We've seen bits and pieces of Google's Smart Canvas platform trickle out since it was announced last May, and now, we're getting a look at a few more features coming today and in the next few weeks. The company is unveiling a set of updates for Google Docs, Sheets and Workspace that will make it easier for you and your teammates to work on the same files together.

After rolling out the "universal @ menu" last year, Google is now expanding the available building blocks that you can add to a doc. The company already released blocks for People and Meeting Notes, the latter of which lets you quickly insert automatically generated dates, meeting names, attendees and notes from your calendar events, Soon, you'll see options for email drafts and Maps. 

The latter is fairly self-explanatory — you can embed a Google Maps link and when you click on it, a snippet shows up on the right column in the same page, giving you a preview of the area, as well as directions and traffic info. Just as you can in the Maps app, you can also send directions to your phone through this snippet.

Google

Meanwhile, the new email draft building block lets you compose a message within a box in your Doc, and allows your collaborators to view and tweak your addressees, subject line and letter copy. Those with edit permissions can even send the emails by clicking the envelope icon to the top left of the block, and a small window will pop up with the contents exported to Gmail. The message will be sent from the email of the collaborator who clicked on the icon. Google said the email drafts building block will be available "in the coming weeks."

Because this new format of collaboration will allow people to embed multiple files into one, it's important to get a preview of every document within one page instead of having to open each to see what it contains. Of course, you could use informative titles, but a document summary can provide helpful details like "budget breakdown table here." Today, Google is adding automatically-generated summaries in Docs to make adding a summary to a document preview a little easier. When you click the Summary field, an AI-generated suggestion appears in the box, similar to Google's sentence completion suggestions, and you can hit tab to accept it. 

Google

Since you can also already pull in slides and sheets to a document via the @ menu, it'd be a little inaccurate to think of Docs as a specific file type with a set canvas. Google's building blocks are very similar to how Microsoft's Fluid Framework is doing away with file formats and refocusing around the idea of a "free-flowing canvas." 

But Google also wants to move its Workspace apps out of the confines of the traditional desktop view. It also unveiled today a "pageless format." Starting today, Workspace users will no longer see page boundaries in Docs. Instead of a white paper-like canvas flanked by gray space, the entire page will be white, and your content won't be broken up by page breaks. Those who prefer the traditional demarcations can still switch back to a paginated view.

Google

In addition, the canvas will automatically resize to fit the width of the screen you're working on, whether it's a laptop, an external monitor or your phone. The content in your document will rearrange itself accordingly so you won't have to deal with endless horizontal scrollbars just because you're working while in transit.

Finally, those who often use formulas in Sheets may find the upcoming "formula corrections" feature useful. Like the already available "formula suggestions," this tool will help catch errors and troubleshoot your formulas. It will be available "in the coming weeks."

If you're not already a Google Workspace user, you can sign up for free and check out these new collaborative features when they roll out to the basic tiers. For now, between Google and Microsoft's tools, it looks like collaborative online work is going to get better, just in time for the hybrid workforce.

Everyone wants a piece of the metaverse. Since Facebook rebranded and christened itself Meta, interest in VR and AR has surged again. We’ve already seen companies like Google, Samsung, LG and Alcatel try and fail to make VR headsets for the mainstream, and currently devices from Oculus (oops, Meta), Valve, HTC and Sony are left standing thanks to the appeal of immersive gaming. 

But Motorola and Verizon believe they have the answer to the biggest problem slowing down mainstream VR headset uptake: they’re often weighed down by a slew of components. The companies are announcing a "5G Neckband" today that they believe can allow headset makers to leave things like connectivity, processing and battery to the collar and focus on making their heads up displays lightweight and comfortable. 

In the pictures and diagrams the companies provided to Engadget, the neckband is paired with a ThinkReality A3 headset (from Motorola's parent company Lenovo), but it is meant to work with other glasses as well. The idea is that the collar and pendant can provide the brains of the operation for heads up displays moving forward. But it’s also intended to help make those experiences much more portable, thanks to a bevy of 5G antenna embedded all over. “We’re making 5G wearable,” vice president of technology at Verizon Brian Mecum told Engadget.

