Way back in 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against Apple, alleging a defect in early Apple Watch models that could allegedly cause the display to crack or detach from the casing.
While Apple has acknowledged some issues related to swollen batteries, and offered free service, it refused coverage for cracked or detached screens. The company has now agreed to a financial settlement for this …
It's a regrettable reality that there is never time to cover all the interesting scientific stories each month. In the past, we've featured year-end roundups of cool science stories we missed. This year, we're experimenting with a monthly collection. January's list includes papers on using lasers to reveal Peruvian mummy tattoos; the physics of wobbly spears and darts; how a black hole changes over time; and quantum "cat states" for error correction in quantum computers, among other fascinating research.
Tracking changes in a black hole over time
Left: EHT images of M87* from the 2018 and 2017 observation campaigns. Middle: Example images from a general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulation at two different times. Right: Same simulation snapshots, blurred to match the EHT's observational resolution.
Credit:
EHT collaboration
In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope announced the first direct image ever taken of a black hole at the center of an elliptical galaxy, Messier 87 (M87), located in the constellation of Virgo some 55 million light-years away. Astronomers have now combined earlier observational data to learn more about the turbulent dynamics of plasma near M87*'s event horizon over time, according to a paper published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Co-author Luciano Rezzolla of Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany likened the new analysis to comparing two photographs of Mount Everest, one year apart. While the mountain's basic structure is unlikely to change much in that time, one could observe changes in clouds near the peak and deduce from that properties like wind direction. For instance, in the case of M87*, the new analysis confirmed the presence of a luminous ring that is brightest at the bottom, which in turn confirmed that the rotational axis points away from Earth. "More of these observations will be made in the coming years and with increasing precision, with the ultimate goal of producing a movie of what happens near M87*," said Rezolla.
In the span of a week, the Chinese startup DeepSeek has completely disrupted the AI landscape with its free and "open source" R1 model. In this episode, Devindra, Engadget Senior Reporter Igor Bonifacic and Producer Ben Ellman dive into what makes R1 so special, and what DeepSeek is doing differently from OpenAI and other competitors. Also, we try to figure out what’s up with “Incention,” a weird AI/blockchain project for creating new Hollywood IP, and wonder if Helion’s fusion reactor is actually legit.
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!
Los iconos de las aplicaciones de celular DeepSeek y ChatGPT se ven en una pantalla de celular en Beijing, el martes 28 de enero de 2025. (AP Foto/Andy Wong)
It’s early 2025, the weather’s still cold, so it must be time for Samsung to kick off the year’s flagship smartphone race with its latest barrage of devices. This time, we’ve got three S25 phones, ranging from the $800 S25 through to the $1,300 S25 Ultra.
Let’s start with the flagship, the S25 Ultra. This year, Samsung has honed the design of the slate to closer match the rest of its family, while adding a substantially upgraded ultrawide camera sensor. There’s also a powerful 3nm Snapdragon Elite for Galaxy added, a collaboration between Samsung and Qualcomm that augments its computational photography skills and more. (Not to mention incredible battery life.)
And you know what? It’s another great phone, capable of going toe-to-toe with the iPhones and Pixels of this world. However, it also looks very similar to last year’s model, which makes the S25 Ultra a less impressive update, given its price.
Then there’s the Galaxy S25 — priced the same as the last few S-series base models. I spent over a week with it, and much of its hardware remains the same, with incremental improvements to the camera, courtesy of behind-the-scenes processing, and that incredible battery life. And it’s Samsung, so it was always going to be a solid premium phone with a gorgeous screen. But if you were thinking of upgrading from an S24 (or S23, even S22), it’s a hard pitch.
Even if it didn’t name the Chinese startup explicitly.
The big story this week is around DeepSeek AI: the open-source chatbot that reportedly requires far less computing power than competitors and was developed on a (relative) shoestring budget.
It subsequently put stocks related to AI, like NVIDIA, into a tailspin, although they have somewhat recovered. DeepSeek’s had brief success, even stimulating a response from President Trump.
Now, ChatGPT maker OpenAI says Chinese startups are cribbing the models of US AI companies. It claims rivals are persistently trying to copy the technology of existing AI companies, adding that OpenAI and its partner Microsoft have been banning accounts suspected of “distilling” its models.
The company didn’t explicitly mention DeepSeek in its statement, but… yeah. Also, let’s not forget: OpenAI admitted last year that getting its AI models up to speed was impossible without dipping its toes into copyrighted materials.
