Thursday, August 5, 2021

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Amazon launches new resale programs following backlash over stock destruction

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 04:40 AM PDT

After ITV News found that Amazon in the UK was destroying brand new returned stock rather than re-selling it, the company has announced changes in how it deals with returned and unsold products. In a statement, the Amazon says that it is launching two programs for businesses that use the retail giant's infrastructure. These programs: FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) Grade and Resell, as well as FBA Liquidations, will enable third party sellers to list returned stock on their product pages.

With the former, when a product is returned to Amazon, the company will evaluate its condition and then re-list it as as used product. Amazon added that sellers can set the price based on the grades Amazon hands out, and can control much of the process themselves. FBA Liquidations, meanwhile, lets sellers ship returned or overstocked product to wholesalers straight from Amazon's logistics depots. They can connect with Amazon's bulk resale partners and try to, in the words of the company's corporate parlance, "recover a portion of their inventory cost."

The announcement comes shortly after the controversial report from ITV News, which claimed that truckloads of brand new products were marked for destruction. One anonymous tipster told reporters at the time that the process did not spare even premium products like MacBook units and, despite what's going on right now, sealed COVID face masks. As The Hill explained, the consequences of that report have raised hackles in the UK, with Labour MPs demanding an explanation for the evidence presented. At the time, Amazon said that "no items are sent to landfill," but as a last resort, some are sent to "energy recovery."

Libby Johnson McKee, director of Amazon Returns, ReCommerce and Sustainability, said that the new initiatives are one example of how Amazon is trying to "ensure that products sold on Amazon […] go to good use and don't become waste." McKee added that the policies will help reduce costs and help companies who use Amazon's fulfillment platform will be able to grow their businesses. FBA Grade and Resell is available in the UK now, with other European nations coming online across next year. FBA Liquidations, meanwhile, is available in the US and other European nations, but is coming to the UK in August. 

The Morning After: What to expect at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 04:15 AM PDT

For years, Samsung's Galaxy Note was the centerpiece of the company's summer phone launches, but times have changed. There's no new Note this year, and Samsung will instead focus on the new Galaxy Z Flip and Fold, as well as a stylus to work with these devices. We'll also see a new flagship wearable (and a new OS to go with it) and a new pair of true wireless stereo earbuds. At least, that's what the rumor mill says, so peer through our latest guide on what's going to make its debut next week.

— Dan Cooper

Sony might have shown off its next-gen VR headset already

Optional VR support for all major PS5 games?

On Tuesday, Sony reportedly revealed more specifics about the headset at a developer's summit, teasing details beyond performance, resolution and streamlined cabling.

Apparently codenamed next-gen VR (NGVR), it may feature controllers with capacitive touch sensors that sense the distance to your fingers — like the sensor on Nintendo's JoyCon — but far more sophisticated. The headset will apparently offer a bigger 110-degree view, with flexible scaling resolution and tapping eye-tracking to improve resolution where you're looking.

Sony told developers it's planning optional VR support for all AAA releases, so you could play them either in VR or on your TV, although it's not clear whether this would mean a first-person perspective, like Resident Evil 7 or Hitman, or simply a headset-based view of what you'd see on your TV. Continue Reading.

Heatworks opens pre-orders for its plumbing-free countertop dishwasher

The company is offering a $100 discount for early birds.

Tetra Countertop Dishwasher
Heatworks

Heatworks' Tetra tabletop dishwasher was initially unveiled in the before times, back at CES 2018, and it's taken until now for the machine to arrive on the market. Its (not-so) novel concept is to do your dishes from your kitchen counter, no need for plumbing. Just fill its onboard water tank, add a custom detergent cartridge and set it going, with the company saying it uses a lot less water and energy than washing dishes.

Unfortunately, its small size means you'll only be able to clean three place settings' worth of crockery per cycle, but if your home can't accommodate a full-size unit, this one may be worth a look. Continue Reading.

Facebook disables accounts of NYU team looking into political ad targeting

Researchers say they examined 'systemic flaws' in how Facebook's ad library worked.

Feb 16, 2020 Menlo Park / CA / USA - Girl posing in front of the Facebook Like Button sign, located at the entrance to the company's main headquarters, Silicon Valley
Sundry Photography via Getty Images

Facebook, once again, finds itself in deep waters after shutting down accounts used by a team of NYU researchers looking into political advertising. The project was designed to examine, by trawling through the company's extensive ad libraries, how political advertisers target individual users. The social network said it had no choice but to lock the team out after it had violated the site's rules on data-scraping. NYU, meanwhile, said Facebook was prompted to act because it didn't want third parties finding problems in its systems. Continue Reading.

Nissan's Leaf S is now the cheapest EV in the US

It's cheaper with more range.

Nissan has unveiled its 2022 Leaf with more standard features and a lower base price that makes it the cheapest EV in the US. The new basic model, the Leaf S with a 40-kWh battery, costs $27,400 or $28,375 including the destination charge — that's $20,875 if you qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit.

Compared to its closest competition, that's cheaper than the $29,900 Mini SE and can go farther, too, with 149 miles of range versus 114. Continue Reading.

Amazon delays 'New World' MMO again, this time to September 28th

'New World,' old news.

Amazon has delayed New World mere weeks before its previously announced August 31st release date. It will now arrive about a month later, on September 28th, so Amazon Game Studios can spend an extra few weeks polishing, fixing bugs and improving stability. For those keeping count, this is New World's fourth delay.

