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11.11.2022 03:10 Netflix's The Witcher franchise is going through some major changes, with Henry Cavill, the star of the main show, set to depart. Before Cavill's swansong in season three, though, a miniseries set in the same universe will hit the streaming service, and Netflix has offered another look at it.The latest teaser for The Witcher: Blood Origin opens with sword-elf Scian carrying out a ritual before showing violence, devastation and magic in otherworldly, high-fantasy settings. The four-episode miniseries is set 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher. Scian and her cohorts will bring about the very first witcher — a monster hunter with magic powers.The Witcher: Blood Origin will arrive on Netflix on December 25th. It could help you bide time until the arrival of season three of The Witcher, which is slated to premiere next summer.

10.11.2022 21:51 Google's pilot for Play Store billing alternatives is finally coming Stateside. The company is expanding its "user choice billing" test to the US, Brazil and South Africa. As before, you'll be asked to choose either Google's in-app purchasing system or something else when you buy in-app content.There are more apps involved in the test, too. On top of Spotify, which started rolling out an early implementation of billing choices this week, Bumble is now set to participate. The dating app will offer your pick of payment systems in some countries in the "coming months."The official terms of Google's Play Store billing choice system cut Google's fees by four percent. It's still making a significant 26 percent from each transaction. In a response to TechCrunch, however, Spotify said its deal with Google met its expectations for fairness. It's not known if Spotify received any special conditions.The test was originally announced in March. In September, Google said the pilot would initially serve Play Store shoppers in Australia, the European Economic Area, India, Indonesia and Japan. Google says "positive" early feedback from developers and users prompted the expansion.This experiment isn't altruistic. Along with Apple, Google faces pressure from regulators and politicians that believe mobile OS creators are abusing their dominance to rob users of options for in-app payments. It's also no secret that large developers and media outlets, including Spotify, Epic Games and The New York Times, are banding together to demand the freedom to use alternative billing. Bumble's main rival, Match Group, is even taking action against Google over alleged antitrust violations. In theory, the test helps Google avoid fines and regulatory crackdowns it would otherwise face.

10.11.2022 21:51 A documentary crew searching for World War II-era aircraft wreckage recently discovered historical artifacts of a more modern variety. After reviewing the footage, NASA has confirmed that underwater wreckage filmed off the Florida coast is from the disastrous final flight of the space shuttle Challenger, in which seven people were killed.Divers working on the documentary noticed “a large human-made object covered partially by sand on the seafloor.” It had a modern construction, including eight-inch square tiles, commonly used in shuttles’ thermal protection systems. That tipped off the crew members that the wreckage may be NASA-related, and they contacted the space agency, which looked over the footage and confirmed its origin. NASA says it is considering what additional actions to take regarding the debris.The tragic Challenger flight took off on January 28th, 1986, breaking apart only 73 seconds into its journey. All six crew members and school teacher Christa McAuliffe were killed in the explosion or resulting impact. McAuliffe was selected from over 11,000 applicants for the position of NASA's Teacher in Space. The launch was broadcast live on national television, and it stands as a tragedy so infamous that many people remember exactly where they were when it happened.In addition to McAuliffe, the mission took the lives of commander Francis R. “Dick” Scobee; pilot Michael J. Smith; specialists Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Judith A. Resnik; and payload specialist Gregory B. Jarvis. In 2018, ISS astronauts completed the science lessons McAuliffe had planned for the trip.An investigation into the explosion revealed that O-ring seals in the solid rocket booster segment joints had stiffened from unexpectedly cold temperatures the night before. Despite concerns from O-ring manufacturer Morton Thiokol’s engineers, the company’s management submitted a recommendation to launch. The tragedy ultimately grounded the space shuttle program for 32 months and led to the creation of the agency’s Office of Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance.In Search of The Bermuda Triangle, the documentary revealing the wreckage, is set to air on Tuesday, November 22nd, on The History Channel.NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement on Thursday: “While it has been nearly 37 years since seven daring and brave explorers lost their lives aboard Challenger, this tragedy will forever be seared in the collective memory of our country. For millions around the globe, myself included, January 28th, 1986, still feels like yesterday. This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause once again, to uplift the legacies of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on how this tragedy changed us. At NASA, the core value of safety is — and must forever remain — our top priority, especially as our missions explore more of the cosmos than ever before.”

