Friday, August 26, 2022

Friday Morning Technology News and More...

Technology News and More...





82TechCrunch / 40min
Meta is launching its next VR headset this October at the company’s Connect conference. CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement late Thursday, fittingly, in an equally surreal environment: the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Spotify. He said that the new VR headset, a sequel to the popular Oculus 2, will focus on “social presence,” with features like eye-tracking and face-tracking. Zuckerberg s



The post appeared first on Popular Mechanics .



Mashable / 53min
Twitter is still trying to make Spaces happen, this time by turning it into a podcast discovery platform. Announced in a blog post on Thursday, the social media app is testing a redesigned Spaces tab that groups audio content together by subject, as well as includes podcasts for the first time. "Our internal research indicates that 45% of people who use Twitter in the US also listen to podcasts m




The post appeared first on Popular Mechanics .



The complex onboarding and user experience is the price people pay to use decentralized apps – and it’s also one of the reasons why most people are not using those services. A top Indian crypto exchange wants to fix that for users worldwide. CoinDCX on Friday launched Okto , a mobile platform that will host other decentralized apps and won’t require users to remember the long string of words as p



The post appeared first on Popular Mechanics .



Welp, you made it to yet another Friday only to find that today's Quordle is a doozy. How are you supposed to kick off your weekend if you can't even comfortably wrap up this word puzzle? You can breathe easy, though, because all four answers are down there at the end of this article. But do you need them, really? Or can you just read our tips and tricks, and get inspired to finish it on your own
YESTERDAY



It seems we're one step closer to the rumored Google Pixel Fold , thanks to the discovery of a new patent by 91Mobiles which suggests the proposed foldable will differ from Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 in one key way. According to diagrams included in the patent, which were submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) back in June 2021, the Pixel Fold will reportedly sport a simi



Valve’s long-forgotten Steam mobile app is getting an overdue redesign seven years after its last major update and now the developer is asking for beta testers. The online gaming platform where people can buy and play video games on their PC originally built the Steam mobile app to be a miniature version of the service that had most of the desktop features except you couldn't play anything. Howev



It's heavily rumored that the iPhone 14 will be launching early next month. Thinking about upgrading? You're not alone - millions of consumers will be looking to hand over their old iPhone as part of a trade for a shiny new device. We've got an important tip, however - it may be better for you to trade in that old device before the iPhone 14 launches. While the looming launch of a new generation



Duolingo is holding its annual Duocon event today to show off some of what it's working on. One of the big things the company has in the pipeline is an app called Duolingo Math , which marks its first move outside of language learning. The app has two main elements. The first is a math course designed for elementary school-level kids. As you'd expect if you've used the main app, Duolingo will off



LG has presented its upcoming premium monitors at IFA Berlin this year, and one of the models it unveiled is a 45-inch curved display that was specifically design for more immersive gaming experiences. The company says the model (45GR95QE) is its first curved display under the UltraGear brand of gaming monitors and is also its first OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate. It has a 21:9 aspect rat



Asia’s crypto games and web3 investment powerhouse Animoca Brands is making inroads into Japan as its local unit picks up $45 million in financing at a $500 million pre-money valuation. The investment, which was shelled out equally by the parent firm Animoca Brands and MUFG Bank, the largest bank in Japan with 360 years of history, comes at a time when the country is tightening regulations around



Enlarge / T-Mobile's Mike Sievert and SpaceX's Elon Musk appear on stage at Starbase Thursday evening. BOCA CHICA, Texas —SpaceX and T-Mobile announced an ambitious plan on Thursday evening to provide ubiquitous connectivity to anyone with a cell phone from space. The project would pair SpaceX's Starlink satellite technology with the second largest wireless carrier in the United States, T-Mobile



TL;DR: Pay what you want for the Essential 2022 Excel Wizard Bundle . Beat the average price to get access to everything. Excel is a remarkably useful program for data organisation and analysis. The only problem is that it’s not super user-friendly if you’re still learning. Once you’ve mastered some key functions, Excel could be a useful tool for you in a variety of industries, if not in your eve



