Tuesday, March 8, 2022

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Apple adds green color options to its iPhone 13 lineup

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 10:21 AM PST

Apple is updating the iPhone 13 lineup with two new shades of green: an unnamed dark green color for the iPhone 13 and "Alpine Green" for the larger iPhone 13 Pro. CEO Tim Cook showed off the new colors at the company's "Peek Performance" event. Both new colors go on sale March 18, with pre-orders opening on Friday. 

Developing...

Catch up on all of the news from Apple's Peek Performance event right here!

The 2022 iPad Air is getting a big boost to performance thanks to Apple’s M1 chip

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 10:20 AM PST

After almost a year and a half since its last refresh, the iPad Air is finally getting an update. And while its design hasn't changed a ton, new features on Apple's fifth-gen mid-range tablet include a brighter display, optional 5G connectivity and a huge boost in performance.

With the previous iPad Air being Apple's first tablet to feature an edge-to-edge screen, a power button with an integrated TouchID sensor and the flat-sided chassis Apple has used on subsequent iPads (e.g. the iPad Pro and iPad Mini), the device's exterior didn't need much of a facelift. So for 2022, Apple focused more on equipping the latest iPad Air with revamped components, both inside and out. 

This story is still developing so check back soon for more info...

Catch up on all of the news from Apple's Peek Performance event right here!

Live sports come to Apple TV+ with MLB's Friday Night Baseball

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 10:19 AM PST

For the first time, live sports are coming to Apple TV+ courtesy of Friday Night Baseball, Apple announced today during its Peek Performance event. Once Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agree to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Apple will stream two games per week that will only be available on the company's streaming platform. 

Developing...

Catch up on all of the news from Apple's Peek Performance event right here!

The new iPhone SE adds 5G but keeps the home button

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 10:12 AM PST

It's been two years since Apple launched the last iPhone SE and finally, a new model is here. At its "Peek performance" event today, Apple unveiled the new iPhone SE, which like its predecessors is a more affordable version of the flagship range. As expected, the budget-friendly phone has an updated quad-core A15 Bionic processor and supports 5G cellular standards. Surprisingly, though, it still retains a home button below the screen for Touch ID, and has a single 12-megapixel rear camera. In fact, it looks nearly identical to its predecessor.

The new iPhone SE will be available in midnight, starlight and red colors, and has a 4.7 inch Retina HD screen. It's covered in glass, with Apple saying this is the "toughest glass in a smartphone on both the front and back." It's the same glass as that on the back of the iPhone 13. The iPhone SE also comes with IP67 dust and water resistance, and the company is promising better battery life thanks to efficiencies from the A15 Bionic and iOS 15.

Pre-orders begin this Friday with the iPhone SE starting at $429, and wider availability is due March 18th.

This story is developing, please refresh for updates.

Catch up on all of the news from Apple's Peek Performance event right here!

Instagram is demoting Russian state media accounts and labeling their posts

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 09:57 AM PST

Instagram is joining Facebook in its attempt to bury Russian state media in its app. The app will now down-rank posts from state media outlets in its feed and in Stories, and will add prominent labels to discourage other users from sharing their posts.

"Instagram believes the account that created this post may be partially or wholly under the editorial control of the Russian government," the labels warn. Users who do share links to Russian state media outlets via the app's link sticker will also have their posts down-ranked in their followers' Stories trays. Instagram is also stripping Russian state media accounts from recommendations in Reels and Explore, and making the accounts more difficult to find in search.

Instagram's update follows a similar move from Facebook last week. In addition to limiting the spread of content from Russian state media, the social network has also blocked ads from Russian advertisers and taken down a network of fake accounts that were boosting pro-Russia propaganda. In response to Facebook's crackdown on state media, the Russian government blocked access to the social network. Importantly, that block hasn't affected Instagram, at least for now.

Instagram will highlight in-app tools for deleting past activity and downloading account data.
Instagram

Instagram is also ramping up some privacy features for accounts in Ukraine and Russia. The app will hide follower details for all private accounts in the countries so people won't be able to view the followers of others or who private accounts are following. The app will also highlight its tools for bulk-deleting past activity and downloading their account data.

