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The demise of Humane is perhaps the most predictable tech story of 2025. The company tried to build some buzz around its AI Pin in late 2023, marketing the device as a tiny replacement for smartphones and playing up the fact that Humanes co-founders were former Apple employees. The problem was that it wasnt really clear what the AI Pin would do to justify its $700 asking price (plus a $24/month subscription). It didnt take long for things to spiral out of control. The AI Pin was released in April of 2024 to some of the worst reviews Ive ever seen for a consumer tech product. Just a month after launch, reports surfaced that the company was already trying to be acquired for the positively ludicrous sum of $750 million to $1 billion dollars. At the same time, it was rumored that Humane sold only 10,000 Pins, a far cry from the 100,000 they had planned for. HP was named as a potential suitor last May, and the company smartly waited until they could pluck Humane for a comparatively paltry $116 million. As it turned out, waving your hands and shouting about the promise of AI doesnt make it any easier to build compelling hardware we slammed its high price, terrible battery life, slow performance, excessive heat and hard-to-use projected display. (And Engadget was far from the only publication to eviscerate this device.) Hayato Huseman for Engadget For a device whose main interface was conversational, the challenges the AI Pin had answering questions or executing commands made it a non-starter. Even when it did what was asked, it did it in some strange ways, like sending generic texts instead of letting you dictate what exactly you wanted to say. Its camera rarely worked as intended; after taking photos and viewing them on the projector, the Pin would get extremely warm and sometimes just shut down entirely. Speaking of that projection screen, it was nearly impossible to actually see it outdoors, even on a cloudy day. And interacting with it made our reviewer Cherlynn Low want to rip [her] eyes out. Oh, lets not forget that its extended battery case was recalled because it was a full-on fire hazard! The whole debacle is an illustrative example of how most consumer-grade AI isnt ready for prime time. Google and Apple may be trying to shove Gemini and Apple Intelligence down our throats on nearly every product they make, but those tools are additive, built on top of the strong foundations of each companys existing platforms. In Humanes case, there was nothing to fall back on. And the combo of terrible voice responses and recognition paired with a projector display that was not at all ready for prime time (not to mention the other hardware failings) was far too much to overcome. There was simply no intelligence to be found here, artificial or otherwise. To be fair to Humane, building hardware is notoriously difficult; first-generation products often have glaring flaws, even when youre talking about massive companies like Apple. The first iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch may have shown huge promise, but they also had strange omissions and performance issues that made them hard to recommend to everyone. Some companies manage to figure that out; Pebble is a great example of a hardware startup that survived some early issues to find some success. It beat Apple, Samsung and Google to the smartwatch market, and did it in a way that has yet to be imitated (maybe thats why the company is being resurrected). The Pebble wasnt exactly the most elegant piece of hardware, but both the watch and its software worked well enough that it paved the way for the more advanced smartwatches we have today. Of course, that wasnt enough to keep Pebble alive, as the company eventually filed for insolvency and had its assets picked up by Fitbit (which was later purchased by Google, if youre keeping track). Humanes situation at launch wasnt entirely different it was trying to build a new type of hardware altogether, and history tells us that the first products in a new space are going to be far from perfect. But, if there had at least been a glimmer of useful software, Humane might have survived to improve on those hardware problems with a future version. But its assistant was so bad that it killed any potential that the AI Pin had. There was simply no intelligence to be found here, artificial or otherwise. My takeaway from the Humane disaster is that its too soon to spend your hard-earned money on the promise of AI the marketplace isn't solidified at this point, and trusting a brand-new company like Humane to get this sort of thing right is several bridges too far. (If you're not convinced, look at the similarly flawed Rabbit R1.) Apple Intelligence is still half-baked at best, but at least you can turn it off and ignore it. But the AI Pin, well, relied completely on AI, and it wasnt just not ready it was one of the worst devices weve ever tried in our nearly 21 years as a publication. For some thousands of early adopters, that means their Pin will be a brick in just a few days, with no financial compensation coming their way. But hey, at least it will still be able to tell you its battery level.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-humane-ai-pin-debacle-is-a-reminder-that-ai-alone-doesnt-make-a-compelling-product-190119112.html?src=rss
