Wednesday, December 22, 2021

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The Morning After: Ubisoft's NFT struggles

Posted: 22 Dec 2021 04:15 AM PST

It's nice when there's balance in the blockchain force. Following the recent boom in NFT success stories (and millions being made), we have the other side of the coin. Ubisoft's attempts to sell NFTs tied to its Ghost Recon gaming series haven't gone well. The games company launched its own Quartz NFT platform to monetize game properties.

Alas, it seems Quartz has sold just 15 NFTs of a Ghost Recon Breakpoint gun skin as of yesterday, according to Eurogamer. As of yesterday, it appears to have sold two more M4A1 tactical weapons and one Wolf Enhance Pants #76 for a total of 18. According to their prices, that works out to about $1,755.30 in revenue. But Ubisoft appears to have minted about somewhere north of 3,000 NFTs, total. As many have noted, Breakpoint doesn't have the most alluring visual aesthetic — nor is it the biggest Ubisoft property — making it an odd choice to kick off Ubisoft's NFT attempts.

In other news, CES is facing the Omicron threat, and many companies are withdrawing from exhibiting early January. Amazon, Meta and several other big tech players will no longer have a presence at the show, citing the spread of the latest COVID-19 variant. The Engadget team will also no longer be attending the show in person, but our remote coverage will still ensure you hear about everything notable from the Las Vegas tech show.

— Mat Smith

Gaze in confusion at LG's DualUp Monitor

Barely vertical, somehow desirable?

TMA
LG

I think the pandemic has really helped LG's creative juices flow. Alongside its unusual new TVs, the company has revealed a new monitor that has "Square Double QHD", two screens stacked atop each other.

Continue reading.

Billionaire Twitter founder Jack Dorsey rants about Web3 on Twitter

Those darn VCs.

CEO Jack Dorsey took to Twitter to warn blockchain enthusiasts how Web3 has already been co-opted by investors. "You don't own 'web3,'" he said, "The VCs and their LPs do. It will never escape their incentives. It's ultimately a centralized entity with a different label. Know what you're getting into…" Now no longer the CEO of Twitter, Dorsey still runs a company heavily involved in blockchain technologies.

Continue reading.

'The Matrix Resurrections' is brilliant, but not for everyone

Another divisive Matrix sequel?

TMA
Warner Bros.

There are minor spoilers within, so I haven't read Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar's thoughts on The Matrix Resurrections. I'm sure, however, that many of you are intrigued by how the movie turned out. US readers subscribed to HBO Max: You'll be able to watch it indoors without having to venture to a movie theater.

Continue reading.

Researcher hacked an at-home COVID-19 test to give bogus results

The flaw has been fixed, but it still shows the potential for fraud.

F-Secure researcher Ken Gannon discovered a security flaw in Ellume's Bluetooth-connected nasal swab test that let him change the reported results. The vulnerability was elaborate, but still disconcerting. It has now been patched.

Gannon used a rooted Android device to inspect the Bluetooth traffic Ellume's lateral flow tester was sending to the company's mobile app. The researcher pinpointed the traffic used to indicate test results and wrote scripts to change the outcome. F-Secure Marketing Manager Alexandra Rinehimer even managed to fool Azova, a company issuing certificates for US entry tests.

Continue reading.

 

 

The biggest news stories you might have missed


Tascam is making brand new cassettes for its ancient four-track recorders

2021 was the year that streaming pushed our cultural buttons

Three and EE will offer 4G and 5G access across London Underground

Nikola will pay $125 million to settle SEC fraud charges

Arturia is giving away a free lo-fi tape plug-in for the holidays

Vivaldi releases the first web browser for Android Automotive

Posted: 22 Dec 2021 04:00 AM PST

Google's nascent Android Automotive operating system is not available on many cars yet, and the app selection can feel limited at times, but today it's adding a web browser to its arsenal. And, no, we don't mean Chrome. As of today, the privacy-focused Vivaldi browser is available on Polestar 2 vehicles. It's a first for Android Automotive and the company, which had yet to offer its software on vehicles before today.

Vivaldi says safety was one of its top priorities when porting the browser over to Android Automotive. To that end, it's only possible to start a session when your car is parked. If you start streaming something and then resume driving, Vivaldi will limit the video to audio-only. 

Naturally, privacy was also a priority for the team. The browser won't store your browsing data on the car whenever you open a private tab. If you want to transfer your data between devices, you can do so by signing into your Vivaldi account. That information is something the company says Polestar won't be able to access.

The Android Automotive version of Vivaldi is based on the company's mobile release. You won't find some functionality that is available in the desktop version – for instance, accordion tabs are missing – and Vivaldi has disabled a handful of other features. It's not possible to download files and scan QR codes, for example. Otherwise, there aren't many differences between the Android Automotive release and other versions of Vivaldi, and the company says updates will come at a regular cadence.

RadioShack is building a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange

Posted: 22 Dec 2021 03:47 AM PST

RadioShack — yes, that RadioShack that used to sell electronic goods — is now a crypto business. The company filed for bankruptcy back in 2015 after 11 unprofitable quarters in a row, bringing it's almost 100-year history to an end. After that, the former retail chain's branding rights were sold several times until they were acquired by Retail Ecommerce Ventures Review (REV). If you visit RadioShack's website right now, you'll see a banner talking about its new mission to bring cryptocurrency to the mainstream. You'll also see a sign up section to be notified as soon as its RADIO token launches. 

As CNET and Tom's Hardware explain, RadioShack is building a Decentralized Finance ecosystem in partnership with the Atlas USV (Universal Store of Value) protocol. Atlas was designed by Alex Mehr and Tai Lopez, who are also the duo behind REV. RadioShack's DeFi ecosystem will start with a decentralized exchange, which the company describes as the "lowest hanging fruit that is full of opportunities" on its website. When it's up, the DeFi exchange will allow users to send cryptocurrency directly to each other rather than through an exchange service like Coinbase.

