Wednesday, November 10, 2021

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The Morning After: Peloton reveals its smart camera for strength training

Posted: 10 Nov 2021 04:15 AM PST

You can't keep a fitness company down. Following some rough financial news from one of the companies that thrived during the pandemic as many took up at-home workouts, Peloton is looking to bounce back, like a burpee, but more business-like.

It just announced the Peloton Guide, a strength-training camera system that looks like Kinect, hooks up to your TV and uses machine learning to understand your movements.

The Morning After
Peloton

The movement tracker feature is compatible with hundreds of existing Peloton strength classes. The idea is to encourage users to carry out all of the exercises in a class and keep up with instructors (but it's not a big deal if you can't stick to the instructor's pace). The Self Mode will enable users to match their form against the instructor's in real-time via smart camera technology. You'll be able to select how you appear on screen, and the aim is to help you make form adjustments during a class.

Peloton will also continue to train the machine learning model on more movements. It will be the company's least expensive device to date — but that doesn't make it cheap. It will cost $495 when it arrives in the US in early 2022.

— Mat Smith

 

NVIDIA's new AI brain for robots is six times more powerful than its predecessor

And it can still fit in the palm of your hand.

The Morning After
NVIDIA

NVIDIA has launched a follow-up to the Jetson AGX Xavier, its $1,100 AI brain for robots it released back in 2018. The new module, called the Jetson AGX Orin, has six times the processing power of Xavier even though it has the same form factor and can still fit in the palm of your hand. NVIDIA designed Orin to be an "energy-efficient AI supercomputer" for use in robotics, autonomous and medical devices. It's apparently capable of 200 trillion operations per second. NVIDIA hasn't revealed what the Orin will cost, but it will land in the first quarter of 2022.

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Windows 11 SE and the $249 Surface Laptop SE are made for school kids

This is Microsoft's answer to Chromebooks.

Microsoft has pushed cheap Windows laptops as the ideal school computers. Matching the capabilities of Chromebooks, they can also run traditional Windows software. But now, Microsoft is finally ready to jump into the affordable, kid-friendly PC fray with the $249 Surface Laptop SE. It's one of the first PCs to run Windows 11 SE, a stripped-down OS targeting K-8 students (and their beleaguered teachers). You can also expect to see Windows 11 SE devices coming from Dell, HP, Acer and ASUS. And that's just the beginning.

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THX's tiny Onyx USB-C DAC is $50 off at Amazon

A nice discount on the device that supports master quality audio for wired headphones.

When it comes to improving audio for your wired headphones, a USB DAC (digital to analog converter) can do wonders for sound quality. However, a lot of them are huge. THX's USB-C version is the size of a thumb drive. And the connectivity means you can use it with both your computer and your phone. After only being available through Razer before, THX's DAC is now available through Amazon, and it's currently on sale for $150. That's $50 less than the RRP.

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The video games we wish someone would gift us

Eight ideas for every gamer.

Sure, we regularly publish our best console games lists. But buying a game for someone else is a different matter entirely to choosing one for yourself. Unless you know exactly what they want, where do you even begin? How about right here. And no, they're not all $60 AAA games...

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Apple will make it easier to replace an iPhone 13 screen without breaking Face ID

A software update to fix the issue is on the way.

Soon after the iPhone 13 was released, an iFixit teardown showed that Face ID stopped working if the display was replaced by a third-party repair shop, unless the engineer also transferred a microcontroller from the original screen. Apple will soon remedy this with an upcoming software update, so Face ID will still function even without swapping the chip to the new display.

It's not clear when Apple will roll out the update, but questions remain over why the Face ID function broke in the first place.The controversy emerged amid a broader push by the US government to strengthen right-to-repair rules.

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The biggest news stories you might have missed

The books and movies we're gifting this year

Sony and TSMC attempt to address chip shortages with a factory in Japan

Bipartisan bill seeks to curb recommendation algorithms

Meta's latest transparency report details bullying on Facebook and Instagram

Robinhood security breach compromised data of 7 million users

Engadget Deals: Google's Pixelbook Go falls to an all-time low at Amazon

NVIDIA created a toy replica of its CEO to demo its new AI avatars

iRobot's Roombas are getting vastly smarter Alexa voice commands

Posted: 10 Nov 2021 04:00 AM PST

Roomba owners have been able to control their vacuums with Alexa voice commands since 2017, but that experience is pretty basic. You can tell your robot vacuum to start and stop cleaning, or to set up a schedule, but the entire interaction is, well, robotic. That changes today with iRobot's latest Alexa Skill, which taps into the company's Genius software platform to deliver smarter and more conversational voice commands.

You'll be able to tell Wi-Fi connected Roombas to clean around specific objects, and you can schedule cleaning jobs without sounding like you're inputting a computer program. As iRobot CEO Colin Angle tells us, the Alexa Skill is one of the most complex ever created. You can even tie a bunch of commands together, even across iRobots vacuums and Bravaa mop. For example, you can shout "Alexa, tell Roomba to clean my dining room every Sunday at 4PM and then run Bravaa."

Additionally, iRobot's devices will also be able to use Alexa speakers to send announcements about cleaning jobs. Sure, the company's app already sends you phone notifications, but it's easy to miss those if you're cleaning up the house while Roomba works. iRobot devices can also tap into Alexa's AI-driven Hunches to start cleaning jobs if it thinks you aren't home. (Hopefully, there'll be plenty of control about how exactly that feature works.)

According to Angle, iRobot has a fundamental belief that you're supposed to be able to talk to your robots, and "do so in a natural and sophisticated fashion." When Amazon was first developing Alexa, he says, one of the earliest concepts discussed was being able to use voice commands to control Roombas. Given iRobot's push towards making its device smarter — the latest Roomba has enough cameras and processing smarts to detect objects, even dog poop — it was only a matter of time until it focused more on voice support.

While iRobot's software platform taps into the maps Roombas create around your floorplans, Angle says the company isn't sharing any data with Amazon. Similarly, he claims iRobot isn't learning anything from Amazon either. Still, the two companies had to work together to ensure that a complex string of voice commands could work properly with Alexa. And looking ahead, iRobot plans to add even more features, like the ability to set a Do Not Disturb time for cleaning jobs.

