Technology

Volkswagen announced a stylish new electric sedan concept, the ID Aero, which it plans on putting into production in China in 2023. The EV’s aerodynamic shape and 16-foot length will help enable up to 385 miles of range based on Europe’s WLTP. The ID Aero will be built on VW’s flexible MEB platform, which is also being used to power the automaker’s other electric models. The automaker also claims an ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.23, which puts it on par with other luxury electric German autos in its class, like the BMW i4 and Mercedes-Benz EQS. Grid View Otherwise, there’s not much to distinguish the ID Aero from its competitors. There are full-width LED lightbars in the front and rear of the vehicle, which is a common feature among EVs today. VW opted for a high-gloss black roof rather ...

Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 base model appears to have slower SSD speeds than its M1 predecessor. MacRumors reports that YouTubers Max Tech and Created Tech have both tested the 256GB base M2 model and discovered the SSD’s read speeds are around 50 precent slower than the M1 MacBook Pro with 256GB of storage. Write speeds are reportedly around 30 percent slower. Testing was completed using Blackmagic’s Disk Speed Test app, and Max Tech even disassembled the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro and found that Apple is only using a single NAND flash storage chip. The M1 MacBook Pro uses two 128GB NAND chips, and multiple chips can enable faster SSD speeds in parallel. [embedded content] Other 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro models with larger SSD storage don’t appear to suffer from slower SSD speeds. Anothe...

After introducing the HomePod mini and discontinuing its original HomePod series early last year, Apple is now reportedly looking to bring it back with the development of a brand new design. According to Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman, the tech giant is now working on a home speaker that will function and look much like the original HomePod, but now with the updated S8 chip instead of the current S5 chips used by the HomePod mini collection. With superior processing power, Apple is also reportedly planning on pricing the smart speaker at an even more accessible range than its predecessor, which at the time went for $350 USD — a significant premium over the $100 USD HomePod mini. As usual, Apple has yet to announce or confirm anything itself, so those interested in a HomePod replacement...

Following a first look, Nothing has now opened pre-order reservations for its Nothing phone (1). Utilizing an invitation code system for its first smartphone release, reservations are opened for private community members first. The private community members will have 48 hours to use their code to place a £20 GBP (approximately $25 USD), non-refundable deposit, to secure an opportunity to purchase the Nothing phone (1). The general public can now sign up for the waitlist with reservation invitations set to be delivered in batches. At checkout, the deposit placed will be deducted from the purchase amount with £20 GBP (approximately $25 USD) also offered, which can be used towards the purchase of a phone (1) accessory or Ear 1 earbuds. The official purchase price of the phone has not been rev...

Facebook’s app for smart TVs, which lets users tune into various videos, shows, and livestreams on the platform, may no longer be available on Apple TV, as first reported by 9to5Mac. Some users say they’re no longer able to access the app after its most recent update. In a thread on MacRumors, one user shares an image of the notice they received after attempting to open Facebook Watch on their Apple TV 4K: “The Facebook Watch TV app is no longer available, but you can still find lots of videos on Facebook at www.facebook.com/watch.” Several other users report having the same experience. Facebook rolled out its Watch app on Apple TV in 2017 after first launching it on Samsung smart TVs. The app is also available on various other smart TVs and consoles, as well as on Facebook’s mobile app an...

Apple’s poised to release a slew of new devices between this fall and the beginning of 2023, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. What Gurman describes as a “deluge” of products will reportedly include four iPhone 14 devices, a set of new iPads, three Apple Watches, several M2 / M3-upgraded Macs, a pair of refreshed AirPods Pro buds, a new HomePod, and a spec-boosted Apple TV model. Let’s break down these predictions. Although Apple announced two new Macs with its flagship M2 processor at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this month, Gurman expects to find the chip — and its variations — in several other devices. This includes an M2 Mac mini, M2 Pro Mac mini, M2 Pro / M2 Max 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros, as well as an M2 Ultra / M2 Extreme Mac Pro. Of course,...

Apple’s poised to release a slew of new devices between this fall and the beginning of 2023, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. What Gurman describes as a “deluge” of products will reportedly include four iPhone 14 devices, a set of new iPads, three Apple Watches, several M2 / M3-upgraded Macs, a pair of refreshed AirPods Pro buds, a new HomePod, and a spec-boosted Apple TV model. Let’s break down these predictions. Although Apple announced two new Macs with its flagship M2 processor at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this month, Gurman expects to find the chip — and its variations — in several other devices. This includes an M2 Mac mini, M2 Pro Mac mini, M2 Pro / M2 Max 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros, as well as an M2 Ultra / M2 Extreme Mac Pro. Of course,...

Riot Games, the developer behind the free first-person shooter (FPS) Valorant, will start monitoring players’ voice communications on July 13th (via PCGamer). The game company says it’s to help train the language models that it will eventually use when evaluating player reports across all its games. Riot initially announced this change in April 2021 after making an update to its privacy policy. The new terms give Riot permission to “record and potentially evaluate voice data when using Riot-owned voice comms channels” with the purpose of combatting hate speech and harassment over voice chat. Riot says it will analyze recordings when a player reports someone for abusive or offensive comments. In turn, this should help the company determine whether the reported player violated its policies a...

Riot Games, the developer behind the free first-person shooter (FPS) Valorant, will start monitoring players’ voice communications on July 13th (via PCGamer). The game company says it’s to help train the language models that it will eventually use when evaluating player reports across all its games. Riot initially announced this change in April 2021 after making an update to its privacy policy. The new terms give Riot permission to “record and potentially evaluate voice data when using Riot-owned voice comms channels” with the purpose of combatting hate speech and harassment over voice chat. Riot says it will analyze recordings when a player reports someone for abusive or offensive comments. In turn, this should help the company determine whether the reported player violated its policies a...