If you’re looking for a phone a little more unique than just another iPhone or Galaxy, Nothing is happy to oblige. With its second phone, it’s finally launching in the US. This time, it’s a flagship device, with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, bigger screen and better cameras. The Nothing Phone 2 has updated 50MP primary and ultra-wide rear cams, with 2X super-res digital zoom and object tracking.

Nothing

Nothing is playing to its custom-software strengths, with deeper customization in its low-key dot-matrix fonts and design. There are more advanced widgets, like shortcuts to quick settings, and a new array of custom color themes to stretch you beyond white, black and red. You can also set up an “essential app” that lights up a region of the phone’s glyph lighting on the back when it has notifications. This means you could prioritize WhatsApp or text messages with a special visual flourish, separate from all the other smartphone notifications.

Despite those upgrades, the Nothing Phone 2 will be a competitive $599 when it arrives in the US on July 17th at 4 AM ET. Expect to hear our impressions very soon.

– Mat Smith

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Microsoft's Activision acquisition moves ahead

A judge has rejected the FTC’s injunction.

A judge has rejected the Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction to prevent Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley wrote the acquisition "has been described as the largest in tech history," and it deserved to be scrutinized. She noted Microsoft's commitment to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation and deals the company has to bring its games and Activision Blizzard titles to Nintendo Switch and cloud gaming services. Later yesterday, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it has also agreed to take a break from its legal battle to negotiate a compromise that could allow the deal to move forward. It might finally all happen.

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Rolls-Royce won't let customers buy another car if they flip its new EV for a profit

‘You will never ever have the chance to acquire again.’

The first Rolls-Royce EV, the Spectre, is going on sale soon at a cool $425,000 – and at that price, purchasing slots will be limited, to say the least. But any buyers planning to flip one for a quick profit may want to think twice. CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said the company will ban for life anyone attempting to resell their Spectre for profit. It’s not the first to make a move like this. Last year, GM said it would ban buyers from flipping Hummer EVs, Corvette Z06s and other vehicles within 12 months, under the threat of limiting the transferability of certain warranties.

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Samsung adds an 83-inch set to its affordable OLED TV lineup

It’s even larger than the company's highest-end OLED models.

Samsung has introduced an 83-inch model to its relatively affordable S90C series. The 4K screen shares the smaller models' 144Hz QD-OLED panel technology, AI-powered HDR mapping, Dolby Atmos support and soundbar syncing. The 83-inch S90C will be available for $5,400 (affordable?). That's a lot more than the 77-inch TV's $3,600 price. However, there's no high-end S95C equivalent of this 83-inch size – at least not yet.

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Intel will stop making its own NUC mini PCs

It wants other companies to make them instead.

Intel is bowing out of its own mini PCs. The chip designer has confirmed it's ending its "direct investment" in its Next Unit of Compute (NUC) business. Instead, the company plans to help partners to create NUCs in its stead. The company doesn't explain why it's ending production of first-party NUC machines, but it’s likely because of the bleak computer market, prompted by both a rough economy and the early pandemic surge in sales.

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NASA expands developers' contracts for its next-gen spacesuits

Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace will modify their designs for new purposes.

NASA

In 2022, NASA chose Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace to develop next-gen spacesuits to finally replace the decades-old gear astronauts are still using. Now, the space agency has expanded its existing contracts and is giving them $5 million apiece to design and develop new spacesuits not included in the original orders. Axiom unveiled a prototype for its original order in March, showcasing a suit with joints, which allow wearers to move around with ease, and a helmet equipped with a light and an HD camera.

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It’s back and here to ruin our savings and increase the gadgets in our homes. Yes, Amazon Prime Day isn’t entirely about headphones, tablets and wearables, but for Engadget staff… well, it feels like it is. Prime Day deals on tech are typically only matched by Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, making it a good time to pick up any devices you want – at a discount.

In the past, the best devices often weren’t given the Prime Day discount treatment, but this year has several things I not only bought myself but have recommended to friends and family. That includes $50 off the second-generation AirPods Pro (literally using them as I write this newsletter), last year’s Kindle e-reader, down from $100 to $65 and, my pick for the best smartphone under $500, the Google Pixel 7a, now a dollar shy of $450.

