Technology

Google’s latest Pixel feature drop, where the company brings a slew of new software tricks to its smartphone lineup, is being announced today. Alongside some brand-new functionality like Adaptive Sound, which “improves the sound quality of your phone speaker based on your surroundings,” the December drop is also bringing many of the latest software features from the Pixel 5, 4A 5G, and 4A to older devices; Google says the Pixel 3 and newer will be included. That means features like Hold for Me, where the Google Assistant waits for a real person to hop on the customer support line instead of making you do it, and others like Extreme Battery Saver mode and screen sharing on Duo calls will soon hit older devices. Extreme Battery Saver seemed like an over-correction from the company after last...

Microsoft’s marketing tagline for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is “Power Your Dreams,” and the newest Xbox ad, a short film by Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, takes the tagline to a whole new level. The ad takes place in a “dream incubation lab,” where a woman plays an Xbox Series X before being guided into a dream state. She then explains her dreams, featuring things like a neon-outlined bunny hopping through a forest and a flying whale in space, all of which appear on-screen. That’s pretty standard dream stuff, if you ask me. But eventually, the woman dreams that a giant Master Chief in space DJs using an entire Halo ring. That would be enough to solidify this as a pretty odd commercial, but the woman then reveals that Master Chief is, in fact, a cat, and then cat-Chief tak...

Apple is working on a new ARM-based processor with as many as 32 high-performance CPU cores that could appear in a Mac in late 2021, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The processor could also appear in a new “half-sized Mac Pro” in 2022. Alongside it, the company is also reportedly developing CPU designs with up to 16 high-performance cores and four power-efficient cores which are destined for new versions of the MacBook Pro and iMac. The new processors could arrive as early as spring 2021. Future Apple Silicon designs could also feature GPUs with up to 128 dedicated cores. News of the upcoming processors comes as Apple has just released its first Macs powered by its own chips. The new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini each used the company’s M1 chip, which features a CPU with...

If you have a 12-year-old, you might want to make sure they’re not reading over your shoulder right now — otherwise you’ll be spending some quality time explaining why they’re not getting a $120 toy blaster this holiday season. Oh, who am I kidding: I’m having that chat with myself right now. Yes, that’s the price of this fully functional foam-flinging replica of The Mandalorian’s Amban Phase-pulse blaster, which — if I’m not mistaken — is the longest Nerf blaster ever made. Click or save this one to blow it up to full resolution.Image: Hasbro It’s over four feet (specifically 50.25 inches) long, features a light-up scope and “accurate sounds” after you install two AAA batteries, and it’s got lots of fake scratches and wear so it looks moderately broken in. Most importantly, it lets you lo...

After a 70-year run, Ikea is discontinuing the publication of its printed catalog. Ikea’s decision comes as catalog readership is in decline and the company becomes increasingly more digital. After initially resisting online shopping, the company was forced to embrace it during the pandemic. Ikea says its online retail sales increased by 45 percent worldwide last year with ikea.com reporting four billion visits. The company has also improved its suite of apps to make discovering and buying products easier, while opening smaller stores located in city centers meant to reach people where they live. More copies printed than either the Bible or the Quran At its peak in 2016, Ikea says that 200 million catalogs were distributed in 32 languages. A BBC documentary once claimed that the Ikea catal...

LG has partnered with Swedish manufacturer Assa Abloy Entrance Systems to develop automatic sliding doors with built-in transparent OLED displays, the company announced today. The doors will be aimed at businesses, and LG says they’ll be able to greet customers, communicate with employees, or show ads. LG has been showing off its transparent displays for a little while now, and it unveiled a range of transparent signage early last year. Now, we’re seeing the panels used in the real world. In August, LG announced that its displays were being used in the windows of subway carriages in Beijing and Shenzhen in China, and OLED-Info reports that both Panasonic and Xiaomi’s transparent OLED TVs use LG panels. One photo shows how the doors could be used to show ads.Image: LG South Korea’s other ma...