Based on what's written on RadioShack's website, REV is hoping that the "100-year-old brand" is embedded enough "into the global consciousness" to encourage widespread crypto adoption. It's even hoping that RadioShack could become the gateway for large corporations like Starbucks and Louis Vuitton to becoming blockchain companies. It's a lofty goal, especially for a brand that declared bankruptcy twice within the span of a few years. If you're interested in reading REV's plan for RadioShack, though, you can check out its documentation for the project on its website.

Zillow adds FaceTime SharePlay to browse homes with friends

Posted: 22 Dec 2021 03:16 AM PST

Zillow has updated its iOS 15 iPhone and iPad apps with SharePlay support, letting you browse homes with other people on Facetime, the company announced. iOS users can start a group FaceTime call and then enable SharePlay to browse through Zillow's photo galleries so everyone on the call can see the property. 

"Americans love to Zillow surf — most of them alongside someone else — and now they have a new way to do it," according to Zillow. "Using the Zillow app on an iPhone or iPad, home shoppers are now able to search and browse for-sale home and rental listings in a seamless, synchronous experience together with family, friends or a real estate agent."

Zillow said that 86 percent of users browse homes with a partner, spouse or housemate, so the new feature makes sense if you can't be together in person. It's also a "great new way for real estate agents to connect with customers," said Zillow CTO David Beitel. 

To use the feature, each participant will need Zillow running on an iPhone or iPad with iOS/iPadOS 15.1 or later. Users can search for different locations on Zillow and browse through available listings with content synced up. A rival real estate app, Redfin, introduced a similar feature back in October. 

TCL update fixes Google TV performance issues

Posted: 22 Dec 2021 02:30 AM PST

Earlier this month, TCL temporarily stopped selling its Google TV televisions because of performance and software problems. Now, it has released a new update that it says has fixed the issue, so the 5-series and 6-series Google-powered TVs are back on sale at Best Buy, 9to5Google has reported. 

The update is rolling out to TCL's entire Google TV lineup starting with the 43-inch LED model and going up to the 75-inch Mini-LED QLED and 85-inch LED TVs. "Recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and speed of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV," the company told 9to5Google in a statement. "With these updates, this product now represents the powerful performance that TCL and Google believe is the future of TV."

TCL unveiled its first 5-series and 6-series Google TV models last year at CES 2021, offering them exclusively at Best Buy in the US. Perhaps as a mea culpa, TCL and Best Buy are offering significant discounts on all the Google TV models now that they're available again The best deal appears to be on the TCL 75-inch 6-series Mini-LED QLED, available at $1,300 instead of $2,300 — a cool $1,000 off. 

Amazon, Meta, T-Mobile and other companies drop out of CES 2022

Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:58 AM PST

A handful of key tech companies has already pulled out of next year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Amazon, Meta, Twitter and T-Mobile have announced that they're no longer attending the event in person due to the threat brought about by the COVID-19 Omicron variant. The show earlier this year was a strictly online-only affair, but the Consumer Technology Association announced in April that the event is returning as an in-person affair in 2022. While the organizer requires attendees to show proof of vaccination to be able to attend the expo, the Omicron variant's emergence prompted companies to reconsider their plans. 

Amazon told Bloomberg in a statement that it'll no longer have an on-site presence at the event "due to the quickly shifting situation and uncertainty around the Omicron variant." Its smart home subsidiary Ring will no longer be attending, as well. Meanwhile, Facebook parent company Meta said it won't be attending the expo in person anymore "due to the evolving public health concerns related to COVID-19." It might participate in the event in a virtual capacity, but the company has yet to release more concrete details.

Similarly, Twitter has canceled its in-person appearance "due to the spike in Covid cases across the country in the past week." It's reportedly exploring ways to be able to participate virtually, as well. Even CES sponsor T-Mobile has chosen to step back and limit its on-site participation. "While we are confident that CES organizers are taking exhaustive measures to protect in-person attendees and we had many preventative practices in place as well, we are prioritizing the safety of our team and other attendees with this decision," it said in a statement. Other companies that have chosen to cancel include Pinterest and iHeartRadio. 

There's still a lot of unknown factors surrounding the Omicron variant, but researchers have found it to be a highly transmissible strain. Further, what they've discovered suggests that most non-mRNA vaccines (such as Sinovac and Sinopharm) offer almost no protection against the variant. At the moment, though, the CTA has yet to announce any changes to the event, and the in—person expo is still scheduled to take place in January.

LG's DualUp Monitor is a vertical screen with an unusual aspect ratio

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 09:13 PM PST

LG has revealed a couple of monitors it's debuting at its virtual CES event, and one of them is apparently a completely new format in the market. The company's new DualUp Monitor has an unusual 16:18 aspect ratio. It's a vertical display with a 2,560 x 2,880-pixel resolution that LG is calling "Square Double QHD." When you use its vertical split view function, the DualUp looks like you put two 21.5—inch monitors on top of each other. 

It could be a better form factor than the typical monitor if you're constantly having to look at information on multiple windows or screens for work or for any other reason. In its announcement, LG says the model will help reduce side-to-side head movements that cause neck pain. DualUp was also meant to save space and will ship with the LG Ergo stand that clamps to most desks and tables. The Nano IPS monitor's other features include a brightness of 300 nits, a 1000:1 contrast ratio and HDR10 support. 

In addition to DualUp, LG has also introduced the UltraFine, a 32-inch 4K UHD monitor. It has a more conventional aspect ratio, but it is the first to use LG's Nano IPS Black panel technology, which enables a contrast ratio of 2,000:1. The company will reveal more about both premium monitors at its virtual press event on January 4th. It's unknown at this point whether LG will still push through with a physical experience at CES 2022, assuming the event will still take place despite the threat posed by the Omicron variant. It was planning on showcasing a list of new items during the conference aside from these monitors, though, including a soundbar with a center up-firing speaker, a wireless TV on wheels and an OLED TV with a motorized cover.

