Month: August 2024
Tom Hanks warns against deceptive AI ads with his image: ‘Do not be fooled’
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submitted by /u/MetaKnowing
[link] [comments]
Why Procreate’s Anti-AI Pledge Is Resonating With Its Creators
Creators face a lot of challenges in the current AI era. Illustration software company Procreate wants to help its users avoid them by pledging never to use generative AI.
Creators face a lot of challenges in the current AI era. Illustration software company Procreate wants to help its users avoid them by pledging never to use generative AI.
Amazon’s Remarkable Alexa will reportedly run on Claude AI and cost $5-10 per month
Amazon’s next-gen “Remarkable” Alexa assistant will be powered by Anthropic’s Claude AI, cost $5-10 per month and arrive in October ahead of the holidays, five sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The company originally planned to use in-house software for the new chat assistant, but it reportedly struggled with latency issues, taking up to six or seven seconds to acknowledge a request and reply, one source said. By contrast, Claude — a rival to Google’s Bard, ChatGPT and others — performed better.
Amazon didn’t confirm the story, but said that it uses language models from partners as well as its own. “When it comes to machine learning models, we start with those built by Amazon, but we have used, and will continue to use, a variety of different models — including (Amazon AI model) Titan and future Amazon models, as well as those from partners — to build the best experience for customers,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
Since last year, reports indicated Amazon was planning to supercharge Alexa with generative AI features. Remarkable Alexa will supposedly allow complex prompts like composing and sending emails while ordering dinner, all from a single command. It will also offer upgraded home automation capability, deeper personalization and, of course, shopping advice.
The latter is key for the company, as Alexa has long been an unprofitable business. Late last year, it laid off several hundred people who were working on the voice assistant.
In September 2023, Amazon announced it had invested $4 billion in Anthropic, promising its customers early access to the AI. Earlier this year, Anthropic boasted that Claude 3 scored better than ChatGPT 4 on key benchmarks including math, coding, reasoning and knowledge.
Remarkable Alexa (still an internal codename only) reportedly won’t be offered as a Prime benefit and users may need new devices to run the upgraded AI properly. Any monthly fee is likely to be a tough sell to consumers, as Amazon will continue to offer its “classic” voice assistant for free. In any case, the company’s plans could still change if the updated voice AI fails to meet internal benchmarks, Reuters’ sources said. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazons-remarkable-alexa-will-reportedly-run-on-claude-ai-and-cost-5-10-per-month-122532161.html?src=rss
Amazon’s next-gen “Remarkable” Alexa assistant will be powered by Anthropic’s Claude AI, cost $5-10 per month and arrive in October ahead of the holidays, five sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The company originally planned to use in-house software for the new chat assistant, but it reportedly struggled with latency issues, taking up to six or seven seconds to acknowledge a request and reply, one source said. By contrast, Claude — a rival to Google’s Bard, ChatGPT and others — performed better.
Amazon didn’t confirm the story, but said that it uses language models from partners as well as its own. “When it comes to machine learning models, we start with those built by Amazon, but we have used, and will continue to use, a variety of different models — including (Amazon AI model) Titan and future Amazon models, as well as those from partners — to build the best experience for customers,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
Since last year, reports indicated Amazon was planning to supercharge Alexa with generative AI features. Remarkable Alexa will supposedly allow complex prompts like composing and sending emails while ordering dinner, all from a single command. It will also offer upgraded home automation capability, deeper personalization and, of course, shopping advice.
The latter is key for the company, as Alexa has long been an unprofitable business. Late last year, it laid off several hundred people who were working on the voice assistant.
In September 2023, Amazon announced it had invested $4 billion in Anthropic, promising its customers early access to the AI. Earlier this year, Anthropic boasted that Claude 3 scored better than ChatGPT 4 on key benchmarks including math, coding, reasoning and knowledge.
Remarkable Alexa (still an internal codename only) reportedly won’t be offered as a Prime benefit and users may need new devices to run the upgraded AI properly. Any monthly fee is likely to be a tough sell to consumers, as Amazon will continue to offer its “classic” voice assistant for free. In any case, the company’s plans could still change if the updated voice AI fails to meet internal benchmarks, Reuters‘ sources said.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazons-remarkable-alexa-will-reportedly-run-on-claude-ai-and-cost-5-10-per-month-122532161.html?src=rss
Best Bose Speakers
Trying to decide which Bose speaker to buy? Here’s a look at our current favorites, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speakers and soundbars.