Amazon announced the game's first major delay after taking the unusual step of rolling back the availability of Crucible, its first AAA title. It later ended the development of that game. Before taking over as CEO of Amazon, Andy Jassy told employees he was committed to the studio. Continue Reading.

Intel has a plan to go beyond 3nm chips

It's aiming to recover its 'unquestioned leadership'

Intel 2021 Roadmap
Intel

Intel has not had a great five or six years, with its own processes failing just as competitors leap ahead with new manufacturing processes. The company's new CEO, Pat Gelsinger, has a plan to get Intel back to where it was, with some ambitious new chip plans. In the latest episode of Upscaled, our silicon expert Chris Schodt delves into what's going on, and explains why, if Gelsinger succeeds, we'll all be talking about 20-Angstrom chips in the near future. Continue Reading.

But wait, there's more...

T-Mobile to shut Sprint's LTE network by June 30, 2022

A star fragment is flying out of our galaxy at nearly two million miles per hour

Samsung's 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G will cost $669

Vudu and FandangoNow merge into a single streaming service

Tencent limits how long kids can play its flagship game, 'Honor of Kings'

The 2021 New York International Auto Show is canceled

Ghost of Tsushima's co-op multiplayer mode is getting a standalone release

Yelp lets businesses list if they require proof of vaccination

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 04:00 AM PDT

Last year, Yelp added a COVID-19 section to its app to help businesses communicate to customers how they were operating through the early stages of the pandemic. With the delta variant complicating things, the company is introducing two new labels shops and restaurants can add to their listings.

Now, they can say if customers need proof of vaccination to enter their establishment and whether their staff is fully vaccinated. As a Yelp user, you'll have the option to filter for shops and restaurants that include those labels. That said, they're optional, and only the owner of the business can decide to add them.

Yelp vaccine filter
Yelp

As it has done in the past when introducing other labels, Yelp says it will "proactively" monitor the pages of businesses that add those attributes to their listing. The company's content guidelines require that someone write a review of a business based on their first-hand experience of it. But that hasn't stopped some people from using the platform to express how they feel about things like vaccines. 

In response, the company has placed alerts on pages from businesses that have attracted attention for their stance on how to best protect the health and safety of their employees and customers from the coronavirus. Since the start of 2021, Yelp has issued about 100 of those alerts, leading to the removal of approximately 4,500 reviews.

Nintendo's sales can't keep up with last year's lockdown boom

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 03:01 AM PDT

If there's one downside to an unexpected and massive spike in success, it's that when things go back to normal, it can look worse by comparison. This is the "problem" that Nintendo is currently dealing with as it publishes its most recent quarterly report, reflecting the fact that the world has changed once again. In the three months to June 30th, the company posted an operating profit of 119 billion yen, which works out to roughly $1.1 billion. That is, however, a 17.3 percent drop compared to the 144 billion yen ($1.3 billion) posted this time last year, when people were mandated to spend much more time indoors.

The other difference compared to last year is a lack of a brand-name Nintendo title to draw in users like it had in 2020. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was (according to some analysts) the third-biggest selling game of the year, which also drove sales of new Switch consoles to buyers looking to get in on the action. In fact, New Horizons is still a big selling title, with 1.26 million units sold in this quarter, a year after it was originally launched. And Nintendo's software sales in total were only 10.2 percent smaller than the trade it did across the same period last year.

Rather amusingly, Nintendo broke out a graph in its financial report showing that, if you remove the Animal Crossing spike, its software sales have constantly increased since at least 2018. The fact that investors are still apparently nervous about Nintendo's future — to the point where Bloomberg is reporting that the company will issue stock buybacks to cover the gap in fallen sales — shows the disconnect between Wall Street and the world the rest of us are living in. But the company hasn't altered its sales forecast or plans for the rest of the year, such is its confidence about its business.

Nintendo's financial health is going to look a lot rosier in the back half of 2021 anyway, with a number of big titles out, and soon to be released. The HD remake of Zelda: Skyward Sword isn't covered in this report, and WarioWare: Get It Together drops in September. October sees the launch of Metroid Dread and Mario Party Superstars, while November sees the launch of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Plus, you know, there's the OLED Switch and Zelda Game and Watch coming to boost hardware sales.

Not to mention that next year is likely to feature a third Splatoon game, a sequel to Zelda: Breath of the Wild and a new entry in the Mario+Rabbids series. And what investors are forgetting, it seems, is that if we're all asked to start traveling to work again, it's more likely that we'll be tempted to bring along those Switch consoles some folks panic-bought at the start of last year. Which will require a steady stream of new games to keep their fingers entertained while sat on the bus or subway.

Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel stays will cost at least $4,809

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 02:20 AM PDT

Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser promises fans the "most immersive" experience ever when it launches in 2022 — one that won't be cheap. The entertainment giant has revealed details and prices for the Star Wars adventure, including the fact that it will cost two guests in a standard cabin at least $4,809 for a 2-night voyage. Suites will obviously cost more, though visitors will pay less per person the more people there are in their group.

Disney describes the experience as "part live immersive theater, part themed environment, part culinary extravaganza, part real-life role-playing game." According to the Galactic Starcruiser's official page, guests' journey begins at the Walt Disney World Resort terminal where they'll board a launch pad and rendezvous with the Halcyon. 

