ArduinoMania

Netflix might offer cheaper, ad-supported plans in the coming years. In the company's most recent earnings call, co-CEO Reed Hastings said the company is working on the offering, and it’ll finalize details for those plans "over the next year or two."

The service lost around 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, a development it blamed on stiffer competition, inability to expand in some territories due to technological limitations and pesky account sharing. It also lost 700,000 subscribers in early March after its decision to suspend service in Russia.

To tackle account sharing, Netflix has tested a feature in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru that allowed subscribers to add two "sub-members," who'll get their own log-ins and profiles, for $3 — much less than the typical subscription cost. Netflix executives noted on its earning call that this model could expand to other countries. We’ve put our account-sharing parents and children on notice.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• The Obamas are reportedly leaving Spotify

• Apple Music now offers DJ mixes in spatial audio

• BMW's first all-electric 7 series starts at $120,295

• Lexus announces the RZ, its first purpose-built EV

• UK court orders US extradition of Julian Assange on espionage charges

• Okta says Lapsus$ breach affected only two clients

• UK regulators will allow drivers to watch TV in autonomous cars

• A Ghostbusters VR game is coming to Meta Quest 2

Tesla nearly doubled its revenue in Q1 despite industry-wide supply chain woes

Revenue rose to $18.76 billion in the face of rising inflation.

Tesla built 305,000 vehicles in the first "exceptionally difficult" quarter of this year, delivered 310,000 vehicles to customers and opened new factories in Berlin and Austin — all while CEO Elon Musk sought a highly publicized hostile takeover of Twitter. And just generally made headlines.

Like many companies, Tesla faces an increasingly tight supply of critical semiconductors and rising prices spurred by inflation brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It’s also currently navigating the shuttering of its Gigafactory in Shanghai, which closed due to COVID outbreaks in the region.

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Glorious PC Gaming Race is ditching its awful old name

The peripheral maker is now called 'Glorious.'

Glorious PC Gaming Race, the maker of the Model O gaming mouse, the GMMK Pro mechanical keyboard and other popular peripherals, is changing its name. In rebranding as Glorious, the company is hoping to leave behind a name tinged with racial overtones. “While we remain committed to serving PC gamers and not taking ourselves too seriously, we have also grown and matured significantly as a brand,” Shazim Mohammad, the founder and CEO of Glorious, said in a statement.

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Delta worked with SpaceX to trial Starlink's satellite internet on planes

SpaceX has wanted to put Starlink internet on planes for quite some time.

Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian has revealed in an interview that the airline held talks with SpaceX and conducted "exploratory tests" of Starlink's internet technology for its planes. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bastian declined to divulge specifics about the test, but SpaceX’s Jonathan Hofeller mentioned the company's discussions with several airlines back in mid-2021.

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Sonic is back again, remastered

‘Sonic Origins’ includes the first four Sonic games.

Sega

Sega has announced its Sonic Origins collection will debut June 23rd on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Switch. The $40 (£33) standard version will include remasters of Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD, while a $45 (£37) Digital Deluxe edition adds difficult missions, exclusive music and cosmetics. Because it’s 2022.

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Brave's browser can automatically bypass Google's AMP pages

‘AMP harms users' privacy, security and internet experience.’

Brave is bypassing any pages rendered with AMP and taking users directly to the original website. "Where possible, De-AMP will rewrite links and URLs to prevent users from visiting AMP pages altogether,” the company wrote in a blog post.

The faster load times you might experience with Google’s AMP pages — hard to complain about that — are undercut by the way they offer Google a much tighter grip on advertising, hosting content on its servers. A group of publishers recently announced it was moving away from AMP, and a lawsuit filed by several US states accuses Google of running a monopoly that harmed both advertising rivals and publishers.

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This startup’s first vehicle is part EV, part gaming PC

A user-accessible computer will be able to run full Windows apps.

Engadget

OK, I’m listening.

