Don't expect to receive more updates for your Pixel 3. Esper's Mishaal Rahman has learned Google is delivering one last security update to the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. The company previously said the Pixel 3 would get one last update in the first quarter of 2022, and confirmed to Engadget this represents the device's last hurrah.
It's not certain what the patch fixes. However, DarkPlayer noted the build ID matches that for an October patch that targeted newer Pixel models on Verizon. This is a catch-up release rather than an up-to-the-moment patch.
You can expect more if you have a recent Pixel, at least. Google has posted a February 2022 update for the Pixel 3a and newer phones. The revision tackles several significant problems, including reboots during camera use, Bluetooth audio disconnection and quality problems, carrier-specific connection woes and keyboards that override input text in some cases.
This won't thrill you if you're fond of the Pixel 3 — you'll have to upgrade if you want up-to-the-minute security fixes. Don't fret if you have a Pixel 6, though. Google has promised five years of security updates for its latest phone line, so you might not have to worry about patches until 2026.
The Pixel 3 and 3 XL are getting what's presumably their final updatehttps://t.co/YkzqbwvrTE
Not sure what's included in the update. Has anyone gotten the update on their Pixel 3 or 3 XL yet?
Peter Thiel is leaving the board of Meta, more than 16 years after becoming one of Facebook's earliest investors. In a statement, Mark Zuckerberg said that “we've always known that at some point he would devote his time to other interests.” The New York Timesreported that those interests include “influencing” the upcoming November midterm elections and "backing candidates who support the agenda of former president Donald J. Trump."
“Peter has been a valuable member of our board and I'm deeply grateful for everything he has done for our company — from believing in us when few others would, to teaching me so many lessons about business, economics, and the world,” Zuckerberg said in a statement. “Peter is truly an original thinker who you can bring your hardest problems and get unique suggestions.”
Thiel has advised Zuckerberg from the earliest days of Facebook. He joined the board of the social media company in 2005 after investing $500,000 in the fledgling social network. In a statement, he called Zuckerberg "one of the great entrepreneurs of our time."
The Palantir founder is also one of the more controversial members of Meta’s board. Thiel was an early supporter of Trump, and was at a White House dinner in 2019 when Zuckerberg reportedly “came to an understanding” with the president’s team that Facebook would not fact check the president.
Even vintage gaming platforms aren't immune to Wordle's cultural dominance, it seems. Kotakunotes security researcher Stacksmashing has ported the hit word game to the Game Boy. The 1989-era handheld's ROM size prevented him from including the full word list, but he used a (somewhat inaccurate) filter to help the console determine if you're using one of the 8,000 most common English words.
The port is free and available to download, although you'll need to load it on a Game Boy-friendly cartridge if you intend to play on a console. And not everyone has one of Nintendo's earlier handhelds sitting around. You may want to play Wordle on a modern machine like the Analogue Pocket, particularly if you aren't keen on the first Game Boy's lack of built-in display lighting.
This isn't the first retro Wordle port, and it might not be the last. Huxley Dunsany recently ported the title to a Palm PDA, for instance. In that regard, this could be the new Doom — that is, the game adapted to run on seemingly every platform imaginable. Don't be surprised if Wordle is seemingly ubiquitous before long, even if you're unlikely to play it on ancient devices.
Want to give it a try? You can play it online here: https://t.co/V4FjDMtVgd (even works on mobile).
The co-producer of The Matrix Resurrections, in a new lawsuit,is blaming the film’s lackluster box office numbers on a same-day streaming release. According to The Wall Street Journal, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group filed a lawsuit today against Warner Bros., the owner of streaming platform HBO Max. The suit alleges that both the same-day release of The Matrix Resurrections and pushing up the film’s release date was a breach of contract. The suit also claims that moving the movie’s release date from 2022 to 2021 was a bid by Warner Bros. to drive up subscriptions to HBO Max.
Last year’s decision by Warner Bros. to release an entire slate of new films concurrently on HBO Max and in theaters raised many eyebrows. In addition to The Matrix, the 16 other films in Warner Bros’ simultaneous release strategy included Dune, Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, King Arthur, and others. The experiment likely doomed their box office fates, as The Wrapnoted. Only two of the 17 films made more than $100 million in domestic box office sales.
The Matrix Resurrections, which was released in December, normally a peak time for box office earnings, has grossed over $37.2 million in domestic box office sales, according to BoxOfficeMojo. This is a noticeable decline compared to a number of other blockbusters with theater-only releases from last winter, such as Spider-Man:No Way Home, which has made more than $748 million in the domestic box office and the James Bond film No Time To Die, which has earned more than $160 million in the domestic box office.
