Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Engadget RSS Feed

Engadget RSS Feed

Amazon allegedly retaliates against worker at its Bessemer facility

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 06:55 PM PST

Isaiah Thomas is a 20-year-old Amazon worker at the company's Bessemer, Alabama facility, BHM1. He is also a vocal supporter of unionizing the warehouse. In a conference with press Monday evening, he described what he believed were surveillance and retaliation by his employer, solely because of his support for collective bargaining efforts. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which has been working to represent employees at BHM1, has filed two unfair labor practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board over the incident. 

In a screenshot provided by the union, a letter addressed only from "BHM1 Management" to Isaiah claims the worker was "soliciting in working areas, during working associate times." The letter concedes that these activities "may have occurred during your break time" but nonetheless contends that Isaiah was "in violation" of the company's solicitation policy. 

RWDSU, however, believes this action was itself in violation of "the settlement agreement the employer recently executed with the NLRB." That agreement, which was reported late last month, pertained to several instances of Amazon impeding union activity. The union filed a separate ULP, alleging that the company or its agents "created the impression Mr. Thomas was under surveillance." Amazon has been known to hold captive audience meetings meant to discourage union interest, and after one such meeting at BHM1 wherein Isaiah allegedly questioned a "labor relations manager," RWDSU states in its ULP that "Mr. Thomas observed the employer's agents circling his work area for no other purpose than to watch him work" and later assigned him to a different area where he could be "more easily observed."   

While RWDSU have described the letter as a "reprimand" in an email to Engadget, it's unclear if it represents a formal write-up. We've reached out for comment from Amazon.

The news comes two days after the NLRB ruled Amazon had illegally fired another pro-union worker at its Staten Island facility. If that case doesn't go to settlement, the Board plans to issue a formal complaint against the company.

BHM1 famously became the first large Amazon facility on US soil to hold a union vote. While the vote swung heavily in favor of the cloud-and-ecommerce giant, it was challenged on procedural grounds by RWDSU. The NLRB found merit to the challenge, ruling that Amazon had, in fact, illegally interfered with the unionization vote. Ultimately the Board determined a new vote should be held. It's scheduled to take place on February 4th (though the ballot count will not begin until the end of March.) 

Amazon is, beyond is preference for a non-unionized workforce, well known for its rate of employee attrition. Seemingly, the speed at which it churns through workers would disadvantage efforts to build a cohesive bargaining unit at BHM1. According to RWDSU, the current voter list at the facility it 6,143 people, just over half of which were present for the previous vote, which took place almost exactly one year ago. 

Google's new senior VP will explore technology's impact on society

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 02:20 PM PST

Big Tech has long faced accusations that it's a detriment to society, and Google thinks it can address those criticisms more directly. Axios' Ina Fried says the internet pioneer has hired James Manyika as the company's first Senior VP of Technology and Society. As Google told Engadget, the McKinsey Global Institute director will help explore tech's impact on society and shape the firm's points of view on subjects including AI, the future of work, sustainability and other areas that could make a significant difference.

Manyika will report directly to Alphabet and Google chief Sundar Pichai, and will work with outsiders as well as internal staff. He'll help build leadership on technological impact at the company, Google said, and will focus on top-level, longer-term initiatives.

The new hire appears to have the right background. Manyika has spent 28 years at McKinsey, which helps companies and governments (including tech leaders) make decisions based on economic and cultural trends like those Google hopes to address. He also serves on the boards of research institutes at Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Stanford and other top-tier schools. If anyone is likely to be aware of tech's broader effects on the world, it's him.

Google's move certainly isn't surprising. It comes as the company is facing a host of antitrust lawsuits, increasingly tougher regulations and protests over its treatment of employees. There are also claims Google and Big Tech haven't done enough to fight misinformation and are eroding privacy. The new executive won't necessarily adjust all of Google's behavior, but he could provide a more informed perspective that reduces the chances of a cultural or political backlash.

Pokémon satire 'Palworld' serves cute creatures for dinner in a new trailer

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 02:05 PM PST

Last summer we (well, the Engadget staff at least) collectively lost our minds at the announcement of Palworld, a monster catching and battling game in the vein of Pokémon, but with guns. And labor exploitation. This past weekend developer Pocketpair dropped another trailer and well… it's not any less shocking.

