Engadget Feed

Sennheiser has introduced a new high-end headphone set for audio professionals. The HD 480 Pro is essentially a closed-back reimagining of the company's popular HD 490 Pro headset. Both headphones are designed for audio professionals, aiming to fit both a studio or a live performance setting. The company is positioning this product as a versatile option that can handle recording, monitoring, producing or mixing.

The HD 480 Pro aims to address two complaints for closed-back headsets: comfort for long wearing sessions and accurate bass reproduction. Sennheiser uses what it dubs a "Vibration Attenuation System" to prevent distortions or reflections in the audio signal. The cable can be detached and used on the left or right side in order to accommodate different setups. 

To address comfort, the HD 480 Pro uses some of the same proprietary fit features as the HD 490 Pro, including cushioned pads at the temples for people also wearing glasses and a design that maintains equal contact pressure for any head shape. 

The headphones will retail for $479 and the set comes with recording earpads, a 9-foot coiled cable and a carrying bag. A travel case is available for $15.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sennheiser-launches-hd-480-pro-the-closed-back-headphones-fans-have-been-waiting-for-080000727.html?src=rss

If Instagram has been turning your color photo posts into black and white recently, don’t worry, there’s no problem with your camera or your account. The Meta-owned app has confirmed to Engadget that the issue is caused by a bug that’s affecting HDR photos in particular. "Earlier today, a technical issue caused some HDR photos to appear incorrectly as black-and-white for a subset of accounts,” Instagram has told us. However, we see complaints dated April 18 and 19, so the issue has been going on a bit longer for some people.

Regardless of when the bug started causing problems, the Instagram team said it has since corrected the issue. If your posts are still showing up in black and white, Instagram said the fix will automatically turn your affected photo posts back to their original state over the next few hours. “We apologize for any inconvenience,” they added.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/instagram-says-a-bug-turned-your-photos-black-and-white-061802389.html?src=rss

Amazon and Anthropic are strengthening their ties once again, with steep financial commitments made on both sides. Today, Amazon announced that it will invest $5 billion in the AI company, along with as much as $20 billion in additional payments if certain milestones are met. This news follows the initial $4 billion investment Amazon made in Anthropic in 2023 and a second $4 billion round from 2024.

On Anthropic's side, it has committed to continued use of Amazon's custom Trainium silicon for its AI models. The latest agreement will see Anthropic promising to spend more than $100 billion on AWS technologies over the coming decade. It will secure up to 5 gigawatts of current and future chip capacity for training and powering its models. Their partnership is also bringing Anthropic's Claude platform to Amazon Web Services customers within the AWS portal, removing the need for additional credentials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-will-invest-up-to-25-billion-in-anthropic-in-a-broad-deal-225239302.html?src=rss

After debuting in the US, Gemini in Chrome is making its way to more markets. Starting today, Google is rolling out Chrome's built-in chatbot to users in Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. The expansion comes after Google earlier this year made Gemini in Chrome available to people in Canada, India and New Zealand. 

With the exception of Japan, where Google isn't making the new suite available on iOS just yet, everyone else in the countries mentioned above can access Gemini in Chrome through Chrome's desktop browser, and the app on their iPhone or iPad. To get started, just tap the "Ask Gemini" icon at the top right of the screen. It will open a new sidebar Google introduced at the start of the year where you can chat with Gemini across every open tab. From there, you can also access Google's in-house image generator, Nano Banana 2. As you would expect, the suite offers integrations with Google's other apps, allowing you, for instance, to add events to Calendar without leaving the interface. 

If you don't want to use Gemini, you can right click on the shortcut to unpin it from the top of the interface.    

Update 7:43PM ET: This article has been updated to reflect the expansion includes the entire Asia-Pacific region.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-brings-gemini-in-chrome-to-users-in-asia-and-the-pacific-220000698.html?src=rss

Apple CEO Tim Cook is officially stepping down from his role on September 1, the company announced today, while current SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus will take over as the new CEO. Cook will transition to a new role as executive chairman of Apple’s Board of Directors. The company says the move was “approved unanimously” by Apple’s Board, and that Cook will work on transitioning his duties over the summer.

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a statement. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world.”

Cook became CEO of Apple in 2011 following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs, and he led the charge for Apple’s post-iPhone and iPad era by launching the AirPods, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. He also pushed the company into being more of a service provider with the launch of Apple TV and Apple Music. While he’s had a strong reputation as a logistics-oriented executive, Cook has been criticized for lacking the product vision that Jobs was known for.

