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Former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is reportedly assembling an investor group to buy TikTok as the US comes closer to enacting legislation forcing the company to either divest from Chinese ownership or face a nationwide ban.

"I think the legislation should pass, and I think it should be sold," Mnuchin told CNBC Thursday. "It’s a great business, and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok."

Mnuchin currently leads Liberty Strategic Capital, which describes itself as "a Washington DC-based private equity firm focused on investing in dynamic global technology companies."

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There are plenty of portable headphone amps out there that plug directly into instruments like electric guitars and basses, but Boss just kicked things up a notch. The company has announced the Katana:GO headphone amp and it’s a doozy, with a combination of features I’ve never seen together in one little box.

Just like rival products, this thing plugs into the input jack of a preferred instrument and includes a headphone jack to hear what’s going on. Guitar players can choose from ten amp models and bassists get three amp models, each pulled from the pre-existing Katana line of modeling amplifiers. Boss Katana amps are known primarily for their surprisingly great selection of tones, and it looks like the company managed to squeeze those same models into a headphone amp. Rival products are certainly convenient, but don’t always sound that great.

There are 60 effects to choose from, with all of the reverbs, delays and, of course, choruses musicians have come to expect from Boss. These are also the same effects featured in the larger and pricier combo amps.

So, there are good amp tones and a robust lineup of effects. What sets the Katana:Go apart from, say, the Mustang Micro? First of all, there’s a built-in tuner, which is always a welcome addition. The Katana:GO also includes spatial audio tech to mimic a live setup, further enhancing its usefulness as a practice amp. It remains to be seen how realistic this sounds, but Boss says it lets users position a virtual amp in different locations to give the impression of playing on stage or “jamming in a room with friends.” I’ve used many of these amps before and have found the “in your face” nature of the headphone signal rather off-putting, so I’m intrigued by this feature.

The amp has 30 preset slots, for creating and saving unique tones, and integrates with the company’s Tone Exchange service. This allows users to trade presets like Pokémon. Okay, not quite like Pokémon, but you get the gist.

Boss

The Katana:GO even doubles as an actual USB audio interface. Just plug it into a computer, smartphone or tablet and record straight into a DAW. Finally, there’s a dedicated mobile app, with the ability to jam along to songs from streaming sites or a personal library. This is especially handy for getting that daily practice session in, and there’s a looping feature for nailing down difficult segments.

Just like the other headphone amps on the market, it folds up neatly and easily fits into a standard gig bag. The Boss Katana:GO costs $120 and, incidentally, is the same price as the Mustang Micro, which doesn’t double as an audio interface or include a built-in tuner. It’s available to purchase right now.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-pocket-sized-boss-katanago-headphone-amp-doubles-as-an-audio-interface-163901677.html?src=rss

8BitDo’s nostalgic Retro Mechanical Keyboard is on sale for an all-time low price today. The Nintendo-esque accessory ships in NES or Famicom-inspired colorways, and it includes two giant red buttons that would look right at home playing Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! or Excitebike. Usually, it’s $100, but you can grab the keyboard for $85 right now from Amazon.

The 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard supports custom key mapping and works wired or wireless. The “N Edition” takes cues from the NES with an off-white / dark gray / black color scheme. The “Fami Edition” draws inspiration from the Japanese Famicom with a white and crimson color palette.

Both variants have dials and a power indicator with old-school appeal, fitting their retro motif. The Fami Edition pays homage to the Famicom’s 1980s regional availability (and Nintendo’s home country) with Japanese characters below their English ones.

The keyboard’s Super Buttons are bundled accessories you can customize for any action you like. You could assign them as shortcuts to save documents, close windows, attack in games or anything else you feel like. The buttons connect to the keyboard via a 3.5mm jack.

The keyboard lasts an estimated 200 hours on a single (four-hour) charge. It has 87 keys and supports Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless and USB modes. While only officially compatible with Windows and Android, the accessory also works with macOS.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, and find the best spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/8bitdos-nes-inspired-mechanical-keyboard-is-on-sale-for-an-all-time-low-price-161843047.html?src=rss

Google says it's upgrading the default Safe Browsing mode in Chrome to offer better protection against malicious websites. Until now, this mode has used a locally stored list to check whether a site or file may be dangerous. The list updates every 30-60 minutes but Google says that a malicious website only exists for 10 minutes on average.

To combat that, Google is drawing from a feature in Safe Browsing’s Enhanced protection mode to check sites against a server-side list of known unsafe sites in real-time. The Enhanced protection mode is opt-in, but Google found that these real-time checks offer "significant value," so it's bringing them to the standard version of Safe Browsing. 

The company notes that Safe Browsing is used on more than 5 billion devices and it helps protect against the likes of phishing, malware and unwanted software. The mode evaluates north of 10 billion URLs and files day. Chrome shows users more than 3 million warnings for potential threats through this feature on the daily. However, Google believes that real-time URL checks will help it to block 25 percent more phishing attempts.

Google says it's keeping privacy in mind as Safe Browsing doesn't share the URLs of sites you visit with the company. Chrome says this feature employs hashing and encryption. A privacy server strips out any details that might identify a user before forwarding encrypted hash prefixes to the Safe Browsing server to check against the list of sketchy sites. 

The company still recommends that users adopt the Enhanced protection mode as it offers additional safeguards. The Safe Browsing option only checks against a list of sites that are already known to be unsafe. Enhanced protection looks at additional factors and uses machine learning to identify risky sites that Safe Browsing hasn't yet confirmed as potentially malicious. Freshly created sites and those that mask their true behavior may not be picked up on by Safe Browsing’s detection systems right away.

The new Safe Browsing feature is available now on the latest desktop and iOS versions of Chrome now. It's coming to the Android app later this month. 

