Activision has notched another victory in an ongoing lawsuit against EngineOwning, a cheat maker that the company dragged to court in 2022. Recently, District Judge Michael Fitzgerald ordered several defendants, including engineering, to pay Activision around $14.5 million for their creation and distribution of Call of Duty cheats.

Moreover, the judge ordered EngineOwning to hand over their website to Activision, and stop making and selling cheats, along with a $292,912 attorney fee to Activision. The website, however, is still operating, offering cheats like an “Aimbot” that automatically aims and fires or a cheat that allows users to see through walls for several games, including several in the Call of Duty series.

Previously, Activision won $3 million in multiple settlements with two of the people — Ignacio Gayduchenko and Manuel Santiago — who were involved with EngineOwning, according to IGN. However, the company had originally sued several other people who never responded to the case.

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EngineOwning Found Guilty Of Violating Several Acts

The recent filing named EngineOwning and its founders, Valentin Rick, and Leon Risch, alongside many others. The filing also included people involved in marketing and managing, site moderation, and an authorized EngineOwning reseller named Pascal Classen. Since they did not respond to the lawsuit, the company finally urged the court in April to make a call, which led to the default judgment.

The judge found EngineOwning and its several associated defendants guilty of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The judge also found them guilty of “intentionally” inducing players to buy and use cheats, despite the fact that the game’s terms of use forbid it.

Gaming firms are increasingly filing lawsuits to take down cheat creators. In 2022, Bungie settled with Destiny 2 cheat makers for $13.5 million. Bungie also won $63,000, but it was likely the first time a jury had ruled in such a lawsuit. AimJunkies, the defendant in this case, took the approach of fighting the case, instead of ignoring it or settling.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Coming To Xbox Game Pass On Day One
 

Xbox has put all rumors to rest and confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be launched on day one of Xbox Game Pass later this year. Yesterday, the company announced a major shake-up for its subscription service.
 
 

The game will arrive on Xbox Game Pass on day one when it is launched later this year, for both PC and console players. This is the first major change Microsoft has brought to Call of Duty releases since it took over Activision.
 
 

Previously, the company seemed to have mistakenly revealed that the game would be hitting Xbox Game Pass one day later in 2024. the Verge reported that the Xbox Game Pass app on Android and iOS devices had notified users through a push notification that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is "coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one later this year."

Instagram and Spotify have now joined forces to make users’ lives easy, enabling users to instantly save Instagram songs to their Spotify favorites, without having to leave the Instagram app. The new feature started rolling out globally on October 17, and it doesn’t require a Spotify Premium subscription.

With millions of Instagram users uploading videos every day -- many accompanied by music -- there’s an argument to be made that the meta-owned social media network has become one of the most popular ways of discovering new songs.

Until now, it’s been pretty easy to tap on a recognized track in the bottom corner of a video -- taking users to the song page on Instagram so they can see related videos -- but not so easy to capture that track name so they can listen to it later.

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How Will This New Feature Be Useful For Users

With the latest cross-app feature, users will see a small Spotify “Add” button on song pages. The first time users select it, they will be asked to link their Spotify account. After that, users will get a quick notification that the track has been added to their Liked Songs playlist.

If users want, they can switch to the Spotify app to verify the ad worked, but they don’t need to. They just need to stroll on till they find their next new favorite song. One thing that could make this feature is the ability to add these Instagram discoveries to a specific Spotify playlist instead of simply throwing them in the generic Liked Songs, but it still makes for a convenient tool.

Spotify recently launched its AI playlist creation tool, and the popular streaming service has just offered a preview of what users can expect from the year’s upcoming Spotify Wrapped.

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Instagram Brings Custom Profile Cards For Easy Sharing

Instagram has rolled out a new feature for creators that will make it easier for them to share their profiles with others. They will now be able to create a two-sided digital card on the Meta-owned social media platform which matches their style, thanks to multiple customizable options.

This feature comes after Meta brought a song-on-profile feature that enables users to further customize their profile by allowing them to add a song that matches their current mood or personality on their profile.

According to Instagram, the new Profile Card provides users with an option to create a more personalized and animated digital card that can be shared with others. Apart from the QR code linked to the profile, the feature also comes with an option to add bio information, links to pages, music that describes the personality, and other elements. Users can also change the background color, and add a selfie or an emoji as the page background.

