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Donald Trump, who previously called Bitcoin a scam, has launched a new cryptocurrency venture called World Liberty Financial. "Crypto is one of those things we have to do," he said in an interview on X. "Whether we like it or not, I have to do it." The news comes just a day after a likely assassination attempt against Trump at his Florida golf course. Trump is entering the venture with his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, along with two crypto entrepreneurs: Chase Herro (who once called stablecoins "borderline a Ponzi scheme") and Zachary Folkman, who founded a company called Date Hotter Girls. Trump's 18-year-old son Barron Trump, who has no known crypto expertise, is also listed as "chief DeFi [decentralized finance] visionary." The tokens themself are supposedly based on US dollar stablecoins. Some involved in the venture have touted it internally as a borrowing and lending platform, according to The New York Times. Cryptocurrency is generally supposed to be decentralized, but a large chunk of the governance tokens for World Liberty Financial could be held by insiders, according to a draft white paper for the project seen by CoinDesk. The remaining 30 percent would be distributed "via public sale" with some of the money raised from that also going to project insiders. lmao Trump has absolutely no clue what crypto is. Notice how he changes the topic immediately here to avoid talking about it. pic.twitter.com/uPtL5qHPvs Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 17, 2024 When asked questions about the venture in an X Spaces interview (above), Trump appeared to know next to nothing about it. "It's so important. It's crypto. It's AI. It's so many other things. AI needs tremendous electricity capabilities beyond anything I ever heard," he said. He deferred to Barron's expertise, saying he has "four wallets" and equated it to learning a language like Chinese. Some comments in the Spaces interview weren't kind. "Let's be honest Trump doesn't even know what crypto is or why he's being asked to shill it," said one. Others noted that launching such a venture just ahead of an election was inappropriate. "I think it genuinely damages trumps electoral prospects, especially if it gets hacked (itll be the juiciest DeFi target ever and its forked from a protocol that itself was hacked)," said crypto industry notable and self-proclaimed Trump supporter Nic Carter in a post on X. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/trump-jumps-into-cryptocurrency-appears-to-know-nothing-about-it-130022525.html?src=rss
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Nintendo has announced a couple of new Switch bundles in time for this year's upcoming holiday shopping season. Starting in October, it will sell Switch consoles bundled with a download code for the digital version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a 12-month Switch Online Individual membership, which will give you access to classic NES, Super NES and Game Boy titles. The basic Switch system bundle with red and blue Joy-Cons will set you back $300. Nintendo already has an existing Switch-Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle, but it's selling for $360 and only comes with three months of Switch Online subscription instead of 12. The company will also sell an OLED model bundle with the same inclusions as the basic one for $350, $10 less than what the current package with the non-OLED system costs. Nintendo's OLED model has a bigger screen than the standard model with better battery life. There's no time limit to get the bundles, but both options will only be available from the My Nintendo Store and in select retail stores until supplies last. Nintendo could announce the next-gen Switch as soon as later this month. Based on previous reports, the new Switch will likely be fully backwards compatible for both digital and physical games. It is, of course, expected to have a more powerful processor than the first Switch, which was released way back in 2017, and could have 8GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The console is also expected to support NVIDIA's DLSS upscaling technology that would give the console the power to render games internally at a low resolution while producing a high-resolution output. It could either have an 8-inch display LCD display or a 7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, as well. The next-gen Switch will most likely be released sometime in 2025, though, and will not be available to purchase as a gift for others or yourself these holidays. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-will-sell-cheaper-switch-mario-kart-bundles-in-october-123024329.html?src=rss
