Friday, August 6, 2021

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Jabra's Elite 85h ANC headphones fall back to $150 on Amazon

Posted: 06 Aug 2021 04:57 AM PDT

Jabra's Elite 85h headphones are available for $150 on Amazon once again, giving you another chance to grab them at the price if you weren't able to last month. We praised the wireless headphones for offering active noise cancellation that rivals the technologies used by Bose and Sony and gave it a score of 84 in our review. The device was priced at $300 upon launch in 2019, which we felt was a bit too high for what it can do. Amazon has been selling it for $174 after its sale in July, but now it's back down to its lowest price on the website.

Buy Jabra Elite 85h Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones at Amazon - $150

To be clear, only the Titanium Black version is on sale for $150 on Jabra's official store on Amazon, while the rest will cost you a bit more. If you don't mind the lack of color options, though, one of the best features we liked about the headphones is their insane battery life that can last up for to 41 hours with noise cancelation turned off. During our tests, we used the Elite 85h for around two to three hours a day for seven days and still had 85 percent of power left by the time we were done. 

We also liked that it has EQ and noise-cancellation presets you can choose from based on your environment. You can have different settings for use in public and in private, and you don't even have to manually switch between them. The headphones have the ability to analyze noise, so they can detect your location and switch to the appropriate profile.

In addition, we praised the headphones for having simple controls and a better design than some of their rivals. We noted in our review that Sony's 1000XM3 has better sound quality, but that device will set you back $100 more on Amazon right now.

The Morning After: Disney’s immersive Star Wars experience is really expensive

Posted: 06 Aug 2021 04:15 AM PDT

Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is going to cost you. For two guests in a standard cabin for a two-night adventure, you'll have to set aside just shy of $5,000.

Disney is promising it as "part live immersive theater, part themed environment, part culinary extravaganza, part real-life role-playing game." The company offers more details on how your story might unfold, with the ability to choose to side with the First Order (boo), or ally with the resistance.

Disney
Disney

There will also be lightsaber lessons, optional missions and the chance to interact with iconic SW characters who will, well, behave like video game NPCs. According to reports, each Starcruiser adventure is several months of salary one-of-a-kind, so if you can afford one journey on the cruiser, you can probably book a second, different, adventure.

The posit sounds very Westworld, and like that fictional theme park, it seems unashamedly aimed at only the wealthiest Star Wars fans. It also sounds like there will be no Star Wars experience like it. Temptation, however, might be outweighed by economic reality. Then again, it seems positively cheap compared to a ticket to actual space.

— Mat Smith

Google's upgraded Nest Cam and Doorbell are here

Floodlight options and battery-powered devices.

Battery-powered Google Nest Cam and Doorbell
Google

Google's first battery-powered Nest Cam and Doorbell can be installed just about anywhere around your home, and you can even connect them to a wired power source, if you prefer. The battery life depends on how many recorded events the devices detect and factors like the temperature and settings. Google says the Doorbell's battery will run for up to six months on a single charge, while the Nest Cam can run for up to seven months before you need to recharge it over USB. Continue reading.

Apple announces new iPhone features to detect child sex abuse

The Messages, Photos and Siri features will also come to watchOS and macOS.

Apple has detailed new features focused on child safety. With the release of iOS 15, watchOS 8 and macOS Monterey later this year, the company says it will introduce a variety of child safety features across Messages, Photos and Siri.

To start, the Messages app will include new notifications to warn children, as well as their parents, when they either send or receive sexually explicit photos. When someone sends a child an inappropriate image, the app will blur it and display several warnings. Apple will also introduce new software tools in iOS and iPadOS that will allow the company to detect when someone uploads content to iCloud that shows children involved in sexually explicit acts. Rather than scanning photos when they're uploaded to the cloud, the system will use an on-device database of "known" images. These features and more will come to devices later this year. Continue reading.

President Biden wants half of new vehicles to be zero-emissions by 2030

Some carmakers and states want an even faster transition.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks after touring Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, U.S., May 18, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Leah Millis / reuters

President Biden's latest executive order sets a target for half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 to have some form of zero-emissions driving, whether it's a pure EV, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The move is meant to not only promote clean transportation and limit climate change but help the US "outcompete" a Chinese car industry that's quickly shifting toward electrified vehicles. It could be an ambitious target: EVs have represented about 2 percent of US car sales for the past three years, according to the International Energy Agency and Pew Research. Continue reading.

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

The success of 'Animal Crossing' makes business as usual look worse by comparison.

In Nintendo's latest financial report, it posted an operating profit of 119 billion yen, 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 Switch consoles were consistently sold out and most of us were trapped indoors, isolating. Nintendo didn't release a game that could match the success of Animal Crossing the year before. Amusingly, the company made a graph to show that, if you remove the Animal Crossing spike, its software sales have constantly increased since at least 2018. Continue reading.

But wait, there's more...

Senior Apple employee alleges sexism at work, is put on indefinite leave

Inside the sexual harassment lawsuit at Activision Blizzard

Paramount+ is getting 14 South Park movies starting with two this year

Elon Musk confirms Walter Isaacson is writing his biography

What you'll get in the 'Back 4 Blood' open beta

Amazon launches new resale programs following backlash over stock destruction

Virgin Galactic starts selling tickets to space again for $450,000 per seat

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

Microsoft is merging its OneNote apps for Windows

Posted: 06 Aug 2021 03:27 AM PDT

Over the next 12 months, Microsoft is rolling out a series of updates for its OneNote apps on Windows with the intention of creating a single user experience. At the moment, there are two versions people can use: The OneNote app installed with Office and the OneNote for Windows 10 app available in the Microsoft Store. Microsoft will update the OneNote app with features currently exclusive to its counterpart pre-installed on Windows 10, though, and it will also give the program a visual refresh.

