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Razer has to pay over $1.1 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle complaints that it advertised its infamous Zephyr masks as N95-grade when it didn't get them certified at all. The gaming peripheral maker released Zephyr, its high-tech face mask with built-in RGB lighting, during the height of the pandemic. Half a year later, in early 2022, it introduced a "Pro" version that added voice amplification. Razer said back then the Zephyr was as effective as an N95 mask, but it later reneged on its claim and removed all references to "N95-grade" filters from its website and other marketing materials after it came out that the company didn't obtain proper certification.  According to the FTC, Razer never submitted the Zephyr masks for testing to the FDA or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which gives out the official certification for masks that filter out 95 percent of airborne particles. Razer certainly isn't in th...

The European Union is getting ready to launch a new investigation into Meta over its handling of election-related content, according to a new report in The Guardian. Details of the investigation could be announced “later this week,” but European officials are reportedly concerned about “deceptive advertising and political content.” According to the Financial Times, the EU has also raised concerns about Russia’s “efforts to undermine upcoming European elections” and other foreign interference campaigns. The EU is set to hold parliamentary elections in June. If the company is found to have run afoul of the Europe’s Digital Services Act, it could be hit with large fines. EU officials are also “particularly concerned” about Meta’s plan to shut down CrowdTangle in August. The tool has been widely used by researchers and fact checkers for years to study how content spreads across Facebook and Instagram. Dozens of researchers and fact-checking groups signed an open letter to the company last ...

Getir is hightailing it out of everywhere but Turkey. On Monday, the “instant delivery” startup said it would exit the US, UK, Germany and the Netherlands to serve its Turkish home market exclusively. TechCrunch notes the closures are likely to wipe out 6,000 jobs at the company. Getir's business model, distinct from traditional shopping services like Instacart (which has problems of its own), involves establishing micro-fulfillment centers in urban areas that carry groceries and household essentials. This often lets them fulfill orders within minutes — hence the “instant delivery” moniker. Once valued at $12 billion, the startup experienced a surge in growth during the pandemic as investors bet on COVID-era consumer shopping habits enduring after lockdowns. So much for that. “This decision will allow Getir to focus its financial resources on Turkey,” the company told TechCrunch in a statement. The startup said the markets it’s exiting made up about seven percent of its revenues. E...

iOS, Safari, and the App Store were already designated as Gatekeeper services under the DMA in September 2023. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Following an almost eight-month investigation into whether Apple’s iPadOS holds enough market power to warrant stricter regulation, the European Commission has now designated the iPad operating system as a Gatekeeper service under its flagship Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules. “The Commission concluded that iPadOS constitutes an important gateway for business users to reach end users, and that Apple enjoys an entrenched and durable position with respect to iPadOS,” reads a statement published by the Commission on Monday. “Apple now has six months to ensure full compliance with the DMA obligations as applied to iPadOS.” Under the DMA, which came into force on March 7th, iPadOS will now have to comply with a broad range of rules that allow... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

That’s too cold! | Image: Amazon I don’t know about you, but when I have a nasty case of the hot phone, I have to get rid of that heat this instant. Just kidding, I usually just put it down for a while or restart it when it’s being especially stubborn. But there are companies out there marketing a different solution: little stick-on phone-cooling fans that purport to draw all that heat away. And their product images are a little, uh, excessively icy. How did it come to this? What kicked off this arms race of increasingly frosty phones? I have to assume things started innocently enough, but these RGB-riddled things are pretty squarely aimed at gamers — I’d guess it didn’t take long for these product shots to snowball into the wildly unrealistic pictures on Amazon today. ... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Join us as we delve into the elegant and electrifying world of the Alfa Romeo Junior. From its iconic name change to the cutting-edge technology powering this modern classic, discover why the Junior could be a game-changer for car enthusiasts and eco-friendly drivers alike. Hashtags: #AlfaRomeoJunior, #ElectricCars, #CarReview, #ItalianCars, #EcoFriendlyDriving, #AutoEnthusiast, #ModernClassics, #TechTalk, #CarDesign, #GreenGround Remember, if you want to stay updated with the latest trends, news, and tech reviews, don’t forget to like and subscribe to Greenground! Follow up on our website https://www.greenground.it or follow up on our social #fyp, #foryou, #love, #explorepage, #trending, #reviews, #news #YouTube: https://youtube.com/@LivioAcerbo #TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greengroundit #Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greengroundit/ #X(Twitter): https://x.com/greengroundit #Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacer2k/ #Podcast: https://anchor.fm/livioacerbo #Medium: https:/...

