“A Florida man pleaded guilty today,” began a Department of Justice press release published on Tuesday. In this case, the ever-infamous Florida Man is none other than Ted Farnsworth, the former CEO of MoviePass’ parent company. His plea comes fewer than four months after another MoviePass leader, former CEO Mitch Lowe, entered a guilty plea of his own.

Farnsworth pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud and another of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. He’ll face a maximum of 20 years in prison for the former charge and up to five for the latter. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled later.

The DOJ charged Farnsworth, 62, with scheming to defraud investors in MoviePass’ former parent company, Helios & Matheson Analytics (HMNY). The agency accused him of making false and misleading representations of HMNY’s and MoviePass’ business to artificially inflate stock and woo investors.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because former MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe pleaded guilty to the same charges in September. Lowe reportedly agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and regulators as part of his plea, a detail one can imagine tightened the vise on Farnsworth leading up to his plea.

MoviePass subscribers paid the company $9.95 monthly for what were supposed to be unlimited movie tickets with no blackout dates. Farnsworth and Lowe told investors the business plan was tested and sustainable and would at least break even — if not turn a profit — from subscription fees alone. On top of that, they used buzzwords like “big data” and “artificial intelligence” to claim they could alchemize subscriber data, transforming it into profit.

But according to the DOJ (and… logic), that was never the case. Instead, it was a marketing gimmick to lure in new subscribers and pump HMNY’s stock price.

Farnsworth falsely claimed that MoviePass’ cost of goods (the number of tickets each subscriber bought with their subscription) naturally declined over time, which was in line with his publicly stated expectations. But the DOJ says that was because the company directed MoviePass employees to throttle subscribers who used the service to buy the most movies, preventing them from getting what was promised from their “unlimited” memberships. That aligns with reports from 2019 that employees were ordered to change the passwords of frequent moviegoers.

Unsurprisingly, the company lost money from the plan. A downward spiral commenced, MoviePass and its parent company declared bankruptcy in 2020 and the pair of Florida men in charge of the too-good-to-be-true scheme have admitted their guilt in a federal court.

The company has since been resurrected with a new business model after co-founder Stacy Spikes bought its scraps in 2021.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/former-moviepass-head-pleads-guilty-to-securities-fraud-180603455.html?src=rss

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Lenovo’s Legion gaming laptops are getting a big refresh thanks to CES 2025. The new series of notebooks includes what’s probably the star of the show, the 10th-generation Legion Pro 7i. It supports up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU thanks in part to a cooling system that enables up to 250W thermal design power (TDP). It also uses an AI engine to dynamically adjust CPU and GPU wattage for optimal performance.

It’ll also support up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor to pair with that high-powered NVIDIA graphics card. Lenovo’s Legion Coldfront Vapor cooling helps it support that high-end hardware. On top of that, you’ll get up to 64GB of 6400Mhz DDR5 (2 X 32GB) RAM and a built-in LA1+LA3 AI chip. All of that is a recipe for souped-up gaming on the go — or really just about anything you need to do, anywhere at any time.

The laptop has up to a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600, 16:10) OLED display. The screen supports up to a 240Hz frame rate and has a 1ms response time. It can reach 500 nits of brightness. The Legion Pro 7i has two USB-C ports (one of which is Thunderbolt 4), three USB-A ports and HDMI 2.1. With all that high-end hardware inside, it’s quite the beefy machine, with a starting weight of around 6 lbs.

It launches in March. But all that horsepower doesn’t come cheap: Lenovo says the Legion Pro 7i has an expected starting price of $2,399 — and you can safely bet that RTX 5090 variants will fetch a premium on top of that.

Lenovo

Meanwhile, the 10th-gen Legion Pro 5i (Intel) and Legion Pro 5 (AMD) offer up to an Intel Ultra 9 275HX (the same as the Pro 7i) or AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX, respectively. Their thermal power supports up to 200W, which enables up to an RTX 5070 Ti Laptop for graphics. You can order configurations with up to 32GB (2 X 16GB) of 6400Mhz DDR5 RAM.

It also has up to a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600, 16:10) OLED screen at up to 500 nits with a 1ms response time. But at 165Hz, its maximum frame rates don’t go quite as high as the Pro 7i.

Like the Pro 7i, the Pro 5 series uses Lenovo’s AI Engine+ with a Scenario Detection feature that dynamically tweaks the CPU and GPU wattage based on the moment’s needs. It has the same port setup as the Pro 7i, but at least it weighs a bit less (a minimum of 5.58 lbs).

Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait longer for the more affordable Pro 5 series. The Legion Pro 5i launches in May (starting at $1,499), while the Legion Pro 5 arrives in June (starting at $1,399).

Lenovo

Lenovo also has a 10th-gen version of the (non-“Pro”) Legion 7i, which the company’s oddly specific PR copy says is for “gamers actively studying in STEM programs and fields.” It also supports up to an Intel Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5070 GPU and has up to a 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) OLED with up to 240Hz and 1ms. However, its Coldfront Hyper cooling maxes out at a lower 145W TDP, so you won’t get the same top-level performance as the more expensive Pro models.

Starting at 4.4 lbs., it’s notably thinner and lighter than the Pro models. (The fact that it’s more portable but still decently powerful likely explains Lenovo’s strange “STEM student” framing.) It has an all-metal chassis. It will be available in June for $1,599.

Finally, there’s also a 10th-gen Legion 5i. Sticking with the oddly specific PR framing, Lenovo says this model is for “university gamers in non-STEM programs.” (Gotta nail down every niche!) It has up to a 15.1-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600, 16:10, 165Hz, 1ms) OLED and supports up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5070 Laptop GPU. (There’s also an AMD variant with up to a Ryzen AI 7 350 CPU.)

