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- The Morning After: Trump announces lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
- Canon's EOS R6 and EOS-1D X Mark III get C-Log 3 support
- Google Meet gets fun filters and masks on iOS and Android
- Hyrope is a smart jump rope that pairs with an app to track your workout
- 36 states launch antitrust suit against Google over the Play Store (update)
- OnePlus confirms its latest phones throttle the performance of popular apps
- TikTok tests letting US users to apply for jobs with video resumes
- Call of Duty League is bringing fans back to live events
- Moderna enters clinical trials for its mRNA-based flu vaccine
- Nintendo’s OLED Switch isn’t the Switch Pro, and that’s okay
- Bungie will reveal what's next for 'Destiny 2' on August 24th
- Trump is suing Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
- Amazon open-sources its in-house game engine
- BMW's futuristic electric scooter is straight out of anime
- Grubhub and Yandex bring autonomous deliveries to US college campuses
- Assassin's Creed could become an online service game
- Apple's Mac Mini M1 is back on sale for $600 at Amazon
- Bentley's Flying Spur Hybrid can travel 25 miles in EV mode
- Russian hackers breached a GOP contractor
- The Morning After: Nintendo finally reveals its new Switch
| The Morning After: Trump announces lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Posted: 08 Jul 2021 04:15 AM PDT More than two months since Facebook's Oversight Board said its suspension of the former president was "appropriate," Donald Trump announced yesterday he plans to file lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The move was teased earlier yesterday by Axios. Trump announced the legal bid at a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, promising the case would lead to an "end of the shadow banning, a stop to the silencing and the canceling that you know so well." He says the tech giants violated his First Amendment rights. Trump and his lawyers are planning to file the lawsuits in the Southern District of Florida. Tom Brenner / reuters During his presidency, Trump battled big tech pretty frequently. His executive order in 2020 tried to limit the legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for what users posted online. While it was billed as an attempt to prevent online censorship of political ideas, it came shortly after Twitter fact-checked a Trump tweet that claimed mail-in ballots were guaranteed to be "substantially" fraudulent. President Biden revoked this just over a month ago. — Mat Smith BMW's futuristic electric scooter is straight out of animeIt's a wild design concept made real.BMW When we saw BMW's CE 04 electric scooter concept last year, it looked like something pulled straight out of a science fiction film — as concepts often do. Now the company has unveiled the final consumer version of the CE 04, and while it's lost a little bit of sci-fi sparkle, it still looks more than futuristic enough. The CE 04 features a 10.25-inch LCD screen (that's bigger than what's in most cars), up to 81 miles of range and a top speed of 75MPH. It'll be available in 2022 for around $16,000. And yes, that's definitely more than the top Vespa. Continue reading. Assassin's Creed could become an online service gameMisconduct claims at Ubisoft may hurt 'Infinity,' however.Ubisoft Bloomberg sources claim Ubisoft is developing Assassin's Creed Infinity, a project that turns the alternate history (and assassination) series into a live online service more like Grand Theft Auto Online or Fallout 76 — hopefully more the former than the latter. Instead of playing solo in one historical period, you would join other players across "multiple settings" that would grow and evolve over time. You'd have a reason to keep playing (and keep paying) for a longer time, compared to current AC entries, which rely heavily on DLC. Continue reading. Moderna enters clinical trials for its mRNA-based flu vaccineThe same tech that stopped COVID cold could save us from seasonal sniffles.Moderna has injected its mRNA-derived vaccine for the seasonal flu into a human volunteer for the first time as part of a Phase 1/2 clinical study, the company announced on Wednesday. According to the World Health Organization, the flu strains that this vaccine could treat cause between 3 and 5 million severe cases of flu every year. This is a very early test for the new vaccine technology, geared primarily towards building a baseline understanding of the treatment's "safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity," according to a Moderna release. Continue reading. OnePlus' latest phones throttle performance on popular appsThe company says it introduced the limit to improve battery life.OnePlus Not learning the lessons of the past, OnePlus is apparently throttling the capabilities of its Snapdragon 888 processors. The company admitted it limits the power of the processor when it's used by apps like Chrome, Twitter and WhatsApp, following an in-depth report from Anandtech. However, neither the OnePlus 9 Pro nor the OnePlus 9 throttle any benchmarking tools. GeekBench, one of the more popular tools for benchmarking, has subsequently delisted both phones. Back in 2017, with the OnePlus 3T, the company included code that artificially boosted the clock speeds of the phone's Snapdragon processor when running certain benchmark apps. And then, XDA caught the company doing something similar with the OnePlus 5. Continue reading. But wait, there's more...TikTok tests letting US users apply for jobs with video resumes 36 states launch an antitrust suit against Google over the Play Store Engadget Deals: Apple's Mac Mini M1 is back on sale for $600 at Amazon Grubhub and Yandex bring autonomous deliveries to US college campuses |
| Canon's EOS R6 and EOS-1D X Mark III get C-Log 3 support Posted: 08 Jul 2021 02:35 AM PDT After confirming the EOS R3, Canon is bringing pro-grade video features to a trio of existing cameras by way of a firmware update. Both the EOS R6 and EOS-1D X Mark III are getting C-Log 3, which provides an expanded dynamic range and offers more color space options for high-quality video. The updates also mean the two cameras, along with the full-frame mirrorless EOS R5, will be able to simultaneously record movies on two memory cards, giving you a backup of your footage. While the EOS-1D X Mark III and EOS R5 can now support CFexpress VPG400 cards, which feature a minimum write speed of 400 MB per second that makes them ideal for shooting in 8K or recording RAW footage. Updating the R5 also makes it compatible with two Canon Cine servo zoom lenses, the CN-E18-80mm T4.4 L IS KAS S and CN-E70-200mm T4.4 L IS KAS S, and the EOS utility and Camera Connect software. You'll also be able to shoot 5K cropped ProRes RAW when connected to the Atomos Ninja V monitor/recorder and, in addition, 8K ProRes RAW and 8K AT 30 fps on the Ninja V+. |