Meanwhile, Google says it recently updated Chrome's Password Checkup feature on iOS. Along with alerting you to compromised passwords, it will now warn you about weak and reused credentials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-says-chromes-safe-browsing-mode-now-offers-better-protection-against-bad-sites-160054102.html?src=rss

Anker USB-C chargers are up to 43 percent off on Amazon, with prices ranging from $16 to $68. There are a bunch of chargers available, from entry-level devices to the company’s premium models.

Perhaps the most notable discount is for the Nano 2. This is one of the company’s mid-range chargers and costs $32 as part of this sale, which is a whopping 43 percent off. This 65W charger boasts three ports, with power distributed efficiently between each connected device. It’s tiny, roughly the size of a charging case for earbuds, and features two USB-C connections and one standard USB-A connection.

The budget-friendly Nano 3 is also on sale for $16, which is a discount of 20 percent. This model offers a similar experience to the Nano 2, but with just a single USB-C port. The baddest Anker charger of them all, the Prime, is part of this promotion. It’s on sale for $68, instead of $87. This 100W charger will make short work out of depleted devices. It features a trio of ports, two USB-C and a single USB-A, and includes the company’s ActiveShield 2.0 system to ensure safe charging. It also happens to be much smaller than a standard MacBook charger, which is nice.

The sale extends beyond traditional chargers. There are power stations here with numerous inputs, hubs and, of course, cables to get everything connected. Some of the discounts are pretty steep, up to 50 percent in a couple of cases. Chargers and cables may not be exciting, but they sure are necessary. 

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, and find the best spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-usb-c-chargers-are-up-to-43-percent-off-151029074.html?src=rss

Whether you have kids tracking in dirt on a daily basis or a few fur-shedding pets (or both), a robot vacuum can help make it easier to keep your floors clean. Vacuuming doesn't have to be a daily chore for which you alone are responsible — these smart machines have gotten even better in recent years, to the point where some of them can even mop your hard floors in addition to sucking up debris. Yes, they are on the expensive side of the smart home gadget spectrum, but there are more midrange and affordable options today than ever before. But if you're unclear where to start in your search for the best robot vacuum, we're here to help. We've tested dozens of these machines over the years to find our top picks mentioned below, and lay out some advice that will hopefully help you decide which robo-vac is right for you.

Editor’s Note (3/14/24): We’re constantly testing new robot vacuums and updating this guide accordingly when we find new favorites. One model that’s on our radar is the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum cleaner, which has been announced and will be available soon. Although it’s been available in other markets for some time, the 360 Vis Nav has yet to launch in the US — when it does, we’ll be eager to test it out and see if it’s worthy of a spot on our list.

What to look for in a robot vacuum Wi-Fi connectivity

As we explained in our budget guide, Wi-Fi connectivity is a key feature for most robot vacuums. Some of the affordable devices aren’t Wi-Fi connected, though, so it’s best to double check before you buy cheap. Wi-Fi lets a robot vacuum cleaner do things like communicate with a mobile app, which then allows you to control the device from your phone.

Vacuum suction

Suction power is another important factor to consider. Unfortunately, there isn’t a standard power scale that all robo-vacs adhere to, so it’s difficult to compare among a bunch of devices. Some companies provide Pascal (Pa) levels and generally the higher the Pa, the stronger the vacuum cleaner will be. But other companies don’t rely on Pa and simply say their robots have X-times more suction than other robots.

Floor type

Ultimately, we recommend thinking first about the floors in your home: Do you have carpet throughout, or tile and hardwood floors, or a mix? Robots with stronger suction power will do a better job cleaning carpets as they can get into the nooks and crannies more easily. Some machines have “max” modes as well, which ups the suction power but also typically eats at battery life faster than the “normal” cleaning mode.

Mapping features and object detection

Past a certain price threshold, you’ll find advanced perks like home mapping features, improved object detection and automatic dustbin disposal. Home mapping is exactly what it sounds like: The vacuum uses sensors to map your home’s layout as it cleans, allowing you to send it to particular rooms or areas. Most robo-vacs have object detection, but some will be better than others at actually avoiding things like chair legs and children’s toys. Higher-end models like iRobot’s j7 series even go so far as to promise obstacle avoidance to steer clear of things like pet poop that can potentially ruin your machine.

Robot vacuums with mopping capabilities

We’re also now starting to see more robot vacuums with mopping capabilities. Machines with this feature have a water reservoir either built into the robot’s chassis or as a separate piece that you swap in for the dustbin when you want to mop your floors. It makes the robo-vac more useful if you have hard floors in your home that you like to keep squeaky clean, but it does require more work on your part. Filling and emptying the reservoir remains a human’s job.

Auto-empty station

Finally, for peak convenience, consider a robot vacuum that comes with a self-cleaning base. These are basically garbage bins attached to the machine’s docking station. At the end of each job, the robo-vac automatically empties its small dustbin into the large clean base – that means you won’t have to empty the dustbin yourself and you’ll only have to tend to the base once every few weeks. Just keep in mind that most self-emptying bins require proprietary garbage bags – another long-term expense you’ll have to factor in. Also, any vac-and-mop robot with a water tank will not dump its dirty water into the clean base, so you’ll still have to clean up that yourself.

Are robot vacuums worth it?

We tackled this question when we reviewed budget robot vacuums and the answer is yes, especially if vacuuming is one of your least favorite chores. Robots take the hard work out of cleaning your floors – just turn the thing on and watch it go. Any robot vacuum cleaner worth buying is semi-autonomous in that it will suck up dirt around your home until its battery is low and then make its way back to its charging dock. Unlike a regular vacuum, you should only have to interact with it to turn it on, empty its dustbin and untangle it if it were to get stuck somewhere.

That’s not to say robot vacuums are perfect. They’re almost always less powerful and less flexible than traditional vacuums. Since most robo-vacs are much smaller than traditional models, they often don’t have the same level of suction you’ll get in an upright machine. Plus, their dustbins are smaller, so they will need to be emptied more frequently. While Wi-Fi-connected robot vacuums give you the flexibility to start a cleaning job from anywhere using an app, targeting a small area of your home can be more complicated. Some robo-vacs have spot-cleaning features that focus the machine’s attention on a specific area, which almost – but not quite – mimics the spot-cleaning you’d be able to do yourself with a regular or cordless vacuum.

