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• US retailers stop selling security cameras made by some Chinese companies
• Microsoft Insider update offers easier Twitch streaming on Xbox consoles
• Sony's Xperia Pro-I is a $1,800 phone with a 1-inch camera sensor
• Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook's future is 'young adults' and the metaverse
• Blue Origin announces plans for a commercial space station
• YouTube will begin demonetizing 'low-quality' kids videos next month
• Apple's first Korean TV series is about brain hacking
• HomePod mini software update adds support for Apple Music lossless
• Samsung partners with Best Buy to offer in-store phone repairs across the US
• Zoom's automatic closed captioning rolls out to all free users
• macOS Monterey is out now without SharePlay
• iOS 15.1 turns on SharePlay for Apple Fitness+
• Xbox consoles can now access NVIDIA GeForce Now via Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft shows off Halo Infinite's campaign for the first time in over a year
• GoPro addresses Hero 10 overheating issues with new firmware
• Apple AirPods review (2021): Better in nearly every way
• Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro review: Solid phones, great software, perfect pricing
• Microsoft says SolarWinds hackers may have breached 14 more companies
• The new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros are already discounted at Amazon
• Amazon details custom Alexa programs for hospitals and retirement communities
• Hertz reportedly orders 100,000 Teslas in the single largest EV purchase ever
• MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch review (2021): Apple’s mighty Macs
• Samsung's The Frame TVs are up to 33 percent off in an early Black Friday sale
• Internal Facebook documents highlight its moderation and misinformation issues
• PayPal confirms it isn't trying to acquire Pinterest right now

US retailers stop selling security cameras made by some Chinese companies Posted: 26 Oct 2021 01:25 AM PDT Home Depot and Best Buy have pulled the products of Chinese tech surveillance makers linked to human rights abuses from their shelves, according to TechCrunch. Both US retail giants have stopped selling products from Lorex and Ezviz, while Lowe's no longer carries products by the former. Lorex is a subsidiary of Dahua Technology, whereas Ezviz is a surveillance tech brand owned by Hikvision. As TechCrunch explains, the US government added Dahua and Hikvision to its economic blacklist in 2019 for their role in the mass surveillance of Uighur Muslims in the province of Xinjiang.    Earlier this year, Los Angeles Times published a report detailing how the facial recognition software developed by Lorex owner Dahua was being shopped to law enforcement as a way to identify Uighurs. A user guide for the service apparently touts its capability to identify people passing in front of its cameras by race. Meanwhile, Hikvision's cameras have been installed at mosques and detention camps in Xinjiang, according to a 2019 New York Times report. Maya Wang, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch, told the publication back then: "These systems are designed for a very explicit purpose — to target Muslims." In a report on the human rights practices in China, the US Department of State said that the Chinese government "conducted mass arbitrary detention of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim and ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang. China Human Rights Defenders alleged these detentions amounted to enforced disappearance, since families were often not provided information about the length or location of the detention." Human rights groups believe over a million Uighurs are being detained in internment camps, but China continues to deny the allegations.  It's unclear why the retail giants have decided to pull Lorex and Ezviz products now, but consumers have freely been able to buy their security cameras over the past couple of years after their parent companies were placed in the US economic blacklist. Home Depot told TechCrunch that it's "committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical sourcing and [it] immediately stopped selling products from Lorex when this was brought to [the company's] attention." Best Buy simply told the publication that it was "discontinuing its relationship" with both Lorex and Ezviz.

Microsoft Insider update offers easier Twitch streaming on Xbox consoles Posted: 26 Oct 2021 12:34 AM PDT Streaming to Twitch on the PS5 is relatively easy, but not so much on the Xbox Series X or S — you currently need to download the Twitch app and run through a series of steps. However, Microsoft is introducing "Console Live Streaming" on its latest update Xbox Insider preview, making Twitch access easier and more direct. It also added an Xbox Cloud Gaming beta to Xbox One, giving users of older consoles access to the latest games.  To use the new Twitch streaming feature, you'll just need to navigate the "Capture and Share" tab and choose "Live streaming." Link your Twitch account using a mobile device or console settings, then hit the "Go live now" button to start streaming gameplay. "This feature only streams game play so viewers will see a pause screen if the user navigates to home or another app," Microsoft notes.  If you're still on an Xbox One and want to play Xbox Series X/S titles or more hardware intensive games, the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta is also available to Insiders. Want to play an Xbox Series X/S exclusive like Microsoft Flight Simulator or The Medium on an Xbox One? It's now feasible if you're on the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring, launching today at 5PM EST. Both of these features will eventually come to everyone, as well.

Sony's Xperia Pro-I is a $1,800 phone with a 1-inch camera sensor Posted: 25 Oct 2021 08:12 PM PDT At the start of 2021, Sony introduced the $2,500 Xperia Pro. It was a phone the company made for video professionals. Now, Sony is back with a second professional-grade smartphone designed to appeal to photography enthusiasts. The headline feature of the Xperia Pro-I is a 1-inch sensor borrowed from the company's RX100 VII point-and-shoot camera. That's a much larger sensor than you'll find on most phones.  To put things in perspective, the primary sensor on the Pixel 6 Pro features a pixel pitch of 1.2µm. By contrast, the main sensor on the Pro-I has 2.4µm-sized pixels, making it much better in low light. It can also shoot 12-bit RAW files and native 4K video at 120 frames per second with eye-detection auto-focus. Speaking of auto-focus, it comes with 315 points that cover 90 percent of the frame. The Pro-I also includes one of Sony's BIONZ X imaging processors, giving it the ability to shoot up to 20 frames per second with both auto-focus and auto-exposure enabled. The fast readout speed of the sensor allows it to avoid a rolling shutter effect, a feature Sony says helps the Pro-I stand out from other phones with 1-inch sensors like the Mi 11 Ultra. Those handsets also don't have phase-detection autofocus like the Pro-I does. Complimenting the 1-inch sensor is a 24mm lens made from glass that can switch between f/2.0 and f/4.0 apertures. Sony went with an aspherical design to make the optics as small as possible. Flanking the primary camera is a 16mm ultrawide camera and a 50mm telephoto camera. Sony says it chose that lens arrangement after consulting with photographers who told the company they wanted a setup that matched their collection of prime lenses. Once you get past its camera, the Xperia Pro-I is essentially a souped-up Xperia 1 III. Internally, the phone features a Snapdragon 888 supported by 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. You can add up to 1TB of additional storage with the help of a microSD card. Powering everything is a 4,500mAh battery Sony claims will allow you to use the Pro-I for a full day on a single charge. Inside the box is a 30W power adapter that can charge the phone to 50 percent in 30 minutes. The Pro-I also features the same 6.5-inch OLED that came on the Xperia 1 III. It's a 4K display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 21:9 aspect ratio. On the audio front, the Pro-I not only comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, but it also includes Sony's LDAC and DSEE technologies. All of those capabilities come with a hefty price tag. In the US, Sony plans to sell the Xperia Pro-I for the eye-watering price of $1,800. The way the company sees it, you're effectively getting a flagship phone and RX100 VII for less than the price of buying those devices separately. However, the Xperia Pro-I isn't a one-to-one replacement for the RX100 VII. Sony's point-and-camera outputs images at 20.1-megapixel, using the full readout from its sensor. The Pro-I uses a crop because taking advantage of the entire sensor would necessitate a much larger lens than would be feasible to include on a smartphone.  Pre-orders for the Xperia Pro-I open on October 28th, with general availability to follow in December.

Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook's future is 'young adults' and the metaverse Posted: 25 Oct 2021 03:07 PM PDT Amid reports that Facebook has misled shareholders about significant declines in teens and younger users, Mark Zuckerberg said the company was "retooling" in order to make "serving young adults" its top priority. To do that, the company plans to make "significant changes" to its Facebook and Instagram apps, and spend billions of dollars building out its vision for a "metaverse." Citing increased competition from TikTok and iMessage, Zuckerberg said the company would do more to win over "young adult" users between the ages of 18 to 29, even if it came at the expense of older users. Speaking during the company's third-quarter earnings call, he said the company's TikTok rival Reels would be "as important for our products as Stories." "We also expect to make significant changes to Instagram and Facebook in the next year to further lean into video and make Reels a more central part of the experience," Zuckerberg said. On top of that, he said the company was "retooling" internally in order to make young people its "North Star." He added the shift "will take years, not months." The issue of younger users has been particularly fraught for the company. A whistleblower's disclosures about Facebook's internal research on teen mental health prompted a series of Congressional hearings about child safety, and a wave of headlines about how the photo sharing app may be harmful to some of its most vulnerable users. At the same time, other internal documents have indicated Facebook and Instagram have faced significant declines in engagement among teens and young adults for years. Zuckerberg said another major priority for the company would be building its vision for a "metaverse." He didn't comment on reports that the company would change its name to reflect its new focus on augmented reality and virtual reality, but made clear the company has significant ambitions in the space. "Our goal is to help the metaverse reach a billion people," he said. He added that a metaverse could enable "hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce." The company also said Monday that going forward it will report two sets of financials: one for its "family" of apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp; and one for its Reality Labs division that oversees its augmented and virtual reality work. In a statement, Facebook said its 2021 profit will be reduced by $10 billion due to its investment in Reality Labs, and that the company would only increase its AR and VR spending in the next "several years." Zuckerberg also addressed the ongoing revelations stemming from the "Facebook Papers," a series of articles based on documents provided by former employee turned whistleblower Frances Haugen. The CEO referred to the work from a consortium of news organizations as "a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture of our company." The documents, which have been the basis of more than a dozen stories detailing Facebook's botched efforts to fight hate speech and other harms, have also been provided to members of Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission.  "Any honest account should be clear that these issues aren't primarily about social media," Zuckerberg said. "That means that no matter what Facebook does, we're never going to solve them on our own."

