After finally allowing posting last year, Instagram continues to make changes to its desktop web app. The latest update introduces a refresh user interface that takes better advantage of large screens rather than looking like a larger version of the mobile app, TechCrunch has reported. 

Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri announced the update along with the new in-app scheduler revealed yesterday. "We know a lot of people use the web to multitask and we wanted to make sure Instagram was an as great experience as possible online," he said in a video. "So it is cleaner, faster and easier to use and it’s designed now to take advantage of large-screen monitors."

Steve Dent/Engadget

As shown above, the home, search, explore, messages and notification menus were moved to a new side rail that collapses to icons depending on screen size. Stories are shown at the top, while your profile, suggestions and more are off to the right. When selecting any menu option, the left menu bar remains, making navigation quicker and easier. 

The new interface makes Instagram easier to use on web, but there's still no sign of a dedicated iPad app, as 9to5Mac notes. Earlier this year, Mosseri said that iPad was "not big enough" to make a dedicated Instagram app a priority. Now, at least, you could use the web version instead to get a better experience.

In 2018, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance partnered with Google to integrate its software platform and services like Google Maps and Assistant into vehicles. Now, Renault Group (Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Mobilize) is expanding that partnership to develop a "software-defined vehicle" (SDV) with Google based on Android Automotive OS. The aim is to deliver "new on-demand services and continuous upgrades to be delivered to the car," with Google acting as its "preferred cloud provider." 

To accelerate development, the companies will work together on a "Digital Twin," or a virtual version of the car. It'll use advanced AI capabilities to allow the companies to more easily integrate new features and services into the vehicle, while allowing for "new onboard (In-Car Services) and offboard applications," the companies said. It'll also allow "continuous upgrades to be delivered to the car." 

According to the companies, the SDV will allow predictive maintenance and better detection and rectification of failures in near real time if necessary. It'll also allow for a personalized experience that adapts to driving behavior like frequent destinations, EV charging stations used, etc. It'll also help the companies build "insurance models based on actual usage and driving behaviors." 

Tesla pioneered the idea of software-defined vehicles, allowing for continuous improvements to its EVs and new features through over-the-air software updates. Other major automakers including Hyundai, Porsche and others have already made plans to create their own SDVs. However, Renault Group appears to be working particularly close with Google to develop its own system. 

Nintendo has announced a solid quarter of earnings, with revenue for the quarter at 349.5 million yen ($2.38 billion) and a 118.7 million yen ($809.6 million) operating profit. That's up by 15.9 and 18.5 percent over last year, largely in part due to a weaker yen, sales outside Japan and the launch of Splatoon 3.

The company is less bullish on Switch console sales, however, lowering its forecast from 21 million to 19 million for 2022. However, it doesn't think that will affect earnings much, with revenue forecast to be 50 billion yen higher at 1.65 trillion yen ($11.25 billion) and operating profit remaining the same at 500 billion yen ($3.4 billion). 

Nintendo said that it has seen a gradual improvement in the supply of semiconductors and other components, along with a "recovery trend in hardware manufacturing for the Switch." However, it lowered the forecast based on sales to date, with the weak yen making up the difference in revenue and profit. 

It also detailed what that might mean for consumers who want to buy a Switch for the holidays. "By continually working to front-load production and selecting appropriate transportation methods in preparation for the holiday season, we will work to deliver as many consoles as possible to consumers in every region of the world."

That'll be helped by the launch of a bunch of new games, as well. On top of Splatoon 3, it released Bayonetta 3 in October, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet in November, Fire Emblem Engage coming in January 2023, and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe arriving in February 2023.

LG Disply has developed a 12-inch stretchable display that can be extended in size to 14 inches, the company announced. The displays could one day be used in materials with irregular surfaces like clothes and wearables to display messages on the uniforms of first responders, for example. 

Stretchable displays, or free-form displays as LG Display calls them, can be pulled, bent and twisted. They go a step farther than the flexible displays used in Samsung's Galaxy Fold and other smartphones, which can be folded and bent but not stretched. 

To make the display so stretchy, LG Display built the base substrate material from a silicon similar to that used in contact lenses. It also micro-LEDs smaller than 40-micrometers for the light source, allowing for high resolution and durability. And finally, the company used circuits shaped like springs to accommodate bending and folding. 

LG Display

"The stretchable display’s revolutionary technology offers next-level versatility for various daily scenarios," LG Display wrote. "Easily attachable to curved surfaces such as skin, clothing, furniture, automobiles and aircraft, this unique innovation expands the potential of the display in various industries including fashion, wearables, mobility and gaming."

We've seen stretchable displays in the past from Samsung and others, but the best you could do with those was put a small dent in them. This one appears to go much farther, showing the potential for displays with real potential for wearables. LG Display has been working on the technology since 2020 in collaboration and the research is expected to conclude in 2024.

Amazon is having a sale on its latest Watches, with a particularly good deal on the Series 8 cellular model. You can grab one of those in multiple colors for just $389, for a savings of $110 off the regular $499 price (22 percent off). If its a Watch LE model you're after instead, those are on sale too in both cellular and GPS versions for as little as $290 ($39 off) and $220 ($29 off) respectively.

The Series 8 isn't a huge update over the Series 7, but it does carry some useful new features. The main one is a temperature sensor tied to women's health, giving female users an estimate on when they may be ovulating. It's meant to be used overnight, sampling your wrist temperature every five seconds so you can see shifts from your baseline

The other is Crash Detection. Much as current watches can detect a fall, the Series 8 can detect car crashes via a pair of new accelerometers. It works in concert with other sensors to detect four different types of crashes, including rollovers, front impact, back impact and side impact. And of course, all of these Series 8 models have a cellular function, giving you internet connectivity, calls and texts for running, hiking and other activities that don't require a smartphone. The Series 8 cell models are fairly pricey at $499, but $389 is much more palatable. 

