Nanoleaf is retiring the product that made it into a household name. Starting today, you can no longer purchase Rhythm Light Panels starter kits from the company’s website. In a video it uploaded to YouTube, Nanoleaf said it now considers the device as a legacy product. It notes it will continue to support Light Panels within its mobile app “forever,” or “a very, very, very long time.”

In practice, that means you can continue to use the panels in conjunction with Nanoleaf’s group feature, allowing you to sync them with its current and future lights. For the time being, it doesn’t sound like the company plans to update the panels to add support for new features like Thread. We’ve reached out to find out if that’s the case.

Should you need replacement parts for your panels, Nanoleaf will offer those until the end of 2023. If you want to expand your current setup, the company has discounted expansion packs by 30 percent and accessories by 50 percent while supplies last. As you might imagine, not everyone is happy about the news. 

“This is a mistake,” says one of the comments on the video the company released. “All Nanoleaf needed to do was release an updated controller that supports Thread to help the connection issues.” In both the video and on its website, Nanoleaf says part of the reason it’s retiring the Light Panels is that it feels it found a suitable successor in its new Shapes line.

Automakers have been pursuing the dream of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for decades — who wouldn't want a car that runs on renewable hydrogen and only emits water vapor? But many challenges, from designing cars that can easily hold the fuel, to setting up reliable hydrogen distribution, have made it difficult to turn that dream into a reality. But what if you used those fuel cells to set up a remote EV charging station, or to replace a traditional gas or diesel generator for a large camp? That's what GM is planning to do with its HYDROTEC fuel cell technology, the company announced today.

GM

GM's Mobile Power Generators, or MPGs, are pretty self descriptive: they'd basically let you bring large amounts of electricity anywhere without burning fossil fuels, or expanding a local power grid. It could be useful for concerts, movie sets, or neighborhoods that frequently lose power. (In my town outside of Atlanta, almost everyone owns a gas generator to deal with storm-related outages.) 

The announcement also makes plenty of sense for GM, as it's already bringing its fuel cell technology to trucking, aerospace and rail partners. The company says the MPGs will be able to spit out 60 to 600 kilowatts without producing much noise or heat.

GM plans to show off an MPG-powered EV charging station in the middle of 2022, a project co-funded by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the U.S. Army. Additionally, the California Energy Commission is exploring how MPGs could help provide energy during power shutdowns. GM is also working together with Renewable Innovations to build the EMPOWER rapid charger, which could deliver fast EV charging to existing stations without the need for huge infrastructure improvements. Taking things to an even more extreme level, there's a large MPG implementation that could potentially power large military camps and heavy-duty equipment. (And as a bonus, those camps can actually use the water the MPG emits.)

While it'll likely be years before MPGs can actually deployed, it's heartening to see GM explore uses for fuel cells outside of cars. Battery-powered EVs have evolved so quickly that hydrogen-powered cars don't have much of a future (sorry, Toyota). So it's about time we start considering other ways fuel cells could help.

President Biden is following his executive order on cybersecurity with more concrete action. The leader has signed a memorandum aiming to improve digital security for the Defense Department, the intelligence community and national security systems. The notice sets firmer requirements, both for schedules and for the technology needed to lock down government data.

The memo lets the NSA require agencies to take "specific actions" in response to threats and security flaws, and asks the NSA to coordinate with Homeland Security on directives. Agencies will also have to identify their national security systems, report incidents and secure tools that transfer data between classified and unclassified systems. The President's move also sets timelines and guidance for implementing technologies required in the executive order, ranging from encryption to multi-factor authentication.

Biden's move complements an order that was initially signed in response to critical infrastructure cyberattacks. In theory, this will tighten security at some of the most sensitive federal government institutions. As with the order, though, the memo can only accomplish so much without Congress' support. Virginia Senator Mark Warner, for instance, used the signing to ask Congress to pass legislation requiring notices of critical infrastructure breaches within 72 hours.

The timing is apt, at least. The President's effort comes as tensions rise between Russia, the US and American allies, with Ukraine blaming Russia for a string of cyberattacks that knocked out government websites. The situation might not lead to outright cyberwarfare, but the US still has a strong incentive to close as many security holes as possible.

Instagram creators are getting another way to create income from the platform: subscriptions. A very small number of influencers in the US have access to the feature for now as Instagram tests the feature.

