NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or VIPER was going to look for water ice at the moon's south pole. The agency was hoping that it could help answer important questions, such as where water is on the moon and how much there is for future spacefarers to use. But now NASA has decided to cancel the project and discontinue the rover's development, citing "cost increases, delays to the launch date and the risks of future cost growth."
The agency has already spent $450 million developing VIPER, according to The New York Times it's even done assembling the rover and installing its scientific instruments. That said, it still has to subject the rover to a series of tests to ensure that it can endure a rocket launch and the harsh conditions of outer space. Joel Kearns, NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, told the publication that the cancelation would save the agency at least $84 million, because it would no longer have to pay for those tests and for the rover's operations.
Kearns added that the agency was also worried about additional expenses if the rover's launch gets delayed. NASA first announced the VIPER mission back in 2019, with plans to launch it in late 2022. However, due to supply chain issues during the height of the COVID pandemic, among other problems, its launch was pushed back to late 2024. More problems forced NASA to move its launch again to September 2025 at the earliest, so additional delays aren't outside the realm of possibility.
NASA has several projects lined up that will help it verify the presence of water ice on the moon. They just won't be focused on that goal and will most likely need more time to achieve what NASA was hoping VIPER would. The agency is planning to disassemble the rover and use its instruments and components for future missions. It will, however, consider proposals from American and international companies that may want to use the rover, as long as it doesn't cost the US government more money.
While the project itself has already been canceled, the flight that was supposed to ferry VIPER to the moon will still push through. NASA chose Astrobotic to launch the rover and to develop a lander called Griffin to safely get VIPER to its destination. The mission will fly with a non-functional item simulating the VIPER's mass. As Kearns explains, a successful demonstration of the Griffin lander would still be valuable for future missions, whether or not it's carrying a real rover. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-scraps-its-viper-project-that-aimed-to-look-for-ice-on-the-moon-110005343.html?src=rss
Today, HMD unveiled its newest own-brand smartphone called Skyline. This phone runs on a mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen2 CPU, and it offers up to 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. It has 15W Qi2 wireless charging and its 4600mAh battery lasts up to 48 hours. The screen is a 6.55-inch full HD+ panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits of brightness. Pick either pink (maybe they had leftovers from the Barbie collab) or black for your phone's color. Skyline phones will be available starting in August and will cost $499.
The spotlight feature for Skyline is ease of repairability. This has been a focus for recent projects from HMD, which also makes phones under the Nokia brand. The back cover of this phone model can be removed, allowing for a user or a third-party shop to replace a broken screen, a worn-out battery, or a bent charging port. Replacement parts are available in select markets from iFixit, which said Skyline will have almost the repairability levels of the Fairphone. Right to repair movements gained a lot of traction last year, with even holdout device manufacturers starting to change their tune. It's positive to see HMD not just offering an option to self-repair, but making it easy to do so.
HMD (modified)
Skyline is also equipped with some notable photo features. The 50 megapixel front camera offers autofocus and eye-tracking. It also has "selfie gesture" hardware that will snap a photo in response to one of four common hand gestures. The rear camera is 108MP, and it has both portrait and night modes to capture the right image for the moment.
As more people want the option to unplug from the always-on lifestyle, Skyline will offer a Detox mode. This feature lets users select specific apps and contacts to block during scheduled breaks. It can be useful for people who find themselves spending more time than they want on social media or games, or for those who need to draw strong lines for work-life balance.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-hmd-skyline-is-a-mid-range-smartphone-thats-all-about-repairability-070035654.html?src=rss
When Dyson revealed its Zone headphones in early 2022, the company had combined its air filtration expertise with noise-cancelling headphones. COVID-19 was still a big part of our lives back then, but the Zone doesn't protect you against the virus. Instead, it's meant to provide less-polluted air as you move about your day, battling things like urban toxins and seasonal allergens. However, extremely short battery life and a $949 price plagued that first model, so it wasn't really a device accessible to the masses.
Now the company is back with its first "audio-only" over-ear headphones, the Dyson OnTrac. There's no Bane-like mask or air filtration system here, just a set of noise-cancelling headphones with a decidedly Dyson design and a $500 premium price tag. Battery life is no longer an issue, and the company is touting both active noise cancellation (ANC) performance and audio quality on the OnTrac. There are also over 2,000 customization combinations for the outer caps and ear cushions, so you can change up the look at you see fit.
