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Jan 18, 2020
Welcome to Hitting the Books. With less than one in five Americans reading just for fun these days, we've done the hard work for you by scouring the internet for the most interesting, thought provoking books on science and technology we can find and...
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Jan 18, 2020
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
Welcome to your weekend! The first week back after CES has been a long one, but now it's time to relax. Below there are some highlighted stories from Friday and the rest of the week, but the news I needed to see...
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Jan 18, 2020
How the internet helped crack the Astros' sign-stealing case
Joon Lee,
ESPN
One of the biggest sports stories of the year has already broke, and it's barely mid-January. If you haven't heard, Major League Baseball determined the Houston Astros use...
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Jan 18, 2020
Apple has started testing the location toggle button it promised to iPhone 11 users. Late last year, security researcher Brian Krebs discovered that the iPhone 11 Pro constantly checks for your location even if you disable Location Services. Apple ex...
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Jan 17, 2020
Microsoft's cheapest Xbox One S is back to the lowest price we've seen, and is available for $150 at Walmart this weekend, $100 off the regular price. A few Black Friday deals saw the All-Digital version of the console drop to a price that low, but n...
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Jan 17, 2020
Kingpin: Life of Crime, a first-person shooter from 1999, is getting a remaster. If you never imagined this happening -- "I'll take games I never thought would be remastered for $100, Alex" -- we feel you. The title didn't enjoy as much popularity as...
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Jan 17, 2020
One of the last major steps before SpaceX flies its Crew Dragon craft with real NASA astronauts onboard is an "in-flight abort test." Scheduled to take place during a four-hour window on Saturday, Sunday or Monday morning, it will test the vehicle's...
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Jan 17, 2020
One of the last major steps before SpaceX flies its Crew Dragon craft with real NASA astronauts onboard is an "in-flight abort test." Scheduled to take place during a four-hour window on Saturday, Sunday or Monday morning, it will test the vehicle's...
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Jan 17, 2020
An HTC executive is learning first-hand about the dangers of making unsupported statements in your presentations. Valve has rejected speculation that it's working on a third Left 4 Dead game after Alvin Wang Graylin, HTC's president for Vive in Chin...
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Jan 17, 2020
Hulu has just scored what will likely be a huge show for long-time comedy fans. The Disney-owned service has ordered a series starring comedy giants Steve Martin (his first leading TV role, apparently) and Martin Short. There's no title yet, but Ma...
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Jan 17, 2020
With the ongoing bushfires in Australia, Humble has launched a new Australia Fire Relief Bundle designed to help organizations working to save and rehabilitate animals affected by the disaster. Those who donate a minimum of $25 will get access to alm...
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Jan 17, 2020
With current technology, a human liver donated for transplant can only be kept alive for 24 hours, and often, if the liver is damaged or diseased, it cannot be considered for transplant. That could soon change. Liver4Life, a Wyss Institute project, h...
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Jan 17, 2020
Kaylen Ward's Twitter fundraiser for the Australian bushfire relief has ended. The Los Angeles-based model said she raised $1 million (by comparison Jeff Bezos donated $690,000). At the start of Ms. Ward's successful donation drive she had three Inst...
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Jan 17, 2020
Björk is no stranger to using technology to express her music in more inventive ways, but now she's using it to shape the music itself in unexpected forms. The Icelandic star is using Microsoft AI as part of Kórsafn ("choral archives"),...
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Jan 17, 2020
Life is Strange 2 deals with a litany of heavy themes, covering everything from police violence and immigration in the United States, to racism and family bonds. French studio Dontnod handles each subject with care, respect and research, consulting w...
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Jan 17, 2020
I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the history of guitar pedals. But, I'm fairly confident in saying there has never been a pedal quite like Rainger FX's Minibar. It's an overdrive pedal, but one that requires a little something extra to wor...
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Jan 17, 2020
When GoPro revealed the Hero 8's "mod" accessories, there was a clear favorite: The Media Mod ($80). The light and the fold-out screen looked handy, but the Media Mod added much-needed functionality beyond the action realm. Most notably, a dedicated...
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Jan 17, 2020
Julia Louis-Dreyfus had her greatest success since Seinfeld with HBO's Veep. After seven seasons of producing and starring in the hit show, she's moving onto new projects -- the actress signed a multi-year overall deal with Apple, according to Deadli...
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Jan 17, 2020
True wireless earbuds are the new black, but let's face it -- most of them look boring at best and ugly at worst. The updated Horizon Earphones by Master & Dynamic and Louis Vuitton solve that first-world problem, but at a cost. The buds made wav...