I haven't seen the 5G Neckband in person, but based on the photos, it looks like a cross between a chunky necklace and a lanyard. There's what looks like a rope-sized cable encircling your neck, which the companies say attaches magnetically, and a card-sized module that dangles from its middle. The current iteration is black with a red barrel on the right to connect to headsets, which is compatible with Qualcomm's Snapdragon VR platform and Microsoft's Remote Network Driver Interface (RNDIS). It also offers USB-C and DP1.4 connections.

The companies said the front pendant measures 2.1 x 3.8 inches (54 x 97mm), weighs 3.5 ounces (100 grams), and contains a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 5,000mAh battery, touchpad, SIM card slot and charging light indicator. It also houses a slew of sensors like a gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer and GPS, in addition to antennae for 5G, which are also embedded along the rest of the neckband. At the back sits a trapezoid-shaped module weighing 2.6 ounces (75 grams) that also contains antenna and stereo loudspeakers. Connecting the two are coaxes and signal lines, according to company reps.

"We wanted to make it so it's pretty indistinguishable to the user," said Jeff Snow, Motorola's general manager of product innovation. "They've got a smartphone always on them that's always connected to these glasses." 

Motorola and Verizon aren't ready to share details around pricing and availability yet, but did tease that they were in talks with major partners including "already in place retail channels that are doing things in AR and VR," Mecum said. He also mentioned that they're working with "some sports leagues" and "something pretty big with education." 

"We took a smartphone and exploded it around your neck," Mecum said. He's very excited about the new product, "We don't introduce new form factors or new compute platforms very often in the industry," he said. "If we can make it easier for kids to learn and we can make it easier for people in sports leagues to learn," he said, "without the complexity and friction of big heavy things around their head, it'll change."

The idea of lightening the load on your neck and moving it to your shoulders while you're spending hours in VR does seem sound. Other companies have also experimented with making belts or fanny packs to house heavier compute components. But the 5G neckband is very clearly still in its early stages, with Motorola saying that we should "stay tuned for more information." We'll need to at least check out a sample in person to judge the weight, latency, performance, heat generated and overall comfort of this device before we can determine if it's feasible. For now, the neckband is at least an indicator that some companies in the industry are aware of some of the obstacles around VR and AR headsets and are working on solutions. And if it doesn't get sleeker and better-looking in its next few iterations, then we may all be doomed to look goofy when we don the gear we need to enter the metaverse.

Tech news season is in full swing as Samsung launched its Galaxy S22 flagship phones this week, along with new Tab S8 tablets. This week on the podcast, Cherlynn is joined by senior writer Sam Rutherford and special guest Chris Velazco from The Washington Post to discuss Samsung’s new gear. The trio also recap some of the best games announced at Nintendo Direct, followed by a look at the week’s biggest news including Peloton’s layoffs, Steam Deck previews and the Olympics.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

• Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Tab S8 series – 1:30

• Nintendo’s first Direct of 2022 – 27:02

• Peloton’s layoffs and terrible severance – 39:33

• Microsoft promises COD will stay multi-platform for now – 48:02

• Valve's Steam Deck: The early impressions are in! – 51:15

• Is the Louis Vuitton smartwatch tacky or awesome? – 55:57

• Grindr geofences the Olympic Village – 1:00:31

• Working on – 1:04:56

• Pop Culture picks – 1:07:15

Video livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Sam Rutherford
Guest: Chris Velazco
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos, Owen Davidoff, Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Brian Oh
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

Superstition schmuperstition. Google is unveiling the first Android 13 developer preview today and it's clear the company is not going to avoid the "unlucky" number. After all, Apple made a massive amount of money from iPhone 13s. The Android 13 preview is a glimpse of things we can expect from the next generation of Google's mobile OS, and developers can test their apps using the Android emulator or flashing a system image to the Pixel 4 or newer Pixel phones. Based on today's announcement, it looks like we can expect the next version of Android to at least offer finer privacy controls and more of Android 12's Material You design throughout the system.

