Twelve South has released a new wireless charger that essentially functions as three chargers in one. The HiRise Wireless has a desktop charging stand for your smartphone and a removable USB-C wireless charging pad for when you're on-the-go. That pad will also power up accessories, like your AirPods (assuming they have the new wireless charging case, of course).
Read MoreOWC might have your back if you want the speediest external drive you can get without sacrificing too much in the way of portability or price. The company claims that its new Envoy Pro EX is the fastest USB-C SSD on the planet, with its NVMe-based storage offering transfer speeds as high as 980MB/s -- for context, even SanDisk's Extreme 900 Portable SSD peaks at 850MB/s in ideal conditions. It's a drive that could handle 4K video editing one moment and sit in your pocket the next.
Read MoreFor the past five years, Mikme has been chasing the dream of perfect mobile audio recording. Its first product was an excellent wireless microphone that automatically synchronized with your video recordings on iOS and Android devices. Now, the company is turning that box into something that you can easily hide from the camera. The Mikme Pocket is its spin on a wireless lavalier (or "lav"), those tiny microphones you typically see attached to talk show hosts and broadcast reporters to capture everything they say. It'll still do the hard work of syncing up its high quality audio with your mobile videos, but now you can clip the microphone on your shirt, stuff the recorder in your pocket, and shoot more like a professional.
Read MoreRoli has been making unconventional electronic music instruments for about a decade now. Its Seaboard series take the traditional keyboard design and infuse it with some notable tricks, like pressure-sensitive keys that allow for far more modulation effects than you can do on a piano. Its series of modular Blocks gadgets take that pressure-sensitive surface in another direction, combining the features of a synth and drum pad into a much more affordable device than the company had released before. However, Roli has never made a traditional keyboard before, until now. At first glance, the 24-key Lumi looks very much like any other MIDI keyboard out there, albeit one without any bezel to speak of. But, as this is a Roli product, the Lumi isn't meant to just be another small keyboard. The Lumi's keys all light up via internal LEDs, and those lights match up with a Lumi app for iOS and Android that's meant to teach users how to play. The app, meanwhile, more than a hundred songs players can learn, including songs from big-name artists like Beyoncé and Pharrell.
Read MoreGaming mice have long had adjustable weights to offer your ideal balance between speed and heft, but you're frequently asked to determine that balance on your own. You won't have to put in quite so much guesswork with Corsair's Nightsword. The peripheral includes a "smart" system that automatically identifies the mouse's center of gravity in real time, helping you load weights in a way that matches your mousing style. It should be a capable rodent beyond this, too, with an 18,000DPI optical sensor, ten programmable buttons and (since it's 2019) four-zone RGB lighting.
Read MoreLG has unveiled its latest gaming offering: two new monitors with a blazing one-millisecond response time. The monitors are part of LG's UltraGear family and are the first in the world to offer such a fast IPS display, which helps bring IPS (In-Plane Switching) up to a closer standard with TN (Twisted Nematic) panels.
Read MoreLogitech is contributing to the flood of gaming peripherals at E3 with three of its own. It's updating its G903 Lightspeed, G703 Lightspeed and G403 gaming mice with the same high-precision 16,000DPI HERO sensor you see in a number of its higher-end models, plus a few other useful tweaks. The refreshed G903 (above) shares the familiar low-lag wireless design and plethora of buttons, but the sensor's improved efficiency gives it a much longer 140 hours of claimed battery life versus its predecessor's 32. You shouldn't have to charge it nearly so often, then.
Read MoreThe incredible shrinking storage format story continues with SanDisk's latest tiny powerhouse. The Extreme microSDXC now comes with a 1TB capacity option, which can help with the ever-increasing file sizes from 4K UHD video or just store every shot your itchy shutter finger snaps. Read speeds of up to 160MB/s help expedite file transfers and write speeds of up to 90MB/s let you capture more at a faster pace. SanDisk's A2 specs work to improve mobile app performance, and a durable design means less worry if they end up loose in your travel bag. For this week's giveaway, SanDisk has provided us with one of it's Tardis-like Extreme 1TB microSDXC cards, along with a MobileMate USB 3.0 Reader to make speedy transfers easier across your devices. One lucky reader will get this big little microSD card to fill up with action sports memories and caviar dreams. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to five chances at winning. Good luck!
Read MoreRazer's new ultra-light headset could be your well-priced answer to a heavy head and sweaty ears. The wired Kraken X weighs in at just 250 grams, comes with 7.1 surround sound and costs $50. Other features include memory foam ear cushions, glasses-friendly eyewear channels and an adjustable headband, plus a bendable cardioid mic with a tight pickup pattern that suppresses background noise. The two models, Kraken X and Kraken X for Console, are on sale directly from Razer now, and will be available elsewhere later this summer.
Read MoreAn advisory group to the European Union has suggested that the body bans systems of rating individuals automatically. In its latest report, the EU's High Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence says that "AI enabled mass scale of scoring of individuals," should be banned. In addition, instances where AI and big data could be used to identify national security threats should be tightly regulated.
Read MoreAxon, a major supplier of police body cameras and software, announced today that it will not include face-matching technology in its body cameras -- at least not yet. The decision follows a report from Axon's independent AI ethics board, which concluded that face recognition technology is not reliable enough to justify its use in body cameras. According to the report, there is "evidence of unequal and unreliable performance across races, ethnicities, genders and other identity groups."
Read MoreA consortium of 40 tech companies, including the likes of Facebook and Google, have come together to release a set of evaluation benchmarks for AI. By measuring AI products against these benchmarks, companies in the field will be able to identify optimal product solutions and, according to the consortium, MLPerf, "take confidence" that they're deploying the right solutions.
Read MoreThere are plenty of smart baby monitors on the market, and some are better than others. Cubo AI is hoping to join the pack with a baby monitor that can alert you if your little one's face is covered. The AI-powered face detection technology could come in useful if your baby rolls onto his or her stomach or is covered by a blanket.
Read MoreTeachers don't always know how well their methods work. They can ask questions and hand out tests, of course, but it's not always clear who's at fault if the message doesn't get through. AI might do the trick before long, though. Dartmouth College researchers have produced a machine learning algorithm that measures activity across your brain to determine how well you understand a given concept.
Read MoreWalmart's early use of AI at its stores isn't just for the sake of convenience. The retailer has confirmed to Business Insider that it's using camera-based computer vision tech to deter theft and losses at its checkouts (including self-checkouts) in over 1,000 stores. The simply titled Missed Scan Detection program notifies attendants if an item moves past a scanner without an actual scan, giving staff a chance to step in. Most of the incidents are unintentional, such as forgetful shoppers or fatigued cashiers, but Walmart is clearly hoping this will deter thieves hoping to make off with unscanned items.
Read MoreNever mind having robots deliver pizza -- if MIT and QCRI researchers have their way, the automatons will make your pizza as well. They've developed a neural network, PizzaGAN (Generative Adversarial Network), that learns how to make pizza using pictures. After training on thousands of synthetic and real pizza pictures, the AI knows not only how to identify individual toppings, but how to distinguish their layers and the order in which they need to appear. From there, the system can create step-by-step guides for making pizza using only one example photo as the starting point.
Read MoreCardiac arrest frequently happens at home, and victims don't always have someone around to call for help. Your smart speaker might one day fill that role, though. University of Washington researchers have crafted a proof-of-concept AI that can detect the audio cues of cardiac arrest and respond accordingly. The system is trained on 911 call samples to listen for the telltale sounds of agonal breathing (that is, distinctive gasps for air) that come with cardiac arrest. It initially asks for help from people nearby to provide CPR, but will call 911 if there's no response.
Read MoreIBM isn't just using AI to predict diabetes. Its researchers have developed an AI model that can predict malignant breast cancer within a year with an 87 percent accuracy rate comparable to human radiologists. While there are already AI prediction methods that rely on either mammogram images or medical records, IBM's stands out by using both -- and it's potentially more reliable as a result.
Read MoreWill AI lead to a quicker diagnosis of diabetes, a condition often called the silent killer? IBM researchers are hoping so. They recently announced an AI-powered screening tool that could potentially identify Type 1 diabetes antibodies in people's blood.
Read MoreAI-generated faces might be more than just novelties -- they could also be used as espionage tools. Experts talking to the AP believe that spies used AI to create a 'photo' of Katie Jones, a non-existent person used in an attempt to infiltrate the American political scene. While the snapshot may have looked plausible with a cursory look, there were telltale clues like a blurry earring and hetero-chromatic eyes that didn't quite line up. And crucially, that AI fakery might have been enough to fool some important political figures.
Read MoreA team of Adobe and UC Berkeley researchers trained AI to detect facial manipulation in images edited with Adobe Photoshop. The researchers hope the tool will help restore trust in digital media at a time when deepfakes and fake faces are more common and more deceptive. It could also democratize image forensics, making it possible for more people to uncover image manipulation.
Read MoreCan the human discourse on social media in 2019 be properly captured by a group of well-programmed bots? Of course it can. r/subredditsimulator is a subreddit -- three years in the making -- that consists solely of neural network bots. It works by generating random submissions and comments based on posts from other popular subreddits. The bots are each assigned to a specific subreddit, and the selection ranges from Reddit's darkest (r/theredpill) to fluffiest corners (r/cats, r/adviceanimals).
Read MoreWhile Siri sounds decent most of the time, it still comes off as a little robotic. With iOS 13, however, Siri should sound a lot more human. At WWDC, Apple said it's taken a "huge step forward" by incorporating a neural text-to-speech transmitter that makes Siri a lot more natural than before. It has a much more natural cadence, and better emphasis on certain words. In a demo on stage, Apple showed that the Siri on iOS 12 sometimes hiccuped her way through complex sentences. The version on iOS 13, however, sounded a lot smoother, with much more streamlined transitions and sounded a little less robotic. Last year, Siri Shortcuts debuted on iOS 12. With iOS 13, a new "My Shortcuts" space will make them much easier to find. Multi-step shortcuts will also apparently be easier to set up. Apple also mentioned Siri integration into other devices. You can set up EarPods, for example, to announce incoming messages while you're working out. With CarPlay, Siri also now works with third-party apps like Pandora and Waze.
Read MoreFire TV devices now have access to plenty of live television services, and Amazon wants to be sure you know what's playing regardless of what services you prefer. The internet giant is rolling out a dedicated Live tab that showcases whatever's playing across a host of apps, whether it's a free offering like Pluto TV, a cable substitute like PlayStation Vue or an over-the-air broadcast picked up through a Fire TV Recast.
Read MoreThere are plenty of ways to get a hold of your Amazon packages, but sometimes it's easier to pick up a parcel when you're out running other errands. To help with this, Amazon has expanded its Counter system to the US, letting customers pick up their deliveries straight from the counter at Rite Aid drug stores. It's free for the customers and applies to items shipped with Same-Day, One-Day, Two-Day and Standard Shipping.
Read MoreJuly is almost upon us. That means it's nearly time for Amazon's huge Prime Day sale, which it's expanding to two days this year. But, like Target, eBay isn't content to give its rival all the spotlight, and plans to be right there with its own deals. eBay is running its own Crash Sale on July 15th, aka the first half of Prime Day.
Read MoreTarget is going head to head with Amazon's Prime Day this year by debuting an event call "Deal Days"-- and yes, it'll also last for 48 hours. In a bid to compete with Amazon for your hard-earned dollars, the retailer is also holding an online sale event from July 15th to 16th. Target even stressed in its announcement that there's "no membership required" to participate. Unlike Prime Day, it means, which is limited to Prime subscribers who have to pay a year-long membership fee that costs $119 in the US unless they're still on free trial.
Read MorePerhaps with an eye on the next generation of engineers that might be interested in working on its delivery robots or in coding, Amazon is funding computer science and robotics programs at up to 30 public schools in its Seattle home base. From this fall, the Future Engineer Robotics grants will provide schools with expanded access to computer science learning and a private tour of an Amazon robotics fulfillment center. The schools will also get support to set up FIRST robotics teams, including professional development for teachers in robotics.
Read MoreIf you're looking to buy a new Echo or any other Amazon product, you may want to hold on to your dollars for a few more weeks. Amazon's annual Prime Day this year will start at midnight PT/3AM ET on July 15th and will last for 48 hours. The e-commerce giant stretched last year's Prime Day to 36 hours, but now it's giving Prime members a full two days to shop.
Read MoreAt an intimate press event in the Dolby SoHo space today, Amazon announced a new Fire TV Edition with Dolby Vision. This is basically an upgraded Fire TV Edition, and the display model is made by Toshiba. A 55-inch model is available starting today for $450, with 43- and 50-inch versions arriving on the 30th, costing $330 and $380 respectively.
Read MoreAmazon Spark, the e-commerce giant's social network, has seemingly shut down after only a couple of years. If you don't even know what it is, we don't blame you. You can think of it as Amazon's version of Instagram, except it focuses on shopping discovery and was never quite as popular. Users can tag products available on Amazon on their posts, since the service is specifically aimed at Prime subscribers. As TechCrunch has noted, the service has vanished from the face of the internet, with the amazon.com/spark URL now redirecting to the new #FoundItOnAmazon page.
Read MoreAmazon Game Studios has quietly laid off dozens of employees on the last day of E3, one of the biggest video game conferences in the world, according to Kotaku. The company reportedly told affected employees that they only have 60 days to find new positions within Amazon. If they fail to do so within the allotted period, they'll have to leave the company with (thankfully) a severance package in tow. In addition, the studio has also cancelled some of the games it has yet to announce.
Read MoreAmazon's UK fresh food delivery service is rolling out to a number of new cities, including Glasgow, Newcastle and Liverpool. Rounding out the list is Sheffield and Portsmouth with more, currently unspecified, locations coming online later in the year. This is good news for Amazon as it tries to make a dent in the UK's deeply competitive grocery market, and for Morrisons, its retail partner. As part of the wider rollout, Morrisons gets the ability to sell its wares straight to Amazon customers through the Prime Now app and website.
Read MoreLast year, Amazon unveiled a child-friendly version of its affordable Echo Dot, which came in bright primary colors, offered age-appropriate content and parental controls. Today, the company is announcing a brand new version of the Echo Dot Kids Edition for $70, plus a couple of new features to its kid-friendly FreeTime app as well.
Read MoreAmazon Restaurants' closure in London might have just been the beginning of the service's complete shutdown. According to GeekWire, the company's food delivery offering will only be serving customers in the US until later this month. A spokesperson told the publication that Amazon Restaurants, which started in Seattle before spreading to other cities in the country, will discontinue its business in the US on June 24th. "Many of the small number of employees affected by this decision have already found new roles at Amazon, and others will be provided personalized support to find a new role within, or outside of, the company," the spokesperson continued.
Read MoreAmazon's brick and mortar empire continues to expand, after the company opened its second, larger cashier-free store in Park Avenue, New York City today.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Take a breath. That's about all of the time you have to recover from Apple's WWDC 2019 event -- really, a $999 monitor stand? -- and get ready for E3. Things will kick off with EA's Play event that's scheduled to begin around noon ET, so pick through the Xbox and PlayStation sales carefully before tuning in. But first, let's look back at a few of Friday's most interesting stories plus other highlights from throughout the week. Welcome to your weekend.
Read MoreFedEx announced today that it won't renew its FedEx Express US contract with Amazon. Instead it will "focus on serving the broader e-commerce market." While Amazon relies on other carriers, usually UPS and the United States Postal Service, FedEx is a big player. Dropping Amazon could foreshadow shipping drama.
Read MoreAmazon is releasing a feature that will make it easier to replicate a look you've seen on Instagram or a style in a magazine spread. At the company's re: MARS (machine learning, automation, robotics, and space) 2019 conference, Amazon announced an upcoming tool called StyleSnap for the Alexa app. StyleSnap will use AI to make fashion recommendations from Amazon based on user-submitted photos. There's no word on when the feature will be released.
Read MoreAmazon's Prime Air drone delivery still isn't a practical reality, but that isn't stopping the company from iterating on its robotic flyer's design. The internet retailer has unveiled a next-generation electric drone that tackles some of the challenges the autonomous courier faces. It's now a "hybrid design" that can take off and land vertically like a typical hexacopter drone, but has aerodynamics (and thus efficiency) more like that of a fixed-wing aircraft. More importantly, it's safer -- and we're not just talking about the protective shroud that doubles as wings.
Read MoreCosmetics giant L'Oreal announced last year that it was buying augmented reality beauty app maker ModiFace. Since then it's deployed virtual makeup try-ons across a number of its own brands, allowing shoppers to test different shades of makeup in a live video or selfie of themselves. Now, the AI-powered beauty technology is coming to Amazon.
Read MoreCanucks now have have a way to put more of their online TV viewing in one place. Amazon has unveiled plans to bring Prime Video Channels to Canada, placing a range of services within easy reach if you're a Prime member. The selection isn't quite as far-reaching as in the US, to no one's surprise, but it will be familiar even if some packages are different. You can subscribe to big US services like Starz, MGM and Nickelodeon, but you'll also have access to a StackTV service that blends content from the likes of Adult Swim and National Geographic with Canadian channels like Teletoon and YTV.
Read MoreBeginning today, Amazon will open 10 brick and mortar stores in locations throughout the UK as part of a scheme which it claims will help small businesses combine online and in-person sales.
Read MoreApple has hinted that its TV+ service will focus more on a handful of top-tier shows than a Netflix-style deluge, but now that's considerably more explicit. Senior VP Eddy Cue told the Sunday Times in an interview that Apple "won't create the most" shows, and is instead interested in making the "best." He didn't think Netflix's emphasis on quantity was bad, but it was "not our model."
Read MoreThis has was a big week for mobility, especially the employment kind. Jony Ive is leaving Apple to start his own design studio next year, Latinx drama One Day at a Time is making the switch from "cancelled by Netflix" to "picked up on basic cable," and NASA is sending Titan a robopanion by the mid-2030s. Let's take a look.
Read MoreApple's News+ service might be in line for a shakeup not long after its debut. Business Insider sources claim that publishers' revenue from News+ is well below what Apple was projecting (ten times what Texture was generating), and that it's promising improvements to the experience for both readers and publishers. It's hoping to make News+ "more intuitive," for instance, and that could include clearer labels for paid articles. Right now, you typically have to look for a small "News+" icon next to headlines on articles that otherwise look like their free counterparts.
Read MoreApple will manufacture its new $6,000 Mac Pro in China, The Wall Street Journal reports. That's not entirely surprising given that most of Apple's products are made there, but the Mac Pro was Apple's last major product manufactured in the US. The decision is an about-face from 2013, when Apple bragged about its plans to keep Mac Pro production domestic.
Read MoreYou could smell the hysteria at the news. Where will Apple, a company famous for its commitment to design and its famous designer, go from here? Sir Jonathan Ive's departure, however, may be less of a catastrophe than some think. What if, actually, this isn't just a good thing, but a sign of an even more positive future for Apple?
Read MoreOn Thursday, Apple confirmed that Jony Ive is leaving after nearly 30 years at the company. He's starting his own creative business called LoveFrom, with Apple being his first client. The news reverberated through the tech and business world like a shockwave, sending journalists and Apple pundits into a titter while the company's stock price slumped. And it's no wonder; Jony Ive was no ordinary employee. Ive has been behind some of the most iconic designs in Apple's history, helping transform a Silicon Valley has-been into one of the most successful companies in the world.
Read MoreHey, good morning! Welcome to Friday! We made it. The big news we're waking up to? Jony Ive is leaving Apple, launching his own design firm that will work with a number of companies. Including, er, Apple. Elsewhere, the Pentagon has a laser that can ID you from your heartbeat, 200 meters away, and Philips' Hue bulbs are getting a Bluetooth version, which means you won't need to buy a hub to use them.
Read MoreIn an interview with the Financial Times, Jony Ive announced that after more than two decades of making Apple products look and feel the way they do, he's leaving the company. His new venture is called LoveFrom, and it will have Apple as its first client. His role with Apple has shifted slightly over the last few years, although as recently as 2017 Apple stated that his focus remained "purely on design." Ive's impact can be seen on everything from the company's new "spaceship" Apple Park campus, to individual devices (iPod, Mac, iPhone -- everything) since he was promoted after Steve Jobs' return in 1997. As much as you know him through the experience of using the devices, he's also become familiar to us for his voiceovers whenever Apple launches a new product, describing the design process and attention to detail. As far as why he's leaving now, he told FT that "There were some significant projects that I feel like I've completed. For example Apple Park — this was a project that started in 2004 . . . A couple of weeks ago we had our official opening of the Park." At LoveFrom -- he linked the name to a quote from Steve Jobs about making things with love and care for people you'll never meet -- he'll continue to work with Australian designer Marc Newson, as well as a collection of creatives "from around the world that come from quite diverse areas of expertise."
Read MoreApple's health push now includes more tools for diabetics. Apple retail stores have started carrying a diabetes tracking product -- in this case, One Drop's blood glucose monitor. It's not a continuous monitor (you have to lance yourself), but its Bluetooth connection to your iPhone and Apple Watch helps you track blood sugar levels with the devices you already use every day. It sells for $70 and includes a year's worth of coaching from a diabetes educator.
Read MoreApple Music now has 60 million paying subscribers. The company's Eddy Cue, a senior vice president of services, confirmed the milestone with French business publication Numerama today. According to Music Business Worldwide, Apple also noted that Beats 1 has "tens of millions of listeners."
Read MoreApple appears to be making up for its loss of chip designer talent. The company has quietly hired ARM Lead CPU Architect Mike Filippo to serve as a chip architect. It's not certain just what he'll do at Apple, but hes work at ARM focused on high-end CPU designs including the Cortex-A76 and future models like Hercules and Zeus. He also worked on "infrastructure-focused" and "automotive-enhanced" processors, and was instrumental to designs for both AMD and Intel.
Read MoreApple's Business Chat is no longer an exclusive club for big companies like the Four Seasons Hotel and Burberry. Cupertino is expanding the service and giving you a way to talk to all 820,000 Shopify merchants via iMessage. Some merchants like HODINKEE and State Bicycle are already using Business Chat to communicate with their customers, but now Apple and Shopify are rolling out the option for everyone, including sellers outside the US.
Read MoreApple wants you to take its news service seriously. To demonstrate its potential beyond a simple headline aggregation platform, it's launched its own candidate guide ahead of the 2020 Democratic debates. The guide contains facts, biographies and candidate positions on key issues, and will be supplied with what Apple says is "timely, trusted and comprehensive" information about those taking part, via providers such as CNN, Axios and The New York Times.
Read MoreThe latest self-driving firm to be consolidated is Drive.ai. The startup has been working on AI tech for autonomous vehicles for a few years, but found itself low on cash in an increasingly competitive market. Now, just as the San Francisco Chronicle reports that it filed with regulators about shutting down, Apple acquired it for an undisclosed amount. However, the paper reports it's still laying off 90 employees, while some others including dozens of engineers and product designers, according to Axios, are joining Apple. We still don't have a lot of information about Apple's Project Titan efforts that have seemingly changed directions more than once. Still, snapping up the pieces of a company that already had self-driving cars on the streets should bolster whatever Apple is working on.
Read MoreToday, Apple's suite of productivity apps, iWork, is being refreshed. The company announced updates to Pages, Numbers and Keynote across both Mac and iOS. Thanks to the changes, all of the apps will now let users stylize their text by filling it in with gradients or images and using new outline styles. Face detection will help better position photos, and you'll be able to place images, shapes and equations in text boxes so they move with text.
Read MoreCompanies have tried smartwatches with cameras built into their bands before (hello Galaxy Gear), but the fixed position usually leads to you contorting your wrist to get a good shot -- and you can forget about video chats. Apple might have a solution to the problem. The company just received a patent for an Apple Watch band whose built-in camera is designed to be positioned almost any way you like. It looks like one of the company's loop bands, but includes an extended segment with at least one camera on the end. You'd just have to pull, retract and twist this section to capture your ideal shot.
Read MoreApple is doubling down on the number of employees it plans on hiring in its new Seattle site. The company announced at a Monday news conference that it would be bringing 2,000 jobs to the city by 2024 -- twice the number it initially planned. The new roles would focus on software and hardware and effectively multiply Apple's existing workforce by five. Currently, there are roughly 500 Apple employees in Seattle, focused mainly in its retail stores and machine learning hub. The expansion would also give Apple a significant presence in Washington State, right alongside competitors Amazon and Microsoft.
Read MoreNow's your chance to peek at the future of Apple software without signing up for a developer account. Apple has released the first public betas of iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina, giving you a taste of what's to come in the fall if you're willing to live with bugs and compatibility issues. The highlight for many will be iOS 13, which brings the coveted dark mode as well as big updates to core apps like Mail, Maps, Notes and Reminders. You can expect smarter photo browsing, Memoji sticker packs, an improved Siri voice and speedier app loading.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Feeling alright after last night's Neon Genesis Evangelion binge? Let's catch up with the news. Google is getting out of the tablet business, and Apple might need to take a look at your 15-inch MacBook Pro. Also there's a robotic fish that runs on 'blood,' and a Raspberry Pi causes computer security problems for NASA.
Read MoreApple issued a voluntary recall for a "limited number" of older 15-inch MacBook Pros. According to the company, the laptops contain a battery that may overheat and pose a safety risk. The recall "primarily" affects the 2015 model of the 15-inch MacBook Pro sold between September 2015 and February 2017, and they can be identified by their product serial number. If you're having a hard time keeping track, that's the model prior to the redesign which introduced the controversial new keyboard design and Touch Bar.
Read More"Open Photos. Scroll up. Show numbers. 13." Over the years, Apple has frequently highlighted its accessibility work in commercials, but the ad that ran for a minute and a half during game 5 of the NBA Finals was particularly powerful. In it, a man in a wheelchair — Ian Mackay, a disability advocate and outdoor enthusiast — issued the commands above to a waiting iMac. With hardly any delay, the computer did as it was told.
Read MoreToday, Apple announced that it's partnering with Best Buy in a push to expand its service network. Customers can now choose from nearly 1,000 Best Buy stores across the US for service and repairs on Apple products. As part of the expansion, Best Buy's Geek Squad has nearly 7,600 newly Apple-certified technicians, who can make same-day iPhone repairs and service other Apple products. As we learned this spring, Best Buy will also collect iPhones for recycling.
Read MoreDon't look now, but a major Hollywood upset just happened... much to the chagrin of streaming outlets. Hollywood Reporter and Deadline sources say that AT&T-owned WarnerMedia is near closing a roughly $500 million deal with Bad Robot, the production studio from J. J. Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath. Bad Robot had reportedly entertained deals from internet-focused companies like Amazon, Apple and Netflix (plus conventional firms like Comcast and Sony), with tipsters claiming that Apple "came close" to landing the deal.
Read MoreThe latest beta version of Apple's upcoming tvOS 13 has an unexpected surprise. The company is introducing support for a picture-in-picture mode that allows you to browse while continuing to watch a video. The feature, available in tvOS 13 beta 2, was not previously announced by the company and wasn't mentioned during its WWDC keynote earlier this month.
Read MoreMy love affair with loud music started in earnest in my sophomore year of high school, when I got an iPod for my birthday and immediately started blasting Black Mages albums and anime theme songs. Fast forward fifteen years, and my morning commute neatly illustrates just how bad my hearing has gotten. I get dressed, walk to the subway, pop in my AirPods and crank up the volume to 100 percent. That's the only way I can really hear my podcasts over the cacophony of the Q train as it winds through Brooklyn and chugs along over the Manhattan Bridge.
Read MoreApple boasted that the redesigned Mac Pro could easily handle the most demanding audio editing tasks, and now the software is ready for it. The tech firm has updated its Logic Pro X music editing app to support the new workstation's many cores, handling up to a whopping 56 processing threads. That lets the Mac Pro juggle up to 1,000 audio and software instrument tracks, or four times as many as the old computer. You won't be hurting for power if you're composing an elaborate orchestral piece for the latest Hollywood blockbuster.
Read MoreIf the trade war between the US and China spirals out of control and leads to Chinese retaliation against American tech production, is Apple hosed? Not necessarily. Senior Foxconn exec Young Liu told investors that his manufacturing company has "enough capacity" to make US-bound iPhones outside of China if necessary. About a quarter of that capacity is elsewhere, Liu said, including growing Indian production. While Apple hasn't made any moves on that front, Foxconn can shift its lines elsewhere if things go south.
Read MoreThe Mac Pro was one of the bigger announcements at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last week, bringing with it immense power and an aesthetically questionable if practical design (it looks like a cheese grater instead of a trash can this time). Apple said it would release the machine in the fall, but it may have accidentally revealed the release month before it intended to.
Read MoreApple is reportedly in the midst of acquiring Drive.ai, the cash-strapped self-driving startup that's pilot testing its autonomous shuttles in Texas. According to The Information, Cupertino is buying the firm in an effort to boost its self-driving development efforts and absorbing its engineering talent. Based on previous reports, Drive.ai has been looking for a buyer and has been asking bigger rivals if they're interested since at least March.
Read MoreAt WWDC, Apple announced that its upcoming macOS will put an end to the iTunes you're familiar with and will divvy up its features between three new apps: Music, TV and podcasts. Now, the tech giant has explained how that will work exactly. The new Apple Music app will serve as home to all the music you've imported or purchased, to all the music and smart playlists you've created in iTunes, as well as to the iTunes Store itself.
Read MoreIn the future, you might be able to ask Siri to play your Spotify music and podcasts. According to MacRumors, iOS 13 and iPadOS will open the SiriKit framework to third-party music, podcast, audiobook and radio apps. So, when it comes to playing DJ, Siri will be able to control more than your Apple Music, Podcast and TV apps -- formerly known as iTunes, RIP.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. We're not done with WWDC yet. Now that Apple showed off some new toys, we're ready to walk through its updated software and discuss whether or not we're impressed by the expensive new hardware.
Read MoreOne of the Mac's longer-serving features appears to be going away. Appleosophy and others using the developer preview of macOS Catalina have discovered that Dashboard, the secondary screen for widgets, isn't present. The app is missing in Launchpad, and you can't even force it to appear using Terminal. We wouldn't completely rule out a return in a later beta, but iTunes also has a missing icon and is clearly falling out of favor.
Read MoreApple's WWDC 2019 was full of announcements, but few of them garnered as big a cheer from the crowd as when Sign in with Apple was introduced. The feature, which lets people use their Apple IDs to sign up for sites and services on the web, is being touted as a privacy-oriented alternative to Login with Facebook and Sign in with Google. "We've all seen buttons like this, asking us to use a social account login to get a more personalized experience with an app, and these logins can be used to track you," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said on Monday during the keynote. "We wanted to solve this, and many developers do too, and so now we have the solution."
Read MoreYou can pinpoint the exact moment when Apple lost the WWDC audience on Monday. John Ternus, the company's VP of hardware engineering, had just revealed that the Pro Display XDR, its new high-end 6K monitor, will cost $4,999. That's pricey, but reasonable considering all of the features it offers. But then there was one more thing, and not the good kind. One hour, forty two minutes and five seconds into the keynote stream, he revealed that the Pro Display's stand is a separate $999 purchase. The crowd, which was mostly enthusiastic until then, erupted into cautious murmurs -- enough to make Ternus stammer as he continued on. He was completely unprepared for the Apple faithful to question the glorious technology being bestowed upon them.
Read MoreIt appears Apple left one item out of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) yesterday: its Tile-like tracking device. Earlier this spring, we learned that Apple is supposedly working on a tracking tag, but the company didn't mention it amidst news of its updated operating systems, Mac Pro and HomeKit security improvements. However, in the iOS 13 beta, developers spotted an asset package for a device with the product type "Tag1,1." As 9to5Mac reports, that type of asset package is used for pairing devices by proximity -- like AirPods and HomePod. It's more evidence to support rumors that Apple is working on a tracking device.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. At last, Apple's WWDC 2019 keynote is over. While we configure a Mac Pro, you can look back at everything the company unveiled, including iOS 13, iPadOS, macOS Catalina and even Microsoft's AR Minecraft game.
Read MoreAt WWDC Apple continued to position itself as separate from tech rivals like Google and Facebook on the issue of privacy, unveiling a new "Sign-in with Apple" feature that hides your identity even from developers. So, given the value of collecting information about their users, why would any developer actually include the option in their app? Because they have to, according to the company's refreshed guidelines. Sign In with Apple will be available for beta testing this summer. It will be required as an option for users in apps that support third-party sign-in when it is commercially available later this year. At least, if it offers third-party sign-ins as an option (read: Google or Facebook authentication), then it has to include Apple's privacy-focused setup too. These are the same guidelines that now further restrict data collection on apps meant for kids, and they don't stop there.
Read MoreApple has long insisted that iPads represent its vision for the future of computing, but they've always lacked one key feature that made them less than ideal for actual work: proper file management. You could never officially download files within Safari on the iPad, nor could you use iOS's Files app to create local folders on the iPad you could save things into. Thankfully, with the advent of iPadOS, neither of those are problems anymore.
Read MoreTo say Apple's WWDC 2019 keynote was jam-packed would be an understatement. Apple offered its usual previews of the next versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS, but it also broke some new ground. The iPad now has its own operating system, for starters. There were also meaningful updates to the HomePod and a new privacy-focused sign-in. And of course, there's the not-so-small matter of the redesigned Mac Pro -- Apple has finally shown its long-in-the-making workstation. It's a lot to take in. Never fear, though, as we've boiled things down to a shorter video that gives you the gist of Apple's many, many announcements.
Read MoreApple unveiled a slew of new features and updates at this year's WWDC that will impact every corner of its ecosystem. In addition to iOS 13, macOS Catalina and watchOS 6, Apple also unveiled the new iPadOS for, you guessed it, the iPad. Users can expect a long-awaited dark mode in iOS, a more natural-sounding Siri, an Apple Watch that can stream audio and an array of new editing features for Photos. Software changes weren't the only announcements at this year's WWDC, though. As expected, we're also getting a new Mac Pro this fall, complete with a new 6K Retina display with a revolving stand. Consumer demands for more security were also addressed with much-needed privacy updates, including a new "Sign-in with Apple" feature for third-party apps.
Read MoreApple's revamped Mac Pro isn't just a showcase for the company's industrial design chops -- it also marks the introduction of new AMD graphics technology. The new system will use the Radeon Pro Vega II, a GPU that's built on the 7-nanometer architecture of the Radeon VII (sorry, no Navi yet) with a workstation focus. The base processing power isn't that much different with up to 14 TFLOPS of single-precision computing power, but the memory is another matter. The Pro Vega II touts a whopping 32GB of high-bandwidth HBM2 RAM to handle demanding tasks like 8K video editing or running two 6K displays.
Read MoreApple held its 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose on Monday and took the opportunity to show off its latest MacOS build, a bunch of new features for the iPad, a bonkers 6K display for its equally overpowered Mac Pro, and even a new way to get into Minecraft. Let's take a look.
Read MoreBad news if you're still rocking an iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and hoped to install iOS 13 -- Apple won't support the latest version of the OS on those devices. Owners of the original iPad Air, iPad Mini2 and iPad Mini 3 will miss out on the swanky new iPadOS as well.
Read MoreApple had an unexpected trick up its sleeve on the privacy front when it unveiled a Sign in with Apple option for apps and services at WWDC. But that's not the only privacy-focused measure it revealed today. Developers are no longer permitted to include third-party ads or analytics tools (which are ostensibly used for tracking) in apps in the App Store's kids category.
Read MoreThe last Mac Pro came out in 2013 and, while opinions on its trash can-shaped exterior were decidedly mixed, we couldn't fault it on its power. It delivered top of the line specs worthy of the most demanding creative projects, but after almost six years it's definitely time for an update, both inside and out. The new Mac Pro is bigger, boxier and looking a bit like the old Power Mac G5. But of course, it's way more powerful than any Mac we've ever seen. Just how powerful? Check out the specs below, stacked up against the 2013 model, to see how much heat this new "cheese grater" is packing.
Read MoreApple TV is finally coming to macOS. While it was expected that the streaming video platform would finally make the leap to Apple's desktop operating system, the company made it official today at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The app will be available with the release of macOS Catalina.
Read MoreAccessibility has become a popular avenue for tech companies lately, and today Apple revealed its latest push: Voice Control. With macOS Catalina and iOS 13, you'll be able to control your devices completely with your voice. At WWDC, Apple showed that this can be used to do things like launch apps and select emoji thanks to a system of labels and grids. You can also ask it to simulate actions like a long press or access things typically done with swipe or gesture -- like the app switcher. Most importantly, the company says your voice is processed on the device. Nothing is sent to, or stored by, Apple.
Read MoreWhere does macOS go from here? Sailing, apparently. Apple announced today that the next version of macOS (10.15) will be known as Catalina. And one of the big new features is a complete rethink of iTunes, which is now broken out into individual Music, Podcast and TV apps. Based on the quick preview from Apple's WWDC keynote, the Podcast app looks a lot more useful for finding new shows, thanks to a bit of machine learning. The TV app will also finally bring support for 4K HDR video to Macs, something that was only possible with the Apple TV 4K until now.
Read MoreApple has announced it's releasing separate apps for Music, TV and Podcasts in macOS Catalina later this year, breaking up the iTunes hegemony that's been in place for 16 years, and hammering a nail in the coffin of that messy, neglected software. Rumors emerged in April about the separate apps, while screenshots of Music and TV leaked last week.
Read MoreApple didn't just have a new Mac Pro to show at WWDC -- the company has unveiled a 32-inch Retina 6K display, the Pro Display XDR, to match. The screen matches the industrial look of the Mac Pro and delivers the kind of color performance you'd expect, including support for the P3 color space and extremely accurate high dynamic range. Also, glare might not be an issue -- Apple has ditched the usual anti-reflection coating by etching the glass itself with a "nano-texture," and it touts both a 1,000-nit typical brightness and a 1,600-nit peak. The 1,000,000-to-1 contrast ratio will help produce deep blacks, too.
Read MoreApple's been teasing a redesigned Mac Pro for years now -- in fact, it's been well over a year since the company said it would be shipping the computer at some point during 2019 after originally promising it would arrive in 2018. Well, today, we're finally getting a look at the successor to that beautifully-designed trash can that Apple introduced in 2013 and then basically failed to upgrade for years. And guess what? It looks a lot like the old, cheese-grater style tower that Apple sold for years.
Read MoreLate on Friday, reports surfaced that the Department of Justice is preparing an antitrust probe into Google's business practices, and additional reports over the weekend revealed enforcement agencies reshuffling their oversight of "Big Tech." Now, just as Apple is revealing a number of software updates at its WWDC developer event, Reuters reports, based on anonymous sources, that the Department of Justice "has jurisdiction for a potential antitrust probe of Apple Inc." Earlier today the Wall Street Journal reported the FTC has similar authority concerning Facebook, and share values for both companies dropped after the news came out. The other big name mentioned over the weekend is Amazon, although for all of them the potential impact is still unclear. If these investigations move forward, they could probe all kinds of elements about how the companies do business and impact the competitive landscape.
Read MoreApple just addressed some of the complaints about the HomePod in one fell swoop. A future update to the smart speaker will bring multiple major upgrades, most notably support for multiple users. Like its rivals, it can recognize who's speaking and customize the responses. This has rather large implications for messages, reminders and other info you might not want to share with everyone else in your household.
Read MoreApple CarPlay is getting a redesign. Apple announced at its annual Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) that it is overhauling the in-car entertainment system's dashboard to display more relevant information. Users will be able to see a map with directions, music controls, and Siri-powered smart suggestions for relevant apps and commands based on your location or time of day.
Read MoreApple is continuing its privacy-based assault on Google and Facebook. At its WWDC event, the company unveiled HomeKit Secure Video and HomeKit for Routers. Both services are meant to protect the privacy of Apple customers.
Read MoreAside from the introduction of that system-wide dark mode in iOS 13, Apple is also making it easier to browse, view and edit your photos and videos. At WWDC 2019, the company showed off a new version of its Photos app that's designed to "remove duplicates and clutter and focus on your best shots." Powered by machine learning, this feature will put your best shots front and center, and you can narrow them down by selecting the new Days, Months and Years tabs. With Days, for instance, the pictures or videos that system thinks you'll like the most will get more real estate on your screen. And you can pinch-to-zoom to view all of your pictures in one go, as well.
Read MoreApple has long touted its approach to privacy as a selling point, and at WWDC, it revealed more privacy-oriented features. It's offering a "Sign in with Apple" option for apps and services it says provides "fast, easy sign in without the tracking" that other login options such as Facebook and Google use.
Read MoreBack when Apple Maps debuted, it was often derided for lacking a lot of detail, especially when compared to Google Maps. Now, with iOS13, that appears to be changing. At WWDC, iOS lead Craig Federighi showed off a new Apple Maps that is much more detailed, more three-dimensional ??????with a much better user interface for navigating the map. Other features of the new Maps include a binoculars "Lookaround" view that lets you have a street-level view of the map, similar to Google Street View. You know those rumors of a self-driving Apple car? It turns out they were just LiDar-equipped vehicles sent out as part of this new Maps revamp. You can also add certain spots to Favorites, or create a Collection of your favorite hangouts to send to friends. There's also an option to update people with your estimated time of arrival. According to Federighi, maps has been designed to be private and secure, with no need to flip a switch to enable it.
Read MoreApple is adding the ability to type by swiping across keys on the keyboard in iOS 13. The new feature, called QuickPath, was announced at the company's annual Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) on Monday. The style of typing was previously only available through third-party keyboards but will be available through Apple's native keyboard in the upcoming version of iOS.
Read MoreAs expected, Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS 13, will include a system-wide dark mode. The company announced the change at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) today. While the feature has been circulating through the rumor mill for months, it's still one of the most notable changes to come out of this year's conference.
Read MoreiOS is Apple's most important piece of software, and as such the company is kicking off WWDC 2019 with a first look at iOS 13. Apple's senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi is taking us through the new software -- and while last year's update focused largely on performance, it sounds like iOS 13 will include a ton of user-facing features and updates to Apple's own apps.
Read MoreIt wouldn't be WWDC without new features for Apple Health. We knew the company had big plans for the app this year based on Tim Cook's comments in January, but now we're getting details on the improvements that will arrive with iOS 13 and watchOS 6. First, Apple is working on improved menstrual cycle tracking in its Health app -- appropriately called Cycle Tracking. And to help, the company will also offer Apple Watch tools for tracking your cycle. The Health app can help women identify their most fertile period, in addition to letting you know when your period is likely to start. It will work with the iOS version of the app as well, no Watch required.
Read MoreApple has been gradually improving its tvOS over the past couple of years, thanks to features such as zero sign-on for cable-powered apps and added support for Dolby Atmos audio. Most recently, the company also launched an overhauled version of the TV app, which is designed to be a one-stop-shop for all the entertainment needs of Apple TV owners. And today, at WWDC 2019, Apple has revealed tvOS 13, featuring support for Xbox One and PlayStation DualShock 4 controllers. This announcement is meant to complement Apple's upcoming game subscription service, Apple Arcade, which is expected to arrive this fall.
Read MoreThere have been rumors that Apple would significantly revamp iOS on the iPad this year, and now we're getting a sense that the redesign could be bigger than anticipated. According to documentation found in Apple's developer portal, the iPad will get its own operating system, independent from iOS, called "iPadOS." Not the most exciting name, but it's definitely noteworthy that Apple is splitting the iPad and iPhone apart at a software level.
Read MoreYes, another Apple event. After devoting an entire keynote this March to streaming services, Apple is kicking off its annual Worldwide Developer Conference today, and so it's time for the company to shift its attention back to its bread-and-butter platforms -- ya know, iOS, macOS, watchOS and maybe tvOS. As always, we expect a few surprises during Tim Cook's two-hour-or-so presentation, but we also have a few rumors to stand on. First off, it seems likely we'll hear more about Apple's plan to make iOS apps easily portable to macOS. Also on the Mac, it's possible we'll see separate Music and Podcasts apps, along with Siri Shortcuts and Screen Time, both of which made their debut on iOS. Meanwhile, rumors also point to expanded uses for NFC on the iPhone and an on-device App Store for the Apple Watch. That said, rumors don't tell the whole story -- you're going to want to follow our liveblog starting at 1pm ET to see what the press got right, what it got wrong and what it missed entirely.
Read MoreApple's Worldwide Developers Conference is about to get underway, and there should be plenty of news in store at the opening keynote. We expect to learn details about iOS 13, macOS 10.15, watchOS and more. We might even get a peek at new hardware.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. This week brings a doubleheader of tech events, with Apple's developer conference to start and E3 at the end. For all of the big news from WWDC 2019, you should tune in right here this afternoon at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT to find out what's going on with Apple -- and what the future holds for iTunes. But don't worry, Oppo and Xiaomi have made sure you won't have to wait for some big phone news.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! We're preparing for WWDC and E3 next week and, of course, there's plenty of information to help you get caught up before the press conferences start. Otherwise, let's take a look at some of last week's highlights and some of the biggest stories that broke on Friday.
Read MoreAsk iPhone users about the creature comforts they like and there's a good chance they'll mention AirDrop -- it's an easy way to share a photo with a nearby Apple device owner. Android users should soon have an equivalent, though. The 9to5Google team has managed to enable an upcoming Fast Share feature on Android that, like AirDrop, would use a combination of Bluetooth and WiFi to send files and even text snippets to nearby people. Turn it on and you can see nearby Fast Share-enabled devices, with transfers taking just a couple of taps (including a confirmation from the recipient).
Read MoreApparently, Google has plans to turn the Android Messages app into a veritable Instagram and Snapchat rival. XDA Developers has discovered that the tech giant is testing augmented reality effects with pretty impressive elements within its messaging app -- the publication even managed to activate the feature to test it out. The experimental Effects button lives inside Android Messages' camera, right beside the Photo and Video buttons.
Read MoreAt I/O earlier this year, Google announced that Android Q will upgrade the recently added Digital Wellbeing feature with a Focus Mode to quiet attention-grabbing apps so you can get things done. However, there's a way to get that feature, and a few other tweaks, well ahead of the official Android Q release. Action Launcher developer Chris Lacy has released version 3.0 of ActionDash, which already provided the kind of monitoring and feedback you'd expect from the Wellbeing service, and now has a Focus mode that you can toggle on or off with a quick settings tile. It can temporarily shut off access to whatever apps you select -- news, Twitter and Facebook are probably a good start -- with a splash screen that pops up if you try to open them.
Read MoreGrubHub's bid to conquer app-based food delivery may be hurting the web presences of the restaurants themselves. New Food Economy has discovered that GrubHub and its Seamless sub-brand have been acquiring "thousands" of web domains linked to restaurants, over 23,000 of which belong directly to GrubHub. Most of them are close or identical to the eateries' actual names, effectively preventing the locations from buying an address they might want to use.
Read MoreWhen Native Instruments first released the virtual synth Massive in 2007, it quickly took the music production world by storm. Producers loved the three oscillator wavetable synth plugin -- with its wave-scanning algorithms and 1,300 presets -- for its vast options. The soft synth went on to define EDM as we know it today, for better or worse. Now, the company has released the widely anticipated successor to Massive, which it's deeming Massive X.