The new trailer puts the guns right up front, along with several "pals" that really look like knock-offs of Pokémon like Ampharos, Umbreon and Xerneas, among many other familiar faces. The back half of the new trailer also showcases the factory scene we saw last year, as well as some new disturbing images. 

If that wasn't troubling enough, the Steam page is live, and the game description promises you can "sell them, butcher them to eat, give them hard labor, pillage, rob and exercise complete mayhem but this is completely up to the players to make adult decisions" with the added warning, "Just don't get caught!"

There's still no set release date for the Japanese-developed game, but the timing of this latest trailer might be because of the impending release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus for the Switch this week. Palworld promises both open-world and multiplayer, two features that Pokémon players have been requesting for ages. But time will tell if Palworld will scratch that itch when it comes out later this year... if it's not issued a cease-and-desist first.

Apple's MacBook Air M1 drops to $850 at Amazon

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 01:21 PM PST

Don't worry about paying full price for the MacBook Air M1. Amazon is selling Apple's well-known ultraportable laptop in gold and silver for $850 after a $49 automatic discount at checkout. That's the lowest price we've seen in a while, and not much more than the record low from November.

Buy MacBook Air at Amazon - $850

The MacBook Air M1 may be over a year old, but there's a good reason why it remains one of our top picks for ultraportables. It's still fast for the category, completely silent (as there's no fan) and long-lasting on battery. Combine those with a superb keyboard and trackpad and this might be the laptop you want if you need to last through a long workday while juggling multiple apps.

There are still just two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, and the 720p webcam won't be thrilling. There's also the matter of timing. Rumors persist of Apple launching an M2-based MacBook Air in the spring, and it may be tempting to hold out if you're more concerned about having the latest hardware than the best price. If you need a laptop now or would rather save money, though, the M1 model is still a fine choice.

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

Google’s next Chromecast with Google TV may be a 1080p budget model

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 01:00 PM PST

Google is said to be developing a new Chromecast aimed at folks who haven't splurged on a 4K TV. According to Protocol, the low-end device will harness the Google TV interface and include a remote, as well as a maximum resolution of 1080p.

The device, which could be named Chromecast HD with Google TV, is said to be capable of decoding the AV1 video codec (something the 4K-capable Chromecast with Google TV doesn't support at the hardware level). It seems likely that, given the lower resolution output, the device will cost less than the $50 Chromecast with Google TV.

It's been over three years since Google unveiled its third-gen 1080p Chromecast. That device, which is still available for $30, doesn't come with a remote and nor does it offer any native apps. Given that Roku and Amazon sell 1080p streaming devices for under $50, it's probably about time Google introduced a lower-end Chromecast with the Google TV UI, a remote and perhaps even Stadia compatibility.

It's not the first time we've heard about a Chromecast dongle with the codename "Boreal." 9to5 Google last week reported Google was working on a device with that name, but no specs were mentioned.

It's not clear if or when Google plans to release the Chromecast HD with Google TV (or whatever it's called). It doesn't seem quite splashy enough to be showcased at the annual fall hardware event, but, as Protocol notes, the company has debuted some devices at its I/O developer conference, which typically takes place in May. Other recent rumors suggest the first Google-branded smartwatch and the Pixel 6a could arrive around that time.

The James Webb Space Telescope arrives at its final orbit

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 12:35 PM PST

The James Webb Space Telescope has reached its new home. NASA has confirmed the remote observatory successfully entered its final orbit around the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (aka L2) after one last course correction burn. The telescope's primary mirror segments and secondary mirror have already been deployed, but you'll have to wait until the summer for the first imagery. NASA will spend the next several months readying the JWST for service, including a three-month optics alignment process.

The L2 orbit is crucial to the telescope's mission. It provides a largely unobstructed view of space while giving the spacecraft a cold, interference-free position that helps its instruments live up to their full potential. The JWST is expected to study the early Universe using infrared light, providing data that wouldn't be available from an Earth orbit telescope like Hubble.

The arrival is also a relief for NASA. The stakes were high given the project's $10 billion cost, of course, but it also proves that the space agency could successfully launch and deploy a sophisticated observatory far from Earth. And while they're different devices, the JWST is widely considered the spiritual successor to Hubble — with the older telescope clearly in rough shape, expectations are particularly high for the new machine.

