Technology

Digital password manager company 1Password announced this week intentions to expand the login features of its services — starting with something the company calls Universal Sign On that it says can make logging into different websites or services even easier. 1Password already sells subscription services to small and large businesses looking to control and secure access to various passwords amongst staff — and now it looks to make Universal Sign On work alongside multi-factor authentication products like Duo and single sign-on (SSO) products like Okta (depending on what the enterprise needs are). Protecting you online — it’s in our DNA. Today, we announce our Series C and our vision for the future of 1Password, to bring human-centric security to everyone: https://t.co/Ql0LxQ0LCF — 1Passwor...

The UFC and Dapper Labs have joined forces within the metaverse, announcing the launch of its “UFC Strike” NFT collectibles platform. MMA fans can rejoice and expect digital collectibles that feature dynamic video and audio from previous UFC matches, while affordable pricing allows for fair access and ownership. Sharing the news on its website, the Ultimate Fighting Championship reveals, “UFC Strike will start with a first round of 100,000 ‘Fully Loaded’ packs, consisting of three NFT Moments capturing incredible finishes and amazing displays of striking and grappling.” “These NFT moments will include the best action shots from multiple camera angles, announcer commentary and crowd response from actual fights,” it adds. Pack-featured fights include appearances from Kamaru Usman, Francis Ng...

MSI’s Creator Z16 is one of a new cadre of “creator” laptops that have been popping up from companies that are traditionally gaming-oriented over the past two years. They tend to take the sorts of specs that you might see in a gaming laptop and cram them into a thinner chassis that looks more like something one might bring into a boardroom. While you could certainly use the Z16 for gaming — it has an RTX 3060 discrete GPU and a heavy-duty “Cooler Boost” cooling system — it also has a more subtle look than even the most subdued of MSI’s gaming laptops, with a silvery-gray finish, a barely visible dragon logo, and MacBook-esque rounded corners. There’s a 16:10 QHD+ screen with a 120Hz refresh rate (my much-preferred aspect ratio for productivity devices). It ships with Windows 10 Pro. And th...

Today, just four months after announcing it was exploring the idea, Twitter began letting some people use non-fungible tokens as their profile pictures. Subscribers to the $2.99-a-month Twitter Blue service can now connect a crypto wallet, and display any NFTs they own in their profile. These users are easily distinguished from those yet to be crypto-pilled by the shape of their avatars: a hexagon, rather than the traditional circle. In September, when Twitter first broached the idea, I suggested that the company’s adoption of NFTs could take the technology mainstream. Twitter users already invented the hashtag, the @ mention, and the retweet; by using profile pictures to display their (unauthenticated) NFTs already, I argued, owners of CryptoPunks, Bored Apes and other popular collections...

Microsoft was working on a secret “pocketable” Surface device powered by a custom Windows OS before the company turned to Android for its Surface Duo. Codenamed Andromeda, the device appeared in leaked emails, patents, reports, and throughout various references to it in Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Now, Windows Central has obtained an early test version of Andromeda OS running on a Lumia 950 to show just how close Microsoft got to launching a more modern successor to Windows Phone. While Andromeda OS was never designed to ship on a Lumia 950, some Microsoft engineers used these devices to test parts of the operating system. As is typical for secret device development at many tech companies, not all engineers got access to prototype dual-screen hardware, but they still had to work ...

Twitter said in September that it would add a way for users to authenticate non-fungible tokens (NFT), and now the feature is live — if you pay for a $2.99 Twitter Blue subscription and are using an iOS device. Image: Twitter Image: Twitter NFT fans say Twitter hasn’t solved the “right click save” problem” On one hand, NFT profile pictures could be viewed as an incredible technology integration adding real utility for verified digital items. Alternately, it’s an unmissable signal pointing out the people that you should block or mute before they try to sell you some of their blockchain receipts. No matter what your opinion of easily reproduced digital trinkets is, Twitter is integrating them in a way that separates ridiculous images of cartoon apes that have been right-clicked for use as st...

In its everlasting effort to compete against TikTok, Instagram has now expanded on the video content creators can edit and “remix” with its app, going beyond just its Reels now. The platform’s feature Remix originally launched last March and allowed content creators to make collaborative videos and video responses using Reels from other accounts, but Instagram has now decided to increase its functionality to include all public videos posted on its platform, similar to TikTok’s Duets feature. To access Remix, users simply have to tap on the three-dotted icon on the top right corner of public videos on Instagram and tap on the button reading “Remix this video.” From there, you’ll be able to either record a fresh video from your device or upload one from your library. Most importantly, only v...

The gaming industry is reeling from the potential ramifications of Microsoft’s massive deal to acquire Activision, and some of the biggest questions have been about the future of the Call of Duty franchise, which is a big hit on both PlayStation and Xbox consoles. While we still don’t know for sure where you’ll be able to play the newest Call of Duty games if the acquisition goes through, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer suggests the series does have a future on Sony platforms. “Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony,” Spencer said Thursday evening. “I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.” Had good cal...

Samsung will host an Unpacked event next month, the company has confirmed in a press release authored by president TM Roh, and the writing is on the wall for the Galaxy Note series. The release hints that more Note features will be coming to the Galaxy S series — specifically the next Ultra phone in the lineup, which looks poised to take on the Note’s built-in stylus and related productivity features. This all but seals the Note series’ fate, which Samsung left in ambiguous territory last year. Things looked doubtful for a renewal of the Note series when 2021 came and went without a new Note device. Roh’s post acknowledges the disappointment from Note fans and that this feedback has been taken into account in designing “the most noteworthy S series device we’ve ever created.” To drive home...

The WAX blockchain is giving away 10 million NFTs to every account holder in its network. The unprecedented drop celebrates the platform’s 10 million accounts and is meant to reflect the carbon-neutral blockchain’s speed and scalability. The drop is comprised of 10 different NFT pins, with one million NFTs per badge representing key moments in the platform’s history, including the WAX Mainnet Launch from 2019; the first NFT Standard used on the WAX blockchain; the first login tool for accessing the WAX blockchain; the second NFT Standard created by the Pink Network Team; the WAX Cloud Wallet Launch; WAX DeFi & Tokenomics; the WAX Blockchain’s carbon neutral certification; the emergence of Play2Earn; the platform’s partnership with Mattel, Funko and Hasbro; and its recent drop with AMC ...

Almost four years after Robinhood began offering cryptocurrency trading on its platform, the company is now finally about to introduce crypto wallets for its customers. Announced in a blog post over on its website, Robinhood is now beta testing crypto wallets for those that are trading on its platform. For now, only 1,000 select accounts who have signed up on its Wallets waitlist will be able to try out the new feature, but the company hopes to expand this number to 10,000 by March before an even wider release later in the year. Aside from being able to store and trade cryptocurrencies with the wallet directly on Robinhood, users will also be able to send and receive coins from external wallets, connecting them to the blockchain at a great scale. Much like other services on the market, the...