theverge--2020-09-08--Samsung reportedly cutting off chip sales to Huawei

Samsung and SK Hynix will reportedly stop selling components to Huawei as the Trump administration tightens sanctions on the Chinese phone maker .
According to Chosun Ilbo and other Korean news outlets , the companies will suspend trade on September 15th , the day a new set of rules limits dealing with Huawei .
These sanctions were introduced in August , following a string of other restrictions implemented since last year .
They ban non-American companies from selling components that were developed with US technology unless these companies obtain special approval .
This poses a serious threat to Huawei , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to make its Kirin chipsets .
Conversely , Huawei ’ s business is valuable to many other companies , as it recently became the top-selling smartphone manufacturer .
Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC reportedly suspended sales to Huawei this May after an earlier round of restrictions .
Huawei called those rules “ arbitrary and pernicious.
” The Chinese government has funded a domestic semiconductor company called SMIC , which has been offered as an alternative supplier for Huawei .
But the Trump administration has also threatened sanctions against SMIC , leading the Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ blatant hegemony.
” Huawei has fewer and fewer options for sourcing parts for its phones , although American chipmaker Qualcomm has reportedly lobbied the Trump administration to lift restrictions and let it sell to Huawei .
The US government argues that Huawei infrastructure poses a national security threat and that Huawei has engaged in trade secret theft and violated sanctions against Iran .
It ’ s part of a larger trade war between China and the Trump administration — one that ’ s more recently focused on social media services like TikTok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Huawei bans could reshape the smartphone and chip market .

Samsung and SK Hynix will reportedly stop selling components to Huawei as the Trump administration tightens sanctions on the Chinese phone maker. According to Chosun Ilbo and other Korean news outlets, the companies will suspend trade on September 15th, the day a new set of rules limits dealing with Huawei.
These sanctions were introduced in August, following a string of other restrictions implemented since last year. They ban non-American companies from selling components that were developed with US technology unless these companies obtain special approval. This poses a serious threat to Huawei, which has said it may no longer be able to make its Kirin chipsets. Conversely, Huawei’s business is valuable to many other companies, as it recently became the top-selling smartphone manufacturer. Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC reportedly suspended sales to Huawei this May after an earlier round of restrictions. Huawei called those rules “arbitrary and pernicious.”
The Chinese government has funded a domestic semiconductor company called SMIC, which has been offered as an alternative supplier for Huawei. But the Trump administration has also threatened sanctions against SMIC, leading the Chinese Foreign Ministry to accuse the US of “blatant hegemony.” Huawei has fewer and fewer options for sourcing parts for its phones, although American chipmaker Qualcomm has reportedly lobbied the Trump administration to lift restrictions and let it sell to Huawei.


theverge--2020-09-08--Apple will seek damages from Epic Games for breach of App Store contract

Apple will seek damages against Epic Games for allegedly breaching its contract with the iOS App Store , in a new escalation of the two companies ’ ongoing legal fight .
The move came in a filing entered on Tuesday , alongside counterclaims for unjust enrichment and tortious interference with Apple ’ s relationship with its customers .
“ Actions were undertaken in good faith to advance legitimate business interests.
” “ Epic ’ s flagrant disregard for its contractual commitments and other misconduct has caused significant harm to Apple , ” the filing reads .
“ Left unchecked , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ existence of the iOS ecosystem and its tremendous value to consumers.
” Epic Games sued Apple in August , after the company ’ s hit game Fortnite was removed from the iOS App Store over the implementation of an unauthorized payment system .
The complaint , filed August 13th , alleges that Apple is violating antitrust law , using its total control over iOS to extract a commission for all software that passes through the App Store .
Apple ’ s filing comes in response to an exhaustive motion for a preliminary injunction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tuesday ’ s filing lays out a range of defenses against that motion .
Among other claims , Apple maintains there were legitimate business justifications for all of the actions it undertook , which would undercut a broader antitrust claim .
“ At all times , [ Apple ’ s ] conduct was reasonable and ... its actions were undertaken in good faith to advance legitimate business interests and had the effect of promoting , encouraging , and increasing competition , ” the complaint reads .
Apple declined to comment beyond the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temporary restraining order made it unlikely Fortnite will return to the iOS App Store in the immediate future .
The same ruling enjoined Apple from taking additional action against another developer account used by Epic to support the Unreal Engine .
Epic ’ s reply to Apple ’ s filing is due by September 18th , ahead of a full hearing on September 28th .

Apple will seek damages against Epic Games for allegedly breaching its contract with the iOS App Store, in a new escalation of the two companies’ ongoing legal fight. The move came in a filing entered on Tuesday, alongside counterclaims for unjust enrichment and tortious interference with Apple’s relationship with its customers.
“Actions were undertaken in good faith to advance legitimate business interests.”
“Epic’s flagrant disregard for its contractual commitments and other misconduct has caused significant harm to Apple,” the filing reads. “Left unchecked, Epic’s conduct threatens the very existence of the iOS ecosystem and its tremendous value to consumers.”
Epic Games sued Apple in August, after the company’s hit game Fortnite was removed from the iOS App Store over the implementation of an unauthorized payment system. The complaint, filed August 13th, alleges that Apple is violating antitrust law, using its total control over iOS to extract a commission for all software that passes through the App Store.
Apple’s filing comes in response to an exhaustive motion for a preliminary injunction, filed by Epic over the weekend. Tuesday’s filing lays out a range of defenses against that motion. Among other claims, Apple maintains there were legitimate business justifications for all of the actions it undertook, which would undercut a broader antitrust claim. “At all times, [Apple’s] conduct was reasonable and ... its actions were undertaken in good faith to advance legitimate business interests and had the effect of promoting, encouraging, and increasing competition,” the complaint reads.
Apple declined to comment beyond the filing.
A recent ruling on a temporary restraining order made it unlikely Fortnite will return to the iOS App Store in the immediate future. The same ruling enjoined Apple from taking additional action against another developer account used by Epic to support the Unreal Engine.


theverge--2020-09-08--Here’s how to view the Android 11 statue in AR

Google has officially announced Android 11 , and the new operating system is already rolling out to Pixel phones .
@ @ @ @ @ , Google has created a statue that you can view in augmented reality on any @ @ @ @ @ , Android ’ s VP of engineering , tweeted a picture of the virtual statue @ @ @ @ @ traditionally puts up a physical statue in Mountain View for each release — last year @ @ @ @ @ number 10 signed by the Android team .
The 11 is the first Android statue @ @ @ @ @ AR , which makes sense since COVID-19 has pumped the brakes on many people ’ @ @ @ @ @ comes with some fun effects as well — the Android logo will appear in various @ @ @ @ @ you view it , and there ’ s a recipe for red velvet cake on @ @ @ @ @ ’ re on an Android phone and want to check out the statue for yourself @ @ @ @ @ which Burke also tweeted .

Google has officially announced Android 11, and the new operating system is already rolling out to Pixel phones. In honor of the release, Google has created a statue that you can view in augmented reality on any Android phone. Dave Burke, Android’s VP of engineering, tweeted a picture of the virtual statue earlier this afternoon.
Android traditionally puts up a physical statue in Mountain View for each release — last year’s was a large number 10 signed by the Android team. The 11 is the first Android statue that’s entirely in AR, which makes sense since COVID-19 has pumped the brakes on many people’s travel plans. It comes with some fun effects as well — the Android logo will appear in various locations around the statue as you view it, and there’s a recipe for red velvet cake on the side.


theverge--2020-09-09--Xbox Series X launches on November 10th for $499

Microsoft is launching its Xbox Series X console on November 10th for $ 499 .
Preorders for the new console will begin on September 22nd , with the company also offering the Xbox Series X through its Xbox All Access program .
Xbox All Access is a bundle that splits the cost of an Xbox console , Xbox Game Pass Ultimate , and Xbox Live into monthly payments across 24 months .
The Xbox Series X will be available through Xbox All Access for $ 34.99 per month , including Xbox Game Pass Ultimate .
Microsoft is rapidly expanding its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the holiday season , and even bundling EA Play into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox All Access .
EA Play includes more than 60 of EA ’ s titles including games like FIFA 20 and Titanfall 2 .
Xbox All Access will now be available in 12 countries in time for both the Xbox Series X and S launches on November 10th .
Australia , Canada , Denmark , Finland , France , New Zealand , Norway , Poland , South Korea , Sweden , the UK , and the US will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holiday , with more markets to follow in 2021 .
The addition of EA Play to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is significant for both the Xbox Series X / S launches , and the company ’ s big push with Game Pass .
With the Halo Infinite delay , Microsoft has found ways to partner with Bungie for Destiny 2 on Game Pass and now EA for an even bigger library for subscribers .