The UK’s first all-electric car charging station opened today near Braintree in Essex, marking a milestone in the country’s transition away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles. The station is operated by Gridserve, and is the first of more than 100 locations it plans to build over the next five years. The location consists of 36 electric vehicle chargers, delivering up to 350kW of power. That’s enough to provide 200 miles of range in 20 minutes, according to Gridserve. With an initial cost of £0.24 per kWh of energy, the company estimates an average-sized electric vehicle can be charged from 20 to 80 percent for under £10 (less than $13.25). Gridserve claims these are the “lowest ultra-high power charging rates on the market today.” Solar panels at the station provide renewable energy to its...

YouTuber Logan Paul has struck a deal to fight former boxing megastar Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a “special exhibition” match on February 20th. The bout will be streamed as a pay-per-view on Fanmio. Mayweather is an undefeated champion with a 50-0 record, multiple world titles in five weight classes, and an Olympic bronze medal. Paul is best known for his controversial YouTube video where he filmed a dead body in a Japanese forest. He has fought in one sanctioned boxing match: a loss to fellow YouTuber KSI. Needless to say, this is unlikely to be a festival of evenly matched athletic prowess. But Mayweather is not above signing up to farcical contests for the spectacle and the payday. His 50th official win involved him coming out of retirement in 2017 to face UFC star Conor McGregor, who had ...

Aptera, the company that shuttered in 2011 after failing to secure funding for its three-wheeled electric car, is back with a new solar electric vehicle it claims never needs charging, at least, for most drivers. And it predicts its top model, with a battery of 100 kWh, can get up to 1,000 miles of range. The new three-wheeled, two-person (or two adults plus pet, as its specs suggest) vehicle has a solar roof array that can provide up to 45 miles of range per day, so if you have that top model and add the charge from the solar panels while it’s parked, then the 1,000 range seems … possible. Although, as Car and Driver points out, the vehicle isn’t charging while driving. The interior of Aptera’s new electric vehicleAptera “With Aptera’s Never Charge technology, you are driven by the ...

I finished The Undoing and while it was disappointingly messy with a plot that didn’t quite come together, I think we can all agree that 1) Nicole Kidman’s coats were amazing and 2) Hugh Grant should absolutely play more villains. I’m also kind of on a kick of catching up on shows I missed because I didn’t have premium cable, and just started season one of Homeland (I know, I know). Still deciding what I think but as I’m sure has been observed by many others, Carrie is very intense! New trailers this week include Liam Neeson in The Marksman and Ralph Fiennes in The Dig (big “the” theme this week), and I managed to find five non-holiday flicks for you (you’re welcome). [embedded content] The Marksman At some point, will Liam Neeson get a break from heroically rescuing innocent victims from ...

Update December 6th, 11:35AM ET: SpaceX successfully launched its latest mission to the International Space Station, using its upgraded Dragon capsule that will dock with the station tomorrow at about 1:30PM ET. Original story: This morning, SpaceX is set to launch its latest batch of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station, but the company is using a slightly different spacecraft for this flight than resupply missions of the past. SpaceX is flying its newly upgraded Dragon capsule to transport the goods to space — the same vehicle that the company has been using to fly astronauts to the station. SpaceX has been resupplying the space station since 2012, and for all of its 20 previous missions, the company has used the original version of its Dragon cargo capsule. SpaceX start...

As drones get smarter and the Federal Aviation Administration issues more waivers for its drone regulations, we’re likely to see more law enforcement agencies using them in their day-to-day, including for 911 calls. The formidable Cade Metz writes for The New York Times about what this looks like in practice, and to be perfectly honest, it’s extremely disconcerting, as Chula Vista, California officers “chase” a “suspect” using a drone: When the man left the car, carrying a gun and a bag of heroin, a nearby police car had trouble following as he sprinted across the street and ducked behind a wall. But as he threw the gun into a dumpster and hid the bag of heroin, the drone, hovering above him, caught everything on camera. When he slipped through the back door of a strip mall, exited through...