It'll be interesting to see how much Roomba customers will actually want to talk with their robots. I've used the company's original Alexa skill since it launched, but I still end up starting cleaning jobs from my phone most of the time. I'm also hoping we'll eventually see these voice smarts on platforms other than Amazon's. Angle says the company is working with Google about optimizing its Home skill, but Apple hasn't been as receptive (at least you can get some Siri support with IFTTT).

iOS 15.2 beta introduces nearby AirTag searches and Legacy Contacts

Posted: 10 Nov 2021 03:25 AM PST

Apple is introducing another way to ensure its AirTags won't be used for stalking when iOS 15.2 comes out. According to MacRumors, the beta version of the mobile platform that has just come out has a new feature that will let users scan for AirTags that may be tracking their location. At the moment, users can find the feature under the Items tab in the Find My‌ app — all they need to do is tap the "Items That Can Track Me" option to do a scan. 

Any trackable item nearby that belongs to someone else will be detected and show up as an unknown item. Apple will then point users to a set of instructions on how to disable the device that's being used to track them. While it could put people's mind at ease, the new feature could also be a double-edged sword. For users that hide AirTags in bikes, other items thieves could steal and even their pets' collars, this could prevent them from catching the culprit and retrieving their property. The feature might work a lot differently, however, by the time iOS 15.2 is ready for wider rollout.

To note, Apple updated AirTags to address stalking concerns back in June. It adjusted the time period after which the device would play a sound when separated from its owner from three days to a random time between 8 and 24 hours. This experimental feature is an additional privacy measure. 

Another interesting feature that showed up with the beta version of iOS 15.2 is Digital Legacy. It will allow users to designate people as Legacy Contacts, who'll be able to access their account and digital information when they pass away. In the current iteration of the mobile OS, Legacy Contact lives inside Password and Security within the Settings app.

UK Supreme Court rules in favor of Google in iPhone tracking case

Posted: 10 Nov 2021 02:44 AM PST

Google has escaped the risk of a lawsuit after violating the privacy of around 5.4 million iPhone users in the UK. The UK's Supreme Court has ruled that it cannot allow a US-style Class Action suit to be lobbed at the search giant after it deliberately created a workaround to track Safari users. The judgment, read by Lord Leggatt, was focused on procedural matters, like the intersection between Google, based in the US, and the UK's data protection laws. More importantly, however, was the issue of "damage," and the fact that the claimants — led by consumer rights champion Richard Lloyd — had not established that any material harm had been caused by Google's workaround.

The story begins in 2017 with Lloyd, and many others, formed a group called "Google You Owe Us" to attempt to sue the company. It alleged that Google had illegally collected data on iPhone users between June 2011 and February 2012 in violation of UK law. The matter hinged on the fact that Google had deliberately created a workaround to get access to data it was not otherwise entitled to. Lloyd and crew lost at the High Court, but this initial decision was overturned by the UK's Court of Appeal, saying that it was quite proper for Google to face a courtroom after the intentional misuse of personal data without consent.

US-style Class Action lawsuits are not common, or even really a thing in UK law, although it is possible for a large group of litigants to bring a joint action. Lloyd and his cohort were trying to establish that Google's tracking was, in and of itself, harmful, and by extension a standard level of compensation could be calculated. This was the fact that the Supreme Court rejected most clearly — saying that a set figure (reportedly pegged around £750 (around $1,000) per affected user) was not fair redress.

David Barker of Pinsent Masons — the firm Google hired to fight this case — wrote that the decision upholds the notion that compensation can only be asked for where real harm has been caused. And that, put simply, Google's aggregation of personal data was insufficient to cause any real-world harm or mental distress. Richard Lloyd, who brought the action, told Sky News that he was "bitterly disappointed" that the court had "failed to do enough to protect the public from Google and other Big Tech firms who break the law." And that this ruling, in effect, is the writing of a blank check for large technology companies to keep misusing user data without fear of censure. He added that it is time for government leaders to step in and craft laws to better clamp down on the misuse of personal data.

NASA pushes back crewed moon landing to 2025

Posted: 10 Nov 2021 12:36 AM PST

NASA has officially adjusted its timeline for the Artemis III mission and won't be landing on the Moon in 2024. The agency is now aiming to land the first woman and next American man on the lunar surface in 2025 at the earliest, NASA administrator Bill Nelson has announced. NASA was originally targeting a 2028 launch date for its return to the Moon, but the Trump administration moved that date up by four years back in 2017. In a conference call with reporters, Nelson said "the Trump administration's target of 2024 human landing was not grounded in technical feasibility."

In addition to the unrealistic deadline, Nelson blamed Blue Origin's lawsuit against the agency for the delay. It had to put its contract with SpaceX on hold and pause work on the lunar lander that's meant to take astronauts to the surface of the Moon for a couple of times. NASA lost almost seven months of work on the lander as a result, which had cast doubts on the 2024 landing even before Nelson made his announcement. 

If you'll recall, NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to develop a Starship-based lunar landing system back in April. The agency historically works with more than one contractor for each mission, but in this instance, it inked a deal with Elon Musk's company alone. Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin sued NASA over that decision, arguing that it wasn't given the chance to revise its bid for the project. 

Based on legal documents The Verge obtained in September, however, NASA felt that Blue Origin "gambled" with its proposed $5.9 billion lunar lander bid. The company allegedly set the price higher than necessary, because it assumed that NASA would award it a contract but negotiate for a lower price. The Federal Court of Claims ultimately ruled against Blue Origin a few days ago, dismissing its claims that NASA ignored "key flight safety requirements" when it awarded SpaceX the lunar lander contract.

Nelson's announcement comes shortly after NASA moved the uncrewed Artemis I flight test launch from this year to February 2022. That's assuming everything will go as planned — the Orion capsule and Space Launch System that will be used for the mission will still have to go through a battery of tests before NASA can schedule it for blastoff.

Court rules that Apple can't push back ordered App Store payment changes

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 10:21 PM PST

Apple has failed to convince US District c to delay the App Store change she ordered back in September. As the judge for the Apple vs. Epic trial, Rogers ruled in favor of the tech giant for 9 out of 10 counts, but she also decided that Apple must allow developers to direct users to other payment systems within their apps by December 9th. As a response to that, Apple asked for a stay on the injunction to push back its implementation by one more year. Now, Rogers has rejected the company's appeal for a stay and called the motion "fundamentally flawed."

She wrote in the order (PDF, via CNBC):

"...Apple's motion is based on a selective reading of this Court's findings and ignores all of the findings which supported the injunction, namely incipient antitrust conduct including supercompetitive commission rates resulting in extraordinarily high operating margins and which have not been correlated to the value of its intellectual property."

