Bowers & Wilkins, best known for its luxurious Nautilus and 800 Series Diamond speakers, is launching a wireless audio system called Formation. The company is starting with a soundbar, two bookshelf-style speakers, a cheaper single speaker, a standalone subwoofer and an audio box that gives older devices streaming capabilities. All five pieces will work separately or in tandem for a multi-room experience similar to Sonos.
Read MoreRazer's back with another external GPU case, and this time it's beefier than ever. Like other eGPUs, the Razer Core X Chroma is designed to bring desktop-level graphics to ultraportable laptops, and this iteration features a 700W power supply, USB and Ethernet connections and space for three slot-wide desktop graphics cards. It also comes with a unique Thunderbolt dual-chip design, which helps distribute load and will prevent losing keyboard and mouse connectivity when you're plugging it into your computer.
Read MoreAcer revealed its latest Predator gaming monitor at its Next@Acer event Thursday. The 43-inch CG437K P has a variable refresh rate of 144Hz on its 4K UHD display, with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160. It's also compatible with AdaptiveSync technology for PC games.
Read MoreIf your router can't handle your growing number of gadgets, Netgear's latest WiFi 6 router could solve the problem. The freshly-announced Nighthawk AX4 comes in yet another spaceship-like design, and offers dual-band 4-stream WiFi with up to 600 + 2400Mbps speeds -- a generous 3Gbps in total. These are handled by the AX4's dual-core processor plus Intel's WAV600 WiFi chipset, with the latter being notable as this is Intel's first foray into the WiFi 6 router market. As for physical ports, the AX4 comes with five Gigabit Ethernet ports (one WAN and four LAN) plus a USB 3.0 socket.
Read MoreIt's been a while since Razer updated its capture card for livestreamers, but the company is finally ready to update its line and compete with heavyweights like Elgato. Its external Ripsaw HD looks familiar on the outside and still pumps out an uncompressed 1080p, 60FPS feed for your live game streams, but it now includes a 4K 60FPS passthrough so that you can still play at a much higher resolution. It'll be helpful for gamers with fast PCs, of course, but it should be particularly important for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X streamers who don't want to lose the benefits of their console.
Read MoreHey, good morning! Welcome back! If you've resisted the truly wireless headphone tidal wave, Apple really wants to convert you. We've got a review of its new AirPods, replete with contactless charging, while its Beats Powerbeats Pro brings Apple's truly wireless audio chops to buds made for the gym. If you're still mad about the death of the headphone jack, though, you can still be mad. It's cool.
Read MoreFormlabs' 3D-printing technology is now being used to make razor handles, movie props and even false teeth. It makes sense, then, that the products coming out of its printers need to be as smooth as possible to avoid the need for extra finishing. That's the key benefit that the company is touting as it launches two new models, the Form 3 and Form 3L.
Read MoreIf you've seen Looney Tunes or The Simpsons, you've probably heard Raymond Scott's music -- which was adapted for those and other cartoons. But there's a good chance you haven't heard of Scott himself. A musician and inventor, Scott was ahead of his time. As early as the 1950s, he began working on the Electronium, a kind of music synthesizer that he hoped would perform and compose music simultaneously. While Scott invested $1 million and more than a decade in Electronium, he died before it was complete. Now, Fast Company reports, Pentagram partner and sound artist Yuri Suzuki has picked up where Scott left off.
Read MoreThe European Commission's Joint Research Center is working on a tool that could use tweets and artificial intelligence to collect real-time data on floods. In a paper released on Arvix.org, EU scientists explain how their Social Media for Flood Risk (SMFR) prototype could help emergency responders better understand what's happening on the ground in flooded areas and determine what trouble spots might need immediate attention.
Read MoreWalmart isn't going to let Amazon's AI-powered stores go unanswered, although it's not exactly cloning the concept. The big-box chain has unveiled a publicly accessible concept store, the Intelligent Retail Lab (IRL for short), in Levittown, New York. The location uses computer vision and a vast array of cameras not to handle purchases, like Amazon Go does, but to help employees restock empty shelves and corral shopping carts. There are still checkout lines and floor staff, Walmart notes -- this is meant to minimize drudgery for workers and free them for tasks "humans can do best," like helping customers.
Read MoreThe Chinese government has drawn widespread condemnation in recent months over its extensive use of public surveillance and facial recognition technology to monitor the movements of some 12 million Muslim citizens. "It's a 'Muslim tracker' funded by Chinese authorities in the province of Xinjiang to keep track of Uyghur Muslims," Victor Gevers, co-founder of GDI Foundation, a non-profit open-internet advocacy group, wrote on Twitter in February. Facial recognition tracking has received its fair share of criticism here in the US as well -- even as companies like Amazon field test their half-baked AIs with police departments across the country -- and may soon spawn the nation's first outright ban on the technology.
Read MoreFrom the evening of April 18th through the 21st, anybody with an internet connection had the chance to play against OpenAI's Dota 2 bot -- the same one that defeated the world champion team in two back-to-back games earlier this month. The results were unsurprising to say the least: it obliterated the competition, winning 7,215 competitive games and boasting a 99.4 percent victory rate overall. It only lost 42 competitive games over the weekend, and though 10 were won by one (presumably fantastic) team, only three other teams won three games in a row.
Read MoreThere's a limit to the volume of death metal humans can reproduce -- their fingers and vocal chords can only handle so much. Thanks to technology, however, you'll never have to go short. CJ Carr and Zack Zukowski recently launched a YouTube channel that streams a never-ending barrage of death metal generated by AI. Their Dadabots project uses a recurrent neural network to identify patterns in the music, predict the most common elements and reproduce them.
Read MoreThe lack of diversity within artificial intelligence is pushing the field to a dangerous "tipping point," according to new research from the AI Now Institute. It says that due to an overwhelming proportion of white males in the field, the technology is at risk of perpetuating historical biases and power imbalances.
Read MoreMany existing sports have their roots in hundreds (if not thousands) of years of human tradition. But what if you asked computers to create a sport? You now know how that can turn out. The design agency AKQA has introduced Speedgate, reportedly the first sport envisioned by an AI. The event has six-player teams competing on a field with three open-ended gates. Once you've kicked the ball through a center gate (which you can't step through), your team can score on one of the end gates -- complete with an extra point if you ricochet the ball through the gate. You can't stay still, either, as the ball has to move every three seconds.
Read MoreSo much for the best Dota 2 players having the skill to fend off cutting-edge AI. OpenAI Five has beaten five players from OG, the veteran team that won Valve's 2018 International, in a best-of-three exhibition match. The Verge noted that the deep learning system thrived by relying on aggressive and unconventional methods, including instant revivals for heroes in the early stages, and picking valuable heroes. While OG put up a fight (the first round lasted over 30 minutes), it couldn't hold out.
Read MoreThe InLink kiosks installed throughout the UK were meant to replace payphones and provide free calls, ultra-fast WiFi and phone charging. But it wasn't long before they became a hotbed for drug dealing. Rather than do away with the free phone service, British telecom company BT and InLinkUK developed an algorithm to automatically block and disable "antisocial" calls.
Read MoreGolf fans who are planning to watch the Masters this weekend will have yet more ways to check out the action. For the first time at a golf tournament, practically every one of the more than 20,000 shots from the first major of the year will be available to view on the Masters website and app within five minutes of a player striking the ball.
Read MoreIt's well established that algorithms can exhibit bias, however inadvertently, and a trio of US politicians believe they can do something about it. Senators Cory Booker, Yvette Clarke and Ron Wyden have introduced an Algorithmic Accountability Act that would require larger companies to test their algorithms and fix anything "inaccurate, unfair, biased or discriminatory." The move would also ask them to study how their systems protect personal data,and would let the FTC create regulations mandating impact studies for "highly sensitive" automated systems.
Read MoreNo technology raises ethical concerns (and outright fear) quite like artificial intelligence. And it's not just individual citizens who are worried. Facebook, Google and Stanford University have invested in AI ethics research centers. Late last year, Canada and France teamed up to create an international panel to discuss AI's "responsible adoption." Today, the European Commission released its own guidelines calling for "trustworthy AI."
Read MoreNew York's bid to identify road-going terrorists with facial recognition isn't going very smoothly so far. The Wall Street Journal has obtained a Metropolitan Transportation Authority email showing that a 2018 technology test on New York City's Robert F. Kennedy Bridge not only failed, but failed spectacularly -- it couldn't detect a single face "within acceptable parameters." An MTA spokesperson said the pilot program would continue at RFK as well as other bridges and tunnels, but it's not an auspicious start.
Read MoreYou no longer need to carry a Pixel phone to have Google's Duplex book reservations on your behalf. Google has quietly expanded support for Duplex to other Android devices (5.0 Lollipop and newer) and iPhones using Assistant. While it's not certain just which hardware will work at this stage, there are reports at XDA and 9to5Google that Duplex is working on the Galaxy S10 and iPhone.
Read MoreThe district attorneys for Los Angeles and San Joaquin counties have teamed up with Code for America to help them clear around 54,000 marijuana convictions. The nonprofit's algorithm will aid prosecutors by automatically evaluating whether a case is eligible for dismissal or resentencing.
Read MoreWhere do you go when you want to escape surveillance? When you want to stop feeling like you might be being listened to by microphones, or watched through surveillance cameras, or tracked by invisible tech gremlins burrowed within devices. Certainly nowhere in public. Perhaps it's your car. Maybe it's your home. Or even your bedroom? For some readers, that perimeter of personal freedom likely shrunk in February when news broke that Google "forgot" to tell consumers its Nest Secure came with a built-in microphone.
Read MoreApparently having packages shipped directly to your door in two days or less -- even placed inside your garage -- is not enough. Last year, Amazon began delivering packages to newer GM and Volvo cars. Now, the company will chase down even more vehicles. Ford announced today that select Ford and Lincoln vehicles are now eligible for Key by Amazon In-Car delivery, meaning Amazon will track you down and deliver your package wherever you've parked.
Read MoreAmericans will soon be able to speak to Alexa in Spanish. Amazon launched a new voice model on Monday that will let developers build skills for Spanish-speaking users. The addition to the Alexa Skills Kit for developers comes months before Amazon plans on bringing full Spanish-language support to all Alexa devices later this year.
Read MoreOne of the perks of Amazon's Prime membership is free two-day shipping on Prime-eligible purchases. That, however, might change. In a call to investors following Amazon's first quarterly earnings report today, CFO Brian Olsavsky said that the company is working on changing the two-day default to just one. Amazon already offers one-day Prime shipping on select orders, but two-day shipping is still the default. Olsavsky says that could change. "We're currently working on evolving our Prime shipping program, which has historically been a two-day program, to a one-day shipping program," he said. "We'll be building most of this capacity through the year in 2019." One of the ways Amazon hopes to do to this is by updating its infrastructure, building out fulfillment centers, and spending about $800 million to facilitate this change. Yahoo Finance reported that Amazon has shifted thousands of employees in an effort to increase fulfillment. The one-day shipping goal won't just be through Amazon's delivery service, but also through partners like UPS, FedEX and the US Postal Service. It's unclear if this will be a reality come this holiday season, but Olsavsky says that it is making "steady progress" towards this goal.
Read MoreAmazon has been battling counterfeit products and knock-off goods for years. It's tried charging merchants large fees, creating a registry of approved vendors and launching a self-service tool for removing knockoffs. Now, according to The Information, the company is testing a program to help fight utility patent infringements. It's meant to be a cheaper, faster alternative to traditional patent lawsuits, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take years to settle.
Read MoreIt emerged earlier this month that thousands of Amazon employees are reviewing some Alexa recordings (which are captured after you've said the wake word). The auditors transcribe, annotate and analyze a selection of commands to help improve Alexa. But it seems these workers could view users' personal information too, according to Bloomberg. At least some employees are said to have had access to location data, addresses and phone numbers.
Read MoreYou no longer have to be lucky if you want to return your Amazon order to a Kohl's store instead of heading to your local courier. As of July, you'll have the option of returning your goods at any of Kohl's 1,150 stores in the US. You won't need a box or label, and it won't cost you a dime as long as you're covered by the return policy in the first place.
Read MoreThose wary of package thieves can now add an extra measure of security to their home. Amazon is officially launching its Key in-garage delivery service, which it began testing in 37 US cities earlier this year. Now, Amazon's Key service, including Key for Garage, is available for Prime customers in 50 US cities. The service is intended for customers with a myQ smart garage door opener, which allows you to open and close your garage door with your smartphone. You can now give Amazon couriers access to your garage, which allows them to place your packages securely inside.
Read MoreAmazon is asking its delivery drivers to take selfies so it can verify their identities using facial recognition. The rules apply to drivers in the Amazon Flex program, through which they make deliveries with their own cars as independent contractors, the company confirmed to The Verge.
Read MoreRumors started circulating last week that Amazon was exploring a free, ad-supported tier of its streaming music service. Turns out there was something to those rumblings. Today, the commerce giant announced that Alexa device owners in the US will be able to listen to top playlists and stations on Amazon Music at no additional charge, even if they are not Amazon Prime subscribers. Of course, this news also comes on the same day that Amazon's frenemies over at Google launched ad-supported free YouTube Music streaming on Google Home smart devices.
Read MoreAmazon is pulling the plug on its e-commerce marketplace for third-party sellers in China. The decision follows a long struggle by American e-commerce companies in the country, who have fallen behind China's faster shopping rivals.
Read MoreAmazon shareholders will vote to ban the company's controversial facial recognition technology next week in a key symbolic process. Amazon set the vote date, May 22nd, after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rejected the company's request to have the motion squashed. A group of shareholders, led by nonprofit Open MIC, asked Amazon's board to stop selling the deep learning tools until a third party can confirm "it does not cause or contribute to actual or potential violations of human rights."
Read MoreAmazon might compete more directly with Spotify in the near future. Billboard sources maintain that Amazon is in talks to debut a free, ad-supported service as soon as next week. You'd only have access to a "limited catalog," but this would also give you something to play on your Echo speaker without having to pay or sign up for another service.
Read MoreYes, someone might listen to your Alexa conversations someday. A Bloomberg report has detailed how Amazon employs thousands of full-timers and contractors from around the world to review audio clips from Echo devices. (Update: Amazon has clarified to us that the recordings were captured after the wake word is detected.) Apparently, these workers transcribe and annotate recordings, which they then feed back into the software to make Alexa smarter than before. The process helps beef up the voice AI's understanding of human speech, especially for non-English-speaking countries or for places with distinctive regional colloquialisms. In French, for instance, an Echo speaker could hear avec sa ("with his" or "with her") as "Alexa" and treat it as a wake word.
Read MoreAmazon is the next tech giant to face mounting calls to action from its employees. A total of 3,541 employees have published an open letter asking Jeff Bezos and other leaders to adopt a shareholder resolution and release a "company-wide" climate change plan meeting their terms. Some are clarifications of existing initiatives, while others would require a significant shake-up in its existing strategy.
Read MoreWhen Amazon Go stores first popped up, they promised the "future of shopping": a cash-free experience in which you simply grab what you want and leave as the items are automatically tracked and charged to your account. Now, it appears customers will be able to choose between that futuristic convenience and tried-and-true currency. An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that Amazon Go stores will begin accepting cash.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. New router, new Kindle and new Canon DSLR. Same disappointing LG flagship phone, and Chromecast Audio is still solid, even after being discontinued.
Read MoreVoice assistants usually only give you brief summaries of the news -- helpful if you're in a hurry, but that's about it. Amazon is betting that you'll want something deeper. It's rolling out an Alexa feature in the US that provides long-form news from Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, Newsy and NPR. Ask Alexa to "tell me the news" or to "play news" from a specific outlet and you'll get detailed audio from all providers, and video from CNBC and Newsy. You can skip stories if you'd rather not examine every story in vivid detail.
Read MoreWith its latest update, Amazon has brought a blast from the past to its modestly-priced Fire TV Stick 4K. The $50 streaming stick now supports Miracast, letting you mirror programs to supported smartphones, tablets and PCs as if they were attached displays, according to AFTVnews. Amazon had dropped Miracast support with Fire OS 6 on the Fire TV 3, but has now re-introduced it with the Fire TV Stick 4K.
Read MoreAmazon has inked a massive deal with Westworld's showrunners to create original shows that could make Prime Video more enticing to potential subscribers. According to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, the tech giant has closed a low-to-mid nine-figure deal with Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy and their company Kilter films. They'll work with Amazon Studios over a four-to-five year period, believed to be worth upwards of $30 million a year, to develop original shows that will be available exclusively on the company's video platform.
Read MoreApple's new AirPods give you hands-free access to Siri, and it sounds like Amazon is working on something similar for Alexa. Bloomberg reports the online retail giant is working on its own true wireless earbuds that will also be its first Alexa wearable. Details are scarce for now, but Bloomberg's sources say although the Amazon version will be similar to AirPods in terms of both general design and features, the company is aiming to offer better audio quality than Apple. Sound quality has been a key criticism of both models of AirPods.
Read MoreAlexa's involvement in healthcare is about to extend well beyond putting Echo speakers in hospital rooms. Amazon has unveiled the first-ever HIPAA-compliant Alexa skills, letting you use the voice assistant to take care of sensitive medical issues. Providence St. Joseph Health's skill can book a same-day appointment, for example, while Cigna and Express Scripts have introduced skills that respectively track wellness incentives and manage prescriptions. Livongo, meanwhile, has a skill for diabetics that can provide blood glucose readings and health tips.
Read MoreAmazon wants to launch thousands of low Earth orbit satellites to offer internet connection across the planet. With Project Kuiper, it aims to deploy 3,236 satellites to cover areas where about 95 percent of the global population live. Details otherwise are scant so far, including the estimated timeline for bringing the network online or how much the project will cost. Amazon confirmed the plans after GeekWire unearthed filings for it.
Read MoreIf you're a New Yorker, you won't have to wait long to use Apple Pay for mass transit. As part of a call discussing Apple's latest earnings, Tim Cook revealed that New York City's transit system would support Apple Pay in early summer, narrowing down the generic "later this year" mentioned in March. He didn't say just which services and routes would be covered, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's tap-to-pay OMNY system is supposed to launch May 31st with coverage on the 4, 5 and 6 subway lines as well as Staten Island buses.
Read MoreUsually, when Apple releases its quarterly earnings, you'll find a quote from CEO Tim Cook that at least mentions the iPhone -- after all, it accounts for the single biggest chunk of the company's quarterly takings. This time, though, the word "iPhone" hardly appears in the company's release, probably because its smartphone revenue is way down from last year.
Read MoreYou'll need a backup plan if you've been hanging on to Aperture years after its retirement. Apple has warned that its pro photo editing tool won't run in versions of macOS released after Mojave (that is, the upcoming 2019 release and beyond). If you want to access your Aperture libraries beyond that, you'll have to migrate them to either Photos or Adobe's Lightroom Classic. This isn't a total shock when Apple hasn't updated the software for five years (and hasn't even offered downloads in four years), but it could prove a headache if you've been deeply attached to Aperture's methods.
Read MoreIntel's decision to bail on 5G modems may have gone hand-in-hand with Apple's truce with Qualcomm, but it's now clear there were hints of a shift weeks earlier. The Telegraph has learned that Apple poached Intel's 5G phone modem leader, Umashankar Thyagarajan, in February. While the departure itself wasn't a complete secret (Thyagarajan's LinkedIn profile confirms the switch), the news outlet claims to have email showing that the ex-director was the project engineer for the XMM 8160 chip at the heart of Intel's plans. He also "played a key role" creating the Intel modems used in the iPhone XS and XR.
Read MoreThe introduction of Screen Time in iOS 12 was ostensibly a boon for parents and anyone else wanting to keep a lid on device use, but there are concerns that it's cracking down on apps that compete with that feature. The New York Times and Sensor Tower have learned that Apple has either pulled or requested feature limitations for "at least" 11 of the 17 most popular parental control and screen time apps, and leaders at those developers claim it's trying to discourage apps that rival Screen Time's functionality. The creators of two apps, Kidslox and Qustodio, filed an EU competition complaint on April 25th.
Read MoreAt Engadget, we spend every day looking at how technology will shape the future. But it's also important to look back at how far we've come. That's what This Week in Tech History does. Join us every weekend for a recap of historical tech news, anniversaries and advances from the recent and not-so-recent past. This week, we're looking back at the launch of the first Apple Watch.
Read MoreIf you're one of the people who has been unable to install new apps or download updates from Apple's iOS App Store, don't worry. A fix is on the way. Apple has issued a server-side fix to address a bug that has prevented people from completing downloads, according to a report from AppleInsider. Users who have experienced the issue have been presented with a prompt regarding new terms and conditions but are not able to clear the notification no matter how many times they attempt to agree to the changes.
Read MoreApple is recalling a batch of three-prong AC wall plug adapters. The company is aware of six incidents worldwide in which the adapters broke, creating a risk of electrical shock. As a precaution, Apple is allowing customers to exchange the potentially faulty plugs for a new version. It's not clear, though, just how many devices that could be.
Read MoreApple's refreshed AirPods might be just the start of a tidal wave of new models. Historically accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple has two new AirPod variants launching sometime between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. One of them would be cosmetically similar to the current earbuds and would be priced accordingly, while the other would represent an "all-new design" and carry a higher price tag.
Read MoreAfter years of user complaints, it looks like Apple is starting to prioritize repairs for busted MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards. According to a memo obtained by Mac Rumors, Apple has started to stock its retail locations with necessary parts so Genius Bar technicians can fix keyboard issues in store rather than shipping devices to an off-site service center. Employees were also instructed to aim for next-day turnarounds when performing keyboard repairs. Engadget has reached out to Apple to confirm this change and will update this story if we hear back.
Read MoreAn 18-year-old from New York has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Apple over a false arrest he says happened because of what he believes to be Apple's face recognition system. NYPD officers arrested Ousmane Bah on November 29th after he was falsely linked to a series of Apple Store thefts in Boston, New Jersey, Delaware and Manhattan. Apparently, the real perpetrator used a stolen ID that had his name, address and other personal information. However, since the ID didn't have a photo, the lawsuit claims Apple programmed its stores' face recognition system to associate the real thief's face with Bah's details. However, An Apple spokesperson told Engadget that the company does not use facial recognition in its stores.
Read MoreApple has a lot in the cards for WWDC, and that might include improvements for... well, cards. The 9to5Mac team and Steve Troughton-Smith claim to have details of developer-friendly updates that will be unveiled in early June, and NFC support would be in line for a serious upgrade. App developers will finally have the option to read NFC tags based on ISO 7816 (usually ID and access cards), FeliCa (Japan's tap-based system) and MiFare (a popular mass transit format). In other words, you might use your iPhone to enter your office or hop aboard a bus in many cities.
Read MoreDetails on what Apple may have in store for the next major versions of its operating systems are trickling out ahead of June's Worldwide Developers Conference. The latest leaks are linked to macOS 10.15, to which Apple could add some iOS features, such as Siri Shortcuts and Screen Time, according to 9to5 Mac.
Read MoreWith Earth Day just around the corner, Apple announced it's quadrupling the number of locations US customers can send their iPhones for recycling. The company's recycling robot, Daisy, will now disassemble select iPhones returned to Best Buy stores in the US, KPN retailers in the Netherlands, as well as those recycled at any Apple Store or online through the Apple Trade In program.
Read MoreApple might be preparing to move into Tile's territory, as it's reportedly developing a physical tag you'd be able to attach to any object to track its location. It's also working on an app that will essentially merge Find My Friends and Find My iPhone, according to 9to5 Mac.
Read MoreApple isn't out of the self-driving car game because of its recent layoffs -- far from it, if you believe reports. Reuters sources claim that Apple has talked with "at least" four possible suppliers as it looks for a "revolutionary" lidar sensor design. Where existing autonomous vehicles tend to have bulky, expensive sensor packs that use mechanical parts to scan the road, Apple wants lidar that could fit into the aesthetics of a car while scanning "hundreds of meters" ahead and costing hundreds of dollars, not tens of thousands.
Read MoreAnd just like that, the bitter feud between Apple and Qualcomm is already over. The two companies have settled their patent royalty dispute, ending all ongoing legal action (including with Apple's manufacturing partners). Apple has agreed to pay Qualcomm an unspecified amount, while both sides have struck a six-year patent license deal as well as a "multiyear" wireless chipset supply deal.
Read MoreThe 24-hour Apple Store on New York City's Fifth Avenue was visited by some unwelcome guests. Staff were ordered to double bag their belongings last Friday after a bed bug was spotted in a manager's office, the New York Post reports. Critters were spotted in the store as far back as three to four weeks ago, but the Apple Store didn't acknowledge there was a problem until last week.
Read MoreApple now has a leader for its burgeoning documentary plans. Deadline reports that the company has hired A&E's Molly Thompson as its new Head of Documentaries. She founded A&E's IndieFilms and most recently headed the broader network's documentary team, but she may be best known as an executive producer for numerous major non-fiction shows, including Jesus Camp, Cartel Land and Murderball.
Read MoreYou know by now that Apple is pushing for as many high-profile games as it can get for its upcoming Arcade service, but how far is it willing to go? Quite far, apparently. Financial Times sources claim Apple is spending "hundreds of millions" of dollars, "likely" over $500 million in total, to secure games for the subscription offering. It's reportedly spending "several" million dollars per game, and is offering perks if developers grant temporary exclusives that keep titles off Android or even console subscriptions like the Xbox Game Pass.
Read MoreWelcome to Engadget's excerpt series, 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.
Read MoreIt seems that the Apple Podcasts web interface is getting a makeover. The previous design, which mirrored the iTunes web interface binned in 2017, was a simple list of episodes, titles and descriptions -- no show notes or episode details. The new refresh is cleaner, with full descriptions and dedicated pages for each podcast episode.
Read MoreApple has convinced a lot more suppliers to run their production for the tech giant's orders on 100 percent clean energy. Cupertino launched its Supplier Clean Energy Program back in 2015* and encouraged the companies it's working with to rise up to the challenge. Now, it has announced that it has already forged partnerships with 44 of its suppliers, almost double the number since its last update in 2018. Thanks to these new partnerships, the tech giant expects to exceed the 4 gigawatts of renewable energy it was hoping bring into its global supply chain by 2020.
Read MoreCelebrity royalty is commonplace on streaming services, but Apple+ has just gone and snagged an actual royal. It's teaming Prince Harry (aka the Duke of Sussex) with Oprah Winfrey on a new mental health docu-series. The Prince, who's also exec-producing alongside Winfrey, announced the news on Instagram. It arrives on Apple+ in 2020, before which we should get more information, including a title.
Read MoreA 1993 prototype of Apple's W.A.L.T phone, or "Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone" can now be seen in a new video from Australian iPhone leaker Sonny Dickson. Apple unveiled the W.A.L.T. phone at 1993's MacWorld in Boston but it was never sold to the public. The early ancestor of the iPhone looked like a tablet but functioned as both a phone and a fax machine.
Read MoreApple just made another key hire to bolster its augmented reality plans. Variety has discovered that Apple recently hired Arthur van Hoff (shown at left), the founder of VR content startup Jaunt, as a Senior Architect for an unnamed team. While it's not certain what he'll be doing, van Hoff is a veteran of multi-camera systems and video creation for AR and VR, not to mention capturing 3D images using depth-sensing cameras. He'd been helping Jaunt shift its focus to AR until he bowed out in December 2018.
Read MoreIf you have a ton of files you need to move to your new Mac, you're in luck. Apple quietly did away with the $99 fee it charges to migrate data from your old Mac to your new computer. The policy change, which went into effect on April 2nd, was first reported by TidBITS. From now on, if you purchase a new Mac or take your computer in for repair, Apple will transfer your data for free.
Read MoreFor years, Huawei has been developing its own high-powered processors and modems, all to power its big portfolio of mobile devices. And so far, the company has almost completely refused to sell any of those to its competitors. We've learned, however, that the company might be softening that stance. A source with knowledge of the situation has confirmed to Engadget that Huawei is now "open" to selling its 5G Balong 5000 chipsets, but only to one company: Apple.
Read MoreAt Engadget, we spend every day looking at how technology will shape the future. But it's also important to look back at how far we've come. That's what This Week in Tech History does. Join us every weekend for a recap of historical tech news, anniversaries and advances from the recent and not-so-recent past. This week, we're looking back at the launch of Apple's first iPad.
Read MoreApple has cut the HomePod price by up to 18 percent in various regions as it seemingly tries to gain more of a foothold in a competitive market. As spotted by 9to5 Mac, the smart speaker is down from $349 to $299 in its US store, $449 to $399 in Canada and £319 to £279 in the UK.
Read MoreAction Launcher has received a tune-up for the spring, but its biggest change may be how it makes money. Version 40 of the Android launcher has introduced an Action Search feature that looks across apps, contacts, settings and the web, but also displays ads whenever you hunt for something that isn't on-device. If you want Action Search to query Google for web results, you have to both purchase a one-time $7 Plus upgrade and the once-a-year $5 Supporter Pack.
Read MoreIt can be a headache to share a favorite podcast moment with your friends. Unless you're willing to dive into the file with a media editor, you'll usually have to share the whole episode and make a note of the time. Overcast, however, might have just made sharing relatively trivial. An update to the iOS-only app makes it possible to create shareable minute-long clips from any public podcast, whether it's audio or video. Choose to share a clip and you'll get a basic timeline editor, complete with different aspect ratios to make video clips social-friendly.
Read MoreDespite Google's attempts to improve Gmail, the web version remains hectic and cluttered. While that might be frustrating to users, it's especially irritating for Michael Leggett, one of Gmail's former lead designers. Finally fed up, Leggett launched Simplify, a free Chrome extension meant to streamline your inbox.
Read MoreIn case you don't already count on Slack for just about every part of your work day, the business communications service is adding a whole bunch of new features that will keep you chatting with your co-workers without having to open new tabs and applications. The company is introducing shared channels, email and calendar integrations and an improved search feature that makes it easier to find just about anything.
Read MoreBrave is moving forward with its plans to pay people who view opt-in ads. Use the latest version of its desktop web browser, sign up for Brave Rewards and you'll have the option of viewing Brave Ads that give you a 70 percent cut of the ad revenue through crypto tokens if you decide to click. They won't compromise your privacy, Brave said, and they'll soon be useful for more than just donating to sites and content creators. You'll have the option of redeeming them for "real-world rewards" like gift cards and restaurant vouchers, and there are plans to convert tokens into real currencies.
Read MoreGoogle Fit is no longer the sole province of Android users. Google has released Fit for iOS, giving you the same tracking of "Heart Points" and "Move Minutes" as your Android-toting friends. And importantly, it's not an island of fitness data -- it can connect to Apple Health like other activity apps, so any other app or device that supports Health will contribute to your Fit data. Yes, your Apple Watch workouts will count toward your fitness goals.
Read MoreFrance made good on its promise to launch a secure government-only chat app -- although it almost didn't turn out that way. The country has introduced a beta version of Tchap, a messaging app that helps officials communicate with each other through Android, iOS and the web with reportedly greater security than they'd have with off-the-shelf apps. All private conversations are encrypted end-to-end, antivirus software screens all attachments and all data is stored in France. You only need a French government email address to sign up, though, and that's where the security issue resided.
Read MoreCrowdfunding and payment companies are no strangers to cutting off access to organizations that violate their policies, but their latest move could be more contentious than usual. PayPal and GoFundMe have confirmed to BuzzFeed News that they've shut down fundraising campaigns for the United Constitutional Patriots, a right-wing militia group in New Mexico that has been detaining migrants at the border with Mexico despite doubts about its legal authority. The sites claim that UCP has violated their policies barring support for hate or violence, in one case allegedly using funds to buy guns.
Read MoreBlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for consumers is shutting down for good on May 31st. When Indonesia-based media conglomerate Emtek took over its development in 2016, it redesigned the app with modern features in hopes that it can better compete with more popular chat applications these days. Unfortunately, its efforts failed to drum up enough interest in the new BBM.
Read MoreT-Mobile's entry into the mobile banking game is now available nationwide, a bit over four months after it first rolled out as a pilot program. The mobile-first checking account is called T-Mobile Money, and it comes with some sweet perks for the carrier's subscribers. It has no fees and offers a four percent Annual Percentage Yield (APY) for users' money up to $3,000 -- everything above that will have a one percent APY -- so long as they sign up with their T-Mobile ID and deposit at least $200 each month.
Read MoreAmazon may have been a little optimistic when it said Alexa would "soon" control Apple Music on third-party speakers, but that feature is here at last. Listeners in the US, UK and Ireland can now use Alexa to steer Apple's service on Sonos speakers like the One and Beam, giving you the convenience of voice control while providing more oomph than most Echo speakers. Think of it as a more frugal alternative to owning a HomePod.
Read MoreGoogle's Tilt Brush is available on multiple platforms, but there's been one common limitation: you've had to use a wired VR headset, which puts a damper on your creative freedom. Those cords won't be a problem soon. Google has revealed that it's bringing Tilt Brush to the Oculus Quest, giving you the same core experience without the risk of tripping over cables as you paint your 3D masterpiece. It could well be a device seller, although Google is quick to admit that there are technical limitations associated with jumping from the PC to a headset with a mobile chip.
Read MoreHaving spruced up its web service, Skype is turning its attention to mobile. Its latest beta feature adds screen sharing to its iOS and Android apps. It may not seem as significant as Skype's other recent iterations, including group calls for 50 people (up from 25) and background blur in video calls, but it gives workers and friends another reason to stay locked in the app.
Read MoreIt's a bit too easy to accidentally pay for a subscription through the Apple App Store if you use TouchID -- all it takes is a misplaced finger on the home button. Now, the tech giant is finally addressing the issue by adding an extra step to the process. When you hit the subscribe button and authenticate with TouchID or FaceID, you'll now see a pop-up notice asking you to confirm your subscription or to cancel the process if you change your mind. "The subscription will continue unless canceled in Settings at least one day before a subscription period ends," it reads.
Read MoreAlways on, always connected PCs haven't exactly taken the world by storm yet, but app developers and software creators are steadily dialing up their support for these ultra-portable machines. Need proof? Just look at Mozilla: this morning, the company officially announced its first Firefox beta build for Snapdragon-powered Windows 10 PCs.
Read MoreUber Eats is rolling out a redesign and new features to help you track your meal from the second you tap the order button until it's on your plate or in front of you in the container (no judgment here). Improved tracking will help you monitor the whole process, including the restaurant preparing your order, your courier's route to the pickup and their route to your home or office.
Read MoreNever mind attempts to slim down iTunes -- on the Mac, Apple might shove it to the side. In the wake of some sleuthing by coder Steve Troughton-Smith, 9to5Mac claims that the next version of macOS will include separate Music and Podcasts apps on top of the redesigned TV app. They would run using Marzipan (the technology that enables porting iOS apps to the Mac), and are likely to be functionally similar to whatever you see in this year's version of iOS.
Read MoreIt's been more than a year since Dropbox and Google announced that they would partner to make their products (including Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Slides) work better together. The Gmail / Dropbox integration launched last summer, and now we're getting to the main event. Starting today, Dropbox Business customers can participate in an open beta program that makes Google Docs, Sheet and Slides work natively in Dropbox.
Read MoreA lot of companies (Engadget included) rely on Slack to get things done, and in recent times the "MSN Messenger for the workplace" has integrated a whole bunch of apps into its platform, including Dropbox, Zoom and G Suite, to make workflow smoother. Now it's adding Office 365 tools to the mix.
Read MoreDaVinci Resolve has proven itself to be an excellent inexpensive or even free alternative to Adobe's Premiere Pro CC. Now, Blackmagic Design has unveiled DaVinci Resolve 16 with a brand new "cut" page that's aimed at YouTubers and others who need to work quickly. The module is separate from the current edit page (though you can switch back and forth) and features a new innovative dual timeline that shows the entire program above and work area below, eliminating the need to zoom.
Read MoreSnapchat may soon get better for Android users, but that day is not today. On Monday, Snap teased its long-awaited Android redesign, something that should delight its frustrated users. But while the company is making changes, they're not all quite ready.
Read MoreHTC has introduced a virtual reality video platform of its own on Vive's third birthday, and it will even work on its competitors' headsets. The new service called Viveport Video will give you access to a library of not just 180- and 360-degree videos, but also 2D ones, in a native VR environment. It's now available as a free download on Viveport and Steam, and it will soon be out on the Oculus store.
Read MoreSkype has expanded the capacity of group calls to 50 people and has added a notification feature for such calls. It started testing both features last month, and they'll be live for everyone starting today. The larger conference call option is a smart, if somewhat inevitable move, given that some other video calling services can host bigger groups than Skype's previous limit of 25.
Read MoreWith the latest release of its Creative Cloud video suite, Adobe has unveiled a content-aware eraser for video that it teased a couple of years ago. Called "Content-Aware Fill" (the same name on the similar Photoshop function), it's now available on After Effects, Adobe's compositing program that's widely used in film and TV production. Adobe's AI Sensei algorithms can analyze background content and automatically remove shadows, logos, wires, boom mics or moving objects from video.
Read MoreIt's been a while since there was a big upgrade to Apple Clips, but it might be worth the wait if you're a budding mobile auteur. An update to the iOS app has introduced support for custom soundtracks -- if you're tired of the royalty-free tunes, you can bring in your own track to set the mood. You might also like this release if you're big on nostalgia, since there's plenty of retro features o go around.
Read MoreFor years, iOS and macOS users have had access to Spark, an organization-focussed email app. Until now, Android users were left in the dark, but as of today, Spark is officially available in the Google Play store.
Read MoreElon Musk now knows exactly what Tesla information he can tweet without getting in trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to The Wall Street Journal, US District Judge Alison Nathan has signed off on the agreement the executive and the commission hammered out a few days ago after a judge ordered them to settle their dispute out of court. That agreement specifies what Musk can't publish on the platform without pre-approval from the automaker's lawyers. He can't, for instance, randomly tweet about Tesla's financial condition, proposed mergers and acquisitions, as well as previously unrevealed forecast, production and delivery numbers.
Read MoreIntel is looking to sell its smartphone-modem business, now that it's officially out of the race for 5G chipsets, The Wall Street Journal reports. In fact, Apple considered acquiring part of Intel's modem ventures in talks that began last summer, but that deal stopped short just as Apple and Qualcomm reached a settlement in a contentious patent-royalty legal dispute. By the end of that court battle, Apple and Qualcomm had signed a multi-year chipset-supply deal -- which meant Intel was out.
Read MoreTesla released its Q1 2019 earnings on Wednesday and despite having a significant slowdown from the previous quarter, the company remains confident that it will meet its ambitious production goals for the year.
Read MoreTesla and Elon Musk haven't been fans of people short-selling company stock (earlier talk of going private was partly a response to that), but they apparently have extra reason to be worried about one short seller in particular. The EV maker has obtained a temporary restraining order against Randeep Hothi after accusing the man of routinely threatening its staff. He reportedly injured a security guard at Tesla's Fremont factory with his car in February after he was asked to leave the parking lot, and on April 16th stalked a Tesla-owned Model 3 for 35 minutes on the freeway to the point where he forced the car into a automatic emergency maneuver to avoid a collision.
Read MoreThe US has rattled its saber more than once trying to deter countries from using Huawei technology, but it hasn't publicly disclosed much of what it's worried about. You might have a better insight after today, though. A source speaking to The Times claims that the CIA has told UK intelligence officials that Huawei has received funding from Chinese state security, including the People's Liberation Army, the National Security Commission and a "third branch" of China's state intelligence network. The CIA told the UK and the other Five Eyes nations (Australia, Canada and New Zealand) about its beliefs earlier in 2019, according to the source.
Read MoreJust over a year ago LG announced the launch of its Software Upgrade Center – a facility designed to give customers around the world "faster, timelier" operating system and software updates. But as ComputerWorld revealed this week, it's been 371 days since the center opened and it's done pretty much nothing.
Read MoreGoogle and Amazon haven't historically been the best of friends, at least when it comes to their respective streaming video services. Amazon's Prime Video app hasn't worked with Google's Chromecast or Android TV devices, while YouTube was pulled from Amazon's Fire TV in late 2017. Well, there's good news for fans of both ecosystems: the Google / Amazon Cold War is thawing. YouTube will be available on Amazon's Fire TV devices in the coming months, and Amazon Prime video will work with Chromecast and Android TV devices as well. A Google spokesperson told Engadget that the main YouTube app is coming first, but YouTube TV and YouTube Kids will follow afterwards.
Read MoreIn a move that accompanies today's shocking settlement between Apple and Qualcomm, Intel has suddenly announced it's not even going to try building 5G modems for smartphones. Apple had attempted to replace Qualcomm as a supplier for its modem chips with Intel, but reported issues with implementing 5G tech were a reason it's not expected to appear in an iPhone this year. In a statement, Intel said it "does not expect to launch 5G modem products in the smartphone space, including those originally planned for launches in 2020." According to CEO Bob Swan "We are very excited about the opportunity in 5G and the 'cloudification' of the network, but in the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns." As late as last November, Intel said it was speeding up development of 5G modem tech, and laid out a plan of attack for us on the CES stage in January. Now it's going to "assess" the opportunities for 4G and 5G in PC, IoT and other devices, while continuing to invest in developing 5G infrastructure tech.
Read MoreTen years after the company was founded, Uber is finally ready to go public. The company revealed its S-1 filing for an IPO this afternoon, and as such opened up more information to everyone about its finances and concerns going forward. Going through the document, a lot of those concerns involve the past, particularly in 2017 when a series of revelations about its corporate culture, treatment of drivers and passengers, and other misdeeds resulted in the exit of CEO Brian Kalanick. According to Uber, it has some 91 million monthly active users who've either taken a ride or received an Uber Eats delivery. That number came from Q4 of 2018, and is up 35 percent from the previous year, with some 3.9 million drivers, and 1.5 billion trips in the quarter. Uber also gave some insight on its self-driving car plans, saying "Along the way to a potential future autonomous vehicle world, we believe that there will be a long period of hybrid autonomy, in which autonomous vehicles will be deployed gradually against specific use cases while Drivers continue to serve most consumer demand." As usual for an S-1, the list of risks acknowledges everything that could go wrong for the company including increased regulation, drop in reputation or falling behind competitors. For Uber that includes not just the seedier aspects of its past mentioned above, but also the issue of how to try and achieve profitability while maintaining prices customers have come to expect and compensation that works for drivers. This is expected to be one of the biggest tech IPOs ever, and comes just a month after its main competitor Lyft listed its shares on the open market, revealing over 30 million riders and just under two million drivers.
Read MoreAmazon and Microsoft are the two final companies in the running for the Defense Department's $10 billion cloud computing contract. The Pentagon's migration to the cloud, known as the JEDI project, was announced in 2017, with some of the biggest companies in the world competing for the prize ever since (although Google sat it out, citing "AI principles").
Read MoreAirbnb is changing course on its earlier decision to ban listings for Israeli settlements in the West Bank. As part of a settlement with a pro-Israel law organization that had sued over the ban, Airbnb said it would allow listings in the hotly contested region. However, it vowed to donate any profits from listings to unspecified humanitarian aid groups. The company planned a similar move for other disputed territories, including the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in eastern Europe.
Read MoreIf American legislators have their way, tech companies will have to face more than negative publicity if they collect your data in a less-than-sincere fashion. Senators Mark Warner and Deb Fischer have introduced a bill, the DETOUR Act (Deceptive Experiences To Online Users Reduction), that would bar internet firms with over 100 million monthly active users from tricking you into handing over personal data. Companies wouldn't be allowed to develop interfaces with the "substantial effect" of preventing you from making an informed decision. They also wouldn't be allowed to divide users into groups for experiments without consent, and couldn't develop compulsive experiences targeted at kids under 13 years old (such as auto-playing videos).
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! While SpaceX tests another one of its rockets, we'll look back at news highlights including a milestone Gmail anniversary, the Impossible Whopper and rumors of an "ultimate" Xbox subscription package.
Read MoreTesla's board investigated a physical altercation between CEO Elon Musk and a former employee last September. The incident is the latest in a string of reports of the company's CEO angrily yelling and firing employees.
Read MoreFacebook, Google and Twitter will reportedly participate in a congressional hearing on tech censorship next week. The "Stifling Free Speech: Technological Censorship and the Public Discourse" hearing is scheduled for April 10th, before the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on the Constitution. According to CNET, Facebook, Google and Twitter will all attend.
Read MoreLate Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Amazon could be working on a pair of wireless earbuds, similar to Apple's AirPods. Just as the latest AirPods offer hands-free access to Siri, the rumored Amazon pair will also likely work with Alexa. They'll also apparently have gesture controls and come in a charging case, again, much like the AirPods. But as much as it seems Amazon is going after Apple with this new venture, the company might really be going after another rival too: Google.
