Sunday, January 9, 2022

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Apple said to have ruled out a metaverse for its mixed reality headset

Posted: 09 Jan 2022 10:25 AM PST

Don't expect Apple to follow others into the metaverse. According to the latest newsletter from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has rejected the idea of a metaverse (in this case, an all-virtual world) for its long-rumored mixed reality headset. The very idea is "off limits," Gurman's sources claimed. The focus would be on short stints of communication, content viewing and gaming.

Past rumors have hinted headset could debut as soon as this year, although its specs and target audience aren't certain. Early scoops suggested it might have a resolution of 8K per eye, over a dozen "inside out" tracking cameras and a developer focus that included a $3,000 price. Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested the headset would 'only' use 4K displays and six to eight cameras, however, hinting at a more affordable device.

If the claim is true, Apple's approach to mixed reality would be very different than that of its rival Meta. Where Meta has shifted its AR and VR strategies toward the metaverse, Apple appears determined to avoid it. Whether or not that strategy could work is another matter. Apple's reported strategy could pay off if metaverses struggle, and might thwart Meta's plans by limiting overall interest in virtual worlds. If metaverses do succeed, though, Apple could miss out and find itself supporting others' VR environments.

UK watchdog to grill Meta over child safety in VR

Posted: 09 Jan 2022 08:53 AM PST

Meta is facing more scrutiny over its approach to child safety. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) told The Guardian in a statement that it was planning "further discussions" with Meta about the Quest 2 VR headset's compliance with a recently established children's code that priorities the "best interests" of young users. The watchdog wants to determine whether Meta's headset and VR services do enough to protect the privacy and data of kids.

Baroness Beeban Kidron, who developed the code, was concerned Meta's platform made it too easy for kids to sign on and risk abuse, harassment and explicit content. Meta might require a Facebook account (and thus that a user be at least 13 years old), but that doesn't mean it's implementing the code's required age checks. Children can jump into potentially dangerous VR chatrooms just by "ticking a box" to say they're old enough, Kidron said.

A Meta spokesperson told The Guardian the internet giant was "committed" to honoring the children's code, and was "confident" its VR hardware met the code's requirements. The representative stressed that terms of service don't allow children under 13 to use the products, but didn't address worries it was too easy for kids to ignore that policy. The firm has already promised a $50 million program to make sure its metaverse development obeyed laws and regulations.

The UK could deliver a wide range of punishments if the ICO finds Meta violated the code. While officials might do little more than issue a warning, they could also fine Meta either a fixed amount up to £17.5 million (about $23.8 million) or as much as 4 percent of its worldwide turnover — over $10 billion. There's at least some pressure on Meta to toughen child safety in VR, even if it's just to protect the company's finances.

Apple will reportedly unveil an iPhone SE with 5G this spring

Posted: 09 Jan 2022 07:13 AM PST

Apple might use its now-customary spring event to update its most affordable smartphone. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed in his latest newsletter that Apple is expected to introduce a third-generation iPhone SE this spring through a virtual presentation "likely" happening in March or April. In an echo of past rumors, Gurman understood the new SE would still cling to the iPhone 8-era design but add 5G and a new processor — possibly the A15 from the iPhone 13, if Apple's history of using last year's high-end chip is any indication.

There was no mention of other changes. It wouldn't be surprising if Apple increased the storage to 128GB or updated the camera sensors (again borrowed from the iPhone 8), but those aren't guaranteed given Apple's low-cost focus for the iPhone SE. A larger battery might be necessary to compensate for 5G's typically higher energy drain.

If the leak is accurate, the new iPhone SE would be disappointing for those wanting a modern nearly-all-screen design. You'd still have a relatively small screen, thick bezels and a button-based fingerprint reader. As we just mentioned, though, price is everything for the SE. The current model's $399 price helps Apple reach some customers who otherwise couldn't justify an iPhone. The company might not want to do anything that could prompt even a small a price hike, if just to maximize the SE's potential audience. 

Mars Perseverance halts rock sample storage due to debris

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 01:48 PM PST

The Mars Perseverance rover's sample collection has run into a snag. NASA reports the rover stopped caching samples after debris partly blocked the bit carousel (the device that stores drill bits and passes sample tubes for internal processing). The rover encountered the anomaly on December 29th, but the mission team had to wait until January 6th to send a command to extract the drill bit, undock the robot arm from the carousel and take images to verify what happened.

The obstacles are believed to be pebbles that fell out of the sample tube when dropping off the coring bit, preventing that bit from sitting neatly in the carousel. The storage is crucial for NASA's plans to eventually return the samples to Earth.

This isn't the end to sample gathering. NASA/JPL's chief sampling engineer, Louise Jandura, noted the carousel was designed to run with debris. It's the first time the team has had to clear debris, however, and Jandura said operators would take as much time as they needed to get rid of the pebbles in a "controlled and orderly fashion."

This isn't the first time Perseverance has run into trouble. The rover failed to collect samples during its first attempt, while the Ingenuity helicopter suffered a processing error during its sixth flight. All the same, this illustrates the challenges of the mission — even a seemingly pedestrian task as storing a sample can go awry in the wrong conditions. And when Mars is so distant, fixes aren't necessarily easy or certain.

NASA finishes deploying the James Webb Space Telescope

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 12:39 PM PST

NASA is one large step closer to putting the James Webb Space Telescope into service. The agency has successfully deployed the JWST's signature gold-coated primary mirror, completing all major deployments for the instrument. The mission crew still has to align the telescope's optics by moving the primary mirror's segments (a months-long process), but it's a strong sign the $10 billion device is in good shape.

The JWST also requires a third course correction burn as it heads toward the L2 Lagrange point over 930,000 miles from Earth. Astronomers will use the point to study infrared light without interference, potentially offering insights into the early Universe that aren't possible with Hubble and other equipment.

First images from the telescope won't be available until the summer, and it could take much longer before those images translate to meaningful discoveries. Even so, the deployment is an achievement. JWST represents the first time NASA has unpacked a complex observatory in space — it shows projects like this are viable, even if they're unlikely to be commonplace in the near future.

Ford tries to fight F-150 Lightning scalpers by banning resales

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 11:10 AM PST

Ford is swamped with F-150 Lightning orders, and it's taking special steps to make sure the electric pickup truck reaches honest-to-goodness buyers. Roadshowreports Ford is now giving dealerships the option to ban customers from reselling the Lightning for up to a year after purchase. As the (since-pulled) document on the F-150 Gen 14 forums revealed, the dealer could "seek injunctive relief" to block the ownership transfer or even demand payment for "all value" generated from the sale.

The automaker is also cracking down on a "limited number" of dealers that allegedly violated sales and service terms by forcing customers to make additional payments beyond those Ford requires. It's not clear just what those payments were, although this suggests they were more than the markups you frequently see when cars are scarce or in high demand.

This no-resale clause isn't new to the automotive world. Ford used it to ensure its GT supercar reached real owners. However, it's still rare for EVs — particularly for relatively mainstream vehicles like the F-150 Lighting. This reflects the popularity of the Lightning, of course, but it might also be vital to Ford. Scalping has hurt access to many other tech products, such as game consoles and video cards — Ford likely doesn't want those opportunists to sour the launch of such an important vehicle, particularly with Chevy, Rivian and Tesla chasing after many of the same customers.

A 'Scott Pilgrim' anime series is coming to Netflix

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 09:38 AM PST

Scott Pilgrim appears ready for a comeback, and not just in video games. The Hollywood Reporter has learned Netflix and Universal's UCP (the unit behind The Umbrella Academy) are developing a Scott Pilgrim anime series. It's not clear how close this will hew to the original graphic novels, but creator Bryan Lee O'Malley and 2010 movie director Edgar Wright will be executive producers.

O'Malley will serve as a showrunner alongside Are You Afraid of the Dark? reviver BenDavid Grabinski. Science SARU is animating the project.

It won't be shocking if the series sticks to the core plot: Sex Bob-omb band leader Scott wants to win over Ramona Flowers, but can't date her until he defeats her seven evil exes. Both the graphic novels and the movie were nods to manga, indie rock, video games and turn-of-the-millennium Canadian culture.

This is a slightly unusual twist on a familiar formula. While Netflix hasn't been shy about its ambitious anime plans, it has typically focused on originals or adaptations of Japanese games and manga. Here, the streaming service is adapting a comic that was a Western tribute — and one that many might only know from the big screen. Netflix's strategy isn't clear, but it might see this as a way to expose its anime catalog to a larger audience.

Google and Ford want to bring small radar to more devices

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 08:46 AM PST

Radar might soon find its way into more personal technology than Google's phones and smart speakers. 9to5Googlenotes Google, Ford and four other partners have published specs for a Ripple standard that could bring small radar to more devices in a "privacy-respecting" fashion. The framework, hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, theoretically lets any device maker use small-scale radar for tasks ranging from existing uses like touch-free gesture control and health monitoring through to exercise tracking and even occupancy detection in buildings.

The early details are currently available through GitHub, with a focus on interoperability between radar types. Developers will initially have to add special use cases through extensions, but the Ripple team hopes to build those add-ons into later versions of the standard.

The involvement of Google and Ford is logical. Both have already used radar in shipping products like the Nest Hub or Ford's Co-Pilot 360 driver assists. The more industry-wide support there is for radar, the more customers are likely to seek it out in the companies' products. Still, it might be genuinely useful if radar becomes more than a rare-but-inessential bonus feature.

Ford's e-scooter company Spin is leaving markets and laying off staff

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 07:45 AM PST

Spin, the e-scooter-sharing startup Ford acquired back in 2018, is shifting its focus in its quest to profitability and is exiting nearly all open permit markets globally as a result. In a post by company CEO Ben Bear, he said Spin has started winding down its operations in a few markets in the US, as well as in the entirety of Germany and Portugal. The company will also shut down its operations in Spain, which could happen sometime in February 22nd.

Open permit markets are places where multiple scooter companies can run businesses, with no caps on fleet sizes. Bear said they "create an uncertain operating environment" with "race to the bottom pricing." It doesn't sound like Spin has been doing well in those markets — Bear wrote that Spin hasn't been able to offer "the type of reliable high quality service [it] prides [itself] on to its riders and city partners" in those locations — so it has decided to take another path instead. 

Spin expanded its operations after it was acquired by Ford to a bunch of cities in the US and around the world. In 2021, it deployed a new scooter model that's more durable than its previous ones and teamed up with Google to show users the nearest e-bike or e-scooter on Maps. Unfortunately, those weren't enough to prevent this restructuring.

