The drama, litigation and tweets continue between Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and all those space-faring companies. As reported by CNET, Musk told Code conference attendees Bezos should put more effort into "getting into orbit than lawsuits," and that you couldn't "sue your way to the Moon" as Blue Origin allegedly tried when it lost its lunar lander bid.
NASA legal documents have revealed the space agency felt Blue Origin "gambled" with its originally proposed $5.9 billion lunar lander price. Bezos' company allegedly set the price far higher than necessary, expecting (hoping?) NASA to award the contract and negotiate a lower cost. Further, it assumed NASA would get the full funding from Congress needed for that initial price. That didn’t happen.
Blue Origin’s VP Megan Mitchell told The Verge the company rejected NASA's views. She felt it made a "great offer" and that it disagreed with how NASA had framed its bid.
An Amazon representative also got in touch with Engadget to remind us that SpaceX has a "long track record" of suing the US government over contracts and other decisions. Yes, we’re aware.
In the end, SpaceX’s lower bid of $2.9 billion was picked by NASA, despite Blue Origin’s subsequent challenges and a last-minute $2 billion bid — almost a third of its original proposal.
Valentina Palladino puts the latest Fitbit through its paces. Don’t expect any major shakeups, but we do get a more modern fitness tracker. Not only is it thinner, lighter and less bulky than the Charge 4 but it now has some features previously reserved for Fitbit’s full-fledged smartwatches, the Versa and Sense. At $180, you will pay a premium for those updates.
Disney vowed The Book of Boba Fett would premiere this December, and it's making good on its promise — barely. It’s revealed the Mandalorian spin-off will debut December 29th on Disney+, replete with a little bit of teaser art you can see above. We’d explain more, but spoilers abound. For everyone already caught up with The Mandalorian, click on.
If you were following along with all the Amazon product announcements yesterday, you might have experienced a dose of tech deja vu. Cherlynn Low felt exactly that. With products that borrowed heavily from the likes of Fitbit, Nest (both Google properties now), as she put it, Amazon's biggest innovation increasingly seems to be: being cheap. Aside from that robot.
The company also revealed $250 ANC headphones promising 30-hour battery life.
Sony's flagship noise-canceling headphones and tech-filled true wireless earbuds have both been updated for 2021. Now, the company's more affordable options are getting the same treatment. With the WF-C500, you can pick up a solid set of true wireless earbuds capable of handling immersive 360 Reality Audio for $100. And if over-ear noise-canceling headphones are more your vibe, the WF-XB910N pairs ANC (active noise cancellation) with 30-hour battery life for $250.
Ever since its first “ethical” smartphone hit the market, Fairphone reviews have always been haunted by the wary acknowledgement that the devil always has the best toys. But times have changed, and Fairphone can at least be confident that it has won both the moral and the economic argument. Right to Repair laws are currently being kicked around in several US states and Framework is now building Fairphone-esque laptops. If there’s one word I can use to describe the new Fairphone 4, it’s mature. As much as the previous generations of this handset have been good, none deserve as much attention as this one likely does.
First, a caveat: Various global crises have pushed back the launch date for the Fairphone 4. I didn’t receive a unit until a few days before the announcement, so I’ve only had a limited amount of time to give this thing a thorough going over.
Daniel Cooper
Pick up the Fairphone 4 and you’ll first notice how solid this thing feels in your hand compared to its predecessor. This is not the flimsy plastic concoction we saw in previous generations but a monument, wrought from metal and glass. It may weigh a gram less than the iPhone 11 Pro Max I was holding in my other hand, but this one just feels more substantial. The new metal chassis and thick plastic backplate gives it, to quote Auric Goldfinger, a divine heaviness. I have no qualms about how sturdy and durable this thing is, even knowing that I can pick up replacement parts for very little cash up front.
