Gadgets, Game & Mobile News

Music Streaming Services Are Getting Record Amounts of Money - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 17:39
Here's where all the recording industry profits are really going.

After Writing About Hundreds of Credit Cards, These Two Are Still My Favorite - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 17:24
These cards are my go-to options for all of my spending.

No, the NAR Real Estate Settlement Probably Won't Drive Down Home Prices. Here's Why - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 17:15
Despite recent headlines, a major lawsuit against realtors isn't likely to make housing more affordable.

Helldivers 2: How to Dive Into the Surprise-Hit Squad Shooter - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 17:08
Get past the slightly steep learning curve and you'll soon be playing a fun, Starship Troopers-like game.

5 Great Shows on Hulu To Stream Tonight - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 17:01
The popular subscription service has a healthy mix of original programming, live shows and binge-able classics.

ZeroWater 5-Stage Water Pitcher - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 16:41
20-Cup, IAPMO certified.

Israel’s military reportedly used Google Photos to identify civilians in Gaza

Engadget - Wed, 2024-03-27 16:33

The New York Times reports that Israel’s military intelligence has been using an experimental facial recognition program in Gaza that’s misidentified Palestinian civilians as having ties to Hamas. Google Photos allegedly plays a part in the chilling program’s implementation, although it appears not to be through any direct collaboration with the company.

The surveillance program reportedly started as a way to search for Israeli hostages in Gaza. However, as often happens with new wartime technology, the initiative was quickly expanded to “root out anyone with ties to Hamas or other militant groups,” according to The NYT. The technology is flawed, but Israeli soldiers reportedly haven’t treated it as such when detaining civilians flagged by the system.

According to intelligence officers who spoke to The NYT, the program uses tech from the private Israeli company Corsight. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, it promises its surveillance systems can accurately recognize people with less than half of their faces exposed. It can supposedly be effective even with “extreme angles, (even from drones) darkness, and poor quality.”

But an officer in Israel’s Unit 8200 learned that, in reality, it often struggled with grainy, obscured or injured faces. According to the official, Corsight’s tech included false positives and cases where an accurately identified Palestinian was incorrectly flagged as having Hamas ties.

Three Israeli officers told The NYT that its military used Google Photos to supplement Corsight’s tech. Intelligence officials allegedly uploaded data containing known persons of interest to Google’s service, allowing them to use the app’s photo search feature to flag them among its surveillance materials. One officer said Google’s ability to match partially obscured faces was superior to Corsight’s, but they continued using the latter because it was “customizable.”

When contacted for a statement, a Google spokesperson reiterated to Engadget that the product only groups faces from images you’ve added to your library. “Google Photos is a free product which is widely available to the public that helps you organize photos by grouping similar faces, so you can label people to easily find old photos. It does not provide identities for unknown people in photographs,” they wrote.

One man erroneously detained through the surveillance program was poet Mosab Abu Toha, who told The NYT he was pulled aside at a military checkpoint in northern Gaza as his family tried to flee to Egypt. He was then allegedly handcuffed and blindfolded, and then beaten and interrogated for two days before finally being returned. He said soldiers told him before his release that his questioning (and then some) had been a “mistake.”

The Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems From Gaza scribe said he has no connection to Hamas and wasn’t aware of an Israeli facial recognition program in Gaza. However, during his detention, he said he overheard someone saying the Israeli army had used a “new technology” on the group with whom he was incarcerated.

Update, March 27, 2024, 4:32 PM ET: This story has been updated to add a statement to Engadget from Google.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/israels-military-reportedly-used-google-photos-to-identify-civilians-in-gaza-200843298.html?src=rss

Wi-Fi Hacking Happens. Here Are 10 Expert-Recommended Tips to Prevent It - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 16:19
There's no guarantee when it comes to home Wi-Fi security, but you can certainly make it harder for someone to gain access to your network.

22 Great Gifts for $50 or Less - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 16:00
Great deals on everything from speakers to headphones to our favorite streaming device -- all for $50 or less.

