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How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance

If you insist on using biometric unlocking methods to have faster access to your devices, keep in mind that some phones have an emergency function to disable these types of locks. Hold the wake button and one of the volume buttons simultaneously on an iPhone, for instance, and it will lock itself and require a passcode to unlock rather than FaceID or TouchID, even if they’re enabled. Most devices also let you take photos or record video without unlocking them first, a good way to keep your phone

Google DeepMind is sharing its AI forecasts with the National Weather Service

It launched a new website where you can see its predictions. Here's an AI-government collaboration of a less… unsettling variety than some. Google DeepMind is teaming up with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) for tropical cyclone season. The AI research lab claims it can predict hurricane paths and intensities with at least the same accuracy as traditional methods. NHC forecasters have already begun using DeepMind's AI model. Google says they're designed to support, not replace, human NHC fo

Can You Legally Record Audio or Video on Your Security Camera? I Focus on These Rules

If you're thinking about installing a new security camera in your home, a legal question appears: Is it legal for you to record audio and video anywhere you want in your home? Are there limitations or the possibility of lawsuits from your neighbors? This is something I've thought about a lot as I've tested security cameras in all parts of my home for years. Owners must know when and where it's legal to record everything from their front yard and streets to friends, babysitters, and pet sitters.

“Two years of work in two months”: States cope with Trump broadband overhaul

The Trump administration has upended plans that state governments made to distribute $42 billion in federal broadband funding, forcing state officials to scrap much of the preparation work they did over the previous couple of years. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick essentially put the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program on hold earlier this year and last week announced details of a rules overhaul that requires states to change how they distribute money to Internet servic

Proton VPN review 2025: A nonprofit service with premium performance

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . Proton VPN stands out for two main reasons: it's one of the only virtual private networks (VPNs) to include a free plan with no data limits, and it's one of the few services majority-owned by a nonprofit. It's the best VPN in both of those categories, and it makes a strong case for bei

These 3 iOS Updates Are a Bigger Deal than Liquid Glass

Ever since downloading an early developer beta preview of iOS 26, my iPhone has more bounce, warble and bloop about it. The design changes coming to Apple gadgets have been a hot topic on social media. The new operating systems are adopting an interface style called Liquid Glass, revealed this week at the Worldwide Developers Conference, which transforms menus, apps and buttons into something of translucent jelly... with spunk. But if you can see past the clear icons, there are other updates co

Topics: 26 apple buttons day week

Astronomers Find Hidden Volcano on Mars

Mars’s marred surface consists of craters, canyons, and mysterious formations that hint at a complex geological past. Scientists recently studied a tantalizing feature that could shed light on the planet’s elusive history. A mountain perched on the rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater may actually be a volcano hiding in plain sight, according to a new study. This peak, called Jezero Mons, could offer new insight into the Red Planet’s geologic history and the potential for ancient Martian life, the resear

The Canadian C++ Conference

JetBrains is a Video Sponsor We are very grateful to JetBrains who is joining CppNorth as a video sponsor! Program Schedule We're excited to share that the CppNorth 2025 schedule is now live! Check out the full agenda and start planning your experience here. Mark your calendars and prepare to dive deep into the insightful talks and discussions! Join Us as a Volunteer CppNorth is seeking enthusiastic volunteers who are eager to join our vibrant community! You can volunteer for on-site, for orga

Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for June 12, #262

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Today's Connections: Sports Edition could be tricky. That purple category, as always, really requires some historical knowledge. Read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has ea

Dune: Awakening earns early praise as one of the best survival games in recent years

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Unreal Editor for Fortnite’s AI character creation tool has ambitions beyond Darth Vader

Epic Games took a big step with conversational AI when it added a new version of Darth Vader in Fortnite that could speak with players. But later this year, any creator using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) will be able to make their own AI-powered characters with the same underlying technology behind Vader. During the 2025 State of Unreal keynote, Epic revealed that a new tool in UEFN called the Persona Device will allow anyone to create non-playable characters (NPCs) with AI-driven personal

