Quick Summary: Cursor: Best for experienced devs using VS Code who want advanced AI help with serious projects. Windsurf: Better for beginners, solo builders, or anyone who wants a lightweight AI IDE without setup. Bottom line: Cursor gives you control. […]
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On the heels of Epic Games’ latest win over Apple in the Fortnite case, Spotify was quick to update the app with external payment links. At the time, the platform also confirmed it had broader plans to take advantage of the new court-mandated changes.
Now, a new update is live, and it is an especially welcome one for audiobook lovers.
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On Monday, SAG-AFTRA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Epic subsidiary Llama Productions for implementing an AI-generated Darth Vader voice in Fortnite on Friday without first notifying or bargaining with the union, as their contract requires.
Llama Productions is the official signatory to SAG-AFTRA's collective bargaining agreement for Fortnite, making it legally responsible for adhering to the union's terms regarding the employment of voice actors and other performers.
"We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies," SAG-AFTRA stated in a news release. "However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader's iconic rhythm and tone in video games."
© Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Last year, Google open-sourced its SynthID AI watermarking system, allowing other developers access to a toolkit for imperceptibly marking content as AI-generated. Now, Google is rolling out a web-based portal to let people easily test if a piece of media has been watermarked with SynthID.
After uploading a piece of media to the SynthID Detector, users will get back results that "highlight which parts of the content are more likely to have been watermarked," Google said. That watermarked, AI-generated content should remain detectable by the portal "even when the content is shared or undergoes a range of transformations," the company said.
The detector will be available to beta testers starting today, and Google says journalists, media professionals, and researchers can apply for a waitlist to get access themselves. To start, users will be able to upload images and audio to the portal for verification, but Google says video and text detection will be added in the coming weeks.
If your Pixel’s battery doesn’t seem to last as long following the May 2025 update from Google, you’re not alone.
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It’s finally possible to purchase an audiobook from Spotify’s iPhone app with just a few taps. On Monday, Spotify announced that Apple approved an update that allows users in the US to see audiobook pricing within the app and buy individual audiobooks outside the App Store.
The update also lets Spotify Premium subscribers purchase additional audiobook listening hours. This change follows last month’s Epic Games vs. Apple ruling, which upended the iPhone maker’s control over the App Store. Under the ruling, Apple can’t collect fees on purchases made outside the app store, nor can it govern how developers point to external purchases.
Spotify submitted the update last week, but now it’s official. The music streaming service pulled audiobook purchases from its iOS app in 2022 after accusing Apple of “choking competition” with App Store rules that made it more difficult to purchase audiobooks. Spotify also started letting iPhone users purchase subscriptions outside the App Store earlier this month.
The iOS apps for Kindle, Patreon, and Delta’s emulator have also taken advantage of the court ruling, but Epic Games is still fighting to bring Fortnite back to the App Store. “This change lowers the barriers for more users to embrace their first — or tenth — audiobook, while allowing publishers and authors to reach fans and access new audiences seamlessly,” Spotify said in its announcement.
WizKids did Baldur’s Gate 3 dirty with its new D&D Icons of the Realms collection of miniature figures. The anticipated collection based on the beloved RPG (my personal 2023 GOTY) launched in April, and some buyers noticed that the characters look nothing — and I mean nothing — like how they were advertised. These cursed recreations of Shadowheart, Astarion, Karlach, Gale, Wyll, and Lae’zel look like unlicensed knockoffs when they are, in fact, officially licensed by Wizards of the Coast. And, it costs $50 for the set!
— Gale-LOD 😏 (@HighLODLar) May 13, 2025
Anyone who has played the game, or at least seen its cover art numerous times, knows what these characters should look like. They don’t look like 3D-printed discards predestined for the garbage bin, with little to no effort made to look authentic, unless perhaps you’re squinting from 10 feet away.
In response to buyers posting pictures of the botched figures on social media and retail sites, and likely from GamesRadar and other sites posting about it last week, WizKids posted an apology to buyers — and to Wizards of the Coast. In it, it details how to get a refund or a replacement to anyone who bought them online or at a local games store. Keep them, replace them, destroy them, pray to them. It’s up to you.
As previewed earlier this month, Google today released the NotebookLM app for Android and iOS ahead of I/O 2025.
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Earlier in the year, Beats launched the Powerbeats Pro 2, the first Apple earbuds to feature in-ear heart rate monitoring. The debut was accompanied by the “Listen to Your Heart” campaign, voiced by RZA and starring LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and Shohei Ohtani.
Now, Beats is back with a new ad featuring Chinese tennis star and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, affectionately known as “Queen Wen.” The ad marks her first major appearance since becoming a global ambassador for the brand earlier this year.
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