The Legion 5i is slated for a May launch, starting at $1,299.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/ces-2025-lenovos-10th-gen-legion-pro-7i-gaming-laptop-supports-up-to-rtx-5090-graphics-160004613.html?src=rss

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In 2023, Shokz strayed from its bone conduction roots with a pair of “air conduction” open-ear wireless earbuds. While the Shokz OpenFit delivered better audio than bone conduction models, that wasn’t saying much. Their sound was still hit-or-miss, and some users had problems with their finicky touch controls. At CES 2025, the company is back with the $180 OpenFit 2, which apparently has solutions for both issues, as well as a new bone-conduction headset for office calls.

The Shokz OpenFit 2 has a woofer and tweeter in each earpiece for more dynamic sound. (The first-gen model only had a single driver for each ear.) The company also improved its bass algorithm, which “enhances dynamic low-frequency vibrations directly to your ear.”

Shokz

The open-ear buds’ design hasn’t changed dramatically from the original OpenFit: a hook still wraps around each ear with a bud resting just outside. But Shokz engineered the new model’s ear hook with a softer silicone (for greater comfort) and a tighter curve (for improved stability). The company says it “molds to the contours of your ear for a personalized, comfortable fit.” Each earpiece weighs 9.4g (0.33 oz). You can order it in black or beige.

The 2023 model used touch controls, which aren’t always the best input solution for earbuds’ small surfaces. So, the new model has physical multifunction buttons in addition to touch controls, which should help prevent or minimize accidental touches.

The OpenFit 2 is rated for up to 11 hours per charge (up from seven in the first-gen model) or 48 hours when factoring in the bundled charging case. They also have a better water resistance rating (IP55 vs. IP54 in the original) and Bluetooth 5.4.

Shokz

Shokz also has a new office headset, the OpenMeet, which seems like a redesigned spiritual successor to its OpenComm series. Like other workplace headsets, it looks a bit… goofy, with its long mic stem jutting out toward the mouth area. Similar to the OpenComm, the earpiece sits in front of the ear instead of on, in or around it. But a key difference is that OpenMeet’s band extends over the top of the head, not behind it.

The company says OpenMeet is designed to feel weightless, thanks to a five-point design that distributes its 78 g for minimal pressure. Its audio merges bone and air conduction, and the company says its (hilariously named) “LeakSlayer 3.0” tech helps minimize sound leakage to help keep your calls private.

OpenMeet uses a dual-mic system using Qualcomm’s cVc noise reduction, which Shokz claims reduces background noise by up to 98.6 percent. It has a dedicated mute button, Bluetooth 5.4 and up to 15 hours of battery life.

The Shokz OpenFit 2 is available today for $180 on the company website, Amazon and retail partners (including Best Buy and Target). Meanwhile, the OpenMeet headset is sold through the company’s business website.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/the-shokz-openfit-2-promises-better-sound-and-longer-battery-life-130016786.html?src=rss

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The Alienware Area-51 desktop PC, a line of high-end gaming rigs dating back to 1998, has returned after several years out of the game. The company announced the new model at CES 2025, describing the resurrected Area-51 as “retaking the throne” as Alienware’s latest flagship gaming PC. But royalty doesn’t come cheap, as its launch configuration will cost around $4,500. (Cue spit take.)

The new Area-51 PC has a full-sized 80L tower with headroom for over 600W of dedicated graphics power and 280W for processing. It supports the latest NVIDIA graphics cards and an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU.

The rig uses a positive-pressure system with only intake fans; exhaust comes exclusively from passive airflow. That setup includes dual 140mm fans that blow air upward to the GPU, dual 180mm fans aimed laterally from the front toward the GPU, CPU and RAM and dual or triple 120mm fans pulling air in from the top for liquid cooling configurations. The greater internal pressure passively forces heated air out of the back.

Alienware says the new airflow system (in a build using the GeForce RTX 4090 and an Intel Core i9K processor) moves 25 percent more air, runs 13 percent cooler and is 45 percent quieter than the two previous Alienware Aurora desktops. The company says that leads to 50 percent more processing power.

Alienware

You can open its chassis by unlocking a knob on the back of the tower. Alienware says there’s plenty of room to fit your hands and move upgrade parts in and out. Inside are QR codes linking to instructional videos, which likely do little more than save you a few seconds of searching YouTube. The collection includes guides on swapping out the RAM, GPU, SSD, and power supply, as well as maintenance issues like cleaning its fans and three removable / cleanable filters.

The Area-51 rig supports up to 64GB DDR5 XMP (2x 32GB) RAM at 6400 MT/s, 8TB of storage, and liquid cooling in 240mm and 360mm configurations (with a DIY upgrade path to 420mm). Configurations use a 1500W Platinum Rated ATX12VO or an 850W Gold Rated ATX12VO power supply.

Shaun Lucas / Alienware

The launch configuration, including a “next-gen NVIDIA GPU,” will cost around $4,500 when it arrives later in Q1 2025. Other builds will follow later, including a (unspecified) cheaper entry-level option.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/alienware-resurrects-its-area-51-desktop-pc-040024043.html?src=rss

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At CES 2025, Anker has a pair of new speakers under its Soundcore brand. The first, the Soundcore Rave 3S, is a $349 party speaker with AI-powered karaoke tricks and built-in light shows. Joining it is the SoundCore Boom 2 Pro, a more powerful follow-up to its non-Pro namesake, which adds boomier bass and better protection from water and dust.

