Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Early Wednesday Technology and More!

Technology and more...



NASA drops surprisingly intense mission trailer for Perseverance's arrival on Mars

4KMashable / 22h
The Perseverance rover is only a couple of months away from completing its 300 million mile journey to the surface of Mars, and NASA wants you to know about it. On Monday night, the space agency dropped a one-minute "mission trailer" that looks less like an advert for a highly anticipated scientific event and more like a teaser for a new Ridley Scott movie — heart-pounding music and all. Should P

These top VPN tools have all been taken down for supposed Illegal services

24TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 55min
FBI, Europol and other law enforcement agencies have seized the domains of three VPNs frequently used by cybercriminals.

Could this be the first sighted nanoflare?

Popular Mechanics / 20min
The post appeared first on Popular Mechanics .


Opinion: Why Google's $140 million investment in Glance is a masterstroke

24TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 55min
Glance is a startup from the InMobi stable that delivers content to Android users when phones are in lock mode. In the past Google had banned an app called Unlockd that served ads to users when they unlocked the phone.

Arturia's JUN-6 is a free chorus plugin based on the iconic Juno synth

27Engadget / 1h
One of the most cherished chorus effects ever isn’t some piece of expensive studio rack gear or a guitar pedal with piles of knobs. Instead its the almost painfully simple chorus unit built into Roland’s ‘80s era Juno synths. Arturia’s new V Collection 8 added a recreation of the iconic Juno-6, so in the spirit of the holiday season (and a dash of self promotion), the company is giving away a fre
YESTERDAY

MTN now allows you to send airtime to people in other countries

32TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
MTN are trying to connect even more of the continent. Users will be able to buy airtime for other users in different countries

Realme Watch S price in India, features, and availability

Realme Watch S Pro•
28TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 1h
After having a mixed response from the Realme Watch earlier this year, the company is now back with Realme Watch S and Watch S Pro.

Putting a jetpack to the test

100+BBC News - Technology / 1h
Spencer Kelly meets Richard Browning, the founder and chief test pilot for Gravity Industries Ltd.

France bans use of drones to police protests in Paris

500+BBC News - Technology / 1h
A top court backs privacy campaigners and calls for an immediate halt to drone surveillance in Paris.

Shopify stores riddled with fakes and fraudsters

100+BBC News - Technology / 1h
E-commerce authentication service Fakespot says 21% of Shopify stores pose a risk to customers.

Macau gambles on tech for its Covid-19 recovery

400+BBC News - Technology / 1h
The gaming hotspot has been hit hard by travel bans as its economy is heavily reliant on gambling.

Elon Musk says Apple's boss snubbed takeover deal

2KBBC News - Technology / 1h
Tesla's founder claims Apple CEO Tim Cook refused talks during the car company's "darkest days".

Chestnuts roasting on a dumpster fire: 16 extremely 2020 Yule Log videos

32Mashable / 1h
If you haven't had enough of the world being figuratively and literally on fire all year, and your dopamine receptors are still functioning after months of doomscrolling, you might still be able to derive some joy from the simple pleasure of a Yule Log video. The flickering, homey visual has been a festive tradition since the '60s, and if you favor a classic hearthside vibe, here's a roundup of t

T-Mobile lists 19 devices that will stop working on its network next month

SlashGear / 2h
Given the rate of turnover in the smartphone market, it is almost expected that consumers change phones every two to three years. It’s definitely unheard of for people to hold on to five-year-old phones that may not even be able to run the latest versions of Android, for example. In that case, very few people might be affected by T-Mobile’s … Continue reading

Amazfit GTS Mini 2 price in India, features, and availability

28TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 2h
Amazfit GTS 2 Mini is the third smartwatch from Huami in India this month after the GTS 2 and GTS 2. The GTS Mini 2 almost 50% cheaper than the GTS 2.

On-demand logistics company Lalamove gets $515 million Series E

100+TechCrunch / 2h
Lalamove will extend its network to cover more small Chinese cities after raising $515 million in Series E funding, the on-demand logistics company announced on its site . The round was led by Sequoia Capital China, with participation from Hillhouse Capital and Shunwei Capital. All three are returning investors. According to Crunchbase data , this brings Lalamove’s total raised so far to about $9

Verizon nationwide DSS 5G reportedly slower than 4G

SlashGear / 3h
If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, 5G would have continued to be the buzzword in the mobile and telecommunications market. While more and more smartphones are coming out with 5G support, network operators are still slowly but surely expanding the next-gen network’s coverage across the country. Not all 5G is created equal, which already complicates matters from the get-go. Things … Continue reading

Considering a VPN? Save 44% on a subscription to Speedify.