Apple argued that it needed more time to establish new guidelines to protect users, developers and itself if it allows alternative payment methods. It also previously said that following the court order and allowing developers to link out to other payment methods by December 9th "would be a poor use of resources" due to the "near-inevitable litigation" from Epic regarding the scope of its compliance. In addition, it's still appealing this aspect of the case, and the Court of Appeals could take more than a year to come to a decision.

In her ruling, Rogers said that the party that would benefit most from a stay would be Apple, and that the court can "envision numerous avenues" for the tech giant to comply while still protecting its users. "Other than, perhaps, needing time to establish Guidelines, Apple has provided no credible reason for the Court to believe that the injunction would cause the professed devastation," she added. Despite the court's decision, Apple hasn't given up: It will ask San Francisco's federal appeals court to put Rogers's order on hold.

As CNBC has noted, allowing developers to link out to external payment methods doesn't mean Apple won't be taking a percentage of their earnings. Google, for instance, recently announced that it will now allow the use of alternative payment systems for Play Store apps in South Korea to comply with local laws. While it lowered its commission by four percent for developers using their own payment processors, they will still have to pay the company a cut nonetheless.

Unity is buying Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital to help prepare for the metaverse

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 03:12 PM PST

Unity Technologies, the company behind the Unity engine, is buying Weta Digital. If you're a film buff, you need no introduction to Weta. It's the VFX house Peter Jackson co-founded in 1993. It has worked on movies like the Fellowship of the Ring, Avatar and Black Widow. Under the $1.625 billion deal, Unity is obtaining the company's technology division, including its artist tools and engineering talent. Weta's VFX and animation teams will form a separate entity known as WetaFX, which Peter Jackson will continue to hold a majority stake in. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year, pending regulatory approval.

Weta's technology suite includes tools for facial animation, creating virtual cityscapes and modeling the deformation of objects, among many other applications. Unity's plan is to not only integrate those programs into the Unity Engine but to also eventually offer them as part of cloud-based subscription offering. At some point, many of the assets Weta Digital has created over the years will make their way to the engine as well, allowing anyone with access to Unity to use them. 

The company didn't say exactly when those things will happen, but the vision here is to put Unity at the forefront of the metaverse since whatever it entails will likely need a lot of 3D models. "The unified tools and the incredible scientists and technologists of Weta Digital will accelerate our mission to give content creators easy to use and high performance tools to bring their visions to life," Unity said in a blog post. "Whatever the metaverse is or will be, we believe it will be built by content creators, just like you."

Meta will restrict ad targeting based on thousands of sensitive topics

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 02:24 PM PST

Meta will crack down further on potentially harmful ads. The New York Timesreports Meta is removing detailed ad targeting options for "thousands" of sensitive topics on Facebook, Instagram and other services starting January 19th, 2022. The move will bar ads based on interactions with content related to ethnicity, health, political beliefs, religion and sexual orientation, among other hot-button issues.

It's a drastic move, and Meta was aware this could hurt some businesses and positive ad uses. However, VP Graham Mudd said the outgoing options could lead to "negative experiences for people in underrepresented groups." The internet giant believed it could refine its ad platform to serve everyone without hurting business connections.

The company is also giving you more control over the ads you see. In early 2022, you'll have the option to see fewer ads linked to gambling, weight loss and other delicate subjects. You can already limit the frequency of ads for alcohol, parenting, pets and politics.

The stricter ad policies come the same day as Meta's latest transparency report and an overall effort to counter whistleblower Frances Haugen's accusations that the company is more interested in engagement and revenue than the well-being of its users. A 2020 audit concluded Meta fell short on efforts to combat discrimination, including ads. The firm removed targeting for thousands of sensitive ad topics in 2017 and 2018 (including auto-generated anti-Semitic categories), but there's clearly ongoing pressure to show Meta can clean up its ad business.

Meta will still have plenty of ad targeting, including location-based ads, custom audiences and permission-based customer lists. However, this could easily push some marketers to rethink their strategies. This may help by reducing the number of exploitative ads, but it could also hurt the relevancy of those ads you do see.

Facebook wants to change the Oversight Board's recommendation process

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 01:25 PM PST

The Oversight Board has only been up and running for less than a year, but Facebook says it's already having trouble keeping up with the group's recommendations. The company says it wants to work with the Oversight Board to "improve the recommendation process," though it's not yet clear what those changes might entail. But it suggests Facebook is looking to shake up the way it deals with the independent body it created to oversee its content policies.

In a new report detailing Facebook's dealings with the Oversight Board, the company notes that it's made significant changes as the result of the Oversight Board's recommendations. These changes include updates to how it handles hate speech and nudity, as well as how it determines "newsworthy" content.

But Facebook is now suggesting it wants to change up the recommendation process. "While we have made these important changes as a result of the board's recommendations, we believe the current design of the recommendation process may not be the best way to bring about the long-term, structural changes the board is pushing us to undertake," the company writes in its report. "We are working with the board and our internal teams to explore other ways to potentially improve the recommendation process."

Again, it's not clear exactly what this means for the Oversight Board or Facebook's relationship with the group. The Oversight Board didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, and during a call with reporters on Tuesday, Facebook's Monika Bickert declined to elaborate on specific changes the company was hoping to make.

In its report, Facebook writes that "the pace and volume of the recommendations do not allow us adequate time to initially assess and implement the recommendations." According to Facebook, most of the board's recommendations "require over a dozen people to assess feasibility, which we cannot easily complete in 30 days." the company added that it can take considerable time to determine how to integrate the policy suggestions into its existing product development.

But while it's not yet clear what will change as a result of Facebook's proposed "potential changes," the fact that the company is already trying to make major changes to how it deals with the board is significant. Since its inception, Facebook critics have blasted the Oversight Board as little more than a PR stunt. And while the company has said it will abide by individual content decisions made by the board, its broader policy recommendations are where it could have the greatest influence over the company. For example, the board criticized Facebook's decision to impose an "indefinite suspension" on former President Donald Trump, and told the company it needed to better define its rules for politicians.

Facebook has even suggested that other platforms should use the Oversight Board to monitor their content policies as well. That the company is now claiming it's too difficult to keep up with the process its executives and policy officials designed could potentially undermine the influence the board is able to wield.