Our editors are looking out for subsequent bargains, as things have only just started. You can also follow Engadget Deals on Twitter for the latest news, and sign up for Engadget Deals newsletter – because you’re already subscribed to TMA, right?

– Mat Smith 

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Sarah Silverman sues ChatGPT owners and Meta over copyright infringement

The comedian alleges the companies didn't get her consent to use her work.

Reuters

Sarah Silverman is suing OpenAI, creators of ChatGPT, and Meta. On Friday, the comedian and author, alongside novelists Christopher Golden and Richard Kadrey, filed a pair of complaints against both companies. The complaints center around the datasets OpenAI and Meta allegedly used to train ChatGPT and LLaMA. In the case of OpenAI, while its Books1 dataset conforms approximately to the size of Project Gutenberg — a well-known copyright-free book repository — lawyers argue the Books2 dataset is too large to have derived from anywhere other than "shadow libraries" of illegally available copyrighted material. In one exhibit from the lawsuit, Silverman’s legal team asked the chatbot to summarize The Bedwetter, a memoir she published in 2010. The chatbot could not only outline entire parts of the book but also appeared to reproduce some passages verbatim.

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Google is testing its medical AI chatbot at the Mayo Clinic

Med-PaLM 2 can respond to medical questions, summarize documents and more.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Google is already testing its Med-PaLM 2 AI chat technology at the Mayo Clinic and other hospitals. It's based on the company's PaLM 2 large language model (LLM) that underpins Bard, Google's ChatGPT rival — and was launched just months ago at Google I/O.

During I/O, Google released a paper detailing its work on Med-PaLM2. On the positive side, it demonstrated features like "alignment with medical consensus," reasoning ability and even the ability to generate answers preferred by respondents over physician-generated responses. Less ideally, it showed the same accuracy problems we've seen on other Chat AI models – not what you’re looking for when in medical advice.

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This EV is basically an RC car, supersized

It can go over 60 MPH, costs $45k and will be street-legal in Europe.

The Little Car Company

UK-based The Little Car Company has built an adult-sized version of the Tamiya Wild One RC car, a toy that took the toy world by storm back in the 1980s. This is a fully electric vehicle with eight swappable battery packs that give an advertised 124 miles of range. The Tamiya Wild One Max was originally announced back in 2021, but the design has changed significantly since then. It’s bigger, more powerful and, of course, more expensive, as the original design was set to cost around $8,500. The new design also features a revised front suspension system, an interior for two occupants and a weight of 1,100 pounds.

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In just four days of the app going live on Wednesday evening, Threads already has more than 100 million users, according to Quiver Quantitative's Threads Tracker. Thread is a sibling app to Instagram, making it easy for that platform's existing billion-plus users to sign up — unless they live in the European Union.

It’s a huge audience already, but it’s still very, very early days for Threads. You can only search for usernames, there are no hashtags and, seemingly specific to me, I can’t upload videos or images.

The worst part of early Threads, however, is the lack of a chronological feed. Instead, its algorithmic feed is bloated with brands, influencers and celebrities – none of which I care about. And if someone you do follow replies to those accounts, that appears in your feed. It’s already making my finger hover dangerously close to the mute and unfollow for several Engadget colleagues who will remain nameless. For now.

We’ve covered our questions about Threads here, but how’s your experience so far?

– Mat Smith

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Scientists make ibuprofen and other common painkillers from paper industry waste

The secret is… turpentine?

According to one study by The Conversation, drug companies produce more carbon dioxide equivalents per million dollars than the automotive industry. In short, drug companies need to reduce their carbon emissions. Here’s a step in the right direction: Scientists from the University of Bath in the UK may have found a way of converting β-pinene, a component in turpentine, into pharmaceutical precursors used to synthesize paracetamol and ibuprofen. What’s notable is that the paper industry produces 350,000 metric tons of turpentine by-product per year.

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Jony Ive's first post-Apple hardware project is a $60,000 turntable

A turntable that already exists.

Linn

Jony Ive’s design agency, LoveFrom, has worked on typefaces, a charity clown nose and “the future of Airbnb.” But there hasn’t been any hardware since Ive departed Apple, until now. Now, it’s redesigned Linn’s Sondek LP12 to celebrate the modular turntable’s 50th anniversary. Ive told Fast Company that the LoveFrom team’s admiration for Linn made it a “very gentle and modest project.” Perhaps because of that, LoveFrom carried out the work pro bono. Don’t mention Bono.