At the outset, they'll be able to put some livestreams and stories behind a paywall. Those stories, which can be saved to subscribers-only highlights, have a purple ring to make them stand out, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said.

As with Twitch and YouTube, subscribers will receive a purple badge next to their usernames. Creators can see the badge in comments, messages and elsewhere. As such, they'll be able to devote more of their attention to subscribers, if they like.

More subscription features may be added in the future. Mosseri also said his team is working on ways for creators to export their subscriber lists and "bring them off of Instagram to other apps and websites built by other companies."

Creators will be able to set a monthly price of their choosing and followers can subscribe via a button on their profile. Instagram plans to expand the test to more creators in the coming months and parent company Meta previously said it won't take a cut of creators' earnings until at least 2023.

"This will help creators earn more by offering benefits to their most engaged followers like access to exclusive Lives and Stories," said Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Instagram's parent company Meta. "I'm excited to keep building tools for creators to make a living doing creative work and to put these tools in more creators' hands soon."

Facebook added subscriptions in 2019. It seemed inevitable that, given the platform's popularity and large number of influencers, the option would come to Instagram as well. Mosseri previously said creators would be one of Instagram's major areas of focus this year, and subscriptions certainly play into that. It follows Instagram offering creators payouts for hitting certain livestreaming targets and other monetization features.

Last summer, Zuckerberg announced plans to invest $1 billion in creators by the end of 2022. With so many influencers finding big audiences on other platforms (many of which are investing heavily in creators), the company was left with little choice but to try and draw them to Facebook and Instagram with the promise of payouts.

Over the years, Google’s productivity suite has had many names. What started as Google Apps became G Suite and is now known as Workspace. Over that same timeframe, the company has offered just as many ways to access that software, announcing new subscription plans while doing away with older ones. It now plans to sunset a tier that had survived the suite’s most recent rebranding.

In an email spotted by 9to5Google, the company told Workspace administrators it won’t offer G Suite legacy free edition as of July 1st, 2022. The company plans to transition those users to paid accounts starting on May 1st. Google says it will automatically select a subscription plan for users who don’t pick one on their own by the start of May, noting it will look at their current usage when making the decision. Any individual or organization the company migrates to a paid subscription plan automatically won’t be billed for at least two months. However, the company says it will suspend the accounts of individuals and organizations that don’t input their billing information by July 1st.

Business and enterprise Workspace accounts start at a monthly cost of $6 per user. The company will offer "deep" discounts to those affected by the decision. To be clear, if you're using Gmail, Docs, Sheets and other apps through a free Google account, you won't be affected by the move. What's more, Google will continue to offer free Workspace plans to nonprofits and schools that qualify for its Fundamentals tier. That’s not changing with today’s announcement, nor do organizations with legacy G Suite Basic, Business, Education or Nonprofit subscriptions have to worry about a potential surprise bill.

Verizon and AT&T have at last switched on their C-Band 5G services after a six-weekdelay. While the networks won't be available near many airports for the time being after the companies' tussle with the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines, people in some areas of the US will have access to the services starting today.

AT&T is taking a relatively cautious approach to its rollout. Its C-Band 5G services are live in "limited parts" of eight metro areas, including Detroit and Chicago as well as Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston in Texas. Folks in three regions in Florida — Jacksonville, Orlando and South Florida — can also use AT&T's C-Band network.

Verizon (Engadget's former parent company) says that 100 million more people will gain access to its 5G Ultra Wideband network this month in more than 1,700 cities, including C-Band coverage. So, most metro areas should have at least some C-Band 5G coverage from Verizon in the coming weeks.

The C-Band spectrum has more bandwidth than the low-band spectrum AT&T and Verizon used in their previous 5G rollouts. That should enable faster download and upload speeds than earlier iterations of 5G. Verizon claims its C-Band 5G is up to 10 times faster than 4G LTE, with download speeds that have exceeded 1 Gbps in some areas.

AT&T and Verizon initially planned to switch on C-Band 5G in December, but they pushed back the activation following concerns from the FAA and airlines. The companies said on Tuesday that, even though 40 other countries have enabled C-Band 5G without issue, they are voluntarily delaying the rollout near several airports. Earlier this month, the two said they'd create buffer zones around 50 airports.