Google made an app to ease communication for people with speech impairments

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 12:30 PM PST

For too long, people with speech impairments have struggled to be understood not only by other people, but also by voice-based technology. Though some companies have started to make their products work better for people with atypical speech, the most prevalent services still don't hear them well. Google announced today that it's made a new Android app called Project Relate that could help people with speech impairments communicate more easily with others and the Assistant. It's looking for beta testers to test and improve the app starting today.

Like product manager for Google Research Julie Cattiau said in a video, "standard speech recognition doesn't always work as well for people with atypical speech because the algorithms have not been trained on samples of their speech." Project Relate would use custom models trained on each individual user's speech patterns. When someone first launches the app, it'll ask them to repeat a few phrases to create a base model and understand the way they speak. 

Then, Project Relate can do three things: Transcribe the user's speech into text that they can copy and paste or show to people on their screen, read out what the user said in a synthesized voice and communicated with the Google Assistant. 

The app is still being tested, with the company saying it will get back applicants for beta testing positions "in the coming months." But this is an important first step towards improving speech recognition for those with atypical speech. 

Bipartisan bill seeks to curb recommendation algorithms

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 12:07 PM PST

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has introduced legislation that would give people more control over the algorithms that shape their online experience. If passed, the Filter Bubble Transparency Act would require companies like Meta to offer a version of their platforms that runs on an "input-transparent" algorithm that doesn't pull on user data to generate recommendations.

The bill would not do away with "opaque" recommendation algorithms altogether but would make it a requirement to include a toggle that allows people to switch that functionality off. Additionally, platforms that continue to use recommendation algorithms need to have a notification that informs people those recommendations are based on inferences generated by their personal data. The prompt can be a one-time notice, but it would need to be presented in a "clear, conspicuous manner," according to the proposed bill.

The legislation was introduced by Representatives Ken Buck (R-CO), David Cicilline (D-RI), Lori Trahan (D-MA) and Burgess Owens (R-UT). It's a companion bill to legislation Senators John Thune of South Dakota and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut introduced this past June. "Consumers should have the option to engage with internet platforms without being manipulated by secret algorithms driven by user-specific data," Buck told Axios, the first outlet to report on the legislation.

Lawmakers have frequently criticized social media giants for using recommendation algorithms to boost user engagement, but so far, there's been little legislative action to curb their use. In the aftermath of the January 6th US Capitol attack, a group of more than 30 Democratic lawmakers called on Meta (then known as Facebook), Twitter and YouTube to make substantive changes to their recommendation engines but ultimately stopped short of threatening regulatory action. Although the Filter Bubble Transparency Act has bipartisan support across the House and Senate, it's unclear if it would pass.

Apple will make it easier to replace an iPhone 13 screen without breaking Face ID

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 11:23 AM PST

Soon after the iPhone 13 was released, an iFixit teardown showed that Face ID stopped working if the display was replaced by a third-party repair shop, unless they transferred a microcontroller from the original screen. Apple will soon mitigate the issue with an upcoming software update, so Face ID will still function even without swapping the chip to the new display.

"A solution will be available in an upcoming software update," Apple told Engadget. The Verge first reported on the forthcoming fix.

Moving the microcontroller from the device's original screen to a replacement is no easy feat — iFixit noted a microscope is needed. That may have put independent repair shops outside of Apple's Independent Repair Provider network in a tough spot, since it takes more time and special equipment to replace a screen and swap in the microcontroller.

It's not clear when Apple will roll out the software update to remedy the problem, though questions remain over why the Face ID function broke in the first place if the microcontroller wasn't moved over. The controversy emerged amid a broader push by the US government to strengthen right-to-repair rules.

Meta's latest transparency report details bullying on Facebook and Instagram

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 10:28 AM PST

Facebook has shared new statistics on the amount of bullying, hate speech and harassment on its platform. The new numbers, released with the company's latest quarterly transparency reports, come as Meta faces increasing scrutiny over its ability to protect users and enforce its policies adequately around the world.

Its latest report marks the first time the company has shared "prevalence" metrics around bullying and harassment on its platform. "Prevalence" is a statistic Facebook uses to track violating content that slips through its detection systems. "It represents the amount of violating content that people actually view that actually shows up on someone's screen," the company's VP of Integrity Guy Rosen told reporters during a briefing.

According to the company, the prevalence of bullying content was between 0.14% -0.15% on Facebook and between 0.05%-0.06% on Instagram. "This means bullying and harassment content was seen between 14 and 15 times per every 10,000 views of content on Facebook and between 5 and 6 times per 10,000 views of content on Instagram," the company explains in a statement. Instagram in particular has faced questions about its ability to deal with bullying and harassment. The company introduced several new anti-bullying measures earlier this year after several UK football players detailed their experience with racist abuse on the app. 

Importantly, the company notes that this "prevalence" metric only accounts for content Facebook and Instagram removes without a user report. That means the statistic is only capturing a subset of all bullying content, since bullying and harassment is not always easy for an automated system to identify.

That distinction has been underscored by revelations in the Facebook Papers, a trove of documents made public by former employee turned whistleblower Frances Haugen. According to documents she shared, Facebook's own researchers estimate that the company is only able to address around three to five percent of hate speech on its platform, meaning the vast majority goes undetected and is allowed to pollute users' News Feeds.

Facebook has repeatedly pushed back on these claims, and has pointed to the "prevalence" stats it shares in its transparency reports. But as researchers have pointed out, the company's own accounting of "prevalence" can mask the true amount of violating content on the platform. That's because Facebook's automated systems are not always reliable, especially at detecting content in languages other than English. The revelations have fueled allegations that Facebook puts profits ahead of user safety.

"We have absolutely no incentive, whether it's commercial or otherwise, to do anything other than make sure people have a positive experience," Rosen said Tuesday. "I think it's also just not true that our algorithms are just optimized to squeeze out engagement. We're constantly refining how we do ranking in order to tackle these problems."

In its latest report, Facebook reported that hate speech had declined for the fourth straight quarter, with prevalence declining from 0.05% last quarter to 0.03% this quarter. The company also reported prevalence of hate speech on Instagram for the first time, saying hate speech was at 0.02% or around 2 out of every 10,000 pieces of content viewed on its platform.

However, it's worth noting that even the most optimistic take on these numbers — 0.03% and 0.02% for Facebook and Instagram, respectively — can still mean millions of people are encountering hate speech every day, given the vast number of users and pieces of content posted to the platforms each day. 