Robot vacuum maintenance tips

First and foremost, always empty your robot vacuum’s dustbin after every cleaning job. If you have a model with a self-emptying base, there’s less work for you to do yourself. If not, simply detach and empty the dustbin as soon as the robot is done cleaning. It’s also a good idea to take a dry cloth to the inside of the dustbin every once in a while to remove any small dust and dirt particles clinging to its insides.

In addition, you’ll want to regularly examine the machine’s brushes to see if any hair has wrapped around them, or if any large debris is preventing them from working properly. Some brushes are better than others at not succumbing to tangled hair, but it’s a good idea to check your robot’s brushes regardless — both their main brush and any smaller, corner brushes they have. These parts are often easy to pop off of the machine (because they do require replacements eventually) so we recommend removing each brush entirely, getting rid of any tangled hair or other debris attached to them and reinstalling them afterwards.

Robot vacuums also have filters that need replacing every couple of months. Check your machine’s user manual or the manufacturer’s website to see how long they recommend going in between filter replacements. Most of the time, these filters cannot be washed, so you will need to buy new ones either directly from the manufacturer or from other retailers like Amazon or Walmart.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-robot-vacuums-130010426.html?src=rss

SpaceX hoped the third time would be the charm as it attempted another test of its Starship rocket. This third launch did indeed go well, with the Starship successfully launching at 9:25AM ET. Shortly after launch, it succesfully completed the hot-staging separation from the Super Heavy Booster, and the Starship successfully ignited the second-stage Raptor engines. It's currently coasting and the Raptor engines are planned to be re-lit about 40 minutes after initial take off. The Super Heavy Booster, meanwhile, went into a semi-controlled descent; its engines didn't fully re-ignite as planned prior to splashdown. We should hear more about what worked and didn't work in that phase of testing once everything is finished.

While SpaceX said that both the booster and Starship itself were going to return to Earth at "terminal velocity," thus making any recovery of them impossible, it looks like Starship itself didn't make it to splashdown. Based on the initial data, it looks like Starship broke up during re-entry. As with the booster, we should hear more about the specifics behind the ship's ultimate fate soon.

Before breakup, though, we got to see some dramatic footage of Starship beginning reentry:

Starship re-entering Earth's atmosphere. Views through the plasma pic.twitter.com/HEQX4eEHWH

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 14, 2024

The previous two efforts ended in failure, though Starship did reach space on the second go-round. A 110-minute launch window for the latest attempt opens at 8AM ET. A livestream covering the launch kicked off at about 8:50AM ET, and you can follow it here on X. 

Watch Starship’s third flight test → https://t.co/bJFjLCiTbK https://t.co/1u46r769Vp

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 14, 2024

The Federal Aviation Authority authorized the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Orbital Flight Test 3 on Wednesday afternoon. The agency said in a statement to Engadget that Space X "met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements." 

The FAA grounded Starship for several weeks before the second test flight until the company took 63 "corrective actions." The first launch caused a fire in a state park and led to a lawsuit from environmental groups.

Along with building on top of the previous tests, there are a number of "ambitious" goals SpaceX had in mind for this launch. The company aimed to carry out the first re-light of a Raptor engine in space, along with ensuring the successful ascent burn of both stages, opening and closing the payload door and conducting a controlled reentry. The spacecraft flew on a new trajectory and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX said the updated flight path afforded it the chance to try out new things like engine burns in space while prioritizing public safety.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-spacexs-third-starship-test-launch-here-set-for-takeoff-at-925am-et-125513011.html?src=rss

As expected, the Embracer Group has sold much of Saber Interactive, which is known for the Metro series, Gloomhaven and remakes of classic Star Wars titles. The buyer is a group of private investors under the umbrella of Beacon Interactive, which is run by Saber co-founder Matthew Karch. 

Although Embracer says the deal is worth $247 million, it's actually worth around $500 million once liabilities are factored in, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. That’s because Beacon is said to have taken up an option to buy 4A Games and Zen Studios (the developers of the Metro and Zen Pinball series, respectively) as well.

As you might imagine given those latter points, the details of the sale are a little convoluted. Along with 4A and Zen, the sale includes all Saber-branded studios, Nimble Giant (Star Trek: Infinite), 3D animation studio Digic, support studio Fractured Byte, PR agency Sandbox Strategies, Mad Head Games (Scars Above), Slipgate Ironworks (Graven), New World Interactive (the Insurgency series) and publisher 3D Realms.

Embracer is hanging onto 34 Big Things (Redout), Shiver (which ported Mortal Kombat 11 to Switch), Snapshot (Phoenix Point) and Aspyr, which is behind the recent remaster of the original Tomb Raider trilogy and Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, which came out on Thursday. The publisher is also retaining Tripwire (Maneater), Beamdog (Mythforce), Tuxedo Labs (Teardown) and Demiurge (Sega Heroes). Embracer-owned publisher Plaion will keep the long-term license and publishing rights for PC and console games in the Metro series too.

Overall, Beacon is scooping up at least 38 ongoing game development projects, along with some proprietary engine technology and game tools. Saber says it will retain 14 games, including Killing Floor 3. According to reporter Stephen Totilo, Beacon is taking on 2,950 workers and Embracer is retaining 800 (it has 14,140 workers overall).

"Embracer is now able to discontinue all operations in Russia, according to a previous board decision, while safeguarding many developer jobs under new independent ownership," Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said. "At the same time, we keep key companies, valuable IPs and future publishing rights."

