The following contains spoilers for episode five of 'What If...?' (and a tiny spoiler for 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings').

The fifth episode of Marvel’s alternate universe anthology program on Disney+ is a star-studded affair, bringing back Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan and Mark Ruffalo to voice their characters surviving in a world overtaken by the undead. (No Tom Holland, though.) This adventure’s point of divergence takes place during the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, leading up to the events of Infinity War. It’s the biggest What If...? yet, in both cast and concept, and it also sheds a light on some characters still waiting for their day in the spotlight.

Janet Van Dyne contracts the zombie plague in the Quantum Realm and, when rescued, ends up spreading it to her husband and Scott Lang and things escalate from there. Even the Avengers end up infected, leaving the task of saving the world to characters who weren’t officially part of the team, like Wasp, Winter Soldier and Spider-Man. They’re joined by supporting characters like Sharon Carter, Okoye, Kurt and Happy Hogan. Bruce Banner is there too, but without the help of the Hulk. Just like in Infinity War, he refuses to emerge, leaving Bruce mostly defenseless.

Marvel Studios

The episode also gives us a darker take on the Vision and Scarlet Witch, one that has a lot more meaning if you’ve watched all of WandaVision. There’s also a nod to The Falcon and Winter Soldier, when zombie Sam Wilson gets cut in half. Bucky finds himself unfeeling about the whole thing, likely because this version of the characters haven’t had time to bond the way their live-action counterparts have.

Without Captain America and Iron Man to take the reins, the role of leader falls to, well, no one, really, with this motley group of heroes and side-characters operating as a collective. It seems to work for the team for the most part, though they ignore Peter Parker’s advice not to split up with disastrous results.

Marvel Studios

In fact, Peter is the star of the show here, despite his actor being unavailable to voice him. Just as he was in Infinity War, the kid is a solid team player who more than pulls his weight in combat. But this is also the first time we get to see other heroes interact with him on a more personal level. He isn’t just Tony Stark’s mascot here, instead the team ends up looking to him for moral support, the way they might have once admired Steve Rogers. It’s a nice glimpse of what Peter can be free of Iron Man’s shadow, a thread that will be more fully explored in this December’s No Way Home.

Marvel Studios

In the teaser for the upcoming Eternals film, one of the characters, Sprite, asks who will lead the Avengers now. Though the answer is unlikely to come out of that particular movie, this most recent What If…? suggests a few intriguing possibilities. While Peter forms the heart of the team here, a lot of the thinking falls to Bruce Banner. He’s a character that’s gone underused in the MCU thus far, thanks to Universal holding the film rights. A lot of his development has had to happen off-screen, but starting with 2018’s Thor: Ragnarok and continuing with the upcoming She-Hulk show, he’s gently getting nudged to the forefront of the Avengers. With Captain America, Iron Man and Black Widow dead and Thor off in space, he’s the natural choice to take the reins as one of two OG team members left (and if you’ve seen Shang-Chi, it seems he may already have).

Marvel Studios

Ultimately, like all What If…? episodes this installment doesn’t actually matter to the grander MCU, though its open-ended nature raises the possibility of a sequel — and given how many Marvel Zombies comics are out there, it’s almost guaranteed we’ll see this reality on Disney+ again. But for fans who don’t care for this week’s horror elements the story is still a valuable tease for how a post-blip, second generation Avengers roster could function.

Amazon, the owner of Whole Foods, is finally bringing the sort of high-tech features we were expecting to the nationwide grocery chain. Its cashierless Just Walk Out tech will soon arrive in two Whole Foods locations, after starting off in Amazon’s own Go grocery stores.

Just Walk Out uses computer vision, sensors and AI to let you walk into a store, sign in with an app, fill up your bags and leave without joining a checkout line or scanning your items.