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US Congress was evacuated yesterday after Capitol Police said it was "tracking an aircraft that poses a possible threat to the Capitol Complex," CBS News reported. Everyone stood down a short time later when it turned out to be a parachute demonstration, but the incident caused a lot of ire. "The Federal Aviation Administration’s apparent failure to notify Capitol Police of the pre-planned flyover [at] Nationals Stadium is outrageous and inexcusable," wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

The plane belonged to the Army Golden Knights parachuting team, dropping parachutists into the stadium for Military Appreciation Day. The pilot reportedly avoided flying over the restricted airspace over the Capitol Building and was coordinating with the control tower, but may not have had proper clearance, according to The Associated Press. 

FlightRadar24

The FAA acknowledged the incident and promised an "expeditious" review. "We know our actions affect others, especially in our nation's capital region, and we must communicate early and often with our law enforcement partners," it said in a statement. The plane's entire voyage was tracked by FlightRadar24 (above).

The incident demonstrates the level of coordination needed between FAA, law enforcement and other interested parties, particularly near restricted areas. As such, it may be an example of why the agency has been so careful in permitting passenger or delivery drones to operate in populated or sensitive areas. Such incidents are rare nowadays, but things could get chaotic with thousands of new drones plying the skies if the government doesn't have a comprehensive plan.

Amazon has unveiled "Buy with Prime," a service that let's other online retailers use its vast delivery network to fulfill orders on their own websites. At the same time, it will be another Prime subscriber perk for goods they might not be able to find directly on Amazon.

Merchants using it will be able to put the Prime badge on their own websites beside eligible items available for free next-day or two-day delivery. Then, Prime members can purchase the product using the payment and shipping details already stored on their Amazon accounts. 

Sellers will pay for the service with fees depending on the card processor, fulfillment and more. To start with, it's launching by invitation to Amazon sellers already using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), but will eventually expand to other merchants, even if they're not on Amazon. 

FBA retailers currently pay to store inventory in Amazon's warehouses and use its shipping services, and in return, get the valued Prime logo on Amazon-listed products. Amazon recently announced that it would charge them an additional 5 percent fuel and inflation surcharge on top of the FBA fees they're already paying. It also has a program called Multi-Channel Fulfillment that allows retailers to store and ship goods using its logistics chain.

Using FBA may have been akin to a deal with the devil for some sellers, however. Amazon has been accused in the past of using seller data to create its own private label products like car trunk organizers and Peak Design bags, The Wall Street Journal reported back in 2020. Amazon denied this, but the SEC recently launched an investigation into the practice. 

Buy with Prime also means Amazon will be competing directly with shipping services like FedEx and UPS. The company recently said that it was about to become the largest delivery service in the US, according to CNBC. It also recently reported that its third-part seller services, including shipping, fulfillment and others, brought in $30.3 billion in the last quarter alone. 

Spotify is losing Barack and Michelle Obama after their partnership ends in October, according to Bloomberg. The former first couple's exclusive podcast deal with the streaming giant is coming to an end, and they won't be signing a new one. Their production company, Higher Ground, is reportedly seeking a partner that would allow it to produce several shows and release it on multiple platforms at the same time. Spotify typically seeks exclusivity from famous personalities in a bid to promote its platform, which is likely why (as Bloomberg reports) it declined to make an offer for a new contract. 

Higher Ground is in the midst of negotiating with several other potential partners, though, including Amazon's Audible and iHeartMedia for a deal that's expected to be worth tens of millions of dollars. The Obamas are each looking to appear in an eight-episode program, so we can expect shows with a limited number of episodes. 

The Obamas' deal with Spotify was rumored to be worth $25 million and produced Renegades: Born in the USA with Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, as well as The Michelle Obama Podcast, wherein the former First Lady talked about relationships with friends and family. The Michelle Obama Podcast was one of Spotify's most popular shows in 2020 and was eventually made available on other platforms. 

While Higher Ground has yet to issue an official statement, a Vanity Fair report from February during the height of the Joe Rogan debacle may shed some light on its decision not to pursue another exclusive deal with a single platform. Apparently, Higher Ground was frustrated with Spotify at times and found it difficult to get additional shows off the ground under their partnership. Further, the Obamas are more interested in producing shows for young new voices than for their own, and that vision just doesn't align with Spotify's.