Embracer bought Saber for $525 million four years ago and it slotted some later purchases, including Demiurge and New World Interactive, into that division. Since last summer, Embracer has been on a major cost-cutting drive after an expected investment of $2 billion (reportedly from a group backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) fell apart. The company has shuttered several studios, and it laid off 1,387 people in the second half of 2023. It also canceled 29 unannounced games over a six-month period last year. It's believed that Gearbox (of Borderlands fame) may be set to leave Embracer too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/embracer-sells-a-big-chunk-of-saber-interactive-in-a-deal-worth-around-500-million-143713156.html?src=rss

Solo Stove’s well-regarded Pi Prime pizza oven is on sale for $50 off the asking price, bringing the total cost down to $300. This is part of a larger sitewide sale on Solo Stove products to celebrate Pi Day, a holiday that has everything to do with a famous mathematical constant and nothing to do with pizza. 

Just head to Solo Stove and type “pizza” into the discount code box. This sale applies to every available product on the site, including fire pits, and the discounts increase as you spend more. For instance, purchasing two Pi Prime ovens will drop $120 off the final price.

As for the Pi Prime, it’s a fantastic gas-powered outdoor pizza oven. The original Pi made our list of the best pizza ovens and the Prime features a near-identical design. It’s made out of stainless steel and features a round form factor that's just screaming to get stuffed with dough, cheese and sauce. The Pi Prime can hit a maximum cooking temperature of 950 degrees Fahrenheit and can fully cook a pizza in under 90 seconds.

The oven ships with a reversible pizza stone made from cordierite, which is the gold standard of pizza stone materials. It also comes with a cover to protect the oven from the elements. The Pi Prime features an open-air design, so there’s no door. This won’t impact the temperature inside of the oven, but will make it more difficult to accurately track that temperature. Of course, you’ll also need your own propane tank.

The rest of the sale breaks down as follows. Spending at least $150 provides a discount of $20. This shoots up to $50 when you spend $300. Spending $600 nets you a discount of $120 and spending $800 knocks $160 off the final price. Again, this is a sitewide sale that also applies to the company's fire pits and accessories. The deals end on March 18. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/solo-stoves-pi-prime-pizza-oven-is-50-off-for-pi-day-140017342.html?src=rss

Amazon announced today that it will hold yet another sale event at the end of March. The "Big Spring Sale" will start on Wednesday, March 20 and run through Monday, March 25. This is the first time Amazon will host a spring sale like this in the US, as it previously held a similar sale event in the UK in 2023. However, unlike Prime Day, the Big Spring Sale will not only feature exclusive discounts for Prime members — shoppers who do not pay for the annual membership will be able to take advantage of spring sale deals.

It's notable that the Big Spring Sale doesn't place an emphasis on Prime. In addition to drumming up more sales than usual, Amazon Prime Day, typically held in July, and the company's second Prime Day held in October, attempt to entice potential new Prime subscribers to pay up so they can get access to exclusive discounts. Given the details of today's announcement, we'd hesitate to call the new event a "spring Prime Day" because it doesn't appear that the retail giant is taking the same approach this time around. It remains to be seen how many Big Spring Sale discounts will only be available to Prime members (if any).

What kind of deals can we expect at Amazon's Big Spring Sale?

It’s unclear how much of a boon the Big Spring Sale will be for tech deals. Amazon’s announcement mentions few gadgets like Echo devices and Kindles, and mentions discounts up to 40 percent off select electronics. However, Amazon usually features a lot of fashion-focused deals as winter comes to an end and the first days of spring arrive. The announcement calls out deals on "spring fashion, outdoor furniture, lawn and garden essentials, cleaning and organizing products," all of which are items we typically see go on sale in the March-April time period across the web.

We at Engadget do not cover deals like these (although you can head to our friends at Yahoo if you’re interested in that). But we will cover the Big Spring Sale insofar as we can elevate the best tech deals to come out of the event. That will also include discounts that may not be explicitly tied to the Big Spring Sale, but are available on Amazon during the same time period. Sales like Apple's AirPods Pro for a record low of $189, the Roomba 694 robot vacuum for $179 and the PS5 Spider-Man 2 bundle for $400 would fall into that category. You can find the best early Spring Sale deals on gadgets here.

The best Amazon deals to shop ahead of the Big Spring Sale

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-big-spring-sale-2024-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-deals-event-starting-on-march-20-132004254.html?src=rss

Blink is once again attempting to challenge conventional wisdom about how good a $40 security camera can be. The Amazon-owned company is today announcing the Blink Mini 2, which crams in plenty more smart features into that relatively tiny body. Headline features include better image quality day and night, as well as a built-in LED spotlight for color night vision.

Blink

Paired with Blink’s custom system-on-chip, the Mini 2 will also offer smart notifications and person detection. Those features will require a Blink subscription which, for $3 a month, will get you cloud recording, 60 days of video history and live streaming. You’ll also need to pony up some more to use the Mini 2 outside — $49.98 will get you the camera and the necessary weather proof power adapter.

The Blink Mini 2 is available today in the US and Canada.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blinks-new-mini-2-offers-a-built-in-spotlight-and-person-detection-for-40-130055057.html?src=rss

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

AI assistants have been widely available for a little more than a year, and they already have access to our most private thoughts and business secrets. People ask them about becoming pregnant or terminating or preventing pregnancy, consult them when considering a divorce, seek information about drug addiction, or ask for edits in emails containing proprietary trade secrets. The providers of these AI-powered chat services are keenly aware of the sensitivity of these discussions and take active steps—mainly in the form of encrypting them—to prevent potential snoops from reading other people’s interactions.

But now, researchers have devised an attack that deciphers AI assistant responses with surprising accuracy. The technique exploits a side channel present in all of the major AI assistants, with the exception of Google Gemini. It then refines the fairly raw results through large language models specially trained for the task. The result: Someone with a passive adversary-in-the-middle position—meaning an adversary who can monitor the data packets passing between an AI assistant and the user—can infer the specific topic of 55 percent of all captured responses, usually with high word accuracy. The attack can deduce responses with perfect word accuracy 29 percent of the time.

