Thursday, May 26, 2022

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Boeing's Starliner safely returns to Earth after second test flight

Posted: 25 May 2022 07:06 PM PDT

Boeing's Starliner has returned to Earth safely after docking with the International Space Station for the first time. The six-day Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 mission came to an end when the spacecraft landed at the US Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It's the first American capsule to touch down on land instead of in the ocean. Starliner undocked from the ISS at 2:36PM ET and by 6:05PM, it was firing its thrusters to drop out of orbit. 

The uncrewed Starliner, which took over 800 pounds of equipment to the ISS (including a Kerbal Space Program plush toy), brought back over 600 pounds of cargo. Among the returned items were reusable Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System tanks, which are used to provide air to those on the ISS. They'll be refilled and taken back to the space station later.

The spacecraft's first test flight took place in 2019. While it reached orbit, an automation system issue prevented thrusters from firing, meaning Starliner was unable to dock with the ISS. An attempt at a second test flight last year was scrapped because of a propulsion system valve problem, which led to a nine-month delay. In the interim, SpaceX conducted more crewed trips to the ISS than previously planned. 

After assessing the data from this flight, Boeing will be able to start planning crewed flights that will take astronauts to the space station and bring them back to Earth. The New York Times says NASA will announce the astronauts who'll be flying on Starliner this summer, and the mission could take place before the year ends. 

Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program, said:

"We have had an excellent flight test of a complex system that we expected to learn from along the way and we have With the completion of OFT-2, we will incorporate lessons learned and continue working to prepare for the crewed flight test and NASA certification. Thank you to the NASA and Boeing teammates who have put so much of themselves into Starliner."

Mariella Moon contributed to this story.

FTC fines Twitter $150 million for 'deceptive' ad targeting

Posted: 25 May 2022 02:53 PM PDT

Twitter has paid a $150 million fine to the FTC over its"deceptive" use of user data for targeted advertising. The fine stems from the company's admission in 2019 that it had for years used Twitter users' phone numbers and email addresses provided for two-factor authentication to also serve targeted ads. 

The company said at the time that its use of the phone numbers for ads was "an error," and that it wasn't certain how many users were affected. In a statement, FTC Chair Lina Khan said that more than 140 million users were affected by the practice, which persisted between 2014 and 2019. It was also in violation of a previous agreement Twitter had with the FTC, dating back to 2011, which "prohibited the company from misrepresenting its privacy and security practices."

In a statement, Twitter's Chief Privacy Officer Damien Kieran said the company has "cooperated with the FTC every step of the way." 

"This issue was addressed as of September 17, 2019, and today we want to reiterate the work we'll continue to do to protect the privacy and security of the people who use Twitter," Kieran wrote. "In reaching this settlement, we have paid a $150M USD penalty, and we have aligned with the agency on operational updates and program enhancements to ensure that people's personal data remains secure and their privacy protected."

In addition to the fine, the FTC order stipulates that Twitter notify all users whose phone number and emails were originally collected for "account security" that were also used for ads. It also requires Twitter to make two-factor authentication available via methods other than phone numbers, which the company adopted in 2019. Twitter will also create a new "comprehensive privacy and information security program" to review new products for potential privacy and security risks.

Niantic's Campfire app will finally let 'Pokémon Go' players chat together

Posted: 25 May 2022 02:00 PM PDT

Move over Discord, Niantic has its own messaging solution in mind for Pokémon Go players: a social AR app called Campfire. It'll let you organize for events, discover new locations and share content with other players. Think of it like a hyper-local social network built entirely for AR—it's "the 'homepage' of the real-world Metaverse," as Niantic says (as if that makes things any clearer). Campfire is already live in Ingress, the company's first AR game, and it'll be headed to all of its titles starting this summer.

Niantic Campfire
Niantic

Pokémon Go players have typically relied on Discord and other platforms to communicate with others. Given Nintendo and the Pokémon Company's squeamishness around social networking, it likely would have been difficult for Niantic to build social features directly into the game. Ultimately, it makes more sense to release a separate app that can tie into all of the company's experiences.

On top of Campfire, Niantic also unveiled Lightship VPS (virtual positioning system), a new platform that will let developers more accurately learn the position and orientation of users. They'll also be able to anchor AR content in place with "centimeter-level" precision, according to Niantic. That'll help devs produce better localization and persistence, which are the most important factors in any AR experience. To power VPS, the company has produced 3D maps in over 30,000 locations across six cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, London and Tokyo), based on short video contributions from players.

Apple VP tries to persuade employees against unionizing in leaked video

Posted: 25 May 2022 01:00 PM PDT

Apple's vice president of people and retail Deirdre O'Brien tried to dissuade the company's employees from joining a union in an internal video leaked to several media outlets. In the video — which was sent to all of Apple's 65,000 retail employees in the US — O'Brien tells workers that a union would slow down the company's efforts to address worker concerns.

"We have a relationship that's based on an open and collaborative and direct engagement, which I feel could fundamentally change if a store is represented by a union under a collective bargaining agreement. To put another organization in the middle of our relationship that does not have a deep understanding of Apple or our business. And one that I do not believe shares our commitment to you," she said in the video.

Unionization efforts are currently underway at a number of US Apple retail stores following months of worker-led protests over low pay and long hours, including union drives occurring in retail stores in Towson, Maryland, Atlanta, and New York City. A number of retail workers recently accused the company of union-busting. Earlier this month the Communication Workers of America — the union which is seeking to represent workers at the Atlanta location — filed an Unfair Labor Practice filing with the NLRB, accusing the company of holding mandatory "captive audience" meetings with bargaining unit employees.

O'Brien emphasized that a union would block Apple's efforts to respond swiftly to worker concerns. "Apple moves incredibly fast," she said in the video. "It's one thing I love about our work in retail. It means that we need to be able to move fast too. And I worry that because the union will bring its own legally mandated rules that would determine how we work through issues it could make it harder for us to act swiftly to address things that you raise."

The tech giant in February announced it would expand its benefits for US retail employees, including offering paid parental leave and more sick days. It also raised the pay for a number of retail employees. But critics say that the company took these steps amidst a tightening labor market, after years of media coverage and complaints from Apple's retail workers about the low pay and strenuous work environment.

Twitter is working toward 'closing the transaction process' with Elon Musk

Posted: 25 May 2022 12:46 PM PDT

If attendees at Twitter's annual shareholder meeting were hoping to clear up confusion surrounding Elon Musk's acquisition of the company, they likely left disappointed. Despite numerous questions about the future of Twitter, the company's executives had little to say about Musk, who did not attend the meeting.

"We're working through the transaction process," CEO Parag Agrawal said during the meeting. The status of the deal has been somewhat unclear since Musk announced it was "on hold," due to his concerns about bots on the platform. Twitter executives have maintained they are moving forward with their plans.

