Technology

Like in previous years, Samsung used its latest Galaxy Unpacked event to announce a slew of new devices, including the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. The two smartphones are already available for preorder starting at $1,799.99 and $999.99, respectively, and will launch alongside the Galaxy Buds 2 and a handful of other devices on Friday, August 27th. How to preorder the Galaxy Z Fold 3 The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung’s latest foldable, yet it seems to take a cue directly from the Note, adopting S Pen support as well as an optional flip case designed to hold the stylus when not in use. The forthcoming device appears to be more rugged, too, with IPX8 water resistance, tougher aluminum in the hinge, and a protective film that is supposedly 80 percent stronger than that of the Galaxy Z Fo...

Nintendo’s most recent Indie World Showcase was full of lots of cool games, as per usual. But the best part is that many of them are out today. That includes Axiom Verge 2 (a sequel to a Metroid-like adventure from 2015), Boyfriend Dungeon (a hack-and-slash game where you can romance your weapons), Necrobarista: Final Pour (the director’s cut of a visual novel about coffee and death), Islanders (a procedurally generated strategy game where players build island communities), Slime Rancher (where players run an alien ranch), Curious Expedition 2 (described as “a turn-based narrative roguelike set in a reimagined version of the late 19th century”), and Garden Story (a Zelda-like action-adventure game where you play as an adorable grape). Outside of the games coming out today, the event also i...

The National Institutes of Health is giving a booster dose to 200 kidney transplant patients who did not have an immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine in a new trial that launched yesterday. Many transplant patients, who have to take immunosuppressant drugs to keep their bodies from rejecting a new organ, don’t produce enough antibodies — or don’t produce antibodies at all — after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The study will check to see if a third shot of an mRNA vaccine, given on top of the normal two-shot regimen, will generate antibodies closer to the levels seen in healthy people. There are some indications that a third dose might help some people. In France, health officials started recommending in April that immunosuppressed patients get a third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Half ...

Instagram has been in the news this summer after Black soccer stars in England were bombarded with racist messages following their team’s Euro 2020 final loss. Today, the company’s trying to prevent some of that behavior from happening again with the introduction and expansion of three safety features. Among them is something called “limits.” Turning this on prevents anyone who doesn’t follow you, or who recently followed you, from commenting or sending a DM. The feature is available to everyone globally today, and Instagram points out that it’ll likely be most useful to businesses and creators who expect a flurry of responses. Of course, turning comments or DMs off entirely would also work, but Instagram says this is a solution for people who still want the possibility of positively engag...

The greatest Tetris game of the last decade is finally coming to the Switch. As a part of today’s Indie World Showcase, Nintendo announced that Tetris Effect: Connected will arrive on the Switch October 8th. Coming off its timed exclusivity period with Xbox and Xbox Game Pass, Tetris Effect: Connected is the multiplayer expansion of 2018’s Tetris Effect. Designed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the creator behind the trippy musical shooter Rez, Tetris Effect combined speedy block stacking with slick and impossibly pretty visuals and sounds. In Tetris Effect, classic Tetris gameplay remained unchanged. Players still dropped various shaped blocks into brain-pleasing configurations, clearing rows as stacks of blocks slowly piled up. But Tetris Effect was also a full-on audiovisual sensory experience co...

Twitter is now complying with the Indian government’s new internet rules, a lawyer representing the federal government has told a court in Delhi, Bloomberg reports. The social media company has now appointed a permanent employee to serve as both chief compliance officer and grievance officer, as well as a nodal officer — three roles required under the new legislation announced in February. Twitter said it appointed the executives earlier this month. Although rivals Google and Facebook have reportedly been in compliance since May, Twitter has found itself in a tense standoff with the Indian government over the legislation. In June, the government warned Twitter of “unintended consequences” if it failed to obey the new rules, and the following month it argued that the social media network ha...