ESL Gaming and Qualcomm team up for a $2 million mobile esports league

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 09:40 AM PST

Esports tournament organizer ESL Gaming has teamed up with Qualcomm to run a mobile gaming league. The Snapdragon Pro Series will have three tiers of competition — Open, Challenge and Masters — and have around $2 million in prize money at stake.

Tournaments will be held in six regions: North America, Europe, the Middle East, China, North Africa and Asia-Pacific. The "multi-genre" competition will come to a head with a live event for Masters-level players. More details about the Snapdragon Pro Series, including which games will be used, will be revealed in the coming months.

ESL formed a mobile esports ecosystem last year with a smaller prize pool of $650,000 and games including Clash of Clans, PUBG Mobile and League of Legends: Wild Rift. With Qualcomm on board and more money on the line, there's a bigger opportunity for skilled mobile gamers to compete in esports and win potentially life-changing prizes. For Qualcomm, the circuit could prove a valuable showcase by letting esports fans see how well games run on Snapdragon-powered mobile devices.

LinkedIn and DeepMind co-founders form AI startup to help humans talk to computers

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 09:15 AM PST

Some of the better-known minds in tech are uniting to tackle one of computing's greater challenges. CNBCreports LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman (pictured above) have formed Inflection AI, a company that will use artificial intelligence software to help humans talk to computers. The hope, according to Suleyman, is that you'll speak to computers in ordinary language — this will "almost certainly" be possible in five years, he said.

Suleyman will serve as CEO, while fellow DeepMind alumni Karén Simonyan will operate as Inflection's chief scientist. The company aims to stay relatively small to preserve the team's focus and speed.

The move was a long time in coming. Hoffman and Suleyman have known each other for nearly a decade, and Suleyman backed away from DeepMind in August 2019 following both a desire to "recharge" and criticisms of his management style in previous years. He became Google's VPP for AI product management and policy in December of that year, but left this January to work with Hoffman at venture capital firm Greylock Partners.

There are still many unknowns surrounding Inflection. It hasn't pinpointed its target audience or a timeline for its first products. The DeepMind veterans could help its chances, however, and they're trying to solve a common problem. Existing AI assistants aren't particularly clever, and fixing that could improve everything from the phone in your pocket to next-generation robots.

8Bitdo debuts a $45 Xbox gamepad with pro features

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 09:05 AM PST

Over the years, 8BitDo has released a number of Xbox-specific accessories, including a controller designed for use with Microsoft's Cloud Gaming service and a pair of media remotes for the Series X/S. And now for the first time, it's introducing a controller that features an asymmetric stick layout.

Available in both black and white, the Ultimate Wired Controller includes a full set of Xbox-specific face buttons. It also comes with rear-facing paddle buttons you can customize through 8BitDo's Ultimate Software on Xbox, Windows 10, Android and iOS. Other features include a built-in headphone jack and haptic feedback.

The only thing you won't find here is the inclusion of Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connectivity, but the included USB cable is 9.84 feet long. At $45, the Ultimate Wired Controller looks like a steal. Of course, we'll have to test it out, but the company has made some great controllers in the past. You can pre-order the Ultimate Wired Controller starting today. It's expected to start shipping on May 31st.

Watch Apple's 'Peek Performance' event here at 1PM ET

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 09:00 AM PST

Apple is holding its latest hardware event today (March 8th) and you'll be able to watch it right here. The event gets under way at 1PM ET. The stream is also available on Apple's website and the Apple TV app 

As for what to expect, it's highly likely that Apple will reveal a new iPhone SE with the A15 Bionic chip used in iPhone 13 devices as well as 5G support. There are also rumors about a refreshed iPad Air with the same features. Elsewhere, tied into the "Peek Performance" tagline Apple is using for the event, it's believed the company will update the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 Apple silicon chip after its larger siblings got CPU upgrades late last year.

Although those seem like the surer bets, there are some other devices Apple's said to be working on that could make an appearance, such as an external 7K monitor, a Mac Studio desktop (i.e. a souped-up Mac mini) or other Macs. In any case, we won't have to wait long to find out.

After the event, be sure to join deputy editor Cherlynn Low and senior writer Sam Rutherford for Engadget's post-show livestream. They'll break down Apple's announcements and share their thoughts on all the news. You can check out the post-event stream below or on Engadget's YouTube channel.

