Virgin Galactic's lengthy road to space tourism is nearing an end. The firm now expects its final VSS Unity test flight to launch as soon as May 25th at 10AM Eastern, with specialist training starting on May 22nd. The mission will check the technical functionality and the "astronaut experience" one more time before commercial service begins.

The company hasn't narrowed down the official start to paid service. It has delayed the rollout multiple times, most recently due to challenges upgrading the VMS Eve "mothership" that carries Unity to 50,000 feet. Virgin launched its first fully crewed spaceflight in July 2021, with founder Richard Branson aboard.

A successful test may be crucial for Virgin. The company is still bleeding money, and lost just over $500 million in 2022. When tickets cost $450,000 each and require a $150,000 deposit, commercial service could help Virgin stem those losses and fund its long-term ambitions, which include a next-gen spaceship (the VSS Imagine) due to enter service in 2025.

There's also external pressure. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is already carrying civilians into space, and SpaceX is slowly moving closer to its dreams of lunar tourist trips. While these flights will also be out of reach for many people, Virgin still doesn't want to be seen lagging behind rivals competing for wealthy passengers.

Get ready to deal with things that go clank in the night on the big screen. A Five Nights at Freddy's movie is on the way later this year, and Universal Pictures has revealed the first teaser for the long-gestating adaptation. The clip doesn't seem to hold too many surprises for those who are familiar with the jump scare-laden FNaF games, but it captures the aesthetic well enough.

It focuses on a character played by Josh Hutcherson as he starts a new gig as a night-time security guard at a family entertainment center. However, the animatronics at Freddy Fazbear's pose a terrifying threat to anyone still in the building after the doors close. The animatronics look spot on, which isn't exactly a shock given that Jim Henson's Creature Shop brought them to life.

Five Nights at Freddy's will arrive in theaters and on Peacock on October 27th. If you can't wait that long and simply need to watch a movie in which possessed animatronics go on a killing spree, check out Willy's Wonderland. It has both a similar concept and Nicolas Cage, and it's enjoyable enough.

Amazon has two generations of Alexa-friendly Echo Buds under its belt, and today it's introducing a third. The new model has been completely redesigned from the first two with an AirPods-like stickbud aesthetic many companies have adopted over the years. There are other changes too, but perhaps the most interesting one is what Amazon has done with the price. While the first two versions ranged from $100-$130, the third-gen Echo Buds are just $50.

The company describes the new design as "lightweight and compact" but also "semi-in-ear." However, it didn't go into much more detail about the updated look in the press release. This likely means a fit akin to the "regular" AirPods: the earbuds stay put in your ears but don't have a tip to create a tight seal. As you might expect, Amazon is touting the new Echo Buds as a chance to take Alexa with you everywhere with quick hands-free access via voice cues. Inside, 12mm drivers offer "rich sound and balanced bass," according to the company. For calls there are two microphones and a voice detection accelerometer that work together to pick out your voice. 

In terms of battery life, Amazon says you can expect up to five hours of listening time on the buds with three full charges in the case (20 hours total). The company also gives you the ability to customize the onboard tap controls and offers multi-point pairing alongside a VIP Filter. That latter feature has been available on Echo Buds and Echo Frames, allowing you to limit notifications to certain contacts or apps. 

The new Echo Buds are available now from Amazon at an introductory price of $40. They will be normally priced at $50.

Amazon

Avatar: The Way of Water will be available to stream on both Disney+ and Max (the new name for HBO Max) on June 7th. It's a bit unusual to see a major, recent movie land on two platforms at the same time, but there was a deal in place between 20th Century Studios, which Disney has owned since 2019, and HBO for streaming rights to certain theatrical releases.

The sequel to 2009's Avatar hit theaters in December and it went on to become the third highest-grossing movie of all time (as long as you don't factor inflation in). Director James Cameron made intriguing use of high frame rates in The Way of Water, with action-filled scenes typically playing at 48 frames per second to make them look smoother. More tranquil scenes appeared to run at 24 fps. The frames were doubled in those parts of the movie to make it seem as though they played at the frame rate we're used to seeing in theaters.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that there will be an option to stream the film at higher frame rates at home anytime soon. Still, those who've been waiting for Avatar: The Way of Water to pop up on Disney+ or Max only have a few weeks longer to wait.

