Lets be candid: It can feel daunting to get into most of the long-running, popular actual play shows, like Critical Role, or Dimension 20s Fantasy High setting. A lot of that is about time.Compared to the other narrative things you can put on your TV, individual actual play sessions are long. Just like most peoples RPG sessions, they can run for two, three, even four hours. A campaign arc can last dozens of episodes, so a single actual play arc can rival the length of several seasons of television combined even the luxurious 20-episodes-plus seasons of TVs yesteryear.Even if you have that kind of time to invest in entertainment, it can still be intimidating to pick up a show that already has multiple wikis full of lore, and a huge fandom that has absorbed it all. Some of the most established actual play shows have years of interconnected fictional history to catch up on. Faced with that commitment of time and brainspace, it can feel much easier to cue up anything else during your finite TV-watching time.Time and mental load are certainly why it took me until 2023 to start watching Dropouts blockbuster actual play series Dimension 20, regularly (but not always) hosted by game master Brennan Lee Mulligan for a group of (usually) improv comedians using the rules of Dungeons & Dragons. Even as a fan of Dropouts comedy shows, and a huge fan of tabletop RPGs and actual play podcasts, I wasnt sure where to start. The time commitment is also the top barrier that my TTRPG-friendly, already-enjoying-Dropout buddies present when I tell them theres a D20 season theyd really dig: Two and a half hours? Thats my whole evening.But heres how Dimension 20 got me well and truly hooked: Mulligan and his crew fully commit to the anthology format. With D20, all you really have to do is pick a genre, and theres a self-contained season waiting to pull you in.I started Dimension 20 in the usual TV show way, by watching from the beginning. But after putting just a couple of early seasons under my belt, I followed the siren song of social media clips and skipped a full 12 seasons ahead to Neverafter, the 2022-2023 season, which was airing at the time. Since then, Ive taken the liberty to hop around to whichever season caught my fancy, from the combat-low magical Regency romance story of A Court of Fey & Flowers to the bloody medieval drama of A Crown of Candy. Sometimes I just leaped to seasons featuring the performers I most wanted to see more of.Dimension 20 mixes things up from season to season by changing the genre, performer lineup, and game system. The seasons also vary in run time, alternating full-length 20-ish-episode seasons with shorter seasons of four to 10 episodes. Dont have the stomach for a show thats already built up more than 50 hours of lore? Relax you can just watch a one-and-done 12-hour season thats essentially Inside Out, but silly film noir. Not really into the currently airing season? No worries; therell be another one along in a few months, and it will almost certainly be totally different.In a media landscape ruled by sequels and lore dumps, Dimension 20s anthology format allows it to settle into the magical middle ground between familiarity and variety. The show offers length as well as tidily capped brevity. Deep storytelling to dig into and the option to dabble.Curious about which season you personally should start with? Pick your genre and peruse this quick rundown of some of Polygons favorite self-contained Dimension 20 seasons:Season 15, A Court of Fey and Flowers: Regency-era romance, set in a flamboyant fairy court, using a combat-low tweak on D&D rules that includes regular rounds of scandalous-letter writing. For the kind of person who shrieks and hugs a pillow when the cravat-wearing male lead finally confesses his love or utterly ruins his chances via inevitable misunderstanding.Season 16, Neverafter: Fairy tale heroes like Little Red Riding Hood and Puss in Boots become aware of their own fictional state in a world of creeping fear. For fans of folklore and existential horror.Season 17, The Ravening War: Sharing a setting with Dimension 20s Crown of Candy season, but fully self-contained, this short season is for people who wish House of the Dragon had more jokes, and also wish everyone was made of food.Season 18, Dungeons and Drag Queens: Classic Dungeons & Dragons fantasy, played by four stars of RuPauls Drag Race over a short and sweet four episodes. For anyone new to D&D itself, and especially for Drag Race fans.Season 19, Mentopolis: A film noir parody where every character is a different aspect of one harried scientists mind, trying to help him survive a very eventful day. For people who think too much about the implications of Inside Out.Season 22, Never Stop Blowing Up: Jumanji and Last Action Hero combine with a tweaked RPG system designed with a complete disregard for balance. For anyone who would enjoy watching an 80s action film turned up until the knob breaks off.Dimension 20 airs on Dropout.tv.