"Even as we work towards closing this transaction, our teams and I remain focused on the important work we do every day to serve the public conversation," Agrawal said.

Twitter had said ahead of the meeting that it wouldn't answer questions related to Musk's acquisition of the company, which will need to be formally approved by Twitter stockholders at a later date. Even so, shareholders tried to get Twitter executives to address the issue. The very first question in the Q&A portion of the meeting asked what will happen to Twitter shareholders' stock if "someone" buys the company and takes it private. "We aren't able to address these questions today," Sean Edgett, Twitter's General Counsel, said, directing people to the company's previous SEC filings.

Shareholders also raised questions about the future of the company's content moderation policies. Agrawal said the company remains "focused" on existing its current policies and "decreasing our reliance on user reports." Though he didn't directly address comments Musk has made about loosening its rules, he said that "silencing political commentary is antithetical to our commitment to free speech."

The meeting also marks the end of co-founder Jack Dorsey's tenure with Twitter. He had stepped aside as CEO in November, but remained on the board of directors until the meeting. As with much of Twitter's future, it was unclear who will succeed him.

The studio behind 'Dream Daddy' is making a psychological horror game

Posted: 25 May 2022 12:37 PM PDT

It's been a while since we've heard from Game Grumps, the studio that gave us Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator in 2017. This week, the team announced its latest project. And it couldn't be more different from its debut effort.

Game Grumps describes Homebody as a narrative-driven, psychological horror game. In designing the experience, it says it drew inspiration from '80s slasher films, though you can also see the influence of both modern and older gaming classics like Silent Hill, Resident Evil and Hideo Kojima's P.T. Part of what sells the atmosphere of the game is its slightly pixelated art style and effective use of lighting.

In the trailer the studio shared, we're introduced to Homebody's protagonist, Emily. You'll need to help Emily and her friends escape a relentless killer by avoiding the assailant, solving puzzles and making choices. Homebody sees Game Grumps reunite with Rogue Games, the publisher it worked with to make Dream Daddy. The two companies plan to release Homebody later this year on consoles and PC via the Epic Games Store and Steam.

A live-action 'Speed Racer' series is headed to Apple TV+

Posted: 25 May 2022 11:52 AM PDT

Apple has given the green light to a live-action Speed Racer series for Apple TV+, both Variety and Deadline are reporting. J.J. Abrams is set to executive produce the show, and it'll be made under his Bad Robot production company, the outlets claim. While the show hasn't been officially announced yet, the dual scoops are a reliable indicator that something is definitely happening with the classic anime property. The new series will be co-written by Ron Fitzgerald (Westworld, Friday Night Lights) and Hiram Martinez (Snowpiercer, Get Shorty), who've both worked on genre shows before.

Of course, it'll be difficult to top the cinematic genius of the Wachowski's 2008 adaptation of Speed Racer (seriously, the world just wasn't ready for it), but the series' premise is ripe for another live-action spin. The new series is reportedly going back to the original 1969 manga (released as Mach GoGogo). The franchise focuses on an expert driver named Speed Racer, his family/racing team (which includes a pet chimpanzee for some reason), and his souped-up car, the Mach 5. There have already been several animated reboots of the show in America, but it'll be interesting to see how another team brings Speed Racer into the live action arena.

Report finds remote learning apps collected and sold kids’ data

Posted: 25 May 2022 11:30 AM PDT

In their rush to employ online learning as a COVID-19 mitigation strategy, governments across the world exposed young people to the threat of their personal data being collected and sold without their consent. In a report published on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch found that many of the apps and services governments either directly procured or recommended for remote learning as recently as 2021 were actively harvesting the data of children or were otherwise engaged in monitoring their activities.

In its study of 49 countries, the nonprofit found that 146 of the 164 "EdTech" products used in those places reviewed employed data practices that either put the rights of young people at risk or actively infringed on them. Those platforms either employed or had the capacity to use tracking technology to monitor their young users secretly and without their consent or that of parents. What's more, their data was frequently sold to third-party companies.

Human Rights Watch observed 146 of the apps it reviewed directly sending or granting access to the data of their young users to 196 third-party companies, with the vast majority of that information making its way to adtech platforms. Put another way, there were significantly more advertising firms buying the data of children than there were tech companies collecting it.

"In the process of endorsing and ensuring their wide adoption during COVID-19 school closures, governments offloaded the true costs of providing online education onto children, who were unknowingly forced to pay for their learning with their rights to privacy, access to information and potentially freedom of thought," the report's authors said.

Human Rights Watch points out that many of the tools governments recommended for online learning, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex, weren't explicitly designed for use by children. But even those that were, such as ST Math, often employed trackers that sent data to companies like Meta and Google that could then later be used for behavioral advertising.

The report is yet one reminder of just how problematic surveillance capitalism has become in recent years. A similar report published earlier this month found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates as a "domestic surveillance agency," and that it was able to bypass laws governing its operation by purchasing databases from private companies.

The NFL's rumored streaming service could debut in July

Posted: 25 May 2022 11:13 AM PDT

The NFL may launch its own streaming service as soon as July. The long-rumored NFL+ could allow fans to stream some live games on phones and tablets. It may feature other content, such as podcasts, radio and team-created content. According to Sports Business Journal, NFL+ may cost $5 per month, but pricing isn't set in stone.

It's believed the games fans will be able to stream on phones and tablets will be restricted to those that they can see on local TV. Yahoo (Engadget's parent company) and carriers previously streamed those games. However, those deals have expired and it seems the NFL is retaining the rights.

The report also notes the league has been in talks with potential suitors, including Apple and Amazon, about taking an equity stake in its media business. If such a deal goes through, NFL+ could be made available as part of another streaming service. Amazon already streams Thursday Night Football games on Prime Video. Apple's has moved into sports as well — it streams exclusive MLB games every Friday.

Speaking of the MLB, the NFL looks set to follow in that league's footsteps. It has streamed out-of-market games on MLB.TV since 2002. The MLB is reportedly planning to debut a broader streaming service next year that would include in-market games for fans' home teams. FIFA also waded into the wide world of streaming last month, with the free, ad-supported service FIFA+.

Margaret Atwood protests book bans with 'unburnable' copy of 'The Handmaid's Tale'

Posted: 25 May 2022 09:48 AM PDT

Book bans are becoming more prevalent in US school libraries and classrooms, making it harder (but not impossible) for students to get their hands on certain texts that might expand their worldview. To raise awareness of such moves and perhaps protest the threat of literal book burning, Margaret Atwood and Penguin Random House are auctioning a one-off, "unburnable" edition of her classic dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale.