Microsoft is launching its Xbox Series X console on November 10th for $499. Preorders for the new console will begin on September 22nd, with the company also offering the Xbox Series X through its Xbox All Access program. Xbox All Access is a bundle that splits the cost of an Xbox console, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and Xbox Live into monthly payments across 24 months.
The Xbox Series X will be available through Xbox All Access for $34.99 per month, including Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft is rapidly expanding its Xbox All Access program in time for the holiday season, and even bundling EA Play into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox All Access. EA Play includes more than 60 of EA’s titles including games like FIFA 20 and Titanfall 2.
Xbox All Access will now be available in 12 countries in time for both the Xbox Series X and S launches on November 10th. Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, the UK, and the US will all have Xbox All Access options this holiday, with more markets to follow in 2021.


theverge--2020-09-09--Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 review: an extravagant success

It ’ s a weird sort of relief to be reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 .
Depending on how you count , it ’ s either the second , third , or even fourth iteration of Samsung ’ s folding phone design .
The first was pulled from the market days before release because it was too fragile .
The second was the official release , but it was still surrounded by a fog of uncertainty .
The third was a different kind of phone , the Z Flip , where Samsung first tested some new screen and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re here , with the Z Fold 2 .
Through that persistent iteration , Samsung has achieved two things .
First , though I can ’ t really say it will be as durable as a normal phone , I do have a fair amount of faith that this Fold 2 won ’ t damage itself through normal use .
Second , it ’ s established the category itself , meaning I can spend a little less time meditating on the meaning and import of folding phones as a concept .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a device and tell you whether I think it ’ s any good instead of spending all of my time on questions of durability or whether the thing even deserves to exist in the first place .
And then , I can just provide a recommendation on whether to consider buying it .
Spoiler alert : no .
It ’ s $ 1,999 , which is way too much to spend on something like this phone unless you truly love extravagance .
It ’ s not worth the money , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new foundation for a category of device I expect to stick around for a long time .
Samsung didn ’ t radically change the formula for the Z Fold 2 .
It ’ s still a phone-shaped thing that unfolds vertically into a tablet-shaped thing .
There ’ s still a small gap between the two sides when it ’ s closed , which adds to the overall thickness of the device .
That means it ’ s still a strange object compared to most phones .
When closed , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ device — slightly thicker than two regular smartphones stacked and the same height as other oversized phones .
This oblong object is also very heavy , over 280 grams .
Put those two things together , and you ’ ll absolutely feel this thing in your pocket , assuming you can fit it in there .
Most of your time interacting with the Z Fold 2 will be with it open , though , where it ’ s a much more reasonable object .
It has a 7.6-inch display with minimal bezels and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Z Fold 2 feels quite natural to use , though it ’ s so dense that it can be tiring to hold after a while .
I found myself slightly bending the screen and holding it like a book sometimes .
There is , of course , an entirely different way to talk about the Z Fold 2 ’ s hardware : by discussing what Samsung has done to try to make it more rugged than the original .
Most of that work has gone into the hinge .
It now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and stability when opening it , which allows the device to hold itself up at different angles .
Samsung has also added tiny little elastic brushes on the inside to keep the interior mechanism clear .
There are also slightly different bits of plastic around the screen to minimize the size of the gap when closed — plus little nubbins to keep the two sides from clacking together too hard .
I won ’ t speak to whether those changes are enough , but a week in , I have had no issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will hold together better than the first or second Fold .
Overall , it just seems like Samsung has enforced tighter tolerances on all of the mechanical parts .
Everything is just a little less loosey-goosey than before .
Of course , because it has moving parts and gaps , water will surely damage the Z Fold 2 .
In terms of its shape , Z Fold 2 may still be an unfamiliar and slightly awkward object .
But it certainly feels well-made .
The other thing Samsung has done to improve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new Ultra Thin Glass for the screen instead of plastic .
Again , I won ’ t speak to whether it ’ s really any more durable than the first Fold ’ s plastic screen .
What I think it might do is add a little bit of rigidity to the feel of the screen under your finger .
I think it feels slightly less spongy , but make no mistake : what you ’ re touching is plastic .
The glass in the Z Fold 2 ’ s screen is just one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plastic layers beneath it and above it — and on the top is a plastic “ protective layer ” and then a factory-installed screen protector on the very top , where you will be doing your tapping and swiping .
It feels like plastic , in other words , and the screen protector can pick up dings , dents , and scratches as easily as any other screen protector .
Samsung says that you should not try to remove it yourself , but instead , go to a Samsung-approved dealer to have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of that , you still somehow damage the screen , Samsung is still offering a one-time $ 149 screen replacement .
Samsung also has its usual warning label about proper use and care on the wrapper and on one of the first setup screens .
Another thing to talk about with the inside display is the crease between the two sizes .
It is there , it is visible , and it is not a big deal .
You ’ ll see it when the light hits at certain angles , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll fade from your conscious view when you ’ re just using the Z Fold 2 .
The bigger upgrade is actually on the Z Fold 2 ’ s other screen : the cover display on the outside .
It stretches the full length of one side of the phone , making it officially a 6.2-inch display .
But it ’ s important to remember that that ’ s a diagonal measurement .
It has a whopping 25:9 aspect ratio , meaning it is very , very narrow .
The cover display ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for typing anything of significant length , though swipe typing works quite well .
But its taller size means that it ’ s no longer actively annoying to use the Z Fold 2 when closed .
Other than its size , there isn ’ t anything special about the cover display .
But there is one more special thing about the inner display : the variable refresh rate .
It can ratchet all the way down to 11Hz to save battery life or all the way up to 120Hz to ensure scrolling and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avowed fan of high refresh rate screens , but I also have to admit that on most phones , they ’ re a luxury instead of a necessity .
On the Z Fold 2 , however , it ’ s vital .
It all but eliminates the dreaded “ jelly scroll effect.
” The Fold series can suffer from jelly scroll because its screen controllers are on the side instead of the bottom , which means one side of the screen can change its pixels just barely faster than the other side .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s vertically so you don ’ t notice when you scroll .
The high refresh rate on the Z Fold 2 reduces this effect so much that I never saw it unless I was specifically looking for it .
Samsung ’ s system for making Android work on two screens — one of which is more like a tablet than a phone — is both impressive and irritating .
It ’ s impressive because once you understand Samsung ’ s concepts for multitasking , there ’ s virtually no limit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s irritating because it ’ s Samsung ’ s system .
I don ’ t mean to denigrate the system Samsung created , but instead to note that it feels like an entirely different operating system on top of Android .
On its own , Android doesn ’ t have the pieces necessary to make a good tablet OS , so Samsung had to tack them on top .
Once you get past that annoyance , however , there is some elegance to what Samsung did here .
The core of Samsung @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custom app dock on the side and then dragging app icons to various regions on the screen to enable split screen , a three-up layout , or even floating windows .
Compared to last year , everything feels a little smoother and faster .
You can adjust the various sizes of your panels or drag apps between them by long-pressing an indicator at the top of each app .
My favorite feature is saving app pairs , which launches two ( or three ) apps automatically in a split-screen layout .
Unfortunately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Samsung ’ s dock , not the main home screen .
As before , you can start one activity on the outer screen and then open up the phone to continue it .
Samsung also lets you set a tablet layout at the system level , which means a few apps that have been specially coded to see it will give you a layout optimized for tablets with tabs or panes .
Yet more apps will do so when you turn the Z Fold 2 sideways .
You can also use the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something Samsung calls “ Flex mode.
” It splits some apps in two with different features on each half .
This is most effective in the camera , which shows big previews of your photos as you take them .
Otherwise , it ’ s a pretty minor gimmick , given how few apps do anything with it .
On the whole , I constantly found myself bouncing between being absolutely smitten with using the Z Fold 2 and being somewhat annoyed .
Lots of apps look great on the big screen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ games , maps , and so on .
When I ’ m using those , it ’ s great .
And similarly , having a split screen makes a lot of productivity tasks so much easier — I kept going back to the Gmail + Calendar combo — but then my window setup would disappear the next time I opened up the phone or an app would look silly on the big tablet display and crush that positive vibe .
The big screen is wonderful , the tablet experience needs work If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screen you can reasonably fit in your pocket , the Z Fold 2 provides that .
It ’ s great for watching videos and especially gaming .
Lots of the games I would stream from Microsoft ’ s Game Pass Ultimate or Google Stadia were designed to be played on laptop or TV screens , so having the Z Fold 2 ’ s tablet-sized screen made them a lot more usable than a smaller phone .
The Z Fold 2 has a whopping 12GB of RAM , which is more than enough to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them closing .
It ’ s plenty fast and has decent battery life .
Perhaps because I found myself using it more or perhaps because Qualcomm ’ s flagship Snapdragon 865 + X55 combo are battery hogs , I didn ’ t quite reach two days of uptime .
( I suspect it ’ s both . )
Storage is an unexpandable 256GB , which is okay .
But at two grand , I was disappointed it wasn ’ t at least 512GB .
One notable feature is the speaker setup : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they get very loud and sound quite good .
Samsung says you might be willing to leave your Bluetooth speaker behind , and while you might come close to a small speaker ’ s volume , the Z Fold 2 doesn ’ t offer that much bass .
Plus , when you ’ re holding it , you can easily cover them with your hands if you ’ re not paying attention .
Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 2 costs two grand , it seems as though Samsung still needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The place where that ’ s most obvious is the cameras .
There ’ s nothing especially wrong with any of the Z Fold 2 ’ s five cameras — but there ’ s not a big standout , either .
Both selfie cameras are 10 megapixels and sit within tiny hole punches in their respective displays .
The images they produce are totally acceptable but not noticeably better than you ’ d get on any other flagship phone .
I do enjoy using the Z Fold 2 as a videoconferencing phone by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ d have to split-screen another app to get the video windows in the right place .
As for the rear camera array , it consists of an ultrawide , a standard main lens , and a telephoto lens .
All three are 12 megapixels and are perfectly competent , but a half step behind what the latest flagship phones can do in both features and quality .
I am not knocking the Z Fold 2 ’ s cameras just because Samsung ’ s other 2020 flagships have higher megapixel counts or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do I care that this phone can ’ t do 8K video .
It ’ s just that when it comes to basic image quality , Samsung is still overzealous with brightening things up and with smoothing faces .
Samsung says it has a trick where the camera can zoom and pan on subjects automatically , but I never managed to get that to work reliably .
It has another trick that I did use and love : when taking a selfie , you can tap a button to use the good camera @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You unfold the device , use the cover display for framing , and get a much better selfie .
Using the Z Fold 2 , I could see myself pairing the device with a little Bluetooth keyboard out in the world or on a plane , living that cliched “ road warrior ” lifestyle .
( Heck , Google Docs is actually halfway decent on this screen when you put the device in landscape mode . )
But I don ’ t see myself heading out into the world that often for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would be hard to justify the asking price .
Samsung is committed to this form factor .
It has already hinted that an upcoming version of the Z Fold series will support an S Pen stylus .
The company seems so bullish that it seems likely that someday this kind of device could even supplant the Note line of phones .
Samsung has proven the concept , now it needs to work on the price That day is likely a long way off , though .
As refined and impressive as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s still fundamentally facing three major problems .
The first is that the materials for folding screens still make it too difficult to get a closed device that ’ s fully flat and thin .
The second is that Android isn ’ t doing Samsung any favors when it comes to making everything work on a tablet-sized screen .
Thirdly and most importantly : it ’ s two thousand bucks .
Phones that cost a tenth as much can still run the same apps and do the same basic functions .
Phones that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Z Fold 2 ’ s feature set in every way except screen size .
And depending on its reception , Microsoft ’ s impending $ 1,400 Surface Duo with its dual-screen setup could also drain away some interest from the Z Fold 2 .
And yet , with all of those things stacked against it , I still think the Z Fold 2 is pretty great .
I ’ d never recommend that anybody buy one , given the price .
But unlike the first Fold , when I say the Z @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people shouldn ’ t even consider , I also have to admit that big screen is genuinely luxurious .