Read MoreWhen Apple appointed former Googler John Giannandrea as the first senior vice president of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the tech giant indicated that it's getting more serious about AI. Now, the company is showing its commitment to strengthen its AI efforts by hiring another expert in the field from its staunchest rival. Apple has named Ian Goodfellow as the Director of Machine Learning in the Special Projects Group last month.
Read MoreTesla chief Elon Musk told reporters outside the Manhattan Federal Courthouse that he was "very happy" over the outcome of the SEC's latest complaint against him. The commission sought to hold him in contempt for violating their previous settlement over a financially relevant tweet, after all, but the judge has merely ordered both parties to resolve their dispute outside of court. "Take a deep breath, put your reasonableness pants on, and work this out," District Judge Alison Nathan said during the hearing.
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is putting its funding and research ties with Huawei and ZTE on hold due to US investigations against the Chinese companies. The university will also add extra layers of scrutiny to projects and funding linked with China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Read MoreOn April 9th, a group of lawmakers will be squeezing Google and Facebook for answers on what they're doing to curb the spread of white nationalism and separatism on their platforms. The House Judiciary Committee has called in the tech giants for a hearing in response to online hate speech and racially motivated violence, including the New Zealand mosque shooting in March.
Read MoreThe Sony A7 is the only full-frame camera on our affordable list. There's no doubt Sony changed the mirrorless-camera game when it introduced its A7 in 2013. Six years later, while it isn't the most powerful full-frame mirrorless anymore, the A7 is still a great choice for people looking to get into photography. A big reason for this, aside from its 24.3-megapixel CMOS sensor and 5-frames-per second shooting, is that the A7 is compatible all of Sony's native full-frame E-mount lenses, of which there are more than 48 to choose from. Probably the best feature of the A7, though, is that it's almost half the price of the A7 II that replaced it. CLICK BELOW FOR MORE OPTIONS: The best affordable mirrorless cameras
Read MoreIf you prefer your PC gaming in portable form, you're enjoying an embarrassment of riches right now. Intel has unveiled gaming-friendly 9th-generation Core laptop processors, while NVIDIA has unveiled GTX 16-series mobile GPUs that promise solid performance without giant budgets (or giant coolers). That also means a lot of PC makers introducing systems, though, and that's a lot to wade through if you're in the market. Don't worry -- we've rounded up some of the bigger introductions to help you keep track of what's new.
Read MoreEngadget editors select the best software for camera lovers.
Read MoreThe best affordable mirrorless cameras you can find in 2019.
Read MoreThe best lenses for Fujifilm X mount you can buy in 2019.
Read MoreEngadget is all about tech and how we live with it. But take a look at the site in 2019, and there are many facets to what we do: We've been publishing product reviews for most of the site's 15-year history. We've also expanded into original reporting and features. And we have a whole section where you can find a mix of user reviews and buying advice. Now we're combining those ideas to build out comprehensive guides. Some of these will tackle Engadget's bread-and-butter product categories, while others will play at the fringes of what we normally cover. Either way, these guides combine the best of Engadget to tell you what you should buy, and how to use it.
Read MoreIt's easy to forget that for some of the world's biggest YouTube creators, their rise to internet stardom all started with making videos on a webcam. That's exactly how people like Marques Brownlee (aka MKBHD) and Justine Ezarik (aka iJustine), who now have more than 8 and 5 million subscribers, respectively, began their careers as YouTubers almost a decade ago. But for both of them, gone are the days of using a webcam to create video content. As technologies such as full-frame mirrorless cameras, 4K and 8K have emerged, so too has Brownlee's and Ezarik's desire to up their production value -- especially since their channels focus on consumer electronics. In 2019, videos from Ezarik and Brownlee can rival quality from TV shows and films, thanks to their investment in cameras like Sony's A7III and RED's 8K-ready DSMC2 Brain. The latter is a $60,000 system, which shows just how serious Brownlee is about the videos he makes. And Ezarik and Brownlee aren't the only ones trying to push the envelope for YouTube creators. Jacques Slade, whose channel about sneakers and tech has more than 1 million subscribers, works with a camera setup that consists of three Sony A7 IIIs. Popular YouTuber Casey Neistat, meanwhile, switches among a Canon 6D Mark II DSLR and Sony's A7R II and A7S II full-frame mirrorless shooters. It's clear there isn't a one-camera-fits-all solution for YouTube creators; they each have their own preference based on the brands they like, their audience and what they're shooting on any given day. For example, when Brownlee isn't using his RED 8K camera because he needs a smaller and lighter shooter, he'll jump to the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. That's a long way from the webcam he started with on YouTube in 2009. To learn more about Brownlee's and others' choices, we spoke to some of the world's biggest YouTubers, who talked about the cameras they started with, what they're using now and what they recommend for newcomer creators.
Read MoreWhen buying a mirrorless camera, there's an equally crucial side question: What lenses do I need for this thing? The glass you place in front of that sensor plays a key role in how your photos or videos look and what kind of shooting you can do. It's a complex decision too. You need to consider factors like sharpness, distortion, speed, prime or zoom and, most important, price. In this guide, I'll touch on all that and look at some of the best lenses for Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras.
Read MoreWe love Lowepro and Manfrotto backpacks. They're often big, well-padded and offer tons of support for your aching back and shoulders. If you've invested in a mirrorless system, however, they can also feel like overkill. Many photographers (ourselves included) are searching for knapsacks that are smaller, stealthier or just plain stylish. Something that can blend in with urbanites and doesn't scream, "Hello, I'm a photographer with a bag full of seriously expensive kit!" Here, we run down a few of our favorites for both casual and professional shoots. They're also fashionable enough that you can use them as everyday backpacks.
Read MoreLike many camera buffs, I've done a fair amount of street photography, stalking subjects in markets, parks and tourist areas. Unfortunately, I often come away with little to show for it. That's particularly frustrating, because I live in Paris on a beautiful street with endlessly interesting subjects and settings. My challenges with the genre -- poor ideas, a fear of confrontation and technical challenges -- certainly apply to other types of photography. However, they're magnified on the streets, due to the improvisational nature and factors out of my control, like subjects, lighting conditions and weather.
Read MoreYou can mark down 2019 as the year that mirrorless cameras vaulted to the top of photographers' wish lists. They sold nearly as well as DSLRs in 2018, thanks largely to Sony, and may outsell them for the first time in 2019. That's because the number available exploded at the end of 2018 and most of the important new cameras are mirrorless models. All of them have improved autofocus tech, better electronic viewfinders and excellent 4K video features. Nikon, Canon and Fujifilm are determined to cut into Sony's market share, so they all released new models -- to various degrees of critical acclaim. And it's working: Where Sony once had 99.5 percent of the full-frame mirrorless market in Japan, for instance, its share has dropped to 60 percent. More choice is terrific, but it does make your buying decision more difficult, which is why we're here. Our deep and detailed camera guide, dedicated to mirrorless models, will help you sort out which one that suits you best, depending on your needs and budget.
Read MoreI can't even remember how many times I've had to get in line at a FootLocker to buy the latest pair of Air Jordans. But that was years ago, long before websites and apps became the main way I shop for sneakers. Nowadays, if I do end up at a FootLocker, it's because I won a raffle through its app and just have to go pick up a pair of shoes -- no waiting on long lines necessary. With the rise of smartphones and the internet as a whole, retailers along with brands like Nike and Adidas have turned to technology to sell sneakers, especially limited-edition ones that have the potential to cause physical fights. If I want a pair of Jordans in 2019, I just use Nike's SNKRS app, and I don't have to worry about someone jumping me for them as I leave a store.
Read MoreIn this week's IRL, Senior Editor Terrence O'Brien sings the praises of Chromecast Audio, which Google killed off in January. But that doesn't mean he's giving up on it. On the contrary, it's now more precious to him than ever.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Friday has landed, and we have crowned the 2019 iPad Air as the Apple tablet that gets everything just right, and Dell's new 13-inch XPS may be the perfect ultraportable laptop. Elsewhere, Amazon is plotting its own AirPods rival, and games makers continue to struggle with development crunch.
Read MoreIf you can barely even recall the days when people mocked the AirPods because they look just like their wired brethren, we don't blame you. They've shot up in popularity over the past couple of years, and according to new findings by Counterpoint Research, they're still the dominant true wireless earbuds available despite a couple shifts in the market. According to Counterpoint's estimates, 12.5 million wireless headphones shipped in the fourth quarter of 2018, and Apple was responsible for most of them: the tech giant held a 60 percent market share.
Read MoreNVIDIA's cutting-edge Turing architecture has been gradually making way to more affordable graphics cards, and now it's finally reaching the entry level. The company has introduce the GeForce GTX 1650, a starter GPU that aims to provide the perks of modern games (such as complex shader effects) at an easier-to-swallow starting price of $149. It's a significant step down from the GTX 1660, but NVIDIA is betting that you won't mind in light of improvements over predecessors.
Read MoreIn the second episode of Upscaled, our new deep-dive explainer series focused on the components that make tech better, we're looking at what is going on with CPUs. Chips are still getting faster, but at a rate much slower than most predictions. 2019 might be the year that finally changes, though, and we're excited about a few developments that should be coming later this year.
Read MoreTP-Link is expanding its range of affordable mesh WiFi systems with the new Deco M4. For $180, you get a three-pack of white, cylindrical WiFi hubs that can cover up to 5,500 square feet of space. Of course, the more access points you have, the more nooks and crannies of your home you can cover.
Read MoreAn annual transparency report published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence shows warrantless searches of Americans' data jumped 28 percent in 2018. According to the report, the National Security Agency (NSA) conducted 9,637 warrantless search queries of Americans' calls, texts, and emails in 2018. That's up from 7,512 searches in 2017, and it's more than double the 4,672 warrantless searches the NSA made in 2015.
Read MorePrivacy advocates have long been concerned that US border agents may be overstepping their boundaries when searching devices, and the ACLU just obtained evidence appearing to support that theory. The civil rights group has motioned for summary judgment in its lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security after its discovery process revealed far-reaching policies for "warrantless and suspicionless" searches. Reportedly, both Customs and Border Protection as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement have claimed "near-unfettered authority" to search phones, PCs and other devices, even though the requests fall well outside their purview.
Read MoreLarge-scale database exposures are sadly nothing new, but they're particularly worrisome when there isn't even a clear owner. Researchers Ran Locar and Noam Rotem have found an unguarded database hosted on a Microsoft server that holds sensitive info for more than 80 million US households (over half of the 128 million in the US), but doesn't have a clear owner. The data includes full names, addresses and locations, as well as coded content like gender, income, dwelling type, homeowner status and marital status.
Read MoreCyberattackers don't need to find obscure technical flaws to launch phishing attacks -- they might just need a screen capture and some clever web coding. Developer James Fisher has found a relatively simple exploit in Chrome for mobile that takes advantage of how the app displays the address bar. When you scroll down from the top of a page, the approach displays a fake address bar that won't disappear until you visit another site. The attacker can even craft the page to prevent you from seeing the real address bar when you scroll up.
Read MoreJust because airlines don't want passengers video chatting from phones while they're in the air doesn't mean there was never a thought of selling it as a service, and as a result some airplanes have seat-back entertainment systems with a camera embedded. However, even if they're not plugged into a service, privacy-conscious fliers have raised enough concern -- the idea that someone could be watching, or that it could enable facial recognition is admittedly creepy -- that United Airlines has used stickers to cover up cameras that exist in some of its systems. In a statement to Buzzfeed News, a United spokesperson said "None of these cameras were ever activated and we had no plans to use them in the future, however we took the additional step to cover the cameras. The cameras are a standard feature that manufacturers of the system included for possible future purposes such as video conferencing." However, United isn't the only airline with such hardware installed, as the report points out, much of the uproar over these cameras occurred after fliers spotted the devices in systems on American Airlines and Singapore Airlines flights (both said the cameras are disabled on their planes).
Read MoreIn response to questions after a speech Friday in front of the Council on Foreign Relations, FBI director Christopher Wray called Russian efforts using social media to influence elections in the US "pretty much a 365-days-a-year" threat. According to the New York Times, an unnamed senior official said that a Foreign Influence Task Force at the agency that had been formed temporarily ahead of the midterm elections in response to the threat is now permanent, and that nearly 40 agents and analysts had been moved into it. It also reported the midterm election task force at the Department of Homeland Security is now permanent, and the same goes for a joint task force formed by the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command. One of the possibilities they described preparing for is that an influence campaign could try to raise questions about irregularities or possible fraud in results -- items the president has already claimed are problems but blaming very different sources. While those operations were apparently at "full speed" in the 2018 cycle, Wray called that a "dress rehearsal" for 2020.
Read MoreTobii is putting its camera technology to work in a very practical way: it's making your day-to-day computing just that much more private and, ideally, more personal. A new version of its Aware software uses your PC's Windows Hello-capable camera to, among other things, blur and lock your screen when you're not looking. You won't have to worry that someone will peep a confidential email when you step away from your computer for a few minutes. The screen can automatically dim when you walk away, too, so you won't feel quite so guilty about wasting power.
Read MoreIn the evolving story of a so-called "stablecoin" the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James accused iFinex Inc. -- operator of the Bitfinex exchange and the Tether cryptocurrency -- of trying to cover up "the apparent loss of $850 million dollars of co-mingled client and corporate funds." While researchers have tied Tether transactions to the spike in Bitcoin value that occurred between March 2017 and March 2018, this issue of the missing money is allegedly tied to a transfer of $850 million in funds to Crypto Capital Corp., a payment processor based in Panama.
Read MoreThe National Security Agency (NSA) has formally recommended that the White House drop the phone surveillance program that collects information about millions of US phone calls and text messages. The Wall Street Journal reports that people familiar with the matter say the logistical and legal burdens of maintaining the program outweigh any intelligence benefits it brings.
Read MoreGoogle has launched Chrome 74 for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS, bringing with it a bunch of handy new features, although some -- such as Incognito detection blocking -- require a bit of tinkering to access.
Read MoreLast year, the man who staged an armed robbery in an attempt to seize control of doitforstate.com was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Soon, the court will also sentence the mastermind who asked him to break into the domain owner's home and force a domain transfer at gunpoint. A jury has convicted Rossi Lorathio Adams II of "conspiracy to interfere with commerce by force, threats and violence." The Iowa native founded a social media company called State Snaps while he was attending Iowa State University, where students would shout "do it for State!" when their peers would do things they'll later regret.
Read MoreRussian hackers have apparently launched cyberattacks against embassies, although it might not be the kind of campaign you're expecting. Check Point Research reports that the attackers have attempted to compromise PCs at embassies for countries like Italy, Bermuda and Kenya by tricking officials into loading malware. Most often, they emailed Excel spreadsheets with malicious macros that would hijack a computer using the popular remote access app TeamViewer.
Read MoreIt's important for health apps to keep your data under lock and key, but it's not clear that's the case for some mental health apps. A study of 36 mental health apps (not named in the public release) has revealed that 29 of them were sharing data for advertising or analytics to Facebook or Google, but many of them weren't disclosing that to users. Only six out of 12 Facebook-linked apps told users what was happening, while 12 out of 28 Google-linked apps did the same. Out of the entire bunch, just 25 apps had policies detailing how they used data in any form, while 16 described secondary uses.
Read MoreThousands of documents containing sensitive information belonging to Mexico's embassy in Guatemala were leaked online this week by a hacker. The stolen cache contained more than 4,800 files related to the embassy's activities including its dealings with personal documents belonging to Mexican citizens. The hacker, identified on Twitter as @0x55Taylor, published the data online after the embassy failed to reply to his attempts at making contact. The files were eventually pulled offline by the cloud storage company used to host them, but TechCrunch was able to confirm the authenticity of the documents.
Read MoreIn 2017, Marcus Hutchins went from being a relatively unknown 23-year-old, to being a worldwide hero, to facing criminal charges all in a span of a few months. After he shut down the rapidly spreading WannaCry malware by finding a killswitch domain in the software, UK tabloids exposed his real name. Then in August of that year, just as he was about to leave Las Vegas after the Defcon event there, US authorities arrested Hutchins, claiming he'd played a part in creating a different type of malware, Kronos, years earlier. Today he pleaded guilty to a pair of charges related to the malware, for which he faces up to ten years in prison. In a statement posted on his personal website, he said: As you may be aware, I've pleaded guilty to two charges related to writing malware in the years prior to my career in security. I regret these actions and accept full responsibility for my mistakes. Having grown up, I've since been using the same skills that I misused several years ago for constructive purposes. I will continue to devote my time to keeping people safe from malware attacks. As described in court documents published by ZDNet, the government's case was that Hutchins developed the malware, known both as UPAS Kit and Kronos, to collect info, while targeting banking information. He worked with partners to distribute and sell the malware to others who made use of the tools. At the time of his arrest, Engadget columnist Violet Blue described the chilling effect this prosecution could have on security research. To get the experience needed to shut down malware that threatened computers worldwide one might follow a career that includes some steps outside the lines, and this may make fighting for legitimacy even tougher.
Read MoreNearly 150,000 patients who sought treatment at an addiction recovery facility in Pennsylvania had their medical records exposed online. Through the public search engine Shodan, independent researcher Justin Paine found an ElasticSearch database with nearly five million rows of data. It appeared to include personally identifiable information (PII) of patients who were treated at Steps to Recovery between mid 2016 and late 2018.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Add The Weather Channel to the list of ransomware victims, and we have some news about the Google vs. Amazon tiff. Also, the Child's Play remake will have Chucky terrorizing people via their smart-home devices. Welcome to 2019.
Read MoreOn Thursday morning, from 6AM to 7:39AM, viewers weren't able to learn any useful weather information from The Weather Channel. The TV network had to show a taped program instead of airing its morning show AMHQ, because it suffered a security breach that took it off air. In a Twitter post, the company explained that it experienced issues due to a "malicious software attack" and that it was only able to restore live broadcast through backup mechanisms.
Read MoreLast month, news broke that Facebook employees had access to up to 600 million user passwords, which had been stored in plain text. Today, the company revealed that millions of Instagram passwords were also stored in a readable format. An internal investigation determined the stored passwords were not internally abused or improperly accessed, but this adds to the growing list of privacy issues the company seems to be racking up.
Read MoreThe European Union has been clear on its stance that terrorist content is most harmful in the first hour it appears online. Yesterday, the European Parliament voted in favor of a new rule that could require internet companies to remove terrorist content within one hour after receiving an order from authorities. Companies that repeatedly fail to abide by the law could be fined up to four percent of their global revenue.
Read MoreEpic Games is introducing extra security measures to protect users' accounts -- something it needs to do as the developer behind Fortnite, one of the most popular multiplayer games today. In an account security update the company posted, it said it's rolling out text-based multi-factor authentication in the future. While SMS-based authentication isn't as secure as other forms of two-factor, the option would surely be appreciated by those who don't always have internet connection to access authenticator apps or their email accounts.
Read MoreLast year, Lyft investigated reports that its workers abused access to customer data, using their powers to stalk lovers and snoop on celebrities. Thankfully, the ride-hailing service has implemented changes since then: According to The Information, when a Lyft employee or contractor looks up rider details these days, they'll see a warning message reminding them that their actions are logged and could be audited.
Read MoreEcuador's government may be facing virtual retaliation for its decision to allow Julian Assange's arrest. The country's deputy minister for information and communication technologies, Patricio Real, claimed that its institutions' websites had faced 40 million cyberattacks in the days since it effectively turned Assange in. The denial of service attacks flooded a number of major targets, including President Moreno's office, the internal revenue service and the central bank.
Read MoreFor some users, that Microsoft webmail breach was worse than first thought. Microsoft has confirmed a Motherboard source's claims that the hackers had access to a portion of the email content, not just email addresses and subject lines. About 6 of the affected users had their messages exposed, according to a spokesperson. It's not clear if the intruders read the email before Microsoft blocked access, but the company told the The Verge in a statement that the subset received "additional guidance and support."
Read MoreTwo Romanian residents are about to face prison time for a particularly large digital crime spree. A federal jury has found Radu Miclaus and Bogdan Nicolescu guilty for a scheme that stole credit card data and other sensitive info by hijacking over 400,000 computers located primarily in the US. The duo reportedly developed custom malware in 2007 that would pose as a legitimate organization (such as the IRS, Norton or Western Union) and infect PCs when users opened an attachment. From then on, the perpetrators stole data and money by injecting fake websites (such as bogus eBay auctions), mining cryptocurrency in the background and amassing contact information that could be used to infect more targets.
Read MoreMicrosoft's Internet Explorer has a longstanding reputation for poor security, but it's now bad enough that you could be attacked just by having it on your PC. Security researcher John Page has revealed an unpatched exploit in the web browser's handling of MHT files (IE's web archive format) that hackers can use to both spy on Windows users and steal their local data. As Windows opens MHT files using IE by default, you don't even have to run the browser for this to be a problem -- all you have to do is open an attachment sent through chat or email.
Read MoreA group of hackers has exploited the flaws of at least three FBI-affiliated websites and leaked thousands of federal and law enforcement agents' personal details. According to TechCrunch, the group infiltrated websites run by the FBI National Academy Association. It's a nonprofit dedicated to promoting law enforcement training and has multiple chapters across the country, each with their own page. The hackers told the publication that they were able to break into the pages and download the contents, which they then uploaded on their own website.
Read MoreYou'll want to keep an eye out for suspicious activity if you use Microsoft's webmail services. The company has confirmed to TechCrunch that "cybercriminals" compromised a "limited number" of its web-based email accounts between January 1st and March 28th by using a customer support rep's credentials. The breach didn't expose sign-in details or message contents, but it did offer access to email addresses (including names of addresses in conversations), subject lines and custom folder names.
Read MoreIt's been nearly five years since the feds shut down Silk Road 2. But its founder is only now being sentenced to prison. According to Motherboard, Thomas White, also known as Dread Pirate Roberts 2 (DPR2) plead guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and making indecent images of children. Now he faces five years and four months in prison.
Read MoreThe US Justice Department just officially charged Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, shortly after he was removed from the Ecuador embassy in London and arrested by local police. The charge is "conspiracy to commit computer intrusion" for agreeing to break a password to a classified US government computer. The Justice department also said it was in relation to "Assange's alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States." It's the same allegation that was made in the Chelsea Manning trial in 2013, in which the former US Army private was found guilty of theft and espionage in relation to the release of classified government documents. But now that Assange has had his asylum revoked by the Ecuadorian government and has been arrested, he can finally be extradited to the US to face these charges.
Read MoreA security flaw may be hiding in that confirmation email you get after booking a hotel room. A Symantec study of more than 1,500 hotels found that 67 percent of them were unwittingly leaking guests' personal information. The hotels in the study were spread across 54 countries, including the U.S., Canada and even some in the E.U., despite strict GDPR protections. They ran the gamut in quality too, from two-star motels to five-star beach resorts.
Read MoreWikiLeaks says it has uncovered a comprehensive spying operation against its founder Julian Assange in the Ecuadorean embassy, where he has sought political refuge since 2012. According to the group, thousands of photos, videos and audio recordings have been taken of Assange, in what WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson calls a "total invasion of privacy."
Read MoreOf all the home network devices we need to keep secure, there might not be any one more important than the router itself. For Verizon (the owner of Engadget's parent company) FiOS home internet customers, it's time to double check that your gear has been updated with the latest firmware update after Tenable Research identified several vulnerabilities in the Quantum Gateway G1100. If exploited, someone could control it and According to a breakdown of the vulnerabilities, they would mostly require someone to be connected on the local network itself, however it could also be vulnerable if remote administration is enabled and someone had the credentials that are printed on a sticker attached to the device. Tenable notified Verizon of the problem in December, and a firmware update to fix affected devices started rolling out March 1st. As Bleeping Computer notes, at least one person reported some issues after it was installed, although it was resolved after a factory reset of the device.
Read MoreResearchers at security firm Lookout recently discovered an iOS version of Exodus spyware that typically targets Android devices. Before you go wiping your iPhone to ensure you aren't being spied on, it's worth noting that the iOS version of the malware has only been found in third-party app marketplaces and hasn't made its way into the walled garden that is Apple's official App Store.
Read MoreA British court just imprisoned one of the most aggressive sextortionists in recent memory. Zain Qaiser has been sentenced to six years and five months behind bars after pleading guilty to a scheme that blackmailed porn site visitors in over 20 countries by spreading malware-laden ads. The campaign would impersonate regional police (such as the FBI) and claim that victims who clicked the ads had committed an offense requiring a fine between $300 and $1,000. Qaiser worked with a Russian crime group that reportedly pocketed most of the money, but he still made over £700,000 (about $914,000) -- and prosecutors believe he has even more money stashed in offshore accounts.
Read MoreYahoo is back in the courtroom with a revised settlement proposal meant to make amends for its massive data breaches. If this proposal is approved, the company will pay $117.5 million.
Read MoreAt a time when every high-profile data breach sheds more light on how web activity is monitored, Firefox is launching anti-tracking tools to protect against fingerprinting and crypto-mining. Mozilla is again teaming up with Disconnect -- a software company that provides no-tracking software and whose ad tracker blocklist Firefox already utlizes for its tracking protections -- on the new tools. Both of the blocking methods are available to Firefox Nightly 68 and Beta 67 testers. Mozilla plans to enable them by default in a future release.
Read MoreThe fingerprint reader in the Samsung Galaxy S10 has caused a few issues already, such as incompatibility with some types of screen protectors. The in-display scanner uses ultrasound to read the physical ridges of your fingerprint, supposedly making the device more secure -- thieves shouldn't be able to press a photo of owners' prints against the reader to unlock the device, for example. But it seems people are already finding ways to thwart the sensor.
Read MoreOne former Senate worker is about to face harsh consequences for a doxxing campaign. Jackson Cosko has pleaded guilty to stealing multiple Senators' personal information from the Senate's network and publishing it on Wikipedia, including Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee. He admitted to being angry after he was fired from his systems administrator job at Sen. Maggie Hassan's office in May 2018, and conducted an "extensive computer fraud and data theft scheme" as revenge between July and October.
Read MoreThe secretary general of the UN's internet and telecoms agency has suggested US concerns about 5G networks built using Huawei equipment have more to do with politics and trade, rather than legitimate worries over security. "There is no proof so far," Houlin Zhao, head of the International Telecommunication Union, said regarding claims about Huawei's security. He noted it's in telecoms' best interests to make sure their infrastructure is secure as they might otherwise feel the wrath of authorities.
Read MoreWe might think that stolen credit cards and personal information only get traded on the dark web, but the information is moving in plain sight on Facebook. According to intelligence firm Cisco Talos, there are dozens of groups on the social network that rather explicitly buy and sell credit card numbers and other stolen information. The security firm tracked 74 groups in total that have approximately 385,000 members.
Read MoreSecurity researchers in Israel have developed malware that can add realistic-looking but entirely fake growths to CT and MRI scans or hide real cancerous nodules that would be detected by the medical imagining equipment. The software, designed by experts at the Ben Gurion University Cyber Security Research Center, was created to highlight the lax security protecting diagnostic tools and hospital networks that handle sensitive information.
Read MoreFacebook is embroiled in another privacy scandal, although this time it's not of the company's direct making. UpGuard researchers have discovered over 540 million Facebook interaction records left exposed by third parties using Amazon's cloud services. Nearly all of them come from Mexican media company Cultura Colectiva, which recorded account names, comments, Facebook IDs and likes, among other details. Another exposure comes from At the Pool, a long-defunct app that left 22,000 passwords unprotected in addition to other sensitive details.
Read MorePresident Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort just dealt with a decidedly unusual malware 'attack.' A Chinese woman, Yujing Zhang has been charged with making false statements to a federal officer and entering restricted property after she visited Mar-a-Lago on March 30th carrying a thumb drive apparently loaded with malware. Zhang initially told the Secret Service that she wanted to use the pool, but later claimed she'd traveled to attend a non-existent UN "Friendship Event" (at the request of a mysterious "Charlie") and wanted to speak to a member of the Trump family about China's economic relationship with the US.
Read MoreA health department in India exposed more than 12.5 million medical records for pregnant women after it failed to secure a database. The records span five years for a state in the north of the country, and include sensitive data such as family medical history, the mother's age, details of other children, doctor information and court case details.
Read MoreFrom the first direct images of a black hole and a nearly-successful private moon landing to self-healing exosuits and self-retrieving rockets, read on for the top stories from what's been a stellar week for space science!
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! From our first look at a black hole to the new Kindle, this week's news had something for everyone. Before we look back at some of the highlights, however, take a look at the new Star Wars teaser trailer and our breakdown of why Netflix is feeling some heat from Disney+.
Read MoreUsually watching a concert through your phone is frowned upon. At Coachella this year, it's encouraged. The annual music festival is turning its Sahara Tent stage into an augmented reality experience. Members of the audience will be able to hold their phones up between performances and see space-themed AR elements interact with the stage and audience. The AR filters will be available through the Coachella app during both weekends of the festival, April 12-14 and April 19-21.
Read MoreThe Shed's concept is simple: It's the 120-foot tall building that moves. This idea is both its architectural hallmark and its metaphor for the future of culture. Opening on Friday, New York City's half-billion dollar, hybrid museum-meets-performance space can shapeshift to double its indoor perimeter in five minutes.
Read MoreGood news: you don't have to buy a brand new Toyota (or score a very lightly used model) just to get modern mobile conveniences. The automaker has announced that you can add Amazon Alexa and Apple CarPlay (sorry, no Android Auto) to the 2018 Camry and Sienna. If you're itching for an upgrade, you can book an appointment for an installation at a dealership. While this isn't going to be much consolation if you're driving another model, this could prove a treat if you've been kicking yourself for buying a Toyota a little too soon.
Read MoreBird isn't staying out of San Francisco just because it doesn't have a permit for its usual scooter service. It's launching a personal rental service in both San Francisco and Barcelona that gives you a scooter of your own for $25 per month. Order a scooter through the app and Bird will deliver it (plus a charger and lock) to a location of your choice, after which you can use it as much as you like. Bird will also pick up the two-wheeler when you're done.
Read MoreNow that Faraday Future has parted ways with its last partner, Chinese real estate firm Evergrande, money seems to be flowing in again. After getting a $600 million injection from mobile gaming company The9 Limited, Faraday announced that it has scored another $225 million in bridge financing via a funding round led by Birch Lake Associates. The cash will be used to bring the company flagship FF91 EV to market and reassure jittery suppliers that the company is still on sound footing.
Read MoreUber and Lyft have stopped hiring new drivers in New York City, due to a newly-passed law aimed to tamp down on an already oversaturated rideshare market. Politico reported that Uber stopped accepting new driver applications on April 1, with Lyft following suit on April 19th. The decision comes after the city put in place a new wage floor for rideshare drivers strongly opposed by both companies.
Read MoreLondoners can now compare their public transport and ridesharing options in the Uber app. Tuesday, the company added real-time Underground, bus, train and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) info to a new "Public Transport" feature, which appears next to the UberX and UberPool options. When users search a destination, the app now generates a list of the fastest public transit routes, real-time schedules and walking directions to and from stations or bus stops.
Read MoreDaimler is no longer going to sell its eye-catching small Smart Fortwo electric cars in North America. The company told TechCrunch that the 2019 model will be the last to be available in the United States and Canada, just two years after deciding to stop selling the gas-powered version of the vehicles in the region. Daimler plans to instead focus on launching its Smart line in China. Existing Fortwo owners will still be able to get their cars serviced by Smart or at authorized Mercedes-Benz dealerships.
Read MoreThere's no question that drone sightings can be disruptive. In December, a drone spotted at Gatwick Airport in London led to the grounding and diversion of hundreds of flights, and similar disruptions have happened at Dubai International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. With those incidents in mind -- as well as a flyover of Fenway Park -- Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and John Thune (R-SD) are calling on the Federal Aviation Admission (FAA) to complete guidelines on remote drone identification.
Read MoreJaguar Land Rover drivers may soon be able to earn cryptocurrency for allowing their cars to transmit data about traffic, potholes and other metrics to the car maker and interested parties.
Read MoreThe company behind the world's longest aircraft, Airlander 10, has been awarded more than £1 million ($1.3 million) to convert it into an all-electric vehicle. The test version of the slightly obscene-looking British blimp was retired back in January to make way for a production model, and it looks like said model will scrap combustion for a greener type of flight.
Read MoreIt's already hard enough to find an electric car charging station, but it's worse when you have to deal with passive-aggressive types (or just inconsiderate folk) who park their gas-based cars in those stations. Colorado, at least, wants to do something about it. The state's House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would fine drivers $150, plus a $32 surcharge, for parking a combustion engine car in a space reserved for EVs and plug-in hybrids. It would deliver a similar punishment for EV drivers who leave their car unplugged at parking lot chargers for more than 30 minutes, with exceptions for lodging, airports and overnight.
Read MoreFord disclosed in a financial filing made with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that it is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice over its internal testing practices. Ford says the probe is still in its preliminary stages but insists that this won't be another Volkswagen style "Dieselgate" scandal. According to the carmaker, the issue stems from miscalculations made during the testing process rather than an intentional attempt to deceive regulators.
Read MoreFord has been applying its automotive expertise to create some amusing, impractical devices like a conveyor-belt bed and noise-cancelling doghouse, because why the heck not? Now, the automaker has come up with another doozy. It's a self-braking shopping cart based on its Pre-Collision Assist technology that's designed to prevent any supermarket mayhem. If your kids use it as a skateboard or if it runs away in the parking lot, a sensor can detect objects in the way and bring it to a smooth stop.
Read MoreWe've seen a range of partnerships between ride-share apps and grocery stores in recent times. Walmart and Uber teamed up last year, for example, while Asia's Grab has expanded to include grocery delivery. And, of course, there are multiple companies experimenting with grocery delivery via autonomous vehicles. But none of these initiatives address a major underlying issue in getting food to the people who want it: cost. Today, though, Lyft is launching a national Grocery Access Program that aims to make healthy food more cheaply and easily accessible to millions of Americans.
Read MoreToday, Penske Truck Leasing opened 14 DC fast charging stations at four facilities in Southern California. According to the company, they're the first high-speed charging stations specifically designed for heavy duty, commercial electric vehicles in the US. And they'll be used to charge semi trucks, like the Daimler Freightliners that Penske has been testing.
Read MoreIt's now patently clear why Rivian turned down GM's exclusive investment -- it wanted to remain open to other juicy deals. Ford has announced that it's investing $500 million in Rivian, and is forming a "strategic partnership" to produce an "all-new" Ford-branded electric vehicle using the startup's skateboard platform. This is on top of Ford's existing EV plans, the companies said. Details of the machine weren't mentioned.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Looking for a new laptop? New CPUs and GPUs are just begging for you to upgrade. And if you have a bigger purchase in mind, you should check out the new Teslas, which feature more range than ever -- up to 370 miles on a single charge. Finally, we have some bad news about a laundry-folding robot.
Read MoreWhile the jury on consumer drones is still out, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are fast becoming an important tool in global delivery networks. Take Zipline as a prime example: since 2016, the Californian company has used unmanned aircraft to deliver critical medicines and blood to hospitals over huge distances in Rwanda. According to the Financial Times, the Silicon Valley startup is drastically expanding its presence in Africa, mobilzing what will become the world's largest drone delivery network to transport "150 different medicines," vaccines and blood to 2,000 clinics in remote parts of Ghana.
Read MoreUnlike most automakers, Tesla has refreshed the designs of its existing cars on rather sporadic schedules, and the latest tweaks for its Model S and Model X are here. Confirming earlier rumors, the flagship sedan and SUV are getting a redesigned powertrain that uses the same "permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motor" and associated technology we first saw in the Model 3. It uses a permanent magnet motor up front to either power the car or regenerate energy under braking, with an induction electric motor in the back that engages when extra power is needed. Production on the updated versions will start this week at its Fremont factory and buyers can start ordering them online today.
Read MoreWaymo will build its autonomous vehicles in Detroit. CEO John Krafcik wrote Tuesday in a Medium post that the company will repurpose an existing facility in Motor City with the goal of being operational by mid-2019. Back in January, the company announced it had chosen southeast Michigan as the location of its new facility for the mass production of L4 autonomous vehicles, the first of its kind in the world.
Read MoreToday, Alphabet's Wing division became the first drone delivery company to receive its Air Carrier Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The certification means Wing can begin a commercial drone delivery service, and the company hopes to launch its first delivery trial later this year. Over the next several months, Wing will work with the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP) in Southwest Virginia. It will soon begin reaching out to residents and businesses in the Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Virginia, areas to demonstrate its technology and to gather feedback.
Read MoreFrom now on, you just have to fire up Google Maps if you need to hunt for an open EV charging station. The latest versions of Google Maps for Android, iOS and the web now show real-time availability for charging ports in the US and UK, giving you a better idea of when to go for a top-up -- you're no longer relegated to static info like before. The feature won't help you find a Tesla Supercharger (you don't really need that given Tesla's app), but it will cover the networks of Chargemaster, EVgo and SemaConnect, with Chargepoint coming soon.
Read MoreTwo days ahead of its first-quarter earnings disclosure, the company had an event to explain its autonomous technology to investors. The talks were probably denser than the average shareholder was expecting but it was an opportunity to see how Tesla will deliver a self-driving car and it announced that Tesla robo-taxis will be available next year.
Read MoreTesla is giving potential buyers the chance to get Model 3 deliveries within days instead of weeks. As first reported by Electrek, the automaker has made its inventory Model 3 vehicles available for browsing online. The inventory section used to display Model S and X vehicles only, but now it includes new Model 3 stocks. By choosing one of the pre-configured cars from the company's existing inventory instead of customizing their own, buyers could immediately (depending on their location) get their hands on one of Tesla's EVs.
Read MoreReports emerged last week that GM would not join Amazon in investing in electric vehicle startup Rivian, and now we have a little more clarity on why talks broke down. It seems GM wanted some exclusivity, but Rivian plans to build vehicles for other companies, as well as release up to six models under its own branding by 2025.
Read MoreWhile you might still think of Lyft primarily as a ridesharing company, it also has the largest bike-sharing network in the country -- thanks to its Motivate acquisition last summer. To celebrate Earth Day and promote its carbon-free transport, the company is offering free bikeshare rides on Monday, April 22. You'll be able to hop on a free bike in New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Minneapolis, Columbus, OH and Portland, OR. But each city will handle the promotion slightly differently, so check in with your local network before you plan to ride.
Read MoreAs Uber finally closes in on its IPO, its self-driving car unit is getting a big cash infusion and some independence. The company announced tonight that Toyota, Denso and Softbank are investing a total of $1 billion in its Advanced Technologies Group (Uber ATG), in a deal that values that part of the company at $7.25 billion. This adds onto Toyota's $500 million investment last year, which the two said would lead to the creation of an autonomous fleet based on Toyota's Sienna minivan. So far, many of the big car companies are teaming up to develop autonomous tech combined with ridesharing angles as it's expected to be a huge market in the next few years. According to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, "The development of automated driving technology will transform transportation as we know it, making our streets safer and our cities more livable. Today's announcement, along with our ongoing OEM and supplier relationships, will help maintain Uber's position at the forefront of that transformation." In the statement Toyota EVP Shigeki Tomoyama said "Leveraging the strengths of Uber ATG's autonomous vehicle technology and service network and the Toyota Group's vehicle control system technology, mass-production capability, and advanced safety support systems, such as Toyota Guardian™, will enable us to commercialize safer, lower cost automated ridesharing vehicles and services." The deal won't close until Q3, which should be well after Uber's initial public offering that's on track to occur in May. It's also being announced after Arizona prosecutors announced they did not find the company criminally liable for a 2018 self-driving car crash that killed a pedestrian. The deal makes Uber ATG its own corporate entity that's controlled by Uber. Reuters reports that it has ATG head Eric Meyhofer as CEO reporting to a newly-formed board of directors, with six appointed by Uber, one by Toyota and one by Softbank.
Read MoreFollowing the murder of a college student who mistakenly entered a vehicle she believed to be an Uber, the ridesharing company is rolling out a number of new safety features. Starting today, the Uber app will send push notifications containing driver details including license plate number, vehicle type and color. An in-app banner will also remind people to confirm they are getting into the correct car.
Read MoreCar2go's rental service just suffered what appears to be a major incident. The company has temporarily suspended operations in Chicago after a "fraud issue" in the city. While Car2go didn't provide details (it told Engadget there was an "ongoing investigation"), sources for CBS' Brad Edwards claimed that up to 100 luxury cars had gone missing or were reported stolen, some of which had been used for crimes. Over 12 people were in police custody, Edwards said.
Read MoreIt didn't take long after walking through the faux-wood gates Subaru erected at the New York Auto Show before I saw the 2020 Outback. I couldn't miss it. Perched atop a large outcropping of fake rock, the Outback looked somewhat regal as its headlights seemingly peered off into the distance.
Read MoreIf you're looking for a classy, far-from-huge Mercedes crossover that goes easy on the environment, there's the EQC. If you're the type that routinely needs to ferry around eight in relative luxury, though, your best bet is probably Mercedes-Benz's new GLS-class. While it isn't quite as big as the luxury liner that is the Lincoln Navigator, the new GLS 450 and GLS 580 are still among the biggest vehicles in Mercedes' 2020 lineup, and they're flush with the sort of niceties you'd expect out of a truly premium people-carrier.
Read MoreKia spent its entire press conference talking about the spiciness of its brand. Spoiler: it's very spicy according to Kia. But they're not exactly wrong. After showing a drift version of the exciting Stinger the automaker took the wraps off an EV concept where all the doors open up like a supercar.
Read MoreBoth the gas and electrified Hyundai Kona are great vehicles. But maybe it's just a tad too big for you? If that's the case, the automaker just unveiled the Hyundai Venue. An entry-level SUV with an odd name.
Read MoreIt's no surprise Mercedes has been planning to produce its own all-electric vehicle -- the storied carmaker revealed its plans in 2016 and started candidly talking about its new EQC crossover last year. While we won't be able to slip behind the wheel of a US-spec EQC until 2020, Mercedes did make an appearance at the New York Auto Show with the especially drool-worthy EQC Edition 1886, a tricked out version of the crossover with an "extensive range of optional extras."
Read MoreIf you're in the US and mulling a new car purchase, there's a pretty strong chance you're considering an SUV. Fair enough: Americans are pretty much over sedans at this point. In any case, Toyota has a refreshed version of its popular Highlander that might be right up your alley, but after a few moments ogling it at the New York Auto Show, one thing is clear: it's not happy to see you.
Read MoreUnlike your typical "car of the year" award, the World Car Awards (of which I'm a juror) are voted on by 86 automotive journalists from over 20 countries that write for publications that span the globe. This year those reporters drove an impressive amount of cars and decided that the Jaguar I-PAce was the best of 2019.
Read MoreNikola isn't messing around when it comes to its vision of a zero-emission future -- at this year's Nikola World event in Arizona the company unveiled no less than five clean vehicles, including the much-anticipated fully electric semi-trucks, Nikola Two and Nikola Tre.
Read MoreUber has launched a feature in Saudi Arabia that lets female drivers select a preference for female-only riders. What began as a pilot program in September -- after feedback showed that 74 percent of Saudi women Uber drivers were only interested in driving women -- is now officially rolling out in the country. Uber said it currently has no plans on expanding the feature globally. Nor is there word on plans to offer women riders a similar driver preference. There have been countless reports of female users and drivers of both Uber and Lyft suffering abuse and harassment.
Read MoreThe Lincoln Navigator is unapologetically huge. But large, luxury SUVs don't have the sales numbers of the small crossover market. So it's no surprise that the automaker is tossing its luxury hat into that profitable ring with the new Corsair.
Read MoreAutomotive events can be... well weird. For example, the Mint EV concept car reveal from Genesis was a song and dance extravaganza coupled with a fashion show. The automaker said it had something to do with New York becoming the center of the fashion world. None that really mattered because the concept car that eventually appeared looked great (but in a weird way) and it'll never show up in showrooms, but a boy can dream can't he?
Read MoreLast year, Audi launched a test run of Audi Select, a monthly subscription service that gives drivers access to their choice of vehicles from the company's lineup. Today, the German carmaker announced a new, cheaper tier of the service called Core Collection. For $995 per month, subscribers will be able to drive around their choice of Audi A4 and S3 sedans, the Q5 SUV or the TT Coupe. As with the original Audi Select program, Core Collection will only be available at select dealerships in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the time being.
Read MoreWay back in October of 2017, I drove Cadillac's CT6 across the southwest using the automaker's driver's assistant feature Super Cruise. It was an impressive hands-free experience that was only available on one vehicle. Cadillac has finally fixed that with its new compact sedan, the CT5.
Read MoreMore and more Americans are warming up to the idea of driving an electric vehicle. According to tech analyst IHS Markit, 208,000 EVs were registered in the US in 2018 -- that's more than double the 100,000 cars registered the year before. As you might have guessed though, most of those vehicles were registered in California and the nine other states that adopted its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program. In fact, California serves as home to 46 percent of the total, or over 95,000 EVs.
