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Philips Hue is unquestionably one of the best-known smart lighting brands, and for good reason; after all, it makes some of the best smart lights around. Its quality products and overall market presence have made it immensely popular, so it’s not all that surprising that its prices are at the premium end of the scaleWhile brands like Nanoleaf may be the first to come to mind for many when considering a Philips Hue alternative, I’m here to sing the praises of another low-cost manufacturer of smart lighting loveliness – Govee.Founded in 2017, Govee offers a huge range of both fun and functional smart lighting products, and regularly releases exciting new products that leave me wanting to rearrange my lighting setup so that I can incorporate newer pieces without looking like my home belongs in Cyberpunk 2077 (not saying I wouldn’t enjoy that, mind you). Aside from all the pretty lights, Govee produces some other great smart home essentials, including sensors, air purifiers, and fans, too.I could waffle on for hours about my favorite Govee features, but to save us all some time, I’ve summarised my top three reasons why Govee makes a perfect lower-cost alternative to Philips Hue.1. There’s something for everyoneWhether you want to go big and bold with vivid and colorful displays or want practical lighting solutions that you can automate to suit your schedule, their impressive range of products means that Govee will likely have something that ticks your boxes.(Image credit: Future)One product that’s equal parts fun and functional is the highly rated Govee Table Lamp 2. This RGBICWW lamp boasts over 60 scene presets, a load of customizable settings, and is Matter compatible, too. I have two of these lamps at home, and I love how easily I can switch up the mood with this little light, moving from a brighter, cooler white light for working hours, to mood-brightening colorful scenes for the evening, before finishing the night on a warm-toned white.Even the reasonably priced Govee RGBIC LED Strip Light has a satisfying amount of customizable features. These include brightness adjustment, AI scene creation, and color palettes that can be applied across the entire strip or fine-tuned segment by segment.2. The companion app is reliable and user-friendly It’s all well and good having a fancy bit of kit capable of impressive lighting effects, but if the companion app is overly complex, clunky, or lacks features, it’d quickly dull any sparkle. Fortunately, the Govee Home app isn’t guilty of any of these; instead, it provides a delightfully straightforward and engaging user experience. It’s simple to navigate between different features, and I really liked that I could streamline the layout by arranging the modes for easy access. Another customizable element I appreciated was the quick action button that sits at the top of the page, giving me easy access to a choice of functions, including color and effect sections, auto-play, and a timer, amongst others.(Image credit: Future)3. Their prices are more palatable than Philips HueI think I’ve made it clear already that there are savings to be made when opting for Govee over Philips Hue, but to demonstrate my point, I’m going to lay out a couple of examples of the cost difference between similar products from both brands.Say you’re thinking of upgrading your ceiling lights, a two-pack of 800 lumen RGBWW smart bulbs from Govee costs around $24.99 / £18.99, whereas the same from Philips Hue could set you back around $89.99 / £84.99. The price difference is pretty vast straight off the bat, and the chasm widens further when you factor in an additional $59.99 / $49.99 for a Philips Hue Bridge, which you’ll need if you want to use the full suite of features, such as controlling your lights away from home, something which Govee offers for free via the Govee Home app.So, if you’re keen to get started on your smart lighting setup, but have been put off by the cost of building a Philips Hue system, then Govee is well worth considering, not just because their products are more affordable, but because they’re feature-packed and efficient, too.