Ternus, on the other hand, has been focused on product design since joining Apple in 2001. He became VP of hardware engineering in 2013, and later transitioned to a senior executive role in 2021. Ternus was also prominently featured at the MacBook Neo launch a few months ago, where Apple announced a low-cost yet high-quality notebook that encapsulates its unique place in the PC industry.

“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said in a statement. “Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor. It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another.”

Cook published a community letter timed for the announcement, which we’ve included below:

To the Apple community:

For the past 15 years I’ve started just about every morning the same way. I open my email and I read notes I received the day before from Apple’s users all over the world.

You share little pieces of your lives with me and tell me things you want me to know about how Apple has touched you. About the moment your mom was saved by her Apple Watch. About the perfect selfie you captured at the summit of a mountain that seemed impossible to climb. You thank me for the ways Mac has changed what you can do at work and sometimes give me a hard time because something you care about isn’t working like it should.

In every one of those emails I feel the beating heart of our shared humanity. I feel a sense of deepening obligation to work harder and push further. But most of all, I feel a gratitude that I cannot put into words, that I somehow got to be the person on the other end of those emails, the leader of a company that ignites imaginations and enriches lives in such profound ways it defies description. What an honor and a privilege it has been.

Today we announced that I’m taking the next step in my journey at Apple. Over the coming months I will be transitioning into a new role, leaving the CEO job behind in September and becoming Apple’s executive chairman. A new person will be stepping into what I know in my heart is the best job in the world. That leader is John Ternus, a brilliant engineer and thinker who has spent the past 25 years building the Apple products our users love so much, obsessed with every detail, focused on every possible way we can make something better, bolder, more beautiful, and more meaningful. He is the perfect person for the job.

John cares so much about who we are at Apple, what we do at Apple, who we reach at Apple, and he has the heart and character to lead with extraordinary integrity. I am so proud to call him Apple’s next CEO. This company will reach such incredible heights under his leadership, and you will feel his impact in every bit of delight and discovery that grows out of the products and services to come. I can’t wait for you to get to know him like I do.

This is not goodbye. But at this moment of transition, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you. Not on behalf of the company, this time, though there is a wellspring of gratitude for you that overflows inside our walls. But simply on behalf of me. Tim. A person who grew up in a rural place in a different time and, for these magical moments, got to be the CEO of the greatest company in the world. Thank you for the confidence and kindness you’ve shown me. Thank you for saying hi to me on the street and in our stores. Thank you for cheering alongside me when we unveiled a new product or service. Thank you, most of all, for believing in me to lead the company that has always put you at the center of our work. Every day we get up and think about what we can do to make your life a little bit better. And every day, you’ve made mine the best I could have asked for.

Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/tim-cook-will-step-down-as-204959434.html?src=rss

Mastodon seems to be recovering after a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that took down its primary mastodon.social instance. As TechCrunch notes, the platform began reporting issues early Monday morning as much of the Mastodon-operated server became inaccessible. 

It's not clear who might be behind the attack, but Mastodon's head of communications Andy Piper described it as a "major" incident. A couple hours later, Mastodon shared on a status page that it had implemented countermeasures and that users should be able to access mastodon.social once again. Piper said that "some ongoing instability is a possibility" as the site recovered. It's unclear if any other instances of the service were also targeted; mastodon.social is run directly by the nonprofit and is the largest server on the federated platform. 

Mastodon is the second decentralized platform to be targeted with a DDoS in recent days. Last week, Bluesky also dealt with a significant DDoS incident that took parts of the service offline for several hours. The company posted what it said was its final update Monday morning, saying that its service had "remained stable" and that there was "no evidence of unauthorized access to private user data." A few hours later, however, it seemed Bluesky was once again experiencing some issues, though the cause was unclear. Its official status page was down, and a post from its server status account indicated that there were "elevated errors and timeouts on some Bluesky-hosted services." Bluesky said it was investigating.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mastodon-was-hit-by-a-major-ddos-attack-that-briefly-took-down-parts-of-the-service-204823221.html?src=rss

Sony is adopting new age verification policies for PlayStation users in the UK and Ireland. The company isn't making this a blanket requirement, but steps to confirm age will be needed to access "communication, broadcasting, and certain in-game features" beginning in June 2026. That includes essentials for online and social gamers, such as joining a party, voice chatting, text messaging or using third-party chat programs such as Discord. Some in-game communication tools, like chats or sharing user-generated content, will also only be available after an age check is completed. Although the new requirements will not be enforced until summer, users are already being prompted to get the verification process squared away.