Microsoft originally intended to kill the OneNote app when the one for Windows 10 became available, but it changed its plans and revived the app in 2019. It upgraded the note-taking program with a bunch of new features and bundled it with Office installs a year later. Now, the tech giant says it will update OneNote with visual elements that it'll share with other Windows apps as part of Microsoft's efforts to give Windows 11 a more seamless look. The merged OneNote application will also gain access to the latest Microsoft pen and ink features, as well as a new navigational UI layout option. 

Those already using the app installed with Office don't have to do anything but wait for the upcoming updates to roll out. As for those using OneNote for Windows 10, Microsoft will send them an in-app invite to upgrade to the other application once it's ready. The company says it expects to start sending out invitations in the second half of 2022, and it now advising organizations to make their personnel use the OneNote app, so they don't have to migrate next year.

OneNote
Microsoft

Detroit lets automakers test smart parking technology in a real garage

Posted: 06 Aug 2021 02:47 AM PDT

The city of Detroit in partnership with both Ford and Bosch is about to open a new Smart Parking Lab, hosted in Detroit's Bedrock Assembly Garage. It's a real-world environment to test future autonomous technologies that could be used to refine autonomous valet parking into a product. Opening in September, the facility will also enable these companies to test if it's possible to introduce automatic smart charging into the system.

The Detroit Smart Parking Lab is designed to continue work showcased last summer, when Ford and Bosch showed off a self-parking Ford Escape in that same building. The vehicle was able to drive through the car park without human assistance, find a space, and reverse park into it without any stress. It's hoped that, in some far-flung future when climate change doesn't kill us all, that this sort of automatic valet parking could free people up to spend more time doing anything other than fighting for a space in a multi-storey car park.

As well as Ford and Bosch, rental company Enterprise is going to test how this technology could streamline its own processes. It hopes that cars that drive themselves to a valet station, then recharge themselves before parking back on the lot ready for pickup will reduce dead time between rentals. At this stage, at least, the hope is to just get the cars to park themselves in a manner that's cost-effective for the company.

Virgin Galactic starts selling tickets to space again for $450,000 per seat

Posted: 06 Aug 2021 12:34 AM PDT

You now have a chance to purchase a seat aboard one of Virgin Galactic's space tours — provided you can afford to pay $450,000 for it. The company has reopened ticket sales less than a month after Richard Branson, its founder, flew with other "mission specialists" for Virgin Galactic's first fully crewed spaceflight. It made the announcement alongside its financial results for the second quarter of the year, wherein it also said that the private space corporation "made meaningful progress towards commencing commercial service in 2022."

Virgin Galactic is giving you three consumer options to choose from. In addition to a single seat that costs almost half a million, it's also selling multi-seat packages for groups and offering full-flight buy outs. The current iteration of the company's VSS Unity spacecraft can seat four passengers in addition to two pilots, so selling full flights isn't out of the realm of possibility. Virgin Galactic will prioritize its "significant list of early hand-raisers," though it will create a follow-on priority list for customers interested in reserving future flights.

As CNBC notes, its next scheduled flight will have members of the Italian Air Force onboard. After that, the company will take a break until mid-2022 to refurbish VMS Eve, its jet-powered carrier aircraft. Since there will be one more scheduled test flight after that period, that means Virgin Galactic is delaying its first official flight for paying astronauts again. Earlier this year, the company was hoping to launch its first commercial flight in early 2022, but it now told CNBC that its new target is sometime in the late third quarter of 2022.

Amazon delays employee office return until 2022 amid COVID-19 surge

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 10:58 PM PDT

After previously announcing it expected corporate employees to return to the office on September 7th this year, Amazon has announced a further delay until January 3rd, 2022, Reuters has reported. The change of plans comes amid a surge of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant across the US. "As we continue to closely watch local conditions related to COVID-19, we are adjusting our guidance for corporate employees," the company said in a statement. 

Shortly after the pandemic started, Amazon said it expected employees to return to the office in October of 2020. That date was pushed back to 2021 as multiple waves of the virus forced lockdowns and business closures across the US. 

Google and Microsoft also recently announced that they'd be pushing back office returns until October 2021, later than the September date that Microsoft originally planned. However, while both Google and Microsoft require that any employees returning to the office be vaccinated, Amazon has said that unvaccinated employees may return as long as they wear masks. 

Like other tech companies, Amazon has allowed for a hybrid office/home work structure due to the pandemic. However, in March this year, it seemed eager to get everyone back to the office. "Our plan is to return to an office-centric culture as our baseline. We believe it enables us to invent, collaborate, and learn together most effectively," the company said in its vaccination and testing blog. Now, that will be delayed for at least another five months. 

'Evil Dead: The Game' is delayed until February 2022

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 09:19 PM PDT

Last year, Boss Team and Saber Interactive announced that Evil Dead: The Game with Bruce Campbell reprising his original movie role would arrive sometime in 2021. Now, the developers have tweeted out an update with a specific and slightly later release date: February 2022. 

