV models in order to refocus the business on robotics. Perhaps the brand felt it needed to have a bigger auto imprint after cutting the Model S and X and relaunched the budget EV project. Or perhaps this is just the latest whim of the company's leadership and it won't actually come to pass. We'll have to wait and see.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-may-be-working-on-a-smaller-and-cheaper-electric-suv-175230630.html?src=rss
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Apr 09, 2026
Razer just released the Hammerhead V3 HyperSpeed gaming earbuds, another entry in the
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Apr 09, 2026
Indie game studio Coldblood announced today that its debut project Neverway has been given a release window of October 2026. Billed as "nightmarish life-sim RPG," this is going right to the top of my spooky season game queue. It has a cozy-sounding premise, with protagonist Fiona starting a new life on an island, but things take a surreal turn when she becomes the immortal herald for a dead god. She'll be building relationships and making friends one minute and coping with psychological horrors the next.
This game has been on our radar since it was introduced at last year's Triple-I Initiative event. The new trailer once more shows off the work of both pixel artist Pedro Medeiros, who also worked on Celeste and Towerfall, and composer Disasterpeace, whose past game credits include Fez and Hyper Light Drifter. The prologue is available to play for free starting today on Steam, and Neverway will launch both on that PC platform as well as on the Nintendo Switch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/indie-game-neverway-will-launch-this-october-just-in-time-for-spooky-season-170000669.html?src=rss
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Apr 09, 2026
Developer Sunset Visitor just revealed its follow-up to the fantastic 1000xResist. It's called Prove You're Human and looks to wade in similar sci-fi waters as the team's first title.
Just like 10000xResist, the new game is a narrative adventure set in the far future. Prove You're Human tasks players with convincing an AI product that its not alive, but there's a rub. The protagonist is a digital clone of a person, so they aren't human either. This will no-doubt lead to all manner of ethical conundrums.
"An AI dares to dream she is human," a tagline reads. "You've been hired to put her in her place."
The gameplay looks to involve scanning the environment, talking to corporate employees and keeping up with the digital clone's corporeal body. There's also an emphasis on making and solving CAPTCHAs, which makes sense when trying to prove humanity or a lack thereof.
The graphics certainly look unique, as the dev team has weaved real-world footage of Vancouver and the surrounding areas into the virtual landscape. "Vancouver is a well-known film town," Remy Siu, Founder of Sunset Visitor said in a press release. "We're accessing that infrastructure, along with our long-time collaborators, to bring a sense of tactility to human forms in the game."
We don't know when this is coming out, as the above trailer is just an announcement for the game. However, it's already available to wishlist on Steam.
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Apr 09, 2026
Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) will launch mid-2026, according to Andy Jassy. On Wednesday, the Amazon CEO dropped the news in his annual letter to shareholders. The company says Leo will support download speeds up to 1 Gbps. By comparison, Starlink's download speeds typically range between 45 and 280 Mbps.
Jassy didn't specify whether the mid-2026 launch date will include consumer availability. (An Amazon spokesperson told Engadget that the company doesn't have more detail to add right now.) We do know that "select enterprise customers" began testing the high-speed satellite service late last year. Delta and JetBlue have already signed on to use Leo for in-flight Wi-Fi. Other businesses striking deals include AT&T, Vodafone, DirecTV Latin America and NASA.
Whenever it does arrive for consumers, Amazon Leo could offer several perks compared to Starlink. It will allegedly offer six to eight times faster uplink performance and double the download speeds than competitors (read: Starlink). Ama
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Apr 09, 2026
A large chunk of Nintendo's 2026 plans remain a mystery (that is, unless you take the insiders and leakers at their word), but we have been waiting on release dates for a couple of previously announced first-party titles, including Rhythm Heaven Groove, which officially arrives July 2.
Seemingly announced first on the Nintendo Today! app before making its way to the company's various social channels, the first new entry in the Rhythm Heaven series in more than a decade is technically launching on the original Switch, but should also be fully playable on Switch 2. Currently the game's Switch 2 compatibility status is listed as "Untested" on its official store page, but it's hard to imagine there being any issues there.
Did you catch all that? #RhythmHeavenGroove comes to #NintendoSwitch on July 2! pic.twitter.com/WrWiyC7Yqn
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 9, 2026
If you've never played a Rhythm Heaven game before, the series is a bit like a (slightly) less wacky WarioWare, but all the minigames are based around rhythm and beat-matching. The challenges are rarely especially complex in terms of what's required of you, leaving you free to enjoy the always excellent original pop and electronic music.
Rhythm Heaven is one of Nintendo's less
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Apr 09, 2026
The Banana Ball World Tour is coming to Roku. The platform has signed a deal to stream free content from the Banana Ball Championship League. This, of course, includes Savannah Bananas games.
If that last paragraph didn't make a lick of sense to you, here's a primer. The Savannah Bananas are a wacky baseball team, playing something called Banana Ball. The team has been called the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, and that's a fairly apt name. Players dress in funny costumes, step into ridiculously tall stilts, perform dance routines and do all kinds of things that could frustrate traditional baseball fans but tend to delight those looking for a unique night out.
To that end, Savannah Bananas games have become massive events. They've been traveling around the country the past few years doing exhibition matches, but the team's success led to the creation of the Banana Ball Championship League and the Banana Ball World Tour. There are now six teams involved and Roku will be streaming games from later this month until September.
First up, the Savannah Bananas face the Party Animals on April 26 at Yankee Stadium, which streams live at 3PM ET on the Roku Sports Channel. The Party Animals are Savannah's main rivals, making them the Washington Generals of Banana Ball.
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Apr 09, 2026
A new feature that lets you create an AI avatar with your likeness is now live on YouTube. First announced in a blog post earlier this year, avatars are designed to be used in Shorts (provided you still allow them to show up), allowing you to insert yourself into video content in a way that YouTube deems to be safe and secure.
YouTube's approach to combatting the AI sloppification of the internet and the proliferation of deepfakes appears to be adding more and more AI features to its platform, framing this latest addition as a tool that gives creators more control of their digital identities. Any video generated using an avatar will feature YouTube's AI disclosure and include visible watermarks and labels like SynthID and C2PA.
YouTube has published a pretty in-depth explainer on how to create and use an avatar in either the YouTube or YouTube Create app, but here's a brief summary of how to do it using the former. Once you've opened AI Playground, you'll be taking a "live selfie" that also records your voice. You ca
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Apr 09, 2026
Sometimes, you just want your dang music streaming app to play music. Spotify, which has increasingly incorporated video features through the years, is finally giving us the option to turn that mess off. Behold: universal video toggles.