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Hayao Miyazaki's final film will be Studio Ghibli's first IMAX release

‘How Do You Live?’ heads to Japanese theaters next week.

Hayao Miyazaki's final film, How Do You Live?, is coming to IMAX theaters. The milestone marks a first for Miyazaki and his animation studios. Past Studio Ghibli films did not receive the IMAX treatment during their original theatrical runs. The movie is also supposed to be Miyazaki's swan song (again), but details have been sparse until now. Studio Ghibli has not released a trailer for the film or bought any TV spots. The only promotion it has done so far is the single poster the studio shared last month. It doesn't even have an international release date yet.

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Casetify’s ‘Evangelion’ series lets you put AirPods in the robot

You can also order iPhone cases and chargers celebrating the beloved anime.

Casetify

Casetify is launching a new series of Apple-device accessories based on Neon Genesis Evangelion. The Project-CSTF: Protection from Impact collection lets you drape your iPhone, AirPods or Apple Watch in cases that show off your love of the acclaimed mid-’90s anime series. Like this hulking AirPods Pro case, which is definitely not pocketable.

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Are you on Threads yet? Meta’s Twitter rival pulls your existing Instagram handle and follows to create a pretty busy timeline, despite only launching over 24 hours ago. It’s already got over 30 million users – which is insane – and speaks to the ease of converting your Instagram account to a Threads account.

Twitter probably isn’t happy, as beyond its own problems, Threads is doing a decent job (in these early days) of replicating Elon Musk’s social network. Now that’s legally true: Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta, accusing it of poaching former employees and unlawful misappropriation of trade secrets and intellectual property.

“Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information,” Alex Spiro, Elon Musk's personal lawyer, wrote in a letter to Meta. Spiro, who is acting on behalf of Twitter parent X Corp., claims Meta has hired dozens of ex-Twitter employees over the last year. (Surely, they have to get jobs somewhere.)

Meta has refuted Spiro's claims. “No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing," Meta communications director Andy Stone wrote on… Threads.

– Mat Smith

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French Assembly passes bill allowing police to remotely activate phone cameras

Police could tap into cameras and mics for surveillance.

Lawmakers in France's National Assembly have passed a bill that lets police surveil suspects by remotely activating cameras, microphones and GPS location systems on phones and other devices. A judge will have to approve use of the powers, and the recently amended bill forbids use by journalists, lawyers and other "sensitive professions," according to Le Monde.

But civil liberties advocates are alarmed. The digital rights group La Quadrature du Net previously pointed out the potential for abuse. As the bill isn't clear about what constitutes a serious crime, there are fears the French government might use this to target environmental activists and others who aren't grave threats.

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Dine like it's 2013 at New York's Angry Birds cafe

Yes, it’s still a thing.

Rovio

To give you an idea how old Angry Birds is, it arrived on iOS, webOS and something called Maemo 5 (you don’t remember Maemo?) before it even came to Android, according to our 2010 review. It’s still around, over 13 years later, and Sega is buying its developer, Rovio, for around $776 million. Now we’re getting the first Angry Birds-themed restaurant, called iSwii by Angry Birds, in the food court at the new Tangram mall in Flushing, Queens, NY. I prefer the Kirby Cafe.

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The best Windows laptops for 2023

We’ve got recommendations for almost every size and situation.

We all know this, but there are so many Windows laptops now. If there’s a specific feature (like a touchscreen or stylus input) you really need, there’s a great chance there’s a notebook for you. However, that abundance of choice can also make it difficult to know where to start shopping. If your main focus is on general productivity, a sleek ultraportable is all you need. But if you edit photos and videos or play AAA games, you may want a bigger system with discrete graphics. We lay out the most crucial specs, our top-rated devices and our best budget picks too.

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‘Pokémon Sleep’ is coming later this month

And there’s a gameplay trailer to prove it.

Pokemon

It’s now been four years since Pokémon Sleep was announced, in the wake of the Pokémon Company’s success with Pokémon Go. Finally, there’s a brand-new gameplay trailer and an approximate release date of late July. Can you call it gameplay, though? Because, really, it’s a sleep-tracking app wearing a Pokémon jacket.