One of the things this preview brings is a new system photo picker, which can let you share specific local or cloud-based photos more securely. It builds on the existing document picker function with lets you share specific files with an app without having to grant it permission to all media files on your device. The updated photo picker "extends this capability with a dedicated experience for picking photos and videos," Google's vice president of engineering Dave Burke wrote in an announcement post. Developers will need to use the photo picker APIs to enable this feature.

Google

Android 13 also adds a "nearby WiFi devices" permission, which will be required for apps that look for the available WiFi devices in your surroundings. This will allow them to "discover and connect to nearby devices over WiFi without needing location permission." It should let apps that need to find WiFi devices in the area that don't need to know where you are get connected without asking for access to your GPS, which is better for your privacy.

Google is also expanding the Material You adaptive color palette beyond its own apps to all app icons. You'll be able to opt in and have the system apply colors it generated from your wallpaper onto your icons. Developers will need to submit monochrome versions of their app icons and tweak some code. This feature will roll out first on Pixels and Burke said "we’re working with our device manufacturer partners to bring them to more devices."

The developer preview also offers a new tile placement API that lets developers prompt users to add their custom tiles to the Quick Settings panel in the notification shade. With that, users don't have to hunt for these app-specific shortcuts by editing the Quick Settings shade and won't have to leave the app

Google

Other features in this developer preview include a way for apps to more easily set a different language from the system default, improved animations and effects, as well as more feature updates through Google Play. That last one will let Google "push new features like photo picker... directly to users on older versions of Android." Burke also gave a shoutout to Android 12L and devices of varying display sizes and form factors, saying "We’ll also build on some of the newer updates we made in 12L to help you take advantage of the 250+ million large screen Android devices currently running."

Google also shared a release timeline that shows the first beta release is expected around April, with platform stability targeted for June to July. That's in line with how previous versions of Android rolled out, and we're likely to keep hearing about Android 13 in the coming months.

Don’t say goodbye to the Galaxy Note yet. When Samsung launched the Galaxy S22 Ultra today, it said the new flagship merges “the best of two smartphone legacies,” bringing together the S Pen, camera and other power-user features into one device. With its onboard S Pen slot, distinct rectangular shape and premium specs, it’s easy to think of the S22 Ultra as a Note replacement. And in many ways it is. But does that mean Samsung is done with the Note altogether? According to Samsung’s vice president of product management Drew Blackard, the short answer is no.

The longer answer is a little more complicated. Setting aside the fact that you can never say never, Samsung (along with many other companies) says it makes decisions about its product roadmap based on customer feedback. That means if enough people clamor for a new Note, Samsung might bring it back. Still, though he won’t rule out anything for the future, Blackard told Engadget that in the near term there are no plans for a new Note device. “There’s not going to be a new product in the current portfolio with Note in its name,” he said.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

But the Note branding isn’t completely going away. “I can’t be clear enough, this is just an evolution of Note for us,” Blackard said. “It’s not the end of the Note.” He pointed out that the S22 launch event alone will reference Note-like features several times. “It just happens there’s not a device called Note right now,” he said.

What that means is features that were hallmarks of the Note line, particularly the S Pen, will continue to be embedded into Samsung’s other products. The company’s stylus has already shown up in its tablets, laptops and foldables in some form.

Now that the S22 Ultra has an onboard slot, it’s like a Pokemon that has completed its evolution into the Note. “We're going to be telling Note users that S22 Ultra is the device for them,” Blackard said. “It's the natural step up.”

“We would argue we don’t make too many damn phones.”

Consolidating the Note and Ultra series makes sense. There was already a ton of overlap between them, and Samsung was, in my humble opinion, already making too many damn phones. Blackard himself acknowledged that there was “a lot of commonality” between Note and Ultra users. But he also said, “We would argue we don’t make too many damn phones.”

Blackard believes “we make a breadth of choice for a very diverse market.” To him, the challenge is in communicating clearly to consumers so they have the information to choose the right phone for them.

To be fair, the Note series did offer an onboard S Pen in a tinier, cheaper handset. (Remember the Note 10 Lite?) Having a dedicated series allowed Samsung to offer more configurations, like a smaller version of the Note. But according to Blackard, when different versions were offered, a disproportionately large portion of people bought the Note’s Ultra variants.

