Chinese company Nreal has launched a new model of augmented reality glasses called Air, which was designed with streaming shows and playing mobile games in mind. Nreal released its first model, the Light mixed reality glasses, to consumers a year ago after fending off Magic Leap's accusation that its founder stole trade secrets to build his own company. Air still needs to be tethered to a phone like the Light, but it it's a lot lighter (77 grams to Light's 106 grams) and looks more like an ordinary pair of sunglasses than its predecessor does. Nreal says it also has a better display, which has the capability to project a massive virtual screen up to 201 inches in size.

The device's display has a 46-degree Field of View and is powered by a micro-OLED chip for AR devices. It has a high density of colors, with up to 49 Pixels Per Degree, and a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. In comparison, the Light has a 52-degree FOV and a 60Hz refresh rate. One significant feature the Light has and the Air doesn't is inside-out tracking. The new model has no motion tracking at all, and a company spokesperson told us that based on Light's usage, Nreal expects most owners to use the Air simply to watch shows on Youtube. They said:

"People we know will use Nreal Air (a large number of them) for simply watching shows on YouTube, streaming content on local streaming platforms (like Magenta by Deutsche Telekom) based on Nreal Light's usage, which is why the tradeoff makes sense. The other bulk of users are using it for actual development. With that said, one of the biggest demands we saw was for using Nreal Light for a longer period of time (meaning lighter weight), and a more brilliant display. Those two would be the key features that were of paramount importance and the basis for how Nreal decided to strike a balance."

A feature the Light doesn't have, however, is Air's "Adjustable 3-Step Rake System" that allows users to adjust the viewing angle by tilting the lens and the elastic temples. In addition, the Nreal Air can pair with Apple's iPhones and iPads and not just with Android devices. That could increase the possibility of users finding others with the model, so they could take advantage of its new shared digital space that allows multiple people to watch shows at the same time on a single AR screen. 

Nreal Air will initially be available in Japan, China and South Korea in December 2021 in partnership with leading carriers. It will roll out to other markets in 2022, though the company didn't specify the additional regions where the device will be available. The firm recently raised $100 million to fund its international expansion, though, so the new model will likely be easier to purchase than the Light, which is only shipping in a handful of countries. Those interested will have to wait for the company to reveal how much the device will cost, though it did say that the Air will "retail at a fraction of the price of Nreal Light."

Nreal

Cadillac has dropped quite an important feature from the 2022 Cadillac Escalade. According to Motor1 and Roadshow, the model won't come with Super Cruise, GM's hands-free driver-assistance technology. A spokesperson from the brand has confirmed to the publications that the Super Cruise would be "temporarily unavailable at the start of regular production," though they expressed the possibility that it would be available for vehicles manufactured later on. The spokesperson also revealed that the reason for this change is none other than the global chip shortage born out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cadillac's whole statement reads:

"Super Cruise is an important feature for the Cadillac Escalade program. Although it's temporarily unavailable at the start of regular production due to the industry-wide shortage of semiconductors, we're confident in our team's ability to find creative solutions to mitigate the supply chain situation and resume offering the feature for our customers as soon as possible."

The company also told Roadshow that it was only able to build "a few" CT4 and CT5 sedans scheduled for release this year with the capability to use Super Cruise. It had to postpone the full launch of its driver assistance system in the sedans until model year 2022, which will start shipping next year. 

The global semiconductor shortage has had an extensive effect on the tech and auto industries. GM, Cadillac's manufacturer, had to suspend production at all but four of its North American factories due to supply constraints. Nissan, Ford, BMW and Honda had to cut vehicle production, as well. In Ford's case, it led to the delay in shipments of the Mach-E electric vehicle.

GM has big plans for Super Cruise and previously announced its plans to bring the technology to 22 vehicles by 2023. It's unclear if these delays and adjustments caused by the chip shortage would affect the timeline it set for itself.

