Google already provides some context around search results to help you understand the news, and now it's adding more tools to make sure you see the broader picture. To start, there's a new Perspectives carousel that provides viewpoints from experts, journalists and "other relevant voices" for a given news topic. You may see actors and critics' takes after the Oscars, for instance. Perspectives will be available soon in the US for English users.

You can also learn more about the writers behind news stories. An "About this author" feature tucked inside "About this result" will show creators' backgrounds and encourage the use of trustworthy sources. Google is rolling out the author info worldwide in English, and you'll also find it in the Perspectives carousel.

The company is simultaneously upgrading some of its existing features. "About this result" will be available for all search languages in the days ahead. Advisories for rapidly developing stories are coming to French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese users, too. And if you put an organization's web address into a search, you'll now get "About this page" info toward the top. You'll have a better sense of whether or not that organization's site is worth visiting.

The extra features help flesh out Google's larger bid to fight misinformation and promote news literacy through education, fact-checking and supplemental info. Ideally, searchers will both look for more reliable info and escape media bubbles that reinforce biases. It's not clear how well the additions will help in practice (it requires a desire to double-check content, after all), and this won't fend off bias accusations against Google itself. However, they may be especially useful to students wanting to verify the quality of their sources for essays and research papers.

It took nearly a year, but Apple's no-interest payment system is here. The company has launched Apple Pay Later for US customers in a "prerelease" version that requires an invitation. If you're included, you can split your online Apple Pay purchases (made with an iPhone or iPad) into as many as four payments spread over six weeks. You can't apply for loans larger than $1,000 and have to link a debit card, but there are no fees. This also won't hurt your credit score, and Apple says it won't share data with third-party marketers.

Apple Pay Later is part of the Wallet app in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, and includes a calendar to help you track your next instalment. You'll also get app-based and email notifications for looming payments to be sure you're on time.

The feature should reach every eligible user in the "coming months," Apple says. Businesses that use Apple Pay don't need to do anything on their end — if you can use Pay Later, you'll see the option during checkout either on the web or in apps. Apple will report Pay Later loans to American credit bureaus starting in the fall, and hopes they'll "promote responsible lending" for both borrowers and lenders.

Developing...

Nintendo had more than just gameplay to show during its Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom stream. The company has revealed that a special edition Tears of the Kingdom OLED Switch will be available April 28th for $360. There's no included game, alas, but you will get ornate artwork on the system, the Joy-Cons and the dock.

The Switch is functionally the same as regular OLED models. That means a 7-inch screen (versus the original's 6.2 inches), a more capable kickstand and 64GB of expandable storage. You might not rush to replace the 2019 LCD Switch, but it might be worth an upgrade if you have a launch-era console and want longer battery life on top of the improved display and other tweaks.

You won't have to buy a whole new Switch to show your enthusiasm, thankfully. Nintendo is also introducing Tears of the Kingdom versions of the Pro Controller and Carrying Case. They'll respectively cost $75 and $25 when they arrive on May 12th, the same day as the game. This is probably the wisest investment if you're an existing Switch owner, or aren't thrilled about spending over $300 to catch up on six years' worth of games.

You might not want to hold on to that vintage gaming PC for much longer. Valve has warned that Steam will no longer support Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 as of January 1st, 2024. The game client's latest features use an embedded version of Google's Chrome browser, which dropped support for those operating systems in February. Incoming versions of Steam for Windows will also require OS updates that are only available in Windows 10 and newer releases, Valve adds.

As PC Gamerpoints out, this won't affect most Steam users. Just under 1.9 percent of the software's audience is using one of the relevant Windows versions, according to Valve's latest survey. That still affects a significant number of people, though, and may leave them no choice but to either upgrade their OS or buy a PC with a supported platform. The end of support could be particularly troublesome if you need an older version of Windows for work or a retro gaming system.

There has been plenty of pressure elsewhere to move on. Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7 in January 2020, and Windows 8.1 at the start of 2023. Epic Games no longer supports those platforms if you want to run Fortnite, for that matter. It's becoming harder and harder to use an ancient Windows machine in general — Steam's compatibility change may just be the tipping point that pushes you toward an upgrade.

As promised, Nintendo has showcased 10 minutes of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of Kingdom gameplay — and it's a useful preview if you're wondering just how the developers will improve on Breath of the Wild's formula. Most notably, producer Eiji Aonuma notes that fusing objects plays an important role in the game. You can build stronger weapons, and even craft vehicles like powered boats and hovercraft. Enemies can use fused weapons too, though, so you can't assume that a favorite combat strategy will work.

