Posts with «information technology» label

Activision wants Blizzard employees to return to the office in July

Amid ongoing unionization efforts at the company, Activision will soon require Blizzard employees to spend the majority of their week working out of the company’s offices. An Activision spokesperson told Engadget employees with the company’s publishing unit will be required to work from the office at least three days per week starting April 10th. On July 10th, the same policy goes into effect for Blizzard Entertainment employees. Staff at Activision’s King mobile division have been working a full five days out of the office since last July.

“Activision Blizzard has been returning teams to the office over the past year, and on February 13th, we updated our future-of-work plan,” the spokesperson said. “In close partnership with each leadership team, we customize a plan based on what’s best for our business and our teams. We look forward to the increased real-time, in-person collaboration and opportunities this change will foster.”

Today, Activision and Blizzard announced a return to office plan to employees. It begins April/June, depending on the studio. The company WILL see a large Reduction In Force if this occurs. In this thread, I'm going to explain why this is a terrible idea. 1/14

— Non Biners, Drive Ins, and Dives💙 (@LeastMyHairIsOk) February 14, 2023

Information on the company’s return-to-office plan was first shared earlier this week by @LeastMyHairIsOk, a Twitter user who says they work at Blizzard’s customer support department (via Game Developer). In a Twitter thread, they said the “majority” of Activision Blizzard employees “have no interest” in returning to the office. The worker went on to predict Activision will see a workforce drain if it moves forward with the plan. On top of ongoing worries about COVID-19, @LeastMyHairIsOk alleges the company has failed to address employee concerns about the cost of living in many of the cities where Activision has offices and studios. Specifically, they claim leadership has repeatedly denied requests from “lower earning departments” to include yearly cost-of-living adjustments as part of salary negotiations. “Our most recent meetings from last month suggest that there are no plans for this to change this year,” they added.

Activision Blizzard did not immediately respond to Engadget’s questions about its salary policies.

Details on Activision’s return to office plan come amid allegations of union-busting. In January, the Communication Workers of America (CWA) withdrew a petition for a union election at Proletariat, a Blizzard support studio that’s currently working on World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. A CWA spokesperson accused studio head Seth Sivak of holding captive audience meetings that allegedly "demoralized and disempowered" pro-union workers enough that they felt the vote wouldn’t be fair.

Every actor on our ruined planet will star in Apple TV+'s 'Extrapolations'

Extrapolations, a drama series focusing on the near-future impacts of climate change, is coming to Apple TV+ next month. The streaming service has released the first trailer, which shows off a cast stuffed full of big names. Among the stars featured in the show are Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller, Kit Harington, Daveed Diggs, Edward Norton, Yara Shahidi, Matthew Rhys, Gemma Chan, David Schwimmer, Keri Russell, Marion Cotillard, Forest Whitaker, Tobey Maguire and Murray Bartlett (who was most recently seen in The Last of Us).

The eight-episode series showcases "interwoven stories about love, work, faith and family," Apple says. Extrapolations depicts how people from around the planet are adapting (or perhaps not) to the effects of climate change. It covers a several-decade span in the middle of the 21st century, by which time humans have landed on Mars.

Given the cast and the visual effects-packed trailer, it's clear Apple has spared little expense on this series. The clip shows a future version of Manhattan protected by sea walls and hints at technology that might allow humans to "thrive" in a world further wracked by climate change.

Contagion writer and An Inconvenient Truth producer Scott Z. Burns created the show. The first three episodes of Extrapolations will premiere on Apple TV+ on March 17th, with the remaining five arriving on a weekly basis.

Qualcomm's new phone modem may help overcome 5G's flaws

It's safe to say 5G hasn't lived up to the hype — while it's much easier to find than it once was, the sometimes lackluster performance and reliability won't have you scrambling to upgrade from LTE. Qualcomm may be nudging the technology forward, at least. The company has introduced the Snapdragon X75, billed as the first phone modem ready for 5G Advanced. The new cellular standard promises much-improved throughput, coverage, reliability and traffic juggling. You may see meaningful speed boosts, fewer dropoffs and better performance on busy networks.

Whether or not you need 5G Advanced, the Snapdragon X75 offers some improvements versus earlier chips. Qualcomm claims longer battery life and more consistent performance in tricky locations like elevators and subway trains. The modem can handle 5G/4G dual data on two SIM cards at once. There are also boosts to uploads, including support for Snapdragon Satellite.

