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The long-awaited Rainbow Six Mobile comes out on February 23 for iOS and Android devices. This is a global release and follows years of testing and some significant delays. This is basically a smartphone version of the popular tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege. It was "developed exclusively" for mobile devices and features a trio of 5v5 multiplayer modes. There's a team deathmatch, of course, and a pair of bomb-defusing games that are riffs on a pre-existing mode from Siege. Rainbow Six Mobile offers access to a bunch of maps, including some that will be familiar to fans of the franchise. There are more than 20 operators to choose from and Ubisoft promises it'll be adding more content with each new season. The company is rolling the game out early in some parts of the world. It's already playable in Poland, France, Canada and parts of Latin America. Everyone else has to wait until February.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/rainbow-six-mobile-will-finally-be-available-in-february-after-years-of-testing-174001081.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
The company which popularized robot vacuum cleaners around the world has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. iRobot, makers of the Roomba, has been synonymous with the category since its inception, but its star had dulled in recent years. The company plans to sell its assets to its primary supplier, Chinas Picea Robotics, in the hope of maintaining its business.Everyones got a strident opinion as to why iRobot fell from grace. The rugged individualists blame limp regulators on both sides of the pond (and their hatred for big tech) for blocking Amazons attempted purchase in 2023. Those on the hardware side of the fence say iRobots refusal to embrace LiDAR for navigation until this year left it behind rivals.Then theres the geopolitical experts, who can point at Chinas industrial policy, subsidies and favorable regulatory environment compared to the US approach. After all, iRobots US gear is made in Vietnam, which is now subject to a 46 percent import levy. As BBC News reported, that added around $23 million to iRobots costs and increased the price of its hardware.The real answer is that iRobots demise was caused by a perfect storm of all these factors piling on to the company. More importantly, iRobots situation isnt any way unique, and should serve as a warning to every major American technology brand. Its also a lesson in why companies need to deal with existential threats when they have the time and cash to do so. For instance, once iRobot perfected the concept for the Roomba, it wasnt long before the first copies burst onto the scene. iRobot had the brand and the know-how, but that only goes so far against well-motivated copycats. Think about the first Samsung Android handsets, and how quickly they went from iPhone imitations to class-defining devices of their own and how hard Apple fought in court to prevent it.Even before this years tariffs, iRobot struggled to compete on price in a manner weve seen in other fields. Remember Fitbit before Google purchased it, happily selling $80 fitness trackers for years until Xiaomi swiped the low-end part of its business for itself. Even if the early MiBands werent very good, you could buy three for the price of a single Fitbit Charge. Yes, the argument around quality and reliability is important, but its often not as loud or compelling as a competing product sold for a fraction of the price.iRobot should have either made more of an effort to offer a dirt-cheap model to undercut its rivals, or more likely pull out of the low end altogether. Earlier today, I checked out local retail listings for Roombas and its nearest competitors. Next to one another were the Roomba 405 Combo with Dock and the Roborock Q7 L5+ both capable of vacuuming and mopping your floor. The former is currently on sale for $400 direct from iRobot, while the latter is currently selling for $220. Im sure plenty of buyers would have seen the price difference and opted for the cheaper model.Im not going to throw too many Told You Sos over iRobots fence for not embracing LiDAR sooner. Its omission was a mistake, but you could see why it was shy about abandoning its existing setup. But the company had forgotten one key mantra about the tech world, Andy Groves maxim that only the paranoid survive. Even the fanciest, highest-end Roombas of the last five years felt a generation behind rival products.And, at the risk of sounding like a marketing guru, it was never clear what iRobot, or Roomba, stood for. When companies flooded the market with cheaper models, iRobot needed to make it clear what it meant when you bought a Roomba over a generic model. What did, and could, it offer beyond the name and history that made it stand out against cheaper competitors? Companies like Apple and Dyson command a premium, but you almost always know what youre getting for your money.All I can say is that its good that there isnt another American company presently in a similar position. I certainly cant think of a controversial US company that builds things with wheels that has historically rejected LiDAR for its autonomous services. One that has a brand that doesnt stand for much, or has its identity tied too closely to the identity of its CEO. One that is staring down the barrel at a raft of better equipped and often cheaper Chinese alternatives. Because that company could surely be looking at a similar fate a decade or so down the road.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/what-happened-to-irobot-can-happen-to-anyone-164500625.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
