For the first time, YouTube is letting users in the US stream thousands of free, ad-supported TV shows like Hell's Kitchen, Heartland and Unsolved Mysteries, it announced. That will put it into competition with OTA (over-the-air) TV and streaming services with ad tiers including Peacock, the Roku Channel, Tubi and others. 

YouTube will offer around 4,000 free TV episodes on top of the 1,500 movies already available. This month, it added a raft of new movie titles including Gone in Sixty Seconds, Runaway Bride and Legally Blonde, now available to stream for free (in the USA only) with ads.

With the new TV offerings, YouTube is no doubt hoping to keep American users glued to its platform. Having dozens of episodes from multiple series will allow users to binge like they do on Netflix and other platforms, though most of the content on offer is not what you'd call prestige TV. One of its biggest rivals in that regard is Roku TV, which had a very public dispute with YouTube that was only recently resolved.

Until last year, YouTube had been trying to fill content holes with its own programming via YouTube Originals. Earlier in 2022, however, it announced that it was largely abandoning those ambitions and would focus strictly on its Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds. The program had some success with shows like Cobra Kai, but didn't pose much of a threat to services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. 

Tesla has delivered the first 30 Model Y cars manufactured at its $5.5 billion Grenheide, Germany Gigafactory that officially opened today, Reuters has reported. "Excited to hand over the first production cars made by Giga Berlin-Brandenburg tomorrow!" tweeted Tesla CEO Elon Musk yesterday. 

The event, delayed from last year due to environmental and other complaints, is being attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz. "Some people didn't trust Germany could do this," regional finance minister Joerg Steinbach told RBB radio yesterday. "We showed the world."

Tesla came close to losing its water supply contracts following a complaint by local environmental groups. It addressed them by promising to minimize water usage, and also said it would plant more trees than it removed during construction. 

The company received final approval to start production on March 4th. Steinbach said that there was currently enough water for the plant, but added that Tesla will have to tap additional sources a longer distance away for any expansion. 

Tesla plans to produce 5,000 to 10,000 vehicles per week by the end of 2022, and the plant will eventually have a production capacity of 500,000 vehicles per year and 50 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery power, more than any other German factory. Volkswagen produced around 450,000 EVs globally last year, and is planning a €2 billion EV plant in Wolfsburg that's set to open in 2026.

Chosen buyers will receive the €63,990 ($70,370) Model Y Performance EV with 320 miles of range. Tesla has released several stories marking the occasion, showing several shots of the Gigafactory's interior and exterior. 

Apple's AirTags don't go on sale often, but we're now seeing a solid deal from two separate retailers. You can pick up a four-pack at Amazon and Best Buy for $89, just a dollar higher than the best deal we've seen so far. The offer helps if you have multiple items you want to track, and unlike with the previous Woot deal, both companies have generous return policies.

If you're in Apple's ecosystem, AirTags give you some big advantages over rival trackers from Tile and others. The ultra-wideband functionality offers precise tracking with iPhone 11 (and up) devices when you get close, so you can tell whether your missing object is under a couch cushion or behind a chair, for example. Meanwhile, the AirTag network enabled by al Apple device users allows you to find a missing bag that might be a longer distance away. 

The coin-sized design is nice and simple and you'll get a seamless experience thanks to the Find My App. You can also force the AirTag to emit a chime to help you more easily locate your item if you're close to it. However, it doesn't have a built-in keyring like rival devices, so you'll need to buy additional accessories like the $35 leather keyring. 

The main drawback is that it only works with Apple devices, so Android users will have to look elsewhere, and battery life is also limited. Still, if you're in Apple's ecosystem, you can now pick one up for an extra discount with no worries about returns or the warranty. 

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Amazon's latest Kindle Paperwhite is one of the nicest (and newest) e-readers out there, and you can now pick one up at an all-time low. It's on sale for just $105, for a savings of $35 (25 percent) off the regular $140 price. You'll also find deals on the regular Kindle with a built-in front light, Kindle Paperwhite Kids and Kindle Kids models. 

Amazon refreshed the Kindle Paperwhite last September, with the biggest change being a larger 6.8-inch, 300 ppi glare-free screen. The idea is that it's supposed to look as much like real paper as possible, allowing for "easy reading in all conditions, even in direct sunlight," according to Amazon. It's also faster, allowing for quicker page turns, and comes with 8GB of storage, USB-C fast charging and an IPX8 water-resistant rating.

