Monday, June 27, 2022

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Google Hangouts is shutting down this fall

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 12:00 PM PDT

Hangouts holdouts will have to finally say goodbye to Google's most resilient chat app later this year. On Monday, the company announced it would start migrating consumer Hangouts users to Chat before the former is no longer available after November 2022. If you still use Hangouts on mobile, you'll see a prompt starting today to move to either the standalone Chat app or the Chat experience in Gmail. "Hangouts has been replaced by Google Chat," the company declares in the notification.

Over on Gmail, Google won't begin prodding Hangouts users to switch over until July. The Hangouts web client will remain available until November, and the company says users will have "at least" one month of warning before the platform's webpage begins automatically redirecting to the Chat website instead. If you're still actively using Hangouts, Google promises your conversations will automatically transfer to its newer app. That said, you can also use the company's Takeout service to download a copy of your data.

Google has been gradually phasing out the Hangouts brand in favor of its newer messaging services for some time now, so it's not surprising the company has finally decided to sunset the platform. And while it never enjoyed the popularity of some instant messaging apps, Hangouts had its devout fans.

Valve ramps up production to 'more than double' Steam Deck shipments

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 10:51 AM PDT

There's some good news if you've been waiting to get your hands on a Steam Deck. Valve says it has boosted production and will be shipping more than twice the number of units each week than it has over the last few months.

The company planned to start shipping the device in December, but supply chain issues forced it to delay the Steam Deck until February. It now appears Valve has found the parts and production capacity it needs to build units at a faster pace and get them out to customers more quickly.

Were you to reserve a Steam Deck now, you likely wouldn't receive it until at least October. However, since Valve is ramping up the volume of shipments, it may be able to bring down the wait time. Hopefully, it will soon get to the point where it can ship a Steam Deck within days of someone deciding to order one. 

Valve says those who had an expected shipment window of Q3 will start receiving reservation emails on June 30th. When you do eventually get your Steam Deck, though, it's probably best to avoid swapping out the built-in storage. Valve hardware designer Lawrence Yang warned that the power requirements of off-the-shelf SSDs could cause a Steam Deck to overheat and shorten the lifespan.

‘Endless Dungeon’ is a tense mix of tower defense and twin-stick hero shooter

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 10:09 AM PDT

My first playthrough of Endless Dungeon ended in disaster. The "Crystal Bot" I was supposed to defend was overrun by a ravenous swarm of bugs after I left it open to attack by pulling my two heroes away to protect a resource point. Naturally, I started a new run immediately after I had a moment to curse my luck.

Endless Dungeon falls somewhere between a sequel and remake of 2014's Dungeon of the Endless, the game that helped developer Amplitude Studios make its name. Like its predecessor, Endless Dungeon tasks you with protecting a crystal from hordes of enemies while finding your way through a mysterious multi-level dungeon. But where Dungeon of the Endless took place on a strange alien planet, this one is set on a station left behind by the Endless, the ancient alien race that connects all of Amplitude's projects.

Also new to Endless Dungeon is that it's a twin-stick shooter and features a roguelite progression, meaning you'll need to start from the beginning of the game each time you fail your objective but you'll carry over some of the things you earned to make your next run easier. Additionally, Amplitude has built the game from the start with multiplayer in mind.

"We had a lot of ideas for Dungeon of the Endless that didn't make it into the game," says lead game designer Arthur Prudent during a press event Sega held last week. "This time we wanted to do something more accessible. That's why we wanted the player to have direct control. That forced us to change a lot of things."

Each run of Endless Dungeon begins with you picking a team of misfits to delve into the depths of the station. In the demo I played, you could take two characters with you. The final game will feature eight playable heroes, with a full team consisting of three squadmates.

Endless Dungeon
Amplitude Studios / Sega

When playing online, you and two other friends control one character each. In singleplayer, you can only play as one hero at a time. However, you can issue orders to your two party members. Each hero has their own backstory and playstyle, as well as special and ultimate abilities. Zed, one of my favorites, carries a minigun into battle with her and can clear rooms with an explosive line attack.

Once you have a squad assembled, the bulk of Endless Dungeon's gameplay involves attempting to get the cute Crystal Bot I mentioned before to the end of a level so that it can descend further down the station and you can find what's at the center. The catch is that each time you attempt to move the robot, an endless horde of enemies will attack until the bot is either destroyed or you successfully get it to its destination. Waves of enemies will also periodically attack you while you explore each level.

What makes the action in Endless Dungeon thrilling is that it's a tower-defense game where you don't know the entire layout of a level when you start. You have to explore each level to find all the enemy spawn points. My first run ended when I left one of the corridors leading to my Crystal Bot undefended. Some levels will feature locked doors, with a central switch you can trigger to unlock them all at once, allowing you to shape the path enemies take.

Endless Dungeon
Amplitude Studios / Sega

Every level consists of multiple rooms, and in each room, you can build turrets to thin out enemy waves. In addition to the usual assortment of damage-dealing ones, you can build turrets that slow your enemies and shield your other assets to make them more resistant to attack. Gone from Dungeon of the Endless is that game's light mechanic where enemies would spawn in rooms where you didn't spend Dust to power them. That makes planning your defenses both more and less difficult since you need to find the enemy's dedicated spawn points.

Building turrets requires a resource called industry. Alongside food and science, it's one of three primary resources you'll collect to build structures, heal your heroes, research new turrets and more. A fourth resource called Dust Shards lets you upgrade your Crystal Bot and restore power to rooms left without any.

