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If you ever needed a definitive example of how money doesnt necessarily buy you success or taste, take a look at Amazons studio arm. The mega-retailers production division, now known as Amazon-MGM, has been making movies for more than a decade. Very few of the entries in its lineup have been world-beaters, but that hasnt deterred the outfit from persisting. The New York Times is today reporting that under its new head, Courtney Valenti, Amazons movie division has plans to own the in-person cinema experience. Amazon is apparently gearing up to release up to 14 big, broad commercial films a year to theaters nationwide and around the world. Each film would spend 45 days in the theaters before heading to pay-per-view and then to Prime Video at some point after. The move comes in the face of shrinking box office receipts and fewer people heading to the cinema in general. Not to mention its also planning to produce an equal number of films thatll go direct to Prime, which seems counter-intuitive given the desire to push people toward theaters. That doesnt recognize the shift in viewing habits, especially among younger people, whod much rather sit and watch YouTube for hours at a time. Or that the box office took a hit because of COVID-19 that it never really bounced back from. Or that a lot of people would rather wait for a film to become available for free on a service they already pay for. It also doesnt take into account the fact cinemas are becoming increasingly unaffordable, and not that nice a place to sit for multiple hours. Last year, the cinema industry said it would spend $2.2 billion renovating their facilities to lure wary customers back. The planned additions included renovations for chairs and carpets, as well as the construction of ziplines and pickleball courts. Nowhere on the list was mentioned make cinema tickets cheaper or dont make viewers sit through half an hour of TV adverts before the trailers. At the risk of sounding obvious, thats one hell of a lot of material for one company to put out in a year. Especially when so many competitors with better track records are putting out far fewer films and seeing success. On paper, 14 movies a year feels like the sort of strategy you could last get away with in the 1980s. After all, people had fewer options, cinemas were busier and studios could rely on the triple-whammy of the box office, rental and VHS markets. It doesnt help Amazon isnt pledging to make quality movies, just lots of them, which suggests a mindset that doesnt value scarcity. After all, there are many instances of things made and sold in small, limited quantities that garner far more attention than something mass-produced. Think about how hard it is for one of those latter-day Marvel movies to stick in the consciousness when you know therell be another one along in a month or two. It calls to mind Amazons battles with the Broccolis, until recently the custodians of the James Bond franchise. Lets not overthink this, they are just silly spy movies but ones made with a level of craft and attention rarely seen in the modern era. The fact there can be a multi year gap between entries in the series means each film gets far more attention. That was in conflict with Amazons apparent desire to use the Bond name to push out a thousand different streaming series, game shows and movies on a regular basis. And, at the risk of sounding uncharitable, its not as if Amazons movie slate has been a hit parade thus far. Many of the studios buzzier hits were picked up at film festivals rather than coming from inside, while its homegrown fare has floundered. Thats not to say its rivals are doing any better on this front just read the reviews of The Electric State to show you how badly Netflix is throwing mad money at C+-tier projects. I often wonder if people look at the success of Disneys big Marvel tentpoles and assume that its easy to replicate. A film like Avengers: Endgame was the payoff to a decade-long plan built from the ground-up on the backs of less successful films. Across 2024, Disney put 15 films into cinemas, but even a mega-behemoth like Disney does it across its seven or eight different divisions. In terms of attractive pitches, 14 films a year from the people who spent more than $200 million on Red One isnt particularly compelling. Amazons going to have to give people a reason to get out to the theaters, but thats going to be a challenge if the emphasis is on putting more raw material into the pipeline rather than making anything halfway considered or compelling.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/amazons-new-cinema-plan-is-perfect-for-the-80s-150653674.html?src=rss
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The Amazon Spring Sale might be over, but there are still lots of great deals to shop. For instance, there's a 33 percent discount on one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers for 2025. The Beats Pill is down to $100 from $150 a record-low price for the speaker. Let's be honest, that first glimpse of warm weather is here and it's making us dream of sitting by the beach or picnics with friends. The Beats Pill is a solid option to provide the soundtrack to your summer. We gave it in 83 in our review thanks, in part, to its durability. The speaker has an IP67 waterproof rating, so you shouldn't have to worry at all if it gets a bit wet. The Beats Pill also offers 24-hour battery life and improved sound quality from its predecessor. However, we have found that the audio does hurt a bit when at loud volumes and it can have an inconsistent bass tone. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-the-beats-pill-speaker-while-its-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-140306981.html?src=rss
