Saturday, September 18, 2021

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Clubhouse is developing a new way to invite friends to chat called 'Wave'

Posted: 18 Sep 2021 12:02 AM PDT

Clubhouse isn't just an app you can fire up to attend talks by famous people. It has different types of rooms you can use, including ones where you can have intimate, private conversations with friends — and in the future, you may be able to invite those friends to chat by "waving" at them. Jane Manchun Wong, who's famous for reverse engineering apps to find hidden experimental features, has discovered that Clubhouse is working on a new way to invite contacts to have an audio conversation. 

If the feature gets a wide release, Clubhouse will add a "Wave" button on users' profiles that looks similar to the Wave button you see when you first connect with someone on Messenger. Tapping on it will let a friend know you want to chat, and the app will only open a room for you if they respond. 

Clubhouse started out as an invite-only audio app for iOS wherein you'll have to join a waitlist to get in. Over the past few months, though, it released an app for Android and opened its doors to everyone. Famous personalities like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg previously used it a venue to hold talks in open rooms where users can host public conversations with listeners. This feature, however, might make it more compelling for more casual use and could convince users not to hop on another app when it's time to talk to family and friends.

A ‘Destroy All Humans! 2’ remake is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 03:43 PM PDT

One year after releasing a full remake of cult classic Destroy All Humans!, THQ Nordic plans to modernize its 2006 sequel as well. During its recent publisher showcase, the company announced Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed (yes, that's the actual name of the game). It's coming out "soon" on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Developer Black Forest Games is remaking the PlayStation 2 and Xbox title completely from scratch in Unreal Engine 4. The studio says the new game will feature local two-player split-screen co-op, and a "much larger" open world for players to explore. The 2006 original was game in the series developed by Pandemic Studios before the developer was acquired by EA in 2007 and subsequently shut down in 2009.

Apple mandates frequent COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated employees

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 02:22 PM PDT

Apple is implementing a new COVID-19 testing policy for US employees who work out of its offices and retail locations. Moving forward, the company will require unvaccinated employees to get tested more frequently than their vaccinated counterparts. News of the development was first reported by The Verge, with Protocol later obtaining confirmation from Apple.

We've reached out to the company for additional information. 

The policy is the latest effort by Apple to push its employees to get inoculated against the coronavirus. Unlike Google, Facebook and several other tech companies, Apple has yet to mandate employee vaccinations. However, it has started asking employees to voluntarily disclose their vaccination status, according to a report published by Bloomberg at the start of September. This latest measure would likely put the company in compliance with upcoming guidelines from the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration that will require companies with more than 100 employees to either mandate immunization or provide weekly testing.

Niantic's AR Catan game is shutting down on November 18th

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 01:14 PM PDT

Niantic is discontinuing development on Catan: World Explorers. Announced in the fall of 2019, the studio had yet to release the game officially, and it was only available in early access in select markets outside of the US. Later today, Niantic plans to remove World Explorers from the App Store before shutting down the servers that power the game on November 18th, making it unplayable thereafter. With today's announcement, the augmented reality title will not roll out to additional countries, and Niantic has removed all in-app purchases from the experience.

It's not clear what exactly went wrong with development but it appears scope creep may have played a part in Niantic's decision to cancel the project. "We had a vision for trading, harvesting and building up the world in seasonal play and resetting the board each month, just like you do for each new game you play at home," the company said in a blog post spotted by Protocol. "But trying to adapt such a well-designed board game to a global, location-based Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game was a tough challenge."

Niantic notes that lessons it learned while working on World Explorers will go on to inform future projects. However, it's hard to say what the cancellation will mean for the company's other games. Following the runaway success of Pokémon Go, a variety of companies have partnered with Niantic to create similar AR experiences using their own properties. More notable examples include Hasbro and Warner Bros. Those same companies may now realize replicating the success of Pokémon Go may not be as easy as they initially thought it was.

Man who unlocked 1.9 million AT&T phones sentenced to 12 years in prison

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 12:45 PM PDT

A US district court has sentenced a man who unlocked 1.9 million AT&T phones to 12 years in prison. Muhammad Fahd continued the seven-year scheme to defraud the company even after learning of an investigation against him, according to the Department of Justice. At Fahd's sentencing hearing, Judge Robert S. Lasnik said he committed a "terrible cybercrime over an extended period," with AT&T said to have lost $201.5 million as a result.