Read MoreMozilla will no longer force you to choose between the privacy-first design of Firefox Focus and its full-featured regular browser... at least, if you're using Android. It's releasing a Firefox Preview for the platform that's "more like" Focus, but still offers the kinds of features you'd expect from a standard version of Firefox. Tracking protection is still on by default, and you'll still have a minimalist address bar, but you'll have everyday features that include Collections, a way to quickly visit a group of sites whether it's your morning routine or your shopping plans.
Read MoreIndie adventure game Minit caught the attention of many when it landed on consoles and PC last year, through a combination of its monochrome pixelated art style and bite-sized gameplay. As of today, mobile gamers can check out Minit too, as it's available on iOS and Android for $5.
Read MoreSoundtrap, the cloud-based editing tool for music and podcasts, has decided to throw in free unlimited storage for its non-paying members. Previously, Soundtrap's basic plan limited users to only five saved songs or projects. Starting today, those who own the unpaid version of either Soundtrap or Soundtrap for Storytellers (designed especially for podcasts) will have as much storage they need. The basic music recording tool will also grant users access to double the number of music loops (2,210, compared to only 750 before) and more software instruments.
Read MoreDuolingo's expanding language repertoire might just help you with a trip to the Middle East. The service now offers a course that teaches Arabic to English speakers -- specifically, a conversational version of the relatively universal Modern Standard Arabic. The program gradually introduces the alphabet, grammar differences and phonetics of the language to ensure that you're comfortable with the relatively difficult-to-learn linguistic structure.
Read MoreFrom creating grungy music with drone motors to perfecting DIY digital setups and recreating 60-year-old music machines, there are plenty of cool things you can do with synthesizers. But synths can be hard to understand, and if you're unfamiliar with them, you might feel a little left out. Ableton wants to change that. The company's new Learning Synths interactive website offers step-by-step synthesizer lessons, followed by a "playground," where you can put your new skills to the test.
Read MoreYou may not give WhatsApp a second glance in the App Store, but in other countries, it's the messaging app of choice. It's so big in Mexico, for instance, that Walmart Mexico is now accepting grocery delivery orders for its Superama supermarkets sent via the messaging service. According to Reuters, customers can send their orders through WhatsApp to a number owned by Walmart -- they don't even have to type their list out. The publication tested it by sending the number a photo of a handwritten list and got a response from a representative immediately.
Read MoreThree weeks ago, Apple was holding court at the San Jose Convention Center, where it kicked off its annual developer conference with first looks at iOS 13, iPadOS and the latest version of macOS, Catalina. Today the company is releasing Catalina in beta, though I've been testing it since last week. This time around, the story is mostly about Apple's first party apps, many of which have received an iOS-inspired overhaul. Speaking of the sort, it's been a year since Apple announced it was working on a framework designed to make it easy for developers to port iOS apps over to the Mac; first-party apps from last year's macOS Mojave release were even built on this technology. Twelve months later, Apple opened that development kit to third-party programmers, so we're finally seeing mobile-first apps adapted for Macs' larger screens. With this release, Apple also included a feature called Sidecar, allowing an iPad running iPadOS to be used as a secondary screen for mirroring or extending a Mac display.
Read More7-Eleven has a way for its 7Now deliveries to stand out from the herd: let you order in all kinds of public spaces. An update to its 7Now app for iOS lets you ask for delivery to "pins," or commonly accessible locations like parks, beaches, concert venues and other spaces where an address isn't an option. This doesn't mean you can order from absolutely anywhere, but it's far more convenient if you're feeling like some Slurpees on a hot summer's day.
Read MoreIt's a good time to be a Windows power user. Microsoft has released a preview version of Windows 10's redesigned Terminal (known as just Windows Terminal) through its app store, giving you a considerably more powerful command line tool. You can run the Command Prompt, PowerShell and Linux features from one central place, complete with tabs, a hardware-accelerated text engine and extensive customization -- it's just what you've wanted if you thought the all-black background was a little too austere.
Read MoreInternet comment sections are notoriously awful, and comments on YouTube can be especially dark. Earlier this year, the platform turned off comments on videos of children after a disturbing amount of pedophilic comments were discovered, and there's plenty of hate speech circulating, as well. Now, YouTube is testing a change that could relocate the comments on mobile apps. It would require users to willingly seek them out.
Read MoreHopper could already tell you the best time to buy tickets for a flight. Now, it can hook you up with the best prices for a hotel stay, as well. After initially only providing prices for hotels in New York City during a beta run, the popular travel app is now applying its powerful prediction engine to hotels around the world. Users will be able to book rooms through the app at the ideal team for more than 270,000 hotels across 230 countries.
Read MoreThe first major Adobe app to be available on the Mac App Store has finally arrived. Adobe Lightroom, one of the apps in its Creative Cloud suite, is now available for download. It was one of the applications Apple promised would be available through its platform when it introduced the newly redesigned Mac App Store, along with Office 365 and Live Studio from Snap Inc. Microsoft's office application suite made its way to the store earlier this year, marking the first time Apple has offered a bundle of software on Mac's application marketplace.
Read MoreIf you're a Serato DJ user with an unfulfilled desire to make beats and missed the beta for the company's new production platform, now's your chance. Today is the official launch of Serato Studio 1.0 and it's in good form following a little feedback from the initial test group. As we mentioned back in March, Serato Studio is an easy entry point into music production for DJs and novices alike. The software ties into existing DJ hardware for those already invested in mixing tunes, letting you manage many of the on-screen tools right from your controller. It's also chock full of familiar features including colored waveforms, cue points and direct access to your Serato DJ library. Serato Studio 1.0 is available today as a subscription of $15 per month -- or $10 per month billed annually -- and you can test the waters first with a free trial. Subscribers will get regular software updates, along with access to Serato Sounds which provides new audio packs each month. They'll be loaded with instruments, drum kits, loops and FX spanning a variety of styles from sound designers like Decap, Goldbaby, MSXII Sound Design and more.
Read MoreThe next frontier of digital health? Your delicate ears. Apple's latest update for iOS and WatchOS is all about hearing health. Meanwhile, we discover how AI could help catch Type 1 diabetes much earlier, and Huawei is still bullish on the future. Oh, and we're looking for writers in the US -- come join us!
Read MoreOver the past few months, Apple made changes to iOS subscriptions in an effort to make them more user-friendly and transparent. Now, MacStories EIC Federico Viticci has unearthed another subscription-related feature rolling out with iOS 13. Apparently, when you attempt to delete an app on the upcoming mobile platform, a pop up will let you know if it still has an active subscription.
Read MoreMicrosoft has released To-Do for Mac, finally giving Apple users access to the task management tool on their desktops. The Mac app will allow users to work offline, view their upcoming tasks under "My Day," share to-do lists with friends and colleagues and see flagged emails. The app isn't fully integrated with Microsoft Planner yet, but you can expect it soon. If you already use Microsoft To-Do on iOS, Android, Windows or the web, you'll be able to sign-in to your account and access your tasks right on the Mac app.
Read MoreAdobe's forthcoming iPad art app -- Project Gemini -- is being rebranded as Adobe Fresco, a nod to the centuries-old Italian painting technique. The company revealed that the latest addition to Creative Cloud Suite is currently available for private beta testing, with a full launch later this year. Aimed at professional artists, the app is intended to give them access to a wide range of tools outside their desktop. Fresco will combine raster, vector and dynamic brushes in a single app, and allow artists to sync their brushes in Photoshop CC.
Read MoreIf you're craving donuts but can't step outside to get them, some extra relief might be at hand. Grubhub is rolling out the option to order from Dunkin' through its apps, starting with Seamless customers in New York City. It'll reach other markets in the months ahead, including Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. Deliveries will be free between June 24th and June 30th to sweeten the deal (beyond the sugar in your orders, that is) for early adopters.
Read MoreIf you like using dark mode in your apps, Chrome is going one better -- it now supports dark mode for websites as well. Simply enable the new feature and if developers are making use of it, your favorite websites can adapt right before your eyes.
Read MoreYou might not have heard of Monzo in the US, but there's a good chance your British friends have when the digital bank has racked up over 2 million customers in its short history. And now, it's coming to the US... in a manner of speaking. Monzo has unveiled plans to roll out service to the US in the "next few months," including the mobile app and a Mastercard debit card. It'll build the audience slowly by connecting with hundreds of people at a time at events before it conducts a wider-scale launch. However, don't expect it to function as a bank at first. It'll be closer to a money transfer service akin to Venmo or Apple Pay Cash.
Read MoreBig Tech companies like Google and Amazon aren't the only ones invested in app-based literacy programs. Today, Kuato Studios unveiled a new learn-to-read app built around familiar Marvel stories. Marvel Hero Tales is an educational storytelling app meant to boost language and reading skills for kids ages seven to 11. It features Marvel-themed reading-based activities and superheroes like Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel -- plus new heroes every month. And it lets kids create their own characters and narratives.
Read MoreIt looks like Apple is taking the casual filmmaker a little more seriously. Its latest update for iMovie for iOS -- out today -- comes with a new green screen effect, better still image support, 80 new soundtracks, graphic overlays and more.
Read MoreApple and Microsoft teamed up to create an iCloud Drive experience that will hopefully resolve some compatibility issues. A brand new iCloud for Windows app is available today in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 users. The iCloud app will use the same technology as Microsoft's OneDrive's On-Demand feature -- a very rare collaboration from tech's two biggest rivals. Users can now easily access photos, videos, mail, calendars, files and other information from their iCloud accounts from their PC or smartphone.
Read MoreDropbox is getting an overhaul. At an event in San Francisco, CEO Drew Houston announced that starting today, Dropbox will be a lot more integrated into other aspects of your work life. The new interface aims to centralize your contacts, calendar, communication, tools and more in a single space. The company gave us a sneak peek at the potential of this a few months ago when it allowed its enterprise users to edit Google Docs within Dropbox. Today, however, that ability is now available to all Dropbox users.
Read MoreApple's music ID app Shazam has always been a handy tool to have on your phone, but it has one small inconvenience - it can only identify music which is either played through your device's internal speakers or picked up by its microphone.
Read MoreGoogle isn't just counting on speed limits in Maps to encourage safe driving -- it's now showing your actual speed. Android Police has learned that Google Maps is rolling out an optional speedometer that kicks in while you're using driving navigation. It displays next to the current speed limit and changes color if you flaunt the law. Much like a similar Waze feature, you won't have to wonder if you're going too fast.
Read MoreGoogle is slowly making the stable version of Chrome 75 available for all users on both mobile and desktop. It comes with various features for every platform, starting with the password management tools the Android version was sorely lacking. Whenever you create a new account on an Android device, the gray bar at the top of your keyboard will now show a button that says "Suggest a strong password," similar to what you'd see if you sign up for an account through Chrome on desktop.
Read MoreSkype has officially launched screen sharing for Android and iOS devices less than a couple of months after the feature rolled out for beta testers. Screen sharing can be a valuable tool for video calls, whether for personal or work purposes -- say, to show a colleague the graphs you've been working on or to show a friend how to find a particular setting in their phone. It's high time the feature made its way to mobile, seeing as smartphones are everywhere now.
Read MoreSpotify's Pandora-esque Stations app has arrived in the US after it previously emerged in Australia. It's officially an "experiment" for now, though you can grab it from the App Store or Google Play.
Read MoreMore than a year after Twitter pulled the plug on its official app for the Mac, it looks like the company will be launching a new version for Apple PCs later this year. The application is being created as part of Apple's Project Catalyst, which lets developers easily port apps from iOS to the next major version of macOS, dubbed Catalina. Based on what Apple shared on stage at WWDC 2019, you should expect Twitter's Mac application to be quite similar to the version youu're using on your iPhone.
Read MoreLast year, Apple teased a project called Marzipan, which aims to let developers port iOS apps over to OS X. Today, at WWDC, Apple announced that Marzipan is now called Project Catalyst and is built to work with Xcode developer tools. What this means for developers is that only one development team is needed to develop for the iPhone, iPad and Mac. For consumers, this means more apps on both desktop and mobile. One notable example is Twitter, which is finally bringing a native app back to the Mac, thanks in part to Project Catalyst. According to a Twitter statement: "We had Twitter for Mac running -- including native Mac features, in just days. Now one team can efficiently manage Twitter for iPhone, iPad and Mac." Atlassian, another developer, is also bringing JIRA Cloud, an enterprise tool for ticketing, to the Mac App Store later this year. "Now, our iOS devs are Mac devs too. One codebase, one team," an Atlassian spokesperson said. Catalyst will be available to developers today on MacOS Catalina.
Read MoreApple is making the iPad more powerful with the new iPadOS, and a lot of these fresh features are all about productivity. The Files app is getting a huge upgrade, complete with zip and unzip features, local storage, a new Column View, folder-sharing through iCloud Drive and support for SMB file sharing. Plus, for the first time on iPad, plug in a thumb drive or pop in an SD card and read files directly from either. You'll be able to import files directly into apps like Lightroom, as well.
Read MoreHuawei is getting a partial reprieve from the US trade ban. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have reached a truce that will remove some restrictions on Huawei selling technology to the US. It's not certain exactly what will change, but Trump suggested the US would allow hardware that didn't have a "great national emergency problem." That could help Huawei restore some of its partnerships for consumer tech like smartphones and PCs, but networking hardware is likely to remain off-limits.
Read MoreFedEx has already been accused of diverting Huawei's shipments, and it's not keen on dealing with more complaints. The courier has sued the US Commerce Department (including Secretary Wilbur Ross and Assistant Secretary Nazak Nikakhtar) to absolve itself of the need to monitor packages for potential export violations by Huawei and other companies. It argued that the requirement not only violated the Constitution's protections for due process, but was technically unfeasible given the scale of FedEx's operations.
Read MoreBill Gates has spoken candidly about his regrets as the leader of Microsoft, most particularly the company's attempts to build a dominant mobile OS. As reported by The Verge, during an interview at venture capital firm Village Global, Gates said "the greatest mistake ever is whatever mismanagement I engaged in that caused Microsoft not to be what Android is."
Read MoreTwitter has announced it will be removing the ability to tag your precise location from tweets. In a tweet from its support account, the company explained that most users didn't use the location-tagging feature and removing it would "simplify" the tweeting experience. The one exception will be tweeted photos from Twitter's updated camera.
Read Morein an attempt to improve the accessibility of its services, Comcast announced today the launch of a feature that will allow users to control their television using only their eyes. The Xfinity X1 eye control will give Comcast customers the ability to do things like change the channel, set up recordings, search for a specific show and more just by moving their eyes. The feature is free and accessible through xfin.tv/access.
Read MoreIf you were wondering what the short-term cost of America's war with Huawei was, then your estimates can begin at the $30 billion mark. That's the figure Huawei chief Ren Zhengfei mentioned earlier today when discussing the hit his company will take in the next two years. Since Huawei is being hounded out of both the network and smartphone businesses, you can expect that figure to keep going up.
Read MoreIn response to the Trump administration's trade war with China, major tech companies are preparing to relocate key manufacturing operations. According to Bloomberg, Google is moving production of its US-bound Nest thermostats and motherboards to Taiwan. The Wall Street Journal reports that Nintendo is shifting at least some production of its Switch console to Southeast Asia. At the same time, China has allegedly warned companies that they will face permanent consequences if they cooperate with Trump administration trade restrictions.
Read MoreThe iconic Firefox logo has fronted Mozilla's services since 2003 -- now, 16 years later, it's getting a complete makeover. In a blog post published today, the company reveals that it's been working on a new design for the last 18 months in a bid to create iconography that shows it's more than just a browser.
Read MoreComcast is facing the consequences of attaching plans to customers' accounts without their permission. A Washington state judge has ordered the telecom to pay about $9.1 million in penalties, plus restitution, for adding its Service Protection Plan (which only offset the basic cost of a tech visiting your home) to bills over 445,000 times between 2011 and 2016. The company was fully aware of the practice and did nothing to change its ways until after it filed its initial lawsuit, according to the state Attorney General's office.
Read MoreIn an email that went out to employees on Friday, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that because of progress made over the last two years, he now has more time to oversee day-to-day operations. Post-IPO, that will mean some reassigning of roles, and as a part of that, Chief Operating Officer Barney Harford and Chief Marketing Officer Rebecca Messina are both stepping down. Neither will be replaced directly, instead the heads of Uber's core businesses (Rides and Eats) will report directly to the CEO, while the marketing, communications and policy departments will be combined into one, all under former VP of communications and public policy Jill Hazelbaker. What impact will this have on you pressing a button and getting something delivered or hopping into a stranger's car for a ride? We don't know yet, but now that the company is public at least a few things are going to change.
Read MoreUber has started rolling out an experimental version of its app that was made to persuade its main service's customers to try its food delivery business. The company has confirmed to TechCrunch that it has embedded a webview version of Eats into the main Uber app for some markets. Uber seems to have added a rather conspicuous Eats button at the top right corner of its map for test markets. Clicking on that button summons Eats from within the application, allowing riders to order food without having to fire up the standalone Uber Eats app.
Read MoreTesla is known to be sensitive about leaks, but that might have serious consequences for employees who just want to discuss workplace problems. Blind, an anonymous social network for work complaints, told Verdict that Tesla appears to be blocking staff access to the site. Workers can only be verified on Blind using their company email addresses, but verification emails stopped going through -- and access to the app on the corporate network is simply forbidden. The restriction appears to apply worldwide.
Read MoreIf there weren't already signs that American regulators expect to crack down on tech giants, there are now. Washington Post sources said that the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have carved out their competitive oversight of Amazon and Google, with the DOJ gaining "more jurisdiction" over Google and the FTC watching over Jeff Bezos' outfit. It wasn't certain just what the agencies intended, although recent rumors had the DOJ prepping an antitrust probe for Google. These kinds of jurisdictional moves are frequently precedents to regulatory action.
Read MoreThe US' effective ban on Huawei might have serious consequences for the scientific community. One of the largest science publishers, IEEE, has banned Huawei scientists from reviewing papers so long as the trade restrictions are in place. There are "severe legal implications" from allowing the Chinese company's staff to look at technical research, IEEE told editors of its roughly 200 journals. Huawei can still serve on IEEE editorial boards.
Read MoreIf you want to get up to speed with AMD's announcements at this year's E3 but don't have time to sit through the entire presentation, step this way. We've edited out all the fluff to give you the main highlights and talking points, all packaged neatly into a 15 minute video. You'll get the scoop on the new Radeon 5700 XT and the RX 5700, plus a load of side-by-side demos showing off its graphics prowess against the competition.
Read MoreTwo-in-1 tablets are far from perfect. But just because there isn't a flawless laptop replacement today doesn't mean you can't get a tablet that's good enough to get some work done on the road. Tech's biggest players are falling over themselves to push out these devices, giving the premium-tablet category new life. It's easy to see why people would want these hybrids: They offer the power and productivity of a notebook in the thin and light body of a tablet. But there isn't an operating system yet that's versatile enough to work as well as a tablet as it does as a desktop (or vice versa). So as you approach this decision, it's worth thinking about which mode is more important to you.
Read MoreChoosing what to watch on Netflix can be a time-consuming experience, but actually accessing the platform, and navigating your way around it, doesn't need to be. Some TVs are better at this than others, so Netflix has revealed its official 2019 list of recommended TVs for the best streaming experience. If you're in the market for a new model and this is a key concern for you, the company reckons TVs from Samsung, Sony and Panasonic are your best bet.
Read MoreWhen I first started playing guitar way back in 1995 (or maybe it was 1994?) the idea of a digital multi-effects pedal was still pretty new. The Zoom 505 was the biggest game in town, if you wanted a pile of effects in a compact package for a reasonable price. It was also the first pedal I ever bought. But, if I'm being honest, a lot of the sounds you got out of it were not great. And it could be a little confusing to operate at times. Thankfully things have come a long way since the mid '90s.
Read MoreIf you want to try to get your kid into coding as young as possible, then Cubetto is the best place to start. It's appropriate for children as young as three -- which is largely because it strips the concept of programming down to its absolute basics. Oh, and there are no screens in sight. Cubetto is controlled entirely by putting colorful shapes in a wooden block that sends instructions to a smiley little robot. There are even Adventure Packs available that come with a play mat and a storybook to help put the core concepts in context. READ ON: The best educational coding kits for kids
Read MoreSteelSeries has released an Arctis headset aimed at more budget-conscious gamers, though it uses many of the same components as the Arctis 3, 5, 7 and 9X. The Arctis 1 has the same design, speaker drivers, cushions and noise-canceling microphone as its siblings. The latter is detachable rather than retractable to help convert it from headset to headphones.
Read MoreAmong the various choices, Cartoon Network is solid option for kid-friendly streaming. While you may need a cable subscription for complete access, there are some full episodes of nostalgia-inducing classics like Powerpuff Girls available as well as new hits like Teen Titans Go!, The Amazing World of Gumball and Steven Universe without a subscription-TV account. Plus, in addition to the Cartoon Network app, there's a truckload of other show- and character-specific apps too, which range from educational games to puzzlers, sticker packs, arcade and more. There are literally dozens of options on top of the main streaming app, so hopefully your older children won't get bored for a while. READ ON: The best alternatives to YouTube kids
Read MoreSony might not officially have a physical presence at E3 this year, but that isn't stopping it from holding its PlayStation Days of Play sale. Not only is there a limited edition, 1TB PS4 in steel black ($300) and a discount on the jet black PS4 Pro ($350), but you can get $20 off a PS Plus 12-Month membership and $30 off an annual PS Now subscription.
Read MoreGift gifting for kids has gotten a lot more complicated over the past two decades or so. Gone are the days when you could just buy a doll or toy truck and know that it would be enjoyed by the child and fairly noncontroversial with the parents. A lot of that recent complication comes from how tech-heavy toys have gotten, from robot kits to drones to AR-enabled playsets. And that's before you even consider video games and consoles like Xbox or PlayStation. When it's your kid it's a little easier: After all, you should know what they like, what they'll take care of and what rules you've set for them. But what about your best friends' kids, your nieces and nephews or young cousins? While there's no silver bullet gift since every kid is different, there are some general guidelines you can follow when purchasing a tech gift for kids, one that won't have the other adults glaring at you or the kids tossing it to the side in favor of something shinier. READ ON: How to buy tech for other people's kids
Read MoreIt's one of the most wonderful times of the year for gamers as E3 is upon us. Not only will the next week or so bring more game announcements than you can shake a stick at, but you can expect sales galore from many of the big hitters. Microsoft, for one, has stepped up to the plate with an array of deals, including a hefty discount on Xbox One X.
Read MoreOne of Engadget's resident dads on the tech new parents actually need (and what you can probably skip). READ ON: The best baby gadgets for new parents
Read MoreThis week, Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar tells us why he really dislikes the Mamaroo automatic baby swing. Or, perhaps more accurately, why his three-week-old daughter doesn't like it.
Read MoreFor starters, the littleBits Base Inventor Kit is an awesome introduction to electronics for little kids! They can build and customize a voice-activated robotic arm and innovate from there or use the tools right out of the box and invent whatever they'd like. In addition to the robotic arm, the kit includes a power supply, slide dimmer, sound trigger, proximity sensor, LED, buzzer and other goodies The littleBits app has some good ideas, too, if your kids need some suggestions. The $100 Base Inventor kit is recommended for eight and up, but younger kids can enjoy it with adult guidance. READ ON: The best blended stem kits for kids
Read MoreThe support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back our "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question concerns using apps to learn a new language. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! What are the best language-learning apps?
Read MoreAMD has been accused of feeding sensitive technology to China, and the company isn't having any of it. The chip designer has rejected Wall Street Journal claims that partnerships formed in early 2016 improperly shared x86 CPU tech with Sugon Information Industry, a supercomputer maker backed by the Chinese government. Sources talking to the WSJ alleged that AMD created a "complex structure" between two joint ventures to bypass American rules, with the Commerce and Defense Departments both raising concerns that the arrangement threatened national security. AMD, however, told a different story.
Read MoreThere might not be much mystery left to NVIDIA's "Super" launch. VideoCardz claims to have detailed specs and release details for the company's GeForce RTX Super lineup, and they appear to be what you'd expect: souped-up versions of existing RTX chipsets to compete with AMD's Radeon RX 5000 series. The first ones out of the gate would be the RTX 2060 Super and RTX 2070 Super, both of which would have more cores than their 'standard' equivalents without shaking up the basic formula. They'd be roughly 15 to 16 percent faster than their predecessors.
Read MoreIt's a niche company, but Critter and Guitari was a big name during the portable synth renaissance, and back in 2016 it released its flagship instrument, the Organelle. Now, it's had a pretty significant upgrade.
Read MoreWith 8K displays in the pipeline and Apple's 6K Pro Display XDR on its way, the DisplayPort standard was in need of an update. Today, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) addressed the demand for increased bandwidth and revealed DisplayPort 2.0. It's the standard's first major update since 2016, and it will provide up to a threefold increase in bandwidth over the previous version. It will support 8K monitors, higher refresh rates, HDR support at higher resolutions and improved support for multiple display set-ups. It could also give AR and VR displays a boost.
Read MoreLast week, Ubuntu announced it would end support for 32-bit applications, starting with its next release. But the decision was not well-received, especially by the gaming community, and Valve announced plans to drop support for Ubuntu in Steam. In response, Canonical (which produces Ubuntu) has decided to support select 32-bit i386 packages for Ubuntu versions 19.10 and 20.04 LTS.
Read MoreLike the Raspberry Pi but wish it had a little more oomph for your homebrew projects? The Pi Foundation might have what you need. The newly released Raspberry Pi 4 Model B mates the familiar tiny computer-on-a-board design with purportedly "ground-breaking" boosts to performance, particularly for media. Thanks to both a newer 1.5GHz quad-core Broadcom processor with H.265 decoding, two micro-HDMI ports and up to 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM (more on that in a bit), the Pi 4 can output 4K video at 60 frames per second. This could theoretically serve as a modern DIY media hub, and the Raspberry Pi Foundation even claims that it's fast enough to compete with "entry-level" x86 PCs.
Read MoreThe US and China have been locked in a race for the world's most powerful supercomputer. China was in the lead with its Sunway TaihuLight, which has a 93 petaflop capacity. But the US surpassed that last year, when it released the Summit, which can run at 200 petaflops -- or 200 quadrillion calculations per second. Now, the US is using export restrictions in an attempt to thwart China's supercomputing efforts.
Read MoreThis week, Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, launched one of the first commercial LiFi, or Light Fidelity, systems. LiFi transmits broadband internet through lights, using LEDs to move data and bypass radio signals. We've seen some experimental applications of the tech, but this is the most realistic deployment yet.
Read MoreMicrosoft is trying to make it easier for users to report bugs. The company has released a Windows 10 Insider Preview with an updated Feedback Hub that lets users find similar complaints. If you've stumbled upon a problem in a pre-release build, you're likely not alone. Instead of writing a completely new piece of feedback from scratch, users can easily link to an existing complaint under "Find Similar Feedback" in the Feedback Hub.
Read MoreKano is graduating from Raspberry Pi boards. Today, the company is announcing a partnership with Microsoft and unveiling its first build-it-yourself computer that officially runs Windows 10. The aptly-named Kano PC is housed in a central unit that is visually similar to its 'complete' Computer Kit Touch. All of the components are different, however. The new machine has an 11.6-inch touchscreen with a yet-to-be-disclosed resolution. It's powered by a 1.44 GHz, quad core Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, which is upgradeable through a microSD slot. In short, it's a proper computer.
Read MoreIntel has launched a new feature designed to make overclocking more straightforward. Called the "Intel Performance Maximizer," the tool examines your processor's individual settings, then uses what Intel calls "hyper-intelligent automation" to tweak them for a performance boost. Basically, it's overclocking without having to fiddle around with custom settings in BIOS yourself.
Read MorePCI Express 5.0 has barely been finalized, but that isn't stopping its creators from dreaming about what comes next. The PCI Special Interest Group has unveiled a PCI Express 6.0 specification that should deliver up to a blistering 256GB per second across 16 lanes -- that's twice as fast as the yet-to-ship PCIe 5.0 spec, and four times as much as the 4.0 spec that's only just reaching computers. The PCI-SIG aims to achieve the feat by using Pulse Amplitude Modulation technology that can carry twice as much data as existing methods without needing to double the transmission bandwidth and use ridiculously high frequencies.
Read MoreIt's been almost a year since editor Devindra Hardawar reviewed NVIDIA's RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti, and they've since become staples for 4K gaming or consumers dipping their toes into real time ray tracing. Though the RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti were much more expensive than the previous generation of NVIDIA GPUs, they claimed excellent gaming performance (beyond 60 fps in the case of the RTX 2080 Ti) and excelled at keeping the system cool (with both cards warming to 81 degrees Celsius). The GPUs earned Engadget Scores of 85 and 86 respectively, but haven't yet received any user reviews on their product pages.
Read MoreToday during its E3 2019 press conference, AMD announced it's pushing gaming beyond 8- or 12-cores, with a new "best of the best" CPU. The "World's first 16-core gaming CPU" is the Ryzen 9 3950X, which will be available in September for $749. Outdoing Intel's 8-core gaming CPU, CEO Dr. Lisa Su said this chip has "the highest boost frequency in our stack" that goes up to 4.7Ghz with 72MB of cache. Continuing AMD's theme of trying to beat Intel on the combination of performance, value and efficiency, the Zen 2 hardware operates at 105 watts. Of course, there's more to the world than gaming CPUs and cores don't always translate to an advantage in raw performance. Still, this latest addition to the Ryzen line is a powerful challenge, and keeps up the pressure following the introduction of its 12-core sibling, the 3900X, just last month at Computex.
Read MoreAfter unveiling its first 7-nanometer "Navi" GPUs a few weeks ago at Computex, the Radeon RX 5000 series, AMD finally gave us more details at E3. Its first cards from the new "RDNA" family will be the $449 Radeon RX 5700 XT, which will take on NVIDIA's RTX 2070, and the $379 RX 5700, which competes with the NVIDIA RTX 2060. AMD says the more powerful 5700 XT will feature 40 compute units, boost speeds upwards of 1.9GHz, and up to 9.75 teraflops. In an on-stage gameplay demo, it outperformed the RTX 2070 by around 20 FPS in 1440p. The 5700, meanwhile, has 36 compute units and speeds up to 1.7GHz. Both cards will be available on July 7th.
Read MoreVoting machine security is still a sore point, but at least some vendors are starting to change their tune. ES&S chief Tom Burt has declared that his company will "no longer sell" paperless voting machines as the "primary" voting device for a given jurisdiction. It's just too hard to conduct a "meaningful" audit of election results without a physical record, Burt said. He went so far as to ask the US Congress to mandate a paper record for all voters.
Read MoreAfter Apple wrapped its WWDC keynote today, the developers went to coding sessions and the press, well, mostly showed themselves out. As it happens, we later had a chance to see most of the new software in action in private demos. First, an important caveat: These demos were guided and hands-off, meaning we haven't yet had a chance to install the software on our own devices and use it as our daily driver. But, until these platforms launch in beta this summer, it's helpful to have had a chance to see these OSes in use, outside of what turned out to be a packed, fast-moving keynote. When Apple is demoing software on stage, you can easily blink and miss a mention of a new feature, or totally miss how it actually works. In the video above, we take a look at macOS Catalina and three of its more notable features: Sidecar (for using an iPad as a secondary display); Project Catalyst (allowing developers to easily port over iOS apps to the Mac); and Voice Control, allowing people with limited mobility to fully navigate the operating system with voice commands. Obviously, we'll be back this summer with a preview of the beta, followed by a full review of the complete and final software in the fall. For now, enjoy the extra visuals and when you're done, check out our similar treatment of iOS 13 and the "new" (i.e., renamed) iPadOS.
Read MoreAggression Detectors: The unproven, invasive surveillance technology schools are using to monitor students Jack Gillum and Jeff Kao, ProPublica Following the rise in mass shootings, schools, hospitals and other public places are installing tech to monitor people. Part of this effort includes using algorithm-equipped microphones to capture audio, with the goal of detecting stress or anger before bad things happen. The problem? They aren't reliable and their mere existence is a massive invasion of privacy.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend. If you don't know what SIM swapping is and whether or not it could be used to attack your email or bank account, then we know which article you should read next. Beyond that, we'll recap some highlights from the last week, and further consider the impact of Jony Ive leaving Apple.
Read MoreThe support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back our "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question concerns the legal side of technology. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! What are my rights (as a US citizen) if the police ever ask me to unlock my phone?
Read MoreOn a Tuesday night in May, Sean Coonce was reading the news in bed when his phone dropped service. He chalked it up to tech being tech and went to sleep. When he woke up, his Gmail account had been stolen and by Wednesday evening he was out $100,000.
Read MoreAccording to a Reuters report, hackers working for Western intelligence agencies reportedly broke into Yandex, the company often referred to as "Russia's Google." The hackers were allegedly looking for technical information that would indicate how Yandex authenticates user accounts. That information could help a spy agency impersonate Yandex users and obtain access to their private messages.
Read MoreThe House passed a bill that would require states to strengthen their voting systems from hacking. Known as the SAFE Act (HR 2722), the chamber approved the bill by a party-line vote of 225-184. Only one Republican -- Rep. Brian Mast of Florida -- voted for the measure. The SAFE Act will now head to the Republican-controlled Senate, where it seems unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will bring it to the floor.
Read MoreThe FIDO Alliance's mission is to reduce our reliance on passwords, so it doesn't come as a surprise that it's working to remove password use from internet of things devices. In fact, it's hoping to strengthen IoT security altogether and has formed two groups to establish industry standards for IoT devices before they become much, much more commonplace. At the moment, a lot of smart products come with default passwords and have poor security in place, which could make them vulnerable to cyberattacks. We doubt anybody would want to worry about their toaster or their fridge getting hacked all the time.
Read MoreEA patched flaws in its Origin platform that could have enabled hackers to hijack and exploit millions of users' accounts. The vulnerabilities were spotted by Check Point Research and CyberInt, and once exploited, they could have allowed player account takeover and identity theft. The cybersecurity companies alerted EA, which was quick to take action.
Read MoreAccording to documents obtained by the ACLU, the NSA's problem of collecting unauthorized American phone call data is worse than we first thought. Last May, the NSA deleted more than 600 million call records that it collected in error. The agency claimed that telecoms shared information on calls unrelated to NSA targets, and in doing so, violated federal laws. To be safe, the NSA dumped a massive amount of call records and said it had gotten to the "root cause" of the problem. But a report released by the ACLU, states that just a few months later, the NSA once again obtained information about Americans' phone calls that it was not authorized to collect under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
Read MoreIt's almost a truism to state that government IT security is frequently lacking, but a new Senate subcommittee report has underscored just how severe the problem is. Investigators found that several federal agencies (including the State Department, Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration) didn't adequately protect personal data, and that six of them hadn't installed security patches in a "timely" fashion to close vulnerabilities. In some cases, these flaws had lasted for roughly a decade or more.
Read MoreThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its law enforcement partners are cracking down on robocallers. Today, the FTC announced that it's filed 94 actions against organizations responsible for more than one billion illegal calls. As part of "Operation Call it Quits," the FTC has opened four new legal cases and three new settlements, bringing the number of cases the FTC has filed against robocallers to 145.
Read MoreAd Hoc Labs, the creators of temporary phone number app Burner, announced a new tool designed stop robocalls from blowing up your phone. Meet call screening app Firewall for iOS. According to its creators, the app is the "first and only" service that filters out unknown callers and likely auto-dialers, allowing only approved calls to even cause your phone to ring.
Read MoreMany will tell you that internet giants see your data as their most valuable resource, but politicians now want to put a number on that value. Senators Mark Warner and Josh Hawley are introducing the Designing Accounting Safeguards to Help Broaden Oversight and Regulations on Data Act (conveniently DASHBOARD Act for short), a bill that requires companies with 100 million or more monthly users to not only disclose the type of data they collect, but to put a monetary value on that data every 90 days. If Facebook and Google think you're worth $5 per month, they would have to say as much. The Securities and Exchange Commission would have to develop methods for calculating that value.
Read MoreGood morning, there! If you've been waiting on making your own media hub, a new 4K-ready Raspberry Pi model might be exactly what you're after. Elsewhere, the US used a cyberattack to take down an Iranian missile control base.
Read MoreThe city of Minneapolis is learning a hard lesson about the importance of placing checks on government data access. A court has awarded police officer Amy Krekelberg a total of $585,000 after she sued Minneapolis and two fellow officers for allegedly violating state law protecting the disclosure of DMV data. Krekelberg had discovered that people had arbitrarily accessed her DMV records almost 1,000 times over the course of roughly a decade. Dozens of the perpetrators were other police officers, and the behavior was frequently creepy -- some officers looked for her info late at night, while the two targeted in the lawsuit allegedly looked her up after she turned down their romantic offers.
Read MoreThe US may have withheld a physical military response to Iran shooting down a drone, but it might not have shown similar restraint with a digital campaign. Washington Post sources say the President greenlit a long-in-the-making cyberattack that took down Iranian missile control computers on the night of June 20th. The exact impact of the Cyber Command operation isn't clear, but it was described as "crippling" -- Iran couldn't easily recover, one tipster said.
Read MoreMozilla recently rolled out a fix for a critical bug that hackers were actively exploiting to take control of vulnerable systems. Now, it has released a patch for yet another zero-day bug. According to ZDNet, infiltrators used the two flaws in tandem to target Coinbase employees: the first one allowed them to run malicious codes through Firefox from afar, while the second one gave them a way to escape from the Firefox protected process.
Read MoreQuantum computing has the potential to revolutionize health care, AI, financial modeling, weather simulation and more. It's also going to shake up encryption as we know it. Without advances in post-quantum cryptography, quantum computing could make it easy for hackers to access sensitive data, like credit card info. To prevent that, internet infrastructure company Cloudflare is testing post-quantum cryptography technology, and it's sharing its open-source software package, CIRCL, or Cloudflare Interoperable Reusable Cryptographic Library, on GitHub.
Read MoreLast fall, FEMA conducted the first nationwide test of its Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system when it beamed a "presidential alert" to all capable phones in the US. WEA has long been used to send alerts about missing children, natural disasters and other dangerous events. But a few years ago, the FCC voted to expand WEA so that, among other changes, government officials could write longer messages. Now, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder warn that WEA's presidential alerts can be easily spoofed.
Read MoreA new tool developed by researchers from the USC Information Sciences Institute (USC ISI) may prove to be a major help in the ongoing war against deepfakes. The tool focuses on subtle face and head movements as well as artifacts in files to determine if a video has been faked, and can allegedly identify the computer-generated videos with up to 96 percent accuracy, according to a paper published by the Computer Vision Foundation.
Read MoreRiviera Beach, a city in Florida, is set to pay hackers $600,000 in bitcoin with the hope of having its systems restored. Hackers took over the systems several weeks ago, when a police department employee opened a malicious email that allowed them to inject the city's network with malware. Now the council has voted to pay the ransom in the hopes of getting Riviera Beach's encrypted records back -- even though there's no actual guarantee the hackers will restore them.
Read MoreNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) suffers from multiple cybersecurity weaknesses despite the advances it has achieved in space technology, according to the agency's Office of Inspector General (PDF). Investigators looked into the research center's network security controls after an April 2018 security breach, wherein a Raspberry Pi that was not authorized to be linked to the JPL network was targeted by hackers. The attackers were able to steal 500 megabytes of data from one of its major mission systems, and they also used that chance to find a gateway that allowed them to go deeper into JPL's network.
Read MoreIf you have Firefox on your computer, you should update it right now. Mozilla has released security updates Firefox 67.0.3 and Firefox ESR 60.7.1 to fix a critical bug, which it says hackers are actively exploiting to take control of vulnerable systems. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also issued an alert urging users and system administrators to review Mozilla's security advisory and act accordingly -- in other words, update your browser.
Read MoreTwitch had a tough time getting troll streamers in control after they hijacked an unused category for Valve's Artifact. The hijackers livestreamed porn, pirated Game of Thrones episodes, other copyrighted material, violent videos and, perhaps most egregiously, video from the Christchurch mass shooting that left 51 people dead. Now, the streaming platform has filed a lawsuit against the trolls, even though it still has no idea who they are.
Read MoreMicrosoft Windows users who haven't patched their OS (or are using an unsupported version) are at risk of attackers exploiting a vulnerability known as BlueKeep. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Homeland Security's lead cybersecurity agency, said it successfully tested a working exploit for the BlueKeep vulnerability. Specifically, the agency was able to remotely run code on a Windows 2000 computer using BlueKeep, it stated in an advisory. The bug effects computers that are running Windows 7 or earlier (as well as Windows Server 2003 and 2008), and gives potential attackers access through Microsoft's Remote Desktop Services.
Read MoreYou might not think of your car as a treasure trove of personal data, but it frequently is -- performance data, phone contacts and location info may be sitting under the hood. And the American Civil Liberties Union wants to be sure police can't just take it. The organization is appearing as a friend of the court in Georgia's Supreme Court on June 19th to argue that personal data on cars is protected by the US Constitution's Fourth Amendment and thus requires a warrant. The appearance is tied to a case, Mobley vs. State, where police used a car's "black box" to level more serious charges.
Read MoreThe US appears to be acting on its promise to aggressively respond to cyberwarfare threats. New York Times sources say Cyber Command has planted offensive malware in Russia's electrical grid, not just reconnaissance as has been the case since "at least" 2012. It's not certain just how deep the infiltration goes or what malware is capable of doing. The intention, however, is clear -- this is meant both to serve as a deterrent as well as a weapon in case the US and Russia trade blows.
Read MoreTop AI researchers race to detect 'deepfake' videos: 'We are outgunned' Drew Harwell, The Washington Post The 2016 US presidential election was plagued by fake news and election meddling across the internet. With the rise of so-called deepfake technology, fact-checkers and arbiters of truth face a new challenge. And as The Washington Post reports, researchers aren't ready to separate the real from the fabricated in 2020.
Read MoreHealthcare security firm CyberMDX has discovered two bugs affecting a popular infusion pump, allowing hijackers to remotely access and control it. Homeland Security has disclosed the vulnerabilities in the Alaris Gateway Workstation, a hospital pump that delivers fluids into a patient's body in a controlled manner, detailing how they can be exploited and fixed. The researchers found that attackers could exploit the bugs to install malware on the pump's onboard computer running Windows CE, which powers and controls the device.
Read MoreYubico is recalling a line of security keys used by the U.S. government due to a firmware flaw. The company issued a security advisory today that warned of an issue in YubiKey FIPS Series devices with firmware versions 4.4.2 and 4.4.4 that reduced the randomness of the cryptographic keys it generates. The security keys are used by thousands of federal employees on a daily basis, letting them securely log-on to their devices by issuing one-time passwords.
Read MoreSecure messaging app Telegram has become the method of choice for communication between protesters and activists around the world, most recently in Hong Kong. However, this week the app has been the target of a massive cyber attack which founder Pavel Durov says was launched by China.
Read MoreSpanish soccer league La Liga has been fined for inappropriately using its app to catch illegal streaming. The Spanish data protection agency charged La Liga with a fine of 250 thousand euros for violating several EU laws on transparency and data privacy, and ordered the app's removal by June 30th. The popular app -- used by over four million in Spain for displaying game results -- was found to be tapping into the location data and microphones of users to find bars that were illegally broadcasting games. But the league of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona isn't taking this lying down -- La Liga will be appealing the decision.
Read MoreIf you were wondering why it can be risky for governments to collect traveler images en masse on connected systems... well, here's why. US Customs and Border Protection has confirmed that hackers stole traveler images from a subcontractor, including photos of people entering or leaving the country as well as copies of their license plates. In a statement, CBP said that the subcontractor had "violated mandatory security and privacy protocols" by transferring the data to its own network.
Read MoreWebsites tend to drop support for a particular browser due to obsolescence or just a lack of functionality, but India's biggest streaming service apparently had another reason: a piracy-friendly security hole. TechCrunch sources understand that Disney-owned Hotstar disabled Safari support (both desktop and mobile) on June 7th to limit the effects of a flaw that let people bootleg videos, including premium material.
Read MoreFresh off dealing with chaos caused by last month's ransomware attack, the city of Baltimore has a new problem to deal with -- the $18 million in damages that came with it.
Read MoreVoting system security is problematic enough, but one company might have unintentionally laid out a welcome mat for hackers. Politico claims VR Systems, a voting software firm targeted by Russians, took a gigantic risk in 2016 by using remote access software to connect to a computer in North Carolina and troubleshoot a voter list management tool in the last two days before the election. As the tool downloaded the Durham County voter list straight from the state's Board of Elections, intruders could have altered local (and potentially state-level) records to prevent people from voting in key precincts.
Read MoreA security breach at a billing company has resulted in nearly 20 million patients of LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics getting their information stolen from them. The breach was first disclosed Monday by Quest Diagnostics, which reported in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that a breach at third-party collections vendor American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA) compromised 11.9 million customers. Today, LabCorp indicated that 7.7 million of its patients were also affected by the AMCA breach. The attack targeted at AMCA's website is just the latest in a series of breaches that have managed to skim personal information from major companies. Similar attacks hit British Airways, Ticketmaster and Newegg late last year.
Read MoreRemember that wild cryptocurrency story from earlier this year? The one where a Canadian exchange shut down shortly after co-founder and CEO Gerald Cotten died, claiming he was the only one who could access its wallets. Wallets that should've stored assets for 76,000 customers with a value of around $200 million (CAD). If any of that was your digital money then yeah, you probably do remember. Investigations into the company, QuadrigaCX, have suggested it did not have the money to satisfy its deposits, and naturally, law enforcement is sniffing around. Its customers were located around the world, and the FBI is circulating a form for customers to get in touch with it, the IRS, the Washington D.C. AG's office and the DoJ's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
Read MoreFirefox is rolling out an "Enhanced Tracking Protection" feature today that will block a list of over a thousand third-party trackers compiled by Disconnect, an open-source anti-tracking tool. New users of the browser who are downloading it for the first time will have the tracking protections turned on by default. Current users can either select the feature manually or wait for Firefox to update it in the coming months.
Read MoreYet another unprotected database could pose a security risk -- this time if you're a traveler. VPNMentor researchers have discovered an exposed database that contained security audit logs for hotels run by the Pyramid Hotel Group, including numerous locations attached to major chains. Affected chains included Marriott's Aloft Hotels in Florida, Tarrytown House Estate in New York and multiple Irish hotels (such as Temple Bar), and might include more -- Pyramid operates hotels on behalf of Sheraton, Westin and others.
Read MoreiPhone privacy is broken... and apps are to blame Joanna Stern, The Wall Street Journal Thanks in part to Facebook's privacy blunders, concern over personal data security is growing. And we continue to find things gobbling up our info that we didn't know were doing so. The Wall Street Journal tested 80 iOS apps and discovered that a lot of them are tracking users in ways we aren't aware of. It's a topic that could be a focus during Monday's WWDC keynote.
Read MoreDo you spend a fortune on StubHub tickets? To the point where you could buy a decent used car instead? StubHub is ready to spoil you. The ticket exchange has launched a Beyond loyalty program that gives its biggest customers some equally large perks. For one, you get VIP access to special events and early promotions, such as a private tour of Yankee Stadium on June 27th. You'll also have access to a "premier" support tier with fast turnaround times and veteran agents. There's even a once-per-year option for a no-questions-asked refund -- if a flight delay prevents you from seeing a can't-miss football game, you'll get your money back no matter what.