I’ve tested out the systems at my local Amazon Fresh, and I’ll begrudgingly admit, it’s magical. It’s not my go-to grocery store, so I usually only pick up an item or two. I’m mostly shopping there to see how everything works and what Amazon’s brick-and-mortar stores were selling.

Amazon

Multiple ameras in the ceiling monitor shoppers, who check in with their Amazon account as they pass through turnstiles. Shelves have sensors to detect when shoppers take items — and it’s all pretty amazing. Except when it gets things wrong. At one point, I went in to grab a newspaper (what? I like the supplements?) and some milk. Unfortunately, it added a couple more items to my purchase, and you’re only informed of this when you’re billed after leaving the store. To Amazon’s credit, it was quick to refund me once I flagged the issue through the app. It’s early days for the tech, which is predictably being refined as each shopper passes through its stores. There’s also something convenient about packing away your shopping as you browse.

I only saw staff monitoring check-ins, as most people were confused by the conceit of the place, and filling shelves, but unions have said Amazon's cashierless tech will cost workers jobs at some point. The company says new Whole Foods locations will "employ a comparable number of team members as existing Whole Foods stores of similar sizes."

This could be just the start. Amazon signed a deal last year to license its technology to third-party retailers, so even if there’s not a Whole Foods (or Amazon Fresh or Go) near you, you might not need a check-out.

— Mat Smith

Microsoft issues warning on Windows attack that uses malicious Office files

Don't open Office files unless it's from a source you fully trust.

Microsoft is warning that some attackers are actively exploiting a remote code execution vulnerability using malicious Office files. It affects Windows Servers from version 2008 and Windows 7 through 10. What attackers are doing is sending potential victims an Office file and tricking them into opening it. That file automatically opens Internet Explorer to load the bad actor's web page, which has an ActiveX control that downloads malware to the victim's computer.

Microsoft says its Defender Antivirus and Defender for Endpoint can both detect the vulnerability and prevent infection, so users need to keep them updated and running.

Continue reading.

LG claims its new display material is as hard as glass

The Real Folding Window was designed to prevent fold impressions too.

LG Chem

LG Chem has designed a new type of cover window — that is, the outermost pre-installed part of displays protecting them from impact — which it says is as hard as glass and has the capability to prevent fold impressions on the connecting part of a device. That’s the curse of any foldable devices once it’s been folded and unfurled a few times.

The company calls the material Real Folding Window. It’s made of PET film with a new coating technology on both sides, and it can be folded both outwards and inwards, unlike existing foldable screen materials.

Continue reading.

The final Android 12 beta is here

Next stop: the official release.

Google has released the fifth and final beta for Pixel phones (including the Pixel 5a) and several third-party devices, giving you one more look before the finished version arrives.

The Material You design scheme remains the most conspicuous change in Android 12, including an overall interface refresh, more fluid animations as well as color themes that adapt to your wallpaper. The completed software is due sometime in the "weeks ahead," Google said. If history is any indication, only Pixel owners will get Android 12 first.

Continue reading.

DJI’s new phone gimbal is also a selfie stick

It’s also smaller than its predecessors.

DJI

DJI’s Osmo Mobile 5 has an extending arm, so you can use it as a selfie stick. The new gimbal is palm-sized when folded and is a third smaller than the last version. The OM 5 is available in two finishes, Sunset White and Athens Gray, starting today. It costs $159 and includes the magnetic clamp, tripod, wrist strap, power cable and storage pouch.

Continue reading.

The biggest news stories you might have missed

GOG's store adds six classic 'Star Trek' games

The Gmail app will soon make voice and video calls

Google Photos will deliver as many prints as you like to your home

Fake pro-China accounts tried to push Americans to attend anti-racism protests

Senator Warren urges Amazon to tackle COVID-19 misinformation

NASA will finally launch the James Webb Space Telescope on December 18th

Lenovo's IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon is an ultralight laptop with an OLED display

Xbox is rolling out a controller firmware update to Insiders, with the biggest new feature being the introduction of Bluetooth Low Energy for supported devices. That will make it easier to pair with and switch from Xbox One consoles to different systems including Windows 10, iOS 15 and Android devices, the company announced. Microsoft has also introduced DLI (Dynamic Latency Input) to reduce console input latency on older controllers. 