Token privacy

“Currently, anybody can read private chats sent from ChatGPT and other services,” Yisroel Mirsky, head of the Offensive AI Research Lab at Ben-Gurion University in Israel, wrote in an email. “This includes malicious actors on the same Wi-Fi or LAN as a client (e.g., same coffee shop), or even a malicious actor on the Internet—anyone who can observe the traffic. The attack is passive and can happen without OpenAI or their client's knowledge. OpenAI encrypts their traffic to prevent these kinds of eavesdropping attacks, but our research shows that the way OpenAI is using encryption is flawed, and thus the content of the messages are exposed.”

Read 36 remaining paragraphs | Comments

It can be quite annoying to click through an Amazon ad in your results only to find out that the product you want can't be shipped to your place. Now, imagine you're the small business owner being charged for those ads. (Forget corporations and drop shippers, I know you all hate them.) There you are, thinking you're going to make a killing based on how much ad action you're getting. Except those ads don't translate to sales, because Amazon has been serving them to people who can't even buy your products. That's apparently what happened to at least one seller who told Bloomberg that he was charged between $200,000 and $300,000 for ads served to California residents, where he can't sell his advanced gaming computer items. 

The seller stopped shipping to California due to the state's personal computer power consumption regulations, which would require him to get costly lab reports for his products. But Amazon's automated system apparently continued advertising his products there and allegedly denied that there was an issue when he flagged the problem and followed up for several weeks. Since he was being charged thousands, the seller, who employs 80 people in Virginia to assemble custom computers, reportedly made zero profit in November, December and January. 

Amazon has acknowledged the issue in a statement sent to Engadget. It told us that it had investigated the matter and found that it only affected "a tiny fraction" of sellers. It also said that it had already apologized to the seller who talked to Bloomberg and that the company is in the process of refunding him $15,000. That's a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands the seller said he'd lost, but Amazon says it only served "a very small portion" of his listings to California residents. "We will similarly contact and refund any affected sellers, and are updating our processes to ensure any such ads are not charged going forward," the spokesperson said. 

The company's advertising system generally can't geo-target advertisements like Google ads can, because it focuses on matching buyers to certain brands or products they may be interested in. It also can't ensure that the product it's advertising complies with state regulations and, hence, can be shipped to its residents. As Bloomberg notes, this is far from the first time Amazon faced an issue regarding its advertisements. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company, and one of the regulator's accusations was that it was "deliberately increasing junk ads that worsen search quality." A report that came out after the lawsuit revealed that Amazon can strike deals with other companies to make sure their listings are devoid of junk ads, though, which is why Apple's official product pages might look cleaner and less cluttered compared to its competitors'.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whoops-amazon-served-costly-ads-for-products-people-couldnt-actually-buy-123046646.html?src=rss

The air in your home can be five times more polluted than outdoor air. Energy-efficient homes are designed to be more sealed, too, so they trap more pollutants inside. From cooking emissions and cleaning chemicals to fragrances and pets, a lot of everyday things can make the air inside your home less than ideal. The best thing you can do to improve your indoor air quality is open up windows and doors, as long as the air outside isn’t unhealthy. But if letting in fresh air isn’t an option, air purifiers can help reduce the level of pollutants, while also removing odors and trapping some bacteria and mold. There are hundreds of models from dozens of brands on the market, so we tested a handful and put together this guide to the best purifiers so you can decide which will work best for you.

What an air purifier can and can’t do

There are three key pollutants that adversely affect the quality of the air you breathe: volatile organic compounds (VOC), particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and carbon dioxide. VOCs are emitted gasses that can come from cleaners, off-gassing plastics, paint, solvents, fragrances, cooking food and, ironically, air fresheners. VOCs are most closely related to odors you can smell. High levels can irritate your breathing passages, cause headaches and may become cancer-causing over time. Air purifiers with activated charcoal components can help clean VOCs from the air.

Particulate matter is usually discussed as PM2.5 and PM10, with the numbers indicating particle size in microns. This is dust, dirt, mold, smoke and, again, emissions from cooking food. Higher levels of PM can lead to respiratory irritation, allergy symptoms, respiratory infections and potentially lung cancer. Air purifiers that include a HEPA filter can help remove particulate matter from your space.

Carbon dioxide is what humans and pets breathe out. Elevated levels can cause dizziness and lethargy. But no air purifier can reduce CO2 levels because the molecules are so small. Plants can help to some extent, but really the only solution is opening a window and ventilating the space.

There are no federal standards for air purifiers, but the state of California does require all air cleaners sold in the state to be certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). All of our top picks here have met that certification.

What to look for in an air purifier HEPA filters and other filter types

An air purifier isn’t an overly complicated device. Smart modes and app connectivity aside, they’re not much more than a filter and a fan. The latter pulls air through the former to capture particulate matter and other unhealthy elements so you don’t breathe them in. The type of fan can make some difference — it should be powerful enough to pull in air quickly, but also quiet enough on its low speed so it can unobtrusively clean all day long.

Filters, on the other hand, are more varied. Most have two or more layers, typically a pre-filter, an activated carbon component and sometimes a HEPA filter. The pre-filter is made from a fine mesh that captures big stuff like pet hair and larger chunks of dust. Sometimes this part is separate from the more technical filters — which means you can remove and clean it without needing to swap out the whole thing. For all-in-one filters, you can vacuum the outside of it to remove larger particles.

An activated carbon or activated charcoal layer is extremely porous, tightly packed coal that presents a vast amount of microscopic surface area to the passing air. Gaseous chemicals, VOCs and other molecules become lodged in the crannys and stick. This is the layer that gets rid of odors.

Some air purifiers include a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. These are pleated masses of ultrafine fibers that force air to take a convoluted path in order to pass through. This traps and absorbs tiny molecules of smoke, dander, dust and some viruses and bacteria.