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The Apple Watch has been around for ten years. Looking at pictures of the device then, it might not seem like much has changed even the apps drawer seems identical. But subtly and quietly, the Apple Watch the companys first new product line of the post-Steve Jobs era has evolved to become capable of so much more today. Over the last few years, there have been some big leaps forward for the Apple Watchs featureset, up to and including wrist-based ECG and heart-rate readings that were once the purview of science fiction. Weve heard many testimonials, mostly from Apple at its events, about how the Apple Watch has saved lives whether it be by detection of a fall or atrial fibrillation. Smartwatches as a category have matured and found their place, it seems, and the Apple Watch has carved out a comfy spot within the space. So color me surprised when the Series 10 launched to very little fanfare last week. I guess I was expecting Apple to be a bit more self-congratulatory, but the company seemed to gloss over the products birthday. Instead, we got to learn about the devices thinner profile and bigger screen with greater viewing angles. It also has smaller onboard speakers, apps for water sports enthusiasts and health features like the new sleep apnea monitoring and alerts. It may sound underwhelming compared to the seemingly futuristic features we were seeing in the Apple Watchs early days, but the Series 10 is just following in the footsteps of the iPhone. Its a mature product thats traded massive annual overhauls for iterative updates that add up over time. For a smartwatch that has consistently been called the best in its class, the Series 10 largely continues that tradition, even as it walks back a feature or two thanks to ongoing copyright litigation. Editors Note: While we've been testing the Apple Watch Series 10 for about a week, there are some features including sleep apnea alerts that we'd like to spend more time evaluating. As such, we'll be returning to this review with further evaluation followed by a final rating in the near future. Design and display Compared to the Series 9, the latest Apple Watch is ever so slightly bigger and noticeably thinner and lighter. Its not such a great difference that youll notice without having the two side by side, but every time I pick up the Series 10 I definitely feel a tiny spark of joy. The squatter shape, slimmer profile and more rounded corners somehow make the new watch feel a bit like a biscuit, while the Series 9 comes off more like a smaller mahjong tile. Both sizes of the mainstream Apple Watch have grown ever so slightly, with the 41mm version now coming in at 42mm and the 45mm one sitting at 46mm. Ive worn the smaller Series 10 and Series 9 on both wrists for a few days now and genuinely dont find there to be a major difference in daily use. As significant as I think the thinner body and lighter weight is on the Series 10, its not like I was having trouble squeezing its predecessor through jacket sleeves before. I will say that the new model will certainly be more comfortable under the snuggest of my cuffs. Apple cutting the Series 10 down to just 9.7mm thin is certainly a feat, considering the Pixel Watch 3 is still a pretty chunky 12mm thick. Samsungs Galaxy Watch 7 is the same height, so Google needs to play a bit of catch-up here. The Series 10s bigger screen does make some things easier to see, like road names on Maps and the clock when youre in Spotify. Youll likely find greater gains here by choosing larger font sizes, which is a bit of an obvious note but at least on the Series 10 youll have more room to work with. If you need something even bigger, you should consider the Watch Ultra 2, which has a 49mm screen. Apples also using a wide-angle OLED this year to make things easier to read even if your wrist is simply resting on the table, not held up in front of your eyes. Again, in my side by side observations, the change is noticeable but not in a huge way. There does appear to be greater contrast between the digits of the time against the photo in the background, too, which makes the clock more visible at an angle. Cherlynn Low for Engadget However, its worth pointing out that when youre staring at the Series 10 face on, you might find its bezels noticeably thicker than on the Series 9. Even if youre planning on upgrading from a Series 9, where youll be most primed to feel the bigger bezels impact on design, its still a tiny complaint, if at all. Thicker borders dont really affect the watchs performance. Apple introduced some new watch faces with the Series 10, as it does with every successive generation. This time, the Flux face is supposed to make full use of the displays wider angle view as it spills over the sides (sort of). Theres also a bit of an animation that mimics a second hand ticking across the screen, which is nice, but doesnt add much to the experience. There are other small design changes around the watch. For example, instead of an inch-long slit on the left edge for the speaker output, there now sits two half-inch grilles which blend more seamlessly into the watch. Id also be remiss if I didnt at least mention the new jet black case color option, as well as the polished