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- Fewer Americans want the government to regulate Big Tech, Pew study says
- Anonymous social app Yik Tak left users' precise locations exposed
- Twitter CEO says he expects Musk deal to close but is 'prepared for all scenarios'
- Biden administration launches $45 billion plan to get the entire US online by 2030
- Apple is reportedly testing USB-C iPhones
- Peloton teases its first connected rowing machine
- Scientists grow plants in soil from the Moon for the first time
- The Apple TV 4K drops to $150, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals
- DOJ warns AI hiring and productivity tools can violate anti-discrimination law
- TikTok faces lawsuit over 'blackout challenge' content
- 'Kirby 64' comes to Switch Online's Expansion Pack on May 20th
- Oura sues smart ring rival Circular for allegedly copying technology
- Samsung is reportedly raising its chipmaking prices by up to 20 percent
- Amazon throws in a $100 gift card when you buy a OnePlus 10 Pro
- The iPod created the two-headed monster that finally killed it
- Amazon offers cashback rewards if you scan receipts through its Alexa app
- Engadget Podcast: Google I/O and hands-on with Microsoft’s Adaptive Mouse
- 'Dead Space' remake arrives on January 27th, 2023
- The Morning After: The Odin is a capable, portable retro console
- Elon Musk says his deal to buy Twitter is 'temporarily on hold'
- SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet is now available to order in 32 countries
- Apple begins arming store managers with anti-union talking points
- Apple sends out invites for limited in-person WWDC 2022 event
| Fewer Americans want the government to regulate Big Tech, Pew study says Posted: 13 May 2022 05:52 PM PDT Americans are mixed about whether the government should do more to hold tech companies accountable, and fewer are in favor of more regulation than they were last year, according to results released today from a Pew survey. Last year, more than half (56 percent) of Americans wanted more regulation of Big Tech. Now, only 44 percent of Americans want to see more government enforcement of tech companies. And the number of respondents who want less government regulation of the tech industry has doubled this year, from nine percent to 20 percent. But those results shouldn't suggest that the public has a rosier view of Big Tech or trusts that tech companies are getting it right. The majority of respondents still feel — as they have in years past — that platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others censor political points that the companies find objectionable. More than three-quarters (or 77 percent) of Americans believe that social media platforms behave this way in 2022, which is only a slight increase from recent years. As we've seen in the past, more Republicans than Democrats feel certain political views are targeted on social media — 92 percent of Republicans say censoring is likely occurring, compared to 66 percent of Democrats. And over recent years, the belief that social platforms possess and act on biases against conservatives has become such a frequent talking point amount right-wing lawmakers that the Senate held hearings on that very subject during the Trump presidency. According to a Politico analysis however, posts from conservative media outlets and right-wing media influences are more likely to go viral. Similarly, a New York University study found that social media platform algorithms are more likely to amplify conservatives than non-partisan or liberal figures. But even among left-wing respondents, the belief in political censorship among platforms has steadily increased in the last two years, according to Pew's polling. While not as drastic as their Republican counterparts, a plurality Democrats (66 percent) maintain a belief that platforms censor based on political beliefs, up from 62 percent in 2018, and only 59 percent in 2020. |
| Anonymous social app Yik Tak left users' precise locations exposed Posted: 13 May 2022 02:30 PM PDT Yik Yak's revived messaging app was supposed to bring back the days of truly anonymous local chat, but it may have inadvertently made life easier for creeps. Computer science student David Teather informedMotherboard that Yik Yak had a flaw that let attackers obtain both the precise location for posts (within 10 to 15 feet) and users' unique IDs. Blend the two pieces of info and it's possible to track a user's movement patterns. Teather used a proxy tool to determine that YikYak sent both the precise GPS position and user ID with every message, even if users would normally only see vague distances and city identifiers. An independent researcher verified the findings for Motherboard, although it's not clear if anyone has exploited the flaw so far. Yik Yak hasn't responded to requests for comment so far. The developer released three updates between April 28th and May 10th, but it's not yet certain if they completely address exposed locations. However, it's safe to say that the issue left users at risk, especially if they shared any sensitive information with local chatters. |
| Twitter CEO says he expects Musk deal to close but is 'prepared for all scenarios' Posted: 13 May 2022 01:31 PM PDT Hours after Elon Musk said his Twitter buyout is temporarily on hold, Twitter's CEO has said he still expects the deal to close, but "we need to be prepared for all scenarios." In a series of tweets, Parag Agrawal didn't directly address Musk's earlier comments but he weighed in on yesterday's leadership shakeup, which resulted in the firing of two senior Twitter executives. The move had raised eyebrows not just because the two were popular longtime leaders at the company, but because many don't expect Agrawal to keep the CEO job after the acquisition is finalized. (Musk has said he has no confidence in Twitter's current leadership and reports suggest Musk intends to take over the CEO role at least temporarily.) "Changes impacting people are always hard," Agrawal said. "And some have been asking why a 'lame-duck' CEO would make these changes if we're getting acquired anyway. The short answer is very simple: While I expect the deal to close, we need to be prepared for all scenarios and always do what's right for Twitter."
