Engadget

09.11.2022 21:50 You don't have wait for Apple to see what a foldable iPhone would look like in practice. China-based The Aesthetics of Science and Technology claims to have built a folding iPhone through heavy modifications. The engineers say they created the one-off with spare Motorola RAZR parts, their own 3D-printed elements and an iPhone X screen made more flexible by replacing the not-at-all-foldable glass and touch layers. An iOS jailbreak lets Apple's software run on the handset and introduces suitable features like a split-screen mode.The result is largely what you'd expect — it looks like the love child of an iPhone and a Galaxy Z Flip, with all the compromises that come with an unofficial design. While the folding iPhone appears to work as advertised, there's a cavernous gap when it's folded. There's a smaller battery, no wireless charging and just one speaker. As you'd guess, the design also loses water resistance and any kind of real-world durability. The modded iOS also clearly isn't as optimized for flexible displays as Samsung's software for the Galaxy Z series.This effort might also warrant some skepticism. Gizmodo notes that the team glosses over some important steps, including the need to rearrange key internals. While there aren't obvious signs that something's amiss, the initiative isn't definitive proof that a do-it-yourself folding iPhone is possible. It's certainly a greater challenge than adding a USB-C port.Rumors have suggested that Apple may introduce an honest-to-goodness folding iPhone as soon as 2023, making this hacked-together handset more of a preview than a desirable item in itself. Just wait long enough and you may get a far better product. The mod illustrates Apple's challenges, at least. A proper foldable iPhone would require major engineering changes and software tweaks to meet users' expectations. There are also problems that even brands like Motorola and Samsung have yet to overcome, such as displays that crease and crack.

09.11.2022 21:50 You no longer need to pull out your phone to use Google One's virtual private network. 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.The VPN requires at least the $10 per month 2TB Google One plan, although you can share access with up to five other people. Desktop support is available in all 22 countries where the service is available, including the US, Canada, Mexico, UK and much of Europe. You'll need at least macOS Big Sur or Windows 10. There is a caveat — while the Mac app works for both x86 and ARM users, the Windows app doesn't support 32-bit or ARM-based systems. You'll have to look elsewhere if you're hoping to secure your ARM-powered Surface Pro.As before, Google has independent bodies audit its VPN. It also shares the source code for its app libraries to ensure transparency. The audit for the desktop apps will be made public in the "coming weeks."The desktop apps are arguably overdue when many VPN providers have long supported multiple platforms. This isn't necessarily the best option, depending on your needs. Mozilla's VPN includes regional server choices for $60 per year, and you can even get a free Opera VPN if you're only worried about protecting your browser activity. Google's advantage remains the bundle — you're really buying cloud storage that happens to include a VPN among its benefits.

09.11.2022 21:50 If 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. However, the company is not refunding Stadia Pro subscription fees. Google says it will process the refunds automatically. It expects to issue most of them by the time it shuts down the Stadia servers on January 18th. "We ask for your patience as we work through each transaction and ask that you refrain from contacting Customer Support as they will not be able to expedite your refund during this time," the company wrote in an updated support article. If Google can't issue a refund automatically to your original form of payment, it will email you via the Google account through which you made your purchase . Folks who have deleted their Google account and no longer have access to the original form of payment may have to get in touch with Stadia's customer support team. If you've made 20 or fewer Stadia store transactions on your account, you'll get one email for each successful refund, which will likely prove a bit annoying. If you've bought 21 or more games or addons, you'll get one email summarizing all the successful refunds.Elsewhere in the updated FAQ, Google notes that players will be able to transfer their save data from Stadia to other platforms in some cases, 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. Cyberpunk 2077 players can already export their save data to the PC version and sync it to consoles. Meanwhile, Ubisoft has said it will offer players who bought its products on Stadia PC versions of those games on top of the refunds they'll get from Google .Elsewhere, there was a disappointing update for those hoping that Google will unlock the Bluetooth functions on the Stadia Controller so it can more easily be used on other platforms. For now, the company hasn't committed to doing so. It says you'll still be able to use the peripheral by connecting it to another device via USB-A or USB-C.