Microsoft finally updates the original Surface Duo to Android 11

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 11:31 AM PST

Microsoft is finally bringing the original Surface Duo up to date... relatively speaking. As 9to5Googlenotes, the company has finally released its long-promised (and late) Android 11 upgrade for the dual-screen smartphone. The newer operating system is the main draw, of course, but you'll also find a host of Surface Duo-specific improvements.

You can now play Xbox Game Pass cloud titles using an on-screen controller, for a start. OneDrive also has an "enhanced" dual-screen interface for viewing and editing photos. There are revised app drawer and folder designs with better drag-and-drop support, while the Microsoft feed and Start widgets have received updates. You can have the Surface Duo automatically span particular apps across both screens, and set preferences for answering phone calls when the device is folded. And if you prefer handwritten memos, you can click the top button on a paired Slim Pen 2 to open OneNote.

The upgrade will likely be welcome if you've been tired of living with Android 10 for more than a year. At the same time, we'll understand if it still stings. Android 12 has already been available on other phones for weeks, and in some cases months — you're still behind, even if the gap has narrowed. While it's understandable that updates for such a unique phone would take longer, that won't be much consolation if you were hoping to keep reasonably current. 

Meta says its new AI supercomputer will be the world's fastest by mid-2022

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 10:46 AM PST

Meta has completed the first phase of a new AI supercomputer. Once the AI Research SuperCluster (RSC) is fully built out later this year, the company believes it will be the fastest AI supercomputer on the planet, capable of "performing at nearly 5 exaflops of mixed precision compute."

The company says RSC will help researchers develop better AI models that can learn from trillions of examples. Among other things, the models will be able to build better augmented reality tools and "seamlessly analyze text, images and video together," according to Meta. Much of this work is in service of its vision for the metaverse, in which it says AI-powered apps and products will have a key role.

"We hope RSC will help us build entirely new AI systems that can, for example, power real-time voice translations to large groups of people, each speaking a different language, so they can seamlessly collaborate on a research project or play an AR game together," technical program manager Kevin Lee and software engineer Shubho Sengupta wrote in a blog post.

RSC currently has 760 Nvidia DGX A100 systems with a total of 6,080 GPUs. Meta believes the current iteration is already among the fastest AI supercomputers on the planet. Based on early benchmarks, it claims RSC can, compared with the company's older setup, run computer vision workflows up to 20 times faster and the NVIDIA Collective Communication Library more than nine times faster.

Meta says RSC can train large-scale natural language processing models three times faster as well. As such, AI models that determine whether "an action, sound or image is harmful or benign" (for example, to root out hate speech) can be trained more quickly. According to the company, that research will help protect people on current services like Facebook and Instagram, as well as in the metaverse.

Along with creating the physical infrastructure and systems to run RSC, Meta said it needed to ensure there were security and privacy controls in place to protect the real-world training data it uses. It says that by using real-world data from its production systems, instead of publicly available data sets, it can more effectively put its research to use by, for instance, identifying harmful content.

This year, Meta plans to increase the number of GPUs in RSC to 16,000. It says that will boost AI training performance by more than 2.5 times. The company, which started working on the project in early 2020, wanted RSC to train AI models on data sets up to an exabyte in size (the equivalent of 36,000 years' worth of high-quality video).

"We expect such a step function change in compute capability to enable us not only to create more accurate AI models for our existing services, but also to enable completely new user experiences, especially in the metaverse," Lee and Sengupta wrote.

Other exascale systems are being built in the US. The delayed Aurora supercomputer at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory is expected to hit 2 exaflops, while the El Capitan supercomputer, which will manage the country's nuclear stockpile, is expected to top 2 exaflops when it arrives next year.

GOG's New Year Sale includes deals on 'Cyberpunk 2077' and 'The Witcher 3'

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 09:21 AM PST

PC gamers who are looking for a bargain (or a game or two to keep them going until Elden Ring arrives next month) might wish to take a gander at GOG's New Year Sale. There are many repeat deals from the Winter Sale, but it's still worth checking out the discounts, as you can save up to 90 percent on more than 2,500 games. Among them is Cyberpunk 2077, which is 50 percent off at $30.