| Google Meet gets fun filters and masks on iOS and Android Posted: 08 Jul 2021 01:40 AM PDT Google has rolled out an update for the Meet video calling app that could make personal calls more enjoyable. The Meet app for Android and iOS now has filters and masks you can play with — simply tap the sparkle button at the bottom right corner of your video call to bring up the Effects options. You'll find Blur effects and backgrounds in there like you would on enterprise and education accounts, but you'll now also find "Styles" and "Filters" among the options in the carousel. Under Styles, you'll see lens flare effects and color overlays you can apply to your video. If you want to see the truly fun options, though, look under Filters for cute animal masks and virtual accessories you can virtually put on your face and head. These new effects are already live, and based on our tests, they're available for use even if you start a meeting through Gmail instead of through the Meet app itself.
As 9to5Google notes, Google has been releasing a number of features that would make the service a more veritable Zoom rival. This time, the tech giant is hoping to win over personal users with a feature that could convince them to use Meet for calls with friends and family. The publication previously reported that Google will eventually replace its Duo app with Meet entirely. This move could be a step towards that, as well, seeing as some of Meet's new masks and filters came straight out of Duo's library. |
| Hyrope is a smart jump rope that pairs with an app to track your workout Posted: 07 Jul 2021 09:24 PM PDT Hygear, a smart fitness tool maker that launched in 2020, has introduced a smart jump rope that can provide users with real time feedback. The Hyrope can pair with the company's official app to track the user's jump count, speed, pace and calorie burn as they go along. Hygear's app picks the interactive workouts they can follow based on their fitness goals and uses AI tech to adjust them based on actual performance. While gyms have started reopening in recent months after coronavirus restrictions loosened up, some may still choose to continue exercising in their homes. A lot of people purchased expensive machines in the middle of the pandemic last year, after all, and may have gotten used to following video workouts from the growing number of digital fitness subscriptions out there. Hyrope may have a been a bit late to the game, but it could still find its audience in those who now prefer working out at home, or those who just want a handy exercise tool they can bring anywhere they go. The company says it chose to introduce Hyrope, because "because mixing cardio with strength training is one of the best, most effective ways to burn calories for weight loss," and rope jumping is "excellent cardio activity that can be performed in limited space." Hyrope is now available for pre-sale for $39. It comes with the device itself and a year-long Hygear app membership. The jump rope is launching with a 90-day weight loss program that's accessible through the app, and the company is also rolling out 45- and 60-day cardio programs in the coming weeks. |
| 36 states launch antitrust suit against Google over the Play Store (update) Posted: 07 Jul 2021 02:11 PM PDT Google has yet another antitrust lawsuit on its hands. Politico reports 36 states and Washington DC have banded together to sue the company over its handling of the Play Store. They say Google's control over the marketplace violates US antitrust law. The bipartisan group of attorneys general behind the suit filed the case in the same California federal court where Judge James Donato is scheduled to hire Epic's suit against Google over Fortnite'sremoval from the Play Store last year. This latest action is the fourth antitrust lawsuit launched against Google following three similar claims in 2020. In December, a group of 38 states and territories led by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed antitrust charges against the company over its search business. The tech giant is also the subject of a Department of Justice probe. The timing of Wednesday's suit follows after Google recently lowered its Play Store commission fee to 15 percent on the first $1 million developers earn on the marketplace every year. When Google announced the change back in March, it claimed it would reduce the fees it takes from 99 percent of Android developers by 50 percent. Later this year, Google also plans to enforce a policy that will require all developers to process their payments through the Play Store's billing system. The announcement led to uproar among companies like Netflix and Spotify that had in the past skirted that requirement. While the Play Store comes preinstalled on the majority of Android devices, it is not the only place where you can download software to your phone. Amazon and Samsung operate their own app stores. It's also possible to sideload Android apps from websites like APK Mirror, allowing you to bypass the Play Store completely. Both those facts are not true of iOS devices where Apple's App Store is the only place where you can download software for your iPhone or iPad. Today's suit also comes a little more than a week after a federal judge in Washington dismissed the FTC's antitrust complaint against Facebook, saying the agency hadn't presented sufficient evidence to back up its claims that the social media giant is a monopoly. Update 07/07/21 10:30PM ET: Colorado has joined the lawsuit against Google, bringing the total number of states to 37. The tech giant has published a blog post defending its practices, however, calling the lawsuit "strange" and "meritless" for "attacking a system that provides more openness and choice than others." Google's Senior Director of Public Policy, Wilson White, concluded the post with this note: "This lawsuit isn't about helping the little guy or protecting consumers. It's about boosting a handful of major app developers who want the benefits of Google Play without paying for it." |
| OnePlus confirms its latest phones throttle the performance of popular apps Posted: 07 Jul 2021 01:05 PM PDT For the third time in its short history, OnePlus finds itself embroiled in a controversy over the performance of its phones. This week, AnandTech published a report in which it said it found the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 throttle the capabilities of their Snapdragon 888 processors when running popular apps like Chrome, Twitter and WhatsApp. AnandTech wasn't able to suss out a complete list of all the applications where the two phones limit their CPU output, but what's notable about the outlet's findings is that the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 don't throttle any benchmarking tools.