The publisher says it's "a powerful symbol against censorship and a reminder of the necessity of protecting vital stories." This copy of the book has been printed and bound in fireproof materials, including white heat shield foil pages and a phenolic hard cover. Atwood put a prototype copy to the test by trying to burn it with a flamethrower.

"The Handmaid's Tale has been banned many times — sometimes by whole countries, such as Portugal and Spain in the days of Salazar and the Francoists, sometimes by school boards, sometimes by libraries," the author said in a statement. "Let's hope we don't reach the stage of wholesale book burnings, as in Fahrenheit 451. But if we do, let's hope some books will prove unburnable — that they will travel underground, as prohibited books did in the Soviet Union."

At the time of writing, the highest bid for the book stands at $48,000. The auction will close on June 7th.

All proceeds will go to PEN America to support its efforts to fight book bans across the US. In a recent report, the free-expression organization documented 1,586 bans on individual books in 86 school districts across 26 states.

Penguin Random House notes that censors' targets tend to be "literary works about racism, gender and sexual orientation, often written by authors of color and LGBTQ+ writers, as well as classroom lessons about social inequality, history and sexuality." It argued that such moves violate students' First Amendment rights and hamper education and the flow of ideas.

"We are at an urgent moment in our history, with ideas and truth — the foundations of our democracy — under attack," the publisher's CEO Markus Dohle said. "Few writers have been as instrumental in the fight for free expression as Margaret Atwood."

Jeep parent company Stellantis will reportedly plead guilty to emissions fraud

Posted: 25 May 2022 09:16 AM PDT

The world's fifth-largest automaker will reportedly soon plead guilty to end a multi-year investigation into its efforts to conceal the amount of pollution created by its diesel engines. According to Reuters, the US Justice Department and Dodge parent company Stellantis could announce as early as next week that the automaker has agreed to pay $300 million to settle allegations of crminal fraud. Stellantis declined to comment on the report.

The Justice Department began investigating Stellantis around 2019 when the automaker recalled nearly 1 million vehicles in the US and Canada for not meeting federal tailpipe emission standards. As of last year, the agency has announced criminal charges for just three Stellantis employees. The probe involved approximately 100,000 Ram pickup trucks and Jeep SUVs sold in the US.

The deal comes five years after Volkswagen famously pleaded guilty to its own emissions scandal. "Dieselgate" saw the German automaker eventually pay more than $20 billion in fines and legal settlements for installing illegal software designed to cheat government emissions tests. Since then, sales of diesel vehicles have plummeted in Europe and other parts of the world.

CVS won’t fill prescriptions for controlled substances from two telehealth companies

Posted: 25 May 2022 08:53 AM PDT

CVS will no longer fill prescriptions from telehealth companies Cerebral and Done Health for controlled substances. The pharmacy chain said that, following a review, it had unresolved concerns with both companies. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.

"We are committed to making mental health services as accessible and convenient as possible. At the same time, it is important that medications are prescribed appropriately," CVS Health's executive director of corporate communications Mike DeAngelis told Engadget. 

"We recently conducted a review of certain telehealth companies that prescribe controlled substance medications. As a result of our being unable to resolve concerns we have with Cerebral and Done Health, effective May 26th, 2022, CVS Pharmacy will no longer accept prescriptions for controlled substances issued through these companies."

The startups have tens of thousands of patients between them, the Journal notes. They have prescribed stimulants such as Adderall for patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These stimulants are regulated and classed as schedule 2 controlled substances due to the risk of abuse.

Some other pharmacies, such as Walmart and Truepill, previously delayed or declined to fill prescriptions from the two startups. They reportedly had concerns that clinicians at Cerebral and Done were writing too many stimulant prescriptions.

It recently emerged that Cerebral is under investigation by the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Following that news, the company put prescriptions for ADHD meds for new patients on hold. Cerebral said last week it would stop prescribing most controlled substances for all patients by October. Just two days after that, its board replaced CEO Kyle Robertson.

Along with ADHD, Cerebral says it treats depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders and serious mental illnesses through therapy, counseling and, in some cases, prescriptions. Done focuses on ADHD treatment. 

Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians were banned from prescribing stimulants without an in-person visit with patients. Those federal rules were loosened in March 2020 for schedule 2 substances, which enabled Cerebral and Done to start offering prescriptions after virtual consultations.

Engadget has contacted Cerebral and Done for comment.

Update 5/25/22 7:40pm ET: "We learned on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 24 that CVS will no longer fill Cerebral's controlled substance prescriptions, effective Thursday, May 26. This decision does not affect Cerebral's non-controlled substance prescriptions," Cerebral told Engadget via email. The company says is "doing everything possible to ensure these patients get access to medications that their health care providers have determined they need," as well as reaching out to impacted patients "to help ensure that their transition to another source of prescribed medications." Prior to CVS's decision, Cereral says it had stopped new prescriptions for controlled substances due to the "impending expiration of waivers enacted during the [COVID-19] state of emergency."

How to shop for a smart grill

Posted: 25 May 2022 08:30 AM PDT

Let's face it: smart grills are expensive. For most pellet grill brands, you're going to pay $1,000 or more. Weber's WiFi-equipped gas grills are about the same. That's why it's important to consider what type of cooking you plan to do and how often you want to do it when you're shopping. If you're a casual griller who cooks burgers on holiday weekends or the occasional steak, a smart grill might be overkill. If you cook outside all the time and want to expand your skill set to low-and-slow barbecue, you're probably in the right place.

The real benefit of a smart grill is being able to keep tabs on your food without having to stand next to it the whole time. Most models allow you to monitor temperatures and offer some degree of cooking guidance. There's convenience for beginners and experienced cooks alike, especially for things that take several hours to complete. However, if you're happy with a Weber Kettle or Big Green Egg, there are ways to get smart grill features without making a pricey purchase.

Smart grill alternatives

ThermoWorks Smoke X4
ThermoWorks

You can get the basic function of a smart grill for $100 or less. All you really need to keep tabs on temperatures from a short distance away is an RF thermometer that has meat probes. For its accuracy and ease of use, I prefer the ThermoWorks Smoke line. The most affordable option is $99 and it comes with one food probe and one ambient temperature probe. For $169, you can upgrade to the longer-range two-probe Smoke X2 and the four-probe Smoke X4 is $199. All of these allow you to monitor things from inside and they offer the ability to set both high and low temperature alarms for audible alerts. ThermoWorks also sells an additional accessory that can add WiFi to the base-level Smoke model, allowing you to send stats to your phone.

