All three major US carriers have met the deadline to implement the FCC's new anti-spoofing protocol designed to protect users from scam caller impersonation. Both Verizon and T-Mobile announced yesterday that all calls originating on their networks are 100 percent compliant with the FCC's "STIR/SHAKEN" technology designed to show a caller's true phone number. AT&T, meanwhile, confirmed with The Verge that it's also in compliance with the new rules. 

The FCC had set a deadline of June 30th for the major carrier's to implement the STIR/SHAKEN protocol developed under the Ajit Pai regime. For now, smaller carriers have until June 30th, 2023 unless the FCC decides to shorten that timespan, something that's currently under consideration. 

The STIR/SHAKEN standards serve as a common digital language used by phone networks, allowing valid information to pass from provider to provider which, among other things, informs blocking tools of possible suspicious calls.

So what does the new protocol do? Without it, scam or spam callers can spoof their phone numbers to show up as local numbers, making it more likely that you'll pick up. STIR/SHAKEN deals with that by using public key encryption digital certificates sent by the originating telephone service provider, with the keys verified by the terminating service provider. If everything matches, then the calling number hasn't been spoofed. 

The FCC is hoping that carrier implementation will reduce the volume of spam, scam and robocalls that have made answering your phone a game of whack-a-mole. The commission said that over 1,500 voice providers have filed to be in its robocall mitigation database with over 200 of those being fully certified. "Beginning on September 28, 2021, if a voice service provider’s certification does not appear in the database, intermediate and voice service providers will be prohibited from directly accepting the provider’s traffic," the FCC stated. 

The protocol will help reduce but not totally eliminate scams or robocalls. Legacy phone systems that don't use IP protocols are exempt from the rules, and the system won't work with international calls. Still, if a local pops up on your phone going forward, you can have more confidence that it's not a fake number coming from a scammer. 

LG's lineup of QNED 4K and 8K TVs unveiled late last year will arrive in the US in July, the company has announced. They'll sit just below LG's flagship OLED and consist of two 8K models (the QNED99 and QNED95) along with the 4K QNED90, in sizes from 65 to 85 inches. The TVs will launch first in North America and arrive to other regions in the coming weeks. 

The new sets will use Mini LED tech that blends characteristics from both OLED and LED. Unlike regular LED models, Mini LED uses thousands of tiny LEDs, up to 30,000 for the 86-inch 8K QNED99. With so many more so-called dimming zones, the QNED sets will be able to display deeper blacks and offer more contrast than regular LED TVs. 

LG

At the same time, they offer more brightness than OLED TVs, though contrast and black levels aren't as good. Also, unlike with OLED, you'll occasionally see "blooming" or blockiness around bright areas when the dimming zone is larger than the light source on the screen. Mini LED is not to be mistaken with MicroLED either, as the latter is a completely different (currently very expensive) technology that works more like OLED, with individual LEDs for each pixel. 

The models have all the specs you'd expect in a high-end TV, including brightness levels up to 3,000 nits, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision HDR support, along with Dolby Atmos for sound. All models offer 120 Hz native refresh rates with AMD FreeSync support, and LG revealed yesterday that the QNED99 models would have 120 Hz Dolby Vision gaming support when they arrive in July. You'll also get LG's Magic Remote, ThinQ AI, webOS smart TV features and Apple AirPlay 2 & HomeKit support. 

LG didn't reveal the pricing in its press release, but B&H Photo Video already has most of the lineup up on preorder. Prices start at $1,997 for the QNED90 65-inch 4K model, with the 75- and 86-inch 4K QNED90 sets at $2,997 and $3,997, respectively. The QNED99 8K sets jump jump considerably as you'd imagine, with the 65-inch model priced at $3,497, the 75-inch model at $4,797 and the flagship 86-inch model at $6,497. There's no sign yet of pricing for the QNED95 8K models. 

Silent Hill and Metal Gear publisher Konami is teaming up with The Medium creator Bloober in a "strategic partnership," the companies have announced. They'll be "jointly developing selected content and exchanging know-how" on both new and existing game properties. "We look forward to combining Bloober Team’s and our respective characteristics and strengths to create high-quality content," said Konami President Hideki Hayakawa in a statement.

The news should perk up the ears of Silent Hill fans hoping for a new chapter. Bloober's The Medium is also a horror-style game (even using a score from Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka) with players flipping between real and afterlife versions of the world. 