Now that the Galaxy S25 series is official, you might be considering picking up a new smartphone. If you aren't particularly partial to Android or iOS, you might be weighing your options here: Should you pick up a new Galaxy S25, or perhaps one of Apple's iPhone 16s? To help figure that out, I've gathered all the specs we currently know about the S25 series and compared them against all four iPhone 16 devices.Of course, this is going to be a comparison of the phones on-paper. While the iPhone 16 has been out since last fall, Samsung just announced the S25 series, so we don't know how they perform in real-life testing. Still, paper specs can shine a light on key differences between devices, so let's take a look at how Samsung's latest phones stack up to Apple's. Screens and dimensionsLet's start with Samsung. The Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch "Dynamic AMOLED" display, with a resolution of 2340 x 1080. It measures 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm, and weighs 162 grams. The Galaxy S25+ bumps things up a bit: It has a 6.7-inch display Dynamic AMOLED display, with a resolution of 3120 x 1440, which will look sharper than the S25 (with the proper settings). It measures 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm, and weighs 190 grams. Finally, there's the S25 Ultra, the largest of the bunch. It has a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, with a resolution of 3120 x 1440. It measures 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm, and weighs 218 grams. Turning to the iPhone 16 series, there's the iPhone 16 itself. This model matches the Galaxy S25 most closely, with a 6.1-inch OLED display, which has a resolution of 2556 x 1179. That's slightly sharper than the S25's 1080p display, but not by much. It measures 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm and weighs 170 grams. The iPhone 16 Plus increases the OLED display to 6.7 inches, with a slightly sharper resolution of 2796 x 1290. It measures 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm, and weighs 199 grams.Then there are the Pros. The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 2622 x 1206. That's a small bump from the iPhone 16, and a decent bump from the Galaxy S25. It measures 149.6 x 71.5 x 8.25 mm and weighs 199 gramsthe same as the iPhone 16 Plus. Finally, there's the Galaxy S25 Ultra competitor: the iPhone 16 Pro Max. This device has a 6.9-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 2868 x 1320, the sharpest of any iPhone, but a bit lower than the Ultra's 1440p display. It measures 163 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm and weighs 227 grams.Internal specsSamsung isn't running with any surprises in the hardware department this year: All three S25 devices are running an octa-core Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a 3nm SoC that comes with 12GB of RAM. The S25 offers either 128GB of 256GB of storage, while the S25+ and S25 Ultra come in 256 or 512GB configurations. In terms of batteries, the S25 comes with a 4,000 mAh cell, the S25+ has a 4,900 mAh option, and the S25 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh unit.The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are running Apple's proprietary A18 chip, with a six-core CPU, five-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine. The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max get the "Pro" version of the A18, however, which essentially adds one extra GPU core to the mix.CamerasMobile photography is always a key point of interest for any new smartphone, so we'll have to wait to see how these new Galaxy devices stack up to the 16 series in real-world use. But for the time being, here are the specs. The Galaxy S25 and S25+ have three rear cameras: a 12MP ultra-wide (/2.2), a 50MP wide (/1.8), and 10MP 3x telephoto (/2.4). The S25 Ultra, on the other hand, has four cameras: a 50MP ultra-wide (/1.9), a 200MP wide (/1.7), a 10MP 3x telephoto (/2.4) and a 50MP 5x telephoto (/3.4). All three phones have a 12MP selfie cam (/2.2), but the Ultra's comes with auto-focus. Let's compare these specs to the 16 series. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have two rear cameras: a 48MP wide (/1.6) and a 12MP ultra-wide (/2.2). Apple advertises that you can shoot 12MP 2x telephoto shots with this sensor. On the Pro side, you get that 48MP wide camera, but with a /1.78 aperture, and a 48MP ultra-wide (/2.2). Again, you can shoot 12MP 2x telephoto shots on the wide camera, but the Pros also have a dedicated zoom lens: a 12MP 5x telephoto (/2.8). All iPhone 16 devices come with a 12MP selfie camera (/1.9) with auto-focus.ColorsSamsung splits the same color palette between the S25 and S25+. With either phone, you can opt for Silver Shadow, Navy, Icy Blue, or Mint. On the S25, you have four "titanium" color options: Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Whitesilver, or Titanium Silverblue. Apple does something similar, offering the same color options for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, but a different set of colors for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in Black, White, Pink, Teal, or Ultramarine, while the Pros comes in Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, or Desert Titanium.