Engadget Podcast: The NY Auto Show and a chat with Lucy Liu https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-03%2F195e1fa0-ed8b-11ee-8bbf-98e8185e8bbd&resize=1400%2C787&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=99a22f4ff242530bf3608800dd8a7ef2fb3793dd This week, it’s all about cars and Lucy Liu in VR. Devindra chats with Senior Writer Sam Rutherford about his visit to the New York International Auto Show, where he saw the Polestar 4, a unique new EV without a rear window. Also, Cherlynn pops in to chat with Lucy Liu about her new VR game, The Pirate Queen. We also explore the issues around Florida’s bill banning young kids from social media sites, and Sam tells us why he likes Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation. Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News! Topics Sam Rutherford on what’s new in EVs and car tech from the New York Auto Show – 0:57 Cherlynn Low interviews Lucy Liu about her new VR game The Pirate Queen – 34:39 Florida Governor signs bill banning young children from social media – 54:55 Intel confirms Copilot will eventually run locally – 58:33 There’s finally a version of Chrome that runs well on ARM-based Windows machines – 1:02:43 Canadian researchers have created a camera that takes 156.3 trillion frames per second – 1:05:06 Working on – 1:07:08 Pop culture picks – 1:12:44 Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Credits  Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Sam Rutherford Guest: Cherlynn Low and Lucy Liu Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Engadget
Engadget Podcast: The NY Auto Show and a chat with Lucy Liu
This week, it’s all about cars and Lucy Liu in VR.
Engadget
Engadget Podcast: The NY Auto Show and a chat with Lucy Liu
This week, it’s all about cars and Lucy Liu in VR.
Elon Musk's updated Grok AI claims to be better at coding and math https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-03%2F5d751370-eda3-11ee-accd-0486e397499c&resize=1400%2C876&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=2aac7ee50a736caed0a54492b792af26890a402f Elon Musk's answer to ChatGPT is getting an update to make it better at math, coding and more. Musk's xAI has launched Grok-1.5 to early testers with "improved capabilities and reasoning" and the ability to process longer contexts. The company claims it now stacks up against GPT-4, Gemini Pro 1.5 and Claude 3 Opus in several areas.  Going by xAI's numbers, Grok-1.5 appears to be a large improvement over Grok-1. It shot up to 50.6 percent in the MATH benchmark, over double the previous score. It also climbed to 90 percent and 74.1 percent in GSM8K (math word problems) and HumanEval (coding), respectively, compared to 62.9 percent and 63.2 percent before. Those numbers are within shouting distance of Gemini Pro 1.5, GPT-4 and Claude 3 Opus — in fact, the HumanEval coding score beats all rivals except Claude 3 Opus. xAI It can also process long contexts of up to 128K tokens within its context window, meaning it can amalgamate data from more sources to understand a situation. "This allows Grok to have an increased memory capacity of up to 16 times the previous context length, enabling it to utilize information from substantially longer documents," the company said. xAI didn't detail Grok's progress in other areas, though, where it still may be lagging (academic scores, multimodal and others). And Grok-1.5 may not keep its position for long. ChatGPT 5 is set to arrive sometime this summer, promising a feature set that "makes it feel like you are communicating with a person rather than a machine," according to OpenAI.  Currently, Grok is only available for users of the Premium+ tier on X (formerly Twitter), though Elon Musk recently promised to open it up to X's regular Premium users. The company also recently open sourced its Grok chatbot, after Musk sued OpenAI and Sam Altman for allegedly abandoning its non-profit mission.  This article originally appeared on Engadget at
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Elon Musk's updated Grok AI claims to be better at coding and math
Elon Musk's answer to ChatGPT, is getting an update to make it better at math, coding and more.
Engadget
Elon Musk's updated Grok AI claims to be better at coding and math
Elon Musk's answer to ChatGPT, is getting an update to make it better at math, coding and more.
