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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has started the process of placing Google under federal supervision, an action which could create new standards for how the federal government can oversee big tech if the effort is successful. Falling under the CFPB's supervision would subject Google to regular inspections and scrutiny, although the exact aims of the department's efforts have not been fully disclosed. However, it has been an ongoing project for some time, as sources told The Washington Post that Google has been fighting against this move by the CFPB for months. This department was created in 2008 in response to the financial crisis that year, and its objective is to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive financial practices. The CFPB primarily focuses on businesses such as banks and credit unions, but Director Rahit Chopra has voiced an interest over recent years in subjecting tech companies that offer financial products to similar oversight. For instance, the bureau began an investigation into app store payments systems from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, PayPal and Square back in 2021. The preliminary moves by the CFPB to oversee Google, and the agency's entire scope of operation, will likely be impacted by Donald Trump's return to the presidency in early 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-is-being-targeted-for-oversight-by-the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-181032853.html?src=rss
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You don't have to look too hard to find early Black Friday deals on Apple devices. For one thing, the Apple Watch Series 10 has dropped to a new all-time-low price on Amazon. The wearable can be yours for $350. That's $50 off, or a discount of 13 percent. That price is for the smaller 42mm model without LTE functionality. However, the 46mm variant is also $50 off at $379. The Apple Watch Series 10 is our pick for the best smartwatch overall, but it's probably best to look at other options if you're an Android user. After all, you'll need a compatible iPhone to set up the wearable and get the most out of it. We gave the Apple Watch Series 10 a score of 90 in our review. Apple redesigned the smartwatch to offer a larger screen and thinner frame, both of which were plus points in our book. The wide-angle OLED panel offers better viewing angles. The wearable has in-depth fitness and health tracking too, with new functions including sleep apnea detection. We found that there was a slight increase in battery life thanks to efficiency improvements, but some alternative smartwatches run for much longer on a single charge. Overall, this is a somewhat iterative update compared with the Series 9 and 8, but if you're upgrading from an older Apple Watch (or buying one for the first time), you may find the features, performance and charging speed to be impressive. Meanwhile, a four-pack of Apple AirTags has also dropped to a record low price of $70. Apple will soon enable a new AirTag feature that allows you to more easily share the location of the tracker with airlines and other people. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-apple-black-friday-deal-drops-the-apple-watch-series-10-to-a-new-low-price-on-amazon-180028708.html?src=rss
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Amazon just unveiled a new line of Fire TVs, just ahead of Thanksgiving and, more importantly, Black Friday. The Fire TV Omni Mini-LED series is being advertised as the most powerful and innovative Amazon-built TV yet. Lets take a look at some specs. These TVs all include QLED Mini-LED panels that deliver up to 1,400 nits of peak brightness and up to 1,344 dimming zones. They offer support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, which should result in more vibrant colors, deeper blacks, and richer contrast. Amazon says these sets include AI-assisted Intelligent Picture technology, which automatically enhances image quality to optimize scenes in real-time. The TVs light and color sensor take the living space into account, making the appropriate brightness and color temperature settings as needed. Amazon They also allow access to Amazons Fire TV Ambient Experience, which turns the TVs into a display for art. Its sort of like the well-regarded Samsung Frame series only, well, without the whole frame part. This software doesnt just display static pieces of art, as it can also handle custom animations and various widgets. This is the first Amazon-built TV with an AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certification, for my beautiful gamers out there. This software suite combines a variable refresh rate, an automatic low latency mode and a new 144Hz refresh rate in gaming mode. It also offers support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, for some nice future-proofing. They all ship with two speakers, complete with two subwoofers, and allow access to Dolby Atmos audio. These are Amazon TVs so, of course, they play nice with Alexa. The company says that users can discover shows and movies, manage playback and control the Fire TV Ambient Experience hands-free via voice control. The Fire TV Omni Mini-LED boxes are available right now. Prices range from $820 to $2,100, with size options ranging from 55-inches all the way up to 85-inches. Amazon These arent the only entertainment products that Amazon released today. The company also dropped a new line of soundbars and a refresh for the pre-existing Fire TV 4 series. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/amazon-dropped-a-new-fire-tv-line-just-before-thanksgiving-174510455.html?src=rss
