Tuesday, August 17, 2021

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Apple will reportedly begin hosting in-store classes again on August 30th

Posted: 17 Aug 2021 03:40 AM PDT

Like most consumer tech companies, Apple has seen its retail and workplace setup severely disrupted by the pandemic. (Its bottom line, on the other hand, has emerged unscathed.) The iPhone maker has previously been forced to temporarily close stores and recently delayed its return to the office as the virus has surged. In the latest sign that things are returning to normal for the company, Apple is planning to bring back its educational classes to retail locations in the US and Europe, according to Bloomberg. 

The sessions, known as Today at Apple, are expected to kick off on August 30th, though that roadmap could be delayed in areas where the virus is on the rise. Scouring its site, we found scheduled in-person classes at Apple stores in New York, California, Massachusetts, Washington and even states where COVID-19 cases are at all-time highs including Florida, Oregon and Hawaii.

Apple moved the events online last year. The last time it held an in-person class was in March, 2020, right before governments began imposing coronavirus-induced lockdowns. However, it reportedly opened its reservation portal on Monday to allow people to sign-up for the courses in advance. The classes range from iPhone photography tutorials to augmented reality workshops to music sessions to beginner coding guides.

GM will reportedly replace Chevy Bolt battery modules to reduce fire risk

Posted: 17 Aug 2021 03:00 AM PDT

According to Electrek, GM has informed some Chevy Bolt EV owners that it will replace all the modules in their batteries with new ones. This is the latest step the automaker has taken to address issues in some Bolt EV models that make their batteries more likely to catch fire. As the publication notes, GM has recalled the Bolt EV twice in a little over a year before this and after over a dozen incidents wherein the vehicle went up in flames due to battery-related issues.

GM recalled over 68,000 Bolt EVs back in November and rolled out a firmware update to limit their charging capacity to 90 percent. In July, the National Highway Traffic Administration issued a safety alert in July advising owners of 2017 to 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EVs not to park their cars indoors or leave them charging overnight. That warning came after two Bolt EVs caught fire in the US. Finally, in April, the automaker released what's supposed-to-be the final software fix for the issue. Clearly, that wasn't able to completely solve the problem, and GM had to find another solution. 

Electrek says GM has informed some owners that they'll be able to start booking appointments to have all the modules in their batteries replaced starting on August 23rd. Owners who go through with the replacement will also get a new 8-year 100,000 mile warranty. That said, Chevrolet will only replace battery modules in Bolts produced within the timeframe GM suspects battery manufacturing defects were present. Based on the vehicles that caught fire, Electrek says GM will likely prioritize 2019 models followed by 2017 and 2018 models. The company will also replace modules for owners who routinely do deep discharges.

GM told the publication that they're taking this step "out of an abundance of caution." Further, GM and LG (the battery's manufacturer) will examine the replaced modules and find their defects. They'll also try to figure out if they can devise an in-situ detection method that would allow owners to figure out if their batteries are at risk of catching fire.

Astro teams up with Timbuk2 to build the ultimate gamer bags

Posted: 17 Aug 2021 12:01 AM PDT

As someone who regularly attends conventions like PAX, I know the importance of a good bag for your gaming gear. You need something that can snugly hold your Nintendo Switch, controllers and headsets while also making room for all their cables and plugs. I've tried various solutions over the years but nothing's ever really hit that sweet spot. However, today Astro is taking another swing at the problem with the help of storied bag brand Timbuk2.

Backpack with headset and cords inside
Kris Naudus / Engadget

Timbuk2 is best known for its striped messenger bag, but the brand's new collaboration with Astro skips that style in favor of two different pieces, a backpack and a sling bag. Astro already offers the $100 Scout Backpack with plenty of pockets to store your gear, but the $200 BP35 is bigger: 35 liters of space compared to the previous model's 32. It also has two laptop pockets, and a full clamshell opening to make it easier to remove your stuff — which certainly should make your life easier at airport security. One internal pocket is designed specifically to carry Astro gaming gear, with a loop for holding your headset, a padded sleeve for a MixAmp Pro and additional pockets for cords and controllers.

There are also plenty of small, thoughtful touches throughout, including mesh shoulder straps to keep you cool, velcro to showcase your pins and patches and a d-ring to hold your keys. And if you're of the environmentally-conscious sort, all Timbuk2 products are made of recycled materials, and the company has an exchange program for your old bag so you can dispose of it in an eco-friendly way.

Sling back with a Nintendo Switch, Pro Controller and games inside
Kris Naudus / Engadget

But what if you don't need a bag that big? 35 liters is a lot of space, after all, and all you have is your Switch Lite and a set of earbuds. This collaboration has you covered on that account with its $80 CS03 crossbody sling pack. You can wear it on your back, front or around your hips because fanny packs are back. But this is one made for your Nintendo Switch, with 14 slots for game cards and a tricot liner to protect your screen. There's also a pocket for your smartphone and a key keeper so it'll make a handy replacement for your purse or small shoulder bag. And I mean small, as the CS03 holds a scant three liters. It's more of a daytripper than a convention pack.

I didn't get much time with the bags, but keep an eye out here for a hands-on after I test them on the mean streets of New York and Chicago. If you want to give them a whirl yourself, both bags go on sale later this month, and can be picked up on Astro or Tumbuk2's sites as well as any of the six Timbuk2 flagship stores.

