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Panos Panay has a Diet Coke problem. Its a topic that quickly came up when I walked into the small interview room, after he offered me a choice of beverages and I said my partner has a similar addiction. After a quick conversation on the advantages of drinking plain water over diet colas, I knew his wife, like me, advocates for less soda, but I still knew nothing of how much the man actually consumed a day. It was Panays first launch event with members of the media since he left Microsoft last year to lead Amazons devices and services team. And the instant I walked into the event space at The Shed in New York, I thought this feels like a Panos event. The room was drenched in sunlight, with various neutral and pastel pink couches and armchairs laid out in a vague semicircle facing an unassuming elevated platform. Around the stage were neatly planted assorted greenery with lavender and what looked like babys breath lending a general softness to the scene. There was a leather stool on the stage that looked just big enough to perch on but not comfortable enough to actually rest, and next to it was a smaller wooden end table where a solo water bottle sat. Panay did not once sit during his 38-minute presentation. Clad in a black collared shirt, black jacket, black jeans and black shoes with a brown trim, Panay brought his typical sentimental delivery to the Kindle launch event. As usual, he didnt shy away from mentioning his family, showing a carefully taken picture of his daughter Bella reading a Kindle on a couch. He called out members of the media by name, saying hello to Lance Ulanoff in the front row and asking David Pierce if he could hear. At one point, he walked over to the middle row to hand a new Kindle off to tech Youtuber Jacklyn Dallas, asking her to tap repeatedly on the screen to scroll through pages and see for herself how much faster he believed it was. Amazon I say all this to impress on you that the Panos experience is one thats inviting, engaging and can even lull you into feeling so charmed that you might overlook the fact that he repeatedly calls the Kindle Scribe a 2-in-1. It was certainly enough to give me more patience than I normally would have for a tech leader that had spent almost a third of his presentation talking about the Kindles history and where it fits into peoples lives. Instead of thinking get on with it, I want to hear about the new devices without all this preamble, I simply laughed at the jokes, made eye contact and related to the personal anecdotes. And though I knew we were past the 38 minutes he had promised the speech would last, I didnt mind that he was still talking. I was able to question him about 2-in-1s when we sat down to talk, though. The term brings to my mind the image of Surface tablets and iPads, not to mention the Surface Duo and Surface Neo that Panay launched at a remarkably similar Microsoft event years ago. Kindles? Not so much. But according to Panay, the Kindle Scribe does two things, and it does it remarkably well. Turns out, it only does two things. People want to read on their Kindles, but they also want to write in books. Both experiences have to stand on their own in a great way, he added. You can buy this device for writing, or you can buy this device for reading and then you can bridge it. But if a device tries to be too much, it might get too complicated. When I asked what was next for the Kindle Scribe and what challenges it faces, Panay said Youve got to be careful not to make it a Swiss army knife. Thats probably the biggest challenge what its not gonna be. Panay explained that at Amazon, the focus on the customers is off the charts, saying the team talks to users, reads reviews and studies how people use their products to better understand needs. Fundamentally, for this team, [its to] know what the customer needs, be passionate, make sure you deliver it. Lets not try and reinvent things that people dont need reinvented. The approach Panay has brought over to Amazon is one that considers his history at Microsoft (and his entire life). He never explicitly mentions this, but I cannot help wondering if hes learned anything from that company announcing the Surface Neo dual-screen laptop and not actually releasing it. Panay also said that in getting to understand customers needs, Amazon also has to try to predict what they might want. You also have to understand where the technology is headed and you have to have roadmaps, he said. You have to have invention and creation that sets you up for where its headed, so when people land, they have the next thing they need and hopefully it was your product that got them there. Lets not try and reinvent things that people dont need reinvented.Panos Panay That desire to predict trends makes me nervous, especially at a time when every major company is rushing to stuff generative AI features into their products. How should companies like Amazon resist the urge to jump on bandwagons and avoid making products that ultimately are the result of useless hype? To Panay, the answer is patience. Patience is everything, he said. What is the right thing for the product at the right time? How is it useful? How is it elegant? He acknowledged that were at a time where AI for sure is transformational. This is not a fad. There are things AI can bring to the Kindle Scribe and other products that could elevate them. But making it useful for everyone is important to me, and making it simple. There are just two AI-based notebook features for the Kindle Scribe, and they basically read your scribbles and convert them to something more legible and digestible. Theyre not groundbreaking concepts Ive seen at least 5 different companies launch summarization tools in the last year. But Panay made it clear through personal anecdotes on stage that these are important to him and his staff. He doesnt want to let people see his handwritten notes, but he will let them see the version tidied up by AI. Whether the rest of the worlds Kindle users will find these helpful, Im less certain. For now, Panay wants to perfect the Kindle Scribe experience. You can never make anything perfect, Im never satisfied. But its so close right now to feeling like paper, to feeling like an eraser, to feeling like youre writing, to no distractions in your way. He called it his favorite child during the presentation (but later saying that he felt guilty doing that). There are plenty of other children in the Amazon hardware family that Panay oversees. Hes not only in charge of the four Kindles launched today, including the new color ereader called the Colorsoft, but the companys smart home, robotaxi, satellite, consumer robots and Alexa producs, as well as Fire TVs and tablets, too. It's an eclectic group of products at some level, but it's actually quite a