Blue Origin announces plans for a commercial space station Posted: 25 Oct 2021 01:08 PM PDT Blue Origin has more ambitious plans than simply space tourism. Today, the spaceflight company owned by Jeff Bezos announced that it is working on creating its very own space station as well. Called Orbital Reef, it promises to be something of an industrial and commercial hub, and is meant to start operating in the second half of this decade.  It will be developed, owned and operated in partnership with Sierra Space, a subsidiary of the Sierra Nevada corporation. Sierra Space is perhaps better known for Dream Chaser, a spacecraft that's set to begin operating in 2022 and carry cargo to the International Space Station. Orbital Reef is also backed by Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions and Arizona State University. The company hopes to use Boeing's Starliner and Sierra Space's aforementioned Dream Chaser to ferry both cargo and passengers to Orbital Reef. Think of Orbital Reef as essentially a "business park," but in space. In a press release, Blue Origin said that the destination "will offer research, industrial, international, and commercial customers the cost competitive end-to-end services they need including space transportation and logistics, space habitation, equipment accommodation, and operations including onboard crew." Anyone who wants to "establish their own address in orbit" can do so. Blue Origin Blue Origin said that Orbital Reef would be habitable for up to 10 people, which is almost as much as that of the International Space Station. It will feature "human-centered space architecture" with "world-class services and amenities." There will be multiple ports for visiting spacecraft and modules. Orbital Reef will apparently feature an open system that will enable any customer or nation to use it. As the market for such facilities grows, Blue Origin promises that Orbital Reef will scale the amenities and utilities to match. "Seasoned space agencies, high-tech consortia, sovereign nations without space programs, media and travel companies, funded entrepreneurs and sponsored inventors, and future-minded investors all have a place on Orbital Reef," said the company in a press release. "For over sixty years, NASA and other space agencies have developed orbital space flight and space habitation, setting us up for commercial business to take off in this decade," said Brent Sherwood, Senior Vice President of Advanced Development Programs for Blue Origin. "We will expand access, lower the cost, and provide all the services and amenities needed to normalize space flight. A vibrant business ecosystem will grow in low Earth orbit, generating new discoveries, new products, new entertainments, and global awareness." Blue Origin's only successful project is a suborbital tourist program that sends passengers to the edge of space (and back) on the New Shepard. It has already flown eight people, which includes Bezos as well as Star Trek's William Shatner. Other projects, such as the New Glenn rocket (which the company hopes to use to launch some of Orbital Reef's modules) and the Blue Moon lunar lander are still in development.

YouTube will begin demonetizing 'low-quality' kids videos next month Posted: 25 Oct 2021 12:47 PM PDT Google has announced a policy change to push YouTube creators to produce and publish higher-quality content for kids. Starting next month, the company will demonetize channels that primarily target young people or market themselves as "made for kids" if the content they upload is of low quality. By YouTube's definition, that can include overly commercial videos and ones that encourage bad behaviors. Per the new guidelines, YouTube warns those videos may see limited or no ads. Additionally, the company says violating its new content guidelines could lead to removal from the YouTube Partner Program.  The move is part of a recent push by Google to make YouTube and YouTube Kids a more appropriate destination for children and their families. At the start of the year, the company announced the availability of expanded parental controls for tweens and teens. More recently, it implemented new safety measures to protect kids across its various platforms. One of those changes saw the company change the default upload setting for users between the ages of 13 and 17 to the most private option available.  "Our ultimate goal is to foster a safe and enriching environment for families while rewarding trusted creators who are making high-quality kids and family content," Google said of this latest policy change. It may take some time before the new guidelines elevate the quality of content on YouTube. So it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out on what your children are watching.

Apple's first Korean TV series is about brain hacking Posted: 25 Oct 2021 12:17 PM PDT Apple TV+ will expand into a new territory when it launches in South Korea on November 4th. In a case of perfect timing, the streaming service's first series from the country will debut worldwide on the same day (or a day earlier if you're in the US). The brilliantly titled Dr. Brain is a sci-fi drama based on a webtoon of the same name. Lee Sun-kyun of Parasite fame (he played Park Dong-ik, the father of the well-off family) stars as brain scientist Sewon. After Sewon's family suffers a mysterious accident, he hacks the brains of the deceased to access their memories and learn clues about what happened. The six-episode series is co-written, directed and executive produced by the highly regarded filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, who's perhaps best known for The Good, The Bad and The Weird and I Saw the Devil. A new episode of Dr. Brain will hit Apple TV+ each week until the finale on December 10th.  It's a busy fall for sci-fi projects on Apple TV+. Foundation, based on Isaac Asimov's books of the same name, debuted in September, while alien invasion series Invasion premiered last Friday. A movie called Finch, in which Tom Hanks plays a man who takes a road trip across post-apocalyptic America with his dog and robot, will hit Apple TV+ on November 5th.

HomePod mini software update adds support for Apple Music lossless Posted: 25 Oct 2021 11:27 AM PDT It's not only iOS and macOS that Apple has updated today. The company has rolled out a firmware update for HomePod as well. The discontinued speaker now supports Apple Music lossless playback, as well as Dolby Atmos spatial audio. Apple Music lossless will also be available on HomePod mini after you update it via the HomePod section of the Home app. It's a much-needed update, since Apple Music lossless hit iOS, iPadOS, macOS and Apple TV 4K devices in June. Apple only started publicly testing lossless and Dolby Atmos support on HomePod in August. In any case, it's good to see that Apple eventually brought a pair of notable audio features to products it designed primarily to, you know, play audio.

Samsung partners with Best Buy to offer in-store phone repairs across the US Posted: 25 Oct 2021 11:05 AM PDT If you've ever damaged your phone, you may have run into a situation where you found it difficult to find a place that can repair it. Samsung is trying to help owners of its flagship devices avoid that situation with a newly announced Best Buy partnership. Starting on October 26th, more than 100 Best Buy stores across the US will begin offering Galaxy S and Galaxy Note repairs. Then, early next month, those same locations will start repairing Samsung's Galaxy Z foldables. If you bring your phone into one of the stores, they'll be able to help with front and back screen replacements, battery swaps as well as port and camera repairs. Best Buy's Geek Squad will complete the repairs with parts and training provided by Samsung. For the South Korean company, this partnership is all about expanding its repair footprint. The 100 Best Buy stores add to the more than 550 in-person authorized care locations the company already has in place across the US. They won't help you if you own a more affordable Samsung device like the Galaxy A52 (and you may not like the idea of the Geek Squad handling your device), but it's still a step in the right direction. Outside of Apple, most tech companies have struggled to make it easy for their customers to find in-person support, and that's something that can have a significant impact on someone's relationship with a brand.

Zoom's automatic closed captioning rolls out to all free users Posted: 25 Oct 2021 10:22 AM PDT Zoom's live transcription feature is now widely available to all free users. Previously it was a feature you had to pay to access, but toward the start of the year, Zoom said it would roll it out to everyone. Now that it's here, free users don't need to request access from the company if they need the tool for their meetings. If you're in a call and want to request the host turn on live transcription, you can do so by using the meeting toolbar. At the moment, the feature only works in English, but support for more languages is on the way. In September, Zoom said it would offer automated closed captioning in a total of 30 languages over the next year. The company is also working on adding live translation for 12 languages over that same time frame.

macOS Monterey is out now without SharePlay Posted: 25 Oct 2021 10:11 AM PDT Apple has at long last released the latest major version of its Mac operating system, macOS Monterey. While it's perhaps a more modest update than in previous years, there are some significant changes in some areas of the OS. The redesigned Safari might be the most obvious transformation for many users. Apple initially planned to remove the tabs bar before it thankfully saw sense and decided to leave it as is in a later developer preview. The bar will match the color of the web page you're viewing, and there are some new features, such as Tab Groups. Apple has overhauled FaceTime in macOS Monterey too. It works a little more like other conference calling software, in that you can start a call and then invite other people. This includes folks using Android or Windows devices through the new FaceTime web app. M1 Macs will also support spatial audio for FaceTime and other features through AirPods and AirPods Max. Elsewhere, macOS Monterey adds the Focus Modes seen in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Quick Notes, Shortcuts and a new-look Maps app. Live Text, Apple's answer to Google Lens, is another new tool at macOS users' disposal. SharePlay, the feature that lets people sync streaming videos and music with friends, isn't available just yet. You'll also need to wait a little longer for Universal Control, which brings Mac and iPad together. You can move your cursor from one to the other and drag files between devices. SharePlay and Universal Control will arrive on macOS later this fall.

iOS 15.1 turns on SharePlay for Apple Fitness+ Posted: 25 Oct 2021 10:00 AM PDT Apple said in September that it was launching a feature called Group Workouts on Fitness+ that would use iOS 15's SharePlay tool for exercise sessions over FaceTime. The company just announced that Group Workouts is available starting today, so you can get up to 32 friends together to follow along with the company's exercise or meditation videos.  To use the new features, you'll need to update to iOS 15.1 or iPadOS 15.1, as well as watchOS 8.1, which are available today. Those who plan on watching the videos on their Apple TV will also need tvOS 15.1. To start a Group Workout, you'll need to first be on a FaceTime call, go to the Fitness app, then pick the video to follow. As you all sweat it out, Apple will display each person's metrics on their own screens. When someone moves ahead on the Burn Bar (which appears on specific workouts with more cardio activity) or closes their rings, everyone gets an alert so you can celebrate together.  SharePlay wasn't available when iOS 15 launched earlier this year, and during our testing of the iOS 15 beta it was buggy and unstable. The company just released iOS 15.1 today, bringing the ability to SharePlay over FaceTime, so you can watch movies and videos with your friends or just show them what's on your iPhone. Fitness+ is also expanding to 15 new countries. From Nov. 3rd, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates will be able to access the service. In America, those on UnitedHealthcare insurance can get a year of Fitness+ on their plans at no additional cost, starting Nov. 1st.  Update (at 1:15pm ET): This post was edited to add information about iOS 15.1's availability starting today.