It's Friday again, and what better way to roll gleefully downhill to the weekend than with a new Wordle ? Our daily Wordle hints and tips can help you out if your brain's already checked out for the day, too. The answer to the August 26 Wordle, puzzle #433, can be found at the end of this article. Before you get there, though, there are a couple of subtle clues to help you narrow it down, and as



SAVE 49%: ExpressVPN can bypass geo-restrictions to unlock extra NFL games. A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £85.53 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. The NFL is all set to start on Sept. 8, with the defending champions the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Buffalo Bills in the NFL Kickoff Game. NFL fans in the UK have plenty of options when i



In wake of Sony’s announcement of a price increase for the PlayStation 5 , Microsoft has declared that the Xbox Series S and Series X will both remain at the current suggested retail price. PlayStation 5’s price will increase in the UK, Australia and other key territories, however the US has managed to avoid a price hike for now. While unfortunate for many people looking to get a PS5, Microsoft’s



The biggest state in the US has moved faster than the federal government to tighten emission rules.



Hackers are selling classified documents online after obtaining data belonging to missile maker MBDA.




100+Mashable / 5h
The White House is getting messy on main. The official Twitter account has called out commentators who criticised its student loan forgiveness plan — by sharing exactly how much of their own debt the government forgave. It ain't pennies, either. Earlier this week, President Biden announced that the U.S. government would partially forgive some students' debts , finally making some students' dreams



PC gamers have faced outrageous GPU prices for quite some time, but it looks like the winds are finally shifting in the average consumer's favor.



The Nintendo Switch and, more recently, the Steam Deck have revitalized handheld gaming, and now we're seeing more PC-based options hit the market.



Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service will help T-Mobile bring an end to so-called dead zones. Here's what we know about the big plan.



The rumored Project Cambria headset - a model that may launch as the Quest Pro - is closer to reality than ever, according to Meta's Mark Zuckerberg.



100+Engadget / 6h
T-Mobile and SpaceX have announced a new technology alliance they're calling "Coverage and Above and Beyond" that aims to end mobile deadzones. In an event at SpaceX's Starbase facility, the companies have revealed that they're working on integrating a slice of T-Mobile's mid-band 5G spectrum into the second-gen Starlink satellites launching next year. It's like putting a cellular tower in the sk



Infra App is a desktop Kubernetes client for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It offers a clean and simple UI that lets you monitor clusters and inspect the resources within them. Read This Article on How-To Geek ›



T-Mobile and SpaceX have announced that Starlink satellites launched next year will be able to connect directly to the carrier’s phones over existing cellular bands. The companies hope to enable global roaming wherever satellite coverage exists, and the service may potentially be added for free to existing T-Mobile plans. SpaceX’s Elon Musk and T-Mobile’s Mike Sievert announced the “technology al



Labor Day Weekend is one of the best times of year to score a good discount on gear for just about everything, but some of the top deals we’ve found will set you back less than $100. In some cases, you’ll pay close to that amount for an item that’s typically closer to twice the price, but in others you’re going to get a bonafide bargain. Regardless, you’ll be amazed at how much value you’ll get f



Apple doesn’t have an official Labor Day sale, but you can still save a lot of money on a MacBook, iPad, or a pair of AirPods by looking at deals from other stores. We were surprised to find decent discounts on the company's latest-generation gear, even devices that are just a few months old. We’ve rounded up the latest early Labor Day Apple deals for your convenience, and will update this story



The Tampa EDITION, which will be Tampa’s first five star hotel, has just started accepting reservations. Admittedly I’m probably more interested in this than most, given that I grew up in Tampa, and still go back all the time to visit family. Let’s take a look at the details of this exciting new property. Basics of the new Tampa EDITION The Tampa EDITION is now accepting reservations for stays as



100+TechCrunch / 8h
It’s been almost four years since the Proud Boys were banned from Facebook, but apparently its members are still trying to claw their way back onto the social network after all this time. Meta disclosed Thursday that it recently removed a network of activity affiliated with the violent extremist group after it detected members making inroads back onto Facebook and Instagram. The company says it r



Digital mortgage lender Better.com is conducting its fourth round of layoffs since December 1, 2021, multiple sources tell TechCrunch. The latest cuts reportedly affect all departments. Better.com is not exactly known for its tactful approach to letting employees go . And this week, the company — albeit accidentally — lived up to that reputation. Sources told TechCrunch that a list containing the



Technology that changes workers' accents is accused of making "the world sound whiter".