It’s a weird sort of relief to be reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Depending on how you count, it’s either the second, third, or even fourth iteration of Samsung’s folding phone design. The first was pulled from the market days before release because it was too fragile. The second was the official release, but it was still surrounded by a fog of uncertainty. The third was a different kind of phone, the Z Flip, where Samsung first tested some new screen and hinge technologies. And finally, we’re here, with the Z Fold 2.
Through that persistent iteration, Samsung has achieved two things. First, though I can’t really say it will be as durable as a normal phone, I do have a fair amount of faith that this Fold 2 won’t damage itself through normal use. Second, it’s established the category itself, meaning I can spend a little less time meditating on the meaning and import of folding phones as a concept.
Instead, I can just talk about it as a device and tell you whether I think it’s any good instead of spending all of my time on questions of durability or whether the thing even deserves to exist in the first place. And then, I can just provide a recommendation on whether to consider buying it.
Spoiler alert: no. It’s $1,999, which is way too much to spend on something like this phone unless you truly love extravagance. It’s not worth the money, but it’s worth looking at as the new foundation for a category of device I expect to stick around for a long time.
7.5 Verge Score Samsung Z Fold 2 $ 1999.99 The Good Big, high refresh rate glass screen
Big, actually usable cover display
Improved, but not yet great, tablet interface The Bad Awkward form factor when closed
Expensive
Cameras are a step down from the Note 20 Ultra or Galaxy S20 $2000 at Samsung$2000 at Best Buy How we rate and review products
Z Fold 2 hardware
Samsung didn’t radically change the formula for the Z Fold 2. It’s still a phone-shaped thing that unfolds vertically into a tablet-shaped thing. There’s still a small gap between the two sides when it’s closed, which adds to the overall thickness of the device. That means it’s still a strange object compared to most phones.
When closed, it’s a tall, narrow, and thick device — slightly thicker than two regular smartphones stacked and the same height as other oversized phones. This oblong object is also very heavy, over 280 grams.
Put those two things together, and you’ll absolutely feel this thing in your pocket, assuming you can fit it in there. Most of your time interacting with the Z Fold 2 will be with it open, though, where it’s a much more reasonable object. It has a 7.6-inch display with minimal bezels and no notches.
As a little tablet, the Z Fold 2 feels quite natural to use, though it’s so dense that it can be tiring to hold after a while. I found myself slightly bending the screen and holding it like a book sometimes.
There is, of course, an entirely different way to talk about the Z Fold 2’s hardware: by discussing what Samsung has done to try to make it more rugged than the original.
Most of that work has gone into the hinge. It now uses eight cams to add more friction and stability when opening it, which allows the device to hold itself up at different angles. Samsung has also added tiny little elastic brushes on the inside to keep the interior mechanism clear. There are also slightly different bits of plastic around the screen to minimize the size of the gap when closed — plus little nubbins to keep the two sides from clacking together too hard.
I won’t speak to whether those changes are enough, but a week in, I have had no issue, and the device certainly feels like it will hold together better than the first or second Fold. Overall, it just seems like Samsung has enforced tighter tolerances on all of the mechanical parts. Everything is just a little less loosey-goosey than before. Of course, because it has moving parts and gaps, water will surely damage the Z Fold 2.
In terms of its shape, Z Fold 2 may still be an unfamiliar and slightly awkward object. But it certainly feels well-made.
Z Fold 2 screens
The other thing Samsung has done to improve reliability is use Samsung’s relatively new Ultra Thin Glass for the screen instead of plastic. Again, I won’t speak to whether it’s really any more durable than the first Fold’s plastic screen. What I think it might do is add a little bit of rigidity to the feel of the screen under your finger.
I think it feels slightly less spongy, but make no mistake: what you’re touching is plastic. The glass in the Z Fold 2’s screen is just one layer among five others. There are plastic layers beneath it and above it — and on the top is a plastic “protective layer” and then a factory-installed screen protector on the very top, where you will be doing your tapping and swiping.
It feels like plastic, in other words, and the screen protector can pick up dings, dents, and scratches as easily as any other screen protector. Samsung says that you should not try to remove it yourself, but instead, go to a Samsung-approved dealer to have a professional remove it.
If, after all of that, you still somehow damage the screen, Samsung is still offering a one-time $149 screen replacement. Samsung also has its usual warning label about proper use and care on the wrapper and on one of the first setup screens.
Another thing to talk about with the inside display is the crease between the two sizes. It is there, it is visible, and it is not a big deal. You’ll see it when the light hits at certain angles, but for the most part, it’ll fade from your conscious view when you’re just using the Z Fold 2.
The bigger upgrade is actually on the Z Fold 2’s other screen: the cover display on the outside. It stretches the full length of one side of the phone, making it officially a 6.2-inch display. But it’s important to remember that that’s a diagonal measurement. It has a whopping 25:9 aspect ratio, meaning it is very, very narrow.
The cover display’s narrowness means it’s uncomfortable for typing anything of significant length, though swipe typing works quite well. But its taller size means that it’s no longer actively annoying to use the Z Fold 2 when closed. Other than its size, there isn’t anything special about the cover display.
But there is one more special thing about the inner display: the variable refresh rate. It can ratchet all the way down to 11Hz to save battery life or all the way up to 120Hz to ensure scrolling and animations look smooth.
I am an avowed fan of high refresh rate screens, but I also have to admit that on most phones, they’re a luxury instead of a necessity. On the Z Fold 2, however, it’s vital. It all but eliminates the dreaded “jelly scroll effect.”
The Fold series can suffer from jelly scroll because its screen controllers are on the side instead of the bottom, which means one side of the screen can change its pixels just barely faster than the other side. All phones do this, but usually, it’s vertically so you don’t notice when you scroll. The high refresh rate on the Z Fold 2 reduces this effect so much that I never saw it unless I was specifically looking for it.
Z Fold 2 software, specs, and performance
Samsung’s system for making Android work on two screens — one of which is more like a tablet than a phone — is both impressive and irritating. It’s impressive because once you understand Samsung’s concepts for multitasking, there’s virtually no limit to what you can do.
It’s irritating because it’s Samsung’s system. I don’t mean to denigrate the system Samsung created, but instead to note that it feels like an entirely different operating system on top of Android. On its own, Android doesn’t have the pieces necessary to make a good tablet OS, so Samsung had to tack them on top.
Once you get past that annoyance, however, there is some elegance to what Samsung did here. The core of Samsung’s system is opening up a custom app dock on the side and then dragging app icons to various regions on the screen to enable split screen, a three-up layout, or even floating windows.
Compared to last year, everything feels a little smoother and faster. You can adjust the various sizes of your panels or drag apps between them by long-pressing an indicator at the top of each app.
My favorite feature is saving app pairs, which launches two (or three) apps automatically in a split-screen layout. Unfortunately, you can only save those app pairs in Samsung’s dock, not the main home screen.
As before, you can start one activity on the outer screen and then open up the phone to continue it. Samsung also lets you set a tablet layout at the system level, which means a few apps that have been specially coded to see it will give you a layout optimized for tablets with tabs or panes. Yet more apps will do so when you turn the Z Fold 2 sideways.
You can also use the screen folded at 90 degrees to enable something Samsung calls “Flex mode.” It splits some apps in two with different features on each half. This is most effective in the camera, which shows big previews of your photos as you take them. Otherwise, it’s a pretty minor gimmick, given how few apps do anything with it.
On the whole, I constantly found myself bouncing between being absolutely smitten with using the Z Fold 2 and being somewhat annoyed. Lots of apps look great on the big screen, including browsers, reading, video, games, maps, and so on. When I’m using those, it’s great. And similarly, having a split screen makes a lot of productivity tasks so much easier — I kept going back to the Gmail + Calendar combo — but then my window setup would disappear the next time I opened up the phone or an app would look silly on the big tablet display and crush that positive vibe.
The big screen is wonderful, the tablet experience needs work
If you’re just looking for the biggest screen you can reasonably fit in your pocket, the Z Fold 2 provides that. It’s great for watching videos and especially gaming. Lots of the games I would stream from Microsoft’s Game Pass Ultimate or Google Stadia were designed to be played on laptop or TV screens, so having the Z Fold 2’s tablet-sized screen made them a lot more usable than a smaller phone.
The Z Fold 2 has a whopping 12GB of RAM, which is more than enough to run multiple apps at once without any of them closing. It’s plenty fast and has decent battery life. Perhaps because I found myself using it more or perhaps because Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 + X55 combo are battery hogs, I didn’t quite reach two days of uptime. (I suspect it’s both.) Storage is an unexpandable 256GB, which is okay. But at two grand, I was disappointed it wasn’t at least 512GB.
One notable feature is the speaker setup: the Z Fold 2 has stereo speakers, and they get very loud and sound quite good. Samsung says you might be willing to leave your Bluetooth speaker behind, and while you might come close to a small speaker’s volume, the Z Fold 2 doesn’t offer that much bass. Plus, when you’re holding it, you can easily cover them with your hands if you’re not paying attention.
Z Fold 2 cameras
Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 2 costs two grand, it seems as though Samsung still needed to make some trade-offs for cost. The place where that’s most obvious is the cameras. There’s nothing especially wrong with any of the Z Fold 2’s five cameras — but there’s not a big standout, either.
Both selfie cameras are 10 megapixels and sit within tiny hole punches in their respective displays. The images they produce are totally acceptable but not noticeably better than you’d get on any other flagship phone. I do enjoy using the Z Fold 2 as a videoconferencing phone by propping one side up — though sometimes I’d have to split-screen another app to get the video windows in the right place.
As for the rear camera array, it consists of an ultrawide, a standard main lens, and a telephoto lens. All three are 12 megapixels and are perfectly competent, but a half step behind what the latest flagship phones can do in both features and quality.
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I am not knocking the Z Fold 2’s cameras just because Samsung’s other 2020 flagships have higher megapixel counts or even the periscope-style telephoto lenses, nor do I care that this phone can’t do 8K video. It’s just that when it comes to basic image quality, Samsung is still overzealous with brightening things up and with smoothing faces.
Samsung says it has a trick where the camera can zoom and pan on subjects automatically, but I never managed to get that to work reliably. It has another trick that I did use and love: when taking a selfie, you can tap a button to use the good camera instead of the little selfie camera. You unfold the device, use the cover display for framing, and get a much better selfie.
Using the Z Fold 2, I could see myself pairing the device with a little Bluetooth keyboard out in the world or on a plane, living that cliched “road warrior” lifestyle. (Heck, Google Docs is actually halfway decent on this screen when you put the device in landscape mode.) But I don’t see myself heading out into the world that often for a while. Even if I could, it would be hard to justify the asking price.
Samsung is committed to this form factor. It has already hinted that an upcoming version of the Z Fold series will support an S Pen stylus. The company seems so bullish that it seems likely that someday this kind of device could even supplant the Note line of phones.
Samsung has proven the concept, now it needs to work on the price
That day is likely a long way off, though. As refined and impressive as the Z Fold 2 is, it’s still fundamentally facing three major problems. The first is that the materials for folding screens still make it too difficult to get a closed device that’s fully flat and thin. The second is that Android isn’t doing Samsung any favors when it comes to making everything work on a tablet-sized screen.
Thirdly and most importantly: it’s two thousand bucks. Phones that cost a tenth as much can still run the same apps and do the same basic functions. Phones that cost half as much match or exceed the Z Fold 2’s feature set in every way except screen size. And depending on its reception, Microsoft’s impending $1,400 Surface Duo with its dual-screen setup could also drain away some interest from the Z Fold 2.
And yet, with all of those things stacked against it, I still think the Z Fold 2 is pretty great. I’d never recommend that anybody buy one, given the price. But unlike the first Fold, when I say the Z Fold 2 is an extravagant luxury most people shouldn’t even consider, I also have to admit that big screen is genuinely luxurious.
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theverge--2020-09-09--Amazon’s new Alexa partnership lets you link your AT&T number to turn your Echo into a phone