Going forward, Spin will focus on limited vendor markets in the US, Canada and the UK. Specifically, in places where cities and campuses "select partners through a competitive procurement process." Apparently, Spin gets double the revenue in those types of places compared to locations with a free-for-all market. Shifting its focus to those places makes sense in that case, but shutting down locations unfortunately also means that the company is letting personnel go: Its move will affect a quarter of its staff, who'll get severance packages and a stipend.

Mobile sports betting is now legal in New York State

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 07:15 AM PST

You can now use your phone to bet on sports if you live in New York. CNBCreports the state has legalized mobile sports betting as of January 8th. Multiple companies are already taking bets as of 9AM Eastern, including DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars Sportsbook and Rush Street Interactive. Five other companies (including BetMGM and WynnBet) have licenses, but haven't yet cleared the legal requirements.

The move came after former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo changed his mind on online sports betting. He saw it as an opportunity to keep more tax revenue and make the state the largest betting market in the US. New Jersey currently dominates American online gambling, with research firm Eilers & Krejcik noting that roughly a fifth of all revenue comes from the state.

Any success might take a while, however. New York's 51 percent tax rate on gambling revenue is much steeper than New Jersey's 13 percent, and that could prevent the Empire State from claiming the lead for years. Still, this may be an important turning point— New York is clearly large and influential, and the outcome of its efforts could influence stances on mobile betting in states where the practice remains illegal.

Recommended Reading: The fate of Apple and Google's contact tracing tech

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 07:00 AM PST

The US digital-contact-tracing debacle

Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic

Unless you live in a few specific states, you likely never got the chance to use the contact tracing system that was the result of an unprecedented collaboration between Apple and Google. As it turns out, there are a few reasons the technology never took off in the US, from privacy concerns among the general public to the inability of the federal government to deviate from its vaccine-or-bust strategy. 

The Athletic set out to destroy newspapers. Then it became one.

Bryan Curtis, The Ringer

The New York Times is spending $550 million on a subscription-based sports media site and its wealth of journalism talent. Not so long ago, its founder told the very paper that bought it he wanted to replace local newspapers, with a plan to "let them continuously bleed until we are the last ones standing." Now the site is part of one of the largest papers in the country.

The epic rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes

David Streitfeld, The New York Times

Following this week's fraud verdict, a look back at the Theranos executive's decade-long play and some the people she brought along with her.

FAA reveals 50 airports that will have C-band 5G buffer zones

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 05:33 AM PST

When AT&T's and Verizon's C-band 5G services go live on January 19th, they'll be implementing buffer zones around 50 airports in the US to reduce to risk of flight disruption. The Federal Aviation Administration has released a list (PDF) of the 50 airports it chose, which include major passenger hubs such as Chicago O'Hare International, Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles International. As The Wall Street Journal notes, it also includes airports in foggy and cloudy locations like Seattle-Tacoma International, as well as cargo hubs like Indianapolis International.

The carriers were supposed to roll out their 5G service using their newly purchased frequencies on January 5th, but they agreed to comply with the FAA's and Transportation Department's request to push back their expansion by two more weeks. Authorities intend to use the extra time to investigate concerns that the new frequencies are too close to those used by airplanes' radar altimeters. The devices measure the distance between the plane and the ground to help planes land in poor visibility and poor weather conditions. Wireless companies deny that using the C-band frequencies for 5G will disrupt aviation.

The FAA said that Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and some of the other busiest airports in the US are missing from the list, because they're nowhere near the areas where the new 5G services are deploying. Meanwhile, other large airports are also not included because they're deemed far away enough from the nearest 5G towers. 

Airlines for America, the association that represents major North American airlines, told Reuters and The Post in a statement that it appreciates the "FAA's efforts to implement mitigations for airports that may be most impacted by disruptions generated by the deployment of new 5G service." However, Kevin Burke, the CEO of airport trade group Airports Council International-North America, is less than pleased. Burke said the list is "largely irrelevant because the entire aviation system is about to be adversely impacted by this poorly planned and coordinated expansion of 5G service in and around airports."

PayPal confirms it's exploring the launch of its own stablecoin

Posted: 08 Jan 2022 03:01 AM PST

PayPal has been expanding its cryptocurrency business since it opened trading to all users in 2020. It allowed US customers to check out with cryptocurrency and increased its crypto buy limit over the past year. In the future, it might also offer a stablecoin of its own. Jose Fernandez da Ponte, SVP of crypto and digital currencies at PayPal, has confirmed to Bloomberg that the online payment provider is "exploring a stablecoin." He also said that the company will work closely with relevant regulators "if and when [it] seek[s] to move forward."

A developer named Steve Moser found hidden code and images for a "PayPal Coin" in the company's app and shared them with Bloomberg. Based on what he discovered, the PayPal Coin will be backed by the US dollar. It may also feature the PayPal logo with two horizontal slashes across it, though that may change upon the coin's launch, if it does see the light of day. A spokesperson told the publication that the tidbits Moser unearthed in the app were leftovers from an internal hackathon by the company's blockchain, crypto and digital currencies division.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies backed by fiat currencies and are typically more, well, stable than their decentralized counterparts. Meta (formerly Facebook) has big crypto plans, as well, and was supposed to launch a digital wallet that supports its own stablecoin called Diem. However, it faced pushback from regulators and launched the cryptocurrency wallet Novi with the stablecoin called the Pax Dollar instead.

Tesla will hike prices on self-driving mode, again

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 04:28 PM PST

Tesla's "full self-driving" (FSD) feature has had something of a rocky history, to put things generously. It's been implicated in multiple crashes, seemingly persistent software bugs and a cavalcade of scrutiny from a panoply of regulatorybodies. Also, it's about to cost more money. 

The bump represents an additional $2,000 being tacked onto the not insubstantial price tag: a new grand total of $12,000, or most of the way to a Honda Civic. Nor is it the first time FSD has gotten more expensive. In 2020, Musk (again, on Twitter) announced a roughly $2,000 price increase. This most recent hike, Musk clarified, will only apply in the US; he added that the feature's "price will rise as we get closer to FSD production code release." 

Whether that means there are plans for even further price increases is anyone's guess — Tesla famously dissolved its corporate communications department around the same time FSD gained it's $10,000 price tag.

Notably, purchasing the "full self-driving" feature doesn't actually result in a car that drives itself. This largely is why Senators Markey and Blumenthal have called on the FTC to investigate Tesla and Musk for, among other things, "overstatements of their vehicle's capabilities." According to one survey, only around 11 percent of Tesla owners drop the money required to enable FSD, and it's difficult to imagine how increasing the financial burden on buyers could reverse that trend.

Pixar's 'Turning Red' will forgo theaters for Disney+

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 02:29 PM PST

Turning Red, Pixar's latest feature film, will premiere exclusively on Disney+, the studio announced on Friday. It follows Soul and Luca as the third Pixar movie to skip a theatrical release. Disney had planned to debut Turning Red in theaters, but likely due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the US and much of the world, that won't happen. What hasn't changed is the release date: the film will still debut on March 11th as originally planned.

"Given the delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films, flexibility remains at the core of our distribution decisions as we prioritize delivering the unparalleled content of The Walt Disney Company to audiences around the world," said Kareem Daniel, chairman of media and entertainment distribution for Disney.

The fact Turning Red won't premiere on the silver screen is a shame because it marks the full-length directorial debut of one of Pixar's most promising young talents, Domee Shi. She won an Academy Award in 2019 for her work on the short film Bao, which was shown alongside Incredibles 2 in theaters. Like Bao, Turning Red is set in Shi's hometown of Toronto, Canada. It tells the story of Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a teen who finds out she turns into a red panda when she gets too excited. Naturally, all sorts of hijinks ensue as a result. Did we mention the fabulous Sandra Oh is also in the movie? Yeah, it will be great.  

The fact Turning Red won't have a theatrical run is likely to significantly affect its earning potential. In turn, that could make Disney less willing to invest in diverse productions like Turning Red. If there's a silver lining, it's that families will at least have the opportunity to see the film from the safety of their homes.

Amazon cuts paid COVID-19 leave for workers in half

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 01:30 PM PST

Amazon, the second-largest employer in the US, announced today that it would be slashing its paid leave policies for workers forced to quarantine in half. The policy, instituted in March of 2020, previously provided for up to 14 days of paid leave; the new policy covers one week, or up to 40 hours.

"Throughout the past two years we have consistently based our response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the advice of our own medical experts," the notice to workers reads. It goes on to state that the 40-hour or one week paid leave policy goes into effect "immediately" and "applies to all employees in the United States, regardless of vaccination status." 

The shift mirrors the CDC's updated — and broadly unpopular — isolation guidance, which it published on December 27, as well as the decision by Walmart, the largest US employer, to reduce its own paid pandemic sick leave policies this past Wednesday. It stands to reason that other companies are likely to follow suit.

Amazon recently reinstated its mask policy for on-site workers. That requirement, along with mandatory temperature checks, were put in place around the same time as the original two-week leave policy last year, and was subsequently rolled back for fully vaccinated workers in May.

While Amazon has often been criticized for its uniquely poor treatment of its staff, in this case it's merely following federal guidance and looking out for its own financial interests above all other priorities. Instead, what the erosion of the paid leave policies for the country's two largest employers represents is the rolling back of the benefits and protections many of us have come to rely on to persevere through this ongoing pandemic. 

Earlier this week, the expiration of a White House deal with retailers mandating at-home COVID tests be sold for an affordable $14 led, predictably, to those same tests nearly doubling in price at Walmart and Kroger. Some policies, like pandemic unemployment benefits, have already ended, while key safeguards, like New York's eviction moratorium, are slated to expire soon. Meanwhile, the US is still experiencing record-setting numbers of positive cases. 

Amazon is correct that the CDC altered what it believes to be the necessary length of isolation for positive-testing individuals. But that elides the fact that Amazon and Walmart were, not long ago, offering hazard pay to workers for facing the exact same risks that currently exist in their workplaces. Incidentally, those policies were rolled back quickly as well.

New 'Valorant' players will need to grind before they can play competitive games

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 01:00 PM PST

A new playable character with an aggressive mobility-based kit isn't the only potentially game-changing tweak coming to Valorant with the shooter's Episode Four update on January 11th. Once the patch is live, new players will need to reach account level 20 before they can queue for competitive games. Previously, you only had to win 10 unranked matches before you could take part in competitive matchmaking.

Many other multiplayer games, including Overwatch and Riot's own League of Legends, employ similar restrictions. They help ensure new players have had at least some time to learn the game before they jump into a high-pressure match. They also deter a practice known as smurfing. That's when more experienced players create new accounts to avoid long queues and play against less skilled opponents.