Endless Dungeon
Amplitude Studios / Sega

Managing your resources in Endless Dungeon is its own tightrope act. As you explore each floor of the station, you'll find rooms with spots for generators that can add to your food, industry or science stockpiles. If you have enough industry points, you can build additional extractors, with each subsequent one costing more than the last. But just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

That's because Endless Dungeon plays out in real-time but your generators only add to your resource pool when you open a new room. Moreover, they're one of the first things the denizens of the station will attack on their way to your Crystal Bot. To make things even more complicated, even if you build an industry generator on every spot you find, you won't have enough materials for all the turrets you need to defend everything. In short, expansion comes with risks in Endless Dungeon, and the game constantly asks you to make those kinds of decisions.

For instance, collecting Dust Shards involves uprooting your Crystal Bot and moving it, meaning it must leave behind any turrets you built to defend it. Obtaining upgrades from a research terminal is similarly perilous since starting one will trigger a wave of enemies.

Endless Dungeon
Amplitude Studios / Sega

My second and third runs end about as well as my first one, and I'm no closer to completing the demo than I was when the preview began. "The game is supposed to be hard," Prudent tells me and everyone else taking part in the event. Each time you fail a run in Endless Dungeon, you find yourself back in a bar that plays smooth jazz in the background. It's here that you get a chance to talk to all the characters you can take on your runs and unlock the things that will make your next playthrough go smoother.

Amplitude Studios wasn't ready to preview those systems when I played the game. Without experiencing them, it's hard to say if Endless Dungeon will have the staying power of games like Hades or Rogue Legacy 2, but what I played last left me excited to see where the studio takes the game. Endless Dungeon doesn't have a release date, but when it does arrive, you'll be able to play it on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch.

Valve warns against squeezing a larger SSD into your Steam Deck

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 08:25 AM PDT

Valve loves to warn people about about the risks of do-it-yourself Steam Deck maintenance, and that now extends to upgrading the storage. In a response to a PC Gamerarticle on modding the Steam Deck, Valve hardware designer Lawrence Yang warned against upgrading the device's NVMe SSD. While it's technically possible, the M.2 2242 drives (22mm wide by 42mm long) you frequently find in stores are hotter and more power-hungry than the 2230 models (22mm x 30mm) the handheld was meant to support. You could "significantly shorten" the longevity of the system, Yang said, adding that you shouldn't move thermal pads.

The PC Gamer story referenced modder Belly Jelly's discovery (initially reported by Hot Hardware) that it was possible to fit an M.2 2242 SSD in the Steam Deck, albeit with some design sacrifices. There were already concerns this might lead to overheating problems. Yang just explained why it's a bad idea, and outlined the likely long-term consequences.

The alert might be a letdown if you feel limited by Valve's maximum 512GB storage and don't think a microSD card (typically much slower than an SSD) is an adequate substitute. With that said, it's not shocking — mobile devices like this often have size and thermal constraints that make it impractical to upgrade at least some components.

‘GoldenEra’ is a loving, if muddled, tribute to ‘GoldenEye 007’

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 07:30 AM PDT

GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 is one of those games that will forever be held up as a milestone in the art. It wasn't the first FPS on a console, or even the first FPS on the Nintendo 64, but it was unquestionably the best. And the most influential. GoldenEye 007 inspired the development of Half-Life and reportedly prompted the creation of the Medal of Honor series. It also holds very fond memories for everyone of a certain age who would hunch over someone's 14-inch bedroom TV to play the local deathmatch for hours at a time.

Its success, and legacy, means it's one of a handful of titles that would merit a feature-length making-of documentary. Drew Roller's GoldenEra tries to encompass everything about the title, from its genesis as a small project at Rare's rural farmland campus to the monster it became. In one way, the story of GoldenEye 007 mirrors that of Citizen Kane – created by neophytes so unaware of what would be achieved, they went on to break new ground in the process. And while many of the team would go on to make some pretty good games, nothing would come close to their debut in terms of impact and acclaim.

GoldenEra has been able to get many of the original team on the record, including David Doak, Karl Hilton, Brett Jones, Duncan Botwood and Steve Ellis. Their testimony is supplemented by a number of journalists and talking heads from across the games industry that helps bulk out the gaps. After all, Rare (then working in partnership with Nintendo, now owned by Microsoft) has always been more secretive about what it does than other studios. And so there do seem to be missing chunks of testimony that would have helped paint a richer, fuller picture here.

And if there's a problem with the film, it's that it's a lot harder to make the drama compelling given that software design is relatively staid. Not to mention that the impact a game has has to be measured in different ways to, for instance, a movie or album. After all, you can fairly clearly spot the examples of pop phenomenons, since they often swallow the culture around them for weeks or months at a time. Our relationship with video games is often a lot more personal, beyond the usual visual cues of people queuing up to buy the title on release day.

This is, perhaps, where GoldenEra starts to feel a little saggy, since it tries to cover the breadth of GoldenEye 007's fallout without much depth. This means that the back third essentially becomes a series of five minute segments covering Perfect Dark, Free Radical Design and Timesplitters, GoldenEye fan films, the modding community that have kept the title alive and what happened to Rare. There's even a little detail about the proposed remake of GoldenEye 007, as well as plenty of snark handed out to the subsequent James Bond games that are all, universally, not very good. But as much as you or I might take issue with the scattershot approach, it's one way of folding in all of the many and varied ends to this particular story.

GoldenEra is available to rent or buy today on a number of on-demand platforms, including Google Play, Prime Video, Apple TV and Sky in the UK. There is no news, yet, on when the film will be made available in the US.

