Feed aggregator

Enlarge (credit: Pocketpair)

The unexpected success of Palworld continues to be one of the biggest gaming stories of 2024 so far, as developer Pocketpair says the game's sales and Xbox downloads have exceeded 19 million, with 12 million in sales on Steam and 7 million players on Xbox. Microsoft has also announced that the game has been the biggest third-party launch in the Game Pass service's history, as well as the most-played third-party title on the Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

These numbers continue a remarkable run for the indie-developed Pokémon-survival-crafting-game pastiche, which sold 5 million copies in its first weekend as a Steam Early Access title and had sold 8 million Steam copies as of a week ago. There are signs that the game's sales are slowing down—it's currently Steam's #2 top-selling game after over a week in the #1 spot. But its active player count on Steam remains several hundred thousand players higher than Counter-Strike 2, the next most-played game on the platform.

Sometimes described (both admiringly and disparagingly) as "Pokémon with guns," Palworld's unexpected success has driven some Internet outrage cycles about the possibility that it may have used AI-generated monster designs and allegations that its designers copied or modified some of the 3D character models from the actual Pokémon series to create some of the game's more familiar-looking monsters.

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Elgato’s going all-in on HDMI 2.1. The company just announced a pair of capture cards that support the latest display technology specification. The 4K X and 4K Pro offer true HDR10 support, USB 3.2 connectivity, VRR and can capture 4K gameplay at 144fps.

Also, this card actually works with newer USB-C iPad models. This is the first time a capture card has ever offered native support for iPads, according to Elgato and parent company Corsair. The 4K X is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers and captures 4K gameplay at 144fps, you need a native display that supports these metrics. Otherwise, you’ll capture 4K at 120fps. You shouldn’t get any screen tearing with this device, due to the magic of HDMI 2.1.

The 4K Pro goes even further. This is a capture card in the traditional sense, as it resides inside of your PC. You get all of the features provided by the 4K X, but the passthrough spec bumps up to 8K and 60fps. Elgato claims this card will transform “your high-end single or dual-PC setup into a live-streaming powerhouse.”

To that end, the 4K Pro offers low-latency passthrough support up to 240fps in 4K, all while capturing 4K content at 1080p and 240fps. As you can see, this card boasts a wide range of specs, so you can adjust to find the best fit for your live-streaming needs. The card also integrates with the company’s Multi App tool, allowing you to send capture feeds to multiple apps at the same time. Elgato gives an example of recording raw gameplay while streaming simultaneously in OBS, Discord and Zoom. The 4K Pro is only compatible with Windows machines via a PCIe 2.0 x4 connection.

The cards work with most popular broadcast apps, including OBS Studio, Twitch Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, vMix and others. You also get access to the company’s capture management app, which exports content as AAF files for editing in Adobe Premiere, Vegas Pro and related software.

Both of these capture cards are available now. The portable 4K X costs $230, while the PCIe-adjacent 4K Pro costs $280. In related news, Samsung just inserted HDMI 2.1 support into its Q990D soundbar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elgato-introduces-its-first-ever-hdmi-21-capture-cards-174046239.html?src=rss

Elgato’s going all-in on HDMI 2.1. The company just announced a pair of capture cards that support the latest display technology specification. The 4K X and 4K Pro offer true HDR10 support, USB 3.2 connectivity, VRR and can capture 4K gameplay at 144fps.

Also, this card actually works with newer USB-C iPad models. This is the first time a capture card has ever offered native support for iPads, according to Elgato and parent company Corsair. The 4K X is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers and captures 4K gameplay at 144fps, you need a native display that supports these metrics. Otherwise, you’ll capture 4K at 120fps. You shouldn’t get any screen tearing with this device, due to the magic of HDMI 2.1.

The 4K Pro goes even further. This is a capture card in the traditional sense, as it resides inside of your PC. You get all of the features provided by the 4K X, but the passthrough spec bumps up to 8K and 60fps. Elgato claims this card will transform “your high-end single or dual-PC setup into a live-streaming powerhouse.”

