Technology

One truth about me as a runner is that I need my jams. No jams, no run. I have meticulously curated playlists where the bass drops are strategically timed to gas me up when I lose steam. Aside from my sneakers, my earbuds are the most important piece of running tech I own. And yet, my decade-long search for the perfect pair only just ended a few weeks ago. Behold, the beautiful, purplicious Beats Fit Pro. To understand why I’m gaga for these buds, you need to know about the headphones that didn’t make the cut. (Don’t worry, I’ll stick to the highlights and spare you a Dickensian-length novel recounting the dozens of earbuds that have failed me in my 10-year running journey.) Earbuds with superior sound — like the Bose SoundSport — are often too large for my teeny-tiny earholes, and I’m ove...

Once upon a time, my smartphone doubled as my most-used gaming platform. It’s hard to believe now, but there was once a period when app stores felt like a new frontier, and game developers had a blast experimenting with a little touchscreen rectangle that you always had in your pocket. Then the economics changed. Games slowly got cheaper before eventually becoming free altogether. New releases had to decide between a dwindling audience for premium games or saddling their game with in-app purchases. Things became dire. But lately, I’ve been having fun with my phone again — and it’s due almost entirely to subscription services. I came to this realization recently when I switched from Android to an iPhone and started loading my new gadget with games (that’s always the first order of business ...

The Indonesian government has blocked access to a range of online services, including Steam, Epic Games, PayPal, and Yahoo after the companies failed to comply with a new requirement related to the country’s restrictive content moderation laws, as reported earlier by Reuters. In line with the rules, companies deemed “Private Electronic System Providers” must register with the government’s database to operate in the country, or otherwise face a nationwide ban. Indonesia gave companies until July 27th to comply and has since banned those that haven’t. The requirement is part of an overarching law, called MR5 The requirement is part of an overarching law, called MR5, which was first introduced in 2020. As noted by Reuters, the laws give the Indonesian government the ability to obtain data abo...

Amazon Prime Day is back, baby! OK, maybe not technically speaking, but so many Amazon devices are currently discounted at Best Buy and other retailers that it’s giving us a major sense of deja vu. Right now, for example, you can buy Amazon’s excellent Smart Thermostat at Best Buy and Target for just $41.99 ($18 off) — a record low set during Prime Day. The budget-friendly thermostat will mesh with most decor, and can even learn and adapt to your habits like more expensive options. Be aware, however, that you can’t integrate the device with voice assistants beyond Alexa, and there are no native temperature sensors. Still, if those caveats don’t bother you, Amazon’s Smart Thermostat is a great option to consider, one that could potentially help you save money on energy bills. Read our...

Apple Pay could finally be compatible with Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox in iOS 16. MacRumors contributor Steve Moser found that Apple Pay works with Edge and Chrome in the iOS 16 beta 4, and shared his findings on Twitter. Moser’s screenshots show a “Continue with Apple Pay” option on Apple’s checkout page when using Edge. Apple Pay only works in Safari on iOS 15 and older, preventing you from using any other browser if you want to pay with Apple Pay when shopping on the web. On the latest iOS 16 beta Apple Pay works in Edge, Chrome and I assume any third party browser. On iOS 15 Apple Pay only works in Safari. pic.twitter.com/x7zV5xCuiC — Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) July 30, 2022 Although Moser doesn’t mention Firefox, other users noticed Apple Pay compatibility with t...

Google has a delightful new multiplayer Doodle that lets you play a game of pétanque online. If you haven’t heard of pétanque — I hadn’t before writing this article — it’s a game that’s kind of like bocce ball. The goal of pétanque is to throw your ball (the boule) as close as you can to a little ball (the cochonnet) on the playing field in front of you. On your computer, you’ll “throw” the ball by clicking on the boule and dragging back with your mouse to slingshot it forward; on a phone, you’ll toss the boule with your thumb (kind of like throwing a Poké Ball in Pokémon Go). You get points for having more boules close to the cochonnet than your opponent, and whoever has the most points after three rounds wins. Google has a good tutorial of the game it will show you when you first start p...