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As teased, Meta’s launched its Twitter rival, timed perfectly to capitalize on the latter’s recent struggles and contractions. Threads has started rolling out worldwide, though it won’t be available in the European Union until the company addresses potential regulatory concerns.

Some basic features are missing – the sort of thing Twitter (and normal Instagram) is already capable of. That includes hashtags (!), account switching on the same device and post editing. The company described Threads as a “separate space for real-time updates and public conversations,” which relies on users’ Instagram credentials but will eventually be compatible with a wider swath of decentralized services like Mastodon.

If you haven’t tried it already, you log in to Threads with your existing Instagram account – or make a new one. Usernames and verification status carry over, although you can tweak your bio and profile if you want to change it up from your Instagram one. It’s all very old Twitter in style, with support for text posts up to 500 characters, as well as photos and videos. Threads will also support reposts — its version of a retweet — as well as quote posts. Users can limit their replies and block and report other users, thankfully.

At this early stage, Threads is a reminder for all the users on Instagram that I muted long ago. Remember, just because you can post something to Threads, you don’t have to. (But we all know I did anyway.)

– Mat Smith

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Samsung will unveil its new foldables on July 26th

Prepare for an early morning live stream.

Samsung

Samsung has confirmed the date of its latest Unpacked product launch. The event will take place on July 26th at 7 AM ET, the company announced today. The early start is because Samsung will stream from Seoul, South Korea – home territory. When Samsung began teasing Unpacked last month, it promised the event would feature its latest generation of foldable devices. In other words, expect new iterations of the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip. Because it’s Samsung, though, don’t be surprised to see more wearables or even a tablet. Even if you didn't ask for either.

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OpenAI is forming a team to rein in superintelligent AI

The announcement comes as governments debate how to regulate AI technologies.

OpenAI is forming a dedicated team to manage the risks of superintelligent AI. A superintelligence is a hypothetical AI model smarter than even the most gifted and intelligent human, and it excels in multiple areas of expertise instead of one domain, like some previous-generation models. OpenAI believes such a model could arrive before the end of the decade.

“Superintelligence will be the most impactful technology humanity has ever invented and could help us solve many of the world’s most important problems,” the non-profit said. “But the vast power of superintelligence could also be very dangerous and could lead to the disempowerment of humanity or even human extinction.” I hope they recruit Sarah Connor.

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Fisker gives us a better look at its 600-mile range Ronin EV

It's set to be revealed in full on August 3rd.

Fisker

Fisker has given us another glimpse of the 600-mile range Ronin convertible EV and promised to unveil it in full on August 3rd. Like the original Fisker Karma, it's a low and swoopy four-door "super GT" sedan that will join its Ocean SUV. There's no word yet on price, but the company previously promised to keep it under $200,000. If that’s out of your price range, Fisker is working on its most affordable EV yet, the four-door Pear, which should start at $29,900 before any incentives.

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MSG and Sphere Entertainment have started fully testing the Sphere, a 17,600-seat venue near The Venetian with an animated outer dome and a wraparound internal 16K LED screen. It displays images, video and animation on the outside and the inside, apparently opening up entirely new concert and cinematic experiences.

MSG's James Dolan and David Dibble explained to Rolling Stone the aim is to create a VR experience without the "damn goggles." Creators use a special camera to produce footage that envelops the audience. Construction started in 2019, but the pandemic and technological complexity have brought costs close to $2.3 billion, making it the most expensive venue in Las Vegas to date. And this is Las Vegas – not a place of humble, small-scale buildings and structures. 

You can watch it here, but it will count as one of your finite tweet views a day...

– Mat Smith

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Apple wants to take the Epic Games case to the Supreme Court

Prior rulings could reduce its App Store profits.

Apple is initiating one last-ditch effort to maintain a cut of in-app sales, asking the Supreme Court to hear its appeal of Epic Games' anti-trust case, Reuters reports. Two lower courts ruled Apple must drop its guidelines preventing apps from including their own payment options, a policy that helped Apple's bottom line.

