Latest Technology

If you’re looking for the best time to get a deal this spring, it might very well be during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale , which kicks off at 3:01AM ET on March 25th and runs through 2:59AM ET on April 1st. Some early deals have already begun (we’re compiling them here ), but we’ll also be highlighting newer, more notable sales and the many so-called “doorbuster” deals that will appear throughout the seasonal shopping event. If the early deals are any indication of what’s to come, you can expect deals on all sorts of consumer tech, from personal audio and home theater upgrades to steep discounts on video games, mobile accessories, and various doo-dads for tinkerers. Given that the sale coincides with the arrival of spring, we can also expect deals on plenty of outdoor-friendly gear, including portable Bluetooth speakers, open-style earbuds, and more. Amazon’s annual spring sale doesn’t require a Prime membership to participate in, either. Most of the deals are available to everyone, wit...

Many organizations have called employees back to offices following Covid-related lockdowns, but the Iran war and ensuing energy crisis may quickly see workers returning to work from home. The International Energy Agency (IEA) - an energy watchdog established to help safeguard global power supplies following the 1970s oil crisis - is pushing for governments, businesses, and households to adopt recommendations that aim to curb energy demands amid supply disruptions triggered by the conflict. The list of ten suggested actions identified in the IEA's report includes encouraging people to work from home and/or drive slower to reduce fuel usage, … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/HfNFRSo

Just feed your images into the bot and it’ll try to mimic specific styles and aesthetics. | Image: Adobe Adobe is launching customizable AI image generators that can mimic specific artistic styles and character designs. The Firefly Custom Models are available in public beta starting today, allowing creators and brands to train a model on their own assets to ensure generated images follow a consistent aesthetic for characters, illustrations, and photography. The tool aims to streamline workflows for teams and creators that need to produce high volumes of content, providing a reusable foundation that preserves visual consistency across multiple projects, instead of having to start from scratch each time. Adobe says that custom models can help pr … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/DyxdGPI

Uber and Rivian are joining forces to deploy 50,000 fully autonomous robotaxis over the next several decades, the companies announced Thursday. As part of the deal, Uber will invest $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031, contingent on Rivian meeting certain autonomy milestones, starting with an initial $300 million at signing. (The deal is still subject to regulatory approval.) The news signals a big vote of confidence in Rivian's nascent autonomy efforts , which include designing its own custom AI chips to power Level 4 autonomous vehicles. Uber, meanwhile, has been on something of a robotaxi partnering spree , corralling a variety of compani … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/SFne9xY

Nvidia surely thought it was doing a good thing for gamers by "upgrading" the faces of our favorite video game characters. But that just shows how much the company has lost the plot. Nvidia could've marketed its new DLSS 5 real-time lighting technology as a way to make future, next-gen games look better. Instead, it told the world that games people already know and love look bad . It focused on retconning characters' faces. And now, confronted with the predictable backlash, Nvidia's CEO is telling critics that we're "completely wrong ." Regardless of how it works, the tech presents as an AI filter that tries to optimize everyone and everythi … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/nqpw6ms

Nvidia has revealed a new “3D guided neural rendering model” called DLSS 5 that can change a game’s lighting and materials in real-time, and… many gamers aren’t happy. From DLSS 5 memes to complaints about how it’s “yassified” Resident Evil Requiem characters in demos, the first impression has not been a good one, no matter how much Nvidia insists that this pursuit of photorealism is still honoring the original artists’ intent. Follow along below for all the latest updates about Nvidia’s DLSS 5 upgrades . Jensen Huang, on the critical reaction to DLSS 5: “Well, first of all, they’re completely wrong.” Nvidia’s DLSS 5 is like motion smoothing for video games, but worse DLSS 5 looks like a real-time generative AI filter for video games Nvidia just announced DLSS 5 and Digital Foundry already has a video. from The Verge https://ift.tt/XZeE6f2