A "one-app experience" that combines Disney+ and Hulu content will launch in late 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced during the company's latest earnings call. He said the company will continue offering Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ as standalone options, but combining services "is a logical progression" of its direct-to-consumer offerings "that will provide greater opportunities for advertisers, while giving bundle subscribers access to more robust and streamlined content..."

Since Comcast still owns 33 percent of Hulu, this announcement suggests that Disney could be thinking of buying the cable TV and media company's stake. Iger didn't elaborate on the company's plans, though, and only said that Disney has had "constructive" talks with Comcast about the future of Hulu. 

In addition to announcing the combined streaming app, Iger has also revealed that Disney+ is getting another price increase after adding $3 on top of its ad-free streaming tier's monthly fee in December. He didn't say when the company is raising the service's prices, but when it does, the ad-free and ad-supported tiers will cost more than $11 and $8, respectively. 

While Disney reported (PDF) a 26 percent decrease in operating losses for its streaming business, a $659 million loss is still massive. The price hike's announcement didn't come out of nowhere, seeing as the company promised investors that the business will be profitable by the end of the 2024 fiscal year. The question is whether the combined Disney+ and Hulu app could convince new users to pay for a subscription — or for old subscribers to come back. Disney+ lost 4 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2023 after shedding 2.4 million users in the previous quarter.

Uber has started offering domestic and international flight bookings in the UK and will continue rolling it out across the whole region over the coming weeks, according to the Financial Times. The company's general manager for the UK, Andrew Brem, told the publication that this is "the latest and most ambitious step" it has taken to achieve its goal to become a wider travel booking platform. 

Uber first revealed its plans to add train, bus and flight bookings to its UK app in April last year and launched the first two options a few months later. Brem said train bookings have been "incredibly popular" so far and have grown 40 percent every month since they became available, though he didn't give the Times concrete ticket sales numbers. 

For its flights, the company has teamed up with travel booking agency Hopper. The Times says Uber will take a small commission from each sale and could add a booking fee on top of its offerings in the future. It's unclear how much the company's cut actually is, but it charges its partner drivers 25 percent on all fares. As the Times notes, offering flight bookings could also help grow Uber's main ride-hailing business even further, since users are likely to book rides to and from the airport through the service, as well. 

Although flight bookings are only available in the UK at the moment, the region — one of its biggest markets outside North America — only serves as a testing ground for Uber's plans. Brem told the publication that the company is hoping to expand flight offerings to more countries in the future, but it has no solid plans yet. Uber did offer $200 chopper rides in the US back in 2019, but that service was discontinued in the midst of pandemic-related lockdowns. 

VIZ Media has launched a new service that will make English versions of the latest chapters of select manga titles available to subscribers as soon as they're released in Japan. The service, called VIZ Manga, features manga published by Shogakugan and Shueisha and costs $2 a month. Its current "simulpub" or simultaneous publication catalogue has 15 titles that include Inuyasha sequel Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon and Mao by Rumiko Takahashi. Fans can even read their three most recent chapters for free. The subscription service also gives fans access to a library with over 10,000 chapters, including Junji Ito's GYO and Uzumaki, Yuu Watase's Fushigi Yuugi, Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 and Ai Yazawa's Nana. 

"Due to the explosive success of the Shonen Jump digital service, this new development will exponentially expand VIZ Media’s digital offering," the company said in its announcement. The Shonen Jump subscription service came out in 2018 and offered fans the chance to read its latest releases as soon as they come out in Japan. VIZ Media said this is the first time English-speaking fans can get titles from the publishers — legally, that is — at the same time Japan does. The hope is likely to steer fans away from unauthorized translations, which could come out as soon as a few hours after a chapter is published in Japan, and to ultimately address the industry's piracy problem. 

According to the Tokyo-based Content Overseas Distribution Association, the Japanese manga industry lost 395.2 billion (US$2.9 billion) to 831.1 billion Yen (US$6.2 billion) in 2021 due to online piracy. Korean webtoons have also been steadily rising in popularity over the past few years while the Japanese manga industry has been shrinking. Webtoons are digital comics optimized for smartphones, and their publishing format makes them much easier to consume in this day and age. Manga has always been a print-first industry, but publishers have been looking for ways to expand their digital presence. 

At the moment, VIZ Manga is only available in the US and Canada, accessible through the company's Android or iOS app and its website. (Subscriptions, however, can only be purchased through the app.) VIZ Media plans to expand the service's availability to other regions, though, so fans outside those two countries may want to keep an eye out for future announcements. 