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Instagram is rolling out an update for its messaging system that adds several new tools. These features could allow Instagram to better compete with direct-messaging rivals like Apple iMessage and various third-party platforms. First up, theres music-sharing. The update lets users share tunes in both one-on-one messages and group chats. Just open up the sticker tray and tap on the Music option. This will open up a search bar of Instagram's audio library. There are a couple of caveats here. The song has to be available via Instagram and clips are maxed out at 30 seconds. Direct messages will also now have a translation tool that works with 99 languages. The functionality here looks incredibly simple. Users just have to hold down a message and tap Translate. The translated message should appear directly below the original one. Easy peasy. Meta Theres a new way to pin messages, images or even Reels to the top of chats. Hold down the message and tap Pin. Instagram says folks can pin up to three messages per conversation. I could see this being handy to keep oft-requested information at the ready, though itll likely be used primarily for memes (not that theres anything wrong with that.) Instagram will also let people schedule messages by long-pressing the send button. This can be used to plan messages up to 29 days in advance. Finally, the platform has introduced a way to invite people to a group chat via a QR code. All of these tools begin rolling out today to iOS and Android users worldwide. A web update is in the works but isnt available just yet. Instagram sure has been busy adding new features to its software. It recently began testing a dislike button for comments. The platform announced that it was working on a video-editing app, similar to CapCut. The service even expanded the length of Reels to three minutes, likely to compete with TikTok. It also recently got rid of third-party fact checkers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-adds-a-whole-slew-of-new-dm-features-in-latest-update-184535399.html?src=rss
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Valve is handing Team Fortress 2 modders the keys to the kingdom, as long as they don't try to make any money from it. The company has added the client and server game code to the Source software development kit (SDK), allowing fans to create new games and experiences based on TF2. "Unlike the Steam Workshop or local content mods, this SDK gives mod makers the ability to change, extend or rewrite TF2, making anything from small tweaks to complete conversions possible," Valve explained. Modders will be able to publish their creations as new games on Steam if they wish. The main catch is that Valve is offering the TF2 source code on a non-commercial basis, so any mods or content therein that are based on the SDK have to be available for free. The company also notes that much of the content that's in players' inventories most of the in-game items, in fact were created by the Steam Workshop community. "To respect that, we're asking TF2 mod makers continue to respect that connection, and to not make mods that have the purpose of trying to profit off Workshop contributors' efforts," Valve said. "We're hoping that many mods will continue to allow players access their TF2 inventory, if this makes sense for the mod." On top of adding the TF2 source code to the SDK, Valve is making other updates to its other multiplayer games that run on Source, its old game engine. Those include 64-bit binary support, a scalable heads-up display/user interface and prediction fixes for the likes of Day of Defeat: Source, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Half-Life Deathmatch: Source and Counter-Strike: Source. It's not too surprising that Valve is handing over the TF2 source code at this point. The game has largely been in maintenance mode for a long time as the company focused on other projects. It took the company years to remedy a major bot invasion, indicating just how low TF2 is on its list of priorities. Giving fans the client and server code could be a sign that Valve is ready to wind down official support for the game. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/valve-hands-the-team-fortress-2-source-code-to-modders-183223667.html?src=rss
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The embattled EV truck maker Nikola is going kaput. The company just announced a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and a plan to sell off assets. These assets will be sold at an auction, pending court approval. Nikola noted it has $47 million in cash on hand to fund the bankruptcy proceedings and begin the sale process. The company has reported between $500 million to $1 billion in assets, but liabilities totaling $1 billion to $10 billion, according to a court filing. Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic factors that have impacted our ability to operate, said Steve Girsky, President and CEO of Nikola. Those market and macroeconomic factors are real, as EV adoption growth rates have slowed a bit. However, Nikola is a special case. The company has been embroiled in numerous scandals in recent years, so this news caps off a particularly dire fall from grace for the once-buzzy EV maker. Nikola was founded in 2015 with a mission to create zero-emissions heavy trucks. The company secured a lucrative partnership with GM in 2020, but things fell apart soon thereafter. It was credibly accused of fraud, thanks to a report by short-selling firm Hindenburg Research. This report even included a video showing a Nikola truck rolling down a hill to simulate driving. Our investigation of the site and text messages from a former employee reveal that the video was an elaborate ruse $NKLA had the truck towed to the top of a hill on a remote stretch of road and simply filmed it rolling down the hill. pic.twitter.com/n2NLDGInzR Hindenburg Research (@HindenburgRes) September 10, 2020 This elaborate ruse caused the SEC to begin an investigation which led to founder Trevor Milton stepping down as board chair and CEO. Later, he was arrested and indicted on fraud charges. Milton was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison. The company settled with the SEC for $125 million. It goes without saying that GM backed out of that partnership. The company did go public in 2020 and began shipping its first trucks in 2021. However, reports indicated that Nikola was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars on every truck it sold. All told, the company only made around 600 vehicles, many of which were recalled due to a variety of defects. This subpar performance caused the stock to crater, stumbling from a high of over $1,000 per share to, as of this writing, $0.47 per share. I guess only one company named after the guy who invented alternating current (AC) energy is allowed to consistently fall below expectations without making a dent on its valuation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ev-truck-maker-nikola-has-finally-called-it-quits-172516625.html?src=rss
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The new iPhone 16e is designed to get Apple Intelligence into as many hands as possible. Apple recently began activating its AI features by default during iOS setup, suggesting a harder push to spur adoption and establish iOS as an AI-first platform. Putting the companys suite of AI tools on a $599 iPhone should do the trick. Apple Intelligences arrival on an entry-level iPhone is thanks to one of its biggest upgrades from the SE: the A18 chip (the same processor from the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus). That makes it Apples cheapest AI-equipped model by $300. However, that's quite a bump up from the (now-retired) iPhone SE's $429. Fortunately, theres no skimping on the Apple Intelligence features for the cheaper model; you get all the AI goodies found in the more expensive iPhones. That includes AI writing tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, ChatGPT integration and notification summaries. Apple The phone has a much bigger display than its predecessor: 6.1 inches, up from the 2022 iPhone SEs mere 4.7 inches. Its also the first entry-level model to adopt modern iPhones full-screen design with Face ID. (Pour one out for the now-retired home button.) However, it doesnt have the Dynamic Island found on recent higher-end models. It also gets the Action button, the customizable physical shortcut on the phone's side. It debuted in the iPhone 15 Pro series and is found in all iPhone 16 models. The iPhone 16e also complies with EU standards by switching from Lightning to USB-C, which is probably the least surprising thing about it. It also lacks MagSafe charging, sticking with standard Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5W. A list of geeky tech specs doesnt tell the whole story but can still serve as a starting point. Heres how the new entry-level iPhone compares to Apples previous model and its two biggest Android-running rivals: the Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A35 5G. (Although the A35 isn't quite in the same price range, it serves a similar niche in Samsung's lineup.) iPhone 16e iPhone SE (2022) Google Pixel 8a Samsung Galaxy A35 5G Price $599 / $699 / $899 $429 / $479 / $579 $499 / $559 $400 Dimensions 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches) 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches) 152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm (6 x 2.9 x 0.4 inches) 161.7 x 78 x 8.2 mm (6.37 x 3.07 x 0.32 inches) Weight 167g (5.88 ounces) 144g (5.09 ounces) 188 g (6.7 oz) 209 g (7.37 oz) Screen size 6.1 inches 4.7 inches 6.1 inches 6.6 inches Screen resolution 2,532 x 1,170 (460 ppi) 1,334 x 750 (326 ppi) 1,080 x 2,400 (430 ppi) 2,340 x 1,080 (389 ppi) Screen type OLED Retina HD LCD 60Hz Super AMOLED up to 120Hz SoC Apple A18 Apple A15 Bionic Tensor G3 Exynos 1380 RAM N/A 4 GB 8 GB 6 / 8* GB * Non-US only Battery "up to 26 hrs video playback" 2,018mAh 4,492 mAh 5,000 mAh Storage 128 / 256 / 512GB 64 / 128 / 256 GB 128 / 256 GB 128 / 256* GB MicroSD up to 1TB * Non-US only Rear camera(s) 48MP, f/1.6 Wide: 12 MP, f/1.8 Wide: 64 MP, f/1.89 Ultrawide: 13MP, f/2.2 Wide: 50MP, f/1.8 Ultrawide: 8MP, f/2.2 Macro: 5MP, f/2.4 Front camera 12MP, f/1.9 7 MP, f/2.2 13MP, f/2.2 13MP, f/2.2 Water / dust rating IP68 IP67 IP67 IP67 Wi-Fi WiFi 6 (802.11ax) 802.1ax Wi-Fi 6E Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth v5.3 v5.0 v5.3 v5.3 OS iOS 18 iOS 18 Android 15 Android 14 One UI 6.1 Colors / finish Black / White Aluminum Midnight / Starlight / (Product)Red Aluminum Obsidian / Porcelain / Aloe / Bay Navy / Lilac This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-16e-vs-the-competition-171306115.html?src=rss
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