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When we reviewed the iPhone 16 Pro last year, Apple Intelligence was barely available. Since then, the iPhone 16 series has benefitted from several new features, apps and improvements. Some (or most) of them were Apple Intelligence features that were teased back at WWDC 2024, months before the iPhone 16 Pro launched. AI features weren't the only changes this time around, with the iPhone 16 getting an entirely new button. The so-called Camera Control wasnt just a simple app shortcut, but an elaborate multifunction button that offered a haptic half-press and the ability to swipe across to adjust camera settings and options. Managing Editor Cherlynn Low said we were still waiting on Apple Intelligence in our initial review. Now, as we hit iOS 18.4, was it worth the wait? iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence so far Mat Smith for Engadget Apple Intelligence was late, arriving as part of iOS 18.1 back in October 2024. Initial generative AI features included writing tools like proofreading and rewriting, as well as text summaries and live transcription for phone calls and voice notes in the Notes app. A few months later, iOS 18.2 gave us the Apple Intelligence features that made most of the headlines when first announced at WWDC. That included ChatGPT integration, AI image generation in Image Playgrounds and Genmoji. Starting with iOS 18.1, one of the most controversial Apple Intelligence features is actually my favorite: Notification Summaries. Its a good attempt at taming the wild west of countless group chats across multiple messaging apps, calendar reminders, Substack pings and everything else. You don't need to update every individual app for Notification Summaries to kick in. As soon as iOS 18.1 landed, my messy WhatsApp chats were streamlined. I thought it cute when my iPhone told me a friend had laughed at my comment, and suggested where we could meet and a date. That was distilled from a ten-message barrage theyd sent. Mat Smith for Engadget Its not perfect, though. Apple had to clarify that notification summaries are AI-generated, and make that clearer beyond a small Apple Intelligence icon. This was after the BBC complained about multiple summaries that twisted the content of some of its headlines. Ive also had notification summaries that incorrectly guessed the subject of a sentence or entire topic of a thread, but on the whole, its a useful utilization of AI smarts. There are more natural language hooks across most of iOS 18, too. You can now search for images in the Photos app with descriptions, dates, location and more. Those natural-language smarts take on a different function with writing tools, courtesy of Apple Intelligence. Even though Im not a particularly clean writer (hey, Cher), these writing tools are not all that useful. I havent used them much beyond quick email responses to work requests and events, but the ability to proofread, rewrite or check tone may prove useful to some. The writing tools also work inside the Voice Memos app, which can now transcribe conversations, meetings and more. Here, it helps make things more concise, with options to turn transcripts into summaries, key points, lists and even tables. If the recording is clear enough and theyre not too long, iOS 18 does well on these transcriptions. Several times, the iPhone 16 Pro straight-up declined to summarize a transcript. Why? All I got was a notification that the tools arent designed to work with this type of content. Elsewhere, Apple struggles to catch up with AI innovations on rival devices. Like Google Pixels Magic Eraser (and all the other Android riffs), Clean Up now allows you to scrub out distracting elements and photo bombers from your pics. However, the results arent quite up to the standard of the competition. Sometimes, however, it nails it. Some Apple Intelligence features have faded into the background after an initial buzz. Image Playground offers the ability to AI-generate your own images and had plenty of users itching to get off the beta waitlist to play around with the app. After a bit of testing, however, I havent used it in the months since it launched. There might be a future for Playgrounds within iOS, though. For instance, Apples Invites app lets you embed Image Playground results within your events, which is helpful if you dont have a photo to illustrate the invitation. As a standalone app, however, it doesnt quite deliver enough to live on my home screen. Its gone the way of GarageBand, Pages and Apple Maps on my iPhone. Genmoji, on the other hand, is easier to use, and I use it often. With it, you can create your own emoji reactions with specific people, objects and backgrounds. I already have several established favorites, like me eating cereal and a chronically late friend with clocks in the background, and Ill probably continue to make emoji as life demands it. For example, a passenger behind me on a flight to Barcelona last month had three cats with her. So, I made a cats-on-a-plane Genmoji. Exactly what Tim Cook intended. Mat Smith for Engadget Some software features are also specific to the iPhone 16 Pro series (and the 15 Pro). Camera Control aside, the new button also offers access to Visual Intelligence with a long press. Visual Intelligence is Apples take on Google Lens, tapping visual AI smarts to analyze what your iPhone is pointing at. It can recognize text, like words on menus, and even translate for you. If you get lucky, itll even identify the outside of a restaurant and (with some ChatGPT power) tell you the opening hours and what kind of cuisine it offers. Its particularly effetive in identifying landmarks, but busy scenes can quickly derail it. Unfortunately, you cant tap on a particular object in the frame to clarify specifics. However, the ability to create calendar events from a poster is pretty cool even if I usually forget to use it. Thats Apple Intelligence, for now. There are a lot of smart touches, but so far, it isnt remarkable. I credit Apples