10.11.2022 21:51 GM has announced the first few vehicles that will gain access to Super Cruise's expanded road network. The company announced in August it would double the size of the hands-free advanced driver assistance system's network to over 400,000 miles of roads in the US and Canada. What a surprise: the first vehicles to gain access to this broader Super Cruise network are the newest, high-end SUVs.GM says it will start delivering vehicles with expanded Super Cruise access in mid-November. The following SUVs will be able to use the larger hands-free driving network, as long as they were built on October 3rd or later:2023 Chevrolet Tahoe – High Country and Premier trims2023 Chevrolet Suburban – High Country and Premier trims2023 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade-V2023 GMC Yukon Denali UltimateIn the coming months, existing Super Cruise vehicles that are built on GM's Vehicle Intelligence Platform will gain access to the expanded network following over-the-air updates. GM says that by the end of next year, Super Cruise will be available around the globe on 22 models.As for Ultra Cruise, GM's next-gen ADAS that's currently in pre-production, that will be available on select premium models. GM anticipates that Ultra Cruise will work on 2 million miles of North American roads at the outset.

10.11.2022 21:51 It's a day ending in the letter "y" which inevitably means there's more drama at Twitter. Chief information security officer Lea Kissner, chief privacy officer Damien Kieran and chief compliance officer Marianne Fogarty have all quit, according to The Verge. The report suggests that the company's engineers will now be responsible for ensuring compliance with regulations. Twitter is currently subject to a Federal Trade Commission consent order, which includes certain privacy and security requirements."I've made the hard decision to leave Twitter," Kissner wrote in a tweet. "I've had the opportunity to work with amazing people and I'm so proud of the privacy, security and IT teams and the work we've done."I've made the hard decision to leave Twitter. I've had the opportunity to work with amazing people and I'm so proud of the privacy, security, and IT teams and the work we've done.I'm looking forward to figuring out what's next, starting with my reviews for @USENIXSecurity

10.11.2022 21:51 Human fingers are clearly too big to safely play with bugs, but technology might offer a far gentler option. Scientists at Ritsumeikan University have developed soft robotic "microfingers" that let people interact with insects. The tiny digits combine flexible liquid metal strain sensors with pneumatic balloon "muscles" to offer just enough force for touching a bug without hurting it. The human operator controls the miniscule hand with a robotic glove.To test the technology, researchers used the microfingers to measure the reaction force from a pill bug's legs and torso. The creature's 10 millinewtons of pushback from the legs lined up with previous estimates — a figure that science couldn't directly verify until now.The technology could be helpful for studying insect forces like walking or flying . However, the team also sees the invention as potentially useful for other micro-scale interactions, particularly with the help of augmented reality glasses that could provide a clearer view. Future versions could one day help doctors directly interact with bacteria and viruses.The challenge, as with many scientific inventions, is translating the discovery to a practical product. The Ritsumeikan team warned that this is a proof of concept and a "representative study." It could be a while before the technology is thoroughly tested, let alone ready for mass production. All the same, this hints at a future where humans can grab and poke the smallest objects in a very natural way.

10.11.2022 21:51 If you think of robots in the military, your mind may conjure dystopian images of science-fiction battlefields with AI-powered machines trading laser fire. But in a much more humane application, UK researchers are developing a potentially lifesaving medical system equivalent to a VR triage video call.University of Sheffield researchers are working on a telepresence system to treat military personnel during combat. The plan is for offsite medics to don virtual reality headsets and control a battlefield robot. The machine can take the patient's vitals with the same technology used in robotic surgery.Currently, injured combatants often have to see medical technicians with limited on-hand resources. These paramedics often do their jobs at significant personal risk . If the patient needs further care, moving them to a safe location with proper resources could take hours or days.The planned telepresence system would allow medical technicians to work offsite, using the robot to gather data like the patient's temperature or blood pressure. For example, the machines could take mouth swabs and draw blood samples from the patient's arm. In addition, it could send photos and videos of injuries to the offsite medical workers, allowing them to assess and perhaps even treat the patient remotely.Project co-lead Sanja Dogramadzi, a professor at the University of Sheffield's Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, sees the initiative as a lifesaving measure. "Developing a remotely-operated robotic system would significantly improve safety by reducing the amount of danger military personnel are exposed to on the frontline. Our platform uses the latest technology and would integrate it in a way that hasn't been done before."

