Technology

Support for offline playback in Spotify’s Wear OS app is rolling now, the company confirmed to The Verge. As spotted by Android Central, some users on Reddit report that they are already able to use the feature, so if you’ve been waiting for it, you might want to check and see if it’s already rolled out to you. There’s a couple caveats to offline playback on Wear OS, though: according to a Spotify blog, your watch will need to be on Wear OS 2.0 or newer to be able to use the feature, and only Spotify Premium subscribers will be able to download and albums and playlists for offline listening. Both paid and free users can download podcasts for offline playback, though. Spotify revealed on August 11th that its Wear OS would be getting offline playback “over the coming weeks,” so it’s nice to ...

The swipe-up will be no more. Instagram is planning to retire the feature, which allows people to visit external webpages by swiping up, starting August 30th, according to a notification viewed by The Verge and confirmed by Instagram. Instead of the swipe-up link, Instagram says people will be able to use link stickers, which are exactly as they sound: tappable stickers in stories that take people to external websites. The company says it’s retiring the swipe up — a feature that’s spawned its own category of GIFs and a phrase that’s now part of the lexicon — to “streamline the stories creation experience” and offer more “creative control,” given that uses can format the look of stickers and not the swipe up. This update builds on a test the company began earlier this summer. In June, Insta...

If there’s one thing that ties the many iterations of The Witcher together — whether it’s the original books, the hit games, or more recently the live-action show — it’s Geralt of Rivia. The lovably miserable monster hunter is the core of the series in a way that’s rare for fantasy, which often follows stories bigger than just one person. But that’s also what makes Nightmare of the Wolf, an anime spinoff on Netflix, so interesting. It’s a prequel that shifts back in time to focus on Geralt’s mentor Vesemir, who can feel like the polar opposite of his protege: charming, playful, and with a voracious appetite for the finer things in life. It’s a refreshing twist that also does a good job of exploring some of the mysteries at the heart of The Witcher universe, without getting away from the ha...

Apple employee organizing took another step this morning with the launch of a website called AppleToo. The goal is to collect stories from workers at all levels of the organization who’ve experienced harassment or discrimination. “For too long, Apple has evaded public scrutiny,” the website reads. “The truth is that for many Apple workers … the culture of secrecy creates an opaque, intimidating fortress. When we press for accountability and redress to the persistent injustices we witness or experience in our workplace, we are faced with a pattern of isolation, degradation, and gaslighting. No more. We’ve exhausted all internal avenues. We’ve talked with our leadership. We’ve gone to the People team. We’ve escalated through Business Conduct. Nothing has changed. It’s time to Think Dif...

As the Michigan governor’s race heats up, a handful of candidates are turning to TikTok to build followings ahead of the 2022 election. Two Republicans have already found sizable audiences, but they’re also testing TikTok’s limits on misinformation, espousing possible 2020 election fraud and spreading false vaccine information on the platform. Garrett Soldano and Ryan Kelley are both running in Michigan’s Republican primary for governor, hoping to replace current Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Soldano, a chiropractor from Kalamazoo County, is one of the leading fundraisers, raising more than all other candidates combined, according to Michigan Live last month. Both candidates have built large followings on TikTok, Soldano and Kelley boasting over 74,000 and 35,000 followers, respectively, as o...

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Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit, a satellite-launching spinoff of the billionaire founder’s space tourism firm, is going public through a merger with a shell company, the firm announced on Monday. The company will be valued at $3.2 billion and includes an investment from Boeing. Virgin Orbit plans to merge with the special purpose acquisition company (also known as a SPAC), NextGen Acquisition Corp. II around the end of 2021. It will be listed on NASDAQ under the ticker “VORB.” The deal will bring Virgin Orbit $483 million in new capital — $383 million stored in NextGen and $100 million from another round of funding. Investors in that round include Boeing, Virgin said, but it’s unclear how much they pitched in. The $483 million will help Virgin Orbit ramp up “rocket manufacturing to meet cu...

T-Mobile has announced a new promotional perk for its customers: starting on August 25th, both new and existing subscribers to its Magenta and Magenta Max plans can get a year’s subscription to Apple TV Plus. The deal applies to virtually any of T-Mobile’s post-paid customers that it classifies as part of those plans, including its Magenta 55 Plus, Magenta Military, Magenta First Responders, Sprint Unlimited Plus, Sprint Premium, and T-Mobile for Business plans. Better yet, the deal isn’t just for newcomers to T-Mobile; it seems that anyone subscribing to those plans can get the free year of Apple TV Plus. Customers under T-Mobile’s Magenta, Magenta Max, and T-Mobile for Business can find the offer listed under their rate plan details on T-Mobile’s website or app to get the free year, whil...

After prodding Nike with a Lil Nas X collaboration for “Satan Shoes” and memorializing iconic failed startups as toys, the internet collective MSCHF is aiming bigger and further out with its next drop. MSCHF “Famous Mouse” tokenImage: MSCHF Mickey Mouse is set to enter the public domain in 2024, at which point MSCHF could make a Mickey Mouse artwork. Today, in 2021, we cannot. Instead, we are making and selling the idea of a MSCHF “Famous Mouse” artwork now, that will not exist–even as a design–until 2024. If you purchase this artwork, we give you a temporary token with a unique code that can be redeemed for the actual piece in 3 years. Instead of waiting a few more years for copyrights on works from 1923 to expire, MSCHF is taking a decidedly modern approach and selling the idea for its a...

Apple is planning a new model of the Mac Mini that will replace the pro-focused Intel-based model it still sells, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter. A “high-end, M1X Mac Mini” is expected “in the next several months,” and is said to have “an updated design and more ports than the current model.” Apple released a Mac Mini with its own M1 processor late last year, but that model was intended as a replacement for the entry-level machines, and consequently had fewer ports than the higher-end Intel version introduced in 2018. The M1 Mini has two fewer Thunderbolt ports, only one of which can be used for an external display, although a second monitor can still be hooked up over HDMI. If the “M1X” nomenclature is accurate, it would suggest that the new model uses t...

Sony has quietly launched a revised PS5 model in Australia. Press Start, an Australian-based gaming site, reports that the revised PS5 models include a new screw for the base stand that no longer requires a screwdriver. Sony reportedly swapped in a new screw with a grip around the top so it can be easily adjusted by hand. Press Start also reports that these updated PS5 models are around 300 grams (0.6 pounds) lighter than the original, but it’s not clear what Sony has removed or changed to bring the weight down. The new PS5s ship with a CFI-1102A model number, instead of the CFI-1000 found on the original. The updated PS5 stand screw.Image: Press-start Australia appears to be the first country to take stock of these slightly revised PS5 models. While Sony has removed the need for a screwdr...

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has purchased a Steve Jobs signed Apple II Manual for $787,484 USD at RR Auction. The item in question is a 196-page guide that details the technical architecture and operations of the Apple II. The manual also features a fold-out schematic of the computer’s main logic board. Jobs appears to have included a personal inscription in the guide which reads, “Julian, Your generation is the first to grow up with computers. Go change the world! Steven Jobs, 1980,” and another signature below by Apple’s angel investor and second CEO, “Mike Markkula 1980.” At the time of the signature, it was expected that Jobs and Markkula were in the UK promoting Apple, growing it from a start-up to a global phenomenon. Julia, the recipient, was the son of an entrepreneur who ha...