Photo: Meta Meta Quest headsets are ready to go on flights with you as Meta has announced a new Travel Mode. The company is rolling out the experimental feature to Quest 2 and 3 headsets running Quest software version 65 or later, allowing owners to use the headset in passthrough on a flight without windows drifting away from them. To try it, opt in under Settings > Experimental features. Then the new mode will live in the Quick settings panel, where you can toggle it from the Quest’s universal menu. Travel Mode isn’t without limitations — it’s not designed to account for the motion of a car or train, for instance; Meta says support for other transportation methods is coming. Also, if a game or app requires an internet connection, your plane will... Continue reading…

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge Here’s the situation: you’re typing a report for work, and you suddenly have to write the phrase “Jones née Berkowitz.” Or you are adding a phrase in Spanish and need to use the word “años.” How do you add the special characters to the letters? Special characters (also known as diacritical marks) may be more common in certain languages, but there are plenty of circumstances in which English speakers may need to use them. But because they are so rare in English, native English speakers may not have learned how to add those marks to documents, emails, or other writings. It’s not difficult to add them to your Windows document, although it’s not quite as smooth an operation as on a Mac, where all you have to do is hold the appropriate key... Continue reading…

Ikea’s new Energy Insights feature will offer real-time data on energy consumption and electricity spot prices. | Photo: Ikea Energy management is a big benefit of the smart home, and more companies are starting to offer easier ways to monitor and control your home’s energy use through their app on your phone. The next level is offering intelligent ways to automate the process to save you money without you having to think about it. Swedish furniture giant Ikea just took a small step toward providing that to users of its smart home platform, Home Smart. This week, it launched an Energy Insights feature to monitor your home’s energy use and announced its first energy-monitoring smart plug, the Inspelning, is coming in October. Image: Ikea The Inspelning is Ikea’s first energy monitoring smart plug. Ikea says the Inspelning can monitor... Continue reading…

A report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said a few days ago that Apple and OpenAI are once again negotiating a deal to integrate ChatGPT with the iPhone in iOS 18. Late on Friday, Bloomberg followed up on the report, providing more details about the purported deal. Apparently, Apple and OpenAI are getting close to coming to terms. Nothing is confirmed at this time. The reports follow similar stories that painted Google's Gemini as a contender for cloud IA features on the iPhone. ChatGPT is already available on the iPhone. It was among the first AI apps that came to iOS. The same goes for Gemini, which is baked into the main Google app on iOS. However, integrating ChatGPT or Gemini into iOS 18 would allow Apple to offer much more complex generative AI features. After Mark Gurman and Julia Love's new report, which followed a big ChatGPT privacy upgrade, I now have three reasons to believe ChatGPT is the better option. Continue reading... The post 3 reasons why ChatGPT should be part of iOS 18 on the iPhone appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $3 Alexa smart plugs, Peloton sale, $250 HP laptop, Sony XM5 headphones, more Best Apple deals for May 2024 Today’s deals: $50 off new Beats Solo 4, $249 iPad 9th-Gen, $19 Roku Express, $180 ASUS laptop, more Best Apple Watch deals for April 2024

Apple Vision Pro international expansion might finally be coming. After no words about sales of Apple's first spatial computer abroad during the Let Loose event, Bloomberg reports that Cupertino is finally preparing to expand Apple Vision Pro internationally. According to Mark Gurman, Apple has begun "holding training sessions in recent days and has flown hundreds of employees from its international stores to Cupertino, California, to learn how to demonstrate the device for customers." The journalist says workers from Germany, France, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and China are among the employees selected for these Apple Vision Pro sessions, which could indicate Apple is focusing on these countries to release its spatial computer. Image source: Apple Inc. With low sales and apparent low interest in Vision Pro in the US, Apple could afford to give this device a broader international expansion. With WWDC 2024 just around the corner, we'll learn more about visionOS 2.0, which could help give this spatial computer a new life, as Apple still lacks several of its core apps on the platform, and many high-level developers have opted not to create apps for this device just yet. Once Cupertino expands this product to more regions, it’s possible that more people will be interested in spatial computing, developers will decide to create more apps, and upcoming visionOS updates will bring more quality-of-life features. However, with a high price point, Apple Store employees will have a hard time pitching Apple Vision Pro features to these new customers. While it's already very expensive in the US, this product's price won't be any cheaper in other regions. Currently, Apple Vision Pro has been successful in the medical community, as surgeons are using this spatial computer to help perform surgeries since they can find helpful information, call other doctors, and get in-depth knowledge of the procedure in real time. BGR will keep reporting on Apple Vision Pro's international expansion as we learn more about it. Don't Miss: Indian doctor performed over 30 complex surgeries with Apple Vision Pro The post Apple Vision Pro international expansion reportedly coming after WWDC appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $3 Alexa smart plugs, Peloton sale, $250 HP laptop, Sony XM5 headphones, more Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $350+ free Today’s deals: $89 Apple AirPods, $3.75 smart plugs, $89 robot vacuum, Samsung monitors, more Best Apple deals for May 2024