Of course, those devices only monitor temperature. They don't do anything to help you adjust heat levels. For that, ThermoWorks built Billows. It's a temperature control fan that eliminates the need for you to manually open/close vents on a smoker or grill that's burning charcoal or wood. You'll need a ThermoWorks controller to use it, like the $239 four-probe Signals unit. Signals is more expensive than the Smoke models, but it has WiFi built in, so it works with your phone right out of the box.

If both WiFi and step-by-step guidance are your thing, the Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub is a great option. This adds nearly every smart function to any grill. Weber's app not only offers tips for how to prep food, but it also walks you through the entire process – from flipping to wrapping and resting. Timers let you know when the next step is coming and the hardware/software combo can even estimate when the cook will be complete. That last bit comes in handy when smoking things like brisket that can take 8-12 hours. The Hub can accommodate up to four probes, so you can keep tabs on multiple foods and grill temp via the simple on-board interface.

Pellet grills

Traeger Pro 575 pellet grill
Traeger

When it comes to smart grills, the backyard cookers that burn wood pellets are some of the most popular models. Basically, a heating element in the bottom of the grill ignites compressed wood that's fed to the fire pot via an auger. A fan that's run by a controller on the grill regulates the size of the flame and overall temperature. Of course, all of this is done automatically once you set the temperature. What's more, WiFi-enabled pellet grills allow you to monitor and adjust temperatures from your phone, so you can stay inside and entertain your guests.

A key advantage of pellet grills is their versatility. Most of them can handle low-and-slow cooking at as little as 180 degrees Fahrenheit as well as searing high-heat temps of 600 degrees or higher. This gives you the ability to cook everything from brisket, ribs and pork butts to burgers, pizza and steaks. Some even have a slider that allows you to sear over the flame of the fire box.

There are more affordable smart pellet grills on the market, but for the mix of hardware and software performance, Traeger and Weber are solid picks. Traeger offers more options as it has a variety of models, all of which are WiFi-equipped, starting at $900. The company's completely redesigned Timberline series is basically an outdoor kitchen. It can accommodate a variety of accessories to expand its abilities and there's a built-in induction burner on the side for making sauces, cooking sides, and searing. With the Traeger app, you get access to a massive library of recipes, all of which can be sent to the grill so you don't have to dial in the settings. You also get step-by-step instructions, timers, food probe temps and the ability to activate special modes. All of that is in addition to remote grill temperature monitoring and control.

With Weber's SmokeFire grill, you get the connectivity and convenience a lot of pellet grills can offer. There's only one model, but it comes in two sizes to suit your needs. Weber Connect is a handy culinary companion that not only powers the grill, but it also provides guided details for every step in the process. This software's key advantage is estimated completion times, which help you to know when your food will be ready. It's very handy when you have a hungry crowd asking how the pulled pork sandwiches are coming. During my tests, I was also impressed by how much smoke flavor the SmokeFire gave the food. Weber's pellet grill doesn't have a solid plate covering the fire pot like some Traeger models, so smoke moves around the cook chamber differently.

Gas grills

Weber Genesis E-325s gas grill
Engadget

Smart options aren't limited to pellet grills, though. If you don't have a need for the lower-temperature cooking, a propane or natural gas model might be a better option. In 2021, Weber brought its Connect smart grilling platform to its gas grills, offering three- and four-burner configurations, some of which also have a side burner for extra cooking space. Just like on the SmokeFire, Weber Connect not only allows you to monitor both food and grill temperatures from a comfy chair, it can guide you through the process and give you time updates. You still have to manually adjust the burners, but Weber's app can alert you when you're running low on fuel (propane models).

Other types of smart grills

Masterbuilt Gravity 560
Masterbuilt

Both pellet and gas grills have their merits, but some folks prefer the tried-and-true flavor of charcoal when cooking outdoors. While the purchase of one of the previously mentioned accessories will probably achieve what you're after for a kettle or kamado-style grill you already have, there are some charcoal smart grills that offer a degree of connectivity for your cooks.

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series makes some really tasty food and its gravity-fed hopper keeps fuel management minimal. It works well as both a smoker and a high-heat searing machine, and it gives you the ability to watch things from your phone. The only catch is it can be difficult to light when you're starting with used briquettes at the bottom. I found it best to dump the hopper and start with fresh charcoal every time, positioning any previously burned fuel that's still usable further up the stack.

Another charcoal solution with remote monitoring is a Spark Grill. The minimally designed units rely on one large piece of charcoal, dubbed Briqs, that the grills heat to between 250 and 900 degrees. This temperature range gives Spark Grills more versatility than your kettle. You set the temperature via a simple dial and that's it, the grills are ready to cook on in about 10 minutes. And so long as you stay in Bluetooth range, you can keep tabs on grill temps from your phone.

Lucid recalls all of its 2022 Air EVs due to wiring issues

Posted: 25 May 2022 08:19 AM PDT

Despite already struggling to meet production targets, luxury EV maker Lucid has now issued a recall for the Air due to potential issues stemming from the car's wiring harness.

In a recent notice posted on the NHTSA website spotted by Lucid Insiders, a summary for the recall says unsecured wires on 2022 Air vehicles could cause the car's displays to turn off. And because the Air's displays contain critical information including speed, range and warning indicators, this would present a hazard in violation of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

The notice states that the potential number of affected vehicles is 1,117. That means with Lucid having delivered less than 1,000 cars to date, the recall appears to cover all 2022 Air Dream Edition and Grand Touring models. For any potentially affected owners, you can get more info by calling Lucid's customer service at 1-888-995-8243 and mentioning recall number NCR-22-01-0.

Official notification letters are slated to be sent out on June 20th Meanwhile, for cars that are subject to the recall, the NHTSA says Lucid dealers will be responsible for inspecting vehicles and addressing the issue as needed, free of charge.

Going forward, Lucid Insiders claims the company has already started making adjustments to the glass canopy on new vehicles to prevent any issues with unsecured wires. However, perhaps the bigger concern is that this recall comes just a few months after Lucid recalled 200 cars for having front strut dampers that may have been improperly installed by a supplier. And with reservations for the Air now exceeding 25,000 cars, ironing out any issues will be hugely important if Lucid hopes to deliver those vehicles in a timely manner.

Update, 5/25/22 3:35PM ET: A Lucid spokesperson has provided Engadget with an official statement regarding the recall which you can see below. 

"For Lucid, the safety of our customers and their families is the highest priority. Lucid is recalling certain model year 2022 Lucid Air vehicles because of the possibility that the wiring connection to the instrument panel may not have been secured properly during assembly. The recall applies to 1,117 vehicles that have been delivered to customers, and it is estimated that the defect is present on 1% of cars. Lucid is not aware of any instances when these components have failed in a vehicle or caused an interruption to the instrument display panel."

