Technology

OnePlus is planning to release an entry-level handset codenamed Clover for around $200 later this year, according to a detailed but unconfirmed report from Android Central. We’ve seen snippets of information about “Clover” floating about the web for a while now, including a purported GeekBench score for the device. But Android Central’s latest report, citing an anonymous “insider source,” includes a full spec-sheet and the suggestion that Clover will launch “imminently” in global markets, including the US. According to Android Central, Clover will have a 6.52-inch 720p (1560 x 720) IPS LCD display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (expandable via MicroSD), a Snapdragon 460 SoC, 6000mAh battery with 18W fast charging, a rear fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack, and three camera array on the...

Xiaomi intends to start mass-producing smartphones equipped with its under-display camera technology next year, the company announced today. This is technically the third generation of the technology Xiaomi has developed, the company says, although the first and second versions it produced have yet to find their way into a mass-market consumer device. According to Xiaomi, its latest version of the technology works by allowing the selfie camera to see through the gaps in the display’s sub-pixels, which are the red, green, and blue dots that combine to make each pixel. Xiaomi says that the area of the display above the camera has the same density of pixels as the rest of the screen, so it can “perfectly disguise” the selfie camera underneath. It adds that the selfie camera itself should matc...

After announcing Chromecast support for Google Meet, Google has now revealed that the company’s consumer video chat app, Duo, will be coming to Android TV in the form of a native app that lets users start video calls from their TV screen. A beta of Google Duo for Android TV will be released “in the coming weeks.” You can launch both one-on-one and group video calls with the app. “If your TV doesn’t have a camera built-in, you can simply plug in a USB camera,” Google said in its blog post — assuming your TV supports such a thing. The move continues Google’s push to bring its video communication apps to bigger screens. By adding Chromecast support for Google Meet, the company gave people more flexibility in where they can have their work meetings. The combo of your couch and the TV screen wi...

Apple blocked Facebook from informing users that Apple would collect 30 percent of in-app purchases made through a planned new feature, Facebook tells Reuters. Apple said the update violated an App Store rule that doesn’t let developers show “irrelevant” information to users. The feature lets Facebook users buy tickets for online events directly through the app. Apple’s rules say that purchases of digital content have to use the App Store’s payments system, giving Apple 30 percent of the total. Facebook says it asked Apple to waive this fee so that all of the revenue could go to event organizers, but Apple refused. The feature is now available, but without the message about Apple’s 30-percent cut. Earlier this month, Facebook released an image showing what the message would look like in th...

Early this week, Robert Robbins, president of the University of Arizona, got a phone call about poop that helped him stop an outbreak of COVID-19. As part of the school’s return-to-campus plan, the university was analyzing the wastewater from on-campus dorms for signs of the coronavirus. The professor heading the project was calling to say he’d found the virus in the sewage from a dorm called Likins Hall. Administrators descended on the dorm, tested every person inside, and found two cases in people who didn’t have symptoms. “This is going to be a very valuable tool to help us get out in front,” Robbins said in a briefing today. Catching people who are infected with the virus but don’t have symptoms is critical to stopping its spread, he said, and wastewater was helping to find them. When ...

Kevin Mayer is out as TikTok’s CEO less than four months after taking the job. While his resignation comes in the middle of ongoing political turmoil brought on by the Trump administration, his decision to leave likely has less to do with politics and more to do with his own autonomy as an acquisition looms. “I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for,” Mayer said in an email to staff, posted in full on Pandaily. “Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company.” Mayer became TikTok’s CEO on June 1st, tasked with helping the company navigate choppy political waters in...

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 2 on August 5th, but didn’t give a release date or price at the time, only promising to share more about the foldable on September 1st. But if you check Samsung’s UK retail website right now, it seems you can already pre-order the Z Fold 2 for £1,799, and it’s set to ship by September 17th (via Max Weinbach). While that price might be eye-popping, it’s actually less expensive than the original Fold’s £1,900 starting price in the UK — a difference of £101. Assuming, of course, that the price listed there isn’t a mistake. Samsung didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. We don’t know yet if a lower price would carry over to the US. The first Fold launched at $1,980, so perhaps the Z Fold 2 will cost less than that. It’s also unclear if pre-orde...

Activision has officially announced Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Like previous entries, there will be a beta, which will be open to the public, but you can receive early access if you pre-order specific versions of the game. However, there’s another way to get early access without spending any money: Activision is giving away 10,000 beta keys this weekend. This weekend, the Call of Duty League will be holding its first championship. On Sunday, August 30th at 4PM ET, the publisher will give away early access beta keys to viewers watching the stream on the league’s official website. Activision has not said when it will hold the beta If you want to be eligible for the giveaway, you’ll need to sign up or log into your Activision account and link it with the official Call of Duty League we...

Facebook is blocking searches for “Kyle Rittenhouse,” the gunman allegedly responsible for the killing of two protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin Tuesday night. The behavior was first reported by Rolling Stone, but The Verge was able to confirm the block through direct testing. A search for the name returns no results, while a more general search returns a number of results with the shooter’s name included. After Rittenhouse was identified and charged on Wednesday, Facebook removed his profile and blocked users from creating new profiles under the name, out of concern that copycat profiles might be used to spread disinformation. But blocking searches for the name is a more drastic measure, particularly at a time when interest in the details of the attack are at their peak. The platform does n...

Gamescom 2020 may not be the in-person spectacle we’ve come to know, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal. The virtual version of the trade show kicked off with Gamescom Opening Night Live, a two-hour-long event that featured plentiful announcements and trailers, covering everything from the Fall Guys phenomenon to upcoming blockbusters like Star Wars: Squadrons and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. If you missed the show, here are all the biggest reveals. [embedded content] Dragon Age is still alive It’s been a long time since we heard about the next Dragon Age. And while BioWare didn’t reveal a new trailer for the game, the studio at least proved it’s still in the works with a behind-the-scenes video full of concept art, early game renders, and lots of staff excited about the fantas...

Sony debuted new gameplay footage for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the first PlayStation 5 entry in the long-running hit series from Insomniac Games, at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2020. Sony shared an initial look at Rift Apart at Sony’s big PS5 games reveal in June, including some gameplay, and today’s extended video built upon what has already been shown. Today’s demo featured a lot of classic Ratchet & Clank gameplay — strafe shooting, jumping, platforming, and more — and it all looks great. But as the title suggests, rifts are also a major part of the new game, letting the two protagonists travel from point to point and between entirely new worlds, all with nearly instantaneous load times. It was an impressive display of what the PS5 might be able to do with its custom SSD, wh...

Annapurna Interactive debuted a new trailer for Twelve Minutes, which the studio describes as “an interactive thriller about a man trapped in a time loop,” at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2020. The trailer features an ominous voiceover from Willem Dafoe, and the game will also include the voice talents of James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley. Twelve Minutes seems to take place entirely from a top-down perspective of a small apartment — much of the trailer shows a main living room, and there’s a brief shot of the two main characters in a bedroom — and you’ll be reliving a twelve-minute time loop over and over again. A tidbit on the game’s Steam page makes the game sound extremely intriguing: “Twelve Minutes blends the dream-like tension of The Shining with the claustrophobia of Rear Window and the ...