Last week, the UK announced its largest ever military support package for Ukraine. The bill takes the U.K.’s total support for this financial year to £3 billion — not quite the $50 billion the US pledged recently, but still substantial. But while most of those funds will be spent on very traditional military hardware, a © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Welcome, folks, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering this week’s noteworthy happenings in tech. TikTok’s fate in the U.S. looks uncertain after President Joe Biden signed a bill that included a deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to divest itself of TikTok within nine months or face a ban on distributing it © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

It's easier for climate companies to get enough funding to get started. It's much harder once they need money to scale. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Illustration: The Verge Overnight, many people reported on social media that they were inexplicably logged out of their Apple IDs and then required to reset their passwords when they tried to sign in again, and nobody seems to know why. Some reported needing to enter their iPhone passcode to connect to iCloud again, while others with Stolen Device Protection enabled said they had to wait an hour before being able to log in. Apple’s System Status webpage shows no current issues with any of its services, so it’s not clear if this was a widespread issue. That said, 9to5Mac reports that even a few of its staff members were also affected by the issue. At least one Forbes contributor apparently experienced the issue as well. The outlet saw no indication that this... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Google filed a motion on Friday in a Virginia federal court asking for the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against it to be thrown away. The DOJ sued Google in January 2023, accusing the company of monopolizing digital advertising technologies through “anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct.” Per Bloomberg, Google is now seeking summary judgment to avoid the case going to trial in September as planned. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at the time the lawsuit was first announced that Google “has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful conduct to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies.” The lawsuit alleges that Google controls digital advertising tools to such an extent that it “pockets on average more than 30 percent of the advertising dollars that flow through its digital advertising technology products,” according to a press release from the agency last year. Google now argues that that the DOJ hasn...

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge I paid a lot of money for the privilege of getting an Apple Vision Pro brand-new in February. All-in, with optical inserts and taxes, I financed a little over $3,900 for the 256GB version of the headset. A day or so ago, I made a mistake that I’m sure many early adopters are familiar with: I looked up how much it’s been selling for on eBay. On Wednesday, a 1TB Vision Pro, complete with all the included gear, Apple’s fluffy $200 travel case, $500 AppleCare Plus, and claimed to have been “worn maybe about an hour” sold for $3,200 after 21 bids. The listed shipping estimate was $20.30. Brand new, that combination is $5,007.03 on Apple’s site for me. Another eBay listing, this one with my headset’s configuration (but sans optical inserts) w... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Brick by brick. | Illustration by Myriam Wares for The Verge Apple’s reckoning isn’t just the end of an era for the company — it’s a reflection of the smartphone’s fall from beloved gadget to commodity. Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Plus: Google holds off on killing cookies, Samourai Wallet founders get arrested, and GM stops driver surveillance program. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has concluded an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system after reviewing hundreds of crashes, including 13 fatal incidents that led to 14 deaths. The organization has ruled that these accidents were due to driver misuse of the system. However, the NHTSA also found that “Tesla’s weak driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities.” In other words, the software didn’t prioritize driver attentiveness. Riders using Autopilot or the company’s Full Self-Driving technology “were not sufficiently engaged,” because Tesla “did not adequately ensure that drivers maintained their attention on the driving task."  The organization investigated nearly 1,000 crashes from January of 2018 until August of 2023, accounting for 29 total deaths. The NHTSA found that there was “insufficient data to make an assessment” for around half (489) of these crashes. In some incidents, ...

Even now, the last-gen MacBook is a speedy machine with a stunning, spacious display. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge It’s been a good week for Apple fans. Not only did Apple announce its forthcoming “Let Loose” event, but the entire M3-powered 13-inch MacBook Air lineup received a notable discount. And now, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro chip has plunged to an all-time low. If you require a laptop capable of handling more intense workloads than the Air, authorized Apple retailer Expercom is selling the last-gen MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, a 12‑core CPU, and a 19‑core GPU for $1,998.99 ($500 off) via Amazon. Like the new M3-powered MacBook Pros, Apple’s last-gen MacBooks can tackle tasks like video editing and photo processing while lasting well over a full workday, which makes them better suited for creative professionals... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

xAI, Elon Musk’s 10-month-old competitor to the AI phenom OpenAI, is raising $6 billion on a pre-money valuation of $18 billion, according to one trusted source close to the deal. The deal – which would give investors one quarter of the company –  is expected to close in the next few weeks unless the terms © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Norwest Venture Partners, a 65-year-old firm backed solely by Wells Fargo, has raised its 17th fund at $3 billion. That’s a noteworthy number, given that NVP last raised the same amount in December 2021. That was the peak of the venture boom, and at that time, the firm said it increased its capital pool by © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

