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SpaceX has to wait until March 28th to find out if the Federal Aviation Administration is giving it clearance to launch Starship flights out of its facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The agency is conducting an environmental assessment of the company's plans to launch the massive reusable vehicle out of the facility and looking into whether it will have significant environmental impact on the area. This isn't the first time the agency has moved its target date for completion either: It previously pushed back its original target date of December 31st, 2021 to February 28th, 2022. 

Now, the FAA has updated the project page to reflect the new target date and explained that the delay is "to account for further comment review and ongoing interagency consultations." The agency received over 19,000 public comments on the draft version of the review published in September last year. 

During the most recent Starship presentation, SpaceX chief Elon Musk said the company doesn't know where things stand with the FAA exactly. However, they apparently got a rough indication that the agency will complete its environmental assessment in March. In case SpaceX doesn't get an approval or if the FAA issues an environmental impact statement (EIS) to dig deeper into the company's plans — a process that could take years — it does have a backup plan. 

Musk said during the same event that SpaceX had already secured approval to launch the Starship from Cape Canaveral in Florida, and it will delay the vehicle's first orbital flight if needed to build a tower for it in the location. SpaceX has been conducting all of the Starship's development and testing in Starbase and only has a launch tower for the vehicle in Boca Chica. 

Even if SpaceX does get permission from the FAA to launch the Starship once its environmental review is done, it doesn't mean we'll get to see the vehicle lift off for its first orbital flight soon. Musk said hardware readiness is on track with regulatory approval, but we'll have to wait for the company's announcement for a concrete date. 

In a bid to sidestep the issues of power, size and other technical hurdles of wearable displays, Verizon and Motorola have teamed to create the 5G Neckband. Putting connectivity, processing and battery in a collar could lead to lighter and more comfortable heads-up displays (and high-tech glasses).

Inside the pendant, there’s a Snapdragon processor, battery and touchpad, as well as sensors like a gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer and GPS. "We took a smartphone and exploded it around your neck," said Vice President of Technology at Verizon, Brian Mecum. No details yet on pricing and availability.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• Intel is acquiring Tower Semiconductor for $5.4 billion

• Crypto lender to pay $100 million over alleged securities violations

• Amazon sale offers up to 40 percent off Anker chargers and accessories

• Samsung's 1TB T7 portable SSD is back down to a record low of $110

• Samsung's cellular Galaxy Watch 4 models drop to lowest price yet

Dell's 34-inch QD-OLED monitor will cost $1,299 when it arrives this spring

Cheaper than similar OLED monitors.

Alienware

Dell's Alienware monitor that uses Samsung's quantum dot OLED (QD-OLED) tech will arrive this spring for a surprisingly reasonable $1,299. Dell first unveiled the curved, 34-inch gaming display at CES, and while that might seem expensive for a monitor (and well, it is), it’s cheaper than comparable OLED screens out there. (LG's 32-inch UltraFine OLED model costs $3,999.)

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Polestar's Super Bowl ad took jabs at Tesla and VW

The EV maker hopes to steal the spotlight from heavyweight rivals.

Volvo's sibling brand aired a 30-second spot for the Polestar 2 during Super Bowl 2022 that took some not-so-subtle potshots at competitors and industry hypocrisy at large. The commercial was dominated by "nos:" "no dieselgate," "no conquering Mars" and "no greenwashing." In short, it’s kept the tradition of aggressive Super Bowl ads going for another year.

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Volta is installing 1,000 EV fast-charging stations at Walgreens locations

The stalls are already available at 49 stores, and they'll soon be at more than 500.

Polestar will be happy. EV charging network Volta is bringing another 1,000 DC fast-charging stalls to 500 Walgreens locations. It’s a major expansion. The pair started working together in 2019, and there are currently Volta stations at 49 Walgreens stores. It’s also just the start: ​​The Biden administration recently announced a $5 billion plan to improve EV charging infrastructure across the US.

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SpaceX’s first commercial spacewalk is set for this year

The Polaris Program will end with the first crewed Starship flight.