10.11.2022 21:51 A quick PSA for anyone looking to pick up a new laptop ahead of the holidays: The base model of Apple's newest MacBook Air is back down to $1,049 at various retailers, including Amazon and B&H. That matches the best price we've seen for what is currently the top pick in our guide to the best laptops. The notebook has hit this price a couple of times over the last month or so, but the discount still comes in $150 below Apple's MSRP and roughly $85 off the average street price we've tracked online in recent months. We gave the new MacBook Air a review score of 96 earlier this year, praising its thin and typically well-crafted design, vibrant 13.6-inch display, lengthy battery life, reliable keyboard and trackpad, and fast performance aided by Apple's M2 system-on-a-chip. It's a good ways pricier than the M1-based Air even with this discount, and you'll have to get onboard with an iPhone-like display notch, but the extra cash gets you a sharper 1080p webcam , much-improved speakers, slimmer display bezels and faster charging support with a dedicated MagSafe connector, alongside the slightly larger display. The M1 Air is still a fine laptop for everyday use if you're looking to spend less — it's currently available for $899 — but the M2 model is a clear upgrade.The big caveat to note is specific to this entry-level configuration, which includes 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. On this model , Apple uses a single NAND chip to hold all 256GB of storage. Higher-capacity SKUs and even the M1 MacBook Air, meanwhile, are equipped with multiple flash storage chips they can use in parallel. This means the base version of the M2 Air is markedly slower in benchmarks when it comes to read and write speeds. If you're looking to do more involved tasks like high-res media editing, it's likely worth stepping up to 512GB version, which is currently $150 off its MSRP as well.However, for streaming 4K video, web browsing across a bunch of Chrome tabs, word processing, email, lighter editing, and other more common tasks, the real-world differences with this configuration shouldn't be hugely noticeable. The bigger issue might be whether 256GB is enough space for you in the first place. If it is, this deal should still be a good value. In other Mac deals, the base 13-inch MacBook Pro is down to $1,149, which is within $50 of the lowest price we've seen. We have a harder time recommending that model over the M2 Air given its more dated design and similar storage limitations, but its battery lasts a little longer, and its built-in fan makes it a bit more performant for heavier tasks. If you can't afford to step up to the more powerful 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, it may be worth considering.