Catch up on all of the news from Apple's Peek Performance event right here!

Sony's next State of Play stream is set for March 9th

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 08:31 AM PST

A few big PlayStation exclusives have dropped over the last few weeks — Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7 and Sifu — along with other major releases like Dying Light 2 and Elden Ring. Now that players have their hands on those, it's time to take a look at what's ahead for PS4 and PS5.

The next State of Play stream will take place on March 9th at 5PM ET. It'll run for around 20 minutes and focus on games from Japanese publishers. There'll be updates from studios elsewhere too.

As ever, Sony is tempering expectations a bit. The State of Play won't include anything about the PlayStation VR2 headset or games for it. Still, fingers crossed for a firm release date for God of War Ragnarök and details about whatever Naughty Dog is working on.

You'll be able to watch the stream on PlayStation's Twitch and YouTube channels.

Apple, Google and Microsoft score poorly in repairability report

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 08:10 AM PST

You're probably aware that some brands' devices are easier to repair than others, but an influential advocacy team may have just confirmed your suspicions. The Vergenotes the US Public Interest Research Group has published a repairability report card grading major laptop and phone brands both on the ease of fixing their devices (based partly on French repair scores) and the company's overall stance on repairs. As you might guess, Apple, Google and Microsoft fared poorly with D grades and one F for iPhones — their historically sealed-in designs, lack of parts and lobbying against Right to Repair legislation didn't win them any points.

No company on the report card received an A grade. However, there were some highlights. Laptops from Acer, ASUS, Dell and Lenovo all earned solid B grades for easier access and reduced opposition to Right to Repair, while Motorola was the only phone maker to match that performance with its relatively fixable phones. HP and Samsung each mustered a C grade.

PIRG's aim is clear. As with its campaign to open up ventilator repairs, the interest group wants PC and phone makers to factor repairability into their designs, after-sale service and politics. Easier-to-fix products reduce e-waste and save money, PIRG argued.

The tech industry is already evolving to some extent. The Biden administration has ramped up pressure on American companies to embrace Right to Repair, including a plan to enforce pro-repair laws. Some of the companies are already changing their attitudes, if partly to head off potential legislation. Apple will start selling parts to customers this year, while newer Microsoft Surface devices are relatively simple to fix. PIRG's clout may still help, but it isn't the only one nudging the tech world toward better repairability.

Eargo 6: Tiny hearing aids that don't scrimp on features

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 08:00 AM PST

In the world of hearing aids, Eargo stands out for a few reasons. Not least because of its different approach, but also because of its rapid, annual release cycle. It's all part of how Eargo operates more like a technology company instead of a stuffy medical-device provider. This year's model? It's number 6, and it's not a huge leap from last year's, but it's still a notable one. One that pushes Eargo ever nearer to feature parity with the competition it seeks to outdo while maintaining its tiny, tiny form factor.

It's that form factor that is both beneficial and binding. To be clear, "invisible in canal" (IIC) hearing aids are not unique to Eargo, but they do tend to come with tradeoffs such as no Bluetooth connectivity, reduced battery life and, of course, a lack of on-device controls (such as volume). To Eargo's credit, it has found ways to sidestep most of these challenges with each new product, and this time it's automatic profile switching – dubbed "Sound Adjust" — that gets crossed off the list of things that an Eargo can't do.

First, a reminder of some of the things previous models could already do. Despite their size you can configure Eargos via the companion app. Initially, this was limited to placing them in the (Bluetooth-enabled) charging case, but newer models can be adjusted while wearing them thanks to the clever use of ultrasonic commands. You can also switch preset profiles using a gesture (double-tapping your tragus). All Eargos are also rechargeable with a charging case so you don't need to fiddle with batteries.

More recently, since last year's model, you've been able to customize the audio profile of the hearing aids to match your own unique hearing needs, which is perhaps the most significant update for most people. As a direct-to-customer product there's usually no audiologist fitting these for you, so the app-based process goes a long way to eliminating that rather obvious negative and probably also does a good job of convincing fence-sitters that these are serious hearing aids and not fancy personal amplifiers (all Eargo products have been FDA approved hearing aids).

