If you have an older Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you may want to hold off on the latest software update. 9to5Google reported that the update that has been rolling out from Samsung over the past few days is bricking devices from the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 series of phones. The publication also found some users reporting the same issue with Galaxy M51 and A90 models. After downloading the update, the devices get stuck in a bootloop and never fully turn back on.
Impacted devices can perform a factory reset to recover functionality, but that's not a perfect fix. It should make the phone usable, but any data that hasn't already been backed up will be lost. If you own an older Galaxy smartphone and haven't yet downloaded the latest update, you may want to disable automatic updates until Samsung shares more information about this issue.
Software support for older models can become an issue for any hardware manufacturer. The Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ are five years old now, which is an age where companies may stop providing regular updates.
We've reached out to Samsung for a comment and will update this post with any additional information.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsungs-latest-software-update-may-be-bricking-older-phones-175136078.html?src=rss
Paramount just announced that it's going ahead with a new video game based on Avatar: The Last Airbender, which will be developed by Saber Interactive. For the uninitiated, Saber is behind titles like Snowrunner and Teardown. It also has plenty of experience making licensed content, as it published Evil Dead: The Game and World War Z: Aftermath, among others.
A new game in the Avatar-verse isnt that notable on its own. After all, there have been plenty already. Paramount is already crowing about the title, though, calling it a AAA RPG and claiming itll be the biggest video game in franchise history. Thats not exactly a high bar, given the cartoons rocky history in gaming. There was that one good Bayonetta-like game that featured Avatar Korra, but everything else is pretty much trash.
This upcoming RPG wont follow Aang or Korra. Players will control an all-new, never-before-seen Avatar. The games set thousands of years before the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The story has been developed in close collaboration with Avatar Studios, though we dont know if franchise creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are involved in any way.
This looks to be an action RPG and not a turn-based affair, as a press release suggests dynamic combat and a quest to master all four elements. However, theres no release date and no suggestion as to how far along the game is. Paramount says itll be available soon, but the company hasn't released a trailer or even artwork, so one persons soon is another persons probably sometime in 2026.
In any event, sign me up. Im a big-time cabbage head, or honorary member of the Aang Gang or whatever fans are called. Saber Interactive has proven itself worthy with other pre-existing IPs, so why not this one? It could work.
The Avatar franchise has been relatively quiet lately, though the live-action Netflix show was renewed for two more seasons to finish up the story. Franchise creators DiMartino and Konietzko are making an animated film that follows an adult Aang and friends, but its been awhile since weve heard anything about that.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/saber-interactive-is-making-a-aaa-rpg-based-on-avatar-the-last-airbender-171655351.html?src=rss
Hey! If you have fond memories playing Manic Miner or Jet Set Willy on your family TV, youll love The Rubber Keyed Wonder. Its a new documentary chronicling the birth, life, death and rebirth of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum that premieres today. The crowdfunded film is an adoring look at the iconic and legendary artifact of computing history with plenty of high profile contributors. Two thumbs up! Go watch the film now, theres no need for you to keep reading beyond this point, I hope you have loads of fun!
If youre a die-hard fan, theres no need to keep reading!
(Hopefully theyve gone now.)
It was while watching The Rubber Keyed Wonder that I realized what makes me itchy about the current crop of pop-culture documentaries going around. A documentary should be an authored essay offering a point of view, an argument, or at least educating you about a subject matter. Theyre usually deeply one-sided, but they normally have something to say beyond hey, isnt this neat? Thats what Ive found lacking in documentaries like this and GoldenEra, since they dont have much at all to say beyond that. Which is heartbreaking when the films subject matter is nowhere near as neat and far more interesting as it's made out to be here.
If youre unfamiliar, Sir Clive Sinclair was a British inventor whose work made a huge impact on the electronics industry. He developed ultra-small transistor radios, pioneered the pocket calculator, the digital watch and the portable TV. His interest in green transport saw him build a single-rider electric vehicle decades before the advent of the e-scooter. But all of that is a footnote to his range of affordable home computers, the most notable being the Spectrum.
The Britain Sinclair grew up in was broke, and he made it his lifes mission to produce products that were affordable enough for anyone to buy. His cheap, mass-market products were big hits and deeply undercut the competition, especially in home computers. Unfortunately, the low cost also meant his gear was badly-made, unreliable and severely underpowered.
But the affordability and limitations sparked a creative boom that is credited with creating the UKs computer games industry. The heads of several major British studios cut their teeth on developing and selling games for the ZX Spectrum. And the second-order effects of Sinclairs work left a far deeper impact on the technology industry more broadly. Sinclairs protégé turned rival Chris Curry left to build Acorn Computers and, from there, founded ARM. The founder of what would become Rockstar North worked on the Sinclair production line in Dundee.