Nintendo Direct on June 28th is all about third-party Switch games

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 06:45 AM PDT

Nintendo has announced when its next games showcase will take place. A Nintendo Direct Mini is scheduled for June 28th at 9AM ET. It most likely won't feature news on Mario, Zelda, Pokémon or any of Nintendo's other franchises, though. The company said the stream will focus on third-party titles that are on the way to Switch.

Right now, it's unclear what to expect from Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase (to give the broadcast its full title). However, it could a be fairly meaty affair, since it clocks in at 25 minutes and Nintendo usually zips through announcements during Directs.

This isn't pegged as an Indie World Showcase, so it may center more around titles from major publishers and larger studios. One of the more notable third-party games slated for a Switch debut, No Man's Sky, already has a release date of October 7th, so that may not get a heavy focus. There's always the chance of more details on Hollow Knight: Silksong, which is slated to arrive sometime within the next year.

The Nintendo Direct Mini will air a week after a Direct focused on Xenoblade Chronicles 3, though it's not the full-on first-party showcase fans have been waiting for and expecting. You'll be able to watch Tuesday's event on Nintendo's YouTube channel.

Samsung's 1TB 980 Pro SSD returns to an all-time low of $140

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 06:27 AM PDT

Maybe you were finally able to get your hands on a PS5 not too long ago, but now you find yourself quickly running out of space on it. Now's a good time to invest in an SSD that can expand your console's storage because one of our favorites from Samsung is back on sale for an all-time-low price. The Samsung 980 Pro drive in 1TB is 33 percent off and down to $140. A few other drive we recommend from brands like PNY, Patriot and Crucial are also on sale right now, too.

Buy Samsung 980 Pro (1TB) at Amazon - $140Buy Samsung 980 Pro (1TB with heatsink) at Amazon - $170

Normally priced at $210, Samsung's drive comes in a compact, M.2 form factor and supports read speeds up to 7,000 MB/s. It uses a special thermal control algorithm and a nickel coating to manage heat levels, plus a heat spreader label to help manage the temperature of the NAND chip. It's also compatible with Samsung Magician, which is management software that lets you monitor its overall health and keep it up to date.

The biggest issue for PS5 owners is that the drive's standard configuration doesn't come with a heatsink, which you'll need to install it in the console. However, you can get the SSD with said heatsink for only $170 right now, which is 26 percent off its normal rate.

Also on sale is our favorite PS5 SSD, the Patriot Viper VP4300: the 1TB version is down to $130 and the 2TB model is on sale for $255. This drive supports sequential read speeds of up to 7,400 MB/s, plus it comes with a heatsink preinstalled so it's ready to use with the PS5. If you've got a tighter budget, a couple of Crucial and PNY drives might be better fits. Crucial's P5 Plus SSD in 1TB is 20 percent off and down to $128, while PNY's XLR8 CS3040 SSD in 1TB is a whopping 42 percent off and down to $105.

Buy Patriot Viper VP4300 (1TB) at Amazon - $130Buy Crucial P5 Plus (1TB) at Amazon - $128Buy PNY XLR8 CS3040 (1TB) at Amazon - $105

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Google's Pixel 6 Pro is $119 off at Woot for today only

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 06:07 AM PDT

If you've been waiting for Google's highest-end Pixel 6 model to drop below the $800 mark before you buy, you now have your chance. Woot is selling the 128GB Pixel 6 Pro for $780 ($119 off) today only. That's better than an Amazon discount we saw earlier this month, and a good deal if you're looking for a powerful large-screen phone.

Buy Pixel 6 Pro at Woot - $780

Much of what we said about the Pixel 6 Pro at launch remains true today. It mates top-tier (if polarizing) design with superb cameras, a good screen and Google's definitive Android 12 experience, including smart Assistant features. It's also relatively light for a phone this size at 7.4oz, if not quite as featherweight as Samsung's Galaxy S22+ (6.9oz).

Software updates have tackled many of the Pixel 6 Pro's early problems, although the fingerprint reader might still be too finicky for some tastes. The bigger concern simply revolves around timing. Google has already teased the release of the Pixel 7 Pro this fall — you might want to hold off if you're interested in its improved performance and other as yet unannounced upgrades. If you're just looking for a good value, though, the current-generation phone is hard to top.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Google's Nest WiFi packs drop to record-low prices at Amazon

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 05:37 AM PDT

Those looking to upgrade their home's WiFi system can save a bunch on Nest WiFi packs right now. Amazon has most of Nest WiFi configurations on sale, with some at new all-time lows. You can pick up one router for $115, a two-pack with one router and one access point for $149, or a three-pack with one router and two access points for $199. While that's a new low on the router by itself, you'll get the deepest discounts on the multi-packs, which are nearly half off their normal prices.

Buy Nest WiFi (1 router) at Amazon - $115Buy Nest WiFi (1 router, 1 point) at Amazon - $149Buy Nest WiFi (1 router, 2 points) at Amazon - $199

Google's mesh system earned a score of 84 from us when it first came out and there's still a lot to like about it. Each module has an attractive, minimalist design and setting up the system is pretty simple. Each router can cover up to 2,200 square feet and you'll get an additional 1,600 square feet of coverage with each access point you add. That will likely be the biggest factor in deciding which pack you get; those who live in apartments or smaller homes could get away with a single router, while those with multi-story houses should consider springing for a multi-pack.