Steeped in old-school horror tropes, Grammy-winning musician, rapper, producer and filmmaker Flying Lotus’ (V/H/S/99) new-to-streaming phantasmagoria, Ash, is primed and pumped to provide all the high-octane cosmic nightmare fuel you might ever want to tank up on.With its first-person shooter video game pedigree and obvious homages to films like John Carpenter’s The Thing and Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon, with a sprinkling of H.P. Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones tossed in, Ash got a theatrical release on March 21, 2025 by XYZ Films and now it’s come to the horror-centric platform Shudder starting on Friday, June 20.Director Flying Louts' Ash is currently streaming on Shudder. (Image credit: Shudder)Trust me when I say that you’ve never seen such disturbing, imaginative imagery like this and it’s a must-watch revelation for any card-carrying horror hound or diehard sci-fi aficionado. You might even want to keep all the house lights on and huddle up with braver souls than your own.The storyline employed is relatively simple and it’s a well-worn plot device in survival horror gaming and sci-fi territory where an astronaut awakens aboard a spaceship with little or no memory of what tragedy has occurred and a mysterious lethal antagonist lurking on the dark.Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Need For Speed) and Eiza González (Baby Driver) star in this extraordinarily frightening project helmed by Flying Lotus from a clever screenplay penned by native Swiss actor Jonni Remmler. Ash carries with it the confident attitude and flair of raw ‘90s-era grindhouse science fiction horror movies such as indie director Richard Stanley's Hardware or Vincenzo Natali's chilling Cube. Match that with video game DNA from franchises like Doom, Dead Space, and Silent Hill and you’ve got an idea of what's in store.Here’s the official synopsis: "On the mysterious planet of Ash, Riya (González) awakens to find her crew slaughtered. When a man named Brion (Paul) arrives to rescue her, an ordeal of psychological and physical terror ensues while Riya and Brion must decide if they can trust one another to survive."The cast also includes Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Beulah Koale, and Flying Lotus, who wrote the insanely addictive original synthwave score that acts as a perfect complement to the visionary frights. This atmospheric music was written in off-grid fashion while FlyLo was in New Zealand using only a MIDI controller and his personal laptop computer and the results are astounding.Punctuate with intense pools of saturated color, monstrous alien entities, and jump scares that might leave you breathless, this a truly something to savor and we’re thrilled to introduce this stellar work by Flying Lotus, one of our best and brightest hyphenate talents on the planet.Ash has invaded the Shudder streaming platform starting June 20. (Image credit: Shudder)There’s also a jaw-dropping unintentional homage to the Palmer Monster scene in Carpenter’s The Thing that ratchets up the blood and gore to ridiculous dimensions that you won’t want to miss.Now streaming on Shudder, Ash is produced by XYZ Films' Nate Bolotin and GFC Films' Mathew Metcalf and executive produced by Nick Spicer, Maxime Cottray, Aram Tertzakian, Maile Daughtery, Flying Lotus, Neill Blomkamp, Dave Brown, and Adam Riback.You might also like8 new horror movies on Netflix, Shudder, HBO Max, and more in June 20253 new horror movies are coming to Prime Video in JuneYou can totally tell that 28 Years Later was shot on an iPhone

If anyone was holding out hope that the Oversight Board would provide some kind of check on Meta's rewritten hate speech policy, Meta has just made it clear exactly where it stands. The company published its formal response to the board's criticism, and has declined to commit to any substantive steps to change its rules.

The Oversight Board previously criticized Meta's January policy changes as "hastily announced" and wrote that it was "concerned" about the company's decision to use the term "transgenderism" in its rewritten community standards. The company's policy, announced by Mark Zuckerberg in January shortly before President Donald Trump took office, now permits people to claim that LGBTQ people are mentally ill.

"We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words such as 'weird,'" the policy now states. In a decision related to two videos depicting public harassment of transgender women, the Oversight Board had sided with Meta on its decision to leave the videos up. But the board recommended that Meta remove the word "transgenderism," from its policy. "For its rules to have legitimacy, Meta must seek to frame its content policies neutrally," the board said.

The word has a long association with discrimination and dehumanization, human rights groups have said. Human Rights Campaign noted that the term is "socially and scientifically invalid" and "often wielded by anti-trans activists to delegitimize transgender people." GLAAD has likewise noted that "framing a person’s transgender identity as a 'concept' or 'ideology' reduces a core identity to an opinion that can be debated, and therefore justifies dehumanization, discrimination, and real-world violence against transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people."

In its formal response, Meta officials said they were still "assessing feasibility" of removing the word from its policies. The company said it would "consider ways to update the terminology" but added that "achieving clarity and transparency in our public explanations may sometimes require including language considered offensive to some."

Meta also declined to commit to the board's three other recommendations in the case. The board had recommended that Meta "identify how the policy and enforcement updates may adversely impact the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, including minors, especially where these populations are at heightened risk," take steps to mitigate those risks and issue regular reports to the board and the public about its work.

It had also recommended that Meta allow users to designate other individuals who are able to report bullying and harassment on their behalf, and that the company make improvements to reduce errors when people report bullying and harassment. Meta said it was "assessing feasibility" of these suggestions.

Meta's response raises uncomfortable questions about just how much influence the ostensibly independent Oversight Board can have. Zuckerberg said that Meta created the Oversight Board so that it wouldn't have to make consequential policy decisions on its own. Previously, the social network has asked the board for help in major decisions, like Donald Trump's suspension and its rules for celebrities and politicians. But Zuckerberg's decision to roll back hate speech protections and ditch third-party fact checking took the board by surprise.