20Mashable / 4h
TL;DR: A three-year subscription to Speedify 10 Bonding VPN is on sale for £44.42 as of Dec. 23, saving you 44% on list price. VPNs don't just protect your data and private information — they can also speed up your internet connection. One great option is Speedify , and for a limited time, you can get a one-year subscription for 58% off. Speedify features channel bonding, which basically means th

Unblock and watch your favourite streaming sites with PureVPN

Mashable / 4h
SAVE 89%: A five-year subscription to PureVPN is on sale for £0.99 per month as of Dec. 23, saving you 89% on list price. We're sure you've got better things to do right now than check out deals on VPNs, like last-minute present wrapping and food preparation. We think the latest deal on PureVPN is worth a minute of your time though, because you can subscribe for under £1 per month. A five-year su

OnePlus CEO confirms its first watch is coming in 'early' 2021

OnePlus 2021 Pete Lau•
51Engadget / 4h
OnePlus is working on a smartwatch and plans to release it early next year, the company’s CEO has revealed on Twitter. Pete Lau has confirmed the reports going around a few months ago that the Chinese manufacturer revived its smartwatch ambitions years after its first attempt. Back in 2016, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei shared sketches of a circular smartwatch design after the company already scrap

Holiday Gift Guide 2020: TechRadar's picks for last-minute gifts

52TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 4h
Finding gifts in time for Christmas is difficult, but we're here to point out what's still on sale late into the season.

The cheapest 5G rugged smartphone costs far less than you think

32TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 4h
Connectivity anywhere at a surprisingly low price

Lava BeU with an in-built safety app launched in India for Rs 6,888

34TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 4h
The latest entry-level device from Lava targeted at women in India offers unique design and comes with an in-built safety app.

Nintendo Switch emulation on M1 Macs looks very promising

SlashGear / 5h
You might be getting tired of hearing about how powerful and capable the Apple Silicon M1 is so here’s yet another proof of that. Granted, being able to run Windows apps is already concrete evidence, let alone running Windows 10 itself. Still, gaming console emulation has always been a rather tricky matter, especially considering how it’s not officially and directly … Continue reading

Google Fitbit acquisition could be blocked in Australia

SlashGear / 5h
It has been more than a year since Google announced its intention to acquire Fitbit and it has not been a smooth ride for either company. It recently overcame one major hurdle when the European Commission finally gave its approval after much negotiations and concessions on Google’s part. The deal, however, still has to be approved in the US but … Continue reading

Chinese autonomous driving startup WeRide bags $200M in funding

Chinese WeRide Yutong•
100+TechCrunch / 5h
WeRide, one of China’s most-funded startups developing autonomous driving capabilities, said on Wednesday that it has raised a $200 million strategic round from Chinese bus maker Yutong . Mega investments aren’t uncommon at companies like WeRide developing the next-generation level 4 driving standard, which denotes that the car can handle the majority of driving situations independently without h

What's on TV this week: 'Wonder Woman 1984' and 'Akira' in 4K

28Engadget / 6h
This week is a light one due to the holiday, but for sports fans there’s plenty of college football, plus the beginning of the NBA season. HBO Max and Warner Bros. kick off a year of movie premieres that will be available at home with the release of Wonder Woman 1984 at noon on Christmas Day. Otherwise, movie fans can look in stockings and under the tree for the new Akira Ultra HD Blu-ray , while

KFConsole ready to heat up your game and keep your poultry warm

SlashGear / 6h
This year has thrown a lot of schedules out of whack and it seems that KFC may have gotten its April Fools date either too late or too early. Then again, the company is notorious for its outlandish and eccentric marketing campaigns around the world but this definitely takes the cake, or, more appropriately, the chicken. As teased last June, … Continue reading

The ACLU Is Suing For Info On The FBI's Encryption Breaking Capabilities

86Gizmodo / 6h
The American Civil Liberties Union announced on Tuesday that it plans to sue for information related to the FBI’s shadowy and relatively new ability to break into encrypted devices at will. Read more...