Read MoreUber's fledgling cab-hailing service in Japan has a new competitor, and it's not by one of its usual rivals. It's called S.Ride, and it's a taxi-hailing app created by Sony in partnership with not one, but five Japanese taxi companies. Since the types of ride-hailing services you're probably used to are banned in the country, companies like Uber that want a piece of the Japanese economy -- especially since the Tokyo Olympics are coming up -- are compromising and teaming up with taxi providers.
Read MoreNo more teasing -- Aston Martin has finally revealed its first all-electric car. The Rapide E swaps out a V12 engine for an 800V, 65 kWh battery system and twin rear motors with 604 hp and 700 pound-feet of torque. There will only be 155 units produced, "with prices available on application" and along with Williams, the carmaker has packed an aging frame with plenty of reasons to try this one out.
Read MoreAt the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, Lotus has teased its first new production car in 11 years, the Type 130. The EV is now in advanced development stages and will be the "world's first full electric British hypercar," Lotus said. "Type 130 will be the most dynamically accomplished Lotus in our history," said CEO Phil Popham. "It marks a turning point for our brand and is a showcase of what we are capable of and what is to come from Lotus."
Read MoreBeginning in May, Lyft customers in New York City will be able to use Citi Bikes through the ridesharing app. Users won't need a separate account or login to locate or unlock the bikes. The Lyft app will automatically show how many bikes are available at nearby stations. When users are ready to ride, they'll receive a five-digit code, which they can enter in any dock at a given station to release the bike of their choice. Both of the services are popular on their own, so together, they could have a meaningful impact on transportation in New York.
Read MoreA lot can happen in a year, so it's probably wise that Lyft will no longer rely solely on annual background checks for its drivers. The ride-sharing company will now run daily criminal monitoring of its active drivers and will receive immediate notification of any disqualifying criminal convictions. Lyft will also keep a closer eye on identity fraud and will require drivers to carry both a license and an up-to-date photo of their face.
Read MoreMany folks are cool on autonomous cars because we actually like to drive, but nobody wants to be stuck in rush hour or city congestion. Audi has addressed those concerns with the AI:ME, its latest urban concept car. The Level 4 self-driving EV would allow you to chill and be entertained in your vehicle, rather than getting stressed by traffic jams and angry drivers.
Read MoreVolvo's flurry of new safety features might not stop any time soon. The automaker is making its Slippery Road Alert and Hazard Light Alert features (previously limited to Sweden and Norway) available across Europe starting with the 2020 model year for new cars, and as a retrofit upgrade from 2016 and newer cars based on its CMA and SPA platforms. The road alert draws on information from Volvo cars ahead to warn you if rain or ice could pose trouble, giving you a chance to drive cautiously before you risk losing control.
Read MoreLyft-owned bike-sharing services are removing electric bikes from their respective fleets in New York, Washington and San Francisco citing safety concerns. Citi Bike, Capital Bikeshare, and Ford GoBike recalled the e-bikes after "a small number" of users experienced "stronger than expected braking force on the front wheel." The New York Times reports that "dozens" of Citi Bike riders in NYC have reported injuries while riding the e-bikes, prompting the company to pull 1,000 electric bicycles from the streets.
Read MoreDaimler is already in hot water for its alleged diesel emissions cheating, but it's about to get worse. Bild am Sonntag has learned that German regulators have discovered evidence of cheating software in roughly 60,000 GLK 220 CDI models made between 2012 and 2015. That's not a small amount -- officials had asked Daimler to recall 700,000 vehicles worldwide, so this represents a nearly 9 percent increase based on one model line.
Read MoreYou might want to act quickly if you're determined to get a Tesla vehicle with self-driving capability. Elon Musk has warned that the price of the Full Self-Driving package will "increase substantially over time," starting with a hike on May 1st. He didn't give a ballpark of his own, but said it would be "something like" the $3,000 suggested by one Twitter follower. It currently costs $5,000 to add the (eventual) full autonomy when ordering a car, and $7,000 if you want it later.
Read MoreVolkswagen's growing electric car lineup will include something for those who like the reassurance of a full-size SUV. The automaker has unveiled an ID Roomzz concept that previews a three-row SUV headed for production in 2021. It's stylistically similar to the smaller Crozz and will muster a comparable 301HP through its dual motors, but the added bulk cuts its range to 280 miles on the WLTP testing cycle and gives it a still-respectable 0-62MPH time of 6.6 seconds. In the concept, though, the interior is everything -- it's designed with self-driving tech in mind.
Read MoreMy riding companions ask me what type of ride I want to go on. "Aggressive or casual?" This is my first time on Zero's new SR/F motorcycle (starting at $18,995). It's a new design for the company. The motor is new. The controller unit and operating system are new. Even the display is new. Plus, I'll be riding on roads I've never even seen. I reply "casual" but 20 minutes in, I wish I had said "aggressive."
Read MoreThere's a good chance you'll have the option of riding a Bird scooter the next time you embark on a European trip. Bird has announced a "ten-fold" expansion of its scooter sharing fleet in Europe and the Middle East, with 50 new cities getting service starting this spring. The company didn't name the new cities, but it already has a presence in 12 cities that include London, Paris, Madrid and Tel Aviv.
Read MoreTesla has halted online sales of the $35,000 Model 3, and will only sell it by telephone or in its stores, the EV maker announced. On top of that, it has made the Autopilot driver assist features standard on all its vehicles (except the aforementioned $35K model) and increased prices accordingly. The Model 3 Standard Plus, for instance, used to cost $37,500 plus $3,000 for Autopilot, and it now starts at $39,500.
Read MoreTesla and Panasonic are delaying plans to expand the electric car maker's Gigafactory 1 battery plant in Nevada. The two companies decided to freeze spending on the world's largest EV battery plant following less-than-stellar demand of new Teslas, reported Nikkei Asian Review. The two companies had initially planned to raise capacity by 50 percent by next year. Panasonic has also apparently canceled plans to invest in Tesla's new Gigafactory in Shanghai, as well.
Read MoreFord CEO Jim Hackett scaled back hopes about the company's plans for self-driving cars this week, admitting that the first vehicles will have limits. "We overestimated the arrival of autonomous vehicles," said Hackett, who once headed the company's autonomous vehicle division, at a Detroit Economic Club event on Tuesday. While Ford still plans on launching its self-driving car fleet in 2021, Hackett added that "its applications will be narrow, what we call geo-fenced, because the problem is so complex."
Read MoreYou'll be hard pressed to find an established automaker these days that isn't rushing to tap into the growing EV market and Infiniti is no different. The company revealed its Qs Inspiration concept EV sport sedan on Wednesday to serve as a glimpse into the company's "electrified future," per a release and hints at the design of a forthcoming production model.
Read MoreThe last decade or so have been tough on the sedan market. As more drivers are opting for the higher seating position and increased cargo space of SUVs, four-door car sales have shrunk. So you'd think that Hyundai would just quietly update the Sonata with a nicer engine and maybe sprinkle some tech here and there as it waits for the segment to collapse.
Read MoreYou might want to forget about fantasies of taking your own flying car to work, at least for now. The University of Michigan and Ford have published a study indicating that electric flying cars wouldn't be as environmentally sustainable as cars for commutes less than 22 miles. While the vehicles themselves would be clean, the high amounts of electricity needed to run those vehicles would have to come from power plants -- and many of those plants currently emit greenhouse gases.
Read MoreLast fall, electric skateboard startup Inboard Technology announced plans for its first electric scooter. Dubbed the Glider, consumers could pre-order the device with a $349 deposit placed toward the $1,299 price tag. Now, according to The Verge, Inboard is backing off of plans for a consumer version of the Glider and is refunding the 1,500 people who put down deposits on the new ride. Instead, Inboard plans to focus on making electric scooters for shared fleets.
Read MoreAfter months of testing, Alphabet's Wing division is launching a drone delivery service in Australia. It will cover roughly 100 homes in the suburbs of Crace, Palmerston and Franklin, just outside the capital city of Canberra. Customers will be able to request small goods, such as medicine, coffee and groceries, from a range of local businesses including Kickstart Expresso, Capital Chemist, Pure Gelato, Jasper + Myrtle, Bakers Delight, Guzman Y Gomez, and Drummond Golf. Wing says it will slowly expand to more neighborhoods "in the coming weeks and months" and "connect with more local businesses" to expand the products that are available to order.
Read MoreAt the start of the year Tesla teased Sentry Mode, a security feature for its EVs that leverages a 360 dash cam to record damage and attempted break-ins. It rolled out in February, and it's already earning its keep. According to ABC 7 news, the feature has resulted in the arrest of a would-be thief.
Read MoreCalifornia has sued the EPA and NHTSA in a bid to get the data used to justify the Trump administration's rollback of vehicle emission standards. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra has accused the agencies of "willfully withholding" the data after they didn't respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for the material used to justify keeping 2020 emissions standards until the 2026 model year instead of raising them under former President Obama's plan.
Read MoreOne of the more prominent campaigns for mainstream electric car adoption has just come to a close. The Netherlands' Wiebe Wakker has officially completed what's billed as the "world's longest electric car trip," stopping a roughly three-year, 59,000-mile journey from Amsterdam to Sydney, Australia. He set out on March 15th, 2016 in a modified VW Golf as part of the Plug Me In initiative, which aimed to show the feasibility and advantages of EVs. The journey took him across 33 countries and relied on a combination of volunteers (for accommodations, charging and food) as well as sponsors that included tech giants like Adobe and Canon.
Read MoreEnvironmental regulations can create strange bedfellows, it seems. The Financial Times has learned that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will pay Tesla hundreds of millions of euros (specific numbers aren't available) to pool the EV brand's cars with its own fleet and avoid fines for violating stricter EU emissions rules in 2020. The move should help FCA meet the EU's CO2 emissions target of 95g per kilometer by lowering its average from a higher-than-usual 123g. Fiat Chrysler has been relatively slow to adopt electric and hybrid cars -- this buys it time to catch up without having to take many (if any) radical steps.
Read MoreTesla's Model S and Model X sales fell sharply at the start of 2019, but the company might have a way to entice hesitant buyers: give them the range they're asking for. Electrek sources claim the brand is planning to outfit its older EVs with new motors based on the same permanent magnet reluctance technology you find in the more recent Model 3. While the exact specs aren't available, the greater efficiency of PMR (97 percent versus 93 percent for the current AC induction motors) would likely wring out some extra range without noticeable compromises to the design.
Read MoreTesla is ready to bring its parking lot-savvy Summon upgrade to its cars in earnest. Elon Musk has revealed that Enhanced Summon will be widely available in the US next week to Tesla owners who sprung for either the Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self-Driving packages. Tap a button in the Tesla mobile app and your EV can drive to you, saving you the trouble of walking to the far end of the lot. You can either have it drive to your current location or to a specific pin.
Read MoreThe European Commission believes BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen worked together to delay clean emissions technology. Last fall, the EU Commission launched a formal investigation to determine if the automakers breached EU antitrust rules by restricting competition on the development of emissions-reducing technology. Now, in a Statement of Objections, the Commission has informed BMW, Daimler and VW of its "preliminary view" that they did in fact violate antitrust rules -- meaning they also led to higher emissions and denied consumers the opportunity to buy less polluting cars.
Read MoreFaraday Future's first car, the FF91, has yet to hit the market, but that hasn't kept the company from looking ahead. A new teaser poster for the V9 -- a car it's developing as a joint venture with Chinese gaming company The9Limited -- reveals few details other than a silhouette that looks similar to the FF91.
Read MoreTesla is adding more free games to the dashboard display on Model S, Model X and Model 3 cars. Super Breakout and 2048 are joining other Atari classics Missile Command, Asteroids, Lunar Lander and Centipede, which Tesla added in August. To date, hundreds of thousands of people have played those games, according to the automaker.
Read MoreInnolith AG, a Swiss startup that specializes in inorganic lithium-ion batteries, is developing a high-density battery that could provide 600 miles (1,000 km) of EV range on a single charge. The company plans to cram 1,000 Wh/kg into the rechargeable battery, a "world's first," and cut manufacturing costs by ditching "exotic and expensive materials." To put that in perspective, the longest-range EV on the market (the top-level Tesla Model S) offers up to 315 miles of range thanks to a 100 kWh lithium-ion battery. What's more, Innolith says its use of inorganic electrolytes removes the primary cause of EV battery fires.
Read MoreIn the first quarter of 2019, Tesla manufactured a total of 77,100 vehicles but was only able to deliver 63,000 in the three months that ended in March. While that's double the number it was able to deliver in the same quarter last year, that's down 31 percent from Tesla's deliveries (90,966 vehicles) in Q4 2018. As CNN Business noted, it's the biggest sales drop in the company's history if you only count deliveries and not reservations as sales. Analysts thought Tesla would be able to deliver 76,000 cars for the quarter.
Read MoreTesla has long asked you to flick the turn stalk to confirm Autopilot's lane changes, but you won't have to do that for much longer. The EV designer is rolling out an update to Navigate on Autopilot that gives you the option of disabling the turn stalk requirement. Toggle that and the car will change lanes on its own, delivering notifications through a visual prompt as well as an optional chime. If Tesla made your car after August 2017, you can also get a cue through steering wheel vibrations.
Read MoreWith more than 80 percent of the hybrid vehicle market, Toyota is undoubtedly a leader in hybrid technology. Rather than lock that expertise away, Toyota announced it will share nearly 24,000 patents with fellow automakers. According to the company, this is an attempt to promote electrified vehicles worldwide and combat global emissions -- a kind of rising tide lifts all boats approach.
Read MoreVW will need to hustle if it's going to make automated driving a practical reality by 2025, and it appears it's moving quickly. The automaker is now testing self-driving versions of the e-Golf in real-world conditions in Hamburg -- the first time its driverless vehicles have roamed a major German city. They're Level 4 vehicles (fully autonomous in most situations) that will putt around a roughly 1.9-mile section of a "digital test bed," but they'll have to contend with urban traffic like anyone else.
Read MoreWhen Ford announced that it's investing $850 million to build EVs in Michigan, it proved that it's ready to spend big money to make its electric dreams come true. That's a sentiment it has echoed at the "Go Electric" experience in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where it has revealed 16 hybrid and all-electric models for Europe. One of the fully electric vehicles announced at the event is a Mustang-inspired performance SUV that'll arrive in 2020.
Read MoreSelf-driving cars currently need a lot of hand-holding to get around, with even Waymo's machines relying on lidar, custom rules and highly detailed maps to know exactly where to go. Wayve, however, wants driverless vehicles with more independence. It just showed a prototype autonomous vehicle (a modified Renault Twizy) driving around Cambridge, UK using only cameras and basic GPS directions from a phone. It had never seen the roads before, and was only running on 20 hours of training data -- it didn't even know to drive on the left side of the road or to slow down at intersections where it didn't have the right of way.
Read MoreCurb data can be intensely useful to city planners and transportation companies alike, but it's usually fenced off. What if everyone had access to it? They will now. Alphabet spinoff Coord has launched Open Curbs, a public repository for curb info like parking signs, fire hydrants and other vital details. The information could help cities identify safe places for delivery and ride hailing stops, not to mention aid in urban planning as the transportation grid evolves.
Read MoreKia and sister brand Hyundai have already introduced two electrified vehicles in the past year. The Hyundai Kona EV and Kia Niro EV are both great vehicles that belong to the largest automotive growth segment: the small SUV, aka crossover. So it's no surprise that Kia has upgraded the electric Soul with longer range, upgraded tech and a design that looks like it was pulled from The Empire Strikes Back. It should be no surprise to folks who have driven the gas-powered version of this vehicle that the electric edition is also great.
Read MoreToday, BYD launched what it says is the world's longest electric bus, the K12A. At 88 feet long, the red bi-articulate bus looks like a giant caterpillar. It can carry up to 250 people, reach a max speed of about 40 MPH and travel 186 miles on a single charge. The bus is headed for the country of Colombia, where it will be part of the TransMilenio bus rapid transit system (BRT), but it could join other BRTs.
Read MoreElectric skateboards are frequently fast, but nimble? Not so much -- even Boosted's Mini boards are meant more for cruising that bobbing and weaving. Riptide might have a solution. It just launched the R1 Black, a variant on the R1 meant to deliver surfboard-like carving. A Surf Adapter from Waterborne Skateboards gives it turning performance about three times better than standard R1 models, and shouldn't sacrifice stability in the process -- you shouldn't have trouble making an evasive maneuver at high speed.
Read MoreFinal Fantasy fans have a new option with which to get their fix on the go as Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age has arrived on Nintendo Switch as well as Xbox One. The remastered edition of the expanded JRPG debuted on PS4 in 2017 and it came to Steam last year. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy X and X-2 landed on Switch earlier this month.
Read MoreTreyarch and Activision are determined to keep Black Ops 4 lively in the face of stiff competition. They're debuting a new season ("Operation Spectre Rising") on April 30th, and you can expect a steady stream of updates that might just be meaningful. The centerpiece on launch will be the return of Spectre, a sword-brandishing Specialist. As you might guess, his focus is on agility -- he can roll and otherwise do his best to get up close and slash his opponents. In Blackout, you have to discover him as a "Spectre stash" that switches your character and gives you a distinct edge over your rivals.
Read MoreEpic has to walk a fine line between courting the Fortnite esports crowd and satisfying the bulk of its audience, and that's particularly apparent today. The developer has explained that it pulled the Siphon (a feature that gave health and shields after kills) from core modes when "players at large" were quickly turned off by it. It was meant to keep Pop-Up Cup tournaments exciting by rewarding aggressive play, but it also left all but the top 10 percent of players feeling disenfranchised. The 90 percent of less proficient players became "more frustrated and played less," Epic said.
Read MoreHow Fortnite's success led to months of intense crunch at Epic Games Colin Campbell, Polygon There have been a few stories recently about intense work conditions, or crunch, at studios making high-profile titles. Earlier this month we read about Anthem, and now we're hearing about Fortnite. Polygon conducted interviews with employees at Epic Games who detail working over 70 hours a week and discuss how voluntary overtime became an expectation.
Read MoreAfter rebranding itself as a "virtual beings" studio in January, Fable is ready to show us what they mean. At the Tribeca Film Festival this week, it debuted the second chapter of The Wolves in the Wall, a VR experience adapted from the Neil Gaiman story. But the real star of the show aren't the imaginative virtual set-pieces you encounter -- instead, it's Lucy, a young girl who's convinced there's something weird going on in her house. She can remember your interactions to personalize your play sessions, and she can react to what you're doing in a scene.
Read MoreNational Geographic is delving deeper into VR with a 30-minute Antarctic adventure that will hit Oculus Quest this spring. In National Geographic Explore VR, you'll be tasked with finding a lost penguin colony. The adventure will take you on a kayak ride through frigid water, and on a climb up an ice sheet as you search for the missing birds.
Read MoreFormer NBA star Rick Fox is leaving the esports team he owns, Echo Fox, after accusing a shareholder of an "abhorrent display of pure racism" and making threats to his family, according to an email obtained by Dexerto. Echo Fox has confirmed the incidents of racism, verifying the account in Fox's email, and the authoritative body behind North American League of Legends esports is investigating the allegations.
Read MoreThe inaugural FIFA 19 UEFA eChampions League just got serious. After weeks of online knockout play, the in-person Group Stages are underway at Manchester's Victoria Warehouse. The more definitive phase has 64 pro FIFA 19 PS4 players challenging each other between April 26th and April 27th to become one of just eight people who'll reach the league final in Madrid on May 31st.
Read MoreWould the promise of free (virtual) stuff tempt you ditch Twitch and opt for Microsoft's alternative game live streaming service? That's what Mixer is banking on, and is launching Mixer Loot, a way for players to "earn in-game content" if you've watched a "cool moment." The first Mixer Loot festival will run from April 30th to May 5th, and involve people watching 30 arena battles in Sea of Thieves. Do so on compatible channels, and you'll get the Obsidian Six item pack, which includes the Eye of Reach and a Spyglass.
Read MoreThose excited for Days Gone, the post-apocalyptic zombie shooter for Sony PS4 set to be released on Friday, will have even more to look forward to this summer. This June, Bend Studios will release a new "Survival" mode and launch weekly updates to the game. In a PlayStation Blog post, Days Gone game director James Ross revealed that a new Bike, Horde or Combat challenge will roll out each week to test players' skills even further.
Read MoreNow that Respawn has released its first Apex Legends Battle Pass and is otherwise settling in, it's outlining how it will handle Apex updates going forward -- including what it won't do. In the lengthy status post, the company's Drew McCoy stressed that his team would make the battle royale game feel "alive and thriving," but wasn't going to pursue updates so aggressively that it required crunch time that could prompt "burnout or worse." In other words, he'd rather a new feature take longer than jeopardize health or the quality of the output.
Read MoreMortal Kombat fatalities are legendary for their gruesomeness. The finishing moves are physics-defying ballets of blood and shattered bone, and in Mortal Kombat 11, they're just as ridiculous as ever. D'vorah vomits acid-covered larvae down an enemy's throat before they're ripped apart from the inside by a giant corpse bug; Geras traps an opponent in a wall of sand and rips them in half lengthwise with a single hard tug; Cassie Cage kicks people so hard in the crotch that their skeletons fly right out of their bodies; Baraka rips off an enemy's face in two layers, stabs their brain and then eats it like a shish kebab.
Read MoreIt seems fans of Persona 5 who were hoping for a Nintendo Switch version might have made their wish on a monkey's paw. While PlayStation 4 owners are getting an expanded edition of the RPG, Switch owners will have to make do for now with Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, which is a crossover from Persona developer Altus and Dynasty Warriors studio Koei Tecmo.
Read MoreLegend has it that you must be truly worthy to be able to wield Thor's hammer, but thanks to Epic Games, all you actually need is a free copy of Fortnite Battle Royale. That's right, with Avengers: Endgame finally hitting theaters, the online shooter is hosting another Marvel-themed crossover. You'll be asked to either help Thanos and his Chitauri invade the island and find the six Infinity Stones or wield the MCU's most powerful weapons in an attempt to stop him.
Read MoreOverwatch fans have long been able to set up custom games (Ana Paintball, anyone?) and now they're getting a lot more options to flex their creative muscles. A new feature called Workshop, a scripting mode for custom games, is live on the PTR.
Read MoreIf the explosive popularity of the The Sims over the years has taught us anything, it's that people love playing god. Players have been given control of everything from theme parks to hospitals, and now aspiring site planners can add a zoo to their CV, too.
Read MoreBioWare has added a string of content to keep Anthem fresh, although there are some omissions that could rankle early fans of the shared-world shooter. The newly available 1.1.0 update adds a new Stronghold (aka dungeon), Sunken Cell, that gives you a new place to explore once you've finished the main story. It also eliminates some of the drudgery in the game. You can access the Forge (the crafting station) anywhere in the world, start new missions without returning to home base and access contracts without having to pick them up one by one. You can spend more time actually fighting, to put it another way.
Read MoreNepal's Supreme Court has lifted a ban on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Several lawyers petitioned against the block, arguing the constitution affords Nepalis the freedom to play the battle royale and that the government would have to prove the ban is justified. According to The Himalayan Times, the court determined the ban would impact residents' freedoms and as such it couldn't stay in place.
Read MoreEpic Games is again linking up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the developer has teased a Fortnite and Avengers: Endgame crossover. We don't know many details yet, other than a start date of April 25th, the same day the movie hits theaters, and that it might have something to do with Captain America's shield.
Read MoreThe good news for gaming companies is that China has started approving titles again. The bad news is that it has unveiled new rules that will see certain categories banned and the number of games capped. Three types of popular games will no longer be allowed: Mahjong and poker, titles based on China's imperial past, and games that feature blood or corpses. The reason? The nation's newly anointed gaming authority, the State Administration of Press and Publication, is concerned about violence and gambling addiction among young people.
Read MoreEpic is increasingly turning Fortnite's big events into participatory affairs. A floating rune has been traveling across the game map, but it only moves closer to its objective whenever it takes a collective 100 million damage from Fortnite servers worldwide. Its exact goal is unknown, but it has already traveled across a large chunk of the map as we write this and is likely headed to a hatch in the middle of Loot Lake. There's a chance it ties into the start of the game's ninth season on May 9th.
Read MoreCrackdown 3's signature Wrecking Zone mode should now be decidedly livelier. After a brief round of testing, Sumo and Microsoft have released an update that adds Squad support to the destroy-everything multiplayer feature. If you have Crackdown-loving friends, you can partner up with them instead of having to fly solo.
Read MoreYou'd think that an event as high stakes as the Fortnite World Cup would have participants on their best behavior, but that's apparently not the case. Epic has revealed that it banned more than 1,200 accounts for some form of cheating during the first, online-only week of the tournament. Most of those, 1,163, received a two-week ban for bypassing regional restrictions and trying to play in multiple areas -- 196 of them had to forfeit prizes they'd won as a result. Another 48 were banned for account sharing (nine of which lost prizes), while one received a 72-hour competitive ban for intentionally disconnecting. There were also a handful of more serious allegations.
Read MoreSony and Microsoft have been walking the same path for nearly 20 years, when it comes to gaming hardware. Instead of leaves, shiny silver game discs dangle from the trees, while black and white boxes of varying sizes line the underbrush, covered in decades of debris and Doritos dust. Both companies know this trail well -- but it's about to split in two.
Read MoreSega is set to release its Genesis Mini retro console in September, with a line-up of 40 games. It revealed ten of them when it announced the system's release date last month, and now it's taken the wrapper off another bunch of titles.
Read MoreDeveloper Massive Entertainment and publisher Ubisoft had planned to release a major update for The Division 2 next week, bringing with it the game's first eight-person raid, called Operation Dark Hours. However, Massive wants a little more time to fine-tune the game and make sure the experience is as enjoyable as possible. As such, it's delaying the update until sometime in May.
Read MoreAll good things must come to an end, and that includes multiplayer support for the original Burnout Paradise. Emails sent to players and a tweet from Criterion confirm that the game's servers -- which have been in operation since it launched in 2008 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC -- will shut down on August 1st. There's still offline play, but getting every trophy, even using backwards compatibility, will be impossible unless you make the jump to the Remastered edition that launched last year for newer platforms.
Read MoreOverwatch's Storm Rising brawl kicked off this week in a new locale: Havana. As with last year's edition of the Archives event, which saw the debut of Rialto, Blizzard is bringing its gorgeous take on the Cuban capital to the standard modes. It's the second map to join the team shooter this year, following Paris.
Read MoreIf you're a keen Fortnite player or avid battle royale Twitch viewer, you'll probably know that qualifying for the inaugural Fortnite World Cup has officially begun. Top players (including popular streamers) from across the globe now need to out-eliminate each other to make the $30 million Finals held in New York City between July 26th and July 28th. However, that might not be the only way. Epic Games has confirmed there will be another avenue for those burnt out by its battle royale mode to claim some of that World Cup prize pot.
Read MoreFollowing the fire that devastated Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris this week, Ubisoft has pledged €500,000 ($564,000) to help restore the iconic church. The studio, which faithfully recreated Notre-Dame in Assassin's Creed Unity, is also offering that game for free until April 25th on PC to honor the landmark. "We want to give everyone the chance to experience the majesty and beauty of Notre-Dame the best way we know how," Ubisoft, which is headquartered in France and has studios in Paris, said.
Read MoreRespawn technically addressed the overly large hitboxes of some Apex Legends characters with a recent update, but that didn't work as well as expected. The developer has a simple solution, though: make those beefier characters harder to kill. A version 1.1.1 update to the game has bestowed Gibraltar and Caustic with a "Fortified" perk that reduces incoming damage by 10 percent. Gibraltar's Gun Shield is slightly stronger, too. While neither change is enough to throw caution to the wind, you might be more inclined to play if you can better serve as your team's bullet sponge.
Read MoreFinal Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is blitzballing its way onto new consoles. Four years after its initial release for the PS4, the high-definition take on two classic games in the Final Fantasy series is now available for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. The title is available only digitally for the Xbox One, while Switch owners will be able to choose between a digital download or a physical copy that comes with a reversible sleeve decorated with game art. Both versions of the game retail for $49.99.
Read MoreFollowing the likes of Nintendo, Sega and PlayStation, a retro console featuring Capcom games is on the way. The Capcom Home Arcade packs in 16 titles, including Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Alien vs. Predator, Final Fight and Ghouls 'n Ghosts, using original arcade ROM files.
Read MoreRespawn has pulled back the curtains on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order after months of teases. The single-player game is now due to launch on November 15th and follows Cal Kestis, a Padawan trying to survive Emperor Palpatine's command to execute the Jedi -- including the Inquisitors hunting the last remnants of the once-great order. He starts as a scrapper trying to keep his head down, but he's invariably roped into a larger story and learns to embrace his Force powers instead of keeping them suppressed.
Read MoreTwitch is finally ready to launch its first game after months of testing. The free karaoke-style title Twitch Sings will debut worldwide today (April 13th), giving you a chance to belt out tunes for a large audience. While there is an offline mode, the game is designed from the ground up to involve an entire Twitch channel. Streamers can invite broadcasters in for duets, while viewers can request one of the 1,000-plus songs, cheer to start light shows and issue challenges (say, singing like they're underwater).
Read MoreOne of the launch titles you'll get to check out on Oculus Quest when it arrives this spring is Vader Immortal, a virtual reality series set in the Star Wars universe. Rift and Rift S owners won't miss out, though -- the game is coming to those headsets too, as revealed at Star Wars Celebration alongside a trailer for the first episode.
Read MoreDevelopers at Polish studio Vile Monarch had never made a tycoon game before Devolver Digital tapped them to build Weedcraft Inc. -- a business-simulation title about the legal cannabis market. Weedcraft Inc.'s gameplay mechanics fell well outside of Vile Monarch's wheelhouse, whose past releases included Oh...Sir!! The Insult Simulator and a sequel, both of which were fighting games where players battled with rude words. So, Devolver sent a legendary tycoon-game creator to consult with Vile Monarch on Weedcraft Inc. However, the developer had one condition. "He let us know from the beginning that he didn't want his name in any way associated or to be credited," Devolver founder Mike Wilson told Engadget.
Read MoreNow that Pokémon Go has a photo mode, Niantic is encouraging you to use it the best way it knows how: the promise of goodies. It's launching a Go Snapshot Challenge that rewards you for taking photos that include the game's augmented reality critters. A Buddy Challenge category encourages you to take selfies with your favorite creature, a Habitat Challenge asks you to take a picture based on a Pokémon's 'natural' element, and a Go Create Challenge allows more free-form photography.
Read MoreFox Sports will play host to a number of FIFA 19 eSports events this year. Following the EA Sports FUT Champions Cup last weekend, it will broadcast FIFA 19 Global Series events in the US, including this weekend's FIFA eNations Cup in London and the season finale FIFA eWorld Cup.
Read MoreAuthorities and parents in Nepal are worried kids and teenagers are addicted to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. As such, officials have banned the battle royale game in the Himalayan nation as of today.
Read MoreBungie hinted at its first spring-themed Destiny 2 event in its year two roadmap, and now you'll know exactly what that entails. The Revelry kicks off April 16th with a slew of activities that not so subtly remind you that the weather is warming up. The extravaganza revives the Haunted Forest from the fall's Festival of the Lost, but this time with a decidedly more cheery landscape (it's called the Verdant Forest for a reason) and "new twists." And instead of masks or The Dawning's recipes, you'll get a Reveler's Tonic that provides buffs when you fill it with an "essence" earned by killing Verdant Forest bosses or completing other tasks.
Read MoreYou can flirt with Satan in Afterparty. In the coming narrative-adventure game from Night School Studio, the Prince of Darkness is hosting a rager on the outskirts of hell's waiting room, a city where fresh corpses are processed before being shipped off for an eternity of torture. There's a standing challenge for anyone who passes through: If you can outdrink Satan, you get to return to Earth. So, lifelong yet mysteriously deceased best friends, Lola and Milo, try to infiltrate Satan's party, accept his bet and, in the process of trying to drink more than Lucifer himself, they can even see if he's down to clown.
Read MoreThe rise of EA and Respawn's Apex Legends suddenly means Epic Games is under intense pressure to keep Fortnite fresh. Its latest response: respawns. We knew the so-called "Reboot Vans" were on the way, but the game's latest update (patch v8.30) makes the feature official.
Read MoreThis summer, Ubisoft and MGP Live will debut the Assassin's Creed Symphony -- a concert series bringing the game's soundtrack to stage. As the saga of Assassin's Creed plays out on screen, a live orchestra and choir will perform the score. The just-released trailer, which you can watch below, promises an "immersive experience," complete with holograms of your favorite characters.
Read MoreBethesda started the microtransactions controversy on consoles with horse armor, and since 2006 it has extended to every annual sports game, Battlefield V, and anything you can squeeze a loot box system into. In just the latest controversy for Fallout 76, the company has made a decision to add an item to the game that players feel comes far to close to being "pay to win." Once Patch 8 rolls out later today, players will be able to use "repair kits" to patch up their damaged or worn out weapons and armor instead of relying on other resources that take time and effort to gather. While Improved Repair Kits that give your items even more power will only be available in rare drops, the basic repair kits that instantly restore an item to 100 percent health have to be bought using the game's currency, Atoms. You can get that through gameplay, but you can also buy it with real money. As Kotaku points out, players who drop cash can not only avoid the grind of collecting materials or Atoms, they could also potentially have the edge in PvP fights by instantly fixing key weapons or armor in their Pip-Boy and continuing on almost indefinitely.
Read MoreThe Fortnite World Cup hasn't even started, but that isn't stopping Epic from getting ready for the grand finale. The developer has announced that the World Cup finals will take place between July 26th and July 28th at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center's Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. If you're eager to go, you can pre-register through Ticketmaster's Verified Fan system -- yes, eSports are big enough that Epic is fighting ticket bots and scalpers.
Read MoreThe Federal Trade Commission pledged in November to investigate loot boxes, and it's set out the timeline for the first steps in the process. It will hold a public workshop on August 7th to look into consumer protection issues linked with them.
Read MoreJust because China's Tencent owns a stake in Epic Games (not to mention other game publishers) doesn't preclude it from offering an international game store of its own. The tech giant has launched a Hong Kong-based WeGame X service that's accessible worldwide, including in English (available through a drop-down menu), through both the web as well as a dedicated client. It'll seem familiar if you've used the Epic Games Store or other Steam-like services, although it's not about to give those heavyweights much reason for concern in its current state.
Read MoreDo you feel that game console giants hold you over a barrel by making you subscribe to a service to play online? You might have an ally in your corner. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony to see if their online service practices violate consumer protection law. It wants to know whether their auto-renewal policies are fair, how easy it is to get a refund (or cancellation) and whether or not the terms of service grant these companies too much power.
Read MoreBethesda's free-to-play Elder Scrolls game for mobile is still in its Early Access testing period, but apparently things have gone well enough to ditch the invite requirement. The company announced that anyone with a Bethesda account can download the game and play, while it looks at player feedback and rebalances the "silver chest" that some had complained about. We weren't too impressed by our early look at Elder Scrolls: Blades, but that was last year, and it's had plenty of time to bake since then. If you've been playing, drop us a note about the experience, and if you've been waiting to dive in then just hit Google Play or iTunes and try it out.
Read MoreIf it wasn't already evident that Epic is concerned Apex Legends might cut Fortnite's momentum short, it is now. Epic is preparing an update that introduces Reboot Vans, a not-so-subtle parallel to Apex's revive stations. Should any of your squad mates meet a premature end, you can pick up their Reboot Cards (aka banners in Apex) and head to one of the vans to bring them back to the fight, so long as it hasn't been used too recently. Resurrected players won't have any gear, and you'll want to clear out quickly due to the attention-getting light and noise -- but at least your teammates won't have to sit idle if you're determined to finish the round.
Read MoreSuper Meat Boy Forever is facing yet another delay, but don't panic -- it's not as bad as it has been. Team Meat has pushed the release of its squishy platformer to "after but not too far after April 2019." The developers are close and believe they could have met April if they'd pushed themselves to the limit, but they wanted to finish the game at a "healthy and sustainable pace." They're not going to go through the hell of crunch time just to make an arbitrary release schedule.
Read MoreTwo years after the EU began investigating whether Valve uses regional pricing and geo-blocking practices in its Steam store, the European Commission has formally charged the distributor and five game publishers. The Commission released its "preliminary view" that Valve, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax prevented consumers from purchasing videogames cross-border from some Member States. That's considered geo-blocking, and it violates EU competition rules.
Read MoreAnthem is a fiery mess. Since launching in February, BioWare's loot shooter has been plagued by game-breaking bugs, narrative and gameplay inconsistencies and an overwhelming sense of incomplete blandness. Critically, Anthem has received middling reviews, and its current Metacritic score, 55, is the lowest a BioWare title has ever received. Yes, that includes Mass Effect: Andromeda. A report out of Kotaku this week helps explain why Anthem is in disarray, and it shines a light on a consistent and increasingly public issue in AAA development: crunch.
Read MoreIf you fired up Apex Legends after the 1.1 patch on April 2nd only to panic as all your progression was nowhere to be seen, don't panic -- it's back. Respawn has fixed a mistake on its end that moved players to servers that didn't have their persistence, making it look as if all their progress had been erased. Everything you did up until the moment 1.1 went live should be intact, and any currency will revert back to the pre-fix state.
Read MoreLike it or not, EA's fondness for microtransactions has spread to Battlefield V. DICE and EA are launching a Battlefield Currency system on April 4th that uses real money for purchases, not just the virtual Company Coins you earn through gameplay. At first, it'll be used strictly for cosmetic items, including new Epic-ranked items. Later, however, it'll be used for items with a more practical effect on gameplay -- and that might not be the greatest news for gamers.
Read MoreNetflix released the first trailer for Stranger Things 3: The Game this morning. We knew the game was set to launch on July 4 -- the same day the show will air. Now we get a glimpse of just how closely it will match the season's plot.
Read MoreGearbox and publisher Take Two will release Borderlands 3 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One September 13th, confirming the date mentioned in a deleted tweet earlier this week. On PC, the RPG/shooter hybrid will be a digital exclusive through the Epic Games Store until April 2020, when it will arrive on other digital storefronts.
Read MoreThere's a story in Dead Cells. Motion Twin's glossy, pixelated platformer is known for offering brutal battles and rich customization options in a sprawling, neon castle ravaged by bloodthirsty beasts, but there's also a plotline lurking below the constant threat of death. Far below. Like, so far that it even surprised the people who created Dead Cells. "The story and the lore in this game was really, like, chaotic. Really chaotic," lead designer Sébastien Bénard said. "Really, really a mess," marketing manager Steve Filby added. "At the beginning we did not want to have any kind of story, at least not too much," Bénard continued. "We knew that the loop between dying and getting back into action should be as short as possible and lore was just getting in the way."
Read MoreThis week's giveaway, courtesy of Plex, could put a sleek multimedia machine in your home. Plex's popular grid-view software helps you organize and navigate your files, while giving you access to them on-the-go. The NVIDIA Shield is a cord-cutting Android TV device with 4K HDR output, Google Assistant and GeForce Now game streaming on board. When paired with a Plex Pass, antenna and tuner you can harness OTA live TV with DVR capabilities, putting those shows seamlessly alongside your own library for easy access. Plex lets you access all this content through its app from a computer, mobile device and even supported systems like Sonos or Amazon's Alexa, wherever you go. You can even subscribe to Tidal x Plex to incorporate the streaming service's music into your own collection. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to five chances at winning. Two readers will each receive a Plex Lifetime Pass and NVIDIA Shield TV Gaming Edition. Good luck! Winners: Congratulations to Neal V. of Tampa, FL and Gus N. of West Haven, CT!
Read MoreIf you've been sold a code for post-apocalyptic adventure Metro Exodus, you might want to check where it came from. According to publisher Deep Silver, a number of keys have been stolen from the factory where physical key printing for the game had been taking place, before it became an Epic Games Store exclusive. In a post on Steam, the company explained that physical keys don't have the necessary files to run "as they were not meant to be released."
Read MoreGearbox seems to have given away the release date for Borderlands 3 a little earlier than expected. A now-deleted tweet from the Borderlands Twitter account read "Mayhem is Coming September 13th." It appears the date leaked a couple of days before the official announcement -- when Gearbox officially announced the sequel last week, it said it would reveal more details on April 3rd.
Read MoreCall of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout battle royale mode is about to get a new map. The second arena in which players will duke it out for supremacy is Alcatraz. The map hits PS4 tomorrow and will arrive on other platforms later.
Read MoreFormer Google CEO Eric Schmidt is not seeking reelection to the board of directors of Alphabet, Google's parent company. Schmidt will step down from the board after his current term expires on June 19th, 2019, Alphabet announced on Tuesday. Schmidt will continue to serve the board in an advisory role.
Read MoreYouTube chief Susan Wojcicki has answered mounting concerns about how it handles content, including who gets the most coveted promotions. She acknowledged feedback that the "Trending" section tended to rehash content "again and again," and vowed that the site would have "at least half" of its trending videos come from YouTubers, with the rest belonging to music and conventional outlets. The company was already near that goal, Wojcicki said, but it would "expand on" that target.
Read MoreGoogle employees will hold a sit-in tomorrow at 11am to protest what they call a "culture of retaliation." The group Google Walkout For Real Change announced the event on Twitter, saying they've encountered everything from being told to take sick leave when they're not sick to losing reports as punishment for actions Google doesn't approve.
Read MoreThe year is looking bright for Google. Despite being slapped with a $1.7 billion fine by the European Commission for its "abusive" advertising prices last month, the company still made a a ton of money in the first quarter of 2019. It didn't make as much money as it did in the last quarter, though, pulling in $36.3 billion in revenue compared to the record $39.2 billion it earned in Q4 2018.
Read MoreAs promised, Google employees who led the large-scale walkouts in November have held a town hall meeting to share more allegations of a retaliatory culture at the company. Bloomberg understands that Claire Stapleton and Meredith Whittaker provided "more than a dozen" additional stories of reprisals at the gathering, which gave participants a chance to offer input. Details of those extra stories weren't available as we wrote this, but Stapleton described the tales in company email as evidence of "systemic issues" that wouldn't be addressed without collective action.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! While the weird situation around Samsung's Galaxy Fold dominated things this week, there were other notable stories. Check out a few of them below, along with news from Friday including a Gmail extension you might like and an Avengers: Endgame Easter Egg in Google search.
Read MoreGoogle is banning a major Android developer DO Global and removing its apps from the Google Play Store after it was discovered the company was committing ad fraud. Nearly half of the developer's more than 100 apps have already been removed from Google's app marketplace and it's expected the rest will disappear in the coming days, according to BuzzFeed. Apps published by DO Global, which is in part owned by massive Chinese tech firm Baidu, have racked up more than 600 million downloads in the Play Store.
Read MoreGot a few seconds to spare? Open the Google homepage and search for "Thanos." Then, click the Infinity Gauntlet that appears in the supervillain's Knowledge Graph card. As 9to5Google and others have spotted, the armored glove will snap for a hot-second and then, inevitably, eradicate half the search results. It's a neat little Easter egg that's been added, no doubt, to mark the theatrical release of Avengers: Endgame. And if you grow tired of staring at a half-empty page, you can click the gauntlet once more to trigger the Time Stone and put everything back to normal. Thanos must be serious about "perfectly balanced" search algorithms.
Read MoreGoogle is making it easier for employees to file harassment and discrimination complaints by setting up a dedicated site for them to do so. Melonie Parker, the company's chief diversity officer, wrote in a letter to employees that Google has firmed up some of the commitments it made in November following an outcry from employees.
Read MoreOnce upon a time (well, in 2017), Google Assistant learned a new trick on Google Home devices: how to tell stories to kids. Ahead of National Tell a Story Day taking place on Saturday, youngsters now have more ways to hear a bedtime tale. As of today, the feature will be available on iOS and Android phones in English in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and India.
Read MoreGoogle has been testing a group calling feature in Duo for the past few months, and now, it's actually live. Well, in a few countries at least. According to Duo head Justin Uberti, the feature has rolled out in "select regions", with Indonesia being one of them. It's unclear what the other countries are at this time.
Read MoreWhile truck drivers can't operate their rigs from a home office just yet, telecommuting is an increasingly attractive option to many people for a host of reasons (wearing pajamas all day, for one thing). But having to slog through job postings to find ones that embrace remote work can be an exasperating experience. So, Google is aiming to make the working-from-home employment hunt more palatable by refining its job search options.
Read MoreGoogle and Childish Gambino are teaming up again for another augmented reality experience. Following the arrival of the Coachella headliner as a Playmoji on Pixel cameras earlier this year, the pair have released a multiplayer app called Pharos AR. It allows you and your friends to explore a trippy, neon-tinged world with Gambino as the soundtrack.