The design language has changed from the awkwardly long slab of the 3 and 3+ to something that looks a lot more like a current-generation (or at least previous-generation) Android handset. Fairphone has also taken the courageous decision to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack here in favor of just USB-C. The only things breaking up the outside of the frame, beyond the antenna lines, are a power button with a built-in fingerprint sensor and a pair of sturdy volume buttons. Gone, too, is the conspicuous branding of the previous editions in favor of the company logo edged into the base of the backplate.
Daniel Cooper
A 6.3-inch Full HD+ display coated with Gorilla Glass 5 takes up most of the room up front, although this is no slim-bezel chin-free edge-to-edge number. The only interruption is the teardrop in the middle of the screen, which houses the 25-megapixel selfie camera. There’s nothing of note to say about the screen, which has a decent backlight, good viewing angles and solid black levels. I think I said a year ago that it’s now hard to mess up a phone display and Fairphone hasn’t fixed what didn’t need mending. Sadly, as good as the vision is, the sound that accompanies it is tinny, thin and reedy with non-existent bass.
Now, Fairphone hasn’t strayed too far from its goal of producing an affordable and reliable modular smartphone. But while it’s splashed out on some specs, others remain firmly in the “nothing to write home about” league. The system-on-chip, for instance, is a Snapdragon 750G, which you’ll find in a number of non-premium 5G handsets like the Moto G 5G and Galaxy A52 5G. It’s worth saying that the 750G offers very respectable performance and tests well in benchmarks but it’s certainly not a screamingly-fast flagship unit.
Daniel Cooper
Unlike previous models, Fairphone is actually offering two versions of the Fairphone 4, one with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, the other with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Both can be bolstered with the internal microSD slot that’ll take up to 2TB cards. The Fairphone 4 can support both a physical nano-SIM as well as an eSIM, both of which support 5G (although not simultaneously.)
Fairphone opted for a double-camera setup here with an f/1.6 48-megapixel primary camera packing Sony’s half-inch Exmor IMX582 sensor with OIS. You’ll get 8x digital zoom, and can shoot 4K video at 30fps, or HD slow-motion at 240fps. The second camera is a 48-megapixel f/2.2 120-degree wide-angle lens for landscape photography. Joining those two on the back of the phone is a time-of-flight sensor for better autofocus, which also makes it look like you’re rocking a triple-camera phone.
Daniel Cooper
Nestled up front in the teardrop is a 25-megapixel, f/2.2 forward-facing camera which uses a Sony IMX576 sensor. You’ll get support for HDR, 8x digital zoom and the ability to record video in HD at up to 30 fps. The images you get out of that selfie lens are respectable, although even when you shoot 25-megapixel images, you’ll get very little detail when you zoom in and things get muddy pretty quickly.
The company said that I shouldn’t do too many photography tests with the Fairphone 4 until a yet-to-be-distributed software update pushes the final tweaks. That said, the standard camera is perfectly reasonable and the live filters produce pretty lovely images.
Repairing this phone should, again, be relatively easy given how little a challenge it was to upgrade the previous model. Simply pop off the back cover and extract that replaceable 3,905mAh battery and a Phillips 00 screwdriver is all you need to get working. Again, I’ve not had any time to delve yet, but even a quick poke inside makes me think that it’s not more difficult to do any repair job than it was on the older models. One thing to bear in mind, however, is that Fairphone is no longer shipping a screwdriver in the box, assuming instead that you already own a tool suitable for the job.
Daniel Cooper
Fairphone has said that it has learned a number of valuable lessons from the launches of its last few handsets. That’s why this new model has a five-year warranty and guarantees software support until 2025 at the earliest, but pledges to keep that going to 2027 at best. (Fairphone has previous here: Earlier this year it managed to get Android 9 running on the Fairphone 2, five years after it was first released.) It also has pledged to ensure that spare parts for the phone remain available until that same 2027 deadline.