Most of Microsoft's existing Xbox One controllers, including the latest low-latency Xbox Series X model, use Bluetooth for PCs or smartphones, and the Xbox Wireless protocol for Xbox consoles. Up to now, switching between them has been clunky, but with the new firmware, controllers will remember your phone or PC and let you quickly switch over to them from a console. To do that, you'll simply need to double tap the "pair" button. 

Another key update is DLI, designed to cut the input latency on controllers paired with the latest Xbox Series X/S consoles. The new firmware means that older controller will react as quickly as the latest models that ship with consoles, making gaming more responsive. "We believe it’s important to maintain backward compatibility with Xbox accessories people already have in their collection and to ensure we deliver the best gaming experience no matter how you choose to play," the Xbox team wrote in a blog post. 

Microsoft is testing this feature with Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha Xbox Insiders today, but it should come to all users in the coming months. 

Amazon's response to SpaceX's FCC filing, which accused the e-commerce giant of trying to delay proposals for its Starlink internet service on purpose, is just as scathing. In an FCC filing of its own, Amazon told the regulator that SpaceX chief Elon Musk tends to ignore rules and government-imposed regulations. The company also said that SpaceX often accuses any company "that dares point out its flouting of laws and regulations" as "anticompetitive."

Part of Amazon's filing reads:

"Try to hold a Musk-led company to flight rules? You"re "fundamentally broken." Try to hold a Musk-led company to health and safety rules? You're "unelected & ignorant." Try to hold a Musk-led company to US securities laws? You'll be called many names, some too crude to repeat...

Whether it is launching satellites with unlicensed antennas, launching rockets without approval, building an unapproved launch tower, or re-opening a factory in violation of a shelter-in-place order, the conduct of SpaceX and other Musk-led companies makes their view plain: rules are for other people, and those who insist upon or even simply request compliance are deserving of derision and ad hominem attacks."

As Ars Technica notes, Amazon urged the FCC a couple of weeks ago to reject a proposal from SpaceX regarding the future of its Starlink internet service. Back then, Amazon claimed that SpaceX was proposing "two mutually exclusive configurations" with "very different orbital parameters," which goes against regulations. SpaceX responded that it only proposed two possible configurations in case the one it actually prefers doesn't work out. The Elon Musk-led company then told the FCC that the move is "only the latest in [Amazon's] continuing efforts to slow down competition."

If you'll recall, Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin also filed a complaint against NASA with the US Court of Federal Claims over the lunar lander contract it awarded to SpaceX. Blue Origin expected the space agency to award two contracts instead of just one and argued that the selection process was unfair, because it wasn't given the opportunity to revise its bid in the face of a smaller budget than expected. The litigation forced the space agency to put the $2.9 billion project on hold for the second time. 

When Amazon asked the FCC to reject SpaceX's Starlink proposal, the latter suggested that Amazon, "as it falls behind competitors ... is more than willing to use regulatory and legal processes to create obstacles designed to delay those competitors from leaving [it] even further behind."

Facebook and Ray-Ban's previously teased smart glasses will officially launch later today, but pictures of them have leaked out ahead of the announcement. Posted by the prolific Evan "Evleaks" Blass, the images show three separate models, called Ray-Ban Stories, complete with the company's classic frames and a pair of cameras on each side and a button on the top right, possibly used to operate the cameras. 

The leaks show three of Ray-Ban's classic frame styles including Wayfarer and Round (above), along with Meteor (below). They're plastered with Ray-Ban's logo, but there's no sign of any Facebook branding except on the box. Other items shown are a case, protection bag, charging cable, reference guide and warranty. 