10.11.2022 17:11 If I’m honest with myself, my one true hobby is collecting hobbies. I play guitar and record electronic music. I picked up painting last year. I cook. I brew beer. I dabble in DIY electronics. I’m an avid hiker. An on-again-off-again runner. I’ve flirted with boxing. Oh, and I write. Obviously.Now I’ve added photography to the list. I explored it a bit back in high school and college, but had only picked up a camera outside of work a handful of times since. Then in 2021, after a couple of years exclusively using my phone’s camera for review photos, I decided I desperately needed to upgrade. I eventually settled on the Fujifilm X-T30, in part because I had a limited budget. But, while I went out in search of an affordable workhorse to up my photo and video game at Engadget, what I ended up with was the perfect camera to rekindle my interest in the art of photography.Terrence O'Brien / EngadgetLet’s start with what attracts many people to the Fujifilm family in the first place: the controls. My first photography experiences were with film. Sure, it’s been a long time since I last used a film camera, but at least I have some level of comfort there. Unlike most digital cameras, Fujifilm’s X series mimics the look and feel of a 35mm film camera. There are dedicated dials for shutter speed and exposure compensation, and many of Fuji’s first-party lenses have physical aperture rings. If I had sprung for the X-T3 I’d have even gotten a dedicated ISO dial. But there are two programmable dials that can be mapped to control ISO and aperture, even if you’re using a lens without an aperture ring.This makes the X-T30 far more tactile and satisfying than other digital cameras I’ve used, whereas I would usually just put them in aperture priority and forget about it. Without a PASM dial as a crutch, I’ve been forced to learn the camera’s various options inside and out. I also have to think more carefully and critically about each exposure. Yes, you can essentially put the X-T30 in shutter or aperture priority mode by changing certain settings to auto, but you can’t just turn a dial and be done with it.Terrence O'BrienThe other big thing for me is the film simulations. Fuji cameras have a built in set of profiles that are supposed to mimic particular film stock. Think of them kind of like Instagram filters, but less terrible. Astia is tuned for portraits, Velvia is perfect for landscapes, Eterna gives you that low-contrast cinematic look, and so on.And that’s just scratching the surface: You can tweak the settings further to fine-tune your straight-out-of-camera JPGs to achieve various styles and approximations of other films. There’s even a whole little Fujifilm subculture dedicated to “film recipes” that aim to capture the general vibe, if not the look of many classic film stocks. One of the best resources for this is Fuji X Weekly, where Ritchie Roesch shares and shows off various recipes to try and recreate things like Kodak’s Portra 400 or Ilford Delta.Because I’m someone who likes to obsess over tiny details and tweak things, this is perfect for me. When I first discovered Fuji X Weekly I spent several days going through the recipes that were compatible with my particular camera , punching in the settings and taking test photos, saving my favorites to Evernote for easy recall. Fuji makes it simple to load up to seven of these presets with the Q menu, so I can essentially go out with seven different “films” loaded in my camera and switch between them as the situation dictates.What I like most about this setup is that I can just go out and shoot, and come back with great looking photos that don’t need any editing. I can decide in the moment: Would this be better with a warmer color palette? Should I be turning up the saturation here? How would this scene look in high-contrast black and white? And I don’t need to do a lot of menu diving to test different looks out.Terrence O'BrienI always shoot in RAW + JPG, in case I change my mind later or if something doesn’t come out quite how I wanted. But being able to basically see the finished product and focus on actually composing photos, as opposed to spending even more time sitting at a laptop is great. It’s exactly what I need in a hobby: less staring at a computer screen.Without getting absurd and gimmicky – artificially limiting how many pictures I can take or using only one preset for at least 24 shots in a row – this feels about as close to shooting film as I’m gonna get on a digital camera. And while, yes, I know I could always just go back to shooting on film, I’d really rather not. I like many of the modern conveniences afforded by a digital camera. Plus, 35mm film and quality development services have gotten quite expensive. Even expired rolls of lower-end stock can fetch a decent price on Craigslist.It’s not all roses, though. The X-T30 is limited to recording 10 minutes of 4K video at a time, which can make shooting reviews a PITA. And, perhaps more importantly, I may have joined the Fujifilm flock at the exact wrong time. For years the company cultivated a loyal fan base with its philosophy of “kaizen,” which saw it continuously updating even older devices to bring new features and bug fixes. Unfortunately, the company has started to move away from that in recent years.The X-T30 last received a firmware update over one year ago, in early October of 2021, and that was almost entirely minor bug fixes. It wasn’t even three years old at that point. The company introduced the X-T30 II around the same time which from a hardware point of view is almost identical, but it has a host of new software features and film simulations. There seems to be no technical reason that many of those features couldn’t be ported over to the slightly older camera, especially the film sims, but Fuji has left some of its users out in the cold.Terrence O'Brien / EngadgetHere’s hoping Fujifilm remembers that it attracted dedicated followers by focusing on the experience and delivering regular meaningful updates to users. Because, while I love my camera, and do think it is probably the best camera for me, I’m a little concerned that I discovered the Fuji community just in time for it to evaporate.

10.11.2022 17:11 Waymo is considerably nearer to offering fully driverless rides to California residents. The state's Department of Motor Vehicles has greenlit an amended deployment permit that lets Waymo charge the general population for completely autonomous rides on public roads. The update clears the way for Waymo One to charge for passenger-only service in San Francisco, much like it does in Phoenix. This also allows for paid delivery services.The company isn't opening Waymo One's San Francisco operations to the public "at this time," a spokesperson told Engadget. Waymo has so far limited these rides to employees and "Trusted Testers" covered under existing deployment and testing permits. The firm already had permission to charge for self-driving taxi rides with a safety driver aboard.Waymo is catching up to a degree. Its GM-owned rival Cruise already has clearance for commercial driverless service in parts of San Francisco, albeit with restrictions on hours, speed and weather. Nuro also has a deployment permit, although it's using its approval for autonomous deliveries through partners like Uber Eats.Any future Waymo One service in San Francisco will still be relatively modest compared to what's available in China. Baidu's robotaxi service is available to the public in larger Chinese cities, albeit with limitations on driver-free cars. It will still represent a major milestone, though — one of the most influential cities in the US could soon offer robotic cars for your next trip home.

