Many people using older Chromecast devices experienced a shock in recent days when their units lost the ability to cast content. The company ended the brand last year, which led folks to think that this was a planned obsolescence of some kind. Here’s some good news. It’s just a software issue and Google is working on it.

The company sent an email to users to say that its engineers are "working to resolve this as soon as possible, and will keep you updated when there is more to share.” Google was fairly vague in its wording here, but at least we know a fix is coming.

The issue primarily impacts older Chromecasts and the Chromecast Audio device and prevents them from casting. Google says the cause of the problem has been identified but didn’t reveal any specifics.

However, it has cautioned users to not factory reset impacted Chromecast devices. This will lock users out of the gadget entirely. Google has suggested it would help these people, because performing a factory reset would likely be one of the first troubleshooting steps, but hasn’t provided a time frame.

One Reddit user claims to have found the problem that caused the devices to lose functionality, noting that it was “most definitely due to the certificate baked into the Chromecast having expired.” This person said that the certificate specified it would no longer be active after March 9 and, well, that’s the day before many models started failing.

For the uninitiated, the issue causes an “untrusted device error” whenever someone tries to cast on certain models. The only option is to dismiss the error, which disables casting. Impacted units include the 2nd-gen Chromecast from 2015 and the Chromecast Audio.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/google-apologizes-for-chromecast-outage-and-promises-a-fix-172103579.html?src=rss

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© Nicole Lee for Engadget

Apple and Metallica have teamed up to bring a free, immersive experience from one of the band's concerts to Apple Vision Pro. Starting on March 14, owners of the headset will be able to watch live performances of "Whiplash," "One" and, of course, "Enter Sandman" filmed at a stop on Metallica's M72 World Tour last year. An EP recorded at the show, titled M72 World Tour: Mexico City, will hit Apple Music this Friday and be available with spatial audio.

To capture the set in 180-degree video and spatial audio, Apple constructed a custom stage setup with 14 Apple Immersive Video cameras. Some cameras were suspended on cables and on remote-controlled dolly systems.

The immersive set will likely be a fun experience for those in the Venn diagram overlap of Metallica enjoyers and those who have splashed out $3,500 on an Apple Vision Pro (you'll be able to check it out by booking a free demo at an Apple Store too). But will it be as cool as the time lightning struck the skies while Metallica played "Master of Puppets" at an outdoor show last year? Probably not.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/apple-vision-pro-users-can-check-out-a-short-immersive-metallica-concert-film-this-week-162611039.html?src=rss

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Niantic Labs just announced that it has found a buyer for its game division after putting out feelers back in February. The Saudi Arabia-owned company Scopely has agreed to purchase the division for $3.5 billion. Scopely was founded in Los Angeles but was purchased using money from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, otherwise called the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The agreement includes most of Niantic’s portfolio of AR games, including Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom, among several others. It also includes the company’s social companion apps for Pokémon Go, Campfire and Wayfarer. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions.

Scopely says it will receive “Niantic’s entire team of exceptional gamemakers and category-leading games.” There are a couple of titles, however, missing from this purchase. Niantic Labs will retain the AR gaming titles Peridot and Ingress.

Scopely is a major player in the mobile games industry. It’s the company behind games like Star Trek Fleet Command, Marvel Strike Force and Monopoly Go!, to name a few.

As for Niantic’s games division, it’s a shadow of its former self. Pokémon Go engaged more than 500 million players in its first year, but the game’s staying power has waned in recent times. At its peak, the mobile monster battler attracted over 230 million players each month. Nowadays, that number has shrunk to around 80 million.

The company has also struggled to replicate the Pikachu-shaped lightning in a bottle with other titles. It tried to reskin the Pokémon Go formula onto other franchises like Harry Potter and NBA basketball, but nothing stuck. The Monster Hunter and Pikmin projects, however, are still active.

This led Niantic to cancel multiple games and lay off hundreds of employees. Niantic’s valuation has taken several hits and the company’s long-promised “real-world metaverse” has yet to materialize. If the sale goes through, the company will focus on building out its standalone entity Niantic Spatial. This group builds real-world 3D maps and is led by company CEO John Hanke.

The Saudi PIF has become a major player in the games industry in recent years. It not only owns Scopely and its parent company Savvy Games Group, but has financial stakes in organizations like Nintendo, EA and Activision Blizzard.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/pokemon-go-maker-niantic-sells-its-game-division-to-saudi-owned-scopely-160905447.html?src=rss

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© Scopely

Springtime is a period of renewal – and that often includes new iterations of all your favorite gadgets. Laptops and phones and even game consoles are all getting a new look on the outside and new specs on the inside this year, and you might be tempted to upgrade. But if you do, that leaves the question of what to do with your old model. If it’s still in good working condition, there’s a pretty good chance someone will give you a few bucks for it — here are the best places to make that happen.

Trade-in sites

Lots of people can make good money selling old stuff online, but it’s usually a full-time job for them. You, on the other hand, probably would like it to be as easy and quick as possible. To get some money in your hand without too much fuss, we recommend an automated trade-in site. You'll select your device from a list, get a quote within minutes and send the device to the company in return for cash in a matter of days.

Decluttr

Decluttr definitely lives up to its name. Not only can you sell phones from a number of manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung and Google, but the site also takes lots of physical media, including CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, video games and books – and yes, there are plenty of people who still collect these. For devices, you'll be asked to provide a general assessment of its condition before you’re given a quote immediately. Once you complete your order, the site will send you a free shipping label. Decluttr also will accept handsets as old as the iPhone 7, though it'll offer you only $2 for a 32GB model in excellent condition.

