Year: 2024

United Airlines had to ground its new Airbus A321neo planes, not due to a major safety issue, but because the light-up “no smoking” signs are automated.

A 1990 ruling mandates that the signs on aircraft must be manually operated by the crew. Airbus A321neo features software that automatically displays the signage during a flight, so the crew doesn’t switch it on and off. Bear in mind that smoking was fully banned from both domestic and international flights nearly 25 years ago.

Even more frustratingly, automated signage systems are not even new. Many air travel companies apply for exemptions with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) – which United did for its entire fleet back in 2020. However, the company’s Airbus A321neo is so new that it doesn’t fall under that protection.

The federal agency has now permitted United to fly its fleet of A321neos, five in all, while evaluating those pesky signs.

– Mat Smith

The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool can now play games

It uses an external module powered by Raspberry Pi.

Engadget

The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool can interact (or hack) wireless devices and smart home systems, connecting through IR, NFC, RFID, Bluetooth and physical connections. Now, it can even play games, thanks to a partnership with Raspberry Pi. A new add-on can run games programmed in C, C++ and MicroPython. To suit the quirkiness of Flipper’s device, it even features sensors for hand-tracking. The Video Game Module can also output video to external displays.

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Nothing’s next phone will debut on March 5

It will see a limited release in the US as part of a ‘developer program.’

Engadget

Nothing says it will reveal its latest Phone 2a on March 5th. However, instead of an official release like the Phone 2, the device will be part of a “developer program in the US.” The company didn’t reveal any images of the device or pricing, but the company may use a simplified Phone 2 esthetic, given the naming convention. The Phone 2 had a unique design with a transparent Gorilla Glass back and 11 LED “Glyph” strips.

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Sarah Silverman’s copyright lawsuit against ChatGPT gets reduced

But the core accusation remains.

Sarah Silverman’s lawsuit against OpenAI will advance but some of her legal team’s claims have been dismissed. The comedian sued OpenAI and Meta in July 2023, claiming they trained their AI models on her books and other work without consent. US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín threw out parts of the complaint on Monday, including negligence and unjust enrichment, but the principal claim remains; that OpenAI directly infringed on copyrighted material to train its AI models.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-united-airlines-grounded-its-new-airbus-fleet-over-no-smoking-signs-101534262.html?src=rss

Another day, another layoff occuring in the tech world. Instacart, the popular grocery delivery and pick-up service has announced the termination of 250 employees — about seven percent of its workforce. The layoffs are primarily individuals from middle management or who work on advertising through platforms like Google Ads and Roku. Most of the layoffs will go into effect by March 31 with Instacart estimating that the process will cost the company between $19 million and $24 million due to factors like severance pay and employee benefits.

Instacart released the news along with its fourth-quarter earnings. Despite choosing to layoff employees, the company reported a six percent increase in revenue, jumping from $803 million to $804 million, year-over-year. At the same time, Instacart is seeing the voluntary departure of three of its executives: the chief operating officer, chief technology officer and chief architect.

The layoffs follow only a short time after Instacart’s September 2023 IPO. Unlike many companies that barely (or didn’t) survive the COVID-19 pandemic, Instacart thrived. It allowed people to stay and still receive their groceries and other necessary items. Now, it exists in 5,500 cities and, like most companies of the past year, is focusing on building its AI capabilities. But, despite its increased revenue, the company’s layoffs signal that not everything is going as planned over at Instacart. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instacart-cuts-250-jobs-after-reporting-increased-revenue-112503431.html?src=rss

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has posted a review of Apple’s Vision Pro on Instagram, reminding us all that the rivalry between the two companies have deepened even further with the launch of the latter’s mixed reality headset. In the video shot with a Meta Quest 3, Zuckerberg didn’t mince words while pitting the Vision Pro against his company’s device. He said he originally expected the Quest to be the better value for most people, because it’s “like seven times less expensive” than the $3,500 Vision Pro. However, after testing his competitor’s product, he came to the conclusion that the Quest “is the better product, period.” 

He added that the Quest is “better for the vast majority of things that people use mixed reality for.” Zuckerberg said he thinks the Quest is “a lot more comfortable,” since Meta designed it to be light and portable, so that people could use it while moving around or even while hanging out with friends and socializing. He found the Quest’s field of view to be wider and its screen to be brighter than the Vision Pro, and he also found that Meta’s headset showed crisper visuals when he moved his head while wearing it. Apple’s device, he said, had motion blur. 

Zuckerberg acknowledged that the Vision Pro has a screen with a higher resolution, but in the same breath, he criticized Apple for the “tradeoffs” it had to make to the device’s comfort and ergonomics. While Quest’s controllers are “a little more accurate,” he admits that Apple’s eye tracking is “really nice.” Apparently, Meta used the Vision Pro’s sensors for the Quest Pro but took them out for the Quest 3. The company is planning to bring them back in the future. Of course, Zuckerberg took the chance to talk about the Quest’s bigger library and to emphasize that the Quest, unlike the Vision Pro, has access to the YouTube and Xbox apps. Zuckerberg ended his review by talking about open and closed models for every generation of computing and how he wants to make sure that for this generation, Meta’s technology, as the open model, “wins out” like Microsoft’s did in the past. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/unsurprisingly-zuck-thinks-the-quest-3-is-a-better-product-than-apples-vision-pro-104001890.html?src=rss

As part of its NBA All-Star coverage press release, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it’ll stream live sports with Dolby Vision for the first time ever. The feature will be available to Max subscribers with supported Dolby Vision TVs “via the B/R [Bleacher Report] Sports Add On,” the company said. 

Dolby Vision has been available for streaming films and TV series for ages, but this will mark the first time it comes to live sports. Warner Bros. Discovery hinted that it’ll soon be available across NBA, NHLA, MLB, NCAA and US soccer games as well. Max has already been using Dolby Atmos sound to enhance live games.

Sports streams arguably stands to benefit most from Dolby Vision, as it boosts brightness levels, clarity and color. Dolby has previously said that real-time HDR feeds will be handled intelligently to so that bright areas aren’t blown out and detail isn’t lost in shadows. The company has also said that live feeds will adjust accordingly to the device they’re being played on so they’re optimal for each display.

This weekend’s NBA All-Star coverage will be first to get Dolby Vision. Coverage includes the game on Sunday, February 18 starting at 8PM ET, as well as a special two-hour NBA All-Star Tip-Off show at 6PM.

Max launched the Bleacher Report tier on October 5, offering live sporting events including MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA. It also offers access to all of WBD’s pre- and post-game shows, along with Bleacher Report highlights, documentaries and more. The company recently extended the deadline for free programming until February 29, 2024. After that, it’ll cost $10 per month, but the addition of Dolby Vision makes it a more compelling option. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/max-is-the-first-streaming-service-to-offer-dolby-vision-for-live-sports-161515799.html?src=rss