ArduinoMania

Activision Blizzard is continuing a hiring spree in light of its ongoing harassment scandal. Blizzard has hired Jessica Martinez as its first Vice President of Culture. She'll both implement and expand the game studio's culture strategy, and lead a learning and development team that will help create a work environment where people feel "safe, valued" and eager to cooperate.

Martinez is a 14-year veteran of Disney, where she was a Chief of Staff and advised both the Chief Security Office and the parks' Chief Technology & Digital Officer. She was known for building a diversity- and values-focused culture, according to Blizzard, and led efforts to harmonize security when Disney bought key Fox studios and channels.

The move comes just weeks after Activision Blizzard hired diversity chief Kristen Hines. It also follows months of employee shuffles and organizational efforts in the wake of the scandal. The publisher has ousted or disciplined numerous workers for participating in or tolerating a hostile work culture, including former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack. It also launched a "Workplace Responsibility Committee" to fight discrimination and harassment. 

Whether or not these measures will be enough still isn't clear. Activision Blizzard chief Bobby Kotick has remained despite pressure to resign and a New York City lawsuit. The Communications Workers of America union, meanwhile, has filed a complaint with US labor officials accusing the company of silencing talk about harassment lawsuits. While Martinez may bring valuable cultural improvements, there's still evidence the firm is resistant to some forms of change.

The smart home ecosystem is getting a little more integrated: Google just updated its Amazon Alexa Skill to work on its latest Nest cameras. So if you already own a variety of Nest and Alexa devices, they'll work together more seamlessly moving forward. Now, you can stream live feeds from your Nest cameras, doorbells and other devices to anything from your Amazon Fire TV to any Echo device. Amazon made a similar gesture to open up its own smart home ecosystem last month, when it announced that its doorbells and security cameras would work with Google Nest, Ring, Abode and other third-party devices. Amazon’s Ring doorbell already works with Google Home and Apple Homekit.

A few other integrations between Nest and Alexa have been available for a while. For example, if you own a Google Nest thermostat, you can tell Alexa to change the temperature of your home. Older Nest cameras and doorbells have also had limited Alexa abilities, but the new skill allows for even more cross-platform integration. According to a recent post on Google Nest’s blog, the updated skill means Alexa will now support streaming from the Nest Cam with Floodlight, as well as the battery-powered models of Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell to the Echo Show, Fire TV or Fire Tablets.

If you own a Nest Doorbell, you can also talk to people through your door with any of your Alexa devices (such as the Echo, Echo Show, Fire TV and Fire Tablet). Eventually, Alexa will be able to announce when a Nest Cam or Nest Doorbell detects a person at your front door as well.

You won't have to leave the social media sphere to catch some of the coverage surrounding FIFA World Cup matches. Fox Sports has expanded its relationship with Twitter to offer live pre-game shows and in-match previews (through @foxsports and @foxsoccer) for every match of World Cup 2022 and Women's World Cup 2023. You can also expect "near real-time" highlights during play as well as post-match discussions.

The exclusive deal for both the men's and women's tournaments is a first for Twitter, according to the social network's global content head TJ Adeshola. Naturally, you can expect Fox to support the streams through ads.

You'll still have to use the Fox Sports app or website (plus a pay TV subscription) if you want to stream the matches themselves. Like it or not, the broadcaster still wants to steer you toward its most lucrative business. Even so, this at least offers more ways to immerse yourself in the group stages or build up hype for a must-win knockout match.

Lyft is slowly but surely bringing back shared rides in more cities. Users in San Francisco, San Jose, Denver, Las Vegas and Atlanta will once more be able to take shared rides.

That option was suspended soon after the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020. Lyft started offering shared rides again last summer in select cities such as Chicago, Denver and Philadelphia. The company plans to bring the feature back to more markets in the coming months.

Users can save money by taking a shared ride, since they'll be splitting the cost with someone else. Ride requests are currently limited to one person. These rides will have a maximum of two passengers, though one can sit in the front if the driver's okay with it. 

