Monday, October 4, 2021

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YouTube makes it easy to resume watching a mobile video on desktop

Posted: 04 Oct 2021 04:40 AM PDT

YouTube has a new feature that allows you to quickly switch from smartphone to desktop when watching a video, 9to5Google has reported. If you're watching something in the YouTube app on Android or iOS and exit before it finishes, a mini-player with the same video will open in the bottom corner when you launch YouTube on the web. Rather than showing the channel name as it usually does, however, "Continue watching" is displayed beneath the title. 

Clicking the play button will start playback in the mini-player, or you can expand it to open the video. The feature makes it quicker to get to a video you've already been watching, if you're getting back home after being on a train, for example. Otherwise, unless you checked "watch later," you'd have to check your history section and pull up the video from there.

The feature appears to be rolling out to users, though I wasn't able to see it yet in France even though I'm in YouTube's Android beta testing program. As such, the new feature may take awhile to roll out to your neck of the woods, too.

The Morning After: What is it with Netflix cropping ‘Seinfeld’?

Posted: 04 Oct 2021 04:15 AM PDT

Welcome to Monday. How was your weekend? For me, a rainy October — England doing what it does — kept me indoors, but fortunately, there was a crop of shows I was planning to watch anyhow.

While I caught up on the cultural phenomenon that is Squid Games, a lot of you dipped your toes into the entire run of Seinfeld, which is now available to stream on Netflix.

You might have noticed the march of progress inadvertently squashing some of the visual gags out of shot. Case in point: The pothole featured in season 8 is literally out of shot to fit the show into the modern 16:9 widescreen format.

Cropped shows have always been an issue: Seinfeld has been on cable TV and Hulu with similar cropping. The popularity of Netflix has simply meant the show is getting more attention at this moment in time. There are solutions. When the entire run of The Simpsons hit Disney+, it was similarly squashed into widescreen. Disney eventually released the seasons that aired in 4:3 in their original aspect ratio.

Will Netflix do the same?

— Mat Smith

Apple's new MacBook Pro should land this fall

According to rumors, that is.

The Morning After
Engadget

Apple has now updated the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch for the holiday season — we're still waiting for a launch date for the wearable — but what about the Macs? There have been plenty of rumors about a totally redesigned MacBook Pro coming out this fall, and the reliable Mark Gurman at Bloomberg says an M1X-powered MacBook Pro will arrive "in the next month."

It wouldn't be a huge shock: Apple has typically held Mac-focused events in October or early November; the first M1-based Macs were announced in early November, last year.

Continue reading.

Toyota's three-wheeled C+walk picks up where Segway left off

It arrives in Japan next month.

The Morning After
Toyota

Toyota's latest three-wheeler isn't a bike or a car. Like the headline suggests, it's more like a Segway, built for pedestrianized areas and more aimed at mobility than sheer A-to-B transport. To that point, it has a maximum speed of just over six miles per hour, though it's possible to throttle it down to one mile per hour, and includes an obstacle avoidance system. It beeps when it detects something on your path and slows down if a collision is imminent.

Toyota believes the scooter could help elderly workers travel across large facilities, like warehouses, factories and airport terminals.

Continue reading.

Apple, Amazon and others back groups trying to kill US climate legislation

Many tech companies have lobbyists who are fighting the $3.5 trillion budget bill.

Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Disney are among the major companies backing corporate lobby groups and organizations battling a US climate bill, according to a report. That's despite those companies all making pledges to reduce their impact on the environment. The Guardian reports that watchdog Accountable.US analyzed the groups to learn which companies have connections to them.

The United States Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the Rate Coalition are three of the lobbyist and business groups that oppose the Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget bill, which includes measures to fight climate change.

Continue reading.

NBCUniversal's channels are staying on YouTube TV

The two companies have settled their spat.

The YouTube / NBC drama is officially over. After reaching a temporary deal to keep NBCUniversal channels on YouTube TV, the companies officially resolved their despite Saturday afternoon. "We're thrilled to share that we've reached a deal to continue carrying the full NBCUniversal portfolio of channels," YouTube wrote on its blog. "That means you won't lose access to any of their channels, and YouTube TV will continue to offer 85+ networks for $64.99. We appreciate NBCUniversal's willingness to work toward an agreement, and we also appreciate your patience as we negotiated with them on your behalf."

It was such a potential problem for YouTube TV that the service said it would cut its price by $10 per month if it wasn't able to reach a deal with NBCUniversal. Fortunately for YouTube TV customers, nothing is changing, at least for now.

Continue reading.