Buy Cyberpunk 2077 at GOG - $30

While the first-person RPG had a notoriously rocky debut, CD Projekt Red has fixed some of the game's many bugs over the last 13 months. The studio plans to roll out the next major update for all platforms by the end of March.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 80 percent off during the sale. You can pick up one of the most highly regarded RPGs of the last decade for $8. Control Ultimate Edition is down 70 percent to $12 as well. The bundle includes the excellent base game as well as both expansions.

Elsewhere, you can scoop up Metro Exodus: Gold Edition for $14.80 (63 percent off) and Kingdom Come: Deliverance Royal Edition for $12 (70 percent off). These barely scratch the surface of the deals, which include a ton of indie games and franchises like Batman Arkham and Bioshock. You can check out the entire New Year Sale at GOG.

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

AT&T is rolling out multi-gig fiber internet to more than 70 cities

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 09:01 AM PST

Following the activation of its C-band 5G network last week, AT&T is now upgrading its fiber-based broadband service with two new plans that top out at 2Gbps and 5Gbps, respectively. The company says its new multi-gig fiber broadband will be available in more than 70 metro areas including Dallas, LA and Atlanta. Currently, AT&T's fiber broadband covers around 15 million customers across 90 markets, with the ISP looking to expand its network to reach more than 30 million customers by 2025.

While AT&T's new 5 GIG plan is almost certainly overkill for a typical household (even with a bunch of people making Zoom calls at the same time), the ongoing pandemic and shift towards working and schooling from home continues to put a strain on families with more limited internet.

The new 2 GIG plan is set to start at $110 per month plus tax (or $225 a month for a business fiber), while the faster 5 GIG plan will cost $180 per month (or $395 a month for businesses). Notably, AT&T describes both plans as offering "symmetrical" speeds, which means customers should see equally fast download and upload speeds. That last part is important for anyone who has to move large files around, especially when a lot of older internet plans often featuring upload speeds that are significantly lower than download speeds.

In addition to its new multi-gig fiber plans, AT&T is updating its fiber internet plans with more straightforward pricing. AT&T says this means new customers won't get hit with any equipment fees, data caps or annual contracts, with initial pricing locked in for at least 12 months. So your bill should just be the price of the service plus tax, with AT&T throwing in perks such as its ActiveArmor internet security, speedy Wi-Fi 6 routers, and a free HBO Max subscription for customers with top-tier plans (either the gigabit, 2 GIG or 5 GIG plans).

So, while AT&T's new fiber plans aren't cheap, they should supply ample bandwidth for data-hungry people like content creators and stream video enthusiasts. To find out if you live in an area covered by AT&T's new multi-gig plans, you can check availability on AT&T's fiber landing page here.

Google's long-rumored smartwatch could arrive on May 26th

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 08:26 AM PST

There have been rumblings for quite some time that Google has been beavering away on its own smartwatch. Rumors last month suggested a Google-branded watch could arrive sometime in 2022, and now we have a slightly clearer idea of when it might debut.

Leaker Jon Prosser said the watch is currently slated to arrive on May 26th, noting that this is "the first we've seen a set date on the device behind the scenes." While that seems on the surface like an oddly specific date for something so far away, the timing lines up with the Google I/O developer conference, which usually takes place in May.

As with most smartwatches in the Android ecosystem, the smartwatch is expected to have a circular face, albeit with no physical bezel. It will likely have a heart rate sensor and other features adopted from Fitbit, which Google bought last year. The device could show off the extent of what Wear OS can do and be positioned as an Apple Watch competitor.

The release date isn't set in stone, of course. Nor is the name of the device, despite suggestions that it'll be called Pixel Watch. Still, it's something for Android and Pixel enthusiasts to keep an eye on.

Other rumors suggest a Pixel 6a smartphone is coming in May as well. It's expected to use the same Tensor chipset as the Pixel 6, though Google could ditch the headphone jack in the budget model.

Panasonic's higher-capacity Tesla battery could enter production in 2023

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 07:39 AM PST

Panasonic could start mass producing larger-capacity batteries for Tesla as soon as next year. The 4680 cell is said to boost the range of electric vehicles by over 15 percent. As Nikkei notes, that could boost the range of the Model S from 650km (404 miles or so) on a single charge to 750km (around 465 miles).