After AnandTech published its report, GeekBench, one of the more popular tools for benchmarking, completed a separate investigation and went on to delist the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro from its charts. "It's disappointing to see OnePlus handsets making performance decisions based on application identifiers rather than application behavior," the company said. "We view this as a form of benchmark manipulation." OnePlus has since responded to the report. It toldXDA Developers it tweaked the behavior of the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 in response to complaints people had about the battery life.
If you've been following OnePlus for a while, you'll know the company is no stranger to this type of controversy. Back in the days of the OnePlus 3T, the company included code in OxygenOS that would artificially boost the clock speeds of the phone's Snapdragon processor when running certain benchmark apps. XDA caught the company doing something similar with the OnePlus 5. On the face of things, the situation here is different. OnePlus is throttling the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 to save on battery life. And while most people won't notice unless they have another Snapdragon 888 device next to their phone, the company was still mispresenting the capabilities of those devices based on the fact they it throttle benchmarking apps. |
| TikTok tests letting US users to apply for jobs with video resumes Posted: 07 Jul 2021 11:56 AM PDT The reports were accurate: TikTok is expanding into job recruitment. As of today, the company has launched a pilot program that allows people in the US to apply for entry, associate and senior level positions by tagging videos they upload to the platform using the #TikTokResumes hashtag. You can see a list of the approximately three dozen companies that are taking part in the pilot, as well as the jobs they're hiring for, by visiting TikTok's dedicated resumes website. Some of the more notable brands taking part include Shopify, Target and the Detroit Pistons. Applicants have until July 31st to apply for the first set of jobs posted on the platform. In expanding in this way, the company says it "believes there's an opportunity to bring more value to people's experience with TikTok by enhancing the utility of the platform as a channel for recruitment." And while it might seem strange for TikTok to push its users to upload video resumes, it's a reflection of the fact the platform was never just about viral dance videos. You can already find creators dedicated to helping other TikTok users build their careers. And as Gen Z faces uncertain job prospects following the pandemic, it makes sense for TikTok to support the demographic that makes up a significant portion of its userbase. |
| Call of Duty League is bringing fans back to live events Posted: 07 Jul 2021 11:04 AM PDT Sixteen months after the last event with a live crowd, the Call of Duty League (CDL) is once again opening its doors to fans. The Stage V Major tournament takes place at the end of the month, and it will host the league's first live matches with fans since March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down everything.
