Technology

Following a sell-out debut release last year, CASETiFY returns with another collection of tech accessories inspired by the work of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Paying homage to Basquiat’s most famous works from 1982 through to 1984, CASETiFY brings pieces such as In This Case, Onion Gum, Cassius Clay, Jack Johnson, and more to its ultra-protective Impact and Mirror cases. Doodle Mirror Cases inspired by the painting Evil Thoughts can also be found, as well as a special Canvas Case which celebrates Warrior and is designed to replicate the texture of the original work. Favorites from last year’s sell-out collection also return, with accessories extending to iPhone, AirPods, AirPods Pro, iPad, MacBook, AirTag holders, MagSafe wallets, grip stands, Apple watch bands, sling bags, wireless charg...

The days of having to remember the myriad of passwords you have across all your devices and accounts may soon be over. Apple, Microsoft and Google are now teaming up with the World Wide Web Consortium and the FIDO Alliance to create a new password-free sign-in standard that’ll hopefully allow users to log in and unlock all their accounts and devices without needing to use a single password. Instead, all you’ll need are biometric scans such as your finger or face and you’ll be able to access everything, even on new platforms or hardware. Pointing out that password-only authentication is one of the biggest threats to cybersecurity, the companies hope that the new end-to-end passwordless standard can prevent future phishing attacks leading to stolen personal information and identities. “The c...

Starlink users will now be able to take their Internet connection with them on the move thanks to its latest Portability feature. The new feature is now available to those using SpaceX‘s satellite Internet service all across the globe, but Starlink says that the connection will only work for users that are on the same continent as their registered service address, so you probably won’t be able to use it for international travel. However, it’ll still be a pretty handy mobile hotspot if you’re looking to go on a camping trip, provided you’re also keen on paying the $25 USD extra a month for the added mobility. With the recent subscription price increasing to $110 USD, the total will now be $135 USD per month. Unfortunately, there are other restrictions with Portability too. Starlink doesn’t ...

Four astronauts successfully returned home to Earth in a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft today, bringing an end to their six-month-long stay on the International Space Station (ISS). After undocking from the ISS early Thursday morning, the crew dove through Earth’s atmosphere before splashing down underneath parachutes off the coast of Florida at 12:43 AM ET. On board the Crew Dragon were three NASA astronauts — Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron — as well as German astronaut Matthias Maurer with the European Space Agency. The astronauts, part of a mission called Crew-3, launched to space in the same Crew Dragon back in November. Since docking with the ISS, they’ve been living and working on the orbiting lab, conducting science experiments and maintaining the station through spacewa...

Although modern smartwatches and fitness trackers have been around for almost a decade, period tracking didn’t arrive until 2018. These integrations shared familiar features with your standard period-tracking app — but a big difference was that instead of having to pull out your phone, you could view or input data from your wrist. And, because these features were part of a wearable platform, users could see how their health trends correlated to their menstrual cycles in one place. Tracking your menstrual cycles digitally can be more convenient than having to pull out a physical calendar or inputting dates into a spreadsheet. But before you get started, there are a few things to take into account. First and foremost, you must acknowledge that you are handing sensitive health data — includin...

We’re now just days away from Mother’s Day on May 8th, but don’t panic: if you’ve left your gift shopping until the last minute, there are still plenty of great gadgets you can buy that should arrive in time. Even better, many of them are on sale, with a few products like Amazon’s 2021 Kindle Paperwhite and the second-gen Echo Show 8 selling at all-time lows. On top of that, you can even get free shipping, to boot. Below, we’ve curated a list of gifts for all budgets that should arrive in time for the holiday. And for those who leave shopping until the very last minute (no shame!), we’ve also included a couple of digital gifts that you can buy as late as Mother’s Day. And if you need more help (or you’d prefer to explore other options besides the ones listed here), be sure to also check ou...

WhatsApp is now rolling out the ability to react to a message with emoji, as well as share files that are up to 2GB in size, a massive jump from the previous 100MB limit. Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, said last month that these features would be coming “soon,” and it seems like today’s the day. The company also announced on Thursday that it’ll be doubling the maximum size of group chats. When reactions were first announced, Meta said that you’d only be able to use a select few to start out with but that support for “all emojis and skin-tones” would be added in the future. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressing many emotions here. The reactions are a useful feature, which is why other apps like Slack and Telegram have had them for a while — if you want to be able to show that a message ma...

California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Blizzard last July, saying it “created a culture of ‘constant sexual harassment’ and gender-based discrimination.” The revelations that followed through the rest of the year only served to confirm those assertions, and even as accusations of retaliation continue to roll in, a new set of leaders say they are committed to making changes. In January, Blizzard president Mike Ybarra wrote about “the work we are doing to rebuild your trust in Blizzard,” and included descriptions of several full-time leadership roles dedicated to changing the culture. It appears that two of the spots have been filled, as Activision Blizzard appointed Kristen Hines as its new chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer last month, and today Blizzard En...

Google is hoping to make its performance reviews less of a burden to employees by making it so they only happen once a year instead of twice a year, requiring less paperwork, and changing the way employees are rated. According to a report from The Information, 47 percent of Google employees didn’t think that their time was well spent with the previous performance review system. It’s often hard to point to how internal changes can affect end users, but Google, as a company, has a reputation for either pulling the plug on products or letting them wither without getting proper attention. At some point, though, actual humans had to work on those projects — it’s always possible that if employees can focus on their actual jobs instead of having to worry every few months about proving they deserv...

Over the last few seasons, the developers of Apex Legends have worked on opening up the game, both with a massive new map and adding a temporary game mode that swaps out battle royale action for a more traditional team deathmatch. On May 10th, they’re introducing another new legend to the arena with Newcastle and making changes that might help players focus on teamwork. Season 13 of Apex Legends carries the title Saviors, which matches Newcastle’s kit of abilities that are about keeping his teammates alive longer to help them win fights. While a slew of leaks in the past few months spoiled some of the surprises, seeing him in action is an entirely different thing. He has a passive ability that is unlike any character we’ve seen before, with the ability to not only shield downed teammates w...