Chinese smartphone maker Realme has confirmed the launch of its next flagship smartphone, the Realme GT 7 Pro, in China soon. The smartphone is said to come with the much-anticipated Qualcomm flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC, which could be renamed as Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Realme China’s President, Xu Qi Chase, confirmed through a new post on Weibo that the upcoming GT 7 Pro will be launched this month in China. Chase also mentioned that the device will have Snapdragon’s top flagship chipset and a periscope telephoto lens. Another leak by known Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station hints that it will come with a 6,500mAh battery with 120W fast charging support.

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Realme GT 7 Pro Smartphone Expected Features

Speaking of the expected features, the Realme GT 7 Pro is said to come with a Samsung quad micro-curved display with DC dimming. It is said to include a 50MP IMX906 primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP Sony IMX882 telephoto lens at the back.

Users can also expect the smartphone to get IP69 dust and water resistance with an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Realme has also confirmed that it will launch its Android 15-based Realme UI 6.0 this month.

The GT 7 Pro is also said to run the same operating system out of the box. Users can also expect the Realme GT 7 Pro to launch globally next month, with an Indian release at a similar timeline.

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Realme Launches P1 Speed Smartphone, Wireless Headphones

Recently, Realme also announced the launch of the Realme P1 Speed in India. The company also introduced its first headphone model dubbed Techlife Studio H1. These wireless headphones come with Hi-Res Certification. Speaking of the smartphone, it comes packed with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy 5G chipset and sports a 6050 square stainless steel VC cooling area for heat management.

The Realme P1 Speed is available in 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage: Rs 17,999 and 12GB RAM + 256GB Storage: Rs 20,999. The company is initially offering a Rs 2,000 discount on both versions. Meanwhile, the Realme Techlife Studio H1 headphones are priced at Rs. 4,999. It will be available at Rs 4,599 as an introductory offer. The Realme P1 Speed 5G will be available on Realme’s website and Flipkart, starting October 20. The headphones will go on sale on October 21.

The Realme P1 Speed 5G runs Android 14, wrapped under Realme UI 5.0. It features a 6.67-inch Full-HD+ Samsung E4 OLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone comes with a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging support. Speaking of the optics, the device comes with a dual-camera system with a 50MP AI camera and a 2MP camera. Upfront, there is a 16MP lens for selfies.

Samsung has launched the industry’s first 24GB GDDR7 DRAM, which features the highest capacity and speed. This breakthrough memory solution is designed to cater to the demands of next-generation applications, such as data centers and AI workstations.

By employing advanced process nodes and PAM3 signaling, the GDDR7 achieves an impressive speed of 40GB per second, surpassing its precursor by 25%. Moreover, Samsung has incorporated power-saving technologies from mobile products to boost efficiency and reduce unnecessary power consumption by over 30%.

Also Read: Samsung Starts Pre-Reserve For Its Next-Gen Galaxy Tabs In India

Samsung’s New Chip To Power Next-Gen AI Systems

To make sure operations are stable at high speeds, the GDDR7 incorporates power gating design techniques to minimize current leakage. Samsung plans to start validating this groundbraeking memory solution in next-gen AI computing systems from major GPU customers later this year, with commercialization expected in early 2025.

Commenting on this, YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics, said:

“After developing the industry’s first 16Gb GDDR7 last year, Samsung has reinforced its technological leadership in the graphics DRAM market with this latest achievement. We will continue to lead the graphics DRAM market by bringing next-generation products that align with the growing needs of the AI market. The 24Gb GDDR7 utilizes 5th-generation 10-nanometer (nm)-class DRAM, which enables cell density to increase by 50% while maintaining the same package size as the predecessor.”

Also Read: Samsung Planning To Launch Rollable Phone In 2025

Samsung Could Start Charging For Certain Galaxy AI Features

The Galaxy Tab S10 series and S24 FE saw the daylight recently and the Galaxy AI suite was one of the dominating features on the marketing side. While all of the new AI features are currently available for free, Samsung once again hinted that it might not be the case for too long.

One of the footnotes in the official press release for the new Tab S10 series and S24 FE explicitly mentions that “Fees may apply to certain AI features at the end of 2025.”

Samsung previously confirmed that “Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices,” so it is safe to assume that Samsung’s AI suite, or certain parts of it, will, in fact, require a payment starting 2025.

The same day Apple launched its new iPhones, Samsung brought the latest version of its OneUI and new Galaxy AI features to customers across the globe. One UI 6.1.1 went live for the Galaxy S24 series on September 5, and just four days later, the update is making its way to Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra owners across the world.

Apple has announced the launch of the new iPad mini for the Indian market. Apple’s smallest iPad comes powered by the A17 Pro chip, which means it is capable of running Apple intelligence features.