In addition to supporting Gigabit internet, the Nest WiFi system also has the convenience of built-in Google Assistant support. In fact, each access point acts almost like a Nest Mini smart speaker. You can tap the top of the point to play and pause, and ask the Assistant to do things like read off calendar alerts and set reminders. And if you don't want to use voice commands, or just want a bit more privacy, you can flip the switch on the back of the access points to turn off the microphone. The only caveat to the Nest WiFi is that it's not a WiFi 6 system, and that could be a dealbreaker if you're set on getting a more future-proof device. However, if you're just looking for a new WiFi setup that's fast, reliable and quick to set up, Google's Nest WiFi fits that bill.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

The Morning After: Nothing's Carl Pei wants to make smartphones exciting again

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 04:15 AM PDT

Carl Pei thinks there's something wrong with the smartphone industry. Like a lot of us, Pei has started feeling like new phones just aren't as special as the devices of five or 10 years ago.

He thinks the big players are all circling the same ideas in smartphone design. (Something true for at least a decade now.) And that's where his new company, Nothing, comes in. Pei wants to bring some originality back to mobile tech design. "Maybe we can turn down the brain a little bit and turn up the intuition," said Pei. Check out our full interview with the former co-founder of OnePlus.

TMA
Nothing

While we haven't properly tested the device yet , the Nothing Phone 1 is already available to pre-order — you just need an invitation. Word of warning: Nothing has already said the Phone 1 won't officially come to North America beyond a closed beta for a handful of private community investors. The device should work but won't have full support.

Me? Well, I live in the UK. Sorry about that.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Netflix confirms an ad-supported tier is coming

Contrary to reports, it's still in its early stages.

Company co-chief Ted Sarandos confirmed at the Cannes Lions festival that Netflix is adding an ad-backed tier with a lower price. He stressed the option wouldn't bring ads to Netflix "as you know it today" — as with rivals like Peacock, you'll still be able to avoid marketing altogether.

Sarandos didn't share further details. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google and NBCUniversal are the "top contenders" to help Netflix build the ads-included plan. A Netflix spokesperson told Engadget the company was "still in the early days" of developing the ad-based tier and hadn't nailed down its approach. It's all "speculation" at present, the representative added.

Continue reading.

Apple may be readying a new HomePod

With a new chip and display.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is readying a new HomePod speaker that will look and sound similar to the original 2018 model. As you may recall, the company discontinued the HomePod in 2021 without announcing a direct replacement. According to Gurman, the new model may feature Apple's forthcoming S8 chip and an updated display on the top of the speaker that may include multi-touch functionality. While the original had a display of sorts, it didn't really show information beyond a Siri 'orb.'

Continue reading.

Juul can temporarily keep selling its vaping products in the US

It has delayed the FDA's ban on its vape pens and pods.

Juul has successfully convinced the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to delay the Food and Drug Administration's ban on its products. The agency recently banned Juul from selling and distributing its e-cigarette pens and pods in the US after a comprehensive two-year review.

Despite Juul's accusation that the administration's ban was "arbitrary and capricious," the FDA said it was banning the company's products because it didn't submit sufficient evidence proving that potentially harmful chemicals don't leach from its proprietary pods into the vapor users inhale.

Continue reading.

The largest bacterium discovered is visible to the naked eye

The Thiomargarita magnifica is as long as a human eyelash.

TMA
Jean-Marie Volland/Berkeley Lab

A bacterium classified as the largest ever discovered needs no special tools to be visible to the naked eye. Thiomargarita magnifica, as it's called, has a filament-like appearance and can be as long as a human eyelash. The BBC explained it's bigger than some more complex organisms, such as tiny flies, mites and worms.

Continue reading.

LG buys its way into the EV charging business

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 01:50 AM PDT

LG is jumping into the EV charging business with the acquisition of a South Korean EV battery charger developer called AppleMango, it announced. The move will allow it to create "fully-featured" charging stations with a user-friendly interface and real-time control and management, it said. In particular, it will be able to leverage its "sturdy, dust- and water-proof" outdoor digital display tech. 

LG is well-established in electric mobility, developing batteries, screens and sensors for electric cars. It recently joined forces with Magna International to develop e-motors, inverters and onboard chargers for automakers. The acquisition will expand that, allowing it to marry the new charger capabilities with its current in-house EV charging management systems. It'll also allow LG to "create synergy" with its current EV battery business and products like energy storage and energy management systems. 

AppleMango was established three years ago in 2019 and has developed proprietary tech like a slim and fast EV charger. LG will also work with partners GS Energy, which operates EV charging stations and IT provider GS Neotek to develop the necessary infrastructure. LG took a 60 percent stake in AppleMango, GS Energy a 34 percent stake and GS Neotek a 6 percent share, according to TechCrunch. 

LG plans to install an EV charger production line at LG Digital Park in South Korea by the end of 2022. The goal is to supply a variety of customers with custom EV charging solutions, including private residences, shopping malls, hotels and public buildings. 

Apple's entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 may have slower SSD speeds than the M1 model

Posted: 27 Jun 2022 12:33 AM PDT

Apple's 13-inch 256GB MacBook Pro M2 may have worse SSD performance than the equivalent M1 model, according to testing by YouTube sites Max Tech and Created Tech seen by MacRumors. The $1,300 base model showed around 50 percent slower read speeds (1,446 MB/s compared to 2,900 MB/s) with write speeds 30 percent lower. 

Max Tech opened up the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 and found that it only had a single 256GB NAND flash storage chip instead of two 128GB chips like the previous M1 model. That would mean the drive can only use two lanes in parallel, so performance is restricted to the speed of a single lane. 

The higher-end 512GB and 1TB models don't appear to suffer from the issue, and many review units (like our own) shipped in a 1TB configuration. The slower disk speeds on the 256GB model could affect app loading times, file transfers and data fetching. Overall performance could also take a hit as the virtual memory (used when RAM is full) will be slower, and the base model only has 8GB of RAM. 

