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Xbox gift cards are 10 percent off at Amazon right now

Engadget - Thu, 2023-12-07 06:59

If you want to surprise your favorite gamer with a gift but aren't sure exactly what to get, why not let them decide themselves? Amazon is offering Xbox Gift Cards at 10 percent off, giving you some nice savings on $50, $25 and $15 denominations. letting you grab them for $45, $22.50 and $13.50 respectively — some nice savings for the holidays. 

The discounted $50 Xbox Gift Card nearly covers three months of access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which now costs $17 per month. Alternatively, that's enough to pay for four months of Xbox Game Pass access (at $11 per month) or five months of PC Game Pass ($10 per month). Should your recipient choose to pay for Game Pass with their gift card, they'll have access to a library of hundreds of games. They could always just buy games outright, of course.

Alternatively, your gift recipient could purchase movies or TV shows or use it for in-game currency to get skins, battle passes and more. It's an option that's sure to please, but it's best to act fast, as they don't normally stay on sale for long. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xbox-gift-cards-are-10-percent-off-at-amazon-right-now-115939247.html?src=rss

Mortgage Interest Rates Today for Dec. 7, 2023: Rates Decline - CNET

CNET News - Thu, 2023-12-07 06:47
This week, a couple of notable mortgage rates moved down. If you're shopping for a home loan, see how today's high interest rates affect your budget.

Mortgage Refinance Rates on Dec. 7, 2023: Rates Fall - CNET

CNET News - Thu, 2023-12-07 06:46
Several key refinance rates decreased this week. Higher mortgage rates have affected the refinance market.

A Good Night's Sleep May Help Control Blood Sugar

Scientifc America - Thu, 2023-12-07 06:45

Brain waves during sleep influence glucose and insulin, offering new insights into controlling diabetes

Meta’s Oversight Board is fast-tracking two cases about Israel-Hamas war content

Engadget - Thu, 2023-12-07 06:00

Meta’s Oversight Board says it will fast-track two cases dealing with content takedowns on Facebook and Instagram related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The cases mark the first time the independent board has opted to expedite a review, which allows it to make a decision in as little as 48 hours instead of the typical weeks or months-long process.

The group says it has seen a surge in appeals since the start of the conflict with “an almost three-fold increase in the daily average of appeals” related to the Middle East and North Africa. The board said it selected the two cases, one from Facebook and one from Instagram, because they “address important questions relating to the conflict and represent wider issues affecting Facebook and Instagram users.”

In both cases, Meta initially removed the posts but later restored them. The case originating from Instagram stems from an early November post “showing what appears to be the aftermath of an airstrike on a yard outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.” Meta had taken down the post, citing its rules against violent content, but restored the post with a warning screen after the Oversight Board agreed to consider the case.

The case from Facebook deals with a video of Israeli hostages filmed during the October 7 attacks in Israel. Meta removed the video, citing its dangerous organization and violence and incitement policy. According to the Oversight Board, Meta later “revised its policy guidance in response to trends in how hostage kidnapping videos were being shared and reported on,” following the October 7 attacks.

The Oversight Board said in a statement it expects to make decisions about the cases within 30 days. As with other Oversight Board cases, Meta is required to comply with the board’s decision regarding whether the appealed content should be allowed to remain on its platform. The board will also make a series of policy recommendations to the company, though Meta isn’t bound to implement those changes.

Still, the board’s recommendations in these cases will likely be watched closely as Meta has faced increased scrutiny for its content moderation decisions since the start of the conflict. The company attempted to dispel accusations that it had “shadowbanned” Instagram users for sharing posts about the conditions in Gaza. Meta later blamed some of the issues on an unspecified “bug.”

The Oversight Board has previously raised questions about the company’s handling of content related to conflicts between Israel and Hamas. Last year, an independent report, commissioned by Meta following a recommendation from the board, found discrepancies in the company’s moderation practices that violated Palestinians’ right to free expression in 2021. In response to the report, Meta said it would update several of its rules, including its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-oversight-board-is-fast-tracking-two-cases-about-israel-hamas-war-content-110028027.html?src=rss

A24 movies will stream first on HBO and Max as part of a new multiyear deal

Engadget - Thu, 2023-12-07 05:45

Warner Bros Discover (WBD) has scored a coup by inking a "Pay-1" deal with indie darling A24 for priority streaming rights, the company announced. That means new releases from A24 like Iron Claw (above) will appear first on HBO, Max and Cinemax before streaming on any other platform. The deal also extends WBD's licensing for A24's film catalog, giving it access to titles like Uncut Gems, Everything Everywhere All At Once and others.

