Technology

LG has introduced a sleek new XBoom 360 Lantern speaker sporting a smooth matted metal exterior, metal handle and an adjustable mood light. The speaker features a titanium tweeter and elastic glass fiber woofer distributing even omnidirectional sound. Its defining mood light features three settings: Ambient Mode, which produces calm indirect lighting, Nature Mode which emits organic tones, and Party Mode which lights up to match the beat of music. A dedicated LG XBOOM app allows users to adjust lighting patterns, colors, and brightness. The app also allows users to shift between audio modes —Classic, Jazz, User EQ, Pop, Bass Blast, etc.— and perform basic DJ functions such as loop, scratch, FX, pad, auto DJ, sample creator and more. Connectivity options include Aux, USB, and Bluetooth, and...

Following rumors from various outlets last week that e-commerce and tech giant Amazon was preparing to launch its own branded televisions, the company has now officially unveiled its latest creations. Coming in the form of two separate lineups, the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series will be its more premium collection the Amazon Fire TV 4 Series will offer more accessible models. The former will carry sizes in 43 inches, 50 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, and 75 inches with HDR10, hybrid log gamma HDR as well as Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Vision, while the latter will come in 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch options, all also equipped with HDR10 and HLG. As you’d expect, both lines are powered by Amazon’s very own Alexa. Aside from its own branded TVs, Amazon also announced a series of other new devic...

Following in the footsteps of Facebook, Twitter is now testing a new emoji reaction feature for tweets. Similar to the one long been offered by Mark Zuckerberg‘s platform, the feature on Twitter will allow users to move beyond simply liking a tweet but express more through a range of selected emojis, which currently include a thinking face, a sad face, a laughing crying face, clapping hands and a heart. Twitter will first be testing out the feature in Turkey before looking at its response and expanding it to users in the rest of the globe. The latest emoji reacts come amid a flurry of new tests from Jack Dorsey‘s social media platform. Just this past week, Twitter also announced that it’ll be testing out its new “Communities” feature — which brings together those tweeting about a certain t...

Apple has fired senior engineering program manager Ashley Gjøvik for allegedly violating the company’s rules against leaking confidential information. For months, Gjøvik has been tweeting openly about allegations of harassment, surveillance, and workplace safety. “When I began raising workplace safety concerns in March, and nearly immediately faced retaliation and intimidation, I started preparing myself for something exactly like this to happen,” she says. “I’m disappointed that a company I have loved since I was a little girl would treat their employees this way.” Gjøvik has raised concerns that her office is in an Apple building located on a superfund site, meaning it requires special oversight due to historical waste contamination. She also says that she faced harassment and bullying f...

Vivo has announced the X70 series, its latest line of flagship phones. It sees the company further extend its camera partnership with renowned lens company Zeiss while refining the blueprint laid down by the X50 and X60 phones from the past year-plus. The X70 Pro Plus is the top-of-the-line device, featuring a Snapdragon 888 Plus processor, a 6.783-inch (yes that’s the stated spec) 1440p OLED screen, and a 4,500mAh battery that uses Vivo’s 55W FlashCharge technology. More importantly, it has 50W wireless fast charging that also works with Qi. This is Vivo’s first ever phone to support wireless charging, which should make it a more viable switching option for anyone who’s already put Qi chargers all over their house. The X70 Pro Plus’ Zeiss-branded camera array includes a 50-megapixel main ...

Apple says it won’t let Epic Games back in the App Store until they agree to “play by the same rules as everyone else.” Earlier today Epic asked Apple to reinstate its developer account so that it could re-release the iOS version of Fortnite in South Korea, which recently passed a bill forcing Apple and Google to allow alternate in-app payment systems. Apple, however, maintains it’s under no obligation to let Epic in the App Store at all. “As we’ve said all along, we would welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else,” an Apple spokesperson says in a statement to The Verge. “Epic has admitted to breach of contract and as of now, there’s no legitimate basis for the reinstatement of their developer account.” The South Korean legislation has ...