Meta has always been free to ignore the Oversight Board's recommendations, but it has allowed it to influence some of its more controversial policies. That seems like it could be changing, however. Zuckerberg's decision to roll back hate speech protections and ditch third-party fact checking took the board by surprise. And the company now seems to have little interest in engaging with the board's criticism of those changes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-tells-the-oversight-board-it-isnt-removing-the-word-transgenderism-from-its-hate-speech-rules-180438796.html?src=rss

As a dabbler in the digital arts, I rely on a decent drawing tablet. A mouse and poorly calibrated laptop screen really is no substitute for the accurate color and precision illustration a tablet can offer.Having tested a broad chunk of mid-range drawing tablets in recent months, there’s been one that’s impressed me more than any other and kept me coming back whenever I fancy a sketch. And no… it’s not a Wacom.Given it’s the doyen of the drawing tablet market, it is understandable why Wacom’s products are often the first artists think of when looking for a quality sketching slate.XPPen and Huion are alternate brands worthy of consideration – they’ve absolutely earned their place in our rankings of the best drawing tablets. But, for me, the real unsung hero in this space right now is the Xencelabs Pen Display 16.Bridging the gap between Wacom’s pro-level artist slates and the mid-market competition, Xencelabs’ products have definitely impressed me with their competitive specs and excellent user experience.And while I’ve tried out a bunch of rivals over the last six months, it’s always the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 I find myself reaching for when the mood strikes me.Counting down, here are the five biggest reasons I’m convinced you’ll feel the same way I do about Xencelabs’ creative drawing slate.(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)5. It offers a staggering range of accessoriesThe first thing that really impressed me about the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is the sheer quantity of attachments and extras it comes with. Its standard package is pretty decent, offering two styluses, a stylus case and a carrying case. But it’s the expanded Pen Display 16 Bundle that really ups the ante: it adds the Mobile Easel stand, a wireless Quick Keys shortcut remote, and a USB hub, together with all the cabling to enable you to connect it to HDMI, Display Port and mains power.There’s really very little you could need that isn’t provided here. And in an era when many gadget brands are becoming increasingly stingy with the accessories they offer, it is nice to know that you can have everything you need to get sketching right from the off.4. It can always handle the pressureIn terms of sheer numbers, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 offers fewer pressure levels than some its nearest rivals, topping out at 8,192 compared to the 16,384 offered by the XPPen Artist Pro 19 Gen 2 and Huion Kamvas Pro 19.Conventional logic would tell you that the higher sensitivity is, the better. But this isn’t necessarily the case: while 16K sounds mighty impressive, in use it’s incredibly hard to tell the difference between it and 8K.In fact, I would argue that the way the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 handles pressure is actually right on the money. During the months I’ve been using it, I’ve always found that its styluses feel super responsive and the weight of lines always seems to perfectly mirror the force of my hand.By contrast, I’ve occasionally found some of the displays with 16K pressure levels harder to control – that increased sensitivity can mean even slight wobbles in your hand have more of a pronounced effect, making it harder to maintain consistent pressure for fine lines.And, like all of the best drawing tablets, the Pen Display 16 offers plenty of ways for you to customize the pressure curves of its styluses. Not only does it offer five preset pressure curves that mimic everything from hard to soft strokes, you can also dial in your own pressure curve, making it far easier for you to precisely control the thickness of lines as you sketch and paint.(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)3. It makes light work of drawingCompared to many of the drawing tablets I’ve tested, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 is a dream to use in a range of contexts. If you want to set it up on your desk, its straightforward configuration means you can connect it to your laptop with just a single cable.Meanwhile, its ergonomic build makes it comfortable to use for long stretches, while its chunky 1.57 inch / 40mm bezel gives you plenty of space to rest your wrist on while sketching.However, my favorite thing about the Xencelabs’ build is how easy it is to use it in more casual situations or take it on the go with you. Weighing just 2.67 lbs /1.21kg, it’s staggeringly light and it’s just 0.47 inches / 12mm thick – that’s significantly trimmer than some of the other drawing tablets I’ve tested. As a result, I was often comfortable just sketching with it sat on my lap while on the sofa, making it far more suitable for casual use.And there’s an added benefit to its light, slight build: it's much easier to take on the move. Packed away in the aforementioned carrying case, it was simple for me to carry it to and from the office – or even on longer journeys. While I’d never consider taking something like the colossal 16.1 lbs (7.3kg) XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 4K out and about with me, I didn’t think twice about taking the Pen Display 16 on cross country train journeys. That makes it incredibly versatile.(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)2. It’s seriously bright and vibrantAt 170 nits, the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 offers decent typical brightness when using its most minimal cable setup. But plug it into the mains using the provided USB hub and it blazes much brighter, hitting an impressive 300 nits. While this isn’t quite as high as the 400 cd/m2 the professional grade Wacom Cintiq Pro 27 averages at, it’s still seriously impressive for a mid-market tablet.The Xencelabs is luminous in other ways as well. Colors pack a real punch, thanks to its true 10-bit color and High Color Gamut that covers 1.07 billion colors, 98% Adobe RGB, 98% P3-D65 and 99% sRGB. As a result, you can breathe easy knowing the colors you see are an accurate representation of how your finished artwork will look on other screens.Speaking of accuracy, the Xencelabs also has a fantastic resolution that makes whatever you’re sketching look deliciously crisp. Not only does it have a spectacularly detailed 4K resolution but this is crammed into a 16-inch screen, giving it an overall pixel density of 275ppi. On top of rendering your artwork at near print quality, this pixel density is significantly higher than many of its best drawing tablet rivals, such as the 226ppi iPad Pro 13-inch, 166pp Wacom Movink and the 163ppi Wacom Cintiq Pro 27.1. It’s an absolute bargainAbove all, it's the astounding value that sets the Xencelabs Pen Display 16 apart. Its list price is $999 / £969 – that’s significantly cheaper than many Wacom drawing tablets, despite its super competitive specs.Better still, it’s often available for an even lower price: at the time of writing, Xencelabs has dropped its price to $949.05 / £872.10. That new price basically reduces it down to a similar price as the $899.99 / £899.99 XPPen Artist Pro 19 (Gen 2) 4K and the $939 / £879 Huion Kamvas Pro 19, which it comfortably outclasses, thanks to its light build and incredible pixel density.However, while anyone would be tempted by this bargain price, I’m actually going to argue that you should spend more. The reason? The Xencelabs Pen Display 16 Bundle. At $1,249 / £1,199, it certainly costs a decent chunk more but it also represents enormous value: on top of the Essential edition’s twin styluses, stylus case and carrying case, you’ll get all of the additional accessories mentioned above. Given the amount of use I get out of the Quick Keys shortcut remote and Mobile Easel stand, I personally wouldn’t hesitate to invest that extra spend, as you’ll really appreciate it long term.Ultimately, if you’re looking for a drawing tablet in this kind of price range, I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the Xencelabs Pen Display 16. But we all have priorities and preferences when it comes to our creative equipment. Whether you’re a diehard Wacom adherent, prefer XPPen’s products or are a Huion devotee, each brand has its own flagship products that are worthy of consideration. So make sure you check out our guide to the best drawing tablets if you want to weigh up which is best for your needs.For me, the Pen Display 16 is an impressive product and definitely merits a place on your shortlist. I’ve never regretted powering it up and I think you’ll similarly find it a powerful, flexible drawing tablet that can happily compete with any other mid-range drawing tablet out there.You might also likeWant further advice on picking your perfect slate? Read our guide on how to choose a drawing tablet for graphic designIf you're wanting to pick up great apps to use on your new drawing tablet, check out our guide to the best digital art and drawing software