The appropriately named Rave 3S is described as an “AI party speaker” with 200W output and 108dB volume. Anker says it can fill spaces of up to 1,076 square feet. Like some other Soundcore models, its RGB LEDs can create a light show that syncs with the beat of your music.

Anker

The Rave 3S includes a pair of wireless microphones for karaoke nights. That’s where the AI comes in: The speaker has a vocal removal feature that can “turn any song into a karaoke track with just one click.” If it works as advertised (we haven’t tested it yet), it could save you the trouble of scouring YouTube or paying for a service like KaraFun to get de-voiced versions of your go-to jams.

It also includes a vocal enhancement feature, which adds clarity to your voice, and a reverb effect so you can sound like Phil Collins on your air-drum-inducing cover of “In the Air Tonight.”

The Rave 3S has an estimated 12 hours of playtime, a bass-boost feature, IPX4 water resistance and a Spatial Audio mode. The party in a box will be available on March 10 for $349.

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Also coming soon is the Soundcore Boom 2 Pro — the follow-up to last year’s Boom 2 and Boom 2 Plus. The new model has four drivers and a 140W output, making it better than its predecessor for outdoor spaces. Its bass can reach as low as 40Hz. The speaker has IP68 dust and water resistance (the Boom 2 and Plus variant were only rated IPX7), and Anker says it can float on water for pool parties.

Like the party speaker, the Boom 2 Pro can produce an RGB light show, and it ships with a portable strap for slinging it over your shoulder. Anker says it has a 20-hour playtime. The Boom 2 Pro will launch in April (no exact date yet) for $249.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/ankers-ai-party-speaker-can-automatically-remove-vocals-for-karaoke-nights-030057069.html?src=rss

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Apple will soon update Apple Intelligence notification summaries to make it clearer that they’re AI-generated. (The feature currently uses a small icon to denote their AI-generated status.) The BBC complained to the company after discovering several bogus summaries that twisted the content of some BBC headlines. On Monday, Apple told Engadget that the update will arrive “in the coming weeks.”

“Apple Intelligence is designed to help users get everyday tasks done faster and more easily,” an Apple spokesperson wrote in a statement to Engadget. “This includes optional notification summaries, which provide users who choose to opt in a way to briefly view information from apps and tap into the full details whenever they choose. These are identified by a summarization icon, and the original content is a quick tap away. Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback. A software update in the coming weeks will further clarify when the text being displayed is summarization provided by Apple Intelligence. We encourage users to report a concern if they view an unexpected notification summary.”

The BBC flagged several botched AI notification summaries in multiple reports over the last month — accusing the AI blurbs of spreading misinformation. One falsely claimed that Luigi Mangione, the accused murderer of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. Other erroneous summaries said that a darts player had won a world championship before playing in the final (maybe he’s just that good!), and that tennis superstar Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.

Notification summaries are one of the features from the first wave of Apple Intelligence that arrived in iOS (and iPadOS) 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. A second phase, bringing ChatGPT integration and Image Playground, came in iOS (and iPadOS) 18.2 and macOS 15.2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-will-more-clearly-label-apple-intelligence-notification-summaries-soon-215159614.html?src=rss

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If we buy Microsoft’s recent ad campaign logic that any Game Pass-running device is an Xbox, it’s time to congratulate LG smart TV owners: You’ll soon own an Xbox. (Yippee!!) Microsoft announced Monday that the Xbox app will arrive on LG’s latest smart TVs later this year, letting Game Pass Ultimate subscribers stream to their sets from Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Microsoft and LG said the Xbox app will only be available on “supported” models of LG’s newest smart TVs (without specifying any models). Once the app launches, you’ll find it in LG TVs’ new Gaming Portal, which will also include casual webOS games.

In addition to Game Pass Ultimate’s streaming library (including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and more), LG TVs will also support Microsoft’s new feature that lets you stream some of your Xbox games. That only supports around 50 titles right now, but at least some quality ones are in there, like Balatro, Hogwarts Legacy, Cyberpunk 2077 and NBA 2K25. It also only works with digital games you own; no dice for physical copies.

Microsoft says more details about the partnership will arrive “in the coming months.” Game Pass Ultimate costs $20 monthly.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-cloud-streaming-is-coming-to-new-lg-smart-tvs-204457962.html?src=rss

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HP announced three new 14-inch Elitebooks at CES 2025, all powered by the latest Intel processors. The laptop lineup includes the Elitebook Ultra G1i — it has a 3K OLED screen, a 9MP webcam and a haptic touchpad — and two Elitebook X models, one of which is a 360-degree-folding 2-in-1.

As to be expected, HP is billing these laptops as AI PCs. While that’s due in part to the unwritten rule that every new gadget must have AI stuffed inside, it’s also practically due to Intel’s Core Ultra 5 and 7 chips being built precisely for that purpose, with three compute engines for on-device AI tasks. All three Elitebooks are Copilot+ PCs and can zip through AI tasks at 48 TOPS (trillion operations per second).

All three Elitebooks ship in configurations with 16GB or 32GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage.

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The EliteBook Ultra G1i has a higher-end screen, webcam and touchpad than the others. Its display will be available in touch and non-touch configurations, both of which are 14-inch OLED panels with 2,880 x 1,880 resolution. The laptop has a 9MP webcam, and its onboard AI can upscale video calls beyond that. Its audio setup should impress, too, with “studio-quality dual microphones” and quad speakers.

The non-touch version weighs 2.63 pounds (just under 1.2 kg), and the touch model is slightly heavier at 2.68 pounds (around 1.2 kg). Its touchpad is haptic-based (like Apple’s MacBooks have been for years). That should make it evenly “clickable” — it doesn’t click inward but feels that way — across its entire surface.

