Sunday, 31 January 2021

NASA's delayed Moon lander contracts cast doubt on Artemis timeline

More signs are emerging that NASA’s Artemis program might not bring people to the Moon on time. The Verge has learned that NASA quietly pushed back the award timeframe for two lunar lander contracts from late February to April 30th, including the lun...

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Amazon's Ring has teamed up with over 2,000 police and fire departments

Ring’s police collaborations didn’t slow down in 2020 despite controversies — if anything, they ramped up. The Financial Times reports that the Amazon-owned smart home security brand now has 2,014 police and fire department partnerships in the US, wi...

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Chromebook demand more than doubled in 2020 due to the pandemic

It’s no secret that Chromebook demand surged in 2020 as people were forced to work and learn from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s now clear just how much demand there really was. According to 9to5Google, Canalys estimated that Chromebook...

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India will propose a law banning private cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin

India may be the next country to clamp down on existing cryptocurrencies in favor of its own. As TechCrunch reports, India’s lower house of parliament has revealed plans to introduce a law that would ban “all private cryptocurrencies” in the country,...

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'Fortnite' gets a 'GI Joe' character with a matching action figure

It’s no longer rare to see action figures for video game characters, but an action figure designed to accompany the character is relatively rare — and Epic Games wants to give it a try. The developer has released a Fortnite outfit for GI Joe’s Snake...

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Saturday, 30 January 2021

Google pulls Element's Android chat app over content it doesn't control

Google is once again coming under fire for its less-than-forgiving approach (real or perceived) to federated Android apps. According to Android Police, Google has pulled Element’s federated chat app from the Play Store for allegedly hosting abusive c...

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WhatsApp uses Stories to try and assuage users' privacy fears

WhatsApp really, really wants to keep you from jumping to a rival chat service over its controversial new privacy policy, and it’s using some of its built-in features to get the message across. The Verge has learned that WhatsApp is now using Status...

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Apple just paid a record $25 million to buy a Sundance movie

Apple hasn’t been shy about spending lots of money to make TV+ a success, and that’s true even in an era when it can’t negotiate deals in person. Deadline and Variety report that Apple has bought Siân Heder’s coming-of-age tale CODA (“Children of Dea...

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Tesla offers collision repairs in its service centers

Tesla’s Service Centers can now perform various forms of collision repair in-house, according to CNBC. The automaker has reportedly sent out a message to customers entitled “Collision Repair is Here,” telling them that their local Tesla Service Cente...

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Hyundai said to be 'agonizing' over Apple's electric car

Hyundai might not be in a rush to make Apple’s electric car despite reports of a tentative deal. Reuters sources claim Hyundai executives are “agonizing” over how the company will cooperate with Apple, or whether or not it’s a wise idea in the first...

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Steam's February Game Festival will feature over 500 playable demos

The next Steam Game Festival is will start on February 3rd, and it will give you access to playable demos of over 500 upcoming titles. Valve started hosting the virtual festival last year in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic after in-game indust...

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Xiaomi files court challenge against US ban

Xiaomi isn’t wasting time disputing the US’ decision to put it on a list of Chinese military-backed companies and ban American investments. Reuters reports the Chinese phone giant has filed a legal complaint against the US Defense and Treasury Depart...

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SpaceX Starship launch reportedly violated an FAA license

SpaceX’s high altitude Starship test may have created more problems than a fiery explosion. The Verge sources understand that the Starship SN8 launch violated the terms of SpaceX’s FAA test license, leading to an official investigation. It’s not clea...

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Hitting the Books: The continuing controversies surrounding e-cig safety

Though more than a billion people worldwide still smoke cigarettes, folks who are looking to kick the habit have an ever-widening wide array of modern assistive techniques and technologies at their disposal. However, among the talk therapies and tran...

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The Morning After: ASUS makes a second attempt at a dual-screen laptop

No Friday night news dumps today, but we do have the return of some early 00s favorites. First, G4 is back. Ahead of its official relaunch with X-Play and Attack of the Show this summer, the gaming channel is streaming some content on Twitch and YouT...

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Alleged 'Matrix 4' leak suggests a new title: 'Matrix Resurrections'

The last Matrix movie came out before Engadget even existed, but this year the film series is back. The Matrix 4 is one of the movies WarnerMedia is premiering on HBO Max and in theaters at the same time, however fans are still wondering what the off...

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Friday, 29 January 2021

NASA's SLS rocket will go through a second and longer hot fire test

NASA will conduct a second hot fire test for the Space Launch System’s rocket core stage as early as the fourth week of February. It will be part of the rocket’s Green Run series of tests meant to assess the core stage and ensure it’s ready for the A...