Eargo 6 hearing aids with Sound Adjust shown on their packaging with the portable charger.
James Trew / Engadget

When it comes to testing out the new Sound Adjust feature it's not quite as simple as monitoring the companion app and watching it update as a profile changes. Thanks to how the Eargos communicate with the app (via the aforementioned ultrasound) the phone needs to be very close to the hearing aids with the volume up (above 75 percent) for it to make changes. Of course, that's just one way. Right now, there's no real way for the buds themselves to communicate back to the app. So how do we know when the hearing aids change modes?

As a crude test I left the Eargos on the "Normal" preset and then simulated a noisy room by playing some restaurant sounds over a nearby speaker. I can't be certain what changes the device made, but compared to the same test wearing the previous model (without Sound Adjust) the noise did seem less jarring. The sharp sound of cutlery against plate was more pronounced in the older model than it was in the Eargo 6.

There is another, perhaps more immediately observable difference this time around and that's the noise reduction, which seems much improved. As before you can decide how much noise reduction to apply from three different settings (low to high) or disable it if you prefer. It's not obvious how much this feature impacts the battery life. I was able to get a full day's use out of them with it activated and room to spare, so I don't see why you wouldn't use it — it really does make the hearing experience more natural.

These new features definitely add some finesse to the whole experience. They're also more practical updates, too. There's a new "mask mode" which, and I mean this optimistically, I hope doesn't remain useful for much longer but it's there nonetheless. Another practicality is that the Eargo 6 is rated IPX7 for water resistance: finally, you can take a shower with these things in. With water-resistant earbuds/headphones, stepping into the shower with them on is a novelty, but with a hearing device you want to put on forget about, not having to remove them for a shower just gives you one less thing to worry about.

All these new changes increase the viability of the Eargo 6 as a replacement for whatever legacy device you might be using currently. Or, if you sense you could benefit from hearing assistance but the thought of a trip to the audiologist or haggling with insurance has been putting you off, these are about as easy an option you can find.

Eargo's mobile app running on the iPhone 12.
James Trew / Engadget

I do wish they were a little more comfortable for extended use. In general, they are fine – even for all-day wearing. But some days, my ears can feel a little more blocked than others and when this happens, I can sense some fatigue after a couple of hours with the Eargo inside. This can be further aggravated by eating, which reminds you how connected many of the muscles in our jaw and ear are.

It would also be nice to know when the Eargo have reached their maximum or minimum volume. There are controls in the app for adjusting them together and separately (perfect for my unilateral hearing loss) but I never know when it's at maximum, so I end up either over pressing the "+" sign to make sure I must be at max when some simple feedback could just solve the mystery. This is obviously a minor nitpick, though it can be useful for helping to get the balance right to avoid going so loud as to create feedback, which does occur at higher volumes (on most hearing aids).

As always, if these sound like they might be helpful to you, you can buy them directly from the Eargo website for $2,950 (financing is available). As to whether this could be covered by your insurance, that's less clear/something you'll need to confirm with your provider.

Amazon’s Clubhouse competitor is here, turning hosts into DJs

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 07:39 AM PST

After several months of testing, Amazon is opening up access to Amp, its social audio app. Amp shares some DNA with the likes of Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces and Spotify Greenroom, but there's one thing that sets it apart: the option for hosts to become DJs with tens of millions of licensed songs at their fingertips.

"This limited-access beta will allow us to partner with passionate early adopters in a diverse community of creators, so we can improve the experience and better serve everyone when the app officially launches," Amp vice-president John Ciancutti said. 

Amp is only available in the US on iOS for the time being, but an Android app is in the works. Users can download Amp from the App Store and sign up for a waitlist. Access codes will also be shared on Amp's social accounts. 

You'll need an Amazon account but Amp is free to use. Hosts can bring in callers and will have control over who can speak and when. They'll be able to schedule shows too.

Amazon has deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and independent labels and publishers to use their music. Hosts can play songs at any time during broadcasts, but there are some limits.