Amazon is the place to find thousands of early Labor Day deals, but the “everything store” saved some of the best discounts for its own hardware. You can save on Kindles, Echos, Fire TVs, and Fire tablets by shopping right now. The company is even offering a 20 percent discount plus store credit if you trade in your older Amazon hardware and upgrade to the latest version. If you’ve been holding o



Japan's heatwaves are driving the need for ways to stay cool, from face masks to neck fans and vests.



Enlarge / Tom McClintock speaks to reporters with his wife Lori after participating in a debate at California State University, Sacramento September 24, 2003 in Sacramento, California. (credit: Getty | Justin Sullivan ) A garden-variety herbal remedy led to the abrupt and untimely death of Lori McClintock, the 61-year-old wife of US Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), according to a report from Kaiser He



In just a few weeks, D23 Expo will host its bi-annual Disney content showcase for fans at the Anaheim Convention Center. And while it’s long been sold out, the event will be taking a lot of its panels, presentations, exhibit tours, and conversations with special guests online so fans at home can watch. Read more...



The move to phase out gasoline-powered cars, with other states expected to follow, matches automakers’ plans. The challenge will be making it happen.



No matter where you live, consider booking a trip to Dublin. Airlines are offering discounted flights to Ireland ‘s popular capital city from airports across the country. Previously, we reported flights to Dublin for less than $500 from major cities this fall. Now, there’s an even greater slew of deals from which to choose: More than seven airlines have cheap flights to Dublin from at least 120 U




I’m often asked how our family manages to take several Disney vacations annually without going broke. My answer is always three words: Disney Vacation Club . If you’re an annual (or even more frequent) traveler to Walt Disney World or Disneyland and usually stay on Disney property when you visit, you could be missing a major trick if you haven’t taken the time to learn more about Disney Vacation



Healthcare startups often face unique challenges — something Well Health founder Guillaume de Zwirek understands. Together with Freestyle Partner, Jenny Lefcourt, the two will speak on the strategies used by de Zwirek as he built and scaled WELL Health into a leading healthcare startup. This TechCrunch Live event opens on August 31 at 11:30 a.m. PDT/2:30 p.m. EDT with networking. The interview be



A small number of Bentley owners are only a few years away from moving into a luxury apartment complex that features private garages and car elevators.



Heavy computer users need a dependable keyboard -- but these options are so over-the-top that they might be too much for almost everyone.



200+Ars Technica / 10h
Enlarge / Alondra Nelson, President Joe Biden's pick for OSTP Deputy Director for Science and Society, speaks during an announcement on January 16, 2021, at the Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware. (credit: Getty Images ) Many federal policy changes are well known before they are announced. Hints in speeches, leaks, and early access to reporters at major publications all serve to pave the groun



To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT, subscribe here . Hello, you sparkling souls! Thursday is upon us once again. Have you ever noticed how Thursdays seem to keep coming along with alarming regularity? It feels like roughly once per week, but that’s anecdotal. More research may be required. Our incredible team of writ



400+TechCrunch / 10h
The California Air Resources Board voted Thursday afternoon to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered cars in the Golden State. The full effect of the binding decision will kick in more than 12 years from now, in 2035, when it will require most new cars and trucks sold in California to run exclusively on electricity or hydrogen. The regulation will be phased in gradually until then, and it in