Amazon is rolling out a new partnership with AT & T today that will let customers link their phone numbers to their Alexa account , allowing them to both make and receive phone calls via their Alexa devices .
It ’ s an expansion of Amazon ’ s existing Alexa calling feature , which the company debuted in 2017 , that allowed Echo devices to call mobile numbers and landlines for free .
The difference here is that Amazon is working much more closely with AT & T , giving customers the opportunity to use their Echo devices in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regular AT & T phones .
Amazon has previously rolled out this feature overseas : Vodafone OneNumber customers in the UK and Germany and EE customers in the UK have already been able to take advantage of linking their mobile phone accounts .
But today ’ s announcement marks the debut of the feature in the United States .
Linking your AT & T account to your Alexa devices is simple : just head over to the Alexa app on your phone , go to settings , select the communication sub-menu , hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then just follow the instructions .
Once you ’ ve linked your account , you ’ ll be able to dial numbers through commands like “ Alexa , call Mom ” or by dictating the specific number .
You ’ ll also receive incoming calls on your Alexa , complete with caller ID and voice commands like “ Alexa , answer.
” Calls can also be snoozed by activating Amazon ’ s existing Away Mode .
They can also be toggled on or off for specific times of the day using Alexa Routines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your Alexa device to only ring during daylight hours so that you aren ’ t woken up by telemarketers at 3AM .

Amazon is rolling out a new partnership with AT&T today that will let customers link their phone numbers to their Alexa account, allowing them to both make and receive phone calls via their Alexa devices.
It’s an expansion of Amazon’s existing Alexa calling feature, which the company debuted in 2017, that allowed Echo devices to call mobile numbers and landlines for free. The difference here is that Amazon is working much more closely with AT&T, giving customers the opportunity to use their Echo devices in the same way they’d use their regular AT&T phones.
Amazon has previously rolled out this feature overseas: Vodafone OneNumber customers in the UK and Germany and EE customers in the UK have already been able to take advantage of linking their mobile phone accounts. But today’s announcement marks the debut of the feature in the United States.
Linking your AT&T account to your Alexa devices is simple: just head over to the Alexa app on your phone, go to settings, select the communication sub-menu, hit the AT&T button, and then just follow the instructions. Once you’ve linked your account, you’ll be able to dial numbers through commands like “Alexa, call Mom” or by dictating the specific number. You’ll also receive incoming calls on your Alexa, complete with caller ID and voice commands like “Alexa, answer.”


theverge--2020-09-09--What’s on your desk, Kaitlin Hatton?

What’s on your desk, Kaitlin Hatton?

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Like many businesses , the staff of The Verge has largely decamped to our homes .
Starting in early March , we packed up our laptops and headphones , and we are now working from home offices , dining room tables , desks set up in the corners of bedrooms , or living room sofas .
We thought it would be fun to find out , six months later , what adjustments the staff has made to their various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to turn out the same journalism that was formerly produced in an office setting .
For this article , we talked to Verge social media manager Kaitlin Hatton .
Kaitlin , what does a social media manager do , actually ?
I handle everything from analytics to posting across all of our platforms , with a bunch of responsibilities in between .
I tend to focus in on our Instagram accounts and our Verge Deals Twitter account , so if you ’ ve ever wondered who is behind the screen for those profiles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the photos of your desk , I have to tell you that ’ s a great space .
Was that an existing setup or did you put it together once you knew you ’ d be working at home ?
Thank you !
The situation around my setup is unique in that it came about when I switched from being in Vox Media ’ s office full-time while I lived in New York City to going entirely remote and moving to Ohio .
I had always envisioned what I wanted my workspace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I wasn ’ t able to actually act on it until I moved .
So everything from the setup to relocating was a fresh start .
I love the view out your window .
The large windows are my favorite part of the apartment — especially since I ’ m home all the time now .
I spend a lot of time at my desk , and the natural light is a lifesaver .
Tell me a little about the desk .
Believe it or not , the desk is actually a Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tight budget from moving and trying to be eco-conscious with some of my furniture choices .
I made a pact with myself that I would try to find something that fits my needs and aesthetic secondhand first before buying new .
I ended up really lucking out on this desk because it was $ 25 , is incredibly spacious , and it ’ s been super sturdy .
That ’ s great .
It ’ s hard to find something that useful secondhand .
Is the chair secondhand as well ?
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a set of dining chairs that I purchased new .
I decided it was more comfortable than my previous desk chair so I swapped them out Do you think you ’ ll be looking around for a “ real ” desk chair ?
Or is this one comfortable enough to last you for a while ?
It ’ s actually pretty comfortable so I ’ m going to keep it around for a while !
Okay , can you tell me about your tech ?
Yes !
The most crucial items that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pro , my external Dell monitor , and the OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock that I use to connect them .
As a social media manager , I have to keep a lot of different websites and platforms up at all times so I ’ d be lost without a second screen .
Unfortunately , my laptop is about to be sent off for repair because it ’ s missing the H key .
It just popped off one day !
As a solution , I ’ m using another Apple keyboard and mouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the moment .
I also keep my AirPods and Kindle within close reach so I can just grab them as I move around the apartment throughout the day .
It ’ s interesting that you grab for your Kindle rather than your phone .
I wear an Apple Watch nearly every day , so unless I need to post to The Verge ’ s Instagram accounts , I tend to just leave my phone around since I ’ ll see texts coming in anyway .
I ’ m always reading books so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is around me in case I have some spare time to use it .
It ’ s ancient ; I ’ ve had it for years , but it ’ s still chugging along just fine .
And you knew I was going to ask : “ Is meatball an fruit ?
” Honestly , it ’ s one of the best things I own !
I ’ m a major Post Malone fan , for starters .
Then several acquaintances of mine in the social media management sphere were getting these plaques @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The only tweet I could think of that I wanted to look at every day was this one .
It ’ s truly iconic .
That ’ s a beautiful decoration on the back of your monitor .
What is it ?
Thanks !
It ’ s an embroidered coffin !
Halloween is my favorite holiday , and I refuse to limit my celebration of it to just October .
So I keep little , subtle holiday decorations up year-round .
I got this one from a local artist at an art @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lovely .
Okay , just two more questions .
First : is your desk always this neat ?
Ha !
Yes !
I like to call myself an accidental minimalist .
I unintentionally own relatively few things , so it ’ s easy for me to stay tidy .
Second : is there anything you ’ d like to change or add to the current setup ?
I ’ ve actually been thinking about that a lot recently .
I think I ’ d like to add some LED strip lights to my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light up the rest of my living room with a pretty color .
I ’ d also like to find a cable box to hide my mess of cords that are currently tucked in the corner behind me .
I ’ ve never been one for cable management until I put my desk out in the open .