Separately, Facebook also said its researchers are working on "a relatively new area of AI research called 'few-shot' or 'zero-shot' learning," which would enable them to train AI models much more rapidly. Instead of relying on massive datasets to manually train models for, say identifying hate speech, it would enable models that can "learn to recognize something from just a small number of training examples, or even just a single example," the company wrote. Facebook didn't say how long it might take to put this research into action, but it suggests the company is still pursuing AI advancements to address major content issues. 

Netflix Gaming is rolling out on iPhone and iPad

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 10:24 AM PST

A week after opening up its games to all subscribers on Android, Netflix is rolling them out on iPhone and iPad worldwide. Users can now download the games from the App Store. 

Starting tomorrow at 1PM ET, you'll see a dedicated row in the Netflix iOS and iPadOS apps, from which you can pick a game to download. Those with an iPad can find the games through the category dropdown menu as well. 

You'll be able to launch the games from within the Netflix app. Whether you open them from there or directly on your iPhone or iPad, you'll need to authenticate your Netflix account before you can play. 

The initial lineup of games are the same as on Android. There are two Stranger Things titles, Stranger Things 1984 and Stranger Things 3, which Netflix started testing as part of subscriptions in Poland in August. The other three are more general-interest casual games: Shooting Hoops, Teeter Up and Card Blast.

Earlier today, details emerged about another title that's coming to the library soon. Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story, which will arrive on Nintendo Switch and PC later this month, is the first game announced for Netflix after the broader rollout of games on Android.

Xbox Games Pass Ultimate now includes a free trial to Crunchyroll

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 10:19 AM PST

One of the best deals in gaming just added something for anime fans. Starting today, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes a free 75-day trial to Crunchyroll. The promotion comes with access to the platform's Mega Fan tier, which allows you to watch Crunchyroll's entire library of more than 1,000 anime titles without ads. It also includes offline viewing and the ability to stream content on four devices concurrently. 

Game Pass Ultimate subscribers have until February 8th, 2022, to take advantage of the promotion through the Game Pass Perks gallery. The deal is only available to new Crunchyroll customers. Additionally, it's set to auto-renew, so keep that in mind if you want to avoid a surprise on your credit card.

Crunchyroll is a particularly interesting addition for Game Pass Ultimate when you consider Sony recently spent $1.175 billion to buy the service from AT&T. The fact it competes with Microsoft in the console market seems secondary to Sony here compared to the potential of attracting new customers to the service. In the less than a year it took for the Crunchyroll deal to close, the platform added approximately 2 million subscribers, a trend Sony likely hopes to continue.

Google's improved Nest sleep features include audio meditations

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 10:04 AM PST

Google's Nest Hub sleep tracking left something to be desired on launch, but it's about to improve significantly — including a tool to help you fall asleep sooner. The company is rolling out a string of sleep-related improvements to Nest screens that include a catalog of Calm "Sleep Stories." As of December, you can ask Google to "start a meditation" and your smart display will play audio to wind you down. You'll only have access to several tracks for free, but you can unlock the full library if you have a Calm Premium membership.

Other upgrades provide more detail for the tracking itself. The second-gen Nest Hub now provides details about sleeping stages, so you'll know how much time you spend in deep, light or REM sleep. You'll know how long any interruptions might have lasted, too. The Hub's sound detection also now focuses only on coughs and snores inside your designated sleeping area, so you'll know how much a partner (or noisy pet) is affecting your rest. All sounds beyond that area are lumped into an "other sounds" section.

The tracking features start reaching users today. They should be available to all users worldwide in the "next few weeks."

Get ready to start paying for all these sleep aids, though. As previously hinted, Google plans to fold these Sleep Sensing features into Fitbit Premium starting in 2023. It's not certain just what you'll pay on launch (Fitbit Premium is currently $80 per year), but Google clearly intends to make a profit from its Nest Hubs beyond the initial hardware sale.

Virgin Galactic has sold 100 tickets to space since increasing flight prices to $450,000

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:54 AM PST

Virgin Galactic reopened ticket sales for its trips to the edge of space at a higher price back in August, and the company says it has sold 100 of the $450,000 tickets so far. They used to cost $250,000 each.

Overall, around 700 people, including Elon Musk, have reserved a spot on a Virgin Galactic flight. The company hopes to sell 1,000 tickets before starting commercial trips, which it recently delayed (again) to the fourth quarter of 2022. As The Verge notes, Virgin Galactic has so far only let people who made a refundable $1,000 deposit buy tickets. The company plans to let more people reserve a spot starting in early 2022.

Virgin Galactic's first crewed flight took place in July with founder Richard Branson on board, nine days before Jeff Bezos ventured to the edge of space on Blue Origin's maiden crewed flight. Unity 23, Virgin Galactic's next flight, won't take off until at least mid-2022. That flight will carry three paying Italian Air Force passengers who will study the effects of microgravity.

Online Marxism simulator 'The Tomorrow Children' is getting another shot at life

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:13 AM PST

Four years after shutting down, The Tomorrow Children is coming back. First announced in 2014, the game was a short-lived PlayStation 4 exclusive that spent a year in early access through the better part of 2017. Now, Q-Games, which led development on the title alongside Sony's defunct Japan Studio, has obtained the intellectual property rights to The Tomorrow Children and plans to relaunch it.

"I am now tweaking and re-working parts of the game every week, and I hope everyone follows along and gets involved in this process," said Dylan Cuthbert, the founder and director of Q-Games. "We plan to make quite a few changes for the better, and give The Tomorrow Children the re-launch it deserves!" Q-Games didn't say when fans can expect to play the game again. It also didn't mention anything about platform availability, but the relaunch will give both fans and new players alike a chance to experience the quirky game again. 

A League of Legends rhythm runner game is coming to Switch, PC and Netflix

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:00 AM PST

It's a big month for Riot, as the company is going all out to promote Arcane, the Netflix animated series based on League of Legends. But the company hasn't forgotten about the gaming side of things. Its publishing label, Riot Forge, has announced a rhythm runner game set in the LoL universe.

In Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story, you'll play as Ziggs, a Yordle and Hexplosives expert, who wants to build the greatest bomb in the history of Runeterra. You'll carry out bomb jumps and attacks as you bypass obstacles, disarm enemies and light fuses to the beat of this platformer's soundtrack.

In terms of gameplay, Hextech Mayhem looks a little like the Bit.Trip series. That shouldn't be too surprising, since Choice Provisions is the developer behind both.

More details will be revealed during a Riot Forge video showcase at 11AM ET on November 16th. Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story will be available on Nintendo Switch, Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store on the same day. If you pre-order, you'll snag an exclusive skin for Ziggs.

