Theres a cult following for 360-degree cameras. While companies like GoPro and Ricoh continue to dabble in the category, Insta360 simply dominates it. Until today, the X3 was the ultimate 360 camera, with loads of features and shooting modes that were relatively easy to use. Insta360s collection of selfie sticks, guards, cases and peripherals added even more cool tricks like bullet time effects and fast-zoom video effects. A few years later, were getting the Insta360 X4, with improvements prioritizing the fundamentals. There are higher-resolution camera sensors, a bigger battery and even more versatility, thanks to multiple resolutions and framerate options.
Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget
The Insta360 X4 doesnt look hugely different from the X3. It has the same candy bar form factor, with two huge wide-angle lenses either side. It does seem more elongated, but I had no issue cramming it into my pocket during a week of testing.
The new camera has removable lens guards, which is an intelligent design improvement. Any damage or scratch to the lens will likely affect image quality, especially when its exposed in adventurous settings. Previously, Insta360 offered sticky lens covers, but the X4 new lens has guards that can be twisted on and off the camera sensors. And they come included in the box, which is nice.
Both the USB-C port and battery compartment, where the microSD slot lives, are protected by solid covers with sliding locks. The Insta360 X4s Type-C port now supports USB 3.0 speeds, arguably necessary when dealing with these higher-resolution videos and bigger files.
Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget
The button layout remains streamlined and familiar to anyone whos used Insta360 cameras before. Theres a circular shoot button (voice and gesture shooting options are built-in, too, but theyre a little less reliable), a mode switcher, a programmable Q button, and the power button. The 2.5-inch touchscreen is bigger, too, and most settings are only a few swipes away. It feels like using a smartphone, which helps make it intuitive.
However, the sheer versatility means there are a lot of menus to peruse. I never felt overwhelmed but during testing, I never quite managed to get Bullet Time and Time Shift to work anywhere near as well as Ive seen on YouTube.
Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget
Newcomers can power up the X4 immediately and capture video and stills without too much struggle. Naturally, for those who know what theyre doing, this is where things get fun.
The technical improvements focus on video, with the new ability to record footage at up to 8K 30fps or 5.7k at 60fps. Slow-mo video has been boosted up to 4K resolution, too. Insta360s Me Mode, which captures traditional flat video (in combination with its invisible selfie stick), has been upgraded to 4K 30fps. In short, it captures more of everything compared to its predecessor. More pixels mean more detail with 360-degree video (or any capture mode). It also ensures that when you crop down to create clips for social media, the footage doesnt appear too low-res. Plus, Insta360 claims that stepping down to 5.7K resolution to record video will offer better performance in low light, which seemed true during my tests indoors and in the evening.
Insta360 has considered the increased processing demands of higher-resolution content. The X4 has a 2,290mAh battery, 67 percent bigger than the X3's. According to the press release, it should be able to capture video for up to 135 minutes.
While were focusing on the upgrades, a lot of Insta360s best camera features are carryovers from the X3. 360-degree horizon lock keeps all your footage level regardless of how you hold the X4, and theres still impressive image stabilization and waterproofing up to 33 feet. While the X3 fixed many of the biggest problems with capturing 360-degree video, the X4 has boosted fidelity to the point where its possible to capture polished footage without much effort.
The X4 is now available to order directly from Insta360, priced at $499.99. That is $100 more than its predecessor but still less than the companys pro-level $800 camera, the One RS 1-inch 360 Edition.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/insta360-x4-release-date-price-first-impressions-130001066.html?src=rss
YouTube's war with ad blockers is far from over, and it's focusing on tools that enable ad-free viewing on mobile this time. The Google-owned video platform has announced that it's "strengthening [its] enforcement on third-party apps that violate" its Terms of Service, "specifically ad-blocking apps." It's talking about mobile applications you can use to access videos without being interrupted by advertisements. When you use an application like that, you may experience buffering issues or see an error message that says "The following content is not available on this app."
The service says its terms don't allow third-party apps to switch off ads "because that prevents the creator from being rewarded for viewership." Like it's been doing over the past few months since it started cracking down on ad blockers, YouTube suggests signing up for a Premium membership if you want to watch ad-free. YouTube Premium will set you back $14 a month.