09.11.2022 21:50 Don Lewis, a pioneer in the worlds of synthesizers and electronic music, died on Sunday at the age of 81. In the 1970s, Lewis created the Live Electronic Orchestra. The system enabled him to control multiple synthesizers and other instruments simultaneously using custom keyboards, around a decade before MIDI became a standard.Lewis worked on some well-known mainstream synths as well. He collaborated with Roland founder Ikutarô Kakehashi on the company's drum machines. Among those was the TR-808, which is perhaps the most important drum machine of all time. Lewis also designed sounds for the Yamaha DX7, along with Hammond and ARP instruments, as Pitchfork notes.As a performer, Lewis took to the stage at venerated venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater. He collaborated with big-name artists including Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and the Beach Boys.While Lewis may not have been a household name, his contributions to electronic music are critical and undeniable. For those keen to learn more about Lewis' life and career, you may be interested in checking out a documentary called Don Lewis and the Live Electric Orchestra. The film will air on PBS in February.

09.11.2022 21:50 You didn't have to wait long to see Twitter's reworked verification system in action. The social network has begun adding its subtle "official" checkmarks to major accounts, including those of celebrities, large publishers and politicians. This includes Engadget, The Verge and general publications like The New York Times. Curiously, though, new Twitter owner Elon Musk doesn't have the mark yet — you'd think he'd adopt it quickly given the many impersonators who use his name to pitch crypto scams.VP Esther Crawford previously stressed that the "official" badge won't be available for purchase, unlike the blue checkmarks that will come with an $8 Twitter Blue subscription. Those that previously received blue ticks won't necessarily get the second label, however. It's not yet certain if those seeking the extra mark will need to go through further vetting.The complete rollout should be relatively quick. Twitter has been testing the "official" checkmarks for a while, and previously said the deployment should wrap up in the coming days.To some extent, this feature is fixing a problem Twitter created for itself. Musk and others have blasted the previous approach to verification as an unfair "lords and peasants" system that disenfranchised ordinary users while enshrining a selected elite. While that's true, the old method also established authenticity — the changes to Blue effectively break verification by letting determined fraudsters pay to get a checkmark next to their name, even if that carries the risk of a permanent ban. The "official" mark brings back that trust, although it asks Twitter to once again decide who's deserving of special recognition.Update 11/9 11:47AM ET: Twitter appears to have removed the new checkmark from many accounts, including Engadget's as well as other known creators and companies. It's not clear why. We've asked Twitter for comment and will let you know if we hear back.