"We believe everyone should take time to learn the ins and outs of core gameplay, and have ample exposure to all the maps and agents Valorant will throw at you before competing in our ranked experience," Riot said of the change. The tweak will only affect new accounts made from this point forward. So if you recently started playing Valorant and have at least one competitive match on your account, you won't lose access.

How to watch the Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 speedrunning marathon

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 12:32 PM PST

Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ), an annual week-long celebration of speedrunning, is almost upon us. Between January 9th and 16th, you'll be able to watch one expert gamer after another race through their favorite titles to show off their skill and, hopefully, break some world records.

For the second year running, AGDQ will be held as a virtual event due to COVID-19 safety concerns. Unfortunately, runners won't have a raucous in-person crowd to cheer them on. Still, you can watch the entire event live on Twitch, via the Games Done Quick channel (or the embed below), starting at noon ET on Sunday. If you can't watch the action as it happens, you'll be able to catch up later on YouTube. 

The schedule is packed with some fascinating-sounding runs. On Wednesday, two GeoGuessr players will shoot for a perfect score by finding the exact locations of random Google Street View images. Next Saturday, a runner named Mitchriz will try to beat Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a typically tough game by FromSoftware, as quickly as possible — and they'll be blindfolded. Recent games making their first appearance at AGDQ include Deathloop, Death's Door, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal and Psychonauts 2.

The Games Done Quick organization has raised millions for good causes over the last decade. AGDQ is one of the two main events the group runs each year, with Summer Games Done Quick typically taking place in June or July.

The best of CES 2022

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 12:00 PM PST

You all know what they say about the best-laid plans. Though Engadget intended to send a few editors to cover CES in person, we later decided amid surging covid cases that it would be best if our entire staff just stayed home and covered the show remotely. In the end, too, we also decided it would be easiest, under these very fluid circumstances, to do our own thing for our annual CES Awards, which since 2014 we have produced in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association, the trade group that organizes CES itself. Though we can't hand out awards in person this year, we do still have opinions. And we're about to share them with you.

What follows are all of our favorites from CES 2022 which, despite some stormy press, turned out to be a surprisingly busy show (if not in foot traffic, then certainly in hard news). As in years past, we arrived at these picks by first asking the editors who cover these categories year-round to weigh in on a shortlist. Then our wider team voted using a ranked-choice system. Maybe one day we'll also tell you about the dark-horse favorites that almost, but didn't quite, make the cut. — Dana Wollman, Editor-in-Chief

Best Accessibility Product

OrCam MyEye Pro

OrCam MyEye Pro
OrCam

For people with low vision or difficulty reading, camera-based gadgets with object recognition can make life a little easier. OrCam's MyEye Pro is a wearable camera module that can be attached to any pair of glasses. Like previous generations, the MyEye Pro can read text, identify objects and faces and tell the wearer what it sees via an onboard speaker or paired Bluetooth headphones. In addition to a touch-sensitive control panel, OrCam offers voice control via the company's own assistant with the "Hey OrCam" hotword. The Pro also features a faster processor than older models, an additional microphone, stronger magnets and improved tactile cues. It has a new interactive "Smart Reading" feature that lets users ask their MyEye to quickly find specific information like phone numbers, the total on a bill, a particular word on a page and more.

MyEye Pro is one of a few assistive devices built specifically to help people with vision impairments or reading disabilities. Though smartphones can arguably perform similar tasks, the fact that the OrCam can be mounted on spectacles makes it easier for extended reading or all-day use. The company needs to address some usability issues, and like most assistive devices the MyEye is very expensive starting at $3,990. But with greater awareness of the existence of such products, perhaps more insurance providers will consider covering some of the cost. — Cherlynn Low, Deputy Editor / Reviews

Best Health and Fitness Product

Withings Body Scan

Withings Body Scan
Withings

Withings has been doing all it can to push the boundaries of what a bathroom weighing scale can do for a long while now. This year at CES, the company unveiled the Withings Body Scan, which aims to bring a number of new health-monitoring technologies into your home. The Body Scan's most obvious new feature is the pull-out handlebar that you'll hold in front of your waist while you're standing on the deck. This allows the device to run an ECG to check on your heart health, offer up sequential body composition data and, most intriguing, analyze your nerve activity.

It's not just the breadth of data the Body Scan promises to analyze, but the claimed depth that impressed us. Withings says that its six-lead ECG will produce medical-grade results and that its output can easily be read by a cardiologist. Meanwhile, the nerve activity tracking will look for signs of nerve degeneration, which can be caused by obesity (and treated with appropriate remedial action). It's a hell of a lot of tech to pack into one consumer device, and if Withings makes good on its promises, it may become the bathroom scale of choice for anyone who wants to keep tabs on their health. — Daniel Cooper, Senior Editor

Best Wearable

Razer Zephyr Pro

Razer Zephyr Pro
Razer

In a year where many CES attendees decided to stay home amid rising COVID cases, it feels fitting that our favorite wearable at the show was a smart mask. Tech companies had already started to put their spin on face coverings, with Razer's original $100 Zephyr mask and LG's PuriCare Mask. With a gamer steampunk-inspired design, the first–gen Zephyr combined N95 filters, dual-fan active air filtration system and (of course) RGB lighting all in one striking device.

Razer followed up this year with the Zephyr Pro and one new feature in particular is worth highlighting: the ability to amplify your voice by 60 decibels up to one meter away. It solves a problem most of us have experienced at some point over the past couple of years: You try to order a coffee and the barista behind the counter can't hear you over your mask, not to mention the protective plastic wall separating you both. In theory, if you're wearing the Zephyr Pro, you shouldn't have this problem. Whenever you don't want to use the feature (or maybe just want to conserve battery), you can turn off voice amplification.

We don't know exactly when the Zephyr Pro will come out, but Razer has said it will cost $150, or $200 for the starter pack with 100 days worth of filters. Is the Zephyr Pro a bit excessive? Yes. Will the RGB lighting make you look ridiculous? You bet. But even so, we have to hand it to Razer for making masked interactions just a little easier. — Valentina Palladino, Commerce Editor

Best Transportation Tech

Chevrolet Silverado EV

Chevrolet Silverado EV
Chevrolet

2022 is already shaping up to be the year of the electric pickup, so it was no surprise that GM CEO Mary Barra took to the CES stage on Wednesday to officially unveil the American automaker's second electrified truck, the Chevrolet Silverado EV. We shouldn't need to explain why Chevy's best-selling vehicle going electric is a big deal.

The new Silverado joins the Hummer EV in GM's burgeoning electric truck lineup (soon to be accompanied by Blazer and Equinox EVs) and will arrive in two versions: the RST First Edition, a limited-run production with an MSRP just north of $100,000, followed by the far more affordable WT fleet edition and standard RST – both of which start at around $39,900.

Positioned to compete directly with Ford's forthcoming F-150 Lightning, the Silverado EV RST will offer a GM-estimated 400 mile range, up to 664 horsepower and 811 ft-lb of torque with the ability to tow up to 10,000 pounds. The WT version will be slightly less powerful but still boasts 510 hp, 615 lb-ft of torque and 8,000 pounds of towing capacity. Both the RST and WT versions will enter production alongside the Hummer EV line at GM's new Factory ZERO electric vehicle production facility in 2023. — Andrew Tarantola, Senior Editor

Best Home Theater Product

Samsung Eco Remote (2022)

Samsung Eco Remote
Samsung

At CES last year, Samsung debuted an Eco Remote that uses indoor or outdoor light to recharge via a solar panel. This year, the company took things a step further. The 2022 model brings back the solar panel and adds the ability to recharge using radio frequency (RF) signals from your WiFi router. Since you don't need to replace the battery, this eliminates the need to hunt for AAAs (which would eventually be destined for a landfill).

Using energy that otherwise goes to waste, the new Eco Remote's low power requirements make it a good choice for harvesting RF waves. The device, available with either a black or white finish, is also equipped with dedicated buttons for streaming services to give you one-touch access. Sure, you'll need a Samsung TV to use it, but the greener power sources certainly help the device live up to its name. And hopefully, Samsung's clever use of RF waves can serve as inspiration for other TV manufacturers. — Billy Steele, Senior News Editor

Best Smart Home Product

TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni

TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni
TP-Link

It wouldn't be CES if we didn't see some crazy routers, and TP-Link delivered this year. The TP-Link AXE200 Omni router has the over-the-top design that the company typically saves for its most expensive and powerful devices, but this model has a trick we've never seen before. It packs four mechanical antennas that can rotate automatically based on the placement and location of devices using your WiFi connection.

Sure, this feature looks cool in action (almost anthropomorphic, even), but TP-Link's history-making top-flight routers means this likely isn't a gimmick. And the rest of its specs are top of the line, too. It has tri-band WiFi 6E, capable of delivering speeds of up to 11 Gbps. There are also 10 Gigabit ethernet ports for wired connections. Given how many devices most households have these days, having a powerful, reliable router is crucial to keeping everything online. TP-Link's latest should be able to do that no matter how many gadgets you need to connect. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor / News

Best Phone or Tablet

Asus ZenBook 17 Fold

Asus ZenBook 17 Fold
Asus

There was no shortage of mobile devices at CES this year, ranging from OnePlus' new flagship to Samsung's latest value-for-money phone. If the award should go to the most memorable, though, there was one clear pick. We've chosen ASUS' ZenBook 17 Fold for attempting to redefine tablets, foldables and laptops in one fell swoop.

The foldable tablet category isn't exactly novel, given past entries like Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold. ASUS' offering is decidedly bolder, though, with a 17.3-inch OLED screen that offers a huge canvas and various usage possibilities (think: a book-like reader or a desktop PC). You'll even have a usable laptop thanks to an included Bluetooth keyboard that allows the folded tablet to function as a 12.5-inch Windows laptop. All told, this is one of the most versatile tablets we've seen, and it could replace more than just your notebook depending on how you use it. — Jon Fingas, Weekend Editor

Best TV Tech

Samsung QD-Display

Samsung QD-Display
Samsung Display

We've praised LG's OLED TVs for years, mainly because they represent a huge upgrade over LCDs in almost every way. Their one big weakness is brightness: LCDs rely on backlights that can reach far beyond a single OLED, which can't burn too hot or they risk failure. OLEDs also lose a bit of color accuracy the brighter they get. Now Samsung believes it has a solution: QD-Display, an updated OLED technology that relies on quantum dots to supercharge colors and deliver more brightness. On paper, it seems like the biggest advancement in TV technology we've seen in years.