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Jan 17, 2020
Think back to 2001: Lifehouse's 'Hanging by a Moment' was (inexplicably) the number one song. NASA launched the Genesis space probe. Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released in theaters. The fi...
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Jan 17, 2020
It seems we're not quite done with the recent deluge of game delays -- you'll now have to wait a bit longer before you can scoot around the skies in Tony Stark's suit in Iron Man VR. Camouflaj is shunting the PS VR game's release date from February 2...
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Jan 17, 2020
By Daniel Varghese and Adrienne Maxwell
This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to po...
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Jan 17, 2020
In an interview with the New York Times, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said the US should immediately repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The 1996 law is considered one of the cornerstones of the modern internet....
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Jan 17, 2020
If you thought that HBO was done mocking technology companies now that Silicon Valley is done, think again. Avenue 5 is the channel's new sitcom, and one that asks the question: "What if tech bros were in charge of more than just our internet histori...
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Jan 17, 2020
Google is reportedly working to bring Steam to Chromebooks. Kan Liu, director of product management for Google's Chrome OS, shared the news with Android Police. Unfortunately, Liu didn't reveal a timeline or share which games might be available.
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Jan 17, 2020
With official support from Netflix, Ben & Jerry's has announced a new flavor called Netflix and Chill'd. The ice cream is about as about decadent as you expect. It's made with peanut butter, salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownie chunks. The lid...
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Jan 17, 2020
To be able to develop unmanned aerial systems (UAS) more maneuverable than current models, roboticists are drawing inspiration from birds. A team of researchers from Stanford University's Lentink Lab, for instance, has built a robotic pigeon aptly ca...
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Jan 17, 2020
Last year, Xiaomi managed outdo OnePlus by releasing the powerful Pocophone F1 smartphone with a Snapdragon 845 processor for just $300. Now, the Chinese company announced that it's spinning that sub-brand off into a whole new company called Poco, ac...
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Jan 17, 2020
Microsoft has been experimenting with streaming Xbox games to Android phones and tablets for a while as it looks for an answer to the PS4's Remote Play. Now, after opening a limited beta late last year, all Xbox Insiders in countries that support Xbo...
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Jan 17, 2020
This week, Devindra, Cherlynn and Senior Editor Nick Summers take a relaxing break from the madness of CES by diving into some of this week's news, like the trailer for Japan's Super Nintendo World park. They also question the wisdom of Sony abandoni...
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Jan 17, 2020
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
On Thursday afternoon, Comcast and NBC execs hit the stage to pitch the new Peacock streaming service to investors. We heard a lot about the original content headed there, and I wrote up most of the information...
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Jan 17, 2020
Google has partnered with BT, one of the UK's largest internet service providers, to get its video game streaming service in more homes. Starting today, anyone that signs up for a Superfast Fibre 2, Ultrafast Fibre 100 or Ultrafast Fibre 250 package...
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Jan 17, 2020
Nestlé has revealed that it's adding another plant-based meat product to its selection after the "huge success" of its alternative burgers and grounds. It's launching plant-based sausages in the US and in Europe, and they're supposed to "taste...
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Jan 17, 2020
Can you name a single scripted original on the streaming service Facebook Watch? Me neither, which might be why Facebook appears to be cutting back on on them. The social network has canceled the original series Sorry For Your Loss (Elizabeth Olsen)...
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Jan 17, 2020
CD Projekt Red never intended to release Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer mode with the main game at launch. But if you were hoping to play with your friends in the game's futuristic setting within the year or the next, then we've got bad news for you. A...
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Jan 16, 2020
Two years after teaming up with Lyft to collaborate on self-driving technology, Magna said that partnership's coming to an end. The auto parts maker plans to focus on assisted driving products, instead of fully autonomous tech.
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Jan 16, 2020
As usual, the NPD group has rounded up sales stats for the last month, but with the flip from 2019 to 2020 it is also listing some of the best sellers over the last ten years. Grand Theft Auto V is the best selling game across all platforms and outle...
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Jan 16, 2020
Facebook will no longer push through with its plans to sell ads on WhatsApp, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company apparently disbanded the team it formed to find the most effective ways to integrate ads into the service. It also removed...
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Jan 16, 2020
Britain's push toward sustainable transport options has included wireless charging for electric buses and the introduction of electric taxis, which help improve air quality and use less petrol. Some of those electric taxis are now getting an easier w...