09.11.2022 21:50 For many people, the first cup of tea is often the highlight of their day. And while you don’t need much to make a great brew, there are a number of tools and gadgets that can make the whole experience a lot more enjoyable. So this holiday season, whether you’re looking for a present for you or someone you love, check out this list of our favorite gifts for tea lovers.Hiware Borosilicate glass pitcherHiwareAfter the handle on my previous pitcher developed a crack, I went on a search for a simple but durable container that could support my iced tea addiction and after a year and a half, this thing has not disappointed. Its heat-resistant borosilicate glass means you can pour boiling water directly into the pitcher without worrying about it shattering and its huge 68-ounce capacity holds enough to keep an entire family hydrated. Meanwhile, the stainless steel lid prevents leaves or stuff like fruit pulp from escaping. And at $20, this pitcher is just great value.Buy Hiware glass pitcher at Amazon - $27Hario Cold Brew BottleHarioIf you know someone who always brings their “famous” iced tea to parties or picnics check out Hario’s Cold Brew bottle. It holds up to 750ml of liquid and comes with a removable strainer to keep tea leaves from spilling out. There’s even a grippy silicone top for easy handling and a removable stopper that acts like a cork. And if you’re worried it’s a little pedestrian looking to make a lasting impact, Hario makes a champagne bottle version too.Buy Hario Cold Brew Bottle at Amazon - $24Fellow Stagg EKG Electric KettleWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetWhen it comes to boiling water in style, Fellow’s Stagg EKG Kettle can’t be beat. It’s available with a huge range of finishes and accents including walnut, cherry and maple woods. There’s an LCD panel built into the base for choosing a specific temperature while the hold feature keeps water hot for up to an hour. The gooseneck spout is also great for friends or family that like making mudwater with a V60 or similar brewer. And if that’s not enough, just this fall, Fellow introduced a new pro model that supports customizable brew settings, WiFi connectivity and more.Buy Fellow Stagg electric kettle at Amazon - $165Breville IQ Electric KettleEngadgetFor those on your list that prefer function over form, you really ought to consider Breville’s IQ Electric Kettle. In addition to having nearly double the capacity of the Stagg, it has dedicated temperature settings for a lot of major types of tea . It’s also a bit more powerful with an output of up to 1,500 watts, so there’s less waiting around for the water to heat up.Buy Breville IQ electric kettle at Amazon - $80OXO Tea Infuser BasketWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetOne of the easiest ways to brew better tea is by moving away from single-serving bags and switching to loose-leaf teas. That’s because typically tea bags feature lower quality leaves that often sit on shelves for months with the whole process favoring convenience over flavor. On top of that, the cloth or paper used to make tea bags can also impart unwanted flavors.If you know someone looking to get into loose-leaf teas, they’re going to need an infuser, and OXO’s is one of the best. Its stainless steel basket won’t mess with the taste and its included lid traps heat in when steeping while also doubling as a saucer to prevent dripping once the tea is ready to drink. The basket is also a perfect size so it fits in practically any mug , and at just $15, it’s cheap enough to buy two or more so there will always be a clean one ready to go.Buy OXO tea infuser basket at Amazon - $15Fellow Atmos Vacuum CanisterWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetWhile Fellow’s Atmos Canister was originally intended to store coffee, it’s equally great at keeping tea tasting fresh and flavorful, even after long periods. That’s because simply twisting its lid removes oxygen from the canister, slowing down potential oxidation which can cause tea to taste dull and lifeless. It’s available in three sizes and in a range of materials, though you’ll probably want to stay away from the glass version, as light is another source of potential oxidation. And while it’s a bit on the pricey side, in my opinion there’s no better way of keeping even the fanciest leaves tasting great over time.Buy Fellow Atmos canister at Amazon - $35Golde SuperwhiskWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetFor matcha lovers who don’t want to deal with the hassle of a traditional bamboo whisk or anyone seeking a way to quickly froth up some milk, Golde’s Superwhisk is a great pick. It has two different speed settings and a battery that can be recharged via USB. It even comes with an included travel case, so your giftee can take it camping or anywhere they want to enjoy some tea .Buy Superwhisk at Golde - $24Pure’Tea Portable Tea InfuserPure'TeaFor people who want to bring their brew on the go, this charming portable tea infuser bottle looks great and makes the whole process super easy. Tea goes in the top section and water goes in the bottom. Right before drinking they flip the whole infuser upside down to brew instead of letting the leaves become oversteeped after sitting in water all day. The portable infuser also features borosilicate glass with a double-walled construction, so it can handle high temperatures without burning hands. Admittedly, there are similar bottles for less, but between its innovative design and premium materials, I can’t think of a better way to drink tea on-the-go.Buy portable tea infuser at Perlure - $65Breakaway Matcha Flight KitWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetGetting into matcha can be intimidating for even long-time tea drinkers. Not only can matcha be expensive but, since it’s very finely ground green tea instead leaves steeped in water, it has a very different flavor profile and texture. So instead of buying someone a single type of matcha, give this matcha flight kit a try. It includes four different blends which range from bright grassy varieties to deeper savory mixes. There’s also a handcrafted bamboo scoop, a sieve, tea towel and most importantly, a motorized whisk for properly whipping up the perfect cup.Buy Flight Kit at Breakaway Matcha - $56Adagio Tea SamplersEngadgetFor complete newbies to tea, Adagio’s loose teas sampler sets offer a huge range of types and flavors to choose from. You can select specific types like green teas from China for the Sinophile on your list, or opt for more general mixes like seasonal blends or even herbal selections. Prices also start as low as $12 a box for four different types, which makes this one of the most flexible and affordable ways of gifting a wide range of teas without doing a ton of research.Shop Adagio tea samplersButterfly Pea TeaEngadgetThe first time I had butterfly pea flower tea was on my honeymoon in Thailand and it was love at first sip. It has a sweet flora aroma with some subtle earthy notes. But its signature highlight is its color. When brewed alone, you get a deep blue hue with hints of green, but when you add acid suddenly the tea becomes bright purple or pink. And because butterfly pea flower doesn’t contain caffeine, between its color and taste, it’s a great way to introduce kids to tea. Steep it, chill it, add the juice from a couple lemons or limes and a splash of sugar , and in no time you’ll have the perfect summertime iced tea.Buy butterfly pea tea at Amazon - $22