It's not clear why Apple changed the configuration on this model, though the global chip shortage may be a factor. In any case, it's something to consider if you're looking at buying the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2. 

Apple’s mixed reality headset may feature an M2 processor

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 02:55 PM PDT

The latest version of Apple's long-rumored mixed reality headset features the company's recently announced M2 system-on-a-chip and 16GB of RAM, according to Mark Gurman. The Bloomberg reporter shared the tidbit of information in his latest Power On newsletter – along with details on a "deluge" of devices Apple plans to release over the next year, including a new HomePod speaker.

As The Verge points out, most recent reports, including those from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and The Information, have suggested the augmented and virtual reality headset would feature two processors. According to Kuo, one of the SoCs would have the same capabilities as the company's M1 chip, while the other would be a lower-end chip designed to handle data from the device's sensors.

After years of rumors, there's been increasing evidence Apple is getting closer to the day when it will finally announce its mixed reality headset. In May, a Twitter user found evidence Apple likely used a shell company to obtain trademarks for "RealityOS." Earlier in the year, developers also found references to the operating system in App Store upload logs. More recently, Tim Cook told China Daily he "couldn't be more excited about the opportunities" presented by augmented and virtual reality, and told the publication to "stay tuned and you will see what we have to offer" on that front.

Google warns internet service providers helped distribute Hermit spyware

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 01:45 PM PDT

Google is warning of a sophisticated new spyware campaign that has seen malicious actors steal sensitive data from Android and iOS users in Italy and Kazakhstan. On Thursday, the company's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) shared its findings on RCS Labs, a commercial spyware vendor based out of Italy.

On June 16th, security researchers at Lookout linked the firm to Hermit, a spyware program believed to have been first deployed in 2019 by Italian authorities as part of an anti-corruption operation. Lookout describes RCS Labs as an NSO Group-like entity. The firm markets itself as a "lawful intercept" business and claims it only works with government agencies. However, commercial spyware vendors have come under intense scrutiny in recent years, largely thanks to governments using the Pegasus spyware to target activists and journalists.

According to Google, Hermit can infect both Android and iOS devices. In some instances, the company's researchers observed malicious actors work with their target's internet service provider to disable their data connection. They would then send the target an SMS message with a prompt to download the linked software to restore their internet connection. If that wasn't an option, the bad actors attempted to disguise the spyware as a legitimate messaging app like WhatsApp or Instagram.

What makes Hermit particularly dangerous is that it can gain additional capabilities by downloading modules from a command and control server. Some of the addons Lookout observed allowed the program to steal data from the target's calendar and address book apps, as well as take pictures with their phone's camera. One module even gave the spyware the capability to root an Android device.

Google believes Hermit never made its way to the Play or App stores. However, the company found evidence that bad actors were able to distribute the spyware on iOS by enrolling in Apple's Developer Enterprise Program. Apple told The Verge that it has since blocked any accounts or certificates associated with the threat. Meanwhile, Google has notified affected users and rolled out an update to Google Play Protect.

The company ends its post by noting the growth of the commercial spyware industry should concern everyone. "These vendors are enabling the proliferation of dangerous hacking tools and arming governments that would not be able to develop these capabilities in-house," the company said. "While use of surveillance technologies may be legal under national or international laws, they are often found to be used by governments for purposes antithetical to democratic values: targeting dissidents, journalists, human rights workers and opposition party politicians."

Apple is reportedly developing a replacement for the original HomePod

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 10:47 AM PDT

Apple plans to release a "deluge" of new products this fall and in the first half of 2023, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. And while many of the devices the company is reportedly working on won't come won't come as much of a surprise, one is interesting.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman reports Apple is readying a new HomePod speaker that will look and sound similar to the original 2018 model. As you may recall, the company discontinued the HomePod in 2021 without announcing a direct replacement. If you want a smart speaker with Siri built-in, your only option at the moment is the $99 HomePod mini.

According to Gurman, the new model will feature Apple's forthcoming S8 chip and an updated display on the top of the speaker that may include multi-touch functionality. For context, the HomePod mini features an S5 chip, suggesting the new model will come with more processing power. Presumably, Apple also plans to price the speaker more competitively than it did the 2018 model. At $349, the HomePod was one of the more expensive smart speakers you could buy at the time, and it never felt like it lived up to that price.

Outside of an updated HomePod, Gurman says Apple is working on at least four new Mac models and an AirPods Pro refresh, among other devices. You can find the full details of Apple's near-term product roadmap, "one of the most ambitious" in the company's recent history, on Bloomberg.

Riot Games will monitor ‘Valorant’ voice chat to combat disruptive players

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 08:49 AM PDT

Abusive Valorant players could soon have their verbal tirades come back to haunt them. In a blog post published on Friday, Riot Games outlined a plan to begin monitoring in-game voice chat as part of a broader effort to combat disruptive behavior within its games.

On July 13th, the studio will begin collecting voice data from Valorant games played in North America. According to Riot, it will use the data to get its AI model "in a good enough place for a beta launch later this year." During this initial stage, Riot says it won't use voice evaluation for disruptive behavior reports.

"We know that before we can even think of expanding this tool, we'll have to be confident it's effective, and if mistakes happen, we have systems in place to make sure we can correct any false positives (or negatives for that matter)," the studio said.

Some players will likely bristle at the thought of Riot listening in on their voice comms, much like they did when the company introduced Vanguard, its kernel-level anti-cheat software. But Riot says it sees voice evaluation as a way for it to "collect clear evidence" against players who take to comms to abuse and harass their teammates. The tool will also give the studio something it can point to when it provides sanctioned players with feedback.