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is here: Specifically, the Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25+, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. These three handsets replace the equivalent Galaxy S24 models that launched all the way back in January 2024, and you can check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review to remind yourself of what we thought of them.Of course, one of the first questions that gets asked when new phones appear is: How do these compare to last year's models? The information collected below will tell you exactly that, with the Galaxy S25 trio compared to the Galaxy S24 trio in all the key categories that matter, from battery capacities to screen sizes.Screen and dimensionsStarting with the sizes and screens of these phones, the Galaxy S25 sports a 6.2-inch, 2340 x 1080 resolution, Dynamic AMOLED screen, with an overall size of 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm, and a weight of 162 grams. That screen matches the Galaxy S24 exactly, but last year's model is slightly thicker (7.6 mm) and slightly heavier (167 grams).With the Galaxy S25+, we've got a 6.7-inch, 3120 x 1440 resolution, Dynamic AMOLED screen, dimensions of 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm, and a weight of 190 grams. Again, the screen specs are an exact match to last year, and again, the older S24 Plus is a little thicker (7.7 mm) and a little heavier (196 grams).As for the top-tier Galaxy S25 Ultra, it boasts a 6.9-inch, 3120 x 1440 resolution, Dynamic AMOLED screen, plus an overall size of 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm and a weight of 218 grams. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, by comparison, has a smaller 6.8-inch screen with the same resolutionit's also a bit taller (79 mm), a bit thicker (8.6 mm), and a bit heavier (232 grams) than the newest model.Colors and designYou can pick up the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ in Silver Shadow, Navy, Icy Blue, and Mintwhich are a bit less inspiring than the Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Jade Green, Sandstone Orange, and Sapphire Blue options of their predecessors (though Samsung may well announce additional colors further down the line).When it comes to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, your options are Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver, and Titanium Silverblue. On the Galaxy S24 Ultra we get Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, and Titanium Orange, though again stay tuned for more options at a later date.Design-wise, everything is mostly as it was before, though the phones get a bit of a camera lens border revamp that seems to be inspired by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. The S25 Ultra is sporting a slightly new look, as its corners are more rounded than the S24 Ultra, making it less Note-esque and more like the other phones in the series. The Samsung Galaxy S24 series. Credit: Samsung Key internal specsAll the new Galaxy S25 phones use the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which should be a step up from the Galaxy S24 series: The 2024 phones use a mixture of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and Samsung's own Exynos 2400, depending on which part of the world they're being sold in.There's a standard 12GB of RAM in every Galaxy S25 model, with 128GB and 256GB storage options on the standard S25, and 256GB and 512GB available on the S25 Plus and S25 Ultra. The only difference in this regard with last year's phones is with the Galaxy S24, which comes with 8GB of RAM rather than 12GB.Battery capacities for the Galaxy S25 phones match the Galaxy S24 phones4,000 mAh for the standard, 4,900 mAh for the Plus, and 5,000 mAh for the Ultraand the charging speeds haven't changed either. You'll still get 25W wired charging speeds on the standard model, and 45W wired charging speeds on the Plus and Ultra phones.CamerasWith a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP telephoto camera (3x optical zoom) on the back, the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus match up exactly with the 2024 phones they're following on fromat least in hardware terms, before any extra software processing is taken into account.As for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it has a rear camera setup consisting of a 200MP primary camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a 10MP telephoto camera (3x optical zoom), and a 50MP telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The one change here from the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the ultra-wide camera, which is 12MP on the older model.When it comes to the front-facing selfie camera, all three Galaxy S25 phones go with a single 12MP snapper, which matches up with the Galaxy S24 series across the board. (The S25 Ultra, however, gets auto-focus here.) There's very little to choose between the 2024 and 2025 models in terms of cameras, and it's the same for the rest of the hardware specssave for the upgraded Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset running everything.

Alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25 series today, Samsung also made a slew of software updates that might not have gotten much attention during the keynote. Specifically, two updates are coming to Samsung Wallet that not only sound very similar to existing features on iPhones, but might also be better. The new features are called "Instant Installment," which is the company's take on "buy now pay later," as well as peer-to-peer payments, which it's named "Tap to Transfer." The latter is basically Apple's Tap to Cash, which allows iPhone owners to hold their phones together to send money to each other. Crucially, though, Samsung's method would support work with third-party digital wallets.At a recent briefing with members of the media, Samsung's reps said that Tap to Transfer "is not going to be limited to just Samsung Wallet." Instead of being tied to specific digital wallets, it will be linked to the associated debit card or account, and works via Mastercard and Visa.As for Instant Installment, it's not that Samsung is pivoting to becoming a credit provider and taking on loans. Instead, it facilitates your purchases and turns your payments into what the company's rep said is "the first offline payment plan experience." It's available at brick-and-mortar stores or online, with Visa or Mastercard credit cards. Samsung Wallet just helps you manage the payment plan on your device.Both of these features aren't launching with the Galaxy S25, but Samsung said at the briefing that they would be available "shortly thereafter." A spokesperson I talked to at the event indicated it would be closer to the second quarter of the year, and that the features would be backward compatible and work on older Galaxy phones, too. Details are scarce, though, and with seemingly months to go before launch, things could change. But if Samsung actually makes it possible to tap to transfer cash between friends with different devices and digital wallets, it could truly be a better, more seamless approach than Apple's version right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-borrows-from-the-apple-wallet-playbook-with-layaway-and-tap-to-send-for-wallet-181052578.html?src=rss

Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra, and for the most part, the changes aren't massive. The jumbo-sized S25 Ultra has the most noticeable updates, including a more rounded titanium frame, slimmer bezels, new anti-reflective glass and an improved ultrawide camera. All three phones run on a faster Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip and promise better low-light video capture. The S25 and S25+ are slightly thinner than last year's models, too, while the base S25 now includes 12GB of RAM as standard. For the most part, though, much of Samsung's focus is on improving the phones' AI functionality. To that end, the company is touting features like an improved Circle to Search tool and better natural voice recognition, among other tricks.We spent some time with the new phones ahead of today's Unpacked event, so you can read our hands-on previews of the Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra for more details on what to expect. The phones are up for pre-order now, with official sales starting on February 7. We'll have full reviews around then. However, for Galaxy owners who are already set on upgrading, we've laid out how the three devices compare on the spec sheet below. If you're wondering what the extra cost of the S25+ or S25 Ultra gets you, here's a quick breakdown.Samsung Galaxy S25Samsung Galaxy S25+Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraPrice (MSRP)$800 (128GB), $860 (256GB)$1,000 (256GB), $1,120 (512GB)$1,300 (256GB), $1,420 (512GB), $1,660 (1TB)Dimensions5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 inches6.24 x 2.98 x 0.29 inches6.38 x 3.06 x 0.32 inchesWeight5.7 ounces6.7 ounces7.7 ouncesScreen size6.2 inches6.7 inches6.9 inchesScreen resolutionFHD+ (2,340 x 1,080)QHD+ (3,120 x 1,440)QHD+ (3,120 x 1,440)Screen typeDynamic AMOLED 2XUp to 120Hz (1-120Hz)Up to 2,600 nits (peak brightness)Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2Dynamic AMOLED 2XUp to 120Hz (1-120Hz)Up to 2,600 nits (peak brightness)Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2Dynamic AMOLED 2XUp to 120Hz (1-120Hz)Up to 2,600 nits (peak brightness)Corning Gorilla Armor 2SoCQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm, 8-core)Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm, 8-core)Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm, 