connected one at the same time. Theres also stuff that Panay couldnt yet talk about on the record, but he said theres so much magic yet to be shared with the world. In a more realistic manner of speaking, its about seeing these things connected in a way that can make a difference for peoples lives every day in their homes and outside of the home. Cherlynn Low for Engadget There are other ways the Kindle Scribe could evolve that wouldnt be a stretch of the imagination, either. The most obvious is getting a color display, and Panay agreed its not a stretch at all, probably before going on to say he cant discuss future roadmaps. But I can certainly speculate. While its interesting to see Amazon come up with a whole new name for the Colorsoft, indicating that itll perhaps be a separate product line, it would make sense for the Colorsoft to be a one-off and for the color panels to get integrated into other existing Kindles in future. Another potential technological change to Kindles is making them foldable. To that end, Panay simply said Its an interesting concept. When I pointed out that hes no stranger to folding devices, he acknowledged Im definitely not, before adding that we have a ton of concepts in the lab. Crucially, though, he reiterates he doesn't want to create tech for the sake of creating tech. If the idea is right, Panay is open to considering it. But right now, keeping it simple is where were at.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/panos-panay-on-launching-his-first-products-since-moving-to-amazon-163024504.html?src=rss
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Astro Bot, one of Sonys greatest triumphs, is getting new content for those who live life (or at least play PS5) in the fast lane. Developer Team Asobi said on Wednesday that the first of five free speedrunning levels teased at Sonys September State of Play will arrive on Thursday, October 17. The first speedrun level is Building Speed, where youll get an assist from your robot bulldog friend Barkster. Team Asobi promises youll blast your way through a sky-high city. Dodging cranes, smashing through crates and zipping through a flying car wash are part of the festivities. It sounds like more of the cute, 3D-platforming fun that Engadgets Jessica Conditt described as the equivalent of Super Mario Bros. for a new generation of video game fanatics. Team Asobi / Sony After tomorrows first level, a new speedrunning stage will arrive on each of the following four Thursdays. That includes Let it Slide on October 24, Spring-loaded Run on October 31, Helium Heights on November 7 and Rising Heat on November 14. The speedrun levels are all free. You should see them starting at 9AM ET on their launch dates. Each level will add two new bots to rescue. Team Asobi has already teased nods to Eve from Stellar Blade and the Helldivers, but you can expect more fun surprises beyond those. Team Asobi sounds like it has more content on tap. In its announcement blog post, the developers invited you to stay tuned because there may be even more surprises coming soon for Sonys latest PlayStation-exclusive success story. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-first-of-astro-bots-free-speedrunning-levels-arrives-on-thursday-162006557.html?src=rss
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The Federal Trade Commission has made it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions. In a decision that went down along party lines, the agency voted to ratify a click-to-cancel rule that will require providers to make it as easy to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up for one. First proposed last year, the rulemaking prohibits companies from misrepresenting their recurring services and memberships, as well as failing to clearly disclose any material terms related to those offerings. Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription, said Chair Lina Khan. The FTCs rule will end these tricks and traps, saving Americans time and money. Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want. After considering more than 16,000 comments on the matter, the FTC decided not to write the final rulemaking as originally proposed. Most notably, the agency scrapped a proposal that would have required companies to provide consumers with annual reminders for subscription renewals. It also wont mandate a rule that would have forced sellers to obtain the consent of those seeking to cancel a subscription before telling them about potential modifications to their plan or reasons why they should continue paying for a service. No American should have to worry about being tricked into buying subscriptions and memberships or staying in either against their will.Today, my Administration is taking action to ensure folks don't have to jump through hoops to cancel them. https://t.co/3TJFi362vh President Biden (@POTUS) October 16, 2024 A separate statement issued by Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter (PDF link) provides insight into the decision. Essentially, the agency felt the FTC Act doesnt give it the authority to require a renewal notice. Ill note here that the dissenting opinion (PDF link), written by Republican Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, contends that the entire rulemaking is overly broad, and accuses the Democratic majority of attempting to push through the change before next month's election. Americans understand the importance and value of such a requirement; many have discovered that they or their parents had been paying for years or even decades for a service wholly unused, such as a dial-up internet service from the 1990s, Slaughter writes in her statement. Of course, we are always mindful that our authority under the FTC Act to issue rules under section 18 has limits; sometimes, as here, those limits prevent us from codifying in a rule practices that we might, as a matter of policy, prefer to require explicitly. Slaughter points out that state and federal lawmakers do have the authority to mandate renewal notices, and notes some states, such as Virginia, have even recently gone down that path. The comment record compiled in this rulemaking proceeding strongly supports the wisdom of federal and state legislators carefully considering adopting such a law, Slaughter writes. Provided theres no legal challenge to the FTCs decision, todays rulemaking will go into effect 180 days after it is published in the Federal Register. When the agency moved to ban noncompete clauses earlier this year, a federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction. That decision is still stuck in legal limbo. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftc-ratifies-click-to-cancel-rule-making-it-easier-for-consumers-to-end-subscriptions-160752238.html?src=rss
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