Technology

Teachers who have found themselves holding class over Zoom have probably already figured out clever hacks to show their students documents, but there’s now an app designed specifically for that purpose (via 9to5Mac). Overviewer was made by developer Charlie Chapman, and it allows teachers (or anyone, really) to easily use their phone’s camera as a replacement for an overhead document viewer. If it’s been a minute since you were a student, or if your school didn’t have these overhead devices, they’re basically webcams pointing straight down that allow teachers to show students a printed document, book, hand drawing, or other piece of writing or image. It’s a useful ability to have, but many teachers are working from home because of COVID and may not have access to one like they would in the...

Mint, the free personal finance app from Intuit, is receiving an update today, adding more automated features like subscription tracking and new “insights” to keep you informed where your money is spent, Fast Company reports. Mint’s new features may bring it more in line with the competition from banks and companies like Google that have been nipping at its heels with built-in budget tracking features and other services over the years. Mint’s main function is tracking spending by automatically sorting transactions based on type. By connecting a checking or savings account, Mint can start combing through purchases to see how much is spent in categories like groceries, electronics, or gas. From there, you can create a budget by setting a limit for each category, and Mint can see when you go ...

Pro-Trump protesters have stormed the US Capitol building, effectively halting a vote to certify the results of the 2020 election. The Capitol is currently on lockdown, and multiple adjacent buildings have been evacuated. Vice President Mike Pence and Senate president pro tempore Chuck Grassley have also been evacuated, and tear gas has reportedly been deployed in the rotunda in an effort to secure the building. Information from within the building remains uneven, but it appears the mob has also breached certain congressional offices and the main Senate floor. There have also been reports of gunfire within the chambers. Protesters gathered this week for an extended rally protesting efforts to certify the electoral college results for the 2020 election. President Trump spoke at the rally ea...

Tuesday night was a good night for Democrats. Votes are still being tallied and no one has conceded, but it seems all but certain that Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff have won election to the US Senate, putting the chamber under 50-50 Democratic control. It’s a huge shift in what’s possible for Democrats and policymakers are already discussing policies that seemed impossible on Monday, like $2,000 direct stimulus payments or a new voting rights act. But while the wins will have impacts across the Democratic platform, they may have particularly strong effects on net neutrality. Before Georgia, net neutrality advocates were facing a gridlock in Congress and the frightening possibility that the incoming president wouldn’t be able to appoint his own FCC commissioners. But ...

If you’re feeling swept up in New Year’s resolutions for getting fit and want a device that’s going to hold you accountable to meet your goals, Amazon’s Halo tracker is $25 off its usual $100 price. All sizes and colors are the same price. The Halo was actually about $10 cheaper when it first launched, but this is the next-best deal. In case you don’t know much about this product, it’s a tracker that can monitor more granular metrics than most fitness devices, like the tone of your voice and a general approximation of how much overall body fat you have. To get all of the features Halo offers, you’ll need a subscription. You’ll get six months for free with purchase. After that, it’s $3.99 per month if you want to continue. If not, then the Halo will just track sleep, heart rate, and step tr...

With its 2021 lineup of 4K and 8K QLED TVs, Samsung is introducing a new Eco Remote Control that the company claims will “reduce tons of plastic waste per year” and further its efforts to reduce its environmental impact. From the front, the Eco Remote Control looks like any of Samsung’s TV clickers from recent years. But flip it around and you’ll see a long panel of solar cells that can charge the internal battery. The remote is made from 31 grams of plastic, and Samsung says 28 percent of that comes “from recycled polyethylene terephthalate.” Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Samsung estimates you’ll be able to use the Eco Remote Control for two years before its battery gives out. That’s a fairly limited life span for something that accompanies a product you’re likely to use for anywhere b...

Samsung is today announcing its upper tier of 2021 8K and 4K TVs. And like TCL and LG before it, the company is moving to a more precise backlighting system that uses Mini LED technology for improved contrast and greater picture quality than its previous full-array local dimming systems — and Samsung’s premium QLED LCD TVs were already impressive. The latest Mini LED advancements are being branded as “Neo QLED” and will be found in several different tiers in the 2021 lineup. There are two 8K models: the QN900A (a successor to last year’s top-tier 8K QLED with barely there bezels) and the QN800A. From there, three series of 4K TVs will get Mini LED: the QN95A, QN90A, and QN85A. Mini LED lets Samsung pack more LEDs into its premium TVs for brightness that’s “more finely controlled.” (Note: A...

LG’s new vacuum cleaner, the ridiculously named LG CordZeroThinQ A9 Kompressor Plus, should be a little easier to empty than most cordless vacuums. Its charging station is equipped with a “fully-automated dust removal system,” which sucks the contents of the vac’s dustbin into a dust bag as the device charges. We’ve seen similar auto-emptying features in robot vacuum cleaners like the iRobot Roomba i7 Plus before, but LG’s solution is more unique in the world of cordless stick vacuums. Samsung sells a Clean Station to work with its upright vacuum cleaner, but using it involves first detaching the vacuum’s dustbin, rather than it happening automatically during charging. Honey, did you charge the LG CordZeroThinQ A9 Kompressor Plus? As someone who frequently has to reach up into the dustbin ...

Amazon is developing a new Alexa-powered device that can track and monitor for signs of sleep apnea using radar, according to a new report from Business Insider. The palm-sized device is reportedly designed to sit on a bedside table and use millimeter-wave radar to sense your breathing, keeping an eye out for interruptions associated with the apnea sleeping disorder. The idea of using radar to monitor sleep isn’t new, and at least one other high profile company has attempted to commercialize the technology. Way back in 2014 Nintendo announced a “non-wearable” device that could track sleep via radio waves. However, less than two years later Nintendo said it wasn’t confident the device could become a viable product, and it was never released. Last month we also saw OnePlus announce a new con...

Microsoft is finally starting to roll out history and tab sync for its Edge browser. After nearly a year since its initial release, some Microsoft Edge users now see the full web history and tab sync features available in their browsers. The roll out is gradual, but you can check to see if it’s available in your country by navigating to settings > profiles > sync and enabling “history” and “open tabs” in the options. Not every country has access to the additional sync features just yet, but we understand the UK is one of the first markets that will see history and tab sync initially. These new features will let Edge users sync all web pages they’ve visited to additional Windows 10 or macOS devices, or even to the mobile versions of Edge for iOS and Android. You will need to head into...

Verizon is indefinitely delaying the shutdown of its 3G network, pushing back the original plan for the network to shutter at the end of 2020 to an as-yet-undetermined point in the future. The news comes from Verizon spokesperson Kevin King, who tells Light Reading, “Our 3G network is operational and we don’t have a plan to shut it down at this time. We’ll work with customers to move them to newer technology.” According to Light Reading, Verizon previously announced that it planned to shutter the 3G network at the end of 2020, which was already a delay. (The company originally intended to close the network at the end of 2019.) Now, it seems that Verizon is once again punting that decision down the road. The interesting part of this decision is that Verizon is making it solely for customers...

The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is no longer available to buy, Google has confirmed to 9to5Google, after the site noticed that the camera was out of stock in most countries around the world. The company says, however, that “Nest will keep investing in new innovations” including a “new lineup of security cameras for 2021.” For now, Google still sells the $129 Nest Cam Indoor, the $299 Next Cam IQ Indoor, and the $199 Nest Cam Outdoor. The IQ models have upgraded video quality and AI-based features like face and pet recognition. Google says it will continue to support its existing Nest cameras with new features and security updates. None of the current hardware is newer than 2017, though, so an upgrade is probably overdue. Google didn’t provide any details on what the new Nest Cam lineup will actual...