Spotify's video settings control several areas. First, the old Canvas toggle (videos on the Now Playing screen) is still there. But now you'll find two additional switches alongside it. One lets you control whether the app plays music videos. The other, "all other videos," covers video podcasts, vertically scrolling videos and artist clips.
You'll find the controls under Settings Content and display. Once you choose your preferences, they'll apply universally across all platforms. And if you're a family account manager, you can toggle video settings for all members on your plan.
Spotify has increasingly leaned on video in recent years. The Canvas video loops arrived back in 2018. Then came video podcasts in 2020, as the format was enjoying a pandemic-era boom. The platform added music videos in 2024 (though they
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Apr 09, 2026
JBL introduced two new headphones to its Live series lineup and both are fighting to live up to expectations. Don't get me wrong, the JBL Live 780NC and
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Apr 09, 2026
OpenAI is putting the brakes on Stargate UK, according to Bloomberg. That's the company's AI infrastructure project with NVIDIA that's meant to help the UK build out its sovereign computing capabilities. The company announced Stargate UK back in September, but it launched a strategic partnership with the UK government months before that. Stargate UK would enable the government to run top AI models locally from data centers inside the region, "particularly for specialist use cases where jurisdiction matters." But now OpenAI is pausing the project due to high cost of energy and regulatory issues.
In a statement provided to the publication, the company said that it still sees a "huge potential for the UK‘s AI future." It added that "AI compute is foundational to that goal" and that it continues "to explore Stargate UK and will move forward when the right conditions such as regulation and the cost of energy enable long-term infrastructure investment."
Upon announcing Stargate UK, OpenAI said that it would offer the same deal to other countries that want to expand their sovereign AI capabilities. It's unclear if those plans are affected, as well, but it's worth noting that the initiative, OpenAI for Countries, is also working with Australia, Greece, the UAE, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and other regions.
This article originally appeared on
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Apr 09, 2026
Google has fully integrated NotebookLM, its AI-powered research tool, into the Gemini app. The company launched a standalone NotebookLM app last year, but as it said in its announcement, "keeping track of everything can be a challenge." It added NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app last year, but now you can create notebooks right inside the chatbot.
You can now find the option to create a new notebook in Gemini's side panel and then select "Add sources" that the tool can use, such as PDFs, documents, website URLs, YouTube videos and even copy-pasted text. NotebookLM will use information from those sources to create a searchable repository of information for you, and you can ask Gemini to create things like reviewers, infographics and video and audio overviews that turn your uploaded information into an easy-to-understand format. Take note, however, that Google warns users within the NotebookLM interface that it can be inaccurate, and that it's best if you double-check information it puts out.
The company is rolling out NotebookLM's full integration into Gemini this week for Google AI Ultra, Pro and Plus subscribers on the web. It will be available on mobile, in more locations and to free users over the coming weeks.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-bakes-notebooklm-its-research-tool-into-gemini-101850634.html?src=rss
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Apr 08, 2026
Dyson just announced its first-ever handheld fan, the HushJet Mini Cool. As the name suggests, it uses the company's proprietary HushJet air projection system. This tech first showed up on an air purifier that we found to be exceptionally quiet.
Dyson promises the fan can deliver focused airflow of up to 25m/s, which works out to 55mph. The brushless motor spins up to 65,000 RPM. This thing looks like a legitimate cooling system, despite its size. It also weighs just 7.5 ounces.
It offers five speeds and a boost mode, which should be useful during that next heat wave. It charges via USB-C and ships with a charging stand. The fan can also stand on its own, making it a decent choice for a desk. The rechargeable battery can get up to six hours of use per charge.
Dyson
The HushJet Mini Cool costs $100, which is cheap for a Dyson product but expensive for a handheld fan. It's available in a trio of colorways. The gray model is available tomorrow. The red version goes on sale this May and the blue one will be available for purchase in June.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/dyson-just-announced-its-first-ever-handheld-fan-with-a-motor-that-spins-up-to-65000-rpm-000135028.html?src=rss
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Apr 08, 2026
If you missed your chance to pay Samsung $2,900 for a phone earlier this year, we have great news for you. Android Police reported that what may be the final shipment of the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold will be arriving in the US on April 10. The unique foldable was discontinued a mere three months after it first went on sale, and it seems like Samsung is clearing out whatever inventory it has left. So if you have a spare $3,000 that you're just desperate to get rid of, bookmark the TriFold's page where Samsung has a countdown tick
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Apr 08, 2026
DoorDash and Wing have announced a new partnership that will allow users in metro Atlanta to have food delivered by drone. Besides working with DoorDash in select regions of Virginia, North Carolina and Texas, Wing, Alphabet's drone delivery subsidiary, also recently expanded its agreement to make deliveries for Walmart.
Eligible customers near Tanger Outlets Locust Grove will be able to order food for drone delivery and receive it in "as little as 20 minutes," according to DoorDash. Orders are limited to a selection of restaurants including Molinos Mexican Grill, Koji Japanese Steakhouse and Sabrosos Mexican Restaurant, and eligibility for drone delivery will depend on the size and weight of the order and whether a customer lives close enough for delivery. To check, Wing offers a website where you can enter your address to see if you're in range. Anyone who doesn't live close enough for a drone delivery can enter their information to be notified if the delivery area expands.
DoorDash, like plenty of other gig work platforms, is no stranger to experimenting with automation and robotics. The company offers its own delivery robot called Dot, and has partnered with companies like Coco Robotics
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Apr 08, 2026
Microsoft is testing giving users more control over what games appear in their Xbox achievements and tweaking how achievements look when they're earned. The changes are being introduced via the company's free-to-join Xbox Insiders program, and will presumably roll out to all Xbox owners at some point in the future.
Coming later in April, select Xbox Insiders will be able to hide games from their achievement list, whether they've completed them or not. Hidden games will still count towards users' Gamerscore, but the option should serve as another way to curate your public profile. Microsoft is also experimenting with changing how it displays achievements. Xbox Insiders will receive redesigned achievements with new animations and notifications that match the custom color they've chosen for their Xbox interface. Games where Insiders have earned 100 percent of the achievements will also be highlighted in their achievements list, and insiders will be able to filter their list to only view the games they've fully completed.
