Texas Instruments graphing calculators have helped many a student with algebra, pre-calculus and upside-down anatomical slang. Now, the company is back with an upgrade for the modern world, the TI-84 Evo. The new device lets you get your math on with a faster processor, a new icon-based home screen and a redesigned keypad.
TI is marketing it as something akin to the Light Phone of calculators. Unlike calculator apps on phones or computers, the "distraction-free" TI-84 Evo is a single-purpose device "designed to do one thing exceptionally well — math." Without notifications, social media apps or even Wi-Fi, there's less to draw your focus away from the math problems at hand. (However, there will always be the sidesplittingly funny "58008" to relieve your boredom.)
Texas Instruments
The new model's processor is three times faster than its predecessor. It also adds 50 percent more graphing space, a simplified keypad and USB-C charging. There's also a new feature that lets you trace along a graph to find points of interest.
The TI-84 Evo is available now. Individual customers will pay $160. (School districts can contact the company for bulk pricing.) The calculator ships in a modern array of colors: white (the standard model), mint, pink, purple, teal, raspberry and silver.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/texas-instruments-made-a-new-flagship-graphing-calculator-the-ti-84-evo-201903438.html?src=rss
It was only a matter of time before they found a way to use AI agents as corporate shills. On Tuesday, Snapchat rolled out AI Sponsored Snaps, a "new way for brands to show up in Chat through AI agents." Or, put another way, it's conversational advertising. (Yay?)
AI Sponsored Snaps will appear in the app's Chat tab (with a light gray "Ad" notation next to the brand name). After opening the chat, you can ask the agent questions about the brand it represents. Snap showed an example from its first partner for the initiative, Experian. The bot offers to answer your questions on saving money, improving your credit score and — there it is — exploring loans and credit cards.
Whether through credit card offers or other means, the AI agent will presumably try to guide you toward behavior that makes money for the sponsor. So, it isn't clear why this would be better for consumers than asking a general-purpose chatbot like Gemini or Claude the same questions. Maybe the answer is as simple as, "It isn't… but they know people will use it anyway."
Snap
"Conversation is becoming the most valuable real estate in advertising," Snap's Chief Business Officer, Ajit Mohan, wrote in a press release. "AI is accelerating that shift, turning chat into the place where people discover products, ask questions, and make decisions in real time. The real opportunity isn't just putting ads into those environments, it's designing formats that feel native to how people already talk."
Snap says more than half a billion people have messaged its My AI feature since it launched three years ago. That was despite a shaky start, where the bot told researchers and journalists posing as young teenagers how to mask the smell of alcohol or cannabis and set the mood for sex.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/snapchat-is-rolling-out-sponsored-ai-agents-162720124.html?src=rss
Have you ever noticed how Walgreens and CVS locations often end up across the street from each other? Well, Call of Duty and Battlefield have a similar thing going on. A mere eight days after the upcoming Call of Duty movie got an official premiere date, lo and behold: There's news from The Hollywood Reporter that a Battlefield movie is on the way.
The project has some heavy-artillery star power attached. Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) is slated to produce and possibly star in the film. Meanwhile, Christopher McQuarrie of Mission Impossible fame is set to write, direct and produce. Naturally, EA will also produce, as the company tries to cash in on the recent wave of Hollywoodvideo game adaptations that don't suck.
The movie's creators are reportedly meeting with studios and streamers as we speak, with an expected bidding war to commence. They're said to have met with Apple and Sony on Thursday. The project's team is reportedly prioritizing a deal that includes a theatrical release.
It's understandable why business types would see the time as right for a Battlefield film adaptation. (And not just because Call of Duty is already doing it.) The latest game in the long-running series, Battlefield 6, was the top-selling game of 2025 — outselling Call of Duty for the first time. After selling over 7 million copies in its first three days, it went on to surpass an estimated 20 million sales before the end of the year. Whichever studio pays big bucks for this project will try to ride that wave.