"This is brand new tech and there will for sure be growing pains," Riot said. "But the promise of a safer and more inclusive environment for everyone who chooses to play is worth it."

Hitting the Books: Why lawyers will be essential to tomorrow's orbital economy

Posted: 26 Jun 2022 07:00 AM PDT

The skies overhead could soon be filled with constellations of commercial space stations occupying low earth orbit while human colonists settle the Moon with an eye on Mars, if today's robber barons have their way. But this won't result in the same freewheeling Wild West that we saw in the 19th century, unfortunately, as tomorrow's interplanetary settlers will be bringing their lawyers with them. 

In their new book, The End of Astronauts: Why Robots Are the Future of Exploration, renowned astrophysicist and science editor, Donald Goldsmith, and Martin Rees, the UK's Astronomer Royal, argue in favor of sending robotic scouts — with their lack of weighty necessities like life support systems — out into the void ahead of human explorers. But what happens after these synthetic astronauts discover an exploitable resource or some rich dork declares himself Emperor of Mars? In the excerpt below, Goldsmith and Rees discuss the challenges facing our emerging exoplanetary legal system.

a heavily pixelated spacesuit on a grey backdrop and the book title above it
Harvard University Press

Excerpted from The End of Astronauts: Why Robots Are the Future of Exploration by Donald Goldsmith and Martin Rees, published by the Harvard University Press. © 2022 by Donald Goldsmith and Martin Rees.

Almost all legal systems have grown organically, the result of long experience that comes from changes in the political, cultural, environmental, and other circumstances of a society. The first sprouts of space law deserve attention from those who may participate in the myriad activities envisioned for the coming decades, as well, perhaps, from those who care to imagine how a Justinian law code could arise in the realm of space.

Those who travel on spacecraft, and to some degree those who will live on another celestial object, occupy situations analogous to those aboard naval vessels, whose laws over precedents to deal with crimes or extreme antisocial behavior. These laws typically assign to a single officer or group of officers the power to judge and to inflict punishment, possibly awaiting review in the event of a return to a higher court. This model seems likely to reappear in the first long-distance journeys within the solar system and in the first settlements on other celestial objects, before the usual structure of court systems for larger societies appears on the scene.

As on Earth, however, most law is civil law, not criminal law. A far greater challenge than dealing with criminal acts lies in formulating an appropriate code of civil law that will apply to disputes, whether national or international, arising from spaceborne activities by nations, corporations, or individuals. For half a century, a small cadre of interested parties have developed the new specialty of "space law," some of which already has the potential for immediate application. What happens if a piece of space debris launched by a particular country or corporation falls onto an unsuspecting group of people or onto their property? What happens if astronauts from different countries lay claim to parts of the moon or an asteroid? And most important in its potential importance, if not in its likelihood: who will speak for Earth if we should receive a message from another civilization?

Conferences on subjects such as these have generated more interest than answers. Human exploration of the moon brought related topics to more widespread attention and argument. During the 1980s, the United Nations seemed the natural arena in which to hash them out, and those discussions eventually produced the outcomes described in this chapter. Today, one suspects, almost no one knows the documents that the United Nations produced, let alone has plans to support countries that obey the guidelines in those documents.

Our hopes for achieving a rational means to define and limit activities beyond our home planet will require more extensive agreements, plus a means of enforcing them. Non-lawyers who read existing and proposed agreements about the use of space should remain aware that lawyers typically define words relating to specialized situations as "terms of art," giving them meanings other than those that a plain reading would suggest.

For example, the word "recovery" in normal discourse refers to regaining the value of something that has been lost, such as the lost wages that arise from an injury. In more specialized usage, "resource recovery" refers to the act of recycling material that would otherwise go to waste. In the vocabulary of mining operations, however, "recovery" has nothing to do with losing what was once possessed; instead, it refers to the extraction of ore from the ground or the seabed. The word's gentle nature contrasts with the more accurate term "exploitation," which often implies disapproval, though in legal matters it often carries only a neutral meaning. For example, in 1982 the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea established an International Seabed Authority (ISA) to set rules for the large portion of the seabed that lies beyond the jurisdiction of any nation. By now, 168 countries have signed on to the convention, but the United States has not. According to the ISA's website, its Mining Code "refers to the whole of the comprehensive set of rules, regulations and procedures issued by ISA to regulate prospecting, exploration and exploitation of marine minerals in the international seabed Area." In mining circles, no one blinks at plans to exploit a particular location by extracting its mineral resources. Discussions of space law, however, tend to avoid the term "exploitation" in favor of "recovery."

Meta has reportedly barred employees from discussing abortion on internal channels

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 02:56 PM PDT

Meta has told employees not to discuss the Supreme Court's recent ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to The New York Times. Pointing to a May 12th memo it shared after a draft of Friday's decision was leaked by Politico, the company has deleted messages on its internal communication tools that mention the topic. In the document, the social media giant reportedly said it "would not allow open discussion" about abortion within the workplace due to "a heightened risk of creating a hostile work environment."

One employee took to LinkedIn to voice their frustration with the situation. "On our internal Workplace platform, moderators swiftly remove posts or comments mentioning abortion," said software engineer Ambroos Vaes. "Limited discussion can only happen in groups of up to 20 employees who follow a set playbook, but not out in the open." Meta did not immediately respond to Engadget's request for comment.