Fahd contacted an AT&T employee through Facebook in 2012 and bribed them to help him unlock customers' phones with "significant sums of money," the DOJ said. Fahd, a citizen of Pakistan and Grenada, urged the employee to recruit co-workers at a Bothell, Washington call center for the scheme too.

The DOJ says the employees unlocked phones for "ineligible customers," who paid Fahd a fee. In spring 2013, AT&T rolled out a system that made it more difficult for the employees to unlock IMEIs. Fahd then recruited an engineer to build malware that would be installed on AT&T's systems to help him unlock phones more efficiently and remotely. The DOJ says the employees gave Fahd details about the company's systems and unlocking methods to aid that process. The malware is said to have obtained information about the system and other AT&T employees' access credentials. The developer used those details to modify the malware.

AT&T claims Fahd and his associates unlocked just over 1.9 million phones through the scheme. The company says because of the unlocks, customers didn't complete payments on their devices, leading to the nine-figure loss.

Fahd was arrested in Hong Kong in 2018 following a 2017 indictment. He was extradited to the US and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in September 2020.

'Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls' is now available on Apple Arcade

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 12:15 PM PDT

Grimore of Souls, the latest entry in the long-running Castlevania series of games, is now available as an Apple Arcade exclusive. While it's not a new game per se, it's one that most Castlevania fans haven't had a chance to play yet. Series publisher Konami first announced the game back in 2018 before releasing it only in Canada in 2019 and then subsequently delisting it from the App Store.

Grimoire of Souls has something for Castlevania fans of all stripes. It features art and music from series veterans Ayami Kojima and Michiru Yamane. What's more, you can play through the game using five different playable characters, including franchise favorites Simon Belmont, Shanoa and Alucard. There's also support for co-op if you want to play with friends. You can download Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls on iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS. An individual Apple Arcade subscription costs $5 per month.

Facebook hands over VR painting and animation app Quill to its creator

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 11:15 AM PDT

Facebook has handed over virtual reality illustration and animation tool Quill to Iñigo Quilez, the developer who created the app. Quilez has formed a company called Smoothstep and rebranded the tool as Quill by Smoothstep, which is now on the Oculus Store.

The original Quill app will be removed from the Oculus Store on October 18th. It'll still work for those who downloaded it, but Oculus won't support the app any longer. Users will need to manually upload creators to Oculus Media Studio manually rather than through Quill as well.

Facebook says Quill content shared on Oculus Media Studio or Oculus TV will still be available on Oculus for now. The Quill Theater app will remain on the store — it will be renamed as VR Animation Player next month. The Oculus team also noted that Smoothstep has open sourced both Quill Theater's IMM immersive content distribution file format (IMM) and an IMM player.

Quilez built the first version of Quill during a 2015 hackathon to aid production on Oculus Story Studio's VR short, Dear Angelica. The film was the first to be hand-painted completely inside of a VR environment. Other filmmakers have adopted Quill, with works createdusing the tool being screened at major film festivals such as Sundance and Venice.

Some major companies are expected to enter or push deeper into the VR and mixed reality space in the coming years, such as Apple and Sony. As such, developers of VR creation tools such as Quill have a big opportunity for growth in the medium term.

Hyundai puts Boston Dynamic's Spot robot to work as a factory safety inspector

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Boston Dynamics' Spot has found itself a new job, and thankfully this time it doesn't involve a potential battlefield role. Hyundai has started testing the robot at a Kia manufacturing plant in South Korea where it will be one of the tools the company uses to ensure the facility is safe for workers. The pilot represents the first public collaboration between the two companies since Hyundai acquired a majority stake in Boston Dynamics this past June.

You'll notice the Spot featured in the video Hyundai released looks different from the robot we've seen in past clips. That's because the automaker's Robotics Lab outfitted it with what is essentially a backpack that features a host of enhancements, including a thermal camera, LiDAR and more powerful computing resources for handling additional AI tasks. The "AI Processing Service Unit" allows Spot to detect people, monitor temperatures and check for fire hazards. Additionally, a secure webpage allows factory personnel to monitor the robot remotely, and take over control if they want to inspect an area of the facility more closely.

According to Hyundai, the pilot will help it assess the effectiveness of Spot as a late-night security patrol robot before it goes on to deploy it at additional industrial sites. Automation, manufacturing and construction applications align with what the automaker said was its grand plan for Boston Dynamics when it bought the company.