Google Voice now lets you decide who goes to voicemail

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 02:50 PM PST

Google now lets you customize how its Voice service handles incoming calls. Starting today, you can configure the app to forward calls from either individual or groups of contacts to a linked phone number or your voicemail. Separately, you can set a rule that plays custom voicemail greetings for specific contacts. And if you want to avoid taking calls unless absolutely necessary, you can tell it to screen individuals.

Google said the new options allow users to route incoming calls in ways that complement their existing workflows. To start using the feature, head over to the Google Voice website and click the cog icon located toward the top of the interface. Then click "Calls," followed by "Choose a rule." Note that on the mobile app, it's only possible to view rules you've already set; you can't establish new ones — at least not yet.

Despite holding the distinction of being one of Google's longest-running services, Voice has received only sporadic attention from the search giant in recent years. Before today, the most recent update the company issued for Voice was to disable one of its most useful features. That's led to fears Google may discontinue the service soon, but today's update would indicate Voice has legs yet.

Microsoft's $19.7 billion Nuance acquisition wins EU approval

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 01:00 PM PST

The European Commission has approved Microsoft's $19.7 billion bid to buy Nuance Communications. The regulator said on Tuesday the proposed acquisition "would raise no competition concerns" within the European Union. In analyzing the bid, it found that "Microsoft and Nuance offer very different products." Moreover, it believes the company will continue to face "strong" competition from other firms in the future.

Before today, the US and Australia had both signed off on the purchase, but it's not yet a done deal. On December 13th, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority said it would investigate the transaction. With the regulator accepting public comments until January 10th, 2022, it's unlikely the deal will close by the end of 2021 as Microsoft had said it would when it first announced its intention to buy Nuance. 

Tascam is making brand new cassettes for its ancient four-track recorders

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 12:23 PM PST

Tascam knows some musicians pine for the 'warm' quality of cassette recordings, and it's willing to effectively resurrect dead technology to meet their needs. The company has introduced a 424 Studio Master High Bias Type II Cassette designed for the brand's decades-old Portastudio four-track cassette recorders. Artists can record analog samples and tunes without hunting down rare tapes and fretting over degradation.

The cassette isn't a perfect match. Tascam said it's using existing magnetic oxides to produce tape that's as close "as possible" to the material Portastudios were meant to use, but recorder owners may still have to do some "fine tuning" to adjust for 2021-era cassettes. 

However, this isn't just an appeal to nostalgia — to some extent, it's about the preservation of analog cassette recording. Cassette production has been suffering from oxide shortages since 2019, years after a (still-ongoing) tape revival. Tascam noted that it's now the sole company making High Bias Type II cassettes. While there are tapes already on the market, they're both rare and expensive.

Availability is only listed as "soon." Tascam's cassettes also won't satisfy creators who want genuinely new recorders to replace a shrinking supply of old hardware. This might be the next best thing, though, and could be a relief for Portastudio fans who don't want to make a complete leap into the digital realm.

Adidas' final commemorative Xbox sneakers are now on sale

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 11:30 AM PST

Since October, Microsoft and Adidas have been releasing commemorative Xbox-themed sneakers to mark the brand's 20th anniversary. It all started with a pair of Forum Tech shoes the two companies gave away to a group of lucky fans. Then, in November, they released a pair of Xbox 360-themed Forum Mid sneakers you could buy in the US and Canada. Now, for their third and final drop, the two have come out with an Xbox Series X-inspired design that's available to purchase worldwide.

This time around, Microsoft and Adidas say they went with the Tech Boost silhouette because, like the Xbox Series X/S, it's a design that acknowledges the past while incorporating new technologies. As with the other sneakers in the series, you'll find plenty of clever references. For instance, the inner lining of the shoes draws on the design of the Xbox Series X's vents. Meanwhile, the heel and sole of shoes mirror the grips of the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller.

"Overall, we wanted to create a shoe that cemented a moment in time, but also felt timeless," Microsoft said. "This is a shoe that is meant to be played in, meant to be worn, and meant to be enjoyed by our community – one that's always played in, and never played out."

You can buy the Xbox Series X Forum Tech Boost from the Adidas website for $140. If you're not a sneakerhead, Microsoft has released other commemorative products to mark the console's 20th birthday, including a translucent controller that pays homage to the original Xbox debug kit.

DuckDuckGo offers a first look at its desktop web browser

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 10:49 AM PST

DuckDuckGo has offered an early peek at its upcoming desktop app. In a blog post that recaps the company's year, CEO Gabriel Weinberg looked toward the future as well. He said DuckDuckGo will bring the privacy protections the company is known for to the app. You can expect the speed and simplicity of its mobile app too.

"Robust privacy protection" will be enabled by default for search, browsing, email and more. Weinberg said the app isn't a "privacy browser" per se, but rather "an everyday browsing app that respects your privacy."

As it did on mobile, DuckDuckGo is building the app using OS-provided rendering engines instead of basing it on projects like Chromium. According to Weinberg, that helped the development team to "strip away a lot of the unnecessary cruft and clutter that's accumulated over the years in major browsers."

Along with a streamlined interface and the Fire Button (which closes all tabs and wipes browsing data in a single tap), the DuckDuckGo desktop is cleaner and much more private than Chrome, Weinberg said. He also claimed it's "significantly faster" than Google's browser, based on early tests — here's hoping it's less of a memory hog than Chrome too. DuckDuckGo didn't reveal when it plans to release the desktop app.

Weinberg notes that, over the last 12 months, DuckDuckGo has bolstered its search and tracker blocking features. He said DuckDuckGo's mobile app is now the most downloaded Android browser in key markets. In July, the company announced a free email forwarding service that removes tracking pixels from messages.