World of Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch fans who were looking forward to getting together at BlizzCon in November may be disappointed to learn that Blizzard has canceled this year's edition of the event. The publisher didn't give a clear reason as to why it made that decision, but said it was "not made lightly as BlizzCon remains a very special event for all of us, and we know many of you look forward to it."  Even so, BlizzCon isn't necessarily gone for good, unlike E3. "While we’re approaching this year differently and as we have explored different event formats in the past, rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years," Blizzard wrote in a blog post. The publisher plans to spill the beans about expansions (including the upcoming three-part WoW saga and Diablo IV DLC) for its franchises at other events, such as industry trade shows and Gamescom. Now that Blizzard is under Microsoft's umbrella, we can proba...

As part of its Q1 2024 earning release, Snap revealed that total watch time on its TikTok competitor, Spotlight, increased more than 125% year-over-year. Snapchat launched the TikTok-like feed in late 2020 as a way to compete with the rising popularity of TikTok. The company is touting the success of its short-from video feed a © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

TikTok suspended a gamification feature in the European Union following an intervention by the bloc. With attention on TikTok’s growing pile of US legal woes, the announcement went mostly unnoticed when it occurred late local time Wednesday. TikTok’s move came just two days after the EU opened an investigation into a so-called “task and reward” © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

ICICI Bank, one of India’s top private banks, exposed the sensitive data of thousands of new credit cards to customers who were not their intended recipients. The Mumbai-based bank confirmed to TechCrunch Thursday that its digital channels “erroneously mapped” about 17,000 credit cards issued in the past few days to “wrong” users. The issue came © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Though many eyes are on space as orbit develops into a thriving business ecosystem, Radical is keeping things a little closer to the ground — but not too close. Its high-altitude, solar-powered aircraft aim to succeed where Facebook’s infamous Aquila failed by refining the tech and embracing more markets. It’s hard to believe that Facebook’s © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Image: Getty During last night’s earnings call with investors, Elon Musk threw out an all-time late-night dorm room bong sesh of an idea: what if AWS, but for Tesla? Musk, who loves to riff on earnings calls, compared the unused compute power of millions of idle Tesla vehicles to Amazon’s cloud service business. If they’re just sitting there, he mused, why not put them to good use to run AI models? (Also, have you ever really looked at your hands? No, I mean really looked?) “There’s a potential... when the car is not moving to actually run distributed inference,” Musk said. “If you imagine the future perhaps where there’s a fleet of 100 million Teslas and on average, they’ve got like maybe a kilowatt of inference compute. That’s 100 gigawatts of inference compute, distributed all around the world.” So, to summarize, you buy a Tesla. It’s your property. But Musk wants to freely use the unused compute power in your vehicle for... something? Possibly AI-related? Hopefully not the ...

Advances in generative AI have taken the tech world by storm. Biotech investors are making a big bet that similar computational methods could revolutionize drug discovery. On Tuesday, ARCH Venture Partners and Foresite Labs, an affiliate of Foresite Capital, announced that they incubated Xaira Therapeutics and funded the AI biotech with $1 billion. Other investors © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

It used to be that you could pay for a retail version of Windows 11 and expect it to be ad-free, but those days are apparently finito. The latest update to Windows 11 (KB5036980) comes out this week and includes ads for apps in the "recommended" section of the Start Menu, one of the most oft-used parts of the OS. "The Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps," according to the release notes. "These apps come from a small set of curated developers."  The app suggestions are enabled by default, but you can restore your previously pristine Windows experience if you've installed the update, fortunately. To do so, go into Settings and select Personalization > Start and switch the "Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more" toggle to "off." The new "feature" arrives just weeks after it appeared as an Insider beta, showing how quickly Microsoft can implement things when it wants to...