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Engadget Deals: AirPods Pro drop back down to $179 on Amazon

Apple makes it easier to report bad apps and scams

Posted: 04 Oct 2021 02:48 AM PDT

Following reports that revealed that a significant percentage of top App Store apps were scams, Apple is allowing users to report such behavior, according to The Verge. As part of iOS 15, the latest App Store update lets you "report a scam or fraud" for both free, in-app purchase (IAP) and paid apps, provided you've installed the app in question. 

The feature, detailed by Kosta Eleftheriou and Richard Mazkewich on Twitter, goes even farther than the previous "Report a Problem" feature. You can now signal a scam or a fraud and not just "Report suspicious activity," "Report a quality issue," "Request a refund" or "Find my content" as before. Previously, you would have also needed to make an in-app purchase before you could highlight a scam or fraud, but that's no longer the case. 

The "Report a problem" feature itself returned to individual app listings for the first time in years, as The Verge pointed out. Prior to that, it was located at the bottom of the Apps or Games tabs and would send you to a separate website. 

Apple essentially foreshadowed the changes when it released new App Store Review Guidelines in June. Several sections included changes that saw Apple taking a tougher stance on fraud, scams and developer misconduct, TechCrunch noted at the time. 

Bad apps found on the Store included VPNs that duped customers into buying unneeded software, bad dating apps, QR readers and apps fraudulently claiming to be from major brands, the Washington Post revealed earlier this year. The apps may have defrauded users out of an estimated $48 million, according to the Post's estimates. 

Amazon lets Prime members send gifts with only an email address or phone number

Posted: 04 Oct 2021 01:21 AM PDT

Amazon Prime members can now use the mobile Amazon Shopping app to send gifts to friends using just their phone number of email address — even if they don't have their street address. The new feature makes it easier to give, receive and even exchange presents for a gift card, the company announced. 

To do it, you just need browse for "millions of products" available to gift on Amazon's Shopping smartphone app, according to the company. Once you've selected a product, you can select "add a gift receipt for easy returns" and go to check out. You can also select a new option to "let the recipient provide their address." To complete the transaction, you just enter their email address or mobile phone number. 

Once sent, recipients receive a gift message by email or text. From there, they can choose to accept the gift and enter their preferred delivery address. If they're not keen on your choice, they can exchange the item for a gift card and use that to purchase something else with no need to notify the gift giver. 

The feature requires the gift recipient to also have an Amazon account, much as Venmo or PayPal's Mobile Cash app requires the sender and receiver to have an account. The key benefit of Amazon's app is that you can still personalize a gift, even if you don't feel comfortable hitting shops with a pandemic still raging. The new feature arrives to Amazon Shopping in the US today (October 4th) — if you get a chance to try it, let us know how it went in the comments below. 

Facebook whistleblower reveals identity, says company 'chooses profits over safety'

Posted: 03 Oct 2021 11:23 PM PDT

Internal documents published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently revealed that Facebook allowed VIPs to break its rules and that it was aware of how Instagram affected the mental health of teens. Now, the whistleblower who brought that information to light has revealed herself as Frances Haugen in an interview with 60 Minutes, the New York Times has reported.

"I've seen a bunch of social networks and it was substantially worse at Facebook than what I had seen before," Haugen told 60 Minutes. "Facebook, over and over again, has shown it chooses profit over safety." 

Haugen joined Facebook in 2019, working on democracy and misinformation issues, while also handling counterespionage, according to a personal website and Twitter account she and her team set up. She worked as a Facebook product manager and left the company in May. 

She first brought "tens of thousands" of pages of internal Facebook documents to Whistleblower Aid founder John Tye, requesting legal protection and help in releasing the information. The trove included internal company research, slide decks, cover letters and more. She also filed a whistleblower complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), accusing Facebook of taking internal actions that didn't match its public statements. 

In the SEC complaint, Haugen compared Facebook's internal research and documents to public statements and disclosures made by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives. In one example, she said that Facebook contributed to election misinformation and the January 6th US Capitol insurrection. 

"Facebook has publicized its work to combat misinformation and violent extremism relating to the 2020 election and insurrection," she wrote in a cover letter on the subject. " In reality, Facebook knew its algorithms and platforms promoted this type of harmful content, and it failed to deploy internally recommended or lasting countermeasures."

The site allows divisive content because it promotes engagement, she noted. "Its own research is showing that content that is hateful, that is divisive, that is polarizing, it's easier to inspire people to anger than it is to other emotions," Haugen told 60 Minutes. "Facebook has realized that if they change the algorithm to be safer, people will spend less time on the site, they'll click on less ads, they'll make less money."

