Rivian impressed car reviewers (and us) with its R1T pickup, and its R1S electric SUV is no different. The slightly smaller vehicle continues the automotive startup’s trend of building no-compromise electric vehicles meant for outdoor adventure.
Living the life of an extreme camper, kayaker or cyclist doesn't come cheap: The R1S has a bank-busting price tag starting at $78,000. It might not be the most efficient EV on the market, but it has a healthy range of up to 316 miles, which should be enough to satisfy those looking to go outdoors with a vehicle that’s solidly built. The R1S also now ships with a new Camp Mode feature that levels the cabin so overnight stays can be a bit more comfortable.
Designing a desirable EV is not something Rivian has struggled with to date, though: its real issue is mass-producing cars to keep up with orders. Watch the video below for the full story.
Booking a stay through Airbnb can be a chore for a few reasons. Chief among those is the fact it's not always easy to tell at a glance how much you'll pay for your vacation rental, since the cleaning fee or security deposit may not appear until after you click on a listing. However, Airbnb is at last set to make pricing a bit more transparent.
CEO Brian Chesky wrote on Twitter that, starting next month, the company will offer the option to see the full price of a stay in search results, and on the map, price filter and listings pages. You'll still be able to see a breakdown of the full price, including Airbnb's service fee and any discounts. Moreover, Chesky says Airbnb will prioritize total price rather than nightly price in its ranking algorithm. "The highest quality homes with the best total prices will rank higher in search results," Chesky said.
I’ve heard you loud and clear—you feel like prices aren’t transparent and checkout tasks are a pain. That’s why we’re making 4 changes:
1. Starting next month, you’ll be able to see the total price you're paying up front. pic.twitter.com/58zodrzU3g
This is by and large a positive move, since the per-night prices shown in search results don't tell the whole story. Hosts may charge different cleaning fees or even fees for extra guests that aren't immediately apparent. Showing (almost) the full price upfront should make it easier for folks to compare listings while reducing sticker shock at checkout.
There is one drawback, though. The price that you see in search results and on the map still doesn't include taxes. It would be helpful to see that at the jump as well, particularly given that many hotel booking sites show the full price with taxes included in search results. "Our thinking was that since prices in the US are typically displayed pre-tax, that we should go with this convention," Chesky wrote.
Elsewhere, Chesky said that Airbnb will offer hosts more pricing and discount tools. He noted that hosts want a clearer understanding of the full price users pay and what they should charge to help them stay competitive. Chesky added that users shouldn't have to undertake "unreasonable" checkout tasks like vacuuming or stripping the bedding. He noted that simple actions like turning off lights, chucking food in the trash and locking doors are reasonable, and that hosts should communicate those kinds of checkout requests before a booking is made.
Starlink raised its prices this spring, and now it's increasing the costs for its most demanding users. As The Vergereports, the SpaceX-run satellite internet provider is instituting a 1TB "Priority Access" monthly cap for data use between 7AM and 11PM beginning in December. Cross that limit and you'll spend the rest of the month relegated to "Basic Access" that, like with some phone carriers, deprioritizes your data when the network is busy. You might not notice much of a difference in typical situations, but this won't thrill you if you depend on sustained performance.
Service can get expensive if you insist on full performance around the clock. You'll pay 25 cents per gigabyte of priority data. As Reddit user Nibbloid pointed out, the math doesn't quite add up. It will cost you another $250 to get an extra 1TB of data — it would be cheaper to add a second subscription, at least if you don't mind the cost of an extra terminal. RV, Portability and "Best Effort" users also don't have any Priority Access.
Other users face tougher restrictions. Fixed business service has peak-hour caps ranging from 500GB to 3TB, with extra full-speed data costing $1 per gigabyte. Mobility users have no Priority Access for recreational use, while commercial and Premium/Maritime users have respective 1TB and 5TB caps. Those higher-end users will pay $2 for every gigabyte of priority data they need.