After a month of beta testing, Apple is now making iOS 17.5 available to all iPhone users. This is possibly the last main update for iOS 17 before Cupertino unveils iOS 18 in early June. Although this iOS 17.5 update doesn't bring major features, it has a few new functions users will love to have. Here they are. Pride wallpapers: To celebrate Pride 2024, Apple brings "bold, symbolic color to Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. Signaling hope, strength, and fellowship to LGBTQ+ communities, the beams of light glow against a dark background and stack on top of each other to represent the everlasting impact of LGBTQ+ activism and its role in illuminating the path to greater equality for future generations.” Podcasts widget change: The Podcasts widget has a new dynamic color that changes depending on what you’re listening to. Tracking Notifications: Cross-platform tracking detection delivers notifications to users if a compatible Bluetooth tracker they do not own is moving with them, regardless of what operating system the device is paired with. Apple Universal Link for eSIM install: This new feature offers a link instead of a QR code to activate an eSIM on your iPhone. Image source: Apple Apple News+: For Apple News+ (or Apple One subscribers), users can have a new offline mode that gives access to the Today feed and News+ tab even when they don't have an internet connection. Quartiles and Scoreboards: One of the possible iOS 17.5 more popular features could be Quartiles, a new and original daily word game for Apple News+. You can see new player data for Crossword, Mini Crossword, and Quartiles with a Scoreboard, including stats and streaks. Besides these iOS 17.5 features, this operating system update brings exclusive functions for EU users. Here's what you should know: Web Distribution: With this change, EU users download apps directly from a developer’s website. This is part of the Digital Markets Act, which has added alternative app marketplaces for EU users. Here’s how Apple describes this new feature: Web Distribution, available with a software update later this spring, will let authorized developers distribute their iOS apps to EU users directly from a website owned by the developer. Apple will provide authorized developers access to APIs that facilitate the distribution of their apps from the web, integrate with system functionality, back up and restore users’ apps, and more. Here are the developers that can take advantage of this change: Developers need to be a member of the Apple Developer Program for at least two continuous years Developers need to accept Apple’s Notarization process Apps need at least one million annual first installs or more on iOS in the EU in the past year. New privacy option: On Screen Time settings and the Content & Privacy Restrictions tab, you can allow app installations from the web. iOS 17.5 device compatibility Image source: José Adorno for BGR iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max iPhone SE (2nd gen) iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone SE (3rd gen) iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max BGR will let you know if we find even more features with iOS 17.5. Don't Miss: iOS 18: Release date, AI, supported iPhones, and everything we know The post iOS 17.5 now available to iPhone users with these 9 features appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $79 AirPods, $249 iPad 9, free smart bulbs, Lexar memory sale, 20% off Galaxy S24, more Today’s deals: $179 AirPods Pro, $299 Apple Watch Series 9, $300 off Bose Smart Soundbar, more Today’s deals: $179 AirPods Pro 2, $599 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano laptop, COSORI air fryers, Bose sale, more Today’s deals: $20 Blink Mini, $179 AirPods Pro, $300 Vitamix blender, $100 COSORI air fryer, more

watchOS 10.5 is now available to Apple Watch users. After a mild update with watchOS 10.4, this next version doesn’t bring many changes as Apple is already preparing for the watchOS 11 preview in June. So far, Apple says watchOS 10.5 fixes an issue where the Terms of Service button when viewing a subscription could cause a crash when tapped. Other than that, Apple is specifically adding with watchOS 10.5 a new Pride Radiance watch face. Apple says it brings “bold, symbolic color to Apple Watch. Signaling hope, strength, and fellowship to LGBTQ+ communities, the beams of light glow against a dark background and stack on top of each other to represent the everlasting impact of LGBTQ+ activism and its role in illuminating the path to greater equality for future generations.” You can find it on your iPhone's Watch app, Face Gallery, and New Watch Faces, close to the unity Bloom watch face added early this year. Image source: Apple Inc. With watchOS 10.4, Apple added 28 new emojis. Although the new figures include a lime, shaking heads, a phoenix, and four new gender-neutral family emojis intended to be represented via silhouettes, skin tone modifiers, and gender variants represent the majority of new emojis. They can be used in iMessage and other messaging apps with your Apple Watch. Besides that, watchOS 10.4 added a new tweak for Apple Vision Pro users. Since both devices rely on double-tap gestures, you can turn on the Ignore Double Tap setting when using Apple’s spatial computer. Here’s how Apple describes this feature: “When this is on, the double tap gesture will be temporarily ignored while using Vision Pro.” For those unaware, pinching your fingers is the way you control Apple Vision Pro, but if you double tap your fingers, this is also how you can control Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Thankfully, the owners of both newer Apple Watches and Vision Pro won’t have this issue for longer. watchOS 10.4 also brought improvements to Siri, as you can now wake the personal assistant with only its name by saying “Siri” instead of “Hey Siri.” In addition, Siri can read incoming messages in multiple languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and more. Alongside watchOS 10.5, Apple is also releasing iOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5, macOS 14.5, and tvOS 17.5 to users. We’ll let you know if we find anything new with these updates. Don't Miss: watchOS 11: Features, rumors, release date, beta, Apple Watch compatibility, and more The post watchOS 10.5 adds a new watch face and fixes this annoying bug appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Best Apple deals for May 2024 Today’s deals: $3 Alexa smart plugs, Peloton sale, $250 HP laptop, Sony XM5 headphones, more Today’s deals: $20 Blink Mini, $179 AirPods Pro, $300 Vitamix blender, $100 COSORI air fryer, more Today’s deals: $179 AirPods Pro 2, $599 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano laptop, COSORI air fryers, Bose sale, more

Kari Lake will be launching a $10 million ad campaign in Arizona as she attempts to win the state's open Senate seat.

Organized crime groups are making Mexico's election campaign this year one of the deadliest in the country's modern history, the Washington Post reported.

High-level envoys from the United States and China are set to meet in Geneva on Tuesday for talks about artificial intelligence, including the risks of the fast-evolving technology and ways to set shared standards to manage it.