In a blog post on Friday, Perplexity introduced a new tool called Deep Research that it says can conduct in-depth research and analysis to deliver detailed reports in response to your questions, and its free for limited use. It comes just a couple of weeks after OpenAI announced its own Deep Research feature for ChatGPT Pro users which itself followed Googles December announcement of Deep Research for Gemini. Perplexitys tool is available only on the web to start, but it will hit the iOS, Android and Mac apps soon too.
Introducing Deep Research on Perplexity.Deep Research lets you generate in-depth research reports on any topic.Available to everyone for freeup to 5 queries per day for non-subscribers and 500 queries per day for Pro users. pic.twitter.com/obovx7YEUF Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) February 14, 2025
Perplexity says its Deep Research excels at a range of expert-level tasks from finance and marketing to product research and takes about 2-4 minutes to come up with an answer, during which it performs dozens of searches, reads hundreds of sources, and reasons through the material. Once finished, its reports can be shared or exported as a PDF. The company claims it outperforms competitors like OpenAIs o3-mini and o1, and DeepSeek-R1 on the Humanitys Last Exam benchmark, earning a 21.1 percent accuracy score (though this is lower than OpenAIs Deep Research scored).
Free users will be limited to five queries per day, while Pro subscribers will get 500, according to a tweet from the company.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/perplexity-has-its-own-deep-research-tool-now-too-224653030.html?src=rss
Nintendo of America announced that it's opened purchases of the game-themed alarm clock, Alarmo, to the public so anyone can snag one, with or without a Switch Online membership. The bright red alarm clock comes with a handful of built-in themes to choose from at the start Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4 and Ring Fit Adventure and Nintendo says others, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, will be available for free down the line. Alarmo will also be sold in select stores starting in March, as well as online in other regions.
Alarmo first went on sale back in October, but only for Nintendo Switch Online members. That changed on Friday, when the company announced, Nintendo Sound Clock: #Alarmo is now available on My Nintendo store, no Nintendo Switch Online membership required.
Nintendo Sound Clock: #Alarmo is now available on My Nintendo store, no Nintendo Switch Online membership required. Available while supplies last. Learn more: https://t.co/0EkqZJ9X5A pic.twitter.com/1Wwd96hQyx Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 14, 2025
Alarmo can wake you up and put you to sleep with sounds and animations from your chosen title, and it has a motion sensor for sleep tracking (though Engadgets review found the latter to be pretty useless). Theres an undeniable charm to it all; the characters will even celebrate when you finally drag yourself out of bed. The downside is that it costs $100. Still, I cant say the idea of having a troupe of Pikmin greet me first thing every morning isnt extremely tempting.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/anyone-in-the-us-can-now-buy-nintendos-alarmo-clock-from-the-online-store-171945008.html?src=rss
New releases we picked up this week that belong on your reading list.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-ali-smith-gliff-dystopian-fiction-horror-comics-creepshow-160016239.html?src=rss
Uber is suing DoorDash, accusing the biggest food delivery provider in the US of putting pressure on restaurants to exclusively use its services. According to The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, Uber filed the lawsuit in California on February 14. Uber said it filed the lawsuit after hearing from "restaurants across the country" that were left with no choice but to "cave to [DoorDash's] demands or pay the price."
Both DoorDash and Uber Eats offer their delivery services to restaurants, even for customers who buy from an establishment's own website or app. At the same time, they also offer advertising within their apps for those that want to promote their businesses. DoorDash has a significantly larger share of the market than Uber Eats and had previously said that 90 percent of major restaurants in the US is available on its platform.
DoorDash allegedly threatened to charge higher commission rates for handling orders made through its marketplace if the restaurant is also on Uber Eats. In its complaint, Uber said that that in one instance, the company threatened to raise a restaurant's commission rate by 30 percent per order placed. The lawsuit stated another instance wherein DoorDash allegedly told a restaurant that it would cost them millions of dollars in additional fees if it also teamed up with Uber. In 2024, a large restaurant group scrapped long-running plans to launch on Uber after threats from DoorDash to increase its commission rates, Uber said. In addition, DoorDash allegedly threatened to demote restaurants also available on Uber within its app.