Like many businesses, the staff of The Verge has largely decamped to our homes. Starting in early March, we packed up our laptops and headphones, and we are now working from home offices, dining room tables, desks set up in the corners of bedrooms, or living room sofas.
We thought it would be fun to find out, six months later, what adjustments the staff has made to their various living quarters in order to be able to turn out the same journalism that was formerly produced in an office setting.
For this article, we talked to Verge social media manager Kaitlin Hatton.
Kaitlin, what does a social media manager do, actually?
I handle everything from analytics to posting across all of our platforms, with a bunch of responsibilities in between. I tend to focus on our Instagram accounts and our Verge Deals Twitter account, so if you’ve ever wondered who is behind the screen for those profiles, that would be me!
Looking at the photos of your desk, I have to tell you that’s a great space. Was that an existing setup or did you put it together once you knew you’d be working at home?
Thank you! The situation around my setup is unique in that it came about when I switched from being in Vox Media’s office full-time while I lived in New York City to going entirely remote and moving to Ohio. I had always envisioned what I wanted my workspace to look like at home, but I wasn’t able to actually act on it until I moved. So everything from the setup to relocating was a fresh start.
I love the view out your window.
The large windows are my favorite part of the apartment — especially since I’m home all the time now. I spend a lot of time at my desk, and the natural light is a lifesaver.
Tell me a little about the desk.
Believe it or not, the desk is actually a Facebook Marketplace find. I was on a tight budget from moving and trying to be eco-conscious with some of my furniture choices. I made a pact with myself that I would try to find something that fits my needs and aesthetic secondhand first before buying new. I ended up really lucking out on this desk because it was $25, is incredibly spacious, and it’s been super sturdy.
That’s great. It’s hard to find something that useful secondhand. Is the chair secondhand as well?
It’s not! It’s from a set of dining chairs that I purchased new. I decided it was more comfortable than my previous desk chair so I swapped them out
Do you think you’ll be looking around for a “real” desk chair? Or is this one comfortable enough to last you for a while?
It’s actually pretty comfortable so I’m going to keep it around for a while!
Okay, can you tell me about your tech?
Yes! The most crucial items that I need for work are my 2017 MacBook Pro, my external Dell monitor, and the OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock that I use to connect them. As a social media manager, I have to keep a lot of different websites and platforms up at all times so I’d be lost without a second screen. Unfortunately, my laptop is about to be sent off for repair because it’s missing the H key. It just popped off one day! As a solution, I’m using another Apple keyboard and mouse so my desk is a little crowded at the moment. (Note: since this was written, Kaitlin reports that her H key has been fixed.)
I also keep my AirPods and Kindle within close reach so I can just grab them as I move around the apartment throughout the day.
OWC 14-Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock $ 299 Computer dock with 14 ports: USB-A, Thunderbolt 3, microSD, SD, Mini DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet, S/PDIF, audio I/O $299 at Amazon
It’s interesting that you grab for your Kindle rather than your phone.
I wear an Apple Watch nearly every day, so unless I need to post to The Verge’s Instagram accounts, I tend to just leave my phone around since I’ll see texts coming in anyway. I’m always reading books so I like to make sure my Kindle is around me in case I have some spare time to use it. It’s ancient; I’ve had it for years, but it’s still chugging along just fine.
And you knew I was going to ask: “Is meatball an fruit?”
Honestly, it’s one of the best things I own! I’m a major Post Malone fan, for starters. Then several acquaintances of mine in the social media management sphere were getting these plaques with their favorite inspirational tweets on them. The only tweet I could think of that I wanted to look at every day was this one. It’s truly iconic.
That’s a beautiful decoration on the back of your monitor. What is it?
Thanks! It’s an embroidered coffin! Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I refuse to limit my celebration of it to just October. So I keep little, subtle holiday decorations up year-round. I got this one from a local artist at an art fair last year.
It’s lovely. Okay, just two more questions. First: is your desk always this neat?
Ha! Yes! I like to call myself an accidental minimalist. I unintentionally own relatively few things, so it’s easy for me to stay tidy.
Second: is there anything you’d like to change or add to the current setup?
I’ve actually been thinking about that a lot recently. I think I’d like to add some LED strip lights to my desk in some way so I can light up the rest of my living room with a pretty color. I’d also like to find a cable box to hide my mess of cords that are currently tucked in the corner behind me. I’ve never been one for cable management until I put my desk out in the open.


theverge--2020-09-09--Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 7 is a showcase for AMD’s exceptional new processor

AMD has started a laptop revolution .
For evidence , just look to The Verge ’ s Instagram account .
“ No Ryzen no buy , ” reads the most-liked comment on a recent photo of the Intel-powered Lenovo Legion 5i .
“ If it ’ s INTEL no point of purchasing it , ” reads the second comment down .
There ’ s no doubt about it : the Ryzen 4000 series has brought exceptional performance to midrange ultraportable laptops — performance that previously cost an arm and a leg .
We saw the titanic Ryzen 9 4900HS rocket @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top of the portable gaming market .
U-series Ryzen chips brought unheard-of performance and value to HP ’ s Envy x360 and Acer ’ s Swift 3 .
So it ’ s safe to say that I expected Lenovo ’ s IdeaPad Slim 7 , which shows off the eight-core Ryzen 7 4800U , to be good .
The Slim 7 is not just good , it ’ s exceptional .
Sure , it ’ s not a perfect laptop — and it likely won ’ t be a bargain — but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 4800U offers is unlike anything we ’ ve ever seen .
A quick caveat : you can ’ t buy it in the US at this time .
It ’ s currently planned for the Netherlands , Germany , and Australia , but Lenovo hasn ’ t announced pricing yet .
So if you ’ re in those countries , or can ship one from abroad , keep an eye out .
If you ’ re elsewhere , this unit is a proof of concept for the moment .
US residents who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and don ’ t want to import a device can get the Slim 7 with an eight-core Ryzen 7 4700U for $ 899.99 — that model is linked below .
We ’ ve seen great results from that processor in the Acer Swift 3 .
There ’ s no Intel system in this category with eight cores and sixteen threads — systems with Intel ’ s closest counterpart , the six-core Core i7-10710U , are usually over $ 1,000 ( that ’ s Dell XPS 13 territory ) .
And the 15-watt 4800U @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen in any ultrabook or other ultraportable this year .
I absolutely piled tasks on : dozens upon dozens of Chrome tabs , Slack , Spotify , photo editing , Skype and Zoom calls , Google Sheets , and anything else my hodgepodge of office work required .
I left everything open as I went about my day .
Not only was there no slowdown , but I couldn ’ t even get the fans to spin up — I never heard them unless I put my ear to the deck .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under heavy loads like gaming , and the bottom of the chassis was occasionally warm but never uncomfortable .
The touchpad and wrist rests were always cold .
You can also play real games on this thing .
Of course , you won ’ t be running AAA titles on their highest settings .
But Overwatch ran at an average of 70fps on high and 46fps on ultra — the best performance I ’ ve ever seen from integrated graphics .
For context , the Dell XPS 13 with Intel ’ s Iris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the low 40s on ultra and low 50s on medium — and last year ’ s Razer Blade Stealth 13 with an MX150 discrete graphics card averaged mid-60s at medium .
Obviously , you wouldn ’ t buy the Slim as a serious gaming laptop , but running around the practice arena and blasting training bots was a great time , without a stutter in sight .
Our reviews generally leave extensive synthetic benchmarking to others — but the Slim 7 has been blowing Intel systems out of the water on those as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s H-series Core i9 in multi-threaded performance .
The one area the Slim 7 ran into trouble was video editing .
This is the second AMD system I ’ ve reviewed that hasn ’ t played nice with Adobe Premiere Pro — I wasn ’ t able to run our traditional export test using hardware acceleration without the system crashing .
Hopefully Lenovo will fix this issue at some point , but the system I received , as Lenovo sent it , would not be a good choice for video work ( and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a solution during my testing period ) .
Running the Adobe test ( which involves exporting a five-minute , 33-second 4K video ) without hardware acceleration took 51 minutes , which is faster than it took the six-core Envy x360 to complete the task , but it ’ s obviously too slow for practical use .
I ’ m not too worked up over any of this , though , because the dim 1080p screen will likely rule the Slim 7 out for creative professionals anyway .
The most impressive feature of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t even the performance .
It ’ s the battery life .
Running through the multitasking load that I described earlier , in battery saver mode at 200 nits of brightness , the Slim 7 lasted 13 and a half hours .
On the Better Battery profile , it lasted over 11 and a half hours .
Remember : I was not going easy on this thing — you ’ ll certainly get even more juice if you ’ re just clicking around a tab or two .
Those results were a game-changer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I got running the same load on the HP Envy x360 ( around eight hours ) , the Dell XPS 13 ( seven and a half hours ) , the Asus Zephyrus G14 ( almost nine hours ) , and even low-power stuff like Lenovo ’ s Chromebook Duet ( 11 and a half hours ) for which battery life is a major selling point .
I ’ ll be blunt — this is the longest battery life I ’ ve ever seen from a laptop .
It ’ s astonishing .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use , I still never needed to charge this thing during the day .
If I wasn ’ t constantly using it , I only needed to plug it in every other day or so .
You can bring this device on road trips , you can bring it on trains and planes , you can carry it around campus for a full day of classes , you can lounge around the office — you can fully embrace the single primary use case for a laptop of this form factor .
And you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 65-watt brick with you .
Since the Slim 7 charges with USB-C , you can use a charger for a MacBook , Nintendo Switch , or any number of modern devices in an emergency .
What ’ s impressive isn ’ t these metrics in a vacuum , though — it ’ s the small package they come in .
The Slim 7 is , as the name implies , slim , at 0.58 inches thick .
It weighs 3.1 pounds , which means it ’ s slightly heftier than other 14-inch ultraportables @ @ @ @ @ @ @ S940 — not to mention thin 13-inchers like the Envy x360 , the MacBook Air , and the Dell XPS 13 .
Of course , the Slim 7 is still far from a heavy device , and it ’ s no problem to carry around in a backpack or briefcase .
It ’ s remarkable to see such a combination of performance , cooling , and efficiency in this form factor .
Design-wise , the Slim 7 is a step up from some of the clunkier ThinkPads , but a non-enthusiast might struggle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Lenovo ’ s other offerings .
It ’ s an IdeaPad through and through .
It ’ s dark gray , it ’ s sturdy , and there ’ s a nice backlit keyboard .
It ’ s not beautiful , but it ’ s got a refined and professional aesthetic .
It feels well-made .
If the Slim 7 has a noteworthy weakness , it ’ s the display .
The 14-inch , 1920 x 1080 IPS panel is rated for 300 nits of brightness , but it only got up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s quite glossy ( it looks like it should be a touchscreen , but it ’ s not ) and kicked back a glare visible enough that I couldn ’ t stomach working outdoors for more than a few minutes .
I even saw some while working indoors during the day — I ended up turning off my lights to watch a video .
Lenovo isn ’ t offering any higher-resolution configurations , so you ’ ll need to look elsewhere if you ’ re doing creative work .
The brightness didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all , though .
What did hinder it was the 16:9 aspect ratio , which just feels really cramped for multitasking — especially if you ’ ve used a 16:10 or 3:2 display before .
I almost always had to zoom out if I was using multiple windows side by side , and I had to move the taskbar around to access all the buttons I needed in Premiere Pro .
You can also scale everything out in settings ( 150 percent is the recommended profile ) , which still makes everything a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Slim 7 is largely acceptable .
The speakers are not terrible ( which is a compliment — laptop speakers are usually terrible ) .
They have a nice surround quality to them ( there are speaker grilles on either side of the keyboard ) and I could actually hear the bass in songs .
The Slim also comes loaded with Dolby Atmos software , which allows you to shift between various presets : “ Detailed , ” “ Balanced , ” and “ Warm.
” The changes are subtle , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ port selection leaves little to be desired .
On the left are two USB-C ports , one HDMI , and one audio jack ; on the right , two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 and a microSD card slot .
Two notes : first , there ’ s no Thunderbolt 3 ( you ’ ll need an Intel system for that ) ; and second , both USB-C ports are on the same side , which gives you a bit less freedom when deciding where and how to plug it in .
That sounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nuisance when you ’ re using the thing every day .
The keyboard isn ’ t my favorite I ’ ve ever used , but it ’ s certainly fine .
It ’ s on the shallow side , but it has a decent click and it ’ s not too loud .
One hiccup was that a couple of the keys , including space and backspace , were actually squeaky .
Again , that may not be the biggest deal for some , but it ’ s worth considering how many times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and how many squeaks that means you ’ ll be hearing .
I feel similarly about the touchpad , which I measured at about 4.18 x 2.5 inches — it ’ s solid and gets the job done , but it requires a firmer press than some .
Finally , the Slim 7 comes with some crapware : I got occasional pop-ups from McAfee , so you may spend a couple minutes uninstalling stuff when you first pop it open .
( I actually do think one preloaded program , Glance by Mirametrix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeps an eye on where you ’ re looking and can do things like blur your display when you look away and warn you when someone is peeking at your screen .
It also sends you periodic reminders to rest your eyes ) .
There ’ s a world in which I give the IdeaPad Slim 7 a middling score .
I certainly have complaints — about the bloatware , the port placement , the keyboard , and the screen — but at the end of the day , I can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those things because what ’ s inside this laptop is a story that ’ s never been told before .
I wish I could go back to 2018 and tell people about this laptop .
I wish I could tell them that in just two years , there would be an eight-core , 16-thread laptop that was just over three pounds and half an inch thick .
Oh , and with integrated graphics , it can run Overwatch better than an entry-level GPU .
Oh , and it doesn ’ t cost $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be shocked .
And I think they ’ d be excited .
The Slim 7 goes beyond one laptop .
It ’ s proof of what an ultraportable can be .
Of course , other laptop makers will need to put in the work — they ’ ll need to figure out how to cool these chips — but now we know it can be done .

