Technology

Truck rental company Ryder says it’s owed nearly $4 million from EV startup Chanje after it failed to deliver 100 of the 125 vans promised back in 2017, according to a previously unreported lawsuit in Florida. The lawsuit comes as a massive shift toward electric propulsion is underway in the commercial vehicle space, with new startups raising billions of dollars and established automakers announcing electric delivery vans and trucks at a regular clip. Chanje emerged from stealth in 2017 and is one of a number of electric vehicle startups that have called California home. Like many of its peers, it got early attention by hiring a few former execs from Tesla, and even poached some talent from fellow startup Faraday Future. Also like many of those California EV startups, Chanje is owned by a ...

One perk of being an AT&T wireless subscriber was being able to stream HBO Max without that counting toward a customer’s data cap. That’s no longer the case. California’s new net neutrality law includes banning sponsored data services, known as zero-rating, which previously allowed companies like AT&T to cover data usage of certain platforms (like HBO Max) for customers who use other offerings like internet plans. As part of the law, internet service providers like AT&T won’t be able to cover bundle customers’ streaming data usage alongside no longer being able to offer paid prioritization or play down service speed questions. “We regret the inconvenience to customers caused by California’s new ‘net neutrality’ law,” the company wrote in a blog post. “Given that the Internet do...

Apple is reportedly planning a number of updates to its iPad line, including new iPad Pros launching as soon as April, a new iPad mini with a larger screen, and a refresh of the base iPad, according to Bloomberg. The new iPad Pros are expected to have a similar design as the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros released last March but have a better processor that’s “on par” with the speedy M1 chip in Apple’s newest MacBook Airs, Pros, and Mac mini, Bloomberg reports. Both models may also have improved cameras. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro could have a Mini LED screen, according to Bloomberg, which should offer a higher contrast ratio and be less susceptible to burn-in than OLED screens. Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said since 2019 that Apple has Mini LED-equipped tablets and laptops in the wo...

Microsoft’s Presenter Coach, which helps you practice presentations, has been available on the web version of PowerPoint for a while now, but it’s finally coming to the desktop and mobile versions of the app. According to Microsoft, the feature will now be available on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and, of course, the web. PowerPoint Presenter Coach listens to you while you practice a presentation out loud — it analyzes what you’re saying, and can warn you if you’re talking too fast or slow, using filler words like “um” or “ahh,” or just reading the words off the slide (a personal pet peeve of mine). Trying it out on both PowerPoint for Windows and iOS, it worked shockingly well, doing pretty much everything Microsoft says it should. At the end it gives you a little report, telling you what ...

Google is expanding its real-time caption feature, Live Captions, from Pixel phones to anyone using a Chrome browser, as first spotted by XDA Developers. Live Captions uses machine learning to spontaneously create captions for videos or audio where none existed before, and making the web that much more accessible for anyone who’s deaf or hard of hearing. When enabled, Live Captions automatically appear in a small, moveable box in the bottom of your browser when you’re watching or listening to a piece of content where people are talking. Words appear after a slight delay, and for fast or stuttering speech, you might spot mistakes. But in general, the feature is just as impressive as it was when it first appeared on Pixel phones in 2019. Captions will even appear with muted audio or your vol...

Sony has been announcing new games coming to PlayStation 5 all day as part of a spotlight on indie titles. Included in that list is Disco Elysium – The Final Cut, a “definitive edition” of the game, launching on March 30th. The Final Cut includes new quests, quality of life improvements, and voice work from professional actors across the world. The game, previously a PC exclusive, is heading to the PlayStation store, alongside Steam, GOG, Epic Store, Google Stadia, and the App store. Here’s the full list of other games announced today: Operation: Tango Operation: Tango is an asymmetrical co-op game from Clever Plays Studio in which players act as either a hacker or agent to solve puzzles. The game will launch for PlayStation 4 and PS5 in the spring. Chicory: A Colorful Tale In Chicor...