The design of the OnTrac headphones certainly looks like something that would come from the same company that built the V12 stick vac, the Airstrait hair straightener and the Cool air purifiers. Dyson combined premium materials with ergonomics to create the appropriate seal for audio and ANC while also keeping things comfortable. The company used aluminum, copper, nickel and ceramics for the outer caps on the ear cups and "ultra-soft microfiber" foam cushions on the ear pads. There are also "multi-pivot gimbal arms" to help increase comfort and relieve pressure. Plus, Dyson relocated the battery to the headband for better weight distribution.
Inside, the OnTrac features 40mm, 16-ohm neodymium speaker drivers that Dyson says are capable of a frequency response of 6Hz to 21kHz. That covers more of the sonic spectrum than he standard 20Hz to 20kHz range most headphones offer. The company also angled the drivers 13 degrees toward your ears for better acoustic performance. All of that combines to provide "deep sub-bass that you can feel, and clear highs at the upper end of the frequency range." Dyson promises the OnTrac will "reveal hidden detail" as well.
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
The ANC setup on the OnTrac is composed of eight microphones that Dyson says sample external sound 384,000 times a second. Those work with a custom noise-cancelling algorithm and "carefully designed internal geometry" for 40dB of noise blocking, according to the company. Battery life won't be a problem either, so long as Dyson's claims pan out. The company says the OnTrac is capable of up to 55 hours of use with ANC on, thanks to two high-capacity lithium-ion battery cells. A 10-minute charge will give you up to 2.5 hours of use while 30 minutes provides 9.5 hours (with ANC on in both cases). During that listening time, onboard playback and volume controls are handled by a "joystick" on the back edge of the right ear cup. You can double tap on the outside of either ear cup to turn ANC on or off.
The OnTrac headphones will be available in aluminum/orange, cooper/blue, black nickel and ceramic red from Dyson for $500. The replacement caps and cushions will be available for $50 for a set of two. Only a few colors will be available from other retailers, so you'll have to buy most of the options directly from Dyson.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dysons-ontrac-headphones-ditch-the-zones-air-purifier-for-audio-only-use-040044551.html?src=rss
Meta has decided to not offer its upcoming multimodal AI model and future versions to customers in the European Union citing a lack of clarity from European regulators, according to a report by Axios. The models in question are designed to process not only text but also images and audio, and power AI capabilities in Meta platforms as well as the companys Ray-Ban smart glasses.
"We will release a multimodal Llama model over the coming months, but not in the EU due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment," Meta said in a statement to Axios.
Metas move follows a similar decision by Apple, which recently announced it would not release its Apple Intelligence features in Europe due to regulatory concerns. Margrethe Vesteger, the EUs competition commissioner, had slammed Apples move, saying that the companys decision was a stunning, open declaration that they know 100 percent that this is another way of disabling competition where they have a stronghold already. Engadget has reached out to Vesteger for comment on Metas decision.
Withholding Metas multimodal AI models from the EU could have far-reaching implications it means that any companies that use them to build their products and services would be unable to offer them in Europe.
Meta told Axios that it still plans to release Llama 3, the companys upcoming text-only model in the EU. The companys primary concern stems from the challenges of training AI models using data from European customers while complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU's existing data protection law. In May, Meta announced that it planned to use publicly available posts from Facebook and Instagram users to train future AI models but was forced to stop doing so in the EU after receiving pushback from data privacy regulators in the region. At the time, Meta defended its actions, saying that being able to train its models on the data of European users was necessary to reflect local culture and terminology.
"If we dont train our models on the public content that Europeans share on our services and others, such as public posts or comments, then models and the AI features they power wont accurately understand important regional languages, cultures or trending topics on social media," the company said in a blog post. "We believe that Europeans will be ill-served by AI models that are not informed by Europes rich cultural, social and historical contributions."
Despite its reservations about releasing its multimodal models in the EU, Meta still plans to launch them in the UK, which has similar data protection laws to the EU. The company argued that European regulators are taking longer to interpret existing laws compared to their counterparts in other regions.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-will-reportedly-withhold-multimodal-ai-models-from-the-eu-amid-regulatory-uncertainty-215543292.html?src=rss
Serious concerns have been raised about the effect of social media on teenagers mental well-being. Meta is letting a group of researchers examine some of Instagrams data to determine if social media is psychologically damaging younger users.
The Verge reported that the Center for Open Science (COS) is launching a new joint pilot program with Meta to produce independent studies about how social media affects teenagers mental health.
