You no longer have to be a GM employee to try Cruise's self-driving taxi service. TechCrunchnotes Cruise has opened fully driverless ride-hailing to the public in San Francisco. The company is initially accepting sign-ups for only"small number" of riders, but those early trips will be free. More slots will open as more cars become available, Cruise said.

Be prepared for an unusual pickup. A spokesperson told TechCrunch this first service operates between 11PM and 5AM, and you'll have to be content with rides in certain parts of the Chinatown, Haight-Ashbury, Pacific Heights and Richmond District neighborhoods. The nighttime runs will help Cruise have the most impact, the spokesperson said, and should expand over time.

The free rides aren't entirely voluntary. While Cruise has most of the licenses needed to offer driverless service, it doesn't yet have the California Public Utilities Commission permit needed to charge for those rides.

The launch comes at a good time for Cruise. While it abruptly lost CEO Dan Ammann in December, the SoftBank Vision Fund is investing another $1.35 billion in the company now that it's running truly driverless cars. Cruise can better afford those free rides and otherwise take the time to build out autonomous driving technology that includes the Origin shuttle van. The firm wasn't necessarily facing a crisis given GM's healthy financials, but this clearly reduces some of the pressure to make money.

It took a few months, but Netflix is now offering its first high-profile mobile game. The streaming service has broadly released Riot Games' League of Legends spinoff Hextech Mayhem for Android and iOS. This isn't a MOBA like League, as you might have gathered — instead, it's a "rhythm runner" that has you playing LoL champion Ziggs as you light bomb fuses, disarm enemies and dodge obstacles in sync with the beat.

Netflix has also released Dungeon Dwarves, its first "idle" game. Hyper Hippo's title (available on Android as we write this) lets you explore monster-laden dens even when you're not playing, and upgrade abilities when you are.

Riot's decision to launch Hextech through Netflix isn't surprising. The two unveiled the game just as Arcane began streaming — even if it's not really connected to the animated series, it serves as a plug for both companies. Riot also hasn't been shy about gaming crossovers, having dropped League of Legends characters into games like Fortnite. It's just a question of whether or not a game like Hextech will be popular enough to grow Netflix's fledgling game business and encourage other big-name projects.

Google One's VPN hasn't been much use if you primarily surf the more secure web through your iPhone, but that won't be a problem from now on. Google is starting to roll out One VPN service for iOS users. So long as you've subscribed to the 2TB Premium plan in eligible countries, this should help you shield your internet activity. It won't give you an IP address in another country, though, so don't expect to browse foreign streaming service libraries.

There are new features for Android users, too. App Bypass lets certain apps use a regular connection if the VPN proves troublesome, while Safe Disconnect will only let you get online while the VPN is active. Snooze temporarily disables the VPN.

Google One Premium costs $10 per month and is currently available in 18 countries including the US, Canada and the UK. The iPhone launch probably won't reel you in if you're already using a VPN or a privacy-minded service like iCloud Private Relay. However, this might be just what you were looking for if you're steeped in the Google cloud ecosystem and want a secure service you can use across platforms.

You'll soon have a chance to try Google's simplified, integrated Gmail update in the (virtual) workplace. Google is making the new "integrated view" available to Workspace users as an opt-in choice starting February 8th. Don't expect to hold out for long if you prefer the existing view, though. Users will start seeing the new look by default no later than April, and by the end of the second quarter (that is, June), it will be the "standard experience" with no chance to go back.

The second quarter will also bring the "streamlined" web-based Chat client. Google has promised more exact timing in the months ahead.

The integrated view is meant to help you jump between mail, chats and meetings without switching tabs. You'll eventually have unified email and chat search results. Google is counting on notification "bubbles" to alert you to issues that need prompt action. This ideally provides a clearer focus, not to mention a less cobbled-together interface than you see today — albeit without the convenience of having everything on one screen in some cases.

Google's move also appears to be a partial response to rivals like Microsoft Outlook. The rework casts Gmail as a more cohesive, do-it-all app that helps replace Outlook for recent converts to Workspace. It's not clear the update will have that effect, but Google is at least confident enough that it's willing to transition its work customers within several months.

Google is making it easier for domestic violence survivors to get help. As of today, people who search for domestic violence and abuse terms in the US will see a box that provides direct contact info for The National Domestic Violence Hotline's 24-hour phone (1-800-799-7233) and chat services. The move is meant to help survivors quickly get assistance, particularly when there's only a brief opportunity to safely request aid.

The hotline is available directly in English and Spanish, and through interpreters for over 200 additional languages. Representatives can also offer internet-specific advice, such as hiding your search history or creating an alternate email account.

The quick-access box is similar to those Google offers for other personal crises, and reflects a familiar goal. Google uses these boxes to provide relevant, trustworthy information that could save valuable time, and the effort will easily be worthwhile if it helps people escape dangerous domestic situations.

Battlefield 2042 is flawed, to put it mildly, and the developers are rethinking their schedule to address to address those shortcomings. DICE and EA have officially delayed the game's first season to early summer, and will use the extra time to fix the core experience. The next BF2042 update will bring a revamped, easier-to-digest scoreboard, while better player profiles and long-awaited voice chat functionality are coming "as soon as possible." There will be improvements to squad mechanisms, the ping system, objective rewards and Portal mode, DICE added.