Village Roadshow also alleges that Warner Bros. is attempting to keep the company out of future movie and TV deals. “WB has also been devising various schemes to deprive Village Roadshow of its continuing rights to co-own and co-invest in the derivative works from the films it co-owns,” the suit alleged.
The Matrix lawsuit is the latest conflict between Hollywood studios and the media companies that own the streaming platforms. Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson last year sued Disney over the film’s simultaneous release strategy, which she claimed harmed its box office prospects and her own earnings. Johansson subsequently received an undisclosed settlement from Disney last fall.
It didn't take long for the Internal Revenue Service to respond to pressure to drop facial recognition. The agency has told Senator Ron Wyden it plans to back away from using facial recognition for verification purposes. Wyden cautioned the transition would "take time" and didn't provide a schedule, but he saw this as evidence the Biden administration knew privacy and security weren't "mutually exclusive" concepts.
We've asked ID.me, the company slated to provide facial recognition to the IRS, for comment. Under the plan, the IRS would have used the technology to authenticate users hoping to file taxes online or otherwise use the IRS' internet services. The approach was intended as a fraud prevention tool, and would have been available by the summer.
The about-face comes after a wave of recent political pressure. While the Treasury Department was already reconsidering the use of facial recognition tech at the IRS, the service encountered opposition from Republican senators, House Democrats and civil liberties groups concerned about a range of issues. They've been worried about the privacy of uploading sensitive data, historical biases in facial recognition, susceptibility to cyberattacks, inaccessibility to people without broadband and a lack of audits and other forms of accountability. Wyden sent a letter to the IRS mere hours before the organization signalled its change of heart.
There's no indication yet as to whether the IRS will replace the facial recognition system with another upgraded security measure. Whether or not it does, this may represent a significant victory for those hoping to ban federal uses of facial recognition. Although this might not lead to a total ban, it could prompt other government institutions to limit or resist uses of the technology.
This is big: The IRS has notified my office it plans to transition away from using facial recognition verification, as I requested earlier today. While this transition may take time, the administration recognizes that privacy and security are not mutually exclusive. https://t.co/jw7OR7dNo0
Hulu has dropped the first trailer for The Dropout, a miniseries about the failed blood-testing startup Theranos. Amanda Seyfried stars as its embattled former CEO, Elizabeth Holmes. The two-and-a-half-minute preview shows Holmes dropping out of Stanford to found Theranos. It includes snippets of the company's high points (it raised more than $700 million in investments) and hints at its very public demise, as well as Holmes developing her infamously deep voice.
The trailer is full of familiar faces, including Naveen Andrews (Lost) as Sunny Balwani, the former president and chief operating officer of Theranos and Holmes' ex-boyfriend. Stephen Fry, William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf and Sam Waterston also appear.
Theranos claimed to offer rapid blood tests that required only a finger prick. However, multiple reports claimed the tests weren't effective. The SEC charged Holmes and Theranos with fraud in March 2018 and the company collapsed later that year.
The Dropout will premiere two months after Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors. She faces up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced in September. With Holmes' trial fresh in the memory, some folks might be curious to learn more about the story behind her and Theranos. The trailer, which is edited in the style of a thriller, might draw some more attention to the show too.
The first three episodes of The Dropout will hit Hulu on March 3rd. Other installments will arrive on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, Adam McKay and Jennifer Lawrence are working on a movie about Holmes and Theranos for Apple.
Winter is a great time to catch up on your video game “pile of shame,” which makes Amazon’s latest deal either well- or poorly-timed depending on how you feel about having even more games to play. Right now it’s buy two, get one free on select books, movies and game titles, and there’s some good stuff to grab while supplies last.
You can expect newer games to be sold at full price, while a few older titles on the list may be discounted by 20 percent or more. As usual, the free game will be the cheapest title you put in your cart, so while Ring Fit Adventure is part of the sale, you’re still going to pay $70 for it but at least you can still snag a freebie elsewhere.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Despite Google being on the twelfth generation of its ubiquitous mobile OS, recently it’s felt like Android has left tablets behind. Hell, even Google gave up making its own tablets years ago, while some other device makers began favoring Chrome OS over Android on larger gaadgets. But with Android 12L, Google is trying to address some of the OS’s shortcomings while also paving the way for emerging types of gadgets like foldables.
Why Android 12L?