Jack Dorsey caused an uproar with a bizarre Web3 Twitter rant

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 09:51 AM PST

One of the internet's most vocal proponents of Bitcoin voiced an unusually uncharacteristic opinion against Web3 this week. On Monday, Square Block CEO Jack Dorsey took to Twitter to warn blockchain enthusiasts how Web3 has already been co-opted by investors. "You don't own 'web3,'" he said in a message spotted by Bloomberg. "The VCs and their LPs do. It will never escape their incentives. It's ultimately a centralized entity with a different label. Know what you're getting into…"

Web3 is the term many in the crypto community use to describe the next iteration of the internet. With the help of technologies like blockchain, they argue the internet will become a more decentralized entity, free of the institutional players that have dominated it since the early days of the platform. Investment firms like Andreessen Horowitz have been some of the most vocal supporters of companies in the space. As of October, the firm had set aside $3.1 billion to invest in crypto and Web3 startups. "It's somewhere between a and z," Dorsey said, referencing "a16z," its nickname when Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined the conversation to ask if "anyone has seen web3?"

It's unclear what prompted Dorsey to take to Twitter to say what he did. After all, this is the man who wanted the world to know he had a Bitcoin clock in his kitchen when he testified before Congress. It should also be noted Dorsey runs a company that is heavily involved in blockchain technologies.

What is clear is that his tweet caused a stir. As of the writing of this article, the post has attracted more than 5,000 retweets, 2,000 quote tweets and 31,000 likes. Naturally, the Bored Ape contingent showed up to tell Dorsey he was "dead wrong," but just as many people came to offer support, calling him "based" for his tweet.

For all the buzz Dorsey's tweet generated, there's a kernel of truth to what he said. On Monday, The Wall Street Journal, citing a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, determined 0.01 percent of those who hold Bitcoin control 27 percent of the digital currency. Another recent study from Nature found that just ten percent of NFT investors completed 85 percent of all transactions involving those assets. Decentralization indeed.

GeForce Now's 120fps game streaming option is available on Pixel 6 Pro

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 09:12 AM PST

Pixel 6 Pro has joined the list of devices that can stream games from GeForce Now at 120 frames per second and in 1080p. Until now, the only smartphones to support that option on NVIDIA's cloud gaming service were Samsung Galaxy devices, including S21, S20 FE and Note 20 phones. NVIDIA confirmed on a support page, which was first spotted by XDA Developers, that Pixel 6 Pro owners could use the 120fps option.

In October, NVIDIA debuted a new high-end tier for GeForce Now that's powered by RTX 3080 GPUs. You'll need to subscribe to that plan (which costs $100 for six months) to stream games at 120fps. On PC and Mac, the resolution tops out at 1440p but with NVIDIA Shield, you can play at up to 4K. The premium plan costs $50 for six months, so the RTX 3080 plan is quite the jump in price. However, you won't need a tricked-out rig to play titles from a number of PC gaming storefronts at high quality.

To use the 120fps mode on Pixel 6 Pro, go to the stream quality section under GeForce Now in the app's settings. You'll need to make sure your display's 120Hz refresh rate is active too. NVIDIA says you'll need a connection of at least 25 MB/s for 120fps gaming. It also plans to bring the option to more devices.

TikTok's PC streaming app accused of violating an open source license

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 08:35 AM PST

Streamlabs isn't the only company drawing flak from the Open Broadcasting Software (OBS) project. According to Protocol, OBS business development manager Ben Torell claims to have "clear evidence" TikTok is violating the open source GNU General Public License (aka GPL) with its recently released Live Studio software. The Windows livestreaming app allegedly uses code from OBS Studio and other open efforts, but TikTok isn't sharing that code under GPL terms.

Live Studio is meant to offer the features and quality you typically get from livestreaming services like Twitch, such as game capturing and overlays. It's only available to a small number of users in a few Western markets, TikTok told TechCrunch, but that doesn't matter in a licensing dispute like this.

We've asked TikTok for comment. This won't necessarily lead to a lawsuit, however. Torell stressed the OBS project responds to GPL violations "in good faith" and would be happy to work with TikTok as long as it respected the license. With that said, TikTok hadn't responded to OBS' concerns as of this writing — the dispute isn't over yet.

Nikola will pay $125 million to settle SEC fraud charges

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 08:15 AM PST

Electric vehicle company Nikola will pay $125 million to settle civil charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission of defrauding investors. The company was accused of misleading investors about its in-house production capabilities, technological advancements, reservations and orders, hydrogen production and more.

The SEC accused founder and former CEO Trevor Milton of undertaking "a public relations campaign aimed at inflating and maintaining Nikola's stock price" through tweets and media appearances before the company had made a commercial product. It said that the company also misled investors by "misrepresenting or omitting material facts" about the hydrogen station at its headquarters, how long it would take to refuel its concept vehicles, the source and cost of power for planned hydrogen production and the risks and benefits of a mooted partnership with a major automaker.

"As the order finds, Nikola Corporation is responsible both for Milton's allegedly misleading statements and for other alleged deceptions, all of which falsely portrayed the true state of the company's business and technology," SEC enforcement director Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement.

Although Nikola did not admit to or deny the SEC's charges of securities law violations, it agreed to some voluntary undertakings, to pay the penalty and to cease and desist from "future violations of the charged provisions." It will cooperate with ongoing litigation and investigation too.

"We are pleased to bring this chapter to a close as the company has now resolved all government investigations," Nikola said in a statement. "We will continue to execute on our strategy and vision to deliver on our business plan, including delivering trucks to customers, expanding our manufacturing facilities and our sales and service network, and building out our hydrogen infrastructure ecosystem including hydrogen production, distribution and dispensing stations." The company also said it was seeking reimbursement from Milton "for costs and damages in connection with the government and regulatory investigations."

