Technology

When internet detectives revealed the PlayStation 5 was going to be huge, we were extremely amused — but even their fancy Photoshops couldn’t completely prepare us for how enormous the PS5 truly is. Roughly half an hour after Sony finally revealed the next-gen console’s price and release date ($399 or $499, November 12th) the company released a full spec sheet that includes the console’s dimensions. And it’s a monster. Quick, what’s the biggest console ever made? Did you say the original 2001 Xbox, or the VCR-sized original Xbox One? Perhaps the 60GB PS3, affectionately dubbed the “Phat”? Wrong. The PS5 is bigger than all of them. Bigger than the Phat According to Sony, the PS5 is approximately 390mm (15.4 inches) tall, 260mm (10.24 inches) deep and 104mm (4.09 inches) wide, making it the ...

Bill & Ted Face the Music feels a bit like a prank. Franchise filmmaking is king now, and because of this, any revival feels cynical by default. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and its sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, are perhaps among the least cynical films ever made: sincere romps through time and the afterlife starring sweet morons who love rock n’ roll. They lack any sort of edge or hint of darkness (even when they go to Hell) and delight in their lack of sophistication. There’s not a lot there, but that’s what makes them charming. This makes the idea of a third film, released over 30 years after the first, feel like a stretch. Yet it might be my favorite movie released this year. I saw Bill & Ted Face the Music at a drive-in theater. It was something my partner an...

Over 20 states aren’t including results from a type of rapid COVID-19 test in their overall case numbers, according to a survey by Kaiser Health News (KHN). The federal government is sending millions of these types of tests all around the country in an effort to keep up with the pandemic. If states don’t release the results from those tests through their public health departments, it creates a blind spot in the overall data. The tests, called antigen tests, work by detecting a small protein on the surface of the coronavirus. They tend work much faster than the tests that look for the virus itself, called PCR tests, although they can be less accurate. According to the KHN survey, 21 states and the District of Columbia don’t report all of their antigen test results. Fifteen states and DC don...

Logitech is launching two new gaming audio products that are built for the just-announced Oculus Quest 2. One of them is called the G333, and they’re Logitech G’s first in-ear headphones pictured above. The other announcement is Logitech’s G Pro wired gaming headset, which is an existing product that will now ship with two 3.5mm cables, one that’s long and another that’s small, suited for when you’re using VR. Logitech says it worked with Oculus to ensure that both will deliver a great experience for virtual reality. Logitech The G333 earbuds house dual dynamic drivers that were made to deliver enough detail in the bass, mids, and highs to “accurately recreate the VR environment.” They will cost $49.99 and ship with three different sizes of silicone tips. The G333 connect via a 3.5mm port,...

Amazon is expanding its Samuel L. Jackson voice skill for its Alexa digital assistant to include tens of thousands more phrases, including much more of the actor’s iconic expletive-filled delivery. The company is also giving Jackson his own dedicated wake phrase: “Hey, Samuel.” The news follows Amazon’s announcement on Monday that it plans to add its next celebrity voice, Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, for the Indian market some time next year. The Jackson partnership launched last December, allowing Alexa users to pay $0.99 to access the actor’s voice on Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices. Since then, Amazon says consumers complained that the integration was “overly burdensome,” because you effectively had to ask Alexa to ask for Jackson to reply to something. Jackson’s voice library ...

Apple’s warranty program, AppleCare Plus, just saw a significant expansion in its coverage with an added annual repair for accidental damage. The changes, spotted first yesterday by MacRumors in the wake of Apple’s “Time Flies” hardware reveal, mean AppleCare Plus owners are now covered for two cases of accidental damage coverage every 12 months. That’s a total of four fixes over the standard two years of coverage. The prior window for those two incidents of coverage was 24 months (or 36 months for certain products like Macs). It appears this is the case not just for the iPhone but for all other AppleCare Plus-eligible products, which include AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats headphones, HomePod, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, and Pro Display XDR. You can see the changes applied at the new App...