Michigan State Police to begin testing Ford Mach-E Interceptors

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 10:37 AM PDT

The next time you get pulled over in Michigan, it could be by a cop in an electric SUV — at least if Ford has anything to say about it. The American automaker is stepping up its Police Interceptor program, which modifies existing models for use by law enforcement, typically with beefed up suspensions, brakes and added horsepower. 

The company has pitched the idea to law enforcement agencies in the UK, while the city of Ann Arbor, MI already has two such vehicles on order. On Friday, Ford announced that it, in short order, will deliver one of its Mustang Mach-E Interceptor prototypes — which appears to be based on the Mach-E GT variant — to the Michigan State Police as well, where it will undergo real-world testing to see if the EV can handle the rigors of police work.

Ford hopes to "use the pilot program testing as a benchmark while it continues to explore purpose-built electric police vehicles in the future" as part of its $30 billion multi-year investment in EV technology. 

Elektron's Model:Cycles and Model:Samples grooveboxes are on sale for $249 each

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 10:17 AM PDT

Elektron might have a reputation for making expensive digital instruments, but it's hard to look past the Model lineup if you're in the market for a groovebox. The Model:Samples and Model:Cycles devices are currently on sale at both Amazon and Sweetwater. They're down from $299 to $249, making them an even better option for beatmakers, newbies and veterans alike.

Buy Elektron Model:Samples at Amazon - $249Buy Elektron Model:Samples at Sweetwater - $249

Elektron brought much of its knowhow to the entry-level Model:Samples in 2019. You can add your own samples via the microUSB port. In our review, in which we gave Model:Samples a score of 86, we called it a "best-in-class sequencer" with lots of controls and "tons of opportunity for happy accidents." However, we had reservations about the lack of onboard sampling and "mediocre" quality of the pads.

On the whole, though, it's a great groovebox. Given that Model:Samples cost $449 just a couple of years ago, $249 is an excellent price.

Buy Elektron Model:Cycles at Amazon - $249Buy Elektron Model:Cycles at Sweetwater - $249

Model:Cycles, meanwhile, is a more recent model. It too is a six-track sequencer, but it adopts some of the features of Elektron's Digitakt sampler. It uses FM synth sounds rather than samples. In giving Model:Cycles a score of 88, we found that it offers an "incredibly fun hands-on playing experience." We found the lack of filter and arpeggiator a little disappointing, but it's still a terrific groovebox. On its website, Elektron notes the two devices are on sale until September 30th.

Android 11's auto-reset permissions feature is coming to older versions of the OS

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 10:00 AM PDT

When Google launched Android 11 at the end of last summer, it added a feature that automatically resets app permissions. If you don't use an app after several months, the OS can revoke some of the permissions that the application asked you to grant when you first installed it. It's a handy feature that's unfortunately only available on a relatively small number of devices due to the fact most Android manufacturers only support their devices with platform updates for a couple of years. Thankfully, that's about to change.

Starting in December 2021, Google will begin rolling out that functionality to all devices running Android 6 (Marshmallow) and above, the company announced today in a developer update. The feature will come courtesy of a Google Play services update the company will roll out to "billions" of devices. Once you have the new software installed on your device, apps that target Android 11 or higher will have the feature enabled by default. For those apps that were built for older versions of the OS, you'll have the option to enable it manually.

This is one of those small quality-of-life updates that most Android users should be able to appreciate since it can be easy to forget all the permissions you may have granted to an app when you first installed it.  

US will reportedly impose crypto sanctions amid ransomware attacks

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 09:50 AM PDT

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration plans to implement new measures to make it more difficult for hackers to profit from ransomware attacks using cryptocurrencies. As early as next week, the Treasury Department will reportedly impose sanctions and guidance designed to discourage organizations from using digital currencies to pay for ransoms.

Per The Journal, among the measures the agency is considering are fines and other penalties aimed at businesses that cooperate with hackers. Later in the year, the Treasury Department is also expected to implement new anti-money laundering and terror-financing regulation to limit further the use of cryptocurrencies as a payment method for ransoms and other illegal activity.

The incoming sanctions will reportedly single out specific traders and exchanges instead of casting a wide net and attempting to disrupt the entire crypto ecosystem. In addition to harming organizations that may have facilitated ransomware payments in the past, the hope is that sanctions will scare most cryptocurrency platforms from processing those types of transactions in the future.

"An action of this kind would be an aggressive, proactive approach to going after those who facilitate ransomware payments," Ari Redbord, a former Treasury Department official, told The Journal.

