Technology

Sometimes when technology bugs out, I like a good and heavy analysis on why something didn’t work as intended. Mishaal Rahman, former editor in chief at XDA Developers, wrote an excellent explainer on why a 911 call on a Google Pixel 3 with Microsoft Teams failed during a real emergency — aptly titled: “How a bug in Android and Microsoft Teams could have caused this user’s 911 call to fail.” Rahman’s story explains the recent situation of a Pixel 3 user frantically trying to call 911 but attempts kept freezing the phone. New: How a bug in Android and Microsoft Teams could have caused this user’s 911 call to fail. This is a high-level technical analysis explaining that weird Android 911/Microsoft Teams bug.https://t.co/hjFIm7GGn3 Tip @Techmeme — Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) December 10, ...

In 2017 — long before Apple declared that cloud gaming could only exist on the iPhone if it jumped through gigantic hoops — Sony was preparing to launch its PlayStation Now cloud gaming service on mobile phones, a confidential document reveals. It could have been the single biggest expansion of Sony’s PS Now game service in years. Originally, the service streamed PS2 and PS3 games to smart TVs, Blu-ray players, and the PS3 and PS Vita, but cut off all those original platforms in late 2017 (coincidence?) to focus on the PlayStation 4 and Windows PC instead. While it recently added 1080p streaming and a PS5 client, it’s never been offered on Android, iOS, or Mac. But according to a confidential document unearthed by The Verge from the Epic v. Apple trial, Apple had insider knowledge of Sony’...

CryptoPunk #4156, one of only 24 ape CryptoPunks, sold for 2,500 ether, or approximately $10.26 million USD, on Thursday. The sale marks one of the largest NFT sales to date. Cryptopunks, which are a set of digital collectibles that include 10,000 individual characters, have become one of the most popular items in the NFT world. Typically, “Punks” will sell for $350,000 USD to $500,000 USD in cryptocurrency, though the hefty price tag on CryptoPunk #4156 can be accredited to its rarity. The price of a CryptoPunk can vary based on a variety of features, including accessories like hoodies, beanies and helmets, as well as their species, which could include zombie, alien, ape or human. Apes are the second rarest species of CryptoPunk, trailing behind aliens, of which there are only nine total....

A bipartisan group of US senators have announced a new bill that would require social media companies to share platform data with independent researchers. The bill was announced Thursday by Democratic senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and also Rob Portman (R-OH), a Republican. Named the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (PATA), it would establish new rules compelling social media platforms to share data with “qualified researchers,” defined as university-affiliated researchers pursuing projects that have been approved by the National Science Foundation (NSF). “this legislation would provide a real pathway for researchers to better understand online harms” Under the terms of the bill, platforms would be bound to comply with requests for data once research was app...

Tesla may be adding new hardware components to its upcoming 2022 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles — including a new all-in-one “Superhorn” that combines a horn, alarm, and loudspeaker. This feature and more was revealed (via Electrek) in a leaked document on German-speaking Tesla forum TFF. The listed component changes presented in the document appear to be meant for the eyes of European regulators. Tesla generally does not line up new features with model years as closely as most other manufacturers. For instance, the company started adding its new full self-driving computer (HW3) to cars in April 2019. Then, in September of that year, it began including an external speaker under Model 3 bumpers (to comply with legislation requiring electric vehicles to be equipped with a pedestrian warning sy...

Facebook parent company Meta is updating its bug bounty program to add hardware products from its metaverse division Reality Labs, including its Quest 2, Portal, and Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, the company announced Friday. The work will play an important role in its “journey to help build the metaverse,” according to a press release. The press release emphasized that verified Ray-Ban Stories bug submissions are eligible for awards, which it’s hoping will incentivize more researchers to “analyze the glasses and our other hardware devices.” The minimum award for discovering a bug is $500, and the amounts increase depending on the device and the potential impact of the bug discovered. The biggest payout listed is $30,000 but could go even higher at the company’s discretion, for bugs that ...

The UK’s High Court has approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the US. The decision reverses a ruling by a lower court in the UK that blocked the extradition on the grounds that imprisonment in the US was a threat to Assange’s mental health and increased his risk of suicide. The US government has now successfully appealed this decision by offering a number of assurances to British judges. These include assurances that Assange won’t be held in a “supermax” high-security prison during pretrial or if convicted (unless he “commits any future act which renders him liable to such conditions of detention”) and that the US will allow Assange to serve any final sentence in his native Australia, if he wishes. As reported by Sky News, Assange’s fiancee, Stella Moris, said: “We will appeal this...

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown last year, with most indoor activities canceled, Crystal C’Bearing did what many others did: she went outside. C’Bearing and her family explored the beautiful mountains and rivers that surround their home on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. C’Bearing, who is the deputy director of the Northern Arapaho Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO), says she loved how many other families were also out enjoying the land. But from a cultural resource protection standpoint, she had concerns about people posting on social media about stone circles, petroglyphs, or other protected sites they found. “People see these things on social media and they want to come see it for themselves,” she explains. “They don’t realize the dynamics of the reservati...

Many of Fitbit’s wearables are currently enjoying solid discounts at multiple retailers. A pair of highlights we noticed include the Fitbit Charge 5, normally $179.99, which has been discounted to just $130 at Amazon and Best Buy. Additionally, the Fitbit Versa 3 has been lowered to $179.99 from its regular $229.99 price tag at Best Buy. While the Fitbit Charge 5 does suffer from a relatively small touchscreen, the lightweight design and excellent battery life are a far more tempting offer at this price point. Read our review. We haven’t had a chance to review the Versa 3 yet; however, our wearables reviewer, Victoria Song, definitely recommends this Apple Watch look-alike at this price. Fitbit Charge 5 $130 $180 28% off The Fitbit Charge 5 is Fitbit’s latest fitness tracker, and it offers...

Google is planning to bring Android games to Windows PCs next year. A Google Play Games app will be available in 2022, built by Google to allow games from Google Play to run on Windows laptops, tablets, and PCs. “Starting in 2022, players will be able to experience their favorite Google Play games on more devices: seamlessly switching between a phone, tablet, Chromebook, and soon, Windows PCs,” says Greg Hartrell, Google’s product director of games on Android and Google Play, in a statement to The Verge. “This Google built product brings the best of Google Play Games to more laptops and desktops, and we are thrilled to expand our platform for players to enjoy their favorite Android games even more.” Google spokesperson Alex Garcia-Kummert tells The Verge that the company has built this app...

Hot on the heels of Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, and The Lower Decks, the Star Trek franchise is getting a new video game. Dramatic Labs, a brand new studio composed of former Telltale Games developers, announced during The Game Awards that it’s working on Star Trek: Resurgence, a story-driven game reminiscent of Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead. According to the game’s press release, “Star Trek: Resurgence is an interactive narrative video game that tells an original story set in the era shortly after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Players will control two characters aboard the U.S.S. RESOLUTE as they work to unravel a mystery in order to prevent a galactic war. Spock made an appearance in the announcement trailer and Dramatic Labs has confirmed players w...