Technology

The Italian company behind the iconic Vespa scooter has debuted a miniature robot that’s designed to help its owners hauling items while they run errands. Out from Piaggio Fast Forward, which calls itself a leader in smart technology, the gitamini is a 28 lb (13 kg) mobile robot that not only carries cargo but also follows the rules of the road. The gitamini is about the size of a medium-sized dog and comes programmed with an extensive body of knowledge regarding pedestrian mobility and etiquette. It also comes loaded with handles on its front and back for manual maneuvering over bumps and hills, as well as an impressive roster of cameras and radar technologies that enable it to detect its surroundings and navigate crowded environments. The bot can be packed with up to 20 pounds (32 kg) of...

Google got ahead of any possible news leaks about the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro by announcing the phones back in August, including that they would run on the company’s long-in-development Tensor chip. But it’s possible that some leakers have recently got hold of an actual unit. A video posted to Twitter by @thisistechtoday may be showing off a pre-production version of the Pixel 6 Pro, complete with its triple rear camera array. Of course, Google hasn’t been coy about sharing what the device will look like — even installing dummy units in its NYC store for people to ogle. To that end, the device that’s spun around in this short clip looks like what we’ve seen so far — the strange Google logo placeholder notwithstanding. The phone in this video appears to have a hole-punch selfie camera, and ...

Disney is making Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings available to stream at no additional cost for subscribers as part of its newly announced Disney Plus Day, celebrating the second anniversary of Disney Plus on November 12th. Along with its latest Marvel blockbuster, the company is introducing new movies, shows, and Marvel and Star Wars specials as part of “a grand-scale celebration of our subscribers across the entire company,” says Disney CEO Bob Chapek. Disney tells The Verge that both Shang-Chi and Jungle Cruise will be available to stream at no additional cost for subscribers on November 12th. (Jungle Cruise is currently available on Premiere Access; Shang-Chi is only in theaters.) There will also be a special “celebrating the origins and legacy” of Star Wars’ Boba Fett, a spec...

Ubiquitous budget smart home company Wyze has released yet another new product — the Wyze Cam Pan v2. As the name implies, this is the second generation of one of Wyze’s earliest products — the Wyze Cam Pan that debuted three years ago. This new model is available now, costs $39.99 (plus $9.99 shipping), and adds color night vision, improved motion-tracking, and a siren to the mix. There’s no change in form factor, and the Wyze Cam Pan v2 camera looks virtually identical to its (now-discontinued) predecessor. It’s a wired, indoor camera with 1080p HD video and two-way talk. But its main party trick is the ability to rotate on its base and capture a 360-degree view of your home from side-to-side and a 93-degree view vertically, so you can spot Spiderman when he crawls in through the skyligh...

The Oversight Board, a semi-independent body that reviews Facebook’s moderation policies, announced on Tuesday that it wants more information about the “cross-check” system Facebook uses to “review content decisions relating to some high-profile users.” Cross-check is getting called into question because of a report from The Wall Street Journal that claimed the system lets high-profile users break the rules. “In light of recent developments, we are looking into the degree to which Facebook has been fully forthcoming in its responses in relation to cross-check, including the practice of whitelisting,” the board writes. “We expect to receive a briefing from Facebook in the coming days and will be reporting what we hear from this as part of our first release of quarterly transparency reports,...

Another high-level Activision Blizzard employee has left the company. Claire Hart, Blizzard’s chief legal officer, announced in a LinkedIn post that her last day was Friday, September 17th. “The past three years have been full of unexpected twists and turns, but I feel honored to have worked with and met so many great people at Blizzard and across the Activision Blizzard businesses,” Hunt said. Those “unexpected twists and turns” might be an allusion to the series of legal troubles Activision Blizzard faces due to allegations of harassment, abuse, and discrimination. To date, Activision Blizzard is facing suits from: And Activision Blizzard is under investigation by the EEOC and the SEC — all within the last four months. Hunt’s departure is the latest in a string of high-profile employees ...

