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Tuesday, 31 August 2021
Ivermectin misinformation has poisoned Amazon’s platform, with few fixes planned
Earlier this week, I started a search on Amazon and mistyped, entering just two letters in: “iv.” Amazon then helpfully compiled a list of suggested search results, almost all of which were for the horse de-worming version of the drug ivermectin. That drug is at the center of one of the more recent and more mind-boggling parts of the anti-vaccine misinformation story, a false cure touted by hucksters and others out to make a quick buck.
This evening, Amazon spokesperson Craig Andrews tells The Verge that “Amazon’s autocomplete responses are driven by customer activity. We are blocking certain autocomplete responses to address these concerns.”
Like Facebook, TikTok, and Reddit, Amazon has not gotten a lid on limiting the spread of...
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Fresh leak gives out Google Pixel 6 series pre-order and release dates
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Amazon’s new ‘adaptive volume’ will make Alexa speak louder when it’s noisy
Amazon is working to solve a frustration with smart home speakers by introducing a feature called Adaptive Volume, which will make Alexa respond louder if it detects that you’re in a noisy environment. According to the company, the mode is meant to make sure that you can still hear Alexa’s responses over any background noise (like the sound of a dishwasher, people talking, or music playing on another device). Amazon says that the feature is currently available to US customers, and that you can activate it by saying “Alexa, turn on adaptive volume.”
Amazon doesn’t mention adaptive volume working in the opposite direction, becoming quieter if there’s no background noise, but there are other ways to reduce the volume dynamically. One of...
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Apple pledges another small but welcome sum to racial justice
Apple has pledged another $30 million to racial justice, on top of the $100 million it promised last year in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
It includes funding for a wide array of causes, including a Global Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Equity Innovation Hub at California State University Northridge in Los Angeles, with the intent to create regional hubs at other universities, and an expansion of its work to bring community coding centers to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by adding 11 additional schools to the roster.
Last August, we calculated just how small the donations from Big Tech were compared to their immense profits, and today’s $30 million doesn’t really change the calculus there. At the rate...
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Retailer leak suggests Google’s Pixel 6 will have 23W wireless charging
Google may be working on a new wireless charging stand for its Pixel phones, according to a leaked image of a retail inventory backend mentioning a “Google Pixel 23W WL Stand” published by Android Police. The name suggests the charger could support 23W wireless charging, and if Google does end up releasing this stand, it seems likely that the upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro would support 23W charging as well.
That wireless charging speed, if accurate, would be more than the iPhone 12’s maximum 15W wireless charging with a MagSafe charger and surpass the 10W wireless charging offered by the original Pixel Stand...
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Bose announces QuietComfort 45 noise-canceling headphones with 24-hour battery life
After they first surfaced in July in an FCC filing and again earlier this month, Bose is today introducing the QuietComfort 45 headphones. Priced at $329.95 and going on sale September 23rd, the QC45 headphones will offer improved active noise cancellation, a transparency / ambient sound feature that Bose calls “Aware Mode,” upgraded voice call performance, and longer battery life that can now hit 24 hours on a charge. Bose is making a big deal about this product release, claiming that it’s “updating the headphone that redefined headphones.”
Available in black or “smoke white,” they look quite similar to their QC35 II predecessors, with a design that’s much more plasticky than Bose’s other premium headphones, the Noise Canceling...
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Why the global chip shortage is making it so hard to buy a PS5
Harvard professor Willy Shih explains the existential problem affecting cars, phones, computers, and more
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Philips Hue bulbs are discounted in the lead up to Labor Day
The upcoming Labor Day holiday signals the end of summer and the ramp-up of everything from the school year to new gadget season. While you can expect to get plenty of Labor Day-related deals from us coming very shortly, Philips has gotten a bit of a head start with their “Summer of Hue” savings promo, so you’re not stuck with having a single shade of lighting after Labor Day.
Right now, Philips is offering three white and color smart bulbs for the price of two, shaving $35 off the cost of some of the most popular smart home lights through September 12th. The vibrant E26 Hue bulbs allow for funky lighting while offering a full spectrum of 16 million colors, as well the flexibility to stretch from a warm white to daylight-balanced cool...
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Windows 11 won’t include Android app support at launch
Microsoft won’t ship support for Android apps on Windows 11 in time for the operating system’s launch on October 5th. While Android apps running on Windows 11 is one of the big new features of the OS, Microsoft will only start previewing this feature in the coming months.
“We look forward to continuing our journey to bring Android apps to Windows 11 and the Microsoft Store through our collaboration with Amazon and Intel; this will start with a preview for Windows Insiders over the coming months,” says Aaron Woodman, general manager of Windows marketing at Microsoft.