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Jan 16, 2020
Regardless of your opinion of Behringer, you can't deny that the company is tireless in its efforts to bring affordable versions of classic synths to the masses. In 2019 alone it successfully launched clones of the Korg MS-20, ARP Odyssey, Sequential...
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Jan 16, 2020
Like HBO Max and Disney , Comcast/NBC starts revealing details of its new streaming service with a presentation to investors. Now we know when Peacock will launch, and how much it will cost in addition to info about all of its content. Like so many o...
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Jan 16, 2020
Sony will release its 2017 PlayStation 4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn on PC later this year, according to Kotaku's Jason Schreier. Citing three sources "familiar with Sony's plans," he says the company will likely sell the game on both Steam and the...
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Jan 16, 2020
Data leaks by their nature subject people to some kind of unnecessary risk, but this latest could be genuinely dangerous. Researchers at vpnMentor have discovered that a porn cam affiliate network, PussyCash, left nearly 20GB of models' extremely se...
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Jan 16, 2020
While Apple Music has dipped its toes into year-end reviews and the like, it's fair to say playlists haven't been as much of a focus for the platform as say Spotify and YouTube Music. You won't, for example, find an algorithmically-generated soundtra...
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Jan 16, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shared some harsh criticisms of Facebook at a press conference today. Pelosi said Facebook doesn't care about truth and has been "very irresponsible."
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Jan 16, 2020
NBCUniversal is only revealing core details of its Peacock streaming service today, but that isn't stopping it from thinking about the project's long-term future. It just outlined a string of shows that will come sometime after the April launch, man...
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Jan 16, 2020
This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read Wirecutter's continuously updated list of deals here.
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Jan 16, 2020
World of Horror, the "unsettling cosmic horror retro RPG" created by a dentist using MS Paint arrives on Steam Early Access February 20th. A full launch date for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and Steam for PC and Mac OS X will be announced in late 2...
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Jan 16, 2020
You won't have to wait for a short-lived sale to score an Oculus Go below its original $199 asking price. Facebook has confirmed to Engadget that it has permanently dropped the price of the 32GB stand-alone VR headset to $149 (64GB is now $199), wit...
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Jan 16, 2020
When Google Stadia launched in November, it didn't garner an overwhelming reception, but it didn't exactly flop, either. It's a competent product that lets gamers play new titles with a modest investment in hardware. Just open up Chrome, an app or tu...
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Jan 16, 2020
2019 was the second-hottest year on record, and it's going to take a lot of effort to slow the Earth's ever-rising temperatures. Today, Microsoft announced details on what it'll do to help: the company now plans to be carbon negative by 2030.
"While...
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Jan 16, 2020
Twitter has apologized after the BBC found that the company's ad platform could be gamed to target neo-Nazis, Islamophobes and other hate groups. In a report published on Thursday, the BBC says it was able to use Twitter's advertising tools to broadl...
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Jan 16, 2020
When Arturia announced the Microfreak at NAMM last year, we told you there was nothing stopping the company from adding new oscillators down the line through firmware updates.
Well, guess what -- it's got a new oscillator.
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Jan 16, 2020
CD Projekt Red says Cyberpunk 2077 won't be ready in time for its scheduled April 16th release date. As such, it's delaying the futuristic RPG by five months to September 17th.
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Jan 16, 2020
Anytime Moog releases a new synth it's worth getting at least a little excited about. And the Subsequent 25 (or Sub 25) is no exception. It's the successor to the Sub Phatty -- basically the standard bearer for classic Moog bass sounds over the last...
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Jan 16, 2020
Less than 12 months after its rocky debut, premium podcast service Luminary has lowered its subscription fee. It's down to $5 from $8 per month, while the company added a $35 annual plan.
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Jan 16, 2020
Over the past few years, several companies have released throwback gaming systems intended to tug at gamer's heartstrings over the consoles (and games) of years gone by. Nintendo released the NES and Super NES Classic Editions, Sony botched the Plays...
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Jan 16, 2020
Toyota just invested $349 million in the flying taxi startup Joby Aviation. The two companies say they will work together, Joby sharing its all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) expertise and Toyota lending its knowledge of manufacturing...
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Jan 16, 2020
Metro Redux -- the double game collection including Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light -- has been available on PS4, Xbox One and PC since 2014. Now, 4A Games is bringing Metro Redux to Nintendo Switch. The combo will be available February 28th, and it...
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Jan 16, 2020
Fujifilm has never been afraid to create unusual cameras, with the fixed-lens X-100F compact being a great example. But the X-Pro has always been its most unusual series, and the latest model, the $1,800 X-Pro3, is perhaps the weirdest one so far...