With foldable phones joining the annual launch lineup over the last few years, Samsung’s calendar was starting to look stacked. Substituting the usual Note event in the fall with something dedicated to the Z-series foldables also makes things easier. Plus, Samsung is expected to eventually add an onboard S Pen slot to the Z Fold series, so who knows, the Note name might resurface there. A Galaxy Note Fold? That would make sense to me.

Catch up on all of the news from Samsung’s February Unpacked event right here!

A new Note wasn’t the only thing missing from Samsung’s lineup last year. The company also didn’t release an update to its Galaxy Tab S series, which is a shame because it’s arguably the best premium Android tablet line around. (Or rather, the only one left standing.) The Tab S7 was launched in 2020, and it featured impressive hardware that was held back by limited software. With Android 12L on the horizon promising to improve the tablet experience, though, it seems Samsung is ready to deliver a capable 2-in-1 again: Today the company unveiled the Galaxy Tab S8 series today, which includes the Tab S8, S8+ and the Tab S8 Ultra.

This is the first time Samsung is making a tablet with the “Ultra” name; that branding is normally reserved for its S-series phones and accordingly, the S8 Ultra has some high-end specs to match. According to Samsung, it features the “world’s only 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display on an Android 2-in-1” as well as “our smoothest writing experience yet,” courtesy of an upgraded S Pen. At a recent demo session in New York (held in accordance with COVID 19 protocols), I was able to briefly check out the three tablets.

The S8 and S8+ are very similar to their predecessors, with smooth metal bodies, slim bezels and attractive matte finishes. They’re thin, light and well-built, and at first glance reminded me of the iPad Pro. Both models come in about the same sizes as the S7 series, with the S8 sporting an 11-inch LCD and the larger model using a 12.4-inch AMOLED panel.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

I was particularly impressed that the Ultra model was as sleek as it is despite having such a big screen. As is usually the case with Samsung devices, the displays are bright and colorful. All three Tab S8s also have panels that refresh at 120Hz, and come with improved selfie cameras. The S8 and S8+ now feature 12-megapixel sensors up front, while the Ultra model gets an additional wide-angle camera.

With that setup, the Ultra also offers some new camera features that Samsung debuted on the S22 phones today. There’s what Samsung calls “intelligent framing,” which is basically like Apple’s Center Stage. When enabled, the Tab S8 Ultra can detect people in the scene and adjust framing or the level of zoom to keep them in the shot. It automatically accommodates more people when it recognizes more faces, or tries to keep the subject you select in the middle. During my hands-on session, the S8 Ultra was as adept as the S22 Ultra at keeping my coworker Sam in the shot as he moved around the space.

The Ultra also has an “enhanced mic mode” that lets you choose between three types of noise cancellation, thanks to its three-way microphone. Samsung also said it added AI that will distinguish between human voices and background sounds to help with minimizing distracting noise in your calls. None of the demo tablets were set up for calls, so I didn’t get to test either of these features during our hands-on. I’d rather check out these (and the camera updates) in the real world for a better idea of their performance, anyway.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The S8+ and S8 Ultra also come with upgraded S Pens that Samsung says “uses a prediction algorithm for ultra-low latency.” During my brief time with the S Pen on an S8 Ultra, I found the writing experience smooth and responsive. But without a side-by-side comparison with an older model, I can’t say for sure if there’s a significant improvement. I did notice that the palm rejection seems much better, at least in Samsung’s Notes app. I deliberately left my palm on the screen while writing, and that no longer left little marks all over the page like it would on previous Galaxy tablets.

Thanks to its larger size, the S8 Ultra’s companion keyboard case (which costs extra) has more room for a nicely spaced layout. I quickly typed a few short messages and URLs, and had no issue with oddly sized or ill-placed keys. I did struggle to keep the Ultra propped up on my lap with the case’s built-in kickstand, though, but at least it was sturdy enough to offer various viewing angles on a desk.