The justifications will sound familiar if you've dealt with data caps from Comcast and other land-based internet providers. Starlink maintains that it has to balance supply with demand to provide fast service to the "greatest number of people." This is ostensibly to keep usage in check on a "finite resource."
The decision to cap users comes as SpaceX has called for government help to fund Starlink service in Ukraine at a claimed cost of nearly $400 million per year. While Musk has said SpaceX will continue to pay regardless of assistance, it's clear the company is worried about expenses as demand increases.
The old adage goes that if something ain't broke, don't fix it. Now while that's often sage advice, obviously there's a limit to how long you can keep something going — especially a gadget — before it starts to lag behind. And with the Surface Laptop 5, it feels like Microsoft is beginning to test that boundary because while the notebook is as sleek and elegant as ever, even with the inclusion of a new CPU, it's easy to see where its aging chassis could use a few updates or quality of life improvements. So while I'll never complain about getting a performance boost, it still feels like Microsoft could do better.
Design, keyboard and ports
I'm not going to spend too much time talking about the Surface Laptop 5's exterior because it's the same chassis Microsoft has been using for the last three or four generations. Both the 13 and 15-inch models feature an aluminum body with tall 3:2 displays for enhanced productivity. Our 13.5-inch review unit weighed in at 2.86 pounds and measured just 0.57 inches thick. The whole package is super sleek and in some respects, I can see why Microsoft doesn't want to mess with the design – it really is a thing of beauty. It's thin and minimalist just like a MacBook, but different enough that you'll never get the two confused. Still, I think Microsoft is more than capable of tweaking the current chassis to accommodate new components without ruining its good looks.
New for this year is a sage green color option like we got on the Surface Laptop Go 2. But Microsoft didn't stop there because the company also made custom wallpapers for Windows 11 that match the system's exterior paint job. I know this is a pretty minor change in the grand scheme of things, but the extra bit of color coordination is kind of nice.
Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop 5's keyboard and touchpad don't leave much to complain about. Keycaps are spaced out well while having nice crisp actuation, though after some hands-on time with the 15-inch version, I noticed that the larger model has slightly deeper key travel. And while its touchpad which measures 4.5 x 3 inches isn't quite as large as what you'd find on a similarly sized MacBook, there's still plenty of room to mouse around.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
One of the other big changes on the Surface Laptop 5 is its new USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4 port, which provides increased bandwidth for transferring data or sending video to external displays. Sadly, on both the 13.5 and 15-inch models, there are only a total of two USB connectors: the aforementioned Thunderbolt 4 port and a regular USB 3.1 Type-A slot. Thankfully, Microsoft hasn't axed support for wired audio, so you still get a 3.5mm headphone jack in addition to the company's signature magnetic Surface Connect port for charging and docking.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
But if you'll allow me to grandstand a bit, I sort of wish Microsoft would ditch the Surface Connect port entirely. Due to recent regulations from the EU, we're on the brink of having all phones support USB-C for charging and data, and aside from the proprietary connectors Apple and Microsoft use on MacBooks and Surfaces, laptops aren't far behind. Not only would getting rid of the Surface Connect port free up room for another USB-C jack — which is both smaller and more versatile — I find its weak magnets and awkward shape make it more difficult to use than USB-C.
Display and webcam
Like its chassis, the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 5 features the same 2,256 x 1,504 PixelSense touchscreen Microsoft used on the previous model and that's totally fine. It has good brightness that hit just under 400 nits on my light meter along with rich, saturated colors. The one new tweak for 2022 is support for Dolby Vision IQ, which automatically adjusts things like color profiles and contrast based on ambient conditions. It's a nice touch, but considering pretty much every phone made in the last few years has a similar display tech, Microsoft isn't [exactly] breaking new ground here.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
That said, while its image quality is strong, the Surface Laptop 5's display is starting to show its age a bit. The bezels are a few millimeters thicker than what we got on last year's Surface Laptop Studio, which makes things look a bit chunky. You also don't get support for HDR or high-refresh rates.