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Jan 16, 2020
With esports continuing to grow in popularity, Nike has sponsored its first esports team -- Korean League of Legends team SKT T1. SKT is the team of Faker, the biggest name in esports, and Nike will be producing team uniforms for him and his teammate...
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Jan 16, 2020
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's latest playable character is Fire Emblem's Byleth. If you've played the franchise's latest entry, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, you'll be intimately familiar with them as they're your in-game avatar. They'll be available to...
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Jan 16, 2020
Popular audio brand Bose has announced it is closing a significant number of its stores. The Verge reports that the company made the decision due to the popularity of online shopping and reduced consumer interest in brick-and-mortar stores.
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Jan 16, 2020
Police in Scotland are getting ready to roll out a fleet of 'cyber kiosks' that will allow them to mine device data for evidence. The kiosks -- PC-sized machines -- have been designed to help investigations progress faster. At the moment, devices can...
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Jan 16, 2020
X-ray scans are unavailable for most people on Earth (two thirds of them, according to 2012 WHO data), in part due to the sheer cost of the machines themselves. The superheated filament in conventional X-ray machines requires so much energy and heat...
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Jan 16, 2020
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
2020 coming around means it's an election year, again, and if there's one lesson to take away from 2016, it's that you don't want to cough up your login info due to a phishing attack. Google's latest tweak makes...
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Jan 16, 2020
The FBI, Attorney General William Barr and the President have been pressing Apple to unlock the iPhones belonging to the man who attacked a naval base in Pensacola. But a Forbes discovery suggests that the authorities may already have access to tools...
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Jan 16, 2020
Access to Wikipedia in Turkey has been restored after a nearly three-year ban, which saw the site blocked after it refused to remove content tying the country to terrorist groups. The ban, which was imposed by Turkey in April 2017, came about after i...
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Jan 16, 2020
Valve's Index VR headset is sold out in most regions where it's officially available, and just a few months before Half-Life: Alyx comes out. According to RoadtoVR, which checked its availability across 31 countries, you can only get a unit in Japan...
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Jan 15, 2020
You won't have to wait long to see if Halo veteran Marcus Lehto's Disintegration lives up to the early buzz. V1 Interactive and its publisher Private Division have revealed that a public beta of the tactical shooter will run between January 31st and...
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Jan 15, 2020
Canadians won't have to look on with envy as Americans get 5G. Telecom giant Rogers has started rolling out the country's first 5G network in the downtown cores of four large cities (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver). You'll have to wait unt...
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Jan 15, 2020
Gamechanger may have only released two guitar pedals so far, but the company has shown that it can live up to its lofty name. Its Plasma Pedal, for one, stands out in an ocean of distortion effects, thanks to both a staticky, lo-fi timbre and its ast...
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Jan 15, 2020
You'd think that splashing out for the Porsche Taycan Turbo S would deliver some extra range in addition to the improved acceleration (as you get with rivals like Tesla), but that's apparently not the case. The EPA has rated the top-spec model's ran...
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Jan 15, 2020
Fitbit's devices from recent years have blood oxygen monitoring (SpO2) hardware, but they haven't used it -- until now. Users on Reddit and elsewhere have noticed that their Versa, Ionic and Charge 3 devices are suddenly (if sometimes temporarily) pr...
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Jan 15, 2020
Chrome apps have been on death row since Google announced in 2016 it would wind down support. Almost four years later, the company has finalized its timeline for phasing them out across Windows, Mac Linux and Chrome OS.
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Jan 15, 2020
Apple has acquired another Seattle-based AI startup, Xnor.ai. The startup specializes in low-power edge-based tools that allow AI to operate on devices, rather than in the cloud. The tech could allow Apple to bring edge-based AI software to future iP...
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Jan 15, 2020
Apple TV is still establishing lots of firsts in its early months, but this is one it likely won't crow about. Director Francesca Gregorini has sued Apple and M. Night Shyamalan for allegedly copying the plot of her 2013 movie The Truth About Emanue...
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Jan 15, 2020
Apple TV is about to venture into uncharted territory for the service: music documentaries. Apple has acquired Beastie Boys Story, a documentary co-produced by the remaining two Beastie Boys (Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz) and directed by friend a...
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Jan 15, 2020
If the melting ice caps and recent wildfires didn't tip you off, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have hard data showing that the effects of climate change are only gett...
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Jan 15, 2020
If your peepers are letting you down, you have an endless choice of ways to frame that physical defect as a style statement. If you have hearing loss, not so much. Even the term "cool hearing aid" feels like an oxymoron. It's not for lack of trying;...