Qualcomm is already offering samples of Snapdragon X75 chips to manufacturers, although the first products using the modem aren't expected to arrive until the second half of the year. It's likely to become ubiquitous when it does arrive, though. The company's modems are the de facto choice for Snapdragon-powered Android phones, and are (currently) used in iPhones.

The larger question may be when you'll see the benefits. The 5G Advanced standard isn't due to release until 2024, and it may be a while after that before your carrier adopts the technology. Still, the Snapdragon X75 lays the groundwork for adoption. You might already have an Advanced-compatible phone by the time you can take advantage of the service.

Google’s privacy-focused ad tracking solution hits Android in beta

Google is rolling out a beta of Privacy Sandbox for Android starting today. The program is the company’s attempt to blend user privacy with targeted advertising, something the search giant has worked on for years in its planned shift away from cookie-based web tracking.

One of Privacy Sandbox’s pillars is the Topics API, which pulls a list of your top interests based on usage. It then compares them to a database from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Google’s data. Partner publishers can ping the API, which responds with a list of interests to help serve relevant ads without sharing overly intrusive information. Google says stored interests are “kept for only three weeks, and old topics are deleted.” In addition, the data and processing are done on-device “without involving any external servers, including Google servers.”

The beta is the first time Privacy Sandbox has been available publicly on Android. Google is still working on Privacy Sandbox for Chrome (here’s the timeline), which it has been letting developers test for about a year. It says it received feedback from hundreds of companies, which has helped shape its approach.

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) alert.
Apple

Privacy Sandbox is Google’s answer to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which the iPhone maker introduced in iOS 14.5. The feature requires user consent to track them across other apps and websites. Google dismisses ATT as a “blunt approach” since it doesn’t offer an alternate way for app developers and advertisers to replace the lost income from cookie-based targeting.

Privacy vs. advertising is an arms race. When platforms like iOS block the old ways of profiting from ads, advertisers can (and do) resort to fingerprinting: collecting seemingly innocent device information that, when pieced together, may identify you nearly as well as cookies. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to detect and prevent. Google hopes Privacy Sandbox will strike the right balance between privacy and advertiser / developer revenue.

Google says the Privacy Sandbox beta will roll out gradually, starting with “a small percentage of Android 13 devices” and expanding from there. You’ll see a notification on your device inviting you to join the beta if selected. After accepting, you can visit the new Privacy Sandbox section in your device’s Settings menu to view tracked topics and opt out individually. Additionally, the menu lets you leave the program.

Windows 11 could get a feature for controlling RGB lighting

If you primarily game on PC, there’s a good chance you own more than one component with RGB lighting. You may have even made the mistake of buying RGB parts from different manufacturers. If you just nodded your head, I know your pain. Getting all the lighting in your PC to sync is a nightmare. In a best-case scenario, you sourced all your RGB parts from one company and only need a single, likely buggy app to control them. At worst, you’re forced to use multiple third-party programs in a futile attempt to make everything play nice. And while apps like SignalRGB promise to wrangle all your RGB parts, in my experience, they don’t work as great as advertised. All of that makes the news that Microsoft could be working on a native Windows 11 solution for controlling RGB lighting exciting.

New settings for device lighting make an appearance in build 25295. Is this the beginning of the end for low quality RGB gamer gear apps? 🎮 The spec for this is from 2018 and references to the feature have been around for years. Not cancelled after all 🥳https://t.co/oG4JbKsoeBpic.twitter.com/bMtxCH8REo

— Albacore (@thebookisclosed) February 10, 2023

This week, software developer Albacore noticed that the latest Insider build of Windows 11 includes a hidden feature for controlling RGB components. As you can see from the screenshots Albacore shared (via Bleeping Computer), Microsoft has added lighting controls to the personalization menu inside the Windows 11 Settings app. The interface provides an overview of all your RGB components, including external peripherals. Clicking on a part allows you to adjust the brightness and color of its lighting. You can also choose between a handful of different effects and the speed at which they repeat. Microsoft has even included an option to match your computer’s lighting with your Windows accent color.