09.11.2022 21:50 NASA has once again delayed the launch of Artemis 1 in the face of a potentially dangerous weather system. The agency had penciled in the launch for the early morning of November 14th, but it's now retargeting liftoff for November 16th. The current two-hour launch window opens at 1:04AM ET. There's a backup launch opportunity scheduled for November 19th.The latest delay is due to the threat posed by Tropical Storm Nicole. The new launch window is dependent on conditions being safe enough for NASA employees to return to work, as well as inspections after the weather system has passed. The agency says that pushing back the launch date "will allow the workforce to tend to the needs of their families and homes, and provide sufficient logistical time to get back into launch status following the storm."Teams are securing equipment, property and facilities at the space center, which is in HURCON III status. Some personnel in a “ride-out” team will remain in place to monitor conditions across the site, including the SLS and Orion.The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft will stay on the launch pad this time. Before Hurricane Ian bore down on the Kennedy Space Center, NASA rolled back the rocket and spacecraft to the safety of the Vehicle Assembly Building. It rolled Artemis out to the launch pad again last week. The SLS can withstand winds of up to 85MPH and Nicole isn't expected to bring winds exceeding that speed. The rocket is also able to deal with heavy rain and NASA has secured the hatches to prevent water from getting inside.Artemis 1 is a test mission that's scheduled to fly around the Moon. It's a precursor to humans returning to the lunar surface for the first time in over half a century. However, NASA's attempts to launch the SLS and Orion over the last few months have been beset by technical issues and inclement weather.

09.11.2022 16:20 In a few short hours, Nintendo will stream its latest Indie World Showcase. Announced on November 7th, the company promised approximately 25 minutes worth of information about upcoming indie games that are coming to the Nintendo Switch. You can watch the entire event unfold on the gaming giant’s website, as well as its YouTube and Twitch channels. If you miss the livestream, don’t worry: we’ll have you covered with coverage of the major announcements from the event.What will Nintendo announce Iduring Indie World? One can always hope for a more definitive release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Based on Microsoft’s recent announcement that the game would be available on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on its release date, some have speculated that Silksong would arrive before June 2023. That said, Nintendo is more likely to share updates about games like Oxenfree II Lost Signals and Metal Slug Tactics. The latter was delayed this past summer until 2023.

09.11.2022 16:20 Serif is determined to make its Affinity suite a more practical alternative for creatives who'd rather not pay for an Adobe subscription — or use a conventional PC, for that matter. The developer has released Affinity Version 2 apps that not only include major new features , but the first edition of Publisher for the iPad. You now have all of the Affinity bundle on your tablet, and won't have to split your attention between your computer and iPad when it's time to design a page layout.Regardless of platform, you should see some meaningful upgrades. Affinity Photo 2 now includes non-destructive RAW development, saved layer states, compound masks , live warping and live masks for elements like hue and luminosity ranges. Affinity Designer 2, meanwhile, adds non-destructive vector warping, a "knife" cutting tool, a shape builder and even tools for measuring lengths and areas. Affinity Publisher 2 now helps you add academia-friendly footnotes, endnotes and sidenotes. You can also create automatically repeating layouts and use a style picker. There's even a way to stitch multiple documents into a single book, although that's only available in desktop versions for now.Some improvements are iPad-specific. A new radial menu provides access to common keyboard modifiers like Command and Option, while a quick menu offers clipboard options and nine customizable shortcuts. And if you're feeling the limits of your tablet screen, a compact mode keeps the brush and layer panels open while making more room for the image you're editing.The one-time price may be more of a draw than before. You'd normally pay $170 for the entire Affinity suite across all platforms, but a launch sale drops that price to $100. That makes it relatively affordable compared to Adobe's Creative Cloud, which will keep you paying indefinitely. You can buy the individual Affinity Version 2 apps for $70 on the desktop and $20 on the iPad.This outlay might not thrill you if you recently bought Affinity V1. You may likewise need to consider rivals like Adobe if you need further apps for animation, web design and other aspects of the creative pipeline. If these tools fit your workflow, though, the price is low enough that they should be reasonably easy to justify.

09.11.2022 16:20 If you want to get a jump start on those inevitable New Year's resolutions, consider picking up the Fitbit Charge 5 while it's $50 off at Wellbots. Enter the code ENG50 and you'll see the discount when you check out. The Charge 5 made the cut as our favorite overall fitness tracker in our 2022 guide, because it just plain does what a wearable like this is supposed to do, aka reliably delivering sleep and activity stats. As Fitbit's flagship tracker, we don't see deals on the Charge 5 often. A $50 discount makes it one of the best prices we've seen so far. Buy Fitbit Charge 5 at Wellbots - $100Since the Charge 5 isn't a smartwatch, the battery lasts longer. While Fitbit promises up to seven days on a charge, we got through about five days when the screen wasn't set to "always on" and two and half days when it was. It's also less bulky than a smartwatch, which is nice for workouts, and the new touchscreen is bright and clear. The Charge 5 also has GPS to record your runs and hikes and Fitbit Pay so you can leave your wallet at home. In the end, we called it one of your best options for a GPS-enabled tracker. One of our few hesitations was the price, but with that $50 discount in play, that's less of an issue. If you are looking for a smartwatch and all the bonus features that brings, there's also a discount code for Fitbit's Versa 4 smartwatch at Wellbots. Enter the code ENG80 at checkout and you'll get $80 off, bringing the price down to $150, which is an exceptionally low price for a smartwatch, especially one with GPS. It's also one of the few smartwatches that come with Alexa built-in. Buy Fitbit Versa 4 at Wellbots - $150Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

