Technology

If you’ve recently spotted a little secondary box underneath a Google News story that gives you a big-picture understanding of the news, you’re not alone: Google confirms it’s launching a new “for context” feature in Google News, one which that links to a second, broader story on the same topic. Spotted earlier by Valentin Pletzer on Twitter, the feature appears to be live on mobile phones for some very specific search results: It’s a smaller box in Google’s news box It’s small enough that you might easily miss what’s changed, but it’s that “for context” box under the CNET story. Intriguingly, it links to another CNET story to provide the bigger picture; it’s possible that this feature isn’t designed to divert traffic from some publishers to others, but rather just to provide the bigger pi...

Slack developer Felix Rieseberg has transformed Mac OS 8 into an app you can install on your Mac or PC. After transforming Windows 95 into an app back in 2018, Rieseberg decided to turn an entire 1991 Macintosh Quadra with Mac OS 8.1 into a single Electron app. It even includes a number of apps and games, thanks to an old MacWorld demo CD from 1997. The app can be installed on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The macintosh.js app is written entirely in JavaScript, and it uses a virtual machine to emulate a Macintosh Quadra 900 with the Motorola CPU Apple used before its transition to IBM’s PowerPC chips. Rieseberg has managed to get classic games like Duke Nukem 3D, Civilization II, Dungeons & Dragons, Namely, Oregon Trail, Alley 19 Bowling, and Damage Incorporated running. There’s even a bu...

TikTok wants to be transparent. The company has announced that it’s taking new measures to give outsiders access to the algorithms it uses to sort and share users’ videos, and it will be letting experts “observe our moderation policies in real-time.” In a blog post published Wednesday, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer said the changes put it “a step ahead of the industry” and challenged rivals to follow suit. “[W]e believe our entire industry should be held to an exceptionally high standard,” writes Mayer. “That’s why we believe all companies should disclose their algorithms, moderation policies, and data flows to regulators. We will not wait for regulation to come, but instead TikTok has taken the first step by launching a Transparency and Accountability Center for moderation and data practices.” T...

Google’s Chromecast is the epitome of a software-first device. Nearly all of its capabilities are defined by software, and usually not even software that’s on the Chromecast itself. But the Chromecast, for all its hands-off simplicity, does have a single hardware button: an emergency reset button on the back. It’s a testament to the importance and reliability of physical inputs over software solutions. Odds are, most people will never use the Chromecast’s reset button. Whether you have the original Chromecast, a second-generation model, or a 4K Chromecast Ultra, this button only has a single function: if all else fails, you can hold it down to factory-reset the hardware back to “fresh-from-the-box” settings. (The process is actually an interesting one: pressing the button forces the Chrome...

We recently ranked Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Plus wireless earbuds as the best overall option, thanks to their 11-hour continuous battery life, wireless charging support, improved microphones, and excellent sound quality. They normally cost $150, but you can grab them for just shy of $100 from a reputable seller at eBay. If you’re okay with getting them in white, which has a pearlescent look, they cost $99, though the black or blue options are $110. The last time we covered a Galaxy Buds Plus deal in early July, $130 was the best price we’d seen yet. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge If you don’t want to spend that much, Best Buy is offering the original Galaxy Buds refurbished in black for just $60. They’re also available in white for $75. They have wireless charging and good sound ...

In 2014, Mellow, Inc. released the Mellow for $399, billing it as “the world’s first smart sous-vide machine” — one that promised to automatically weigh and then heat and cool your specified foods for a perfect slow-cooked result, even adjusting that timing mid-cook to match your changing schedule. But now, the company is taking away those smarts from existing owners unless they pay $6 a month, or $48 for an annual subscription. As SlashGear’s Chris Davies reports, Mellow owners were surprised to find they couldn’t cook a meal this week until they updated the app, only to discover that the app update barred them from using most of the cooker’s previously free “smart” features without paying for the new “Premium Subscription.” “Manual mode” is now the only way to use the Mellow without payi...

