Google has gained permission to sell its e-books and audiobooks directly to customers through its iOS app, Google Play Books. While iOS apps today can offer access to content previously purchased elsewhere, like e-books bought via a website, developers have to request a specific exception to link their iOS apps users to the companys own website to make purchases.According to a brief post on Googles blog, users will now be able to click on a new Get book button in the Google Play Books iOS app which will take them to the Google Play website to complete their e-book or audiobook purchase.Image Credits:GoogleFrom there, users will be able to see their recently opened book listings and complete a purchase using their Google Account and saved payment information. By processing the transaction on its own website, Google can avoid paying Apple a commission (generally 30%) on in-app purchases of digital content. In addition, the iOS apps users will be able to share their books with a family group from Google Plays Family Library, whether the family member uses iOS, Android, or the web as their reading or listening device.To allow for this change, it seems Google applied for the exception called the External Link Account Entitlement, which was originally introduced as a result of Apples settlement with a Japanese regulator,the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) in 2022. The rule focuses on reader apps meaning those designed primarily to provide access to some sort of digital content, like magazines, books, audio, music, or video. To use the entitlement, developers have to request additional approval from Apple and then follow other rules about how the website displays when their external link is clicked, how the link is formatted, how its referenced in the apps code, and more. It also specifies that users will have to see a full-screen announcement warning them that theyre no longer transacting with Apple after clicking the external link. Netflix was among the first to adopt the new rule in 2022 by making it possible to sign up for a subscription via its website. Google did not explain why it has only now decided to offer direct purchases, but it may have been waiting for the results of the lawsuit between Fortnite maker Epic Games and Apple. That case ultimately discovered that Apple was not a monopolist, but confirmed that Apple would have to allow app developers to link to their own websites if they chose. The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in January 2024, leaving the original ruling from the lower courts to stand.

First teased in 2021 and previously in development at Paramount+, the project has found a new home at Netflix with Drew Crevello serving as writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

As our open source community continues to grow, we are grateful for our member companies who provide operational support and guidance, said David Morin, executive director of the Academy Software Foundation. As new members, Raynault VFX and Stability AI bring with them the artistic talent and the technical know-how that will help strengthen open source development in the motion picture industry. We are thrilled that Raynault VFX and Stability AI are joining the Foundation!Founded in 2011, Raynault VFX is located in Montreal, Canada and is known for its work across feature films and television shows including Deadpool & Wolverine, The Mandalorian, Dune: Prophecy, and Thor: Love and Thunder. As a smaller studio, Raynault leverages open source tools to allow artists to focus on creativity, not technological challenges. The studio already uses OpenEXR, OpenColorIO, and OpenImageIO.Raynault VFX is joining the Academy Software Foundation to contribute to the advancement of open source technologies that drive innovation in the visual effects industry, shared Simon Ouellet, CTO at Raynault VFX. As a boutique studio dedicated to technical excellence, we believe that collaborating with the Foundation will help shape more efficient VFX workflows while maintaining the highest artistic standards.Stability AI specializes in Generative AI and developing open models in image, video, 3D, and audio, as well as professional applications designed for enterprise-grade visual media creation. Best known for its Stable Diffusion model, Stabilitys models are used by creators, developers, and enterprises alike.Were excited to join the Academy Software Foundation, an organization that shares a similar ethos to Stability AI in advancing open source innovation for content creation, said Hanno Basse, Chief Technology Officer of Stability AI. Stability AI is built on an open-first approach, releasing all of our foundational models openly across image, video, 3D, and audio. This approach has fostered a large and loyal developer community, continuously expanding our models with new tools and functionality. Through our collaboration with the Academy Software Foundation, we look forward to further strengthening the open source ecosystem.Source: Academy Software Foundation

Acer has announced new price hikes for laptops in response to US tariffs - and other companies could follow suit.

Amazon is selling the 2022 10.9-inch iPad (10th Gen) for just $296, a solid discount for a rarely marked-down tablet. However, it only applies to a specific configuration.