Activision is reportedly looking into the malware stealing its users' login credentials https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-03%2F66fc5890-eda3-11ee-bffb-3bf7c788c06d&resize=1400%2C787&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=f66848175b2aea270e683bc5dc9ece2133986d6c Activision is reportedly in the midst of investigating a hacking campaign that's stealing login credentials from people playing its games. According to TechCrunch, bad actors have been successfully installing malware onto victims' computers and using their access to steal logins for their gaming accounts and even their crypto wallets. The video game publisher has apparently been helping victims remove the malware and regain control of their accounts, but it doesn't have enough information at the moment to say how the malware is spreading.  TechCrunch's source said the malware "could be only affecting folks who have third-party tools installed," insinuating that people are getting it from non-Activision-developed software typically used with its games. Delaney Simmons, Activision's spokesperson, told the publication that the company is aware of "claims that some player credentials across the broader industry could be compromised from malware from downloading or using unauthorized software." He added that the company's servers "remain secure and uncompromised." That's certainly a plausible theory, seeing as the hacking scheme appears to have been uncovered by someone known as Zeebler, who develops cheating software for Call of Duty. Zeebler told TechCrunch that he discovered the campaign when one of his customers had their account stolen for his software. Upon looking into it, he reportedly discovered a database containing stolen credentials. He also said that the malware is disguised to look like real software, but they were actually designed to steal the usernames and passwords victims type in. Zeebler is presumably talking about third-party tools like cheating software getting cloned to harvest people's logins, but phishing schemes that use Activision's official login design exist, as well. Bottom line is, people should be careful what they download and always double check if the login page they're typing in is the real deal.  This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Engadget
Activision is reportedly looking into the malware stealing its users' login credentials
Activision is reportedly in the midst of investigating a hacking campaign that's stealing log-in credentials from people playing its games.
Engadget
Activision is reportedly looking into the malware stealing its users' login credentials
Activision is reportedly in the midst of investigating a hacking campaign that's stealing log-in credentials from people playing its games.
The Morning After: TikTok inches closer to a possible US ban https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-03%2F3168cc80-dcbf-11ee-9ff9-b15e02a7eb99&resize=1400%2C933&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=d4d761c61afaec0100e29c543514e398abd1c716 A bill that could force a sale or outright ban on TikTok passed the House of Representatives just days after it was first introduced. It now goes to the senate. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (no, we’re not calling it PAFACAA) is the latest attempt by the government to constrain TikTok. If it passes, it could have one of two outcomes: The parent company sells TikTok to a US-based owner, or it faces a ban from US app stores and web hosting services. Of course, TikTok opposes the bill, saying it’s unconstitutional. But they’re not the only ones: Free speech and digital rights groups also object to the bill, with many noting that comprehensive privacy laws would be more effective at protecting Americans’ user data rather than trying to single out one app. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Fight for the Future and the Center for Democracy and Technology argued the bill would “set an alarming global precedent” for government control of social media. Oh, and FYI: There are no spy balloons in your phone. The SIM tray is too small. — Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed The best docking stations for laptops Even cozy games can get toxic From mono to mainstream: 20 years of Bluetooth audio PS5 system update makes your DualSense controller sound better ​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! Tesla paid no federal income tax between 2018 and 2022 It earned $4.4 billion and gave its executives $2.5 billion. A detailed Guardian report said 35 major US companies, including Tesla, T-Mobile, Netflix, Ford Motor and Match Group, paid their top five executives more than they paid in federal income taxes between 2018 and 2022. Tesla was the worst offender. It earned $4.4 billion in those five years and gave its executives $2.5 billion. Despite that, Tesla not only didn’t pay any federal taxes, but it received $1 million in refunds from the government. Tesla boss Elon Musk is the second richest person in the world. That’s the punchline. Continue reading. Musk kills Don Lemon’s new X show before it began The first episode’s subject was Musk himself. X I’m sorry, more Musk. X has canceled a high-profile partnership with former CNN host Don Lemon to stream a video talk show on the platform. Lemon said the company canceled his contract hours after he interviewed X’s billionaire owner Elon Musk for the first episode of The Don Lemon Show. “Elon Musk is mad at me,” Lemon said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “Apparently, free speech absolutism doesn’t apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me.” How’s that “video first” push going, Linda? Continue reading. Summer Game Fest’s 2024 Showcase on June 7 Late Friday? C’mon! The fifth edition of Summer Game Fest takes place this year on Friday, June 7 at 5PM ET. Expect a two-hour stream of trailers and hype with… around a 10 percent success rate. With E3 officially dead, SGF is poised to take the expo’s place as the major gaming event of the year.  Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Engadget
The Morning After: TikTok inches closer to a possible US ban
The biggest news stories this morning: Even cozy games can get toxic, From mono to mainstream: 20 years of Bluetooth audio, Musk kills Don Lemon’...
