Month: February 2024

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is an imperfect, inoffensive live-action adaptation of one of this century’s most beloved animated shows.

Rattled by the February 22 cellular power outage that affected AT&T and Verizon customers? Then watch Leave the World Behind and 4 other end-of-the-world movies.

Google has added an experimental generative AI feature to its browser with the launch of Chrome M122. The new AI tool is called “Help me write,” because it can literally help you write more descriptive sentences or even full paragraphs from a short prompt. Google says the tool uses its Gemini models to understand the context of the web page you’re on so that it could generate appropriate suggestions. If you’re on a review page, for instance, it can give you a suggestion that reads like a review instead of a sales copy.

Google

In one of Google’s examples, the tool was able to spit out a decent description of what the person was selling with a prompt that simply read: “moving to a smaller place selling air fryer for 50 bucks.” The tool suggested a full paragraph that was able to better communicate the user’s message. “I’m moving to a smaller place and won’t have room for my air fryer. It’s in good condition and works great. I’m selling it for $50. Please contact me if you’re interested,” the suggestion read. 

In another example, the user asked the tool to write them a request to return a defective bike helmet and to communicate that the product developed a crack, which isn’t mentioned in the product warranty. As you can see in Google’s examples, you can change the length and tone of the suggestion if the first thing the writing aid comes up with isn’t good enough to serve your needs. Once you’re done, you can click the Replace button to switch your prompt with the suggested writeup.

Google

To activate the experimental tool, you have to go into Settings in Chrome’s three-dot drop-down menu. There, you can find the Experimental AI page where you can activate “Help me write.” To use the feature, just highlight the text you want to rewrite and then right-click on it to summon the “Help me write” box. Take note that it’s only available for Chrome browsers on Macs and Windows PCs in the US at the moment. It can also only understand prompts and write suggestions in the English language. 

Google first announced the arrival of the writing tool back in January, when it revealed that it was going to start integrating AI features into its Chrome browser. In addition to “Help me write,” Google said that it’s also giving the browser an AI-powered tab organizer and the ability the generate customized themes. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chromes-latest-experimental-ai-feature-can-help-you-write-170014645.html?src=rss

It’s been a big few months for fighting games between the likes of Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 all popping up. There’s another would-be major player sitting in the wings though, as Riot is preparing to enter the fray. The publisher has provided an update on Project L, the long-awaited League of Legends spin-off it announced in 2019. The fighting game now has an official name: 2XKO.

Let’s be honest, that’s a real stinker of a name, It’s isn’t exactly going to roll off the tongue. Some of those commenting on a YouTube video in which Riot made the announcement suggested that “Double KO” would have been better. It’s hard to disagree.

The name stems from the format of 2XKO. It’s a 2 vs. 2 tag-based fighting game, borrowing an idea popularized by the Marvel vs. Capcom series. You can play solo or, in a nice touch, recruit a friend as your tag partner and battle another duo. Riot also says 2XKO will have streamlined controls and mechanics to help players jump in, but notes that there will be a “high level of depth and mastery.”

In the gameplay teaser, 2XKO looks pretty solid. It appears to have Riot’s trademark level of polish with smooth animations and distinct, eye-catching looks for each of the LoL characters. It’s just a pity about that name.

Riot plans to release 2XKO on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. As with its other tentpole titles, 2XKO will be a free-to-play game.

The publisher will set up demos at fighting game events throughout this year, starting at Evo Japan in April. Riot is also hoping to run at-home playtests and you can sign up at the game’s website.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/riots-project-l-fighting-game-is-officially-titled-2xko-165335886.html?src=rss

A widespread AT&T outage has impacted over 70,000 customers as of 8AM ET, according to tracking site Downdetector. Most of these issues were centered in Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Atlanta. This impacted cellular service and data connections, with many customers noting that they couldn’t even contact 911.

It’s still unclear as to what caused the service interruption, as it’s ongoing. AT&T has issued a statement to CNBC, writing that it is “working urgently to restore service.” The company encourages customers to make use of Wi-Fi calling until the problem is handled.

Thousands of Verizon and T-Mobile customers have also reported outages, but both companies said that those impacted had been trying to contact AT&T numbers. The market has declared this a serious problem, as AT&T shares are down nearly three percent since trading opened this morning.