Amazon's Amp social audio app
Amazon

They can play up two songs from the same album or three songs from the same artist in any three-hour window. You can't repeat songs in that timeframe either. You'll also need at least one listener before you can start playing songs, so don't expect to use it as a free ad-hoc music streaming app. Shows can't primarily be focused on taking song requests and you can't play any songs from outside the Amp library unless you have the right to do so.

Listeners will be able to follow creators and get notifications when they go live. More features are on the way, including Alexa integration and more search and discovery tools. You'll be able to listen to shows from high-profile hosts including Nicki Minaj, Pusha T, Travis Barker and Big Boi.

Shows aren't archived, so you'll only be able to listen live for now. Hosts won't be able to generate any revenue from the platform directly as things stand, but Amazon plans to add monetization options later.

Amp's community guidelines prohibit users from promoting self-harm, calling for violence, supporting terrorism and engaging in hate speech. They are prohibited from, among other things, denying mass tragedies (including the Holocaust and 9/11), having slurs in their usernames and profiles, victim blaming and glorifying hate crimes.

Amazon's Amp social audio app
Amazon

Harmful misleading information and disinformation are banned too. "We believe that science and facts matter. That truth is a matter of safety," Amp's website reads. Mature content is allowed to an extent, but it needs to be labeled. Amazon has a moderation team that will look into reports, and, if necessary, suspend or ban users.

Creating a successful social app from scratch is no easy feat, even for companies of this size (remember Google+?). Amazon has another pretty successful platform where creators can engage with their communities in Twitch. However, it didn't create Twitch — it bought the company in 2014. (As an aside, it'd be nice to see Twitch creators getting access to the same library of licensed music for their streams.)

It remains to be seen whether Amp will take off, particularly given that people aren't staying at home as much as they were when pandemic stay-at-home measures were broadly in place. However, Amp's mashup of Clubhouse and Turntable.FM with licensed music could be enough to convince people to try it.

Gogoro unveils the first swappable solid-state EV battery

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 06:53 AM PST

Solid-state batteries promise a huge upgrade for electric vehicles thanks to higher energy densities and safer designs compared to lithium ion, and Gogoro appears closer to making them a practical reality. The scooter and energy brand has teamed up with ProLogium Technology to reveal what they say is the world's first swappable solid-state EV battery. The lithium ceramic prototype is compatible with Gogoro's current scooters, but should deliver a much higher capacity — the two companies are targeting 2.5kWh versus the 1.7kWh of existing hardware.

The design should provide significantly greater range while offering improved safety. Gogoro and ProLogium didn't estimate what that range might be, but the inherently safer nature of a solid-state battery should reduce the chances of fires compared to 'conventional' EVs.

The prototype isn't just for show. Gogoro and ProLogium expect to produce a "commercial offering" at an unspecified point in the future. That could help Gogoro's business by expanding the coverage of its scooter network, not to mention lowering the risks for riders. For many, though, availability of technology like this in larger vehicles is the bigger concern — range and weight remain significant obstacles in electric cars, and solid-state batteries could go a long way toward solving those problems.

Samsung may face investigation in Korea over Galaxy S22 performance claims

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 06:12 AM PST

Samsung may be in legal trouble following worries that it's throttling app performance. Sources for The Korea Herald claim South Korea's Fair Trade Commission is "expected" to investigate Samsung over allegations it violated advertising law when marketing the Galaxy S22 phone series. While the company claims the S22 has the "best performance ever," its Game Optimizing Service limits speed to both preserve battery life and prevent overheating — and you can't currently override it.

The regulatory crackdown might not be Samsung's only problem. Yonhap News Agencyclaims Galaxy S22 owners in South Korea are preparing a class action lawsuit against the company for distorting the phone's capabilities. They feel "cheated" and are asking for 300,000 won (about $243) in compensation per person, according to the news outlet.

Recently, Samsung promised a GOS update that will give users control over throttling. However, the tech firm has denied reports it's slowing down general apps like Netflix and TikTok, not just games. Some also say it's removing speed caps for benchmarks like 3DMark and GeekBench, providing an unrealistic view of the Galaxy S22 in synthetic tests.

We've asked Samsung for comment. Performance throttling is a common practice for smartphones, as mobile processors can't always run at full speed for sustained periods. The concern, however, is that Samsung is throttling more aggressively while giving users no say in the matter, much like Apple did during its "batterygate" scandal. There's no guarantee Samsung will face penalties or do more than release its planned update, but the story is a familiar one so far.

