Data analytics startup Databricks revealed on Wednesday that Meta has officially joined its roster of investors, a move that highlights the startup’s rapid ascent in the AI-driven software industry. The news comes just a month after Databricks secured $10 billion […]
Apple will report its quarterly earnings next week, providing an official look into iPhone 16 sales in the holiday quarter. For now, though, a new report helps inform what we should expect from the sales mix for different iPhone 16 models.
Ted Price at the D.I.C.E awards in 2014. | Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic
After three decades at the helm, Insomniac Games founder and president Ted Price has announced he’s retiring. Price will officially step away at the end of March, and he’s being replaced by three new studio heads who will take over Insomniac moving forward.
According to Price, the succession process has been in the works for a while. “I actually made this decision last year,” he explains. “For me, after over 30 years of leading Insomniac, I felt it was simply time to step aside and let others pave the way for our team.”
Taking over for Price will be Chad Dezern, Ryan Schneider, and Jen Huang. Dezern previously served as Insomniac’s creative lead, and has been with the studio nearly since its inception, while Schneider was the Head of Franchise Strategy and Studio Relations and joined the studio during the PS2 years. Huang, meanwhile, has been Insomniac’s CFO for the past eight years.
“I believe strongly that for us to continue our success, we need leaders at the top who are intimately familiar with how we do things, leaders who have helped build our culture and our processes, and who have earned people’s trust,” Price said of the new co-studio heads.
Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Photo: Getty Images
Elon Musk doesn’t miss an opportunity to take a dig at OpenAI — even when the news item in question is supposed to be favorable to President Trump. Just a few hours after yesterday’s White House presser on The Stargate Project wrapped up, Musk posted on X that “they don’t actually have the money.”
Softbank, OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX have committed to “deploy” $100 billion now and $500 billion toward the AI data center company over the next four years.
Musk and OpenAI are embroiled in a legal battle that often veers into public view, with Musk accusing the ChatGPT maker of steering AI in dangerous directions — and OpenAI saying his criticisms are disingenuous and in bad faith. Sam Altman replied to Musk’s allegation on Wednesday morning but chose to focus on the man himself rather than anything having to do with Stargate. “I genuinely respect your accomplishments and think you are the most inspiring entrepreneur of our time,” Altman posted. An attempt to reconcile? Biting dry sarcasm? Who knows anymore.
i genuinely respect your accomplishments and think you are the most inspiring entrepreneur of our time
The Stargate Project has a buildout “currently underway” in Texas, and the companies involved say they’re evaluating other sites across the US. Arm, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, and OpenAI have been named as the project’s initial tech partners. “The scale of this investment, obviously, is huge. And what I think that says about the likely progress of the technology, at least what all of us believe, is correspondingly huge,” Altman said in a Fox News interview last night.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (MCA), a watchdog agency which has repeatedly probed Amazon's business dealings, will now be run by former Amazon executive Doug Gurr. — that makes sense, right? Gurr will serve as interim chair "in a bid to boost growth and support the economy. "The decision comes alongside reports that the UK government ousted former chair, Marcus Bokkerink, whose resignation was simultaneously announced.
Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, explained the appointment in a statement. "This Government has a clear Plan for Change — to boost growth for businesses and communities across the UK. As we’ve set out, we want to see regulators including the CMA supercharging the economy with pro-business decisions that will drive prosperity and growth, putting more money in people’s pockets."
The CMA is responsible for investigating any potential breaches of antitrust regulations, vetting mergers and protecting consumers from any unfair trading practices. It has taken action against Amazon multiple times, including the period Gurr worked there. Recently, the CMA has probed Amazon for not protecting customers from fake reviews and whether Amazon gives its own brands preference over third-party products in its marketplace — the latter resolved with agreed upon changes from the tech giant. Last year, the CMA looked at Amazon's $4 billion investment into Anthropic, ruling it didn't qualify as a merger. The CMA is currently investigating Google for antitrust practices in regards to its search services.
