Technology

The same people who originally brought Android to the Nintendo Switch, the Switchroot team, are back with an Android 10 update, according to XDA-Developers. While the mod is only available for certain Switch models, it allows users who install it to run apps from the Google Play Store, like games, emulators, and streaming services like Netflix and Twitch. The update also brings some more polish to the mod, letting the Joy-Con sticks work as proper analog sticks instead of eight-way D-pads, deep sleep support that the devs say “can last for weeks,” over-the-air updates, and better Wi-Fi support that promises fewer disconnections. Of course, the real reason for adding Android to a Switch is so you can play games that aren’t Switch games, likes the ones made playable by the Game Boy Advance, ...

After last month’s deadly pro-Trump attack on the Capitol, lawmakers are investigating the role DLive, one of the video-streaming platforms used to broadcast the riot, played in financing the violence. In a letter to DLive’s chief executive officers Tuesday, Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Jackie Speier (D-CA) called on DLive for details into how it moderates extremist content and how the platform ensures bad actors won’t use its cryptocurrency-based donation model to finance that content anonymously. “Our concern is that online platforms such as DLive are being used to promulgate extremist views that incite offline conflict and violence. We have worked with other platforms… to reform their governance practices around extremist content and that work is still ongoing,” the House Oversi...

As we’ve gone through the pandemic, I’ve been thinking about how much of our lives happen on screens and through software. We use software to connect with our friends, to play games, to move markets, and to catch criminals. Software isn’t eating the world; it’s eaten it. Today on Decoder, I’m talking to Charlton McIlwain, a professor of media, culture, and communications at NYU and the author of Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives Matter. The book takes a hard look at the long relationship between the Black community in America and software — including the early pioneers who built online communities in the dial-up era; the relationship between software, the civil rights movement, and policing; and today’s social platforms, which amplify and di...

Zendure’s SuperTank power bank is $100 at Wellbots today, which is the lowest price we’ve seen that doesn’t require a coupon code. It will ship for free and is a tax-free purchase for people who live outside of New York state, as well. This battery’s best feature is that it can recharge devices requiring up to 100W (this includes the 16-inch MacBook Pro, among other powerful machines) at the same speedy pace that their factory chargers can deliver, yet it’s smaller and more portable. It contains a 27,000mAh 99.9Wh battery (the maximum you’re allowed to legally bring onto a commercial flight, according to the Federal Aviation Administration), and it hosts two USB-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, and a display to see the remaining battery capacity. I spent time with this model in 2019, compari...

Visible, the Verizon-owned MVNO, is adding some new services that make using it just a bit more like subscribing to one of the big wireless carriers. Starting today, Visible now supports activating service via eSIM. It only works with recent, compatible iPhones, but Visible says it will add support for Android devices soon. The company also is offering 5G service (with limits) and free calling and messaging to Canada and Mexico. Visible customers’ access to Verizon’s 5G network has some important fine print: both Nationwide and Ultra Wideband are included, but data speeds will be capped at 200Mbps. Direct carrier subscribers (AKA Verizon customers) also have priority on the fastest data speeds during times of congestion. That’s par for the course for MVNOs. While they can offer competitive...

CD Projekt says it’s been hacked by attackers who’ve been able to access its internal network, encrypt some devices, and collect “certain data” from the Polish video game company. The Cyberpunk 2077 developer says it will not give in to the demands or negotiate with the attacker, and does not believe any personal data of players or service users has been compromised. In a tweet disclosing the hack, the company shared the ransom note left by the hackers, who claim to have accessed the source code for Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3, Gwent, and an “unreleased version of Witcher 3.” The hackers are threatening to release the source code alongside internal legal, HR, and financial documents “if we will not come to an agreement.” In its statement, CD Projekt says that it has secured its IT infrastruc...

A robotic probe owned by the United Arab Emirates is preparing to jump into Mars orbit on Tuesday after launching from Earth last year. For mission managers in Dubai, it’s a nerve-racking climax in the UAE’s first mission to deep space. If successful, the Hope probe will survey the Martian atmosphere. The Emirati cabinet hopes the mission will also inspire a new science and technology sector as the Gulf state looks to wean its economy from oil dependence. The Hope probe launched from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center last July as Earth and Mars aligned in their orbits around the Sun. Now, having traveled over 300 million miles, Hope is set to carry out an intricate and fully autonomous maneuver called a Mars Orbit Insertion at 10:30AM ET. Mission control in Dubai won’t know if the MOI has b...

A series of leaked images may offer a first look at Google’s Android 12 update. XDA-Developers has published screenshots from what is said to be from an “early draft” of documents Google distributes to Android partners. The screenshots, which XDA-Developers says haven’t been fully confirmed, include what appears to be new UI changes, alongside a new privacy indicator and conversation widget. If accurate, the UI changes include an emphasis on rounded corners, with a reduction in the number of Quick Settings available from the unexpanded notification panel. Google also appears to be using a beige color scheme, which could be part of the rumored new native theme system for Android 12. Android 12’s rumored conversations widget.Image: XDA-Developers Beyond the UI changes, the screenshots show a...

Nothing, the new venture from ex-OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, plans to release a pair of wireless earbuds this summer, with other products following later in the year, Bloomberg reports. In an interview, Pei said Nothing plans to eventually produce an ecosystem of devices that can connect to one another. The product details were revealed with the announcement that Nothing has completed a new $15 million funding round led by Alphabet’s venture capital unit, GV (formerly Google Ventures). Manufacturing wireless headphones would bring Nothing into competition with some of the world’s biggest tech companies including Apple, Samsung, and Sony. Notably, Nothing would also be competing with Pei’s old company, OnePlus, which released its first pair of true wireless earbuds last year. Pei left OneP...

Snap is introducing a new feature it’s calling Friend Check Up. On Snapchat, having someone friended could give them access to your story and even possibly your location, depending on your Snap Map settings, so Snap wants to make sure that everyone on your friends list is still someone you actually want to call your friend. This feature could help make the platform safer for users, if they choose to use it. It could be a good way to help you realize you might still have somebody friended that you don’t want to see your posts. And I know there’ve been plenty of times when I’ve looked at a friend or follower of mine and said “I have no idea who this person is,” or worse: “oops, my ex can see my sadtweeting.” Snap says that the feature will be rolling out globally on Android “in the coming we...

Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has called for a reset in relations between the US and the Chinese tech giant. Speaking to international media in China for the first time in more than a year, Ren expressed willingness to speak with President Biden and said he hoped for an “open policy” from the new administration. “I would welcome such phone calls and the message is around joint development and shared success,” Ren said in officially interpreted comments reported by CNBC, AFP, and the South China Morning Post. “The US wants to have economic growth and China wants to have economic growth as well.” “If Huawei’s production capacity can be expanded, that would mean more opportunities for US companies to supply too,” Ren continued. “I believe that’s going to be mutually beneficial. I believ...

Hackers successfully infiltrated the computer system controlling a water treatment facility in the city of Oldsmar, Florida, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times. In doing so, the hackers were able to remotely control a computer to change the chemical levels of the water supply, increasing the amount of sodium hydroxide before a supervisor was able to catch the act in real time and revert the changes. “At no time was there a significant adverse effect on the water being treated,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a press conference on Monday, which was later posted to YouTube. “Importantly, the public was never in danger.” Sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye, is used in water to regulate acidity levels, the Tampa Bay Times reports, but in excess it can be dang...