Thursday, April 21, 2022

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This will be the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon since Apollo

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 11:56 AM PDT

Astrobotic has finally offered a good look at the vehicle that will carry scientific payloads to the lunar surface. The company has revealed the finished version of the Peregrine Moon lander ahead of its launch in the fourth quarter of the year. It's an externally simple design that resembles an upside-down pot, but that will be enough to carry 24 missions that include 11 NASA items, a Carnegie Mellon rover, private cargo and even "cultural messages" from Earth.

Peregrine is slightly over 6 feet tall and can hold up to 100kg (about 220lbs on Earth). More importantly for customers, it's relatively cheap— it'll cost $1.2 million per kilogram to ferry payloads to the Moon's surface ($300,000 to orbit). That sounds expensive, but it's a bargain compared to the cost of rocket launches. SpaceX is currently charging $67 million for each Falcon 9 launch, and that 'only' reaches Earth orbit.

The Astrobotic team still has to finish integrating payloads, conduct environmental testing and ship Peregrine to Cape Canaveral, where it will launch aboard a ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket. The payloads are already integrated into the flight decks, however.

The machine should make history if and when it's successful. Peregrine is expected to be the first US spacecraft to (properly) land on the Moon since the Apollo program ended. Past missions like Lunar Prospector, LCROSS, GRAIL and LADEE all ended with deliberate crashes. Astrobotic's effort won't be quite as momentous as the crewed Artemis landing, but it will help mark humanity's renewed interest in a lunar presence.

Amazon reportedly paid no income tax on $55 billion in European sales in 2021

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 11:32 AM PDT

Although Amazon's main European business saw an increase in sales to around $55 billion last year, the company avoided paying income tax. It posted a loss of €1.16 billion euros ($1.26 billion) and it even received €1 billion in tax credits. According to filings obtained by Bloomberg, the credit was "mainly due to the use of net losses carried forward in accordance with the tax consolidation system."

The Amazon EU Sarl unit is based in Luxembourg and reports revenue from its divisions in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands. Its sales increased by 17 percent in 2021.

"Across Europe, we pay corporate tax amounting to hundreds of millions of euros," an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg. They said revenue, profit and tax are reported to local authorities in each country. The company said it posted a loss after opening more than 50 new sites across the continent last year.

Amazon has been the subject of criticism for years for tax breaks it receives and how it reports income. In 2017, the European Union slapped Amazon with a €250 million ($280 million) tax bill over alleged illegal state aid practices dating back to the early 2000s. Amazon successfully appealed the bill last year. The European Commission has filed an appeal against that decision in the European Court of Justice.

Sonos is reportedly releasing a $250 soundbar in June

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 11:07 AM PDT

Sonos isn't exactly known for affordability, but the company has released a few more inexpensive products in recent years like the portable Roam speaker. Now, according to The Verge, Sonos is going to release its first budget soundbar in the first week of June. Apparently codenamed "Fury," this product is expected to cost around $250, which makes it significantly cheaper than the $449 second-generation Beam (pictured above) and the $899 Arc.

As for what Sonos will leave out to hit this lower price point, the Fury won't be able to output Dolby Atmos content like the Beam and Arc, and it may not even have an HDMI port; you'd hook it up to your TV with an optical audio cable. As such, it has fewer speaker drivers in it than other Sonos soundbars. It will be able to be part of a 5.1 surround sound setup using other compatible Sonos speakers — we presume that you can use speakers like the Sonos One as rear surrounds like you can with other Sonos soundbars. 

It sounds like Sonos will also skip including microphones for a voice assistant on this model to cut costs, like they did with the $159 Sonos Roam SL that was recently released.

One potentially intriguing feature is that Sonos will let the Fury work as rear surround speakers for a bigger soundbar like the Arc. As such, Sonos is apparently making vertical mounting stands for the Fury so that it can be used for Dolby Atmos content. 

There are plenty of budget soundbar options on the market from the likes of Vizio and Roku, while Sonos recently raised the prices on nearly all of its products. The original Beam sold for $399, but the new one costs $50 more, making for an even bigger gap between Sonos home theater options and those from more affordable competitors. As such, this is a pretty logical part of the market for Sonos to get into, and it's not hard to imagine a $250 soundbar being a good product to get people into the company's ecosystem. 

Sonos declined to comment on today's leak.

Elektron's Syntakt wants to be the only groovebox you'll ever need

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 10:45 AM PDT

The Syntakt has been one of the worst kept secrets in the music world. But it wasn't until today that the world finally got to see what Elektron's latest groovebox is capable of. It combines the company's legendary sequencer with four analog four analog synth tracks and 10 digital tracks. While the Syntakt is focused primarily on percussion, it's capable of handling bass and melody as well. And, if you're not happy with the internal synth sounds, you can control external gear by switching any of the 12 tracks to be MIDI. Those MIDI tracks by the way are four-note polyphonic

The Syntakt takes an everything and the kitchen sink approach, and borrows a bit of its sound design workflow from previous Elektron instruments like the Machinedrum and Model:Cycles. It starts by selecting a "machine," of which there are 37 spread across the three different core types of synthesis. There are 10 digital synths, 15 analog drum, and 12 analog cymbal machines. Each one is designed to do a specific thing, just like on the Cycles, but the level of control offered here is far greater. 