100+Engadget / 10h
Back in February, Netflix announced it was working with 2K and Take-Two Interactive for a live-action movie based on the BioShock series. The project has taken an important step forward, as it now has a writer and director on board. Michael Green ( Logan, Blade Runner 2049 and American Gods ) is on script duties, while Francis Lawrence will be keeping the director's chair warm. Along with I Am Le



Image Credits: TechCrunch Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious. For our Thursday episode focused on major news topics this week, the crew broke down the latest blockchain happenings and volatility, including SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s open letter to the crypto industry , whic



IoC > 2 URLs•
Scammer have been impersonating a Chrome extension for years, tricking hundreds of thousands of users into installing adware on their endpoints . BleepingComputer found a company called “Puupnewsapp” built a Chrome extension called “Internet Download Manager”, which promises major download improvements (up to 500% download speed increase), making it ideal for downloading movies, games, and other



Shoe lore, of dubious provenance, is rampant in running communities. You need to get fitted for the right shoe for your feet, one school of thought goes. (This requires an evaluation at your local running store.) Another idea is that you either need to wear minimalist shoes, or that you should never wear minimalist… Read more...



Twitter really isn’t giving up on this whole “also becoming an audio app” thing. The platform announced today it is testing a newly re-designed Spaces tab that will also offer a selection of popular podcasts. The podcasts — which include well-known titles from Vox Media, NPR and more — will be categorized under themes like news, music and sports and featured alongside similar Spaces. Twitter is c



Using a password manager is a good way to keep your personal accounts and information safe on the vast, wild Internet. But password managers are not bulletproof either. Case in point: LastPass, one of the most used password managers, is sending out users warning users that it suffered a breach. Read This Article on How-To Geek ›



During its I/O 2022 conference, Google teased that a next-gen Fitbit device could run Wear OS. People really took that teaser to heart. And while I hate to rain on their parade, I’m here to say that Wear OS would ruin everything that’s good about Fitbit’s products. Read This Article on Review Geek ›



Ugh oh. The password management company LastPass informed users today that it has suffered a data breach and security incident. According to the report, this hack led to the theft of proprietary Lastpass source code and other technical information. Read This Article on Review Geek ›



58Gizmodo / 11h
The Webb Space Telescope has taken its biggest image yet, exceeding the scale of the deep field image revealed by President Biden on July 12. The new image covers a region of sky eight times larger than the first Webb deep field, and it includes some dazzling structures from the cosmos. Read more...



Startups that are catering to homebuyers are struggling as interest rates and inflation have climbed and inventory shortages continue in many markets. The latest casualty in the space is Reali, which announced that it has begun a shutdown and will be laying off most of its workforce on September 9. In a press release , c o-founder and chairman Amit Haller said “the challenging real estate and fin



500+Lifehacker / 11h
This week, the White House announced a sweeping plan to forgive the student loan debt of millions of Americans. The initiative will cancel up to $10,000 in debt for some borrowers and $20,000 for others. Here’s how to see if you’re eligible for loan forgiveness, how you can get your hands on the money, and a look at… Read more...



100+Gizmodo / 11h
Yep, they got it done. After some exchanges on Instagram teasing that Jeffrey Dean Morgan was circling his old Supernatural team, it’s finally going to happen. According to Entertainment Weekly , Morgan is set to reunite with his Winchester boy Jensen Ackles on Supernatural creator Eric Kripke ’s current television… Read more...



96Gizmodo / 11h
Tesla is desperate to get a viral video scrubbed from the internet and TV screens after an advertisement showed one of the company’s vehicles mowing over a child-sized dummy. Read more...




Air Wisconsin's fleet of around 60 small metal tubes will shift from flying as United Express to American Eagle starting in March . United wasn't interested in this big fleet of small planes anymore, and American was - so this deal aligns with the strategy of both airlines. Here's why. Continue reading ...