How does it feel, having your hard work repurposed and regurgitated? I couldn’t possibly relate.
Offering the biggest reason yet to install a retail store’s app, CVS says it will let select users, without needing staff, to shop for items typically locked away in its stores. If you haven’t been to a CVS, many items are locked up to prevent theft (and antagonize everyone). The feature is only available to loyalty program members and in a handful of unnamed stores. It was being trialed in just three stores but will be expanded to 10 to 15 stores. (There are over 9,000 CVS locations in the US.)
By the headline alone, this sounds terrible, but you should read Devindra’s takedown in full. So many questions: Why the name? Why even make Incention? Who wants this? Does it smell like a blockchain-scented Quibi? Yes, yes it does.
What is the best Galaxy phone under $500? Are refurb iPads worth it? My Roomba stole my girlfriend, please advise. We’re bringing back Ask Engadget, with an entirely new email address: [email protected]. Aside from spamming free trials of apps and streaming services, let’s put it to use.
Ask me something!
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121727846.html?src=rss
Within hours of the closure, YouTube, which also took action against Beahm in June by demonetizing his account, decided to reinstate the streamer’s ability to make money on Google’s video platform. The decision was made after “careful review of the channel’s recent activity,” according to a statement YouTube provided to Kotaku. “If there are further violations, we’ll take appropriate action.”
Midnight Society was co-founded in 2021 by Beahm, former Call of Duty creative strategist Robert Bowling, and former 343 Industries lead sandbox designer Quinn Delhoyo.
“We are actively seeking other game studios that would be interested in offering employment opportunities to our talented team members,” Midnight Society said in its shutdown announcement on X. “We express our sincere gratitude to each and every one of our community members and deeply sorry we were unable to reach our ultimate goal.”
The “ultimate goal” mentioned in Midnight Society’s departing message was Deadrop — a free-to-play vertical extraction shooter that was initially funded by selling NFTs at the height of the blockchain gaming frenzy. Deadrop was expected to release in 2024, and was the only game being developed by Midnight Society.
When the Minimal Phone was first announced this time last year, you might have been forgiven for thinking it was vaporware. But one year — and many delays — later, the world’s first Android phone with both an E Ink display and a physical QWERTY keyboard has begun shipping to backers.
In broad strokes, the Minimal Phone looks a bit like a BlackBerry, with a wide body and a squat screen perched above its streamlined QWERTY keyboard. We’ve seen phones like this before. What makes it stand out is the screen itself, which is a monochrome E Ink panel at a whopping 600 x 800 resolution.
Despite using E Ink tech, the Minimal Phone runs Android 14, so the only apps you’re giving up are those that really can’t run on the sluggish display and basic hardware — you won’t be popping many headshots in CoD: Mobile, I fear. Access to all your Android apps might put the lie to Minimal Company’s promise of a “distraction-free” phone, but the company suggests that the E Ink panel still “encourages you to use them more mindfully.” On the smartphone-sized Boox Palma e-reader we found most Android apps “just awful to use,” which proved a neat way of removing their temptation to distract, so the company might be right after all.
While the phone is basic in a few other ways — its 16 megapixel camera looks unlikely to impress, and it’s limited to 4G LTE connections — it packs a few unexpected perks too. NFC payments, a fingerprint sensor, and Qi wireless charging are all supported, and the inclusion of dual-SIM support, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and expandable storage ticks off most of the old-school smartphone nerd wishlist.
Originally set to ship to Indiegogo backers in August 2024, the Minimal Phone slipped to September, then December, and finally started heading out last week. The company says it’s shipping phones in the order they were purchased, running “from now until March.” You can also order the phone now for delivery in March, starting at $399, a $100 discount on the official retail price.
Its chief competition comes from TCL, whose Nxtpaper phones deliver a regular Android phone experience with the option to flip a switch and enable an E Ink-like monochrome mode. There’s no physical keyboard though, so unless Clicks keyboard cases expand to fit more phones, the Minimal Phone is the only game in town for those who demand QWERTY and E Ink in the same handset.
Welcome to Edition 7.29 of the Rocket Report! It may be difficult to believe, but we are already one full month into the new year. It will be hard to top this month in launch, however, given the historic debut of New Glenn, and fiery end of the seventh Starship flight test. And in truth, February does look a bit sleepier in terms of launch.
