theverge--2020-10-28--No Man’s Sky will launch alongside PS5 and Xbox Series X with a big next-gen update

Hello Games announced today that No Man ’ s Sky is coming to Xbox Series X / S and PS5 on November 10th and November 12th , the same days both consoles will launch .
Players who own a current-gen version of the game will be eligible to receive the next-gen version at no additional cost .
The game is also available on Xbox Game Pass for early Series X / S adopters who have an active subscription to Microsoft ’ s game service .
The next-gen versions of No Man ’ s Sky will take advantage of the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4K resolution at 60 frames per second , faster loading times , and cross-play support .
The PS5 version of the game will take advantage of the DualSense ’ s haptic feedback and the Pulse 3D wireless headset ’ s technologies to provide a more immersive experience .
The game will also receive graphical enhancements , which will be available to PC players .
The game will also receive graphical enhancements , which will be available to PC players Hello Games confirmed that the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S versions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support for 32-player multiplayer , marking the first time console players will have access to this feature .
As someone who played No Man ’ s Sky when it first launched in 2016 , it certainly left a bad taste in my mouth .
But following its initial 2016 release , Hello Games has continued to support the game with new updates , so it certainly looks like a different game than what I played four years ago .
I did not expect to ever go back to No Man ’ s Sky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new content , like the ability to build off-world colonies , has me interested in giving the game another chance .

Hello Games announced today that No Man’s Sky is coming to Xbox Series X / S and PS5 on November 10th and November 12th, the same days both consoles will launch. Players who own a current-gen version of the game will be eligible to receive the next-gen version at no additional cost. The game is also available on Xbox Game Pass for early Series X / S adopters who have an active subscription to Microsoft’s game service.
The next-gen versions of No Man’s Sky will take advantage of the new hardware; the game will run at 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, faster loading times, and cross-play support. The PS5 version of the game will take advantage of the DualSense’s haptic feedback and the Pulse 3D wireless headset’s technologies to provide a more immersive experience. The game will also receive graphical enhancements, which will be available to PC players.
The game will also receive graphical enhancements, which will be available to PC players
Hello Games confirmed that the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S versions of No Man’s Sky will add support for 32-player multiplayer, marking the first time console players will have access to this feature.


theverge--2020-10-28--What we’re voting for: public health

What we’re voting for: public health

In the week leading up to Election Day , The Verge is running a series of editorials about what we ’ re voting for — not candidates but the ideas that move us to engage with the electoral process in the first place .
On the night of March 11th , 2020 , I sat in my Brooklyn apartment next to a stack of old magazines , some glue sticks , and scissors .
I ’ d spent the week staring at coronavirus models and working myself into a knot of overwhelming anxiety , watching as the coronavirus pandemic picked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ My friend thought collaging would be a good distraction .
Instead , that night , the world changed : Tom Hanks announced he had COVID-19 , the National Basketball Association suspended its season after Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus , and life in the US jolted to a state of emergency .
The virus was already burning through New York City , and the scale of the destruction was about to get much , much worse .
Over the past eight months , my dread of an unknown , deadly virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense of helplessness .
At the time of publish , more than 8 million people in the US have contracted the coronavirus , and more than 220,000 people have died .
Case rates are now climbing for the third time as we head into the winter months , when cold weather could drive people indoors .
Models show that tens of thousands more people could die by spring .
None of it was inevitable .
A new virus jumping from an animal into a human — that ’ s inevitable .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve experienced in the United States over the last eight months wasn ’ t .
Experts often say that there ’ s no such thing as a natural disaster .
There are natural hazards , like a novel virus .
Whether those hazards become disasters depends on people and on human decision-making .
We ’ re in the middle of a disaster right now because of the decisions made by agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) , which shouldered the blame for early testing blunders and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House when it should have been promoting good science .
We ’ re in a disaster because governors put out stay-at-home and mask-wearing orders too late , and some prioritized politics over science .
And we ’ re in a disaster because the White House willfully denied the scale of the emergency and refused to set out a national plan .
We know how to fight pandemics .
The US National Security Council ( NSC ) even had a full playbook outlining the tactics the federal government should use when faced with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t use it .
I want federal , state , and local leaders who follow the playbook — or who follow any playbook at all .
The NSC assumed certain things about how the US would fight future threats , including that “ the U.S. government will use all powers at its disposal to prevent , slow or mitigate the spread of an emerging infectious disease threat.
” I ’ d like to feel confident that the government has any interest in doing that .
The last eight months have eroded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our health , including the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) .
President Donald Trump continues to publicly pressure the FDA to authorize treatments , even when there ’ s not good evidence to support them .
He ’ s spent months promising a vaccine by Election Day , leading people in the US to think that the FDA is evaluating vaccine candidates based on politics , not safety .
That ’ s chipped away at trust in vaccination , and it will make it harder for health officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 vaccine .
Consequences could stretch beyond that .
Health officials need people to trust that measures like lockdowns and mask mandates are necessary and to cooperate with contact tracing .
The people we elect to lead should prioritize winning that trust back .
It ’ ll be a challenge — CDC officials told ProPublica that it could take a generation or more — but without trust in health agencies like the FDA and CDC , we ’ ll head into the next public health emergency even further behind .
We also need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than reactive , public health .
Responding well when a public health emergency happens can only do so much .
Preparing in advance is the most important defense — and the Trump administration doesn ’ t shoulder all of the blame for that gap .
Scientists have known since SARS that a novel coronavirus could cause a pandemic , but funding agencies haven ’ t invested in coronavirus research .
State and local health agencies have been chronically underfunded for decades .
Tens of thousands of public health jobs were cut in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of health spending goes toward public health .
Good public health is about playing defense , not offense .
It ’ s about making sure bad things never happen in the first place .
It ’ s like a goalkeeper in a soccer game : the flashy highlight-reel saves are great , but the most impressive athletes are the ones who are positioned in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time so they don ’ t have to make that acrobatic dive .
When public health is done well , most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 pandemic won ’ t smother the US forever .
Eventually , the virus will likely settle into regular circulation through the human population .
We ’ ll get better at preventing and treating it , and it ’ ll turn into a lighter , familiar threat .
But there will be more novel viruses , and some of those novel viruses will have the right mix of characteristics to become pandemics .
Infectious hazards are everywhere .
I ’ m looking for leadership that will keep them from turning into disasters .

Video
In the week leading up to Election Day, The Verge is running a series of editorials about what we’re voting for — not candidates but the ideas that move us to engage with the electoral process in the first place.
On the night of March 11th, 2020, I sat in my Brooklyn apartment next to a stack of old magazines, some glue sticks, and scissors. I’d spent the week staring at coronavirus models and working myself into a knot of overwhelming anxiety, watching as the coronavirus pandemic picked up speed in the United States. My friend thought collaging would be a good distraction.
Instead, that night, the world changed: Tom Hanks announced he had COVID-19, the National Basketball Association suspended its season after Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, and life in the US jolted to a state of emergency. The virus was already burning through New York City, and the scale of the destruction was about to get much, much worse.
What we’re voting for
Over the past eight months, my dread of an unknown, deadly virus was gradually replaced by anger and a sense of helplessness. At the time of publish, more than 8 million people in the US have contracted the coronavirus, and more than 220,000 people have died. Case rates are now climbing for the third time as we head into the winter months, when cold weather could drive people indoors. Models show that tens of thousands more people could die by spring.
None of it was inevitable.
A new virus jumping from an animal into a human — that’s inevitable. But the sheer amount of sickness and death we’ve experienced in the United States over the last eight months wasn’t. Experts often say that there’s no such thing as a natural disaster. There are natural hazards, like a novel virus. Whether those hazards become disasters depends on people and on human decision-making.
We’re in the middle of a disaster right now because of the decisions made by agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which shouldered the blame for early testing blunders and let itself be sidelined by the White House when it should have been promoting good science. We’re in a disaster because governors put out stay-at-home and mask-wearing orders too late, and some prioritized politics over science. And we’re in a disaster because the White House willfully denied the scale of the emergency and refused to set out a national plan. We know how to fight pandemics. The US National Security Council (NSC) even had a full playbook outlining the tactics the federal government should use when faced with an infectious disease threat. The Trump administration didn’t use it.
I want federal, state, and local leaders who follow the playbook — or who follow any playbook at all. The NSC assumed certain things about how the US would fight future threats, including that “the U.S. government will use all powers at its disposal to prevent, slow or mitigate the spread of an emerging infectious disease threat.” I’d like to feel confident that the government has any interest in doing that.
The last eight months have eroded trust in the institutions charged with protecting our health, including the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). President Donald Trump continues to publicly pressure the FDA to authorize treatments, even when there’s not good evidence to support them. He’s spent months promising a vaccine by Election Day, leading people in the US to think that the FDA is evaluating vaccine candidates based on politics, not safety.
That’s chipped away at trust in vaccination, and it will make it harder for health officials to convince people to take a future COVID-19 vaccine. Consequences could stretch beyond that. Health officials need people to trust that measures like lockdowns and mask mandates are necessary and to cooperate with contact tracing. The people we elect to lead should prioritize winning that trust back. It’ll be a challenge — CDC officials told ProPublica that it could take a generation or more — but without trust in health agencies like the FDA and CDC, we’ll head into the next public health emergency even further behind.
We also need leaders who invest in proactive, rather than reactive, public health. Responding well when a public health emergency happens can only do so much. Preparing in advance is the most important defense — and the Trump administration doesn’t shoulder all of the blame for that gap. Scientists have known since SARS that a novel coronavirus could cause a pandemic, but funding agencies haven’t invested in coronavirus research. State and local health agencies have been chronically underfunded for decades. Tens of thousands of public health jobs were cut in the past decade. Only around 2 percent of health spending goes toward public health.
Good public health is about playing defense, not offense. It’s about making sure bad things never happen in the first place. It’s like a goalkeeper in a soccer game: the flashy highlight-reel saves are great, but the most impressive athletes are the ones who are positioned in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time so they don’t have to make that acrobatic dive. When public health is done well, most of the work is invisible.