The look isn't a huge surprise, as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in July that "the glasses have their iconic form factor, and they let you do some pretty neat things." As it stands now, they appear to be merely camera equipped glasses, much like models from Snap — and in the meantime, Snap has moved on to augmented reality (AR) versions. However, Zuckerberg said the Ray-Ban models are part of a "journey towards full augmented reality glasses in the future." 

There's still no word on the full capabilities of the glasses, however, so there will still be some element of surprise at the upcoming launch taking place later today. 

A dual US-Canadian national has been sentenced to 140 months in prison for laundering tens of millions of dollars, including funds stolen from a bank by a North Korean hacking group. Ghaleb Alaumary from Mississauga, Ontario pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to the US Department of Justice, Alaumary used spoofed emails to trick a university in Canada in the first case. The emails, which looked like they were from a construction company working on a major building project for the university, asked for payment amounting to US$9.4 million. 

After the university wired the money to accounts controlled by Alaumary and his co-conspirators, he worked with various people across the US and elsewhere to launder the funds through various financial institutions. He also had people impersonating wealthy bankers go to Texas to get personally identifiable information from victims and then use that to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from their accounts. 

The second case is wider in scope and involves receiving funds from cyber-heists and fraud schemes. Those funds include money from a North Korean-perpetrated cyber-heist on a Maltese bank in 2019. He also received funds stolen from banks in India and Pakistan, companies in the United States and the UK, individuals in the US and a professional soccer club in the UK. Alaumary laundered the funds he received via cash withdrawals, wire transfers and cryptocurrency purchases.

Acting US Attorney David H. Estes for the Southern District of Georgia said in a statement:

"This defendant served as an integral conduit in a network of cybercriminals who siphoned tens of millions of dollars from multiple entities and institutions across the globe. He laundered money for a rogue nation and some of the world’s worst cybercriminals, and he managed a team of co-conspirators who helped to line the pockets and digital wallets of thieves."

In addition to being sentenced for more than 11 years in prison, Alaumary was also ordered to pay $30 million in restitution to victims.

The following contains spoilers for season two, episode five of 'Star Trek: Lower Decks.'

For a franchise that’s ostensibly about exploring, Star Trek has always been limited in how much of the galaxy it could actually show. Most of the alien species that Starfleet encountered were “humanoid” (i.e., actors with makeup and prosthetics stuck on their face). Away missions spent a lot of time in small villages that all looked alike because they were the same basic set redressed again and again. But with the franchise’s recent push into animation, the creators of Lower Decks and the upcoming Prodigy needn’t be limited by technology or budget; they showcase life in a universe we’ve heard about but only seen the barest glimpses of.

CBS

This week’s Lower Decks is a great example of the power of animation to illustrate the writers’ dreams as most of the episode takes place on Starbase 25, where Starfleet is holding a party for some of its top crews. Captain Freeman hopes to attend with her senior staff, but first they have to finish delivering a Doopler delegate with an annoying tendency to duplicate when he’s upset. Because this is the USS Cerritos, things get out of control and he ends up overrunning the ship with clones. It’s the kind of cartoonish scenario that’s easier done in animated form, instead of having to build a phalanx of CG models to interact with live actors.

CBS

But the real advantage to Lower Decks being an animated show comes in the A-plot of Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler heading down to the station to sneak in the party themselves (thanks to an unclaimed invite sent to Brad’s clone William). Most starbases we’ve seen were rather dark and cramped on the inside, with Deep Space Nine an exception due to the station being the entire setting of its show. Places like Starbase Earheart would get one or two rooms at best, with a handful of actors in makeup and costume milling about in the background.

CBS

In “An Embarrassment of Dooplers,” our first view of Starbase 25’s interior is a spacious promenade with large overhead windows and neon signage everywhere. There are plenty of aliens to be seen, including Andorians, Bajorans and Klingons. Boimler’s first comment is how it’s “like a whole city,” and that he’s never been on a station “this old,” perhaps a bit of lamp shading for the fact that most of the bases we’ve seen carried much higher numerical designations. As long as it’s been around, Starbase 25 has had time to develop into something more than just a lonely outpost manned by a two person crew.