Although the battery is said to be twice as big as previous versions, it has a fivefold increase in energy capacity, according to Nikkei. As such, cars need fewer of the batteries, which are already 10 to 20 percent cheaper to produce. It's estimated that batteries account for 30 percent of the cost of EVs. A cost reduction could make EVs more affordable and hasten the transition to electric vehicles. What's more, a longer range means drivers won't need to charge batteries as often.

Panasonic, a long-time partner of Tesla, is reportedly investing around 80 billion yen ($704 million) on new equipment to produce the 4680. It's said to be expanding an existing plant in Japan and making the batteries there to begin with. Nikkei reports the company will start making the cells on a small scale this year to develop safe and efficient processes before entering mass production in 2023. It may mass produce the batteries in other countries later.

The company confirmed to Reuters that it was setting up a test production line in 2022, though didn't say when it will start making the batteries at a larger scale. "We are studying various options for mass production," it said.

Panasonic started working on the cell following a request from Tesla. The head of Panasonic's battery division said in November that the company hasn't ruled out producing the cell for other automakers, though Tesla is its priority. Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously said that although his company plans to make its own batteries, it would continue to source them from other suppliers.

Tesla announced the 4680 at a Battery Day event in September 2020. At the time, Musk said the cell and other developments could enable Tesla to start selling a $25,000 EV.

Washington DC's AG sues Google for 'deceiving users and invading their privacy'

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 06:31 AM PST

Google, no stranger to lawsuits about its practices these days, is facing a fresh legal broadside from Washington DC Attorney General Karl Racine. Racine (pictured) has launched an action claiming that Google has violated the Consumer Protection Procedures act in the state, specifically about location tracking. Essentially, Racine believes that while Google says its users can opt-out of having their whereabouts identified, such tracking remains in place. Racine's claim is being mirrored by similar AG-led lawsuits in Texas, Washington State and Indiana.

Much of this controversy was first publicized back in 2018 when an Associated Press report identified that location tracking remained active regardless of the user's choice. The claim says that between 2014 and 2019, despite these promises, tracking data was stored in a Web and App Activity database. As our deep dive on the subject explained, Google did enable users to go in and erase their location from this file, but the process was slow and laborious.

"Google leads consumers to believe that consumers are in control of whether Google collects and retains information about their location and how that information is used," says the complaint. "In reality, consumers who use Google products cannot prevent Google from collecting, storing and profiting from their location." It added that the use of dark patterns to nudge a user to consenting to data collection is harmful to consumers.

This case follows a landmark action in Arizona, brought in 2020, where AG Mark Brnovich wanted the company to pay back ad money to users who though they had turned tracking off, but did not. In 2021, documents from that case emerged claiming that Google had further sought to obscure the settings that would enable a user to disable location tracking. 

Update Jan 24th, 11:28am ET: Google spokesperson José Castañeda has issued the following statement, saying that "the Attorneys General are bringing a case based on inaccurate claims and outdated assertions about our settings. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data. We will vigorously defend ourselves and set the record straight."

Google's Nest Hub Max is down to $169 for today only

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 05:58 AM PST

Those looking to add to their Google home setup can get the biggest Nest smart display for less today. Adorama has a one-day-only sale that knocks $60 off the Nest Hub Max, bringing it down to $169. That's even cheaper than we saw it a couple of weeks ago when a bunch of Nest gadgets were discounted across the web, and it's $11 less than the device's Black Friday price last year.

Buy Nest Hub Max at Adorama - $169

The Nest Hub Max earned a score of 86 from us when it first came out in 2019 and it remains a good option for those that rely on the Google Assistant and want a larger home hub with advanced smart features. It has a spacious 10-inch HD touchscreen on which you can do things like take a Zoom call, watch YouTube or Netflix and control all of the smart lights, thermostats and other gadgets in your home. Its stereo speakers help it sound better than the smaller Nest Hubs, so it'll be good for both video watching and music playing.

The built-in camera lets you do more than just take video calls. It enables Face Match, which is similar to Google's Voice Match feature in that it recognizes who's using the device so it can display information relevant to you including calendar alerts, messages and more. If you have more than one person in the house using the Hub Max, this feature will come in handy. The Hub Max also supports gesture controls, which allow you to do things like raise a palm to the camera to pause a video or song that's playing.

