Technology

Last week Apple revealed that Foundation, the upcoming sc-fi show based on a series of books by Isaac Asimov, would debut on Apple TV Plus in September. Now we have something even better: a proper trailer. It’s the first good look at the show since the debut teaser last year, and it reveals what looks to be an ambitious series that could give Apple’s streaming service its own must-watch epic along the lines of Game of Thrones or The Witcher. The trailer shows lavish sets, big-name stars, and, of course, a baby floating in a tank. “‘Foundation’ has always been at the top of my bucket list.” The show, which was first announced in 2018, is being helmed by showrunner David S. Goyer, and stars Lee Pace and Jared Harris. According to Apple, the story “chronicles a band of exiles on their monumen...

IOActive security researcher Josep Rodriquez has warned that the NFC readers used in many modern ATMs and point-of-sale systems are leaving them vulnerable to attacks, Wired reports. The flaws make them vulnerable to a range of problems, including being crashed by a nearby NFC device, locked down as part of a ransomware attack, or even hacked to extract certain credit card data. Rodriquez even warns that the vulnerabilities could be used as part of a so-called “jackpotting” attack to trick a machine into spitting out cash. However, such an attack is only possible when paired with exploits of additional bugs, and Wired says it was not able to view a video of such an attack because of IOActive’s confidentiality agreement with the affected ATM vendor. One video showed him crashing an ATM out ...

Honda revealed the name of the first of two electric SUVs it plans to sell in North America, and it’s one that many have already guessed, thanks to a recent trademark application. The vehicle will be called the Honda Prologue, and it will go on sale in the US and Canada starting in 2024, Honda of America sales chief Dave Gardner confirmed to reporters last week. As a name, Prologue makes sense considering it’s meant to be the introduction to Honda’s efforts to completely electrify its lineup by 2040. It’s also, notably, a synonym for “Prelude,” the name of Honda’s iconic sports coupe from the 1980s. It’s meant to be the introduction to Honda’s efforts to completely electrify its lineup by 2040 The Prologue will be the first of two vehicles that Honda is co-developing with General Motors, u...

The Lenovo Smart Clock and Smart Clock Essential are both functional, attractive alarm clocks with some extra smart home capabilities. Today, Lenovo has announced the next in line: the Lenovo Smart Clock 2. The big news is that the Google Assistant-powered Smart Clock 2 can come with an optional wireless charging dock, which can juice up Qi-compatible devices. This dock can also act as what Lenovo describes as “a soft, ambient nightlight.” Beyond that, Lenovo says the new Smart Clock has an updated design with three color options that blend in with “nearly any home decor.” And 85 percent of the plastic on the device is made from recycled materials. Here it is in “abyss blue.” Image: Lenovo Compared to the $79.99 Smart Clock and the $49.95 Smart Clock Essential, the Smart Clock 2 certainly ...

Lenovo has announced the new $679 Yoga Tab 13, a global version of the Yoga Pad Pro that launched in China earlier this year. The tablet can function as an external display for a laptop (or a Nintendo Switch or any other HDMI device), thanks to its built-in Micro HDMI port. And with an attached stainless steel kickstand that can rotate 180 degrees from the back of the device, you can stand it up or hang it from a wall. The Tab 13 was announced alongside a slew of other Android tablets that Lenovo expects to launch later this summer, including a smaller Yoga Tab 11, a Tab P11 Plus with a 2000 x 1200 display, and the budget-oriented Tab M7 and Tab M8. (This last will not be sold in the US.) The Tab 13 is compatible with Lenovo’s Precision Pen 2, meaning you could draw or take notes while it’...

It’s not very often that a notable new electric bike brand emerges from Amsterdam, the bicycling capital of the world. The last time was when VanMoof launched the Electrified S back in 2016. So it’s with particular interest that I’ve been following the launch of the Veloretti Ivy and Ace e-bikes that begin mass production today. And I’m not alone in my anticipation as their first electrics begin shipping to customers. “We’re quite overwhelmed with interest in the e-bikes. It’s crazy,” says Veloretti founder Ferry Zonder, who brought me a prototype Ace to test last week. While it may not sound it, Veloretti is wholly Dutch, only with an Italian flare for retro chic. I mean, just look at that Ivy step-through model above with whitewall tires and leather-look grips and saddle. Yet despite the...

Since it was one of the top picks on Netflix and everyone’s talking about it, I started watching Manifest and got five episodes in before I realized it was basically a version of Lost with a few wacky twists and I am not falling for THAT again. But the deeply weird and wonderful The Good Fight is back, and the pilot had Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald at their best, so I can’t wait to see what happens this season (although we said goodbye to two of the show’s best characters, boo). Also can we talk about Loki? We probably can’t without giving away spoilers but episode three gave us a LOT, most of which I suspect were attempts at misdirection. I got so engrossed in writing last Sunday’s trailers post that I totally missed the new Ted Lasso trailer that dropped that day. Derp. Don’t wo...

In March, NASA released audio of its Perseverance rover firing lasers on the surface of Mars. Now China has released audio of what it says is its Zhurong rover arriving on the red planet and getting settled in, Space News reports. China has also released pictures of its Mars rover, which is unexpectedly cute as we saw in its first “selfie” a few weeks ago. Listen to what it sounds like as Zhurong rolls down the ramp of its lander vehicle on to the surface (but just to manage your expectations: you’re not going to hear any “pew pew pew” noises). [embedded content] The solar-powered Zhurong first landed on Mars in May, part of China’s Tianwen-1 mission which arrived in Mars’ orbit in February. After descending from the Tianwen-1 orbiter above the planet’s surface, Zhurong began its Martian j...

Leaked renders of the Galaxy Buds 2 obtained by gadget site 91Mobiles suggest the next iteration of Samsung’s earbuds will look pretty similar to Google’s Pixel Buds. A May filing with the FCC showed the earbuds woud come in a white case with rounded edges. The new images confirm previous reports that the buds will come in four different colors: black, green, purple, and white. The cases in the new renders show each will have a white exterior, while the internal color will match the buds. There aren’t a lot of other details available yet, including price, but the new renders show that the Galaxy Buds will have two microphones for improved noise reduction, and their in-ear design will include silicon tips, much like the Galaxy Buds Pro. According to 91Mobiles, the Galaxy Buds 2 aren’t expec...

YouTube took down several videos from a human rights organization’s channel, which was attempting to document human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang province, for violating its anti-harassment policy, Reuters reported. On June 15th, Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights said the Google-owned video platform disabled its channel entirely, telling the group it had received too many strikes against its channel for videos where people displayed identification cards showing they were related to missing Xinjiang residents. That apparently broke YouTube’s rule against displaying personal information, which led to the videos’ removal. The channel was restored three days later, according to Reuters. YouTube reportedly asked Atajurt to cut out or conceal the IDs in the videos, but the channel’s administrator ...

According to a Friday filing with the Federal Communications Commission (first discovered by Protocol), Verizon is preparing to launch a smart display device based on the Alexa voice assistant. The FCC filing shows a basic-looking device that resembles an Amazon Echo, with an 8-inch display and front-facing camera, and the specs show it has 4GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, Bluetooth, wi-fi and 4G connectivity. It’s not clear from the filing what the user interface will look like on its screen but the device, referred to as LVD1, will “wake” when users speak the phrase “Hi Verizon” to it. That would seem to confirm, as Protocol notes, that the device is part of Amazon’s Alexa Custom Assistant program, which allows companies to build their own versions of Alexa for their branded devices...