On top of that, Bloober CEO dropped a hint earlier this year that it was working on something interesting. "In fact, we've been working for more than a year on another gaming project, another horror IP, and we're doing this with a very famous gaming publisher," he told Gamesindustry.biz in February. "I can't tell you who. I can't tell you what the project is, but I'm pretty sure when people realize we're working on it, they will be very excited."

Nothing about any Silent Hill IP has been confirmed, though, and it'd be understandable if fans remain skeptical. A Silent Hills sequel with Hideo Kojima, Guillermo del Toro and Norman Reedus was canceled back in 2015 — despite the appearance of an impressive playable teaser. 

Still, the Konami and Bloober partnership is a promising development. The Medium generally met with good reviews, though our own Jessica Condit found it a bit "medium," as it were. Bloober's "dual reality" switching was also well done, so if the two companies combine their horror chops and technology, it could result in some compelling IP. 

As it announced earlier this year, HBO Max is finally moving outside the US, expanding to 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. "With today’s launch, we are introducing our global platform and providing a brand new user experience to millions of fans across Latin America and the Caribbean," said HBO Max International head Johannes Larcher in a statement. 

Unlike HBO Max in the US, subscribers in those regions won't have the option of an ad-supported plan. Rather, they'll be able to choose either a mobile plan in standard definition, or a standard plan with up to 3 simultaneous users, 5 profiles and resolution up to 4K. Pricing will depend on the region and country. 

As Netflix and other streaming services have done, HBO Max will produce 100 local originals in Latin America over the next two years. It will also make UEFA Champions League events available to subscribers in Mexico and Brazil later in 2021. To entire new subscribers, the company is offering the service at a 50 percent discount with no time limit, as long as they sign up before July 31st. 

Black & Decker has launched a new health division with a lineup of personal emergency response (PERS) wearables aimed at seniors. Called goVia, it includes devices that can be worn on the wrist or around the neck that can detect falls or allow seniors to call for aid via a monthly subscription powered by Medical Guardian. 

Black & Decker

The first device, called the goVia Mini ($125 on Amazon), has a battery life of five days and can be carried in bags or worn on belts or around the neck with an included lanyard. It comes with cellular coverage from Verizon's 4G LTE network along with location tracking via GPS, WiFi and triangulation. If the wearer encounters an emergency, they can press the call button and speak with an operator directly through the device. A responder can then come directly to their location. 

Black & Decker

The goVia Move ($75) works in a similar way, but offers portable wearable help buttons that can be worn on the wrist. In case of emergency, you can press on either the button on the Move device itself or the portable button, though the latter has to be within 300 feet of the main unit. That will again connect you to an operator directly through the device, who can then send help to your location determined by a GPS. 

The $45 goVia Home Classic device connects to a landline rather than a cellular service and includes a neck pendant or wristband (with a 600 foot range) that can be used to call for help at the press of a button. Black & Decker Health also offers the $50 goVia Home Wireless version that uses AT&T's cellular services rather than a landline. Both offer a fall detection option (for an additional monthly cost) that can automatically detect motion changes caused by a fall and impact and automatically connect to emergency operators without the need for a landline.

While the devices themselves are relatively inexpensive, they all require monthly monitoring subscriptions provided by Medical Guardian that aren't cheap. The goVia Mini's service plan costs $39.95 per month, the goMove service is $44.95 a month, Home Classic is $29.95 monthly and Home Wireless is $34.95 per month, or $44.95 per month with fall detection. 

Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S consoles both support 4K Dolby Vision at 120 Hz, but there's a problem: so far, no TVs have supported all of those things things at once. Now, LG has announced that it's rolling out a firmware update that unlocks Dolby Vision HDR at 4K 120Hz on its latest 2021 C1 and G1 series OLED models. 

We knew that LG's high-end G1 and mainstream C1 series should be capable of 120 Hz 4K gaming with Dolby Vision, as HDTV Test's Vincent Teoh pointed out recently. However, Xbox Series X owners have been reporting that those models weren't working, with an error message that "your TV setup doesn't support Dolby Vision at 4K 120 Hz." 

LG told Teoh at the time that it was testing the functionality and working to bring it to market, and now it has done so with the firmware version 03.15.27. That makes the C1 and G1 series OLED TV models "the first in the world capable of supporting Dolby Vision HDR at 4K 120Hz on compatible platforms," the company said.

