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Tom's Guide
an hour ago
- Tom's Guide
Snap announces new Spectacles coming in 2026 — lighter, more immersive and available to the public
Late in 2024, Snap teased the 5th generation Spectacles, its augmented reality smart glasses. At the time, the glasses were only just becoming available to device developers who could rent a pair for $99 a month. Today (June 10), during the Augmented World Exhibition (AWE) 2025, the public will get to don the new Specs in 2026. Specs are AI-assisted, with Snap claiming that developers already have a number of "new experiences" ready for the new Spectacles. 'We believe the time is right for a revolution in computing that naturally integrates our digital experiences with the physical world, and we can't wait to publicly launch our new Specs next year,' said Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc., in a press release. Some of those tools we got to see last year, and again during a demo in April. These include Pool Assist, which helps you make better plays on the billiards table. There's also Super Travel that is supposed to translate signs, menus and other text while abroad. As for the form factor, the developer glasses we got to test are fairly bulky. Spiegel announced during AWE 2025 that the new ones would be lighter and a "much smaller form factor." Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. "No bulky headset, no puck, no tether, no phone required," Spiegal said during his keynote. "They're fully standalone, lightweight, immersive AR glasses, powered by Snapdragon, with an operating system built from the ground up for augmented reality." Before the new Specs arrive, Snap is also upgrading Snap OS with four "major" updates. These will mostly affect developers, but for the public, you will see new Lenses that the Specs will be able to access. Snap did not provide a specific launch month or date, so we don't know when exactly in 2026 the updated Spectacles will actually arrive.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida appeals federal judge's ruling which blocks enforcement of social media ban for kids
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier quickly appealed after a federal judge Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking a 2024 state law aimed at keeping children off social media platforms. Uthmeier, who is the defendant in a lawsuit filed by two tech-industry groups, filed a notice of appeal to Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Wilson's ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. As is common, the notice did not detail arguments Uthmeier will make at the Atlanta-based appeals court. Uthmeier also is battling Snap Inc., the operator of Snapchat, in a separate lawsuit about whether the social media company has violated the law. The law, which was one of the biggest issues of the 2024 legislative session, seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening social media accounts on certain platforms, though it would allow parents to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts. Children under 14 could not open accounts. The law does not directly identify which platforms would be affected by the regulations. But it includes a definition of such platforms, with criteria related to such things as algorithms, "addictive features" and live streaming. Walker's ruling Tuesday said, for example, it would apply to Snapchat and YouTube, which are owned by Google. In the ruling, Walker said the law likely violates First Amendment rights, siding with arguments raised by the industry groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association. The groups filed the lawsuit in October. Walker anticipated in Tuesday's ruling that Uthmeier would appeal the preliminary injunction to the Atlanta-based appeals court. He declined to put his ruling on hold while the appeal plays out. "Defendant has every right to appeal, and this court sees no reason to delay defendant in seeking an appeal by requiring him to move to stay," Walker wrote. Parents role in police children's use of social media Supporters of the law have argued it targets addictive features of social media platforms that harm children. But Walker pointed, in part, on the role of parents in policing social media use by their children. "An established principle in the First Amendment context is that enabling individuals to voluntarily restrict problematic content at the receiving end is preferred over restricting speech at the source," Walker wrote in a 58-page ruling. "In this context, that means that parents are best positioned to make the appropriately individualized determinations about whether or when their children should use social media platforms, and if so, which platforms and under what conditions." Florida accuses Snapchat of breaking the law The preliminary injunction applies statewide, but it came amid wrangling in a separate lawsuit that Uthmeier filed in April in state court in Santa Rosa County contending the operator of Snapchat has violated the law. "Despite being subject to HB 3, Snap contracts with and provides accounts to Florida users who it knows are younger than 14," the lawsuit said. "It also fails to seek parental consent before contracting with and providing accounts to Florida users who it knows are 14 or 15 years old. Snap is openly and knowingly violating HB 3, and each violation constitutes an unfair and deceptive trade practice under FDUTPA (a state law known as the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act)." The lawsuit was transferred from state court to federal court through what is known as "removal" by Snap. The company last week asked Walker to put the lawsuit on hold while the broader case filed by NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association plays out. If Walker doesn't issue a stay, Snap argued the judge should dismiss the lawsuit. "The statute categorically bars individuals under age 14 from creating accounts on the websites it covers and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, infringing on protected speech of minors," Snap's attorneys wrote. "As numerous courts have concluded, requiring minors to obtain parental consent before accessing 'social media' abridges First Amendment rights." But Uthmeier is trying to get the lawsuit moved back to state court. Walker said in Tuesday's decision he would not rule on Snap's request to put the lawsuit on hold until after he decides whether to send it back to Santa Rosa County.