Topics: ai buttons epic games mr

Inside Amsterdam’s high-stakes experiment to create fair welfare AI

Finding a better way Every time an Amsterdam resident applies for benefits, a caseworker reviews the application for irregularities. If an application looks suspicious, it can be sent to the city’s investigations department—which could lead to a rejection, a request to correct paperwork errors, or a recommendation that the candidate receive less money. Investigations can also happen later, once benefits have been dispersed; the outcome may force recipients to pay back funds, and even push some

The Download: Amsterdam’s welfare AI experiment, and making humanoid robots safer

Amsterdam thought it was on the right track. City officials in the welfare department believed they could build technology that would prevent fraud while protecting citizens’ rights. They followed these emerging best practices and invested a vast amount of time and money in a project that eventually processed live welfare applications. But in their pilot, they found that the system they’d developed was still not fair and effective. Why? Lighthouse Reports, MIT Technology Review, and the Dutch n

Android 16 reduces notification clutter with this simple but needed change

TL;DR Android 16 will automatically group all notifications from the same app to create a more organized notification panel. While Android has supported notification grouping for years, it was largely up to app developers to implement. This behavior is now enforced by the OS, preventing any single app from cluttering the notification panel and making alerts more manageable for users. With the new Android 16 update, Google is introducing several major changes to how notifications look and beha

iOS 26 adds light mode icon tinting and several new ways to customize the icons on your iPhone home screen

The iPhone home screen gets a brand new look with iOS 26, thanks to a visual overhaul featuring a brand new set of icons for all of Apple’s apps, as well as glass and reflection effects throughout. There are also more ways than ever for you to customize your icons, with new tinting options and styles. Here’s everything new. On earlier versions of iOS, you could choose from Default, Dark, Automatic or Tinted icon customization styles. Tinted mode would render your icon with a highlight gradient

Topics: dark icons light mode new

Here’s a closer look at the Liquid Glass design in iOS 26 on the iPhone

Apple said yesterday that iOS 26 was its biggest update to the look and feel of the iPhone since iOS 7, with the same visual design language used across all the company’s devices. It’s certainly a pretty dramatic change, depending on how far you want to take the look. For example, in addition to the ‘tint’ options we got in iOS 18, there’s a new ‘Clear’ option to make all our app icons monochrome glass – which you can see above … Like tint, I have to wonder how many people will actually use it

macOS 26: Spotlight gets actions, clipboard manager, custom shortcuts, more

After years of incremental tweaks, Spotlight is taking center stage in macOS Tahoe 26, in what Apple calls its biggest update ever. Here’s everything that’s new. With this release, Apple wants to evolve Spotlight from a simple file and app launcher into a fully-fledged productivity layer across macOS, much like Alfred and Raycast users have used for years. A faster, more relevant Spotlight Spotlight now aims to be the fastest way to browse and interact with content on your Mac. It uses on-dev

Apple updates design resources for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26

Apple has begun rolling out its updated design resources following the WWDC25 keynote. This means that designers and app developers now have access to the company’s official templates and UI assets that reflect the new cross-platform Liquid Glass visual overhaul. Here’s where to get them. A valuable resource for designers The updated files, available on the Apple Design Resources website, include: iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 Sketch Library App Icon Template (available for Sketch, Ph

Topics: 26 app apple buttons home

Eufy's 3-in-1 robot vacuum is 42 percent off right now

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . You can own it for just $380. Robot vacuums are undeniably a big convenience, saving you so much time while keeping your house clean. But sometimes there's a small mess you want to quickly remove or a little corner the robovac can't reach, requiring a traditional vacuum. While you cou

Nintendo Switch 2 review: More of what you love

Back in 2017, it felt like handhelds were dying. The PlayStation Vita was suffering from a lack of support and the 3DS was already on its way out. But then the Nintendo Switch arrived and became the hybrid console that launched 1,000 portable rivals. It proved you could make a device that was powerful enough to play games on your TV but also small enough to take with you anywhere. And by the time everything is all said and done, there's a good chance it will be the highest-selling console of all