theverge--2020-10-28--Astro’s Playroom is the perfect showcase for the PS5’s wild DualSense controller

As far as pack-in games go , Astro ’ s Playroom may not seem all that exciting at first .
It ’ s not an instant classic like a bundled Super Mario.
, nor something with the obvious appeal of Wii Sports .
But Sony made a smart decision in giving Astro away to every PS5 owner : it might just be the ideal showcase for the console ’ s new DualSense controller .
The game itself is a fairly simple 3D platformer , but one that exudes charm .
Everything is bright and colorful , and there are lots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave Astro alone for too long , he ’ ll pull out a PSVR and start playing games on his own .
( If the adorable robotic character looks familiar , it ’ s because it also starred in the PSVR title Astro Bot : Rescue Mission , another game designed to showcase new hardware . )
Everything takes place in a retrofuturistic world divided into several levels , though for this preview I ’ ll only be discussing the first , called “ Cooling Springs.
” Cute as everything is , initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a beach collecting coins , jumping around , and smacking enemies with your little robot fists .
It ’ s all very peaceful and charming ; mechanical dolphins swim through the water , and you can knock around beach balls .
Later , you ’ ll move on to other themed areas like a robot hotel and a frozen arctic region .
It ’ s not particularly hard , but there ’ s a really playful tone .
You ’ ll spend time sliding down icy ramps , jumping off of diving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Littered around the level are all kinds of classic PlayStation Easter eggs ( which I won ’ t spoil for you right now ) .
But the most interesting thing about Astro ’ s Playroom isn ’ t how it plays — it ’ s how it feels .
Sony ’ s new DualSense controller is its biggest gamepad redesign since it introduced twin sticks midway through the original PlayStation ’ s life .
And two of the showcase features are all about feel : there are triggers on the back with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the controller has much more subtle vibrations .
Both are on display in Astro ’ s first stage .
The vibrations are noticeable almost immediately , and the variety is pretty incredible .
You can feel bits of sand crunching when Astro is walking on a beach , there ’ s a heavy plop when you jump into the water , and a satisfying tension when you pull on an elastic band .
I especially loved the colder region where you can actually feel Astro shiver .
What ’ s remarkable is how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is accompanied by a sound effect from the DualSense ’ s built-in speaker , and when you combine the physical and audio sensations , the experience becomes that much more immersive .
The same goes for the new haptic triggers .
Normally , the R2 and L2 buttons perform like regular buttons , but during certain sequences , they offer feedback in the form of tension .
Essentially , there are two states to the button press ; you can easily press down halfway , but a full press requires a bit more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opening level of Astro , there are side-scrolling sequences where the bot jumps around in a spring-powered mech suit .
( Don ’ t ask . )
In order to do a short jump , you pull the trigger halfway , but to launch across the screen , you need to pull it all the way down .
It makes big leaps that much more satisfying since you have to add the extra force .
The level also makes use of other controller features .
You can blow into the mic to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to move a zipper , and there are the prerequisite motion controls .
None of these are new like the vibration and haptic triggers , but it ’ s actually pretty impressive how many things Sony crammed into this gamepad .
Of course , it ’ s impossible to know how things will play out for the DualSense .
Astro ’ s Playroom is an adorable little game made all the more charming thanks to these new features .
But it was also designed explicitly to take advantage of them .
Wii Sports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wii games made motion controls anywhere near as compelling .
Right now , it ’ s not clear whether other games and developers will take advantage of the DualSense in the same way .
Like HD Rumble on the Nintendo Switch , they could end up being a forgotten gimmick .
But in the case of Astro ’ s Playroom , it ’ s at least an incredibly fun gimmick — and one that should make new PS5 owners plenty happy when the console launches on November 12th .

As far as pack-in games go, Astro’s Playroom may not seem all that exciting at first. It’s not an instant classic like a bundled Super Mario., nor something with the obvious appeal of Wii Sports. But Sony made a smart decision in giving Astro away to every PS5 owner: it might just be the ideal showcase for the console’s new DualSense controller.
The game itself is a fairly simple 3D platformer, but one that exudes charm. Everything is bright and colorful, and there are lots of fun little animations. If you leave Astro alone for too long, he’ll pull out a PSVR and start playing games on his own. (If the adorable robotic character looks familiar, it’s because it also starred in the PSVR title Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, another game designed to showcase new hardware.)
Everything takes place in a retrofuturistic world divided into several levels, though for this preview I’ll only be discussing the first, called “Cooling Springs.”
Cute as everything is, initially it seems generic. You start out at a beach collecting coins, jumping around, and smacking enemies with your little robot fists. It’s all very peaceful and charming; mechanical dolphins swim through the water, and you can knock around beach balls. Later, you’ll move on to other themed areas like a robot hotel and a frozen arctic region. It’s not particularly hard, but there’s a really playful tone. You’ll spend time sliding down icy ramps, jumping off of diving boards, and figure skating around enemies. Littered around the level are all kinds of classic PlayStation Easter eggs (which I won’t spoil for you right now).
But the most interesting thing about Astro’s Playroom isn’t how it plays — it’s how it feels. Sony’s new DualSense controller is its biggest gamepad redesign since it introduced twin sticks midway through the original PlayStation’s life. And two of the showcase features are all about feel: there are triggers on the back with haptic feedback and variable tension, and the controller has much more subtle vibrations. Both are on display in Astro’s first stage.
The vibrations are noticeable almost immediately, and the variety is pretty incredible. You can feel bits of sand crunching when Astro is walking on a beach, there’s a heavy plop when you jump into the water, and a satisfying tension when you pull on an elastic band. I especially loved the colder region where you can actually feel Astro shiver. What’s remarkable is how distinct they all feel. Each sensation is accompanied by a sound effect from the DualSense’s built-in speaker, and when you combine the physical and audio sensations, the experience becomes that much more immersive.
The same goes for the new haptic triggers. Normally, the R2 and L2 buttons perform like regular buttons, but during certain sequences, they offer feedback in the form of tension. Essentially, there are two states to the button press; you can easily press down halfway, but a full press requires a bit more force. As an example, in the opening level of Astro, there are side-scrolling sequences where the bot jumps around in a spring-powered mech suit. (Don’t ask.) In order to do a short jump, you pull the trigger halfway, but to launch across the screen, you need to pull it all the way down. It makes big leaps that much more satisfying since you have to add the extra force.
The level also makes use of other controller features. You can blow into the mic to spin a fan, use the touchpad to move a zipper, and there are the prerequisite motion controls. None of these are new like the vibration and haptic triggers, but it’s actually pretty impressive how many things Sony crammed into this gamepad.
Of course, it’s impossible to know how things will play out for the DualSense. Astro’s Playroom is an adorable little game made all the more charming thanks to these new features. But it was also designed explicitly to take advantage of them. Wii Sports was amazing, but only a few Wii games made motion controls anywhere near as compelling.