At the I/O 2022 conference this past May, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the company would, in the coming months, gradually avail its experimental LaMDA 2 conversational AI model to select beta users. Those months have come. On Thursday, researchers at Google's AI division announced that interested users can register to explore the model as access increasingly becomes available. Regular



Ah, email. Why did you send my friend’s birthday party invite to my spam folder? Why do you make it so easy to archive an email when I don’t even know what that means? Why are you … blue now … Gmail? Email is a necessary evil. So whenever I hear about startups looking to innovate on the decades-old communication tech, I’m instantly intrigued considering the huge number of potential areas of impro



200+Futurism / 11h
Tesla is calling new videos that show its vehicles mowing down child mannequins while on Autopilot defamatory — and has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the videos' creators, The Washington Post reports . In other words, has the company never heard of the Streisand effect ? It's a messy back and forth that's bound to draw even more attention to Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, a controve



HP has announced the launch of its third-generation Dragonfly Folio 2-in-1 laptop , billed as the perfect machine for hybrid working . The new luxury notebook is bound in leather-like material and can transition between three different modes - laptop mode, tablet mode and halfway fold - providing a level of versatility that should cover off all professional use cases. “Work habits and the expecta



A federal judge said Cleveland State University violated the Fourth Amendment when it used software to scan a student’s bedroom, a practice that has grown during the Covid-19 pandemic.



We’ve had a Samsung review blitz over the past two weeks, covering all the products the company announced at its recent Unpacked event. In my write-up of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro , I noted how understated the product line was, in contrast to its flash, bombastic foldables . The Galaxy Watch line, meanwhile, exists somewhere between the two. Some years are flashier than others, and frankly, Samsung’s



23Gizmodo / 11h
When Google launched a carbon emissions tool for its flight tracker last fall, allowing consumers to see the individual emissions created by each flight they were browsing, it received widespread attention and praise from industry leaders and climate scientists alike. But last month the tech giant quietly shifted the… Read more...



Food delivery giant DoorDash has confirmed a data breach that exposed customers’ personal information. In a blog post shared with TechCrunch ahead of its publication at market close, DoorDash said malicious hackers stole credentials from employees of a third-party vendor that were then used to gain access to some of DoorDash’s internal tools. DoorDash said the attackers accessed names, email addr



Link: Apply now for the World of Hyatt Business Card In late 2021, Chase and Hyatt launched the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, Hyatt’s first small business credit card. This complements the World of Hyatt Credit Card ( review ), Hyatt’s personal credit card. In this post I wanted to provide a detailed review of the card, especially given the excellent new welcome bonus it has, which is idea



When I first saw this Bon Appétit article suggesting I add sliced jalapeños to my rosé, I thought about getting angry, but then I remembered I was the one who suggested putting pickles in your shitty beer . (And I was just too tired to muster up any real indignation.) Read more...



Seven long months after FromSoftware shut off the Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 PC servers due to a security issue, it's finally starting to bring them back online. "Online features for the PC version of Dark Souls 3 have been reactivated," a tweet on the official Dark Souls Twitter account reads. "We are working to restore these features for all other #DarkSouls titles and will infor



Spend your next big trip sailing on sunset cruises, riding all-terrain vehicles on white sand and marveling at colorful Dutch colonial architecture: Round-trip fares to Aruba start at only $314. Through this deal, you can fly to Aruba from New York City and Austin as well as from smaller cities such as Hartford, Connecticut. The deal applies to five U.S. cities and all round-trip fares are below



Got a future cruise credit from a canceled cruise with Royal Caribbean that you’re having trouble spending? The cruise line just made it easier to recoup the entire credit amount by letting travelers use any leftover credit to pay for onboard expenses on their cruise. The cruise line announced its updated policy to travel agents on Wednesday, as first reported on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog . For crui



200+Gizmodo / 11h
When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted in Tonga on January 15, the result was devastation . The eruption literally blew up an island , caused mass flooding in the surrounding areas, coated whole communities in a thick layer of ash, and took out telecommunications for weeks . Yet in that eruption, we got… Read more...