Amazon was supposed to defend its decision in court to let Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa go last year. The former Amazon employees were outspoken critics of the company, and both were, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) previously decided, illegally fired. The e-commerce giant didn't have to defend itself, however, because it has settled with the affected parties shortly before the hearing could take place.

Cunningham and Costa, who worked on user experience design, openly criticized Amazon's climate policies and workplace practices. They previously slammed the company's climate policies in a video that gained national attention. And before they were let go in April 2020, both of them tweeted that they'd match donations up to $500 to support their warehouse worker colleagues. Cunningham said the "lack of safe and sanitary working conditions" puts the workers and the public at risk, while Costa tweeted that the workers "struggle to get consistent, sufficient protections and procedures" from their employer.

Amazon said when the news broke that they were let go for violating internal policies, namely for discussing the company without prior approval, and not for speaking out about working conditions specifically. The NLRB looked into accusations that Amazon retaliated against its employees for organizing or participating in protests, however, and determined that Cunningham and Costa were illegally fired.

According to The Washington Post, the settlement still needs to be approved by the NLRB regional director in Seattle, though Cunningham and Costa are already considering the settlement a victory. In a joint statement, they said the development is a "win for protecting workers rights" and that Amazon will be required to pay them lost wages. The whole statement reads:

"We are thrilled to announce that we have reached an agreement to settle the charge against Amazon at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleging that the company illegally fired us for speaking up about warehouse workers' conditions during COVID. This is a win for protecting workers rights, and shows that we were right to stand up for each other, for justice, and for our world. Amazon will be required to pay us our lost wages and post a notice to all of its tech and warehouse workers nationwide that Amazon can't fire workers for organizing and exercising their rights.

It’s also not lost on us that we are two women who were targeted for firing. Inequality, racism, and sexism are at the heart of both the climate crisis and the pandemic. 

Tech workers standing up together have immense power to move the biggest corporations in the world. Everything we love is threatened by climate chaos. Workers at every company need to be standing up for each other and the world, together. Now is the time to be our best, bravest selves. We can only do this together. We hope you’ll join us."

A Bloomberg report claims that Nintendo provided at least 11 developers with a toolkit to create games for the Switch that support 4K graphics. Shortly after it was published, though, the gaming giant has issued a statement firmly denying that it's supplying tools to drive the development of titles for a 4K console. "[T]his report is not true," the company tweeted. Further, it reiterated that it has no plans for a new Switch model other than the OLED variant that's coming out on October 8th. 

Bloomberg said Nintendo had already handed out 4K toolkits and had already asked developers to create games with 4K resolution by the time it announced the OLED model. The publication also said that the 11 companies it talked to are made up of large publishers and small studios, including Zynga.

Nintendo's upcoming OLED Switch doesn't support 4K graphics, though its screen does offer better colors and contrast than its predecessors. In the past, Bloomberg reported that the company was working on a Switch with OLED screen and an NVIDIA chip that would enable it to generate 4K graphics when connected to a TV. A source told the publication, however, that Nintendo struggled with component shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and had to drop its 4K plans. 

Releasing a 4K Switch seems like the logical next step for Nintendo to take, seeing as its competitors already have consoles that support the resolution. Based on the company's statement, though, that won't be happening anytime soon. 

Google has introduced a wildfire layer for Maps, allowing users around the world to keep a close eye on multiple fires at once. The tech giant says this new feature builds on the wildfire boundary map it rolled out in the US last year and it's meant to help people "make quick, informed decisions during times of emergency." With the layer enabled, users will be able to see the wildfires raging in their location — tapping on any of them will bring up links to emergency websites, helpline numbers and evacuation details provided by local government. 

If available, the tool will also show details about the fire, including its containment, the acres it has already burned and the time that information was last reported. The wildfire layer will start its global rollout to Android devices this week and to iOS devices and PCs in October. While it will display most major fires — the kind that necessitates evacuations — around the world, it'll have the capability to display smaller incidents in the US, thanks to data provided by the National Interagency Fire Center. Google is planning to offer that level of detail in more locations, starting with Australia in the coming months. 