theverge--2020-10-28--LG Wing review: learning to fly, failing to soar

The LG Wing is a smartphone unlike any other , with a wild rotating design that makes it stand out when compared to even the weirdest 2020 phones .
It ’ s also the first phone in LG ’ s new Explorer Project brand , which looks to experiment with new ways to think about how we design and use our smartphones .
The $ 999 Wing is a bold experiment , but it can ’ t translate that creativity into a phone that ’ s worth the added price .
The LG Wing looks cool , but it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it costs as much as a brand-new iPhone 12 Pro or Galaxy S20 and more than plenty of other fantastic phones .
That ’ s a lot of money to put down on a funky screen gimmick , which ultimately is the biggest factor that separates the Wing from less expensive phones with similar specs , like the Motorola One 5G , the Pixel 4A and Pixel 5 , and LG ’ s own Velvet from earlier this year .
So , let ’ s talk about those screens .
Looking at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to mistake it for just another supersized Android phone .
In fact , it looks similar to the LG Velvet , a phone with which it also shares most of its specs .
With a 6.8-inch , 9:20.5 OLED display , it ’ s just a bit smaller and a bit thicker than a Galaxy S20 Ultra .
Credit to LG ’ s design here : at 0.43 inches ( 10.9mm ) thick , it ’ s still compact enough that you wouldn ’ t necessarily guess that there ’ s anything more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fact , with several family members , none of whom suspected anything out of the ordinary . )
Of course , the Wing isn ’ t just a big Android phone .
With just a flick of the lower right corner of the phone , the entire main display swivels up and around to a horizontal orientation , revealing a second , 3.9-inch OLED screen underneath .
The mechanism is top-notch , with the display gliding smoothly and snapping shut with an incredibly satisfying , audible “ snick.
” Check out our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what that all looks and sounds like .
( As an aside , the Wing can effectively only be opened if you hold it in your right hand , which may or may not be an issue for some people . )
The actual engineering behind the Wing is fascinating , involving clever mechanical tricks and a miniature hydraulic damper — JerryRigEverything ’ s teardown has a good look at how it all works .
And you can actually feel that damper kick in when you slide open the phone — there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the display gets caught on the damper , which then slowly and gently finishes its rotation .
While the hardware is excellent , the Wing reveals that as cool of a concept as the rotating and secondary displays are , there are just not enough practical use cases to justify them .
There aren ’ t that many applications that it makes sense to run in a horizontal orientation on Android .
Most phone apps are designed to be used in portrait , the way that most people hold most phones most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do have landscape modes ( like Twitter , Gmail , or even Chrome ) just don ’ t look very good that way .
Technically , you can use the phone rotated so the main display is vertical , with the smaller screen sticking out like a little vestigial limb , but it ’ s awkward to hold the Wing that way , as the bulk of the weight of the phone is still almost entirely in the now-horizontal back portion .
The best use case is for video or gaming — tasks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and can have potentially useful second-screen apps .
But there were so few situations in day-to-day use where I found it to be faster or worth the extra time and effort to fiddle around with the second screen mode instead of just switching back and forth between apps .
Sure , you can watch a YouTube video and text at the same time , but buying a phone just for the vanishingly few times that you might need to do that seems unnecessary .
If you ’ re willing to sit down and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can come up with a few use cases where it actually makes sense to use the Wing the way LG imagines .
It ’ s a fantastic device for completing weekly challenges in Fortnite , for example : I could play the game on the main screen while keeping a Chrome window or YouTube walkthrough open to show the location of the specific items I needed to collect or objectives that I had to accomplish .
If you have a terrible attention span during movies , it ’ s also good for scrolling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out what TV show that actor was in while watching Netflix , although the second small display is hard to use for any overly complex tasks due to its size and nearly square aspect ratio .
There ’ s a constant awkwardness to using the software on the Wing .
While a few apps — like LG ’ s built-in note-taking software or music apps — are designed to take full advantage of the dual display , support is rare on third-party apps .
It ’ s easy to imagine a world where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second display : games could offer a Wii U-esque second screen experience for maps or inventory , or Maps could display a list of upcoming directions over on the side of your main navigation .
But support is few and far between ( of all the games I tried , only Asphalt 9 had any real second-screen support ) .
YouTube , for example , will pop up a useful set of media controls when you ’ re watching a video on the second display , but nearly every other video app doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a shame , too , because the screen covers the volume keys on the side when rotated out , and they ’ re already hard enough to find given the size of the Wing and the fact that they ’ re the same size and shape as the power button ( which is located directly below ) .
Another barrier is the Wing ’ s use of an in-display fingerprint reader , which is located on the bottom of the main display ( where you ’ d think it would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use the Wing isn ’ t to tap the screen and unlock the fingerprint reader ; it ’ s to swing open the second display , which puts the fingerprint reader impossibly out of reach .
I first registered a finger on my other hand to unlock the phone , and then just shut it off altogether .
LG seems aware that it ’ s an issue : when the phone is swiveled open , the numpad for manually entering a password appears on the smaller screen under your thumb , but short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the secondary screen , I ’ m not sure what a good solution here is .
The rest of the Wing checks nearly every box for an upper midrange Android smartphone .
The Snapdragon 765G , combined with 8GB of RAM , is enough for smoothly running nearly everything ( although there ’ s still the occasional spot of lag , particularly when it comes to rotating open the display ) .
And the 4,000mAh battery is enough to easily last a full day of battery life , even with heavy use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has support for 5G ; the model I tested was the Verizon variant , which offers support for both millimeter wave ( mmWave ) and sub-6GHz connections ( including Verizon ’ s newly launched nationwide network ) .
Speeds on that network were marginally better than LTE , but the real benefit comes from Verizon ’ s mmWave network , which is still scarce .
Like any other 5G phone , unless you live directly on top of a mmWave hotspot , it ’ s not a great reason to get the Wing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misses for a $ 1,000 phone : the screen refresh rate is limited to just 60Hz on both displays , which can help contribute to the occasional slowness of the phone ( especially considering that nearly every other Android phone in this price range offers better ) .
There ’ s no waterproofing , although it ’ s admittedly hard to imagine how LG could have accomplished that with the swiveling design .
The LG Wing has four cameras : a single 32MP pop-up selfie camera built into the top frame and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The pop-up camera isn ’ t just a style choice to eliminate the notch , either .
It ’ s necessary to keep the camera located where it should be , even when you ’ re rotating the display .
Things are more interesting on the back of the phone , though , where LG has three cameras : a 64-megapixel main camera , a standard 13-megapixel ultrawide for use when holding the phone regularly , and a dedicated 12-megapixel ultrawide camera that features a physically rotated sensor that ’ s dedicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mode.
” The nature of the display means that you can only use the two standard cameras when the screen is rotated vertically and the gimbal mode camera ( which LG says has a special “ hexa motion ” sensor for stabilization ) when the screen is rotated horizontally .
The main camera is good , with bright colors and a good level of detail .
But low-light performance isn ’ t on par with 2020 ’ s best phones , and while LG ’ s night mode helps to alleviate that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detail in exchange for the brighter shot .
But the most notable camera feature is the gimbal mode , which takes advantage of the Wing ’ s design : the main display shows your video output , while the smaller panel works as the grip , complete with gimbal controls .
But as much as it looks like a real gimbal mount , LG ’ s implementation is almost entirely software-based — the camera isn ’ t rotating around on a different axis to keep in place , like an actual gimbal mount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ digital cropping on the wide field of view .
The gimbal mode is neat , but it ’ s just a software trick Still , the software effect is impressive : LG does a good job of keeping footage locked and stable , even through a fair amount of motion .
Panning around a frame also results in smooth , clean footage .
But the fact that it ’ s entirely done through software means that what looks like the Wing ’ s most unique feature is actually something that LG could replicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And given the Wing ’ s already pricey cost , it ’ s hard to imagine that you ’ re getting a better experience here than with a cheaper combination of say , a Pixel 5 and a motorized smartphone gimbal .
Like the rest of the Wing , the cameras aren ’ t bad — but for what the phone costs , you can get better for your money .
In my time with the Wing , there was one app that was perfectly suited to its unique design : the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similarly gimmicky “ Turnstyle ” video format ( which is designed to seamlessly swap between portrait and landscape versions of a clip ) was practically made for a phone that can instantly rotate its display to do the same .
But unfortunately , it feels like the LG Wing — at least in its current incarnation — is set for the same fate as Quibi , outclassed by products that offer more and better service for less money .
The LG Wing ’ s rotating display is a marvel of engineering and an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ design innovation that ’ s exciting to see in a world where most smartphone designs are just variations on the same identical black slabs .
But being new and interesting doesn ’ t mean that something is good , and without better software support or a lower price tag , it ’ s hard to recommend the Wing for anyone but the most jaded smartphone owners .