Microsoft hasn’t officially announced the menu Albacore found as a feature of Windows 11 build 25295. Additionally, Albacore notes, “the spec for this is from 2018 and references to the feature have been around for years.” They suggest that means Microsoft is working on the feature again. For now, don’t get your hopes too high. 

The Apple Watch Ultra is $50 off right now

Divers and endurance athletes take note: the Apple Watch Ultra is on sale at Amazon. Thanks to a six percent discount, you can get the wearable for $749 right now. That’s only $10 more than the device was priced at during Black Friday last year. Moreover, Amazon has stock of most of the different bands Apple offers alongside the wearable.

Engadget Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low gave the Apple Watch Ultra a score of 85 when she reviewed the wearable last fall. Chances are you already know if the Ultra makes sense for your workout needs. The inclusion of features like dual-frequency GPS and a longer-lasting battery compared to regular Apple Watch models make the Ultra ideal for those who frequently go hiking or want the most accurate tracking possible for runs. Other additions like a more durable design and bigger display are features any Apple Watch user can appreciate. Still, when you can buy a Series 8 model for half as much, most people are better off purchasing the Ultra’s more affordable sibling. A $50 discount makes the price of Apple’s high-end wearable more palatable, but it’s still a specialized device for a niche audience.

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

Microsoft could show off AI-powered versions of Word and Outlook this March

Microsoft reportedly plans to introduce upgraded Office apps with AI features in the coming weeks. According to The Verge, the tech giant is preparing to show what its Prometheus AI technology and OpenAI's language AI can do for Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and other Microsoft 365 apps as soon as this March. Microsoft recently launched a reimagined Bing that can generate conversational responses to search queries, thanks to the Prometheus model, which was built with the help of OpenAI. 

Additionally, the company introduced a new Edge with a built-in "AI copilot" that's also powered by Prometheus. A button on the top-right corner gives users quick access to Bing's new chat feature, and as we mentioned in our hands-on, it's like having ChatGPT right in your browser. The Verge says Microsoft wants its AI technology to be able to generate graphs and graphics for use in PowerPoint or Excel. According to a previous report published by The Information, the company also wants its AI model to be able to generate text using simple prompts within its Office apps. 

That Microsoft seems to be in a hurry to launch new AI-powered features for its products comes as no surprise. The company likely intends to move fast to get as many people as possible to start using its products before Google can launch its ChatGPT rival. Apparently, Microsoft was originally supposed to introduce the new Bing in late February, but it moved up the launch and scheduled it before Google's Bard announcement. The company is also bound to keep expanding its AI-powered feature list, seeing as it recently signed a "multi-billion dollar" investment in OpenAI last month.

Apple's AirPods Pro drop back to $199, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

We've been keeping tabs on the best TV deals ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl, but there are plenty of noteworthy tech deals going on for those who aren't looking to overhaul their living room. Apple's AirPods Pro, for instance, are back down to an all-time low of $199, while Amazon is running a sweeping sale on its Kindle e-readers. Sonos is still taking up to $100 off a handful of its soundbars and smart speakers, and both Google and Amazon have discounted their best 4K streaming dongles. Gear we like from Anker, Beats, Microsoft and SanDisk is also on sale. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Apple AirPods Pro

Apple's AirPods Pro are back down to $199 at Amazon and Walmart, which matches the lowest price we've tracked and comes in about $30 below the noise-canceling earphones' average street price in recent months. We gave the latest AirPods Pro a review score of 88 last September, and we currently recommend them as the "best for iOS" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds. Their call quality and six-hour battery life are just OK, but their sound quality, ANC and transparency mode all impress, and they continue to sport a host of features that make them easy to use with other Apple devices.

Beats Fit Pro

A sportier alternative to the AirPods Pro, the Beats Fit Pro are currently on sale for $150 at Amazon and Walmart. Outside of a brief drop to $145 at Woot last November, this matches the lowest price we've seen. For reference, the earphones have usually retailed closer to $175 over the last few months. The Fit Pro are the "best for workouts" pick in our best wireless earbuds guide, and we gave them a review score of 87 back in late 2021. They pack many of the features you'd get with a set of AirPods, including fast pairing, hands-free Siri and Find My device tracking, but their wing-tipped design should provide a more stable fit while you're on the move. Their rich sound should please those who like a little more bass, too, and they play nicer with Android devices. The ANC is a step behind what you'd get with the AirPods Pro, however, and the built-in controls are more prone to accidental presses.

