theverge--2020-11-07--Twitter flags President Trump’s tweets about ballot-counting

Twitter flagged four tweets from President Trump on Saturday morning for making “ potentially misleading claims about an election , ” a company spokesperson said , continuing its attempts to try to rein in misinformation on its platform .
The president tweeted , without evidence , that “ tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday , Election Day , totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states.
” He claimed thousands of votes were “ illegally not allowed to be OBSERVED , ” and said “ bad things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when “ LEGAL TRANSPARENCY was viciously & crudely not allowed.
” The platform labeled a fifth tweet where the president claimed he had won the election “ by a lot ” with the notice “ official sources may not have called the race when this was Tweeted ” and a link to news sources about the election .
Twitter also flagged a quote-tweet the president posted , where he added a statement to a tweet by Rep. Jim Jordan .
The president claimed that people were demanding transparency and “ ... Legal Observers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” There ’ s no evidence that legal observers were barred from any ballot counting in the states that have yet to be called .
As of Saturday morning , former Vice President Joe Biden had 253 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to secure the presidency .
Biden was ahead in the vote counts in Pennsylvania , Georgia , Nevada , and Arizona , according to the New York Times .
A Twitter spokesperson told The Verge Saturday morning in an email that the platform placed warnings on the three tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our Civic Integrity Policy , and as is standard with this warning , we will significantly restrict engagements on these Tweets.
” Twitter has been strongly enforcing its Civic Integrity Policy since Election Day , with many labels applied to President Trump ’ s tweets about the election and ballot-counting .
More than a dozen of the president ’ s tweets had been labeled as of Friday morning .
The Saturday morning tweets were labeled less than an hour after they appeared .
In a tweet that wasn ’ t flagged Saturday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s press conference ” at 11:30AM ET in Philadelphia .
That turned into a press conference with the president ’ s attorney Rudy Giuliani , who made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania .
Not long after Twitter labeled his Saturday morning tweets , the Associated Press and major networks projected Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential contest .
Trump , who was reportedly playing golf when the news broke , later tweeted ( in all-caps ) that he had “ won the election , got 71 million legal votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots ” were sent to people who had not asked for them .
Twitter put a label on that tweet as well that read “ This claim about election fraud is disputed.
” Update November 7th 10:49AM ET : Adds that Twitter labeled a fifth tweet by the president on Saturday .
Update November 7th 5:54PM ET : Adds another tweet labeled by Twitter .

Twitter flagged four tweets from President Trump on Saturday morning for making “potentially misleading claims about an election,” a company spokesperson said, continuing its attempts to try to rein in misinformation on its platform.
The president tweeted, without evidence, that “tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday, Election Day, totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states.” He claimed thousands of votes were “illegally not allowed to be OBSERVED,” and said “bad things took place,” during a time when “LEGAL TRANSPARENCY was viciously & crudely not allowed.”
The platform labeled a fifth tweet where the president claimed he had won the election “by a lot” with the notice “official sources may not have called the race when this was Tweeted” and a link to news sources about the election.
Twitter also flagged a quote-tweet the president posted, where he added a statement to a tweet by Rep. Jim Jordan. The president claimed that people were demanding transparency and “...Legal Observers were refused admittance to count rooms!”
There’s no evidence that legal observers were barred from any ballot counting in the states that have yet to be called. As of Saturday morning, former Vice President Joe Biden had 253 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to secure the presidency. Biden was ahead in the vote counts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona, according to the New York Times.
A Twitter spokesperson told The Verge Saturday morning in an email that the platform placed warnings on the three tweets and one quote-tweet “in line with our Civic Integrity Policy, and as is standard with this warning, we will significantly restrict engagements on these Tweets.”
Twitter has been strongly enforcing its Civic Integrity Policy since Election Day, with many labels applied to President Trump’s tweets about the election and ballot-counting. More than a dozen of the president’s tweets had been labeled as of Friday morning. The Saturday morning tweets were labeled less than an hour after they appeared.
In a tweet that wasn’t flagged Saturday, the president announced a “lawyer’s press conference” at 11:30AM ET in Philadelphia. That turned into a press conference with the president’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, who made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania.
Not long after Twitter labeled his Saturday morning tweets, the Associated Press and major networks projected Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential contest. Trump, who was reportedly playing golf when the news broke, later tweeted (in all-caps) that he had “won the election, got 71 million legal votes” and that “millions of mail-in ballots” were sent to people who had not asked for them.
Twitter put a label on that tweet as well that read “This claim about election fraud is disputed.”
Update November 7th 10:49AM ET: Adds that Twitter labeled a fifth tweet by the president on Saturday.


