Tech Talk

Facebook's alt text descriptions are currently available in 45 different languages. What you need to know The latest version of Facebook's automatic alternative text (AAT) promises to further improve the photo experience for the visually impaired. Facebook's AAT can now identify activities, landmarks, types of animals, and more. Additionally, it can now provide information about the positional location and relative size of different elements in a photo. Facebook's automatic alternative text (AAT) technology, which was introduced in 2016, makes it possible for the visually impaired to enjoy their news feed by providing them with descriptions of photos on demand. The social networking giant has now unveiled the "next generation of AAT," which brings multiple technological advances to further improve the photo experience for blind or visually impaired users. Facebook says it used weak supervision based on billions of Instagram photos and their hashta

This could mean the Sony Xperia 1 III is also on its way. What you need to know The first images of the Sony Xperia 1 III have leaked, with few key specifications. The design is nearly identical to its predecessor, with only a modest spec upgrade according to rumors. Last year's Xperia 10 II launched with the flagship Xperia 1 II, suggesting Sony's flagship could show up soon as well. Sony is preparing to launch its updated smartphone lineup for 2021, and among them is the mid-range Xperia 10 III. Leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer managed to snag a few renders of the upcoming smartphone, and they could easily be mistaken for last year's Xperia 10 II. The upcoming Xperia 10 III looks nearly identical to its predecessor, with the same tall display with the 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio, sizeable top and bottom bezel flanking the display, a rounded frame, and a triple camera setup on the back. According to Hemmerstoffer, the device will see a minor spec update compa

Google is still facing backlash from the departure of its Ethical AI team. What you need to know Google's head of Ethical AI has been locked out of her corporate account. The company is currently investigating her for sharing thousands of files with external sources. These events continue Google's internal struggle with its team over how it handled the departure of former AI researcher, Timnit Gebru. Margaret Mitchell, Google's head of Ethical AI, is currently under investigation by the company, and has been locked out of her account. This follows Google's recent drama surrounding Timnit Gebru , who used to co-head the team with Mitchell and was dismissed by the company due to disagreements over a research paper. Gebru recently called out Google on locking Mitchell out of her account, commenting on the company's practices : She's not fired **yet**. But apparently they've told her she will be locked out for at least a few days. https://t.co/H1ibk

JBL's official eBay store has the JBL Link View 8-inch Bluetooth smart display on sale for $79.99. That's as low as this smart display dropped during the Black Friday shopping season and a match for its best price ever. The Link View sells for $90 or more at other retailers and still goes for as much as $300 at some places like Verizon even when we've seen it go on sale there in the past. Our review of the Link View gave it 4.5 stars and called it the "best-sounding smart display yet." The review went on to add, "Its design may not be as functional or aestheticly pleasing as its competition, but when you add together the excellent sound quality, video camera, HD display, and snappy software performance, that one gripe quickly fades into the background." This is both a smart speaker and a very good 8-inch display. It has Google Assistant inside so you can control the speaker with your voice. That lets you ask questions or control your smart home w

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game relies heavily on 90s-era pixel art nostalgia for better and for worse. We're in the middle of a sort of renaissance of old-school beat 'em ups and it's pretty fantastic to see one finally make its way to Stadia . From the excellent Streets of Rage 4 and River City Girls to the recent Battletoads reboot and more, now is a good time to be a fan of walking from left to right while fighting bad guys. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game -- Complete Edition may have more subtitles than it does original ideas, and it's certainly not one of the best Stadia games , but what it lacks in innovation it more than makes up for in style and polish for genre fans. And for an 11-year old game that was already considered quite retro at the time of its original release, it's hard to expect anything more than that. At a glance Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition on Stadia Bottom line: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Wor

We certainly saw some excellent Fitibit deals over the holidays, but you haven't missed your chance to save if those deals passed you by. Right now, Amazon is offering the Fitbit Sense at a $68 discount , dropping it down to within a couple of dollars of its lowest ever price. The recently-released smartwatch is available in gold for just $261.96 right now, way below its usual $330 retail price. The graphite version is also on sale with over $50 off. The Fitbit Sense is equipped with a few features you won't find on previous Fitbit watches or fitness trackers, with the main new addition being the EDA Scan app. This feature detects electrodermal activity which will give you insights into your body's response to stress. There's a built-in skin temperature sensor that automatically logs info each night as well. Of course, as with previous Fitbit models, you can also expect features like heart rate tracking and notifications to let you know if yours seems below or a

Qualcomm says it will use Nuvia's tech in all of its high-end products. Qualcomm recently announced that it intends to spend $1.4 billion to acquire Nuvia , a small start-up that specializes in building high-speed ARM server chips. Any deal of this nature would be subject to regulatory investigation, but this one will get a bit of extra scrutiny — Nuvia was founded by ex-Apple chip designer Gerard Williams who left the company under an agreement that he does not compete with Apple's chip business. Building servers was fine with Apple because the company doesn't try to make any serious gains in that market. Instead, it spends resources on chips for consumer electronics, like phones or laptops. And it just so happens that Qualcomm has said the acquisition of Nuvia will provide tech for high-end chips for consumer electronics like the best Android phones as well as servers and self-driving cars. The deal itself may be clouded by Apple's lawsuit against Williams an