Each engine also has a specific set of effects and parameters associated with it. The digital tracks each have a digital overdrive, a digital multimode filter and a digital base width filter, in addition to a pair of LFOs. While the analog tracks each have an analog overdrive, an analog multimode filter and a pair of LFOs. There's also an FX track where you can automate an analog overdrive, an analog multimode filter, as well as digital reverb and delay. 

In addition to controlling external gear with the Syntakt's MIDI channels, you can also feed external audio through its master effects, allowing you to treat it as both a master sequencer and a mixer — it can be the brains of an entire performance setup.

The entire thing lives inside the same chassis Elektron uses for its Digitakt and Digitone instruments, which means it's small and portable(ish), but also quite rugged. It weighs just 3.6lbs, but is housed in steel casing.

Of course, all that power and roadworthiness doesn't come cheap. The Syntakt is available now in limited quantities from Elektron and to preorder from select retailers for $999.

Sheryl Sandberg reportedly used Facebook resources to help embattled Activision CEO

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 10:29 AM PDT

Meta is reportedly investigating whether Sheryl Sandberg broke company rules in her dealings with a publication that was reporting on Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who she was dating at the time. According to a new report in The Wall Street Journal, the Meta COO used company resources to help kill negative reporting about Kotick. Meta is now reportedly conducting a "review" of her actions and "whether she violated the company's rules."

According to the report, the British tabloid MailOnline was pursuing a story based on allegations made by a former girlfriend of Kotick's, and a temporary restraining order she had received against him. But Sandberg and Kotick worked together on two separate occasions, in 2016 and in 2019, to strategize on how to "persuade the Daily Mail not to report on the restraining order."

The report states that Facebook and Activision staff were both directly involved in the effort, and that there was concern internally at Facebook that the story would "reflect negatively on her reputation as an advocate for women."

The Wall Street Journal report also questions whether Sandberg inappropriately wielded her influence as Facebook COO in her dealings with the MailOnline management. One of the paper's unnamed sources states that Kotick "told people that Ms. Sandberg threatened the Mail in 2016 by saying that such an article, if published, could damage the news organization's business relationship with Facebook."

In a statement, a Meta spokesperson denied Sandberg had "threatened" MailOnline. "Sheryl Sandberg never threatened the MailOnline's business relationship with Facebook in order to influence an editorial decision," the spokesperson said. "This story attempts to make connections that don't exist." Kotick told The Journal he "never said anything like that."

The MailOnline never published its story on Kotick, who has recently faced scrutiny over his handling of allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct at Activision. The company was acquired by Microsoft for $68.7 billion in January.

In a statement, Activision's board of directors said that it had done a "thorough investigation" into "an incident in 2014," and that they have "full confidence in Mr. Kotick's leadership." 

"The Board has been aware of the circumstances reported involving an incident in 2014. Around the time of the incident in 2014 , Mr. Kotick notified the senior Independent Director of the Board, has subsequently updated the full Board and has been fully transparent with the Board. The Board, through its counsel Skadden Arps, has done a thorough examination of the facts and circumstances of the events, satisfied itself that there was no merit to the allegations, and notes that they concern a personal relationship that has nothing to do with the business of the Company. The Board continues to have full confidence in Mr. Kotick's leadership and his ability to run the Company."

FAA revokes YouTuber's pilot license, saying he deliberately crashed his plane

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT

On November 21st, Trevor Jacob's single-engine airplane fell out of the sky — a harrowing experience that the YouTuber just so happened to catch on film and upload to social media. In January, aviation experts began investigating the incident (as they are wont to do in the event of most every aviation crash) and, on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration formally accused Jacob of staging the entire incident and intentionally crashing his 1940 Taylorcraft for online clout.

At the time, Jacob, a former Olympic snowboarder, claimed that his plane had malfunctioned, forcing him to bail out and parachute to safely while the aircraft crashed into the Los Padres National Forest in Southern California. However, in a letter dated April 11th, the FAA informed him that he had operated his plane in a "careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another," a violation of aviation regulations. The FAA also revoked his pilot's license effective immediately.

When reached by the New York Times this week, Jacob claimed to not be aware of the April 11th letter but declined to comment, on advice of his attorney. Although the FAA can't actually prosecute anybody for violating regulations, should Jacob fail to surrender his pilot's license he can be held liable for "further legal enforcement action" and fined up to $1,644 a day until he does.

Even 'Rocket League' is adding a battle royale mode

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 10:00 AM PDT

If you thought it was just a matter of time before Psyonix synced up with its parent company Epic Games by adding battle royale to Rocket League... your beliefs were well-founded. Psyonix is introducing a limited-time Knockout Bash mode that drops the usual vehicular soccer in favor of battle royale's familiar last-one-standing mechanic. Eight players try to survive by attacking each other and staying inside an ever-shrinking "Safezone." That will sound more than a little familiar to Fortnite fans, but Rocket League's take includes a few important twists.