In contrast to Google’s typical once-a-year release cadence, Android 12L is a timely callback to older versions of Android that got one (or more) mid-cycle updates. One big advantage of Android 12L is that because Google doesn’t have to worry about including larger overarching changes as it does with its big yearly update, the company can be more targeted about what kind of features should (or should not) be included.
Who is it for?
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Google says Android 12L is a special update primarily meant to support larger-screen devices, though all the new features will still make their way into Android as a whole. Currently, Android 12L can be installed on a range of Pixel phones (the Pixel 3 and up, but not the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro yet), Google’s Android Emulator, and critically, Lenovo’s P12 Pro tablet–which is the only tablet and third-party device that’s been officially approved to run Android 12L so far. (It’s also the main device I’ve been using to test 12L.)
When will Android 12L be ready for release?
Google
Right now, Google is mid-way through its testing and development cycle. Android 12L has already gotten two beta releases to date (depending on the device), with a third beta planned for sometime later this month prior to an eventual release sometime by the end of Q1 2022 (which ends in March).
The big changes in Android 12L
A new taskbar and improved multitasking
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The most important addition in Android 12L is the new taskbar. Similar to taskbars on desktop OSes, Android 12L’s taskbar sits at the bottom of the screen and holds a selection of apps for easy access (though I should note that on smaller devices like phones, the taskbar may not be there by default).
Unlike many Android launchers, the taskbar is pinned in place, so it’ll always be there unless you’re playing a fullscreen video or game. That said, you can make it disappear when you want by pressing and holding. But where things get really interesting is that you can also open up apps directly into split-screen mode simply by dragging the app icon up from the taskbar into the middle of your screen. From there, you can easily adjust the size of the app’s window however you want.
Google
This far into Android’s development cycle, the addition of a taskbar and the ability to drag and drop apps into split-screen mode is as close to a “game-changer” as we’re going to get. It makes the process of multitasking so much faster and easier—particularly for larger devices like tablets and smartphones which often feel like they have more screen real estate than they can actually utilize.
That said, there are some important limitations because unlike Samsung’s One UI, there isn’t an easy way to open up three apps in split-screen at the same time or create permanent app pairs. But even more than that, the taskbar maxes out at five apps, which feels a bit limited. I mean just look at all the extra room on the left and right where more apps could go. I’m really hoping that for the final build, Google increases the number of apps that can live down there, especially when existing foldables like the Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold3 have a similar taskbar that supports up to eight icons (plus a launcher) with ease.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
For people who like to watch videos, Google recently added a new split-screen icon to the second Android 12L beta’s picture-in-picture mode, so you can more easily go from the mini player to multitasking with just a couple taps.
UI improvements
The other big area of improvement in Android 12L are changes to the OS’s UI for larger screens. So instead of the single-column notification tray we’re used to seeing on phones, Android 12L features a two-column layout that puts notifications on the right alongside your usual quick settings icons on the left. It’s a straightforward change, but it really does make the extra display area on bigger devices feel more worthwhile. And it’s a similar situation for the Settings menu, though once again I should point out that Samsung’s OneUI has had this for some time on larger foldables. Sadly on the P12 Pro, I noticed that the two-column notification layout only works in landscape mode, which hopefully Google can address in a future update.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Another clever quality-of-life update is the ability for Android 12L to move the PIN or pattern-entry menu on a device’s lock screen to left or right, based on where you most recently touched the screen. It makes getting into your device just a bit faster and easier. Though once again, Google still needs to tweak things a bit. On the P12 Pro, the field showing your pin appears at the top of the screen, which looks a bit awkward (and also quite hilarious) in portrait mode. Google also updated the Recent Apps screen with a new layout that retains the existing card-based system while better utilizing the space on the sides of your display.
Finally, while it’s not available on the P12 Pro just yet, Google also added a new “double line” clock option to the lock screen. So instead of getting a giant clock smack dab in the middle of your display, you can choose a more compact timepiece that’s tucked up in the top left corner.
Even more under-the-hood big screen optimizations
Elsewhere, Android 12L has even more subtle enhancements designed to make apps look better on bigger screens, even if those apps haven’t been updated in a while. For apps that haven’t been already optimized by their developers, Google upgraded Android 12L’s compatibility mode to make apps automatically look and respond better across various screen resolutions and orientations. And for apps that don’t take up the entire screen, Google added new letterboxing options including new overlays and background settings. There’s even a new tool to apply rounded corners to app windows, though as you can see by the squared-off apps from our Android 12L test device, it’s up to device makers to implement them as they see fit.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
In the future, Google will also add ratings to Play Store to help point out which apps have been optimized for large screen devices and support things like adaptive layouts and scaling options, which is especially important for foldables that can switch between various screen resolutions and aspect ratios on the fly.