Several states and countries began adopting this type of legislation in 2025, pushing restrictions as a way to protect children and teens from inappropriate content. It seems the trend will be continuing into this year, despite the concerns about privacy risks and new questions about whether these restrictive laws are even effective at their stated goals, but companies have still been moving to comply. Discord was one of the more notable gaming-centric services to begin age verification policies last year, although the company did walk back some of its initial plans at the start of 2026 in order to better protect users' personal data and their anonymity. Roblox also began requiring age checks and those results were not great.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-will-require-age-checks-in-the-uk-and-ireland-to-access-playstation-communication-features-194916442.html?src=rss

It's happening. Ubisoft has scheduled a livestream for April 23 at 12PM ET to discuss the long-awaited Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake. The showcase will be available to watch on the company's YouTube and Twitch pages.

It's officially called Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and has been rumored to be in development for years. Ubisoft ended speculation by announcing the game last month.

We don't know anything about how the game will play or look, as Ubisoft has only dropped some promotional art featuring protagonist Edward Kenway lounging on a boat. The livestream should feature a trailer that will answer many burning questions.

For instance, rumors have been swirling that this is a total top-to-bottom remake and not a simple port. That makes sense given the continued popularity of Black Flag. It's also been rumored that this new version will cut out all of the modern day gameplay sections, with a total focus on pirate-themed action.

We don't have that long to find out. Maybe the livestream will also give us some information about that upcoming mainline franchise entry, which is currently being developed under the moniker Codename Hexe. Ubisoft has promised it will be a "unique, darker, narrative-driven Assassin's Creed experience."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-will-officially-reveal-the-assassins-creed-black-flag-remake-on-april-23-184729772.html?src=rss

You can now use LinkedIn to test out some of the latest AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and other companies without having to worry about token limits or paying for an extra subscription. The professional network is experimenting with a new feature that allows people to test AI platforms' latest offerings within LinkedIn. 

It’s called Crosscheck, and it's rolling out now to anyone with a LinkedIn Premium subscription in the United States. The feature is meant to be a kind of "blind taste test" for AI models, according to the company's Chief Product Officer Hari Srinivasan. Users start with a prompt and get two answers, each of which is provided by a different model. It's only after choosing which model you like better that you can see the underlying models behind each. 

Srinivasan says that Crosscheck is still an "early product" from LinkedIn Labs and that "there’s work to do to make it faster and add more models and question types." But it already seems to support a fairly wide range of models. In my initial tests of the feature I saw multiple answers generated by Anthropic models, as well as those from Google, MoonshotAI, Mistral and Amazon. Crosscheck will also have its own leaderboard that tracks how people in different industries are rating the various models.

After you choose an answer you like better, LinkedIn will show which model provided each answer.LinkedIn Screenshot

Crosscheck only supports text-based prompts, so you can't generate images, upload files or use some of the more advanced tools that would be available natively on the AI platforms themselves. But there are no limits on the number of text-based chats you can have, so you don't have to worry about token limits or signing up for a pricey subscription if you find a model that's helpful.

LinkedIn is, however, sharing data back to the respective AI companies who will presumably use information gleaned from LinkedIn usage to improve their products. "Anonymized data is shared with model builders to help them understand how their models are performing amongst different occupations," the company explains. "No personally identifiable information is shared with model builders."

While Crosscheck is initially only available to LinkedIn Premium subscribers in the United States, the company plans to expand the the feature to more countries and free users “soon.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/linkedins-crosscheck-feature-lets-premium-subscribers-test-ai-models-for-free-183949210.html?src=rss

Meta is testing out a premium version of its messaging app, called WhatsApp Plus, that will include several paywalled features. As first spotted by WABetaInfo, Meta is currently rolling out a paid version of WhatsApp, which features mostly cosmetic upgrades. According to the Help Center page, WhatsApp Plus subscribers will get access to premium stickers that can have special effects and the ability to personalize the app's themes and icons.

Beyond the decorative elements, WhatsApp Plus users can pin up to 20 chats, set a premium ringtone for certain contacts and further customize chat lists with alerts, ringtones and themes. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is exploring more features for its premium plan, but there's no exact pricing announced yet. Subscription costs currently range from 229 Pakistani Rupees, or less than $1, to €2.49, or around $3, according to WABetaInfo.

Meta isn't paywalling any of WhatsApp's basic functions, so the ability to send messages, make voice calls and take advantage of end-to-end encryption remains free. However, the introduction of WhatsApp Plus follows Meta also trialing Instagram Plus, which previewed premium features like Stories that last longer than 24 hours and sending "super hearts." The prices haven't been announced for Instagram Plus either, but WABetaInfo reported that Meta may offer one-month trials for any interested users of WhatsApp Plus.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/meta-is-testing-a-whatsapp-plus-subscription-that-mostly-focuses-on-cosmetic-upgrades-175452371.html?src=rss

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket following an incident during Sunday's launch from Cape Canaveral, according to reporting by Orlando Sentinel and others. The rocket looked good on the way up but was ultimately unable to put its payload into the correct orbit.

