Technology

Intel is planning to construct a $19 billion USD chip manufacturing plant in Germany as part of its new investments in Europe. According to an announcement from the company, the tech giant has allocated $88 billion USD for investments in the continent over the next decade, and the new facility in Germany will be one of the first steps towards “creating a next-generation European chip ecosystem and addressing the need for a more balanced and resilient supply chain. Located in Magdeburg, the “mega-site” will actually feature two separate factories which Intel hopes will begin production by 2027. The entire project will create 7,000 construction jobs, 3,000 permanent positions at the plant once it starts running, and thousands more for its various partners and suppliers. Germany aside, the co...

Phones have become so much a part of our daily lives that it can be immediately traumatic if you suddenly can’t find your phone — whether you’ve left it in a cab, accidentally dropped it out of your pocket, or lost it under your bed. If you have an Android phone, you can use the Find My Device feature to (hopefully) locate your phone. Find My Device depends on two things being enabled: the feature itself (of course) and Google’s Location services. In addition, the phone also has to be turned on and signed in to a Google account. The Find My Device feature comes as part of the standard OS on Pixels and several other Android phones and is usually turned on by default. Be aware that some Android models may offer a different app; for example, Samsung phones have their own Find My Mobile app. I...

In the days since The Walt Disney Company first came under fire for giving money to the politicians behind Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, CEO Bob Chapek has apologized for initially having nothing to say, and he subsequently announced the corporation’s plans to “pause” its political donations in Florida for an undetermined amount of time. In the eyes of many of Disney’s queer employees, those steps are simply not enough, and now they’re taking action to make that point as clear as they can to the company’s leadership. In response to Disney’s actions and Chapek’s emails, a number of Disney employees are now planning to stage a week of virtual 15-minutes walkouts beginning this afternoon, culminating in a day-long walkout on March 22nd. In an open letter published to WhereIsChapek.com, a we...

Verizon is introducing a new discount to its Fios Forward plans, which should let low-income customers get fiber internet for free when combined with discounts through the federal Affordable Connectivity Program. The free tier, which is normally $40 a month, includes 300Mbps speeds as well as a $10 discount on a Verizon Unlimited Wireless plan. Customers who need more bandwidth (and are able to pay more) can get a gigabit connection for $50 a month with the ACP discount, which also includes more benefits and a larger cell plan discount. Verizon says Fios Forward is available to people who qualify for the government’s Lifeline program. The 200Mbps tier used to cost $20 a month, according to a Wayback Machine archive from November, so Verizon’s new discounts could be saving lower-income cust...

Super73, the electric mobility company popular with YouTubers and celebrities, introduced its first electric motorcycle — though it’s just a concept for now. The company also unveiled a host of other battery-powered vehicles, including an e-bike for kids, in a dramatic expansion of its product lineup. The Super73 C1X Concept cuts a slimmer profile than most motorcycles, with 15-inch wheels and a 31-inch seat height. The 51-inch wheelbase is significantly shorter than other electric motorcycles, like Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire (58.7 inches) and Zero’s SR/F (57.1 inches). It also isn’t as fast as most two-wheelers on the road, gas or electric, with a top speed of 75mph. That still makes it one of the fastest vehicles to come out of the inventive Southern California shop. The profile of the C...

Mark Zuckerberg said that Meta would add NFTs to Instagram, according to Engadget and The Daily Beast. While he didn’t describe exactly what that would look like, he said during a session at South By Southwest that “over the next several months, the ability to bring some of your NFTs in, hopefully over time be able to mint things within that environment.” There have been rumblings that this was coming. Last year, Instagram lead Adam Mosseri said the team was “actively exploring NFTs” but didn’t have any actual announcements. In January, we heard a report that teams at Facebook and Instagram were working on NFT integrations. The report mentioned that there was progress on features to let you use an NFT as a profile and mint NFTs on the platform and discus...

Google Domains, the company’s domain registration service, is losing the beta tag after first launching more than seven years ago, Google announced Tuesday. The service is now generally available in 26 countries, and the company says it already has “millions of active registrations.” If you register with Google Domains, you can pick from more than 300 different domain endings, have access to “high performance DNS” (Google says it’s the same infrastructure it uses for itself), “around-the-clock customer support from real people,” and more. The company is also offering a 20 percent discount off “any single domain registration or transfer-in to Google Domains” for new and returning users with the code DOMAINS20. However, if you register a domain with Google Domains, you’ll still need to actua...

Camp Nou, one of the most iconic soccer stadiums in the world, is being rebranded as Spotify Camp Nou as part of a sponsorship agreement with Spanish soccer club FC Barcelona that gives Spotify naming rights to the stadium. Spotify’s name will also appear on the jerseys of both the men’s and women’s teams for the next four seasons starting in the 2022/23 season. The deal still has to get ratified by FC Barcelona’s Extraordinary Delegate Members Assembly in a vote that will take place on April 3rd. It likely won’t have much trouble passing, however, as FC Barcelona is in a huge amount of debt and sought to sell a stake in its media production division last year. The deal is reportedly worth $310 million. It could have been worth more, Spanish publication SPORT reported, if the club had a hi...

Part of the Apple Park campus in Cupertino was evacuated after first responders discovered an envelope containing a white powder substance, NBC Bay Area reports. The Santa Clara County Fire Department’s incident report shows there was a fire alarm and hazmat response at Apple’s headquarters just after noon local time. Emergency personnel since have determined that the situation is under control, and employees apparently have been allowed to go back inside, according to the publication. It’s unclear what the substance may have been. Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment about what might be going on. After rescheduling return-to-office plans for its employees several times, Apple will start a “phased approach” to its hybrid work pilot in April. Update March, 15th 7:19PM ET...

As part of the Carte Diem campaign, which offers daily deals, drops and sweepstakes until March 20, Afterpay has launched its latest collaboration on Dropshop, its platform for limited-edition merchandise. Partnering with JDSports.com, the latest Dropshop release allows Afterpay users to purchase the Air Jordan 1 Mid Retro in “Shadow Red” on March 15. After going live this morning, Afterpay users quickly caused this shoe to sell out and interested shoppers should keep an eye for the Dropshop’s next announcement. Introducing a new way for customers to “Seize the Drop,” these sneakers can only be purchased at JDSports.com by using Afterpay at check out. The highly coveted pair of Air Jordan 1’s feature a full-grain leather upper in a grey color that’s complemented by a white midsole and a bl...