The European Union has adopted a right-to-repair directive that will make it easier for consumers to get their devices fixed. The new rules extend a product's guarantee if it breaks under warranty, while obliging manufacturers to repair devices no longer covered. The law still needs to be approved by member nations.  Devices sold in Europe already offer minimum two-year warranties, but the new rules impose additional requirements. If a device is repaired under warranty, the customer must be given a choice between a replacement or a repair. If they choose the latter, the warranty is to be extended by a year.  Once it expires, companies are still required to repair "common household products" that are repairable under EU law, like smartphones, TVs and certain appliances (the list of devices can be extended over time). Consumer may also borrow a device during the repair or, if it can't be fixed, opt for a refurbished unit as an alternative. The EU says repairs must be of...

Most microSD cards are fast enough for stashing photos, recording video and transferring files, but some will get you a little more bang for your buck than others. If you’re looking to boost the internal storage of your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, GoPro, Raspberry Pi or any other device that still has compatibility with microSD cards, we can help. We’ve thoroughly researched the market and put more than a dozen microSD cards through a range of benchmark tests: Here are the best that we’ve tested, along with some general advice on what to look for when buying a new card.Editor’s note (4/24/24): Samsung has released an upgraded version of our “best value” pick, the Evo Select. We plan to test it soon and update our guide accordingly. Samsung says the new model can reach sequential read speeds up to 160 MB/s, so it should still be a step down from our other top picks, which we continue to recommend What to look for in a microSD card Capacity The first thing to figure out when buying a mi...

With the current iteration of its product going through its paces with a handful of beta customers, FlexAI will launch its first commercial product later this year. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Achieving your fitness goals doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Keeping track of your progress will be crucial, but not everyone needs to drop hundreds of dollars on the best smartwatches out there. The average affordable tracker might offer just the right tools to help kickstart your health journey. And, after testing a number of affordable fitness trackers, I can say with confidence that you might be surprised by how much a $100 (or less) wearable can do. Many of these gadgets go well beyond being glorified pedometers, providing in-depth reports on how you're sleeping at night or giving you a breakdown of your heart rate variability during a workout. But given their price, there will be some sacrifices. To help you decide which is right for you, I tested a number of the best cheap fitness trackers available today to find the ones that are worth your money. What to look for in a cheap fitness tracker All of the best fitness trackers should have at least three features: a...

Tesla profits fell 55% to $1.13 billion in the first quarter from the same year-ago period as a protracted EV price-cutting strategy and “several unforeseen challenges” cut into the automaker’s bottom line. Tesla reported revenue of $21.3 billion in the first quarter, a 9% drop from the first quarter of 2023. Analysts polled by Yahoo Finance © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Meta announced it’s opening up the Quest’s operating system to third-party companies, allowing them to build headsets of their own. The Quest OS is being rebranded to Meta Horizon OS and already has two companies interested. ASUS’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand is working on new “performance gaming” headsets, while Lenovo’s focus is on devices for “productivity, learning and entertainment.” However, most intriguingly, perhaps, Meta says it’s also working on a limited-edition Xbox “inspired” Quest headset. (Microsoft and Meta also worked together recently to bring Xbox cloud gaming to the Quest.) While this could just be a reskinned Quest 3, this collaboration could lead to future headsets made entirely for Microsoft’s consoles. If PlayStation can have VR, then surely Xbox can too. — Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed Grindr sued for allegedly sharing users’ HIV status and other info with ad companies What we watched: Bluey’s joyful finales Amazon halts drone deliverie...

The transaction represents a premium of a whopping 212% over Matterport’s last closing share price before the deal was announced on April 22. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Newsletter platform Ghost is the latest service to pledge support for ActivityPub, the open source protocol powering the fediverse. The company announced Monday it would add ActivityPub support later this year in a move that could bring tens of millions of people into the fediverse. The fediverse is a growing collection of services, including Mastodon, Flipboard and Threads, that support the ActivityPub protocol. It’s part of a growing movement for decentralized social media services, which rely on open protocols rather than closed networks. Proponents often compare it to email, which allows people to communicate regardless of their preferred app or platform. In a blog post laying out its vision, Ghost said it was joining the fediverse in an effort to “bring back” the open web. “On, Ghost publishers will be able to follow, like and interact with one another in the same way that you would normally do on a social network — but on your own website,” the company wrote. “The difference, of ...