While Samsung isn't showing off its own QD-Display TVs yet, Sony leapt at the chance to adopt the technology for its new A95K premium TV. That proves it's more than just an expensive tech demo for the super rich, like Samsung's MicroLED-equipped "The Wall." It's certainly ironic that Samsung is heralding OLED now, after downplaying the technology in TVs for years and pushing QLED sets instead. But no matter: It's better for consumers, and the industry overall, if there's more than one company producing OLED TVs. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Editor

Best Gaming Product

Sony PlayStation VR2

Sony PlayStation VR2
Sony

Among the souped-up graphics cards, laptop chips, desktop concepts and console accessories on display at CES 2022, the most exciting gaming announcement involved no actual product at all. Sony revealed the name, logo and specs for its next virtual reality headset, PlayStation VR2, and even though the device didn't make an appearance, the details were enough to get us excited about the upcoming headset.

The PS VR2 has a display resolution of 2,000 x 2,040 for each eye, a 110-degree field of view, 4K HDR capabilities and frame rates of 90Hz or 120Hz. The new device has upgraded eye-tracking software and it also supports foveated rendering, a gaze-based feature common in high-end PC headsets. The addition of inside-out tracking means it doesn't require an external camera – a nice step up from the original PS VR. The most surprising detail about the PS VR2 is the fact that it includes an internal motor that can make the headset vibrate, providing a new level of haptic feedback (or maybe just a headache).

In addition to all those details, Sony confirmed an original game in the Horizon universe is heading exclusively to the headset, and developer Guerrilla gave us a quick tease of first-person robot-dino hunting. Console gaming news at CES is a rarity, which makes Sony's showing this year stand out, even without any actual hardware. — Jessica Conditt, Senior Editor

Best Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad Z Series

Lenovo ThinkPad Z Series
Lenovo

Come for the lid; stay for the sustainability. Or maybe it's the other way around. When we first saw the ThinkPad Z series at a private demo ahead of CES, we were immediately charmed by its lid, which is designed to be openable with just one hand. But as we learned more about these sleek laptops, available with 13- and 16-inch screens, we were impressed with their focus on sustainability, including materials like recycled aluminum and vegan leather, and a charger made of 90 percent recyclable material. Even the packaging is 100 percent recyclable, thanks to compostable materials like bamboo and sugarcane.

We haven't even talked about the potentially solid performance. The Z13 and Z16 are the result of a collaboration with AMD. In fact, these are among the first machines with AMD's high-performance Ryzen PRO 6000 Series laptop processors. On the outside, the Z13 boasts a 2.8K OLED display while the 16 has a 4K screen, also OLED. Both machines support Dolby Vision, along with Dolby Atmos and Dolby AI noise cancellation. We look forward to reviewing them closer to when they go on sale in May. — Dana Wollman, Editor-in-chief

Best Sustainable Product

Goodyear 70% Sustainable-Material Tire

Goodyear 70% Sustainable-Material Tire
Goodyear

Whether it's powered by an internal combustion engine or an electric battery, a vehicle's tires remain one of its least eco-friendly components. Traditional tires are resource intensive to produce and difficult to dispose of, with only a small fraction of them ending up actually being recycled. As such, Goodyear two years ago set an ambitious goal for itself: develop a 100-percent sustainable tire by 2030. Two years into this project, the company is already well on its way toward meeting that goal.

Earlier this week, the company unveiled its 70-percent sustainable concept tire, which features 13 ingredients across nine different tire components that were formerly made with petroleum and other non-renewable resources. For example, carbon black and other petrol-based rubbers are typically used as filler materials to enhance a tire's durability and usable lifespan. Goodyear has substituted these with more eco-friendly methane, carbon dioxide and plant-based oil, all of which are produced in ways that generate fewer greenhouse gasses than carbon black. Additionally, Goodyear employs silica, which increases a tire's grip on the road, that has been derived from rice husk ash, a common by-product of the rice milling process.

Whether Goodyear releases a tire utilizing all of its sustainable technologies by 2030, or simply works individual materials into upcoming models, the environment still stands to benefit. — Andrew Tarantola, Senior Editor

Best Wildcard

BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink

BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink
BMW

When it comes to CES, there are so many left-field products on display that it can sometimes be hard to define a "wildcard." Is it a futuristic concept, a bizarre novelty, or simply something you had no idea would be good until it was presented to you? This year, BMW's iX Flow featuring E Ink ticked the "well, we didn't expect that" box the hardest, and it's certainly a striking concept. Essentially, BMW coated the skin of its iX car with the same electrophoretic coating you'll find in most e-readers. The pitch being that, at the touch of a button, you can change the color of your vehicle to reflect your current mood. You know, as one does.

Of course, while the BMW iX itself is a road-ready car, the E Ink coating isn't something you can expect to buy in the near future. But even being able to switch from black to white makes plenty of sense in these more energy-conscious times. In warm weather, you can paint the car white and help reflect some of the sun's heat, reducing the drain on your AC. And when it gets cold, you can reverse the process, helping to store up more warmth to keep you, and your battery, nice and cozy. Even better, if the company gets a color E Ink version working, then we never need to worry about being stuck with someone else's idea of a good paint job. — Daniel Cooper, Senior Editor

Best of the Best

Chevrolet Silverado EV

Chevrolet Silverado EV
Chevrolet

CES 2022 brought us a bevy of innovative announcements from the automotive industry, from chameleon-skinned BMWs to a sun-soaked 600-mile electric Mercedes. But as ranked-choice systems are wont to do, there can be only one overall winner. This year, the king of the CES hill is Chevrolet's Silverado EV, an electrified pickup that is sure to give both global warming and rival EV, the Ford F-150 Lightning, a run for their money.

The Silverado is already one of America's most popular pickup models, having sold more than half a million US units in 2021 alone. Pickups and SUVs in general are far and away the best selling vehicle types in the US but those same buyers have historically been reticent to adopt more eco-friendly alternatives to conventional internal combustion cars and trucks — heck, just a few years ago many diesel owners were giddily "rolling coal" for the social media clout. But as fuel prices and sea surface temperatures continue to rise, the prospect of driving up to 400 miles (or more!) using nothing but a battery has become a compelling feature for drivers and automakers alike.

GM has already pledged to sell "30 new global electric vehicles by 2025" starting with the Hummer EV, which is already being delivered to early buyers. The Chevy Silverado, Blazer, Equinox and GMC Sierra all poised for production runs of their own starting in 2023. And once these EVs roll off their respective assembly lines, they'll be faced with stiff competition from Ford, Tesla, Rivian, Toyota and other car makers eager to cash in on America's newfound love affair with electrified pickups. — Andrew Tarantola, Senior Editor

IKEA and Sonos refresh the Symfonisk bookshelf speaker with a faster processor

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 11:35 AM PST

Without much fanfare, IKEA and Sonos have released a second-generation version of their Symfonisk bookshelf speaker. First spotted by Dutch publication Tweakers (via The Verge), the new model features a faster processor, more memory and draws less power when it's on standby. It also comes with a longer power cable.

However, looking at the new model next to its first-generation counterpart, the most visible change is an updated button layout that sees the volume controls next to one another instead of being separated by the play/pause button as was previously the case.

Sonos updates its speakers in this way from time to time to make them more future-proof. In 2019, for instance, it refreshed the Sonos One to add Bluetooth LE, a newer processor and more memory. More recently, it tweaked the Sonos One SL to add a more efficient wireless radio. If you live in the Netherlands, you can pick up the second-generation Symfonisk bookshelf for €99. We've reached out to IKEA to find out when the retailer to plans to release the speaker in the US.

Meta's new Privacy Center explains how the company handles data collection

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 11:15 AM PST

Meta has announced a new Privacy Center that provides users with information about data collection, sharing, security, data use and ads. The hub includes details on the approach to privacy across apps like Facebook and Instagram, the Data Policy and how to use the multitude of privacy and security settings.

Users can find out how to set up two-factor authentication, get clarity on who's able to see their posts, what types of data Meta collects, how it uses that information and much more.

At the outset, the Privacy Center is only available to a small number of Facebook users in the US on desktop. It plans to roll it out to more apps and people in the coming months. If you have access, you can find the Privacy Center in the Settings and Privacy section. Meta will offer other ways to access it in the future. It plans to update the Privacy Center with more sections and controls.

Meta has added a number of safety and/or privacy-focused updates across its apps over the last year or so. It can be hard to keep track of everything, so establishing a single hub to detail all of those features should be useful. For instance, Instagram started requiring folks to share their birthday as part of an effort to shield younger users from "sensitive" content. In September, WhatsApp added end-to-end encryption for chat backups.

Shoddy coding has some Honda cars stuck in the year 2002

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 11:02 AM PST

Some Honda cars owners have recently found themselves in something of a time loop. Since the start of the year, the automaker's forums have been flooded with reports of people complaining that the clocks and calendars in their vehicles are stuck in the year 2002.

The issue appears to be widespread. It's affecting Honda and Acura models with GPS navigation systems manufactured between 2004 and 2012, and there have been reports of people encountering the problem in the US, Canada and UK. What's more, there doesn't appear to a fix at the moment. Each time someone starts their car, the clock resets – even if they went to manually set it beforehand.

"Honda is aware of a potential concern related to the clock display on certain older Acura and Honda models equipped with navigation systems," a spokesperson for the automaker told Jalopnik. "We are currently investigating this issue to determine possible countermeasures and have no additional details to share at this time."

The problem appears to stem from a coding oversight. When a GPS satellite broadcasts the date, it does so using a binary 10 digit number that includes a reference to the week. A single GPS epoch includes 1023 weeks, with the system rolling over on week 1,024. After the first GPS systems started counting time in 1980, they rolled over in 1999, and then again in 2019. If a system isn't properly coded to account for those rollovers, what can happen is exactly what we're seeing here with Honda's vehicles: they go back to when the calendar started.

Humorously, this isn't the first time Honda car owners have run into this problem. Back in 2017, Honda and Acura models from 1999 to 2004 with navigation systems had their clocks reset to 1998. The same issue cropped up more recently in 2021. In both instances, the clocks went back exactly 1,024 weeks. Time knows how to make a mockery of everyone, but it would seem it has a special place for Honda's software developers.

Neon, Valorant's newest agent, brings sprinting and sliding to the game

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 10:00 AM PST

Valorant is a game of methodical movement. Your weapon is at its most accurate when you're standing still, and pinpoint accuracy is essential if you want to live. That's what makes Neon, the game's latest playable character, so interesting. She's a hyper-aggressive duelist whose kit is all about increasing the tempo of matches.