CBS

It’s even developed its own black market, which is how Boimler and Mariner end up on a buggy chase throughout the station, charging through a casino, barber shop and men’s clothing store. They pass by rows of shops and dozens of people (including a cameo by executive producer Alex Kurtzman). It feels like an actual lived-in place, down to the angry avian couple sitting at home on their couch. If that wasn’t enough, Mariner even adds a bit of local color to a few of the locations, mentioning going on a date there once, and describing the location of a Quark’s Bar as a former empty lot where teens used to make bad choices. While a throwaway gag, that line feels like it could be a reference to the upcoming Nickelodeon show Star Trek: Prodigy, which features a bunch of teens piloting an abandoned Starfleet vessel.

CBS

Science fiction has always been a bit of a sterile place; the original Star Wars films had no human children in them, with places like Cloud City always feeling a bit underpopulated. It took the special editions and the prequels to add a bit of cultural texture to that galaxy far, far away. The Next Generation added children to the ship for a little bit of family drama, but there was still a sense that there wasn’t much beyond Starfleet. Even as newer shows like Discovery and Picard can show more thanks to bigger budgets and better CG, everything still feels rather isolated: Picard retired to his vineyard, Riker’s family lives in a cabin in the woods and Michael Burnham ends up at an Orion work camp. Contrast that to our view of the Orion home planet in “We’ll Always Have Tom Paris,” where we get a little tour of the city and learn some things about Tendi in the process.

CBS

Starbase 25 ends up providing some crucial character development for Mariner and Boimler as well, who end up reconciling in a bar once frequented by Kirk and Spock. It’s a nice way to connect the adventures of the Cerritos to the more famous Enterprise, but also a reminder that ultimately all of our heroes are people. Individuals who explore the galaxy and serve on ships and attend diplomatic conferences, but also who, like us, drink and fight and get thrown out of parties.

California's state senate has passed AB-701 — a bill that aims to regulate warehouse productivity quotas. It will require companies to give government agencies detailed descriptions of the targets workers are expected to meet, along with the repercussions of missing them. If it becomes law, it would also prohibit quotas that force workers to skip safety techniques or anything that prevents them from having state-mandated meal or toilet breaks. While AB-701 covers all warehouse owners, its proponents targeted Amazon, in particular. 

The bill's author, California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, said that she and the bill's other backers are "absolutely targeting the practices of Amazon that are being picked up... by other retailers. Amazon drew flak after workers spoke out about the enormous productivity expectations they have to meet, forcing them to skip breaks to be able to keep up. Further, because they're expected to move as fast as the machines they're working with, repetitive strain injuries are a huge issue.

As Financial Times notes, Amazon's rate of injury is more than double that of the national warehousing industry average, based on figures submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Eric Frumin, director of health and safety for the Strategic Organizing Center, told the publication: "If Amazon complies with the law, workers will now have an unparalleled ability to fight back against abusive workloads."

AB-701 passed despite fierce opposition from business and trade groups. Rachel Michelin, the president of the California Retailers Association, warned that consumers will pay the price if it becomes a law, as it would apparently increase manufacturing, storage and distribution costs. Meanwhile, the bill's supporters believe there's more to be done, especially since they had to remove some provisions to get those on the fence to vote for it. One of the provisions they killed would require Cal/OSHA to create a rule aiming to minimize musculoskeletal injuries among workers.

The bill is pending final approval this week in the Assembly, which is usually just a formality. After that, it's in the hands of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can either sign it into law or veto it.