Barnes & Noble reveals a cheaper version of its Nook GlowLight 4 e-reader

Posted: 25 May 2022 07:19 AM PDT

Barnes & Noble has revealed its latest Nook e-reader, a more budget-friendly version of the Nook GlowLight 4 it announced in December. The Nook Glowlight 4e costs $30 less than the previous model but, as you might expect, there are some tradeoffs.

The e-readers share a similar design, with soft-touch casing and physical buttons for turning pages. However, at 212DPI, the GlowLight 4e has a lower-resolution display than the GlowLight 4, which has a six-inch, 300DPI screen. There's less storage too, with 8GB instead of 32GB. Rather than a month of promised battery life, Barnes & Noble says the GlowLight 4e will run "for weeks" on a single charge.

Other than those differences, the two models seem alike. They both support USB-C charging and have a built-in anti-glare screen protector with scratch resistance.

At $120, the Nook GlowLight 4e is $30 more expensive than the base Kindle. However, for those looking for an e-reader that's not tied to Amazon, it might be worth checking out.

Pre-orders for the Nook GlowLight 4e are now open. It will ship on June 7th.

IKEA made a Matter-ready hub with a new smart home app to match

Posted: 25 May 2022 06:25 AM PDT

IKEA continues its foray into smart home devices with the launch of a Google Matter-ready hub called DIRIGERA and a new IKEA Home smart app. With the new device and app, the Swedish company is promising to handle more smart device segments while making device integration easier. It says the app will be "convenient, easy to navigate and user-friendly" for anyone just getting into smart home tech. 

"With the new DIRIGERA hub for smart products, users will be able to onboard all IKEA smart products to the system and steer them individually, in sets or in groups in the new IKEA Home smart app. This enables users to create different scenes with pre-set functions of the smart products and increases the personalisation options for the smart home," according to the company.

IKEA's first smart home hub/gateway TRADFRI and app launched way back in 2014, so it was long overdue for a refresh. The company said that you'll still be able to use that device, and current "products from IKEA can be connected to and work equally well with the DIRIGERA hub."

IKEA's smart home and device family continues to grow at a fairly rapid pace. Earlier this year it launched the VAPPEBY LED lamp that doubles as a Spotify-enabled Bluetooth speaker. It also recently refreshed the SYMFONISK bookshelf speaker, built in partnership with Sonos, along with smart blinds, a smart air purifier and other devices. 

The DIRIGERA hub and new IKEA smart home app will launch in October 2022, the company said. It will also unveil remote "away from home" functionality in the first half of 2023. 

Pixy drone hands-on: A flying robot photographer for Snapchat users

Posted: 25 May 2022 06:00 AM PDT

Drones are everywhere these days, filming dramatic reveals and awe-inspiring scenery for social media platforms. The problem is, they're not exactly approachable for beginners who have only ever used a smartphone. Last month, Snap debuted the $230 Pixy drone exactly for those people. It requires very little skill and acts like a personal robot photographer to help you produce nifty aerial shots.

You don't need to pilot the Pixy. In fact, you couldn't if you wanted to. Rather, it flies by itself, performing pre-programmed patterns that put the focus on you, the user. It has great potential for things like parties or tourist activities, grabbing awesome aerial shots with almost no user intervention.

Snap calls itself a camera company, but its other photo-centric products like Spectacles have met with limited success. To me, the Pixy drone holds more promise because it could help users get more interesting content than they could with a phone or regular camera. I've had one for the last week in the French countryside, so let's see if it's as versatile as I hope.

Hardware and setup

At just 3.6 ounces (101 grams), the Pixy is small enough to throw in a bag or wear around your neck using the supplied protective case with a strap. It's pretty cute – I even heard some oohs and aahs from friends and bystanders – though it does look a little flimsy. However, it proved to be surprisingly resistant to falls and accidents, emerging from several such incidents without a scratch.

The four propellers are in a protective cowl, so they can't buzz any tree branches or fingers. On top is a start button and mode dial, with the battery compartment and charge indicator lights underneath. You'll also notice a camera on the bottom, but it's strictly for detecting your hand and not taking photos or video. A USB-C port at back lets you charge the drone and transfer files to your phone or PC.

The main camera takes 2.7K video at 30 fps and 12-megapixel images. It shoots in 16:9 landscape mode, which is a bit odd considering the Snaps are vertical. However, a cropping tool in the app lets you convert your captures to portrait mode.

Pixy drone hands-on: A flying robot photographer for Snapchat users
Steve Dent/Engadget

The first thing to do is sync it up to your account via Bluetooth by placing it in standby mode, then pressing and holding the start button. From there, Snapchat detects the Pixy and syncs everything up over WiFi. In my tests, the process was seamless on both an iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy S10.

Then, you set the dial to one of four flight modes: Hover, Reveal, Follow and Orbit. They're pretty self-explanatory, with Hover keeping the drone in place and letting you do any actions in front of it. Reveal starts tight on your face and zooms away to 10 to 30 feet in height, revealing the background. Follow tracks you around (it works best if it can see your face) and Orbit does a 360 circle at about head height and at a distance between 10 and 30 feet.

Each of those can be tweaked in the app with different flight times, distances and more. If you often use a flight mode like Reveal with a specific setting, you can save that to the Favorite dial for easy access, using the app.

In use

Pixy drone hands-on: A flying robot photographer for Snapchat users
Steve Dent/Engadget

Once the flight pattern is selected, just hold the Pixy up so its camera can see your face and press the start button. It'll take off and perform the selected maneuver, saving video and/or photos to the 16GB of fixed internal storage. That's enough for around 100 videos and 1,000 photos, depending on the mode and settings.

All of the flight patterns worked well, though as mentioned, the Follow mode works best if it can see your face. It doesn't detect specific people, but it did seem to lock on tenaciously to the same face even if multiple people were in a shot.

When it's done, you just hold your hand underneath and it'll land directly on it, which is where the bottom camera comes into play. It worked pretty reliably, but sometimes I had to move my hand around a bit to catch it or keep it from falling.

Pixy drone hands-on: A flying robot photographer for Snapchat users
Steve Dent/Engadget

Afterwards, when you jump into the Memories section of the Snapchat app, it'll tell you that you have some Pixy clips ready to import. You can also copy them over to your PC via USB-C, but you have to adjust a Snapchat setting in the Pixy section ("Import via USB") first.

Once you have some clips, you can get started editing them. If you want to post on Snap, you can use the auto-crop function to convert to vertical video while centering your subjects. You can then trim the video, add music and use special Pixy AR lenses, like "Flame Aura," "Multiples" (making three of you) and Record, an old-timey VHS tape effect. It also comes with two special speed ramp effects, Jump Cut and Hyperspeed.