Gaming-centric Apple TV might finally come next year

SlashGear / 6h
“Apple TV” now means three things, depending on the context. It could refer to the Apple TV app that has become available on non-Apple platforms recently, or it could be the shortened form of Apple TV+, the VOD and streaming subscription service that’s available only on the Apple TV app. Originally, however, Apple TV referred to the company’s set-top box, … Continue reading

Nest x Yale smart lock becomes dumb with Nest Hub Max Preview Update bug

SlashGear / 7h
As powerful and as magical smart home products may seem, we have yet to achieve a level of reliability to make them truly foolproof. Sometimes, even something as simple as an Internet outage can render a product useless. Even more problematic, however, is when those problems come via software updates that should be fixing bugs or adding features instead. That’s … Continue reading

Microsoft, Google back Facebook in lawsuit against NSO spyware company

SlashGear / 7h
The last few months of this already troubled year will also be remembered for reports of massive and high-profile data security breaches, a.k.a. hacking. From security firm FireEye’s disclosure to the still-spreading SolarWinds exploit, the incidents have revealed not only the flaws in current software but also the lapses in organizations and laws in protecting data, especially private ones. Face

TaskRabbit is resetting customer passwords after finding ‘suspicious activity’ on its network

80TechCrunch / 7h
TaskRabbit has reset an unknown number of customer passwords after confirming it detected “suspicious activity” on its network. The IKEA -owned online marketplace for on-demand labor said it reset user passwords out of an abundance of caution and that it “took steps to prevent access to any user accounts,” a TaskRabbit spokesperson told TechCrunch. The company later confirmed it was a credential

Nickelback made an ad for Google and it’s surprisingly amusing

SlashGear / 7h
Nickelback, the Canadian rock band that gets its fair share of criticism, is the subject of a new Google Photos advertisement…and it’s actually pretty amusing, all things considered. The band created a parody of its own song Photograph, remixing the music video with shots of Google Photos and a couple of self-deprecating jokes. Photograph is that Nickelback hit you probably … Continue reading

Lakers vs Clippers live stream: how to watch 2020/21 NBA opening night from anywhere

28TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 7h
It's the battle of Los Angeles as the new basketball season tips off. Here's how to get a Lakers vs Clippers live stream and watch the NBA online today.

Global Law Enforcement Seizes VPN Network Favored By Cybercriminals

100+Gizmodo / 8h
The FBI joined with other law enforcement agencies from around the world on Tuesday to take down the web domains and server infrastructure of three VPN services , stymying efforts by cybercriminals who had long favored them for their “bulletproof hosting” services. Read more...

The Best Holiday 2020 Gifts for the Nerd Who Has Everything

62Gizmodo / 8h
Top Pick: The Child Real Moves Plush | $70 | Disney Store Read more...

OnePlus smartwatch is officially confirmed by CEO

OnePlus Watch Pete Lau•
21SlashGear / 8h
If there was ever one product that OnePlus may have flip-flopped on, it would be on its own wearable. Although it is still missing a smart speaker and, almost ironically, a tablet, it hasn’t exactly been rumored to be working on those devices anyway. Since its early days, however, OnePlus already hinted at a smartwatch of its own, only to … Continue reading

Bonergate: 20 Federal Air Marshals Busted In Viagra Smuggling Ring

77View from the Wing / 8h
Around 20 air marshals based in the agency’s Dallas field office – or about 10% of agents there – have been disciplined for smuggling viagra into the U.S. for distribution, “following a secretive two-year internal investigation.” The TSA has sought to cover it up using nondisclosure agreements, and none will be criminally charged. Continue reading ...

Voat, the mostly toxic Reddit alternative, is about to shut down

SlashGear / 8h
Voat, the social platform that aimed to be a ‘free-speech’ alternative to Reddit, will shut down later this week. The short notice was provided in a post by co-founder Justin Chastain, explaining that the loss of an investor earlier this year sealed the site’s fate. The decision comes a few years after Reddit cracked down on certain toxic communities, prompting … Continue reading

The Best Holiday 2020 Gifts for the Nerd Who Has Everything

62Lifehacker / 9h
Top Pick: The Child Real Moves Plush | $70 | Disney Store Read more...

