Akira Toriyama helped design one of the most incredible RPG worlds ever. Very few series can compare to the colorful cast of heroes and villains from the Dragon Quest franchise that have helped itbecome a standout JRPG series. Like any gaming series, there are highs and lows to each installment. The mainline series avoids falling into the worst category, but not all Dragon Quest games are created equal.

Bluesky is very hot right nowjust ask Mark Zuckerberg. Even though Bluesky has a fraction of the total Threads user count (30 million vs Threads's 320 million), Adam Mosseri, Head of Threads, is working hard at making Threads more like Bluesky. Bluesky's unique features include a non-algorithmic timeline and more sophisticated moderation tools, but one of the features that Bluesky users really like, and the one that Threads is adopting first, is the shareable custom feeds.Threads, too, has an option to create custom feeds. And now, you can share them with either a link or DM, or even by advertising them on your profile page. Creating a custom feed means freedom from Thread's algorithmic feed, which might show you content from accounts you have no interest in.You can create custom feeds from the Threads app or website. Tap and hold the For You or Following feed, then select the Create New Feed option. Next, ensure that the Public Feed option is enabled if you want your new feed to show up on your profile for others to see. Tap the Add topics or profiles button. Search for profiles and add them to the list. You can also do this for any topic or search term. When you're done, tap on Create Feed. You can add up to 150 profiles and 5 topics to a custom feed, and you can create up to 128 custom feeds overall. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Once created, your new feed will show up in your feeds bar. Here's where you can start sharing.On your Profile page, go to the Feeds tab and select a Feed. Here, tap the Share feed button. You'll see an option to DM it to Instagram or Threads users. Or, you can just copy a link to the feed to your clipboard, which you'll be able to share anywhere. Credit: Khamosh Pathak When interacting with other people's feeds, you'll have two options. You can use the Pin to Home button to add the feed to your Threads home screen, so you can browse it without following everyone included in it. Alternatively, tap the Follow Profiles button to follow all the profiles in the list.If you decide you don't like a custom feed somebody's shared with you, no worries. Like with any other feed, tap and hold the feed tab from the top and choose Remove to get rid of it.

Google has issued another round of significant AI model announcements, upgrading its Gemini offerings across the board to bring users and developers artificial intelligence engines that are, according to the company, more capable and reliable. In the wake of DeepSeek's rise and new OpenAI models, the pace of AI development isn't slowing down.First up, the Gemini 2.0 Flash model that appeared in December for a select few is now rolling out to everyone, so you'll see it in the Gemini apps on desktop and mobile (this actually began appearing last week, so you may have already used it). The Flash models are designed to be faster and more lightweight, without too many performance trade-offs.Google is also making a Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model available for all users to test. It's another "reasoning" model, like the ones we've seen in ChatGPT, where the AI displays its thinking as it goeswith the intention of producing results that are more accurate and more transparent.There's also a version of this model appearing to all users with access to apps included: Google Search, Google Maps, and YouTube. It'll return real-time information from the web, as well as references to Google Maps data (including journey times and location details), and information pulled from YouTube videos.Lastly for the Flash models, Google is making Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite available to developers. It's the most cost-efficient Gemini model yetwhich will appeal to those building tools with Geminiwhile still maintaining high levels of processing performance across a variety of multimodal inputs (text, images, and more).Pro-level models You need Gemini Advanced to get at some of these models. Credit: Lifehacker Next up, the even more capable Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental model is herea little slower than the Flash equivalents, but better at thinking, writing, coding, and problem solving. This model is now appearing in experimental form for developers, and for any users who are paying $20 a month for Gemini Advanced."It has the strongest coding performance and ability to handle complex prompts, with better understanding and reasoning of world knowledge, than any model weve released so far," says Google. It can also take in two million tokens per prompt, which averages out at about 1.4 million wordsroughly the Bible, twice.That's double the capacity of the 2.0 Flash models, and Google provided some benchmarks, too. In the general MMLU-Pro benchmark, we've got scores of 71.6 percent, 77.6 percent, and 79.1 percent respectively for Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite, 2.0 Flash, and 2.0 Pro, compared to 67.3 percent for 1.5 Flash and 75.8 percent for 1.5 Pro.There are similar improvements across the board on other AI benchmarks, with Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental hitting a score of 91.8 percent in a leading math test. That compares to 90.9 percent for 2.0 Flash, 86.8 percent for Flash-Lite, 86.5 percent for 1.5 Pro, and 77.9 percent for 1.5 Flash. As is the norm for AI model launches like this, details are thin on the training data used, hallucination risks and inaccuracies, and energy demandsthough Google does say the new Flash models are its most efficient yet, while all its latest models are better than ever at reasoning feedback and stopping potential safety and security hacks.