Following a teaser trailer released earlier in the week, Riot has detailed all of Neon's abilities. Her innate skill "High Gear" allows Neon to sprint and slide into combat, something no Valorant agent before her has been able to do. "Speed, everything about Neon came back to that feeling of running forward and moving fast," said character producer John Goscicki.

Neon's two other primary abilities, "Relay Bolt" and "Fast Lane," allow her to throw an electric molly and create two parallel walls of vision-obscuring static. Meanwhile, her ultimate, "Overdrive," lets Neon shoot out deadly lighting beams, with each kill she obtains resetting the duration of the skill. Her kit is most reminiscent of that of Phoenix who can create a wall of flame to cover his entry assaults. However, the fact Neon can sprint and slide should make weapons like the Stinger, Judge and Frenzy especially deadly in her hands since they tend to dominate in close quarters.

Neon will join Valorant's roster on January 11th, the same day Riot plans to release Episode Four, Act One. You can get the associated Battlepass for 1,000 Valorant Points, or the equivalent of $10.

Model Brooks Nader says someone used an AirTag to track her

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 09:59 AM PST

Although Apple's AirTags can be useful for helping find lost belongings, ever since the tracker went on sale last spring, critics have raised concerns that bad actors could use it to stalk people. Brooks Nader, a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, claims someone secretly placed an AirTag in her coat and tracked her movements for several hours.

Earlier this week, Nader was waiting alone for someone at a crowded bar in Tribeca with her coat on the chair behind her. She then visited a couple of other bars with friends.

Nader, who shared her experience on Instagram Stories, said that while she was walking home alone, her phone alerted her to the fact that "someone's tracking you and has been for a while." She then found the AirTag. Nader, who wasn't aware of AirTags beforehand, called the incident "the scariest moment ever and I just want everyone to be aware that this exists."

It's not the first time that AirTags have been used to track other people's movements. Reports have emerged about thieves using them to follow and steal high-end cars. However, the Nader incident is a high-profile one that should draw more attention to the issue.

"We take customer safety very seriously and are committed to AirTag's privacy and security. AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking — a first in the industry — that both inform users if an unknown AirTag might be with them, and deter bad actors from using an AirTag for nefarious purposes," an Apple spokesperson told Engadget. "If users ever feel their safety is at risk, they are encouraged to contact local law enforcement who can work with Apple to provide any available information about the unknown AirTag."

Soon after Apple launched the AirTag, it rolled out the iPhone notification Nader mentioned to inform users that someone may be tracking them. In December, the company released an Android app called Tracker Detect, which alerts users to nearby AirTags that are away from their owner and could be on their person. However, since Find My isn't part of Android, you'd need to know about the app and have it installed to detect a hidden AirTag.

GameStop is reportedly developing a marketplace for NFTs of in-game items

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 09:18 AM PST

Following Ubisoft and Square Enix, GameStop is apparently the latest player in the video game industry that sees NFTs as a way to boost its profitability. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company has hired nearly two dozen people as part of a newly formed cryptocurrency division. The unit is reportedly building an online marketplace for buying, selling and trading NFTs of in-game items like cosmetics. The hub could launch as soon as later this year. Additionally, the division is reportedly close to partnering with two companies to co-invest in games that make use of blockchain and NFT technologies. GameStop is said ot plan to partner with a dozen companies in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

News of the development sent the value of GameStop's stock surging to $159.77, up from $131.01, in aftermarket trading. According to The Journal, GameStop executives see NFTs as a way for the company to return to profitability, but it's not clear if the nascent technology has a place in video games.

Many of the recent attempts by some developers and publishers to include digital tokens in their titles have been greeted by outright hostility. Ubisoft, for example, became a magnet for criticism when it announced its Quartz NFT platform. It also seems the negative attention was not worth it for Ubisoft, with a recent Eurogamer report claiming the company had only sold 18 NFTs as of December 21st. But for all the backlash, Ubisoft and others appear unfazed. In an employee Q&A, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot reportedly linked the initial backlash to NFTs to earlier outrage over trends like microtransactions and loot boxes. It seems the implication here was that people would eventually come to accept the technology.
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US regulator rules that Google infringed on Sonos speaker patents

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 10:24 PM PST

The US International Trade Commission has agreed with Sonos' claims that Google had infringed on its speaker and cast patents. It issued its initial decision back in August, and this finalizes its ruling, which prohibits Google from importing products found to have violated Sonos' intellectual properties. Since Google manufactures its products in China, that means it won't be able to gets them shipped to the US when the import ban takes effect in 60 days.

Sonos sued Google in 2020 over five patents, which include one that details a technology allowing wireless speakers to sync with one another. As The New York Times notes, the products affected include Google's Home smart speakers, Pixel phones and computers, as well as Chromecast devices. While Google is facing an import ban, a spokesperson said that the tech giant doesn't expect the ruling to interrupt its ability to import and sell devices. 

"While we disagree with today's decision, we appreciate that the International Trade Commission has approved our modified designs," the spokesperson told Protocol. "We will seek further review and continue to defend ourselves against Sonos' frivolous claims about our partnership and intellectual property." The commission didn't challenge those alternative designs in its final decision, which means Google can implement them. 

In fact, the Nest team has recently announced some changes to speaker groups, which it says is "due to a recent legal ruling." The most notable change is that, going forward, users will no longer be able to adjust the volume of all speakers in a group all at once. They'd have to adjust each speaker individually instead.

In a statement, Sonos Chief Legal Officer Eddie Lazarus admitted that there's a possibility that "Google will be able to degrade or eliminate product features in a way that circumvents the importation ban that the ITC has imposed." However, he said the tech giant's products will still "infringe many dozens of Sonos patents" — that is, unless Google pays Sonos royalties for its technologies. 

His whole statement reads:

"We appreciate that the ITC has definitively validated the five Sonos patents at issue in this case and ruled unequivocally that Google infringes all five. That is an across the board win that is surpassingly rare in patent cases and underscores the strength of Sonos's extensive patent portfolio and the hollowness of Google's denials of copying. These Sonos patents cover Sonos' groundbreaking invention of extremely popular home audio features, including the set up for controlling home audio systems, the synchronization of multiple speakers, the independent volume control of different speakers, and the stereo pairing of speakers. 

There is a possibility that Google will be able to degrade or eliminate product features in a way that circumvents the importation ban that the ITC has imposed. But while Google may sacrifice consumer experience in an attempt to circumvent this importation ban, its products will still infringe many dozens of Sonos patents, its wrongdoing will persist, and the damages owed Sonos will continue to accrue. Alternatively, Google can —as other companies have already done — pay a fair royalty for the technologies it has misappropriated."

Meta sued for alleged role in extremist-linked murder of federal guard

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 05:47 PM PST

The surviving sister of Dave Patrick Underwood, a federal security guard who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2020, has filed a lawsuit against Meta, the parent organization of Facebook. The suit seeks to hold the company accountable for connecting the two men charged in the murder plot and giving them a space online to plan the attack.

Underwood was shot outside a federal building in Oakland, California in May of 2020. The two men charged inn the case were later linked to so-called "boogaloo" anti-government movement, which Facebook banned from its platform in June of 2020 citing the group's history of "actively promoting violence against civilians, law enforcement and government officials and institutions." 

"The shooting was not a random act of violence," the lawsuit states. "It was the culmination of an extremist plot hatched and planned on Facebook by two men who Meta connected through Facebook's groups infrastructure and its use of algorithms designed and intended to increase user engagement and, correspondingly, Meta's profits." The lawsuit alleges the two men would never have met if not for Facebook's recommendations, which pushed them both to join groups that "openly advocated for violence."

A spokesperson for Meta said in a statement to The New York Times that the "claims are without legal basis," and pointed to the company's work to ban "militarized social movements."

The lawsuit is hardly the first time Meta has been implicated over its role in fueling extremism and violence. Facebook's own researchers warned that group recommendations were pushing users toward extremism in 2016, according to internal company documents first reported by The Wall Street Journal. And documents from whistleblower Frances Haugen have raised questions about Facebook's role in inciting violence around the world. Meta was also recently sued by a group of Rohingya refugees over Facebook's role in amplifying hate speech that incited a genocide in the country.

In a statement to ABC, Ted Leopold, who is representing Underwood's sister, referenced Haugen's disclosures about Facebook. "We believe and intend to show that Facebook's conduct has led to a rise in extremism throughout the world and acts of real-world violence, including the murder of Officer Underwood," Leopold said.

Clubhouse finally adds support for web listening

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 02:52 PM PST

Since its debut in 2020, joining a conversation on Clubhouse has involved opening the app. But that's no longer the case. Starting today, if you live in the US, you can listen to replays and live rooms with replays enabled using a web browser. What's more, you don't need to log in to use Clubhouse in this way.

Clubhouse notes the feature is experimental, so expect bugs. However, the company says it will roll out to more countries if people find it "useful." Similarly, it will consider supporting more room types and other parts of the Clubhouse experience over time.

Separately, the company is updating its share sheet. When you're in a guest room, you can tap the Share button, located at the bottom of the interface, to post a link to a session through Clubhouse, a social network or messaging app. When you pick the first option, you can add a comment to describe the room. If it's a live room, your followers will get notification so that they can join.

Notably, both updates see Clubhouse making its app more widely accessible. When the app first launched, you had to obtain an invite to join. But as companies like Facebook and Twitter have moved to add live audio to their platforms, it has been forced to adapt in a bid to stay relevant.

Twitter is testing TikTok-style reaction videos

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 02:31 PM PST

It's only been a few months since Twitter killed Fleets, but the company is already experimenting with a new video format. The company is testing a new "Tweet Take" feature that allows users to share reaction videos alongside a Quote Tweet.

With the test, Twitter users can opt to send a "Quote Tweet with reaction" instead of the typical retweet or Quote Tweet. These "Tweet Takes" as the company is calling them can be either a photo or a video, and the original tweet will be embedded as a card overtop.

The concept is similar to a feature in Twitter's short-lived Fleets feature, which enabled users to share tweets with their own commentary in a full-screen format. Fleets, of course, never really gained traction and the company pulled the feature less than a month after its launch.

Unlike Fleets, these reaction videos will appear in the main timeline just like any other tweet, though the videos will look noticeably different than the typical retweet. (While users can record a reaction in full-screen, it's not clear what format they appear in the timeline. We've reached out to Twitter for more info.)

