New York City Uber drivers won’t get a raise before the holidays after all. On Tuesday evening, a Manhattan Supreme Court justice granted Uber’s request for a temporary restraining order on drivers’ rate hikes scheduled to go into effect on December 19th. New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) voted on the pay raise in November.

As part of the TLC’s new rules, Uber drivers’ per-minute rates would go up by 7.18 percent, and per-mile rates would increase by 16.11 percent. So, for example, a 7.5-mile trip taking 30 minutes would earn a driver at least $27.15 — $2.50 higher than the current rate. An inflation-based pay raise is also scheduled for March 2023.

Uber’s lawsuit suggests it would pass the extra costs onto riders while framing the worker raise as bad for business. It also claims the TLC’s hikes use flimsy calculations to lock in temporarily inflated gas prices. “Such a significant fare hike, right before the holidays, would irreparably damage Uber’s reputation, impair goodwill and risk permanent loss of business and customers,” the lawsuit said. In its response, TLC acknowledged that Uber charges 37 percent more today than in 2019, but it said the company is keeping money earned from fare hikes to itself rather than passing it on to drivers.

“This is a nasty stunt for Uber to pull on its drivers — especially right before the holidays. Even this would make Scrooge blush,” said Brendan Sexton, President of the Independent Drivers Guild, a Machinists Union affiliate representing the drivers. “While Uber has been recording record profits on its rideshare business, the drivers who make the service work have been stuck shouldering soaring expenses on their own. We fought hard to win this desperately needed increase to the minimum pay — and we will not let a billion dollar corporation snatch that victory from the 80,000 rideshare drivers who keep our city moving.”

The parties are due back in court on January 31st.

ARM won't sell its latest Neoverse V series chips to Chinese tech giant Alibaba after concluding that the US and UK would not approve licenses to export them, according to The Financial Times. The decision follows new US government rules restricting China and Russia exports of powerful chips that could be repurposed for military use. 

Softbank-owned ARM reportedly believes that Neoverse V would fall into the category of high-performance processors affected by the new rules. While it could apply for a license, it would likely be turned down, according to FT's sources with knowledge of the sale process. It may be the first time that ARM has decided not to sell it's most advanced chip designs to China.

ARM designs the advanced RISC architecture for chips used in products ranging from smartwatches to advanced supercomputers. It doesn't build the processors itself, but sells the designs to manufacturers like TSMC and Samsung. Its latest Neoverse V2 core has the highest performance to date, with a design said to have originated in the US. 

The Biden administration is also reportedly set to put Chinese chip manufacturer YMTC on its entity list as early as next week, according to a separate FT article. The company reportedly violated US export controls by supplying Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei with NAND memory chips. 

The US government had YMTC on an "unverified" entity list, meaning it was unable carry out checks to confirming that domestic technology wasn't being used illegally. Thirty Chinese companies including YMTC had 60 days to comply to avoid being placed on an entity list that severely restricts exports. The Chinese government now allows such checks, but not all companies are necessarily cooperating. 

The US unveiled sweeping tech export controls in October. "This includes preventing China’s acquisition and use of US technology in the context of its military-civil fusion program to fuel its military modernization efforts, conduct human rights abuses, and enable other malign activities," it said at the time. When the rules were announced, analysts said that memory chipmakers like YMTC would be most affected.

China filed a dispute with the World Trade Organization earlier this week over those export controls. The US government considers YMTC to be a "national champion" in China, so the latest move is likely to be met with a strong reaction. 

IMDb announced today that entertainment professionals can now choose whether to display their age and other demographic information on their profiles. Screen performers’ union SAG-AFTRA had pushed for the change for years, viewing it as a front in the war on ageism in Hollywood.

The new policy lets anyone with an IMDb page claim their profile and choose whether their age and birth year, birth name, alternate names and other demographic information show on their profiles. Although performers’ ages will remain on places like Wikipedia, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA believes the policy will discourage age-based discrimination.