Shift4 founder and Inspiration4 leader, Jared Isaacman has unveiled a Polaris Program initiative of "up to" three crewed SpaceX flights. The first, Polaris Dawn, is planned for the fourth quarter of 2022 and should include the first commercial spacewalk. The effort will ideally end with the first human-occupied Starship flight. The program hinges on SpaceX and partners solving a number of problems. SpaceX is developing spacesuits necessary for the spacewalk, and Isaacman's group hasn't yet decided how many crew members will step outside. Then, there’s the Starship’s own issues…

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HP Spectre x360 16 review

A big, beautiful convertible laptop.

Engadget

Musing on a convertible PC? HP’s x360 16 has everything you’d want in a big-screen convertible notebook. It’s fast, with a gorgeous screen and one of the best keyboards on the market. Just give up on the dream of using it as a tablet, though. While it’s gorgeous, it’s also... big.

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The Polestar 5 will be cut from a different cloth than its predecessors when it launches at the end of 2024. Polestar announced on Tuesday that its upcoming electric performance sedan will ride atop an entirely new, lightweight bonded aluminum platform rather, than the welded design used by the 1 and 2.

Polestar

Because welding aluminum generally halves its yield strength, you end up having to use double the amount of material to achieve the same performance — which defeats the whole purpose of using the lightweight metal in the first place. Bonding aluminum parts together (ie affixing them with screws and adhesive), on the other hand, cuts down on the materials needed but at the cost of extended production times. 

"The cycle time to cure the adhesive is comparatively long compared to a typical welding cell," Steve Swift, director of vehicle engineering at Polestar, told Engadget via email, adding "the strategy to control build consistency is very different to conventional construction methods."

In order to maintain the material advantages of using aluminum while minimizing the production penalties of bonding the pieces together, Polestar’s engineering team developed a faster manufacturing process that assembles the vehicle body and battery platform as one.

Polestar

"We were able to bake in the structural stiffness targets we need to meet our dynamic performance aspirations at the beginning of the project," Swifts said, explaining the benefits of a unibody construction process. 

"As such, we will not have to make late modifications to the design to deliver on performance," he conceded. "With a conventional strategy, if the platform and body performance contributions are discovered to be unbalanced, a compromise or modification becomes necessary."

The design's time-saving design has already born results, enabling the company to produce and deliver an early series of prototypes, just 18 months after the start of development. Swift expects the process to reduce "the timing for some of the production tooling required," as well. What's more, Polestar noted that the 5 "is being designed with torsional rigidity superior to that of a traditional two-seat sports or supercar" in Tuesday's announcement and "is expected to weigh less than that of cars in smaller segments." This should translate into increased range and improved handling, since there is less vehicle mass to move around. 

Polestar

Though the technique cannot be retroactively applied to production of the Polestar 2, its success with the Polestar 5 could potentially lead to its implementation in future projects as well. "While nothing is in R&D just yet," Swift said, "we have been dreaming of the possibilities it offers."

Epson has unveiled a new long-throw laser projector that delivers a claimed "zero compromise" 4K picture thanks to a 3-LCD chip system with new pixel shifting technology. The Pro Cinema 4K PRO-UHD LS12000 also comes with an HDMI 2.1 port, promising 4K gaming at up to 120 frames per second.

Epson stands out from other projector manufacturers by using its own 3-chip LCD system rather than single DLP chips from Texas Instruments. That generally results in better color fidelity and none of the annoying "rainbow effect" of DLP projectors, but less perceived 4K resolution.

It has apparently solved that problem with what it calls "precision shift glass plate technology." As with other models, it uses three LCDs for red, green and blue, with each limited to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. However, the shift glass plate system runs at a high refresh rate and accurately shifts pixels "to display a 3,840 x 2,160, 8.29-million-pixel image," the company said. 

The laser light source, meanwhile, pumps out up to 2,700 lumens and lasts for up to 20,000 hours. It also allows for deeper blacks with a claimed contrast ratio of over 2,500,000:1. There's no sign of Dolby Vision, but it does offer HDR10, HLG and HDR10+, with the latter supported on Hulu, Amazon Prime and YouTube, but not Netflix. 