The company also says that drivers can opt out of shared rides without penalty through 2022. Last month, Lyft dropped its requirement for drivers and passengers to wear masks, which are now optional for shared rides too (depending on local rules).

Lyft's recovery from the pandemic has been slower than rival Uber's, and greater availability of shared rides could provide a boost to business. This week, the company said it would need to spend more on incentives to entice drivers back to its platform.

E3 isn't happening at all this year, but that doesn't mean there won't be a ton of gaming news to look forward to in June. Three days before Xbox and Bethesda's event, the third annual Summer Game Fest showcase will take place on June 9th at 2PM ET.

As always, Geoff Keighley will be the master of ceremonies for Summer Game Fest Kick Off Live. Expect new game announcements, world premieres and fresh looks at other upcoming titles. Immediately after that event wraps up, Day of the Devs: Summer Game Fest Edition will shine the spotlight on a bunch of indie games.

You'll be able to watch the Summer Game Fest double bill on a wide range of platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter and Facebook. For the first time, you'll be able to catch Summer Game Fest Kick Off Live (and, in December, The Game Awards) at IMAX theaters in the US, Canada and the UK. If you really want to see a bunch of trailers and teasers for upcoming games in IMAX, you can buy a ticket for Summer Game Fest on May 12th.

“Video games are the most powerful, immersive and spectacular form of entertainment in the world, so it’s only natural to bring them to fans in IMAX, the world’s most immersive cinema format,” Keighley said in a statement.

NVIDIA isn't the only one making it easier to play Fortnite on Apple devices. Microsoft has partnered with Epic Games to make Fortniteplayable for free on Xbox Cloud Gaming, no subscription required. So long as you have a Microsoft account in one of 26 streaming-enabled countries, you can play the battle royale title through the web browser on an iPhone, iPad, Android device or Windows PC.

The streaming version supports both controllers and touch. Creative mode is also free, although you'll need to pay if you want to fight AI villains in the Save the World campaign. Fortnite might not be alone, either. Microsoft said it would "look to bring" other free-to-play titles to Xbox Cloud Gaming.

There's no mystery behind Microsoft's team-up. This could boost Xbox Cloud Gaming and drive sign-ups for Game Pass Ultimate, which offers a catalog of games you can stream on multiple platforms. Microsoft is also eager to spite Apple — the Windows creator has backed Epic's antitrust battle, arguing that Apple is stifling competition through in-app payments and restrictions on cloud gaming apps. Free Fortnite gameplay could draw attention to Apple's policies while softening the blow for Microsoft, Epic and gamers.

IK Multimedia has revealed its latest mobile audio interface, a field recorder called iRig Pro Quattro I/O. The device has 24-bit, 96kHz conversion and four microphone and instrument preamps, along with line-in ports. You'll also get two balanced XLR outputs, 3.5mm stereo and headphone ports and MIDI in/out. There's a built-in microphone as well.

There are physical control dials for the inputs, headphones and line out. IK Multimedia says there's a standalone mixer mode and a built-in limiter. You'll be able to take advantage of a safety mode as well. Inputs three and four can be used as safety channels, whereby they capture the same signals as the other two main inputs, but with a 12dB reduction "in case the sound source unexpectedly overloads the main channels," the company said.

You can power the iRig Pro Quattro I/O with a USB cable, 9VDC adaptor or battery. IK Multimedia notes that it'll work with a range of devices out of the box, and it's MFi-certified for better compatibility with iPhone and iPad.

This isn't a standalone device, however. It doesn't have an SD card slot, so you'll need to connect it to a mobile device or computer to actually record audio. As with the iRig Pre 2, you'll be able to hook it up to a DSLR, which would likely help you capture better quality audio than what the camera can pick up by itself.