Trade-offs

So far so good, but there are a number of things it can't do. To start with, there are no obstacle detection sensors at all, so if something gets in the way, the Pixy will crash right into it. Leaves and twigs didn't always stop it, but walls, branches and human bodies certainly did. Luckily, as mentioned, the Pixy is pretty tough.

Since it can't go very far or high (up to 30 feet at most) the lack of obstacle detection shouldn't be an issue for most people. To avoid any issues, though, you should test each maneuver in a wide open area to get a feel for how far away it travels.

Pixy drone hands-on: A flying robot photographer for Snapchat users
Steve Dent/Engadget

Another significant limitation is flight time. Snap told me that the Pixy can fly for four to five minutes on a charge, or between five and 10 flights. You can buy extra batteries for $20 each, and get a portable dual-battery charger for $50. If you think you'll need that extra flight time (you will), your best bet is the Pixy Flight Pack, which adds the charger and two extra batteries for an extra $20.

It also lacks a gimbal and relies strictly on electronic stabilization, so you might get some shaky footage if you're flying in a lot of wind. Speaking of which, the Pixy's light weight means you can't really fly it outside at all in gusty conditions.

Image and video quality isn't amazing, but it does the job. When I showed it to a professional photographer friend, he was pleasantly surprised. The exposure levels were good, and it adjusted well when going from shade to sunlight. It worked fine indoors provided I had a reasonable amount of light.

When you open videos or photos on a PC screen, it's clear that it can't compare to a smartphone or other drones, particularly in low light. But even when you reduce the resolution by cropping vertically, it looks decent on a smartphone – so it's absolutely good enough for most Snapchat users.

Pixy drone hands-on: A flying robot photographer for Snapchat users

My photographer friend took it to a wedding and he found it great for grabbing some extra shots or to show behind-the-scenes goings on. Since it requires almost no setup or piloting, all he had to do was just launch the Pixy and it would do the rest – ideal for a busy photographer if quality isn't a concern.

I enjoyed it too as a quick and easy drone and I feel like it would be something I'd take with me while traveling to get some nice reveals and aerial shots. I was curious to see how it compares with other Snapchat camera products like Spectacles, and what ambitions Snap has for it, so I asked Engadget senior editor Karissa Bell, who covers social media.

"If you think about what they've done with Spectacles… there was a lot of interest in the beginning, but once you start to use them they're more of a novelty," she told me. "The Pixy's interesting because it really does seem to have more possibilities."

"If you're somebody who's really active on Snapchat [or] making videos for Spotlight, which is their take on a TikTok-like feature, you can get really creative. But $230 is not a small amount of money, especially for younger people in Snapchat's core demographic. So I think it could be more of a success than Spectacles, but there are a lot of drone companies out there if you're just looking for a drone."

In fact, it already looks like it'll be a challenge to get one, as the wait time has stretched out to four whole months after pre-orders started on April 28th. That could be down to demand, but Snap CEO Evan Spiegel also toldThe Verge that the company "should have made more."

Wrap-up

Pixy drone hands-on: A flying robot photographer for Snapchat users
Steve Dent/Engadget

Still, it does look like Snap is onto something with the Pixy. It's not nearly as capable as pricier drones from DJI and others, but that's not really the point. Rather, it's a way for social media users to get some cinematic shots without the need to be a drone expert.

You can also turn over photo and video chores to the Pixy and focus on creating your Snap content. If you're on a night out with friends, you can send it off to grab some shots without the need for a selfie stick or other gear.

It's not perfect, as battery life is pretty poor and image quality merely passable. And at $230, it's also quite expensive considering that you could buy a decent drone for that kind of money – we've seen DJI's Spark Mini on sale at $250, for instance.

But Pixy isn't designed for avid drone users who might balk at that price. It's made for social media creators who might even consider it to be cheap considering what it could do for them. The reactions I saw from passersby and friends were overwhelmingly positive, with a number saying they might buy one. If that's any kind of sign, the Pixy might become a hit.

Apple's MacBook Air M1 is $100 off right now

Posted: 25 May 2022 05:41 AM PDT

While you may waiting in anticipation for Apple's next iteration of the MacBook Air, the current model is on sale at Amazon. You can pick up the 256GB MacBook Air M1 for $900 right now, or $100 off its normal price. We have seen it lower before — last year's holiday shopping season brought its lowest price ever of $800 — but a $100 discount remains a good one if you're in need of a new thin-and-light laptop.

Buy MacBook Air M1 (256GB) at Amazon - $900

We consider the MacBook Air M1 to be the best laptop for most people, despite it being about two years old at this point. It impressed us with its stellar performance and lack of fan noise, both of which help it feel speedier, smoother and more efficient than previous models. It also has improved GPU performance, and while it's not a gaming machine by any means, it can handle Apple Arcade games nicely.

Performance is the standout new feature on the MacBook Air M1, but that's only because Apple didn't fix what wasn't broken about the laptop's design. It's super thin and light, coming in at 2.8 pounds, plus it has a lovely 13-inch Retina Display, an excellent keyboard and trackpad and a battery that can last over 16 hours on a single charge. The biggest downsides come in its webcam and scant port selection. You're only getting a 720p webcam on this laptop, which is lackluster considering how much time many of us spend on video calls every day, and the machine has only two USB-C ports on it.

If you absolutely must have more ports and don't want to live the dongle life going forward, consider the 14-inch MacBook Pro instead. It's more expensive, but it'll be a better investment in the long run. However, if speed and portability are your top concerns, the MacBook Air M1 is one of the best options out there.

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

Amazon is taking up to 60 percent off WD and SanDisk storage for today only

Posted: 25 May 2022 05:03 AM PDT

If you're building a new PC or just need a storage device for your computers and gaming consoles, make sure to check out Amazon today. You can get both internal and external disk drives, as well as memory cards, for up to 60 percent off from the website's ongoing one-day Western Digital and SanDisk sale. One of the most deeply discounted items included in the event is Western Digital's 2TB Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD that's currently listed for $170, or $210 off its original price. The component went on sale at Amazon earlier this month, but this is the lowest price we've seen it go for on the website. It has read speeds of up to 560MB/s, sequential write speeds of up to 530MB/s and is compatible with computers that have standard SATA connectors.

Buy Western Digital and SanDisk storage and memory products at Amazon

In case you're looking for a memory card, the SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card with 400GB capacity is also on sale for $36, down $34 or almost half its original retail price. It's compatible with most devices that have microSD card slots, such as Android phones and tablets, and it has transfer speeds reaching 120MB/s that will let you move up to 1,000 photos within a minute.

For portable storage devices, there's SanDisk's Extreme PRO Portable SSD with a 2TB capacity. It's currently on sale for $260 — its all-time low on the website — or $250 off its retail price. The device has 2000MB/s read or write speeds, comes with a USB-C and a USB-A cable and can work with both Windows and Mac computers. 

