Absolver studio Sloclap is working on a new kind of kung fu game, Sifu, and it requires a little more time and attention than developers originally planned. Sifu was supposed to hit PlayStation 4, PS5 and the Epic Games Store this year, but it's been delayed to early 2022.
Sloclap shared the new release date in a trailer that also shows off the game's unique death system. Sifu is a kung fu-inspired game, much like Absolver, but it's narrative-driven and every time a player dies, they return to the fight as an older version of themselves. Sifu is all about hand-to-hand combat and magical age progression, and it tells a violent tale of revenge suitable for any age — well, teens and up, according to the ESRB.
The game's first trailer was inspired by Old Boy and today's video is called, "Sifu - Fight Club Gameplay Teaser," so we're sensing a film-centric theme, too.
Death Stranding Director's Cut, an extended version of Kojima Productions' 2019 sci-fi action game, will come to PlayStation 5 on September 24th. Sony debuted the first full trailer for Death StrandingDirector's Cut during today's State of Play livestream, alongside the game's release date and news that pre-orders are open now. Check out the trailer right here:
Today's trailer confirms the Director's Cut will have new boss battles and combat mechanics, including fresh weapons and accessories like an ambulatory Buddy Bot. There's also a shooting range, a racing mode, new campaign missions and upgraded transportation options. The game was revealed during the Summer Game Fest kickoff livestream in June, but these are the first concrete details about what'll be included.
All of that is in addition to the core game, which is difficult to summarize (like most Kojima titles), but we'll do our best: Death Stranding is beautiful and tedious. It's an expansive, strange, futuristic adventure about isolation, death and social connection, and it's often cinematic to a fault. Which, oddly enough, makes a director's cut feel like the next logical step.
Amazon has struck a multi-year deal for exclusive Prime Video streaming rights for Universal's live-action theatrical releases. As Deadline reports, it's the first time Amazon has struck such a deal with a major US studio. The deal kicks in with Universal's 2022 slate of movies.
Here's where things might get a little confusing. The deal is for a chunk of the pay-one window, which is the 18-month period after a movie's theatrical run. Earlier this week, Universal and its NBCUniversal sibling Peacock reached a similar agreement for the first four and last four months of the window.
Within four months of their theatrical release date, Universal's live-action movies will start streaming on Peacock. Four months after that, they'll move over to Prime Video for 10 months, then the films will go back to Peacock for at least another four months. Streaming rights can get pretty complicated!
The deal covers blockbusters such as Jurassic World: Dominion, Get Out director Jordan Peele's next horror film and Halloween Ends. Movies from Focus Features and Blumhouse are also part of the pact.
As for Universal's animated movies from Illumination and DreamWorks, those currently stream on Netflix. For the 2022 and later release slate, according to Deadline, Netflix might hang onto the streaming rights for Universal's animated flicks for the 10 months of the pay-one window that they're not on Peacock. In any case, the movies will later hit Prime Video.
Meanwhile, Amazon's free streaming service IMDb TV will have exclusive streaming rights for 2020 and 2021 theatrical movies from Universal. The deal covers current box office champ F9 and The Invisible Man, along with some older animated movies like Despicable Me 2, How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Shrek 2.
The Prime Video deal follows a major agreement between Netflix and Sony Pictures. Starting in 2022, Netflix will have exclusive rights to Sony's theatrical releases for the 18-month pay-one window. So, movies like Uncharted, the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel and Morbius are all Netflix-bound.
Like many in-person events, geek Mecca Comic-Con was upended by the pandemic. By most accounts, the decision to switch to a virtual conference backfired as social media activity plummeted by upwards of 90 percent. Cosplaying on the couch clearly isn't as gratifying as congregating with 6,500 passionate fans under one roof. With big guns Marvel Studios and DC Films already choosing to skip this year's Comic-Con@Home, the event needs all the support it can get. One company that hasn't given up on the conference is Amazon.
For the second year in a row, it's hosting an online panel with talent from some of its biggest shows and movies. You'll be able to watch the action on San Diego Comic-Con's official YouTube channel starting at 2PM ET on July 23rd.