Whereas before Fairphone talked about a “fair” supply chain both looking for ethically-clean raw materials and paying workers a fair wage, it also describes the 4 as “e-waste neutral.” This is a neat way of summing up the idea that the company will recycle one device for every Fairphone 4 it sells. In addition, Fairphone can boast that it now uses 70 percent “fair” material inside the handset, including FairTrade Gold and Silver, aluminum from ASI-certified vendors and a backplate made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled polycarbonate.
And while some of the spare parts are a little more expensive than on the previous edition, the prices are more or less affordable. The company supplied me with a parts and price list (in GBP, at least) and the most expensive components are a replacement display and rear camera, which both retail for £69.95 (around $78 before sales tax). The forward-facing camera and battery pack replacements, meanwhile, are £25.95 (around $29), while components like the loudspeaker, USB-C port, earpiece and so on all cost less than £20 (around $22).
Daniel Cooper
Interestingly, as part of this launch, Fairphone is also launching a pair of true wireless headphones. These are, naturally, one of the most notoriously hard-to-repair and recycle devices currently littering the market. At this point, Fairphone hasn't tried to re-design these things to be more repairable, but did say that the units were made with “fair and recycled materials” including at least 30 percent recycled plastic and FairTrade Gold.
The Fairphone 4 will be available to pre-order on September 30th, with the first handsets due to arrive on October 25th. Unlike previous years, however, there will be the two previously-outlined variants depending on storage and RAM options. The 6GB RAM / 128GB model will retail for €579 / £499, while the 8GB / 256GB model will set you back €649 / £569.
Withings is today launching the ScanWatch Horizon, a dolled-up version of its ScanWatch inside the body of a diving watch. Horizon comes in a bigger, 43mm case size, but is otherwise the same device we already think is the best hybrid on the market. That includes the built-in ECG, blood oxygen sensor and sleep apnea tracking, as well as the usual activity and sleep-monitoring features. You’ll also get the same pair of sub dials, one with a small digital screen for notifications, the other an analog activity counter.
Steve Dent/Engadget
Sadly, the beefier body and higher price hasn’t added anything to the feature list, and so there’s no GPS on this watch unless your phone comes along for the ride. And, if we’re nit-picking, we can say that while it’s dressed to impress as a diving watch (with an accurate laser-engraved rotating bezel and Luminova watch hands) water resistance is limited to 10ATM, which isn't much compared to most serious diving watches.
That said, the smartwatch world is crying out for anything that matches premium diving watch styling with a hint of smarts. It can’t be that TAG Heuer’s Connected is allowed to become the default in this market by default, especially since it’s running, you know, Wear OS.
Withings
Withings told Engadget that FDA approval of its health sensors is holding back the ScanWatch Horizon's release in the US, but it's hoping to release it stateside by the end of the year. That's also why the original ScanWatch has yet to go on sale in the US, in case you were wondering.
As for when you can get one of these on your wrist, the ScanWatch Horizon will first launch in the UK from September 29th, priced at £499.95 / €499.95. Buyers will be able to choose the Blue or Green face color, and both models will ship with a stainless steel and an FKM rubber band (for swimming), both of which are naturally quick-release. Naturally, you can expect this watch to start popping up across Europe and over in the US at some point in the near future.
Today, Ring is announcing the Ring Alarm Pro, a higher-end version of its home security system that will guard both your home and your network security. The Amazon-owned security company has teamed up with Eero, the Amazon-owned networking firm, to incorporate the latter’s tech in the former’s hardware. With the Alarm Pro including an Eero router inside, the one module can now sit at the heart of your home’s internet and security system.
Ring
In addition, Ring will now sell you additional battery packs which can be used to extend the working life of your Alarm system during power outages up to 24 hours. It’s worth saying that you can’t simply shove an Eero router next to your existing Ring Alarm product, however, since many of the new features take advantage of the integrations available to the Pro.
You will need to buy four packs to get your base station's battery life to 24 hours.