Dell Boxing Day 2020 sales in Australia: top deals on laptops, monitors and more

36TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
Score yourself a solid discount on a range of Dell laptops, 2-in-1s, desktops and monitors, including the New XPS 15.

San Francisco announces stricter lockdown; Can you transit airports under quarantine?

The Points Guy / 9h
San Francisco joined Santa Clara County, and now requires anyone coming from outside the Bay Area to quarantine. That includes two of the busiest airports in California – San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). Meanwhile in L.A., travelers are required to submit to tracing and to acknowledge the state’s “requested” two-week quarantine.” So

Fortnite Arena sand tunneling disabled, plus some players lose gold bars

SlashGear / 9h
If you plan to grind out some Arena matches in the near future, you may have to adjust your gameplay strategy. Epic has announced that sand tunneling is temporarily disabled in its competitive gameplay following a new video showing a way to exploit the feature. Likewise, and due to an unrelated bug, some Fortnite players have lost their gold bars. … Continue reading

DJI ban: what it means for drone fans and the future of DJI

100+TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 9h
The drone maker DJI has been put on a US trade blacklist. But what does it mean for drone fans today and in the future?

Daily Crunch: Stimulus bill increases penalties for illegal streaming services

300+TechCrunch / 9h
The stimulus bill includes significant changes to copyright law and enforcement, the Biden administration may have to build a presidential Twitter following from scratch and we round up the startups that shut down this year. This is your Daily Crunch for December 22, 2020. The big story: Stimulus bill increases penalties for illegal streaming services While we wrote several stories yesterday abou

12 discounted gift cards you can buy online today

21The Points Guy / 9h
Now that we are beyond most shipping deadlines for the big day quickly approaching on Dec. 25, a new shopping opportunity has emerged. There are now many discounted and bonuses on gift certificates and e-gift cards that you can print or send electronically, valid at retailers big and small. Whether you are still checking off the rest of your holiday shopping list or are looking to score a discoun

Now You Too Can Look Like a Fool While Trying to Solve the AR New York Times Crossword Puzzle

40Gizmodo / 10h
For 25 years, I’ve held a long, deep-seated grudge against the New York Times Crossword puzzle. It started when a family friend gifted me a daily calendar of NYT Crossword puzzles because I was a “smart kid.” I don’t know what possessed this woman to think a 7-year-old would enjoy the NYT Crossword—a puzzle famed for… Read more...

How to Get Relief With Your FHA-Backed Mortgage

100+Lifehacker / 10h
You might be able to skip all mortgage payments in 2021 if your home loan is backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), as the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced more relief for borrowers struggling as a result of the pandemic. Read more...

Let’s Encrypt comes up with workaround for abandonware Android devices

75Ars Technica / 10h
Enlarge / Pictured: An alternate future for many Android phones in 2021. (credit: Jan Kaláb CC BY-SA 2.0 / Flickr ) Things were touch-and-go for a while, but it looks like Let's Encrypt's transition to a standalone certificate authority (CA) isn't going to break a ton of old Android phones. This was a serious concern earlier due to an expiring root certificate, but Let's Encrypt has come up with

Cybercriminals have started indexing the dark web

84TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
Digital Shadows has discovered a new dark web service that aims to create a continuously updated index of onion pages.

Netflix ‘History of Swear Words’ comedy includes Nicolas Cage screaming

SlashGear / 10h
Netflix is gearing up to release a couple of new originals, one of which is a series called History of Swear Words hosted by Nicolas Cage. As you’d expect given the nature of the show and its host, the trailer kicks things off with Cage dramatically screaming a curse word, introducing an educational exploration of these words. Netflix released the … Continue reading

Substack explains its ‘hands-off’ approach to content moderation

100+TechCrunch / 10h
Content moderation has been a thorny topic in 2020. And when I say “thorny,” I mean in the sense of having multiple congressional hearings on the subject. Twitter and Facebook in particular have been mired in concerns around the subject, fielding complaints that they both haven’t done enough to weed out problematic content and suggestions that they’re a censorship-happy, shadow-banning enemy of t

10 Disney+ Movies That'll Make You Feel Great

100+Lifehacker / 10h
Holidays mean happiness. Whether that’s a chance to laugh with your friends and family in a normal year, or just be as safe and healthy as you can in 2020, everyone can use a little extra joy as we reach the end of any year. Movies can absolutely help with that, but sometimes it’s hard to pick one that hits the right… Read more...