Lincoln has finally unveiled its first electric vehicle concept, and it's now a little clearer as to where the company is headed. The upscale Ford badge has unveiled the Star, a luxury SUV that hints at the design direction for production EVs. There are some of the usual concept car excesses, but also some technological developments that might reach something you can drive.

The Star is sleeker than Lincoln's existing lineup, and includes light-up exterior features and doors. The front trunk is covered with electrochromatic glass that turns transparent while in motion. The A-pillars (at the front) and D-pillars (the back) even use 3D-printed metal to allow more natural light. The interior includes lounge-like wraparound rear seating focused on relaxation. Accordingly, the brand is touting "rejuvenation moods" that sync displays, sounds and even scents to calm or reinvigorate you, such as Coastal Morning (complete with sea mist scent) and Evening Chill (evergreen).

In-cabin tech plays an important role, of course. A giant, panoramic front display provides both the essentials as well as a canvas for those moods, with a much smaller control screen sitting underneath. Rear passengers have their own displays, and an "Attaché" briefcase concept hiding in the rear coach door can wirelessly charge and store devices. The Star connects to other vehicles and city grids, and promises driving assistants that help with parking, vision and other common problems.

Lincoln is shy on specs, although that's not surprising when the company doesn't intend to sell the Star. We'd also expect any shipping vehicles to scale back the displays, seating and other flashier elements. This is more about advertising Lincoln's EV ambitions and design language than previewing a real product.

The automaker won't take long to electrify, at least. Lincoln now plans to launch four EVs by 2026, and expects more than half of its sales to come from electric-only models by the middle of the 2020s. It previously echoed Ford with plans to exclusively sell EVs by 2030. These aren't the most difficult feats given Lincoln's smaller range and a wealthier clientele that can more readily afford EVs. Even so, they suggest you might not recognize Lincoln's selection within a few years.

A California judge today granted Activision’s motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed by investors who asserted the company misled them about sexual harassment allegations at the company, including probes by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). First reported by Bloomberg Law, the judge ruled that the plaintiffs failed to meet the threshold to pursue their claims under federal securities law.

First filed in August 2021 by a group of individual investors that includes Jeff Ross and Gary Cheng, they allege the EEOC and DFEH probes were intentionally downplayed by Activision in SEC filings, which calling them “routine”. But the judge argued these investors' claims to be an example of “fraud-by-hindsight,” wherein companies which suffer bad outcomes are unfairly accused of having been able to predict them.

“Plaintiffs contend that the media’s reaction to news of the regulatory investigations and Defendants’ statement in response to the DFEH Action 'belies any notion' that the regulatory investigations were ordinary or routine. But such allegations constitute 'fraud-by-hindsight' and absent particularized, temporal facts, are insufficient to support a claim of securities fraud,” wrote Judge Percy Anderson of the US District Court of the Central District of California.

A US district court recently approved an $18 million dollar settlement between the videogame company and the EEOC. The lawsuit by California’s DFEH is still pending. While the motion to dismiss is a setback for the investors, they have 30 days to file an amended complaint.

When Elli Daniels started working at the Apple Store in Cumberland Mall location in Atlanta, her hourly wage was $16.50 — rosy by comparison to the federal minimum Georgia adopts, but below average for sales in her metro region. Three years later and in spite of several raises, her pay has nowhere near kept up pace with national inflation, or Apple's soaring profits for that matter. 

She's one of the 100 eligible workers at the Apple Store location that petitioned the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, with the backing of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), to hold a union election. It will be the first such election for an Apple retail location in the US.

"One of the biggest things that we're fighting for is going to be for fair pay and a livable wage, because with Atlanta being such a huge city, it's just getting more and more expensive to live here," Daniels told Engadget. "Everybody deserves the opportunity to be able to not worry about whether they can afford food or pay their bills. Everybody deserves to be able to afford to live in the city that they work in." 

Daniels, a product zone specialist, was clear however, that her and her coworkers' desire for better pay isn't borne out of grievance. By all indications a sincere devotee of Apple's products, she specified that "we want to do this because we love this company, not because we want to turn our back on them."