Steve Dent

If you're looking for a cheaper model, the regular Kindle with a built-in front light is on sale for $55, for a savings of $35 off the regular $90 price. Though several years old, it's still competitive thanks to the touchscreen with front illumination, high-contrast 167 ppi display and compact design. It comes with 8GB of storage and a single battery charge "lasts weeks, not hours," Amazon says.

Finally, Amazon has also discounted two reader models for children, the Kindle Paperwhite Kids available near an all-time low at $115 or 28 percent off, and Kindle Kids ($65 or 41 percent off). The latter model is similar to the regular Kindle, but comes with a kid-friendly cover, 1 year of Amazon Kids+ and a "worry-free guarantee." The latter, meanwhile, bundles the Kindle Paperwhite with the same options.

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Public companies would be required to disclose greenhouse gas emissions they produce under new rules proposed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The move is part of the Biden government's push to identify climate risks and cut emissions as much as 52 percent by 2030. The SEC's three Democratic commissioners voted to approve the proposal, while Republican commissioner Hester M. Peirce voted against it.

"I am pleased to support today’s proposal because, if adopted, it would provide investors with consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information for making their investment decisions, and it would provide consistent and clear reporting obligations for issuers," said SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

Under the new rule, companies would need to explain how climate risks would affect their operations and strategies. They'd be required to share the emissions they generate and larger companies would need to have those numbers confirmed by independent consulting firms. They'd also need to disclose indirect emissions generated by supplies and customers if those are "material" to their climate goals. 

In addition, any companies that have made public promises to reduce their carbon footprint would need to explain how they plan to meet those goals. That includes the use of carbon offsets like planting trees, which have been criticized as being a poor substitute for actually slashing emissions, as Greenpeace said in a recent report. 

The SEC already allows for voluntary emissions guidance, but the new rules would make it mandatory. Many companies like Ford already share emissions date from factory production as well as vehicle fuel usage. However, "there are lots of companies that won't do it unless it's mandatory," task force chief Mary Schapiro told The Washington Post ahead of the report's release. 

After the proposed rule is published on the SEC's website, the public will have 60 days to comment. The final rule will likely head to a vote in several months, and would be phased in over several years. The ruling will likely be challenged in court by Republicans in states like West Virginia, along with business groups, on the grounds that climate change is not a material issue for investors in the near future. 

However, experts have warned that time is of the essence. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently issued a report stating that many of the impacts of global warming are "irreversible" and that there's only a brief window of time to avoid the worst. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called it a "damning indictment of failed climate leadership." 

Apple's new M1-equipped iPad Air arrived just a few weeks ago, but we're already seeing our first discounts. You can now pick up both the 64GB and 256GB WiFi models for $570 and $720 respectively, or $29 off Apple's direct prices. While the reductions aren't huge, it's unusual to see any at all on brand new Apple products, particularly ones like this that have generated considerable buzz. 

The M1 chip provides a big performance boost over the previous model, making it a great option for creative, gaming and other demanding apps. You'll get another dose of extra speed via the 10Gbps USB-C ports that have double the bandwidth over the previous iPad Air. At the same time, you still get the same excellent 10-hour battery life of the last model. All of those things make the 2022 iPad Air future-proof and helped it garner a top-notch 90 score in our Engadget review.

It has more than speed going for it. You get a 10.9-inch “liquid Retina” LCD display with Apple’s True Tone feature for optimizing the screen’s color temperature based on ambient light, to start with. It also comes with an improved 12-megapixel ultra wide front camera and supports the same accessories as the last model (keyboard cases, Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil). 

The main downsides are the relatively miniscule 64GB storage on the budget model, lack of Face ID and pricey accessories. Still, it's a huge leap over the previous model with a nice little discount to boot. 

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Nintendo stopped selling DSi and Wii games in 2017 and 2019 respectively, but it has continued to allow users to download games they already own. Now, both stores have gone completely offline with no explanation from the company, Eurogamer has reported. If you try to select the Wii Shop channel, you'll just see a blank white screen and error code — a situation that has persisted for around four days.

When it initially shuttered those stores, Nintendo said that you'd still be able to download purchased games for an unspecified period of time. However, it warned that the servers would eventually be shut down completely, meaning folks wouldn't be able to download or transfer purchased games using the Wii System Transfer Tool.

Nintendo has kept these stores running for a long time (since 2006 in the case of the Wii), but folks would rightfully be upset if Nintendo shut off access with no heads up whatsoever. Many would no doubt have liked at least a few months notice so they could download or transfer their games. The servers do appear to still be up, though, as some folks have found they can use third-party tools like NUSDownloader to access games. 