Players only leave after they've been knocked out three times, for instance. And don't worry, you won't pick up guns — you instead ram them, block attacks or even toss them across the arena. Hazards like spikes and an underlying laser grid lead to instant knockouts, and the six-minute mark activates a "Sudden KO" phase where attacks are more powerful and leaving the Safezone results in instant death.

Your abilities change, too. You now lock the camera on to rivals rather than the (non-existent) ball. You can jump much faster and for longer, and you'll have both a stronger boost and more dodges at your disposal.

Knockout Bash will be available between April 27th and May 10th, with three maps devoted solely to this free-for-all combat. Twitch viewers will also receive a special player banner if they watch certain Rocket League streamers when the mode launches. It's not certain that Psyonix will revive battle royale at a later date, but we wouldn't be surprised to see a comeback if this event proves successful.

Sennheiser says its new Sport earbuds can reduce noise from your own body

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 09:00 AM PDT

Sennheiser has revealed a set of true wireless earbuds geared toward fitness enthusiasts. It says the Sport True Wireless buds include an Aware EQ passthrough setting that can reduce distracting noises from your own body, such as your heartbeat or footsteps, while helping you stay aware of your surroundings. That could be a handy option for runners.

There's an intriguing system called Adaptable Acoustic that allows you to choose between open and closed ear adapters and tweak equalizer settings to find your ideal sound for workouts. The Focus EQ setting, combined with the closed ear adapter, is designed to block out external audio. 

You'll be able to adjust how much external sound you hear and create custom EQ presets in the Sennheiser Smart Control app. There are three sizes of ear adapters and four fins to help you find the ideal fit.

Sennheiser says the earbuds have a 7mm dynamic driver that offers "full bass and superior clarity without distortion." They have touch controls and voice assistant support. The buds are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and audio codecs such as SBC, AAC and aptX, which will help users connect them to a wide range of devices.

The earbuds have an IP54 rating, meaning they're resistant to dust, splashes and sweat. Sennheiser says the battery will run for up to nine hours. The charging case will add up to 18 hours of listening time.

Pre-orders for Sennheiser's Sport True Wireless earbuds open today. The buds cost $130 and will ship on May 3rd.

Sennheiser Sport True Wireless earbuds
Sennheiser

CNN+ is shutting down just weeks after launching

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 08:59 AM PDT

Just three weeks after the streaming service launched, Warner Bros. Discovery announced it is shutting down CNN+. Variety broke the news. The service will cease operations on April 30th, according to multiple reports, meaning it will close after just 32 days. 

CNBC reported last week that CNN+ was pulling in just 10,000 daily users who were willing to pay $6 per month for exclusive live, on-demand and interactive news-driven programming. New CNN president Chris Licht, who was appointed after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged earlier this month, reportedly made the recommendation to kill CNN+. 

Andrew Morse, the executive vice president who was running CNN+, is expected to leave Warner Bros. Discovery after a transition period. Reports suggest there may be hundreds of related job cuts. 

It seems some CNN+ programming could be bound for HBO Max. CNN itself noted that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav wants to combine the company's content into a single streaming service. That tracks with the plan to eventually merge HBO Max and Discovery+.

CNN had high hopes for the project. It invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the streaming service and recruited talent from other networks (such as Kasie Hunt from NBC and Chris Wallace from Fox News) to host CNN+ shows. However, Warner Bros. Discovery executives quickly pulled the plug after CNN+ failed to gain much traction. 

For what it's worth, CNN+ crashed and burned even harder than Quibi. The short-form streaming service launched in April 2020 and shut down that December. Warner Bros. Discovery might take a little solace in the fact that Quibi blew nearly $2 billion instead of a relatively meager nine-figure sum.

Teenage Engineering's tiny handheld TX-6 mixer offers an instrument tuner

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 08:30 AM PDT

Teenage Engineering has a reputation for surprising and whimsical devices, and that apparently extends to music creation on the go. The company has introduced a TX-6 mixer that's not only tiny enough to fit in your hand, but includes more than you might expect from some decidedly larger counterparts. It includes an instrument tuner, for a start, along with built-in synth, digital effect, drum machine and sequencer functions. It's billed as the portable 32-bit, 48kHz pro mixer with this level of capability — a niche claim, to be sure, but worth noting if you like to take your studio with you.

You can control the the TX-6 over USB-C through external MIDI devices or iOS hardware. You'll also find six stereo inputs, two outputs, a headphone jack and Bluetooth. While the display is unsurprisingly a very small 48x64 monochrome panel, that sacrifice might be worthwhile when Teenage Engineering claims you'll eke out eight hours of battery life. You can even use the TX-6 as an ultra-compact DJ mixer by turning it on its side.

The TX-6 is available now for $1,199. That's a lot to spend on a mixer this small and it's easy to find mini-mixers from Behringer, Yamaha and others with control and port combos that may be more to your liking. The sheer variety of features might prove alluring, though, and it's hard to deny that Teenage Engineering's signature design could make a difference.

Uber Green rides now cost the same as UberX trips

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 08:10 AM PDT

Uber has announced some Earth Week initiatives and while some of the measures won't be around for the long haul, it's making a permanent change to Uber Green rides. Those will now cost the same as UberX rides, no matter the level of demand.