Sinclair was also reportedly difficult to work with, had severe temper tantrums and quite a big ego, too. He was fairly bad at business, and his refusal to listen to other people wound up costing him both of his companies, once during a fight with the UKs National Enterprise Board in 1976 and once again in 1985. Then there was his habit of rushing out unfinished products to keep money flowing into his company at the cost of his reputation.
The reason I bring all of those things up is because every single one is either given the briefest of attention or elided completely. The Rubber Keyed Wonder would much rather streamline its focus to the Spectrum itself and its impact, erasing the more interesting story around it. But if you know anything about the territory, and how bound up the machine and its idiosyncratic founder were, these omissions hurt the story.
But I understand why: This isnt a documentary that aspires to being a serious examination of a very interesting period in computing history. Instead, its a product of the fan-nostalgia industrial complex, where the most insightful comments are buried in favor of misty-eyed rememberings. Thats not to say it isnt honest; even the Spectrums most ardent fans are happy to admit the machine sucked on several fundamental levels. Even the Sinclair employees joke that they knew they were selling barely-functional crap a lot of the time, but that the hobbyists who bought them loved it nevertheless.
The film cant help but be informative, delving into the broader ecosystem that cultivated around the Spectrum. Theres its genesis, the games that made it famous, and the culture it spawned from independent computer stores to the cottage industry of magazines focused on it. But theres also plenty of time-sucking montages of playthrough footage from Spectrum games that sap the films momentum in favor of squeezing the audiences member berries.
Thats not to say The Rubber Keyed Wonder is a waste of time, especially given the dearth of material on the subject*. Theres plenty in there that I learned for the first time, and found some of the games Id not encountered as a kid to be seriously impressive. Its just a shame that you will probably leave this film with a nagging desire to answer some of the questions its just not at all interested in engaging with.
* Its probably the law that I have to mention Micro Men, the tongue-in-cheek BBC comedy that satirizes the feud between Sinclair and Curry. Both men went on the record to decry its factual inaccuracies, with Curry saying the film was very unfair on Clive Sinclair. It is, however, quite a fun watch so long as you accept that its mostly fictional. You can probably find it for free online if you look hard enough.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-rubber-keyed-wonder-is-an-adoring-portrait-of-the-sinclair-zx-spectrum-170047407.html?src=rss
Keeping ChatGPT running is expensive as heck, so OpenAI needs access to plenty of cash to make sure the lights stay on. A day after the company said it had secured $6.6 billion in funding the biggest ever funding round for a startup it confirmed that it has a new $4 billion revolving line of credit. OpenAI has yet to tap the credit line, which it obtained from JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Santander, Wells Fargo, SMBC, UBS and HSBC. Some of those banks are also among OpenAI's customers.
All told, OpenAI now has a war chest of over $10 billion in liquid funds. The company says that will give it the ability to invest in new projects and research, expand its infrastructure and hire top talent. This credit facility further strengthens our balance sheet and provides flexibility to seize future growth opportunities, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-now-has-a-4-billion-credit-line-on-top-of-66-billion-in-funding-163230350.html?src=rss
Google is adding more AI to search. On Thursday, the company unveiled a long list of changes, including AI-organized web results, Google Lens updates (including video and voice) and placing links and ads inside AI Overviews.
One can suspect that AI-organized search results are where Google will eventually move across the board, but the rollout starts with a narrow scope. Beginning with recipes and meal inspiration, Googles AI will create a full-page experience that includes relevant results based on your search. The company says the AI-collated pages will consist of perspectives from across the web, like articles, videos and forums.
Googles AI Overviews, the snippets of AI-generated info you see above web results, are getting some enhancements, too. The company is incorporating a new link-laden design with more prominent links to supporting webpages within the section. Google says its tests have shown the design increased traffic to the supporting websites it links to.
Ads are also coming to AI Overviews an inevitable outcome if ever there was one. The company says theyre rolling out in the US, so dont be shocked if you start seeing them soon.
left to right: Google Lens speak to search, ads in AI Overviews, Lens video searchGoogle
Circle to Search is getting Shazam-like capabilities. The feature will now instantly search for songs you hear without switching apps. Google also noted that Circle to Search is now available on over 150 million Android devices, as its expanded in reach and capabilities since its January launch.
Google Lens, the companys seven-year-old visual search feature for mobile, is getting some upgrades, too. It can now search via video and voice, letting you ask complex questions about moving images. The company provides the example of seeing fish at an aquarium and using Lens to ask it aloud, Why are they swimming together? According to Google, the AI will use the video clip and your voice recording to identify the species and explain why they hang out together.
Along similar lines, you can now ask Google Lens questions with your voice while taking a picture. Just point your camera, hold the shutter button and ask whatevers on your mind the same way youd point at something and ask your friend about it, the company wrote.
Google Lens is also upgrading its shopping chops. The company describes the upgraded visual product search as dramatically more helpful than its previous version. The AI results will now include essential information about the searched product, including reviews, prices across different retailers and where to buy.