CBS News
23-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Florida attorney general sues Snapchat, claims it's violating state's social media law
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit alleging that the operator of Snapchat is violating a high-profile 2024 law aimed at keeping children off some social media platforms. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Santa Rosa County circuit court, came after a federal judge last month rejected a request by tech industry groups for an injunction to block the law. In a federal-court filing Monday, attorneys for the state said Uthmeier "expects that additional investigations and enforcement actions will commence soon." The law (HB 3) seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening social-media accounts on platforms that meet certain criteria — though it would allow parents to give consent for 14 and 15-year-olds to have accounts. Children under 14 could not open accounts. Supporters of the law have said it targets addictive features of social media platforms. That's a key argument in the lawsuit that Uthmeier filed Monday against Snap Inc., which operates Snapchat. "Despite being subject to HB 3, Snap contracts with and provides accounts to Florida users who it knows are younger than 14," the lawsuit said. "It also fails to seek parental consent before contracting with and providing accounts to Florida users who it knows are 14 or 15 years old. Snap is openly and knowingly violating HB 3, and each violation constitutes an unfair and deceptive trade practice under FDUTPA (a state law known as the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act)." The social media law, which was one of the biggest issues of the 2024 legislative session, did not name platforms that would be affected but included a definition of such platforms, with criteria related to such things as algorithms, addictive features and allowing users to view the content or activities of other users. The tech industry groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association filed a federal lawsuit last year alleging the law violates First Amendment rights. The groups have said in a federal court filing that it could affect Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, all of which are members of at least one of the groups. Florida social media law targets addictive features The lawsuit filed Monday in Santa Rosa County alleges that Snapchat meets criteria, such as having addictive features, that make it subject to the age restrictions in the law. For example, the lawsuit said Snapchat uses "push notifications" that appear on users' phone screens when they are not using the platform. "Push notifications exploit users' natural tendency to seek and attend to environmental feedback, serving as distractors that monopolize attention," the lawsuit said. "Young users are especially sensitive to these triggers and less able to control their response and resist reopening the app. Snapchat sends push notifications to users, regardless of age, frequently and at all hours of the day and night." As another example, the lawsuit pointed to Snapchat messages disappearing after certain amounts of time. "The disappearing nature of Snapchat content contributes to the app's harm to young people," the lawsuit said. "This aspect of Snapchat encourages users to open the app and keep coming back to it constantly, and it preys on minor users who are especially sensitive to a fear of missing content." The lawsuit seeks an order to stop Snapchat's alleged violations of the law and penalties up to $50,000 for each violation. Social media law faces legal challenge After the industry groups filed the federal court challenge last year, the state agreed to delay enforcing the law until Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled on the groups' request for a preliminary injunction. Walker on March 13 turned down the injunction request, saying the groups had not shown they had legal standing to challenge the law. The groups filed a revised version of the challenge March 28 and are again seeking a preliminary injunction. "While states certainly have a legitimate interest in protecting minors who use such services, restricting the ability of minors (and adults) to access them altogether is not a narrowly tailored means of advancing any such interest," the groups' attorneys argued in one court document. "In a nation that values the First Amendment, the preferred response is to let parents decide what speech and mediums their minor children may access — including by utilizing the many available tools to monitor their activities on the internet. Like similar laws that have preceded it, HB 3 violates the First Amendment." The state's federal-court filing Monday said Uthmeier notified the groups after Walker's March 13 injunction ruling that he could move forward with enforcement of the law