The LG Wing is a smartphone unlike any other, with a wild rotating design that makes it stand out when compared to even the weirdest 2020 phones. It’s also the first phone in LG’s new Explorer Project brand, which looks to experiment with new ways to think about how we design and use our smartphones.
The $999 Wing is a bold experiment, but it can’t translate that creativity into a phone that’s worth the added price.
7 Verge Score LG Wing $ 999.99 The Good Interesting design
Excellent build quality
Solid performance The Bad Expensive
Not enough use cases for the second screen
No waterproofing or fast refresh rate $1000 at Verizon How we rate and review products
The LG Wing looks cool, but it’s also expensive — at $999, it costs as much as a brand-new iPhone 12 Pro or Galaxy S20 and more than plenty of other fantastic phones. That’s a lot of money to put down on a funky screen gimmick, which ultimately is the biggest factor that separates the Wing from less expensive phones with similar specs, like the Motorola One 5G, the Pixel 4A and Pixel 5, and LG’s own Velvet from earlier this year.
So, let’s talk about those screens.
Looking at the Wing, it’s easy to mistake it for just another supersized Android phone. In fact, it looks similar to the LG Velvet, a phone with which it also shares most of its specs. With a 6.8-inch, 9:20.5 OLED display, it’s just a bit smaller and a bit thicker than a Galaxy S20 Ultra. Credit to LG’s design here: at 0.43 inches (10.9mm) thick, it’s still compact enough that you wouldn’t necessarily guess that there’s anything more to it. (I tried, in fact, with several family members, none of whom suspected anything out of the ordinary.)
Of course, the Wing isn’t just a big Android phone. With just a flick of the lower right corner of the phone, the entire main display swivels up and around to a horizontal orientation, revealing a second, 3.9-inch OLED screen underneath.
The mechanism is top-notch
The mechanism is top-notch, with the display gliding smoothly and snapping shut with an incredibly satisfying, audible “snick.” Check out our hands-on video here for a better idea of what that all looks and sounds like. (As an aside, the Wing can effectively only be opened if you hold it in your right hand, which may or may not be an issue for some people.)
The actual engineering behind the Wing is fascinating, involving clever mechanical tricks and a miniature hydraulic damper — JerryRigEverything’s teardown has a good look at how it all works. And you can actually feel that damper kick in when you slide open the phone — there’s an ever-so-small half-second pause as the display gets caught on the damper, which then slowly and gently finishes its rotation.
While the hardware is excellent, the Wing reveals that as cool of a concept as the rotating and secondary displays are, there are just not enough practical use cases to justify them.
The LG Wing in its open configuration... ... and in its closed mode.
There aren’t that many applications that it makes sense to run in a horizontal orientation on Android. Most phone apps are designed to be used in portrait, the way that most people hold most phones most of the time. And even apps that do have landscape modes (like Twitter, Gmail, or even Chrome) just don’t look very good that way.
Technically, you can use the phone rotated so the main display is vertical, with the smaller screen sticking out like a little vestigial limb, but it’s awkward to hold the Wing that way, as the bulk of the weight of the phone is still almost entirely in the now-horizontal back portion.
The best use case is for video or gaming — tasks that actually benefit from a horizontal orientation and can have potentially useful second-screen apps. But there were so few situations in day-to-day use where I found it to be faster or worth the extra time and effort to fiddle around with the second screen mode instead of just switching back and forth between apps. Sure, you can watch a YouTube video and text at the same time, but buying a phone just for the vanishingly few times that you might need to do that seems unnecessary.
Gaming is one of the few areas that the Wing’s potential really shines.
If you’re willing to sit down and go out of your way, you can come up with a few use cases where it actually makes sense to use the Wing the way LG imagines. It’s a fantastic device for completing weekly challenges in Fortnite, for example: I could play the game on the main screen while keeping a Chrome window or YouTube walkthrough open to show the location of the specific items I needed to collect or objectives that I had to accomplish.
If you have a terrible attention span during movies, it’s also good for scrolling through Twitter or checking IMDb to figure out what TV show that actor was in while watching Netflix, although the second small display is hard to use for any overly complex tasks due to its size and nearly square aspect ratio.
There’s a constant awkwardness to using the software on the Wing
The Wing isn’t much thicker than a regular Android phone, despite the second display.
There’s a constant awkwardness to using the software on the Wing. While a few apps — like LG’s built-in note-taking software or music apps — are designed to take full advantage of the dual display, support is rare on third-party apps. It’s easy to imagine a world where more apps could take advantage of a second display: games could offer a Wii U-esque second screen experience for maps or inventory, or Maps could display a list of upcoming directions over on the side of your main navigation. But support is few and far between (of all the games I tried, only Asphalt 9 had any real second-screen support).
YouTube, for example, will pop up a useful set of media controls when you’re watching a video on the second display, but nearly every other video app doesn’t offer similar options. It’s a shame, too, because the screen covers the volume keys on the side when rotated out, and they’re already hard enough to find given the size of the Wing and the fact that they’re the same size and shape as the power button (which is located directly below).
Another barrier is the Wing’s use of an in-display fingerprint reader, which is located on the bottom of the main display (where you’d think it would be). But the natural way to use the Wing isn’t to tap the screen and unlock the fingerprint reader; it’s to swing open the second display, which puts the fingerprint reader impossibly out of reach. I first registered a finger on my other hand to unlock the phone, and then just shut it off altogether. LG seems aware that it’s an issue: when the phone is swiveled open, the numpad for manually entering a password appears on the smaller screen under your thumb, but short of adding a second in-display scanner on the secondary screen, I’m not sure what a good solution here is.
The LG Wing’s rear triple-camera system includes a dedicated gimbal camera.
The rest of the Wing checks nearly every box for an upper midrange Android smartphone. The Snapdragon 765G, combined with 8GB of RAM, is enough for smoothly running nearly everything (although there’s still the occasional spot of lag, particularly when it comes to rotating open the display). And the 4,000mAh battery is enough to easily last a full day of battery life, even with heavy use of both displays.
The LG Wing also has support for 5G; the model I tested was the Verizon variant, which offers support for both millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-6GHz connections (including Verizon’s newly launched nationwide network). Speeds on that network were marginally better than LTE, but the real benefit comes from Verizon’s mmWave network, which is still scarce. Like any other 5G phone, unless you live directly on top of a mmWave hotspot, it’s not a great reason to get the Wing specifically.
There are also a few misses for a $1,000 phone: the screen refresh rate is limited to just 60Hz on both displays, which can help contribute to the occasional slowness of the phone (especially considering that nearly every other Android phone in this price range offers better). There’s no waterproofing, although it’s admittedly hard to imagine how LG could have accomplished that with the swiveling design.
In gimbal mode, the lower display shows camera controls for panning around a shot.
The LG Wing has four cameras: a single 32MP pop-up selfie camera built into the top frame and a trio of rear cameras on the back. The pop-up camera isn’t just a style choice to eliminate the notch, either. It’s necessary to keep the camera located where it should be, even when you’re rotating the display.
Things are more interesting on the back of the phone, though, where LG has three cameras: a 64-megapixel main camera, a standard 13-megapixel ultrawide for use when holding the phone regularly, and a dedicated 12-megapixel ultrawide camera that features a physically rotated sensor that’s dedicated to the Wing’s “gimbal mode.”
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The nature of the display means that you can only use the two standard cameras when the screen is rotated vertically and the gimbal mode camera (which LG says has a special “hexa motion” sensor for stabilization) when the screen is rotated horizontally.
The main camera is good, with bright colors and a good level of detail. But low-light performance isn’t on par with 2020’s best phones, and while LG’s night mode helps to alleviate that, it comes at an additional loss of detail in exchange for the brighter shot.
The pop-up selfie camera on the LG Wing.
But the most notable camera feature is the gimbal mode, which takes advantage of the Wing’s design: the main display shows your video output, while the smaller panel works as the grip, complete with gimbal controls. But as much as it looks like a real gimbal mount, LG’s implementation is almost entirely software-based — the camera isn’t rotating around on a different axis to keep in place, like an actual gimbal mount would. It’s just using digital cropping on the wide field of view.
The gimbal mode is neat, but it’s just a software trick
Still, the software effect is impressive: LG does a good job of keeping footage locked and stable, even through a fair amount of motion. Panning around a frame also results in smooth, clean footage. But the fact that it’s entirely done through software means that what looks like the Wing’s most unique feature is actually something that LG could replicate on any device, if it chose. And given the Wing’s already pricey cost, it’s hard to imagine that you’re getting a better experience here than with a cheaper combination of say, a Pixel 5 and a motorized smartphone gimbal.
Like the rest of the Wing, the cameras aren’t bad — but for what the phone costs, you can get better for your money.
The LG Wing in a rotated use case.
In my time with the Wing, there was one app that was perfectly suited to its unique design: the now-doomed streaming service, Quibi, whose similarly gimmicky “Turnstyle” video format (which is designed to seamlessly swap between portrait and landscape versions of a clip) was practically made for a phone that can instantly rotate its display to do the same.
But unfortunately, it feels like the LG Wing — at least in its current incarnation — is set for the same fate as Quibi, outclassed by products that offer more and better service for less money.
The LG Wing’s rotating display is a marvel of engineering and an incredibly fun novelty, the kind of design innovation that’s exciting to see in a world where most smartphone designs are just variations on the same identical black slabs. But being new and interesting doesn’t mean that something is good, and without better software support or a lower price tag, it’s hard to recommend the Wing for anyone but the most jaded smartphone owners.
Photography by Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge


theverge--2020-10-28--Apple’s iPhone 12 seems to have a secret reverse wireless charging feature

Apple ’ s iPhone 12 lineup has the ability to wirelessly charge an external accessory , according to a series of newly unveiled FCC filings that just went public yesterday .
The documents first spotted by VentureBeat ’ s Jeremy Horwitz say the phone “ supports a built-in inductive charging transmitter and receiver.
” Apple has not officially announced any such functionality that could be used to charge future AirPods or Apple ’ s long rumored Tile-competitor dubbed “ AirTags.
” “ In addition to being able to be charged by a desktop WPT [ wireless power transfer ] charger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … also support WPT charging function at 360 kHz to charge accessories , ” one of the documents reads .
It lists a series of FCC IDs of iPhones with the new feature , which include the the iPhone 12 mini ( BCG-E3539A ) , iPhone 12 ( BCG-E3542A ) , iPhone 12 Pro ( BCG-E3545A ) , and iPhone 12 Pro Max ( BCG-E3548A ) .
The maximum reverse wireless charging speed is listed as 5W , if we ’ re reading the documents correctly .
The iPhones 12 series supports Apple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uses magnets inside the phones to help properly align compatible accessories , including a new Qi-compatible wireless charging puck .
However , Apple has not announced any form of reverse wireless charging for the phones , and they don ’ t appear capable of charging any devices currently on the market .
It sounds like the iPhone 12 ’ s reverse wireless charging may be limited , at least at first .
The documents say that “ currently the only accessory that can be charged by iPhones is an external potential apple accessory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently “ only occurs when the phone is connected to an AC power outlet.
” The FCC ’ s testing appears to have been conducted using only a wall charger and USB-C cable , presumably the same USB-C to Lighting cable bundled with each iPhone 12 .
It sounds like the technology is meant to allow you to reduce the amount of charging clutter on a night stand by , for example , wirelessly charging a pair of AirPods magnetically attached to an iPhone that ’ s plugged into the wall .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as the document goes on to suggest .
“ Future designs and accessories may support true portable use condition , with the host-client pair able to be placed in a pocket or backpack.
” It ’ s unclear why Apple did not officially reveal the functionality when it announced the phones themselves , though it could be because the accessory which works with the functionality isn ’ t yet ready to be released .
Bloomberg ’ s Mark Gurman speculates that it might work with the company ’ s upcoming AirPods revamp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
The reverse wireless charging functionality doesn ’ t appear to require much in the way of new hardware , at least nothing that iFixit spotted during its teardown of the new phones .
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment .

Apple’s iPhone 12 lineup has the ability to wirelessly charge an external accessory, according to a series of newly unveiled FCC filings that just went public yesterday. The documents first spotted by VentureBeat’s Jeremy Horwitz say the phone “supports a built-in inductive charging transmitter and receiver.” Apple has not officially announced any such functionality that could be used to charge future AirPods or Apple’s long rumored Tile-competitor dubbed “AirTags.”
“In addition to being able to be charged by a desktop WPT [wireless power transfer] charger (puck), 2020 iPhone models … also support WPT charging function at 360 kHz to charge accessories,” one of the documents reads. It lists a series of FCC IDs of iPhones with the new feature, which include the the iPhone 12 mini (BCG-E3539A), iPhone 12 (BCG-E3542A), iPhone 12 Pro (BCG-E3545A), and iPhone 12 Pro Max (BCG-E3548A). The maximum reverse wireless charging speed is listed as 5W, if we’re reading the documents correctly.
The iPhones 12 series supports Apple’s new MagSafe standard, which uses magnets inside the phones to help properly align compatible accessories, including a new Qi-compatible wireless charging puck. However, Apple has not announced any form of reverse wireless charging for the phones, and they don’t appear capable of charging any devices currently on the market.
It sounds like the iPhone 12’s reverse wireless charging may be limited, at least at first. The documents say that “currently the only accessory that can be charged by iPhones is an external potential apple accessory in future” and that reverse charging currently “only occurs when the phone is connected to an AC power outlet.” The FCC’s testing appears to have been conducted using only a wall charger and USB-C cable, presumably the same USB-C to Lighting cable bundled with each iPhone 12.
It sounds like the technology is meant to allow you to reduce the amount of charging clutter on a night stand by, for example, wirelessly charging a pair of AirPods magnetically attached to an iPhone that’s plugged into the wall. However, this may change in the future, as the document goes on to suggest. “Future designs and accessories may support true portable use condition, with the host-client pair able to be placed in a pocket or backpack.”
It’s unclear why Apple did not officially reveal the functionality when it announced the phones themselves, though it could be because the accessory which works with the functionality isn’t yet ready to be released. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman speculates that it might work with the company’s upcoming AirPods revamp, whose existence was reported earlier this week.
The reverse wireless charging functionality doesn’t appear to require much in the way of new hardware, at least nothing that iFixit spotted during its teardown of the new phones.