LG

In addition, it's testing the feature on other 2021 models including the OLED Z1 series, QNED Mini LED QNED99 series and NanoCell NANO99 series, all slated to receive the update in July. "Additional 2021 and 2020 TV models are also being tested for Dolby Vision gaming in either 60Hz or 120Hz," the company added. There's no word on whether its 2019 OLED models, some of which also support both 4K 120Hz and Dolby Vision, will be updated. 

Now, if you have an Xbox Series X or S console and 2021 LG G1 or S1 series TV, you'll be able to make the error message go away. However, you still won't be able to play any 4K 120Hz Dolby Vision games, because none exist at the moment. When they do eventually arrive, you should see not only more fluid playback, but brighter images, improved contrast and more vibrant, saturated colors — much as you do on Dolby Vision-encoded films and TV series. 

Along with that feature, the new firmware also introduces the Game Dashboard (shown above), a floating menu that helps LG owners optimize settings. It works on any any 2021 LG TV with Game Optimizer, letting users switch between genres (standard, FPS, RPG or RTS). You'll also be able to see the status of modes like black stabilizer, low latency and variable refresh rate. The new update is now rolling out, so if you own a supported set, you should gain access to all of those features soon. 

Nikon is taking a trip back to its glory days of 35mm film photography with its second Z-series APS-C (DX) mirrorless camera, the Z FC. Designed to evoke the company's famous FM2 SLR from the '80s, it offers generous manual controls, including dedicated dials for shutter speed, exposure compensation and ISO. The decidedly retro look might also appeal to folks looking at stylish models from Fujifilm and others.

Unlike Fujifilm's models, however, the Z FC has a standalone mode dial, so you won't set modes by combining settings from the ISO, shutter or aperture dials. It has a d-pad type control at the back, but (like the Z50) lacks a dedicated joystick. 

Nikon

The Z FC (presumably the FC stands for film camera?) isn't just about the looks and handling, though. It uses Nikon's Z mount system and shares the 20.9-megapixel sensor, Expeed 6 processor and other features with Nikon's Z50. 

However, it adds a fully-articulating OLED (rather than LCD) display, and a significantly faster USB-C socket for transfers, charging and director power. Other physical features include a 2.36 million-dot electronic viewfinder, single SD card slot, microphone port (no headphone port) and an EN-EL25 battery that delivers up to 300 shots on a charge. 

Nikon

Like the Z50, it can shoot at 11 fps with autofocus and auto-exposure enabled, with object, face and eye-tracking. However, it now lets you combine face and eye-tracking with a wide focus mode, expanding where the camera looks for a subject. 

You can shoot oversampled 4K video using the full sensor width, and the Z FC introduces full-time eye autofocus mode while shooting video. That, combined with the fully-articulating sensor, will make the Z FC much more useful for vlogging and shooting selfies than the Z50. 

To best take advantage of the small size and retro looks, Nikon also introduced the Nikkor Z 28mm f/2.8 (SE). It's relatively small and has a good field of view for tourist or street photography, and also offers a pleasantly retro look. 

The Z FC arrives in late July at $960 for the body only, $1,100 with the DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR kit lens or $1,200 with the new 28mm F.2.8 (SE) lens. The latter will also be sold separately for $300, but it won't arrive until the fall. 

Nikon

Amazon's contract Flex delivery driver fleet already has to deal with various indignities, and you can now add the fact that they can be hired — and fired — by algorithms, according to a Bloomberg report. 

To ensure same-day and other deliveries arrive on time, Amazon uses millions of subcontracted drivers for its Flex delivery program, started in 2015. Drivers sign up via a smartphone app via which they can choose shifts, coordinate deliveries and report problems. The reliance on technology doesn't end there, though, as they're also monitored for performance and fired by algorithms with little human intervention.

However, the system can often fire workers seemingly without good cause, according to the report. One worker said her rating (ranging from Fantastic, Great, Fair, or At Risk) fell after she was forced to halt deliveries due to a nail in her tire. She succeeded in boosting it to Great over the next several weeks, but her account was eventually terminated for violating Amazon's terms of service. She contested the firing, but the company wouldn't reinstate her.

Whenever there’s an issue, there’s no support. It’s you against the machine, so you don’t even try.