Xbox consoles can now access NVIDIA GeForce Now via Microsoft Edge Posted: 25 Oct 2021 09:35 AM PDT Although Xbox owners are waiting for Microsoft to switch on its own cloud gaming service on consoles, they have other ways to stream games. An update in September brought the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser to Xbox One and Series X/S consoles, allowing players to access Google Stadia. Starting today, they can fire up PC games via NVIDIA's GeForce Now as well. GeForce Now is now available in beta on Edge, as The Verge notes, creating a pathway for Xbox users to play hundreds of games they might otherwise miss out on. GeForce Now is free for one-hour sessions though the resolution is limited to 1080p. NVIDIA just unveiled a new, more expensive plan that promises "desktop-class latency" and gameplay streaming in 1440p at up to 120 fps on PC and Mac and in 4K HDR at 60 fps on NVIDIA Shield TV. Microsoft said it will bring Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's cloud gaming feature to consoles this holiday season. Even so, thanks to GeForce Now, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S players now have a gateway to some major PC exclusives, such as League of Legends and Dota 2, without the need for a gaming rig.

Microsoft shows off Halo Infinite's campaign for the first time in over a year Posted: 25 Oct 2021 09:20 AM PDT With Halo Infinite'sDecember 8th release date fast approaching, Microsoft has shared a new six-minute trailer that offers an in-depth look at the game's single-player component. The last time the company provided an extended preview of Infinite's campaign was during its Xbox showcase in 2020. That trailer was poorly received, with most fans agreeing the game's visuals looked dated. In the aftermath of that reveal, developer 343 Industries said they had work to do, and Microsoft subsequently delayed the game to 2021. In this latest preview, you can see the visuals have gotten an update (look at Craig the Brute). But what hasn't changed too much is the emphasis on sandbox gameplay. During a community Q&A back in March, 343 Industries said they were inspired by levels like The Silent Cartographer from Halo: Combat Evolved to design the game in a way that would allow players to accomplish objectives with creativity.  You see that ethos on display in the second half of the trailer. Master Chief stumbles upon a Banished outpost he has to take out. You can use his grappling hook to move around the facility quickly and pull enemy weapons and explosives to augment your current arsenal. Vehicles play an important part in the overall gameplay loop, as do abilities you can purchase for Master Chief.  All of the different gameplay elements come together to form something that looks like it will offer a classic but more open Halo experience. It's just too bad you won't be able to play the campaign with a friend, at least not at launch.

GoPro addresses Hero 10 overheating issues with new firmware Posted: 25 Oct 2021 09:00 AM PDT GoPro is issuing a firmware update that includes new "video performance modes." These aren't new creative tools, rather they're designed to prevent cameras shutting down through overheating when recording in certain situations. The company is also unveiling a new "Enduro" battery that should improve performance in cold weather. Soon after the launch of the Hero 10, some reviews complained that their cameras were overheating and turning off after around 20 minutes of continuous recording. The problem didn't seem to be universal, in our review I performed such a test (before hearing of said complaints) and was able to get over an hour of footage. Other detailed tests also didn't initially bump into the issue. But enough users were having the problem that the company clearly had to take note. Today, GoPro has confirmed that a new firmware update is coming with the aforementioned Video Performance Modes — Maximum Video Performance, Extended Battery and Tripod/Stationary. The first in that list sounds much like the current mode. Extended Battery, as the name suggests, provides optimal settings for longer battery life. The latter assumes that the camera will not be moving and thus removes things like GPS and HyperSmooth stabilization to, presumably, ease the load on the new processor in situations where there's no motion or airflow to cool the camera down. According to GoPro, with the new firmware, a 5.3K recording at 60fps will run for 47 percent longer (an average of 29 minutes per clip). Alternatively, at 4K/60fps you can enjoy a 154 percent increase to an hour and three minutes total. GoPro As for the new Enduro battery ($24.99) GoPro states it will extend recording times to an average of 56 minutes of 5.3K/60 video at 14F/-10C. When used at moderate temperatures, 5.3K/60 shots should see a boost of 28 percent in duration while 4K/120 videos will enjoy a 40 percent improvement in record time. The new cell will be compatible with both the Hero 9 Black and the Hero 10 Black and thankfully comes in a different color so that you won't mix it up with your standard batteries. GoPro stops short of saying what the new battery is doing beyond using "revolutionary technology." Either way, whatever your use case for the Hero 10, by the end of the month you'll be able to update your firmware for the new modes or you can pick up the new battery in late November.