Whether youre a true cord-cutter or you just want to watch the next season of Stranger Things when it (eventually? maybe?) drops, everyones on the lookout for streaming deals nowadays. Plenty have chosen VOD and live TV streaming services over traditional cable in recent years, but the savings that choice got you just a few years ago have somewhat evaporated now. Companies like Netflix, Disney, Max and others have been consistently raising prices to the point where you may question if streaming is even worth it anymore. We at Engadget still think so, for many reasons, but you can (and should) be smart with your money at the same time. Streaming deals are an option, even if they dont come around with the same regularity as discounts on AirPods do. If youre looking to save money and still stream all of the content you want, Engadget can help by laying out the best streaming deals you can get right now, how you can save with bundles and everything you should know before paying for yet another streaming service. Best streaming deals True streaming deals can be hard to come by. Most often, theyll pop up during the Black Friday shopping period. On occasion, well see them sparingly throughout the year and they usually take the form of a discounted monthly or annual rate for a limited period of time. Also, true streaming deals are typically on the ad-supported versions of a service, but once in a while youll find a unicorn of a deal on a tier that has ad-free viewing. If youre able to wait for a deal before subscribing to a streaming service, we recommend doing so. Youll save money upfront and in the long run, and you also have the option to cancel your subscription before the price goes back up to the normal rate. Maybe you find you like the service so much that youre fine paying full price for it thats the ideal situation. But if youre not compelled to keep that app on rotation in your smart TV, most streaming services make it easy for you to cancel at any time. With that said, these are the best streaming deals you can snag right now. DirecTV MySports beta for $50/month for three months ($20/month off): DirecTVs recently announced MySports beta package is $50 per month for the first three months if you sign up before the end of February. That means youll save a total of $60 for that timeframe. In addition to sports channels like FS1, ESPN and NFL Network, the package includes more than 25 live and local TV channels and unlimited DVR recordings. Sling Orange for $23/month for the first month (50 percent off): New customers can get Sling Orange or Sling Blue for half off the usual price for the first month, bringing the final prices to $23/month and $25.50/month, respectively. Orange is likely best for sports fans, with eight exclusive sports and family channels, while Blue includes 19 exclusive news and entertainment channels. You can get both Orange and Blue access also for half off for one month, or $33 total. Fubo Essential for $60/month for the first month ($25 off): Fubo has introductory discounts on most of its packages, but Essential may be the best for most people. It offers access to 215 channels, unlimited cloud DVR and up to 10 simultaneous streams. Note that regional sports content is not included here; youll have to go up to Pro or Elite plans for that. YouTube TV for $70/month for the first six months ($78 off): New subscribers can save a total of $78 when they sign up for YouTube TVs base plan, which includes access to over 100 channels, unlimited DVR space and six household accounts with the ability to stream on three devices at once. Spotify student discount - Premium + Hulu with ads for $6/month (72 percent off): Spotifys student offer continues to be one of the best around, giving you access to the Premium tier of the music streamer and Hulus ad-supported plan for only $6 monthly. Purchased separately, youd pay $22 per month for both of the services. Plus, the first month is free when you sign up. Hulu student discount - subscribe for $2/month (75 percent off): Those with a valid student ID can get Hulus ad-supported tier for 75 percent off the typical rate. Theyll keep the same sale price for as long as theyre a student as well. Max student discount - subscribe for $5/month (50 percent off): Max offers their ad-supported tier to students for half off the usual rate. Youll just have to verify that youre a student through Unidays, and make note that this offer is only good for up to 12 months of service. Streaming bundle discounts Theres more consolidation happening now than ever before in the streaming space, and that means there are more streaming bundle options. These bundles offer you access to more content with one subscription price, but those prices are typically higher than paying for a single service by itself (obviously). It may be tempting to just get the bundle, but if only one of those services in the bundle speaks to you, youll spend less overall by just paying for the single service. Speaking of a deep love for a single streaming service: if all of your favorite shows are on Peacock or the latest releases on Max consistently bring you joy, consider paying for one year upfront. Subscribing with an annual plan usually saves you money in the long term over paying on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, not all streaming services (looking at you, Netflix) have an annual subscription option. Here are some of the best streaming bundles you can get right now. Disney+ and Hulu Duo Premium for $20/month: This bundle removes the ads from both Disney+ and Hulu (with the exception of select live and linear content) and allows you to download content for offline viewing. Youll save 43 percent with this bundle, as opposed to paying for both ad-free tiers individually. Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Trio Basic for $17/month: You get full access to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ content with this package, albeit with ads across the board. This bundle price is 47 percent off the total price of all three separate subscriptions. Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Trio Premium for $27/month: Similarly to the Duo bundles, the Premium version of the Trio removes ads from most content in Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, and you can download content for offline viewing. This price represents a 43-percent savings when compared to paying for all three ad-free tiers separately. Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle with ads for $17/month: Max may not technically be under the Disney mega-umbrella, but you get full, ad-supported access to its content here along with Disney+ and Hulu. Youll save 43 percent with this bundle, as opposed to paying for all three services individually. Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle no ads for $30/month: The major difference between this bundle and the previous is the lack of ads across most content in all three services. Download support for offline watching is included, too. Compared to the $52/month youd pay for these tiers separately, youll save 42 percent with this combination. Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN+ for $96/month: This streaming bundle amalgamation is a bit confusing but it does offer a lot: you get live TV streaming via Hulus service plus access to the following VOD services: Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+. Out of those three, only ESPN+ will have ads. Paramount+ with Showtime for $13/month or $120/year: This includes everything in Paramount+s Essential plan, except the ads, and also provides access to Showtime content, live CBS streams and download features. Read more streaming coverage The best live TV streaming services to cut cable The best streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Max and more The best streaming devices Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-streaming-service-deals-133028980.html?src=rss

