Month: February 2023
Google Chrome’s Improved Page Zoom Should Help Make the Mobile Web More Accessible
Google Chrome’s giving its page zoom feature a boost, which should make it more helpful for people who have difficulty reading the smaller screen on a phone. From a report: With the improved feature, you can increase the size of text, images, videos, and interactive controls on mobile web pages by up to 300 percent while preserving their original formatting. While the feature hasn’t yet become available for all Chrome users, you can access it now if you download the Chrome beta on your phone or tablet. To enable the feature, tap the three dots icon in the top right corner of the browser, hit Settings > Accessibility, and then adjust the zoom level to your liking. Google will save this preference for all the sites you browse so you won’t have to keep tweaking it, and will even bypass the ones that try to block zoom features. Previously, Google only allowed users to adjust text scaling options up to 200 percent.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Chrome’s giving its page zoom feature a boost, which should make it more helpful for people who have difficulty reading the smaller screen on a phone. From a report: With the improved feature, you can increase the size of text, images, videos, and interactive controls on mobile web pages by up to 300 percent while preserving their original formatting. While the feature hasn’t yet become available for all Chrome users, you can access it now if you download the Chrome beta on your phone or tablet. To enable the feature, tap the three dots icon in the top right corner of the browser, hit Settings > Accessibility, and then adjust the zoom level to your liking. Google will save this preference for all the sites you browse so you won’t have to keep tweaking it, and will even bypass the ones that try to block zoom features. Previously, Google only allowed users to adjust text scaling options up to 200 percent.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
How to Watch ‘M3GAN: Unrated’ Right Now – CNET
A version of M3GAN with new footage is streaming on Peacock.
A version of M3GAN with new footage is streaming on Peacock.
Apple Drops Full ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 Trailer. Watch It Here – CNET
Ted and Nate stand off in the full trailer for season 3 of the sports comedy-drama.
Ted and Nate stand off in the full trailer for season 3 of the sports comedy-drama.
Snapchat’s ChatGPT-powered sidekick will make you look like a haiku genius
Snapchat has announced a ChatGPT-powered chatbot helper than can organize your social life and write haikus.
Snapchat has become the first social media giant to build a ChatGPT-powered chatbot into its app, with the messaging platform calling its new feature ‘My AI’.
According to Snap, the new chatbot is running the latest version of OpenAI’s GPT technology (its GPT-3.5 model) and is an “experimental feature” for paying Snapchat Plus subscribers (a service that costs $3.99 / £3.99 / AU$5.99 a month).
So what can it do? Given the many recent examples of Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing search engine going off the rails, Snap has wisely puts some guardrails in place by training it to “avoid biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading information”. It’s also mainly designed help organize your social life and boost your Snapchat game.
Some examples of things that My AI can help with include planning your hiking trip, recommending birthday present ideas, suggesting dinner recipes and, for fans of Japanese verse, “writing a haiku about cheese for your cheddar-obsessed pal”. That all certainly sounds a bit more family-friendly than watching Bing have an existential crisis.
Still, Snap is also bracing itself for errors and has already apologized in advance for My AI’s own clangers. It says that “My AI is prone to hallucination and can be tricked into saying just about anything”, which sounds worrying. Snap also tells users to “please be aware of its many deficiencies and sorry in advance” for its potential mistakes.
Unlike Bing’s ChatGPT-powered chatbot, My AI is customizable – you can give it a name and also customize the wallpaper for your chat sessions. But, despite this cuddly exterior, the AI helper is likely to go very wrong – with Snap stating that you can press and hold on any message to submit feedback and help guide it towards better behaviour.
Analysis: A taste of social chatbots to come
An example of a cheese-themed haiku written by Snapchat’s My AI chatbot. (Image credit: Snapchat)
The arrival of a ChatGPT-powered helper on Snapchat isn’t quite as earth-shattering as an equivalent feature would be on the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, or TikTok – after all, Snapchat is only tenth on the list of social media sites in terms of global active users.
But it does give us an interesting glimpse of how ChatGPT (or an equivalent chatbot technology) could be baked into some of the world’s most popular apps. Imagine, for example, an equivalent sidekick in Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp groups. Meta did recently announce its own “state-of-the-art AI large language model called LLaMA”, so that could well be coming.
The arrival of chatbots in social media and messaging apps does also raise privacy issues. Snap is keen to stress that “all conversations with My AI will be stored and may be reviewed to improve the product experience”, and you shouldn’t “share any secrets with My AI” or “rely on it for advice”.
Those are all big disclaimers that show where we are with AI chatbots – while they’re fun sidekicks that could work well in the likes of Snapchat, they’re also far from the all-knowing sages they purport to be.