Amazon Workers Near Vote on Joining Union at Alabama Warehouse

500+NYT > Technology / 10h
The election, expected early next year, will be one of the few times that employees of the e-commerce giant have had an opportunity to decide whether to join a union.

Elon Musk says he tried to sell Tesla to Apple and Tim Cook snubbed him

Musk Apple Tesla Tim Cook•
2KEngadget / 10h
Elon Musk apparently once tried to sell Tesla to Apple. Replying to a tweet about yesterday’s Reuters report on the Apple’s electric car ambitions, Musk said, “During the darkest days of the Model 3 program, I reached out to Tim Cook to discuss the possibility of Apple acquiring Tesla (for 1/10 of our current value). He refused to take the meeting.” There had been rumors of a Tesla sale to Apple

Elon Musk claims he tried selling Tesla to Apple but Tim Cook wasn’t interested

Musk Apple Tesla Tim Cook•
1KTechCrunch / 10h
Tesla stock’s miraculously bizarre 2020 might have a gone different way had Apple’s Tim Cook agreed to a meeting in recent years, or so says Elon Musk. Reacting to Reuters’ recent news that Apple has not abandoned its electric car program and is still pursuing plans to build a physical vehicle, Musk tweeted that in “the darkest days” of scaling Model 3 production, he reached out to Apple CEO Tim

Our Last Normal Night

200+Gizmodo / 10h
Ideally, at some point in 2021, we will collectively and tacitly agree to take 2020 and throw it in the garbage—a necessary step in the process of emerging from the collective mental health crisis that is living during the pandemic. It’s difficult in the moment to remember what “normal” was, because the mind is… Read more...

Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings have unique microbiomes, study finds

100+Ars Technica / 10h
Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk Enlarge / Sampling microbes from Leonardo da Vinci's Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk (1512). (credit: Guadalupe Piñar et al.) Microbiomes are all the scientific rage, even in art conservation, where studying the microbial species that congregate on works of art may lead to new ways to slow down the deterioration of priceless aging artwork, as well as potentially unma

Warriors vs Nets live stream: how to watch NBA 2020/21 opening game from anywhere

60TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 10h
New season gets under way with Brooklyn and Golden State. Here's how to get a Warriors vs Nets live stream and watch the NBA online today.

Should Passengers Who Fly With Covid-19 Be Charged With Negligence – Even Involuntary Manslaughter?

55View from the Wing / 11h
How does a person with an infectious disease decide to fly in the middle of a global pandemic? How does someone make a choice to potentially infect others, knowing that there's a chance some of the people exposed along the way could die as a result. It's clearly reckless - but is it criminally reckless? One law professor says yes. Continue reading ...

Fly Around the World in VR With Microsoft's Latest 'Flight Simulator' Update

24How-To Geek / 11h
Microsoft’s latest Flight Simulator is a triumph in beauty, thanks to its use of Bing maps and real-time weather conditions. Last July, the company promised a virtual reality (VR) mode but said it would only come to HP VR headsets. Now that virtual reality update is here, and good news: it works with most VR headsets. But you’ll need a powerful gaming PC to keep up. Read This Article on Review Ge

SprayCare Band is a hand sanitizer blaster

SlashGear / 11h
Spider-Man invented a wrist-based blaster of webbing for those times when the webbing isn’t part of the whole radioactive spider setup. Now, thanks to the folks behind the SprayCare Band, you can basically have that tool, but with hand sanitizer instead of webbing. You definitely should NOT use this thing to spray fellow humans in their faces. Per the creators … Continue reading

Elon Musk Reveals That Apple Refused to Buy Tesla

Musk Apple Tesla Tim Cook•
2KFuturism / 11h
Clash of the Titans According to a recent Reuters exclusive , tech giant Apple is working on a self-driving car that could hit the market as soon as 2024. The vehicle, known as Project Titan, has been in the works for over six years. Despite layoffs, Apple has ambitious plans for its first foray into the passenger vehicle market: a “radically” redesigned car battery that uses “next-level” technol

Congress creates new copyright court that could make trolling easier

100+Ars Technica / 11h
Enlarge / Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) was the lead sponsor of the CASE Act. (credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images ) Members of Congress were given just a few hours to read the massive 5,600-page spending bill that passed both legislative chambers on Monday evening. In addition to authorizing $900 billion in COVID relief spending and $1.4 trillion in other spending, the package also included a number

What We Know About Allergic Reactions to the COVID Vaccines

100+Lifehacker / 11h
Amid last week’s jubilant news segments featuring frontline healthcare workers getting their first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine came reports that put a damper on the excitement: that some of the vaccine recipients experienced severe allergic reactions following their shot. Read more...