Ring
To take advantage of the technology, you’ll need to sign up to Ring’s new subscription product, dubbed Protect Pro. The package offers cloud video storage, professional monitoring, Alexa Guard Plus, 24/7 backup internet for your security devices (via an LTE module in the Ring Pro base station) and Eero’s cybersecurity subscription product for network protection. This, at least in the US as it launches, will set you back $20 a month, or $200 per year per location up front.
Ring COO Mike Harris said that the decision to work with Eero was not one foisted down from upon high by Amazon. Instead, Harris said that both companies saw the opportunity to work together to help leverage their individual skills in tandem.
At the same time, Ring is launching a system dubbed “Virtual Security Guard,” which connects users to third-party security guards. You’ll need to pay for that separately, but you can hand over access to select Ring camera feeds to those companies who can keep a watch over your property. It is only when motion is detected that an operator can access your feed, and can speak to whoever is there to determine their intentions. Ring adds that third parties can’t view motion events when the camera is disarmed, and can’t download, share or save the clips of what’s going on in your front yard. The first company to sign up for the program is Rapid Response, with others expected to join in the near future.
Ring also offered up some good news for existing Ring doorbell owners, at least if you’re rocking the Pro 2 or the 2020-and-newer version of the standard bell. Those devices will soon be able to take advantage of smart alerts that will let you know if a package was delivered to a specially-designated zone on your doorstep. In addition, you can set up your Spotlight Cam Battery to identify an object left in a specific state, such as if you’ve left your garage door open. This should be useful, again, to avoid the curse of the “did I leave X unlocked” when you’re miles away from home.
The Ring Alarm Pro is available to pre-order today for $250, with the Protect Pro package costing you $20 a month. If you want to try Virtual Security Guard, meanwhile, you will need to contact the company and apply for early access
Follow all of the news from Amazon’s fall hardware event right here!
Ring has revealed that the Always Home Cam, its first home security drone, will soon be arriving in select households. The company has announced that users will soon be able to sign up to join an invite-only testing program to help refine the hardware before it hits shelves. In the US, at least, Ring owners can sign up to help develop what its makers are calling a “very ambitious device.”
The Always Home Cam was initially announced back in September 2020 as part of a slew of new kit from Ring. It was designed to, when activated, automatically fly patrols around your home to keep watch over your property when you aren’t in. In addition, it may help assuage those universal fears about leaving your oven on, a window open or the back door unlocked.
When it was launched, Ring sought to address the privacy concerns that some would-be users may have about the drone’s technology. For instance, the drone’s camera is obscured by its base station when it’s not in flight, and will issue an audible warning when it’s recording. The fortunate users who are allowed to sign up to try one of these out will be charged $250, but it's not clear if you'll get any sort of perk for the privilege of beta-testing the hardware.
Follow all of the news from Amazon’s fall hardware event right here!
The Nintendo Switch OLED is due to hit store shelves on October 8th, and we’ve been able to get some face-to-face time with the new hardware. Our Kris Naudus says the new machine is beautiful in a way previous pieces of Nintendo hardware have never been.
Obviously the biggest feature worth discussing is that gorgeous new 7-inch OLED display, which is brighter, crisper and lovelier than its predecessor. Then there’s the new kickstand that stretches across the back of the device for better balance, reliability and adjustability.
At the same time, Naudus got to play Metroid Dread, a de-facto launch title for the refreshed console. The 2D-side scroller is heavy on horror, and one of the best tactics the main character, Samus Aran, can employ to survive is to just run the hell away from whatever unspeakable monster attacks.
To get on, Samus uses some new tech, including a spider magnet that lets her cling to ceilings. Oh, and she’s now packing a cloaking device so she can sneak past those unquenchable horrors — but she can only use it in short bursts.
Facebook is “pausing” work on Instagram Kids to consult with parents, experts and policymakers. The project, which politicians on both sides of the aisle agree is a terrible idea, has come under sustained criticism since its existence was revealed. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the pause really is a pause, since Facebook knows there is a real problem of tweens lying about their age to access the full-fat version of the app.