It should be one of the best gaming projectors, as well, with the aforementioned 120 Hz refresh rate, lag input below 20 milliseconds, 1080p upscaling and relatively high brightness. The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 4K PRO-UHD projector is now available for $5,00 — expensive, yes, but a relative bargain compared to comparable 3-chip 4K projectors from Sony, JVC and others.

OM Digital Solutions has unveiled the Micro Four Thirds OM-1, its first mirrorless camera since purchasing Olympus. It packs a new sensor and technology that gives it a big leap in performance over the last flagship Olympus models and could be the last Olympus-branded model you'll see. 

Marking the 50th anniversary of the original OM film SLR, the OM-1 offers some big improvements over the E-M1 Mark III. That starts with the stacked, backside illuminate 20.4-megapixel Live MOS sensor with a "quad pixel" AF arrangement using four photodiodes per pixel. With the higher-speed readout and updated TruePic X processor, it can shoot RAW photos at speeds of up to 50 fps in electronic shutter mode with phase-detect autofocus enabled (with supported PRO series lenses), or 120 fps with AF locked. 

OLYMPUS CORP.

With the stacked design, you'll also see far less rolling shutter when shooting in electronic mode. That's a good thing, as speeds go down considerably to 10 fps with the mechanical shutter. Unfortunately, you can only capture up to 139 RAW images at a time with the mechanical shutter, or just 96 RAW images at 50 fps — less than 2 seconds of shooting. Those speeds are no doubt limited by OM's choice to use dual SD UHS-II card slots, rather than something faster like CFexpress. 

Though the OM-1 is mainly aimed at wildlife photographers, it can handle more detailed images as well thanks to the High Res Shot mode. That allows you to capture 50-megapixel images handheld in just five seconds, or 80-megapixel images on a tripod. Other modes include live ND to simulate long exposures, HDR, and focus stacking, which delivers an image where everything is in focus.

OLYMPUS CORP.

The AF is considerably improved in terms of AI smarts, as well. OM says that its latest face and eye-detect algorithms are much more responsive, and it now detects cars, airplane and trains on top of people, birds and animals. It also has a new subject tracking feature that's completely separate from face and eye detection. 

The OM-1 has big improvements in terms of video, as well. You can now shoot 4K (UHD or DCI) at up to 60 fps, in either 8-bit H.264 or 10-bit H.265 modes. The latter works either in OM-Log mode for improved dynamic range, or HLG mode for HDR work. Better still, the OM-1 can output 12-bit Apple ProRes RAW video at up to 60 fps to an Atomos Ninja V or Ninja V+ external recorder, supposedly without any subsampling (pixel binning). 

OM Digital Systems

Other feature include 8 stops of in-body image stabilization with supported lenses (7 stops without), high-end build quality with an outstanding IP53 camera rating against dust, water, and freezing conditions, a redesigned menu system, 5.76 million dot 120 HZ electronic viewfinder and battery that delivers 520 shots on a charge (CIPA rated) and 90 minutes of video recording. It has a fully articulating 1.62 million dot rear display that should make this camera ideal for vlogging.  

The OM-1 looks to be a strong rival to Panasonic's GH5-II Micro Four Thirds camera, offering faster shooting speeds and superior phase-detect autofocus, while matching up well in terms of video. It remains to be seen how it will stack up against the upcoming Panasonic GH6, however, which is set to be launched on February 21st at 8PM ET. 

The OM Digital's OM-1 is now available on pre-order for $2,200, with delivery set for early March. Olympus also unveiled a pair of new lenses, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro II ($1,000) and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4 PRO ($900). 

Intel could soon announce a nearly $6 billion acquisition that would give its fledgling foundry business a boost, according to The Wall Street Journal. The chip giant is reportedly close to clinching a deal to purchase Israeli chip company Tower Semiconductor, and it could be announced sometime this week unless the talks suddenly fall apart. 

Tower, which has a market value of around $3.6 billion, produces various types of chips for clients across industries, including automakers and medical and industrial equipment manufacturers. Its website shows that it has seven fabrication facilities located in Israel, Italy, the US and Japan making 6-inch, 8-inch and 12-inch chips. Tom's Hardware says the manufacturing processes it uses aren't cutting edge, but the chips it makes don't need the latest technologies anyway. Tower only needs to reliably and regularly generate large volumes of chips. 