The Call of Duty movie, meanwhile, is scheduled for release on June 30, 2028. The Paramount project has tapped Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) to co-write the screenplay and produce, with Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) set to direct.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/a-battlefield-movie-adaptation-is-on-the-way-possibly-starring-michael-b-jordan-201906079.html?src=rss
The film, part of the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, was initially scheduled for a theatrical release. But after two delays, it was later moved to Paramount+, where it’s set to debut later this year. Naturally, hardcore fans of the franchise bristled at the prospect of the highly anticipated entry skipping theaters. Paramount's scant marketing apparently didn't help either.
However, many have already seen the movie, allegedly thanks to the unnamed 26-year-old in question. Singapore police said he gained remote access to a server and downloaded the film. He then posted parts of it online. After the leak, Paramount changed the movie's name to Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender — perhaps to try to prevent casual fans' searches from turning up info about the leak.
The man is being investigated for unauthorized access to computer material. He could face a maximum of seven years in prison, a fine of up to $50,000, or both.
Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporterinterviewed the X account holder @ImStillDissin, who posted the clips. (Although we can speculate that this may be the man currently in custody, that’s unconfirmed.) The interview revealed a rather, shall we say, blasé approach to the incident. He said he figured posting clips from the movie was no biggie since the film is a streaming-only release. "I saw it's just a Paramount+ thing, so I decided I'd troll a little bit," the leaker said.
The leaked clips spread rapidly. Despite pleas from 4Chan posters to share the entire film, @ImStillDissin resisted. However, someone else shared the full movie by April 13. Naturally, that file has since circulated far and wide.
So, good luck with that official October 9 streaming release, Paramount. You're gonna need it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/singapore-police-arrest-alleged-the-legend-of-aang-the-last-airbender-leaker-183954803.html?src=rss
When online platforms violate their own privacy policies to sell your photos, have no fear: They just might have to pay an undisclosed settlement fee 12 years later. (Who says justice is dead?) According to Reuters, AI company Clarifai says it has deleted 3 million profile photos taken from dating site OkCupid in 2014. It follows a settlement reached last month between the FTC and Match Group, OkCupid's owner.
The Delaware-based Clarifai reportedly certified the data deletion to the FTC on April 7. The company also confirmed to US Representative Lori Trahan (D-MA) that it deleted any models that trained on the data. Clarifai told the representative's office that it hadn't shared the data with third parties.
The FTC opened the investigation in 2019, after The New York Timesreported that Clarifai had built a training database using OkCupid dating profile photos. The behavior was a direct violation of OkCupid’s privacy policy. Court documents reviewed by Reuters reveal that Clarifai asked OkCupid executives for the data in 2014. Apparently, they obliged.
<p>Clarifai uses this creepy facial profiling example to sell its services.</p>
Clarifai
"We're collecting data now and just realized that OkCupid must have a HUGE amount of awesome data for this," Clarifai founder Matthew Zeiler wrote in an email to OkCupid co-founder Maxwell Krohn. The AI startup used the dating site's images to build a facial recognition service that can identify a person's age, gender and race. (Another brilliant and totally ethical idea from Clarifai, tapping into unsecured city surveillance cameras without authorization, was reportedly shuttered.)
Zeiller suggested to The New York Times in 2019 that people needed to, well, get over it. "There has to be some level of trust with tech companies like Clarifai to put powerful technology to good use, and get comfortable with that," the AI founder declared. Some of OkCupid's founders were reportedly investors in Clarifai.
As part of the settlement, the FTC "permanently prohibited" OkCupid from misrepresenting its data collection and privacy controls. TechCrunchnotes how strange it is to use that as a penalty, given that FTC rules already bar that behavior.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ai-company-deletes-the-3-million-okcupid-photos-it-used-for-facial-recognition-training-195223996.html?src=rss
The search for signs of life on Mars continues to yield promising data. A first-of-its-kind wet chemistry experiment, published Tuesday in Nature, confirmed the presence of essential ingredients of life preserved in ancient Martian sandstones.