Once inside, guests will encounter "story moments," wherein they'll play a real-life choose-your-own-adventure type of game, wherein they can decide how their story will unfold. They can, for instance, choose to follow the First Order or join the Resistance, choose to join a smuggling ring or to aid a stowaway. They can interact with familiar characters who'll serve as NPCs and take lightsaber lessons to take on foes. Participants can also go on missions if they want to delve deeper into their story. According to ComicBook, each trip on the Starcruiser will be one-of-a-kind, so those who can afford more to go on more than once could enjoy unique experiences.

Peloton treadmill owners will be able to run again without a subscription

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 11:50 PM PDT

After a spate of accidents on its Tread+ treadmill, Peloton temporarily moved the basic running mode of Tread+ behind a paywall so non-authorized users couldn't gain access. Now, all users will be able to use the "Just Run" feature without a subscription and still be able to lock it up with a pin code, the company told The Verge. 

Peloton recalled its Tread and Tread+ treadmills in the US and Canada after several reports of injuries and one death. The company subsequently released a software update that required a passcode to use the basic running mode, but the feature was only available to subscribers. To offset that cost, Peloton gave users the subscription for free for three months, with the promise that an update was coming. 

The Tread Lock feature locks the device if you haven't used the treadmill in 45 seconds and aren't in a class. You then need to input a four-digit code before it can be used again. The aim is to prevent it being accessed by inexperienced users — especially kids — following 29 reports of injuries to children, including second- and third-degree abrasions and broken bones.

While the update was inconvenient for non-subscribers who purchased the $4,000+ devices, Peloton did make it possible to do basic running without paying. As part of the recall, Tread+ owners can get a full refund if they decide to return their treadmills by November 6th, 2022, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

IMDb TV now has standalone apps for Android and iOS in the US

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 10:31 PM PDT

IMDb's free, ad-supported streaming service finally standalone mobile apps for iPhones, iPads and Android in the US. The Amazon-owned subsidiary released IMDb TV apps for LG Smart TVs, PlayStation 4, NVIDIA Shield and TiVo Stream 4K in March, following its recent expansion to Roku. Up until now, though, you'd have to fire up the IMDb app to access the service's offerings on mobile

The standalone apps' release could give the service a bigger reach and put it on the radar of more potential viewers. Amazon may have big plans for IMDb TV in the future, after all. According to reports that came out last year, the company is looking to make the free service available internationally. Mexico and the UK may be the first regions to get access to the platform outside the US, and if all goes well, IMDb TV could expand into Latin America and other European countries. 

IMDb TV offers free access to popular shows and movies like Chicago Fire, All in the Family, Wolf of Wall Street and How to Train Your Dragon. It also gives you access to Amazon Originals made especially for the platform, including the crime drama Leverage: Redemption.

IMDb
IMDb

Sony reportedly showed off its next-generation PSVR at a developer's conference

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 08:58 PM PDT

Sony already hinted that it's working on a new PlayStation VR headset, promising "dramatic leaps" in performance, higher resolution, a wider field of view, better tracking and a new controller. On Tuesday, Sony reportedly revealed more specifics about the headset at a developer's summit, according to the YouTube channel PSVR Without Parole (below) and UploadVR, The Verge has reported.

The device is reportedly codenamed next-gen VR (NGVR) and features controllers with capacitive touch sensors that can detect when you're holding the controller or touching the buttons, and even sense the distance to your fingers. Sony also reportedly told developer's that it's planning optional VR support for all AAA releases, so you could play them either in VR or on your TV — much like it did with Resident Evil 7 and No Man's Sky on the PS4 and PS5. 

PSVR Without Parole also noted that the next-gen PSVR will offer a 110-degree field of view that's 10 degrees wider than the PSVR. To make the most of those pixels, it will use flexible scaling resolution, along with foveated rendering that uses eye-tracking to improve resolution where you're looking. UploadVR, meanwhile, said that the the headset will feature high-resolution 2,000 x 2,040 OLED displays (4K in total). 

We've already heard that the PSVR will connect to PlayStation consoles with a single cable, with no passthrough box required. It will also use inside-out tracking and offer adaptive triggers and haptic feedback on the controllers.

All told, the PSVR 2 (or whatever it's called) should have features mostly on par with rival headsets like the Oculus Quest 2 and HTC Vive Pro 2. However, Sony itself said that the headset won't launch until at least next year, and a Bloomberg report from June indicated it might not come until late in 2022. For now, though, all of that is still grist for the rumor mill until Sony announces something official, possibly later this year. 

TikTok tests Stories feature outside of the US

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 02:41 PM PDT

TikTok is no stranger to other companies copying the format of its signature short-form videos, but it may now do the same with Stories. Per a tweet shared by social media consultant and former TheNext Web writer Matt Navarra, the company has introduced posts that disappear after 24 hours. TikTok told Variety it's currently testing the feature with a small subset of users outside of the US and emphasized they may not become a permanent fixture within the app.

"We're always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience," a spokesperson for the company told Engadget. "Currently we're experimenting with ways to give creators additional formats to bring their creative ideas to life for the TikTok community."

Snapchat was the first app to feature Stories before the format was widely copied by everyone from Facebook to LinkedIn. Twitter also tried to make the feature work on its platform with Fleets, but that experiment ended earlier this week. Much like its rivals, TikTok may feel it needs to add Stories to stay relevant, particularly with companies like YouTube investing millions to replicate its success.