The game is also coming to Netflix at a later date. It's the first new title announced for Netflix's nascent gaming service since the company expanded it to all Android users last week. The current lineup of five mobile games will be available to iOS users soon. Netflix subscribers will be able to play Hextech Mayhem at no extra cost.

Meanwhile, Riot Forge said it will share more info about the long-awaited turn-based RPG Ruined King: A League of Legends Story in the coming weeks.

Windows 11 SE and the $249 Surface Laptop SE are made for school kids

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:00 AM PST

For years, Microsoft has pushed cheap Windows laptops as the ideal school computers. They can do everything a comparable Chromebook can, while also running traditional Windows software. But now, Microsoft is finally ready to jump into the affordable, kid-friendly PC fray with the $249 Surface Laptop SE. It's one of the first PCs to run Windows 11 SE, a stripped down OS that's targeted at K-8 students (and their beleaguered teachers). You can also expect to see Windows 11 SE devices are coming from Dell, HP, Acer and ASUS, among other PC makers.

Microsoft hasn't had the best luck with Windows variants over the years: Windows 10 S was a limp attempt at delivering a simpler experience for the original Surface Laptop, while the dual-screen focused Windows 10X was eventually cancelled. (Windows 11 basically rose from the ashes of Windows 10 X.) But according to Aaron Woodman, Microsoft's General Manager of Windows, this latest OS is more focused on solving a specific problem: How can Microsoft create the ideal OS experience for students and teachers?

Microsoft Surface Laptop SE
Microsoft

Windows 11 SE attempts to do that by focusing on simplicity. There's no Microsoft Store for installing apps (though IT departments can deploy whatever Win32 and Universal apps they'd like). It's optimized to run on slower hardware. And Microsoft even stripped down the window snapping options by only allowing apps to be on the left or right side of the screen. One of the best parts of Windows 11 is the easy way you can easily shove an app to different corners of your screen, but that's probably too complicated for elementary school-aged kids running notebooks with small screens.

The Surface Laptop SE is similarly basic by design. It's a plastic-shelled notebook that vaguely resembles the Surface Laptop line, especially the previous cheap entry, the $549 Surface Laptop Go. It has an 11.6-inch TFT LCD screen with a 1,366 by 768 resolution — a step above 720p, but below the Laptop Go's sub-1080p display. And don't expect any powerful gear under the hood, as the Surface Laptop SE is limited to dual-core Celeron chips (either the N4020 or N4120), and either 4GB or 8GB of RAM. For storage, there's a choice between 64GB or 128GB eMMC cards.

But really, what else do you expect for a starting price of $249? What's more intriguing about the Surface Laptop SE are the more premium elements that still managed to find their way in. Microsoft brought over the Surface Laptop Go's excellent keyboard and trackpad, as well as its easy-opening lid, Woodman tells us. The Laptop SE also sports a 720p webcam, which is sharper than what we see on most similarly-priced notebooks. And, judging from a brief Teams video chat I had with Dave Alles, General Manager of Surface Laptop SE, its camera and microphone quality are shockingly solid too. (It was easily better than $1,200 laptops I've reviewed.)

Microsoft Surface Laptop SE
Microsoft

For the most part, the Surface Laptop SE appears to be more than enough for a typical grade-school kid. It weighs 2.45 pounds, so it shouldn't be too tough to lug around in tiny backpacks. And its onboard storage, however meager, should be enough to work on Microsoft Office projects offline. Microsoft claims it'll get 16 hours of battery life with "typical device usage." Woodman tells us that the designers had students without reliable internet access in mind. They could download assignments at school, work on them at home, and have their work automatically synchronized when they're back in class.

IT departments would likely appreciate the easily accessible screws on the bottom, making it simple to open up and repair notebooks on-site. The Laptop SE's low price should also make it easier for schools to acquire enough units for every student, instead of sharing a handful of PCs in class.

Microsoft Surface Laptop SE
Microsoft

I'm curious to see how well Windows 11 SE performs on the Laptop SE's slow hardware. And a part of me wonders if giving kids a more limited version of Windows will hurt their ability to tinker with PCs when they're older. But as a former IT support jockey, the Surface Laptop SE appears to be the cheap notebook I've always wanted grade-school students to have. Sure, it's not as flexible as the $400Surface Go 3, but for basic coursework that won't matter too much. And while I liked the Surface Laptop Go, it starts at $549—so schools could buy two Laptop SEs for around the same price. 

At this point, Microsoft is only planning to sell the Laptop SE to schools through education resellers later this year. Normal consumers and businesses won't be able to order them at all. But if it's wildly successful, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft finds some way to bring this cheap computer to the masses.

Qualcomm is trying to simplify app creation for AR glasses

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 08:35 AM PST

Qualcomm is betting it can become a cornerstone in the augmented reality world. The chipmaker has unveiled a Snapdragon Spaces platform that helps developers create apps for "next generation" AR glasses. The toolset includes tech to help understand environments and users (including gesture and hand tracking from the newly acquired HINS), software kits for 3D engines like Unreal, OpenXR support and hooks for platforms like Niantic's Lightship and Unity's AR Foundation.

The ultimate aim is to make AR more accessible. Ideally, developers will make apps directly available to you through mobile app stores, using glasses tethered to smartphones. You might not see Snapdragon Spaces used for stand-alone glasses, at least not at first.

The manufacturer support will be there. Spaces won't be widely available until spring 2022, but Qualcomm has lined up partners like Lenovo (including Motorola), Oppo and Xiaomi. Carriers like T-Mobile and NTT DoCoMo will help build "5G experiences" using Spaces. Lenovo will be the first to make use of the technology, pairing its ThinkReality A3 glasses with an unnamed Motorola phone.

It's too soon to know if Snapdragon Spaces will have a meaningful effect on AR. While this should streamline app work, that will only matter if there are both compelling projects and AR glasses people want to buy. This also won't be much help for iPhone owners waiting on possible Apple AR devices. Efforts like this might lower some of the barriers, though, and it's easy to see a flurry of AR software in the near future.

Twitter brings $3 ‘Twitter Blue’ subscriptions to the US

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 08:30 AM PST

Twitter is expanding its premium subscription service to more users. Twitter Blue, which unlocks additional features like the ability to "undo" a tweet or browse news without ads, is now available to users in the United States ($2.99/month) and New Zealand ($4.49/month).