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GeForce Now game streaming starts to roll out Chrome support

If you’d like to try NVIDIA’s cloud gaming service without installing the app, then you may be able to access it via your computer’s browser now. XDA points out that release notes for version 2.0.27 of GeForce Now reveal beta support for the Chrome b...

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This week's best deals: $100 off Apple's Magic Keyboard for iPad and more

This week has been a good one if you’re looking to save money on some Apple devices. Not only is the Magic Keyboard for iPad discounted by $100, but you can also save on AirPods Pro, the latest 27-inch iMac and the M1 Mac mini. We also found a few go...

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Breaking down Reddit's battle over GameStop's stock

I get it, the story of how Redditors banded together to increase the value of GameStop’s stock is confusing. So we tapped business journalist Mike Futter, author of the GameDev Business Handbook and co-host of the Virtual Economy Podcast, to help us...

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ASUS ZenBook Duo review (2021): A better dual-screen notebook for less

ASUS isn't giving up on dual-screen PCs anytime soon. This year, it revamped the ultraportable ZenBook Duo with a rising second screen, more power and vastly improved software for working across two displays. Plus, the $999 starting price means you w...

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Samsung Mobile's head of camera R&D wants your phone to 'personalize' your photos

Samsung announced its first Galaxy S smartphone in the heady days of 2010, and at the time, people were too jazzed by its 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and 1GHz processor to fret much about its cameras. The same could be said of Samsung itself — the com...

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The ‘Justice League’ Snyder Cut debuts March 18th on HBO Max

HBO Max is preparing to finally release the Snyder Cut and fans won’t have to wait much longer to get their eyes on director Zack Snyder’s true vision for Justice League. The retooled version of the superhero blockbuster will hit the streaming servic...

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Driverless robotaxis are now available for public rides in China

After lots of tests, it’s now possible to hail a truly driverless robotaxi in China. AutoX has become the first in the country to offer public rides in autonomous vehicles without safety drivers. You’ll need to sign up for a pilot program in Shenzhen...

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UK will investigate Uber’s plan to buy British rival Autocab

In August 2020, Uber announced that it would buy a British company that had positioned itself as the taxi industry’s answer to ride-hailing. Today, the UK’s competition regulator said that it would examine the proposed deal and its impact upon the co...

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Finally, I can solve a Rubik’s Cube

The Rubik’s Cube has been around for decades. I’ve toyed with the cube, probably in the very late ‘80s or early ‘90s, but never even imagined being able to solve one; from entirely shuffled, to perfectly ordered. But wouldn’t it be satisfying if I co...

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'Left 4 Dead 2' is finally available, uncensored, in Germany

Germany is getting the uncut version of Left 4 Dead 2 at last, over 11 years after Valve released the game. The developer has announced on Steam that it recently asked German authorities to reevaluate the survival horror game and, as a result, can no...

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The Morning After: Robinhood, Reddit and Gamestop

It’s been a chaotic couple of days for Gamestop, Reddit (well, subreddit WallStreetBets) and Robinhood. Respectively, a gaming retailer that’s recently struggled, a forum for small-scale investors and an app aimed at those very same casual stock trad...

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'Destiny 2' shifts away from weekly bounties to seasonal challenges

For the latest season of Destiny 2, Bungie is making some changes in how activities, rewards and challenges will work, the company announced. To that end, the company has eliminated the weekly bounty system that forced players to sign in and complete...

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Disney releases interactive short 'Baymax Dreams' on GeForce Now

Sundance Film Festival isn’t happening this year — not in person, anyway — so creators are finding new ways to showcase their creations. The folks at Disney, for instance, are offering an interactive short through NVIDIA’s GeForce Now, a streaming se...

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Google will soon allow gambling apps on the Play Store in the US

Android users in regions other than the UK, Ireland, France and Brazil will soon be able to find and download real-money gambling apps from the Play Store. Google has updated its program policy allowing apps that “enable or facilitate online gambling...

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Tesla's Roadster won't go into production until 2022

Since Tesla launched its sleek and wildly fast next-gen Roadster supercar EV back in 2017, we haven’t heard a ton about it. In a recent tweet, however, Elon Musk said that Roadster production isn’t set to start until next year (2022), confirming that...

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Facebook is reportedly building a newsletter tool for indie writers

Facebook is building its own newsletter tools, according to The New York Times. The social network is reportedly working on the initiative to offer more services to independent writers and journalists as part of the Facebook Journalism Project. It’s...