Apple AirPods review (2021): Better in nearly every way Posted: 25 Oct 2021 09:00 AM PDT When you consider 2019's second-generation AirPods were a modest update rather than a complete overhaul, Apple was way overdue for an all-new model. With this year's third-gen version, the company has given us just that. The 2021 AirPods have a new design, complete with handy features from the company's more expensive earbud and headphone models. The stick-bud look is still with us, and the overall fit will remain polarizing, but Apple has nonetheless massively improved its "regular" AirPods in nearly every way. Design Billy Steele/Engadget Apple completely redesigned AirPods inside and out for this third-generation model. The new look is a blend of the original AirPods design and the AirPods Pro, with some modifications. Right off the bat you'll notice the lack of the silicone eartips found on the Pro. The overall fit of the new model is similar to that of the first two AirPods, which means that there will be a good number of people who won't care for it. That mixture of designs continues on the stem. Apple reduced the length of the component by a third versus the previous model, adding the force sensor from the AirPods Pro for the on-board controls. For its new "contoured design," Apple says it considered customer feedback on fit and comfort as well as thousands of ear scans, acoustic studies and heat map modeling to create the shape. The company explains that the design reduces weight and its tapered silhouette and angle increase comfort. Not to mention the updated earbud better directs sound into your ear. All of this turned out to be true, as the new model is more comfortable and the design helps deliver massive improvements to audio quality. Despite a lot of people using AirPods at the gym or on a run, only the Pro model was sweat and water resistant. Apple has extended that protection to this third-gen unit as well as its charging case. You won't want to try submerging either one, but the IPX4 rating should be enough to keep the earbuds safe during workouts or from an errant, albeit small, splash. AirPods have had automatic pausing before now, but Apple changed in-ear detection for the 2021 edition. Instead of a simple optical sensor, Apple's new version actually detects skin. Combined with the built-in accelerometer, AirPods can better determine when they're in your ear, which Apple says makes pausing more accurate and can even extend battery life. Software and features Billy Steele/Engadget Like Apple's other recent AirPods models, this new set is equipped with the company's H1 chip. That component enables a lot of features, with the first one being one-touch fast pairing. Simply flip open the case near your iPhone and all you have to do is tap the pop-up to sync the two devices. It's so quick and easy, and you'll quickly realize how much time you wasted putting earbuds in pairing mode before swiping over to the Bluetooth menu. Those days are long gone and, quite frankly, good riddance. The H1 chip also powers always-on Siri. As before, this allows you to summon the virtual assistant without having to reach for or be near your phone. H1 lends a hand with Adaptive EQ, spatial audio and dynamic head tracking as well, bringing features from the pricier Pro and Max models to a more affordable version of AirPods. Similar to previous products, AirPods are equipped with automatic switching between Apple devices. When you're listening to music on your MacBook Pro and get a call, you can automatically switch over. And when the call is finished, you can go back without re-pairing. Thanks to the latest version of iOS features like announce notifications with Siri and improved Find My are all available on the third-gen AirPods. The older audio sharing tool is back as well. With the change to force sensor-driven controls, Apple has given AirPods the same actions as AirPods Pro. On the second-gen model, you had to tap the earbud and the options were very limited. Like the Pro version, you now have the ability to play/pause and accept calls (press once), skip tracks forward (press twice), skip tracks backwards (press three times) and activate Siri (press and hold). Once again, there's no option for on-board volume control. The press-and-hold input on the AirPods Pro changes noise-cancelling mode, so it seems like Apple could've reassigned this action for volume — up on one side, down on the other. As it stands, using this for Siri seems redundant, especially as the hands-free assistant is a staple of its AirPods line. Sound quality I don't want to mince words here: the new AirPods sound so much better than the previous two versions. Like almost night and day better. Apple didn't make any significant changes to sound quality from the first model to the 2019 version. But for gen three, Apple paired a custom driver with a high-dynamic-range amplifier to improve the audio chops. The company says that the duo work together to produce "rich consistent bass" and "crisp, clean" highs. From the moment I fired up the first song, this was all immediately evident. I don't think I've ever audibly said "woah" with the first note from a guitar on any review unit, but given how average older AirPods sound, it was involuntary this time. Overall, the sound is bigger and more immersive. It's open and airy, instead of being compressed and downright boring like older AirPods. While greatly improved, the sound quality doesn't match the absolute best I've tested: Sony's WF-1000XM4, Master & Dynamic's MW08 and Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 2. However, the new AirPods do sound better than the Galaxy Buds 2 and are comparable to Jabra's Elite 75t — both of which offer active noise cancellation and are more in line with Apple's latest in terms of price. Even without spatial audio tracks, music feels dimensional with vocals, instruments and other sounds standing on their own. The performance is consistent across the bluegrass picking of Nickel Creek to the bluesy folk rock of Jason Isbell and the grungy metal of Every Time I Die. Sure, part of this is due to the new driver/amp combo, as the crisp treble and constant, but not overpowering, bass help create these soundscapes. Another reason is the new shape of the earbud that better directs sound into your ears. Billy Steele/Engadget The third aspect is Adaptive EQ, a feature Apple first introduced on the AirPods Max. Using computational audio, the company's H1 chip and the inward-facing mic, AirPods tune the music for how the earbuds fit in your ear. Adaptive EQ constantly monitors sound and adapts low- and mid-range frequencies in real time. All of these updates make the new AirPods something I actually wanted to listen to music with, rather than something that was just more convenient that other earbuds. The new AirPods also support Apple's spatial audio. This means you can listen to tracks that are available in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music with no issue. I can respect that spatial audio as a concept is divisive: some people like it while others don't. I don't care for it with the AirPods Max, but I think it sounds better with these new AirPods. Dolby Atmos seemed a bit too spacious at times with Apple over-ear headphones (Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour is a prime example), but that's not the case with the supported earbuds. I'm not sure it will sway folks who don't care for spatial audio currently, but that's why you have the ability to disable it entirely. Like the AirPods Pro, spatial audio here is also available with dynamic head tracking, which changes the position of the audio in your earbuds when you turn your head. iOS will allow you to switch between fixed spatial audio and dynamic head tracking via the volume slider in Control Center. There's also a third option to disable the immersive sound entirely from here. I think head tracking has some benefits when you're watching a movie or TV show, but when you're listening to music, it's not so great. Especially when you momentarily walk away from your computer or phone. For that reason, easy access to these controls is a great thing. What you won't find here is active noise cancellation (ANC) or a transparency mode. Apple has reserved both for the pricier AirPods Pro, and there's a key reason why. The third-gen AirPods allow some outside sound in by design as they don't completely seal off your ear canal. This would make an ANC setup difficult and means the AirPods are "transparent" by default. Much like the design, if you consider the features of the new AirPods as the middle ground between the base model and the Pro version, a lot of these decisions make sense. Call quality Billy Steele/Engadget As ever, Apple is hyping the voice quality on its latest AirPods. The company says new acoustic mesh covers for inset microphones help reduce wind noise. These earbuds also support the AAC-ELD codec, which Apple says enables "full-HD voice quality" to keep you sounding crisp and clear on FaceTime calls. What's more, the AirPods support spatial audio in Group FaceTime calls to further simulate the feeling of being in the same room. Basically, the sound from the person who is talking comes from the direction they're positioned on your screen. It's not like speaking IRL, but it is an improvement. It makes calls more immersive, plus you can get an even better sense of directional audio when your device is in landscape mode. Indeed, FaceTime calls are crisp and clear with the new AirPods. Phone calls are improved as well but not to the same degree. Voice quality is here better than most earbuds I've tested, but not by a ton. True to Apple's claims, these AirPods do a decent job blocking background noise and focusing on your voice. It's great when you're talking, but the clamor resumes when you're not speaking. Depending on how loud the noise is, it might be distracting for the person on the other end. There are improvements in regards to voice, but you'll notice them most in FaceTime. Battery life Billy Steele/Engadget To accompany the redesign, Apple also increased battery life on the new AirPods. The company says you can expect up to six hours on the earbuds themselves and up to 30 hours total when you factor in the case. I actually managed just over seven hours during my tests, and that's with fixed spatial audio on (but without dynamic head tracking). Since the second-gen version was rated at five hours, over seven is a significant upgrade for those who use headphones throughout their work day. If you find yourself in a pinch, the new AirPods have the same quick-charge feature as the AirPods Pro: five minutes in the case gives you about an hour of use. Where the original AirPods Pro case supported wireless charging, now both it and the case for AirPods is equipped with MagSafe. The MagSafe case still works with Qi-certified pads, but Apple will sell you a magnetic charger for a better experience. Just remember: the second-gen model that Apple kept around for $129 doesn't support wireless charging at all. The competition Billy Steele/Engadget There's never been a doubt that AirPods are built for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Nearly every feature is meant to enhance or extend the tools available on those devices, including giving you the ability to access Siri and other things without reaching for an iPhone. By adding the third-gen AirPods in the middle of its lineup, Apple has replaced the 2019 model with a wireless charging case. That leaves its roster with the original design (second-generation) at $129, this model at $179 and the AirPods Pro at $249. The company now has a trio of options akin to what Samsung has offered for a while now: a range of choices with varied options and prices. At this point, the only options that come close to the deep iOS integration AirPods offer are products like the Powerbeats Pro. A few models in the Beats lineup offer handy features like fast pairing and hands-free Siri since they're powered by Apple's H1 chip. The more affordable Studio Buds ($150) don't have that component, but they still offer the ability to wake the assistant without reaching for your phone. The Beats Fit Pro leaked earlier this month and initial reports indicate they too will carry Apple's powerful earbud tech, but we don't know about price just yet. There are plenty of options that sound great and have handy features in their own right, but nothing without the H1 chip syncs as well with Apple's devices. If you want active noise cancellation or ambient sound in some tiny earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 2 are a solid bet. Unfortunately, Samsung scaled back its iOS integration a few models ago, but these still work well with iPhone and the like. If ANC, spatial audio or hands-free Siri aren't things you need, Jabra's Elite 3 earbuds are the best value right now. They're tiny and comfy, but the sound is impressive and the battery life is good. Plus, they're only $80. Wrap-up No modest update this time around. Apple totally overhauled AirPods for the third-generation version with the biggest changes coming in the design and audio quality. The company also expanded availability of key features like spatial audio and Adaptive EQ to a more affordable set of earbuds while keeping all of the convenience of AirPods intact. These earbuds still aren't for everyone, but what they offer the Apple faithful can't be found elsewhere and the company will do well to keep it that way.

Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro review: Solid phones, great software, perfect pricing Posted: 25 Oct 2021 09:00 AM PDT The Pixel 6 is the most intriguing phone Google has made in years. Not only is it a return to premium design with eye-catching colors and up to a 120Hz screen, it's also powered by the company's first mobile processor — Tensor. With it, Google is promising serious improvements in AI performance and photography, including better voice recognition and Assistant features. Google also finally upgraded the Pixel's camera hardware instead of just relying on its processing smarts. That's not to say it's overlooked software this year. The Pixel 6 is stuffed to the brim with special photography modes. The best thing about the Pixel 6 series, though, is the surprisingly low starting price, and it makes the few drawbacks easier to forgive. Design I'm torn over the Pixel 6's design. Compared to the last few generations, these are an arresting change of pace. The two-tone palette is pretty, especially on the smaller Pixel 6, which has more fun color options. It also has a flat screen with a matte finish on its sides while the Pro has pleasantly curved, shiny edges and feels a lot like the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.  David Imel for Engadget Google's horizontal camera bar here is polarizing. I don't mind it, but I know many people think it's hideous. In its defense, it not only houses larger sensors, but it also makes for a more symmetrical design than the corner camera bumps on every other flagship. And as a bonus, it doesn't wobble when resting on a tabletop. Aesthetics and style are all subjective, but no one can argue with hard numbers. At 207 grams (or 7.3 ounces), the Pixel 6 is heavier than the Galaxy S21 and the iPhone 13, though not by much. The Pixel does have a larger 6.4-inch screen, though, and I wish it was smaller since previous generations (and other companies) all offer a one-hand-friendly size. Meanwhile, the Pixel 6 Pro weighs 210 grams, which is much lighter than the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Display, audio and fingerprint sensor Both the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro have lovely OLED screens. The standard model has a 6.4-inch 1080p panel that runs at 90Hz, while the Pro uses a 6.7-inch display that goes between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on what you're doing. Most flagship phones have adopted OLED by now, and in general offer excellent image quality. The new frontier for displays is refresh rate, and the Pixel 6 Pro's 120Hz screen is as buttery as the iPhone 13 Pro and Galaxy S21 Ultra's. Scrolling through Twitter, Instagram and articles on the internet is satisfyingly fast. David Imel for Engadget The Pixel 6's 90Hz refresh rate does make it feel a little slower, but you won't notice if you haven't been spoiled by 120Hz screens. If you're upgrading from an older phone, the 90Hz panel will be an obvious improvement. Plus, this thing costs just $600, so no gripes here, especially since the iPhone 13 is $200 more and runs at 60Hz. I'm also not going to complain much about the Pixel 6's speakers, which are decent. Vocals were clear in Steve Aoki and Jolin Tsai's Equal in the Darkness, though the mix could sound messy at times and lacked bass. Lil Nas X's Industry Baby held up a little better. Under the Pixel 6's display is a fingerprint sensor, and unfortunately it's slow and finicky, especially compared to in-screen readers on recent Galaxy and OnePlus devices. You also can't log in with your thumb when the screen is off, meaning unlocking your phone is a two-step process: Wake the screen, then scan your print. Google could stand to take notes from Samsung here. Place your finger on the screen of an S21 and you almost immediately see your home page. David Imel for Engadget If you're mad that the fingerprint sensor was relocated, Google said it was mainly to keep the phone's rear looking uncluttered, while still offering some form of secure biometric authentication. Android 12 and Assistant features What truly defines the Pixel 6 experience is its software — an area Google has always excelled. With Android 12's new Material You UI, the Pixel 6s feel as pretty inside as they do outside. The most obvious flourish is its ability to theme the entire interface around a color palette it extracts from your wallpaper. We've discussed this many times in our previous coverage of the Android 12 beta, so I won't go on and on about it here, but it makes the OS feel more cohesive. Android 12 offers many new features that we've already tested, like updated widgets, camera and mic privacy toggles, but the company has updates that are exclusive to Pixels as well. The most impactful of these are the upgraded speech recognition algorithms. Transcriptions are more accurate, translations are integrated in more parts of the OS and the keyboard is easier to use hands-free. As someone who detests typing on a phone, I love the new voice keyboard. It's better at understanding my rambling monologues and inserting punctuation. Now transcribed text looks more natural, rather than being a long block of words. The system will even retroactively add punctuation to previous sentences while you're speaking. That said, Assistant still isn't perfect, and often adds periods where they don't belong. And maybe this is more of an indictment of the way I speak, but Google seems to think everything I say is a question. In fact, here's an example of the above paragraph as transcribed by the new voice keyboard: "As someone who detest typing on a phone, I love the new voice keyboard. It's better at understanding my rambling monologues and inserting punctuation. Now transcribe text looks more natural rather than being a long block of words. The system will even retroactively add punctuation to previous sentences while you're speaking. That said, assistant still isn't perfect and often adds periods where they don't belong. And maybe this is more of an indictment of the way I speak, but Google seems to think everything I say is a question" What makes hands-free typing even easier is the ability to say things like "Send," "Clear," "Delete" and "Undo." I especially love that you can say "Hey Google, type" to trigger the speech keyboard, so there's no need to touch the screen to reply to your friends. The Pixel 6 also helpfully suggests commands for things like jumping to the next field in a form or setting the subject of an email. Plus, you can add emoji by saying "smiley face emoji" or "peach emoji". The new keyboard also makes it easier to fix mistakes. You can't do this hands-free unless you want to clear everything and start over, but at least you don't have to exit voice typing mode to select a typo and then tap the speech button to start dictating again. The mic will remain on so you can repeat something with more careful enunciation, and you can use commands like "Delete" to get rid of stray words. The improvements to voice commands are especially important for those with physical or motor disabilities, and this might make it easier to communicate if you have limited mobility. Cherlyn Low / Engadget Google also expanded its Quick Phrases feature, which allowed you to say things like "Stop" or "Answer" in response to alarms or calls. This feature rolled out first on Google's speakers and displays, and now on the Pixel 6 you can also say "Stop," "Snooze," "Answer" and "Decline." I know it seems like a minor update, but I appreciate every little addition that makes hands-free interaction with my phone easier. Another advantage Pixels have over other phones is Google's time-saving features like Duplex and Call Screening. On the Pixel 6, Google is introducing new Wait Time and Direct My Call tools that tell you how long you'll have to wait for a customer service rep and converts voice-based menus into on-screen options. Though it's supposed to work with the top 5,000 toll-free US business numbers, I didn't see wait times appear for Bank of America, though it showed up for Capital One, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and DoorDash. The Pixel 6 accurately turned DoorDash's menu into tappable buttons, too, though it only works in English. "Press 1 to continue in English" appeared, though "Para continuar en espanol, o prima dos" did not, nor did the option to continue "en Francais." The company has also integrated its translation engine into more parts of the Pixel 6, like Live Transcribe and the keyboard. You no longer have to use the app or search engine to translate what you need before copying and pasting it into a message. When I opened a conversation with our video producer Brian, the phone detected that he had written in German and asked if I wanted it to translate. Once I agreed, Brian's message of "ich liebe dich" was replaced with "I love you." As I typed out my reply, a separate text field appeared above the keyboard with my words in English being translated into Deutsch. This also worked with the new voice typing, although sometimes it reverted to the old speech keyboard (the microphone icon looks different in the latest version). Cherlynn Low / Engadget Only a few languages like German, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, French, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian and English are supported at this time. Most chat apps are compatible, too, like WhatsApp, Signal, Line, Twitter, Google Chat, Snapchat and Android Messages. Though, Instagram messages weren't working when I tried it. Another area where translation is baked in is Live Captions, which provides subtitles for anything playing through your phone's speakers. In general Google's interpretations still aren't very accurate and sentences come off stilted. In Interpreter Mode, Brian and I had a conversation where I spoke Chinese and he spoke Korean and simply couldn't make sense of what the other was saying unless we told it to translate both languages to English instead. But it's not like any other translation software is better. The phone's Tensor chip handles all these things quickly, and since it's all done on-device you can use the features without an internet connection. Lens in particular was very fast at identifying Korean characters on a book and correctly capitalizing the author's names. And, though it struggled with my handwritten Chinese characters, it was still fairly speedy at showing its English interpretation. There are a lot of little software updates throughout Android 12 that I don't have the time or space to go into here, but I'll quickly shout out new security features like the Anti-Malware and Phishing tool. When someone sends you a suspicious message in WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram, Google will throw up a warning page like it does in Chrome, reminding you not to transmit sensitive information online to people who might not be who you think they are. It won't prevent these messages from reaching you, but it's at least a reminder to be careful (and a great way to diss your friends). There's also a new security hub that helps you identify what apps are using your personal data the most. Cameras Google's software has helped it make the most of the outdated cameras on its older Pixels, but this time around the company endowed its flagships with much better hardware. The Pixel 6 has a 50-megapixel main sensor that uses pixel-binning to achieve a resolution closer to 12 megapixels (that are bigger and let in more light). Accompanying this is a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 114-degree field of view, and the Pro adds a 48-megapixel telephoto lens to the mix that has 4X optical zoom. It also has a 11.1-megapixel wide angle selfie camera that shoots in 4K, while the Pixel 6 has an 8-megapixel sensor that tops out at 1080p. These sensors aren't just sharper, they're also bigger with larger pixels, which makes for brighter, cleaner photos. In almost every situation, the Pixel 6 Pro's photos were basically on par with the iPhone 13 Pro, and the comparison here boils down to personal preference. They both produce crisp, colorful pictures. Apple tends to deliver more-saturated images with a green-yellow cast, while Google has a more neutral look. The iPhone struggles with fringing when shooting anything against a light source, but it also renders rosier skin tones compared to the Pixel, which washes my subjects out in low light. That's disappointing, by the way, given the Pixel 6 also features Google's Real Tone processing. It's part of the company's Image Equity program, which is built on research and feedback from photographers and people of color to get more accurate exposure for different skin tones. This isn't a feature you can turn off, so it's hard to see how effective it is. All I can say is: I've photographed people of varying skin tones in my testing and have yet to encounter any serious issues or obvious improvements. In addition to baking Real Tone into its algorithms, Google also introduced a slew of special camera features, including Magic Eraser, Motion Mode, Face Unblur and Speech Enhancement for selfie videos. Most of these are hit or miss, except Face Unblur, which uses images from both the wide and main cameras to stitch together photos with crisp faces every time. I wasn't expecting to be wowed, but Face Unblur worked well. I fired the camera in rapid succession while Brian stood in front of me and vigorously shook his head from side to side. Every single shot had his face in perfect focus. The rest of the updates, like Speech Enhancement, Magic Eraser, Long Exposure and Action Pan in Motion Mode, only work in the right circumstances. Magic Eraser doesn't always identify photobombers or perfectly remove them. But in some cases, like my picture of a stream framed by trees, it accurately highlighted two people on the bank and seamlessly replaced them with foliage. Cherlynn Low / Engadget I'm also a fan of Action Pan and Long Exposure, which add a motion blur effect to your fast-moving subject and let you capture light trails. When they work, the results are eye-catching. But while they're easy to use and don't require you to hold still for too long, Action Pan can't handle anything faster than a cyclist and the blur can be exaggerated. Long Exposure delivered some nice shots of cars going down a roundabout, but doesn't offer enough controls for experienced photographers. Finally, while speech enhancement mode does muffle some ambient noise in videos shot with the front camera, my voice wasn't all that much clearer than without the mode on. Generally, much like Google's astrophotography mode, these features are only helpful in specific situations that most people won't encounter often. The tools that have a greater impact on your photos are Magic Eraser and Face Unblur, and despite some quirks they're both quite effective. Performance and battery life Despite Tensor being Google's first mobile chip, its performance is surprisingly good. I barely noticed a difference between the Pixel 6 and Apple and Samsung's latest flagships, and it handled League of Legends: Wild Rift while screen recording without issue. According to Geekbench 5's CPU benchmarks, though, the iPhone 13 Pro with its 3.2GHz A15 Bionic chip was way faster than the Pixel 6 (which is clocked at 2.8Ghz), notching a multi-core score of 4,809 over Google's 2,802. The Surface Duo 2, with a Snapdragon 888 processor (2.84GHz), came in at 3,485. David Imel for Engadget With two ARM X1 "Prime" cores, two big cores and four little high-efficiency cores, Tensor's design is similar to Qualcomm's high-end Snapdragon 888, though with an additional X1 core. But the draw here is Google'sTPU, or Tensor Processing Unit, which is a scaled down version of what the company uses in its data centers, and it's designed to speed up AI tasks. To be fair, Apple and Qualcomm offer similar coprocessors: the Neural Engine and Hexagon, respectively. But Google has much more experience in the field of AI than its competitors, and while we don't have hard numbers to back it up, anecdotally Tensor seems to outclass the competition in this field. On-device Assistant requests, voice typing and translating foreign characters in Lens all happened in an instant. I was especially impressed that I could see the effects of Google's noise reduction through the viewfinder in low light without having to wait for processing after taking the shot. I encountered some odd delays every once in a while, like the camera struggling to load sometimes. I received several updates throughout my testing (as recently as yesterday) and may still not have the final version of the app, which could bring more stable performance. Both the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro last incredibly long. On our video rundown test, the Pixel 6 clocked 20 and a half hours, while the Pro managed 17 hours and 13 minutes. That puts them among the longest-lasting phones we've tested all year. In real world use, too, the Pixel 6 Pro typically stuck around longer than a day and I never stopped to think about charging it. David Imel for Engadget Pixel 6 or 6 Pro? Though it's still difficult to choose between the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, the decision this year boils down to one key factor: price. In the past, Google's phones came in regular and XL versions, and they were obviously different in size. With the Pixel 6 though, the standard model isn't that much smaller. That's disappointing for anyone with daintier hands that have a hard time reaching across the screen. But it does mean you don't have to choose between size or premium features — just go for the Pro if you want the top-of-the-line edition. The main reason to get the Pixel 6 instead of the Pro is to save $300. You'll only be missing out on the 120Hz screen, telephoto camera and slight design differences. Yes, the Pro has an ultra wideband chip for spatial location and ranging, but this won't matter much to most people. Wrap-up Whichever version you're considering, the Pixel 6 series is a superb return to form. Google is clearly aware that its strengths lay in smart software and excellent photography, and those are the areas where the Pixel 6s deliver most. The company also didn't neglect basics like battery life and display, and though I wish the fingerprint sensor was faster, there's little to complain about. Best of all, Google is offering you all these flagship features for hundreds less than the competition. Key specs Spec Pixel 6 Pixel 6 Pro Display 6.4-inch 2,400 x 1,080 (20:9) OLED. 411ppi, up to 90Hz 6.7-inch 3,120 x 1,440 LTPO OLED. 512ppi, up to 120Hz Dimensions 6.2 x 2.9 x 0.4 inches / 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9 mm;7.3 oz / 207 grams 6.5 x 3.0 x 0.4 inches / 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm;7.41 oz / 210 grams Processor, RAM and Storage Google Tensor with Titan M2 security coprocessor;8GB LDDR5 RAM;128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 Google Tensor with Titan M2 security coprocessor;12GB LDDR5 RAM;128GB / 256GB / 512GB UFS 3.1 Rear cameras 50MP octa PD Quad Bayer camera, 1.2-micron pixels, 1/1.31" sensor and f/1.85 aperture12MP ultrawide camera, 1.25-micron pixels, 114-degree FOV and f/2.2 50MP octa PD Quad Bayer camera, 1.2-micron pixels, 1/1.31" sensor and f/1.85 aperture12MP ultrawide camera, 1.25-micron pixels, 114-degree FOV and f/2.248MP telephoto camera, 4x optical zoom, 0.8-micron pixels, f/3.5 Front camera 8MP, 1.12-micron pixels, f/2.0, 84-degree FOV 11.1MP, 1.22-micron pixels, f/2.2, 94-degree FOV Battery 4,614 mAh, fast-charging with included Google 30W USB-C chargerQi-certified, fast wireless charging, battery share 5,003 mAh, fast-charging with included Google 30W USB-C chargerQi-certified, fast wireless charging, battery share Sensors and connectivity Under-display fingerprint sensor, dual-SIM (one nano and one eSIM), NFC, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 Under-display fingerprint sensor, dual-SIM (one nano and one eSIM), NFC, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, Ultra-wideband chip Water resistance IP68 IP68 Photos by David Imel (@DurvidImel)