Uber Green allows users to request a more environmentally friendly car, such as a hybrid or electric vehicle. When Uber brought the feature to the US and Canada in 2020, it said those requesting an Uber Green ride would need to pay a $1 surcharge. That's no longer the case.

Elsewhere, Uber is offering a $1-per-journey discount on Uber Green, Lime e-bike and Lime e-scooter trips booked through its app until April 30th. You'll need to use the promo code GoGreen22. The company says it will change the Uber Green icon and add green routes to the app as well.

In addition, Uber says users in Los Angeles, Miami and Washington DC who request an Uber Green ride on Earth Day (Friday) will have the opportunity to take in an "impromptu adventure" on their journey. "The Uber Green rides will give the illusion of adventuring in some of the planet's most precious places – from the Arctic to the Serengeti or the Great Barrier Reef," Uber wrote in a blog post. 

It's not entirely clear what that means. The company shared an image depicting an underwater scene on the underside of a car's roof, so these experiences could temporarily make trips slightly more relaxing while offering a reminder of the natural world's beauty.

Uber Green
Uber

Razer’s new soundbar makes your desk a home theater

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 08:00 AM PDT

Razer has increasingly gone from a specialized gaming accessory maker to more of a lifestyle brand. In addition to keyboards, mice, headsets and controllers, you can buy chairs, backpacks and even a wearable air purifier. But with this recent expansion into various aspects of the "gamer lifestyle," there's always been one obvious omission: home theater. Namely, speakers — an absence that's especially annoying given that Razer released a soundbar way back in 2014. Now, the company's back in that space with its new souped-up $250 Leviathan V2.

The original Leviathan was a small 5.1 Dolby Digital soundbar with 5.1 channels: two full-range drivers, two tweeters and a subwoofer. The somewhat diminutive V2 ups the ante with THX spatial audio and 7.1 channels. That's two full-range drivers, two passive radiators, two tweeters and a downward subwoofer. The Bluetooth has been appropriately upgraded from v4.0 to 5.2, and it's even easier to switch between multiple devices. In fact, in my hands-on time with the speaker it was basically seamless, only requiring the touch of a button.

Razer Leviathan V2 on a desk, in a dark room with lighting underneath the soundbar
Razer

The most noticeable change to the Leviathan is the addition of Chroma RGB lighting, so the soundbar's look can be made to match the rest of a user's Razer setup using the same software as its keyboards, headsets and mice. The nice thing about it is that the device itself isn't adorned with a glowing logo or edges; the colors are restricted to underneath the speaker so it's more like mood lighting.

The big thing about the Leviathan V2 is the spatial audio, which makes it possible for gamers to track movement by listening for it, something that headsets do well and soundbars usually can't. But many players don't like wearing headsets, and for a number of reasons — maybe they find headsets uncomfortable no matter how much padding the manufacturer adds, or maybe they prefer keeping their ears free so they can listen for real-world sounds like the doorbell or a baby crying.

Razer Leviathan V2 soundbar on a white table, no lighting on
Kris Naudus / Engadget

Razer also acknowledges that people are generally spending a lot more time in front of their computers, even watching their favorite TV shows and movies on a monitor but not having the sound system to back it up. And that's where I noticed the most difference with the Leviathan V2. I got to watch some game footage and a few movie trailers with it, which was nice and loud with booming bass. It certainly made the idea of making my computer a home entertainment hub a lot more appealing, and I can't wait to get my hands on it at home so I can give it a more comprehensive run-through with my preferred PC titles and find out if it really is a better way to game.

BTS dance lessons are coming to Apple Fitness+

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 08:00 AM PDT

Get ready for a Dynamite workout. Apple has a few updates for Fitness+ timed with International Dance Day, which is coming up on April 29th, and arguably the most interesting are the new Dance workouts set to Korean pop sensation BTS' music. Through its existing relationship with BTS, Apple will be teaching users the actual choreography from videos for songs like "Dynamite," "Mic Drop" and, very aptly, "Permission to Dance." 

The first of the BTS dance workouts will arrive next week, but Apple is also bringing new content to its Artist Spotlight series. In addition to music from BTS, Fitness+ is also getting playlists from ABBA and Queen. Every Monday over the next four weeks, there will be new workouts featuring each artist across categories like Strength, HIIT, Treadmill, Cycling, Yoga, Pilates and Dance. 

There will be new dance workouts featuring music from other musicians too, including sessions led by trainer Jhon Gonzalez set to genres like cumbia, tango and Indian pop. While the Fitness+ team generally comes up with their own choreography, for the BTS videos they will be teaching the band's own smooth-like-Butter moves. 

Those who work hard enough and shed some Blood, Sweat and Tears (okay, hopefully no blood) on April 29th will be eligible to earn limited-edition awards and animated Messages stickers. You'll have to be On the workout for at least 20 minutes, and Fitness+ will highlight six sessions of that duration to help you Go get those rewards.

On April 25, which by the way is the perfect date for a Spring Day, Apple will also release a new collection of workouts to ease beginners into dancing with three 20-minute guides. There will also be three 30-minute options that focus more on performance, and span categories like 80's classics, Latin music and hip hop. That last one is great for Hip Hop Lovers.