09.11.2022 16:20 Volvo took another step towards its 2030 goal of full electrification on Wednesday with the official unveiling of its new flagship, the all-electric EX90. The three-row, seven-seat SUV, which grew out of the Concept Recharge design, will go on sale alongside its gas-powered sibling, the XC90, in model year 2024.The EX90 will initially come equipped with a 111 kWh battery pack powering a pair of permanent magnet electric motors for 380 kW and 910 Nm of AWD torque. Per the company, the pack can refill from 10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. Volvo has not yet shared performance figures for the vehicle.The EX90 will be the first Volvo to offer bi-directional charging capabilities, which enable drivers to use their vehicles as home-scale batteries in the event of power outages — similar to what Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and the Ford F-150 Lightning offer. Volvo plans on selling home charging equipment as well including a wall box and energy management system. What's more the EX90 — like the rest of its EV brethren — will enjoy over-the-air software updates, though Volvo has begun expanding that service out to hybrid and ICE models as well. The EX90's exterior is optimized for aerodynamics, boasting a drag coefficient of .29, just a touch behind the VW ID.4 and very respectable for a full-size SUV, electric or not. "We’ve taken inspiration from yacht design to outline the Volvo EX90’s beautiful and sleek proportions,” Volvo's head of design, T. Jon Mayer, said in a press release. “If you look at the front, it’s proud and confident – inspired by a sailboat’s ability to shear through the ocean’s slamming waves. But it’s also rounder overall, which enables the air to flow around the car more efficiently.”Pedestrians will sail around the car more efficiently as well, thanks to the "shield of safety" that Volvo is working on. Using a mix of LiDAR, optical, ultrasonic and radar sensors, the EX90 will offer a 360 degree view around itself to proactively react to other vehicles and pedestrians even if the driver doesn't immediately notice the issue. The EX90's LiDAR sensors can reportedly spot pedestrians up to 250 meters away. The company believes that the system could reduce the rate of all accidents by 9 percent and cut accidents resulting in serious injury or death by as much as 20 percent. "No matter how much experience you have or how much competence you have, at the end of the day, we are all still human," Volvo Head of Safety Jim Rowan quips in the walkthrough above. "We want to help people become better drivers by being there when they're not at their very best." The company plans to further incorporate the LiDAR sensors into its future unsupervised autonomous driving system.But like the oozing garbage bags one finds on the side of the highway, it's what's inside that counts. The EX90's cabin provides a well-lit Scandinavian minimalist design clad in sustainable and recycled materials, such as "Nordico," a fabric made from recycled PET bottles "as well as bio-attributed material from responsibly-managed forests in Sweden and Finland. All of the interior wood panels are FSC-certified sustainable and if you opt for the wool seat fabric, that yarn will come from vetted suppliers "according to strict sustainability standards on animal welfare, environmental and social issues." In all, more than 50 kilograms of recycled plastic are used in each EX90 interior.“We’ve put a lot of effort into the illumination inside the EX90, trying to create a warm interior and a somewhat colder expression for the exterior,” Mayer noted. “It’s also connected to how people in Scandinavia might be perceived. There’s a calm and understated confidence that can read as cold at first – but once you get to know people, you find that they're really warm.”The EX90's in-cabin LiDAR is a world-first, designed to detect the presence of occupants and alert the driver if anyone is left behind in an effort to prevent hot car deaths — Volvo notes that more than 900 kids have died in these circumstances in the US since 1998. Where allowed by regulation, the system will prevent the keyfob from locking the doors should a child or pet be detected inside and display a warning icon on the central infotainment screen."No one chooses to be distracted or tired, but we know it can happen," Lotta Jakobsson, Volvo senior technical specialist in injury prevention. "We’re all human and distraction is a fact of life. With the help of cutting-edge technology, we’ll support you when you’re not at your best and help you avoid leaving family members or pets behind by accident."Developing...