The Weather Channel will come to YouTube TV sometime in 2022. Google and Allen Media Group, the network’s owner, announced the move as part of a broader multi-year partnership that sees the media company becoming a Google Cloud client. AMG says The Weather Channel is one of several networks it plans to bring to the service in 2022 and beyond. The company also plans to work with Google on streaming apps for Android phones and tablets, as well as Google TV and Android TV devices. The exact timing of when all of that may happen Google and AMG didn’t say. Still, the deal is a significant one for the search giant. It will help it address one of the more notable gaps in its live TV offering.

Horizon Forbidden West is just under a month away from hitting PlayStation 4 and PS5, and Sony is ramping up its marketing push with a trailer that sheds some light on the sequel's story. The video is, unsurprisingly, packed with gorgeous visuals while offering some details on what seems to be a solid expansion of Horizon Zero Dawn's rich story.

"People are suffering. Soon, they'll starve," protagonist Aloy (Ashly Burch) says at the beginning of the trailer. "The machines, meant to help us, are out of control. I have to find a way to fix it all. The answer is somewhere out in the Forbidden West." We soon learn that, in that part of the world, war is the order of the day, so Aloy clearly has another difficult journey ahead.

Along with some familiar faces like Varl and Erend, there are some new characters in the trailer — both friendly and hostile ones. Angela Bassett plays one of the antagonists, Regalla. She's a rebel leader who "seeks to slaughter all those who've wronged her" and has the ability to control the machines, granted to her by a returning character. The three-minute clip closes with a glimpse of a mysterious character named Tilda. Guerrilla Games told Game Informer that The Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss plays her.

Of course, some of the machines Aloy will battle appear in the clip too. Among them is a terrifying, giant cobra-rattlesnake hybrid called the Slitherfang, which can spit streams of acid in her direction.

Overall, the trailer offers another tantalizing look at a hotly anticipated game. Given that an unfinished build reportedly leaked earlier this month, it's best for fans to tread carefully to avoid spoilers before Horizon Forbidden West arrives on February 18th.

After being pushed back from its original 2021 release date, Drinkbox Studios’ playful shape-shifting RPG is available at last on Xbox and PC.

From the makers of Guacamelee and Severed, Nobody Saves the World is crammed with Drinkbox’s signature self-aware humor and vivid art style while paying homage to classic RPGs from the 90s. Inspired by Final Fantasy Tactic’s Job system, the game’s titular hero Nobody can shapeshift into 18 different off-kilter forms including an egg, slug, and even a bodybuilder to complete quests and clear out dungeons.

The game’s overworld and top-down aesthetic will be immediately familiar to fans of other classics like Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Drinkbox also tacks new-school twists on the genre with clever level design and quirky combat that includes moves like the magician’s confetti bomb. But the fun really amps up once you get the ability to mix-and-match attacks between forms, which unlocks more than a hundred combos to help dispatch foes.

If the game’s gorgeous 2D sprites weren’t enough to catch your attention, Nobody Saves the World also features a soundtrack from composer Jim Guthrie, whose music has been featured in titles such as Superbother: Sword & Sworcery, Indie Game: The Movie, and others.

Nobody Saves the World is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X and PC (Steam) for $25, or via subscription as part of Xbox Games Pass on Xbox consoles, Windows PCs, and Xbox Cloud streaming.

Apple is nearly ready to release its tale of WeWork's tragic fall. The company has announced that its Apple TV+ limited series WeCrashed will premiere March 18th. The eight-episode drama stars Jared Leto as former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann, who wielded hype to earn a $47 billion valuation only to lose most of it (and his job) when the IPO process revealed ugly financials and leadership. Anne Hathaway plays Adam's wife Rebekah, who served as an executive (including the head of WeGrow) and whose relationship with Adam was "at the center of it all," according to Apple.

The trailer sets expectations quickly. The Neumanns portrayed by Leto and Hathaway are full of overly grand visions, portraying WeWork as nothing less than the future, a "movement" aiming to "elevate the world's consciousness." The clip also highlights the cult-like devotion to the company and its notoriously summer camp-like retreats. It's not certain how well the performances will hold up across a whole series, but Apple at least seems to understand how WeWork's reality was never going to match the buzz.

This isn't the first streaming take on WeWork's rise and sudden decline. Hulu's 2021 documentary was an imperfect but prominent take on the Neumann couple. Apple's effort clearly has star power, however, and the behind-the-camera talent has experience with well-received titles like Little America and This is Us. If nothing else, it's clear Apple hasn't given up its TV+ strategy of counting on big names to draw in viewers, even if the projects are slightly unusual.