StrandsNYTLooking for Tuesdays Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:Well, this is one of the hardest puzzles I have seen in a while because I had essentially no idea what it was talking about until the very last minute, and even then, Im still confused about a couple of these. Good luck.How To Play StrandsThe New York Times Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. Its in beta for now, which means itll only stick around if enough people play it every day.Theres a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and youll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.Youll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links two opposite sides of the board. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.Be warned: Youll need to be on your toes.Some themes are fill-in-the-blank phrases. They may also be steps in a process, items that all belong to the same category, synonyms or homophones, The New York Times notes. Just as she varies the difficulty of Wordle puzzles within a week, [Wordle and Strands editor Tracy] Bennett plans to throw Strands solvers curveballs every once in a while.What Is Todays Strands Hint?The NYT hint is not terribly useful today until after you finish the puzzle, so I will help you more than they did.Pick your own prefixAnd mine is:You eat themThats enough to get you started.What Are Todays Strands Answers?The spangram is something I did not get until the end, and it is:BERRIESAnd heres where that lies on the board:StrandsNYTAnd the answer list:StrandsNYTRASPSTRAWGOLDENBLUESALMONHUCKLEELDERBLACKOkay, look, I get it now, the prefix of different kinds of berries, but when you start with things like RASP, HUCKLE and GOLDEN you can understand how you would be confused. And I have literally no idea what a SALMON berry is, is that actually a real thing? Im going to look it up, I dont believe them.Follow me , , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

At last week's PlayStation State of Play, Gearbox Entertainment solidified a launch date for Borderlands 4. Studio head Randy Pitchford promised the game would be ready on September 23. If that's not enough, Take-Two is likely loading up a double punch, with Rockstar preparing to launch Grand Theft Auto VI a few weeks later.Fans of the Borderlands series can expect the familiar mix of humor, chaos, and looting as the latest entry continues the franchise's tradition of explosive, over-the-top action. Early reports suggest that Borderlands 4 will introduce new gameplay features, which we get a glimpse of in the Launch Date trailer above. It's also clear that Gearbox hasn't strayed too far from the core mechanics that made previous installments fan favorites, making one of the Most Anticipated PC Games of 2025. Although the trailer has no dialog, it's safe to assume the studio will keep the series' signature sense of humor and its looter-shooter gameplay intact.Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto VI has become one of the most anticipated games of the decade. While Rockstar has remained tight-lipped about specifics, the game's release window is the subject of much speculation. Take-Two has confirmed that it will launch this fall. With Borderlands 4 now slated for a late September release, late October or early November seems like a logical estimate for GTA 6.Take-Two is unlikely to release GTA 6 in early September, as Borderlands 4 would follow too closely, causing the publisher's two most anticipated games of the holiday season to compete for opening-week sales. A late October launch is a more probable target, as it allows Borderlands 4 some time to generate sales and positions GTA 6 closer to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday blitz.If Borderlands 4 and Grand Theft Auto 6 hit their respective launch dates, Take-Two will have two blockbuster titles primed to dominate holiday sales. Assuming no further delays occur, these releases will likely drive substantial year-end revenue, making for an attractive quarter when reporting to investors.With Borderlands 4 potentially attracting new players while catering to long-time fans and Grand Theft Auto 6 offering a new entry in one of the most successful gaming franchises, Take-Two's lineup is poised to decimate the competition this fall. The real question is whether these iconic games will meet the massive expectations set by their fanbases.

In context: Viktor Antonov designed one of the most iconic locations in Half-Life 2, Valve's seminal first-person shooter. His former colleagues broke the news about his passing on social media, highlighting how Antonov's work made a significant contribution to several video game projects. Former colleagues confirmed Viktor Antonov's passing on social media, highlighting his significant contributions to multiple video game projects. Antonov designed one of the most iconic locations in Valve's first-person shooter Half-Life 2.Born in Bulgaria in 1972, Antonov immigrated to Paris in 1989 before eventually moving to the United States. He began his career in the late 1990s as a 'map painter' on the hillbilly-themed first-person shooter Redneck Rampage. Valve hired him in 2004 as an art director on Half-Life 2.Antonov conceived City 17, the oppressive Brutalist metropolis that serves as the opening setting of Half-Life 2. Any gamer who has played Half-Life 2 knows City 17 well. The game continues to influence modern titles despite never receiving a proper sequel because Valve still can't count to three.Even today, I still daydream about my first time playing Half-Life 2, tearing through City 17's crumbling buildings and hidden courtyards in a fight against the Combine. When the weather and sunlight hit just right, I can almost "see" Antonov's visionary work in real life a bit miraculous, considering the game barely ran on my rusty Pentium 4 back in the day.Viktor Antonov, le directeur artistique sur Half-Life 2 et la franchise Dishonored, est dcd. L'information a t confirme par Marc Laidlaw, ex-ead writer chez Valve sur Half-Life.[image or embed] FdeSousse (@taleboules.bsky.social) 16 febbraio 2025 alle ore 09:24After Half-Life 2, Antonov joined Arkane Studios as a visual designer on Dishonored. In his later years, he primarily worked as a consultant on several projects, including Wolfenstein: The New Order, Fallout 4, and Dishonored 2. He also contributed to id Software's DOOM (2016), Prey, and two upcoming games: Project C by Darewise Entertainment and Project DG by Eschatology Entertainment. // Related StoriesFormer Valve writer Marc Laidlaw first confirmed Antonov's passing on Bluesky, describing him as the visionary art lead on Half-Life 2 a brilliant and original artist who "made everything better." Arkane founder Raphael Colantonio also praised the Bulgarian-born designer, stating that Antonov was instrumental in the studio's early success. Although he was still relatively young when he passed, he leaves an indelible mark on the history of gaming.