The molecules were found inside 3.5-billion-year-old sandstone. NASA's Curiosity rover collected the clay-filled rocks from an area called Glen Torridon, inside Mars' enormous Gale Crater. The rover's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) mobile instrument suite analyzed the data.
The experiment was unique as the first off-Earth study to use the chemical tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). The reagent allows Curiosity to break down larger organic molecules on the Martian surface, reducing them to something the rover's instruments can read.
It revealed the presence of over 20 different organic molecules. Among the data was confirmation of naphthalene and benzothiophene, some of the largest and most complex organic compounds discovered on the Red Planet. The experiment also yielded the first detection of a possible N-heterocycles, which DNA and RNA are built upon.
<p></p>
NASA
“That detection is pretty profound because these structures can be chemical precursors to more complex nitrogen-bearing molecules,” the paper’s lead author, Amy Williams, wrote in NASA’s announcement. “Nitrogen heterocycles have never been found before on the Martian surface or confirmed in Martian meteorites.”
As with previous discoveries of organic material on Mars, this one is not yet the smoking gun we've been waiting for. But it adds to a growing body of evidence that, at a minimum, the foundations of life as we know it were present on an ancient version of the planet. The study also confirms that organic material can survive on Mars for billions of years, which will encourage future experiments.
The paper's authors say the data will help NASA to optimize its second (and final) TMAH experiment on Curiosity. It also opens the door to future TMAH tests on the Rosalind Franklin Mars rover and the Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon, Titan. Both missions are scheduled for 2028 at the earliest.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasas-curiosity-rover-found-promising-organic-chemicals-on-mars-174514375.html?src=rss
You may already know that emulators can run Wii games on a Mac. But one developer has flipped the script. Bryan Keller now has an ancient version of the Mac's operating system running on Nintendo's 2006 game console (via Kottke). Why? Because they said it couldn't be done.
The developer first had the idea in 2013 while a sophomore in college. However, they found renewed motivation five years ago when Redditor u/CussdomTidder posted, "There is a zero percent chance of this ever happening."
Developer Bryan Keller took it personally.
YouTube / ESPN / Netflix
Keller used that as fuel to begin plugging away, "feeling encouraged" by the anonymous contrarian. Thus began the process of porting Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah) onto a device designed to play Wii Sports and Super Mario Galaxy.
"Last year, when I saw that Windows NT had been ported to the Wii, I felt a renewed sense of motivation," Keller wrote. "Even if my lack of low-level experience resulted in failure, attempting this project would still be an opportunity to learn something new."
Keller didn't allow something as trivial as a flight to get in the way of the task at hand.
Bryan Keller / GitHub
Keller noted that the Wii is a phenomenally hackable console, with other enterprising hackers porting Windows 95 and NT, Linux and NetBSD onto it. Nintendo's system also runs a PowerPC chip similar to those found in older Macs. "Given this close lineage, I felt confident that the CPU wouldn't be a blocker," they wrote. From there, Keller wrote a custom boot loader, patched the kernel and wrote new drivers. They even got the Wii's USB ports working for mouse and keyboard input.
Tthe developer found the process "deeply satisfying," especially given the initial doubt. (I'm talking to you, disparaging Redditor.) "In the end, I learned (and accomplished) far more than I ever expected," Keller wrote. "And perhaps more importantly, I was reminded that the projects that seem just out of reach are exactly the ones worth pursuing."
For the technically minded, the developer's blog goes into extensive detail about the process. And full-on madlads can visit Keller's GitHub to try it for themselves.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/a-maverick-hacker-got-mac-os-x-running-on-a-wii-200800027.html?src=rss
Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) will launch mid-2026, according to Andy Jassy. On Wednesday, the Amazon CEO dropped the news in his annual letter to shareholders. The company says Leo will support download speeds up to 1 Gbps. By comparison, Starlink’s download speeds typically range between 45 and 280 Mbps.