The service is designed to appeal to Twitter's most dedicated power users, with the kind of specialized features that have sometimes appeared in third-party Twitter clients. For example, Twitter Blue comes with an "undo" feature that's likely the closest thing to an edit button the company will ever make.

A subscription also buys several new customization tools, including the ability to rearrange which features appear as shortcuts in the app's navigation bar, or the option to choose new color themes and app icons. Subscriptions also buy you early access to new features as Twitter tests them out. For now that includes video upload up to 10 minutes long (videos are capped at 2 minutes for non-paying users) and the ability to pin conversations to the top of your DM inbox. These experimental features "might eventually become available to the rest of Twitter, graduate to a feature of Twitter Blue, or sunset based on feedback we hear from subscribers," the company says.

Twitter Blue lets you read news without ads.
Twitter

Notably, the latest iteration of Twitter Blue also comes with two new features powered by the company's recent acquisition of Scroll, a startup that partnered with publishers to offer ad-free content. Twitter Blue subscribers are now able to access ad-free articles from more than 300 publishers, including The Atlantic, BuzzFeed and Rolling Stone.

It's somewhat similar to Google's AMP or Facebook's Instant Articles in that articles are meant to load quickly and cleanly. But unlike those programs, where readers are directed to stripped down article pages, Twitter Blue articles will still open directly on the publisher's website. Tony Haile, the former Scroll CEO who now is the senior director of longform at Twitter, says the company is trying to build "win-win partnerships" with publishers who retain "complete control of the experience."

Though the company hasn't disclosed the terms of these arrangements, a portion of each Twitter Blue subscription goes directly to publishers, Haile said. And subscribers will also get access to a dashboard in the Twitter app that breaks down your news-reading habits and how much revenue your clicks are bringing to the publishers you read most often. "Our goal is to help each publishing partner make 50% more per person than they would've made from serving ads to that person." Twitter writes in a blog post.

Twitter Blue brings back some of Nuzzel with 'top articles.'
Twitter

Finally, Twitter Blue comes with a "top articles" feature that brings in some functionality from the niche but highly regarded news app Nuzzel, which was shuttered earlier this year. Like the original app, the new "top articles" feature will curate a list of the top stories shared by people in your Twitter network over the last 24 hours. (Former Nuzzel fans will be happy to learn they can pin the new "top articles" section directly to their nav bar from the in-app settings menu.)

The expansion of Twitter Blue comes amid a broader shift for the company, which has been shaking up many of its core features for the first time in its 15-year history. Elsewhere, the company has embraced creator-centric features like Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces, and is building out a newsletter platform. Twitter Blue is different, though, because the company is hoping to draw in its most hardcore users rather than attract new voices to its platform.

But it's unclear just how many of those users will be willing to pay for those extra features. The company has been testing Twitter Blue in Australia and Canada since early June, but hasn't shared on early adoption or other metrics for the service, Twitter said Tuesday it will continue to add new features and will be paying close attention to user feedback.

The video games we wish someone would gift us

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 08:00 AM PST

We regularly write about the games we love at Engadget, and even have "best games" lists for each console. But buying a game for someone else is a different matter entirely to choosing one for yourself. Unless you know exactly what they want, where do you even begin?

Well, we'd begin by thinking about what your loved one's into, outside of gaming. Could they do with something to help them chill out every night? Do they love a good story, something that moves them? Are they a board game freak? Maybe they're passionate about romancing Greek gods? OK, that last one's pretty unlikely, but we hope there's a little something for everyone here.

Hades

Items for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Super Giant Games

Why am I recommending a game that won a bunch of awards back in 2020? Because you can finally play it on everything. Over the summer, the game launched across both generations of Xbox and Playstation consoles, joining the PC and Switch versions.

Buy Hades on PS5 or Xbox Series X, and you'll get a version that can reach 60 fps in 4K. Whichever platform you play on, expect a game filled with varied enemies, playthroughs that are never the same twice, and an ingenious Boon system that augments a strong selection of weapons with extra powers, effects and new moves.

You'll soon decide your favorite godly ally (and weapon of the underworld), but making it to the end of Hades demands you build some affinity for most skills and techniques, as Boons are randomly granted each run. The game centers around dying, learning and doing it all over again. And again. And again. — Mat Smith, UK Bureau Chief

Buy Hades (PS5) at Amazon - $35

Hollow Knight

Items for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Team Cherry

If Silksong, the sequel to Hollow Knight, had arrived by now, I'd probably be recommending that. As it is, it's still a great time to acquaint yourself with the original which came out — first on PC — back in 2017. Thanks to its Metroidvania playstyle (explore, earn new abilities, use abilities to explore even further) and its cute bug cartoon looks, it remains a classic. To explore the world of Hollow Knight, you'll need half-decent reflexes to both explore dangerous environments and survive encounters with much bigger bugs. The story is lightly woven into your exploration, and while things can feel a little bleak — it's a moody looking game — there's plenty of funny little moments and characters to meet.

Depending on your console of choice, it's also often discounted. Now might be the time to discover your new (but old) favorite game, and hone those skills in time for Silksong. — M.S.

Buy Hollow Knight (Switch) at Amazon - $40

Stardew Valley

Items for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Concerned Ape

No game has brought me quite as much joy and calm over the past year or so than Stardew Valley and, judging by the plethora of streams on Twitch for the title, I don't think I'm alone. Farming sims were some of my favorite games to play as a kid (Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life holds a special place in my heart) and Stardew Valley filled that void for me as an adult and gave me a pleasant, playful thing I could focus while the world was spinning out of control. Planning for fall days in advance so I can get as many gold-star pumpkins as possible brings me way more happiness than you'd think, as does collecting the ridiculous amount of cheese and eggs my happy cows and chickens produce. And the Sims lover in me also finds a ton of joy in actually building up my farm — sure, it's not as elaborate as farms I've seen on Twitch or in Reddit threads, but it's my own little slice of virtual heaven. — Valentina Palladino, Commerce Editor

Buy Stardew Valley at Amazon - $15

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Items for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Insomniac Games/PlayStation Studios

If your special someone is fortunate enough to own a PlayStation 5, they're likely craving a game that makes the most of their new console — and few games do that better than Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. The action-adventure from Insomniac not only looks beautiful, with exceptional detail and sharp 4K HDR visuals, but uses the PS5's ultra-fast storage to offer gameplay that just wasn't possible on previous-gen consoles. You can warp between worlds in an instant, with loading times almost a thing of the past.