The measures would be the latest attempt by the Biden administration to tackle the issue of ransomware attacks following a year in which they've increased in frequency and severity. After the Colonial Pipeline attack led to fuel shortages in parts of the US, the president signed an executive order that called for, among other things, improved information sharing between federal agencies. More recently, the Department of Homeland Security laid out mandatory rules that call on pipeline operators to appoint cybersecurity coordinators and report incidents to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Netflix signs 'Schitt's Creek' co-creator Dan Levy to a TV and movie deal

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 09:02 AM PDT

Netflix has locked down several high-profile creators to TV and movie deals over the last few years, including Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, David Fincher and Game of Thrones duo David Benioff and Dan Weiss. The latest talent to join Netflix's stable is Dan Levy, the star and co-creator of Schitt's Creek who won four Emmys for the hit Canadian sitcom last year.

Levy's first Netflix project is a romantic comedy movie that he'll write, produce, direct and star in, according to Variety. He can't work on any shows for Netflix until his TV deal with Disney studio ABC Signature expires next summer.

Netflix played an important role in Levy's rise to stardom after it started streaming Schitt's Creek in 2017. "Netflix offered Schitt's Creek a second home at just the right time and opened the doors to a whole new audience for us," Levy said in a statement. "Watching the show thrive there has only enhanced my excitement about continuing to tell specific, meaningful stories with them in both TV and feature film."

Levy has some other projects in the works elsewhere, including through his ABC deal. Hulu ordered a pilot last month for an animated comedy called Standing By from Levy and fellow Schitt's Creek writer Ally Pankiw.

AirPods Pro drop to $180, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 08:45 AM PDT

While Apple announced new iPhones and iPads this week, a bunch of its existing gadgets remain discounted. The AirPods Pro are close to an all-time low at $180 and the iPad Air is still at the best price we've seen it — only $500 for the base model. You can also still get $100 off the MacBook Air M1 and the Mac Mini M1, so regardless of your computer-style preference, there are discounted options available. Also, Google's Pixel 4 has dropped to a new low of $379 and Amazon includes a free Samsung SmartTag when you buy the $150 Galaxy Buds 2. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

AirPods Pro

AirPods Pro
Billy Steele / Engadget

Apple's AirPods Pro are down to $180, or $70 off their normal price. These remain Apple's best sounding earbuds and we gave them a score of 87 for their comfortable fit, improved audio, good ANC and wireless charging.

Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon - $180

2021 iPad and iPad mini

Apple 10.2-inch iPad
Apple

The latest 10.2-inch iPad and the iPad mini just went up for pre-order this week and Walmart has both for a bit less — the base iPad is $299 instead of $329 and the iPad mini is $459 instead of $500. Both tablets have been updated with better processors, a 12MP front camera with support for Center Stage and now a minimum of 64GB of storage. 

Buy 2021 iPad at Walmart - $299Buy 2021 iPad mini at Walmart - $459

iPad Air

Apple's iPad Air is $100 off right now, bringing it down to $500. All five colors are on sale at Amazon. thanks to automatically applied coupons, although with various shipping times. We gave the Air a score of 90 for its speedy performance and WiFi, healthy battery life and support for the second-gen Apple Pencil.

Buy iPad Air at Amazon - $500

MacBook Air M1

Apple's MacBook Air M1 is back down to an all-time low of $850 thanks to an automatically applied coupon. It earned a score of 94 from us for its stellar performance, attractive, fanless design and its comfortable keyboard and trackpad.

Buy MacBook Air M1 at Amazon - $850

Mac Mini M1

Apple's Mac Mini M1 returned to its all-time-low price of $600 thanks to a sale and an automatically applied coupon. You're getting all of the performance boosts provided by the M1 chipset in a compact desktop package. This is a good machine to get if you have an older desktop that needs replacing, but you don't want to spend a ton of money.

Buy Mac Mini M1 at Amazon - $600

Crucial MX500 internal SSD (1TB)

One of our favorite internal drives, the Crucial MX500 SSD, is on sale for $85 right now, or $15 off its normal price. That's also a record-low, making now a good time to pick up some extra space if you know your machine is reaching its limits. This drive has read speeds of up to 560 MB/s, sequential write speeds of up to 510 MB/s, AES-256 bit hardware encryption and integrated power loss immunity.