IK Multimedia

Field recorders have been growing in popularity for on-the-go audio capture, with the likes of Zoom and Tascam making notable models over the years. Fans of IK Multimedia's other gear might be pleased to learn about the iRig Pro Quattro I/O, but the lack of onboard storage might be a sticking point.

The iRig Pro Quattro I/O is available worldwide starting today. It costs $350/€350 and comes with batteries, USB and Lightning cables, a quarter-inch camera thread adaptor and software for Mac, PC, iPhone and iPad.

A deluxe version is also available for preorder. That model costs $450 and should ship at the end of June. If you opt for that, you'll also receive two iRig stereo microphones, a windscreen, a carrying case and a 9V power supply unit.

You might soon see more electric trucks ferrying cargo around town. Volta has revealed that it's bringing its urban delivery EVs to the US, starting with a test fleet of 100 Class 7 (16.5 US tons) Zero trucks coming to Los Angeles in mid-2023. American production should start in 2024, with an "experienced" manufacturer chosen late this year. This inaugural truck will be followed by lighter-duty Class 5 (9.8-ton) and Class 6 (13-ton) models in 2024 and 2025.

The Class 7 Volta Zero's range is short, with modular batteries offering between 95 to 125 miles of driving. That's more than enough for city deliveries, however. Volta is also betting that 250kW DC fast charging will ease any range anxiety. You completely recharge the Zero in slightly over an hour at the right station. Moreover, the company has taken advantage of the switch to electric motors to improve safety — a lower, center-mounted driver's seat should reduce the usual truck blind spots.

There's pressure for Volta to move quickly. Fellow Swedish company Volvo has already introduced multiple electric medium-duty trucks, and American rival Freightliner has the eM2. Still, these are typically conventional designs that just happen to be electric, rather than from-scratch EVs. Volta might reel customers in simply by making a more compelling case for ditching diesel- and gas-based fleets.

Google said a year ago that Assistant would offer to change compromised passwords, and now the company is delivering on that promise in earnest. Android Policenotes that Assistant warnings are now rolling out more broadly to Chrome users, including those on Android. Sign in to a site with a compromised password and you'll both get the familiar "change your password" alert and, on some sites, an option to have Assistant automatically make that change. You can take control at any point, but this will be helpful if you'd rather not spend time devising a secure replacement sign-in.

The helper uses the AI from Google's web version of Duplex to navigate websites and apply password changes. It knows how to click, scroll and fill in forms that would typically require human intervention. 

The feature doesn't work on every website at this moment. However, the Assistant password tool has only been available to a relatively small group of users since it was introduced at Google I/O last May. The expanded access still represents a significant improvement, and could be extremely useful if you're ever the victim of a data breach that exposes your login details.

Folks who enjoy camping or weekend trips in an RV now have another way to access the internet when they set up shop for the night — as long as they don't mind lugging around Starlink hardware and paying $135 per month. A new feature called Portability allows users to temporarily use Starlink when they're away from home.

In the US, Portability costs $25 per month. That's on top of the regular service fee, which SpaceX recently bumped up to $110 per month. The hardware now costs $599 for those without a preorder.

Beyond the cost, there are a few other limits to Portability. For instance, it's not worth taking a terminal with you on a transatlantic trip. Starlink says the feature is only available when users are on the same continent as their registered service address. If you use Starlink in another country for longer than two months, you'll need to change the registered address to one in that jurisdiction.

Starlink still doesn't support in-motion use as yet either, so you'll need to find a stationary spot that's within the service area and has a clear view of the sky. Meanwhile, it says Portability is offered on a "best effort basis." Customers who are at their registered service address will receive priority access to the network. "When you bring your Starlink to a new location, this prioritization may result in degraded service, particularly at times of peak usage or network congestion," Starlink wrote on a support page.

That said, the feature could give users much more flexibility. Starlink can provide internet access in areas that aren't covered by cell towers, which could make Portability particularly useful for digital nomads who want to work from just about anywhere.