Dell Wyse ThinOS has major security flaws

32TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 11h
Two critical vulnerabilities in almost a dozen Dell Wyse thin clients can be exploited to run malicious code.

DOJ Accuses Walmart of Perpetuating the Opioid Crisis by Looking the Other Way

Walmart Opioid Crisis•
30Gizmodo / 11h
In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the Department of Justice accused Walmart of being a reckless drug peddler who put profits over the nation’s health and said the retail giant was a key player in the opioid crisis that resulted in 50,000 overdoses in 2019 alone. Read more...

The 10 Best Deals of December 22, 2020

72Gizmodo / 11h
Tuesday’s Best Deals | Kinja Deals Read more...

Bandit ML helps e-commerce businesses present the most effective offer to each shopper

300+TechCrunch / 11h
Bandit ML aims to optimize and automate the process of presenting the right offer to the right customer. The startup was part of the summer 2020 class at accelerator Y Combinator . It also raised a $1.32 million seed round in September from YC, Haystack Fund, Webb Investment Network, Liquid 2 Ventures, Jigsaw Ventures, Basecamp Fund, Pathbreaker Ventures and various angels — including what CEO Ed

NASA’s image of the day shows off Christmas Tree Cluster of infant stars

24SlashGear / 11h
NASA regularly shares ‘image of the day’ photos that aim to highlight a particularly relevant and stunning image from its vast space photography catalog. The latest image features what is playfully referred to as the ‘Christmas Tree Cluster,’ a name that refers to the bright infant stars and vaguely tree-like nature of the dust clouds. The image was made possible … Continue reading

Cyberpunk 2077 was a launch disaster but these numbers show that may not matter

Cyberpunk 2077 13M•
SlashGear / 11h
It’s been a pretty rocky launch for Cyberpunk 2077, as the state of the game on base PS4 and Xbox One consoles had a lot of consumers crying foul. After some confusion concerning refunds, now pretty much anyone who purchased the game on Xbox One or PS4 can get a refund if they want one, with Sony going as far … Continue reading

Watch an Electric F-150 Truck Absolutely Shred on a Snowy Track

79Futurism / 11h
Winter Wonderland Ford may be marketing its upcoming electric Ford F-150 pickup truck as a true work truck — but that doesn’t mean it won’t be hella fun to drive as well. In a new ad, the carmaker showed off a prototype of the massive truck tearing through a winter wonderland, drifting around a frozen lake track like a pro. Curious how the #FordF150 BEV prototype stacks up in the snow?​ See for y

American drops 4 international cities, adds domestic flights in major route shakeup

100+The Points Guy / 11h
Despite the upcoming winter holidays, American Airlines’ route planning department isn’t taking any time off. Over the weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline loaded a major schedule update for 2021 flying, a move designed to “match anticipated demand” for next year, according to a carrier spokesperson. The route-map shakeup will see American drop four international cities, three of which are perma

The 10 Best Deals of December 22, 2020

72Lifehacker / 11h
Tuesday’s Best Deals | Kinja Deals Read more...

If Apple built a breakthrough battery, it doesn’t need to make its own car

SlashGear / 11h
Some rumors just never seem to die, and the Apple car is shaping up to be an excellent example of that. Ever since the existence of Apple’s Project Titan team was first revealed in 2014, we’ve seen a “will they, won’t they” speculation frenzy as to just what the Cupertino firm has in mind, and what it intends to actually … Continue reading

Firefox continues cracking down on tracking with cache partitioning

100+Ars Technica / 11h
Enlarge / Breaking the browser cache up into separate pools prevents sophisticated timing probes that let one site know whether you're logged into another. (credit: Mozilla / Jim Salter ) Firefox version 85 will be released in January 2021, and one of its features is increased user privacy via improvements in client-side storage (cache) partitioning . This has been widely and incorrectly reported