Firefox Focus on Android now includes an HTTPS-only mode

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 06:00 AM PST

Firefox 98, the latest release of Mozilla's web browser, introduces a handful of small but handy features. Most notable among them is the addition of an HTTPS-only mode to Firefox Focus on Android. When enabled, the feature protects your online safety and privacy by ensuring you automatically connect to the HTTPS version of a website, even when you manually type HTTP in the address bar or tap on a legacy link.

The update also includes new customization features. Over on the iOS version of Firefox, you can now decide whether you want the search bar to sit at the top or bottom of the screen. For the first time, Mozilla is also introducing mobile wallpapers. Available on both Android and iOS, the first collection celebrates Pixar's latest movie, Turning Red. Notably, it was created by Melissa Chang, an Asian-American UX designer with Mozilla's Studios team.

You can download Firefox 98 starting today.

California pilot program turns GM's EVs into roving battery packs

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 05:30 AM PST

While not nearly as much of a mess as Texas' energy infrastructure, California's power grid has seen its fair share of brownouts, rolling blackouts, and power outages caused by wildfires caused by PG&E. To help mitigate the economic impact of those disruptions, this summer General Motors and Northern California's energy provider will team up to test out using the automaker's electric vehicles as roving, backup battery packs for the state's power grid. 

The pilot program announced by GM CEO Mary Barra on CNBC Tuesday morning is premised on birectional charging technology, wherein power can both flow from the grid to a vehicle (G2V charging) and from a vehicle back to the grid (V2G), allowing the vehicle to act as an on-demand power source. GM plans to offer this capability as part of its Ultium battery platform on more than a million of its EVs by 2025. Currently the Nissan Leaf and the Nissan e-NV200 offer V2G charging, though Volkswagen announced in 2021 that its ID line will offer it later this year and the the Ford F-150 Lightning will as well. 

This summer's pilot will initially investigate, "the use of bidirectional hardware coupled with software-defined communications protocols that will enable power to flow from a charged EV into a customer's home, automatically coordinating between the EV, home and PG&E's electric supply," according to a statement from the companies. Should the initial tests prove fruitful, the program will expand first to a small group of PG&E customers before scaling up to "larger customer trials" by the end of 2022.

"Imagine a future in which there's an EV in every garage that functions as a backup power source whenever it's needed," GM spokesperson Rick Spina said during a press call on Monday.

"We see this expansion as being the catalyst for what could be the most transformative time for for two industries, both utilities and the auto automotive industry" PG&E spokesperson Aaron August added. "This is a huge shift in the way we're thinking about electric vehicles, and personal vehicles overall. Really, it's not just about getting from point A to point B anymore. It's about getting from point A to point B with the ability to provide power."

Technically, like from a hardware standpoint, GM vehicles can provide bidirectional charging as they are currently being sold, Spina noted during the call. The current challenge, and what this pilot program is designed to address, is developing the software and UX infrastructure needed to ensure that PG&E customers can easily use the system day-to-day. "The good news there is, it's nothing different from what's already industry standard for connectors, software protocols," August said. "The industry is moving towards ISO 15118-20."

The length of time that an EV will be able to run the household it's tethered to will depend on a number of factors — from the size of the vehicle's battery to the home's power consumption to the prevailing weather — but August estimates that for an average California home using 20 kWh daily, a fully-charged Chevy Bolt would have enough juice to power the house for around 3 days. This pilot program comes as automakers and utilities alike work out how to most effectively respond to the state's recent directive banning the sale of internal combustion vehicles starting in 2035.

The Morning After: Android 12L will arrive on tablets and foldables this year

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 04:15 AM PST

When it announced the Android 12L beta in October, Google promised the software for larger screens would be ready early this year. It's not here just yet, but the company still expects it to land in 2022. And while we don't have device specifics, we could see existing devices like the Galaxy Z Fold, Z Flip and Surface Duo pick up the new interface, adding features like home and lock screens optimized for larger displays. 