Back Market

Back Market has been rising in popularity the past few years, and it’s easy to see why. It offers excellent prices since it sources multiple refurbishers for quotes. You’ll just answer a few questions about your phone, then take your packaged device to a UPS Store and show the clerk a QR code in order to get your prepaid shipping label. Payment is dropped straight into your bank account, so you don’t have to wait for a check (or worry about cashing it). Back Market takes a pretty wide variety of products too, including headphones and speakers.

uSell

uSell operates as a broker, searching other sites for their best offers on a given device and taking care of the rest. Like most buyback sites, it's big on iPhones, but you can still sell off other manufacturers' devices; it really depends on who's buying them at that point. The selection is a bit of a grab bag — newer phones like the Galaxy S22 aren't listed, though you can get a quote for the iPhone 15 ($401 for an unlocked, “flawless” 128GB model). Once you complete your order the site will send you a free shipping kit to send in your device, and you can get paid for the item via PayPal, Venmo or an old-fashioned check.

ecoATM

If you don't want to have to worry about packaging up your old device and mailing it off, or would like to receive your payout right away, there's always ecoATM. It's literally all in the name: the company operates automated machines that you place your device into to get it examined, and it pays you out on the spot. It accepts the biggest brands (i.e., Apple, Google and Samsung), along with devices from a wide variety of manufacturers, including LG, Motorola and ZTE. If the machine determines that your device isn't worth anything at all, you can still use ecoATM to responsibly recycle your old gadget. You'll find ecoATM kiosks in Walmart, Dollar General and Kroger locations, as well as malls and check-cashing stores across the country.

Amazon

While browsing Amazon listings, it’s likely you’ve come across products marked as “refurbished.” Well, if you’ve ever wondered where those come from, a lot of them likely hail from Amazon’s trade-in program. The company will put its own products, like Kindle ereaders and Fire tablets front and center, but you can also send in phones and gaming products in for an Amazon gift card as well. It’s not great if you want cash, but if you’re looking to upgrade an Amazon device, this option is your best bet, as trading in an older one also nets you a 20 percent discount in addition to the store credit. You’ll need to print out a shipping label, or you can drop off your electronics at select Amazon Locker, Whole Foods or uBreakiFix locations.

Apple

This is a good option if you’re looking to upgrade to a newer Apple device. You can trade in iPhones, iPads, Macs and even Apple Watches. That’s notable as wearables are a category you don’t often see on trade-in sites. Apple will even take your old Android phone if you were thinking of making the switch. The trade-in values are on par with other sites (though occasionally Apple will offer extra credit on certain categories), but you can get a smaller payout in the form of a gift card instead if you’d rather wait before making a new purchase, want to put it toward media purchases or even just use it in an Apple Store. The latter, by the way, also accepts trade-ins in case you’re not comfortable shipping your old but still expensive device.

Target

Target used to do in-store trade-ins only, but now it’s entirely a mail-in operation. You select your product from a pretty extensive list of eligible products, including smart speakers and media players (like Zune!). As usual, you’ll answer a few questions about its condition to get a quote. Then you’ll get a prepaid shipping label to attach to any box that you’ll drop off at your nearest USPS location. Payment is only offered via an electronic gift card, which is still pretty good given that you can buy all sorts of things at Target besides electronics like groceries, clothing and furniture.

It'sWorthMore

The nice thing about It’sWorthMore is that its on-site forms handle a larger variety of gadgets than other sites, including cameras, drones and even graphics cards. It also handles products from a larger variety of companies such as LG, AMD and even GoPro in addition to standards like Apple, Samsung and Google. You’ll answer a few standard questions about your device’s condition and whether you still have the original box — obviously, the more you’ve kept from the original packaging, the better. You’ll then get a ballpark estimate of its worth and a prepaid shipping label to print out. Once your device has been received, you’ll generally get the assessment and payment via direct deposit, check, PayPal, Zelle or a gift card in under 10 days.

BuyBackWorld

The appeal of BuyBackWorld is that device assessment is a streamlined process: Instead of having to answer a barrage of detailed questions about the condition of your device you simply give it a general assessment and let the site handle the rest. Just like with It’sWorthMore, BuyBackWorld will provide a printable shipping label in your confirmation email but, if you don’t have a printer or boxes to pack your device up, you can always have the site send you a free shipping kit, which can handle everything the site takes except desktop computers. Don’t worry if you do have a larger item, though – BuyBackWorld will still cover free shipping via FedEx, you just need to provide your own packaging.

GadgetGone

If you’ve read through the other site descriptions, GadgetGone’s modus operandi should be familiar: To sell a product, you’ll have to answer a few questions about what type of device you have and what condition it’s in, after which the site will generate a prepaid shipping label. At least here you can find brands like OnePlus included among the options, and you can also sell MacBooks and Mac minis here. You can get paid a number of ways, too, including PayPal, virtual VISA card, Amazon and Target gift cards or just good, old-fashioned bank transfer.

Store trade-ins

Whether it’s because you don’t want to wait for your money, or because you’re not entirely comfortable dropping expensive electronics into a mailbox and hoping they make it to their destination, you might prefer taking your items to a retail location. Fortunately there are still plenty of brick-and-mortar locations to do just that. Even wireless carriers like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have gotten in on the trade-in game.