theverge--2020-11-07--A COVID tracing app misses the mark

A COVID tracing app misses the mark

What happens when an app designed to help people navigate the real world doesn ’ t match up with reality ?
That ’ s what happened recently with a National Health Service contact tracing app in England and Wales , which failed to notify many users that they had been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 .
Like many contact tracing programs , the NHS app keeps track of when a user is close to other people who also downloaded the app .
If someone tests positive , the app can send an alert to all their contacts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been around the most .
The app calculates a person ’ s risk based on a few factors , including how long they ’ ve been close to the person who tested positive .
If the calculation passes a certain threshold , an alert gets sent , and the person is asked to isolate themselves from others .
The underlying idea is pretty simple .
The higher a risk score , the more likely you are to have been exposed to the virus .
But then it got more complicated .
Before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some adjustments to the algorithm that made each risk assessment more accurate — now , it could take into account how infectious people were at different times .
In the new version , interactions outside of the most contagious period only counted towards a fraction of the final risk score , according to reporting by The Guardian .
The change automatically lowered almost everyone ’ s scores .
The alert thresholds were supposed to be lowered too , but they weren ’ t .
As a result , many people who should have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The news of the app ’ s failure broke as COVID-19 cases climbed , and England prepared for a new month-long lockdown — an attempt to stop the resurgent disease spread .
The app has since been fixed , but its threshold issue highlights problems that a lot of apps are struggling with .
A very different app had a very similar problem last year .
ShakeAlert LA was designed to alert people in Los Angeles to strong incoming earthquakes , but on July 4 , 2019 , the ground shook , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earthquake fell short of the app ’ s threshold for sending out an alert , but it was still strong enough to alarm people .
After that quake , the app ’ s creators decided to lower the threshold for an alert — if you feel the earthquake , but the app doesn ’ t mention it , you might not trust the app even though it ’ s doing what it ’ s supposed to be doing .
In the case of both England ’ s COVID-19 app and ShakeAlert LA , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programmed to do .
They just didn ’ t help the people who were relying on them for vital information about their world .
It ’ s difficult to quantify risk — most of us know it when we see it , and react accordingly .
But for an app , you need something a little more rules-based , which makes quantifying individual risks into something that is usable for programmers and useful for users tricky .
Developers for both the NHS app and ShakeAlert LA had to figure out where to put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people would be informed of danger , but high enough that they wouldn ’ t be inundated with false alarms .
In both cases , they missed the mark .
ShakeAlert LA ’ s miss was less alarming — they hadn ’ t guessed that people would still want to know about shaking that was noticeable , but not seriously damaging .
That ’ s a pretty easy fix .
