Chinese AI assistant DeepSeek has become the top rated free app on Apple's App Store in the US and elsewhere, beating out ChatGPT and other rivals. It's powered by the open-source DeepSeek V3 model, which reportedly requires far less computing power than competitors and was developed for under $6 million, according to (disputed) claims by the company. At the same time, it offers performance that's on par with Claude-3.5, GPT-4o and other rivals, DeepSeek said last week.
Available on web, app and API, DeepSeek is similar to AI Assistant like ChatGPT with features like coding content creation and research. Its first DeepSeek-R1 release is available under an MIT license, so it can be used commercially and without restrictions.
The company is headquartered in Hangzhou, China and was founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, who also launched the hedge fund backing DeepSeek. To develop the tech, he reportedly stockpiled NVIDIA A100 chips prior to the US export ban and paired those with less powerful chips that can still be imported, according to MIT Technology Review.
However, DeepSeek was still at a significant hardware disadvantage next to rival models from OpenAI, Google and others. That forced the company to be more efficient with its AI models, and it has supposedly been able to build and train them at a far lower cost than previously thought possible.
Analysts from Citi and elsewhere have questioned those claims, though, and pointed out that China is a "more restrictive environment" for AI development than the US. Still, the rise of DeepSeek has raised concerns about the potential profits of rivals like OpenAI that have already invested billions in AI infrastructure. In fact, the news that DeepSeek topped the App Store charts caused a sharp drop in tech stocks like NVIDIA and ASML this morning. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/deepseeks-ai-assistant-from-china-has-become-the-top-free-iphone-app-134445339.html?src=rss
Calling all iPhone lovers: we might just have a full look at Apple's iPhone SE 4 on our hands. X (formerly Twitter) user Majin Bu shared what Bu claims is the new iPhone SE 4. The leaker posted a video of the device from all angles and then four photos of both a black and white model from the back.
There's no guarantee that these posts aren't just highlighting a well-done dummy unit a version typically made for accessory manufacturers. But, if real, then there's a few things we can glean. One of the most significant bits is that this iPhone SE 4 still has a notch. In 2022, Apple released its Dynamic Island design on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, foregoing the front camera's notch for a more integrated appearance. The iPhone 15 and 16 also got the Dynamic Island but, despite rumors it would come to the next SE, this leak indicates the notch will remain.
Here's what the iPhone SE 4 looks like pic.twitter.com/pEyIAJ34VR Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) January 25, 2025
One big change, however, on the iPhone SE 4 is a switch from the lightning port to a USB-C. New regulations mean this move is necessary for the device to be on sale in the European Union. The posts also show a single rear camera, the same as previous iPhone SE phones. Again, most of this is just a possibility at the moment. The leaker has been wrong in the past, such as a 2022 prediction for an iPhone 15 Ultra with two front cameras. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/a-convincing-dummy-iphone-se-4-suggests-the-return-of-the-notch-130049779.html?src=rss
I didnt set out to play jump rope STAR! when I picked up my Playdate this weekend. I was actually looking for something else, but lazily searched only half of the correct title and found myself staring at jump rope STAR! at the top of the results instead. Curious in part because Hot Rope Jump was one of my favorite minigames in Mario Party 2 back in the day I clicked on it, and was greeted by pictures that look like something Id tape to my refrigerator if given by a 5-year-old. It was kind of a say no more moment; I purchased it immediately.
As youd expect from the title, jump rope STAR! is a jump rope game for Playdate. It offers a few different modes for solo and co-op play, the latter involving two players sharing one device. I havent run into many multiplayer games for Playdate, so that alone is pretty cool. The game was made by Chris Corciega (Soinksters Games), but the art was designed by a talented 5-year old, Maya. And it is adorable. As you try to set new high scores, you use the crank to control the swing of a jump rope held by a bipedal bunny and a striped pig (?). Okay Im not entirely sure what the second character is, but those two are swinging the rope, and the goal is to do so in time with the little stick-figure girls jumps so you dont trip her up.
Her timing isnt always consistent and she speeds up as you progress, so it starts to get pretty tricky after a minute or so. But, achieving perfect swings will earn you points in the Star Meter thats on the side of the screen, and once its filled, you can use that power to temporarily slow down time and get more swings in while the girl is in the air. In the other modes, things get a little more complicated. Playing with a friend in the two-player catch mode, for example, one of you will have to press buttons to move the girl around so she can catch falling stars while the other person swings the rope. (Very hard to do on your own, I discovered).
Its a simple but fun little game, made even better by the fact that you can involve someone else in the silliness. Both adults and children would be able to enjoy it, and there is a kid mode for a more forgiving style of play if you dont want family game night to get too competitive. This strikes me as another one of those perfectly Playdate games the kind that just seems like a natural fit for the device, and that youd show your friends to try to get them to understand its charm.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/i-think-i-found-the-most-wholesome-game-in-the-playdate-catalog-222138394.html?src=rss
The Hubble Space Telescope is still trucking along more than 30 years after its launch, observing the universe and sending home images for us to marvel at. This week, NASA and ESA highlighted an image captured by Hubble of the highly productive Tarantula Nebula (officially named 30 Doradus) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and its a sight to behold.
