Technology

When you think about getting tested for COVID-19, you’re most likely picturing two types of tests: the at-home rapid antigen tests you can buy at the drugstore and the PCR test where the results are processed by a lab. What you’re probably less familiar with are at-home molecular tests that you can buy online. In a nutshell, these at-home molecular tests combine the accuracy of PCR tests with the convenience of antigen tests. It’s a potent combination, as it reduces the chances of a self-test delivering a false negative result. That, in turn, can help people plan with a greater degree of certainty. It’s a big reason why companies like Google provide these tests to their workers as part of return to office plans. Currently, the FDA has authorized three OTC at-home molecular tests: Cue Healt...

Elon Musk emailed Tesla executives on Thursday, Reuters reports, telling them the company needs to pause hiring worldwide and cut its workforce by about 10 percent. At the end of 2021, Tesla said in a filing that it had 99,290 employees worldwide. In the email seen by Reuters, Musk cites his “super bad feeling” about the economy. One thing to note is that widespread layoffs aren’t an unusual practice for Musk and Tesla. It cut hundreds of workers in October 2017, 9 percent of staff in June 2018, and about 7 percent in January 2019, then cut salaries and furloughed employees in April 2020. There are no details in the report about which departments may be more or less impacted. Still, Musk recently sent a company-wide email claiming that, for workers who didn’t show up to the office (barring...

On the road, the 2022 BMW i4 eDrive40 looks like any other 4 Series. There’s a reason the four-door sedan with its gigantic kidney grilles and sleek roofline commands is one of the automaker’s best-selling vehicles. It looks the part of a German sedan, and the EV version of the vehicle is the fruit of the automaker’s desire to build a platform that can accept any powertrain. Except, this is the best 4 Series. While the push for electric SUVs continues, not every driver wants to sit above cars and haul all that extra weight around. There are real competitors for the BMW sedan — namely, the Tesla Model 3, Mercedes EQE, and Polestar 2. All of these vehicles are courting the midlevel luxury buyer who’s likely looking for either something a bit more sporty than an SUV or at least something diff...

The Bitcoin mining boom in New York state hit a roadblock as the State Senate passed a bill that will halt new permits for certain fossil fuel power plants to be used in Bitcoin mining. The measure, which also initiates a study on the environmental impact mining facilities are having in the state, passed in the State Assembly earlier this year. Promising new jobs, the crypto industry had split Senate Democrats on whether the moratorium would come with greater environmental or economic costs. Talks languished until late in the evening as the State Senate neared its legislative deadline. The bill will face another test as it heads to Governor Kathy Hochul to sign or veto. Hochul received a $40,000 donation last month from a chief executive of a company that runs a former aluminum plant turne...

While Google confirmed last month that a Pixel Watch is on its way, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the device, like its hardware specs. The rumor mill has been buzzing, however, and the gist is the device will purportedly feature a 300mAh battery and Samsung’s last-gen wearable processor. The latest report from 9to5 Google claims that the watch will get around 24 hours of battery life on a single charge and that fast charging isn’t in the mix. It might be tempting to cry doom and gloom, but if this pans out? These numbers are par for the course. Battery life remains one of the biggest challenges for smartwatch makers. Try to pack in a larger battery to get more juice and end up with a gargantuan watch that excludes anyone with wrists. Try to design a slim and sleek watch, and you’...

Meta is rolling out a new ‘Calls’ tab globally in its Messenger app for iOS and Android users. The new tab will keep track of each call you make or receive in the app in one place and make it easier to connect calls with one tap. Also, for people who don’t regularly use the feature, it adds a clear reminder that they can use the app for voice or video calls in addition to text-based messaging. In 2014, Facebook pulled messaging out of the main Facebook app, pushing mobile users to download a separate one to continue using the feature as part of its push to make Messenger a singular experience. The video call feature arrived in 2015, followed by cross-app messaging with Instagram and eventually cross-app group chats. Most recently, it added new shortcuts, including an @everyone tag to alert...

Capcom is continuing its trend of remaking classic Resident Evil games with the fourth mainline entry in the survival horror series. A remake of Resident Evil 4 will be hitting the PS5, Xbox Series X / S, and PC on March 24th, 2023, bringing the action-focused game to modern platforms. Capcom also says the game will feature some kind of support for the next iteration of PlayStation VR. You can check out the first trailer above to see what a next-gen Leon Kennedy looks like. “We aim to make the game feel familiar to fans of the series, while also providing a fresh feeling to it,” Capcom wrote in a blog post. “This is being done by reimagining the storyline of the game while keeping the essence of its direction, modernizing the graphics and updating the controls to a modern standard.” Additi...

Mark Zuckerberg once called Javier Olivan, Meta’s new chief operating officer, “one of the most influential people in Facebook’s history.” But unlike his predecessor Sheryl Sandberg, Olivan has intentionally kept a low profile in his more than 14 years as Facebook’s growth czar. Originally tasked with growing Facebook’s user base outside of the U.S. when it only had 40 million users, his remit has expanded over the years to include Meta’s ads products, core infrastructure, marketing, analytics, corporate development, and trust and safety efforts. When he officially takes over as COO later this year, he’ll also inherit Sandberg’s thousands of salespeople and a covert crisis management team called Strategic Response. Despite all that influence, Olivan (or “Javi” as he’s called by emplo...

Sony announced during its June 2022 State of Play showcase that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered from Insomniac Games is coming to PC on August 12th, 2022. This title debuted on PS5 as a launch title. The company didn’t share a price for the PC version, but like previous games, it’s coming to Steam and Epic Games Store. In a follow-up blog post, Insomniac Games confirmed that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is coming to PC sometime in the fall. There’s likely much more news to come — at least for spec nerds. The remastered edition of the game contains all DLC, and on the PS5, it came with some impressive graphical features, including ray tracing. Suffice to say, similar settings should be coming to the PC version, too. Sony showed off alpha footage in the showcase, but it looked good as ...

Sony announced during its June 2022 State of Play showcase that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered from Insomniac Games is coming to PC on August 12th, 2022. This title debuted on PS5 as a launch title. The company didn’t share a price for the PC version, but like previous games, it’s coming to Steam and Epic Games Store. In a follow-up blog post, Insomniac Games confirmed that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is coming to PC sometime in the fall. There’s likely much more news to come — at least for spec nerds. The remastered edition of the game contains all DLC, and on the PS5, it came with some impressive graphical features, including ray tracing. Suffice to say, similar settings should be coming to the PC version, too. Sony showed off alpha footage in the showcase, but it looked good as ...