Buy Crucial MX500 (1TB) at Amazon - $85

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 bundle

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 revivew
Billy Steele/Engadget

Amazon has a bundle that includes the Galaxy Buds 2 and a SmartTag Bluetooth tracker for $150, so you're essentially getting the SmartTag for free. The Buds 2 are solid budget earbuds that earned a score of 84 from us for their improved sound quality, adjustable ambient sound mode, comfortable design and wireless charging.

Buy Galaxy Buds 2 + SmartTag bundle at Amazon - $150

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Chris Velazco / Engadget

Amazon has the Galaxy Note 20 series for up to $400 off right now, so you can grab a Note 20 for $750 and a Note 20 Ultra for $900. These are some of the most premium handsets Samsung has made as of late, and they are good options if you're not sold on foldables and you like the versatility that the S Pen provides.

Buy Galaxy Note 20 5G at Amazon - $750Buy Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G at Amazon - $900

Google Pixel 4

Google's Pixel 4 smartphone is down to a new low of $379 at B&H Photo. We believe the launch of the Pixel 6 to be right around the corner, so you may want to wait if you want the latest phone from Google. However, the Pixel 4 remains a solid handset — we liked its speedy performance, lovely display and stellar camera experience.

Buy Pixel 4 at B&H Photo - $379

Gaming PC sweepstakes

Through September 18, Omaze is giving away another $20,000 to build your ultimate gaming PC. This sweepstakes is free to enter, but funds donated with purchased entries will benefit Schools on Wheels, an organization that provides free tutoring and mentoring services to children experiencing homelessness across Southern California.

Enter to win at Omaze

Comic-Con 2022 sweepstakes

Through December 8, you can enter to win four-day passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Along with the passes, you'll get access to a special preview night, reserved seating in Hall H, a personal concierge, a private tour of the Comic-Con Museum, dinner in Balboa Park and tickets to the "Night at the Comic-Con Museum" event. It's free to enter, but funds from this sweepstakes will go to the San Diego Comic Convention.

Enter to win at Omaze

New tech deals

Instant Pot Duo Plus

The 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus is on sale for $100 thanks to a $20 coupon you can clip on the product page. This multicooker has nine functions including slow cook, rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauté pan, sterilizer and more, and its large capacity allows it to make more than enough food for big families or parties.

Buy Instant Pot Duo Plus at Amazon - $100

Dyson Pure Cool Link purifying desk fan

Dyson slashed $100 off its Pure Cool Link DP01 purifying desk fan, bringing it down to $300. This would be a good addition to a home office because it removes 99.97% of pollutants and allergens, oscillates up to 70 degrees, has a Night Mode if you decide to use it in your bedroom while you're sleeping and it can be controlled with its included remote or via Dyson's companion app.

Buy Pure Cool Link desk fan at Dyson - $300

HBO Max (6 months)

WarnerMedia pulled HBO Max from Amazon Prime Video Channels this week, but it's hoping to entice fans to subscribe directly with a new offer. Through September 26, new and returning HBO Max subscribers can get six months of the service for 50 percent off, which comes out to $7.49 per month. You just have to pay for six months up front and you'll get a great deal on the ad-free service.

Buy HBO Max (6 months) - $7.49/month

ThermoWorks ThermoPop

ThermoWorks knocked 40 percent off its tiny ThermoPop instant-read thermometer, bringing it down to $21. This is a limited-time sale, so we're not sure how long they'll be around for this discounted price. The Pop is a budget alternative to ThermoWorks' more expensive thermometers and we like its cute, splash-proof design, rotating display and speedy temperature reads.

Buy ThermoPop at ThermoWorks - $21

NordVPN

One of our recommended VPNs is running a decent sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up for NordVPN for $99 for the first two years, which comes out to $49.50 per year, and get three additional months of access for free. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.

Buy NordVPN (2 years) - $99

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

Snapchat will be home to the latest 'Among Us' clone

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 08:05 AM PDT

Since it blew up last year, Among Us has inspired a wave of copycat games. The latest is ReVamp, a Snapchat-exclusive title made by Zynga. It's the first social deception game on Snapchat, Zynga says.

ReVamp doesn't seem as egregious of an Among Us clone as Fortnite's Imposters mode. The basic formula is intact, but it shakes up the format a bit.

A group of six players (rather than 10) will carry out tasks like demolition and building to renovate an old mansion. However, there's an enemy lurking in their midst. One player is a vampire, who completes fake tasks and takes out other members of the group. The human characters will try to suss out who the vampire is and vote them out.