Engadget
The Morning After: TikTok inches closer to a possible US ban
The biggest news stories this morning: Even cozy games can get toxic, From mono to mainstream: 20 years of Bluetooth audio, Musk kills Don Lemon’...
New York City is suing social media firms for allegedly harming the mental health of children https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-02%2Fdbadaee0-cbc6-11ee-beff-84273cadd6dc&resize=1400%2C875&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=926d06f8651f0463399f4d7ccce4bce9da5e7525 After designating social media as a "public health hazard" in late January, New York City is now suing Meta, Google, Snap and TikTok for "fueling nationwide youth mental health crisis." Specifically, these companies face three counts in the lawsuit: public nuisance, negligence and gross negligence. The Mayor Eric Adams administration accuses TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube of "endangering our children's mental health, promoting addiction, and encouraging unsafe behavior." These are allegedly achieved by way of harmful algorithms, gambling-like mechanisms and manipulation through reciprocity — making the user "feel compelled to respond to one positive action with another positive action." The city believes that there is a correlation between the increase in social media usage and the decline in local youth mental health over "more than a decade." In response, Google and Meta told CNBC that they have always worked with youth safety experts and provided parental control tools. ByteDance's TikTok also highlighted some of its specific tools to Axios, namely age-restricted features, parental controls and an automatic 60-minute time limit for users under 18. However, none of the tech companies acknowledged the problematic features listed by the Adams administration. This lawsuit follows a recent Senate hearing on online child safety, in which the CEOs of all the aforementioned tech companies (except Google) were present. In his opening remarks, Senator Lindsey Graham told the tech execs that "you have blood on your hands" — a reference to online child exploitations and cyberbullying that unfortunately led to deaths.  Through this case, the Adams administration wants these tech companies to pay up for the city's youth mental health services, which apparently cost more than $100 million each year. But ultimately, it's about forcing these tech giants to stop manipulating young users into addictive behavior, as well as to make policymakers place new federal laws that safeguard youth mental health on social platforms. Before this New York City lawsuit, Meta already faces a similar case from 41 states back in October 2023, in which it was accused of misleading the public about the safety of its platform's "addictive" features. Meta, Snap, TikTok and Google were also sued in a multi-district litigation in 2022 for their addictive features that allegedly cause "emotional and physical harms, including death" to adolescents. This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Engadget
New York City is suing social media companies for allegedly harming the mental health of children
New York City is suing Meta, Google, Snap and TikTok for "fueling nationwide youth mental health crisis."
Engadget
New York City is suing social media companies for allegedly harming the mental health of children
New York City is suing Meta, Google, Snap and TikTok for "fueling nationwide youth mental health crisis."
Duolingo lays off contractors as it starts relying more on AI https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2022-05%2F5dd58d10-dc55-11ec-bdfb-de55e9c7d8b2&resize=1400%2C933&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=b2524c180cb8a0cac9841e7d142d5182cea02e0a Duolingo has cut 10 percent of its contractors and using AI tools to handle the tasks they used to do, Bloomberg reports. "We just no longer need as many people to do the type of work some of these contractors were doing," a spokesperson told the news organization without saying what they did for the company exactly. "Part of that could be attributed to AI."  As Bloomberg notes, Chief Executive Officer Luis von Ahn told shareholders in November that the company is using AI to create new content, such as scripts, "dramatically faster." Duolingo also relies on AI to generate the voices users hear in-app. The company previously released customer-facing AI features, as well. Last year, it introduced a premium tier called Duolingo Max that gives subscribers access to a chatbot that can explain why their responses were correct or incorrect. Another Max feature called Roleplay lets subscribers practice their language skills in made-up scenarios, like ordering food in a Parisian cafe.  The rise of modern generative AIs over the past couple of years brought to surface society's fear of losing jobs to technology. In this case, no full-timers were affected by the job reductions, and the spokesperson said it's not a sign that it's straight up replacing its workers with artificial intelligence. A lot of the company's full-time employees and contractors are apparently using AI tools to accomplish certain tasks in their work. This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Engadget
Duolingo lays off contractors as it starts relying more on AI
Duolingo has cut 10 percent of its contractors and using AI tools to handle the tasks they used to do, Bloomberg reports.