The reason for the delay is to "give the team some extra time for polish and to ensure this is the ultimate Evil Dead experience you're all waiting for," the team tweeted. "This additional time is also allowing us to implement a single-player option that will let you enjoy the game when you are without your co-op compadres." 

As we saw in the launch trailer in December, Campbell's Ash along with Kelly and crew have to work together to fight Deadites led by a powerful demon. You can think of it as a Dead by Daylight-style asymmetric title with a chainsaw hand and Bruce Campbell's clever catchphrases. It also comes with a big dollop of nostalgia with familiar characters, locales and plenty of gore in the form of blood-soaked zombies.

Evil Dead: The Game will offer "multiplayer co-op and PvP for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch," according to the developer's website. They advised that you stay tuned to their Twitter page "for more information about new character updates, pre-order availability, and the next gameplay video featuring Bruce Campbell."

FTC rebukes Facebook for ‘misleading’ comments about NYU researchers

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 06:41 PM PDT

Earlier this week, Facebook followed through on its threats to cut a group of New York University researchers off from its platform. The researchers were part of a project called the Ad Observatory, which recruited volunteers to study how Facebook targets political ads on its platform.

In it decision to ban the researchers, Facebook repeatedly referred to its obligations to the FTC saying it was acting against the researchers "in line with our privacy program under the FTC Order" — a reference to the company's 2019 settlement with the agency over lax privacy practices. But the social network's actions were roundly criticized by the research community and free speech advocates, who said the company was preventing legitimate research under the guise of "scraping." As Wired pointed out, the company's agreement with the FTC doesn't even prohibit what the researchers were actually doing.

Now, the FTC has weighed in, calling the company's explanation of its actions was "misleading" and "inaccurate." In a sharply worded letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg, Acting Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection Samuel Levine, said that he was "disappointed by how your company has conducted itself in this matter."

"The FTC is committed to protecting the privacy of people, and efforts to shield targeted advertising practices from scrutiny run counter to that mission," Levine wrote. "Had you honored your commitment to contact us in advance, we would have pointed out that the consent decree does not bar Facebook from creating exceptions for good-faith research in the public interest. Indeed, the FTC supports efforts to shed light on opaque business practices, especially around surveillance-based advertising. While it is not our role to resolve individual disputes between Facebook and third parties, we hope that the company is not invoking privacy – much less the FTC consent order – as a pretext to advance other aims."

Facebook didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Senior Apple employee alleges sexism at work, is put on indefinite leave

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 04:56 PM PDT

Apple is facing questions about its handling of sexism in the workplace after it placed a female employee on leave following tweets about her experiences at the company. Ashley Gjøvik, a senior engineering program manager with Apple, says she has spent months speaking with Apple about unsafe working conditions, sexism and a hostile work environment.

Her comments were first reported by The Verge, which notes the company closed a previous investigation into Gjøvik's claims — apparently without taking any action. Gjøvik said Apple initially responded to her complaints of sexism by suggesting she request "disability accommodations."

On Wednesday, she was placed on "indefinite paid administrative leave" while Apple conducts a new investigation. In a statement to The Verge, she said the company "implied they did not want me on Slack where I had been vocal about my concerns with certain policies at the company."

In a series of tweets, Gjøvik provided several examples of interactions she brought to the attention of Apple's employee relations, who allegedly told her the behavior was "ok." In one exchange, a manager referred to her "tone" in presentations, and said "I didn't hear you going up an octave at the end of your statements." She added that comments about her tone were also included in a mid-year review at one point.

She also said that Apple employee relations told her it was "okay" after she received complaints that a diversity training she led was "too hard on the white man." In another exchange, she said a "heartfelt email" asking leadership to show "support of women and condemn sexism and sexual assault" in 2018 was brushed off — an interaction the company's employee relations also allegedly said was okay. 

"We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. "We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters."

Twitter Spaces co-host feature lets users share moderation duties

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 03:04 PM PDT

Twitter's experiment with ephemeral content may have ended earlier in the week, but its take on Clubhouse is going stronger than ever. Starting this week, Spaces hosts can invite other individuals to help them with moderation duties.

With today's announcement, a single Space can include one host, two co-hosts and up to 10 speakers. As a co-host, you can invite additional people to talk, mute and remove rowdy participants and pin tweets. However, you won't be able to remove the original host or your counterpart, nor can you end a broadcast. Adding a co-host is done through an invite system that allows you to search for specific users.

Of course, Twitter isn't the only company making audio broadcasts an integral part of what it offers users. Facebook and Discord quickly added Clubhouse-like features to their platforms following the app's early post-release success. And if you believe Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, most online services are likely to add live audio as a way for their users to communicate, much like they did when it came to video and Stories.

Apple announces new iPhone features to detect child sex abuse

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 12:39 PM PDT

Following a report on work the company was doing to create a tool that scans iPhones for child abuse images, Apple has published a post that provides more details on its efforts related to child safety. With the release of iOS 15, watchOS 8 and macOS Monterey later this year, the company says it will introduce a variety of child safety features across Messages, Photos and Siri. 

To start, the Messages app will include new notifications that will warn children, as well as their parents, when they either send or receive sexually explicit photos. When someone sends a child an inappropriate image, the app will blur it and display several warnings. "It's not your fault, but sensitive photos and videos can be used to hurt you," says one of the notifications, per a screenshot Apple shared. 