Movies Anywhere is rolling out a new “Watch Together” viewing party feature for its movie locker apps, allowing multiple users to sync up and enjoy a film together. While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has seen a rise in viewing party apps for streaming services (both third-party and official), Movies Anywhere’s version differs by letting you watch films you’ve purchased, instead of limiting you to the streaming catalogs for which you have subscriptions (something that can change day by day). Additionally, Movies Anywhere’s Watch Together feature works on both its mobile and desktop apps, something that’s rare for most viewing party services. Setting it up is simple: the host sends out a six-digit invite code, which guests can use to enter the page for the movie in question in the Movies An...

Google and Samsung are in discussions for a deal that would give the US tech giant’s services more prominence on Samsung phones at the expense of those from the Korean manufacturer, according to a report by Bloomberg. The deal would reportedly involve promoting the Google Assistant and the Play Store over Samsung’s own alternatives. Samsung is the world’s biggest smartphone company and by far the leading Android handset maker in the US. While its phones use Google’s Android operating system, Samsung has consistently tried to build out an ecosystem of its own software that runs atop Android, including the Bixby voice assistant and the Galaxy app store. Google’s own products are still available on Samsung’s phones, but Samsung has gone as far as to include dedicated buttons on its hardware i...

AMC Theaters and Universal have reached a new agreement that dramatically shortens the theatrical exclusivity window — the amount of time that films have to play in theaters before they’re allowed to be sold or rented in other places, like iTunes, Amazon, or AMC’s own On Demand service — down to just 17 days (ensuring that the films will hit at least three weekends in theaters). The new deal marks a radical shift from the standard theatrical release window, which has typically been between 70 and 90 days in recent years, and could vastly alter the landscape of both theatrical and digital film. Universal can offer “premium on-demand” $20 movies just 17 days after the film is out Universal and AMC had previously been feuding over release windows after Universal — spurred on by the direct-to-...

Two former Twitter employees who were last fall charged with spying on behalf of the government of Saudi Arabia may have charges against them dropped at the recommendation of US prosecutors, according to Bloomberg. It is unclear at this time why the US is pushing to have the case against the two men, Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah, dismissed. But lawyers in San Francisco submitted the recommendation to a judge on Tuesday. It has yet to be approved. A third man, a Saudi citizen named Ahmed Almutairi, was also implicated in the operation as the recruiter who convinced Abouammo and Alzabarah to spy on Saudi dissidents using internal Twitter tools. Prosecutors are also recommending charges against him be dropped, Bloomberg reports. Twitter declined to comment for this story. The operation is...

Kodak, once a powerful force in photography, is branching out into pharmaceuticals and the US government plans to give the company a $765 million loan to support its efforts. Kodak will create a new business arm, Kodak Pharmaceuticals, to produce ingredients needed for drug manufacturing. Kodak Pharmaceuticals will make ingredients that have “lapsed into chronic national shortage,” and once the unit is fully up and running, it will be able to make “up to 25 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients used in non-biologic, non-antibacterial, generic pharmaceuticals,” Kodak estimates. Kodak CEO Jim Continenza expects pharmaceuticals to eventually comprise 30 to 40 percent of Kodak’s business, reports The Wall Street Journal. The $765 million loan is being made available under the Korean War...

AMD CEO Lisa Su shared during the company’s second-quarter earnings call that its many anticipated product launches are still on schedule to release in 2020. This includes its 7nm processors based on Zen 3 architecture, and its RDNA 2 (or “Big Navi”) graphics cards. Su also shared that AMD began initial production and shipment of next-gen console chips, including for the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. Both consoles are set for release this holiday. This is all good news for people hoping to upgrade their PCs with upcoming AMD parts, or those interested in buying a new console later this year. But it’s unfortunate for Intel, which recently suffered a few big product roadmap setbacks. Intel announced that it’s pushing back its already-delayed 7nm process debut for its CPUs to 2022. What’s more, ...