The Large Magellanic Cloud may be only 10-20% as massive as our Milky Way galaxy, but it boasts some of the most impressive star-forming regions in the nearby Universe! 1/3 pic.twitter.com/juulDT44mD HUBBLE (@HUBBLE_space) January 23, 2025
The Tarantula Nebula is the largest and most productive star-forming region in the local universe, with stars roughly 200 times as massive as the sun at its center, according to NASA. This Hubble view gives us a look at the outskirts of the nebula, revealing layers of colorful gas and stars. The Tarantula Nebula sits within the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby dwarf galaxy.
While the final result we see is filled with brilliant colors, Hubbles images initially come back in grayscale. As NASA has explained, scientists can create a composite color image by taking exposures using different color filters on the telescope, assigning a color to each filter that corresponds to the wavelength of that filter, and combining the images. The new image of the Tarantula Nebula doesnt just represent visible light, but ultraviolet and infrared too. In such a case, colors are assigned to those wavelengths we cant normally see.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-and-esa-share-a-breathtaking-hubble-image-of-the-tarantula-nebulas-outer-edge-202349788.html?src=rss
An obscure horror game from the late 80s that gained a cult following by way of shareware is coming back from the grave. Last Half of Darkness, a point and click horror adventure created by developer Bill Fisher, has been completely remade with modern graphics, along with a new soundtrack and updates to the story and puzzles, according to Eurogamer. Fishers WRF Studios shared a teaser for the remake on Friday, and the game is due to be released on Steam on February 7.
In the game, youre tasked with exploring the creepy property of the player characters dead aunt, solving puzzles and making choices that hopefully wont get you killed. The description explains:
Your aunt sure was a strange one. She was some sort of witch or something. A good witch though, practicing only good spells and magic. In fact, she was working on a potion just before she was killed. Now the secret will go to the grave with her... unless you can find the missing ingredients.
The original Last Half of Darkness is available to play for free from the official website, too. In a playthrough a few years ago, one streamer (and some commenters) remembered it as the first game to ever scare me.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-1989-point-and-click-horror-game-last-half-of-darkness-has-been-remade-for-2025-184458750.html?src=rss
Following a report by NPR that said the Trump administration is working on a deal with Oracle and other investors to take over TikTok in the US, Trump has denied any talks with Oracle but says he has spoken to many people about TikTok and may make a decision in the next month, according to Reuters. Trump signed an executive order shortly after taking office on Monday that delays the enforcement of the TikTok ban by 75 days, giving the apps parent company ByteDance more time to figure out a deal that would allow it to continue US operations.
NPR, citing sources with direct knowledge of the talks, originally reported that Oracle met with White House officials on Friday to discuss a deal in which Oracle and other American investors would end up with a majority stake in TikTok and oversee things like data collection. Microsoft has also been involved with the talks, according to NPR. The goal is for Oracle to effectively monitor and provide oversight with what is going on with TikTok, an unnamed source told NPR. ByteDance wouldn't completely go away, but it would minimize Chinese ownership.
When asked about a potential deal with Oracle by reporters during an Air Force One flight Saturday night, though, Trump said, per Reuters, No, not with Oracle. Numerous people are talking to me, very substantial people, about buying it and I will make that decision probably over the next 30 days.
Prior to the ban going into effect on January 19, ByteDance pushed back against the idea of selling TikTok to appease US lawmakers. But it changed its tune on Sunday after Trump stepped in to temporarily bring the app back online, issuing a statement on TikToks X account saying that the company will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.
It came a few hours after Trump wrote in a Truth Social post during the short-lived TikTok blackout that he would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. Still, his exact plan remains unclear. According to one of the sources that spoke with NPR, Nobody seems to know what he means with the 50 percent equity comments.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trump-denies-talks-with-oracle-about-a-tiktok-deal-but-says-a-decision-will-likely-be-made-within-30-days-163755199.html?src=rss
I don't know if you can believe it, but we're fast approaching the end of January. And I want to kick off the first review recap of 2025 by acknowledging how busy it's already been. CES 2025, which to me seemed to go on for a year, now feels like it happened months ago. We've witnessed TikTok disappear and return, a new president get sworn in and Samsung launch new phones. Even with all that's been happening, our reviewers have been hard at work, with Devindra testing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 and Billy on a number of headphones and grills. So much for easing into 2025.
Before I give you the full recap, I also wanted to shout out some reviews we published in the later half of December, as well as others we recently updated. This article typically goes out every two weeks, but with the holidays, CES and Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked, we had to skip a few editions. In that time, I didn't get the chance to tell you all about our re-reviews of gaming consoles that were launched years ago, like the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. We wanted to revisit our evaluations of these systems and their respective game libraries, to see how well they stack up today.