Meanwhile, the Watch SE 2nd generation offers a performance boost of up to 20 percent and the same crash detection feature as the series 8. It also has a lower starting price, so taking an additional $39 and $29 off the cellular and GPS models brings the prices down to a very affordable $290 and $220, respectively. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Netflix and developer Tender Claws are releasing a Stranger Things VR game set to arrive in Winter 2023 on major VR platforms, the companies announced at Stranger Things Day 2022. The game will let you play as the fearsome Season 4 villain Vecna, with the goal to "enact revenge on Eleven and Hawkins," according to the press release. 

"Play as Vecna in this new Stranger Things adventure in VR," the video description reads. "Become an explorer of unknown realities as you form the hive mind and tame the void. Invade minds and conjure nightmares in your quest to enact revenge on Eleven and Hawkins. Stranger Things VR is a psychological horror/action game developed by Tender Claws and coming to major VR platforms in winter 2023."

Tender Claws previously developed the VR games Virtual Virtual Reality 1 and 2, along with the "mobile AR virtual pet Tendar, and immersive theatrical adventures The Under Presents and Tempest," according to its about page. Meanwhile, Netflix has previously released multiple games around its flagship series, including Stranger Things: The VR Experience, along with the mobile and console game Stranger Things 3: The Game. 

Before acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk said he was against lifetime suspensions, promising to reinstate banned users like Donald Trump. Now, Musk wrote that Twitter will permanently suspend account impersonators if they are not clearly labeled as parody. The move comes after several verified "blue-check" users changed their accounts to impersonal Musk himself. 

Twitter appears to have just banned comedian Kathy Griffin for impersonating Musk, at least temporarily, after she used his name and image in her own verified Twitter account. Other verified accounts impersonating Musk, including Jeph Jacques, also appear to have been kicked off the site.

Prior to Musk's takeover, Twitters rules already stated that users "may not impersonate individuals, groups or organizations to mislead, confuse or deceive others, nor use a fake identity in a manner that disrupts the experience of users on Twitter." Parody accounts were required to say so in both their accounts and bio. Consequences included profile moderation, temporary suspension or permanent suspension — though the latter was rarely imposed.

Twitter has been awash in drama over the last few days. Early in Musk's tenure, trolls and racists flooded the site with epithets and other hate speech, presumably to test the new limits of the site. This week, a flood of advertisers put a hold on spending on the site. In reply to a user who suggested a boycott on those companies, Musk tweeted a "a thermonuclear name & shame is exactly what will happen if this continues."

COVID-19 restrictions at Foxconn's primary iPhone 14 factory in Zhengzhou, China means shipments will be lower than anticipated, Apple said in a short press release. That means in turn that customers who've ordered one will experience "longer wait times to receive their new products," it added.

COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China. The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity. As we have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prioritizing the health and safety of the workers in our supply chain.We continue to see strong demand for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. However, we now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated and customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.We are working closely with our supplier to return to normal production levels while ensuring the health and safety of every worker.

A slowdown in shipments was widely anticipated after the Chinese government ordered a week-long lockdown in the area where the Foxconn factory is located following the outbreak. The action, part of the government's "Covid Zero" approach, affects the factory that manufactures four out of five Apple's new smartphones. Overall, iPhone production could be reduced by 30 percent, according to previous reports.

Launched in September, the iPhone 14 is a relatively minor upgrade over the the previous model, with the main change being the elimination of the SIM tray, and the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro. The shipping time is currently listed as 3-4 weeks in the US.

Cherry is releasing the MX Black Clear-Top (aka the "Nixie") a new version of a keyboard switch from the '80s prized for its typing feel and acoustics. It was manufactured for a German company called Nixdorf (hence the nickname) that mainly built keyboards for terminals, servers and mini computers. Because the Nixie was only built for a few years, used switches are rare and command high prices — a fact that no doubt inspired Cherry to start building an updated version.

The original Nixie switch was a variant of Cherry's MX Black switch with very specific modifications. Namely, the actuating force was bumped slightly from 60 to 63.5 centinewtons, and a diode was integrated into the switch for n-key rollover (NKRO) which allows the keyboard to register every key press, even if done simultaneously. 

The new version carries the same specs and looks, including "the familiar milky top housing, black bottom housing, and a black stem," Cherry wrote in a press release. It has the same actuation force of 63.5 centinewtons, a pre-travel of 2 mm, and a total travel of 4 mm. The company also retained the same vintage design for the spring. 

At the same time, though, it's being built using the company's latest production systems so it's up to the quality of its latest MX switches. Cherry will offer the MX Black Clear-Top both with or without grease works, with the latter being for enthusiasts who want to do any lubrication themselves. The switches arrive at the beginning of 2023, but Cherry has yet to announce the price. 

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) recently announced plans to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into one streaming service set to debut in the summer of 2023. Now in the company's latest earnings call, WBD President and CEO David Zaslav said the combined service will arrive in the US earlier than expected in spring of 2023.

The streaming services combined now have 94.9 million subscribers, with the large majority of those from HBO and HBO Max, according to Fierce Wireless. That includes 2.8 million new subscribers, with most of those (2.3 million) coming from overseas markets. 

Along with the combined streaming service, WBD plans to launch its own free ad-support streaming TV service (FAST) in 2023. "As the company with the largest TV and film library in the industry... that allows us to distribute our content in multiple ways," said Zaslav. The company also said its investing in content at historic levels, citing the hiring of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-chairmen and CEOs of DC studios.

It's still not clear what form the combined streaming service will take or what it will be called. However, WBD recently started transferring Discovery+ content to HBO Max like Fixer Upper: The Castle, and it's became a top five show in just a few days, Zaslav said.