But if you need external storage with an even bigger capacity for your home or office, you can get Western Digital's 10TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive HDD instead. It's currently available for $175 — not quite an all-time low, but still $125 lower than its retail price of $300. The storage solution is plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs, but you can also use it for your Mac computers, as well as for your PS4 and your Xbox consoles.

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

Dyson's been secretly working on robots that do household chores

Posted: 25 May 2022 04:35 AM PDT

Dyson has been getting into more and more offbeat products these days, like the Zone noise-canceling headphones that blow purified air at your face. Now, the company has revealed that it has an entire division that's secretly been developing robot prototypes that do household chores. 

The company didn't detail any of the models in particularly, but many look like regular robot arms adapted to do specialized home chores like cleaning and tidying. One appeared to be designed to vacuum out the seat cushions, mapping an armchair out in detail to do the job. "So this means I'll never, ever find crisps around the back of my sofa again?" the company's chief engineer, Jake Dyson, asked a researcher in a video (below).

Another robot was putting away dishes or at least placing them in a drying rack, and another was grasping a teddy bear, presumably picking up after a child. Dyson also showed off a "Perception Lab" that was all about robotic vision systems, detecting its environment and mapping humans with sensors, cameras and thermal imaging systems.

Dyson is currently on a recruiting drive, looking for around 700 engineers, which is one reason it finally decided to show off the lab (located at Hullavington Airfield, Wiltshire in the UK) after keeping it under wraps. "What you're developing counts an awful lot in terms of excitement and attracting engineers," he said. "One thing about robots, as with wearables, is that they are the future of Dyson."

The Morning After: Google claims 'unprecedented photorealism' from its new text-to-image AI

Posted: 25 May 2022 04:15 AM PDT

Google has shown off a new artificial intelligence system that can create images based on text input. Its Imagen diffusion model, created by the Brain Team at Google Research, offers "an unprecedented degree of photorealism and a deep level of language understanding."

TMA
Google

This isn't the first time we've seen AI models like this. OpenAI's DALL·E (and its successor) performed similar witchcraft, turning text into visuals. Google's version, however, tries to create more realistic images. The researchers created a benchmark and asked humans to assess each image from a range of AIs. They "prefer Imagen over other models in side-by-side comparisons, both in terms of sample quality and image-text alignment," Google said.

It's not available to the public, and there are reasons for this. "Datasets of this nature often reflect social stereotypes, oppressive viewpoints, and derogatory, or otherwise harmful, associations to marginalized identity groups," the researchers wrote. Imagen has inherited the "social biases and limitations of large language models" and may depict "harmful stereotypes and representation." The team said the AI encodes social biases, including a tendency to create images of people with lighter skin tones and place them in certain stereotypical gender roles. The system could be used to make unsavory images to intentionally cause offense.

The team may eventually allow the rest of us to play with the model to generate our own images, but the researchers need to consider a framework first — a challenge in itself.

— Mat Smith

 

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'Lord of the Rings: Gollum' hits consoles and PC on September 1st

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Starlink launches its satellite internet for RVs

But it costs more than a standard Starlink service.

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Starlink

Starlink's internet service for RV drivers and 'vanlife' types is live. While applying for a regular Starlink dish and service will put customers on a waitlist until 2023, Starlink for RVs is immediately available and will ship out to buyers right now. However, network resources are always deprioritized for RV connections, and the service costs $135, which is $25 more than a regular Starlink connection.

Continue reading.

ASUS' ROG Swift is the 'world's first' 500Hz G-Sync gaming monitor

It uses NVIDIA's Reflex tech to reduce system latency.

ASUS has unveiled what it calls the "world's first" 500Hz G-Sync gaming display, the 1080p ROG Swift 500Hz. Designed for competitive gaming, it uses a special panel and incorporates NVIDIA's G-Sync Esports technology to maximize motion clarity. It also uses NVIDIA's Reflex Analyzer technology, which delivers real-time stats to help you reduce end-to-end latency if you're using a Reflex-optimized mouse and NVIDIA GPU.

The key highlight remains the 500Hz refresh rate, which draws eight times faster than typical 60Hz displays.

Continue reading.

Canon's EOS R7 and EOS R10 are its first EOS R crop-sensor cameras

Well-priced and fast but lacking backside-illuminated/stacked sensors.

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Canon

Canon has launched its first EOS R APS-C crop sensor cameras, the 32-megapixel EOS R7 and 24-megapixel EOS R10. The new models bring Canon's APS-C and full-frame RF series in alignment, so you can finally use lenses interchangeably. More importantly, they carry impressive specs, like 15 fps mechanical shutter shooting speeds and 4K video at up to 60 fps.

The EOS R10 will cost $980 for the body only and $1,100 with the RF-S18-45mm lens and $1,380 with the RF-S18-150mm lens. The R7, meanwhile, will sell for $1,500 for the body only and $1,900 with the S18-150mm lens. Both should arrive later this year.

Continue reading.

Microsoft Teams goes beyond screen sharing for real-time collaboration

Live Share is a major evolution for remote work.

Microsoft's new Live Share feature should make it easier for Teams apps to enable real-time collaboration. If this sounds familiar, it's because Microsoft announced plans to make Teams the go-to option for collaborative apps last year. Live Share is based on Fluid Framework, Microsoft's attempt at atomizing components of traditional documents and making them collaborative. Microsoft says several partners, including Accenture, Frame.io and Hexagon, are already building Live Share experiences in Teams projects.

Continue reading.

NVIDIA is bringing out liquid-cooled GPUs

But they're for data centers.

Later this year, NVIDIA will begin selling a liquid-cooled version of its A100 GPU for data centers. The GPU maker is positioning the video card as a way for cloud computing companies to make their facilities more energy-efficient. NVIDIA claims a facility outfitted with its water-cooled A100 GPUs ran the same workload as an air-cooled data center while using about 30 percent less power.

Continue reading.

ProtonMail is rebranding and adding a lot more storage to all its plans

Posted: 25 May 2022 03:30 AM PDT

For the privacy-minded, ProtonMail has been one of the better options for secure email — you can get an (admittedly basic) account for free and enjoy end-to-end encryption for your communications when you're messaging other ProtonMail users. But the company's plans have gotten a little out of date. Free accounts only come with 500MB of storage, while the €4 / month plan bumps you to a modest 4GB of storage with some other limitations like a daily 1000-message sent cap.

Starting today, though, the company is making it easier to go all-in on ProtonMail and the other services it offers, including a VPN, cloud storage and an encrypted calendar. Going forward, ProtonMail is rebranding itself simply as Proton, pushing its whole suite of privacy-focused services and updating all of its plans. The company has a new website (proton.me), and both new and existing users can use the @proton.me address rather than the old @protonmail.com option if they're so inclined.