Amazon delays 'New World' MMO again, this time to September 28th

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 01:38 PM PDT

Amazon has delayed New World mere weeks before its previously announced August 31st release date. It will now arrive about a month later, on September 28th, so that Amazon Game Studios can spend an extra few weeks polishing, fixing bugs and improving stability. The company says it decided to delay New World again following player feedback it collected during the MMO's recent closed beta.

"This was not an easy decision to make. We know this isn't the first time we've changed our launch date in pursuit of quality, and that it can be disappointing to wait a bit longer." Amazon Game Studios said on Twitter. "But we want to be sure we deliver you the highest quality game possible at launch."

For those of you still keeping track, this is New World's fourth delay. When Amazon first announced the game, it said it would come out in May 2020. Its release date initially slipped to August 25th, 2020, before Amazon announced a month later it was pushing the game back to spring 2021. At the start of the year, it then delayed the game to its most recently planned August 31st release date.

To say there's a lot of pressure on Amazon Game Studios to deliver a hit for its parent company would be an understatement. Amazon announced the game's first major delay after taking the unusual step of rolling back the availability of Crucible, its first AAA title. It later ended the development of that game. Before taking over as CEO of Amazon, Andy Jassy told employees he was committed to the studio. "Though we haven't consistently succeeded yet in Amazon Game Studios, I believe we will if we hang in there," he said in an email. Now it's on the New World team to prove that confidence was well-earned.

HBO Max adds scripted stories to its growing podcast library

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 12:44 PM PDT

HBO Max has grown its Podcast Program by leaps and bounds over the past two years expanding from 4 shows in 2019 to 25 today, many serving as tie-ins and companion pieces to HBO's various series. But that will soon change as the company announced on Wednesday that it plans to expand its online audio offerings to include original, scripted programming and "look-back" shows as well.

"Our viewers tell us that, more than any other streaming platform, they want to discuss and dissect HBO Max programming with friends and family to extend the emotional experience after finishing an episode," Joshua Walker, Chief Strategy Officer at HBO Max, said in a statement. He cites Max Podcast fans' collective investment in the existing programming as a driving force for the company's decision.

The new slate of scripted shows will include the highly anticipated Batman: The Audio Adventures starring Jeffrey Wright and premiering this fall, a look-back at Band of Brothers on September 9th (the show's 20th anniversary), and We Stay Looking — a sequel Issa Rae's Insecure companion show and HBO's first scripted podcast. HBO is also expanding its partnership with Audacity to include titles like Lovecraft Country Radio and The Chernobyl Podcast on the streaming platform's library.

The 2021 New York International Auto Show is canceled

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 12:07 PM PDT

The 2021 New York Auto Show has been canceled. Much like last year, organizers postponed the annual spring event to August to try and avoid the worst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, they say now their hand has been forced due to a growing number of hospital cases involving the COVID-19 delta variant and increasingly stringent measures put in place by state and local officials to curb its spread.

"As custodians of the 121-year-old New York Auto Show, we are committed to providing a safe environment for everyone including attendees, exhibitors, and the thousands of men and women who put the show together," said Mark Schienberg, the president of the New York Auto Show. "Over the past few weeks, and especially within the last few days, circumstances have changed making it more difficult to create an event at the high standard that we and our clients expect."

At the moment, it's unclear what this cancelation will mean for vehicles like the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe that were set to debut at the show. Organizers say they "firmly believe" the event will only return in 2022 but do so during its usual spring timeframe.

Bird tests geofencing system to slow scooters in pedestrian-heavy areas

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 11:15 AM PDT

The next time you rent a Bird scooter, don't try speeding past a school or any other area with a lot of pedestrians. The company has introduced Community Safety Zones, a feature that uses geofencing to cap the speeds of its scooters in certain areas automatically.

When traveling through a Community Safety Zone, the company's scooters won't go faster than 8 miles per hour. You'll see the zones mapped out in the Bird app, and the software will display a message when you enter one to explain why your vehicle is slowing down.

The company is piloting the feature in Miami, Marseille and Madrid. Over the coming weeks, Bird says it will work with public officials to implement the geofenced zones in all of the more than 250 cities where it operates globally. Initially, the zones will center on schools, though they could also include areas around parks and shopping malls in the future.

Community Safety Zones represent part of an ongoing safety push from Bird. In July, the company introduced Safe Start, which prompts users to type in a keyword when they want to rent a scooter between 10PM and 4AM local time. Bird is using Safe Start to verify whether a potential customer is sober enough to handle one of its vehicles. 

Intel has a plan to go beyond 3nm chips

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 11:00 AM PDT

Earlier this year, Intel announced they were planning to retake the CPU manufacturing lead and "unquestioned leadership" in the PC world. These were impressive goals, but what was missing was any sense of how they'd actually achieve them. Now, we finally know Intel's plan.

Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger and SVP of Technology Development Dr. Ann Kelleher, laid out the company's plan for the future. For starters, Intel is renaming its manufacturing nodes. What used to be 10nm "Enhanced Superfin" is now just "7." This may feel a little duplicitous — "just wave a wand a you've got better technology!" — but to be fair to intel, the nanometer measurements of process nodes don't really correspond to anything physical any more, and in terms of density Intel's current 10nm chips are competitive with TSMC and Samsung's 7nm.

Looking beyond 7nm, Intel is targeting an aggressive release schedule with major product updates happening annually. We're expecting their Alder Lake chips this fall, which will mix high and low-powered cores, followed by now-4nm Meteor Lake chips that will move to a "tile" (chiplet) design, and incorporate Intel's 3D stacked-chip technology, Foveros. 