Nikola became a publicly traded company in June 2020 through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal, which enables companies to bypass the usual process of going public. That September, reports suggested the SEC was looking into Nikola's claims about its electric trucks. Milton, who had stepped down as CEO just before the company went public, resigned as executive chairman a few days after news emerged about the probe.

A grand jury indicted Milton on fraud charges in July 2021. He was accused of lying to investors about "nearly all aspects of the business" to increase Nikola's share price. He denied the charges and is free on bail pending a trial that's scheduled for April. 

Meanwhile, Nikola delivered its first electric trucks to customers last week.

‘The Matrix Resurrections’ is brilliant, but not for everyone

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 08:00 AM PST

"Nothing comforts anxiety like a little nostalgia," Morpheus says in The Matrix Resurrections. That's a not-so-subtle dig at the onslaught of reboots and remakes dominating our culture — revisiting characters and stories we already know is, well, safe. Audiences know what to expect, and it's a better bet for risk-averse studios. Of course, Morpheus (now played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen) is also commenting on the film he's in.

More than twenty years after The Matrix fundamentally reshaped genre cinema, director Lana Wachowski is finally diving back into the universe that made her and co-director Lilly Wachowski renowned. After all that time, is it really worth going back down the rabbit hole, or is this just another easy franchise cash-grab?

The answer to that question depends on what you want from a Matrix sequel. Like The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions before it, Wachowski (along with co-writers David Mitchell and Aleksander Hemon) isn't interested in merely retreading the past with Resurrections. Instead, it's a film that's keenly aware of its legacy, our relationship with its characters, and the lofty expectations that fans (and studios!) have when rebooting a beloved property.

The Matrix Resurrections
Warner Bros.

As someone who adored the original film, and found plenty to respect in the much-maligned sequels, Resurrections feels made just for me. It's intoxicating, thrilling and unabashedly romantic. But judging from the polarizing early critical responses, it's clearly not for everyone.

Minor spoilers ahead.

It's hard to talk about what The Matrix Resurrections is without describing its basic setup, most of which you can gather from the film's trailers. Keanu Reeves returns as Thomas Anderson, a programmer adrift in a world that doesn't quite make sense to him. He meets a woman played by Carrie-Anne Moss, but this time she's not the Agent-whupping bad-ass Trinity, she's just your typical (albeit, strikingly beautiful) mom. The two feel an instant connection. Thomas eventually gets ripped out of the world he's in thanks to a plucky new character named Bugs (Jessica Henwick), he finds the real world, and yadda yadda, you get the picture.

Now, you might be asking yourself, "Didn't Neo and Trinity die in The Matrix Revolutions?" All I can do is point at the title of the movie — what did you expect? This time, Anderson is a renowned game developer known for creating an popular trilogy of games that retell the entire Matrix story. When we first meet him, he's faced with a new challenge: making a fourth entry. He approaches it with the same sense of dread the Wachowskis likely felt about tackling a potential Matrix 4. A series of brainstorming scenes feel as if they're pulled directly from their own hellish meetings with Warner Bros. Anderson's team can only focus on the surface — How do they go beyond bullet time? What if they just focus on more mindless action? — rather than anything truly substantive.

Neo vs. Morpheus. inThe Matrix Resurrections

As the film unfolds (and don't worry, I'm not revealing any major surprises), it's impressive how Lana Wachowski elegantly avoids the traps most reboots fall into, as if she were in the Matrix herself, deftly avoiding all of the bullets aimed right at her. Sure, Resurrections brings some new special effects toys to the party, and it has the requisite action scenes you'd expect. But in many ways it's more reminiscent of the Wachowski's recent works, like the time-hopping epic Cloud Atlas, and the unabashedly humanistic Sense8.

The Matrix Resurrections wears its heart on its sleeve. It's far more interested in the transcendental possibilities of love than it is in laying the groundwork for a new trilogy of films. The fact that Wachowski is practically refusing to play by the current rules of Hollywood – set up the sequel by any means necessary! – feels almost revolutionary. She has one story to tell, and it means a lot to her. That's it.

The Matrix Resurrections
Warner Bros.

Strangely enough, the movie Resurrections reminds me of most is Wes Craven's A New Nightmare, a groundbreaking attempt at wrestling with a hugely popular genre franchise. That film – the seventh A Nightmare on Elm Street entry – brought Freddy Krueger into the real world to reclaim what made him terrifying. Throughout The Matrix Resurrections, it feels as if Wachowski is also ready to break the fourth wall with her sheer contempt for reboots, fan service and watered-down sequels. "The sheeple want control, certainty," a villain says at one point. (At that moment, I couldn't help but think of the utter failure of The Rise of Skywalker. Yes, the wound is still fresh.)

Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in The Matrix Resurrections
Warner Bros.

And this is where I come back to saying this movie isn't for everyone. But that just makes it a Matrix sequel. Sure, Reloaded and Revolutions were a bit overstuffed and convoluted, but they were also singular visions that took some major swings. (I'm still chasing the high of seeing Reloaded's sprawling highway chase for the first time.)

Geek cinema has taken over the world, yet aside from Christopher Nolan's work, it's rare to see big-budget filmmaking that isn't beholden to some major corporation's franchise rules (and at this point, that's usually just Disney). The Matrix Resurrections says "to hell with the rules!", and I applaud it.

Arturia is giving away a free lo-fi tape plug-in for the holidays

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 08:00 AM PST

It's become something of a holiday tradition for Arturia to give away a free plugin for the holidays. Last year it took its recreation of the iconic chorus from the Juno-6 and turned it into a stand alone effect. This year, it's breaking out the tape effects from its Mellotron emulation. 

The original Mellotron is, of course, an iconic keyboard that played back tape loops of other instruments — kind of like a proto-sampler. Arturia caught wind that some artists were using their Mellotron V plugin in an unexpected way. They were loading custom samples in and, rather than playing them back as a melody with the keyboard, simply adding the warmth and vibe of the simulated tape loops. 