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HP’s EliteBook X G1i and EliteBook X Flip G1i are similar and differentiated mostly by form factor. The Flip earns its name by flipping back with a 360-degree hinge, while the standard one has a traditional clamshell design. Compared to the Ultra, these models have lower-resolution LCD panels: 1,920 x 1,200 in most configurations, with a 2,560 x 1,600 option also available for both. The machines also have a lower-resolution webcam (5MP) than the Ultra.

In line with its 2-in-1 nature, the Flip has a touchscreen in all variants, while the standard has touch and non-touch models. It works with (but doesn’t include) HP’s $99 Rechargeable Active Pen.

HP hasn’t announced pricing or release date info for any of the new Ultrabooks, but they’ll be on display at CES 2025 in Las Vegas this week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/hp-at-ces-2025-the-latest-elitebooks-are-copilot-pcs-powered-by-intels-new-ai-chips-194559833.html?src=rss

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Samsung is rolling out an updated line of Galaxy Books at CES 2025. The new Galaxy Book5 Pro (available in 16-inch and 14-inch screens) and Book5 360 (15-inch display) are equipped with Intel’s newest Arrow Lake Core Ultra processors. Since those laptop chips are built for AI tasks, it’s no surprise that Samsung is touting the laptops’ long list of on-device AI features, including an equivalent of Google’s Circle to Search.

AI Select is Samsung’s branding for its Circle to Search equivalent. Much like Google’s AI trick for mobile devices, it lets you select an area on your screen and “instantly retrieve search results” for it. The Galaxy Book line also has an on-device photo upscaling feature that can sharpen details and clean up blurry pics using Intel’s speedy NPU. (It can process AI tasks at up to 47 trillion operations per second.)

Samsung

Both Galaxy Book5 Pro variants have a 2,880 x 1,800 AMOLED touchscreen with up to a 120Hz variable refresh rate. (Although that means the smaller model has a higher pixel density.) The 16-inch model is a svelte 0.49 inch (12.5mm) thick and weighs 3.44 pounds. It’s estimated for 25 hours of video playback.

Its 14-inch counterpart is a bit thinner at 0.46 inch (11.7mm) but is 21 percent lighter at 2.71 pounds. Its estimated battery life is significantly less at 21 hours of video playback.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Book5 360 has a 15.6-inch AMOLED touch display with a mere 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. (Samsung launched a “Pro” variant late last year with a sharper and smoother 3K / 120Hz screen.) The company says its new model of folding 2-in-1 is good for 31 hours of video playback.

All three devices can be fitted with Intel Core Ultra 7 “Evo” processors, but that only comes standard in the 16-inch Galaxy Book5 Pro. The 14-inch model and Galaxy Book5 360 use a Core Ultra 5 “Evo” chip in their cheapest configurations. Both Galaxy Book5 Pro variants offer 16GB and 32GB memory options and 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage tiers. The Galaxy Book5 360 is limited to 16GB of memory and 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Samsung says pricing and retail partner info are coming soon. All three Galaxy Book5 models will be available in February in the US, Canada, UK, Germany and France.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/samsungs-updated-galaxy-book5-pro-lineup-gets-an-intel-arrow-lake-boost-191600839.html?src=rss

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Govee, maker of all manner of smart lights, has a new product it showed off at CES 2025 that creates a quirky new product category. The Gaming Pixel Light displays still or animated pixel art set to 8-bit soundtracks. In addition, it can also display weather updates, sports schedules, Bitcoin prices and so on with its retro display.

But it wouldn’t be a CES gadget without AI something or other stuffed inside: perhaps unsurprisingly, the Gaming Pixel Light also has a companion app that lets you generate AI pixel art from text prompts. We got to take a look at both the Pixel Light and a Govee x JBL collaboration during Unveiled at CES and can confirm they are adorable and mesmerizing, respectively.

As the product name suggests, the Gaming Pixel Light is marketed as a (desktop or wall-mounted) lighting companion for gamers. But it could work for anyone who wants a groovy ambiance or fun conversation piece in their home. The light comes in two sizes, a rectangle and a square and both have over 150 preset scenes, or you can create your own — manually or with the app’s AI chatbot. You can also control it with Alexa or Google Assistant.

Govee

You can use it for still or animated pixel art, and it supports image and GIF uploads to give you more options to play with. Its animations run at 30fps, and you can build or edit your own multi-layer ones in the app. Govee claims the app’s creation tools are easy to use, but we haven’t tried them yet. We did get a chance to see the displays in person and they're pretty handsome, with a retro-tech aesthetic that reminds me of a LiteBrite that's been run through a gaming laptop filter. The display model featured an image created from the prompt, "a cat holding a dog" and the result was a cute tabby holding a much smaller beagle — prompt fulfilled. 

The display has a built-in speaker that can sync the lights to the rhythm of 8-bit soundtracks. And if you’re willing to throw down an extra $240 (yikes) for Govee’s HDMI sync box, the company says the Gaming Pixel Light will sync with game visuals in real time.

The Gaming Pixel Light will be available in Q2 2025. Although Govee’s press materials don’t mention pricing, the company’s CES 2025 website lists it as coming soon for $100.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

Also on display at CES is a crossover collab with JBL: the (deep breath) “Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.” This speaker syncs its curved lighting surface to your music, a feature we’ve seen in many other products. It has 16 music modes, ranging from pumped-up party lighting to “calming, soothing effects for relaxing moments.” The speaker-light hybrid has 240 independently controlled LED beads and over 100 preset scenes. Like the Pixel Light, it lets you go the DIY route if that’s your jam.