As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
UK government injects $25 million into Orbex. As some European launch companies have struggled to raise funding, the United Kingdom government stepped up to make a significant investment in the Scotland-based launch firm Orbex, The Financial Times reports. As part of the company's latest fundraising round, valued at $50 million (GBP 40 million), the UK government will become a shareholder in Orbex. The company is working to develop both a small- and medium-lift rocket. Phil Chambers, Orbex's chief executive, said the UK support would be "a strong signal to other private investors, and to the European Space Agency and the EU, that we’re serious about being a part of the future of European launch."
The first season of Severance walked the line between science-fiction thriller and Office Space-like satire, using a clever conceit (characters can’t remember what happens at work while at home, and vice versa) to open up new storytelling possibilities.
It hinted at additional depths, but it’s really season 2’s expanded worldbuilding that begins to uncover additional themes and ideas.
After watching the first six episodes of season two and speaking with the series’ showrunner and lead writer, Dan Erickson, as well as a couple of members of the cast (Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette), I see a show that’s about more than critiquing corporate life. It’s about all sorts of social mechanisms of control. It’s also a show with a tremendous sense of style and deep influences in science fiction.
Brands are under pressure to produce more relevant content, faster, across more platforms. To meet that demand, Dentsu and Adobe are rolling out Adobe GenStudio Dentsu+, an AI tool designed to help brands scale content production without ballooning costs. Launched last year, GenStudio integrates applications from Adobe Experience Cloud, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Firefly's AI...
Nvidia warned of stock shortages earlier this week, and now its launch of the $1,999 RTX 5090 yesterday is being branded a “paper launch” after people camped outside retailers only to find a handful of cards available, if any at all.
Reddit users have been tracking inventory for RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards at Micro Center locations across the US, with some stores opening on Thursday with no RTX 5090 cards at all. The Tustin, California Micro Center store seems to have received the most stock, but other stores reportedly had 10 or less RTX 5090 cards. While Nvidia’s RTX 5080 was a little easier to purchase on launch day, cards rapidly went out of stock at retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.
One Reddit poster claims to have secured an RTX 5090 after three days waiting in line, and others have posted purchase vouchers that were handed out to people in line at a Miami Micro Center. The overwhelming amount of posts are from people complaining about the launch and lack of stock, though.
Gamers Nexus claims that one of the biggest system integrators in the US only received a single RTX 5090 on launch day, before a smaller shipment arrived later in the day. Another big system builder reportedly received no units and third one received 20 RTX 5090s that it sold in pre-built machines in a matter of minutes.
Many retailers are now simply listing preorders for RTX 5090 cards, with Scan in the UK warning that some cards aren’t due in stock until the end of May — four months after the launch date. Naturally, such low stock levels in the face of high demand means there are scalpers selling RTX 5090 cards on eBay for $5,000 or more. YouTuber JayzTwoCents even found an RTX 5090 on sale for $5,800 on Facebook, after he signed the card at the Tustin Micro Center store earlier in the day.
We reached out to Nvidia to comment on the RTX 5090 launch issues, but the company refused to comment beyond its previous warning about stock shortages.
Community Health Center (CHC), a Connecticut-based nonprofit healthcare provider, has confirmed that hackers accessed the sensitive data of more than a million patients. In a filing with Maine’s attorney general on Thursday, CHC said it detected suspicious activity on its network on 2 January and determined that a “skilled criminal hacker” had accessed its network […]
Smart LED light bulbs are one of the easiest ways to upgrade your home with smart lighting solutions that are both practical and fun. These color-changing bulbs let you customize your space with vibrant RGB color options, cozy warm white or any light color you can imagine. They’re compatible with popular systems like Google Home and can work seamlessly with smart switches and other light switches, making them a key part of your home automation setup.
With app control, you can adjust the brightness (no need for a separate dimmer), set schedules and even program the lights to turn on or off under certain conditions, like when you connect to your home network. Whether you’re setting lights for movie night, creating a relaxing atmosphere or adding a pop of color to your room, these smart lighting solutions are easy to install and surprisingly affordable.
What to look for in smart light bulbs
Connectivity (To hub or not to hub)
One of the biggest appeals of smart lighting solutions is being able to control them from your phone. Most of them are able to do so by connecting to it via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or via an external hub, which handles the connection for them. Bluetooth connectivity limits the range in which you’ll be able to control the light, so it’s only best for a limited number of bulbs and ones you don’t expect to control when you’re away.