The lawsuit was a mixed bag for both parties involved: In 2021, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Epic knowingly violated Apple's rules, and the iPhone maker wasn't required to re-add Fortnite to its App Store. Rogers also stated Apple wasn't acting like a monopoly, but it must allow apps to offer third-party payment systems. The change went into effect last year, and the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the entire injunction this past April.

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July 3rd was the hottest day in recorded history

Average global temperatures climbed past 17 degrees Celsius on Monday.

Reuters

According to US National Centers for Environmental Prediction, meteorologists documented the hottest day in recorded history on Monday, July 3rd. They saw average global temperatures over 17 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit) for the first time since satellite monitoring of global temperatures began in 1979. Scientists even believe Monday is also the hottest day on record since humans began measuring daily temperatures in the late 19th century. The recent heat is attributed to a combination of El Niño and ongoing human-driven emissions of greenhouse gases. Studies have shown climate change is contributing to heat waves that are more frequent, last longer and hotter than ever.

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Twitter says it couldn't tell people about rate limiting in advance

The company claims bad actors could otherwise have changed their strategies.

Twitter’s decision to limit the number of tweets users could read each day came as a surprise to many. (Most? All?) However, the company now says it could not give folks a heads-up. "We temporarily limited usage so we could detect and eliminate bots and other bad actors that are harming the platform," a Twitter Business blog post reads. "Any advance notice on these actions would have allowed bad actors to alter their behavior to evade detection."

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As Twitter continues to figuratively kneecap itself by limiting tweet views, Meta is hustling to bring its Twitter rival to reality. A listing for an app called Threads was spotted on the iOS App Store with an estimated release date of July 6th. In May, a report said the microblogging service was nearing completion and could be out as soon as the end of June. While an end-of-June launch didn't quite happen, the app could arrive when Twitter users are more willing (and maybe even eager) to finally jump ship.

Twitter boss Elon Musk announced at the weekend that verified accounts — which translates to paying users — can read 6,000 posts daily, while non-paying users can only read 600. He said the website is adopting the measure to "address extreme levels of data scraping [and] system manipulation."

From both the app listing and rumors, we’re expecting Threads will migrate your followers and circles from your existing Instagram handle, ensuring you should have an active timeline right from the outset. That is, if you’re an Instagram user.

– Mat Smith

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The best cameras for 2023

Compacts, DSLRs, action cams and, of course, mirrorless cameras.

Engadget

Since smartphones started eating casual photography’s lunch, camera makers have focused on devices designed for very specific uses. Action cams provide sharp, fluid video. Compact cameras target both tourists and vloggers. And DSLRs are available at some of the best prices we’ve seen. Then there are mirrorless cameras, which continue to improve their autofocus and video. And that’s where some guidance helps. Whether you’re a creator looking for just the right vlogging camera, an aspiring wildlife photographer or a sports enthusiast, we’ll help you find the perfect camera to match your budget and needs.

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There’s an animated GIF generator now

Are your group chats ready for this level of nonsense?

Remember the early days of the AI hype train, when everyone spent their time making stupid images using text prompts? If you want to recapture the nostalgic haze of, uh, late 2022, Picsart has you covered. The popular image editor just launched an AI-powered animated GIF generator, calling the tool its “most unhinged” platform yet. Type a bunch of nonsense into the chat box, wait a minute or so and marvel at your “chaotic and eccentric” creation. The platform’s integrated into the regular Picsart app and is available for iOS, Android devices and on the web.

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Twitter launches 'new' TweetDeck as the old version breaks down

The feature will also be exclusive to Twitter Blue in 30 days.

If you've been having trouble using Twitter recently, you aren't alone — the service has been having issues since it started limiting the daily number of posts users could view. Although many of the platform's issues stabilized over the weekend, TweetDeck remains broken unless users switch to the beta version of the list aggregator. Now, Twitter is gearing up to solve the issue by making that beta version of TweetDeck the main version. According to Twitter Support, the feature will become exclusive to Twitter Blue subscribers in the near future, noting that "in 30 days, users must be Verified to access TweetDeck."

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Some HBO shows are streaming on Netflix in the US for the first time

'Insecure' is now on the platform, with 'Band of Brothers' and 'Six Feet Under' arriving later.