Activision drops 'Call of Duty: Vanguard' teaser ahead of official reveal

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 10:56 PM PDT

Images for the next Call of Duty game have recently surfaced online, giving us a glimpse of what to expect for the future of the franchise. Now, Activision has released a teaser trailer for the upcoming installment called Call of Duty: Vanguard, featuring elements clearly indicating that the game is set during World War II. It shows old weapons, beach littered with the remains of planes from the era, a forest that's located in Germany, among other things. 

Vanguard was developed by Sledgehammer Games, the studio behind several other COD titles that include Call of Duty: WWII. The studio and publisher Activision will officially launchVanguard during an in-game event within Call of Duty: Warzone, a free-to-play battle royale that's part of Modern Warfare and is connected to Black Ops: Cold War. It will happen during the Battle of Verdansk, which starts at 10:30AM PT/1:30PM ET on August 19th. We'll likely hear more about the event before then.

Activision, the game's publisher, is launching Vanguard in the midst of a sexual harassment lawsuit against parent company Activision Blizzard. California's fair employment agency sued the gaming giant, accusing it of systemic gender discrimination and fostering a "frat boy" culture that's described as a "breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women."

Tinder will make ID verification available to all users

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 05:50 PM PDT

Tinder plans to make ID verification — a feature currently only available in Japan — accessible to all its users, the company says.

For now, we have few details about how this update, which is expected to roll out in "the coming quarters," will work. In a statement, Tinder said ID verification would "begin as voluntary" and that it would consult with experts to determine "what documents are most appropriate in each country," and other details.

Tinder execs noted that ID verification can be a "complex and nuanced" issue, and that some users "might have compelling reasons that they can't or don't want to share their real-world identity with an online platform." The company said it's working with various experts to ensure its approach is "equitable."

ID verification would be the latest safety update for the dating app, which has added other features meant to reassure users' about their potential matches' identity. The company has also implemented an anti-catfishing feature, and Tinder parent company Match Group partnered with background check platform Garbo earlier this year.

Researcher says a US terrorist watchlist was exposed online for three weeks

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 03:43 PM PDT

The FBI's Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) may have exposed the records of nearly 2 million individuals and left them accessible online for three weeks. Security researcher Bob Diachenko says he discovered a terrorist watchlist on July 19th that included information like the name, date of birth and passport number of those listed in the database. The cluster also included "no-fly" indicators.

According to Diachenko, the watchlist wasn't password protected. Moreover, it was quickly indexed by search engines like Censys and ZoomEye before the Department of Homeland Security took the server offline on August 9th. It's unclear who may have accessed the data.

"I immediately reported it to Department of Homeland Security officials, who acknowledged the incident and thanked me for my work," Diachenko said in a LinkedIn post spotted by Bleeping Computer. "The DHS did not provide any further official comment, though." We've reached out to the Department of Homeland Security.

Among the watchlists the TSC maintains is America's no-fly list. Federal agencies like Transportation Security Administration (TSA) use the database to identify known or suspected terrorists attempting to enter the country. Suffice to say, the information included in the exposed watchlist was highly sensitive.

A recent bipartisan Senate report recently warned of glaring cybersecurity holes at several federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. It said many of the bodies it audited had failed to implement even basic cybersecurity practices like multi-factor authentication and warned national security information was open to theft as a result.

The latest version of iCloud for Windows adds a full password manager

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 02:26 PM PDT

Apple has long allowed Mac, iPhone and iPad users to access their iCloud drives on a PC using an app you can get from the Microsoft Store. And while the software let you download your photos and files, any passwords stored on your keychain were a more complicated matter. That's about to change for the better. 

With version 12.5 of iCloud for Windows, Apple is adding a password manager to the software. Once you download the update from the Microsoft Store, you can use the tool to add, edit, copy and paste, delete and look up any passwords you have stored in your iCloud keychain. You can also use the app in conjunction with a Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome extension to autofill a password when you're surfing online.  

Apple says the app stores all your passwords within an encrypted database on your computer and transfers them to the relevant browser extension over a secure channel. The app will automatically save and sync any website usernames and passwords but won't do the same for applications and other sensitive personal data like your credit card number. 

It's all pretty standard functionality apps like 1Password and Dashlane have offered for years, but if you're an iPhone user who frequently saves their logins to iCloud, you'll appreciate having easy access to them on your PC.    

T-Mobile confirms unauthorized access to 'some' data

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 01:37 PM PDT

Following reports of a data breach over the weekend, T-Mobile has confirmed it's investigating a cybersecurity incident. In an update published on Monday, the company said someone gained unauthorized access to its computer systems, but that it has yet to determine if any customer data was stolen.

"We are confident that the entry point used to gain access has been closed, and we are continuing our deep technical review of the situation across our systems to identify the nature of any data that was illegally accessed," the carrier said.

When Motherboard first broke the news of the data breach on Sunday, the information of about 30 million T-Mobile customers was on sale on the dark web for about $270,000 in Bitcoin. A hacker told the outlet they had obtained social security and IMEI numbers connected to more than 100 million people. As of the second quarter of 2021, T-Mobile had 104.7 million subscribers. The carrier said it could not "confirm the reported number of records affected or the validity of statements made by others" until it completes its investigation. Once it knows more about the situation, T-Mobile promises to proactively contact customers.

Google Maps will show you the nearest available Spin e-bike or scooter

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 01:20 PM PDT

Starting today, Google Maps users will be able to find the closest available Spin electric bike or scooter in real-time. The app will also show how long it will take to walk to the vehicle in question, its battery range and when you can expect to arrive at your destination when riding it.