All 12 CDL teams are expected to take part in the tournament, which runs from July 29th to August 1st. It takes place at Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas, home of the 2020 season champs Dallas Empire. Fans will be able to attend during the final two days, with a weekend pass costing $59. The league returned to in-person events without fans last month. The CDL and the Overwatch League (OWL), both of which are run by Activision Blizzard, planned to hold matches in each team's home city in 2020. That format didn't last long before the leagues were forced to shift to online-only play for the season. That was a significant blow for both, but perhaps more so the CDL, which had only just started its first season. Esports are far more enjoyable with a crowd, and the future's looking rosier for live events. OWL, meanwhile, is running a few events with fans in China this season. Envy Gaming, which owns Dallas Empire and OWL's Dallas Fuel, held an event at Esports Stadium Arlington last month with the Fuel playing on stage and Overwatch League fans in attendance. |
| Moderna enters clinical trials for its mRNA-based flu vaccine Posted: 07 Jul 2021 10:25 AM PDT Moderna has injected its mRNA-derived vaccine for the seasonal flu into a human volunteer for the first time as part of a Phase 1/2 clinical study, the company announced on Wednesday. This is a very early test for the new vaccine technology, geared primarily towards building a baseline understanding of the treatment's "safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity," according to a Moderna release. mRNA-1010, as the vaccine has been dubbed, is designed to be effective against the four most common strains of the virus including, A H1N1, H3N2, influenza B Yamagata and influenza B Victoria. According to the World Health Organization, these strains cause between 3 and 5 million severe cases of flu every year, resulting in as many as 650,000 flu-related respiratory deaths annually. In the US alone, roughly 8 percent of the population comes down with the flu every winter. The company hopes this vaccine will prove more potent than the current 40 to 60 percent efficacy rate of conventional flu vaccines. "We are pleased to have begun this Phase 1/2 study of mRNA-1010, our first mRNA seasonal flu vaccine candidate to enter the clinic. We expect that our seasonal influenza vaccine candidates will be an important component of our future combination respiratory vaccines," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said. "Respiratory combination vaccines are an important pillar of our overall mRNA vaccine strategy. We believe that the advantages of mRNA vaccines include the ability to combine different antigens to protect against multiple viruses and the ability to rapidly respond to the evolution of respiratory viruses, such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV. Our vision is to develop an mRNA combination vaccine so that people can get one shot each fall for high efficacy protection against the most problematic respiratory viruses." This vaccine has been generated using the same genomic techniques the company utilized to develop its COVID-19 treatment in 2020. The technique works by exploiting the human body's own cells to reproduce snippets of viral DNA to instigate an immune response and prime the body against future infection. Since this method doesn't require the entire virus (either weakened or dead) but rather just a birt of its genetic code, mRNA vaccines could be applied to any number of deadly modern diseases including malaria, TB — even cancer. |
| Nintendo’s OLED Switch isn’t the Switch Pro, and that’s okay Posted: 07 Jul 2021 09:17 AM PDT The long-rumored OLED-equipped Nintendo Switch is finally real! But it's not quite the upgrade we were expecting. For months, reports claimed a "Switch Pro" would also deliver some sort of 4K upscaling capability and faster performance. But this new model, which will sell for $350 when it's released on October 8th, doesn't go nearly that far. Instead, it's more of a minor step forward that fixes a few of the Switch's original design flaws, but doesn't dramatically change the system. And you know what? That's fine. If you've been following Nintendo for any amount of time, it shouldn't be surprising that the company isn't really interested in joining a spcs race. Let Sony and Microsoft duke it out for 4K dominance — Nintendo can show there's still plenty to love about games in 1080p and below. Sticking with the same hardware also means developers don't have to worry about splitting the Switch user base, an issue that's plagued Nintendo systems over the last few decades. (Was the New 3DS actually worth it?) The global chip shortage may have foiled Nintendo's plans to stuff better hardware in this Switch, as well. The system currently uses a custom version of NVIDIA's Tegra X1 system-on-a-chip, which was quietly updated in 2019 to increase the console's battery life. According to various reports, Nintendo was exploring docked 4K upscaling using NVIDIA's DLSS technology, which uses AI processing to bump lower-resolution textures up to something that looks far sharper. But that technology would have required an updated Tegra chip that brought over some of the hardware from NVIDIA's recent RTX GPUs. That's not an impossible task, but it's one that may have required more work than NVIDIA was able to accomplish during the hellscape of 2020 (at least, while keeping the final cost reasonable). Nintendo That doesn't mean dreams of a 4K-capable Switch are dead; it's just something we'll have to wait a year or two to see. Nintendo would also need to add more RAM to the Switch so it could better handle the 1080p textures required for DLSS upscaling. That's not easy to do with the system's meager 4GB of RAM, so a future console would need 6GB or 8GB. And don't forget, Nintendo also needs to balance delivering solid battery life with the Switch in handheld mode, so it needs to be careful about shoving in demanding new hardware. For owners of the original Switch, or newcomers to the platform, this OLED model still seems like an enticing upgrade. The larger screen makes the system look more modern, with less of a chunky display bezel. OLED will also make games look dramatically better, especially while playing outside in direct sunlight. There's also a wider kickstand, similar to the one of the Microsoft Surface tablets, which should make portable play a lot more stable. There's also 64GB of internal storage, up from 32GB, and "enhanced audio," which could just refer to better speakers. Nintendo isn't getting very specific there. Nintendo And if you're really into online multiplayer, you'll likely appreciate the Ethernet port built into the OLED Switch's dock. (And if that's the main draw for you, Nintendo says the dock is also compatible with the old Switch models.) Due to the larger screen, though, Nintendo says the OLED Switch may run into issues with some Labo kits and other games. I get it, $350 is a lot to shell out for a slightly better Switch. That's particularly true when you can get the disc-less PlayStation 5 for $399, or the full PS5 and Xbox Series X for $499. But for Nintendo diehards, the improvements are definitely tempting. Just don't be surprised if the company ends up dropping the 4K-capable Switch during the 2022 holiday season. |
