Technology

The lives of delivery workers in major US cities are dangerous, surprisingly expensive, and largely only possible because of the support app-based laborers offer each other. But a new editorial series from Rest of World shows that the experiences of US-based gig workers aren’t unique — trying to make a living while at the whims of indifferent platforms is difficult no matter what country you’re in. Rest of World’s overview is based on a survey of over 4,000 gig workers across the world. The publication’s findings are extensive — there’s plenty to examine from just about every angle you can imagine — but the similarities drawn between workers in different countries is striking: Many [workers] — more than 60% — said that they were financially satisfied. But, at the same time, 62% also said t...

The iPhone 13 Mini is out Friday, and while it has a number of welcome improvements over the 12 Mini, it shares one limitation with its predecessor: the 13 Mini is still limited to peak power delivery of up 12 watts over MagSafe wireless charging, according to an Apple support document (via MacRumors). That means it, like the 12 Mini, has a lower maximum MagSafe charging speed than the rest of the iPhone 13 lineup, which can all charge at up to 15 watts over MagSafe. While it might be disappointing to hear that the smallest iPhone can charge slower over MagSafe, it does have improved battery life. Apple says you should get up to 1.5 hours more battery life than you would with the iPhone 12 Mini, so you may not need to charge the 13 Mini as often. That said, the 13 Mini offers less battery ...

The People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, said Friday that cryptocurrency transactions are illegal, saying such currencies “do not have legal tender status” and therefore “cannot be circulated as currency in the market.” In a statement, the bank said that bitcoin and other virtual currency transactions have disrupted economic and financial order, contributing to a rise in “money laundering, illegal fund-raising, fraud, pyramid schemes, and other illegal and criminal activities.” Crypto transactions are now considered criminal financial activity in China, the bank said, and the country will “resolutely curb the hype of virtual currency transactions, severely crack down on illegal financial activities and illegal criminal activities related to virtual currencies, protect the sa...

Reuters and the CBC report that Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou will appear in a Brooklyn federal courtroom today via streaming and plead guilty to US charges against her. Canadian authorities arrested the Chinese executive in December 2018 on suspicion of violating US sanctions, and she has remained there on house arrest ever since, fighting US attempts at extradition. Hearings in her extradition case ended in August, with the ruling scheduled for October 21st. Meng was indicted on fraud charges claiming the Chinese technology and telecommunications company misrepresented its relationship with an Iranian affiliate, along with accusations it stole intellectual property from T-Mobile. Spokespeople for the US Attorney’s Office and Huawei have not commented publicly on the matter. According to the CB...

The price of Bitcoin has fallen by more than $2,000 USD today following an announcement from China’s central bank that all transactions of crypto-currencies are now illegal. A statement from the People’s Bank of China read: “Virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial activities” and warned that continuing in the same way “seriously endangers the safety of people’s assets”. China is one of the world’s largest crypto markets and despite initially banning all crypto-related transactions back in 2019, it still continued online through foreign exchanges. Earlier this year the Chinese state warned that buyers across the country would have no protection when it came to crypto, and shortly after ordered banks and payment applications to no longer facilitate these transactio...

After months of testing, Microsoft is releasing the final version of Windows 11 to its Release Preview channel today. It’s the final step before it’s released more broadly to existing devices on October 5th. If you don’t want to wait until October 5th, you can switch to the Release Preview in Windows 10 today and get the free Windows 11 upgrade early. Here’s how to upgrade to Windows 11 early: Check to see if your PC is compatible with Windows 11, using Microsoft’s PC Health App (download here). If your PC is supported, you’ll need to register as a Windows Insider over at Microsoft’s site to get the Windows 11 upgrade early. On your existing Windows 10 PC, head into Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program The Windows Insider section in Windows 10. Click the Get Sta...