"Movies included in the pay-1 output agreement include Dicks: The Musical, Priscilla, Dream Scenario, The Zone of Interest, Stop Making Sense (2023), The Iron Claw, Love Lies Bleeding, Civil War, and more," Warner Bros Discovery wrote in a press release. "Between the existing and new library of A24 films, subscribers will have access to more than one hundred A24 titles over the term of the agreement." 

Typically films start in theaters, then go to digital purchase/rental before heading to streaming or OTA broadcast. Pay-1 gives streaming companies exclusive access to titles for a period of 12-18 months before they had to Pay-2 for general licensing and syndication. 

Paramount's Showtime has held the Pay-1 deal with A24 since 2019, but it expired in November 2022 (and was then extended a year), according to IndieWire. WBD only mentions having Pay-1 access to A24 movies released after the new deal, so anything released before that (Talk to Me, The Inspection and others) will likely remain Pay-1 on Showtime. 

In any case, the deal will be a boon for A24 and viewers in general. WBD's Max and Discovery+ have a combined 95.1 million subscribers, while Paramount+ has 63 million subs, and not all of those have the ad-free "with Showtime" tier. Around the end of 2022, HBO and HBO Max gained access to some of A24's older films, but they'll now have many more, over 100 in total.

Just ahead of the A24 deal, WBD was touting the improved tech and a updated UI of the Max streaming app. Other upcoming A24 films include Tuesday (2024, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Problemista (2024, Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton and RZA). 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a24-movies-will-stream-first-on-hbo-and-max-as-part-of-a-new-multiyear-deal-104550565.html?src=rss

Realme's GT5 Pro phone can unlock itself by reading your palm

Engadget - Thu, 2023-12-07 04:13

When LG still made phones (sigh), at one point it tried to implement a "Hand ID" unlock gimmick on the G8 ThinQ, though in our experience, there was much room for improvement. For one, you'd have to turn on the screen first to toggle hand tracking. That was dumb. Fast forward to today, Realme is bringing a similar feature back to a new phone, the GT5 Pro, with support for some seemingly practical hand gestures.

Rather than using a time-of-flight camera and an infrared light, the Realme GT5 Pro utilizes its 32-megapixel selfie camera to detect your palm print. In the above demo, you can see how the screen wakes up automatically when the palm moves away from it. I highly doubt that the front camera stays on all the time, so I'm willing to bet that this is working in conjunction with an ultrasonic proximity sensor — most likely by Elliptic Labs, which is present on many Android handsets.

Realme said palm unlock is faster than face recognition, partly thanks to machine learning using over 10,000 models. The company even went as far as claiming that this security feature passed a penetration test involving over 10 million attacks. Still, the good-old under-display fingerprint reader is still there, so palm unlock is just an extra option — probably the most convenient for when you're cooking or driving.

Realme GT5 ProRealme

Like the LG, the Realme GT5 Pro also supports several hand gestures. A pinch gesture would toggle the recent app list, and from there you can gently brush left or right to browse through the recent apps. Holding up your index finger will toggle cursor control, and hovering over a spot triggers a click. A three-finger palm gesture takes a screenshot. Flipping your palm around takes you back to the home screen. Pointing your thumb to the left toggles a "back" action. Finally, moving your palm towards the screen switches it off.

The phone itself is otherwise a standard flagship affair. It packs Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED panel from China's BOE (2,780 x 1,264, 144Hz, 4,500 nits), a generous 5,400mAh battery which supports 100W fast charging (12 minutes to 50 percent charge) or 50W wireless fast charging, USB-C 3.2, NFC, dual speakers and infrared remote. As part of its nine-layer thermal structure, Realme threw in a three-layer vapor-cooling chamber, which apparently has the industry's largest cooling surface area. The device is also rated with IP64 for dust and liquid protection.

Realme GT5 ProRealme

Photography-wise, you get a 50-megapixel main camera (powered by a Sony LYT-808 sensor; as found on the OnePlus 12), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and the same 50-megapixel, 3x periscopic telephoto camera (with a Sony IMX890) as the one on the Oppo Find X6 series. You can already tell the synergy between Realme, Oppo and OnePlus within the BBK family here.

The Realme GT5 Pro is available in China starting from 3,298 yuan or about $460 for the 12GB RAM with 256GB storage model, and maxing out at 4,198 yuan or $590 for the 16GB RAM with 1TB storage model. Color options include black for the glass body, and orange or gold for the vegan leather options.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/realmes-gt5-pro-phone-can-unlock-itself-by-reading-your-palm-091320182.html?src=rss

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