Trying to decide which Bose speaker to buy? Here’s a look at our current favorites, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speakers and soundbars.
DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leak suggests it’s almost ready to battle the GoPro Hero 13 Black
A new DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leak has revealed the action cam’s packaging plus a few new specs –here’s how it could compare to the GoPro Hero 13 Black.
It’s now officially action camera season – just a day after a huge GoPro Hero 13 Black leak revealed most of its specs, a new DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leak has spilled the beans on its most likely rival.
The new packaging images shared by @JasperEllens on X (formerly Twitter) below appear to confirm the earlier rumors we saw in July that DJI’s GoPro rival will, like the DJI Osmo Action 4, stick with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with an f/2.8 aperture and 155-degree field of view – although this time the sensor is apparently “all-new”.
Otherwise, it’s not yet clear why DJI has given this model a ‘Pro’ moniker. One promising spec on the packaging is the four hours “extended battery life” – our DJI Osmo Action 4 review described its predecessor’s stamina as “middling”, so that would be a good quality-of-life upgrade.
Another bonus could be the “professional audio recording” with a DJI Mic connection, although it isn’t clear how that differs from the Action 4. You could already plug the receiver for the original DJI Mic into the camera’s USB-C port, so it isn’t yet clear if this is an upgrade or a refinement of that feature.
(Part 2. The #DJIACTION5PRO box) The camera brings ‘all-new’ 1/1.3 CMOS sensor. Precision tracking. 4 hours battery life. DJI MIC 2 connection and Horizonsteady. The package is a #adventurecombo. Cheers! pic.twitter.com/YEt4sEg7dfAugust 30, 2024
One area that does appear to have been polished is autofocus. The leaked box says you can track subjects with “enhanced precision”. We don’t yet know if DJI has improved another of our gripes about the Action 4 – its minimum focus distance being a fairly lengthy 0.4m – but that would be good news for action scenes at least.
There’s no word on pricing or a release date for the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro yet, but given there upgrades appear to be minor we’d expect it to land in the region of $399 / £379 / AU$629 (like the Action 4). Does that new ‘Pro’ branding suggest DJI is planning to release a cheaper non-Pro model? Possibly, and given the leaks we may find out for sure very soon – once the DJI Neo launch on September 5 is out of the way.
Have we hit peak action cam?
(Image credit: DJI)
The most striking thing about this DJI Action 5 Pro leak and the recent one we saw for the GoPro Hero 13 Black is that both cameras appear to be conservative upgrades – although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Many DJI and GoPro fans had hoped for a 1-inch sensor, but the fact that both of their 2024 flagships appear to be sticking with smaller sensors suggests that wasn’t practical – perhaps due to the impact on software features and the extra processing it would involve.
The Insta360 One R 1-inch edition remains an option if you want that sensor for lower light, while we also rate the 8K-capable Insta360 Ace Pro as one of the best action cameras you can buy (even though it costs a hefty $449 / £429 / AU$729). But the Action 5 Pro and Hero 13 Black should still prove to be reliable options at a slightly lower price.
These days, the real innovators in the action cam space are arguably the best 360 cameras like the Insta360 X4. We’re looking forward to hearing more about the long-awaited GoPro Max 2 – hopefully during the Hero 13 Black launch – and perhaps even DJI might be tempted into the space, if it isn’t distracted by its rumored mirrorless camera.
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The DJI Osmo Action 4 has convinced me that action cams beat mirrorless for vacationsDJI Osmo Action 4 review: a polished GoPro alternative with hassle-free mountsGoPro Max 2 officially delayed – which means the Insta360 X4 remains the best 360-degree camera you can buy
Sonos now lets you see what app fixes are coming soon (or not) the only way project managers know how: a Trello board
Sonos has created a one-stop shop to show its progress and plans for the troubled Sonos app
I’m starting to feel a bit like the electric blue superhero Dr Manhattan from Watchmen, who sits on Mars and watches humanity do the same things over and over again, when it comes to reporting on the Sonos app: “it is June and Sonos has updated its troubled app. It is July and Sonos has updated its troubled app. It is August and Sonos has updated its troubled app.” And that’s because the Sonos app issues are about to enter their fifth month. But in an important plot development, Sonos has created a new tool to provide information on its update work, including what’s coming soonest, bringing all the glamor of project management tools to the world of streaming audio.
The new tool is a Trello board, which enables you to see what Sonos has done, what it’s doing, and what it’s going to do next. You can access the Sonos app Trello board here.
