Technology

Apple’s new MacBook Pro notch is misbehaving. Early adopters have discovered inconsistencies in how Apple handles the notch across macOS and in individual apps, resulting in unexpected behavior where status bar items can get hidden under the notch. These inconsistencies make it feel like Apple has forgotten, in areas of macOS, that it has built a notch into the MacBook Pro. Snazzy Labs owner Quinn Nelson has posted two videos on Twitter demonstrating some of the early notch issues. The main video demonstrates what appears to be a bug in macOS. Status bar items like Apple’s battery indicator can get hidden underneath the notch when status bar items are extended. Nelson demonstrates this with iStat Menus, which can be hidden under the notch or can force system items like the battery indicato...

Dating app Hinge is adding new audio features, letting users answer the “getting to know you” prompts on their profile using audio clips and exchange voice notes in chat. The new features will roll out Wednesday globally and are the latest example of apps using voice to add a new dimension to digital dating. Rival services like Bumble and Happn have already added voice notes to their app, and one app, String, only lets users communicate with their voice. For many people, the sound of someone’s voice can be an important part of attraction, and exchanging voice notes is a more expressive way to communicate. Users will be able to exchange voice notes in chat. Image: Hinge If users want to add a voice prompt to their profile, they should make sure the app is updated, then head to Settings >...

Amazon is now making its own TVs, and today marks the release of the company’s Omni and 4-Series Fire TVs. As the 4K HDR sets start making their way to customers, Amazon is making one more last-minute announcement: it plans to add support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit features “soon.” AirPlay 2 makes it easy to play content on the TV screen from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. And HomeKit integration will allow the Omni and 4-Series TVs to be controlled by Siri or the Home app; it also makes it easy to include them in smart home routines. Amazon has already rolled out AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to some of its “Fire TV Edition” TVs from Toshiba and Insignia. Curiously, these features have yet to come to the company’s standalone Fire TV streaming devices — including the just-released Fire TV Stick 4...

Nintendo and Niantic team up once again for a new augmented reality mobile game. Following the success of Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom is now seeing a worldwide release beginning with Singapore and Australia where the game is already available. Niantic describes the game as “a smartphone app designed to bring a little joy to your everyday journeys on foot.” Similar to Pokémon Go, players must move around in the real world to find new virtual companions. While players travel around to different destinations, colorful Pikmin can be plucked that will follow each player’s personalized Mii avatar creating a trail of flowers. Items include fruit and seedlings that can be fed to Pikmin to make flowers bloom on their heads and clothes they can wear. Each player’s flowers and party of Pikmin are viewab...

Microsoft is close to releasing Windows 11’s new Microsoft Store for Windows 10 users. The software maker has now released this new app store to Windows 10 testers in the Release Preview ring, alongside a final version of the upcoming Windows 10 November 2021 Update. The updated Store is identical to the one found on Windows 11, offering greater access to win32 apps, a more modern design, and all of the new apps that have made their way into Microsoft’s store recently. This new Microsoft Store is also more open that before, allowing third-party stores like the Epic Games Store to be listed. Microsoft’s new approach to its Store has also meant a deluge of apps have finally arrived, including Discord, Zoom, VLC, TeamViewer, and Visual Studio Code. Any browser can also be listed in the store ...

Google has launched a new safety feature that lets under-18s request the removal of images of themselves from the company’s search results. The feature was originally announced in August (along with new restrictions of ad targeting of minors) but is now widely available. Anyone can start the removal process from this help page. Applicants will need to supply the URLs of images they want removed from search results, the search terms that surface those images, the name and age of the minor, and the name and relationship of the individual that might be acting on their behalf — a parent or guardian, for example. Google will make exceptions for “cases of compelling public interest or newsworthiness” As ever with these sorts of removal requests, it’s hard to say exactly what criteria Google will...

The Economist has sold its one-of-one DeFi Rabbit Hole NFT of its September 18 magazine cover titled “Down the rabbit hole: The promise and perils of decentralized finance” for 99.9 ETH, which was approximately $419,000 USD at the time of sale. The magazine cover image is an adaptation of illustrator Sir John Tenniel’s original Alice in Wonderland drawing, revised by digital artist Justin Metz. The offering is the 178-year-old publication’s first NFT sale, which entailed a 24-hour online auction that saw intense bidding. The Economist is now the latest legacy print publication to enter into the world of NFTs, joining The New York Times, which recently sold an NFT of a column for $562,000 USD, and TIME, which has a collaborative collection with Cool Cats among many other NFT ventures. “We h...

Limited web versions of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator apps were recently revealed at the Adobe MAX 2021 event. While complex tasks will still need to be done on its apps, the browser version allows for basic edits such as crop, select, color correction, and insert text. More importantly, collaborators are now able to review and add comments directly through the browser without having to download any apps or have Creative Cloud subscriptions. The update removes friction from the creator side as they no longer have to create multiple versions of PDF/JPG drafts to hand to clients and collaborators, as well as the client-side which can now easily access the imagery to offer quick feedback in which revisions can be seen directly on the browser display. Other collaborative updates currently be...

Iconic horror franchise Texas Chainsaw Massacre has launched its debut “Leatherfaces” NFT on the Ethereum blockchain. The project illustrations are designed by Skinner in partnership with Ultra Rare to reveal a total of 10,666 Leatherface avatars. The collection gives fans access to a Texas Chainsaw Massacre metaverse unlike any that has been seen before. Members of the blockchain community will be given exclusive perks and utilities such as entry to official film community events, rare film memorabilia, screenings with the original creator and officially licensed merchandise and experiences. Kim Henkel, creator of Texas Chainsaw Massacre said, “With our first NFT drop we continue to expand upon a tradition of rewarding the Chainsaw community – a community that’s driven by its intensely lo...

The official trailer for Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop series is finally here. Released during a live countdown event featuring appearances from stars John Cho, Daniella Pineda, and Mustafa Shakir, the trailer is another peek into what we can expect from the highly anticipated adaptation of the legendary anime series. The trailer starts with John Cho as Spike Spiegel standing on the deck of the eponymous Bebop as we hear him talking to his old friend Anna about what he’s up to these days. We’re treated to scenes of Spike’s old life as a mobster, his new partner Jet, and a moody shot of a reflection in a puddle that should send Bebop fans into a frenzy. The Cowboy Bebop trailer features the same highly-stylized action Netflix showed off in a teaser video last week with more scenes that...