Новости за 20.12.2018

Amazon’s Alexa is among the most ubiquitous personal voice assistants on the planet, and it also happens to live inside the living rooms and bedrooms of millions of Alexa device owners around the world. That gives Amazon the responsibility of being a proper steward of the data it collects when we ask Alexa a question and or engage in back-and-forth conversations with the software.

A new kind of drone has been designed to fold up its arms and squeeze into tight spots, potentially to scout around on rescue missions. Researchers from the University of Zurich developed a drone with four arms that can retract while flying to fit into gaps and holes. The goal is to send drones where humans can’t go and make it easier to locate victims in a collapsed building in the event of an earthquake or fire.

The annual winter sale has begun today on Steam, and as usual, you’ll be able to find most of this year’s most popular PC games for less than their usual cost. This sale will be going until January 3rd, 2019.

Shows like Law and Order and CSI have taught a generation of Americans that blood spatters and handwriting analysis are crucial for catching criminals. The reality, says UCLA School of Law dean Jennifer Mnookin, is that many of these so-called pattern evidence techniques used in forensic science are faulty and not supported by evidence.

Apple will be pulling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from its stores in Germany following a win for Qualcomm in the District Court of Munich, which ruled that Apple’s devices were infringing on Qualcomm’s intellectual property related to power savings in smartphones.

It’s been a whirlwind year for China’s internet culture — from trade wars and a huge vaccine scare, to a rise in feminist activism through social media. All along the way, authoritarianism has also been on the rise there, as the nation’s internet regulator imposes new rules on what’s banned, from Twitch getting shut down, to removing parodies and even ASMR videos.

Spotify and music publishing company Wixen have mutually agreed to dismiss the $1.6 billion lawsuit Wixen filed back in 2017. The lawsuit Wixen brought against the streaming service argued that Spotify was using songs from artists it represented — like Tom Petty and Rage Against the Machine — illegally as Spotify had not sent physical letters to songwriters to obtain “a direct or compulsory mechanical license” for use on the platform.

Leave your cable bill behind — if you haven’t already

Continue reading…

Robert Zemeckis’ films have never felt especially personal. It’s not that he lacks a point of view, or investment in his work. It’s just that once he started augmenting the zippy comedy of his earliest films, like I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Used Cars, with the adventure, action, and effects work of Back to the Future or Who Framed Roger Rabbit, he has most often appeared interested in telling stories through technological challenges and innovations.

This morning, many Slack users with ties to Iran discovered their accounts had been abruptly deactivated. The bans affected users living as far as Finland, Canada and the United States, many with few remaining ties to Iran in either citizenship or physical presence.

Altria, a giant in the world of tobacco conglomerates, just spent $12.8 billion dollars to purchase a 35 percent minority stake in Juul, a company that currently dominates the e-cigarette market. This deal puts the value of Juul at an eye-popping $38 billion dollars, more than doubling the $15 billion valuation from earlier this year.

For $99 you can buy some great USB-C earbuds

Continue reading…

SoundMagic is one of the best headphone brands to go to when stepping away from the earbuds that came bundled with your phone, and now the company is adding a USB-C model to its lineup. The SoundMagic E11D are a $60 pair of earbuds with the brand’s classic solid aluminum construction and are perfect for anyone who’s bought one of the numerous Android flagship phones that have dropped the headphone jack over the the past two years.

T-Mobile is apparently delaying its plans to launch its upcoming TV service until 2019 in order to focus on delivering a better product that would be able to stand out more from competitors like AT&T’s DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, and other streaming competitors, according to a report from Bloomberg.

If you’re looking to add a game console to your entertainment center over the holidays (or in the case of the Switch, carry it around everywhere you go), Nintendo and Microsoft are making that a bit cheaper — or at least adding more value to your purchase. As usual, Sony isn’t partaking in any pre-holiday deals, though you can pre-order a new PS4 Pro bundle set to release on January 29th, 2019 that has a special Kingdom Hearts III-inspired design, and includes Kingdom Hearts III for free. A free game is a deal... Читать дальше...

“More people watch gaming video content than HBO, Netflix, ESPN and Hulu combined,” data crunchers at Nielsen say. It feels like we get metrics like these every year, meant to prove just how big and influential platforms like Twitch are. Somehow, though, the cultural impact of live streaming hasn’t felt entirely real. (If it was, Nielsen wouldn’t have to say so.) Sure, tons of people might watch a man in a wig shoot people’s faces off for hours every day, but next to a pop culture giant like Kanye West... Читать дальше...

For VR enthusiasts, 2016 feels like a long time ago. That was the year that virtual reality hype hit its peak with the launch of three major headsets and accompanying platforms — Facebook’s Oculus Rift, HTC and Valve’s Vive, and Sony’s PlayStation VR. All three systems had their pros and cons, and it turned out that none of them would change the world.

Some users of Logitech’s Harmony Hub and remote system have encountered a fairly big issue with the latest firmware update: it blocks local API access, which has in turn led to sudden problems — and broken automation systems — for many users and home theater integrators. Ars Technica reported on the situation yesterday.

It’s nearly impossible to separate the Transformers film franchise from the creative aesthetic of director Michael Bay. From the slow-motion flag-waving to the copious explosions and visually incomprehensible CG action, the series has become the ultimate expression of Bay’s idiosyncratic style. Audiences may love it — the movies have collectively made billions of dollars at the box office. Or they may hate it — the critical responses have been dire, but even the fans often complain bitterly over these films... Читать дальше...

‘We wanted to give a feeling of loneliness without making it look boring.’

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson first teamed up to take on the villainous Hela in Thor: Ragnarok but now they’re back together to protect Earth from aliens.

If $149 for the Fitbit Versa wasn’t a good enough discount for you during Black Friday, Macy’s is offering the best deal that we’ve seen yet. Normally $199, you’ll be able to snag one for $89.99 either until December 24th or until it sells out.

Who owns the Milly Rock?

Continue reading…

2018 has been a good year for video games. From blockbuster epics to smaller indie experiences to inventive takes on VR, the breadth and variety of games that came out over the last 12 months is astounding. To celebrate, Verge staff members are writing essays on their own personal favorite games, and what made them stand out above the crowd.

Continuing its holiday present tradition, this year Google Fi is offering a free physical photo album to every one of its subscribers. You can get the gift by playing a short Google Chrome-themed game, after which you’ll be prompted to sign into your Fi account and claim your free store credit. The voucher can either be used to get you a 20-page softcover photo album filled with your Google Photos snaps for free, or else you can get a discount of $9.99 off the hardcover version.