09.11.2022 16:20 Last year’s holiday season was plagued by supply chain issues, while this coming season is looking a little brighter. We’re getting out, seeing friends and family and enjoying all the new hobbies we’ve picked up over the past two years – and that includes your kids, who’ve probably gained a few new interests. If those interests tend toward science and tech , we’ve got some great ideas for you, sure to put a smile on the faces of kids of all ages, from the littles to those who are grown in body but still young at heart.Laugh Learn Game ControllerWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetNew gamer parents probably can’t wait to get a controller in their kid’s hands, though maybe not a $70 DualShock 5 when the child is more likely to stick it in their mouth. Train the little one with this friendly Fisher Price model instead. It won’t control a video game, but it still has everything a baby wants, with bright colors and lights, buttons to push and fun sounds. There’s even a little Easter egg for grownups who plug in the Konami code.Buy Laugh Learn game controller at Amazon - $11LeapFrog Chat Count Emoji PhoneWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetKids love phones, but parents don’t need to hand them the latest iPhone or Pixel to keep them satisfied. This model from LeapFrog has a small selection of minigames to teach basic counting skills and can be played by children as young as 18 months. It’s a great way to keep babies occupied on long car rides or even a short diaper change, and looks enough like a real phone to keep them from grabbing at your expensive device.Buy Chat Count Emoji Phone at Amazon - $16Air Hogs GravitorWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetDrones are still a pretty hot toy, but you’re probably feeling less hot about all the drama that comes with giving one to a kid, like hitting their siblings with it, or losing it in a neighbor’s yard. The Air Hogs Gravitor is a different kind of drone, one they can control with a wave of their hand. It’ll keep your kid busy learning tricks with it, and its soft edges mean less potential injuries from rough play.Buy Air Hogs Gravitor at Amazon - $24Hello Kitty Purse PetWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetTeens can be real weirdos sometimes, and things that might creep you out will absolutely fascinate them. That includes Spin Master’s interactive Purse Pets, which are basically little handbags that blink and make noise. At least these new models have some familiar faces on them, namely Japan’s kawaii superstar Hello Kitty and her friend Chococat. Gift one to the anime-loving kid in your life and make yourself just a little bit cooler in their eyes.Buy Hello Kitty Purse Pet at Amazon - $35Star Wars Lola Interactive Electronic FigureWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetEwan McGregor was fantastic in this year’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+, but for droid fans the real star of the show was Little Leia’s friend Lola. This diminutive personal sidekick was absolutely charming, making everyone – including adults – want one of their own. Hasbro’s $39 interactive figure isn’t quite as skilled as the one in the show, but it’s still cute as a button and adorable to boot. Buy Lola Droid Toy at Amazon - $39VTech Level Up Gaming ChairVTechKids love to imitate adults, and now you get to find out if that includes your gaming habits as well by giving them their own chair! It’s sculpted to look like a custom gaming throne, but with a sturdy base instead of wheels so they don’t tip over while they’re pretending to blast n00bs. There’s a mini keyboard and headset so they can look like a real Twitch streamer, and the little tray means they can also scarf down snacks while enjoying some real play videos or the latest episode of Bluey.Buy gaming chair at Amazon - $45Barbie Eco-Leadership TeamWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetBarbie’s had a ton of jobs over the years, but perhaps none as important as saving the Earth. But instead of just doing it by herself she’s going to need a whole team, and this package includes the whole environmental crew: a conservation scientist, a renewable energy engineer, a chief sustainability officer and an environmental advocate. Your child can act out the pressing issue of our time with this set and maybe even teach you a thing or two about caring for our planet.Buy Barbie Eco-Leadership Team at Amazon - $55Yoto MiniWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetWhen we were kids we had toys like the Fisher Price record player; children today are going to need something a little more high tech. A Yoto player is a speaker that can play kid-appropriate audiobooks, songs and other great content, like a free podcast full of fun trivia and games that airs a new episode every day. The Yoto Mini is a smaller version that you can take on planes, trains and cars to keep the kids entertained without resorting to a screen.Buy Yoto Mini at Amazon - $70BRIO Smart Tech Sound Record Play EngineWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetThis isn’t the BRIO you remember from your own youth; it’s actually an upgrade. The Record Play Engine is a battery-operated train that can run on the wooden tracks you may already have, but adds a fun twist by playing sounds your child can record themselves. There’s also a free app with even more play options, and the engine is compatible with other BRIO Smart Tech so you can expand your child’s railway collection.Buy BRIO Record Play Engine at Amazon - $65LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn VLEGOMaybe you loved model rockets as a kid, but you’re not entirely on board with getting your own children into them because of the mess. That’s what makes this LEGO kit so brilliant: it looks realistic but requires absolutely no glue to assemble. Just snap it together like any other LEGO kit. This is a fun activity for parent and child to do as a team, or maybe just a way for grownup fans to keep busy during the chilly winter months.Buy LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V at Amazon - $120Tonies Playtime Puppy Starter SetEngadgetThe Yoto Player is fantastic, but smaller children might find the content cards hard to insert into the top slot. Instead, get them a Toniebox. Tonies are small RFID-enabled figurines that are easy for little hands to place on top of the speaker, and the controls are simple enough for toddlers to master. The cushioned exterior also means it takes being dropped or thrown like a champ.Buy Tonies starter set at Amazon - $130LEGO Motorized LighthouseEngadgetThis LEGO set is truly the kind of thing that sparks the imagination, with a small cottage for the lighthouse keeper to enjoy a warm cup of tea, a winding staircase up to the light room, and even a hidden cache of treasure in its base. But for science nerds the best part has to be the working fresnel lens at the very top of the lighthouse, just like the real thing but smaller — it can rotate thanks to the motor . It’s a great centerpiece for your home, even if you don’t have any ships to guide across the sea of your living room.Buy Motorized Lighthouse at LEGO - $300