But these "takes" are perhaps even more similar to TikTok-style reaction videos, which often feature a comment or another users' clip as the source. While Twitter hasn't necessarily encouraged these types of interaction in the past, the company has been taking steps to build more creator-friendly features so it's not necessarily surprising to see this kind of experiment.

Of course, just as Twitter users raised concerns about whether Fleets could be used to target people for harassment, tailored reaction videos also feels like the kind of feature that could be ripe for abuse. Quote Tweets are already a major source of dunking and bullying — which Twitter has at times tried to discourage — so it's not difficult to imagine that these "Tweet Takes" could also become problematic. It's also not clear just how big the initial experiment will be — Twitter often previews new ideas and features in early stages, but not all make it past the testing phase.

Samsung's Home Hub is a tablet for controlling SmartThings devices

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 02:11 PM PST

One of the products Samsung showed off at its CES 2022 presentation was the Home Hub, an 8.4-inch tablet for controlling all the connected home devices in your household. The company has now shared more information about it. At launch, the Home Hub will have the ability to connect to every product in the SmartThings ecosystem, including Samsung appliances.

Samsung Home Hub
Samsung

In that way, it can tell you how much power your appliances use and if one needs cleaning. Home cooks will find a recipe hub for creating shopping lists and meal plans. Those are just some of the use cases Samsung outlines for the Home Hub. The company says the device's AI software will anticipate what you need and put that information in front of you exactly when you need it.

Samsung has also pledged to support the upcoming Matter standard, which should open the door for the hub to connect to devices from other manufacturers. Based on the photos shared by Samsung, the Home Hub runs Android, suggesting it may also be possible to use it as a standard tablet. The device also comes with two speakers and two microphones, as well as the company's Bixby assistant. The tablet will come with the charging dock you see pictured in the photos, and you're free to take it out of that stand.

At first glance, it's hard to see the appeal of the Home Hub. After all, it's essentially a tablet that comes with the company's SmartThings app preinstalled. You can download that same software on your phone. So it's not like it's offering something that isn't already out there. However, framed another way, it's a different approach to a smart display. Samsung hasn't tried to create a device like the Echo Show 15 that wants to be the center of your home. The focus here is narrow, and that's something that could appeal to people.

Samsung will release the Home Hub in Korea sometime in March, with global availability to follow later. No word yet on US pricing.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

E3 will be online-only again this year

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 01:02 PM PST

For the third straight year, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted E3. The event will once again be an online-only affair amid the Omicron surge.

"Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022," the Entertainment Software Association told GamesBeat. "We are nonetheless excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon."

The ESA canceled the 2020 edition of E3 shortly after the pandemic took hold in the US. A virtual version of the event took place last year.

Earlier this week, the Sundance Film Festival scuttled plans for a hybrid format as it moved the entire event online for the second year running. The Grammy Awards, which were also due to take place this month, have been postponed indefinitely. Although CES is taking place this week with an in-person component in Las Vegas, the CSA decided to end the show one day early.

AMC buys the owner of the anime streaming service Hidive

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 12:12 PM PST

AMC Networks has acquired anime distributor Sentai. Financial terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but the purchase includes Sentai's Hidive streaming service. It will join AMC's stable of "targeted" streaming platforms, which already includes services like Shudder, IFC and SundanceTV. As part of the deal, AMC has also picked up Sentai Studios, the Anime Network and the company's extensive catalog of anime titles. Some of the projects Sentai holds the license to include K-On! from Kyoto Animation and Haikyu!! from Production IG.

The acquisition comes less than a year since Sony completed a $1.175 billion deal to buy Crunchyroll from AT&T. At the time, the company said it would work quickly to create a unified anime subscription service that would feature content from both Funimation, which Sony has owned since 2017, and Crunchyroll. If nothing else, today's deal shows just how big of a business anime has become in the west. 

Snap sues US Patent Office to claim a trademark for ‘Spectacles’

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 11:05 AM PST

Snapchat creator Snap has sued the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for rejecting an application the company had filed to trademark the word "spectacles" in relation to its wearable of the same name. In a complaint spotted by The Verge, Snap claims its usage of the term "evokes an incongruity between an 18th-century term for corrective eyewear and Snap's high-tech 21st-century smart glasses."

The complaint stems from an ongoing disagreement between Snap and the USPTO over whether "spectacles" is a term that can be applied to any pair of smart glasses. In an opinion the agency's Trademark Trial and Appeal Board published in November, the USPTO said Snap's use of Spectacles had failed to acquire the "distinctiveness" necessary for a trademark. "Spectacles is so commonly used to describe the nature of the product or competing products, rather than any particular source of the product(s)," the USPTO said at the time. In suing the USPTO, Snap hopes to overturn the appeal board's decision.

Snap first filed for a Spectacles trademark in 2016, the same year it released the first-generation model. Despite a clever marketing campaign involving Minion-like vending machines, the wearable was a bust for the company. At one point, Snap reportedly had thousands of unsold pairs collecting dust in Chinese warehouses. However, even after losing $40 million on the first version, it went on to release two new models and recently debuted a pair of augmented reality Spectacles.

To that end, Snap claims, thanks to social media marketing, word of mouth and media coverage, consumers have come to associate the word "spectacles" with its brand, a claim the USPTO disputes. In the same November opinion, the agency wrote Spectacles' "social media accounts have an underwhelming number of followers, and the number of followers is surprisingly small."

The first edition of the Chevy Silverado EV sold out in 12 minutes

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 10:52 AM PST

Soon after GM formally revealed the Chevrolet Silverado EV at CES, it emerged that the $105,000 RST First Edition has already sold out. In fact, according to GM CEO Mary Barra, all of those vehicles were snapped up in just 12 minutes.

Barra told Bloomberg that the work truck variant is expected to be available in spring 2023, and GM plans to start delivering the RST First Edition that fall. The regular RST starts at $39,900, though that won't arrive until summer 2024.

It's not clear how many RST First Edition Silverados were available for pre-order, but the swift sell out isn't super surprising, given the popularity of the combustion engine Silverado. There's clearly a widespread appetite for electric pickups. Ford had to halt reservations of the F-150 Lightning due to overwhelming demand, and this week the automaker announced plans to double its production capacity to 150,000 vehicles per year.

LinkedIn will add Clubhouse-style audio events this month

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 10:12 AM PST

LinkedIn has been working on a Clubhouse-style live audio room feature since at least last March. It's now set to roll that out this month as part of a new events platform.

The plan is to let organizers host virtual round tables, fireside chats and other kinds of discussions as they see fit, LinkedIn told TechCrunch. Hosts will be able to moderate discussions, while attendees will be able to speak with each other during events and afterward. Events will run on in-house tools that LinkedIn has built.

At the outset, LinkedIn is hoping members of its thriving creator community (those who develop and share content on topics like career development) will host events. Down the line, LinkedIn is aiming to get larger organizations involved in running events.

A screenshot showing how LinkedIn Audio Events will look, with hosts given prominence and attendees listed below.
LinkedIn

A video version of the feature will be available in the spring. Organizers ostensibly won't be able to charge for access for the time being, as LinkedIn doesn't currently have plans for ticketed events.

Clubhouse exploded in popularity when it debuted during the onset on the COVID-19 pandemic and people who were stuck at home were looking for ways to connect with each other remotely (the invite-only approach created an air of exclusivity too). Other major tech companies created their own versions of live audio rooms, including Facebook, Twitter and Discord. LinkedIn might be slightly late to the party, but its take on the format might prove a success in the long run, with many of its users eager to learn from those who are willing to share their knowledge, experience and insights.

VW will reveal its production ID.Buzz microbus EV on March 9th

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 09:34 AM PST

You won't have to wait much longer to see an honest-to-goodness production version of Volkswagen's ID.Buzz minivan. VW Group chief Herbert Diess has announced that his company will debut the reincarnated microbus on March 9th. He didn't share more beyond a sketch, but VW's testing of a self-driving prototype suggests the finished van won't lose many of the design cues from the nostalgia-inspired concept.

The ID.Buzz is expected to launch in Europe later in 2022, and reach American shores in 2023. You'll have to 'settle' for the passenger-focused long-wheelbase model in the US where Europeans will get short-wheelbase and commercial models. Europe is also more likely to get a self-driving variant, too. Entry models could start with rear wheel drive models that offer up to 200HP, while the range-topper could include AWD and 300HP. You may see up to three battery capacities.

The Buzz might not be as mass market-friendly as the ID.4 and other more conventional models, but it could still be one of VW's most important EVs. Like the Beetle, VW's microbus design remains iconic. The Buzz could serve as a halo vehicle whose cachet attracts buyers to the brand's overall EV lineup, even if they ultimately settle for another model.

The New York Times is buying subscription-based sports site The Athletic

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 09:05 AM PST

The Athletic, which quickly came to prominence for publishing exclusive reporting and high-quality sports journalism, is getting a new owner. As first reported by The Information, The New York Times has agreed to buy the subscription-based digital media company for $550 million. The deal is expected to close by the end of March.

"Acquiring The Athletic puts us in a position to be a global leader in sports journalism and offer English speakers around the world another reason to turn to the Times Company to meet their daily news and life needs," The New York Times Company CEO Meredith Kopit Levien said in a statement. "The Times already provides distinctive sports coverage for a general interest audience as part of our core report. As a standalone product, The Athletic will enable us to offer much more — extensive coverage for fans who seek a deep connection to and understanding of their favorite teams, leagues and players."

The Times has set a goal of reaching 10 million subscribers by 2025 and it's well on the way. It had 8.3 million subscribers as of September 30th. Along with its digital and print publications, the Times has separate plans for its cooking and games (which includes crosswords) products. It bolstered its offerings in recent years by acquiring Wirecutter and placing the popular product review site behind a paywall.

The Athletic previously said it didn't expect to turn a profit until next year. It has 1.2 million subscribers, though its growth was reportedly slowing as of November. The Times held talks with the company last summer about a deal, according to reports, but it backed out before returning to the negotiating table last month.

The Athletic has a roster of talented, big-name sportswriters, many of whom it poached from publications across North America and the UK by offering competitive salaries. Back in 2017, co-founder Alex Mather told The Times (oddly enough) that his company "will wait every local paper out and let them continuously bleed until we are the last ones standing" and "suck them dry of their best talent at every moment." Mather later apologized for those remarks.

Update 1/6 6:55PM ET: Added confirmation of the agreement.

