Technology

Google says it will speed up how it releases Chrome updates. Starting with Chrome 94 in Q3, 2021, Google will release milestones of its browser every four weeks, instead of every six weeks. This is the first time Google has sped up its Chrome release schedule for more than a decade. “As we have improved our testing and release processes for Chrome, and deployed bi-weekly security updates to improve our patch gap, it became clear that we could shorten our release cycle and deliver new features more quickly,” explains Alex Mineer, a technical program manager at Chrome. IT admins can stick to an eight-week version of Chrome While consumers will see a new version of Chrome every month, IT administrators will be able to opt for a new Extended Stable option that includes milestone releases every...

Satechi has released a new USB-C hub for your laptop to add all the ports that it arguably should have included in the first place. Although the port selection on the $99.99 USB-C On-the-Go Multiport Adapter is similar to other hubs, the high spec of each port makes Satechi’s device worthy of attention. As well as laptops, it also works with USB-C tablets like recent iPad Pro models. The hub’s got HDMI, which offers a maximum resolution of 4K and refresh rate of 60Hz, and there’s USB-C PD pass-through charging at up to 100W (though you have to provide your own power brick). The cable for attaching it to your device isn’t fixed like it is on some hubs, and Satechi supplies two USB-C to USB-C cables with the hub. One’s 1-m long, and there’s a second short cable that can be tucked into the hu...

Getaround, the peer-to-peer car-sharing service, is launching a new program to help support people who want to rent out more than just a couple of cars. The program is called Power Host, and it’s designed to help customers manage small fleets of shared vehicles. Getaround, which operates in 800 cities globally and has over 6 million users, created the program in response to a growing number of its customers seeking to start a small car-sharing business for themselves. After an initial steep drop in bookings after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Getaround has since seen its demand bounce back. And now people are looking for ways to use the platform in a more professional capacity. “We just started seeing a significant increase in owners who had a few cars [and] who wanted to buy more,” ...

RedMagic, the gaming brand of ZTE subdivision Nubia, has launched a new smartphone in collaboration with Chinese tech and gaming giant Tencent. The RedMagic 6 and 6 Pro are high-end devices available to order now in China, with a global launch coming later this month. The RedMagic 6 has an Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, active fan cooling, and a 6.8-inch 1080p OLED display with a refresh rate of 165Hz, making it the fastest phone screen on the market today. RedMagic is also claiming a single-finger touch sampling rate of up to 500Hz, or up to 360Hz with multitouch. The touch-sensitive capacitive “shoulder triggers” on the side, meanwhile, are sampled at up to 400Hz. The RedMagic 6 Pro is mostly identical, but it comes with up to 18GB of RAM and has a faster 120W charging system that Re...

Blizzard wasn’t kidding when it told Polygon that the new remastered Diablo II would be faithful to the original. You’ll even be able to pick up where you left off with your 20-year-old savegames, IGN Middle East reports. “Yes! Yes, keep those!” producer Matthew Cederquist told journalists, saying that the team called it “the best feature ever.” As a lapsed player myself, the very idea is giving me chills — dangerous ones, ones that I imagine are akin to what Gollum felt in The Lord of the Rings when he decided to pull The One Ring off his brother’s throttled corpse. I thought I could safely leave this game behind, but no. It seems I may need to track down an old friend soon. Staying the hell away from this. True story: I had to give my fairly valuable account and discs to a friend sworn t...

T-Mobile has been busy hawking its 5G network, recently spending many additional billions to expand it, which makes it kinda awkward that it’s also been caught telling users to turn off 5G to save battery life (via Sascha Segan). Didn’t Verizon just make this same gaff mere days ago? It sure did. But instead of learning from the example, T-Mobile appears to have pulled a hold-my-beer: where Verizon told users to switch to LTE, many of T-Mobile’s support documents tell users to go all the way back to 2G. In case you’re not aware, switching to 2G (which T-Mobile handily tells you how to do) will make your phone next to useless as a data device: the maximum theoretical speed you could get from a 2G connection would be around 1Mbps (though many top out at closer to 256Kbps). Even 1Mbps is 25 t...