theverge--2020-10-28--HyperX’s Pulsefire Haste is a lightweight, no-frills gaming mouse with a honeycomb design

HyperX has announced the $ 50 Pulsefire Haste wired gaming mouse .
Its highlight feature is its 59-gram weight , which the company accomplished by drilling many hexagonal-shaped holes all around it — arguably , another feature worth mentioning .
It ’ s the latest mouse to adopt the honeycomb design popularized by brands like Finalmouse , Glorious PC Gaming Race , and now many others .
Eurogamer wrote in mid-2019 that this style would be the next big thing in PC gaming gear , and HyperX ’ s new mouse proves them right .
HyperX ’ s new mouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gaming Race Model O- , both in terms of pricing ( also $ 50 ) , weight ( the 58-gram Model O- is one gram lighter ) , and overall design .
Both are false ambidextrous , with thumb buttons catered to right-handed people , but a symmetrical design that fits both left or right-handed people .
I actually prefer the slightly taller and longer size of the Model O- over this HyperX model , but small-handed gamers may feel otherwise .
The Pulsefire Haste has two main mouse buttons and a DPI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to your palm than the LED-lit scroll wheel .
Speaking of lighting , if you want a gaming mouse with just a bit of flair , this could be a good match ; you can even turn off the LEDs completely using the Ngenuity desktop app ( only available for Windows 10 systems ) .
The braided cord is 1.8 meters long — about six feet .
This mouse features a PixArts PAW3335 sensor with up to 16,000 DPI sensitivity and customizable DPI presets that you can set in the aforementioned app .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you should know that this isn ’ t the same high-end PixArt 3360 sensor that supports slightly faster acceleration and is part of other similarly priced gaming mice , like the Model O- .
Most people probably won ’ t notice the difference , but perhaps you might .
The sensor is capable of the standard 1,000Hz polling rate .
The mechanical switches in each mouse button are TTC ’ s Golden Micro switches that HyperX claims have been tested to last up to 60 million clicks .
I have no complaints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s snappy enough to let me feel like I ’ m in control .
HyperX built white PTFE skates on the bottom for very smooth travel on a mouse pad , and the package includes a replacement set of PTFE skates and grip tape that you can apply yourself for a custom fit .
The onboard storage supports just one saved profile .
You have plenty of options if you ’ re looking for a gaming mouse constructed with the honeycomb hole design .
At $ 50 , the Pulsefire Haste seems like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re a right-handed gamer looking for a mouse with a small design and subtle lighting .

HyperX has announced the $50 Pulsefire Haste wired gaming mouse. Its highlight feature is its 59-gram weight, which the company accomplished by drilling many hexagonal-shaped holes all around it — arguably, another feature worth mentioning. It’s the latest mouse to adopt the honeycomb design popularized by brands like Finalmouse, Glorious PC Gaming Race, and now many others. Eurogamer wrote in mid-2019 that this style would be the next big thing in PC gaming gear, and HyperX’s new mouse proves them right.
HyperX’s new mouse is most similar to the Glorious PC Gaming Race Model O-, both in terms of pricing (also $50), weight (the 58-gram Model O- is one gram lighter), and overall design. Both are false ambidextrous, with thumb buttons catered to right-handed people, but a symmetrical design that fits both left or right-handed people. I actually prefer the slightly taller and longer size of the Model O- over this HyperX model, but small-handed gamers may feel otherwise.
The Pulsefire Haste has two main mouse buttons and a DPI switcher that sits just a little closer to your palm than the LED-lit scroll wheel. Speaking of lighting, if you want a gaming mouse with just a bit of flair, this could be a good match; you can even turn off the LEDs completely using the Ngenuity desktop app (only available for Windows 10 systems). The braided cord is 1.8 meters long — about six feet.
This mouse features a PixArts PAW3335 sensor with up to 16,000 DPI sensitivity and customizable DPI presets that you can set in the aforementioned app. If you’re a discerning gamer, you should know that this isn’t the same high-end PixArt 3360 sensor that supports slightly faster acceleration and is part of other similarly priced gaming mice, like the Model O-. Most people probably won’t notice the difference, but perhaps you might. The sensor is capable of the standard 1,000Hz polling rate.
The mechanical switches in each mouse button are TTC’s Golden Micro switches that HyperX claims have been tested to last up to 60 million clicks. I have no complaints about the click feel; it’s snappy enough to let me feel like I’m in control. HyperX built white PTFE skates on the bottom for very smooth travel on a mouse pad, and the package includes a replacement set of PTFE skates and grip tape that you can apply yourself for a custom fit. The onboard storage supports just one saved profile.


theverge--2020-10-28--Trump’s campaign website hit with cryptocurrency scam

President Trump ’ s campaign website was hacked Tuesday afternoon in an apparent cryptocurrency scam , the New York Times reports .
“ This site was seized , ” the fake FBI notice read , before claiming without proof to have gained access to Trump ’ s private communications containing evidence of wrongdoing .
Two cryptocurrency wallet addresses were then listed , asking visitors to send funds and effectively vote on whether these documents should be released .
In a statement posted on Twitter , the Trump campaign ’ s communications director Tim Murtaugh confirmed the defacement .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data because none of it is actually stored on the site ” and that the organization was “ working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of the attack.
” TechCrunch reports that the website ’ s original content was restored , “ within a few minutes.
” According to The New York Times , journalist Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler was among the first to spot the hack and post screenshots of it to Twitter .
The notice posted on the site in broken English claimed to have proof that the Trump government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , and that the president has been involved with “ foreign actors manipulating the 2020 elections.
” It provided two Monero wallet addresses for visitors to send money to , allowing them to effectively vote on whether the hackers should release the incriminating evidence .
One wallet was labeled with “ Yes , share the data ” and the other “ No , do not share the data.
” Monero cryptocurrency is particularly difficult track , according to both the NYT and TechCrunch .
The notice referred to a “ deadline ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two addresses would be compared , but provides no information on when the deadline is .
It also showed a PGP encryption key which TechCrunch notes corresponds to an email address at planet.gov , a website that doesn ’ t exist .
This is not the only cryptocurrency scam to have affected one of contenders in this year ’ s election .
Back in July , Joe Biden ’ s Twitter account was among the victims of a bitcoin scam in which numerous high-profile accounts were hacked .
There ’ s no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself was affected by the hack , and it ’ s unclear who was behind it .
However , it ’ s notable that it occurred just a week before an election in which foreign interference has been such a concern .

President Trump’s campaign website was hacked Tuesday afternoon in an apparent cryptocurrency scam, the New York Times reports. “This site was seized,” the fake FBI notice read, before claiming without proof to have gained access to Trump’s private communications containing evidence of wrongdoing. Two cryptocurrency wallet addresses were then listed, asking visitors to send funds and effectively vote on whether these documents should be released.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Trump campaign’s communications director Tim Murtaugh confirmed the defacement. He said “there was no exposure to sensitive data because none of it is actually stored on the site” and that the organization was “working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of the attack.” TechCrunch reports that the website’s original content was restored, “within a few minutes.”
According to The New York Times, journalist Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler was among the first to spot the hack and post screenshots of it to Twitter.
The notice posted on the site in broken English claimed to have proof that the Trump government was involved in the origins of the coronavirus, and that the president has been involved with “foreign actors manipulating the 2020 elections.”
It provided two Monero wallet addresses for visitors to send money to, allowing them to effectively vote on whether the hackers should release the incriminating evidence. One wallet was labeled with “Yes, share the data” and the other “No, do not share the data.” Monero cryptocurrency is particularly difficult track, according to both the NYT and TechCrunch.
The notice referred to a “deadline” after which the amount of funds in the two addresses would be compared, but provides no information on when the deadline is. It also showed a PGP encryption key which TechCrunch notes corresponds to an email address at planet.gov, a website that doesn’t exist.
This is not the only cryptocurrency scam to have affected one of contenders in this year’s election. Back in July, Joe Biden’s Twitter account was among the victims of a bitcoin scam in which numerous high-profile accounts were hacked.


theverge--2020-10-28--Sony boosts PlayStation profits despite looming PS5 launch

Sony ’ s gaming division is continuing to drive major profits for the company even as the PlayStation 4 era winds down .
The company announced PlayStation-related revenue of 507 billion yen ( ~ $ 4.9 billion ) and an operating profit of 105 billion yen ( ~ $ 1 billion ) for its July-September quarter , respective improvements of 52 and 40 percent on the same period a year ago .
With the PlayStation 5 set to launch in a couple of weeks , normally you ’ d expect a significant negative impact on Sony ’ s books for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up manufacturing before it starts to bring in more revenue .
Sony does say that its profits were hit by an increase in costs , while revenue was reduced by a predictable decrease in PS4 sales .
Higher game software sales and PlayStation Plus subscriptions , however , more than made up the shortfall .
Sony ’ s big PS4 release for the quarter was the open-world samurai adventure Ghost of Tsushima , which came out in July and sold 2.4 million copies in its first three days .
Sony says it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform .
Sony has now revised its full-year gaming forecast upward slightly , expecting to make 2.6 trillion yen in revenue and 300 billion yen in profit by the end of March 31st .
That ’ d be a 26 percent increase in both revenue and profit , which would be impressive for the first year of a console cycle .
Sony ’ s revenue is likely to be limited in the short term by the number of PS5 consoles it ’ s able to manufacture .
In an interview with Reuters today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ very considerable demand ” for the device , which he says was preordered in the US more times in its first 12 hours than the PS4 was in its first 12 weeks .
“ It may well be that not everybody who wants to buy a PS5 on launch day will be able to find one .
”