Equity discusses the latest markets news, upcoming earnings, IPOs, and what impact — if any — the recent bitcoin halving had on its value. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge DolphiniOS, a fork of the popular Dolphin emulator for Nintendo Wii and GameCube games, has confirmed that it’s not coming to the Apple App Store even though emulators are now supported. In a post on Friday, the developer behind the emulator says it’s because Apple doesn’t allow DolphiniOS to use its underlying performance-boosting tech. As explained by developer OatmealDome, DolphiniOS — along with other Wii and GameCube emulators — uses something called Just-in-Time (JIT). This is a compiler that “translates” the GameCube and Wii’s PowerPC-based code into a language other devices can understand, making emulations run a lot smoother. Even with the recent App Store policy changes, DolphiniOS still cannot be submitted to the App Store... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo from Getty Images Political strategists aren’t throwing away TikTok, even after their election candidates try to force its sale on national security grounds. Joe Biden faces the camera, casually dressed for a US president in khaki slacks and a quarter zip. He jovially answers a series of questions about the Super Bowl happening that day: Chiefs or Niners? Jason Kelce or Travis Kelce? And finally: Trump or Biden? “Are you kidding? Biden,” the president says with a smile. That video marked the presidential reelection campaigns’ debut on TikTok, the massively popular video app that’s captured the attention of 170 million Americans. As of April, the video has more than 10.5 million views. Still, just weeks after that launch, Biden would pledge to sign a bill that could oust the app from the US unless it finds a way to separate from its Chinese parent company in six months once it takes effect. As of Saturday, that bill looks one step closer to...

Phone cameras have evolved a lot, with image processing becoming increasingly important and granular controls to help users tweak their images. Despite that, many people are still fond of old-school photography styles and techniques. Developer Alex Fox wanted to focus on that nostalgia while building the Mood.camera app. The iPhone app lets you switch between © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Venture capital activity in Africa has shown resilience over the past six months, with major firms backing startups on the continent closing their funds despite the ongoing funding winter.  In the latest development, TLcom Capital, an African VC firm with offices in Lagos and Nairobi and a focus on early-stage startups, has concluded fundraising for © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Piyush Gupta, one of the operating leaders at Peak XV Partners, is leaving the firm at the end of this month to start his own fund, four people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. Gupta joined Peak XV (called Sequoia India and SEA then) in 2017, leading the influential venture firm’s strategic development team. Before © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

President Biden this weekend signed into law a bill that reauthorizes a controversial spying program under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Section 702 of FISA, which has now been extended for two more years, allows for warrantless intelligence gathering on foreign targets. While its focus is on the communications of targets located outside the US, that includes any exchanges with people stateside, meaning Americans’ records can get swept up in these collections too. The Senate vote on reauthorizing Section 702 came down to the wire. It was set to expire on Friday at midnight, but was recently given an extension until April 2025, according to The New York Times, lest it lapse while disagreements over proposed amendments dragged on. Section 702’s extension period was also shortened, cutting it down to two years instead of the previous five. Congress did ultimately miss the deadline on Friday, but it passed with a 60-34 vote, CBS News reported. The White House issued a s...

Mathematicians are using topological abstractions to find places poorly served by polling stations. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Join us on Greenground as we explore "Civil War," the gripping 2024 movie directed by Alex Garland. Dive into a dystopian future where America is torn by a second civil war. Discover the themes, cast, and cinematic mastery behind this compelling narrative. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more insights into the movies that are shaping our world. #CivilWar2024, #AlexGarland, #KirstenDunst, #FutureAmerica, #MovieReview, #FilmAnalysis, #DystopianFilm, #MovieBuff, #FilmCritique, #NewMovies2024 Remember, if you want to stay updated with the latest trends, news, and tech reviews, don’t forget to like and subscribe to Greenground! Follow up on our website https://www.greenground.it or follow up on our social #fyp, #foryou, #love, #explorepage, #trending, #reviews, #news #YouTube: https://youtube.com/@LivioAcerbo #TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greengroundit #Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greengroundit/ #X(Twitter): https://x.com/greengrou...