Before Tower, Intel was reported to be in talks to purchase the much larger chip manufacturer and AMD spinoff GlobalFoundries for around $30 billion. It didn't push through, however, and GlobalFoundries chose to pursue an initial public offering instead. 

Intel launched its foundry services back in 2021 when it committed $20 billion to build two Arizona factories and explained that it will be run as its own business unit. Earlier this year, the company also revealed its plans to build a massive semiconductor facility in Ohio that it's hoping would become "the largest silicon manufacturing location on the planet." It will use the fabs in the complex to manufacture both its chips and chips for clients under its foundry services.

Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City are about to get a boost in their paychecks. Last week NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city would increase its minimum driver pay rate for both Uber and Lyft, the second such move since 2018. Both ride hail apps will have to pay their NYC drivers a minimum of $1.161 per mile and $0.529 per minute, which amounts to roughly a 5.3 percent raise.

It’s the first bit of good news for gig workers in one of the world’s most expensive cities in a while. NYC ride hail drivers have spent the past few years fighting for the right to unionize, which would allow them to bargain for better pay and workplace benefits. However, a union has yet to materialize despite numerous protests.

“Uber, Lyft, and Via drivers are part of the largest private sector workforces in the state. They are the anchor in many neighborhoods and are majority immigrants of color working to transition out of poverty," said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a group that represents ride hail and taxi drivers in the city, in a statement. "We all know the price of basic needs, like bread and milk, have gone up, and, for drivers, so have operating costs, like fuel and repairs. This 5.3 percent raise will help thousands of families find security and give many the chance to live under better conditions.”

The policy will go into effect on March 1, and impact an estimated 90,000 drivers in New York City, according to NY 1.

The NYC raise is the latest victory in a global effort to improve the livelihoods of gig economy drivers. Uber and Lyft are currently locked in a battle in Massachusetts and California over its classification of drivers as “independent contractors”, a label which frees both companies from paying drivers minimum wage, overtime, and other benefits. Last August a judge ruled that a California ballot measure that classified ride-hailing drivers as contractors was unconstitutional, a decision that Uber and Lyft are appealing.

Following weeks of occupation that have paralyzed the nation’s capital and other cities throughout the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today invoked Canada’s Emergencies Act to respond to the “Freedom Convoy” protests. The act grants the federal government additional temporary powers to deal with critical situations and has never been used since its creation in 1988. In a press conference Trudeau said he would use the Emergencies Act to reign in the protests through several methods — among which is an expansion of Canada’s money-laundering laws to cover crowdfunding platforms and cryptocurrency transactions.

Starting today, Canada will require that crowdfunding companies register with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) and report suspicious payments. The government has also empowered banks to freeze funds they believe are being directed to "Freedom Convoy".

“We’re not using the Emergencies Act to call in the military,” Trudeau said. His father, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, famously invoked the War Measures Act, the precursor to the Emergencies Act, to call in the Canadian Forces during the October Crisis in 1970.

The Guardiandescribed convoy members' "trucks and cars [...] laying on their horns and snarling traffic" at all hours. Protesters have also been forcing their way into businesses while maskless despite mandates to the contrary. Outside of protesting in Ottawa and other cities throughout the country, the protestors have blocked critical border crossings between the US and Canada. The decision to invoke the Emergency Act comes shortly after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested 11 people linked to the protest and seized their cache of guns and other weapons, according to the New York Times.

Funding for the protest has come from a variety of sources, including GoFundMe. Before the company suspended the Freedom Convoy’s campaign, it had raised more than $10 million CAD (approximately $7.88 million USD). GoFundMe refunded all donors after the company determined the campaign violated its terms of service. Since then, supporters of the Freedom Convoy have turned to other crowdfunding platforms, including GiveSendGo. On Sunday, the site was hacked and personal information of those who contributed to the campaign was leaked online. Analysis by extremism researcher Amarnath Amarasingam indicated that 56 percent of the donors who contributed to the campaign came from the US.