Back in November, YouTube told us that it "launched a global effort to urge viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad free experience." It started by showing pop-ups whenever an ad blocker is in use telling you that it's against the website's TOS. Soon after that, you could only play up to three videos with an ad blocker on before you can no longer load any. Google also later admitted that if you have an ad blocker installed, you "may experience suboptimal viewing," such as having to wait a longer period before a video loads. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-prevents-ad-blocking-mobile-apps-from-accessing-its-videos-123055735.html?src=rss
I recently found myself on the hunt for a new budgeting app. As a former Mint user, I knew I'd be forced to track my finances elsewhere come March 2024 when Inuit planned to shut down the service for good. I used Mint as a trusted place to track all of my accounts, monitor my credit score, follow a monthly spending plan and even set goals like building a rainy-day fund and paying down my mortgage faster. After giving Inuit's other financial app, Credit Karma, a shot and being unimpressed, I decided to immerse myself in the world of budgeting apps. Mint had been around for more than 10 years, but in that time, many other apps popped up that claimed to help you do all of the same things with your money and more. I set out to try the top competitors in the hopes that I'd find a new one that I could turn to for all of my financial needs, and to help you find the best budgeting app for you.
How we tested
Before I dove in and started testing out budgeting apps, I had to do some research. To find a list of apps to try out, I consulted trusty ol Google (and even trustier Reddit); read reviews of popular apps on the App Store; and also asked friends and colleagues what budget tracking apps they might be using. Some of the apps I found were free and these, of course, show loads of ads (excuse me, offers) to stay in business. But most of the available apps require paid subscriptions, with prices typically topping out around $100 a year, or $15 a month. (Spoiler: My top pick is cheaper than that.)
All of the services I chose to test needed to do several things: import all of your account data into one place; offer budgeting tools; and track your spending, net worth and credit score. Except where noted, all of these apps are available for iOS, Android and on the web.
Once I had my shortlist of six apps, I got to work setting them up. For the sake of thoroughly testing these apps, I made a point of adding every account to every budgeting app, no matter how small or immaterial the balance. What ensued was a veritable Groundhog Day of two-factor authentication. Just hours of entering passwords and one-time passcodes, for the same banks half a dozen times over. Hopefully, you only have to do this once.
FAQs
What is Plaid and how does it work?
Each of the apps I tested uses the same underlying network, called Plaid, to pull in financial data, so its worth explaining what it is and how it works. Plaid was founded as a fintech startup in 2013 and is today the industry standard in connecting banks with third-party apps. Plaid works with over 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada and Europe. Additionally, more than 8,000 third-party apps and services rely on Plaid, the company claims.
To be clear, you dont need a dedicated Plaid app to use it; the technology is baked into a wide array of apps, including all of the budgeting apps listed in this guide. Once you find the add an account option in whichever one youre using, youll see a menu of commonly used banks. Theres also a search field you can use to look yours up directly. Once you find yours, youll be prompted to enter your login credentials. If you have two-factor authentication set up, youll need to enter a one-time passcode as well.
As the middleman, Plaid is a passthrough for information that may include your account balances, transaction history, account type and routing or account number. Plaid uses encryption, and says it has a policy of not selling or renting customer data to other companies. However, I would not be doing my job if I didnt note that in 2022 Plaid was forced to pay $58 million to consumers in a class action suit for collecting more financial data than was needed. As part of the settlement, Plaid was compelled to change some of its business practices.
In a statement provided to Engadget, a Plaid spokesperson said the company continues to deny the allegations underpinning the lawsuit and that the crux of the non-financial terms in the settlement are focused on us accelerating workstreams already underway related to giving people more transparency into Plaids role in connecting their accounts, and ensuring that our workstreams around data minimization remain on track.
Why did Mint shut down?
When parent company Intuit announced in December 2023 that it would shut down Mint, it did not provide a reason why it made the decision to do so. It did say that Mint's millions of users would be funneled over to its other finance app, Credit Karma. "Credit Karma is thrilled to invite all Minters to continue their financial journey on Credit Karma, where they will have access to Credit Karmas suite of features, products, tools and services, including some of Mints most popular features," Mint wrote on its product blog. In our testing, we found that Credit Karma isn't an exact replacement for Mint so if you're still looking for a Mint alternative, you have some decent options.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-budgeting-apps-120036303.html?src=rss
Motorola has announced the Edge 50 series, a trio of new smartphones that you can opt to buy with a body made out either a pearl polymer finish or with a wood back cover. The Edge 50 Ultra, 50 Pro and 50 Fusion boast the usual features you'd expect from an Android phone, with a garnish of the usual AI showiness.
Take the Edge 50 Ultra, which has a 4500mAh battery with 125W TurboPower charging allegedly providing enough power for the day in just four minutes. The phone also has the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The device also supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Head Tracking.
Then there's Style Sync, which allows users to "extend their personal style to their device by capturing and uploading a picture of the pattern of their outfit to generate multiple unique images." Basically, it creates wallpapers that match your outfit patterns and color palettes. This tool appears alongside another new feature in which users can describe a picture through a text prompt to get generated images displayed.