Microsoft says SolarWinds hackers may have breached 14 more companies Posted: 25 Oct 2021 08:26 AM PDT Microsoft has shared more details about a recent cyberattack campaign orchestrated by the Russian state-sponsored group blamed for last year's devastating SolarWinds hack. The company's cybersecurity experts warned that Nobelium is once again trying to access government and corporate networks around the world, despite President Joe Biden sanctioning Russia over previous cyberattacks. According to Microsoft, the group is using the same strategy it employed in the successful SolarWinds attack — targeting companies whose products form core parts of global IT systems. In this campaign, Microsoft says, Nobelium has focused on a different aspect of the IT supply chain, namely resellers and service suppliers that provide cloud services and other tech. The company says it has informed more than 140 providers and resellers that the group has targeted them. It believes Nobelium breached up to 14 of these companies' networks. However, Microsoft says it detected the campaign in its early stages in May, which should help mitigate the fallout. Microsoft notes these hack attempts are part of a huge series of attacks conducted by Nobelium over the last few months. Between July 1st and October 19th, it told 609 of its customers that Nobelium had attempted to hack them on 22,868 occasions, with fewer than 10 successes. In the three years prior to July 1st, Microsoft told its customers about 20,500 attacks from all nation-state actors — not just Nobelium. "This latest activity shares the hallmarks of Nobelium's compromise-one-to-compromise-many approach and use of a diverse and dynamic toolkit that includes sophisticated malware, password sprays, supply chain attacks, token theft, API abuse [and] spear phishing," Microsoft's security intelligence division wrote in a tweet. Nobelium has also been known as Cozy Bear and APT29. In 2020, hackers created a backdoor in a SolarWinds product called Orion, which was used by around 30,000 customers in the public and private sector. Nobelium is said to have carried out further hacks on the systems of nine US agencies and around 100 companies. Other hackers piggybacked onto the backdoor to facilitate their own attacks. The US sanctioned six Russian companies and 32 individuals and entities in April over alleged misconduct connected to the SolarWinds attack and attempts to interfere with the 2020 presidential election. "This recent activity is another indicator that Russia is trying to gain long-term, systematic access to a variety of points in the technology supply chain and establish a mechanism for surveilling — now or in the future — targets of interest to the Russian government," Tom Burt, Microsoft's corporate vice president of customer security and trust, wrote in a blog post.

The new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros are already discounted at Amazon Posted: 25 Oct 2021 07:30 AM PDT Apple's latest pro-level notebooks are barely one week old and they've already received a discount on Amazon. Both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M1 Pro CPUs are $50 off right now — that means you can grab the 512GB 14-inch model for $1,950 or the 512GB 16-inch version for $2,450. Is it a huge discount? No, but it's notable for Apple's newest laptops for which price might be a big barrier to entry for some. Both laptops will ship starting tomorrow. Pre-order 14-inch MacBook Pro at Amazon - $1,950Pre-order 16-inch MacBook Pro at Amazon - $2,450 Despite being announced just last week, we managed to check out the latest MacBook Pros and gave them a score of 92. Apple addressed a lot of complaints people had with its high-end laptops here, namely their lack of ports. Both machines have three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI connector, a MagSafe power port, a headphone jack and an SD card reader. The only thing missing is a USB-A port, but that's a small sacrifice to make when you have so many connectivity options that you didn't have on previous MacBook Pros. To house these bevy of ports, the new MacBook Pros are thicker and slightly heavier than previous editions, but they remain portable (the 14-inch a bit more so than the 16-inch). They also have lovely Liquid Retina XDR displays capable of reaching 1,600 nits of brightness thanks to their Mini-LED backlighting. They also support 120Hz refresh rates with ProMotion, which will help prevent your eyes from getting fatigued after hours of scrolling through documents and web pages. The webcam notch is a noticeable difference as well, albeit one that might frustrate some, but at least the 1080p webcam is a big upgrade from the 720p camera in previous models. Unsurprisingly, the new MacBook Pros have stellar performance. While the M1 chipset in last year's laptops fell a bit short when it came to heavy duty creative work, the M1 Pro processors remedy that and we found the SSDs in these Pros to be speedy as well. While those who need serious power for 3D renderings and similar tasks may still want to consider machines with dedicated GPUs, others will find the power provided in the new MacBook Pros to be more than sufficient. And they last long, too — the 14-inch model survived over 12.5 hours in our testing, while the 16-inch machine lasted over 16.5 hours. If you knew during Apple's event last week that the latest MacBook Pro was the laptop for you, now's a good time to grab one while you can save a few dollars in the process. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Amazon details custom Alexa programs for hospitals and retirement communities Posted: 25 Oct 2021 07:20 AM PDT Amazon has announced two new programs for Alexa centered around healthcare and retirement homes. Through Alexa Smart Properties, hospitals and senior living communities can run their own custom version of the voice assistant. Retirement homes might tap into Alexa to help residents keep in contact with family and friends, stay in touch with staff, take part in activities and remain engaged with other members of the community. Staff members can use Alexa to broadcast announcements and, of course, the voice assistant can still be used for things like controlling connected devices and smart TVs. Amazon's aim with the healthcare program is to, among other things, let staff members check in with patients without having to enter their rooms. In turn, patients can ask nurses questions, and they'll be able to respond to brief queries without having to leave their station. In addition, they can ask Alexa to play music or a podcast. As with the senior living program, care providers could use Alexa for announcements. This program builds on a 2019 pilot project at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. A version of Alexa for healthcare providers is something that Amazon has had in the works for some time. A report in 2017 suggested the company was developing hardware and software for healthcare projects, and those rumors intensified the following year. In 2019, Amazon rolled out the first HIPAA-compliant Alexa skills, which let providers help people manage prescriptions and provide blood glucose readings and tips to people with diabetes. It also has pushed into the telehealth sphere over the last couple of years. Amazon isn't the only major tech company with an interest in the healthcare field. Microsoft invested $40 million into an AI for Health program and it announced plans earlier this year to buy speech tech company Nuance for $19.7 billion to boost its AI, cloud and healthcare ambitions. Google, meanwhile, has worked closely with some healthcare providers. It announced plans to open an office in Rochester, Minnesota this year. The Mayo Clinic is headquartered there and the two sides plan to collaborate further.

Hertz reportedly orders 100,000 Teslas in the single largest EV purchase ever Posted: 25 Oct 2021 06:26 AM PDT Tesla has just had a double-shot of good news on the sales front today. Hertz has ordered 100,000 Tesla EVs for its fleet, with plans to rent them out in major US markets and parts of Europe starting in November, according to Bloomberg. That would mark the largest electric vehicle order of all time and a major move by Hertz into electric car rentals. The order is reportedly worth $4.2 billion for the fleet (which appears to be Model 3s) according to the report. It represents about a 1/10th of what Tesla can currently produce annually, possibly allowing Hertz to lock out other rental companies. It reportedly purchased well-appointed, rather than base model versions, and paid nearly the full list price for each unit.   Hertz customers will have access to Tesla's supercharger network, and Hertz is supposedly also building its own charging infrastructure. Eventually, Hertz (which also owns the Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly brands) plans to go nearly fully electric with its half-million vehicle fleet.  That's a pretty sharp turnaround for Hertz, considering that it went bankrupt in 2020 and only emerged in June of this year. It was purchased out of bankruptcy by distressed-debt firm Knighthead Capital Management (among other firms) for $6 billion. Following a big turnaround in the market, however, it's currently valued at $11.6 billion ahead of relisting on Nasdaq, Bloomberg reported.  That's just half the good news for Tesla, though. The company's Model 3 was the best-selling car in Europe in September with around 24,600 registered units, marking the first time that an EV has topped the monthly standings, according to automotive analyst JATO. It's also the first time a vehicle manufactured outside the EU has led in sales. Tesla's sales were up by 58 percent over last year, and EV/PHEV sales in general rose 23 percent from 2020. Last month, registrations accounted for 74 percent of [Tesla's] third quarter volume. Since its' entry to the European market, the Model Y has also performed well, securing second position in the BEV ranking. The news is big for Tesla and the EV industry in general, showing that EV sales in Europe are continuing to grow. Much of that has been driven by generous tax rebates and trade-in incentives on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. September was a particularly good month for Tesla, accounting for 74 percent of its third quarter volume, according to JATO Still, the automotive sector as a whole has plummeted in Europe and elsewhere because of a global chip shortage. Renault recently said that it would produce at least 300,000 fewer vehicles this year due to the global semiconductor shortage, according to Reuters. "This year, the industry has responded well to the the pandemic, but it is now facing new supply chain challenges," said JATO analyst Felipe Munoz. "The growing popularity of EVs is encouraging, but sales are not yet strong enough to offset the big declines seen across other segments."

MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch review (2021): Apple’s mighty Macs Posted: 25 Oct 2021 06:00 AM PDT Apple is finally restoring balance to its portable lineup with the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros. If you wanted a big-screen Mac notebook for video editing over the past year, you were stuck paying a premium for outdated Intel and AMD hardware. So, we've been eagerly awaiting an M1 upgrade for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, a machine I called Apple's best laptop ever when it debuted two years ago. But it's worth remembering that, for all the hype around Apple's M1 chip last year, it was a let down for creative professionals. It just couldn't handle the kinds of heavy duty video editing and 3D rendering that they demanded, in part due to being capped at 16GB of RAM. That made the 13-inch MacBook Pro a bit of an odd duck, since the Air was nearly as fast. Apple's redesigned MacBook Pros, powered by its new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, are exactly what media professionals have been waiting for. The processors are far faster than last year's M1, they support up to 64GB of RAM, and both laptops feature XDR display technology borrowed from the iPad Pro. But Apple also looked backwards as it stepped forward, restoring ports and adopting a design that resembles many of its older machines. Just call them PowerBooks, reborn. What's new Devindra Hardawar/Engadget Apple isn't currently planning to replace the 13-inch model with the MacBook Pro 14. It's more an expansion of the highest-end model. It can do almost everything the 16-inch model can, it's just smaller. (The only exception is "High Power Mode," which gives the 16-inch M1 Max version a temporary speed boost.) That's one way I've come to terms with the high $1,999 starting price. The bigger model now starts at $2,499, $100 more than the Intel version. Both notebooks still look like MacBook Pros, with sleek unibody aluminum cases. But lean in a bit closer and you'll notice some retro flourishes. They're slightly thicker, with more bulbous edges that hearken back to Apple's notebooks from the 2000's. They're also heavier than you'd expect: the 14-inch model comes in at 3.5 pounds, while the 16-inch varies between 4.7 and 4.8 pounds, depending on the chip you choose. That's about half a pound heavier than the last 16-inch MacBook Pro.  All of that heft isn't for naught, though. In part it allowed Apple to cram in a lot more ports. Joining three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections are a full-sized HDMI port, a MagSafe power connection, a high-impedance headphone jack and an SD card reader (cue triumphant horns). Sure, you'll still need adapters to connect older USB Type-A devices, but at least you can offload photos and video without extra gear. You can still charge the notebooks over USB-C — always useful in a pinch — but the MagSafe connection is less likely to cause accidental falls and you won't have to use a precious USB-C port just to stay powered up. Devindra Hardawar/Engadget Looking at the MacBook Pro's screens makes it clear they're anything but retro, though. They feature 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR displays, respectively. Mini-LED backlighting lets them reach up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, which is great for HDR content. The screens are a sharp 254 pixels per inch, with a 3,024 by 1,964 resolution on the 14-inch and 3,456 by 2,234 on the 16-inch. Neither are true 4K (the 16-inch comes close), but you'll still be able to work on 4K and 8K video, just at a reduced scale. Best of all is that the MacBook Pros support ProMotion, Apple's technology that enables refresh rates up to 120Hz. With that flipped on, scrolling through web pages and documents just felt silky smooth. And after spending hours writing up this review, I definitely noticed that my eyes were less fatigued thanks to the speedy refresh rate. This is becoming more common in the laptop world. Microsoft already beat Apple to the punch by putting a 120Hz screen in the Surface Laptop Studio. ProMotion is also intelligent enough to lower the refresh rate when it makes sense, which goes a long way towards saving battery life. Really though, you don't have to think about all of the technology going into Apple's Liquid Retina XDR displays. Just know that they look incredible, with eye-watering brightness in sunny HDR scenes and inky black darkness in night shots. These aren't OLED screens, but mini-LEDs get Apple pretty close to that level of contrast.  Embracing the notch life Devindra Hardawar/Engadget Now let's talk about the elephant in the room: that notch in the middle of the screen. Much like the last batch of iPhones, Apple carved out a portion of the display to fit in a camera. In this case a 1080p webcam. Upon first glance, it's almost laughable that Apple is leaning even more into a design element that everyone hates. But, honestly, the notch isn't a big deal. Apple wisely pushed the MacOS menu bar around the camera, so it's really just taking up space that would go unused anyway. The menu bar also gets blacked out entirely whenever you put an app or video in fullscreen. You could also use a black wallpaper which effectively hides the notch. I'll happily give up a bit of screen real estate, though, if it means Apple can finally squeeze in a decent camera. And judging from the dozens of video calls I've been on over the past week, it's a huge upgrade. There's a clear leap forward in resolution, sharpness and detail compared to my 2017 MacBook Pro. And it definitely looks better than the M1 MacBook Air, which had a few tweaks, but was still stuck at 720p. It would have been nice to see FaceID on the MacBook Pro though, which would have brought it on-par with Windows Hello-equipped PCs. For now, you'll still have to rely on the TouchID sensor on the power button. In use Our 14-inch review model was equipped with an M1 Pro sporting 16 GPU cores, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The 16-inch had the 32 GPU core M1 Max, a 2TB SSD and a whopping 64GB of RAM. (This, by the way, marks the first time I've reviewed a laptop with that much RAM.) Both of Apple's new chips also feature 10 CPU cores — for comparison, the M1 had eight CPU cores and eight GPU cores. Geekbench 5 CPU Cinebench R23 Disk speed (top reads/writes) Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch) 1,767/11,777 1,515/12,118 5.1 GB/s / 5.8 GB/s Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) 1,783/12,693 1,524/12,281 5.1 GB/s / 6.2 GB/s Apple MacBook Pro (Apple M1, 13-inch, 2020) 1,696/7,174 1,492/7,467 3GB/s / 3GB/s Dell XPS 15 (Intel i7-11800H, RTX 3050 Ti) 1,536/7,551 1,506/9,453 2.8 GB/s / 2.6 GB/s Razer Blade 14 (AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX. RTX 3080) 1,443/7,226 1,461/11,502 3 GB/s / 2 GB/s Just based on specs, I expected to see some wild performance improvements. And the benchmarks didn't disappoint: According to GeekBench 5, both MacBook Pros blew away every Windows PC we reviewed this year by a significant margin. That includes the NUC 11 Extreme powered by Intel's Core i9-11900KB, a high-end desktop CPU! The single-core performance on the M1 Pro and Max was similar to the M1, which is unsurprising. But the multi-core figures were far higher. Another nice plus: Both of these computers are equipped with very fast NVMe SSDs, which will be a huge help when working with large projects.  The GPU-heavy Geekbench 5 Compute score made it clear that Apple hasn't completely surpassed the likes of NVIDIA and AMD, though. The 14-inch MacBook Pro was more than twice as fast as the Surface Pro 8 (running Intel's Xe graphics) and the M1-equipped 13-inch MacBook Pro, while the bigger notebook was on-par with the Surface Laptop Studio equipped with an NVIDIA 3050 Ti. These aren't bad scores, but it makes it clear that users who need serious power for 3D rendering or data crunching may be better off with PCs equipped with dedicated GPUs. Devindra Hardawar/Engadget I don't think those are the people Apple is trying to court, though. Instead, the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros seem like an attempt to get back in the good graces of audio and video producers. Apple's new chips will certainly be more than enough for dealing with media. Both computers managed to convert a 4K video clip to 1080p in 34 seconds with Apple's VideoToolbox hardware encoder, which is four seconds slower than the NUC 11 Extreme, but four seconds faster than the XPS 15. They were also among the fastest Cinebench R23 performers we saw this year — only the ASUS ROG Strix G15 gaming laptop bested them. And before you ask, no, the M1 Pro and M1 Max don't magically turn these computers into gaming rigs. Sure, everything on Apple Arcade runs smoothly, but that was true of the MacBook Air. When I tried to load Borderlands 3, one of the few semi-recent games that actually works on Macs, I just got an unplayable mess running below 30fps. Maybe the the guarantee of decent GPUs will encourage more game developers to build for Macs, but more likely they'll just end up making sure their iPhone and iPad games run smoothly. Surprisingly, I didn't notice a huge difference in performance when I was running the MacBook Pros on battery. PCs often slow down dramatically whenever they're disconnected from a socket, but not so with these notebooks. That's useful if you need to encode something remotely and you're willing to sacrifice battery life to get it done. Don't worry though, the efficiency of the M1 chip's ARM design leads to great battery performance. The 14-inch MacBook Pro lasted 12 hours and 35 minutes in our benchmark, while the 16-inch went for 16 hours and 34 minutes. That's over five hours longer than the last Intel model. Devindra Hardawar/Engadget It's clear that Apple listened to many of the complaints from Mac fans (and perhaps even lowly reviewers). But really, that's something the company has been doing more over the years, like when it finally moved away from those awful butterfly keyboards to more tactile Magic Keyboards. By the way, typing on the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro remains excellent, and the trackpad is a dream to use, as always. And I didn't miss the TouchBar at all—having a few short keys up top just felt more useful. Apple didn't skimp on the audio front either. Both MacBook Pros sport a six-speaker array, made up of two tweeters and four force-cancelling woofers. Simply put, they sound miraculous. I normally just play a few songs on notebook speakers to confirm how disappointing they are. But these laptops sounded like I was listening to two small bookshelf speakers, with transparent vocals and punchy bass. Yes, I'm as shocked as you are. The 16-inch MacBook Pro sounds a bit better, since it has room for slightly bigger drivers, but both notebooks are enough for a private jam session. The MacBook Pro's microphones also do a solid job of capturing speech during video calls. I wouldn't use them to record professional music, as Apple suggested you could, but they're probably fine for a quick podcast session on the road. Wrap-up Devindra Hardawar/Engadget So if you're in the market for one of these new computers, which should you get? If you're mostly using it for general productivity tasks, then I'd lean towards the 14-inch model, which was just easier to travel with. It's a good option for coders and people who may not need a ton of screen real estate. But all of the video and audio producers I've talked to were unequivocal: they wanted to go big with the 16-inch model. The biggest downside of the new MacBook Pros are their high prices — but really, what else do you expect from Apple? The 14-inch model, in particular, will probably give you the vapors if you're comparing it to the 13-inch MacBook Pro. But in the world of gaming and high-end productivity notebooks, Apple's pricing isn't that far off. The Razer Blade 14, for example, is just two hundred dollars less than the MacBook Pro 14-inch. Dell's XPS 15 OLED is around $500 cheaper than the cheapest 16-inch MBP, but that's with a CPU that's much slower than Apple's. Once you start speccing that machine up, though, you'll likely pay close to $2,500. On the whole, these computers have practically everything we'd want in a powerful notebook. If you're a creative professional with a large budget for a new computer, and you want something that'll genuinely speed up your workflow, the new MacBook Pros are exactly what you need.