Best Buy

Best Buy also offers trade-ins both by mail and in-store — with more than 1,000 locations, this might be extremely convenient for you. You fill out the form online and bring that to customer service. It's easy, but there's one big downside: You can get your payout only via a Best Buy gift card. This is great if you spend a lot of money with them anyway, but not ideal if you need cash.

GameStop

GameStop is infamous for buying games back at ridiculously low prices and flipping them at near retail, but don't let that stop you from making some easy cash when you need to quickly clear your closet of old electronics and games. And yes, I said cash: GameStop offers store credit, a prepaid Mastercard or actual money if you want to take your bounty elsewhere. For example, you can trade in Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Switch and get $25 in store credit or $17.50 cash, which isn't bad when new copies are going for $50 on Amazon. GameStop also accepts phones, tablets and Apple Watches, though the prices aren't going to match what you'd get from an online trade-in site. You can even sell your Amiibo collection if you just want it gone and don’t care about recouping its full value.

Consumer to consumer

Sometimes you prefer to cut out the middleman and get a bit more personal — a transaction where you're selling your device directly to another person instead of letting a faceless site flip it for you as a "refurbished" unit. In those cases, you want a site that's more user-to-user, though a few will still automate certain bits to make your sale as smooth and secure as possible.

Swappa

Swappa is a marketplace site, which means sellers can set their own price. So if you're getting rid of a newer phone, this is probably the best way to go — the iPhone 16 fetches around $400, for example. That's a huge improvement over what you'd get selling through a site like Decluttr, which is offering only $162 for a 128GB unit.

Amazon

When shopping on Amazon, you've probably been tempted by some of those marketplace deals in the past and, chances are, if you list an item on there, someone will give your old device a look. Since almost everyone on earth seems to have an Amazon account, your potential customer base is huge, and it costs only $0.99, plus a percentage based on category, to sell an item through the site. The downsides are that Amazon isn't really optimized for individual sales; you'll be competing with wholesale companies and even bots that will tweak the price of a product automatically in response to the competition.

eBay

eBay is sort of the Wild West of sales sites, but the biggest advantage is that you can sell anything there and hopefully find a buyer, regardless of how old a product is. Even so, the site has come a long way in the past decade or so, with a dedicated tech section in the top menu and a hub page highlighting current deals.

In the end, it still works as it always did: You list a product and set an end date for the listing with a minimum price, or just set a "Buy It Now" price if you don't want to wait to see how an auction turns out. Chances are you already have an eBay account with a feedback score, so there's no extra setup required on your part. Your first 250 listings are free every month, and you'll pay up to 15 percent of the purchase price (plus a small flat fee of $0.30 or $0.40) if an item sells. The biggest downside is that you're competing with a lot more sellers, and chances are there's always someone willing to undercut you on price.

Cash-back comparison

Ultimately, the site you go with should be whatever's most useful and convenient, but if you just care about how much money you'll get, we've priced out the iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S22 just to give you an idea of what each site will pay out.

iPhone 15 (unlocked, 128GB, good condition)

• Amazon: N/A

• Apple: $400 (trade-in credit), $390 (gift card)

• AT&T: $190 (bill credit or promotional card)

• BackMarket: $396 (cash)

• Best Buy: $325 (gift card)

• BuyBackWorld: $340 (cash)

• Decluttr: $162 (cash)

• eBay: $315 (cash)

• ecoATM: $251 (cash)

• GadgetGone: $417 (cash)

• GameStop: $230 (cash), $256 (store credit)

• It’sWorthMore: $421 (cash)

• Swappa: $463 (cash)

• Target: $290 (gift card)

• T-Mobile $290 (bill credit)

• uSell: $371 (cash)

• Verizon: N/A

Samsung Galaxy S23 (unlocked, 128GB, good condition)

• Amazon: N/A

• Apple: $195 (trade-in credit or gift card)

• AT&T: $290 (bill credit or promotional card)

• Back Market: $203 (cash)

• Best Buy: $150 (gift card)

• BuyBackWorld: $180 (cash)

• Decluttr: $135 (cash)

• eBay: $225 (cash)

• ecoATM: $133 (cash)

• GadgetGone: $232 (cash)

• GameStop: $131 (cash), $146 (store credit)

• It’sWorthMore: $236 (cash)

• Swappa: $308 (cash)

• Target: $190

• T-Mobile: $155 (bill credit)

• uSell: N/A

• Verizon: N/A

Once you've picked a site and listed your item, there are a few important things to remember before you ship off your device. At the top of the list is to do a full factory reset before disposing of a phone or laptop (or any other device) containing personal data. That also means turning off "Find My iPhone" and the activation lock on iOS devices. See if you can unlock the phone, too; you'll actually get more money selling it carrier-free. And finally, make sure you've backed up any important data you may have, like contact info, game saves and, of course, photos. Cash is great, but it won't save your memories.

Images: Mike Blake / Reuters (ecoATM); Alamy (Gamestop); Getty Images for eBay (eBay)

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/where-to-sell-used-electronics.html?src=rss

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© Maskot via Getty Images

There's a sale on some of our favorite Sonos devices happening on Amazon right now. One of the best deals comes thanks to a 36 percent discount on the Sonos Ray compact soundbar. It's currently available for just $179, down from $279 in either black or white. It's our runner up for best midrange soundbar. 

The Sonos Ray debuted in 2022 and garnered an 82 in our review thanks to compact, sleek design and easy setup. We also liked its bass performance and overall sound quality for either TV or music. However, it didn't create as immersive a sound as larger options, so people with a big space might want to opt for something else. 