Are you planning to upgrade your gaming PC? You may want to check out Alienware deals, especially this one: a $210 discount from Dell for this particular configuration of the Alienware Aurora R16 that usually sells for $2,210, bringing it down to $2,000. Youre never going to regret going for this gaming desktop, especially since the savings are a huge bonus, but youre going to have to be quick with your purchase because theres a chance that the stocks up for sale will run out soon.Its no secret that were very impressed by the Alienware Aurora R16 we gave it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars in our review, and weve placed it at the top of our list of the best gaming PCs. It appears to be expensive even after the current discount, but its actually competitively priced with what youre getting with your purchase. Its equipped with the 14th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super graphics card, and 32GB of RAM thats the maximum recommendation by our guide on how to buy a gaming desktop. With these specifications, not only can you play the best PC games at their highest settings, but youll also be ready for the upcoming PC games of the next few years.With a 2TB SSD, youll have enough space to install several AAA titles, and with Windows 11 Pro pre-loaded, you can actually start doing so right after you hook up the gaming PC to the necessary peripherals. The gaming desktop keeps cool and quiet while youre playing with its liquid-cooling system, and its smaller than previous generations so it will take up less space on your desk, meaning you can get that bigger gaming monitor that youve wanted.RelatedDell is a fantastic source of gaming PC deals, especially if youve got your eyes on the Alienware brand. We highly recommend going for the Alienware Aurora R16, as theres $210 in savings up for grabs for this model with an original price of $2,210, so youll only have to pay $2,000. Its still not what youd call affordable, but its actually a steal price when you consider the power that this gaming desktop packs. Hurry and complete your transaction for the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC, as it would be a shame to miss out on the discount.Editors Recommendations

SpaceX undertook a Falcon 9 mission with a difference on Tuesday night, landing the booster in a different country from which it was launched. The spaceflight company shared footage of the feat on social media site X.Falcon 9 lands off the coast of The Bahamas for the first time! Welcome to space @VisitTheBahamas! pic.twitter.com/eidTYL5PYv SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 18, 2025Up to now, SpaceX has always landed the returning Falcon 9 booster back at the launch site in Florida or California, or on a droneship off the east or west coast, but this time it touched down on a droneship off the coast of The Bahamas, some 420 miles southeast of the launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida completing its first-ever international voyage.Recommended VideosThis new landing location allows Falcon 9 to maximize its performance by launching into an optimal southeast trajectory from our launch sites in Florida to carry additional satellites to orbit and also allows us to launch human spaceflight missions such as Fram2 to polar orbits, SpaceX said in a post on X prior to the launch. Landing off the coast of The Bahamas will also provide greater winter weather recovery options, helping Falcon continue to provide rapid and reliable service for our customers.Please enable Javascript to view this contentIt added there was a possibility that folks on The Bahamas may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing, though the precise experience would mostly depend on the weather and other atmospheric conditions.The flight, which lifted off from Cape Canaverals Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at 6:21 p.m. ET, deployed 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit.This was the 16th flight for this particular first-stage Falcon 9 booster, which previously launched Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, Astra 1P, NG-21, and 9 Starlink missions.SpaceX has been successfully landing its Falcon 9 booster since 2015. The system allows the team to reuse the first stage for multiple missions, which helps it to reduce the cost of spaceflight. Just a few days ago one of its boosters completed a record 26th flight.Editors Recommendations