Snap launches A.I. chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT
The sudden popularity of ChatGPT has sparked a new AI revolution as it dominates the headlines with no sign of slowing down. The world’s obsession with the OpenAI chatbot reaches a new level waves garnering over 100 million users in
The sudden popularity of ChatGPT has sparked a new AI revolution as it dominates the headlines with no sign of slowing down. The world’s obsession with the OpenAI chatbot reaches a new level waves garnering over 100 million users in […]
Apple’s next iPad Pro could have the best OLED display yet, but it’ll cost you
Apple’s 2024 iPad Pro is rumored to be getting a brighter OLED display than previous models, but the upgrade will push the price up.
Apple’s next batch of iPad Pro tablets, which are expected next year, could be the most expensive yet, thanks to the inclusion of a rumored display upgrade.
Following on from the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) and the smaller – but otherwise practically identical iPad Pro 11 (2022), Apple is expected to drop another two new iPad Pro models next year. When they launch we’ll likely see Apple’s best iPad tablets get a few upgrades in terms of their processor and feature set.
However, while hardware improvements are always welcome, reports are suggesting we might be a little disappointed about one update. Next year’s iPad’s OLED displays are being rumored to be a lot more expensive than the screens on the current models screens – and that means the 2024 iPads are likely to cost more too (via The Elec).
According to reports coming out of South Korea, where Apple’s display partners Samsung Display and LG Display are based, Apple is looking to use a two-stack design for its next-gen OLEDs, with two light-emitting layers rather than one. Two-stack displays are brighter and longer lasting than single-stack screens – but they also cost a lot more.
Currently, Apple’s iPad Pro displays cost an estimated $100-$150 to produce (around £80-£125 / AU$150-AU$225), but it’s reported that the cost of the new two-stack screens would jump to around $270 for the 11-inch model, and $350 for the 12.9-inch (around £225, £300 / AU$400, AU$520).
If those rumors are true, Apple will almost certainly look to pass some, if not all, of the extra cost onto consumers. So if you were planning to upgrade your tablet next year, you might want to start thinking about whether you’re really going to need the very latest and greatest iPad, or can perhaps make do with a slightly older and cheaper, but still solid option.
The next iPad Pro models should be brighter, and pricier (Image credit: Apple)
Analysis: Money for something
While we have to take any rumors with a pinch of salt, if the reports are true, the new iPad’s displays might actually be a worthwhile upgrade if you do choose to splash out.
Most OLED tablets aren’t bright enough to offer anything serious in the HDR department. Don’t get us wrong: the screens look great, but they aren’t delivering the full OLED effect; nothing like what you’d get from one of the best OLED TVs.
If Apple adopts this tandem structure, however, its screens should be a lot brighter than other OLED options on the market.
What’s more, the structure would give the screen a four-times longer lifespan. So if you’re someone that likes to buy a new iPad pro and then hold onto it for a few years, the 2024 models should be better equipped to deliver in that respect.
We’ll have to wait until 2024 to find out exactly what Apple’s next iPad Pro models have in store for us, but if the prices are set to go up then at least it looks like we’ll be getting more bang for the extra buck.
Where to watch ‘Triangle of Sadness’, a film about privilege and puke
What: Triangle of Sadness
Where to watch: Hulu
Premiere date: March 3, 2023
The 2023 Oscar nominations are here, and while Everything Everywhere All At Once garnered 11 nominations, there are other standouts in the mix–including Triangle of Sadness. The satirical eat-the-rich comedy won rave reviews and received an eight-minute standing ovation at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival (where it also bagged the place of Palme d’Or winner). Now, the offering by Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund is a contender for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Which means, if you haven’t watched it already, this is a great time to.
Where can I watch Triangle of Sadness?
Triangle of Sadness will be available to stream on Hulu starting March 3.
What is Triangle of Sadness about?
Triangle of Sadness follows a trend of dark comedies unpacking privilege and the lives of the absurdly rich. Like White Lotus and Knives Out, the film explores the pinnacle of human flaws — greed, envy, selfishness — through instances of uncomfortable humor and uneasy interactions.
SEE ALSO:
‘Triangle of Sadness’ review: The “eat the rich” comedy goes gross-out, and it’s great
The focus is placed on Yaya (the late Charlbi Dean Kriek) and Carl (Harris Dickinson), a couple who happen to be in the spotlight, one as a model and the other as an influencer. They are given a free trip on a luxury yacht, where they encounter other socialites and high-society figures, alongside a crew waiting to look after them. The yacht also results in a whole lot of projectile vomiting, in a shocking scene that truly captured audiences.
What are people saying about the film?
Triangle of Sadness was one of 2022’s most talked about films, finding a comfortable spot on multiple “Best Films of the Year” lists including Mashable’s. Now, with three Oscar nominations including Best Picture, it’s continuing to find high praise.
Mashable Film Editor Kristy Puchko called the film “outrageous, ruthless, and hilarious” in her review, praising the ensemble, one that the audience will not tire of watching no matter what insufferable the characters may be.
“Dark humor abounds amid a frightful fish-out-of-water scenario, which strides assuredly and unnervingly toward a climax that is perfectly fitting in that it too won’t let you off the hook,” Puchko writes.