Tesla says it begins limited launch of its robotaxi service later this monthBut VW’s ID Buzz AD offers a turnkey autonomous solution to fleet operatorsLarge scale deployment is due next yearWhile Tesla’s share price remains intrinsically linked to the promise of a fully self-driving future, Volkswagen has been quietly but busily working on its own autonomous driving solution.Through its MOIA mobility company, Volkswagen has developed its first fully-autonomous production vehicle in the ID Buzz AD, which is designed to offer the complete package to those looking to launch autonomous services “quickly, safely, and at scale”, according to the marque.It comes at a time when Tesla is poised to launch its long-awaited and long-promised Model Y robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. However, critics have been quick to point out that the ride-hailing service will consist of only 10 cars, all of which will be geo-fenced and monitored by a remote teleoperator.A recent report by Bloomberg has caused further controversy among a number of Tesla commentators, as it claimed that Tesla is “closer to vehicle autonomy than its peers”, including Waymo.As a reminder, Waymo is operational in four major US cities, with a fully autonomous fleet that now consists of over 1,500 vehicles.(Image credit: Volkswagen/MOIA)Arguments aside, it looks like both Tesla and Waymo will have some stiff competition from one of Germany’s largest automakers, as it will unleash its own fleet of stylish ID Buzz models onto the roads of Hamburg in 2026, with further European and US cities soon to follow.The vehicle is unique in that it's part of a “fully connected 360-degree package”, according to VW CEO Oliver Blume. It features Mobileye’s self-driving system, complete with 27 sensors, including 13 cameras, nine LiDARs, and five radars.MOIA’s turnkey solution also includes AI-driven software that can manage fleets in real time, assist passengers automatically, ensure safety, and integrate seamlessly into existing booking apps.Better still, the entire package meets key regulatory requirements for SAE Level 4 automated vehicles and MOIA also offers solutions for training and deployment of live operators, enabling remote control over large-scale fleets.Essentially, if you wanted to roll out an autonomous fleet of robot taxis in your local vicinity tomorrow, Volkswagen’s mobility-as-a-service company could provide all the tools you need – and that's exciting news for punters looking for a driverless ride, too.Analysis: The robotaxis are taking over(Image credit: Tesla)There may still be some question marks over Elon Musk’s claims that his entire Tesla fleet could one day operate as an autonomous ride-hailing service, but there is no getting away from the fact that the technology is moving on at a pace.Waymo is still clearly leading the pack, with popular services in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin already running. The company is also poised to take delivery of Hyundai’s first mass-produced autonomous Ioniq 5 model, which will speed up deployment further.In the UK, Uber recently announced that it will bring forward trials of its own self-driving fleet in London next year and Nissan is also ploughing ahead with its driverless services that it says could connect remote rural communities with larger towns.I have personally experienced Nissan’s most recent autonomous innovations and was blown away by the speed and confidence in which it tackled some very challenging, broken British roads.Despite all of the bluster, Tesla’s robotaxi technology still feels some way off, with the roll-out slated for later this month already looking like it will be delayed while Texas lawmakers pass some new legislation.What’s more, the “fleet” of 10 cars feels very much like the company is still in its very early testing phase, where key rivals already have more technologically-accomplished solutions ready to roll.You might also likeI’ve tried Nissan’s latest advanced driverless technology – and it handles 60mph on rural roads better than most humansInside Hyundai’s new sci-fi smart factory – where you can order a car with your smartphone and drive it away in hoursTesla is secretly testing new versions of its Model S Plaid and Model Y Performance – here’s what to expect