Wondershare PDFelement 8 levels up the ultimate document solution

SlashGear / 11h
No matter how much you profess that we’re living in a digital age, just like our predecessors, we still rely on documents to get our message across — be it a sales pitch, an inventory list, or even an invoice. All that has changed are the forms these documents take — and the tools we use to create or modify … Continue reading

10 Disney+ Movies That'll Make You Feel Great

100+Gizmodo / 11h
Holidays mean happiness. Whether that’s a chance to laugh with your friends and family in a normal year, or just be as safe and healthy as you can in 2020, everyone can use a little extra joy as we reach the end of any year. Movies can absolutely help with that, but sometimes it’s hard to pick one that hits the right… Read more...

After The Mandalorian Season 2, watch this short list of clips

SlashGear / 11h
Today we’ve compiled a list of clips, episodes, and movies you’ll do well to see after you’ve completed The Mandalorian Season 2. This set of clips will aid you in your journey forward AND will allow you to expand your knowledge of The Force and the ever-growing world of canon Star Wars history. Before we go on, here, know this: … Continue reading

Play These Games With Your 30-Minute Free Trial of Google Stadia

35Lifehacker / 12h
Google now lets you test Stadia Pro for 30 minutes, no payment information required. That’s not a lot of time, but it’s great to be able to see if you like the streaming service without needing to worry about cancelling a free trial that will otherwise automatically convert into a paid subscription. But with such a… Read more...

What the first new moon rocks in decades can tell us

100+Mashable / 12h
The newest moon rocks to have landed on Earth are now headed to the lab. On Dec. 17, the Chinese National Space Administration’s Chang’e 5 mission accomplished something no one has done in over 40 years — they brought a little piece of the moon to Earth. That makes China the third country, along with the U.S. and the former Soviet Union, to bring back a sample from the moon, and the first since 1

Google, Facebook reportedly agreed to work together to fight antitrust probes

100+Ars Technica / 12h
Enlarge / Signage in front of a building on the Google campus in Mountain View, California, on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (credit: David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images ) More than three dozen state attorneys general last week filed an antitrust suit against Google , accusing the tech behemoth of a slew of anticompetitive behaviors. Among those behaviors, a new report finds, is an explicit

NASA opens new launchpad at Kennedy Space Center meant to serve multiple commercial launch customers

99TechCrunch / 12h
NASA has finished work on a new launchpad at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida — Launch Complex 48 (LC-48), a pad that will be able to support smaller launch vehicles than either LC-39A or B, or SLC-41, which currently host SpaceX, SLS and ULA launches, respectively. It’s designed to be able to be used by multiple providers, with an absence of permanent structures that allows for flexible confi

Here's Your COVID Vaccine Rumor Roundup

300+Lifehacker / 12h
Two COVID vaccines are now available in the US, and are currently being administered to healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities. But it’s new, and new things are scary, and both COVID and its vaccine have been relentlessly politicized. Rumors are flying. Read more...

The 911 Carrera S: Two pedals good, three pedals better

67Ars Technica / 12h
No, you're not mistaken, we did review a 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S just over a year ago. But we're revisiting that model again today. [credit: Jonathan Gitlin ] Over the years, the Porsche 911 Carrera has changed. The silhouette may still be the same, the engine is still in the back, and after all these decades, it's still a treat to drive. I won't dissect all the changes made over the years fro

“Vaccine passports could further erode trust”

100+MIT Technology Review / 12h
Experts are debating the pros and cons of covid-19 vaccine passports or other types of certification as they attempt to begin reopening public spaces. The idea seems simple on its face: those who can prove they’ve been vaccinated for covid-19 would be able to go places and do things that unvaccinated people would not. There’s early evidence that the vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Admini

With a $50B run rate in reach, can anyone stop AWS?

100+TechCrunch / 12h
AWS , Amazon’s flourishing cloud arm, has been growing at a rapid clip for more than a decade. An early public cloud infrastructure vendor, it has taken advantage of first-to-market status to become the most successful player in the space. In fact, one could argue that many of today’s startups wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without the formation of cloud companies like AWS giving them easy a

When to Take Down Your Christmas Tree

85Lifehacker / 12h
If only the holidays could last throughout the winter months—the twinkling lights and Christmas cookies make the cold and dark so much more bearable. For this reason, I once kept my tree up until March—I know, I know, and I’m the first to admit that that was a terrible idea. But when is the best time to take down your… Read more...