In the case of the NHS app though , a misplaced threshold led to thousands of people not being told to quarantine when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of a disease in a pandemic .
“ We haven ’ t forgotten what this app is for , ” the heads of the NHS COVID tracing app wrote in a blog post on October 29 .
“ It ’ s a tool to help control the spread of the virus , save lives and protect the economy by alerting those who need to , to isolate in order to break the chain of transmission.
” It ’ s been said before , but technology alone can ’ t get us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just one tool among the many that we ’ ll need to complete this job .
Even with a perfectly calibrated app , people will still need to keep their distance , wear their masks , and get tested .
Robust apps could make living in that reality easier — but only if they can reliably deliver unvarnished reality instead of a false sense of security .
Here ’ s what else happened this week .
Denmark will cull entire mink population after COVID-19 outbreaks We ’ ve learned a few things this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s the largest producer of mink fur in the world .
Also , that it ’ s planning to cull its entire mink population because it says it has detected a mutated version of the coronavirus in mink populations , and in some human cases .
Data on this mutation is still sparse , and is still not clear what effect this mutation might have .
( Nicole Wetsman/The Verge ) • Spread of mutated coronavirus in Danish mink ‘ hits all the scary buttons , ’ but fears may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a coronavirus mutation in minks could wreak havoc on vaccine development ( Matt Miller/Slate ) New research points to potential link between pollution levels and COVID-19 death risk A new study published this week found that some areas with higher air pollution also experienced higher rates of death ( Priyanka Runwal/STAT ) Australia has almost eliminated the coronavirus — by putting faith in science And now for a success story .
Not all countries are doing as poorly as the United States at controlling the virus .
Here ’ s how Australia managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to something resembling normalcy .
( A. Odysseus Patrick/The Washington Post ) Will a small , long-shot US company end up producing the best coronavirus vaccine ?
Take a deep dive into Novavax , a dark horse in the vaccine race .
The company has a promising vaccine candidate , but , as Meredith Wadman notes in Science , “ Novavax has focused on making vaccines for more than 20 years but has never brought one to market.
” ( Meredith Wadman/Science ) Nasal Spray Prevents Covid Infection in Ferrets , Study Finds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few words of caution before you dive in : the study is small , involving just six ferrets .
It ’ s also a preprint , which means it hasn ’ t been reviewed by other researchers .
( Donald G. McNeil Jr./New York Times ) In COVID-wrecked Mexico , one doctor tried humor and home visits “ People are suffering in ways you can ’ t imagine , and if we bring that fear with us , it only makes them more afraid , ” Gustavo Gutiérrez told The New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ damn virus is that we ’ ve lost our humanity.
” Gutiérrez is an emergency room doctor who also makes house calls to COVID-19 patients reluctant to brave the hospital .
( Azam Ahmed/The New York Times ) To the more than 49,169,630 people worldwide who have tested positive , may your road to recovery be smooth .
To the families and friends of the 1,240,344 people who have died worldwide — 235,761 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten .

What happens when an app designed to help people navigate the real world doesn’t match up with reality? That’s what happened recently with a National Health Service contact tracing app in England and Wales, which failed to notify many users that they had been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19.
Like many contact tracing programs, the NHS app keeps track of when a user is close to other people who also downloaded the app. If someone tests positive, the app can send an alert to all their contacts, particularly the ones that they’ve been around the most. The app calculates a person’s risk based on a few factors, including how long they’ve been close to the person who tested positive. If the calculation passes a certain threshold, an alert gets sent, and the person is asked to isolate themselves from others.
A newsletter highlighting the COVID-19 research, developments, and stories that matter. Subscribe here!
The underlying idea is pretty simple. The higher a risk score, the more likely you are to have been exposed to the virus. But then it got more complicated. Before the app was launched, the developers made some adjustments to the algorithm that made each risk assessment more accurate — now, it could take into account how infectious people were at different times. In the new version, interactions outside of the most contagious period only counted towards a fraction of the final risk score, according to reporting by The Guardian. The change automatically lowered almost everyone’s scores. The alert thresholds were supposed to be lowered too, but they weren’t.
As a result, many people who should have taken additional precautions didn’t. The news of the app’s failure broke as COVID-19 cases climbed, and England prepared for a new month-long lockdown — an attempt to stop the resurgent disease spread.
The app has since been fixed, but its threshold issue highlights problems that a lot of apps are struggling with. A very different app had a very similar problem last year. ShakeAlert LA was designed to alert people in Los Angeles to strong incoming earthquakes, but on July 4, 2019, the ground shook, and the app did... nothing. The earthquake fell short of the app’s threshold for sending out an alert, but it was still strong enough to alarm people. After that quake, the app’s creators decided to lower the threshold for an alert — if you feel the earthquake, but the app doesn’t mention it, you might not trust the app even though it’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing.
the apps did exactly what they were programmed to do
In the case of both England’s COVID-19 app and ShakeAlert LA, the apps did exactly what they were programmed to do. They just didn’t help the people who were relying on them for vital information about their world.
It’s difficult to quantify risk — most of us know it when we see it, and react accordingly. But for an app, you need something a little more rules-based, which makes quantifying individual risks into something that is usable for programmers and useful for users tricky. Developers for both the NHS app and ShakeAlert LA had to figure out where to put an alert threshold that low enough that people would be informed of danger, but high enough that they wouldn’t be inundated with false alarms.
In both cases, they missed the mark. ShakeAlert LA’s miss was less alarming — they hadn’t guessed that people would still want to know about shaking that was noticeable, but not seriously damaging. That’s a pretty easy fix. In the case of the NHS app though, a misplaced threshold led to thousands of people not being told to quarantine when they should have, potentially contributing to the spread of a disease in a pandemic.
“We haven’t forgotten what this app is for,” the heads of the NHS COVID tracing app wrote in a blog post on October 29. “It’s a tool to help control the spread of the virus, save lives and protect the economy by alerting those who need to, to isolate in order to break the chain of transmission.”
It’s been said before, but technology alone can’t get us out of this pandemic. It is just one tool among the many that we’ll need to complete this job. Even with a perfectly calibrated app, people will still need to keep their distance, wear their masks, and get tested. Robust apps could make living in that reality easier — but only if they can reliably deliver unvarnished reality instead of a false sense of security.
Here’s what else happened this week.
Research
Denmark will cull entire mink population after COVID-19 outbreaks
We’ve learned a few things this week about Denmark. Namely, that it’s the largest producer of mink fur in the world. Also, that it’s planning to cull its entire mink population because it says it has detected a mutated version of the coronavirus in mink populations, and in some human cases. Data on this mutation is still sparse, and is still not clear what effect this mutation might have. (Nicole Wetsman/The Verge)
Additional reading:
New research points to potential link between pollution levels and COVID-19 death risk
A new study published this week found that some areas with higher air pollution also experienced higher rates of death
(Priyanka Runwal/STAT)
Australia has almost eliminated the coronavirus — by putting faith in science
And now for a success story. Not all countries are doing as poorly as the United States at controlling the virus. Here’s how Australia managed to beat back the virus and return to something resembling normalcy.
(A. Odysseus Patrick/The Washington Post)
Development
Will a small, long-shot US company end up producing the best coronavirus vaccine?
Take a deep dive into Novavax, a dark horse in the vaccine race. The company has a promising vaccine candidate, but, as Meredith Wadman notes in Science, “Novavax has focused on making vaccines for more than 20 years but has never brought one to market.”
(Meredith Wadman/Science)
Nasal Spray Prevents Covid Infection in Ferrets, Study Finds
This is cool research, but a few words of caution before you dive in: the study is small, involving just six ferrets. It’s also a preprint, which means it hasn’t been reviewed by other researchers. (Donald G. McNeil Jr./New York Times)
Perspectives
In COVID-wrecked Mexico, one doctor tried humor and home visits
“People are suffering in ways you can’t imagine, and if we bring that fear with us, it only makes them more afraid,” Gustavo Gutiérrez told The New York Times. “The worst part about this damn virus is that we’ve lost our humanity.” Gutiérrez is an emergency room doctor who also makes house calls to COVID-19 patients reluctant to brave the hospital.
(Azam Ahmed/The New York Times)
More than numbers
To the more than 49,169,630 people worldwide who have tested positive, may your road to recovery be smooth.
To the families and friends of the 1,240,344 people who have died worldwide — 235,761 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten.