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Thursday, 28 January 2021

Robinhood raises $1 billion, will reopen GameStop stock purchases on Friday

Amid complaints from customers, at least one lawsuit and growing criticism from lawmakers in both major parties, Robinhood announced that on Friday, it plans to once again allow “limited buys” of 13 securities it had restricted on Thursday.That clamp...

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Engadget Podcast: How Reddit day traders blew up GameStop's stock

If you were confused about how, exactly, a bunch of Reddit finance obsessives turned the beleaguered GameStop into a white hot stock, you’re not alone. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Mike Futter, author of the GameDev Business Handbook an...

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Xiaomi's remote wireless charging powers up your phone from across the room

Inductive wireless charging that works via pads and coils is still not available everywhere or on every device, but XDA points out that Xiaomi is teasing a leap to the next step: remote wireless charging. Touchless “true” wireless charging could ener...

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GameStop stock market squeeze attracts attention from Congress

The Senate Committee on Banking will hold a hearing “on the current state of the stock market,” after Reddit’s GameStop squeeze ignited a fiery debate that pitted retail investors against hedge funds.“American workers have known for years the Wall St...

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This 2004 iPod can stream music from Spotify

While it went on to be eclipsed in importance by the iPhone, it’s fair to say most people have a special place in their hearts for the iPod. It is in many ways the defining gadget of the mid-aughts. So what better way to honor its legacy than by givi...

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Facebook's oversight board's first judgments overturn four moderation decisions

Facebook’s Oversight Board has today made judgments on its first five cases, which were selected for consideration on December 1st. This includes rulings on hate speech, as well as the right of users to post images of breasts without falling foul of...

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The best Pixel 4a 5G accessories

Google turned out three new phones this past year, and we were particularly fond of the $459 Pixel 4a 5G. It has nearly all the same features as the budget-friendly Pixel 4a, but packs in a bigger screen, a second wide-angle camera and a 5G radio, ma...

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Spotify gives NYU students the chance to learn how to podcast like a pro

There’s no doubt podcasts are having a moment. They have been for a while, and it started before we were all stuck at home. Music services, production companies and more are betting big on the format, by either snapping up platforms and high-profile...

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The Morning After: Tesla revamped the Model S and Model X

Tesla notched its first full year of profitability and said it delivered nearly 500,000 cars, but right now, I’m going to talk about that steering wheel. As previously seen on prototypes for the Cybertruck and Roadster, Tesla is rolling out a “steeri...

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Baidu secures license for full driverless road tests in California

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has granted Baidu permission to test its autonomous vehicles without a driver behind the wheel. It’s had authority to test its vehicles in California since 2016, but up until now, it could only do so with a...

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Rovio gives up on its mobile game streaming service

Angry Birds developer Rovio has quietly wound down its mobile game streaming service. First spotted by Gamasutra, the official Hatch website now has a message explaining that the platform was retired on December 31st, 2020. Rovio hasn’t provided a re...

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The smartphone market is growing again

It’s taken a while but the smartphone market appears to be growing once again. IDC (International Data Corporation) has announced that handset shipments reached 385.9 million in the final quarter of 2020, up 16 million year-over-year. It’s an impress...

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Samsung boosts profits despite a drop in smartphone sales

Samsung boosted profits by 26.4 percent for its fourth-quarter despite an 11 percent drop in smartphone sales over last year, the company announced. For the entire 2020 fiscal year, in the midst of a pandemic, it saw revenue and profits both rise to...

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WhatsApp now requires biometric authentication for PC and web access

You’ll now have to confirm your identity using your biometric information to link a WhatsApp account to the PC or the web. The Facebook—owned company has added a layer of protection to its apps in order to limit the chances of somebody else linking t...

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Wednesday, 27 January 2021

International authorities disrupt NetWalker ransomware scheme

Law enforcement agencies from several countries have teamed up in a coordinated effort against a ransomware called NetWalker. According to the US Department of Justice’s announcement, NetWalker was used to attack schools, hospitals, companies, govern...

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Tim Cook: Active install base of iPhones is now over 1 billion

Last year the install base of active iPhones grew to over 900 million devices, and in Apple’s Q4 2020 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook revealed that after the launch of the iPhone 12 family, it is now over 1 billion. In an interview with Reuters, he point...

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Discord bans Reddit’s WallStreetBets for hate speech as scrutiny intensifies

Discord has banned the server used by the controversial subreddit r/WallStreetBets for what it says are repeated violations of the company’s hate speech policies. The ban comes as the subreddit’s moderators briefly took the group private, saying they...

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