Notably, Agrawal's comments would seem to acknowledge the possibility that Musk's buyout may not actually go through. The Tesla CEO, who has said ridding Twitter of bots is one of his top goals, stated earlier in the day that the deal was "temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users." He later added that he was "still committed to the acquisition." Meanwhile, Twitter is also trying to navigate widespread uncertainty among employees, many of whom are uneasy about Musk's plans for the company. In addition to cutting its top revenue and product executives Thursday, the company is also pausing all new hiring and rescinding some job offers, in an effort to cut costs. Agrawal said Friday that he would continue "making hard decisions as needed." "I won't use the deal as an excuse to avoid making important decisions for the health of the company, nor will any leader at Twitter," he tweeted. |
| Biden administration launches $45 billion plan to get the entire US online by 2030 Posted: 13 May 2022 10:42 AM PDT The Biden administration has formally started its $45 billion effort to bring affordable and reliable high-speed broadband internet access to everyone in the US by 2030. The Internet for All funding is part of the $65 billion earmarked for broadband in the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Starting today, states and other entities can apply for funding from three Internet for All programs. "In the 21st century, you simply cannot participate in the economy if you don't have access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who is overseeing the distribution of the funds, said. "Thanks to President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Americans across the country will no longer be held back by a lack of high-speed internet access. We are going to ensure every American will have access to technologies that allow them to attend class, start a small business, visit with their doctor and participate in the modern economy." States could use the funding to install fiber-optic cables, put more Wi-Fi networks in place or even offer some people free broadband internet access. The launch of the program follows news earlier this week that the Biden administration has teamed up with 20 providers to offer subsidized internet service to low-income households. Most of the Internet for All funding will be available from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. States and other territories will need to file a letter of intent and a budget for planning funds. They'll then receive $5 million in planning funds to help them put together a five-year plan detailing how they'll provide comprehensive internet access to all residents. Each state that takes part in the program will receive at least $100 million from the BEAD pot of $42.5 billion. After that, funding allocations will be decided in part based on updated broadband coverage maps that the Federal Communications Commission is expected to release this fall. Under the $1 billion Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program, funding will be allocated based on a "technology-neutral, competitive basis" to build, buy or improve infrastructure elements that carry "large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances." As for the $1.5 billion State Digital Equity Planning Grant Program, that's designed to bolster adoption and use of the internet with the help of digital literacy training. |
| Apple is reportedly testing USB-C iPhones Posted: 13 May 2022 10:05 AM PDT Apple may be about to change the iPhone's charging port. According to a Bloomberg report, the company is testing new iPhones and adapters with USB-C, which is what MacBooks and iPads already use, not to mention a plethora of devices outside the Apple ecosystem. We've reached out to Apple for confirmation and have yet to receive a response. Bloomberg's sources said that the adapter being tested may "let future iPhones work with accessories designed for the current Lightning connector." That could mean a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter for things like credit card scanners or flash drives that plug into existing iPhones. Bloomberg's report noted that if Apple "proceeds with the change, it wouldn't occur until 2023 at the earliest." While Apple's decisions to change ports have been the subject of many jokes in popular culture, a move to USB-C may actually be welcome. The more widely available standard is only slightly bigger than Lightning, but can deliver power and data more quickly. The change could also make life much easier for those who already use USB-C to charge most of their devices and still have to carry a Lightning cable with them just for their iPhones. Apple's motivations for the potential change may not be completely altruistic. The EU has been pushing for a universal phone charging standard for years, and recently proposed legislation that would make USB-C the mandated port for all handsets. Testing USB-C on iPhones would just be Apple recognizing the writing on the wall. If this does come to pass, though, it would not only be convenient for most people who are already largely using USB-C, but could also mean less e-waste in the future. |
| Peloton teases its first connected rowing machine Posted: 13 May 2022 09:20 AM PDT Peloton is still busy expanding its connected fitness lineup despite its ongoing financial woes. The company has teased plans to introduce its first rowing machine, promising a mix of cardio and strength training. The company didn't go into detail during its Homecoming 2022 event, but a sneak peek video (below) shows that it's largely what you'd expect — a minimalist rower with a large screen to show classes and stats.