World Backup Day Deals: Early Savings on SSDs, Flash Drives, SD Cards and More - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 15:54
World Backup Day is this weekend, and we've gathered early deals on storage solutions to help you back up your most important data for less.

Apple's M3 and M2 MacBook Airs have never been cheaper

Engadget - Wed, 2024-03-27 15:51

We consider Apple's newest MacBook Air to be the best laptop for most people, and it's now dropped to a new low of $999 at Amazon and B&H. This discount is for the entry-level 13-inch model, so you'll have to make do with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but it's $100 less than buying from Apple directly and $50 less than the sale price we've seen on Amazon for the past couple of weeks. Just note that the deal only applies to the Midnight and Space Gray finishes, and that Amazon's listing is showing a shipping delay. B&H says the offer will run through March 28.

A few other configurations are also on sale. For one, B&H has a model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for $1,399, which is another $100 discount. If you'd prefer a bigger display, Amazon is also selling the 15-inch version of the M3 Air for $1,204. That deal has been around for the past few days, but it's still a $95 discount and the best price we've tracked for this entry-level config since the new notebooks were released earlier this month.

If you can accept an older processor, meanwhile, B&H has the last-gen MacBook Air with Apple's M2 chip on sale for $849. That's another all-time low and $150 off Apple's list price. Again, the retailer says this deal will only run through March 28. Lastly, a config of the 15-inch M2 Air with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD is down to a low of $1,499 as well.

We gave the both versions of the M3-powered MacBook Air a score of 90 in our review. Like the M2 Airs before them, they're slim, light and sturdy slabs, with comfortable keyboards and trackpads, accurate displays, 1080p webcams and more than enough battery life for a typical workday. Now, they each have a slightly faster chip, Wi-Fi 6E support and the option to connect to two external monitors (albeit only when the laptop itself is closed). Between the two sizes on sale, the 15-inch model has a slightly stronger GPU and more robust speakers alongside its roomier display. The port selection isn't great on either, but there are two Thunderbolt USB-C ports, a MagSafe charging port and a headphone jack.

As my colleague Daniel Cooper has noted, though, the best thing about the new notebooks might be that they've made the M2 versions cheaper. The difference between the M2 and M3 Airs isn't hugely noticeable in day-to-day use, so if you really want to save $150, the older model might be the better deal, especially if you're upgrading from a more dated Air with an Intel chip. (Those coming from an M1 model will probably be better off jumping to the M3.) The base M3 Air technically has a faster SSD than its predecessor, however, so it may be worth it if you often work with large files. That said, you should only get these 8GB RAM/256GB SSD configurations if you'll mostly stick to less demanding tasks. Go beyond that and they can start to run hot.

It's worth noting that 2020 M1 version of the notebook is now going for $699 at Walmart, which is a great price. Unless you just want a competent MacBook for as little as possible, though, the M2 version is enough of an upgrade to be worth the extra cost for most. We'll also highlight a hardware-level security exploit that was recently discovered for all M-series Macs, though the real-world risk of falling victim to that flaw is generally low. In any case, if you're looking to make a MacBook upgrade, this looks like a decent time to take advantage.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-m3-and-m2-macbook-airs-have-never-been-cheaper-195132686.html?src=rss

Best Travel Tech Gifts: Gadgets for the Journey and the Destination - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 15:30
Whether you're buying for an international jetsetter or an occasional traveler, there's a good gift idea on this list.

Scorched Cast-Iron Skillet? This One Kitchen Staple Can Fix That - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 15:00
Put the soap down and grab this pantry staple instead; it can safely clean your skillet.

Sega of America workers have ratified their union contract

Engadget - Wed, 2024-03-27 14:59

Workers at Sega of America, a division of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc., have officially ratified their union contract, as reported by Bloomberg. This makes it one of the first major North American video-game companies to take this step, which could bode well for future organized labor pushes in the industry.

The contract was ratified after workers overwhelmingly voted to unionize last year. It covers around 150 people working in various departments throughout the company, including brand marketing, games as a service, localization, sales and quality assurance. The union is called the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS-CWA) and it organizes with the Communications Workers of America.

