Technology

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, is its first phone to feature Samsung Display’s new power-efficient OLED panels. In a press release, Samsung says the new display consumes 16 percent less power thanks to a “just-developed organic material” that means “electrons flow faster and more easily across the display’s organic layer.” “In other words,” Samsung explains, the technology means its “OLED panels can create brighter light while consuming less power, which improves the battery lifetime.” A smartphone’s display is typically one of its most power-hungry components, so efficiency gains here can have a big impact on the overall battery life of the device. In our review, we remarked that the S21 Ultra has excellent battery life that lasts “beyond a full day.” “Electrons flow fas...

Last year was the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the year sweatpants become acceptable workwear, and the year Peloton peaked. Mid-pandemic, the company announced two new devices: the pricier Bike Plus and a less expensive treadmill called the Tread. The Bike Plus started shipping in September and includes significant updates to the company’s signature hardware during an especially critical time when many people have shifted their fitness routines from gyms into their own homes. I, for years, have been a dedicated Crunch gym-goer, usually taking five classes a week. But with gyms closing off and on and classes generally being canceled, I moved my routine indoors. First, I started with Peloton’s app workouts, using resistance bands and bodyweight. I then switched to Zoom classes taught by an...

Intel is launching its first Iris Xe desktop graphics cards today. Originally codenamed “DG1,” these new desktop GPUs are primarily aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses and mainstream desktop PCs. Intel is teaming up with Asus and other partners to sell these cards to system integrators who will bundle them with prebuilt systems. Much like the Iris Xe Max graphics cards that debuted in laptops back in October, these desktop GPUs aren’t really designed for gaming. Intel is marketing them as a way to improve what’s offered on mainstream desktop PCs, with better graphics, multi-display support, and improved hardware acceleration for certain codecs. Intel is working with other partners on these cards. The cards will include three 4K display outputs for multiple monitors, alongside HDR s...

Verizon has big 5G plans for 2021 after formally launching its next-gen network in October of last year, and close to the top of its list of priorities is expanding coverage of its ultra-fast mmWave coverage. That flavor of 5G is currently restricted to select areas within select cities in the US, and it’s highly dependent on your proximity to a Verizon 5G site due to the inherent technology that powers it. Marketed under the name 5G Ultra Wideband (5G UW), this variety of 5G is the type with high speeds but poor coverage, meaning Verizon has its work cut out for it expanding network coverage in 2021. But in its earnings report on Tuesday, the company says it plans to nearly double its 5G UW network this year by adding more than 14,000 new “sites.” Image: Verizon Now, it’s kind of ambiguou...

Google is ending development on the virtual reality painting app Tilt Brush — one of the most well-known VR applications — and making it open source. Tilt Brush was acquired by Google in 2015 after launching for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, and it was soon folded into the company’s larger VR plans, like its Google Cardboard and Daydream headsets. Tilt Brush’s main feature is three-dimensional painting in VR, but the app received interesting updates over its tenure at Google, including multiplayer support and an open-source toolkit that offered the ability to export Tilt Brush drawings for use in animation. With this latest announcement, that development is coming to an end, and future support of Tilt Brush is in the hands of the community that still uses it. [embedded content] Tilt Brush’...

Tweetbot has long been one of the best third-party Twitter applications around for the iPhone and Mac, and today sees the launch of the latest version for iOS: Tweetbot 6, which converts the app into a paid subscription service instead of the single-time purchase that was previously offered. The new app makes the change to Twitter’s new API that the company introduced last summer, enabling some long-missing features in the premium Twitter app like Twitter cards and polls. That change does come with some trade-offs, though, including the removal of user-selected options for URL shortening, image uploads, and video uploads. The free version of the app offers some basic functionality in allowing users to view Twitter — but you’ll have to pay for more substantial features, including the abilit...

Samsung is expanding its Health Monitor app to 31 new countries, including 28 European countries, and people in those countries will be able to use the app with a Galaxy Watch 3 or Galaxy Active 2 smartwatch to take electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood pressure readings. Samsung says the app was granted a CE marking in December, which means that it complies with applicable regulations in Europe and can be offered in the European Economic Area. Here is the full list of countries in Europe that will soon be able to get the app: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. I...

Apple just released iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4, and the update notes contain some worrying language (via TechCrunch). Under kernel updates, Apple notes that “a malicious application may be able to elevate privileges,” and under WebKit updates, it says “a remote attacker may be able to cause arbitrary code execution.” After both statements, the update notes say, “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.” What this means, broadly, is that you should update your iOS devices as soon as possible. To put the language into plain terms: Apple found a security hole in its operating systems, and it also has evidence that someone may have exploited it. The update notes don’t have any further details, so for now, we don’t know who may have used the security breach or ...

Microsoft is continuing to attract people to its Xbox Game Pass service. The “Netflix for video games” service now has 18 million subscribers, up from the 15 million previously reported in September. Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that offers access to a growing selection of more than 100 Xbox games for $9.99 per month. Microsoft has been pushing Xbox Game Pass for more than a year now, and it’s clear the company is heavily invested in its future. Bungie’s Destiny 2 title appeared on Xbox Game Pass late last year, and Control is also available on the service for both Xbox and PC. On an earnings call today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also revealed that Xbox Live has more than 100 million monthly active users. Nadella also said the launch of the Xbox Series X and S was the most su...

For sale: a rocket-powered car named Bloodhound built specifically to break the land speed record. Theoretical top speed of 1,000 miles per hour. Seats one. Price? A paltry $11 million. The tortured saga of the Bloodhound Land Speed Record project has reached a sadly predictable impasse: the current owner is done spending money trying to set a new record after saving the project from bankruptcy in 2018. It’s hard to blame him. The Bloodhound program has been going for the better part of a decade at this point and has yet to break the 763 mile-per-hour record, let alone scratch at the group’s ultimate stated goal of 1,000 miles per hour. The Bloodhound still needs the actual rocket in order to make its full-speed runs, too, despite hitting 628 miles per hour in a late-2019 test. (It’s curre...

DJI is now offering flyaway coverage for its Mini 2 and Mavic Air 2 drones, should they develop a mind of their own and take off. The cost of replacing the escaped drone is $225 for the Mini, and $399 for the Mavic, which is on top of the price of DJI’s Care Refresh extended warranty. For that, you’ll pay $50 for the Mini, and $80 for the Mavic. If you already own one of these drones and the extended warranty, you’re eligible for flyway replacements going forward. The extended warranty also lets you replace your drone if you damage it, twice per year, for $50 each. For flyaway coverage, there’s a one-time limit — if your replacement also goes AWOL, you’ll be on the hook to replace it, though there is a two-year version of the warranty that costs more and covers three accidents and two flya...

Verizon Fios, the company’s fiber optic network, appears to be experiencing outages in many locations on the US East Coast. User reports of problems with Verizon on Downdetector peaked at more than 22,000, and there are still hotspots on Downdetector’s outage map for Verizon in Boston, New York City, Washington, DC, and more. A few Verge staffers are experiencing outages as well, though one is seeing their service return occasionally. A screenshot of Downdetector’s outage map for Verizon, captured at 12:25PM ET. Verizon’s support account on Twitter has replied to some individuals reporting problems, saying that it has been “informed of a potential outage in the area.” The account also said there has been a fiber cut in Brooklyn, and later on Tuesday, the company shared that the cut was imp...