The Morning After: Oppo's take on folding smartphones doesn't look so huge
And somehow looks... cute?
Still not sold on foldable smartphones? I get it. But companies continue their efforts to make them happen, with Oppo the latest to reveal its first take on a foldable flagship. Somehow, for a fold-up widescreen phone, it’s kind of cute.
It has a different screen ratio to devices from Samsung and the rest, resulting in a more horizontal (possibly more useful) touchscreen. Unfortunately, it’s still pricey (although it’s cheaper than the Galaxy Fold) and, adding another barrier to entry, it’s only launching in China.
Engadget Chinese Editor-in-Chief Richard Lai is testing one out — expect to hear our full verdict soon.
— Mat Smith
US adds drone maker DJI to investment blocklist
US citizens will be barred from making any investments in the companies.
The US government is adding eight Chinese companies, including drone manufacturer DJI, to an investment blocklist for alleged involvement in the surveillance of Uyghur Muslims. The companies will be put on the treasury department's "Chinese military-industrial complex companies" list next week, meaning US citizens will be barred from making any investments.
The government said it was among companies that "enabled wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic collection and analysis or high-technology surveillance." However, unlike products from Huawei and others, DJI drones have not been banned for sale in the US.
NASA's James Webb telescope launch delayed again until December 24th
The team is fixing a communication issue between the telescope and its launch vehicle.
NASA was hoping to send the James Webb telescope to space by December 22nd, but its launch has been delayed yet again. Yes, again. In an announcement posted on the project's official page, NASA said the James Webb team is working on a communication issue between the telescope and its Ariane 5 launch vehicle.
Continue reading.
Disney+ adds SharePlay group viewing for the iPhone and iPad
Watch 'Boba Fett' or 'Encanto' with 31 of your friends.
The latest Disney+ app update adds SharePlay group viewing to its iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, letting up to 32 people watch and chat together. To ensure it works, everyone in the call needs Disney+ to stream, and you need to ensure the title is available to everyone in your virtual gathering. You might also find that some titles don’t work across different regions and countries.
Homeland Security offers bug bounties as part of new 'Hack DHS' program
Researchers could receive up to $5,000.
The US Department of Homeland Security is offering up to $5,000 in bug bounties under a new program called Hack DHS. Vetted security researchers invited by the agency will get access to select external DHS systems to identify vulnerabilities bad actors could exploit. Payments will vary between $500 and $5,000, depending on the severity of the bug. The DHS said attacks against it were up fourfold in 2021.
Continue reading.
Huawei documents reportedly show involvement in China's surveillance efforts
'The Washington Post' said it found PowerPoint slides that detail its surveillance technologies.
Huawei has long denied working with the Chinese government to spy on other countries and China's own citizens. But The Washington Post has reviewed 100 PowerPoint presentations from the company that, Post reporters say, can show Huawei’s links to China's surveillance projects. While many of the slides were marked confidential, they were reportedly posted on a public-facing Huawei website until they were removed in 2020. Many of them were created back in 2014 and edited as recently as last year.
Continue reading.
A 'Splinter Cell' remake is underway
Ubisoft wants to meld classic stealth gameplay with modern tech.
Ubisoft is finally ready to make a new Splinter Cell game — in a manner of speaking. The game developer has revealed plans for a Splinter Cell remake that aims to recreate the stealth action of the early games while embracing modern technology.
The project will use the Snowdrop engine present in newer games like The Division 2 and the upcoming Avatar game, but you'll play in small linear environments, unlike most of Ubisoft’s AAA titles. Check out the announcement video at the link.
Continue reading.
The biggest news stories you might have missed
Polk Audio reveals its first Dolby Atmos soundbar
Samsung's Tab A8 adds a faster processor, more RAM and storage options
Meta and Ray-Ban's Stories glasses can now send and read Messenger texts
Google employees who don't comply with COVID-19 vaccine rules will reportedly be fired
NASA spacecraft enters the Sun's corona for the first time
The entry-level 2022 Polestar 2 will have an EPA-estimated range of 270 miles
Apple removes mentions of controversial child abuse scanning from its site