| Bungie will reveal what's next for 'Destiny 2' on August 24th Posted: 07 Jul 2021 08:46 AM PDT Destiny 2 fans will soon find out more about the future of the game. Bungie will host a showcase on August 24th, and although there aren't many more concrete details, it's very probable that the studio will reveal more details about the upcoming expansion, The Witch Queen. A teaser image Bungie shared gave some hints about what's in store. Along with a tagline that reads "survive the truth," there's a symbol that has been linked to Savathun, the Hive witch queen. Savathun is also known as the "Queen of Lies" and "The Deceitful Sister," which certainly have a connection with that "survive the truth" line. — Destiny 2 (@DestinyTheGame) July 7, 2021 Bungie has been planting the seeds for a bigger focus on Savathun in recent months, following years of teases about the character. Season 14 has seen the Vex imposing The Endless Night upon the Last City, and (spoiler warning) it seems Savathun was behind it all. That gives credence to rumors Savathun will be the main villain in The Witch Queen expansion. What's more, the studio said in February that it would have more to share about "The Witch Queen and beyond" in late summer. The timing of the showcase matches up with that. Earlier this year, Bungie delayed The Witch Queen to 2022, partly because of the impact of COVID-19. The studio had long been thinking about shifting its annual expansions to the first half of each year anyway, "primarily for the health of the team." Meanwhile, cross-play is slated to go live alongside Season 15. We might learn more details about that important change during the showcase. The current season is scheduled to end on the day of the event. Season 15 should start soon afterward. |
| Trump is suing Twitter, Facebook and YouTube Posted: 07 Jul 2021 08:25 AM PDT As expected, former President Donald announced on Wednesday he plans to file lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well as the CEOs of each respective company. Trump announced the legal bid at a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, promising the case would lead to an "end of the shadow banning, a stop to the silencing and the canceling that you know so well." Trump and his lawyers, many of whom he said come from the tobacco industry, plan to file the lawsuits in the Southern District of Florida and hope to obtain class action status with each one. Trump alleges the tech giants violated his First Amendment rights and even calls Facebook a "state actor" in one of the suits. The lawsuit against Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai names YouTube as a defendant. "Our case will prove this censorship is unconstitutional," Trump said, adding that he plans to seek punitive damages from each of the companies. The decision to file the suits in Florida may prove an early roadblock for Trump. As noted by Reuters, both the Facebook and Twitter note in their terms of service that any case brought against them must done so at select courts in California. Following the January 6th US Capitol riot, both Twitter and Facebook suspended Trump from their respective platforms. "We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the time. The action comes more than two months after Facebook's Oversight Board said the company's suspension of the former president was "appropriate." Facebook currently plans to uphold the ban until at least January 2023. Following the decision, Trump called Facebook's actions a "total disgrace and an embarrassment to our country." We've reached out to Facebook and YouTube for comment, and we'll update this article when we hear back from the companies. Twitter declined to comment. |
| Amazon open-sources its in-house game engine Posted: 07 Jul 2021 08:06 AM PDT Amazon made its Lumberyard game engine free to use from the outset, but it's now opening development of the technology to everyone, too. GamesBeatreports that Amazon has made Lumberyard an open source project, rebranding it as the Open 3D Engine. The Linux Foundation will manage the project and form an Open 3D Foundation to foster development. Amazon is a founding member alongside tech heavyweights like Adobe, Huawei, Niantic and Red Hat. While the original Lumberyard was based on the Crytek engine, the version you'll get as Open 3D Engine was rewritten and is free of possible patent headaches, according to Amazon. It also boasts a new, more photorealistic renderer as well as many of the other tools you'd need to build a game or simulation, including an animation system, a content editor and visual scripting. This is relatively untouched ground for developers. They don't always have to pay for engines, but they rarely have full freedom to modify the code for their own ends — and those that do often keep the modifications for themselves. Open 3D Engine not only allows extensive customization, but will encourage creators to contribute to the wider community. That theoretically strengthens the technology and helps it move faster than commercial tech like Unreal Engine and Unity. There is a financial incentive for Amazon, though — open source may be its best chance at fostering growth. Amazon hasn't had much success with in-house games built on Lumberyard, having cancelled Crucible and delayed New World. The shift to Open 3D Engine could spur adoption and encourage studios to use AWS, Twitch and other services that hook into the platform. Amazon could reap the rewards of Open 3D Engine even if its dreams of becoming a AAA game creator never come to pass. |