Read MoreGoogle is likely set to reveal mid-range Pixel 3a and 3a XL devices on May 7th, and now we know what they'll probably look like. A leak from Evan Blass, aka @evleaks, shows a notch-free device with a fairly basic design, single rear camera and a rear fingerprint reader. That's a bit out of step with other mid-level devices we've seen recently like Samsung's Galaxy A70, with rear multi-camera setups and nearly bezel free displays.
Read MoreTwo of the seven Google employees who organized a massive walkout last November say they've since faced retaliation. After leading the protest, which sought to change Google's handling of sexual misconduct, Meredith Whittaker says she was told her role would be "changed dramatically." Claire Stapleton was told she would be demoted. The two claim they're not alone, and they plan to gather more stories and strategize with colleagues.
Read MoreIt's the fourth anniversary of Project Fi, and to celebrate, Google is offering half off of Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones for today only. There is one catch: The offer is only available to new and existing Google Fi customers, and applies once you connect to the network. If you're in that category, there are some serious savings to be had.
Read MoreAs clever as Google Lens can be, it's still quite limited in what it can do before it points you to another app. You might not have to lean on those other apps quite so often n the near future. In the wake of an initial discovery earlier in April, the 9to5Google team has spotted evidence that Lens could soon include a host of "filters" aimed at fulfilling specific augmented reality tasks. A "translate" filter, for instance, might auto-detect one language and offer to convert it to another instead of simply copying text and asking to launch Google Translate.
Read MoreEmbedded browsers within apps can be useful if you want to use an existing account from another service -- say, your Gmail log-in -- to access their features. However, they're also really easy to weaponize for man-in-the-middle types of phishing attacks. Since Google can't differentiate between a legitimate log-in and a phishing attempt through a browser from within an application, it's blocking sign-ins from all embedded browser frameworks starting in June.
Read MoreStarting today, YouTube Music is offering a free, ad-supported experience on Google Home speakers and other Google Assistant-powered speakers. Just navigate to account settings, tap services and select music, then set YouTube Music as the default music service. Then it's just a case of saying "Hey Google, play [whatever]" and you're away. However, the ad-supported YouTube Music experience won't let you request specific songs, albums or playlist. Instead, you can tell it a genre or style or mood of music you're looking for and your Google Home will play a station based on that request.
Read MoreHey, good morning! While our Galaxy Fold review model is fine (at the time of writing), other phone reviewers have suffered some issues, self-inflicted and otherwise. We're also deep into the New York Auto Show, with major cars from Toyota and Kia to start. Ubisoft is also promising half a million Euros to help rebuild the damaged Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Read MoreGoogle pulled a number of popular Android apps from the Play Store after BuzzFeed News has discovered a large-scale ad fraud scheme their developers were pulling off. Six of those apps were by DU Group, a developer that spun off from Chinese tech giant Baidu a year ago. (Baidu, however, still owns 34 percent of the company.) DU's properties include the immensely popular Selfie Camera app that's been downloaded over 50 million times from the Play Store. Ad fraud researcher Check Point found that it contains code that causes the app to automatically click on advertisements without the user's knowledge.
Read MoreSmart lights still tend to offer a rude awakening if you tie them to your alarm, but Google wants to fix that. It's delivering a promised Gentle Sleep & Wake feature for Home speakers that gradually dims or brightens your Philips Hue lights to provide a more natural rest. Say the right command (such as "turn on Gentle Wake Up," "wake up my lights" or "sleep my lights") and the lights will change over the course of half an hour. You can set specific times if you intend to use it as part of your daily routine.
Read MoreYou might like Google's quick-loading AMP pages, but site owners aren't always thrilled when it frequently buries their web domain. They might be more receptive in the future, though -- Google is rolling out support for a feature that displays the original domain while maintaining that speedy AMP tech. It relies on signed exchanges that let sites trust documents (such as pages and cookies) as if they belonged to a given site's origin, ensuring that you see the actual page address without losing functionality.
Read More2018 proved to be a momentous year for employee activism at some of the world's biggest tech companies. Google, Amazon and Microsoft all found themselves under fire from their staffs over a variety of social and policy issues. Silicon Valley's rank-and-file workers have made their voices heard and have started to bring about tangible changes within their firms, on everything from preventing sexual harassment and cooperation with law enforcement to surveillance technology and user data. 2019 looks to be more of the same.
Read MoreOne way to get Google Assistant into your car is to simply buy a car with Android Auto. Of course, that's not exactly practical, and it doesn't help if you're looking for something a little older. You can also install the Android Auto app on your phone, which works well if you have a car mount. A few months ago, however, Google announced another possible solution: a line of aftermarket auto accessories that will offer yet another way to bring Assistant into the car. It's partnering with third-party manufacturers to do so, and the first is Anker's $50 Roav Bolt. We gave it a brief spin recently, and though it has a few issues, it does appear to be an easy and affordable way to get Google Assistant in your ride.
Read MoreThe Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) is suing three levels of government and Waterfront Toronto, a publicly-funded organization, over a planned smart neighborhood in Quayside. The suit claims that two legal agreements drawn up between Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs, an offshoot of Google's parent company Alphabet, violate the personal and collective privacy rights of Canadian citizens. "The Google-Waterfront Toronto deal is invalid and needs to be reset," Michael Bryant, Executive Director and General Counsel for the CCLA said during a press conference yesterday. "These agreements are contrary to administrative and constitutional law, and set a terrible precedent for the rest of this country."
Read MoreGoogle Fiber service ended in Louisville this week following a number of issues, including exposed cables. As it departs, Google is paying the city $3.84 million over 20 months to cover the costs of removing cables and sealant from roads; milling and paving where needed; and removing above-ground infrastructure. Google is also making a $150,000 donation to the Community Foundation of Louisville, which supports digital inclusion efforts such as refurbishing old computers for low-income individuals.
Read MoreIt just became decidedly easier to use your Android phone to board a flight or see a movie. Google Pay is rolling out a server-based update that lets the app automatically fetch boarding passes, tickets and loyalty cards from Gmail. You'll have to enable it yourself (it's under Settings > General > Gmail Imports), but this could save a lot of time if you're tired of sifting through messages to find a ticket at the theater.
Read MoreYou won't have to wait until the fall for more news on Pixel devices. Google has posted a teaser promising that "something big is coming to the Pixel universe" on May 7th. The associated video clip is ultimately just a promo for Avengers: Endgame-themed AR stickers, but there's clearly something more to it than that. Most bets are on Google unveiling its mid-range Pixel 3a phones.
Read MoreGoogle is reportedly dissolving yet another AI review board. Earlier this month, the company canceled plans for its Advanced Technology External Advisory Council when it came under fire for selecting a few particularly controversial board members. Now, Google is disbanding a UK-based panel that's been reviewing some of its AI work in healthcare, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Read MoreIt's clearer than ever that police see smartphones as treasure troves of evidence. New York Times sources understand that law enforcement requests for information from Google's mobile Location History database, known internally as Sensorvault, have "risen sharply" in the last six months. While the exact volume isn't apparent, there have been "as many as 180 requests" in a single week. In some cases, the demands are particularly broad and may scoop up data from "hundreds" of phones, albeit with limits.
Read MoreDid your Nexus 6P get stuck in boot loops and randomly shut down due to battery issues? If so, you might be in line for some cash. Google and Huawei have reached a preliminary agreement to settle a class action lawsuit with compensation for owners of the Android reference phone. Provided the court approves the settlement on May 9th, anyone who bought the 6P from September 25th, 2015 onward will be eligible for as much as $400 if they provide documentation. Those who already received a Pixel XL as part of a warranty exchange can only qualify for a maximum of $10.
Read MoreGoogle just made two-step verification a little easier for Android users. Android phones running 7.0+ Nougat or newer can be used as a physical security key to confirm a user's identity when logging into a Google account with the Chrome browser. When prompted, users will simply hold the volume button on their phone to verify their log-in attempt. This isn't the only option for two-step verification, but it will likely be faster and more convenient than, say, using a physical key fob.
Read MoreGoogle has been steadily rolling out G Suite updates like AI grammar suggestions in Google Docs, streamlined two-step verification, new Tasks features and shortcuts to make Google Doc and Sheet creation faster. Today, at the Cloud Next '19 event, Google announced its newest batch of G Suite changes.
Read MoreGoogle is testing the option to filter search results by specific dates from directly within the search box on mobile and the web. Until now, only Google Search desktop users have been able to choose a "from" and "to" time period for results via the custom date range box. Mobile web and app users, meanwhile, were limited to set options including the past hour, 24 hours, week, month, and year. Going back and forth between drop-down tabs and input fields, however, made it a finicky process.
Read MoreIf you're waiting for a follow-up to Google's Pixelbook laptop or Pixel Slate convertible tablet, then there's good news. Following a report last month by Business Insider that Google had trimmed its "Create" division by sending employees to other parts of the company and would likely "pare down" its hardware offerings, The Verge has a statement from the company tonight confirming new tablets and laptops are on the way. Not coincidentally, 9to5Google reported on a session earlier today from Google's Cloud Next 2019 event where it discussed the potential of future hardware. Talking about employees who work outside the office, 9to5Google quoted Pixelbook product manager Steve Jacobs saying "And we think there's some unique things we can do differently than the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate that are going to really help give them what they're looking for when they're working in this new modern cloud-first era." In our review the Pixel Slate presented a software experience that qualified as both confusing and frustrating, but as Google's Trond Wuellner explained at CES, products like that can inspire innovation. Meanwhile the Pixelbook is in need of a hardware refresh to keep up with similarly-priced competition, even if it's perfectly-qualified as a cloud-first premium laptop. As Google keeps building up its cloud services -- including gaming with Stadia -- it will be interesting to see what its engineers have to show off over the next few months.
Read MoreWhile Amazon opted not to move into New York City, Google is setting up shop -- albeit for entirely different reasons. The search giant announced that it is going to set up a temporary learning center in the Big Apple that will offer hands-on workshops and courses to members of the community. The Google NYC Learning Center, located on the ground floor of the company's offices in Chelsea, opened its doors for the first time today and will operate for the next five months.
Read MoreGoogle's issues with disturbing child-oriented content extend beyond YouTube. Wired has found dozens of Android apps on the Play Store that were rated as safe for kids, but featured gruesome content. Mad Max Zombies was rated PEGI 3 but had you gunning down the undead with plenty of blood, while Baby Panda Dental Care had you pulling teeth in a fairly graphic fashion. There were also pay-to-play slot machines and apps with questionable uses of location tracking and device permissions.
Read MoreThe next time you ask Google Assistant a question, you'll be more likely to get something beyond a flurry of web links. Google is rolling out an update to Assistant on Android that provides more detailed (not to mention more vivid) info cards when you ask certain questions. Search for local events and you'll get cards that include associated visuals and bookmark buttons. Look for cute cats, meanwhile, and you'll see pictures for adorable breeds on top of the actual rankings.
Read MoreUpdates that add features like additional HDR support or fix weird issues are one good thing about smart TVs, but as many of us have experienced, there can be a downside. Software updates delivered months or years after a TV is purchased could change the interface for the worse, or add "features" that are really just revenue-generating opportunities. A "pilot program" popping up on Android TVs (which include most of Sony's lineup from the past few years, even the expensive models) combines both of those issues by adding a row of Sponsored content that no one asked for. That no one apparently includes Sony, which posted a new support page noting that the change is managed by Google. Even though owners of their TVs purchased displays without the ads and didn't anticipate they'd show up, there's no way to simply disable them -- instead Sony suggests creating a new Restricted profile that will only list the apps users opt into showing.
Read MoreSidewalk Labs, the part of Alphabet focused on smart cities, is behind schedule. The company had planned to publish its grand vision for Quayside, a 12-acre site on Toronto's industrial waterfront, in the fall of 2018. Last June, however, the first version of its crucial Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP) was pushed back to early 2019. "It will be a comprehensive document, but still a work-in-progress," a press release clarified at the time. A complete MIDP would then be published in "spring 2019," the company said, following a public roundtable.
Read MoreGoogle's Advanced Technology External Advisory Council was supposed to oversee its work on artificial intelligence and ensure it doesn't cross any lines. Now, the council wouldn't be able to do any of that, because the tech giant has officially cancelled it just a bit over a week after it was announced. According to Vox, the project was falling apart from the start due to Google's decision to name controversial figures as members of the board. The most problematic of them was perhaps Kay Coles James, the president of Heritage Foundation, which has long advocated against LGBT rights.
Read MoreGoogle is shutting down another component of Google Play Music as it transitions to its sole music streaming service, YouTube Music. The latest casualty is the Artist Hub which, in case you missed it, allows independent musicians to upload and sell their music on the Google Play store and Google Play Music. Much like Spotify for Artists, users can also track their plays and receive royalty payments.
Read MoreIt took the better part of a year to show up, but John Legend's Google Assistant cameo is finally available in the US. Ask the AI helper to "talk like a Legend" and the singer's dulcet tones will greet you when issuing certain commands, such as asking about the weather. Naturally, he'll have answers for questions about his own life, such as his wife Chrissy Teigen or his favorite type of music (take a wild guess). Some of those answers will be canned, but others will take advantage of WaveNet speech synthesis to deliver a customized response.
Read MoreGoogle is once again responding to complaints about working conditions and strategic decisions. The search firm is implementing "minimum standards" for temporary staff in the wake of 900-plus workers signing a letter criticizing the company's policies, including a lack of insurance and time off. As of the start of 2020, temp agencies and suppliers will have to pay Google contractors at least $15 per hour. From 2022 onward, they'll also have to offer "comprehensive" health insurance, eight paid sick days, 12 weeks of paid parental leave and $5,000 per year in tuition reimbursement.
Read MoreYouTube leaders ignored proposals to alter recommendations to stamp out toxic videos and to tackle conspiracy theories, several former and current employees told Bloomberg. Executives were more concerned with keeping viewers engaged, according to the report.
Read MoreWalmart customers once again will be able to voice-order their groceries with Google Assistant, another bid by the brick-and-mortar store to compete with Amazon. The retailer announced the partnership on Tuesday, and said it would gradually roll out the feature in the next few weeks. The development comes after Walmart unceremoniously left Google Express, Google's online shopping tool, back in January, reportedly to develop its own Google Assistant shopping feature.
Read MoreIt's the end of Google+. Eight years after its launch, Google is finally pulling the plug on its social network. It was a platform designed to take on Facebook but, despite the company's best efforts, it always existed in its shadow. As of today, there will be no more Google+ sign-in buttons, no more pages or comments, and your account will simply vanish.
Read MoreToday, Google released its fifth annual security and privacy report. Despite an overall increase in potentially harmful application (PHA) downloads -- due to the fact that click fraud is now included in the PHA category -- Google is optimistic, saying the "overall health of the Android ecosystem improved."
Read MoreToday is April 1st, a day for pranks and corny jokes. One of the biggest culprits is Google, which comes up with a hoax every year (remember YouTube SnoopaVision or Google Play for Pets?). But on April 1st, 2004, Google debuted a product that was decidedly not a joke: Gmail. It was a service that revolutionized web mail, so much so that it has become an integral part of our daily lives.
Read MoreGoogle is no longer selling the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL through its store, in the hope you might instead buy the Pixel 3. As spotted by Android Police, the older devices are no longer visible on the Phones section of the Google Store, and if you try to visit the Pixel 2 page directly, you'll be redirected to the Pixel 3 listing. The devices are also no longer available through the Google Fi store.
Read MoreGoogle is marking Gmail's 15th birthday (yes, April 1st) with some genuinely useful additions rather than pranks. To start, it's introducing an option to schedule sending your messages so that they'll arrive at a better time. If you need to write a company message late at night but would rather not bug a coworker off-hours, you can delay the email until your colleague is back in the office.
Read MoreCES was just the start for Dell's Latitude business laptops. In January, we were surprised by the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, an enterprise-focused convertible that actually managed to look pretty slick. Now, Dell is rounding out the line with more stylish options inspired by the company's popular XPS machines. They've got thin bezel displays, all metal cases and enough features to be just at home in conference rooms as they are in coffee shops.
Read MoreThis morning, Intel debuted its 9th-generation mobile core processor, the i9-9980HK, and revealed a slew of other 9th-gen chips. In the hours following, a wave of gaming laptop makers announced that they're adding the new chips and the latest NVIDIA graphic cards to their machines. Now, you can add Acer to the list of companies offering laptops with the latest internals.
Read MoreMSI is joining a slew of other hardware makers in refreshing its gaming laptops with 9th-gen Core CPUs. It says these processors will allow its machines to deliver up to 45 percent better performance than previous versions.
Read MoreDell is taking advantage of the launch of new Intel 9th-generation CPUs and NVIDIA's latest GTX 16-series GPUs to refresh some of its gaming laptops. First up, it's introducing new G5 and G7 laptops today with GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and 1650 Max-Q GPUs, and will introduce RTX models with 9th-generation Intel CPUs starting in June. Those should be speedier than the current GTX 1050 Ti and 1060 models, and cheaper than the RTX-powered laptops. Both models will soon be available with four-zone RGB keyboards and 240 Hz 1080p or 4K OLED displays. Dell has yet to say how much any of these mid-range models will cost, but the current G5 15-inch gaming laptop with GTX 1050 Ti graphics starts at $900.
Read MoreWhen Intel debuted its ninth generation Core processors last fall, the star of the show was the i9-9900K, its first consumer CPU to reach 5GHz. That was a huge milestone, and it made that chip even more tempting to power-hungry gamers. But now, that processor has a laptop-focused sibling that can also hit 5GHz: the i9-9980HK, an unlocked eight-core chip for beefy, overclockable notebooks. And if that's too much power for you, Intel also has a slew of other ninth-gen chips coming. You can expect to see them in laptops soon, as ASUS, Lenovo and Razer also just announced their latest gaming notebooks to coincide with Intel's news.
Read MoreRazer has unveiled the mid-2019 versions of its popular Blade laptop series that boost performance thanks to Intel's new 9th-generation portable CPUs. It has also joined a rare club with a 4K OLED option, delivering on technology it teased at CES 2019. As before, there are three new models: The Razer Blade 15 Basic, Blade 15 Advanced and Blade Pro 17. All of them are slim, light and pack top-end specs, like 9th-gen Intel Core i7-9750H CPUs, NVIDIA RTX ray-tracing GPUs, and displays perfectly suited for gaming and content creation.
Read MoreWith last year's ROG Strix II notebooks, ASUS finally gave us thin screen bezels. Now, they're taking style tips from BMW Designworks. The new Strix Scar III and Hero III are inspired by the "Face Off" concept, a joint project between ASUS and BMW's team meant to envision a next-generation gaming laptop. That led to the sleek raised ridges on the backs and sides of the new laptops, as well as the ROG Keystone, an NFC device that can unlock secret encrypted storage.
Read MoreLenovo has announced two new gaming laptops, while it has refreshed some models in its Legion lineup -- all of which work with 9th-gen Intel Core i7 processors. The IdeaPad L340 Gaming laptop is a little more budget-friendly than other portable Lenovo gaming machines. It has blue lighting and options to switch between Gaming and Quiet modes. It's compatible with NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 1650 GPU and features Dolby Audio, while Intel Optane memory is available as an option. The L340 will be available late May, starting at $870 for the 15-inch model and $920 for its 17-inch sibling.
Read MoreIf you were wondering when, or if, NVIDIA would bring its GTX 1660 Ti GPUs without ray-tracing cores to laptops, the answer is "definitely" and "now." It unveiled both GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1650 Max-Q GPUs, promising up to 50 percent more gaming performance than last-gen GTX 1060 laptops and up to four times the performance of GTX 960M. Better still, the GTX 1650 laptops will start at prices as low as $799, putting 100 fps 1080p gaming in reach for more users.
Read MoreFor 2019, ASUS' Zephyrus gaming laptops are getting some useful improvements: Intel's 9th generation CPUs (which debuted this morning); NVIDIA's latest RTX graphics; and incredibly fast 240Hz displays. Oh yes, and they're still some of the thinnest gaming notebooks around. It's not just about spec bumps, either: ASUS also completely revamped the 15-inch Zephyrus S and M, while also debuting a new lower-cost G line.
Read MoreIntel has introduced a new generation of pro Core processors for laptops, and HP is determined to make the most of them right from the word "go." The PC maker has unveiled a string of work-oriented laptops that all take advantage of Intel's latest hardware, including computational speed boosts and faster WiFi 6 networking. The star of the show is arguably the updated ZBook line -- the 14-inch ZBook 14u (above) and 15.6-inch ZBook 15u both tout up to a quad-core 1.8GHz Core i7, 32GB of RAM and Radeon Pro WX 3200 graphics, giving it up to a 50 percent graphics boost for tasks like 3D modeling. The 14u in particular is billed as the "world's thinnest" mobile workstation at 0.71 inches thick -- it's not the slimmest laptop ever, but it'll be easy enough to slip into a carry-on bag without much fuss.
Read MoreAfter several months of anticipation, the ASUS ZenBook S13 is finally available from most major retailers starting at $1,399. We loved the ultraportable the first time we got our hands on it back in January when we found out the lightweight laptop manages to pack quite a bit of power. It sports a dedicated NVIDIA GeForceMX150 graphics card and 8th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU, making it a legitimate option for gamers on the go.
Read MoreAcer had a lot to share at its annual global press conference in New York today. In addition to a slew of gaming laptops and monitors, it showed off a new line of pro-grade computers. Called ConceptD, the new series is the result of a collaboration with IF Design agency and targets creators who want machines that look as good as the work they produce.
Read MoreAcer's Predator Helios 700 does something we've never seen before in a gaming laptop: Its keyboard slides out towards you, almost like a desktop.That both helps with cooling, and makes it more ergonomic. As the company's latest flagship gaming notebook, it also has all of the hardware you'd expect: NVIDIA's RTX 2070 or 2080 GPUs, and Intel's upcoming 9th generation laptop CPUs (which still haven't been officially announced). This isn't the first unique gaming notebook we've seen from Acer: Back at CES, we also saw the Predator Triton 900, which has a unique hinge for flipping the display. The Helios 700 is also reminiscent of ASUS's ROG Mothership and its unique detachable keyboard. It's interesting to see PC companies transforming how users interact with their keyboards. It's especially important for gaming, since a more comfortable keyboard could mean the difference between taking a headset in in an Apex Legends showdown, or emerging triumphant.
Read MoreNow that AMD has unveiled second-gen Ryzen chips for everyday laptops, it's turning its attention to the pro crowd. It's releasing a new wave of Ryzen Pro processors aimed at "premium" (but still highly portable) work machines. The four-core Ryzen 3 Pro 3300U, Ryzen 5 Pro 3500U and Ryzen 7 Pro 3700U all take advantage of the updated 12-nanometer design and Vega graphics to deliver reasonably speedy 3D modelling and other tasks that aren't always practical on thin-and-light machines. The "pro" part mostly comes through their sheer resilience -- they have a security co-processor and are designed for "commercial-grade" reliability.
Read MoreOut of all the announcements Facebook made at its F8 2019 developers conference, one of the most important was the redesign of its core smartphone app. The new application, which has been updated with what Facebook is calling the "FB5" version, is now cleaner, faster and puts Groups front and center. And, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "The app isn't even blue anymore." That's the first thing you'll notice when you check out the new app, which is rolling out to users starting today. If you use Messenger, the white-covered design of the FB5 Facebook app will feel quite familiar.
Read MoreFacebook's F8 developer conferences tend to be chock-full of news, and that's truer than ever for 2019. The company's opening keynote brought major changes to just about every corner of Facebook's universe, including a site redesign, a super-lightweight Messenger app, Instagram shopping and new features to find friends or hook up with your secret crush. And then there's the hardware -- Oculus finally committed to release dates for the Quest and Rift S, while Portal will be available beyond the US. It's a lot to handle, but you don't have to worry about wading through it all. We've rounded up the highlights of F8 in a video that will get you up to speed in short order.
Read MoreFacebook hosted the opening keynote for its annual developer's conference today and announced several updates to its main social network as well as Instagram, Whatsapp and Messenger. Privacy seems to be the name of the game this year, as Facebook tries to rehab its damaged reputation and regain the trust of its users. Only time will tell if Facebook made any progress today.
Read MoreFacebook has revealed a bunch of upcoming updates for its Portal devices. It's adding multiplayer augmented reality games and Instant Games this summer. You can play the likes of Words with Friends, Battleship and Yahtzee on the smart display. New AR effects will be available on Portal every month as well.
Read MoreThere were rumors that Facebook was going to make its messaging products interoperable, but now it appears they're about to be a reality. At F8, Messenger's head of consumer product Asha Sharma said that in the future, users will soon be able to send messages across Facebook's three different messaging platforms: Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. This interoperability is just one of many features of the new Messenger. All messages will also be end-to-end encrypted, which is part of Facebook's recent privacy-focused mantra. Sharma said that the inter-app messaging will work similar to how people make calls on phones today. You don't need to know if your friend is on Verizon or T-Mobile, you can just call them. It'll be the same on any of Facebook's messaging services -- just say you'll want to talk to your friend, and that message will get to him or her on whatever service they use. "We believe people should be able to talk to anyone anywhere," she said. It's unclear just yet when this will roll out to users. Zuckerberg said it could take quite some time, which might mean next year or later. Update 7:02pm ET: Changed expectation of roll out date.
Read MoreFacebook's Portal video chat devices are about to become much easier to find, not to mention more useful. The company has announced that it will make both Portal and Portal+ available outside of the US, starting with Canada this June and following with a European expansion in the fall. On top of this, Facebook is bringing WhatsApp calls to Portal and introducing end-to-end encryption for all calls. Those last two additions could be particularly crucial outside of North America, where WhatsApp is far more popular.
Read MoreFacebook's annual F8 developer conference keynote is upon us at 1PM Eastern, and that means a lot of news whether or not you're a coder. This year, the company is not only outlining the future of social networking and technologies like VR -- it's likely addressing privacy questions in response to a string of scandals. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to watch such a definitive event. The company is livestreaming F8 through multiple channels, including its main F8 page and its Facebook page for developers. And if you're an Oculus device owner, you can even watch in VR through Venues. These events are seldom short, but they're worthwhile if you want to know where Facebook is headed for years to come.
Read MoreThe New York attorney general's office will investigate Facebook's "unauthorized collection of 1.5M of their users' email contact databases." Earlier this month, it emerged the company had been scraping the contact lists of some users who joined the service after 2016.
Read MoreFacebook is facing yet more legal trouble over the Cambridge Analytica scandal after Canada's privacy commissioner said it violated federal and provincial privacy laws. Daniel Therrien plans to take the company to federal court in the hopes of forcing Facebook to change its privacy policies.
Read MoreAlthough Facebook's growth has slowed down over the past year, all the controversies it has faced in recent months haven't had an effect on its bottom line. But that may be changing. Today, during its Q1 2019 earnings report, Facebook reported a total revenue of $15.1 billion, a 26 percent year-over-year increase. The most interesting part, however, is that Facebook says it estimates spending between $3 and $5 billion as part of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into its data-sharing practices.
Read MoreYes, you read that correctly. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has launched his own podcast, Tech & Society with Mark Zuckerberg, that has the company founder siting down with luminaries to chat about (what else?) the social impact of technology. There aren't more details about the length of the series or just where you'll find it (we've only found it on Spotify so far). However, it won't surprise you to hear what the focus is -- it's issues relevant to Facebook.
Read MoreIn the 24 hours after the Christchurch shooting, Facebook removed 1.5 million videos worldwide, but more than a month later, footage was still circulating on the platform. Now, the company says its AI had a hard time detecting the footage because of the way in which it was filmed.
Read MoreWhile the world held its collective breath this week ahead of Special Counsel Mueller's damning report on the current administration's conduct, the tech industry went ahead and let out all the bad news it had been holding onto for just such a moment. Facebook had another data breach -- shocking, I know -- Car2Go got hit with a massive fraud scheme, the Galaxy Fold is just as janky as you thought it'd be and of course everybody was GoT pirating.
Read MoreFacebook's privacy troubles just keep on coming, one after another -- just recently, it revealed that Instagram stored millions of passwords in plain text. In an effort to force the social network to be more conscious of its data privacy practices, federal regulators are reportedly looking for ways to make Mark Zuckerberg personally accountable for his company's shortcomings. According to The Washington Post, the FTC regulators investigating Facebook are going over the company chief's previous statements on privacy to figure out if they can use them to seek greater oversight of his leadership.
Read MoreFacebook's AI Research team has created an AI called Vid2Play that can extract playable characters from videos of real people, creating a much higher-tech version of '80s full-motion video (FMV) games like Night Trap. The neural networks can analyze random videos of people doing specific actions, then recreate that character and action in any environment and allow you to control them with a joystick.
Read MoreFacebook might introduce its own voice assistant à la Siri and Alexa in the future. According to CNBC, the social network's augmented and virtual reality team led by Ira Snyder has been developing a voice AI since 2018. The team has even started contacting smart speaker vendors, presumably to forge partnerships that would lead to devices powered by the new assistant. Based on what a spokesperson told Reuters, though, Facebook is mainly developing the assistant for its Oculus headsets, its Portal smart display and future AR/VR devices.
Read MoreRemember the weird revelation that Facebook was asking some new users for the password to their email account? Tonight Business Insider reports that since May 2016, if users entered their email password then Facebook used it to access their contact list and upload the contents to its servers without asking for permission. In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said: "...we found that in some cases people's email contacts were also unintentionally uploaded to Facebook when they created their account. We estimate that up to 1.5 million people's email contacts may have been uploaded. These contacts were not shared with anyone and we're deleting them." It is contacting people who had their contacts uploaded, but it's yet another privacy issue for a company that has had long string of them over the last couple of years. It still doesn't explain why the "email password verification" for non OAuth-linked providers was ever implemented before it stopped using the method last month, and provides even more justification for those skeptical of the company's practices and promises.
Read MoreMother's Day is less than a month away, and it seems Facebook is hoping you'll consider giving your Mom a Portal or Portal+ to keep in touch with you -- it's running a Mother's Day sale on the smart displays. Until May 12th, Portal will set you back $99 instead of $199. If you decide to pick up a pair of them (maybe, possibly one each for you and Mom), you'll get $200 off, as long at least one is the larger Portal+.
Read MoreFacebook will discontinue peer-to-peer Messenger payments in France and the UK on June 15th, the company told Engadget. "After evaluating how we give people the best experiences in Messenger, we made the decision to focus our efforts on experiences that people find most useful," Facebook said, adding that active users will be notified ahead of the changes.
Read MoreOculus co-founder Nate Mitchell said tens of thousands of Touch controllers have jokes mocking privacy printed on an internal component. The so-called easter eggs include "This Space For Rent" and "????Big Brother is Watching????," though Mitchell said the latter and a joke reading "Hi iFixit! We See You!????" were limited to non-consumer developer units. Another message that made it into the production model read "????The Masons Were Here.????"
Read MoreFacebook's Messenger might return to the main app, letting you access your social media feeds and messages in one spot, according to testing spotted by researcher Jane Manchun Wong. The Messenger app icon would remain, but instead of launching a standalone app, it would open Facebook and take you directly to a section called "Chats." That's roughly how it used to work before Facebook released Messenger as a standalone app in 2011 and removed it completely from the main app in 2014.
Read MoreLast year at F8, one of Mark Zuckerberg's major announcements was "Clear History," which was touted as a way for Facebook users to have the ability to delete their account history. It was promised to arrive last year, and then was delayed until "spring 2019." Unfortunately, however, it's apparently been delayed even further. At an event at Facebook today to go over the company's latest integrity efforts, VP of Integrity Guy Rosen said that the "Clear History" feature has been pushed to fall of this year. According to Rosen, the reasoning behind this is because the team wanted to ensure that it's done in the right way. "We're working to reengineer our systems, and how we process that data so that we can do it right," he said. "That's why it's taking more time than anticipated." Be that as it may, it's still unclear why this privacy-oriented tool is taking well over a year to debut, especially since Zuckerberg had initially said it would be out only in a few months. We may have to wait until F8 -- or perhaps later -- to find out why.
Read MoreFacebook has faced intense scrutiny over the past couple of years for how it handles issues like harassment, hate speech and the spread of misinformation. Though it's attempted to manage them, clearly the company is still struggling and has faced a lot of public backlash as a result. Today, Facebook is kicking off a massive campaign that aims to fix these issues on several different fronts -- not just on the main Facebook app, but also on Instagram and Messenger.
Read MoreFacebook is rolling out several updates for memorialized accounts, which are profiles that remain active for people who have passed away. A dedicated tributes tab will let friends and family share stories and memories of their loved one, allowing the late person's timeline to stay as it was before they passed away.
Read MoreFacebook has created AI-based population maps before, but it's now generating them on a truly massive scale. The social site is releasing new, ultra-detailed population density maps that cover the "majority" of Africa, helping relief agencies know where to go when providing aid. The technique is similar to what Facebook has used before, but tweaks to the formula kept the accuracy high even across Africa's 16 million square miles.
Read MoreLast week, Facebook announced it would ban white nationalism and separatism content, in addition to the white supremacy content it already prohibits. Today, we're getting a sense of which accounts that might include. According to BuzzFeed News, Facebook will ban groups, Pages and Instagram accounts associated with Faith Goldy, the Canadian Nationalist Front, Soldiers of Odin, Wolves of Odin, Kevin Goudreau and the Aryan Strikeforce.
Read MoreFacebook's quest to connect more of Africa may have it practically encircling the continent. Wall Street Journal sources maintain that Facebook is in talks to run an undersea data cable (nicknamed Simba -- yes, really) that would run around much of Africa. Details are few and far between, but it might link to existing beach access points in countries along the eastern, northern and western coastlines with the help of telecoms like MTN Group and Vodafone. This would help improve access to Facebook for more of the continent and might just lower the social network's data costs by cutting out in-between companies.
Read MoreOculus has rolled out a huge update for its virtual reality avatars, giving them the ability to simulate human expressions. Well, the most basic human expressions like smiling, that is -- but at least they'll look a bit livelier and friendlier when when you meet up with friends in the virtual world or visit other users' Public Homes. According to Oculus, Expressive Avatars can simulate eye and mouth movements to make VR interactions a bit more natural. The feature was apparently a huge challenge for the company, which describes it as the "culmination of user feedback and years of research and innovations in machine learning, engineering and design."
Read MoreFacebook is bidding farewell to its family of apps for Windows Phone, including Messenger, Instagram, and the original Facebook app. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to Engadget on Tuesday that Facebook will end its support for its apps on Windows Mobile starting April 30th. Windows Phone users will then have to resort to accessing Facebook or Instagram through their phone's browser. The upcoming removal was first noticed this weekend on Instagram, as reported by Windows Central. Windows Phone users on Reddit said they received a notification saying that Instagram would pull its app on April 30th. Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger are all among the top free apps in the Microsoft Store, but it's unclear exactly how many active users this will impact.
Read MoreFacebook may have a way to address the lingering questions surrounding its planned content oversight board: ask everyday people for input. It's launching a public consultation process that uses a survey to ask how you would run the oversight body. The survey asks a wide range of questions about how you'd shape the board, including how it chooses members, how they make decisions and its overall governance. Every participant has to fill out a multiple-choice questionnaire, but there's also an optional essay section where you can share your specific ideas.
Read MoreFacebook announced today that it has removed 1,126 Pages, groups and accounts ahead of India's general election. Most of the accounts, which were based in India and Pakistan, were flagged for "coordinated inauthentic behavior." In total, Facebook removed 702 Pages, groups and accounts linked with two networks in India. Another 103 Pages, groups and accounts (across Facebook and Instagram) were deleted in connection with a network in Pakistan, and 321 Facebook Pages and accounts in India were removed for violating the company's rules against spam.
Read MoreMicrosoft has fulfilled one of the larger promises behind its Your Phone software -- if you're willing to experiment a bit. The developer has released a Windows Insider Preview that displays Android notifications on your PC. If you allow apps to display alerts, you can find out about an important message or status update without reaching for your handset. You can clear notifications one at a time or all at once, and anything you dismiss on your PC will be reflected on your phone.
Read MoreMicrosoft notified its users that the May Windows 10 update won't install on PCs using USB storage or SD cards. The company says it's blocking the installation on those PCs because "inappropriate drive reassignment" might occur and could impact both external devices and internal hard drives. As a workaround, users will need to remove any USB thumb drives, USB-based external hard drives or SD cards and restart the update.
Read MoreAt this point, Microsoft's quarterly earnings reports sound like a broken record: Its cloud business is practically unstoppable, while its PC and productivity make steady gains. That's been the case for years, and this past third quarter was no different: Its intelligent cloud jumped 22 percent reaching $9.2 billion, mostly due to Azure's whopping 73 percent revenue growth. The Personal Computing side of things rose 8 percent to reach $10.7 billion, which includes a 21 percent increase in Surface revenues. And its Productivity and Business Group, which houses Office and LinkedIn, rose 14 percent at $10.2 billion. Altogether, revenues for the quarter were up 14 percent and profit 19 percent, reaching $8.8 billion.
Read MoreMicrosoft admitted today that password-expiration policies are a pointless security measure. Such requirements are "an ancient and obsolete mitigation of very low value," the company wrote in a blog post on draft security baseline settings for Windows 10 v1903 and Windows Server v1903. Microsoft isn't doing away with its password-expiration policies across the board, but the blog post makes the company's stance clear: expiring passwords does little good.
Read MoreWindows 10 was supposed to receive a Sets feature that kept your app data, sites and other info in check through browser-like tabs, but you'll have to find another way to organize your digital life. ZDNet sources understand that Microsoft quietly killed Sets and has no plans to revive it. Reportedly, the feature just "wasn't well received or understood." The team still wants to introduce tabs into the Windows Console, according to the sources, but it can't use Sets as the groundwork.
Read MoreVirtual reality can be a rush to the senses, but not if you have vision problems. Microsoft researchers are trying to solve that problem via a tool kit for Unity VR developers to help players with low vision. Since vision problems vary by individual, the research team at Microsoft decided on a tool kit approach so players can customize their experience. The 14 tools include a bifocal lens, a magnifier, controls to adjust for brightness and contrast, edge enhancement and depth measurements. Players can also opt to have objects in a scene described or read out loud.
Read MoreAlmost a year since Microsoft first announced the Surface Hub 2, its next-generation collaborative display, we've finally got more details on the product line. While we'll have to wait until next year to see the Surface Hub 2X, the high-end model with the fluid rotating screen, Microsoft announced today that the 50-inch 2S, which runs the current Surface Hub software on a slimmer screen, will start shipping in June. Even better, there's also going to be an 85-inch model coming next year, just like the last Surface Hub lineup. The 50-inch Surface Hub 2 will run you $9,000, plus an additional $1,499 for the movable stand.
Read MoreWhen it comes to facial recognition, it seems Microsoft truly has been trying to do good. Company president Brad Smith has revealed that the tech giant recently turned down a request from law enforcement to equip officers' cars and body cameras with face recognition tech. The California department apparently wanted to run a scan every time an officer pulls anyone over.
Read MoreMicrosoft's personal audio efforts might not stop with the Surface Headphones. Thurrott sources said that the company is developing a pair of Surface-branded earbuds codenamed Morrison (the Headphones, for context, were nicknamed Joplin). It's not clear if they'd do anything differently than the existing over-ears or even whether or not there would be a cable, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect an all-wireless design that counters Apple's AirPods, Samsung's Galaxy Buds and similarly trendy choices.
Read MoreIt's a well-known fact that large swathes of the US remain without broadband connectivity -- indeed, some $22 billion has been poured into closing this gap over the past five years. However, exactly how many Americans are going without is up for debate. As a new blog post by Microsoft explains, "official" data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can't be trusted.
Read MoreMicrosoft has released the first test versions of its new-look, Chromium-powered Edge browser on Windows 10. The Canary preview is updated every day and is more likely to have bugs, while the Developer version will have weekly updates. A more-stable beta build (which will be on a six-week update cycle) will be available in the future, and the full release will follow. But if you're happy to take a chance and check out the latest version of Edge sooner rather than later, now's your opportunity.
Read MoreHi there! Over the weekend, we reported more details of Google's cheaper Pixel phones, see how the US Army plans to use augmented reality in the field, and explained how the UK is investigating games companies, including Nintendo and Sony, over apparently unfair services. And it's only Monday morning!
Read MoreWhen Microsoft employees balked at the company's $479 million HoloLens contract with the US Army, it raised a question: just what would this system look like? You now have a better idea. The Army has given CNBC an early demo of its Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which uses a modified HoloLens 2 to provide both combat assistance and training. It reportedly feels like a "real-life game of Call of Duty" -- you can see your squad's positions on a map, a compass, and even your weapon's reticle. Thermal imaging would help you see in the dark without as much of a telltale glow as existing night vision headsets.
Read MoreMicrosoft has big plans for the healthcare space and even teamed up with Walgreens earlier this year to "transform healthcare delivery." It's been axing the older products it created for the industry, however, with HealthVault being the latest casualty. Microsoft launched HealthVault in 2009 after two years of beta, giving health professionals free access to a personal health record storage platform. According to ZDNet, the tech giant has started notifying customers via email that it's shutting down on November 20th and will be deleting all its data.
Read MoreThe next major Windows 10 update is scheduled for late May, and with it, Microsoft is giving you more control over how you install updates. You'll be able to pause them for up to 35 days (in seven-day increments), when you previously were only able to set an installation time or snooze updates. That should reduce the chances of your computer automatically installing them at the dirt worst times.
Read MoreDid you build your e-book library through the Microsoft Store? You'll need to make a change in plans. Microsoft has not only removed books from its online portal, but plans to remove access to existing purchases and rentals in early July. It's not a complete loss when Microsoft plans to offer refunds in the form of store credit, including $25 extra if you've made annotations before April 2nd. However, that still leaves you paying to re-stock your library through a third-party service -- and any notes you've made will disappear into the ether.
Read MoreMicrosoft just gave its Surface Book 2 laptop hybrid a refresh. Over the weekend, the company quietly added a new mid-range configuration option. The updated model of the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 includes an Intel 8th-generation quad-core i5 processor, which features a base clock speed of 1.7 GHz and Turbo Boost frequency of up to 3.6 GHz. This updated configuration is listed at $1,499.
Read MoreThe Federal Communications Commission announced today that it will expand broadband internet services to more than 106,000 rural homes and businesses across 43 states. Nine states -- Arkansas, Arizona, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming -- will see the number of locations with high-speed internet available through the Connect America program double as part of the FCC's latest expansion effort.
Read MoreT-Mobile and Sprint have pushed back the deadline to complete their $26 billion merger, reports Reuters. The companies will now have until July 29th to earn the approval of the US Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission.
Read MoreThe chest-thumping over 5G continues. AT&T has reported that it achieved the first 2Gbps speeds on a 5G network in the US. It achieved the feat using a Netgear mobile router on the carrier's public-facing network in the Atlanta area. The performance comes less than a month after the provider cracked the gigabit mark in multiple cities.
Read MoreAT&T is still in hot water over its 5GE logo, but that's not slowing the company down. This week, the not-really-5G icon showed up in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Meaning, whether you like it or not, 5GE could start showing up on Android smartphones using AT&T. According to XDA Developers, the AOSP code suggest that phones will only need to use 4G LTE with Carrier Aggregation to prompt the icon, so as critics have said, there's no guarantee that the logo will be anything more than a visual change.
Read MoreVerizon has turned to Google to provide its internet subscribers with streamable shows and other content. The carrier has announced that it's going to offer YouTube TV, the platform's premium service, to both wireless 5G home and Fios broadband customers. That confirms a report from 2018 that the company was seeking a partnership with Mountain View -- and Apple -- to give customers more streaming options.
Read MoreDespite calls from officials in the US and elsewhere to ban Huawei from its 5G networks, the UK has reportedly approved the company's participation in "non-core" parts of its next-gen rollout. It already has a presence in similar areas of the 4G network in the region, including antennas and network components. Groups like the UN have called US claims politically motivated, and the UK had previously indicated it leaned towards these limitations without enacting a total ban. Within the UK, however, GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming said recently that it needed to understand the "threats posed" by Chinese technology.
Read MoreTo say AT&T's rivals were unhappy with its fake 5G branding is an understatement -- Sprint even filed a lawsuit against the carrier, accusing it of "blatantly misleading customers." The competitors must have hammered out a deal that's acceptable for both of them, though, because they've reached an amicable settlement a couple of months after the case was filed. Both carriers have confirmed the agreement to Engadget, but neither would talk about its details.
Read MoreCharter Communications has agreed to a settlement with the New York's Department of Public Service that will allow the internet service provider to continue operating within the state. As a part of the agreement, Charter will have to kick back $12 million to New York, which will be used to expand broadband services to underserved areas. Charter will also have to expand its high-speed broadband service to 145,000 residences and businesses in upstate New York by September 30, 2021.