Even on the crowded CES floor, the sounds from the speaker could still be heard over the din. Of course, there's no way to tell what the sound quality was, but the fact that it's packed with JBL components is a pretty good bet that the audio will be decent. What was easily evident in person was the trippy lighting effects, which washed over the smooth cylinder, pulsating to the music in a way that was properly hypnotic.  

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is expected to launch in late Q2 2025. There’s no pricing info yet for this model.

Amy Skorheim contributed reporting with on-the-ground impressions from CES.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/govees-new-desktop-display-is-reserved-for-pixel-art-230003228.html?src=rss

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Belkin has a new phone accessory at CES 2025 that somehow brings something fresh to the crowded field of magnetic charging accessories (in other words, MagSafe and non-Apple-certified alternatives). The company’s Stage PowerGrip is a wireless power bank, camera-like grip and stand rolled into one. It even has a little screen and comes in several fun colors.

Belkin pitches the PowerGrip as an accessory for creators and travelers. While modern smartphones are all most people need for photography, holding a candy-bar-shaped handset in landscape mode for long periods doesn’t feel as comfortable or natural as the heartier grip of a dedicated camera. This accessory remedies that with a thick bulge similar to what you’d find on a DSLR or mirrorless camera.

Belkin

Inside that lump is its 10,000mAh battery, which offers 7.5W magnetic wireless charging. An LED on its backside gives you a quick way to check its battery level. And a retractable USB-C cable is tucked inside the accessory, so you don’t need to remember to throw a separate one in your bag.

Belkin says the PowerGrip will be available in powder blue, sandbox, fresh yellow, pepper and lavender (the company’s press images show a sixth black option, too). It’s scheduled to ship this May. Unfortunately, Belkin hasn’t yet announced pricing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/belkins-new-accessory-is-a-magnetic-power-bank-and-camera-grip-rolled-into-one-170057685.html?src=rss

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Hisense unveiled its latest L9 series laser TV — the L9Q — at CES 2025. The “television” (an ultra-short-throw laser projector paired with a screen) comes with one of five screen sizes, ranging from 100 to 150 inches. The L9Q is the first in the series with auto screen alignment to ease the transition when you project it onto a different-sized screen.

The L9Q uses a proprietary Hisense triple-laser light engine, which helps the TV reach 110 percent of the BT.2020 (aka Rec. 2020) color space — a good omen for lifelike colors that pop. This model also boosts the brightness from previous models, reaching up to 5,000 lumens and a 5,000:1 contrast ratio.

The laser projector’s paired ambient light rejection (ALR) screen comes in five sizes: 100, 110, 120, 136 and 150 inches. (ALR screens tend to have better contrast and viewing angles in brightly lit environments.) In addition to auto screen alignment, the projector has manual keystone correction to adjust for any proportional irregularities in the image.

Hisense says the L9Q is the first laser TV with a 6.2.2 surround sound system. It supports Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual X and eARC audio technologies.

The projector has a “sleek black walnut décor panel” with brushed metal finishes. It has HDMI 2.1 and supports Wi-Fi 6E and NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) for broadcast channels. It runs Google TV and can be controlled by Google Assistant, Alexa and Apple HomeKit.

Hisense hasn’t yet shared a launch date or pricing info. But for the uninitiated, premium laser TVs like this don’t come cheap — typically retailing for at least several thousand dollars.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/hisenses-new-laser-tv-projector-boosts-the-brightness-and-contrast-172431429.html?src=rss

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When Samsung unveiled the world’s first 27-inch 4K gaming OLED monitor on Thursday, Engadget’s Igor Bonifacic predicted that other vendors would soon follow suit. (After all, Samsung is also the biggest supplier of OLED gaming monitor panels.) Sure enough, MSI followed suit the same day at CES 2025 with two monitors with familiar specs: a 27-inch 4K QD-OLED display and a 27-inch QD-OLED one with a crazy-smooth 500Hz refresh rate.

First up: the 27-inch 4K QD-OLED one, marketed to perfection as the… MPG 272URX QD-OLED. (Sure, why not!) MSI is differentiating its monitor as the first one to combine that panel with DisplayPort 2.1a, which can provide a better combination of resolution and frame rates. Like Samsung’s equivalent (the G81SF), it has a 240Hz refresh rate and should look nice and crisp at 166 PPI.

MSI says this panel “significantly reduces color fringing,” which should help with the poor text clarity too often customary of QD-OLED screens. As my colleague Igor points out, this could be an ideal do-it-all monitor for gaming, work or anything else you can throw at it.

It supports NVIDIA’s G-SYNC tech, so smooth gameplay won’t likely be a concern. The MPG 272URX QD-OLED even took home a CES 2025 Innovation Award.

The 27-inch QHD QD-OLED model also has a catchy and memorable name: the MPG 272QR QD-OLED X50. (Yes!) MSI is marketing this monitor to “all the mainstream gamers out there,” likely due to its lower (2,560 x 1,440) resolution. It also uses DisplayPort 2.1a and (like Samsung’s) can have a 0.03ms gray-to-gray pixel response time. It received VESA ClearMR 21000 certification, so motion blur shouldn’t be an issue when enjoying its blistering 500Hz refresh rate.