Mercedes-Benz just announced the pricing of its all-electric luxury sedan, the EQS, and not surprisingly, it starts north of $100,000. What is surprising, though, is that the starting price is cheaper than a gas-powered S-Class. When it arrives at dealerships this fall, the EQS will start at $102,310. By comparison, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz S-Class starts at $111,350. This is a rare case of an electric vehicle selling cheaper than its gas equivalent. This is a rare case of an electric vehicle selling cheaper than its gas equivalent. Mercedes is offering three trim levels: Premium, Exclusive, and Pinnacle. Each trim comes in two versions, depending on the size of the infotainment screen: the 450+ sedan with a 12.8-inch portrait touchscreen; or the 580 4MATIC (yes, I know, these brand names ar...

I’m generally a big fan of the Sonos Roam, but in the months since the portable speaker was released, I’ve definitely come across one downside: subpar power management. When the device is sitting around idle, its battery drains much faster than I’d like — and more rapidly than most Bluetooth speakers. Sometimes that means a dead Roam at the very moment you want to use it most. This has led me to completely power off the speaker when it’s not being used, which is less than ideal for something that’s meant to slot into a multi-room sound system. Thankfully, today, Sonos has made some improvements to address battery drain. After installing the latest software update (with the Sonos app on Android or iOS), the Roam should last longer on a charge when it’s not doing anything. “We’ve improved Ro...

Apple has released a redesigned version of Safari for macOS Big Sur and Catalina. The update, announced as part of the upcoming macOS Monterey, was released the same day as iOS and iPadOS 15, bringing the web browser’s new look and features across Apple’s platforms. To update to the new Safari 15, you can go to System Preferences > Software Update, where it should automatically refresh and show up. Unlike updates to macOS, you shouldn’t have to reboot your computer after updating Safari. The development behind this version of Safari has been interesting. The full OS update that it was originally a part of, which also brings features like Universal Control and Quick Notes, isn’t here yet, but Apple decided to ship the new Safari anyway. For those who have upgraded to iOS 15, that’s a goo...

Amazon on Tuesday unveiled three updated models of its Kindle Paperwhite. Marking the company’s first large renovation to the e-reader since 2018, the three new versions include the standard Paperwhite, a Paperwhite Kids edition and the Paperwhite Signature Edition. The basic Paperwhite is equipped with a larger 6.8-inch screen with smaller bezels than the previous model and a faster processor that produces “20% faster page turns” than the old Paperwhite. The device’s front-light now utilizes 17 LEDs (as opposed to only five in the last version) for a smoother lighting effect. Additionally, the new e-reader is said to have a longer battery life, improving from six weeks to roughly 10 weeks from a single charge. With an updated USB-C charging port, the Paperwhite can fully charge in approxi...

Tumblr is expanding the beta for its Post Plus subscription feature to all users in the US today. Post Plus, similar to Twitter’s Super Follows, allows creators to designate some of their posts as only for paying subscribers. Tumblr is planning a full launch of the feature later in the fall. Tumblr has made some changes since the limited beta that started in July. Post Plus creators can now directly block people who subscribe to them. Creators previously had to contact Tumblr support if they wanted to block a subscriber, which raised concerns among users. There’s now an option to set a subscription price to $1.99 a month, in addition to the existing $3.99, $5.99, or $9.99 options. Creators can go back and paywall existing content, rather than being limited to only monetizing new posts. Tum...

We talk a lot about the creator economy here on Decoder — the booming business of individuals using social platforms to build audiences and then finding ways to monetize those audiences, mostly through subscriptions or advertising. There are a lot of players in that game: we’ve talked to the creators about how they make money, we’ve talked to CEOs and CMOs about how they’re spending their ad dollars, and we’ve talked to a lot of executives from social platforms on how they see all of this growing. One thing I’ve learned from all those conversations is that the creator economy is a market just like any other, with supply and demand, but that it’s also a market that is absolutely starved of information. So today I’m talking to Lindsey Lee Lugrin, the co-founder and CEO of a new platform call...