So this holiday season Arturia decided to just cut out the middleman and release Tape Mello-Fi as a standalone tape simulator plugin. It can add distortion, saturation, tape flutters and even some filtering. Its interface is simple and delivers everything from subtle warmth to full on machine malfunctions. There are even 25 presets included to get you started.

Of course, there are tons of lo-fi and tape simulation plugins out there. But Arturia's is particularly good. And, it's free. So there's really no reason not to grab it. And you should do it sooner than later. Tape Mello-Fi will be available as a free download from Arturia's site from December 21st through Friday December 31st. After that, well, who knows. 

Researcher hacked an at-home COVID-19 test to give bogus results

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:39 AM PST

At-home COVID-19 tests might not be as trustworthy as you'd hope — not in the hands of a committed hacker, at least. As The Vergenotes, F-Secure researcher Ken Gannon discovered a since-patched security flaw in Ellume's Bluetooth-connected nasal swab test that let him change the reported results. The vulnerability was complicated, but still disconcerting.

Gannon used a rooted Android device to inspect the Bluetooth traffic Ellume's lateral flow tester was sending to the company's mobile app. The researcher pinpointed the traffic used to indicate test results, and wrote scripts to change the outcome. F-Secure Marketing Manager Alexandra Rinehimer even managed to fool Azova, a company issuing certificates for US entry tests, when it supervised her test.

Ellume has made it harder to study and modify the data, and it's not clear iPhone or iPad users could replicate the same feat. The company is also building a portal to help officials verify at-home tests, and has determined that all previous tests were authentic.

Even so, the findings raise concerns about people using other flaws (including for other tests) to falsify their COVID-19 results. Someone with enough know-how could flip results negative to re-enter the US or a particular workplace while infected. Although the effort currently involved makes that fraud unlikely on a large scale, it wouldn't take many bogus results to lead to outbreaks.

First full asteroid return sample confirms early Solar System origins

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 06:50 AM PST

Scientists have finally studied their first full samples returned from an asteroid in space, and they confirm what you'd expect — while providing some new insights. ScienceAlertreports researchers have released twopapers revealing their first analysis of samples from Ryugu, the space rock the Hayabusa2 probe visited in February 2019. The team knew Ryugu would be a common, carbon-rich C-type asteroid, but that still makes it a good peek at the ingredients of the early Solar System.

The sampling indicates Ryugu has a carbon-dominated composition similar to the Sun's photosphere (outer shell), much like certain meteorites. It's made of the most primitive materials in the Solar System, emerging from the dust disc that formed along with the Sun itself. It's also quite porous, like many asteroids. However, it's not quite a neat and tidy example. Most C-type asteroids have a low albedo (solar radiation reflectivity) of 0.03 to 0.09 due to their carbon, but Ryugu's is 0.02. It's dark even by the standards of its cosmic neighbors.

As it stands, the very existence of these studies represents an achievement. The first attempt to return a sample, from the astroid Itokawa in 2010, only netted a tiny amount of dust. There's still more to come from Ryugu, but even the existing data could help scientists reshape their understanding of the Solar System's birth and development.

2021 was the year that streaming pushed our cultural buttons

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 06:30 AM PST

To no one's surprise, 2020 was a bumper year for streaming. With people stuck at home last year, services saw millions of new subscribers — Netflix attracted 16 million customers in just three months, alone. The early part of 2021 continued that trend, but as the year draws to a close, it appears the growth is slowing down across the board. This suggests that as restrictions ease around the world, people might be returning to pre-pandemic norms.

But on the whole, 2021 was still a pretty big year for streaming. Netflix now has 214 million global subscribers, and services like Disney+ and HBO Max lured customers with exclusive TV shows and movies. US platforms, like Peacock, expanded internationally and online-only programming was well-represented at multiple award shows. Titles exclusive to streaming, such as Squid Game and WandaVision, became part of the cultural landscape. A slow year or not, it's clear that this is how most of us watch our shows now. Here are some of the biggest stories in streaming this year.

Squid Game
Netflix

Netflix continues to dominate

As mentioned above, Netflix is the undisputed leader in streaming with over 214 million subscribers worldwide. Sure, it's faced a few challenges from rivals like Disney+ and Amazon Prime, but Netflix is still holding strong. Part of that is due to the company's strategy of investing in original content that you can't get anywhere else, like Stranger Things and The Crown.

And of course, there's Squid Game which is undoubtedly the number one TV show of the year. Netflix has said that around 142 million households watched the Korean-language show, making it the most-viewed new show in Netflix history. There's also the recently released Red Notice, which became the service's most-watched movie in its first 28 days of release, with around 328.8 million viewing hours in that time span. That tops the previous record held by Bird Box, which had 282 million viewing hours back in 2018.

Things don't seem to be slowing down, either. Netflix has signed multi-year deals with big names like Kevin Hart and Steven Spielberg, it has exclusive rights for Universal animated films and it purchased the rights to Roald Dahl's entire catalog. this phenomenon

Still, 2021 wasn't without its hiccups. The largest one by far is when Netflix employees staged a protest over the CEO's remarks defending Dave Chappelle's standup special, which was heavily criticized for its transphobic content. CEO Ed Sarandos has since said he "screwed up" on the messaging, but has not rescinded his defense.

Loki
Disney

Disney+ proves it's a serious contender

Disney+, on the other hand, currently has 118.1 million paid subscribers worldwide, which doesn't quite compare to Netflix. But the service still gained ground in 2021, with around 43 million more subscribers compared to last year. A lot of that can be attributed to Disney's powerhouse brands such as Pixar, Star Wars and, especially in 2021, Marvel.

2021 was when the Marvel Cinematic Universe released four different TV shows, all exclusively on Disney+: WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki and Hawkeye. This is a big deal, as Marvel has said that these TV series are key to the MCU's "Phase Four" chapter, indicating that fans will likely want to watch them in order to understand the context behind upcoming movies set in the same universe.