| BMW's futuristic electric scooter is straight out of anime Posted: 07 Jul 2021 07:45 AM PDT When we saw BMW's CE 04 electric scooter concept last year, it looked like something pulled straight out of a science fiction film. Now the company has unveiled the final consumer version of the CE 04, and while it's lost a bit of the fantastical edge, it still looks like a vehicle that would be right at home in Akira or Ghost in the Shell. Aimed at the urban commuter, the CE 04 features a 10.25-inch LCD screen (that's bigger than what's in most cars!), up to 81 miles of range, and a top speed of 75mph. It'll be available in 2022 for around $16,000. That's twice the price of the Vespa Elettrica, but that's also a far slower vehicle meant for even more casual users. Just looking at the CE 04 makes it clear what BMW is trying to accomplish. It's a fresh new design that's meant to entice people who are interested in EVs, but may not have the money or space for an actual electric car. It can charge with a regular power plug or EV cables, and BMW claims it can quick charge after being completely drained in one hour and 40 minutes with a level 3 power connection. Still, even if you don't have the fanciest charging setup around, BMW says it can juice up in four hours and 20 minutes with a standard household socket. While we're still waiting for more details on the CE 04's pricing and optional accessories, you can expect to see a reduced output model with a range of around 62 miles (100Km). That cheaper model will also spit out between 15hp and 30hp, whereas the standard one can reach up 42hp. Both versions should be well equipped for city traffic though, with the ability to reach 31mph in 2.6 seconds. |
| Grubhub and Yandex bring autonomous deliveries to US college campuses Posted: 07 Jul 2021 07:25 AM PDT Grubhub is teaming up with Russian tech giant Yandex to deliver food to students and others on US college campuses with the help of autonomous robots. The companies have agreed a multi-year partnership, and the robots will start dropping off orders on select campuses this fall. Grubhub works with more than 250 colleges across the country. Yandex says its robots can access areas and navigate obstacles that cars cannot. It will be able to deliver food in mainly pedestrian areas and the robot delivery service will be integrated into Grubhub's app. When the robot gets close to its destination, the customer will receive a notification. They can retrieve their order by using the app to unlock a hatch on the robot. The machines use the same self-driving tech as Yandex's autonomous cars, and they can operate in a variety of weather conditions. Yandex has been using the robots for its own food and grocery delivery services in Russia. The rovers have also been fulfilling restaurant orders in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since April. |
| Assassin's Creed could become an online service game Posted: 07 Jul 2021 06:53 AM PDT Assassin's Creed games have typically been self-contained (and often solitary) affairs, but Ubisoft is poised to change all that. Bloombergsources claim Ubisoft is developing Assassin's Creed Infinity, a project that turns the alternate history series into a live online service like Grand Theft Auto Online. Instead of playing mostly by yourself in one historical period, you'd routinely join other players across "multiple settings" that would grow and evolve over time. You'd have a reason to keep playing (and keep paying) for a long time where AC currently relies heavily on DLC and frequent sequels to stay fresh. While there would be individual games tied to Infinity with their own look and feel, they'd all be linked together, the sources said. Ubisoft confirmed that Infinity exists, but wouldn't explain the game in detail. It's meant to please fans who want a "more cohesive approach" to the game universe, the company said. Upheaval at the company might threaten the project, however. Ubisoft recently unified its Montreal and Quebec City teams to help Assassin's Creed flourish through shared talent. While that could strengthen the quality of each release, Quebec will lead the franchise — a problem when that studio and Montreal have had bitter rivalries at times. More importantly, there are concerns Ubisoft hasn't fully addressed the misconduct claims that led to the company firing its chief creative officer and certain studio leaders. A spokeswoman said Ubisoft had investigated all claims and taken appropriate actions, but Bloomberg's contacts said that managers accused of abuse remained in senior roles and that employees were reporting racism and sexism that wasn't being addressed. That, in turn, could limit Ubisoft's resources for Infinity. While poaching from studios near Ubisoft Montreal is a problem, misconduct claims have also lead to more staffers jumping ship from that location. Simply speaking, Ubisoft might need to redouble its efforts to stamp out toxic behavior if it's going to retain the talent it needs to produce its best work. Update: Ubisoft, in response to claims of misconduct, said that it " takes each and every allegation seriously and conducted a series of investigations over the last year led by independent third parties taking swift and appropriate actions based on their outcome, including warnings, removal of managerial responsibility or dismissal." While it declined to go into specifics, it said that "any employee that had allegations and remain at Ubisoft has had their case rigorously reviewed by a third party and were either exonerated or underwent appropriate disciplinary actions." |