On top of being in touch with the SEC's whistleblower office, which normally provides protections for corporate tipsters, she and her legal team contacted Senators Richard Blumenthal (D) and Marsha Blackburn (R). She also spoke to lawmakers in France and Britain, along with a member of the European parliament. 

Facebook, which has struggled to quell leaks of late, preemptively pushed back ahead of the 60 Minutes interview, calling the accusations "misleading." VP for policy and global affairs Nick Clegg told CNN that Facebook represented "the good, the bad and the ugly of humanity" and that it was trying to "mitigate the bad, reduce it and amplify the good." He added that it was "ludicrous" to blame January 6th on social media.

In a statement to Engadget, Facebook spokesperson Lena Pietsch said the "segment also disregards the significant investments we make to keep people safe on our platform... to suggest we encourage bad content and do nothing is just not true." The company also pushed back against any claims it was misleading the public or regulators. "We stand by our public statements and are ready to answer any questions regulators may have about our work."

In the end, Haugen said she wants to help fix Facebook, not see it taken down. "The path forward is about transparency and governance," she said in the video. "It's not about breaking up Facebook." Haugen is set to testify in Congress about issues surrounding Facebook's impact on young users on Tuesday, December 5th. 

NBC Universal's channels are staying on YouTube TV

Posted: 03 Oct 2021 02:15 PM PDT

The YouTube / NBC drama is officially over. After reaching a temporary deal to keep NBC Universal channels on YouTube TV, the companies officially resolved their despite Saturday afternoon. "We're thrilled to share that we've reached a deal to continue carrying the full NBCUniversal portfolio of channels," YouTube wrote on its blog. "That means you won't lose access to any of their channels, and YouTube TV will continue to offer 85+ networks for $64.99. We appreciate NBCUniversal's willingness to work toward an agreement, and we also appreciate your patience as we negotiated with them on your behalf."

Disputes between networks and cable providers (or internet TV services like YouTube) are not uncommon, but a few things made this particular spat noteworthy. For starters, YouTube TV would have lost 14 channels, including major ones like NBC, USA Network, Golf Channel, Bravo, CNBC and Telemundo. Because of NBC Universal's reach, it would have been a major blow to YouTube TV. 

It was such a potential problem for YouTube TV that the service said it would cut its price by $10 per month if it wasn't able to reach a deal with NBC Universal. Fortunately for YouTube TV customers, nothing is changing, at least for now. It settled its spat with NBC, but there's always another conglomerate of networks that YouTube will likely need to negotiate with before long.

'Seinfeld' hits Netflix, but some jokes have been cropped out of view

Posted: 03 Oct 2021 11:30 AM PDT

Classic '90s sitcom Seinfeldjust landed on Netflix after a six-year run on Hulu. Given that the show was filmed years before HD was a thing, it was originally displayed in a 4:3 aspect ratio on TV (and the DVD sets that came years later). But on Netflix, the show has been cropped into a 16:9 widescreen format to fit on modern TVs. As noted by Rolling Stone, that means some visual gags have literally been erased. 

Twitter users @boriskarkov and @Thatoneguy64 succinctly pointed out the problem with a specific episode called "The Pothole." In the episode, George Costanza and Jerry Seinfeld are trying to find George's lost keys, which were dropped in a pothole that was then paved over. In a crop where George wildly yells at the pothole, the Netflix crop removes the pothole entirely. The 16:9 aspect ratio probably also cuts out some other gags in the series — or at the very least, it might be a jarring experience for people used to how the show originally looked.

Of course, this isn't a new problem. Crops of Seinfeld have been on cable TV for years, and Hulu also showed the series in 16:9, as well. Given Netflix's popularity, Seinfeld is getting lots of extra attention right now, and thus a bunch of new viewers are probably checking it out who might not have seen it on Hulu. A similar controversy happened in late 2019 when the entire run of The Simpsons hit Disney+. After plenty of complaints about missed visual gags, Disney eventually released the seasons that aired in 4:3 in their original aspect ratio. Hopefully Netflix will do the same thing with Seinfeld — but in the meantime, as with many classic shows, the most authentic way to watch them is probably on DVD. 

Apple is reportedly on track to release its new MacBook Pro this fall

Posted: 03 Oct 2021 08:26 AM PDT

Apple has already updated the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch for the holiday season, but we're still waiting on an update to the Mac lineup. There have been plenty of rumors about a totally redesigned MacBook Pro coming out this fall, and the reliable Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reported in his Power On newsletter that an M1X-powered MacBook Pro will arrive "in the next month." Apple has typically held Mac-focused events in October or early November; the first M1-based Macs were announced in early November of last year.