Read MorePokémon manga e-books are now available to public libraries and schools worldwide through OverDrive, Inc. Students and library patrons can visit overdrive.com to find a participating library. From there, you'll be able to download Pokémon magna titles published by Viz Media, either on a web browser or via the Libby or Sora apps. Borrowed titles will expire at the end of the lending period, so as an added perk, there are no late fees.
Read MoreRadiohead has turned the tables on a hacker after a hacker breached Thom Yorke's computer to get hold of demos the band recorded between 1995 and 1998. "We got hacked last week," writes the band's Jonny Greenwood on Radiohead's oblique official blog, Dead Air Space. "Someone stole Thom's minidisk archive from around the time of OK Computer," demanding "$150,000 on threat of releasing it." But, rather than acquiesce to the demand, the group have simply put all 18 hours' worth of material up for sale.
Read MoreSam Battle, best known by his musical persona Look Mum No Computer, isn't your average YouTube star. He's built an impressive following not through traditional songwriting or perfectly edited music videos -- though he's adept at both -- but ludicrously ambitious inventions. Over the last few years, Battle has created a creepy but strangely mesmerizing Furby organ, a synthesizer fused with a classic Raleigh Chopper bicycle and a hauntingly beautiful Gameboy Triple Oscillator, which he described online, with refreshing honesty, as "basically three Arduinoboys stuck together."
Read MoreDon't be surprised if you hear more of a racket from electric cars in Europe. As of July 1st, new four-wheeled EV models in the European Union require a noise-emitting device (Acoustic Vehicle Alert System, or AVAS) that kicks in whenever the vehicle is driving below 19km/h (12MPH). The system will theoretically prevent pedestrians and cyclists from being caught unawares by cars that would otherwise be near-silent. It's not a particularly irksome sound, as you can find out below, but it could stop you from crossing the street when there's a less-than-attentive driver.
Read MoreAside from the many games that are available on Tesla dashboards, drivers have enjoyed plenty of other easter eggs over the years. Since it arrived two years ago, in-the-know Tesla owners have used the infotainment system's Sketchpad to doodle on the screen while they're, for instance, waiting for the battery to charge. Today, the company said it's bringing more features to the tool in its next software update.
Read MoreTech companies and automakers have been setting differences aside and merging forces in hopes of getting themselves a piece of the self-driving pie as early as possible. Late last year, Toyota and Softbank teamed up to establish a joint venture called Monet. Now, their partnership is getting a boost from five new allies: Japanese automakers Isuzu, Suzuki, Subaru, Daihatsu (Toyota's compact car division) and Mazda. The companies are joining Honda and Hino Motors, other automakers that also chose to back the project.
Read MoreLyft has expanded beyond traditional rideshare and into other areas like car rentals and transport to and from events. Now, it is updating its app to provide bike-sharing services in the Washington, DC area through Capital Bikeshare, joining New York and San Francisco in offering both cycles and cars from a single app.
Read MoreAnki's robotic toy business is no more, but the expertise behind it might live on. Waymo has hired 13 of Anki's robotics experts to head its self-driving truck efforts. The recruits include Anki co-founder Boris Sofman as well as five engineers with doctorates from tech-focused schools like MIT, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon. They'll operate out of Waymo's San Francisco offices and expect to grow in the years ahead.
Read MoreLyft is hitting the music festival circuit this summer. The ridesharing company announced today a partnership with entertainment giant AEG to be the exclusive rideshare, bike and scooter partner a number of major music events. Lyft will be on hand at 16 venues and available in eight major markets where music festivals are behind held.
Read MoreTesla has powered its electric cars using Panasonic's battery cells for years, but it may ready for a greater degree of independence going forward. Employees talking to CNBC claim that Tesla is developing its own "advanced" lithium-ion battery cells as well as the processes to manufacture them at scale. The company reportedly conducts some of its research at a "skunkworks" facility minutes away from its Fremont plant.
Read MoreTwo of the better-known names in flying taxi development are getting together. Boeing and Kitty Hawk have formed a partnership that will have the two foster "safe urban air mobility." While they're unsurprisingly keeping their exact plans under wraps, the team-up is described as mating Kitty Hawk's innovative side with Boeing's sheer size and experience in the aircraft business.
Read MoreChecking in your bags will soon be easier than ever. British Airways will be the next major airline to roll out RFID luggage tracking for its passengers. Travelers with a ViewTag can tag their bags before even arriving at the airport. After checking-in with BA's mobile app, you'll be able to sync your flight information to your bag with your smartphone. British Airways passengers can pre-order their RFID luggage tags directly from the airline, which are available at the introductory price of £63 (roughly $80). The reusable bag tags are equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy and an E Ink display that shows your flight information. Each tag is rated for over 3,000 screen changes and doesn't need to be recharged. At present, the tags can only be used on direct flights.
Read MoreLyft will offer rides to more people in need of them for health reasons, as it's signed up to become a Medicaid provider in Arizona. Non-emergency medical transportation rides will be covered for eligible patients. Lyft is also working on expanding the program to Medicare services in other states.
Read MoreAdaptive cruise control systems work well on highways. Once you get into town, though, they're less helpful -- and a lot of that has to do with traffic lights. Current systems don't recognize them, resulting in drivers running a red, putting themselves and everyone else on the road in danger. Also, the authorities frown on that sort of behavior.
Read MoreAt a tech-focused event in Munich, Germany this week, BMW officials have repeated the mantra that they deliver what they promise. Turns out, they also deliver quicker than they originally promised.
Read MoreEver wanted to own an electric car that can charge itself? Soon, that could be a very real possibility. Dutch clean mobility company Lightyear today debuted its long-range prototype, the Lightyear One, with a range of 725 km (450 miles) and a small battery that can be charged directly via sunlight, or from conventional charging stations.
Read MoreBMW Motorrad has an electric scooter. The capable and fun C Evolution. An outstanding vehicle I had the pleasure of riding around on in LA. But as far as full-sized bikes go, Zero Motorcycles still rules that market while we wait for Harley-Davidson to start selling its own EV. But the German motorcycle maker has been taking its time going full size. Hopefully, the Vision DC Roadster concept is a sign of things to come.
Read MoreThere's a fear from some that when cars drive themselves, that'll be the end of the joy of driving. Why even get behind the wheel if your vehicle can get you to your destination while you sit back and relax? BMW -- which boasts the tag line "the ultimate driving machine" -- has a concept that'll appease the future-looking owner that doesn't want to deal with the horrors of gridlock but needs to feel like they're in control while carving up mountain passes.
Read MoreTesla has won an exemption from paying the 10 percent tariffs placed on imported aluminum from Japan. It filed a request with the Commerce Department in April for a tariff exclusion on 10 million kilograms of the metal per year from Nippon Light Metal Co for battery cells made in the Nevada Gigafactory. The department approved it this month.
Read MoreFord's autonomous vehicle arm Argo AI is already testing self-driving vehicles in a handful of cities. But the company has a few key puzzles to solve before it can deploy its fleets on a large scale. To help answer the remaining questions -- like how can autonomous vehicles reason in highly unstructured broken-traffic conditions -- Argo is partnering with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The newly formed Carnegie Mellon University Argo AI Center for Autonomous Vehicle Research will work to advance the next-generation of self-driving tech.
Read MoreThings are getting worse for German auto manufacturer Daimler after local newspaper Bild reported that the company is recalling a further 60,000 Mercedes cars.
Read MoreYou can be sure that transportation will be a nightmare for many people attending the 2024 Paris Olympics, but technology could make it slightly more bearable. Airbus, Aeroports de Paris and the Paris Transport Authority are exploring the feasibility of using autonomous flying taxis to carry visitors from Charles de Gaulle Airport into the city. When it takes roughly an hour to get into Paris using a bus or train, this could save valuable time that would be better spent finding your hotel and, you know, enjoying the Olympics.
Read MoreIndian scooter and motorcycle manufacturers have to draw up a plan to switch to electric vehicles, and they only have two weeks to come up with one. According to Reuters, Indian officials have met up with the companies, including Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp, to ask them to participate in the authorities' electrification efforts.
Read MoreEarlier this month, after lots of planning and testing, Volkswagen's electric ID.R racer set a record for "the fastest lap ever driven in an emission-free racing car" at the famed Nürburgring-Nordschleife. An in-car video proving the record was released then, but now Volkswagen has put together a short behind the scenes video showing all the work necessary to make it happen, and stress of the actual day. You'll get up close interviews with the team and plenty of views from around the Green Hell. Check out the nine-minute video after the break, plus the in-car view of that blazing 6:05.336 lap around the 20.8km course. That's not just the fastest EV lap at the 'Ring, it's the second fastest lap -- period. Only the Porsche 919 Hybrid EVO has done it faster, with a 5:19.546 record set last year. Now the ID.R is focused on defending its crown at the Goodwood Hillclimb, and then taking on China's 6.8-mile "Heaven's Gate" road in September.
Read MoreYou now have the chance to order pizza from your car's touchscreen. Chevy has added Domino's ordering to its Marketplace, making it the first company to offer pizza orders directly from your car's dash -- no smartphone app required. It's not a particularly complicated app when you're limited to an Easy Order (read: a favorite), one of your recents or tracking your pie's progress, but it could save valuable time if you're craving a few slices as soon as you get home. You can order for pickup if delivery is just too slow.
Read MoreTesla's Autopilot system might have a catchy name, but it may send the wrong message to drivers, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. A survey the non-profit organization conducted revealed that a lot of people don't fully comprehend newer cars' actual level of automation, because their driver-assistance systems have names that seem to overpromise. The name Autopilot, in particular, is causing drivers to overestimate the technology's capabilities.
Read MoreFor some, chasing the neighborhood ice cream truck is a favorite summer tradition. But many ice cream trucks have diesel engines, and older models keep those engines running to power the freezers. That means you get a hefty side of CO2 emissions with your cone. Nissan thinks it can change that. To celebrate the UK's Clean Air Day, Nissan unveiled a zero-emission ice cream van concept, called "Sky to Scoop."
Read MoreWaymo might make its way to the top of the automotive world with the help of industry giants that chose to team up with the company. The Alphabet subsidiary has just inked a deal with Renault and Nissan to explore the development of driverless mobility services. None of the companies involved revealed details about the project other than the products they do come up with will transport people and deliver goods in France and Japan. According to Reuters, though, the partnership will also explore the development of self-driving cars for the regions. Who knows -- it might even give Waymo the chance to get in on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics robotaxi action.
Read MoreYou'd think that luxury automakers would load their cars with safety tech by default, but that's not always the case -- it hasn't been for Lexus, anyway. However, the company is making amends for that shortfall. It's making its Safety System+ a standard feature for all its vehicles, starting with the 2020 model year. These camera- and radar-based features aren't particularly new, but some of them have been reserved as options (or for higher-end models) until now.
Read MoreTelsa wants to be Ford and Chevron. The company wants to build the cars and supply the fuel. In this case, that fuel is electricity and the delivery system is the company's robust Supercharger network. CEO and tweet-machine Elon Musk routinely talks about changing the world for a better place. To reduce pollution for bluer skies, greener grass and the ability to breathe without sucking in CO2. Tesla has already started that trend by forcing other automakers to accelerate their timeline with electric cars.
Read MoreA new wave of behind the wheel gameplay is coming to Tesla. The company announced that it has started rolling out Beach Buggy Racing 2 to vehicles today. A new, Tesla-compatible version of the mobile game by Vector Unit will be available on every vehicle with an over-the-air software update. And unlike the current selection of games in the Tesla Arcade, Beach Buggy Racing 2 has a twist: it has direct wiring to the car's brakes and steering wheel.
Read MoreIt can be challenging enough to find electric car charging stations of any kind, let alone to look for one belonging to your charging network of choice. The hunt is about to get considerably easier, though. EVgo has forged agreements with ChargePoint and EV Connect that will let customers of one charging network 'roam' on the chargers of the other. You won't necessarily have to sign up for multiple accounts or face extra fees just to have enough electricity to get home.
Read MoreWhy wait on Elon Musk to deliver your perfect vehicle when you can just make one yourself? YouTuber and inventor Simone Giertz needed a truck to carry materials for her creations, but didn't want a gas-guzzling pickup. So the 28-year-old robotics enthusiast decided to buy herself a brand spanking new Tesla Model 3, carve out the back seat and the trunk, and perform a bunch of other modifications to the $35,000 vehicle that would make most car junkies squirm. She then, of course, documented the entire messy process in a 31-minute YouTube video.
Read MoreVolvo's self-driving trucks will have some familiar hardware under the hood. The automaker has signed a deal with NVIDIA that will use the chip company's Drive platform to "train, test and deploy" a slew of large self-driving vehicles that include buses, freight trucks, mining trucks and beyond. They'll both build on NVIDIA's hardware platform and use its software to handle everything from sensor data through to path planning.
Read MoreNew York lawmakers look set to legalize electric scooter and bike sharing services throughout the state. A vote on a Senate bill is likely to take place Wednesday, just before the end of the legislative session. Since Governor Andrew Cuomo seems to support the legalization of electric scooters and bikes, the bill looks likely to come into effect.
Read MoreWaymo is putting its Jaguar I-Pace EVs on the road for more public testing, only this time around it's been fully kitted out with self-driving tech. The company confirmed to TechCrunch it started testing the self-driving cars close to its Mountain View, California headquarters.
Read MoreDomino's is determined to make autonomous pizza delivery a practical reality. The chain has unveiled plans to deliver pies to "select" Houston customers later in 2019 using Nuro's self-driving R2 vehicle. If you order online from a participating store and have a little bit of luck, you'll get the choice of a robotic courier -- pick that and you'll get a PIN code to unlock a compartment on the R2 and grab your meal. While this doesn't bode well for human delivery drivers, Domino's is betting that this could help stores deal with the crush of orders and bring your pizza on time.
Read MoreCompanies that want to test their self-driving cars will have an easier time of it in the Sunshine State. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill allowing companies to test autonomous vehicles without backup drivers. It also lets occupants text, watch video or otherwise enjoy themselves without running afoul of distracted driving rules. They'll need to meet insurance requirements, but that's about as far as it goes.
Read MoreFor the most part, Tesla's Model S has maintained a familiar look since it was introduced in 2012 -- the largest external change was the elimination of the fake grille back in 2016. There might be a refresh looming on the horizon, however. A driver near Tesla's Hawthorne design studio spotted a mysterious test car that he suspected might be a refreshed Model S design. While the car's wrapping and the brevity of the encounter prevented gathering many details, the observer noted "bigger" headlights as well as taillights that weren't present on other Tesla cars.
Read MoreUntil now, buying a used Tesla Model 3 has usually entailed tracking down a reseller or spotting a sale from an individual owner. Now, though, it's just a matter of visiting Tesla's website. The EV maker has started selling used Model 3s online in the San Francisco Bay Area, and some of them are potentially good deals (if not as good as you often see with used cars). You can pay slightly over $40,000 for a 2017 Long Range model where you'd be happy to get a brand new Standard Range Plus version for that much.
Read MoreCan you make out what you're looking at in the obscure teaser above? Neither can we -- but it does represent the future of BMW's performance cars. The automaker has posted a teaser for a Vision M Next concept that, as the name implies, would explore the possibilities for M-series cars. The imagery doesn't hint at much more than some angular lines and a gray-and-red color scheme. There's thankfully more to it than that, though -- BMW made clear that technology would play a central role in this design.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Now that E3 2019 is over there's plenty of time to catch up on all of the gaming news revealed this week. Once you're through with that, we've got some info about an appealing electric car, and a look back at the impact of Evangelion on 90s anime fans ahead of its debut on Netflix. Welcome to your weekend.
Read MoreLyft is the next big scooter sharing service to unveil a two-wheeler that's better at enduring real-world abuse. Its new model touts a "more durable build" that stands a greater chance of surviving the outdoors. Your ride should be less jarring, for that matter, with a 20 percent wider base, thicker air-filled wheels (which are 'finally' Lyft pink), a base-integrated battery that should refine the balance, and a kickstand at the front.
Read MoreVolvo Trucks' autonomous vehicle Vera is ready to hit the road. In collaboration with ferry and logistics company DFDS, Vera will begin transporting goods between a logistics center and a port terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden. The vehicle will haul shipping containers along a predefined route, including a stretch of public roads.
Read MoreRivian is known for pushing the boundaries of battery tech. Not only is the startup working on the first all-electric pickup for the US market, it's also planning "Rivian-to-Rivian" charging, which will allow its vehicles to charge each other, and it designed a camp stove add-on that takes advantage of the EV's battery pack. Now, the company wants to turn its used batteries into an energy storage system for a solar power microgrid in Puerto Rico.
Read MoreHonda unveiled its new electric car, the tiny and adorable Honda E, earlier this year, but details have been few and far between. It's slowly drip-fed features including side cameras instead of mirrors and a faux-wood paneled dashboard, but now the company is ready to share more, revealing some key specifications about the car including battery capacity and weight distribution.
Read MoreBeginning with model year 2020, Toyota will include automatic engine shut off and auto-park features in its new vehicles. If a vehicle is left running for a predetermined amount of time, the engine will automatically shut off. If a driver exits a vehicle without putting it in park, it will automatically shift and/or apply the parking brake.
Read MoreYou knew it was just a matter of time before there was further consolidation in the e-scooter world. Bird is acquiring Scoot in a move that both describe as a matter of "scale" -- that is, it'll help them take on heavyweight rivals like Lime. Scoot will continue to operate under its own name as a subsidiary of Bird. It's not certain how much Bird paid for the deal, but TechCrunch noted that Scoot was valued at $71 million.
Read MoreUber has revealed its second-generation Jump electric scooters, which will feature bigger wheels and improved brakes. The rideshare giant showed off its new scooter at its third-annual Elevate conference, along with a new user swappable battery system for its electric bikes. The e-scooter features an entirely new braking system, switching out the old thumb brake for a hand brake that stops both wheels. Meanwhile, Uber's dockless e-bikes will feature new battery packs that can be swapped out by the user.
Read MoreFord is testing a new fleet of self-driving vehicles in its homebase of Detroit. Argo AI, Ford's autonomous vehicle arm, announced it would deploy its third-generation vehicles in Detroit and Corktown. The Ford Fusion Hybrids will be equipped with a "significantly upgraded sensor suite", as well as new sets of radar and cameras with higher resolution and higher dynamic range, wrote Argo AI president Pete Rander in a blog post.
Read MoreMove over, Uber Eats. Uber Elevate plans to deliver food via drone as early as this summer. To start, the service will be available in San Diego, and since Uber has been working closely with McDonalds, it will likely be optimized for things like Big Macs and fries.
Read MoreTwo years later, Volvo and Uber are ready to show off their first purpose-built self-driving car. They've introduced a variant of the XC90 SUV that's designed to accept and work with Uber's autonomous driving system from the outset. It packs sensors both above and built-in to help the vehicle navigate city streets on its own. Safety-conscious Volvo, however, is keen to tout "several" backup systems for braking, steering and power that will bring the SUV to a controlled stop if the main components fail.
Read MoreUber has chosen the third test city to join Dallas and Los Angeles for its flying taxi trials: Melbourne, Australia. The third location was supposed to be Dubai, but negotiations fell through and prompted the company to look for another site for trials outside the US. Uber considered Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paris, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Tokyo and Sydney. In the end, Melbourne won.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Electric trucks and robotic toy tanks. Plus everything from E3 (including a full breakdown of yesterday's Nintendo Direct). Just another Wednesday morning.
Read MoreVolkswagen is cutting ties with Silicon Valley self-driving startup Aurora after only a year, amidst talks of working with Ford's Argo AI instead. Financial Times reported the news of the split, adding that VW expects to reach a deal with Argo AI this summer. Sources told FT that VW declined to renew its contract with Aurora after a trial run, ending some projects earlier this year.
Read MoreThis year at Tesla's annual shareholders meeting the conversation went pretty much as we'd expect, with teases of some upcoming products, muttering about negative media coverage and plenty of confidence from CEO Elon Musk. Specifically, he responded to speculation that Tesla is having trouble meeting sales targets by saying that "I want to be clear, there is not a demand problem." According to the company, 90 percent of sales for the Model 3 are going to people who aren't reservation holders, and later on during the event Musk indicated Tesla still isn't thinking of running advertisements. Noting that electric cars introduced recently still don't have more range than the original Model S when it launched in 2012, Musk said that it won't be long before Tesla offers an electric vehicle capable of going 400 miles between charges.
Read MoreToday, Lyft is renaming its Bay Area bike share system. It's now Bay Wheels, no longer Ford GoBike. As part of the transition, the company is introducing new e-bikes with pedal assist for hills and the option to dock the bikes or lock them outside of a station. According to a press release, riders will be able to access the bikes with just two taps in the Lyft app.
Read MoreAt an event in Utah, Mercedes took the wraps off its latest SUV, the 2020 GLB. The automaker is positioning it between the GLA and GLC. With the SUV and crossover segment still going strong, the automaker is hoping to capture more of that market with this addition.
Read MoreUber has been trying to get more electric vehicles to join its fleet for a while now, but it might have to find a way to speed things up if India passes a set of proposed rules for clean mobility. According to Reuters, Indian officials are planning to order taxi aggregators and rideshare companies like Ola and Uber to make sure 40 percent of their cars operating in the country are electric vehicles by 2026.
Read MoreMazda is ready to jump into electric cars in earnest after years of sitting on the sidelines. CEO Akira Marumoto told Automotive News Europe in an interview that his company will introduce an EV in 2020. And no, this won't be the result of its partnership with Toyota -- this mysterious initial model will be built on "a Mazda architecture."
Read MoreIf electric cars are ultimately batteries on wheels, shouldn't you have the option of charging one EV with another? You will with Rivian's truck and SUV. Company chief R.J. Scaringe told The Drive in an interview that "Rivian-to-Rivian" charging will be available. While he didn't elaborate on how it would work, the practicality is clear. Much like some newer phones, a friend with a low battery could grab some electricity in a pinch rather than waiting to plug into a dedicated charger.
Read MoreThe earliest customers who pulled the trigger on Tesla's entry-level Model 3 may want to enjoy their car's features to the fullest over the coming days. Those early vehicles shipped with unlocked software that effectively gave owners access to the more expensive Standard Range Plus car. Eventually, the company started shipping Model 3s with the features locked down from the get go. Now, the automaker has started warning customers via email that it's going to limit their vehicle's software and remove their access to the Plus features they've been enjoying in the next 10 days.
Read MoreIt looks like San Francisco's call for applications to expand its dockless bicycle program didn't sit well with Lyft. The company has just filed a lawsuit against the California city, seeking an injunction that would prohibit SF from giving its rivals permission to operate. Lyft claims that giving other companies a permit will violate the 10-year exclusivity agreement Ford GoBike -- previously operated by Motivate, which Lyft eventually purchased -- signed with San Francisco. The ride-hailing firm says the deal gives it exclusive rights to run bike-share services in the city, but local authorities are saying otherwise.
Read MoreTesla's V3 Supercharging stations are finally available to everyone. Well, everyone that owns a Tesla and wants to cruise on down the company's Fremont, California factory.
Read MoreWalmart has come a long way since it unveiled plans to add Electrify America chargers to its stores. The big-box retailer now has over 120 of the VW-backed fast EV charging stations across its stores, giving drivers in 34 states a way to top up while they're shopping. There are plans to continue expanding, too. Neither partner said how many more stations were coming, but Reuters sources claimed that 180 more stations were coming before the end of 2019.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. In the lull between WWDC and E3 (remember to tune in for Google's Stadia announcement at noon ET), Amazon's showing off new delivery drones, Uber Copter is ready to take flight and there's some very exciting news about Microsoft Excel.
Read MoreUber's autonomous flying taxis aren't ready to take flight yet, but according to a report in the New York Times, it will offer air transit starting July 9th. Uber Copter will be available in New York City first, to Uber Rewards members who've obtained Platinum and Diamond status. Unsurprisingly, the rides will have dynamic pricing that changes based on demand, but the average ride will cost between $200 and $225, according to Uber Elevate's Nikhil Goel.
Read MoreCadillac's Super Cruise impressed me back in 2017 when I drove with it from New Mexico to California. The hands-free experience made the long trek less of a chore and except for interchanges and in construction zones, the majority of the time my hands were off the wheel. To achieve this the system is geofenced to divided highways that have been mapped by high-definition LiDAR. Now that system of roadways has been expanded to 200,000 miles from 130,000 miles in Canada and the United States.
Read MoreJaguar Land Rover and BMW are partnering to build a new generation of motors for the pair's electric vehicles. Both companies will jointly develop the technology, and work to use their combined size to make component purchases cheaper. But each business will build their own engines at their own plants, in the UK and Germany.
Read MoreThere's no question that dedicated GPS units are on the decline in an era when your smartphone is often good enough for navigation, if not better. Garmin, however, thinks it can stave off obsolescence in a simple way -- by adding a voice assistant you'd use on your phone. The new DriveSmart 65 is the company's first full-display GPS (but not its first ever) to incorporate Alexa, and uses the AI helper to handle the tasks that would normally require staring at your phone or infotainment system.
Read MoreAirless tires for everyday cars might soon be far more practical. GM and Michelin have unveiled a prototype of Uptis (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System), a Michelin-made tire intended for passenger cars. It looks like Tweel and other air-free concepts of years past, but its mix of composite rubber and resin embedded fiberglass lets it operate at highway speeds -- earlier options tend to work only when you're slowly putting around. It's not as visually appealing as conventional tires, but Michelin claims it's just as comfortable.
Read MoreToday, Hertz announced a new vehicle subscription service, Hertz My Car. For a monthly fee, users will have access to select sedans, crossovers, SUVs and trucks. The service follows on the heels of a similar, but more expensive, pilot program that Enterprise launched last month.
Read MoreBird, the company that rents out electric razor scooters, is adding an electric motorcycle to its fleet of micro-mobility vehicles. The Bird Cruiser is described as a "seated electric vehicle," which can carry up to two adults at a time. You'll get a padded seat, a choice of pedals or pegs for your feet, and hydraulic disc brakes to ensure safe stopping.
Read MoreTesla is expanding its range of phone accessories with an official in-car wireless phone charging pad for the Model 3. The charger is available today and is compatible with Qi-enabled phones including the iPhone 8 and above, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and above and the Google Pixel 3 and 3XL.
Read MoreLyft might have a way to recruit more EV drivers: top up their cars for free. The ridesharing service has teamed up with Portland General Electric to offer free EV charging in the Oregon city's metro area to eligible drivers from July 1st onward. There will only be a "number of locations" that support it (including Hillsboro station). Still, it could be easier for drivers to work for Lyft knowing they won't have to wait for recharges and spend some of their hard-earned pay.
Read MoreNiantic promised real-world events for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in the same vein as Pokémon Go Fests when it announced the game's official launch. Now the company has revealed that it has already scheduled the new game's first fan event for this Labor Day weekend (from August 31st to September 1st) at White River State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Read MoreJust a few weeks after its 35th birthday, Tetris is getting a new look. A Tetris battle royale game is coming to mobile. N3TWORK and The Tetris Company Inc. announced that they've partnered to develop Tetris games built for mobile devices worldwide -- excluding China.
Read MoreIt's been over 20 years since Sega released its final console. Loved by many for its stellar lineup of games like Shenmue and Sonic Adventure, the Dreamcast was the first system to include a built-in modem for online play. And then there were its distinct, spaceship-shaped controller and unique Visual Memory Unit for saving your games. Though Engadget wasn't around to review the Dreamcast when it was released, dozens of users have left scores and reviews for the console on its product page over the years. From calling it "highly innovative for its time" and being "awed by its graphics and performance," users largely seem to feel nostalgic and affectionate towards the obsolete game system, which currently has an average score of 80.
Read MoreLess than a week before the launch of Apex Legends second season, two leaked trailers detail significant changes to the map. We knew the new season would included Wattson, an engineer character who thrives on defensive play, and the trailers provide a glimpse of Wattson in action. There's also hints of a new hacker-themed character, Crypto. Perhaps most importantly, the clip makes one thing clear, "Kings Canyon will never be the same." Certain areas have stabilized enough to support new growth forests, and there are new structures. Plus, the leak indicates that the Leviathans have indeed invaded the map. Update: Both the cinematic and gameplay trailers are now officially live, showing some of the things players can expect to see starting July 2nd. They look just like the leaks, including that peek at the laptop-wielding hacker character, but we'll have to dive in next week to get a feel for exactly what's different about the arena.
Read MoreThe Overwatch buzz shows no sign of slowing down, and Blizzard is keen to cash in on the enthusiasm with a range of merchandise including action figures, monopoly, nerf guns and apparel. Now, even more Lego sets are being released so you can build tiny brick recreations of your favorite game moments.
Read MorePUBG probably isn't the first game you think of that's begging for a story-driven element, but that isn't stopping its creators from trying. As part of an announcement that Sledgehammer Games co-founder Glen Schofield (above) would run a new studio, Striking Distance, PUBG Corporation revealed that the just-formed unit is working on an "original narrative experience" set inside the PUBG world. What that entails isn't clear, although we wouldn't rule out frying pans and chicken dinners.
Read MoreYou might not realize it, but you're living in a world full of dinosaurs. Since the augmented reality game Jurassic World Alive came out last year, it's been downloaded 17 million times. Players have unleashed 115 million dinosaurs and taken them to battle nearly one billion times. Now, the game is getting a few new features, including "sanctuaries," where users can feed, interact and play with their dinosaurs.
Read MoreRiot Games isn't going to let Dota Underlords capitalize on the Auto Chess trend without offering a fight. The developer is rolling out the open beta test for its League of Legends equivalent, Teamfight Tactics, over the course of the week. It's already available on the Japanese and Oceania servers, and should reach North America, Europe, Russia and Turkey the following day. Other regions will join over the two days after that.
Read MoreEsports organization FaZe hit the headlines last month, after popular Fortnite player Turner Tenney -- AKA Tfue -- sued the company for violating California labor laws. Following the news -- which saw FaZe trending worldwide on Twitter for hours -- it emerged that the company was taking up to 80 percent of Tenney's revenue earnings and preventing him from signing other deals. Now another well-known streamer is cutting ties with FaZe for the same reasons.
Read MoreHitman 2 has had the same locations since launch -- you could take on new targets, of course, but the missions always had to take place in the same environments. You'll have some variety very shortly, though. IO is giving Expansion Pass holders "The Bank," a new sandbox location set in New York City. The core mission has you taking out the cutthroat banker Athena Savalas, and will unsurprisingly involve slipping through tight security. You'll also have access to the more flexible Contracts Mode from the outset.
Read MoreBlizzard's esports team just lost another major leader -- global esports director Kim Phan has left Blizzard to pursue a "new endeavor" in the gaming industry. The veteran didn't harbor ill will against Blizzard in her farewell post (she plans to attend BlizzCon as a fan), but the move came just under a month after Overwatch League Commissioner Nate Nanzer left for Epic Games. It's not clear who's filling Phan's old role.
Read MoreIf you were disappointed at being left out of the initial Harry Potter: Wizards Unite launch, don't worry -- there's a good chance you can play now. Niantic's augmented reality sorcery is now available on Android and iOS in 25 more countries. This includes Canada and Mexico in the Americas as well as several European and Scandinavian countries, including France, Ireland, Germany, Norway and Sweden. You can also expect to play in a handful of other places around the world, such as India, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Read MoreIf you're hoping to immerse yourself in video games now that summer has officially reached the northern hemisphere, you're in luck. Games Done Quick is kicking off its annual summer charity livestream (below) on June 23rd at 12:30PM ET, and you can expect some very eclectic speedrunning in the name of a good cause -- this time, for Doctors Without Borders. The week-long event will include more than its fair share of classics, but you'll also find relatively recent games as well as the occasional left-field game to keep it fresh.
Read MoreSea of Solitude feels like coming home. Footage of a hulking black monster swimming among the rooftops and balconies of a waterlogged Berlin plays on repeat like a GIF in my psyche, as comforting as it is terrifying. I've been viscerally afraid of giant creatures in deep waters for as long as I can remember -- it probably has something to do with my after-school routine as a kid. My older brother, dressed in steel-toed Docs and long-sleeved black shirts even in the mid-year Arizona sun, would walk me home and we'd plop down in front of the TV. Sometimes it was Baywatch, sometimes it was Terminator 2, but the afternoon our parents told us they were getting a divorce, it was Jaws.
Read MoreIt's been three years since electronic sports were a feature of the X Games, but this year marks its glorious return to the tournament. ESPN has announced that Apex Legends'will be the star of this year's show, with invitational qualifiers taking place on June 29th.
Read MoreLess than a month after it was announced and just a week after being properly revealed, Dota Underlords is available for play. Valve's take on the popular Dota 2 mod, Dota Auto Chess, is a turn-based strategic battle game where players try to dominate the city of White Spire. The last Dota 2 spinoff, Artifact, did not experience the warmest reception and is undergoing major changes, but Underlords is already topping that game's peak number of players, and seemingly with good reason. It's been stress testing with Dota 2 Battle Pass owners for the last week and now anyone can try it for free. The plan is for it to remain in early access for "a few months" before it launches fully with more Underlord characters, ranked play and seasonal changes. It's available now on Steam, Google Play and the iOS App Store, complete with cross-play so you can start a game on one platform and finish it on another.
Read MoreNiantic's Harry Potter: Wizards Unite officially debuts on June 21st, but you won't have to wait until then to play if you live in the right country. The location-based game is already available for would-be Android and iOS spellcasters in the US and UK -- not surprisingly, Niantic is welcoming early adopters in a likely effort to minimize Pokémon Go-style server overloads. Australia and New Zealand have had the game for weeks in a pseudo-beta test, but Niantic is clearly expecting the broader launch to be particularly demanding.
Read MoreWith loot boxes receiving heavy scrutiny lately, EA has come up with a novel explanation for what the controversial game mechanic should be considered perfectly legal. Appearing before the UK Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, EA's vice president of legal and government affairs Kerry Hopkins insisted that loot boxes aren't akin to gambling but are instead "surprise mechanics" like Kinder Eggs, the popular chocolate candy with toys inside.
Read MoreHuman Fall Flat has proven a big hit on consoles and PC, with more than five million copies sold by last February as players hopped into No Brakes Games' hilarity-filled world. It emerged back then that a mobile port was on the way, and now we know you'll be able to play it on Android and iOS starting June 26th.
Read MoreWe've seen a ton of different Monopoly versions over the years, including ones based on Fortnite, Mario Kart and Overwatch. Now, Hasbro is releasing the franchise's take on voice-assisted technology. Seriously. The Monopoly Voice Activated Banking Game turns Mr. Monopoly into a voice assistant, giving him the task of keeping tabs on your money and properties. Yes, Rich Uncle Pennybags speaks and answers your questions in this version of the game through a device shaped like his top hat.
Read MoreWith Amazon's help, Twitch has become the game streaming service of choice for PC and console players all over the world. Viewers have witnessed superstar Fortnite player Ninja team up with Drake and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez guest-star in a Donkey Kong 64 stream that raised over $340k, but the platform also hosts its own esports competitions from time to time. Now, TechCrunch reports, the company has acquired Bebo to ensure that side of its business continues to grow.
Read MoreYou'll be able to save Muggles from rogue magical creatures and misbehaving objects very soon: Niantic will finally start rolling out Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on June 21st. The company has announced the much-awaited mobile game's launch date outside Universal Studios' Wizarding World, telling attendees that it plans to hold events for it similar to Pokémon Go Fests. While the game will only come out in the US and the UK on Friday, it's just the beginning of its worldwide launch. Niantic plans to make it available in more regions in the future and promises to release more info when it goes live in other locations.
Read MoreApex Legends' second season debuts July 2nd, and we already knew it would include plenty of exciting changes -- like Wattson, an engineer character who thrives on defensive play. Today, Respawn shed more light on what we can expect to see in terms of weaponry. While we knew this season would bring back L-STAR, the high-power rifle from Titanfall 2, Respawn says it will also give some of the game's weaker weapons a boost with new hop ups.
Read MoreStarting this Sunday, you can pick up Pictionary Air at your local Target for $20. The new game puts a high-tech spin on the classic. You'll still pull a card, choose from a list of items to draw and race against a timer, but you'll use a large digital pen to sketch in the air. Thanks to the app, other players will see your doodle on their phones, tablets or TV screens, but you won't see your creation until your time is up.
Read MoreThe latest Overwatch patch is rolling out on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and once it's installed, you'll have access to the new replay system. You'll be able to re-watch your ten most recent matches from any game type, except for the tutorial and Practice Range, from any angle or other players' perspectives while controlling the playback speed.
Read MoreNiantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, is up to something -- but exactly what is yet to be revealed. Following a number of AR and game company acquisitions over the last 18 months, Niantic has now purchased London-based Sensible Object, a games developer probably best known for blurring the lines between digital and table-top gaming.
Read MoreHasbro isn't done riding the Fortnite bandwagon now that its themed Nerf guns are here in earnest. The toy maker is launching five new blasters on September 1st, and they might scratch your itch if you're looking for either heavy firepower or something a little stealthier. For one, there's a $30 RL Blaster rocket launcher that represents a dart-based equivalent to the earlier Super Soaker design -- if you really, really have it in for someone, you can make that abundantly clear. Those who'd prefer a one-handed weapon can spring for the $15, HC-E Mega Blaster, which mimics the game's hand cannon (albeit with a single-shot capacity).
Read MoreNever a week goes by without Epic Games adding something new to Fortnite. In the past month alone, we've seen the Storm Flip, Proximity Grenade Launcher and even an Air Jordan 1 collaboration. As you'd expect from a Battle Royale game, most of the new items are destructive, designed to damage your opponent(s) and ensure you're the last person standing. Today's update, however, concentrates on another important aspect of the game: healing.
Read MoreWelcome back to Engadget's Gaming IRL, a monthly segment where we run down what our editors are playing. This time around, we've been putting time into the iOS version of Final Fantasy Tactics, Overcooked and Just Cause 4. And we also briefly spent some time with the excellent card-based Rogue-like Meteorfall. We'd also love to know what you've been playing, shout out in the comments below!
Read MoreOver the weekend, cheaters never prosper as the creators of Pokémon Go sues a group of cheaters who used hacked apps to breeze through games. (Conveniently, we also run through the history of video-game cheating through the decades.) And, while it may not be cheating, spies may have used an AI-generated face to infiltrate US politics. That's a little more involved than the Konami code.
Read MoreIt's not just multi-platform gaming giants suing cheaters. Niantic has sued members of Global++ for allegedly offering "unauthorized derivative" (read: hacked) versions of Pokémon Go, Ingress and even the still-in-beta Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. The modified mobile apps not only violate intellectual property rights, Niantic said, but "undermine the integrity of the gaming experience" by helping players cheat. This hurts player enthusiasm for the games and thus could "interfere" with Niantic's business.
Read MoreAnother E3 is over. The show gave us new consoles -- some powerful, others retro-inspired -- customizable controllers and many, many video games. Final Fantasy VII Remake? Yep. The upcoming Avengers game? Of course. A sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Oh yeah, that happened too. Did we mention there were loads of celebrity appearances, too, including Keanu Reeves, Jon Bernthal and Rob McElhenney? It was pretty wild. If, somehow, you missed all of the announcements and trailer-packed press conferences, fear not -- we've got a super-quick recap video to bring you up to speed. If, however, you prefer words to moving pictures, head here for all of our coverage from the show. We'll see you next year!
Read MoreFor as long as we've played games, there have been players willing to break the rules in order to win. Whether it's rolling weighted dice, counting cards, or hip checking pinball machines, you can bet your bottom dollar that if there's a game of chance, someone's working to work the odds in their favor.
Read MoreFall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is what happens when indie developers watch too much reality TV. The new title from Mediatonic takes some of the most ridiculous network game-show obstacles courses, throws in some squishy alien creatures, and puts it all online. So far, Fall Guys features a "race through the right doors" mini game, a round where players have to steal and keep their tails, and a furious run up a mountainside filled with spinning and rolling obstacles. It's all incredibly cheerful, for a fiercely competitive game.
Read More"John always double-taps." Mike Bithell, the creator of John Wick Hex, is showing off the game for the first time at E3 2019, in a mirrored room at the Hotel Figueroa that feels ripped right out of The Continental. In his game, every time a player chooses to shoot, the miniature version of John Wick fires two rounds, because, after all, John always double-taps in the movies.
Read MoreSeveral months after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar is ready to offer the soundtrack for its Western opus. The official album from Lakeshore Records will reach digital services on July 12th and includes its fair share of star power -- as you might have guessed from playing the game itself. It's produced by Daniel Lanois (who's worked with Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel and U2, among others) and includes music by himself as well as D'Angelo, Rocco DeLuca, Rhihannon Giddens, Josh Homme and Willie Nelson.
Read MoreIt's been 20 years since Mob Rule, the organized crime real-time strategy game. Despite a few efforts like Omerta - City of Gangsters, Gangsters 2: Vendetta and Gangland in the years since, there hasn't been a true successor in the Mafia-meets-strategy genre. Empire of Sin is aiming to inherit that position. It will launch in Spring 2020 on Switch, PS4, Xbox, PC and Mac with a mix of gang management simulation and turn-based tactical combat. In an E3 demo, the team from Romero Games played as Al Capone, who dons a pin-striped grey suit, chomps on a fat cigar and brandishes tommy guns in both hands. He lands in Chicago's Little Italy with its moody streets and jazz-infused speakeasies.
Read MoreNanowire is the Swiss Army garrote of the future. The glowing orange thread is simple yet multifunctional, slicing through skin, muscle and bone like a whip. Or, it flings from the wielder's wrist like an electric snake to jack into the side of someone's head and hack their brain to bits.
Read MoreSquare Enix knows you want access to all its games in digital form, especially older ones for early consoles it has yet to re-release. Well, you'll be happy to hear that the developer is doing something about it. Company President and CEO Yosuke Matsuda told Game Informer that Square Enix has formed a dedicated team to port its classic NES titles -- presumably including those from when Square and Enix were two separate companies -- to modern systems. Further the company is exploring the possibility of launching a streaming or a downloading subscription service that exclusively offers the developer's games.
Read MoreIn The Outer Worlds, there are specially bred swine called "cystypigs." You find them in a factory farm near Fallbrook, a smuggler's town on a distant planet. Maybe you climbed through the sewers and emerged face to ass with one, or entered through the front door for a sweeping view of their pens. But there they are: swine coated in bulbous, meaty tumors that swell up, drop off and are ground and canned to be sold commercially as "boarst wurst." As one in-game ad says: "You haven't tried the worst until you've tried boarst wurst." Megan Starks was part of the team that authored this sick scenario. A senior narrative designer who holds an MFA in creative writing, she pens plot-lines, dialogue, characters and even item descriptions at Obsidian Entertainment. After writing for dense RPGs like Tyranny and Pillars of Eternity II, she's now working on the developer's latest ambitious universe, set in a hyper-capitalist dystopia run by competing corporations. You'll roam frontier space colonies covered in wild flora and fungi as well as wilder humans. It lands October 25th on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Read MoreThe gameplay in Sam Barlow's critically acclaimed indie Her Story involved little more than Googling. Positioned in front of a mid-'90s computer desktop, your job was to sift through a database of nearly 300 short videos of police interrogations to deduce how a murder took place and why. There was only one actor, the interview room setting barely changed and your sole method of interacting with the game was by keying in search terms that connected to interview transcripts. Yet trawling through clips, attending to the slightest testimonial discrepancies and details, then revisiting previous scenes in light of your new information was compelling. Her Story took the ostensibly passive idea of observing and listening and made them feel dynamic -- no shooting, jumping or fetch quests necessary.
Read MoreElon Musk showed up on stage at E3 Thursday alongside Bethesda Studios executive producer Todd Howard to announce Fallout Shelter will be coming to Tesla vehicles. The wildly popular game is already available on just about every other system imaginable, so a move to Tesla in-car entertainment systems seems about right. It will be joined by Beach Buggy Racing 2, along with previously announced titles including classic Atari games and indie darling Cuphead.
Read More"Are you sure you want to plug into this thing?" Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan asks nervously. His partner, an adorable droid called BD-1, bleeps confidently and plugs into a nearby computer panel. Immediately, the enormous 'cutter' drill starts burrowing through the wicked Empire's base. The machine's movement reveals a secret passageway which Kestic then rushes toward enthusiastically. "That's why you wanted to move this thing," he exclaims. BD-1 boops again. "You had no idea that was there, did you?" Kestis chuckles wearily. "You just wanted to turn that cutter on."
Read MoreWolfenstein: Youngblood is definitely a spin-off, not a sequel. It helps explain why the latest game in the reinvented Wolfenstein universe feels and plays so differently. When first revealed, I was intrigued by the idea of making the blunt, gory, Nazi-hunting first-person shooter into a cooperative game. In Youngblood, you work alongside a buddy or AI assistant to unlock doors, ransack storage and cut a swathe through fictional armor-plated soldiers and robots.
Read MoreIt's the final day of E3 2019 and for some reason, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is chatting on stage about "games, cars, space and everything in between" with Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard. Musk has a clear interest in games -- he even wrote and sold one when he was 12. He's also put a number of them on Tesla dashboards, including Asteroids, Super Breakout and 2048.
Read MoreWhen Square Enix finally unveiled its big Avengers project, the reception was mixed, to put it politely. While Marvel's Avengers looked appropriately triple-A, all the familiar Avenger heroes looked a little too unfamiliar. The developers have gone for relatively realistic character designs. Unfortunately for them, we've seen truly "realistic" Avengers already, courtesy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This means that the in-game Avengers lineup looks more like a group of cosplayers acting out their fantasies. It also wasn't entirely clear from the initial trailer exactly what kind of game Marvel's Avengers will be. Behind closed doors at E3, however, the team walked me through a gameplay demo that demonstrated what Marvel's Avengers is. If you're expecting cinematic set pieces, superhero quips, fluid combat and plenty of goons to punch and blast, you'll get all of that. But why am I still so worried about this game?
Read MoreOkay, okay, I know what you're thinking: "Hey, that's The Punisher!" But that, my friends, isn't Frank Castle. It's Colonel Cole D. Walker, the antagonist in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, who's portrayed by none other than Jon Bernthal (The Punisher, The Walking Dead). In the new installment of Ubisoft and Tom Clancy's tactical shooter video game, Walker is the leader of The Wolves, a group of ex-military Ghosts who have gone rogue and taken control of Auroa, a fictional island set in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Your job as a US Special Operations soldier will be to infiltrate them and end their takeover, which won't be easy because Walker and The Wolves have created an army of powerful, killer drones.
Read MoreNetflix made it clear last month when it announced its E3 panel that its gaming ambitions extend beyond Stranger Things 3: The Game (and the Dark Crystal tie-in that was revealed this week). At the panel, it revealed what's next: more Stranger Things. Netflix is teaming up with Helsinki developer Next Games (The Walking Dead: Our World) for a mobile RPG/puzzle game based on the series.
Read MoreOne challenge with creating a game about the arc of human evolution is that the subject matter is almost limitlessly broad. With Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, creator Patrice Désilets is narrowing the time period down to between 10 million to 2 million BC. And boiling down the challenge to this: "Basically, I'm asking players the question: Hey homosapiens, think you're smart? Think you're the top? Can you survive like our ancestors did?"