While it takes up more space on a countertop than a Nest Cam, the Nest Hub Max can act as one in your home, too. You can use the Nest Cam app to pull up the feed from the device's built-in camera, letting you keep watch over your home when you're away. So while most smart displays are multi-use devices, you're truly getting a lot of bang for your buck with the Nest Hub Max — especially when it's on sale like this.

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

The Morning After: The Steam Deck will support Epic's anti-cheat software

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 04:15 AM PST

Cheating is rife across many gaming platforms, but the biggest cheaters are usually found around PC gaming — despite games companies banning thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of the scamps. Valve's Steam Deck, its upcoming handheld, should make it harder to bend the rules.

TMA
Steam

The company announced titles that depend on Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) software can now run on the portable. Valve said adding Steam Deck support to titles that use EAC is "a simple process." Developers won't need to update their SDK version or make other time-consuming changes. It joins BattlEye support, meaning, as Valve notes: "The two largest anti-cheat services are now easily supported on Proton and Steam Deck."

However, it's still unclear whether some of the most popular multiplayer games on Steam that use BattlEye and EAC, including titles like Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG, will work on day one.

— Mat Smith

Another TV show is making PR problems for Peloton

Must be a hard workout.

TMA
Billions

Peloton didn't need more bad news. The premiere episode of Billions season six includes a scene that, like the Sex and the City follow-up And Just Like That, points a finger at Peloton's Bike for causing a heart attack for Mike "Wags" Wagner (played by David Costabile). Unlike And Just Like That, however, Wagner survives — he even references the AJLT scene, telling staff that he's "not going out" like that character.

Continue reading.

Latest Galaxy S22 leak includes possible pricing for Europe

And less memory for the highest-specced model

TMA
Evan Blass

According to WinFuture's Roland Quandt, European pricing for the Galaxy S22 series will start at €849 (roughly $1,018), with the base models of the Galaxy S22 Plus and Ultra slated to cost €1,049 ($1,188) and €1,249 ($1,414). If accurate, this should mean the 2022 Samsung's Galaxy S lineup will cost just as much as it did in 2021. In Europe at least, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will ship with 8GB of RAM, while the S21 Ultra packs 12GB of RAM.

And if you thought that was pricey, a separate leak from Android Police earlier this month suggested the company could charge an extra $100 stateside for every model in the Galaxy S22 lineup. We should know more very soon.

Continue reading.

Apple pulls verification requirement for US education shoppers

The move may be temporary.

Earlier this week, Apple began requiring students and teachers in the US to verify their identity through authentication service UNiDAYS before they could take advantage of the company's discounted education pricing. However, that's since disappeared. You can once again buy discounted Macs, iPads and other Apple products from the company's US education website without needing to verify you're currently a student or a teacher.

Continue reading.

Google claims court ruling would force it to 'censor' the internet

The company appealed to Australia's High Court to overturn a defamation case.

Google has asked the High Court of Australia to overturn a 2020 ruling it warns could have a "devastating" effect on the wider internet. Google claims it will be forced to "act as censor" if the country's highest court doesn't overturn a decision that awarded a lawyer $40,000 in defamation damages for an article the company had linked to through its search engine.

In 2016, George Defteros, a Victoria state lawyer, contacted Google to ask the company to remove a 2004 article from The Age. The piece featured reporting on murder charges prosecutors filed against Defteros related to the death of three men. Those charges were later dropped in 2005. The company refused to remove the article from its search results as it viewed the publication as a reputable source.

Continue reading.

 

The biggest news stories you might have missed


Sony will release a movie made using the PlayStation game-builder 'Dreams'

'We Met in Virtual Reality' finds love in the metaverse

PlatinumGames' long-awaited shoot 'em-up arrives February 22nd

What we bought: A rice cooker whose greatest trick isn't actually rice

The latest 'Star Trek: Picard' season two trailer teases a time-traveling adventure

Apple's second-gen AirPods fall back to $100

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 03:55 AM PST

A number of Apple's sound products are on sale right now at Amazon including the AirPods Max and AirPods Pro, but the best deal is to be found on the second generation AirPods. They're now on sale for just $100 or 37 percent off, the second-best deal we've seen on them since Black Friday. 

