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The European Union has summarily rejected calls from Apple to repeal and replace its Digital Markets Act (DMA), the law that governs much about how giant tech companies must operate within the 27-nation bloc. As first reported by France 24, EU digital affairs spokesperson Thomas Regnier responded to Apple’s open letter regarding the DMA’s effect on users in the EU. “Apple has simply contested every little bit of the DMA since its entry into application,” said Regnier. He added that the Commission had “absolutely no intention” of dismantling the DMA. The landmark legislation was passed in 2022 in an effort to rein in the ever-growing reach and power of big tech and to level the playing field for smaller would-be competitors. Since then, Apple has found itself in hot water in the EU over its App Store rules, cross-device interoperability and its browser options. Earlier this year, the Commission fined Apple approximately $570 million for anti-competitive activities, which the company is appealing. This summer, the Commission opened a period of public consultation for the DMA with a deadline for submission of September 24. Apple submitted an official response, while also taking the time to publicly decry the DMA through a blog post. In the post, Apple says “it’s become clear that the DMA is leading to a worse experience for Apple users in the EU.” The company says it is “urging regulators to take a closer look at how the law is affecting the EU citizens who use Apple products every day,” alleging that the implementation of these laws is opening users to higher risks of scams, exposure to harmful apps and weakened security surrounding user data. The back-and-forth over the DMA and the hefty fines being levied against big tech companies has become part of the political discourse amid trade negotiations between the US and the EU. President Donald Trump expressed his ire at American companies facing such heavy fines, and The Wall Street Journal alleged that the EU was using these fines in part as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-tells-apple-it-has-no-intention-of-repealing-the-digital-markets-act-175950691.html?src=rss

Amazon will pay a record civil penalty to settle a case with the Federal Trade Commission. The agency accused Amazon of tricking consumers into signing up for a Prime membership without their consent and making it hard for customers to cancel in a lawsuit filed in 2023. To settle the charges, Amazon has agreed to pay a $1 billion civil penalty and $1.5 billion to refund customers. The company also agreed to “ease unlawful enrollment and cancellation practices for Prime,” per the FTC. The agency says the civil penalty is the largest ever for a case involving a breach of its rules — it had accused Amazon of violating the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act. The $1.5 billion in consumer redress will provide “full relief for the estimated 35 million consumers impacted by unwanted Prime enrollment or deferred cancellation,” the FTC said. It added that this is the second-highest restitution award it has ever obtained. Moreover, Amazon will be prohibited from using some of the dark patterns (i.e. deceptive design practices) it has employed to dissuade customers from canceling Prime memberships. For instance, the settlement precludes it from displaying a button that reads, “No, I don’t want Free Shipping” during the cancellation flow. Instead, it will have to show a “a clear and conspicuous button for customers to decline Prime,” per the terms of the settlement, which does not include an admission of guilt on Amazon’s part. The company will also have to provide clearer information about a Prime subscription to consumers during the sign-up process. This will include details about the price, whether the subscription auto-renews and how to cancel. “Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” Amazon spokesperson Mark Blafkin said in a statement provided to Engadget. “We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world. We will continue to do so, and look forward to what we’ll deliver for Prime members in the coming years.” Update September 25, 1:47PM ET: Added Amazon’s statement and clarified that the settlement doesn’t include an admission of guilt. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-is-paying-25-billion-to-settle-ftc-claims-it-duped-customers-into-signing-up-for-prime-160641347.html?src=rss

ChatGPT already tries to answer all your questions. Now it’s trying to answer questions before you ask them. OpenAI’s new feature for its AI chatbot is ChatGPT Pulse, a summary of personalized updates. The blog post explaining Pulse positions it as a bulletin to start the day based on asynchronous research done by ChatGPT. Users can direct Pulse toward or away from particular topics, and the summaries will also draw on chat history and, if connected, your Gmail and Google Calendar. The examples OpenAI gave for what Pulse recommendations might look like were “follow-ups on topics you discuss often, ideas for quick, healthy dinner to make at home that evening, or next steps toward a longer-term goal such as training for a triathlon.” For now, ChatGPT Pulse is available for Pro tier subscribers to test. However, OpenAI aims to eventually roll the feature out to all users. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-introduces-personalized-daily-summaries-with-chatgpt-pulse-181532935.html?src=rss

