The Morning After: Wednesday, August 23rd 2017
SNES Classic preview + it's Galaxy Note 8 day!
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
Wednesday has arrived. It brings the last gasp of eclipse talk (for a few years, anyway), as well as our first close look at the SNES Classic Edition. Oh, and don't forget, check Engadget for all of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 news starting at 11 AM ET.
Walmart has a new partner to help take on Amazon: Google
The latest attempt by Walmart to get a leg up in online sales is a partnership with Google on two fronts. A new tie-in links Walmart accounts to the Google Assistant AI, allowing easy ordering by voice using either your phone or a Google Home. Also, in late September, Walmart will join the Google Express lineup, allowing for online shopping and fast delivery in supported areas. Meanwhile, Google Express has free delivery for orders above each store's minimum.
Life with AI: one week with Alexa
This entry in our ongoing AI series focuses on Amazon's Echo-powered setup. Chris Velazco says he's "come to regard Alexa as a sort of cloud-powered child," who has "become so enmeshed in the fabric of my household that I don't consciously remember all the times I talk to her." Is that a good thing? Maybe.
Pre-orders have already opened and closed for Nintendo's next miniaturized throwback system, but we're just getting our first real impressions. Sean Buckley spent about a half hour with the SNES Classic Edition, testing out everything from its game-saving rewind feature to the all-new Starfox 2 game it contains. Bringing new features while leaving the controller largely unchanged seems to have required some compromises, but we're sure most of you will get over them to enjoy some classic 16-bit gaming.
Crashplan drops its backup service for home users
Code42 is phasing out its Crashplan for Home service as it switches its focus to business users. Whether users have local or cloud-based backups, it's pushing them towards a small-business subscription, or a cloud backup service for home users offered by Carbonite. Unfortunately, it won't refund any subscription fees already paid but says it will continue to honor them -- although users can't extend or renew them now. If you're still looking for a backup service beyond the one built into your OS, a few suggestions have included Backblaze and SyncBack Free.
'Cuphead' is as wondrous as it is difficult
According to Devindra Hardawar, Cuphead is "reminiscent of 2D, 8-bit-era platformers that were so tough they wanted to make you throw your controllers against the wall." And yet, he still can't wait to keep playing the full game.
I didn't see the eclipse in totality, but it was still pretty great
Whether or not the eclipse hype paid off, it seemed like a good experience for most. Even if your view ended up obscured by ill-timed cloud cover, data shows it pulled people away from their screens, even if it was only for a few minutes.
But wait, there's more...
Verizon's always-on throttling is an affront to customers and net neutrality
What's on TV: 'Game of Thrones' season finale, 'Uncharted' and 'Madden 18'
(Maybe) home and factory robots can be hacked to harm humans
Seinfeld's first Netflix stand-up special premieres September 19th
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