Then there's our favorite midrange speaker, the Sonos Era 100. The speaker is currently down to $199 from $249 — a 20 percent discount. It offers great sound quality and has two tweeters. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-soundbars-and-speakers-are-up-to-36-percent-off-right-now-153107885.html?src=rss

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© Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Since its debut at the end of last year, Gemini 2.0 has gone on to power a handful of Google products, including a new AI Mode chatbot. Now Google DeepMind is using that same technology for something altogether more interesting. On Wednesday, the AI lab announced two new Gemini-based models it says will "lay the foundation for a new generation of helpful robots."

The first, Gemini Robotics, was designed by Deepmind to facilitate direct control of robots. According to the company, AI systems for robots need to excel at three qualities: generality, interactivity and dexterity.

The first involves a robot's flexibility to adapt to novel situations, including ones not covered by its training. Interactivity, meanwhile, encapsulates a robot's ability to respond to people and the environment. Finally, there's dexterity, which is mostly self-explanatory: a lot of tasks humans can complete without a second thought involve fine motor skills that are difficult for robots to master.

"While our previous work demonstrated progress in these areas, Gemini Robotics represents a substantial step in performance on all three axes, getting us closer to truly general purpose robots," says DeepMind.

For instance, with Gemini Robotics powering it, DeepMind's ALOHA 2 robot is able to fold origami and close a Ziploc bag. The two-armed robot also understands all the instructions given to it in natural, everyday language. As you can see from the video Google shared, it can even complete tasks despite encountering roadblocks, such as when the researcher moves around the Tupperware he just asked the robot to place the fruit inside of.

Google is partnering with Apptronik, the company behind the Apollo bipedal robot, to build the next generation of humanoid robots. At the same time, DeepMind is releasing Gemini Robotics-ER (or embodied reasoning). Of the second model, the company says it will enable roboticists to run their own programs using Gemini's advanced reasoning abilities. DeepMind is giving "trusted testers," including one-time Google subsidiary Boston Dynamics, access to the system.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/deepminds-latest-ai-model-can-help-robots-fold-origami-and-close-ziploc-bags-151455249.html?src=rss

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© Google DeepMind

The recent wave of good deals on Apple gear doesn't stop at iPad, MacBook Air or Apple Watch models. A four-pack of Apple AirTags has dropped back down to a record low price of $64.49. That's 35 percent off the regular price of $99.

The AirTag is our pick for the best Bluetooth tracker for iPhone users. AirTags are deeply integrated into Apple's ecosystem, making them a cinch to set up using an iPhone. They're easy to use as well as they work with Apple's Find My app.

In large part thanks to the many, many iPhones that are out in the wild, AirTags can help you find misplaced items. Whenever someone with an iPhone is close enough to such an item with an AirTag attached, it will appear in your Find My app. 

In addition, if you happen to accidentally leave something with an AirTag somewhere, you'll likely receive a left-behind alert once you're a certain distance away from it (1,200 feet or so, based on our testing). It's possible to disable these alerts for certain trackers and set up exceptions for such notifications when your AirTags are at, say, your home or place of work.

If you have an iPhone 11 or later (not including an iPhone SE or iPhone 16e), your phone's ultra-wide band chip can point you in the direction of an AirTag using arrows and a distance meter once you're within 25 feet of it. One major reason that this is useful is because the AirTag has the quietest ring of any tracker we’ve tested. It also comes in handy when the AirTag is out of sight.

The AirTag has a replaceable battery and it has an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. However, the device's audible ring only lasts for seven seconds, so you might end up having to trigger it a few times to find your AirTag. There's no attachment point built in either, so if you'd like to affix an AirTag to a set of keys, for instance, you’ll probably need to buy an AirTag accessory.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-airtags-is-back-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-144735100.html?src=rss

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© Engadget

There are many reasons Devil May Cry fans will enjoy the upcoming show adaptation's new trailer. But, I must warn you, after watching it Papa Roach's "Last Resort" will be stuck in your head for days. The early 2000s song plays alongside a two-minute trailer that showcases Dante and, notably, his twin brother Vergil. 

There are many great takeaways from this peek at the show, but one of the most amusing might be when Lady rips of Dante's shirt and he responds, "Ripped and irresistible dream boat, I know. You still can't just tear a guy's clothes off." It's that kind of lighthearted banter mixed with the action sequences that make us so excited for the Devil May Cry series. 

A television series version of Capcom's Devil May Cry game has been in the works for years now. We first got a teaser back in 2023, but we only learned in January that it will premiere on Netflix on April 3. The animated series from Korean company Studio Mir is actually Devil May Cry's second go as a show — in 2007, a 12-episode anime based on the game ran in Japan. 

Not familiar with the video game? Here's Netflix's synopsis for the Devil May Cry TV show: "Sinister forces are at play at the portal between the human and demon realms. In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon hunter for hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-devil-may-cry-netflix-series-has-a-real-trailer-and-now-papa-roach-is-stuck-in-my-head-131853378.html?src=rss

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Mike Verdu has left Netflix, according to Game File with Stephen Totilo. Netflix brought the former Oculus and EA exec onboard to launch and lead its gaming efforts in 2021. Under Verdu's leadership, the company released a bunch of new and ported titles, as well as establishing an internal game development operation. In mid-2024, however, Netflix changed its gaming strategy and hired Alain Tascan, the executive vice president for game development at Epic Games, to lead its gaming efforts. Verdu still served as the VP for games until November 2024, after which he was named as the Vice President of generative AI for games. 