To that end, the 4K Pro offers low-latency passthrough support up to 240fps in 4K, all while capturing 4K content at 1080p and 240fps. As you can see, this card boasts a wide range of specs, so you can adjust to find the best fit for your live-streaming needs. The card also integrates with the company’s Multi App tool, allowing you to send capture feeds to multiple apps at the same time. Elgato gives an example of recording raw gameplay while streaming simultaneously in OBS, Discord and Zoom. The 4K Pro is only compatible with Windows machines via a PCIe 2.0 x4 connection.

The cards work with most popular broadcast apps, including OBS Studio, Twitch Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, vMix and others. You also get access to the company’s capture management app, which exports content as AAF files for editing in Adobe Premiere, Vegas Pro and related software.

Both of these capture cards are available now. The portable 4K X costs $230, while the PCIe-adjacent 4K Pro costs $280. In related news, Samsung just inserted HDMI 2.1 support into its Q990D soundbar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elgato-introduces-its-first-ever-hdmi-21-capture-cards-174046239.html?src=rss

Elgato’s going all-in on HDMI 2.1. The company just announced a pair of capture cards that support the latest display technology specification. The 4K X and 4K Pro offer true HDR10 support, USB 3.2 connectivity, VRR and can capture 4K gameplay at 144fps.

Also, this card actually works with newer USB-C iPad models. This is the first time a capture card has ever offered native support for iPads, according to Elgato and parent company Corsair. The 4K X is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers and captures 4K gameplay at 144fps, you need a native display that supports these metrics. Otherwise, you’ll capture 4K at 120fps. You shouldn’t get any screen tearing with this device, due to the magic of HDMI 2.1.

The 4K Pro goes even further. This is a capture card in the traditional sense, as it resides inside of your PC. You get all of the features provided by the 4K X, but the passthrough spec bumps up to 8K and 60fps. Elgato claims this card will transform “your high-end single or dual-PC setup into a live-streaming powerhouse.”

To that end, the 4K Pro offers low-latency passthrough support up to 240fps in 4K, all while capturing 4K content at 1080p and 240fps. As you can see, this card boasts a wide range of specs, so you can adjust to find the best fit for your live-streaming needs. The card also integrates with the company’s Multi App tool, allowing you to send capture feeds to multiple apps at the same time. Elgato gives an example of recording raw gameplay while streaming simultaneously in OBS, Discord and Zoom. The 4K Pro is only compatible with Windows machines via a PCIe 2.0 x4 connection.

The cards work with most popular broadcast apps, including OBS Studio, Twitch Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, vMix and others. You also get access to the company’s capture management app, which exports content as AAF files for editing in Adobe Premiere, Vegas Pro and related software.

Both of these capture cards are available now. The portable 4K X costs $230, while the PCIe-adjacent 4K Pro costs $280. In related news, Samsung just inserted HDMI 2.1 support into its Q990D soundbar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elgato-introduces-its-first-ever-hdmi-21-capture-cards-174046239.html?src=rss

Snap is recalling all of its Pixy drones after four reports of its batteries overheating, according to the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The company says it will issue refunds to all drone owners who return the device.

“Snap, in cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling the battery that comes with the Pixy Flying Camera because the battery can overheat, posing a fire hazard,” the company writes on its website. According to the CPSC, battery issues have caused one “minor” fire and one “minor” injury.

The company has detailed instructions for returning the flying camera — without their batteries — on its website, and says all Pixy owners are eligible for a refund of the purchase price, even if they received it as a gift or no longer have a receipt. Snap says that anyone with a Pixy drone should participate in the recall even if their device appears to be working properly.

The Snapchat maker introduced the mini drone in April 2022, but abandoned the project just four months later as Snap shifted resources away from hardware projects. The company never shared how many drones sold, but the CPSC says the recall affects about 71,000 devices.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/snap-is-recalling-its-pixy-drone-after-battery-fire-173731938.html?src=rss

Snap is recalling all of its Pixy drones after four reports of its batteries overheating, according to the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The company says it will issue refunds to all drone owners who return the device.

