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Is Fortnite old enough to elicit nostalgia? Last years trial run of bringing back the battle royale games original map, weapons and early seasons would suggest so at least for folks of a certain age. That test led to record-breaking player counts, topping 44.7 million in October 2023. Epic Games said on Tuesday that the OG Fortnite rewind is coming back again, and this time, its for good. OG Fortnite will let you play the original map, along with the loot and seasons as they were in 2017. In addition to the nostalgia factor, many players appreciate that eras simpler gameplay mechanics, map designs, weapons and items. It was also before expansion updates that added new game modes (it was Battle Royale only) and vehicles like cars, boats and helicopters. Old-school Fortnite fans have less than a month to wait. The OG version returns to the game on December 6. Blizzard must have seen something it liked in the 2023 trial. It borrowed a page from Epic and brought back Overwatch in its original form for a three-week event starting today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-will-turn-back-the-clock-again-on-december-6-185956191.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
The blackest of Fridays is nearly upon us and companies have already begun rolling out the deals to separate consumers from their bank accounts. Heres one for a well-regarded and budget-friendly robovac. The iRobot Roomba Essential Vac is on sale for just $140, which is a discount of 44 percent. The regular price is $250. The Essential Vac features a similar design to the iRobot Roomba 694, which topped our list of the best budget robot vacuums. This one includes a three-stage cleaning system that works on both carpet and hard floors. It features the same smart navigation system as other iRoomba vacuums, so itll avoid stairs and work its way around items of furniture. Despite being a budget-friendly robovac, there are some modern flourishes. The vacuum will automatically return to the charging station when the battery runs low, which is always nice. It also integrates with the Roomba app for setting cleaning schedules and for building a custom map of the home. The battery life sits at around two hours, which is a decent metric for the price. That should be more than enough time to thoroughly clean a medium-sized home. The major caveat here is that this is a budget robovac, so it doesnt mop and it doesnt ship with a large debris canister. Still, the price is right for those curious about eliminating sweeping from that to-do list. 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-budget-roomba-robot-vacuum-is-nearly-half-off-ahead-of-black-friday-184426408.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Meta has long been at loggerheads with European Union officials over its approach to targeted Facebook and Instagram ads. The company is hoping to placate regulators with some changes to its ad model in the bloc, which includes lowering the price of its ad-free subscription. Starting November 13, the plan will cost 40 percent less 6 ($6.36) per month for signups via the web and 8 ($8.48) for those who subscribe on an iOS or Android device. The fee for each additional Facebook and Instagram account is 4 per month on the web and 5 via mobile. The company will automatically drop current subscribers down to the lower pricing. It says that it will once again ask users in the bloc if they'd like to sign up. When they see this prompt (which can only be ignored for a certain period of time), there will be a third option for EU Facebook and Instagram users to choose from. Those who don't want to pay for a subscription can instead opt to only view ads that are based on what they see in a given session in the apps. Meta will also factor in a few key data markers such as "a persons age, location, gender and how a person engages with ads." These less-personalized ads naturally won't be as tailored to a given user's interests, the company notes. As such, people are perhaps less likely to click on such ads. To make up for that (and make sure this option doesn't hit Meta in the pocket too hard), folks who choose the less-personalized ads option will sometimes encounter unskippable ads. According to The Wall Street Journal, these will be displayed full screen. "Such ad breaks are common across other services, and are already offered by many of our competitors," Meta argues. "This change will help us continue to provide value to advertisers which ensures we can offer people a less personalized ads experience at no charge." Targeted ads are Meta's biggest revenue driver, but EU officials have reportedly been pressuring the company to offer a free, less-personalized option in its apps. Meta has argued that would negatively impact its bottom line. Although it has seemingly caved to officials' requests, the unskippable ad aspect may be construed as malicious compliance, as it worsens the user experience. Meta claims that these changes to its ad model "meet EU regulator demands and go beyond whats required" by the bloc's laws. The company introduced its