In a letter to union members (reported by Variety), SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said she worked closely with IMDb for several months to influence the policy shift. “This means professionals can choose how they want to represent themselves to fans and industry decision-makers,” she wrote. “And it will make it easier for casting directors, producers and others to discover and hire talent from all backgrounds for their project.” In addition, Drescher noted that the new policy covers free and paid IMDb accounts.

IMDb, which Amazon owns, spent years resisting the change. In 2016, California passed a law barring websites from publishing the ages and birthdates of performers. It was a popular law with performers, as over 2,300 people asked IMDb to remove their ages in the three months following the bill’s passage. However, IMDb refused to oblige, filed an injunction based on First Amendment rights and won. (SAG-AFTRA and the state of California appealed, but an appeals court upheld the initial ruling.) Apart from Drescher’s note about working with IMDb, it’s unclear what factors led to Amazon's about-face.

Although ageism isn't limited to any single industry, Hollywood is a textbook example — especially towards women. Dame Helen Mirren hasn’t minced words on the subject, describing the practice as “fucking outrageous” in a 2015 interview. “We all watched James Bond as he got more and more geriatric, and his girlfriends got younger and younger. It’s so annoying.”

Although it only snagged a single nomination at The Game Awards, Vampire Survivors is a true game of the year contender. It arrived on Steam in early access a year ago and it recently landed on Xbox. Now, you'll no longer need a Steam Deck or Xbox Cloud Gaming access to play it anywhere or at any time. 

As spotted by Polygon, Vampire Survivors has suddenly arrived on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Unlike the myriad clones that have popped up on both stores throughout the year, this is the real deal. What's more, the mobile versions are free — Vampire Survivors costs $5 on Steam and it's included with Game Pass. 

The timing suggests that the mobile release was going to be a surprise announcement at The Game Awards. Perhaps we'll hear word of PlayStation and Nintendo Switch versions soon too.

For the uninitiated, Vampire Survivors asks you to choose a character with a locked starter weapon and perk, then sends you out into the Castlevania-inspired world to face an endless stream of enemies (but no vampires, oddly) and stay alive as long as you can. Your weapons auto-fire and all you have control over is your movement and the ability to choose a weapon, perk or upgrade when you level up. It's immensely enjoyable, and you can download it on your phone, gratis, right now. In addition, you can play the mobile versions in vertical or horizontal mode.

Meanwhile, developer Poncle will release the first paid Vampire Survivors expansion on December 15th. Legacy of Moonspell will cost $2 on Steam and Xbox. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the DLC pop up on the iOS and Android versions as well.

Amazon is facing more legal trouble for allegedly robbing delivery drivers of their tips. The District of Columbia has sued Amazon over claims the company was "stealing" tips from Flex drivers. As the Federal Trade Commission argued last year, DC claims Amazon changed its policies in 2016 so that it would use large portions of drivers' tips to cover base pay and operational costs. The company not only used "misleading" language in its response to worried couriers but falsely told customers that 100 percent of tips would go drivers, according to the District's Office of the Attorney General.

DC acknowledged that Amazon had paid $61.7 million as part of a settlement with the FTC. However, it said the federal deal helped Amazon elude "appropriate accountability" that included punishment for the damage done to consumers. The Attorney General's office is asking for civil penalties for every violation of the District's Consumer Protection Procedures Act as well as a court order barring Amazon from implementing similar practices in the future.

In a statement to Engadget, Amazon maintained that the lawsuit is "without merit" and reflects policies changed in 2019. The tech giant already paid the tips to drivers as part of the FTC deal, according to a spokesperson.

Legal battles like this aren't unique to Amazon. DoorDash faced a DC lawsuit in 2019 over comparable accusations. The food delivery service reportedly used tips under $10 to replace couriers' guaranteed pay, but still implied that these were bonuses. DoorDash revised its rules earlier that year to address the complaints.

