Technology

Back in 2020, PayPal began letting its users buy and sell cryptocurrency, as well as make transactions, followed by another development in 2021, in which the global payments app began letting its users withdraw cryptocurrency and relocate them to third-party wallets. Paypal now has now announced that it’s exploring the idea of launching its own “stablecoin,” which refers to a cryptocurrency that pegs its market value to some external reference such as fiat money. According to Bloomberg, iPhone app developer Steve Moser first found hidden code and images on what was titled “PayPal Coin” which would be backed by the U.S. dollar. PayPal responded to the initial discoveries saying that the images found were from an internal hackathon that was conducted for idea generation and may not necessari...

Social media platform, Reddit, has chosen Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to assist in its efforts to go public as soon as March of this year. Reddit first announced that it had quietly filed for an IPO back in December, and is now aiming for a valuation of over $15 billion USD. Its last private funding round led by Fidelity investments in August of 2021, had the company valued at $10 billion USD. In an earlier announcement, Reddit shared that it had made more than $100 million USD in ad revenue in Q2 of 2021, marking a 192 percent increase from its figures last year. “We’ve grown up in the shadow of Facebook and Google, and pretty much every dollar we make we’ve had to fight for,” Reddit CEO Steve Huffman told The New York Times in an interview. The price range and the number of shares o...

Roblox shut down the Chinese version of its iOS and Android app, also known as LuoBuLeSi, just five months after its release in China, according to a report from TechCrunch. The app, which was rolled out as a test in partnership with Chinese game company Tencent, will be rebuilt and potentially re-released in the country at a later date. Roblox was officially taken off app stores on December 8th of last year, as announced on a translated version of Roblox China’s website. The post thanks players for testing out the app, and says that developers will “continue to optimize the product.” “A number of important transitory actions are necessary” as devs rebuild the app “Last year, we launched Roblox China also known as LuoBuLeSi with a vision to build an immersive virtual universe of 3D experie...

Digital fashion brand Cult&Rain is launching its first NFT sneaker collection minted on the Ethereum blockchain tied to high-end physical footwear. The New York-based company, which calls itself “the first luxury fashion house born from crypto,” was founded by industry veteran George Yang as a way to bring high-fashion into web3. Yang has led international design studios and previously designed for global fashion brands like Theory, Costume National, Guy Laroche and Cerruti Paris.  The brand’s first launch — dubbed the Genesis Drop — will comprise of 2,000 4K animated NFTs that can be redeemed for an identical pair of Italian-made luxury sneakers. Utilizing his industry know-how and connections, Yang says that the company sources the finest materials and fabrication in order to pr...

CES had a pretty good year, and that extends to computer monitors, which thankfully were about more than mere ports. What’s better is that this year’s interesting, feature-packed monitors are for more than just gamers. Monitors play an even more important role during the pandemic as the centerpiece of the home office, and manufacturers have responded to that demand with designs that suit a larger audience. We got a quirky-looking, nearly-square creative- and productivity-focused monitor from LG that some people will find useful. Samsung debuted its Odyssey Ark, a 55-inch curved 4K gaming monitor that I’d feel safe floating on when the waters come. Speaking of Samsung, the company’s display division found a suitable monitor to debut its new QD-OLED screen tech in: Alienware’s 34-inch curved...

CES had a pretty good year, and that extends to computer monitors, which thankfully were about more than mere ports. What’s better is that this year’s interesting, feature-packed monitors are for more than just gamers. Monitors play an even more important role during the pandemic as the centerpiece of the home office, and manufacturers have responded to that demand with designs that suit a larger audience. We got a quirky-looking, nearly-square creative- and productivity-focused monitor from LG that some people will find useful. Samsung debuted its Odyssey Ark, a 55-inch curved 4K gaming monitor that I’d feel safe floating on when the waters come. Speaking of Samsung, the company’s display division found a suitable monitor to debut its new QD-OLED screen tech in: Alienware’s 34-inch curved...

With AT&T and Verizon set to bring their 5G expansion live on January 19th, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has chosen 50 airports (PDF) that will have buffer zones to help prevent flight disruptions (via Reuters and Wall Street Journal). Safety regulators picked airports based on location, traffic volume, and the likelihood of low visibility — all factors that may increase cancelations, delays, and diversions as both carriers roll out 5G C-band service. As pointed out by the Wall Street Journal, notably busy airports like Chicago O’Hare, Orlando International, Los Angeles International, and Dallas / Fort Worth International are included on the list, along with airports in locations that are often impacted by foggy conditions, such as Seattle / Tacoma International and San Fr...

With AT&T and Verizon set to bring their 5G expansion live on January 19th, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has chosen 50 airports (PDF) that will have buffer zones to help prevent flight disruptions (via Reuters and Wall Street Journal). Safety regulators picked airports based on location, traffic volume, and the likelihood of low visibility — all factors that may increase cancelations, delays, and diversions as both carriers roll out 5G C-band service. As pointed out by the Wall Street Journal, notably busy airports like Chicago O’Hare, Orlando International, Los Angeles International, and Dallas / Fort Worth International are included on the list, along with airports in locations that are often impacted by foggy conditions, such as Seattle / Tacoma International and San Fr...

After a string of big shopping holidays, we landed on the first big tech event of 2022. I’m talking about CES 2022, for which The Verge produced dozens of articles. All sorts of new, exciting products were announced, and hopefully, some of them may show up in this deals newsletter once they launch later in the year. As for this weekend’s deals, we’re focusing on some hot products that we think will make your life a little better. Stay warm out there. A specced-out Surface Pro 8 costs $1,599.99 at Best Buy Look, it’s never affordable to get the most high-end version of a sought-after tablet. That’s why most people choose to get the most affordable one and call it a day. However, if you are after a Windows tablet that can offer big performance, a 120Hz refresh rate display, and other fine qu...

Ford is fighting to keep the 2022 F-150 Lightning from being scalped — the company has sent a notice offering to help dealers prevent 2022 F-150 Lightning buyers from reselling their trucks, according to a report from CNET. If a dealer chooses to add a no-sale provision provided by Ford to its contracts, the buyer will have to agree to “not sell, offer to sell or otherwise transfer ownership interest in the Vehicle prior to the first anniversary of the date hereof.” The notice also warns dealers against trying to raise the prices of the trucks themselves. While the move could help stop people trying to turn their reservation for the electric pickup into a payday, some have criticized the move as Ford trying to control what people do with their property. The Lightning, though, is releasing ...