AMD has started a laptop revolution. For evidence, just look to The Verge’s Instagram account. “No Ryzen no buy,” reads the most-liked comment on a recent photo of the Intel-powered Lenovo Legion 5i. “If it’s INTEL no point of purchasing it,” reads the second comment down. There’s no doubt about it: the Ryzen 4000 series has brought exceptional performance to midrange ultraportable laptops — performance that previously cost an arm and a leg.
We saw the titanic Ryzen 9 4900HS rocket Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14 to the top of the portable gaming market. U-series Ryzen chips brought unheard-of performance and value to HP’s Envy x360 and Acer’s Swift 3. So it’s safe to say that I expected Lenovo’s IdeaPad Slim 7, which shows off the eight-core Ryzen 7 4800U, to be good.
The Slim 7 is not just good, it’s exceptional. Sure, it’s not a perfect laptop — and it likely won’t be a bargain — but the combination of performance and power efficiency that the 4800U offers is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
A quick caveat: you can’t buy it in the US at this time. It’s currently planned for the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia, but Lenovo hasn’t announced pricing yet. So if you’re in those countries, or can ship one from abroad, keep an eye out. If you’re elsewhere, this unit is a proof of concept for the moment. US residents who like what they’re seeing here and don’t want to import a device can get the Slim 7 with an eight-core Ryzen 7 4700U for $899.99 — that model is linked below. We’ve seen great results from that processor in the Acer Swift 3.
8.5 Verge Score Lenovo Ideapad Slim 7 $ 899.99 The Good Monstrous battery life
Slim and sturdy chassis
Top-of-class integrated graphics
Excellent performance for an ultraportable The Bad Keyboard sqeaks
Screen is dim (and 16:9)
Currently only sold in a few countries $900 at Lenovo How we rate and review products
There’s no Intel system in this category with eight cores and sixteen threads — systems with Intel’s closest counterpart, the six-core Core i7-10710U, are usually over $1,000 (that’s Dell XPS 13 territory). And the 15-watt 4800U delivered better performance than I’ve seen in any ultrabook or other ultraportable this year. I absolutely piled tasks on: dozens upon dozens of Chrome tabs, Slack, Spotify, photo editing, Skype and Zoom calls, Google Sheets, and anything else my hodgepodge of office work required. I left everything open as I went about my day.
Not only was there no slowdown, but I couldn’t even get the fans to spin up — I never heard them unless I put my ear to the deck. The center of the keyboard only got hot under heavy loads like gaming, and the bottom of the chassis was occasionally warm but never uncomfortable. The touchpad and wrist rests were always cold.
No Thunderbolt 3, but there is DisplayPort.
You can also play real games on this thing. Of course, you won’t be running AAA titles on their highest settings. But Overwatch ran at an average of 70fps on high and 46fps on ultra — the best performance I’ve ever seen from integrated graphics. For context, the Dell XPS 13 with Intel’s Iris Plus graphics ran the same game in the low 40s on ultra and low 50s on medium — and last year’s Razer Blade Stealth 13 with an MX150 discrete graphics card averaged mid-60s at medium. Obviously, you wouldn’t buy the Slim as a serious gaming laptop, but running around the practice arena and blasting training bots was a great time, without a stutter in sight.
Our reviews generally leave extensive synthetic benchmarking to others — but the Slim 7 has been blowing Intel systems out of the water on those as well and coming close to Intel’s H-series Core i9 in multi-threaded performance.
The one area the Slim 7 ran into trouble was video editing. This is the second AMD system I’ve reviewed that hasn’t played nice with Adobe Premiere Pro — I wasn’t able to run our traditional export test using hardware acceleration without the system crashing. Hopefully Lenovo will fix this issue at some point, but the system I received, as Lenovo sent it, would not be a good choice for video work (and Lenovo wasn’t able to offer a solution during my testing period).
Running the Adobe test (which involves exporting a five-minute, 33-second 4K video) without hardware acceleration took 51 minutes, which is faster than it took the six-core Envy x360 to complete the task, but it’s obviously too slow for practical use. I’m not too worked up over any of this, though, because the dim 1080p screen will likely rule the Slim 7 out for creative professionals anyway.
The most impressive feature of the Slim 7, though, isn’t even the performance. It’s the battery life.
The IdeaPad comes in “slate grey” and “orchid.”
Running through the multitasking load that I described earlier, in battery saver mode at 200 nits of brightness, the Slim 7 lasted 13 and a half hours. On the Better Battery profile, it lasted over 11 and a half hours. Remember: I was not going easy on this thing — you’ll certainly get even more juice if you’re just clicking around a tab or two.
Those results were a game-changer. They’re miles better than I got running the same load on the HP Envy x360 (around eight hours), the Dell XPS 13 (seven and a half hours), the Asus Zephyrus G14 (almost nine hours), and even low-power stuff like Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet (11 and a half hours) for which battery life is a major selling point. I’ll be blunt — this is the longest battery life I’ve ever seen from a laptop. It’s astonishing.
To put that in context: with constant use, I still never needed to charge this thing during the day. If I wasn’t constantly using it, I only needed to plug it in every other day or so. You can bring this device on road trips, you can bring it on trains and planes, you can carry it around campus for a full day of classes, you can lounge around the office — you can fully embrace the single primary use case for a laptop of this form factor. And you may not even need to bring the 65-watt brick with you. Since the Slim 7 charges with USB-C, you can use a charger for a MacBook, Nintendo Switch, or any number of modern devices in an emergency.
You can fold the laptop flat but not all the way around.
What’s impressive isn’t these metrics in a vacuum, though — it’s the small package they come in. The Slim 7 is, as the name implies, slim, at 0.58 inches thick. It weighs 3.1 pounds, which means it’s slightly heftier than other 14-inch ultraportables like the IdeaPad 5 and the IdeaPad S940 — not to mention thin 13-inchers like the Envy x360, the MacBook Air, and the Dell XPS 13. Of course, the Slim 7 is still far from a heavy device, and it’s no problem to carry around in a backpack or briefcase. It’s remarkable to see such a combination of performance, cooling, and efficiency in this form factor.
Design-wise, the Slim 7 is a step up from some of the clunkier ThinkPads, but a non-enthusiast might struggle to pick it out of a line of Lenovo’s other offerings. It’s an IdeaPad through and through. It’s dark gray, it’s sturdy, and there’s a nice backlit keyboard. It’s not beautiful, but it’s got a refined and professional aesthetic. It feels well-made.
If the Slim 7 has a noteworthy weakness, it’s the display. The 14-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS panel is rated for 300 nits of brightness, but it only got up to 260 in my testing. It’s quite glossy (it looks like it should be a touchscreen, but it’s not) and kicked back a glare visible enough that I couldn’t stomach working outdoors for more than a few minutes. I even saw some while working indoors during the day — I ended up turning off my lights to watch a video. Lenovo isn’t offering any higher-resolution configurations, so you’ll need to look elsewhere if you’re doing creative work.
Agree to Continue: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them, since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate. To start using the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7, you’ll need to agree to the following: A request for your region, language, keyboard layout, and time zone
Windows 10 license agreement
Lenovo software privacy statement and limited warranty
PIN You can also say yes or no to the following: Wi-Fi
Microsoft account (can be bypassed if you stay offline)
Windows Hello facial recognition
Privacy settings (speech recognition, location, Find My Device, sharing diagnostic data, inking and typing, tailored experience, advertising ID)
Activity history
Sync an Android phone
OneDrive backup
Office 365
Cortana
Add a Lenovo ID profile
Receive email offers, discounts, and promotions from Lenovo
Allow Lenovo to share your email address with McAfee
Allow Lenovo to collect anonymous data That’s seven mandatory agreements and 19 optional agreements to use the IdeaPad Slim 7.
The brightness didn’t hinder my office work at all, though. What did hinder it was the 16:9 aspect ratio, which just feels really cramped for multitasking — especially if you’ve used a 16:10 or 3:2 display before. I almost always had to zoom out if I was using multiple windows side by side, and I had to move the taskbar around to access all the buttons I needed in Premiere Pro. You can also scale everything out in settings (150 percent is the recommended profile), which still makes everything a lot smaller.
In every other area, the Slim 7 is largely acceptable. The speakers are not terrible (which is a compliment — laptop speakers are usually terrible). They have a nice surround quality to them (there are speaker grilles on either side of the keyboard) and I could actually hear the bass in songs. The Slim also comes loaded with Dolby Atmos software, which allows you to shift between various presets: “Detailed,” “Balanced,” and “Warm.” The changes are subtle, but I did notice the difference.
There are some fun hotkeys, including one that pulls up a calculator and one that toggles airplane mode.
The port selection leaves little to be desired. On the left are two USB-C ports, one HDMI, and one audio jack; on the right, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 and a microSD card slot. Two notes: first, there’s no Thunderbolt 3 (you’ll need an Intel system for that); and second, both USB-C ports are on the same side, which gives you a bit less freedom when deciding where and how to plug it in. That sounds nitpicky, but it can be a nuisance when you’re using the thing every day.
The keyboard isn’t my favorite I’ve ever used, but it’s certainly fine. It’s on the shallow side, but it has a decent click and it’s not too loud. One hiccup was that a couple of the keys, including space and backspace, were actually squeaky. Again, that may not be the biggest deal for some, but it’s worth considering how many times per day you press space and backspace and how many squeaks that means you’ll be hearing. I feel similarly about the touchpad, which I measured at about 4.18 x 2.5 inches — it’s solid and gets the job done, but it requires a firmer press than some.
Finally, the Slim 7 comes with some crapware: I got occasional pop-ups from McAfee, so you may spend a couple minutes uninstalling stuff when you first pop it open. (I actually do think one preloaded program, Glance by Mirametrix, is kind of interesting — it keeps an eye on where you’re looking and can do things like blur your display when you look away and warn you when someone is peeking at your screen. It also sends you periodic reminders to rest your eyes).
There’s a world in which I give the IdeaPad Slim 7 a middling score. I certainly have complaints — about the bloatware, the port placement, the keyboard, and the screen — but at the end of the day, I can’t bring myself to care about any of those things because what’s inside this laptop is a story that’s never been told before.
I wish I could go back to 2018 and tell people about this laptop. I wish I could tell them that in just two years, there would be an eight-core, 16-thread laptop that was just over three pounds and half an inch thick. Oh, and with integrated graphics, it can run Overwatch better than an entry-level GPU. Oh, and it doesn’t cost $2,000. I think they’d be shocked. And I think they’d be excited.
The Slim 7 goes beyond one laptop. It’s proof of what an ultraportable can be. Of course, other laptop makers will need to put in the work — they’ll need to figure out how to cool these chips — but now we know it can be done.


