2015’s Life is Strange stars Max Caulfield, a teen who finds she has the ability to rewind time after returning to her hometown of fictional Arcadia Bay, Oregon. At the center of the game is Max’s relationship with her childhood friend Chloe Price, played by voice actor Ashly Burch. In Life is Strange’s 2017’s prequel, Before the Storm, Chloe returns as the protagonist of the story.
While many people love the series, the Remastered Collection has earned few fans. On console and PC, the release was mired by technical issues that made the games look worse than their originals. Square Enix went on to release multiple patches for the remasters, all of which are included in the new Switch bundle. Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection will be available in both digital and retail versions. You can also play the remasters on PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia and PC.
Oracle has put TikTok's algorithms and content moderation models under its microscope in an attempt to make sure Chinese officials aren't meddling with them. TikTok is in the process of moving all of the data it has on US users to Oracle cloud storage based in the country. Oracle's audit is said to have started last week, after TikTok started routing all new traffic from US users through the former's systems.
A spokesperson told Axiosthat the reviews examine how TikTok's algorithms — the app's secret sauce — bubble up content "to ensure that outcomes are in line with expectations and that the models have not been manipulated in any way." Engadget has asked Oracle for clarification on what it means by manipulation in this context. On the moderation side, Oracle will regularly look at TikTok's practices related to both automation and human content reviewers.
In 2020, the Trump administration attempted to force through a sale of TikTok to a US company. Former President Donald Trump gave tentative approval to a deal that would have seen Oracle and Walmart run the American side of the business, but that didn't transpire.
Meanwhile, TikTok has committed to being more transparent and it's trying to convince regulators and lawmakers that US user data is secure. CEO Shou Zi Chew recently wrote in a letter to nine Republican senators that TikTok was "working with Oracle on new, advanced data security controls that we hope to finalize in the near future."
The senators asked a question about engineers at TikTok's parent company ByteDance playing a part in shaping the app's algorithms. "ByteDance engineers around the world may assist in developing those algorithms, however our solution with Oracle will ensure that training of the TikTok algorithm only occurs in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and will also ensure appropriate third-party security vetting and validation of the algorithm," Chew wrote in his response.
In June, BuzzFeed News reported that China-based ByteDance engineers repeatedly accessed non-public US user data. Chew said those workers were only able to access such information with "robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our US-based security team" in place.
The report led to Brendan Carr, the Federal Communication Commission's senior Republican commissioner, urging Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. Amid the scandal, TikTok's global security chief stepped down last month.
Less than two months before Brazil’s 2022 election, a report from international NGO Global Witness found Facebook parent company Meta “appallingly” failed to detect false political ads. The organization tested Facebook’s ability to catch election-related misinformation by submitting 10 ads.
Five of the advertisements featured blatantly false information about the election. For instance, some mentioned the wrong election date and methods citizens could use to cast their votes. The other five ads sought to discredit Brazil’s electoral process, including the electronic voting system the country has used since 1996. Of the 10 ads, Facebook only rejected one initially but later approved it without any further action from Global Witness.
In addition to their content, the ads had other red flags Global Witness contends Meta should have caught. To start, the non-profit did not verify the account it used to submit the advertisements through the company’s ad authorizations process. “This is a safeguard that Meta has in place to prevent election interference, but we were easily able to bypass this,” Global Witness said.
Additionally, the organization submitted the ads from London and Nairobi. In doing so, it did not need to use a VPN or local payment system to mask its identity. Moreover, the ads did not feature a “paid for by” disclaimer, which Meta notes all “social issue” advertisements in Brazil must include by June 22, 2022.
“What’s quite clear from the results of this investigation and others is that their content moderation capabilities and the integrity systems that they deploy in order to mitigate some of the risk during election periods, it’s just not working,” Jon Lloyd, senior advisor at Global Witness, told The Associated Press.
Meta did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. A Meta spokesperson told The Associated Press it has “prepared extensively” for Brazil’s upcoming election. “We’ve launched tools that promote reliable information and label election-related posts, established a direct channel for the Superior Electoral Court (Brazil’s electoral authority) to send us potentially-harmful content for review, and continue closely collaborating with Brazilian authorities and researchers,” the company said.
This isn’t the first time Global Witness has found Facebook’s election safeguards wanting. Earlier this year, the non-profit conducted a similar investigation ahead of Kenya’s recent election and reached many of the same conclusions. Then, as now, Global Witness called on Meta to strengthen and increase its content moderation and integrity systems.