As an additional precaution, the company says Messages can also notify parents if their child decides to go ahead and view a sensitive image. "Similar protections are available if a child attempts to send sexually explicit photos," according to Apple. The company notes the feature uses on-device machine learning to determine whether a photo is explicit. Moreover, Apple does not have access to the messages themselves. This feature will be available to family iCloud accounts. 

Apple will also introduce new software tools in iOS and iPadOS that will allow the company to detect when someone uploads content to iCloud that shows children involved in sexually explicit acts. The company says it will use the technology to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which will in turn work with law enforcement agencies across the US. "Apple's method of detecting known CSAM [Child Sexual Abuse Material] is designed with user privacy in mind," the company claims. 

Rather than scanning photos when they're uploaded to the cloud, the system will use an on-device database of "known" images provided by NCMEC and other organizations. The company says that the database assigns a hash to the photos, which acts as a kind of digital fingerprint for them.

A cryptographic technology called private set intersection allows Apple to determine if there's a match without seeing the result of the process. In the event of a match, an iPhone or iPad will create a cryptographic safety voucher that will encrypt the upload, along with additional data about it. Another technology called threshold secret sharing makes it so that the company can't see the contents of those vouchers unless someone passes an unspecified threshold of CSAM content. "The threshold is set to provide an extremely high level of accuracy and ensures less than a one in one trillion chance per year of incorrectly flagging a given account," according to the company. 

It's only when that line is passed that the technology Apple plans to implement will allow the company to review the contents of the vouchers. At that point, the tech giant says it will manually review each report to confirm there's a match. In cases where there is one, it will disable the individual's iCloud account and forward a report to NEMEC. Users can appeal a suspension if they believe their account has been mistakenly flagged.    

Siri Child Safety
Apple

Lastly, Siri, as well as the built-in search feature found in iOS and macOS, will point users to child safety resources. For instance, you'll be able to ask the company's digital assistant how to report child exploitation. Apple also plans to update Siri to intervene when someone tries to conduct any CSAM-related searches. The assistant will explain "that interest in this topic is harmful and problematic," as well as point the person to resources that offer help with the issue.

Apple's decision to effectively work with law enforcement agencies is likely to be seen as something of an about-face for the company. In 2016, it refused to help the FBI unlock the iPhone that had belonged to the man behind the San Bernardino terror attack. Although the government eventually turned to an outside firm to access the device, Tim Cook called the episode "chilling" and warned it could create a backdoor for more government surveillance down the road.

Xbox will host another indie games showcase on August 10th

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 12:19 PM PDT

Microsoft will host its second ID@Xbox indie game showcase of the year on Twitch next week. The stream starts at 12pm ET on August 10th. You'll be able to watch it on the Twitch Gaming and Xbox channels.

Xbox will show off "tons" of games during the showcase, which will involve developers and publishers including Rebellion and Chump Squad. Along with updates on games such as OlliOlli World and The Artful Escape, new titles will be announced.

There will be some Xbox Game Pass news as well. During the first ID@Xbox and Twitch showcase in March, Microsoft revealed another 22 indie games that were bound for Game Pass on their release day, including S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Boyfriend Dungeon and The Ascent, which has blown up since it arrived last week. On Tuesday, you can expect to learn about a bunch more games that have set a course for Game Pass.

The showcase isn't the only notable gaming event taking place this month. Gamescom's Opening Night Live is set for August 25th. The two-hour shindig will show off some of this holiday season's biggest titles and offer a look at "what lies beyond," according to host and producer Geoff Keighley.

What you'll get in the 'Back 4 Blood' open beta

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 12:00 PM PDT

After playing a few hours of Back 4 Blood, the new co-op survival shooter from Left 4 Dead studio Turtle Rock, I was left with two questions: How is this legal? And, when can I play again? Turns out, right now.

The Back 4 Blood open beta runs from August 5th to 9th, and again from August 12th to 16th, on PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles. I got a sneak peek at what the beta has to offer on PC, with an emphasis on PvE content, since there were some technical issues with PvP modes during my playtime. Those have been resolved and I'm told PvP is ready to rock for the open beta.

Not that you should expect it to be perfect. Turtle Rock Studios is using the open beta to fine-tune Back 4 Blood ahead of its release on October 12th, and developers are serious about gathering as much feedback as possible. There's plenty to track: The game uses a Left 4 Dead-style AI director that adjusts the difficulty level in real-time as you plow through hordes of Ridden in your own special way. There's also a card system that allows players to build decks of class-specific perks, plus corruption cards that apply randomized effects to every level, changing up the gameplay each time. And it's a true cross-platform game, running across console generations and PC. All of this is on top of a new PvP mode and the core PvE gameplay, which has to feel like butter if it's going to satisfy Turtle Rock's Left 4 Dead fans.

I'm one of those fans, and I have to say, I'm enjoying the hell out of Back 4 Blood. Left 4 Dead is a pivotal game of my past, and Back 4 Blood taps into those good feelings in a delicious way.

Back 4 Blood
Turtle Rock Studios

I'm most interested in PvE, since that's the core of my nostalgia in this case, and I ended up playing about two hours of the main co-op mode with some new friends. The open beta features two PvE maps for co-op runs and two maps for the Swarm PvP mode, where teams of four take turns fighting each other as the Cleaners (the main characters) and the Ridden (the infected former humans). A new character, Mom, joins the roster of playable Cleaners for the first time, too.