Then there are more niche changes like updated M3 buttons (the ones that look like little pills) that should help call attention to important permissions, some new animations (like the one for power in quick settings) and more intuitive labels for important multitasking functions (like renaming “pin to top” to “split top”).
What Android 12L means for future devices
Google has been very clear thus far saying Android 12L is intended to support “the next wave of Android 12 tablets, Chromebooks and foldables.” So while you may see some improvements on phones, Android 12L is really setting the table for the next batch of big-screen mobile devices. However, if we’re reading between the lines, perhaps the bigger takeaway is that Android 12L could herald the arrival of the long-rumored Pixel Fold or possibly the return of a first-party Google tablet. Google hasn’t done a mid-cycle Android update since Android 8.1 in late 2017, which suggests Google might have some upcoming hardware designed to really showcase all the new features in Android 12L.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
But has it worked? Compared to vanilla Android 12, the new taskbar in Android 12L makes an immediate impact on how you use and multitask on a tablet or other big screen device. With so many people working and learning from home, the days when a tablet could be a simple video watching or social media machine are over, and with Android 12L is Google acknowledging that shift.
However, it isn’t a clear win, because when compared to Chrome OS which already has a dedicated taskbar and the ability to run Android apps, Chrome OS-based devices often feel like they’re better suited to handle everyday productivity or education needs, particularly on gadgets with built-in or optional keyboards. But for mobile-first hybrid devices like foldables, Android 12L makes a lot of sense, even if many of these new features are already available in other variations of Android like One UI.
It's not just Republican senators upset over the Internal Revenue Service's plans to adopt ID.me facial recognition. Democratic House Representatives Ted Lieu, Anna Eshoo, Pramila Jayapal and Yvette Clarke have sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig demanding his agency drop plans to use facial recognition starting this summer. They're concerned the plan will compromise privacy and security by forcing uploads of sensitive data to a database that could be a "prime target" for cyberattacks like the one that exposed license plates at Customs and Border Protection in 2019.
The members of Congress were also worried about lingering accuracy and bias problems with facial recognition systems. While ID.me maintains its technology is equitable and inclusive, the Democrats pointed to a National Institute of Standards and Technology study that showed many more false positives for Asian and Black faces, even in one-to-one matching systems like the one ID.me sometimes uses. The requirement for facial recognition also discriminated against those who couldn't afford "reliable" broadband and video capabilities, according to the letter.
Transparency was also a point of contention. The House reps were concerned ID.me backtracked on claims it didn't use potentially more invasive one-to-many face recognition tech, and that the IRS wasn't transparent regarding its contract.
The House group asked the IRS to answer several questions on top of rethinking its policy. The politicians wanted the tax service to explain the methodology leading to the contract, including examples of fraud that would justify facial recognition and the lack of disclosures surrounding ID.me's tech. Lieu and allies similarly wanted to know if the IRS had taken measures to address the potentials for bias and security breaches. There was no deadline for answering these questions.
Letters like this won't guarantee action. There's no immediate threat of legislation or other efforts that could force the IRS to change course. They do reflect mounting bipartisan (and bicameral) opposition to the service's facial recognition strategy, though, and they come as part of a broader effort to ban the technology at the federal level. If politicians deem the IRS' response inadequate, they might escalate their legislative efforts.
Sony might not have locked down PlayStation VR2 specifications despite providing some details at CES 2022. Tobii says it's in talks to provide eye tracking technology for the next-gen VR headset. It noted the discussions were "ongoing" and that it couldn't share the potential financial impact of the deal. The firm is required to divulge the negotiations to honor EU market regulations.
We've asked Sony for comment. The company previously confirmed the PlayStation VR2 would use eye tracking, but didn't name a tech supplier or explain in detail how the feature would work. The headset will also use camera-based "inside-out" tracking to detect head and controller movement.
The revelation suggests PlayStation VR2 might not arrive for a while. Game console makers typically need to solidify hardware specs well in advance, both for the sake of manufacturing and to give developers time to produce games optimized for new devices. If Sony still hasn't chosen a provider for a key feature like eye tracking, a launch is still a long ways off.
Not that this would be a complete surprise. Sony first teased PlayStation VR2 in early 2021, and warned there was "a lot" of work left on the project. The electronics firm ruled out any release that year, and still hasn't given a general timeframe for the wearable's debut. Tobii's claim might just temper expectations for PlayStation 5 owners eager to try Sony's latest take on VR.