This will not, however, placate critics of the company and the effects its platforms have on younger children. The volume of which has intensified after WSJ reported Facebook’s own internal research said Instagram had a toxic effect on kids’ mental health. (Facebook claims the data, while true, has been misrepresented and has pledged to release more of its own internal research to counter.)
Corporate wrangling over cash makes cord-cutting so relaxing.
NBC Universal and YouTube are now publicly fighting about how much cash NBC gets from YouTube TV’s service fees. The pair are recruiting users to aid their causes, with NBC saying YouTube TV users risk losing NBC, USA, Bravo, CNBC and Telemundo (among others) if the Google-owned video service doesn’t pay up. YouTube, meanwhile, has told users it’ll cut the monthly price by $10 a month if those channels do wind up going.
IK Multimedia’s first Uno Synth was a surprise, coming as it did from a company with a pedigree in MIDI controllers rather than synthesizers. It didn’t get it entirely right the first time, but there was enough promise in IK’s premise for it to justify a second go. Managing Editor Terrence O’Brien has spent some time with the improved Uno Synth Pro Desktop, a $400 replacement for the original model. There’s plenty of detail in his full review, but it seems that while IK hasn’t buffed out all of the original’s faults, the sounds are so good, you won’t care.
The CW has started work on a potential reboot of seminal ‘90s TV series Babylon 5 with original creator J. Michael Straczynski back running the show. Originally airing between 1993 and 1999, Babylon 5 helped build the world of Peak TV as it exists today. If you thought Game of Thrones invented long-running plot lines, tireless internet speculation and a lengthy, novelistic series of plot arcs, think again. And Babylon 5 managed to do this on a budget that would have made the makers of General Hospital reconsider if it was worth getting out of bed in the morning.
Of course, you might argue some of B5’s plot lines were a little bit fantastical, even for a sci-fi series. One of the biggest story arcs the series ran was the takeover of the Earth government by a xenophobic and paranoid president who was aided by a shadowy foreign power. Escapism! This may also go some way to redressing the way (parent company) Warner Bros treated B5 both during its original run and in its digital second life, which I’ve covered pretty extensively over the last few years.
Is this a record? No sooner has the iPhone 13 hit store shelves than the rumor mill is already up and churning about the next one. Rumors from the weekend suggest the iPhone 14 will be a “complete redesign,” but the details are thin gruel at this point. Hold not these rumors close to your chest in hope, my friends, lest they disappear into a puff of whimsy.
This complete redesign will reportedly see the 14 look a lot more like the iPhone 4, with a band running around the outside of the device. That makes sense given how beloved the 4’s design was, and how those square edges have recently returned to Apple’s design language. The hints also suggest that, with a marginally thicker body, the camera lenses will be flush with the back.
Another rumor says the 14 may ditch the notch in favor of a hole-punch front camera, or maybe only for the Pro models. Plus, there are the usual rumor hits, including the launch of in-display TouchID and the end of the iPhone Mini. Just remember, we’re a year away from any of this being confirmed, so let’s focus instead on all the delights of the 13 we have yet to discover.
Astronomers using the Hubble telescope and Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) have found six “dead” galaxies. These are galaxies that have run out of the cold hydrogen necessary for star formation, despite being formed during the stellar equivalent of a baby boom. The discovery of these galaxies is testament both to the enduring power of the Hubble and the ingenuity of the astronomers to pull these images from the heavens. But the question of what happened to those galaxies is one that will dog scientists from now until we’ve developed some pretty impressive faster-than-light travel.