The Instagram Data Access Pilot for Well-Being Research program will conduct independent academic research using up to six months of Instagram data to determine the potential positive or negative associations of Instagram use among teens and young adults. The study will also examine the positive and negative differences of large populations across the world and the causes of statistical relationships between Instagram and social or emotional health, according to the programs website.
The data researchers can access may include an Instagram users followers and the accounts they follow, account settings and the amount of time they spend on the photo sharing service. The researchers will not have access to users demographic information or the contents of their posts and comments. The data will come from accounts based in 24 countries including the US and UK, according to the request for proposal (RFP).
Other scientific studies conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and New York University and Stanford have found parallel links between social media use and the state of a persons mental health. The link earned greater awareness last year when Arturo Béjar, a former director of engineering for Protect and Care at Facebook, testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee that he alerted the company and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg by email of the dangers their product could have on young people.
Béjar testified that seven days before the hearing, 13 percent of users on Instagram between the ages of 13-15 receive unwanted sexual advances. He also testified that his own 16-year-old daughter exhibited signs of a momentary decline in mental health when a user commented that she should get back to the kitchen under one of her posts.
A month before the hearing, 41 states filed a lawsuit against Meta for allegedly misleading the public about the potentially addictive nature of its platforms like Facebook and Instagram among teenagers.
"My experience, after sending that email and seeing what happened afterwards, is that they knew there were things they could do about it, they chose not to do them and we cannot trust them with our children," Béjar said during the hearing. "It's time for Congress to act. The evidence, I believe, is overwhelming."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-gives-researchers-access-to-instagram-data-for-teen-mental-health-study-204322979.html?src=rss
Microsoft has officially released its Designer platform for AI image generation. After a long preview phase, Designer is now available to most people with a Microsoft account. Designer can be used on the web in more than 80 languages, as a mobile app for iOS and Android, and as a Windows app. You can create a brand new visual from the ground up with AI, or use Designer to edit and tweak a picture you've already made. There are plenty of templates available to guide the creation of common image types, like a greeting card, smartphone wallpaper or a profile avatar. More experienced artists can also build everything from scratch, developing their own templates and using their own art.
While Designer can be used on its own, Microsoft is promoting its integration with the companys other services. Thanks to the company's Copilot AI chatbot, Designer images can be easily linked up to Microsoft Word and PowerPoint projects. Of course, taking full advantage of that will require a Copilot Pro subscription.
If you've used Canva, then Designer will feel very familiar. The service takes a very similar approach to its user experience and now also has some AI options. According to details from when Microsoft first announced the app back in 2022, Designer is integrated with OpenAI's image generator DALL-E. Copilot already has DALL-E 3 integration, as well as ChatGPT 4 Turbo, so it makes sense that Designer will sync up with those existing services.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-releases-ios-and-android-apps-for-designer-its-ai-powered-canva-competitor-203028855.html?src=rss
The tinyPod is a case for your Apple Watch, which probably doesnt sound too exciting on its own. However, its unique angle a click wheel that controls the watchs Digital Crown makes Apples wearable look and feel (at least in its marketing) like the companys first breakthrough product of the 21st century: the iPod. Although you can use it as a music player, it also works with everything else in watchOS, transforming Apples smartwatch into a minimalist, distraction-free phone.
The $80 tinyPod works with Apple Watch models in Series 4 through 9, along with the Apple Watch SE. (The 41/40mm and 45/44mm Apple Watches have separate tinyPods.) Meanwhile, another 49mm version for the Apple Watch Ultra because who wouldnt want to turn their $800 wearable into a minimalist phone? costs $90. Theres also tinyPod lite, a $30 case sans click wheel.
That click wheel is its core gimmick, and its creator apparently believes it will be safe from Apples lawyers. (The fact that it relies on an Apple product probably doesnt hurt.) The cases wheel syncs its movement with the Apple Watchs Digital Crown via carefully mechanized components inside that make direct rotation contact with your Apple Watch crown. In other words, anywhere on watchOS that lets you scroll with the crown will be scrollable with the tinyPod click wheel. In theory, anyway.
Newar / tinyPod
The tinyPod website says it can support multi-day battery life by turning off the watchs wrist detection (which you dont need here). But living up to that may be a tall order, given how short the battery life of cellular Apple Watches tends to be when used without a phone in Bluetooth range. Of course, you could use a GPS-only model (or turn off cellular) and stick to locally stored music, but that would also limit what it can do.
tinyPod is the product of Newar, a former Snap designer and one-time jailbreak guru. In May, the creator posted that it began as a side project before being transformed into a real, shipping product for one reason: Whenever I left the house with it, I loved how I felt.