Why Sonos wants you to say hello to Trello
I’m needling Sonos a little bit here because while like all right-thinking people I’ve learnt to hate project-management tools of all kinds, the Trello board here is actually pretty useful and performs a similar role to Epic Games’ one for Fortnite, which is where it posts details of bugs and updates. The Sonos Trello provides quick links to support articles, but the most important columns are the ones that tell you what’s on the app update roadmap, what’s coming soon and what has recently been fixed.
For example, right now if you take a look at the Sonos Trello you’ll see the Clear Queue feature has been fixed on Android and the Night Mode toggle in Room settings for soundbars has also been added; there are fixes to search and latency issues en route and the app is about to get support for TruePlay in iOS 18. The board also keeps track of larger issues that have already been resolved, and there’s a section called “what we’re hearing & working on” to show what’s being looked at in the longer term.
Sonos has invested a great deal of time, talent and money into the app updates, to the point where it’s overshadowed the launch of the Sonos Ace headphones and delayed the launch of the Sonos Arc 2/Ultra and Sonos Sub 4. And while the Trello board shows that there’s still work to be done, the app is in a much better place than it was when it first launched back in May, and means the best Sonos speakers are getting back to normal, relatively, when it comes to usability.
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Sonos Roam 2 review: a great sounding Bluetooth speaker gets even betterSonos Ace headphones’ best feature now works with its Beam and Ray soundbarsI pitted the Beats Pill and the Sonos Roam 2 against each other with very surprising results
The latest Tamagotchi is made with real eggs
Bandai has launched a new Tamagotchi model, and it’s actually made with real recycled egg shells. The Original Tamagotchi Celebration digital pet is even colored like a tan/brown egg, with green and white designs along with pink accents and buttons. Tamagotchi comes from the Japanese words for egg (tamago) and watch (uotchi) — and the toy is unmistakably egg-shaped — so the use of egg shells in particular is pretty on-brand. The model is paired with a packaging the uses recycled paper, as well, and Bandai says the model aligns with its mission to “promote a greener future.”
Tamagotchi is no longer just another toy from the 90s that millennials fondly remember playing in their youth. It has quietly made a comeback over the past few years, with both old players and kids contributing to its renewed popularity. In May, the company re-released Tamagotchi Connection, which old fans might remember as the model with a faux antenna, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Last year, Bandai released the Wi-Fi-capable Tamagotchi Uni that gives users access to the Tamaverse, a virtual playground where players can meet others, so they could travel together and dress up their characters.
The Original Tamagotchi Celebration doesn’t seem to have the Uni’s more modern features, but it does come with basic Tamagotchi gameplay. Players will have to raise their Tamagotchi until it’s an adult, feed it, give it medicine, clean its mess, play with it and even discipline it if it’s acting out. It’s exclusively available at Amazon, where’s it’s currently on for pre-order for $30.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-latest-tamagotchi-is-made-with-real-eggs-120051417.html?src=rss
Bandai has launched a new Tamagotchi model, and it’s actually made with real recycled egg shells. The Original Tamagotchi Celebration digital pet is even colored like a tan/brown egg, with green and white designs along with pink accents and buttons. Tamagotchi comes from the Japanese words for egg (tamago) and watch (uotchi) — and the toy is unmistakably egg-shaped — so the use of egg shells in particular is pretty on-brand. The model is paired with a packaging the uses recycled paper, as well, and Bandai says the model aligns with its mission to “promote a greener future.”
Tamagotchi is no longer just another toy from the 90s that millennials fondly remember playing in their youth. It has quietly made a comeback over the past few years, with both old players and kids contributing to its renewed popularity. In May, the company re-released Tamagotchi Connection, which old fans might remember as the model with a faux antenna, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Last year, Bandai released the Wi-Fi-capable Tamagotchi Uni that gives users access to the Tamaverse, a virtual playground where players can meet others, so they could travel together and dress up their characters.
The Original Tamagotchi Celebration doesn’t seem to have the Uni’s more modern features, but it does come with basic Tamagotchi gameplay. Players will have to raise their Tamagotchi until it’s an adult, feed it, give it medicine, clean its mess, play with it and even discipline it if it’s acting out. It’s exclusively available at Amazon, where’s it’s currently on for pre-order for $30.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-latest-tamagotchi-is-made-with-real-eggs-120051417.html?src=rss
How to Use AI to Summarize an Excel Sheet
When I couldn’t download ChatGPT for Excel, I found GPT Excel. I’m glad I did.
When I couldn’t download ChatGPT for Excel, I found GPT Excel. I’m glad I did.