But the thing that's lagging behind the most is its 720p web camera, which is passable at best. You don't get support for any of Microsoft's Windows Studio effects like you do on the Surface Pro 9 5G and I've said it before and I'll say it again: 1080p webcams should be the baseline on premium notebooks. Thankfully, Microsoft has kept the built-in IR cameras for Windows Hello facial recognition, which still works great.
Performance
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Inside, the new 12th-gen Intel CPUs offer a big jump in performance. The downside is that unlike the previous generation, there aren't any AMD-based configs, which is kind of a bummer. That said, with scores that are around 20 percent higher in PCMark 10 compared to the Surface Laptop 4, it's hard to be too upset.
Just don't get your hopes up about doing any hardcore gaming, because both models are restricted to Iris XE integrated graphics. In Overwatch 2, I had to lower settings to medium in order to get a somewhat stable 60 fps, though you can eke out a little more performance if you're willing to lower the game's resolution or turn on upsampling. But regardless of what you do, this thing isn't really meant to play AAA titles.
Battery life and ports
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
As for battery life, with a time of 12 hours and 39 minutes, the Surface Laptop 5 turned in respectable though not outstanding results. In comparison, last year's 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 fared better with a mark of 15:25, as did other ultraportables from this year including the Lenovo Yoga 9i at 14:22 and the M2 MacBook Air at 17:05.
As a longtime Surface user, I appreciate that Microsoft kept the bonus 5-watt charging port built into the included power adapter, which is really nice for powering up small peripherals like a mouse or wireless headphones. And I should mention that if for some reason you lose or forget your charging brick at home, you can still top up the Surface Laptop 5 via USB-C.
Wrap-up
While the Surface Laptop 5 hasn't gotten a boatload of updates, it still has a really elegant design and the addition of new 12th-gen Intel chips and a Thunderbolt 4 port provide a big bump up in speed and usability. Sure, it might not have the sharpest webcam or a ton of ports, but if all you need is a streamlined ultraportable for general productivity, the Surface Laptop 5 packs all the essentials into a very sleek package.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
It is somewhat telling, however, that Microsoft only sent out the 13.5-inch model for review, because there are even more changes I'd like to see on the 15-inch version. I know my dream of getting an Xbox gaming laptop probably won't ever happen, but I think there's a ton of potential to transform the bigger Surface Laptop 5 into a really great all-rounder by adding support for discrete graphics and a few more ports.
But the hard part comes when trying to decide between the 13-inch Surface Laptop 5 and something like the XPS 13. For the same $1,000 starting price, Dell's notebook comes with a similar CPU and a larger 512GB SSD instead of just a 256GB drive, but no touchscreen (though you can upgrade to one if you want). That means you have to choose between getting a slightly better value in the XPS 13, or opting for a taller 3:2 touch display with the Surface Laptop 5.
Still, if all you want is a stylish ultraportable with a nice screen for productivity, Microsoft's latest clamshell has a lot to like. I just hope next year we get a full refresh instead of just a simple spec bump.
French high-end audio company Devialet has a reputation for making powerful, interesting and eye-wateringly expensive speakers. Today, the company has announced its first portable smart speaker with an eye-watering price tag. Looking like a cannonball with its own carrying strap, the Devialet Mania is designed to calibrate its sound to the area it’s in. So, if near to a wall, it’ll tweak where its speakers are pumping to give you “expansive” and “powerful” audio while on the go.
Devialet
Nestled inside the Mania’s 170mm (6.7-inch) tall body is a quartet of full-range drivers teamed up with a pair of Speaker Active Matching sub-woofers. Four microphones are used for that stereo calibration, but can also be used to communicate with Amazon’s smart assistant, Alexa. The speaker can also connect to your favorite music service over WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. The company promises that Mania will travel well, too, with IPX4 water resistance and 10 hours of battery life, when used at moderate volumes, at least.