There was no mention of a release date or price for the rowing machine. Peloton previewed features for existing products, though. You can soon schedule workouts with friends through the app, Bike or Tread. Blind and low-vision users will get to navigate the Tread's interface through the Google TalkBack screen reader. And you'll finally have the option to track cycling, running and other workouts through the Peloton app. You won't have to participate in a class just to have exercise count toward member challenges and streaks. The expansion comes just days after Peloton revealed a massive $751.1 million loss in its latest quarter, not to mention dropping revenue. The company has been struggling to adapt to the pandemic recovery as people return to gyms and the office, and the combination of price cuts and the Guide camera hasn't done much to turn things around. The rowing machine is a gamble in that regard, as Peloton is clearly hoping more aggressive investments now will pay off in the long term. With that said, it may be a shrewd move. The smart rowing machine market is relatively small, with brands like Echelon and Hydrow leading the pack. Peloton might carve out a signification position in that market through name recognition and its well-known classes. |
| Scientists grow plants in soil from the Moon for the first time Posted: 13 May 2022 09:07 AM PDT Scientists from the University of Florida have completed a world (and lunar) first by growing plants in soil from the Moon. The researchers used samples obtained by the Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions, but they didn't have much to work with. While a total of 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of soil and rocks has been brought back to Earth from the Moon, the researchers received just 12 grams of so-called "lunar regolith" from NASA. Still, that was more than the four grams they requested. Scientists Rob Ferl and Anna-Lisa Paul had to be patient to get their hands on the soil as well — they applied three times over 11 years for the samples. The team used thimble-sized wells in plastic plates, which are typically used to culture cells, as pots. The scientists placed a gram of soil into each of these, added a nutrient solution and then placed a few thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) seeds. They planted the seeds in other types of soil as part of a control group, including simulated Martian soil, soils from extreme environments and a substance that mimics lunar soil. Nearly all of the seeds planted in the lunar regolith sprouted, but the plants eventually showed some differences from the ones grown in the control group. Some of the Moon dirt plants grew slower or were smaller. There was more variation in sizes than with the control group cress as well. The scientists, who published their research in the journal Communications Biology, found that differences in the makeup of the lunar soil samples appear to have impacted the growth of the plants. They determined the cress that struggled the most was grown in what's known as mature lunar soil, which is exposed to more cosmic wind. In particular, as The Guardian notes, samples from Apollo 11 were deemed the least effective for growing plants. Those were obtained from the older surface of the Sea of Tranquility, which had a couple of billion years more exposure to the environment. The researchers wrote that "further characterization and optimization would be required before regolith can be considered a routine in situ resource, particularly in locations where the regolith is highly mature." Still, the success of the experiment paves the way for the possibility of growing plants on the Moon for food and oxygen, ahead of NASA's Artemis Program taking humans back to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. "Artemis will require a better understanding of how to grow plants in space," Ferl, one of the paper's authors and a distinguished professor of horticultural sciences in the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, said. |
| The Apple TV 4K drops to $150, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals Posted: 13 May 2022 08:45 AM PDT This week brought a slew of deals online on some of our favorite gadgets. Apple's latest 4K set-top box is down to a record low, while the Mac Mini returned to the cheapest price we've ever seen it. Samsung's Galaxy S22 smartphones all dropped to new lows, while SanDisk's 1TB Extreme Pro SSD is 42 percent off and under $200. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today. Apple TV 4KDevindra Hardawar/Engadget The latest Apple TV 4K is the cheapest it's ever been at $150. The set-top box earned a score of 90 from us for its speedy performance, support for Dolby Vision and Atmos and its much improved Siri remote. Buy Apple TV 4K at Amazon - $150Mac Mini M1Engadget Apple's Mac Mini M1 is back down to its all-time-low price of $570, or $130 off its normal price. It'll provide similar performance to the MacBook Air M1, and thanks to its compact size, it'll easily fit into any desk setup. Buy Mac Mini M1 (256GB) at Amazon - $57024-inch iMacDevindra Hardawar/Engadget Apple's 24-inch iMac is up to $200 off right now, so you can grab one of the desktops for as low as $1,150. It earned a score of 89 from us for its speedy performance, lovely display and thin-and-light design. Buy 24-inch iMac at Amazon starting at $1,150AirPods Pro Apple's AirPods Pro are back on sale for $175, which is 30 percent off their normal price. We gave them a score of 87 for their improved fit, good audio quality and solid ANC. Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon - $175AirPods (2nd gen) If you still prefer the original design to Apple's AirPods, you can grab the second-gen earbuds for $100 right now. That's 37 percent off their normal rate and only $10 more than their record-low price. We gave them a score of 84 for their improved wireless performance and solid battery life. Buy AirPods (2nd gen) at Amazon - $100Samsung Galaxy S22 UltraCherlynn Low / Engadget All three of Samsung's Galaxy S22 smartphones are at their lowest prices ever, with the Galaxy S22 Ultra down to $950, the S22+ on sale for $750 and the standard S22 for $675. We gave the premium S22 Ultra a score of 89 for its bright, colorful display, built-in S Pen and solid cameras. Buy Galaxy S22 Ultra at Amazon - $950Buy Galaxy S22+ at Amazon - $750Buy Galaxy S22 at Amazon - $675OnePlus 10 ProMat Smith/Engadget Amazon includes a free $100 gift card when you buy a OnePlus 10 Pro at its normal rate of $899. If you go to OnePlus directly today, you can get a free OnePlus Watch when you pick up the smartphone. We gave the 10 Pro a score of 79 for its big, 120Hz display, speedy fingerprint and face unlock and super-fast charging. Buy OnePlus 10 Pro at Amazon - $899Buy OnePlus 10 Pro at OnePlus - $899SanDisk Extreme Pro (1TB)SanDisk / Weinberg-Clark Photography