theverge--2020-09-09--Viral video reimagining Fresh Prince as a drama is becoming an actual show

Classic 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is being rebooted as a drama for streaming service Peacock , its original star Will Smith has announced on YouTube .
The new version , titled Bel-Air , is based on a viral trailer released last year which was a dramatic reimagining of Will ’ s journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the mansions of Bel-Air .
The series is coming in 2021 , according to its announcement video .
Deadline reports that Bel-Air became the focus of a bidding war last month , with Netflix and Peacock emerging as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two seasons of the reboot , in a deal that Will Smith called “ unprecedented.
” “ I ’ ve been in this business for thirty years and that does not happen , ” Smith said .
The Bel-Air trailer has amassed over six million views on YouTube since its release in March last year .
Morgan Cooper , who wrote and directed last year ’ s trailer , will co-write and direct Bel-Air , which NBC Universal is billing as a “ one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90 ’ s sitcom.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Wire and The Man in the High Castle is attached as a showrunner , and will co-write the show with Cooper as well as serving as an executive producer alongside Will Smith .
The Fresh Pirnce of Bel-Air is not the only show that Peacock has plans to revive , according to Variety .
Reboots of Battlestar Galactica and Queer as Folk are in development , alongside a sequel to Saved by the Bell .
Meanwhile HBO Max , where the original Fresh Prince series exclusively streams , has announced plans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ original sitcom around Thanksgiving .

Classic 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is being rebooted as a drama for streaming service Peacock, its original star Will Smith has announced on YouTube. The new version, titled Bel-Air, is based on a viral trailer released last year which was a dramatic reimagining of Will’s journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the mansions of Bel-Air. The series is coming in 2021, according to its announcement video.
Deadline reports that Bel-Air became the focus of a bidding war last month, with Netflix and Peacock emerging as the two frontrunners. Peacock has ordered two seasons of the reboot, in a deal that Will Smith called “unprecedented.”
“I’ve been in this business for thirty years and that does not happen,” Smith said. The Bel-Air trailer has amassed over six million views on YouTube since its release in March last year.
Morgan Cooper, who wrote and directed last year’s trailer, will co-write and direct Bel-Air, which NBC Universal is billing as a “one-hour dramatic analogue of the 90’s sitcom.” Chris Collins, who previously worked on The Wire and The Man in the High Castle is attached as a showrunner, and will co-write the show with Cooper as well as serving as an executive producer alongside Will Smith.


theverge--2020-09-09--Yubico’s new USB-C security key with NFC could be the one key to unlock them all

Yubico is announcing a new version of its USB-C equipped YubiKey 5 security key with NFC built in , which should theoretically be a convenient combo and compatible with many future devices moving forward .
Previously , YubiKey offered the YubiKey 5 series in your choice of USB-A ; USB-A and NFC ; USB-C ; and USB-C and Lightning .
But with the new YubiKey 5C NFC that ’ s being announced today , you no longer have to pick between being able to plug your key into a USB-C port or the convenience of NFC authentication , which lets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ device — you can now buy a key that offers both .
Hardware-based keys offer an extra layer of account security by requiring that you either plug in the key or tap it to your device when you ’ re trying to log in .
That makes them a good alternative to text message-based two-factor authentication , which can be intercepted by hackers more easily than things like security keys or codes from an authenticator app like Authy .
The YubiKey 5C NFC is available today and costs $ 55 , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5C , and Yubico says it supports iOS , Android , Windows , macOS and Linux .
And if you do invest in a security key , check out our guide about how to use it .

Yubico is announcing a new version of its USB-C equipped YubiKey 5 security key with NFC built in, which should theoretically be a convenient combo and compatible with many future devices moving forward.
Previously, YubiKey offered the YubiKey 5 series in your choice of USB-A; USB-A and NFC; USB-C; and USB-C and Lightning. But with the new YubiKey 5C NFC that’s being announced today, you no longer have to pick between being able to plug your key into a USB-C port or the convenience of NFC authentication, which lets you just tap your key on your device — you can now buy a key that offers both.
Hardware-based keys offer extra layer of account security
Hardware-based keys offer an extra layer of account security by requiring that you either plug in the key or tap it to your device when you’re trying to log in. That makes them a good alternative to text message-based two-factor authentication, which can be intercepted by hackers more easily than things like security keys or codes from an authenticator app like Authy.


theverge--2020-09-09--2020 is set to mark the end of the hottest 5-year period on record