Nintendo recently announced that the next mainline Fire Emblem game is coming in 2026, and it looks like the company has another take on the popular strategy series to tide you over while you wait. Fire Emblem Shadows is a new mobile spin-off that combines the series’ tactics gameplay with some of the social dedication mechanics popularized by games like Among Us, and it’s available to download now. Shadows follows groups of heroes — the typical collection of royals, rogues and anime archetypes — navigating an underground labyrinth. “Players choose to take on the role of either a disciple of light, aiming to find their way through the labyrinth, or a disciple of shadow,” Nintendo writes.”After the initial battle, players vote to determine who they believe is the treacherous disciple of shadow. The outcome of the vote affects whether the next battle is more favorable or more challenging.” Unlike a typical Fire Emblem match, though, you don’t have direct control over your characters during battles. Instead, you can see the path they’ll take through a map and are tasked with deploying spells that hurt enemies, heal heroes or offer other buffs while they move. The gameplay-style makes the whole thing feel hands-off and even a little boring in early battles, but it’s possible that could change with more difficult foes. You also earn upgrades as you play, and Nintendo is selling a season pass that unlocks premium rewards while you work your way through either of Fire Emblem Shadows’ two plots. While Nintendo’s push into mobile games has slowed in recent years, the company has fairly consistently updated its original spin-off, Fire Emblem Heroes, since it was released in 2017. That game offered a take on the series’ gameplay that hewed closer to the original, just with a gacha-style lottery system for unlocking new characters. If it proves popular, it seems likely Fire Emblem Shadows will see the same level of support. Fire Emblem Shadows is available to download for free on iOS and Android. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/fire-emblem-shadows-mixes-in-a-little-social-deduction-with-its-tactics-182907183.html?src=rss

Elon Musk’s xAI is suing OpenAI, alleging that the ChatGPT maker has stolen its trade secrets. The lawsuit comes after the company recently sued a former employee, Xuechen Li, for allegedly stealing confidential information from the company before taking a job at OpenAI. In its latest lawsuit, which was reported by Sherwood, xAI says that Li’s alleged actions are part of “a broader and deeply troubling pattern of trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition, and intentional interference with economic relationships by OpenAI.” According to xAI’s lawyers, OpenAI also hired two other xAI employees who stole proprietary information from Musk’s company. “Another early xAI engineer—Jimmy Fraiture—was also harvesting xAI’s source code and airdropping it to his personal devices to take to OpenAI, where he now works,” the lawsuit states. “Meanwhile, a senior finance executive brought another piece of the puzzle to OpenAI—xAI’s ‘secret sauce’ of rapid data center deployment—with no intention to abide by his legal obligations to xAI.” “This new lawsuit is the latest chapter in Mr Musk’s ongoing harassment. We have no tolerance for any breaches of confidentiality, nor any interest in trade secrets from other labs,” OpenAI said in a statement the company shared with Engadget.  Musk, of course, has a complicated history with the ChatGPT maker, and this isn’t the first time his rival AI company has sued OpenAI. Last month, xAI filed lawsuits against OpenAI and Apple over Grok’s placement on App Store charts. Musk alleged that ChatGPT rank in the top spot represented an “unequivocal antitrust violation.” Musk has also filed numerous lawsuits against OpenAI over its relationship with Microsoft and its move to become a for-profit company. Update 2:49 PM ET: Added comment from OpenAI. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/xai-accuses-openai-of-stealing-its-trade-secrets-in-new-lawsuit-152926944.html?src=rss

Anker has opened up pre-orders for the Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro home theater system after teasing the product at IFA. This is being done via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and prices start at $3,000, which is an early bird discount from the eventual $5,000 price tag. The Nebula X1 Pro is something of an all-in-one home theater system, as it includes a 4K projector, a soundbar, a subwoofer and satellite speakers. It boasts a unique design, with the subwoofer floating inside a spring-type assembly system to avoid transferring vibrations. The soundbar speakers fold out to the left and right of the projector and two wireless satellite speakers allow for surround sound. The system supports Dolby Atmos and offers IP43 protection from light rain and dust. This makes it a great projector for outdoor get togethers, which is assisted by a retractable power cable, a telescopic handle and rolling wheels on the bottom. The motorized lens allows for an easy setup and the speakers can be used to stream audio without any accompanying video. It even comes with a pair of wireless microphones for getting the crowd pumped up before movie night. In other words, this is a portable party machine. This is a refinement of the pre-existing Nebula X1 projector, which we absolutely loved. We said that it offers “the clearest, most vivid image quality” that we ever experienced with a projector. That also costs $3,000, but features a less expansive speaker system. The audio quality with the original projector was “very respectable” but will likely pale in comparison to a full Dolby Atmos system with satellite speakers and the like. The Nebula X1 Pro has already sailed past its funding goal, so it’s definitely coming. Deliveries are expected to go out this December. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/anker-opens-pre-orders-for-its-nebula-x1-pro-projector-system-184635440.html?src=rss