There are already some provisions in place for workers as part of the contract, including a minimum pay increase of 4 percent in 2024, 3 percent in 2025 and 2.5 percent in 2026. There are also layoff protections, codified benefits like health insurance, a severance inclusion and a commitment to credit all workers on games.

“We’re hopeful that in the midst of extensive layoffs, workers across the video game industry will see organizing as a pathway to improve working conditions for all of us,” wrote Jasmin Hernandez, a member of AEGIS-CWA, in a statement provided to Engadget.

Sega wasn’t exactly happy about the push toward labor rights and unionization. The company faced an unfair labor practice complaint after it announced plans to lay off 40 percent of the union's bargaining unit. The company did lay off some of these people, as promised, but the union was able to reach an agreement to keep many workers employed. 

Labor is having a moment in the games industry. ZeniMax Workers United joined with the CWA last year to offer union protection to 300 quality assurance workers. Over 600 Activision QA testers have joined a union, making it the biggest worker-formed organization in video games. Avalanche Studios, Raven Software and several small development studios have all also unionized in the past year or so.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sega-of-america-workers-have-ratified-their-union-contract-185906593.html?src=rss

Immortals of Aveum headlines April’s PS Plus monthly games

Engadget - Wed, 2024-03-27 14:39

Sony unveiled April’s PlayStation Plus monthly games on Wednesday. The batch includes Immortals of Aveum, Minecraft Legends, Skul: The Hero Slayer and an Overwatch 2 skins-and-skips bundle. Subscribers on PS Plus’ Essential, Extra and Premium tiers can claim the titles starting Tuesday, April 2.

Immortals of Aveum (PS5) showed promise, but its “first-person shooter with magic instead of guns” formula didn’t fare incredibly well commercially. The EA-published game was met with mixed reviews, and its release date — competing against the likes of Baldur’s Gate III, Armored Core VI and Starfield — likely didn’t help. That led to indie developer Ascendant Studios laying off nearly half its staff a few weeks after launch. Still, despite its suspiciously smooth mechanics and too-sparse crowds, we liked its cinematics and satisfyingly powerful magical attacks, so it could be worth checking out risk-free with your subscription.

Minecraft Legends (PS5 / PS4) takes the best-selling game of all time and spins it off into a real-time action-strategy game. In the franchise's blocky style, players form alliances to defeat invading piglins from the Nether dimension. The game includes a single-player story mode and multiplayer for up to eight players.

Skul: The Hero Slayer (PS4) is a retro 2D side-scrolling roguelike. You play as a skeleton who can swap skulls — and, in turn, abilities — with his slain enemies. (Convenient!) The game lets you select two ability types and encourages quick-switching during combat.

In addition to those three games, all PlayStation Plus subscribers can snag an exclusive Overwatch 2 Mega Bundle in April. The pack includes nine skins and five Battle Pass Tier Skips. You’ll first need to download Overwatch 2 from the PlayStation Store, and the bundle should show up in-game immediately (whether you’re a new or returning player).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/immortals-of-aveum-headlines-aprils-ps-plus-monthly-games-183924174.html?src=rss

Best Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Rates for March 2024 - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 14:25
You can use a HELOC to tap into your home's equity and get flexible access to cash with a revolving credit line.

Get a Whopping $600 Off Samsung's Monster 49-Inch Odyssey OLED G9 Monitor - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 14:19
Pick up this incredible monitor for just $1,000 while this special Amazon deal lasts.

Hulu on Disney Plus Launches in the US - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 14:06
Bundle subscribers can watch The Bear and Shōgun without leaving the Disney Plus app.

Best Hybrid Mattresses for 2024 - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 14:00
Hybrid mattresses are popular for being both comfortable and supportive. Here are the best hybrid mattresses chosen and tested by our sleep experts.

Chill Out or Dance Anywhere With Big Savings on a Portable Speaker - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2024-03-27 13:54
Amazon has slashed the price on JBL's Charge 5 and Xtreme 3 Bluetooth speakers right now, making it more affordable to grab one for your next get-together.

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