Similarly to the Google Fiber retail workers who recently unionized in Kansas City, Missouri, Apple has been completely silent on the issues, according to Daniels. "We haven't heard anything from Apple corporate at all." Consequently, the workers and CWA opted to file for both voluntary recognition and a union election simultaneously. Apple's silence seems to indicate the company intends to let things go to a vote, though we've reached out to them for confirmation. 

Over the pandemic years, Apple has raked in tremendous profits, even as the economy at large suffers. It has posted record-breaking quarters over and over, but the winnings aren't being distributed equally, according to Daniels. Raising wages is an obvious way to relieve material hardship for Apple Store workers, some of whom have "had to leave the company because they just needed more money to be able to pay their bills, because they were growing a family." But it's also a philosophical means to "try to close the gap" between corporate and retail employees. "It's really important that both sides of the coin get fair treatment in the company that we all work for," she said.

Cumberland workers aren't alone, either. Apple Store workers in New York City's Grand Central terminal, backed by the Fruit Stand Workers United, recently called for a minimum wage of $30 per hour. They're also riding a wave of newfound union sentiment displayed by the first successful unionization vote at a US Amazon warehouse, as well as a rash of successful union drives across Starbucks locations nationwide. As yet, Apple has not seemingly deployed the same captive audience meetings and union-busting techniques those companies have become increasingly associated with. 

"We love Apple no matter what," Daniels stressed, "I think it's all just making sure that we all can put our heads together and really make Cumberland the best place that it can be for all of us — both for us that are here now, as well as people that are that are here in the future."

Earlier this evening, the Capitol Police in Washington, D.C. called for an evacuation of Congress due to an "aircraft that poses probable threat" which was flying circles around Capitol Building airspace, according to the Associated Press's Zeke Miller. Given the violent riot and attempted insurrection that recently took place there, one could forgive USCP for operating with an abundance of caution. 

What became clear in short order was that the aircraft in question, according to Flight Radar, had taken off from nearby Joint Base Andrews, and was of a make and model in use by Army parachute teams as well as commercial skydivers. Incidentally, that's because the payload of this suspicious Viking DHC-6-400 was, in fact, parachutists. Parachutists from the Army's Golden Knights, specifically, who were dropping into Nationals Park during tonight's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. (At the time of this writing, the Diamondbacks are winning, handily.)

As later reported by severaljournalists, the airspace incursion was part of a preplanned Military Appreciation Day — which appears on the Nat's game schedule and entitles two free tickets to (as it's written on their website) "ACTIVE DUTY, DEPENDENTS, VETERANS, AND RESERVISTS WITH MILITARY ID OR PROOF OF SERVICE, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST." Whatever your feelings on reverence for the armed forces during sporting events, undeniably these sorts of these happen regularly, and the subset of those displays that involve parachuting service members are not uncommon. 

It's not precisely clear where the breakdown in communication occurred. Did the Army forget to tell the Capitol Police? Did USCP get the memo but simply lose track of things, as one does in our busy, hyperconnected lives? According to NBC, Capitol Police "were not notified in advance of the planned Golden Knights jump" according to "a law enforcement source." 

We've reached out both USCP and Joint Base Andrews to illuminate the situation. But rather than mock an honest of nationally panic-inducing mistake from the comfort of our keyboards, we thought it best to led our expertise in order to prevent such a situation from occurring again. 

Google Calendar [Free]

It hardly bears mentioning, but Google Calendar is a standby for keeping track of important dates, like birthdays, meetings or when someone might be flying into restricted airspace. There are options to set up push notifications or emails to nudge you when those events are getting close. The last thing you want to do is come up against a deadline and panic!

Slack Notifications [Free with enterprise options]

Do the police or military even use Slack? I have no way to know. But given tonights events maybe they should! Setting up reminders in the workplace messaging application is pretty straightforward. 