The team also published and updated reviews of colorful Kindles, an Intel processor, a Samsung Chromebook and more. Here's a quick list, but you can always go to our Reviews page to scroll on your own time, if you prefer:
Kindle Colorsoft review: The missing link in Amazons ereader lineup by Valentina Palladino
Kindle Scribe 2 review in progress: Is slightly useful AI worth the extra cash? by Cherlynn Low
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus review: Quirky in ways both good and bad by Nathan Ingraham
Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 review: An impressive headphone debut by Billy Steele
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: Great movie, good game by Jessica Conditt
Bose Smart Soundbar review: Using earbuds as surround sound speakers by Billy Steele
Formovie Cinema Edge review: A midrange UST projector that lags behind its rivals by Steve Dent
Intel Arc B580 review: The new king of $250 GPUs (for now) by Devindra Hardawar
Echo: The Oracles Scroll is a must-play combatless metroidvania for Playdate by Cheyenne MacDonald
CRKD's Nitro Deck+ keeps its best features and adds typical stick layout by Mat Smith
ICYMI: The 12 best gadgets we reviewed in 2024
In case you missed it, in lieu of a typical review recap, we published a list of the 12 highest-rated products we reviewed last year. Spoiler alert: there were a lot of flagship phones, cameras and drones on the list. I also included the two worst gadgets we ever tested, and you'll just have to guess what they are. Or read the article, I guess.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 review
by Devindra Hardawar
If you're the sort of person that's in the market for a $2,000 GPU, then the GeForce RTX 5090 is something you might consider. It's fast, powerful and NVIDIA's frame generation was very impressive, according to Devindra. But for the rest of us with actual, reasonably sized budgets, the company's highest-end offering is probably out of reach. We're most likely setting our sights on the $550 RTX 5070, and I await our review to see how different a product that costs about $1,500 less will be.
Traeger Woodridge and ThermoWorks RFX reviews
by Billy Steele
Grills and cooking accessories continue to get more and more high-tech. And Billy continues to expand his expertise in the space, all while delighting his editors with tantalizing descriptions of smoked and barbecued foods. Believe me, I always have to feed myself before starting an edit, and I remain slightly jealous that I don't have the space for a dedicated grill like the Traeger Woodridge. But as I read Billy's pieces, I am quietly making notes on what I'd like to get for myself one day.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 review
by Billy Steele
Billy's been busy, that's for sure. As our resident audio guru, he pretty much spends most of his days with the latest set of headphones in his ears, seeing how they fare not ust in daily use but also against the competition. Bowers & Wilkin's Pi8 may deliver excellent audio, but according to Billy they don't offer enough special features for the money. In fact, as he says, "$399 should get you a lot more than superb audio."
On the horizon: Upcoming reviews
Our reviewers already have units of the latest Samsung Galaxy S25 phones and are testing them in the real world as I write this. Devices that were announced at CES 2025, like some headphones, laptops, smart glasses and even LED masks are also making their way to our team members, so stay tuned for our evaluations. We're also planning on some longer-term reviews of popular products, and welcome your feedback on things you'd like to see us take on! Moving forward, Billy Steele will be taking over this roundup, so I leave you with this extremely appropriate and relevant image to remember me by.
Engadget
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-all-eyes-on-nvidia-and-samsung-150022570.html?src=rss
The latest WhatsApp beta update for iOS gives users the ability to add and switch between multiple accounts on a single device, according to WABetaInfo. It comes over a year after the feature became available for Android. With version 25.2.10.70 for iOS, users are given a choice when adding a second account to the app, WABetaInfo reports: they can set it up as a standalone primary account or scan a QR code to link the new account as a companion. The update is available now for beta testers through Apples TestFlight program.
WhatsApp beta for iOS 25.2.10.70: what's new?WhatsApp is working on a feature to add and manage multiple accounts within the app, and it will be available in a future update!https://t.co/BtvOK2hAZO pic.twitter.com/CWsBGFMS6v WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) January 25, 2025
On Android, running two accounts simultaneously on WhatsApp requires a dual-SIM situation, as each account must have its own phone number. WhatsApp does offer another app, WhatsApp Business, that users can set up a second account on using a different phone number, but that still means jumping between two apps. The Android update and whats currently being tested for iOS allow users with two phone numbers to keep all their conversations in one app.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/whatsapp-could-soon-let-ios-users-have-multiple-accounts-on-one-device-224908618.html?src=rss
These are the new releases that we picked up this week.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-an-immersive-new-work-of-africanfuturism-210001195.html?src=rss
A new Resident Evil reboot from Barbarian writer and director Zach Cregger is in the works, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The publication reports that Cregger is on board to write and direct the movie, which will be produced by Constantin Film and PlayStation Productions, with Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 4 ) as co-writer. Im probably not the only one questioning whether we really need another Resident Evil movie after half a dozen titles in the Milla Jovovich-led series and 2021s Welcome to Raccoon City, but as someone who loved Barbarian, I cant say Im not intrigued.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Creggers take is described by sources as a revamp that will take the title to its horror roots and be more faithful to the initial games. There arent any details about the upcoming movie beyond that, but Warner Bros., Netflix and two other studios are reportedly in a bidding war for it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-filmmaker-behind-barbarian-is-leading-a-new-resident-evil-reboot-173415349.html?src=rss