Sony was recently forced to backtrack on a decision to close the PS3 and Vita stores after a consumer backlash. The situation isn't quite same for Nintendo, but it should probably provide some kind of explanation if the stores don't come back online soon. 

Frontier Developments has cancelled further development of Elite Dangerous on Xbox and PlayStation and will no longer release a console version of its Odyssey expansion. "We have been wrestling with the best way to move forward, and it is with a heavy heart we have decided to cancel all console development," said Frontier chief David Braben.  

The $40 Odyssey expansion finally gave players the opportunity to explore planets on foot and visit space stations, settlements and more — rather than just hanging out on spaceships and landing vehicles. However, the launch on PC was a disaster with performance, server and other issues, and the company has been struggling to fix them ever since. So far the expansion has received 10 major updates, but there's apparently still work to be done, according to Braben. 

"It's no secret that Odyssey's launch was less than ideal, including the need to split the PC/console player base to focus on a PC-only launch," Braben wrote. "Since Odyssey's release in May 2021, we have worked tirelessly to improve the Odyssey experience on PC, and whilst we have made great progress there is still more to be done."

It was expected that the company would focus on releasing Odyssey on console once it licked the PC bugs. Now, however, Frontier is not only cancelling Odyssey but any future Elite Dangerous updates on Xbox or PlayStation. Instead, it will focus development on PC, which has the largest share of players by far.

"We need to be able to move forward with the story of the game, and in order for us to do this we need to focus on a single codebase," said Braben. "Elite Dangerous will continue on console as it is now together with critical updates, but we will focus on new content updates on PC on the post-Odyssey codebase. This was not an easy decision to make, but it was made with the long-term future of Elite Dangerous in mind." Frontier will share more information on future PC development "in due course," he added. 

High-end HiFi manufacturer Denon has unveiled the wireless Denon Home Subwoofer that adds a big bass boost to its wireless Home speaker lineup. When paired with those devices, you can get a true wireless 5.1 surround sound experience for your home theater system.

The Home Subwoofer has a large 8-inch woofer "cleverly fitted to a sleek, compact enclosure" that matches the design of the Home wireless speakers and Home Sound Bar 550, the company said. The aim is to bring a lot of extra bass to surround-encoded music or movies.  

It uses Denon's HEOS system, so you can easily pair it wirelessly with the Denon Home Sound Bar and/or Denon Home wireless speakers. The HEOS smartphone app lets you adjust settings for output level, low-pass filter and phase, to optimize sound for your room's acoustics. 

As with Denon's other Home products, you get access to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music HD and other services, along with audio files via WiFi, AirPlay 2 or Bluetooth. It looks like a solid audiophile option, provided the pricing doesn't give you pause —it's now available for $599.  

Chatting with an iPhone user has always been frustrating for Android device owners, because iMessage emojis appear as text on Google Messages. As it previewed last month in a beta, Google has started rolling out a feature for Messages that translates iMessaging "Tapbacks" as emojis. It will first arrive to Android devices set to English, "with additional languages to follow," Google wrote in a blog post. 

Until now, a "thumbs up" to a text that says "see you in ten?" sent from an iPhone would be translated to "liked 'see you in ten?'", for example. With the new feature, Android users receive emojis instead, though they may not match exactly what was sent — a "heart" reaction yields the "face with the heart eyes," for instance. To make that clear to the user, they'll also see "translated from iOS."

Google

That's not the only feature that will make inter-device communication easier. Taking the opportunity to slam iOS's lack of RCS messaging, Google pointed out that photos and videos can look blurry when shared with Apple devices. However, it's sort of fixing that by bringing Google Photos into Messages. "You can send your videos as Google Photos links right inside the conversation, preserving their clarity," it said. A similar feature for photos is "coming soon."

Google also launched other features within Messages to help keep you on top of things. Organized Inbox sorts your messages into personal and business tabs, much as Gmail can do. It'll also automatically delete one-time password text messages after 24 hours to further reduce clutter, if you want. And if you forget to reply to a message, "gentle nudges can remind you to reply to messages you may have missed or need to follow up on," Google said. 

Other new features include birthday reminder nudges if you've saved someone's birthday in your contacts app. It also launched new emoji functions, letting you "create the perfect emoji if you have Gboard set as your keyboard in Messages." It added that Emoji Kitchen now has "over 2000 new emoji mashups available as stickers, letting you replace heart eyes with pretzels or rain disco balls," it cited as examples. And finally, Google revealed that YouTube videos will now appear directly in conversations if you send a link.