This likely means Android apps won’t arrive on Windows 11...
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SimpliSafe finally adds an outdoor camera to its ‘whole home’ security system
SimpliSafe has finally added an outdoor camera to one of our favorite build-it-yourself home security systems. The new Wireless Outdoor Security Camera, first leaked by Dave Zatz, features a magnetic mount and a rechargeable battery that powers its LED spotlight and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio for a period of three to six months, depending upon settings. SimpliSafe will sell an optional solar panel to keep the battery topped-up later this fall.
The IP65 ruggedized camera offers a 1080p resolution with HDR, 140-degree field of view, and color “night vision” at a distance up to 10 feet thanks to that LED spotlight. Otherwise, there’s infrared night vision at a distance up to 30 feet. The camera is designed to integrate back into a SimpliSafe...
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Microsoft will release Windows 11 on October 5th
Microsoft is announcing that Windows 11 will be released on October 5th. The new operating system will be available as a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs, or on new hardware that ships with Windows 11 pre-loaded.
The free upgrade to Windows 11 will start rolling out on October 5th, but like many Windows upgrades in the past, it will be available in phases. New eligible devices will be offered the upgrade first, and then Windows 11 will become available for more in-market devices in the weeks and months following October 5th.
“Following the tremendous learnings from Windows 10, we want to make sure we’re providing you with the best possible experience,” explains Aaron Woodman, general manager of Windows marketing at Microsoft. “We...
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Jabra overhauls true wireless earbuds lineup with three new models
Jabra is today announcing a comprehensive makeover of its true wireless earbuds lineup. The company is introducing three new models and phasing out both the Elite 65t and 75t by the end of the year; the Elite 85t will remain part of the product family. Jabra says its latest devices — the Elite 7 Pro, Elite 7 Active, and Elite 3 — build upon “six generations worth of learnings” in the true wireless market.
Each is made for specific scenarios: the $199 Elite 7 Pro buds promise “ultimate call clarity” thanks to a new “MultiSensor Voice” system that combines a bone conduction sensor, four mics, and algorithms for optimizing call quality. Active noise cancellation is included, and the redesigned earbuds are 16 percent smaller than the Elite...
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip updates: One UI 3.1.1 arrives in early September patch
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Apple, Google will need to allow alternative payment options in one key market
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Google Calendar will break down how much of your work is spent in meetings
Google is adding a new “Time insights” panel to Calendar on the web, showing users how much of their working week is spent in meetings. According to Google’s blog post, the feature is rolling out gradually over the next month on select plans. It was first announced back in March as part of a raft of new features coming to Google Workspace.
Time Insights arrives a couple of years after both Google and Apple added similar breakdowns into Android and iOS respectively to show the amount of time spent using different apps. But while these OS features included the ability to set per-app time limits, Google Calendar won’t let you set similar boundaries on meetings. Instead, it provides you with the information you need to hopefully curb any...
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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE user manual leaks confirming incoming and missing features
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Apple and Google must allow developers to use other payment systems, new Korean law declares
South Korea has passed a bill written to prevent major platform owners like Google and Apple from restricting app developers to built-in payment systems, The Wall Street Journal reports. The bill is now expected to be signed into law by President Moon Jae-in, whose party championed the legislation.
The law comes as a blow to Google and Apple who both require in-app purchases to flow only through their systems, instead of outside payment processors, allowing the tech giants to collect a 30 percent cut. If tech companies fail to comply with the new law, they could face fines of up to 3 percent of their South Korea revenue.
The law is an amendment to South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act, and it could have a large impact on how...
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Here’s the robotaxi that will be available on the Lyft app in 2023
Motional, the autonomous vehicle company that is a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, revealed more details about its forthcoming robotaxi as well as some of the first images of the vehicle. The company is also working with Lyft and says that by 2023, customers in certain cities will be able to hail rides in this vehicle using the Lyft app.
Motional first announced earlier this year that it would be using the Hyundai Ioniq 5, an all-electric crossover, as its inaugural vehicle. The company hasn’t said how many vehicles it would acquire, nor where it will eventually deploy them for its robotaxi service. It’s currently operating a fleet of Chrysler Pacifica minivans in Las Vegas in collaboration with Lyft.
The Motional robotaxi will...
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Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch gets a walkie talkie feature of its own
Samsung has released a new walkie talkie app for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, which allows watch owners to have push-to-talk conversations with one another using the wearable. The app’s release was reported by XDA Developers, but its development was rumored in May by SamMobile prior to the watch’s official announcement. It’s available to download now via the Google Play Store.