The FAA is calling the incident a "mishap" and is beginning an investigation to "enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again." The organization said in a statement that a "return to flight is based on the FAA determining that any system, process or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety."

The company hasn't provided any information as to what happened with New Glenn that made it mess up the positioning. It was supposed to position a satellite into a 285 mile orbit after completing two burns, but telemetry data shows that the satellite only reached a 95 mile orbit, which is not sustainable.

This was New Glenn's third mission, and not the first time the rocket has been grounded by the FAA. Blue Origin was unable to land it after the debut launch and it wasn't allowed to fly again for nearly three months. The agency hasn't announced when the rocket will be cleared to fly this time, so we don't know if it will put a crimp in Blue Origin's plans to launch a bunch of Amazon Leo broadband satellites. That mission is currently scheduled for later this year and will use the New Glenn rocket.

The FAA has grounded several rockets due to mishaps in recent years, including the smaller Blue Origin New Shepard. It has also grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Starship.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-faa-grounds-blue-origin-new-glenn-rocket-after-failure-to-put-payload-in-orbit-173016117.html?src=rss

It's been a whole month since I've played some Ball x Pit after the mobile versions went live in March, but I'll surely be jumping back in again next week. The latest update will arrive on April 27, bringing a host of goodies to the wonderful brick-busting roguelite, which was one of Engadget's favorite games of 2025.

Designer Kenny Sun spilled most of the beans about the update on the PlayStation Blog, revealing that it will add two new characters, 11 more balls with special powers, four passive upgrades and a new building. If you opt to play as The Tiptoer, you'll be able to get close to enemies without fear of them attacking you, but you'll have lower health and damage. She could be a good partner for The Shieldbearer, so you can right in front of bosses to rapidly bounce back balls and ramp up the damage in no time at all. As for The Tunneller, that character fires balls that wrap around the edge of the screen and return from the other side.

The latest balls and evolutions include Venom, which slows down targets and can paralyze them in place after hitting them enough times. Other new time-based balls can freeze enemies too. Erosion saps away a percentage of a target's health, which could weaken bosses very quickly, and the Warp ball jumps to a random place and increases in speed every time it hits an enemy. I can't wait to see how effective these are after merging them with area-of-effect abilities or ones that spawn more balls with the same powers. 

The Sniper ball sounds interesting too. That will reward precision as it cuts through every enemy in a straight line until it hits a boundary. I prefer a more chaotic approach, though.

As such, the Full Metal Rapier passive ability seems like one I'll want. It scales up the damage of each ball depending on how many enemies and baby balls (i.e. ones that don't inherently have special abilities) are on screen. The Arrow of Fate passive is intriguing as well, as it turns every enemy projectile that hits you into a smattering of baby balls. I smell some synergy between those two.

On top of that, the new Guildhall building that you can place in the citybuilder side of the game allows you to change upgrades that you've already chosen for your character. Looking forward to seeing how that plays out in practice.

This is the second of three free updates that Sun and publisher Devolver Digital have announced for Ball x Pit. The first one, which introduced more upgrades and an endless mode, dropped in January. The third one is expected in July.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ball-x-pits-next-update-adds-11-more-balls-to-the-fray-on-april-27-170929983.html?src=rss

AI-generated music is spreading like wildfire, according to Deezer, who reported receiving nearly 75,000 uploads of AI-made tracks a day on its platform. The alternative music streaming service based in Paris published a report revealing that 44 percent of its daily uploads are AI-generated songs, accumulating to around 2 million flagged songs a month. If that figure doesn't alarm you, Deezer said that more than 13.4 million songs were detected and flagged as AI-generated across 2025.

Those statistics are made possible with Deezer's patent-pending AI music detection tool, which was launched in January 2025. A few months following the release, Deezer announced that it saw around 20,000 AI-generated tracks uploaded a day, which made up roughly 18 percent of its overall uploads. Despite the swell of AI music on its platform, Deezer said that only about 1 to 3 percent of total streams on the platform involve AI-generated music and that a majority of these streams are marked as fraudulent and demonetized.