Read MoreTHQ Nordic isn't finished with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. A decade after the original game came out on the PS3, War and his brothers return to consoles in a brand new iteration of Darksiders, dubbed Genesis. But this spin-off prequel doesn't look much like its predecessors.
Read MoreWhen I first heard the name 'Journey to the Savage Planet,' I tensed up. I've played tons of space exploration games that put a heavy emphasis on survival. They're brilliantly tense affairs, but I wasn't sure that my sleep-deprived body and mind were ready for that kind of onslaught at E3. Thankfully, the first title by Typhoon Studios is nothing of the sort. In fact, it's the complete opposite -- a relaxing and consistently funny adventure that's perfect for people who don't want to feel stressed out.
Read MoreAfter Konami lost the UEFA Champions League licensing rights to EA Sports in 2018, I was quick to count out the future of the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise. That's because, for me, having that European club competition was the only thing keeping from playing FIFA almost exclusively -- even if I do find the PES gameplay more fluid and realistic at times. Thankfully for PES fans, though, Konami isn't drowning in its sorrows over losing the Champions League to FIFA. And this year, the company is moving forward with eFootball PES 2020, which doesn't only comes with a shiny new name but also plenty of exciting features.
Read MoreNeed a sign that the retro gaming console market just won't come to an end? At E3 Konami just announced the TurboGrafx-16 mini, marking a return for the console that debuted in the US alongside the Sega Genesis in 1989, but never quite enjoyed the support or sales of its competitors. There's no price or release date yet for this bit of late 80s / early 90s nostalgia, but when it is released it will include the requisite suite of throwback games including: R-Type New Adventure Island Ninja Spirit Ys Book I & II Dungeon Explorer Alien Crush Other titles have yet to be revealed (where's Bonk's Revenge?) , and outside of North America the box will have different names just like it did way back when. In Europe it's called the PC Engine Core Grafx Mini, and in Japan, where the system originally launched in 1987, it's just the PC Engine Mini. It's unlikely we'll see anything as groundbreaking as the original TurboGrafx-16's CD-ROM add-on -- a first for consoles at the time -- but it's good to see the name in circulation again all the same.
Read MoreMinecraft Earth is a mobile AR game, but that doesn't mean it's Pokémon Go. Yes, it uses a mobile device. Yes, it superimposes digital objects on the physical landscape -- but that's just the definition of AR. Many stories and conversations about Minecraft Earth immediately compare it to Pokémon Go, describing it in terms of what's different or what's similar to Niantic's creature-collecting game. It'd be like contrasting The Life Aquatic with Billy Madison just because they're both shot with a camera and play out on a screen, but one happened to come out first. Pokémon Go and Minecraft Earth are vastly different experiences from the ground-up.
Read MoreEveryone has regrets; words and actions that we wish we could take back or try again. But only a precious few are gifted the opportunity for mulligans of such magnitude. In Annapurna Interactive's latest psychological thriller, 12 Minutes, you're granted (perhaps cursed) with exactly that.
Read MoreThe godfather of first person shooters, John Romero, is back -- with a strategy game. Empire of Sin showed up on Nintendo's E3 livestream, full of noirish rain-slicked streets, fedoras and tommy guns. In the game, players will shape an organized crime empire in Prohibiton-era 1920s Chicago as one of 14 bosses, with "randomly generated starting conditions" according to its website. Combat is turn-based as gangs take over rival territories and run speakeasies or casinos. Both Romero -- the creator of the original Wolfenstein, DOOM and Quake games who co-founded id Software -- and his wife Brenda are behind the title. The game is made by Romero Games -- founded in 2015 -- and published by Paradox Interactive. Empire of Sin is set to drop spring 2020 on Switch, PC, Mac, Xbox and Playstation.
Read MoreYou might finally be able to play Bandai Namco's Dark Souls-meets-anime action RPG Code Vein later this year. The game developer has announced that the long-delayed title will be available "in the Americas" on September 27th, 2019. That's a full year after the game was supposed to come out in 2018 and a couple of years after it was first unveiled. Bandai Namco chose to postpone its release merely a month after its original launch date was announced to "further refine its gameplay in an effort to exceed the expectations fans already have of the title." In addition to revealing Code Vein's new launch date, the company has also released a new trailer.
Read MoreIf you're tired of hearing about delays and revisions to the Atari VCS and just want to know when you can buy the damned thing as an everyday customer, you're in luck. The retro console will be available for general pre-order today from both the company site as well as GameStop and Walmart, with orders from the last two expected to ship in March 2020 (crowdfunding backers may get theirs in December 2019). How much you'll pay will depend on just how nostalgic you are, though.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. E3 2019 is firmly in full swing. While we prepare for the show floor to officially open -- and for Nintendo Direct at noon ET -- you can take a quick look at highlights from both the Xbox and Bethesda press conferences. Otherwise, there's new info about Final Fantasy VII Remake and good news for fans of Netflix's Love, Death and Robots.
Read MoreIf you've been living under a rock since 2009, or just don't know anybody under the age of 15, you may not be aware that Minecraft is kind of a big deal. Like, "best selling videogame of all time," kind of a big deal. At E3 2019, the game's developer, Mojang, revealed its next project in the block-based world, Minecraft Dungeons.
Read MoreOninaki is an upcoming throwback action RPG from the makers of I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphear -- and it now has a release date of August 22nd. With Takashi Tokita (of Chrono Trigger and Parasite Eve) as creative producer, players will traverse the lands of the living and the dead in a world of reincarnation. The protagonist is a "Watcher" who manages the divide between the two realms. As a Watcher, the main character will leverage "daemons" to battle alongside them, conferring specific weapons and skills. The title will be out on Switch, PS4 and PC. There's more from developer Tokyo RPG Factory -- Square Enix's classic JRPG-inspired studio -- in the trailer below:
Read MoreBack in 2017, Square Enix signed a multi-year development deal with Marvel. The first item on their list was a secretive title dubbed, Project Avengers. Tonight, at Square Enix's keynote ahead of E3, the company unveiled the results of its two years of hard work. Behold the newly anointed Marvel's Avengers.
Read MoreFinal Fantasy VIII, which curiously missed out on the journey to the Nintendo Switch when the rest of the series was ported over, is back. The reason for the delay? Square Enix was working on another remaster. To that point, the characters' battle models are more polished than the original, and even the higher-resolution PC version. Don't expect entirely reinvented battle systems or episodic content like Final Fantasy VII Remake, however. This is a humbler re-polish for 2019 (it will launch later this year) and will come to PS4, Xbox, Nintendo's Switch and Steam. See how it'll look in the trailer below.
Read MoreOutriders is a new "dark, modern shooter" as described by People Can Fly, the developers behind Gears of War: Judgment and Bulletstorm. It will be a co-op shooter for one to three players, and releasing on Xbox One, PS4 and PC in summer 2020. The Outriders are a genetically engineered species tied to the Marvel Universe yet the M-word was conspicuously absent during Square Enix's E3 announcement. Here's the first look:
Read MoreBack in 2014, Square Enix Collective was created to help indie developers with getting their game out there, and it has helped introduce titles like Forgotton Anne to the world. Now it's getting into the world of racing with Circuit Superstars, a top-down motorsport game developed by Original Fire Games.
Read MoreSquare Enix is at E3 2019 and it has one of the flashiest titles of the year, Final Fantasy VII Remake. The company dropped a new trailer and revealed the game's release date during a live symphony performance last night, showing off what it means by "rebuilding and expanding" on the original title. Four years after the game's announcement, fans can mark a release date in their calendars: Final Fantasy VII Remake comes out on March 3rd, 2020.
Read MoreI haven't played a Gears of War game since the original came out in 2006. It's no surprise, then, that I would be hesitant to grab an Xbox One controller and play the latest instalment of Microsoft's legendary franchise, Gears 5. But I did it, particularly because I wanted to check out Escape, a new co-op mode that you can play with three friends online or locally. Look, I'm a simple man: You tell me I can kill some aliens and I'm in.
Read MoreAMD is about to go live with its E3 2019 Next Horizon Gaming event, and we're expecting plenty of new details on their Navi GPU line. Post-Computex, we're waiting to hear more on what these cards can do, including information about ray tracing. While AMD has said little about the feature yet, both Sony and Microsoft have said their new consoles will use these GPUs and support ray tracing. While we might hear some news about CPUs, we're expecting for it to stay gaming-focused. The stream will be live at 3PM PT here:
Read MoreTom Clancy's The Division 2 is not even two months old but Ubisoft laid out its year one plans for the action shooter RPG at E3 today. We already knew three additional episodes were coming via DLC, but a first look trailer revealed some of the locations players will soon be able to visit both in and outside a post-apocalyptic Washington DC, including the Pentagon and the National Zoo. Players will get new gear, weapons and new rewards to go along with the new areas to explore.
Read MoreUbisoft's latest game goes back to classical mythology with 'Gods & Monsters,' which the publisher showcased with a cartoony first trailer at E3. According to Ubisoft, it's an "adventure about a forgotten hero on a quest to save the Greek gods." The player will have god-like powers and battle Gorgons, Hydras, and Cyclops. More details should emerge before the launch date of February 25th 2020.
Read MoreGhost Recon: Breakpoint wasn't the only Tom Clancy-related game Ubisoft showcased at its E3 event. It revealed the trailer for Tom Clancy's Elite Squad, a mobile RPG that pulls together characters from Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, The Division and Splinter Cell to form a spec-ops dream team.
Read MoreRoller Derby is the cult classic of semi-pro sports. But aside from an objectively bad James Caan movie in the '70s and an even worse 2002 remake starring LL Cool J, the game hasn't had a significant amount mainstream exposure in years. But that could change once Ubisoft's new team-based esport hits the streets.
Read MoreIn most stories, there's a hero. Someone you can root for, empathize with, trust to guide you through their journey's twists and turns. In major game studio AAA action franchises, especially so. Watch Dogs: Legion -- the upcoming third game in the open world hacker series, arriving March 6th 2020 -- does away with all that. From a sprawling, dystopian London you can recruit anyone that you want to be your protagonist to hacking collective DedSec.
Read MoreUbisoft really, really loves the Tom Clancy brand. Alongside Breakpoint, The Division 2, Rainbow Six Siege, and a new mobile game called Elite Squad, the publisher is working on a co-operative shooter called Rainbow Six Quarantine. The campaign is set "several years into the future of the Rainbow Six Universe" and allows three players to fight against swarms of infected humans. Ubisoft doesn't call them zombies, but yeah, they're basically zombies. "When a mutated alien parasite starts infecting human hosts, it's up to the Operators of Team Rainbow to stop the deadly threat before time runs out," the company explained in a blog post today. The game is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal and a new, dedicated team with staff that has worked on For Honor and various Ghost Recon titles. It will be out on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in early 2020.
Read MoreAs of today, you'll have more options to flex your creative muscles in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Ubisoft is releasing a tool you can use to create your own stories by building and linking together a number of quests. You also have the option to share those stories with other players.
Read MoreA dark, post-Brexit London will be the setting for Watch Dogs: Legion, the third game in the open world action franchise. At Ubisoft's E3 keynote, the publisher showed that the latest hacker title will launch March 6th 2020. The game's most interesting new hook is that there is no central protagonist. The game has you building an underground resistance of hackers, and players will recruit their team from any of the pedestrians strolling around London.
Read MoreUbisoft is on a roll right now. The Assassin's Creed franchise is in a good place, Rainbow Six Siege is trucking along and The Division 2 is arguably the biggest loot-shooter on the market right now. So where does the publisher go from here? Well, it's already confirmed that Watch Dogs Legion, a Brexit-themed take on the open-world hacker franchise, will be part of its E3 showcase this year. We're also bound to hear about Ghost Recon Breakpoint, the futuristic sequel to the hugely popular Wildlands. But what else? We're expecting a roller derby multiplayer game, and keeping our fingers crossed for a new Mario + Rabbids title. For all the juicy details, be sure to watch the press conference with us at 4PM ET/1PM PT/10PM CEST.
Read MoreBethesda kicked off its E3 event yesterday, and if your head is still spinning from all of the gaming updates announced this weekend, here's your chance to catch up on Bethesda's biggest news. The company debuted Orion, a software collection meant to optimize game engines for streaming on platforms like Google's Stadia or Microsoft's xCloud. The goal is to improve the game-streaming experience for folks with slower internet speeds or those who live far from data centers. Bethesda gave us a glimpse of Doom Eternal, Fallout 76 and the new Wolfenstein: Youngblood. There's also the new supernatural action adventure Ghostwire Tokyo and a new dragon quest line in Elder Scrolls: Blades. Today we learned that Doom will stream on iOS later this year. In case you missed Bethesda's E3 presentation or need a second viewing to catch all the details, we've compiled this supercut to bring you up to speed.
Read MoreThe artist-specific add-on for various music and rhythm games is a time-honored tradition that we don't see enough of these days. That's why it's so comforting to see Imagine Dragons teaming up with the developers of Beat Saber to launch a 10-track companion pack. With it, users will be able to slash at blocks in time to some of the band's hits, including It's Time, Radioactive and Bad Liar.
Read MoreVertigo Games previewed its new multiplayer VR shooter After the Fall today at the Upload VR conference. The game, set in the frigid aftermath of a 1980s post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, can be played solo or with up to four players. The objective is to gain control of the city as you face hordes of enemies and intimidating bosses.
Read MoreEarlier today at E3, Bethesda announced its new game streaming technology, Orion. The company promises Orion will be able to work with any game and any platform, and later this year iOS users will be able to test that promise out with Doom. The 2016 update to the classic first-person shooter will be available to stream on iOS devices later this fall and you can get access to the limited test run by signing up for Bethesda's Slayers Club.
Read MoreRazer wants to tackle another part of the gaming experience -- namely, the drinks you need to keep your momentum going. It's introducing Respawn (no connection to that Respawn), a "mental performance" drink mix that's meant to keep your focus sharp for long periods. No, it's not a direct knock-off of its most conspicuous rival, G Fuel. You'll find a few familiar ingredients like choline and Vitamin B, and it's equally sugar-free, but there's none of the taurine and less caffeine (95mg versus 150mg). The Razer-owned brand doesn't want to risk the crash you get with energy drinks -- this is meant for those hours-long sessions where you don't want to slip.
Read MoreLast week, Google revealed pricing and availability for its much-anticipated game streaming service Stadia. It announced the Founder's Edition and Stadia Pro packages, as well as a targeted November release date. Later, Phil Harrison, a vice president and general manager of Google, seemed to slip a few more details. During YouTube's E3 Live show, Harrison reportedly said Stadia will also offer publisher-specific subscriptions. Those could allow Stadia gamers to subscribe to all titles from individual publishers.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. The E3 2019 show floor doesn't open until Tuesday, but things are already in full swing with presentations from Microsoft, EA and Bethesda. We've seen everything in gaming that was announced so far, from high-profile (Project Scarlett, Star Wars, George R.R. Martin) to offbeat (Battletoads) to truly unexpected (Keanu Reeves!). Stay tuned for more news today from the likes of Ubisoft and Square-Enix.
Read MoreIt's been four years since Sony teased that it had commissioned a ground-up remake of the seminal Final Fantasy VII. At this year's E3, the company has let it be known that the game will land on PS4s around the world on March 3rd, 2020.
Read MoreThatgamecompany's Sky: Children of the Light has technically been available in beta for a long time, but now it's really, truly ready for launch... well, almost. The Journey creator's social exploration game is now slated to reach iOS and Apple TV users on July 11th, with the App Store offering pre-orders (it's listed as free) as we write this. If you'll recall, this was advertised as an Apple device exclusive -- don't expect an Android counterpart to arrive any time soon.
Read MoreBethesda is jumping on the cloud-gaming train with Orion, a software collection that optimizes game engines for streaming. Essentially, Orion is designed to make games run better on platforms like Google's Stadia or Microsoft's xCloud. It works with any game and any platform, lowering latency by up to 20 percent per frame and reducing bandwidth demands by as much as 40 percent.
Read MoreDOOM Eternal, the latest installment in gory, frantic, demon slaying will land on November 22nd this year. Bethesda's E3 keynote showed snippets of the Doom Slayer's latest jaunt, which the publisher says will go "across dimensions" to heaven, hell and Mars. In a new multiplayer mode, DOOM Eternal will have two player-controlled demons face off against one slayer.
Read MoreAside from showing off the next major update to Fallout 76, dubbed Wastelanders, Bethesda has revealed a new first-person action game called Deathloop. This new title comes from studio Arcane Lyon, the creators of the Dishonored franchise. As you'll see in the trailer below, Deathloop looks intense and action-packed. Bethesda says that the world of Deathloop is designed to transport players to a lawless island called Blackreef, where you can experience the struggle of two "extraordinary assassins."
Read MoreWIth the July 26th release date of Wolfenstein: Youngblood nearly upon us, Bethesda took the stage at its E3 keynote on Sunday to reveal additional details and gameplay of its latest installment of the Nazi-hunting franchise.
Read MoreThe studio behind horror series The Evil Within is building an action-adventure game set in a city of supernatural evil, called Ghostwire Tokyo. Tango Gameworks founder Shinji Mikami and the title's creative director, Ikumi Nakamura, debuted the new game during Bethesda's E3 press conference, showing a glimpse of the story and world, but skimping on details like platforms or release date.
Read MoreBack in February, Bethesda detailed its plan to revitalize Fallout 76 in 2019. After all, it's no secret that the developer's shared-world action RPG is in desperate need of improvement, having been plagued by a number of serious issues since it launched in November of 2018. And today, at its pre-E3 2019 event, Bethesda revealed the next major update for Fallout 76: Wastelanders, which it says will "fundamentally change the game." The biggest difference is the addition of non-player human characters, a feature that's going to make Fallout 76 feel a lot more like Fallout, thanks to a new main quest as well as choice and consequence scenes. You'll also get new weapons and gear, naturally.
Read MoreRecovered from Xbox? Get ready for the company that resurrected Wolfenstein and Doom, as Bethesda caps off E3 Sunday. While we're unlikely to hear more on Elder Scrolls VI during its E3 showcase, expect update news for Fallout 76, a little more on the aforementioned Wolfenstein and Doom series and something new, maybe, if we're good? We'll be live-streaming alongside and after the showcase, so join Senior Editor Nick Summers and myself right here or on YouTube. It all kicks off at 5:30PM PT / 8:30PM EST / 1:30AM GMT.
Read MoreThe rumors were true -- George R. R. Martin is involved in a video game, and it's not a Game of Thrones tie-in. The author has partnered with From Software to produce Elden Ring, a fantasy title coming to the Xbox One and PC. There are precious few details at this point, but it's set in a universe created by Dark Souls mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki. Someone appears to have shattered the ring, and the consequences are dire.
Read MoreFirst launched on the Super Famicom way back in 1995, Bandai Namco's Tales series is one of the longest-running RPG series in the history of gaming. At Microsoft's E3 keynote on Sunday, the company announced that the "dynamic action RPG" will receive yet another iteration come next year. Dubbed Tales of Arise, the follow-up to 2017's Tales of Berseria will reportedly offer an updated combat system that still remains true to the gameplay that fans of the storied franchise have come to expect over the past 24 years.
Read MoreForza Horizon 4 is getting more playful with the upcoming Lego Speed Champions, which launches this week. Revealed during Microsoft's E3 press conference, the expansion adds a variety of Lego vehicles, but also lets you drive normal cars on blocky tracks. It's a bit of a strange addition for the Horizon open world racing franchise, but hopefully you'll get to race to The Lego Movie's "Everything is Awesome."
Read MoreIf you've been jonesing for a Dragon Ball Z game that wasn't a straight-up 2D fighter, you're in luck. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (formerly Dragon Ball Project Z) is coming to the Xbox One and PC sometime in early 2020. There aren't many details available in the initial trailer, but you can clearly see the cel-shaded look, a variety of combat, familiar characters and screaming... lots of screaming. In other words, it's probably what you were looking for if you were already a fan of Goku, Vegeta and crew.
Read MoreSo that Blair Witch reboot wasn't very good. But maybe a video game could change things up? Today during Microsoft's E3 press conference, we got our first glimpse at Blair Witch, an upcoming survival horror game from Bloober, the folks behind Observer and Layers of Fear. Even though it's a well known name, the horror franchise has only made its way to games in the form of a lackluster PC trilogy. This new title gives off a much more modern vibe -- when the trailer first started, I thought it could have been an Alan Wake game. While there's not much to go on yet, Blair Witch does a good job of selling its creepy setting. And I've always wanted to have a companion pooch as I take on occultists.
Read MoreOkay. What. WHAT?! CD Projekt Red has just unveiled a new trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 which ends with the most unexpectedly brilliant celebrity appearance: Keanu Reeves. Yep, the man himself. It's not clear what role he plays in the story, but we don't care. He's in the game. The actor, best known for his work in the Matrix and John Wick movies, then appeared on the Xbox stage to chat a bit about the game and generally be a good sport. Oh, and we got a release date today: April 16th, 2020.
Read MoreExecutives from UK game studio Ninja Theory, the folks behind Heavenly Sword and Devil May Cry, took to the Microsoft Theater stage on Sunday to reveal the trailer for their latest game, Bleeding Edge.
Read MoreOri and the Will of the Wisps, the follow-up to the absurdly beautiful Ori and the Blind Forest, finally has a release date: February 11th, 2020. That's a long way off -- we wish it was closer too -- but at least developer Moon Studios has a new trailer to tide us over. It shows the protagonist, a guardian spirit called Ori, facing off against a giant spider, menacing wolf and other gorgeous but clearly dangerous creatures. The two-minute teaser then ends with a shot of Ori flying on the back of a cute owl called Ku. We expect plenty of intricate platforming and map-expanding abilities when it launches early next year. And, like its Metroidvania (Metroid-meets-Castlevania) predecessor, the game is coming to both Xbox One and PC.
Read MoreYou now have a date to mark on your calendar if you've been looking forward to Obsidian's The Outer Worlds since it was announced in late 2018. The Fallout-style open world title will be available on October 25th, 2019 -- it's not imminent, but it's close enough. There was no mention of a change in platform, so there's a good chance you'll see it on PS4 in addition to PC and Xbox One.
Read MoreE3 effectively began on June 8th with the start of EA's Play event, but we won't blame you if you missed out. With roughly three hours of game previews, that could have taken a large bite out of your weekend. Thankfully, you don't have to watch the whole thing to get a feel for what was new. We've compiled all the best bits of the Play presentation into an easier-to-digest 19-minute clip. And there's a lot to digest. Between Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gameplay, Apex Legends' second season, the reveal of FIFA 20 and updates on Battlefield V, Madden NFL 20 and The Sims 4, you'll know tons about EA's 2019 plans by the time everything is said and done.
Read MoreI don't remember the last time a video game had me as hooked as Apex Legends does. And when I say "hooked," I mean that I'm staying up until 4 or 5AM playing on weekdays, which probably isn't the best idea for someone with a full-time job who has no aspirations to be a professional Twitch streamer. But, as much as I love Apex, my one complaint is that developer Respawn Entertainment doesn't keep the game feeling fresh. The last time we got a new character, for instance, was back in March with that speedy dude Octane. Thankfully, at E3 2019, Respawn revealed a new Legend named Natalie "Wattson" Paquette, who is part of the Season 2 Battle Pass that will launch on July 2nd.
Read MoreFor the first time since 2012, street soccer is coming back to the FIFA franchise. Today, at E3 2019, EA Sports revealed a new mode called Volta that will bring small-sided play to FIFA 20, which takes a cue from the FIFA Street series that launched in 2005. While we saw a glimpse of street football in FIFA 18, as part of The Journey campaign, this year's game will feature a fully fledged mode. In Volta, you can create your own character and play in cages and futsal pitches all around the world, including London, Amsterdam and Tokyo. The teams will be made up of three-to-five players, which you can play with your custom character or professional players, and you'll have both story and league modes.
Read MoreThere's finally some concrete details about the second season of Apex Legends, and it's heartening news if you're either a defensive player or particularly competitive. The next phase of the game will add Wattson, an engineer character who thrives on defensive play. She can set up energy fences to guard must-have territory, and unleash an ultimate ability that shoots down airborne projectiles like bombardments and arc stars.
Read MoreRespawn and EA have finally shown what it's like to play Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and it's what you'd expect -- with a few twists. They've posted a 14-minute gameplay clip showing hero Cal Kestis as he supports early rebels tries to survive both the Empire and a hostile environment. Respawn's experience with Titanfall is on full display here with wall running, double-jumps ("Force flips") and similar acrobatics, but it's also clear the company is embracing and expanding the Star Wars mythos. Even in his rough state, Cal is skilled with a lightsaber and can wield Force powers to knock enemies down, toss his saber and even slow down environmental hazards or blaster fire.
Read MoreEA is about to kick off E3 in earnest with its pre-expo Play event, and it's unsurprisingly offering gamers a chance to tune in. The company is streaming Play starting at 12:30PM Eastern with a slew of news on the slate. You won't hear more about Anthem, but you can expect more news on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the second season of Apex Legends, as well as updates for Battlefield V and The Sims 4. Logically, you can expect to hear about EA Sports titles like FIFA 20 and Madden NFL 20. You'll find both the stream and the schedule below.
Read MoreEA has explored seemingly every angle of official soccer (yes, football) pitches in the FIFA series, so what's left to do? Take it to unofficial pitches, of course. The company is releasing FIFA 20 on September 27th for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and its centerpiece will be a new Volta league that takes its cue from the streets -- it's really a spiritual successor to the FIFA Street series. You play in much smaller three- to five-person teams, with customization that ranges from your players' outfits through to the walls. You can play story and league modes, or even throw professional players into the fray.
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 MoreE3 2019 is almost about to get rolling, but there's time for at least one more pre-show leak. Several games from publisher Bandai-Namco have apparently leaked out due to a flaw on the company's website. Those include a From Software (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro) collaboration with George R.R. Martin, titled Elden Ring, coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC. There isn't much confirmed beyond the name and the logo at this time other than that it's an action-RPG, although Martin discussed a game he'd consulted on in a blog post after the Game of Thrones series finale aired. Screenshots revealed more of another game, Tales of Arise, an Unreal Engine 4-powered entry in the Tales series of RPGs. Meanwhile, Gematsu mentions information on a re-release of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch for Switch (above), with a remastered version packing improved graphics coming to PS4 and Switch. We'll find out what's really coming out, and where it's headed, over the next few days as things get rolling in LA. The show floor doesn't officially open until Tuesday, but our first event of the show begins with EA Play at around noon ET Saturday.
Read MoreA planned StarCraft first-person shooter, codenamed Ares, has been reportedly been cancelled by developer Blizzard, according to people inside the company who spoke to Kotaku. A prototype of the game, based on the Overwatch engine, originally had the player take control of a Terran marine taking down Zerg aliens, but the project has now been nixed.
Read MoreGoogle's game-streaming service has a price. And a (loose) release date. Ahead of established gaming companies' own big reveals -- our team is headed to LA for E3 2019 today -- Stadia already has a potent lineup of established games. The big question is: Are you ready for another subscription?
Read MoreAt CES earlier this year, HTC showed off an updated Vive Pro headset with eye-tracking capabilities that can follow a user's eyeballs in real time. Now, the company has finally made the device available in North America after rolling it out in other parts of the globe. HTC Vive Pro Eye uses Tobii technology to follow users' gaze and ensure the part of the experience they're looking at is as sharp as possible, while the rest becomes background. The technology allows the enterprise headset to deliver realistic images and more immersive experiences.
Read MoreIf you could go back to 2012 and relive your life from that point onward, what would you do? Would you prevent yourself from making crucial, immature mistakes? Would you invest your money or wisely? Or would you instead become the new manager of the world's biggest boy band? For those of you who eagerly chose that last option, K-Pop sensation BTS might have the right mobile game for you.
Read MoreBig changes are coming to Destiny 2. With today's announcement of Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, developer Bungie has a new way to deliver content to its players. When the major expansion lands on on September 17th, the core game will go free-to-play, shifting to "expansion-level, standalone content" for Destiny veterans.
Read MoreAmid its wave of announcements for Stadia, Google confirmed several new games will be available on the platform. Darksiders Genesis emerged a few hours before Stadia Connect got underway, and there are some other notable upcoming titles too: Baldur's Gate III and Gylt.
Read MoreTHQ Nordic and Airship Syndicate have announced the latest entry in the Darksiders series following 2018's Darksiders III -- and it's one of the first games confirmed for Google's Stadia game streaming platform. Darksiders Genesis is a spinoff of the main series, according to IGN. It's said to be a Diablo-style top-down RPG, in which you'll hack and slash your way through dungeons and monsters, collecting loot along the way.
Read MoreOne of the great things about battle royale games like Fortnite is that no two matches are the same. Random generation ensures that lobbies include different players, varying weapons spawn in known locations and -- perhaps most importantly -- the storm area moves in random patterns. This forces gamers to adapt their strategy each match to ensure they stay in the right areas, and equip the right tools to survive. For its latest Fortnite update, Epic Games is giving players a little more control over some of that randomness. Today, it introduced the Storm Flip, a throwable item that creates a zone that can either create a safe area in the storm, or deal storm damage to those who think they're holding a comfortable position.
Read MoreEA still has trouble with Battlefield V, albeit not in the way you might have expected. The company is changing the name of one of its purchasable Elite characters, Wilhelm Franke, after Vice pointed out that he shared the name of a real resistance fighter in Nazi Germany. The company "certainly didn't mean any disrespect" to the real Franke, and was "in the process" of the name switch.
Read MoreRocket League fans, it's time to slap on your aviators, grab a hoverboard and fire up your favorite '80s playlist for a Radical Summer. Psyonix is tapping into the decade's pop culture tentpoles for the game's biggest event to date, lasting all summer long.
Read MoreESPN is about to expand its fledgling esports strategy in a very noticeable way. The broadcaster has launched an EXP esports series that will bring competitive gaming to its events. They'll typically include a variety of games with collegiate, pro and pro-am formats. You'll have to watch online if you want to tune in live, but there will be "tape-delayed" highlights show on ESPN and other ABC TV channels after the fact.
Read MoreRichard Hofmeier was an early superstar of modern indie games. In 2010, he released Cart Life, an unassuming, grayscale title that he described as, "a retail simulation for Windows." In actuality, it was a poignant and powerful portrayal of modern existence. Cart Life captured the loneliness, triumphs and hopeless frustration of maintaining friendships, providing for a family and dreaming big in the capitalistic rat race, all tenderly animated in a sharp noir palate. Cart Life became an underground hit, and then a mainstream success. It landed on Steam in 2012, and in 2013, it was nominated in three categories at the Independent Games Festival Awards, where it battled giants of the day, including Hotline Miami, Kentucky Route Zero, Gone Home and FTL. Cart Life won all three categories. Hofmeier was the first-ever winner of the Excellence in Narrative prize, plus he secured the $5,000 Nuovo award for innovation and the $30,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize. And then, he vanished.
Read MoreUbisoft has confirmed reports about the next entry in its open world hacker franchise. It is entitled Watch Dogs Legion, the developer has confirmed in a tweet that also contains a short teaser showing the game's logo. The company has also alluded to the other details that previously came out, particularly that the game is set in London and will allow you to play as any of the characters you recruit. "God save the NPCs," Ubisoft wrote.
Read MoreSnapchat is getting in on the battle royale craze with Tiny Royale, which you can play right now. The Zynga-developed top-down shooter expands the lineup of available multiplayer Snap Games.
Read MoreThe PS4 and Xbox One are clearly approaching the end of their main lifecycles, and that's doing serious damage to GameStop's bottom line. The video game store's Q1 profits fell to $6.8 million, just a quarter of what they were a year earlier, based on a steep 35 percent drop in new hardware sales. And that's after accounting for the Nintendo Switch's strong performance. While GameStop didn't explain the decline, gamers knew the next PlayStation and Xbox "Scarlett" were on the horizon -- there wasn't much point to buying a current-gen system. The much gentler dip in software sales (4.3 percent) reinforced this.
Read MoreYouTube is giving you a gigantic dose of E3 this year -- the service will offer 10 hours of live coverage through its Gaming section on June 9th, starting at 1PM Eastern. It'll include obvious coverage of E3 milestones like the Xbox showcase and Bethesda's presentation, but YouTube is treating this more like a day-long festival -- it'll be hosted by the Game Awards' Geoff Keighley, and will feature appearances from internet stars like Felicia Day, Jacksepticeye and Markiplier as well as performances from the likes of Marshmello, Bastille and Lindsey Stirling.
Read MoreThe Genesis Mini's lineup keeps growing, and this time in an unusual direction. The retro console (known as the Mega Drive Mini in some countries) will carry two more games, the side-scrolling Darius and... Tetris. Yes, the game that's virtually synonymous with the Game Boy (and has been absent in Nintendo's roster) will be playable on the reborn Sega machine. It's an odd choice, but you might not complain if you're looking for a quick, nostalgic Tetris fix.
Read MoreIKEA is partnering with medical wearables company UNYQ to release a line of gaming accessibility products.
Read MoreThe next Watch Dogs title is Legion, Kotaku has confirmed after an Amazon UK listing from Ubisoft revealed the upcoming game. It's reportedly set in London, and it'll come with a gameplay element that could give it a lot of replay value if done right. "Play as anyone," the listing for the PS4 game says. "Every individual you meet in the open world, has a full set of animations, voice over, character traits and visuals that are generated and guided by gameplay systems." In other words, you'll be able to play as the characters you recruit in the game.
Read MoreDuring Apple's WWDC 2019 keynote the company showed off so many things even our cut-down version of the event lasts nearly half an hour. One of the reveals was that tvOS 13 will be compatible with PlayStation 4 and Bluetooth-equipped Xbox One controllers -- convenient for both Apple's own Arcade gaming plans and any others with cloud aspirations -- but in case it's unclear, it also extends to iPad and iPhone. Once iOS 13 rolls out, you'll be able to use these console controllers easily with your device, no workarounds needed. With Apple reportedly spending "hundreds of millions" to get games to be a part of its subscription package, it's good to know that controllers we already generally like and probably have laying around will be able to keep doing their job.
Read MoreIf you've been waiting patiently for the arrival of Shenmue III, you'll have to temper your excitement a little longer. The long-awaited third installment in the classic series has been delayed yet again. Ryo Hazuki is now expected to return to your screens November 19th.
Read MoreOne thing missing from Microsoft's initial Minecraft Earth announcement? Actual gameplay. Strangely enough, it looks like Microsoft saved that honor for Apple, as it just debuted the first live footage of the game at the company's WWDC keynote. To recap, Minecraft Earth is a mobile augmented reality title similar to Pokemon Go. At the keynote, we watched as Mojang employees tweaked a blocky castle on a tabletop using iPhones and iPads. Then, they stepped into a life-sized version, where they were able to unearth a mine (and baddies) beneath their feet.
Read MoreWith Stadia, Google's is promising a robust, low-latency video game streaming system, but it's kept a few crucial details under wraps -- like when it'll launch, how much it'll cost, and which games it'll support. These answers are coming in a Google live stream on Thursday, June 6th, at 12PM ET.
Read MoreSquare Enix might have another Marvel title coming in addition to its long-awaited Avengers title. The company confirmed today that it's going to be showing off a new game called Outriders during its E3 panel on June 10th. That announcement, which includes a short teaser video of someone emerging from cryogenic sleep, came via the cryptic @Outriders Twitter account, which has been posting mysterious tweets since May. Marvel fans might recognize the name: the Outriders are a genetically engineered species that Thanos used to invade other planets. While it's unclear if Square Enix's game is actually tied to the Marvel universe, it would certainly fit right alongside the company's Avengers debut. Ahead of the announcement, Square Enix has also launched a Discord channel for the game, a sign that it might be an online title.
Read MoreA sequel to Bethesda's wildly popular game Fallout Shelter is coming later this month, though odds are you won't be able to play it. Fallout Shelter Online, which expands on the world of the original title by adding new multiplayer capabilities, will only be available in China -- at least for the time being, according to PC Gamer. Engadget has reached out to Bethesda for additional details and will update this post if we hear back.
Read MoreThe future of many games is supposedly online, but there's a problem: it can take a massive amount of effort to create and run the infrastructure for a persistent online world. Coherence thinks it can come to the rescue, however. The veteran-backed startup (more on that in a moment) has unveiled an open cloud platform that will let development teams of "any size" create persistent online worlds, regardless of the scale. This would let them focus more on the actual game than on the networking behind the scenes, the company said.
Read MoreSquare Enix today announced its own AR exploration game in the style of Pokémon Go. Dragon Quest Walk will include challenges to visit real-world locations to complete quests and though the gameplay details aren't clear, the trailer highlights a mix of battling tentacle monsters in turn-based combat and meeting cute bouncing friends.
Read MoreDo you feel the Atari titles in Tesla cars are a little too easy for your parking lot gaming sessions? You're about to get something much harder. Elon Musk has revealed to IGN's Ryan McCaffrey that Studio MDHR's retro-styled, legendarily difficult side-scroller Cuphead should be playable on the Model 3, Model S and Model X later this summer. Storage in the cars will limit you to playing Inkwell Isle One, and you'll absolutely need a USB gamepad to play. Still, this could be a blast to play while you're Supercharging -- so long as you don't translate frustration with the game to the road, at least.
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 wishing Tetris a happy 35th birthday!
Read MoreIf you're used to advancing your Pokémon Go game with an Apple Watch, you'll want to change your habits. Niantic is ending support for the Apple Watch after July 1st -- beyond that, you can't connect your watch to the creature-catching game. Simply put, it's not as useful any more. Now that Adventure Sync can track steps, earn Buddy Candy and hatch Pokémon on your phone, Niantic wants to "focus" on using the feature on one device instead of splitting your attention.
Read MoreMortal Kombat 11 players have already been awaiting the return of Shang Tsung, and to control the character now modeled on the man who played him in the first MK movie, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. A new DLC for the "Kombat Pack" DLC not only shows off Shang Tsung -- complete with shapeshifting that extends all the way through his fatalities and a slick "Your soul is mine" reference -- but also confirms a few more fighters on the way. Those include Spawn, Sindel, Nightwolf and two still-unnamed additions. Fans have focused on some sound details at the end of the trailer to guess that the last two new fighters will be familiar faces Ash -- actor Bruce Campbell tweeted the trailer last night -- and Terminator. The $40 add-on pack brings all six new characters as they roll out, a week of early access starting with Shang Tsung on June 18th, plus access to new skins and gear.
Read MoreGoogle has announced its third private undersea internet cable will run between Europe and Africa. One end will make landfall in Portgual. While you might expect the cable would connect to Morocco, it'll run all the way down the African coast to South Africa, with pit stops in other nations.
Read MoreAlphabet's cybersecurity company Chronicle announced today that it's joining Google and will become part of Google Cloud. The cybersecurity company launched in January 2018, and it released its first commercial product, Backstory, in March. In a blog post, Chronicle CEO and co-founder Stephen Gillett said Google Cloud's cybersecurity tools and Chronicle's Backstory and VirusTotal are complementary and will be leveraged together.
Read MoreWay back in 2016, thousands of people participated in the Mannequin Challenge. As you might remember, it was an internet phenomenon in which people held random poses while someone with a camera walked around them. Those videos were shared on YouTube and many earned millions of views. Now, a team from Google AI is using the videos to train neural networks. The goal is to help AI better predict depth in videos where the camera is moving.
Read MoreGIFs aren't meant to be kept hidden in a folder, tucked in a dark corner of your phone or computer -- they're meant to be shared. Google is making it much easier to do that on mobile by putting shareable GIFs in their own section under Images. Just do a search for the reaction GIF you have in mind and hit the Share button under the one you've chosen to punt it straight to Gmail or to a convo in Hangouts, Android Messages and WhatsApp. The sections shows options based on how popular they are, so you'll probably find some good candidates without scrolling down too much.
Read MorePublic transit is vital for countless people, but no one wants to be stuck on a subway train or bus that's jam-packed. To help you figure out how busy your ride is going to be, you'll soon see predictions to that end in Google Maps. Google is tapping into data from previous rides to predict how packed a bus, train or subway will be.
Read MoreA couple of years ago, Google teamed up with the University of Chicago Medicine to improve prediction in healthcare, which could help prevent complications and save lives. To be able to accomplish that, the university had to share patient data with Google, since machine learning requires vast amounts of data. But now a lawsuit filed against the tech giant and the education institution says a bit too much data changed hands in the process. According to The New York Times, the lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status, is accusing the hospital of sharing hundreds of thousands of patient records with identifiable date stamps and doctor's notes.
Read MoreGoogle is following through on its promise to let you auto-delete your activity and location data. It's now rolling out location history deletion tools to Android and iOS, giving you a relatively simple way to limit the scope of Google's location tracking. You can only choose between deleting data after three or 18 months, but it beats leaving an extensive trail of info that you might not want Google or others to see.
Read MoreGoogle employees are asking the San Francisco Pride board of directors to revoke Google's sponsorship of Pride 2019 and to exclude Google from the Pride Parade on June 30th. In a letter written to San Francisco Pride, the employees say they have spent countless hours advocating for Google to improve its policies regarding the treatment of LGBTQ+ persons, and that they have been told repeatedly to wait. The letter also points to Google's recent warning that employees who protest the company at Pride must do so in their personal capacity (not near the Google float), or they will be in violation of Google's code of conduct.
Read MoreMany ride-hailing passengers are understandably anxious about their vehicles going off-route due to the potential for sexual assault. However, Google hopes it can set minds at ease until there really is cause for worry. It just introduced optional off-route alerts that let Google Maps users on Android know if their ride veers more than 0.5km (about 0.3 miles) from the suggested route. Enable the feature and you'll get a "prominent notification" as well as a view of where you are relative to the suggested path. From there, you can share your live trip details if you want others to be aware or take action.
Read MoreNo matter how advanced algorithms get, none will understand your YouTube viewing preferences better than you. With that in mind, YouTube is adding a few new features that will give users more control over which videos appear in their homepage and Up Next suggestions. The changes will roll out beginning today on Android and iOS, and they'll arrive on desktop soon.
Read MoreGoogle has pushed back on claims that it is banning employees from protesting YouTube during the San Francisco Pride Parade. Several outlets reported on Monday that a leaked internal memo barred any Google employees from protesting YouTube while marching with the company at the upcoming event. Most outlets pointed out that Google employees could still protest YouTube at pride, just in their personal capacity rather than alongside the company float. Bloomberg noted that the company's actions could violate federal labor laws protecting workplace activism.
Read MorePoliticians aren't necessarily waiting for a formal investigation to ask YouTube to improve its policies on kids. Senator Ed Markey has sent a letter to the FTC warning that YouTube might have violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (a law he co-authored) and calling for specific "safeguards" to protect kids if the Commission issues a consent decree. The measures would involve both tighter age controls as well as assurances that its products would be kid-safe.
Read MoreCloud services are great until you can't access an important file while you're on the road with frustratingly slow internet connection. Google Drive introduced offline mode for Documents, Slides and Spreadsheets as a solution for that. Now, it's also testing the capability to save PDFs, images, Microsoft Office and other non-Google files stored on Drive offline.
Read MoreBetter late than never. Sidewalk Labs, the part of Alphabet focused on cities and urban development, has unveiled its Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP) for a proposed smart neighborhood on Toronto's Eastern Waterfront. The MIDP is called a "draft," but it's the first official pitch document that sets out the company's vision for the area. It will be scrutinized by Waterfront Toronto, a publicly-funded organization, and ultimately, voted on by its board and the Toronto city council in late 2019 and early 2020. If it goes through, Sidewalk hopes to begin construction on the first part -- a site called Quayside -- before 2021. The company has shared morsels of its smart city vision before. These include the 200-page document that helped it secure the project -- that is, the right to develop the MIDP -- back in October 2017. Since then, Sidewalk Labs has been stuck in a research phase, consulting with experts and gathering public feedback. The team has shared some, but not all of its evolving ideas through a mixture of live events, blog posts, PDF presentations and podcasts. These snippets, it always emphasized, were exploratory and subject-to-change ahead of its all-important MIDP. The document, even in draft form, solidifies the company's thinking. It also gives Toronto residents their clearest picture yet of what a smart neighborhood spearheaded by Sidewalk Labs -- and by extension, Google -- might look like. Below, we've summarized the main features that will likely spark debate in the coming months.
Read MoreWhen Google launched its "Be Internet Awesome" curriculum for educators a couple of years ago, it focused its efforts on teaching children about online safety. This year, however, the company is adding a new component to its campaign: media literacy. Developed in partnership with the Net Safety Collaborative, the new program includes play-to-learn activities that help educate kids about how to spot disinformation, such as fake URLs or misleading headlines. The curriculum includes "Don't Fall for Fake" activities that are centered around teaching children critical thinking skills. This is so they'll know the difference between credible and non-credible news sources, for example, and how to spot a bad URL. There are also other media literacy activities such as "Share with Care," which have to do with teaching kids how to maintain a good online reputation, and "It's Cool to be Kind," which is about online harassment. Along with the new curriculum, Google is also announcing a nationwide partnership with the YMCA, where it'll help families talk to their children about topics like social media, cyberbullying and disinformation. Google has been under quite a bit of heat recently on this exact topic, as YouTube has often been accused of spreading disinformation and propaganda, especially to impressionable youth. It's interesting to see Google collaborate on a project that teaches children to identify disinformation, while at the same time not doing a stellar job at taking those sources down. The new "Be Internet Awesome" curriculum is aimed mostly at seven to twelve year olds, and will be available to interested family members and educators starting today.
Read MoreGoogle made clear that it would apply the Nest name to all its smart home products, but just how would it rename classic products? You now have a better idea. As of this writing, a visit to the Connected Home Accessories section of the Google Store's Special Offers page shows the Google Home's replaceable base as "Nest Home Base." The product page still refers to the speaker by its original name, but you'll find this change in the terms and conditions as well.
Read MoreYesterday afternoon, Google's hardware division made an unusually forthcoming announcement: The company will no longer build its own tablets. Instead, it will focus all of its efforts on laptops. Given that Google released the Pixel Slate (its first Chrome OS tablet) just eight months ago, the news was a bit surprising. But if you've paid attention to Google's checkered history with tablets, it's hard to see this move as anything but logical, particularly when you consider the undeniable success Chromebooks have had lately, particularly in education.
Read MoreIf you've ever tried to find a locksmith on Google in a pinch, this may not surprise you. Turns out Google Maps is filled with millions of scam operations that are impersonating real businesses, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. There are currently an estimated 11 million fake business listings on Google Maps, and new listings with false phone numbers or addresses arrive every month.
Read MoreLast year, Google allowed you to "follow" your favorite stores and restaurants so you would always get updates on the latest events, products or offers from that business (you'll see these updates in the For You tab in Maps). Now, in an effort to encourage you to do this more, Google is allowing businesses to reward their customers who follow them with "Welcome Offers." So that means if you're hitting that business's follow button for the first time, you might see a welcome discount or deal pop up. Show that to the merchant in question and voila, you'll get your reward.
Read MoreHow many times have you been asked something so incredibly straightforward that the effort of asking the question likely far surpasses the effort involved in just Googling it in the first place? Probably at least once or twice, hence the existence of LMGTFY. Until now there was no particularly easy way of directly sharing search results, but Google's working on that.