MSI hasn’t yet shared pricing or release date info for either model.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/msi-also-has-a-27-inch-4k-qd-oled-gaming-monitor-at-ces-2025-221902190.html?src=rss

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Apple has moved to settle a five-year-old class action lawsuit over Siri privacy. Reuters reports that the proposed settlement was filed on Tuesday in Oakland, CA. The company agreed to pay $95 million to class members, estimated to be tens of millions of Siri-enabled device owners. US District Judge Jeffrey White needs to approve the settlement before it becomes official.

The lawsuit stemmed from a 2019 report that Apple quality control contractors could regularly hear sensitive info accidentally recorded by the voice assistant’s “Hey Siri” feature. The clips were said to include medical information, criminal activities and even “sexual encounters.” Apple denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle the case.

Two plaintiffs claimed their inadvertently recorded mentions of Nike Air Jordans and Olive Garden restaurants led to receiving ads for those products. After talking about it with his doctor, another plaintiff said he got ads for a brand-name surgical treatment.

In a statement to Engadget, Apple highlighted its Siri privacy protections and motive for settling the case. “Siri has been engineered to protect user privacy from the beginning,” an Apple spokesperson wrote. “Siri data has never been used to build marketing profiles and it has never been sold to anyone for any purpose. Apple settled this case to avoid additional litigation so we can move forward from concerns about third-party grading that we already addressed in 2019. We use Siri data to improve Siri, and we are constantly developing technologies to make Siri even more private.”

Apple says any data you choose to share with Siri is never used for advertising, and the company has stressed that there isn’t any evidence in this lawsuit (or anywhere else) that the company has done so. The assistant does as much learning as possible on-device, and modern devices — those with 2018’s A12 Bionic chip or newer — process your audio entirely that way. The company added that Apple Intelligence doesn’t train on user data.

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After the original story broke five-plus years ago, Apple highlighted its layers of privacy protections and stressed that the recordings weren’t tied to Apple accounts. It also said its quality control teams studied the clips in “secure facilities” and were bound by “strict confidentiality agreements.”

After an internal review in 2019, Apple suspended the program and admitted it wasn’t “fully living up to” its ideals. The company returned to reviewing Siri recordings soon after — but with some big changes. It reportedly fired hundreds of quality control contractors. It changed its policy so that only Apple employees could review private Siri data — connected to a random identifying number, not your Apple account. (And the company says they take measures to delete any inadvertently triggered recordings). It also began requiring users to opt in to sharing Siri recordings or transcripts.

You can check if you’ve opted in from your device. Head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements > Improve Siri & Dictation. You can also review and delete any stored transcripts in the same location. (If you don’t see that option, you likely weren’t opted in.)

Reuters notes that the proposed $95 million in cash amounts to about nine hours of profit for the company. (Nice work if you can get it.) The settlement’s class period runs from September 17, 2014 — when Apple launched “Hey Siri” in iOS 8 — to December 31, 2024. If you owned a Siri-enabled mobile product during that period (and Judge White approves the settlement), you might get up to $20 per device. However, you’ll have to join the class, and it isn’t yet clear how to do that.

Update, January 6, 2025, 11:57AM ET: This story has been updated with a statement from Apple and additional context.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-agrees-to-settle-a-2019-siri-privacy-lawsuit-for-95-million-195820723.html?src=rss

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You can now play Jeopardy! on your Fire TV Stick. Volley, the developer of the Alexa version of the game show, launched a new edition for Amazon’s streaming device on Thursday. Unlike the voice assistant edition, this one lets you see the clues onscreen, which I have to imagine makes it much more enjoyable. Of course, you also get a familiar view of the 60-year-old show’s iconic game board.

The game is only available through the developer’s new Volley Games app for Fire OS, which requires a $13 monthly subscription. Jeopardy! is exclusively voice-powered, apart from holding the voice button on the Alexa Voice Remote when you want to answer (in the form of a question, of course).

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Although the photo above hints that the game might support local multiplayer, the developer says the feature won’t be available at launch but “will be coming soon.” (However, it’s hard to imagine how that will work without buying extra remotes so everyone can buzz in.) For now, the only way to play with friends is to work as a team or take turns with the remote.

Jeopardy! only works on the Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max. So, you’re out of luck if you have a Fire TV Cube or television with Fire TV baked in. However, Volley says it has plans to expand compatibility.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/this-is-jeopardy-on-your-fire-tv-stick-170008005.html?src=rss

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LG’s Gram laptops are back for another round of updates ahead of CES 2025. A decade into the thin and light lineup’s existence in LG’s portfolio, the latest models load up on AI (surprise!) and boost performance while maintaining their trademark portability.

Four new models are launching at CES: two variants of the Gram Pro, a new Gram Pro 2-in-1 and the entry-level Gram Book. The first version of the Gram Pro has an Intel Core H-series (Arrow Lake) processor under the hood for more traditional laptop tasks (including some gaming). A second model uses an Intel Core Ultra V-series (Lunar Lake) chip for AI tasks. The latter is a Microsoft Copilot+ PC with all the AI goodies expected from that line, including Recall, Live Captions, Cocreator and Windows Studio Effects.

Even if you don’t opt for the Copilot+ variant, you’ll still get LG’s AI features in most of the new models (all but the Gram Book). These are split into two camps: on-device and cloud-processed AI tasks. On-device features include a scaled-down chatbot derived from LG’s EXAONE large language model. It also adds LG’s Time Travel, a feature similar to Microsoft’s Recall that can call up web pages, documents, videos and audio files you’ve visited or used. It’s unclear if or how LG’s version will avoid the privacy pitfalls Microsoft ran into with Recall.

The cloud-based AI features include Gram Chat Cloud, a more robust chatbot (powered by GPT-4o) that can integrate with your calendar and email services.