If your brand new iPad Mini is operating a little weird, don’t worry, you are not the only person in this particular predicament. There are multiple reports of users talking about jelly scrolling, where one side of the screen moves at a different rate to the other. Apple hasn’t responded yet to the claims, but it’s probably already scrambling to work out the cause as we speak. At the same time, Apple has reportedly revealed that TV+ has fewer than 20 million subscribers in the US and Canada. The reason for the potentially embarrassing admission? The smaller size apparently means it can pay its film and TV crews lower rates compared to Netflix.
To celebrate National Comic Book Day, NASA has published a graphic novel, First Woman, to tell the story of the first woman to walk on the moon. The (currently fictional) tale is designed to spark the public’s interest in the Artemis missions and encourage more people to sign up as astronauts. Download the app for Android or iOS, and you can also explore the Orion spacecraft and tour the lunar surface in AR.
It wants to borrow the structure of a brain to build a brain-like chip.
Researchers at Harvard and engineers at Samsung believe they can create better artificial intelligences if the chips used to make them mirror the structures of our own brains. The teams are proposing a method to copy the way our neurons are wired on to a 3D neuromorphic chip. Don’t worry if that sounds like a lot because it’s not likely to happen in the real world for a while at the very least. The human brain has more than 100 billion neurons and a thousand times more synapses, so it’s not as if anyone could just build one of these in their garage.
Like a band with too few hit singles, the European Union is resorting to playing the classics over and over again. The bloc has, like clockwork, tabled a proposal for legislators to think about maybe possibly having a debate about if it’s worth creating a common charging standard.
This has happened more than a few times before, as it pushed micro-USB as a voluntary standard in 2009 and tried to pass it into law in 2014. And in 2018. And it started this process again in January 2020, although some world-shattering event got in the way of that process.
The new proposal would require that “all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld video game consoles” would use USB-C for charging. The law would also “unbundle” the sale of chargers from devices as a way of reducing e-waste.
EU officials are also proposing for technology manufacturers to harmonize their fast charging technology to ensure continuity between devices. Officials added that such harmonization would prevent “different producers unjustifiably [limiting] the charging speed” which isn't really the issue here.
Naturally, the obvious target for this is Apple, which has already come out against the proposal. Perhaps it will be this, rather than anything else, that prompts the arrival of the long-rumored portless iPhone.
This proposal may, like its predecessors, wind up dashed against the rocks of politics never to be heard from again. But, even if it does succeed, the transition period is going to be sufficiently long that no company needs to worry about this being some sort of cruel surprise.
It aims to eliminate the worst of Amazon’s warehouse policies.
California governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB-701 into law, a bill which aims to regulate productivity quotas for warehouse workers. Inspired by the horror stories of poor treatment coming out of Amazon’s logistics facilities, the law will make quotas more transparent. Workers will also be able to say no to doing work which isn’t in compliance with health and safety laws and can’t be fired for failing to meet an unsafe quota. The law, which comes into effect on January 1st, 2022, could improve the quality of life for thousands of employees. Or not.
Northwest University’s John Rogers is back in the headlines after his team created a microchip the size of a grain of sand. The team say that the chip, which could be made from biodegradable materials, would be carried on the wind like a cottonwood seed. It’s hoped that the chips will host sensors which could track air pollution or the spread of airborne diseases. If the team can work out the kinks in the idea, the chips could become vital tools for environmental monitoring in the future.
Humanity has yet to satisfactorily answer the question about how many rights, if any, an artificial intelligence deserves to have. It’s an issue that the latest episode of Lower Decks blows the odd raspberry toward during its latest episode. Mariner and Boimler wind up babysitting a sinister AI on its way to the Daystrom institute, with plenty of time to consider the issues. Or not, as it is, after all, an animated sitcom. Once you’ve watched the episode, however, come check out Kris Naudus’ deep dive into the episode, the highlight of which is the return of Star Trek legend Jeffrey Combs to the series that loves him the most. Kris also took a deep dive into this week’s episodes of Marvel’s What If and Star Wars: Visions if that’s more your sort of thing.