Read MoreThe US government appears ready to continue its push to keep Chinese telecommunications companies from operating within the country. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai announced today that he will oppose China Mobile's attempt at becoming a telecom provider in the US. The agency will officially vote on the company's application next month, but the chairman's public statement strongly suggests the bid will be denied.
Read MoreIn an attempt to fight robocalls, T-Mobile and Comcast are teaming up to bring their customers call verification. The carriers will use the STIR/SHAKEN protocol to label authentic numbers, so users will know they're not receiving a spam call. The catch is that, for now, only calls between the two networks will be eligible for the "Caller Verified" label.
Read MoreVerizon has simultaneously slashed and increased its activation and upgrade fees, depending on how you process the transaction. According to CNET and reports posted online, you now only have to pay $20 if you upgrade your device or activate a line on the carrier's website or the My Verizon app. That's down $10 from the previous $30 fee for either service. However, if you walk into a store or call the company's phone line for upgrade or activation, you'll now have to pay $40 instead.
Read MoreSo much for T-Mobile and Sprint enjoying a smooth merger. Wall Street Journal sources say the Department of Justice has told the carriers that their $26 billion union is "unlikely" to receive approval under its current structure. While the particular objections aren't available, DOJ offcials reportedly questioned claims that the merger would create "important efficiencies."
Read MoreWith Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference less than two months away, more details about what iOS 13 might have in store are emerging. It could add a system-wide dark mode, deeper multitasking options, an undo gesture and updates for the likes of Safari and Mail, according to 9to5 Mac.
Read MoreThere's plenty of speculation around how 5G will impact our daily lives -- from enabling self-driving cars to seemingly instant downloads. But we might learn how it will impact cows before most humans put it to the test. In southwest England, 50 dairy cattle are now wearing high-speed smart collars that control robotic milking systems. It's both a way to test 5G's potential in agriculture and to publicize one of Cisco Systems Inc.'s rural network trials.
Read MoreThe FCC has announced a spectrum auction and a $20.4 billion rural broadband fund to bolster connectivity across the US. The auction is scheduled to start December 10th, and it will be the largest slice of airwaves the FCC has auctioned for commercial use at one time, with 3,400 megahertz in three different spectrum bands up for grabs. Providers have been urging the FCC to open mid-band airwaves that can project signals over greater distances, which should bolster connectivity in rural areas.
Read MoreAmerican carriers are still engaged in their endless game of 5G oneupmanship. AT&T has expanded its fledgling mobile 5G network to "parts" of seven more cities, including Austin, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose. The move puts AT&T's real 5G in a total of 19 cities, making Verizon's (Engadget's parent company) two-city rollout seem modest by comparison. With that said, the usual caveats apply.
Read MoreIn a bid to claim the title of the first consumer-ready 5G network in the world, Verizon surprised us by lighting up its 5G nodes across Chicago and Minneapolis ahead of schedule. Obviously, there was no way we couldn't book a flight to the Windy City and see what this next-gen network was capable of. As usual, though, things weren't quite that straightforward. What actually happened is that my time testing 5G turned into a city-wide scavenger hunt, trying — often in vain — to find stable high-speed connections.
Read MoreVerizon has flipped the switch on the first parts of its 5G mobile network a week ahead of schedule. The service is live in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis, just in time for the March Madness Final Four in the latter city this weekend. Once you move out of an area where the 5G network is active, the 4G LTE network will take over. 5G access with Verizon (which is Engadget's parent company) costs $10 on top of regular unlimited plans, though the first three months are free.
Read MoreJust two days after AT&T declared itself the first 5G carrier in the US to reach gigabit speeds, the company has released a statement claiming it's the fastest wireless network in the nation. The findings come from third party network-testing company Ookla, which cited AT&T's top average US download speed at 40.7Mbps.
Read MoreLike it or not, many kids have smartphones -- and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) wants to capitalize on that with a plan meant to reassure parents anxious about what their young ones might see. The carrier's newly unveiled Just Kids plan melds 5GB of LTE data, unlimited calling/talk to 20 parent-defined contacts and a subscription to Verizon Smart Family Premium's parental controls, all at prices noticeably lower than for the grown-ups ($35 to $55 per month depending on the total number of lines). Ideally, this saves you some money each month while giving you tools to limit usage, filter out unsavory content and keep track of your kids' whereabouts.
Read MoreIf you're concerned that carriers' phone location data is still ending up in the wrong hands nearly a year after the issue became clear, you're not alone. FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks has penned an editorial calling for federal action against companies offering "pay-to-track practices." He was frustrated that the regulator hasn't issued any kind of enforcement action despite ongoing reports of data misuse, and that it had both "ample authority" and a "responsibility" to stop this behavior.
Read MoreThe days of spending your precious lunchbreak standing in line for a sandwich are increasingly numbered, as supermarket chain Sainsbury's has launched the UK's first ever till-free grocery store. The busy store in London's Holborn Circus has been given a mobile-first makeover, so customers can scan and pay for their goods via their smartphone, while staff previously chained to checkout areas are free to spend time helping customers on the shop floor.
Read MoreBurger King will soon make the plant-based Impossible Whopper a part of its menu nationwide. The fast food giant's trial run of the alternative meat burger in St. Louis earlier this month turned out to be a resounding success. José Cil, CEO of Burger King parent company RBI, said on an earnings call on Monday that the Impossible Burger would be sold in a few select cities this summer, and if guest reaction stays strong, expand in a nationwide launch later this year.
Read MoreOn April 15th, 2019 around 6:40 pm, I was walking around the Jardin du Luxembourg park in Paris with some friends when we saw some yellow colored smoke in the sky. We thought nothing of it, but soon discovered, shocked, that one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Notre Dame cathedral just north of the park, was engulfed in a terrible blaze.
Read MoreThe line between the traditional hotel industry and the home-rental industry has become increasingly blurred. Last month, Airbnb bought HotelTonight, a last-minute hotel booking company. Now, Marriott is looking to take on Airbnb. According to The Wall Street Journal, Marriott could become the first major hotel company to offer home rentals.
Read MoreCryptocurrency traders might soon have an important ally. A Bloomberg source claims E*Trade is in the midst of work to enable trading cryptocurrencies, starting with Bitcoin and Ethereum. It would think about adding other currencies going forward, according to the tipster. It's not certain exactly when trading would open.
Read MoreAnother lab testing startup is facing legal scrutiny, albeit not for the same reasons as Theranos. The Wall Street Journal has learned that the FBI is investigating uBiome, a firm that tests microbiomes (the communities of organisms in your body) to inform your health decisions, over its "billing practices." Agents reportedly conducted a search of uBiome's offices on April 26th, with the FBI confirming that it had visited the address.
Read MoreAdd Indiegogo to the growing list of internet giants blocking anti-vaccination content. The crowdfunding site told BuzzFeed News it will ban campaigns from anti-vaxxers and others who conduct "health campaigns" unsupported by science. It didn't say when the ban would take effect, but the policy will come in the wake of a recently completed campaign that raised $86,543 for a documentary spreading anti-vaccination myths. Indiegogo will honor that campaign but intends to prevent similar projects from getting started in the future.
Read MoreAugust's View doorbell hasn't had a stellar launch. The smart home company is "pausing" shipments of the View after reports of "performance challenges" in certain households. While it didn't say what those issues were, The Ambient noted that the View frequently disconnected from WiFi, rendering its camera less than useful for keeping watch over your front door. August vowed to use the shipping freeze to gauge feedback and make "critical improvements" to the smart doorbell.
Read MoreLike it has in years past, Moog is unveiling its latest synthesizer during Moogfest. The company's annual music and culture festival kicks off today in Durham, North Carolina, and when it does, Moog will be building the new Matriarch patchable four-note paraphonic analog synth on-site. A progression from the Mother-32 and Grandmother before it, the semi-modular Matriarch is loaded: built-in sequencer (256 steps), arpeggiator, stereo ladder filters and stereo analog delay. The company says you'll be able to make some noise instantly though, with "no patching required."
Read MoreConnected exercise bike maker Peloton was hit with a $150 million lawsuit last month for playing unlicensed music, and now its customers are feeling the fall out. Owners of the machines, which cost up to $4,000 each, have taken to the internet to complain about the poor music selection now accompanying their $468 annual workout membership.
Read MoreFor Andy Kerr, product communication director at Bowers & Wilkins, Formation has been a long time coming. "We're following a path that we've wanted to be on for... probably since the start. Since the inception of the company."
Read MoreSony is finally nearing the release of its 2019 TV line, and you'd better brace for impact if you're hoping to buy one of its highest-end models. The company has detailed pricing and availability for the sets, and the 8K-capable Master Series Z9G will start at $13,000 for an 85-inch model when the series arrives in June, and a mind-numbing $70,000 for the 98-inch star attraction. While that's more affordable than Samsung's $100,000 Q900, it still makes the Z9G virtually inaccessible for anyone but wealthy viewers who insist on the best -- and don't mind that 8K content is still very rare, for that matter.
Read MoreNow that Pepsi owns SodaStream, it's trying its hand at a make-your-own-drink station -- though it's not for the company's usual sugar-laden fare. The company has unveiled a water dispenser system that lets you create your own zero-calorie beverage. A touchscreen interface lets you make it as carbonated as you like, choose the flavor (including its strength) and dial in the temperature. You could get a strong, cold raspberry lime drink when you want something punchy, or plain uncarbonated water if you're not feeling adventurous.
Read MoreYou might have an easier time getting a feel for a home the next time you're looking for a new place to live. Zillow has finally made its 3D home tours available across the US and Canada, letting real estate agents spice up their listings through an iOS app. The basic concept remains the same -- sellers create 360-degree panoramas of rooms (either with an iPhone or though a Ricoh Theta V or Z1 camera) and let the app stitch them together to create a "seamless" tour. It's not a VR tour, but it could help you save the in-person visits for the homes that truly catch your eye.
Read MoreYou now have access to a treasure trove of government info through your smart speaker if you live in the UK. The British government has made over 12,000 pieces of Gov.uk information available through Alexa and Google Assistant, saving you the trouble of wading through official pages. Some of them are simple questions like the next bank holiday, while others are more involved questions such as obtaining a passport.
Read MoreSoylent, the drink of choice for Silicon Valley bros with no time to eat, is launching a new line of snack bars. Known as Soylent Squared, the 100-calorie "mini-meal" bars are the first solid food offerings from the company since the disastrous launch of its meal replacement bars in 2016. Soylent halted sales of the bars after reports emerged they were making people sick.
Read MoreThe long-awaited Mueller report is finally out, and you can download it for your lunchtime reading if you have a ton of time to kill. Titled "Report on investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election," the PDF file is 139 megabytes large, 448 pages long and from the table of contents, we can tell it goes into all the territory we expected it to cover.
Read MoreOn top of redactions and other issues with the the Mueller report, Congress is facing a potential technological block. The document will be released to lawmakers, sometime between 11AM and noon ET today, on a ... CD, according to the Associated Press. Disc drives are becoming difficult to find, especially on Mac computers, but luckily the House judiciary staff was prepared. According to a tweet from CBS's Rebecca Kaplan, "they still have a computer with a working CD-ROM drive."
Read MoreWhen Withings introduced pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements on its flagship scale, it offered customers an indicator of their cardiovascular health. In addition to more standard calculations, like weight and body mass index, the Body Cardio scale used the PWV measurement to estimate the "stiffness" of users' arteries and the correlated risk of hypertension or cardiovascular incident. But in January 2018, Nokia (which then owned the company) voluntarily pulled the feature, fearing that it might need additional regulatory approval. As of today, Withings has returned the PWV measurement to its scales in Europe.
Read MoreFollowing numerous delays, the UK's age verification law for pornography sites will finally go into effect on July 15, according to the government. Under the law, people in the UK will have to go the extra mile to prove that they are over 18 years old in order to access online pornographic material. Checking a box or typing in your birthday will no longer suffice; users will have to enter their credit card, passport number, mobile phone number or buy an age verification pass from a local shop.
Read MoreAs part of its recent pledge to only use recycled plastics by 2024, Adidas has revealed a new running shoe that is made from 100 percent recyclable materials. The Futurecraft Loop was designed using nothing but thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a plastic material that dons the entire sneaker, including the tongue, laces, upper and the midsole with Boost cushioning technology. Adidas says it has been working on this project for the past six years, and the goal with it is to do its part in generating less plastic waste.
Read MoreTerry Gou, the billionaire founder of electronics giant Foxconn, is stepping down from his role as chairman to run for president of Taiwan. He will stand in the primaries of the Kuomintang opposition party, promoting a more China-friendly policy during what is currently a period of heightened tension with Beijing.
Read MoreOne issue with interactive technology like virtual reality, augmented reality and other mixed media is that the cost of the equipment alone can be restrictive. To level the playing field, PBS is launching POV Spark, a series of media projects that will be accessible to wider audiences, not just those who have access to expensive headsets and exclusive events. POV Spark will launch with three interactive productions and two initiatives meant to foster future mixed-media storytelling.
Read MoreWashington is one step closer to decarbonizing its energy grid. According to a bill voted in by the Washington House of Representatives last week, the state will end coal use by 2025, have a carbon-neutral grid by 2030 and its power sector will be emissions-free by 2045.
Read MoreLogitech's popular Harmony universal remotes have long been the go-to solution for tech-savvy nerds who want to replace the bounty of ugly rectangles littering their coffee tables with a single, all-powerful option. But universal remotes are still pretty complex on their own, with dozens of buttons and, in some cases, LCD screens. You're basically swapping several remotes for something that looks like it belongs in one of NASA's Mission Control Centers. Now, there's something simpler: the Harmony Express, a compact universal remote that replaces a slew of buttons with Amazon Alexa voice controls.
Read MoreEvian knows that plastic water bottles aren't terribly kind to the environment, and it has a clever solution to that problem: give drinkers a way to kick the bottle habit altogether. Its newly launched Renew water dispenser relies on unique 5L (1.3gal) "bubble" jugs that shrink as you use them, providing a hefty amount of mineral water without as much of an impact on the environment as usual. Each jug uses 66 percent less plastic than a 1.5L bottle, and they're both made of completely recycled plastic and themselves completely recyclable. You won't have to feel quite so guilty about wanting Evian for the gym or a long hike.
Read MoreGoPro is bringing its no-questions-asked device replacement guarantee to 25 more countries as part of its GoPro Plus subscription service, the company announced. Buyers in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany could already get for the $5 per month service, which includes unlimited video and photo cloud storage, automatic content uploading and half-price accessories. Now, they'll also get a replacement guarantee that's handy for devices often used in extreme circumstances.
Read MoreAfter clearing the European Parliament last month, the EU's sweeping copyright laws have passed their final hurdle by receiving approval from member states. The new rules are designed to bring outdated copyright regulations into the online age, making internet platforms liable for content uploaded to their sites.
Read MoreWelcome to your Monday. We've got details on a new Star Wars game -- and it's single-player, and also the world's biggest plane managed to get up into the sky. That all-digital Xbox has leaked, and Twitch Sings is a free karaoke game you can play with streamers. Karaoke with internet people? I'll take it under advisement.
Read MoreWhether you're interested in taking better photos, video or both, the best thing you can do is to practice and take the time to get to know your equipment. But, if you're finding situations where you're struggling to get the perfect shot, or looking for ways to stretch creatively, there's a world of gadgets out there you can use to mix things up.
Read MoreFor years, photographers and industry pundits have predicted the demise of the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera system. Many believe that the smaller sensor has been superseded by APS-C cameras and the ever-growing lineup of full-frame mirrorless shooters. "Not suddenly, but slowly over the course of the next couple of years," photographer and author Tony Northrup said in a YouTube video last October. The upload, which attracted more than 200,000 views, triggered a wage of counterarguments from prominent MFT users like Peter Forsgård, Joseph Ellis and others. Six months later, there's still no consensus.
Read MoreMirrorless cameras are here to stay. The argument to own one isn't only about them being small and lightweight anymore, because nowadays many mirrorless shooters rival DSLRs in image quality -- something that would've been unimaginable a decade or so ago. Today, the likes of the Sony A7 III, Nikon Z7, Canon EOS R and Panasonic S1R are some of the best cameras, period. But none of these flagships would exist today if it weren't for the hundreds of Micro Four Thirds and APS-C models that came before them, some of which are still popular and have paved the way for manufacturers to turn photographers and videographers alike into mirrorless fans.
Read MoreJuul has launched an experimental track-and-trace program meant to curb teen vaping, perhaps as an attempt to appease the FDA and other government agencies. The e-cig company has been in authorities' crosshairs since last year due to its products' popularity among teens. After it was acquired by Marlboro's parent company, the FDA called Juul in for making statements that apparently contradicted the commitments they previously made to reduce teen vaping. The track-and-trace pilot program will help Juul zero in on retailers and other sources that sell its e-cigs to anybody below 21 years old.
Read MoreWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was removed yesterday from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after having his asylum revoked; he was then immediately arrested. Talk of extradition to the US began immediately. But if you haven't been paying extremely close attention over the last decade or so, you might not quite recall exactly how Assange ended up exiled in the embassy in the first place. It's a long and twisting tail, linked close to the rise and notoriety of WikiLeaks itself. And in many ways Assange's legal troubles are just getting started now that he's been arrested and the US has formally charged him with crimes. Catch up on the major steps that led Assange to seek refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy back in 2012 -- as well as what's happened that caused him to get thrown out and arrested. If there's one thing to be learned from Assange's history, it's that he will almost certainly not be going down without a long and protracted legal battle.
Read MoreDemocratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang revealed this week that he's planning to use a 3D hologram to hold campaign rallies in multiple cities at the same time. Yang discussed the hologram during an appearance on TMZ Live. The segment showed off a hologram version of Yang dancing and performing with the famous Tupac hologram that appeared at Coachella in 2012.
Read MoreJulian Assange has been arrested by London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and removed from the embassy, according to the MPS. Police entered the facility at the request of Ecuador's Ambassador, "following the Ecuadorian government's withdrawal of asylum," the MPS wrote on their website. Assange is now in custody at a "central London police station where he will remain, before being presented before Westminster Magistrates' Court as soon as is possible."
Read MoreSony is making its already top-notch A7 III and A7R III cameras better with the release of a new firmware update. It introduces a fun AI feature for pet owners called animal eye detection. When set to continuous tracking focus mode, it can focus on your dog's or cat's eyes, ensuring they stay sharp rather than, say, muzzles or fur.
Read MoreThe House of Representatives has passed a bill which would restore net neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission repealed in 2017. Representatives approved the bill by 232-190 (with a sole Republican voting in favor), but the legislation still seems doomed.
Read MoreAs China tries to cut back on air pollution that has choked cities like Baoding and Shanghai, it's taking aim at cryptocurrency mining. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's chief planning regulator, has unveiled a paper with a proposal to ban Bitcoin mining, saying it has "seriously wasted resources."
Read MoreWhile mirrorless cameras are all the rage right now, Canon hasn't forgot about its DSLR bread and butter. It just launched the 24.1-megapixel APS-C sensor EOS Rebel SL3, the smallest and lightest model in its EOS lineup at just 15.84 ounces, or 449 grams. Spec-wise, it's much like Canon's mirrorless EOS M50. It packs the same DIGIC 8 processor, 3.0 inch flip-around touchscreen for vlogging and selfies and 4K video (with some big limitations). Most importantly, it's Canon's first EOS model to have Dual Pixel autofocus with eye detection in live view shooting mode.
Read MoreSamsung and Huawei's folding smartphones can't have all the fun. Bang and Olufsen's Beovision Harmony is its latest high-end TV design that uses a 77-inch LG OLED TV (nice choice right there), wrapped in a very stylish frame and audio package that feels somewhere between a pop-up book mechanism and a butterfly wing. Made from oak and aluminum, the pair of fronts disguise the giant screen by partially covering it with an eye-catching teak oak and aluminum design, or a more restrained two-tone fabric and aluminum effect.
Read MoreEcobee's smart home lineup still revolves almost exclusively around its thermostats. It might branch out in the near future, though. Zatz Not Funny has obtained an image of what appears to be Ecobee's first home security camera. Details are incredibly scarce, but Amazon Alexa integration is likely given the company's past and a set of multi-color notification lights that can turn a familiar shade of blue.
Read MoreThis article was produced in partnership with Point, a YouTube channel for investigative journalism. Mosul, Iraq -- Before the camera rolls, 34-year-old Fatima pulls her head scarf over her face and ushers her young daughter out of frame. It can be hard to get people on camera in this city. They're happy to talk off the record, but as soon as a recorder comes out, they become skittish -- and with good reason. They're terrified that ISIS will eventually return and that they'll be first on the chopping block for talking to journalists about the brutality of the occupation.
Read MoreDemocrats have just made significant progress in restoring net neutrality rules in the US. The "Save the Internet Act" unveiled last month has now been approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which means it can now be considered by the full House of Representatives.
Read MoreRecent reports from major climate organizations are painting a very mixed picture for the future of global energy use. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says that renewable energy now forms one-third of the world's total energy capacity -- its highest level ever -- but at the same time, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that energy demand is growing at the fastest pace this decade, and fossil fuels are leading the charge.
Read MoreAs much as technology has advanced in the last couple of decades, the ability to automatically skip commercials has remained mostly in the past. Now Zatz Not Funny says -- based on a Facebook post by an employee and confirmation with a source -- that TiVo's DVRs will get an upgraded version of their SkipMode feature that bypasses commercials automatically. Because of the way SkipMode works, it will still only apply to recordings of primetime shows on channels that have their commercials marked, unlike the fully automated systems that the Channels app and Tablo boxes are testing. It's also apparently only going to work on boxes upgraded with the latest "Hydra" interface when it rolls out later in the spring. ReplayTV pushed automatic commercial skipping years ago and fights over the feature with broadcasters and cable companies helped hasten its demise. When Windows Media Center was still supported, the DIY-minded could use ShowAnalyzer, but a fully-supported version of the feature from TiVo would make using it easier than ever, plus it makes watching network TV more like Netflix, Amazon Prime or ad-free Hulu. Our question is whether or not the TV networks will let it go this time around -- even if, or perhaps especially because statistics show DVR owners don't manually skip ads as much as you might think.
Read MoreTeenage Engineering's pocket-sized synths are some of our favorite music-making gear here at Engadget, Today, the company is adding another tiny device to its Pocket Operator line. The PO-33 Ghostly Edition is a limited-release version of the existing PO-33 K.O! Pocket Operator that crams a mini sampler -- complete with built-in microphone for recording sounds -- into your... well, pocket.
Read MoreHey, good morning! Did you survive the trolling and April Fools shenanigans? Good on you. That said, there were some surprises that could have been interpreted as fake news, like the Impossible Whopper and that shotgun drone.
Read MoreBragi hasn't been shy about transitioning away from making consumer-facing earbuds and toward developing high-concept features, but it's now clear that shift is complete. The company has confirmed to TechCrunch that it sold its hardware business to an unnamed company in March, finishing a "transformation" into a company focused on AI, software and patent licenses. If you see its technology in the future, it'll be part of someone else's earbuds.
Read MoreIt's going to be a long while before the FAA officially approves Boeing's 737 Max software update. The regulator said it expected the update to arrive in the "coming weeks," as Boeing needed extra time to guarantee that it had "identified and appropriately addressed" the problems that may have led to crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia. After that, the FAA still intends to conduct a "rigorous safety review."
Read MoreSingapore is set to follow its South East Asian neighbor Malaysia's lead by introducing an anti-fake news law. The legislation will allow the city-state's government to take down content that violates the new rules, according to local newspaper The Straits Times. The "Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill" is among more than 20 recommendations put forward by a parliamentary select committee tasked with tackling misinformation. In less urgent cases, the law will force websites to publish corrections or warnings on fake news.
Read MoreWhite Castle was just the start: Impossible Foods is now partnering with Burger King, launching the Impossible Whopper for a test starting today at 59 Burger King outlets in St. Louis, Missouri. It's an entirely different burger to the sliders served at White Castle, and that means there's more Impossible Burger non-meat involved.
Read MoreIf you've been waiting for a cheaper, kid-proof Nintendo Switch, bad news: the company won't reveal one at E3 this year. "As a general rule, we're always working on new hardware and we will announce it when we are able to sell it," Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa told reporters in Osaka today. "But we have no plans to announce that at this year's E3 in June." His comments refute a Bloomberg report that suggested a new, more affordable Switch would be released by the end of June. Technically, it could be revealed later in the month, after E3, but that seems unlikely.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Nintendo's Switch continues to climb the pantheon of iconic consoles. According to today's earnings report, it's now outsold the Nintendo 64. Meanwhile, Microsoft admits password-expiration policies are useless, and a Galaxy Fold teardown reveals what most of you already know -- the darn thing's pretty fragile.
Read MoreIt's almost here! Today, Nintendo announced a "Closed Beta Test" for Mario Kart Tour, a long-delayed mobile spin-off that we currently know diddly-squat about. (Seriously, Nintendo hasn't released a single screenshot.) The sneak-preview will be available to Android users in the US and Japan between May 22nd and June 4th. (The final game, of course, will also be available on iOS devices.) If you're intrigued by the title, you can sign up using the QR code on the official Mario Kart Tour website. The long-delayed app is scheduled to come out in "summer 2019," the same time as Doctor Mario, a new game co-developed with messaging titan Line.
Read MoreNintendo sold 2.47 million Switch consoles in the three months leading up to March 31st, 2019, bringing lifetime sales to 34.74 million. That's a tad disappointing for the house of Mario, which moved 2.93 million units in the same period last year. Nintendo sold 16.95 million consoles in the 2018 fiscal year (April 2018 to March 2019), just missing its annual sales target of 17 million -- a figure that the company had revised down from 20 million last quarter. There are some upsides, though. The Nintendo Switch has surpassed the Nintendo 64 in lifetime sales, and stands a good chance of topping the SNES, which managed 49.1 million, in the next financial year.
Read MoreFour years after the first Super Mario Maker proved how hard it is to make videogames, its sequel is coming to the Switch. Nintendo dropped a preview trailer for Super Mario Maker 2 a couple of months ago and said it would arrive in June, but now it's specified the game will be released on June 28th.
Read MoreThat rumored lower-cost Switch might show up sooner than you think. Bloomberg sources maintain that Nintendo's more affordable console will "likely" arrive by the end of June, or not long after the big E3 expo in the middle of the month. Don't expect a supercharged version for enthusiasts, though. The current model would get a "modest upgrade" in 2019, according to the purported insiders, but a brawnier model apparently isn't in the cards.
Read MoreYesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the Game Boy's release in Japan. If you're like our editors, that brings back all kinds of nostalgic memories. We've certainly come a long way since then -- so far, in fact, that you can now create your own Game Boy games. Last week, developer Chris Maltby released the code for GB Studio, a free tool for building real Game Boy ROMs.
Read MoreHey, good morning! Yesterday, Nintendo's Game Boy turned 30 years old. Meanwhile, plenty of Fortnite cheats have been caught out during the run-up to its World Cup final. And hopefully, you enjoyed 4/20. Unless you're in the UK where it was obviously 20/4. And completely, utterly, meaningless.
Read MoreToday marks the 30th anniversary of the Game Boy's release in Japan. Three decades ago, the portable gaming landscape would change forever. Whether you owned a Game Boy or not, it's likely something you're familiar with. The legacy reaches far beyond a retro gaming handheld. Three Engadget editors share their personal favorite version, and why it matters to them.
Read MoreIt seems the Switch may soon arrive in China, as Nintendo has teamed up with Tencent to bring its ultra-popular console to an enormous market. Guangdong province's game regulator has provisionally given the green light for a trial version of New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe for the Switch. Nintendo told Reuters it has applied for approval to sell the console itself, but the process is multi-layered, so it may take some time before the Switch actually goes on sale in China.
Read MoreThe latest Nintendo Switch update lets you transfer individual game saves between systems. Until now, you only had the option to move all your user and save data between Switch consoles (introduced in update version 4.0.0 in October 2017). But that's useless for console-sharers who didn't bother to create separate profiles.
Read MoreSettlers of Catan is one of the best-selling and most beloved board games in existence. As promised during a Nintendo Direct event last September, publisher Asmodee Digital is helping the classic title in ditching its physical form to make the jump to the Nintendo Switch. The board game will be available as Catan on Nintendo's portable console on June 20th.
Read MoreStill on the fence about Nintendo's latest push into VR? There's one more thing to know about Nintendo Labo VR: it will work with hit Switch titles Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. According to Nintendo you won't have to press it up to your face to replay either game in full, instead updates will enhance each title in different ways. In Breath of the Wild, players can jump in and out of the VR experience at will, while playing the same game as always. In Super Mario Odyssey, however, it will gain three "bite-sized bonus experiences" crossing the Cap, Seaside, and Luncheon Kingdoms. Software updates for both titles will arrive on April 25th, a couple of weeks after the VR kit and its accessories hit shelves on the 12th. Nintendo didn't say whether VR upgrades are planned for any other games, but if the add-on takes off then the potential is certainly there.
Read MoreUsing voice chat on the Nintendo Switch is about to get a whole lot easier, thanks to a new controller from PDP. Its Faceoff Deluxe+ wired controller – slated for launch this summer -- features a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can simply plug in your headset and play without messing around with Nintendo's mobile chat app.
Read MoreNintendo's ever-growing library of NES classics that are playable on Switch will add two more entries on the 10th: Punch-Out!!!, Star Soldier and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Punch-Out!!! swaps in Mr. Dream for the game's original boss Mike Tyson -- hopefully without the Wii's scaling-induced lag issues on HDTVs and with all of the Easter eggs -- while SMB: The Lost Levels makes the original 8-bit release (which was released in Japan as SMB 2) playable, but now with easy cloud saves so you don't have to call your brother to get past a tough level. Star Soldier is a classic scrolling shoot-em-up, and all of them will be available if you subscribe to Switch Online. As a reminder, if you have Amazon Prime, you can unlock a free year of access via Twitch, whether or not you've already paid for online service to the console.
Read MoreMozilla's Firefox Reality browser has been available through a number of platform-specific VR portals, but it'll soon be available in a relatively neutral form. The developer has revealed that it's working with Valve to bring Firefox Reality to SteamVR sometime this summer. You'll install it through a new web dashboard button and browse pages in a window that floats over "any OpenVR experience." To put it another way, you could check a walkthrough for a VR-capable Steam game while you're playing it, whether you're using an HTC Vive, an Oculus Rift or Valve's own Index headset.
Read MoreEpic Games threw a grenade into the world of digital distribution when it revealed its own storefront late last year, complete with a better deal for developers than anything offered by Steam, the longstanding king of PC gaming. The Epic Games Store has a revenue-share model of 88 percent for developers and 12 percent for Epic, handily outpacing Steam's standard split of 70/30.
Read MoreThe retro-style RPG Octopath Traveler will no longer only be found on the Nintendo Switch. The PC version of the game will launch on Steam on June 7th, according to a trailer released on Monday by Square Enix. This will follow the mobile-only prequel, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent that came out for Android and iOS just last month.
Read MoreNVIDIA recently announced that ray-tracing is coming to older Pascal GPUs, and now it has detailed how well -- or not well, rather -- it will actually work. If you're happy with basic effects, the news isn't too bad. The RTX 2080 Ti will outperform its 1080 Ti counterpart by just over double for reflections, in line with what you'd expect for a next-gen card. However, for stuff that really adds realism, like advanced shadows, global illumination and ambient occlusion, the RTX 2080 Ti outperforms the 1080 Ti by up to a factor of six.
Read MoreWhen World of Warcraft Classic arrives in the summer, how will player-versus-player combat work? Just like it did when the original game launched, apparently. Blizzard has outlined a gradual introduction for PvP fights that will mimic the initial rollout. To start, there will be no kill tracking or reward system -- if you take down other players, it's mostly for the thrill of it. You'll have to wait for a second phase before an honor system and rank rewards kick in.
Read MoreThe game bar on Windows 10 is adding Spotify and a meme generator to its beta lineup. If you're signed up to the Xbox Insider Hub -- giving you previews of new features before they go public -- you can start blaring music while gaming by logging into the Spotify widget. You'll also be able to play, pause and skip tracks and change the current playback device. An extra audio widget means you can tweak the volume without having to alt-tab out of your game. Spotify will also serve you playlist recommendations, which will likely include its top gaming tracks and ultimate gaming mix.
Read MoreSo much for hopes that Epic would stop signing developers to exclusives for its Games Store. While the company suggested at the Game Developers Conference that it would ramp down its push for exclusives, CEO Tim Sweeney has since said Epic would be "open to continuing" its practice of signing exclusives for its shop, whatever a developer's previous plans were for Steam. The decision to switch stores had to be up to developers and publishers, he added, and Epic wouldn't turn them down just because of what had already been said about Steam.
Read MoreFollowing up on its earning announcements and targets for the year, Sony's Interactive Entertainment (SIE) arm has commented on the PlayStation's future, in that there's no chance of seeing the successor to the PlayStation 4 in stores any time between now and April 2020.
Read MoreSony is warning that it expects to make even less profit in the next year, as PlayStation 4 sales slow down and it invests in its replacement. In the last year, 17.8 million consoles were sold, less than the 19 million sold in 2017. The PS4 is approaching a major milestone — there are currently 96.8 million consoles out there, buoyed by 36.4 million PlayStation Plus subscribers, adding crucial monthly revenues to Sony's accounts.
Read MoreIf you didn't get enough of Persona 5's mix of JRPG gameplay and Japanese city life, you're in luck. Atlus has unveiled Persona 5 Royal, an expanded version of the well-received tale. It'll come to the West in 2020 (the Japanese get to play October 31st of this year) and should flesh out the game in several directions -- including, of course, dating.
Read MoreDreams is finally here. The latest game by Media Molecule, the delightfully whimsical studio behind LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway, was first teased at the PlayStation 4 reveal event in February 2013. A Creator Early Access was released on Tuesday (April 16th), mere hours before Mark Cerny, a systems architect at Sony, revealed the first details about the PlayStation 5. Dreams, then, was dangerously close to missing an entire console generation.
Read MoreTell me all about the PlayStation 5, you say? Well, we don't know everything just yet, but Sony has shared some crucial details in an unusual reveal-and-interview combo yesterday. Oh, and coincidentally, Xbox's digital-only console got priced and detailed, too. The hype starts today. In dryer news, the long-running Apple-Qualcomm royalty lawsuit has been settled, but with repercussions for other companies.
Read MoreMany have suspected that Sony was implementing strict rules on sexual content in PS4 games, and those hunches have just been validated. The company confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that it created its own guidelines for sexual material in games, overriding rating systems like the ESRB's and PEGI's. The move will help developers "offer well-balanced content" that doesn't "inhibit the sound growth and development" of young people, according to a spokeswoman. She didn't outline the rules or say when they took effect.
Read MoreIt's no secret that Sony is working on a new PlayStation console. Last October, for instance, company president Kenichiro Yoshida said it was "necessary" to have "next-generation hardware" after the PlayStation 4 Pro. Sony has been understandably hush-hush since then, shifting the spotlight toward its next batch of exclusive games, such as Days Gone, Dreams, and The Last of Us Part II. Today, however, we have some cold-hard facts about the PlayStation 5 -- or whatever Sony decides to call its new gaming box.
Read MoreWhen Sony finally allowed PSN Online ID changes, it mentioned that you could revert to your old ID as long as it didn't "violate the Terms of Service." But what if your existing name runs afoul of the rules? We now know what will happen. If you choose an ID that Sony deems offensive, such as swearing or bigoted language, it'll automatically assign you a temporary alias ("TempXXXX," where the Xes are numbers) and ask you to choose something more civil. Although that sounds harsh, it's much gentler than what Sony did before name changes were an option -- it would outright ban people who chose offending names.
Read MoreAfter months of teasing and years of waiting, Sony is finally letting you change your PSN Online ID. As of later on April 10th (April 11th for Europe), all PlayStation 4 users can change their handles either on their console or through a web browser. The first change is free, while any subsequent changes will cost $10 (£8 or €10) if you aren't subscribed to PlayStation Plus, and $5 (£4 or €5) if you are. You can revert back to an old ID for free, and you don't have to worry about someone poaching that past alias.
Read MoreSony updated its refund policy for pre-orders and faulty content purchased on the PlayStation Store to make things a bit more lenient for users. The new rules issued on Monday gives users who pre-ordered digital content the option to request a refund. According to the revised policy, if you pre-order a game more than 14 days before its release date, you have up until the date of its release to ask for a refund. If you pre-order a game fewer than 14 days before its release, you have up to two weeks after its launch to request your money back.
Read MoreIf the Oculus Go was an appetizer for truly wireless VR, which is entirely self-contained and doesn't rely on a PC, the Quest is closer to a main course. It's not as immersive as desktop virtual reality, but it's currently the easiest way to show off the potential of this new medium. You don't have to set up any sensors -- just throw on the headset, pick up the motion controllers, and you can jump into a complex virtual world anywhere.
Read MoreCanon's new full-frame mirrorless RF system looked incredibly promising, but it got off to a rough start with the launch of the EOS R, a camera that was missing key features next to rival models from Nikon, Sony and Panasonic. Rather than introducing a better flagship model, however, Canon took the opposite approach. It launched the 26.2-megapixel EOS RP, the lightest and, by far, the least expensive new full-frame mirrorless camera on the market. It's great to have a cheap full-frame mirrorless option, but the problem for Canon is that it only has one affordable RF lens option, and the other two pieces of glass are nearly twice as expensive as the camera itself. And while it's lightweight, portable and has a flip-around screen, the EOS RP is missing several key features, like in-body stabilization. For $1,299, does it truly deliver in value compared to other full-frame mirrorless options?
Read MoreFor almost two years, the second-generation ASUS Chromebook Flip has been the best Chromebook for most people. It hit the sweet spot of price, performance, design and features in a way few other Chrome OS devices have, and it's still one of the best options on the market. But two years is a long time in laptop-land, so ASUS is releasing the new Chromebook Flip C434 with a bigger screen, newer processor and higher asking price. At $579, it costs a full $100 more than its predecessor, and it's not immediately obvious what you're getting for that extra cash. That makes it a tougher sell, especially when there are so many inexpensive Chromebooks on the market. I called the last Flip "the king of Chromebooks," but it's not a foregone conclusion that the latest one will keep that title.
Read MoreAccording to senior mobile editor Chris Velazco, Apple's iPad Pro 12.9 is a lot of things: specifically, sleeker, faster, and more flexible than previous iterations. However, he also noted in his review that the upgraded device is expensive, that its OS is still limited and that the overall experience remains somewhat disappointing. Ultimately, the iPad Pro 12.9 garnered a good, but not great, score of 84. There's certainly plenty to love about this version of the tablet like its A12X Bionic chipset and precise Pencil input, but it doesn't quite match Apple's vision of replacing a laptop for day-to-day work.
Read MoreThere's been another teardown of the Galaxy Fold, and this one might help explain why Samsung decided to delay the phone's launch. iFixit has conducted a part-by-part dissection that suggests the design is "alarmingly fragile," particularly around the hinge. While the actual folding mechanism appears sturdy (if possibly vulnerable to wearing down in the long run), there's no ingress protection -- dirt can easily slip inside, potentially getting stuck between the hinge and the plastic OLED screen.
Read MoreI'll admit it: I was skeptical that a WiFi-connected grill could really improve my casual culinary exploits. During my review of Traeger's Timberline 850 though, I would discover it's actually very useful -- especially for things that take several hours to cook like pulled pork, brisket and ribs. With its 2019 lineup, Traeger extended that WiFi tech to all of its new grills instead of reserving it for the premium Timberline Series. At $1,200, the new Ironwood 650 still isn't cheap, but it offers a lot of what the more expensive Traeger grills do while saving you a few hundred dollars.
Read MoreOur review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was largely positive; reviewer Cherlynn Low found the handset impressive, calling it "one of the best phones of the year." With a "brilliant display," hearty battery life and speedy performance, the Note 9 did plenty to earn its lofty score of 92. Our December call for readers to submit their own reviews of the Note 9 also produced impressive results: We saw nearly 120 new scores and reviews for the flagship phone, most of them agreeing with Cherlynn. But they also tended to be harsher about the phone's shortcomings, resulting in an average user score of 87.
Read MoreHey, good morning! We have our (tentative) verdict on Samsung's Galaxy Fold, as the launch date for the foldable turns into a giant question mark. Tesla is promising a future filled with its robo-taxis, and Pepsi is trying to reinvent the soda fountain, minus the calories.
Read MoreClick. Smack. Click. Smack. Click. Smack. I feel bad for the people in my life, because everywhere I've been for the past week, the sounds of opening and closing Samsung's Galaxy Fold have followed. Even if you're not prone to fidgeting, this $1,980 smartphone will do that to you. It might not be the first commercially available foldable device, but it is the first one from a company with the global influence to make foldable phones a reality for everyone. And it's a lot of fun to open and close endlessly. Click. Smack. Click. Smack. The Galaxy Fold is far more than just a party trick though: It contains multitudes. The Fold represents a new way of thinking about what modern phones should be able to do. It's an impressive technical achievement. Perhaps more than anything, though, it's a fragile, uneven first step down a path toward a new kind of personal computing. That's a mild way of saying that the Fold is profoundly cool but that almost no one should actually consider buying one. If you do, you're basically agreeing to be Samsung's guinea pig as it tries to figure out how to make this new kind of device truly valuable. At this point, the Galaxy Fold is a glorified bit of beta hardware. But even with all of its compromises, it offers a glimpse of a future that -- for me, anyway -- can't come soon enough.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! It's time to take a peek inside Samsung's Galaxy Fold and consider what the future of console gaming will look like under the Xbox or PlayStation banner. Also, consumer BBM is going away and remember to avoid any Avengers: Endgame spoilers that have leaked out.
Read MoreThis teardown is no precision iFixit job, but if you just want to see what parts and pixie dust are holding Samsung's Galaxy Fold together, some images from an apparently now-deleted Weibo post can help. Not surprisingly for a first-gen new device, the design is seems incredibly complex and highlights some of the points of failure that may have lead to quickly-broken review units. According to GSM Arena, the original poster said the flexible 7.3-inch display was "soft like rubber" when removed, although they "shattered" the Fold's small external display while taking it apart. The hinge mechanism seems quite complicated with watch-like gears, and looking inside shows where ribbon cables flow across the joint that's supposed to hold up to hundreds of thousands of bends. Other interesting elements include its inside and outside cameras, as well as two separate battery packs.
Read MoreI wasn't sure what to expect when Fitbit announced the Versa Lite smartwatch. It's supposed to be a pared-back iteration of last year's Versa, which itself was already a watered-down version of the company's first true smartwatch, the Ionic. For $200, the Versa was actually a pretty compelling mix of an Apple Watch-inspired design, capable fitness tracking and a robust operating system at a reasonable price. But it begs the question: How much more stripped down can you get? Apparently about $40 more. Fitbit somehow managed to squeeze $40 of tradeoffs out of the Versa to deliver the Versa Lite. It brings over most of my favorite features from the more expensive watch, but it might be too "lite" even for the first-time smartwatch buyers the company is targeting.
Read MoreEarly Samsung Galaxy Fold adopters might be in for a surprise, judging by some journalists who reported some serious issues with their review units. The Verge's Dieter Bohn claimed a bulge that appeared in the crease of the display broke the screen after just a day of use and CNBC's Steve Kovach tweeted that the display on his review unit has started flickering. Update: Samsung has responded, and said it will investigate reports of broken units.
Read MoreSamsung is gearing up to launch its long-teased foldable flagship and after months of hype, we're finally getting a chance to actually touch the Galaxy Fold. If you're interested in dropping the cool two grand that Samsung is asking for the Fold come April 26th, you're probably wondering what it looks like and whether it's worth the money. Well, at first glance, I can tell you that it definitely has a crease and seems quite sturdy.
Read MoreRoad trips are wonderful. But while cruising along in a beat-up Civic or Bug made for great stories in your 20s, as you get older you want a little more comfort. You also want some power and the latest tech. And you know what, let's throw in the wind rustling through your hair. Turns out you get picky as you age. Don't fret, older human, BMW's got your back.
Read MoreWhile most photographers have left film far behind, many of us are still reliant on another piece of camera tech that's over 70 years old: a mirror. Mirrorless cameras ditch that mirror to let lenses project light directly onto the sensor, and that leads to a host of other differences in how they capture images when compared to their DSLR forebearers.
Read MoreAcer has been busy. It unveiled a whole new brand of computers at its global press conference today, showing off not just a trio of laptops and a pair of desktops, but three monitors and a new VR headset as well. That's in addition to the slew of gaming laptops and displays it also launched here. The new series, called ConceptD, is the result of a collaboration with IF Design and focuses on four principles: accurate color reproduction, powerful performance, silent fans and attractive design.
