Google Smart Bidding changes August 17. Learn which Target CPA and Target ROAS campaigns to audit and what to update before the deadline.
The post Google Is Ending Target Overperformance – What to Fix Before August 17 appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
I've spent a lot of time this summer gaming on my Steam Deck. It's hot outside, it's hot inside, and my desktop gaming PC simply creates too much heat.
The only major problem I have with my Steam Deck is that it doesn't play nicely with PC Game Pass, to which I'm a subscriber. Yeah, I could stream games to my handheld, but there's now a better solution in the works.
I'm talking about Xodus, an open-source project that's attempting to build a bridge between PC Game Pass and Linux systems, including the Steam Deck. The project is also attempting to iron out similar issues on macOS. No Windows install needed.
Xodus comes from the developers behind the Heroic Games Launcher, a separate open-source app that brings Epic, GOG, and Amazon Prime titles to Steam Deck (it also works on Windows, macOS, and other Linux systems).
The developers are undoubtedly up against a grind with this project. Xbox PC games that come from the Xbox app rely primarily on a Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) runtime, which is a far cry from DirectX and Win32 layers that Valve's Proton already handles quite well.
This Microsoft GDK is really what has kept PC Game Pass from running directly on the Steam Deck (and macOS) for so long.
According to updates shared on the Xodus GitHub page, the developers have cracked Xbox authorization, license checks, and MSIXVC package (the containers that PC games come in) download and decryption.
In a Reddit post, a Xodus developer noted that the team's main focus is now getting the Software Development Kit (SDK) for each title to run through Wine. It appears that Xodus has its own Wine and Proton forks for this purpose, as well as an open-source version of the xgameruntime.dll file that Game Pass games depend on.
Xodus likely won't support all Game Pass games when it launches, either. Older games that eschew GDK and MSIXVC for UWP will likely come later, if at all.
As mentioned, the biggest drawback to my Steam Deck, aside from its growing age, is its lack of native PC Game Pass support.
Sure, I could upgrade to a newer handheld that natively runs Windows, but it looks like I might not need to quite yet. That's especially exciting considering just how expensive gaming handhelds have become of late.
Then there's the Steam Machine, another Valve device running the Linux-based SteamOS. A whole bunch of gamers recently got their hands on the Steam Machine when it launched in June, and making PC Game Pass an option can only benefit Microsoft.
Here's the rub: Xodus has no affiliation with Microsoft. It's an unofficial community project created by independent developers. Does that mean Microsoft will have a problem with it? Not likely, but you never can tell.
Xodus still doesn't have an official release date, but it's something I'll be keeping my eyes on as it progresses. If you're a Linux gamer who wishes they could use PC Game Pass natively, you'll definitely want to keep watch as well.
What do you think about Xodus as a bridge between Steam Deck/Machine and PC Game Pass? Is it something you'd use regularly? Do you already have an alternative method that works better for you? Let me know in the comments section below!
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Cities may soon be able to identify their hottest walking routes with the same precision used to map traffic or public transport. HeiGIT, the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology, has added a tree-shade indicator to its free Climate Action Navigator, a digital platform designed to help municipalities and civil society organizations understand how urban environments affect everyday life. The new tool provides a street-level view of where pedestrian paths are protected by tree canopies and where people are exposed to direct sunlight, offering planners a detailed basis for decisions about urban greening, heat adaptation and safer walking routes.
The need for such information is becoming increasingly urgent as cities experience more frequent and intense heat waves. A citywide estimate of tree cover can suggest that an urban area is relatively green while concealing major differences between neighborhoods. In one district, a large park or wooded hillside may raise the average, even though the streets used daily by residents remain almost entirely unshaded. The Climate Action Navigator is designed to reveal these local contrasts by measuring shade along pedestrian routes rather than relying only on broad land-cover statistics.
In Innsbruck, Austria, tree cover extends across approximately 30 percent of the city’s relevant areas, but the distribution is far from even. Much of the shaded pedestrian network lies outside the central urban area, while heavily used streets in the city center can remain exposed to full sun. This distinction matters because people experience heat at the scale of individual journeys: walking to school, commuting to work, visiting shops or reaching public transport. Two routes separated by only a few streets may therefore offer very different levels of thermal comfort and protection from solar radiation.
The indicator is also intended to connect physical infrastructure with human behavior and well-being. Shaded paths can make walking more attractive during hot weather, potentially influencing whether people choose to travel on foot, wait for public transport or avoid certain destinations altogether. Claudia Schmiedeberg of the GLEN Study said that understanding the social effects of climate change requires examining how local surroundings shape daily decisions over time. Combining the tree-shade data with longitudinal survey information could help researchers investigate whether residents in greener neighborhoods adapt differently to heat, and whether unequal access to shade contributes to wider social disparities.