SanDisk's 1TB Extreme Pro portable SSD is 42 percent off and down to $180. That's close to the best price we've seen, and it's a good option for those that need a tough drive that they can take with them on the go. In addition to drop protection and an IP55 rating, the Extreme Pro supports read and write speeds up to 2,000 MB/s, password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption. Buy SanDisk Extreme Pro (1TB) at Amazon - $180Roku Streambar ProRoku Roku's Streambar Pro is down to an all-time low of $150, which is 17 percent off its regular rate. This larger soundbar has all of the features of the standard Streambar, plus even better sound quality, a lost remote feature with Roku's companion mobile app and support for private listening. Buy Roku Streambar Pro at Amazon - $150New tech dealsAlo MovesThe online yoga, pilates and exercise platform Alo Moves has knocked 50 percent off its annual membership in an anniversary sale, so you can subscribe for only $99. The sale runs through May 14th, and with a subscription, you'll gain access to hundreds of on-demand exercise videos that span activities like yoga, HIIT, barre and pilates, plus guided meditation classes and more. Subscribe to Alo Moves (1 year) - $99Razer Kishi for AndroidRazer's Kishi game controller for Android devices is half off and down to $45. It lets you more comfortably play games on your smartphone while on the go, and it has a USB-C port for charging. Buy Razer Kishi at Amazon - $45Vantrue N2 Pro dash camVantrue's N2 Pro dash cam is $51 off and down to $119 when you use the code SASN2P at checkout. This model has two cameras that capture the road ahead of you and the inside of your car while you're driving, making it a good pick for drivers are ride-share services. It also supports night vision, loop recording and optional GPS connectivity. Buy N2 Pro dash cam at Vantrue - $119Thermapen OneThermoWorks' Thermapen One is on sale for $79 right now, which is the best price we've seen since it came out last year. The latest version of the popular instant read thermometer provides temperature readings in just one second, plus it has a brighter backlit display, motion-sensing sleep and wake mode and an IP67-rated design. Buy Thermapen One at ThermoWorks - $79Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. |
| DOJ warns AI hiring and productivity tools can violate anti-discrimination law Posted: 13 May 2022 08:16 AM PDT Federal agencies are the latest to alert companies to potential bias in AI recruiting tools. As the APnotes, the Justice Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have warned employers that AI hiring and productivity systems can violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. These technologies might discriminate against people with disabilities by unfairly ruling out job candidates, applying incorrect performance monitoring, asking for illegal sensitive info or limiting pay raises and promotions. Accordingly, the government bodies have released documents (DOJ, EEOC) outlining the ADA's requirements and offering help to improve the fairness of workplace AI systems. Businesses should ensure their AI allows for reasonable accommodations.They should also consider how any of their automated tools might affect people with various disabilities. There's no guarantee companies will follow the advice. However, it comes amid mounting pressure on companies to temper their uses of AI for recruiting and worker tracking. California recently enacted a productivity quota law banning algorithms that violate health, labor and safety regulations, or lead to firings of people who can't meet dangerous quotas. New York City, meanwhile, now requires that AI hiring systems pass yearly audits looking for discrimination. Companies that don't heed the new warnings could face serious legal repercussions at multiple levels. |
| TikTok faces lawsuit over 'blackout challenge' content Posted: 13 May 2022 07:38 AM PDT TikTok and parent company ByteDance have been accused of negligence after the death of a 10-year-old who allegedly attempted a challenge she saw on the app. According to the wrongful death suit, Nylah Anderson was found unconscious in her bedroom in Pennsylvania on December 7th. She was taken to hospital but died after five days in pediatric intensive care. Nylah's mother Tawainna claimed her daughter attempted the "blackout challenge," which encourages people to hold their breath or otherwise asphyxiate themselves until they pass out. Nylah saw a video about the challenge on the For You page "as a result of TikTok's algorithm," the suit said, according to NBC News. "The TikTok defendants' algorithm determined that the deadly blackout challenge was well-tailored and likely to be of interest to 10-year-old Nylah Anderson, and she died as a result." "I want to hold this company accountable," Tawainna said at a press conference. "It is time that these dangerous challenges come to an end, that other families don't experience the heartbreak we live every day." "This disturbing 'challenge,' which people seem to learn about from sources other than TikTok, long predates our platform and has never been a TikTok trend," a TikTok spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. "We remain vigilant in our commitment to user safety and would immediately remove related content if found. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family for their tragic loss." The deaths of several other children have been attributed to the challenge. In April 2021, 12-year-old Colorado boy Joshua Haileyesus died after being on life support for 19 days. His family claimed he attempted the challenge. Italy last year temporarily blocked TikTok for users who were unable to verify their age after the death of a girl who allegedly undertook the challenge. In March, it emerged that a group of attorneys general is investigating TikTok over the potential harms that its app can cause to children and "what TikTok knew about those harms." |
| 'Kirby 64' comes to Switch Online's Expansion Pack on May 20th Posted: 13 May 2022 06:39 AM PDT If your childhood gaming was defined more by Kirby than Mario, don't worry — Nintendo has you covered. As VGCreports, Nintendo is making Kirby 64: The Crystal Shardsavailable through the Switch Online Expansion Pack on May 20th. The Nintendo 64 title was the first 3D Kirby game, although it was really more of a "2.5D" platformer — you set out to reassemble a shattered crystal by copying and combining your enemies' powers. The Switch experience is effectively what you would remember playing circa 2000, complete with low-polygon 3D visuals. As you might guess, though, the multiplayer mini-games are now available online in addition to at home. This is the 15th N64 game to come to the Switch Online Expansion Pack, which costs $50 per year or $80 for families. While Kirby 64 might not be as immediately appealing to veteran gamers as the likes of Super Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time, it's still a notable addition that may be great for introducing kids to the games of your youth. |