The Gram Pro has a 17-inch (Arrow Lake) or 16-inch (Lunar Lake) screen with a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD screen. Its variable refresh rate maxes out at 144Hz. Both variants have up to 32GB (LPDDR5X Max 8,400MHz, Dual Channel) of RAM and 2TB of storage.

The Arrow Lake model should make for a solid gaming laptop with RTX 4050 graphics. The AI / Lunar Lake model only has integrated Intel graphics. But at least the latter is lighter and thinner, weighing 2.73 pounds. compared to the Arrow Lake model’s 3.26 pounds.

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LG snagged a CES 2025 Innovation Award for the latest Gram Pro 2-in-1. The top-line configuration has a 16-inch screen with a 2,880 x 1,800 OLED display (120Hz variable refresh rate); cheaper variants are limited to a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD (144Hz VRR). The 2-in-1 ships with a wirelessly rechargeable stylus and — as its name suggests — can be folded back into tablet mode.

Finally, the Gram Book is an entry-level model LG is launching “to expand its US market presence.” Its screen is a more compromised 1,920 x 1,080 15.6-inch LCD at a mere 60Hz. Its Intel Core i5 CPU with integrated Intel graphics and a maximum of 16GB of RAM combine to make it the most underpowered of the bunch. It’s also the heaviest at 3.75 pounds.

Unfortunately, we don’t know how “entry-level” it is: LG hasn’t yet announced pricing information (or release dates) for any of the new laptops.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lg-updates-its-gram-laptop-line-ahead-of-ces-2025-090049429.html?src=rss

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly investigating Microsoft like it’s 1998. In the waning days of the Biden administration, outgoing chair Lina Khan’s probe is said to be picking up steam, according to ProPublica. The FTC is particularly concerned with Microsoft’s bundling of ubiquitous Office products with cybersecurity and cloud computing services. That includes a deal to upgrade government bundles for a limited time, which essentially had the effect of using a government cybersecurity crisis to sell more licenses.

It adds more detail to reports from Bloomberg and the Financial Times in November about an FTC probe into the Windows maker. The publications said Microsoft’s competitors complained that its bundling of its popular software with cloud services made it harder to compete. ProPublica says FTC attorneys have recently interviewed and scheduled meetings with Microsoft’s competitors.

Microsoft confirmed to ProPublica that the FTC issued a civil investigative demand (essentially a subpoena), forcing the company to hand over information related to the case. A Microsoft spokesperson told the publication — without providing on-the-record examples — that the FTC document is “broad, wide ranging, and requests things that are out of the realm of possibility to even be logical.”

The investigation follows a separate ProPublica report from November about how Microsoft appeared to exploit a series of cyberattacks to sell more licenses to the US government. Following a meeting with President Biden in the summer of 2021, the company was said to have offered to upgrade the government’s existing bundles (including Windows and its Office suite) to a more expensive version that added its advanced cybersecurity products. Microsoft also sent consultants to install the upgrades and train employees to use them.

Many divisions of the US government accepted — including all of the Defense Department’s military services — and then began paying for the more expensive bundles after the trial ended. (The hassle of switching to a different cybersecurity product after the trial ended practically guaranteed that would be the case.) ProPublica’s account essentially paints Microsoft as exploiting a cybersecurity crisis to expand sales and pad its bottom line. Just late-stage capitalism things, y’all.

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Ironically, the sales tactic resulted from security lapses from — you guessed it — Microsoft. Biden’s request from Big Tech leaders to boost government cybersecurity followed the SolarWinds attack that exploited a vulnerability in a Microsoft identity service. The company reportedly knew the app contained a “security nightmare” that let hackers spoof legitimate employees and probe sensitive information without raising suspicion. But patching the flaw would add friction to government logins when the company was competing for US contracts. Microsoft reportedly opted to stay mum instead of risk losing business.

According to experts who spoke to ProPublica, the government trial sales scheme could have violated regulations on contracting and competition. The publication reported that even Microsoft’s attorneys worried the deal would spark antitrust concerns.

If this sounds familiar, it echoes the government’s 1998 antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft. Bundling was also a star of that show, with the FTC accusing the company of engaging in anticompetitive practices by including Internet Explorer with Windows, a move viewed in those early days of the internet as stifling rivals like Netscape.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-ftcs-microsoft-antitrust-probe-reportedly-focuses-on-software-bundling-193545163.html?src=rss

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Beats updated its high-end flagship wireless headphones last year, bringing a slew of upgrades over the Studio 3 Wireless, the model it replaced. The Beats Studio Pro has better sound, active noise cancellation (ANC), Spatial Audio and more. But at $350, it didn’t necessarily stand out among stiff competition from Sony and Bose. Well, today at Amazon, the premium headphones have a new draw that those rivals don’t: They’re on sale for a mere $170. That’s 51 percent off and only $10 more than the record low.

Although the Beats Studio Pro doesn’t look starkly different from the Studio 3 Wireless it replaced, it adds subtle aesthetic touches like new colors, a tone-on-tone finish and UltraPlush memory foam (wrapped in leather) earpads. Of course, you still get the brand’s iconic lower-case “b” logo on each earpiece.

But the biggest changes are on the inside. Using Beats’ second-gen audio chip and new 40mm drivers with a two-layer diaphragm, micro vents and acoustic mesh, they have improved clarity and a more balanced profile than the Studio 3 Wireless. Although Beats was once known for overpowering bass at the expense of mids, highs and clarity, that’s no longer the case. Engadget’s audio guru, Billy Steele, found that the cans produced even-handed tuning and attention to precision once unheard of in the brand’s pre-Apple days.