The demo video also shows a way to reach the floating islands above Hyrule (by using a recall ability on an elevator stone), and what happens if you fall or jump off. You have full control all the way down, so you can glide to distant areas or plunge quickly toward the ground. Many mechanics appear familiar, so you won't have to relearn the fundamentals.

And yes, Nintendo plans to cater to Legend of Zelda devotees with special edition hardware. The company is releasing a Tears of the KingdomOLED Switch (shown below) for $360 on April 28th, weeks ahead of the game's May 12th launch. You won't get a copy of Tears, unfortunately, but you will get lavish artwork on the Switch itself, the Joy-Con controllers and the dock. If you already have a Switch, you can also buy Tears-edition Pro Controller ($75) or carrying case ($25).

Nintendo

Apple is once again facing accusations of cracking down on union organizers. The Communications Workers of America union (CWA) has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) asserting that Apple illegally intimidated and fired workers at Houston and Kansas City, Missouri stores in retaliation for their labor organization efforts. The ex-employees in Kansas City were ostensibly cut loose for being slightly late, calling out from work or even making typos in timesheets, but were also made to sign a "release of all claims" to get their severance pay. They couldn't challenge Apple's practices once they left, in other words.

In Houston, Apple allegedly questioned workers individually about their union support and offered improved conditions if they dropped their labor support. Those that persisted in pro-union activity were disciplined and threatened with deteriorating conditions, the CWA claims.

Only two US stores, in Oklahoma City and Towson, Maryland, unionized in 2022. Abroad, a store in Glasgow became the third. Other employees, such as those in St. Louis, Missouri, have filed for union elections. Staff in Atlanta called off a vote last spring after accusing Apple of intimidation tactics.

We've asked Apple for comment. The company has historically opposed unionization efforts, reportedly holding mandatory anti-union meetings. Apple is also said to have withheld benefits from unionized workers at the Towson store while claiming that they needed to strike a collective bargaining agreement. The firm has tried to head off labor movements by raising wages, expanding benefits and relaxing schedules.

Fights between tech giants and their rank-and-file workers aren't new. Labor organization in tech reached a fever pitch in 2022, with workers at companies like Activision Blizzard, Amazon and Microsoft either unionizing or making their displeasure known. Those brands, meanwhile, have frequently tried to block unionization attempts. The CWA's charges suggest those battles are continuing well into the new year.

Now that Lenovo has introduced its mid-tier LOQ gaming laptops, it's revising its more portable Slim and Yoga lines. The headlining Slim Pro 9i (shown above) has the option of a mini-LED 3K display on both 14.5- and 16-inch models. You'll get improved contrast, of course, but Lenovo also touts 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3, sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces, a 165Hz refresh rate and a 1,200-nit brightness that helps with HDR visuals and outdoor work. And yes, it's a viable option for gaming and other GPU-heavy tasks — you can use up to GeForce RTX 4070 graphics.

Both Slim Pro 9i sizes support up to a 13th-gen Intel Core i9 H-series processor, 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. You can also expect Dolby Atmos-capable speakers and a healthy port selection that includes Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, a headphone jack and HDMI, although you'll have to spring for the larger machine to get a full-size SD card reader.

Lenovo expects the Slim Pro 9i family to ship in May starting at $1,700 for the 14.5-inch model and $1,800 for the 16-inch equivalent. You won't get mini-LED at that price and will have to 'settle' for RTX 4050 video, but that still makes the base version viable if you want to strike a balance between raw speed and a reasonably portable chassis.

Lenovo

You have options if you don't need as much power. An updated Slim Pro 7 (pictured at middle) includes a larger battery and better cooling while offering the obligatory performance upgrades to Ryzen 7000HS-series CPUs. You won't get more than RTX 4050 graphics, 1TB storage or 16GB of RAM, but the 14.5-inch laptop still offers up to a 3K LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate. There's also a refreshed 14-inch Slim 7i with 13th-gen Intel Core processors. Both ranges arrive in April, beginning at $1,180 for the Slim 7i and $1,200 for the Slim Pro 7.

The new Yoga models are straightforward spec bumps. The Intel-based Yoga 7i now uses 13th-gen Core chips in its 14- and 16-inch guises, while the AMD-powered Yoga 7 relies on Ryzen 7000 CPUs. You can use up to a 2.8K OLED display. Both Yoga updates start at $800 ($850 for the 14-inch 7i). The 7i appears in April, while you'll have to wait until May for the Ryzen edition.