Int'l Business Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
OpenAI Resurrects Cheaper, Faster GPT-3.5 Turbo That Now Powers Snapchat, Shopify, and More
OpenAI has formally brought back its highly capable GPT‑3.5 Turbo API to developers, a significant step towards restoring the foundation of the original ChatGPT that delighted the world in 2022. The revival is also intended to enhance AI integration in top platforms, providing developers with an optimized and cost-effective solution for creating advanced chatbot capabilities and smart assistants. GPT‑3.5 Turbo Returns OpenAI Resurrects Cheaper, Faster GPT-3.5 Turbo That Now Powers Snapchat, The GPT-3.5 Turbo API is now open for integration with different apps and services. OpenAI assured that this version is much more affordable and stable compared to its previous versions, at a cost of only $0.002 per 1,000 tokens, 10 times less expensive than previous GPT-3.5 versions. But it's not just about affordability. This refreshed API version is designed for more than chat-based applications. Developers can now use it to power innovative features beyond text conversations, signaling OpenAI's push to broaden AI use cases across industries. Major Apps Leveraging GPT‑3.5 Turbo API With OpenAI potentially requiring developers to accomplish ID verification, we expect to see newer AI models in the coming weeks. Before that, several well-known brands were already incorporating GPT‑3.5 Turbo into their platforms: Snapchat (Snap Inc.): Snapchat+ subscribers can now enjoy "My AI," an individualized chatbot providing text edits, suggestions, and instant conversation augmentation. Quizlet: Supporting more than 60 million students worldwide, the app will incorporate GPT‑3.5 Turbo to act as an interactive AI tutor, adjusting to users' levels of study and subjects. Instacart: The "Ask Instacart" feature launching soon will enable shoppers to communicate with the platform in natural language queries—such as asking for recipe recommendations in relation to shopping lists. Shopify: GPT-3.5 integration will enable an AI-based shopping assistant that provides personalized product suggestions to over 100 million users. Looking Back at GPT-3.5 and How It Came to Be Released in November 2022, GPT‑3.5 became the basis of ChatGPT's free tier, remaining active until replaced by GPT-4o mini in mid-2024. Although it was widely used, GPT‑3.5 was criticized for producing intermittent "hallucinations" due to outdated training data (dating only through September 2021). The new Turbo variant removes these issues with increased stability and wider utility. Whisper API Gets a Major Upgrade In addition to GPT‑3.5 Turbo's return, OpenAI has upgraded its Whisper API, the company's open-source speech-to-text model, Digital Trends reports. Originally released in 2022, Whisper now offers faster processing and greater compatibility across audio formats like MP3, M4A, WAV, and WebM. One of its most notable implementations is Speak, South Korea's leading English learning app. The Whisper API upgrade will support the app's global expansion and enhance its ability to offer open-ended, accurate language learning experiences. OpenAI's Strategic Shift on Open-Source and Older Models In the face of increasing competition, particularly from Chinese AI brand DeepSeek, OpenAI is rethinking its open-source approach. CEO Sam Altman admitted recently in an AMA that the company had been "on the wrong side of history," suggesting greater openness and access for earlier models. OpenAI's Chief Product Officer, Kevin Weil, also revealed the company might open-source more legacy models in the future. The Whisper API serves as a leading example of this shift. Originally published on Tech Times
Bloomberg
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel Bets Meta Can't Copy High-Tech Glasses
By Evan Spiegel sees something others don't: a neon-red flag, digitally projected on the lenses of the augmented-reality glasses he's wearing. The co-founder and chief executive officer of Snap Inc. is at Clover Park, next to the company's headquarters in Santa Monica, California, sporting the new Snap Spectacles. Spiegel was originally supposed to demo a basic chess app, but he decides instead that he wants to challenge me to a more complex game of capture the flag. He guides me through the process, telling me to tap a button that appears through my own Spectacles lenses on my hand—visible to me, invisible to others—and then, from the menu now floating before my eyes, to select the app by pinching the air. We stake our 3D flags near a tree and a picnic table, set up rival bases and prepare to sprint around, using our palms to fire blasts of light at each other like Iron Man.