If you’re an Apple Music user and recently bought a new iPhone 13 model, new ninth-generation iPad, or a sixth-generation iPad Mini, there’s an important update to download to avoid an annoying bug. A new Apple support document says a bug affecting those devices restored from a backup can prevent users from accessing the Apple Music catalog, Apple Music settings, or using the services’s Sync Library feature. My colleague Chris Welch reports that he ran into this bug on iOS 15. Thankfully, the fix is very simple, according to Apple. Just head into the “General” section of the “Settings” app, select the “Software Update” option and hit “Install Now,” to get the update. MacRumors notes that its release notes don’t explicitly mention the Apple Music bug, but this is presumably the update Apple...

Wearables company Jawbone is long-dead — it went out of business in 2017 — but its patents live on, and someone is using them to sue Apple and Google. As first reported by Bloomberg News, an entity named Jawbone Innovations LLC filed lawsuits against the two tech giants this week in federal court in Waco, Texas. The suits allege that Apple and Google infringed eight patents previously belonging to Jawbone and focused around noise-isolation algorithms originally developed for DARPA. The suit against Apple names the infringing devices as “all versions and variants of Apple iPhone, iPad, AirPods Pro, and HomePod products,” while the suit against Google is similarly broad, naming “all versions and variants of Google smartphones […] tablets and/or notebooks […], earbuds […] sm...

There’s no shortage of accolades for the latest MacBook Air with its vaunted M1 CPU. Our review last November simply stated that “the new MacBook Air with Apple’s M1 chip is a triumph.” And right now, both the 256GB and 512GB configurations are available at Amazon and Best Buy for $150 off, their largest discount to date. This version of the MacBook Air marks some of the most profound improvements to Apple’s hardware architecture and specs. Whisper-quiet operation, a faster processor, and extensive battery life make the 2020 Air the perfect travel companion, even for Windows die-hards. This deal must be popular, as most configurations are backordered until mid-October currently. Some are available sooner; make sure to check both retailers before you buy the one you want. MacBook Air with M...

Nintendo is adding a new membership tier to Nintendo Switch Online that lets you play Nintendo 64 games and Sega Genesis games. The new tier, called Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, will be officially released in late October. Nintendo didn’t share pricing, and promised it will share more news ahead of the official launch date. But the company did share the games you’ll be able to play when it launches, which include some of the biggest hits across both of the classic consoles. Here’s the launch lineup of N64 games: Super Mario 64 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Mario Kart 64 Star Fox 64 Sin and Punishment Dr. Mario 64 Mario Tennis 64 WinBack Yoshi’s Story Here are the N64 games coming in the future: Banjo-Kazooie Pokémon Snap The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Kirby 64: The C...

The latest macOS Monterey beta contains clues about the resolution of Apple’s rumored 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, MacRumors reports. The seventh beta of the upcoming operating system contains references to “3456 x 2234 Retina” and “3024 x 1964 Retina,” which are two resolutions not supported in any of Apple’s current Macs. MacRumors theorizes that the two new resolutions correspond to Apple’s much rumored 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, which are widely expected to launch this year with new designs and a new Arm-based Apple processor called the M1X. For reference, the current 16-inch MacBook Pro has a resolution of 3072 x 1920, while the current 13-inch MacBook Pro’s display sits at 2560 x 1600. If the new resolutions are accurate, both laptops should see an increase in pixel density as we...

Apple CEO Tim Cook is reportedly doing everything in his power to discourage his staff from leaking confidential information in a recent company memo. But in a twist of fate, the employees also leaked the memo that dictated Cook’s disdain for leakers. The Verge reported that the earlier this week, the CEO wrote an email to his staff to address the recent leaks of information. The email stemmed from an internal company meeting last week and features audio recordings of the meeting. The audio revealed that Apple will require non-vaccinated employees to take regular COVID tests and that the CEO is “looking forward to moving forward” after Apple v. Epic Games ruling in the antitrust case. The memo from Cook read, “I’m writing today because I’ve heard from so many of you were incredibly fr...