OM System has unveiled the OM-3 Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera, combining an old-school Olympus-style body with the latest stacked sensor technology. The new model offers buyers many of the capabilities of the company's flagship $2,300 OM-1 Mark II, including fast shooting speeds and 4K 60p video, at a slightly lower price point. The OM-3 is a brand new product line for OM System, falling between the OM-1 II and OM-5. It's quite a bit prettier than either model, though, evoking the older, coveted Olympus PEN-F camera. Like that model, it lacks a raised grip so users must rely on the leatherette texture and thumb rest to keep hold of it. For travelers, the OM-3 is relatively light at just 17.5 ounces (496 grams) without a lens, a bit less than Fujifilm's X100 VI. OM System The body is replete with dials and switches, including a pair of shooting dials, a mode dial and another to change between shooting photos, video and S&Q. One unusual feature is a "creative dial" at the front (borrowed from the Pen-F) that lets you switch between five modes (standard, mono, color, art and color creator). Those open up screen menus that allow further customization. Inside, though, the OM-3 is effectively a mini OM-1 II. Like that model, it comes with a 20.37-megapixel stacked BSI sensor that delivers very fast 50fps shooting speeds with continuous autofocus. It also offers the same 1,053-point on-chip phase-detect autofocus system along with pre-capture shooting of up to 70 frames. And despite the small size, it comes with five-axis in-body stabilization, albeit with lower performance (6.5 stops instead of 8) compared to the OM-1 II. OM System The other major downgrade is the lower-resolution 2.36-million-dot EVF that's a bit disappointing given the price (the OM-1 II has a nice 5.76-million-dot EVF). It also comes with just a single UHS-II memory card slot. However, the OM-3 has the same 3.0-inch vari-angle display as the OM-1 II, which is nice for content creators, while also offering identical IP53 weather sealing and the same BLX-1 battery with 590 shots max in standard mode. On the video side, the OM-3 can shoot 4K video at up to 60p using the full sensor width with 10-bit log recording (though it can't shoot 10-bit video in standard mode like Panasonic's latest cameras). It also offers 1080p slow-mo at up to 240fps, albeit with a crop. If you're willing to use an external recorder, it can capture 4K RAW video at up to 60fps. Like the OM-1 II, the OM-3 has minimal rolling shutter in all video modes, so it should be great for capturing action. The OM-3 is now on pre-order for $2,000 (body only), or $2,300 in a kit with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4 Pro lens. Shipping is expected to begin in late February. Olympus also announced an updated, more rugged version of its 100-400mm zoom, the $1,500 M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS II, along with new weather resistant primes, the M.Zuiko Digital 17mm F2.8 II ($550) and M.Zuiko Digital 25mm F1.8 II ($500). This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/om-systems-om-3-camera-marries-vintage-style-with-a-high-tech-stacked-sensor-130020762.html?src=rss

Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram.

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.