Google

In addition, Google is expanding the information available through its Tree Canopy tool. At the moment, it can only provide data for 15 cities in the US, but it'll be able to show information for 100 cities around the world in 2022. Google's Tree Canopy Insights combines AI capabilities with aerial data to determine the parts of a city with the greatest risk of rapidly rising temperatures. It could help local governments figure out where to plant trees and where to focus any project they may have to fight climate change. Los Angeles authorities, for instance, are already using the tool to help them increase the city's tree canopy by 50 percent by 2028. While Google didn't say which cities are getting access to the tool by next year, it said Guadalajara, London, Sydney and Toronto are in the list.

Brad Lynch, a YouTube host who reports on virtual reality, has found evidence from patent applications and other sources that Valve is currently working on a standalone VR headset codenamed "Deckard." Ars Technica has independently confirmed that the company is indeed developing a device with that codename.  

Lynch found references to multiple iterations of Deckard, including a "proof of concept" in June. Valve is apparently planning to give it the ability to bring up two SteamVR menu options: prism and standalone system layer. The latter, as you may have guessed, implies that the device could work on its own without the need to be tethered to a PC. If you'll recall, Valve's Index VR headset released in 2019 has to be attached to a computer to work. The YouTube host also discovered a mention of Deckard in a SteamVR Linux ARM binary. That particular evidence hints at processing power built into a Valve VR headset, further solidifying the possibility that it's a standalone device. 

According to Ars Technica's sources, Valve was developing two design concepts for a virtual reality headset. One of them ended up resembling the Index in that it needs to connect to a PC and to SteamVR Tracking Boxes. The other ended up being designed around a built-in processor with inside-out tracking like the Oculus Quest. Those sources also hinted that Valve had to bring in an outside firm to develop inside-out tracking that could match what the Quest can do. 

Whether the standalone VR headset will ever be released remains to be seen. As the publication notes, Valve is already preparing to start shipping the Steam Deck in December. With the current chip shortage affecting the tech and auto industries today, we may have to wait quite a bit for Deckard if Valve decides to release it at all.

CNN has become the first US media organization to restrict Australians' access to its Facebook pages, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move comes weeks after the country's high court ruled that media companies are liable for the comments left by other people on their Facebook posts. A CNN spokesperson told the publication that users in Australia will no longer be able to see its main Facebook page, its CNN International page and the dedicated pages for its shows. 

Dylan Voller filed the original case that prompted Australia's courts to decide whether media organizations should be liable for comments left on their Facebook pages. Voller became famous back in 2016 after a TV exposé on the mistreatment of minors in the criminal detention system showed a photo of him hooded and strapped to a chair when he was only 17. Major news outlets used that photo for their articles that were then posted on Facebook, where commenters falsely accused Voller of serious crimes, such as raping an elderly woman. 

A CNN source told The Journal that the organization asked Facebook if it would help media companies disable comments entirely. However, the social network reportedly declined to disable all comments on CNN's pages in Australia. Facebook rolled out a tool back in March that allows celebrities, politicians and news outlets to restrict who can comment on their pages, but they'd still have to set a restriction for every post. CNN has decided that doing so for all its properties would be time-consuming and opted to completely block Australia instead.

A CNN spokesperson said:

“We are disappointed that Facebook, once again, has failed to ensure its platform is a place for credible journalism and productive dialogue around current events among its users."

As for Facebook, it told The Journal that it supports the reform of Australia's defamation laws. In addition, it said it provided CNN with features it can use to manage comments and that it continues to "provide Australians a destination for quality journalism, including through Facebook News which we launched in August." 

Earlier this year, Australia also passed a law that requires tech giants to pay news outlets for using their content. As a response, Facebook blocked Australian publishers and residents from sharing news content. It quickly rolled back the ban, however, and agreed to pay some news organizations for their content.