Another driver was unable to deliver packages to an apartment complex because it was closed with the gate locked, and the residents wouldn't answer their phones. In another building, an Amazon locker failed to open. His rating also dropped and he spent six weeks trying to raise it, only to be fired for falling below a prescribed level.

If a driver feels they're wrongly terminated, many feel there's not much recourse, either. Drivers must pay $200 to dispute any termination, and many have said it's not worth the effort. “Whenever there’s an issue, there’s no support,” said Cope, who is 29. “It’s you against the machine, so you don’t even try.”

Inside Amazon, however, the program has been chalked up as a success, a former engineer who worked on the program told Amazon. And that bears out in the numbers. Around 4 million drivers have downloaded the app worldwide including 2.9 million in the US, according to the report. More than 660,000 people in the US have downloaded the app in the last five months alone.

Amazon said drivers’ claims of poor treatment and unfair termination were anecdotal and don’t represent the experience of the vast majority of Flex drivers. “We have invested heavily in technology and resources to provide drivers visibility into their standing and eligibility to continue delivering, and investigate all driver appeals,” Spokesperson Kate Kudrna told Bloomberg. 

If you want Apple's latest M1 processor technology (and already have a display and keyboard), there's no cheaper way to get it than the Mac mini M1. Now, it's possible to pick up the 512GB model with 8GB of RAM at a price that matches the best we've seen yet, $829 — or $70 off. 

Buy Mac mini M1 (512GB) at B&H Photo Video - $829

This is a great deal for a compact desktop PC that punches well above its weight, so to speak. The M1 chip delivers similar performance to high-end desktop processors, even in demanding multimedia applications like Final Cut Pro X and Photoshop. At the same time, the Mac mini M1 will take up hardly any space on your desktop and while it does have a fan (unlike the MacBook Air M1), it's still a very quiet machine. If you're planning to run some games or large apps, the 512GB option is a good choice.

However, both B&H and Amazon are also offering the Mac mini M1 for $649 with 256GB and 8GB of RAM, the second-lowest price we've seen. That $180 difference is a lot, so you could actually get more storage for less money by buying an external drive. The Mac Mini has two high-speed Thunderbolt/USB-C ports at the rear which could provide a couple of terabytes of storage and leave you with money left over. For either device, keep in mind that the 8GB of RAM might limit the software you can run (and it's not upgradeable), but the M1 processor gets far more out of less RAM than x86 Macs or PCs. 

Buy Mac mini M1 (256GB) at B&H Photo Video - $649Buy Mac Mini M1 (256GB) at Amazon - $649

Jeep's Wagoneer is back and big in every sense of the word, including the amount of technology found inside. The beloved large luxury SUV brand (which surely inspired the Simpson's "Canyonero") has multiple touchscreens, support for both Apple and Android entertainment systems and even video streaming via Amazon's Fire TV.

The big daddy Grand Wagoneer packs up to no less than four touch displays to fill out that enormous dash. That includes a 12.3-inch digital dash cluster, along with a 12-inch infotainment system. The latter uses the latest version of Chrysler/Jeep's Uconnect 5, and also supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Sitting directly below that is a 10.3-inch comfort display that lets you control climate and the seats. (On the regular Wagoneer, you get smaller 10.3- and 10.1-inch displays for the digital dash and infotainment display, respectively.) 

Stellantis

Those are just for the driver — the front passenger gets their own (optional) 10.3-inch touchscreen that allows them to watch movies, monitor the vehicle and more. Rear passengers get a pair of matching 10.1-inch displays, also optional. All three of those screens let passengers control navigation and media, monitor the external cameras, and play your own content via the aforementioned Android Auto/Apple CarPlay or Uconnect.

As we detailed last week, you can also stream video using Amazon's Fire TV for Auto with Alexa, giving passengers access to Amazon's library of Prime Video shows. You'll also be able to play games, use apps and access Alexa on the road through Fire TV for Auto.

The rest of the interior is a lux as you'd expect in such an SUV, equipped with what Jeep calls an "American premium" design (the word "American" appears no less than 32 times in the Wagoneer press release). You're coddled with wood, aluminum and leather throughout and the Grand Wagoneer has 24-way adjustable power seats. Both offer lumbar support and memory settings. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer offer 94.2 and 116.7 cubic feet of storage space, respectively. Pricing starts at just under $60,000, but to get all the tech bells and whistles, you'll pay up to $105,995 for the Grand Wagoneer Series.