On Friday, Meta also told employees it would reimburse the travel expenses of employees in need of access to out-of-state healthcare and reproductive services "to the extent permitted by law." That's a policy many tech companies, including Google, had in place before Friday's decision and that they reiterated after the Supreme Court announced its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

Friday's action wasn't the first time Meta moved to prevent its employees from dicussing a contentious topic at the workplace. The company updated its Respectful Communication Policy following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. At the time, the company told employees they could no longer discuss political and social issues in company-wide Workplace channels.

FromSoftware's next game is ‘in the final stages’ of development

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 12:32 PM PDT

FromSoftware fans may not have to wait years before they get the chance to play the company's next game. In a recent Japanese-language interview translated by Gematsu, Elden Ring director and From president Hidetaka Miyazaki said his studio's next game is in "the final stages" of development. Miyazaki shared the tidbit in response to a question about a previous interview he gave in 2018.

At the time, he told 4Gamer.net that FromSoftware was working on "three-and-a-half games." Since then, the studio has released all but one of those projects. In 2018, we got Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and PSVR exclusive Déraciné. This year, From came out with Elden Ring, leaving only one of the projects Miyazaki mentioned in 2018 unaccounted for. "Development is currently in the final stages," he told 4Gamer.net this week when asked about the state of that game.

Miyazaki didn't go on to share any other details on the project. However, some fans, citing a Resetera leak from January, have speculated the unannounced game could be a new entry in From's long-running Armored Core series. The studio hasn't released a new mainline entry in the franchise since 2012. In the same interview, Miyazaki also said he was already working on his next game as director, and that he would like to create a "more abstract fantasy" title in the future. 

Google tells workers they can relocate 'without justification' following Supreme Court decision

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 11:19 AM PDT

Google will allow employees to move between states in response to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In an email obtained by The Verge, the company's chief people officer, Fiona Cicconi, said workers could "apply for relocation without justification," and that those managing the requests would be "aware of the situation." Cicconi also reminded workers Google's employee benefits plan covers medical procedures that aren't available in the state where they live and work.

"This is a profound change for the country that deeply affects so many of us, especially women," Cicconi says in the email. "Everyone will respond in their own way, whether that's wanting space and time to process, speaking up, volunteering outside of work, not wanting to discuss it at all, or something else entirely."

The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as part of its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. According to an analysis published by The New York Times in May, as many as 28 states could either ban or severely restrict access to abortions in the days and weeks ahead. Some states like Texas had so-called trigger laws in place that went into effect immediately following Friday's decision.

The effects of such a monumental shift in American politics have been felt across tech. Mere hours after the Supreme Court announced its decision, Flo, one of the most widely used period tracking apps, said it would introduce a new "anonymous mode" in response to privacy concerns following the ruling. Some companies like Meta have also reportedly told employees not to openly discuss the ruling.

Update 4:57PM ET: Google confirmed the authenticity of the email and told Engadget it has not changed its relocation policy since the Supreme Court's ruling.  

Apple reportedly won't challenge historic Maryland store unionization vote

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

Apple will reportedly not challenge the recent vote by employees at its Towson Town Center retail location in Maryland to unionize. Citing a "person familiar with the company's plans," Reuters reports the tech giant will participate in the bargaining process "in good faith." Apple declined to comment on the report.

On June 19th, workers at the Towson Town Center Apple Store voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Of the approximately 110 employees who were eligible to participate in the election, 65 voted yes. Towson Town Center was the first Apple retail location in the US to vote on unionization after organizers at a store in Georgia called off an election over intimidation claims.

If the reporting from Reuters is accurate and Apple does not plan to challenge the Towson vote, the company's approach would put it at odds with much of corporate America. Amazon, for instance, quickly came out against the historic vote at its JFK8 facility in Staten Island, saying it would appeal the result over allegations the Amazon Labor Union had intimidated workers and committed "electioneering." Even if their appeals are ultimately thrown out, companies will typically challenge union votes as a way to delay the bargaining process and pour water on other organizing efforts.

US senators ask FTC to investigate Apple and Google over mobile tracking

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 07:30 AM PDT

A group of Democratic senators is urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Apple and Google over their collection of mobile users' information. In a letter addressed to FTC Chair Lina Khan, the lawmakers — Senators Ron Wyden, Elizabeth Warren, Cory A. Booker and Sara Jacobs — accuse the tech giants of "engaging in unfair and deceptive practices by enabling the collection and sale of hundreds of millions of mobile phone users' personal data." They added that the companies "facilitated these harmful practices by building advertising-specific tracking IDs into their mobile operating systems."

The senators specifically mentioned in their letter how individuals seeking abortions will become particularly vulnerable if their data, especially their location information, is collected and shared. They wrote the letter shortly before the Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade, making abortion immediately illegal in states with trigger laws. They explained that data brokers are already selling location information of people visiting abortion providers. The senators also stressed how that information can now be used by private citizens incentivized by "bounty hunter" laws targeting individuals seeking an abortion. 

Android and Google were built with tracking identifiers that are used for advertising purposes. While the identifiers are supposed to be anonymous, the senators said data brokers are selling databases linking them to consumer names, email addresses and telephone numbers. Apple rolled out an update for iOS last year to implement stricter app tracking privacy measures, requiring apps to ask for permission before collecting users' unique Identification for Advertisers device code. 

Google, they said, still enables that tracking identifier by default. The company previously introduced features to make it harder to track users across apps, though, and it recently vowed to refine Privacy Sandbox on Android, "with the goal of introducing new, more private advertising solutions." The tech giant told Ars Technica: "Google never sells user data, and Google Play strictly prohibits the sale of user data by developers... Any claims that advertising ID was created to facilitate data sale are simply false."