How to fix the Switch 2 battery indicator

Your console’s battery life might not be as bad as it appears. The Nintendo Switch 2 has been in the wild for nearly a week and is selling like hotcakes , but some users have been complaining about an issue with their console’s battery indicator. A number of Switch 2 consoles appear to be displaying less remaining battery life than is accurate. Battery life definitely is a mark against the Switch 2, with Engadget’s Sam Rutherford noting in his review that the console’s longevity is on the lowe

SAG-AFTRA has suspended its gaming industry strike over AI protections

SAG-AFTRA has suspended its strike against ten game studios. The organization's national board will meet tomorrow to consider a tentative agreement with the developers; more details of the arrangement will be disclosed if and when the board agrees to the terms. Variety obtained a statement from a spokesperson for the gaming companies that offered some hints about the contents of the potential deal: "This agreement builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive enterta

Erie Insurance confirms cyberattack behind business disruptions

Erie Insurance and Erie Indemnity Company have disclosed that a weekend cyberattack is behind the recent business disruptions and platform outages on its website. Erie Indemnity Company is the management company for the Erie Insurance Group, a property and casualty insurer with over 6 million active policies. The company provides auto, home, life, and business insurance policies through independent agents. Since Saturday, June 7, Erie Insurance has been suffering from widespread outages and bu

I managed to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 - and it's easy to see why it's flying off shelves

Kerry Wan/ZDNET While the Nintendo Switch 2 launched only a week ago, it's already set the record for being the fastest-selling Nintendo console ever. Today, the company shared that the latest 2-in-1 gaming system sold over 3.5 million units worldwide in its first four days. For reference, the original Nintendo Switch sold 2.74 million units in its first month, while Sony sold 4.4 million units of the PlayStation 5 in seven weeks, according to Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights at

Fine-tuning LLMs is a waste of time

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What It Took to Build the Death Star

The ultimate manifestation of the Empire’s overwhelming belief in strength through fear, the Death Star is everything insidious and evil about the Imperial engine in Star Wars—as well as its inevitable downfall. But while the story of stopping the Death Star is well trod at this point, the story of just how it was built in the first place is much more complicated. It’s not just complex because the Death Star’s construction took place over the course of decades, but because of that time frame, t

Switch 2 Battery Percentage Acting Weird? Try This Hidden Fix

It's been almost a week since the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, which broke records for a console release by selling more than 3.5 million units in its first four days. However, there is a bit of an issue with the system's battery indicator, which may cause owners some frustration. Switch 2 owners noticed that, even though the system's battery said it was at 0%, the console was still playable for hours. Nintendo has since confirmed that this is an issue, although it appears to be a problem w

Today's NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for June 12, #732

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles. Today's NYT Connections puzzle is full of words ending with -ing, but beyond that, they have different things in common. Read on for clues and today's Connections answers. The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a n

Tesla’s Robotaxis Are Rolling Out Soon—With One Big Unanswered Question

Self-driving vehicle developers don’t usually love talking about “teleoperation”—when a human guides or drives robot cars remotely. It can feel like a dirty secret. Shouldn’t an autonomous vehicle operate, well, autonomously? But experts say teleoperations are, at least right now, a critical part of any robot taxi service, including Tesla's Robotaxi. The tech, though impressive, is still in development, and the autonomous systems still need humans to guide them through less-common and especiall

Apple MacOS 26 Tahoe: Top New Features to Try

We haven’t been excited about recent MacOS updates, but with MacOS 26 Tahoe, it looks like we'll be getting one of the biggest overhauls in a while. Between the visual redesign and some exciting pro features, there's something for everyone in MacOS 26 Tahoe, including one that Mac nerds will absolutely love. Also be sure to check out the full rundown of everything Apple announced at WWDC 2025. Liquid Glass It's been a while since Apple has introduced a visual revamp quite this broad. Liquid