Thursday, December 2, 2021

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Apple's 2021 App Store Awards highlight 'connection'

Posted: 02 Dec 2021 12:01 AM PST

Last year, Apple focused on quarantine life for its App Store Awards. For 2021, it's continuing that concept with a focus on "connection" as its trend of the year — basically, things that brought us together even though we're still dealing with a global pandemic. That trend award was bestowed upon five apps, including familiar names like Bumble and Among Us!. But the niche winners are even more interesting: there's EatOkra, an app that helps you find black-owned restaurants; Canva, which helps anyone create pro-grade designs; and Peanut, a social network focused on connecting women to find support throughout major life events.

You'd probably be surprised by some of the winners for Apple's mainstay categories too: the Apple TV app of the year was the boxing streaming service Dazn, something I've admittedly never heard of. The Apple TV game of the year, Space Marshals 3, also came out of seemingly nowhere. But the strong review scores for both of those apps make it clear that users genuinely enjoy them.

While the App Store Awards are very much a marketing exercise, it's also a useful way to highlight some of the best apps users may have missed. (And I'm sure developers appreciate the recognition, and the aluminum App Store icon they can display on their shelves.) LumaFusion, the best iPad app of the year, makes complex multi-track video editing easy to do with your fingers. And Carrot Weather, the best Apple Watch app, looks like a truly unique watch face.

Apple App Store Award on a shelf
Apple

Here are the rest of Apple's App Store Awards for 2021: 

  • iPhone app of the year: Toca Life World

  • Mac App of the year: Craft

  • iPhone game of the year: League of Legends: Wild Rift

  • Mac game of the year: Myst

  • iPad game of the year: MARVEL Future Revolution

  • Apple Arcade game of the year: Fantasian (the incredible RPG from the creator of Final Fantasy)

Apple reportedly warned suppliers of slowing demand for iPhones

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 11:09 PM PST

Apple may be struggling with both demand and supply when it comes to the iPhone 13 lineup. According to Bloomberg, the tech giant has told its component suppliers that demand for its biggest moneymaker has weakened just before the holiday season. 

Back in October, the organization reported that Apple lowered the lineup's production goal to 80 million units — 10 million less than its original target — due to the lack of parts. However, the company was expecting to make up for the loss next year when component supplies are set to improve. Now, Apple has reportedly told its suppliers that the orders it was expecting to get next year might not materialize at all. 

The global chip shortage has had significant effects on companies across industries, forcing tech companies and automakers to significantly slash their production targets. In addition to lowering the iPhone 13's production goals, Apple reportedly chose to cut back on the iPad's production to be able to allocate more chips for its new phones. But some potential buyers may already have decided to skip this generation altogether after they were faced with lengthy wait times and lack of stocks at retailers. Especially since reports suggest that the iPhone 14 will be a major upgrade and will represent a complete redesign of the company's mobile devices. 

Despite the weakening demand, analysts are still expecting Apple to reveal a sales increase of 6 percent in the final three months of 2021. It remains to be seen whether slower demand for the iPhone 13 will have a significant effect on Apple's numbers next year, seeing as its phones have been the biggest contributors to its revenue for years. 

The Rhodes electric piano is back with a hefty price tag

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 04:08 PM PST

After months of teasing, the legendary Rhodes piano is back, with Rhodes Music Group opening pre-orders for the new MK8 model on Wednesday. It costs an eye-watering $9,450. And that's only the price of the base model. Want the rad transparent hood? That's an extra $575. How about a walnut bottom shell? Add another $1,095.

With all the possible extras, you can expect to pay $12,640 for a single MK8. That's a lot when you consider you can find a vintage Rhodes for as little as $2,500, and they're still highly desirable.

If the price of the MK8 doesn't scare you away, we suggest you order one as soon as you can. With each one assembled by hand at the company's factory in Leeds, England, Rhodes only expects to manufacture about 500 MK8 units in 2022. You can claim a place in line by paying for one in full or putting down a 20 percent deposit. Shipments of the preamp-only model will begin in the first quarter of 2022, with the effects panel one to follow before the second half of the year.

It's hard to overstate how important the Rhodes piano has been to the history of contemporary popular music. It was crucial to the evolution of jazz and rock and roll in the '60s, with Kieth Jarrett and Ray Manzarek just some of the musicians who used the instrument to create incredible melodies. More recently, it has made its presence felt in tracks from Nils Frahm and Thom Yorke. And now it has the chance to inspire a new generation of musicians. 

Qualcomm is making 5nm ARM chipsets for Windows laptops

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 03:00 PM PST

Qualcomm is expanding its lineup of ARM-based chips for Windows and Chromebook with Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and 7c+ Gen 3 platforms. In addition, the company aims to power handheld gaming devices using Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipsets.

Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, which builds on last year's Gen 2, is the first 5nm PC platform, according to Qualcomm, which designed it with ultra-slim and fanless laptops in mind. It says that moving to a 5nm process node and other optimizations allowed for improved Kryo CPU performance while sustaining similar power consumption levels as Gen 2 chipsets. The company claims the chipsets will deliver up to 85 percent improved performance compared with the previous generation and up to 60 percent better per-watt performance than x86 chips.

Along with 5G and WiFi 6/6E connectivity, the platform is said to offer multi-day battery life, upgraded camera and audio functions and chip-to-cloud security. Systems with 8cx Gen 3 chipsets will be able to take advantage of "29+ TOPS of AI acceleration," which Qualcomm claims is three times the performance of "the leading competitive platform." The AI acceleration could speed up tasks like face detection and background blur on calls. In addition, Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 supports up to 4K HDR camera quality, and as many as four cameras.

Qualcomm also says 8cx Gen 3 will offer up to 60 percent improved performance over previous-generation chips during GPU-intensive tasks thanks to the Adreno GPU. You'll be able to play games in Full HD at up to 120 fps, and Qualcomm claims the platform is optimized to let folks play up to 50 percent longer "than certain competing platforms."

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 chipset.
Qualcomm

As for Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3, that platform's designed for entry-level PCs and Chromebooks, and it emerged only six months after the previous generation. It too supports 5G, both sub-6 and mmWave, thanks to the inclusion of the Snapdragon X53 5G Modem-RF system. You can also expect Wi-Fi 6 and 6E support. Qualcomm says the 6nm 7c Gen 3 platform will deliver up to 40 percent improved CPU performance and as much as 35 percent improved graphics performance over the previous-gen chipsets.

ARM-based Windows machines haven't exactly set the world alight, and it remains to be seen whether Qualcomm can help the Windows on Snapdragon platform turn the corner with its latest, more powerful options. Devices with Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and 7c+ Gen 3 chipsets are expected to debut in the first half of 2022.

Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipset on top of a handheld gaming device.
Qualcomm

Elsewhere, Qualcomm is making moves in a new chipset category: gaming handhelds. It says the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform will support game streaming from consoles and PC, cloud gaming services and Android games and apps. The Adreno GPU can run games at 144 fps and at 10-bit HDR, according to the company, while the FastConnect 6900 system offers 5G mmWave and sub-6 and WiFi 6/6E connectivity.

To show off the platform, Razer collaborated with Qualcomm on a handheld gaming dev kit that's available to developers starting today via Razer's website. The device features a 120hz, 6.65-inch OLED display with 10-bit HDR support, four-way speakers and a built-in controller. The device can even be used for live streams that include audio and video feeds from players, since it has a 1080p 60 fps camera and dual mics.

Should Snapdragon-powered handhelds come to market, they'll be vying against the likes of the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, smartphones and tablets. It's a competitive sector, but one that's growing rapidly, so there might be room for devices with Qualcomm chipsets to carve out a niche.

A person sits on rocks by the beach, playing a game on a handheld gaming device created by Razer.
Qualcomm

Square is rebranding itself as 'Block'

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 02:42 PM PST

Payments firm Square plans to change its name to Block as cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technologies become a bigger part of its business. On Wednesday, the company announced it will move forward with the rebranding on December 10th.

"The name has many associated meanings for the company — building blocks, neighborhood blocks and their local businesses, communities coming together at block parties full of music, a blockchain, a section of code, and obstacles to overcome," the company said in a blog post.

When Jack Dorsey co-founded Square in 2009 shortly after his first stint as CEO of Twitter, the company's only product was its namesake card reader, which allowed merchants to process credit card payments with their phones. Since then, its business has expanded to include stock and crypto trading, money lending and more. This year, Square even bought a majority stake in Tidal. And it's that expansion from that the rebranding is designed to encapsulate.

"We built the Square brand for our Seller business, which is where it belongs," Dorsey said. "Block is a new name, but our purpose of economic empowerment remains the same. No matter how we grow or change, we will continue to build tools to help increase access to the economy."

The move comes in the same week that Dorsey stepped down as the CEO of Twitter. Since 2015, he had led both Twitter and Square, a position that eventually led to pressure from activist investment firm Elliott Management. In a lot of ways, the rebranding is also reflective of Dorsey's well-known enthusiasm for cryptocurrency. After all, this is the man who wanted the world to know he has a Bitcoin clock in his kitchen. He recently announced Square would build a Bitcoin hardware wallet, and "consider" a mining system.

Microsoft is testing a few ways to improve Windows 11's Start menu

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 01:10 PM PST

Microsoft isn't ready to backtrack on Windows 11's major design changes yet, but at least it's testing out a few new ways to customize the OS. With the latest Windows 11 Insider build (22509), you can have the revamped Start menu show more pinned apps, or more recommended apps and files, in addition to the default mode which balances the two. That's not a return to the Windows 10 Start menu that some diehard users have been clamoring for, and really, it's unlikely Microsoft will ever relent. Windows 11 prioritizes minimalism, and a busy Start menu filled with all of your apps doesn't really fit that mould.

Windows 11 Start menu options
Microsoft

Among other changes, the Insider build will also bring the date and clock back to the taskbar on additional monitor screens, something that was inexplicably removed in Windows 11. Microsoft notes that tweak isn't going to appear for every Insider user, oddly enough. It's a shame Microsoft isn't exploring more ways to customize the taskbar—losing Window labels has made my desktop cleaner, but harder to navigate compared to Windows 10. 

 The new Windows 11 Insider build will also it easier to use the Edge web browser while using Narrator, Microsoft's built-in screen reader. You can also expect to see more options moving over from the aging Control Panel, and into the cleaner Settings app. That includes Advanced Sharing settings, like Network Discovery and File/Printer Sharing. You'll also see more details about your printers and scanners within the Settings app.  

Meta allows more cryptocurrency ads

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:38 PM PST

Meta is backing away from its longstanding (if not absolute) ban on cryptocurrency ads. As CNBCreports, Meta has greatly loosened its ban by expanding the number of regulatory licenses it accepts from three to 27. The crypto landscape has "matured and stabilized" enough to justify the change of heart, the company said, including an increased amount of government regulation that sets "clearer responsibilities and expectations."

Advertisers still need written permission to run ads for cryptocurrency exchanges, lending and borrowing, crypto mining tools and wallets that let you buy, sell, stake or swap tokens. This does, however, open the door to cryptocurrency businesses that previously couldn't run any ads, not to mention would-be investors who might not be familiar with the market.

It's not clear if any additional factors played a role in the reversal, but the timing is notable. The shift comes just a day after Meta's crypto overseer, David Marcus, said he was leaving the company. He spent roughly two years trying to launch Meta's cryptowallet Novi, so far succeeding only with a small test run. The company's in-house cryptocurrency, Diem, has had an even rougher time —it has yet to launch following regulatory objections and scaled-back ambitions.

Meta isn't necessarily conceding defeat on Diem. That project is independently run, after all. This may simply reflect changing times. While cryptocurrency may still be full of volatility and regulatory uncertainty, the risks are now low enough that Meta isn't worried about problematic sales pitches.

Six state treasurers want Activision Blizzard to address its toxic workplace culture

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:36 PM PST

Following scrutiny from state and federal regulators, Activision Blizzard and its CEO Bobby Kotick now face pressure from an unexpected source. Per Axios, state treasurers from California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon, Delaware and Nevada recently contacted the company's board of directors to discuss its "response to the challenges and investment risk exposures that face Activision." In a letter dated to November 23rd, the group tells the board it would "weigh" a "call to vote against the re-election of incumbent directors."

That call was made on November 17th by a collection of activist shareholders known as Strategic Organizing Center Investment Group. SOC, which holds about 0.6 percent of Activision stock, has demanded Kotick resign and that two of the board's longest-serving directors, Brian Kelly and Robert Morgado, retire by December 31st.

"We think there needs to be sweeping changes made in the company," Illinois state treasurer Michael Frerichs told Axios. "We're concerned that the current CEO and board directors don't have the skillset, nor the conviction to institute these sweeping changes needed to transform their culture, to restore trust with employees and shareholders and their partners."

Between the six treasurers, they manage about a trillion dollars in assets. But as Axios points out, it's unclear how much they have invested in Activision, and it's not something they disclosed to the outlet. However, Frerichs did confirm Illinois has been impacted by the company's falling stock price.

To that point, the day before The Wall Street Journal published its bombshell report on Activision and CEO Bobby Kotick, the company's stock closed at $70.43. The day California's fair employment agency sued the company its stock was worth $91.88. As of the writing of this article, it's trading at about $58.44.