The scooters will appear in both the bicycle and the public transportation tab when looking up directions. Though users will be able to find the nearest Spin e-vehicle with Google Maps, they'll be directed to the Spin app in order to pay for the vehicle and unlock it.

"With this integration, Spin is making it easier for millions of Google Maps users to easily incorporate shared bikes and scooters into their daily trips," said Spin CEO Ben Bear in a press release.

Spin is not the only e-scooter company to collaborate with Google. Back in 2019, Google Maps integrated with Lime, the other big brand in this space. Google has worked with ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to include those transportation options in its app too. Spin, for its part, is already integrated on other platforms like Citymapper and Moovit. 

Ford, which owns Spin, says this feature will be available in 84 towns, cities and campuses in the US, Canada, Germany and Spain.

A new tuna robot could lead to more agile and efficient underwater drones

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 01:00 PM PDT

Robots that can swim underwater are nothing new. For instance, Carnegie Mellon fitted its famous snakebot with turbines and thrusters earlier this year to give it aquatic capabilities. But few can do so with the grace, speed and effortlessness of a real-life fish. And it's not that scientists have avoided trying to create a robot that can do just that, but the exact way fish swim faster or slower is something that has proved elusive.

Marine biologists have known for a while that the secret lies somewhere in the way they can alter the rigidity of their tails. The problem is that it's difficult to measure that while a fish swims. However, using a combination of fluid dynamics and biomechanics, researchers from the University of Virginia say they've derived a formula that not only provides an answer to that question but also allows a robot with a specially designed tail to be nearly as good as its natural counterpart at speeding up and slowing down in water.

When they applied the formula to a tuna-like robot they built, they found it could swim at a greater variety of speeds using almost half as much energy as one with a fixed-stiffness tail. If you're a cyclist, you'll love this analogy. "Having one tail stiffness is like having one gear ratio on a bike," Dan Quinn, one of the co-authors of the study, told Big Think. "You'd only be efficient at one speed. It would be like biking through San Francisco with a fixed-gear bike; you'd be exhausted after just a few blocks."

With a tuna-sized machine under their belt, the University of Virginia team plans to scale their tail technology for use on both bigger and smaller robots. They're also developing one that undulates like a stingray. Their work could one day lead to a class of drones that can quickly travel to a remote location and then slow down to investigate the area. Like an aquatic snakebot, that's something the Navy could use to inspect their ships for damage. 

Wikipedia vandal adds swastikas to 53,000 pages

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 12:30 PM PDT

Wikipedia vandalism is hardly a new phenomenon, but one user was able to add swastikas to tens of thousands of articles. Among the pages that were defaced included ones for leaders such as President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister. Articles for celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck and Madonna were also affected.

The person responsible edited a template that's used on around 53,000 pages, Gizmodo reported. As such, the vandal defaced pages that are locked and supposed to have greater protection from such attacks. Wikipedia administrators fixed the problem soon after it emerged on Monday morning. The user has been banned indefinitely.

One admin noted that most widely used templates are locked, but it seems that some of them remain editable by anyone, or as in this case, a newish user who makes some good-faith edits first. Admins protected some more common templates in the wake of the vandalism.

The "unacceptable" attack "violates a number of Wikipedia's policies," a Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson told Gizmodo. "Most vandalism on Wikipedia is corrected within five minutes, as we saw today." Even though the site is enormous and ever-evolving, it's encouraging that administrators are able to detect and resolve major defacement incidents swiftly.

Anonymous chat app Yik Yak is back from the dead

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 11:31 AM PDT

Anonymous messaging apps were all the rage back in the mid-2010s. Yik Yak, one of the most popular of those back in the day, shut down in 2017, but now it's back from the dead. A new version has hit the iOS App Store.

Yik Yak is only available in the US and on iPhone for now, as Mashable notes, but it will expand to other regions and devices soon. As before, it's a message board app that connects you to other people in a five-mile radius. However, that localized aspect, plus the fact that users can post anonymously, led to reports of widespread bullying and harassment (and even bomb threats) on Yik Yak at colleges, high schools and elsewhere.

The developers of the revived Yik Yak seem aware of the problem. Along with mental health resources and guidance on staying safe, the app's website lays out extensive "community guardrails."

Yik Yak doesn't allow users to post personal information or engage in any kind of bullying, harassment, bigotry or threats. Nor are users allowed to promote or encourage suicide or self-harm. "Overly graphic violent depictions," spam, fake news, dissuading others from voting in elections and trolling are also off-limits. Although community management is a tough nut to crack and anonymity adds an extra hurdle to enforcing rules, outlawing a broad range of harmful content at the outset is a positive move.

After Yik Yak shut down in 2017, partly because many of its users moved to other apps like Snapchat, Square bought some of the app's intellectual property and hired several engineers. It's not yet clear who's behind the new version.

Although Yik Yak and fellow anonymous messaging app Secret closed shop, image-based Whisper has stuck around since 2012. That's despite Whisper having its own troubles to deal with, such as exposing user info (including identifiable location data) in a database that was open to all for years.