Gurr joined Amazon in 2011, serving as the President of Amazon China from 2014 to 2016 and finally as Country Manager of Amazon UK until he left the company in 2020. Most recently, he served as director of the Natural History Museum in London.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/former-amazon-executive-to-run-uks-antitrust-agency-163433153.html?src=rss
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 03: Doug Gurr attends the Kindle Storyteller Award 2018 at The Royal Society on October 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Amazon)
Fresh from stealing the show in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, actors Willem Dafoe and Catherine O'Hara will co-star alongside each other once more for Michelob Ultra's Super Bowl 59 campaign. This time, the pair don't find themselves in the afterlife, but rather on a tennis court. The Anheuser-Busch's (AB InBev)-owned beer brand has launched a teaser film,...
Google has partnered with Samsung on a “Galaxy Watch for Kids” experience that is rolling out starting today and will be available in the “coming weeks.”
It’s not the dream of a full bundle, but some Google One subscribers will soon get a discount on YouTube Premium in the US. Meanwhile, YouTube is starting to test a handful of new features that subscribers can opt-in to.
It’s not the dream of a full bundle, but some Google One subscribers will soon get a discount on YouTube Premium in the US. Meanwhile, YouTube is starting to test a handful of new features that subscribers can opt-in to.
The LG C3 can easily last several years as your home theater’s centerpiece. | Image: LG
If you’re spending more time indoors to escape the icy winds or need something impressive to enjoy the Super Bowl, a new TV might be in order. Although it’s a couple of years old now, the LG C3is still one of the best 4K OLED TVs you can buy, and it’s a bit cheaper today at Amazon and Walmart. They’re selling the 65-inch model for $1,196.99 ($302 off), which is matching its all-time low price.
The LG C3 offers a great picture quality with vivid color, no light blooming or bleeding, and deep, inky black levels for a practically infinite contrast ratio. If you somehow haven’t seen how good an OLED panel can look yet, then a trip to Best Buy is in order. It appeases most home theater and gaming needs with a 120Hz variable refresh rate and auto low-latency mode across all four of its HDMI ports, Dolby Vision and HDR 10 Plus, Dolby Atmos audio, and an incredible upscaling engine that can make older content look fantastically sharp.
You’re not missing out on much by skipping the LG C4, either, and the incoming C5 may not have enough to justify waiting and paying significantly more. LG advertises a substantial brightness boost in the newer models, but in reality, the C4’s panel doesn’t blow the C3 out of the water. The C4 is also capable of a higher 144Hz refresh rate, though that’s a largely discernible jump that’s only relevant for PC gamers. Both run webOS, which offers a deep selection of apps for gaming, music, and video with voice-activated content discovery.
More ways to save
Costco members can pick up the Insta360 X4 adventure bundle for $429.99 ($7 off) at Costco. The waterproof 8K action camera comes with two batteries, a 114cm selfie stick that Insta360’s software can automatically remove from your footage, and a 256GB V30 microSD card. You can shoot up to 30 frames per second at its max resolution, or step down to 5.7K for up to 60 frames per second and 4K at 100 frames per second — all decent improvements over the X3. Another new feature is a detachable lens guard to protect the glass element, one that doesn’t noticeably impact your image quality when shooting in 360 mode.
The CMF Buds from Nothing’s affordability-focused sister brand are already a ridiculous bargain, but Amazon is discounting select colors to an even better $27 ($12 off). The IP54 wireless earbuds support active noise cancellation that can reduce up to 42dB of noise and have four noise-filtering mics to help with call quality. They’ll last up to eight hours per charge with a total 35.5 hours available with the case, and they have Bluetooth 5.3 with Google Fast Pair support. You can customize them in Nothing’s companion app, too, allowing you to change gesture behaviors and tweak audio modes.
If you need a really good Android phone that’ll get major software updates for more than half a decade, you should start with the Google Pixel 8A. You can get the 128GB model for $399 ($100 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store right now. It’s using Google’s Tensor G3 processor, which supports computational photography and other AI features being baked into Android. The phone also has a 120Hz display, Qi wireless charging, and a decent camera that’s not quite as nice as those on its flagship counterparts but still capable of impressive results. Read our review.
The new Galaxy Watch for Kids mode is enabled in Wear OS via Google Family Link. | Image: Samsung, Google
Samsung dropped some wearable news ahead of its Unpacked event later today: parents can now use the cellular Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 as a smartwatch for their kids.
With a new Galaxy Watch for Kids mode, children can use the smartwatch to call and text trusted contacts, while parents can also track their kids’ locations via GPS. The option starts rolling out today and will work on Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T networks.