Read MoreAt first glance, the Acer Predator Helios 700 looks like a chunky gaming notebook. But when you lay your hands on the palm rest and pull it towards you, the keyboard effortlessly slides out. It not only looks impressive, it's a helpful feature that improves cooling, since moving the keyboard forward lets the fans bring in more air. And it also places the wrist rest at an angle, which makes it more ergonomic for your hands to lay on.
Read MoreThe Area-51M is a unique beast. At first glance, it looks like what we used to expect from gaming laptops: It's an intimidating, hulking machine that doesn't belong in the modern age of slim notebooks. But what makes it special is under the hood. Instead of slightly slower and energy-efficient mobile components, it features powerful gear you'd typically find in desktops, like Intel's octa-core i9-9900K CPU, NVIDIA's full-speed RTX GPUs and up to 64GB of RAM. Best of all, you can upgrade those parts down the line, just like a tower gaming rig. What exactly do you call a machine that looks like a laptop but functions like a desktop? The Area-51M practically defies classification. Let's take the philosophically simple approach for now: It's a gaming laptop like no other.
Read MorePanasonic is last to the full-frame mirrorless fight, but it's coming out swinging. In February, it unveiled the S1 and S1R cameras and both of them are tough, beastly models with impressive feature sets. The 24.2-megapixel S1 I'm reviewing here is the more affordable at $2,500, but it's also the most versatile, aimed equally at photographers and videographers. Feature-wise, it lines up closely with Sony's A7 III and the new Nikon Z6. The spec sheet is packed with things like 5-axis in-body stabilization, 10-bit internal 4K recording, a stellar electronic viewfinder and dual card slots. I had concerns about the price and autofocus system, however, so I was very curious to see how it stacked up against its main rivals in a full review. Now, let's find out.
Read MoreLike many gadgets, the Kindle line follows the "good, better, best" marketing strategy. A few years ago, this would mean the difference between features like a touchscreen, better contrast on the display or a much-needed front-lit screen. Today, the distinctions between Kindle models are subtler. When Amazon recently announced that the "All-New Kindle" (that's the basic, non-Paperwhite, non-Oasis model) would come with a front-lit screen, the last big deal-breaker for the most basic e-reader was finally dissolved (unless waterproofing is a must have). For less than $90 (with "special offers"), there's finally a Kindle you can read in the dark, that has a touchscreen, and supports Audible over Bluetooth. I'd wager that for a large slice of Kindle readers, the reasons to spend extra on a Paperwhite are getting more specific.
Read MoreA few years back, LG for Mobile World Congress showed off one of the wildest devices I had ever seen. With a bit of finagling, you could pop off the bottom of the G5's body and swap it out with a camera controller or a high-quality audio DAC. The idea didn't last long, but it spoke to the kinds of risks the company was willing to take to build (what seemed to it, at least) like a winner. I bring up the G5 now, years later, because it was ambitious and interesting in a way most smartphones weren't back then. With LG's new, $820 G8 ThinQ, that unorthodox thinking is once again on display. Sure, it does basically the same thing as every other pricey smartphone this year -- short of folding in half, that is. But there are a few extra tricks here that you won't find elsewhere, and they're interesting enough on paper that LG's flagship once again earns points for ambition. Ambition without concern for usability, however, is the perfect recipe for disappointment. Is it any surprise that's exactly what the G8 turned out to be?
Read MoreIf you live in a bustling city like London, a folding bike is pretty darn useful. You can take it on a train, taxi or bus -- heck, even a Tube carriage if it's quiet -- then disembark and pedal to your final destination. A folding two-wheeler can also be stowed inside your apartment or office, negating the need for hefty locks or built-in location tracking. Across the British Isles, Brompton is the undisputed king of pedal-powered fold-ables. But electric fold-up bicycles? A small company called Gocycle has been making those since 2009 and is arguably the brand to beat at the moment.
Read MoreAfter enough teasing, IKEA saved the full reveal for Italy's premier design show, Salone del Mobile, unveiling not only the $99 SYMFONISK bookshelf with WiFi speaker but also what the furniture maker calls its "loudest table lamp ever" -- yep, an on-trend lamp ($179) that hides a substantial Sonos speaker inside. IKEA has form in combining or hiding technology into its products, like its wireless charging mats built into tables and, again, lamps. According to the company, these products have been well received, so it's going one step further and getting into smart-speaker territory.
Read MoreIf you missed our PlayStation Classic review back in December, here is the impression it left with editor Devindra Hardawar: He found the controllers cheap and the emulation inconsistent, concluding that overall it "feels like a mistake." Ouch. In the end we did not find PlayStation Classic to be a fun throwback or even a worthwhile purchase at all. Therefore, it was awarded a shin-kicking score of 67. And, given the reaction from the commenters on that review, a lot of you were disinclined to let the $100 system anywhere near your TV.
Read MoreWith the release of the Lumix G95 (the G90 in Europe), Panasonic continues to build cameras that appeal equally to photographers and video shooters. The hybrid mirrorless camera packs a 20.3-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor with an all-new Venus engine and 5-axis in-body stabilization. It can shoot at 9 fps, or 6 fps with continuous autofocus, and record 30 fps 4K video or 1080p video at up to 120 fps.
Read MoreDell's XPS 13 is pretty much the best Windows ultraportable around, and you should buy it. Is that enough of a review for you? The XPS has been one of our favorite laptops over the past few years, thanks to its thin screen bezels and elegantly compact design. But this year, Dell has refined it to near perfection. The webcam is finally at the top of the screen, so it's no longer peeking up at your nose from the bottom; there's Dolby Vision HDR support; and somehow Dell managed to shave off even more screen bezel. It's the rare gadget that we can recommend to just about anyone.
Read MoreFor the past few years, Apple's iPad lineup has had a large and obvious hole in it. At one end, there's the $329 iPad, an affordable way to do basic computing and run the many excellent apps out there. It cuts some corners with a years-old design, older processors and a less-advanced screen, but for most people it's good enough. At the other end, there's the iPad Pro, which Apple has made increasingly more powerful in the three years since it first arrived. At this point, it's a bleeding-edge device with Apple's best design, a crazy-fast processor and a big, beautiful screen. It's also quite a bit more expensive, with a starting price of $799. The gap between those two devices is so pronounced that Apple is filling it with a new tablet, the $499 iPad Air -- though calling it new might be a stretch. The iPad Air takes the same design as 2017's 10.5-inch iPad Pro and makes a handful of changes -- some improvements and some downgrades to keep the Air out of iPad Pro territory. It's not the most inspired or exciting product Apple has built (I called it boring after it was announced). But the question is whether its features and improvements over the basic iPad are worth your cash.
Read MoreSmartwatches may no longer have to be expensive to be good. Case in point: the Galaxy Watch Active. Pitched as a lower cost version of last year's Galaxy Watch, Samsung has boiled that flagship smartwatch down to its essentials. It ditched the rotating bezel, pared down the design and slapped on the word "Active" to appeal to sportier users. This smartwatch packs all that Samsung's flagship wearable has to offer, but at a fraction of the price, which means you'll have to deal with some minor tradeoffs.
Read MoreIn the two and a half years since they were first released, Apple's AirPods have undergone a remarkable transformation. What started out as Q-tip-shaped curiosities have become a full-blown millennial status symbol. Now memes run rampant and a YouTuber can clear 600,000 views with a "proposal" video involving Apple's wireless earbuds. (What I can say? The future we live in is weird sometimes.) Beyond their newfound coolness, these earbuds have also brought Apple considerable financial success: A recent report suggests that the AirPods are the most popular wireless headphones in the world, and some would-be rivals have dropped out of the market entirely because of their dominance. I doubt even Apple saw this kind of cultural and commercial impact coming. With all that said, Apple had to produce a follow-up. It's safe to say, though, that these $160 second-generation AirPods aren't exactly what some of the company's fans have been hoping for. Their design hasn't changed so not everyone will find them particularly comfortable, and Apple hasn't done much (if anything) to improve the audio quality. Instead, Apple chose to focus on what made the AirPods so pleasant to use in the first place: their dead-simple convenience. That might not be the most exciting upgrade for people who already have AirPods, but it does mean Apple's second-gen wireless earbuds are a stronger choice than ever for people who haven't taken the plunge yet.
Read MoreSTEM has a bit of an image problem: Despite efforts to make it colorful and friendly, it's still intimidating to a lot of students. When there are parents shoving electronics kits at them while offering no help and teachers insisting that learning to code is fundamental to their career prospects, some kids end up completely turned off. But now Lego Education has a $330 kit, Spike Prime, aimed at building coding literacy and overcoming the confidence problem that drives many kids away from STEM before they reach high school.
Read MoreRemember when Spider-Man came out last year for the PS4 and everybody was agog over how realistic and seamless the gameplay mechanics were -- how much it "felt" like you were Spidey himself? Marvel's Iron Man VR would like you to hold its beer.
Read MoreThere's been at least one moment in the past year when Sean Murray, the creator of No Man's Sky, has been seated around an awards-ceremony table with the people behind Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege or Warframe, and they've all shared a moment of incredulity. "We're like, 'Yeah, so, two years ago was pretty rough, right?'" Murray said, laughing. "And everyone's in the same boat."
Read MoreFor a company with relatively little experience making laptops, Huawei's MateBook X Pro was a revelation. The machine was one of the best you could buy, with a blend of style and performance that made it the equal of a brand-name incumbent. Now, the company has to deal with the raised expectations that come when your last device was regarded as class leading. It's the sort of problem that could lead some design teams to second-guess themselves as they wonder what made the first one such a hit. Do you stick with what works or try to push the envelope in the hope of reaching even greater heights? Huawei's wisely chosen not to reinvent the wheel, here, but that conservatism means there's really not much to distinguish this from its predecessor.
Read MoreAnki, the startup responsible for adorable robotics, is closing its doors and will terminate nearly 200 employees Wednesday. CEO Boris Sofman broke the news to staff today, Recode reports. In a statement provided to Engadget, the company said, "A significant financial deal at a late stage fell through with a strategic investor and we were not able to reach an agreement."
Read MoreA small part of us always knew the Laundroid was too good to be true. The black obelisk, developed by Japanese company Seven Dreamers, was supposed to be a washing machine, dryer, ironing and laundry-folding robot rolled into one. It was the perfect appliance, in short, for chore-dodging so-and-sos who hate dealing with grimy clothes. But that dream has come to a predictable end. Today, Seven Dreamers filed for bankruptcy in Japan, all but ensuring its halo product will never reach store shelves. According to Teikoku Databank, a private credit research agency, the company owes 2.25 billion yen ($20.1 million USD) to 200 creditors.
Read MoreThere have been many attempts at teaching robots how to grab delicate objects, but they tend to rely on rough approximations that quickly fall apart in real life. MIT researchers may have a better solution: teach robots to predict how even the squishiest items will react to their touch. They've developed a "learning-based" particle simulation system that helps robots refine their approach. The new model captures how small pieces of a given material (the "particles" in question) react to touch, and learns from that information when the physics of a given interaction aren't clear. It's akin to how humans intuitively understand grip -- we already have ideas based on our personal understanding of physics.
Read MoreUgh, when did getting stoned become so much work? Back in my day, there was one kind of weed: whatever strain your dealer had in stock. And there were only three ways to enjoy it: through a perforated apple, rolled up in a crude approximation of a joint, or out of a brass pipe you had a homeless guy buy for you on Haight Street. (Thanks again, Igloo!) Never did I have to worry about whether I had the right kind of charging cable or port adapter, only whether my BIC lighter still had gas. Now I've got to consider indicas vs sativas, THC vs CBD, and whether I want to smoke, vape, sublimate, eat or drink my weed. It's all getting to be just a bit much. That's why this 4/20, I'm going back to basics. I'm going to roll a couple monster joints and eat as much weed butter-smeared sourdough toast as my belly will hold. Of course that doesn't mean I'm going old school all the way and doing this all by hand. Here are the gadgets I'll be using to stoner-proof the process.
Read MoreHow many SpotMini robots does it take to haul a big truck? Just 10, apparently. Boston Dynamics' new video shows 10 of its canine-inspired machines attached to a box truck like sled dogs, pulling it across the company's parking lot with a one-degree uphill slope. There was a driver behind the wheel during the demonstration, probably to prevent accidents, but the vehicle itself was in neutral.
Read MoreWe often frame new automation technology as a grave and immediate threat to the jobs and livelihoods of the humans whose tasks the machines take over. Tell that to the custodians at Sea-Tac airport who no longer have to spend their nights scrubbing floors, or sales associates at your local supermarket who will no longer have to schlep carts full of products throughout the store thanks to BrainCorps' smart scrubbers and tugs.
Read MoreIt can be a pain for workers to sort recycling, both because of the safety and the sheer monotony of it. But how do you get robots to do the job when they can't always tell the difference between a can and a cardboard tube? For MIT CSAIL, it's simple: give the robots a sense of touch. Its researchers have developed a recycling robot, RoCycle, that uses sensors in its hand to determine the nature of an item and sort it accordingly. A strain sensor gauges an object's size, while two pressure sensors determine how squishy that object may be, whether it's easily-crushed paper or more rigid plastic. It can even detect the presence of metal, since the sensors are conductive.
Read MoreThe delivery robot field is still tiny, but there are signs that it's growing. Starship Technologies has announced that its autonomous courier bots have completed 50,000 commercial deliveries worldwide since its first service launched in the UK in 2018. It also boasted that the robots have traveled more than 200,000 miles.
Read MoreBrick and mortar stores have been hit hard by online retailers like Amazon. Walmart (which has its own online presence) believes it has an answer to dwindling sales. Its solution, robots that take care of mundane jobs (like cleaning up spills) while its staff spends their time helping customers.
Read MoreWith legitimate economic uncertainties for some of us, paired with predictions of a dystopian end of days at their hands, tech like robots, AI and automation have earned a bad rap. Sony has taken a soft-touch approach when it comes to robotics, perhaps best illustrated by its iconic electronic pet, Aibo. It's just one effort from a company that has seen a resurgence over the last few years, not just through a redesigned robot dog, but also its work on self-driving car sensors. Alongside CES and the other usual tech shows, Sony has been attending Milan Design Week for the past few years, and this time its lofty concepts touch on artificial intelligence, robotic empathy and how we're all going to feel about it. I wouldn't say I walked away with any answers, however.
Read MoreOne year after Open Bionics began selling its 3D-printed Hero Arm prosthetic in the UK, the bionic arm is available in the US. Open Bionics has made a name for itself as a start-up specializing in low-cost prosthetics, and you might remember it as the company behind arms inspired by Iron Man, Star Wars, Frozen and Deus Ex. But until now, the Hero Arm has only been available in the UK and France.
Read MoreWhile Boston Dynamics' robots make for fascinating -- sometimes disturbing -- internet videos, they haven't quite crossed into everyday life. That could change sooner rather than later. Boston Dynamics took a big step toward bringing its box-moving (and running, jumping, dishwashing) robots into the real world with its acquisition of Kinema Systems.
Read MoreRemember that today is the worst day in the tech-media calendar: April Fools. Anything dumb or frivolous is likely just a company's efforts to inject some corporation-approved 'fun' / troll baiting into their day-to-day work. Stay skeptical, stay safe for the next 24 hours, please.
Read MoreNo, this isn't an April Fool's joke: A Russian defense contractor has patented a drone that uses a shotgun to blast other drones out of the sky. It comes from Almaz Antey, a Russian defense contractor that manufactures the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile that caused a rift between Turkey and the US. The tail-sitting drone takes off on the spot but flies like an airplane for greater efficiency, giving it a 40-minute range while packing a fully-automatic Vepr-12 shotgun with a 10-round magazine.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Would you buy a 43-inch TV that works in vertical mode? Why didn't you buy Anki's cute toy robots? When are you going to try that meatless Burger King Whopper? So many questions, and it's only Tuesday.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, Samsung warned investors that its Q1 profit would drop about 60 percent from the same period in 2018. Now the detailed report has arrived, confirming that projection with an operating profit of $5.4 billion that reflected a 23 percent drop in revenue from its memory chip business. Samsung also suffered smaller drops in the mobile and consumer electronics divisions. Still the company claims "the newly launched Galaxy S10 smartphone logged solid sales." Paired along with its midrange A series, it expects market demand to increase slightly in the next quarter even as prices drop. Once item it didn't mention in the report is the now-delayed Galaxy Fold, however the future of foldable devices is still expected to increase profits in its display division. It still believes foldable devices, along with the Galaxy Note and 5G will help "strengthen" its leadership in premium smartphones. Its earnings call is still ongoing, if there's any notable news we will update this post. Update: In response to a question, Samsung executives said they expect to announce a new launch date for the Galaxy Fold in the next few weeks. They still believe it will find a place as a premium device for consumers looking for a new kind of experience, and their conviction that it will create a new category of devices has not changed.
Read MoreSamsung has unveiled "The Sero," a 43-inch quantum-dot QLED TV with an attention-grabbing gimmick. It can be flipped around 90 degrees, letting you watch Instagram, Snap and other smartphone videos in their native vertical configurations. Samsung said it wanted to diversify its lineup and came up with the idea by studying the tastes of mobile-loving millennials. "Samsung will continue introducing screens that respect personal consumer tastes," said display president Han Jong-hee.
Read MoreThe Galaxy Fold won't make its planned launch date as Samsung looks into problems experienced by several reviewers with test units. In the meantime, the folks at iFixit did what they do best and pulled one apart, but on Thursday explained their choice to "withdraw" the teardown. While iFixit usually gets a device specifically for the purpose of pulling it apart, this one was apparently provided by a third party. Samsung then asked that "trusted partner" to have the teardown removed and iFixit -- while insisting it didn't have to -- acquiesced to keep the peace. iFixit called the device it undid "alarmingly fragile," but also noted in today's post that "Our team appreciated the chance to look inside this ambitious device. All new products face challenges—this one perhaps more than most." We still don't know exactly what Samsung might tweak before the Galaxy Fold is rescheduled for a proper retail launch, but it's possibly that the company doesn't want to expose problems, or any secrets before the thing is actually on sale. Either way, the teardown is out there now, and preserved in the Internet Archive if someone really wants to what a Fold test unit has inside and, perhaps more importantly, what it might lack in protection that would allow debris inside.
Read MoreSamsung's chip division is its most lucrative, but memory chip prices are falling and the company's overall operating profits are slipping. In response, Samsung just announced a $116 billion investment in non-memory chip R&D and production infrastructure. Some see that as a move to sell chips to other companies and take on competitors like Qualcomm, Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC).
Read MoreThe $2,000 Galaxy Fold is already off to a bumpy start no thanks to some broken review units (ours is fine, by the way), and though the April 26th launch in the US remains unaffected, folks on the other side of the world aren't as lucky. Over the weekend, Samsung announced that it has postponed the press events in Hong Kong and Shanghai, which were originally scheduled for April 23rd and 24th i.e. this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Read MoreSamsung only just started manufacturing 7-nanometer chips recently, but it's already taken another big step in the race to keep up with Moore's Law. The company announced that it has started sampling 5-nanometer chips, and will start building them for smartphones and other gadgets in the second quarter of 2020. The benefits won't be enormous, but they will be significant: You'll get about a 20 percent savings in power, or a 10 percent boost in speed.
Read MoreSamsung just released guidance for its Q1 2019 earnings report, and estimates an operating profit of 6.2 trillion won (about $5.5 billion), which is less than half of the $14.4 billion profit it recorded in the same period last year. Samsung had issued an unprecedented warning for investors of bad news on the way, citing declines in prices for memory chips, and lower demand for screens like the OLED display it makes for Apple's iPhone. We'll have to wait a few more weeks for a detailed breakdown and final numbers, but in its last earnings report Samsung noted how it hoped the Galaxy S10 series would help turn things around. The prediction for overall revenue dropped by only fourteen percent, to 52 trillion won. The last time Samsung saw a drop of this magnitude, we were looking forward to the Galaxy Note 4 and 4K TVs. Now the company hopes investments in data centers will drive more demand for memory, and that the high-priced Galaxy Fold can drive profits by enticing competitors to use its flexible display tech for their own devices.
Read MoreSamsung's 5G phone will be available for sale in South Korea on April 5th. The launch of the S10 5G comes ahead of South Korea finalizing plans to become the first country to roll-out 5G nationwide. Samsung's phone will likely recruit an onslaught of people onto the new mobile network and serve as a litmus test as more countries expand to 5G in 2019.
Read MoreResearchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a method to wirelessly transmit radio frequency via a semiconductor laser. The breakthrough, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a marked advancement on conventional lasers, which can only emit a single frequency of light. The researcher's development can use lasers to emit microwaves, modulate them and receive external radio frequency signals, which opens up the possibility for "ultra-high-speed WiFi."
Read MorePeople with neurological conditions who lose the ability to speak can still send the brain signals used for speech (such as the lips, jaw and larynx), and UCSF researchers might just use that knowledge to bring voices back. They've crafted a brain machine interface that can turn those brain signals into mostly recognizable speech. Instead of trying to read thoughts, the machine learning technology picks up on individual nerve commands and translates those to a virtual vocal tract that approximates the intended output.
Read MoreYour muscles are soft, pliable, and can resist fatigue after thousands of repetitive movements. Researchers at MIT have found a way to make synthetic hydrogels act like muscles by putting them through a vigorous workout. After being mechanically trained in a water bath, the hydrogels became pliant, soft and resistant to breakdown. A paper with the study's findings was published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Read MoreIt turns out the meal kits you can have delivered to your door by services like Blue Apron, HelloFresh and even Walmart might be more than convenient. They could be better for the environment, too. It's a bit counter intuitive given all the packaging and delivery involved. But a study by the University of Michigan found that the carbon dioxide emissions tied to the average grocery store meal were two kilograms higher than those linked to most pre-packed options.
Read MoreWelcome 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.
Read More"In New York, my bicycle messenger really had two types of cannabis. It was either green or brown." Michael Ray is the CEO of Bloom Farms, a California-based cannabis company that specializes in vape cartridges and CBD tinctures. Ray's reflecting on cannabis's current cultural explosion. As an increasing number of states fully legalize it, alongside countries like Canada, the curtain of illegitimacy is slowly lifting. For the first time, cannabis can be explored and experimented with in plain sight. The result: an emerging trend of tailored and targeted vape products that claim to do more than get you lifted. Cannabis is going a la carte.
Read MoreIn order to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius, we'll need to rely on renewable energy, electric vehicles (EV) and battery storage. But creating that infrastructure will dramatically increase our need for metals like cobalt and lithium. A report released this week cautions that a spike in demand for those and other metals could drain the planet's reserves and lead to dire social and environmental consequences.
Read MoreAn international team of scientists have developed a new CRISPR-based, gene editing tool. The researchers, led by the University of Michigan and Cornell University, compare the new tool to a shredder capable of wiping out long stretches of DNA. In comparison, previous CRISPR tools have been more like scissors that make individual snips. With the new method, scientists hope they might better understand various diseases and develop more advanced treatments.
Read MoreUsed to be that once someone cut off your head, your life was over. That may no longer be the case. A study published in the journal Nature this week illustrates Yale researchers' successful efforts to restore and preserve the cellular function of pig brains up to four hours after their decapitation at a local slaughterhouse. Miracle Max, eat your heart out.
Read MoreThe first human trials in the US for CRISPR gene editing are officially underway. A University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia spokesman has confirmed to NPR that two cancer patients, one with myeloma and one with sarcoma, have received CRISPR treatments after standard treatment didn't hold. The trial removes, modifies and reinserts immune cells in hopes they'll destroy cancerous cells.
Read MoreResearchers at Tel Aviv University managed to successfully print the first ever 3D heart that uses cells and biological materials from a patient. The medical breakthrough, which was published today in Advanced Science, managed to produce an entire heart, complete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers -- a marked improvement over previous attempts that only printed simple tissues without vessels.
Read MoreHow do you identify one molecule among tens of thousands? Traditionally, scientists dye molecules in various colors. But what if each individual molecule had its own unique identifier? Researchers at Duke University are trying to make that a reality by labeling molecules with short strands of light-up DNA. The team discussed their invention, which they deem "temporal barcodes", in a paper published this month in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology.
Read MoreThere's a reason that scuba divers use sign language and that caves and tunnels create radio dead zones. The laws of physics prevent radio signals from penetrating materials like water, soil and stone, and that's been a frustrating limitation of modern wireless communication. Now, the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory might have a solution: a four-inch-tall, pocket-sized antenna that emits very low frequency (VLF) radiation.
Read MoreYes, it happened. After years of relying on computer-generated imagery, scientists using the Event Horizon Telescope have captured the first real image of a black hole. The snapshot of the supermassive black hole in the Messier 87 galaxy (about 55 million light years away) shows the "shadow" created as the event horizon bends and sucks in light. It also confirms that the black hole is truly huge, with a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun. As you might imagine, taking this picture was tricky -- it required worldwide collaboration that wasn't possible until recently.
Read MoreLogic would suggest that music downloads and streaming are good for the environment. You're not buying physical copies, right? Not so fast -- there's a chance things could be worse. Researchers have published a study suggesting that greenhouse gas emissions are higher now than they were when physical media was all the rage. While going digital has reduced the amount of plastic, the combination of extra power demands and the sheer popularity of music (you can listen to virtually anything for $10 per month, after all) may have offset other gains. Where vinyl produced 346 million pounds of greenhouse gasses at its height in 1977, downloads and streaming are estimated to pump out 441 million to 772 million pounds.
Read MoreOne of the major drawbacks to renewable energy sources like wind and solar is that we don't have an effective way to store excess energy. When the wind blows, we might have more than enough energy to feed the grid, but we can't store the surplus. Then, on breezeless days, we're left powerless. As trite as that might sound, it's unfortunately valid, and companies like Tesla have been trying to develop large battery storage solutions. Now, researchers at Stanford University are working on a biology-based battery alternative.
Read MoreIf you've had a window seat next to the wing of an airplane, you've probably watched as flaps on the wing engage and disengage as a plane takes off and lands. That's because in each phase of flight -- take off, landing, cruising and maneuvering -- the ideal wing parameters vary. Until now, we've made do by modifying rigid wings with hinged surfaces. But imagine if the entire wing could change shape -- that's what researchers led by NASA and MIT are working towards.
Read MoreRemember the comically enormous phone that Avenir Telecom showed off under the Energizer brand at this year's Mobile World Congress? Its subsequent crowdfunding campaign has crashed and burned, as The Verge points out.
Read MoreImages of an unannounced new version of the Motorola RAZR appear to have leaked online. The renders, which first appeared in a post on Weibo and were reuploaded to SlashLeaks, depict a vertically folding screen design. They also show off a wireless charging station and range of accessories, all of which seems to fit in a triangular box.
Read MoreHey, good morning! Yes, it's Monday, and we've already been surprised by a gaming phone that comes with its own built-in cooling fan. We've also got Android phone alerts on your Windows PC, and the tale of the Apple Watch's early beginnings, as the wearable turns four years old.
Read MoreIf that whole folding smartphone thing doesn't work out, Samsung has lot of other ideas cooking. It recently received patent approval for a continuous display that covers the front, while folding around the top and part of the rear of the phone, as spotted by Let's Go Digital. That would make for some interesting applications, like letting subjects see how they look before you take a photo or showing live language translations on the rear display.
Read MoreWe've already seen the likes of ASUS and Black Shark offering external cooling fans for their gaming smartphones, but the folks over at Nubia reckon it's about time to stuff a fan inside a phone (I mean, what else would you expect from a company that brought back the wearable phone?). Today, the Chinese brand unveiled the Red Magic 3 which not only packs a "liquid cooling" copper heat pipe, but also an internal cooling fan. This small fan is said to run quietly but can spin up to 14,000 rpm, and it has an IP55 rating plus its own isolated chamber, so you won't have to worry about liquids and dust getting in. It's apparently good for over 30,000 hours of continuous use, though Nubia didn't specify the speed used for the test. Regardless, combining this fan with the heat pipe, the phone's heat transfer performance is apparently five times better than conventional passive cooling methods, thus ensuring a smooth gaming experience for a longer period.
Read MoreVerizon (Engadget's parent company) has opened pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. You'll need access to 5G connections to get the most out of the device of course, so the provider has also named 20 more cities in which it will turn on its mobile 5G network this year.
Read MoreOppo may have already teased its first 5G smartphone in Zurich earlier this month, but today, the company is bringing its entire Reno family -- including the mid-range Reno and the flagship Reno 10x Zoom -- to Europe. This means the Chinese brand will be going head to head with Huawei using its very own 10x hybrid zoom camera outside of its home territory. With the $1,000 Reno 5G leading the party ahead of its May launch, the Reno 10x Zoom follows with a €799 (about $890) base price due in early June, whereas the Reno lands at a more modest €499 ($560) on May 10th.
Read MoreOnePlus has confirmed when it will showcase the OnePlus 7 lineup for the first time. On May 14th at 11 AM Eastern Time, the company will unveil its latest handsets at simultaneous events in four cities: New York, London, Beijing and Bangalore.
Read MoreThose rumors of Samsung delaying the Galaxy Fold have quickly proven true. Samsung has issued a statement to Engadget saying it would "delay the release" of the Fold after reviewers' broken units showed how the device needed "further improvements." Impacts on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge appeared to create problems based on early data, the company said, while substances that got into the device also "affected performance." Samsung planned to strengthen the display protection and "enhance the guidance" on care for the display to prevent people from removing the vital top layer of the screen.
Read MoreIf you were jittery about reports of broken Galaxy Fold review units, you might not be the only one. Wall Street Journal sources claim Samsung has delayed the release of the folding smartphone until "at least" May after reviewers mentioned display issues. A new time frame is due in the "coming weeks," according to the insiders. Samsung has reportedly linked the problems to the Fold's hing and extra pressure on the 7.3-inch internal screen.
Read MoreSamsung has started rolling out a new feature for the Galaxy S10 camera called "Night" mode, according to SamMobile. It looks like a replacement for the original "Bright Night" feature that activated automatically (and only automatically) to let you take long exposures in very low-light conditions. With Night mode, you can decide when to turn the feature on and off, much as you can on Huawei's P30 Pro or with the Pixel 3's "Night Sight."
Read MoreThe BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition lands in the US today with double the storage out of the box (128GB). More of a stop-gap than a sequel, the handset also packs Hub+ software improvements and refreshed versions of the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Calendar. Plus you get red earbuds to match the scarlet hues on the phone's front and sides (and in-between the keys on that touch-sensitive keyboard).
Read MoreEven after extensive durability testing, reports surfaced yesterday that several Galaxy Fold reviewers had already suffered from broken devices. It appears they're experiencing more than one type of issue, mostly tied to the device's innovative folding display technology, and in a statement released tonight Samsung said it "will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter." According to Wall Street Journal reporter Joanna Stern, the Fold's planned April 26th launch is still on with no hint of a delay.
Read MoreFor its latest AI-powered trick, the Pixel 3 identifies your expressions to automatically snap selfies. Courtesy of an update to the front-facing camera's Photobooth mode, Google's flagship can capture shots when you're smiling, kissing/pouting, sticking your tongue out, puffing your cheeks, or looking surprised.
Read MoreIf you're eagerly awaiting word of the next OnePlus handset, a few leakers who have been reliable in the past have information for you. Between @OnLeaks/Pricebaba and Ishan Agarwal, they've claiming we can expect a global launch event on May 14th, with up to three variants of the device on display: the OnePlus 7, the OnePlus 7 Pro and a OnePlus 7 Pro 5G model. While renderings should be taken with a grain of salt, the designs shown include a 6.4-inch OnePlus 7 with a teardrop camera up front and dual 48 MP rear camera that looks similar to the current 6T. That includes an in-display fingerprint sensor and up to 10GB of RAM like the 6T McLaren Edition, along with a Snapdragon 855 CPU and 4,150 mAh battery inside. The OnePlus 7 Pro specs, similar to earlier leaks, list it as larger, at 6.64-inches with a notchless curved glass design, a pop-up camera, plus a triple rear 48 MP camera setup that uses its additional lenses for telephoto and ultrawide pictures. Finally, according to @OnLeaks, there will also be a 5G-ready variant of the Pro.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Morning, there! As we handle the Galaxy Fold for the first time (that front screen...), Engadget kicks off something new: a camera guide for 2019. It details what you should buy as well as what equipment the biggest YouTubers are using for their vlogs, and it explains exactly how mirrorless cameras do what they do. Got more camera questions? Shoot them along to ask@engadget.com.
Read MoreThere's not much new to say about the Galaxy Fold at this point. It's a phone. That folds. It's expensive. And it may or may not have a significant design flaw, depending on how you look at it. The only remaining question was: When can people lay claim to one? The answer is tomorrow. Samsung just issued a brief saying that starting tomorrow customers in the US can "reserve their spot in the private pre-order," which begins April 15th. We already knew that the Fold would go on sale in the US on April 26th, and a press release from T-Mobile, for one, confirms that's still true. In its statement, Samsung added that the Galaxy S10 5G will ship here in the states sometime in May. When we say expensive, by the way, we're talking $1,980 for the Fold. As a refresher, the device has a 4.6-inch AMOLED display on the outside, along with a flexible 7.3-inch AMOLED screen when the device is unfolded. You're also getting six cameras and Samsung's Wireless Powershare technology for wirelessly charging other devices. Not bad, but then again: This is an experimental first-generation device that not even us reviewers have gotten to play with. As for the 5G Galaxy S10, Samsung somehow still hasn't mentioned a price, which is weird given how soon it will be available. For now, think of it as a higher-spec Galaxy S10, with a larger battery and a more advanced camera setup. Keeping in mind that the S10 itself starts at $900, that should at least put us in the correct ballpark. Update: This post has been corrected to say that only the Fold will be available for pre-reservations tomorrow. The S10 will be available in May but will not be up for pre-order this week.
Read MoreChildish Gambino teamed up with Google to promote the Pixel's Playground mode earlier this year -- now the collaboration is continuing at Coachella, where the rapper will host a festival experience designed to show off the Pixel 3's Night Sight capabilities.
Read MoreSamsung wants to bring the rotating camera phone back. And the Galaxy A80 is the phone that's going to do it. It has a huge 6.7-inch 1,080 x 2,400 AMOLED screen, but before we dig into all the other specs, let's get right into the most interesting point: that rotating triple camera, made for both primary shooting and your selfies. And thus, no notch. It will launch in Europe, Asia and other territories on May 29th.
Read MoreIf you thought the leak from two weeks ago had given the game away for Oppo's new Reno smartphone series, don't worry, as the real deal has more to offer. At the Shanghai launch event today, Oppo finally unveiled its first two Reno devices -- the Reno Standard Edition and the Reno 10x Zoom Edition -- while also teasing the Reno 5G which will be shown off in Zurich later today.
Read MoreWho do you think is most likely to switch to value-for-money phones like the Pixel 3 and OnePlus 6T? Former iPhone users balking at iOS or top-tier pricing? No -- it's prior Samsung owners, according to a study. Counterpoint Research estimated that ex-Galaxy users represented 51 percent of Pixel 3 buyers and 37 percent of 6T customers in the fourth quarter of 2018. While there were iPhone converts, they were much smaller slices of the pie at 18 percent for the Pixel and 16 percent for the 6T.
Read MoreFlagship features continue to trickle down from $1,000 phones to their more-affordable brothers, and the same is happening with the chips that power them. Qualcomm unveiled new midrange mobile CPUs today that offer advanced features typically reserved for high-end phones, like AI processing and gaming enhancements. The Snapdragon 730, 730G and 665 are supposed to show up in (presumably cheaper-than-flagship) devices in mid-2019, meaning we may have a slate of budget-friendly handsets to look out for.
Read MoreAt long last, RED is shipping the titanium version of its Hydrogen One phone. It promised the variant when it announced the handset in 2017, and took pre-orders for that version at the full $1,595 cost. When RED delayed the titanium model last September, it sent those who pre-ordered it the aluminum version, and now those folks are receiving a titanium handset as well at no extra cost.
Read MoreGoogle's first mid-range Pixel phones may be close at hand -- at least, if Google itself is any indication. Both the company's store and the Google Play Developer Console's device catalog (which helps app developers allow or restrict device access) have made references to the Pixel 3a phone family. The store isn't revealing much beyond the series' existence, but it does hint that there will be a fabric case. The device catalog is the real star of the show, as it appears to confirm some of the core details.
Read MoreWhatever particular complaints you have about the Palm phone, there's one that people can generally agree on: it's that you have to use it as a secondary handset. Thankfully, you won't have to buy a larger device if you don't want to. Palm's pint-sized phone is now available as a stand-alone product through Verizon (Engadget's parent company) for $199 after a $150 discount that ends May 1st. It'll have its own number and data plan, just like its many bigger counterparts. The company pitches it as an option for athletes who want an unintrusive communicator, a first phone for kids or just an everyday carry for minimalists.
Read MoreYou might not have to spring for a premium-priced flagship to get a smartphone with an abundance of cameras. Well-known tipster OnLeaks and CashKaro have shared renders and details of a mystery device they say is a future Motorola device with four rear cameras. It's not certain just what those cameras would do, but a "48MP" label suggests that Motorola will either have a main 48-megapixel sensor or combine multiple 12-megapixel sensors like you see on the Nokia 9 PureView.
Read MoreJust a few weeks after Google released the initial beta for Android Q, the company is offering its first update. Android Q beta 2 arrives today, along with an updated SDK for developers. The preview of the upcoming operating system shows off Google's new and improved gesture controls, multitasking chat bubbles and an emulator that shows how Android Q will work on foldable devices.
Read MoreNokia is the latest Android phone-maker to embrace the hole-punch display with the launch of the X71. Camera-centric phones have been par for the course for Nokia under both its previous owner Microsoft and current brand licensee HMD Global. The new handset, which touts a 48-megapixel triple-camera with Zeiss lenses, is no different.
Read MoreAt the F8 conference today, Facebook announced it's working on more tools to stop and prevent bullying. The changes will include things like nudges -- if you make an aggressive comment, Instagram will warn you to tone it down a bit. The platform will also offer a new away mode, which users can opt into when they're going through a sensitive time -- possibly a breakup or a transition to a new school.
Read MoreWith over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram sees a major opportunity to disrupt online shopping. And, over the past year or so, the company has been working hard to make shopping a cornerstone feature of its app. Just last month, it started allowing users buy products from a select group of brands without leaving the application, and now it's taking that one step further by opening up these features to celebrities, athletes and influencers. Starting next week, Instagram will make it easy for you to shop looks from your favorite creators: They'll now be able to tag products in their posts, giving you the ability to buy whatever they may be wearing (from apparel to cosmetics) directly from the app.
Read MoreAs rumored, Instagram is indeed getting ready to roll out a test that hides "Like" counts from people looking at your pictures and videos. The company made the announcement at Facebook's F8 developers conference, where it revealed that it will start doing this with users in Canada next week. With the test, Instagram plans to remove the total number of likes from photos and videos on that show up on the main feed, profiles and permalinked pages.
Read MoreIt's going to be much easier to raise money on Instagram for your favorite nonprofits starting today -- if you're in the US, that is. The Facebook-owned platform has introduced a Donation sticker for Stories, and it even directly links to nonprofit groups' accounts. Slapping it on a Story is as easy as using, say, the location or the #hashtag sticker. Simply tap on its icon from the sticker tray, choose an organization to support and use the platform's tools to bling up your campaign. You can see how much you've raised by swiping up on the Story, and the full amount of what you see there will go straight to the nonprofit you choose.
Read MoreFacebook will soon let Marketplace sellers ship items anywhere in the continental US, while you'll be able to pay for purchases directly through the platform. As such, sellers who are happy to ship their goods will be able to cater to customers on the other side of the country. Buyers, meanwhile, should have access to a broader selection of items and perhaps some peace of mind through purchase protection for eligible items.
Read MoreIf you've ever wanted to let Facebook know who your romantic crush is -- and no, "poking" doesn't count -- soon you'll have the chance to do just that. Today, at its F8 2019 developers conference, the company announced Secret Crush, a new feature that will let you use Facebook Dating to express interest in someone from your friends on the site. Facebook says that users have told it they believe there's an opportunity to explore romances within their own extended circle of friends on Facebook, and that's how the idea for Secret Crush came to be.
Read MoreFacebook is introducing a feature called "Meet New Friends" at F8 2019, its annual developers conference. The company says that Meet New Friends is designed to help users start friendships with others from their shared communities on Facebook, such as the city you live in, the school you go/went to or the place you work at. Since this may raise privacy concerns, which is the last thing the company needs right now, Facebook is quick to point out that Meet New Friends is an opt-in tool. That means you'll only come across other people who have turned the feature on, and the same goes for you populating on someone else's feed.
Read MoreFacebook Messenger has undergone a lot of changes in the past few months. With Messenger 4, for example, it did away with clutter by going from nine tabs to four, and simplified the interface so it was easier to send a photo and start a video call. It also introduced dark mode, threaded replies, and a ten-minute unsend window. At F8 2019, Facebook's annual developer conference, the company announced there would be even more changes coming to Messenger in 2019. New features include a more lightweight app, a dedicated area for close friends and family, a "watch party" feature, a desktop app, and end-to-end encryption.
Read MoreSri Lanka's president ordered an end to the country's temporary ban on social media. The ban was instituted after devastating suicide bombings on Easter Sunday left more than 250 people dead. According to the New York Times, the government issued a statement today calling on the public "to use social media responsibly even though the ban is lifted, due to the prevailing situation in the country."
Read MoreTwitter might have lost the right to livestream NFL games to Amazon a couple of years ago, but it remains tight with the league. The social network has revealed its expanded lineup of both live programming and on-demand video content at the 2019 Digital Content NewFronts, and it includes six new live NFL shows. They're specifically created for audiences on Twitter and will revolve around the biggest football events, such as the NFL Kickoff, the Thanksgiving games and (of course) the Super Bowl.
Read MoreFacebook is making good on its promise to better understand the complicated role it plays in global politics. The social media giant announced the first recipients of a grant that will allow researchers access to its privacy-protected data for the study of social media's impact on elections. More than 60 researchers from 30 academic institutions from 11 countries were picked by an independent peer-review review board. Grantees will have access to an unprecedented amount of data from Facebook and Instagram for their research; a total of 6.9 billion page posts, 1.2 billion group posts, 11.2 million verified profile posts and 1.6 billion Instagram posts.
Read MorePewDiePie (aka Felix Kjellberg) has largely left himself out of commentary on the effects of the "subscribe to PewDiePie" meme that has been circulating for months, but he's now weighing in. The YouTube star has posted a video calling on viewers to end the meme roughly a day after a shooter at a California synagogue referenced it in his screed. While he had already used Twitter to condemn the Christchurch, New Zealand mass shooter's reference in March, he realized the meme "should have ended then" and that more was necessary.
Read MoreEver since Elon Musk tweeted about taking Tesla private his use of the platform has been troublesome in the government's eyes, but today the CEO reached an amended agreement with the SEC. According to Reuters, if a judge approves the deal then charges of contempt in his earlier settlement will be dropped. It requires that Musk get prior approval from Tesla's legal department when he makes public statements about the company's finances. In December, Musk told 60 Minutes "I do not respect the SEC" and cited the First Amendment. The SEC sought to hold him in contempt due to a February tweet that overstated how many vehicles Tesla projected to build this year. A copy of the agreement, uploaded by BBC reporter Dave Lee, shows the specific language added that explains:
Read MoreWe're going into Friday with some bad news for Sinemia and the potential for one-day default Amazon Prime shipping. Also: turn the tables on the CIA and follow them on Instagram.
Read MoreThe CIA launched its Instagram account on Thursday afternoon in a bid for transparency that will probably only reveal how thirsty it is for likes. Sure enough, America's top spy agency's debut post on Instagram is an obviously staged shot of a fake CIA employee's desk; complete with props that would be more at home in Harriet the Spy than Zero Dark Thirty. There is a wig disguise and a paper bag labeled "Top Secret Pulp". The caption is "I spy with my little eye...".
Read MoreYou'll soon be able to play as your Snapchat Bitmoji avatar in a wide variety of video games. Snapchat on Thursday launched a Bitmoji for Games SDK that will let video game developers replace their characters with the app's iconic Bitmoji. Players will be able to scan an on-screen Snapcode to unlock their avatar on any supported games.
Read MoreAn Indian state court moved to lift a nationwide ban on the popular short-form video app TikTok. A nearly week-long ban in India on the app is now reversed, lawyers involved in the case told Reuters on Wednesday. Google and Apple removed the app from its stores in India last week after a high court in Tamil Nadu called for its removal, saying it was exposing children to sexual predators and pornography. The ban in India was a major setback for TikTok, due to India being its largest user base with nearly 300 million users. ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, estimated in a court filing that the ban was losing the company nearly $500,000 a day.