“Snap, in cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling the battery that comes with the Pixy Flying Camera because the battery can overheat, posing a fire hazard,” the company writes on its website. According to the CPSC, battery issues have caused one “minor” fire and one “minor” injury.

The company has detailed instructions for returning the flying camera — without their batteries — on its website, and says all Pixy owners are eligible for a refund of the purchase price, even if they received it as a gift or no longer have a receipt. Snap says that anyone with a Pixy drone should participate in the recall even if their device appears to be working properly.

The Snapchat maker introduced the mini drone in April 2022, but abandoned the project just four months later as Snap shifted resources away from hardware projects. The company never shared how many drones sold, but the CPSC says the recall affects about 71,000 devices.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/snap-is-recalling-its-pixy-drone-after-battery-fire-173731938.html?src=rss

Snap is recalling all of its Pixy drones after four reports of its batteries overheating, according to the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The company says it will issue refunds to all drone owners who return the device.

“Snap, in cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling the battery that comes with the Pixy Flying Camera because the battery can overheat, posing a fire hazard,” the company writes on its website. According to the CPSC, battery issues have caused one “minor” fire and one “minor” injury.

The company has detailed instructions for returning the flying camera — without their batteries — on its website, and says all Pixy owners are eligible for a refund of the purchase price, even if they received it as a gift or no longer have a receipt. Snap says that anyone with a Pixy drone should participate in the recall even if their device appears to be working properly.

The Snapchat maker introduced the mini drone in April 2022, but abandoned the project just four months later as Snap shifted resources away from hardware projects. The company never shared how many drones sold, but the CPSC says the recall affects about 71,000 devices.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/snap-is-recalling-its-pixy-drone-after-battery-fire-173731938.html?src=rss

Enlarge / Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks at Tesla's "Cyber Rodeo" on April 7, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (credit: Getty Images | AFP/Suzanne Cordeiro)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has had enough of Delaware after a state court ruling voided his $55.8 billion pay package. Musk said last night that Tesla will hold a shareholder vote on transferring the electric carmaker's state of incorporation to Texas.

Musk had posted a poll on X (formerly Twitter) asking whether Tesla should "change its state of incorporation to Texas, home of its physical headquarters." After over 87 percent of people voted yes, Musk wrote, "The public vote is unequivocally in favor of Texas! Tesla will move immediately to hold a shareholder vote to transfer state of incorporation to Texas."

Tesla was incorporated in 2003 before Musk joined the company. Its founders chose Delaware, a common destination because of the state's low corporate taxes and business-friendly legal framework. The Delaware government says that over 68 percent of Fortune 500 companies are registered in the state, and 79 percent of US-based initial public offerings in 2022 were registered in Delaware.

Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments

While not quite Apple’s most powerful tablet, the iPad Air is still the best choice for most customers. Its blend of nearly iPad Pro-level specs and features with more accessible pricing made it one of Engadget’s top iPad picks for 2024. If you’ve been eyeing a new model and don’t want to spend a fortune, you can snag the latest iPad Air at Best Buy for a record-low $450 (usually $600).

The 2022 iPad Air has a 10.9-inch screen with True Tone (auto-adjusting display warmth), P3 wide color (for a vivid and accurate color presentation), and an anti-reflective coating. Powering it is the M1 chip, which places it a generation behind the more expensive ($750 and up) 11-inch iPad Pro. However, the M1 is still more than zippy enough for nearly anyone’s everyday tablet use.

The $450 price gets you the base model with 64GB of storage. If that isn’t enough, Best Buy also has the 256GB model discounted to $600 (usually $750). Both storage tiers ship in five color options: space gray, starlight, blue, purple and pink.

The iPad Air works with Apple’s best tablet accessories, including the second-generation Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard, which transform it into a laptop-like portable workstation. It also includes a USB-C port for universal charging and connecting external drives or cameras.

Apple is rumored to launch a new iPad Air model in the coming months, so you may consider holding off if saving money isn’t your highest priority. But on the other hand, this is almost certainly the most bang for your buck you’ll get from a $450 iPad anytime soon.