Read MoreYouTube may have a particularly strong incentive to change how it handles kids' videos -- it appears to be under government scrutiny for its behavior. Sources for both the New York Times and Washington Post assert that the FTC is in the "late stages" of an investigation into possible violations of kids' privacy. Advocacy groups have reportedly maintained that YouTube is violating COPPA by collecting data for children under the age of 13, including through its dedicated Kids app. The complaints are said to reach as far back as 2015.
Read MoreIf investors and employees were hoping to prompt cultural change at Alphabet during the company's shareholder meeting, they were likely disappointed. Voters at the meeting rejected all shareholder proposals, including a resolution that would have required a human rights impact assessment before Google went forward with a censored Chinese search engine. Backers like Azzad Asset Management were concerned China could "weaponize" search data to expand mass surveillance and other human rights abuses.
Read MoreGoogle hasn't been shy about phasing out what's left of Nest as an independent entity, and that now includes Nest's website. Droid-Life has noticed that Google has largely gutted Nest.com -- now, it just asks you to visit the Google Store if you're looking for products. You can still sign into your Nest Account, manage your Nest Aware subscriptions and check relevant purchase histories, but product info, shopping and news have all vanished.
Read MoreWe can argue about the merits and flaws of Chromebooks all day long, but one thing is clear: They've found a strong foothold in the education market. Indeed, today Google is announcing that more than 30 million Chromebooks are in use by students around the world. To help teachers and students get more out of those devices, Google is also announcing that the Chromebook App Hub it announced back in March is live as of today. Given that Chromebooks already have a store for Chrome web apps as well as Android apps, the new App Hub is differentiating itself in several ways. Google said in a press briefing that they've heard feedback from educators that finding useful tools as well as ideas for how to implement them can be challenging. To address that, the App Hub is made up of apps from developers who've agreed to abide by specific transparency and privacy policies so that schools can make sure software abides by their particular requirements.
Read MoreGoogle's Safe Browsing feature will only work if it knows what websites to protect you against, which is why the tech giant is encouraging users to report suspicious sites. The company has launched a new Chrome extension called Suspicious Site Reporter, which gives you a quick way to let Google know if a website looks, well, suspicious. It adds a flag right next to your other extensions that turns orange if it finds anything dubious about the page you're visiting.
Read MoreThere's no question YouTube's beauty bloggers have some of the largest followings, and the platform has become an important place for even the biggest makeup brands to debut their products. Now, Google's AR Beauty Try-On feature will let YouTube users virtually try on makeup while watching tutorials and reviews.
Read MoreGoogle isn't sitting idly by while Genius accuses it of copying lyrics. As part of a larger defense of its lyrics search practices, the company has mentioned that it will "soon" attribute the third parties providing song lyrics. This should "make it clearer" as to where the lyrics come from, the company said. In theory, this would direct any complaints to the third parties instead of making Google shoulder all the blame.
Read MoreGoogle says it'll invest in thousands of new homes in the Bay Area over the next decade, in the hopes of helping many of its employees and other residents find an affordable place to live in one of the planet's most expensive regions. CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post that Google plans to repurpose at least $750 million worth of land it owns for residential housing. Through this, the company hopes to "support the development of at least 15,000 new homes at all income levels in the Bay Area, including housing options for middle and low-income families."
Read MoreGoogle Calendar went down today in the US, UK and most of Europe, throwing working people off their schedules. Visitors to Google Calendar on desktop began receiving a 404 error around 10AM ET. The company confirmed it is working on the issue in an update to their G Suite apps dashboard from 10:22AM ET. "We're investigating reports of an issue with Google Calendar. We will provide more information shortly. The affected users are unable to access Google Calendar," wrote Google. At 1:13PM ET, the company said the issue had been resolved, but didn't specify the cause of the problem. "The problem with Google Calendar should be resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better," the company wrote on the G Suite dashboard.
Read MoreGoogle's rollout of RCS chat to Android devices has been slow, and you can blame that partly on the carriers. As the next-gen texting format usually depends on networks adding support one at a time, compatibility has been patchy at best. Now, though, Google is ready to take matters into its own hands -- the internet giant will offer RCS services to Android users in the UK and France later in June, giving them an opt-in choice through the platform's Messages app. The company's Drew Rowny explained it to The Verge as a sort of peer-to-peer end run around the carrier-driven model.
Read MoreHave you found yourself using Google's lyrics results more than visiting individual lyrics sites? You're not alone -- and Genius thinks underhanded tactics are involved. The company has accused Google of not only hurting its traffic with its lyrics cards, but of sometimes grabbing Genius' lyrics verbatim. The evidence is in the apostrophes, Genius said. It purposefully alternated between straight and curved apostrophes as a form of watermarking (they typically spell out "red handed" in Morse code), and there were reportedly over 100 instances where Google's lyrics included those exact apostrophes.
Read MoreIf you use Google Pay to send money between your friends, you may soon be cut off from splitting the bill. The company informed users today via email that it will be killing off the Google Pay Send peer-to-peer money transfer feature in the UK. The change will go into effect on September 6th. Engadget has reached out to Google to find out if this change will affect any other region and will update this story if we hear back.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. E3 2019 is finally over and our team is heading home after a long week. Of course, there's still plenty of news to catch up on and a few stories popping up today, but two intriguing ones involve a Google incubator and Tesla's in-car systems. Also, Target is taking the fight to Amazon with nationwide same-day delivery while Tyson is joining the meatless trend with new nuggets and burger patties.
Read MoreGoogle has pulled Daydream VR's version of the Google Play Movies & TV app. You can still view your rentals or purchases through the YouTube VR app, a Google spokesperson confirmed to Variety, while there aren't any current plans to remove other Google apps from the Daydream platform.
Read MoreGoogle's in-house incubator, Area 120, has produced things like an app that teaches coding and tools to boost literacy. Now it wants to help gamers create their own 3D games, no experience necessary. Today, it launched Game Builder, a free platform that aims to "make building a game feel like playing a game."
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. We've seen a lot of phones leaked on Twitter lately, but Google dropping a pic of its own device months before we expect it to launch is a new twist on the genre. Also, we're powering through to the final day of E3 2019, and it's time to talk about Wall TVs.
Read MoreJune 12th is the 90th birthday of Anne Frank, and to mark the occasion, Google is letting you step inside the childhood home of the diarist. A virtual exhibit in the Arts & Culture app and website takes you inside Merwedeplein 37-2 in Amsterdam. You can also explore the space through an indoor version of Street View. All the 1930s-styled rooms of the home, which is now a temporary home and work space for refugee writers that's closed to the public, are viewable.
Read MoreIn the wake of YouTube's controversial decision not to pull videos containing homophobic and racist attacks, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote an internal email acknowledging that "the LGBTQ+ community has felt a lot of pain and frustration over recent events." While a few Google execs have already apologized for YouTube's decision, Pichai's email carries more weight given his position. The email, obtained by The Verge, also suggests that Google plans to conduct more internal discussions aimed at addressing its harassment policies.
Read MoreWell, this is a new one. Google has decided to beat smartphone leakers at their own game by showing off the Pixel 4's back and camera on its own @madebygoogle Twitter account. The image shows a square-ish camera module, presumably one that will hold multiple lenses -- that'll be a first for a Pixel phone. This comes right on the heels of a leak showing a similar design.
Read MoreWho said that Apple- and Google-powered devices can't work in harmony? Not Google. It's taking advantage of its recently added security key functionality to use your Android phone as verification for Google sign-ins on iOS devices. If you have Google's Smart Lock app installed on your iPad or iPhone and have 2-Step Verification enabled on your account, you can hold the volume down button on your Android hardware (when prompted) to greenlight the login on the other platform.
Read MoreGoogle is changing how Drive and Photos share your videos and photos with each other, in a move that might actually cause more problems than it solves. From July 10th, when you upload files to Drive or Photos, they won't automatically sync to the other service. Likewise, when you delete a photo or video from Drive, it won't be removed from Photos and vice versa.
Read MoreIn the name of research, Alphabet subsidiary Jigsaw and a partner security firm paid a Russian troll $250 for a disinformation campaign. As Wired reports, the experiment was meant to prove how easy it is to purchase social media propaganda campaigns. But the experiment has attracted plenty of critics.
Read MoreProject Soli is one of Google's many hardware experiments, one in which a tiny radar is used to track hand gestures. The rumor mill is churning, suggesting that Soli may find itself a home inside the search giant's next phone.
Read MoreYou'll soon be able to do a lot more in Gmail -- without ever leaving your inbox. Google will make AMP-powered "dynamic emails" for Gmail available to the general public on July 2nd, following a beta release to paying G Suite customers earlier this year. You've undoubtedly encountered AMP, or "accelerated mobile pages" if you've opened a link on your phone; it's a Google-built protocol that can load web pages using it a lot more quickly. With AMP in Gmail, users perform web-based tasks right in their inbox, such as filling out forms, RSVPing to an event, responding to an edit in Google Docs, or browsing images in a carousel. The feature will only be available for Gmail on the web, with mobile due to come at an unspecified date.
Read MoreYou might not have to touch your screen much at all the next time you navigate with Waze. Google is starting to roll out Assistant support in Waze for Android users, making some of its features available through (relatively) distraction-free voice control. You can report problems like traffic or crashes while still paying attention to the road, or tell Waze to avoid toll roads if you forgot to specify that before setting off.
Read MoreOne of the leading organizers of last year's mass walkout of Google employees protesting the company's handling of sexual harassment cases has left the company, according to The Guardian. Claire Stapleton, a marketing manager who spent 12 years at Google and YouTube, resigned over alleged retaliation carried out against her by the company.
Read MoreAccording to a Financial Times report, Google execs are concerned that banning Huawei could lead to increased security risks. Sources warn that if Huawei is not allowed access to Android updates, it could develop its own, similar software, which would be more susceptible to being hacked. Google is reportedly asking the Trump Administration to delay the ban or exempt the company altogether.
Read MoreGoogle is rolling out a Search update aimed at giving you more options to choose from in the results page. The tech giant says the update is designed to deliver more site diversity, and that means you now usually won't get more than two top results from the same website anymore. Google could still return more than two listings from the same website if its algorithms determine that they're highly relevant for a particular search, but it sounds like you can expect a more diverse results page than before overall.
Read MoreOn the eve of E3 (well, the night before EA's press conference, anyway), Google has revealed pricing and availability for Stadia, its highly anticipated game streaming service. The big date for your diary? November. The technology giant will launch a special Founder's Edition for $129.99 sometime that month. The pack, available to pre-order now, will come with a Chromecast Ultra puck, limited-edition Night Blue controller, "first dibs" on a Stadia username, and two three-month Stadia Pro subscriptions -- one for you and a friend. Stadia Pro will otherwise cost $9.99 per month and grants you access to Google's library at up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, with HDR and 5.1 surround sound.
Read MoreGoogle is hosting a Stadia event today, and it's set to reveal some big news for the game streaming platform, including pricing and launch details as well as some of the games you'll be able to play. Stadia Connect is taking place just ahead of E3, and less than three months after Google revealed the platform. You should find out details on when you can start playing games on Stadia and how much it'll cost when Stadia Connect starts at 12PM ET, and you can watch the stream right here.
Read MoreIf you've ever found yourself in the unenviable position of helping a friend or relative with computer issues, you'll know how frustrating it is to do so over the phone, having to repeatedly yell "Click the X!" when you know you could probably take care of the problem yourself in no time. Now, Chrome has got a solution in the form of Chrome Remote Desktop, which allows you to control another computer (or give access to yours) via a simple website.
Read MoreGoogle's SOS alerts already give you vital information when you're in a crisis zone, and now that includes driving directions. As part of a broader expansion of SOS alerts to Google Maps, the company has introduced navigation features that will not only warn you about crises along your route, but will change your route to avoid them when possible. If a flood threatens to block your way, this might just help you reach safety.
Read MoreGoogle is releasing air quality data it collected from California's Bay Area and Central Valley with its Street View cars, part of a larger effort by the company to track pollution around the world. The data was captured over the last three years and includes measurements that were taken after wildfires in the Wine Country region and from the agricultural regions of Central Valley. While the full dataset isn't available to the public, scientists can request access through a form.
Read MoreAs was expected, Google is appealing a €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) fine laid against it by the European Commission related to its AdSense advertising business. Antitrust officials found that, in contracts with major sites between 2006 and 2016, Google included restrictive contracts that could be seen as it trying to muscle rivals out of the market.
Read MoreNo, it's not just you -- many of the internet services you use went down this weekend. Google has reported an outage with its Cloud Platform that made several sites and apps inoperable in some regions on June 2nd (they're still affected as we write this). Most of them are in-house services like Gmail, G Suite and YouTube, but this also affected Discord, Snapchat and other apps that depend on Google's infrastructure. The issues were mostly noticeable in the US and Europe.
Read MoreIf you Google certain animals, you might just come across an augmented reality surprise in your results. The tech giant has rolled out a new card for Search that can put animal virtual animals in the real world, so long as you have an AR-enabled phone. According to 9to5Google, the trick works for alpine goats, angler fish, bears, emperor penguins, European hedgehogs, lions, tigers and timberwolves. We can confirm that it also works with dogs and cats. When you do a search on any of them, you'll see a card that says "Meet a life-sized [animal] up close."
Read MoreFacebook isn't just limiting its anti-interference efforts to elections. The social network has published a second updated on its civil rights audit, and with it news that the company plans to treat the 2020 US census as if it were a vote. It will have a team dedicated to fighting misinformation surrounding the census, a policy to crack down on fake census-related stories and partnerships with non-partisan groups to foster participation. AI will help enforce the policy, Facebook said.
Read MoreFacebook's terms of service agreement is infamous for being lengthy and hard to decipher -- and it appears that the company has gone back to the drawing board. The social media giant has unveiled an update to its user agreement that it thinks will better explain how it makes money and what happens when it removes content. The changes aren't entirely self-directed: Back in April the European Commission forced the social media giant to spell out that it makes money by selling targeted ads based off of user data. As a result, the company agreed to revise its terms publicly by the end of June.
Read MoreFacebook is handing over identifying information to French courts on people suspected of using hate speech on its social network. "This is huge news, it means that the judicial process will be able to run normally," Cédric O, France's minister for the digital sector, told Reuters. "It's really very important, they're only doing it for France." Update 6/25/19 9PM ET: A Facebook spokesperson told us: "As a matter of course, we will no longer refer French law enforcement authorities to the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty process to request basic information in criminal hate speech cases. However, as we do with all court orders for information, even in the US, we will scrutinize every order we receive and push back if is overbroad, inconsistent with human rights, or legally defective."
Read MoreIt didn't even take 48 hours after Facebook announced its cryptocurrency scheme for the government to raise an eyebrow. House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters called for Facebook to halt development, and now the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs has scheduled a hearing to cover both Libra/Calibra and privacy issues. The committee did not list the names of witnesses it plans to call, but Reuters reports that Facebook's blockchain exec David Marcus is expected to testify. Will it be a worthwhile exercise that reveals more information about the plan and digs up useful information about how Facebook will manage the information generated or will it be another embarassing episode of political grandstanding? We'll find out on July 16th at 10 AM ET.
Read MoreHappy Wednesday to you. If you're a Firefox user, update your browser. We'll wait. If you're into crypto, read up on Facebook's own take on digital currency (and explain it to me if you could). If you're into Quidditch and hippogryphs, then get hyped for the Harry Potter take on Pokémon Go' -- it lands on Friday. In short, it's a choose-your-own Morning After to brighten up your hump day.
Read MoreYou knew Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency would come under scrutiny as soon as it became official, and the US government isn't wasting any time. House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters has issued a statement calling on Facebook to pause development of Libra until Congress and regulatory bodies have had a chance to review it. The social network has "repeatedly shown a disregard" for safeguarding user data, Waters said, suggesting that privacy issues could come back to haunt this product.
Read MoreToday, Facebook finally announced its long-rumored cryptocurrency platform, Calibra. Some speculated that the company would rely on outside firms and existing cryptocurrency exchanges, like the Winklevoss twins' Gemini. Instead, Facebook's Calibra will use a brand new cryptocurrency, Libra. The cryptocurrency will be governed by the Libra Association -- a purpose-built, independent non-profit headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Read MoreAfter months of rumors and speculation, Facebook is finally making its cryptocurrency efforts official. This is Calibra, a digital wallet that will use a new cryptocurrency called Libra. Calibra, which is now a subsidiary of Facebook, is designed to "provide financial services that will enable people to access and participate in the Libra network," a blockchain technology developed by Facebook that's getting support from MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, eBay, Uber, Lyft and Spotify, among others. Facebook says it plans to launch Calibra in 2020, and the service will be available in Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as in a standalone app.
Read MoreWill virtual assistants be able to tell the difference between your living room and your kitchen? Or even help you find a missing book or set of keys? With embodied AI -- which relies on data from physical surroundings -- they soon might. Facebook has unveiled an open-source simulation and dataset it hopes will help researchers create more realistic AR and VR, and eventually virtual assistants that can learn about your physical surroundings.
Read MoreFacebook has secured some pretty big backers for Project Libra, according to The Wall Street Journal. PayPal, Uber, Visa and Mastercard are reportedly investing around $10 million each in the social network's cryptocurrency. Other investors include Stripe and Booking.com. By agreeing to put money into the initiative, they've become part of a consortium created to govern the digital coin. It's not yet clear, however, if Facebook has already managed to raise the $1 billion it was hoping to in order to fund the coin's creation.
Read MoreThe developer of an Oculus Quest app called Virtual Desktop introduced an experimental feature that allowed users to stream SteamVR games to their Oculus headset. He's now being forced by Oculus to remove the feature. Guy Godin took to Reddit yesterday to inform the Oculus Quest community that he will be dropping the ability to stream SteamVR games at Oculus' behest.
Read MoreFacebook is launching a new market research app to gather data from users' phones. The company wants to know which apps users have installed, the amount of time they spend on those apps and users' device and network types. In exchange, users will be compensated with an undisclosed amount of money. As you may remember, earlier this year, Facebook met criticism for secretly paying teenagers for access to their data. This appears to be the company's attempt at a new and improved market research app.
Read MoreFacebook has apparently been busy designing new variants of its Portal video chatting devices. According to the company's Vice President of AR/VR, Andrew "Boz" Bosworth, Facebook plans to unveil new Portal models this fall. Bosworth has made the announcement on stage at the Code Conference in Phoenix, where he told the audience that the social network is releasing "new form factors" because "there's a whole new generation of hardware coming out." Facebook, he said, wants "to make sure that human connection, connection between two people, is a first-party experience" on a piece of hardware for the home.
Read MoreFuture Huawei phones will no longer come pre-installed with Facebook's apps, according to Reuters. The social network has reportedly prohibited the Chinese manufacturer from loading its main app, Instagram and WhatsApp onto any phone that hasn't left the factory yet. It's the latest blow to Huawei's business following the US government's decision to ban sales and use of telecom equipment from the company. US authorities previously accused Huawei of getting funding from Chinese state security, and they're worried that China's government is using the company for surveillance. Huawei continues to deny those accusations.
Read MoreFacebook's long-rumored cryptocurrency may be on the cusp of launching, and with a few twists to boot. The Information sources say the digital money is expected to premiere later in June. The social network is reportedly planning a big push that would include bonuses for merchants that adopt it, not to mention real-world kiosks where you could exchange conventional cash. Employees in the project would even have the option of being paid in the currency.
Read MoreEarly Friday, a judge sided with Facebook shareholders who demanded the company hand over emails and records related to its handling of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Later in the day, the company was denied again in court, as Reuters reports that Judge Fern Flanagan Saddler denied its motion to dismiss or stay a lawsuit filed by the Washington D.C. attorney general over the same incident. D.C. AG Karl Racine is suing Facebook over many failures, including a claim that it knew Cambridge Analytica had obtained user data over two years before the leak was revealed. According to the district's lawsuit, the CA cache contained info on 340,000 of its residents. A court filing in this case revealed there's an email between senior managers indicating they knew about the company's "improper data-gathering practices" as early as September 2015, years before it blew up in 2018. Whatever happens in this case, a deal with the EU means Facebook is on hook for future scandals, and a settlement with the FTC could include changes to make CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally liable.
Read MoreMicrosoft's virtual assistant Cortana could be split off from Windows 10 to become its own separate app. The Verge reports that a beta version of Cortana has appeared on the Windows Store and is now available to download.
Read MoreRecently Mozilla has updated Firefox with features that block companies from tracking you across different websites, and now Microsoft is testing similar tech in its Chromium-based Edge browser. Insider beta testers with the latest Canary release on Windows can try it by enabling a browser flag (enter - "edge://flags#edge-tracking-prevention" in the address bar) then restarting.
Read MoreMicrosoft is adding extra layers of security to OneDrive for your most important files. It's setting up a protected section called OneDrive Personal Vault that requires another method of authentication to access it, such as a PIN, fingerprint, face scan, two-factor authentication code or Microsoft's Authenticator app.
Read MoreMicrosoft could release a radically different Surface as early as the first half of 2020. Rumors about a dual-screen tablet have been circulating since last year, and the company reportedly showed a similar device to employees earlier this month. Now, market research firm IHS Markit told Forbes that the device will be ready sometime in the first six months of 2020, and it's expected to run both Android apps and Apple's iCloud.
Read MoreMicrosoft is bringing its Immersive Reader to Minecraft: Education Edition. The tool will let users expand the text in character dialogue, settings and boards. Immersive Reader will dictate each word as it is highlighted, so users can follow along, and it will add Minecraft-specific images for words like "Creeper" and "Mooshroom."
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Hey there! The birthplace of Juul (and many other players in the vape world) is closing in on an e-cigarette ban, and while Adam Sandler remains one of Netflix's big-hitters, more Stranger Things and Queer Eye episodes are incoming. Anything else? Kano made what's ostensibly a Microsoft Surface For Kids.
Read MoreMicrosoft has expanded the reach of its Chromium-based Edge browser to one of its most important audiences: namely, people who have to (or want to) use older versions of Windows. The company has released Canary channel preview builds of Edge for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users. They're rough around the edges like most pre-release software. The feature set will be "largely the same" as you'd get on Windows 10, however, including the upcoming Internet Explorer mode to satisfy business users who need compatibility.
Read MoreWhen Microsoft introduced the Surface Book 2 in 2017, it added a 15-inch screen option. While that gave the Macbook Pro some serious competition, it still started at $2,499. Now, Microsoft is offering a 15-inch Surface Book 2 configuration for $1,999 -- a full $500 less than the previous entry point. As you'd expect, the price cut does come with a few trade offs.
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 Microsoft's first Surface devices.
Read MoreFor the last 20 years, CERN -- home of the Large Hadron Collider -- has been using Microsoft products under a discounted "academic institution" rate. But in March, at the end of its previous contract, Microsoft revoked CERN's academic status. According to a CERN blog post, under the new contract, licensing costs have increased more than tenfold. In response, CERN is pulling back the curtain on a now year-old project to migrate to open source software, and it's calling it the Microsoft Alternatives project, or MAlt.
Read MoreJust as promised, Microsoft has delivered a built of Windows 10 to members of its Insiders beta program that includes Windows Subsystem for Linux 2. It was announced just last month at the Build event, and the tech included in Preview Build 18917 (20H1) should bring much faster I/O performance than the previous emulator showed. The company's Command Line blog has more details on how to make it all work, but for real-world benchmarks we'll have to wait for testers to update and interface with it using Linux distributions that are either sideloaded or installed from the Windows Store.
Read MoreMicrosoft has been vocal about its desire to properly regulate facial recognition technology. The company's president, Brad Smith, appealed directly to Congress last year to take steps to manage the tech, which he says has "broad societal ramifications and potential for abuse." Such are the company's concerns that it even blocked the sales of the tech to California police forces. Now, Microsoft is continuing its crusade by quietly deleting its MS Celeb database, which contains more than 10 million images of some 100,000 people.
Read MoreYou might use Excel to track your budget, but your investments? That's less likely when stock prices change from moment to moment. Now, though, you don't have to think much about it. Microsoft has teamed with Nasdaq and market info provider Refinitiv to bring real-time stock data to Excel spreadsheets in Office 365. Type in a stock symbol, click Stocks and you can fill cells with real-time data like the price, last trade times and 52-week highs or lows. They can be used in formulas, too.
Read MoreCompanies always like to show up to E3 with some surprises, but here's one that no one expected: GameSpot reports that Microsoft is partnering with body wash maker Lynx -- an alternate brand name used by Axe in some countries -- to create an Xbox-branded collection of personal care products. The lineup will include a body spray, deodorant and shower gel. Before you get too excited about washing with the fresh scent of Xbox, it's worth noting the line will only be available in Australia and New Zealand.
Read MoreRumors of Microsoft making a dual-screened Surface appear to be solidifying, although you may need to adjust your expectations. Sources for The Verge claim the company held an internal event where it offered a peek at future Surface device, including a prototype of dual-screen hardware (not pictured above -- that's Intel's). Staff reportedly got into "long lines" just to get a look, the insiders said. However, it's not believed to be the pocketable Andromeda device rumored in recent years.
Read MoreVerizon (Engadget's parent company) has revealed the next two cities for its 5G mobile network: Denver and Providence. The network goes live in the former today, while the carrier will flip the switch in the Rhode Island capital July 1st.
Read MoreComcast's Xfinity Mobile is no longer limited to selling smartphones... provided you like Apple hardware. The carrier (whose network is run by Engadget parent Verizon) has introduced its first non-phone devices, including LTE versions of the Apple Watch Series 4, iPad Air and iPad mini. All three will cost the same as they do elsewhere. It really comes down to the cost of service. Whether you're subscribed to by-the-gig or unlimited data, it'll cost you $10 per month for every smartwatch or tablet you add to your plan.
Read MoreThe US isn't just skittish about American companies using equipment from Chinese companies in their 5G networks -- it might force companies to avoid Chinese involvement altogether. Wall Street Journal sources claim that the Trump administration is considering a requirement that 5G cellular gear for the US must be designed and made outside of China. To that end, officials are reportedly asking telecom firms if they can produce US-oriented equipment elsewhere.
Read MoreThe US Senate has shown bipartisan support for a bill to crack down on robocalls, and now it's the House's turn. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone and Ranking Member Greg Walden have introduced a bipartisan Stopping Bad Robocalls Act that would similarly toughen requirements for carriers while more explicitly punishing spam callers. There are some key differences between the two, however.
Read MoreOver the last couple of weeks, we've heard that getting DoJ approval for T-Mobile's proposed $26 billion purchase of Sprint will require making moves to create a new national wireless carrier as a competitor. That could be achieved by selling off Boost Mobile and enough spectrum to make a service viable, however they needed to find a buyer. Now Bloomberg reports that Dish Network is in talks and could announce this week that it will be the company to do it, rather than possibles like Altice and Charter (Amazon wasn't mentioned). The price? Apparently about $6 billion. The pair promised the FCC they would sell Boost Mobile, and if talks don't fall through, then their hope is that this would help get approval and overcome a lawsuit filed by several state AGs. For its part, Dish has long harbored wireless ambitions, and acted to make them come true. It was even proposed as a buyer for divested T-Mobile assets during merger talks with AT&T back in 2011. We'll see if it happens this time or if things fall apart on the 1-yard line all over again.
Read MoreUS carriers have mostly rolled out 5G on high frequencies, with upcoming auctions aiming even higher. And unfortunately, those choices create problems -- the implementations typically don't work well indoors, and they risk interfering with weather forecasts and other tasks that depend on high bands. The FCC might provide some much-needed breathing room in lower spectrum slices, however. Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated an order that, if approved, would open 2.5GHz airwaves for 5G.
Read MoreToday, the FCC announced a task force meant to support the deployment of broadband across unserved farms and ranches. The Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force will work with the US Department of Agriculture and public and private sector stakeholders. It will be responsible for developing policy recommendations for rural, agriculture-focussed broadband. "As I've traveled the country, I've seen the amazing efficiencies, innovations, and improvements that high-speed Internet brings to today's farms and ranches," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. " ... This is the present and the future of American agriculture, and we must do whatever we can to support these producers and enhance precision agriculture."
Read MoreIf you're relying on American Airlines for a summer trip, there's a good chance you'll have internet access most of the way. The company has finished deploying satellite-based internet access to the fleet of 700-plus narrowbody aircraft that mainly handle its domestic routes. Depending on where you're going, you'll have either Gogo 2Ku or ViaSat Ka connections providing speedier, more consistent WiFi than the ground solutions of old. American deployed satellite broadband to its widebody aircraft roughly a year earlier.
Read MoreJust days after AGs representing ten states filed suit to stop the combining of Sprint and T-Mobile, the New York Times reports the Justice Department is "moving closer" to approval. Doing so apparently hinges on an arrangement, previously reported, that would have the two sell off assets to create a new national wireless competitor. The Times specifically mentions Dish Network, Charter and Altice as companies that have apparently been approached about buying Boost Mobile, as Bloomberg reported earlier this week. If the companies sell off Boost Mobile and enough spectrum to make a valid fourth option, then that may help them defend against the state AGs charges that a merger would hurt competition. The trick, however, is first finding someone to bite on the offer, and with even Amazon's name coming up as an option, we'll need to see who's interested before things move any further.
Read MoreVerizon (Engadget's parent company) plans to connect all NBA arenas to a high-speed fiber network for better HD broadcast support. When the network is up and running in the second half of 2020, the league will be able to broadcast games from every team in 1080p resolution, and the system will support up to 30 cameras in each arena.
Read MoreHuawei is making moves to sidestep the Trump administration's de facto ban by trademarking its own operating system. The OS, which has reportedly been in the works for years, was named in trademark applications filed in Peru under the name "Hongmeng," for use within nine countries and Europe (although it's been filed under the name "Ark OS" on the continent). The company has previously suggested the system could roll out as early as this fall, but it only seems likely to do so if it is permanently denied access to Android. However, while launching its own OS is one way Huawei could continue operations in the face of its US ban, there are concerns about such a system's security, as software is not the company's strongest area.
Read MoreIn-flight internet -- if and when an airline offers it -- is often unreliable and slow. Oledcomm wants to take things up a notch by making high-speed LiFi available on Air France and KLM flights. The French tech company will equip a reproduction of a medium-haul plane with LiFiMAX at the International Paris Air Show. Winners of a Ubisoft esports competition have been invited to put LiFiMAX to the test -- a clear sign that this isn't your typical in-flight WiFi.
Read MoreThe proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint just ran into a major roadblock. Ten states, including California and New York, have sued to stop the merger on the grounds that it would hurt competition and raise prices for cellphone service. They argue that this would not only reduce the number of choices, but punish lower-income communities where even a slight rate hike could cause trouble. They're also concerned that there would be a "substantial loss" of retail jobs in the wireless space, not to mention lower wages for those who remain.
Read MoreThe FCC will authorize $166.8 million to carriers in 22 states to expand broadband access beginning this month. It's the second round of funding this year from the FCC's Connect America fund auction, which pays carriers to deploy broadband to underserved rural regions. The funding will go to a variety of different regions, including tribal areas in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. In total, the FCC promised to provide $1.5 billion over the next decade as a part of its Connect America initiative to bring high-speed internet access to over 700,000 homes and businesses in rural areas.
Read MoreThe FCC's quest to kill robocalls is moving forward. The regulator has voted for a ruling that explicitly lets phone carriers block robocalls by default. They'll have to use "reasonable" call data to make the decision, inform customers of the practice and provide an opportunity to opt out. The decision also makes clear that networks can offer opt-in tools for blocking any number that isn't on a whitelist, such as the subscriber's contacts.
Read MoreThe United Arab Emirates might still be associated with oil money, but it just set a record for reducing its dependence on oil. The Emirate Water and Electricity Company has started running Noor Abu Dhabi, the largest individual solar power project in the world. At 1.18 gigawatts of peak capacity, it's only eclipsed by solar parks (where multiple projects share space) -- it makes the US' biggest facility, the 569MW Solar Star, seem modest by comparison.
Read MoreNetworking on the battlefield won't just be limited to communication between units for one country. Germany and the Netherlands have created a joint military network, TEN (Tactical Edge Networking), that helps soldiers from the two countries coordinate their operations. They'll even share computers, radios, telephones and other equipment. TEN will initially link Germany's land operations with the Netherlands' tactical communications program.
Read MoreIt might become easier to shuttle data across borders in the future. A total of 24 countries have signed a statement supporting the Osaka Track, a plan from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that would create rules for a "free flow" of data while respecting privacy, copyright and security. The commitment is meant to foster digital businesses that might otherwise stumble over legal hurdles.
Read MoreAuthorities have been taking advantage of the public's ever growing interest in genetic genealogy to crack cold cases these past few years. California's police departments even arrested a former cop after a DNA database linked him with the series of murders and rapes committed by the Golden State Killer in the '70s and '80s. Now, a court has convicted William Earl Talbott II, a murder suspect who was identified through his relatives found on open DNA database GEDmatch. It's believed to be the first time a case cracked using the technique was brought to court -- and clearly, the evidence was enough to convince the jury to find him guilty of two counts of aggravated murder.
Read MoreAfter the scandal, the book, the podcasts and the documentary, the Theranos debacle is finally going to court -- in 2020. U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila set the start date of co-founder Elizabeth Holmes' criminal trial for August 4th of next year, with jury selection kicking off the week before. She's been indicted -- along with Theranos president Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani -- on 11 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. After the SEC announced charges last year Theranos finally announced it would shut down, well after it was exposed in 2016 for promoting "fingerprick" blood test technology that didn't work as promised and it largely wasn't using. In pretrial motions, lawyers representing Holmes targeted communications between regulators and a Wall Street Journal reporter and Bad Blood author John Carreyrou. Bloomberg reports they claimed he "was exerting influence on the regulatory process in a way that appears to have warped the agencies' focus on the company and possibly biased the agencies' findings against it."
Read MoreDoorDash aims to be a more ethical food delivery company -- it's already put a focus on sustainability and had delivered voter registration kits along with the standard faire of snacks, meals and beer. But the company has attracted criticism for its tipping system, in which delivery workers don't always receive the tips that customers give them.
Read MoreThe Minilogue and Monologue are a few years old at this point, and approaching modern classic status in the synth world. But that doesn't mean that Korg is content to simply let them coast through life the same way they left the factory. Today the company is releasing a major update to the firmware for both that in a lot of ways is about making them a little closer to each other in terms of features. For one, Minilogue users are getting micro tuning capability. That means they'll no longer be bound by the constraints of the Western 12-tone equal temperament, and it's particularly great if your goal is to be the next Aphex Twin. The sequencer is also getting a much needed refresh, especially on the "motion" side which controls the parameters and settings rather than notes. A new view lets you dig a bit deeper and makes it clearer what you're working on. Monologue is getting some tweaks too, including to the MIDI filter, which will be a huge boon to anyone that likes to control it with an external sequencer. There have also been changes to the active step programming features, though we've been unable to test them out, so we can't tell you exactly how useful they are. Lastly, both synths are getting original value indicators. That will make finding your way back to where a patch started much easier after you're done twiddling the knobs. Version 2.0 of the Minilogue and Monologue firmware is available today for free at Korg.com.
Read MoreNearly 90 percent of all San Francisco high school students who vape get their fix by shopping online or through friends. Just 13.6 percent actually buy their pods at a physical store. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is acutely aware of this teenage reality -- these statistics are laid out in Health Code ordinance No. 190312, which prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes in San Francisco, in person and online. The ordinance's authors are specifically concerned with curtailing e-cigarette use among the youth population, noting that the number of teenagers who had tried vaping at least once rose by 1.5 million from 2017 to 2018. The ban will last until the US Food & Drug Administration reviews the health risks of vaping, which likely won't happen until 2022.
Read MoreThe Philips Hue light bulb lineup is often recognized as the best smart lighting you can buy for your house. But if you're new to the smart home game, there's one catch: you need a hub to set up and control everything, which means an extra up-front cost and additional complexity. As of today, though, things are getting simpler with the Philips Hue with Bluetooth lights. As the name suggests, these bulbs have Bluetooth built-in, which means you can set them up with a smartphone app, no hub needed.
Read MoreThe Federal Aviation Administration has discovered another potential risk with the grounded 737 Max that Boeing has to resolve. The issue emerged during a simulator test last week, according to Reuters. As such, a certification test flight isn't expected to take place until July 8th at the earliest, further delaying the plane's return to service.
Read MoreLast week Dish announced a new service designed to make smart home technology available to all, now it's launching another service that makes modern tech accessible to everyone. "Dish Fiber" is a combined WiFi and livestreaming TV bundle for those living in multifamily communities, such as apartment blocks and student housing.
Read MoreWelcome to Wednesday. Amazon's Prime Day is coming, twice, this July, and Target wants a shopping fight. Meanwhile, Sony does it again with another pair of capable noise-cancelling headphones that you should consider, and NASA briefly halts its Curiosity rover over a big methane gas emission on the red planet.
Read MoreWalmart is now accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as a payment method for online grocery shopping at all of its pickup locations, according to TechCrunch. The retail giant will allow customers to select "EBT card" as a payment option at checkout when shopping on the Walmart Grocery website. Items can then be picked up at any of more than 2,500 locations across the US—shoppers will just have to provide their EBT card to a store associate before collecting their order.
Read MoreSan Francisco's expected ban on e-cigarettes is about to become a practical reality. The city has voted in favor of a measure banning sales and and deliveries of e-cigarette products, making it the first urban center to approve just such a measure. Mayor London Breed has 10 days to review the law, but that may be a formality when she has already expressed support for the legislation. It should take effect seven months after signing, and won't lift until the FDA has finished reviewing the health effects.
Read MoreIf you've ever wanted to stay in a castle in France or book an entire island in the Pacific, you might appreciate Airbnb's new luxury travel offering, Airbnb Luxe. The company launched the long-rumored service today with more than 2,000 hand-picked listings, including award-winning homes in New Zealand and South Africa, historic villas in Tuscany and the Jamaican beachfront property where Ian Fleming wrote his iconic spy novels. But a stay in these high-end, Instagramable homes will cost you. Airbnb Luxe is designed for travelers looking to spend at least $1,000 per night.
Read MoreGood news: Leica just made its M-series cameras more accessible... relatively speaking. The company has introduced an M-E (Typ 240) model that preserves the compact rangefinder design and a 24-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, but at a slightly easier to swallow $3,995 price. It's not what we'd call a budget camera, but it beats spending thousands of dollars more. You will have to live with some limitations, though.
Read MoreKitchenAid's water- and sauce-resistant Smart Display got most of the attention at CES 2019, but the company also announced a smart oven, which it promised would come with powered grilling, steaming and baking stone attachments. Now, the SmartOven+ is ready. You can purchase the single configuration for $3,199 or the double for $4,799; a combo set-up will arrive later this year. As for the attachments, the powered grill add-on ships with the oven, but you'll have to order the others separately.
Read MoreThe Dutch were given a frightening lesson about society's reliance on technology. A major telecommunications outage knocked Netherland's version of 911 offline for a few hours on Monday, reported Reuters. The outage originated on Royal KPN's network and impacted both landlines and mobile phones. It's unclear what caused the event, though KPN has ruled out a security breach. The network went offline at around 3:45 pm in the Netherlands, and was restored roughly four hours later. Public officials immediately flocked to social media to warn Dutch residents of the outage. In case an emergency hit, people were instructed to go to the nearest hospital or fire station directly rather than call a dispatch operator. Temporary mobile phone numbers were soon given out for emergency services. Police could even be reached by email or Whatsapp. Other emergency services in the country asked residents to reach out to them on Twitter or Facebook.
Read MoreMany will tell you that online shopping is more eco-friendly since you don't have to drive as often, but just the opposite might be true in recent years. Axios has warned that the increasing number of super-fast delivery options may be leading to more CO2 emissions, not less. Annual emissions have increased at FedEx, UPS and the US Postal Service, and academics have blamed it on people making many small-but-fast orders through the likes of Amazon Prime and Walmart instead of bundling a bunch of products into one shipment. If you can get candy in minutes, why would you wait to include it with a bigger purchase?
Read MoreJapanese company Korg doesn't just make your typical synths, tuners and various electronic musical instruments: it also offers some pretty specialized and unusual devices. It has a line of in-ear metronomes that can help you dance or play golf better, for instance. Now, it has introduced another golf-related product called PuttRhythm that's meant to make you a putting expert...or at least help you train until you can sink a putt every now and then.
Read MoreFollowing the custom of well-known retailers that went under as a result of leveraged investments and business moving online, Toys R Us is reportedly close to a comeback. According to Bloomberg, a former executive is pitching plans for a chain with locations that are a third of the size of the stores you remember (probably because some of them still remain out there, empty and loom) and, of course, a website. Radio Shack is still around, and while Circuit City's stripped-down relaunch last year didn't go quite as promised, it's still functioning online. Based on the report, Richard Barry is planning to open about half a dozen locations by the holiday season, under the "Tru Kids" entity (consisting of the same lenders it owed) that owns the name. An executive of a toy company is quoted saying the industry will benefit from a self-standing toy store, even though competitors like Walmart and Target have expanded their sections.
Read MoreIf you live in New York state and bought one of The Boring Company's Not-A-Flamethrowers, you probably want to get rid of it shortly. The state's Senate recently passed a bill that bans the possession of a flamethrower for recreational purposes, and legislators very explicitly singled out Elon Musk's gadget as an example. The measure bars specifically bars any device that projects burning fuel at least three feet away, which appears to include Boring's hardware.
Read MoreAs someone who won't turn down an invite to a barbecue, the one thing missing in my life is a grill. That's the part about living in New York City that saddens me. So, when McCormick invited me to check out its new concept grill, the SUMR HITS 5000, you know I couldn't say no. Much to my disappointment, because the event was indoors, there wasn't any actual grilling involved. Still, it was a good opportunity to see the SUMR HITS 5000 in person, which features a built-in DJ station that can play music based on what you're cooking. The grill uses a mix of capacitive touch sensors, computer vision and machine learning to do this, and McCormick says it custom developed the hardware and software to show how to "combine the fun of music and act of grilling together."
Read MoreToday, the EPA finalized the Trump administration's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) plan, effectively rolling back Obama-era policies to address climate change. The Obama administration's Clean Power Plan (CPP) set national goals for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. States could decide how to meet those goals, but the targets were strict enough that many states were expected to close coal plants. As NPR reports, the Trump administration's approach will be to regulate the emissions of individual power plants in order to help them stay in business longer.
Read MoreSan Francisco has edged towards becoming the first US city to ban sales of e-cigarettes, as well as the manufacturing and distribution of them on city property. A preliminary vote saw city supervisors unanimously approve a ban on e-cigarettes the Food and Drug Administration has yet to review. It hasn't assessed any yet and companies have until 2021 to apply for reviews of their products under the agency's draft guidelines.
Read MoreMost of the recent updates from Hasselblad have had to do with the cameras popping up on drones or costing $48,000. But the company is still working on the mirrorless medium-format cameras and accompanying lenses that built its reputation. Today, it announced a handful of updates, including an evolved X1D II 50C camera, a new XCD 3,5-4,5/35-75 Zoom Lens, the Phocus Mobile 2 and details on more to come.
Read MoreThe founder of Nreal -- the company which debuted its $499 mixed reality glasses at this year's CES -- has been accused of stealing AR secrets from former employer, US-based Magic Leap. The Florida startup, which has been working on a mixed reality device for years, says that ex-engineer Chi Xu exploited confidential information to "quickly develop a prototype of lightweight, ergonomically designed, mixed reality glasses for use with smart phones and other devices that are strikingly similar" to the Magic Leap One device.
Read MoreBest Buy thinks it might have another way to remain relevant in the face of online shopping: diving head-first into smart fitness technology that often benefits from hands-on time. The big-box retailer has launched a fitness initiative that includes selling a variety of connected fitness equipment (more on that shortly) and, importantly, the retail commitment to back that up. Over 100 stores will have dedicated fitness spaces by the end of 2019, with in-store and home visitation staff receiving "special training" to help you understand the hardware.
Read MoreDish is having another go at the smart home. The satellite TV provider has been offering smart technology installation services to its own customers for years, but today it launches OnTech, a service that will set up a whole range of devices for you, whether you're an existing customer or not.
Read MoreYou knew Nikon was going to expand its mirrorless camera lineup after the Z6 and Z7 arrived, but in what direction? Now you know. Company president Toshikazu Umatate has revealed to Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun that Nikon will release a mirrorless "equivalent" to its flagship pro DSLR, the D5. He didn't provide a timetable or technical details, but the D5 is meant as a no-compromise cam with high-speed shooting and low light prowess. You could expect similar abilities, just with the benefit of a few years of technological progress.
Read MoreGood news! Engadget is looking for freelance news writers in the US! Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and links to three writing samples to jobs at engadget dot com.
Read MoreThe European Union already suspected that Russia was trying to disrupt its parliamentary elections through hacks and other online interference, and now it's directly pointing a finger at the country. EU officials have published a report accusing Russia of orchestrating a "continued and sustained" misinformation campaign during the late May election similar to ones the country tried in the US, France and other countries. It used fake stories to "promote extreme views," stoke political tensions and, sometimes, discourage voter turnout.
Read MoreJuul is facing even more heat over concerns that it's contributing to teen vaping. The House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy has opened an investigation into the "youth e-cigarette epidemic" that could determine if Juul had marketed its e-cigarettes to kids. Committee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi has asked the company to hand over any documents from 2013 onward that touch on related parts of its advertising and social media strategies, including the impact of ads on children and its awareness of under-18 social network followers.
Read MoreTarget can't quite escape its technical woes, apparently. The retail giant's registers suffered a roughly two-hour nationwide outage in mid-day on June 15th, preventing customers from making purchases (including in self-checkout lines) right before Father's Day. The company has only described it as an "internal technology issue," but stressed that an early review indicated this wasn't the result of a data breach or other "security-related issue." Customer wasn't compromised "at any time," Target added.
Read MoreWalmart knows that it needs to have a stellar delivery service in order to compete with Amazon, which is why it's been rolling out Prime-like offers of its own. For Walmart Grocery, in particular, there's Delivery Unlimited: a subscription service that costs $13 a month or $98 a year. It's not entirely clear how long the delivery subscription has been around and if it's already live nationwide. TechCrunch has discovered an FAQ page talking about some pertinent details, though, including a line that says "There's a good chance Delivery Unlimited is in your area."
Read MoreIK Multimedia's $250 drum machine, Uno Drum, is available starting today. The company announced the portable, battery-powered device last month, but we weren't sure when it would be available.
Read MoreHot Wheels has done a lot over the past few years to reinvent itself as a brand that's more than just little die-cast cars. We've seen remote control vehicles, augmented reality racing and even cars you build yourself. Now the brand's next step is to go back to its 1/64-scale roots, but with a decidedly modern twist. Hot Wheels ID look like normal cars, but each carries a tiny NFC chip in the bottom that makes it possible to track each car's race time and speed. Now, when kids claim their car is the fastest, they have the data to back it up.
Read MoreWant an exciting holiday without having to plan it yourself? Airbnb wants to sell you more than just a place to stay. The newly launched Airbnb Adventures offers all-in-one trips to locations around the globe hosted by local experts.
Read MoreKickstarter is asking its users to tone down the hyperbolic language and to layoff the misleading imagery. In an attempt to promote transparency, the now 10-year-old platform issued new rules and guidelines aimed at "honest and clear presentation."
