ArduinoMania

Netflix is taking additional action in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On Sunday, the company said it was suspending its service in Russia. “Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a spokesperson for the company told CNBC. 

Developing...

Activision Blizzard and Epic Games have joined a growing list of publishers suspending sales of their games in Russia due to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In an employee letter it shared publicly on Friday, Activision president and chief operating officer Daniel Alegre said the company would pause selling its games to Russian consumers. It will also temporarily stop offering in-game microtransactions to those same customers.

One day after Activision’s announcement, Epic Games said it too was halting transactions within the country. “Epic is stopping commerce with Russia in our games in response to its invasion of Ukraine,” the company said. “We’re not blocking access for the same reason other communication tools remain online: the free world should keep all lines of dialogue open.” 

It’s unclear if Epic’s decision includes both its own titles and any in-game microtransactions it offers in Fortnite. What’s more, notably neither Activision nor Epic mentioned Belarus in their respective announcements.

In halting sales to Russia, Activision and Epic join companies like Microsoft, Electronic Arts and CD Projekt Red. Russia isn’t a small market either. According to a 2021 estimate from Statista, the country, with approximately $2.7 billion in industry revenue that year, was the eighth largest market for video games.

TikTok will temporarily restrict users in Russia from livestreaming and uploading new videos to its platform, the company announced on Sunday. It said it was doing so in response to the country's recently enacted “fake news” law, which threatens up to 15 years in jail for individuals accused of spreading misinformation. "We have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service in Russia while we review the safety implications of this law," TikTok said. 

The company went on to note in-app messaging would not be affected by the decision. "We will continue to evaluate the evolving circumstances in Russia to determine when we might fully resume our services with safety as our top priority," TikTok added.

Developing...

If you’re not excited about Apple’s upcoming Peek Performance keynote, you’re not the only one. According to most reports, the company will announce new iPhone SE and iPad Air models at the event. It’s not the most exciting stuff. But according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple could have a surprise up its sleeve that would make Tuesday considerably more interesting. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman writes he “wouldn’t rule out” Apple previewing a next-generation display at the event.

He reports the company completed development on a new monitor “months ago,” and had originally planned to release it “soon after” the launch of last year’s MacBook Pro. Given there have been reports suggesting Apple will announce a new high-end Mac mini at the event, a matching display doesn’t sound out of the realm of possibility. To that point, Apple has reportedly been working on two new monitors for the past few years. A report from 9to5Mac published earlier in the week shed light on a possible 7K successor to the Pro Display XDR that will feature an A13 processor to offload some processing tasks. The monitor Gurman references would appear to be a more affordable model that would succeed the company’s long discontinued Thunderbolt Display.

If you're looking to add a new streaming device to your living room setup or replace an aging one, you can grab one of Amazon's Fire TV devices now for less. The company has discounted many of its streaming devices to near record-low prices, including the Fire TV Stick 4K, which is only $30 right now. The Fire TV Stick Lite is 33 percent off and down to $20, while the Fire TV Cube is back down to its all-time low of $70, too.

The Fire TV Stick 4K is a great option if you want a low-profile streaming device that can handle 4K content. It also supports Dolby Vision and HDR, plus it comes with the Alexa Voice Remote, which lets you search for and launch content with voice commands. The Fire TV Stick Lite, on the other hand, is Amazon's most affordable streaming device with supports for 1080p streaming. It's best for those with tight budgets, or those that just want to make an old TV with an HDMI port a bit smarter.

Amazon's Fire TV Cube remains its most powerful streaming device with a hexa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It supports 4K, HDR content with Dolby Vision and Atmos, and it has picture-in-picture live view as well. You're also getting hands-free Alexa controls, too, which means the Cube's built-in speaker will hear and recognize your commands to turn off your lights or check the weather, even with your TV is off. It's arguably the best option if you want a higher-end streaming device and you already have a lot of Alexa-enabled devices in your home.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

iPhone 12 and 13 owners take note, Amazon has launched a one-day Anker sale that includes a handful of products from the company’s MagGo line of MagSafe-compatible accessories. To start, you can pick up Anker’s 622 magnetic battery in Interstellar Gray, Dolomite White and Misty Blue for $45, instead of $60. As far as battery packs go, this 5,000mAh model has a handful of nifty features. It includes a built-in foldable kickstand that allows you to stand your iPhone 12 or 13 upright. It also comes with a USB-C port, so you can charge your iPhone without a Lightning cable.

Another accessory that’s on sale is the 633 wireless charger. The Interstellar Gray model is currently priced at $84, down from $120. The 633 is perfect for those who own both a recent iPhone and a pair of AirPods Pro since it can charge both devices simultaneously. It also comes with a 5,000mAh battery pack that attaches to your iPhone 12 or 13. Anker claims the power cell will extend the battery life of your phone by up to 17 hours. The magnet that attaches the two together is strong enough that you can orient the device horizontally and it will stay in place.