Last year Apple showed how it could embed Shazam’s music identification features even more deeply within iOS 14, and now it’s taking things another step forward within Apple Music. Apple Music initially introduced DJ mixes and mash-ups in 2016 through a partnership with Dubset Media Holdings to identify and pay for licensed music within mixes. Now Apple says that by building upon the Shazam tech acquired in 2018 and partnering with various labels, Apple Music has the tools to identify and compensate individual creators, event promoters, labels, etc. It also allows subscribers to see the names of individual tracks, skip songs within the mix, listen with lossless audio on “most mixes,” and save them to their library for viewing offline. Apple Music DJ MixImage: Apple So yes, the same fingerp...

Twitter is beginning to roll out labels for automated accounts (or bot accounts), the company announced Thursday. “Examples of automated accounts you might see on Twitter include bots that help you find vaccine appointments and disaster early warning systems,” Twitter said in an FAQ. “When these accounts let you know they’re automated, you get a better understanding of their purpose when you’re interacting with them.” Initially, in what Twitter is calling a test, a small number of developers will be invited to be able to apply the labels to their accounts. For accounts in the test that have activated the labels, an “Automated” label will appear on profile pages and on tweets themselves for accounts. Twitter says all developers will be able to use the labels by the end of the year. WhatR...

Epic Games has asked Apple to reinstate its Fortnite developer account so it can release the game in South Korea, following the passage of a bill that will force Apple and Google to let apps use alternative payment systems. “Epic has asked Apple to restore our Fortnite developer account,” Epic said in a tweet on the official Fortnite account. “Epic intends to re-release Fortnite on iOS in Korea offering both Epic payment and Apple payment side-by-side in compliance with the new Korean law.” Epic has asked Apple to restore our Fortnite developer account. Epic intends to re-release Fortnite on iOS in Korea offering both Epic payment and Apple payment side-by-side in compliance with the new Korean law. — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) September 9, 2021 It’s unclear if Apple will agree to the reques...

Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service appears to have lost another top video game industry veteran — kind of. Jack Buser, Stadia’s Director for Games and a former PlayStation exec, is moving to the company’s Google Cloud division to head up “Gaming Solutions,” according to a ZDNet report. Google confirms Buser is leaving the Stadia group for Google Cloud, providing this statement to The Verge: Gaming is an incredibly important vertical at Google and we’re seeing huge momentum across all products and services. Jack’s new role will allow us to better bring customers the best of Google across our Cloud services, Stadia, YouTube, and more. Stadia continues to be led by its GM Phil Harrison, and Stadia’s business development and partner management teams will continue to be led by Michael Abbatti...

28-year-old Ukrainian national Glib Oleksandr Ivanov-Tolpintsev has been indicted by the Department of Justice for allegedly using a botnet to brute force people’s passwords, and then selling the credentials on a dark web store ominously called The Marketplace. According to the DOJ, Ivanov-Tolpintsev bragged that he was able to get at least 2,000 logins a week, and he allegedly told one of The Marketplace’s admins that he had cracked over 20,000 passwords. The DOJ’s description of the alleged methods and victims serve as a reminder of how much stolen information is out there, and the importance of implementing basic security principles. The indictment, which can be read in full below, alleges that Ivanov-Tolpintsev talked about controlling a botnet, which is essentially a group of computer...

Ray-Ban and Facebook have teamed up to create their first pair of smart glasses titled Ray-Ban Stories. Utilizing Ray-Ban renowned Wayfarer styles, the two entities were able to produce a pair of glasses that upholds style while also being able to capture daily moments. The frames come in three styles which include the Wayfarer, Round and Meteor. Also, the styles come in five colors and additional lens options for a total of 20 possible variations. Regarding its features, the glasses possess instant photo and video capabilities with dual 5MP cameras and LED lights on the front. To utilize the features, all one has to do is press a button or use a simple voice command. The Ray-Ban Stories also features built-in Bluetooth and a 3-microphone audio array, so users can make calls or listen to m...