The Google Lens capabilities are all rolling out now, although some require an opt-in. Video searches are available globally for Search Labs users; youll find them in the AI Overviews and more experiment. Voice input for Lens is now available for English users in the Google app on Android and iOS. Finally, enhanced shopping with Lens starts rolling out this week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-stuffs-more-ai-into-search-160003918.html?src=rss
YouTube Shorts are about to get quite a bit longer. Starting on October 15, the platform is increasing video limits from one minute to three minutes. TikTok, arguably Shorts' biggest competitor, has allowed users to share 10-minute videos for over two years. The new update should work for any Shorts that are square or taller in aspect ratio, and it won't affect any videos you shoot before the 15th.
YouTube is also releasing a few other Shorts updates, including a preview of comments in the Shorts' feed. Plus, the company is working on letting you to pull clips from across YouTube through the Shorts camera and make remix clips. YouTube first released the remix feature in early 2024, letting you strip the audio, use the video as a background, cut a piece of it to use in your Short or put it side-by-side with your creation.
If Shorts aren't your thing, it's also going to be easier to skip them as YouTube is introducing a tool to show fewer Shorts. You can choose this option through the three dot menu on the upper right corner though YouTube says the preference only lasts temporarily. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-shorts-can-now-run-up-to-three-minutes-160002081.html?src=rss
The WP Engine web hosting service is suing WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and his company Automattic. This follows a public feud over the WordPress trademark. The federal lawsuit accuses Mullenweg of abuse of power, extortion and greed.
This is the latest volley in an ongoing battle between WordPress and WP Engine, but it requires a bit of background. WordPress is the backend that powers a large chunk of the internet, around 40 percent of websites. Users can build a website from the ground up using WordPress or opt for an easier plug-and-play solution offered by third-party providers like WP Engine.
Mullenweg, who runs his own provider called Automattic, began loudly criticizing WP Engine back in September, calling it a cancer to WordPress. He said that the third-party providers name has confused customers into thinking it's actually part of WordPress. He also accused WP Engine of turning off certain features to save money.
I tried to summarize the @wpengine and WordPress issue: https://t.co/xlGuV3EWQm Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) September 26, 2024
WP Engine responded with a cease-and-desist letter and a request to withdraw the aforementioned comments, according to reporting by TechCrunch. It also said that its use of the WordPress trademark was legal under fair use. It went on to claim that Mullenweg threatened to take a scorched earth nuclear approach against WP Engine unless it agreed to pay a significant percentage of its revenues for a license to the WordPress trademark.
After this, the WordPress Foundation changed its Trademark Policy page and accused WP Engine of never once donating to the open-source arm of the foundation, despite making billions of revenue on top of WordPress. He went as far as to suggest that WP Engine covered up trademark abuse by editing websites.
Some of the frantic changes @wpengine has been making to their site to hide their trademark abuse include editing customer quotes, without permission! I have confirmed with @pcrumm he did not approve this change. Journalists should ask WPE and others about this. pic.twitter.com/NQOZ0TPDDT Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) October 3, 2024
Mullenweg also banned WP Engine from accessing certain resources, like some plug-ins and themes. WP Engine powers over 200,000 websites and this move allegedly broke a lot of them. In response, the company wrote that Mullenwegs unprecedented and unwarranted action interferes with the normal operation of the entire WordPress ecosystem, impacting not just WP Engine and our customers.
Matt Mullenweg and Automattics self-proclaimed scorched earth campaign against WP Engine has harmed not just our company, but the entire WordPress ecosystem. The symbiotic relationship between WordPress, its community and the businesses that invest millions to support WordPress WP Engine (@wpengine) October 3, 2024
On October 1, WP Engine announced that it had developed its own solution that allowed consumers to access all of the missing themes and plug-ins. It followed that with todays lawsuit, which accuses Mullenweg of demanding eight percent of the companys monthly revenue as a royalty payment. The suit also alleges that Mullenweg and Automattic participated in libel, slander, violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and IRS fraud.
Matt Mullenwegs conduct over the last ten days has exposed significant conflicts of interest and governance issues that, if left unchecked, threaten to destroy that trust, WP Engine said in a statement. WP Engine has no choice but to pursue these claims to protect its people, agency partners, customers and the broader WordPress community. Mullenweg and Automattic have yet to respond to todays developments.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/wordpress-founder-sued-for-alleged-libel-and-attempted-extortion-152957987.html?src=rss
This infographic looks at what it takes to run a PR campaign that reaches the right people and benefits the business. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
An impassioned argument that corporate Pride often falls short of meaningful allyship, focusing instead on commerce and misunderstanding the LGBTQ+ community as a monolithic group. Read more. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Ive been wishing for a product like MyRow to come onto the market for as long as I can remember. I love rowing, and own a Concept2 Model D, which is one of the worlds most popular rowing machines. Concept2s ergometers which is the fancy word for rowing machine are a mainstay of gyms all around the world. But the Vermont-based company has dragged its feet when it comes to embracing the smart fitness revolution. The best it offers is some clips on its latest machine that can be used to hold a third-party tablet in place.