Sony’s gaming division is continuing to drive major profits for the company even as the PlayStation 4 era winds down. The company announced PlayStation-related revenue of 507 billion yen (~$4.9 billion) and an operating profit of 105 billion yen (~$1 billion) for its July-September quarter, respective improvements of 52 and 40 percent on the same period a year ago.
With the PlayStation 5 set to launch in a couple of weeks, normally you’d expect a significant negative impact on Sony’s books for the previous quarter as the company ramps up manufacturing before it starts to bring in more revenue. Sony does say that its profits were hit by an increase in costs, while revenue was reduced by a predictable decrease in PS4 sales. Higher game software sales and PlayStation Plus subscriptions, however, more than made up the shortfall.
Sony’s big PS4 release for the quarter was the open-world samurai adventure Ghost of Tsushima, which came out in July and sold 2.4 million copies in its first three days. Sony says it’s the fastest-selling new IP on the platform.
Sony has now revised its full-year gaming forecast upward slightly, expecting to make 2.6 trillion yen in revenue and 300 billion yen in profit by the end of March 31st. That’d be a 26 percent increase in both revenue and profit, which would be impressive for the first year of a console cycle.


theverge--2020-10-28--The latest Section 230 hearing showed that Republicans want to make the internet smaller

Well , we had another hearing with the platform CEOs .
The dream with this sort of thing is that Congress shows up with a full command of the issues , and asks the CEOs good-faith questions about matters of policy and law .
And then I ’ d come along at the end of the day to walk you through the more provocative questions and productive answers , and gesture at what likely policy outcomes we could expect from this exercise in representative democracy .
But “ Does Section 230 ’ s Sweeping Immunity Enable Big Tech Bad Behavior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Committee on Commerce , Science , and Transportation , was not that kind of exercise .
The word “ sham ” got kicked around a lot , especially by the participants .
“ Stunt , ” too .
Some of the Democrats declined to ask any questions at all .
It was not the first of these .
In April 2018 , House Republicans organized a hearing to investigate why the two conservative vloggers known as Diamond and Silk had experienced a decline in traffic sent to them by Facebook .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook ’ s algorithms often affect traffic patterns , to publishers of all kinds , although we would later learn that the changes made in 2017 largely benefited conservative publishers at the expense of more liberal ones .
In fact , most of the research I have read has suggested that conservatives reap outsized benefits from the existence of social media , which provides ample room for their views to make regular end runs around the mass media .
On Wednesday morning , Media Matters published results of a nine-month study showing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar rates — but that right-leaning pages generated 43 percent of total interactions by pages posted about American politics , despite making up only 26 percent of posts .
But the platforms are big , and make mistakes , and those mistakes turn into anecdotes .
Anecdotes can be merged into a working theory about platform governance , such as that the platforms are biased against conservatives .
And so less than a week before the election , with their candidate trailing in polls and an effort to shake up the race with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials say is likely a Russian disinformation campaign failing to gain traction , Senate Republicans held a hearing to complain about the unfairness of it all .
Here are David McCabe and Cecilia Kang in the New York Times : The theatrics , which often devolved into shouting , meant that the topic of the hearing — the future of a legal shield for online platforms — was barely debated .
The event had been billed as a discussion about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act , a law that protects social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ users post and is regarded as sacrosanct by the platforms .
[ … ] But the hearing ’ s barbed exchanges pointed to how the debate over online speech has become increasingly divided , with the companies caught in the middle .
Of the 81 questions asked by Republicans , 69 were about censorship and the political ideologies of the tech employees responsible for moderating content , according to a tally by The New York Times .
Democrats asked 48 questions , mostly about regulating the spread of misinformation related to the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one observer noted that the main point of the hearing seemed to be to generate clips of Republicans looking pugnacious in the face of hated Silicon Valley elites , which they could then distribute on those elites ’ own platforms .
( “ Basically a TikTok house for politicians , ” in the words of Protocol ’ s David Pierce . )
This seemed especially true of Sen. Ted Cruz , R-TX , who had promoted the fight on Twitter with a UFC-style infographic promising , in all caps , a FREE SPEECH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his timeline today includes at least 19 clips of his sparring with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey , including one that Cruz pinned to the top of his page for long-term viewing .
In the face of so much bad-faith arguing , I could not help but feel roused when Sen. Brian Schatz ( D-HI ) called the hearing “ a scar on this committee.
” “ What we are seeing today is an attempt to bully the CEOs of private companies into carrying out a hit job on a presidential candidate by making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misinformation meant to influence the election , ” Schatz said , and I ’ m tempted to just leave the whole thing there .
Except that I can ’ t , because the question over Section 230 and how the internet ought to be regulated is one of the most important debates facing the tech industry .
( If you ’ re unfamiliar with the law and the many controversies around it , I wrote an in-depth explainer earlier this year . )
Among Republicans , Democrats , and tech CEOs , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its age , and in need of updating .
( Even if each group would amend it in very different ways . )
And if you sweep away all the bad-faith arguments and even worse policy proposals , you ’ re left with genuine questions about power and responsibility .
What speech should tech platforms be allowed to host , and to amplify ?
When they err , what is a just response ?
When a citizen is terrorized by online harassment , what recourse should they have ?
From these broad questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of principles .
But that ’ s not enough to craft policy or law .
To get there , you have to start asking really nettlesome questions .
Facebook , Google , and Twitter have signaled varying degrees of support for amending Section 230 .
Facebook has gone the furthest , suggesting that Congress set performance targets for the speedy removal of illegal content and requiring platforms to comply with them .
Google and Twitter , by contrast , have encouraged restraint , noting that the ripple effects of such a change could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notes in this thread , changes to Section 230 could require newspapers to close their comments section , or consumer complaints sites to shut down completely . )
In fact , the last time Section 230 was amended — with Facebook ’ s full support — the ripples were broad and destructive .
The 2018 FOSTA-SESTA law , nominally designed to curb sex trafficking , resulted in many online personals sites shutting down completely over liability fears .
Its aftermath confirmed what academics had long warned : that the most predictable effect of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platforms to over-moderate themselves , limiting speech on the internet .
FOSTA-SESTA did not come up once today ’ s hearing — even though , in a sane world , that ’ s where the hearing would have begun .
Next time around , it won ’ t be the personals sites that suffer from Section 230 reform — they ’ re already gone .
Nor is it likely to be Facebook , or Google , or Twitter , all of whom have the resources to adapt to whatever changes come their way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the three , but it uses the same centralized moderation model that its peers do . )
Instead , the victims are likely to look more like Reddit , which relies on volunteers to help moderate the site in a way that an amended Section 230 might no longer allow .
“ What would be super unfortunate is if we end up throwing out 230 in an effort to punish the largest internet players for their perceived or real abuse of their dominance , ” Reddit ’ s general counsel , Benjamin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 230 would basically further ensure that dominance , while undermining the ability of smaller companies like Reddit to challenge that dominance with alternative models of innovation.
” I still believe that Section 230 can be modernized in a way that makes the internet better .
If Senate Republicans had their way , though , the internet would only become smaller .
This column was co-published with Platformer , a daily newsletter about big tech and democracy .