2020 is on track to be a hell of a year for yet another reason : it will close out the hottest five-year period in recorded history , according to a new report .
The average global temperature for that five-year period was 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures .
Even a degree of change has dire consequences .
Even a degree of change has dire consequences .
World leaders that have signed onto the Paris climate agreement are working to keep the planet from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to avoid catastrophic damage .
But they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the report reaffirms .
The new report released today by the World Meteorological Association and other United Nations agencies breaks down how climate change has steadily worsened despite COVID-19 disrupting business as usual this year .
To make things worse , the pandemic has made it harder for scientists to document the ways our planet is transforming as a result of climate change .
“ This has been an unprecedented year for people and planet .
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives worldwide .
At the same time , the heating of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement .
“ We must turn the recovery from the pandemic into a real opportunity to build a better future.
” Changes will push people , animals , and plants to adapt , move , or simply disappear Between now and 2024 , there ’ s a 24 percent chance of at least one year surpassing the crucial 1.5 degree threshold , according to the report .
When global temperatures start hitting that mark year after year , scientists predict that up to 7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shift to an entirely new biome .
More forests could give way to grasslands , like they have across Africa ’ s Sahel , and shrublands may creep farther onto the Arctic tundra .
Those changes will push people , animals , and plants to adapt , move , or simply disappear from the places they ’ ve called home .
But it ’ s still a best case scenario .
Future generations will see the world warm up by about 3 degrees Celsius by 2100 if we only stick to the climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To keep from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius , a target set in the Paris Agreement , greenhouse gas emissions need to drop by about 7 percent every year .
The good news is that we have a good shot of seeing that reduction this year .
The bad news is that it took a pandemic to cut emissions that drastically , and businesses opening back up have already pushed pollution levels close to where they were at before COVID-19 struck .
It will take serious action to intentionally bring down planet-heating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thereafter .
Researchers had to find creative ways of gathering data .
The pandemic also threw a huge wrench in efforts to gather data on weather and climate .
As flights were grounded and travel restrictions went into effect , weather observations made by aircraft dropped an astonishing 75 to 80 percent in March and April of this year , making forecasts and weather models less reliable .
Aircraft reports can give scientists information on temperature , wind , humidity , and turbulence , according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse in the tropics and southern hemisphere , where the drop in information reached 90 percent .
Almost every oceanographic research vessel was called back to its home port in March .
Some ocean buoys and other equipment collecting data failed because people couldn ’ t get to them to perform maintenance .
And it was impossible for researchers to take manual measurements at field sites while they were working remotely .
As a result , researchers had to find creative ways of gathering data .
To make up for all the flights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more heavily on satellite data and deployed more radiosondes — instruments that have hitched rides on weather balloons in the US since the 1930s .
Ocean researchers hurriedly deployed autonomous instruments to take observations before ending their teams ’ missions early .
long-term consequences to the dearth in data “ Overnight , our vessel transformed from a research ship observing a decade ’ s worth of ocean changes , into a simple express steam home , ” Leticia Barbero , who was chief scientist aboard the oceanographic research vessel Ronald H. Brown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scientists are still scrambling to figure out how to keep tabs on the changing climate as the pandemic continues .
There could be long-term consequences to the dearth in data , the report warns .
Gaps in data could make historical timelines incomplete and muddle our understanding of how quickly human beings are making our planet a more precarious place to live .

2020 is on track to be a hell of a year for yet another reason: it will close out the hottest five-year period in recorded history, according to a new report. The average global temperature for that five-year period was 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.
Even a degree of change has dire consequences.
Even a degree of change has dire consequences. World leaders that have signed onto the Paris climate agreement are working to keep the planet from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to avoid catastrophic damage. But they are nowhere near meeting that goal, the report reaffirms.
The new report released today by the World Meteorological Association and other United Nations agencies breaks down how climate change has steadily worsened despite COVID-19 disrupting business as usual this year. To make things worse, the pandemic has made it harder for scientists to document the ways our planet is transforming as a result of climate change.
“This has been an unprecedented year for people and planet. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives worldwide. At the same time, the heating of our planet and climate disruption has continued apace,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. “We must turn the recovery from the pandemic into a real opportunity to build a better future.”
Changes will push people, animals, and plants to adapt, move, or simply disappear
Between now and 2024, there’s a 24 percent chance of at least one year surpassing the crucial 1.5 degree threshold, according to the report. When global temperatures start hitting that mark year after year, scientists predict that up to 7 percent of Earth’s ecosystems will shift to an entirely new biome. More forests could give way to grasslands, like they have across Africa’s Sahel, and shrublands may creep farther onto the Arctic tundra.
Those changes will push people, animals, and plants to adapt, move, or simply disappear from the places they’ve called home. But it’s still a best case scenario. Future generations will see the world warm up by about 3 degrees Celsius by 2100 if we only stick to the climate policies that have already been set.
To keep from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, a target set in the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions need to drop by about 7 percent every year. The good news is that we have a good shot of seeing that reduction this year. The bad news is that it took a pandemic to cut emissions that drastically, and businesses opening back up have already pushed pollution levels close to where they were at before COVID-19 struck. It will take serious action to intentionally bring down planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions next year, and thereafter.
Researchers had to find creative ways of gathering data.
The pandemic also threw a huge wrench in efforts to gather data on weather and climate. As flights were grounded and travel restrictions went into effect, weather observations made by aircraft dropped an astonishing 75 to 80 percent in March and April of this year, making forecasts and weather models less reliable. Aircraft reports can give scientists information on temperature, wind, humidity, and turbulence, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The loss of data was even worse in the tropics and southern hemisphere, where the drop in information reached 90 percent.
Almost every oceanographic research vessel was called back to its home port in March. Some ocean buoys and other equipment collecting data failed because people couldn’t get to them to perform maintenance. And it was impossible for researchers to take manual measurements at field sites while they were working remotely.
As a result, researchers had to find creative ways of gathering data. To make up for all the flights that have been grounded, they relied more heavily on satellite data and deployed more radiosondes — instruments that have hitched rides on weather balloons in the US since the 1930s. Ocean researchers hurriedly deployed autonomous instruments to take observations before ending their teams’ missions early.
long-term consequences to the dearth in data
“Overnight, our vessel transformed from a research ship observing a decade’s worth of ocean changes, into a simple express steam home,” Leticia Barbero, who was chief scientist aboard the oceanographic research vessel Ronald H. Brown, said in a June UNESCO statement.


theverge--2020-09-09--Making the $4,599 Gogoro Eeyo 1S electric bike more practical

The incredibly lightweight Eeyo 1S electric bike is certainly fun to ride , as I said in my review , but it ’ s not very practical for most city commuters .
Not only is it expensive at $ 4,599 , its unique diamond-frame design eschews both front and rear fenders — you can ’ t even buy them as accessories from Gogoro .
While the resulting look is sleek and desirable , it also means arriving at your destination splattered in road grime whenever it rains .
That problem was seen as an opportunity by Amsterdam-based designer Oski Collado @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s now built a set for the Eeyo 1 and 1S e-bikes that are ready to ship worldwide .
The lightweight Rain-Bow fenders are made of aluminum stays and plastic strips sourced from recycled materials .
The rear fender is priced at €55 ( about $ 65 ) and attaches firmly to the Eeyo ’ s frame at the preexisting mount points ( a sign that Gogoro is clearly thinking about future accessories ) .
The front and rear set is priced at €110 ( about $ 129 ) , although Collado @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually sell the front fender since it ’ s a bit of a hack .
Gogoro didn ’ t add mounting points on the front fork like it did in the back .
While it ’ s not obvious in the photos , the front Rain-Bow fender is held in place by a white tie wrap .
It works , blends in pretty well , and doesn ’ t rattle in my testing , but it ’ s hardly an elegant solution for this Smartwheel showpiece .
Fortunately , the Eeyo ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blocking much of the road spray kicked up by the front tire .
In other words , your pant leg and shoes won ’ t suffer too much without a front fender .
It ’ s the rear wheel that ’ s responsible for most of the mess when it rains .
You can avoid many rainstorms by simply waiting for them to pass , but streets can remain wet for hours .
Just look at all the sand and who-knows-what dried onto the back of my clothes after a recent 15-minute ride @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roads in Amsterdam .
It was worse than it looks : water was literally streaming down my ass crack as I arrived at my destination all because the bike lacked a basic rear fender .
I ’ ve had no such problems while testing the Rain-Bow .
Collado ’ s one-man show makes Rain-Bow fenders ( in 50mm or 35mm widths ) and accessories like chain guards for Cowboy e-bikes , classic Brompton foldables , and pretty much any other bike you bring to his Haarlem workshop .
He ’ ll even build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ design .
The Eeyo still lacks a kickstand solution , but at least it can now handle commutes in inclement weather .

The incredibly lightweight Eeyo 1S electric bike is certainly fun to ride, as I said in my review, but it’s not very practical for most city commuters. Not only is it expensive at $4,599, its unique diamond-frame design eschews both front and rear fenders — you can’t even buy them as accessories from Gogoro. While the resulting look is sleek and desirable, it also means arriving at your destination splattered in road grime whenever it rains.
That problem was seen as an opportunity by Amsterdam-based designer Oski Collado and his minimalistic Rain-Bow fenders. He’s now built a set for the Eeyo 1 and 1S e-bikes that are ready to ship worldwide. The lightweight Rain-Bow fenders are made of aluminum stays and plastic strips sourced from recycled materials.
The rear fender is priced at €55 (about $65) and attaches firmly to the Eeyo’s frame at the preexisting mount points (a sign that Gogoro is clearly thinking about future accessories). The front and rear set is priced at €110 (about $129), although Collado isn’t sure he’ll actually sell the front fender since it’s a bit of a hack.
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Gogoro didn’t add mounting points on the front fork like it did in the back. While it’s not obvious in the photos, the front Rain-Bow fender is held in place by a white tie wrap. It works, blends in pretty well, and doesn’t rattle in my testing, but it’s hardly an elegant solution for this Smartwheel showpiece. Fortunately, the Eeyo’s frame does a reasonably good job of blocking much of the road spray kicked up by the front tire. In other words, your pant leg and shoes won’t suffer too much without a front fender.
It’s the rear wheel that’s responsible for most of the mess when it rains. You can avoid many rainstorms by simply waiting for them to pass, but streets can remain wet for hours.
Dried road filth washed up by a wet, fenderless tire. Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
Just look at all the sand and who-knows-what dried onto the back of my clothes after a recent 15-minute ride on the Eeyo 1S over moderately wet roads in Amsterdam. It was worse than it looks: water was literally streaming down my ass crack as I arrived at my destination all because the bike lacked a basic rear fender. I’ve had no such problems while testing the Rain-Bow.
Collado’s one-man show makes Rain-Bow fenders (in 50mm or 35mm widths) and accessories like chain guards for Cowboy e-bikes, classic Brompton foldables, and pretty much any other bike you bring to his Haarlem workshop. He’ll even build you a custom bike of his own design.