Shortly after the new iPad mini was released, people started complaining about seeing a weird "jelly-like" effect on their screens while scrolling. It appears as if one side of the screen scrolls at a different rate than the other, making it look like the screen is wobbling. Those who were hoping for a fix to the problem would probably be disappointed by Apple's response, because the tech giant has told Ars Technica that the device's screen wobbling problem isn't a problem at all.

A spokesperson told the publication that the jelly-like effect people are seeing is typical for LCD screens, because they refresh line by line. As such, it's normal for the lines at the top of the display to refresh at a different rate than the lines at the bottom. Ars Technica insists, though, that the effect is much noticeable on the iPad mini than it is on other 60Hz LCD iPads, including the latest entry-level model that was released with the mini. Further, there's a visible line dividing the screen in the middle when the tablet is in portrait mode.

It remains to be seen whether Apple would do something about this jelly scrolling effect in the future, considering people are airing complaints about it. For now, it looks the tech giant's stance is that it's par for the course for an LCD screen and that users will just have to get used to it.

IKEA and Sonos will release a new, more customizable version of their Symfonisk speaker lamp on October 12th. The furniture giant will sell the new model's lamp base and shade separately, allowing you to mix and match parts to ensure the final product fits the vibe of your home. You can choose between a black or a white lamp base, which the companies had designed to be slightly smaller than its predecessor. Stjepan Begic, product owner at IKEA of Sweden, said they decided to make make the base smaller after finding out that a lot of people use the Symfonisk lamp on their nightstand. 

You can also choose between two types of shades: textile or glass. Both are available in black and white, as well. In addition, this model supports a wider range of bulbs thanks to its added E26/E27 socket, whereas the previous generation only fits E12 (E14 in the UK) bulbs. When it comes to the speaker itself, Sara Morris, Principal Product Manager at Sonos, said it provides a "wider and more room-filling sound."

The companies launched the first Symfonisk products back in 2019, giving you the chance to purchase Sonos-level quality speakers without the Sonos-level price. These new lamps are priced similarly to the previously generation, which originally sold for $179. The base, which houses the WiFi-connected speaker itself, will set you back $152, confirming previous reports about the then-unannounced product. A textile cover will cost you $24, while a glass one will set you back $35. In all, you'll be paying $169 for a lamp with a textile shade and $179 for one with glass.

The new Symfonisk lamp will be available in IKEA's brick-and-mortar stores and online in the US and select European markets when it launches in October. It will eventually make its way to all of IKEA's markets next year.

Ikea

Samsung wants you to increase your freezer's temperature to lower our collective carbon footprint, and it has enlisted Vanilla Ice's help to convince you. The rapper has re-released his 1990 hit song Ice Ice Baby as Reduce Your Ice, Ice Baby, both to call on everyone to adjust their freezer's temp and to promote its new Bespoke Refrigerator range. "Turn down the freeze, and I'll glow. Jus' one degree, I raise the temp like a vandal, climate friendly, wax a chump like a candle," Vanilla Ice raps in the song. 

Based on a study the tech giant conducted using European Commission data, if every household in Europe alone increases its freezer's temperature by one degree Celsius, it could lower humanity's carbon emissions by over a million tons annually. The company says that's equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide emitting by over 217,000 passenger vehicles being driven for an entire year. That's also equivalent to the yearly energy usage of over 120,000 homes combined. While it's hoping to convince you to adjust your freezer's temperature a bit, it does have a recommended minimum setting of -17 degrees Celsius or 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

As for the fridge Samsung is promoting, the new Bespoke Refrigerator has a modular design with interchangeable panels in 14 different colors and a range of finishes. The company says it could help reduce waste, because you'll be able to upgrade the fridge in the future instead of replacing it completely. You can see the fridge in Vanilla Ice's '90s style music video for Reduce Your Ice, Ice Baby below.