But there was more to these shows that made them required viewing. As the first out the gate, WandaVision set the tone. The episodes were meant to be watched weekly, as each one spurred so-called "water cooler" discussions in-person and online. This felt a lot like "anti-binging" TV, as much of the appeal of these shows lay in the anticipation of what would happen next. At the very least, it showed that Disney+'s slate of original content — which also includes The Mandalorian and the upcoming The Book of Boba Fett — could hold its own against that of more established platforms.

Wonder Woman 1984
Warner Bros.

The direct-to-streaming revolution that wasn't

During the thick of the pandemic, many movies eschewed theatrical releases for direct-to-streaming debuts. Examples include The Lovebirds, Borat Subsequent Movie Film,Mulan (via paid Premier Access), Soul, and Wonder Woman 1984. That carried into this year as well, with Disney+ continuing its paid Premier Access model with Cruella, Black Widow and Jungle Cruise (Luca, however, did not have Premier Access release).

The biggest move, however, was when Warner Bros. announced that every single one of its movies in 2021 would have a one month exclusive access period on HBO Max concurrent with the film's domestic release. This meant that big blockbuster movies like Suicide Squad, Dune and Matrix 4 would be available on HBO Max on the same day they debuted in theaters for an entire year.

While some may have heralded this phenomenon as the future of entertainment, it looks to be short-lived. Disney revealed a few months ago that all of its remaining 2021 movies will get a 45-day head start in theaters. This could be due to strong responses to titles like Free Guy and Shang-Chi, but Disney might also want to avoid lawsuits like the one Scarlett Johansson filed for breach of contract over shortened theatrical releases. Warner Bros. also said that it's going back to theater-first releases in 2022. It looks like the direct-to-streaming revolution isn't quite here just yet.

Other notable streaming news

  • Paramount+ replaces CBS All Access, which essentially opens up the service to other ViacomCBS channels, such as Comedy Central and VH1, plus Paramount's existing movie library.

  • Discovery+ makes its debut. The service features content from HGTV, Food Network, Animal Planet, TLC, the Magnolia Network, and Discovery.

  • AT&T spun off its WarnerMedia division and merged it with Discovery in a $43 billion deal. The new company will combine Warner's film division, HBO Max and Discovery+.

  • Roku purchased Quibi's shows and released some of them as "Roku Originals."

  • Roku pulled YouTube TV from its channel store amid a contract dispute with Google. The latter apparently requested priority placement in search results and wanted to block results from other providers while the app was in use. As of December 8th, both parties have finally agreed to a multi-year extension.

  • In other notable YouTube TV news, the service recently lost access to all of Disney's channels, which includes ESPN, ABC and FX, as Google and Disney had failed to strike a deal. After just a couple of days, however, the two companies reconciled and reached an agreement, thus restoring all of the aforementioned channels. When YouTube TV initially lost those channels, Google had dropped the price of the service by $15 (from $65 to $50 in the basic package). Now the price is back to normal. However, if users had already initiated the cancellation process, Google will still honor the one-time $15 credit if they resume their membership. 

  • WWE Network ceased operations as most of its content moved to Peacock.

  • Peacock aired multiple live Olympics sporting events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

  • Universal made a deal where Peacock and Amazon Prime Video would have some streaming rights for its live-action movies after their theatrical run. They would air on Peacock for four months, then on Prime Video for 10 months, and then back to Peacock for at least another four months. This kicks into effect in 2022.

  • Netflix gained exclusive streaming rights to all of Sony's upcoming movies, including upcoming titles in the Spider-Man franchise.

  • Peacock debuts in the UK and Ireland.

What to look forward to in 2022

While the growth in streaming might be slowing, there are still plenty of shows and movies to anticipate next year. Netflix has confirmed that the aforementioned Sandmanwill be released in 2022, as well as The Witcher: Blood Origin and new seasons of favorites like Stranger Things, The Crown and Ozark. Disney+ will continue its MCU run of TV shows with Ms. Marvel, and will introduce a couple of Star Wars series too: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor. Perhaps the two biggest TV series to get excited about, however, are HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, and Amazon's epic Lord of the Rings series, which is set thousands of years prior to The Hobbit.

Ubisoft has barely sold any Ghost Recon NFTs

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 06:07 AM PST

Ubisoft recently launched the Quartz NFT platform as a way to monetize game properties, something that didn't exactly go over well with either customers or employees. Now, it appears that the effort is a financial bust so far, too, as the company reportedly sold just 15 NFTs of a Ghost Recon Breakpoint gun skin as of yesterday, Eurogamer reported. It appears to have sold two more M4A1 tactical weapons and one "Wolf Enhance Pants #76" for a total of 18 as of today. 

Apex Legends senior character artist Liz Edwards tweeted that she looked at the two third-party marketplaces linked to the Quartz sites "and there seems to be... 15 sales in total?" That works out to about $1,755.30 in revenue, as Eurogamer noted. As of today, Ubisoft appears to have minted about somewhere north of 3,000 NFTs.

Ubisoft launched the first three Ghost Recon Breakpoint Editions for free, with the weapon requiring XP Level 4, the helmet greater than 600 hours of play time, and the pants at least 100 hours of play time. Those went pretty quickly and the claim period ended, so the only way to get them now is to pay. 

As some critics have pointed out, Breakpoint doesn't have the most alluring visual aesthetic, so it seems an odd choice to kick off an NFT for visual collectibles. On the other hand, Ubisoft may have been just dipping its toe into the water with one of its less high-profile, though still popular franchises. 

For the minimum money collected so far, however, the effort may have done more harm than good. Ubisoft reportedly alienated its own French trade union, which called NFTs "a useless, costly, ecologically mortifying tech." 