Well, we had another hearing with the platform CEOs.
The dream with this sort of thing is that Congress shows up with a full command of the issues, and asks the CEOs good-faith questions about matters of policy and law. And then I’d come along at the end of the day to walk you through the more provocative questions and productive answers, and gesture at what likely policy outcomes we could expect from this exercise in representative democracy.
But “Does Section 230’s Sweeping Immunity Enable Big Tech Bad Behavior?,” a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, was not that kind of exercise. The word “sham” got kicked around a lot, especially by the participants. “Stunt,” too. Some of the Democrats declined to ask any questions at all.
It was not the first of these. In April 2018, House Republicans organized a hearing to investigate why the two conservative vloggers known as Diamond and Silk had experienced a decline in traffic sent to them by Facebook. The most likely explanation was that changes to Facebook’s algorithms often affect traffic patterns, to publishers of all kinds, although we would later learn that the changes made in 2017 largely benefited conservative publishers at the expense of more liberal ones.
In fact, most of the research I have read has suggested that conservatives reap outsized benefits from the existence of social media, which provides ample room for their views to make regular end runs around the mass media. On Wednesday morning, Media Matters published results of a nine-month study showing that right- and left-leaning pages generate engagement at similar rates — but that right-leaning pages generated 43 percent of total interactions by pages posted about American politics, despite making up only 26 percent of posts.
But the platforms are big, and make mistakes, and those mistakes turn into anecdotes. Anecdotes can be merged into a working theory about platform governance, such as that the platforms are biased against conservatives.
And so less than a week before the election, with their candidate trailing in polls and an effort to shake up the race with a story that dozens of former intelligence officials say is likely a Russian disinformation campaign failing to gain traction, Senate Republicans held a hearing to complain about the unfairness of it all.
Here are David McCabe and Cecilia Kang in the New York Times:
The theatrics, which often devolved into shouting, meant that the topic of the hearing — the future of a legal shield for online platforms — was barely debated. The event had been billed as a discussion about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a law that protects social media companies from liability for what their users post and is regarded as sacrosanct by the platforms. […] But the hearing’s barbed exchanges pointed to how the debate over online speech has become increasingly divided, with the companies caught in the middle. Of the 81 questions asked by Republicans, 69 were about censorship and the political ideologies of the tech employees responsible for moderating content, according to a tally by The New York Times. Democrats asked 48 questions, mostly about regulating the spread of misinformation related to the election and the coronavirus pandemic.
More than one observer noted that the main point of the hearing seemed to be to generate clips of Republicans looking pugnacious in the face of hated Silicon Valley elites, which they could then distribute on those elites’ own platforms. (“Basically a TikTok house for politicians,” in the words of Protocol’s David Pierce.) This seemed especially true of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, who had promoted the fight on Twitter with a UFC-style infographic promising, in all caps, a FREE SPEECH SHOWDOWN. And, sure enough, his timeline today includes at least 19 clips of his sparring with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, including one that Cruz pinned to the top of his page for long-term viewing.
In the face of so much bad-faith arguing, I could not help but feel roused when Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) called the hearing “a scar on this committee.” “What we are seeing today is an attempt to bully the CEOs of private companies into carrying out a hit job on a presidential candidate by making sure they push out foreign and domestic misinformation meant to influence the election,” Schatz said, and I’m tempted to just leave the whole thing there.
Except that I can’t, because the question over Section 230 and how the internet ought to be regulated is one of the most important debates facing the tech industry. (If you’re unfamiliar with the law and the many controversies around it, I wrote an in-depth explainer earlier this year.)
Among Republicans, Democrats, and tech CEOs, there is agreement that the law is showing its age, and in need of updating. (Even if each group would amend it in very different ways.) And if you sweep away all the bad-faith arguments and even worse policy proposals, you’re left with genuine questions about power and responsibility. What speech should tech platforms be allowed to host, and to amplify? When they err, what is a just response? When a citizen is terrorized by online harassment, what recourse should they have?
From these broad questions, you might derive a basic set of principles. But that’s not enough to craft policy or law. To get there, you have to start asking really nettlesome questions.
Facebook, Google, and Twitter have signaled varying degrees of support for amending Section 230. Facebook has gone the furthest, suggesting that Congress set performance targets for the speedy removal of illegal content and requiring platforms to comply with them. Google and Twitter, by contrast, have encouraged restraint, noting that the ripple effects of such a change could be broad. (As Adi Robertson notes in this thread, changes to Section 230 could require newspapers to close their comments section, or consumer complaints sites to shut down completely.)
In fact, the last time Section 230 was amended — with Facebook’s full support — the ripples were broad and destructive.
The 2018 FOSTA-SESTA law, nominally designed to curb sex trafficking, resulted in many online personals sites shutting down completely over liability fears. Its aftermath confirmed what academics had long warned: that the most predictable effect of limiting Section 230 would be to prompt platforms to over-moderate themselves, limiting speech on the internet.
FOSTA-SESTA did not come up once today’s hearing — even though, in a sane world, that’s where the hearing would have begun.
Next time around, it won’t be the personals sites that suffer from Section 230 reform — they’re already gone. Nor is it likely to be Facebook, or Google, or Twitter, all of whom have the resources to adapt to whatever changes come their way. (Twitter has the fewest resources of the three, but it uses the same centralized moderation model that its peers do.)
Instead, the victims are likely to look more like Reddit, which relies on volunteers to help moderate the site in a way that an amended Section 230 might no longer allow. “What would be super unfortunate is if we end up throwing out 230 in an effort to punish the largest internet players for their perceived or real abuse of their dominance,” Reddit’s general counsel, Benjamin Lee, told Protocol. “Unraveling 230 would basically further ensure that dominance, while undermining the ability of smaller companies like Reddit to challenge that dominance with alternative models of innovation.”
I still believe that Section 230 can be modernized in a way that makes the internet better. If Senate Republicans had their way, though, the internet would only become smaller.


theverge--2020-10-28--SpaceX is replacing two engines on its Falcon 9 rocket ahead of next crewed mission

SpaceX is replacing two engines on its Falcon 9 rocket that will soon carry four astronauts to the International Space Station .
The change is being made after SpaceX found a substance in the engines that could have caused them to start earlier than planned .
SpaceX found the substance after one of the company ’ s launches halted just before liftoff in October .
One of SpaceX ’ s Falcon 9 rockets , tasked with launching a new GPS satellite for the Space Force , shut itself down just two seconds before takeoff .
“ It was a good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president of build and flight reliability for SpaceX , said during a press conference .
“ It did exactly what we programmed it to do.
” Today , SpaceX revealed the rocket had automatically stopped its own launch after two of its nine main Merlin engines tried to start too early .
Starting up too early could have caused something called a hard start , where the engine ’ s various propellants and liquids are combined in the wrong order .
SpaceX ’ s Falcon 9 shut itself down before that happened , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damaged the hardware .
“ It ’ s not necessarily bad , but in most cases , you know , it rattles the engine , ” Koenigsmann said .
“ And it may cause , you know , a little bit of damage on the engine .
In extreme cases , it may cause more damage to the engine.
” “ It ’ s not necessarily bad , but in most cases , you know , it rattles the engine.
” After the abort , SpaceX inspected the engines and found a reddish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each model .
The lacquer , analogous to nail polish , is used to treat surfaces , likely leftover from when the engines were being built .
Koenigsmann noted that it came from one of SpaceX ’ s vendors that works on the engine , though he didn ’ t name the company .
“ It could be that person is now more generous with cleaning fluid or anything , ” Koenigsmann said .
“ It ’ s a little bit hard to figure this out.
” SpaceX says it ’ s working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that the company will be inspecting all of the hardware more closely in the short term .
After the abort , SpaceX also examined the engines in its fleet that will be used for upcoming launches .
They looked for any exhibiting this early startup behavior and singled out five various engines on three different rockets .
Two were on the Falcon 9 rocket that will launch three NASA astronauts and one Japanese astronaut in November , a mission called Crew-1 .
After this testing , SpaceX opened up all of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
SpaceX also noted that the lacquer was found mostly on newer engines that had been built recently , not the engines that have already flown to space and back .
Now , the company is in the process of swapping out the engines ahead of Crew-1 , which is tentatively set for November 14th at 7:49PM ET .
“ Two , three days is roughly what you need to take it out , ” Koenigsmann said regarding the engine swap .
“ And then another two , three days to put it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s working with the vendor to implement corrective actions Ultimately , SpaceX won ’ t fly Crew-1 until a few days after the company launches a joint European and American satellite called Sentinel-6 , which is designed to map the world ’ s oceans .
SpaceX found an affected engine on the Falcon 9 rocket for that flight and had to swap it out , too .
NASA wants to see how that launch goes first before it makes the final decision about flying its astronauts on SpaceX ’ s Falcon 9 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for November 10th out of Cape Canaveral , Florida .
Meanwhile , the four astronauts assigned to Crew-1 have started their quarantine process , staying mostly at home with their families before heading into a stricter quarantine two weeks ahead of flight .
NASA has also been keeping them informed about the engine swap and all the details leading up to launch .
“ They ’ ve been in a lot of the telecoms and listening to what ’ s going on with the vehicles , ” Steve Stich , the program manager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said during the press conference .
“ We have a little bit more work to do on this engine and offline ... but I think we see a pretty good path to get to flight and we ’ ll fly when we ’ re ready .
”

SpaceX is replacing two engines on its Falcon 9 rocket that will soon carry four astronauts to the International Space Station. The change is being made after SpaceX found a substance in the engines that could have caused them to start earlier than planned.
SpaceX found the substance after one of the company’s launches halted just before liftoff in October. One of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, tasked with launching a new GPS satellite for the Space Force, shut itself down just two seconds before takeoff. “It was a good abort,” Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of build and flight reliability for SpaceX, said during a press conference. “It did exactly what we programmed it to do.”
Today, SpaceX revealed the rocket had automatically stopped its own launch after two of its nine main Merlin engines tried to start too early. Starting up too early could have caused something called a hard start, where the engine’s various propellants and liquids are combined in the wrong order. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 shut itself down before that happened, but such a hard start could have damaged the hardware. “It’s not necessarily bad, but in most cases, you know, it rattles the engine,” Koenigsmann said. “And it may cause, you know, a little bit of damage on the engine. In extreme cases, it may cause more damage to the engine.”
“It’s not necessarily bad, but in most cases, you know, it rattles the engine.”
After the abort, SpaceX inspected the engines and found a reddish lacquer substance blocking a relief valve in each model. The lacquer, analogous to nail polish, is used to treat surfaces, likely leftover from when the engines were being built. Koenigsmann noted that it came from one of SpaceX’s vendors that works on the engine, though he didn’t name the company. “It could be that person is now more generous with cleaning fluid or anything,” Koenigsmann said. “It’s a little bit hard to figure this out.”
SpaceX says it’s working with the vendor to implement corrective actions and that the company will be inspecting all of the hardware more closely in the short term. After the abort, SpaceX also examined the engines in its fleet that will be used for upcoming launches. They looked for any exhibiting this early startup behavior and singled out five various engines on three different rockets. Two were on the Falcon 9 rocket that will launch three NASA astronauts and one Japanese astronaut in November, a mission called Crew-1.
After this testing, SpaceX opened up all of the engines and found the same lacquer inside. SpaceX also noted that the lacquer was found mostly on newer engines that had been built recently, not the engines that have already flown to space and back. Now, the company is in the process of swapping out the engines ahead of Crew-1, which is tentatively set for November 14th at 7:49PM ET. “Two, three days is roughly what you need to take it out,” Koenigsmann said regarding the engine swap. “And then another two, three days to put it back in again.”
SpaceX says it’s working with the vendor to implement corrective actions
Ultimately, SpaceX won’t fly Crew-1 until a few days after the company launches a joint European and American satellite called Sentinel-6, which is designed to map the world’s oceans. SpaceX found an affected engine on the Falcon 9 rocket for that flight and had to swap it out, too. NASA wants to see how that launch goes first before it makes the final decision about flying its astronauts on SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The Sentinel-6 launch is currently slated for November 10th out of California.
Meanwhile, the four astronauts assigned to Crew-1 have started their quarantine process, staying mostly at home with their families before heading into a stricter quarantine two weeks ahead of flight. NASA has also been keeping them informed about the engine swap and all the details leading up to launch. “They’ve been in a lot of the telecoms and listening to what’s going on with the vehicles,” Steve Stich, the program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said during the press conference. “We have a little bit more work to do on this engine and offline... but I think we see a pretty good path to get to flight and we’ll fly when we’re ready.”