ExpressVPN is good at its job. It’s easy to be skeptical of any service with a knack for self-promotion, but don’t let ExpressVPN’s hype distract you from the fact that it keeps its front-page promise of “just working.” Outside of solid security, the two best things ExpressVPN offers are fast speeds and a simple interface. Our tests showed only a 7% average drop in download speed and a 2% loss of upload speed, worldwide. And while the lack of extra features may frustrate experienced users, it makes for a true set-and-forget VPN on any platform. This isn’t to say ExpressVPN is without flaws — it’s nearly bereft of customization options and it’s notably more expensive than its competition — but it beats most VPNs in a head-to-head matchup. For this review, we followed our rigorous 10-step VPN testing process, exploring ExpressVPN’s security, privacy, speed, interfaces and more. Whether you read straight through or skip to the sections that are most important for you, you should come away with all the information you need to decide whether to subscribe. Editor’s note (9/25/25): We’ve overhauled our VPN coverage to provide more detailed, actionable buying advice. Going forward, we’ll continue to update both our best VPN list and individual reviews (like this one) as circumstances change. Most recently, we added official scores to all of our VPN reviews. Check out how we test VPNs to learn more about the new standards we’re using. Table of contents Findings at a glance Installing, configuring and using ExpressVPN ExpressVPN speed test: Very fast averages ExpressVPN security test: Checking for leaks How much does ExpressVPN cost? ExpressVPN side apps and bundles Close-reading ExpressVPN’s privacy policy Can ExpressVPN change your virtual location? Investigating ExpressVPN’s server network Extra features of ExpressVPN ExpressVPN customer support options ExpressVPN background check: From founding to Kape Technologies Final verdict Findings at a glance Category Notes Installation and UI All interfaces are clean and minimalist, with no glitches and not enough depth to get lost in Windows and Mac clients are similar in both setup and general user experience Android and iOS are likewise almost identical, but Android has a nice-looking dark mode Speed Retains a worldwide average of 93% of starting download speeds Upload speeds average 98% of starting speeds Latency rises with distance, but global average stayed under 300 ms in tests Security OpenVPN, IKEv2 and Lightway VPN protocols all use secure ciphers Packet-sniffing test showed working encryption We detected no IP leaks Blocks IPv6 and WebRTC by default to prevent leaks Pricing Base price: $12.95 per month or $99.95 per year Lowest prepaid rate: $4.99 per month Can save money by paying for 28 months in advance, but only once per account 30-day money-back guarantee Bundles ExpressVPN Keys password manager and ID alerts included on all plans Dedicated IP addresses come at an extra price ID theft insurance, data removal and credit scanning available to new one-year and two-year subscribers for free 1GB eSIM deal included through holiday.com Privacy policy No storage of connection logs or device logs permitted The only risky exceptions are personal account data (which doesn’t leave the ExpressVPN website) and marketing data (which the policy says should be anonymized) An independent audit found that ExpressVPN’s RAM-only server infrastructure makes it impossible to keep logs Virtual location change Successfully unblocked five international Netflix libraries, succeeding on 14 out of 15 attempts Server network 164 server locations in 105 countries 38% of servers are virtual, though most virtual locations are accessed through physical servers within 1,000 miles A large number of locations in South America, Africa and central Asia Features Simple but effective kill switch Can block ads, trackers, adult sites and/or malware sites but blocklists can’t be customized Split tunneling is convenient but unavailable on iOS and modern Macs Aircove is the best VPN router, albeit expensive Customer support Setup and troubleshooting guides are organized and useful, with lots of screenshots and videos Live chat starts with a bot but you can get to a person within a couple minutes Email tickets are only accessible from the mobile apps or after live chat has failed Background check Founded in 2009; based in the British Virgin Islands Has never been caught selling or mishandling user data Turkish police seized servers in 2017 but couldn’t find any logs of user activity Owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost and Private Internet Access A previous CIO formerly worked on surveillance in the United Arab Emirates; no evidence of shady behavior during his time at ExpressVPN Windows Version 12 leaked some DNS requests when Split Tunneling was active Installing, configuring and using ExpressVPN This section focuses on how it feels to use ExpressVPN on each of the major platforms where it’s available. The first step for any setup process is to make an account on expressvpn.com and buy a subscription. Windows Once subscribed, download the Windows VPN from either expressvpn.com or the Microsoft Store, then open the .exe file. Click “Yes” to let it make changes, wait for the install, then let your computer reboot. Including the reboot, the whole process takes 5-10 minutes, most of it idle. To finish, you’ll need your activation code, which you can find by going to expressvpn.com and clicking “Setup” in the top-right corner. You can install ExpressVPN’s Windows app from the Microsoft store, but we found the website more convenient. Sam Chapman for Engadget Extreme simplicity is the watchword for all ExpressVPN’s designs. The Windows client’s launch panel consists of three buttons and less than ten words. You can change your location or let the app pick a location for you — the “Smart Location” is the server with the best combination of being nearby and unburdened. Everything else is crammed into the hamburger menu at the top left. Here, in seven tabs, you’ll find the Network Lock kill switch, the four types of content blockers, the split tunneling menu and the option to change your VPN protocol. You can also add shortcuts to