When a product is as mature as the Tab S series, it’s hard to imagine what else Samsung could bring to the table. There are the typical incremental updates, like a new 4nm processor here for all three Tab S8s (the same as the one in the S22 phones). But the best hardware and specs in the world would mean nothing if the Tab S8s continued to be held back by Android’s flaws. The good news is, not only is Google working on improving the tablet experience with 12L, but Samsung is also making its own tweaks.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The Tab S8s feature “an improved multi-window mode,” offering new layout options for up to three windows at once. The company also worked with Microsoft to simplify the process of setting the Tab S8s up as a second screen for your PC, so you can case your laptop’s content over, which can be handy if you want to use a pen to quickly sign PDFs, for example. The new tablets will also support live sharing in Google’s Duo video chat app, making it easier to collaborate with your teammates. And because these are Samsung devices, sharing things like photos and files from your Galaxy smartphone to the Tab S8s is simple as well.

With my limited hands-on time , I wasn’t able to check out all these features (things like Duo and the second-screen for Windows weren’t available, either). So we’ll need to get these devices in our hands for more in-depth testing to know if a Samsung-meets-Google version of Android on a 14.6-inch tablet will make a good laptop substitute.

If you’re already sure you want a Tab S8, you can pre-order them today. The S8 starts at $700, the S8+ at $900 and the Ultra at $1,100, and those who pre-order will get free keyboard cases thrown in. But as always, I’d suggest waiting until we can do a full review before spending hundreds of dollars on an Android tablet.

Catch up on all of the news from Samsung’s February Unpacked event right here!

The high-end fashion world has been trying to embrace smartwatches for years. But apart from Fossil, luxury houses (and most tech companies) have given up on Google’s Wear OS. Gone are the Movado Connect smartwatch, the LG Watch Style and the Moto 360. In their place sit a slew of smartwatches made by Fossil, that are basically the same device in various styles. It’s not surprising, then, that for its third effort at a connected timepiece, Louis Vuitton is leaving Google’s OS behind and using its own proprietary software instead.

Like previous generations, the LV Tambour Horizon Light Up starts at about $3,400 and features a loud design that’s definitely not for everyone. But given the recent launch of Wear OS 3, which promises to be more useful and responsive, I was curious to see if LV’s own platform might be good enough for a device that costs thousands of dollars.

But first, the hardware. Because anyone considering dropping $3,500 on the Tambour Horizon Light Up is probably more interested in how this thing looks and feels.

Frankly, I’m surprised by how much I didn’t hate the design. Sure, the ostentatious markings all around the 1.2-inch screen could be considered gaudy. [Ed. note: Cher, what?! – Dana] But the watch faces themselves were bold and colorful in a way that I found amusing at first but soon grew to appreciate. Each time I saw a new face, or when the 24 LEDs in the monogram ring surrounding the screen lit up in RGB colors, I gleefully sent pictures to my coworkers, intending to revel in shared mockery. But most of us agreed that not only did the faces not suck, we actually kind of liked them. (Except Dana, who wrote this parenthetical.)

Two criticisms kept coming up, though. The orange rubber strap that LV sent was not only too large for my wrist, causing the watch to keep slipping around, it also looked cheap. I’d have preferred the white or black options instead, as they appear more understated and seem to pair better with the bold graphics on the case. I also received the Matte Brown design case, which starts at $4,110, instead of the base model.

That’s the other thing most people noticed when they saw the watch, by the way. The 44mm case is not only thicker than most smartwatches at 13.2mm (0.5 inches), but it’s also very dense. 

Though its face features curved sapphire glass that helps it look smaller than other smartwatches this size, its heft and weight ultimately make wearing the Tambour Horizon Light Up feel like strapping a puck onto your wrist.

If bulky timepieces don’t bother you, you might appreciate what Louis Vuitton has to offer here. The company calls this the “most customizable connected watch in the world,” offering a slew of exclusive watch faces that really pop on the 390 x 390 AMOLED screen. There are eight dial configurations to choose from and when you set up the watch you can also input your initials, which will show up on some designs.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Rotating the watch’s dial on the right switches to different themes, while pressing the top button on the edge cycles through various color schemes. The fact that LV decided to dedicate the dial and button to these functions shows that the changing up the Tambour Horizon’s appearance is its main priority. You can use the companion app to customize the remaining button at the bottom to pull up apps like Alarm, Timer, Stopwatch, Heart Rate, Steps and Camera remote. But more on that in a bit.