theverge--2020-10-28--Verizon’s Yahoo zombie appears again as a purple phone

While the ascendant Yahoo of the 1990s now only lives in our memories , its name and branding continue to shamble on zombie-like to its owner Verizon ’ s other products — this time , the ZTE Blade A3Y , an exclusive phone for Yahoo Mobile bearing its namesake company ’ s familiar shade of purple .
Besides its burst of color , ZTE ’ s 5.4-inch 720p phone mostly flashes its Yahoo heritage on your homescreen , with a crowded collection of helpful pre-installed Yahoo apps like the ad-free Yahoo Mail Pro ( yes , Yahoo Mail normally features @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News .
The purple back of the phone features a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device , an 8MP camera , and a removable back plate for accessing the phone ’ s battery .
For charging that battery , there ’ s a USB-C port at the bottom of the phone .
The Blade ships with Android 10 , powered by a lower-end MediaTek quad-core 2.0GHz processor and 2GB of RAM .
The phone won ’ t be surprising anyone with speed , and storage is also minimal , starting at 32GB and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ card .
With those lower cost , less exciting parts , the Blade hits a budget friendly price of $ 49.99 .
Yahoo Mobile joined Visible as Verizon ’ s other MVNO in March and features the same $ 40 per month unlimited ( in name ) plan .
This is the carrier ’ s first exclusive phone since its launch early this year , and in its own way , it perfectly captures the diminished state of Yahoo in 2020 .
A branded budget phone is just the most recent entry in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services titan to name Verizon slaps on things .
The telecom giant purchased the branding , email service and ad technology of the company in 2016 , prompting the remaining search engine , forums and blog parts of the business to attempt to rebrand as Altaba .
Verizon would later combine Yahoo with AOL to create Oath , which after several data breaches and privacy issues led to a writedown of the carrier ’ s purchase of the two companies and a further rebrand to Verizon Media .
All these moves pale in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the first places many people visited on the web and a dominant search engine in a time before Google .
ZTE ’ s Blade A3Y isn ’ t the old Yahoo , and really only features its color , but it ’ s fun to remember what was .
The phone is available today for the introductory price of $ 49 at Yahoo Mobile .

While the ascendant Yahoo of the 1990s now only lives in our memories, its name and branding continue to shamble on zombie-like to its owner Verizon’s other products — this time, the ZTE Blade A3Y, an exclusive phone for Yahoo Mobile bearing its namesake company’s familiar shade of purple.
Besides its burst of color, ZTE’s 5.4-inch 720p phone mostly flashes its Yahoo heritage on your homescreen, with a crowded collection of bloatware helpful pre-installed Yahoo apps like the ad-free Yahoo Mail Pro (yes, Yahoo Mail normally features ads), Yahoo Weather and Yahoo News. The purple back of the phone features a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device, an 8MP camera, and a removable back plate for accessing the phone’s battery. For charging that battery, there’s a USB-C port at the bottom of the phone.
The Blade ships with Android 10, powered by a lower-end MediaTek quad-core 2.0GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. The phone won’t be surprising anyone with speed, and storage is also minimal, starting at 32GB and expandable up to 2TB with a microSD card. With those lower cost, less exciting parts, the Blade hits a budget friendly price of $49.99.
Yahoo Mobile joined Visible as Verizon’s other MVNO in March and features the same $40 per month unlimited (in name) plan. This is the carrier’s first exclusive phone since its launch early this year, and in its own way, it perfectly captures the diminished state of Yahoo in 2020.
Yahoo-oo


theverge--2020-10-28--First iPhone 12 mini hands-on video shows just how tiny it is

After launching two identically sized phones — the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro — last week , Apple will next start taking preorders for the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max on November 6th .
But you won ’ t have to wait until then to get a sense of just how “ mini ” this year ’ s smallest iPhone is .
A hands-on video running over 40 minutes in length was posted to YouTube by George Buhnici , only to be removed for unclear reasons and then republished by 9to5Mac .
And yep , next to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downright tiny .
This is the first real-world look at the iPhone 12 mini , which has a 5.4-inch screen , but in the more modern notched-display design first introduced with the iPhone 12 .
That means you wo n't have to deal with the bezels ( and wasted space ) of something like the second-generation iPhone SE .
The iPhone 12 mini will start at $ 699 , which is $ 100 less than the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 .
This year ’ s iPhone lineup offers three significantly different phone sizes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve got the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and 12 Pro — smaller than the iPhone 11 and ever-so-slightly bigger than the 11 Pro — joined by the 12 Pro Max for those who prefer giant phones and the 12 mini for people who prioritize one-handed comfort .
Aside from its smaller display and battery , the iPhone 12 matches the specs of the standard iPhone 12 .
Preorders for the mini kick off on November 6th , and it ’ ll go on sale on November 13th .

After launching two identically sized phones — the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro — last week, Apple will next start taking preorders for the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max on November 6th. But you won’t have to wait until then to get a sense of just how “mini” this year’s smallest iPhone is. A hands-on video running over 40 minutes in length was posted to YouTube by George Buhnici, only to be removed for unclear reasons and then republished by 9to5Mac. And yep, next to the iPhone 12, it’s downright tiny.
Image: George Buhnici (YouTube)
This is the first real-world look at the iPhone 12 mini, which has a 5.4-inch screen, but in the more modern notched-display design first introduced with the iPhone 12. That means you won't have to deal with the bezels (and wasted space) of something like the second-generation iPhone SE. The iPhone 12 mini will start at $699, which is $100 less than the 6.1-inch iPhone 12.
This year’s iPhone lineup offers three significantly different phone sizes in a single product cycle. You’ve got the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and 12 Pro — smaller than the iPhone 11 and ever-so-slightly bigger than the 11 Pro — joined by the 12 Pro Max for those who prefer giant phones and the 12 mini for people who prioritize one-handed comfort. Aside from its smaller display and battery, the iPhone 12 matches the specs of the standard iPhone 12.


theverge--2020-10-28--3Doodler Pro Plus is a refined version of the 3D-printing pen

3Doodler ’ s 3D-printing pens cover a wide range of potential uses , from preschool art projects to high-end professional model making .
With the Pro Plus , 3Doodler is attempting to refine that professional offering , changing up how you adjust settings while drawing in 3D and offering more materials in more shapes and sizes to work with .
The Pro Plus is an upgraded version of the 3Doodler Pro , and it carries over a lot of its visual design .
When we covered that last version , we noted its streamlined look and more granular controls but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would escape the “ toy ” association it gained with its other pens .
The Pro Plus keeps a lot of what worked with the previous Pro , while slimming down the device by 50 percent and providing improved performance .
These changes don ’ t come without some potential trade-offs for previous Pro owners who are considering the upgrade , however .
The pen loses the physical dials for adjusting settings on the Pro in exchange for buttons next to its digital display , featuring 10 possible temperatures and seven possible speeds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buttons make the device simpler , but being forced to click through a menu , rather than just setting a dial to what you want seems like it might take longer .
The back plate of the Pro Plus is magnetic and can be removed to access the inside of the pen for maintenance .
The device also ships with six different pen tip nozzles to extrude the filaments in different widths and shapes .
3Doodler claims to offer the widest variety of filaments in the industry : from traditional plastic to copper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wood .
The more unusual options are actually a mix of fibers of the various materials and the traditional plastic filament .
So while your project won ’ t be made from 100 percent wood , it should still smell and feel like the real thing .
The Pro Plus works with every type of filament the company sells except the “ eco-plastic ” offered with the Start and 3D Build & Play pens .
These Pro Plus changes might seem minor , but offering a better way to access the inside of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not just a professional one .
The larger question is whether professionals think it ’ s a worthwhile trade-off for losing those dial controls from the Pro .
The 3Doodler Pro Plus is available now for the same price as the previous version , $ 249.99 .

3Doodler’s 3D-printing pens cover a wide range of potential uses, from preschool art projects to high-end professional model making. With the Pro Plus, 3Doodler is attempting to refine that professional offering, changing up how you adjust settings while drawing in 3D and offering more materials in more shapes and sizes to work with.
The Pro Plus is an upgraded version of the 3Doodler Pro, and it carries over a lot of its visual design. When we covered that last version, we noted its streamlined look and more granular controls but were still left skeptical that the company would escape the “toy” association it gained with its other pens. The Pro Plus keeps a lot of what worked with the previous Pro, while slimming down the device by 50 percent and providing improved performance.
The dial controls of the previous 3Doodler Pro. Image: 3Doodler
These changes don’t come without some potential trade-offs for previous Pro owners who are considering the upgrade, however. The pen loses the physical dials for adjusting settings on the Pro in exchange for buttons next to its digital display, featuring 10 possible temperatures and seven possible speeds for feeding filament through the pen. Buttons make the device simpler, but being forced to click through a menu, rather than just setting a dial to what you want seems like it might take longer. The back plate of the Pro Plus is magnetic and can be removed to access the inside of the pen for maintenance. The device also ships with six different pen tip nozzles to extrude the filaments in different widths and shapes.
The removable magnetic back of the new Pro Plus. Image: 3Doodler
3Doodler claims to offer the widest variety of filaments in the industry: from traditional plastic to copper, bronze, nylon, and even wood. The more unusual options are actually a mix of fibers of the various materials and the traditional plastic filament. So while your project won’t be made from 100 percent wood, it should still smell and feel like the real thing. The Pro Plus works with every type of filament the company sells except the “eco-plastic” offered with the Start and 3D Build & Play pens.