attempts to make most of its AI features either processed on device, or connected to the companys Private Cloud Compute, which uses larger server-based models. Apple has reiterated that your data is never stored during these requests. Even with ChatGPT integration, if you dont use an account with OpenAI, only your request and attachments are sent to ChatGPT. Your Apple Account and IP address are not shared with OpenAI. Apples deal with OpenAI means the latter cant use your request to improve or train its models, either. The patchy arrival of iOS features, especially Apple Intelligence, isnt a good look for the company. However, the rest of iOS 18 continues to deliver valuable new features and upgrades to the iPhone experience, like the aforementioned Invites app, additional content (and games) for News+ subscribers and my favorite feature since the AirPods introduced noise-cancellation, the ability to nod or shake your head to halt Siri announcements, Fitness prompts and even decline calls. Im a busy guy! Cameras and Camera Control Mat Smith for Engadget With Camera Control, Apple has introduced its most intriguing interface change since the short-lived 3D Touch. That tech, if you forgot, offered haptic feedback on your screen tapping during the iPhone 6 era. Camera Control acts like a proper manual camera button, even when I know it combines a physical button with elaborate touch sensors. This enables deeper controls by swiping across it or semi-pressing. Instantly, it works as a basic camera app launcher, just like the iPhones Action button has done in recent years. Already, its better placed, though, lower on the right edge of the phone, ready for your thumb if held vertically, or index finger when held horizontally. It goes beyond being a launcher, though. Swiping across it lets you adjust zoom, exposure and even toggle the new Photographic Style options. Then, a half-press works as a way to confirm your settings. Depending on how you use the iPhones camera, a lot of the settings might not deserve their place within the Camera Controls menus. While I often tinkered with Exposure and Zoom, Photographic styles are easier to adjust from the iPhone in the normal touchscreen way. Im also not going to meddle with simulated f-stops when taking candid shots of my friends and family. Like Apple Intelligence, Camera Control launched incomplete. When the iPhone 16 Pro first went on sale, it lacked a half-press focus like ye olde traditional cameras, and it took till January 2025 for an AF-AE lock to arrive through iOS 18.3. The feature, however, remains buried in settings and has to be toggled on. It works well though. You tap on an object youd like the iPhone to focus on, hold the button halfway, and itll lock exposure and focus for as long as you keep your finger down like a camera. Its frustrating that we had to wait this long for what seems like a core function of Camera Control. To be devils advocate and its an argument regularly leveled at AI features, both Apple Intelligence and elsewhere did you need Camera Control? Given how much I use my phones cameras, I'd argue that a camera launcher is worth factoring into the hardware. But the Action Button covered that. Camera Control also seemed like a pro iPhone feature, so its surprising to see it across the entire device lineup, barring the more recent iPhone 16e. Another change worth noting is that the iPhone 16 Pro got camera parity with the larger Pro Max this year, with a 5x optical zoom I use most of the time. Of course, this isn't a remarkable feature if you were already using an iPhone 15 Pro Max. But if you prefer the smaller of the two Pro options, aside from battery life, theres no reason to stop you getting the cheaper iPhone 16 Pro. Repairability and longevity I havent had to repair my iPhone 16 Pro so far, and there are no pronounced scratches on the 6.3-inch screen or body. While I am also a case dweeb, I dont use screen protectors I havent needed to. The latest iPhones do come with even more repair-friendly hardware and policies if the worst were to happen. Anecdotally, according to my experience the titanium body and Apple's Ceramic Shield treatment on the display do seem to make this generation of 'pro' iPhones tougher than its predecessors Apples new Repair Assistant, designed to address parts pairing issues, lets both you and repair professionals configure new and used Apple parts directly on the device, with no need to contact Apple personnel on the phone to ensure iOS plays with new parts. Another improvement, while not part of the 16 Pro, is battery removal. On both the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the battery can be released from its enclosure by running a low-voltage current through the iPhones battery adhesive. However, the iPhone 16 Pros battery is now encased in aluminum, making repairs less fraught, and protecting the battery more when exposed to repair tools. I havent had to put it to use yet, but the companys increased willingness to embrace right-to-repair is headed in the right direction, especially after its sluggish response in the past. Six months on, the 16 Pros slightly bigger battery is holding up, with the one I have still showing its at full health. I am a heavy phone user, and 256 charge cycles later, iOS says its still at 100 percent capacity, which I found impressive. If I need to replace the battery, Im heartened that its easier than ever on an iPhone. Wrap-up Mat Smith for Engadget The iPhone 16 Pro is one of the best smartphones available. But if theres a particular area where Apples phones are lacking compared to the flagship competition, it might be the messaging and the marketing. It took too long for Apple Intelligence to land on devices. If Apple Intelligence hadnt been so key to Apples presentation both at WWDC and the iPhone 16 launch event, the delay wouldnt look so bad. Intriguingly, were at a time when the likes of the