On October 15th, billionaire Elon Musk said he would indefinitely fund Ukraine’s Starlink use to support the country. But, on October 24th, the Ukrainian military lost internet access, causing problems for commanders and soldiers fighting the Russian invasion. The outage was reportedly caused by a funding brouhaha between Musk, SpaceX and the Department of Defense.
The issue centers on the (roughly) $3.15 million running cost, which SpaceX had asked the US to pay for, but withdrew after public criticism. The report added that DoD officials are likely to take on the running costs but want to set firm contract terms, lest the impulsive billionaire “change his mind.” That’s a reference to, uh, lots of things, but also that Musk has publicly called on Ukraine to hand over chunks of its territory to Russia to guarantee peace.
Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp owner Meta will apparently start the week by announcing a round of large-scale lay-offs. This is a reaction to both Meta’s recent financial woes (burning all of its profit on a metaverse boondoggle) and the sheer number of people it employs. In its most recent earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg said the company would focus its investments on “high priority” areas, which would see non-priority teams stay flat or shrink.
Virgin Hyperloop is no more after the Virgin Group withdrew its branding from the well-funded Hyperloop startup. The company has now reverted to its previous name, Hyperloop One, and is promising a fresh start in its operations. The split was prompted by the startup’s decision to end research into building a passenger service to concentrate on freight shipping.
Westworld’s first season was a thoughtful and entertaining exploration of AI, humanity, free will and commerce. Unfortunately, the blockbuster conclusion of that run also kicked the narrative legs out from under the series as it attempted to continue. After limping on for three more awful years of go-nowhere, no-stakes storytelling, ratings fell from 3.3 million in the pilot to a low of 312,000 during its fourth season. It’s no surprise HBO pulled the plug, citing the high budget and miniscule audience as justification. And to think: The second season of Carnivále pulled in 1.7 million viewers a week, but that wasn’t enough to spare it from the axe.
Spain was forced to close its airspace, leading to hundreds of flight delays, to prevent mid-air collisions caused by a falling Long March 5B. The Chinese-made rocket carried the final piece of the country’s Tiangong space station into orbit, before making an uncontrolled descent. Unlike other heavy rockets, which can fire engines to guide their fall back to Earth, the Long March is just left to land wherever. The approach has already drawn the ire of NASA administrator Bill Nelson, who said China risks causing major damage or loss of life.
Here’s a rundown of everything that happened with Twitter over the weekend.
Carlos Barria / Reuters
A number of major companies opted to pull their adverts (and money) from Twitter after Elon Musk’s content-moderation promises failed to reassure them. One of the world’s largest advertising companies has advised clients to pause spending on Twitter until the dust around the acquisition settles.
The reaction is only natural. Blue-chip brands don’t really want to have ads sitting side by side with hate speech. This is especially the case given the company lost around 15 percent of its trust and safety team in the mass-layoffs. Not long after, Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of safety and integrity, said fighting misinformation remains a top priority as the US goes to the polls. Roth’s pleas may fall upon disbelieving eyes, however, as Musk himself promoted a conspiracy theory concerning Paul Pelosi’s attacker last week.
Twitter then began testing support for its new Blue subscription, with its paid-for verification system. The setup isn’t live yet, but app updates already reveal groundwork laid for the features. Activations for the paid-for verification wouldn’t start until November 9th at the earliest, however, holding off until after the midterm elections, to prevent abuse of the system.
Another feature, announced this weekend, is the ability to append long-form essays to tweets. This, said Elon Musk, would end the absurdity of “notepad screenshots,” common when users want to post lots of text (usually an apology) in a single tweet.
Speaking of apologies, Twitter co-founder and former CEO, Jack Dorsey, posted one of his own on Saturday. He said the need for large-scale layoffs was his fault because he grew the company “too quickly.”