This year's lineup features a mix of female-led fantasy, blockbuster anime, teen slasher and crime. First up is The Wheel of Time, a series adaptation of the bestselling novels by Robert Jordan about a clan of female magicians starring Rosamund Pike. Amazon will be hoping the show is more Shadow and Bone than The Nevers. Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno will also be present to discuss the final chapter in the Rebuild movie saga, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
To tap into the '90s slasher revival kicked off by Netflix's Fear Street trilogy, Amazon is trotting out its modern spin on I Know What You Did Last Summer, featuring a fresh-faced cast of sacrificial lambs. This year's event will also see Amazon highlighting content from its streaming service that isn't called Prime Video. As such, cast members from IMDb TV's Leverage: Redemption will be on hand to discuss the return of the crime series.
Planning to bring home a new baby is like planning for a tiny cyclone to live in your house. You’re not sure when it will arrive or how much bedlam will come with it. All you can do is stock up on supplies and batten down the hatches. And when it comes to babies, there are so, so many supplies, from the obvious (diapers, a crib) to the unexpected (snot suckers, no-scratch mittens). Fortunately, babies need very little in the way of gadgets, but the devices you do need in your nursery have to be reliable, simple to use, and effective. Here’s a collection of items that proved themselves useful — and in some cases essential — when I brought home premature twins. Plus, a few favorite toys for good measure.
Owlet smart sock
Owlet
Bringing home a new infant is both surreal and nerve-wracking, especially when you have almost no experience with babies (*raises hand*). Because my twins were NICU graduates, there was no question that we wanted a monitor at home that could reproduce the stats we were used to seeing in the hospital. Owlet’s smart sock is the only infant wearable that measures heart rate, pulse ox and breathing rate. That information is displayed in an app that graphs your child’s data and tracks their sleep patterns as well. If your child’s readings rise or dip outside normal levels, you’ll be alerted through an alarm on your phone and the Owlet base station.
I’ve used both the second- and third-generation sock for the twins until they hit the weight limit. Strapping the sock onto a wriggly baby is not always easy, and a poor fit can cause heart-stopping false alerts. However, checking the Owlet’s readings frequently in those early days was reassuring to me, and over time I felt more comfortable as I got a sense for their typical stats. The sock measurements also helped me understand their sleep habits by reporting back on when they were sleeping and when they were very much not sleeping. The amount of information and support was especially helpful when I found myself worrying, as I could simply pull up their data on the app for reassurance. Additionally, Owlet makes a camera that can tie into the system to provide video and audio feeds and sound/motion alerts, so you can get a quick peek at your little one.
Once you finally get your newborn to sleep, you’re going to want to check on them roughly every two and a half minutes until you pass out on the couch watching Hulu. Regardless, there is no bigger transgression than waking a sleeping baby, so you’ll need a quality monitor to help keep tabs on your new addition without disturbing them. There are a lot of good monitors on the market, but the Nanit became a favorite thanks to its clear video and extensive features. The Nanit camera offers a bird’s-eye view of your child’s crib, and because it’s positioned over the crib you won’t need to worry about adjusting the angle. It needs to be either wall mounted or set up on its stand, but I found the latter setup wobbly and fragile, so I’d recommend the stand, for sure.
The 1080p video stream is clear, day and night, and it can be shared with multiple caretakers. Nanit is tied to an app so you’ll access the feed from your phone; there’s no need to charge or keep track of a separate display. It also offers noise and sound alerts, which made it easy to get a heads-up when one of the twins was stirring, though I had to minimize the sensitivity of these in the app because they occurred frequently. It collects snippets of your child’s night time activities for your reference, and tracks sleep data. Nanit also offers a Breathing Band wearable if you’d also like to track your baby’s breaths per minute.
It wasn’t until I had babies that I realized how completely filthy everything in my home was. Although I have used the Wabi steam sanitizer for the last year or so in order to deep clean the majority of the kids’ cutlery, bottles and cups, it’s overkill to haul that thing out for pacifiers alone. Munchkin makes a cute 4.1 ounce UV-C cube that can sterilize a single pacifier in under a minute. It’s straightforward to use and easy to tote around, thanks to the silicone wrist strap.
You’ll have to first wipe down any pacifiers that are covered in hair, crumbs or other toddler detritus, but after that all you need to do is pop the binky into the cube and hit the button. The 59S lights up in a blue hue that fascinates my kids while it kills 99 percent of household germs — and that may include coronavirus, which the FDA says could be rendered inactive from the UV-C. The combination of pacifier wipes and the 59S came in handy during a recent trip where my kids were in a variety of different environments; I didn’t have to worry at all knowing that I could quickly cleanse their pacifiers without having to run to a sink every time they threw a binky on the ground, outside their sleeping area, into a pool or directly into someone’s cup of coffee.
Establishing a pumping and breastfeeding routine is an exhausting challenge, so any shortcuts that save you time or energy are basically essential. Wearing a breast pump instead of being tethered to my Spectra was a tremendous relief. I could pump while doing laundry, working, soothing a cranky baby or even practicing yoga. Willow makes wearable breast pumps that are spill-proof (I tested it in downward dog) and comfortable to use. However, they weigh 12.5 ounces each and I felt pretty self-conscious wearing them around because they made my silhouette look like an exaggerated comic book character.
Willow’s system contains all the parts in an egg-shaped pump that you slip into a bra. The wearer can control intensity either on the pump itself or via the smartphone app, which also tracks a session and how much you’ve pumped. I particularly like that Willow gives users two options for milk collection: a reusable container or a disposable bag, though only the bag option is spill-proof. It’s fairly quiet but I still skipped wearing it outside for longer than it took to grab the mail. Although the Bluetooth connection to the app was inconsistent, it didn’t hinder my ability to use the hardware — or my gratitude in being able to move freely while pumping.
My love for the Hatch Rest is well established; I’ve written multiple times how I use it daily, and how it’s been useful as a night light, white noise machine and sleep trainer. I’ve recommended it to friends and I even packed it when my family was being evacuated from a forest fire. In case you missed those previous references, here’s the scoop: The Hatch Rest and Rest+ are minimally designed, fully-functional smart home devices that can be programmed to play a variety of sounds and colors. There are 10 available colors, or you can create a custom one, and 11 sounds including rain storms and lullabies. You can control it either from your phone or from the physical buttons and touch ring on the device itself.
The Rest+ is more expensive at $90 but brings a few additional features like battery power, two-way audio, a dimmable clock, voice control with Alexa, and access for multiple users. If you can do without those, the $60 Rest should suffice. Hatch also makes an adult model, the Restore, and recently released the Rest Mini, which offers a subscription to stories, lullabies and more kid-friendly content.
An infant swing can be helpful to entertain your babe while you do other tasks or to help them gently fall asleep while being gently rocked. The 4moms mamaroo4 is a smart swing that not only mimics the actions that parents use when soothing babies, but can also be fully controlled from your phone. It is also blessedly simple to set up; the instructions are well-explained and I was able to get the whole thing up and running in under 10 minutes while my twins were distracted with teething crackers and Flappy the Elephant. It offers five movement options (car ride, kangaroo, rock a bye, tree swing and wave), five speed options and four built-in sounds (rain, fan, ocean, heart). You can also connect an MP3 player to it to play your own lullabies and tunes.
The speakers on the mamaRoo4 aren’t exactly bangers, though, so if you connect an MP3 player or streaming device don’t expect it to sound amazing. It will do the job for kid’s lullabies or classical tracks, but it doesn’t get very loud and isn’t built to be a speaker system. The swing itself isn’t exactly silent as it moves either, though in no way is it annoying or distracting. It does muffle the built-in sounds a bit so it’s hard to distinguish between them. The swings movements seem subtle at times, but my daughter seemed to enjoy them. It is pricier than most standard swings and will work up to six months or 25 pounds, but it might be worth it to be able to start, pause, change movement all from your phone as your baby settles down.
Do you really need a $100 smart thermometer for your new baby? Technically, no. But y’all, let me tell you it only took a single use of the Withings Thermo to win me over. Here’s why: Withing’s smart temporal thermometer uses an artery in the head to measure temperatures. Which means instead of trying to keep a standard thermometer correctly positioned in the armpit of a wriggly, crying infant for an interminable time to get a reading you hope is accurate, all you have to do is gently swipe the Thermo wand across their forehead. You don’t even have to make direct contact with the skin since Thermo can still measure when held a half-inch away. It’s easy enough that I found myself taking my kid’s temperature more regularly because it was no longer a fight.
Thermo then displays the result on the LED display (which, for what it’s worth, really intrigued my twins) and you can press a button to save the reading. Because it’s tied to an app, Thermo not only saves previous readings so you can track temps, but it also lets you add multiple family members and assign a temperature to the correct individual. As a mom of twins, that’s the feature I was most interested in and it was simple and easy to scroll through profiles using a swipe next to the display. The app also helps you get Thermo set up. I will admit it took two attempts before I could complete this process but it wasn’t complicated; it just initially seemed to get stuck on the setup screen. Also, it’s worth noting that the Thermo started to take temperatures immediately, so I had a few results come in just as I was holding it in my hand and pointing it at a wall but these ambient readings are easy to dismiss.
A good bottle warmer should be efficient, minimal and easy to clean. Baby Brezza’s version is a good option because it has a slim profile, which makes it convenient to stash on a countertop, along with intuitive buttons and controls. It can heat either formula or breast milk using two warming settings (a steady warm water bath or a quick steam warm), as well as defrost frozen milk. The bottle tray fits most types, too — I can confirm it worked fine with the three different types that I had in my house. I was able to figure out how to work it without consulting the instructions too much, and I was pleased at how the bottles came out at an ideal temperature.
However, the noteworthy feature of the Safe + Smart is the Bluetooth connection that allows the warmer to be controlled through an app on your phone. You can select things like warming speed and the bottle’s starting temperature before starting a warming session all from within the app. It will also alert you when the bottle is ready to go.
While it sounds like a niche device, it proved particularly useful in certain situations. I was able to prepare a bottle, start my kid’s baths and use the app to start warming a bottle so it would be ready right as they were. I could also start a bottle, then text my partner to bring it upstairs as I read bedtime stories. And the alarm meant I could avoid walking up and down stairs several times to check on the warmer as I usually do. It’s a neat feature, but because you’ll still need to add water to the warmer each time, it works best if you plan ahead to use it.
Infants experience the world around them through their senses, so they’ll be drawn to toys with a lot of colors, sounds and textures. Look for toys they can grab, twist, crinkle, chew, shake and spin. For example, this activity ball is ideal because it has several interactive elements: a mirror, a spinning ball, beads in a tube and a squeaky button, among others. My kids really enjoyed exploring each element here as their skills progressed. Sensory soft toys like this elephant reproduce a similar experience with rattles, gum massagers, pockets and rings, and are easy to hang in a car seat as well. For toys that teach physical skills, try wrist rattles and foot finder socks, which have bells and crinkles to help babies identify their hands and feet; or this crinkly cloth book with a mirror to encourage tummy time.
After confirming the EOS R3, Canon is bringing pro-grade video features to a trio of existing cameras by way of a firmware update. Both the EOS R6 and EOS-1D X Mark III are getting C-Log 3, which provides an expanded dynamic range and offers more color space options for high-quality video.
The updates also mean the two cameras, along with the full-frame mirrorless EOS R5, will be able to simultaneously record movies on two memory cards, giving you a backup of your footage. While the EOS-1D X Mark III and EOS R5 can now support CFexpress VPG400 cards, which feature a minimum write speed of 400 MB per second that makes them ideal for shooting in 8K or recording RAW footage.
Updating the R5 also makes it compatible with two Canon Cine servo zoom lenses, the CN-E18-80mm T4.4 L IS KAS S and CN-E70-200mm T4.4 L IS KAS S, and the EOS utility and Camera Connect software. You'll also be able to shoot 5K cropped ProRes RAW when connected to the Atomos Ninja V monitor/recorder and, in addition, 8K ProRes RAW and 8K AT 30 fps on the Ninja V+.
The long-rumored OLED-equipped Nintendo Switch is finally real! But it’s not quite the upgrade we were expecting. For months, reports claimed a “Switch Pro” would also deliver some sort of 4K upscaling capability and faster performance. But this new model, which will sell for $350 when it’s released on October 8th, doesn’t go nearly that far. Instead, it’s more of a minor step forward that fixes a few of the Switch’s original design flaws, but doesn’t dramatically change the system. And you know what? That’s fine.
If you’ve been following Nintendo for any amount of time, it shouldn’t be surprising that the company isn’t really interested in joining a spcs race. Let Sony and Microsoft duke it out for 4K dominance — Nintendo can show there’s still plenty to love about games in 1080p and below. Sticking with the same hardware also means developers don’t have to worry about splitting the Switch user base, an issue that’s plagued Nintendo systems over the last few decades (was the New 3DS actually worth it?).
The global chip shortage may have foiled Nintendo’s plans to stuff better hardware in this Switch, as well. The system currently uses a custom version of NVIDIA’s Tegra X1 system-on-a-chip, which was quietly updated in 2019 to increase the console’s battery life. According to various reports, Nintendo was exploring docked 4K upscaling using NVIDIA’s DLSS technology, which uses AI processing to bump lower-resolution textures up to something that looks far sharper. But that technology would have required an updated Tegra chip that brought over some of the hardware from NVIDIA’s recent RTX GPUs. That’s not an impossible task, but it’s one that may have required more work than NVIDIA was able to accomplish during the hellscape of 2020 (at least, while keeping the final cost reasonable).
Nintendo
That doesn’t mean dreams of a 4K-capable Switch are dead, it’s just something we’ll have to wait a year or two to see. Nintendo would also need to add more RAM to the Switch so it could better handle the 1080p textures required for DLSS upscaling. That’s not easy to do with the system’s meager 4GB of RAM, so a future console would need 6GB or 8GB. And don’t forget, Nintendo also needs to balance delivering solid battery life with the Switch in handheld mode, so it needs to be careful about shoving in demanding new hardware.
For owners of the original Switch, or newcomers to the platform, this OLED model still seems like an enticing upgrade. The larger screen makes the system look more modern, with less of a chunky display bezel. OLED will also make games look dramatically better, especially while playing outside in direct sunlight. There’s also a wider kickstand, similar to the one of the Microsoft Surface tablets, which should make portable play a lot more stable. There’s also 64GB of internal storage, instead of 32GB, and “enhanced audio,” which could just refer to better speakers — Nintendo isn’t getting very specific.
Nintendo
And if you’re really into online multiplayer, you’ll likely appreciate the Ethernet port built into the OLED Switch’s dock. (And if that’s the main draw for you, Nintendo says the dock is also compatible with the old Switch models.) Due to the larger screen, though, Nintendo says the OLED Switch may run into issues with some Labo kits and other games.
I get it, $350 is a lot to shell out for a slightly better Switch. That’s particularly true when you can get the disc-less PlayStation 5 for $399, or the full PS5 and Xbox Series X for $499. But for Nintendo diehards, the improvements are definitely tempting. Just don’t be surprised if the company ends up dropping the 4K-capable Switch during the 2022 holiday season.
When we saw BMW's CE 04 electric scooter concept last year, it looked like something pulled straight out of a science fiction film. Now the company has unveiled the final consumer version of the CE 04, and while it's lost a bit of the fantastical edge, it still looks like a vehicle that would be right at home in Akira or Ghost in the Shell. Aimed at the urban commuter, the CE 04 features a 10.25-inch LCD screen (that's bigger than what's in most cars!), up to 81 miles of range, and a top speed of 75mph. It'll be available in 2022 for around $16,000. That's twice the price of the Vespa Elettrica, but that's also a far slower vehicle meant for even more casual users.
Just looking at the CE 04 makes it clear what BMW is trying to accomplish. It's a fresh new design that's meant to entice people who are interested in EVs, but may not have the money or space for an actual electric car. It can charge with a regular power plug or EV cables, and BMW claims it can quick charge after being completely drained in one hour and 40 minutes with a level 3 power connection. Still, even if you don't have the fanciest charging setup around, BMW says it can juice up in four hours and 20 minutes with a standard household socket.
While we're still waiting for more details on the CE 04's pricing and optional accessories, you can expect to see a reduced output model with a range of around 62 miles (100Km). That cheaper model will also spit out between 15hp and 30hp, whereas the standard one can reach up 42hp. Both versions should be well equipped for city traffic though, with the ability to reach 31mph in 2.6 seconds.
Grubhub is teaming up with Russian tech giant Yandex to deliver food to students and others on US college campuses with the help of autonomous robots. The companies have agreed a multi-year partnership, and the robots will start dropping off orders on select campuses this fall. Grubhub works with more than 250 colleges across the country.
Yandex says its robots can access areas and navigate obstacles that cars cannot. It will be able to deliver food in mainly pedestrian areas and the robot delivery service will be integrated into Grubhub's app. When the robot gets close to its destination, the customer will receive a notification. They can retrieve their order by using the app to unlock a hatch on the robot.
The machines use the same self-driving tech as Yandex's autonomous cars, and they can operate in a variety of weather conditions. Yandex has been using the robots for its own food and grocery delivery services in Russia. The rovers have also been fulfilling restaurant orders in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since April.
Nintendo’s new, long-rumored Switch has arrived — and it’s not what many of us were hoping for. Still, the OLED Switch is the most grown-up-looking Switch so far, with smaller bezels, a new off-white dock and matching Joy-Cons. The core upgrade is — shockingly — the screen: a new seven-inch OLED panel that should offer crisper graphics when played as a handheld. However, the resolution hasn’t changed, so it’s been stretched a little wider than the original 6.2-inch LCD Switch.
I can run through the rest of the changes, as there aren’t all that many. There’s now 64GB of internal storage — another grown-up upgrade — while a wider, more solid-looking kickstand replaces the flimsy plastic tab on the original Switch. You can adjust this to multiple angles for more comfortable table-top / airplane-tray-table gaming. The new off-white dock also has an Ethernet port built-in, while the core OLED Switch has improved speakers. Otherwise, there’s no newer processor and, seemingly, no battery-life improvements. (The company hasn’t offered any battery estimates yet on its official site.)
The OLED Switch is not for current Switch owners looking to upgrade — although I don’t doubt some of us will buy one. It’s a refined version of the original (or maybe I’m easily tricked by monochrome color schemes), but seems expressly aimed at handheld players, who are the ones that’ll benefit from the bigger OLED screen. That’s odd when the cheaper, non-hybrid Switch Lite was geared at the same crowd.
Nintendo could have squashed the more aggressive rumors of a powerful version capable of 4K and upscaled gaming, but it didn’t. Because it’s Nintendo, meaning it has a mercurial vision for hybrid consoles, iconic games, detachable controls and, at the same time, ignores Bluetooth audio support and in-game chat functionality. And there was no mention of any changes to fix Joy-Con drift.
If you’re looking for a comparison from console history, consider this a Gameboy Pocket-style twist on the GameBoy, rather than a more powerful PS4 Pro to replace the PS4.
And will we ever see the 4K-capable Switch Pro? Does it even exist? Only Nintendo knows.
The policy will probably target farmers more than phone companies.
The right to repair movement in the US could soon see a significant breakthrough. According to Bloomberg, President Joe Biden will “in the coming days” direct the Federal Trade Commission to draft new regulations to empower consumers to repair their devices.
While there aren’t many details on the executive order just yet, it will reportedly mention phone companies as a possible target of regulation. However, farmers are expected to be the primary beneficiary. During Tuesday's White House briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the order would give them "the right to repair their own equipment how they like.” Continue reading.
Roblox is rushing to strike official music deals in the wake of a $200 million lawsuit over alleged copyright violations. Roblox has announced a team-up with Sony Music that will bring more of the label's artists to the game platform. The company reached a similar agreement with BMG in June, and Warner before that. It does represent Roblox's largest music pact to date, however. The one music giant left is Universal.
The music industry sued Roblox for allegedly not doing enough to stop gamers from making virtual boomboxes that stream copyrighted music. Continue reading.
Building on Sony’s neck speakers of the past, like the SRS-WS1, the company announced a new $150 model, the SRS-NB10. It's a neckband speaker that Sony says is designed for remote workers, “optimized for your ears alone” with drivers angled upward.
This should mean you’ll be the primary target of your podcasts and embarrassing playlists, but others in the same space might still catch whatever you’re listening to. You’ll be able to take calls on them, and the device can switch between two Bluetooth connections so it can perform double duty with your phone and PC. The band lands in September. Continue reading.
Verizon (Engadget’s parent company for now) has revealed the Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response, THOR — a modified Ford F650 truck. The front of the vehicle has seats for a driver and five passengers, while the “command center” you see at the back has room for three individuals. THOR can bring 5G and satellite connectivity to an area where a natural disaster may have knocked network access out or there wasn’t any connectivity in the first place.
When Texas was hit by an extreme cold snap earlier this year and the state’s independent power grid failed, many people couldn’t use their phones to access the internet and get information about the situation as it developed. Verizon envisions THOR assisting first responders and the military “under nearly any conditions,” whether that’s severe cold that Texas recently experienced or wildfires out in California. Continue reading.
Yesterday, Twitter shared four concept features that could give users more control over who can see, read and find their accounts, and it wants feedback from the public.
“If you have a protected account and reply to someone who isn’t following you, you may not know they can’t see your reply,” Lena Emara, Twitter People Experience Designer, wrote in a thread. These features could help streamline and clarify exactly who can see your interactions. Regardless of feedback, these concepts may never mature into features that Twitter adopts. Continue reading.