Apple's long-expected Martin Scorsese movie has a release date — for theaters, that is. The company has revealed that Killers of the Flower Moon will get a wide theatrical release on October 20th following a "limited" run starting October 6th. The company hasn't said when the film will be available to Apple TV+ users, but the streaming launch will come after the theater exclusivity period ends. This is Apple's first movie to get a widescale big-screen debut before going online.

Killers of the Flower Moon is an adaptation of David Grann's namesake book. It covers the fledgling FBI's investigation of murders of Osage Nation members in the early 1920s after the tribe won rights to oil profits on its land. Scorsese both directed the movie and co-wrote it alongside Eric Roth (of Dune and Mank fame). The cast includes more than a few big-name stars and Scorsese favorites, including Robert DeNiro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone.

Scorsese struck a multi-year deal with Apple in spring 2020 that covered both movie and television projects. While the exact terms aren't clear, Killers reportedly has a budget topping $180 million. The pact came just months after Netflix's Scorsese film, The Irishman, received a massive audience but failed to win any Oscars.

The strategy of releasing a movie in theaters first isn't new. Industry awards like the Oscars frequently require movies to show in theaters before they qualify, and it's no secret that streaming giants like Apple, Amazon and Netflix chase after these awards for the publicity they bring. Apple's CODA was the first streamer to win a Best Picture Oscar, for instance. The scope of this premiere is new to Apple, though, and the company is clearly willing to spend on A-list talent to potentially clinch some statuettes and boost its credibility in Hollywood.

Add Binance to the list of crypto heavyweights facing serious legal trouble. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has charged Binance, founder Changpeng Zhao and former compliance chief Samuel Lim with allegedly violating both the agency's regulations and the Commodity Exchange Act. The company supposedly offered unregistered crypto derivatives, didn't ask users for mandatory identity verification, structured itself to avoid US regulation and even told customers how to dodge its own compliance system for US-based customers.

Zhao directed much of the rulebreaking himself, the CFTC claims, and there are reportedly chats and emails as evidence. Lim, who left Binance in 2022, is accused of knowingly aiding in the scheme. Among other things, he purportedly encouraged American users to mask trades through a VPN and even create new accounts through shell companies. The activity indicates that Binance's compliance mechanisms "have been a sham," CFTC chief counsel Gretchen Lowe says.

The Commission hopes to permanently ban Binance's registration and trading. It also hopes to levy fines and make the firm disgorge its gains. There's no estimated financial penalty.

We've asked Binance for comment and will let you know if we hear back. The company has historically defended itself against accusations. Zhao's brand is also facing a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation over its BNB token, and a long-running probe has looked into possible insider trading. Senator Elizabeth Warren recently sent Zhao a letter accusing him of creating a "hotbed of illegal financial activity" that enables crooks and sanction-dodgers.

The charges come in the wake of multiple scandals rocking the crypto industry. The fraud charges levelled against FTX and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried are the most notable examples, but there are also allegations and investigations targeting Celsius' former CEO, Coinbase and Terraform Labs, among others. Binance is the largest crypto exchange left, and a US ban could significantly affect the industry as customers are forced to move to smaller outfits.

The CFTC is also staking out territory with this move. Both it and the SEC have argued that they should regulate crypto in the absence of laws outlining their roles. With these charges, the CFTC is signalling that it wants to be the de facto regulator for crypto trading. House and Senate members may limit the Commission's authority if they pass legislation, but the agency clearly isn't willing to wait before cracking down.

You don't have to settle for trailers if you're curious to know how The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will play. Nintendo and series producer Eiji Aonuma will showcase 10 minutes of Tears gameplay in a live premiere on the company's YouTube channel. It's not clear just what you'll see, but it's safe to presume the demo will feature new mechanics and steer clear of major plot spoilers.

The new title shares the open-world experience that made Breath of the Wild a hit when the Switch launched, but adds both a new environment (the floating islands above Hyrule) and an abundance of new ways to traverse the landscape. You can fly on a giant hoverboard, cross the ground in a motorized chariot and even grind rails. While Nintendo hasn't revealed everything there is to know about Tears of the Kingdom, we'd expect numerous other gameplay tweaks.

The sequel will debut on May 12th, with pre-orders available now. There's a lot riding on Tears. Its predecessor was the Switch's stand-out launch title, and arguably helped Nintendo's system become one of the best-selling consoles of all time. This new game is arriving six years later with lofty expectations and a much larger potential fan base.