Meta has been conspicuously eager to stake its future on augmented reality and the metaverse, but a new report from The Verge might shed light on exactly what the social media giant hopes to deliver. According to anonymous sources, the company aims to launch its first AR glasses, part of its Project Nazare initiative, in 2024. You would see a "lighter, more advanced" model in 2026, and a third iteration in 2028. The initial model would be independent of your phone, but you would need a "phone-shaped device" to handle the computing and rely on a CTRL-Labs-derived electrical pulse-based wristband for control.

This first model is supposedly based on Android and could offer "full" AR with 3D visuals, eye tracking, an outward-facing camera, stereo audio, a relatively wide field of view and a "socially acceptable" look. The centerpiece feature would be communication with other people's "holograms," much like Meta portrayed in a video that accompanied its big rebranding last fall. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg apparently believes this will provide a more engrossing experience than simple video calling.

The tech firm might also hedge its bets by releasing a less exotic wearable. A pair of phone-paired smart glasses, nicknamed Hypernova, would show notifications through a small display. Hypernova would also debut in 2024.

Sales expectations are apparently modest for the first Project Nazare glasses. Meta might only sell the eyewear in the "low tens of thousands" to enthusiasts and developers. Zuckerberg, however, apparently sees them as crucial. A former staffer told The Verge that Zuckerberg wants the AR glasses to represent an "iPhone moment" for Meta — that is, a launch that shakes up the industry and redefines the company.

Whether or not they fulfill that ambition is another matter. Meta has faced numerous setbacks, including scrapped plans for a custom (if Google Fuschia-based) OS and staff shuffles. The prototype hardware also has its limitations. While it's using cutting-edge microLED projectors and waveguide technology, it's about four times heavier than conventional glasses and musters just four hours of battery life.

Still, it's not hard to see why Meta and Zuckerberg might pour so much energy into AR glasses. Meta has an increasingly negative reputation due to privacy issues, content controversies and regulatory pressure. It's also struggling with flat user growth as competition like TikTok eats away at its core business. The glasses will theoretically help Meta leave scandals behind and regain the innovator status it had in its early years.

Amazon has brought its checkout-free "Just Walk Out" technology to airports, grocery stores and other shops, but now it's coming to a particularly useful place for sports fans: the ballpark. The Houston Astros have teamed up with Amazon to install Just Walk Out systems at two concession stores in Minute Maid Park. Visit 19th Hole or Market and you can buy snacks or souvenirs between innings by inserting your credit card at the entry gate, grabbing things off the shelf, and leaving when you're done.

There will be staff to greet you and offer help as necessary, and you'll still have to show ID if you're buying alcohol. However, you otherwise won't have to talk to a cashier or use a self-checkout system. As you might guess, that could be extremely helpful given the crowds and lineups that frequently slow you down in stadiums.

The Astros' stadium is the first in Major League Baseball to adopt Just Walk Out, and they're using the same slightly modified system Amazon is offering to other retailers. The tech uses computer vision and other forms of AI to track shoppers as they enter and take (or put back) items. Amazon's own stores just rely on the company's Go mobile app instead of credit cards.

Amazon didn't mention whether or not other MLB teams would embrace the zero-checkout offering, but it won't be surprising if they (and other sports leagues) do. Stadium operators depend heavily on both merch sales and a swift traffic flow to turn a profit — the cost of Just Walk Out could easily be worthwhile if increases the chances you'll buy an expensive hot dog or replica jersey.

Don't expect to make a fortune from digital items sold in Meta's virtual world. Meta has confirmed to CNBC that it will take a total 47.5 percent cut from digital asset sales in Horizon Worlds, including 30 percent through the Meta Quest Store and 17.5 percent through Horizon Worlds itself. Creators may need to charge a premium to ensure healthy income for themselves, then.

In a statement to The Verge, Meta's Horizon VP Vivek Sharma argued the company's cut was a "pretty competitive rate." However, that's not necessarily true for some content. CNBC pointed out that the NFT marketplace OpenSea takes just a 2.5 percent share of transactions. There's also a degree of irony when Meta blasted Apple's 30 percent slice of in-app purchases and said it would change subscriptions to help creators keep more revenue.