The studio similarly promised a better feedback loop. The BF2042 team will publicly discuss major areas for planned improvement, including its existing strategy. Staff will listen to the community's response to those subjects and roll the feedback into the relevant updates. There will be conversations for smaller refinements, too. This open-book approach certainly isn't new for game creators, but it is an acknowledgment this latest Battlefield didn't match player expectations.

As for season one? DICE is shy on details, but it did promise BF2042 Gold and Ultimate Edition buyers will get a "Steadfast" bundle in return for the wait. The pack will include a melee weapon, player imagery and skins for weapons, a Specialist and a vehicle. While that's a far cry from what's expected from the four intended seasons (including new Specialists), it might be a small comfort for those who spent extra.

Peloton is once again expanding its fitness equipment, but this time it's focused on tracking your workouts. PCMag and The Verge note Peloton has unveiled a $90 Heart Rate Band that, as the name implies, moves monitoring to your arm. The optical sensor-based wearable is theoretically more comfortable and easier to use than a chest strap (which typically requires precise positioning and a moistened contact point) while remaining accurate. That's particularly important for people whose limb and mobility issues might prevent them from using chest trackers. 

The Heart Rate Band is built to work with Peloton's app and devices, including all Bike and Tread models as well as the Guide camera. You're not locked into the company's ecosystem, though — the armband should support other products that recognize common Bluetooth heart rate monitors. Just be aware there's no ANT+ support.

The band is initially available in the US, Canada, Australia, Germany and the UK. The hardware has been development for a while — Bloombergfound early code for the Heart Rate Band in June 2021.

As The Verge explained, the Heart Rate Band might not be for everyone. While arm-based optical heart rate monitoring is common with smartwatches, it can have problems with some dark skin tones and tattoos. Obesity and loose fits can also cause problems. We'd add that $90 is nearly twice the normal $49 price for Peloton's chest strap. You'll have to really, truly value the convenience of an armband to justify that premium.

There's always been a strict wall in World of Warcraft between Alliance and Horde players — you can only cooperate with people from your own side. Blizzard is ready to (partly) remove that barrier, though. As Polygonexplains, WoW's 9.2.5 update will allow cross-faction dungeon crawls, raids and rated PvP matches. You won't be cut off from your friends just because they chose the 'wrong' allegiance for their characters.

You'll have the option to both directly invite people from an opposing faction or join premade groups in the Group Finder listings for a given event type. Group leaders can limit instances to same-faction players, however. And don't expect to be living in harmony with rivals outside of these controlled circumstances. Guilds, matchmaking-based events and the regular world will behave as usual, so you'll still need to be on your guard most of the time.

The feature is available regardless of level, although there will be a few old instances where multi-faction parties can't enter, such as Battle of Dazar’alor, Trial of the Crusader and Icecrown Citadel. They'll need to be "reworked" to eliminate single-faction elements, Blizzard said.

There's no release date for the 9.2.5 update at this stage. It's a long-requested update, and it's well-timed in a post-Battle for Azeroth environment where the Alliance and Horde have reached a delicate truce. Whether or not it boosts player counts is another story. Dexertonotes Blizzard's total monthly active base dropped by 20 million between 2017 and 2021, and WoW likely played a large role in that drop. Toss in an ongoing sexual harassment scandal and cross-faction WoW may only have a limited effect, even as it fulfills the hopes of many subscribers.

If you've noticed that Apple's two-factor authentication texts include much more extra text than you're used to, don't fret — there's a good reason for it. As Macworldexplains, Apple has implemented a previously proposed system that uses domain-bound codes for sign-ins. The extra tags (such as "@apple.com #123456 %apple.com") are meant to improve the trustworthiness of autofilling text codes in platforms starting with iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and macOS Big Sur.

The technique theoretically discourages more sophisticated phishing attacks that try to intercept and redirect two-factor verification messages. If you're using one of those more recent operating systems, you'll only get a code autofill suggestion if the domain of the site requesting a code matches the one in the text. A phishing site can't simply prompt Apple for a code and expect an autofill prompt, then. If you don't get an autofill prompt, there's a good chance the site is bogus.

Apple quietly started delivering codes in the new format around November 2021. The concept isn't necessarily limited to Apple's ecosystem, but it has yet to be widely adopted elsewhere. Still, don't be surprised if these lengthy 2FA texts become more commonplace and potentially thwart some phishing campaigns.

If the company formerly known as Facebook is going to help establish the metaverse, it's going to need virtual personas that are consistent across its apps — and it now has just that. As of today, Meta is rolling out updated 3D avatars to Facebook, Messenger and Instagram (via DMs and Stories). The new design lets you bring the same avatar across Meta's platforms, including VR — you can maintain your look as you switch to your Quest 2 and back.

The avatars themselves promise to be truer to your style with more faces, skin tones and expressions. You can also add Cochlear implants, over-the-air hearing aids and wheelchairs. Meta is also being more adventurous with clothing. You can now pick up official NFL apparel (shown above) to flaunt your love of football ahead of the Super Bowl.

You can still create different avatars for Facebook, Instagram and VR, so you can have a more realistic persona for VR meetings and a more fantastical one for your social media profiles. Meta has also promised to "eventually" simplify moving avatars across places, and already lets you sync avatar changes between Facebook and Instagram.

Meta acknowledged the unified avatars were an "early step" in creating the metaverse. This doesn't suddenly create a truly cohesive and immersive digital space. It's a start, though. If nothing else, it provides consistency that might encourage you to try an avatar instead of sticking to a favorite photo.