Since all of these filters physically trap particulates, they’ll eventually fill up and become less effective. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the filter every six months, while others claim a year-long life span. Most smart air purifiers will let you know in the app when it’s time to replace. When you’re considering a unit’s cost, be sure to factor in the expense of replacement filters, which you may end up buying twice a year.

Room size

Air purifiers list their cleaning capabilities in terms of room size and frequency of air exchanges. For example, a smaller one might say it can exchange the air in a 500-square-foot room twice per hour. So that model should be able to pass all of the air in a 250-square-foot room through the filter every 15 minutes, but a 1,000-square-foot room would probably be outside its effective range. Of course, there’s no standard for manufacturers to adhere to when it comes to these calculations, but typically, larger air purifiers can handle larger rooms.

Where you put the machine makes a difference, too. Since it requires airflow to be effective, somewhere close to the middle of the room and at least a foot away from furniture, walls and other potential blockages is ideal. That’s not always practical, so aim for getting it as close as you can to the center of your space while maintaining a one-foot clearance all around.

Controls

In our testing, we focused on “smart” air purifiers with companion apps that can monitor air quality and adjust the fan speed as needed. Within the apps, you can control auto-clean settings, set timers and schedules and check the health of the filter as well. Most will remind you when it’s time to get a replacement, and let you order one directly from the manufacturer through the app. You can also see the current and historical readings from the internal air quality (AQ) sensor. Most determine air quality through an optical particle meter, though some brands like Dyson and Molekule also include chemical sensors for VOC measurements. When levels of particulates become elevated, the fans switch up to high speed to move more air through until the quality improves.

Most smart purifiers also work with voice assistants, so if asking Alexa to turn on your air purifier makes your life easier in some way, you can do so. If you don’t want to talk to an AI or grab your phone to control your purifier, getting a unit with simple on-board controls is a good idea. These can be as basic as buttons with indicator lights or as elaborate as a touchscreen panel. At minimum, it’s good to have a way to control the fan speed and turn on or off auto mode on the device itself.

Design

As we mentioned, sticking the device as close to the middle of the room is helpful for getting the best performance. That means you’ll be looking at it a lot, so design considerations matter. Most purifiers are cylindrical towers with fan vents up top. Units meant for larger rooms are not small, weighing between 12 and 20 pounds and reaching two feet tall (or in the case of the Dyson Purifier Cool, three and a half feet). Some, like Coway’s Airmega IconS, take on more furniture-like designs to blend in. Others, like Dyson's, are conspicuously designed to stand out.

When an air purifier just isn’t enough

The most striking bit of knowledge I picked up from testing air purifiers is how effective opening windows can be on indoor air quality. What took an air purifier a half hour to clear out took mere minutes when I opened my front door and a few windows. Every variable measured by the air quality monitors, including VOCs, PM, and particularly CO2 levels (which air purifiers can’t alleviate), improved dramatically after exposure to fresh air — significantly faster and better than any machine we tested. Even on very cold or very hot days, it might be worth it, even if your doors and windows are only open for a few minutes. True, my HVAC system had to work a little overtime afterwards, but venting a room was the most surefire way of getting air quality quickly back in the green. Of course, if the air outside is unhealthy from fires or run-of-the-mill pollution, throwing open the windows won’t work and an air purifier might be the best way to consistently clean things up.

How we test air purifiers

My living room is not a science lab; there’s far too much pet hair for that to be the case. Still, I went beyond just turning stuff on and sniffing the air by acquiring two consumer-grade indoor air quality monitors that performed well in laboratory assessments, the Element from Element from Awair and the uHoo Smart Air Monitor. I conducted burn tests by measuring the ambient air quality, then burned a brick of piñon incense for twenty minutes and measured the air again. Then I ran one purifier at its highest speed for thirty minutes and recorded levels, then ran the unit on the lowest setting for a half hour and remeasured. I made note of the sound levels using a simple iPhone app to compare one machine’s fan noise to the next.

Over the course of a month, I used each unit in different scenarios (such as in the basements where the cat litter boxes are) and tried out each device’s smart features, controls and auto modes. I also just lived with them and evaluated how they fit into everyday life. As new purifiers come on the market and as we become aware of other units that seem worthy of inclusion, we’ll continue to test them and update this guide accordingly.

Other air purifiers we tested Sensibo Pure

At $229, and nearly always on sale for $130, I had the Sensibo Pure pegged as a contender for a budget pick. Unfortunately, replacement filters are $99 unless you subscribe to automatic shipments and many of the app features are behind a paywall as well. It’s not certified by CARB and underperformed many of the other units in the burn test, though it did return the air back to a “good” rating according to the air monitors after 30 minutes. The design is inoffensive, it’s not overly loud and it does integrate with Sensibo’s smart AC devices, so if you’re already happy with one of those, this may be a decent option.

Dyson Purifier Cool

Like all Dyson products, this air purifier is dripping with design. It looks like no other unit on the market and it’s up to you to decide whether you like that or not. I was indifferent to the looks, but appreciated the slick and informative app, which not only displays indoor air quality, it also shows what conditions are like outside, using a clever house graphic to differentiate the two sets of numbers. I also like that it detects VOCs as well as particulates and the auto mode seemed to read the room accurately. The air coming out of the fan did indeed feel cool, though at first had a strong plastic odor. Unfortunately, it was the lowest performing unit during two separate burn tests and had repeated connectivity issues.

