Apple reportedly told employees its stores and authorized third-party repair shops will soon be able to resolve Face ID hardware issues without having to replace an iPhone entirely. Technicians may have access to a TrueDepth camera part that includes the Face ID and front-facing camera modules. They'll be able to swap it into an iPhone, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors.

The company reportedly said the part may lower the number of whole-device replacements, which will help reduce the company's carbon footprint. Although Apple didn't mention pricing for such repairs in the memo, it would make sense for a new part to be less expensive than a replacement device. What's more, consumers wouldn't have to be concerned about losing or having to restore their data.

The report notes that the part will be compatible with iPhone XS and newer devices. As such, iPhone X owners might miss out.

If Apple does offer authorized technicians the part, it seems like a good move for all involved. It should bolster Apple's repairability efforts a few months after the company said it would sell iPhone and Mac parts to consumers and offer repair guides to help them resolve hardware issues by themselves.

Shortly after the iPhone 13 was released, it emerged that Face ID stopped working in some cases if the screen was replaced by a third-party repair shop. Apple seemed to have resolved that issue with the rollout of iOS 15.2 in December.

Nikola is "laser-focused on delivering vehicles and generating revenue," according to CEO Mark Russell. To help it reach those goals, the embattled company is preparing to ramp up production of the battery-electric Tre semi-truck. Russell said Nikola expects to start "series production of the Tre BEV on March 21." The company plans to deliver up to 500 production Tre BEVs this year, starting in the second quarter.

It delivered the first two Tre BEVs to a port trucking company in California in December as part of a three-month pilot. It says the trucks have logged more than 4,500 miles between them and hauled multiple loads per day. One completed a 204-mile trip on a single charge. Anheuser-Busch, meanwhile, is testing two fuel-cell electric variants of the Tre.

Nikola says its Coolidge, Arizona plant currently has a production capacity of 2,500 trucks per year. Work is underway on an expansion that would increase the capacity to up to 20,000 trucks per annum. Work on Phase 2 of the facility should be completed in early 2023. Meanwhile, Nikola's plant in Ulm, Germany is currently capable of producing 2,000 trucks per year, though that figure is expandable to 10,000 trucks.

In its latest earnings report, the company touched on some of the controversies that have plagued it over the last few years. It reached an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in December to settle civil charges that it defrauded investors. The company is paying a $125 million civil penalty over two years. Nikola is seeking reimbursement from founder Trevor Milton for costs and damages it incurred in connection with government and regulatory investigations.

A grand jury indicted Milton on fraud charges last year. Nikola's former CEO and executive chairman allegedly lied to investors about “nearly all aspects of the business” in attempts to increase Nikola's share price. Milton, who has denied the charges against him, is set to go on trial in April.

It seems Spotify has moved swiftly to remove episodes of The Alex Jones Show that were recently added to the service. Watchdog Media Matters reported on Wednesday that episodes of the eponymous far-right conspiracy theorist's podcast had emerged on Spotify on a daily basis since Sunday, though they've since vanished.

Spotify banned Jones and his InfoWars outlet in 2018 over violations of its hate speech policies. Several other platforms — including Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Twitter — booted Jones off their services around the same time. Facebook and Instagram banned him the following year. The Alex Jones Show remains on Google Podcasts.

Jones made waves in October 2020, when he made an appearance on Joe Rogan's controversial podcast — several months after Spotify secured exclusive distribution rights to The Joe Rogan Experience. As Variety notes, that episode, in which Jones reportedly made false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, is still available on Spotify.

Engadget has contacted Spotify for comment.

The next Pokémon Presents livestream will take place on February 27th, aka Pokémon Day, at 9AM ET. The Pokémon Company hasn't revealed what's in store, other than to say in a tweet on its Japanese account that it'll be a relatively brief affair clocking in at around 14 minutes and you'll be able to watch on the official Pokémon YouTube channel.

Pokémon Day marks the anniversary of the first games in the franchise. Pokémon Red and Green were released in Japan on February 27th, 1996. The company has announced updates for titles including Pokémon Unite, Pokémon Go and Pokémon Cafe Mix in the lead up to Sunday's festivities, as Polygon notes. 