Over-the-counter hearing aid sales should soon become a practical reality in the US. The Food and Drug Administration has issued a final rule allowing the sales of hearing aids for mild-to-moderate impairment without requirements for exams, prescriptions or audiologist fittings. The measure is expected to take effect in mid-October, when you should see aids reach physical retail stores.
You'll still need a prescription for severe hearing loss, or for anyone under 18. The FDA has also set design and performance requirements for over-the-counter aids, and has tweaked rules for prescriptions to ensure "consistency." The definitive rule comes in response to public and industry feedback, including lower maximum sound output, a requirement for user volume control and canal depth limits.
Congress first passed laws requiring over-the-counter hearing aids in 2017 in a bid to lower healthcare costs, improve access and spur competition. In theory, you would see more people wearing the devices as access and technology improve. However, the FDA didn't propose the necessary rule to fully implement the wearables until October 2021.
It could be awhile before there's a wide range of choices, but there are already offerings here or in the works. Lexie, for instance, recently began selling the $899 B1 using technology from Bose's reportedly defunct hearing aid division. Companies like Jabra have also leaped in early. The prices aren't trivial, but they're relative bargains when aids have historically cost thousands of dollars before insurance.
Dozens of workers at a key Amazon Air cargo hub in California walked out mid-shift on Monday to protest pay and safety conditions. More than 150 of the 1,500 employees at the San Bernardino facility took part in the stoppage, according to The Washington Post. Amazon has disputed that figure by claiming that roughly 74 people walked off the job.
This was said to be the first coordinated labor action in the company's air freight division, taking place at the largest Amazon Air hub in California. The action was led by workers who are organizing as a group called Inland Empire Amazon Workers United.
The alliance has urged Amazon to increase the base pay rate from $17 per hour to $22 at the facility, which is known as KSBD. Amazon said that full-time workers have benefits and can earn up to $19.25 per hour.
Inland Empire Amazon Workers United has also called out working conditions, claiming that temperatures reached 95 degrees at the airport on 24 days in July, as CNBC reports. Managers are said to have opened more rest areas after previous complaints about the heat. “They say there is air conditioning, but you can only feel it in some sections," Daniel Rivera, a leader of the stoppage, told the Post. An Amazon spokesperson claimed the highest recorded temperature in the hub is 77 degrees.
The workers who walked out don't currently have plans to file for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, but they are open to the idea amid a wave of unionization efforts across the company. Amazon has appealed against a union victory in Staten Island, New York. The results of a second election at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, were too close to call and hundreds of votes have been challenged.
You won't have to wait much longer to learn more about AMD's Ryzen 7000 desktop processors. The company has announced that it will unveil the new CPU line in a YouTube livestream on August 29th at 7PM. The event will share more about the new Zen 4 architecture and the supporting AM5 platform.
There are already some clues as to what to expect. AMD inadvertently shared some of the first Ryzen 7000 model numbers on its website in July, including one Ryzen 5 chip (7600X), one Ryzen 7 variant (7700X) and two Ryzen 9 releases (7900X and 7950X). As with past launches, the company appears focused on gaming-friendly enthusiast CPUs while leaving budget parts for later releases.
Zen 4 and AM5, meanwhile, promise meaningful architectural changes. You'll see more Level 2 cache, boost speeds beyond 5GHz, AI hardware acceleration and support for newer standards like DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0 expansion. AMD claimed a 15 percent boost to single-threaded performance in early testing. Effectively, AMD is responding to Intel's 12th-gen Core — it's just a question of whether or not Ryzen 7000 is fast enough to keep up or edge ahead.
Apple has been reluctant to cut jobs in the face of the economic downturn like Microsoft, Tesla and other major tech companies, but it apparently isn't immune to the pressure. Bloombergsources claim Apple has laid off roughly 100 contract recruiters to reflect changes in the company's "current business needs." It's maintaining full-time recruiting positions and some contractors, but the layoffs covered locations ranging from Texas to Singapore.
The company declined to comment. During a call for its latest latest earnings, CEO Tim Cook said Apple would continue to hire people but would be "more deliberate" given difficult conditions. It fired hundreds of Irish contract workers in 2019 in response to Siri recording privacy concerns, and dropped Apple Park development contractors in 2015.
The move isn't surprising when Apple had a mixed quarter this spring. Although iPhone revenue grew, Apple Watch and smart home sales took a hit due to a rough economy. iPad and Mac sales were hampered by supply limitations, too. While Apple isn't exactly in financial trouble (it still posted a $19.4 billion profit), it's not enjoying the relentless growth of previous years. If the layoff report is accurate, the firm is adapting to a reality where ever-increasing sales aren't guaranteed.