The good news is parents won’t need a separate smartphone for this to work. Instead, it’s similar to Apple Family Setup, where parents use their phone to pair and set up the smartwatch before programming guardrails through the Google Family Link app. Parents can control which apps can be downloaded to the device, locate misplaced watches, and specify their children’s contacts for texting and calling. In an emergency, kids can also access emergency SOS features by pressing the side button five times. As with other children’s smartwatches, there’s a School Time mode that limits features during school hours.
In a keyword blog, Google also notes that kids can download 20 “teacher approved” apps and watchfaces from the kids section of the Google Play store. They include Barbie, Marvel, and Rubik’s Cube-themed watchfaces and educational games from PBS Kids and Crayola. Other third-party apps are available for download but require parental approval.
Samsung isn’t reinventing the wheel here — it’s playing catch-up. Apple first introduced Family Setup for its smartwatches in 2020, and last year, Google launched the Fitbit Ace LTE, a revamped kids GPS tracker with Pixel Watch hardware and a focus on educational gaming.
Meanwhile, this has been a feature that parents have been asking for in subreddits and Samsung customer forums. Previously, it was possible to set up Galaxy Watches as standalone devices with cellular service for kids, but it required parents to be a bit more tech-savvy in figuring out location tracking, phone setup, and parental controls. This new mode streamlines everything into a more accessible format, though it is only limited to the Watch 7.
We’ve asked Samsung if it plans to introduce the feature to LTE version of the budget Galaxy Watch FE but did not immediately receive a response.
YouTube Premium users are getting a slew of new experiments to try out before anyone else alongside an option to reduce their membership cost when bundling subscriptions. Subscribers can now also sign up to test multiple experimental features all at once, instead of being limited to just one at a time.
There are several new experiments that users can try out, including 256kbps bitrate audio quality on videos, and options for iOS users to view YouTube shorts in picture-in-picture mode and automatically download “recommended Shorts” for offline viewing. The AI-powered skipping feature that allows users to jump right to the most-watched part of a video is also available on web browsers after initially being introduced for mobile devices last year.
These will eventually be joined by expanded playback options for mobile devices that can increase video speed by up to four times. YouTube hasn’t mentioned when this experimental feature will be available, however, only that it’s coming “soon.”
YouTube is also rolling out a deal that makes YouTube Premium a smidge cheaper when you purchase it as a bundle with Google’s cloud storage. The offer is eligible on Google One Premium plans (which start at $9.99 per month for 2TB) or higher, but you’ll only save $2 per month on YouTube Premium — bringing the price back to 2023 levels.
YouTube is rolling out new perks for paying users, starting with the ability to switch on more than one experiment. If you're paying for a Premium subscription, you can test out the video streaming service's experimental features by going to youtube.com/new. It was only previously possible to try one experiment at a time, but now you can activate multiple options so you can try out a few at once. YouTube even added new features you can test out now that you can activate more than one, including the ability to play music videos with your audio set to 256kbps. Previously, you could only listen to 256kbps audio on YouTube Music.
Another new test feature is Picture-in-Picture for YouTube Shorts on iOS, so you can watch short-form videos while you have other apps open. You can also activate Smart Downloads on iOS if you want YouTube to automatically save recommended Shorts on your phone to view offline. Another thing YouTube is testing is "Jump ahead" for web viewing, which lets you skip ahead to specific parts of a video. It used to be exclusively available on YouTube apps. Finally, you'll soon be able to play videos even faster on mobile, with expanded playback options of up to 4x the speed.
If you're in the US, take note that Google is rolling out a bundle with YouTube Premium and 2 TB of cloud storage with Google One, which will cost you $21.98 a month. That's slightly less than the typical price of $24 a month together ($10 for Google One and $14 for the YouTube Premium individual plan).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-premium-adds-256kbps-audio-experiment-for-music-videos-160043945.html?src=rss
On Monday, a day after TikTok came back online for the U.S., people started noticing that the app would not let them comment “free palestine.”
Several TikTok users posted screenshots on X and Bluesky showing the message they received after trying to comment “free palestine” under other people’s posts. TikTok users started reporting this on Sunday, following a tense few hours where the app blocked U.S. users from access ahead of a potential ban, displaying instead a notification sucking up to then-incoming president Donald Trump.
