Technology

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is requesting advanced driver assist data from 12 automakers as it seeks to expand its investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot. The government is probing a dozen incidents involving Teslas crashing into emergency vehicles. According to Automotive News, the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation sent letters to a dozen major automakers, including Ford, General Motors, Toyota, and Volkswagen, requesting information regarding their Level 2 driver assist systems, in which the vehicle can simultaneously control steering, braking, and acceleration under specific circumstances. Automakers are being asked to provide the number of vehicles with Level 2 systems that have been manufactured in the US Automakers are being asked to provide the number of ...

Samsung’s Webcam Monitor S4 comes with all the work-from-home accessories you could need built right in. It’s got 2W stereo speakers for listening to colleagues, an HD webcam so they can see you, a microphone so they can hear you, and a USB hub to cut down on the amount of ports needed on a laptop or desktop. The monitor is available now, Samsung says, and costs $319.99 in the US. The 24-inch, 1080p monitor’s built-in webcam is neatly integrated, with a pop-up design that keeps things looking tidy when you’re not on video calls. As a bonus, the design doubles as a privacy shutter for the webcam to help prevent accidental (or malicious) appearances on camera. It’s not automated like on many phones. Instead, the webcam is revealed by “pushing it down into the monitor to make it spring up,” S...

Amazon’s palm-scanning technology, Amazon One, has always been about more than just fast payments. Really, it’s about Amazon controlling and verifying identities, with the company hoping to deploy its service in public spaces like offices and stadiums. Today, Amazon announced the tech’s first launch in an entertainment venue as part of a partnership with ticketing firm AXS. Amazon One will be available to validate entry into Colorado’s famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre, an open-air venue built into a rocky outcrop. It’s the first time the technology has been deployed outside Amazon and Whole Food stores, and Amazon says it expects the tech will be added “to more AXS ticketed venues in the future.” People can enroll into the scheme at dedicated stations in the Red Rocks venue, with these booths...

Canon confirmed plans for its highest-end mirrorless camera yet back in April, but that was just a notice of development — now the company is ready to announce its specs in full. As expected, the EOS R3 will sit right at the top of the company’s still fairly new EOS R range of full-frame mirrorless cameras, above last year’s R5 and R6. The 24-megapixel stacked BSI sensor is lower resolution than the 45-megapixel R5’s, but the R3 is all about high speed, fast AF performance, and low light capability. Canon says it can shoot at up to 30fps with the electronic shutter and 12fps with the mechanical shutter, and the maximum native ISO is 102,400. As for video, the R3 can shoot 6K at 60fps and uncropped 10-bit 4K at 120fps in the Canon Log 3 profile. The R3 makes use of deep learning technology ...

It’s September, which means iPhone season is just nearly here. The rumor mill has been spinning about the highly anticipated iPhone 13, as well as the Apple Watch Series 7, a third generation of AirPods, and the potential for new MacBooks. A new, bezel-less iPad Mini is also a possibility, as is the official release of iOS 15 and macOS Monterey. Since Apple sent out the invite for its “California Streaming” event, we’ve been able to take guesses at what hidden meanings there might be to decipher from the night sky and the illuminated Apple logo, but just when does it actually get underway and where? What time does the iPhone 13 event start? Apple’s “California Streaming” event will go live at 10AM PT / 1PM ET today, Tuesday, September 14th. Like all Apple keynotes since the beginning of th...

CASETiFY’s conveyor belt of collaborations continues this week as the Hong Kong-based accessories label unveils its forthcoming nostalgia-inspired link-up with Israeli brand Urban Sophistication. Taking its first foray into the world of tech, the Tel Aviv-based outfit has dressed a plethora of iPhone accessories in designs inspired by the trends and technology of the early 2000s, with cases reminiscent of everything from flip phones and Blackberry messenger apps, to classic iPod displays and MP3 players. Alongside its array of cases, the pair have also shared images of wireless charging pads and AirPod cases, all of which boast unique noughties-inspired motifs. The waitlist for the Urban Sophistication x CASETiFY collection is live now here, while the capsule itself is set to drop on Septe...

Apple has issued an emergency cybersecurity update after learning of a new spyware vulnerability. According to reports, the vulnerability was discovered by tech research firm Citizen Labs and is described as a “zero-day zero-click exploit” that affects a whole host of Apple devices that run on iOS, macOS and watchOS. The researchers found it while looking through an iPhone owned by a Saudi Arabian activist that was known to be infected by a spyware program from Israel’s NSO Group, who created Pegasus. “This spyware can do everything an iPhone user can do on their device and more,” said Citizen Labs senior researcher John Scott-Railton. Since the discovery, Apple has responded with an emergency update for all affected devices on Monday, also pointing out that it was “aware of a report that ...

Xiaomi has announced a pair of smart glasses called Xiaomi Smart Glasses. A company spokesperson tells The Verge that there’s no plan to actually put them on sale, but Xiaomi has provided enough detail to make the concept product seem somewhat plausible — at least for some point in the future. Xiaomi’s glasses have a relatively conventional form factor, but unlike Facebook and Ray Ban’s just-announced Stories glasses, they actually do have a display that can be used for AR features. Xiaomi says it went with a monochrome MicroLED system because of its “higher pixel density and longer lifespan while having a simpler structure” when compared to OLED. According to Xiaomi, MicroLED “allows for a more compact display, as well as easier screen integration.” MicroLED is a self-emissive display tec...

Many of Logitech’s previous wireless gaming headsets cost more than $100, but its latest is a relative bargain without compromising too much on comfort or features. The G435 Lightspeed costs $80, comes in three colorways, and can connect wirelessly to a PC or PlayStation console via its USB dongle, and to a phone, tablet, or other devices via a low-latency Bluetooth connection (Logitech didn’t share specific millisecond latency specs in time for publication). The headset will be available sometime in September 2021 from Logitech’s site. Its design picks up where the G733 Lightspeed left off, with lots of color, breathable mesh fabric, and plastic all around. There are some differences, both cosmetic and functional. Logitech says the G435 Lightspeed was designed primarily for smaller heads,...

Instagram is testing a Favorites feature, where users can add specific accounts where their posts will be prioritized to rank higher in users’ feeds. Leaker Alessandro Paluzzi has made a tweet about the trial feature by Instagram with screenshots demonstrating how it works: users will be able to add accounts as “Favorites,” and those posts will be pushed at the top of users’ feed. This function gives users more control over the content they prefer to see and helps the platform’s algorithm to understand the interest of users more. Other than manually inputting those accounts, the Facebook-owned platform will also suggest different accounts for you to include on your favorite list. The Favorites feature in the feed is similar to the Close Friend feature rolled out in Instagram Stories, where...