Deezer said its proprietary tool can detect AI-generated music, particularly from two of the most popular offerings right now: Suno and Udio. Despite these two AI music tools getting hit with lawsuits in their early days, some major record labels have had a change of heart and later struck deals with the startups. On the other hand, other music streaming platforms are employing their own verification tools to fortify the floodgates holding back music made by AI. Similar to Deezer, Coda Music uses "AI Artist" labels and even let users flag suspicious artists.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/deezer-says-ai-made-songs-make-up-44-percent-of-daily-uploads-163642921.html?src=rss

Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is a highly capable free color grading tool with a history dating way back to the ‘80s, but it has never been thought of as a rival to Adobe’s Lightroom due to its video origins. Now, Blackmagic Design has released a new version in beta that may change people’s minds about that. The new Photo page lets you import RAW images then adjust them using Resolve’s powerful color grading tools. You even get access to advanced VFX and AI features not found in Lightroom.

When I saw the new feature, I immediately wondered if I could cancel my $20 per month Adobe Photography subscription (with Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC). Apparently, I'm not alone. After trying it out, I believe that I could do so because photos are secondary to video for me. However, photographers who’ve used Lightroom for a long time would likely find it too painful to switch — at least, for now.

The Photo page and Albums

I tested the new Photo page functions and many of Resolve’s new filter effects, but beware that the first beta is still buggy. I used it inside the $295 DaVinci Resolve Studio app (which includes free updates for life), because it has a few extra features not found in the free version.

With that said, DaVinci Resolve 21 now supports RAW photos from Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony, with other brands to follow. Blackmagic has pledged to support RAW files for new cameras shortly after they’re released like Adobe does with Lightroom. It also supports TIFFs, JPEGs, HEIFs and other photo file formats.

Steve Dent for Engadget

To organize files, you can think of Resolve’s Projects as equivalent to Lightroom Catalogs. You import photos into a Project just as you do video, by dragging and dropping photos or folders into the media pool or using the “import” function. Resolve’s dedicated Media file management page also supports RAW photos. I find Resolve’s import system to be easier and more logical than Lightroom’s, with less steps required. You can import a full or partial Lightroom catalog into Resolve as well.

Once your photos are in the media pool, you can select and organize them by file name, rating, colors, favorites and other tags. DaVinci Resolve Studio also offers a new feature called AI IntelliSearch that lets you visually identify photos based on their content using terms like “cats” or “dancing.”

Photos can then be moved from the media pool into Albums, a new feature that’s similar to Lightroom’s Collections. Albums activate several photo-specific features in the Color and Edit pages. In Edit, Albums appear as simplified, single-track timelines, with each photo shown as a two second clip. That way, you can work with photos in the Color and Fusion pages just as you do with video.

You can reframe and crop images inside Photo (either by typing in the size or dragging) and make basic RAW-style adjustments for settings like exposure, highlights and shadows. For more advanced grading (like you may do in Lightroom’s Develop), you need to jump into the Color page.

Color and Fusion

On the Color page, you get the same functions for photos as video: primary and log color correction, curves, qualifiers, power windows, noise reduction and sharpening. You can also employ Resolve’s class-leading scopes, including parades, waveforms, vectorscopes and histograms.

Once you’ve created an Album, you can select it at the top of the Color page viewer, just as you would a video timeline. You can also label and sort photos as you do in the Photo page.

Steve Dent for Engadget

Resolve's node-based workflow really shines for photo editing. You can add nodes in series or parallel to build complex grades, then save and apply those grades to multiple images or an entire photo album. Resolve’s system for doing this via “stills” that show your grade is more visual and powerful than the one in Lightroom. You also get support for Resolve’s functions used for video like Look-Up Tables (LUTs) and the new Film Look Creator effect.

All of Resolve’s filter-style effects — like Vignette, Lens Blur and Film Damage — are available directly from the Photo page. Those include some of DaVinci Resolve Studio’s new AI effects (not available in the free version) like AI CineFocus, AI Face Age Transformer and AI Ultrafocus. This gives the app a leg up over Lightroom, which only offers comparable features via third-party plugins.

If you want even more advanced effects, the Fusion page is Resolve’s equivalent to After Effects. There, you’ll find tools like warping, lights and Paint, which lets you do Photoshop-like cloning. Resolve 21 now includes the Krokodove filters with features like warping and text animation.

This raises the question of whether you can do multi-image compositing in the Photo page like you can in Photoshop or After Effects. In short, it’s not possible as Photo only supports one image at a time. However, once you’ve adjusted a RAW image, you can drop it into a video timeline where your color adjustments and other tweaks will carry over. Then, you can stack multiple images and use any of Resolve’s compositing tools from the Edit or Fusion pages. This is pretty clunky compared to using Photoshop, but it’s the only way to combine multiple images for now.