The app’s release comes after Apple added a similar feature to its Apple Watch back in 2018 with WatchOS 5. But while Apple’s push-to-talk walkie talkie feature only lets two people communicate at once, Samsung’s supports “two or more users” by setting up a Walkie-Talkie channel to chat in. That is, so long as you can find enough people using the Wear...
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VanMoof adds manual gear shifting to S3 and X3 e-bikes
VanMoof has released a firmware update for its S3 and X3 e-bikes that allows for manual gear shifting. If you’re thinking that sounds like a pretty basic feature for a bicycle, you’d be right. But Vanmoof’s latest bikes have fully automatic four-gear shifters, and until now, there was no way to change gears yourself.
The automatic shifter is convenient and generally works well, but as with automatic gearboxes in cars, you do occasionally find yourself riding in a suboptimal gear. While this can normally be fixed by easing off the pedals or using the turbo boost button, it’s not always practical given factors such as terrain. VanMoof does offer settings for hilly and flat land, as well as the ability to customize at what speeds the gears...
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Samsung’s new Z Flip and Z Fold get battery-protection feature
The Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 have inherited a battery protection that was previously exclusive to Samsung’s tablets, which when enabled is designed to maximize the lifespan of batteries, SamMobile reports. The “Protect battery” feature limits the devices’ charge level to 85 percent, preventing the full charge to 100 percent that’s believed to wear down batteries over years of use.
The feature, which is available in the Settings app under Device Care > Battery > More battery settings, comes with the obvious trade-off of limiting the max battery life you’ll get out of either phone per charge. In our reviews we noted that both the Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3 average around a day of battery life by default, which means you might have to commit...
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We asked, you told us: Here’s how you prefer adjusting your phone’s brightness
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Xiaomi CC11 specs tipped: Will it come to global markets though?
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This official Samsung app turns the Galaxy Watch 4 into a walkie talkie
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Monday, 30 August 2021
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE could be the latest victim of the global chip shortage
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The iPhone 13’s rumored satellite link sounds like it’s just for emergencies
Apple plans to let you connect your iPhone to satellites so you can contact emergency services in areas that don’t have cellular coverage, according to a new Bloomberg report. Bloomberg’s article was published after Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Sunday that the iPhone 13 may be able to make satellite calls. Kuo often reveals details about Apple’s plans before the company officially announces them, but Bloomberg’s sources indicate that Apple’s approach for iPhone satellite connectivity may be more limited to start.
One feature, called Emergency Message via Satellite, will let you text emergency services and emergency contacts when you don’t have a cell signal by harnessing a satellite network, according to Bloomberg. These messages will...
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Chrome 94 beta tests some next-gen tech for gaming in your browser
Google’s Chrome Beta 94 announcement mentions that Google is implementing some new web standards that could make browser-based gaming experiences even better. The soon-to-be-released WebCodecs could help make cloud gaming easier and faster, while the experimental WebGPU could make it easier for developers of games that run in the browser to tap into your computer’s power.
WebCodecs is an API designed to give developers better access to the video encoding/decoding codecs that are already bundled with your browser, which figure out what to do with video streams. While there are already methods of getting video to play in Chrome, they’re not necessarily designed for things like cloud gaming, which is best when it’s as low-latency as...
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The N64 controller was a weird but essential introduction to joysticks
In the annals of gaming history, there’s no controller better known than the three-pronged piece of plastic that shipped with the Nintendo 64. That’s likely for a few reasons. There’s the unique design, which renders it instantly and unmistakably recognizable as the N64’s gamepad. There’s the popularity of the console, which helped cement Nintendo as one of the definitive names in gaming.
But the most important part of the N64 controller isn’t the design or the box it attached to: it was the joystick, which introduced millions to a new way of controlling games and paved the way for modern 3D gaming that’s virtually standard today.
Nintendo didn’t invent the joystick or the...
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Under 18 in China? Your online gaming time has been cut even shorter.
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Fossil Gen 6 guide: What you need to know about the classy new smartwatches
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The latest iPad Air is $100 off at Best Buy and Amazon
It’s almost unspoken wisdom at this point that you should think twice about buying some costly Apple products in the late summer months, as the company usually announces new stuff during its annual September event. But if you really need or want an iPad with a few pro-level features (but without the high cost of the iPad Pro), this $100 off deal at Amazon and Best Buy on the iPad Air released in 2020 might be what you’re after.
Normally $599 for the 64GB version, you can get it now for $499, matching the lowest price we’ve seen yet. This model has a 10.9-inch display, and like the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it charges via USB-C and supports the latest Apple Pencil. Uniquely, it sports a Touch ID sensor within the power button along...