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/apples-m1-ipad-air-is-150-off-and-down-to-a-record-low-173006634.html?src=rss

While not quite Apple’s most powerful tablet, the iPad Air is still the best choice for most customers. Its blend of nearly iPad Pro-level specs and features with more accessible pricing made it one of Engadget’s top iPad picks for 2024. If you’ve been eyeing a new model and don’t want to spend a fortune, you can snag the latest iPad Air at Best Buy for a record-low $450 (usually $600).

The 2022 iPad Air has a 10.9-inch screen with True Tone (auto-adjusting display warmth), P3 wide color (for a vivid and accurate color presentation), and an anti-reflective coating. Powering it is the M1 chip, which places it a generation behind the more expensive ($750 and up) 11-inch iPad Pro. However, the M1 is still more than zippy enough for nearly anyone’s everyday tablet use.

The $450 price gets you the base model with 64GB of storage. If that isn’t enough, Best Buy also has the 256GB model discounted to $600 (usually $750). Both storage tiers ship in five color options: space gray, starlight, blue, purple and pink.

The iPad Air works with Apple’s best tablet accessories, including the second-generation Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard, which transform it into a laptop-like portable workstation. It also includes a USB-C port for universal charging and connecting external drives or cameras.

Apple is rumored to launch a new iPad Air model in the coming months, so you may consider holding off if saving money isn’t your highest priority. But on the other hand, this is almost certainly the most bang for your buck you’ll get from a $450 iPad anytime soon.

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/apples-m1-ipad-air-is-150-off-and-down-to-a-record-low-173006634.html?src=rss

While not quite Apple’s most powerful tablet, the iPad Air is still the best choice for most customers. Its blend of nearly iPad Pro-level specs and features with more accessible pricing made it one of Engadget’s top iPad picks for 2024. If you’ve been eyeing a new model and don’t want to spend a fortune, you can snag the latest iPad Air at Best Buy for a record-low $450 (usually $600).

The 2022 iPad Air has a 10.9-inch screen with True Tone (auto-adjusting display warmth), P3 wide color (for a vivid and accurate color presentation), and an anti-reflective coating. Powering it is the M1 chip, which places it a generation behind the more expensive ($750 and up) 11-inch iPad Pro. However, the M1 is still more than zippy enough for nearly anyone’s everyday tablet use.

The $450 price gets you the base model with 64GB of storage. If that isn’t enough, Best Buy also has the 256GB model discounted to $600 (usually $750). Both storage tiers ship in five color options: space gray, starlight, blue, purple and pink.

The iPad Air works with Apple’s best tablet accessories, including the second-generation Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard, which transform it into a laptop-like portable workstation. It also includes a USB-C port for universal charging and connecting external drives or cameras.

Apple is rumored to launch a new iPad Air model in the coming months, so you may consider holding off if saving money isn’t your highest priority. But on the other hand, this is almost certainly the most bang for your buck you’ll get from a $450 iPad anytime soon.

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/apples-m1-ipad-air-is-150-off-and-down-to-a-record-low-173006634.html?src=rss

Google is adding generative AI to Maps. The feature's in early access and only available for certain areas and for select Local Guides members, but it looks to be an interesting use of the technology. Basically, the tool allows you to speak to the app using natural language to discover new places in your hometown or when traveling throughout this great country of ours.

Here’s how it works. Ask the app what you’re looking for, like a restaurant to meet the needs of your friend group with various dietary restrictions. The company’s large-language models will analyze information about more than 250 million places along with insights provided by community members as part of its Local Guides program. It should be able to spit out the perfect spot.

Google says the system will work “no matter how specific, niche or broad your needs might be.” The company gives a far-reaching example involving thrifting in San Francisco. It describes a scenario in which a person asks the app for vintage thrifting spots in the city. The AI models analyzed nearby places, along with photos, ratings and community reviews. The app spit out a range of options, complete with photo carousels and review summaries.

Because this is a generative AI, you can go even further. If you ask the app to find a good lunch spot, it’ll automatically look for something that matches the retro vibe of the aforementioned vintage shop. In other words, it remembers the stuff you like, within reason. 