Inspired by Peloton, plenty of other companies have bolted HD screens with live classes to their gym equipment. But Concept2 is still standing by the PM5, a little black box with a liquid crystal display that debuted in 2014 which displays stats like your split times and stroke rate. If you cant quite imagine how I feel: Its as if you own a Game Boy, and everyone else in the world is rocking a Steam Deck. To try and improve matters, I bought a little 3D-printed smartphone holder from eBay but, even so, its hard not to feel short-changed.
Step forward MyRow, the brainchild of Gary Simpson, founder of Transit Wireless, the company that brought cell service to the New York City subway. While sheltering in place from COVID, he had a Concept2 and a Peloton bike at home to help keep in shape. Back at CES, he told me, despite his love of rowing, he would often default to the bike with its glossy screen and video classes. Inspired, he founded MyRow in the spirit of bringing something similar to the Concept2.
The end product is an internet-connected display that can be retrofitted onto a Concept2 Model C, D, E or RowErg so long as it is equipped with the PM5. The package includes a 22-inch display, power adapter and the mounting arm youll need to bolt onto the rower. Once installed, you can access on-demand video classes and digital workout guides, as well as just a nicer way to stare at your rowing stats compared to the sub-Game Boy display youre used to.
Installation took me less than half an hour, and most of that was just bolting the mounting arm onto the rower. Bear in mind, youll need to run a data cable from the PM5 to MyRow since the tablet cant interface with the machine directly. I hope youre good at cable management, since youll need to find a way to elegantly route the data and power cables along the body of the rower.
Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget
Under the hood, MyRow is just a skinned Android tablet which takes a minute to boot, with software updates taking another minute. Given the device is so new, there have been lots of updates, including the addition of plans and features. The UI is simple enough, with big target boxes and clean lines, which is ideal if you need to change a setting mid-row.
Theres a surprising amount of connectivity in this thing, too, with ports for Ethernet, USB-C, micro-USB, USB-A and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Plus, its Bluetooth and ANT+ compatible for any wireless headphones or heart-rate monitors you use. Theres a forward-facing webcam in the body that isnt being used for anything right now. The company is looking to build a form analysis tool thatll harness it eventually, and may also use the camera to enhance group rows.
Once your feet are strapped in and youve got one hand on the grab, its time to pick your workout. Users can select from video workouts, as well as preset and custom training plans that will just throw your intervals on the screen. The stats are laid out like pretty much every other on-demand fitness class, with your key vitals running along the bottom. That includes calories burned, distance rowed, stroke rate, pace per 500 meters, average pace, stroke length, power and average power.
On the left side of the display, youll get a timeline showing you when the next internal is, and on the right-hand side, a leaderboard for the video class youre participating in. I surprised myself, because I dont think of myself as someone who is that competitive, but the leaderboards brought something out in me. The fact I was able to leap into the top 10 in a number of classes is, Im sure, just down to MyRows presently small user base. But, a win is a win.
Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget
As much as I enjoy using MyRow, I do have one gripe given the custom nature of the product. Concept2s rowing machines use air resistance, so when you pull the chain youre driving a fan. A fan which kicks out enough noise that it can drown out the instructors voice and music even when you turn the volume up to max. Maybe sharper-eared rowers wont find it a problem, but I wish theyd have made more effort to compensate for the general noise of the rower.
Now, 2024 has been a year of rigorous self-examination and one where Im humble enough to admit my flaws. Im nearly 40 and Im never going to magically evolve into one of those people who cares about their own marginal gains. Im not going to look at a countdown timer, compare it to my previous laps best and then try to beat it on a regular basis. And as much as I love rowing, I get bored, and a big screen could alleviate that if I can watch the streaming service of my choice while I do so.
This is why Im excited to know that MyRow has promised to integrate streaming videos into its platform by spring 2025. Because when youre not taking an on-demand video class, youre just staring at a well-designed stats screen. The sooner we can add any sort of entertainment to that, even if its just a clip of someone rowing down a beautiful river, the better.
Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget
Im optimistic about MyRows potential to help turn the Concept2 into a machine thats a little friendlier, even for its diehard users. Its available to buy now, with the tablet setting you back $500 and the membership costs either $36 a month or $359.88 if you pay for the year, which represents a 20 percent discount. If you get the tablet on its own, however, youll still be able to use the Just Row feature, although its a hefty price for basically better data visualization.
This aricle originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/myrow-took-my-concept2-rower-and-made-it-smart-134503528.html?src=rss