Razer has launched a cheaper version of its popular Kaira gaming headset that ditches the wireless connectivity to save money. The Kaira X costs $60, down from the $100 of its older sibling, and ships with a 3.5mm cable for connecting to your console of choice. Otherwise, however, you’ll still get the same 50mm “TriForce” drivers, cardioid boom mic and on-headset controls. If there’s one other compromise, it’s in the colorways: The PlayStation-compatible version is only shipping in a matching (and very fetching) monochrome.
Microsoft has announced a small flotilla of new devices during its fall event, and there’s plenty of highlights to pick through. Most interesting, of course, is likely Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio, a notebook with a screen that pulls forward just like its desktop namesake. This replacement for the Surface Book 3 also turns into a tablet-esque PC, although its stacked design may divide users.
As we surmised a few days back, the Surface Pro 8 did get a fairly magnificent redesign with a new skinny-bezel, 13-inch 120Hz display, Thunderbolt 4 and new, faster internals. It’s been built with Windows 11 in mind and goes on sale when the new operating system arrives on October 5th. Thankfully, Microsoft allowed our chum Cherlynn Low behind the velvet rope to spend a little time with the Laptop Studio and Pro 8, so read this for all the juicy details.
Much as with the band U2, we also need to discuss the “other two” members of the lineup, the Surface Pro X and the Surface Go 3. For the former, the only real news is the new, cheaper WiFi-only model, which retails for $899, and the bundling of Windows 11. Similarly, the Surface Go 3 (arguably the Larry Mullen Jr. of Surface tablets) gets faster chip options but is, in most other regards, the same affordable but deeply underpowered device we already know and, uh, love.
On the mobile front, Microsoft announced the Surface Duo 2, its second-generation dual-screen Android smartphone. The most notable upgrade for this year is a triple camera system and a notification bar on the hinge, so you can see what’s going on without opening your phone. And yes, Cherlynn has already spent some time up close with the Surface Duo 2, and you can read all her impressions right here.
Microsoft also unveiled a bunch of other accessories, but the one that’s probably worth focusing on is the Adaptive Kit. It’s a set of add-ons that can help people with accessibility needs get around their Surface devices more easily. That includes raised port indicators, cable wraps and labels to help your fingers land on regularly used keys. Given Microsoft’s increasing focus on ensuring its devices are useful for everyone, products like this are always welcome.
If you’re interested in watching our edited highlights of the event, you can check out our supercut here, and if you’re already reaching for your wallet, here’s all the pre-order information you could possibly need or want.
The new iPad Mini is, more or less, a shrunken iPad Air, with USB-C, a TouchID-capable power button and an 8.3-inch display. What it packs in performance, style and support for the Apple Pencil 2, it lacks in ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack. Valentina Palladino has reviewed the new baby slate, finding that, despite all the changes, much of its basic utility has stayed the same. Sadly, that higher price might be a sticking point for all those folks who wanted an entry-level iPad that doesn’t cause your bank account to break into tears.
Everyone deserves a second chance to make a first impression, and it looks as if the second Marvel game has atoned for the sins of its predecessor. Jess Conditt dived into the world of Square Enix’s Guardians of the Galaxy and has come away pretty pleased. The characters may look and sound different to their cinematic counterparts, but they feel much more fleshed-out, and there’s a better emphasis on relationship building over button mashing. Conditt says the game has an emotional core that bodes well for the finished title, saying it already feels “way better” than Marvel’s Avengers.
Facebook shareholders believe the company overpaid its $5 billion FTC settlement in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, to personally protect Mark Zuckerberg. Reports say the FTC was originally going to levy a fine closer to $106 million (yes, million). The smaller fee, however, was conditional on Zuckerberg himself being named as a defendant in the case. Those shareholders are alleging in a lawsuit that Facebook offered $5 billion on the condition that Zuckerberg avoided any personal liability.