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Engadget

Android has long faced criticism for still being an unintuitive system for tablets, leading to a dearth in real competition for Apple's iPads — Samsung's efforts aside. But hey, at least with Android 12L, Google is trying to make it better. Are you an unloved Android tablet user who's intrigued? We tested the Android 12L beta here.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Samsung confirms hackers compromised its systems and stole Galaxy source code

South American hacking group Lapsus$ previously claimed responsibility.

Samsung confirmed yesterday some of its data was stolen during a cyberattack over the weekend. In a statement to Bloomberg, the company admitted "some source code relating to the operation of Galaxy devices" was taken, but customer and employee credentials were not impacted. Although Samsung has not revealed the actors behind the compromise, South American hacking group Lapsus$ has claimed responsibility. The organization shared a 190GB torrent file that reportedly includes bootloader source code for all of Samsung's recent devices, as well as code related to biometric authentication and on-device encryption for Galaxy devices.

Continue reading.

Kia's 2022 Sorento plug-in is no Telluride

But it's still a posh SUV.

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KIA

Kia's 2022 Sorento plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is a capable mid-size SUV with some hybrid pep, three rows of seats and a slightly ho-hum aesthetic. It suffers a little from comparisons to the Telluride, Kia's larger and far more fashionable family SUV. The Sorento is decidedly more basic, but with plenty of charm. Devindra Hardawar test drove it for a bit.

Continue reading.

Cities turn to tech to keep sewers free of fatbergs

These pipe-blocking globs can outweigh an elephant.

It's a little early to go into too much detail on fatbergs, but once you've had your coffee and are fully awake, this is an intriguing insight into how cities are fighting the issue, exacerbated by the boom in wet wipes over the years. Weapons to tackle them include high-pressure water cannons, remote-operated cameras and even sonar tech.

Continue reading.

'God of War' might also get a TV series adaptation

'The Last of Us' is already on its way.

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SIE

Amazon Studios and Sony's PlayStation Productions unit are in talks to produce a live-action TV series adaptation of God of War, according to Deadline. The outlet reports that Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, best known for their work on The Expanse and Children of Men, are involved in the project.

In case you're not keeping count, Sony's recently established PlayStation Productions unit is already working with HBO to produce a TV series based on Naughty Dog's The Last of Us. It's also working on a Ghost of Tsushima movie and a Twisted Metal series that will stream on Peacock. There was also that Uncharted movie. Ahem.

Continue reading. 

Google is buying cybersecurity company Mandiant for $5.4 billion

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 04:08 AM PST

Google has todayannounced that it has signed an agreement to buy Mandiant, a notable cybersecurity company, for $5.4 billion. The unit, once acquired, will be folded into Google's Cloud team to ensure that it can offer an "end-to-end security operations suite" for its business customers. Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia says that the deal will enable "organizations [to] effectively, efficiently and continuously manage and configure their complex mix of security products." Google's cloud platform is used by a number of major companies, and an outage towards the end of 2021 briefly knocked out Spotify, Snapchat, Etsy and Discord, amongst others.

Mandiant isn't likely to be a name on everyone's lips, but it's one of those companies who gets called in whenever bad things go down. It discovered the SolarWinds hack, and it was hired by Equifax to look into its security practices after its massive security snafu in 2017, and T-Mobile entered into partnership with the company after its 2021 breach. It also works with major banks and governments to work on high-profile attacks involving state actors. Mandiant was previously a part of FireEye after being acquired in 2013, but the company was spun back out last year.

The news comes just a month after Bloomberg reported that Microsoft might be interested in acquiring the company. It said that any deal would enable its new buyer to offer "unparalleled cybersecurity knowledge," although Microsoft — obviously — subsequently pulled out of negotiations. But Google clearly feels that the deal is worth it, and is the second most expensive purchase the company has ever made, after its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola.

Google's Jigsaw open sources its anti-harassment tool to help protect journalists

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 03:53 AM PST

Anyone can be harassed online, but it's an inevitability for activists and journalists covering contentious topics and challenging their country's authorities — especially if they're women. Google's Jigsaw unit has released the open source code for a web app called Harassment Manager that can help them review, sort and export the toxic comments they get on social media. Developers can build on the code to create their own version of the tool, but Jigsaw does have implementation partners, including Thomson Reuters Foundation that's rolling out a functional web app for its journalists in June.