| Oura sues smart ring rival Circular for allegedly copying technology Posted: 13 May 2022 06:30 AM PDT Even smart rings aren't immune to patent wars. Wareablenotes Oura has sued fledgling rival Circular for allegedly violating patents covering both ring design and biometric data collection. Circular's upcoming wearable allegedly copies Oura's work by both stuffing electronics into a cavity and gathering info to generate an overall energy score. Oura said it asked Circular to cease and desist in January, roughly a year after the newcomer started its crowdfunding campaign. Circular took on lawyers to review the patents in response. Circular unsurprisingly objected to the lawsuit and characterized it as an attempt to stifle competition. In a statement, a spokesperson told Wareable that pursuing a monopoly has "never driven innovation." Oura supposedly wants the smart ring market to itself, in other words. It's not certain which side will prevail. While the patents are broad, effectively covering many attempts to make smart rings, the US Patent Office did approve them. Circular may have to challenge the patents themselves to prevail in court, not just dispute their relevance to its particular finger-based technology. Update 5/13/22 7:30pm ET: "At ŌURA, we embrace creativity and innovation in health technology, including from our competitors," an Oura spokesperson told Engadget via email. "However, what we cannot accept is direct copying, as this does nothing to help consumers or advance our industry. The lawsuit filed against Circular addresses willful infringement of at least two ŌURA patents." |
| Samsung is reportedly raising its chipmaking prices by up to 20 percent Posted: 13 May 2022 06:15 AM PDT Samsung's chip foundry clients will soon have to pay considerably more for the company's services. According to Bloomberg, the tech giant is already in talks with its clients about charging around 15 to 20 percent more to manufacture their chips, depending on how sophisticated their products are. Samsung is only the latest company in the industry to raise its prices in an effort to keep up with the growing costs of procuring materials in the midst of the global supply chain crisis. Bloomberg says companies that need chips manufactured on legacy nodes would be facing the biggest price hike, which will be applied sometime in the second half of this year. Apparently, Samsung is already done negotiating with some of its clients, but it's still currently in discussion with others. Samsung's foundry business achieved its highest ever first quarter sales for the first three months of 2022. While the company is optimistic about its future, it's also expecting the global component shortage to continue having an impact on its business. Manufacturing costs are rising by up to an average of 30 percent, as well, which means foundry businesses have to charge more to make a profit. Rival foundries like TSMC's already raised prices by 20 percent last year and will charge even more in 2023. Bloomberg Intelligence Analyst Masahiro Wakasugi said: "This is an inevitable move for Samsung. Some customers may accept higher prices if they can get chips earlier than others." Seeing as Samsung has cutting-edge gear its competitors don't have and other foundries are raising prices anyway, its clients will most likely agree to pay its new prices. And since the price hike affects the whole industry, we can likely expect to pay more for cars, smartphones, consoles and other devices in the future. |
| Amazon throws in a $100 gift card when you buy a OnePlus 10 Pro Posted: 13 May 2022 06:10 AM PDT OnePlus fans have the chance to get the company's latest flagship plus an extra perk from Amazon today. The online retailer includes a $100 gift card when you buy a OnePlus 10 Pro, so while you're not getting a discount on the handset itself, you are getting an extra $100 to use on future purchases. If you'd prefer to buy directly from OnePlus, you'll find a different promotion there: today only, you can get a free OnePlus Watch with the purchase of a 10 Pro. That's actually a bigger discount of sorts since the Watch costs $159, but considering the many drawbacks to OnePlus' wearable, you may be better off going with Amazon's gift card option. Buy OnePlus 10 Pro at Amazon - $899Buy OnePlus 10 Pro at OnePlus - $899The OnePlus 10 Pro earned a score of 79 from us mostly because we found it to be very similar to last year's OnePlus 9 Pro. That's not a bad thing, but we were anticipating more big improvements from this generation. You're getting a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED LTPO display on the 10 Pro along with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, an upgraded selfie camera and triple rear camera array that includes a 48-megapixel primary sensor, an ultra-wide lens and a telephoto camera. The 120Hz screen is gorgeous and its adaptive brightness feature learns your preferences over time and can make adjustments before you need to do so manually. The handset handled everything we threw at it well and it has Oppo's HyperBoost game engine, which boosts the touchscreen's responsiveness while helping to stabilize frame rates during gaming sessions. We also appreciate its speedy fingerprint and face unlock features. But arguably the standout feature of the OnePlus 10 Pro is its fast-charging capabilities. The phone supports 80W SUPERVOOC charging, which allows it to fully power up in only 32 minutes. However, US users won't get this feature because 110 or 120-volt AC power, the standards in the US, don't support 80W SUPERVOOC charging. US users will get 65W SUPERVOOC charging instead, which remains the fastest standard available in the States, but still it's a bit of a bummer when 80W is available in other regions. The biggest drawback of the OnePus 10 Pro is its 8MP telephoto camera. The other two rear cameras take lovely, detailed photos, but those taken by the telephoto lens are blurry and low-detail. If you're looking for an upgrade in your next phone's camera, the 10 Pro may not be the best choice — especially when you can get Google's Pixel 6 Pro for the same price, or even the forthcoming Pixel 6a in a few months for much less. But if you're a big fan of the OnePlus brand and OxygenOS, these flash sales are a good opportunity to grab the latest from the company and get something extra on top of it. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. |