100+Ars Technica / 11h
Enlarge / Scientists have found that tattoo ink ingredient labels are often inaccurate, and some inks contain nanoscale particles that could harm human cells. (credit: Kymberlie Dozois Photography/Getty Images) Scientists at Binghamton University (State University of New York) have analyzed nearly 100 different tattoo inks and found that the manufacturers' ingredient labels (when used) are often



Android is a powerful operating system, and it packs a bunch of useful features - including a few you (like many people) have probably never heard about.



We have some hints to help you figure out today's Wordle puzzle, though if it proves to be too hard, we also have the solution to help you out.



Don't spend gaming hours sitting in uncomfortable chairs when there are gaming chairs that offer everything from reclined seating to massages.



A fleet of tiny drones capable of flying in near silence through open doors and windows are on their way to Ukraine for surveillance use by the military.




Sony has surprised its customers with a sudden PS5 price increase announcement. Though most consumers will pay a lot more, one market remains the same.



Startups looking to make it easier for people to rent apartments on a flexible, shorter-term basis are gaining momentum thanks in part to the rise of remote work. Last week, Dealbook reported that a flexible living startup, Flow, founded by WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann, has locked down $350 million from Andreessen Horowitz. Earlier today, TechCrunch reported that an online rental marketplace, Z



Cybercriminals have stolen $100 million worth of non-fungible tokens (NFT) in the first half and a bit of 2022, new research has revealed.. A report from Elliptic found most of the NFTs were stolen in July, while the average theft set NFT investors and buyers back $300,000 per incident. The number could even be higher, the company further added, as many incidents aren’t even reported and as such



Raising houseplants offers a slew of psychological benefits, plus they look pretty when properly cared for (and there are plenty of low-maintenance choices for the lazy and forgetful). But as anyone who has acquired a few of them will tell you, once you discover you enjoy the experience of caring for a houseplant,… Read more...



45Gizmodo / 12h
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Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 11, supports Android apps, but lacks Google Play Store support, instead using the Amazon Appstore. When Google announced it would bring Google Play Games to PC, many were excited. If you want to try it, you now can, as the beta is going public. Read This Article on How-To Geek ›



News that Haus, a consumer beverage brand looking to bring down the ABV in booze, had failed to close a funding round and was being forced to sell took many — this publication included — by surprise. Perhaps we should have been less taken aback. Tracking the value of recently public DTC companies is an exercise in zooming in as their valuations shrink. Shares of consumer shoe brand Allbirds, for



The most viewed post on Facebook last quarter was a 69 joke, featuring reposted footage from an episode of the TV show Family Feud . The post, originally an Instagram Reel, had more than 52 million views on Facebook, according to Meta’s quarterly report on the most widely viewed content on the platform in the US. It was just one of many spammy meme reposts to feature in Meta’s own list of its top



No longer just a (very popular) game, League of Legends has spawned a Netflix series in Arcane ( an awesome show )—and now the first novel set in the League universe is coming: Anthony Reynolds’ Ruination . Ahead of its release September 6, io9 has a sneak peek at the first chapter. Read more...



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20Gizmodo / 12h
Did you know Waze was offering carpooling through its app? I did not. I own a car, so it was not something that was on my radar. But the folks who might currently rely on it will soon find they’ll have to figure out new ways to get around. Read more...



Black Girls Code board member Heather Hiles is breaking their silence regarding allegations made against them from Black Girls Code founder Kimberly Bryant. Hiles’ comments are the latest in a still developing fight between Black Girls Code’s board and the nonprofit’s recently ousted founder Kimberly Bryant. The battle includes a number of known lawsuits, including three from Bryant — one of whic



Mercedes-Benz began production of its first battery-electric SUV for the U.S. market on Thursday, fronting a movement expected to bring auto manufacturing onshore over the next decade. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV will be made at the automaker’s plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, using batteries supplied by a battery factory it opened nearby in Bibb County in April. Spurred by inflation, geopolitica



Two people are suing digital payments powerhouse Block and its subsidiary Cash App Investing for allegedly failing to properly protect sensitive personal data in a December 2021 data breach. As per the lawsuit filed in a federal district in Oakland, California, the two individuals saw “unauth


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