MIT developed a low-cost prosthetic hand that can help amputees feel again

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 11:18 AM PDT

The field of neuroprosthetics has advanced significantly in recent years, but the technology is still nowhere near accessible enough to make a difference in the lives of most amputees. However, a new development from MIT could change that. In a joint project with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the school designed a neuroprosthetic that costs about $500 in components. It's an inflatable hand made from an elastomer called EcoFlex and looks a bit like Baymax from Big Hero 6.

The device foregoes electric motors in favor of a pneumatic system that inflates and bends its balloon-like digits. The hand can assume various grasps that allow an amputee to subsequently do things like pet a cat, pour a carton of milk or even pick up a cupcake. The device translates how its wearer wants to use it through a software program that "decodes" the EMG signals the brain sends to an injured limb.

The prosthetic weighs about half a pound and can even restore some sense of feeling for its user. It does this with a series of pressure sensors. When the wearer touches or squeezes an object, they send an electric signal to a specific position on their amputated arm. Another advantage of the arm is it doesn't take long to learn how to use it. After about 15 minutes, two volunteers found they could write with a pen and stack checkers.

"This is not a product yet, but the performance is already similar or superior to existing neuroprosthetics, which we're excited about," said Professor Xuanhe Zhao, one of the engineers who worked on the project. "There's huge potential to make this soft prosthetic very low cost, for low-income families who have suffered from amputation."

While we're a while away from seeing this tech in the real world, the team behind the project is already working on improving the design. They want to make it better at decoding electrical inputs and more customizable when it comes time for mass production.

Blue Origin takes NASA to court over SpaceX lunar lander contract

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 09:39 AM PDT

Following a $2 billion Hail Mary, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has filed a complaint with the US Court of Federal Claims over NASA's handling of the Human Landing System program. The court challenge comes less than a month after the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) dismissed a protest the company filed in response to NASA's decision to award a single contract for the Artemis lunar lander. The agency went with a $2.9 billion bid from Elon Musk's SpaceX, opting not to fund a $5.9 billion proposal from Blue Origin. 

NASA's original intention was to sign two separate contracts, but limited funding from Congress made that difficult to do so. Blue Origin alleged the decision was "fundamentally unfair" because NASA allowed SpaceX to modify its bid, something the company says it didn't get the opportunity to do as well. However, the GAO concluded NASA's "evaluation of all three proposals was reasonable and consistent with applicable procurement law, regulation, and the announcement's terms."

At the time, Blue Origin hinted it would escalate the situation. "We stand firm in our belief that there were fundamental issues with NASA's decision, but the GAO wasn't able to address them due to their limited jurisdiction," the company said following the announcement.

"Blue Origin filed suit in the US Court of Federal Claims in an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA's Human Landing System," a spokesperson for Blue Origin told Engadget. "We firmly believe that the issues identified in this procurement and its outcomes must be addressed to restore fairness, create competition, and ensure a safe return to the Moon for America."

What this means for the Human Landing System program and Project Artemis more broadly is likely another delay. Following Blue Origin's GAO protest, NASA ordered SpaceX to stop work on the lunar lander contract while the watchdog investigated the matter. While this latest complaint is sealed, a source told The Verge Blue Origin asked a judge to order a temporary pause on SpaceX's contract while the case is resolved in court. NASA and SpaceX lost about three months waiting for the GAO to investigate Blue Origin's protest. If a judge approves the company's request, this latest pause could be even longer. Ultimately, any further delays will make NASA's goal of returning to the Moon by 2024 difficult.

Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite is on sale for a record low of $80 right now

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 09:14 AM PDT

While nothing can replicate holding a new hardcover book in your hands, you can't beat the convenience of an e-reader. Devices like Amazon's Kindles let you take your whole library with you, so you're never without options when picking your next read. They also make good student devices if you have a lot of digital textbooks available to you. Those looking to pick up a new e-reader for work or play can get a Kindle for less right now — Amazon just knocked the price of its Kindle Paperwhite down to $80 and its standard Kindle down to $65. While not a record low for the Kindle, the $50 discount on the Paperwhite brings it back down to its Prime Day price.

Buy Kindle Paperwhite at Amazon - $80Buy Kindle at Amazon - $65

The Paperwhite may be three years old at this point, but it remains one of the best e-readers you can buy. Not only is it compact, but it has a waterproof design that will protect it against accidental splashes. Amazon updated it a few years ago with a higher-contrast display plus Audible support, which means you can listen to audiobooks when you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones connected to the device.

While we recommend the Paperwhite to those that can afford it, Amazon's standard Kindle is a much better buy now than it was a couple of years ago. When last updated, the Kindle received a higher-contrast display, a new front light that makes reading in dark places much easier and a smaller, sleeker design. It may not have the bells and whistles that the Paperwhite has, but it does its one and only job of displaying ebooks well.

That said, if you're still happy with your old yet trusty e-reader, it's probably not necessary to upgrade. Kindles have received some convenient new features over the past few years, but none fundamentally change the experience of reading an ebook. But for those that haven't yet taken the plunge, Amazon's latest sale is a great one to consider if you want to bring an e-reader into your life. The biggest caveat to keep in mind is that these discounts are on the ad-supported Kindles, so you'll have to deal with Amazon's "special offers" and lock screen ads on your e-reader.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Intel Arc, the company's first gaming GPUs, will debut in 2022

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 08:27 AM PDT

Intel has chosen a name for its high-performance consumer graphics products: Intel Arc. The branding will cover the hardware and software sides of its high-end graphics cards, as well as services.