On LinkedIn, Verdu wrote that his role was about "driving a 'once in a generation' inflection point for game development and player experiences using generative AI." He added that he was "focused on a creator-first vision for AI, one that puts creative talent at the center, with AI being a catalyst and an accelerant." Verdu has yet to update his LinkedIn profile with a new role. As Totilo said in his newsletter, Netflix's gaming efforts have undergone some big changes since Tascan took over. 

In 2022, Netflix hired former Overwatch boss Chacko Sonny to lead an internal AAA studio known as Team Blue. It then brought on Halo exec Joseph Staten, as well as God of War art director Rafael Grassett to work on a multi-platform AAA game for an all-new IP. But in October 2024, Netflix shut down Team Blue. The company had also lost Leanne Loombe, who headed up its second and third-party gaming development and publishing efforts. Loombe recently became the head of games at Annapurna Interactive following a mass exodus, wherein all 25 members of the studio's team collectively resigned. And in early February, Netflix canceled its release plans for six games that were previously heading to iOS and Android, including Thirsty Suitors and Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflixs-first-gaming-boss-has-left-the-company-124555235.html?src=rss

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© Netflix

It's no secret that Spotify isn't a big money maker for most artists. But, in its annual Loud & Clear report, the music streamer is trying to change the narrative, reiterating an earlier claim that it paid artists $10 billion in 2024 ($60 million since launching) and adding that these payments increased tenfold over the last 10 years. 

Spotify throws in quite a few other big numbers into the 2024 report. It claims that the 100,000th most streamed artist also saw a tenfold increase over a decade, receiving $6,000, up from $600. Meanwhile, the 10,000th most streamed artist reportedly received $131,000, up from $34,000. Plus, it reports that almost 1,500 artists generated over $1 million.

Despite these numbers, Spotify still doesn't hold much goodwill from artists. For starters, a report from music catalog buyer Duetti found that Spotify paid out $3 per 1,000 streams in 2024, while the same figure gave artists $4.80 at YouTube, $6.20 at Apple Music and $8.80 at Amazon Music. In a statement after the report's release, Spotify told TechCrunch, "These claims are ridiculous and unfounded," and argued that music platforms don't pay by stream. 

In January, Billboard reported that four of the five artists nominated at the Grammys for songwriter of the year chose to skip Spotify's Grammy party for songwriters — all of Spotify's Grammy parties were eventually canceled because of the Los Angeles wildfires. Songwriters, including Jesse Jo Dillon and Amy Allen, both cited Spotify's decision last year to bundle audiobooks and songs in subscription tiers. The publication had previously reported that the new premium, duo and family tiers meant songwriters got paid a discounted bundle rate, losing an estimated $150 million in US mechanical royalties over the first 12 months. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-tries-to-defend-its-artist-payout-rates-120021659.html?src=rss

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© Spotify

We've come a long way from the days of discarding smartphones as soon as a new model comes out. Many shoppers are now demanding devices that will last for years, and they are being more conscientious about what happens to those gadgets when the need for an upgrade does arrive.

You may want to trade in your smartphone or sell it when the time comes; either option can keep your device out of a landfill in addition to scoring you some extra cash. There are also options to recycle part or all of your phone if it's too old to make a trade-in worthwhile. Whatever path you choose, there are important steps to take to prepare a phone you're about to get rid of. These instructions apply to any model you might have, including both iPhones and Android phones. Here's what you need to know.

Back up your data

Let's start with a very important reminder to do regular backups for all of your gear, not just your phone. It's a task you should keep up with routinely even when you aren't about to recycle or trade-in a device.

Most hardware manufacturers have an automatic cloud backup system, but you'll like your new phone a lot less if it doesn't have your full, up-to-date library of contacts, photos and other information. This is the time to manually back everything up with all of your latest data.

Also, before you get any further into the process, make sure that you know the critical details for your phone and the main accounts associated with it. Halfway through is the worst time to lose access to your device because you can't remember your username or password.

Unpair wireless accessories

Most people connect their phone to many other gadgets via Bluetooth. There are obvious ones, like smartwatches and wireless headphones, but you might also have your phone paired with something like a car stereo or a portable speaker. All of them should be unpaired from the phone you're about to trade in.

If you use your phone in two-factor authentication for sensitive accounts, you'll want to make sure that you disconnect the device from those services, too.

Log out of apps and services

Next, you'll sign out of the device's cloud-based service. For iPhone owners, that's iCloud, and on Android, it's the Google suite. This will avoid any confusion with your new device. You'll also want to turn off Find My on iPhones or Find My Device on Android phones. iPhone users should also deregister iMessage on their old iPhone, particularly if they’re moving to a non-Apple smartphone. These steps might seem unnecessary when you'll end up wiping your device entirely, but you don't want to risk having your personal information accidentally made available to whoever might get your phone next.

Also, if you are under a plan that protects your phone, such as Apple Care or Preferred Care, you can usually cancel that coverage early. You'll get a refund on any unexpired coverage, and given how expensive gadgets can be now, it's worth getting that money back if you can.

Swap to the new device

At this point, your to-do list will vary. If you're planning to trade up to a newer model from the same manufacturer and you already have your new phone, then you'll want to transfer your data before moving on to wiping your old phone. Either in the store or on your own, in most cases you can wirelessly migrate your data from the old device to the new one.