Technically, the tool identifies pedestrian walkways that directly overlap with tree canopies at least two meters high. The height threshold is designed to distinguish trees capable of producing meaningful overhead shade from low shrubs, grass and ground vegetation. The analysis uses high-resolution global canopy datasets and applies the same processing method across different cities. This allows a small town, a regional center and a major capital to be compared using a consistent measure rather than relying on incompatible local mapping systems.
The calculation also models a high-noon scenario, when the sun is strongest and shadows are generally shortest. By estimating shade under these demanding conditions, the indicator focuses on a daily period when heat exposure may be especially severe. It measures the availability of shade at what the developers describe as the weakest point of the day, creating a conservative benchmark for planning. The result is not a complete simulation of human thermal comfort, which also depends on air temperature, humidity, wind, pavement materials and building geometry, but it provides a clear spatial signal of where tree canopy is present above pedestrian infrastructure.
Early comparisons show how sharply shade levels can differ between cities. In the historic city of Maribor, Slovenia, approximately 35 percent of the pedestrian network is covered by trees. In Tempe, Arizona, a university city located in a hot and generally arid region, the corresponding figure is just above 7 percent. Such numbers do not by themselves determine whether a city is comfortable or unsafe, but they provide a comparable starting point for identifying exposure. When combined with information about schools, care facilities, public transport stops or tourist destinations, the data can show which groups and routes may require priority attention.
Urban planners could use the indicator to decide where new trees would provide the greatest benefit, while also recognizing streets where existing canopy already supports walking during hot periods. Linking shade maps with school catchment areas, for example, could reveal whether children have protected routes to school or must travel through long stretches of direct sunlight. Tourism agencies and local authorities could also use the information to recommend cooler walking routes to major attractions. In this way, the platform is intended not only to document an environmental problem but also to support targeted interventions, from tree planting and maintenance to short-term route guidance.
Jim Walker of the Walk21 Foundation said the indicator offers comparable, street-by-street evidence that can help administrations prioritize infrastructure investment during the hottest months. Its developers argue that global canopy datasets make it possible to overcome the local data shortages that often prevent smaller municipalities from conducting detailed climate assessments. Dr. Kirsten von Elverfeldt, community engagement manager at HeiGIT, said the goal was to make granular diagnostic information freely available so that greening initiatives can be directed toward the places where they are most needed.
The Climate Action Navigator is open to the public, allowing users to explore how their municipality performs and compare different urban areas. The platform’s tree-shade indicator does not replace on-the-ground assessments, but it can help transform an abstract climate challenge into a visible pattern of shaded and exposed streets. As heat increasingly shapes how people move through cities, that ability to see the difference at walking level could make urban climate planning more precise, more equitable and more immediately actionable.
Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: New Global Tool Maps Tree Shade Street by Street to Reveal Cities’ Heat Exposure
News Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Web References: Climate Action Navigator: https://heigit.org/ ; Tree shade indicator video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAQxEnAgM44 ; Innsbruck example: plugin/hiwalk?share-id=f50386c3-4ea6-45b8-946a-6fedfae38dc8 ; Maribor example: plugin/hiwalk?share-id=f675a5bd-f15f-429c-81f4-80cac6c7051a ; Tempe example: plugin/hiwalk?share-id=31880ebb-1c6d-40e1-89cf-ffac9bceb607
Image Credits: Climate Action Navigator
Keywords: urban heat, tree shade, climate adaptation, pedestrian routes, urban planning, tree canopy, heat exposure, Climate Action Navigator, HeiGIT, sustainable cities
Spotify will soon label AI artists and remove their music from your recommendations. The change, which will start rolling out in mid-September, means you'll see an "AI Persona" badge on an artist's profile across the app if they do "not represent a real person."
The music streaming platform will allow artists to disclose that they're an AI persona starting today, but it won't rely solely on self-identification. Spotify says it will use human review and AI tools to determine whether someone's profile, including their name and image, "appears to represent photorealistic AI-generated identities." If Spotify determines that an artist's identity …
Anthropic has pledged to start marking Claude-generated text and images with machine-readable data, in an effort to comply with European rules for AI transparency. "Generated text will carry embedded watermarks, and generated files will include digitally signed provenance metadata where supported," Anthropic says on a new Claude support page. The changes are invisible to human eyes, but will make it easier for people and online platforms to detect if content was generated by Claude models.
These updates are a future commitment rather than something that will go into effect immediately. New AI labeling and transparency obligations under the …
Also: Google executives jump ship in race for AI dominance
Hello, TechScape readers! Danielle Abril, editor of the Guardian’s Reworked series on AI and the future of work, filling in for Blake Montgomery this week. Major legal battles against Meta over child safety are playing out in courts across the US – and the tech giant is losing. Recent rulings raise big questions about social media companies’ responsibility to their youngest users. Meanwhile, more key executives have jumped ship from Google as it battles OpenAI and Anthropic in the race for AI dominance, and Meta’s smart glasses face a fearsome backlash. Let’s dig in!