There really is an HBO show on Netflix. All five seasons of Issa Rae's highly acclaimed comedy-drama series Insecure are now streaming on Netflix in the US. Even more HBO shows are on the way, too. Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Six Feet Under and Ballers are also coming to Netflix as part of the deal, the company told Deadline. Meanwhile, Netflix users outside the US can stream True Blood on the service.

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In a baffling move over the weekend, Elon Musk said the company would restrict unverified accounts to reading 600 posts per day – and new accounts to only 300 tweets daily. Meanwhile, Twitter will allow verified accounts to read 6,000 posts each day. For most people, that means, short of paying for Twitter Blue, they can spend about a minute or two on Twitter before encountering a "rate limit exceeded" error. Less than two hours later, Musk said Twitter would "soon" ease the limits to 8,000 for verified accounts and 800 for those without Twitter Blue.

Musk claimed the "temporary" limits were in place to address "extreme levels of data scraping" and "system manipulation." The day before, Twitter began preventing people not logged into the site from viewing tweets. Musk did not say what "new" means in the context of an account, nor did he say how long Twitter plans to restrict users.

It’s a challenging change to Twitter when it’s courting advertisers and paid users. Fewer eyes for ads and fewer benefits for paying users.

– Mat Smith

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Apple's next AirPods Pro could feature a built-in temperature sensor

The company is also reportedly working on new hearing-health features.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple is working on bringing new health features to its AirPods family. The first could be a hearing test. Already, AirPods support audiogram profiles, so iOS can tune earbuds to adjust for hearing loss. Some apps, like Mimi, already tap into this feature. Gurman added Apple is exploring how to market the AirPods Pro as a hearing aid since the FDA made it easier for Americans to buy over-the-counter options last year.

Apple is also working on an earbud feature to measure your body temperature. The company already introduced a built-in temperature sensor with the Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra. But a sensor can get a more accurate temperature reading from the ear canal than the wrist. However, Gurman warns both features are “several months or even years away.”

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Cowboy Cruiser e-bike offers a more upright ride

The new model allows for a Dutch riding style and has a wider saddle.

Cowboy

When Cowboy introduced its Adaptive Power update earlier this year, I wondered when a new model would arrive. The answer is, well, today. The new variant encourages a more upright design for a relaxed Dutch riding position. It also has a wider saddle — a feature at the top of our wish list for the Belgian company’s latest iteration. The e-bike has a wireless charging phone mount, and, like all its models, its companion app integrates with Google Maps. The Cowboy Cruiser is available for an “introductory price” of £2,690 (roughly $3,400) in black or white.

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Gfycat is shutting down on September 1st

Nothing lasts forever on the internet.

Gfycat is shutting down. Snap, Gfycat’s parent company, said it plans to shut down the GIF database and delete all user content in a few short weeks. “The Gfycat service is being discontinued,” a notification at the top of the website reads. Gfycat’s impending demise won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has tried to use the site in recent months. In May, Motherboard reported Snap had allowed Gfycat’s security certificates to expire. The oversight meant the platform temporarily became inaccessible to most internet users.

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I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again here: There aren't many options left when it comes to true compact smartphones. (RIP, iPhone mini). But ASUS is willing to offer something. The new Zenfone 10 looks like a carbon copy of its predecessor, and even its 50-megapixel main camera has remained unchanged. Still, the company claims that it’s now powered by a new version of 6-axis gimbal stabilization — a combination of hardware optical stabilization, upgraded electronic stabilization algorithm and fast auto-focus. This apparently lets you capture smoother videos and less blurry photos while on the move. ASUS has extended its "Connex" modular case system once again, which lets you snap either a kickstand or a silicone cardholder into the grid of holes on the back of the case. You can even assign an app — YouTube, by default — to auto-launch whenever the kickstand is flipped out. The Zenfone 10 (all details right here) will be available for pre-order in Europe from June 29, starting from €799 (about $870), with US availability TBC.

– Mat Smith

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Virgin Galactic completes its first commercial spaceflight

The debut is 10 years in the making.

Virgin

Virgin Galactic has completed its first commercial flight. After launching aboard the mothership VMS Eve, the spaceship VSS Unity reached an altitude of around 52 miles, or the edge of space. Itss first client was the Italian government, which had the aim of conducting microgravity research. The company's first fully crewed spaceflight took place in 2021, when Unity hit an altitude of 53.4 miles with founder Richard Branson on board. However, commercial service was delayed multiple times for different reasons, most recently due to issues with upgrading the mothership VMS Eve. From a financial perspective, the launch was crucial for Virgin Galactic. With no paying customers until now, the company has lost money for years, with it burning more than $500 million in 2022 alone.