Sonos speaker sale

Sonos has discounted a handful of its home audio devices ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl. The deals include the Sonos One smart speaker for $179, the compact Beam soundbar for $399, the Sub subwoofer for $649, and the top-end Arc soundbar for $799. Depending on the product, that's anywhere from $40 to $100 off. While these are not the lowest prices we've seen, we don't see discounts on Sonos gear often, so this is still a good opportunity to save if you've been looking to build out a whole-home audio system using the company's gear. 

We previously gave the One, Beam, and Arc review scores of 90, 88, and 85, respectively. There are plenty other smart speakers and soundbars that don't lock you into one ecosystem, but each of the Sonos devices here deliver an impressively clean and balanced sound, and if you are willing to buy in, they all work (relatively) harmoniously with one another. Do note, though, that Sonos may roll out new smart speakers in the coming months, according to a recent report from The Verge. If you don't need a new Sonos One right away, it may be worth waiting. 

Google Chromecast with Google TV

Google's Chromecast with Google TV is back on sale for $40. This isn't an all-time low, and we've seen this deal several times since the 4K media player launched in late 2020. Still, at $10 off, it remains a good value for anyone in need of an affordable way to get all their streaming apps in one place. 

The 4K Chromecast is the runner up pick in our guide to the best streaming devices, and our review gave it a score of 86 at launch. We generally think Roku's Streaming Stick 4K — which is also available for $40, though it's regularly at that price — is simpler for most people to navigate, but Google's stick is a strong alternative if you'd prefer a more personalized interface that proactively recommends shows you might like, as well as more robust voice search. The device supports all the major apps and HDR formats, too, plus Dolby Atmos. It doesn't work with Apple AirPlay, however, unlike Roku's streamers

If you're buying for an older 1080p TV, note that the non-4K version of the Chromecast is also on sale for $20, which only $2 more than that device's all-time low. 

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max

Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max, meanwhile, might be a better choice if you're already committed to Alexa, Prime Video or other Amazon services. It's down to $35 this week, which is another discount we've seen in the past, but here matches the lowest price we've tracked. This is the fastest streaming stick Amazon makes, and it supports all the same apps and HDR formats as the Google and Roku models noted above. Its voice search is more comprehensive than Roku's as well. The big downside is that Amazon's UI goes heavier on the ads and tends to prioritize the company's own content and services. But if you can live with that — or if you want a streamer that lets you sideload apps — you can save a few bucks here. For 1080p TVs, the Fire TV Stick Lite is slower but more affordable at $20.

Anker 622 Magnetic Battery

We've previously highlighted the Anker 622 Magnetic Battery as a strong option for those who want a MagSafe-compatible wireless battery pack for iPhones. Currently, the device is on sale for $45, which is about $10 off its usual street price and only $5 more than its all-time low. To be clear, no wireless charger like this can offer the speeds or capacity of a traditional power bank, but the 622 can still fill an iPhone 14 to about 80 percent on a charge. It snaps easily onto the back of any MagSafe-compatible iPhone, so you can still use it while you're out and about, and it has a handy kickstand built right into its back. If you don't mind trading some thinness for a little extra juice, Anker's 633 Magnetic Battery is a fine alternative with twice the capacity (10,000mAh), though it's pricier at $80.

Amazon Kindle sale

Amazon has discounted a number of its Kindle e-readers this week. The entry-level Kindle, for one, is down to a new low of $75, which is a $25 discount. The upgraded Kindle Paperwhite is down to $105, which is $10 more than its all-time low but still roughly $25 off the device's usual street price. The Kids versions of these e-readers are also on sale, bringing the Kindle Kids to $85 and the Kindle Paperwhite Kids to $110. The former matches an all-time low, while the latter is only $5 more than its best price. 

Amazon refreshed the base Kindle last year, bringing it closer to parity with the Paperwhite by bumping its 6-inch display's pixel density to the same 300ppi and adding a USB-C port. Its also starts with twice as much storage at 16GB. If you want the most affordable Kindle possible, it should be a good buy. That said, the Paperwhite remains the better device, as it has a larger 6.8-inch display that's easier on the eyes out of the box, a waterproof design, and a more adjustable front light. We gave the Paperwhite's "Signature Edition" a review score of 97 in late 2021 — that one is on sale for $140, though its upgrades, while nice, probably aren't worth the extra cost for most people. 