Read MoreArtificial intelligence will soon weed out any NSFW photos a match sends to you on Bumble. The dating app that requires women to make the first contact said it is launching a "private detector" to warn users about lewd images. Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd and Andrey Andreev, CEO of the dating app parent company that includes Bumble, Badoo, Chappy and Lumen, made the announcement Wednesday in a press release.
Read MoreA recent report from the Pew Research Center says Twitter users are younger, more highly educated, have higher incomes and are more likely to identify as Democrats compared to the general public. They're also more likely to support immigration and see evidence of racial- and gender-based inequality in society. This might be surprising given how loud opposing views can appear on the platform.
Read MoreGoogle has launched some new tools in a bid to fight misinformation about upcoming elections in Europe. A large part of that effort is focused on YouTube, where Google will launch publisher transparency labels in Europe, showing news sources which receive government or public funding. Those were unveiled in the US back in February, but had yet to arrive in the EU. "Our goal here is to equip you with more information to help you better understand the sources of news content that you choose to watch on YouTube," the company said.
Read MoreWith a number of high profile elections taking place around the world in the coming months, social media platforms are gearing themselves up for the inevitable onslaught of fake news and misleading information. Twitter has announced that it's doubling down on its efforts in this area with a new feature that will let users report this kind of problematic content directly.
Read MoreDonald Trump has been linked with Twitter since well before he ran for president, and now he's had an Oval Office meeting with the company's CEO. Motherboard reported, based on two sources, that an internal email thread revealed a meeting between Trump, Jack Dorsey and other company executives According to those messages, the company expected it to be about "the health of the public conversation on Twitter." Without specifics it's impossible to know exactly what the meeting might have covered. So-called shadow bans, actual bans, more actual bans, quickly-reversed bans, potential bans -- who knows? Trump tweeted afterward: "Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform, and the world of social media in general." Update: Per a Twitter spokesperson, "Jack had a constructive meeting with the President of the United States today at the president's invitation. They discussed Twitter's commitment to protecting the health of the public conversation ahead of the 2020 U.S. elections and efforts underway to respond to the opioid crisis." The Washington Post cites a source claiming a "significant portion" of the meeting focused on the president's belief that Twitter deliberately removed a number of his followers, which the company has said can happen as it deals with spam accounts.
Read MoreSnap is continuing a slow but steady climb back to growth. In its Q1 2019 earnings, the company announced it had 190 million daily active users, up 2.2 percent compared to last quarter's 186 million users. That's not exactly massive growth, but given that the company had 191 million daily active users one year ago, the company will take any growth it sees. Users are still down from a year ago, but the ongoing rollout of Snap's redesigned Android app could have helped things this quarter -- the company announced today that the updated Android app is now available for all users. In regards to that new app, CEO Evan Spiegel said in his prepared remarks that "improvements in performance and new user retention will take time to compound and meaningfully impact our top-line metrics." So while it's too early to pin all those new users on an improved Android app, Spiegel did say early results were "promising."
Read MoreAs much as Twitter has done to keep bots from manipulating users, it still has work to do. NBC News and disinformation campaign researcher Clint Watts have learned that a network of over 5,000 Trump-supporting Twitter bots echoed an attack on the alleged "Russiagate hoax" following the release of the Mueller report in mid-April. They'd been created between November and December of 2018, but were only taken down on April 21st for violating Twitter rules forbidding "platform manipulation."
Read MoreIf you read enough of the news, you might think that Twitter (and its CEO) is laying dead in the water for all to see. But, in its most recent financial statements, the company is proudly declaring that it isn't dead yet, and may not be for some time. In the last three months, Twitter's user numbers rebounded and its operating income continued its slow, but steady, rise.
Read MoreThese days, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok dominate the short social video space, but that wasn't always the case. Vine, the popular six-second looping video app, helped give rise to many of today's YouTube stars over the course of three years, before Twitter unceremoniously shut it down at the start of 2017. Vine co-founder Dom Hofmann teased its return in the form of Byte, promising to bring back everything that made the app unique by spring of 2019. It appears he was true to his word, because TechCrunch reports that the service has sent out the first 100 invites to its closed beta.
Read MoreExtremist violence has once again prompted Sri Lanka to put a halt to social media in the country. The government has instituted a "temporary" ban on social networks, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber, after a string of apparently coordinated bombings that targeted churches and hotels on April 21st, killing over 200 people. Udaya Seneviratne, secretary to Sri Lanka's president, described as an attempt to "prevent incorrect and wrong information" from spreading in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
Read MoreIt's not just China that wants to reduce anonymity online. Austria's government has introduced a draft law that would require you to provide your real name and address to larger sites before commenting. You could still use a nickname in public, but authorities would have an easy way to find you if they believe you're harassing users or otherwise violating the law. Companies that didn't honor the law could face fines up to €500,000 (about $562,000) if they didn't comply, and twice that with a repeat offense.
Read MoreCurrent methods for filtering out terrorist content are still quite limited, and a recent discovery makes that all too clear. Motherboard and the Global Intellectual Property Enforcement Center's Eric Feinberg have discovered that variants of the Christchurch mass shooter's video were available on Facebook 36 days after the incident despite Facebook's efforts to wipe them from the social network. Some of them were trimmed to roughly a minute, but they were all open to the public -- you just had to click a "violent or graphic content" confirmation to see them. Others appeared to dodge filtering attempts by using screen captures instead of the raw video.
Read MoreThe last thing I expected to find on Instagram was someone telling me not to look at their Story if I didn't want to masturbate. But that comment, which I can only assume was intended reverse psychology, wasn't just directed at me. It was left on a post from Sky Sports and, thanks to the thousands of likes garnered by the comment, it was the first thing the account's 2.7 million followers would see when they looked at the comments on that picture. There are similar comments all over Instagram, particularly on high-profile pages with millions of followers. And they have one thing in common: They're spam profiles with pictures and videos of naked and half-naked women, which were created to get you to look at their accounts and then have you sign up for shady pornographic sites.
Read MoreEveryone has their own opinion about what specifically is wrong with social media, but the currency of likes is a commonly-cited issue. The latest grab bag of Instagram test features dug up by Jane Manchun Wong includes a version that doesn't let the audience see how many likes a post gets. The person who posted it still does, but as the app describes it, "We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get. During this test, only the person who share a post will see the total number of likes it gets." Maybe that would help spread out the love on social media instead of people simply liking what others like, or maybe it wouldn't have much of an impact at all. Instagram confirmed to TechCrunch that it's an internal test the public can't see -- yet. It also didn't hide follower counts, which more commonly measure one's popularity, nor did it appear to impact the way posts are ranked by Instagram's inescapable algorithmic feed. Still, at least we'd never have to hear about the 'most-liked post ever' ever again (even it was ultimately for a good cause).
Read MoreWe already knew that the Internet Research Agency (IRA), which is essentially a farm of bots and trolls, exposed 126 million Americans on Facebook to Russian-backed propaganda during the 2016 US presidential election. But today's release of the redacted Mueller report has shed light on new details, including the great lengths the IRA went to in using social media to provoke social discord in the US. The report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, titled "The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election," highlights how the IRA created thousands of accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr to create posts in "support for the Trump Campaign and opposition to candidate [Hillary] Clinton."
Read MoreWith the Mueller report finally making its way into the hands of the public, President Donald Trump was quick to claim victory and declare an end to the collusion and obstruction of justice scandals that have loomed over his presidency over the last two years. He did so in typically abrasive fashion, with a tweet aimed at his "haters and the radical left Democrats." However, HBO isn't too happy he mimicked Game of Thrones imagery with the use of "game over" and a font similar to one used in the show.
Read MoreFacebook has banned a swath of UK far-right groups including the British National party (BNP), the English Defence League (EDL) and Britain First. The action is part of its ongoing clampdown on hateful rhetoric, which has already seen it ban former EDL leader Tommy Robinson from its main platform and Instagram.
Read MoreTwitter has acquired the highlight-sharing app Highly. Highly CEO Andrew Courter announced the acquisition in a Medium post on Wednesday, but didn't detail what Highly's role at Twitter would look like. Twitter confirmed to TechCrunch that the deal was an acquihire, meaning Twitter is buying Highly primary for its staff, not the service itself. While it's unclear what exactly Twitter plans to do with Highly, it will no doubt play a part in the platform's wider goal of improving its conversation features.
Read MoreToday, Google blocked TikTok downloads from its Google Play store in India, and Apple has been asked to do the same. The move comes after India's federal government sent a letter to the companies requesting that they abide by a state court's decision to ban the popular video app. India's concern is that TikTok encourages pornography and makes child users vulnerable to sexual predators, Reuters reports.
Read MoreTwitter gave a status update on Tuesday on its plans to target online harassment, which, the company claims, appear to be working. The platform has made "meaningful progress" in moving towards its goal of cutting down on abuse of the platform, wrote Twitter Vice President Donald Hicks. Specifically, more abusive accounts are getting suspended than this time last year, abusive tweets are being automatically flagged for the first time and repeat offenders are being blocked from opening new accounts.
Read MoreYouTube's fact check panels were supposed to help debunk conspiracy theories, but they just backfired in an unfortunate fashion. The internet giant has disabled the algorithmically-provided panels on live videos of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral fire after at least one video displayed a fact panel for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, implying that the coverage was a fake news story about the New York City tragedy.
Read MoreAfter a month-long, emoji-based teaser, Facebook Messenger is the latest big-name app to fully hop on the dark mode bandwagon. As of today, you can darken your screen while using the iOS and Android app from your settings -- the update is rolling out worldwide.
Read MoreIt looks like Facebook may be testing a way to combine your News Feed and Stories into one swipeable, hybrid carousel. On Twitter this morning, Jane Manchun Wong -- a software engineer who's spotted changes like Twitter's "subscribe to conversation" button -- reported that Facebook is demoing the new format. The GIF Wong shared shows her News Feed in a Stories-like carousel.
Read MoreThe UK wants social media to turn off so-called "nudge" techniques, including Facebook's "Like" button and Snapchat streaks, for under-18s. The recommendations form part of a new 16-rule code of of practice for age-appropriate design drafted by the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Other suggestions include turning location-tracking off by default for younger users, "robust" age-verification systems, limiting how children's data is collected, used, and shared, and informing children if parents are monitoring their online activity.
Read MoreJust as the US was waking up to a lovely Sunday, Facebook was sadly tackling yet another massive outage -- its second one within a month. According to downdetector.com, soon after 6AM ET today, users across the world started experiencing issues with Facebook and its various platforms, including Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. At the time of writing -- well over two hours later -- the services were still down, leaving users unable to load fresh content or message each other, nor could we check the service status on Facebook's developer site. Unlike last time, the company had yet to comment on the situation via Twitter.
Read MoreEarly this week, an Instagram bug caused users' Stories to show up in strangers' Stories trays. At least one user reported the problem on Twitter, and an Instagram spokesperson confirmed the glitch. Considering the hype around privacy concerns, especially when it comes to Instagram's parent company Facebook, this is a significant blunder.
Read MoreNo, LinkedIn hasn't given up on its quest to be as cool as the other kids. The career-focused social network is introducing Reactions that behave not-so-subtly like Facebook's, just with a decidedly business-like flair. On top of liking and loving posts, you can use "celebrate" to pat someone on the back for a new job, "insightful" when they've posted a nugget of wisdom, and "curious" when they get you thinking. Not surprisingly, there aren't any potentially negative Reactions -- we can't imagine a co-worker taking well to a "laugh" response to their big presentation.
Read MoreTwitter is now one month in to the beta testing phase of its prototype app twttr, and the company is rolling out another batch of experimental changes. The new features include an updated design meant to make conversations easier to read, the ability to like a tweet by swiping right-to-left in conversation view and new labels for the original author and people you follow. It's also bringing a few Twitter app features to twttr, including the updated Twitter camera, dark mode and profile previews.
Read MoreFacebook is updating its terms and conditions after agreeing several changes with the EU. It will have to clearly explain to users they can access the social network for free because it uses targeted ads that rely on user data. Facebook will also have to disclose what revenues it generates through the use of such data.
Read MoreSnap Inc. co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel kicked off the first-ever Partner Summit last week in Los Angeles with a sort of syrupy soliloquy about how the Snapchat camera "lets natural light from our world penetrate the darkness of the internet." He went on to say the internet was "started as a military research project" and, therefore, "it's just not our natural habitat." The point Spiegel was trying to make (I think) is that building a platform like the internet is a collaborative process. And he sees Snapchat as a world where good things can happen, but he doesn't want to build it alone.
Read MoreIn an apparent attempt to combat spam and bot accounts that populate its platform, Twitter announced today that it is changing its rules to allow users to follow up to 400 accounts per day. The change marks a considerable drop from the previous cap, which allowed up to 1,000 follows in a single day, though still allows for more following than the average human user is likely to do in a 24 hour period.
Read MoreThe UK government plans to penalize tech companies like Facebook and Google that fail to curb the spread of harmful content on their platforms. As promised, the country is seeking to empower an independent regulator to enforce the rules which target violent material, posts encouraging suicide, disinformation, cyber-bullying, and child exploitation. Over the coming weeks, the government will consult on the types of punishments available to the new watchdog, including fines, blocking access to sites, and holding senior members of tech companies accountable for their failures.
Read MoreReddit is known for a handful of communities that have taken on a life of their own, and that includes communities taking their efforts off Reddit entirely. The creator of the popular r/changemyview subreddit, Kal Turnbull, has launched a Change My View site that expands his concept of civil discourse beyond what Reddit could offer. It uses the basic forum structure and rules, but relies on paid moderators, a log of moderation actions, and the Perspective comment ranking system from Alphabet's tech incubator Jigsaw (which also provided a degree of funding) to automatically scrub some abusive behavior.
Read MoreTwitter has been cracking down on suspicious accounts ahead of Israel's election on April 9th, but there's been plenty of mystery surrounding how it has taken action. A BuzzFeed News source claims that Twitter has suspended about 600 accounts engaging in unusually coordinated behavior. Most of those were reportedly spreading misinformation that attacked the main opposition party while promoting incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the source also said that Twitter banned "dozens" of accounts from the Church of Almighty God, an unusual Chinese Christian sect that believes Jesus has been revived as its founder's wife.
Read MoreTwitter is following March Madness with a frenzy of coverage for the basketball season's end. The social network is streaming an as-it-happens NCAA Final Four commentary show through @marchmadness, Final Four Twitter Live, starting with the Auburn vs. Virginia game on April 6th (that's right now, if you're watching in time) and wrapping up with a championship show on April 8th at 9PM Eastern. Whenever you tune in, the Turner Sports-produced show will "highlight" the Twitter discussions around each game using a host of analysts, reporters and special guests (such as Tiki Barber and Takeo Spikes).
Read MoreTikTok wants to find the next BTS. The video sharing app, owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance, is launching a talent contest aimed at discovering K-pop and J-pop acts. The auditions will take place within TikTok Spotlight: a new channel where users from Japan and Korea can upload their music videos to be judged by an all-star panel comprised of record labels, local musicians and hit-makers.
Read MoreIn a tweet today, Twitter announced that it's experimenting with new labels on conversation threads. The labels -- author, mention and follow -- are another attempt to make the platform more conversational and easier to follow. This may never move past the trial phase, but it's further proof that Twitter is bent on helping users make sense of threads.
Read MoreWell, it looks as if the rumors were true: Snapchat is, indeed, launching its own gaming platform. Snap made the news official at its Partner Summit, which is taking place in Los Angeles. The company said that, starting today, it will begin rolling out a series of games made exclusively for Snapchat, including one it developed itself called Bitmoji Party. Snap says what makes its games service unique is that each title is designed for "high-fidelity, synchronous" gameplay, meaning you can you play them in real-time with your friends directly through the app.
Read MoreIt was only last October that Snap entered the short-form, scripted-video space with the launch of Originals, a collection of titles created from the ground up with smartphones in mind. But the company isn't stopping there. Today, at the Snap Partner Summit in Los Angeles, it announced 10 new original shows that are scheduled to arrive starting in May of this year. Like the existing Originals, such as Bringing up Bhabie and The Dead Girls Detective Agency, the fresh series are mostly geared toward teenagers -- a demographic that has become increasingly important to the company's business.
Read MoreTinder ditched its Moments feature in 2015, but that doesn't mean the popular dating app is done with giving users access to ephemeral (aka disappearing) content. Later this year, those of you on Tinder can start posting Snapchat Stories directly to your dating profile, Snap announced today at its Partner Summit in Los Angeles. Thanks to Snap Kit, which lets third-party apps use Snapchat's augmented reality camera, you'll be able to use send Snaps to a new "My Tinder Story" option right inside the app. That means you'll have to use Snapchat if you want to use this feature, as the Tinder app will only be used for viewing, rather than publishing, your Snaps.
Read MoreSnap is kicking off its Partner Summit in Los Angeles with a few announcements about the feature that makes Snapchat tick: augmented reality Lenses. For starters, Lens Studio, which lets anyone create their own AR filters, is getting a new feature called "Landmarkers." This will allow creators to bring landmarks across the world to life using Lens Studio's augmented reality tools, including the US Capitol Building (Washington, D.C.), Flatiron Building (New York City), TCL Chinese Theater (Los Angeles), Buckingham Palace (London) and, as pictured above, the Eiffel Tower (Paris). Snapchat users near any of these locations can check out the new Landmarkers Lenses starting today, and the company says AR support for more landmarks will be coming in the future.
Read MoreWhen MySpace announced that it had "accidentally" (and there are question marks around that) lost 12 years of content last month, former users were devastated to learn that many of their audio files -- which they assumed would continue to exist on the site like a digital archive -- had been lost forever. But The Internet Archive comes bearing good news, having managed to salvage a collection of MP3s it's calling the "MySpace Dragon Hoard."
Read MoreAustralia's controversial bill that seeks to punish social networks and any other hosting service for failing to remove violent content from their platforms is now a law. The country's politicians drafted the Sharing of Abhorrent Violent Material bill (PDF) after the Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand by a gunman who's believed to be an Australian white nationalist. Under the new law, content hosting platforms have to "expeditiously" pull down audio and video recordings or streams depicting "abhorrent violent conduct." In addition, they have to notify authorities whenever they find illegal materials.
Read MoreFacebook has halted a sketchy practice of asking some new users for their outside email credentials in order to verify their accounts. After a Twitter user on Sunday shared a screenshot of Facebook asking them for the password to their email, the social media giant faced intense criticism from security professionals. A spokesman for Facebook told The Daily Beast that it would no longer engage in this practice.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Even if you didn't get tickets to see Avengers: Endgame,there might be a better way to experience Iron Man's suit. Also, it's time to say goodbye to Google+, and Boston Dynamics is upgrading its definitely-not-killer robots.
Read MoreThere are two types of people on this planet. Some absolutely relish getting a WhatsApp notification letting them know they've been added to a new group chat -- it's time for gossip! Others, however, would gladly fling their phone into the sun rather than contend with the continual onslaught of new and often pointless messages. Now, finally, WhatsApp is adding controls to help mitigate this trauma.
Read MoreSnap has been trying a number of methods to one-up Instagram, but its latest is decidedly old-school. Well-known code sleuther Jane Manchun Wong has discovered a test for Snapchat Status, a feature that would check you in Foursquare-style (or Swarm, rather) on the Snap Map to not only show where you are, but to signal your intent through Bitmoji characters. You could indicate that you're nearby but hanging out with family, for instance, or far away but up for a text chat.
Read MoreTwitter users suspended for violating conduct guidelines can now appeal the decision inside the app, a new feature that the company says will lead to faster response times. The social media giant unveiled the feature on Tuesday in a tweet that showed how a recently suspended user goes through the steps of filing an appeal. Normally, after you tweet something that gets reported or flagged, Twitter moderators rule whether or not your account deserves to be suspended. Users who believed they were wrongfully suspended had to resort to an online form, and response times usually varied from a few hours to more than a week.
Read MoreIndia's elections begin April 11th, and WhatsApp is determined to use every method it can to fight fake news ahead of the voting. The Facebook-owned company has teamed up with Proto to launch a fact-checking project, Checkpoint Tipline, that verifies messages. Relay a message and Proto will determine whether it's real, bogus, misleading or contested. The team can handle images and video, and it supports four regional languages as well as English.
Read MoreMark Zuckerberg has revealed he may add a dedicated tab for "high-quality news" to Facebook, perhaps by the end of the year. The section would reportedly be free for users, though Facebook might pay publishers whose work is featured. Zuckerberg mooted the idea in a conversation with Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner, as part of his goal this year to hold discussions about the future of technology in society.
Read MoreSpaceX is one step closer to fulfilling its plans of launching a host of internet satellites. The FCC has approved its revised plan that would fly over 1,500 of its Starlink satellites at a lower orbit of 'just' 550km (about 342 miles). The move clears the path for an initial Starlink launch "no earlier than" May, the company said. Theoretically, the lower flight path allows coverage with fewer satellites, lowers latency and reduces the chances of space debris.
Read MoreIt might not have taken long for NASA's InSight lander to capture a marsquake. The machine's seismometer recorded trembling on April 6th that seems to have come from within Mars, rather than an above-ground source like the wind or InSight itself. Although the event was too quiet to say much about Mars' insides (it would have been difficult to detect on Earth), it suggested that Mars is, in fact seismically active. There were other events on March 14th, April 10th and April 11th, although they were faint enough as to have been ambiguous.
Read MoreSpaceX's dreams of crewed spaceflight appear to have faced a setback. The company and the US Air Force's 45th Space Wing have confirmed to Florida Today that a Crew Dragon capsule suffered an "anomaly" during a static test fire at Cape Canaveral. Most tests went according to plan, SpaceX said, but a "final test" led to problems on the testing stand. Observers could see smoke from miles away, suggesting that the capsule or something attached to it had caught fire.
Read MoreScientists have long suspected that, around 100,000 years after the big bang, helium and hydrogen combined to form the first molecule, helium hydride. That helped the universe begin to cool and led to the formation of stars. But, despite decades of searching, scientists could never locate helium hydride in space -- until now.
Read MoreThanks to NASA's recent schedule changes, astronaut Christina Koch will soon hold the record for the longest space flight by a woman. Koch arrived at the International Space Station on March 14 and has already conducted one spacewalk. She'll now remain in orbit until February 2020, and she'll surpass the current record, which is 288 days, held by Peggy Whitson. But Koch will fall just short of the longest spaceflight by a NASA astronaut -- Scott Kelly's 340-day trip.
Read MoreOne year after its launch, NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) discovered its first Earth-sized exoplanet. Named HD21749c, the planet orbits a star just 53 light-years from Earth and is likely rocky but uninhabitable. The findings -- published in Astrophysical Journal Letters -- suggest TESS is capable of fulfilling its mission to catalog thousands of planet candidates, including more than 300 that are expected to be Earth-sized and super-Earth-sized exoplanets.
Read MoreNASA's Cassini-Huygens spacecraft made its fateful plunge into Saturn's atmosphere in 2017, but scientists are still using the data it sent home to make surprising discoveries. Two papers published in Nature Astronomy reveal new information about the lakes on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The small liquid lakes in Titan's northern hemisphere are more than 100 meters deep, perched atop plateaus and filled with methane. They also appear to be seasonal. And the bodies of liquid on one side of the northern hemisphere are completely different than those on the other side.
Read MoreSpaceX successfully landed all three of Falcon Heavy's boosters after its most recent launch, but it won't be able to reuse one of them. The company lost the core booster that landed on its drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" to rough seas as it was making its way back to Port Canaveral. It was the heavy-lift rocket's second launch and the first time SpaceX was able to stick all three boosters' landing -- the one that was supposed to land on the barge after the first flight dropped straight into the ocean.
Read MoreThe Beresheet spacecraft from Israel's SpaceIL was facing long odds to land on the Moon, being the first ever privately launched probe to attempt it. Alas, its engine cut out during the landing attempt, communication was lost, and Beresheet crashed into the surface. Fortunately, just before that happened, the spacecraft turned its camera toward the Moon's horizon and managed to snap a final, sublime photo of its cratered surface.
Read MoreSpaceIL's first attempt at a private Moon landing didn't go according to plan. However, that isn't deterring the team from giving it another shot. Founder Morris Khan has announced that the team will build another Beresheet lander and "complete the mission." The task force behind the new lander will start its work "first thing" on April 14th, he said.
Read MoreStratolaunch is making some history even as it scales back its ambitions -- the company has successfully flown the world's largest aircraft, the Scaled Composites Stratolaunch, for the first time. The dual-fuselage rocket hauler took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port soon after 10AM Eastern on April 13th and completed a roughly 2.5-hour journey, reaching a maximum altitude of 17,000 feet. It wasn't carrying a payload, but its trip is still a big deal for a machine that was first announced eight years ago and boasts an unprecedented 385-foot wingspan.
Read MoreNASA has chosen SpaceX to help out on its first-ever attempt to deflect an asteroid. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will blast off on a Falcon 9 rocket in June 2021 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Its mission: To smash a satellite into the Didymos asteroid's small moon in a bid to knock it off its orbit. What sounds like the plot of a Michael Bay movie could turn out to be NASA's first line of defense against Earth-bound asteroids.
Read MoreA NASA study that compared two twins, one who finished a nearly year-long mission in space and one who spent that time in Earth, found that most of the dramatic changes that happen to the human body in space aren't permanent. Scott Kelly, who was aboard the International Space Station between 2015 and 2016, experienced many physical and genetic changes that his twin brother and fellow astronaut Mark Kelly, who was back on Earth, did not. But once the Kelly brother who was in space landed, his body gradually returned to normal. Some negative impacts from the mission still linger on Kelly, posing a challenge for scientists as they explore longer space flight, such as travel to Mars.
Read MoreSpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket on Thursday evening, following a one-day delay due to inclement weather. The plan is for the rocket's side boosters and central core stage to return to Earth, which will be particularly challenging. Space X failed on the center core part during last year's launch. If they are successful his evening, it will be the world's first successful triple rocket landing.
Read MorePrivate spaceflight isn't quite ready to mark another milestone. SpaceIL's Beresheet lander has crashed on the Moon after mission controllers lost communication during its descent to the lunar surface. It did successfully take a selfie on the way down, but its experiments are a bust. It was supposed to measure the local magnetic field and use a NASA-made laser retroreflector array (eight mirrors with quartz cube corners) to relay its position to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter using light.
Read MoreDespite all of the advancements in space travel, rocket launches are still hindered by the fact that they take months, if not years, to plan and execute. Because that could slow vital military operations, DARPA created the Launch Challenge: a call for commercial companies to prove they can get rockets into space quickly and on short notice. Now the three finalists have been selected for the next phase of the challenge.
Read MoreVirgin Orbit has added one more location to its growing list of launch sites: Guam. The US island territory's close proximity to the equator and its remote location make it an ideal addition to the program. It can serve as a launch site for missions leaving from any direction and for any orbital inclination. Plus, Virgin Orbit can deploy flights from the island if it needs to deliver payloads as heavy as a thousand pounds to equatorial orbit.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Hey, you want to see a black hole? Now you can. Also, SpaceX is about to attempt something you've just got to watch live (the view of two booster rockets landing in perfect sync is amazing), and the House of Representatives is trying to save net neutrality.
Read MoreIt once required an open mind and an active imagination to believe we could launch humans into space. Now, we take human space flight for granted, but we still need that out-of-the-box thinking to push the boundaries of exploration in this solar system and beyond. That's where NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program comes in. It's meant to foster ideas that sound borderline science fiction but have the potential to become new technologies. Today, NASA announced 18 innovative concepts that will receive NIAC funding.
Read MoreLast year SpaceX finally launched its massive Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time. While the plan to return all three of its boosters fell just short of success, today the company will try again, and as usual you can watch a live stream of the attempt right here. This is also the first use of its more powerful Block 5 boosters that provide additional thrust for the Arabsat-6A mission. The launch window is scheduled to open at 8 PM ET, however the latest information suggested high winds could push a launch toward the end of the window at 8:32 PM. Once again, the plan is for the rocket's side boosters to pull off a synchronized ground landing, while SpaceX attempts its first successful return of the center core to a droneship in the ocean. If it does not launch today, then the next launch window is tomorrow from 6:35 PM ET until 8:31 PM. Update (7:30 PM ET): The launch attempt has been scrubbed for today due to "Upper atmospheric wind shear." The next opportunity is still set for tomorrow, April 11th. Update (5 PM ET, April 11th): According to SpaceX, all systems and weather are a go, with the launch window opening at 6:35 PM ET. Update (7 PM ET, April 11th): The launch and triple landing was successful!
Read MoreWhat does a black hole look like? Black, probably. And big. That sounds pretty vague, but as the gravitational forces of a black hole are so strong even light is overpowered by them, we've never had a comprehensive image of one before. Until now. Today, scientists from six cities around the world will unveil the first ever image of a black hole -- called Sagittarius A* -- and you can watch the historic announcement live online. (Update: the image has been released. Check it out here!)
Read MoreAs NASA faces pressure to get astronauts to the Moon and considers human exploration of Mars, it will need to sort out a few major details -- like how to keep extraterrestrial habitats functioning even when there aren't any human occupants. To do this, NASA selected two new, university-led Space Technology Research Institutes (STRIs) and tasked them with developing automated Smart Habitats, or SmartHabs.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. It's time to get up to speed on an intriguing 5G rumor and an expensive way for you to watch movies at home while they're still in theaters. Also, we've got some grimy news about the ISS and a fold-up bike that you might want to check out.
Read MoreRocket Lab isn't content with just carrying satellites into orbit... it wants to power the satellites, too. The company has unveiled a satellite platform, Photon, that handles much of the hard work. It looks simple, but it includes avionics, attitude control, data storage, propulsion and solar cell power in a package that can be customized for each mission. For the most part, Rocket Lab's partners will only have to worry about the payload, not the satellite keeping it in orbit.
Read MoreNASA scientists have found that the International Space Station (ISS), home to six astronauts, is infested with disease-inducing bacteria. Many of the organisms breeding on the craft's surfaces are known to form both bacterial and fungal biofilms that promote resistance to antibiotics. The NASA team published their findings in a new study -- the first comprehensive catalog of germs in closed space systems -- in the journal Microbiome. The biofilms ability to cause microbial-induced corrosion on Earth could also play havoc with the ISS' infrastructure by causing mechanical blockages, claim the researchers.
Read MoreNow that SpaceX started test firings and short "hop" tests on the launch pad at its Boca Chica, Texas site, it's apparently comfortable enough to show off the results. Tonight Elon Musk -- apparently unbothered by an internal investigation or ongoing wrangling with the SEC -- tweeted this two second clip of the snub-nosed "Starhopper" test vehicle that's on a short tether with one of the company's Raptor rocket engines mounted underneath. It's still not much of a trip, but the glimpse from up close is a preview of greater things to come. Eventually we should see test flights with the Phase 2 Starhopper that go much higher, similar to the progression of SpaceX's Grasshopper tests for the Falcon 9 a few years ago. All of this is necessary before we see the real Starship fly, so these small bites will have to do for now.
Read MoreForget bullets, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has detonated a bomb on the asteroid Ryugu to scoop up more samples. It deployed the device, known as the Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) -- a 14kg copper container attached to the Hayabusa2 and packed with plastic explosive -- in the hopes of creating a 10-meter-wide crater on the space rock. On Friday, the SCI separated from the craft at an altitude of 500m above Ryugu and hurtled to its surface at a speed of 2 kilometers per second (4,474 miles per hour).
Read MoreScientists are one step closer to precisely 3D mapping the galaxy and better understanding dark energy. For years, a team of more than 70 international organizations have been building the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which will allow us to see the sky in a way we never have before. Earlier this week, DESI reached a "first light" milestone when scientists produced the first focused images with the instrument's precision lenses. The images show the Whirlpool Galaxy -- an estimated 23 million light years from Earth.
Read MoreAs SpaceX proceeds with development of its Starship vehicle, it's first testing out the spacecraft's Raptor engines. Today a stubby Starhopper test vehicle mounted with a single engine -- as opposed to the more advanced Phase 2 version shown above -- completed its first tethered hop of just a few inches at the Texas launch site, as spotted by nearby observers. Elon Musk tweeted "All systems green" after the test, which may not have gone far but recalls the early days of Grasshopper rocket tests before we got used to the sight of Falcon 9 rocket engines returning to Earth after successful launches. Musk previously said that suborbital test flights would require three of the engines -- the final version of Starship f.k.a BFR will have more -- and we'll be waiting to see when that happens.
Read MoreFor a while, Boeing and SpaceX have been neck-and-neck in their race to provide the first commercial space travel. That might be changing, as NASA and Boeing announced they'll delay the first uncrewed flight test of Boeing's Starliner. The spacecraft will now launch in August -- a full year after it was first scheduled to takeoff.
Read MoreNASA chief Jim Bridenstine called India's destruction of one of its satellites a "terrible, terrible thing" that could endanger astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Addressing employees, he said a missile that shot down a satellite created at least 400 pieces of orbital debris, including 60 larger than 6 inches in size. While the satellite was well below the ISS, 24 of the pieces were blasted above its apogee, creating a potential risk. "It's unacceptable and NASA needs to be very clear about what its impact to us is," Bridenstine said.
Read MoreWhat the Europa Clipper finds when it starts orbiting Jupiter's icy moon won't be of any use to us if it can't send data back to Earth. In order to beam back information from that far into the solar system, the Clipper will be equipped with a high-gain antenna (HGA) that the space agency is currently testing. NASA is evaluating a full-scale 10-foot-tall prototype of the HGA -- a directional antenna that allows precise targeting of radio signals -- at the Experimental Test Range (ETR) at NASA's Langley Research Center.
Read MoreMore than a year ago, we were told Niantic, Inc. was working on an Ingress: The Animation streaming series. Today, the anime show, a sci-fi adventure thriller, is available on Netflix, and you can watch the trailer below.
Read MoreThe production company from President and Mrs. Obama, Higher Ground, has unveiled its first lineup of Netflix shows roughly a year after forging a deal with the streaming giant. The initial seven-show catalog will take "several years" to arrive, but is unsurprisingly an optimistic mix of shows that exemplify "resilience, determination, and hope" and focus on "transcending divides to bring us together." Not that they're all squeaky-clean -- some of them explore difficult subjects.
Read MoreYouTube has just made another major push with its sports broadcasting agenda, announcing a deal with Major League Baseball (MLB) that will give it exclusive rights to 13 games during the 2019 season. The games will be livestreamed for viewers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico for free on MLB's official YouTube channel, and on a forthcoming dedicated channel on YouTube TV.
Read MoreWalmart is reportedly developing at least six original series for its Vudu streaming service. It's set to reveal a few of them to advertisers at a presentation this week. According to Bloomberg, it's been in talks with studios to reboot old family-friendly shows.
Read MoreSpotify has 100 million Premium users, the company has announced in its most recent financial figures. In total, the streaming service has 217 million users, 117 million of which are enjoying the free, ad supported tier.
Read MoreNetflix is keeping up its habit of canceling shows after three seasons, no matter what the level of interest. The service has dropped Santa Clarita Diet just weeks after its third season premiered on March 29th. It's not clear what prompted the decision, although it's fairly unusual for Netflix in that the zombie romcom not only had star power (most notably Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant) and its fair share of fans, but was strictly an in-house production. Other shows receiving the axe in recent months have come from external studios, such as the Marvel shows and One Day at a Time.
Read MoreThe Tribeca Film Festival is underway, and it's live-streaming a handful of its talks. Through the festival's Facebook page, you can watch conversations with celebs like Queen Latifah, Michael J. Fox, Denis Leary, Ali Wong and Tiffany Haddish. You can also catch cast members from In Living Color, who will reunite to reflect on the show, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who's now 90 years old and will talk about her journey from Holocaust survivor to household name as a sex therapist.
Read MoreAmazon could be preparing to set itself apart from rivals like Spotify and Apple in the music space, as it's said to be working on a high-fidelity streaming platform. It might arrive later this year for around $15/month. Amazon Music Unlimited starts at $4/month, while Amazon added a free, ad-supported music service to Alexa devices last week.
Read MorePodcastOne, The Joe Rogan Experience, Barstool Sports and other major podcasters have pulled their shows from Luminary, the startup network that launched with fanfare and $100 million in funding. The main problem seems to be that the network used a proxy for the podcast streams rather than serving up the originals, depriving the creators of valuable listener statistics. "If I go in and click play on a show on Luminary, we as a platform do not get real data back," Simplecast CEO Brad Smith told The Verge.
Read MoreHulu's adaptation of the classic novel Catch 22, directed by and starring George Clooney, premieres May 17th. In the meantime, you can catch a glimpse of Clooney barking orders in his role as Scheisskopf, thanks to the trailer released yesterday. Opposite Clooney, you'll see Christopher Abbott as Yossarian, a bombardier trapped in the maddening military bylaw, and Kyle Chandler as the power-hungry Colonel Cathcart.
Read MoreApril showers bring May flowers, and apparently it also brings a lot of new content to Netflix. The streaming service has packed the month of May with new shows and movies that will keep you entertained on the days you aren't enjoying the spring weather. Headlining the month are some high-profile comedies. There's Wine Country, a star-studded, R-rated comedic romp, stars a whole heap of Saturday Night Live alumni including Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch and Tina Fey (May 10th). Then there's the animated series Tuca and Bertie, an adult-themed cartoon from the team behind BoJack Horseman about two 30-something birds who live in the same apartment building (May 3rd). Tiffany Haddish stars as Tuca while Ali Wong voices Bertie, and plenty of other recognizable voices will pop up throughout the series.
Read MoreHollywood's biggest prize will still be open to streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted on Tuesday night to not change rules on Oscar eligibility. Any feature-length film on a streaming platform can be eligible for an Academy Award, as long as it also screens in a theater in Los Angeles for at least seven days.
Read MoreDC Universe is acting on its promise to deliver DC's full comic book library -- more or less. As of now, subscribers to the service have access to 21,000 issues stretching over 80 years, so long as a given issue was released at least one year before a given date. You can't use this to catch up on the latest story lines, but this should help you find a beloved issue of Batman or Wonder Woman without having to buy it or subscribe to a separate comics-only offering.
Read MoreThree years after Beyoncé's Lemonade dropped with little warning, the album is at long last available on Spotify (at which she has taken jabs in the past), Apple Music, Deezer and other streaming services. Until now, it was only available to stream through Tidal -- the star is one of many artists who have a stake in that service -- and Pandora.
Read MoreThe budget TV streaming service Philo announced it's eliminating its lower-cost subscription. Beginning May 6th, Philo will drop its $16-per-month plan, offering only a $20 monthly subscription. The move puts Philo on a growing list of streaming TV providers that have increased prices in the past few months.
Read MoreDisney is clearly determined to flex its star power (and giant budget) ahead of its streaming service launch on November 12th. The company has announced that Natalie Portman will narrate Dolphin Reef, a nature movie that will debut alongside Disney+ itself on November 12th. The documentary will follow a young Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Echo, who has to deal with both the social life of his pod and the fellow inhabitants of the coral reef he calls home.
Read MoreNetflix just released the first trailer for See You Yesterday, a sci-fi drama backed by producer Spike Lee that is set to drop on the streaming service on May 17th. The film follows high school science prodigies C.J. and Sebastian, who have invented backpacks that allow them to travel back in time. The two need their creation to reverse the fate of C.J.'s older brother Calvin, who is shot and killed during an encounter with police officers. The duo has to put to use their untested technology to go back in time, alter the events of the past and prevent the shooting from taking place.
Read MoreHomecoming, Beyoncé's behind-the-scenes Coachella documentary, might be just the beginning of a series of Queen Bey projects on Netflix. According to Variety, the streaming giant has inked a $60 million three-project deal with the singer. It's a huge amount, but Netflix is known for dropping tens to hundreds of millions of dollars to secure rights to specials like Springsteen on Broadway and clinch exclusive deals with showrunners (like Shonda Rhimes), artists and comedians.
Read MoreCoachella 2019 review: A festival built for YouTube Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork For years, Coachella's opening weekend has been a huge event for YouTube. A weekend's worth of livestreams don't deliver all of the acts to your living room, but the site typically offers a lot of the big names so you don't have to travel to the desert. Pitchfork explains how the festival is now designed just as much for the viewers at home in its review of the 2019 event. "Especially after Beyoncé's Earth-rattling set last year, some stars and would-be stars lunged at the chance to make statements with their performances over the weekend, with productions designed to appeal as much to live streamers as to the crowd at Indio, California's Empire Polo Club," the site notes. And perhaps no one went all-in this year as much as Childish Gambino.
Read MoreSiriusXM is hoping to carve a place for itself on your phones and smart speakers. The company mostly associated with in-vehicle entertainment has launched a purely online streaming service called SiriusXM Essential. It'll set you back $8 a month -- with a three-month testing period that costs $1 -- and doesn't need a compatible car satellite radio to work.
Read MoreThis spring, Netflix will turn the harrowing story of the Central Park Five into a four-part mini-series, When They See Us. The show takes a closer look at the infamous 1989 case, in which five black teens were coerced into confessing to a crime they didn't commit -- beating and raping a woman in Central Park. The trailer, released today, wastes no time in revealing how the teens were pressured by police and the racial injustice that led to their convictions.
Read MoreSometimes you just don't want to think. Who cares if it makes no narrative sense, let's just watch a random episode of your favorite show. For some Netflix users, they can throw caution to the wind. As spotted by Android Police, the streaming service is testing a "Random Episode" button where the next episode shortcut is usually found. There's also a shuffle rail of Netflix's most popular shows where you can leap into the streaming ether entirely at random.
Read MoreNetflix films many of its productions in New York City (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is just one example), so it only makes sense to have a large presence there, doesn't it? The company certainly thinks so. It's establishing an NYC production hub that will include six sound stages in Brooklyn and an expanded office in Manhattan's Flatiron District. It should create "hundreds of jobs" (including 127 executive, marketing and production development roles) over the next five years, and should foster up to $100 million in investments, according to Governor Cuomo.
Read MoreNetflix doesn't have much in the way of theater productions on its streaming platform, with Bruce Springsteen's one-man Broadway show perhaps being the most notable. However, the service is drawing from the stage for an upcoming movie, as it's set to adapt the play The Boys in the Band.
Read MoreBandcamp is launching a Kickstarter-style vinyl crowdfunding service for artists. Once a musician's campaign hits its funding goal, Bandcamp will press the records, print the packaging, and handle shipping to boot. Artists will be able to set the price of their release and have full control of its design.
Read MoreMike Myers is getting his own original show on Netflix. Not much is known about the project at this point, other than it will be a limited series consist of six episodes and will star the former Saturday Night Live castmate. Myers, dipping back into his sketch comedy roots, plans to play multiple characters. He will also slot in as one of the show's executive producers.
Read MoreThe first Netflix earnings report since its latest price hike and the unveiling of competitors from both Disney and Apple is here. Last year at this time Netflix crossed the 125 million subscriber mark with its second biggest quarterly addition of subscribers ever. Now it has over 148 million subscribers around the world, and added 9.6 million in the last three months, more than the 8.9 million it expected.
Read MoreMany music streaming services are looking at podcasts as a way to keep listeners increasingly plugged in and listening -- Spotify's recent purchase of Gimlet Media being just the most recent example. Pandora has had podcasts for a while as well, and today the company is announcing an expansion that comes via its new owner, SiriusXM. As of now, almost two dozen SiriusXM shows across a variety of genres will also be available to Pandora subscribers as podcasts.
Read MoreHow about this for a comedy of errors. Last week, Twitter removed a tweet posted by TorrentFreak, for an article about how Starz shows were being pirated. The TV service Starz compounded matters over the weekend after issuing a DMCA takedown to remove other users' tweets that shared the article or even simply referenced the irony of the removal of the first tweet.
Read MoreThose rumors of AT&T ditching its stake in Hulu have proven true, although it didn't necessarily play out as expected. The telecom has reached a deal to sell its 9.5 percent stake in Hulu (worth about $1.43 billion) back to the joint venture. It's not certain exactly how this will shift the balance of power or affect content, but Hulu chief Randy Freer said AT&T's WarnerMedia would stay a "valued partner" for "years to come."
Read MoreDC Universe hasn't been available on consoles so far, but the comic-oriented service is taking care of that omission in very short order. As of April (possibly as soon as April 15th), DC Universe will be available on Xbox One -- you could play a round of Injustice and watch a Batman movie immediately afterward. The functionality is the same as in earlier apps, complementing the videos with DC's comic book library, community features, merch and news.
Read MoreIt's been one year since Netflix stirred up controversy around the Cannes Film Festival. For those who don't remember, when a new rule banned any movie from competition that didn't have a theatrical run, Netflix decided not to screen anything at all. Netflix won't return this year either, but it looks like Amazon may fill its shoes. According to Deadline, Amazon's new TV series Too Old to Die Young is expected at Cannes next month. That makes it only the third episodic series to screen at the high-brow festival and the very first streaming show to be invited.