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How police laid down a geofence dragnet for Kenosha protestors
ATF investigators used a controversial technique to investigate arson incidents connected to the 2020 police protests
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Fossil announces new smartwatches for 2021 that won’t have Wear OS 3 until 2022
Fossil has announced its fall 2021 smartwatch lineup running Wear OS, which it is calling the Gen 6 Touchscreen. As with the Gen 5 Fossil watches, the Gen 6 will come in a few different styles and sizes and there will also be versions sold under the Michael Kors brand. Prices will start at $299 and they’ll be available for preorder immediately. It does not appear that Fossil will offer LTE options.
Unfortunately, these watches will be shipping with the current Wear OS 2 software and not the new Wear OS 3 that runs on the latest Samsung Galaxy Watches. Fossil says that it’s going to offer upgrades to Wear OS 3 for Gen 6 watches in 2022, though exactly when in 2022 is a trickier question. Google has said that Wear OS 2 watches wouldn’t...
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Gumroad announces cheaper pricing for creators
Gumroad is announcing a new pricing structure today that streamlines the fees and features of its platform, making it easier for creators to get started selling products or memberships online. Gumroad was one of the early “help people sell things online” businesses, but this change is a sort of reset for the company as the space grows even more crowded.
The first major change is an end to Gumroad’s free and paid “Pro” tiers. Previously, Gumroad locked features like using a custom domain name or offering HD video streams behind a $10 per month subscription. That caused some confusion from users just starting out — did it make sense to commit to paying upfront? Now everyone receives the same features without having to pay extra or worry...
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Xiaomi Mi Notebook Ultra first impressions: We may have a winner here
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OnePlus Nord 2 updates: Buffs for gamers land with latest update
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Kids in China now restricted to just 3 hours of online gaming per week
Chinese gaming platforms like Tencent and NetEase must limit online gaming to minors to just three hours per week following new rules imposed by regulators on Monday, according to Bloomberg citing state media reports. The change is being made in response to growing concern over gaming addiction and a broader crackdown on China’s tech giants.
Children under the age of 18 will now be restricted to one hour of gaming from 8pm to 9pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; and on public holidays. That’s a change from the previous limit of 1.5 hours of online gameplay on most days. Gaming companies must restrict online game play outside those hours, according to Reuters, and must have a real name verification system in place to ensure the new rules...
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The first Neon Genesis Evangelion Blu-rays you can actually buy ship November 9th
You might have heard that Neon Genesis Evangelion, the seminal 1995 anime series seemingly about giant mech battles but far deeper and more disturbing than that, is coming to Blu-ray for the very first time in the US, UK, and beyond. What you might not have heard: when that news was first announced nearly two weeks ago, it was just for a $275 limited-edition Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Ultimate Edition whose stateside release of just 5,000 copies sold out in the blink of an eye.
Today, GKids is rectifying that with a five-disc Standard Edition that costs just $60 and will actually ship a month earlier than those $275 copies, technically making it the actual first official Blu-ray release in the United States when it arrives November 9th....
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Galaxy S20 FE gains September 2021 security patch in August
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OnePlus 7T series updates: Bitmoji AOD arrives with latest update
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We asked, you told us: Cooling is a hot topic for the Galaxy S22 series
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Clubhouse embraces spatial audio for more lifelike conversations
Clubhouse began rolling out a iOS app update on Sunday that enables spatial audio support. The Android update is “coming soon,” according to the company. The feature works by introducing subtle spatial cues that position speakers on Clubhouse calls into three-dimensional space around your head, making the remote listening experience a better approximation of being in a room full of people. It works best with headphones, either Bluetooth or wired.
Clubhouse tweeted out a video allowing you to hear for yourself how it sounds.
Hear ye, hear ye spAAaAaAatial audio on Clubhouse!
It's like surround sound, but w/ your own headphones. A more vibrant, human experience! Plus makes it much easier to tell who's talking.
thanks to @juberti for this...
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iPhone 13 could offer satellite connectivity for texting and calling
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GoPro’s next flagship action camera leaks
Images and specs of the GoPro Hero 10 Black have apparently leaked in full. According to WinFuture, which accurately leaked the redesigned Hero 9 Black at this same time last year, the new flagship GoPro action camera will look pretty much the same as last year’s miniature cam only with a more powerful GP2 processor of GoPro design inside for improved overall performance.
The new GP2 processor is expected to provide a major boost in performance with support for 5.3K videos shot at a smooth 60fps, or 4K video recorded at 120fps which is useful for slo-mo. That’s an improvement from 5K30 and 4K60 on last year’s flagship. The Hero 10 Black can also record at 2.7K and 240fps for even more motion control but at reduced resolution. There’s...
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The Pixel 5a apparently runs too hot. Google is investigating.
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Sunday, 29 August 2021
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE could launch as early as next week
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