‘I’ve definitely lost followers’: influencers face backlash over Meta ‘pervert glasses’ content
Tell us: do you believe you have been filmed by Meta’s smartglasses without your consent?
Restaurants, pubs and theatres ban Meta’s ‘spy glasses’ over privacy fears
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Bernie Sanders calls on Silicon Valley to ‘pause AI development’ in interest of humanity
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Safety fears as scientists make first viruses designed by AI
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Continue reading...
© Photograph: Jill Connelly/Getty Images
© Photograph: Jill Connelly/Getty Images
© Photograph: Jill Connelly/Getty Images
Ever wished the Steam Deck looked a bit more retro — or indeed a lot more retro? Meet the 'SteamBoy', which takes the innards of Valve's handheld and transplants them into a case styled on the Game Boy.
Steam Deck HQ noticed this clever piece of modding in the form a project by 'PhyFawkes' as posted on Reddit (via VideoCardz).
The SteamBoy uses the motherboard, controller, buttons, speakers, and battery from the Steam Deck, fitting the components into a case which the maker says is the same dimensions as an original Game Boy, with a thickness of 32mm (yes, it's thick).
PhyFawkes explains: "The battery is the original battery, and it basically takes up the whole width of the device on the inside. It's sandwiched between the motherboard and the display. The motherboard and controller boards are completely intact as well."
The only element that isn't functional yet is the screen, so this device is still a work in progress. The Redditor has demonstrated it working on an external monitor, though.
The snag with getting the screen going is that the motherboard firmware reports the display properties directly to SteamOS, and so the firmware details must be updated with the info for the new screen. The Redditor says it hopefully it won't take too long to sort this out.
Another part of the recipe that's missing is the triggers, but PhyFawkes says that they might be able to add them eventually, but that space constraints with the case could make this too tricky a proposition.
Apparently the handheld runs cool enough with some slight under-volting. All in all, this a very smart-looking project, and I'm seriously impressed. The case itself is 3D-printed, with the Redditor noting that they're going to provide the details on how to make one for those who might want to try their hand at this enterprising piece of handheld DIY.
Of course, constructing something like this is well beyond the scope of your average gamer, and there are fans of this concept out there who'd be willing to pay money for a SteamBoy of their own. Plenty of them, in fact, as the reception for this project has been nothing short of glowing.
As someone on Reddit put it: "This is legitimately so cool. I would totally back something like this on Kickstarter."
Another Redditor said: "Looks amazing! I'd probably buy 2 of these bad boys."
-12 %
iPhone 17 Pro Max 256 GB
Apples Top-Smartphone jetzt 180 Euro günstiger
Premium-Smartphones gehören zu den wenigen Technikprodukten, deren Preise oft über viele Monate vergleichsweise stabil bleiben. Besonders bei Apples Pro-Modellen sind größere Preisnachlässe selbst lange nach dem Marktstart eher selten.
Wer mit dem Gedanken spielt, auf das aktuelle Topmodell von Apple umzusteigen, findet derzeit jedoch ein vergleichsweise attraktives Angebot. Das iPhone 17 Pro Max mit 256 GB Speicher ist bei Amazon aktuell für 1.269 Euro erhältlich. Gegenüber der UVP von 1.449 Euro entspricht das einer Ersparnis von 180 Euro beziehungsweise rund 12 Prozent.
Gleichzeitig markiert das Angebot den bisherigen Tiefstpreis. Ende Juli kostete das Smartphone noch 1.329 Euro, Ende Juni fiel der Preis kurzzeitig auf 1.299 Euro. Erstmals unterschreitet das iPhone 17 Pro Max nun diese Marke. In der Farbe Orange ist das Modell derzeit zum gleichen Preis erhältlich, für das Modell in Tiefblau zahlen Sie aktuell 1.299 Euro.
Mit 4,6 von 5 Sternen aus mehr als 1.000 Bewertungen kommt das Smartphone bei Nutzern überwiegend gut an. Zudem wurden laut Amazon in den vergangenen vier Wochen mehr als 500 Geräte verkauft. Das Modell zählt damit weiterhin zu den gefragtesten Premium-Smartphones auf der Plattform und ist derzeit Bestseller Nummer 4 bei Amazon.
Das iPhone 17 Pro Max ist Apples größtes und leistungsstärkstes Smartphone der aktuellen iPhone-Reihe. Es verfügt über ein 6,9 Zoll großes Super Retina XDR OLED-Display mit einer Auflösung von 2.868 × 1.320 Pixeln. Unterstützt werden eine adaptive Bildwiederholrate bis 120 Hertz, Always-on-Display, Dynamic Island, HDR und True Tone.