One new feature on this generation of the Tambour Horizon is its Always On Display, which also changes based on the theme you’ve selected for your home screen. And depending on the style you choose, the LEDs beneath the monogram ring on the bezel will light up in corresponding colors. This might be my favorite part of the device. The lights also flash when you get an alert and it’s truly delightful to watch.

You can choose which apps can send notifications to your wrist, through the Louis Vuitton Connect app on iOS or Android. This is also where you’ll get clearer explanations for some of the watch’s functions, like its “modes” and shortcuts. All told, the Tambour Horizon offers four profiles: Blossom, which displays all the available animations at maximum intensity, Explorer, which balances animations and performance with battery life, Submarine, which silences notifications and dims the lights, and Saver, which turn off all but the most essential functions to conserve power.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

You can activate these by swiping up on the watch to view the Control Center, and then tapping the Mode button in the middle. The Control Center also offers options to dig into settings, find your phone, start a timer or launch your phone’s camera, along with information about the watch’s battery levels and connectivity.

The rest of Louis Vuitton’s OS is straightforward, if a little rudimentary. Swipe down to see your notifications, and swipe right to go through the available widgets. The left of the home screen houses about five “apps” as part of a so-called “My Day” section, showing your calendar, heart rate, steps count and the weather and air quality in your area. You can reorder these and choose which permissions to allow. This part of the OS feels a little like Tizen (or Wear OS’ Tiles), with its side-swiping navigation.

To the right of the home screen is a page for your upcoming travel, and you can use the app to enter flights, hotels or trips or send your booking confirmation to a customized email address. Your upcoming trips will then show up on the watch, and scrolling vertically through the panels will pull up a QR code for your boarding pass, information about your terminal, gate and seat, as well as the relevant time zones.

You can also swipe sideways to see LV’s travel guides for your destination, and when I tapped here for a pretend trip to Singapore, the watch showed me more information on the local Botanic Gardens. It also offered shortcuts for calling the park and mapping directions there.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

This focus on travel is a feature unique to LV’s OS, but it’s not difficult to replicate on Apple’s watchOS or even Wear OS. For the most part, you can either use Apple Wallet or the Google Assistant to find similar ticket-related data or install a third party app. But the integration here is more seamless and requires fewer steps. I also like the way LV presents the data in an easy-to-read format, and the graphics and icons here are cute, if hard to understand at first.

Because I connected the Tambour Horizon to my iPhone, I’m not able to reply to messages from my wrist. But basically everything else about the watch’s OS feels functional, if a bit limited. It doesn’t offer constant heart-rate monitoring, sleep or fitness tracking or third-party apps, for example. It’s worth noting that most modern smartwatches do that, so if you’re willing to overlook the lack of features for the price, you’re probably a hardcore LV fan.

Perhaps because it’s doing less in the background, the watch generally lasted about a day and a half of average use. Despite packing the latest Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor, though, the Tambour Horizon occasionally felt laggy, something I’ll chalk up to possible inefficiencies in the software (rather than a problem with the chip).

Was it ever slow enough to frustrate me? No. Are LV’s travel and customization-minded features enough to outshine Wear OS? Also no. But in leaving Google’s platform behind, LV has been able to deliver a unique and surprisingly satisfying experience, albeit in a chunky device that might not appeal to all. Especially not for upwards of $3,000. But with the Tambour Horizon Light Up, LV has demonstrated that it’s possible to build a workable smartwatch without Google’s help.

Netflix is learning that careless dialogue in its fictional shows can have serious implications. Its bid to get a recent defamation suit dismissed has been rejected, meaning it will have to face the plaintiff — Georgian chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili — in court. 

In September, Gaprindashvili filed a suit against the streaming giant, accusing the company of defamation and "false light invasion of privacy." As the world's first female grandmaster, Gaprindashvili was mentioned in Netflix's series The Queen's Gambit — a period drama about a chess prodigy. 

In one scene during a chess match, a radio commentator says in passing "The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex. And even that's not unique in Russia. There's Nona Gaprindashvili, but she's the female world champion and has never faced men."