One thing that stands out in Back 4 Blood is its sense of replayability. While the levels feel familiar, they're filled with secrets and they naturally encourage dynamic play, offering various ways to approach any single encounter. The card system adds a lovely layer of customization to the game, while the corruption cards make each new round just a little different, just a little more exciting. There's a variety of weapons and items to gather as well, and a healthy allotment of ammo drops throughout the maps, especially if you go exploring. 

Shooting the Ridden is immensely satisfying with any gun, while getting snatched up or knocked down by a Special Ridden is shocking basically every time. Meanwhile, the dialogue among the Cleaners is cute, with references to "the new normal," lizard people in the government and the lamestream media, to name a few joke opportunities. The protagonists of Back 4 Blood aren't shocked and running for their lives; they're on a mission to eradicate the Ridden and create safe zones for human life to resume. It's a refreshing perspective twist.

I ran into a few issues during my time with Back 4 Blood's open beta content, but nothing that felt insurmountable at this stage of development. Essentially, I trust Turtle Rock to take the feedback from the open beta and apply it to the game in the smartest, most gory way possible for its launch in October.

Back 4 Blood

I actually chatted with Turtle Rock executive producer Matt O'Driscoll about the beta and what developers hope to get out of it.

"These next two weeks are so vital to us," he said. "We're gonna get so much data for how people play this. Is easy too easy? Is it too hard? Is nightmare mode impossible? Like, all these kind of little things. Or, how do people build decks? Someone's gonna build a deck that I'm sure is gonna kind of break something in the game."

You heard him, Cleaners — get to breaking.

Back 4 Blood is definitely a lot like Left 4 Dead, but updated for modern systems and sensibilities. The question for most players in the open beta will be whether it's too much like Left 4 Dead — but personally, I say bring it on, Turtle Rock. After all, it's not like Valve is gonna give us Left 4 Dead 3. Or any 3, for that matter.

Apple reportedly plans to begin scanning iPhones in the US for child abuse images (updated)

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 11:50 AM PDT

Apple is reportedly planning an update that would allow it to scan iPhones for images of child sexual abuse. According to the Financial Times, the company has been briefing security researchers on the "neuralMatch" system, which would "continuously scan photos that are stored on a US user's iPhone and have also been uploaded to its iCloud back-up system."

The system would "proactively alert a team of human reviewers if it believes illegal imagery is detected" and human reviewers would alert law enforcement if the images were verified. The neuralMatch system, which was trained using a database from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, will be limited to iPhones in the United States to start, the report says.

The move would be somewhat of an about face for Apple, which has previously stood up to law enforcement to defend users' privacy. The company famously clashed with the FBI in 2016 after it refused to unlock an iPhone belonging to the man behind the San Bernardino terror attack. CEO Tim Cook said at the time that the government's request was "chilling" and would have far-reaching consequences that could effectively create a backdoor for more government surveillance. (The FBI ultimately turned to an outside security firm to unlock the phone.)

Now, security researchers are raising similar concerns. Though there's broad support for increasing efforts to fight child abuse, researchers who spoke to the FT said that it could open the door for authoritarian regimes to spy on their citizens, since a system designed to detect one type of imagery could be expanded to other types of content, like terrorism or other content perceived as "anti-government."

At the same time, Apple and other companies have faced mounting pressure to find ways to cooperate with law enforcement. As the report points out, social media platforms and cloud storage providers like iCloud already have systems to detect child sexual abuse imagery, but extending such efforts to images on a device would be a significant shift for the company.

Apple declined to comment to FT, but the company could release more details about its plans "as soon as this week."

Update 8/5 4pm ET: Apple confirmed plans to start testing a system that would be able to detect images of child sexual abuse stored in iCloud Photos in the United States. "Apple's method of detecting known CSAM is designed with user privacy in mind. Instead of scanning images in the cloud, the system performs on-device matching using a database of known CSAM image hashes provided by NCMEC and other child safety organizations," the company wrote in a statement. "Apple further transforms this database into an unreadable set of hashes that is securely stored on users' devices."

The update will be rolling out at a later date, along with several other child safety features, including new parental controls that can detect explicit photos in children's Messages. 

Amazon Halo can now share heart rate data with third-party apps and equipment

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 11:47 AM PDT

As a wearable device, Amazon's Halo wristband is about as no-frills of a fitness tracker you can buy. It doesn't include a display, and outside of the two microphones that enable its controversial tone detection feature, it forgoes many of the more advanced sensors we've seen make their way into devices like the Apple Watch. But starting today, you can use the Halo Band to see an overlay of your heart rate across various third-party apps and fitness equipment.

At launch, the integration works with machines from brands like NordicTrack and CLBMR, in addition to software like iFit and Openfit. To enable the feature, open the settings menu in the Amazon Halo app and find the "Heart Rate Sharing" option.

While not an exact match for the Apple Watch's GymKit functionality, the inclusion of heart rate sharing should make the Halo Band more versatile, and that's something the wearable desperately needs. Once you get past its more controversial features, the problem with Halo is it doesn't stand out. In fact, most of the platform's best features are found inside the accompanying Halo app.

Indie games 'Oxenfree II' and 'Carrion' are coming to PlayStation

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 11:12 AM PDT

While we await the inevitable delay of yet another big-budget game that was on the docket for this year, Sony revealed that several notable indies are coming to PlayStation consoles in the coming months. Among them is Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, which was announced for Nintendo Switch and PC in April. It's bound for PS4 and PS5. You'll once again have a radio that can pick up supernatural signals in the sequel to mystery adventure Oxenfree, which will arrive later this year.