Engadget
Duolingo lays off contractors as it starts relying more on AI
Duolingo has cut 10 percent of its contractors and using AI tools to handle the tasks they used to do, Bloomberg reports.
An electric car completed the world's first-ever drive from the North to the South Pole https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2023-12%2F4945cbc0-9d66-11ee-9f7e-84a831e8ffe8&resize=1400%2C875&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=f7973355a1f699ac4af7d0a382c8a108fb25f403 Earlier today, Scottish adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey were finally able to announce their completion of the nine-month, 17,000-mile "Pole To Pole EV" expedition, the world's first drive from the 1823 Magnetic North Pole to South Pole — on an electric car, no less. The couple actually reached their destination on December 15 (Friday), but they could only share the news after re-establishing satellite connection later. This feat was achieved using a Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE electric vehicle, which was modified by Icelandic specialist Arctic Trucks — mainly with larger 39-inch tires plus matching wheel arches, along with some ice-friendly gear and body reinforcement work. The powertrain and suspension were mostly stock — just with a lifted height, according to Electrek. All that extra load on the electric vehicle meant it had to make do with a reduced range of just 150 to 200 miles — a drop from the original 272-mile mark. During the Arctic and Antarctic parts of the trip, the Ramseys picked up tricks on keeping the car battery warm for improved efficiency. Most notably, they would pile up a snow wall to shield the car's underside and front radiator from the cold wind, or they would even use a dedicated tent to cover up the entire car, when it wasn't not too windy.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pole to Pole EV (@poletopoleev) Depending on the weather, the duo would use either a 5kW wind turbine or a prototype solar hybrid charging solution to juice up their Ariya. Failing that, there were moments when they had to fall back to their petrol generator — a mandatory equipment for traversing the Arctic regions. Likewise with their diesel support vehicles, as no electric version of those exist. Chris explained to Expedition Portal that the purpose of "Pole To Pole EV" is to prove that electric vehicles make a viable replacement for existing diesel-powered expedition vehicles in the polar regions. In between the poles, the Ramseys traveled through the Americas, with the northern part being relatively easy thanks to the readily-available chargers along the way. It was a different story down south, but "Pole To Pole EV" collaborated with EV charging solutions provider, Enel X Way, to install chargers along their route through Central and South America — especially the Peru leg of the expedition. Better yet, Enel X Way has promised to keep these new chargers available to the public afterwards, thus extending its electric Pan-American charging corridor. This isn't the first time Chris and Julie Ramsey made headlines involving electric vehicles. Back in 2017, the Scottish couple became the first to enter and complete the Mongol Rally in an electric car — a modified Nissan Leaf Acenta. Charging was relatively easy between the UK and Turkey, but from there onwards, they had to rely on domestic plug sockets and would end up with many memorable encounters with locals. The two drove 10,000 miles in 56 days — quite a challenge given the modified Leaf's 90-mile range. "But we are pleased that a huge charging network has sprung up across the route since we completed the rally in 2017," Chris added, in case anyone else is up for the EV challenge. This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Engadget
An electric car completed the world's first-ever drive from the North to the South Pole
Scottish adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey completed their 'Pole To Pole EV' expedition with a Nissan Ariya electric car.
Engadget
An electric car completed the world's first-ever drive from the North to the South Pole
Scottish adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey completed their 'Pole To Pole EV' expedition with a Nissan Ariya electric car.