This feature can also be used on the fly, with Google giving an example of asking the AI for activities in the case of a sudden rainstorm. You can further refine search results by asking followup questions. This all seems pretty neat, but the feature is certainly limited for now, as it's just for US users and only in select areas. Once early access users give enough feedback, it should start popping up in more places.

Of course, this isn’t Google’s first AI rodeo. The company recently added generative AI features to the Chrome browser and made its AI-powered note-taking app available to everyone in the US. It’s also continuing to refine its Bard chatbot and stuffing Pixel phones with all kinds of AI tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-starts-a-limited-test-of-generative-ai-tools-in-maps-170012672.html?src=rss

Google is adding generative AI to Maps. The feature's in early access and only available for certain areas and for select Local Guides members, but it looks to be an interesting use of the technology. Basically, the tool allows you to speak to the app using natural language to discover new places in your hometown or when traveling throughout this great country of ours.

Here’s how it works. Ask the app what you’re looking for, like a restaurant to meet the needs of your friend group with various dietary restrictions. The company’s large-language models will analyze information about more than 250 million places along with insights provided by community members as part of its Local Guides program. It should be able to spit out the perfect spot.

Google says the system will work “no matter how specific, niche or broad your needs might be.” The company gives a far-reaching example involving thrifting in San Francisco. It describes a scenario in which a person asks the app for vintage thrifting spots in the city. The AI models analyzed nearby places, along with photos, ratings and community reviews. The app spit out a range of options, complete with photo carousels and review summaries.

Because this is a generative AI, you can go even further. If you ask the app to find a good lunch spot, it’ll automatically look for something that matches the retro vibe of the aforementioned vintage shop. In other words, it remembers the stuff you like, within reason. 

This feature can also be used on the fly, with Google giving an example of asking the AI for activities in the case of a sudden rainstorm. You can further refine search results by asking followup questions. This all seems pretty neat, but the feature is certainly limited for now, as it's just for US users and only in select areas. Once early access users give enough feedback, it should start popping up in more places.

Of course, this isn’t Google’s first AI rodeo. The company recently added generative AI features to the Chrome browser and made its AI-powered note-taking app available to everyone in the US. It’s also continuing to refine its Bard chatbot and stuffing Pixel phones with all kinds of AI tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-starts-a-limited-test-of-generative-ai-tools-in-maps-170012672.html?src=rss

Google is adding generative AI to Maps. The feature's in early access and only available for certain areas and for select Local Guides members, but it looks to be an interesting use of the technology. Basically, the tool allows you to speak to the app using natural language to discover new places in your hometown or when traveling throughout this great country of ours.

Here’s how it works. Ask the app what you’re looking for, like a restaurant to meet the needs of your friend group with various dietary restrictions. The company’s large-language models will analyze information about more than 250 million places along with insights provided by community members as part of its Local Guides program. It should be able to spit out the perfect spot.

Google says the system will work “no matter how specific, niche or broad your needs might be.” The company gives a far-reaching example involving thrifting in San Francisco. It describes a scenario in which a person asks the app for vintage thrifting spots in the city. The AI models analyzed nearby places, along with photos, ratings and community reviews. The app spit out a range of options, complete with photo carousels and review summaries.

Because this is a generative AI, you can go even further. If you ask the app to find a good lunch spot, it’ll automatically look for something that matches the retro vibe of the aforementioned vintage shop. In other words, it remembers the stuff you like, within reason. 

This feature can also be used on the fly, with Google giving an example of asking the AI for activities in the case of a sudden rainstorm. You can further refine search results by asking followup questions. This all seems pretty neat, but the feature is certainly limited for now, as it's just for US users and only in select areas. Once early access users give enough feedback, it should start popping up in more places.

Of course, this isn’t Google’s first AI rodeo. The company recently added generative AI features to the Chrome browser and made its AI-powered note-taking app available to everyone in the US. It’s also continuing to refine its Bard chatbot and stuffing Pixel phones with all kinds of AI tools.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-starts-a-limited-test-of-generative-ai-tools-in-maps-170012672.html?src=rss

Enlarge (credit: Iryna Imago | iStock / Getty Images Plus)

eBay has agreed to pay $59 million after the US Department of Justice accused the online marketplace of selling thousands of pill presses and encapsulating machines, some of which were used by rings trafficking in illegal counterfeit pills.