| The iPod created the two-headed monster that finally killed it Posted: 13 May 2022 06:00 AM PDT The iPod's death has been a long time coming. Somehow, it's already been eight years since Apple discontinued the iconic iPod classic. Nonetheless, the news this week that Apple is discontinuing its last iPod, the touch is significant: This officially marks the official end of a product that set up the company for two decades of success. A lot has been written about how the iPod changed Apple's fortunes, transforming the company from an influential but niche computer maker into one of the biggest companies in the world. Similarly, the iPod's effect on the music industry almost speaks for itself at this point. The device slowly but surely ended the reign of the CD and moved people to a world in which they could just buy a handful of songs from an album instead of paying $15 for the whole thing on a plastic disc. That's probably why the death of the iPod brand doesn't feel all that notable, despite the fact that I was an iPod early adopter who quickly went all-in on Apple's ecosystem. It was inevitable that Apple would eventually stop selling the iPod touch, just as the end of the iPod classic in 2014 felt overdue. That's probably because both the consumer technology and the music industries have long since moved on from the iPod. It's not hyperbolic to say that the iPod reversed both Apple's fortunes and the record industry's — but we've since seen another seismic shift that made the iPod feel almost as quaint as the CD. The iPod was responsible for several major changes in the way music is consumed. In the 2000s, CD sales began to fall as more and more people started buying music through digital storefronts like the iTunes Music Store. There, you could get an album for $10 or a single song for $1, a significant discount over CDs at the time. And while many people still purchased full albums, uncoupling songs from the record propelled custom mix CDs and playlists to the forefront of how people listened to music. The iPod and iTunes Store killed the romance (and burden) of a physical music library while giving listeners more freedom in how they bought and listened to music. But in 2022, the music industry has undergone a second sea change. For many, the concept of owning music at all is obsolete. Spotify, Apple Music, and the like have fully moved us to a place where we pay for access — to a catalog of some 90 million songs — not ownership. The idea of the album is even less important now than it was during the iPod's peak, as the streaming services curated playlists for us, based on our listening histories and what's popular. Apple, Spotify, and their competitors are the de facto DJs now, guiding listeners to new music the way radio DJs did for decades. A big part of Steve Jobs' pitch for the iTunes Store was that it was a response to piracy and a way for music creators to get paid. The thinking was that the store would offer a vastly improved experience over dealing with sketchy piracy apps so that people wouldn't mind paying a few bucks here and there to download songs, thus putting money back in artists' pockets. In the streaming era, however, the debate over the fairness of music streaming payments to artists and songwriters rages on. While the iTunes Store was the first place Apple introduced its controversial 30 percent take, there's been increasing furor in recent years over how Spotify carves up payments for artists into fractions of a cent per stream. Musicians have often made more money from touring and merchandise sales than album sales, and now that most people are streaming rather than buying music, that gulf has widened even more. (That's without mentioning how much of a hit artists have taken on touring revenue since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.) Just as the music industry has moved on since its iPod-fueled transformation in the 2000s, the consumer tech industry no longer resembles one in which the iPod was dominant. The iPod was conceived as a device that did one thing well: play back your music and podcast library. Sure, it picked up other features over the years (most notably displaying your photos and playing videos), but music was always its raison d'etre. A number of other single-purpose devices flourished around the same time. Amazon introduced the first Kindle in 2007, digital cameras hit the mainstream in a big way throughout the decade and the Flip Video camera had a brief time in the spotlight, just to name a few. But the modern smartphone, which Apple itself ushered in with the iPhone, largely eliminated the need for a dedicated music player, not to mention most other purpose-built gadgets. We're now 15 years into an era of convergence, where the smartphone is the most versatile and important device we carry. It's no coincidence that the last iPod Apple sold was the iPod touch, a device that is basically an iPhone without the phone. For years, it was a good option for kids or people who couldn't afford an iPhone, but giving children a phone isn't the taboo it once was, while monthly payment plans mean more people can afford them. It's not clear who the iPod touch was for in 2022. Apple may be pulling the plug on the iPod now, but the world moved on years ago. We're past the point where those of us waxing nostalgic about the iPod can be considered youthful; if the rise of the iPad was a defining experience for you, you're likely an elder millennial at best. I don't say all this to downplay the iPod's importance, though. On the contrary, looking back at how far we've come over the past 20 years reveals just how transformative the iPod was for music, and for tech. |
| Amazon offers cashback rewards if you scan receipts through its Alexa app Posted: 13 May 2022 05:45 AM PDT Alexa has introduced "Shopping List Savings" to the Alexa App, letting you scan receipts on eligible products from any store to gain cashback rewards, TechCrunch reported. It won't cost you a thing to use it and you'll get cash back to your Amazon gift card to use on any item on Amazon. The catch is that the system will provide Amazon with a ton of valuable data on your shopping habits, even when you're not shopping on its site. Using it is pretty straightforward. You just search the Alexa app to find available offers, then add them to your shopping list. You can shop the offers at your "go-to grocery store" (or pharmacy, or any store where you can get an itemized receipt) and scan the receipt and product barcodes to redeem them. That'll get you cash directly on your Amazon gift card, usually in 24-48 hours, which can be used to buy anything on Amazon. Amazon doesn't explain how your data will be used or promise to anonymize it, as TechCrunch notes. Instead, it simply states that "we will get any information you provide, including receipt images and information we may extract from those receipts, and the offers you activate. You understand and acknowledge that your personal information may be shared with Amazon's service providers." Amazon isn't the only company to offer such a service, as you can also get cash rewards from Fetch, Ibotta and other companies in exchange for your shopping data. The amount of reward per product appears to be on an offer-by-offer basis, and you can check on payment status any time on the Get Paid page on "Browse Savings." The offer appears to be limited to the US, for now. |