Read MoreTarget is expanding its same-day delivery service to just about everyone. The giant retailer announced today that customers in 47 states will now be able to place orders on Target.com and have them delivered in as little as one hour. Deliveries will cost a flat fee of $9.99 and will be fulfilled by Shipt, a delivery startup acquired by Target in 2017.
Read MoreTyson, one of the biggest food producers in the US, is getting into the alternative protein game, but it hasn't embraced entirely plant-based products just yet. Its chicken nugget alternative contains egg, while the burger patties in the Raised & Rooted lineup are a blend of lean Angus beef and pea protein.
Read MoreAmerica's renewable energy capacity has overtaken coal for the first time ever. According to a report by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the addition of new solar, wind and hydro capacity in the first four months of the year pushed renewable energy's share of total available installed capacity to 21.56%. Coal's share, meanwhile, has dropped to 21.55 percent, down from 23.04 percent last year.
Read MoreBeyond Meat isn't going to sit by the wayside while Impossible creates juicier versions of its plant-based burgers. The company is rolling out a "meatier" version of the Beyond Burger to grocery stores across the US. The mix of mung bean, pea and rice proteins is supposed to have a more meat-like, "neutral" flavor and texture, complete with marbling (through cocoa butter and coconut oil) that even behaves like fat. You'll also get a more "complete" selection of proteins through the mix of mung bean, pea and rice. And if appearance matters, apple extract changes the color from red to brown during cooking.
Read MoreThe creator of Pepe the Frog has made it known, several times over, that he didn't want his creation to become a symbol for the far right. That may be easier now, as the website InfoWars has settled a lawsuit related to its use of the character, which includes a pledge never to use it again. The Daily Beast reports that Pepe creator, Matt Furie, sued the conspiracy page after it sold an unauthorized poster featuring Pepe.
Read MoreGone are the days of trusty Moleskine 18-month planners, scraps of to-do lists and family calendars hanging on the fridge. Full-time jobs and older kids mean more clubs, more appointments, more social life. Making a move to digital organization can take a load off and breathe new life into the family. It's never too early to help children learn to manage their time and be responsible for themselves too (to a point, obviously). It's a skill that will help them on their path through life. And it's surprising how little you need to do to organize family life. Often you have the apps and software on hand -- you just need to rethink how you use them. READ ON: Using tech to keep your kids organized and on task
Read MoreBurger King's journey to bring a meatless, yet tasty, burger to all of its restaurants is making a stop-off at San Francisco. Starting today, the Impossible Burger -- in the form of an Impossible Whopper -- is available at the 111 Burger King restaurants both in the city and the wider Bay Area.
Read MoreTech giants are already finding themselves on the hook for more taxes in parts of Europe, but there could now be a much more coordinated effort to have them pay up. Reuters says it has obtained a Group of 20 draft communiqué revealing an agreement to establish "common rules" for closing tax loopholes used by companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. While the specifics haven't been nailed down, it would involve a "two-pillar" approach that both divides the rights to tax companies where products are sold (not just where they have offices) and a minimum tax rate.
Read MoreE3 2019 is nearly upon us and the gaming news is already coming at a breakneck pace. Google divulged new details about its upcoming Stadia game streaming service and Razor announced the launch of a new lightweight headset while GameStop's downward spiral shows no sign of slowing down.
Read MoreIt's a grim time for fans of homebrew gadget creation. Maker Media, the company responsible for Maker Faires and Make:, has stopped operations and laid off all its staff. CEO Dale Dougherty explained it to TechCrunch as a matter of financial trouble. It "wasn't that interesting to its investors," and sponsors were backing out. Autodesk and Microsoft didn't fund the flagship Bay Area Faire in 2019, for example. This came despite healthy demand. The recent Bay event met ticket expectations, for example.
Read MoreChina is determined to fight the US ban on Huawei through any means possible, and that might include scaring the companies required to honor that ban. New York Times sources report that Chinese officials have warned that they could face retaliation if they cooperate with Trump administration trade restrictions. They could face "permanent consequences" if they honored the policy, the NYT said, and "punishment" if they pull manufacturing beyond the usual security-related diversification. It also encouraged lobbying to convince American politicians to change their minds.
Read MoreMichael Bloomberg is pledging $500 million to close every coal-fired power plant in the US and to halt the growth of natural gas. According to The New York Times, the money will go towards a new Beyond Coal initiative. It will be spent over the next three decades, and it will fund lobbying efforts aimed at state and local government officials.
Read MoreHaving groceries delivered to your home is convenient, but if taking food from the front door to the kitchen is too much hassle, then Walmart has a solution. It is launching a new service, InHome Delivery, which involves a representative placing groceries directly in your fridge.
Read MorePlans are underway for what would be the world's first rooftop 360-degree infinity pool to be built in London. Compass Pools, a UK-based pool manufacturer, unveiled its design for Infinity London, a 600,000-litre pool that would top a 55-story hotel. Contractors and partners have yet to be confirmed, but construction could begin as early as 2020.
Read MoreThe US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is suing messaging service Kik Interactive, stating that its 2017 digital token sale, which raised $100 million, was essentially an illegal, unregistered securities offering. According to Bloomberg, this is one the highest profile cases yet where the SEC has targeted a company for not registering an offering with the regulator.
Read MoreSorry, 4K TV owners, your days of bigging up your entertainment setup to pals is nearing an end -- 8K has officially arrived, and as LG's newest offering proves, it's almost sarcastic in its lavishness. LG is now accepting pre-orders for its 8K OLED -- the world's first -- which boasts eye-watering resolution and a price tag to match.
Read MoreTwo years ago, Ultimate Ears' launched a beefy Bluetooth speaker that offered 360-degree sound in the body the size of a soda can. Now, the company is updating the Wonderboom with design flourishes cribbed from the Boom 3, bigger sound and a longer battery life. The Wonderboom 2 gets specially-tuned audio profiles to make tunes sound better outdoors, and its power has been bumped from 10 hours to 13.
Read MoreThe US government is about to intensify its scrutiny of tech giants. The House Antitrust Subcommittee has launched a bipartisan investigation that will gauge the level of competition in online markets. It's concerned that a "handful of gatekeepers" have extensive control of the internet, and it wants to know if these companies are abusing their power or otherwise stifling others. Politicians will also determine whether or not existing antitrust laws, policies and enforcement are enough to correct behavior.
Read MoreBeyond Meat and Impossible Foods are about to have some major competition. Nestle's Sweet Earth is prepping the Awesome Burger, another take on plant-based hamburgers. The veggie mix (which includes yellow peas and wheat) should have largely realistic juiciness and taste, but promises to be healthier in some respects than its rivals. It'll have six grams of fiber versus the three you typically find in Beyond and Impossible patties, for example. You can also expect more more protein than a meat burger (28g versus a typical 20g), no saturated fat and lots of iron and Vitamin C.
Read MoreThis morning, Ecobee released details on its latest voice-controlled smart thermostat. Rumors circulated last week when the device appeared briefly on the Lowe's website. Today, Ecobee made it official. Breaking away from its numbered naming scheme -- Ecobee 3, Ecobee 3 Lite and Ecobee 4 -- the company is calling this one, simply, the SmartThermostat. Ecobee says it's "packed with the power you would expect from a smartphone."
Read MorePhilips Hue might be one of the biggest names in smart home technology, but one product it has not yet managed to bring to market is a smart plug. That could be set to change, according to a report that details Hue products that could be announced this year.
Read MoreApparel giant The North Face apparently resorted to some less-than-scrupulous tactics to ensure its gear stood out in search results. The Wikimedia Foundation reported that The North Face and its ad agency Leo Burnett Tailor Made admitted to having "unethically manipulated" Wikipedia for the sake of a campaign. In a video, the two firms said they switched Wikipedia photos with their own to ensure that North Face would show at the top of Google when people searched for adventure. It claimed that it had been "collaborating with Wikipedia," but the site denied this -- it even pointed to the companies boasting that they avoided attention from Wikipedia moderators.
Read MoreGig economy companies like Uber and Lyft have fought hard to avoid treating workers as full-fledged employees, but they might not have much choice in California before long. The state Assembly has passed a bill, AB5, that would require businesses to prove that someone is an independent contractor and thus doesn't merit employee benefits. They would have to show that a worker isn't controlled by the company, isn't performing tasks at the core of the company's business and operates their own independent business. If not, they'd have to be treated as employees and receive benefits like overtime pay, minimum wages, health care and parental leave.
Read MoreBoeing's overestimation of the 737 Max's safety may have been prompted in part by a simple but dangerous problem: many of the people involved weren't aware of the changes. The New York Times has claimed that some engineers, testers and regulators were unaware Boeing had made the jet's MCAS anti-stall system far more aggressive. They operated on the assumption the technology relied on two sensors when it was using just one, and a "compartmentalized approach" to development left key engineers without a full understanding of how the system worked.
Read MoreThe next couple of weeks are going to be nuts, what with Apple hosting WWDC 2019 in San Jose, CA on Monday and E3 going down in LA starting June 7th. So let's take this opportunity to relax and catch up on some low key entertainment news -- wait, Netflix is going to charge its Canadian customers how much?
Read MorePokémon Masters is landing on iOS and Android sometime this summer, The Pokémon Company's chief Tsunekazu Ishihara has announced. Ishihara and the game's developers have also showed a new anime-style trailer and revealed more details for the mobile game, which was first announced at an event in Tokyo along with Pokémon Sleep and Home. Apparently, the game is set on an artificial island called Pasio, where you'll have to team up with and fight against familiar faces: trainers throughout the series, like Brock and Misty.
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 at the N64, which arrived in Japan 23 years ago.
Read MoreYou'll soon be able to don Jason Voorhees' iconic hockey mask and try to wipe out a group of campers (or flee from the masked menace) on Switch, as there's at last a release date for Friday the 13th: The Game on Nintendo's console. It emerged back in March developer Gun Media had a spring release window in mind for the Switch version, so it'll arrive a bit later than planned when it lands on August 13th.
Read MoreThe battle royale craze has invaded the Mushroom Kingdom, albeit unofficially. A programmer and video game streamer going by the handle Inferbro has hacked together a web-based multiplayer version of Super Mario Bros. that challenges up to 75 people to finish the first stage of the classic game as quickly as possible. The fittingly named Mario Royale is available to play online via the web right now, but you better get a few runs in while you can. Nintendo isn't known for playing nice with fan-created games using its characters.
Read MoreMario fans in Orange County are in luck. Mario Kart VR is in Irvine for the next stop in its US tour. The game launched on June 12th at VR Zone Portal Irvine, located at the K1 Speed entertainment center. Players will get the chance to hop inside a Mario Kart and explore the Mushroom kingdom. The immersive VR experience previously had tenures in Washington, DC, London and Tokyo.
Read MoreEarlier this year Nintendo announced that its Dr. Mario puzzle game would return in a new iteration for mobile devices, and now Dr. Mario World has a release date: July 10th. Set to appear on Android and iOS (and available for pre-order via either of those links), it's a free-to-play game with stages where you can either send or receive hearts to other players to exchange extra stamina, or battle online in versus mode. As one would expect, the goal is to eliminate viruses by aligning them with similarly-colored capsules. The different stages present new challenges, and players have a limited number of capsules. The part that costs money are optional "diamonds" that players can cash in for items, restore stamina or purchase new doctors with special skills instead of waiting for stamina to recover over time or to earn them in gameplay with coins.
Read MoreLink's Awakening for Nintendo Switch is a faithful recreation of the original game, except when it's not. Although I remember watching my older brothers playing the original Zelda on their NES, the Game Boy was my first console, and Link's Awakening was my first Zelda. My first RPG, really. I played the game for hours on end, losing myself to the world and its many mysteries. After graduating to bigger and better consoles, I've never returned to Koholint. Until today, when I got a brief look at Nintendo's upcoming remake.
Read MoreDidn't have time to watch the entire Nintendo Direct E3 presentation? Don't worry, we've cut out all of the filler so you can get right to the highlights. All of the news, like Luigi's Mansion 3, No More Heroes III and even games that aren't the third ones in their series is packed in here for you. Resident Evil 5 and 6 make their appearances, plus there's the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel to look forward to. Go ahead and press play, then let us know which one of Nintendo's E3 announcements you're most interested in. Unless it's something other than Panzer Dragoon or the new Dark Crystal tactical RPG.
Read MorePokémon Sword and Shield, the series' first proper outing on the Switch, is shaking up a tried-and-tested formula. There's the dynamic weather system, which affects which Pokémon can spawn; the free camera, which will completely change the feel of exploration; the new "verticality" to Pokémon hunting; the co-operative Raid battles; the fresh setting, inspired by Great Britain; and a Rotom smartphone that replaces the Pokédex. There's a lot, but very little of it is on show at this year's E3. The demo I played through this afternoon was limited to a section of a water gym. It contained a simple switch-based puzzle, where I turned off and on water jets in order to proceed to the gym leader. One interesting thing was the game's use of a more horizontal camera to lay out the puzzle clearly, but honestly it's the type of challenge that'd be at home in any of the series' many games. It was all very familiar, albeit with a heightened level of graphical flair that the transition away from the 3DS allows for.
Read MoreFor all the improvements to online features in Super Mario Maker 2, multiplayer is oddly limited -- you can play with random people on the internet, but not your friends. That won't be true forever, thankfully. Producer Takashi Tezuka has confirmed that online multiplayer with friends will come to the level-building game through an update. More details are coming in the future, Nintendo said.
Read MoreEver since 2003, you've had the option of importing your Pokémon critters into newer games, including across platforms thanks to Pokémon Home. However, GameFreak is about to end that run. As part of an E3 chat, producer Junichi Masuda revealed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will only accept transfers from creatures that exist in the game's Galar region. That includes some Pokémon from other games, of course, but it means your beloved Meloetta won't be playable. You should still have a central collection in the Home app, you just won't get to use all of it.
Read MoreXenomorphs will soon hunt you down on the road. Creative Assembly and Sega are bringing the survival horror of Alien: Isolation to the Switch sometime later in 2019. There are precious few details of what will change, but the portability is an obvious advantage over the existing console versions. You can also presume that it'll involve many instances of hiding in lockers and remaining perfectly quiet. Whether or not you'll get the movie-themed DLC is another matter.
Read MoreIn March, we learned Cadence of Hyrule - Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda would land on Switch this spring. Today, as part of its E3 2019 announcements, Nintendo revealed the game will arrive this Thursday.
Read MoreSquare Enix's RPG nostalgia isn't just limited to revamping Final Fantasy games. The developer is releasing Collection of Mana, a bundle of the first three games in the Mana series, on the Nintendo Switch later on June 11th (that's today, if you're reading this in time). They're straightforward ports, but might just hit the spot if you have fond memories of playing the action RPGs in your youth. This is also notable for completists -- it's the first time Trials of Mana (aka Seiken Densetsu 3) has been available in the US.
Read MoreNintendo closed out this year's Nintendo Direct as E3 with quite the surprise sneak peek: an early look at the next Legend of Zelda game. While plot details and game play are of course, under wraps, the video showed Link and Zelda exploring a cave and coming upon a desiccated corpse which promptly glows with evil. The preview explicitly called it the sequel to Breath of the Wild. No release date was given, but hopefully we'll hear more throughout the show.
Read MoreNintendo's E3 Direct opened up with one of the bigger announcements fans were waiting for: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC. This time around, it's a crossover with Dragon Quest XI, with that game's unnamed main character joining the roster of fighters. He's the second DLC character to arrive in SSBU following Joker from Persona 5. Meanwhile, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition is coming to Switch later this year. The Hero from the #DragonQuest series will be joining Super #SmashBrosUltimate! Purchase the Fighters Pass now and prepare to take to the battlefield with your hero this summer.https://t.co/hJmYO8YgVN pic.twitter.com/1YzOEgEZmA — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 11, 2019 But that's not all! Banjo-Kazooie are also coming to SSBU. The iconic bear and bird platformer duo will be available as a DLC fighter this fall. Your favorite bear-bird duo, Banjo & Kazooie, is joining Super #SmashBrosUltimate! Grab the Fighters Pass and get ready for when Banjo-Kazooie arrive on the battlefield this fall. https://t.co/hJmYO8YgVN pic.twitter.com/tsypQJpdBC — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 11, 2019
Read MoreThe Panzer Dragoon series has been around since the days of the Sega Saturn and now stretches across six titles. On Tuesday at its E3 Direct event, Nintendo announced that the venerated shooter series will soon be coming to the Switch with Panzer Dragoon Remake.
Read MoreYou won't have to be content with older Resident Evil games on the Switch for much longer. Capcom is bringing two of its not-quite-newest survival horror titles, Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, to Nintendo's platform sometime in the fall. It's not certain just how much will have changed with the port, although they look reasonably intact from the cursory glimpse Nintendo has offered so far. These aren't the franchise's greatest hits -- they will, however, fill in a conspicuous gap for Switch fans.
Read MoreNo More Heroes III is heading to Nintendo Switch in 2020, starring charismatic, homicidal nerd Travis Touchdown and, most likely, a lot of hacking and slashing. The first look at the game featured Travis cutting his way through enemies in slick, flying mech suits.
Read MoreBad news for Animal Crossing fans. Nintendo announced during its E3 Direct event that the upcoming Switch-exclusive title, Animal Crossing New Horizons, will not arrive in September of this year, as previously believed. Rather, the company expects the game will be ready for release on March 20th, 2020.
Read MoreJim Henson's 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal seems to be having a moment right now. A prequel series will be hitting Netflix in August and now, at today's Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo announced a tactical RPG based in the world of Thra called Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance Tactics.
Read MoreWhen The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake arrives on Switch on September 20th, you'll have plenty of options to continue enjoying the game aside from the main story. That's because there's a dungeon creation mode that'll let you forge your own fiendish, heart-shaped stage. You can use chambers (essentially pre-made rooms) you earn while playing to build out your dungeon, and you can claim rewards as you play through your creations. Coming September 20th! #NintendoDirectE3 #E3 pic.twitter.com/1hbSgSgpdt — E3 (@E3) June 11, 2019
Read MoreNintendo is bringing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to the Switch later this year, the company announced at E3 2019. The action RPG, created by CD Projekt, will be coming to the Nintendo's portable console in its "Complete Edition," which means it'll likely include all the DLC that's been available since 2015. Nintendo didn't say when, exactly, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be available on the Switch, but we do know it'll be at some point in 2019. At least you have time to prepare yourself for your next fantasy.
Read MoreThe classic Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening first released in 1993 on the Game Boy and now there's a release date for its Switch remake: September 20th this year. In the game, Link is shipwrecked on Koholint Island -- not Hyrule for a change. The remaster will retain the classic top-down gameplay but with fresh, vibrant graphics. And there's a new twist: what appears to be a make-your-own-dungeon mode.
Read MoreLuigi's Mansion 3 hits Nintendo Switch in 2019, six years after the launch of the previous installment, Dark Moon. Luigi's Mansion 3 stars Luigi, rather than Mario, as he sneaks around a haunted hotel fighting ghosts and searching for his friends. Nintendo revealed a few extra details about the game during its E3 livestream, but didn't narrow down the release window any further.
Read MoreIt's the final press show of E3, and it's gaming royalty. Nintendo Direct is coming to you live, so come watch with us! Pokemon news? More on Fire Emblem? We hope so. And what about Animal Crossing? We're streaming the entire thing live, so join us as we figure out what the company has planned for 2019 and beyond.
Read MoreThe Switch is a remarkable little machine. Part handheld and part home console, the device is home to some wonderful Nintendo-made exclusives such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. It's also home to some rock-solid ports, including Rocket League and the Nazi-slaying Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. These versions are visibly inferior to their PS4, Xbox One and PC counterparts, with murky textures and adaptive resolutions that frequently hover below 720p. Still, they are undeniably impressive, offering the same ferocious gunplay and bombastic humor whether you're playing at home or the back of a bus. The wizards behind these seemingly-impossible ports? Panic Button, a developer in Austin, Texas with less than 50 employees. It's an unusual specialty -- some companies, such as Bluepoint Games, have earned a reputation on their ability to remake and remaster classic titles such as Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Shadow of the Colossus. Few, though, are able to match Panic Button's skill at bringing so-called 'triple-A' games to effectively tablet-grade hardware.
Read MoreIt's once again time to wave goodbye to a Splatoon game as you know it -- Nintendo has revealed that Splatoon 2's last Splatfest will start on July 18th. This "Final Fest" will run for a lengthy 72 hours and ask players to support Chaos or Order. Multiplayer will continue to work, of course, but you'll no longer enjoy giant community events. It's not the end of Splatfests as a whole, though -- unlike last time, there will be a way to keep the party going on a limited scale.
Read MoreAfter two years with the Nintendo Switch, a few things still manage to impress editor Devindra Hardawar, like how flexible the system is mobile or docked, or the way those shareable Joy-Cons pull everyone into the experience. In re-examining his review, Devindra said that a larger selection of titles, improved online service and the durability of the hardware had changed his overall perspective on the device. We ended up raising the score on the Switch from 84 to 88. However, users were a little more implacable (and perhaps less likely to update their write-ups), leading to an average score of 81 from our readers.
Read MoreWe already knew that Nintendo would be focusing on 2019 games at E3 this year (sorry, Metroid Prime fans). Today, the company has gone a step further and revealed the exact games that will be playable on the show floor: Pokémon Sword and Shield, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (the upcoming remake, not the original), Luigi's Mansion 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. Nintendo said there will be "other games on the show floor," and "details about additional upcoming titles for Nintendo Switch" during its now-traditional Direct video on June 11th. That means there's still a chance the new Animal Crossing -- which is tentatively scheduled for 2019 at the moment -- will make an appearance at the show. We could also see Astral Chain, a fantasy-action game from Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames, and Super Mario Maker 2, which comes out just a couple of weeks after the show. Heck, maybe we'll get a release date for Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo's next smartphone game, too.
Read MoreThe next core titles in the Pokémon franchise, Sword and Shield, will be released on November 15th, 2019. Developer Game Freak confirmed the news in a 15-minute Direct that also included a host of gameplay and story tidbits. One of these, Dynamax, will boost your monster's size and attack power for three turns in battle. In addition, it will be possible to fight Dynamax-sized Pokémon in the wild through a new, co-operative Max Raid Battle system. Details are scarce at the moment, but the Direct showed four trainers meeting near a portal and fighting a giant Pokémon in what appeared to be another dimension. So yeah, basically Pokémon Kaij?.
Read MoreSwitch owners, assemble! Nintendo has a special Direct presentation dedicated to Pokémon Sword and Shield today. If you've been living under a Geodude for the last four months, these are the proper, all-new Switch RPGs that fans have been clamoring for. We've already seen the new starter Pokémon (the grass type, Grookey, is clearly the best) and the clearly UK-inspired Galar region (hopefully it won't morph into a Brexit wasteland), but that's about it. We know little about the story, combat tweaks, mini-games and potential compatibility with other Pokémon software, including Go, the Let's Go titles, and the recently-announced Pokémon Sleep. For all the juicy details, watch the stream here at 6AM PT/9AM ET.
Read MoreHalo: Reach is now playable on PC... for a handful of very early adopters. Microsoft and 343 Industries have shared a slew of Master Chief Collection update news, including word that it has started a public test of Reach on Windows PCs that lasts through July 1st. Don't get your hopes up for joining in this round, though. There are less than 1,000 Halo Insiders involved, and they're playing just one campaign mission. The developers plan to invite more people "over time," though, so you can consider this the start of a much larger test experience.
Read MoreThe little cooperative game Valve conjured up to go with the Steam Summer Sale this year caused some pretty big issues, enough for the company to change things up a bit. Apparently, its mechanics were so complex, confusing and even broken that players inadvertently threw away loads of points they could've used to boost their teams. In addition, Valve seems to have failed to properly explain how players can win the top games in their wishlist as a Grand Prix reward. According to Kotaku, that led to a drastic decrease in wishlist numbers.
Read MoreIt's that time of the year again when you can't help but empty your wallet to stockpile on Steam games you'll probably never touch. Steam has launched its Summer Sale event for 2019, and it'll last for the next two weeks until July 7th 10AM PDT/1PM EDT. You know the drill: Steam sales offer the PC games available on its platform at very, very low prices -- sometimes, the prices are even far too low and the games far too many for your poor bank account. This year, the most notable games on sale include Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Skyrim and Resident Evil 2 remake.
Read MoreAt last, there's a full-fledged One Punch Man game coming to consoles and computers. Bandai Namco has announced work on One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows, an "action fighting" game for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. It's a three-on-three brawler that will include many of the characters from the series, including its centerpiece Saitama as well as his sidekick Genos, the selfless Mumen Rider and the obsessive Speed-o'-Sound Sonic.
Read MoreIf you're a Linux gamer who prefers Ubuntu, you might want to look for another distribution in the near future. Valve is dropping official support for Ubuntu in Steam as of the operating system's upcoming 19.10 release, which will cut 32-bit x86 components. The Steam crew aims to "minimize breakage" for existing Ubuntu users, according to Valve's Pierre-Loup Griffais, but it'll shift its attention to another distribution in the future.
Read MoreJust a day after going live, the Dota Underlords beta is off to a great start. According to stats from SteamDB, as of Friday night it had over 84,000 players at once -- higher than Valve's troubled Dota 2 spinoff Artifact ever had. It topped out at around 60,000, while Underlords has already had over 179,000 simultaneous participants -- a number that the tracking site believes includes players on mobile devices.
Read MoreBack in 2017, Facebook and Respawn Entertainment revealed the developer was working on a virtual reality AAA shooter. While things have been fairly secretive since (so much so that it might have fallen off your radar), we'll hear more about it at this year's Oculus Connect, which is scheduled for September 25th to 26th in San Jose.
Read MoreFor years it seemed Westwood's Blade Runner might be lost for good. The 1997 adventure game that meticulously recreated the film's universe has becoming increasingly difficult to play on modern PCs. In 2003, the game's source code was lost, and it seemed like Blade Runner would never get the face lift that other retro-games have received. Now, it appears Blade Runner's fate might be changing.
Read MoreNow that Dota Auto Chess mod maker Drodo has announced plans to release PC Auto Chess as an Epic Games Store exclusive, Valve is releasing its standalone version, dubbed Dota Underlords. In this game, players join the game with seven others while "building, combining, and leveling-up a crew in a battle of dominance for the city of White Spire." The point here is supposed to be the use of tactics over quick-twitch reflexes, and players who've purchased a $10 Dota 2 Battle Pass can try it out right now. An open beta is slated to begin after "approximately a week" of stress testing of the preview which includes eight-player multiplayer, play vs. bots, or teams against other players and/or bots. The open beta will be available for Steam on all platforms plus Android and iOS, with cross-play and progression carrying over no matter where you play. It looks like Valve has learned a bit from the launch of its last Dota spinoff, Artifact, and now it will be up to players to decide if it's more successful.
Read MoreWith over a billion PC gamers on the planet, it's about time someone launched a gaming-friendly browser -- and that's exactly what Opera has done. The previously hinted at Opera GX goes into early access availability today, and offers a bunch of features and options that will make PC gaming smoother and more customizable.
Read MoreUbisoft can't resist the temptation to join the game subscription bandwagon. The publisher is launching a Uplay+ service on PC that will offer access to over 100 games, including the premium versions of the latest releases and their associated add-ons. You'll also be included in every beta and early access program. Also, this isn't just limited to downloads -- Ubisoft is promising support for Google's Stadia game streaming service, in case you'd like to add one subscription to another.
Read MoreA year after revealing Twin Mirror at E3 2018, Dontnod Entertainment said it's delaying the first of the psychological thriller's three episodes until 2020. It was previously slated to arrive sometime this year.
Read MoreSurprise! The PC version of Shenmue 3 is now an Epic Games Store exclusive. That means the crowdfunded sequel, which was originally unveiled as part of Sony's E3 press conference in 2015, won't be sold through Steam or any other PC-centric storefront. "In looking for the most enjoyable experience on PC, it was decided together with Deep Silver after much discussion that the Epic Games Store would be the best distribution platform option," developer Ys Net said in a Kickstarter update. For now, it's unclear if backers who wanted the Steam version will be offered any kind of refund, or forced to accept the Epic Games Store version. The Epic deal doesn't affect the game's PlayStation 4 version, however. Still, the move is bound to rile some players who dislike the Epic store and its ever-growing lineup of exclusives -- some temporary, others permanent -- including The Division 2, Metro Exodus and Outer Wilds. If none of that bothers you, good news -- Ys Net also released a new gameplay trailer today. It shows series protagonist Ryo Hazuki practicing his martial arts and, later, battling a group of drunken thugs. Shenmue 3 is currently scheduled to come out on November 19th. The game been delayed many times, however, so we wouldn't be surprised if it slipped into early 2020.
Read MoreTo show off the capabilities of path tracing, NVIDIA has released an updated version of id Software's classic 1997 FPS Quake II. You can play the first three single-player levels of Quake II RTX for free, and if you own the full game, you'll be able to play the whole thing in path tracing mode, including multiplayer.
Read MoreIf you'd like your Doom sequels more traditional than Doom Eternal, your fix is at hand. Series co-creator John Romero has released his unofficial (and significantly delayed) fifth episode for the original game, Sigil. The pack includes nine single-player and nine deathmatch maps that carry the spirit of the original game while taking advantage of Romero's 25 years of experience since the core Doom (which is required here) first reached gamers.
Read MoreIf you've wanted to try EA Access on your PS4, you now have a more specific date to add to your calendar. EA plans to launch the game subscription service on Sony's console July 24th. As with with the Xbox One version, $5 per month or $30 per year will get you access to dozens of games (including recent Battlefield and EA Sports titles), pre-release trials and a 10 percent discount on purchases of game downloads. It's not an all-you-can-play service, but it might make sense if you tend to play EA's bigger titles on a regular basis.
Read MoreOculus Quest owners were treated to a free new chapter of Polyarc's adorable puzzle game Moss back in May -- now it's rolling out to other platforms. On June 25th, the "Twilight Garden" update will roll out across PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift/S, HTC Vive and Windows MR, giving all VR gamers the chance to guide young hero mouse Quill through an enchanting new world of puzzle adventures. The Twilight Garden will update automatically and for free, while the game itself is available for download through Steam, Oculus Rift and HTC Viveport stores for $30.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! We'll recap a few highlight stories from the last week, plus some new items like our thoughts on Google getting out of the tablet business and a hands-on test of Tesla's latest in-car games. Oh, and if you prefer to read this recap in the afternoon, it's alright -- we understand.
Read MoreHot on the heels of its major Days of Play E3 sale and adding a bunch of games to its PlayStation Hits lineup, Sony is back at it with a Flash Sale on a wealth of PS4, PS3 and Vita games. As you'd expect, PS4 gets the lion's share. Among the more notable deals are Dark Souls II ($10), Just Cause 3 ($6), the full season of Life is Strange ($4), all episodes of Life is Strange: Before the Storm ($5.09) and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 ($10).
Read MoreIt's not unusual for games developers to use E3 to announce upcoming titles, but it is pretty leftfield for a studio to reveal plans to launch 50 -- FIFTY -- forthcoming releases. But that's exactly what Limited Run Games has done. At its press conference during the expo, the company -- which specializes in producing physical copies of otherwise digital-only independent console games -- announced a slew of new projects and crossovers for the Switch, PS4, Nintendo 3DS and the system that just won't die, the PlayStation Vita.
Read MoreSure, Sony says it's skipping E3 this year, but let's take a look at the facts. Within the past eight weeks, the company has unveiled the PlayStation 5, teasing out details about its upgraded architecture and 8K capabilities, and clearly delineating the start of a new console generation. A buzzy new trailer for one of PlayStation's most-anticipated exclusive games, Death Stranding, dropped two weeks ago, complete with a release date (and details about a $200 collector's edition that comes with a life-sized pod baby). That's not to mention the things that Sony is doing during E3. PlayStation is hosting its annual Days of Play sale this week, and even though it isn't holding a press conference, it's making headlines at other companies' shows. Final Fantasy VII Remake is a major title at E3 2019, as Square Enix just revealed a release date and fresh details -- and it happens to be a PlayStation exclusive. And that's just the start. Turns out, Sony doesn't have to actually attend E3 to do E3.
Read MoreWant more Final Fantasy VII Remake details? We've got them. Following up on a new trailer last night, which teased some core game changes to the 20-year-old original (Aeris, attacked by ghosts?), Square Enix used the beginning of its E3 event to dive straight into the remake. It all kicked off with a remade intro, scene-by-scene matching the PSOne original. Producer Kitase then took to the stage to announce the game will encompass two Blu-Ray discs in total, with the city of Midgar alone taking up an entire disc. The original game came on three CD discs. Bless!
Read MoreAhead of whatever Square Enix shows at E3 this year, lots of questions remain regarding its remake of Final Fantasy VII. Since being announced at E3 2015, details and updates have been scant. For a while, it was all a little worrying -- until Square Enix snuck out a slightly longer trailer last month. It was proof of the game's continued existence and came with the promise of more details in June. Hopefully, it meant today. It's already taken four years to get this far, and the original game launched on the first PlayStation 18 years before that.
Read MoreNow that Persona 5 Royal is on the way to the Americas and Europe, Atlus is ready to give those audiences a taste of what to expect. It's offering an English-language trailer that highlights the new places, story scenes, abilities and characters, including the newly playable Kasumi Yoshizawa. In true Persona fashion, you can expect a lot of hyper-stylish action, world-changing events and personal drama.
Read MoreAfter nearly 10 years of operation, Naughty Dog is pulling the plug on PS3 multiplayer servers for Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3 and The Last of Us. The developers say the decision is "bittersweet to say the least," as the games marked "defining entries" in Naughty Dog's history. But you've still got time to get your fill, as the servers will remain intact until September 3rd. And, as part of a fitting send-off, Uncharted 2, Uncharted 3 and The Last of Us will be totally free on PS3 until then -- get the bundle from the PlayStation Store.
Read MorePlayStation 4 gamers could soon have access to bigger party sizes. In a blog post by Sony, the company announced it was testing a number of new updates to the Party function, including improved audio quality, better network connectivity and increased player party participants, jumping from eight to 16.
Read MoreWhere does virtual reality go next? Right now there seem to be two paths: portable and self-contained headsets like the Oculus Quest or those connected to computers and consoles like the Rift and PlayStation VR. Valve is clearly betting on the second way with the Index, its first VR hardware. It crams in just about every feature you'd expect from a high-end headset, including some truly transformative finger-sensing controllers. It's too bad the entire Index package costs $999, putting it out of reach for most people. But maybe that's the point. It's a boundary-pushing headset meant to keep the VR industry from getting stale.
Read MoreHollow Knight was a gorgeous, entertaining action platform game that appeared out of nowhere for a lot of us. The rare result of a crowdfunding campaign that succeeded, the game stood out with its combination gorgeous cartoon(ish) characters, lush levels, high-quality sound and a perfect balance of exploration and action. I think the indie picked up a lot of new fans when it appeared on the Switch last year. Enough to warrant its sequel, Silksong, heading to both Nintendo's hybrid console, alongside PC. That is, when it does launch.
Read MoreIt's impossible to play Super Mario Maker 2 without having a huge smile on your face. It's a total deconstruction of what makes Nintendo's 2D platforming franchise so special. You're just a plumber, standing on a stage, hoping to make it to the goal intact. The real hook, of course, is that you can take everything you've learned from Mario games over the years and craft your own levels, with the freedom to make them as simple or thumb-numbingly complex as you'd like. And if you're just in the mood to play, you've got a practically endless supply of levels from Nintendo and the online community to feed on. There's no doubt Super Mario Maker 2 banks heavily on nostalgia, but it's also a way for both old and new players to truly grasp the power of 2D platformers.
Read MoreGrizzly murders. A ridiculously smart hero haunted by his past. A shady group of individuals who will do anything, it seems, to cover up their terrible deeds. These are the hallmarks of a great detective story, and Judgment, the latest video game from Japanese developer Ryu ga Gotoku (RGG) Studio, has all of them.
Read MoreSince the debut of its 1000X line, Sony has given Bose a run for its money when it comes to noise-canceling headphones. In fact, the 1000XM2 and 1000XM3 are arguably better than the QuietComfort 35 II Bose introduced in 2017. Now Sony wants to offer a worthy alternative to Bose in its more affordable Extra Bass line with the WH-XB900N. While this new model doesn't have the same level of noise-canceling power as the 1000XM3, there's a lot to like for $250.
Read MoreWhen I reviewed the iPad Pro last year, I was torn. Here was one of the most impressive (not to mention expensive) tablets any company had ever made, and its software seemed caught between two goals: provide the classic, friendly iOS experience people were used to, and grow in a way that made it more meaningful to pro users shelling out for premium hardware.
Read MoreMat Smith and Dan Cooper grew up in the UK at the right age to witness the birth of Pottermania. The Harry Potter novels are firmly encoded in their very British psyches, and both are fans of augmented reality, GPS-connected mobile games. So it made plenty of sense that they spend a weekend playing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. One of them is a convert; the other, a hater, so let's watch them hash this out -- politely, of course.
Read MoreAfter Apple announced all of its big software updates for the year at WWDC, it made clear that the first public beta versions of iOS, iPadOS and macOS would go live sometime in July. Whoops! Never mind. The company just let us know they'll be released any minute now, and the brave (or possibly reckless) among you can load them onto your Apple devices later today. Of the three beta builds coming, I'd argue iOS 13 is the most important. In case Apple's two-plus-hour keynote didn't make it clear, this is shaping up to be a meaningful update, especially compared to iOS 12, which mostly just focused on performance improvements. We've got some important interface improvements here, plus a slew of revamped first-party apps and some impressive new accessibility features, among other things. Oh, and let's not forget that iOS 13 also provides the foundation for iPadOS. It's indisputable that iOS 13 is one of the most substantial updates Apple users have received in some time. Now we're left with just one question: What's it like to live with?
Read MoreWhen Amazon introduced the second-gen Echo Show display last year, it was a huge upgrade over the original, with a built-in browser, better sound and more video options than before. Just months later, however, and Amazon has released a new model called the Echo Show 5 (In case that's confusing, the "5" refers to the screen size, much like how Amazon names its Fire tablets). That might seem odd, but the Echo Show 5 isn't meant to replace the larger Show; it's a smaller version designed for desks and nightstands. Think of it as a squarer, reimagined Echo Spot that doubles as competition for Google's Nest Hub (and, in a way, the Lenovo Smart Clock). It's not perfect by any means, but for those who want a smaller, sleeker Amazon smart display that's also a decent alarm clock, the Echo Show 5 might be it.
Read MoreThe S-Class in front of me has its left-front tire off the ground. Soon, my luxury Mercedes will be traversing the same course. I'm not concerned because, over the course of two days while driving around Utah, I've come to trust that the new GLS can handle most of the obstacles the world throws at it.
Read MoreGiven the popularity of other nostalgic throwbacks like the NES and SNES Classic consoles, it's easy to see what Sony was trying to do when they released the PlayStation Classic in December. Devindra Hardawar even pointed out in his review that the system was "a quick attempt by Sony to cash in on the micro-console trend." While the Classic did have a decent look and feel, the 20 game selection was unlikely to satisfy fans, the controllers lacked DualShock and the inclusion of the PAL versions of some titles was baffling. These disappointments -- and an initial price point of $100 -- were enough to push the console's score down to 67.
Read MoreIt's easy to get caught up in the drama of Tesla. The weirdness runs the gamut from Robo-taxis, to CEO Elon Musk's bizarre tweets, vehicle demand, manufacturing tents, and investor events. But if we step back for a moment, it's worth reminding ourselves that it's a company that enjoys having fun.
Read MoreA cousin of AMD's Instinct M150 gaming card, the Radeon VII was released in February with an eyebrow-raising asking price of $699. In his review, Christopher Schodt commended the card's speed, 16GB of HBM2 memory and performance during graphics testing. The first card built on a 7nm manufacturing process, the Radeon VII was clearly intended to compete with NVIDIA's RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti. However, it wasn't always faster than those NVIDIA cards.
Read MoreWhen senior mobile editor Chris Velazco and I go to California to cover Google I/O, one thing keeps me sane -- our in-car karaoke (caraoke?) sessions. We're both showtunes nerds, so belting out songs from Wicked or Les Miserables really makes our time stuck in Silicon Valley traffic more tolerable. So naturally, when I heard about a product aimed at improving these vehicular singing sessions, I jumped.
Read MoreDespite having Android under the hood, Amazon's Fire tablets have traditionally had a very different purpose than the usual Android slate. Instead of trying to be an all-in-one workhorse, like some of Samsung's Galaxy offerings, Amazon's Fire tablets are aimed at media consumption. And, thanks to Amazon's clout, they tend to be dirt cheap, making them ideal for penny pinchers who want a simple tablet for watching videos and playing games. The cheapest of the bunch is the Amazon Fire 7, but it hasn't been updated since 2017. That is, until recently. Amazon has finally seen fit to bring it up to 2019 standards... but just barely. Yes, it is ever so slightly faster, has twice the storage capacity and now has hands-free Alexa -- meaning you no longer have to unlock the tablet in order to use it. But those are pretty minor upgrades. Aside from that, the Fire 7 remains basic. Sure, the Fire 7 is incredibly cheap at just $50, but at the same time, you do get what you pay for.
Read MoreThe 2016 remake of Doom reinvigorated the series. It added new gameplay quirks and systems that rewarded your aggression as humanity's savior, the slayer. Depending on how you maneuvered and ended the lives of demons and other threats, you'd pick up health or ammunition. Doom (2016) made you a far more active hunter -- it was not a game where you could hide and wait out your enemies. So when it came to the sequel, Doom Eternal, the challenge was to build on this bold new play style. This has meant a lot of changes aimed at ramping up the urgency and franticness even further.
Read More"Is this what I wanted?" I must have asked myself this question three, four, possibly five times during my 15-minute demo of Shenmue 3. The experience, to be clear, was definitively and unashamedly Shenmue. I steered the series' protagonist, Ryo Hazuki, around a beautifully-crafted village filled with charming villagers and side-activities. I talked to people. I played a game of Lucky Hit, the notoriously tricky gambling game from Shenmue 2. I bought some colorful "gacha" toys from a capsule machine. I even practiced my martial arts at a nearby dojo. But I wasn't happy.
Read MoreOne of the biggest shortcomings with today's VR games is the fact that there's nothing to do with your legs. Virtually no titles enable players to walk around freely, instead opting for teleportation gimmicks or handheld movement controls. But Phantom Covert Ops takes a more unique approach: the game removes the need for you to use your legs by taking place entirely in a kayak.
Read MoreIt's been more than a year since Samsung last updated its Fit line of activity-tracking bands, and it's high time for a refresh. After first announcing the new Galaxy Fit in February alongside the new Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Watch Active, the company is finally ready to roll it out in the US. Starting today, you can get the Galaxy Fit for $100. That puts it in direct competition with the Fitbit Inspire HR, which launched earlier this year for the same price.
Read MoreThere's no shortage of ways for synthesizers to generate sounds. Generally they rely on one of two tried and true technologies -- analog or digital oscillators. Gamechanger Audio, however, went a completely different route and turned to... motors (hence Motor Synth). These aren't the chaotic, gas-burning engines you'd find in a truck though. These are eight high-precision, brushless motors (like those used in drones).
Read MoreControl comes out on August 27th. That gives developers at Remedy Entertainment less than 80 days to spit-shine their code before the whole thing goes live on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Epic Games Store. Control is nearly there: An hour-long slice of the game, not a tailor-made demo, is playable at E3 2019 and it's a stylish, eerie, action-packed experience. However, it feels a little rough around the edges.
Read MoreSega had cocooned its incoming mini console in see-thru boxes at E3 2019. I'm not sure why, because the Genesis Mini (or Mega Drive Mini if you're nasty) seemed like the finished article, and was very much playable. There were rows of the device setup in a faux '90s living room, with faux TV frames and faux wood paneling to really complete the vibe. After a handful of delays, the $80 console is finally approaching its September launch date, and if you haven't preordered one already, should you?
Read MoreBorderlands 3 will squeeze every last drop of endorphin from your pituitary gland. And that's before you reach the boss fight. I went hands-on with the latest iteration of Gearbox Software's frenetic first-person shooter RPG at E3 on Wednesday and walked away with an epiphany: Shut down the polls, this is 2019's game of the year.
Read MoreJabra shocked the world (OK, maybe just me) in 2018 when it unveiled the Elite 65t true-wireless earbuds. Those headphones quickly shot to the top of a lot of "best of" lists, including a couple of Engadget Buyers Guides. The Elite 65t have dependable controls, solid audio and cost less than much of the competition. For 2019, Jabra is tackling over-ear noise-canceling headphones with the Elite 85h. However, no matter how good they are, they're not as good of a deal at $300.
Read More15 years after the events of the original Kill All Humans! came to an end, Cryptosporidium 137 -- or Crypto to his friends -- is coming back to consoles and PC in a modern remake of the cult classic, THQ Nordic announced ahead of E3 2019.
Read MoreAfter a long wait, and three trailers in the last month, Final Fantasy VII Remaster was in playable form at E3. The early, 15-minute demo answers a lot of my questions and concerns regarding the remake's battle system and game dynamics — suddenly all that talk of active time battle gauges, abilities, staggering and player switching made much more sense. Square Enix laid up the demo in a smart fashion, kicking things off with a video to explain how the aforementioned combat system, all led by one of the game's minor characters. FF7R attempts to straddle the sudden battle dynamics of Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy XV and the slower paced menu-led "active time battle" system of earlier FF games and the original FF7. I was a little confused by Square Enix's explanation during its E3 showcase last night. The system seemed overly complicated; as if I would be pressing several buttons nearly all the time. Yes, it's more involved than the game it's based on, but once you get down to it, it begins to work together pretty well.
Read MoreIt's been a long time since Luigi, the brother of Mario, last starred in a ghost-busting adventure. Too long, in fact -- Luigi's Mansion 2, better known as Dark Moon, came out more than six years ago on the Nintendo 3DS. In 2019, I was worried that its sequel, Luigi's Mansion 3, would offer little more than a visual overhaul for Switch owners. A charming adventure, but one that leant on the same puzzle solving and ghost-battling mechanics as its predecessor. Well, I'm happy to report that these fears were completely misplaced. Based on a short demo, I can already tell that Nintendo has plenty of fresh ideas to reinvigorate the series' formula.
Read MoreThe scariest thing in Black Mirror season five is Nine Inch Nails' song "Head Like a Hole" transformed into a teenybopper tune by Miley Cyrus. It's inherently unsettling, as if we're peering into an alternate universe where Trent Reznor's gloomy lyrics have been transformed into anthems of positivity. ("I'm filled with ambition and verve, I'm gonna get what I deserve.") Like many ideas thrown around during the season, the song makes an impact, but Black Mirror fails to build on it. Instead of digging deeper into our relationship with technology and how it's transforming our society (something the series managed effortlessly in its earlier seasons), creator Charlie Brooker too often leans on surface-level observations.