Beyond that, Intel has technology mapped out for an EUV-based 3nm node that will use the high-energy manufacturing process to streamline chip creation, and a "20A" for angstrom node. This is one ten-billionth of a meter (meaning it's 2nm), and will be followed by a 18A node that Intel hopes to start moving into production in 2025 for products sometime in the 2nd half of the decade. Again, while node measurements don't really correspond to physical structures any more, a silicon atom is in the area of 2 angstroms wide, so these are seriously tiny transistors.

This release schedule seems aggressive, and Intel does not have the best track record of meeting targets for new nodes, but if it can even come close to these goals, expect your laptops and desktops to get a huge performance boost in the next few years. 

For even more info on Intel's plans, and details on its EMIB interconnect technology and two new versions of Foveros, be sure to check out the video above. You can see our sources here.

Ghost of Tsushima's co-op multiplayer mode is getting a standalone release

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 09:50 AM PDT

Since last fall, Sony's Ghost of Tsushima has included a free cooperative multiplayer mode called Legends. As long as you owned a copy of the game, you had access to it. However, much like Rockstar did with Red Dead Online, Sony now plans to offer a standalone version of Legends.

Available starting on September 3rd, the company will sell this release of the mode for $19.99. Aside from some in-game cosmetics you can only earn by playing through Ghost of Tsushima's single-player story, everything that's included in the version that comes with the full game is also present here, and you can play with those who own the entire experience. That first point is important because Sucker Punch has various free updates planned for Legends, the most notable of which is a new mode called Rivals that comes out on the same day as the standalone release.

Taking a page from Destiny 2's Gambit mode, Rivals pits two teams of two individuals against waves of enemies. As you defeat foes, you'll earn a resource called "Magatama," which you can use to delay the opposing team by doing things like casting curses on them. Once you've spent enough Magatama, you will unlock a final wave. Defeat that, and you'll have won the match. 

Sucker Punch has other updates for Legends planned, including a variety of quality-of-life tweaks. Starting on September 10th, the studio also plans to release content each week until October 1st. Players can look forward to new Survival mode maps and a more challenging version of last year's raid. 

If you decide you want to play through Ghost of Tsushima's single-player story after experiencing Legends by itself, you can purchase an upgrade to the Director's Cut, which includes the full story and a new island to explore, for $40 on PS4 or $50 on PS5.

Heatworks opens pre-orders for its plumbing-free countertop dishwasher

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 09:17 AM PDT

Heatworks has at long last opened pre-orders for the Tetra, a countertop dishwasher the company unveiled to some fanfare at CES 2018. Since the Tetra doesn't require any plumbing, the only thing you need to connect it to is an electrical outlet. The appliance has a three-liter tank you fill with water manually. Once the cycle (which takes less than an hour on the shortest setting) is complete, you disconnect the greywater tank and pour out the used water.

The dishwasher can wash and dry three place settings worth of dishes per load. On the surface, it might seem wasteful compared with cleaning those plates, cups and utensils manually, not to mention the counter space the machine will hog. However, Heatworks claims the machine requires less water than handwashing and rinsing the dishes. 

There are several settings, including a "fruit" one for washing produce. In addition, the dishwasher uses recyclable cartridges with concentrated detergent in an attempt to reduce waste.

The Tetra also requires less power than a standard dishwasher, according to the company. To heat up water, Heatworks uses Ohmic Array Technology, as Gizmodo notes. The Tetra takes a microwave-style approach to heating water rather than harnessing traditional metal elements. It uses graphite electrodes and "advanced electronic controls" to excite natural minerals in water. That setup allows the Tetra to efficiently heat water and maintain precise temperature control, according to Heatworks.

While there are other countertop dishwashers that don't need a plumbing connection, the Tetra has a smaller water tank than many of its rivals. Farberware's FDW05ASBWHA model (which is currently $340) has a five-liter capacity. The Tetra may heat water more efficiently than other models as well.

The Tetra will typically cost $499, but Heatworks is offering a $100 discount to those who lock in a preorder now. The detergent cartridges will cost around $6 each and they should be good for 20 loads depending on the setting and load capacity. Heatworks expects to start shipping the Tetra by May 18th, 2022, which is No Dirty Dishes Day.

What to expect at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked in August

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 08:42 AM PDT

If you're a big Samsung fan, you've probably already marked your calendar for August 11th, when the company is holding its next Galaxy Unpacked event. Though it has held many events already in 2021, at least this time around it's one that we've been anticipating. In recent years, Samsung has unveiled new Note phones every August. But at this coming Unpacked, the company will not be showing off a new Note. Thanks to the enterprising rumor mill and, well, Samsung itself, we have a good idea of what to expect next Wednesday.

Foldables: The third generation

The company published a blog post last month in which its president TM Roh teased what's to come. First up: foldables. Yes, that's plural. We'll be seeing the third-generation of the Galaxy Z series, including the next Z Flip and Z Fold. If you'll recall, the Z Flip is the smaller, Moto Razr-style phone that looks like a regular phone that you can close in half. Meanwhile, the Z Fold is more of a tablet-phone hybrid, where a 6.2-inch device opens up to reveal a 7.6-inch screen.

