design
Latest
Google is rolling out a redesigned Podcasts app to some Android users
According to 9to5Google, Google has started rolling out a redesigned Podcasts app to some Android users. Thankfully, it appears to address at least some of the issues people have with the company's current offering.
Educators can temporarily give Creative Cloud access to distance learners
Students who are stuck at home due to coronavirus concerns don't have as many resources as a school could provide. For example, schools that teach graphics and video skills often have educational licenses for Adobe's Creative Cloud, which are assigned to individual computers, rather than students. In other words, students can't simply open up Photoshop from their own devices. To help educators and learners during school closures, Adobe is allowing IT admins to grant temporary at-home access to its suite of Creative Cloud apps, from now until May 31st.
Windows 10 UI updates have been spotted in a Microsoft promo video
Windows 10 now has one billion active monthly users -- likely thanks in part to the deprecation of Windows 7 in January. To celebrate the milestone, Microsoft's chief product officer, Panos Panay, shared an Instagram video recounting the various iterations of Windows' UI. The look of Windows 10 could keep evolving, it seems, as some eagle-eyed viewers spotted new types of windows, interfaces, and menus.
Facebook finally lets desktop users opt-in to dark mode
Facebook is finally letting desktop users opt-in to dark mode. Facebook told TechCrunch that "starting today, the majority of people on Facebook will have access to the new desktop design." This includes dark mode, which can be toggled on and off via the Settings drop down menu.
Essential designer shows off the phones that might've been
Earlier this year, Essential, Android creator Andy Rubin's once high-profile phone startup, shut down. Besides Project Gem, a concept device it teased late last year, the company had released only one phone: the striking but flawed Essential Phone. However, now we have some idea of what could have been had Essential made more devices.
Samsung's latest storage chip will make flagship smartphones faster
Samsung has started mass production on 512GB storage chips based on the new eUFS 3.1 standard. These are the chips already being used in the company's Galaxy S20 lineup, so it won't be long before we see them turning up in models from other brands, too. And it's big news because it means smartphones are about to get very noticeably faster.
Hitting the Books: Disney's influence on America's first stealth planes
Welcome to Hitting the Books. With less than one in five Americans reading just for fun these days, we've done the hard work for you by scouring the internet for the most interesting, thought provoking books on science and technology we can find and delivering an easily digestible nugget of their stories.
Using Lego therapy for autism
There is no cure for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which affects one out of every 59 children in the United States. One of its most common effects is difficulty with social interaction and everything it entails, like living independently and holding down a job. Children on the spectrum may avoid eye contact, have difficulty reading people's emotions via nonverbal signals and struggle to express their own emotions verbally.
The Nintendo PlayStation sells for $360,000 at auction
The only known "Nintendo Play Station" console in existence is changing hands. Bidding for the legendary prototype concluded earlier today when someone placed a $300,000 bid. With the buyer's premium, the person who won the auction will pay $360,000 to own a piece of gaming history.
'The Outer Worlds' is about to get a fix for its tiny in-game text
If there's one major criticism of The Outer Worlds, it's surely the bewilderingly tiny text size used for menus and dialogs. Squinting and scooching does not make for enjoyable game play, and for those with visual impairments, it renders the game unplayable. But that's about to change.
Scientists develop neuroprosthetic tech that amputees don't need to learn
For those working in the field of neuroprosthetics, the ultimate goal is to give amputees with artificial limbs natural, intuitive and real-time movement. Indeed, advances in the field have led to mind-controlled systems and even those that create kinaesthetic feedback, but so far such technologies require a great deal of learning and practice by the amputee. Now, however, scientists from the University of Michigan have developed a neuroprosthetic technology that restores intuitive movement to amputees from the get-go -- no learning required.