titanium models that replace the previous stainless steel ones. Theyre nice options to have, if you can afford the $300 upgrade for the new lighter material. Finally, part of why the Series 10 got thinner is its redesigned metal back, which allowed Apple to integrate the antenna into the case and compress two layers into one. Theres also a little so-called isolation circle to help maintain cellular performance. This isnt something youll feel necessarily, but it does contribute to the Series 10s overall thinness. The Apple Watch Series 10s speaker Something Apple brought to the Series 10 is the ability to play music and podcasts through the watchs onboard speaker. It might seem silly to want to use the tiny device for any sort of media, especially things like songs where youd like at least some semblance of sound quality for the experience to be enjoyable. In the few days Ive had the Series 10, I never found the need to stream songs from the speaker on the watch, until I had to test it. At the maximum loudness in a quiet conference room, I enjoyed listening to Running Through the Night by Seori and Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter. It wasnt as bass-heavy as Id like for a regular listening session, but given the circumstances and the size of the watch, the mids and trebles were plenty clear and punchy. Youre not meant to rely on this for long periods anyway, and its just there to scratch an itch if orwhen it arises. With noisier environments, though, its a struggle. Screenshots The Apple Watch Series 10 vs. sleep apnea Arguably the biggest feature coming to the Series 10 is sleep apnea monitoring (though that feature is also available on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 via watchOS 11). This is only for people who havent been diagnosed with sleep apnea, meaning if you already know you have this condition, its not designed to help you see if your CPAP machine is effective, for instance. Ive not been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and might very well be one of the 80 percent of people that has the condition and dont know it. Still, it would be nice to know for certain and when watchOS 11 dropped yesterday, those of us on iOS 18 with compatible Apple Watch models were able to opt in to notifications. I went to the Health app to set this up, answered a series of questions about my age and whether Id been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and was informed I was set up for the feature. In the explanation Apple provides during the onboarding process, it says Apple Watch tracks your breathing while youre asleep and records any disturbances in a 30-day period. It can notify you if those disturbances are suggestive of sleep apnea, so you can go to a doctor for a proper diagnosis. Its been only about a week since Apple announced sleep apnea notifications were coming, and clearly 30 days havent passed. I have yet to glean enough information for any alerts, and cannot yet gauge the impact of this feature. The Apple Watch Series 10 as a health and fitness tracker Barring changes that come with watchOS 11, which older Apple Watches will also get, the Series 10 is essentially the same as its predecessor when it comes to tracking your activity. As long as youve set things up right, youll get reminders to log your mood, take your meds and move after youve been idle too long. Having just reviewed Googles Pixel Watch 3, I cant help but wish Apple were a tad more sensitive and consistent at automatically prompting me to start logging a walk. Theres no real guidance as to how long you have to have been active for the watch to suggest youd been working out. That leads to some confusion and pure frustration when you think youd walked or run enough for the auto detection to kick in, but only to find out you maybe hadnt moved in the right way or for long enough. Ive been a yearslong Apple Watch user, so Ive grown extremely familiar and reliant on its interface and the data it collects. I like diving into my calendar view and looking proudly at all the days I closed my rings. The Health app does a good job of presenting my recent trends and how that compares with my performance a year ago, subtly shaming me into realizing I should maybe take a few more walks a week. The Series 10 doesnt differ much from the Series 9 in that way, and if youre already in Apples ecosystem, this will largely feel extremely familiar. Cherlynn Low for Engadget The Apple Watch Series 10s water-sports features There are some new tools on the Series 10 that are borrowed from elsewhere in the family, though. Apples brought the Watch Ultras Depth app over and introduced a new Tides app across the Series 10 and Watch Ultra 2 that should be helpful for those who spend a lot of time in the water. Im not a big water sports girl, but I do occasionally hang out at beaches. Whether its Long Islands pristine, sandy shores or the rocky terrain of Red Hooks Valentino Pier, Ive certainly encountered sudden swells in water level that