If BTS is your Idol, this news is probably Dope. Or Fire. Apple may add more workouts based on the band's music so Stay tuned for more. And if BTS or dance are not your thing, then Life Goes On.

Elon Musk says he has the financial backing for his proposed Twitter takeover

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 07:26 AM PDT

Elon Musk now has access to the funds he'd need to buy Twitter. According to an SEC filing, Musk has received "commitment letters" that would supply about $46.5 billion to buy all of Twitter's outstanding common stock and take control. The Tesla CEO is "exploring" this tender offer following a lack of response from Twitter, the filing reads.

We've asked Twitter for comment. While the company hasn't directly addressed Musk's offer, initially pegged at $43 billion, it recently approved a temporary "poison pill" measure intended to discourage hostile takeovers. The plan would let some shareholders buy more stock if anyone buys more than 15 percent of outstanding stock without the board of directors' approval, diluting the value of Musk's stake. He's already the largest individual shareholder with 9.2 percent ownership.

Musk made the offer claiming that it was meant to protect free speech, and has suggested he could unlock Twitter's potential with features like an edit button (which Twitter was already working on) and an open source algorithm. However, it also comes as the executive fights the SEC over alleged finance rule violations that frequently relate to his tweets. The entrepreneur has multiple strong incentives to purchase Twitter, and the financial backing illustrates just how serious he is.

Update 4/21 11:28AM ET: A Twitter spokesperson tells Engadget the company has received Musk's updated proposal, but that it's still conducting a "careful, comprehensive and deliberate review" of the offer. You can read the full statement below.

"We are in receipt of the updated, non-binding proposal from Elon Musk, which provides additional information regarding the original proposal and new information on potential financing. As previously announced and communicated to Mr. Musk directly, the Board is committed to conducting a careful, comprehensive and deliberate review to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the Company and all Twitter stockholders."

Apple's AirPods Max are $99 off at Amazon

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 07:12 AM PDT

Apple's AirPods Max over-ear headphones are once again on sale. The price has dropped by $99 at Amazon, where they're currently $450. One important thing to note is that you'll only get the full discount with two of the color options. The silver and space gray versions have a $29 voucher that's applied at checkout. The other colorways are $479 for the time being.

Buy Apple Airpods Max at Amazon - $450

While this isn't the lowest price we've seen for AirPods Max to date, it's a good deal on a solid set of premium headphones. The price was one of our biggest sticking points when we reviewed the cans in December 2020 and gave them a score of 84. They deliver excellent audio quality and have good Active Noise Cancellation. We found the battery life to be solid, while features like deep iOS integration are useful.

As with other AirPods, these headphones don't support Apple Music Lossless due to Bluetooth codec compression. They do, however, support Dolby Atmos spatial audio.

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

Spotify opens video podcast publishing to more creators

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 07:00 AM PDT

Spotify is ready to let anyone offer video podcasts — and this time, you won't need to apply. As of today, all creators in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can publish video podcasts through Anchor. You can charge for access using Spotify's podcast subscription system, too. There are also some meaningful upgrades that should help you both produce and watch these podcasts.

Interactive features like polls and Q&A sessions will be available for video podcasts, for starters. Embedded podcasts now play on websites, so you won't have to launch Spotify to view them. Producers can now use Riverside's web-based recording to publish podcasts for free, with Anchor serving as the conduit. You an also replace audio podcasts en masse with their video versions if you have an extensive back catalog.

People in other countries will get to upload video podcasts sometime "in the future," according to Spotify. There are also promises of more ways for creators to make money beyond subscriptions.

The move should help Spotify's video podcast platform reach its full potential. Spotify introduced video podcasts in July 2020, but only for a handful of shows. While the firm technically expanded access to all creators in October 2021, the application requirement still served as a barrier to podcasters who simply wanted to share video editions of their shows. Now, it's just a question of whether or not Spotify is an appealing platform in the first place.

A bunch of Google Nest devices are on sale for as low as $80

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 06:38 AM PDT

If you're looking for new devices to add to your smart home setup, you can get a few Nest gadgets for less right now. Both Adorama and B&H Photo have discounted a handful of Google smart home gadgets, including the Nest Cam Indoor, which is $20 off and down to $80. The Nest Cam Outdoor and the Video Doorbell Battery are both $30 off and down to $150, too.

Buy Nest Cam Indoor at Adorama - $80Buy Nest Cam Outdoor at Adorama - $150Buy Nest Cam Outdoor at B&H - $150Buy Nest Video Doorbell Battery at Adorama - $150Buy Nest Video Doorbell Battery at B&H - $150

The Nest Cams on sale are quite similar, but the Nest Cam Outdoor has a weatherproof design so you can place it anywhere outside your home, plus expanded Night Vision and an internal battery. The latter means you don't have to place the camera near an outlet, instead, you can snap it into place on its base and leave it be. Google estimates you'll get up to seven months of battery life, depending on how much activity the camera records regularly, before you'll need to recharge it.

Both the Indoor and Outdoor cams record at 1080p and they'll send alerts to your phone when motion is detected in their line of site. Both also have built in speakers and microphones, so you can hear what's going on and speak to people on the other end of the camera.