| Apple's Mac Mini M1 is back on sale for $600 at Amazon Posted: 07 Jul 2021 05:45 AM PDT Apple's colorful new iMac may be too flashy for some, and those people should look to the Mac Mini M1 for a similarly powerful desktop experience. Normally starting at $700, the Mac Mini M1 has been discounted to $659 at Amazon — but an automatically applied coupon knocks the price down even further to $600. That gets you Apple's latest M1 chipset along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Buy Mac Mini M1 at Amazon - $600 The Mac Mini is a great option if you want to customize your desktop experience to a certain extent. You don't get a 4.5K Retina Display like you do with the latest iMacs, but that's not a huge deal if you have a monitor that you already love — plus your preferred keyboard and mouse setup as well. Aside from its compact size, this Mac Mini's biggest draw is the new M1 chipset, which has proven to be blazing fast on every machine we've tested with it. Switching between apps is a breeze, systems wake almost instantaneously and playing Apple Arcade games won't make the Mac Mini break a sweat. It's also worth noting that the Mac Mini M1 comes with an 8-core GPU, which is slightly better than the 7-core GPU on the base iMac. Apple focused on the internals here, so the exterior design of the Mac Mini hasn't changed. It's still a sleek square on which the back edge houses all of its ports: an Ethernet connector, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI 2.0 connector, two USB-A ports and a headphone jack. That's another perk of the Mini when compared to the new iMac, which only has two or four Thunderbolt ports depending on the configuration. Overall, Amazon's sale is a good opportunity for those with aging desktops to get an M1 machine as a replacement for less. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. |
| Bentley's Flying Spur Hybrid can travel 25 miles in EV mode Posted: 07 Jul 2021 05:19 AM PDT After announcing a shift to hybrid and fully electric cars by 2026, Bentley has begun showcasing the existing vehicles getting an eco-friendly makeover. Following the Bentayga Hybrid SUV, the spotlight is now on the more powerful Flying Spur sedan. Bentley's second plug-in hybrid features a 410 break horsepower (bhp) 2.9-liter V-6 with twin turbochargers, paired with a 134 bhp electric motor, for a combined 536 bhp. That's 95 bhp more than its SUV counterpart. While the luxury vehicle's 0-60mph acceleration time of 4.1 seconds and top speed of 177mph is just shy of the standard Flying Spur V8. Bentley To improve emissions, the new engine uses fuel injectors and spark plugs centralized within each combustion chamber for "optimal spray patterns." While the twin-scroll turbos and catalytic converts are positioned within the V of the engine. Bentley says the Flying Spur packs a 14.1kWh battery to offer an expected all-electric range of around 25 miles, pending certification. With many city centres requiring hybrids to switch to full EV mode, those figures will be critical. Some car makers like Fiat and BMW have even developed tech that can fully switch hybrids to all-electric drive in low emissions zones. Similar to that feature, Bentley says the hybrid manages battery usage by automatically shifting between three drive modes, including EV, allowing it to store up energy for when you reach the city. The sedan's combined petrol-electric range is more than 435 miles. Visually, little separates the new plug-in hybrid from the rest of Flying Spur range, apart from a charging port on the left rear wing and an understated hybrid badge on the front. As you'd expect, this is a car for the uber-rich. Prices for the Flying Spur Hybrid are expected to start from an eye-watering £160,000 in its native UK, according to Auto Express, with sales beginning this summer and deliveries to kickstart before the end of the year. |
| Russian hackers breached a GOP contractor Posted: 07 Jul 2021 04:45 AM PDT A state-sponsored Russian hacking group infiltrated the computer systems of a Republican National Committee (RNC) contractor over the weekend. Bloomberg originally revealed that the RNC suffered a breach at the hands of prolific hackers APT29, aka Cozy Bear, who are believed to be behind a spate of high-profile cyberattacks on the US and its allies. However, GOP officials were quick to refute that report, interjecting that the actual victim was a third-party IT services provider known as Synnex. The hack was orchestrated amid the backdrop of a larger supply chain cyberattack and increasing hostilities between the US and Russia over cyber-espionage campaigns. In a statement, chief of staff Richard Walters said the RNC learned of the attack over the weekend and "immediately blocked all access from Synnex accounts to our cloud environment." After conducting a review of its systems with Microsoft, Walters said no RNC data had been accessed. Spokesman Mike Reed also told Bloomberg that "there is no indication the RNC was hacked or any RNC information was stolen." Officials are currently working with law enforcement on the matter, Walters added. — Danielle Alvarez (@Danielle_Alva) July 6, 2021 With the focus on its services, GOP contractor Synnex also addressed the incident. The company confirmed it was aware of "a few instances where outside actors have attempted to gain access" to its customers "through the Microsoft cloud environment." Cyberattacks are on the rise as criminal and government-backed hackers take advantage of the disruption to working patterns caused by the pandemic to extort and cause havoc. Just days ago, over 200 managed service providers were compromised after hackers breached the systems of management software giant Kaseya. Before that, leading US fuel supplier Colonial was forced to shut down one of its main pipelines after it suffered a ransomware attack. To protect government networks, President Biden signed an executive order in May aimed at bolstering cybersecurity through improved info sharing between agencies, increased scrutiny of third-party software and an education program for the public. In addition, Biden called for the establishment of a formal set of rules for responding to a breach that would be reviewed by the head of CISA. Biden's retaliation against Russia, meanwhile, has included sanctions on dozens of entities and officials. The Russian government-backed group believed to have perpetrated the Synnex breach is among the most notorious in the world. APT 29 was accused of breaching the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and for carrying out the wide scale SolarWinds cyberattack last December, which impacted nine US government agencies. It was also accursed of brazenly attempting to steal COVID-19 vaccines research last July. |