The timing of the lawsuit is less than ideal for Amazon, to put it mildly. The company just launched a "thank my driver" feature that lets Alexa users in the US share their appreciation for the courier who dropped off their latest package. While it's supposed to motivate drivers, the gratitude will only be verbal in most cases — Amazon is only handing out $5 rewards to drivers for the first 1 million "thank yous." As you might imagine, that might not go over well at a time when Amazon has been accused of shortchanging drivers and imposing difficult working conditions.

Following an explosive end to the battle royale's third chapter, Fortnite's newest season has arrived. Chapter four comes complete with an entirely new island for players to fight over. It features a handful of landmarks that draw on fantasy tropes, including a castle known as The Citadel that’s home to “The Ageless.” There’s also Anvil Square, a picturesque medieval town surrounded by trees at the peak of their autumn colors. On a different part of the island, players will find an abandoned farm ominously named the Frenzy Fields.

Chapter four also introduces new gameplay tweaks, and if there’s a theme to the season, it’s mobility. Dirt bikes called Trail Thrashers allow you to perform tricks and fire your weapons while on the move. Now you can also vault over obstacles by sprinting at them. Additionally, in areas where there’s snow, you can use a pickaxe to create a snowball. You can then jump into the snowball to take your enemies down by rolling over them.

However, the most interesting addition is a feature called Reality Augments. At a few intervals during a game, you’ll get to choose between two random buffs that you can keep until your character dies or you win the match. Light Fingers, one of the 22 Reality Augments available with the start of the new season, allows you to reload weapons that use light ammo faster. Speaking of weapons, there are several new ones to try, including a Shockwave Hammer you can use to launch yourself at your teammates and enemies.

On the technical front, Epic has moved Fortnite to the latest version of the Unreal Engine. On PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, players can look forward to ray-traced reflections on glossy materials and water. Of course, a new season also means a fresh battle pass for players to purchase and complete. The pass includes Doom Slayer, the protagonist of Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, as well as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series. Separately, an Incredible Hulk skin will arrive in the Item Shop “soon.” Chapter four, season one is available to play starting today.

If the wait to watch HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us wasn't long enough already, the network has shared a new trailer for the upcoming series ahead of its January 15th release date. Clocking in at almost two-and-a-half minutes long, the clip offers our best look yet at the Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) production. And for those who may have worried that the series would hew too closely to Naughty Dog's source material, it shows the adaptation's creators weren't afraid to bring something new to the franchise. 

That's on display early on when there's a short scene of Ellie pretending to be a clicker. The exchange that follows is one of the few light-hearted moments in the trailer. Later in the clip, eagle-eyed fans will spot Ashley Johnson, the actor who voiced Ellie in the video games.  

If you're unfamiliar with The Last of Us, the trailer serves as a decent overview of the first game's story. At the center of the narrative are Joel and Ellie, played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the upcoming HBO series. Joel must escort Ellie across a post-apocalyptic version of the US in the hopes that she may be the key to protecting what's left of the world's population from a fungal infection that turns its victims into aggressive, zombie-like creatures known as the Infected.    

From all the marketing material HBO has shared to promote The Last of Us, it's clear the network has high hopes for the series. Footage from the show capped off a sizzle reel HBO uploaded earlier this year to hype its 2023 slate. 

In the latest example of what seems like daily Big Tech job cuts, Roku announced plans today to lay off around 200 employees, nearly seven percent of its workforce. The streaming company wrote in an SEC filing that it plans to cut the jobs in the US due to “economic conditions.” The company estimates it will pay between $28 and $31 million for the reductions, primarily because of severance payments, notice pay (where applicable), employee benefits contributions and related costs.

Roku says most of the layoffs will happen in Q4, with the remaining cuts expected to be “substantially complete” by the end of Q1 2023. In a statement released today, Roku said, “Taking these actions now will allow us to focus our investments on key strategic priorities to drive future growth and enhance our leadership position.”

These layoffs follow a warning from Roku in its latest quarterly results that it anticipates a year-over-year revenue decline for Q4. The company’s shares dropped almost three percent today in trading before the bell.

