Technology

The quest to banish the notch from modern smartphone design has resulted in some pretty clever innovations, the latest of which happens to be the under-display selfie cam on the ZTE Axon 20 5G. The 32-megapixel camera hiding underneath the screen didn’t quite impress us in our review of the device earlier this month, but it is a worthy sidestep to the hole punch or the pop-up selfie cam we’ve seen in past devices. Now, a new teardown video from YouTuber JerryRigEverything gives us a closer look at how exactly the Axon 20’s under-display camera works. Beyond being just a generally insightful breakdown of the various components of a modern smartphone, the Axon 20 teardown shows us how ZTE is actually using two screens stacked on top of one another (a small, square, and low-resolution one on ...

You can pick up Vizio’s 65-inch M-series (model M65Q7-H1) 4K TV for just $580 at Best Buy when you’re signed in with a free My Best Buy account. Otherwise, it’s $600. This model regularly costs $700, and today’s offer is a good one considering its size and specs. Not many TVs at this price point are going to be worth your money, but this one stands out with a QLED panel that offers more accurate contrast and colors than a standard LED. It also has four HDMI 2.0 ports with support for FreeSync variable refresh rate (up to 60Hz at 4K resolution). Vizio actually advertises HDMI 2.1 support here, but review site Rtings tested this model in-depth and claims that, even after a recent firmware update, all of its ports are limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth. Vizio has a large offering of TVs, and the M...

AT&T says its services have mostly recovered from a bombing that caused multi-state internet outages on Christmas. The explosion of an RV in Nashville injured three people and destroyed a section of the city’s downtown, including “significant damage” to a key AT&T transmission facility. This brought down wireless and wired networks across parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama — disrupting cell service, some 911 networks, and communications at the Nashville International Airport, which briefly grounded flights as a result. The AT&T building, located blocks away from the company’s better-known office tower, provides a regional network connection point in addition to local service. The blast reportedly damaged the building’s structure and facade. Combined with water and fire d...

If you’re lucky enough to have unwrapped a new iPhone as a holiday gift this year, you’ll probably want to install some new apps on it. Fortunately, we’re here to help with some suggestions. We’ve included great apps that are just generally fun or useful to have on your phone, and apps that you should download to replace the default ones that Apple ships. We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, Windows PCs, and M1-equipped Macs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our top choices for gaming PCs, the PS5, Xbox One and Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, and VR. We’ve also listed our favorite streaming shows on Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, and Netflix; some great sci-fi book...

The ashes of the late James Doohan, who played chief engineer Montgomery Scott on the original Star Trek television series, have been aboard the International Space Station for 12 years— and the Times of London has the fascinating backstory of how it happened. Doohan died in 2005 at the age of 85, and his family wanted to fulfill his wish of getting on the ISS. Official requests to bring Doohan’s ashes on the ISS were denied, but Richard Garriott— one of the first private citizens to travel on the space station— managed to smuggle some of Doohan’s ashes into the space station’s Columbus module. Garriott says he took a laminated a picture of Doohan and some of his ashes and put it in under the floor of the Columbus. He didn’t tell anyone about the scheme— only he and Doohan’s family knew un...

Just two days after Wonder Woman 1984 hit theaters and HBO Max, Warner Bros. says it has put the third installment in the franchise on the fast track. Gal Gadot will reprise her role as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Patty Jenkins will once again write and direct, Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich said in a statement Sunday. “As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984, we are excited to be able continue her story with our real life Wonder Women – Gal and Patty – who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy,” Emmerich said. According to Warner Bros., Wonder Woman 1984’s opening weekend went better than expected, selling $16.7 million in tickets in 2,100 theaters in North America, despite ...

So I watched Wonder Woman 1984 and I may need to watch a second time before I decide what I think because right now I think it’s sort of a parody of 1980s movies that doesn’t quite hit the mark despite a fine performance by Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian!) as the villain. Also about to wrap season 7 in my binge-watch of Homeland… I’ve stuck with it this long so need to find out how it all ends. Note to self though: need to pick something a little less dystopian for the next binge-watching project. It’s our final trailer wrap up for 2020 and we have a little bit of everything: a drama, a documentary, a “psychological thriller,” and a comedy. [embedded content] Tiger A two-part documentary about the life and career of Tiger Woods — yes, it’s being called the Tiger version of the Michael...

Lei Jun, the CEO of Chinese phone maker Xiaomi, has confirmed that its upcoming Mi 11 phone will not come with a charger, citing environmental concerns. While that’s a legitimate argument against providing yet another hunk of plastic that resembles all the other chargers people already have, Xiaomi joined other phone makers who poked fun at Apple a few short months ago for not including chargers with the iPhone 12. Jun made the remarks on Chinese social media site Weibo, saying people have many chargers which creates an environmental burden, and therefore the company was canceling the charger for the Mi 11. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said on Weibo the Mi 11 would come without a charger Apple’s decision not to include chargers with the iPhone 12 was met with some derision, and competitors like Sams...

Whether you’ve just gotten a new Windows-based gaming laptop or desktop, or you just want some new game ideas, we have ten suggestions to make your gaming experience fun. Not all of them are new or the most graphically demanding, but they should provide you with hours of enjoyment. Unlike gaming on a console, there are several ways for PC gamers to get their fix, from Steam and the Epic Game Store to GOG and Xbox Game Pass. It’s important to know that not all platforms offer the same games due to exclusivity rights. But in most cases, you can (and should) shop around — you might find a better price at one storefront versus the other. We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, Windows PCs, and M1-equipped ...

To all of you who got a new Apple device for Christmas, congrats! But you might have some difficulty setting up and signing in to iCloud along with other Apple users. First reported by Apple Insider, as of Saturday morning, Apple’s system status page was showing “some users affected” by an issue that began at around 4:45AM ET on December 25th. “Users may be experiencing a problem with this service,” the status update reads. The issue appears to be affecting multiple devices. The system status page doesn’t show issues with any other parts of iCloud or other Apple services. Apple Support tweeted Friday afternoon that it was aware of the issue, and said it was “experiencing a high capacity at this time, which is impacting your ability to set up iCloud, please try back in a couple of hours.” T...

We’re now at a point where you can comfortably describe the Nintendo Switch as “mature.” It’s no longer a new device, but one several years into its life, with a robust and varied line-up of games available. There’s a good chance you picked up a Switch to play one of Nintendo’s tentpole franchises — whether that’s Super Mario, Animal Crossing, or Pokémon — but there are a lot of different kinds of experiences available on the tablet. That includes big social titles, classic games, and inventive indie releases. Heck, one of my favorite experiences this year has been relearning chess on the Switch. If you’re new to the Switch ecosystem, here are 10 great games to get you started. We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, ...

Tesla’s new holiday update will finally give people the ability to use a new Boombox mode, which can broadcast custom audio on the outside of the car (hence the name). As is common with new Tesla features, Boombox combines real utility with lowbrow humor: owners can use fart and goat sounds in lieu of normal, boring honking sounds car horns usually make. The mode rolled out with a number of other updates as part of Tesla’s firmware 2020.48.26 update, and is something Tesla fans have eagerly anticipated. In the new mode, which can be seen at the timestamped section in the video below, several sounds are available for Tesla owners through the Toybox section they can use in place of a regular horn: goat baaing, applause, a little “tada” clip, someone speaking posh and, of course, the fart. [e...