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Jan 15, 2020
With a major election cycle less than a year away, Cloudflare says it's working with politicians in the US to secure their campaigns against cyberattacks through a program called Cloudflare for Campaigns. The service, which includes protection agains...
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Jan 15, 2020
It's now clearer why Google made it possible to use an iPhone as a security key -- the company is simplifying sign-ups for its Advanced Protection Program. As of today, anyone with a reasonably modern Android phone (running 7.0 Nougat or later) or i...
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Jan 15, 2020
Online clothes shopping is still something of a pain. You might not always realize what choices you have, let alone which places have the best prices. Google is trying to help, at least. It's introducing a search feature on mobile that piles resul...
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Jan 15, 2020
As promised, Microsoft is officially releasing its Chromium-based Edge browser today, which is powered by the same engine that's behind Google Chrome. Windows and Mac users can download and install the update manually, and automatic updates will star...
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Jan 15, 2020
Scientists have created a new life form that's something between a frog and a robot. Using stem cells scraped from frog embryos, researchers from the University of Vermont (UVM) and Tufts University assembled "xenobots." The millimeter-wide blobs act...
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Jan 15, 2020
The rise of Fortnite has coincided with that of Tyler "Ninja" Blevins. While the streamer/pro gamer had a sizable following before the battle royale exploded in popularity, he became Fortnite's best-known player and a megastar on Twitch (until he def...
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Jan 15, 2020
Many Twitter users have long been clamoring for a tweet edit button to fix annoying little errors after blasting their missives to their followers. But after years of Twitter higher-ups musing the feature in public, CEO Jack Dorsey says "we'll probab...
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Jan 15, 2020
We have quite a lot to be anxious about these days. Global warming, another potential war, increasing health care costs, Kanye, trade wars, gig economies and relatives with differing political views pouncing on us via social media. Then there's...
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Jan 15, 2020
It's been a few years since Akai's iconic MPC line has seen a significant new entry. But at NAMM 2020 the company is not only introducing a new model, but specifically going for the entry level... or at least what qualifies as entry level for an MPC....
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Jan 15, 2020
Swiping away unwanted alerts and notifications is part and parcel of smartphone ownership, but it seems that Google is trying to mitigate some of the annoyance. According to a number of reports, the Play Store notification that usually pops up after...
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Jan 15, 2020
Blipblox made something of a name for itself creating a synthesizer for kids. But the brightly-coloured, big-buttoned device -- with a surprisingly robust digital synth engine under its hood -- has proven such a success with adults that the company h...
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Jan 15, 2020
Lucid Motors is finally showing us the production version of its electric luxury sedan over three years after it was first revealed. The automaker has announced that it will officially unveil the Lucid Air -- yes, the version making its way to custom...
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Jan 15, 2020
It's not just Americans who won't have access to Juul's fruity pods anymore. The company will also temporarily stop selling its mango-, vanilla-, fruit- and cucumber-flavored vaping products in Canada, according to CNBC, CBC and other sources. Michae...
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Jan 15, 2020
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
So Sony isn't showing up at E3 this year. Again. While Nick has explained why that makes perfect sense for PlayStation, with its next-gen console fast approaching. But gaming as a thing is in a very different sp...
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Jan 15, 2020
High-end audio brand Bang & Olufsen is back with a new version of its true wireless earbuds, the Beoplay E8 3rd generation.
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Jan 15, 2020
PlayStation has started sending out its year-end wrap-up reports, and they may bring back fond memories of the time you spent playing your favorite games last year. The report will tell you how many titles you've played in 2019, along with a list of...
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Jan 15, 2020
Logitech is squarely targeting Microsoft's wrist-friendly Surface Ergonomic Keyboard with the Ergo K860 ($130). It's the company's first keyboard in years to feature a split design, wherein the entire layout is cut in half and the keys are angled to...
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Jan 15, 2020
Spotify has been keen on adding new playlist options for its massive user base for a while now. Whether it's Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Your Daily Drive or others, the service is constantly introducing new ways to keep you listening -- even when...
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Jan 15, 2020
Roland basically abandoned pure analog synths. Instead it's been focused on improving its digital instruments and software that pay homage to the past, while embracing the future. But here's the thing, thanks to powerful audio processors there's very...
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Jan 15, 2020
Late last year Microsoft unveiled a second generation of its upgraded Elite Series gaming pad. It features a sealed-in rechargeable battery, USB-C port, Bluetooth connectivity, programmable profiles, new interchangeable thumbstick and paddle shapes a...
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