US text message scam claims that unpaid toll fees are owedMessages include a malicious link to steal payment informationFBI warns users to delete and report messages from unknown sendersThe FBI has warned of a new phishing scam sweeping smartphones in the US. The con is targeting drivers with convincing fake texts which claim to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). It’s part of a growing trend of SMS toll scams designed to trick recipients into clicking malicious links and handing over their credit card information.As reported by local Memphis TV station WREG and later picked up by Men’s Journal, the FBI has issued a warning to anyone who receives a suspicious SMS. The bureau has urged smartphone users not to click on links from unknown sources and to delete these text messages immediately.Speaking to WREG, FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Palmer described the scam as a “copycat” of the widespread toll scams which surfaced earlier this year. Those attacks also used fake unpaid toll notices to lure victims into handing over sensitive personal details.What makes these toll scams so dangerous is the ease with which they can be distributed, as well as what they can gather. “It costs next to nothing for them to…send these messages and calls out,” Palmer told WREG. “In return, they can…go in and steal information from your device, or collect your payment information.”How the scam works – and how to spot it(Image credit: Guardio)How to spot a fake textWhile some scam text messages are surprisingly polished, there are several common signs to watch out for:• Generic greetings with no personal details• Urgent or threatening language such as “your account will be suspended”• Unusual links or email addresses, often ending in strange domains or unrelated names• Obvious mistakes including typos or formatting errors• Unknown senders, such as random numbers or clearly fake email handlesMost toll scam texts follow a similar format. The message usually claims that you have outstanding toll charges and urges you to follow a link to settle the balance. The link typically leads to a fake payment site designed to steal your information. This will be a convincing replica of a real government website, using similar fonts, colors and logos, all of which appear to be official.Most messages include the threat of late fees or legal action if you don’t act quickly. This is intended to create a sense of urgency and panic, triggering an emotional response which may cause the recipient to overlook inconsistencies and act without verifying whether the message is legitimate.Palmer reportedly received one of the fake texts himself – and quickly spotted several red flags. “A couple of things that I noticed immediately…the text message I received said it was from the North Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles,” he said. “Obviously, there is no North or South Tennessee.”Inconsistencies like these are a clear hallmark of a message which is trying to dupe you. So are sender details which don’t add up. Agent Palmer gave an example: “The message I received was from email address @catlover.com, obviously that is not a government address.”Other signs to watch out for include spelling and grammatical errors, as well as generic greetings that don’t reference your name or license plate. If you’re uncertain, don’t engage with the message. Instead, contact the relevant agency directly for clarification. Or as Palmer put it: “If you don’t know who it’s from, don’t click the link.”Suspicious messages should be deleted immediately. You can also report them to the FTC and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.You might also like...A massive SMS toll fee scam is sweeping the US – here’s how to stay safe, according to the FBIText spammers are getting creative and trying to play on your emotional needs – don't fall for it‘Smishing’: the new SMS fraud