Cellular interruptions are a regular part of life, but the fact that many impacted customers cannot contact 911 and other emergency services is particularly worrisome. The San Francisco Fire Department has urged city residents to try calling 911 from a landline or to “get ahold of a friend or family member” who has signed up for a different carrier.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens noted that the city employees could make and receive 911 calls, but that many AT&T customers could not. Dickens has suggested that city residents contact AT&T for service inquiries, and not Atlanta’s emergency services system. The Massachusetts State Police echoed this sentiment, noting that customers had been flooding its 911 center with inquiries about cellular service. “Please do not do this,” the law enforcement agency wrote on X.

This is an ongoing issue and we’ll update this story when the service is restored or when AT&T issues an update on the cause.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-cellphone-outage-hits-thousands-of-att-users-nationwide-162000029.html?src=rss

8Bitdo makes some of the best third-party game controllers around, and one of them is now on sale for close to a record low price. The Ultimate C controller has dropped from $30 to $25.49 today only as it’s an Amazon lightning deal. It’s only a few cents more than the lowest price we’ve seen for the peripheral to date.

The Ultimate C is compatible with a wide range of devices and platforms, including Windows PC, Steam Deck, Android and Raspberry Pi. It’s a cheaper version of some of 8BitDo’s other peripherals. 

It doesn’t rely on Bluetooth or a 2.5GHz connection. Instead, the Ultimate C connects to your gaming system via a 2.4GHz USB dongle. 8BitDo was also able to reduce costs by opting for a charging cable instead of a dock and removing the profile toggle seen in pricier models. There’s no support for 8BitDo’s Ultimate customization software either, but the firmware is upgradable.

The tradeoffs may just be worthwhile for an inexpensive gamepad from a well-known peripheral maker. The controller will run for up to 25 hours on a single charge, according to 8Bitdo, and there’s support for asymmetrical rumble when playing games on Windows (where you can plug-and-play via a wired connection as well). The field green and lilac purple colorways are quite fetching too.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-8bitdo-ultimate-c-controller-is-on-sale-for-25-today-only-160914390.html?src=rss

Arturia just announced the KeyLab Essential 88 mk3, a larger sibling to the previously-released Essential 49 and 61 MIDI keyboards. As the name implies, this is a full-size 88-key controller that allows you to play the entire note range of a piano at the same time. There’s no need for changing octaves here.

Just like the other entries in the KeyLab Essential line, the 88 mk3 is intended to be a budget-friendly alternative to the flagship KeyLab controllers. The build is solid, with semi-weighted keys, though slightly less premium than the standard KeyLab 88. There’s also a reduced number of hands-on controls when compared to the flagship, though there’s still plenty to tinker around with.

To that point, the KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 includes the same screen as the smaller keyboards, for navigating presets. There are also nine knobs and nine faders for controlling parameters across Arturia’s line of softsynths.

Additionally, you get built-in control scripts that work with a number of popular DAWs, like Ableton Live. This allows you to do things like mix tracks using the built-in faders or stop and start recordings from the controller itself. 

There’s also a contextual button below the screen that offers even more control over your plugins and virtual instruments. You may notice there’s only eight drum pads, but the KeyLab Essential line lets you switch to a second bank for the full 16. The keyboard features a hold function, new scale and chord modes and an arpeggiator.

Finally, this keyboard comes with plenty of software to get started with. The included bundle features Native Instruments’ iconic The Gentleman piano, the UVI Model D recreation, a two-month subscription to Loopcloud and a subscription to the Melodics tutoring software. Like always, you also get Ableton Live Lite and Arturia’s Analog Lab V.

We don’t know how much this will cost yet, but we reached out to Arturia for pricing information. As a comparison, the 61-key KeyLab Essential mk3 costs $249 and the 49-key version comes out to $199. Also, last generation’s KeyLab Essential 88 costs $379, so expect it to fall somewhere in that range. The KeyLab Essential 88 mk3 will be available in both black and white. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/arturia-adds-an-88-key-option-to-its-keylab-essential-mk3-line-of-midi-controllers-160017251.html?src=rss

A new trailer for Mortal Kombat 1’s DLC fighter, Peacemaker, has been shared ahead of his debut in March.

Formerly known as Project L, Riot’s upcoming fighting game will be officially known as 2XKO.