What might Samsung bring in new versions of these devices? Based on the leaks floatingaround the internet, the Z Flip 3 will possibly have a 1.9-inch outer screen with a 6.7-inch internal flexible display. That external panel is significantly bigger than the 1.1-inch sliver on the older Z Flip, which could make it more useful when the device is shut. We've also seen reports that the inside screen will run at 120Hz and sport dual 12-megapixel rear cameras and a 10-megapixel selfie shooter.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 standing in portrait orientation on a wooden table with its screen partly folded and facing the camera. It shows a YouTube video playing.
Chris Velazco / Engadget

Meanwhile, the Z Fold 3 is rumored to have a similar setup to the existing model, with a 6.2-inch exterior panel and a 7.6-inch version inside. It'll probably have triple 12-megapixel cameras and two selfie cameras on either side. Both models are reported to be rated IPX8 for water resistance, though dust resistance clearly still remains a challenge. These are all educated guesses based on what's been leaked, so I'd take the details with a grain of salt.

What has been confirmed is that the foldables will support Samsung's S Pen. The stylus has been a hallmark of the Note series and the company enabled support for it on its flagship S series earlier this year. In his blog post, Roh said the S Pen was specifically designed for its foldables.

A stylus made for the pliable screens on foldables has been a widely requested feature, and would make the larger, opened up displays more useful. Of course, Samsung shared little else about this S Pen besides the fact that it's coming, so there are plenty of unknowns at the moment. How will it avoid damaging the softer, flexible screen? What size is its nib, what is its pressure sensitivity and will the foldables have onboard slots to house it? Will it have Bluetooth support for remote control actions? Clearly, these are things we'll have to wait till Unpacked on August 11th to learn about.

Wearables: New headphones and Wear OS watches 

Samsung also already spilled the beans on its upcoming Galaxy Watch running the new Wear OS that it co-engineered with Google. We've also seen plenty of leaked renders of the purported Galaxy Watch 4, which is likely to come in an Active and a Classic edition. The latter might be available in three sizes instead of just two, and appears to feature the popular rotating bezel Samsung's watches are known for. Expect to see more details about the hardware and the UI at Unpacked, in addition to pricing and availability.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 review
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

That's not the only wearable that will make an appearance. We've also seen leaks indicating new Galaxy Buds 2 might show up at Unpacked. The company's next wireless earbuds appear to have a more refined design and more color options. One report based on a beta version of an upcoming plugin on Samsung's update server also indicated the possibility of active noise cancellation, touch controls and a simplified battery interface.

That's pretty much all we know so far, though I wouldn't put it past Samsung to have something else hidden up its sleeve for the event. Will Blackpink show up? I wish. But as for actual hardware, this is already a pretty long list of things to expect come August 11th. Samsung's launch kicks off at 10am Eastern that day, and you should come watch it with us on Engadget's YouTube channel. We'll be starting at 9:40AM Eastern with a pre-show and hanging around after Samsung wraps to answer your burning questions. I hope to see you then!

Lucille Ball's radio show is now a 'podcast' on SiriusXM

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 08:04 AM PDT

Lucille Ball sadly passed away long before podcasts became a reality, but that isn't stopping her from joining the modern phenomenon. The LA Timesreports that SiriusXM is turning Ball's Let's Talk to Lucy radio show into a 'pop-up' satellite radio station for three weeks. Once that stint is over, all 240 episodes of the 1960s-era show will be available as podcasts through both SiriusXM's app, Stitcher and other common platforms.

Notably, this isn't just mining nostalgia. This is the first time Let's Talk to Lucy has been heard since airing on the radio 50-plus years ago — there are conversations with legends like Bob Hope and Carol Burnett that haven't surfaced for decades.

SiriusXM is clearly hoping to boost its satellite and podcast offerings. At the same time, this also illustrates the usefulness of podcasting as a historical tool. In theory, the podcasts will both preserve Ball's interviews and make them accessible to a wider audience that might not listen to radio in the first place.

Twitter briefly verified a fake Cormac McCarthy account

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 07:42 AM PDT

The Road author Cormac McCarthy isn't tweeting jokes about Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, or Tron using the handle @CormacMcCrthy. But a member of Twitter's verification team mistakenly believed the account was the real deal and slapped a vaunted blue tick onto it.

The account, which was created in 2018 and has almost 50,000 followers, was briefly marked as a verified user, even though it doesn't belong to McCarthy. According to the 88-year-old author's agent and publisher, McCarthy has never joined Twitter.

"The account referenced was verified by mistake and that has since been reversed," Twitter told The Guardian. "The account will also be required to adhere to Twitter's parody, news feed, commentary, and fan account policy." Accounts that have to abide by the rules of that policy aren't eligible to become verified.

The company didn't explain how the blunder occurred. Those who apply for a verification badge are supposed to provide evidence that they're the genuine article, such as by providing a copy of government ID or an official website that links to the handle. The holder of the phony McCarthy account evidently did neither of those. The Guardian suggests Twitter may have proactively verified the account following a viral tweet about engagement.

Twitter has been flooded with verification requests in recent months. It reopened public applications for the blue tick in May, three and a half years after it put the program on hold to reassess how it handles verifications, though it's evident there are still some hiccups. It briefly paused applications after eight days due to the large volume of requests. Twitter is still in the process of rolling out the application link to all accounts.

A star fragment is flying out of our galaxy at nearly two million miles per hour

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 07:10 AM PDT

Scientists have just spotted one of the fastest-moving stars known to date, and it might provide valuable answers about the cosmos. Martha Stewart (yes, really) reports that Boston University researchers have studied a star fragment from a supernova, LP 40-365, speeding out of the Milky Way galaxy at close to 2 million MPH. While that it in itself is relatively rare, the researchers have also noticed that it's spinning unusually slowly for a supernova remnant at 8.9 hours for a full rotation.