In Carrion, you play as an amorphous monster who tries to escape from a research facility and devours anyone unfortunate to get in its way. The horror game picked up solid reviews when it was released on Switch, PC and Xbox One in 2020, and it was nominated at The Game Awards. Devolver will bring Carrion to PS4 later this year.

The ultra-charming exploration game A Short Hike will also hit PS4 by the end of the year. The pixelated adventure, which is currently available on PC and Switch, is a real gem and it's well worth checking out.

Elsewhere during its indie showcase, Sony revealed more gameplay details for the long-awaited Axiom Verge 2 (arriving later this year) and showed off crafting adventure Wytchwood (coming to PS4 and PS5 this fall). The spotlight also landed on vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up Sol Cresta, the latest entry in the classic Cresta shoot 'em up series, which first came to light as an April Fools' joke last year. It should hit PS4, Switch and PC this year.

And then there's the small matter of Hades, which is widely considered one of the very best games of 2020. As part of the showcase, Supergiant explained the origins of its hit dungeon crawler, which lands on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on August 13th.

Paramount+ is getting 14 South Park movies starting with two this year

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 10:19 AM PDT

Two decades after the release of Bigger, Longer and Uncut, the first and only South Park movie to date, series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone will produce 14 direct-to-streaming films for Paramount+ as part of a new deal the two signed with ViacomCBS to keep the show on Comedy Central through 2027. According to Bloomberg, the agreement is worth more than $900 million over six years, easily eclipsing the approximately $500 million AT&T subsidiary WarnerMedia spent in 2019 to secure exclusive streaming rights to the show for HBO Max.

Parker and Stone haven't made a movie together since 2004's Team America: World Police. The first two films included in their ViacomCBS deal will debut later this year. Stone told Bloomberg he and Parker plan to expand the world of South Park by using the movies as an opportunity to introduce new characters and concepts.

What the deal doesn't include is streaming rights to the South Park TV series. As mentioned above, Viacom licensed those to WarnerMedia in 2019, and that agreement is still in place. However, the $900 million investment in the brand does suggest the company will attempt to bring the series to Paramount+ eventually. 

ViacomCBS executive Chris McCarthy hinted as much in the press release announcing today's news. "Matt and Trey are world-class creatives who brilliantly use their outrageous humor to skewer the absurdities of our culture and we are excited to expand and deepen our long relationship with them to help fuel Paramount+ and Comedy Central," he said. "Franchising marquee content like South Park and developing new IP with tremendous talent like Matt and Trey, is at the heart of our strategy to continue growing Paramount+."

Inside the sexual harassment lawsuit at Activision Blizzard

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 09:30 AM PDT

When California's fair employment agency sued Activision Blizzard, one of the largest video game studios in the world, on July 20th, it wasn't surprising to hear the allegations of systemic gender discrimination and sexual harassment at the company. It wasn't a shock to read about male executives groping their female colleagues, or loudly joking about rape in the office, or completely ignoring women for promotions. What was surprising was that California wanted to investigate Activision Blizzard at all, considering these issues have seemingly been present since its founding in 1979.

Activision Blizzard is a multibillion-dollar publisher with 9,500 employees and a roster of legendary franchises, including Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo and World of Warcraft. On July 20th, California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, alleging executives had fostered an environment of misogyny and frat-boy rule for years, violating equal pay laws and labor codes along the way. This is about more than dirty jokes in the break room — the lawsuit highlights clear disparities in hiring, compensation and professional growth between men and women at Activision Blizzard, and it paints a picture of pervasive sexism and outright abuse in the workplace.

Here's a rundown of some of the allegations:

  • Just 20 percent of all Activision Blizzard employees are women.

  • Top leadership roles are filled solely by white men.

  • Across the company, women are paid less, promoted slower and fired faster than men.

  • HR and executives fail to take complaints of harassment seriously.

  • Women of color in particular are micromanaged and overlooked for promotions.

  • A pervasive frat-boy culture encourages behavior like "cube crawls," where male employees grope and sexually harass female co-workers at their desks.

It's been a few weeks since the lawsuit was filed, and employees, executives and players have all had a chance to respond. Meanwhile, additional reports of longstanding harassment and sexism at Activision Blizzard have continued to roll out, including photos and stories of the "Cosby Suite," which was specifically named in the filing. According to the lawsuit, this was a hotel room where male employees would gather to harass women at company events, named after the rapist Bill Cosby. 

Days after the filing, Kotaku published photos of the supposed Cosby Suite, showing male Activision Blizzard developers posing on a bed with a framed photo of Bill Cosby at BlizzCon 2013. Screenshots of conversations among the developers discussed gathering "hot chixx for the Coz" and other insulting, immature things (especially when you remember these are middle-aged men, not middle-schoolers).

One of the only executives actually named in the suit was Blizzard head J. Allen Brack, and it alleges he routinely ignored systemic harassment and failed to punish abusers. Brack called the allegations "extremely troubling," but this line was thrown back in his face on Twitter when independent developer Nels Anderson compared it to a video out of BlizzCon 2010, featuring Brack on the far left. 

In the video, a young woman asks the panel of World of Warcraft developers, all six of whom are white men, whether they'll ever create a female character that doesn't look like she just stepped out of a Victoria's Secret catalog. The panelists laugh and one responds, "Which catalog would you like them to step out of?" They proceed to essentially dismiss her question. At the end of the exchange, Brack piles on and makes a joke about one of the new characters coming from a sexy cow catalog.