Galaxy and Pixel series have never felt more like iPhones. Or do iPhones feel like Android phones? Im not sure anymore. Either way, we havent seen rival devices mimic the Camera Control button. I appreciate that a lot of the new features and additions dont seem to clog up the iPhone experience. Dont care for camera filters? Youll rarely see them. Want to swap the Camera Control button for another function? Go ahead. Want to prioritize Messages notifications, but not WhatsApp messages? Go wild. With a light, strong titanium build, theres still a tangible premium feel to the iPhone 16 Pro, compared to the aluminum iPhone 16. The same can be said about the cameras, with a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor and 5x optical zoom, which the base iPhone cannot match. Functionality-twise, the base iPhone 16 now delivers the Dynamic Island and Camera Control, which makes a pro iPhone a little harder to define. For the iPhone 16 series, it boils down to more premium materials and a powerful zoom camera.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-16-pro-longterm-review-apple-intelligence-134517480.html?src=rss
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SpaceX has successfully launched the Fram2 private crewed mission on March 31 at 9:46 PM Eastern time on top of a Falcon 9 rocket. Fram2 is the first human spaceflight to explore the Earth's polar regions, which are not visible to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The crew will observe the Earth's poles through a panoramic cupola attachment from an altitude of 430 km (267 miles). SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule can fly from the North to the South Pole in around 46 minutes and Fram2 is a three-to-five day mission, so it's expected to provide scientists with a healthy amount of footage capturing the polar regions. In fact, SpaceX has already released the mission's first views of the Earth's poles from space. First views of Earth's polar regions from Dragon pic.twitter.com/3taP34zCeN SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 1, 2025 The crew will observe unusual light emissions resembling auroras in the regions, including STEVEs, which appear as purple and green light ribbons in the night sky. They will also conduct 22 experiments designed to better understand human health in space for the sake of long-duration missions in the future. The crew will capture the first human X-rays in space, study exercises meant to preserve muscle and bone mass, explore sleep and stress patterns using wearable tech, monitor their glucose and observe the female crew members' hormonal health. They also won't get the typical medical and mobility assistance upon landing to see how they re-acclimate to gravity on their own, and they will get an MRI immediately after they arrive. NASA called Fram2's launch a "significant step" in humanity's understanding of how our bodies will fare in outer space. pic.twitter.com/SYngaLWghI NASA (@NASA) April 1, 2025 Chun Wang, a Chinese-born cryptocurrency investor who now lives in Norway, paid for the trip and is one of the astronauts currently on board. Jannicke Mikkelsen, a filmmaker working on technology for movies shot in remote and hazardous environments, serves as the mission's vehicle commander. Rabea Rogge, a robotics researcher from Norway, is the pilot. Finally, Eric Philips, a professional polar adventurer and guide, is the mission's medical officer. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacex-launches-fram2-the-first-crewed-spaceflight-to-explore-earths-polar-regions-130006166.html?src=rss
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ChatGPT's built-in image generation feature is now available to everyone. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last week that the company is delaying its rollout to free tier "for a while," because the tool was way more popular than they had expected. But the company made the feature available to free users over the weekend, allowing them to generate images from within ChatGPT and without having to switch to OpenAI's DALL-E generator. Prior to its rollout to the free tier, the tool was only available to Plus, Pro and Team subscribers. Altman previously said that free users will get a limit of three images per day. Based on our experience trying it out, some accounts are limited to just one a day. Those who find themselves able to generate more than one will still have to wait anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours. One of the tool's most popular uses that we've seen so far is the creation of Ghibli-style images using real-life photos. Users simply have to upload the photo they want to use and then instruct ChatGPT in natural language to create a Ghibli-style version of it. The trend had raised concerns, yet again, about the legality of using copyrighted work as training data for artificial intelligence. It also resurfaced the reaction of Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli's founder, upon being shown AI-generated animation years ago. "I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself," the director said. In a tweet, Altman said that the tool could still exhibit erratic behavior and could refuse some generations that should be allowed. OpenAI is still fixing the issue. The company also told TechCrunch that it "takes action" if a generated image violates company guidelines, though it didn't exactly detail about what those actions are. Creating and customizing images is as simple as chatting using GPT4ojust describe what you need, including any specifics like aspect ratio, exact colors using hex codes, or a transparent background. pic.twitter.com/fnen1aDjNZ OpenAI (@OpenAI) March 25, 2025 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-built-in-image-generator-for-chatgpt-is-now-available-to-free-users-120003146.html?src=rss
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