The group has asked to meet with Activision's board by December 20th. We've reached out to Activision for comment.

Congress quizzes Facebook whistleblower on potential Section 230 reforms

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:36 PM PST

Frances Haugen, the former Facebook employee turned whistleblower, testified in Congress for the second time in less than two months. Speaking to the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, Haugen once again urged Congress to act to rein in Facebook.

Unlike Haugen's last Congressional hearing, during which she briefed senators on Facebook's internal research, Wednesday's hearing was meant to be focused on potential reforms of social media platforms. Specifically, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 law that shields online platforms from liability for their users' actions.

"This committee's attention and this Congress' action are critical," she said during her opening statement. But she also told Congress they should be careful with changing the law as it could have unintended consequences.

"As you consider reform to section 230, I encourage you to move forward with your eyes open to the consequences of reform," Haugen said. "Congress has instituted carve outs to Section 230 in recent years. I encourage you to talk to human rights advocates who can help provide context on how the last reform of 230 had dramatic impacts on the safety of some of the most vulnerable people in our society, but has been rarely used for its original purpose."

Pennsylvania Rep. Michael Doyle began the hearing by acknowledging the importance of Section 230, but said the courts' interpretation of the rule should change. "To be clear, Section 230 is critically important to promoting a vibrant and free internet," he said. "But I agree with those who suggest the courts have allowed it to stray too far."

But throughout the hearing, there was little discussion of specific changes or potential legislation that would change 230. Many members of Congress repeated the need for bipartisan action, but there seemed to be little agreement on what actions they should take. Doyle noted in his opening statement that members of the committee have proposed four bills that would make changes to Section 230, including one that would limit protections for companies that deployed "malicious" algorithms.

But those four bills were barely discussed during the four-hour hearing, which once again, veered into other issues. Many Republican members on the committee opted to focus on "censorship," and their belief that platforms like Facebook are biased against them. Haugen countered that Facebook could implement changes that would make the platform safer regardless of a user's political beliefs.

"We spent a lot of time today talking about censorship ... what we need to do is make the platform safer through product choices," Haugen said, describing how adding "friction" to resharing content could reduce the spread of misinformation. "We need solutions like friction to make the platform safe for everyone even if you don't speak English."

At one point, Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, appeared to grow frustrated. "I would like to say to this committee, you've talked about this for years, but you haven't done anything," he said. "Show me a piece of legislation that you passed. 230 reform is going to be very important for protecting kids and teens on platforms like Instagram and holding them accountable and liable. But you also as a committee have to do privacy, antitrust and design reform."

'Battlefield 2042' is getting a cleaner UI and a ton of bug fixes

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:13 PM PST

Since it launched last month, Battlefield 2042 has gained a reputation for being a buggy mess, instead of a return to form for the long-running shooter franchise. So it's not too surprising to see EA rush out with a slew of post-launch fixes — let those problems fester too long, and they risk losing dedicated players to Call of Duty and Halo Infinite. With its third update, which arrives on December 2nd, Battlefield 2042 will get over 150 bug fixes, including some major UI improvements. 

For instance, you'll be able to more easily see the difference between friends and foes, identify people nearby who you can revive (and vice versa), and also see who needs ammo or health. It'll also take less clicks to prepare your loadout and Plus Menu, and EA has made it easier to determine which attachments you're using. Those aren't groundbreaking changes, to be clear, but they should make the BF 2042 experience smoother when you're in the heat of battle.

As for other fixes, the new update should make matchmaking more reliable (especially when it comes to crossplay between platforms); make it easier to tell when enemies are firing at you; and menus should be a lot smoother. Looking ahead, EA says next week it'll start launching Weekly Missions, which will give you XP as you complete them. You know, like very other shooter these days. You can expect to see a cosmetic reward if you plow through all of your challenges.

Facebook details its takedown of a mass-harassment network

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:00 PM PST

Meta/Facebook is today updating the world on how its efforts to remove fake and adversarial networks from its platform are going. The social network has released a new report saying that it has successfully closed down a number of networks for Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB). But in addition to networks of fake profiles all working in tandem, the company has also shed some light on how it deals with additional threats. This includes Brigading — the use of negative comments and counter-posting to drown out an individual's posts — and Mass Reporting, where Facebook's own anti-harassment tools are used as a weapon. This is another step beyond the broader tactics the company announced back in September, where it pledged to combat broader social harms that took place on its platform.

With Brigading, the company took down what it describes as a "network of accounts that originated in Italy and France" which targeted medical professionals, journalists and public officials. Facebook says that it tracked the activity back to a European anti-vaccine conspiracy movement called "V_V," adding that its members used a large volume of fake accounts to "mass comment on posts" from individuals and news agencies "to intimidate them and suppress their views."In addition, those accounts posted doctored images, superimposing the swastika onto the faces of prominent doctors and accusing them of supporting nazism.

In Vietnam, Facebook took down a network that was being used to target activists and users critical of the local government. The network would submit "hundreds — in some cases thousands — of complaints against their targets through our abuse reporting flows." Attackers also created duplicate accounts of the users they intended to silence and then reported the real account as an impersonator from the fake account. Facebook added that some of these fake accounts were automatically detected and disabled by the company's automatic moderation tools.

As for the more old-fashioned methods of Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior, the company took down networks in Palestine, Poland, Belarus and China. The first was reportedly tied to Hamas, while the second two were crafted to exacerbate tensions during the humanitarian crisis on the border there. In a call with reporters, Facebook said that the Polish network had very good operational security and, so far, it has not been able to tie it to a real-world organization. The Belarusian network, on the other hand, had much poorer operational security, and so the company has tied the activity to the Belarusian KGB.

The final network, out of China, has prompted Facebook to publish a deep dive into the activity given the depth of what took place. In its report, the company says that a group created a fake profile of a Swiss biologist called Wilson Edwards who posted material critical of the US and WHO. 48 hours later, and his comments were picked up by Chinese state media, and engaged with by high-level officials. But there was no evidence that Wilson Edwards existed, which prompted the platform to close the account.

Researchers found that Edwards' was "the work of a multi-pronged, largely unsuccessful influence operation," involving "employees of Chinese state infrastructure companies across four continents." Facebook wanted to make it clear that Edwards' comments were not engaged with organically, and it was only when the posts were reported by state media did things suddenly rise in prominence.

One thing that Facebook did identify is the use of guides which were used to train potential network members. The V_V network, for instance, published videos through its Telegram channels that suggested that users replace letters in key words so that it wouldn't be picked up by automatic filtering. The people behind the Chinese network, too, would sometimes inadvertently post notes from their leaders, written in Indonesian and Chinese, offering tips on how best to amplify this content.