Once invoked, the Emergencies Act takes effect right away. However, the government must go to Parliament within seven days to obtain support for the action from both the House of Commons and Senate of Canada. If either body votes against the motion, the state of emergency is revoked. Trudeau’s ruling Liberal Party does not control the majority of seats in the House of Commons and will need to obtain the support of at least one of the country’s other federal parties to pass the motion. The Emergencies Act also cannot be extended indefinitely.

“I know people are frustrated. I hear it. You have the right to voice your frustration, even your anger at government policies,” Trudeau said. “But blocking streets and critical infrastructure, and depriving your neighbors of their freedom, is a totally different matter. It’s time to stop.”

In the more than two weeks since the “Freedom Convoy” descended on Ottawa, Canada’s capital city has been blocked by trucks and cars that have made life for residents difficult. Those involved in the movement claim to be protesting vaccine passports and mandates, but there’s those complaints have in many cases commingled with broadly anti-government sentiments.

James Bauder, the founder of Canada Unity, one of the organizations at the center of the protests, has said on Facebook that Justin Trudeau should be tried for treason. On its website, Canada Unity published a “memorandum of understanding” that demanded the Canadian government rescind all vaccine mandates or “RESIGN their lawful positions of authority immediately.” In a video he posted to social media, Bauder said it was his hope the MoU would persuade Canada's voting oversight agency to trigger an election — a power it constitutionally does not have. On February 8th, the group “withdrew” the document, stating at the time it did not want “any unintended interpretations to continue.”

Snapchat is introducing a new way for some of its most popular users to earn money. Starting today, you’ll begin seeing mid-roll ads in public Stories from Snap Stars. Those are individuals with verified accounts that have a large number of followers.

In introducing mid-roll ads, Snap has also decided to share ad revenue with creators, marking a first for the company. How much someone will earn off their Stories will depend on a formula that considers factors like how often someone posts and the engagement their content attracts. Snap is testing the advertisements with help from a small group of Snap Stars in the US. The company currently plans to roll them out more widely sometime later in the year.

“Stories lower the barrier to content creation and engagement, and we believe placing ads within a Snap Star’s public Story will allow an easier path to financial success,” the company said.

Unintuitively, the introduction of mid-roll ads to some Stories follows a period in which Snap saw a dip in the format's popularity. “We are seeing people post fewer Stories to their friends, [and] view fewer Stories from their friends,” Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said during the company’s recent fourth-quarter earnings calls. “But at the same time, we've seen folks watching more premium content, watching more content in Spotlight.”

Spotlight is Snapchat’s take on TikTok-like short-form videos. The company has invested significantly in the format, including announcing a commitment to spend $1 million per day to fund creators supporting the platform. Snap’s decision to share ad revenue generated by Stories shows the company is just as serious about ensuring they continue to grow.

Microsoft is finally ready to reopen key offices after two years of pandemic-related closures and numerous delays. The company now plans to enter the "final stage" of its Washington state return-to-work plan starting Feb 28th, at which point facilities (including the company's Redmond headquarters) and services will be completely open to workers and visitors alike. From that day forward, staff will have 30 days to adjust to whatever work routine they and their managers have chosen, whether it's in-person, remote or hybrid.

Offices in California's San Francisco Bay Area will also open starting February 28th. Other US offices would follow "as conditions allow," according to Microsoft.

The Windows creator justified the move by pointing to high vaccination rates in its home county as well as falling hospitalizations and deaths. Local testing and compliance with government guidance were also part of the strategy, Microsoft said.

The schedule is more aggressive than the timelines seen at some of Microsoft's peers. Meta is currently aiming for March 28th, while Apple and others have indefinite delays. Amazon is dropping mask mandates for fully vaccinated warehouse workers, but it's also ending paid leave for unvaccinated workers who develop COVID-19. The company also loosened its in-person work requirements for office employees.

Microsoft's decision signals confidence that the worst of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant surge are behind the company. However, they also reflect changed expectations — remote work is more practical, in part through Microsoft tools like Teams and Viva. The firm is also preparing for a future where Mesh enables mixed reality collaboration. There just isn't as much pressure to return to the office as there was in 2020, and those who do return may see more sparsely-populated buildings — at least, for now.