Apple’s Find My app might get a new safety feature to help prevent someone from using the kinds of devices tracked in the app to stalk you instead. “Item Safety Alerts”, spotted in the iOS 14.5 beta, will notify you if an unknown device being tracked on Find My is “moving with you” so you can remove it or disable it, 9to5Mac reports. The feature seems designed to counteract a scenario where a Find My-compatible device is hidden in a pocket or bag and then used to track someone’s movements. The Item Safety Alerts setting was found in early versions of iOS 14.3, according to AppleInsider, but was removed until its reappearance in iOS 14.5. The setting is enabled by default in the beta and Apple seems to want it to stay on. If you turn off the setting off, the system will warn you that unknow...

Razer is tonight formally announcing its Anzu “smart” glasses, which follow Bose, Amazon, and other companies by integrating audio speakers directly into the glasses temples. The $199.99 Anzu glasses will be available in both rectangular and round frames, and each will come in two sizes: small and large. You can place an order beginning today. Two sets of lenses come in the retail package: a regular, clear pair that offers 35 percent blocking against blue light, and Razer also throws in sunglass lenses with 99 percent UV protection. Image: Razer But Razer has deviated from competitors with its approach to audio glasses: the company has used a true wireless design that completely splits the left and right speakers. Razer says this allows for improved comfort since the frames allow for more ...

Photo: Shaughn & John for New York Magazine Within seconds, Trisha Paytas has already managed to shock me. She’s in full L.A.-influencer drag: platinum-blonde extensions, baby-pink acrylics, cut-crease smoky eye, and a stiff, plump beige pout. Seated in the kitchen of her still mostly empty five-bedroom, eight-bathroom new home in Ventura County — where everything is white and tan and has that California casual-chic look that’s become standard issue for the YouTube famous — she looks so … normal. And then she opens her mouth. Paytas is recounting her current obsession with Adam Sandler, and not in a “I’m rewatching 50 First Dates” way. More in the genre of “I just spent thousands of dollars on at least a dozen of his actual movie costumes.” “He’s Jewish and funny and schlubby and ...

Porsche has finally unveiled the wagon-y sibling of the Taycan EV. Originally teased in concept form in 2018 and due out this summer, the Taycan Cross Turismo is a more utility-minded version of Porsche’s first EV with a hatch rear, more interior space, greater ground clearance, and off-road-oriented options. The new crossover EV starts at $90,900, plus delivery fees. Much like the regular Taycan sedan, there are four different versions with increasing price and performance: the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo, the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo, the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo, and the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo. More space than the sedan, with similar performance Unlike the regular Taycan, all four versions of the Cross Turismo come fitted with Porsche’s larger 93.4kWh battery pack and a dual-motor, al...

Realme has announced the GT 5G, built with Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon 888 chipset. It comes with plenty of other flagship-esque specs, too, like a 120Hz screen, up to 12GB of RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery with 65W fast charger included. What it doesn’t have is a flagship-like price; it’s on sale in China for 2,799 yuan currently, or about $430. The Snapdragon 888 is currently Qualcomm’s most powerful processor, announced in December of last year. Samsung has included it in its S21-series phones, and it’s expected to appear in many more Android flagships this year. At the moment, though, only a handful of (mostly pricey) devices are available with it, and with a 100 yuan introductory discount, the Realme GT 5G ties the Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro as the least expensive of them. The GT 5G offers ...

Elgato is one of the most notable brands in the consumer tech market when it comes to products aimed toward content creators and streamers. And today, the Corsair-owned company announced that it is expanding its line of creator-focused products. One of the more creative new options is a Green Screen Mouse Mat, which allows streamers and content creators to blend a flat surface like their desk into their video feed. Some streamers, such as competitive gamers and speedrunners, use a hand cam setups to show off their hand movements while on stream. The mouse pad could be a convenient way to let creators put that space to extra use instead of just showing their desk. Streamers doing unboxing videos could replace the mat with an enhanced image of the item they are opening, or gamers could make ...