09.11.2022 16:20 IBM's latest quantum computing processor marks a notable step forward for its ambitions in the field. At the IBM Quantum Summit 2022, the company announced Osprey, which has the largest qubit count of any of its processors at 433 quantum bits. That's more than triple the number of cubits that the Eagle chip, which IBM revealed last November, has. IBM said it built on top of the 127-cubit Eagle's architecture by keeping qubits on a single plane with the help of multi-level wiring."Unlike classical bits which have to be in a state of either one or zero, qubits can exist in a complex mix of both, tapping into the fundamental quantum nature of matter at subatomic levels," IBM said in a press release. "As a result, quantum computers offer the possibility of vastly increased computing power that can be used to tackle calculations of much greater complexity in fields such as artificial intelligence, and the design of new materials for drug discovery and energy research."Connie Zhou/IBMThe company is scaling up its quantum computing efforts with the aim of building a system with 4000-plus qubits by 2025. It's currently on target with its roadmap. Next up is a 1,121-cubit chip called Condor that IBM hopes to debut next year.IBM debuted an elegantly designed functional quantum computer at CES 2019. Last year, it offered a sneak preview of the design for the next-gen IBM Quantum System Two . Now, the company has revealed more details. It designed the system to be flexible and modular with the ability to house multiple architectures and processors, and claims it will include Osprey starting next year. The company claimed the System Two design "allows for an exponential step up in quantum computing scale and enabling the vision of quantum-centric supercomputing."Having immense computational power at one's fingertips doesn't mean much if you don't have the right software to get the most out of it. Early last year, IBM said that its Qiskit program execution environment was able to blend quantum and conventional computers to carry out complex computations in hours, when they previously would have taken months. The company said it will offer new features to mitigate and suppress errors, and provide "a fast, efficient and easy-to-use programming model for quantum computers." What's more, these features blend into IBM's goal of integrating quantum computers with classical computers, including supercomputers.