The Morning After: Sony's PlayStation 2 turns 20
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Even 20 years after PlayStation 2 launched in Japan, everyone probably has their PS2 story. For me, it includes the first time someone set the system up in our dorm room to play Ridge Racer or Madden NFL 2001, but as a dedicated Sega fan, I stuck with my Dreamcast for Sega Rally and the 2K sports games. All that fanboy dedication disappeared a couple of years later, though, when five minutes with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City convinced me this was a system I needed to own. For Kris Naudus, the PS2's most memorable feature is how it made DVDs mainstream -- and I can remember The Matrix spending as much time in my system as anything else. Since the PS2 debuted four years before this website appeared, we never gave it an official review. To fill the gap, we asked Engadget readers to contribute memories of their own system, which include the places they tucked its slim frame and the game franchises that still stand out today. Take a minute to flip through the reader reviews or contribute some memories your own as we prepare for the dawn of a new PS5/Xbox Series X console era in just a few months. -- Richard
Scientists create bendable concrete that could better withstand earthquakes
Scientists at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne have developed a new process that could one day allow bendable concrete to go mainstream. It could also lower the carbon footprint associated with making the building material.
WhatsApp's dark mode rolls out on Android and iOS today
Love it or hate it, dark mode is an increasingly requested feature in these days of extended screen time and tired eyes. We reported last month that it was on the cards for WhatsApp, and today it's finally rolling out on both Android and iOS devices.
The Morning After: Herman Miller's first gaming chair
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Buying a gaming chair when space is often at a premium and when it has to at least make some effort to blend with your home is mostly impossible. Now, iconic furniture company Herman Miller and Logitech's gaming hardware brand, Logitech G, are teaming up to create a line of ergonomic furniture for gamers, starting with a chair -- of course. The companies plan to incorporate feedback from esports teams like Complexity Gaming, TSM and NaVi to make sure they deliver on gaming comfort and support. Herman Miller is perhaps best known for its legendary, thousands-of-dollars Eames Lounge Chair, but the company has been in the (corporate) smart-furniture business for a while. It'll be interesting to see how Herman Miller and Logitech split the difference on aesthetics and color palettes. Lest you forget, this is a Logitech keyboard. Hmm. That said I've never been more interested in a gaming chair. Let's see what it looks like. -- Mat
Daisy is a tiny $29 computer for building custom musical instruments
Coding your own musical instruments just got a lot more convenient. Music tech company Electrosmith has launched the Daisy, an open source microcomputer packed with everything you need to code your own pedals, synth, modules and instruments -- and it's the size of a stick of gum.
Surface Duo may let you 'peek' at notifications
When it comes to the next generation of folding phones, Microsoft was right to choose dual displays over folding screens. But one thing some other foldable phones have that Microsoft lacks is a screen on the outside of the device. To make up for that, Microsoft appears to have a software feature that will let you preview calls and notifications by opening the Surface Duo just a crack.
Logitech and Herman Miller team up to design ergonomic gaming furniture
Plenty of gaming chairs look cool, but whether or not they're actually good for your back is another question. Furniture company Herman Miller and Logitech's gaming hardware brand Logitech G want to change that. They're teaming up to create a line of ergonomic furniture for gamers, starting with a gaming chair that could arrive as soon as this spring.
Fujifilm's slimmer Instax Mini 11 features automatic exposure
It's been a while since we heard anything from Fujifilm's Instax arm, but three years after the launch of the colorful, selfie-friendly Mini 9, its successor has arrived. The Instax Mini 11 (it's not clear why they jumped the 10) offers up the same fun instant-photography experience, but with a few notable improvements.
Adobe brings more desktop-quality Photoshop tools to the iPad
Photoshop turns 30 today, and Adobe is celebrating with some worthwhile updates to the photo-editing app on both the desktop and iPad. The company has been focused on improving that tablet app as quickly as possible since it launched in November. After over a year of hyping Photoshop on iPad, the software had very limited features when it reached the masses a few months ago. Adobe was quick to address concerns with a detailed roadmap, but it was clear adding new items would take time. The company brought the AI-powered Select Subject tool from the desktop to iPad in December, and today it's adding a couple more notable features.