In its current form, Harassment Manager works on Twitter, which teamed up with Jigsaw for the project. It uses the unit's Perspective API to detect comments that are most likely to be harmful and allows users to easily document and hide those responses, as well as to mute or block the accounts harassing them. Jigsaw has been training Perspective to detect online harassment since at least 2017 by feeding it comments identified as toxic by human reviewers. 

As The Verge reports, Perspective gives Harassment Manager the power to check the messages a user gets and to sort them into high, possible and unknown levels of harmfulness. The user can then process them in batches instead of dealing with them one by one, and they can blur toxic messages if they don't want to read them.

According to Jigsaw's research, 70 percent of female journalists receive threats online, and more than 40 percent of them stopped reporting their story as a result. The unit is hoping that the code can give developers what they need to be able to create a tool to protect people who "deal with disproportionately high toxicity online," especially "female journalists, activists, politicians and other public figures." Jigsaw says open sourcing the tool is just a step towards helping people who constantly deal with online harassment. It will continue working with NGOs in the journalism and human rights space to figure out how Harassment Manager's technology can help keep their communities safe.

AMD vows to fix Ryzen chip stuttering issues on Windows with new update

Posted: 08 Mar 2022 01:15 AM PST

Have you been noticing random performance stutters, slow loading and other issues on AMD Ryzen-powered Windows 10 or 11 machines? AMD has revealed that they could be caused by issues with the firmware trusted platform modules (fTPMs) located in the BIOS on Ryzen motherboards, TechPowerUp has reported.

Last year, Microsoft announced that TPM 2.0 chips would essentially be required for Windows 11. They serve as a hardware encryption system, authenticating Windows background memory transactions. AMD found that "select AMD Ryzen system configurations may intermittently perform extended fTPM-related memory transactions in SPI flash memory ("SPIROM") located on the motherboard," essentially causing your system to stutter until the transaction completes. 

The company announced that it's working on a fix, and offered an immediate workaround. You can switch from fTPM to a discrete TPM module (dTPM) installed in the dedicated TMP 2.0 header on your motherboard. If you decided to do that, you'll unfortunately have to pay: they cost somewhere around $50-100 on Amazon, according to TechPowerUp. You'll also need to be sure to disable Bitlocker before switching between fTPM and dTPM, if it's enabled. 

The other option is to simply wait for a fix that AMD said will arrive some time in early May. It will be distributed by PC or motherboard vendors and "will require a motherboard system BIOS (sBIOS) update containing enhanced modules for fTPM interaction with SPIROM," according to AMD.

The fTPM issue is not the first we've seen with AMD's Ryzen chips. Last year, AMD was forced to issue updates for two significant bugs, one of which was slowing popular eSports games by up to 15 percent. 

Itch.io's $10 bundle with almost 1,000 games will benefit charities helping Ukraine

Posted: 07 Mar 2022 11:25 PM PST

A charity bundle on Itch.io organized by Necrosoft Games offers a collection of 991 indie games, soundtracks, books, comics, tabletop RPGs and gaming tools for a minimum of donation of $10 — and all proceeds will go to organizations helping relief efforts in Ukraine. The bundle includes games like Baba is You, 2064 Read Only Memories, Celeste, Skatebird and Towerfall Ascension. It also includes text message adventure game Bury Me My Love, which tells the story of a Syrian refugee couple, and military RPG Long Gone Days that focuses on the human cost of war.

Necrosoft only added paid products to the bunch, and 600 of them have never been in a major bundle before. In all, the items in the bundle cost around $6,500 when you add up their regular retail prices. Everything the developer gets after card processing fees will go to two charity organizations in particular, one of which is the International Medical Corps. It's a humanitarian nonprofit that's currently working in Ukraine to increase access to medical services, including mental health support, and to help contain the spread of COVID-19. The other beneficiary is the Ukrainian organization Voices of Children, which sets up shelters and helps children cope with the horrors of war. 

While Necrosoft is only asking for a minimum of $10 for all 991 items, it's urging donors to pay more if they can. The company is hoping to raise $1 million for the causes it supports until March 17th. 
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