The Pixel 2 is an almost five-year-old phone, but it introduced a feature that I miss more and more with each passing year. It was called Active Edge, and it let you summon Google Assistant just by giving your phone a squeeze. In some ways, it’s an unusual idea. But it effectively gave you something sorely lacking on modern phones: a way to physically interact with the phone to just get something done. Looking at the sides of the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, you won’t see anything to indicate that you’re holding anything special. Sure, there’s a power button and volume rocker, but otherwise, the sides are sparse. Give the phone’s bare edges a good squeeze, though, and a subtle vibration and animation will play, as Google Assistant pops up from the bottom of the screen, ready to start listening to you...

Dell collectively shocked everyone who follows the laptop market when it announced the XPS 13 Plus. After I published my first impressions last December, I got all kinds of DMs and emails from people asking what the heck this thing was. It’s a laptop unlike anything ever seen — and many of us have spent the past half year wondering whether that’s a good or bad thing. The regular XPS 13 (no Plus to be found) has long been one of our top Windows laptop recommendations. It’s a standout in many ways, build quality chief among them. Dell is continuing to sell that model and has upgraded it to 12th Gen processors. The XPS 13 Plus is a separate model and, as I understand, is for folks who want to take that XPS’s performance to the next level — anyone who wants as much raw muscle as they can get i...

Automated birthday emails are a constant of modern life, right up there with death, taxes, and computer updates with poor timing. Once a year, my inbox fills to the brim with reminders of just how many companies I’ve entrusted with my birthdate. But not this year. No, this year was going to be different. This year I went on a relentless unsubscribing kick, just ruthlessly clicking the unsubscribe button whenever something from a corporate mailing list came into my inbox. But I knew that some things were definitely going to still sneak through. See, companies can’t resist a birthday. It’s one of the easiest things they can do to get someone’s attention. “​​Birthday emails are one of the most effective emails you can send,” says a blog post from Campaign Monitor, an email marketing company, ...

Handing over your phone — full of photos, texts, and other personal private info — to a repair person can feel dicey. After all, the horrifying reality of having your data leaked during the repair process has actually happened to some people. SamMobile found a press release from Samsung’s Korean press site stating that the company hopes to put an end to that with a new privacy feature called Repair Mode (via Ars Technica). It’ll give technicians a limited amount of access to your phone’s innards. From the sound of it, they’ll be able to access enough to make the fix but not so much to leak your pics. This feature is coming first to Galaxy S21 phones in South Korea. The company plans to expand support to other models in the future. As noted in the translated press release, you’ll eventually...

Uber says that it’s “completely reimagined the way drivers accept rides” with a feature called “upfront fares,” which shows drivers exactly how much they’ll be paid for a trip and where they’ll end up after dropping a rider off. In its announcement on Friday, the company says the change is part of its push to make driving for the rideshare service more flexible. Uber’s also planning on rolling out a feature that lets drivers see other ride requests in their area, letting them pick specific trips they’d like to do. For riders, the changes, which have been tested in select locations, could mean fewer canceled trips because a driver doesn’t actually want to go to the destination, or realizes that it won’t be a very profitable trip. According to an upfront fee support document, the amount show...

Apple is planning to show ads in the App Store’s Today tab and on individual app pages, according to MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and AppleInsider. The two new ad placements will expand upon the ads you can already see in the App Store’s search tab and in search results. Ads in the Today tab will appear in the larger card format used by other content in that tab, but you’ll see a small blue box with the word “Ad” inside it under the app’s name. Ads in individual app pages will appear under the “You Might Also Like” header that suggests apps related to the one you’re looking at. Like in App Store search, ads on app pages will be highlighted in blue to distinguish them from other recommendations. According to 9to5Mac, ad buyers won’t be able to target specific applications for these ads, but the ads ...