David Bowie's later albums have been remixed in 360 Reality Audio

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:40 AM PST

The late David Bowie's music is already immersive on many levels, but that's now reflected in the mixes themselves. All of Bowie's post-2000 studio albums (Heathen, Reality, The Next Day and Blackstar) plus a live album (A Reality Tour) have been remixed in Sony's 360 Reality Audio for release on Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer and Tidal on January 21st. You can also listen to four of the A Reality Tour songs today (January 6th) at 7PM Eastern through Sony Square and YouTube, and through the Artist Connection mobile app afterward.

Importantly, longtime Bowie producer Tony Visconti was responsible for the mixes. This is as close as you'll get to a Bowie-approved mix in 2022, in other words, and it's a fitting tribute for the rock legend's imminent 75th birthday. You can use any headphones to listen in 360 Reality Audio, although Sony would clearly prefer you use its products.

This won't satisfy fans who want 360-degree mixes of full classic albums like Hunky Dory or Low (really, the album with "Sound and Vision" didn't get a rework?). You likewise won't be thrilled if you prefer services like Apple Music or Spotify. Only a handful of Bowie songs have received the spatial audio treatment to date, though — this is still a treat for enthusiasts eager for some audio bliss.

Sleep Number says its latest smart bed will adapt to your needs as you get older

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:20 AM PST

Sleep Number is back at CES this year with the latest version of its 360 smart bed. The company has packed more features into the product, such as the ability to monitor body temperature. The graphite-infused foam mattress can cool or heat each side of the bed to maintain each person's preferred temperature throughout the night. The Climate360 mattress also has such a feature. The smart bed can warm your feet to help you drift off too.

As with the current model, there's a snoring detection function. That can prompt the bed to raise your head to mitigate moderate snoring. In addition, the bed can tilt entirely to open your airway and help you breathe more easily while keeping your spine properly aligned.

One of the core ideas behind the latest model is that it's designed to adapt to your changing needs. For instance, it can be raised or lowered to help those who are pregnant, have an injury or are simply getting a little older to get in and out of bed.

A graphic showing a SleepIQ score as measured by Sleep Number 360 smart bed. It monitors metrics such as heart rate and breathing rate, and whether the person had a restful sleep.
Sleep Number

The 360 smart bed offers sleep tracking, and will provide details on things like how long and well you slept. Eventually, it may be able to monitor for signs of insomnia, sleep apnea or cardiac events and alert the sleeper about possible conditions. Software updates should add more features and insights over time.

The revamped 360 smart bed will be available in 2023. Pricing is expected to start at $1,099.

Sleep Number also announced some smart furniture that's designed to complement the bed. Features include mobility aids, individual noise reduction tech, ambient lighting and a built-in charging and storage pocket. The company will start shipping the furniture next year too.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

Spotify will show clickable in-app ads when they're mentioned on a podcast

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:00 AM PST

In 2020, Spotify revealed that it was testing an ad setup that would make promo codes and special URLs during podcast ads a thing of the past. Starting today, those in-app advertisements are starting to roll out. The company says its call-to-action (CTA) cards will begin showing up on its original and exclusive shows when the corresponding ad or offer is mentioned during an episode. 

The new CTA cards will show up in the Spotify app as soon as the ad plays during a podcast on the player interface as well as on the show and episode pages. If you leave any of those places to do something else — like stream music, for example — the ads will display when you return back to that podcast in those three locations. Essentially, Spotify sees this as a way to not only relieve you have having to remember a promo code or specific URL, but it also argues you'll be able to interact with ads or brands you're interested in when you have the time to do so. There's no doubt a simple tap, if you're interested in what you've just heard, is much more convenient than manually typing in the usual info. Of course, the downside is you'll now see ads in the app when listening to certain podcasts — even if you're a paid subscriber. 

Spotify doesn't see this as a potential issue, since even paid users hear ads on podcasts when listening to shows through its app. The advertisements keep podcasts afloat after all, and have turned the medium into a lucrative tool for businesses to promote goods and services. However, some might argue seeing an ad in the app and listening to one during a show are two very different things. Brands will probably be willing to jump on board quickly though since Spotify says the clickable ads have generated twice as many site visits during the early adoption phase than the "traditional" ad reads for companies like Ulta Beauty, Athletic Greens and Squarespace.

The CTA cards are powered by Spotify's Streaming Ad Insertion, a powerful analytics platform for podcast ads that automatically slots in pre-recorded promotional reads in the ideal spot for each listener. This is how the app knows when to begin showing the corresponding card for the ad when you hear it during a show. Of course, Spotify is promoting the CTA method as the first "interactive" podcast ads, and there's no doubt brands will be excited to have a more visible and, most importantly, clickable way to reach audiences. But it will be interesting to see how listeners respond to visual ads in their streaming app, especially those who pay a monthly premium so they don't have to hear them on non-podcast content. 

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

Apple's AirPods Max are just $400 at Woot for Amazon Prime members

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 06:35 AM PST

Apple's AirPods Max might finally be within reach if you were waiting for them to reach a price threshhold. Woot is selling the over-ear headphones in pink for just $400 to Amazon Prime members, or a steep $149 below their official sticker. That's the lowest price we've seen yet, and even the $460 for gray (the only other color option at Woot right now) is a solid deal. Just remember that Woot's return policy isn't the same as Amazon's.

Buy AirPods Max at Woot - $400

The AirPods Max represent a considerably better value at this price. They pack a superb balanced sound, quality active noise cancellation and clever controls. In the Apple ecosystem, you'll also get perks like simple pairing and spatial audio. Throw in solid battery life and you'll likely be happy.

The caveats are familiar. Some of the advantages disappear if you use Android or Windows, and you may be better off with more universal alternatives like Sony's WH-1000XM4. Apple's included case offers little protection, too — you'll really want to buy a third-party shell if you routinely stuff the AirPods Max into your bag. If those aren't obstacles, though, you'll have few reasons to complain.

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

'Prodigy' is becoming a headache for Star Trek's chronology

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 06:00 AM PST

The following contains minor spoilers for episode six of 'Star Trek: Prodigy.'

Star Trek: Discovery may have gone on an unexpected hiatus, but the new year does mean the return of its franchise stablemate Prodigy. When we last left the young crew of the USS Protostar, they had just left the Murder Planet and successfully fled the Diviner's ship thanks to the activation of the ship's secret experimental engine. Episode six, Kobayashi, picks up this thread, pushing the story… and possibly the timeline forward in some significant ways this week.

The title is a dead giveaway to one of the threads running through the episode, at least: "Kobayashi" is the name of the ship from the infamous "Kobayashi Maru" test ("Maru" means ship in Japanese). It's basically a no-win scenario that cadets at Starfleet Academy are run through to test their readiness for command, except this time it's self-proclaimed captain Dal in the big chair via a holodeck simulation.

STAR TREK: PRODIGY: Ep#106 -- Brett Gray as Dal in STAR TREK: PRODIGY streaming on Paramount+ Photo: Nickelodeon/Paramount+ ©2021 VIACOM INTERNATIONAL. All Rights Reserved.
Nickelodeon

That plot in itself is a fairly predictable set of circumstances, as Dal refuses to accept failure and tackles the holographic test again and again… and again. Aside from the absolute hilarity as Dal's frustration mounts, it's a pretty standard character study, designed to flesh out Dal and craft him more into the leader he wants to be.

There's also some fan service here thanks to cameos from some favorite characters brought to life thanks to the wonders of CGI and well-chosen sound clips. As with Janeway, the show being animated keeps the older characters from having that creepy Rogue One Princess Leia look, but the audio samples could have used a lot more processing to have them match up. And why a show designed for newcomers needed this much fan service, I don't know, but at least it's not Rise of Skywalker bad.

STAR TREK: PRODIGY: Ep#106 -- Ella Purnell as Gwyn and Angus Imrie as Zero in STAR TREK: PRODIGY streaming on Paramount+ Photo: Nickelodeon/Paramount+ ©2021 VIACOM INTERNATIONAL. All Rights Reserved.
Nickelodeon

The real progress in the episode occurs in the B-plot, where Gwyn is sulking after her father's betrayal and she and Zero try to learn more about the protostar engine at the heart of their ship. Janeway has the files, except they're classified and it's up to Gwyn and Zero to try to open them up. And, though the initial reveal from them is a bit of a shocker (to be delved into next week), it's the flashback sequence early in the episode that yielded the juiciest info for now.

We're shown the Diviner 17 years earlier, in horrible health and already looking for the USS Protostar. He decides to create a "progeny," in the hopes of continuing his race, even though it is against the rules. (Whose rules? That's another unanswered question.) But the interesting reveal here is that the Diviner was already looking for the Protostar 17 years ago, suggesting that this series may not occupy the 2383 time frame we were given in press materials (though never mentioned on-screen).

STAR TREK: PRODIGY: Ep#106 -- Jason Mantzoukas as Jankom Pog, Rylee Alazraqui as Rok-Tahk, Brett Gray as Dal, Ella Purnell as Gwyn Kate Mulgrew as Janeway, and Angus Imrie as Zero in STAR TREK: PRODIGY streaming on Paramount+ Photo: Nickelodeon/Paramount+ ©2021 VIACOM INTERNATIONAL. All Rights Reserved.
Nickelodeon

Star Trek: Voyager returned from its Delta Quadrant trip in 2378, meaning that in order for a holographic recreation of Kathryn Janeway to exist (and the captain of the Protostar to be who it is) the earliest the Protostar could have disappeared is 2379. Even assuming the Protostar is built and launched in a year (which I doubt), Prodigy can't take place any earlier than 2396, placing it firmly around the time of Picard, which is set in 2399. It's possible that Prodigy is actually a few years later, however, making it the first Star Trek series set in the 25th century. Or the Protostar traveled through time, complicating things even further.

But assuming the time period is, in fact, the 25th century, this isn't the first time we've seen the future of the Federation or Starfleet: Discovery is now set in the 32nd century, after all. But being much closer to the time period of earlier shows like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and, of course, Voyager makes Prodigy more of a direct continuation of that era. The inclusion of Janeway as a training hologram already gave us a peek as the vaunted status the Voyager crew holds after their Delta Quadrant sojourn, but now the advanced tech seen in episode three "Starstruck" suddenly makes a lot more sense knowing it might be a few years… or decades since Voyager.

With the exception of Picard, the live-action shows have largely stayed away from the immediate future of the TNG-DS9-Voyager era, choosing instead to retread the 23rd century or even jump forward nearly a thousand years. It's certainly odd given the popularity of those shows, but in leaving it be Paramount+ has left a lot of room for Prodigy and Lower Decks to do something interesting there, experimenting with new genres while still appeasing hard-core fans. This may be the future we've been waiting to see on Star Trek.