If you were thinking of adding a new Apple Watch (or any other LTE-ready smartwatch with a dedicated phone number) to your Verizon account, you’ll probably like to hear that the carrier just cut the monthly cost of doing that by half. It’s normally $20 to add a watch if you don’t already have a phone on your account, though it will now costs $10 per month per watch for all standalone plans. Pricing for subscribers who have both a phone and a watch on their accounts is unchanged. This is welcome news considering Apple debuted two new Apple Watch models today: the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, both of which have an LTE option. The most affordable Series 6 with LTE costs $499 ($399 without LTE), but the real bargain is the Apple Watch SE with LTE, which costs $329 (just $50 more th...

Amazon Music now offers podcasts. The company issued an update today that brings more than 70,000 shows to the platform, including some major titles, like Serial and Pod Save America, as well as new exclusive deals like a show with DJ Khaled called The First One, where he’ll interview artists about their breakthrough hits and the stories behind them. Disgraceland, a popular show from iHeartMedia, will also become exclusive to the platform starting in February 2021. Podcasts can be listened to through the updated Amazon Music app, on the web, or on Amazon Echo devices. Echo devices will search Amazon Music by default and will remember where listeners left off, regardless of what platform they use to listen. The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon will be selling ads for its shows, altho...

Microsoft is reportedly planning to refresh its ARM-powered Surface Pro X this fall. Windows Central reports that the Surface Pro X will be updated to include Microsoft’s SQ2 processor, which will likely be based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G. It’s not clear if this refreshed Surface Pro X will include 5G support, but Qualcomm’s latest chip supports the option for Microsoft to include it. Microsoft is also rumored to be working on a new color variant for this updated Surface Pro X, which would see the device launch in the platinum typically found on the Intel-based Surface Pro line. Microsoft launched the Surface Pro X in black last year, with a black Type Cover. It’s likely we’ll see a variety of Type Cover colors for this new Surface Pro X to complement the new platinum variant. ...

Apple has responded to Epic’s demands that the iPhone-maker restore Fortnite to the App Store in new legal filings, arguing that the company’s injuries are “entirely self-inflicted” and that Fortnite can return to iOS at any time — just as soon as Epic removes the custom in-app payment system that triggered the game’s removal in the first place. “Epic started a fire, and poured gasoline on it, and now asks this Court for emergency assistance in putting it out,” writes Apple in the 37-page opposition brief. “[E]ven though Epic can do so itself in an instant by simply adhering to the contractual terms that have profitably governed its relationship with Apple for years.” “Epic could have avoided any further harm […] with a simple keystroke” Later, the company adds: “Epic could have avoi...

VanMoof just announced $40 million in new outside investment to capitalize on the surging global demand for electric bikes. Importantly, VanMoof’s co-founders, Ties and Taco Carlier, tell The Verge that about a third of that new money will be directed at solving VanMoof customer support issues that have intensified with the launch of the company’s new S3 and X3 e-bikes in the middle of a global pandemic. “Over the next six to twelve months, we’ll have upgraded every step of the customer journey, from production to scheduling check-ups. Getting a VanMoof e-bike serviced will be as easy as ordering a meal online,” promises Taco in a prepared statement announcing the new investment round. VanMoof calls the new app-based service the Bike Doctor Network, and it’ll begin sending support technici...

I. A dilemma On Sunday night, after being encouraged to by friends and family, I hit play on a new documentary about our digital lives. Directed by Jeff Orlowski, The Social Dilemma explores the effect of smartphones and social networks on human behavior. Blending talking-head interviews with some well known Silicon Valley apostates and fictional, after-school special-style dramatizations of what happens when Johnny and Janey scroll through feeds all day, the film presents itself as an urgent warning about our modern condition. I’m more than a little sympathetic to these concerns. I started writing this newsletter in 2017 after coming to the belated realization that social networks really did have an outsized impact on modern life, and deserved to be taken as seriously. My thinking has ben...