Wi-Fi color-changing bulbs are easy to set up and can be cheaper overall since they don’t require a hub to connect them. However, having something like a central Zigbee hub can make your whole system more reliable since its connection is separate from your home’s network. For that reason, hub-based bulbs tend to be more expandable, so we mainly recommend those if you want to eventually have dozens of smart lights around your home.
White or color?
Most color-changing bulbs you’ll find today are “white and color” bulbs, meaning they can glow in vibrant RGB color-options like blues, pinks, greens and everything in between, as well as shine with different temperatures of white. But there are some white-only bulbs out there, and they are often a bit more affordable than their color counterparts. While we recommend springing for the white-and-color devices, if you’d prefer white only, make sure you’re getting a bulb that can span the color temperature spectrum (typically from about 2000 to 5000 Kelvin), offering you various levels of cool and warm white light.
App features
One of the perks of smart lighting solutions is the amount of control you have over them thanks to their various app-control capabilities. Most companion apps let you do things like set lighting schedules and timers, group individual lights into room designations and create your own custom light “scenes” with different RGB options. But we have seen other features that aren’t as ubiquitous like vacation mode for automatically turning lights on and off to enhance your home security, and sync with media, which changes the colors of lights depending on the music you’re listening to or the game you’re currently live-streaming.
Smart home compatibility
If you use a smart assistant like Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Assistant regularly, make sure the smart lights or smart switches work with your favorite. All of the bulbs we tested supported both Amazon’s and Google’s virtual assistants, allowing you to use voice commands to turn lights on and off, dim them with a virtual dimmer and more. The wildcard here is Siri and Apple’s HomeKit; while numerous smart bulbs have added HomeKit support, not all lights are compatible with Apple’s smart home system.
Expandability
We alluded to this above, but you’ll want to consider how many smart lights you eventually want in your home. Some brands and lighting systems are easier to expand than others, and we generally recommend going for hub-based bulbs if you plan on putting smart lights in every room in your home. If you’re only looking to deck out your home office or living room with some fancy color-changing bulbs, Wi-Fi options should serve you well. Thankfully, these are some of the most affordable smart home devices you can get, so even if you don’t have a clear answer to this question now, you can reconsider your options down the line if you do decide to outfit your home with multiple smart bulbs.
Other smart bulbs we’ve tested
Nanoleaf Smarter Kit
While we’ve recommended Nanoleaf’s Smarter Kits in guides in the past, they’re a bit more niche than other smart lights on this list. They’re best for adding flare to your living room or game-streaming setup as they come in different shapes like hexagons and triangles and can sync with music. In addition to different colors, light animations and schedules, Nanoleaf’s Smart Kits also support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.
FAQs
What’s the best smart light bulb for Alexa?
There is no best smart light bulb for Alexa. Amazon doesn’t make its own smart bulbs (like it does for smart plugs and thermostats), but rather there are dozens of smart lights made by third-parties that work with Alexa — including all of the ones we tested. Before picking the best smart light bulb for you, make sure to check the voice assistants that the contenders support. You’ll find that most smart light bulbs available today work with Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant, and plenty of them also have support for Apple’s Siri and HomeKit.
Can you put a smart bulb in any lamp?
Smart light bulbs can go into most modern light fixtures — but just like regular bulbs, they need to be the right shape/size for the fixture. A standard A19 smart light bulb should work properly in most table, floor and other lamps. If you have a fixture that takes a specific type of bulb, look for smart bulbs that will fit properly.
Do smart light bulbs use electricity when off?
Smart light bulbs do use a negligible amount of electricity when their fixtures are turned off. This is due to the fact that the smart bulb needs to stay in constant contact with your home’s internet connection or Bluetooth in order to work properly. However, their energy-saving benefits usually outweigh the small amount of power they consume even while turned off.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-smart-led-light-bulbs-143022856.html?src=rss
Apple’s AI suite, Apple Intelligence, will soon be available in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese, along with localized English versions for India and Singapore. During the company’s Q4 2024 quarterly results call on Thursday, CEO Tim Cook said that the company will roll out support for these additional languages in […]
A "groundbreaking" £1.65 million treatment has been approved for use on the NHS, offering patients with severe sickle cell disease some hope of a cure.
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. The aftermath of DeepSeek’s launch was arguably the biggest tech story of the week, especially for anyone keeping a close eye on public markets. But private companies, […]