Tiffany Haddish is getting her own Supernatural VR workout

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST

Popular virtual reality workout app Supernatural is partnering with comedian Tiffany Haddish to release a new workout series. Part of its upcoming This Year, Be You campaign, the collaboration will add four new workouts for users to check out once 2022 arrives. You'll find one new routine in each of Supernatural's main fitness categories. Expect the experiences to take you to virtual locations modeled after beaches in Spain and Portugal, rice terraces in China and salt flats in Bolivia.

The two came to work together after developer Within found out Haddish was a big fan of its app. In April, Haddish took to Instagram to lament that she had managed to break the strap to her Oculus Meta Quest headset while working out with Supernatural. One day later, Within, which is at the center of an FTC probe involving Meta's plan to acquire the studio, sent her a custom headset. "I became addicted to Supernatural last year," Haddish said. "I've never felt so powerful or had so much fun working out." 

All four workouts will be available starting on January 1st, 2022. 

Amazon kids bundle offers a Fire 7 tablet and Echo Dot for just $80

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 05:05 AM PST

If you're still looking for a last-minute Christmas gift — or a post-holiday one — for the kids in your life, Amazon has a bundle you may want to check out. The e-commerce giant is selling a Fire 7 Kids tablet and an Echo Kids speaker bundle for just $80, which is 50 percent off their original retail prices together. You can get the 7-inch tablet in purple, pink or blue, while the Echo Dot speaker that it comes with has a panda design. 

Buy Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet + Echo Dot Kids Bundle at Amazon - $80

The Fire 7 Kids tablet alone normally costs $100, though Amazon has been selling it for $60 since the beginning of December. As for the fourth-gen Echo Dot for Kids, its original retail price is $60, but it's been listed for $35 since November. Even taking the discounted prices into account, you'll still save $15 if you get the bundle instead of getting each item on its own. 

Amazon's bundle comes with one year of access to Amazon Kids+, along with all of its apps, games, books, audiobooks and video. You (or the kid's parents or guardian) can give the recipient access to apps like Netflix or games like Minecraft via the Amazon Parent Dashboard. That's also where the child's guardian can set time limits for usage, filter out explicit songs and review activity for the Echo Dot. Of course, the bundle's recipient can also ask Alexa to play kid-friendly Audible books or interactive games from the Kids+ subscription service on their panda Echo Dot speaker.

The deal is a time-limited offer and only available for 19 more hours as of this writing. After that, the price for the bundle will likely go back to $95. 

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

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Morning After: The best things we bought in 2021

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 04:15 AM PST

Our end-of-year coverage kicks off this week, covering the major tech stories of the year (hi, billionaires in space) and, closer to Earth, the gear that the Engadget team spent their money on in the last eleven-and-a-half months. It runs the gamut from Apple Watches to smart bike trainers and, er, socks.

TMA
Engadget

I discuss my love for the OLED Switch, which I upgraded to from my launch edition of Nintendo's hybrid console. The screen is gorgeous, as are the white Joy-Cons, but the biggest boon coming from the first Switch iteration is the substantial battery boost. It also seems like Nintendo's stock of the new Switch is a little more stable, so chances of getting one this holiday season seem better than earlier this year. Oh and Metroid Dread runs like a dream on it.

— Mat Smith

Ford's Extended Range F-150 Lightning has a massive 131 kWh battery pack

The Standard Range models will carry a 'mere' 98 kWh battery.

Ford quietly revealed the battery capacities available on its Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup, Auto Evolution reported. To start with, the Standard Range model, with a projected 230 miles of range, will come with a 98 kWh battery pack. Meanwhile, the optional Extended Range version (300 miles targeted) will have a massive 131 kWh battery.

Continue reading.

LG's first gaming laptop comes with an NVIDIA RTX 3080 GPU and 11th-gen Intel CPU

Other specs include a 300Hz 1080p display and 93Wh battery.

TMA
LG

LG is best known for its lightweight Gram 17 laptop, but now it wants some of that gaming PC pie. It's revealed what it calls its "first gaming laptop" with some high-end specs. The 17-inch UltraGear 17G90Q model packs an 11th-generation Intel Tiger Lake H CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q graphics, up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. A 300Hz 1080p IPS display should keep the battery life suitably lengthy, while the design aesthetic seems heavily inspired by Razer's laptop series and other existing gaming PCs. There's no pricing yet, but LG will reveal more details at CES 2022 on January 4th.

Continue reading.

In 2021, billionaires headed to the stars

Unfortunately, they all came back 30 minutes later.

TMA
Virgin Galactic

Instead of the two most powerful empires on the planet vying to be first to the moon, we now have corporations — Elon Musk's SpaceX, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic — boasting a future filled with exo-planetary tourism. In 2021, the heads of these private companies finally made good on their myriad promises, successfully launching civilians, astronauts and, in two cases, themselves into the uppermost reaches of Earth's atmosphere. Andrew Tarantola plots the launches, delays and drama of the civilian space race.

Continue reading.

Meta is trying to find the people who created more than 39,000 phishing sites

The company filed a lawsuit in California to uncover the identities of those behind the attacks.

Meta has filed a federal lawsuit to "uncover the identities" of a group of people that created more than 39,000 websites designed to trick users into coughing up their login credentials for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

People were redirected to bogus websites in a way that allowed the hackers to hide their actions. "This enabled them to conceal the true location of the phishing websites, and the identities of their online hosting providers and the defendants," Meta said.

Continue reading.

EPA announces strictest fuel efficiency standards ever

It's reversing the Trump-era rollback.

By 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency will require that automaker fleets travel an average of about 55 miles per gallon, up from the 37 miles per gallon standard they're held to as of this year.

The agency estimates the policy will save American drivers between $210 billion and $420 billion through 2050 on fuel costs. Over the life of a model year 2026 vehicle, that should translate to about $1,080 in individual consumer savings. It marks President Biden's most significant climate action to date. As of 2019, the transportation sector remains the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US.

Continue reading.

 

 

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