Meta is promising "goal-oriented" bonuses to virtual developers whose worlds are particularly active. Nonetheless, the rate isn't exactly pleasing to digital product makers. It's steeper than at many other online services, and may make it difficult for some creators to operate in Horizon Worlds when it might be practical elsewhere.

Sony and Nintendo are following Microsoft in halting payments for unused gaming subscriptions in the UK. The country's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has obtained an agreement with Sony that will wind down unused PlayStation Plus accounts. Sony will remind inactive subscribers how to end payments and, if there's still no activity, stop taking payments altogether. Nintendo, meanwhile, no longer auto-renews Switch Online subscriptions by default.

Microsoft said in January it would cancel dormant Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass subscriptions in the UK, and eventually worldwide. Like Sony, it will first notify customers (albeit after a full year of inactivity) and, one year later, halt payments. Microsoft also said it would provide more immediate information about memberships to customers, such as auto-renewal details and refunds.

The changes have led the CMA to end an investigation into online gaming services that began in 2019. The probe focused not only on auto-renewals, but on the difficulty of obtaining refunds and on potentially unfair subscription terms. While it's not yet clear if the CMA has resolved every problem, the core issue appears to have been addressed — you're less likely to get a bill for a service you stopped using a long time ago.

Do you miss Google Photos' unlimited storage? You now have a chance to get it back, but it will cost you. Droid Lifenotes T-Mobile is introducing an exclusive, $15 per month Google One plan that includes both 2TB of shareable space as well as unlimited "full resolution" photo and video storage. You can upload as many shots as you'd like from your phone without cutting into your allotments for Drive and Gmail.

The plan will be available starting April 26th. It includes all the perks of the $10 per month 2TB plan, including VPN access, advanced photo editing and extended trials for services like Stadia and YouTube Premium.

This offering won't be appealing to everyone when you'll have to tie yourself to two services. It's also expensive if you're only looking for the unlimited photo storage — $15 per month (plus any carrier switching costs) is a lot to pay if you didn't need the other benefits. If you don't see yourself leaving T-Mobile or Google any time soon, though, this may be a welcome blast of nostalgia.

People have used social media as a news source for years, and Snapchat hopes to make the most of that reality. As Axiosreports, Snapchat has launched a Dynamic Stories test feature that lets media outlets automatically share news articles as Stories on the Discover platform through their existing RSS feeds. They don't need a specialist to create an app-friendly version, to put it another way. You can keep up with breaking world events (or the tabloids) when you're not posting your own content.

The initial partners include a range of major publications from the US, UK, France and India, including The Washington Post, The Independent, Le Figaro and Vogue India. The format doesn't support video, but test participant Axios said it might in the future.

This isn't much of a direct money-maker for Snapchat, according to Axios' sources. However, that's not the entire point. This gives publishers a stronger incentive to share news on Snapchat by reducing the hassles. More importantly, it might keep you glued to Snapchat — you could be less likely to jump to Instagram or TikTok if news arrives sooner on Snap's service.

Remote collaboration on video has been virtually necessary for some producers since the pandemic began, and Adobe thinks it can help. The company has added Frame.io collaboration tools for Creative Cloud subscribers to help Premiere Pro and After Effects users share work and obtain feedback. You can upload up to 100GB to a dedicated space where colleagues can download in-progress edits, provide time-stamped commentary (including drawings) and approve changes.

The addition also includes a "Camera to Cloud" feature that can upload video directly from compatible cameras. You could remotely review raw shots long before the production crew has finished filming, in other words. Frame.io is available starting today, and should be available in the latest versions of Premiere Pro and After Effects as long as they're included in your Creative Cloud plan.

Adobe has some notable upgrades to the apps themselves. For a start, After Effects finally has native support for M1-based Macs — the company is claiming up to twice the rendering speed versus a 10-core iMac Pro, among other performance improvements. You can also expect redesigned import, export and header bar interfaces in Premiere Pro, as well as AI-based editing tools in both apps (auto color correction in Premiere, scene edits in After Effects).

If you've been pining for a Tesla EV using one of the company's higher-capacity 4680 battery cells, it's finally here — though you'll probably have to wait a short while. Electrek has learned Tesla is selling the Model Y in a new Standard Range AWD variant that uses the 4680 cells to offer 279 miles of range and a five-second 0-60MPH time for $59,990 ($3,000 less than the Long Range AWD), but only to employees at present. A version for everyday buyers will be available in the weeks ahead, according to Electrek's sources at the company.