Camera-wise, Motorola claims the Edge 50 Ultra has its most impressive system ever. Many of its features use AI, including adaptive stabilization, auto focus tracking and action shot. There's also the photo enhancement engine, which uses AI to apply shooting modes and finetune pictures for the highest-quality results. Outside of AI-powered tools, users will also have access to long exposure.
According to Motorola, the Edge 50 family are the first smartphones ever to use a Pantone Validated camera. Motorola created it and the display with the help of Pantone's color scientists to meet the latter's "evaluation and grading criteria by authentically simulating the full range" of Pantone Colors and Pantone SkinTone as both appear in the real world. Plus, the Edge 50 Ultra has a 6.67" Super HD pOLED display with 13 percent better resolution than its predecessor.
Motorola is also releasing its new Moto Buds+ with Sound by Bose. They offer active noise cancellation, EQ tuning and compatibility with Dolby Head Tracking. While we don't have an exact date yet for when the Edge 50 family will come to North America, the Moto Buds+ are available in Forest Grey starting today for $130.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/motorolas-edge-50-phone-series-includes-a-wood-option-114508701.html?src=rss
Samsung reportedly shipped 60.1 million smartphone units worldwide in Q1, representing 20.8 percent of the global market share and first place. Meanwhile, Apple shipped 50.1 million units for 17.3 percent of the market share. Both companies, however, saw a decrease from Q1 2023. Apple saw an almost 10 percent drop, while Samsungs hit was less than one percent.
Apple nudged Samsung out briefly in 2023, but its back to business as usual. The IDCs takeaway is that the world of smartphones is strengthening (what does that mean?), with a boost to higher-priced phonestrue for both Samsung and Apple.
Xiaomi rounded out the top five brands with 40.8 million units, Transsion with 28.5 million units and OPPO with 25.2 million units shipped. Never heard of Transsion? Its a global smartphone powerhouse based in China, responsible for phone brands including Tecno, Itel and Infinix.
Mat Smith
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Keanu Reeves latest iconic role is Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic 3 gets another actor.
Sega
Keanu Reeves will play the broody, tortured Shadow the Hedgehog. The antihero, both an arch-rival and an ally to Sonic, will be created by Jim Carreys Dr. Robotnik after the events of Sonic 2. Whoa.
Continue reading.
Meta is shutting down Threads in Turkey
The social media app goes offline April 29.
Meta is shutting down Threads in Turkey on April 29 after an interim injunction from the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) against automatic data sharing with Instagram. The TCA ruled that linking Threads and Instagram without user opt-in will lead to irreparable harm and that Meta abused its dominant position in the industry with the practice. This isnt the first regulatory battle between Meta and Turkey. Back in 2022, the country fined Meta $18.6 million for sharing data across its apps.
Continue reading.
Watch a recycling machine shake apart old hard drives
Dismantling an HDD in as little as eight seconds.
Garner Products DiskMantler uses a mix of shock, harmonics and vibration to shake apart a hard drive. The process loosens screws and other fasteners to free up parts like circuit boards, drive assemblies, actuators and rare-earth magnets. The process reportedly takes between eight and 90 seconds for most hard drives and around two minutes for welded helium drives. Only a fifth or so of the planets e-waste is recycled at the moment, so anything that can improve that share would be welcome.
Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-samsung-is-once-again-shipping-the-most-phones-in-the-world-111511309.html?src=rss
Metas Oversight Board is once again taking on the social networks rules for AI-generated content. The board has accepted two cases that deal with AI-made explicit images of public figures.
While Metas rules already prohibit nudity on Facebook and Instagram, the board said in a statement that it wants to address whether Metas policies and its enforcement practices are effective at addressing explicit AI-generated imagery. Sometimes referred to as deepfake porn, AI-generated images of female celebrities, politicians and other public figures has become an increasingly prominent form of online harassment and has drawn a wave of proposed regulation. With the two cases, the Oversight Board could push Meta to adopt new rules to address such harassment on its platform.
The Oversight Board said its not naming the two public figures at the center of each case in an effort to avoid further harassment, though it described the circumstances around each post.
One case involves an Instagram post showing an AI-generated image of a nude Indian woman that was posted by an account that only shares AI- generated images of Indian women. The post was reported to Meta but the report was closed after 48 hours because it wasnt reviewed. The same user appealed that decision but the appeal was also closed and never reviewed. Meta eventually removed the post after the user appealed to the Oversight Board and the board agreed to take the case.
The second case involved a Facebook post in a group dedicated to AI art. The post in question showed an AI-generated image of a nude woman with a man groping her breast. The woman was meant to resemble an American public figure whose name was also in the caption of the post. The post was taken down automatically because it had been previously reported and Metas internal systems were able to match it to the prior post. The user appealed the decision to take it down but the appeal was automatically closed. The user then appealed to the Oversight Board, which agreed to consider the case.