The company’s latest offering comes in blue, purple, starlight, and space grey color options. It starts at a price of Rs 49,900 for the Wi-Fi mode, and Rs 64,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The new iPad mini starts with 128GB storage, which is double the storage of the previous generation.

The new iPad mini is also available in 256GB and 512GB configurations. Consumers can pre-order the new iPad mini today, with availability starting October 23.

Also Read: iPhone 17 Air To Reportedly Launch In 2025 With New OLED Display

Apple iPad Mini Under The Hood

The iPad mini features an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. Apple notes that the A17 pro processor delivers a huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU, a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini, and support for Apple Intelligence.

Apple iPad mini also supports the Apple Pencil Pro. Besides, users will get a 12MP wide back camera with support for Smart HDR 4. Leveraging the powerful 16-core Neural Engine, the new iPad mini uses AI to automatically identify documents right in the Camera app and can use the new True Tone flash to remove shadows from the document. There’s also a 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera.

The new iPad mini features all-day battery life, according to the company. The new iPad mini supports Wi-Fi 6E, which delivers up to twice the performance of the previous generation, so users can download files, play online games, and stream movies faster than before.

Also Read: What To Expect From Thrid-Gen Apple AirPods Pro Headphones

Apple Could Launch Cheaper Version Of Vision Pro In 2025

Apple seems to prepping to launch a more affordable version of its Vision Pro headset as early as next year. At least that’s what Bloopberg’s Mark Gurman suggested in his Power On newsletter.

As per a report from 9To5Mac, the upcoming headset is said to be priced around $2,000, significantly lower than the premium Apple Vision Pro, which launched earlier this year at $3,499.

Reportedly, Apple’s move to fast-track the development of a cheaper headset stems from the hefty price of the first-generation headset, which has limited its appeal and accessibility to a much wider audience. Previous reports suggested that the company had paused Vision Pro development to focus on this lower-cost variant, which remains Apple’s priority.

As per the report, the affordable version of the headset could pack downgraded components, including a less powerful processor and cheaper materials. 

Dell has unveiled its late XPS 13 laptop in the Indian market. The new XPS is powered by Intel’s latest Core Ultra processor Series 2. Apart from that, it comes with a dedicated NPU with up to 48 TOPs that aim to enable AI-powered features offered by the Windows 11 OS such as text and image creation.

Moreover, Dell has also included MyDell software that optimizes audio, video, battery life, and overall system performance to make it an ideal case for professional and working professionals.

Dell has launched the XPS 13 at a starting price of Rs 1,81,990. The laptop will be available for purchase starting October 16 via Dell Exclusive stores and selected large-format retail and multi-brand outlets. Besides, the laptop will also become available on Dell.com starting October 18 onwards.

Also Read: Dell Joins Forces With Qualcomm, Microsoft To Bring Copilot+ AI PCs

Dell XPS 13 Laptop Under The Hood

Dell XPS 13 is powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors and it comes with Intel AI Boost NPU, making it compatible with AI-powered features like Microsoft Studio Effects during video calls, and Copilot+ PC experience.

The laptop comes with Intel Arc GPU for added graphics performance and more versatility to the system. The laptop packs Wi-Fi 7 features with 4.8x faster throughput for better connectivity while sharing files, video calls, and online collaboration. It weighs 1.2 kg and the company claims it is the slimmest XPS laptop ever produced.

The new Dell XPS 13 comes with a 13.4-inch InfinityEdge display with tandem OLED technology for higher brightness and reduced power consumption. It offers true blacks and vivid color contrast, enhanced by Dolby Vision and Eysafe technology. The 120Hz variable refresh rate ensures smooth performance and better battery backup.

Also Read: HP Unveils Victus Special Edition Laptops With Nvidia RTX 3050

Dell XPS 13 9350 Laptop With Intel Lunar Lake Chipset Launched

Dell XPS 13 9350 has been announced by the company as one of the first laptops to come packed with the newly launched Intel Core Ultra 200V ‘Lune Lake’ chipsets. The new laptop will go on sale alongside the XPS 13 (9345) and XPS (9340) models that come equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and Intel's older Meteor Lake chipsets.

The new XPS model from the company runs Windows 11 Home and is backed by up to 32GB of RAM along with up to 2TB of storage. As for the pricing, the Dell XPS 13 (9350) price is set at $1,400 for the base 16GB+512GB RAM and storage model with an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor. 

The laptop is also available in other variants with Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, Core Ultra 7 258V, Core Ultra 7 268V, or Core Ultra 9 288V processors. Users can configure these models with up to 32GB RAM and 2TB storage.