In any event, getting a Kids variant may result in the most value. While these models are marketed toward younger readers, they offer the same hardware as the standard models, only with an included cover, a longer warranty (two years instead of one) and no lock screen ads by default. They also come with a year of Amazon's Kids+ content service, if you're buying for an actual child.

Apple iPad deals

A handful of iPads are either at or near their all-time lows this week, including the iPad Air for $500, the 10th-gen iPad for $400 and the 10.2-inch iPad for $250. For the 10th-gen and 10.2-inch iPads, those prices match the lowest we've seen. The iPad Air is $20 higher than its best-ever price, but it's still roughly $40 below its typical street price and $100 off Apple's MSRP. 

You can check out our iPad buying guide for a full breakdown, but we think the iPad Air remains the best mix of price and performance for most, as it offers an elegant and comfortable design with a powerful M1 chip and full support for Apple's best accessories. The 10th-gen iPad is a decent middle ground, but its display is a little more compromised by comparison, and it doesn't work with the latest Apple Pencil. The 10.2-inch iPad has a smaller display and a distinctly more dated build than those two, but at this price it's still an excellent value for media consumption. If you want a compact iPad, meanwhile, the iPad mini is also on sale for $400, though we've seen it hover around that price fairly often.

Apple Pencil (2nd gen)

The latest Apple Pencil is back down to $90, which is within a dollar of the lowest price we've tracked and $39 below Apple's MSRP. That's not cheap, but for digital artists and heavy note-takers, we still think the second-gen Pencil is the best iPad stylus you can buy. It still offers system-wide pressure sensitivity across iPadOS, and unlike the original model, it can attach and charge against the edge of your tablet magnetically. If you're interested, just make sure your iPad is compatible first. 

Apple Watch SE

The 40mm Apple Watch SE is down to $220 at Target and Best Buy. We've seen it drop as low as $210 before, but this discount is still about $25 less than the device's usual street price as of late. We gave the Watch SE a review score of 89 last September and consider it the best value for most first-time smartwatch buyers, as it offers most of the core features of Apple's more expensive smartwatches at a lower price. 

If you can afford a step up, the flagship Apple Watch Series 8 adds a larger, always-on display, a blood oxygen sensor, an ECG monitor and a temperature sensor. That one is down to a new low of $329.

Amazon Fire HD 8

Amazon's Fire HD 8 is a worth considering if all you want is a competent tablet for casual streaming and web browsing for as little money as possible. It's neither as fast nor as sharp as the bigger Fire HD 10 — and no Fire tablet comes close to the quality of an iPad — but it's light, it lasts more than 10 hours on a charge, and it works if you stick to the basics. This week, the latest iteration of Amazon's 8-inch tablet is back on sale for $60, which is only $5 more than the all-time low we saw around Black Friday. Just remember that, like all Fire tablets, you'll see ads on the lock screen unless you pay extra, and you won't get (official) access to the Google Play Store and Google apps. 

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

The 1TB version of SanDisk's Extreme Portable SSD is on sale for $93, which is only about $10 off its typical going rate but still comes within a few dollars of the lowest price we've tracked. If you often need to move files between devices, this is a worthwhile choice: Its USB 3.2 Gen 2 port is fast to transfer, it comes with a five-year warranty, and its rugged design has an IP55 water-resistance rating. Like all SSDs, it has no moving parts inside, so it should last much longer than a traditional hard disk drive. Competing drives like the Samsung T7 and WD My Passport SSD perform about as well, so the best choice is usually whichever one is cheapest at the time. As of this writing, that's the SanDisk, but note that this deal is only scheduled to run through Friday, according to Best Buy's product listing.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

A configuration of Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 2 with a Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is back down to $600, matching the lowest price we've seen. This is roughly $175 below the config's usual street price and $200 off Microsoft's MSRP. We gave the 12.4-inch notebook a review score of 86 last June, and we note it in our guide to the best cheap Windows laptops. You can get a sharper display and more performance for the money, and the lack of keyboard backlighting is annoying. But the Surface Laptop Go 2's lightweight build has an unusually premium feel for a laptop in this price range, and the whole thing is still fast and long-lasting enough for casual work on the go.