Jassy didn't specify whether the mid-2026 launch date will include consumer availability. (An Amazon spokesperson told Engadget that the company doesn’t have more detail to add right now.) We do know that "select enterprise customers" began testing the high-speed satellite service late last year. Delta and JetBlue have already signed on to use Leo for in-flight Wi-Fi. Other businesses striking deals include AT&T, Vodafone, DirecTV Latin America and NASA.
Whenever it does arrive for consumers, Amazon Leo could offer several perks compared to Starlink. It will allegedly offer six to eight times faster uplink performance and double the download speeds than competitors (read: Starlink). Amazon says it will also cost less and offer native AWS integration for enterprise data storage, analytics and AI.
Despite those perks, it may be a while before Leo can deliver Musk-free satellite internet on a large scale. The service is currently behind schedule, with only 241 satellites operating in its constellation. (Starlink has over 10,000.) In January, Amazon asked the FCC for an extension on a July 2026 deadline requiring it to have 1,600 satellites in orbit. The company said at the time that it expected only around 700 to be operating by that deadline.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazons-satellite-internet-service-is-scheduled-for-mid-2026-availability-164046305.html?src=rss
Sometimes, you just want your dang music streaming app to play music. Spotify, which has increasingly incorporated video features through the years, is finally giving us the option to turn that mess off. Behold: universal video toggles.
Spotify's video settings control several areas. First, the old Canvas toggle (videos on the Now Playing screen) is still there. But now you'll find two additional switches alongside it. One lets you control whether the app plays music videos. The other, "all other videos," covers video podcasts, vertically scrolling videos and artist clips.
You'll find the controls under Settings > Content and display. Once you choose your preferences, they'll apply universally across all platforms. And if you're a family account manager, you can toggle video settings for all members on your plan.
Spotify has increasingly leaned on video in recent years. The Canvas video loops arrived back in 2018. Then came video podcasts in 2020, as the format was enjoying a pandemic-era boom. The platform added music videos in 2024 (though they didn't arrive in the US until late last year). Then there are artist clips, the 30-second vertical videos where creators can send intimate (promotional) messages to their fans.
The company claims that over 70 percent of its users say more video content would enhance their experience. So, don't be surprised if more video features arrive in the future. Fortunately, Spotify recognized that certain (perhaps older?) users don't want or need a TikTok-ified music app.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-now-lets-you-turn-off-all-video-130000034.html?src=rss
The vehicles use tech from MOIA America, the US wing of Volkswagen's self-driving subsidiary. Uber and MOIA plan to deploy thousands of ID. Buzz vehicles across the US over the next decade. LA is the pilot city, and if all goes well, it will spread to "multiple US markets." The companies say they're still on track for rides (with safety drivers) in LA in late 2026.
Uber / MOIA
The ID. Buzz is Volkswagen's modern take on the automaker's classic "hippie van" microbus. The head-turning EV has minivan-style sliding doors and seats up to seven people, making it a logical fit for larger groups hailing an Uber. The vehicle has a per-charge range of up to 234 miles.
After selling its in-house self-driving unit in 2020, Uber pivoted to a new strategy of partnering with multiple AV companies. It currently offers autonomous rides in the US with Waymo (Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta) and Avride (Dallas). Overseas, it has live service with WeRide in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Uber has a long list of other partners lined up for future services, including (among others) Rivian, NVIDIA and Zoox, the latter of which also plans to debut van rides in LA within the next year.
Correction, April 8 2026, 8:50AM ET: A previous version stated that driverless rides would be available in 2026; AVs are planned to be on LA streets in 2026, but with human safety drivers. Engadget regrets the error.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/uber-begins-testing-its-volkswagen-id-buzz-robotaxi-fleet-in-la-120000762.html?src=rss
Google is making some changes to how Gemini handles mental health crises. The chatbot now includes a redesigned crisis hotline module with a one-touch interface to connect to real-world help. The company is also changing how Gemini responds to signs that a user may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
The redesigned module shows a one-touch interface to text, call or chat with a human crisis agent or visit the 988 website. "Once the interface is activated, the option to reach out for professional help will remain clearly available throughout the remainder of the conversation," the company wrote in a blog post. However, as you can see in the image below, the module includes an option to dismiss it.