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days are coming up, and you can get a jump on things today. A mainstay of Prime Day sales, a pair of Blink Mini 2 cameras is on sale for only $35. That’s 50 percent off, a record low and less than what you’d usually pay for one. It’s also Engadget’s pick for the best budget security camera. This is the newest (2024) model of Blink’s budget wired model. The camera is well-suited for nighttime video: It has a built-in LED spotlight, color night vision and a low-light sensor. Day or night, it records in sharp 1080p resolution. It also has a wider field of view than its predecessor. The Blink Mini 2 is primarily designed for indoor use. But you can use it outdoors, too. You’ll just need to fork over $10 for a weather-resistant adapter. Wherever you use the camera, it works with Alexa and supports two-way audio. (“Hello, doggy, I’ll be home soon.”) It also supports person detection. (That’s a neat feature that differentiates between people and other types of movement.) However, the feature requires a Blink Subscription Plan. They start at $3 per month or $30 per year for one device. The camera is available in black or white. Both colors are available for the $35 Prime Day deal, but they can’t be mixed unless you buy each separately. It’s worth noting that this deal is open to anyone — no Prime subscription necessary. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/prime-day-deals-include-two-blink-mini-2-cameras-for-35-201049269.html?src=rss

One thing that Sony confirmed in advance for its September State of Play stream was a first look at gameplay for Saros, the next game from Housemarque (Returnal, Resogun). This is the first completely new project from the developer since it joined PlayStation Studios in 2021, and it opened the livestream. Creative director Gregory Louden took viewers through a peek at the journey of Arjun Devraj (Rahul Kohli), who’s seeking answers on a shape-shifting planet called Carcosa. The combat looks very much in the vein of Returnal, with lots of lasers, projectiles and other nasty stuff to avoid.  Arjun can trigger a shield to defend himself and redirect incoming projectiles to juice up a power weapon. He also gets a second chance to survive an encounter as there’s a revival ability he can use after his first death, but you’ll need to unlock the option to do that as it’s part of the permanent progression system. You’ll be able to upgrade your combat suit and other abilities too. Unsurprisingly, it all looks extremely pretty.  Along with the first glimpse at gameplay, we got a release date. Saros will hit PS5 on March 20, 2026. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/housemarques-saros-will-hit-ps5-on-march-20-2026-211504381.html?src=rss

Following the announcement of its first smart glasses with a built-in display, Meta is opening several temporary retail locations where you’ll be able to demo the Meta Ray-Ban Display, their Meta Neural Band controller and the rest of the company’s Reality Labs products. These new “Meta Lab” locations will offer another way to see the company’s new $799 smart glasses, which currently aren’t available for purchase without an in-person demo and fitting. For the rollout of the Meta Ray-Ban Display, Meta Lab locations will be available to visit in Las Vegas starting on October 16, Los Angeles starting on October 24 and New York starting on November 13. Meta also says interested Bay Area customers will  be able to demo and purchase the new smart glasses at the company’s existing Meta Store location in Burlingame, which has been rebranded as a “Meta Lab.” While the appeal of having the face-mounted camera and speakers of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses is easy to understand, Meta clearly believes adding a display into the mix changes that calculus. The company says interest in the new glasses is part of the reason it’s opening these new retail locations. “Demand for in-person demos of Meta Ray-Ban Display and the Meta Neural Band is strong, with appointments in many major cities already booked out through mid-October,” according to Meta. Interestingly, Meta also plans to test selling its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses from vending machines, not unlike Snap did with its Spectacles. These new Meta Labs join Ray-Ban, Verizon, Best Buy and LensCrafters stores as the only official places where you can try Meta’s new wearable. It’s hard to say if demand for demos will translate into actual sales, but clearly the positive buzz the company’s Connect showing was able to drum up has caught some people’s interest. You can book a demo at a Meta Lab through the company’s website. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/meta-lab-pop-ups-will-let-you-try-on-the-companys-new-smart-glasses-for-yourself-205756155.html?src=rss