In addition, Facebook has announced that it has launched a tool, through CrowdTangle, to enable OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) researchers to study disinformation networks. This includes storing any content taken down by the company, allowing a small list of approved third parties the chance to analyze it. Access has, so far, been limited to teams from the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, Stanford Internet Observatory, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Graphika and Cardiff University.

Facebook believes that offering greater detail and transparency around how it finds these networks will enable researchers in the OSINT community to better track them in future.

Barnes & Noble releases its first Nook GlowLight e-reader in four years

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST

Barnes & Noble hasn't done as much lately to push e-readers forward as some of its rivals, but it's starting to catch up. TechCrunchnotes the bookseller has launched the Nook GlowLight 4, its first entry in the mid-tier e-reader line since 2017's GlowLight 3. A lot has changed in four years, if not as much as you might think — this is as much about dragging the device into the modern era as anything.

The Nook GlowLight 4 is billed as "sleeker" than the GlowLight 3, with a smaller overall profile, better page-turning buttons and a more comfortable hand feel. It's the first Nook e-reader with USB-C, and storage has quadrupled to 32GB. However, you'll still see a 6-inch, 300DPI e-paper display and a claimed one-month battery life. This is more for Nook newcomers, or those upgrading from particularly old devices.

The GlowLight 4 ships December 8th for $150. That could make it a tough sell against the 6.8-inch Kindle Paperwhite, the water-friendly Kobo Libra 2 and other mid-tier e-readers. It's a viable alternative if you don't want to attach yourself to the Amazon or Kobo ecosystems, though. Also, this is as much a declaration of intent as a new product. Barnes & Noble chief James Daunt said the company planned to "reinvigorate" the Nook line in the months and years ahead — this may just be one of the opening salvos.

CVS Pharmacy now offers audio prescription labels across the US

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 10:45 AM PST

Following a trial in 2020 involving 1,700 locations across the US, CVS is expanding the availability of its Spoken Rx audio prescription labels to all 10,000 of its pharmacies nationwide. The accessibility feature is available through the CVS Pharmacy app. It uses your phone to scan Rx bottles equipped with special RFID labels that then allow the device to read the label, including any instructions related to dosage amounts, aloud in English or Spanish.

You'll need to enroll in the service if you want CVS to put Spoken Rx labels on your prescriptions. You can do so either over the phone or in-person at one of its locations. In the latter case, the company says its pharmacists can help patients with ensuring their CVS app is set up for the service. For those who don't have a smartphone, CVS will offer a free standalone speaker device. Patients can also ask for prescription bottles fitted with Braille or large-print labels.

"This is a positive step that offers same-day access for prescriptions filled in CVS stores," said Eric Bridges, the executive director of the American Council of the Blind, which helped CVS develop the feature. "Spoken Rx allows for a greater level of privacy, safety, and independence for blind and visually impaired customers."

Unfortunately, if you get your prescriptions from more than one pharmacy chain, the CVS app won't work with those. Matt Blanchette, a communications manager with the company, told The Verge Spoken Rx can only read audio prescription labels from CVS Pharmacy. The company currently does not have any plans to make the proprietary feature work with labels from other brands.

Microsoft reveals a standalone version of Teams for small businesses

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 10:06 AM PST

Microsoft has unveiled Teams Essentials, a version of Teams aimed at small businesses. It's a standalone product that nestles between the free Teams plan and the features that come with a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Teams Essentials costs $4 per user per month. It includes unlimited group meetings for up to 30 hours and as many as 300 participants, compared with a 60-minute time limit and a maximum of 100 participants on the free plan. Users also get 10GB of cloud storage — twice as much as those on the free tier — and integration with Outlook and (soon) Google calendars.

Other features from the free tier are included, such as access to Office web apps, chats with colleagues and customers, file sharing, polls and group projects. Meetings, chats, calls and files are all encrypted. Users can send meeting invites to someone who doesn't have a Teams account — they just need that person's email address. Virtual backgrounds for calls, Together mode (which displays attendees in the same virtual space) and live closed captions are also available.

It's a little less expensive than Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which costs $5/month per user (increasing to $6 in March), but the savings can add up. That plan's features include meeting transcripts, real-time translations, mobile versions of Office apps and 1TB of cloud storage per person. 

Teams Essentials is available from Microsoft's cloud partners or directly from the company.

Match will pay Tinder founders $441 million to settle lawsuit over financial deception (updated)

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 09:40 AM PST

Tinder's founders just won a partial victory in their lawsuit against Match Group over alleged financial trickery. Match has agreed to settle the case by paying $441 million from its cash reserves. In return, the Tinder co-creators will dismiss the claims from both the lawsuit and linked arbitration.

The court battle began in 2018, when the plaintiffs accused Tinder's parent organizations Match and IAC of manipulating financial data (including a secret merger with Match) to artificially lower Tinder's valuation and illegally deny stock options to workers. The plaintiffs also alleged that interim Tinder chief Greg Blatt sexually harassed marketing VP and co-founder Rosette Pambakian in 2016. Tinder fired the employees in response to their lawsuit, and Pambakian separately sued Blatt, IAC and Match Group over the assault claims. 

We've asked Match for comment. Tinder's founders said they couldn't comment beyond a joint statement in an SEC filing where both parties said they were "pleased" to have settled the case.

This isn't quite the decisive blow Tinder's founders wanted. The company originally demanded "billions of dollars" in damages (around $2 billion, to be more exact) for the claimed Match and IAC manipulation — it's getting a fraction of that payout after three years. While Match is still on the hook, it's not taking long-lasting damage as a result.

Update 12/1 1:20PM ET: Match Group told Engadget the settlement also covers Pambakian's sexual assault claims.

Amazon is working to fix its broken Appstore on Android 12

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 09:31 AM PST

Over the last month, Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S21 have noticed the Amazon Appstore doesn't work with Android 12. And we say it doesn't work, we mean it's almost entirely broken. Most people report they can't run any of the software they've downloaded from Amazon. Yet others say they don't see any apps when they visit the marketplace. An Amazon forum post spotted by The Verge succinctly captures the situation many Appstore users find themselves in after installing Android 12.

"My rain radar app from the Amazon Appstore is still happily running and giving me alerts via notifications, but I can't actually see them because it is being prevented from running full screen by the Amazon Appstore's failure to run properly," said forum user Lovingboth.

Amazon has yet to say when it plans to fix the problem. The company only added a notice to the top of the Appstore about the Android 12 issues earlier this week. "We're excited about Android 12 too," the notification says. "Unfortunately we're working through some issues. Thank you for your patience as we get your Appstore back."