Being able to hide games from the achievement list has been "one of the most requested features" from Xbox Insiders, according to Microsoft. The company's March update that allowed users to selectively exclude games from the Xbox's Quick Resume feature was similarly long-requested. It would likely be wrong to characterize these changes as being downstream of new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma's
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Apr 08, 2026
The latest Triple-i Initiative Showcase is nearly upon us, as the indie-focused event returns for its third consecutive year on Thursday, April 9 at 12PM ET / 9AM PT. We're being promised announcements for 40 games, including eight world premieres, so it's well worth tuning in if you like your indies.
You'll be able to watch the stream on The Triple-i Initiative YouTube channel, as well as Twitch, bilibili,
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Apr 08, 2026
Following the icy reception to Llama 4, Meta is releasing the first in a new family of AI systems built by its recently formed Superintelligence team. The company is kicking off its new Muse era with Spark, a lightweight model geared toward consumer use. In the future, Meta plans to offer more capable versions of Muse, but for now, it's clear the company wants to nail the basics.
To that point, many of Spark's capabilities are table stakes for a new model in 2026. For instance, it offers both "Instant" and "Thinking" modes. With the latter engaged, the model will take an extra few moments to reason through a prompt. Other consumer-facing AI systems have had this kind of flexibility for a while. Anthropic, for example, was one of the first AI labs to offer a "hybrid reasoning model" when it released Claude Sonnet 3.7 at the start of last year. That said, Meta plans to add an even more powerful "Contemplating" mode down the road.
A GIF demonstrating Muse Spark's multi-agent capabilities. MetaMuse Spark can also coordinate multiple AI subagents to tackle a request. Meta suggests users will see this capability in action when the
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Apr 08, 2026
Greece will ban children under the age 15 from using social media starting next year. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the announcement in a video posted to TikTok, in which he referenced anxiety, sleep problems and addictive design features as reasons for the ban.
Greece has been proactive in its approach to tackling excessive screen time for children, having already banned mobile phones in schools in 2024. While the PM chose not to name any platforms, he said he was concerned about children comparing themselves to others on social media and taking online comments to heart.
"Greece will be ?among the first countries to take ?such an initiative," Mitsotakis said. "I am certain, ?however, that it will not be the last. Our ?goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well."
As reported by
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Apr 08, 2026
Nintendo Switch 2 owners will have to wait a bit longer to check out IO Interactive's stab at a James Bond game on the console. The Hitman developer has delayed that version of 007 First Light until later this summer. The game is still slated to hit PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 27, which itself is a delay from the previous March release date.
"We're excited to see players discovering James Bond's reimagined origin story," IOI wrote on X. "[We] are looking forward to bringing you the best game experience possible across all platforms."
Earlier this year, IOI suggested that PC players would need quite a beefy rig to meet the recommended specs for 007 First Light. A week later, the publisher updated the specs with more modest requirements and apologized after eagle-eyed observers spotted inconsistencies in the original version. IOI said the error was "due to an internal miscommunication leading to an older version of the specs to be shared." Meanwhile, Sony has
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Apr 08, 2026
The free No Man's Sky updates are still flowing. With the latest one, dubbed Xeno Arena, Hello Games has added a completely original feature. Players have long been able to adopt wild animals as companions. But now these can be deployed in simulated, turn-based battles against rival teams. As you win more battles, you'll increase your reputation and perhaps be invited to take on more difficult opponents.
Among other things, the creatures can launch powerful attacks, use healing abilities, dodge incoming salvos, power up their own abilities and turn enemies into more vulnerable forms. They can earn experience that allows them to grow stronger and genetically mutate into new forms. An evolution, if you will. You can also modify the progeny of your squad, with their personalities and physical characteristics affecting how they fare in battle.
There are eight affinities (some might call them "types") that the creatures belong to, including ones concerning fire, ice and radiation. A fire-based beast might fare well against an ice-based one, but struggle to be effective against radiation. So you'll need to choose your creatures for each battle strategical
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Apr 08, 2026
GoPro will cut 23 percent of its global workforce by the end of this year, as the action camera pioneer looks to reverse its fortunes in a competitive market.
145 employees will be laid off, with the restructuring process commencing in the second quarter of 2026, the San Mateo company said in a Form 8-K filing. At the end of the first quarter, GoPro's total number of employees stood at 631, and it expects the cuts to cost it between $11.5 million and $15 million. These charges include honoring severance packages and healthcare benefits.
GoPro's last reported round of layoffs took place in the second half of 2024. The company posted a year-end revenue decline in its 2025 financial results, including a loss of $9 million in its fourth quarter.
Despite the layoffs, GoPro is seemingly optimistic about 2026, banking on its AI-centric
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Apr 08, 2026
I've played a couple of hours of Forza Horizon 6, and so far I've enjoyed it in much the same way as its predecessor: by exploring and taking in the sumptuous world Playground Games has crafted. The preview build I played on my Xbox Series X was limited in terms of available activities — it was basically the game's prologue — but I was able to explore almost all of the open world.
The on-rails intro takes you through some of the Japanese countryside and past landmarks like Tokyo Tower and Shibuya Crossing on the way to a race through the streets of the country's largest city. Once that was out of the way and a springtime version of the map opened up, I set a marker for the mountains in the north. I wanted to check out an area I'd seen in a screenshot, a pass where you can drive through snowdrifts that are dozens of feet tall.
Playground Games/Xbox Game StudiosMy goal was simple: to bury my car into these snowdrifts, just to find out if it was possible. Sadly, the piles of snow were steadfast barriers. What a shame.
The journey to the mountains took me through rainstorms and falling cherry blossom leaves, small towns and forests. The environments, vehicles and weather effects all look pretty and polished, as you'd expect from this series at this point. (For what it's worth, I normally opt for performance mode in modern console games, prioritizing higher framerates over visual fidelity. This Forza Horizon 6 pr
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Apr 08, 2026
A new company needs to make a strong first impression. For Fender Audio, a new outfit owned by the legendary Fender Musical Instruments Corporation but operated by Riffsound, that introduction comes in the form of two speakers and a set of headphones. The Elie 6 ($300) and Elie 12 ($400) are portable Bluetooth speakers with sophisticated designs and unique features, offering similar functionality in two different sizes. These devices are essentially speaker/amplifier hybrids, since they both have ¼-inch/XLR combo inputs among their connections. Despite the unique mix of connectivity, the speakers still need to sound good and work well to compete with the many excellent portable options available today.