"We are excited to continue our partnership with Snap to create fun new snackable games that fit seamlessly with their platform's highly social mechanics," Bernard Kim, president of publishing at Zynga, said. "ReVamp reimagines the social deception game genre for Snapchat's human and vampire players of all skill levels."

ReVamp will be available in select markets soon. It's Zynga's third exclusive game for Snapchat. The developer previously released Bumped Out and Tiny Royale on Snapchat. The latter is a top-down take on the battle royale genre popularized by the likes of PUBG: Battlegrounds and Fortnite.

Rolls-Royce's all-electric aircraft completes 15-minute maiden voyage

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 07:30 AM PDT

Rolls-Royce, best known in aviation for its jet engines, has taken an all-electric airplane on its maiden voyage. The "Spirit of Innovation" completed a 15 minute flight, marking "the beginning of an intensive flight-testing phase in which we will be collecting valuable performance data on the aircraft's electrical power and propulsion system," the company announced. 

Rolls Royce said the one-seat airplane has "the most power-dense battery pack every assembled for an aircraft." The aircraft uses a 6,000 cell battery pack with a three-motor powertrain that currently delivers 400kW (500-plus horsepower), and Rolls-Royce said the aircraft will eventually achieve speeds of over 300 MPH. 

The flight comes about a year after the originally scheduled takeoff and about six months after taxi trials. Rolls-Royce is also developing an air taxi with manufacturer Tecnam, with the aim of delivering an "all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market," according to the companies. It has previously teamed with Siemens and Airbus on another e-plane concept. 

Aircraft companies have been exploring electric airplanes for a number of years, as air travel and cargo accounts for an increasing amount of greenhouse gases. The World Wildlife Foundation has called it "currently the most carbon intensive activity an individual can make." 

Weight is a much bigger problem for airplanes that it is for cars, however. Ford's all-electric Lightning pickup weighs 1,800 pounds more than the gas-powered model, and offers a range that's slightly under half. However, if you added 1,800 pounds to to a Cessna 206 Turbo Stationair, you'd exceed its useful load by 500 pounds before you even loaded passengers (or the pilot) — so it wouldn't even get off the ground. 

The project was half funded by the Aerospace Technology Institute and UK government, with the aim of eventually creating all-electric passenger planes. "This is not only about breaking a world record; the advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this programme has exciting applications for the Urban Air Mobility market and can help make 'jet zero' a reality," said Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East.  

Apple's new iPad mini is already discounted by up to $50

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 07:02 AM PDT

Pre-orders have only just opened for Apple's latest lineup of products, but you can already find some discounts on the hardware. Along with a price cut on the base iPad, Walmart is offering some savings on the new iPad mini. The 64GB WiFi-only option is $40 off at $459, while the retailer has dropped the price of the 256GB variant by $50 to $599. Walmart isn't offering any price reductions on the 5G iPad mini, though — the 64GB version costs $649.

Buy iPad mini (64GB) at Walmart - $459Buy iPad mini (64GB) at Walmart - $599

It's the first new iPad mini in two and a half years, and Apple has given the tablet a major overhaul. It runs on the A15 Bionic chip (the same SoC as in iPhone 13), with Apple promising a big jump in performance compared with the fifth-gen iPad mini. The 8.3-inch screen runs closer to the edge of the device, and there's no more physical home button. The Touch ID sensor is now built into the power button.

The volume buttons are now at the top to make space for an Apple Pencil 2 that you can attach magnetically to the side. The Lightning port is a thing of the past on iPad mini, with Apple switching to a USB-C port. The cameras have been upgraded, and there's support for Apple's Center Stage feature, which keeps you in the center of the frame during video calls. Walmart says it will ship the tablet by September 24th if you pre-order now.

HBO Max promo offers 50 percent off subscriptions until September 26th

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 06:00 AM PDT

WarnerMedia pulled HBO Max from Amazon Prime Video Channels on September 15th, but it's hoping to convince the subscribers it lost from the move to sign up for the streaming service directly. From today through September 26th, HBO Max's ad-free monthly subscription is available at a 50 percent discount for $7.49 per month for up to half a year. The offer isn't even exclusive to former subscribers on Prime Video. Even new and returning customers can take advantage of the promotion by signing up through the official HBO Max website or via Apple, Google, LG, Microsoft, Sony, Roku and Vizio.

The service's removal from Prime Video Channels is part of WarnerMedia's efforts to grow a closer relationship with viewers. To that end, it also removed HBO Max as premium add-ons on Apple TV and Roku. The company is fully aware that it will lose subscribers in the process — it could lose 5 million after pulling out of Prime Video Channels — which is why it's now trying to woo both new and returning customers. 