YouTube TV added popular missing channels like MTV and Nickelodeon in 2020 after striking a deal with ViacomCBS, but now the streaming service is finally adding in the remaining stragglers like Nick Jr. and MTV2, according to WhatToWatch. The new additions include Nick Jr., Teen Nick, Nicktoons, MTV Classic, MTV2, Dabl, and BET Her. Generally these channels are spinoffs of more well-known offerings like BET and MTV, but Nick Jr.’s younger children’s programming will definitely have some parents breathing a sigh of relief. Dabl — which I had never heard of before today — is apparently ViacomCBS’s “lifestyle-oriented network” for licensing cooking and homemaking shows like Emeril Live and Martha Stewart Living. It’s probably great for a late-night marathon or your daily background noise whil...

The Securities and Exchange Commission has asked Lordstown Motors for more information about allegations that the EV startup misled investors about its progress to date. Lordstown Motors said Wednesday that it is cooperating with the inquiry and that its board of directors has created a special committee to review the claims. The startup is backed by General Motors, which has a seat on the board. The allegations came last Friday from short-selling firm Hindenburg Research, which disclosed along with the report that it had taken a short position in Lordstown Motors. The firm previously released a report about hydrogen trucking startup Nikola that similarly led to probes from the SEC and the Department of Justice. (General Motors was also planning to take a stake in Nikola before that report...

Motorola is expanding its Edge Plus flagship phone with a new, desktop computer interface called Ready For. Similar to Samsung’s DeX, Ready For allows users to plug their smartphone into a larger screen (using either a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to HDMI cable), allowing the Edge Plus (and presumably, future Motorola phones) to be used as a computer or even a set-top box alternative. The company actually envisions four different use cases for Ready For. On the most basic level, users can convert the Edge Plus into a mobile desktop computer setup, complete with a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard — similar to DeX. But Motorola also has more interesting ideas for how to use the Edge Plus. One more, for instance, turns the Edge Plus into a videoconference station, using the superior cameras on the smar...

Facebook is addressing the criticism it’s faced for its role in human rights abuses by putting its values on paper in a new “corporate human rights policy” collecting “the human rights standards [it] will strive to respect.” Under the policy, Facebook is committing to providing an annual report on its impact on human rights and a fund for human rights defenders. The company plans on reporting its “most critical human rights issues, like risks to freedom of expression” to its board of directors. The fund for defenders is concentrated on offline support for activists and journalists, but Facebook’s director of human rights Miranda Sissons says it will continue to support digital security efforts like “thwarting unauthorized access” to activists’ accounts, as well. While the policy is new, Fa...

T-Mobile has announced a new perk for its customers: a year of access to a version of Pandora with ad-free stations on weekends, along with a few other benefits, at no extra cost. This is not to be confused with Pandora’s paid premium service, but rather a version of the free service with a handful of extras. It starts on March 23rd as part of the company’s T-Mobile Tuesdays promotion, which is included on most postpaid plans. Beginning next Tuesday, customers can get access by logging into the T-Mobile Tuesdays app and redeeming the offer through their Pandora account. After — ironically — watching a short ad each week, they’ll have access to music stations without ads over the weekend. They’ll also get early access to SiriusXM podcast episodes, SiriusXM original podcasts, and special “to...

If you’ve used a ThinkPad before, you probably know 90 percent of what to expect from the ThinkPad X1 Nano. All of the staples are here. It’s got the black carbon fiber chassis, the discrete buttons on top of the touchpad, the mechanical privacy shutter, the ThinkPad logo on the palm rest, and (of course) the red pointer nub in the middle of the keyboard. But one thing is unique about the X1 Nano: it’s the lightest ThinkPad Lenovo has ever made. Starting at just 1.99 pounds, the Nano isn’t technically the lightest laptop on the market. But it’s still one of the best combinations of portability, build quality, and performance that you can buy. Lenovo has made a few other useful tweaks as well, though they’re not tweaks you’ll necessarily notice when you’re looking at the machine. There’s no...