Für den Schutz des Geräts setzt Apple auf Ceramic Shield auf Vorder- und Rückseite. Laut Hersteller soll die Rückseite einen bis zu vierfach höheren Bruchschutz bieten, während Ceramic Shield 2 auf der Vorderseite die Kratzfestigkeit verbessert. Zusätzlich ist das Smartphone nach IP68 gegen Wasser und Staub geschützt.
Britta O’Boyle
Innen arbeitet der neue A19 Pro Chip mit 6-Core-CPU, 6-Core-GPU und 16-Core Neural Engine. Apple spricht von einer deutlich höheren dauerhaft verfügbaren Leistung gegenüber dem Vorgänger.
Ein Schwerpunkt des Pro-Max-Modells bleibt das Kamerasystem. Verbaut sind drei 48-Megapixel-Kameras mit Fusion-Hauptkamera, Ultraweitwinkel und Telekamera. Möglich sind bis zu achtfacher Zoom in optischer Qualität, ein optischer Zoombereich von 16-facher Vergrößerung sowie bis zu 40-facher Digitalzoom. Hinzu kommen ProRes-Videoaufnahmen bis 4K mit 120 Bildern pro Sekunde, Dolby Vision, Apple Log 2 sowie weitere Funktionen für Foto- und Videoproduktionen.
Die neue 18-Megapixel-Center-Stage-Frontkamera passt den Bildausschnitt automatisch an und eignet sich dadurch besonders für Videoanrufe, Gruppenaufnahmen oder Inhalte für soziale Netzwerke. Außerdem unterstützt sie die gleichzeitige Aufnahme mit Front- und Rückkamera.
Apple spricht beim 17 Pro Max von der längsten Laufzeit, die es bislang in einem iPhone gegeben hat. Laut Hersteller sind bis zu 37 Stunden Videowiedergabe möglich. Geladen wird über USB-C, Magsafe oder Qi2. Mit einem kompatiblen Netzteil sollen bis zu 50 Prozent Akkuladung in etwa 20 Minuten erreicht werden.
Zur weiteren Ausstattung gehören 5G, WLAN 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, Face ID, Notruf SOS über Satellit, Unfallerkennung sowie Apple Intelligence. Ferner unterstützt das Pro-Modell USB 3 mit Datenraten von bis zu 10 Gbit/s, was insbesondere für Nutzer interessant sein kann, die große Foto- oder Videodateien übertragen.
Auch in unserem Test hinterließ das Gerät einen guten Eindruck. Gelobt wurden unter anderem die hohe Leistung, die verbesserte Kühlung, das helle Display, die neue Center-Stage-Frontkamera sowie die Telekamera mit erweitertem Zoombereich.
Mit 1.269 Euro erreicht das iPhone 17 Pro Max aktuell seinen bisherigen Bestpreis. Nachdem das Modell Ende Juli noch 1.329 Euro kostete und Ende Juni lediglich kurzzeitig auf 1.299 Euro gefallen war, ist das aktuelle Angebot die bislang günstigste Gelegenheit für Käufer, die das Flaggschiff-Modell im Blick haben.
Besonders interessant ist das Smartphone für Nutzer älterer iPhone-Generationen, die Wert auf eine lange Akkulaufzeit, hohe Leistung und ein vielseitiges Kamerasystem legen. Auch wer regelmäßig fotografiert, Videos aufnimmt oder das Smartphone beruflich nutzt, profitiert von den zusätzlichen Funktionen der Pro-Serie.
Die Bewertungen fallen überwiegend positiv aus. Käufer loben vor allem die Verarbeitungsqualität, die hohe Zuverlässigkeit, die starke Akkulaufzeit sowie die Kamera mit ihrer natürlichen Farbwiedergabe und hohen Detailtiefe. Ebenfalls positiv erwähnt werden das Design und die allgemeine Performance im Alltag.
Kritik gibt es vor allem beim Preis. Trotz des aktuellen Rabatts bleibt das iPhone 17 Pro Max eines der teuersten Smartphones auf dem Markt. Zudem bringt das Gerät mit 231 Gramm vergleichsweise viel Gewicht auf die Waage. Wer ein möglichst leichtes Smartphone sucht oder die erweiterten Kamera- und Pro-Funktionen nicht benötigt, findet in günstigeren Modellen oftmals die wirtschaftlichere Wahl.
Für alle, die gezielt das derzeit leistungsstärkste iPhone mit der längsten Akkulaufzeit und dem umfangreichsten Kamerasystem suchen, ist der aktuelle Tiefstpreis aber eine der bislang attraktivsten Kaufgelegenheiten seit Marktstart.
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