As for the Video Doorbell, it lets you keep an eye on what's going on outside any door. Since the model on sale runs on a rechargeable battery, installation is pretty easy and you can use it with any door — not just your front door. As with the security cameras, the Nest Video Doorbell will send you alerts when you have a visitor and you can chat with them through your phone and the device's built-in speaker and microphone. Google's "intelligent alerts" can also differentiate between a visitor, a package being delivered, an animal sighting and more, so you'll always know what's happening and if it requires your immediate attention.

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

Lego launches an Ultimate version of Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 06:15 AM PDT

Lego's Ultimate Collector Series of Star Wars sets has grown again today with the launch of a new ultimate version of Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder. The new set offers an extremely-detailed version of the Tatooine hot-rod, with the set clocking in at a staggering 1,890 pieces. Measuring 49cm (19.2in) long, the set boasts an exposed turbine engine on the left-hand side, a curved cockpit windshield and Luke and C-3PO minifigs.

Designer César Carvalhosa Soares said that he has ensured that "no detail has been forgotten and have even included some of the scratches." Given that it's part of the UCS, you'll also get a detailed spec plaque and stand upon which to place your creation when you've finished assembling it. It'll be available for Lego VIPs on May 1st, while everyone else can order the model from May 4th, priced at $200 / €200.

'It Takes Two' will reportedly become an Amazon movie (updated)

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 06:09 AM PDT

The plans for an It Takes Two movie appear to be solidifying. Deadline and Variety sources claim Amazon Studios and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions have taken up the game-to-movie adaptation alongside Sonic the Hedgehog production company dj2 Entertainment. There's even a chance Johnson could star in the movie, the insiders said.

We've asked Amazon for comment. The Prime Video operator's involvement would make sense when dj2 has a "first look" deal with Amazon, as do the movie's executive producers (and writers) Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios' Josef Fares and Oskar Wolontis will also executive produce.

It's still not certain when a movie might launch. The project might stand a better chance of succeeding than some big-screen game adaptations, though. Casey and Miller are widely credited with the success of the two Sonic the Hedgehog movies. Moreover, It Takes Two's plot could be well-suited to a movie format — it sees a couple on the brink of divorce embark on a fantastical journey that helps them rediscover each other. It's just a question of whether or not Amazon, dj2 and Seven Bucks can translate the co-op game's concept to a passive entertainment format.

Update 4/21 12:25PM ET: Amazon has confirmed the production details, although it's still not clear if Johnson will act in the movie.

MIT's newest computer vision algorithm identifies images down to the pixel

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 06:00 AM PDT

For humans, identifying items in a scene — whether that's an avocado or an Aventador, a pile of mashed potatoes or an alien mothership — is as simple as looking at them. But for artificial intelligence and computer vision systems, developing a high-fidelity understanding of their surroundings takes a bit more effort. Well, a lot more effort. Around 800 hours of hand-labeling training images effort, if we're being specific. To help machines better see the way people do, a team of researchers at MIT CSAIL in collaboration with Cornell University and Microsoft have developed STEGO, an algorithm able to identify images down to the individual pixel.

imagine looking around, but as a computer
MIT CSAIL

Normally, creating CV training data involves a human drawing boxes around specific objects within an image — say, a box around the dog sitting in a field of grass — and labeling those boxes with what's inside ("dog"), so that the AI trained on it will be able to tell the dog from the grass. STEGO (Self-supervised Transformer with Energy-based Graph Optimization), conversely, uses a technique known as semantic segmentation, which applies a class label to each pixel in the image to give the AI a more accurate view of the world around it.

Whereas a labeled box would have the object plus other items in the surrounding pixels within the boxed-in boundary, semantic segmentation labels every pixel in the object, but only the pixels that comprise the object — you get just dog pixels, not dog pixels plus some grass too. It's the machine learning equivalent of using the Smart Lasso in Photoshop versus the Rectangular Marquee tool.

The problem with this technique is one of scope. Conventional multi-shot supervised systems often demand thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of labeled images with which to train the algorithm. Multiply that by the 65,536 individual pixels that make up even a single 256x256 image, all of which now need to be individually labeled as well, and the workload required quickly spirals into impossibility.

Instead, "STEGO looks for similar objects that appear throughout a dataset," the CSAIL team wrote in a press release Thursday. "It then associates these similar objects together to construct a consistent view of the world across all of the images it learns from."

"If you're looking at oncological scans, the surface of planets, or high-resolution biological images, it's hard to know what objects to look for without expert knowledge. In emerging domains, sometimes even human experts don't know what the right objects should be," MIT CSAIL PhD student, Microsoft Software Engineer, and the paper's lead author Mark Hamilton said. "In these types of situations where you want to design a method to operate at the boundaries of science, you can't rely on humans to figure it out before machines do."

Trained on a wide variety of image domains — from home interiors to high altitude aerial shots — STEGO doubled the performance of previous semantic segmentation schemes, closely aligning with the image appraisals of the human control. What's more, "when applied to driverless car datasets, STEGO successfully segmented out roads, people, and street signs with much higher resolution and granularity than previous systems. On images from space, the system broke down every single square foot of the surface of the Earth into roads, vegetation, and buildings," the MIT CSAIL team wrote.

imagine looking around, but as a computer
MIT CSAIL

"In making a general tool for understanding potentially complicated data sets, we hope that this type of an algorithm can automate the scientific process of object discovery from images," Hamilton said. "There's a lot of different domains where human labeling would be prohibitively expensive, or humans simply don't even know the specific structure, like in certain biological and astrophysical domains. We hope that future work enables application to a very broad scope of data sets. Since you don't need any human labels, we can now start to apply ML tools more broadly."