Why the low code industry is in for a reckoning

28TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
We spoke with OutSystems’ CEO about how traditional low code platforms fall short when it comes to meeting business needs.

Nanomaterial System Detects Coronavirus Antibodies In Just Seconds

500+Futurism / 12h
A new biosensor can examine the tiniest drop of blood and tell whether someone has antibodies for the coronavirus — in about ten seconds. The nanomaterial system can identify two separate antibodies generated in response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and send results to a phone, according to research published Tuesday in the journal Advanced Materials . If adopted, the test stand

'Cyberpunk 2077' has sold 13 million copies despite bugs and refunds

Cyberpunk 2077 13M•
500+Engadget / 12h
Despite all the controversy surrounding CD Projekt Red’s latest title, Cyberpunk 2077 is a hit. In a disclosure spotted by analyst Daniel Ahmad , the studio said it had sold approximately 13 million copies of the game as of December 20th. The estimate factors in sales across every platform, including the PlayStation Network where you currently can’t buy the game , the more than 8 million in pre-o

Harvard Astronomer Says We Should Hunt for Alien Probes

500+Futurism / 12h
Harvard astrophysics faculty member Avi Loeb is calling on the scientific community to search not just for mysterious radio signals emanating from the vast reaches of the observable universe — but for alien probes sent to us as “messages in a bottle” as well. In a new essay for Scientific American , Loeb argues that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, should not only focus on d

To win post-pandemic, edtech needs to start thinking big

100+TechCrunch / 12h
The edtech market raked in more than $10 billion in venture capital investment globally in 2020, but for students, parents and teachers, the year was defined more by its scramble than its surge. Nandini Talwar , a student and teacher’s assistant at Columbia University, wants to hold more efficient office hours so students don’t have to wait on a Zoom call. TraLiza King , a director at PWC and sin

Face masks study shows why social distancing is so important

SlashGear / 12h
Face masks may be an important protective step toward reducing the spread of COVID-19, but they alone aren’t enough. That’s according to a new study published by the American Institute of Physics, which found that being at a close distance to someone who is infected may put you at risk even if you’re both wearing face masks. Face masks, when … Continue reading

Xbox Players Can Explore the Past and the Future for $71 in This Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion Double Feature

28Gizmodo / 12h
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla + Watch Dogs: Legion Bundle | $71 | Microsoft Store Read more...

The cheapest large battery smartphone has a massive 8,000mAh capacity

52TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
You won't get anything bigger at this price point.

The Apple Watch Series 6 is $60 off at Amazon today

27Ars Technica / 12h
Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica) Today's Dealmaster is headlined by a nice discount on the Product RED version of the Apple Watch Series 6 that brings the high-end smartwatch down to $339 on Amazon . That's not an all-time low, but it's $60 off Apple's MSRP and about $30 off the going rate we've seen online in recent weeks. Other colors are available for $10 more, but either deal is a nice price on

Congress to Employers: You Can Go Back to Not Giving Paid Leave to Covid-Positive Staff

100+Gizmodo / 12h
Here’s a big fuck you from Congress to everyone else: The coronavirus relief bill passed this week removes a requirement that employers provide at least two weeks of paid sick leave at full salary if their employees contract the coronavirus. Read more...

How to Fix Windows 10's PC-Breaking 'chkdsk' Bug

500+Lifehacker / 12h
Who would have thought that one of the more useful troubleshooting tools in Windows 10—good ol’ chkdsk —would itself become wrapped up in a paralyzing bug that could brick your PC. Not me, that’s for sure, given the “Check Disk” command is typically used to scan for and fix errors with your file system (and related… Read more...

'Promising Young Woman' deconstructs the nice guy trope

37Mashable / 12h
Carey Mulligan stars as the lead in Emerald Fennell 's new film that shows the dangers of so-called "nice guys" who do bad things to women and get away with it. Read more... More about Mashable Video , Comedy , Carey Mulligan , Killing Eve , and Promising Young Woman

What is a stablecoin? Everything you need to know

28TechRadar - All the latest technology ne... / 12h
All your questions about sta