8-core)RAM12GB12GB12GBBattery4,000mAh4,900mAh5,000mAhChargingUp to 25W wiredUp to 15W wireless ("Qi2 ready")4.5W reverse wirelessUp to 45W wiredUp to 15W wireless ("Qi2 ready")4.5W reverse wirelessUp to 45W wiredUp to 15W wireless ("Qi2 ready")4.5W reverse wirelessStorage128GB, 256GB256GB, 512GB256GB, 512GB, 1TBRear cameraMain: 50 MP, f/1.8, 85 FOV, OISUltrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 120 FOVTelephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36 FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoomMain: 50 MP, f/1.8, 85 FOV, OISUltrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 120 FOVTelephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36 FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoomMain: 200 MP, f/1.7, 85 FOV, OISUltrawide: 50 MP, f/1.9, 120 FOVTelephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36 FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoomPeriscope telephoto: 50 MP, f/3.4, 22 FOV, OIS, 5x optical zoomFront camera12 MP, f/2.2, 80 FOV12 MP, f/2.2, 80 FOV12 MP, f/2.2, 80 FOVVideo captureRear: 4K at 60 fps, 8K at 30 fpsFront: 4K at 60 fpsRear: 4K at 60 fps, 8K at 30 fpsFront: 4K at 60 fpsRear: 4K at 120 fps, 8K at 30 fpsFront: 4K at 60 fpsWater and dust resistance ratingIP68IP68IP68Wi-FiWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 7BluetoothBluetooth 5.4Bluetooth 5.4Bluetooth 5.4OSAndroid 15, One UI 7Android 15, One UI 7Android 15, One UI 7Colors and finishGlass front and back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frameNavy, Icyblue, Mint, Silver Shadow, Blueblack*, Coralred*, Pinkgold* (*Samsung.com exclusive)Glass front and back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frameNavy, Icyblue, Mint, Silver Shadow, Blueblack*, Coralred*, Pinkgold* (*Samsung.com exclusive)Glass front (Gorilla Armor 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), titanium frameSilverblue, Whitesilver, Gray, Black, Pinkgold*, Jetblack*, Jadegreen* (*Samsung.com exclusive)This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/heres-how-samsungs-new-galaxy-s25-phones-compare-to-each-other-180032319.html?src=rss

Do you know what it takes to keep operations going in the event of a cyberattack?

Nexos.ai, founded by the team behind Nord Security, wants to help enterprises streamline AI deployments.

President Donald Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the drug marketplace Silk Road who is revered by many cryptocurrency enthusiasts and Libertarians.I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright to let her know, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social,misspelling Ulbrichts name.Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole nearly a decade ago. He had created and operated Silk Road on the dark web, turning it into an international drug marketplace that facilitated more than 1.5 million transactions. A judge at his 2015 sentencing said Ulbricht was the kingpin of a worldwide digital drug-trafficking enterprise.But crypto enthusiasts have long been championing Ulbrichts release. Silk Road was one of the first platforms where people could use Bitcoin to buy and sell goods. And many thought he was given an overly harsh sentence. Trump, who courted cryptocurrency enthusiasts during his presidential campaign, said last year that he would work to free Ulbricht.A website dedicated to Ulbrichts release was updated Wednesday to include a statement attributed to his family: Our immense gratitude to President Trump for giving Ross a second chance and to all those who have supported us throughout the years. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!

The NFL directed the New England Patriots to delete the teams Bluesky account, Fred Kirsch, the teams VP of content, said on a January 16 episode of the Patriots Unfiltered podcast.While the team briefly had a Bluesky account, Kirsch said it was taken down because its not an approved social media platform for the NFL yet.Bluesky was founded as a research initiative by Jack Dorsey in 2019 but really emerged as an alternative to Elon Musks X and shot up in popularity after Novembers presidential election. It crossed 25 million users last month, as more and more people seemed to become dismayed with Musks shift to the political right.Still, several sports leagues rely on X for accessing large fan bases, including the NFL, which has an ongoing content partnership with the platform that dates back to 2013. An NFL spokesperson didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.