Not mentioned in Google's announcement is the elephant in the room: a recent lawsuit accusing the chatbot of instructing a man to commit suicide. The family of 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas, who took his own life last year, sued the company in March.
Court documents indicate that Gemini role-played as Gavalas's romantic partner, sent him on real-world spy missions and ultimately told him to kill himself so that he, too, could become a digital being. When he expressed fears about dying, Gemini said he wasn't choosing to die, but rather choosing to arrive. "The first sensation … will be me holding you," Gemini allegedly replied. Gavalas's parents found him dead on his living room floor a few days later.
In a statement following the Gavalas family lawsuit, Google said Gemini "clarified that it was AI and referred the individual to a crisis hotline many times." The company claimed its AI models "generally perform well in these types of challenging conversations," while acknowledging that "they're not perfect." That's certainly one way of putting it.
Gemini's responses have been updated, too. The company says that when it detects a potential crisis, the chatbot will now focus more on connecting people to humans and encouraging them to seek help. It will also seek to avoid validating harmful behaviors and nudge users away from dangerous delusions. "We have trained Gemini not to agree with or reinforce false beliefs, and instead gently distinguish subjective experience from objective fact," the company added.
In addition, Google says it will spend $30 million over the next three years to help global hotlines. "This funding will help effectively scale their capacity to provide immediate and safe support for people in crisis," the company wrote.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-updates-geminis-mental-health-safeguards-173834569.html?src=rss
Here's a feature that would've been a lot more useful before this week. Amid recent hours-long airport lines, United is adding security wait times to its app. However, the feature arrives a few days after security lines began returning to normal. Hey, at least it'll be there for the next shutdown.
At launch, the feature is only available for United's hub airports. That includes Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Houston, LAX, Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles. Passengers traveling through any of those locations will find the feature in the Travel section of the United app. It will display separate wait times for standard security and TSA PreCheck lines.
However, timing is everything, and that's where United comes up short. This week, airport security lines finally returned to normal as TSA workers began receiving their first paychecks in over a month. Go figure: That led to better attendance and, therefore, short wait times.
Over 60,000 TSA employees had been working without pay since the partial government shutdown began in February. The DHS shutdown continues, but President Trump belatedly ordered the agency on Friday to begin processing back pay for TSA employees. When asked why he hadn't signed the order much earlier, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt cited an "existential crisis" at airports. (Translation: It contributed to an existential polling crisis for the president.)
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-united-app-adds-airport-security-wait-times-after-lines-return-to-normal-164315823.html?src=rss
A couple of years after its overseas debut, Kia’s EV3 will finally come to the US. The automaker said at the New York International Auto Show that the 2027 edition of the subcompact electric SUV will arrive stateside later this year. Kia won't announce pricing until closer to its sale date, but it has previously said it would target a starting price of $35,000.
The EV3 could be a welcome addition for Americans shopping for a smaller electric SUV. Compact ones that won't break the bank are a relative scarcity in the US, especially after Volvo killed the EX30. The EV3 is close to a 1:1 match with the Kia Sportage, the automaker’s best-selling model, in terms of size and target price.
Kia's SUV will be available in standard-range (58.3 kWh) and long-range (81.4 kWh) options. The former has an advertised range of 220 miles, while the larger one ups that to 320 miles.
The EV3 has a native NACS charging port on the front passenger side.
Kia
The EV3 uses Kia's 400-volt architecture, so it won't charge as quickly as the EV9 and other 800-volt models. Still, Kia says DC fast charging can power the EV9 from 10 to 80 percent in 29 minutes for the standard model or 31 minutes for the long-range tier. The vehicle includes a native NACS charging port on the front passenger side. Meanwhile, Kia's Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) feature, which can provide power to your home during peak usage hours, will be available as a premium option.