The first Arc GPUs, code-named Alchemist, will arrive in the first quarter of 2022 for desktops and laptops as Intel looks to take on NVIDIA and AMD. Intel also revealed the codenames for later generations of the hardware: Battlemage, Celestial and Druid.

Alchemist GPUs will support hardware-based ray tracing, mesh shading, variable rate shading and DirectX 12 Ultimate. Intel claims they'll be capable of "artificial intelligence-driven super sampling" as well. That certainly seems to be the company's spin on NVIDIA's Deep Learning Super Sampling upscaling tech, which boosts resolution while lessening strain on GPUs.

The Alchemist cards are based on the Xe-HPG microarchitecture, a blend of Xe LP, HP and HPC microarchitectures. Intel says Xe-HPG will "deliver scalability and compute efficiency with advanced graphics features." Intel's Iris Xe dedicated graphics cards, which were primarily geared toward laptops and pre-built desktops, are based on Xe LP architecture. Intel says it will share more details about the first Arc products later this year.

Intel also gave a quick peek at Arc graphics in action. In a video, it showed games including Forza Horizon 4, Psychonauts 2, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (or PUBG: Battlegrounds, to be precise) and Metro Exodus running on the tech. And yes, it looks like the GPUs can run the Crysis Remastered Trilogy.

Tesla's Autopilot is under federal investigation following crashes

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 07:13 AM PDT

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated an investigation of Tesla's Autopilot system. The probe follows 11 crashes with parked first responder vehicles since 2018, which resulted in 17 injuries and one death.

"Most incidents took place after dark and the crash scenes encountered included scene control measures such as first responder vehicle lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board, and road cones," the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) wrote in a document detailing the investigation. "The involved subject vehicles were all confirmed to have been engaged in either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control during the approach to the crashes."

The ODI's preliminary evaluation centers on Autopilot in Models Y, X, S and 3 from model years 2014 to 2021. That covers around 765,000 Tesla electric vehicles, as Bloomberg notes. The incidents in question took place between January 2018 and July of this year, including in Massachusetts, Michigan and Arizona. The ODI also cited three crashes in California.

The Autopilot system keeps the vehicle centered in the lane and maintains speed when it's active in its Operational Design Domain (ODD). It's not yet a full self-driving system, however. Drivers still have principal responsibility for Object and Event Detection and Response (OEDR) — identifying and responding to obstacles, vehicles and "adverse maneuvers" by other drivers.

"The investigation will additionally assess the OEDR by vehicles when engaged in Autopilot mode, and ODD in which the Autopilot mode is functional. The investigation will also include examination of the contributing circumstances for the confirmed crashes" mentioned in the document as well as similar crashes, the ODI wrote.

The NHTSA investigated and cleared Tesla over the first Autopilot-related death in 2016. Since then, the agency has opened dozens of other probes into incidents in which it believes Autopilot was involved. In June, the NHTSA ordered automakers to report incidents involving semi- and fully autonomous driving systems within 24 hours of learning about them.

Earlier this year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urged the NHTSA to issue stricter regulations for autonomous driving, citing Tesla in its letter. "Tesla recently released a beta version of its Level 2 Autopilot system, described as having full self-driving capability," NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt wrote. "By releasing the system, Tesla is testing on public roads a highly automated AV technology but with limited oversight or reporting requirements."

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders review: Not for most people

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 07:00 AM PDT

With major phone manufacturers like Apple, Google and (in some regions, at least) Samsung building their own processors, Qualcomm's premium Snapdragon CPUs are facing stiffer competition than ever. But there are still some companies that still need those chipsets — ASUS being a notable example. The Taiwanese electronics giant's ROG phones have high-end components aimed at the most demanding users and mobile gamers.

That's exactly the audience for the new "Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders," a phone that Qualcomm built with help from ASUS "for its fans". It boasts features like a 6.8-inch screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, comprehensive 5G support, fast charging and special audio enhancements. Clearly, this $1,499 device is a showcase for Qualcomm's strengths, and though its name says it's for Snapdragon Insiders, anyone can buy it. But should you?

Design

That depends on a few things, one of which being your preference on phone sizes. This is a big phone. At 210 grams (or 0.46 pounds), the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (which I'm going to call SSI from now on) is one of the heavier phones I've used recently. Many devices with such large screens tend to weigh about the same — the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is lighter, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra are actually even heavier.

A man holding the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders. The picture shows the phone in his hands, with its rear facing us.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The SSI also looks notably different from the iPhones and Galaxies which, depending on your taste, could be a good or bad thing. Its rounded rectangle body has a matte blue finish with shiny red accents on the camera bump and volume button. And you know how bezels for selfie cameras went away over the last two years on most flagships? That's not the case here — there's still a thin border above the screen where the sensor sits. That, combined with the silhouette and finish, make the SSI look pretty outdated.

Another polarizing feature on the SSI is an illuminated Qualcomm Snapdragon fireball icon on the rear, below the fingerprint sensor. You can set the light to "breathe" (i.e., glow on and off), turn it off altogether, or have it stay on all day. Even when it's not lit, though, the logo is pretty obvious. It adds clutter to the phone, and made feeling for the fingerprint scanner confusing whenever I wanted to unlock the device without looking at its back.

One last note on design: The bump for the SSI's triple-camera array on the back is a surprisingly compact horizontal row that's neatly tucked away in the top left. It's smaller and thinner than those on the Galaxy and iPhones, though it still protrudes enough that the handset doesn't lie flat when you put it on a table.