Read MoreThis month's installment of our audio IRL is an educational experience. It took a relatively affordable high-res music player and some appropriately equipped (but still pretty affordable) in-ears to teach Senior Editor Daniel Cooper that audiophile-grade sound wasn't total BS. Plus, he got to revisit one of the best albums of all time in the process.
Read MoreSo much for YouTube's recent flurry of records standing the test of time. K-pop megagroup BTS has surpassed Blackpink's one-day viewing record a mere week later, notching 78 million views for their "Boy With Luv" music video within its first 24 hours of hitting the video site. It wasn't even a close contest -- the group's K-pop rival Blackpink managed 'just' 56.7 million for "Kill This Love."
Read MoreAs of this writing, Childish Gambino is still performing live at Coachella (which you can watch on YouTube all weekend), but he also has a new movie premiering on Amazon Prime. Guava Island is available (in 4x3 aspect ratio -- it's a choice) for free for at least 18 hours, so if you'd like to check out the hour-long flick about an island-based musician trying to put on a music festival while being kidnapped and dating Rihanna, now is the time to do it. There's a longer trailer out now, but it doesn't really explain more about the plot, so you may be just as well off going directly to the movie. According to Vanity Fair, Guava Island will also stream on Twitch and YouTube at 8 PM ET tonight.
Read MoreLast fall, Kristen Bell confirmed rumors that Hulu was working on a new season of Veronica Mars. According to a teaser released on Twitter today, the series is slated to begin on July 26th.
Read MoreFrom November, Disney's streaming service will offer the best of its extensive library at a knock-down price. Disney+ will not only be the home of the studio's blue-chip movies, but also host a number of exclusive TV series and pictures. For most households, the $7-per month will just about squeeze into the budget, but what does this mean for Netflix?
Read MoreIt's that time once again: music festival season. And the first big event of the year kicks off later today. As it has in the past, Coachella will stream select performances live on YouTube throughout the weekend. The live music starts today at 7:15PM ET/4:15PM PT with Yellow Days, Hurray for the Riff Raff and Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
Read MoreAfter much teasing, Disney has revealed all the details of its streaming service, bringing the full might of its animated movie back-catalog alongside all... those... Marvel... characters. The service is set to launch in November, and we're already hearing about the new movies and shows that will come to the service.
Read MoreAmong a flood of original and archived Disney programming coming to the Disney+ service when it launches November 12th, the company slipped in one last surprise from Fox: The Simpsons. Once the service launches, it will be the streaming home for all 30 seasons of the series. Right now, all episodes of The Simpsons are available via the FXX-linked Simpsons World site, and also stream on Hulu. Presumably that will change later this year, when they're locked into the $7-per-month Disney+ service, along with content from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and other Disney properties. Now that Disney owns Fox, we're not surprised to see it put the studio's gems to use, but it's just another reminder of how many big names are under that umbrella now. Other than The Simpsons, Disney+ will also feature some other "family-friendly" titles from Fox: Additionally, Disney+ announced that all 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be available on the service on day one. In the service's first year, audiences will also have access to family-friendly Fox titles like The Sound of Music, The Princess Bride and Malcolm in the Middle as part of an impressive collection of more than 7,500 television episodes and 500 films including blockbuster hits from 2019 and beyond.
Read MoreAfter spending more than an hour laying out all of the content coming to Disney+ and showing off its apps, Disney revealed what we came to find out: the price. Disney+ will cost $6.99 per month, or on an annual basis for $69.99, and those interested can sign up for updates here. We also have a launch date, set for November 12th. Our other post runs down a lot of the content you can expect for that price, including many hours of high-profile selections across the Disney Signature, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic and even Disney Channel libraries. That's before we get into the original content, all seasons of The Simpsons, and potentially discounted price for people bundling a subscription with ESPN+ and Hulu. At the investor conference where Disney revealed all of these details, it also mentioned the expectation that Disney+ would lose as much as a billion dollars in 2020, with losses peaking between 2020 and 2022, before expected profitability in 2024. From the sound of things, the company is willing to lose all of that money to fight Netflix (and all other competitors) for several years, so at the least it could be a while before there are any price hikes. Netflix, by comparison, has over 139 million customers right now, but it's spending billions every year to produce original content, and has already had to raise prices for the last few years in a row. Now, the real fight is on.
Read MoreIn the fall of 2017 Disney announced plans for a subscription streaming service of its own that could compete with the likes of Netflix. Last fall, it revealed a name -- Disney+ -- and that it would launch in late 2019. Today we're finally getting more official information about what it's like as Disney makes a presentation for its investors explaining the company's overall internet video strategy, including ESPN+ and Hulu, which will "likely" be offered as part of a bundle at a discounted price. Update: After several hours, Disney finally revealed the price: $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year, launching November 12th. We already know that the company's plans include plenty of expansions on content it owns from properties like Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars, as well as the Disney vault of well-loved family films. But what people are hoping to find out today is how much it will cost, how it will work and what, other than exclusives, it might use to draw customers who are already shelling out for one or more video subscriptions. Disney quickly revealed that all of the content on Disney+ will be ready for subscribers to download and view offline as long as they have a subscription. That's a feature Netflix only added in the last couple of years, and still doesn't apply to everything on its service. It's also going to support 4K and HDR video.
Read MoreWe haven't heard exactly how much Disney will charge for its streaming service, but at today's investor event its Direct to Consumer president Kevin Mayer announced an interesting note about its plans. Whatever it costs, you will "likely" be able to get a discount once it launches later this year by subscribing to a bundle of Disney+, the ESPN+ internet service and Hulu, which it now has a controlling stake in after the acquisition of Fox. That could be appealing to cord cutters, at the right price and with enough content, but without knowing more about Disney+ we're not sure. We should find out more information about the streaming service in just a few minutes. Update: After several hours, Disney finally revealed the price: $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
Read MoreThe BBC is finally sharing its BBC Music site with audiences in the US. As of today, its trove of music reporting -- across radio, TV and the web -- as well as artist performances from Radio 1's Live Lounge are available stateside. That includes clips of Ariana Grande, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift and the Foo Fighters that were previously restricted to the UK.
Read MoreNetflix is using a tactic far removed from the nature of its service to make the best of its movies and TV series stand out. Not in the eyes of ordinary viewers, though, but in the eyes of award show voters. According to Bloomberg, the streaming service is publishing its own magazine to promote its stars and programs ahead of the 2019 Emmy Awards. That's why you won't be able to buy it at a newsstand: starting in June, the company plans to distribute copies at the events it stages for the awards show.
Read MoreDonald Glover already has something special planned with Google's Pixel 3 to go with his performance at Coachella this weekend, but he's not stopping there tie-ins. After his set ends on Saturday morning (he's scheduled to take the stage at 2:25 AM ET) the actor, comedian and musician will release a new movie, Guava Island, on Amazon Prime Video at 3:01 AM ET. It was inadvertently announced in a YouTube press release promoting the concert live stream, but appears to be an Amazon exclusive. Dubbed "A Childish Gambino Film," it's directed by Glover's Atlanta collaborator Hiro Murai, and will co-star both Rihanna and Letitia Wright. A tweet announcing the flick included a 15 second teaser but we don't really know what the movie is about. According to IndieWire, it was filmed on-location in Cuba, and a screening at Glover's PHAROS event suggested a plot where he gets kidnapped. Update: An exclusive behind the scenes report for Vanity Fair has a few more details on the flick, calling it a "music-driven hour-long film." Once it goes live on Amazon Prime, it will be free to watch for 18 hours, and will also stream once on Twitch at 8 PM ET on Saturday, with a simulcast on YouTube's Coachella stream. Portrayed as a thriller, the movie apparently focuses on Glover as a local musician determined to throw a festival. We'll find out more once it's released early Saturday.
Read MoreDisney+ won't focus solely on telling fictional stories inside the media behemoth's many, many properties. The company has signed a two-year deal that will have Supper Club, the creators of Chef's Table, creating non-fiction streaming shows based around both franchises as well as original ideas. No, the first projects won't be cooking documentaries -- they'll be relatively varied.
Read MoreDisney has a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe-adjacent shows in the works for its upcoming streaming platform, and it seems one of them is a limited Hawkeye series starring Jeremy Renner. The Disney+ show is reportedly an adventure series featuring Clint Barton (Renner) and Kate Bishop, a character from Marvel Comics who takes over the Hawkeye persona from him.
Read MoreYouTube TV isn't immune to the latest wave of rate hikes plaguing the streaming world. The Google-owned service has announced that it's raising the base monthly price to $50 ($55 if you subscribe directly through an Apple TV), effective immediately for new subscribers and from May 13th onward for existing customers. You'll at least get something for your trouble, though, as YouTube TV will finally offer a host of additional channels.
Read MoreThe idea of Netflix teaming up with another streaming service was laughable until now. Netflix announced today that it is partnering with SiriusXM to create a 24/7 streaming radio channel that will feature clips from Netflix stand up specials. "Netflix is a Joke" Radio, first promised last year, will launch for SiriusXM's XM Select and XM All Access subscribers starting April 15th. The streaming-only station will be available through the SiriusXM app, online and in vehicles with SiriusXM 360L radio.
Read MoreT-Mobile hasn't been quick to fulfill its promises of launching TV service, but it finally has something to show following all the early hype: it's launching TVision Home, a rebranded and retuned version of Layer3's broadband-based IPTV service. It's not the fully independent streaming service you might have hoped for (that's coming later in 2019). However, the telecom is hoping to bring a dash of its straightforward "Uncarrier" strategy to the TV world -- provided you're willing to pay.
Read MoreNetflix has its sights set on buying its first movie theater. It's in the early stages of talks to acquire the famed Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, according to Deadline Hollywood. Netflix would supposedly decide what to screen during the week, perhaps giving subscribers another way to watch Netflix releases. Current owner American Cinematheque would handle weekend programming, including festivals and lectures.
Read MoreWith Marvel and Star Wars shows in the bag, Disney+ is turning to Pixar's Monsters, Inc. for its next spinoff series. Monsters At Work will delve into the inner workings of Monstropolis, a city powered by children's chuckles. Billy Crystal and John Goodman are set to reprise their roles as best pals Mike and Sully, alongside new voice cast members Ben Feldman, Kelly Marie Tran, Henry Winkler and Lucas Neff.
Read MoreNetflix isn't the only big-name streaming platform working on interactive shows. YouTube is also developing programming that uses the format. Ben Relles, who was YouTube's head of unscripted programming, is heading up a new division focused on interactive shows and live specials.
Read MoreThe Athletic plans on delivering over 20 new podcasts focused on hyper-local and national sports coverage to its over 100,000 paid subscribers. The paywalled sports outlet launched its new podcast venture on Tuesday, featuring shows that focus on the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB and fantasy sports. The company is also planning on adding a total of 15 podcasts that focus on local sports in the Bay Area and Toronto.
Read MoreRoku is about to make life much easier if you're tired of signing into all your accounts when you get a new media player. It's releasing a Roku OS 9.1 update that, among other things, adds automatic account linking. So long as you've previously logged into a supporting service on Roku-based hardware, you won't have to do that again when setting up a new Roku device. It's not comprehensive when there are "nearly 10" services that work with the feature today (including Sling TV and Pandora), but more are expected in the future.
Read MoreApple promised us ad-free original shows when its TV service debuts this fall, and one of them will apparently be the Stephen King novel Lisey's Story. According to Hollywood Reporter, Apple has ordered an eight-episode series to be written by King himself and produced by Bad Robot Productions' J.J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson. Julianne Moore has signed on for the lead role and will even executive produce the show for Warner Bros. Television. It's not clear how much Apple paid for the title, but it's most likely quite substantial, seeing as the company reportedly won a multi-outlet bidding war.
Read MoreIn its first 24 hours, the music video for "Kill This Love" -- the latest single by K-pop quartet Blackpink -- reached 56.7 million YouTube views. It then went on to earn 100 million views in less than three days. That's the fastest any music video has reached either milestone, and it makes "Kill This Love" the biggest music video debut in YouTube history -- unseating Ariana Grande's "Thank You, Next," which had 55.4 million views in its first 24 hours.
Read MoreYou probably don't think of Netflix as a go-to place for music documentaries beyond Taylor Swift's tour movie, but it's determined to burnish its image. The service has teased the April 17th debut of a previously rumored documentary on Beyoncé's much-hyped performance at the 2018 Coachella festival -- conveniently, just ahead of the 2019 festival's second weekend. You won't find a trailer or other details, but there's little doubt that the teaser is a callback to both the yellow outfits Bey's team wore as well as the launch of her Homecoming Scholars Awards Program at the same time.
Read MoreNetflix has supported AirPlay streaming from iOS devices to Apple TV since 2013, and while it wasn't the world's most necessary feature it is odd to hear that this week users noticed it suddenly stopped working. As MacRumors and Apple Insider point out, a support page on Netflix's website now says "Airplay is no longer supported for use with Netflix due to technical limitations." Whatever those technical limitations might be -- arising at the same time Apple revealed a Netflix competitor with Apple TV+ and is making its AirPlay 2 protocol available on more devices -- they shouldn't interrupt your streaming by much. The Apple TV, and any other AirPlay-ready device, will certainly include a Netflix app built-in, and may even work with the Cast button as a fallback. Even if it doesn't, AirPlay Mirroring still works too, even if it's not as convenient. It could be annoying logging into Netflix with an awkward TV remote instead of just pressing one button on your phone or tablet, but for now that's what it will take.
Read MoreAmazon has added a lot more Jim Henson Company programs to Prime Video after rolling out all four season of sci-fi series Farscape for the platform. Starting today, you'll be able to access 2,500 hours of child-friendly shows with Muppets and other Henson puppets if you have a Prime or a standalone Prime Video subscription. That is, depending on where you're located -- unfortunately, most of those programs won't be available in the US due to licensing issues.
Read MoreThe Roku Channel has added HBO to its list of premium subscriptions available on its streaming platform. Those who own a Roku device can now sample a 7-day free trial of HBO on the Roku Channel, after which it will cost $14.99 a month. It's the same pricing as the HBO Now standalone package and the HBO add-on on other streaming platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. Timing is perfect for those who want to catch the final season premiere of Game of Thrones, which debuts on April 14th.
Read MoreIt's been several months since SiriusXM purchased Pandora for $3.5 billion, and now we're finally getting a glimpse of how the satellite radio company plans to use its new toy. SiriusXM and Pandora announced Pandora Now, a new feature that will highlight popular and trending music for listeners on both platforms. Available starting today, Pandora Now will have a dedicated channel on SiriusXM for subscribers. Pandora Premium members will get to listen to Pandora Now as an interactive station, complete with song skippings and thumbs up and down ratings, or as a curated playlist.
Read MoreT-Mobile hasn't given up on its plans to introduce a TV service. Rumors circulated that the company would launch a TV offering in 2018, and while that clearly didn't happen, it looks like we might actually see it this year. Today, T-Mobile and Viacom announced a content distribution agreement that will bring Viacom's channels -- including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET and Paramount -- to T-Mobile's "uncarrier" TV service.
Read MoreNetflix revealed in January it would increase prices for US users and those in Latin American countries where it charges in US dollars. It told many subscribers this week the hikes will take effect in May, though the increases have been rolling out over the last few months. Those who signed up since Netflix announced the increases are already paying the higher prices.
Read MoreCBS All Access is showing serious interest in keeping One Day at a Time alive. According to Vulture, the streaming service has sent Sony an official bid for the sitcom to pick up where Netflix left off and keep it going for at least one more season. Sony has been in talks with several outlets ever since the show's cancellation in March, but interested parties have likely been hesitant to send in serious offers due to the deal it signed with Netflix. Apparently, Netflix can veto the sitcom's move to a rival streaming platform for two years after its cancellation. In other words, the CBS All Access offer might not lead to a revival at all.
Read MoreIf the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ever wants to limit the eligibility of streaming services for the Oscars, it might have to contend with the US government first. The Department of Justice has warned the Academy that rule changes limiting services like Netflix and Amazon might violate antitrust law if they effectively "suppress competition." The Sherman Act bars anti-competitive agreements between rivals, the DOJ wrote, and that would include awards restrictions that hurt a streaming company's sales.
Read MoreStreaming has driven the US music industry for a few years. Last fall, streaming was responsible for up to 75 percent of the country's total music industry revenue. The 2019 IFPI Global Music Report, released today, shows the global scale of that trend. Streaming revenue grew by 34 percent in 2018 and accounted for 47 percent of total music revenue worldwide.
Read MoreNetflix announced today that it is renewing The Umbrella Academy for a second season. The main cast will reprise their roles for the next installment of the superhero story, which will feature 10 one-hour episodes. While Netflix hasn't given any time table for when new episodes might drop, production on season two is set to begin this summer.
Read MoreNetflix's Top Boy returns to the explosive streets of east London in the first trailer for its upcoming season. British rappers-turned-actors Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson are back in the mix, joined by Little Simz and UK album-chart topper Dave.
Read MoreDiscovery is widening the scope of its streaming service plans, although it might not be great news for nature buffs. The network has unveiled a deal with BBC Studios that will see the BBC's history, nature and science documentaries form one of the "pillars" of a Discovery streaming service due to launch by 2020. On top of that, the service will be the exclusive streaming home for BBC nature docs outside of the UK, Ireland and China, including series like Blue Planet, Life and Planet Earth -- it's not clear what will happen with existing titles on sites like Netflix, but you might not want to count on them sticking around.
Read MoreYou probably weren't looking for a sequel to Samsung's lap-crushing Galaxy View tablet, but you're getting one anyway. AT&T has teased the release of the Galaxy View 2, another take on the Android tablet and mobile TV hybrid. It's not quite as colossal as its predecessor with a 17.3-inch 1080p display, and implements a clever built-in cover that doubles as a kickstand. Still, this could easily be awkward to use in tablet mode -- it's really more of a vehicle for DirecTV Now and other AT&T streaming services than something you'd use to check Facebook on the couch.
Read MoreWe've seen VR headsets used on rollercoasters and in car-based Mario Kart games, but now Steampunk VR Scooter has brought VR headsets to the world of bumper cars. From the outside, players appear to be sitting in your standard bumper cars and wearing VR headsets. Inside the game, though, they're immersed in a steampunk world. Players ride "retro-futuristic" steam engines and compete against each other and robotic enemies, while navigating terrain complete with cliffs and abysses.
Read MoreWelcome to Engadget's newest series, 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.
Read MoreToo many cities are built around cars rather than people. Sidewalk Labs, an offshoot of Google's parent company Alphabet, wants its smart neighborhood in Toronto to be different. It's considering a so-called superblock concept, modeled after Barcelona's, that bundles smaller streets together and limits vehicles to the perimeter. The smaller lanes inside each superblock would then become safer, quieter spaces for pedestrians and cyclists. Sidewalk Labs wants to go a step further, though, with real-time traffic monitoring and movable street furniture. These would allow the company to create smart, dynamic superblocks that subtly change with the time of day and needs of its residents.
Read MoreAs Sidewalk Labs builds its "smart city" in Toronto, there have been growing concerns that the sensor and camera-laden neighborhood may invade the privacy of citizens. To deal with some of those issues, the subsidiary of Alphabet announced today that it is working on creating icons that would help people better understand the technology they run into while navigating cities. The images would be displayed on hexagon-shaped signs that would highlight what type of data is being collected in an area and how it is being used.
Read MoreOh Sonic, what have they done to you? Today, Paramount Pictures released the first trailer for its live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie. And honestly, I don't know what to say. We already knew that Sonic would look, well, nothing like the blue blur that everyone fell in love with during the Genesis era. Heck, I'd argue the scarf-toting version in Sonic Boom looked better than this. Thanks to another leaked image, we also knew how the nefarious Doctor Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, would be portrayed on the big screen. Still, a small part of me wanted to believe that the movie wouldn't be a complete trainwreck. After all, Detective Pikachu looks okay, right?
Read MoreNetflix has teamed up with SK Global Entertainment, the production company behind Crazy Rich Asians, to create a show based on the 2018 Thai cave rescue. It was a widely publicized event, which (thankfully) saw the extraction of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the Tham Luang caves near Chiang Mai -- they were trapped there for two weeks due to the heavy rains that flooded the entrance. SpaceX chief Elon Musk even had a team of engineers develop and build a kid-size submarine in an attempt to help, though it arrived a bit too late and ended up not being practical for use.
Read MoreThis week the playoff are rolling along and Game of Thrones is buzzing, but some of the most notable new stuff is coming to streaming services. That includes Ingress: The Animation, a new anime series tied to the Niantic game of the same name that's now live on Netflix, as well as the service's upcoming documentary Knock Down the House that follows four women campaigning for spots as a Representative. Netflix is also streaming its new animated series Tuca & Bertie which is produced by many members of the Bojack Horseman team while featuring Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong in the lead roles, plus the Ted Bundy movie, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Amazon Prime will add Suspiria to its catalog, while iZombie is kicking off its final season on the CW. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Read MoreCBS All Access announced today that it's renewing The Twilight Zone for a second season. That's not entirely surprising given that the show is co-produced by Jordan Peele and that it attracted the streaming service's most premiere-day views when it debuted on April 1st. But the commitment is significant, considering that many CBS All Access shows are still in their first seasons.
Read MoreAs the moviegoing public anxiously awaited this weekend's release of Avengers: Endgame, the rest of the tech world moved ahead as if nobody had been snapped. Here are some of the week's top headlines you may have missed while scouring Fandango for open Endgame seats.
Read MoreAfter seeing Avengers Endgame in IMAX, I kicked myself for not doing the same for Infinity War. The technical advantages are clear: IMAX screens are much larger than normal theaters, especially if you're lucky enough to have access to a full-sized IMAX. And while we've seen the format used before for action sequences in blockbusters, Avengers Infinity War and Endgame are the first to be shot entirely with IMAX cameras. So, unlike The Dark Knight, they don't awkwardly jump between multiple aspect ratios. They're always super-sized, offering up to a 26 percent larger image than traditional widescreen theaters -- all the better to see Marvel's heroes finally smack down Thanos.
Read MoreAs MoviePass stumbled, Sinemia presented itself as an all-you-can-eat moviegoing alternative. Now, after quickly rushing through a series of plan changes and account terminations, the service has announced it's shutting down. A note on the front page of its website confirms what subscribers have suspected, citing "unexpected legal proceedings" (including a patent lawsuit filed by MoviePass) and lack of capital. The company hasn't responded to inquiry about whether or not it will continue on in other countries, and has gone dormant on social media. While these subscription packages have stumbled, the concept seems viable for one group: the movie theaters themselves. At last count AMC's Stubs A-List program continued to grow, and Alamo Drafthouse has announced plans to try out the scheme with a Season Pass. And that may be a next step for the people that run Sinemia -- an earlier report by Bloomberg suggested that shutting down the service would let them focus on their business as a white-label provider building up subscription plans for theater chains.
Read MoreAirbnb might not be content with hoping that you'll book a stay on your next vacation -- it may want to make that vacation more appealing in the first place. Reuters sources say Airbnb hopes to create original shows that would encourage would-be customers to travel. Although the specific plans aren't mented, CEO Brian Chesky is reportedly a long-time advocate of the project and aims to create a studio so that Airbnb can "be travel-everything." The company has toyed with the idea for a minimum of three years, according to one insider.
Read MoreWe knew Will Smith was preparing to fight a younger version of himself in the upcoming Ang Lee sci-fi film Gemini Man. Now, thanks to the trailer released today, we get a glimpse of what that will look like. The two-minute clip shows present-day Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite but aging assassin who's being chased by a younger clone. Visual effects -- similar to those that allowed Samuel L. Jackson to digitally de-age in Captain Marvel -- will make it possible for Smith to play both roles.
Read MoreThe NBA and NHL playoffs are continuing, but this weekend the big battle is expected on a super-sized episode of Game of Thrones. For gamers, Days Gone is finally ready for your PS4, while a 40th Anniversary release of Alien celebrates the movie on 4K Blu-ray. Netflix's animated She-Ra series is returning for a second season this week, while Mortal Kombat 11 keeps the series going across multiple consoles. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Read MoreA lawsuit that accuses Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer of stealing the idea for the hit Netflix show is headed for a jury trial. A judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court this week denied a motion for summary judgment from the Duffer Brothers. The trial is scheduled to begin on May 6th.
Read MoreThe years-in-the-making Halo TV series finally appears to be taking shape. Showtime has chosen American Gods' Pablo Schrieber to play the series' version of Master Chief. It's not certain if he'll ever remove the iconic helmet, but Showtime has promised to tell "deeply drawn personal stories" -- it's hard to imagine the Chief hiding his face forever.
Read MoreA reboot of the Child's Play franchise will hit theaters this summer and while we already had a good idea killer toy Chucky would be more of a robot with AI capabilities this time around, the latest trailer provides further confirmation he'll be able to control smart homes. Terrifying.
Read MoreAre you sick of the usual superhero fare? So is Amazon. It just posted a teaser for The Boys, a Prime Video adaptation of Gareth Ennis' comic book about wayward superheroes. The show casts Karl Urban as a CIA enforcer who "spanks" a group of corrupt heroes who've become a threat to the public. It's practically the polar opposite of Marvel and DC movies, and it's true to the extremely violent and sexual nature of Ennis' story -- you really don't want your kids to see this one.
Read MoreNot all is well in DC Universe's rapidly growing... well, universe. Hollywood Reporter sources say Warner Bros. Television (part of the service's parent WarnerMedia) has cut its initial order for Swamp Thing from 13 episodes to 10 after running into "creative differences" with DC. It would still debut on May 31st -- DC has provided a teaser, shown below -- but the season wouldn't be as sprawling as originally planned. Both DC Universe and Warner Bros. have declined to comment on the apparent leak.
Read MoreMarvel is debuting a weekly Twitter streaming show on Thursday that will include guests and ample discussion about the Marvel universe. Marvel Live! will be hosted by Ryan Penagos, Marvel's Vice President of New Media, and Angélique Roché, who hosts the Marvel Voices podcast. Fans can expect plenty of "guests, news, reveals, and exclusive secrets" from the show, according to a teaser trailer. BREAKING NEWS! We have a new LIVE show coming to you weekly right here on Twitter starting April 18th at 4pm ET. Hosted by @AgentM and @AngeliqueRoche, we're giving you an inside look at the Marvel Universe! Join the conversation every episode with #MarvelLIVE. pic.twitter.com/Inaap5nbxH — Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) April 12, 2019
Read MoreIt won't surprise you to hear that Game of Thrones is a pirate magnet, but the sheer scale of that piracy may be reaching new heights. The analytics company MUSO has determined that people pirated the show's season eight premiere just shy of 55 million times in the first 24 hours. About 76.6 percent of those viewers relied on bootleg streams, while the rest were split between downloads (12.2 percent), public torrents (10.8 percent) and private torrents (0.5 percent). Just where people pirated the episode may be the most interesting part, though -- it speaks volumes about the limitations of TV and sreaming services.
Read MoreThe long-delayed live-action Minecraft movie has a new release date, so fans might want to make a note in their calendars for March 4th, 2022. With so many delays, it was clear it'd still be a while yet before the film hits theatres, but the 2022 news might come as a disappointment to those who were at one point expecting to see Minecraft next month.
Read MoreDespite Disney's efforts to keep as much of Avengers: Endgame under wraps as possible before the latest Marvel blockbuster hits theaters next week, several minutes of blurry Avengers: Endgame footage have leaked. The footage reveals some significant plot details, and GIFs, screenshots and descriptions (none of which we're sharing here) are spreading across the likes of Twitter and Reddit.
Read MoreNetflix is publishing another Mark Millar comic book after The Magic Order and Prodigy -- an original he describes as "female Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid set in space." Entitled Space Bandits, the sci-fi tale revolves around the two most wanted felons in the universe, each one running heists across galaxies until betrayal sends them on a path of revenge. Netflix snapped up Mark Millar's publishing house in 2017 and has worked with the writer to publish new comic books and turn his existing properties into TV shows and movies since then.
Read MoreThis week the NBA and NHL playoffs are under way, and gamers can play some old games on new systems, like Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster on Xbox One and Switch, or Cuphead on Switch. Netflix will stream Beyoncé's Coachella performance behind-the-scenes documentary Homecoming starting Wednesday morning, and Amazon Prime has cued up season five of Bosch. On TV, Comedy Central will premiere The New Negroes with Baron Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Read More'Game of Thrones' season 8 showrunners interview: 'This is where the story ends' James Hibberd, Entertainment Weekly Winter is here. HBO's powerhouse Game of Thrones returns for its final season this weekend, signaling the beginning of the end (at least for now) of the stories of Westeros. Entertainment Weekly sat down with the showrunners for season 8, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who are also the masterminds behind much of the show's narrative arc. The pair promises they'll be in an "undisclosed location" when the final episode airs, "turning off our phones and opening various bottles."
Read MoreHQ Trivia has been broadcasting its live game show to mobile devices for about a year and a half now, and usually the events were hosted by "quiz daddy" Scott Rogowsky. He hasn't been on the air for the last few weeks, and as TMZ first reported today, that's because he's parted ways with HQ after taking a new job hosting a baseball show on sports streaming network DAZN. Apparently Rogowsky wanted to continue hosting HQ part-time, however the company declined to keep him on for weekend games. Former guest host Matt Richards is now the regular primetime host, and in a series of tweets Rogowsky called ChangeUp "a dream opportunity that I simply couldn't pass up." A statement provided to TechCrunch said: "We continue to build an incredible company at HQ Trivia, from drawing hundreds of thousands of players to the platform daily, to increasing the size of the prize, to attracting strong talent. We've come a long way since Scott Rogowsky's first trivia game and we're grateful for everything he's done for the platform...e're just getting started at HQ Trivia, and as he makes his next move, wanted to take a minute to thank him for being part of our journey."
Read MoreThe first teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode 9 has arrived, along with a few more details about the final installment of the Skywalker saga from a panel at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. Perhaps most importantly, we finally know the movie's full name -- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Read MoreWine Country -- a star-studded, R-rated comedic romp -- is coming to theaters on May 8th and Netflix on May 10th, and the first trailer dropped today. The film follows Abby, played by Amy Poehler, as she assembles a crew of old friends to celebrate the 50th birthday of her best friend Rebecca (Rachel Dratch). They're joined by Ana Gasteyer, Paula Pell, Emily Spivey and Maya Rudolph for a wine-filled tour through Napa Valley. Tina Fey, Jason Schwartzman and Cherry Jones also join in the adventure.
Read MoreMichelin-starred fine dining is passé. As evidenced by the exploding popularity of street food, good eats these days are found at trucks and carts tucked away outdoors, prepared by families with decades of hard graft behind them, and not a single experience of culinary school. Enter Netflix's new series, Street Food, which tells the stories of these chefs as they cook up a dazzling array of noodles, soups and snacks on the streets of nine Asian countries.
Read MoreIf HBO's Theranos documentary didn't satisfy your curiosity, you might be in luck. Deadline and Variety have learned that Hulu is ordering The Dropout, a miniseries about the rise and fall of Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes. The show would be produced by and star Saturday Night Live veteran Kate McKinnon, and would have its roots in a similarly-titled podcast that was turned into a 20/20 documentary in March.
Read MoreNetflix has released the first trailer for Chambers, a supernatural horror series about a heart transplant gone wrong. The show stars Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn as the parents of a deceased girl whose heart has been donated to Sasha (Sivan Alyra Rose), a young heart attack victim. Sasha and her family connect with the grieving couple and promise to honor their late daughter's memory.
Read MoreWinter is finally here. In the spring. Wait. Alright: Game of Thrones is back, ready to run off its final few episodes that we've been waiting years -- in the case of some book readers, decades -- to experience. On streaming, Twilight Zone is moving to a new premiere night, and Netflix is premiering its interactive Bear Grylls reality series You vs. Wild. "Creative talent" behind the Burnout series has returned with a new racing game, Dangerous Driving, and it's time to raise a falcon in virtual reality. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Read MoreWhile the average person might debate buying a discounted movie ticket subscription, Red Carpet Films hopes the uber wealthy will consider spending $3,000 to rent first run films. The concept isn't entirely new: charge people hefty premiums to watch the newest movies in their homes. But the price tag is higher, the idea is being pushed by longtime Hollywood businessmen and major studios have signed on.
Read MoreRoad to Endgame: 'The Avengers' changed cinema and avoided the mistakes of past Marvel movies Siddhant Adlakha, Slashfilm Avengers: Endgame marks the end of a 22-film run for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While there are certainly plans to make more movies, this phase will soon be over. Slashfilm is revisiting all of them in the run up to the premiere of Endgame on April 26th. This week alone, the site has covered The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. You can see the full list of the recaps right here.
Read MoreNetflix's upcoming live-action Cowboy Bebop series has a cast. According to Variety, John Cho will take up the lead role of bounty hunter Spike Spiegel. Alongside him will be Luke Cage star Mustafa Shakir, who will play Spiegel's partner Jet Black. Daniella Pineda of The Originals fame will play the amnesia-stricken Faye Valentine. British stage actor Alex Hassell will take on Vicious, a notorious hitman and rival to Cho's Spiegel.
Read MoreThe first trailer for Too Old to Die Young, an Amazon Prime crime drama set in Los Angeles, was released on Thursday. The series stars Miles Teller and Billy Baldwin as two men who are caught up in LA's criminal underworld. Teller plays Martin, a grieving LAPD cop who just lost his partner. Martin, along with the man who shot his partner, finds himself tangled in a world of hitmen, Japanese Yakuza soldiers, cartel assassins from Mexico, the Russian mafia and gangs of teen killers.
Read MoreNow that Samsung has established HDR10+ as a viable and accessible alternative to Dolby Vision HDR, it's looking to bring more HDR content to viewers. To do so, Samsung is partnering with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) to master a selection of new releases and existing movies and shows with the standard. Not only will we soon have more HDR10+ hardware, we'll also have something to watch on it.
Read MoreIf you were hoping to snag Avengers: Endgame tickets in a snap when pre-sales opened this morning, you might have been dismayed to see error messages or long wait times on ticket sites. Many of those trying to make sure they can see the Marvel blockbuster as soon as possible were greeted with error codes on several ticket sites in the US, UK and Canada (including AMC and Cineplex), while others were faced with virtual lines of more than an hour and other problems.
Read MoreNetflix may have lost the whole Defenders crew, but it's reportedly gaining two new superheroes. According to Deadline, the streaming giant is "wrapping up deals" with Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer to star in Thunder Force. The film, written and will be directed by McCarthy's husband Ben Falcone, might be out this fall and will revolve around two characters getting superpowers.
Read MoreThis week is a little light on big videogame releases, but sports fans can tune into the closing rounds of the men's NCAA basketball tournament. Fans of streaming have their pick of series, with The Twilight Zone ((you can watch the first episode for free on YouTube), Ultraman, Our Planet, The Tick and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina all on the list for this week. This is Us has a season finale, while You're the Worst wraps up its series run on FXX. BBC America's show Killing Eve kicks off season two this week, along with season two of The Chi on Showtime, season two of The Last O.G. on TBS and season two of Marvel's Cloak and Dagger on Freeform. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Read MoreTHX will debut its premium large format brand called THX Ultimate Cinema this spring or summer, it announced. It features a dual-laser 4K Barco projectors and a THX-certified 7.1 immersive sound system and will take on the likes of IMAX and Dolby in the premium large format (PLF) category. It will debut at the at the 1,400 seat Regency Westwood Village Theatre in LA, which has hosted numerous red-carpet premieres.
Read MoreCloudfare's 1.1.1.1 DNS service will add a VPN to its app for mobile devices. Known as Warp, the feature will gives users of the DNS resolver even more privacy while browsing the internet on their phone. Though the 1.1.1.1 DNS service already keeps your carrier from tracking your browser history, it doesn't encrypt your internet traffic. Setting up encryption manually on Cloudfare's DNS server, while possible, required some Linux prowess.
Read MoreValve fans rejoice! The company today unveiled its Index VR kit, which consists of a $500 headset, $279 controllers and two $149 base stations. You can get the entire kit for $1,000 or the headset and controllers for $749, or buy everything individually if you prefer. Pre-orders begin tomorrow.
Read MoreAfter months upon months of waiting, Oculus is finally ready to deliver its next generation of VR headsets. Both the stand-alone Oculus Quest and PC-dependent Oculus Rift S will be available to buy on May 21st in 22 countries, with pre-orders starting today (April 30th). Amazon, Best Buy, Microsoft and Walmart are among the outlets carrying both devices. The Rift S is available in just one $399 trim, while the Quest starts at $399 for a version with 64GB of built-in storage, and $499 for 128GB of space.
Read MoreGarmin has added a feature for tracking menstrual cycles to its line of connected wearables and smartwatches. Women can now track their menstrual cycle and log symptoms through the Garmin Connect app. They can opt-in to receive reminders for periods and fertility windows on their Garmin smartwatches or wearables. With its new period tracker, Garmin joins other major fitness tracking apps such as Fitbit and Apple Health in giving their female users an option to track their reproductive health.
Read MoreYou don't have to wait too much longer if you're curious about the Powerbeats Pro. Beats' first truly wireless earbuds will be available in stores on May 10th for $250, with pre-orders starting on May 3rd at 10AM Eastern. You'll have to be content with the black model at first, though -- the ivory, moss and navy versions won't arrive until the summer. Whichever style you get, the functionality is the real draw.
Read MoreImogen Heap hums the opening bars to Breathe In before pinching her fingers, instructing a sequencer to begin playing it on a loop. She opens her palms wide and makes a fist, as if holding a drumstick, and begins thumping the song's beat. Piece by piece, Heap constructs the song until she is ready to begin singing, without ever touching an instrument.
Read MoreMichael Kors has released a new Sofie smartwatch that is equipped with a heart-rate sensor and other features. The smartwatch can track your heart rate with Google Fit or other third-party apps, record the distance of your runs and is waterproof up to 30 meters. The latest Sofie smartwatch runs on Google's Wear OS, so it supports both Google Pay and Google Assistant. The Sofie 2.0 is now available on the Michael Kors website for $325, or $350 for a metal band.
Read MoreTo date, personal ECG devices have only really detected one kind of heart arrhythmia: atrial fibrillation. While that's helpful, it doesn't cover other conditions that could be just as dangerous. You might not be left wondering for much longer. AliveCor's KardiaMobile has received the first FDA clearance allowing a personal device to detect two other relatively common conditions, bradycardia (where your heart rate dips to 40-50BPM) and tachycardia (a jump to 100-140BPM). While these conditions are sometimes innocuous and might not show symptoms, they can also be representative of issues like heart disease.
Read MoreIf you're prone to serious allergic reactions, carrying an epinephrine shot (such as an EpiPen) could be vital. Those shots are often bulky, though, and there's a real chance you could lose yours right before you need it. Students at Rice University have a (relatively) simple solution: put the shot on your wrist. They've developed a wearable, the EpiWear, that hides a foldable epinephrine syringe in a device not much larger than a watch. If you're in an emergency, you just need to unfold it, flick a safety lever and push a button when you're ready to inject the medicine into your thigh.
Read MoreThanks to a recent firmware update, Samsung's Galaxy Buds now work with the company's Bixby voice assistant. In addition to having hands-free control of music and audio, users can now use voice controls to request a battery status update, change to a different equalizer setting and lock the earbud touchpads. Unfortunately, the new firmware only supports English and Korean commands, and you'll still have to use the earbuds with a Galaxy phone or Android device.
Read MoreWhen Engadget took an exclusive look at the Puma Fi self-lacing shoes earlier this year, the company teased an upcoming beta program for those who want to try their luck. Well, the time has come. Between now and April 28th, you can apply for the Puma Fi beta testing program via the PUMATRAC app (available on iOS and Android) or Puma's online form. The catch is you need to be residing in one of the following 11 regions: US, UK, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Spain, India and Turkey.
Read MoreBack in 2017 Lenovo released a Star Wars-themed augmented reality (AR) headset. We're guessing that must have worked out pretty well for the company, as a new FCC filing suggests it's now working on new hardware linked to another major franchise: Marvel.
Read MoreReports may have tipped Apple's hand last week, but it was really only a matter of time before the company made a true wireless option that carried the Beats name. And thanks to a hint in iOS code, we knew they'd look very similar to their corded, but still wireless, predecessor. There was little left to announce, and today, Beats officially revealed the Powerbeats Pro: the previously rumored pair of $250 (£220) true wireless earbuds.
Read MoreBack in January, smartwatch maker Withings announced the Move, a low-cost fitness tracker watch that could be customized by the user. Now, a month after the company initially promised shipments would begin, you can finally get hold of the first versions.
Read MoreYou won't have to wait until May to learn more about Valve's Index VR headset. Valve briefly posted (and promptly removed) unfinished pages for the Index that offer both a clearer look at the headset and reveal a June 15th ship date (Engadget has confirmed this with Valve). While the company didn't provide vivid detail about the headset proper, it showed that the Index would included its own headphones. It also appears that you'll have the option of buying separate base stations and Knuckles motion controllers (now Valve Index Controllers) on top of any potential bundles.
Read MoreThe Xbox Adaptive Controller might just become an important tool for some US military veterans. Microsoft and the Department of Veterans Affairs have formed a partnership that will donate controllers, consoles, games and adaptive gear to 22 Veterans Affairs rehabilitation centers across the US. The accessible gamepads will help with rehab and therapy activities focused on hand-eye coordination and muscle activation, and should help veterans both have fun and socialize.
Read MoreRare has shed new light on just what stories you'll see in Sea of Thieves' anniversary update, and the first one might just scratch the itch if you think the core game is a bit threadbare. A new trailer for the first "Tall Tales" story, "Shores of Gold," suggests that you'll experience a fleshed-out story complete with cutscenes, elaborate sequences and puzzles. You're tasked with tracking down the Shroudbreaker, the key to visiting a mysterious island -- and of course, you'll face dangers ranging from creepy skeletal warriors to booby-trapped chambers.
Read MoreXbox One owners haven't had many choices when it comes to wireless headphones. Up until now, you either had to get one of Turtle Beach's Stealth headsets, or make do with plugging wired headphones into your Xbox One controller. Now SteelSeries is aiming to step things up a notch with the $200 Arctis 9X, a new headset with native wireless support for the Xbox One. While it's certainly a bit late in the console's lifetime for a custom accessory, SteelSeries is at least providing something plenty of Xbox fans have been waiting for.
Read MoreMicrosoft has more Xbox news in store even if you don't care for a disc-free One S or Game Pass Ultimate. It's trotting out an Xbox One April Update that, among other things, adds the option of a mini virtual keyboard. The input choice frees up screen space and aims to 'streamline' typing when you're chatting up friends or redeeming a code. You can still revert to the larger keyboard through the Ease of Access settings if it's more to your tastes.
Read MoreA disc-free, completely digital Xbox One is no longer just a rumored pipe dream for cord cutters and the current generation of Fortnite fanatics who've never had to set foot inside of a GameStop. The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition will hit retailers on May 7th for $250 (that's $50 less than the Xbox One S) and it's available for pre-order today. The console comes with three popular, Microsoft-owned titles -- Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 3 and Minecraft -- and a special offer on Xbox Game Pass, the monthly subscription service that includes access to more than 100 games.
Read MoreXbox Game Pass Ultimate gives players all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold and Microsoft's digital subscription service, Game Pass, for $15 a month. The bundle went live today for a limited number of Xbox Insider members, and it's due to launch in all current Game Pass markets later this year.
Read MoreXbox fans now have a particularly big date to mark on their calendars. Microsoft has announced that its E3 briefing will take place on June 9th at 4PM Eastern, complete with an option to watch at home through Mixer. The company unsurprisingly isn't saying exactly what it will show, but it is promising its "biggest" E3 presence to date -- a sharp contrast with Sony, which is skipping E3 and instead decided to spill the beans on the PS5 through an interview.
Read MoreMicrosoft has released a free-to-play Forza game on Windows 10, and it'll be available on iOS and Android later this year. As such, Forza Street will be the first entry in the series to hit platforms other than PC or Xbox.
Read MoreYes, that disc-free Xbox One appears to be real. WinFuture has obtained images it says show off the Xbox One S All Digital, not to mention some extra details. The console's design is exactly what you'd expect -- surprise, it's an Xbox One S without a Blu-ray drive -- but it really is what's inside that counts. The system would carry a 1TB hard drive and (at least in Europe) ship with preinstalled copies of Forza Horizon 3, Minecraft and Sea of Thieves to get players started.
Read MoreMicrosoft is reportedly getting ready to combine Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold into a single subscription. According to Twitter user @h0x0d, a well-known Microsoft leaker, the packaged plan will be called Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and will cost $14.99 per month. The combined subscription is expected to be unveiled alongside the rumored disc-less Xbox One later this month, per The Verge.
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