Despite its superior performance to the systems that came before it, STEGO does have limitations. For example, it can identify both pasta and grits as "food-stuffs" but doesn't differentiate between them very well. It also gets confused by nonsensical images, such as a banana sitting on a phone receiver. Is this a food-stuff? Is this a pigeon? STEGO can't tell. The team hopes to build a bit more flexibility into future iterations, allowing the system to identify objects under multiple classes.

The latest Moto G phones include one with a stylus

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 06:00 AM PDT

Motorola has launched two new 5G phones as part of its Moto G line in North America, and one of them comes with a built-in stylus. The Moto G Stylus 5G has a 6.8-inch Max Vision FHD+ display that stretches edge to edge, as well as a 120Hz refresh rate that's a first for the line. It also comes with a 50-megapixel camera system that's comprised of a Macro Vision lens and a 118-degree ultra-wide angle lens. For selfies, the device has a 16-megapixel front camera that has improved light sensitivity over its predecessors. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor and is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery.

Its stylus, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note's and S22 Ultra's, is closely integrated with the phone. Apps that support it show up the moment you pop out the stylus, and you can start writing on the screen without unlocking the device. The phone has up to 8GB in memory and 256GB of storage with the option to expand it with a microSD card that's up to 1TB in size.

The other new entry to the product line is the Moto G 5G, which has a 6.5-inch HD+ display that has a 20:9 aspect ratio and a 90Hz refresh rate. It has a 50-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel front cam, and it's powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor. The phone comes in variants with up to 6GB in RAM and up to 256GB in storage, though you can expand it with a microSD card that's up to 1TB in size. Both phones also have 3.5mm jacks, so you can still use wired earphones with them.

Motorola has yet to announce the phones' prices and availability, but we'll keep you posted when we hear more. It's worth noting that Moto G phones are historically mid-range in pricing, though the Stylus 5G will most likely be a bit more expensive based on its specs. 

Elon Musk's Boring Company plans to 'significantly' expand after funding round

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 05:45 AM PDT

Elon Musk's The Boring Company (TBC) is now worth up to $5.7 billion after a funding round that saw it raise $675 million, TechCrunch reported. The company plans to use the funds to "significantly increase hiring across engineering, operations and production to build and scale Loop projects," it wrote in a press release. 

TBC believes it could mine 600 miles of tunnels per year in the near term using its current Prufrock-2 machines that can dig up to a mile of tunnels per week. That would increase significantly with Prufrock-3, a next-gen machine that will supposedly be able to handle 7 miles per day. "As a point of reference, less than 20 miles of underground subway tunnel has been constructed in the United States in the last 20 years," the company noted.

Elon Musk's Boring Company plans to 'significantly' expand after funding round
The Boring Company

It will also use the money to "build and scale Loop projects, including Vegas Loop and others," though it didn't list any other projects by name. The company is targeting "throughput of up to 57,000 passengers per hour" on the 29-mile, 51 station Vegas Loop, calling it the "largest subsurface transportation project in the United States."

That's still far in the future, though, and TBC has a list of announced projects that never went anywhere. In 2017, Elon Musk tweeted that the company had a permit in Washington DC, but officials said no such thing had been issued. A preliminary digging permit was issued later, but the Boring Company no longer lists the project on its website. Others in Chicago and Los Angeles were quietly cancelled or also removed from TBC's website. 

NASA enlists SpaceX and Amazon to help develop next-gen space communications

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 04:40 AM PDT

NASA has pickedSpaceX, Amazon and four other American companies to develop the next generation of near-Earth space communication services meant to support its future missions. The agency started looking for partners under the Communication Services Project (CSP) in mid-2021, explaining that the use of commercially provided SATCOM will reduce costs and allow it to focus its efforts on deep space exploration and science missions.

"Adopting commercial SATCOM capabilities will empower missions to leverage private sector investment that far exceeds what government can do," NASA wrote in the official project page. By using technology developed by commercial companies, the agency will have continued access to any innovation they incorporate into the system. At the moment, NASA relies on its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system for near-Earth space communications. Many of its satellites were launched in the 80's and 90's, though, and it's set to be decommissioned in the coming years. 

The funded agreements under NASA's Communication Services Project has a combined value of $278.5 million, with SpaceX getting the highest cut. NASA expects the companies to match and exceed its contribution during the five-year development period. SpaceX, which proposed a "commercial optical low-Earth orbiting relay network for high-rate SATCOM services," has been awarded $69.95 million. Amazon's Project Kuiper is getting the second-highest cut and has been awarded $67 million, while Viasat Incorporated has been awarded $53.3 million. The other three awardees are Telesat US Services ($30.65 million), SES Government Solutions ($28.96 million) and Inmarsat Government Inc. ($28.6 million).