On August 3rd, just two weeks after California filed its lawsuit, Brack stepped down from his role as the president of Blizzard. In his place will be GM Mike Ybarra and executive development VP Jen Oneal. Oneal will be the first woman in a president role since Activision's founding in 1979; the lawsuit notes that there has never been a non-white president or CEO of Activision Blizzard.

Activision Blizzard's initial response to the lawsuit was tragic, with one leader calling the allegations meritless and distorted. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who regularly gets into fights with shareholders over the ridiculous fortune he's amassed, published his own response to the lawsuit, where he essentially promised to listen better. Unsurprisingly, this didn't alleviate many employees' concerns. A petition in support of the lawsuit ended up gathering more than 2,000 employee signatures, and workers organized a walk-out just eight days after the filing, calling for systemic change at the studio.

Shareholders weren't bolstered by Kotick's response, either. Investors filed an additional class-action lawsuit against Activision Blizzard on August 3rd, alleging the company failed to raise potential regulatory issues stemming from its discriminatory culture. Blizzard's head of HR, Jesse Meschuk, also left the company in the weeks following the initial lawsuit.

Meanwhile, other major game developers have rallied behind the suit, and former Activision Blizzard leaders have shared their support for employees, apologizing for their parts in sustaining a toxic company culture.

None of this is new. As evidenced by the photos, videos, stats and personal stories flowing out of Activision Blizzard, the company has operated on a bro-first basis for decades, and honestly, it's been sustained by an industry that largely functions the same way.

In 2019, a wave of accusations against prominent male developers crashed over the industry, and AAA studios like Ubisoft and Riot Games made headlines for fostering toxic workplace environments. California is currently suing Riot over allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in hiring and pay practices.

But even that's not new. Women, non-binary people and marginalized folks in the video game industry have been speaking up about systemic harassment and discrimination for literal decades. Sexism is apparent in the hiring and pay habits of many major studios, and it's also clear in the games themselves, which feature an overabundance of straight, white, male protagonists.

What is surprising, this time around, is that the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard kind of came out of nowhere. It took a blockbuster media report to make California sue Riot in 2020, but the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard appeared on its own, after years of quiet investigation by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing. If sexism is systemic in the video game industry, it feels like the system is finally fighting back.

Paramount+ will launch in Europe in 2022

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 07:56 AM PDT

Paramount+ is finally expanding into Europe — with a little help. ViacomCBS has struck a deal with Sky to launch Paramount+ in the UK, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland sometime in 2022. The pact will make the streaming TV service available on Sky platforms in return for Sky extending carriage of ViacomCBS pay TV channels like Comedy Central.

You'll have the option of both a direct subscription to Paramount+ as well as bundles. Sky Cinema subscribers will get Paramount+ at no extra charge, while other Sky customers will have to add it to their accounts.

ViacomCBS didn't provide pricing or local content differences, although it's notable that the broadcaster already has deals with rivals to carry streaming shows in the area. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have rights to carry Star Trek: Discovery, Picard and Lower Decks in the UK, for instance.

Paramount+ is already available in the Americas, Australia, Hungary, Russia and the Middle East. This could be the most significant expansion to date, though. Europe is a major market for streaming, and Sky's influence in the region could put the service in front of people who wouldn't otherwise have considered it. This won't bring Paramount+ to the level of heavyweights like Netflix or Prime Video, but it could help competition against narrowly focused rivals like HBO Max.

Google's latest mesh WiFi system hits an all-time low for a three-pack

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 07:38 AM PDT

Families who are still largely working and studying at home might find that their WiFi network is feeling the strain, especially if someone's setup is far away from the router. If you're on the lookout for an upgrade, it may be worth considering the Google WiFi mesh system. A three-pack of nodes currently costs $149 on Amazon. That's the lowest price we've seen to date on the most recent model, which debuted in October at a price of $199 for the three-pack.

Buy Google WiFi (three-pack) at Amazon - $149

The idea behind a mesh system is that, after you set up the nodes around your home, they can work together to provide a stronger WiFi network across a larger area than many single routers are capable of. Google WiFi supports speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps, the company says. It claims a single point can support multiple simultaneous 4K video streams, though the size of your home, building materials and layout can impact signal strength.

The system uses WPA3 encryption and dual-band connectivity, as well as security updates and parental controls. You can manage the network using the Google Home app.

It's worth noting Google WiFi isn't quite as fast as the Nest WiFi system. Each node can cover up to 1,500 square feet, compared with 2,200 square feet for the Nest WiFi router and 1,600 square feet for each additional point. The latter also has a built-in Google Assistant smart speaker. A Nest WiFi three-pack costs $350, though. If you're in the market for a solid mesh system that won't break the bank, Google WiFi might do the trick.

President Biden wants half of new vehicles to be zero-emissions by 2030

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 06:40 AM PDT

President Biden is throwing more of his weight behind electric cars. Biden is signing an Executive Order that sets a target for half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 to have some form of zero-emissions driving, whether it's a pure EV, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The move is meant to not only promote clean transportation and limit climate change, but help the US "outcompete" a Chinese car industry that's quickly shifting toward electrified vehicles.