But clearly, despite those claims, Twitter has apparently had some remorse of its own around the scale of its layoffs. Management has reportedly realized many of the employees unceremoniously dumped last week were actually doing important work. It’s rumored some of those people were asked to return, but you can understand if they’re not feeling much generosity of spirit toward their former employer after the nature of their split.
Amazon is having a sale on its latest Watches, with a particularly good deal on the Series 8 cellular model. You can grab one of those in multiple colors for just $389, for a savings of $110 off the regular $499 price (22 percent off). If its a Watch LE model you're after instead, those are on sale too in both cellular and GPS versions for as little as $290 ($39 off) and $220 ($29 off) respectively.
The Series 8 isn't a huge update over the Series 7, but it does carry some useful new features. The main one is a temperature sensor tied to women's health, giving female users an estimate on when they may be ovulating. It's meant to be used overnight, sampling your wrist temperature every five seconds so you can see shifts from your baseline
The other is Crash Detection. Much as current watches can detect a fall, the Series 8 can detect car crashes via a pair of new accelerometers. It works in concert with other sensors to detect four different types of crashes, including rollovers, front impact, back impact and side impact. And of course, all of these Series 8 models have a cellular function, giving you internet connectivity, calls and texts for running, hiking and other activities that don't require a smartphone. The Series 8 cell models are fairly pricey at $499, but $389 is much more palatable.
Meanwhile, the Watch SE 2nd generation offers a performance boost of up to 20 percent and the same crash detection feature as the series 8. It also has a lower starting price, so taking an additional $39 and $29 off the cellular and GPS models brings the prices down to a very affordable $290 and $220, respectively.
Netflix and developer Tender Claws are releasing a Stranger Things VR game set to arrive in Winter 2023 on major VR platforms, the companies announced at Stranger Things Day 2022. The game will let you play as the fearsome Season 4 villain Vecna, with the goal to "enact revenge on Eleven and Hawkins," according to the press release.
"Play as Vecna in this new Stranger Things adventure in VR," the video description reads. "Become an explorer of unknown realities as you form the hive mind and tame the void. Invade minds and conjure nightmares in your quest to enact revenge on Eleven and Hawkins. Stranger Things VR is a psychological horror/action game developed by Tender Claws and coming to major VR platforms in winter 2023."
Tender Claws previously developed the VR games Virtual Virtual Reality 1 and 2, along with the "mobile AR virtual pet Tendar, and immersive theatrical adventures The Under Presents and Tempest," according to its about page. Meanwhile, Netflix has previously released multiple games around its flagship series, including Stranger Things: The VR Experience, along with the mobile and console game Stranger Things 3: The Game.
Before acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk said he was against lifetime suspensions, promising to reinstate banned users like Donald Trump. Now, Musk wrote that Twitter will permanently suspend account impersonators if they are not clearly labeled as parody. The move comes after several verified "blue-check" users changed their accounts to impersonal Musk himself.
Twitter appears to have just banned comedian Kathy Griffin for impersonating Musk, at least temporarily, after she used his name and image in her own verified Twitter account. Other verified accounts impersonating Musk, including Jeph Jacques, also appear to have been kicked off the site.
Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended
Prior to Musk's takeover, Twitters rules already stated that users "may not impersonate individuals, groups or organizations to mislead, confuse or deceive others, nor use a fake identity in a manner that disrupts the experience of users on Twitter." Parody accounts were required to say so in both their accounts and bio. Consequences included profile moderation, temporary suspension or permanent suspension — though the latter was rarely imposed.
Twitter has been awash in drama over the last few days. Early in Musk's tenure, trolls and racists flooded the site with epithets and other hate speech, presumably to test the new limits of the site. This week, a flood of advertisers put a hold on spending on the site. In reply to a user who suggested a boycott on those companies, Musk tweeted a "a thermonuclear name & shame is exactly what will happen if this continues."