DaVinci's Resolve 21's updated export page for photosSteve Dent for Engadget

Once you’ve finished grading and adjusting images, there are two ways to export them. One is by the Quick Export function that provides minimal settings like file type, name and resolution. The better method is via Resolve’s Deliver page, which now has dedicated photo functions when you’re working with an Album. There, you can control size parameters like short and long side, width and height or percentage. You can also change the file type, resolution and quality. This function is severely lacking compared to Lightroom though, which offers advanced settings missing from Resolve, like content credentials, watermarking and post-processing.

Finally, another new dedicated feature within the Resolve Photo page is Capture Live View for camera tethering, which only supports Canon and Sony cameras for now. It allows you to connect a camera to your PC via USB-C and control aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation directly from the app. You can also view your images using Resolve’s scopes and tweak RAW settings like white balance, temperature, shadows, highlights and more.

Wrap-up

DaVinci Resolve’s new Photo page can do most of what Lightroom does in terms of image adjustments, while adding powerful effects tools that its Adobe counterpart lacks. It’s not yet a substitute for Photoshop, though, as it lacks the organizing, exporting, compositing and pixel-level editing tools found in that app.

For now, the Photo page is ideal for filmmakers who dabble in photo editing, along with hobbyists and power users familiar with Resolve’s formidable grading tools. However, professional photographers may want to stick with Lightroom, because Resolve still lacks certain advanced features, particularly around organization and exporting.

The new DaVinci Resolve Photo page only just launched and is bound to improve greatly over time. If you’re on the fence, download the free version and see if it works for you. A lot of video editors made the same switch from Premiere and have never looked back. Given the current grumbling about Adobe’s subscriptions, I could see many people making the same move from Lightroom to Resolve.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/davinci-resolve-21-hands-on-a-viable-lightroom-alternative-for-casual-users-160520123.html?src=rss

The big deal with Dyson’s new vacuum is how small it is. While “pencil” is certainly an ambitious noun to compare a floor vacuum to, the slender body of the PencilVac Fluffycones ($600) brings to mind mops and brooms rather than hulking cyclone-suction tech and connected cleaning. As we described it last year, it’s the company's most stick-like stick vacuum yet. Dyson has been repurposing its engine tech into smaller form factors for years, such as its hair dryers. However, this is the first time it’s been utilized for floor cleaning.

Dyson recently launched the PencilVac Fluffy, with a more traditional dual-roller system, but I’m focusing on the Fluffycones iteration and will call it simply the PencilVac for brevity. It combines several delightful design features, and while surprisingly potent, it’s — predictably — not quite able to match the power of its bigger brothers. The entire vacuum weighs under four pounds, which adds to its ease of use. That said, it’s heavier than it looks, as the rod shape holds everything inside.

With a 40mm-diameter (almost 1.6-inch) handle, it’s usable even with a single hand, if you want to be extra casual in your cleaning habits. It’s also a delight to use. As with several previous Dysons, like the OmniGlide, the dual-roller system seems to help the PencilVac glide across hard floors. It can be pulled and coaxed around furniture, table legs, under low-profile credenzas and more.

When at rest, the PencilVac sits on four central wheels, but once you start cleaning, the suction creates a sort of floating effect. Those four Fluffycone heads are designed to resist hair tangles, with any captured hair bundled like yarn at the tips of each cone for easier cleaning at the center of the PencilVac. The tips of each cone mean the vacuum can reach the edges of my flooring, too. The Fluffycones aren’t really able to dig into the pile, meaning that while they can certainly pull and lift a layer of dirt and dust, anything deeper will stay there.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

That said, the PencilVac is a dedicated hard floor cleaner. If your home is entirely hardwood or has lots of tile, then it’s not an issue. But if you have carpeted rooms (or large rugs), you might want to consider other models. Also, at higher suction levels, the PencilVac’s rollers would occasionally cut out while vacuuming carpets and rugs.

The PencilVac is also equipped with front and back Dyson Detect lasers, making it easier to see where you’ve missed (and how terrible your floor cleaning habits are). Compared to bigger, more powerful models like the V15 Detect, the PencilVac had a greater tendency to spit out dirt when overwhelmed by larger amounts of debris. This only happened for me when I pushed the limits of what the PencilVac could handle: a handful of garden soil on my hardwood floor.