It's been a busy spell for The Pokémon Company on the games front. Not only did it release Pokémon Unite and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl last year, Pokémon Legends: Arceus arrived less than a month ago. Meanwhile, the beta of a virtual trading card game, Pokémon TCG Live, was released in Canada this week. It remains to be seen whether the stream will offer details about what's next for those titles, provide an early look at something new or even both.

Sony is gradually rolling out an option to let PS5 players access captured screenshots and clips from the PS App on iOS and Android. The company started testing the feature in Canada and Japan in October.

At the outset, players in the Americas will be able to view and share their PS5 captures on the mobile app. Folks in the US, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay should gain access in the coming days.

Sony will expand the feature to more territories next month. Some people outside of Canada and Japan had access to the feature as of late January, according to reports, which hinted that a broader rollout was imminent.

To use the feature, you'll need to switch it on manually on PS5 by going to the Captures tab of the settings menu and enabling Auto-Upload. On the PS App, you'll need to enable the Captures option under Library. You'll then be able to download the clips and screenshots to your phone or tablet.

Your PS5 will upload all clips lasting under three minutes, as long as they're not in 4K. All screenshots taken with the Create button or Create Menu shortcuts will be uploaded too. Your screenshots and clips will only only stay on Sony's servers for 14 days after you capture them, though they'll remain on your console's storage.

While that's a bit of an odd limitation, this is a useful way to get your screenshots and clips on your phone. You'll be able to share them on social media and with your friends without using the PS5's limited sharing options or transferring captures to a computer using a USB drive.

Target claims that its free, app-powered Drive Up curbside pickups is one of its customers' favorite services, and the company plans to test more features this fall. In select markets, customers will be able to pick up a Starbucks order or make a return without having to enter the store.

The option to place a Starbucks order has been a frequent request from customers, according to Target. When you're on the way to a store, you'll be able to order items from the Starbucks menu through the Target app. A Target employee will bring your order to your car when you arrive. You can set up a return through the Target app as well and complete the process in the Drive Up lane.

On top of those features, Target plans to expand its backup item program with categories like beauty products and household essentials. Customers will be able to select a wider range of secondary items in case their first choice isn't available. The company claims that, since it started offering backup options for grocery orders, its employees have been able to substitute backup items 98 percent of the time. So, even if you don't get your preferred item, it's highly likely you'll get something pretty close.

Those who were able to lock in an early shipment date for the Steam Deck are perhaps just a few days away from getting their hands on the system. To give a clearer idea of which Steam games will run on the handheld PC, Valve has set up a page where you can check whether titles in your library are compatible.

After you log in with your Steam account, the tool will organize your library into a few sections. If a game is marked as Verified, it should run on Steam Deck with few, if any, hiccups. Unsurprisingly, Valve games such as Half-Life 2 and Portal 2 are deemed Verified, as are third-party games such as God of War, Death Stranding, Tetris Effect and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Those labeled Playable will run on the system but "might require extra effort to interact with or configure," according to Valve. Valheim, The Witcher 3, Inscryption and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are among those.

There might be some games in your library that don’t currently work on the device at all. One of those, sadly, is Fall Guys. Virtual reality games like Half-Life: Alyx and the VR version of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice won't run on it either. The tool will also say how many games in your library haven’t yet been tested on Steam Deck. 

Valve has tested a little more than 400 games on Steam Deck so far, according to SteamDB. As of Wednesday, there were 64,679 games listed on Steam, so the company has only checked a fraction of them on its new hardware. Valve is continuing to test games though, so more will be Verified in the coming months.

The tool builds on a set of labels Valve has been adding to Steam games over the last few months. Although there are many more untested games than ones Valve has actually checked, this could still be a handy way to see whether buying a Steam Deck might be worthwhile.

Spotify has released the first episodes of a new audio format it's calling the "bookcast" with help from Dolly Parton and James Patterson. The pair co-wrote a novel titled Run, Rose, Run, which has been blended with an original soundtrack written, recorded and produced by Parton.

The bookcast format brings together audio storytelling with sound elements and original music. Spotify says it delivers "an immersive listening experience."