Calendar [Free]

Been using Mac's Calendar software a lot lately and pretty rarely blank on the stuff I'm supposed to be doing (or not doing!) Microsoft has a parallel product in Outlook Calendar, for the Windows users among you. No one trusts me with important stuff like national security, but my hit-rate on never issuing an unnecessary evacuation is 100 percent. I think that speaks for itself. 

Calendly [Free with enterprise options]

Increasingly I seem to be getting invites through this service. I don't like it very much, but it still beats making a nation of 330 million people believe they're about to bear witness to a potential tragedy. 

Any.do [Free with premium options]

Haven't used this task reminder app and don't plan to. Keep seeing it on lists of 'best reminder software' though. Just trying to be helpful. 

A simple text message will do in a pinch [negligible cost per message]

Sometimes things slip! It's ok. Nearly everyone on the planet has a cell phone on their person at all times these days. Send the relevant party a quick message. While having something potentially annoying drop in your lap last minute is never ideal, it is always preferable to no communication at all. 

We'll update if we hear back about what exactly happened tonight. The Nationals' 'Patriotic Series' continues on May 29 (Memorial Day), July 4 and September 1, although those dates don't seem to feature any more parachuting. 

One of the knocks that woodworkers get from the metalworking crowd is that their chosen material is a bit… compliant. Measurements only need to be within a 1/16th of an inch or so, or about a millimeter, depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re on. And if you’re off a bit? No worries, that’s what sandpaper is for.

This electronic router lift is intended to close the precision gap and make woodworking a bit less subjective. [GavinL]’s build instructions are clearly aimed at woodworkers who haven’t dabbled in the world of Arduinos and stepper motors, and he does an admirable job of addressing the hesitancy this group might feel when tackling such a build. Luckily, a lot of the mechanical side of this project can be addressed with a commercially available router lift, which attaches to a table-mounted plunge router and allows fine adjustment of the cutting tool’s height from above the table.

What’s left is to add a NEMA 23 stepper to drive the router lift, plus an Arduino to control it. [GavinL] came up with some nice features, like a rapid jog control, a fine adjustment encoder, and the ability to send the tool all the way up or all the way down quickly. Another really nice touch is the contact sensor, which is a pair of magnetic probes that attach temporarily to the tool and a height gauge to indicate touch-off. Check the video below to see it all in action.

One quibble we have with [GavinL]’s setup is the amount of dust that the stepper will be subjected to. He might need to switch out to a dustproof stepper sooner rather than later. Even so, we think he did a great job bridging the gap between mechatronics and woodworking — something that [Matthias Wandel] has been doing great work on, too.

Garmin has launched the latest iteration of the Vívosmart fitness tracker, the long-awaited Vívosmart 5. It’s been nearly four years since Garmin released the previous iteration of the Vívosmart, and for the most part, the new model doesn’t fix what wasn’t broken. It still has the same slim appearance as its predecessor, albeit with a much larger OLED screen and an interchangeable band. 

Unlike older models, the Vívosmart has a connected GPS, so it can connect to your smartphone to track the distance, speed and pace of your runs and bike rides. It includes 14 different modes for activity tracking, including everything from yoga to HIIT workouts to breathwork.

For those who need more than the basics, the Vívosmart 5’s lack of ECG sensors and built-in GPS may be a dealbreaker. Fitness trackers have only grown more advanced since Garmin released the Vívosmart 4 in 2018. The latest models from Apple and Fitbit are packed with multiple health-tracking features, GPS support and state-of-the-art sensors. Garmin's pricier models include bells and whistles like the Fenix 7's multi-LED flashlight and the Instinct 2's solar charging ability. But for those looking for a solid wearable that can track activity levels, sleep, menstrual cycles, blood oxygen levels and stress, the Vívosmart 5 could be a strong contender.

The Vívosmart 5’s battery claims to last for 7 days on a single charge, but that’s only if you don’t enable the pulse ox or sleep tracking features. It is both swim- and shower-proof, and the silicon band is available in three different colors: cool mint, black and white. The Vívosmart 5 retails for $150, putting it roughly at the same price point as the latest Fitbit Charge and a number of Garmin watches, including the Forerunner 45S.