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It’s a good time to be a fighting-game fan

It’s the biggest year for fighting games since the ‘90s.

While fighting games may never have the same mass-market appeal they did in the '90s, 2023 is proving to be a mini-renaissance for the genre. Street Fighter 6 is already on sale, Mortal Kombat 1 is arriving this fall, and there's Tekken 8 still to come. That's without mentioning the upcoming reboot of Dead or Alive or Riot Games' League of Legends spin-off Project L. It's a good time to be a fighting game fan.

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Google will pull news links in Canada in response to new law

The search firm is joining Meta in reacting to Bill C-18.

Meta isn't the only internet heavyweight removing news content in response to Canada's newly enacted Bill C-18 (aka the Online News Act), which requires that tech companies negotiate compensation with publishers for linked material. Google now says it will pull links to Canadian news stories from its search, News and Discover services in the country. It will also stop operating its News Showcase in Canada when C-18 takes effect in six months. As with Meta, Google is using the threat of blocking news as a bargaining tool, but there's no guarantee of a compromise. Politicians drafted Bill C-18 after concerns about a steep drop in ad revenue for publications over the past two decades.

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With Google Glass, the company was the major player to push augmented reality wearables into the world. After shelving that early hardware, the company moved onto new internal projects, including Iris AR glasses. These were supposed to look like a pair of ordinary glasses, with early versions reportedly resembling a product called "Focals" by North, a Canadian startup that Google acquired in 2020. Google even demoed a newer version in a video showing a real-time AR translation feature.

The company has now reportedly shelved Iris following waves of layoffs and company reshuffles. Another event that factored into Google's decision was the departure of Clay Bavor, the company's former chief of augmented and virtual reality. Now, instead of building its own hardware, Google has apparently chosen to focus on creating an "Android for AR" ecosystem instead. Currently, that includes working on Android XR for Samsung's "extended reality" wearable device.

If we take Google’s approach to Android as a template, add another five years, and maybe we’ll see Pixel XR glasses?

– Mat Smith

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North America’s first hydrogen-powered train debuts in Canada

It’s a three-month loaner designed to encourage adoption across the continent.

Alstom

This summer, North America’s first hydrogen-powered train began traveling across the Canadian countryside. The French passenger train, the Coradia iLint, is a short-term demonstration, running through the end of September, that aims to spark adoption in Canada and the US. The Coradia iLint uses roughly “about 50 kilograms of hydrogen a day,” says Serge Harnois, CEO of Hanois Énergies, the train’s hydrogen fuel supplier. The same journey using a standard engine would burn around 500 liters of diesel fuel. It only emits water vapor along its journey as a byproduct of combining hydrogen with oxygen. Sounds good, right? Well, there are caveats. It requires a diesel-powered truck to transport the hydrogen to the train every time it refuels, and let’s not forget about the emissions made by the train’s trip from Europe to Canada for a mere three-month demo.

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'The Password Game' might break you

A game where you have to jump through hoops to make a new password.

Alstom

The goal of the game is to create a password no one hacker could possibly crack, and the experience starts out simple enough. “Your password must be at least 5 characters,” states rule one, while rule four asks that all the digits in your password add up to 25. Then, things start to become progressively more unhinged. Rule seven demands you include a Roman numeral, only for rule nine to demand that a handful of Roman numerals must multiply to make 35. If you want to test your mental resilience, you can try it out here.

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Microsoft is already offering a generative AI certification program

It includes free courses from LinkedIn.

Microsoft has announced a new program to train workers on generative AI. Microsoft’s AI Skills Initiative will include free courses created by (Microsoft-owned) LinkedIn, offering learners “the first Professional Certificate on Generative AI in the online learning market.” The company says the courses will cover introductory AI concepts and “responsible AI frameworks,” culminating in certification. Given that generative AI is so simple to use, it’ll be interesting to see what the courses entail. They could still provide tips for composing the most effective prompts – and we all know someone at work that struggles with even basic software functions.

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