Technology

Google has suspended Parler from the Play Store, as first reported by Politico reporter Cristiano Lima and New York Times reporter Jack Nicas. We’ve confirmed the app is no longer on the store. Here is the full statement, which was shared with The Verge: In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence. All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months. We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the US. We recognize that there can be reasonable debate about content policies and that it can be difficult for apps t...

According to CNBC’s analysis, Apple’s App Store made $64 billion in revenue in 2020, which is a 28 percent increase from the estimated $50 billion it made in 2019. This represents a good amount of growth for the App Store since the estimated increase between 2018 and 2019 was only 3.1 percent. It’s hard to tell the exact reason for the spike in growth, but it likely had something to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. I can say from personal experience that I bought quite a few more games in 2020 than I have in years past, as well as subscriptions to fitness and productivity apps to try to regain some control of my life during quarantine. When Apple reports on its financials, it lumps the money it makes from the App Store in with its services revenue, which is by far its fastest-growing categor...

In 2020, more mobile users downloaded Among Us than any other game worldwide. Data released by Apptopia ranks the year’s breakout hit at 41 million downloads in the US and 264 million downloads worldwide — beating out games such as PUBG Mobile and Roblox, which both remain in the top 10 highest-grossing games of the year. Despite being released in 2018, Among Us didn’t find popular footing until the last year. The online multiplayer deduction game, in which spaceship crew members work together to complete tasks and root out imposters before they’re murdered, became a hit on Twitch late into quarantine. In November, almost half a billion people played the game, which is available on mobile, the Nintendo Switch, and PC. A release is also planned for Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X...

Samsung is widely expected to announce its Galaxy S21 lineup of phones at its upcoming January 14th event, and now it looks like we can safely assume that Samsung will launch its next true wireless headphones and its Tile competitor at the event as well. A leaked marketing render of a promotion offering either the unannounced Galaxy Buds Pro or a Galaxy SmartTag alongside a preorder of the Galaxy S21 Ultra was shared by leaker Evan Blass on Friday. The leaked marketing image of the promotion.Image: Evan Blass A lot of information about both the Galaxy Buds Pro and the Galaxy SmartTags have hit the web recently, so it’s not a big surprise that we can expect to see them announced on January 14th. Details about the Galaxy Buds Pro have been leaking for weeks, and a YouTuber even posted a hand...

John Legere, former T-Mobile CEO and aspiring Batman, has reacted to the mob that attacked the Capitol like many other political and business leaders by calling for President Donald Trump to step down. But he’s also going a step further by considering a run for political office himself. Legere left his post as CEO and member of T-Mobile’s board after successfully negotiating the merger between the company and Sprint, so he very well could be looking far and wide for his next gig. Legere’s time as T-Mobile’s CEO turned the company into the “Un-Carrier,” a plan that came with an end to contracts, revamped mobile plans, and a variety of freebies and perks for customers designed to set T-Mobile apart from its longtime rivals AT&T and Verizon. But what would political candidacy — or un-cand...

General Motors debuted a new logo meant to convey the automaker’s renewed commitment to the production and sale of electric vehicles. The company is also launching a new marketing campaign to underscore that commitment, as it seeks to compete with Tesla and other automakers that are rushing new EVs to market. It’s been about a decade since GM has last tweaked its logo, but this update represents the starkest change in the company’s 113-year history. The most obvious change is the use of a lowercase “gm” in the logo, after previously only using capital letters. The underline has been shortened to just the “m,” in a nod to the company’s recently announced Ultium electric vehicle battery and platform. The blue square has been rounded at the corners, giving the logo more of a smartphone app ap...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ended a year-long review of claims that some Tesla vehicles were accelerating without warning, saying there is not enough evidence to open a full investigation. While NHTSA received 246 complaints about this “sudden unintended acceleration” phenomenon, the agency says that “pedal misapplication” was the cause of the problem in every case in which it had data to review — user error, in other words. “There is no evidence of any fault in the accelerator pedal assemblies, motor control systems, or brake systems that has contributed to any of the cited incidents,” the agency wrote in a summary published Friday. “There is no evidence of a design factor contributing to increased likelihood of pedal misapplication. The theory provided of a pot...

Substack is adding a long-awaited new feature today: the ability to change the look of newsletters. Writers will now be able to choose their background color and accent color and set different fonts for the title and body of posts. It’s a limited set of customizations, but it should allow Substack newsletters to stand out more from one another — right now, they’re basically the same, save for profile pictures and the color of links. The feature is being called Themes, and Substack says it plans to continually add more options for writers. It’s supposed to be available starting today. Image: Substack As fun as themes are, writers may get a lot more use out of two other features that Substack is planning for release sometime “soon.” Writers will be able to create sub-lists of members and onl...

Apple and Google are facing new pressure to deplatform Parler, a social network founded as a less moderated and more conservative-friendly alternative to Facebook and Twitter. Activist group Sleeping Giants has called on both companies to ban Parler from their app stores in response to posts calling for violence against elected officials. As evidence, the group posted screenshots of Parler posts calling for Vice President Mike Pence to face a firing squad and encouraging “American Patriots” to return to the capital on January 19th “carrying Our weapons.” The group points out that both Google and Apple have clear rules against violent threats and moderation of content. Apple’s App Store says apps must have “a method for filtering objectionable material from being posted” and “a mechanism to...

Sony has announced an expansion of its 360 Reality Audio platform, bringing the 360-degree music format to more devices and media as well as offering new creation tools. 360 Reality Audio uses object-based spatial audio technology to place instruments or vocals around the listener’s head in a virtual sound field. Now, Sony is expanding the audio tech into video. The company says it’s working with record labels and service providers to start streaming video content with 360 Reality Audio later this year, and the first example will be a live performance from Sony-signed artist Zara Larsson next week. You’ll be able to watch through Sony’s Artist Connection mobile app at 5pm ET on January 11th. Sony is releasing two new 360 Reality Audio-compatible speakers this spring, the SRS-RA5000 and SRS...

Pokémon has an illustrious history of beautifully bizarre merch including a human-sized Metapod sleeping bag or a Ditto chair, but this giant Gengar plushie might be the best yet. It’s cute, sure, but it’s also incredibly practical. Just roll out its roughly 170cm-long tongue and you’ve got yourself a compact futon for sleeping on. There’s even a cozy little space in its open mouth for your head. But this Gengar isn’t just a novelty mattress replacement. No, it’s capable of so much more. Tired of reality? Shove your head in the Gengar’s mouth. Need an impromptu blanket? Use the Gengar’s tongue. When you’ve got a giant Gengar with a long-ass tongue, the sky’s the limit. Be not afraid.Image: P-Bandai.jp Gengar is here to help with nap time.Image: P-Bandai.jp The title of the product listing ...

Tesla is now taking orders for a cheaper Standard Range version of the Model Y. The new variant, whose availability was reported by Electrek, has a cheaper starting price of $41,990 compared to $49,990 for the Long Range model. The discount comes with a lower EPA estimated range of 244 miles rather than 326 miles, and rear-wheel rather than all-wheel drive. Alongside the new cheaper Model Y version, Tesla is also selling a new 7-seat option for a $3,000 premium. The version has a third seating row, which can be folded flat along with the second row for cargo storage. The Standard Range option was originally announced with a 230-mile range Tesla originally announced the Standard Range version of the Model Y back at the car’s announcement in March 2019. At the time, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said ...