If you're changing lanes between the Apple and Google universes, you can also do most data swapping yourself. There's a Google Play app called Move to iOS and one in the App Store called Android Switch that can walk you through the process. Just be sure that your device meets the requirements to use those programs.

However, if you aren't immediately setting up a new device, then you can skip this and move on to the next phase.

Factory reset your old device

Once you double-check that you have everything backed up (seriously, don't take chances on this), then it's time to perform a factory reset. This will remove all of your data and apps, and bring the phone back to its original state. It’s ideal to do this reset as the final step of trading in, selling or recycling a device.

Whatever phone model you have, the reset option will be in the Settings app. It will commonly be nested under a tab like General or About, or you can search “reset” within Settings to find exactly where it is on your device.

Remove any accessories

This might seem obvious, but right before handing off your phone, make sure that you remove any accessories. Cases, grips and screen protectors should stay with you, not with the phone when it goes to its new home.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-prepare-your-phone-for-trade-in-120000724.html?src=rss

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© Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

NASA's SPHEREx observatory is now in space for a two year year mission to create a 3D map of the entire celestial sky. The telescope left the ground on top of a Falcon 9 rocket from a launch pad in California, four years after NASA announced that a SpaceX flight will launch the mission, along with NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) microsatellites. SPHEREx separated from SpaceX's vehicle at 12AM Eastern time on March 12 and will remain in low Earth orbit, where it will maintain a position relative to the sun that will remain the same throughout the year.

Every 98-minute orbit the observatory makes will allow it to view a 360-degree strip of the sky in both optical as well as near-infrared light. The telescope can capture more 360-degree strips as the Earth moves around the sun, enabling it to map the entire celestial sky within six months. SPHEREx was designed to image the entire sky every six months in two years, with its goal being to create a 3D map of over 450 million galaxies. The telescope will also image and gather information on over 100 million stars in the Milky Way.

SPHEREx's map is bound to be colorful: It will separate infrared light emitted by the stars and galaxies into 102 individual colors using a technique called spectroscopy. NASA likens it to the "way a prism splits sunlight into a rainbow." The agency says observing the objects in different colors will reveal various properties about them, such as their composition. For galaxies, their colors could help scientists determine their distance from our planet. The data SPHEREx provides will give scientists information about what happened right after the Big Bang and could provide evidence of cosmic inflation, or the rapid expansion of the early universe. SPHEREx will shed its telescope lens' protective cover in four days and will start its science operations in a little over a month once its temperature has cooled down. 

Meanwhile, the four PUNCH satellites, which will also take on a Sun-synchronous orbit, will map the sun's corona by taking polarized white-light images of the celestial object. It will gather data to help us better understand how the corona turns into solar wind, which could lead to accurate predictions of space weather events affecting spacecraft orbiting the Earth. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasas-spherex-space-telescope-launched-into-orbit-by-a-spacex-falcon-9-rocket-055518752.html?src=rss

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© NASA/BAE Systems/Benjamin Fry

The Remote Desktop app for Windows is (almost) dead; long live the Windows app. Microsoft said on Monday that its legacy Remote Desktop client, which has already been replaced on other platforms, will no longer be supported on Windows after May 27, 2025. But you aren't losing any functionality here. You can still do tech support for your parents using built-in Windows functionality or the modern Windows app, which is somehow both the simplest and most confusing naming convention Microsoft's marketing team could have mustered.

"Starting May 27, 2025, the Remote Desktop app for Windows from the Microsoft Store will no longer be supported or available for download and installation," Microsoft's Hilary Braun wrote on its Windows IT Pro Blog. "Users must transition to Windows App to ensure continued access to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft Dev Box."

The company says connections to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft Dev Box via the Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store will be blocked in the Remote Desktop app on the app's expiration date of May 27. For all other users, it will continue working but will no longer be supported.

Increasing the confusion, Windows has a built-in Remote Desktop Connection app that will remain the only way to use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections after May 27. But Microsoft will eventually incorporate that into the Windows app.

As Thurrot.com notes, Microsoft warned that it would eventually replace the Remote Desktop with the Windows app when the operating system's namesake app launched last fall. The new app even arrived as an update to the Remote Desktop client on Apple's App Store.

As for the, uh, interestingly named Windows app, the company likely chose that branding because it wants to move Windows increasingly to the cloud. Its Windows 365 service, introduced in 2021, even lets you stream a virtual version of the OS from any device. So, calling the unified app used to access cloud and remote PCs "Windows app" seems maybe slightly less bizarre from that angle.

Still, a Reddit thread from the Windows app's September launch held some entertaining reactions from the company's fans. "Microsoft needs to collect all the staff responsible for naming or renaming their products in the past 15 years and shoot them into the sun," u/AlignedHurdle posted. Meanwhile, u/Shoddy_Eye7866 seized an opportunity to use the Xzibit meme: "Yo dawg, I heard you like Windows, so I took Windows App and put in your Windows so you can Windows while you Windows."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-is-phasing-out-its-remote-desktop-app-in-may-211320714.html?src=rss

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iRobot just announced some new Roomba vacuums and they feature interesting capabilities. The Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo Robot is being advertised as "the industry's first onboard mechanical debris-compacting system." In other words, it squeezes dust and debris together like, well, a garbage compactor.