Because it’s 2026, of course, it’s a connected vacuum, too. When I put together and charged the PencilVac, the first thing it does is project a QR code for pairing. A quick firmware update later and it was ready for use. The only feature in the MyDyson app that you might find useful is maintenance reminders (i.e., when to clean the filter). Everything else, including a battery readout, is built into the handle.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Everything else is built into the handle. Compared to Dyson’s other stick vacs, there is no removable dust canister or battery block. The collection bin is cleverly integrated, drawing in dirt and using the same suction to compact it with force. When you need to empty the compartment — which holds a surprising amount (0.8 liters, according to Dyson) — you remove the cleaning head, point the body at your garbage can and ‘slide’ the dust (compacting it further in the process) into your trash can. The collection area is also see-through, so you can see everything you’re pulling into the PencilVac build up like a sort of gauge. When emptying the stick vac, I also noticed it doesn’t produce the dust cloud you often get with vacuums, which is another nice improvement.

Unlike its other stick vacuums, Dyson’s PencilVac comes with a free-standing charging dock, instead of a wall mount. This makes storage a little more versatile. If you’re a renter, there’s no need for any drilling. I think this also speaks to how it’s meant to be used: briefly, in bursts.

To that point, battery life seemed to be around 20 minutes, depending on the power level used and how dirty the surfaces were. Running entirely on boost, I got under 10 minutes of use. This weakness is exacerbated by a sluggish charging time of over three hours. For smaller spaces and not-too-messy lives, that’s more than enough clean time, though.

Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

The PencilVac also comes with that Dyson premium, too, priced at $600. That’s still less than the company’s other recent stick vacuums. For example, that’s $50 less than the aforementioned V15 Detect. If your home has a lot of carpeting or rugs to clean, the bigger, more powerful models might be a better choice. The newer PencilVac Fluffy has a more traditional dual-roller system and it's also $150 cheaper.

With its minimalist form factor, the PencilVac is still an engineering marvel. Its high degree of mobility makes it easy to clean in tight corners and between furniture. I just wish it were slightly more powerful.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/dyson-pencilvac-fluffycones-review-almost-the-perfect-floor-cleaner-for-tiny-apartments-154550089.html?src=rss

Bandai Namco and A24 have announced that the Elden Ring movie will hit theaters on March 3, 2028. Filming is set to begin in the next several weeks. The movie was first revealed over a year ago, so this is a welcome update. 

We also got a full cast announcement, though the companies haven't said who or what everyone is portraying. The cast includes Kit Connor from Heartstopper, Ben Whishaw from the beloved Paddington movies and Cailee Spaeny from Alien: Romulus. Peter Serafinowicz, Jonathan Pryce, Nick Offerman and Sonoya Mizuno will also appear in the film.

Elden Ring will be written and directed by Alex Garland, fresh off the harrowing Civil War. Garland has directed plenty of sci-fi, with credits like Ex Machina, Annihilation and the woefully underrated TV show Devs. He hasn't, however, made any legit fantasy, so we'll have to see how he handles the magic-filled continent known as The Lands Between.

In any event, we have nearly two years before finding out. By that time, theaters will have already experienced two new Avengers and Star Wars films. Elden Ring, the game, is getting some new DLC content this year with armor sets, weapons and skins.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-elden-ring-movie-hits-theaters-on-march-3-2028-154411670.html?src=rss

We’ve seen some astonishing photos of an Earthset — the Earth setting behind the Moon — from the Artemis II crew’s history-making trip around our planet’s closest neighbor. Now, Reid Wiseman, the mission’s commander, has shared a remarkable video of that same phenomenon.

While mission specialist Christina Koch was using a Nikon camera to snap stunning still images of the Earthset, Wiseman used an iPhone 17 Pro Max to film the moment. “I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view… This is uncropped, uncut with 8x zoom which is quite comparable to the view of the human eye,” he wrote on X.

Only one chance in this lifetime…

Like watching sunset at the beach from the most foreign seat in the cosmos, I couldn’t resist a cell phone video of Earthset. You can hear the shutter on the Nikon as @Astro_Christina is hammering away on 3-shot brackets and capturing those… pic.twitter.com/8aWnaFJ69c

— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) April 19, 2026

This was the first time that human eyes had witnessed an Earthset in 54 years since the Apollo 17 mission. The Artemis II crew flew more than 5,000 miles beyond the Moon as they travelled more than a quarter of a million miles away from Earth — the furthest any humans have ever been from terra firma.

I, like many people, overuse the word “awesome.” It should only really be used when something actually inspires awe. This video absolutely meets that mark. It’s genuinely awesome.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/artemis-ii-commander-shares-a-remarkable-video-of-earth-vanishing-behind-the-moon-152036403.html?src=rss

Apple's refusal to provide financial data to an Indian regulatory agency as part of an antitrust case will culminate in a final hearing on May 21, as first reported by Reuters. According to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Apple still hasn't submitted information about its financials and its views on an antitrust investigation that started in October 2024.