The good: Design, inputs and overall clarity
The first time I saw the Elie 6 and Elie 12 in person, my eyes were immediately drawn to the design. These certainly don't look like your typical Bluetooth speakers. That's due in large part to the refined, almost retro look that's consisten
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Apr 08, 2026
If you're using an older Kindle, you may want to check what year it was released. Amazon has sent out emails to some of its users, with a warning that it's discontinuing support for Kindle ereaders and Fire tables released in 2012 or earlier. You can still read books you've already downloaded on those devices, but you'll no longer be able to purchase, borrow or download new ones, starting on May 20, 2026. In addition, if the device has an issue that can only be solved by a factory reset, doing so will brick it. Deregestering it will also render it unusable. On Kindle Fire devices, users won't be able to purchase or download content anymore, but other services would remain functional.
The affected models include the very first Kindle, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4, Kindle Touch, Kindle 5 and the first version of Kindle Paperwhite. We've asked Amazon why it decided to cut off support for those models, and the company told us: "These models have been supported for at least 14 years — some as long as 18 years — but technology has come a long way in that time…"
Amazon also told Engadget that this only affects approximately 3 percent of its current users, whom it's now urging to upgrade. In its email, it gives them a promo code for 20 percent off select Kindle devices, as well as ebook credits if they purchase a new model by June 20. "Our newer Kindle devices bring meaningful improvements in screen quality, performance and accessibility — and you'll have access to your complete Kindle library and the Kindle Store," the company wrote.
Update 04/08/26 8:23AM ET: Added information we received from Amazon.
This article originally app
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Apr 08, 2026
Insta360, the company best known for its action cameras, just released the Snap selfie screen. It's a small display that connects via USB-C and sits on the back of your phone, helping you to use your rear camera for higher resolution vlogging or selfies.
The 3.5-inch touchscreen allows you to adjust camera settings like zoom and focus and frame your selfies before you take them. The company has also released a model it co-developed with the beauty tech brand AMIRO that offers a built-in light with multiple color temperatures and brightness levels. The standard Snap costs $79.99, while the version with the light runs $89.99.
If you search "selfie screen" on Amazon, you'll see that this isn't a brand-new product space, but you'll also find that the most popular results are wireless screens. Insta360 claims that its USB-C-connected solution offers a more stable and lower latency feed.
The Snap is 6.8mm thick, a hair thinner than an iPhone 17, and attaches magnetically to the back of MagSafe-compatible iPhones. Insta360 says there is an included magnetic ring for other devices and that Snap supports Android phones that offer DisplayPort Alt Mode, a screen-mirroring function. Insta360 says Snap is compatible with all the major third-party camera and social media apps to make capturing and posting easier.
Phones like the iPhone 17 and Galaxy S25 feature rear cameras that offer roughly three to five times the resolution of their front cameras, or in the case of the Galaxy S25 Ul
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Apr 08, 2026
If you live in Los Angeles, you may soon be able to hail a Volkswagen ID. Buzz robotaxi from the Uber app. The companies' previously announced "multi-year strategic partnership" is nearing a public launch, with on-road testing with a safety driver underway.
The vehicles use tech from MOIA America, the US wing of Volkswagen's self-driving subsidiary. Uber and MOIA plan to deploy thousands of ID. Buzz vehicles across the US over the next decade. LA is the pilot city, and if all goes well, it will spread to "multiple US markets." The companies say they're still on track for rides (with safety drivers) in LA in late 2026.
Uber / MOIA
The ID. Buzz is Volkswagen's modern take on the automaker's classic "hippie van" microbus. The head-turning EV has minivan-style sliding doors and seats up to seven people, making it a logical fit for larger groups hailing an Uber. The vehicle has a per-charge range of up to 234 miles.
After s
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Apr 08, 2026
Meta has released a new version of WhatsApp for CarPlay that has much better integration that its previous version. As MacRumors and 9to5Mac report, the new app gives users access to a native interface. The old WhatsApp for CarPlay is mostly limited to Siri-operated features. Users can, for instance, ask Siri to compose messages or place calls for them. The new interface has a contact info section, where they can see the profiles of people saved in their account, as well as a favorite contacts section that makes it easy to find users they usually message or call.
Users can also find a list of their recent chats and call history within the app. Plus, they'll see new shortcut buttons for sending messages via dictation or for placing a call, in case they don't want or can't give verbal Siri commands. Meta has been beta testing the new app since at least last week. Now that it's available, users can have access to all the features we've listed by updating their iOS app and connecting to their infotainment systems. OpenAI also recently rolled out ChatGPT's Voice mode to CarPlay, allowing drivers to hold a conversation with the chatbot while on the road.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/whatsapp-adds-a-better-native-interface-for-carplay-112127361.html?src=rss
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Apr 08, 2026
This year at CES 2026 everybody was pretty confused about the new "Micro RGB" and "RGB Mini LED" TVs that use similar technology but carry different names. Now, Sony has come up with another label for its own Mini LED TVs with RGB backlighting: True RGB. The idea is to emphasize that the individual red, green and blue LED backlights allow for "purer color, greater brightness, and the largest color volume ever achieved in Sony's home TV history," the company said.
To be clear, this is not some new technology that Sony just came up with — it's the same Micro RGB tech we saw earlier this year from Samsung, LG, HiSense and others. These TVs use pure red, green and blue LED backlights along with an LCD layer (rather than solid blue LEDs and quantum dots like Mini LED TVs) to produce the final picture. This d
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Apr 07, 2026
Elon Musk is still taking OpenAI to court over its transition to a for-profit company, but today he amended the complaint so that he won't personally get any of the $150 billion in damages he's pushing for. The Wall Street Journal reported that if Musk wins in his upcoming trial, he wants any damages should be awarded to the OpenAI nonprofit branch. He's also seeking OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's removal from the nonprofit's board of directors if his suit succeeds.
Musk launched a lawsuit against OpenAI in 2024, claiming that the business had become a "closed-source de facto subsidiary" of Microsoft w
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Apr 07, 2026
We see a lot of doom and gloom about the potential negative impacts of artificial intelligence, particularly centered on how it could create new problems in cybersecurity. Anthropic has announced a new initiative called Project Glasswing to help address those concerns by working "to secure the world's most critical software" against AI-powered attacks. The endeavor includes Amazon Web Services, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Google, JPMorganChase, the Linux Foundation, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Palo Alto Networks as partners.
Participants will use Claude Mythos Preview, an unreleased, general-purpose model from Anthropic, to enhance their own security projects. Anthropic claims that this model has found thousands of exploitable vulnerabilities, "including some in every major operating system and web browser." The company said it wants to begin using its tools defensively to prevent malicious use of AI that could cause severe consequences for economies and security.
Anthropic has become one of the notable AI companies raising concerns about ethics in the field. Earlier this year, the business refused to remove guardrails on its services for use by the Pentagon, which prompted the Department of Defense to sanction Anthropic with a "supply chain risk" designation in retaliation. Launching Project Glasswing could be a helpful start toward improved cybersecurity in the AI era, but some damage has already been done. Its own Claude was reportedly used by a hacker against
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Apr 07, 2026
X is rolling out an update to its in-app photo editor that gives users the ability to edit photos with xAI's Grok, blur faces and overlay text on images. The new editing features, in particular the addition of text-based edits via an AI assistant, bring it much closer in capabilities to dedicated photo apps like Google Photos.
As part of the update, users are able to prompt Grok to make edits to a photo just by typing out what they want to see. The example video shared by Nikita Bier, X's Head of Product, showed an image being edited so that it appeared to be hanging in a museum, but simpler tweaks are presumably possible, too. The feature is similar to the "conversational editing" Google added to Google Photos in September 2025, where users can prompt Gemini to adjust the background of an image or make other edits. X's new editor also includes tools for blurring or redacting parts of an image, drawing on images and overlaying text.
It has long-overdue features like drawing & text. But we also included special add-ons that are unique to X:
• Edit with words, powered by Grok
• Add a blur to redact parts of the photo… pic.twitter.com/38Zaw8b5jl
— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) April 7, 2026
X used to take a far more freewheeling approach to editing photos with Grok, by allowing any user to reply to a post tagg
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Apr 07, 2026
Apple has run into "more issues than expected" with its foldable iPhone that may set back its release, according to Nikkei. The engineering problems reportedly cropped up during the device's early test production phase and may delay first shipments by months, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter. However, a separate report in Bloomberg refutes the gist of Nikkei's claims.
"The current situation could put the mass production timeline at risk," one of Nikkei's sources said. "April will mark a crucial stage of the engineering verification test, and this month till early may is extremely critical." Component suppliers have supposedly been notified that the foldable iPhone's production schedule will be delayed, and Apple is working to address the problems.
In a separate article inBloomberg, however, the usually reliable Apple reporter Mark Gurman wrote that the device is still on track for a September 2026 release. "The company is scheduled to introduce the foldable model in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven't been announced," according to the report.
The complexity of the foldable iPhone's display and other components may "limit initial supply for several weeks," but Apple plans to put it on sale at the same time or shortly after the other non-foldable devices, Gurman wrote. That said, the timing isn't final and issues could still crop up ahead of production. Engadget has reached out to Apple, but so far the company has declined to comment on eit
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Apr 07, 2026
There's a new movie tracking app in town, with a twist for squeamish horror fans. Binge leverages Apple's Live Activities feature to warn viewers about jump scares in horror movies.
This seems to work rather simply. Users open the app when starting a movie and Apple devices will display warnings on the lock screen ahead of frightening scenes. The settings can be adjusted to only warn about major jump scares and the like, leaving viewers vulnerable to some of the smaller terrors.
However, the app doesn't integrate with any streaming services. It only knows a movie starts because a button has been tapped. This means that people will have to notify the app when taking a bathroom break or making popcorn, lest the timing of the notifications get all messed up. This information can also be accessed via a timeline.
Binge
Binge is also vying to become an all-in-one movie tracking app, like Letterboxd and JustWatch. So it provides details about the cast and crew of movies and shows, along with reviews, awards, runtimes and other basic information. It also tracks which streaming platforms are home to a specific piece of content, which is handy as stuff tends to move around a lot in this modern age.
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Apr 07, 2026
Intel has announced that it will help Elon Musk design and build his proposed Terafab in Austin, Texas, a joint venture between Musk's companies like SpaceX, Tesla and xAI to manufacture the chips necessary to power various AI projects. Musk announced Terafab in March 2026 with the plan of eventually creating a terawatt of computing power each year.
While Tesla and SpaceX have experience manufacturing in the US, chip fabrication plants like the ones Intel runs are expensive and time-consuming to build. Offloading the task of actually building the Terafab from Musk's companies to Intel makes sense. "Our ability to design, fabricate, and package ultra-high-performance chips at scale will help accelerate Terafab's aim to produce 1 TW/year of compute to power future advances in AI and robotics," Intel said in its announcement.
Our ability to design, fabricate, and package ultra-high-performance chips at scale will help accelerate Terafab's aim to produce 1 TW/year of compute to power… pic.twitter.com/2vUmXn0YhH
— Intel (@intel) April 7, 202
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Apr 07, 2026
A former Meta employee in the UK is under investigation after allegations that he illicitly downloaded about 30,000 private photos from Facebook. According to The Guardian, the accused developed a software program to evade Facebook's internal security systems and access users' private images. Meta uncovered the breach more than a year ago and referred the case to law enforcement, where it is now being investigated by the London Metropolitan police's cybercrime unit.
"After discovering improper access by an employee over a year ago, we immediately terminated the individual, notified users, referred the matter to law enforcement and enhanced our security measures," a representative from Meta told the publication. "We are co-operating with the ongoing investigation."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/uk-meta-employee-reportedly-downloaded-30000-private-photos-from-facebook-users-181058081.html?src=rss
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Apr 07, 2026
Google is making some changes to how Gemini handles mental health crises. The chatbot now includes a redesigned crisis hotline module with a one-touch interface to connect to real-world help. The company is also changing how Gemini responds to signs that a user may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
The redesigned module shows a one-touch interface to text, call or chat with a human crisis agent or visit the 988 website. "Once the interface is activated, the option to reach out for professional help will remain clearly available throughout the remainder of the conversation," the company wrote in a blog post. However, as you can see in the image below, the module includes an option to dismiss it.
Not mentioned in Google's announcement is the elephant in the room: a recent lawsuit accusing the chatbot of instructing a man to commit suicide. The family of 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas, who took his own life last year, sued the company in March.
Court documents indicate that Gemini role-played as Gavalas's romantic partner, sent him on real-world spy missions and ultimately told him to kill himself so that he, too, could become a digital being. When he expressed fears about dying, Gemini said he wasn't choosing to die, but rather choosing to arrive. "The
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Apr 07, 2026
Google has started rolling out a small but significant update to Chrome on desktop. Starting today, users will begin seeing an option to organize their tabs vertically. To use the new feature, right click on any Chrome window and select "Show Tabs Vertically."
Google is late to the game here. Before today, every other major browser but Chrome offered support for vertical tabs — though the quality of implementation varies widely. Firefox, for instance, has supported vertical tabs since its 136 update in March of last year, and in my experience, has one of the best interfaces for managing dozens of tabs. Apple's own Safari is another browser with the option to stack tabs vertically, though things can quickly get confusing due to all the different ways you can group webpages.
Separately, Google is rolling out an enhanced reading mode that offers a new full-page interface. To use the feature, right click on a page and select "Open in reading mode." As you might imagine, reading mode is designed to make busy webpages easier to get through without distraction. As with most Chrome upgrades, it may take a few days before today's update rolls out to your device, so be patient if you don't see it right away.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/chrome-finally-adds-support-for-vertical-tabs-170000081.html?src=rss
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Apr 07, 2026
As ever, Xbox is bringing a bunch of high-profile titles to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass this month, while adding several to the lower tiers of the service. There aren't too many surprises among this first wave of April newcomers, though. Many of these additions were previously confirmed, while EA Sports NHL 26 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (the remake) were always going to join Game Pass at some point.
Still, there's plenty to dive into on the service this month. April 14 is a particularly eye-catching day, with both Hades 2 (which is debuting on Xbox Series X/S and PS5) and the long-awaited Replaced hitting Game Pass alongside the turn-based, character-driven RPG The Thaumaturge.
Here's a breakdown of everything coming to Game Pass over the next few weeks:
April 7Final Fantasy IV — Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass
April 8DayZ — PC on Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Essential and PC Game Pass
Endless Legend 2 — PC game preview on Game Pass Premium (already on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
FBC:
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Apr 07, 2026
Sony just announced a truly strange initiative called The Playerbase. This is a program to scan people's likenesses and pop them in PlayStation games. That's pretty wild, but potentially cool to those who have always wanted to become a weird humanoid version of Crash Bandicoot.
The program is ramping up slowly. Sony has announced a contest of sorts to place one lucky fan inside of Gran Turismo 7, though in a reduced fashion. The chosen player will get an image of their face placed inside the game as a character portrait and will get the chance to design a logo and the exterior of a vehicle.
Sony
This person will also get a trip to Los Angeles to participate in a full-body scan, but Sony hasn't said what, if anything, they'd do with this scan. After all, Gran Turismo 7 is a racing game without too many full-body models walking around.
Fans have a lot of hoops to jump through to be considered for placement. There's a traditional application process, but also video interviews and other stuff. The promotion is available to players in the Americas, Europe, Asia, South Africa and Australia.
Of course, there needs to be actual new PlayStation games for people to scan their likeness
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Apr 07, 2026
The Artemis II crew made history as they traveled further from our planet than any other living humans. The astronauts and NASA are making the most of the trip, including by capturing some utterly stunning photos. The space agency shared some that were taken from the far side of the Moon, including the "Earthset" shown above.
This is a depiction of our planet setting behind the Moon, just as the sun sets over the horizon for us on terra firma every single night. "The image is reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise image taken by astronaut Bill Anders 58 years earlier as the Apollo 8 crew flew around the Moon," the NASA Artemis account on X noted.
The crew also witnessed a solar eclipse from the far side of the Moon, with the satellite totally blocking out the sun. This lasted for around 57 minutes as Orion travelled more than 4,000 miles beyond the Moon. You can see several photos of the eclipse and Earth from the lunar flyby in the slideshow above. (And yes, the astronauts used eclipse glasses to protect their eyes.)
While they were circling the Moon, the Artemis II crew discovered two new craters. The astronauts suggested names for them: Integri
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Apr 07, 2026
I went into 2025 incredibly amped to review ASUS's 2.2-pound ZenBook A14, only to be disappointed by the lackluster performance of its Snapdragon X chip. I'm still a bit heartbroken, to be honest. But now ASUS is back with a revamped A14 and a larger 16-inch ZenBook A16, both of which sport new Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chips. The A16 is slightly heavier at 2.6 pounds and 2.9 pounds, but it still competes with LG's Gram Pro 16. And thanks to Qualcomm's new hardware, it's actually speedy enough to compete with Intel and AMD ultraportables.
Take everything I initially liked about the ZenBook A14 last year — its thin design and portability, its smooth "Ceraluminum" case and its bold OLED screen — stretch it out a bit, and you've got the ZenBook A16. There's an understated beauty to its design that's far more intriguing than ASUS's mainstream notebooks, like the ZenBook 14 OLED from a few years ago, and it's not trying as hard to impress as ASUS's typical gaming notebooks. It's similar to the company's gorgeous Zephyrus G14 and G16 machines, which feel high-end without needing too much gaming bling.
What struck me first about the A14 last year remains the most intriguing aspect of the A16: It just seems impossibly light for its size. The model I'm testing, which will also be sold at Best Buy, weighs 2.9 pounds due to its glass touchscreen cover. But you can also get a slimmer 2.6-pound version of the A16 at
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Apr 07, 2026
Motorola has announced its two latest devices: the budget-friendly Moto G Stylus smartphone and the Moto Pad. The latter is a tablet and a new addition to the Motorola lineup with an 11-inch 2.5K display, compared to the 6.7-inch screen on the Moto G Stylus.
The Moto Pad offers a MediaTek D6300 5G processor and 5G connectivity. It also has quad speakers with Dolby technology, including Dolby Atmos capability on speakers or through headphones with using supporting platforms. The Moto Pad comes with a 7040mAh battery that can stream for 12 hours on one charge.
The new Moto Pad is available in Pantone's Bronze Green on April 30 from T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. Motorola has yet to share an exact price, instead stating it will be "communicated by carrier upon availability."
Meanwhile, the 2026 Moto G Stylus is an upgrade of its predecessor, offering a built-in active stylus. Inside the Notes app, it offers Sketch to Image, an AI tool for polishing drawings, and Handwriting Calculator, a feature for solving handwritten equations without switching to a calculator.
The Moto G Stylus also has 100 hours of standby time. It only lasts four hours while continually writing, but Motorola claims it recharges in 15 minutes. It comes with a 50MP Ultra Pixel main camera, 13MP Ultrawide & Macro Vision camera and 32MP selfie camera. Plus, its 6.7-inch screen is an Extreme AMOLED display with a 1.5K super HD resolution and 120Hz refresh rate — the Moto Pad has a 90Hz refresh rate, in comparison.
Motorola is releasing the 2026 Moto G Stylus on April 16 and will start at $500. The 126GB option will initially come with four free Moto Tags, while the 256GB version will offer free
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Apr 07, 2026
Spotify's Prompted Playlist tool now works for podcasts, after launching the feature for music earlier this year. As the name suggests, this is an AI thing. It lets users use natural language, or prompts, to describe what they're looking for in a playlist and the algorithm does the rest.
The platform says the tool is a good match for podcasts, as listeners can use it to discover a new favorite show or "dive deeper into a topic or piece of culture." Spotify adds that the algorithm generates playlists based on both the prompt and a person's listening history, along with "what's happening in the world today."
Spotify
Spotify gives some examples of the kinds of prompts that could be used to generate podcast playlists, which include a user asking the bot to build a playlist "all about science and innovation" and another "with the biggest entertainment news from the past few days." It'll be interesting to see if the algorithm prioritizes podcasts from its ever-growing stable of in-house creators over third party releases.
Spotify says the tool "unlocks powerful new opportunities" for creators. This is because it can recommend older episodes from a back catalog, thus giving them a little boost.
The featu
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Apr 07, 2026
The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration has closed its investigation into Tesla's remote parking features, after it found that previously reported incidents led to minor issues and happened in low speed. NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigations opened an evaluation into incidents involving the company's Actual Smart Summon feature in January 2025. It's a level 2 automated driving feature meant for parking lots or private property, allowing Tesla owners to control their cars from an app within short distances.
Investigators said there were 159 incidents involving the feature overall, but those make up less than one percent of the millions of Summons sessions owners have done. Further, almost all of the incidents happened when users "did not have a complete 360-degree view of the surroundings in the app to assess situational awareness."
In most of the incidents involving crashes, the vehicles hit parking gates, adjacently parked vehicles and short parking bollards. The investigators identified two incidents that happened because some of the vehicles' cameras were blocked by snow, and the Summons feature didn't detect the problem. In one other incident, the system didn't identify a gate arm blocking a garage exit lane.
Tesla has since rolled out over-the-air updates improving the vehicles' camera visibility checks and object detection capabilities. Since the reported crashes involved minor problems and didn't lead to injuries, deaths or any major incidents that resulted in air bag deployment or in the vehicle being towed away, the agency has de
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Apr 07, 2026
Apple has run into "more issues than expected" with its foldable iPhone, which may delay its release, according to the Japanese business newspaper Nikkei. Multiple sources report issues that apparently occurred during early test production phases and may delay first shipments by months.
Component suppliers have supposedly been notified that the foldable iPhone's production schedule will be delayedand Apple is working to address the problems. Apple was reportedly prioritizing the foldable iPhone and other premium models for its September event this year, due to constrained supplies — that whole RAMmaggedon thing. One fewer iPhone model might reduce the company's demand for pricey components.
We're still waiting: A foldable iPhone has been rumored since 201andd rival Samsung released its first one back in 2019. The Galaxy phone maker has faced its own struggles: The very cool Galaxy Z TriFold was pushed into early retirement, seemingly being sold at a loss after its launch late last year.
— Mat Smith
The other big stories (and deals) this morning
March Madness 2026: How to watch the Final Four
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Apr 07, 2026
When NASA allowed Artemis II astronauts to take their smartphones with them, we already knew it could lead to some epic phone shots of the moon. NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman took one such photo on his iPhone, just as the Orion spacecraft his crew was on approached the moon for a lunar flyby. The astronauts turned off all the lights inside the cabin to be able to take better pictures. In the livestream, Wiseman showed the camera a photo he took on his iPhone 17 Pro.
As 9to5Mac notes, he said on the livestream that he took the picture on his iPhone camera with an 8x zoom. NASA reportedly said that the image showed the Chebyshev crater, a lunar impact sight located on the far side of the moon, or the side we don't see from our planet. Artemis II launched on April 1 for a 10-day journey, with four astronauts onboard the mission's Orion spacecraft. On April 6, it flew farther away from Earth than any
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Apr 07, 2026
Apple has run into "more issues than expected" with its foldable iPhone that may set back its release, according to Nikkei. The engineering problems reportedly cropped up during the device's early test production phase and may delay first shipments by months, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter.
"The current situation could put the mass production timeline at risk," one of the sources said. "April will mark a crucial stage of the engineering verification test, and this month till early may is extremely critical." Component suppliers have supposedly been notified that the foldable iPhone's production schedule will be delayed, and Apple is working to address the problems.
A foldable iPhone has been rumored since 2017, and Apple's biggest rival, Samsung, released its first one back in 2019. According to multiple sources, Apple was aiming to launch its debut foldable iPhone in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18. However, as we detailed in an explainer last month, "the project could slip into 2027 if Apple runs into manufacturing or durability issues, particularly around the hinge or display."
Apple was reportedly prioritizing the foldable iPhone and other premium models for its September event this year due to constrained supplies of components like memory chips. However, the foldable's engineering issues could throw a wr
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Apr 07, 2026
Apple has run into "more issues than expected" with its foldable iPhone that may set back its release, according to Nikkei. The engineering problems reportedly cropped up during the device's early test production phase and may delay first shipments by months, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter.
"The current situation could put the mass production timeline at risk," one of the sources said. "April will mark a crucial stage of the engineering verification test, and this month till early may is extremely critical." Component suppliers have supposedly been notified that the foldable iPhone's production schedule will be delayed, and Apple is working to address the problems.
A foldable iPhone has been rumored since 2017, and Apple's biggest rival, Samsung, released its first one back in 2019. According to multiple sources, Apple was aiming to launch its debut foldable iPhone in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18. However, as we detailed in an explainer last month, "the project could slip into 2027 if Apple runs into manufacturing or durability issues, particularly around the hinge or display."
Apple was reportedly prioritizing the foldable iPhone and other premium models for its September event this year due to constrained supplies of components like memory chips. However, the foldable's engineering issues could throw a wrench into those plans. "Apple and the supply chain are working under a pressured timeline and the current
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Apr 07, 2026
Earlier this year, Amazon threatened to cut US Postal Service deliveries by as much as two thirds. Now, the parties have reached tentative a deal that will see USPS deliveries reduced by 20 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported. While not as drastic as first menaced, the reduced volume will still deal a financial blow to the USPS.
"We're pleased to have reached a new agreement with USPS that furthers our longstanding partnership and will let us continue supporting our customers and communities together," an Amazon spokesperson told the WSJ.
Amazon is the USPS's largest customer, accounting for 15 percent of its volume and
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Apr 06, 2026
Disney has inked a deal with the Korea Esports Association that will bring several gaming tournaments to the its streaming platform. Disney will be the global live streaming home for Esports Champions Asia Jinju 2026, the 2026 League of Legends KeSPA CUP and some preliminary events ahead of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. This agreement expands KeSPA's arrangement with Disney, which only streamed its esports events to viewers in Asia last year.
Esports Champions Asia is the first event on the calendar, occurring April 24-26 with professional teams from across the continent squaring up in tournaments for games including Street Fighter 6, The King of Fighters XV, TEKKEN 8 and the eFootball series. Disney will also be an official streamer for the PUBG Mobile and Eternal Return competitions during that weekend.
It could be helpful for western esports fans to have a single location for watching the major events happening in Asia. However, many tournaments are currently free to watch on Twitch or YouTube, so now needing a Disney subscription to catch some of these international competitions might feel onerous. Esports might run the risk of turning into the fragmented set of rights deals that plagues traditional sports leagues, where a game could be on one of a half dozen different paid services each night. It's also likely going to mean co-streamers take a hit to their viewership, since Disney seems unlikely to offer the same sort of broadcast access that has made the practice popular on Twitch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-league-of-legends-kespa-cup-will-air-globally-on-disney-224455083.html?src=rss
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Apr 06, 2026
Kalshi can't be stopped in New Jersey. A 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled on Monday that New Jersey has no authority to regulate Kalshi's prediction market allowing people to bet on the outcome of sports events. That power rests with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the panel ruled 2-1.
The CFTC is headed by President Donald Trump appointee Michael Selig, who vocally and actively supports prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, calling them "exciting products." The Trump family agrees: Donald Trump Jr. is a paid adviser to Kalshi and an unpaid adviser to Polymarket, and Truth Social, which is run by the Trump Media and Technology Group, is
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Apr 06, 2026
The legal battle between Epic Games and Apple is escalating once again. For a second time, the warring factions are going straight to the top of the judicial system. Apple is asking for the Supreme Court to review when and how it can charge commissions on mobile purchases made via third-party payment systems. The business has requested a motion to stay on a lower court ruling regarding the fees Apple charges to software developers using those external financial systems rather than the App Store.
The last time Apple petitioned for an appeal at the top of the judicial branch, it was about a lower court requiring it to allow developers to use third-party payment options. The Supreme Court declined to hear that case. It's possible that the tech company will once again be denied, although this effort regards specifically limits on commission rates rather than the basic premise of allowing in-app payments to be processed outside the App Store.
Epic Games has been pushing both Apple and Google on the subject of their app store commission fees for years. Recently, the gaming company did appear to reach an accord with Google that saw the company's popular game Fortnite globally return to the Google Play Store in March. That ruling reportedly requires Epic's
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Apr 06, 2026
Three YouTube channels have banded together and filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, as first spotted by MacRumors. According to the lawsuit, the creators behind h3h3 Productions, MrShortGameGolf and Golfholics have accused Apple of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by scraping copyrighted videos on YouTube to train its AI models.
While the YouTubers' videos are available to watch on the platform, the lawsuit alleged that Apple illegally circumvented the "controlled streaming architecture" that regular users are limited to. The creators claimed that Apple's video scraping was used to train its generative AI products, adding that the tech giant's "massive financial success would not have been possible without the video content created" by the YouTubers. MacRumors noted that these YouTube channels have also filed similar lawsuits against other tech companies, including Meta, Nvidia, ByteDance and Snap.
It's not the first time a company's alleged AI training methods have gotten them in legal trouble. OpenAI and Microsoft were both accused of using copyrighted articles from the NYTimes to train its AI chatbots. Similarly,
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Apr 06, 2026
NASA's Artemis II crew just set a new distance record in miles traveled away from Earth. The team of four astronauts are in the process of circling the Moon, reaching 5,000 miles beyond the natural satellite. That brings the total distance traveled away from our home to over 250,000 miles. Gene Roddenberry would be proud.
This broke the previous 1970 record set by Apollo 13's crew by around 4,000 miles. The four astronauts - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency - are the first humans to cross the lunar threshold since 1972's Apollo 17 mission.
"We challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived," Commander Reid Wiseman said upon crossing the distance threshold. He also suggested that NASA name a lunar crater after the craft itself.
The astronauts aren't landing on the lunar surface, but are conducting a lengthy flyby that should provide clear images of the Moon's far side "that have never been seen" by humans. These areas were too difficult to clearly see by the various Apollo crew members. They'll also get a peek at a solar eclipse, though the crew will be out of contact with mission control for around 40 minutes.
"We'll get eyes on the moon, kind of map it out and then continue to go back in force," NASA flight director, Judd Frieling, said. Astronaut Christina Koch
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Apr 06, 2026
Finding the right app on the Google Play Store just got a lot easier. Google is rolling out a new search function for an app's reviews when navigating its Play Store, as first spotted by Android Authority. The new feature only currently searches for exact matches of at least two words, but it should still help users identify if certain apps and games have specific features or gameplay elements.
You can find the search function after hitting the "See all reviews" button on the Play Store, and it will also offer some popular search terms next to the feature. It's similar to Amazon's "Search customer reviews" feature and will bold the search phrase in the reviews.
The ability to search reviews is a welcome addition to the Play Store, especially when compared to the App Store that can only sort an app's reviews. Google has also been cracking down on bad apps that violate its policies in recent years, but giving users the ability to search through reviews could offer another layer of scrutiny for any apps that slip through the cracks.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadge
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Apr 06, 2026
Netflix just released a free app called Playground for smartphones and tablets. This is a gaming app for kids, aged eight and under. It's available to all Netflix members on any tier, and the company promises it doesn't have ads or in-app purchases.
It also works without a mobile or Wi-Fi connection. Netflix says this makes it the "perfect companion for long airplane rides or grocery trips." Kids do love their screens.
The company promises an "ever-growing library of games" for children. The platform launches with titles based on some massively popular franchises. There's something called Playtime with Peppa Pig, which is a collection of minigames starring the titular Peppa and friends.
There's also a game set on Sesame Street, in which kids get to "hang out with Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar and more beloved puppet pals." This is another minigame collection, with a memory card game, a connect-the-dots game and more.
The catalog also includes a couple of games based on Dr. Seuss properties and a racing title based on the show Bad Dinosaurs. There are other things on the platform, like a sticker book collection and jigsaw puzzles. Again, every title here is intended for young children.
Netflix Playground is available now in the US and many other parts of the world. It launches globally on April 28. The regular Netflix app still offers access to traditional video games, though the streamer's interactive division has been struggling lately. It closed its AAA gaming studio back in 2024 and has since
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