Despite the solutions the companies had introduced, the lawmakers said they'd already caused harm. They're now asking the FTC to look into the role Apple and Google played in "transforming online advertising into an intense system of surveillance that incentivizes and facilitates the unrestrained collection and constant sale of Americans' personal data."

Wyden and 41 other Democratic lawmakers also urged Google last month to stop collecting and keeping location data that could be used against people who've had or are seeking abortions. More recently, another group of lawmakers led by Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Elissa Slotkin asked the company to "crack down on manipulative search results" that lead people seeking abortions to anti-abortion clinics" instead.

Recommended Reading: A blockchain primer

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 07:00 AM PDT

Does the crypto crash mean the blockchain Is over?

Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics Radio

In this installment of Recommended Listening, Freakonomics Radio begins a three-part series on all things blockchain. The podcast will tackle everything from Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to NFTs and the technology that powers it all. 

Spotify's billion-dollar bet on podcasting has yet to pay off

Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg

Shaw takes us inside Spotify's big spending spree, from what was happening behind the scenes, the decision to hand Joe Rogan a mountain of money and a rift between the company and the Obamas over content. "All told, the Obamas recorded about 15 hours of audio for Spotify," he explains. "Technically, they fulfilled their deal, but their output was less than what Rogan releases in a couple of weeks."

How OXO conquered the American kitchen

Dan Kois, Slate

The story behind the company that created the Good Grips handle and took over the kitchen "for customers of differing abilities and confidence levels," becoming the top culinary gadget maker in terms of market share. 

Juul can temporarily keep selling its vaping products in the US

Posted: 25 Jun 2022 01:28 AM PDT

Juul has successfully convinced the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to delay the Food and Drug Administration's ban on its products. The agency recently banned Juul from selling and distributing its e-cigarette pens and pods in the US after a comprehensive two-year review. It ordered the company to remove its products from the market and has even started telling retailers from pull them from shelves. This temporary reprieve will allow Juul to keep selling its vape pens and pods — and will allow retailers to keep carrying them without the fear of facing penalties — while the court reviews its appeal on the FDA's decision. 

In its request for an emergency stay, Juul called the FDA ban "arbitrary and capricious." It also said that the agency issued the ruling after "immense political pressure from Congress," because it became politically convenient for them to blame Juul for the popularity of vaping among young people, "even though several of its competitors now have a larger market share and much higher underage-use rates." 

Despite Juul's accusation, the FDA didn't mention youth vaping in its decision. Instead, the agency said it was banning the company's products, because it didn't submit sufficient evidence proving that potentially harmful chemicals don't leach from its proprietary pods into the vapor that users inhale. The agency explained: "...some of the company's study findings raised concerns due to insufficient and conflicting data – including regarding genotoxicity and potentially harmful chemicals leaching from the company's proprietary e-liquid pods – that have not been adequately addressed and precluded the FDA from completing a full toxicological risk assessment of the products named in the company's applications."

Juul, of course, disagreed that it hasn't provided sufficient information and data to the agency. In a statement it sent to Engadget, the company said: "In our applications, which we submitted over two years ago, we believe that we appropriately characterized the toxicological profile of Juul products, including comparisons to combustible cigarettes and other vapor products, and believe this data, along with the totality of the evidence, meets the statutory standard of being appropriate for the protection of the public health."

Juul has a long history of butting heads with the FDA, particularly over underage vaping. Its fruit-flavored vape products were once pretty popular among young people until it suspended their sales and stuck to selling menthol and tobacco-flavored pods. Juul also faced a Federal Trade Commission and a House investigation into whether its marketing efforts targeted teens. Things have changed over the past few years: According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most high school students that use e-cigarettes now favor Puff Bar over any other brand. 

According to The New York Times, the court gave Juul until Monday to file an additional motion. The FDA will then have until July 7th to respond to that. It still remains to be seen whether Juul will be able to continue selling its vaping pens and pods in the US throughout the course of its appeal. Sources told The Wall Street Journal that Juul has started exploring its options if it fails to reverse the ban completely, including filing for bankruptcy.

Court OKs lawsuit by woman who says she helped create Pinterest

Posted: 24 Jun 2022 04:30 PM PDT

Pinterest must now face a lawsuit from a former friend of one of its founders who claims she helped create the platform. Bloombergreported that Alameda County Superior Court Judge Richard Seabolt on Thursday denied the company's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Christine Martinez, the plaintiff, claims she was asked by co-founder Ben Silbermann to help revive the app. The digital market strategist claims to have developed features tied to Pinterest's Boards and created a marketing plan to enlist bloggers to promote the platform, among other contributions. 

Martinez filed a lawsuit against the company in September, and Pinterest filed the motion to dismiss in December. The company argued that Martinez's claims are too old to fall within the statute of limitations. Seabolt disagreed with this and said Martinez "sufficiently alleges" that she and the Pinterest founders agreed to deferred compensation. Pinterest went public in 2019, an event that Seabolt deemed "transformative" and in his view sealed the company's obligation to pay Martinez.

In a statement to Engadget, Pinterest's chief communications officer LeMia Jenkins Thompson noted that the court dismissed several of Martinez's claims. Thompson also stated that, "as the facts come out, we are confident the evidence will confirm that Plaintiff's claims are meritless and that the rest of this baseless lawsuit should be dismissed." 

According to the New York Times, Martinez was never formally employed at nor did she ever sign a written contract with the San Francisco-based company. Instead, Martinez argues that the agreement was implied, based on her discussions with Sciarra and Silbermann.

Martinez, who is a former lifestyle blogger and founder of an eccomerce startup, told the Times she was eager to help friends. "[...The Pinterest co-founders] had no marketing background or expertise in creating a product for women."
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