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Life360, a family locator app, said today that it has fully integrated the object-tracking features of Tile into its own platform. The Life360 app can now set up and manage Tile trackers, deliver notifications when an item gets left behind and provide real-time location updates for the trackers in addition to its usual features for managing family members' safety.

Life360 announced its acquisition of Tile for $205 million way back in 2021. At the time of the purchase, Life360 said Tile would continue to operate independently, but it has still been a long time coming for the two businesses to fully integrate with each other's offerings. In that time, Tile has faced challenges from competitors that have more resources at their back, such as Apple and AirTags. It was also subject to a cyberattack last year where hackers obtained customers' names, addresses, email addresses and other personal information.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/years-after-acquiring-tile-life360-has-integrated-the-trackers-into-its-app-205111206.html?src=rss

Microsoft has a grand vision of Windows Update delivering updates for all software installed on the PCThis is mainly aimed at the business world to begin with, but there’s no reason why consumers won’t eventually benefit as wellDevelopers will need to be persuaded to hook up their apps to Microsoft’s new unified delivery platform, thoughMicrosoft plans to have Windows 11 itself handle all software updates via the Windows Update system, or that appears to be the idea for the future.The Verge spotted a Microsoft blog post that outlined a vision of the “unified future for app updates on Windows,” as penned by product manager Angie Chen.While this is a post on the IT Pro blog, and as such it’s targeted at IT admins and organizations, as Microsoft pushes forward in this direction, there’s no reason why consumers won’t benefit from this too.This is surely the plan, even if it isn’t mentioned explicitly, as the post announces that a private preview of the new system is now kicking off, which any app developer can join to start getting their software ready for Microsoft’s brave new world of updates.As it stands now, Windows Update provides relevant updates for the operating system itself (of course) and related frameworks, as well as drivers sometimes. When it comes to individual apps – or suites of software – you are reliant on the developer to deliver these through their own mechanisms.Microsoft wants to change this by introducing a “Windows-native update orchestration platform” that allows any app developer to make use of Windows Update to deliver patches for their software alongside regular Windows 11 updates.As Microsoft explains, there are several benefits to working in this way, not the least of which is that it keeps things simple and streamlined to get all your updates from one source.Additionally, you’ll be able to view a history of all updates across your entire PC via the update history in the Windows 11 Settings app. Furthermore, developers will be able to use the operating system’s powers in terms of deciding when to apply updates, such as obeying the user's or admin’s time windows for updating, for example.Analysis: A sensible path forward(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)All this makes some sense, and the convenience of combining all updates under one hub managed by Windows itself is surely taking a step forward.After all, with updates reliant on the delivery methods of individual software developers, it can be easy to fall behind, especially if the update mechanism is tucked away somewhere and doesn’t happen automatically. Or indeed, if you don’t run a piece of software for ages, it could be hanging around in the background in a miserably unpatched state.With Windows Update handling all this, you’d be on top of your software updates consistently, at least in theory. That said, cynics might be quick to pounce on the reliability of Windows Update.Failed installations of updates are not exactly uncommon and are reported with some regularity. However, remember that these are updates for Windows 11 itself – more complex, knotty OS upgrades – and small app updates are unlikely to suffer any such wrinkles. And whether they do, or not, will presumably be down to the devs anyway, to a large extent.It’s worth noting that you do get updates piped through to Windows apps automatically with software installed via the Microsoft Store, but of course, far from every developer wants to use that store.Worried about app support, and some software being left out? Every base should be covered, with support for all common app types (not just Microsoft’s own creations, such as MSIX apps), as outlined in the blog post.However, there could still be a catch here, namely that it’s up to software developers to use Microsoft’s new platform. And nothing is forcing them to hook up to the system, so will they bother?That’s the multi-million-dollar question, but from my perspective, it all seems a sensible enough idea. While this may be a plan targeting the business world initially, I can envision a broader move towards this model of Windows updates for all kinds of app developers eventually. And as more make the leap, others could be persuaded to follow…You might also like...Hate Copilot? You might change your mind if this hint that it’ll extend your laptop’s battery life is trueCan’t upgrade to Windows 11? This Linux project wants to save your old PC from the scrapheap when Windows 10 support endsBeen hiding from Windows 11 24H2 due to the fuss about all the bugs? There’s nowhere to run now as Microsoft’s made the update compulsory

EA is cancelling its Black Panther game and closing the studio creating it, Cliffhanger Games, as part of a larger round of layoffs at the company, IGN reports. The third-person action-adventure game was originally announced in July 2023 as one of several Marvel projects being developed at EA studios.

IGN writes that a smaller number of people are being laid off than the previous round of cuts that impacted Titanfall developer Respawn, but EA is still eliminating roles outside of Cliffhanger, including people on the publisher's "mobile and central teams." EA is reportedly telling staff that the layoffs are a way to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities."

As of right now, those "opportunities" include an Iron Man game in development at EA Motive, the next Star Wars Jedi game from Respawn, and new entries in a few key franchises, like The Sims, Battlefield, Skate and Apex Legends. Beyond that, the company has EA Sports and the next Mass Effect game, though Bioware has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs since 2023, so there's uncertainty there, too. In a similar way to how it approached Bioware's restructuring, IGN reports that EA is trying to find roles for at least some Cliffhanger Games staff in other parts of the company.

Engadget has contacted EA for comment and will update this article if we hear back.

EA growing disinterest in licensed games as been public since at least February 2024, when CEO Andrew Wilson announced that the company was "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry." The company recently announced a new strategy game using the Star Wars license — Star Wars Zero Company — but that seems more like an outlier than the norm.

EA's Black Panther game wasn't the only project featuring the character — Amy Hennig's Marvel 19943: Rise of Hydra hasn't been cancelled yet — but it does seems strange the company gave up so easily. Black Panther made over $1.3 billion during its original run in theaters. It seems entirely possible the same audience that enjoyed the movie would show up for a new game featuring their favorite Marvel character.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-cancels-black-panther-game-and-closes-studio-developing-it-213258110.html?src=rss