Molekule Air Pro

The Molekule Air Pro comes from a brand that pays keen attention to aesthetics. It and the app have that Instagrammable, muted-modern look that countless clothing and bedsheet brands emulate these days. That style doesn’t come cheap as the Air Pro costs over $1,000 and requires $140 filters. The company came under fire for and had to stop making many of its claims about its filtration abilities, which may have led to it filing for bankruptcy last year. Molekule is still able to tout its patented photoelectrochemical oxidation, which the company says destroys pollutants at a “molecular level.” In my tests, it performed almost as well as the others in improving VOC and PM2.5 levels. But it’s also very loud: When auto mode kicked the fan into high gear, it would make me tense. Also, I found the unit often indicated “bad” or “very bad” levels when my two monitors indicated the air quality was actually pretty good.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-air-purifier-120040002.html?src=rss

The newly-released Sonos Move 2 speaker is on sale for 20 percent off the regular price. This is the very first discount on the speaker and brings the price down to $360 from $450. This is part of a larger Sonos sale on select products to celebrate the NCAA March Madness tournament.

The Move 2 is considered a massive improvement over the original, with a jump in price to match. We called out the excellent battery life and quick-charging capabilities in our official review. Our reviewer noted that the speaker “seemed to blow past” the advertised 24 hours of battery life. There’s also a nifty charging “ring” contraption. Just plop the speaker in the middle of the ring and it’ll juice up, though USB-C charging is also an option.

Of course, this is a speaker so the sound is a primary consideration. Luckily, the Move 2 offers improved clarity over the original, with a “clear, well-balanced” sound that offers a prominent bass frequency and a detailed high end. It’s also very loud and can easily handle outdoor spaces.

There are only two downsides here. It’s technically a portable speaker, but it’s fairly large and weighs nearly seven pounds. Also, the original asking price is much higher than the first-gen Move, which has been somewhat alleviated by this sale.

The sale also includes the massively popular Beam 2 soundbar. It’s $100 off, bringing the price down to $399. The Beam snagged a place on our list of the best soundbars, due to its easy setup, compact design and fantastic sound. The aforementioned discounts are good until March 25.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-new-sonos-move-2-portable-speaker-is-20-percent-off-right-now-130045214.html?src=rss

A bill that could force a sale or outright ban on TikTok passed the House of Representatives just days after it was first introduced. It now goes to the senate.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (no, we’re not calling it PAFACAA) is the latest attempt by the government to constrain TikTok. If it passes, it could have one of two outcomes: The parent company sells TikTok to a US-based owner, or it faces a ban from US app stores and web hosting services.

Of course, TikTok opposes the bill, saying it’s unconstitutional. But they’re not the only ones: Free speech and digital rights groups also object to the bill, with many noting that comprehensive privacy laws would be more effective at protecting Americans’ user data rather than trying to single out one app.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Fight for the Future and the Center for Democracy and Technology argued the bill would “set an alarming global precedent” for government control of social media.

Oh, and FYI: There are no spy balloons in your phone. The SIM tray is too small.

— Mat Smith

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Tesla paid no federal income tax between 2018 and 2022 It earned $4.4 billion and gave its executives $2.5 billion.

A detailed Guardian report said 35 major US companies, including Tesla, T-Mobile, Netflix, Ford Motor and Match Group, paid their top five executives more than they paid in federal income taxes between 2018 and 2022. Tesla was the worst offender. It earned $4.4 billion in those five years and gave its executives $2.5 billion. Despite that, Tesla not only didn’t pay any federal taxes, but it received $1 million in refunds from the government. Tesla boss Elon Musk is the second richest person in the world.

That’s the punchline.

Continue reading.

Musk kills Don Lemon’s new X show before it began The first episode’s subject was Musk himself. X

I’m sorry, more Musk. X has canceled a high-profile partnership with former CNN host Don Lemon to stream a video talk show on the platform. Lemon said the company canceled his contract hours after he interviewed X’s billionaire owner Elon Musk for the first episode of The Don Lemon Show. “Elon Musk is mad at me,” Lemon said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “Apparently, free speech absolutism doesn’t apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me.” How’s that “video first” push going, Linda?

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Summer Game Fest’s 2024 Showcase on June 7 Late Friday? C’mon!

The fifth edition of Summer Game Fest takes place this year on Friday, June 7 at 5PM ET. Expect a two-hour stream of trailers and hype with… around a 10 percent success rate. With E3 officially dead, SGF is poised to take the expo’s place as the major gaming event of the year. 

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-tiktok-inches-closer-to-a-possible-us-ban-111539850.html?src=rss

Proton, the privacy-focused company that offers a variety of internet tools like mail, calendars, online storage and a password manager, continues to built out its portfolio. As of today, Proton's desktop mail app for Windows and macOS is out of beta and now available to all its paid users. At the same time, Proton is also releasing its app for Linux users in beta.

If you've used Proton Mail before (or any recent / modern mail client), the app won't be a surprise —it's the standard three-pane view, with different folders on the left, a list of message in the middle and a preview of the message contents on the right. Like in Gmail, there's a right-hand rail that has icons for your contacts and calendar that'll expand to show the selected item if you click them. But for more calendar details, there's a button to switch the whole window view from mail to calendar and back. Proton Drive and Proton Pass already have a desktop app, but for now Proton is keeping it separate from mail and calendar, which makes sense. Those two tools go hand-in-hand, but storage is kind of its own thing. 

Proton

While the new mail app doesn't improve on or change the design of Proton's web tools in any major way, I can say that the beta app felt quite responsive in a little testing I did. And while I wouldn't mind more than a slightly tweaked web wrapper (being able to draft an email in its own window would be nice), I do prefer keeping my email out of my browser window. I'm sure there are other Proton users who feel the same way and will find this app pretty handy for that. 

If you're not currently paying for Proton Mail, you can give the new app a try for two weeks, but after that you'll need to upgrade your account to keep using it. The Mail Plus plan costs $4/month if you sign up for a year, or you can get Proton Unlimited for $10 per month with a year plan that includes 500GB of storage (instead of 15GB for Mail Plus) and Proton Drive, Pass and VPN.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/protons-windows-and-macos-mail-app-is-out-of-beta-and-available-now-110010822.html?src=rss

Teachers, families and students in Missouri's Independence School District are adjusting to a four-day school week this year. Superintendent Dr. Dale Herl said data shows benefits to the shorter school week, but opinions from parents and staff are mixed.