The case revolves around the CCI accusing Apple of exploiting its dominant position with the App Store, arguing that developers are forced to use Apple's proprietary system for in-app purchases. Apple countered that Android was the more dominant smartphone operating system in India and that iPhones held a smaller market share in India. However, Apple has slowly been gaining momentum with its share of the Indian smartphone market, hitting nine percent in 2025, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

Reuters reported that the latest CCI order said that Apple had plenty of opportunities to file objections or suggestions, but added that the company still hadn't submitted the "requisite financial information," which is used to determine the amount of a potential penalty. Apple argued that the penalties could be up to $38 billion and responded to the order by citing a separate case where the tech giant challenged the country's antitrust penalty law.

It's not the first time Apple has butted heads with the Indian government, as it previously refused to pre-install a state-owned app called Sanchar Saathi onto its smartphones. The Indian government later decided to withdraw its mandate requiring smartphone makers to install the app, but it's much less willing to budge on this antitrust case. According to Reuters, the CCI offered Apple two more weeks to file any responses before the final hearing date next month.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-could-be-fined-up-to-38-billion-by-indian-antitrust-regulator-150821172.html?src=rss

Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book) hasn't been shy about embracing new technology for filmmaking. While producing The Mandalorian for Disney+, he was one of the first filmmakers to use ILM's massive LED screens, AKA "The Volume," to produce more realistic lighting and backgrounds on studio sets. For the feature film The Mandalorian and Grogu, which hits theaters May 22, Favreau recently revealed that he had Disney build an Apple Vision Pro app to preview its full IMAX scope during filming.

"So I'm making an IMAX movie, and I'm looking at a TV screen, and no matter how big your TV screen is it's not an IMAX screen," Favreau said in a recent episode of The Town podcast. "We built software so that I can pop on my Apple Vision Pro and be sitting in an IMAX movie theater and see the full aspect ratio when we're lining a shot up. And I can watch that take and see what people will see."

Favreau isn't the first director to use the Apple Vision Pro — Wicked filmmaker Jon Chu also used it to handle post-production work — but he's the first to specifically mention using the headset for IMAX production. That's still a relatively limited use case for the Apple Vision Pro, but it's one that could be useful to future filmmakers. With its large field of view and sharp micro-OLED screens, the Apple Vision Pro is one of the only ways to replicate the experience of watching a large IMAX screen at home. (The Meta Quest 3 comes in as a close second.)

In general, Favreau says he's more excited about using existing consumer technology in the filmmaking process than AI. He mentions using the Unreal Engine to previsualize special effects on The Mandalorian and his previous films, and he believes the quality from game engines could be good enough to make it into final productions down the line.

"This is what the animation industry has understood from the beginning," he said. "Get it right before you ever paint a cel."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-director-used-apple-vision-pro-to-preview-the-film-in-imax-140331311.html?src=rss

We heard all about GoPro's new action camera series last week, but the company is now unveiling the pricing across its Mission 1, Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 Pro ILS cameras. The entry-level Mission 1 ($600) features GoPro's new 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor, which the company says will offer a major leap in image quality and low-light performance over the Hero 13 line. While largely looking the same as the Hero series (and still waterproof), the Mission 1 can record 8K video at 30fps and 4K at 120fps. It lacks the higher frame rates of the other Mission 1 cameras, but supports 10-bit GP-Log2 color and 32-bit float audio.

The Mission 1 Pro ($700) is the flagship fixed-lens model this year, aimed at the professional (or semi-pro) videographer. It has upgraded frame-rate capture to 8K at 60 fps and 4K at 240 fps, along with an extreme "burst" slow-motion mode that hits 960 fps at 1080p. It also captures 4:3 "Open Gate" recordings at 8K/30fps and 4K/120fps, covering the entire sensor area, enabling more versatile editing and cropping across different screen sizes, including vertical video.

Steve Dent for Engadget

Then there's the beastly Mission 1 Pro ILS (Interchangeable Lens System). It swaps the standard GoPro lens for a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mount lens. It otherwise shares the same 1-inch sensor and high-speed 8K/60fps video specs as the Pro model. It also matches the Pro model's $700 price, with an additional $100 discount for GoPro subscribers. However, it won't be launching until Q3 2026.

All of the Mission 1 Series accessories will be available on a rolling basis beginning May 28, with GoPro's own wireless mic system (take note, Rode and DJI) priced at $160. If you preorder a Mission 1 or Mission 1 Pro directly from GoPro now, you'll get the point-and-shoot grip bundled for free. The company still doesn't have an official release date for the cameras.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/gopros-mission-1-camera-series-will-start-at-600-130044898.html?src=rss