It’s always a delight to see wall-to-wall shade buried in a pile of legalese, and this missive, purportedly from Apple’s lawyers, is a doozy. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has published a letter he received saying Apple won’t restore Fortnite to the iOS and Mac App Stores just yet. The letter, put simply, says Apple cannot presently trust Epic to behave itself, especially after public comments made by Sweeney. Consequently, Fortnite will remain off the platforms until the lawsuit Epic brought against Apple reaches its conclusion. But the letter is well worth a read in its entirety, given all of the sass lurking between those lines.
I’ll admit, I never believed that Apple would release a phone called the iPhone 13, or the 13 Mini, for obvious reasons. Now that the reviews for both handsets are out, it looks as if the company had no reason to think that it was tempting fate with the number. The esteemed Cherlynn Low has taken a deep dive into the pair and found two handsets brimming with refinements.
Naturally, the 13 isn’t as radical an upgrade as its predecessor, and could just as easily have been called the 12S should Apple have cared to dodge the cursed numeral. The focus here is on polishing these devices to an even higher shine, with the majority of the improvements visible in the improved imaging. All in all, however, the usual rule applies: If you’re ready to upgrade from an older iPhone, pull the trigger, but don’t go out of your way to break your contract early.
At the same time, Apple announced that it will let you incorporate your COVID-19 vaccination card into Apple Wallet in the near future. That should help weary would-be travelers looking to get around the world without worrying about losing their paperwork. Plus, as part of the iOS 15 rollout, Dynamic Head Tracking is now available in Apple Music if you’ve got the AirPods Pro or Max hanging from your ears (or head).
A team at MIT believes that drivers using Tesla’s Autopilot system are less attentive to the road when the feature is activated. Harnessing glance trackers, researchers found that drivers spent less time looking at the road, despite the fact that Autopilot is not a fully-autonomous system. Instead, their gaze was often found directed downwards and toward the center console, which is the sort of thing you’d do if you were playing with Tesla’s beefy touchscreen or your phone. Data like this is not likely to endear Tesla toward the safety authorities, especially when the new head of the NTSB has already said that the marketing for Autopilot is “misleading and irresponsible.”
HP has pulled the dust sheets off a host of new gear, with the headline-grabbing Envy 34, uh, grabbing all of the headlines. The machine is packing a 34-inch, 5K widescreen display, a detachable webcam and a wireless charging plate built into the bottom of its stand.
Specs-wise, you can equip this thing with an 11th-generation Core i9 CPU, RTX 3080 GPU and 32GB RAM. Built to take advantage of Windows 11’s Snap Layouts, it should be the ideal sort of kit for the creative professional in your life.
At the same time, the company also unveiled a new Spectre x360 which gets the option of a beautiful, 16-inch 4K OLED display. That can be equipped with either Intel’s Evo graphics or an RTX 3050 GPU, but we’d wager the latter is better suited to drive all of those lovely pixels.
As much as we’d all love to cycle to work, cut our carbon emissions and generally do better, the price of an e-bike is often a sticking point. When some companies are trying to charge $6,000 for a whip, you have to wonder at what point micro mobility will be available for the rest of us.
Tenways is looking to address this issue with the CGO 600, which is currently selling on Indiegogo (usual caveats apply) for $1,400. The CGO 600 has a 250W battery hidden in the downtube, and barely looks like an e-bike at all, both big pluses. Our James Trew has spent the last few weeks biking around on this thing and has nothing but praise for it.
It’ll split into two divisions, one focusing on the ISS, and one on interplanetary jaunts.
NASA’s plans to get humans shuffling around the Moon and Mars means that the organization needs something of a shake-up. Administrator Bill Nelson has announced that the agency is forming two new directorates, one focused on space operations, the other on exploration. Put (very) simply, the former will focus on domestic matters like launch operations, missions to the ISS and, eventually, trips back to the moon. The latter, meanwhile, will have responsibility for building the technology that will eventually see Project Artemis take people to the Red Planet.