Display

Topping the list of the SSI's premium specs is its display. The AMOLED panel is from Samsung, and it runs at 2,448 x 1,080. It also refreshes at 144Hz, which is one of the fastest on modern smartphones, beating the Galaxy S21 and Note series, not to mention the iPhone family. To ensure that you're shooting at your enemies as quickly as you can tap on them, the display also offers a 1ms response time.

A man holding the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders with its screen facing out.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

I furiously scrolled up and down on the Engadget homepage, as well as my Instagram feed, and the display kept pace with my finger. Shooting at my enemies on League of Legends Wild Rift was similarly responsive, and a first-person shooter like Call Of Duty was also satisfyingly speedy.

Since it's an AMOLED panel, it also delivers vibrant colors and deep blacks on videos and photos. Its peak brightness of 1,200 nits also makes for easy viewing under sunlight. It's worth noting, though, that the 20.4:9 aspect ratio causes some content to be cut off — the ends of long messages in Telegram, for example, disappear into the edges of the screen. Qualcomm doesn't appear to have optimized its display to accommodate all apps.

Audio

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is one of the first to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound technology, which promises low Bluetooth latency, multiple listening profiles and smart amplifier software. It also has four mics and Qualcomm's "High Dynamic Range Audio Record," which the company says is capable of delivering studio-quality recording. The SSI comes with a pair of wireless Master and Dynamic earbuds, too, but most of the audio enhancements will work through the phone's speakers too.

Side view of the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders laid on a wooden surface, showing its power and volume buttons on the right edge.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The Master & Dynamic headphones were built using Qualcomm's Bluetooth Audio SoC and will support high-res 24-bit 96kHz audio with active noise cancellation. Qualcomm also said these should stay connected to your phone even if there are lots of other RF devices around, so audio drop-outs should be minimal.

I haven't visited many busy places during my testing, so I can't vouch for how well these headphones stay connected in those situations. Plus, the headphones that Qualcomm sent reviewers were pre-production and do "not reflect commercial-ready Snapdragon sound quality." The company said that when the devices do ship later this month, they'll have features like high-res audio and super wide band voice for greater call clarity. For now, though, all I can say is the earbuds perform fine. Songs like "Say So" by Doja Cat and "Next Level" by aespa also sounded richer than on the Pixel Buds 2.

The SSI itself also delivered loud and clear audio, though I don't usually expect great quality from phone speakers since I rarely play music through them. Sound effects and background tracks on games and YouTube videos rang out nicely, and that's pretty much all I need from a phone's sound system.

Cameras

Like many modern flagships, the SSI has a trio of cameras on its rear. The 64-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture is accompanied by a 12-megapixel ultrawide option and an 8-megapixel telephoto. That's a pretty typical setup, though the main camera here is sharper than those you'll find on iPhones and Pixels.

A close up view of the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders' three rear cameras at an angle.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Qualcomm said an over-the-air update is coming later this month that will enable, among other things, a full resolution mode for better "snapshot performance."

Other enhancements that the update is supposed to bring include "better texture/noise performance," "improved night shot quality," "Video Super Resolution," "upgraded camera tuning" and "best autofocus experience." The company said it will also "fully optimize" HDR via the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras and multi-frame noise reduction. That's far too many things coming that could sway how I feel about the camera, and I wish they were available to test before the phone hits shelves later this month. For now, I'm supposed to take Qualcomm's word for it and that's not how reviews work.

Without the updated software, the SSI delivered lackluster photos that paled in comparison to the Note 20 Ultra and Pixel 5's. The Qualcomm phone's images had a blue (sometimes green) cast and weren't significantly sharper or clearer than the Pixel's, which costs hundreds less. Google's portrait mode is also superior, and it never failed to keep the lantern fly I was taking pictures of in focus. Meanwhile, the insect came out blurry in 90 percent of the shots on the SSI.

A screenshot of the camera app in the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders, demonstrating an Auto Tracking video recording mode. There is a yellow square surrounding a man and Stop and Pause buttons on the right..
Screenshot (Cherlynn Low / Engadget)

One thing I was able to test is a unique Auto Tracking mode. Qualcomm re-architected its AI engine to run machine-learning-based tasks better, and one of these features is an Auto Zoom tool in the camera. When you use the Auto Tracking mode, you can tap on the viewfinder to designate a subject, and the camera will automatically adjust framing to make sure your pet or loved one is always in the scene.

And by the way, this isn't an autofocus tool that makes sure your kids or fur babies always look clear. Qualcomm's method will actually zoom in and out to give your selected subject the spotlight. When this worked, like when I shot a clip of our video producer, Brian Oh's adorable dog Zen as she ambled around the room, it was lovely. The camera zoomed in till Zen's face took up half the screen and we were staring into her soulful eyes, and zoomed out when she moved out of frame so we always saw her.

But in my testing, the system was not always good at identifying people's faces and separating them from the background. That would be fine if it simply didn't do anything in those cases, but the resulting footage was nauseatingly jerky and looked like the camera was searching for the subject. This is a nice tool in theory, but even if it worked perfectly I'm not convinced I'd use it much.

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders with its rear facing the camera against a yellow background.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Another thing I'm not sure I like is the 24-megapixel front camera. Sharper sensors are nice in general, but the better clarity here didn't make a big difference over selfies shot on other phones. Again, I don't know if the coming OTA update will be effective so I can only evaluate the selfie camera as I've experienced it.

