Technology

Epic Games is partnering with fashion house Balenciaga to bring the first-ever high-fashion Fortnite skins into the game. But the two companies aren’t just working on virtual clothes. They’re also partnering on an in-game Balenciaga-themed hub and a real-world clothing line that you’ll be able to buy. There will be four new skins, which you can see in the below photo, and each will have alternate styles. Epic is also planning to sell other Balenciaga-themed accessories, including a pickaxe based on the Speed Sneaker and Balenciaga backpack back blings. The new Balenciaga-themed skins coming to Fortnite. Image: Epic Games The new gear will be available both in in Fortnite’s usual in-game storefront and in the Balenciaga-themed “Strange Times” Creative hub, which includes a virtual Balenciag...

Google appears to be internally testing a second foldable Pixel smartphone, according to 9to5Google’s sources. The device is said to be under development with the codename “Jumbojack,” that’s referenced in a future version of Android 12 which 9to5Google identifies as “Android 12.1.” This is the latest foldable codename we’ve heard about at Google, following reports of another device called “Passport.” Not much is known about what form Jumbojack could take, but 9to5Google has a couple of key details. It seems to have two screens, with one that deactivates when the device is folded. That suggests we’re looking at a similar design to Samsung’s foldables, which combine a small external screen with a larger internal folding display. There’s no word on screen sizes or internal specs, however. A ...

Expanding beyond just video gaming, the youth in China are now also having their time on social media platforms limited. The new policy comes from TikTok‘s Chinese parent company ByteDance, which has now imposed a 40-minute-per-day time limit on any Douyin (the Chinese equivalent of TikTok) users under the age of 14. Those falling under that age category will only be able to access the app for the allocated amount of time between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. as well, a window no doubt selected to try encourage children to sleep earlier. There’ll also be a real-name authentication for accounts now, and ByteDance is encouraging parents to help the kids either by setting up the authenticated account or change the app over to youth mode. Youngsters having their access to social media and online services...

It is not a surprise that cryptocurrency transactions are harmful to the planet, leaving a negative impact on its e-waste. A new study from the Resources, Conservation and Recycling journal has measured approximately how much waste bitcoin transactions generate in a year. The research has stated that ASIC chips are only in use for a little over a year and are always being replaced with newer and more effective ones by miners. Due to the rapid changes, the leads to a lot of waste produced. Researchers have written, “As a result, we estimate that the whole bitcoin network currently cycles through 30.7 metric kilotons of equipment per year. This number is comparable to the amount of small IT and telecommunication equipment waste produced by a country like the Netherlands.” If placed into cont...

Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to officially affirm that SpaceX‘s Starlink satellite broadband service will soon be out of testing a lot sooner than some may expect. According to the CEO’s tweet, Starlink will be making its exit out of beta “next month,” meaning that users can try their hands at the service by October in more countries around the world. The company originally aimed to have complete global coverage by September of this year and so far, the service is limited to parts of Europe, with exceptions in Australia, Chile and New Zealand. However, Starlink is mostly available in North America. The company has recently registered subsidiaries in the Philippines and South Africa but is looking to expand into Mexico and Japan. SpaceX previously stated that it had shipped 100,000 Starli...

Back in May, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a probe into crypto trading platform Binance over suspected money laundering activities, but the probe has just expanded to now also include insider trading. According to new reports, government officials are now looking into whether Binance has facilitated insider trading as well as market manipulation. While the company hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing just yet, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has been questioning potential witnesses about the location of the company’s servers and whether crypto derivatives have been sold to American customers, a practice which usually requires registration. On the other side, both the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice are also looking for signs of money laundering. I...

OK so the latest Ted Lasso spends almost the entire episode on Coach Beard in its most unusual, dream-like episode ever. I didn’t hate it (and I know it’s one of the two episodes added to the mix after Apple said it wanted 12 episodes instead of the 10 the writers had already sketched out. The Christmas episode was the other), but I wish we had actually gotten to know Beard a little better. “I listen more than I talk” seems like a line that could be his mantra. The Morning Show is back and honestly the first episode seemed rushed to get certain characters to do specific things we as the audience know they must do in order to have a show at all. I’ll stick with it for a bit, remembering that this was a show that took a little while to find its groove in season 1, but the first offering felt...

Ikea got in relatively early on selling furniture embedded with wireless charging coils, but what if you don’t have one of its powered-up desks or shelving units? If you want seamless Wireless Qi charging without redecorating, then next month, there will be a solution. Meet the Sjömärke, a $39.99 wireless charging pad made to work with furniture you already own. This device isn’t like most Qi charging pads, where you’d put your phone or earbuds directly on the mat. Instead, the seven-inch by three-inch aluminum and plastic charger works through plastic or wood, so you can use its double-sided tape (or screws, not included) to put it on the underside of a table or shelf. Image: Ikea Ikea Sjömärke instructionsImage: Ikea As long as you’re mounting the device on something wood or plastic, it ...

Chris and Charlie Brooks — self-proclaimed “ethical hackers” — are on a mission to help people who have forgotten the passwords to their Bitcoin wallets and could be sitting on a trove of missing assets waiting to be discovered. “A lot of Bitcoin that’s been lost is lost — but it isn’t irretrievably lost,” Chris told HYPEBEAST. A recent analysis by cryptocurrency data firm Chainalysis revealed that of the roughly 18.6 million Bitcoin that has already been mined, about 20% is considered to be “lost” in wallets that appear to have been stranded. According to The New York Times, that is equivalent to about $140 billion USD that has yet to be claimed by rightful owners. “We came up with a number of about 2.5% of that lost Bitcoin that we feel could still be recovered,” he said, “which is somet...

General Motors plans to launch 30 new electric vehicles around the world by 2025, and aspires to sell only zero-emissions vehicles by 2035. But over the last few years, the United States’ biggest automaker has once again squandered the advantages it held in the still-burgeoning field of electric vehicles through bad politics, bad investments, and now most notably, a massive recall of the Bolt — currently its only all-electric vehicle — thanks to around a dozen reported fires. On Thursday, GM announced that it is extending the Bolt’s production shutdown until mid-October, as it apparently hasn’t been able to get supplier LG to produce replacement batteries that are up to snuff. It will need a lot of them, too, as GM has recalled all Bolts made to date — nearly 150,000. (The company says som...

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told the Wall Street Journal that Tesla should address “basic safety issues” before the carmaker expands its so-called “full self-driving” (FSD) mode. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this month that the company was aiming for a wider release of FSD by the end of September, making a “public beta button” available to more Tesla customers. As the WSJ reports, an upgrade to the software— which was designed primarily for driving on highways— is expected, in order to make the vehicles ready for driving on city streets. Homendy had harsh words for Tesla’s use of the term “full self-driving,” which she called “misleading and irresponsible,” adding that Tesla “has clearly misled numerous people to misuse and abuse technology.” Th...

The 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is tonight at 8PM ET (5PM PT), and streaming platforms like Apple TV Plus, Netflix and HBO Max are poised to win big. Cedric the Entertainer will host the show, which will be broadcast live from outside the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, to accommodate social distancing, which also means the audience will be limited to nominees and their guests. Where DO I WATCH THE EMMYS? This year, CBS will broadcast the Emmys, so you can watch on your local CBS affiliate. The show will also stream live on CBS’ Paramount Plus streaming app. You can sign up for a free trial of Paramount Plus to check it out if you’re not already a subscriber. HOW DO I WATCH THE EMMYS ONLINE There are plenty of options for watching the Emmys if you don’t have cable TV. You ...