Whether the tinyPod lives up to its billing as a minimalist, distraction-free and nostalgia-laden phone or not, its creator appears to have put significant thought into aesthetics, clarity of purpose and consistency in marketing. Its website demonstrates an eye for detail that relishes in its iPod inspiration, including era-appropriate Apple fonts and a teaser video in a classic 4:3 aspect ratio. (Cue silhouettes dancing to Gorillaz.)
The tinyPod is available for pre-order ahead of shipments this summer. You can reserve one today at the product website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-tinypod-transforms-your-old-apple-watch-into-an-ipod-like-minimalist-phone-201713024.html?src=rss
In only a few short hours, Amazon Prime Day 2024 will be in the books, but you still have time to shop day-two deals right now. This year's July Prime Day has been, for lack of a better word, typical, but that's a good thing for anyone who missed out on shopping yesterday. The best Prime Day deals we saw on day one are, indeed, the best deals you can get now during day two and most of them haven't sold out yet.
If you have any electronics on your wishlist, or you're back for day two and want to take advantage of the still-live sales, Engadget has you covered. We've curated the best Prime Day deals on tech that you can still get for the remainder of Amazon Prime Day. Stay tuned to this post for updates as we close out Prime Day 2024 at the end of the day today.
If you're looking for even more Prime Day deals that are still available, check out Engadget's Prime Day hub where you'll find all of the best tech deals you can get for the shopping event this year. In addition to Amazon devices, Prime Day is typically a great time to pick up big-ticket items like tablets, laptops and robot vacuums, and accessories like power banks, streaming devices, Bluetooth speakers and the like.
Best Prime Day deals: Engadget top picks
Apple 10th-gen iPad for $299, $50 off
Apple AirTag for $24, $5 off
Apple MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $850, $250 off
Apple AirPods Pro for $169, $80 off
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for $298, $102 off
Anker Soundcore Space A40 earbuds for $49, $30 off
Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 (four-pack) for $65, $35 off
iRobot Roomba Combo Essential robot vacuum and mop for $190, $110 off
Amazon Echo Dot for $25, $25 off
Amazon Echo Show 8 for $85, $65 off
Sonos Era 100 for $199, $50 off
Best Prime Day tech deals
Apple Watch Series 9 for $280, $120 off: We consider the Series 9 to be the best smartwatch available today, period, and it's a no-brainer accessory for iPhone owners. If you want to spend less and get most of the code features found here, you should consider the more affordable Apple Watch SE.
Apple AirTag for $24, $4 off: We think these are the best Bluetooth trackers you can buy if youre an iPhone user. They rely on Apples vast Find My network that calls on every nearby iPhone to anonymously pinpoint an AirTags location. We found their locating features to be eerily accurate. The price has gone up and down over the past 48 hours, but you may still be able to get a four-pack of AirTags for a record low of $75, too.
Apple 10th-gen iPad for $299, $50 off: This is the best iPad for those on a budget thanks to its modern design, USB-C charging, solid battery life and solid performance for the price. Its even compatible with an optional folio keyboard if you want to turn it into a productivity machine.
Apple AirPods Pro for $169, $80 off: The Pros are the best pair of wireless earbuds that Apple sells and one of our top picks overall. They'll be hard to beat if you live in the Apple ecosystem and appreciate the conveniences provided by the built-in H1 chip.
AirPods Max for $395, $155 off: We gave this pair a review score of 84 when it arrived way back in December 2020. Despite its age, the Max remains one of the more premium sets of wireless headphones you can buy.
Apple MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $850, $250 off: Apple's 2024 MacBook Air has a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display that can support one billion different colors. We gave it a 90 in our review thanks to offers like a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, three mics and up to 18 hours of battery life.
Apple MacBook Air (M2, 13-inch) for $799, $200 off: If you're coming from an older, Intel-based MacBook, any M-series machine will feel like a big upgrade. This M2 laptop excels thanks to its stellar performance, excellent screen and thin-and-light design.
Engadget
Sony WH-1000XM5 for $298, $102 off: These are our top pick for the best headphones on the market today it doesn't get much better than the XM5. If you're on a tight budget and still want the core features in these cans, consider the previous version, the Sony WH-1000XM4
No Mans Sky has been sending players on interstellar explorations for more than eight years now, and explorers probably havent uncovered a tenth of this computer-generated universe. A huge new update called Worlds Part I expands this already sizable game with a ton of new gadgets, story driven missions and new worlds to discover and explore.
