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- The Morning After: 'Stray' tie-in merch includes a limited-edition cat backpack
- Google's Nest WiFi router 3-pack falls to a new all-time low
- The James Webb Space Telescope is capturing the universe on a 68GB SSD
- US Congress calls for the FTC to regulate how VPN companies operate
| The Morning After: 'Stray' tie-in merch includes a limited-edition cat backpack Posted: 18 Jul 2022 04:15 AM PDT Annapurna Interactive is selling a branded cat carrier to coincide with its new adventure game Stray. The publisher teamed up with pet accessories brand Travel Cat for the limited-edition carrier, just a few days before the game hits PlayStation and PC on Tuesday. (PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play the game at no extra cost – the first time a third-party title will appear on a higher PS Plus tier on its release date.) It's a version of a Travel Cat's Fat Cat bag, with neon and charcoal colors inspired by the cyberpunk setting of Stray. The pet accessory company says the $140 carrier is sturdy and breathable, with space for more than one cat. In a curious bit of serendipity, this announcement coincided with Engadget's own guide to the top backpacks. Sadly, we didn't consider the cat carrier segment. Next time! -Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed
Apple may release M2 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros as early as this fallProvided component shortages don't get the best of Apple.Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that Apple is already working on M2 versions of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, less than a year since both appeared. The design and features of the two computers are "likely to stay roughly the same" since Apple only redesigned the line last year to add MagSafe charging, more ports and better displays. The primary change will be the addition of M2 versions of the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips the company offers through its current models. Dbrand's 'Something' skins make your phone look like a Nothing Phone 1"Some might accuse us of theft…"Dbrand The Nothing Phone 1 is a striking device, but thanks to limited availability, good luck buying one. Enter Dbrand, which you might recall for its PS5 shells and skins that Sony once summarily banned. The accessory maker has announced a new "Something" line of skins that promise to transform your iPhone 13 Pro Max, Pixel 6 Pro or Galaxy S22 Ultra into a faux transparent device. Its "Something" skins are available to buy through Dbrand's website for $24.95. Polestar's electric SUV will start at €75,000Production is slated to begin early next year.Polestar won't officially debut its next EV until this fall, but the company has shared initial pricing information. The company's Thomas Ingenlath said the Polestar 3 would start at €75,000 and top out at around €110,000. Judging by current exchange rates, the automaker's first electric SUV could cost between $75,700 and $111,000 when it arrives in the US. There's still a lot we don't know about the Polestar 3's specs, but the company has said the SUV will feature the same dual-motor powertrain as the Polestar 2 and a 372-mile range. James Webb telescope can take detailed photos of our own solar system's planets and moonsThese images of Jupiter were taken during the telescope's commissioning period.NASA When the James Webb team was calibrating the telescope, they took photos of Jupiter to see if it can be used to observe nearby celestial objects like moons and asteroids, as well as other elements like planet rings and satellites. The answer, it turns out, is yes. A photo taken by the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument's short-wavelength filter (above) clearly shows the gas giant's distinct bands and its moon Europa. The Great Red Spot is also perfectly visible, even though it looks white due to the way the image was processed. |
| Google's Nest WiFi router 3-pack falls to a new all-time low Posted: 18 Jul 2022 03:40 AM PDT Google is having a sale on Nest products at Amazon right now, with strong discounts on the Nest Doorbell (battery), Nest Security Cam (wired) and Nest Cam Outdoor or Indoor (battery). However, the standout deal is on the Nest WiFi Router (2nd generation), available in a 3-pack for just $199 (57 percent off) — the lowest price we've seen yet. Buy Google Nest products at AmazonThe 3-pack setup will let you cover up to 6,600 square feet, enough for even large homes. We gave the Google Nest WiFi router a score of 84 in our review for its installation simplicity and ease of use. Setup is easy to do, and its wireless radios are twice as powerful as the ones inside the old Google WiFi router. We also praised both the router and the access points for having unobtrusive designs that will fit nicely into most homes. The access points also work as speakers with built-in Google Assistant that you can use to issue voice