Hulu is adding a full spate of PBS channels to its Live TV subscription service. This includes a wide variety of local PBS affiliates and PBS Kids offerings, giving viewers the chance to watch stuff like Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Masterpiece and a whole lot of Ken Burns documentaries.

This is live TV so you’ll be tied to your local affiliate and will have to (gasp) sit down and watch something at the appointed time. Some titles are available on-demand, however, and Hulu+ Live TV offers cloud storage DVR recording options. PBS Kids is also part of this deal, so you can park the little ones in front of the screen to watch Curious George, Arthur, Clifford the Big Red Dog and other anthropomorphic animals. Sesame Street airs on PBS Kids, but only after first running on Warner’s confusingly-named streaming serviceHBO GoHBO Max Max.

Beyond PBS, Hulu+ Live TV is adding the Magnolia Network, a destination for thousands of hours of home improvement and cooking shows like Fixer Upper and Family Restaurant. Additionally, many programs will be available for on-demand viewing, such as Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, Maine Cabin Masters, Silos Baking Competition and many more.

PBS arrives on the service “in the coming months," but Magnolia Network shows up on May 25th. Hulu+ Live TV subscriptions start at $65 each month for an ad-based tier, ballooning up to $80 per month for an ad-free experience with plenty of cloud storage and access to premium channels like ESPN.

Twitter's decision to shut off its free API caused more than a few problems for public institutions that depend on the functionality, and the company is clearly ready to backtrack. The social network has restored free access to the app programming framework for verified government and publicly-owned services that use the tool for "critical purposes" such as emergency notifications, transportation updates and weather alerts.

The social media giant outlined a three-tier pricing strategy for its API in March. Normally, free access is limited to bots and testers that only need to write posts. It allows just 1,500 tweets per month and one app ID, which can be limiting for creators that need frequent updates. Basic access costs $100 per month with fixed caps on tweets, while businesses have to use multiple enterprise-level tiers to meet their needs. These can cost tens of thousands of dollars per month.

The shutoff broke numerous apps and services that relied on the free API for sharing and content streams, such as Flipboard's reader. It also created issues for developers willing to pay for access, including Echobox. While Twitter had warned that a cutoff was coming at some point, it didn't notify customers of the exact timing and did little to explain the impact.

Government services faced extra pain. New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it would stop posting service alerts on Twitter after it faced a $50,000 per month fee for access. Microsoft also pulled Twitter from its social media tool for advertisers, and disabled Twitter screenshot sharing for Windows and Xbox gamers.

Twitter under Elon Musk's leadership has clamped down on previously free functionality in a bid to both control more of the experience and shift more of its revenue to subscriptions. It banned third-party clients, for example, and required a Blue membership for some verified checkmarks. This latest move is an acknowledgment that the strategy creates problems, particularly for governments eager to provide vital information through as many channels as possible.

Utah's age verification law, which targets publishers distributing material deemed to be "harmful to minors on the internet," has gone into effect. As a response, MindGeek has chosen to block everyone in the state from being able to access its websites, including Pornhub. As Motherboard reports, if somebody with a Utah IP address accesses Pornhub, they'll now be met with a video of adult performer Cherie DeVille. In it, DeVille explained that the company believes requiring users to submit their government IDs isn't the most effective solution to protecting its users and could even put their privacy at risk. 

She continued that "mandating age verification without proper enforcement" has driven users to other sites with fewer safety measures in states with the same law. MindGeek believes that the most effective solution to identify users is by doing so through their device. "Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Utah," DeVille said, ending the video with a plea for residents in the state to contact their representatives and demand device-based verification solutions. 

In January, a law requiring adult websites to deploy age verification measures and ensure their visitors are 18 or older went into effect in Lousiana. Pornhub, however, didn't block all users in the state, and is currently verifying people's ages using Lousiana's digital wallet app for driver's licenses. According to Axios, Utah doesn't have a similar tool that websites like Pornhub could use, making it much difficult to comply with the law. We asked Pornhub if it would consider unblocking Utah residents if the state creates its own wallet app for driver's licenses. 

Laurie Schlegel, the Republication representative who spearheaded the age verification law in Lousiana, explained she championed the bill because she believes that the digital world needed adult-only zones, such as bars where patrons are asked for IDs. At least two dozen states, including Utah, followed Louisiana's example by introducing age verification legislation over the past year. So, even if Pornhub finds a way to unblock Utah residents, a lot of people elsewhere in the US might find themselves having to verify their ages on the website using a government ID.