Technology

A bad update to Chrome OS, version 91.0.4472.165, has left some users unable to log in to their accounts, or reportedly with boot-looping computers (via Android Central). If you’ve found yourself locked out of your Chromebook, help is on the way: Google posted on its system status page that it’s working on a fix, which it expects to release on Wednesday. It’s also pulled the update, which should prevent more users from experiencing the issue. According to Google, the only options to immediately regain access to your Chrome OS device (if it unfortunately downloaded and installed the update) will lead to the local data on the device being wiped. If you can wait until the new fix the issue is released, though, your device should automatically download that update as well. Or, you can manually...

Samsung has officially announced when it will hold its next Unpacked product event: August 11th at 10AM ET / 7AM PT. It is widely expected to announce the next version of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 — both of which have already leaked quite a bit. Samsung’s not being shy about those expectations, as a quick look at its invite reveals the outline for both of those devices. Samsung is also expected to announce new Galaxy watches, which would be the first to use the new combined Wear platform that was announced at Google I/O earlier this year. Samsung is holding the event virtually again on its website, and it promises to post more details on the livestream here. It’s also keeping up another Samsung trend: letting customers “reserve” “its next flagship” before it’s even been offic...

YouTube is adding a new feature called Super Thanks that allows fans to easily tip their favorite video creators. Currently being tested on the platform, Super Thanks offers users the option to choose between $2 USD and $50 USD or the equivalent value in a country’s given currency, though YouTube’s paid digital goods product manager, Barbara Macdonald, told The Verge that the capability to manually input dollar amounts is “definitely something that we would be interested in looking to add in.” Purchasing one shows up the same way a comment does under a video, albeit as a colorful image and accompanied by an animated celebration message. Then, creators can respond to the tip notification the same way they do to regular comments. Over the past year, YouTube has been testing the feature under...

PORTL, a Los Angeles-based holographics company, is at the cutting edge of virtual technology with the first-ever device that lets people teleport a hologram of themselves to any location around the world and interact with people there in real-time. While PORTL was only conceived in 2019, its founder and CEO David Nussbaum has been bringing holograms in front of live audiences for over a decade. The entertainment and tech entrepreneur was behind achievements like Jimmy Kimmel’s appearance via hologram at the 2014 CMA Awards and the posthumous performances of digitally resurrected of Latin music stars Juan Gabriel and Jenni Rivera. HYPEBEAST visited the PORTL office in New York City to try out the experience and gain insight on how the company is advancing holoportation. During the visit, N...

Netflix revealed that its initial efforts in gaming will be focused on mobile games and that the games will be included with users’ Netflix subscriptions, the company announced as part of its second-quarter earnings report on Tuesday. The news comes just days after the company said it hired former EA and Oculus exec Mike Verdu to head up its gaming work. Here is exactly what Netflix said about gaming, from its letter to investors: We’re also in the early stages of further expanding into games, building on our earlier efforts around interactivity (eg, Black Mirror Bandersnatch) and our Stranger Things games. We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV. Games will be included in members’ Netflix subscription...

HBO Max has partnered with Snapchat to bring full-length episodes of its series to the social media platform. With HBO Max Minis, users will be able to stream the pilots of select series with up to 63 other Snapchatters. The feature was announced today and is offered through Minis, which launched late last year and hosts third-party app experiences within Snapchat. Minis allow users to do anything from meditate with Headspace to buy movie tickets with friends through Atom. And now, HBO Max Minis will allow anyone on Snapchat to view entire episodes of more than a dozen series from the streaming service for free, including pilots from Lovecraft Country and Game of Thrones. With synchronized playback, everyone watching the title will be able to stream the same title together. Snapchat users ...

Facebook is announcing a new setting that allows you to limit how much potentially sensitive content shows up in your Instagram Explore tab. According to Facebook, the new Sensitive Content Control setting will let you “see more or less of some types of sensitive content,” which may be “upsetting or offensive.” How much content the three levels, “Allow,” “Limit (Default),” and “Limit Even More” will or will not show is pretty vague, and we’ve reached out to Facebook for clarification. On the support page for Sensitive Content Control, Instagram says that sensitive content could include sexually suggestive or violent posts, as well as posts that promote things like tobacco or pharmaceutical use. Facebook is clear that this setting is based on its Recommendation Guidelines, which govern what...

Chrome’s latest update for iOS will let you secure your incognito tabs with Touch ID, Face ID, or a passcode (via MacRumors). When the new feature is rolled out to you, you can turn it on by navigating to the settings menu, then tapping “Privacy,” then “Lock Incognito tabs.” I just updated the app and the option wasn’t there for me, so you might have to wait just a bit until you can flip it on. Google first revealed it was testing this new privacy feature in February. The update brings a few other handy features to Google’s mobile browser, including the ability to take a full-page screenshot of a website. You can use it by snapping a screenshot with the button combination specific to your device, tapping the screenshot preview, and then tapping over to the “Full Page” tab that will appear,...

There are a number of excellent Chromebooks out there, but the race to make the one true successor to Google’s $999 Pixelbook is still very much on. Asus is throwing its hat into the ring with two new releases: the Chromebook CX9 and the Chromebook Flip CX5. Both new Chromebooks meet US MIL-STD 810H standards, the company says, meaning they’ve undergone various tests for pressure, shock, drop, and more. Both can also be configured with up to an Intel Core i7 processor with Iris Xe graphics (which will be overkill for all but the most particular of users). The clamshell Chromebook CX9 comes with up to 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 550-nit UHD touchscreen. (There are FHD touch and non-touch options as well). Asus claims 14 hours of battery life (using a video playback test). The CX9 i...

Apple Arcade’s recent expansion means that the subscription service is now home to plenty of classic games — and things don’t get much more classic than Tetris. Today, Apple announced that Tetris Beat, which mashes up the classic block-dropping puzzler with a rhythm game featuring music from the likes of Alison Wonderland, is coming to Arcade “soon.” There’s no word on a specific release date, but Beat features 18 exclusive songs, split-screen support if you’re on an Apple TV, and spatial audio for those listening with AirPods. It looks to be yet another inventive take on the game, following the likes of the battle royale Tetris 99 and Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s meditative Tetris Effect. The news is also part of a solid run for Apple Arcade. Last week saw the debut of Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost Cit...

When Microsoft announced Windows 11 in June, it revealed that Microsoft Teams would be integrated directly into the operating system and that you’d be able to connect with other people via a new Chat window. The first preview for the new operating system didn’t have that new functionality, but Microsoft is starting to roll it out in a limited way starting Tuesday with the newest Windows 11 preview for Windows Insiders. The rollout of all of the promised features will happen over time, Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc said in a blog post. “In this first stage, you’ll be able to sign in, add contacts, and connect via individual and group chats,” he said. “Over the coming weeks, we will enable audio and video calling, meetings, screen sharing and other capabilities.” He also noted that Chat will r...

Google is updating Chrome for Android’s permissions controls, to make per-site permissions easier to access and manage. The update, available to Chrome on Android users, makes it faster to change what information a site can and cannot access. Tapping the lock button, then tapping Permissions will show a list of what the site is allowed to access, along with toggles to enable or disable them as you want. Google also says that there’s also an upcoming feature that will let you “forget” the site from your browsing history, which is in the same vein as its recent feature allowing you to wipe the record of your last 15 minutes of browsing. A view of the updated permissions controls.Gif: Google Google is also introducing some new privacy and security-centric Chrome Actions, which are commands yo...