Proton Mail inbox
Proton

Going forward, Proton will offer three plans: Free, Mail Plus and Unlimited. The new free tier expands storage to 1GB and remains fairly constrained — you can only send 150 messages per day and have three labels and folders, for example. You can also access the basic Proton VPN tool and user Proton Calendar, though you're limited to only one calendar on this plan. Proton has long said that since it doesn't serve ads, it relies on subscriptions for revenue, so it's not too surprising the free plan is restricted. 

The Mail Plus plan will cost €5 / month, though you can get it for less if you sign up for a year or two years all in one shot. It's a big upgrade over the old plan, though. Users now get 15GB of storage shared between their email and Proton Drive cloud storage account. There's no restrictions on how many messages you can send or how many labels and folders you can create, and it also supports IMAP email clients via the Proton Bridge tool. There are also additional features like a new "short domain" email alias (@pm.me) that you can use to send and receive messages as well as 20 calendars that you can share with other users.

Finally, the Unlimited plan costs €12 / month; the company is positioning it as a way to get the top tier of all its services at once. That means 500GB of total storage, making Proton Drive a lot more viable for people to use as a backup service. You can use Proton Mail with up to three different custom domain addresses (up from one on the Mail Plus Plan) and with a total of 15 different email addresses (up from 10 on Mail Plus). 

Proton VPN
Proton

But the big difference is that you get the full-fledged Proton VPN with the Unlimited plan, rather than the more basic option that comes with the other two Proton plans. This includes up to 10 VPN connections rather than one, a total of 1,700+ servers across 63 different countries (rather than 100-ish servers in three countries) and faster speeds. For the time being Proton will continue offering its VPN as a standalone product, too — you can get the details on that as well as the breakdown between the basic free VPN and what you get with the full version here.

If you're new to the Proton world, right now the company has iOS apps for mail and VPN services, and Android apps for mail, VPN and calendar. The Drive cloud storage option is still technically in beta, so there aren't any mobile apps for it just yet — they're slated for later this year.

And while Proton doesn't have any major updates to the mail service or its other apps aside from unifying them with its new design language, the company has made a few updates in recent months. Last month, the iOS Mail app got some design updates and a dark mode, as well as a "conversation" mode to make threads of messages easier to read. Back in February, Proton turned on encrypted search in the Mail web app, and in January it added a tracking pixel blocker.

PlayStation DualSense controllers are up to 21 percent off in Days of Play sale

Posted: 25 May 2022 03:23 AM PDT

You can get new PlayStation controllers and other accessories from Amazon at a discount from the Days of Play sale that begins today, May 25th. All six PS DualSense controllers are currently on sale at Amazon, including the latest colors launched in December. The basic black controller is available for $59, while the white one is listed for $60, or 14 percent off its original price of $70. For the same prices, though, you can also get one of the vibrantly colored DualSense controllers that typically cost $75.

Buy PlayStation accessories and games at Amazon

The Cosmic Red, Nova Pink and Galactic Purple controllers are listed for $59, which is the lowest price we've seen for them on the website. You'll have to pay $1 more for the Starlight Blue variant, but that's still a steal if you're eyeing the color in the first place and investing in a similar-colored face plate for your PS5, as well. The DualSense controllers have such advanced haptic feedback, that developers can program it to give you a feel of what's happening on screen — they can tweak the haptics to make you feel the difference between your character walking on grass and trudging through sand, for instance. DualSense's analog triggers can also recreate the feel of in-game tools, such the resistance of a bow when you pull on its string to shoot an arrow. 

The Playstation HD Camera is also on sale for $49 or $11 less its retail price. It has dual wide-angle lenses, is capable of 1080p capture and has a built-in adjustable stand. Meanwhile, the PlayStation PULSE 3D Wireless Headset is currently available for $10 off at $90. It's fine-tuned for 3D Audio on PS5 consoles, has noise—canceling mic and can last for up to 12 hours on a single charge.

You can also get few physical games at a discount from the sale, including Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection for $30 instead of $50. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for the PS5 is available at $30 off for $40, while Death Stranding is on sale for 22 percent off at $20. The discounted copy of Death Stranding is for the PS4, but you can upgrade your copy for the PS5 for an additional $10. Finally, you can also get Elden Ring for $10 off at $50, The King of Fighters XV at $20 off for $40 and Deathloop at 58 percent off for $25.

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

Insta360's Sphere lets DJI's latest Mavic Air drones capture 360-degree video

Posted: 25 May 2022 01:22 AM PDT

Insta360, best known for its action and 360 degree cameras, has just launched an interesting drone camera. The Insta360 Sphere attaches around the body of DJI's Mavic Air 2 or Air 2S drones, letting you film 5.7K 360 footage or create regular 2D videos with the option of reframing them later in post. Better still, Insta360's tech ensures that the drone is "invisible" in shots.

Since 360 cameras film in all directions, half the video can be obstructed by the drone itself. However, Insta360 mounted cameras on either side of the drone to ensure it doesn't appear in the footage. To provide seamless footage, "Insta360's proprietary dynamic stitching algorithm makes the whole drone (including the propellers) disappear automatically," the company wrote. 

The Sphere attaches to Mavic Air 2/2S drones with an "ultra-secure" mechanism, and doesn't affect its structural integrity or impact the GPS signal or control system. Insta360 is also promising smooth flights via its FlowState stabilization tech that's been fine-tuned for the Sphere. At the same time, you can simultaneously capture video from the drone's own camera. 

The company showed off some fancy footage in a YouTube video, with barrel rolls and dolly zooms, created in its Insta360 app. The Insta360 Sphere is now available in the US and mainland China for $430.  

Lyft joins Uber in cutting back on new hiring

Posted: 24 May 2022 10:51 PM PDT

After Uber announced that it was cutting back on hiring and other expenses due to the economic slowdown, rival Lyft is doing the same, according to The Wall Street Journal. "Given the slower than expected recovery and need to accelerate leverage in the business, we've made the difficult but important decision to significantly slow hiring in the US," Lyft President John Zimmer reportedly wrote in a memo to staff.

There are no layoffs planned. However, the decision means the company will give priority to fewer initiatives and not fill many current open roles, focusing instead on critical roles that support its core rides business, the memo further states. 

Tech companies have been hard hit during the economic slowdown, with Amazon reporting its slowest growth in nearly 20 years and Snap shares declining 43 percent after it reported earnings yesterday. Lyft has been hit particularly hard, having lost more than 60 percent of its value since the beginning of 2022, with a 15 percent decline alone yesterday.
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