The Studio Pro also has Spatial Audio, familiar to anyone who’s used Apple’s recent AirPods. (Bose also added its equivalent in its Ultra line.) The technology simulates 64 speakers around you, creating a more distinct separation between instruments and voices. You can choose between head-tracked and fixed modes, too. However, the digital trickery’s effectiveness can vary depending on the track, ranging from breathing new life into old tracks to hardly providing a noticeable difference in some other genres.

The headphones also let you listen to high-resolution and lossless music via USB-C wired listening — up to 24-bit / 48kHz. They also have a transparency mode, up to 40 hours of listening with ANC off (or around 24 hours with ANC or transparency mode on) and a fast-fuel feature that gives you four hours of playback after just a 10-minute charge.

If ANC isn’t your priority, you may want to look at the cheaper Beats Solo 4, also on sale. Offering better sound quality and longer battery life over the Solo 3, this 2024 model is on sale at Amazon for $100 — half off.

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/deals/the-beats-studio-pro-headphones-are-half-off-right-now-172541818.html?src=rss

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On Friday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued four financial companies involved with Zelle. The CFPB’s lawsuit (via CNBC) accuses Zelle’s operator (Early Warning Services) and three of the service’s partner banks — JPMorgan Chase, Bank Of America and Wells Fargo — of failing to protect consumers from widespread fraud on the peer-to-peer payment system.

The CFPB says customers of those three banks have lost over $870 million during Zelle’s seven years as a payment service. The suit claims hundreds of thousands of customers who filed fraud complaints were denied meaningful assistance, with some being told to “contact the fraudsters directly to recover their money.” (Pro tip: Don’t do that.)

“The nation’s largest banks felt threatened by competing payment apps, so they rushed to put out Zelle,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra wrote in a statement. “By their failing to put in place proper safeguards, Zelle became a gold mine for fraudsters, while often leaving victims to fend for themselves.”

The CFPB says one of the system’s loopholes is that its “tokens” (linked US phone numbers or email addresses) can be used and reassigned across different banks. The agency claims fraudsters can exploit this by connecting a victim’s number or email to the perpetrator’s deposit account, causing payments meant for the consumer to go to the scammer’s account instead.

The suit accuses Zelle and the banks of allowing repeat offenders to bounce between financial institutions with impunity. “Banks did not share information about known fraudulent transactions with other banks on the network,” the CFPB wrote. “As a result, bad actors could carry out repeated fraud schemes across multiple institutions before being detected, if they were detected at all.”

The CFPB also claims the defendant banks didn’t heed red flags to prevent further fraud, report incidents consistently or on time, properly investigate customer complaints or take appropriate action.

On Friday, Zelle framed the government’s lawsuit as a political hit that would help criminals and force them to charge fees. “The CFPB’s attacks on Zelle are legally and factually flawed, and the timing of this lawsuit appears to be driven by political factors unrelated to Zelle,” Jane Khodos, Zelle spokesperson, wrote in a statement. “Zelle leads the fight against scams and fraud and has industry-leading reimbursement policies that go above and beyond the law. The CFPB’s misguided attacks will embolden criminals, cost consumers more in fees, stifle small businesses and make it harder for thousands of community banks and credit unions to compete.”

In September, JPMorgan Chase wrote in a quarterly filing (via CNBC) that it would consider counter-litigation if the CFPB took action against the bank for its role with Zelle.

Last month, The Washington Post reported that President-elect Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans plan to limit the CFPB’s funding and powers, aligning with the agendas of large financial institutions. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, his “government efficiency” advisors, have said they want to eliminate the agency, which was established in 2011 in response to the 2007-08 financial crisis and resulting recession.

Killing the agency would require a congressional vote that wouldn’t likely pass, given Republicans’ thin majorities. But they could do what Trump did in his first term: appoint a new director to slow or stop regulatory actions, effectively kneecapping the agency as long as they’re in charge.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/the-us-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-sues-zelle-and-four-of-its-partner-banks-175714692.html?src=rss

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LG’s transparent wireless OLED TV is now available. The 77-inch OLED T has 4K resolution, LG’s wireless transmission tech for video and audio and the ability to shift between transparent and opaque modes with the push of a button. This futuristic tech, first introduced at CES 2024, will only set you back… oh, holy hell, this thing costs $60,000.

Engadget’s Billy Steele checked out the OLED T in January and was impressed with its unique presentation. Although some transparent visuals can appear unsettling — like a miniaturized singer who appeared to be in the room — the fish tank video in the image below was more pleasant. He also found the TV’s downward-firing speakers to sound surprisingly good.

Billy Steele for Engadget

You can change between transparent and opaque modes by pressing a button that raises or lowers a contrast screen. It rolls down into a box at its base when you prefer the funky fish-tank look. It also includes backlights to accentuate its transparent look.

The TV also has a chyron-like T-Bar at the bottom, which you can use to check out sports scores, weather, song titles and more. The bar can stay on even when the rest of the TV is off.

The OLED T is powered by LG’s Alpha 11 A1 processor, which has four times the performance of the previous-gen chip — including 70 percent better graphics performance and 30 percent faster processing speed. The TV maintains its clean profile with LG’s Zero Connect Box, which sends video and audio wirelessly to the TV. Just plug your streaming boxes and game consoles into it rather than the TV.

If you happen to be Bill Gates (’sup, Bill!), you can lay down $60 grand to order the LG OLED T starting today. It’s available on LG’s website and at select retail partners, including Best Buy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lgs-transparent-oled-t-television-can-be-yours-for-the-low-low-price-of-60000-185850374.html?src=rss

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