Samsung's The Frame TVs are up to 33 percent off in an early Black Friday sale Posted: 25 Oct 2021 05:55 AM PDT The latest Samsung early Black Friday sale brings The Frame smart TVs down to some of the lowest prices we've seen in a while. Both Amazon and Samsung's own website have the deals right now, which include the 55-inch The Frame 4K smart TV for just under $1,000 — that's $500 off its normal price and the lowest we've seen it. The most affordable of the bunch is the 32-inch set, which is down to $450, and you'll find the 75-inch TV for $2,200 on the high end of the spectrum. Buy 55-inch The Frame at Amazon - $998Buy 55-inch The Frame at Samsung - $999 If you aren't familiar, Samsung's The Frame TVs stand out because they aren't basic black voids when you're not watching something. Instead, they use Art Mode to display various pictures and pieces of art, allowing it to blend better into your living room. You can even send your own photos to the screen, turning it into a super-large version of those small, digital photo frames that are quite popular now. Built-in sensors optimize the picture to your environment, and they can tell when you're away, turning the screen off automatically. On top of all that, you're getting a 4K QLED set with 100 percent color volume, 4K AI upscaling and Alexa support. While a bunch of other Samsung TVs are also on sale right now, the Premiere Projector with a 4.2.2 sound system is noteworthy because it's been discounted to just under $5,000. That's $500 cheaper than it was back in September when it was last on sale, and a total discount of $1,500. Yes, it's still an expensive piece of home theater equipment, but it's a much better buy at this price. It includes separate red, green and blue lasers so it can cover the full Rec.2020 color range, and it supports HDR10+ and up to 2,800 lumens of brightness. If you're willing to compromise a bit on sound, the model with a 2.2 channel system is down to a new low of $2,498 as well. Buy Premiere Projector (4.2.2 channel sound) at Amazon - $4,998Buy Premiere Projector (2.2 channel sound) at Amazon - $2,498 Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Internal Facebook documents highlight its moderation and misinformation issues Posted: 25 Oct 2021 05:07 AM PDT The Facebook Papers, a vast trove of documents supplied by whistleblower Frances Haugen to a consortium of news organizations, has been released. The reporting, by Reuters, Bloomberg, The Washington Post and others, paints a picture of a company that repeatedly sought to prioritize dominance and profit over user safety. This was, however, despite a large number of employees warning that the company's focus on engagement put users at risk of real-world violence. The Washington Post, for instance, claims that while Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg played down reports that the site amplified hate speech in testimony to Congress, he was aware that the problem was far broader than publicly declared. Internal documents seen by the Post claim that the social network had removed less than five percent of hate speech, and that executives — including Zuckerberg — were well aware that Facebook was polarizing people. The claims have already been rebutted by Facebook, which says that the documents have been misrepresented. Zuckerberg is also accused of squashing a plan to run a Spanish-language voter-registration drive in the US before the 2020 elections. He said that the plan may have appeared "partisan," with WhatsApp staffers subsequently offering a watered-down version partnering with outside agencies. The CEO was also reportedly behind the decision not to clamp down on COVID-19 misinformation in the early stages of the pandemic as there may be a "material tradeoff with MSI [Meaningful Social Interaction — an internal Facebook metric] impact." Facebook has refuted the claim, saying that the documents have been mischaracterized. Reuters reported that Facebook has serially neglected a number of developing nations, allowing hate speech and extremism to flourish. That includes not hiring enough staffers who can speak the local language, appreciate the cultural context and otherwise effectively moderate. The result is that the company has unjustified faith in its automatic moderation systems which are ineffective in non-English speaking countries. Again, Facebook has refuted the accusation that it is neglecting its users in those territories. One specific region that is singled out for concern is Myanmar, where Facebook has been held responsible for amplifying local tensions. A 2020 document suggests that the company's automatic moderation system could not flag problematic terms in (local language) Burmese. (It should be noted that, two years previously, Facebook's failure to properly act to prevent civil unrest in Myanmar was highlighted in a report from Business for Social Responsibility.) Similarly, Facebook reportedly did not have the tools in place to detect hate speech in the Ethiopian languages of Oromo or Amharic. Facebook has said that it is working to expand its content moderation team and, in the last two years, has recruited Oromo, Amharic and Burmese speakers (as well as a number of other languages). Elsewhere, The New York Times reports that Facebook's internal research was well-aware that the Like and Share functions — core elements of how the platform work — had accelerated the spread of hate speech. A document, titled "What Is Collateral Damage", says that Facebook's failure to remedy these issues will see the company "actively (if not necessarily consciously) promoting these types of activities." Facebook says that, again, these statements are based on incorrect premises, and that it would be illogical for the company to try and actively harm its users. Bloomberg, meanwhile, has focused on the supposed collapse in Facebook's engagement metrics. Young people, a key target market for advertisers, are spending less time on Facebook's platform, with fewer teens opting to sign up. At the same time, the number of users may be artificially inflated in these age groups, with users choosing to create multiple accounts — "Finstas" — to separate their online personas to cater to different groups. Haugen alleges that Facebook "has misrepresented core metrics to investors and advertisers," and that duplicate accounts are leading to "extensive fraud" against advertisers. Facebook says that it already notifies advertisers of the risk that purchases will reach duplicate accounts in its Help Center, and lists the issue in its SEC filings. Wired focuses on how Facebook's employees regularly leave valedictions when they leave the company. And how these missives have become increasingly gloomy, with one departing employee writing that the platform has a "net negative influence on politics." Another said that they felt that they had "blood on their hands," while a third said that their ability to effect changes to Facebook's systems to improve matters was hampered by internal roadblocks. The Verge offered more context on the company's work in Ethiopia, where the lack of language and cultural experience was a huge problem. This meant that Facebook's community standards weren't available in all of the country's official languages and automated moderation models were unavailable. In addition, there was no reliable access to fact-checking, and no ability to open a "war room" to help monitor activity during major events. (Facebook's documentation says that it takes around a year to build the necessary capacity to address hate speech in a specific country.) This same report adds that, in order to reduce the burden on the company's limited human moderators, it would make it harder for users to report hate speech. In addition, those reports of hate speech would be automatically closed in cases where the post in question had received little attention. There is also a statement saying, broadly, that the team had exhausted its budget for the year and, as a consequence, there would be fewer moderators working on these issues towards the end of that period. And, shortly after these reports were published, Frances Haugen sat down with the UK's select committee looking at its forthcoming Online Safety Bill. Much of what she said has already been expressed to regulators in the US, but her comments have been highly critical of Facebook. At one point, Haugen said that Facebook has been unwilling to sacrifice even "little slivers of profit" in order to make its product safer. She added that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg "has unilateral control over three billion people, [and that] there's no will at the top [of the company] to make sure these systems are run in an adequately safe way."  Over the weekend, Axios reported that Facebook's Sir Nick Clegg warned that the site should expect "more bad headlines" in the coming weeks. It's likely that whatever happens at the company's third-quarter announcement later today won't be sufficient to dispel the storm of bad press it is currently weathering.  Updated 10:41am ET to include comments from Frances Haugen made to the select committee.

PayPal confirms it isn't trying to acquire Pinterest right now Posted: 25 Oct 2021 04:17 AM PDT PayPal has stated that it's "not pursuing an acquisition of Pinterest at this time," effectively denying rumors of an imminent $45 billion acquisition first reported by Bloomberg. The one-line release doesn't confirm or deny that the companies were ever in talks, but the response seems to end any possibility of a deal happening in the near future. Pinterest has yet to comment on the rumor.  The deal seemed odd at first glance, considering that PayPal's banking and merchant business is far removed from a social network like Pinterest. PayPal recently acquired buy now, pay later provider Paidy and has gotten into cryptocurrency trading, but those things are at least related to its main business. However, Pinterest does have one commerce foothold with social shopping via pins that allow you to make purchases directly from the app.

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