Buy second-gen Apple AirPods at Amazon - $100

The second-gen AirPods lack the active noise cancellation of higher-end models but still deliver solid sound quality and good battery life — up to five hours and a few charges with the included case. The biggest benefit is available to Apple users, as the H1 chipset allows you to connect in seconds and switch quickly between an iPhone, iPad and MacBook. The biggest difference with the latest third-gen AirPods is improved comfort for more users in the latter model. 

Apple AirPods Pro on sale at Amazon
Engadget

The AirPods Pro, meanwhile, are on sale for $180, or 28 percent off the regular price. They're Apple's best-sounding earbuds, offering great clarity, refined bass tones and Apple's spatial Dolby Atmos audio. The active noise cancellation (ANC) is highly effective, blocking enough noise that you don't have to crank up the sound excessively. Battery life is also solid, with up to 4.5 hours on a charge with ANC turned on. Other features include a transparency mode so you can talk to others, touch controls, and the ability to switch quickly between Apple devices. 

Buy Apple AirPods Pro at Amazon - $180
AirPods Max on sale Amazon
Engadget

Finally, Apple's AirPods Max headphones are on sale for $449 ($100 off the regular price) in the Sky Blue color only (shown above). If you're good with that, they offer excellent balanced sound, very effective active noise cancellation and on-board controls. You'll also get benefits in the Apple ecosystem like simple pairing and spatial audio. They also deliver solid battery life. We've seen a lower price at Woot, but returns and purchases are more straightforward with Amazon, and it's still a significant discount.

Buy Apple AirPods Max at Amazon - $449

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

Sony's WH-XB910N ANC headphones are 49 percent off in Amazon's one-day sale

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 02:00 AM PST

For anyone looking for ANC wireless over-ear headphones at a decent price, Sony's WH-XB910N should be front of mind. If you've been checking them out, now is the time to buy as they're on sale at Amazon for just $128, a full 49 percent off the regular $250 price. 

Buy Sony WH-XB910N headphones at Amazon - $128

The WH-XB910N headphones aren't quite up to the standard of Sony's $350 flagship WH-1000XM4 headphones, but they still deliver excellent sound quality while looking great. You get clear mids and highs, powerful bass and Sony's 360 Reality Audio surround sound, available on select songs with Deezer, Tidal, Amazon Music HD and other streaming services. The active noise cancellation (ANC) works well though, again, it's not quite up to the standard of the WH-1000XM4 model (which is nearly triple the price).  

The WH-XB910N headphones are great for working at home, thanks to the "Precise Voice Pickup" that amplifies your voice on calls. It also offers on-board controls and an ambient sound mode so you can be better aware of your environment. It'll last over a day thanks to the 30-hour battery life, and you can get an additional 4.5 hours with a 10-minute quick charge.

The $128 price is one of the best we've seen, topping the $138 deal available over the holidays last year. There aren't many other models that can rival it at that price, so act soon before they're gone. 

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

Plaid must pay $58 million to users of Venmo, Robinhood and other apps

Posted: 24 Jan 2022 12:59 AM PST

Even if you've never heard of a company called Plaid, they may owe you part of a multi-million dollar lawsuit settlement, Fast Company has reported. Plaid, which connects consumer bank accounts to services like Venmo, Robinhood, Coinbase and other apps, was accused of collecting excessive financial data from consumers. While denying any wrongdoing, it agreed to pay $58 million to all consumers with a linked bank account to any of its approximately 5,000 client apps.

The lawsuit accused Plaid of collecting "more financial data than was needed from users." It also claimed that the company obtained users' bank login information via its own "Plaid Link" interface, "which had the look and feel of the user's own bank account login screen," according to the settlement website. On top of the $58 million payout, the company was forced to change some of its business practices. 

Millions of people use apps linked to Plaid, so any payout might be pretty slim. Still, if you're a US resident who had a bank account connected to the app between January 1st, 2013 and November 19th, 2021, you may qualify to receive a claim. For more, see the settlement site's FAQ. 

You may have already received an email about the lawsuit, or you can check the settlement's search section to see if you've used an app that qualifies. In any case, you have until April 28th, 2022 to submit your claim.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)