Enlarge / The Lincoln Nautilus is now in its fourth generation. (credit: Lincoln)

Lincoln provided accommodation so Ars could drive the new Nautlius. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

Lincoln is one of those car companies that will seem like the people in charge are asleep at the proverbial wheel for years and then all of a sudden, it’ll debut a total knockout. It’s happened a few times throughout the brand’s long history, most recently with the fourth-generation Navigator. The introduction of the 2018 Navigator also sparked a huge overhaul in design and technology for the brand that catapulted from “decent free rental car upgrade” to a maker of luxury SUVs that people might want to buy. The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus is just such an SUV.

In the hierarchy of Lincoln models, the Nautilus sits neatly between the Aviator and the smaller Corsair. It’s arguably one of the best looking of the current crop of Lincolns and it’s positioned to compete with the likes of the Lexus RX, the Cadillac XT6 and Volvo’s XC60, among others, but does it actually compete? Or is it simply another car for the Enterprises and Hertzes of the world?

The 2024 Nautilus is available in two flavors: a purely internal combustion-powered version with a 250 hp (186 kW) turbocharged inline-four that also puts out 280 lb-ft (380 Nm) of torque and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a much more interesting hybrid version which offers up 310 combined hp (231 kW) and which is paired with a CVT transmission. The Nautilus is only available with all-wheel drive.

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If you’ve owned your iPhone or iPad for a long time, there’s a good chance it has files, photos, apps and other digital clutter on it that’s taking up more space than necessary. Maybe you’ve even gotten to the point where you’re getting warnings about the scant bit of free space you have left on your device. Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do to declutter your iPhone or iPad, free up some space and otherwise make your gear feel a bit more like new again. This guide will take you through how to reclaim your notifications and your device’s storage.

Delete your unused apps Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

You don’t need me to tell you to delete apps you don’t use to free up space on your iPhone, but you might not know that iOS has a dedicated tool to help you do this. You can access it by opening the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, then tapping “General,” followed by “iPhone Storage” or “iPad Storage.” It may take a few moments for the interface to populate, but once it does, you’ll see a handy visual representation of how much of your device’s storage you’ve given over to apps, photos and other types of files. You will also see a list of every app installed on your device, as well as how much space it takes up and when you last used it – all helpful information you can use to decide what to delete.

Depending on the app, iOS will present you with at least two options when you tap on it. You can delete the app and all its related data or “offload” it. In the latter case, iOS will delete the app from your iPhone or iPad but leave your data untouched. As such, when you reinstall the app, you can pick up right where you left off. It will also remain in your App Library for easy access. From the iPhone Storage menu, you can also set your device to automatically offload unused apps when you’re running low on storage, which is useful for all, but especially those with older, low-storage devices.

Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

If you use Apple Music and Messages frequently, tap on them since they offer a few additional options for managing their footprint. The interface for Apple Music includes a list of every download on your iPhone or iPad sorted by artist and album, offering a much better way of culling your library than from within the app itself.

Messages, meanwhile, has a few handy options for serial texters. At the bottom of the interface, you will see a breakdown of all the different attachments you may have received in messaging with your friends and family. Seeing how much storage those old photos, videos and GIFs take up may be eye opening; in fact, iOS will prompt you to review large attachments. That’s a good place to start since the interface does a good job of highlighting the biggest space hogs right at the top. You can also set iOS to automatically delete messages and attachments that are more than a year old. Unless space is at an absolute premium on your device, I would recommend against turning on this option, if only because it might delete a photo or video that has sentimental value to you.

Trim your contacts list

If you’ve had an iPhone for a while, there’s a good chance your contacts list could use an edit. Unless you plan to one day call everyone on that list, why not delete contacts you don’t speak to anymore? Your iPhone will give you a head start by identifying suspected duplicate contacts. Outside of that, there’s not much to this process other than going through each contact and ensuring the information you have is up to date.

Review your notification settings Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

Something everyone should do every so often is review their notification settings since alerts can be a drain on your device’s battery (not to mention frequently take your attention away from more important things, too). To get started, open your device’s Settings app and tap on “Notifications.” If you haven’t already, I would recommend taking advantage of iOS 15’s scheduled summary feature. Let’s be honest, most notifications don’t require your immediate attention, and you’re better off addressing them all at once instead piecemeal. The schedule feature will help you do that by allowing you to set a few times per day when your device displays some notifications all at once.

For most people, that should make their notifications more manageable, but if you want to take things a step further, you can adjust individual settings for each app. For some of the worst offenders (Instagram and Twitter come to mind), it’s worthwhile to jump into their in-app settings to limit or disable the notifications they send you.

Focus Modes Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

Another tool you can use to get a handle on your notification is Apple’s Focus feature, which allows you to configure custom do not disturb settings for different activities. By default, your device will come with a few preconfigured ones, and it’s worth reviewing the settings for each to optimize them for your needs.

To create a new custom Focus Mode, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tap “Focus,” which is located in the same subcategory as notifications. You can also create a new Focus mode directly from your device’s Control Center by long pressing on the “Do Not Disturb” icon and tapping “New Focus.”

Once you create a new Focus, customizing it is straightforward. You can specify contacts you want iOS to either silence or allow notifications from. You can do the same for apps as well. After you customize those lists to your liking, tap the “Options” prompt below your contacts and apps lists to see a few additional settings. Specifically, there’s an option to allow silenced notifications to display on your lock screen that you might find helpful.

The last thing I want to draw your attention to are the options around customizing your Home Screen for different Focus modes. By limiting the apps I can easily access, I find I’m less likely to get distracted. For instance, I’ve set my Reading Focus to limit my Home Screen to apps like Libby, Pocket and Apple Music.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-organize-apps-iphone-ios-declutter-150038492.html?src=rss