As India kicks off the world’s biggest election, which starts on April 19 and runs through June 1, the electoral landscape is overshadowed by misinformation. The country — which has more than 830 million internet users and is home to the largest user base for social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram — is already © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The Poetry Camera takes the concept of photography to new heights by generating poetry based on the visuals it encounters. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Apple's mixed-reality headset is impossible to ignore and, one WIRED writer finds, can create a wall of isolation between partners. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge Delta, an app for emulating and playing retro games on your iPhone, has been at the top of the App Store rankings for days. Apple spent years keeping apps like this off its platforms before reversing course earlier this month in the face of European regulation and the threat of a whole bunch of new third-party app stores. Obviously, there was huge pent-up demand for Delta. But is this a singular phenomenon or the start of a new more open future for the iPhone? What else might Apple allow in the App Store if it means keeping you in the App Store? On this episode of The Vergecast, we discuss how Delta got into the App Store and what it might mean for the future of the iPhone. We don’t really talk about all the thorny legal issues around ROMs and emulation because they’re thorny and confusing and don’t even really have a clear answer, but we’ll get back to it soon. After that, we talk about some big news in big tech: Google’s corporate reorg as it ...

Curls and waves are beautiful. But when you want to smooth them out, these hot tools—irons, brushes, and combs—work wonders. Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Apple could soon let developers in the European Union use its tap-to-pay technology. A report from Reuters reveals that EU regulators could sign off on Apple’s proposal to open the payment system next month, putting a two-year-long legal battle to rest. In 2022, the European Commission accused Apple of abusing “its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets.” It claimed Apple prevented third-party payment apps from using the iPhone’s NFC (near-field communication) hardware “to the benefit of its own solution,” Apple Pay. The European Commission announced earlier this year that Apple committed to allowing third-party payment providers to freely use the iPhone’s NFC capabilities. Apple’s proposal would also give developers access to... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Do you like rip-roaring science fiction books? Do you like movies? Then you are in for a treat in, well, two years. Amazon MGM Studios just set a release date of March 20, 2026 for Project Hail Mary, according to Deadline. It’s based on the Andy Weir novel of the same name, which was one of our favorite books of the past few years, so color us excited. The film stars honorary SNL cast member Ryan Gosling and will be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind The Lego Movie and, allegedly, most of the good parts of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Lord also wrote a little-known movie called Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The script was penned by Drew Goddard, who cut his teeth on TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost before moving onto features. He directed Cabin in the Woods, which is somehow both iconic and underrated at the same time. If the name Andy Weir sounds familiar, it’s because he wrote a book called The Martian, which inspired the Matt Damon film. Inc...

Before you head into the weekend to hike, pull weeds, play games or go to work, you may feel a hankering to snap up a few tech gadgets. If that's the case, here's a roundup of all the deals we found this week on gear we've tested, reviewed and just generally recommend. To get cleaner floors without much work, check out the discount codes below from Wellbots on three different iRobot robot vacs. We found discounts on streaming dongles including Google's Chromecast HD and Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max, as well as new sales on security cameras from the same companies (Google Nest and Blink). There are also savings to be had from Anker, 8BitDo and Sonos. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.  Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/some-of-our-favorite-anker-power...

Introduction:In the ever-evolving landscape of robotics, Boston Dynamics has once again made headlines with their latest iteration of the Atlas robot. Known for its impressive capabilities in navigating complex terrains... Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

Razer Razer’s latest mobile gaming controller just released today, the Kishi Ultra, is an all-rounder that can switch between multiple devices. The controller has a built-in USB-C port that can work with the iPhone 15 series as well as most Android smartphones (Razer says it’s compatible with the Galaxy 23 series, Pixel 6 and up, the Razer Edge, and “many other Android devices.”) It also seems to work perfectly fine with Galaxy Z Fold 5 and other foldables. The controller can expand to fit your iPad Mini and any 8-inch Android tablets, and you can also tether it to your PC. Razer Razer’s Kishi Ultra can also work on tablets. One interesting feature in the Kishi Ultra is the inclusion of Razer’s Sensa HD immersive... Continue reading… Posted from: this blog via Microsoft Flow .

The developer behind the popular, award-winning and slightly bawdy Baldur's Gate 3 confirmed that it won't be doing Baldur's Gate 4 — but it does have other irons in the fire.   "We won't be introducing any major new narrative content to the story of Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) or its origin characters and companions, nor will we be making expansions or Baldur’s Gate 4," Larian Studio wrote in a community update on Steam. "We’re currently working on two new projects and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future has in store." Larian promised more news about the new games "later down the line," but did give a hint about the style. "Know that even as our focus turns to these new games, the sensibilities that brought you Baldur’s Gate 3 are alive and well here at the Larian castle. I don’t know if we’re going to pull it off, but looking at our narrative, visual and gameplay plans, I think what we’re working on now will be our best w...