It's the fourth largest settlement under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the first-ever settlement with an e-commerce company, a DOJ press release noted.

“Through its website, eBay made it easy for individuals across the country to obtain the type of dangerous machines that are often used to make counterfeit pills," Nikolas Kerest, US attorney for the District of Vermont, said. "Our investigation revealed that some of these machines were even sold to individuals who were later convicted of drug-related crimes."

Read 14 remaining paragraphs | Comments

The days of sharing a Hulu account with friends and family are numbered. Like Netflix and sibling service Disney+ before it, Hulu is clamping down on password sharing outside the account holder's "primary personal residence" per an updated subscriber agreement. That is unless the practice is "permitted by your service tier," indicating that users may be able to pay extra to share their membership outside of their household.

Hulu has started telling users that they'll need to comply with the new rules by March 14, as The Verge reports. The service has been informing subscribers in emails that it's "adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household," but it's unclear exactly how Hulu plans to track that.

Netflix was the first major streaming service to crack down on password sharing and, as a result, it has seen an uptick in subscriber numbers. Disney+ followed suit later last year and, given that Disney will soon own all of Hulu, it's little surprise that the latter is going in the same direction.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hulu-is-the-latest-streaming-service-to-crack-down-on-password-sharing-161957187.html?src=rss

The days of sharing a Hulu account with friends and family are numbered. Like Netflix and sibling service Disney+ before it, Hulu is clamping down on password sharing outside the account holder's "primary personal residence" per an updated subscriber agreement. That is unless the practice is "permitted by your service tier," indicating that users may be able to pay extra to share their membership outside of their household.

Hulu has started telling users that they'll need to comply with the new rules by March 14, as The Verge reports. The service has been informing subscribers in emails that it's "adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household," but it's unclear exactly how Hulu plans to track that.

Netflix was the first major streaming service to crack down on password sharing and, as a result, it has seen an uptick in subscriber numbers. Disney+ followed suit later last year and, given that Disney will soon own all of Hulu, it's little surprise that the latter is going in the same direction.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hulu-is-the-latest-streaming-service-to-crack-down-on-password-sharing-161957187.html?src=rss

The days of sharing a Hulu account with friends and family are numbered. Like Netflix and sibling service Disney+ before it, Hulu is clamping down on password sharing outside the account holder's "primary personal residence" per an updated subscriber agreement. That is unless the practice is "permitted by your service tier," indicating that users may be able to pay extra to share their membership outside of their household.

Hulu has started telling users that they'll need to comply with the new rules by March 14, as The Verge reports. The service has been informing subscribers in emails that it's "adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household," but it's unclear exactly how Hulu plans to track that.

Netflix was the first major streaming service to crack down on password sharing and, as a result, it has seen an uptick in subscriber numbers. Disney+ followed suit later last year and, given that Disney will soon own all of Hulu, it's little surprise that the latter is going in the same direction.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hulu-is-the-latest-streaming-service-to-crack-down-on-password-sharing-161957187.html?src=rss

Google is rolling out a swathe of updates on the generative AI front, including a new text-to-image tool. What’s different about ImageFX is that it has an interface that features “expressive chips.” The idea here is that these will help you “quickly experiment with adjacent dimensions of your creation and ideas.”

Alongside the debut of ImageFX, Google says it has improved MusicFX and TextFX. The company’s claims that it’s made upgrades to the MusicLM model that include faster generation of music and higher-quality audio, along with new features. Generated songs can now last up to 70 seconds. As for TextFX, Google has rolled out usability updates in the aim of improving navigation and the overall user experience.