Uber is now asking the court to compel DoorDash to change its business practices. Meanwhile, DoorDash denied all accusations. "Ubers case has no merit," the company said in a statement. "Their claims are unfounded and based on their inability to offer merchants, consumers, or couriers a quality alternative."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-accuses-doordash-of-anti-competitive-practices-in-a-lawsuit-130032964.html?src=rss
One of our favorite grill accessories, the ThermoWorks Thermapen One, is on sale for $79 right now. This Engadget exclusive sale shaves $30 off this speedy thermometer. While its not the record low price, $79 is pretty close.
The Thermopen One is calibrated to record temperatures accurately, with an error margin of 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.3 degrees Celsius). It also does this within a second. To help users check the temperature conveniently, the display rotates 360 degrees and has a smart backlight display that brightens when its covered or in a low-light environment.
The company claims that a single AAA battery in the thermometer will last for 2,000 hours, and its partly due to how it automatically turns on or off when you pick it up or put it down. An IP67 rating makes it safe to use in wet and dusty locations for a while. (You should still try to keep it clean and dry, though.) If thats not reassuring enough, each Thermapen One comes with a five-year warranty.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-thermoworks-thermapen-one-is-on-sale-for-79-right-now-100052804.html?src=rss
Newly restored pages on the websites of government agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) now include a disclaimer rejecting "gender ideology," as spotted by 404 Media. The move allows agencies to comply with a recent court order to restore missing webpages, while continuing to push the Trump administration anti-trans executive order that led them to delete those pages in the first place.
You can see the disclaimer which lifts language directly from President Trump's order on the FDA's guidance document on the "Study of Sex Differences in the Clinical Evaluation of Medical Products" and a page linking to results from SAHMSA's report on "Behavioral Health of Adolescents across Sexual Identities." Like a lot of the current administration's slapdash attempts to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion, the disclaimer doesn't appear everywhere. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page on "Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines" doesn't include it, for example.
The contents of the disclaimer are reproduced below:
Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website as of 11:59 PM on February 11, 2025. Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children, by promoting their chemical and surgical mutilation, and to women, by depriving them of their dignity, safety, well-being, and opportunities. This page does not reflect biological reality and therefore the Administration and this Department reject it.
Government agencies were first directed to "end all agency programs that use taxpayer money to promote or reflect gender ideology" by the Office of Personal Management (OPM) in January, which prompted the webpage takedowns, The Washington Post writes. Doctors of America, represented by Public Citizen, sued OPM and other agencies that took down pages over safety concerns, leading to the order to restore the websites to their original form this month.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/trump-administration-adds-note-rejecting-gender-ideology-to-government-websites-220253562.html?src=rss
Breaking: Netflix made an oopsie. On Thursday, word spread online that some of its content began appearing in the Apple TV app. The lack of an official announcement (and extremely buggy nature) of the integration was enough to cast doubt on the news. But that didn't stop users from rejoicing and sharing "FINALLY!" GIFs on social media. Unfortunately, your triumphant festivities weren't warranted, as the company has said it was unintentional.
A Netflix spokesperson told The Verge on Friday that the Apple TV app integration was an error that has been rolled back. Indeed, Redditors who had been tracking the forbidden fruit with unbridled glee confirmed that all signs of Netflix content had since vanished from Apple's streaming hub. Netflix giveth, and Netflix taketh away.
While the boo-boo was still active, PC World reported it let you add Netflix originals like Stranger Things, Cobra Kai and The Crown but lacked licensed shows and movies. Even the available content was a buggy mess. For example, only season five of The Crown was available, leaving you to wonder what hijinks Liz and the gang had gotten into before or after the grunge era. The "Add to Watchlist" and "Continue Watching" features were also said to be spotty.
It's easy to speculate that such a glitch was tied to internal testing accidentally made public, but there's no reason to assume that's anything but wishful thinking. At least for now, you'll have to watch Netflix content in the Netflix app, leaving Apples for a well-earned rewatch of The Sopranos (via Max), The Bear (via Hulu) and Apple's own Silo.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-accidentally-made-its-content-show-up-in-the-apple-tv-app-212851906.html?src=rss
You could soon pay to access certain subreddits, according to comments shared by Reddit CEO Steve Huffman during a taped video AMA (Ask Me Anything). Huffman has suggested the company might experiment with some kind of Reddit paywall before, and now its apparently happening.
When asked if he could share information about the development of paid subreddits, Huffman said that "It's a work in progress right now, so that one's coming." To a follow up question about new features coming to Reddit in 2025, Huffman said "Paid subreddits? Yes," confirming they're on the list.