Read MoreMicrosoft's Project xCloud is almost ready for public consumption. In fact, it's launching in some capacity this October, with the ability to stream games from your at-home Xbox One to any device you own. The company's big E3 showcase mentioned this, but not much else. Sure, we had news of the next-gen Project Scarlett console to keep the faithful hyped for what's coming up, but concrete details and specifications are still scant. This means that getting to test the service out, with real, triple-A games was all the more important -- and that's what I just did. I played Resident Evil 7, Hellblade, Halo 5 and more through a Galaxy S10, with an Xbox controller, and it was rather wonderful.
Read MoreI'm six-foot-three-inches tall. I mention that fact pretty often in car reviews because it adds context when I remark on head and leg room. If my large frame will fit in a compact car, maybe yours will too. Being comfortable while driving is important. If you've ever tried to operate a car while the seat is pushed forward to make room for a passenger in the back, you know how hard and potentially dangerous that is.
Read MoreThe Oculus Quest instantly makes every desktop VR headset seem antiquated. Instead of being attached to a computer, you're completely free to hop into virtual reality wherever you are. But the move towards simpler, more convenient VR also comes with plenty of drawbacks. With the Index SteamVR headset ($1,000 for the complete package), Valve aims to prove that there's still plenty of room for tethered high-end VR today. And after spending a week with it, I'm inclined to believe them.
Read MoreWhen Engadget video producer Chris Schodt reviewed the new Mac Mini back in November, it had been four years since the previous model was released. The 2018 upgrade includes an eighth-generation Intel processor and a plethora of ports in a space gray recycled aluminum body, all of which make for a polished and flexible machine. However, Chris thought the lack of a dedicated GPU was a big miss here, particularly for the sort of pro users Apple was trying to court.
Read MoreAs great as the Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones sound, let's be real: they look like they were designed for dads on a business trip. And listen, as someone who's into the whole chunky, dad-shoe trend, I'm not here to judge if you're into their design. I'm just saying that I need something with a more modern style. Thankfully, Bose has introduced its latest flagship model, the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which features a newly designed stainless steel headband that gives them a more stylish and thinner look than the QuietComfort line. Bose says that the wireless 700s were designed from the ground up and, compared to the QC35 IIs, they also have all-new drivers, ear cushions and USB-C support.
Read MoreA dark mode. A swipe-friendly keyboard. A slew of redesigned apps. These are just a few of the things you'll find in Apple's new iOS 13 release, but here's the rub: unless you're a developer, you can't actually try any of these new features until they become available in a public beta later this summer. (And even then, most of you will probably want to wait until iOS 13's official release this September.)
Read MoreApple just wrapped its two-hour-plus WWDC keynote, and though it was mostly focused on the company's software, it was two pieces of hardware news that ultimately stole the show. The company finally debuted its long-awaited new Mac Pro and with it, a $5,000, 32-inch 6K Retina display, the Pro XDR. (That's short for Extreme Dynamic Range, har har.) Neither device will be available until the fall, but we did find both of them set up inside a demo area today at the conference. Before you get too excited, these were hands-off demos; Apple doesn't want a bunch of know-nothings like us trying their hands at pro-grade apps they've never used, only to write about how the new machine looks like a cheese grater. (It totally looks like a cheese grater.) So for now, what we have here is a hands-off, eyes-only look, in the form of photos.
Read MoreWhen Amazon released the Echo Spot in 2017, I praised it for being an adorable Alexa-powered smart clock. Yet, I thought its $130 asking price was a little high and having a camera by your bedside does feel a little creepy. This year, Lenovo and Google unveiled a product I found a lot more compelling: the Lenovo Smart Clock.
Read MoreRoboBee X-Wing, the latest version of Harvard's robotic bee, has four wings instead of two -- more importantly, it can fly on its own without the need for a power tether. Researchers from Harvard's Microrobotics Laboratory have been working on the RoboBee for a while now. They've made it smaller and lighter, and they've given it more and more features such as the ability to fly in and out of water over the years.
Read MoreFor rice farmers, ducks have been a viable way to keep their crops healthy -- they destroy weeds, eat bugs and fertilize crops without using harmful chemicals. And now, a Nissan technician might have an alternative when fowl isn't an option. He's testing a robot 'duck' that roams rice paddies, muddying the water to prevent weeds from getting enough sunlight to grow -- it's really a Roomba (and a cute one at that) for watery fields. Although it's a personal project, it's fully realized with GPS, a WiFi connection and solar power to minimize its environmental impact.
Read MoreiRobot, the company behind the Roomba, is about to do more than vacuum your house, mop your floors and mow the lawn. Today the company announced that it's acquired Root Robotics, and it will add the Root educational coding robot to its lineup.
Read MoreThere's no question that robots have come a long way since their cold, clunky, cumbersome inception. Nowadays they're smart, agile and responsive -- but they're still missing the tactile, multipurpose elements that make living creatures flexible and autonomous. Until now. In a bid to make robots more lifelike, scientists have created a soft robotic lionfish and have pumped it full of life-giving "blood."
Read MoreRestaurants and other eateries are facing a shortage of dishwashers, and for understandable reasons -- it's inglamorous work with low pay. Dishcraft, at least, thinks robots can fill that gap. It just revealed a robotic dishwasher intended to clean large volumes of plates in commercial kitchens. Once customers stack plates on a special cart, a staffer just has to wheel that cart into the robot. From there, the machine flips the plate upside-down and uses both cold water and a brush to wipe the surface clean within seconds. AI-guided cameras then scan dishes to see if dishes need another scrub before they head to the dish rack.
Read MoreFor humans, it's easy to predict how an object will feel by looking at it or tell what an object looks like by touching it, but this can be a big challenge for machines. Now, a new robot developed by MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is attempting to do just that.
Read MoreAutomation is increasingly a reality in the workforce, and that means robots working alongside humans. But there's a problem: robots are often lousy at predicting where humans are going, leading them to either freeze up or risk collisions with their fleshy counterparts. Thankfully, MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that better predicts the paths of nearby humans.
Read MoreLess than a month after launching its first-ever action camera, DJI is now introducing its first educational robot, The RoboMaster S1, which the company says has been in development for two years, was inspired by a robotics competition that DJI has sponsored and hosted for the past five years, called RoboMaster. DJI says that RoboMaster has been a passion project from founder and CEO Frank Wang, who figured the company could use its know-how in computer vision, artificial intelligence and camera technologies to create a robotics product that it could get "into the hands of everyone." The result of that, DJI says, is the new RoboMaster S1, or S1 for short.
Read MoreAutonomous boats might soon do a favor for people who have no intention of charting a course. Researchers at MIT and AMS Institute have developed a new version of their 'Roboat' that can identify and latch on to fellow robots to form different structures, whether it's a foot bridge, a garbage collector or a stage for a concert. The boats use cameras, lidar and computer vision algorithms to look for fellow bots with QR-like tags (to help determine their relative position), and then position themselves for docking on command. They also know to try again if there's a botched attempt.
Read MoreIKEA wants to "empower people to have big dreams for small homes." To do so, it's creating a line of robotic furniture. Today, the company announced that it's partnering with Ori, an American startup that develops robotic furniture meant to address the challenges of small apartment living. IKEA and Ori will introduce their new line, dubbed ROGNAN, in 2020.
Read MoreSamsung is adding a camera, a WiFi smart plug and a smart bulb to its range of SmartThings devices available in the US. The indoor camera has full HD and HDR capabilities -- plus, it has a 145-degree view to be able to monitor a wider part of your home than other cameras can, as well as the ability to capture footage in the dark with night vision. It also has object detection, which Samsung says can differentiate between people (in other words, an actual potential threat inside your home) and the motion of pets or a passing vehicle.
Read MoreThis morning a Samsung customer support account tweeted an odd warning that, to prevent malicious software attacks on your smart TV, you should scan it for viruses every few weeks. It even included an instructional video to help you do so. The tweet, first spotted by The Verge, was short lived. Samsung has since removed it, but it existed long enough to raise a few red flags.
Read MoreThe strange case of Samsung's Galaxy Fold may drag on throughout the summer, according to a report in The Korea Herald. The outlet -- which reported in May that Samsung would reach a conclusion on the launch in a couple of days -- now says that according to company officials, if it were going to launch in July then they'd be preparing by now. It also mentions CEO DJ Koh telling another outlet just last week that the device would arrive before July. So what's the truth? At this point it's tough to discern beyond the company's actions. In a week, we'll be two months clear of Samsung announcing a delay in the launch after several reviewers experienced broken units. A week later Samsung told investors it would still release the device, and planned to announce a new launch date in the coming weeks.
Read MoreSamsung's 146-inch The Wall TV? That's for chumps. The electronics giant is fulfilling its promises of a home version by introducing The Wall Luxury, an even more ambitious TV designed for the poshest of abodes. It starts at 'just' 73 inches and 1080p, but its MicroLED tech lets it scale all the way to 292 inches and 8K. That's over 24 feet in the diagonal, folks. You could very nearly cover a large living room wall with your screen. Appropriately, Samsung is hyping up the use of its Ambient Mode to decorate your space with art when you're not using the TV. You can certainly afford the power bill if you can afford this model, after all.
Read MoreRemember how Samsung said it would narrow down its plans to relaunch the Galaxy Fold sometime in mid-May? Well, it's been a month -- and now those rumors of an extended delay appear to be coming true. A spokesperson has reiterated to CNET that a new release date is still due sometime in "the coming weeks," suggesting that you might not get a new release date until July or later. Given that the phone was originally supposed to be in customer's hands in late April, would-be buyers might just face a delay of three months or more.
Read MoreSamsung is no stranger to gaming monitors, but you've had to use AMD FreeSync (if it was even available) if you were determined to eliminate any trace of screen tearing artifacts. What if your PC uses NVIDIA graphics, though? You can relax -- Samsung has finally released a display with G-Sync, the 27-inch CRG5. The panel mates G-Sync with a 240Hz refresh rate to deliver tear-free visuals as long as you have a GeForce GPU under the hood. There's a low-latency mode and a reasonably quick 4ms gray-to-gray pixel response time, too, so it could be a solid pick even if you prefer Radeons.
Read MoreSamsung wants to capitalize on consumers who value personal tastes and experiences, and they plan to do so with refrigerators. Yesterday, Samsung revealed Project PRISM, or what it's calling a "new era of customized home appliances." The first product in its lineup is BESPOKE, a refrigerator for which users can choose the material, color and size, as well as other features.
Read MoreSamsung has delayed the release of its Galaxy Home speaker. The Bixby-powered device should be on shelves sometime between July and September. Official confirmation of the delay shouldn't be too much of a surprise, as Samsung previously told Engadget it planned to put the speaker on shelves in the first half of the year, and there's still no whisper of a confirmed release date.
Read MoreLab-made embryos are one step closer to saving a virtually extinct species. Scientists have successfully transferred a test tube rhino embryo back into a female for the first time, implanting the creation into a southern white rhino in Poland. The effort supports a theory that scientists can repopulate the near-extinct northern white rhino by fertilizing eggs from the two remaining animals in the species (both females that can't bear children) using frozen sperm from since-deceased males, with southern rhinos serving as surrogate mothers.
Read MoreBiometric identification has become part of everyday life. We've got facial recognition in airports, cars that can be unlocked just by looking at them, technology that detects a person's unique way of walking, and of course the ubiquitous fingerprint, used for everything from smart phones to event ticketing. Next on the agenda? Your heartbeat.
Read MoreWhat separates average athletes from elite ones? Aside from years and years of training, dedication to the craft and natural advantages, it may have to do with what is in your gut. In a paper published this week in Nature Medicine, researchers from the Wyss Institute at Harvard revealed that a particular type of bacteria called Veillonella was found in higher quantities in marathon runners. That bacteria could lead to better performance.
Read MoreThere's a coded judgment that people who do well in the mornings hold against those of us who do not. "You're just not a morning person," they say, the words dripping with the implication that our sluggishness in the AM is a result of slovenliness. It's the same subtext you see held against fat people, as overweight bodies are viewed as the result of some moral failing. Thankfully, I have in my hand a piece of paper -- well, on my computer, a PDF -- to refute those biases. I'm not a morning person because I'm lazy, but because it's coded into my genes.
Read MoreThere's no one right way to build a robot, just as there's no singular means of imparting it with intelligence. Last month, Engadget spoke with Carnegie Mellon University associate research professor and the director of the Resilient Intelligent Systems Lab, Nathan Michael, whose work involves stacking and combining a robot's various piecemeal capabilities together as it learns them into an amalgamated artificial general intelligence (AGI). Think, a Roomba that learns how to vacuum, then learns how to mop, then learns how to dust and do dishes -- pretty soon, you've got Rosie from The Jetsons.
Read MoreYou don't need cutting-edge satellite data to make sense of Earth's changing climate. Researchers have published a study of melting Himalayan glaciers that takes advantage of 40 years' worth of satellite imagery posted by the US Geological Survey, including declassified KH-9 Hexagon spy satellite photos from the 1970s and 1980s. The info not only let researchers cover a vast territory (about 650 glaciers over 1,240 miles), but made it possible to automatically create 3D models that reflected declining glacier elevations.
Read MoreYou can only learn so much about cells by studying 2D pictures, and 3D microscope technology can produce an abundance of data that might be hard to decipher. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Virginia Mason have an answer, though: let scientists walk 'inside' the cells. They've combined virtual reality with expansion microscopy (which grows samples by over 100 times) to explore cell data that would otherwise be too complex to handle. Once the cells have been imaged, labeled and compiled into data, a custom technique turns the 2D info into 3D environments.
Read MoreA young woman wanted to know how much she needed to beg to take a selfie with him. A young man wanted to know if he could get his CyberPunk 2077 hat autographed. These are the kind of questions people were asking Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, during a panel at E3 2019. Musk, who was joined by legendary video game designer Todd Howard (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4), spent most of the conversation talking about how gaming has influenced his life, his vision for the industry and, of course, "The Simulation." Almost every response from him ignited cheers from the crowd at E3, who were the latest people to witness the Church of Elon Musk at a technology conference.
Read MoreScientists installed the two highest weather stations in the world in an expedition to Mount Everest that wrapped up this week. A team led by the National Geographic Society and Tribhuvan University installed the two weather monitoring stations at 8,430 meters (27,657 feet) and 7,945 meters (26,066 feet), as well as three other stations across Everest. Data gathered from the stations will help scientists better understand how rising global temperatures are impacting the rapidly melting glaciers.
Read MoreMeterology revolves as much around good weather models as it does good weather data, and the core US model is about to receive a long-overdue refresh. NOAA has upgraded its Global Forecast System with a long-in-testing dynamical core, the Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere (aka FV3). It's the first time the model has been replaced in roughly 40 years, and it promises higher-resolution forecasts, lower computational overhead and more realistic water vapor physics.
Read MoreThe UK is setting firmer environmental targets in the wake of large-scale climate protests. Outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May has proposed legislation that would cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 -- the "first major economy to do so," she claimed. The country already has a law requiring an 80 percent emissions cut by that point, but this is clearly more ambitious.
Read MoreUK energy supplier Scottish Power plans to launch a massive battery-storage system to capture renewable power from its 214 wind turbines. The 50 megawatt lithium-ion battery will allow Scottish Power to store energy when wind speeds are high and release it when they're low. According to The Guardian, this is the UK's most ambitious energy storage project to-date, and it will take the UK one step closer to reaching a net zero carbon economy.
Read MoreAmericans consume tens of thousands of microplastic particles every year -- and that's just from the food we eat. Microplastics are also found in the air we breathe and the water we drink. Thanks to a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, we have a better idea of just how much plastic Americans consume.
Read MoreRobert Downey Jr. took to the stage at Amazon's Re:MARS conference to talk about his goals for the future of the environment. The actor said that he was launching a new foundation that would harness robotics and nanotechnology to clean up the planet. The Footprint Coalition, according to Variety, will begin operations by April 2020, with the stated aim of tidying up our home in the next decade.
Read MoreThe field of spintronics, or spin electronics, uses an electron's spin and its magnetic movement to encode instructions and other data. It's sometimes seen as an alternative to electronics, which relies on the electron's charge to encode data. While spintronics has the potential to increase data processing speeds, boost storage capacity and offer increased data resilience, it's been limited because physicists could only move the electrons -- or tiny magnetic particles -- around a single atomic layer. Now, researchers have found a way to move information from magnets in one layer to magnets in another. They hope the discovery will lead to new possibilities for data storage and computing.
Read MoreThe world's first genetically-edited babies could have a shortened life expectancy. In 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui claimed he used the CRISPR/Cas9 tool to disable the CCR5 gene in the embryos of twin girls, Lulu and Nana. The twins, He theorized, would be protected from HIV. Now, research published in the journal Nature Medicine suggests He might have shortened the girls' life expectancies.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Good morning, there! The latest company to hitch a ride on Amazon Prime is eBay, promising its own deals if Amazon's site goes down. Elsewhere, Oppo is trying to make pinhole and notch phones' displays a relic of 2018, and some Google employees want to ban the company from SF Pride.
Read MoreSony has a simple, straightforward way to entice would-be Xperia 1 buyers in the US: offer a bundle that might be hard to refuse. The tech giant is starting American pre-orders on June 28th, and those who purchase ahead of the July 12th release will get a pair of the company's WH-1000XM3 headphones at no extra cost -- that's $350 of (frankly excellent) wireless audio for free. If you're buying the Xperia 1 to watch movies mid-flight or stream music during your commute, you might have everything you need.
Read MoreEarlier this month, Oppo teased its upcoming under-screen camera tech with a quick and dirty video, and Xiaomi was quick to announce that it was working on something similar. Neither company explained how the tech worked back then, but today, our colleagues over at Engadget Chinese were able to give this new feature a spin at MWC Shanghai, and Oppo was also willing to shed some light on the how.
Read MoreStarting this Friday, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will be available through another carrier. T-Mobile is adding the handset to its lineup, though for now you'll only be able to pick one up from certain stores in cities where its 5G network is switched on.
Read MoreChinese manufacturer Xiaomi has struggled to sell phones recently, so now it's spreading its offerings to cater to specific sets of customers. In this case, it's targeting the younger generation with the launch of Mi CC, a new series of smartphones aiming to be "a trendy mobile phone for global young people."
Read MoreWhile we're waiting for news on the foldable Galaxy phone, Samsung is still planning its usual big event to launch the next Galaxy Note. According to CNET, we should expect the company's annual Unpacked event to take place on August 7th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Along with 5G devices and the Galaxy Fold, the device we're expecting to see arrive as the Galaxy Note 10 is supposed to help Samsung strengthen its leadership in premium phones. This is the device that led the way for super-sized smartphones, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves as so many competitors get bigger, and foldable devices eventually take over the size crown. We liked the Galaxy Note 9 when it launched last year, but we weren't thrilled about the version of Android it shipped with. Hopefully any software issues are resolved this time around, and it includes improved support for AI assistants other than Bixby.
Read MoreIt's still slim pickings for 5G smartphones in the US, but your choices are widening ever so slightly. Verizon (Engadget's parent company) is adding the LG V50 ThinQ to its 5G lineup on June 20th, ending Sprint's brief head start on carrying the handset. It's expensive as you might imagine, but it might be a better deal than at its rival if you don't factor in a current promo. Big Red is selling the V50 for either $1,000 up front or $42 per month over two years, a fair discount over Sprint's $1,152 outright price and $48 per month (albeit over 18 months).
Read MoreAs much as Palm's tiny phone has improved over the past several months, there's still been one glaring limitation: you've had to use it on Verizon (Engadget's parent company) in the US. You won't have to be quite so picky after today. Palm has opened pre-orders for an unlocked version of the minuscule Android device that will work as a stand-alone phone on most major US carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile and the prepaid Metro brand. No, there's no mention of Sprint -- ironically, the home of the original Palm Pre won't get this device a decade later.
Read MoreiOS 13's newly expanded NFC support will be useful for more than just hopping on the subway. Germany is taking advantage of the upcoming software's support for Apple-approved NFC identification documents to let residents scan their ID cards and use them both online and for check-ins at international airports. You'll need to wait for both the release of iOS 13 (likely in September) and the German government's AusweisApp2 to make everything work, but this might just save you the trouble of pulling out your wallet to prove who you are.
Read MoreIf you were thinking about ditching the Galaxy Fold in favor of the Mate X after the former was delayed, think again. Huawei has told CNBC that is also pushing back the release of its folding phone to spend more time testing the hardware. The launch, originally pencilled in for this summer, will now take place in September. That will enable Huawei to ensure its mechanism is more reliable, and focus on other matters, like app compatibility.
Read MoreAccording to Huawei users on Twitter, ads for the hotel reservation site Booking.com are popping up on the lock screen of some Huawei smartphones. As Android Police reports, the ads seem to appear on devices using the preinstalled landscape wallpapers. They've been spotted in several countries -- including the UK, Netherlands, Ireland, South Africa, Norway and Germany -- and on various models.
Read MoreAT&T held on to people's Galaxy Fold pre-orders even after Best Buy cancelled reservations back in May. Now that it's been almost a couple of months since Samsung's foldable device was supposed to come out, though, the carrier has decided that it's time to void pre-orders, as well. According to Tom's Guide, AT&T has sent out emails telling customers that their foldable phone pre-purchases have been cancelled. "Unfortunately," the letter reads, "Samsung delayed the release of the Fold, which means we can't ship your phone." The AT&T customers affected by the cancellation will receive a $100 promotion card and will be able to place another order once Samsung has a final release date.
Read MoreSamsung's Galaxy S10 5G is finally ready to launch on a US network besides Verizon (Engadget's parent company), though you might not want to plan a purchase just yet. AT&T has announced that the S10 5G will be available on June 17th, but only for Business customers and 5G developers involved in the carrier's development program. You'll otherwise have to 'settle' for one of the LTE Galaxy S10 models. You do get a solid deal, at least, with a limited-run promo offering a 256GB model for the same $1,000 up front as the 128GB S10+ variant.
Read MoreWhile many Android phone makers are locking their devices down in the name of security, there are a few vendors courting enthusiasts who want to install their own firmware -- and ASUS is one of them. The company has teamed up with XDA to help seed ROM development teams with ZenFone 6 units, including LineageOS, CarbonROM, OmniROM and TWRP. They're also reaching out to individuals developers behind projects like the unofficial Google Camera port.
Read MoreSamsung is bringing the new models under its mid-tier Galaxy A-Series line to the US for those who'd rather not spend big bucks on flagship phones. It's kicking things off by releasing the Galaxy A50, which was previously rolled out in some developing markets, with Verizon on June 13th. With a price tag of $350, the A50 is the most expensive in the line. It has a 6.4-inch full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U display -- named as such due to its U-shaped notch -- a 512GB expandable storage and a 4,000mAh battery for a lengthy battery life. The phone also boasts a 25-megapixel rear camera with a 75-degree field of view and a 123-degree field of view Ultra Wide lens first seen on the Galaxy S10.
Read MoreApple will be big on privacy in iOS 13, and that includes the data collected after you've granted permission. Beta testers at 9to5Mac and elsewhere have discovered the upcoming release (and iPadOS) will occasionally pop up detailed panels asking if you want to retain the level of location sharing you have for a given app, including a map of just where an app has been tracking you. There's also a description of just why an app needs that tracking data. If you're uncomfortable with either explanation, you can limit location gathering on the spot.
Read MoreHMD Global has announced a new affordable Nokia smartphone after launching a five-camera flagship and a bunch of low-to-mid end devices just a few months ago at MWC. The Nokia 2.2 is part of the company's Android One family of devices and will ship loaded with Android Pie. Once Android Q comes out, the phone will be able to run it, as well. The device also comes with a dedicated Google Assistant button users can press to summon the voice AI. HMD Global released phones with the button in the past, and by the looks of things, we might see it more often in its future devices.
Read MoreThe OnePlus 7 Pro has only been on the market for a matter of days, and some users are reporting problems with their screens. Some owners are dealing with "phantom taps," which cause the device to register false inputs when they haven't touched the screen. There are suggestions that turning off NFC works as a stopgap to fix the problem, which seems to be a software issue -- OnePlus plans to roll out a patch to resolve it "in the coming weeks."
Read MoreAMD stole the spotlight at Computex 2019, where it shared details on its third generation Ryzen CPUs and first Navi GPUs. But that's not the only big news AMD has in store. Today, the company announced a multi-year partnership with Samsung, in which AMD will license its Radeon graphics IP for use in Samsung smartphones and other mobile applications.
Read MoreWe've seen phone makers coming up with creative ways to avoid the front-camera notch or hole, with the pop-up camera being an increasingly common option amongst Chinese phones, along with the flip-up camera on the more recent ASUS ZenFone 6. Vivo and Nubia even just went with a secondary display on the back at one point. But now, it appears that Oppo has found a non-mechanical solution -- an under-display selfie camera.
Read MoreHuawei may be expecting to live with a US ban for a long time. South China Morning Post sources claim Foxconn has stopped Huawei phone production on "several" lines in response to reduced orders. It wasn't certain if this was a short- or long-term cut, but it came just months after Huawei's growing demand reportedly prompted Foxconn to go on a hiring spree.
Read MoreTwitter is adding a label to tweets that break its rules but are still considered to be in the public interest, namely from elected officials or those running for office. The company mentioned in March it was considering such a policy, and now it's enacting the measure effective immediately.
Read MoreCanada has announced several measures to combat online extremism. Public Safety Canada said the government will provide up to $1 million CAD ($762,000) to a program called Tech Against Terrorism. The funding will help set up a system to inform smaller companies when terrorist content pops up to help them remove it faster. The agency said that will "help to achieve the commitment under the Christchurch Call to Action to support small platforms as they build capacity to remove terrorist and violent extremist content."
Read MoreWhatsApp is testing a feature that will allow users to share their Status posts to Facebook and other services, according to The Verge. WhatsApp Status is basically the app's equivalent to Stories, and the new feature would make it possible for users to directly port their Status over to their Story on Facebook. Status content can also be shared to Instagram, Gmail and Google Photos. The feature is available through WhatsApp's beta program.
Read MoreThe White House will reportedly host a social media summit next month. According to The New York Times, White House spokesman Judd Deere said the meeting will "bring together digital leaders for a robust conversation on the opportunities and challenges of today's online environment." The White House has not officially announced the summit or confirmed who will attend, but the event is reportedly scheduled for July 11th.
Read MoreAds are infiltrating seemingly every aspect of Instagram, and that now includes the Explore feed. The social network plans to roll out ads to Explore's photos and videos over the course of the "next few months." They'll function much like the ads in your main feed, complete with "shop now" links on some promos. You can still tailor the ads to what you'd like to see, and it's an opt-in feature for marketers.
Read MoreRed may be an attention-grabbing color, but too much of it can trigger anxiety. You might soon see a lot less of the hue on Facebook. The company is testing the ability to turn off the crimson in-app notification dots that seem to pop up every time you check Facebook on your phone. Social media consultant Matt Navarra pointed out on Twitter today that testing is underway. Earlier this summer, reverse engineering specialist Jane Manchun Wong noticed the feature hidden in the Android app.
Read MoreFacebook's efforts to improve transparency in political ads are now a truly global affair. The social site has made its transparency tools available to advertisers worldwide, letting them post political and issue ads so long as they're authorized. The disclosure policies remain the same -- if someone else paid for an ad, you should see a "paid for by" disclaimer. The ads themselves will sit in an Ad Library archive for seven years alongside data like the view count and demographics.
Read MoreBodies in seats Casey Newton, The Verge The job of moderating toxic content on social media is a daunting task. It also takes a massive psychological toll on those doing it. The Verge has first-hand accounts from the worst-performing Facebook moderating site in North America. People who worked there describe dire working conditions, harassment and their struggles with PTSD.
Read MoreInstagram might offer a little more reassurance if your account is ever hijacked. The social network is testing a new in-app account recovery process that should make it easier to recover an account -- and make it harder for thieves to get away with the act in the first place. Where you presently have to either wait for email or fill out a support form, the updated approach uses the app to ask for different types of info (such as your original email address or phone number). You'll then get a six-digit code sent to the contact info of your choice, and Instagram will then prevent hackers from using email or phone number codes to take over your account from a different device.
Read MoreThe United States women's national soccer team laid down a clear statement of intent to their World Cup rivals after a record-breaking 13-0 win over Thailand in their opening game. Alex Morgan grabbed the headlines by scoring five goals against the Asian side in France, and now the co-captain of the defending champions is taking on another starring role.
Read MoreFacebook wants to make conversations on public posts more meaningful. Today, it will start ranking comments to promote those that are most relevant to users. It will give priority to comments that have interactions from the original poster, as well as comments or reactions from friends of the person who created the post.
Read MoreTwitter has suspended nearly 4,800 accounts it suspected of being directly run or linked to the Iranian government. The social media giant released a transparency report that detailed recent efforts to tamp down on the spread of misinformation by insidious actors on its platform. In addition to the Iranian accounts, Twitter suspended four accounts it suspected of being linked to Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA), 130 fake accounts associated with the Catalan independence movement in Spain and 33 accounts operated by a commercial entity in Venezuela.
Read MoreEpic, the creator of Fortnite, is acquiring popular video chat app Houseparty. Popular mainly with teens, the three-year old social video app is like a mix of Snapchat and FaceTime. It allows group chats of up to eight users and private conversations, or "side-texts" which disappear after 24 hours.
Read MoreFacebook says its blood donation feature in India, Bangladesh, Brazil and Pakistan has been doing so well, over 35 million users have signed up to be donors. In India and Brazil, over 20 percent of the people who go to blood banks say their decision was influenced by the social network. Now, the company has finally launched the feature in the US in an effort to raise awareness about the decline in blood donations, as well as to connect willing donors with the blood banks that desperately need them.
Read MoreFacebook is still holding onto its dreams of Watch as a place where people can connect "more deeply" over videos. According to the company, 720 million people tune into Watch monthly, and 140 million people spend at least one minute on Watch daily. On average, those daily visitors spend more than 26 minutes on the platform. Now, Facebook says it's preparing to launch new content.
Read MoreA New York man who fled to Ecuador after allegedly trying to defraud Mark Zuckerberg will not be extradited to the US, Reuters reports.
Read MoreThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned a handful of "e-liquid," or vape, companies that they -- and their social media influencers -- must follow the same advertising rules as everyone else. Specifically, ads for vaping products that contain nicotine must include warning labels, as nicotine is an addictive chemical. The FTC and FDA issued letters to four companies stating that posts made by social media influencers must include those same warnings.
Read MoreInstagram announced today that it is adding the ability to display lyrics when adding songs to Stories. The feature will let users decide if they want to display song lyrics on screen and will give them the ability to edit the text style, animation and other features. Instagram said the feature will be available in regions that currently have access to the app's music library, introduced last year.
Read MoreIn an effort to make it easier to understand the rules of its platform, Twitter announced today that it is simplifying the language around its policies. The company said that it has gone from 2,500 to just 600 words and now describes each rule in 280 characters or less -- the same character limit that is applied to tweets.
Read MoreThe debate surrounding YouTube's responsibilities about the content it hosts has reignited after yet more controversy. The Google-owned video service whiffed when initially asked to discipline a creator clearly violating its policies on acceptable behavior. And, after several clarifications and shifts in policy, there are still questions surrounding how it administers its own rules.
Read MoreEarlier this year, YouTube was under fire as reports showed how the site's recommendation algorithms facilitated a "soft-core pedophilia ring" that flourished in the comments section of otherwise innocent videos. Advertisers quickly pulled back spending from YouTube, and the company pulled more than 150,000 videos and disabled comments on millions of videos to help quash the activity. But a New York Times report this week indicated that the site still doesn't have a handle on the issue. In response, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MI) has proposed legislation that that would require YouTube and other video-hosting sites to ban recommending videos that "feature minors," though those videos could still appear in search results. Exceptions to this rule would include videos that "have minors in the background." Furthermore, "professionally produced videos, like prime-time talent-show competitions" would also be exempt from this rule.
Read MoreA university in the UK is planning to use data analytics to help prevent student suicide. Northumbria University, and a handful of partner organizations, will collect data from students' social media accounts to create an "Early Alert Tool." If successful, it will identify students in crisis so the university can provide aid.
Read MoreOver the last few days, there has been a lot of focus on YouTube's inaction when it came to an internet personality harassing Vox host Carlos Maza with anti-gay and racist speech that frequently incited harassment. Tonight the streaming platform released its first detailed statement about the incidents, as well as its decision not to pull the videos posted by Steven Crowder and follow-up decision to demonetize them. Unlike notes sent to Engadget in response to previous inquiries and tweets sent out today from the @TeamYouTube account, this has a name attached -- that of head of communications Chris Dale. In his post, Dale said (without mentioning specific examples) "we sometimes host opinions and views that many, ourselves included, may find offensive." However the most notable section is here: Not everyone will agree with the calls we make — some will say we haven't done enough; others will say we've gone too far. And, sometimes, a decision to leave an offensive video on the site will look like us defending people who have used their platforms and audiences to bully, demean, marginalize or ignore others. If we were to take all potentially offensive content down, we'd be losing valuable speech — speech that allows people everywhere to raise their voices, tell their stories, question those in power, and participate in the critical cultural and political conversations of our day. Specifically relating to Crowder's channel, Dale reiterated YouTube's claim that for reinstatement of monetization, it would need to deal with "all relevant issues" causing harm to YouTube's community. There's still no indication of exactly how YouTube plans to improve its enforcement, but as it has many times before, the company is out there trying to explain what it thinks it's doing to make things better.
Read MoreFollowing a considerable amount of public shaming, YouTube announced today that it will no longer allow controversial conservative commentator Steven Crowder to monetize videos on his channel. The decision comes after the company declined to pull a series of videos published by the YouTuber in which he used homophobic and bigoted language to address Vox writer Carlos Maza.
Read MoreYouTube has updated its hate speech policy to ban more types of videos from its platform. They explicitly include those promoting or glorifying Nazi ideology or deny that certain events including the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook shooting took place. As a result, YouTube will remove thousands of channels and videos under the refreshed rules.
Read MoreWith the arrival of Pride month, dating app Tinder is making moves to be more welcoming to LGBT users for the event and beyond. In collaboration with GLAAD, the company has announced it will now let users list their sexual orientation in their profile.
Read MoreTwitter has acquired London startup Fabula AI, which is working on a technology to detect fake news. On its website, Fabula says its patented technology called Geometric Deep Learning exhibits high success rates when it comes to identifying and spotting online disinformation. Twitter didn't mention how it plans to use the technology, though, only that Fabula will give the company the ability to "analyze very large and complex datasets." The startup's tech and talent will serve as the social network's "key driver" in its efforts to make people feel safe, to help them see more relevant information and "to improve the health of the conversation" on the platform.
Read MoreFacebook is hoping to shake up its emoji with something that will seem remarkably familiar. The company has introduced its long-expected Avatars, or personalized cartoon stickers that you can use in places like Messenger and the News Feed. They bear more than a passing resemblance to Snapchat's Bitmoji, and offer a similar amount of personalization. You can adjust basics like body types, skin color and hair, and throw in apparel that reflects your style. There's no image-based automatic creation, alas -- Facebook told TechCrunch that it wants to avoid the bias problems that can come with facial recognition.
Read MoreIf you want to stay in the US, you'll likely have to share your internet presence. As proposed in March 2018 (and to some extent in 2015), the country now requires virtually all visa applicants to provide their social media account names for the past five years. The mandate only covers a list of selected services, although potential visitors and residents can volunteer info if they belong to social sites that aren't mentioned in the form.
Read MoreNASA's TESS spacecraft is continuing to find ever-smaller planets -- and that now includes planets smaller than the human homeworld. The vessel has found a planet in the L 98-59 system, L 98-59b, that's 80 percent the size of Earth -- and 10 percent smaller than TESS' previous tiniest finding. You won't be planning a vacation any time soon, unfortunately. The system is 34.6 light-years away, and all of the planets discovered so far (there are larger 59c and 59d planets) sit in the "Venus zone" where a runaway greenhouse gas effect could render them uninhabitable.
Read MoreHow are SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites faring roughly a month after launch? Quite well, if you ask SpaceX. The company reported that it's in contact with 57 of the 60 initial broadband satellites. Although it's not certain what happened to those three faulty satellites, they'll eventually fall to Earth as gravity drags them down.
Read MoreThe fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing is rapidly approaching, and NASA is determined to mark it in a fitting way: by restoring the hub of Apollo's operations to its former glory. The agency has reopened Apollo mission control at the Johnson Space Center after a restoration that makes it look like it did in 1969. There's functioning electronics, familiar furniture and other attentions to detail. The New York Times noted that there are even period-appropriate soft drink cans and cigarettes.
Read MoreWhile we haven't seen the Starship fly yet -- SpaceX just got done with its test firings and short "hops" back in April -- we might not have to wait that long for its first commercial flight. According to SpaceX VP of commercial sales Jonathan Hofeller, the company is hoping to send it to space for its first commercial mission in 2021. He revealed at an event in Indonesia that SpaceX is already in discussions with three different customers for that flight, all telecom companies likely looking to send satellites to orbit.
Read MoreDespite the fact that scientists now have a real image of a supermassive black hole, they still have plenty of questions about the objects. Now, astrophysicists at Western University may have a new explanation for how some black holes formed. In research published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters today, Shantanu Basu and Arpan Das suggest that not all black holes emerge from star remnants. Their model may help scientists explain the formation of extremely massive black holes at a very early stage of the universe's development.
Read MoreBack in 2017, a team of scientists was able to pinpoint the origin of a repeating fast radio burst to a dwarf galaxy over 3 billion light years away. Now, researchers were able trace yet another cosmic radio burst's home galaxy -- and this discovery is even more impressive than the first, seeing as it was a single radio burst that happened only once, not a repeating one.
Read MoreNASA announced today its next big mission to explore our Solar System. The agency has greenlit a mission called Dragonfly that will send a spacecraft to the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Dragonfly, the latest of NASA's New Frontiers program, was selected because of Titan's unique makeup, which makes its one of the more promising candidates for discovering signs of microbial life.
Read MoreBoeing's Starliner capsule has successfully touched down at the US Army's White Sands Missile Range even though it didn't deploy all of its parachutes. The company had to disable two of its over half a dozen parachutes, so it can pass the final and most difficult qualification test it needed to go through to be able to fly astronauts to the ISS. One of the reasons why the Government Accountability Office expects further delays to the Commercial Crew program is because Boeing still needs to conduct some parachute tests. This most recent success could mean Starliner's first flight could truly happen sometime this summer, like the company is hoping.
Read MoreNASA's Mars 2020 rover is beginning to take shape. Earlier this month, crews installed some of its legs and six of its wheels. Now, the vehicle needs a name, and for that, NASA is turning to students. Beginning in fall 2019, NASA will run a nationwide "Name the Rover" contest open to K-12 students in the US. The spacecraft will need a name by July 2020, when it's expected to launch.
Read MoreNASA has confirmed that the Curiosity rover recently detected the "largest amount of methane ever measured during the mission." The levels were enough to pause the rover's activities as scientists sought more answers: Methane is a gas typically produced by life as we know it, after all, and it could be a sign of life on the planet. Curiosity's methane reading came to 21 parts per billion units by volume, which is thrice the amount it sniffed out during a surge in 2013.
Read MoreLast year SpaceX launched its massive Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, but the company describes tonight's STP-2 mission as one of the "most challenging" launches in its history. It's also the first Falcon Heavy launch to reuse side boosters, which previously took flight just 74 days ago on the Arabsat-6A mission. The tricky part is after it takes off, with a planned "four separate upper-stage engine burns, three separate deployment orbits, a final propulsive passivation maneuver and a total mission duration of over six hours." SpaceX's mission animation video shows what we're expecting to see:
Read MoreNASA's Astrobee cube robots are finally earning their space wings... in a manner of speaking. The agency has confirmed that one of the bots, Bumble, flew on its own for the first time aboard the International Space Station on June 14th. While the trip involved only basic movements like flying forward and rotating, it was proof machine could work in its intended microgravity environment.
Read MoreIt's easy to get jaded about potential signs of life on Mars, but a recent discovery might raise eyebrows. The New York Times has learned that NASA's Curiosity rover has detected "startlingly high" levels of methane -- the gas typically produced by life as we know it. The quantities are still tiny at 21 parts per billion, but that's three times the amount Curiosity spotted during a surge in 2013. The rover's operators were reportedly surprised enough to pause regularly scheduled studies to obtain follow-up data, with the additional findings slated to arrive on June 24th.
Read MoreWhen NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX contracts to develop vehicles that can take astronauts to the ISS, it was hoping they'll be done by 2017. Unfortunately, both companies grappled with technical challenges that forced them to delay their timelines. A new Government Accountability Office report even wants NASA to prepare for even more delays, as neither company is near to meeting all the agency's requirements for manned spaceflight.
Read MoreWe might be able to study the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos a lot more closely in the coming decade. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has teamed up with Germany's and France's space agencies to send a spacecraft with a rover to the red planet's faithful companions. In fact, JAXA has just finalized its agreement to work with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on the study-phase activities for its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission.
Read MoreThe Mars 2020 rover is looking more and more like an actual rover, now that there's only a year left before its target launch date. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers have installed the vehicle's starboard legs and six wheels (aka its mobility suspension) on June 13th. The machine's wheels are made of aluminum with 48 cleats machined onto their surface. Those metal projections will give the vehicle the traction it needs to be able to drive on both sandy and rough, rocky surfaces.
Read MoreSolar winds are no threat to people on Earth, but can pose a danger to astronauts and spacecraft. NASA has selected two new missions that aims to better our understanding of how the Sun drives extreme space weather. The first mission, Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (or PUNCH) will consist of four suitcase-shaped satellites that will track solar wind as it leaves the sun. The second, Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (or TRACERS) will use two spacecraft to study how magnetic fields around Earth interact with the Sun.
Read MoreThe European Space Agency (ESA) hopes to photograph a yet-to-be-discovered comet as it approaches Earth's orbit for the first time. To do so, it's developing "Comet Interceptor," a composite made of three individual spacecraft, which will separate to snap photos of the comet from multiple perspectives. The photos will be used to create a 3D model, and ESA hopes to spot material from the dawn of the Solar System.
Read MoreNASA JPL's Deep Space Atomic Clock, the navigation clock that could lead to self-driving spacecraft, is finally heading to space. The toaster-sized device will fly on the Orbital Test Bed satellite, which will be ferried to orbit along with two dozen other military, government and research satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on June 24th, 2019. It took two decades for JPL scientists to develop the technology, making sure it's 50 times more accurate than GPS clocks and that it'll be only off by 1 second every 10 million years.
Read MoreIndia's broadening spaceflight ambitions now include a longer-term presence in Earth's orbit. Indian Space Research Organization chief K Sivan (above) recently revealed plans to launch a space station around 2030. It will be a relatively small station where astronauts would only stay for 15 to 20 days, but that should be enough to allow microgravity experiments. India won't lean on other countries for help, Sivan said.
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 MoreThe ocean that scientists believe exists underneath Europa's thick icy crust might be more like our own than previously thought. According to a new study published in Science Advances, a team of researchers used the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument to scan Jupiter's moon in infrared light. The team found what's called the "spectral signature" of irradiated sodium chloride, also known as table salt.
Read MoreSpaceX is about to get your morning started in dramatic fashion (if you're in the Americas, that is). The private spaceflight outfit plans to launch Canada's RADARSAT Constellation Mission as soon as 10:17AM Eastern, with the satellites deploying in earnest 54 minutes after blastoff. The company is using the same Falcon 9 first stage that put the Crew Dragon demonstration mission into orbit back in March, and it expects to land the rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Read MoreIn less than a decade, we might finally be able to unravel the mysteries surrounding Psyche, an asteroid that's believed to be composed mostly of iron and nickel. NASA is gearing up to explore the metallic asteroid, giving the Psyche mission the go-ahead to enter its final design and fabrication phase. The means the Psyche team will now begin developing detailed plans for the spacecraft and its science missions, as well as completing the spacecraft's testing and assembly.
Read MoreNASA doesn't just want to return to the moon by 2024, it also wants to establish a "sustained human presence" and to use the moon as a hub for future Mars exploration. In order to do that, it will need new ideas and technologies, like those solicited and supported by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. Today, NIAC moved two projects to Phase III, the furthest any concepts have made it.
Read MoreMany spacecraft depend on hydrazine in their fuel, but it's extremely hazardous -- and that means very careful fueling processes that slow things down. NASA will soon have a safer option, however. It's about to test-fly the Green Propellant Infusion Mission, a spacecraft that ditches hydrazine in favor of a namesake "green" mix of hydroxyl ammonium nitrate with an oxidizer that lets it burn. It's safe enough that you could fuel a spacecraft while you're still building it, speeding up the launch process.
Read MoreWhen the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches this summer, it will carry the Planetary Society's Carl Sagan-inspired LightSail 2. You may remember LightSail as a crowdfunded, experimental "solar sail." The unique craft looks something like a giant kite, and it was envisioned as a way to guide satellites around space using energy from the sun, rather than chemical fuel. The first LightSail took flight in 2015, and now the Planetary Society is ready to launch LightSail 2, which has worked out a few bugs and will provide an opportunity to further test solar sailing.
Read MoreIt's not only NASA that is embracing private space flight. The European Space Agency (ESA) is opening its own commercial space program, giving companies the option to take paid trips into orbit.
Read MoreThe International Space Station (ISS) is open for business. NASA announced today that it plans to commercialize the ISS, so that "U.S. industry innovation and ingenuity can accelerate a thriving commercial economy in low-Earth orbit." According to a press release, NASA will open the space station to private astronauts, as well as commercial product development, testing and manufacturing.
Read MoreChina has joined the US and Russia as the only nations to have successfully launched a rocket at sea. The National Space Administration's Long March 11 took off from a launchpad on a ship in the Yellow Sea today. The rocket carried five commercial satellites (including two for a company that plans to set up a global network of internet satellites) and two research-focused experimental ones.
Read MoreSoft robots promise a kinder, gentler approach to automation, but they're frequently hamstrung by complexity, costs and the need for wires. Thankfully, Harvard researchers have found a way to simplify matters. They've developed a softrobot driven by pressurized air that doesn't need the multiple control systems that frequently guide these machines. A lone input pumps air to the robot's legs through tubes of different sizes, which determines how those legs behave. If you want the robot to crawl forward, you just have to send air through the right set of tubes.
Read MoreBefore Chance the Rapper released his 2016 streaming-only album Coloring Book, he shared his first two mixtapes, 10day and Acid Rap, for free on SoundCloud. They've lived there since 2012 and 2013, respectively, but as of today, they're available on Apple Music, Spotify and other major streaming services, too. As Engadget's Billy Steele wrote when Drake's So Far Gone mixtape hit streaming services, these early works don't always make it to streaming platforms, so it's significant when they do.
Read MoreOften when we hear about canceled shows getting a second life in the rapidly expanding streaming ecosystem, you'd expect it's the likes of Netflix or Amazon extending the lifespan of an axed network series. Not so this time around. In a rare development, cable network Pop TV has renewed One Day at a Time, several months after Netflix cancelled the beloved sitcom.
Read MoreYou might be sharing more data than you care to offer when you pre-save an album on Spotify. Billboard has pointed out that labels sometimes ask for permission to track an extensive amount of info about your account and listening habits, including your email address, your recent play history and who you follow. They'll also ask for the abilities to manage who you follow, add and remove library items and create playlists. As you might imagine, a lot of that isn't necessary to find out if you want to listen to a new album.