After nearly four years with the iPhone X, I finally upgraded to the iPhone 13 late last year. This might seem silly, but perhaps my favorite feature is not the 12-megapixel camera or Super Retina HD display – it’s the MagSafe support. I know that MagSafe actually debuted a year earlier with the iPhone 12, but there weren’t as many MagSafe accessories out then as there are now. One of my recent favorites is the Anker 622 Magnetic Wireless Portable Charger, which helps ensure my phone never runs out of battery.
To be fair, the iPhone 13 actually has decent battery life. In our review, we found that it easily outlasted its predecessor by a couple of hours, lasting almost two days with our standard battery test. However, I don’t always remember to charge my phone, and I use my phone constantly when I’m out and about. That’s especially true if I need to access Google Maps for directions. I do have a 25,000mAh ZMI power bank, but while it’s useful for travel, it’s just too bulky to fit in my everyday bag. I needed a smaller and lighter solution to use on the regular.
Anker
Engadget
I considered Apple’s own MagSafe Battery Pack, but its $99 price tag is a little too steep for me, plus it only has a 1,460mAh capacity. I then discovered Anker has a line of MagSafe portable chargers, one of which is the 622. It’s only $70, which is far cheaper than Apple’s, and it also has a lot more battery life with 5,000mAh capacity. On top of that, it has a built-in kickstand and comes in a variety of colors. I bought one without hesitation. (I went with the Misty Blue option.)
I’ve been using it for a few months now, and it’s great. It attaches to my phone through my MagSafe-compatible case without any problems (I use this one from Smartish), and charges it from empty to about 80 percent in just a few hours. I love that I can use it without any extra USB cables dangling out of my bag.
Additionally, that bonus fold-out kickstand is surprisingly useful. It lies flat when not in use, but you can fold it out into a 30-degree angle stand, with a magnet holding it in place. I can rotate the phone to either portrait or landscape mode, which lets me prop the phone up to watch videos when I’m traveling. I especially like that it’s so slim and portable – it’s barely the size of a deck of cards.
I do have a few nitpicks with it, though. It occasionally gets super hot when it’s charging, which makes it a little uncomfortable to have in my pockets. Also, since the USB-C port is on the bottom, I can’t charge the battery pack while it’s in the kickstand position. Finally, I do sometimes wish it had more battery capacity, especially if I’m on a long-haul flight. If I had to get a MagSafe battery now, I’d probably opt for the Anker 633 instead, which just launched a couple of months ago. It’s thicker, but it has a 10,000mAh capacity, a sturdier kickstand, a high-speed charging option via USB-C, and it’s not much more at just $80.
Spotify is trying another method to get people more engaged with the platform while tapping into the power of social recommendations. It's prompting some users in Vietnam to record a playlist reaction with their voice. This clip will be shared as a podcast episode.
Those who see the prompt, which a Reddit user spotted, can create a voice reaction in one go or piecemeal with shorter clips by pausing the recording. They can edit their captures and add background music. They'll be able to link to the playlist before posting their episode.
Spotify confirmed to TechCrunchthat it's running the test, though it didn't reveal how it will moderate the recordings or whether it plans to roll out the feature more broadly. Theoretically, this could lead to people dabbling in audio creation for the first time, but whether people actually want to hit the record button to react to a playlist remains to be seen.
Spotify has been testing an in-app podcast recording option off and on for years. In a recent trial that took place in New Zealand, it published podcast episodes that a user recorded to that person's profile. That seems a smart way for the company to take advantage of friend connections on Spotify — a playlist recommendation from a buddy is perhaps more effective than one suggested by the algorithm. Recording a reaction podcast to offer a recommendation seems unnecessary, though.
Winamp's plans to regain relevance include much more than finally updating its audio software. The company has opened invitations to a creator service that gives musicians tools to distribute, promote and (of course) profit from their work. While most details won't emerge in earnest until features begin unlocking in September, this is slated to include fan subscription support debuting in November. Your favorite artist could offer special content at different tiers — it appears to be a Patreon-style platform for music.
The invitations are limited to 25,000 people. They'll receive a year of free access to tools as well as a Creator Pass that promises "exclusive perks," including digital tokens of Winamp's well-known llama.
Don't worry that Winamp might ignore its signature player software. The company maintains that it will parallel the service rollouts with improvements to the client. The aim is to create the "music superapp" listeners want, Winamp said.
The creator service and retooled software could help Winamp adapt to an era where streaming and subscriptions have largely replaced downloads. With that said, there are challenges. Many listeners are tied to first-party streaming apps like Apple Music and Spotify. They aren't guaranteed to turn to outside software and services, even if they might miss out on rewards.