Apple's iPad Air is back on sale for $539

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 05:51 AM PST

If the base iPad doesn't have all of the power or bells and whistles you're looking for, your next best bet is the 2020 iPad Air. We gave the tablet a score of 90 when it first came out thanks in part to its speedy performance, healthy battery life and fun colors. Normally $599, the iPad Air is back on sale at Amazon right now for $539, or $60 off its normal price. Only the silver model has been discounted at the time of writing this, but if you don't mind skipping out on one of the more unique color options, this sale price is one of the best we've seen in months.

Buy iPad Air at Amazon - $539

The Air sits in between the 10.2-inch iPad and the iPad Pros as Apple's mid-tier option. It runs on an A14 Bionic chipset with a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU, and this particular model on sale has 64GB of storage and WiFi 6 capabilities. Apple refreshed the tablet's design to make it look more like the Pros, complete with flat edges, a USB-C port for charging and a lovely 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display. You won't get FaceID on this machine, but you will get TouchID thanks to the fingerprint reader on the device's power button.

Overall, we found the Air to be zippy both in performance and WiFi speeds, and its battery lasted up to 12.5 hours in our testing. While the latest iPad Pros are better if you're looking for a laptop replacement, you could use the Air as a 2-in-1 while on the go thanks to its compatibility with Apple's Magic Keyboard. It also supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, allowing it to be a digital notebook for those that prefer writing things out by hand.

A discount like this is a good one to consider if you want an all-purpose tablet that's one step up from the base iPad. However, there are a few noteworthy discounts on the 10.2-inch tablet right now, too. The 256GB WiFi model is $30 off and down to $449, while the 256GB, WiFi + Cellular model has hit a record low fo $580.

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

The Morning After: ASUS made a 17-inch foldable OLED tablet

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 05:00 AM PST

Dual-screens, foldable OLED tablets, curved vertical screens and more. This year's CES might be a quieter, more divisive affair, but pretty much everyone had some weird displays to show off.

Samsung's epic 55-inch Odyssey gaming monitor is curved for a more immersive play experience. However, it can also rotate 90 degrees for more… spreadsheets and Slack channels? It can pivot and tilt via the height adjustable stand, so you can set it to the optimal angle — surprisingly important when you have a very tall, curved screen.

TMA
ASUS

Then there's ASUS' ZenBook 17 Fold, an OLED tablet that can disguise itself like a 12.5-inch laptop thanks to a keyboard on top of the lower half of the screen. If you want to use the entire 17-inch display, you can stand the tablet up and use the keyboard separately. The images look like heady concept products from a few years ago – ASUS demoed this form-factor as Project Precog back in 2018 — but this is a genuine device headed to stores. Hopefully, ASUS learned lessons from Lenovo and Microsoft's attempts at foldables.

— Mat Smith

BMW's color-changing car concept tech works just like an e-reader

The wrap is embedded with millions of microcapsules.

TMA
BMW

BMW unveiled an e-ink vehicle exterior that can change color depending on weather and traffic conditions or just your mood. Alas no, this futuristic feature is nowhere near production-ready despite appearing at the show on a live demonstration vehicle. The current iteration can only swap between a pair of colors, thus the monochromatic e-readerish appearance you see here. However, the palette could eventually expand to display a rainbow of shades.

Continue reading.

Sponsored by Verizon

5G Ultra Wideband. Now in more and more places.

TMA Newsletter - Verizon January Sponsorship

GM officially reveals its Chevrolet Silverado electric truck

The company is aiming for a 400-mile range on both editions.

TMA
GM

Finally, during its CES 2022 keynote address on Wednesday, GM officially unveiled its new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, GM's second fully electric model built on the Ultium battery platform.

The fully electric full-size pickup will be available in two versions when it arrives late next year: the RST First Edition and a WT model designed for fleet usage. Both will have an estimated 400-mile range.

Continue reading.

Razer's $150 Zephyr Pro smart mask adds voice amplification

Needs a vocoder.

TMA
Razer

Razer's first smart face mask, the Zephyr, went on sale in October for $100 and promptly sold out. Two years since it first revealed its debut mask, the company now plans to release a Pro version of the mask in 2022. It will have all the features of the standard model, including the dual-fan active filtration system with N95 filters and RGB lighting, but add voice amplification in the mix.

It will amplify your voice by 60 decibels up to one meter away. A button on the side will allow you to toggle the feature on and off. Sadly, funny voices are not included.

Continue reading.

Razer made a smartwatch, too

Only 1,337 units will be available. Sigh.

In addition to new laptops, masks and concepts galore, Razer also teamed up with Fossil to launch a special edition smartwatch. The Razer x Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch at CES 2022 is basically what you might expect: a pretty standard Wear OS device with straps and faces that are unequivocally lime green and Razery.

Continue reading.

 

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Illegal movie streaming service Popcorn Time shuts down

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 03:55 AM PST

Popcorn Time, the app that was once popular for making pirating movies as easy as watching Netflix, has shut down. Its original developers took the service down and abandoned the project merely a few days after it launched in 2014. But since the project was open source, other developers were able pick up where they left off, and it's been killed and revived a few more times ever since. It remains to be seen whether Popcorn Time is now gone for good, but it looks like the biggest contributor to its most recent demise is the dwindling interest in the app.

On its website, the developers posted a graph of "popcorn time" searches over the past seven years. While the app enjoyed a ton of searches in the months after its launch in 2015, the graph shows a sharp decline in interest by 2016. Its popularity continued to wane, and it never really recovered after that, at least based on Google Trends. 

According to Bloomberg, the group behind Popcorn Time announced its closure in an email. While they didn't say whether law enforcement action was a factor behind their decision to shut down the app this time around, Popcorn Time has had brushes with the law in the past. The original version may have closed after authorities got involved, and Hollywood studios even sued individual users who allegedly downloaded and shared copies of movies illegally. 

Developers associated with Popcorn Time previously talked about how they're not responsible for piracy themselves, because the service doesn't actually host any content. Instead, it relied on a peer-to-peer sharing system and only provided a way for users to access content hosted on other people's computers.

French regulator fines Google and Facebook a combined $238 million over cookies

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 03:25 AM PST

France's data regulator CNIL has fined Google €150 million ($170 million) and Meta/Facebook €60 million ($68 million) for violating EU privacy rules. Both companies failed to allow French users to easily reject cookie tracking technology as required by EU privacy rules, according to CNIL's news release.  

The fines were specifically levied against Google's US and Irish operations (€90 million and €60 million respectively) and against Facebook's Irish arm. Both companies face daily fines of €100,000 if they don't change their practices within three months of CNIL's official decision. 

In addition to the fines, the restricted committee ordered the companies to provide Internet users located in France with a means of refusing cookies as simple as the existing means of accepting them, in order to guarantee their freedom of consent, within three months. If they fail to do so, the companies will have to pay a penalty of 100,000 euros per day of delay.

"​​We are reviewing the authority's decision and remain committed to working with relevant authorities," a Meta spokesperson told Politico. "Our cookie consent controls provide people with greater control over their data, including a new settings menu on Facebook and Instagram where people can revisit and manage their decisions at any time, and we continue to develop and improve these controls."

"People trust us to respect their right to privacy and keep them safe. We understand our responsibility to protect that trust and are committing to further changes and active work with the CNIL in light of this decision under the ePrivacy Directive," a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

CNIL said it has issued 100 orders and sanctions related to non-compliance with cookie legislation since it went into force on March 31, 2021. The regulator previously fined Google €100 million for cookie violations under European e-Privacy rules and €50 million for GDPR violations. 

Google is still fighting the €100 million fine before France's highest court. It's expected to fight the latest sanction as well, according Politico. At the same time, the fines against Google and Meta's Irish operations point to major tension between the EU and Ireland. Europe sees Ireland's actions as too friendly toward tech giants headquartered there, and hostile toward user privacy. 

Nikola Motors drops its $2 billion lawsuit against Tesla

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 02:13 AM PST

Nikola Tesla may have been pleased that both of his names were employed by electric car companies, but perhaps less so that Nikola sued Tesla, and vice-versa. Now, Nikola Corp. is reportedly dropping its $2 billion patent infringement lawsuit against Tesla Inc. as Nikola company founder Trevor Milton faces a criminal indictment on fraud charges, Bloomberg has reported. 

According to a filing in a San Francisco court, both companies have agreed to withdraw all claims and counter-claims against each other. Nikola accused Tesla of copying several patented designs for a windshield design, fuselage and side door. Tesla denied all the claims and countersued. 

Nikola unveiled the hydrogen-powered Nikola One semi-truck in 2016 with the promise of an 800-1,200 mile range with no pollution. However, it was accused by the SEC of deceiving investors, in one instance via a video that appeared to show the truck moving under power when it was simply rolling down a hill. CEO Trevor Milton was subsequently charged with two counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud by a federal grand jury. He has denied the claims.
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Nike sues Lululemon over its Mirror home gym product and apps

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 12:15 AM PST

Back in June 2020, Lululemon got into the flourishing home gym market in the midst of the pandemic by purchasing home fitness startup Mirror for $500 million. Now, Nike has filed a lawsuit against the company over Mirror, accusing it of patent infringement. According to CNBC and The Wall Street Journal, Nike's lawsuit allege that Mirror — a full-size interactive mirror that brings a live fitness instructor into the user's home — and its apps use technologies that it invented and patented. 

The sports apparel giant specifically mentioned that it filed a patent application in 1983 for a device that can prompt users to exercise, monitor their heart rate, determine their speed while running and the calories they burned. Nike also has a number of mobile apps for fitness, including the Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club. 

Nike sent Lululemon a list of patents it allegedly infringed on back on November 3rd. As you'd expect, the company more known for making yoga pants and other types of gym clothes disagreed with Nike's assessment. A spokesperson told the publications in a statement that the patents "in question are overly broad and invalid." They also said that Lululemon is confident in its position and "look forward to defending it in court."

Mirror operates as a standalone company within Lululemon, putting the workout clothes-maker in direct competition with the likes of Peloton and Tonal. Lululemon CEO Clavin McDonald previously said that the purchase was all about connecting with consumers, because they're bound to spend more the more they engage with the brand. Last month, however, the company halved its sales forecast for the device, calling 2021 "a challenging year for digital fitness." 

This isn't the only patent-related legal battle Lululemon is embroiled in. Last year, it filed a patent infringement lawsuit of its own against Peloton, alleging that the design the other company used for a new line of leggings and sports bras infringe on its intellectual property.
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