10.11.2022 17:11 The sheer variety of streaming services can make it difficult to know just where and how to tune into sports, but Roku thinks it can help. The company has debuted a revised sports "experience" that puts live and upcoming matches in one place. You can tune into a live NCAA football showdown, or see when your favorite NBA team plays next. While you can browse a carousel of apps, the emphasis is on the games — select a match and you'll know which service you need to tune in.The new hub also includes zones specific to certain leagues and sports, and there are rows of free content if you're not ready to subscribe. The initial service roster includes Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, DirecTV, Fox Sports, FuboTV, Paramount+, Sling, TBS, TNT, truTV and The Roku Channel. More options are due in the "coming months," Roku says. You won't get heavyweights like ESPN+ as a result, but you will have access to at least some major leagues.The addition doesn't come as a shock. Sports coverage increasingly serves as a hook for streaming platforms, with services like Apple TV+ and Prime Video even offering a handful of matchups for free. A central location might persuade you to stick with Roku hardware if you love live games, especially if you're used to the simplicity of watching sports on conventional TV.

10.11.2022 17:11 Eventide declared the H9 the "one pedal to rule them all." But that was over eight years ago. It was the definition of cutting edge digital effects 2013. Things change though, and in 2022 the company is finally introducing a proper successor — the H90 Harmonizer. The H90 is built on the same high-end ARM architecture as Eventide's $8,000 rack mount H9000. While the company doesn't get any more specific about the tech specs than that, it's safe to assume it's not the same exact setup in this $900 stompbox. There are 62 effects algorithms built-in to the H90 and, unlike the H9 you can run two of them simultaneously for more exotic and extreme effects. You'll still find all the sounds from Eventide's TimeFactor, ModFactor, PitchFactor, and Space pedals, as well classics from the company's older rack mount units like the SP2016 Reverb. Headlining the new effects is probably Polyphonic Pitch Shifting, which uses Eventide’s SIFT tech. This isn't the first effects processor to do polyphonic pitch shifting, but it's not super common . The six other new algorithms exclusive to the H90 include Prism Shift, which turns chords into arpeggiated synth delays; Even-Vibe, a Uni-vibe emulation with envelope followers; and Wormhole, a massive modulated reverb with pitch warping.EventideThe other huge upgrade over the H9 is that the 90 has actual on board controls and a much cleaner UI. The original had one large knob and basically required you to use the companion app for anything beyond switching presets. The H90 on the other hand has five knobs, a trio of foot switches and a handful of buttons that should make it not just feasible, but simple to customize and tweak effects settings. But, there is still a companion app for macOS and Windows.There's connectivity galore here too. Four mono audio ins and outs, two expression control ports, 5-pin MIDI in and outs, plus USB for MIDI and software updates. Those audio jacks offer a lot of flexibility too. You can process two audio signals independently, or set them up as sends and returns to put other effects pedals in between two algorithms on the H90. Oh, and it has a tuner. The Eventide H90 is available now for $899.

10.11.2022 17:11 Elon Musk has banned Twitter employees from working remotely, saying they need to spend 40 hours a week in the office unless he gives his express permission otherwise. Bloomberg reported from the company’s first official all-hands communications from Musk since bought the platform. He said workers need to prepare for “difficult times ahead” for advertising-led business like Twitter, and that he wants to see subscription fees, account for half the company’s revenue.Twitter fostered a remote work culture during the pandemic, allowing many employees to work from home. It also instituted regular additional rest days for employees, another initiative Musk has axed, saying that Twitter’s turnaround will require “intense work.” Musk ’s other companies, SpaceX and Tesla, also require mandatory in-office work unless management specifically approves it. When he wrote to both sets of workers, he said that visibility was key for senior leadership, who should be seen to be working alongside their subordinates.Musk added in his remarks that the company’s first priority — after completing the rollout of Twitter Blue — is to address his concern around automated accounts. A key pillar of Musk and the company’s fight, prior to acquisition, was the billionaire’s belief that the company was under reporting the amount of fake accounts running on its platform.