Unfortunately there's little detail as to how paid subreddits will actually work when they do launch. It might make sense for only Reddit Premium subscribers to be able to access paid subreddits, for example. As Ars Technica notes, Reddit does offer an exclusive subreddit for subscribers called r/lounge. The company also currently pays some users for posting via the Reddit Contributor Program. The pieces for a paywall are there, but you have to fill in more than a few blanks to get them to fit together.
However they happen, paid subreddits continue Reddit's goal of monetizing as much of its user-generated content as possible after going public in 2024. The company has signed licensing deals with both OpenAI and Google, and is currently pulling on users' posts to answer questions with its Reddit Answers chatbot, all in an attempt to squeeze as much value out of the content it already has. A paywall is maybe a blunter way to make that happen, but it's not surprising.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-ceo-says-paid-subreddits-are-coming-this-year-203823936.html?src=rss
If you look at your Roomba with disgust, thinking about what a far cry it is from the Jetsons Rosey the Robot, help is on the way. Bloomberg reported on Friday that Meta plans to leverage its advances in AI and augmented reality to build a platform for futuristic humanoid robots that can help with household chores like folding laundry.
Meta is reportedly creating a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division, which handles Quest VR headsets and the long-term Orion AR glasses project. Although it will build robot hardware during development, Metas long-term goal is more like Android, where Google makes the software platform that almost all of the industry (outside of Apple) uses. Meta would make the underlying sensors, AI and software for other companies to put inside their hardware. In other words, it wants to be the Android of androids.
Like The Jetsons Rosey the Robot, Metas version would help with household chores.Warner Bros. / YouTube
At least initially, Meta plans to make household chores the projects central focus. Bloomberg lists folding laundry, carrying glasses of water, putting dinnerware in the dishwasher and other home chores as examples to build excitement around what could be an unsettling product category for many people. (For examples of why those concerns may be warranted, look no further than the Unitree G1 robot that ran full-speed at Engadgets Karissa Bell at CES, momentarily pinning her against the onlooking crowd.)
Speaking of Unitree, Meta has reportedly held early discussions with the Chinese robotics company, which also makes a quadruped "robot dog" that can run around, climb stairs and sit on its hind legs like a good girl. Meta is also said to have discussed its plans with California-based humanoid robot maker Figure AI, which can count OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft, Intel and Jeff Bezos among its investors.
Karissa Bell for Engadget
Todays humanoid robots arent advanced enough to pitch in around the house like Rosey, but Meta believes all the resources its sinking into AI and XR are paving a road to that destination. Although the company thinks it will be a few years before useful humanoid robots are widely available, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth reportedly views the companys progress in hand tracking, low-bandwidth computing and always-on sensors as advantages.
"The core technologies weve already invested in and built across Reality Labs and AI are complementary to developing the advancements needed for robotics," Bosworth reportedly wrote in a memo. "We believe that expanding our portfolio to invest in this field will only accrue value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs."
Meta isnt alone in raising its eyebrows at the prospect of home robots for (likely rich) consumers. Last year, news broke that Apple was working on robotics. Ditto for Google. Both companies have published research papers on their robotics work. Flying cars may have to wait, but Rosey is looking a lot less like a pipe dream.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-is-reportedly-working-on-humanoid-robots-that-help-with-chores-192453416.html?src=rss
Instagram is testing a new dislike button, which the company has signaled is a way for users to effectively downvote a distasteful or irrelevant comment. The dislike button is only for comments, and not the actual content itself. The platform is testing this with both Reels and Feed posts.
The service will not show a dislike count, though Instagram head Adam Mosseri says that dislikes will eventually contribute to comment ranking. In other words, this feature is most like the Reddit downvote button.
"This gives people a private way to signal that they dont feel good about that particular comment," Mosseri wrote on Threads. "Our hope is that this might help make comments more friendly on Instagram."
A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that the primary purpose of the dislike button is to improve the quality of the comment section, echoing Mosseris post. This is just a test for now, so the button is only available to a very small group of people. It may get a broader rollout down the line.
Instagram has been busy in recent months. Platform representatives announced that it was working on a video-editing app that looks eerily-similar to TikToks sibling app, CapCut. The platform even expanded the length of Reels to three minutes, which was seen as another TikTok mimic. It also recently got rid of third-party fact checkers because of freedom or something.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-is-testing-a-dislike-button-but-only-for-comments-192130246.html?src=rss
