Technology

Two new Google hardware devices have shown up in FCC filings, and as 9to5Google notes, it seems likely that they’re related to the new Android TV product that’s reportedly been in the works for a while. If so, the filings could suggest that Google is finally gearing up to release it soon. An XDA Developers report in June said that Google was preparing a TV dongle codenamed “Sabrina” that would use Android TV and a traditional remote-driven UI, unlike smartphone-controlled Chromecast devices. One of the new FCC filings refers to an “Interactive Media Streaming Device” with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while the other is for a “Wireless Device” with Bluetooth and a power cover, which 9to5Google speculates could be Sabrina and its remote control respectively. Unless you buy a TV with the software bui...

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors as a treatment for sick patients. The announcement came after President Donald Trump publicly pressured the agency to speed the development of drugs and vaccines. Plasma should not be the new standard of care for COVID-19, the agency said in a statement. However, it may shorten or reduce the severity of the illness in hospitalized patients. “We’re encouraged by the early promising data that we’ve seen about convalescent plasma,” said commissioner Stephen Hahn in the statement. Preliminary research suggests that the plasma, which contains antibodies against the coronavirus, could help improve the survival rate of people hospitalized with the disease. However, the treatment has only been tes...

New leaked images may have the first look at the Google Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4A 5G. The image showing what could be the Pixel 5 in black and the Pixel 4A 5G in white came from a since-deleted post on Reddit. They also include details about the phones’ specs which seem to match up with previously leaked information, according to XDA Developers. Google launched the Pixel 4A earlier this month and announced the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G would be coming sometime this fall, likely early October. Renders of the Pixel 5 leaked last week, showing a fingerprint sensor on the rear of the device, a square-shaped camera array with two cameras, a flash, and a hole-punch front-facing camera. A previously leaked render of the (likely) Pixel 5 If the new Reddit image is legit, it would also seem to confirm...

Apple is threatening an entire ecosystem of game developers in response to the Fortnite lawsuit, Epic alleged in a new filing on Sunday. The motion centers on iOS support for the Unreal Engine, which Apple has threatened to revoke as part of Epic’s broader loss of developer privileges. Epic has asked the court to restrain Apple from revoking that access while the case is ongoing. Apple responded to the request on Friday, emphasizing that it was enforcing previously stated policies, but not denying that iOS support was at risk. Epic says removing support would be unnecessarily punitive, affecting developers who have built on Epic’s engine but have no direct interest in the case. “The breadth of Apple’s retaliation is itself an unlawful effort to maintain its monopoly and chill any action by...

Twitter has labeled a tweet from President Trump in which he questioned the use of mail drop boxes for the November election. The president claimed, without citing evidence, that the boxes made it “possible for a person to vote multiple times,” and are a “voter security disaster,” that “are not Covid sanitized.” Twitter applied a label to the Sunday morning tweet that reads “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.” A “learn more” link goes to Twitter’s rules about public-interest exceptions. “We placed a public interest interstitial on this Tweet for violating our Civic Integrity Policy, for making misleading health claims that could potentially diss...

The World Health Organization has released its guidance on face masks for children, as students— in some parts of the country at least— return to their classrooms to start the new school year. Children age 5 and younger shouldn’t be required to wear masks, the WHO says, since most are not able to put them on without help. Children age 6 through 11, however, should wear masks under certain conditions, including local infection rates, whether there’s an adult available to help them, and if they’ll be exposed to elderly people or people with health conditions who are at higher risk of complications from the virus. Kids 12 and older should wear masks under the same conditions adults would wear them, using the standard social-distancing guidelines, WHO said in its release. WHO Worked with UNICE...

A group of WeChat users is suing the Trump administration over the president’s executive order banning transactions with the app, The Wall Street Journal reported. The group isn’t affiliated with WeChat or its owner Tencent, but seeks to block the president’s August 6th order which the group says is unconstitutional because it violates users’ due process and free speech rights, according to the Journal. The lawsuit also argues that the ban targets Chinese-Americans. “It is the primary app Chinese-speakers in the U.S. use to participate in social life by connecting with loved ones, sharing special moments, arguing ideas, receiving up-to-the minute news, and participating in political discussions and advocacy,” the lawsuit states, and has “become essential to the conduct of daily life for it...

Director James Gunn took his time at DC Comics’ FanDome to introduce the new Suicide Squad set to debut in Warner Bros.’ The Suicide Squad. A “roll call” trailer for his Suicide Squad sequel debuted today at DC FanDome, a virtual convention from DC Comics and Warner Bros. That includes Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Pete Davidson as Blackguard and many more. Although it’s not an official trailer, this is the first time that Gunn and Warner Bros. have announced the film’s new characters. Gunn also debuted a behind-the-scenes video that includes some of the first footage from The Suicide Squad. [embedded content] The Suicide Squad is Gunn’s first big project, and first film set within a superhero universe, since he...

The team behind the beloved Batman: Arkham games is now exploring at different DC property. This evening at DC Fandome, Rocksteady Studios finally revealed Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, a new action game starring the infamous super villain team. The game will be launching on in 2022 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X according to the teaser. The studio teased the game earlier this month after plentiful rumors. “The most dangerous villains in the DC Universe have been forced to team up and take on a new mission: Kill the Justice League,” the description under the trailer reads. “Create Chaos in Metropolis. You are the Suicide Squad.” Rocksteady is known almost entirely for its Batman games, which combined key elements of the character — gadgets, detective work, and heavy com...

Robert Pattinson’s upcoming Batman movie, The Batman, is one of the most anticipated DC movies. Today, director Matt Reeves debuted a first look at Pattinson’s take on the Dark Knight. Maybe surprising to some, it’s a good sized teaser trailer. Production on the film shut down by the pandemic, but the footage Reeves brought to DC’s FanDome virtual convention is a pretty good glance at what fans of the caped crusader should expect. Like always in Gotham City, crime is running rampant, and some nefarious force is trying to get to Batman. The story takes place about two years into Bruce Wayne’s career as Batman, a period when he’s still just a masked vigilante. Reeves stressed that Batman isn’t Batman yet, and there are people “who are afraid of him, quite frankly.” The trailer also introduce...

DC Comics and Warner Bros. held their first ever FanDome event today, a virtual convention that brought with it new movie trailers, announcements, and exciting gameplay footage. From Warner Bros. Games Montreal’s Gotham Knights reveal (including nearly eight minutes of footage) to the first trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and an update on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series at Netflix, a lot happened. Here are the biggest moments (and videos) from DC FanDome. If you missed it, there are encore panels playing for the next several hours. Head over to DC FanDome’s schedule for a full list of repeat performances. Gotham Knights announcement: As mentioned above, one of the biggest announcements was one fans have waited more than a year for — Gotham Knights is Warner Bros. Games Montreal’s new...

TikTok confirmed Saturday that it will file a lawsuit against the Trump administration over an executive order demanding parent company ByteDance divest its TikTok operations in the US. It’s the first time the company has confirmed it will pursue legal action, a move that has been rumored for several weeks. Reports began surfacing Friday that a lawsuit was likely imminent. “Even though we strongly disagree with the administration’s concerns, for nearly a year we have sought to engage in good faith to provide a constructive solution,” TikTok spokesman Josh Gartner said in a statement to The Verge. “What we encountered instead was a lack of due process as the administration paid no attention to facts and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses.” To ensure that the...