10.11.2022 17:11 Taking on something a bit more challenging than adding a USB-C port, Aesthetics of Science and Technology claims to have built a folding iPhone. The group pillaged the folding screen from a Motorola RAZR, added some 3D-printed parts and combined it all with a jailbroken iPhone X. It’s very much a proof of concept, with little-to-no durability and a whopping gap when it’s folded. Thanks to the iOS jailbreak, it also has a split-screen mode. We’re staying skeptical – and have questions. How much internal hardware reorganizing happened? Can you fit an entire iPhone battery in one half of the phone?Like the USB-C mod, it’s a possible preview of things to come. Apple has already announced that USB-C iPhones are incoming, and rumors suggest the company might unveil an official folding iPhone as soon as 2023.– Mat SmithThe Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedVolvo officially reveals the EX90 EV SUV, its 'safest car ever'New French law will require parking lots to install solar panels IBM's latest quantum computing processor triples the qubits of its predecessor Kia's 2023 EV6 will cost $7,100 more than its predecessorThe best gifts for tea lovers in 2022 The best tech toys and gifts for kids in 2022November's PS Plus Extra and Premium games include 'Skyrim' and 'Kingdom Hearts III'Twitter’s new official checkmarks get launched and killed in a few hoursGot $8?Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesElon Musk claims he "just killed" Twitter’s "official" verification badges, mere hours after deployment. The gray checkmarks have vanished from accounts that only just got them, including Engadget's and The New York Times’. Twitter VP Esther Crawford clarified you'll still see the marks, but the social media giant is handing them out to "government and commercial entities" first.In justifying the move, Musk reiterated his view that tying the original checkmark to a Twitter Blue subscription will democratize the service. It will take some time before it's clear just who gets what checkmarks and what vetting will be necessary to get the "official" tag.Continue reading.Meta is laying off more than 11,000 employeesIt's the first mass layoffs in the company's history.Meta is reducing the size of its workforce by about 13 percent and letting more than 11,000 of its employees go. According to The Wall Street Journal, Meta’s recruiting and business teams are likely to be hit especially hard. Zuckerberg says he wants to take accountability for how Meta found itself in this position. Apparently, he decided to significantly increase Meta's investments following an exceptionally large revenue growth at the height of the pandemic.But Meta has been losing billions of dollars on its investments in the metaverse, with Reality Labs losing more than $10 billion in 2021. The company has said it expects to lose “significantly” more in 2023. Facebook’s ad revenue has also taken a hit due to Apple’s changes to apps’ ad tracking abilities.Continue reading.Google One's VPN comes to Mac and WindowsYou can finally secure your desktop connection using Google's service.Google has released One VPN apps for Mac and Windows systems. As on mobile, the VPN encrypts and otherwise masks your internet traffic. You can't use it to access content from other regions like you can with some VPNs , but it should help if you're worried about exposing your IP address or using a public hotspot.Continue reading.Google’s Stadia refunds, explainedNo refunds for your Pro sub.Getty ImagesIf you've ever bought a game on Stadia, Google's soon-to-be-defunct cloud gaming service, it's worth keeping an eye on your bank balance and credit card statements. As of today, Google is starting to process refunds for Stadia purchases. The first wave of refunds will include those for purchases of games, add-on content and subscriptions made through the Stadia store. It expects to issue most of them by the time it shuts down the Stadia servers on January 18th.This won’t encompass Stadia Pro subscription fees, however. Google notes that players may be able to transfer their save data from Stadia to other platforms, but it's up to developers and publishers to support that. Ubisoft, Bungie, I/O Interactive, CD Projekt Red, Rockstar Games and Bethesda are working on ways to help players move their game progress to other platforms.Continue reading.

10.11.2022 17:11 Twitter has altered the rules for its $8 Blue subscription service to prevent new accounts from getting a blue checkmark. Yesterday evening, the company edited the service's help page to add that accounts created on or after November 9th, 2022 "will be unable to subscribe to Twitter Blue at this time." The website also added that Twitter Blue is only available on iOS for users in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, with plans to expand in the future. While Twitter didn't explain why it's putting the restriction on new accounts, the move came after an influx of impersonators got verified by paying for the service. "Twitter's current lords peasants system for who has or doesn't have a blue checkmark is bullshit," the website's new owner, Elon Musk, tweeted earlier this month before details about the revamped subscription service were revealed. Yesterday marked the launch of the new Twitter Blue, and it allowed people to get the formerly elusive blue checkmark by paying for its perks that include instant verification. The internet being the internet, people quickly realized that they can pretend to be someone else and that the checkmark could help them fool unsuspecting users. A bunch of impersonators popped up on the website, including one claiming to be LeBron James who tweeted that the basketball star was requesting a trade. A fake Nintendo of America account tweeted a photo of Mario giving Twitter the middle finger, while a fake Valve account tweeted about a new competitive platform. Twitter started banning them after a few hours. The new rule could help curb the number of fake accounts, but it's unclear how Twitter plans to address the issue going forward — it can't lock new users out of Blue forever. While Twitter's blue checkmarks are now for sale, it has another smaller, gray checkmark reserved for public figures. It started rolling out these "official" checkmarks yesterday, but it quickly pulled them back down and will hand them out to "government and commercial entities" first.