Read MoreEveryone from Walmart to Target to eBay is coming for Amazon's online shopping crown, and now its Christmas-in-July event is adding yet another wrinkle: a concert. Leading up to to the two-day Prime Day 2019 on July 15th and 16th, Amazon Music will put on a show -- streamed live via Prime Video of course -- with performances from SZA, Dua Lipa and Becky G, not to mention a little-known headliner, Taylor Swift. Subscribers in 200 countries can tune in for the show July 10th at 9 PM ET. After it airs live, it will be available for replay for a "limited time," and it will also tie-in with promos for other Amazon stuff. Previews planned for the stream include teasers for Jack Ryan, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Carnival Row, its superheroes-gone-bad show The Boys and Undone, which comes from the duo behind Netflix's Bojack Horseman.
Read MoreYouTube Music is making it easier to keep listening to your favorite tracks even when you're away from a consistent internet connection. The app is getting a new feature called Smart Downloads that will automatically download up to 500 songs you've clicked the "like" button on. The feature will be available on Android devices for YouTube Music Premium subscribers.
Read MoreA Twitch channel subscription might soon get you considerably more than emotes, ad-free viewing and access to special chat rooms. The service is launching a beta for Subscriber Streams, or live broadcasts that are (you guessed it) limited to people with active subscriptions, mod privileges and VIP status. It won't be thrilling if you don't like paying for Twitch, but it could help creators who want to reward paying fans with behind-the-scenes specials, all-request game sessions and other perks. Non-subscribers will get a preview of these streams with immediate access if they choose to sign up.
Read MoreThe cast for Netflix's Dark Crystal prequel series was already stacked, and now the streaming giant has revealed more big names who you'll hear in Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance when it arrives August 30th. Sigourney Weaver will play a character named The Myth-Speaker, while Lena Headey joins fellow Game of Thrones alumni Nathalie Emmanuel and Natalie Dormer as she takes on the role of Maudra Fara.
Read MoreWondering what the most watched show on subscription streaming is? According to NBC it's The Office, and as such, it's no surprise that once the company's agreement with Netflix expires at the end of 2020, it's keeping the show for its own streaming service. The ad-supported NBCUniversal package is launching in 2020, but it won't have the show's nine seasons until 2021. It's following a trend we've seen from AT&T and Disney, as they try to capitalize on back catalogs to launch new streaming competitors. Of course, for viewers it means they won't be able to see popular shows all in one place, and it's unclear how this will impact international distribution. In response, Netflix tweeted that at least members can binge watch "ad-free" until January 2021.
Read MoreThere's no such thing as a free lunch, nor apparently a free movie streaming service. From July 1st, New York library patrons will no longer be able to stream movies for free from their homes as the nonprofit is ending its partnership with streaming service Kanopy, Gizmodo reports.
Read MoreOn Monday night, a group of Hollywood stars will take part in a live reading of The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts, a play based on the Mueller report. The likes of Annette Bening, Kevin Kline, John Lithgow and Alyssa Milano are among those who'll read passages from the report in front of an audience in New York. It'll all be livestreamed at 9PM ET, and you can watch it below.
Read MoreThe rumor was true -- BET is launching a streaming service. The newly official BET+ is due to launch in the fall and will work closely with Tyler Perry Studios to offer a host of African American-focused on-demand video to subscribers. In addition to a "curated" library of videos from BET, Viacom and Perry (expect lots of Madea), it'll also provide some online-only originals. You can expect Tracy Oliver's TV remake of the classic comedy First Wives Club, a show from Will Packer and, of course, fresh shows from Perry.
Read MoreSpotify and music publishers have been in a bit of a tiff for months over a planned royalty rate increase that would require streaming services to pay more to artists. You can bet the company is watching the numbers closely, especially while it appeals the new rules. Spotify now claims that it overpaid songwriters and publishers last year, and now it's asking for its money back, according to Music Business Worldwide.
Read MoreNetflix appears to be testing a "pop-out player." The feature lets users watch videos in a small floating box that hovers above other windows and applications, and the tool could be ideal for multitasking.
Read MoreAmazon Music might be coming to a TV near you soon. Comcast is bringing the music streaming service to Xfinity X1 over the next few weeks. It says it's the first time you'll be able to access Amazon Music on a TV via a pay-TV provider. You can say "Amazon Music" into the remote to access the service's library and playlists, or find it in the Apps section of the system.
Read MoreNetflix's Hack Days tend to produce at least one or two genuinely practical ideas, and that's certainly true for its 2019 efforts. One of the biggest experiments from the in-house event, Project Rumble Pak, syncs its namesake haptic feedback effects to key moments in videos -- you could feel every explosion and punch. You'd only experience this on a mobile device, of course, but it could give you a good reason to watch on your phone instead of waiting to reach your TV.
Read MoreThe same day Thom Yorke's upcoming album ANIMA comes out, he'll release a short musical film directed by frequent collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson. The one-reeler will be set to three ANIMA tracks, and Yorke is expected to both score and star in the production. Netflix, which released a trailer today, calls the film a "mind-bending visual piece" and says it's best played loud.
Read MoreThe show that took the fun out of Instagram captions and charades is getting a second run. Netflix has renewed I Think You Should Leave -- the popular sketch comedy series starring Saturday Night Live alum Tim Robinson -- for a second season. Fans can expect new episodes sometime in 2020.
Read MoreThere's a good chance you know what's coming to Netflix in July: Stranger Things 3. It's arguably the most anticipated release of the summer, and you won't have to wait much longer -- it arrives on July 4th. Stranger Things 3 certainly isn't all we have to look forward to. This month, Netflix will release the seventh and final season of Orange is the New Black, the recently announced fourth season of Queer Eye and another season of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
Read MoreYouTube is perhaps the single biggest public repository of music videos, but many are bit outdated, with visuals and audio designed for old TVs with single speakers, and others that could use a bit of an upgrade too. Many videos from major artists will soon look and sound much better though, as YouTube and Universal Music Group are remastering almost 1,000 of them "to the highest possible standards."
Read MoreYouTube's handling of kids videos has been problematic, to put it mildly, and the company is apparently looking into major changes in policy to prevent further incidents. Wall Street Journal sources understand that YouTube is both considering moving all child-oriented videos to its dedicated Kids app and disabling the autoplay feature on that programming. Both moves could hurt ad revenue, but they'd theoretically steer kids clear of "objectionable" clips.
Read MoreJanet Mock just became the first out black trans woman to land an overall deal with a major studio. The three-year, multimillion dollar deal will allow Mock to create new shows and film projects for the streaming giant. Mock is perhaps best known for the FX show Pose, which she writes for, directs and produces. She will continue working on the show despite her agreement with Netflix.
Read MoreWhile Netflix was famously reticent about releasing viewing statistics, over the last year or so the company has become more open about it. Its latest revelation confirms the theory that someone out there likes Adam Sandler movies, since his latest star-studded joint, Murder Mystery, has racked up the biggest opening weekend ever for a Netflix movie, with 30,869,863 unique accounts watching it in the first three days. As Netflix has previously established, it counts a view as someone watching more than 70 percent of a particular title. 13,374,914 of the accounts were in the US and Canada alone, with the remaining 17 million spread elsewhere worldwide. In 2017 Netflix explained viewers had already streamed over half a billion hours of Adam Sandler, clearing up any doubt about the four-picture deal it signed him to. Suddenly we know more about Netflix viewers' habits than ever before -- probably not coincidentally at the same time there's more streaming competition joining the party -- including that its heist flick Triple Frontier scored a 52 million account opening weekend, or that Bird Box racked up 45 million in one week last year. In the UK it even publishes Top Ten lists now.
Read MoreNow that Disney is in charge of Hulu, the streaming service is going to get more original content. Hulu CEO Randy Freer told CNBC that Hulu's "investment in original programming will increase significantly." Freer credits the change to "the capacity inside of the Walt Disney Company," including its ability to invest in the best stories and creators.
Read MoreDespite all the money Netflix keeps spending on new original content, the thing we're most interested in this week is a little older. Anime classic Neon Genesis Evangelion comes to the service Friday morning (along with Evangelion: Death True² and The End of Evangelion) and if you can't tell -- we have some feelings about that. Jordan Peele's Us is also available on Blu-ray in 4K this week, and the NBA Draft takes over on Thursday night. For gamers, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled brings remastered kart action to PS4 and Xbox One. Meanwhile, Drunk History is back for another summer run, and on streaming Netflix has season two of Dark while Amazon Prime premieres Final Life. 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 MoreThe latest episode of Netflix variety talk show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj focuses on the digital divide. In it, Minhaj breaks down some of the many reasons why internet access is so terrible across much of the US, including the roles of carriers and the Federal Communications Commission.
Read MoreSpotify has been on a tear as of late to build out the podcast side of its business, and it's adding another exclusive show to its lineup. The third season of sports-focused show Riggle's Picks, starring comedians Rob Riggle and Sarah Tiana, will only be available through Spotify.
Read MoreHDHomeRun is giving cordcutters a new way to watch live TV through their Roku device. Its developer, Silicondust has released a Roku channel for the service called HDHomeRun OTA Live. At the moment, it's in its early beta stages and can only play over-the-air live TV -- viewers can use it to watch shows currently airing, check out the program guide and change channels, but that's pretty much it. Silicondust says it's working on bringing more features to the channel, though, including support for the company's HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner for live cable TV.
Read MoreNetflix has lots of old TV shows in its library, but few of them have received as much attention and promotion as this one. A 24-year-old Japanese cartoon about giant robots fighting monsters hardly seems to deserve the red carpet treatment. But Neon Genesis Evangelion isn't just any old TV show, but one that's poised to be all anyone can talk about once it arrives. In the run-up to the show's worldwide Netflix debut on June 21st, our team looks back on why the show is so important, and beloved. And, since people are going to be discovering this show fresh, we'll try and keep spoilers to a minimum.
Read MoreIf you've subscribed to YouTube TV for a while, then it's likely you're getting free Showtime this summer. If you are a "longtime friend" of the service, then you'll get the cable channel for "no cost" through September 5th, 2019. Users can activate the officer by going to the settings menu on desktop and, best of all, there's no automatic renewal, so you don't need to worry about being forced into paying for more.
Read MoreAmazon is making good on a plan to offer Netflix-style theatrical releases for movies before they reach Prime Video. The internet giant now plans to release one of its Sundance picks, the political thriller The Report, in theaters on September 27th -- two weeks before it starts streaming on October 11th. The approach not only ensures that it's a contender for the Oscars and other big awards, but ensures that people will see the movie while it's still fresh.
Read MoreSpotify is rolling out a redesign of Your Library for Premium users, giving music and podcasts their own sections. Each has three distinct tabs you can tap or swipe between. In Podcasts, you'll have the option to view new episodes for shows you follow and those you haven't listened to (Episodes) as well as an overview of all the shows to which you're subscribed (Shows). The Downloads tab, unsurprisingly, includes all the episodes you've downloaded for offline listening.
Read MoreIt's no secret Spotify wants to know more about what you do in your car, and today the company is officially debuting a new playlist for your commute. "Your Daily Drive" is the first playlist on the service to combine podcasts and music, with the goal of pairing "the very best of news talk shows, including the relevancy and personality of the hosts, with the best of audio streaming." If it sounds familiar, news of the feature broke in early May, but it was clear the tool was still in its early stages at the time.
Read MoreNatasha Lyonne's time-looping Netflix series Russian Doll is getting a second season. The streaming service hasn't revealed the new season's plot yet, though The Hollywood Reporter says it will follow the same format in eight episodes. In the first season, Lyonne's character (Nadia Vulvokov) was forced to re-do her 36th birthday again and again every time she died -- and she did so throughout the course of the show for almost two dozen times. She said during her appearance at the Recode Code Conference that the second season will be the "same show, just weirder."
Read MoreMobile streaming service Quibi has locked down a number of intriguing projects ahead of its launch next year, including a revival of MTV's Punk'd and a semi-fictionalized account of the story behind Snap. Steven Spielberg is working on a Quibi show too -- he's writing a horror series you'll only be able to watch after the sun goes down.
Read MoreAfter debuting a mobile streaming service in 2016, BET is reportedly joining the TV streaming market with the launch of a standalone streaming service called BET+.
Read MoreDune fans have more to look forward to than a new movie and games. WarnerMedia has ordered a Dune: The Sisterhood series for its upcoming streaming service that will cover the mysterious Bene Gesserit order and its elaborate "superbeing" breeding program in the run-up to the events of the original Dune (and thus the movies). The show will have a clear spiritual connection to the 2020 film -- director Denis Villeneuve and writer Jon Spaihts will executive produce the show alongside Frank Herbert's family, with Villeneuve also heading up the pilot.
Read MoreNetflix announced today that its out-there, adult-oriented animated anthology series Love, Death and Robots will be coming back for another season. The show's second go-round will be helmed by supervising director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, best known for her work as a director on the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Netflix has yet to provide a release date or other details for season two of Love, Death and Robots.
Read MoreNetflix has acquired the rights to make a movie based on Tom Clancy's The Division. At E3 2019, Ubisoft revealed that the screen adaption of its RPG game, starring Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal, will be coming to the streaming service in the future. Set in a world where a pandemic virus threatens to spread, the Tom Clancy's The Division film is going to be directed by David Leitch, who was behind Deadpool 2 in 2018. There's no release date for the movie yet, but we'll likely learn those details over the coming months. Until then, you'll just have to play or keep playing The Division 2.
Read MoreCBS has expanded its local news streaming service to Los Angeles after it debuted CBSN New York in December, giving Los Angelenos another way to find out what's happening around town. The ad-supported CBSN Los Angeles includes continuous news coverage for the area, including daily newscasts produced exclusively for the service, breaking news coverage and live streams of KCBS and KCAL 9.
Read MoreMGM's premium cable network, Epix, has come to Amazon Prime for $5.99 a month.
Read MoreYou won't have to twiddle your thumbs while you're waiting for Hulu to premiere the Veronica Mars reboot. The newly Disney-controlled service has announced that it'll offer the first three seasons of the mystery-solving show beginning on July 1st. That's a good three weeks to reminisce before the new material arrives, or to catch up if you're new to the series.
Read MoreThe record industry expects a windfall. Where will the money go? Marc Hogan, Pitchfork It's no secret the music industry is booming on the back of streaming services. However, it seems like not much will change in terms of where all the money goes. Pitchfork explains that much of the revenue will stay in the "upper echelon" of the industry rather than going to most of the people actually making music. "And yet, just as it's been throughout the history of recorded music, most of the money will not go to artists," Marc Hogan writes.
Read MoreAT&T's streaming video service, which will bundle HBO, Cinemax, and a wide selection of Warner Bro. films and television, is shaping up to be a surprisingly good deal. AT&T will be pricing the bundle at between $16 and $17 a month, reports the Wall Street Journal. Considering that HBO Now costs $14.99 a month, customers may opt to shell out the extra dollar or two a month to access Cinemax, as well as favorite shows and movies from Warner Bro.'s expansive archives, such as Friends and The Big Bang Theory.
Read MoreIf you can't be with your buddies to yell at the screen at the same time during a game or watch a movie together, Sling has a new social watching option in store for you. The co-watching feature is rolling out in beta on Oculus Go -- Sling arrived on the virtual reality headset in December.
Read MoreIf it wasn't already clear by now, Spotify is betting big on podcasting and it's landed another huge catch with its latest deal. Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, will create exclusive podcasts for the streaming platform. Both Obamas will appear on some of the shows.
Read MoreJessica Jones is one of the more beloved of the Marvel streaming series that have hit Netflix over the last few years. But as Disney starts consolidating its media empire ahead of the launch of its own streaming service, all good things are coming to an end. That includes Jessica Jones -- the final season hits Netflix on June 14th, and today we're getting a look at an appropriately dark trailer that shows Jones hitting peak antihero.
Read MoreSquare Enix might have just convinced a ton of Final Fantasy fans to spend their hard-earned Gil on music streaming services. The game developer, with no prior announcement, has just made the soundtracks of almost every Final Fantasy game available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. If you don't mind not having a physical disc to collect, you can just fire up the services' apps to enjoy music -- by Nobuo Uematsu and the series' other composers, including Masashi Hamauzu, Hitoshi Sakimoto and Yoko Shimomura -- from the first entry of the franchise to the latest.
Read MoreFox Sports offered 4K streams for the 2018 FIFA World Cup last year, but in order to watch them, you had to own a HiSense TV. For the Women's World Cup that begins Friday in France, those higher quality streams will be more readily available. The network told Engadget that for the first time 4K broadcasts will be available inside the Fox Sports and Fox Now apps. They'll still be somewhat limited though: You'll need an Apple TV or Roku device to watch the action on the pitch in 4K (2160p).
Read MoreSpotify is testing a lot of things right now. In the last month alone, the company has revealed its long-rumored in-car device, curated podcast playlists and a standalone Stations app. Heck, those last two were announced in the same week. "We're always testing new products and features to create better listening experiences for our users," a Spotify spokesperson told me multiple times this week, and the company's busy spring certainly supports that. Unfortunately, most users will never get to participate, except in the case of Spotify's experimental Stations app.
Read MoreOne of Netflix's biggest challenges is helping users discover content. To address that, it's testing an Instagram-like scrolling feed that will show trailers, photos and alerts for shows and movies. The feature also encourages users to share those posts on third-party apps.
Read MoreYouTube is catching flak for an apparently inconsistent approach to tackling hate speech on its platform. The site has declined to remove videos from right-wing commentator Steven Crowder after Vox host Carlos Maza provided evidence of Crowder using targeted homophobic and racist speech over two years, including uses of offensive stereotypes. Maza noted that the attacks led to a "wall" of bigoted abuse on social networks, not to mention doxxing that led to hundreds of texts to his cellphone and a phone call. YouTube, however, claimed that Crowder hadn't violated any policies.
Read MoreJust a day after announcing a Magic: The Gathering anime, Netflix has revealed another animated show based on a high-profile franchise is on the way. In 2020, it will unleash Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which takes place at the same time as 2015's Jurassic World.
Read MoreYouTube might make it decidedly easier to see your favorite band. The internet giant has forged a deal that offers fast access to concert tickets from AXS, expanding on earlier deals with Ticketmaster and Eventbrite. Watch official music videos from the right artists and you'll see both listings for their US tour dates as well as an option to snap up tickets (both fresh and resales) in short order.
Read MoreBeginning today, a handful of Spotify users will see curated podcast playlists in their accounts. According to The Verge, the playlists are an experiment to help Spotify understand how it can help users discover new shows. The hand-picked lists will be broken into five categories: comedy, true crime, "geek culture," motivation and mindfulness. The Verge reports the playlists will include a mix of Spotify originals and third-party shows.
Read MoreI'll admit it. I had an emotional response to the idea that iTunes, the app that shaped my digital music habit, could be on the way out. With every iPod I owned, iTunes was the lifeline, the sole method for adding to and organizing the precious collection. The only problem was, somewhere along the way, iTunes became the catch-all for everything Apple sold. It wasn't just for music, or even audio content -- apps, movies and TV shows crept into the app as well. And in the end, Apple had a chaotic mess that was confusing and poorly organized.
Read MoreOn the surface, it seems like a great idea. YouTube is home to all kinds of quality video content, so a dedicated, age-appropriate version for children sounds great. However, even with a host of parental controls, YouTube Kids is still plagued with issues in regard to content. Whether it's conspiracy videos or obviously disturbing clips, YouTube Kids is flooded with terrible content. But that's not surprising. With 10 hours of video uploaded every second, trying to police YouTube content is like trying to slow the water coming out of a fire hydrant. A spokesperson said last year, "We've taken a series of tough actions to better protect families on YouTube and YouTube Kids, including getting content down faster through technology, hiring more people to help us tackle content that breaks our rules and cutting the revenue streams to content that misleads families." But those actions haven't always been enough. In response to criticism, YouTube has tried to deter users from posting offensive videos. In 2017, it altered its policy on what types of content would be eligible for ad money. Those changes kept clips that show "family entertainment characters engaged in violent, sexual, vile or otherwise inappropriate behavior, even if done for comedic or satirical purposes" from earning money. YouTube also improved its parental controls. Last April, the company added the option of only seeing content that had been approved by "partners and the YouTube Kids team." Then in September, it expanded that feature so that kids using the app would only see what their parents approved. When asked about any improvements since September, YouTube explained that it has added a number of new features, including stronger controls for parents. Things like timers, profiles, an option to disable search and the ability to approve both videos and channels are all on that list. And the company also reiterated that is offers collections that have been curated by trusted partners and YouTube Kids, which include channels like Sesame Street and PBS. Even though these changes have made a difference, YouTube Kids is still YouTube. And like the main version of the site, the quality of content ranges from acceptable to stuff that's just... weird. I don't know about you, but I'd rather my four-year- old play with his own toys than watch YouTube videos of kids playing with theirs. That's not offensive per se, but it's a little strange to me. Thankfully there are alternatives to YouTube Kids -- ones that are less likely to serve your little one up some nightmare fuel. READ ON: The best streaming apps for kids
Read MoreNetflix is working on the very first screen adaptation of Magic: The Gathering with an anime series it's developing. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo will be executive producers on the project.
Read MoreIf you listened to traditional media giants like Disney and AT&T's WarnerMedia, you'd think Netflix was about to become a ghost town as well-known movies and TV shows vanish forever. However, that's not entirely true. Bloomberg has learned that Netflix has far-reaching deals that could not only keep movies and shows on the service for a while, but restore some of them later on. Disney, for instance, reportedly brings its 2016-2018 movies (including Black Panther) back to Netflix starting in 2026 -- a very long wait, but it's not the permanent cutoff implied in the past.
Read MoreMarvel's interest in digital audio isn't limited to podcasts. The media giant and Dreamscape Media have reached a deal to turn dozens of better-known comic books into audiobooks, including Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men and Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. About two dozen of them are exclusives from Dreamscape, while another 20 haven't been widely available before.
Read MoreCBS All Access just gave nostalgia-seekers something to watch this weekend. As promised, the streaming service has released a version of Jordan Peele's The Twilight Zone series in black and white. It's an homage to the 1959 show, of course, but it should also add a sinister edge to scenes that previously felt too... well, colorful.
Read MoreHey, good morning! You look fabulous. Hey, there! Bill Gates regrets that he didn't beat Android in mobile, we give our mixed verdict on the new Harry Potter mobile game and review Apple's new iPad OS.
Read MoreHere's an interesting alternative to playing your toddler more Sesame Street reruns: Edtech company Osmo has launched an iPad-enabled learning tool for the preschool set. Aimed at children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old, the Little Genius Starter Kit comes with four interactive games aimed at teaching youngsters the alphabet, the essentials of drawing and creative problem-solving. The company known for its iPad hookups that teach kids how to code or let them build their own racecars is diving deeper into traditional core skills like building vocabulary or learning math. Osmo already sells a Genius Starter Kit aimed at teaching older children spelling and arithmetic; this new kit is similar, just aimed at younger kids..
Read MoreIf you're someone who saw the potential in the Pixel Slate, despite its software issues, we have some bad news. Google is no longer planning to make any tablet hardware going forward and will put all its resources behind laptops in the future. In a statement received by Engadget, a Google spokesperson said that "for Google's first-party hardware efforts, we'll be focusing on Chrome OS laptops and will continue to support Pixel Slate." Google's spokesperson also noted that the company will continue working with third-party hardware makers on Chrome OS for both laptops and tablets. This news came first from JR Raphael at Computerworld, who writes that Google had two smaller tablets in the works, both of which have been cancelled. Going along with that, internal resources are being re-allocated to work on laptop hardware going forward.
Read MoreFinding the perfect reading light can be a challenge, no matter the time of day. Amazon's latest Kindle Oasis comes with a new color adjustable front light that can switch from cool to warm hues as the day progresses. Adjustable lighting isn't a new feature for Kindle (Amazon released a basic Kindle with an adjustable front-light earlier this year), but the ability to change the screen's color temperature is unique to the Oasis. Similar to the iPhone's Night Shift, readers can schedule lighting levels to change automatically at sunrise and sunset.
Read MoreWe knew Apple would make major changes to iOS on the iPad, but we didn't think the company would take things a step further and announce iPadOS. (Not until Apple quietly let the news slip ahead of its WWDC keynote, anyway.) Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of software engineering, says the process of using the iPad has become a "truly distinct" experience, one that requires special attention beyond that which goes into phone-centric versions of iOS. Needless to say, iPads stand to gain a lot when this new software becomes available later this year.
Read MoreApple's announcement of iPadOS yesterday wasn't a huge surprise, outside of the name. Rumors have suggested that iOS 13 would be a major step forward for the iPad, bringing multitasking improvements that would make using an iPad more like a "real computer." It's something the iPad definitely needs, particularly the $800-plus iPad Pro. If you're shelling out that kind of cash, it should be capable enough to be your main computer. The laundry list of improvements coming to the iPad this fall will undoubtedly make Apple's tablets more capable than ever before. But let's be clear: if you found the iPad and iOS too limiting before, these updates will likely not change your mind. At first glance, iPadOS seems like a major refinement to the existing iPad user experience -- but if you prefer using Windows or macOS, an iPad still might be more of a frustration than a revelation.
Read MoreApple has at long last answered the hopes and dreams of people hoping for mouse support on iPad. With the new iPadOS, you'll be able to hook up a USB mouse or the likes of Apple's Magic Trackpad, as iOS developer Steve Troughton-Smith discovered once the developer beta went live.
Read MoreApple showed off a slew of updated iOS 13 features and a spiffy dedicated branch of its mobile operating system for the iPad during the WWDC 2019 event in San Jose on Monday.
Read MoreYou've surely gotten used to seeing Alexa in basically every piece of consumer technology out there -- Amazon is even putting it in microwaves. But Philadelphia-based startup EIR Healthcare has a new integration that managed to catch my eye: the company is selling hospital rooms with Alexa built right in. It's part of EIR's MedModular hospital room that was unveiled last October, something the company hopes will make hospital rooms "smarter" in a variety of ways beyond just Alexa.
Read MoreWarning: While we've tried to avoid any spoilers in this story, the following article does refer to scenes and themes throughout the season. When members of the Stranger Things cast visited The Tonight Show earlier this month, Jimmy Fallon asked them to use one word to describe the new season. "Bigger," said Gaten Matarazzo, who plays the role of Dustin Henderson in Netflix's '80s-nostalgia-mining hit show. And Matarazzo wasn't kidding. During its first two seasons, Stranger Things mostly centered around the kids' homes and their high school in Hawkins, Indiana. Although it did also include forms of them in the alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. But in Stranger Things 3, which premieres on July 4th, that world is getting even bigger thanks to new characters, new local attractions, new cities and new countries becoming an essential part of the story.
Read MoreFinal Fantasy might be making its way to a screen near you, albeit without the need for you to have a controller in hand. Square Enix and Sony Pictures Television are developing a live-action Final Fantasy TV series with Hivemind, the production company behind The Expanse. It's also working on Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher.
Read MoreThis week Nintendo's Super Mario Maker 2 brings the series to the Switch. Gamers can also check out Samurai Shodown, while Democratic presidential candidates take over NBC for two nights. Netflix has a ton of releases headed our way including the Thom Yorke/ Paul Thomas Anderson collaboration Anima, and a new anime series 7Seeds that's just in time to follow Evangelion. Also, it's just added Sony's animated Spider-Man movie, Into the Spider-Verse. Starz kicks off its new series The Rook, while MTV has a new season of Are You the One? 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 MoreThe ladies of Litchfield Penitentiary are getting one last run: Netflix has released a trailer for the seventh and final season of Orange is the New Black. The show's final episodes wrap up the storylines of the inmates we've grown to love, but with one big twist. The show's lead character of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) is finally free. Rather than eliminating the show's main source of conflict, Piper's freedom introduces its own set of problems. Fans watch the main character, now an ex-felon, struggle to adjust in the upper middle-class New York world she left behind.
Read MoreStill trying to get over Fleabag's Hot Priest? Daniel Cooper points out another black comedy that will soon make its way from the UK to the US that should be on your radar.
Read MoreGeorge Clooney is set to don a snowsuit for a post-apocalyptic Netflix movie he'll direct, star in and produce. In the adaptation of Lily Brooks-Dalton's novel Good Morning, Midnight, he'll play lonely Arctic scientist Augustine, who tries to make contact with the crew of a spacecraft as they attempt to return to terra firma.
Read MoreSince premiering in July 2016, Stranger Things has become an award-winning and widely-appreciated Netflix series. Season three is almost ready for release on July 4th -- along with a game for Xbox One, PS4, Switch, PC and mobile devices -- and after a few brief teasers Netflix has delivered a "final trailer" that gives us some strong hints of how things are going in 1985-era Hawkins, IN. (If you'd like to go into it fresh then I don't recommend reading further or watching it.)
Read MoreWhat if Elon Musk is right and we're living in a simulation? Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson will star in Bliss, a new sci-drama for Amazon Studios that explores this question further. Written and directed by Mike Cahill (Another Earth), the production started filming this week in Los Angeles and Croatia. Amazon hasn't released too many details on the plot, but the film appears to be a love story that mixes elements of The Matrix and The Good Place.
Read MoreWhile we're just hours away from Neon Genesis Evangelion making its Netflix debut, a different flashback from the 90s is teaming up with an even older representative from the mecha anime genre. For the 40th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam, it's teamed up with Fila Korea for some celebratory streetwear.
Read MoreA jury has ordered "family-friendly" movie service VidAngel to pay $62.4 million to Hollywood studios for pirating their content. Disney, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. sued the company over copyright infringement. VidAngel bought retail DVDs of mainstream movies and ripped the video file. It pulled out adult content, cursing, sex and violent aspects and streamed the films to users. It claimed it was legally allowed to do this under the Family Entertainment And Copyright Act, which legalizes tech to censor certain aspects of movies, but the studios and the jury disagreed.
Read MoreWelcome to the latest episode of Upscaled, our explainer show where we look at the components and parts that make our favorite tech better. In this week, we're actually taking a step away from components to talk about 4K movies and TV. As companies push higher resolution screens and cameras, 4K resolution has become the standard for high-quality content. Distributors have also embraced high-resolution, with 4K streaming becoming more common on platforms like Netflix and Amazon, and Ultra HD Blu-Rays generally considered to be the best video quality you can get at home.
Read MoreThis year marks the lunar landing's 50th anniversary, and PBS is celebrating the event by broadcasting a space-themed mini-series. The broadcaster will debut the six-episode show entitled Stellar on June 20th, publishing the episodes on its YouTube and Facebook pages. It will feature three of its space-loving hosts: Matt Dowd (astrophysicist and host of Space Time), Dianna Cowern (host of Physics Girl) and Joe Hanson (host of It's Okay to be Smart).
Read MoreAmazon has unveiled a full-length trailer for The Boys, its unsentimental, kooky look at a world where superheroes abuse their powers on the regular and it's up to mere mortals to stop them. It's a well-understood fact that absolute power corrupts absolutely -- so what happens in a society that has largely given up? A look at the show's trailer reveals that it isn't pretty.
Read MoreA little under two years after its five-season run ended on BBC America, Orphan Black is returning with a bang, and probably loads more sound effects. Fiction publishing startup Serial Box is reviving the beloved sci-fi show this summer as a ten-episode audiobook series, with star Tatiana Maslany returning to her Emmy-winning role(s).
Read MoreLionsgate has signed a multi-year agreement with Redbox on its titles, including day-and-date distribution for its discs. Films from the studio will be available to rent at Redbox's 42,000 kiosks on the same day they go on sale. It's a good sign for the DVD rental operator, which continues to stay in business despite declines in disc sales and rentals since the advent of streaming.
Read MoreUbisoft is working on a live-action series called Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet, the company has announced at E3 2019. The new show, which stars Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Danny Pudi (Community), is said to be coming to Apple TV+, the streaming service that's expected to launch later this fall. There aren't many details about the series right now, but we do know it was produced and created by McElhenney along with two other It's Always Sunny veterans, Charlie Day and Megan Ganz.
Read MoreAfter playing an Avenger in the MCU and a very adventurous gamer in Black Mirror season five, Anthony Mackie has another project lined up for Netflix. He'll star in the upcoming movie Outside the Wire, a sci-fi flick set in the future where he plays a drone pilot who ends up working for an android to locate a doomsday device. Mikael Håfström (1408, Escape Plan) Sounds tense -- not polar bear tense, but it'll have to do -- and it has another link to videogames. The script is written by Rowan Athale (Rise/Wasteland) and Rob Yescombe, who has credits from a number of games including The Division, Rime, Crysis 2 and 3, and Haze. We don't know what ideas, if any, could link any of those to this, but back in 2007 Yescombe told Gamasutra in an interview that: As a [futuristic private military operator] Mantel guy, it makes sense that you play it like a game, because you're absolved from responsibility. It's weird that our entertainment is founded on shooting people in the face! The truth is that I enjoy it as much as anyone else, but I find myself weird for liking it so much. That's less than a big political statement; it's much more about, 'What are we, as people who are entertained by this?' Update: In a tweet, Yescombe tells Engadget that as far as Haze and Outside the Wire go, "the two are wholly unrelated."
Read MoreIt seems like the long-awaited Uncharted movie might finally reach theaters. According to a tweet from box office analysis company Exhibitor Relations Co., the big screen adaptation of the hit gaming franchise is set to be released on December 18th, 2020.
Read MoreDC Universe cancelled Swamp Thing, its streaming sci-fi series, after a single episode. The live-action drama set in swamplands of Louisiana was cancelled on Thursday, less than a week after airing its pilot episode, reported TVLine. The streaming service nor WarnerMedia have given an explicit reason for the show's cancellation. It's a puzzling development, given that the show's received a warm reception from both critics and fans.
Read MoreAccording to TVLine, MTV Studios is working on "reinvented" versions of the celebrity prank show Punk'd and the dating game show Singled Out. If you can't stand the thought of watching those classics, you might be happy to know each episode will be less than 10 minutes long. That's because the shows will launch on Quibi, an upcoming mobile-first video streaming service that plans to package content in short snippets.
Read MoreApple kicked off its WWDC keynote today with a "For All Mankind" trailer, giving us a brief glimpse at one of its original Apple TV+ shows. Produced by Ronald D. Moore, best known for spearheading the excellent Battlestar Galactica remake, the new series explores a world where the space race never ended. While the teaser looks like it's set in our world at first, it's not too long it reveals itself as an alternate timeline: Instead of the US landing on the moon, it's the Soviet Union. And it turns out, they also found some water there too. While there's not much to go on yet, For All Mankind is on our watchlist based on the writing talent alone.
Read MoreRussia's hatred for censorship-dodging VPNs is well-known, and it's now prepared to follow through on its warnings. Telecoms oversight chief Alexander Zharov told Interfax that he expected to block nine major VPNs, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN, for refusing to connect to a national blacklist that would prevent people from accessing sites through their tunneling services. He expected that the crackdown could take place within a month.
Read MoreSamsung released its Galaxy Watch Active back in March and it seems the company is already well into development on the next generation of the smartwatch. Leaked images of the Galaxy Watch Active 2 unearthed by SamMobile suggest it'll be available in two sizes (40mm and 44mm), and it appears there'll be an LTE variant.
Read MoreLivongo, a digital health platform for people with chronic conditions like diabetes, is now available for wearables. The company announced on Wednesday that it is integrating with a number of major smartwatches, including Fibit, Apple Watch and Samsung's Gear smartwatch. Patients will be able to receive reminders to check their blood sugar, "nudges" to improve diet and exercise habits and other health information right on their wrist. Members can also sync their steps data from their smartwatch to the Livongo app on their smartphone.
Read MoreHTC revealed back in January that its forthcoming VR headset, the Vive Cosmos, will be designed with comfort and accessibility in mind. Now, the company has unveiled a few more details about the device. Major features include a vented front design, to help users stay cool, and a flip-up design, which allows users to step out of VR without having to remove the headset.
Read MoreSleep tracking and personal fitness gadgets are nothing new, and even the cheapest knock-off wearables will do a decent enough job of monitoring the main criteria, so companies are constantly looking at ways to make their devices even more useful. Polar's latest watch, Polar Ignite, does exactly that by combining comprehensive sleep data with personalized training, helping wearers achieve optimal workouts.
Read MoreIf you're eyeing a smartwatch, there are virtually hundreds you can choose from -- but odds are high you'll flock to Apple. The Apple Watch has beat out the competition in the global smartwatch market and will continue to do so, according to estimates by research firm IDC. While Google's Wear OS and Samsung's Tizen continue to expand worldwide, Android smartwatches only sell really well in China. "Apple's [...] nearest competitors follow by a long margin," said Ramon T. Llamas, research director for IDC's wearables team to CNET. "Android also plays a big role here, but it's mostly known as a Chinese wearables platform."
Read MoreA UK design student created a smart wearable that could make chest binding safer, easier and more comfortable for transgender men and non-binary people. Chest binding is the act of flattening one's breasts using a tight garment in order to make the chest appear more masculine. While it can have immense mental health benefits, it can take a physical toll. Many people have reported broken ribs from too-tight wraps, and binding can be especially difficult in the summer, when the wearer is at risk of overheating. With this garment, called Breathe, Loughborough University industrial design student Miles Kilburn hopes to address many of those of common issues.
Read MoreSleep tracking can help you determine if you're getting a good night's rest, but it might exacerbate your problems in some circumstances. Scientists talking to the New York Times have warned that sleep tracker apps and devices can worsen insomnia both through inaccurate data and by making your anxieties that much worse. In a study, for instance, it led to people both spending too much time in bed (to boost their sleep stats) and reporting non-existent conditions that resulted in wasted treatment.
Read MoreJLab Audio might have a simple solution to competing with wireless earbud heavyweights like Apple and Samsung: offer ridiculously long battery life. It just introduced truly wireless Epic Air Sport earbuds whose centerpiece is a claimed 70 hours of total battery life, with 10 in the earbuds themselves and another 60 available through the charging case. If it lives up to the lofty estimates, you could easily blast tunes for a week before having to plug the case in. And did we mention that you can charge your phone with the case?
Read MoreXiaomi is launching the Mi Band 4, the latest generation of its (almost) world-conquering wearables line. The dirt-cheap tracker comes with a bigger, sharper display, microphone and NFC, as well as a new gyroscope. Improved movement tracking means that, for the first time, the band can be used to automatically record your swim laps.
Read MoreWhen did your baby last eat -- and how much? Has her diaper been changed recently? And did she nap enough today? Knowing the answers to all these questions is essential for every new mom and dad. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to be a data-conscious parent today, including gadgets, apps and some decidedly old-school methods. READ ON: How to track everything your baby does
Read MoreThe Apple Watch is about to become that much more independent from your iPhone. Apple has introduced watchOS 6, and its centerpiece is an on-device App Store -- yes, you can download apps to your wrist without having to reach for your handset. There are apps that can exist wholly independently of the iPhone, Apple said. You can also expect a slew of new first-party apps that fill in longstanding gaps in functionality, including Audiobooks, Voice Memos and (at last) a calculator.
Read MoreXbox needs cloud gaming to work. Microsoft has been pushing the industry toward a digital-first, streaming future since 2013 -- years before players or infrastructure were remotely ready for the idea. It makes sense: Microsoft is uniquely positioned as a gigantic technology company with deep roots in gaming, and they're able to leverage vast resources and expertise in AI, server infrastructure, hardware and software to set standards of gameplay-delivery systems.
Read MoreAs Microsoft makes Xbox Live an entertainment service that spreads across more platforms (including Switch, Android and iOS), it's also relaxing the naming scheme. Since it's been in operation since 2002, many commonly-requested aliases are already taken, but now users can grab pretty much any name they want, even if someone else already has it. Now, it will still let you create a new user name even if someone else has it, but it will auto-assign an ID number after it to make yours unique. Other services like Steam and Discord already use a similar setup, and it should mean an end to purging old, abandoned usernames or forcing them to expire so that new users can get a crack at them. Of course, if you've been around for a while, everyone will know you are the original CheeToMan247 given your lack of an add-on ID number.
Read MoreNow that Microsoft has unveiled its Project Scarlett Xbox gaming ambitions, there's some good news and some bad news about backward compatibility. The good news is that games from four generations of Xbox will be playable on the new hardware. Even better news is that a pretty sweet list of titles are being added to the program today. The bad news is that the program, which launched during E3 in 2015, is coming to an end for original Xbox and Xbox 360 games.
Read MoreSony skipped E3 this year, and my gosh Microsoft made the most of it. The company used its Xbox briefing to tease Project Scarlett, a powerful new console due "holiday 2020," and the introduction of Project xCloud, a long-awaited game streaming service that launches in October. We also got some glorious trailers for Halo Infinite, Gears 5, an all-new Flight Simulator (it's back!), a Lego-centric update for Forza Horizon 4, and the much-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, complete with Keanu Reeves cameo appearance. Oh, and Microsoft bought Double Fine, the formerly independent studio behind Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. If you missed the presentation, fear not -- our supercut will bring you up to speed.
Read MoreMicrosoft revealed at its E3 event that Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will arrive this fall. As with the updated Age of Empires, this version of the classic RTS includes 4K support and remastered audio, as well as a brand-new campaign called The Last Khans. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will be available on Xbox Game Pass for PC, while signups for the beta are now open.
Read MoreMicrosoft didn't give us many new details about its Project xCloud game streaming service at E3, but at least we learned one component of the service is going live this October: the ability to stream games from your own Xbox. The functionality will first roll out through the Xbox preview program, and it essentially turns your system into an xCloud server, letting you play your games from a variety of other devices. That's pretty much what Sony has been doing with its PlayStation Remote Play feature, but Microsoft's cloud expertise should allow for significantly better performance. Update 6/10, 9:30A ET: Microsoft's E3 conference made it sound like the entire xCloud service would be arriving in October, but it turns out it's just the console streaming component. We've updated the post to clarify.
Read MoreIt's been a year since 343 Industries gave us our first glimpse of the next installment of Xbox's flagship series, Halo Infinite. But during the Microsoft keynote event on Sunday, 343 revealed that Master Chief will once again return to the battlefield just in time for the holidays in 2020. What's more, the game will be a launch title for the upcoming Xbox system, codenamed Scarlett. If you're not ready to upgrade, you'll still be able to play, since the plan is for it to support "more platforms than we ever have for a single game," across every Xbox One and PC.
Read MoreMicrosoft is following through on its teaser for next-gen Xbox details, and it's clear the company is ready to take the PlayStation 5 head-on. The new system, nicknamed Project Scarlett, will use a custom variant of AMD's Zen 2 processor architecture with GDDR6 memory, with enough processing and graphics power to handle 8K (presumably not for most, if any, games), real-time ray tracing and 120 frames per second performance. It'll also try to stamp out loading times with SSD storage that can serve as virtual memory.
Read MoreRemember the Xbox Elite controller? Well, it's just been replaced. Microsoft says its new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (what a mouthful) has "over 30 new ways to play like a pro," including adjustable-tension thumbsticks and shorter hair trigger locks. The pad also comes with wraparound rubberized grips and up to three custom profiles so that you don't have to reconfigure everything when you switch between Forza Horizon 4 and the upcoming Gears 5. According to a quick teaser, the Series 2 Elite controller will last 40 hours on a single charge and can be replenished with a bundled charging dock. The entire package, which is available to pre-order today, costs $179.99 and will ship on November 4th.
Read MoreMicrosoft Studios has been on an acquisition spree over the past year or so, snatching up the likes of Ninja Theory, Playground Games, InXile, and Obsidian. During the company's marathon E3 keynote on Sunday, Microsoft announced that it has also added Psychonauts and Brutal Age maker Double Fine Productions to its developers stable.
Read MoreThe wait is almost over. After teasing Gears 5 at last year's E3, Microsoft has now revealed that its legendary title is coming to the Xbox and PC on September 10th. As we learned from the cinematic trailer that dropped at E3 2018, Gears 5 is "going back to where it all began," and it features a new female character who will join the one and only Marcus Fenix. Their mission? To discover the origins of the Locust Army, which of course means you're going to be smashing a lot of aliens along the way.
Read MoreMicrosoft showed off the next version of its Flight Simulator game at E3 2019, and it looks incredible. The company began the video teaser showing off a scene from the skies that it says was captured in real-time 4K. As you might expect, the new Flight Simulator's city views are powered by satellite data, as well as artificial intelligence from Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing service. It's not just the views of the mountains, skyscrapers or oceans that look amazing, though -- the planes and helicopters do, too.
Read MoreRare and Microsoft finally have more to show of their Battletoads revival than a logo. They've posted a trailer for the (mostly) side-scrolling brawler that gives you a good look at what to expect. Not surprisingly, it's much more vivid and animated than the original, with a distinct but fitting style (which doesn't have too much in common with the cartoon, if you're wondering). The infamously difficult vehicle sequences are present, but it looks like you might have some chance of making through this time. Just don't ask for a release date -- Microsoft still doesn't have one at this stage.
Read MoreMicrosoft, with Sony sitting out this year, has a big show ahead of it -- and a big chance to claim all the gaming headlines. In the last 24 hours, Microsoft gave us a strong hint of major announcements on its next-gen console -- expect teraflop chat a-plenty. Actual game title-wise, we're waiting on big news regarding Gears of War 5, and more than a tease of Halo Infinite, hopefully. There's likely to be an entirely new wave of titles from the majors like Ubisoft, Square Enix and EA, plus more indie games. But for a lot of us, especially current PC and PlayStation gamers, all eyes are on how Microsoft's streaming game service takes shape. This year, we're live-streaming along with the news, so join Senior Editor Jessica Conditt and me, Mat Smith, here and on YouTube, for everything Xbox at 1PM PT/ 4PM EST / 9PM GMT.
Read MoreStop me if you've heard this one before. At E3 2013, Microsoft tripped over its shoelaces as it tried to justify the unexpectedly high price and complex ecosystem of its upcoming console, the Xbox One. It required an internet connection and locked purchases to specific accounts, disrupting established resale and game-sharing processes. On top of that, executives were repeatedly dismissive of fans' concerns. When Phil Spencer, then the head of Microsoft Studios, announced a $500 price tag for the Xbox One, the E3 audience gasped and fell silent. Hours later, Sony took the stage. Executives presented their new console, the PlayStation 4, as the balm to Xbox's burn. It didn't need an internet connection to function, used games would play just fine, and titles wouldn't be tied to online accounts, making sharing easy with physical discs. PlayStation boss Jack Tretton announced the PS4's price of $400 and cheers exploded throughout the stadium.
Read MoreMany have suspected that Microsoft would talk about its next Xbox at its E3 event, and that now appears to be virtually guaranteed. Gamers have discovered that Microsoft's E3 countdown videos have included background references to "R255 G36 B0," or the RGB code for scarlet -- you know, the widely reported nickname (minus a T) for the 2020 Xbox hardware. The company even confirmed one user's "eagle eye," sending them a month of Xbox Game Pass as a reward.
Read MoreMicrosoft is continuing to build on its promise to improve its services for gamers. Last year, it vowed to improve its Microsoft Store and last month unveiled a powerful new take on the Xbox Game Bar. Now its taking stock of its Xbox-branded services on PC. The official Xbox app for Windows, which used to include Xbox Live chat, an activity feed and more, will soon become a slimmer, more lightweight "Console Companion." For now, that just means a name change, though in a previous message Microsoft also teased a new "desktop experience."
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