As Liliputing points out, the Appstore's problems with Android 12 likely stem from incompatibility between Amazon's built-in DRM and Google's new operating system. "We are aware and working to resolve an issue impacting app performance and launches for the small number of Amazon Appstore users that have upgraded to Android 12 on their mobile devices," an Amazon spokesperson told The Verge. "This issue does not impact Amazon Fire Tablets or Fire TV devices."

With Android 12 only available on a handful of devices and most using the Play Store to download their apps, it's not a problem that affects many people. Still, it's one that's poised to become more widespread as the update rolls out to more devices, particularly if Amazon doesn't work quickly to resolve it.

Sony's $9,000 drone for its Alpha cameras is available for pre-order

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 09:15 AM PST

A few months later than originally planned, Sony has opened pre-orders for its first drone for professionals. The company says the Airpeak S1 is the smallest drone that supports a full-size, mirrorless Alpha camera.

The debut model in the Airpeak line works with several Sony cameras, including the Alpha 1, Alpha 7S series, Alpha 7R series and Alpha 9 series. The company says the S1 has proprietary technology that supports smooth movement at high speed and provides stable wind resistance in service of helping cinematographers and photographers to capture high-quality footage and photos from the sky.

Sony claims the S1 can fly for up to 22 minutes au naturale, and up to 12 minutes with a heavy payload, such as the Alpha 7S III with a FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens. The drone has a top speed of just under 56mph.

The Airpeak Flight app for iOS provides real-time status info and updates on the hardware. With the Airpeak Base web app, users can create advanced, repeatable flight plans, manage the drone and camera and troubleshoot issues. There's also a dual operation mode, which allows one person to control the drone and another to operate the camera and gimbal. Both users can see what the camera is capturing.

The Airpeak S1 comes with two sets of propellers, two rechargeable batteries and a controller. Sony has shaved $1,000 off the previously announced price — the drone now costs a still-eye-watering $9,000. The S1 should ship on December 24th, so it might arrive a little too late to be an extremely generous holiday gift.

There's an optional cloud service called Airpeak Plus that offers extra storage, enhanced geofencing tools and flight log importing and exporting. It costs around $300 for 12 months.

Digital car keys arrive on Pixel 6 and Samsung Galaxy S21

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 09:00 AM PST

Google has revealed a slew of features and updates for Android 12. Starting today, the digital car key function that was announced at Google I/O in May is available on Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21 for compatible BMW vehicles in select countries. You can use your phone to lock and unlock the doors, and start the engine. The feature is likely coming to other vehicles later — Google has been working with other, unnamed automakers on support for digital car keys.

There's now an option to open Android Auto automatically when you connect your device to a compatible car. In addition, the home screen will have an always-on play button, so you can fire up your favorite music with a single tap.

Smart reply options (which will arrive in the coming months) will offer more ways to respond to text messages while you're driving. You can tap to reply or create a custom message with the help of Google Assistant. Also coming soon, there'll be a faster way to search for music in your media apps. Just tap the search button and say the name of your favorite artist or song.

Other media-centric options are coming to the home screen of Android 12 proper. A YouTube Music widget, for instance, includes playback controls and recently played songs. Two other widgets are rolling out next week. One for Google Play Books offers access to your library of books and could help you keep track of where you are in audiobooks.

A Google Photos People & Pets widget, meanwhile, provides an easy way to bring your loved ones to the home screen. Select a few faces and a frame, and your family, friends and pets can take pride of place on the home screen.

Elsewhere in Google Photos, you'll start to see Memories in the photo grid. It's a curated selection of photos and videos from holidays and events like birthdays and graduations, which are displayed in a stories format. Along with renaming, personalizing and correcting them, you'll have the option to remove Memories from the grid.

Google is bringing Family Bell from smart home products to mobile devices. You can set up the feature to alert you and your family with bells and notifications when it's time to do certain things, such as picking up kids from school or getting to bed at a decent hour. Family members can set or customize as many bells as they like on their own devices to keep stay on schedule. Google will offer suggested bells too, including holiday-themed ones like volunteering for a local cause or watering the tree.

In Gboard's Emoji Kitchen, you'll see thousands more emoji mashups. They'll be available for Gboard Beta users starting today and for everyone in the coming weeks.

Last, but not least, Google announced another Android security measure. To help protect your privacy, your device will automatically turn off runtime permissions (which allow apps to access data or carry out actions for you) in apps you haven't used in a while. You can turn these permissions back on in the app or the device settings. The feature will be available on Android 12 at first. Starting next month, Google plans to roll it out to devices with Google Play services running Android 6.0 or later.

Verizon and Bang & Olufsen made soundbars with Android TV built-in

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 08:15 AM PST

Verizon (Engadget's former parent company) isn't just relying on no-frills media players to push its Stream TV platform. The carrier has unveiled the Stream TV Soundbar (shown below) and Stream TV Soundbar Pro (at top), both of which mate Android TV with Bang & Olufsen's audio know-how and some high-end features to match. All of them include Dolby Atmos surround sound and content-sensitive sound field selection — it's just a question of how much B&O influence you want.

The base Stream TV Soundbar costs $400 with five speakers "tuned" by B&O as well as two HDMI ports. Step up to the $1,000 Soundbar Pro and you'll get nine B&O speakers, a third HDMI port and a B&O-designed profile. Both run the same Stream TV interface with similar software features (including Chromecast streaming and the Google Play Store), so it really comes down to your budget and desire for Danish audio.

Both soundbars are available solely through Verizon as of today (December 1st). They face stiff competition. On top of direct rivals like JBL's Link Bar, you can find plenty of not-quite-so-connected soundbars like the Sonos Arc and Beam or Sony's HT-A5000. Verizon's bars make the most sense if you're already shopping the company's store, unimpressed with your immediately available alternatives or just want a (relatively) inexpensive way to get B&O sound into your living room.

Reddit adds real-time typing and reading indicators to posts

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 08:00 AM PST

Reddit is introducing a handful of new features designed to make its social network feel more interactive. Starting today, you'll notice the vote and comment counts on posts and feeds will increase (as well as decrease) in real-time. Additionally, you'll see new typing indicators that will tell you when two or more people are replying to a comment. Similarly, another set of real-time indicators will share when five or more people are reading the same post.

Reddit upvote GIF
Reddit

In both instances, you won't know exactly who is reading a post or readying a reply, but it will give you a broader sense of how much attention it's drawing. Lastly, Reddit has reworked the comment pill to display new comments as you're scrolling through a post. 