All the participants are expected to be able to conduct in-space demonstrations by 2025 and show that their technology is capable of "new high-rate and high-capacity two-way communications." NASA will sign multiple long-term contracts with the companies that succeed in developing effective communication technologies for near-Earth operations by 2030.

The Morning After: Netflix plans cheaper, ad-supported subscription tiers

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 04:15 AM PDT

Netflix might offer cheaper, ad-supported plans in the coming years. In the company's most recent earnings call, co-CEO Reed Hastings said the company is working on the offering, and it'll finalize details for those plans "over the next year or two."

The service lost around 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, a development it blamed on stiffer competition, inability to expand in some territories due to technological limitations and pesky account sharing. It also lost 700,000 subscribers in early March after its decision to suspend service in Russia.

To tackle account sharing, Netflix has tested a feature in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru that allowed subscribers to add two "sub-members," who'll get their own log-ins and profiles, for $3 — much less than the typical subscription cost. Netflix executives noted on its earning call that this model could expand to other countries. We've put our account-sharing parents and children on notice.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Tesla nearly doubled its revenue in Q1 despite industry-wide supply chain woes

Revenue rose to $18.76 billion in the face of rising inflation.

Tesla built 305,000 vehicles in the first "exceptionally difficult" quarter of this year, delivered 310,000 vehicles to customers and opened new factories in Berlin and Austin — all while CEO Elon Musk sought a highly publicized hostile takeover of Twitter. And just generally made headlines.

Like many companies, Tesla faces an increasingly tight supply of critical semiconductors and rising prices spurred by inflation brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It's also currently navigating the shuttering of its Gigafactory in Shanghai, which closed due to COVID outbreaks in the region.

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Glorious PC Gaming Race is ditching its awful old name

The peripheral maker is now called 'Glorious.'

Glorious PC Gaming Race, the maker of the Model O gaming mouse, the GMMK Pro mechanical keyboard and other popular peripherals, is changing its name. In rebranding as Glorious, the company is hoping to leave behind a name tinged with racial overtones. "While we remain committed to serving PC gamers and not taking ourselves too seriously, we have also grown and matured significantly as a brand," Shazim Mohammad, the founder and CEO of Glorious, said in a statement.

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Delta worked with SpaceX to trial Starlink's satellite internet on planes

SpaceX has wanted to put Starlink internet on planes for quite some time.

Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian has revealed in an interview that the airline held talks with SpaceX and conducted "exploratory tests" of Starlink's internet technology for its planes. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bastian declined to divulge specifics about the test, but SpaceX's Jonathan Hofeller mentioned the company's discussions with several airlines back in mid-2021.

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Sonic is back again, remastered

'Sonic Origins' includes the first four Sonic games.

TMA
Sega

Sega has announced its Sonic Origins collection will debut June 23rd on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Switch. The $40 (£33) standard version will include remasters of Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD, while a $45 (£37) Digital Deluxe edition adds difficult missions, exclusive music and cosmetics. Because it's 2022.

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Brave's browser can automatically bypass Google's AMP pages

'AMP harms users' privacy, security and internet experience.'

Brave is bypassing any pages rendered with AMP and taking users directly to the original website. "Where possible, De-AMP will rewrite links and URLs to prevent users from visiting AMP pages altogether," the company wrote in a blog post.

The faster load times you might experience with Google's AMP pages — hard to complain about that — are undercut by the way they offer Google a much tighter grip on advertising, hosting content on its servers. A group of publishers recently announced it was moving away from AMP, and a lawsuit filed by several US states accuses Google of running a monopoly that harmed both advertising rivals and publishers.

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This startup's first vehicle is part EV, part gaming PC

A user-accessible computer will be able to run full Windows apps.

TMA
Engadget

OK, I'm listening.

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FAA blamed after parachute show leads to Congress evacuation

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 03:05 AM PDT

US Congress was evacuated yesterday after Capitol Police said it was "tracking an aircraft that poses a possible threat to the Capitol Complex," CBS News reported. Everyone stood down a short time later when it turned out to be a parachute demonstration, but the incident caused a lot of ire. "The Federal Aviation Administration's apparent failure to notify Capitol Police of the pre-planned flyover [at] Nationals Stadium is outrageous and inexcusable," wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

The plane belonged to the Army Golden Knights parachuting team, dropping parachutists into the stadium for Military Appreciation Day. The pilot reportedly avoided flying over the restricted airspace over the Capitol Building and was coordinating with the control tower, but may not have had proper clearance, according to The Associated Press. 

FAA blamed after a planned parachute show led to the evacuation of Congress
FlightRadar24

The FAA acknowledged the incident and promised an "expeditious" review. "We know our actions affect others, especially in our nation's capital region, and we must communicate early and often with our law enforcement partners," it said in a statement. The plane's entire voyage was tracked by FlightRadar24 (above).

The incident demonstrates the level of coordination needed between FAA, law enforcement and other interested parties, particularly near restricted areas. As such, it may be an example of why the agency has been so careful in permitting passenger or delivery drones to operate in populated or sensitive areas. Such incidents are rare nowadays, but things could get chaotic with thousands of new drones plying the skies if the government doesn't have a comprehensive plan.
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