Introducing #ImageFX ✨ a new image generation tool powered by Imagen 2, Google's most advanced text-to-image model. We’re excited to add this to our suite of generative AI tools at Labs, and to help bring your most creative ideas to life. Try it out: https://t.co/e07Zz3Pdx4 pic.twitter.com/MVXEEt9c2b

— labs.google (@labsdotgoogle) February 1, 2024

ImageFX-generated images and audio made with MusicFX are tagged by SynthID, a digital watermark that aims to make it clear that these are forged using AI, especially when they appear in Search or Chrome. ImageFX creations will also include IPTC metadata. This, according to Google, will offer “people more information whenever they encounter our AI-generated images”

Folks in the US, Kenya, New Zealand and Australia can try out these new and revamped tools in the AI Test Kitchen starting today. They’re only available in English for now.

The Imagen 2 model is powering the new image generation features of ImageFX. It’s also the tech that’s driving new generative AI options in Bard, Search, Ads, Duet AI in Workspace and Vertex AI. Google says that Imagen 2 helps to deliver its highest-quality AI-generated images yet. The company notes that the model helps keep images clear of artifacts and improves on areas of image generation that such tools have struggled with until now.

In addition, Google says it has made "significant investments" in Imagen 2 training data safety while adding guardrails to "limit problematic outputs like violent, offensive or sexually explicit content as well as applying filters to reduce the risk of generating images of named individuals." This is due to the model's upgraded ability to generate photorealistic images. The company claims it also carries out "extensive adversarial testing" to detect and clamp down on potentially problematic and harmful content.

Elsewhere, Gemini Pro in Bard is more broadly available starting today. It's now accessible in more than 40 languages and north of 230 countries and territories. Also as of today, Google says people in most countries can generate images in Bard in English for free. These images will include SynthID watermarks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-reveals-another-text-to-image-generative-ai-tool-imagefx-150659065.html?src=rss

Google is rolling out a swathe of updates on the generative AI front, including a new text-to-image tool. What’s different about ImageFX is that it has an interface that features “expressive chips.” The idea here is that these will help you “quickly experiment with adjacent dimensions of your creation and ideas.”

Alongside the debut of ImageFX, Google says it has improved MusicFX and TextFX. The company’s claims that it’s made upgrades to the MusicLM model that include faster generation of music and higher-quality audio, along with new features. Generated songs can now last up to 70 seconds. As for TextFX, Google has rolled out usability updates in the aim of improving navigation and the overall user experience.

Introducing #ImageFX ✨ a new image generation tool powered by Imagen 2, Google's most advanced text-to-image model. We’re excited to add this to our suite of generative AI tools at Labs, and to help bring your most creative ideas to life. Try it out: https://t.co/e07Zz3Pdx4 pic.twitter.com/MVXEEt9c2b

— labs.google (@labsdotgoogle) February 1, 2024

ImageFX-generated images and audio made with MusicFX are tagged by SynthID, a digital watermark that aims to make it clear that these are forged using AI, especially when they appear in Search or Chrome. ImageFX creations will also include IPTC metadata. This, according to Google, will offer “people more information whenever they encounter our AI-generated images”

Folks in the US, Kenya, New Zealand and Australia can try out these new and revamped tools in the AI Test Kitchen starting today. They’re only available in English for now.

The Imagen 2 model is powering the new image generation features of ImageFX. It’s also the tech that’s driving new generative AI options in Bard, Search, Ads, Duet AI in Workspace and Vertex AI. Google says that Imagen 2 helps to deliver its highest-quality AI-generated images yet. The company notes that the model helps keep images clear of artifacts and improves on areas of image generation that such tools have struggled with until now.

In addition, Google says it has made "significant investments" in Imagen 2 training data safety while adding guardrails to "limit problematic outputs like violent, offensive or sexually explicit content as well as applying filters to reduce the risk of generating images of named individuals." This is due to the model's upgraded ability to generate photorealistic images. The company claims it also carries out "extensive adversarial testing" to detect and clamp down on potentially problematic and harmful content.

Elsewhere, Gemini Pro in Bard is more broadly available starting today. It's now accessible in more than 40 languages and north of 230 countries and territories. Also as of today, Google says people in most countries can generate images in Bard in English for free. These images will include SynthID watermarks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-reveals-another-text-to-image-generative-ai-tool-imagefx-150659065.html?src=rss