This Model Y also includes a few features not seen on any previous trim level, such as a magnetic center armrest and a parcel shelf. Tesla reportedly delivered a handful of these EVs to workers at its "Giga Rodeo" event in Texas last week.

The 4680 cells are twice as large as Tesla's existing units, but they have five times the capacity. That lets Tesla either extend the range of its vehicles or use fewer batteries to maintain the same range, potentially shrinking costs. In the new Model Y version, they're implemented in a structural battery pack that should reduce complexity and weight, further improving efficiency.

As such, this Model Y isn't so much an expansion of the lineup as an important step in Tesla's product strategy. While it may take a while before you see the new battery tech reach every Tesla EV, it should help keep prices in check, improve range and eventually lead to the fabled $25,000 car.

Balloons have been pitched as better space tourism options thanks to gentler, longer-lasting trips that don't require training, and now it's clearer what you'll get if you take one of those rides. Space Perspective has previewed the interior of Spaceship Neptune, a giant balloon that will take tourists to 100,000 feet (technically the stratosphere, not space) for two hours plus a similarly lengthy descent. As you've likely noticed, this is really a floating lounge rather than a spacecraft.

The design focuses on comfortable, reclining seats that can be configured for group events or couples' dinners. You can get food and bar service, connect to WiFi (for those high-altitude social check-ins), read info on interactive screens, customize mood lighting and observe the Earth from a telescope. And yes, there's a "luxurious" windowed restroom if you can't wait for the return to solid ground — you'll get Space Perspective's promised 360-degree view even when you're indisposed.

The company claims this is the only zero-emissions option for reaching space, and is promising eco-friendly construction that includes a bar top made from recycled balloon material. Other sustainable materials will be used throughout the capsule.

The catch, as with other early space tourism projects, is the price. Space Perspective is asking $125,000 per ticket with a $1,000 refundable deposit. The first paid flights aren't expected take place until late 2024, either, and a reservation now won't get you a seat until 2025. That's still much more affordable than Virgin Galactic's $450,000 flights, though, and you'll spend considerably more time above the planet. You'll just be trading altitude for greater comfort.

The offering does have some early takers. The company says it has sold 600 tickets to date. As such, this offering might be considered an intermediate step for space tourism. It's certainly not ready for the mainstream at these prices, but it is giving more people a chance to see Earth from great heights.

Etsy sellers are acting on their promise to go on strike. The Wall Street Journalnotes some crafters are protesting the marketplace's latest fee increase by putting their shops into "vacation mode" for a week ending April 18th. Organizer Kristi Cassidy and others are also asking customers to boycott Etsy for the same period. It's unclear just how many sellers have taken action, but a petition to CEO Josh Silverman has nearly 54,000 signatures as of this writing.

The catalyst is a transaction fee hike from 5 percent to 6.5 percent. While that might not sound like much, Cassidy noted that this essential fee will have "more than doubled" in under four years. She and other sellers have also complained about a sometimes-mandatory Offsite Ads program that charges extra fees for items sold through that system, and a Star Seller program that pressures shops into meeting sometimes unrealistic shipping and support goals.

There are also complaints of hypocrisy in Etsy's expectations. While the company wants shopkeepers to respond within 24 hours, as publisher Bella Stander said, Cassidy observed that it sometimes takes "weeks or months" for Etsy to answer urgent support requests. She also argued that Etsy's AI sometimes shuts down honest sellers while letting resellers of "sweatshop-produced junk" go unchecked.

The striking sellers have called on Etsy to revoke the fee increase, cancel Star Seller, let everyone opt out of Offsite Ads and clamp down on dodgy resellers. They also want an "automatic fast track" for appeals to AI decisions that limit their ability to do business.

Etsy has so far defended the fee hike by claiming that it would roll the extra money into the business rather than boosting profit margins. These contributions would help "maintain the human touch," according to operating chief Raina Moskowitz. However, Cassidy and supporters don't buy this — they see Etsy as "one of the most profitable" tech companies. They've also cast the strike as the first step in a greater show of solidarity they hope will give them more negotiating power.