The team determined that the repeated, rapid changes in brightness were likely due to the surface rotating into view. All stars spin, but that process is accelerated for any star pieces surviving a violent explosion like this.

The observation has provided clues as to the likely origins of the fragment. LP 40-365 was likely part of a white dwarf star 'feeding' on the mass of a partner in a binary system. As the two stars were spinning so closely and quickly, both of them were likely flung outward when LP 40-365's star exploded.

The composition of the star could also provide insights. Intact stars are normally made from hydrogen and helium, but this leftover is mostly composed of metal. The reactions from the supernova produced more complex elements, researchers said.

The shard represents a rare opportunity to study a phenomenon that science was only ready to consider a few years ago. It also provides a more complete picture of how supernovas behave — they've never been tidy, but it's now clearer just how messy they can be.

Samsung’s 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G will cost $669

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 07:00 AM PDT

Samsung is releasing the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G, a cheaper sibling to its flagship Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, on Thursday, August 5th. The "FE" stands for "Fan Edition," a term that was also used with the Galaxy S20 FE smartphone, and is essentially a roundabout way of saying this is a less flashy alternative. 

In terms of specs, that boils down to a less powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G chipset, compared to the S7/S7 Plus' 865+ processor. Here, you get an LCD instead of the Plus' AMOLED display with 2,560 x 1,600 resolution versus 1,752 x 2,800 pixels. Samsung hasn't mentioned if the refresh rate will match the 120Hz on the S7 range. 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE
Samsung

Another area where it falls short is the camera: 8MP on the back and a 5-megapixel one for selfies. Comparatively, the S7/S7 Plus feature a dual camera setup, with a main 13-megapixel camera accompanied by an ultra wide 5-megapixel offering, with a front 8-megapixel snapper. The FE also poaches the S7 Plus' 10,090 mAh battery and supports quick charging. Its metal unibody design should still feel as lavish.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE
Samsung

Prices for the 5G tablet start from $669, which gets you the base model in black with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage (expandable to 1TB with an SD card). Samsung previously said the slate would also offer a 6GB/128GB configuration, though that is likely to cost more. The FE 5G will initially be available at Samsung.com, AT&T and Verizon, and will arrive at T-Mobile, UScellular and other retailers in the coming days. 

A $530 WiFi model is also available to pre-order today, ahead of a September release date, in three extra colors including pink, green and silver. Both tablets come with an S-Pen stylus out of the box. 

That really leaves you to decide whether you want the FE or last year's Tab S7 ($650/$850) or Tab S7 Plus ($850/$1,050). Of course, if you're after something even cheaper, you can always settle for the $159 Tab A7 Lite.

Tencent limits how long kids can play its flagship game, 'Honor of Kings'

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 05:20 AM PDT

China's regulatory war against its tech giants isn't limited to data. After opening a front in gaming back in 2018, the government is now adding to the restraints the biggest publishers face. Tencent is first on the chopping block. The publisher has been forced to further slash playing time on Honor of Kings for those aged under 18 to one hour during regular days and two hours on weekends. The rules, designed to appease the country's all-powerful censors, come into effect today, according to state media outlet the South China Morning Post. 

Previously, play time in China was capped at 90 minutes per day during the week and three hours per day at weekends and holidays as part of broader rules introduced in 2019. Additional restrictions banned younger gamers from playing between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and curbed how much they could spend on downloadable content.

Honor of Kings is a hugely popular multiplayer online battle arena game developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group, also known for Call of Duty: Mobile and Pokémon Unite. As of November, the mobile title boasted 100 million players. But, its success has also brought with it increased scrutiny. In June, Tencent found itself at the center of a lawsuit that accused it of including "inappropriate" content in Honor of Kings, including characters with low-cut clothes and historical inaccuracies.

The latest crackdown comes amid growing fears in China over the addictive nature of video games. On Tuesday, a state-affiliated media outlet described the products produced by the gaming industry as "spiritual opium." The article continued: "No industry or sport should develop at the price of destroying a generation."

Therein lies the broader issue. China is currently grappling with a generational divide that has seen younger citizens reject the competitive lifestyle pressures heaped upon them. This stance is encapsulated by the "tang ping," or "lying flat," philosophy embraced by a growing number of Gen Z Chinese. In a nutshell, it signifies those who choose not to work hard, not to buy property and not to marry and have children. 

Instead of addressing the societal complaints, China is choosing to deflect the blame onto the gaming industry.

Vudu and FandangoNow merge into a single streaming service

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 04:15 AM PDT

Fandango has revealed Vudu's fate more than a year after it purchased the streaming platform from Walmart. No, Vudu isn't going away. In fact, it's merging with its parent company's own streaming service, FandangoNow, to form a single platform that'll take on Vudu's name. Fandango told TechCrunch that it decided to retain Vudu's branding, because it has a following that's significantly larger than FandangoNow's. According to data from the NPD Group, Vudu is in over 75 million TV-connected devices in the US and has more than 60 million registered users. 