As noted by 9to5Mac, Gurman predicts that there will be two M1X variants, both 10-core processors with eight high-performance cores and two efficiency cores. The difference between the two chips are in the graphics department — Apple may be offering an M1X with either 16 or 32 graphics cores. As for Apple's other Macs, Gurman says that the company is working on a high-performance chip for a future Mac Pro, and an M2 for the MacBook Air, iMac and lower-end MacBook Pro models. 

Rumors have swirled all year long about Apple's next MacBook Pro revision; the first 13-inch M1 model that was released last fall was essentially identical to the one it replaced, aside from the Apple Silicon inside. And Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro hasn't been updated since it was released in late 2019, so the whole lineup is due for a refresh. 

Potential changes include new 14- and 16-inch models with a redesigned case that'll bring back more ports like HDMI and an SD card slot. It might also bring back a MagSafe-style power charging port, and Apple is expected to drop the Touch Bar, which was first introduced with the 2016 MacBook Pro revision. 

The Beats Studio Buds are on sale for $125 right now on Amazon

Posted: 03 Oct 2021 06:30 AM PDT

Alongside a massive AirPods sale today, Beats' new Studio Buds have hit a new record-low price on Amazon. The online retailer has the wireless earbuds for $125, or $25 off their normal price and $5 less than their previous low. All three colors are on sale, so you can choose from black, red or white and get the same savings.

Buy Beats Studio Buds at Amazon - $125

Beats finally figured out the formula to make a pair of wireless earbuds that should please the masses. The Studio Buds impressed us enough to give them a score of 84, and we consider them to be the best Beats earbuds for most people. They have a small, comfortable design with IPX4 water resistance, which will make them good companions during workouts. The sound quality is good with (unsurprisingly) punchy bass, and they support Apple's Spatial Audio feature, too. Active noise cancellation is good as well and it uses adaptive gain control to adjust in real-time based on the noises in your environment. While ANC use will affect battery life, you should be able to get five to eight hours of use on a single charge.

Since they are technically Apple earbuds, the Beats Studio Buds have the H1 chip inside, allowing them to pair and switch easily between Apple devices. But Android users can also get some of that convenience now that the Studio Buds support Fast Pair, a feature which allows Android devices to quickly recognize the buds during the initial setup. The earbuds also work with Find My Device on Android, so you can always see their last known location.

There are a few downsides to the Studio Buds, though. Notably, their case doesn't support wireless charging, and they don't have onboard volume controls or sound customizations. However, Beats fans will likely overlook those shortcomings to get an attractive, reliable pair of wireless earbuds with a sound profile they're sure to enjoy.

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

AirPods Pro drop back down to $179 on Amazon

Posted: 03 Oct 2021 05:50 AM PDT

Amazon is having a huge sale on AirPods right now, slashing up to 35 percent off some models. Of note are the AirPods Pro, Apple's best sounding earbuds, which are back down to $179. That's $70 off their normal price and only $10 more than the record low that we saw during the holiday shopping season last year. Also discounted are AirPods with the wireless charging case, which are down to an all-time low of $129, and AirPods with the standard case, which are on sale for $109. Amazon claims these are "limited time" sales, so it's unclear if these discounts will be available after today.

Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon - $179Buy AirPods (wireless charging case) at Amazon - $129Buy AirPods (standard case) at Amazon - $109

While we thought we might hear about new AirPods during Apple's event last month, the tech giant didn't announce anything new in that department. That means all of these models are a few years old at this point, but they remain some of the best true wireless earbuds you can get if you live within the Apple ecosystem. AirPods Pro earned a score of 87 from us for their improved sound quality, better fitting design with IPX4 water resistance and convenient features like hands-free Siri access. They're far and away the best sounding Apple earbuds you can get, and they do a good job of blocking out surrounding noises with active noise cancellation and Transparency Mode.

Regular AirPods are better for those who already liked the fit of Apple's EarPods, which used to come with each new iPhone. They have decent sound and good wireless range, plus a solid five-hour battery life, too. But what sets any pair of AirPods apart is their fast pairing and switching between Apple devices. The H1 chip inside allows them to recognize which device you're actively using and switch to it, so you can go form taking a call on your iPhone to listening to music from your Mac.

Aside from the AirPods Pro, the kicker in Amazon's sale is the wireless charging case — they originally cost $199 but have been hovering at $159 for months. The last time we saw them close to this $129 record low was in early August. And that means you're only paying $20 extra for the wireless charging case, which is a great deal.

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