The zombie-decapitating sim Dead Island 3 is still being developed, according to financial documents from Dambuster Studios that were published on X and reported on by Video Games Chronicle. These documents suggest a 2028 release date, so that's something to look forward to. Dambuster Studios' financial statements are out (as of March 2025)The company employed 194 employeesDead Island 3 is in developmentThe current predicted release window for the project is Q1/2 2028 pic.twitter.com/FOHOitH3nD Timur222 (@bogorad222) December 16, 2025 The paperwork says the development is "moving at pace" and that "parts of the game are now in early production." These parts reportedly include feature design, world design, narrative and character design. We already knew this game was in development, as Dambuster posted on Steam earlier this year that "the outbreak is far from over." The idea of Dead Island 3 makes a whole lot of sense, given the success of the second one. The company has sold over 4 million copies of the game since 2023. It's also worth noting that a 2028 release date would put five years between the two sequels. That's a long time for something like Assassin's Creed, but nothing for the Dead Island franchise. Dead Island 2 was first announced in 2014, so development took nearly a decade.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/dead-island-3-is-in-development-and-will-reportedly-come-out-in-2028-162522680.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Have you ever just wished you could watch Instagram Reels right on a TV? Maybe? Well, if so, you're in luck. Meta has launched an Instagram app exclusively on Fire TV. It will be solely for "short-form video content," so Reels. TikTok launched an app on Fire TV in 2020 before rolling it out to other platforms. Instagram and Fire TV users can download the former through Amazon's App Store. It can either link to an existing account or have a separate account just for TV. The app can hold up to five different Instagram accounts and time spent factors into any limits on teen accounts. "Our mission is to get you to the worlds best content fast, and were thrilled to welcome Instagram to Fire TV," Fire TV vice president, Aidan Marcuss, said in a statement. "Were committed to keep pushing the boundaries of entertainment on customers' biggest screens the Instagram team has built an awesome experience, and were excited to be the first place to offer it. We cant wait to see what customers think." For now, Reels are separated into different channels, such as sports highlights or hidden travel gems. Reels also play automatically, so you don't have to swipe between content on the screen. According to Meta, the app is still being tested, so these formats might change in the future. Instagram users in the US can now get the TV app on Amazon's Fire TV Stick HD, 4K Plus and 4K Max (first and second generation). It's also available on the Fire RV 2-Series, 4-Series, and Omni QLED Series. However, Meta says that the Instagram App for TV should be available on more devices and in other countries after this initial testing round.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-launches-a-fire-tv-app-for-reels-160003710.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Amazon is set to fire 370 people at its European headquarters in Luxembourg in the coming weeks, as Bloomberg reports. That accounts for about 8.5 percent of the workforce. Amazon initially planned to reduce its headcount there by 470, but under European Union law, companies have to negotiate layoffs with employee reps and, in some cases, governments.Amazon reportedly told employees at the European HQ in a memo the layoffs are "adjustments that reflect business needs and local strategies." The company claims to be going "well beyond industry benchmarks" in Luxembourg with regards to the severance packages it's offering.An Amazon employee said it would be difficult for hundreds of people who are all going into the job market at the same time to find employment elsewhere in the country. Affected employees who moved from other countries to work for Amazon will have to leave if they don't land another job in Luxembourg within three months. After the layoffs, Amazon is still expected to be the fifth-largest employer in Luxembourg, which has a population of 680,000. One employee told Bloomberg that the cuts would primarily affect software developers amid a push in the tech industry for AI to take on more coding tasks. Amazon said in October it would cut 14,000 jobs from its global workforce amid its deepening embrace of AI. It was reported that same month that the company's plans to ramp up its robotics operations could put around half a million jobs in the US at risk.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-is-set-to-lay-off-370-workers-at-its-european-hq-154037845.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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