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

The second-gen HomePod may be easier to repair than the first

The original HomePod was notoriously difficult to repair, to the point where cutting tools were sometimes necessary. Apple isn't giving nearly as much grief with the second-gen model, however. iFixit has torn down the new smart speaker and discovered that it's far easier to pry open. The large amounts of glue are gone — you can get inside using little more than a screwdriver, and the internal components are similarly accessible. Combine this with the detachable power cord and it should be feasible to fix at least some parts yourself.

iFixit cautions that it hasn't tested for possible software restrictions on repairs. It's not clear that you can replace circuit boards and still expect a functioning HomePod. Even so, it's evident Apple considers repairability to be a priority this time around, much as it does with the standard iPhone 14 and other recent products.

Not that Apple has much choice but to make the HomePod more fix-friendly. Both federal and state governments are pushing for right-to-repair mandates. If Apple didn't make the speaker easier to maintain, it risked a political pushback. And while we wouldn't count on Apple adding the HomePod to its Self Service Repair program, the second-gen's design makes that prospect more realistic.

The Morning After: Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown begins

Netflix is rolling out changes to account sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain after trialing the change in Latin America. If you live in one of these countries, you must set a primary location for where you use it. Then, if you have friends or family who want to share your account, you'll have to subscribe to either the Standard or Premium tier and pay a fee ($8 in Canada and New Zealand, €4 in Portugal and €6 in Spain) for up to two extra users outside of your home.

In Netflix’s words, “Today, over 100 million households are sharing accounts – impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films.” It's not clear how new regions will take to the policy. Many rival services don't have account-sharing restrictions, and given how many options there are now, this could coax users elsewhere. Or maybe people will rediscover illegal streams, torrents and all the other methods we used to watch video before the streaming boom.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

The biggest stories you might have missed

Google’s Bard chatbot confidently spouts misinformation in Twitter debut

It falsely said the James Webb Space Telescope took the first pictures of exoplanets.

This week, Google posted an ad to Twitter showing off the natural-language AI model displaying false information. A short GIF showed an example of a Q&A with Bard: “What new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope can I tell my 9-year-old about?”

Among a few facts, Bard says “JWST took the very first pictures of a planet outside of our own solar system.” However, the JWST didn’t take the first pictures. That honor belongs to the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in 2004. Chatbots get things wrong, sure, as did search engines before them. However, stripped of much context, there’s a higher chance of picking up errors and not even knowing.

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Google Maps' Immersive View is rolling out in five cities

It should make it easier to view directions from your lock screen.

At I/O 2022, Google revealed an Immersive View feature for Maps that uses computer vision and AI to combine Street View and aerial photography into a 3D format. The feature rolled out today in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo. The feature adds contextual information, including traffic, the weather and how busy a location typically is at different times of the day. You'll be able to soar over buildings and see things like the location of an attraction’s entrance.

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Twitter is shutting down its free API. Here's what's going to break

Change your logins before it's too late.

Twitter announced it would no longer allow any developer to use its APIs for free. Other than confirming a February 9th cut-off date – that’s today – we don’t know much more. Musk has suggested Twitter could charge $100 a month “with ID verification,” but hasn’t elaborated. Once free access is shut off, thousands of apps, research projects, bots and other services will stop functioning. We break down what you should probably do – if things still work. Tweets and DMs were recently not functional for many users.

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Someone made the AirPods Pro case repairable with a USB-C conversion

He designed an open-source PCB available to buy online.

AirPod repair options are limited if something happens to the charging case, and your earbuds aren’t under warranty. Apple will replace the case for a fee – but that creeps close to the cost of an entirely new set of AirPods. There’s no easy way to repair a set of AirPods Pro and limit your electronic waste. Replacement parts are expensive, hard to find or non-existent. Engineer Ken Pillonel, who also created that USB-C iPhone, is trying to fix that. With his latest DIY project, you can swap the battery in your AirPods Pro case rather than replace it altogether.

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Watch Link ride a huge drone in the new Zelda 'Tears of the Kingdom' trailer

Other transport options are available.

Nintendo

Nintendo closed out yesterday’s Direct showcase (a remastered Metroid Prime is available to play now!) with a new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, showing off the game's traversal mechanics and dramatic cinematics. Oh, and Link takes to the skies above Hyrule on a gigantic drone.

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