Marvel’s What If…? is the first of its kind in a lot of ways for the MCU. It’s the first animated project in the interconnected web of movies and TV shows that Marvel Studios has been building out for the last decade. Instead of focusing on a particular character or storyline, What If…? is an anthology series that explores different alternative universes and realities that spin off from Marvel’s established films and shows so far. And it works — after years of lore-heavy movies and shows, the animated show is a refreshing and fun break of bite-sized superhero shenanigans. Light spoilers for What If…?, Loki, and the MCU follow Courtesy of Marvel Studios That flexibility was one of the most exciting things about the series, head writer A.C. Bradley tells The Verge. “They’re...

Apple’s second-gen AirPods are more of a refinement than a revolution, but if you’ve been waiting for the price to come down before jumping on the AirPods bandwagon, now might be the best time to do so. Although they’re often discounted to just shy of $160, Apple’s iconic earbuds and their wireless charging case are now available at Amazon for $130, the steepest price cut we’ve seen on the in-ears to date. The latest AirPods lack the noise cancellation and flexible design found on the AirPods Pro, however, they still manage to deliver satisfying sound quality and dependable battery life. Plus, they’re incredibly easy to use with both Apple and Android devices, even if you do lose the double-tap gestures and a bit of convenience with the latter operating system. Read our review. If you’re a...

Samsung is holding its Galaxy Unpacked event today at 10AM ET / 7AM PT, where it’s expected to show off its next generation of folding phones. The foldable nature of the devices set to be announced today is strongly hinted at by the event’s teaser image, and we’ve seen plenty of leaks backing up the idea that Samsung will be announcing the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip 3. We’ve also seen leaks of the rumored Galaxy Watch 4, which could make an appearance at today’s event, featuring the new Samsung / Google smartwatch OS. When does Samsung’s Unpacked event start? The live stream is set to start at 10AM ET / 7AM PT today, August 11th (which is 11PM in Korea). Where can I watch the Unpacked Event? You can see things unfold at the top of this article, or on Samsung’s site or YouTube channel. You ca...

DraftKings Marketplace is releasing its debut NFT collection, featuring an exclusive collection of Preseason Access content provided by Autograph. Sports fans will be able to get a chance at bidding on autographs from some of the most iconic athletes in the world. Co-founder and seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady is set to headline the first drop. Other top athletes like Wayne Gretzky, Tony Hawk, Naomi Osaka, Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods and more will join Brady in the NFT market down the line. Matt Kalish, co-founder of DraftKings said, “The overall NFT market has already surged to over $2.5 billion in sales volume for the first half of 2021, and so whether someone is well-versed or barely familiar with digital collectibles, we envision DraftKings Marketplace being a premier platform fo...

Commodore’s Amiga 500, a home computer that became a popular game system, is receiving a remake. The A500 Mini is being developed by Retro Games Ltd, which previously released a mini version of the Commodore 64. The Amiga 500 was the most successful model in the Amiga family of PCs, which started to appear in the mid-’80s and drew a devoted following as gaming systems, particularly in Europe. While the A500 Mini is clearly based on the Amiga 500, Retro Games Ltd says it’ll also emulate the more powerful AGA graphics hardware from the Amiga 1200. The list of games confirmed so far includes: Alien Breed 3D Another World ATR: All Terrain Racing Battle Chess Cadaver Kick Off 2 Pinball Dreams Simon the Sorcerer Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe The Chaos Engine Worms: The Director’s Cut Zool There’ll ...

Commodore’s Amiga 500, a home computer that became a popular game system, is receiving a remake. The A500 Mini is being developed by Retro Games Ltd, which previously released a mini version of the Commodore 64. The Amiga 500 was the most successful model in the Amiga family of PCs, which started to appear in the mid-’80s and drew a devoted following as gaming systems, particularly in Europe. While the A500 Mini is clearly based on the Amiga 500, Retro Games Ltd says it’ll also emulate the more powerful AGA graphics hardware from the Amiga 1200. The list of games confirmed so far includes: Alien Breed 3D Another World ATR: All Terrain Racing Battle Chess Cadaver Kick Off 2 Pinball Dreams Simon the Sorcerer Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe The Chaos Engine Worms: The Director’s Cut Zool There’ll ...