According to the suit, not only is the allegation that Gaprindashvili hadn't faced men at that time "manifestly false," it's also "grossly sexist and belittling." It states that "By 1968, the year in which this episode is set, she had competed against at least 59 male chess players (28 of them simultaneously in one game), including at least ten Grandmasters of that time."

Stanley Sherman via Getty Images

The show is based on a 1983 novel by Walter Tevis that also mentions Gaprindashvili. However, the part which Netflix appears to have based this particular bit of its script on says, "The only unusual thing about her was her sex; and even that wasn't unique in Russia. There was Nona Gaprindashvili, not up to the level of this tournament, but a player who had met all these Russian Grandmasters many times before." Netflix's version is clearly different.

The streaming provider had moved to strike the case in November, saying in its filing that "the Series is a fictional work that a reasonable viewer would not construe as conveying fact." It also said that "a reasonable viewer would not draw the negative implication that Plaintiff alleges."

However, US District Judge Virginia Philips denied that motion today, writing that "the fact that the Series was a fictional work does not insulate Netflix from liability for defamation if all the elements of defamation are otherwise present."

The ruling also states that "at the very least, the line is dismissive of the accomplishments central to Plaintiff’s reputation." It also points out that, when filing its motion to dismiss, "Netflix’s own evidence demonstrates knowledge of the truth in its choice to deviate from the text of the Novel, which states that Plaintiff had faced the male Russian Grandmasters 'many times before.'"

Gaprindashvili is seeking damages of at least $5 million, as well as for Netflix to remove the statement that she never played men from the show. 

The pandemic pushed US lawmakers to provide provisions to expand medical coverage for telehealth in 2020, speeding up a process that would otherwise have taken years. Since then, there have been efforts to make the change permanent, through things like the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2021. But there is an interim period that could present some uncertainty over whether people can get crucial telehealth services while permanent legislation is drawn up. Today, a bipartisan group of 45 lawmakers, led by Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), said they're "calling for the extension of expanded coverage of telehealth services to be included in must-pass legislation in February."

The group published a letter addressing Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as their minority counterparts and notable signees include Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). 

The letter states "While Congress prepares to enact permanent telehealth legislation, we urge you to include an extension of the pandemic telehealth authorities in must-pass government funding legislation in February." 

Currently, pandemic telehealth decision-makers have temporary authority, and that's tied to the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration. As stated in today's letter, the emergency declaration is renewed in three-month increments. "Without more definitive knowledge about the duration of the pandemic and Medicare’s long-term coverage of telehealth, many organizations have been hesitant to fully invest in telehealth."

In addition to providing more confidence to providers that investing in telehealth will be a sound long-term investment, adding an extension to telehealth coverage while making it permanent will also "reassure patients that their care will not end abruptly."

The lawmakers called for "An extension to maintain expanded coverage of Medicare telehealth services for a set period of time," which the letter said "would provide much-needed certainty to health care providers and patients." They believe an extension would also allow additional time for studies to be conducted on the impact of telehealth, which "could help inform Congress's next steps on permanent telehealth legislation and appropriate program integrity and beneficiary protections."

Therefore, the group is also asking to ensure that "an extension not include unnecessary statutory barriers in accessing telehealth services during this data collection and analysis period," which could prevent people from getting essential care.

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra bring you the best and worst of Sundance 2022’s tech-related projects. What films coming out of the show will be worth watching when they’re released? Are VR projects easily viewable? What, if anything, did they say about the metaverse? Then, our hosts go over Samsung’s news on this year's first Unpacked launch event, Neil Young's fight against Spotify and what went down at the Antiwork subreddit.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

• VR and AR at Sundance 2022 New Frontiers – 2:03

• Select tech films at Sundance (After Yang, TikTok Boom, We Met in Virtual Reality) – 12:25

• Preview of Samsung’s first Unpacked of 2022 – 37:03

• Neil Young vs. Spotify: Young’s music pulled over Joe Rogan’s podcast – 42:30

• Reddit’s /r/AntiWork blew up in a big way – 46:45

• Listener Mailbag – 55:50

• Working On – 1:01:00

• Interview with "We Met in Virtual Reality" director Joe Hunting – 1:03:54

Video livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos, Owen Davidoff, Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle Maack
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien