Tesla is suing California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to reverse a ruling that prevented the automaker from using the terms "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" to sell cars, CNBC reported. That follows a December ruling by a California administrative law judge that forced Tesla to clean up its marketing language or risk a suspension of its sales license. Last week, the DMV determined that Tesla had made the necessary changes, including changing the name to "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)," and that no suspension would occur.
However, if you had "Tesla is going to sue them back" in your office pool, you can go ahead and claim your prize. The company filed a complaint on February 13 alleging that the DMV "wrongfully and baselessly" called Tesla a false advertiser. Calling the order "factually wrong" and "unconstitutional," Tesla demanded that order be set aside.
The DMV had originally argued that Tesla's terms for its driver assistance program gave consumers the impression that its cars were safe to drive without a human at the wheel. However, Tesla said that the DMV never proved that buyers were confused and that it was "impossible" to buy a Tesla without seeing "clear and repeated statements" that its systems aren't fully autonomous.
Tesla's appeal of the ruling isn't a shocker given that the company is essentially betting its future on autonomous vehicles. CEO Elon Musk has long promised buyers that its vehicles would eventually become fully autonomous and that you'd even be able to rent them out to provide robo-taxi services. "If you fast forward a year, maybe [15 months], we'll have over a million robo-taxis on the road," he wrongly predicted back in 2019.
Following a sales decline last year that was particularly steep in Europe, Tesla is banking on its Cybercab two-seater to boost its fortunes. The company has started limited testing of automated vehicles as part of its Robotaxi pilot in Austin, Texas.
Last week, however, Tesla lost an appeal in a $243 million lawsuit verdict over a 2019 crash of a Model S largely over its use of the terms "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving." Last month, the company canceled Autopilot, its basic of advanced driver assistance tier, on new Model 3 and Model Y vehicles and switched its FSD (Supervised) tier to subscription-only. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-sues-california-dmv-after-it-banned-the-term-autopilot-090845766.html?src=rss
Anthropic is issuing a call to action against AI "distillation attacks," after accusing three AI companies of misusing its Claude chatbot. On its website, Anthropic claimed that DeepSeek, Moonshot and MiniMax have been conducting "industrial-scale campaignsto illicitly extract Claudes capabilities to improve their own models."
Distillation in the AI world refers to when less capable models lean on the responses of more powerful ones to train themselves. While distillation isn't a bad thing across the board, Anthropic said that these types of attacks can be used in a more nefarious way. According to Anthropic, these three Chinese AI firms were responsible for more than "16 million exchanges with Claude through approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts." From Anthropic's perspective, these competing companies were using Claude as a shortcut to develop more advanced AI models, which could also lead to circumventing certain safeguards.
Anthropic said in its post that it was able to link each of these distilling attack campaigns to the specific companies with "high confidence" thanks to IP address correlation, metadata requests and infrastructure indicators, along with corroborating with others in the AI industry who have noticed similar behaviors.
Early last year, OpenAI made similar claims of rival firms distilling its models and banned suspected accounts in response. As for Anthropic, the company behind Claude said it would upgrade its system to make distillation attacks harder to do and easier to identify. While Anthropic is pointing fingers at these other firms, it's also facing a lawsuit from music publishers who accused the AI company of using illegal copies of songs to train its Claude chatbot.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-accuses-three-chinese-ai-labs-of-abusing-claude-to-improve-their-own-models-205210613.html?src=rss
It's getting to be that time of year again. Summer Game Fest officially kicks off on June 5 and will go until June 8. The Live Kickoff show will once again be hosted by Geoff Keighley and takes place on June 5 at 5PM ET. This is where we'll see all of those juicy reveals and trailers.
The opening event will be streamed globally on just about every digital platform, including YouTube, Twitch, X and even Steam. Those in the Los Angeles area will be able to pick up tickets for the live show sometime in the Spring.
The kickoff event is just the beginning. There's something called Play Days, which is an expo in downtown LA produced by iam8bit. This invite-only event promises "immersive exhibits and hands-on experiences from the industry's leading publishers and developers." Coverage of this will be shared across digital and social platforms.
There is, of course, another Day of the Devs livestream scheduled for immediately after the kickoff. Day of the Devs: SGF Edition should provide us with even more trailers and reveals, this time for indie games.
Finally, there's a "thought leadership event" on June 8 that's primarily for developers and publishers. Game Business Live "brings together top industry voices on one stage for insightful discussions on key changes, challenges and opportunities shaping the global video game industry."
We'll be covering the event live and will have all of those trailers ready to go. After all, that's pretty much the main reason people watch these things.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/summer-game-fest-runs-from-june-5-8-193054418.html?src=rss
Bungie isn't taking any prisoners when it comes to cheating on its upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon. In a detailed blog post explaining its anti-cheat measures, Bungie took a very declarative position against those caught trying to gain an unfair advantage.
"We are taking a strong stance against cheating and anyone found to be cheating or developing cheats will be permanently banned from playing Marathon forever, no second chances," the blog post read, adding that there will be an appeals system in place.
However, Bungie's anti-cheat standards go beyond punishment. In the blog post, Bungie detailed that Marathon's dedicated servers have full authority on movement, shooting, actions, and inventory. Since these key actions rely on the server, it will translate to smoother gunplay for players as well as the prevention of cheats related to teleportation, unlimited ammo or damage manipulation. Bungie is also incorporating a "Fog of War" system that limits an individual player's client to see only certain regions of a map, which should prevent wall hacks, ESP cheats or loot revealers.
On top of these robust regulations, Bungie is utilizing BattlEye, a kernel-level anticheat that's seen with other popular multiplayer shooters like Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege and Destiny 2. Bungie added that in the event of disconnecting, you'll be able to reconnect to your run without any hitches. If players can't reconnect due to an issue with the servers, Bungie said it will "attempt to return the starting gear to all impacted players."
Marathon isn't out until March 5, but Bungie is doing a preview weekend with the Server Slam event starting February 26. Still, it's obvious that Bungie already wants to get ahead of the competition, since Arc Raiders, another recently released extraction shooter, has been dealing with its own cheating problem. To address the rise in cheating, the game's developer, Embark Studios, implemented a three-strike system, which some players have criticized as too lenient.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bungie-says-no-second-chances-if-youre-caught-cheating-in-marathon-191633998.html?src=rss
Nothing has been slow-dripping news about the upcoming Phone 4a for a few days now, with a promise to reveal the handset on March 5. However, the company jumped the gun a bit and just posted an actual photo of the hardware. It looks pretty nifty, even if we don't have any real-deal specs just yet.
The image shows the handset from behind, displaying the company's trademark transparent design. The picture also features the redesigned Glyph Bar, which was first teased last week. This is a light-based notification system that features individually controlled mini-LEDs that light up in various ways to notify the user of missed calls and stuff like that. You can spot it next to the camera bump.
Built different.Phone (4a). 5 March, 10:30 GMT. pic.twitter.com/n3ZtbTmYIv Nothing (@nothing) February 23, 2026
That's about all we know right now, though there are plenty of industry rumors. It's been reported that the Nothing Phone 4a will feature a Snapdragon 7-series chip and that the reveal will be accompanied by a Pro model with a more powerful camera. The Nothing Phone 3a was also launched alongside the 3a Pro.
We loved the 3a and 3a Pro, calling both "an easy recommendation." Let's hope this carries through for the 4a. Also, you didn't miss a release of the actual Nothing Phone 4. The company likes to release the a-series handsets before the flagship. Past as prologue, we'll likely see that one in early summer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-reveals-the-phone-4a-ahead-of-schedule-181905011.html?src=rss
Ball x Pit, a delightful roguelite that was one of our favorite games of last year, is on the way to mobile devices. The chaotic brick-breaking action is coming to iOS and Android on March 12. There will be a free trial with no ads, and you can unlock the full game with an in-app purchase. This is Ball x Pit for your pants pocket, according to the latest trailer. For the uninitiated, Ball x Pit is sort of a mix of Breakout and Vampire Survivors with some base building (and elements of many other genres) blended in. Its all about finding powerful synergies between the character(s) you select, passive abilities and the balls you use to take out enemies before they get too close to damage you. These balls are regular ones that deal damage on impact (aka baby balls) or special balls that are infused with a range of effects and powers, such as Lightning, Ghost and Poison. These special balls can be fused to combine their effects or evolved into more powerful versions. BALL x PIT is going MOBILE! Launching on iOS & Android March 12 Try-before-you-buy: try it for free, no ads! Love it? Unlock the full game with a single in-app purchase and keep BALLing forever!Pre-order now on the App Store and Google Play! pic.twitter.com/3MmJ6dGNzp BALL x PIT REGAL UPDATE OUT NOW (@BALLxPIT) February 23, 2026
On each run, youll collect blueprints and resources that youll use to reconstruct a fallen town. Buildings unlock new characters and abilities that can aid you on your next run. Everything synergizes beautifully in Ball x Pit.Ball x Pit should work well with touch controls on mobile. You can set the balls to fire automatically, so all you really need to worry about is moving your character and aiming, as well as choosing your next upgrade when you earn enough experience gems. The first of three planned updates for this year arrived in January. Im still waiting for developer Kenny Sun to add cross-progression since Ive already plowed dozens of hours into this game on PS5, PC and Xbox its available on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 as well. Ball x Pit is also currently on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ball-x-pit-will-land-on-ios-and-android-on-march-12-175159137.html?src=rss
Looks like we won't get to hear the powerful hum of an all-electric Lamborghini on the streets anytime soon. According to a report from The Sunday Times, Lamborghini has abandoned making a production version of the Lanzador EV concept, which was expected to hit the market in 2029.
Stephen Winkelmann, chairman and CEO of Lamborghini, told The Sunday Times that there was "close to zero" interest from its customer base for battery-powered EVs. Winkelmann also revealed that the verdict to kill off the Lanzador was made late last year, but this is the first public confirmation of the decision after Lamborghini's grand reveal of the EV concept in August 2023. The automaker's CEO told The Sunday Times that "EVs, in their current form, struggle to deliver this specific emotional connection," adding that the lack of noise could have played a part in failing to attract customers.
Instead, Lamborghini will replace the Lanzador with another plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, like its Reveulto and Urus. With this change, Lamborghini's entire lineup will be hybrid EVs by 2030, with Winkelmann confirming that the company would continue making internal combustion engines "for as long as possible." Still, the CEO hinted to The Sunday Times that Lamborghini could pursue another all-electric car in the future, but "only when the time is right."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/lamborghini-ditches-plans-for-its-all-electric-supercar-due-to-close-to-zero-buyer-interest-173441263.html?src=rss
Anime fans rejoice, as there's a new Neon Genesis Evangelion series on the horizon. This was announced during a 30th anniversary event held in Japan. The bad news? Franchise creator Hideaki Anno won't be writing the scripts.
However, his replacement will be Yoko Taro, the guy who created the video game NieR. He also wears a giant and rather unsettling moon mask for some reason. The NieR franchise is known for rich and complex lore, with a story spanning thousands of years that occasionally dips into a parallel universe.
Wikimedia Commons
Evangelion veteran Kazuya Tsurumaki will be on hand to direct episodes, which is nice for long-time fans. He directed the Rebuild of Evangelion films and the recent Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX anime. Composer Keiichi Okabe, from the NieR franchise, is scoring the new show. The new series will be produced by Studio Khara and Cloverworks.
While we know a fair bit about who's behind the scenes of the upcoming show, we don't know anything about the plot. We don't know if it's yet another remake of the original story, a sequel or some kind of spin-off like the chibi-inspired Petit Eva: Evangelion@School. There's a trailer, but it's light on details.
New "Neon Genesis Evangelion" ANIME SERIES NEW TRAILER Written by Yoko Taro Directors: Kazuya Tsurumaki & Toko Yatabe Music: Keiichi Okabe Animation Production: CloverWorks x Khara pic.twitter.com/jnJZ12XSRb Captain Melvin Seahorse (@sshiroux19) February 23, 2026
With Taro on board, it could really go in any direction. It's worth remembering, after all, that NieR is actually a spin-off of a PS2 game called Drakengard. In one of the multiple endings of that game, a final boss is transported from a fantasy realm to modern-day Tokyo. Slaying this beast releases a virus that plagues humankind, which is what eventually leads to the post-apocalyptic setting of NieR. This is sort of like if the events of a Dragon Quest game somehow led to the world of Resident Evil.
If there's anyone who can breathe fresh life into the Evangelion franchise, it's Taro. Did I mention he wears a gigantic moon mask? Also, this isn't his first time penning TV scripts. He co-wrote the NieR: Automata anime spinoff.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a-new-evangelion-series-is-coming-from-studio-khara-and-yoko-taro-creator-of-nier-170916543.html?src=rss
The team behind the beloved Dark Sky weather app has announced a new iPhone app called Acme Weather. The release comes after Apple's 2020 acquisition of Dark Sky, which it ultimately shut down in 2022 after integrating much of its tech into the native iOS Weather app.
Acme Weather is primarily designed to address the uncertainty inherent in most forecasts, as different models yield disparate results and no two weather apps seem to report the same thing. Acmes answer to this issue is Alternate Predictions, which shows users a range of possible outcomes alongside the app's core forecast line throughout the day. If the lines are arranged together tightly, it means the app has high confidence in the forecast at that time. When those lines start to diverge, the app is signaling lower confidence while showing users alternate predictions for that time of day.
The app also supports community reporting, seeking to do for weather what Waymo did for traffic. Users can share real-time conditions in their area using icons or emojis, helping increase accuracy when conditions are changing quickly. Like most weather apps, there is also a map component with layers for radar, lightning, rain and snow totals, wind and more.
Acme leverages notifications to help make sure you don't miss important changes to the forecast or weather alerts. Grossman says they are comprehensive and should help you avoid getting caught in the rain unawares. Notifications also include community reports, government weather alerts and even experimental tools from "Acme Labs" like rainbow and beautiful sunset alerts.
Acme offers a two-week free trial, then costs $25 a year. The iOS version is available now and an Android is forthcoming.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-creators-of-dark-sky-have-a-new-weather-app-155426063.html?src=rss