Run, Rose, Run tells the story of a musician who moves to Nashville to chase her dream of making it in the music industry. Her songs are inspired by a "brutal secret" that threatens to thwart her plans.

You'll be able to listen to the bookcast on Spotify for free. The first two episodes are out now, featuring excerpts from the book set to Parton's music. More episodes will arrive over the next couple of weeks, with the last six landing on March 7th, the same day the novel is released. Parton will release the soundtrack on March 4th, and the firsttwo songs are available now.

The bookcast, which comes from a pair of hugely popular creatives, emerges in the wake of some notable artists pulling their music from Spotify. Neil Young and Joni Mitchell both removed their work from the platform after the former accused the company of allowing Joe Rogan to spread harmful misinformation on his podcast. Brené Brown paused new episodes of her Spotify-exclusive podcasts, while film director Ava DuVernay this month ended her podcast deal with the company before producing any shows for Spotify.

It's possible the bookcast was in the works long before the Rogan controversy blew up, so it doesn't entirely seem to be a case of damage control. However, if Spotify's looking to build up some goodwill, it could go far worse than recruiting Parton and Patterson.

LinkedIn is delving deeper into the podcast world. It's debuting a podcast network that features in-house shows from the LinkedIn News team as well as programs from industry figures.

The shows, unsurprisingly, are geared toward a professional audience. They focus on areas including understanding tech, managing mental health and explaining the hiring process. Reid Hoffman, the co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn, will co-host a podcast about personal entrepreneurship called The Start-Up of You that will premiere this spring.

The company says the LinkedIn Podcast Network is a pilot and builds on the success of Hello Monday, a podcast produced by LinkedIn News in which host Jessi Hempel delves into the evolving nature of work. The shows are ad-supported and the initial sponsor is Verizon, Engadget's former parent company.

The podcast network ties into LinkedIn's other products — such as newsletters, live events, videos and posts — with the idea that hosts and audiences will be able to keep conversations going outside of the shows. Listeners will be able to check out the podcasts on LinkedIn directly if they follow the hosts and subscribe to their newsletters. The shows will also be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms.

Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the University of Calgary have developed a modular robot system that can morph into different shapes. ElectroVoxels don't have any motors or moving parts. Instead, they use electromagnets to shift around each other.

Each edge of an ElectroVoxel cube is an electromagnetic ferrite core wrapped with copper wire. The length of each ElectroVoxel side is around 60 millimeters. The total cost is just 60 cents.

When the polarity of a magnet is changed, the edges either attract or repel each other. That causes the cubes to shift into a different orientation. Printed circuit boards and electronics inside each cube control the direction of each electromagnet's current.

The robots have two basic types of movement. They can pivot around the edge of another cube, or traverse from one ElectroVoxel to the next. A software planner can be used to program reconfigurations. A user can highlight specific magnets, control the speed of cube's movements and ensure they won't collide with each other.

The researchers say possible to control up to 1,000 ElectroVoxels with the software. Users can tell the blocks to shift into different shapes, such as turning from a chair into a couch. They can decide which cube should move in which direction, and the software will determine the electromagnetic assignments needed to carry out the task.

The scientists tested ElectroVoxels in microgravity on a parabolic flight. They found the robots can operate in low-gravity environments. As such, the researchers say ElectroVoxels could be used to alter and create structures in outer space.

MIT CSAIL

They suggest the robots could change the inertia properties of a spacecraft, which might mitigate the need for extra fuel for reconfiguration. That, the scientists say, remedies many challenges linked with launch mass and volume. They hope the system will eventually enable a range of space-related use cases, such as augmenting and replacing structures over a series of launches, and building temporary structures to assist astronauts and help with spacecraft inspections.

A future version of ElectroVoxels could allow the creation of self-sorting storage containers. However, to allow the robots to more easily reconfigure in Earth's gravity, the researchers say more detailed modeling and optimization would be required.

"While the potential benefits in space are particularly great, the paradox is that the favorable dynamics provided by microgravity mean some of those problems are actually also easier to solve — in space, even tiny forces can make big things move," said Martin Nisser, a PhD student at CSAIL and lead author on a paper on ElectroVoxels. "By applying this technology to solve real near-term problems in space, we can hopefully incubate the technology for future use on Earth too."