Reddit comment pill
Reddit

In practice, the new features will make Reddit feel more like a chat app. The company says they were designed to increase user engagement. It contends they will create a better experience for users. Whether that actually turns out to be the case, we'll see later today when Reddit starts rolling out the features to its web client, as well as Android and iOS apps.

The best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 07:30 AM PST

The perfect hybrid machine that's just as good a tablet as it is a laptop still doesn't exist. But, in 2021, companies like Microsoft, Apple and Google continued to improve their operating systems for machines that do double duty. Windows 11 has features that make it friendlier for multi-screen devices, while Android 12L is on the horizon and promises an optimized experience for larger displays. Plus, with the rise of ARM-based chips for laptops, especially Apple's impressive M1 series, prospects for a powerful 2-in-1 with a vast touch-friendly app ecosystem is at an all-time high.

These machines still have their limits, of course. Since they're smaller than proper laptops, they tend to have less-powerful processors. Keyboards also tend to be less sturdy, with condensed layouts and shallower key travel. Plus, they're almost always tablets first, leaving you to buy a keyboard case separately. (And those ain't cheap.) So, you can't always assume the advertised price is what you'll actually spend on the 2-in-1 you want.

Sometimes, getting a third-party keyboard might be just as good, and they're often cheaper than first-party offerings. If you're looking to save some money, Logitech's Slim Folio is a cheaper option, and if you don't need your keyboard to attach to your tablet, Logitech's K780 Multi-Device wireless keyboard is also a good pick.

While we've typically made sure to include a budget 2-in-1 in previous years, this time there isn't a great choice. We would usually go with a Surface Go, but the 2021 model is too expensive. Other alternatives, like cheaper Android tablets, are underpowered and don't offer a great multitasking interface. If you want something around $500 that's thin, lightweight and long-lasting, you're better off this year looking at a conventional laptop (like those on our best budget PCs list).

Apple iPad Pro 12.9 2020
Chris Velazco / Engadget

When you're shopping for a 2-in-1, there are some basic criteria to keep in mind. First, look at the spec sheet to see how heavy the tablet is (alone, and with the keyboard). Most modern hybrids weigh less than 2 pounds, with the 1.96-pound Surface Pro 8 being one of the heaviest around. The iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) and Samsung's Galaxy Tab S7+ are both slightly lighter. If the overall weight of the tablet and its keyboard come close to 3 pounds, you'll be better off just getting an ultraportable laptop.

You'll also want to opt for an 11-inch or 12-inch screen instead of a smaller 10-inch model. The bigger displays will make multitasking easier, plus their companion keyboards will be much better spaced. Also, try to get 6GB of RAM if you can for better performance — you'll find this in the base model of the Galaxy Tab S7+, while this year's iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 8 start with 8GB of RAM.

Finally, while some 2-in-1s offer built-in LTE or 5G connectivity, not everyone will want to pay the premium for it. An integrated cellular radio makes checking emails or replying to messages on the go far more convenient. But it also often costs more, and that's not counting what you'll pay for data. And, as for 5G — you can hold off on it unless you live within range of a mmWave beacon. Coverage is still spotty and existing nationwide networks use the slower sub-6 technology that's barely faster than LTE. 

Engadget Picks

Best overall: Surface Pro 8

Microsoft's Surface Pro 8 and Signature Pro Keyboard accessory.
Dana Wollman/Engadget

There's no beating the Surface series when it comes to 2-in-1s. They're powerful, sleek tablets running an OS that's actually designed for productivity. The Surface Pro 8 is Microsoft's latest and it addresses most of the issues we had with its predecessor. It's thinner and looks more modern, borrowing the design of last year's Pro X. Plus, it has a 120Hz display that makes scrolling endless spreadsheets or emails feel much faster. Just remember to drop the refresh rate to 60Hz if you want to get respectable battery life out of this thing. Windows 11 also offers a better split-screen experience for on-the-go multitasking.

Like most of the other 2-in-1s on this list, the Pro 8 doesn't come with a keyboard cover — you'll have to pay extra for that. That's a shame, considering it starts at $1,099. Microsoft offers a variety of Type Covers for its Surface Pros ranging from $100 to $180, depending on whether you want a slot for a stylus on it. But at least they're comfortable and well-spaced. You can also get the Surface Slim Pen 2 ($130) for sketching out your diagrams or artwork, and it also features haptic feedback for a more responsive experience.

Buy Surface Pro 8 at Microsoft starting at $1,099

Best for Apple users: 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021)

Apple iPad Pro (2021) review
Chris Velazco/Engadget

If you're already in the Apple ecosystem, the best option for you is obviously an iPad. The 12-inch Pro is our pick. Like older models, this iPad Pro has a stunning 12.9-inch screen with a speedy 120Hz refresh rate, but this year it uses mini-LED backlighting to deliver greater dynamic range. Apple's M1 chipset is impressively fast too, and more than good enough for most tasks. Plus, the latest iPadOS is superior to older versions thanks to widgets and quick notes support.

Apple's new Magic Keyboard provides a satisfying typing experience, and its trackpad means you won't have to reach for the screen to launch apps. But it'll also cost you an extra $300, making it the most expensive case on this list by a lot. The iPad also lacks a headphone jack and its webcam is awkwardly positioned along the left bezel when you prop it up horizontally, so be aware that it's still far from a perfect laptop replacement. Still, with its sleek design and respectable battery life, the iPad Pro 12.9 is a good 2-in-1 for Apple users.

Buy 12.9-inch iPad Pro at Amazon - $1,099

Best for Android users: Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

While Windows is better than iPadOS and Android for productivity, it lags the other two when it comes to apps specifically designed for touchscreens. If you want a tablet that has all the apps you want, and only need it to occasionally double as a laptop, the Galaxy Tab S7+ is a solid option. Though it was released last year, it's still the best Android-powered 2-in-1 around. You'll enjoy watching movies and playing games on its gorgeous 12.4-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen, and Samsung includes the S Pen, which is great for sketching and taking notes. The Snapdragon 865+ processor and 6GB of RAM keep things running smoothly, too.

Thankfully the company significantly improved its keyboard case over previous models, with more comfortable and responsive keys. You could type for hours on this thing and not hate yourself (or Samsung). The battery life is also excellent, so you won't need to worry about staying close to an outlet. The main caveat is that Android isn't great as a desktop OS and, while Samsung's DeX mode offers a somewhat workable solution, it has plenty of quirks. Still, with Android 12L on the horizon, a simple software update could ease some pain.