09.11.2022 16:20 Less than two months after it admitted a million vehicles had faulty window sensors, Tesla is issuing another large-scale recall. This time, the company is flagging more than 40,000 cars after a software defect cut power steering when driving over potholes. A software fix is rolling out, and Tesla said over 97 percent of affected vehicles already have the new code.This is, however, the 17th recall Tesla has issued in 2022, with issues affecting more than 3.4 million vehicles. It adds weight to Tesla’s critics, too, who say the company’s poor build quality hurts its ability to recruit would-be EV buyers. But despite the number of post-purchase issues, the company hasn’t seen any harm to its bottom line, which saw profits double in the last year.– Dan CooperThe biggest stories you might have missedZoom is adding email and calendar features to take on other workspace platformsMediaTek's latest Dimensity chip supports WiFi 7 and ray tracingLG's latest display can stretch by 20 percent'God of War: Ragnarok' is bigger but not massively better The best gifts for coffee lovers in 2022Google and Renault are developing a 'software-defined vehicle' togetherGoPro's Hero 11 Black is now $50 off with a one-year subscriptionCrypto giant Binance is buying its rival FTX following a very public disputeFTX was once valued at $32 billion.One of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges has been bailed out by one of its major rivals. FTX, fearing a liquidity crunch and struggling to satisfy customer withdrawals, has thrown itself upon the mercy of major rival Binance. FTX’s rapid collapse raises questions about how well these exchanges are managing clients’ money and cannot quell belief the crypto bubble is about to burst, once and for all.Continue Reading. Netflix's Triviaverse will test your knowledge with rapid-fire questionsIt’s like being in your very own game show.NetflixNetflix’s Triviaverse is the streaming giant’s latest foray into the interactive gaming space, and it’s pretty good. It’s a rapid-fire trivia quiz, throwing increasingly difficult questions at you while the clock runs down, adding an extra frisson of tension. There’s a two-player mode, too, and it’s the sort of title you could imagine throwing on when the energy in a party sags. It made me wonder how much fun we’d all have if Netflix bought a company like Jackbox, offering those titles through its platform.Continue Reading. European Union opens 'in-depth' investigation into Microsoft's purchase of Activision BlizzardYet more regulators want to scrutinize the deal.The European Union has followed the UK’s lead to open its own investigation into Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The bloc is concerned the Xbox owner’s control of such a major games publisher poses a risk to competition the world over. It now has 90 days to complete a thorough investigation of the deal, postponing any completion to mid-March next year.Continue Reading.Garmin's Instinct Crossover is a rugged hybrid smartwatch with a useful displayThis is for serious outdoorsy types.GarminNice as the Apple Watch Ultra is, Garmin thinks its new Instinct Crossover can do a better job while standing on its metaphorical head. The new watch is a hybrid with a digital display embedded in the whole face and is sturdy enough to cope with the big outdoors. As for battery life, the standard edition will last a month on a single charge, and 110 hours with GPS activated. Opt for the Solar Edition, with PV panels around the bezel, and it’ll run for up to 70 days if there’s enough light.Continue Reading.

09.11.2022 16:20 Meta is reducing the size of its workforce by about 13 percent and letting more than 11,000 of its employees go in the first mass layoffs in the company’s history. Mark Zuckerberg has announced the move in a message to employees, which Meta shared on its Newsroom. The job cuts will affect every organization in the company, though some will be impacted more than others. In addition to considerably reducing the size of its team, the company is also cutting discretionary spending and extending its hiring freeze through the first quarter of 2023. And since it's planning to hire much fewer people next year, the recruitment team will be "disproportionately affected" by the layoffs.Zuckerberg says he wants to take accountability for how Meta found itself in this position. Apparently, he made the decision to significantly increase Meta's investments following an exceptionally large revenue growth in the height of the pandemic, as users spent more on e-commerce. "Many people predicted this would be a permanent acceleration that would continue even after the pandemic ended," he explained. His gamble did not pay off, however, and the return of e-commerce to pre-pandemic trends, as well as the economic downturn, had led to revenue lower than expected. As such, Meta has chosen to focus on its priority growth areas, including its ads and business platforms and, of course, its long-term vision for the metaverse. The CEO says employees will soon get an email about the layoffs. In the US, Meta will give affected staff members a severance pay worth 16 weeks of their base plus two additional weeks for every year of service, with no cap. It will also cover the cost of healthcare for the affected employees and their families for six months. The company promises to help them find new jobs by using an external vendor that will give them access to unpublished job listings, as well as to support employees on visa with a dedicated team of immigration specialists. Support will be similar for those in other countries, with differences that take local employment laws into account. Meta says it has already removed system access for those being let go today, given the amount of sensitive information it has access to. Their email addresses will remain active throughout the day, however, so their co-workers wouldn't have to guess who's still around. In contrast, Twitter reportedly cut off people's access to their emails even before they knew that they got laid off, and it was unclear who still worked there in the first days after the job cuts started. The Elon Musk-owned social network announced its mass layoffs, which reduced its workforce in half, in an email signed "Twitter." Employees were then left waiting for a follow-up email that would decide their fate: If it landed on their work email, they still have a job. But if it landed on their personal email, they got cut. According to a Bloomberg report, Twitter has now been asking some employees to return after realizing the it laid them off by accident or that their skills are essential in building the features Musk wants. News of the impending layoffs was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which also reported that Meta’s recruiting and business teams would be hit especially hard.Mark Zuckerberg has been hinting at cuts for some time. During the company’s most recent earnings call, the CEO said Meta could become “a slightly smaller organization” by the end of 2023.He also has reportedly instructed managers to identify people for layoffs, and has told employees that “realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldn't be here." The company has already halted new hiring and cut some projects within Reality Labs.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 significant hit due to Apple’s changes to apps’ ad tracking abilities.Though Meta and Twitter are cutting a significant number of jobs, they're not the only major tech companies to lay off workers in recent months. Snap laid off about 20 percent of its workforce over the summer, as well.Mariella Moon contributed to this post.