In sync with the order, the EPA and NHTSA will outline how they plan to undo the Trump administration's rollbacks of emissions and fuel efficiency standards. The two agencies will collaborate using standards built on the "momentum" from an agreement between California and automakers BMW, Ford, Honda, Volvo and VW. The EPA's proposed rules would take effect in the 2023 model year, while the NHTSA's would arrive in the 2024 model year. The team-up would have the standards mesh until model year 2026.

The Biden administration has rallied support from domestic brands for the effort. Ford, GM and Stellantis have declared a "shared aspiration" to meet the 2030 target and otherwise support Biden's vehicle electrification policies.

It's a significant goal. EVs have represented about 2 percent of US car sales for the past three years, according to the International Energy Agency and Pew Research. While the pandemic might have played a role in limiting 2020 sales, meeting the 2030 target would fundamentally transform the US car market, not to mention the charging infrastructure needed to support it.

However, it might drag behind some states, not to mention car makers. California and Massachusetts will ban all sales of new gas-based cars by 2035. GM also plans to exclusively sell EVs by that year, while Ford will go completely electric in Europe by 2030. Brands like Volvo and Stellantis' Fiat badge have also committed to full electrification by 2030. However ambitious the Biden plan might be, it could seem relatively modest in some respects.

Google's new Nest Cam and Doorbell can run on batteries

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 06:00 AM PDT

Google is refreshing its Nest lineup with three new products and a refresh for the wired indoor Nest Cam. Among the newcomers are Google's first battery-powered Nest Cam and Doorbell, as a recent leak indicated. You'll be able to install them just about anywhere around your home, and connect them to a wired power source, if you prefer.

The battery life depends on how many recorded events the devices detect and factors like the temperature and settings. Google says the Doorbell's battery will run for up to six months on a single charge, while the Nest Cam can run for up to seven months before you need to juice it up. You can recharge the Doorbell over USB-C, and the camera using an included USB-A adaptor.

Battery-powered Google Nest Doorbell
Google

The Doorbell captures video at a resolution of 989 x 1280 pixels at up to 30 frames per second. It has a 6x digital zoom, 145-degree diagonal field of view and can see up to 10 feet away in the dark thanks to its night vision capabilities. It also has a 3:4 field of view so you can get a full head-to-toe look at whoever shows up at your door.

As for the Nest Cam, it can capture video in 1080p at up to 30 fps. The device has a 130-degree diagonal field of view, 6x digital zoom and night vision that can see objects up to 20 feet away. It has an IP54 rating for weather resistance too. As well as mounting it outside, you can set up the camera indoors.

Battery-powered Google Nest Cam
Google

Both products, which are designed with recycled materials, offer up to three hours of event video history. You can increase that with a Nest Aware subscription. Like some other Nest cameras, the battery-powered Nest Cam offers around-the-clock video recording with a Nest Aware Plus subscription, though you'll need to hook it up to a continuous power source.

In addition, the company is offering a Nest Cam with an integrated floodlight for the first time. One thing that all four devices have in common is that they're designed to only alert you to important events. They all have on-device machine learning capabilities to recognize and alert you to people, animals and vehicles. The Doorbell can detect and recognize packages placed as close as eight inches to your door. Google says don't need a subscription to use these features and that it trained the machine learning model on 40 million images to account for a variety of environments and lighting conditions.

Google Nest Cam with floodlight
Google

The devices also offer a familiar-face detection feature for Nest Aware subscribers. You can decide who they're able to recognize. 

Meanwhile, the on-device processing capabilities allow the Doorbell and cameras to store up to an hour of video events locally if the power or Wi-Fi go out. That's approximately a week's worth of events depending on activity levels around your home. When everything's up and running again, they'll upload those events to the cloud. 

As you'd expect, the cameras and Doorbell are work with the Google Home app and other Google products, such as Nest displays. Google also says Nest camera data is encrypted.

The battery-powered Nest Cam and Doorbell (which each cost $180) are available to pre-order today in 18 countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. They'll be available in those countries on August 24th, in Japan two days later and in Mexico later this year. The Nest Cam with floodlight ($280) and second-gen wired Nest Cam ($100) are coming soon.

Elon Musk confirms Walter Isaacson is writing his biography

Posted: 05 Aug 2021 05:25 AM PDT

Walter Isaacson, the author behind the 2011 Steve Jobs biography published shortly after his death, is currently writing Elon Musk's life story. Fox Business reported back in June that the famous writer was in talks with Musk about the possibility of writing a book on him. The author was reportedly yet to make a decision back then, but now Musk has confirmed on Twitter than Isaacson is writing his biography covering his work on Tesla, SpaceX and his "general goings on."

As CNET notes, there's already an official published biography on the entrepreneur entitled Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future. It was written by Ashlee Vance and was published in 2015. Since then, though, Tesla has launched the Model 3, which became the world's best-selling electric car. It was also only later in 2015 that SpaceX first achieved the successful landing and recovery of a rocket's first stage. In 2017, the private space company made history when it successfully relaunched its reusable Falcon 9 rocket for the first time. Four years later, SpaceX launched four astronauts to the ISS on a Dragon capsule used in a previous mission on top of a reused Falcon 9 booster.

Isaacson's Jobs biography was adapted by Aaron Sorkin into a film starring Michael Fassbender and directed by Danny Boyle. He also wrote biographies on Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and American biochemist Jennifer Doudna, who's known for her work in CRISPR gene editing. While he didn't respond to Musk's announcement, he has been retweeting SpaceX-related content since June.
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