Lastly, also on sale is the 637 desktop charging station. If you’ve read our iPhone accessory guide, you know all about this monster of a dock. Not only can it wirelessly charge an iPhone, but it also comes with two USB-A ports, two USB-C connections and three AC outlets. It also looks pretty adorable with its spherical design. You can currently pick up the Anker 637 MagGo dock for $75, instead of $100. What’s more, you don’t have to skip the model you most want since all three available colors are included in the sale.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Often used to make rugs, tufting is a process wherein a hollow needle is used to cram thread or yarn into fabric in some kind of pattern. This can be done by hand, with a gun, or with big machines. Some machines are set up to punch the same pattern quickly over and over again, and these are difficult to retool for a new pattern. Others are made to poke arbitrary patterns and change easily, but these machines move more slowly.

This robotic tufting system by [Owen Trueblood] is of the slow and arbitrary type. It will consist of a modified tufting gun strapped to a robot arm for CNC textile art. Tufting guns are manufactured with simple controls — a power switch, a knob to set the speed, and a trigger button to do the tufting. Once it’s affixed to the robot arm, [Owen] wants to remote control the thing.

The gun’s motor driver is nothing fancy, just a 555 using PWM to control a half H-bridge based on input from the speed control potentiometer. [Owen] replaced the motor controller with an Arduino and added an I/O port. The latter is a 3.5 mm stereo audio jack wired to GND and two of the Arduino’s pins. One is a digital input to power the gun, and the other is used as an analog speed controller based on input voltage. [Owen] is just getting started, and we’re excited to keep tabs on this project as the gun goes robotic.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen robots do textiles — here’s a 6-axis robot arm that weaves carbon fiber.

Cogent Communications, an internet backbone provider that carries approximately 25 percent of all global web traffic, has begun cutting ties with Russian businesses in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The company told The Washington Post it was doing so to prevent the Kremlin from using its network to carry out cyberattacks and spread misinformation about the ongoing conflict.

“Our goal is not to hurt anyone. It’s just to not empower the Russian government to have another tool in their war chest,” Cogent CEO Dave Schaeffer told the outlet, adding “it was a tough decision.” In a statement to ZDNet, the company said it was also complying with European Union sanctions against Russia Today and Sputnik. “Cogent is not otherwise restricting or blocking traffic originating from or destined for Russia. Cogent continues to provide services to Ukraine,” the company added.

The move is expected to disrupt and slow down internet connectivity. Some of Cogent’s Russian clients include state-owned telecom operator Rostelecom, one of the country’s largest internet providers, and wireless carriers Megafon and Veon. Cogent said it was working with some of those companies to provide them extensions.

Some experts worry the move will also prevent Russians from accessing information that doesn’t come from the Kremlin. “I would like to convey to people all over the world that if you turn off the Internet in Russia, then this means cutting off 140 million people from at least some truthful information,” Mikhail Klimarev, the executive director of Russia’s Internet Protection Society, told The Washington Post. “As long as the Internet exists, people can find out the truth. There will be no Internet — all people in Russia will only listen to propaganda.”

To that point, Russians already can’t access Facebook and Twitter after the country’s government moved to restrict those platforms. They may soon lose access to Wikipedia as well.

Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming service recently added Flight Simulator, allowing you to play the game on Xbox One, phones, tablets and web browsers via the cloud. But unlike the PC version of the title, you can’t use a keyboard and mouse to control your plane. However, that’s about to change, according to Flight Simulator head Jorg Neumann.

In a developer Q&A spotted by Windows Central, Neumann said Microsoft is working on adding platform-level support for the feature, suggesting most games on Xbox Cloud Gaming could eventually include the input method. “So the platform team is working on this. I know I can't give a date because it's the platform team. I don't know their dates, but it's coming," he said. “I’m hoping it will be done by June or so, but I can’t ever tell.”

Responding to The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the company was working on the feature but declined to provide a release date. “At launch, Microsoft Flight Simulator supports standard controller inputs for cloud gaming,” they said. “The team is experimenting with touch/gyro and is excited to embrace M&K once it’s available on the platform but we have no specific announcements or timing to share at this time.”

Keyboard and mouse support would be a useful addition to Xbox Cloud Gaming for a couple of reasons. For one, it would allow PC and Mac owners to play games like Halo Infinite without buying a gamepad. Instead, they could use the peripherals they already have on hand. Secondly, it would make it easier for Microsoft to bring PC exclusives like Age of Empires IV to the service.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, PayPal has temporarily stopped offering its services in Russia, according to Reuters. In a tweet spotted by The Verge, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov shared a letter from PayPal CEO Dan Schulman confirming the move. “Under the current circumstances, we are suspending PayPal services in Russia,” Schulman states in the letter. “PayPal supports the Ukrainian people and stands with the international community in condemning Russia’s violent military aggression in Ukraine." 

A spokesperson for PayPal told Reuters the company would continue to allow withdrawals “for a period of time, ensuring that account balances are dispersed in line with applicable laws and regulations.” Before its latest decision on Saturday, the company had previously stopped accepting new Russian users as of March 2nd. PayPal’s current suspension includes its Xoom money transfer service. It’s worth noting western sanctions had already made it so that Russian consumers couldn’t make online purchases from retailers registered in the US and EU, so the suspension may not be as disruptive as it seems.