ad-free subscription a year ago to comply with laws such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), as well as stricter interpretations of the General Data Protection Regulation. It was previously ordered to seek permission from users in the bloc before showing them personalized ads. The EU didn't take too kindly to the paid ad-free approach, however. An investigation into the "consent or pay" model is ongoing. In July, the EU said that in its preliminary findings, Meta was violating the DMA with this plan. These latest changes are said to be Meta's attempt to settle the case, but according to the Journal, the EU's discussions with the company haven't concluded. The bloc's regulatory body has until late March to finish its investigation and make a final decision. If it determines that Meta has indeed violated the DMA, the company could be on the hook for a fine of up to 10 percent of its annual global revenue. Based on its total revenue for 2023, it could have to pay up as much as $13 billion or so.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-cuts-the-price-of-its-ad-free-plan-by-40-percent-in-a-bid-to-sate-eu-regulators-174926790.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Waymo has announced expanded availability of its driverless rideshare service throughout Los Angeles. Thats right. Waymo One is now available to all customers anywhere in LA county, which is 80 square miles. The company has dropped the waitlist for area residents. Now LA residents will get to experience sitting in endless traffic with a series of cameras and navigational algos leading the way instead of a person. This expanded service starts today and it offers fully autonomous rides at any time of the day or night. Lets hear it for some drunken late night bonding with an algorithm. Waymo also says itll further expand the service area in the future. After all, Los Angeles comprises five counties. Its been offering driverless rides to LA customers for a while now, but with a mandatory waitlist. Waymo One also started small in San Francisco and Phoenix before announcing similar expansions. The service will be coming to Austin and Atlanta in the near future. All told, the company says over 300,000 Los Angeles residents have joined the waitlist for the service and Waymo One has completed hundreds of thousands of paid trips across the city. Waymo says these driverless rides are also highly rated, with an average rating of 4.7 stars out of five. A recent survey indicated that 98 percent of customers are satisfied with the service.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymos-driverless-cars-in-la-county-are-now-available-to-everyone-173237519.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
If you use Chrome on your iPhone, youre about to see some features sliding over from the Android version. Google Lens will let you add text to your image searches, and you can save files and pictures directly to Google Drive and Photos. You can get Shopping Insights for products youre browsing. Chrome for iOS now lets you add words to your Google Lens visual searches, allowing you to add nuance to your query or perform more complex and specific searches, as Chrome Product Manager Katia Muradyan wrote in a blog post. After activating Lens by tapping the camera icon in the Chrome search bar, you can ask questions about the object youre snapping a pic of, and it will produce corresponding results. Google says AI Overviews will also appear for some of these search results. The feature shares some common ground with an Apple Intelligence feature for iPhone 16 owners in iOS 18.2, which is currently in beta. Visual Intelligence lets you point your camera at something and get info about it, including asking ChatGPT questions about it or searching for it on Google. Chrome for iPhone now has a feature that lets you save a file directly to Google Drive or Google Photos, sparing you from using your phones internal storage. When saving files from Chrome, youll see a new option to save the file to Drive. Similarly, when browsing a photo you want to save, long-press on it, and youll see a new Save in Google Photos option in the context menu. Of course, the feature requires you to be signed into a Google account. Chrome for iOS also adds a feature that pops up a mini-map when you click on an address. Look for an underlined link to specific addresses; clicking on it will take you to the mini-map without leaving the browser. Finally, Google is adding Shopping Insights for US users. The company frames it as a way to help you find great prices on items youre shopping for, but its hard to imagine this feature exists strictly from the kindness of Google's heart. Regardless, youll soon see a Good Deal Now alert in Chromes address bar when browsing for products for which its available. Youll see details like price history / tracking and buying options if you tap it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/chrome-for-ios-now-lets-you-add-text-to-google-lens-visual-searches-170920556.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
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