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The 2024 iMac looks the same as ever, but theres an update that promises to dramatically transform the lineup. Its not the M4 processor, though thats nice. No, Im talking about the boost in base memory that finally lifts the entry-level models from a deplorable 8GB to 16GB. That, along with the new chips, promises to finally make the $1,299 iMac cost effective for most buyers. There are a few other tweaks, like an optional nano-coated display, an updated 12-megapixel webcam and an assortment of new colors. Otherwise, things are much the same as last year, which may make you wonder if its worth the upgrade. After testing one for content creation, gaming and productivity, I can tell you that the answer is definitely yes. Whats new with the latest iMac? Side-by-side, the 2023 and 2024 iMacs look about the same. The 24-inch 4.5K 500-nit display and the computer itself are housed in the same slim 0.43-inch (11.5mm) thick frame. It still sits on an elegant stand that tilts but lacks an adjustable height setting. While tilt-only is a common setup on all-in-one PCs, at this point it would be nice to see Apple do even a simplified height adjustment like it did on the Studio Display. Elsewhere, there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the base model and four on the more expensive versions, along with a magnetic power connector and 3.5mm headphone jack on the left side all the same as before. What is new is the higher-quality 12MP webcam thats a massive leap up from past models. It finally delivers sharp and color-accurate video worthy of the rest of the computer, to help you look your best when on FaceTime or Zoom. It supports Apples Center Stage feature that auto-centers the subject during video calls, even if youre moving around. The new webcam also works with the new Desk View feature that lets you show off objects below your screen. Steve Dent for Engadget You can now get the iMac with optional nano-textured display glass that blocks glare, even with a light pointing right at it. Though it does slightly reduce sharpness, Id recommend it if you can afford the extra $200. Otherwise, its the same clear and colorful display with 500 nits of brightness, a wide P3 gamut and a resolution of 4,480 x 2,250, which are all the same as before. The 24-inch size may be too small for some, but I found it ample for most work, and Im used to dual 32-inch screens. Still, given that the iMac is Apples only desktop model with an integrated display, it would be nice to see a 27- or even 32-inch option on future models, even if that makes it less compact and portable. The iMac M4s color palette also got a tiny refresh. Though it still comes in the same seven hues as before, theyre now in slightly paler shades that Apple calls fresh. Indeed, the model I tested is a very light green that is so subtle its hard to even see in dim light. Im a fan of subdued hues, but anyone hoping for a shot of bright color may be disappointed. The accessories have also been updated. Both the new Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard (with optional Touch ID) now charge via USB-C rather than Lightning like the iMac M3, negating a major complaint in our previous review. As usual, all the accessories, including the cables, match the color of your iMac a cute touch. Steve Dent for Engadget I love the feel of Apples keyboard for speed typing, as Im not a mechanical keyboard guy. The Magic Mouse is an acquired taste, but the slightly firm click pressure and accuracy suit my taste and I love the ability to scroll side-to-side as well as up and down. Yes, the charging port is on the bottom, which is a bit of a design fail, but it can go a month between charges and you only need to plug it in for a few minutes to get enough power to last a workday. The key updates are inside with the M4 processor, which is available in two variants. The base $1,299 model comes with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. All other versions have 10-core CPUs, 10-core GPUs and four Thunderbolt ports, starting at $1,499 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Theres no M4 Pro option, and therefore no Thunderbolt 5 ports on any 2024 iMac. Every version but the base model also has gigabit ethernet (on the power brick) and Touch ID on the Magic Keyboard. The model Im testing shows that Apples upgrades are still too expensive. It has a 10-core M4, 24GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and four Thunderbolt 4 ports, along with the nano-textured screen. Those three options (the extra 8GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and the updated screen) shoot the $1,299 price up to $2,299. The good news, though, is that not buying them wont leave you with an unacceptable amount of memory as before. In use: Outstanding performance and friendly features Steve Dent for Engadget Desktop PCs dont get much more practical than the iMac M4. Installing it is as easy as placing it on a surface and plugging it in, then running through a relatively quick setup. With everything integrated in the display, you can install it on your desk, in a kids bedroom or anywhere else with a small amount of space. Its easy to move, too, as there are no cables other than power and weighs just 9.74 pounds. Performance was a pleasant surprise, better tha I expected on tasks ranging from video editing to gaming. The key benchmarks show substantial gains over the iMac M3 in processing, graphics performance and AI, ranging from 20 percent on single CPU tests to over 30 percent on the GPU side. The iMac M4 is actually a touch faster than the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4, but pokier than the 16-inch model with an M4 Pro chip, particularly when it comes to graphics. In fact, GPU performance is considerably lower than the Mac Mini and even the MacBook Pro M3 Pro models. Still, integrated graphics are far more powerful than they used to be, and the iMac M4 beats most rival Windows PCs in that regard, including the Surface with a Snapdragon X Elite chip. However, it sits well below PCs with discrete graphics from NVIDIA