“Packed with performances that’ll make you shudder, gross-out gags that spark guffaws, and an unflinchingly embrace of social awkwardness that’ll have you cringing so much you might cramp, Triangle of Sadness is not just a viewing experience but a physical one.”
To stream Triangle of Sadness, click that button below to subscribe to Hulu for just $7.99/month with your first month free.
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Credit: Hulu
‘Triangle of Sadness’
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Hulu
Watch here.
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What: Triangle of Sadness
Where to watch: Hulu
Premiere date: March 3, 2023
The 2023 Oscar nominations are here, and while Everything Everywhere All At Once garnered 11 nominations, there are other standouts in the mix–including Triangle of Sadness. The satirical eat-the-rich comedy won rave reviews and received an eight-minute standing ovation at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival (where it also bagged the place of Palme d’Or winner). Now, the offering by Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund is a contender for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Which means, if you haven’t watched it already, this is a great time to.
Where can I watch Triangle of Sadness?
Triangle of Sadness will be available to stream on Hulu starting March 3.
What is Triangle of Sadness about?
Triangle of Sadness follows a trend of dark comedies unpacking privilege and the lives of the absurdly rich. Like White Lotus and Knives Out, the film explores the pinnacle of human flaws — greed, envy, selfishness — through instances of uncomfortable humor and uneasy interactions.
The focus is placed on Yaya (the late Charlbi Dean Kriek) and Carl (Harris Dickinson), a couple who happen to be in the spotlight, one as a model and the other as an influencer. They are given a free trip on a luxury yacht, where they encounter other socialites and high-society figures, alongside a crew waiting to look after them. The yacht also results in a whole lot of projectile vomiting, in a shocking scene that truly captured audiences.
What are people saying about the film?
Triangle of Sadness was one of 2022’s most talked about films, finding a comfortable spot on multiple “Best Films of the Year” lists including Mashable’s. Now, with three Oscar nominations including Best Picture, it’s continuing to find high praise.
Mashable Film Editor Kristy Puchko called the film “outrageous, ruthless, and hilarious” in her review, praising the ensemble, one that the audience will not tire of watching no matter what insufferable the characters may be.
“Dark humor abounds amid a frightful fish-out-of-water scenario, which strides assuredly and unnervingly toward a climax that is perfectly fitting in that it too won’t let you off the hook,” Puchko writes.
“Packed with performances that’ll make you shudder, gross-out gags that spark guffaws, and an unflinchingly embrace of social awkwardness that’ll have you cringing so much you might cramp, Triangle of Sadness is not just a viewing experience but a physical one.”
To stream Triangle of Sadness, click that button below to subscribe to Hulu for just $7.99/month with your first month free.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger promises action in Netflix’s ‘FUBAR’ teaser
He’s back and better than ever.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to our screens in Netflix’s first look at the star’s first television project, FUBAR.
Starring Schwarzenegger as a CIA operative, FUBAR follows Schwarzenegger’s character as he forgoes his retirement and returns to the CIA after discovering a family secret. What looms ahead? Exhilarating action and hilarious hijinks and the return of the action legend.
In a statement from Netflix, Schwarzenegger says of the show, “Everywhere I go, people ask me when I’m going to do another big action comedy like True Lies. Well, here it is. FUBAR will kick your ass and make you laugh — and not just for two hours. You get a whole season.”
FUBAR premieres on Netflix May 25.
He’s back and better than ever.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to our screens in Netflix’s first look at the star’s first television project, FUBAR.
Starring Schwarzenegger as a CIA operative, FUBAR follows Schwarzenegger’s character as he forgoes his retirement and returns to the CIA after discovering a family secret. What looms ahead? Exhilarating action and hilarious hijinks and the return of the action legend.
In a statement from Netflix, Schwarzenegger says of the show, “Everywhere I go, people ask me when I’m going to do another big action comedy like True Lies. Well, here it is. FUBAR will kick your ass and make you laugh — and not just for two hours. You get a whole season.”
Of course the Adobe-Figma deal is anti-competitive
If the Adobe-Figma deal isn’t anti-competitive, then what is?
Of course the Adobe-Figma deal is anti-competitive by Alex Wilhelm originally published on TechCrunch
Shares of Adobe sold off following last week’s news that the United States government is “getting ready to file suit to block the $20 billion Adobe-Figma deal announced last year on the grounds it is anti-competitive,” though not as sharply as when the company announced the deal back in 2022.
Investors, it appears, are willing to ding Adobe for both doing the deal and not doing the deal.
The Exchange explores startups, markets and money.
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That the Department of Justice could stick a fork in the transaction is not a shock. Other authorities have also been taking a hard look at the deal. As TechCrunch reported earlier in February:
Adobe’s proposed plan to snap up digital design rival Figma for $20 billion has attracted the attentions of the European Commission (EC), which announced today that the proposed merger potentially “threatens to significantly affect competition in the market for interactive product design and whiteboarding software.”
Of course the Adobe-Figma deal is anti-competitive by Alex Wilhelm originally published on TechCrunch