Performance and battery life

With a Snapdragon 888 CPU, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, the SSI has plenty of muscle and ran smoothly for most of my time with it. I encountered occasional hiccups when shooting portrait mode pictures in rapid succession and when trying to shift focus in auto-tracking mode, but those are pretty specific to the camera. When I played League of Legends Wild Rift with screen recording on, the phone never lagged.

It's worth noting that the SSI often ran hot, though. After a couple of minutes of concurrent gaming and screen-recording, or a few attempts at capturing video in auto-tracking mode, or even just a round of Settlers of Catan, the area below the fingerprint sensor got noticeably warm.

The 4,000mAh battery here typically got me through a day and a half, and sometimes more, which is impressive given its screen size and refresh rate. That's also in line with most devices in this class, like the Note 20 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and better than the S21 Ultra.

A man using the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

I didn't go out a lot so I wasn't using 5G much — if you're a heavy data user or you set the logo on the back to stay lit all day, the runtime will likely drop. Speaking of, the SSI supports both mmWave and sub-6 5G, though your experience of the speed improvements this brings will depend largely on your carrier and service area.

When you do run out of juice, it won't take too long to get recharged. Qualcomm includes a Quick Charge 5 adaptor in the box that it says will get you up to 70 percent in 30 minutes or a full charge in 52 minutes. I did get the phone fully charged in under an hour, which is impressive given the generous battery size.

Wrap-up

On paper, the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders seems like a spec chaser's dream. But headline features like Snapdragon Sound aren't ready yet, 5G performance is reliant on your carrier and coverage, while the camera is still pending a major update that may improve performance. Not only does this phone seem like it's not ready for review, it also feels far too niche. Even demanding users who might like a smartphone like this will get more out of a Galaxy Ultra or the OnePlus 9 Pro. Unless you're a rabid Qualcomm fan or need a beefy, long-lasting honker of a phone with a 144Hz screen, few people should get the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders.

Amazon knocks up to 30 percent off Echo devices in its 'off to college' sale

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 06:30 AM PDT

Regardless of if you're personally heading back to school in a few weeks, Amazon's latest sale is a good opportunity for anyone to grab a new Echo device. In addition to Fire tablets and Fire TV devices, both the Echo Dot and the regular Echo smart speakers have been discounted — the Echo Dot is down to $35 while the Echo is on sale for $80. The sale also includes kids' devices, so you can grab an Echo Dot Kids Edition for $45, or 25 percent off its normal price. These are not record low prices, but they are the best deals we've seen since Prime Day in June.

Buy Echo Dot at Amazon - $35Buy Echo Dot Kids Edition at Amazon - $45Buy Echo at Amazon - $80

The Echo Dot is a good pick for dorm-room dwellers and others short on space. We included it in our back-to-school gift guide because it's a handy little speaker to have for impromptu dance parties, plus it it takes up very little space on a desk and it's quite cheap even when not on sale. Alexa can also answer basic questions that could help students in the middle of a study session, although we wouldn't recommend relying on the personal assistant for homework answers. Overall, we gave the Dot a score of 88 from us for its solid audio quality for the price, tap-to-snooze alarm and attractive orb-like design.

if you have more space to spare, the Echo is one of our favorite smart speakers as of late. It combines a three-inch woofer with two 0.8-inch tweeters to produce louder sound than both Google's Nest Audio and the HomePod mini. The audio quality is great, and if you have two in your home, you can use them as a stereo pair for an even better experience. We also appreciate that, like the Echo Dot, the standard Echo has a 3.5mm audio jack, letting you connect the speaker to another playback device like a turntable.

Ultimately, though, an Echo device is best if Alexa is your virtual assistant of choice. Alexa has gotten more useful over the years and there are thousands of Skills that you can install and use to make your experience more personalized. If you've been meaning to add to your smart home system, or you've wanted to build one from the ground up, an Echo device is a good place to start — especially when you can grab a few at a discount.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Amazon's Fire and Fire Kids tablets are on sale for up to 40 percent off

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 06:00 AM PDT

Amazon is known for making affordable tablets that get the basics right. As of now, the retailer is offering discounts on a range of its own-brand slates that cut up to 33 percent off its biggest and best devices. You can grab last year's 8-inch Fire HD 8 with 32GB expandable storage for just $60, down from $90. If you want something larger and more powerful, the latest 10-inch Fire HD 10 (also with 32GB storage) is available for $100, $50 off its typical price. You should note that barring the Kids tablets (see below) these are all ad-supported versions of the devices and opting-out of lockscreen adverts comes at a cost.

Buy Fire HD 8 at Amazon - $60Buy Fire HD 10 at Amazon - $100

Buy Fire HD 10 Productivity Bundle at Amazon - $170

If you're looking for an affordable tablet for work, you should check out Amazon's Productivity Bundle, which is currently discounted by $100. With it, you get the Fire HD 10 along with a Bluetooth keyboard and a 12-month subscription to Microsoft 365 for $170. The latter gives you access to Office apps and 1 terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage for up to five devices. Though it's far from a true laptop replacement, Amazon's biggest tablet should be fine for creating and editing Work or Excel documents.

Overall, both the Fire HD 8 and HD 10 are suitable for browsing the web and social media, watching Netflix in HD and accessing Amazon's ecosystem of shopping, music, reading and video streaming services. On the downside, they come with a paltry selection of apps compared to iOS or Android tablets, including a lack of Google services like YouTube. 

Buy Fire 7 Kids Pro at Amazon - $60Buy Fire HD 8 Kids Pro at Amazon - $90

Alongside the regular Fire tablets, Amazon is also offering all-time low deals on some of its Kids range. The cheapest of the lot is the Fire 7 Kids Pro, down to $60 from $100, which makes up for its non-HD screen and lack of USB-C (micro-USB instead) with a bevy of parental controls and age-appropriate web and app content for kids. You get all of those pros, plus HD resolution and USB-C, for $30 more on the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro, which is on sale for $50 off. The last time we saw Amazon's children's tablets drop this low was in July.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Android 12 beta feature lets you control your phone with your face

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 04:48 AM PDT

Beyond its ownaccessibility apps, Google offers a powerful API that lets developers create tools for people with disabilities. The beta version of the Android Accessibility Suite — which was part of the fourth Android 12 beta that recently arrived on Pixel handsets — includes a neat new way to control your phone. "Camera Switches" essentially lets you use face gestures to complete a number of actions. For instance, you can set the app to detect when you smile or raise an eyebrow in order to open your notifications panel or quick settings. You can also open your mouth to scroll forward or backward. As spotted by XDA Developers, the update lets you map around six face gestures to over a dozen phone controls. These can also be tweaked based on gesture size to prevent the app from constantly initiating actions.

Camera Switches builds upon the Switch Access feature in Android Accessibility Suite, which lets you interact with your device without using the touchscreen. Depending on the context, this can be done using an external device, such as a keyboard, via a USB or Bluetooth connection, or by pressing the built-in buttons on your phone. In that sense, Camera Switches takes the feature up a notch by introducing gestures to the mix. Seeing as most people are already accustomed to unlocking their phones with their face, the new additions shouldn't seem completely foreign.

While using Camera Switches, you'll see a persistent notification icon that indicates your camera is being used. However, as Android 12's privacy dashboard already includes a status indicator for both the camera and mic, this feature may be unnecessary. XDA was also able to sideload the app's APK to get the new feature on Android 11.

The Morning After: You might not have to wait long for Google’s cheaper Pixel 5a

Posted: 16 Aug 2021 04:15 AM PDT

We knew Google was readying another phone ahead of its new own-chip Pixel 6 flagships, but the company's cheaper A series might reappear earlier than we thought. The Pixel 5a could appear any day now, according to the latest reports from, of all places, repair shops. The latest rumors include a larger battery (4,680mAh battery up from 3,800mAh) and an August 17th release date — which would be tomorrow.

Google Pixel 4a 5G back from review
Cherlynn Low/Engadget

We're already expecting the Pixel 5a to land with a dual-camera system and a headphone jack, the latter of which is rare in 2021. Older rumors suggested the 5a might cost $450, a hair less than the Pixel 4a 5G but well above the $350 of last year's Pixel 4a.

I've said it before, but Google's Pixel A series is often a more compelling device than its highest-priced phones, striking a good balance between specs and performance — especially when it comes to camera performance. Similarly priced phones may look the same on paper, but the Pixel's imaging capabilities, which lean hard on AI and software, typically produce great images in most situations. I'm sure the Pixel 5a is likely to continue this winning formula — even if it lacks that homemade Google chip.

— Mat Smith

NASA sends a 3D printing system for lunar soil to its space station

It could help plan for future Moon and Mars habitats.

Render of NASA astronaut holding Moon regolith
NASA

NASA's latest International Space Station resupply mission included a machine meant to demonstrate 3D printing regolith (loose soil or rock) on the Moon and similar extraterrestrial surfaces.

The Redwire Regolith Print (RRP) project will work in tandem with an existing printer system (ManD) to try 3D printing simulated regolith. If that succeeds, the ISS crew will gauge the strength of the resulting material to see if it can handle the harsh conditions beyond Earth and work as a possible building material for future habitats. 

Continue reading.

Warner Bros. 'Reminiscence' promo puts you in the trailer

You can watch yourself on screen with Hugh Jackman, kind of.

Reminiscence
Warner Bros.

The promo for Warner Bros.' upcoming Reminiscence movie uses deepfake technology to embed you into a short video sequence with its star, Hugh Jackman. You can upload the photo of anybody you want, and the experience will conjure an animation for the face in it. You might have to wait your turn, however. When I tried it out, I got stuck at the waiting screen for a while. Test it for yourself here.

Continue reading.

Matter smart home networking standard delayed to 2022

The one smart home standard to rule them all.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance has delayed Matter's rollout from late 2021 to the first half of 2022. Smart home standards (and a lot of smart home news) can be a snoozy affair, but Matter could be what we need to get anything with WiFi and/or Bluetooth to speak to each other in our homes. Amazon, Apple, Google and many smart home device makers (such as Nanoleaf and Signify) are already committed to it, so you can see why a smart home standard like this might… matter.

Continue reading.

The Switch sweeps Japan's game sales chart

The first time this has happened in 33 years.

Every game on Famitsu's August 8th weekly Top 30 chart was a Switch title, ranging from Super Mario Maker 2 in 30th place to Minecraft at the top. It's reportedly the first time a platform has swept the chart since November 1988, when Nintendo's own Famicom (the NES for the rest of us) dominated the list.

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Engadget Deals: Apple's AirPods Pro fall back to $180

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