The Worlds Part I update is available now in No Mans Sky across all consoles as well as PC and Mac. All told, there are over 40 new features, improvements or fixes and additions.
The game already has over 18 quintillion planets but there are a few new types added to this mix. One of the new world types now have gravitational distortions that have altered terrains to create floating islands that can be mined, altered or used as a platform to build a new homebase in the sky. No Mans Sky has also transformed some of its words into sub-zero landscapes with new flora, mineral formations and terrains. Some worlds have even generated new forms of life such as plant-animal hybrids with features like stamen-like whiskers and petal-like faces, according to the official website.
The Worlds Part I update also comes with a bunch of new graphics improvements and features. Hello Games has given pretty much every part of its worlds a new look from the new volumetric clouds in the sky to the high definition water and dynamic water thats more responsive to wind, depth and weather conditions.
Hello Games
Some planets have visually enhanced atmospheres that can produce familiar weather like rain and snow as well as unusual conditions such as falling ash and ember and storm crystals. The update also provides some engine enhancements to improve the games graphics and performance and render environments faster and clearer. There are even new sky and water colors across the universes many landscapes and horizons.
The new update isnt just a cosmetic fix. Theres also some new toys in the game that help you alter planets terrains or blow giant holes in your enemies spacecraft. The coolest are the Liquidator combat mechs that look like giant Star Wars imperial walkers (if you cut off its head and attached a pair of arms to either side). You can also mount weapons on the arm such as the new Minotaur Flamethrower that can cause extreme damage at close range.
A flamethrower will come in handy when youre engaged in combat in one of the new walker battles featuring new, deadly Sentinel units to fight or taking on one of the vile insect queens or a hostile beetle (or gentle but still roastable). Once youve defeated them, you can turn their carcasses into mounted trophies for your living space. Theres also new biological based accessories you can build including a Chitin Flight Pack and an insect based armor set if you want your explorer to look more GWAR-esque.
Theres even a new menu of strange nutrients to keep your explorer sated and healthy with ingredients like nourishing slime, syrupy nectar and juicy grubs. These components can create new dishes to consume like Mucal Doughnuts, Seeping Pies and Juicy Thoraxes that make Scottish cuisine sound like items from the French Laundry.
Hello Games
Now that youve got new items from your arsenal like bug-based armor and flamethrowers, you can take them out for a test-toast on new story-driven missions like the Vile Brood Nexus Mission to eradicate an invasive species. Once you get your Liquidator mech, you can go on a Bug Hunt Expedition to exterminate species of giant, dangerous insects and other biological horrors.
Phew, thats one massive update. No Mans Sky is known for its huge updates and patches that throw a ton of new stuff into the games virtual universe. The Orbital update released in March added new features like a ship editor and a new Guild system. The Echo package generated a new form of mechanical life called the Autophage, multi-tool salvaging and a graphics boost for PlayStationVR 2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/no-mans-skys-newest-update-is-a-buried-tech-module-full-of-new-goodies-182151743.html?src=rss
AI seems to be seeping into every facet of society these days, but that may not be the case in communities where English isnt the dominant language. Spotify is working to correct that by offering a Spanish-speaking version of its DJ feature.
Spotify announced the new Spanish speaking feature for its DJ mode also known as Xavier or X on Wednesday. The new DJ is named Livi and Spotify has even given its new DJ a backstory describing her as a Senior Music Editor at Spotify based out of Mexico City and a music expert who has spent her entire career in the music industry.
Its basically a cruder version of how Jon Hamm can digitally assign backgrounds and perspectives to cookies in Black Mirrors Christmas episode. Does this mean X and Livia will start screaming if we play Wizzards I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday on an endless loop?
DJ is an AI generated list of curated songs based on a Spotify users listening history. The DJ feature also includes an AI voice introducing and commenting on some of the songs it picks just like a radio DJ would except this DJ plays songs you actually want to hear. The music streaming service launched DJ last year using OpenAI. Six months later, Spotify expanded DJs reach to 50 countries but only in English.
Spotifys DJ is also starting to get some competition. YouTube Music just announced its own AI-generated conversational DJ radio generator for select users. If they dont call him YouGene, then they are missing out on pure pun gold.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotifys-ai-music-dj-can-now-speak-spanish-180022156.html?src=rss