Buy Galaxy Tab S7+ at Samsung - $849

Best Chrome OS option: HP Chromebook x2

HP's Chromebook X2 is a 2-in-1 convertible that works as both a tablet and a laptop.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Android might suck as a desktop operating system, but Chrome OS doesn't. If most of your tasks take place inside a browser, the HP Chromebook x2 will serve you well. It has great battery life, an excellent 11-inch screen and looks nice, to boot. HP even includes the keyboard and stylus with the tablet, which almost none of the competition does.

Chrome still isn't a great OS in tablet mode, and the Chromebook x2's Snapdragon 7c processor sometimes struggles if you rack up too many tabs. It's also a little pricey at $600, but you can often find it for $400 when it goes on sale at sites like Best Buy. That makes it a solid choice considering everything HP includes for the money.

Buy Chromebook x2 at HP - $679

Nothing's 'Black Edition' brings a modern touch to its funky Ear 1 buds

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 06:45 AM PST

Earlier this year, Nothing released a pair of relatively cheap $99 Ear 1 earbuds with a fun transparent case, wireless charging and decent sound quality. Now, the company (created by OnePlus cofounder Carl Pei) has unveiled the new Ear 1 "Black Edition" that retains the transparent case and funky design, but adds a smoky finish and black matte colorway. Nothing also announced that the Ear 1 is now carbon neutral, and that it will start accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in select countries, including the USA. 

Nothing unveils a 'Black Edition' of its Ear 1 wireless buds
Nothing

Other than the color change, the Ear 1 Black Edition has the same features of the original, like active noise cancellation, a wireless charging case and a transparent design that harkens back to gadgets like the iMac from the late '90s. They feature an 11.6mm driver paired with software and hardware from Teenage Engineering, and we found that they deliver decent, clear sound quality, especially in mid-range frequencies, but have no spatial options. 

Nothing was launched by Carl Pei after he acquired the branding and logos from Essential, the smartphone company founded by Andy Rubin. The Ear 1 buds are the company's first product, but it plans to launch "an ecosystem of smart devices" down the road, according to Pei. 

Nothing plans to sell 100 individually engraved versions of the Ear 1 Black Edition at a popup store in London, with the buds going arriving nothing.tech starting at 6AM ET on December 13th, for the same $100 price as the original. On top of cash, the company will accept Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), USD Coin (USDC) and Dogecoin (DOGE). 

'Fortnite' Party Worlds are purely social experiences made for the metaverse

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 06:25 AM PST

Epic has made acquisitions and otherwise signalled plans for a Fortnitemetaverse, but its latest move is one of the most obvious yet. The developer has introducedFortnite Party Worlds, or maps that are solely intended as social spaces to meet friends and play mini games. Unlike Hubs, these environments don't link to other islands — think of them as final destinations.

The company has collaborated with creators fivewalnut and TreyJTH to offer a pair of example Party Worlds (a theme park and a lounge). However, the company is encouraging anyone to create and submit their own so long as they focus on the same goal of peaceful socialization.

This doesn't strictly represent a metaverse when Party Worlds live in isolation. At the same time, this shows how far Fortnite has shifted away from its original focuses on battle royale and co-op gaming — there are now islands devoted solely to making friends, not to mention other non-combat experiences like virtual museums and trial courses. We wouldn't expect brawls to disappear any time soon, but they're quickly becoming just one part of a much larger experience.

Niantic buys gameplay recording app Lowkey to improve its in-game social experience

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST

Niantic has acquired another company to help build out its augmented reality platforms. The company has announced that it's acquiring the team behind Lowkey, an app you can use to easily capture and share gameplay moments. While you can use any screen capture application — or even your phone's built-in feature — to record your games, Lowkey was designed with casual gamers or those who don't want to spend time editing their videos in mind. 

The app can capture videos on your computer, for instance, and sync them with your phone where you can use its simple editing tools to create short clips optimized for mobile viewing. You're also able to share those clips with friends within the app Snapchat-style or publish it for public viewing like TikTok. Niantic didn't reveal what the Lowkey team will be doing for its AR games and experiences exactly, but it said the team's "leadership in this space will accelerate the social experiences [it's] building in [its] products." The company added: "We share a common vision for building community around shared experiences, and enabling new ways to connect and play for our explorers."

The Pokémon Go creator purchased other companies in the past in its quest to build more tools and features for its augmented reality products. In 2017, it purchased social animation startup Evertoon to build a social network for its games. Last year, it bought 3D mapping startup 6D.ai to develop "planet-scale" augmented reality, and just this August, it acquired LiDAR scanning app Scaniverse to create a 3D map of the world.

Urtopia e-bike is basically a computer on wheels

Posted: 01 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST

The electrification of the bicycle has historically meant just that: A bike, but with an electric motor. You might find some other smart conveniences on higher-end models, but "less is more" has usually been the way. Urtopia, the latest e-bike brand from China, has other ideas. Its debut ride is, on paper, one of the most tech-heavy bikes we've seen. The spec sheet reads more like a phone's than a next-gen fixie.

For example, beyond the 250W hub motor with three levels of riding assist (and an estimated 30-80 mile range), there's an integrated dot-matrix display, a fingerprint reader, GPS, 4G (via eSIM), mmWave sensors for vehicle detection, an integrated alarm and, well… the list goes on.

The bike itself has a striking aesthetic that doesn't bother to hide the fact that this is possibly the most technologically advanced model you'll see this year. The frame was designed by Mathis Heller who has experience with BMW and IKEA among others, and it's pure curves and racing lines. The stealth bomber look is further enhanced with all the cables hidden from view inside the frame. The Urtopia is pitched as a city bike and while the (removable) battery isn't overly obvious, there's no doubt to even the most casual of glances that you're not wielding a regular analog pedaller.

When this thing arrived, I was dreading putting it together. Previous experience has taught me that while not complex, you'll want to set aside some time (and space) to get things set up. Turns out, the prototype model I tested only really needed the front wheel inserted and the tires pumped and I was good to go.

Urtopia ebike
James Trew / Engadget

The obvious draw here for gadget fans will be the "smartbar" — an onboard computer built right into the handlebars. The dot matrix display is the centerpiece of the bike and only dials up that "bike from the future" vibe. On the right-hand side where the bell would usually be is the fingerprint reader which interacts with the computer in a few ways (it's also a digital bell). The left-hand side houses the four-way D-pad which is where you change modes and settings along with powering the bike on (but not off, more on that later).

Despite that long list of smart features, not all of them were available to test on the prototype I was sent. The hardware for the mmWave sensors is there, but there's no way to activate it. The GPS and eSIM require the companion app to work and that's not ready yet also. Sadly, those are some very interesting features we'll have to wait and see on, but most everything else was present and correct.

