Technology

Facebook is delivering an update to Portal devices that will make it possible to turn off the Watch Together feature during calls in Household Mode. The update comes shortly after a BuzzFeed News article criticized Facebook’s blatant oversight of not including an “off” switch for the feature. Watch Together lets you watch shows, music videos, or funny clips with distant friends or family members. Choose a video from Facebook’s selection, and it’ll be simultaneously presented to you on your Portal and on your friend’s device, whether that may be a phone, tablet, or Portal. Watch Together may sound like a great idea, but it obviously isn’t ideal for parents who want to keep their kids away from videos on the internet. When a Portal device is in Household Mode, everyone in the house has acces...

For the first time ever, Google’s new phones are powered by a Google-designed chip, giving the company an Apple-like level of control over the inner workings of the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. But if you were hoping that meant they’d also get an Apple-like level of new OS updates, the company is throwing a bit of cold water on that. Google’s support page shows it’s only promising to offer Android updates through October 2024 (via Android Police), a total of three years after release. “Users will still get at least 3 years of OS updates, after which we’re committing to ensure that Pixels will stay up-to-date and secure,” Google tells The Verge. “The frequency and categories of updates will depend on the capabilities and needs of the hardware.” While Google prominently announced during its ...

If you’re looking at buying the $1,999 base model MacBook Pro 14-inch, there’s one upgrade that you may really want to make — the $20 one that gets you the 96W power adapter instead of the 67W included power adapter. That’s because, according to some wording on Apple’s MacBook Pro configuration page (spotted by MacRumors), you’ll need the more powerful charger if you want to take advantage of the computer’s fast charging feature, which can charge the laptop up to 50 percent in half an hour. Is it ridiculous that Apple is basically taxing the people who want to buy its least expensive (but still very pricey!) new MacBook Pro? Yes, absolutely — but you should still probably pay it if you want to charge your laptop up quickly. The exception is if you already have a charging brick capable of 1...

Activision Blizzard, facing a discrimination lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (or DFEH), has filed an application to stay that lawsuit so it can investigate claims that DFEH lawyers engaged in ethical misconduct. The application claims that the DFEH is represented in the case by lawyers who previously worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (or EEOC) — a federal agency that investigates claims of workplace abuse. The application additionally claims such an arrangement is in violation of a California State Bar conflict of interest rule that says, “a lawyer who has formerly served as a public official or employee of the government […] shall not otherwise represent a client in connection with a matter in which the lawyer participated p...

Playboy first entered the world of NFTs last spring with its Liquid Summer collection in collaboration with artist Slimesunday. After selling out their debut collection in under three minutes, the company is now back with an ambitious new NFT project dubbed “Rabittars,” a civilization of unique, non-fungible rabbits inspired by Playboy’s iconic bunny logo. 11,593 “Rabbitars” will be offered, paying homage to Playboy’s founding year 1953. Each 3D cartoon rabbit character is given unique traits including background color, fur, glasses, and props, with some rarer than others. The “Rabbitars” serve as modern keys to the Playboy Club, which grants exclusive access to member events, merchandise and artwork. going forward, the company has made it clear that it plans to continue to expand int...

The gory Saw film franchise is getting its own line of NFTs. Announced in a sinister trailer by Jigsaw himself, the collection is set to release leading into Halloween weekend. As one of the most popular horror franchises in history, the Saw movies center around a serial killer that traps his victims in tortuous life-or-death games. The ninth installment in the longstanding series, a spin-off called Spiral, debuted in May. The Saw Chapter One collection will consist of 10,000 collectibles and will be divided into three categories based on the marks from the films: keys, schematics and traps. NFTs for the traps will drop on October 26th, followed by schematics and keys on October 28th. Come Halloween night, those who have acquired one of the NFTs from each group will receive exclusive acces...

Senate Democrats called on Facebook to end its digital wallet and cryptocurrency project in a letter to chief executive Mark Zuckerberg Tuesday, saying that the company “cannot be trusted to manage cryptocurrency.” The letter comes hours after Facebook launched Novi, a new digital wallet, as part of a “small” pilot program in the US and Guatemala. Facebook first announced its plans to enter the cryptocurrency industry over two years ago, but the digital currency project, called Libra, was halted after heavy criticism from lawmakers and regulators. The Libra currency was later rebranded as “Diem,” which has yet to be released alongside the new wallet product. The letter comes hours after Facebook launched Novi In their letter, Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warre...

In addition to new MacBooks on October 18th, Apple finally also introduced its third-generation AirPods, which are set to ship on October 26th for $179 and are available for preorder now. Apple also lowered the cost of the now-entry-level AirPods 2 from $159 to $129 and will now only sell the version that comes with a wired charging case. As a result, the AirPods lineup now consists of four models of AirPods: the $129 AirPods 2, the $179 AirPods 3, the $249 AirPods Pro, and the $549 AirPods Max. With such a wide range of AirPods available at various price points, it can be overwhelming to try to figure out which one you should purchase. That’s why we’ve put together this guide comparing the models to each other — so you can find the right fit for you. Note that while we have reviewed most ...

There’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to Apple’s new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. As well as souped-up Pro and Max versions of the already capable M1 chip that Apple debuted last year, they also include numerous quality of life improvements like the return of MagSafe, a row of function keys rather than an OLED Touch Bar, and of course, a full selection of ports that won’t have users reaching for a dongle if they just want to import some photos from an SD card. In fact, Apple was so enthusiastic about these “new” features, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that it was the one that killed most of them off in 2016. “Users value the full-height function row on the standalone Magic Keyboard, and we’ve brought it to the MacBook Pro,” Apple’s Shruti Haldea said as she explained the dec...

Epic Games is once again proving that no brand is safe from Fortnite by adding two playable characters from Dune to its hit battle royale shooter. Starting Tuesday at 8PM ET, you’ll be able to buy virtual Fortnite avatars of Paul Atreides and Chani modeled after Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, the actors who play them in the upcoming movie. There are a handful of other Dune-themed items you can pick up as well, including an ornithopter glider and a Sand Walk emote that mimics how the characters walk to avoid detection by gigantic sandworms. The tie-up arrives just a few days before Dune’s premiere in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday. While it doesn’t seem as if sandworms will actually be making an appearance in the game (to my great disappointment), there’s plenty of new spooky stuff to ch...