This allows users to go eight weeks without having to empty the vacuum. It also eliminates the need for a dedicated debris bin. 

iRobot

Otherwise, the 205 is a full-featured hybrid vacuum/mop. There’s a 4-stage vacuuming system with ClearView LiDAR for improved navigation. The company says this unit offers "250 percent more power-lifting suction and improved cleaning performance" when compared to Roomba 600 series robots.

The Roomba Plus 405 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock is another hybrid, but this one pays special attention to the mopping capabilities. It includes the company’s new DualClean mop pads that spin at 200 RPM for some extra oomph. It also comes with Roomba’s AutoWash dock, which washes and dries the mop pads on its own. This tech was first used in last year’s Roomba Combo 10 Max. 

iRobot

The company also announced the 505 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock, which is better at cleaning edges. To coincide with these new products, the Roomba Home app is getting some much-needed upgrades. The redesign should allow for "more intuitive control, the ability to create routines and schedules, access to real-time monitoring of their device and advanced customized cleaning options."

The Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo Robot starts at $469 and the Roomba Plus 405 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock costs $800. The 505 costs a whopping $1,000. Preorders go live on March 18 via iRobot or select retailers. The company also announced a new entry-level vacuum called the Roomba 105 that costs $319.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/roombas-irobot-205-robovac-can-go-eight-weeks-without-being-emptied-210014269.html?src=rss

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One day after X went down for hours, security researchers are throwing cold water on Elon Musk’s public comments about who might be behind the DDoS attack. On Monday, as X was still struggling to remain online, Musk said in a post that the site had been brought down by a “massive cyberattack” executed by “a large, coordinated group and/or a country.” Later that day, in an interview with Fox News, he said the attack involved "IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area."

He never provided evidence for either claim. But, in a new report from Wired, security researchers offered a very different view on the attack. Security experts interviewed by the publication said that they had seen little evidence that Ukrainian IP addresses played a significant role in the DDoS attack, with one researcher saying the country wasn’t even in the top 20 countries of origin involved.

The report also suggests that, despite Musk’s assertion there were “a lot of resources” involved, X may have inadvertently left its systems susceptible to a DDoS attack like the one that happened Monday. “X origin servers, which respond to web requests, weren't properly secured behind the company's Cloudflare DDoS protection and were publicly visible,” Wired writes. “As a result, attackers could target them directly. X has since secured the servers.”

Notably, this wouldn’t be the first time Musk has blamed an unspecified “cyberattack” when faced with an embarrassing failure of X’s systems. Last year, Musk blamed a “massive DDoS attack” for crashing a planned livestream with Donald Trump, who was running for president at the time. Musk never explained how a DDoS attack could bring down only one feature on the site. The Verge later reported that there had been no such attack.

X didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/security-researchers-arent-buying-musks-spin-on-the-cyberattack-that-took-down-x-203402687.html?src=rss

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© Andrew Harnik via Getty Images

Electric vehicle company Rivian is rolling out new software today. The lead feature is Enhanced Highway Assist, which controls steering, acceleration, and braking on compatible highways. It relies on an infrared camera in the rearview mirror to ensure that the driver is still paying attention to the road, even though their hands don't need to be on the wheel. This resource is only rolling out to Rivian's Gen 2 vehicles; the blog post did not address whether it would also come to Gen 1.

There's also a new driving mode for Rivian's Performance Dual-Motor lineup. Rally Mode is now available as one of the Off-Road Mode options. When enabled, the vehicle will provide heightened responses to steering and throttle on a range of terrains. Several Dual-Motor vehicles are also getting the option for a post-purchase performance upgrade that introduces three new drive modes: Rally, Sport and Soft Sand. This performance upgrade is a one-time cost of $5,000.

Both Gen 2 and Gen 1 are getting other elements of the software update. Side mirror auto-tilt when the car is reversing, allowing a driver better visibility of their wheels and the curb when parallel parking, and tire puncture detection are part of the package. Rivian is also adding an option to change wheel type in the mobile app's Settings menu to receive more-accurate driving range estimates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/rivians-latest-update-offers-hands-free-highway-driving-201926973.html?src=rss

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In a rare recent example of a product becoming more affordable (rather than moving full-speed in the opposite direction), the popular podcast service Pocket Casts no longer requires a subscription to access its web player and desktop apps. Although the premium tiers are still there for some paywalled features, the only platforms where you can't listen for free are now smartwatches without a paired phone — a niche within a niche, if ever there was one.

Before Tuesday's announcement, you could listen for free on the Pocket Casts Android and iOS apps, but its web player and desktop apps required a premium subscription starting at $4 monthly or $40 annually. Now, you can check in with your favorite podcasters on your Mac or PC without paying a dime. Although you could already do that on free alternatives like Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Music, Pocket Casts enthusiasts (including some Engadget staffers) swear by its clean UI, silence trimming and voice boosting features and queue management.

Pocket Casts / App Store

The Automattic-owned service framed the move as standing up for open podcasting that's freely accessible to anyone, everywhere. "By making our Web Player available to everyone, we're reinforcing our belief that podcasts belong to the people, not corporations," the brand wrote in its announcement post.

That's a noble sentiment — and one we would love to see more companies embrace. But if we read (perhaps a bit cynically) between the lines, YouTube announced last month that it's passed one billion monthly active podcast viewers, with third-party data showing that it's the most popular podcast service in the US. When combined with Apple's recent addition of a web player for its free podcast service, perhaps Pocket Casts realized it was limiting itself to a diminishing piece of the pie by paywalling everything but its mobile apps.