By making HBO Max's ad-free subscription available at $7.49 a month, people can sign up for an account cheaper than the $10 ad-supported option. It's a great opportunity to try the service out for those who've been thinking of giving it a shot. For those still on the fence: Some of the most anticipated titles coming to the streaming service this year are Dune and The Matrix Resurrections.

HBO Max
HBO Max

Crucial's 1TB MX500 internal SSD is on sale for $85 right now

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 05:45 AM PDT

Crucial's storage devices are reliable options if you're looking for an internal drive to give your laptop or desktop extra space. One of our favorites, the Crucial MX500 SSD, has dropped to a record low on Amazon right now — only $85 for a 1TB model. You can snag a 2TB model for less, too, as it's down to $189. This is the first time since January that we've seen such a good price on this model, so now's the time to pick one up if you can tell your machine is reaching its storage limit.

Buy Crucial MX500 (1TB) at Amazon - $85

This is a 3D NAND SATA drive with a standard 2.5-inch design, so it should fit into most computers, and it has speedy sequential read speeds of up to 560 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 510 MB/s. As far as security goes, it has AES-256 bit hardware encryption plus integrated power loss immunity, which should protect your data even if you lose power in the middle of a work session.

While Amazon isn't having a formal storage sale, there are a number of other SSDs available on discount right now. Crucial's BX500 internal SSD in 480GB is on sale for $47 and the Crucial X8 portable SSD in 2TB is down to $220. The X8 is a handy drive that would work well for college students, photographers and others who need a lot of digital space with them at all times, and it's fast with read speeds up to 1050 MB/s. Two notable Samsung internal drives are on sale as well: the Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD in 2TB is half off, bringing it down to $250, and the Samsung 980 Pro in 2TB is down to $362.

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

Engadget Podcast: iPhone 13 and why we’re more excited for the new iPad Mini

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 05:30 AM PDT

So Apple really called it the iPhone 13. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat about Apple's latest announcements, and why the iPhone 13 is more like an iPhone 12S. Also, they discuss why the revamped iPad Mini is the most intriguing new Apple gadget this year. (Hold off on getting a new iPad Air for now, folks.)

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!


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Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos,Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle Maack
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

Google reportedly plans to add free channels to its smart TV platform

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 05:15 AM PDT

Chromecasts and other devices powered by Google TV might give users access to free television channels in the future. According to Protocol, Google has been in talks with free, ad-supported streaming television providers about the possibility of adding their channels to its smart TV platform. Those channels typically have a similar feel to traditional TV, and its shows will be interrupted by commercial breaks. 

Protocol says Chromecast users might be able to browse live channels available to them through a dedicated menu similar to YouTube TV's. Meanwhile, smart TVs powered by the platform might show the free channels alongside other over-the-air programming that can be accessed with an antenna. The publication says that's similar to how companies like Samsung present free TV offerings on their own platforms. Samsung's free TV service has become so popular, other companies (including Roku and Amazon) started giving their customers access to hundreds of free channels, as well.

The addition of linear programming to Google TV could help make Chromecasts and smart TVs powered by the operating system a more enticing option for cord-cutters. Google could officially launch free streaming channels as soon as this fall, though it could also wait to announce the feature until its smart TV partners are also ready to do so next year. Protocol also says that while it's unclear what channels are making their way to the platform at this point, Google will likely strike deals that will give it access to "dozens of free channels" all at once. 

OnePlus 9 phones get a 'Hasselblad Xpan' camera setting

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 05:00 AM PDT

OnePlus started using camera tech from Hasselblad in its latest flagship smartphones, the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. It'll be some time before we see the full impact of that partnership in the form custom camera hardware. In the meantime, OnePlus is looking to bring more of a Hasselblad feel to its current phones. The latest software update for the 9-series handsets, which OnePlus has started rolling out, includes a setting that aims to replicate the look of Hasselblad's XPan film cameras.

The Xpan Mode includes an aspect ratio of 65:21 and a very wide mode with two focal lengths (30mm and 45mm). The image preview has the frame lines that you'd see through the lens of an XPan camera, OnePlus says, and after you take a shot, you can see an animation of negative film developing. There are two film simulation effects too — color and black and white — with Hasselblad working with OnePlus to create the latter.

The update looks to improve the phones' camera systems in other ways. OnePlus says it has updated the memory optimization solution and shortened the time it takes to launch the camera app by up to half. The company says it has reduced lag in previews and fixed over-sharpening in various auto mode situations. It also claims to have improved dynamic range in low-light conditions and bolstered the success rate when it comes to shooting moving objects, while reducing noise and optimizing HDR frame retrieving algorithms for some scenes.

OnePlus says the update includes some other improvements for OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, including wireless charging optimization and the latest Android security patch. The latest firmware also addresses some known issues and improves stability.

How to pre-order the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro

Posted: 17 Sep 2021 04:30 AM PDT

It's that time of year again when the latest iPhones hit shelves, prompting many to wonder if they should take the plunge into iOS for the first time, or upgrade to a new handset. Apple announced four new iPhones this week at its hardware event, mirroring the last year's offerings. The new iPhone 13 and 13 mini feature smaller notches at the top of their touchscreens, the new A15 Bionic processor and longer battery lives. The higher-end iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max smartphones have fancy finishes, 120Hz Super Retina XDR displays, and improved cameras along with the A15 Bionic chipset and better battery lives. Here's how to order the iPhone 13 series and the iPhone 13 Pro series.

iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini

iPhone 13
Apple

The iPhone 13 and 13 mini will be available for pre-order starting at 5am PT (8am ET) on September 17 and will be widely available on September 24. The iPhone 13 starts at $799 while the iPhone 13 mini starts at $699.

Pre-order iPhone 13 at Apple starting at $799Pre-order iPhone 13 mini at Apple starting at $699Pre-order iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini at Best BuyPre-order iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini at Walmart

Apple focused on refining the iPhone 13 series this year, trickling down some advanced features from last year's Pro line to the standard models. Both the iPhone 13 and 13 mini have a nearly identical design to last year's iPhone 12s, but they have a 20-percent small notch at the top and screens that are 28-percent brighter. Screen sizes have remained the same, too, measuring 6.1-inches on the iPhone 13 and 5.4-inches on the 13 mini. Apple managed to pack larger batteries in both handsets, so iPhone 13 users will get about 2.5 hours of extra use when compared to the iPhone 12, while iPhone 13 mini users will get about 1.5 extra hours. 

Inside both smartphones is the new A15 Bionic chipset and neural engine and Apple promises 50-percent better performance than the competition. The cameras have been upgraded as well: the dual system has a new wide camera sensor and lens along with the sensor-shift optical image stabilization system that we saw on the iPhone 12 Pro Max last year. Both the iPhone 13 and the 13 mini support expanded 5G as well, which will be available on 200 carriers in 60 countries by the end of this year.

As far as configurations go, the iPhone 13 and 13 mini are both available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage capacities. Apple has a new lineup of colors as well: pink, blue, midnight, starlight and Product Red.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Apple

The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will be available for pre-order starting at 5am PT (8am ET) on September 17 and will be widely available on September 24. The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will start at $1,099.

Pre-order iPhone 13 Pro at Apple starting at $999Pre-order iPhone 13 Pro Max at Apple starting at $1,099Pre-order iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max at Best BuyPre-order iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max at Walmart

It's all about the screens and the cameras for these smartphones. While screen sizes haven't changed, both the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have new Super Retina XDR displays with ProMotion, 1,000 nits of brightness and refresh rates up to 120Hz. We first saw this technology on the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and now it's been brought down to the higher-end iPhones.

The triple-rear camera system also got a big boost this year. It now features a new 77mm telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, along with a new ultra wide camera that has a f/1.8 aperture and autofocus. The primary "wide" camera is the largest Apple has even put in an iPhone and it features a f/1.5 aperture and 1.9-micron pixels. Apple also made it possible to shoot at up to 6x optical zoom, enabling macro photography, and it added new features like Cinematic Mode for videos, which uses machine learning to get things like better focus, better low-light performance, Time-lapse and Slo-mo video and more.

Inside the Pros is the A15 Bionic chipset with a 16-core neural engine, which Apple says will help the iPhones run 50 percent faster than the competition. The company also touts the handsets' enhanced durability and battery life. The iPhone 13 Pro series includes a surgical-grade stainless steel band and finishes that are resistant to abrasions and corrosions, and the lineup is IP68 water-resistant. As far as battery life goes, the iPhone 13 Pro should last 1.5 hours more than the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will last up to 2.5 hours longer than its predecessor.

As for configurations, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max come in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage capacities and both are available in four colors: sierra blue, silver, gold and graphite.
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