Over the past two decades, iRobot has steadily evolved its Roombas from being fairly dumb robotic dirt suckers to devices that are smart enough to unload their own bins. Now with the $849 Roomba j7+, the company is ready to take on its greatest challenge yet: Pet poop. It's iRobot's first vacuum that can recognize and avoid obstacles, like cables or a pile of clothes, in real-time. And for pet owners, that could finally be reason to adopt a robot vacuum.

After all, you can't exactly trust your bot to clean up while you're away if they could run into surprises from your furry friends. That's a disaster that could lead to poop being spread around your home, not to mention gumming up your expensive bot. To alleviate that concern, iRobot is making a Pet Owner Official Promise (yes, P.O.O.P.): If your j7+ runs into poop within your first year of ownership, the company will replace your vacuum. That should go a long way towards making pet parents feel more comfortable with a Roomba. (It would be nice to see that offer extended beyond just one year, though.)

While the j7+ is technically the smartest Roomba yet, it's not the company's most powerful cleaner. That honor still belongs to the $1,299 s9+. This new model is basically the Roomba i7+ with a more powerful camera, better sensors and far more processing power. It can also automatically empty its bin into a redesigned Clean Base, which is shorter and sleeker than the previous models we've seen. Now you should be able tuck it into an inobtrusive corner, or under a table, instead of dedicating floorspace to a tall iRobot monolith.

With its "PrecisionVision Navigation" — iRobot's marketing term for AI-driven computer vision — the j7+ can detect specific objects, as well as alert you to obstalces in the iRobot app after a cleaning job. You can label them as permanent or temporary obstructions, which helps the vacuum learn how to deal with similar issues in the future. If there's a pile of cords that will always be in one corner, the j7+ will just stop cleaning around that area for good. But if it's just a headphone cord that you've dropped onto the floor, the robot can give that area another go on future jobs. And since it can actually see and interpret your rooms, the j7+ will also be able to clean more gently along walls and furniture.

As it's relying on computer vision, iRobot had to train new models to help the j7+ recognize objects from floor level (there aren't too many other devices with a camera down there). At this point, CEO Colin Angle tells us that it can recognize and a pair of corded headphones on the ground, but eventually it'll handle shoes and socks as well. When it comes to recognizing pet poop, the company captured photos using playdough models, as well as images from employees, to build what's surely one of the most unique machine learning models around.

iRobot plans to bring the j7+'s sensors to future models, Angle says, but it wanted to introduce them in something more people could buy. As much as I like the pricey s9+, it's not a wise purchase when there are cheaper self-cleaning Roombas around.

iRobot

The j7+ is powered by iRobot's new Genius 3.0 software, which will also roll out to the rest of the company's connected vacuums. That builds on the features introduced last year — which includes a better mobile app, smarter scheduling and routine triggers — by adding cleaning time estimates, as well as the ability to automatically clean while you're away. The new OS smarts will also let Roombas automatically suggest room labels as they map out your home. And if you send you intrepid bot to clean one room, it'll be able to move throughout your home quietly until it reaches the work zone.

While I haven't tried out the j7+ yet, it's clear that iRobot is targeting a persistent issue with robot vacuums: trust. Early Roombas required plenty of babysitting, otherwise they could easily get stuck or jammed. These days, I habitually clear out my floors before I start a vacuum run, because even newer models can get into trouble. If iRobot can actually develop a vacuum bot that can deal with obstacles on its own, it may finally have the ideal device for people who hate cleaning. At the very least, it'd be nice to have something I can trust to avoid my cat's poop.

The first season of Picard picked up many years after the destruction of Romulus with a much darker, more depressing Federation. But just when things were starting to look better, it's about to get a lot worse in season two thanks to the machinations of Q. A fascist regime is now in control of Earth's history and it's up to retired Admiral Picard and the crew of La Sirena to travel back in time to stop this dystopic reality from coming into fruition.

This new Picard storyline will premiere in February 2022 on Paramount+ — likely right after Star Trek: Discovery finishes up its fourth season on the service. Picard has also been greenlit for a third season, now in pre-production.