As it stands, Pocket Casts hopes its subscription-gated features will entice some folks into throwing a few bucks its way. The Plus tier adds (deep inhale) a shuffle feature, bookmarks, the ability to preselect chapters, 20GB of cloud storage, watchOS and Wear OS apps (which you can still use for free as long as the content is streaming from your phone) and other goodies like themes, icons and a year of content from Slumber Studios. Meanwhile, the Patron tier offers all that plus early access to features, 100GB of cloud storage, extra icons and, the most important of all, a profile badge.

Pocket Casts Plus will set you back $4 monthly or $40 annually, while a Patron subscription costs $10 monthly or $100 annually.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/pocket-casts-makes-its-web-player-and-desktop-apps-usable-without-a-subscription-193035046.html?src=rss

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ZA/UM Studio, the company behind Disco Elysium, just announced a new game called Project [C4]. It’s being described as a “genre-defining RPG” and there’s a teaser trailer that’s light on gameplay but heavy on disturbing imagery.

Based on the trailer, we still don’t know if the game will pull mechanics or visuals from the highly-regarded Disco Elysium. A press release did note that folks would play as a spy of some kind and suggested that the game could actually, in part, take place in the human brain. Everything else is still shrouded in secrecy.

What’s not shrouded in secrecy? ZA/UM has had, to put it lightly, a tumultuous several years since Disco Elysium was released in 2019. It has been plagued by layoffs, firings and departures of the core team that made Disco Elysium, including creator Robert Kurvitz, art director Aleksander Rostov and writer Helen Hindpere.

Back in 2022, the company’s new executive suite fired all three, accusing them of misconduct and attempted intellectual property theft. It’s worth noting that Kurvitz wrote the novel that Disco Elysium is based on, so we aren’t sure how someone could steal from their own book. Lawsuits were filed and Kurvitz and Rostov set up their own company.

The pair also refuted the allegations of IP theft, writing in an open letter that they were fired as they attempted to investigate suspicious activity surrounding the takeover of ZA/UM by Estonian businessmen Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel. These two were previously convicted of investment fraud. The pair has also been accused of creating a hostile work environment, particularly for women.

"I know at least five women who've left or been made to leave the studio since Disco’s launch, naming Tõnis Haavel as a major factor. There are zero women in creative leadership and very few women in leadership positions in general,” a former writer for Disco Elsyium told PC Gamer amidst recent company-wide layoffs.

A handful of other previous ZA/UM employees recently formed a dev company called Longdue to create a new game that acts as a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium. Kurvitz and Rostov’s company, Red Info, is said to be making a new game with the financial backing of NetEase, but no concrete details have been released.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-studio-that-technically-made-disco-elysium-has-a-new-game-in-the-works-185218695.html?src=rss

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NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference, also known as GTC, is coming up. The event is happening March 17-21 in San Jose, but you can also follow along with all the big developments here at Engadget. We'll have a liveblog for the keynote with CEO Jensen Huang on March 18 at 1PM ET (or 10AM PT), which is when most of the big news will drop. His speech will also be livestreamed for free, so you can watch it on NVIDIA's website too. 

From a quick glance at the session catalog on NVIDIA's website, we can make a few educated guesses. Topics range from quantum computing and "physical AI" to robotics, healthcare and Agentic AI. Huang himself is hosting the quantum computing chat with a bevy of participants from companies like Microsoft and Amazon, too. 

It's a safe bet that you'll hear a whole lot about artificial intelligence during the week, but with all the changes in the computing landscape over the past 12 months, the stakes might be higher for the company to make serious waves at this conference. 

What to expect at NVIDIA GTC 2025

NVIDIA has been going all-in on AI for years now, and that makes it a regular highlight for GTC programming. Last year saw the company unveiling its Blackwell line of GPUs for faster and less demanding computations. We're guessing that Huang will introduce another iteration of Blackwell GPUs with even better specs this time around. NVIDIA is also likely to share updates on its projects in automotive, robotics and quantum computing.

But the company is in a very different situation in early 2025 than it was going into last year's conference. NVIDIA is no longer sitting quite so comfortably at the top of the heap. The emergence of DeepSeek's reasoning model caused a plunge for tech stocks, including NVIDIA's, earlier this year. There have been lots of issues related to its latest RTX product launches and splashy tech for AI-generated NPCs in gaming are, unsurprisingly, pretty soulless.

Basically, NVIDIA needs a win. This would be the time for Huang to drop something surprising and exciting. Hopefully he delivers.

Update, March 12 2025, 1:18PM ET: This story has been updated to add information gleaned from NVIDIA's session catalog to the intro.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/what-to-expect-at-the-nvidia-gtc-2025-keynote-with-ceo-jensen-huang-183038999.html?src=rss

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Waymo is expanding to new (but actually old) territory. The Waymo One service will soon be available in more of the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto and parts of Sunnyvale.

The company spent several years testing its self-driving cars in Mountain View, the city where its headquarters is located. According to TechCrunch, Waymo One will be available across 27 square miles of Silicon Valley, in addition to the 55 square miles it covers elsewhere in the Bay Area, including San Francisco.

This is the latest in a string of expansions for the company. Waymo has been up and running in Los Angeles and Phoenix for a while. It started offering robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas last week, just in time for SXSW. Miami and Atlanta are also on the docket. Waymo said in January that it planned to test its vehicles in 10 new cities this year, including Las Vegas and San Diego.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-expands-to-more-cities-in-the-bay-area-181528776.html?src=rss

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