In a statement, Oversight Board co-chair Helle Thorning-Schmidt said that the board took up the two cases from different countries in order to assess potential disparities in how Metas policies are enforced. We know that Meta is quicker and more effective at moderating content in some markets and languages than others, Thorning-Schmidt said. By taking one case from the US and one from India, we want to look at whether Meta is protecting all women globally in a fair way.
The Oversight Board is asking for public comment for the next two weeks and will publish its decision sometime in the next few weeks, along with policy recommendations for Meta. A similar process involving a misleadingly-edited video of Joe Biden recently resulted in Meta agreeing to label more AI-generated content on its platform.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-oversight-board-will-rule-on-ai-generated-sexual-images-100047138.html?src=rss
Netflix has been accused of using AI-manipulated imagery in the true crime documentary What Jennifer Did, Futurism has reported. Several photos show typical signs of AI trickery, including mangled hands, strange artifacts and more. If accurate, the report raises serious questions about the use of such images in documentaries, particularly since the person depicted is currently in prison awaiting retrial.
In one egregious image, the left hand of the documentary's subject Jennifer Pan is particularly mangled, while another image shows a strange gap in her cheek. Netflix has yet to acknowledge the report, but the images show clear signs of manipulation and were never labeled as AI-generated.
Netflix
The AI may be generating the imagery based on real photos of Pan, as PetaPixel suggested. However, the resulting output may be interpreted as being prejudicial instead of presenting the facts of the case without bias.
A Canadian court of appeal ordered Pan's retrial because the trial judge didn't present the jury with enough options, the CBC reported.
One critic, journalist Karen K. HO, said that the Netflix documentary is an example of the "true crime industrial complex" catering to an "all-consuming and endless" appetite for violent content. Netflix's potential use of AI manipulated imagery as a storytelling tool may reinforce that argument.
Regulators in the US, Europe and elsewhere have enacted laws on the use of AI, but so far there appears to be no specific laws governing the use of AI images or video in documentaries or other content. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-true-crime-documentary-may-have-used-ai-generated-images-of-a-real-person-090024761.html?src=rss
When Sonic 3 hits the theaters later this year, you may be able to watch a franchise fan favorite be voiced by one of Hollywood's all-time fan favorite actors. Keanu Reeves will play the broody, tortured Shadow the Hedgehog, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. The antihero, who's both an arch-rival and an ally to Sonic, will be created by Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik after the events of Sonic 2, based on the movie's first footage presented at CinemaCon last week.
Shadow has a long history in the Sonic universe and first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2, which came out back in 2001. The black-furred anthropomorphic hedgehog was created in the games to help find a cure for Dr. Robotnik's granddaughter Maria, who had a terminal disease. It's unclear if the movie will follow a similar storyline though we can again expect Sonic and his gang to stop Dr. Robotnik's plans to take over the world but we'll likely get more details about the film before it comes out on December 20. Jeff Fowler will still lead the production as its director, while Ben Schwartz and James Marsden are reprising their roles as Sonic and his adoptive father-of-sorts Sheriff Tom Wachowski, respectively.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/keanu-reeves-is-reportedly-playing-shadow-the-hedgehog-in-sonic-3-072847772.html?src=rss
Metas Threads app is often described as the companys competitor to X. But Threads users, especially those once active on Twitter, are often quick to point out that Metas app is not yet a great source for real-time information. The apps for you algorithm often surfaces days-old posts alongside fresh ones, and its recently introduced trending topics feature only shows five topics at a time. But for those holding out hope that the app may eventually become more useful for real-time information, Metas latest test may be good news.
The app is testing a new search feature that will allow users to filter results by recency, according to a screenshot shared by Threads user Daniel Rodriguez. Threads top exec, Adam Mosseri, confirmed the change. Were starting to test this with a small number of people so its easier to find relevant search results in real time, Mosseri wrote.
That may sound like a relatively minor tweak but the lack of a chronological search has long been frustrating for Threads users looking to find news or commentary about current events. And while sorting by recent posts isnt the same as chronological search, it should help surface posts about breaking news or other timely topics.
Just how useful the feature is, though, will depend on if Meta makes the filter available to all topics on the platform. The screenshot showed a recency option for NBA Threads, a community Mosseri has gone out of his way to encourage in the app. But Mosseri has been considerably less enthusiastic about other timely topics, saying last year he didnt want to encourage hard news. Elsewhere, Threads has angered some users by removing political content from recommendations and blocking search results for topics it deems potentially sensitive, like vaccines and COVID-19, even if the posts dont violate its rules.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-is-testing-real-time-search-results-234857960.html?src=rss