and AMD. Computer Geekbench 6 Geekbench 6 GPU Cinebench 2024 Apple iMac (M4, 2024) 3,751/15,093 35,520 171/881 GPU 4,425 Apple iMac (M3, 2023) 3,125/11,818 25,922 137/659 GPU 3,340 Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) 3,925/22,456 70,197 178/1,689 GPU 9,295 Surface Laptop 7 (Snapdragon X Elite) 2,797/14,400 19,963 123/969 GPU N/A Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max, 2024) 3,202/21,312 92,344 143/1,686 GPU 13,182 Gaming shows the iMacs GPU deficiencies, with resolution limited to a maximum of 1080p for titles like Resident Evil 7 Biohazard and Baldurs Gate 3 to have playable frame rates above 30 fps. Still, its not a bad gaming machine for an AIO thats mostly designed to run Excel spreadsheets or make Zoom calls. Its surprisingly solid for content creation, too. Thats aided by the rapid storage speeds (2.94/5.14 GB/s read/write), integrated video decoding and faster processor. For instance, I dont expect a lot of iMac users to edit 8K 24p clips on Blackmagics DaVinci Resolve, but you can totally do that. It also handled Premiere Pro, Photoshop and Lightroom Classic projects well. The only place it stuttered was on RAW 8K video playback, which is a very big ask for an all-in-one. My 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro can handle that thanks to the extra cores, but its nearly $1,000 more. Steve Dent for Engadget With that bright, sharp display, the iMac M4 is also great for entertainment. It can play 4K HDR content and supports Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio thanks to the six speaker setup with two force-canceling woofers. Of course its better to use high-quality headphones, but the sound straight out of speakers is better than any AIO Ive used before. When watching movies and series on Netflix and Prime Video (The Diplomat and Dont Look Up), the iMac M4 provided a colorful, immersive viewing experience. Finally, AI was a big selling point of the M4 Macs at its unofficial Mac Week event. The iMac M4 fared well in that regard with a 51,421 Geekbench 6 quantized AI score, closely matching results from the M4 Pro and M4 Max (all M4 CPUs have 16 Neural Engine AI cores). As a more practical test, I transcribed a 69-minute Engadget podcast episode using the Whisper Transcription app, which took three minutes and four seconds. That was the same as the MacBook Pro M4, but a minute slower than the M4 Pro model. Should you buy the iMac M4? Steve Dent for Engadget With an unchanged design, there might seem to be no justification to buy or upgrade to the iMac M4. I disagree for one reason: Apples change to 16GB of base memory allows you to do more than ever on an entry-level iMac, including taxing activities like 4K video editing and AAA gaming. In fact, I would only consider getting an M3 or older model if getting one with 16GB of RAM is cheaper than the iMac M4. I would still avoid the base model if at all possible, though. For me, the sweet spot is now the $1,499 option that comes with 256GB of storage, four Thunderbolt 4 ports (to easily add extra storage) and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. Thats still not cheap, but gives you a very capable and expandable machine for $400 less than the minimum price we recommended last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-m4-imac-review-the-best-all-in-one-gets-a-lot-faster-173055294.html?src=rss
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When reality becomes stranger than satire, maybe the satirists can teach us something. The Onion confirmed on Thursday that its parent company bought Infowars, the disgraced purveyor of Sandy Hook misinformation and vendor of pseudoscience supplements. The Onion posted on Bluesky that it plans to transform the rebooted Infowars into a very funny, very stupid website. The Onion says it received the blessing of the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to scoop up Infowars in a bankruptcy auction. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit founded in the massacres aftermath, will reportedly advertise on the rebooted site. Infowars founder Alex Jones was found liable in 2022 for nearly $1.5 billion in damages for spreading conspiracy theories about the 2012 shooting that killed 20 children and six adult staffers. Elon Musk allowed Jones back on X (Twitter) last year after the platform permanently banned him in 2018 under its previous ownership. As Americas chief satire publication (at least of those doing so consciously), The Onions announcement of the purchase stayed on brand. Its tone, hinting at whats to come, resembled The Colbert Report on steroids (or maybe Jones Survival Shield X-2 pills). Founded in 1999 on the heels of the Satanic panic and growing steadily ever since, InfoWars has distinguished itself as an invaluable tool for brainwashing and controlling the masses, The Onion wrote in a truth-meets-fiction announcement. With a shrewd mix of delusional paranoia and dubious anti-aging nutrition hacks, they strive to make life both scarier and longer for everyone, a commendable goal. They are a true unicorn, capable of simultaneously inspiring public support for billionaires and stoking outrage at an inept federal state that can assassinate JFK but cant even put a man on the Moon. The Onion plans to rebrand Infowars as a parody of itself (more than it already was), poking fun at weird internet personalities like Jones, according to The New York Times. Ben Collins, the CEO of The Onions parent company, Global Tetrahedron, hasnt said how much it paid to transform Infowars destructive self-parody into constructive satire. (Collins reported extensively on Infowars when covering misinformation at NBC News.) He plans to launch the rebooted site in January.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/in-an-outcome-beyond-parody-the-onion-has-bought-infowars-171701601.html?src=rss
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