I tried this myself on Tuesday morning, using two different throwaway TikTok accounts. Using one account, I could comment “free palestine” without a problem, and that comment is still up as of Wednesday morning. Using another, my “free palestine” comments were immediately removed repeatedly, and I received a notification that I had violated the TikTok Community Guidelines. I could comment with a nonsense phrase (“free shavacado”) using that same account, however, and TikTok didn’t remove it.
A screenshot showing two comments: "free Palestine" and "free shavacado"
Using the account that kept getting comments removed, I could post a video with the caption “free palestine #freepalestine” on Tuesday without a problem.
A spokesperson for TikTok told 404 Media that the platform’s policies and algorithms did not change over the weekend, adding that they’re working on restoring U.S. operations back to normal. They’re expecting some “temporary instability” as services are restored, they said, which could affect some features or access. They said that TikTok does not have a policy against people saying “free palestine,” and pointed me to the platform’s community guidelines, transparency report, and moderation approach pages.
There have been a few noteworthy instances in the last few years of social media users claiming that pro-Palestine content was being censored or downranked, only for the platforms involved to blame the issue on bugs or deny it was happening. In October 2023, 48 organizations, including 7amleh, the Arab Centre for Social Media Advancement, which advocates for digital rights of Palestinian and Arab civil society, issued a statement “urging tech companies to respect Palestinian digital rights during the ongoing war,” Al Jazeera reported.
“We are [concerned] about significant and disproportionate censorship of Palestinian voices through content takedowns and hiding hashtags, amongst other violations,” the statement said. “These restrictions on activists, civil society and human rights defenders represent a grave threat to freedom of expression and access to information, freedom of assembly, and political participation.”
Also in October 2023, on Instagram, using the “see translation” feature in bios about Palestine inserted the word “terrorist.” In March 2024, Google’s Gemini AI would not answer questions like “where is Palestine?” or “what is Palestine?” but would answer questions like “where is Israel?” or “what is Israel?” And in October 2024, Twitch admitted to temporarily blocking new users in Israel and Palestine from creating new accounts to prevent them from uploading “graphic material.”
There is a lot of weird stuff going on with social media platforms right now, to put it as mildly as possible. One minute, TikTok is gone; the next, it’s back. One minute, people are outraged because they think they’re being forced to follow Trump on Facebook; the next, it’s obvious that the administration’s accounts have simply changed hands. All of it makes people constantly doubt, second-guess, and argue about what they see with their own eyes.
In a lot of ways, this constant, roiling turmoil of navigating what can and can’t be said, what might get you banned, and what app is even still accessible to you anymore is exactly what a lot of marginalized people—including, especially, sex workers—have always gone through. That disparity and confusion is baked into the algorithms we are forced to coexist with online. It’s why when I wrote about getting a bizarre search result from Google’s AI Overview, the company’s spokesperson couldn’t even replicate it themselves. And now that TikTok has bent the knee to the Trump administration in a very public way—including CEO Shou Chew posting a personal message thanking the president for “his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States,” —everyone online is on the highest alert possible, looking for every sign and symbol that their social media platform of choice might be falling into fascist censorship. This is, as marginalized communities online have been showing us for years and as we said when Trump was elected, always the way it’s been.
YouTube said Wednesday that it is adding new experimental features for Premium users, including high-quality audio, a faster playback speed option on mobile, and the ability to “jump ahead” on the web to skip to the more intriguing part of the video. The company routinely tests new features that users can activate from youtube.com/new. The company […]
We’re kicking things off earlier than ever! TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 tickets are officially on sale. Don’t miss your chance to snag them at the lowest rates of the year! Immerse yourself in the epicenter of tech innovation at Disrupt 2025! From October 27–29, Moscone West in San Francisco transforms into the global hub for technology […]
Anthropic has reportedly raised around $1 billion from Google as the AI company looks to deliver a number of major product updates this year. First reported by the Financial Times, Google’s fresh investment brings the tech giant’s total stake in Anthropic to around $3 billion. Google poured $2 billion into Anthropic late last year. Anthropic, […]
Tools of the Trade is a feature to highlight the many tools that help make advertising and marketing folks successful. The tools can be anything that helps people perform at their top form, from a favorite drafting table to the best software program to a lucky pen, a vintage typewriter or a pair of headphones....
