Technology

Apple’s MagSafe charging system offers a whole new way to charge iPhones, and third-party companies like Anker are jumping at the chance to make their own magnetic chargers — both official ones that work with Apple’s system and unofficial ones that just take advantage of the magnetic setup. Anker’s $22 charger falls into the second category: it’s not an official MagSafe charger, meaning it doesn’t offer the faster 15W charging speed or the fancy NFC tricks as “official” MagSafe products. But even with that 7.5W charging limit, Anker’s charger does look a lot like Apple’s, at least at first glance. Look closer at the other end of the plug, though, and there’s an obvious difference: the Anker model has a weirdly oversized USB-C plug. That’s because the Anker charger is effectively just a reg...

US spy satellites inadvertently collected vital environmental data at the height of the Cold War. This trove of photos and data from the Central Intelligence Agency has become crucial to the study of Earth’s environmental changes, as detailed in two fascinating stories in The New York Times this week. One story details the life of a scientist who analyzed them for years, another follows the history of the spy satellites that provided them. Linda Zall, an environmental engineer, worked at the CIA for decades, leading a team that analyzed images from spy satellites to gather data for environmental studies. She wrote classified reports about how reconnaissance imagery could be used for earth and environmental science, running a research task force that she named Medea, and traveling to Moscow...

President Trump has signed a new executive order prohibiting transactions with the companies behind eight Chinese apps, including Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s QQ and WeChat Pay. Transactions will be prohibited in 45 days, according to text of the order shared by Voice of America White House bureau chief Steve Herman on Twitter. Reuters was the first to report the news. The full list of apps includes: Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed that President Trump signed the order, which hasn’t yet been published online, and also confirms that the Commerce Department will “begin implementing the E.O.’s directives, including identifying prohibited transactions.” Reuters reports that the Commerce Depar...

Bose’s latest true wireless earbuds, the Sport Open Earbuds, are designed to keep you aware of your surroundings while you listen. While most other earbuds sit inside the ear canal, blocking out at least some ambient noise, the Sport Open Earbuds instead sit outside it. Bose has officially announced the earbuds a little over a month after their existence was leaked via a Federal Communications Commission filing. A design that lets in ambient noise might sound unintuitive, given how headphone manufacturers (including Bose) spend so much money trying to do the exact opposite with noise-canceling tech. But there are plenty of instances where being aware of your surroundings is a very good thing, like when you’re cycling through traffic or going on a run after dark. The earbuds charge via an i...

Amazon announced it purchased 11 used Boeing 767-300 jets from Delta and WestJet, a first for the e-commerce giant. The company has been steadily building up its air cargo capacity over the years through leasing agreements, but this is the first time Amazon has ever owned its own aircraft. The deal comes as airplane prices have dropped due to the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines have been rushing to shrink their fleets as passenger demand plummets amid lockdown orders across the globe. The purchases include seven aircraft from Delta and four aircraft from WestJet, which will join Amazon’s network by 2022, the company says. “Our goal is to continue delivering for customers across the U.S. in the way that they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural next step toward th...

While Zoom remains popular for its ease of use and features such as the ability to pop in different backgrounds, it’s not the only video meeting app out there that lets you do those things. For example, Microsoft’s Teams office communications app also allows you to tweak your meeting background. Here, we’ll show you how to change your background for a Teams videoconference. If you want to select a background before you officially begin the meeting: Start your Teams video meeting. You’ll find yourself at the intermediate screen. Make sure that video is toggled on in the button bar near the bottom of the screen, then toggle on the background settings control (located between the video and audio controls) A “Background settings” column will appear on the right. Use that to blur your real back...

Wonder Woman 1984 and Hamilton were two of 2020’s biggest films — at least where streaming was concerned. Recent third-party data suggests both releases drove crowds of subscribers to their streaming platforms (HBO Max and Disney Plus, respectively). More than any other movies that debuted online this year, Wonder Woman 1984 and Hamilton drove the most initial signups, according to new data from research firm Antenna. Data from research firm Screen Engine found similar results. But digging into the data shows the successes of both releases are more complicated than they look. Unlike a conventional box office release, streaming success is measured not just in how many people saw the movie, but in how many people stuck around afterward. Measuring that success is much harder, but with this le...

CES has almost arrived, and Dell is kicking things off with some new versions of its Latitude laptops (designed for business customers), led by the new Latitude 9420 and 9520. The devices will add Intel’s new 11th Gen vPro chips (once available in March 2021) and new features like an automated, integrated webcam shutter to physically block your camera when it’s not in use. Dubbed “SafeShutter,” the new optional webcam system is an almost blindingly obvious addition, especially considering the shift in focus to videoconferencing in the past year as businesses have been forced to transition to remote work. The shutter can open and close automatically when the webcam is in use, but there are also “mute” keys to manually disable the microphone or camera as needed. Anyone who’s ever stuck a sli...

Dell is launching three new monitors next month, and all of them come with a dedicated Microsoft Teams button. Dell claims it has created the “world’s first video conferencing monitors certified for Microsoft Teams,” after Microsoft started certifying displays, webcams, and headsets last year. Three monitors will be available next month, all offering quick access to Microsoft Teams. The button will let Microsoft Teams users quickly launch the app to make and receive video calls. Hands-free commands will also be supported through Cortana and the built-in microphone. Dell’s new Microsoft Teams monitors.Image: Dell This is the first time we’ve seen a Microsoft Teams button on a monitor, but headset manufacturers have been quick to add buttons that support Microsoft’s communications app. New a...

Qualcomm is getting a new CEO: Cristiano Amon, who already serves as president for the company, will replace Steve Mollenkopf, who took over as CEO in 2014. Amon has already served as the public face of the company for some time, presiding over introductions of new products like the Snapdragon 888, making him an obvious choice to succeed Mollenkopf at the helm. Mollenkopf’s tenure as CEO saw Qualcomm face numerous challenges: antitrust accusations, allegations of anticompetitive behavior, and a massive fight with Apple that saw the two companies sever their relationship (before patching things up in a settlement). But he also oversaw Qualcomm’s growth into the juggernaut it is today, one that nearly completely dominates the industry for mobile processors. “I am honored to be named the next...

Just over a year ago, I spent some time in Austin meeting with Google contractors. They had been hired through Accenture to moderate some of the most disturbing content on YouTube: videos that contain violent extremism, including murders and acts of terrorism. Several told me they had either been diagnosed with or were suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The people I talked with made about $37,000 a year, and several had immigrated to the United States from the Middle East. Many found their working conditions intolerable, but they feared speaking out publicly for fear they would be fired. They were, in short, the sort of people who benefit from membership in a union. But with a handful of exceptions, the labor movement has made few inroads in the world’s most valuabl...

Nintendo has announced plans to acquire Canadian developer Next Level Games, a studio that has worked on some of the company’s major franchises. Next Level is already a second-party partner, meaning it only makes games for Nintendo platforms, but Nintendo says the acquisition will help secure internal development resources and boost collaboration. Next Level is based in Vancouver and is probably best known for developing the second and third Luigi’s Mansion games. Luigi’s Mansion 3 in particular is one of the more technically advanced games available on the Switch, with impressive animation and physics. Other Next Level-developed Nintendo projects include both Super Mario Strikers titles on the GameCube and the Wii, Metroid Prime: Federation Force for the 3DS, and the Wii reboot of Punch-O...