Before the fun stuff, the basic e-bike functionality (power/speeds/range etc.) appears to be on par with other hub-motor bikes I've tried. For example, I recently tested the Tenways city bike, which has a 250W battery and motor compared to the Urtopia's 360Wh cell. But both have 250W torque-based brushless hub motors and the same Gates carbon belt.

Things get more exciting once you turn the bike on. You'll be greeted with a wooshing sound from the speaker in the smartbar and the company logo appearing on the display before defaulting back to the speedometer. I am informed that some of the sounds will be user-configurable and I hope that includes the option to turn them off. Before you ride, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the controls. Up and down on the D-pad will cycle through the assistance levels: Pedal mode, Eco, Comfort and Sport (there's also a "Turbo" mode which is akin to a "throttle" mode).

Urtopia e-bike projects turn signals onto the ground.
Urtopia e-bike projects turn signals onto the ground.
James Trew / Engadget

Tap left or right, and you'll be presented with turn signals projected on the ground (these also remain on when the lights are on but flash when you initiate a turn). To switch the actual lights on, however, involves speaking to the bike — there's no manual control, only voice.

This is where things get a little goofy. Urtopia warns in its press materials that the voice recognition system hasn't been fully "trained." Yet, for me, it worked perfectly. Perhaps they only trained it on dull-voiced Britons? Anyway, to turn the lights on you'll need to place a digit on the fingerprint reader and wait for the face icon to appear on the screen letting you know you can issue your command like some sort of Belgian Michael Knight. It's cool but I'd still like a physical switch so that I don't have to talk to my bike in public, not least because when you're riding, it's harder for the smartbar to hear your voice thanks to the rustling wind, etc. The result is you either have to stop for a second or lean into the handlebars as you go, neither is very elegant.

The list of things you can currently control with your voice includes: Change speed mode, lock the bike, indicate a turn and change the smartbar's volume. All of those, bar the volume (and lights) have physical controls too. It's a cute idea and presents a hands-free option, but in practice, I do wonder how useful it is over a nice button you can mash.

Another feature that feels like technology doesn't necessarily improve is the bell. On this bike it's built into the fingerprint reader. A long press activates voice recognition, a short press will emit a digital "ring ring." It works fine, but it's not as responsive as a physical bell would be. I had times where I was approaching someone from behind and wanted to alert them to my presence, only for the bell to sound half a second after I passed them. Other times it took two or three tries for it to even trigger.

Urtopia ebike.
James Trew / Engadget

The experience with the alarm also needs a little smoothing out. I love the idea that I can leave the bike "locked" and if anyone moves it, it'll issue an audible alarm. The problem is, the Urtopia will do this any time it's locked. This might seem fine until you learn that "locked" is basically "standby" and the bike will be in this mode as soon as you connect the battery. So if you put the battery in and then start wheeling the bike out the front door, the alarm will sound.

There's an easy fix for this, but also not entirely helpful. Simply turn the bike on and that will disable the alarm. In fairness, this is a quirk of it being a prototype. Production models will allow you to disable the alarm with the fingerprint sensor or the companion app, but this isn't something I could test. It's worth mentioning that, right now, there's no actual way to turn the bike off other than by removing the battery, so fingers crossed these are some kinks that can be ironed out by launch. I asked a company representative if this was the plan and he confirmed that it was.

So, tech aside, what does this thing ride like? The sitting position puts you leaning forward in more of a racer pose than a typical town bike where you might be more upright. It's comfortable though, even after mid to long rides (the longest I managed was 11 miles but I was up for more) although the Velo saddle could be a little easier on the butt — it's fairly hard and doesn't appear to be gel-lined.

In pedal mode, there's no noticeable resistance from the motor as expected with a hub of this type. At 13Kg/30 pounds, it's pretty light for an e-bike — mostly thanks to the carbon fiber body. This means if you don't want to use the battery it's still a functional regular bike. Tap up on the D-pad though and things get fun real quick. Like most e-bikes, the Urtopia is limited on its power assistance based on territories. The US version tops out at 20 MPH before you're on your own and the EU version will cap out at 16 MPH of electric assistance.

Urtopia ebike
James Trew / Engadget

The three power modes all feel pretty fast. That's to say, even "eco" mode will help you along nicely. Step up to Comfort mode and you probably have nearly all the power you need to get where you're going and have a good balance of exercise and assistance. In Sport mode, this thing feels really quite fast despite the standard limitations. I often found myself dropping back down to Comfort mode when other humans were near as it can feel quite lively — in a good way.

If you really are feeling like chilling out and letting the bike do all the work, there's also that Turbo mode. Long press Up on the D-pad and even the lightest of pedaling will soon get you to 20mph. Given the racey aesthetic and the forward seating position, this is a lot of fun for not a lot of effort.

With that in mind, I should mention the range. Urtopia claims you should be good for anything between 30 and 80 assisted miles. This will obviously depend on the terrain and which power mode you're in, and it's quite a wide estimate. I haven't run the battery down yet, but the indicator on the smartbar did seem to get quite low even on a 10-mile ride. It's hard to know if this is a prototype quirk or just that the battery is draining fast (which, again, could be something that changes in final hardware with final firmware? Hard to know).

This is why I saved the section on GPS and the 4G connectivity until now. One of the more interesting selling points here for me is that you will be able to track and locate the bike on a map at almost any time. The company tells me it plans to offer data bundles for the 4G connectivity for about $30 a year — which seems pretty reasonable for the peace of mind of being able to locate your bike anywhere if it were to go missing. My question is… what impact might this have on the battery if it's pinging GPS and running 4G while idle? Alas, a question I can't answer until we get to try the final model.

The same question goes for the mmWave sensors. Another thing I am currently unable to test.

Urtopia ebike.
James Trew / Engadget

What I do know is that as the bike is right now, it's incredibly fun to ride and thanks to the weight, fairly easy to handle (I live in a fifth-floor apartment, so wrangling it into the small elevator is thankfully more manageable). The techno styling might not be to everyone's taste, but I'm quite fond of it. And most importantly, it's nice to see something so tech-forward, even if some of the headline features weren't ready. I am eager to try them once they are and after speaking with the company I got the sense there is more to come. I jokingly suggested they should allow music through the smartbar speaker (the bike has Bluetooth) and they suggested that was possible as are the required OTA updates to deliver such new features.

Right now, the Urtopia is available for pre-order via Indiegogo. As such, the standard caveats apply, but given how close to final the prototype I have is, it doesn't seem like there's any more development to be done, just some fine-tuning on those remaining features. If you do pre-order you'll be able to pick one up for $2,000 which is a really competitive price even for the bike without those extra features enabled. According to the campaign, that price will almost double once it goes to retail, so if you're taken by what you see, there's a decent incentive to get on board sooner rather than later.
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