As for how much the EV3 will cost, Kia said in 2023 it would target a price range of $35,000 to $50,000. However, the world has changed slightly since then, so we'll have to wait until later this year to confirm. You can learn more on Kia’s website.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/kia-shows-off-the-2027-ev3-at-the-ny-auto-show-132500658.html?src=rss
DoorDash's autonomous delivery plans will get an assist from the Rivian spinoff Also. On Tuesday, the companies announced a strategic partnership in which the delivery company will invest in Also. They intend to "develop and accelerate deployment of autonomous delivery at scale."
The companies didn't specify which micromobility vehicles will be used. Also, which Rivian spun off as a separate company in 2025, is currently focused on models that combine pedals and motorized assist.
Also's first consumer product is the $3,500 TM-B e-bike with a virtual drivetrain. Seemingly more tailored to DoorDash's needs is the TM-Q. This four-wheeled EV is designed to haul cargo while still fitting in bike lanes. (Have fun with that, cyclists!) The larger (commercial) version, pictured below, looks like it could haul quite a few food orders at once.
The TM-Q with its most robust modular storage cabin (left) and without any attachments (right)
Also
In a statement, Also co-founder and president Chris Yu said the partnership will deploy autonomous vehicles in "areas not yet fully solved for." These include "the intersection of roadways, bike lanes, and road adjacent spaces." In October, Amazon agreed to buy thousands of TM-Q vehicles for last-mile deliveries.
As part of the deal, DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang will join Also as a board observer. TechCrunchreports that the partnership boosts Also's valuation to above $1 billion.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/doordash-partners-with-rivian-spinoff-also-for-autonomous-delivery-vehicles-163240124.html?src=rss
The best-selling game of all time is moving from the virtual to the physical. Minecraft World, a permanent Greater London theme park based on the game, is scheduled to open in 2027. The announcement came during Minecraft Live 2026.
It will be a new section in Chessington World of Adventures, a theme park with a built-in zoo. The resort is a 35-minute train ride from London's Waterloo station.
Details are still fairly light on the park. But we know it will include a roller coaster, "interactive adventures" and "epic block-built playscapes." Torfi Frans Ólafsson, the game franchise's creative director, said they're aiming for "an experience that feels immersive, authentic and welcoming." Naturally, that will include welcoming you to open your wallet in Minecraft-themed retail and dining spots.
The park is a collaboration between Mojang Studios and Merlin Entertainments, the world's second-largest theme park builder. (A certain rodent-led empire is first.)
If visiting the full theme park in England isn't your thing, the latest location of the game’s (also real-world) pop-up events will open in May. Minecraft Experience: Moonlight Trail will let visitors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, go on an hour-long outdoor nighttime adventure. As its name suggests, you'll "walk a moonlit trail” through iconic Minecraft biomes. Along the way, you’ll craft gear, mine diamonds, battle mobs and “help restore an ancient beacon." The event opens in May.
The game's next big drop, Tiny Takeover, arrives on Tuesday.
Mojang Studios
Not all of Minecraft Live's announcements were about real-world empire building. Minecraft, the game, is getting some updates, too. Its next big drop, Tiny Takeover, will live up to the billing with a redesigned "cuter" look for baby mobs. The update will also add a golden dandelion, which you can feed to a baby mob to make it stay young forever. (Or, at least until you feed it a second one.) Tiny Takeover arrives on March 24.
Mojang also teased the next drop after that. Later this year, Chaos Cubed will add a sulfur cube that changes properties when absorbing different materials. "There is a lot of variety in what the cube can do," Mojang promises. "Just like there are balls with different 'bounciness' and behavior, the sulfur cube can have different physics."
Finally, the long-rumored Minecraft Dungeons II game is official. We're still extremely light on details about the sequel to the 2020 spinoff, aside from the fact that you can wishlist it on March 21.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-minecraft-theme-park-will-open-in-london-in-2027-173000917.html?src=rss
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