| Engadget Podcast: Google I/O and hands-on with Microsoft’s Adaptive Mouse Posted: 13 May 2022 05:30 AM PDT This week, Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham joins Cherlynn and Devindra to dive into everything announced at Google I/O. There were plenty of new devices, of course, but Google also showed off how its improved AI tech is making maps, translation and more features even smarter. Also, Cherlynn discusses her exclusive feature on Microsoft's Adaptive Mouse, as well as the company's new Inclusive Tech Lab. And in other news, we bid farewell to the iPod and reminisce about the early days of MP3 players. Listen above, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
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| 'Dead Space' remake arrives on January 27th, 2023 Posted: 13 May 2022 05:15 AM PDT EA is releasing the remake of Dead Space on January 27th, 2023. Motive, the EA studio behind the game, made the announcement at the company's Crafting the Tension Art Developer Livestream. The classic sci-fi horror survival game is being rebuilt from the ground up using EA's Frostbite game engine and will be available for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The original Dead Space was released back in 2008 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. Motive is upgrading its visuals and made its audio crisper for a more immersive experience on modern consoles. The studio remade all the in-game props, tools and environments for more modern hardware and platforms, and it used "dynamic, volumetric lighting with atmospheric and environmental VFX rendered in full-HDR" to capture the creepy atmosphere of the game. In Dead Space, you play as engineer Isaac Clarke who's on a routine mission to fix the mining starship USG Ishimura. What he didn't know was the the ship's crew had been slaughtered and infected, transforming them into creatures known as Necromorphs. To find his girlfriend who worked as a medical officer onboard, he has to fight these monsters while also grappling with his growing psychosis. In addition to announcing the remake's release date, the Motive team has also given us a look at the development of the game in the livestream. You can see how they incorporated lighting changes and new elements in the video below: |
| The Morning After: The Odin is a capable, portable retro console Posted: 13 May 2022 04:15 AM PDT When it comes to retro portable gaming, even the better handhelds usually only emulate the original PlayStation and N64 era. But if you're a fan of the GameCube or PS2 libraries (and you should be), the number of handhelds capable enough, well-made enough and reasonably priced enough is small. Engadget But here comes the Ayn Odin. Editor at Large James Trew has been intrigued by what seems to be a pretty cohesive handheld console, with similarities to the Switch Lite and Steam Deck. In many ways, it's also very different. — Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed
UK's Royal Mail aims to open 50 drone routes for rural deliveriesThe postal service started testing autonomous deliveries last year.The UK's Royal Mail wants to set up 50 drone routes over the next three years to make deliveries to remote communities. The first communities to benefit would be the Isles of Scilly (off the coast of Cornwall in South West England) and the Scottish islands of Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides. In April's test flight, the service used a UAV to deliver mail to Unst, Britain's most northerly inhabited island, from Tingwall Airport on Shetland's largest island — a 50-mile flight each way. The twin-engine drone used in the tests can carry a payload of up to 100kg of mail. Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones reviewIn a league of their own.Engadget Sony's done it again with its over-ear flagship headphones. The fifth iteration of the WH-1000XM headphones is even more comfortable, sounds even better and will frustrate anyone who just grabbed its predecessor. They are a little more expensive, however. Check out the full review. Twitter's CEO fires top product exec as company cuts costsA new shakeup is happening at the top of Twitter.There are changes happening at the top of Twitter. CEO Parag Agrawal has fired the company's General Manager of Consumer Products Kayvon Beykpour to "take the team in a different direction." Beykpour, who'd been with the company for seven years, was on paternity leave at the time. Bruce Falck, the company's general manager for revenue, is also leaving, the company confirmed. The shakeup comes alongside a companywide pause on hiring as Twitter tries to cut costs. Watch the trailer for Netflix's live-action 'Resident Evil'Warning: definitely contains zombies.A live-action Resident Evil series is coming to Netflix this summer, and the service has shared a teaser. The story takes place across two timelines and locations: a seemingly pristine New Raccoon City in the present day and a ruined version of London in 2036. You may recognize Albert Wesker from the myriad of games, movies and other spin-off media. Mark Zuckerberg shows off what Meta's next headset can doProject Cambria can bring a virtual workout instructor into a physical space.Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave us a first proper look at the company's next mixed-reality headset, codenamed Project Cambria, in action. You can watch Zuckerberg playing with and petting a virtual creature superimposed in the real world. The clip also shows a user in front of a virtual workstation before looking down at a notepad and writing on it. Mmm, working in a VR headset. Apple sends out invites for limited in-person WWDC 2022 eventIt will take place at Apple Park on June 6th.Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference will still mostly be virtual this year, but it'll have a limited in-person event at Apple Park. The tech giant has started sending invites for the one-day special on June 6th, where attendees will be able to watch the keynote and other videos on-site. Apple is expected to showcase iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16 and the next version of macOS during the conference. The company might also talk about its upcoming M2 chips for Macs and iPads. |
| Elon Musk says his deal to buy Twitter is 'temporarily on hold' Posted: 13 May 2022 03:54 AM PDT Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter is "temporarily on hold" pending confirmation that spam and fake accounts do represent less than 5 percent of users, he tweeted. Attached to the tweet was a Reuters link reporting that Twitter estimated in a regulatory filing that those types of accounts represented 5 percent of its monetizable daily active users during the first quarter of 2022.