And did I mention that it's a very enjoyable game even without that instant-travel party trick? You'll enjoy expanded mechanics that include plenty of blast-em-up action, a diverse set of environments and movement systems like wall-running. The story is compelling, too. The PS5 has few classics at this stage, but Rift Apart is definitely one of them. — Jon Fingas, Weekend Editor

Buy Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart at Amazon - $70

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut

Items for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
ZA/UMZA/UM

Disco Elysium is a video game for board game lovers, RPG diehards and fans of gritty detective stories alike, and since its release in October 2019, it's solidified its place among the indie greats. The Final Cut is the definitive version of Disco Elysium, with full voice acting (that's a lot of characters, trust), fresh art and animations, and expanded storylines. It came out in October for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Switch, and it recently hit PC, PlayStation 4, PS5 and Stadia, so this is a fresh yet proven release for the holiday season. The Final Cut marks the first time the game has hit Switch, PlayStation or Xbox, so it's especially exciting for players on these platforms. — Jessica Conditt, Senior Editor

Buy Disco Elysium - The Final Cut at GOG.com - $40

Control Ultimate Edition

Items for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Remedy / 505

Control is another title with a solid reputation, and the Ultimate Edition finally unlocks the game on current-generation consoles, the Xbox Series X/S and the PS5. Control: Ultimate Edition is a third-person supernatural thriller set in a mysterious government building that's been overrun by a horrific, murderous presence. It comes from Alan Wake studio Remedy Entertainment, and it features rapid-fire gunbattles, telekinetic abilities, and creepy creatures galore. Plus, Control: Ultimate Edition includes the base game and both of its expansions, The Foundation and AWE. — J.C.

Buy Control Ultimate Edition at GOG.com - $40

The Artful Escape

Items for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Annapurna Interactive

Here's one for the quirky artist, the hopeless dreamer or the serious musician in the family — The Artful Escape by Australian indie studio Beethoven & Dinosaur. It's a gorgeous, psychedelic, interactive musical with astounding visuals, a fantastic original soundtrack, and a star-studded voice cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, Lena Heady and Mark Strong. The Artful Escape blends the sensibilities of Ziggy Stardust with the dialogue of Douglas Adams and turns it all into a rich, pleasant platformer overflowing with heart. Truly, anyone can love this game — as long as they're playing on Steam or Xbox platforms. — J.C.

Buy The Artful Escape at Steam - $20

Deathloop

Deathloop
Deathloop

PlayStation 5 and PC players only for this one — everyone else is just going to be sad they can't play it. Deathloop is the brand new, breakout hit from Dishonored house Arkane Studios, and it's an innovative, retro-futuristic first-person shooter with killer time-bending mechanics. This is the game that'll be on everyone's lips during awards season, and it's one that serious players won't want to miss. — J.C.

Buy Deathloop at Steam - $60

Sony and TSMC attempt to address chip shortages with a factory in Japan

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 07:35 AM PST

The rumors of a Sony-TSMC chipmaking partnership were true. Nikkeireports Sony and TSMC are teaming up to build a semiconductor factory in Kumamoto, Japan that would tackle "strong global market demand" for specialized chips. That is, it would address chip shortages that have plagued everyone from car makers through to phone brands. The deal has TSMC creating a local subsidiary, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, where Sony will have a minority stake of roughly $500 million.

This fab wouldn't be used to make cutting-edge chips on 5-nanometer and smaller processes. Instead, it would start out with 22nm and 28nm parts. That may sound outdated (even Intel's 14nm CPUs have been around for several years), but they could be ideal for tasks where cost and reliability are more important than raw performance, like cars and industrial equipment.

As with many chip shortage solutions, you won't notice the impact for a while. Sony and TSMC only expect to start construction of the factory sometime in 2022, and the plant won't start production until sometime before the end of 2024. The initial crunch that prompted the effort may have been solved by then. Nonetheless, this could help the tech industry keep up with demand and prevent any future crisis from hobbling whole economies.

Peloton is making a $495 smart camera for strength training

Posted: 09 Nov 2021 07:26 AM PST

Peloton's fitness ambitions go far beyond treadmills and stationary bikes. Its next product is the Peloton Guide, a strength-training camera system that hooks up to your TV and uses machine learning to understand your movements.

The movement tracker feature is compatible with hundreds of Peloton strength classes. The idea is to encourage users to carry out all of the exercises in a class and keep up with instructors (but it's not a big deal if you can't stick to the instructor's pace). The Self Mode will enable users to match their form against the instructor's in real-time via smart camera technology. You'll be able to select how you appear on screen, and the aim is to help you make adjustments during a class.

Peloton Guide camera system and remote.
Peloton

The body activity function serves as a reminder of which muscle groups you've worked out most recently. It will suggest classes that target muscles you might have overlooked lately. In addition, Peloton Guide has a voice activation mode. You can start, stop, rewind and fast forward a class. The feature will be available in the US, Canada and the UK at the outset (for what it's worth, Peloton's bikes only just got a pause button for on-demand classes).

In terms of privacy, you'll be able to put the system to sleep, slide a cover over the camera and turn off the microphone with a physical switch, though the company says the microphone won't be on or listening unless you're in a class. Peloton plans to improve the system over time by training the machine learning model on more movements and disciplines, and increasing the number of classes and training programs. Meanwhile, you'll be able to use your own equipment and weights.

A TV displaying a selection of Peloton Guide's strength training classes.
Peloton

The company says that strength is its platform's fastest-growing discipline. The Peloton App offers some strength classes, while unofficial groups and tags focused on strength now boast nearly 250,000 community members.

Peloton Guide is the company's least expensive device to date. It costs $495 US / $645 CAD / £450 / €495. The system, which comes with a remote and the updated Peloton Heart Rate Band, will arrive in the US and Canada in early 2022. It will hit the UK, Australia and Germany later next year.

The Heart Rate Band, which will be an armband rather than the current chest strap, will be available separately early next year for $89, and is compatible with Peloton's other products. Peloton says it will discontinue the existing Heart Rate Monitor in the coming months.

It's worth noting that, as with Peloton's other products, you'll need a subscription to use it. The Peloton Guide Membership costs $13 USD / $17 CAD / £13 / €13 per month, and allows five people to work out with the system. A membership is included with Peloton's All-Access subscription (which many Bike and Tread owners will already have).

Peloton Guide is not going to be for everyone. Some people won't be comfortable seeing themselves on a screen as they're working out. But for those who do strength training at home and aren't sure that their form is right, it could fit the bill.
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