Ive had to run to avoid. Its not the biggest problem, of course, but I can see how the Tides app would help anyone plan a day. I launched the app, and in a few seconds, the Series 10 located the closest beach, informing me that the tide was falling and that water levels would hit their lowest at about 2:07AM. I didnt verify this by going to Newport Beach at 2:07AM to measure water levels, but even from my brief testing it appears to be a helpful app for those who need to know this information for a full day of surfing, for example. Its also useful for those who want a convenient way to locate the closest body of water, since the map view shows beaches around you. Its hard to imagine the Depth app being useful for a non-snorkeler or non-scuba diver like me, as Ive watched one too many videos of underwater cave diving gone wrong. But the Depth app and water temperature sensor could theoretically be useful in other scenarios. If you have a deep enough tub, you could potentially stick the Series 10 on your wrist into the bottom and get a reading for whether the water is too hot for your kid. Unlike on the Apple Watch Ultra (1 and 2), which go down to 40 meters (131.2 feet), the Series 10s depth gauge will only provide readings up to 6 meters. That does mean you wont want to take this scuba diving, and its not rated for that, either. All three models I mentioned here offer the same water temperature capability, though. The Apple Watch Series 10s battery life and charging speed In the few days Ive had the Apple Watch Series 10, its generally outlasted the Series 9, not usually by much. One day, after a cross-training workout at 8AM followed by a GPS-enabled walk and a day full of Slack and Telegram alerts, the Series 10 still managed to have 46 percent left at 11:45PM when I got home. The Series 9 was struggling at 19 percent, and both had the same display and Always On settings. This is one aspect that Id like more time testing to better understand, but considering the new watchs slimmer profile and bigger screen, the fact that it even has similar runtime at all would be respectable. Apple also updated the charging setup on its latest smartwatch, which should bring the Series 10 back to 80 percent in 30 minutes. Its worth noting youll have to use a fast-charge-certified accessory, such as a charging cable from the Series 7 or later, which you can tell by confirming that the wire is braided. Faster recharge speeds are nice, since they make up for any shortfalls in battery life by making sure you dont need to wait too long for your device to get back up to a healthy level. Still, considering many devices from Garmin Fitbit and even Samsung can last longer than two days and even up to seven days per charge, the Apple Watchs day and a half feels like a number that could be higher. If the company were looking for ways to push the envelope further, battery life is certainly the area to investigate. I dont mind charging my watch every morning (or night), but some people want to be able to go camping over a long weekend and not have to worry about bringing along chargers. Dont tell them to buy an Apple Watch Ultra for that benefit. Wrap-up Its hard to sum up how I feel about the Apple Watch Series 10. On one hand, I definitely still need more time to form a conclusion about things I dont feel familiar with yet, like sleep apnea alerts. On the other, I feel like I already know this product very well, thanks to its similarity to its predecessor(s). Plus, with watchOS 11 bringing a lot of similar features to the Series 9, Watch Ultra 2 and more, it feels difficult to recommend anyone with a recent device spring for an upgrade. Some of my friends considering the Series 10 are coming from the Series 8 or older, and for them Apples latest certainly feels worthwhile. However, those using an older model should be aware that upgrading to a newer Apple Watch would cost them access to the blood oxygen detection features. The company has yet to bring back the Blood Oxygen app that it removed from the Series 9 and Ultra 2 that it sells in the US, as a result of a patent lawsuit filed by Masimo. Its entirely possible the company is able to revive this feature simply through a software update, but if this measurement is crucial to your daily life, it might be worth sticking with your Series 8. Those looking for a huge leap forward because of the number 10 in the devices name should be prepared to be underwhelmed. But just because the Series 10 isnt a reinvention of smartwatches doesnt mean it isnt still an excellent companion device and well-rounded health-tracker. If youre simply looking for a new Apple Watch or dont care for SpO2 readings, and are coming from a model thats at least two years old, the Series 10 will feel like a solid upgrade. And its still the best for any iPhone owner.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-watch-series-10-review-legacy-and-sequel-in-equal-measure-120021405.html?src=rss
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