| The Morning After: Nintendo finally reveals its new Switch Posted: 07 Jul 2021 04:15 AM PDT Nintendo's new, long-rumored Switch has arrived — and it's not what many of us were hoping for. Still, the OLED Switch is the most grown-up-looking Switch so far, with smaller bezels, a new off-white dock and matching Joy-Cons. The core upgrade is — shockingly — the screen: a new seven-inch OLED panel that should offer crisper graphics when played as a handheld. However, the resolution hasn't changed, so it's been stretched a little wider than the original 6.2-inch LCD Switch. Nintendo I can run through the rest of the changes, as there aren't all that many. There's now 64GB of internal storage — another grown-up upgrade — while a wider, more solid-looking kickstand replaces the flimsy plastic tab on the original Switch. You can adjust this to multiple angles for more comfortable table-top / airplane-tray-table gaming. The new off-white dock also has an Ethernet port built-in, while the core OLED Switch has improved speakers. Otherwise, there's no newer processor and, seemingly, no battery-life improvements. (The company hasn't offered any battery estimates yet on its official site.) The OLED Switch is not for current Switch owners looking to upgrade — although I don't doubt some of us will buy one. It's a refined version of the original (or maybe I'm easily tricked by monochrome color schemes), but seems expressly aimed at handheld players, who are the ones that'll benefit from the bigger OLED screen. That's odd when the cheaper, non-hybrid Switch Lite was geared at the same crowd. Nintendo could have squashed the more aggressive rumors of a powerful version capable of 4K and upscaled gaming, but it didn't. Because it's Nintendo, meaning it has a mercurial vision for hybrid consoles, iconic games, detachable controls and, at the same time, ignores Bluetooth audio support and in-game chat functionality. And there was no mention of any changes to fix Joy-Con drift. If you're looking for a comparison from console history, consider this a GameBoy Pocket-style twist on the GameBoy, rather than a more powerful PS4 Pro to replace the PS4. And will we ever see the 4K-capable Switch Pro? Does it even exist? Only Nintendo knows. — Mat Smith President Biden will order the FTC to draft 'right to repair' rulesThe policy will probably target farmers more than phone companies.The right to repair movement in the US could soon see a significant breakthrough. According to Bloomberg, President Joe Biden will "in the coming days" direct the Federal Trade Commission to draft new regulations to empower consumers to repair their devices. While there aren't many details on the executive order just yet, it will reportedly mention phone companies as a possible target of regulation. However, farmers are expected to be the primary beneficiary. During Tuesday's White House briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the order would give them "the right to repair their own equipment how they like." Continue reading. Roblox deal with Sony will create (legal) in-game music experiencesThis could help Roblox fend off a copyright lawsuit.SOPA Images via Getty Images Roblox is rushing to strike official music deals in the wake of a $200 million lawsuit over alleged copyright violations. Roblox has announced a team-up with Sony Music that will bring more of the label's artists to the game platform. The company reached a similar agreement with BMG in June, and Warner before that. It does represent Roblox's largest music pact to date, however. The one music giant left is Universal. The music industry sued Roblox for allegedly not doing enough to stop gamers from making virtual boomboxes that stream copyrighted music. Continue reading. Sony's weird neck speakers are back and now they're for remote workersPivot!Sony Building on Sony's neck speakers of the past, like the SRS-WS1, the company announced a new $150 model, the SRS-NB10. It's a neckband speaker that Sony says is designed for remote workers, "optimized for your ears alone" with drivers angled upward. This should mean you'll be the primary target of your podcasts and embarrassing playlists, but others in the same space might still catch whatever you're listening to. You'll be able to take calls on them, and the device can switch between two Bluetooth connections so it can perform double duty with your phone and PC. The band lands in September. Continue reading. Verizon modified a Ford F650 to provide first responders with mobile 5G accessSay hello to THOR.Verizon Verizon (Engadget's parent company for now) has revealed the Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response, THOR — a modified Ford F650 truck. The front of the vehicle has seats for a driver and five passengers, while the "command center" you see at the back has room for three individuals. THOR can bring 5G and satellite connectivity to an area where a natural disaster may have knocked network access out or there wasn't any connectivity in the first place. When Texas was hit by an extreme cold snap earlier this year and the state's independent power grid failed, many people couldn't use their phones to access the internet and get information about the situation as it developed. Verizon envisions THOR assisting first responders and the military "under nearly any conditions," whether that's severe cold that Texas recently experienced or wildfires out in California. Continue reading. Twitter wants your help developing new privacy featuresIt's once again showing off concepts for new tools.Twitter Yesterday, Twitter shared four concept features that could give users more control over who can see, read and find their accounts, and it wants feedback from the public. "If you have a protected account and reply to someone who isn't following you, you may not know they can't see your reply," Lena Emara, Twitter People Experience Designer, wrote in a thread. These features could help streamline and clarify exactly who can see your interactions. Regardless of feedback, these concepts may never mature into features that Twitter adopts. Continue reading. But wait, there's more...Engadget Deals: Google's Nest Thermostat drops to $88 in a one-day Amazon sale Audacity owner will revise its privacy policy following spyware concerns DOD cancels $10 billion JEDI contract at center of Microsoft and Amazon feud Nothing's wireless earbuds will offer ANC for $99 Animal Crossing, Mario and Pokémon Switch games drop to all-time lows Netflix picks up rights for a documentary on the 'Tinder Swindler' Atari steps back from mobile games to focus on 'premium' PC and console titles Animal Crossing Edition Monopoly arrives in August 'Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown' arrives September 22nd, 2022 |
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