As a result of the merge, Vudu will replace FandangoNow as Roku's official movie and TV store. Roku devices will automatically update the app, and owners will be able to purchase the media they want using Roku Pay. The new Vudu will offer more than 200,000 movies and TV shows they can purchase, including new releases like F9: The Fast Saga, Pixar's Luca, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Peter Rabbit 2, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, A Quiet Place Part II, Disney's Cruella, Godzilla vs. Kong and In the Heights. Next Tuesday, Black Widow will arrive on the platform. If you'll recall, Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for the movie's simultaneous release in theatres and on Disney+, which reportedly cost the star over $50 million. 

Even though only the Vudu branding will remain, FandangoNow customers won't lose access to their purchased content. They can now transfer their accounts to Vudu, where they'll be able to access their TV and movie libraries like usual. 

The Morning After: Is this the end of the selfie camera notch?

Posted: 04 Aug 2021 04:14 AM PDT

When will see the end of the notch or the hole-punch camera? The fight continues to make in-screen smartphone cameras a viable option. Last year's ZTE Axon 20 5G was the first phone to attempt the hidden selfie camera, but it struggled with image quality. It's a predictable issue: The camera has to face out through the screen, affected by whatever the pixels are displaying.

Oppo has announced its third-gen under-screen camera which, based on a sample shot, shows a lot of promise. Even if it's a company's own sample, there's no noticeable haziness nor glare. The company explains this is possible through a combination of electronic engineering and AI smarts. Oppo says it trained its own AI engine "using tens of thousands of photos" to achieve more accurate corrections on diffraction, white balance and HDR.

Oppo's next-gen under-screen camera
Oppo

Then there's the display. Earlier designs lowered the pixel density in the area above the camera to let more light into the sensor. This, however, made a noticeable patch above the camera. But now, Oppo — or whichever company is making its smartphone displays, possibly Samsung — figured out a way to boost light transmittance by shrinking each pixel's geometry. In other words, it keeps the same pixel density, but more light can reach the camera sensor.

Oppo hasn't mentioned a date — or new phone — for the under-screen camera, but ZTE claims to feature an improved version of its under-screen camera in its new Axon 30 5G, which launched in China last week. The timing is all a little too coincidental.

— Mat Smith

Apple's new Mac Pro GPUs promise a major performance boost

Probably the best you'll get this year.

Apple Mac Pro with two Radeon Pro W6800X Duo GPUs
Apple

While it's no Mac Pro with in-house silicon, Apple has updated the Mac Pro with new high-end GPU options. AMD's Radeon Pro W6800X, W6800X Duo and W6900X cards tout 50 percent improved performance per watt over their Vega II predecessors. All of them include four Thunderbolt 3 ports and an HDMI 2 connector, with support for Infinity Fabric Link that lets up to four GPUs (such as two W6800X Duo modules) talk to each other five times faster than PCIe.

That performance will, of course, cost you: $2,400 extra to configure a new Mac Pro with the W6800X inside, $4,600 for the W6800X Duo and $5,600 for the W6900X. Go all-out and you can spend $9,600 on two W6800X Duos or $11,600 on two W6900X modules. Continue reading.

Boeing and NASA delay Starliner launch due to unexpected valve problem

Expect an update later today.

The Atlas V rocket carrying Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule is seen after the launch to the International Space Station was delayed for a do-over test flight in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
Joe Skipper / reuters

Boeing will have to wait yet again to test its Starliner spacecraft. The company and NASA had planned to launch the capsule on Tuesday on top of an Atlas V rocket at 1:20 PM ET yesterday, but the company had to delay the launch due to "unexpected valve position indications in the propulsion system" that engineers spotted during pre-launch preparations. Continue reading.

The Krispy Kreme Xbox donut taste test.

It doesn't taste like Mountain Dew.

Krispy Kreme's Xbox doughnut
Engadget, Mat Smith

As promised, we bought Krispy Kreme's celebratory Xbox donut, with powdered sugar nexus design. Do we own an Xbox? No. But do we like donuts? Yes. Continue reading.

Halo's Master Chief is your new Waze navigation voice

For a limited time, but probably until 'Halo Infinite' actually arrives.

Microsoft and 343 Industries have partnered with Waze to bring the Master Chief and Escharum, his Banished foil in Infinite's upcoming story campaign, to the navigation app. It's also possible to change your car's live map icon to either a Warthog or Ghost and update your profile "mood" to feature the visage of the Spartan or alien war chief. Continue reading.

Amazon is offering $10 in credit for your palm print

The retailer's contactless payments system is available at 53 of its physical stores.

Amazon is offering $10 in promotional credit to get people to sign up to its palm print payments system, according to an offer spotted by TechCrunch. The retailer launched Amazon One last fall as a contactless way of authenticating purchases and allowing entry into stores using a biometric device. The sign-up process is the only part that requires you to touch the device. After that, you just hover your palm over the scanner to enter a store and complete purchases.

Amazon is aware of privacy concerns and promised to secure palm data using encryption and dedicated secure zones with restricted access controls. For those worried their data could be monetized, Amazon also committed to keeping palm data separate from its other customer data. That said, a $10 voucher may not sway those already put off by the horror stories around the company's facial recognition tech and Alexa voice recordings. Continue reading.

But wait, there's more...

Logitech's latest wireless earbuds are certified by Zoom, Microsoft and Google

Realme's 'MagDart' is an Android take on MagSafe, but faster

AT&T finalizes spinoff of DirecTV into its own company

JLab debuts $20 true wireless earbuds with 8-hour battery life and touch controls

Netflix is making a documentary about SpaceX's upcoming Inspiration4 civilian flight

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID goes on sale for $149

Blizzard president 'steps down' amid sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuit
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