It appears that Musk may have some concerns about those figures, judging by the tweet. It's not clear what steps he and Twitter will take to verify them, however. If you've been somehow disconnected from the internet (lucky you!), Musk is in the process of buying Twitter for $44 billion. He aims to quadruple the user base and has said he'll defeat spam bots, authenticate all humans and make its algorithms open source, while also championing free speech and walking back content moderation. As part of that, he said he'd reverse the Twitter ban on Donald Trump and other users. However, some experts on social media content moderation have said that those goals conflict with each other. Facebook's former security chief Alex Stamos, for one, recently tweeted that Musk's ideals for Twitter may conflict with European laws, pointing out that there's "a large mismatch between the US and the UK's Online Safety Bill and EU Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Acts." Stamos also noted that Twitter is saturated in the developed world, so any growth "will require even more dealing with the challenges of autocracies and developing democracies." Update: 05/13/22 - 7:51am ET: Musk has since tweeted that he is still "committed to [the] acquisition." Twitter shares are down 10 percent in pre-market at the time of this update.
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| SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet is now available to order in 32 countries Posted: 13 May 2022 03:20 AM PDT Starlink's internet service is now available in 32 countries around the world, the Elon Musk-owned company tweeted. Countries and regions marked on its map as "available," including parts of Australia, Brazil, Chile, the US, Canada and most of Europe, can have their equipment shipped "immediately." The service has steadily expanded since exiting beta last year, with availability in 12 countries as of September 2021 and 25 countries last February.
Starlink's map shows areas marked as "available" (light blue), "wait list" (medium blue) and "coming soon" (dark blue). The service has a potential near-global reach at latitudes below around 60 degrees north, but availability is granted on a country-by-country basis. The kits recently rose in price and now cost $549 for reservation holders or $599 for new orders, and include a satellite antenna dish, a stand, a power supply and a WiFi router. Service prices also shot up from $99 to $110 per month. Users can also now add a portability feature, letting them take the kit while traveling, for an additional $25 per month fee. The company is primarily targeting remote regions that can't get connected otherwise, to start with. It offers very respectable speeds of 104.97/12.04 Mbps (download/upload) in the US as of Q4 2021, nearly up to fixed US internet speeds. In theory, speeds climb as the company adds more satellites and ground stations. Latency is slower than fixed broadband (40 compared to 14 milliseconds) but far better than other satellite options including HughesNet (729 milliseconds) and Viasat (627 milliseconds). Starlink has not been without controversy. Astronomers have complained that the thousands of satellites in its constellation have interfered with Earth telescope observations, and the company recently lost 40 satellites to a geomagnetic storm. In addition, Starlink's license to operate in France was temporarily cancelled by the nation's regulator ARCEP, with a final decision expected soon. |
| Apple begins arming store managers with anti-union talking points Posted: 13 May 2022 01:39 AM PDT As workers at some of its Stores attempt to unionize, Apple is giving talking points to managers to tamp those efforts down, Vice has reported. It's telling employees that they could lose career opportunities, personal time off and work flexibility, adding that the company will pay "less attention to merit" in union stores. The scripts have been given to leaders at multiple Apple Stores, according to Vice. Managers have used the scripts during "downloads," or employee meetings that start shifts. "There are a lot of things to consider. One is how a union could fundamentally change the way we work," they reportedly read. "What makes a Store great is having a team that works together well. That can't always happen when a union represents a Store's team members." Employees of Apple's Atlanta Cumberland Mall Store were the first to try to unionize, hoping to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA). They've complained about relatively low pay for their region, difficult working conditions and limited promotion opportunities. "Everybody deserves the opportunity to be able to not worry about whether they can afford food or pay their bills. Everybody deserves to be able to afford to live in the city that they work in," employee Elli Daniels told Engadget last month. Apple didn't respond directly to Vice about the report, but repeated a statement it has given before. "We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple. We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full time and part time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants and many other benefits," it told Vice. Engadget has reached out for comment. Apple has reportedly hired the same law firm Starbucks is using for its anti-union campaign and its talking point rhetoric resembles arguments used by Amazon and Starbucks during worker meetings. One Amazon union buster warned employees they could end up with lower pay after unionization, before walking that back under employee questioning. However, research has shown that unions improve wages and benefits compared to non-union workers in the same industries, while also narrowing race and gender disparities, as Vice noted. The Atlanta union vote is set for next month, and other stores in Maryland and New York are also reportedly pursuing unionization bids. |
| Apple sends out invites for limited in-person WWDC 2022 event Posted: 13 May 2022 12:21 AM PDT Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference will still mostly be virtual this year, but it will hold an in-person event for a limited number of people at Apple Park. Now, the tech giant has started sending out invites for the one-day special on June 6th, where attendees will be able to watch the keynote and State of the Union videos on-site. While Apple's last two developer conferences were pure online experiences due to the pandemic, it doesn't come as a surprise that it's offering a hybrid experience this time when its corporate employees have already started working in the company's offices again at least once a week.
Members of the Apple Developer Program and Apple Developer Enterprise Program were given the chance to apply for invites from May 9th to May 11th. Apple said it will choose participants through a random selection process, and as you can see above, invitations aren't transferrable. Chosen participants will have to RSVP by May 18th at 6PM PT/9PM ET, though, and their invite will be offered to another applicant if they fail to do so on time. Apple is expected to showcase iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16 and the next version of macOS during the conference. The company might also talk about its upcoming M2 chips that it's reportedly testing on at least nine new Mac models. |
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