Big Tech job cuts have become an unfortunate trend in recent months. Roku’s layoffs follow downsizing from Meta, which laid off 11,000 employees last week; Twitter, which cut approximately 3,800 jobs earlier this month; plus Amazon and Microsoft. Although Apple has so far remained an exception, it imposed a hiring freeze expected to continue into late 2023. Likewise, Disney is reportedly freezing hiring and anticipating cuts, while Netflix laid off around 300 people back in June. Streaming-focused companies — Roku included — have faced the dual challenges of an uncertain economy and a revenue decline following a boom during the coronavirus pandemic.

If you're looking for an excuse to throw more cash at all things Diablo Immortal, ASUS has got your back. Following the ROG Phone 6 Batman Edition, the Taiwanese brand has since teamed up with Blizzard to bring us the ROG Phone 6 Diablo Immortal Edition, which is basically a specced-out ROG Phone 6 decorated with elements from the mobile game — both externally and internally, down to the notification sounds. In other words, you're getting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage, along with the ROG Phone series' signature AirTrigger 6 shoulder controls and front-facing stereo speakers. You'll be missing out on the 6 Pro's tiny screen on the back, but then again, there's plenty else for showing off here.

The ROG Phone 6 Diablo Immortal Edition features a "Hellfire Red" semi-matte finish on the back, which gives off a special flame effect when viewed at different angles. There's also an RGB-lit Diablo Immortal logo next to the game's titular demon, though I personally would have preferred some light trick on the Lord of Terror itself instead. Everything else — including the 65W charger and cable — remain the same.

ASUS

This wouldn't be a special edition phone if it didn't have matching accessories. In addition to the gold-colored "Immortality Ejector Pin" for the SIM tray, there's also a "Fahir's Light" UV torch for revealing hidden details on the Diablo-themed phone case. You can pull the same optical trick with the "Map of Sanctuary," though its real purpose is for wrapping the charger and cable — a handy bundle for travelling. The phone, case and pin are tucked inside a blood red "Worldstone" phone box, which is itself packaged alongside the map in a larger "Horadric Cube" box. Alas, much like the original ROG Phone 6, the Peltier-powered AeroActive Cooler 6 isn't included here — it'll cost you an extra $100.

The ROG Phone 6 Diablo Immortal Edition will be available on ASUS' online store from November 18, though it'll cost you $1,299 — that's $200 more than the regular version. For the same price, you can actually get a specced-out ROG Phone 6 Pro (with 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage), but if you understood all the aforementioned Diablo references, then chances are you don't mind.

Meta will stop any and all development on its smart displays and fledgling smartwatch project, according to Reuters. The company's executives reportedly told employees — those left after mass layoffs that saw 11,000 people lose their jobs — in a townhall meeting that it would end work on Portal. Meta used to sell Portal to consumers, and the device did enjoy an uptick in sales during the height of the pandemic when people had to stay and work from home. However, the company changed strategies in June and decided to sell them to businesses instead. 

The Information reported at the time that Portal made up less than 1 percent of the global market even with the increase in sales in 2021. Pursuing the consumer segment was probably no longer worth it, and now the company has decided that it's not worth developing the device at all. Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth reportedly told employees during the meeting: "It was just going to take so long, and take so much investment to get into the enterprise segment, it felt like the wrong way to invest your time and money."

Meta has yet to release a smartwatch, though there had been reports and leaks over the years about that particular endeavor. Now, we'll never see it, unless Meta decides to revisit its development years from now. Bosworth said the smartwatch team will now work on the company's augmented reality glasses and that half of Meta's investment in Reality Labs is going towards its AR projects. 

In addition to announcing Portal's demise, the executives also revealed that 54 percent of the people laid off were in business positions, while the rest had technology roles. Teams across the organization were affected, and even employees with high performance ratings were laid off. Meta is combining its voice and video calling unit with other messaging teams, the executives also announced, and it's forming a new division to solve tough engineering problems. 

Reuters' report didn't say whether the executives revealed when the existing Portal models will be phased out, and if it will keep selling them. It also didn't mention when support for current devices will end, but we've asked Meta for more information and will update this post when we hear more.