commands. They can't quite replace a proper speaker, but sound quality is the same as a standalone Google Home Mini. The biggest drawback is a lack of support for WiFi 6, but these are otherwise some of the best mesh routers available. Google Meanwhile, the Nest Video Doorbell (battery) is on sale for $120, or $60 off the regular price. The battery makes installation easy and possible to use with any door, and it offers features like visitor alerts, along with a built-in speaker and microphone. And finally, both the wired and battery Nest Security Camera's are also marked down. The wired model (2nd generation) is on sale for $79, or 21 percent off the regular $99 price, while the Nest Cam Outdoor or Indoor (2nd gen) with battery is marked down 33 percent to $120. Both record at 1080p and they'll send alerts to your phone when motion is detected in their line of site. They also have built in speakers and microphones, so you can hear what's going on and speak to people on the other end of the camera. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. |
| The James Webb Space Telescope is capturing the universe on a 68GB SSD Posted: 18 Jul 2022 02:55 AM PDT With the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now powered up and snapping some spectacular images, you may wonder exactly how it's storing them. Surprisingly enough, it carries a relatively tiny 68GB SSD, according to IEEE Spectrum — enough to handle a day's worth of JWST images, but not a lot more. While that might sound ludicrously small for a $10 billion satellite, there are multiple reasons NASA chose the system. To start with, the JWST is a million miles from Earth where it gets bombarded by radiation and operates at a temperature of less than 50 degrees above absolute zero (-370 degrees F). So the SSD, like all other parts, must be radiation hardened and survive a grueling certification process. While not nearly as fast as consumer SSDs, it can still be nearly filled in as little as 120 minutes via the telescope's 48 Mbps command and data handling subsystem (ICDH). At the same time, the JWST can transmit data back to Earth at 28 Mbps via a 25.9 Ghz Ka-band connection to the Deep Space Network. That means that while it collects far more data than Hubble ever did (57GB compared to 1-2GB per day), it can transfer all that data back to Earth in about 4.5 hours. It does so during two 4-hour contact windows each day, with each allowing the transmission of 28.6GB of science data. In other words, it only needs enough storage to collect a day's worth of images — there's no need to keep them on the telescope itself. There is one puzzler, though. NASA estimates that only 60GB of storage will be available at the end of the JWST's 10-year lifespan due to wear and radiation — and 3 percent of the drive is used for engineering and telemetry data storage. That will leave the JWST very little margin, making us wonder if it will have anywhere near the longevity of Hubble — still going strong after 32 years. |
| US Congress calls for the FTC to regulate how VPN companies operate Posted: 18 Jul 2022 12:41 AM PDT US Democrats have urged the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to crack down on deceptive practices in the Virtual Private Network (VPN) industry, The Verge has reported. In an open letter, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) cited research indicating that three-quarters of the most popular VPNs "misrepresented their products," leading consumers to a false sense of security. The news comes in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade that allows states to ban abortions. That may lead people to sign up for VPN services, but Wyden and Eshoo expressed concerns about the level of privacy they can actually expect. "Advocacy groups have... found that leading VPN services intentionally misrepresent the functionality of their product and fail to provide adequate security to their users," they said, citing research from Consumer Reports. "We're highly concerned that this deceptive advertising is giving abortion-seekers a false sense of security when searching for abortion-related care or information, putting them at a higher risk of prosecution." The letter notes that "there are a lack of practical tools" to audit security claims made by VPN providers, allowing them to advertise data that may be incorrect. They also asked the FTC to develop a brochure informing anyone seeking an abortion about online privacy and the risks and benefits of using a VPN service. "With abortion illegal or soon to be illegal in 13 states and severely restricted in many more, these abusive and exploitative data practices are simply unacceptable," according to the letter. "We urge the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take immediate action... to curtail abusive and deceptive data practices in companies providing VPN services to protect internet users seeking abortions." |
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