The Morning After: Weekend Edition
Our week with President Trump, and Samsung apologized for the Galaxy Note 7.
Letter from the Editor
A week into the Trump administration, and it seems that many of the president's actions are courting disaster -- at least if you're a fan of open government or the environment. Meanwhile, Samsung appears to have recovered from its self-created catastrophe known as the Note 7. Chris Velazco recounted the sequence of events that led to the company's apology for its flaming devices and -- given this week's glowing quarterly earnings report -- painted a surprisingly rosy picture for the firm moving forward.
It seems that Sony could take some notes from Samsung's focus on making amends to consumers. Sean Buckley isn't a fan of the PlayStation Store's wallet payment system and its five dollar minimum charge. So, this week he gave Sony some very pointed advice on how it should better serve its customers.
And finally, while Samsung's future was looking good for the first time in months, Christopher Trout went to the Adult Entertainment Expo to see an X-rated hologram and discover what's next for porn. What he found was an industry in the midst of a comeback, powered by VR and mobile livestreaming.
After getting behind the wheel of GM's new EV, Roberto Baldwin declares it "regardless of drivetrain... a wonderful four-door hatchback." It's spacious, nimble and -- with a price under $30k after tax credits -- affordable. He logged about 216 real-world miles on a charge, compared to the 238-mile range, while zipping around Bay Area highways. Sure, you could wait for a Model 3, but the Bolt is rolling out right now.
The Future IRL: Our Jetsons future has arrived
On our debut episode of The Future IRL, host Kerry Davis shows how fictional scenarios from The Jetsons and 2001: A Space Odyssey are coming true right now with self-driving cars and AI. New episodes are coming twice every month, we hope you enjoy the ride.
Dell's bezel-starved XPS lineup has long been a leader in the laptop PC market, and now it has a convertible version. It turns out the 2-in-1 edition doesn't lose much by swapping in the new hinge, although you may have to trade a few points in benchmarks for extra flexibility. It also loses old-school USB ports but its keyboard is still comfortable and the touchpad is among the best Devindra's experienced on a Windows laptop.
'Flappy Bird' creator releases a new game: 'Ninja Spinki Challenges!!'
In 2013, Dong Nguyen's frustrating indie title Flappy Bird shot up app store charts before he pulled it. Now, the developer is back with his eighth game that spreads its familiar 8-bit art style across six minigames. The ad-supported games are available for free now on Android and iOS.
Google, Facebook react to Trump's immigration executive order
Friday evening, Donald Trump signed an executive order ostensibly aimed at fighting terrorism. Referencing 9/11 repeatedly, it put a 90-day ban on immigration for citizens of seven Muslim nations -- and failed to include any countries the hijackers actually came from. It's being implemented as you read this, potentially cutting off US residents who hold H-1B visas or green cards from those countries who are currently outside the US.
Sundar Pichai sent an internal memo recalling affected Google employees, while Mark Zuckerberg publicly expressed his "concern" over the move. The situation is still developing, and we will update over the weekend as more information becomes available.
But wait, there's more...
Amazon pushes Star Trek future with new Alexa wake word: Computer
D-Wave has its first customer for a $15 million quantum computer
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