theverge--2020-11-07--Superstore finds a way to laugh about the pandemic

About midway through Superstore ’ s season 6 premiere , a customer at Cloud 9 , the big-box retailer that the NBC sitcom is set in , is absolutely livid at the idea that she has to wear a mask in the store .
Furious at being asked to mask up or leave , she accuses the floor manager , Glenn ( Mark McKinney ) , of working for Satan .
Glenn , a devout Christian , is absolutely horrified : “ That is the one person I would never work for !
” he responds .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You have to sell your soul to someone to make rent in America , and there are plenty of buyers who aren ’ t the literal devil .
That said , the non-devils don ’ t care about you either .
As we see in Superstore , the staff of Cloud 9 has been left to fend for themselves in the middle of a pandemic .
Like just about everything else in 2020 , the premiere of Superstore is a different start to the season than originally planned .
Told in a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the present , we see the staff of Cloud 9 come to grips with each phase of the pandemic .
There ’ s the initial shock , the customers fighting over toilet paper , the lack of support from corporate management that doesn ’ t send them PPE , and yes , even a Tiger King obsession .
( “ We ’ re a little embarrassed by it , ” one employee tells her co-worker after the reality-show mania faded in summer . )
I know it doesn ’ t sound particularly funny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quirk of the workplace comedy genre — try and describe The Office in a way that makes anyone laugh .
It ’ s hard !
Work sucks , quoth the bard , often emphatically so , and the joy of workplace sitcoms is in commiserating .
Seeing characters deal with co-workers and customers as bad or worse than yours , and responding in ways you probably can ’ t but wish you could , is cathartic as hell .
Labor in America is riddled with indignities .
Superstore is fond of reminding us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who your boss is , and how they ’ ll support you in a pandemic .
And so “ Essential , ” the premiere , is an episode about doing your best in spite of how indifferent the world is to you .
The Cloud 9 staff has to make their own hand sanitizer amid a shortage while managers beg corporate for more PPE .
A few industrious employees hoard products so they ’ ll have something after the panic-buyers clear out the shelves .
As dire as this sounds , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of errors that comes with any new status quo : an overzealous sanitizing robot that sprays too much disinfectant everywhere , some truly bad Zoom calls , and co-workers who overshare on an entirely new level .
( “ In my panic dream last night , the person clubbing me to death was Topher Grace !
” ) The only way to cope with that indifference is by laughing at it .
“ Essential ” isn ’ t just a good bit of comedy about the pandemic ( which is a commendable feat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also a good introduction to Superstore , a deeply humane sitcom that is willing to use its premise of working at a national retail chain as a platform to highlight all sorts of connected social issues , from ICE enforcement of immigration ( really ! )
to unionization and labor rights .
There is genuinely sweet character growth and rewarding ongoing plots — one of the lingering questions in the first couple of episodes this season is whether or not Jonah ( Ben Feldman ) , an employee hired at the start of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partner Amy ( America Ferrera ) to her new corporate job in California — which make it a great binge , but not to the point where it ’ s inaccessible for those who might want to start watching right now without catching up .
In Superstore , the world is rarely getting any better , and there aren ’ t a lot of options for many of its cast members .
They ’ re happy to be working , but they also realize that particular gratitude can be used by their employers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope — and comedy — of the show is in when they realize they can care about each other , and decide to work together .
This isn ’ t the year we planned for , and it ’ s brought a lot of pain , but we can still lift each other up , and make each other laugh .
Nothing ’ s better than pooping on company time .

About midway through Superstore’s season 6 premiere, a customer at Cloud 9, the big-box retailer that the NBC sitcom is set in, is absolutely livid at the idea that she has to wear a mask in the store. Furious at being asked to mask up or leave, she accuses the floor manager, Glenn (Mark McKinney), of working for Satan. Glenn, a devout Christian, is absolutely horrified: “That is the one person I would never work for!” he responds. It’s funny because it’s true: You have to sell your soul to someone to make rent in America, and there are plenty of buyers who aren’t the literal devil. That said, the non-devils don’t care about you either. As we see in Superstore, the staff of Cloud 9 has been left to fend for themselves in the middle of a pandemic.
Like just about everything else in 2020, the premiere of Superstore is a different start to the season than originally planned. Told in a series of vignettes taking place between March and the present, we see the staff of Cloud 9 come to grips with each phase of the pandemic. There’s the initial shock, the customers fighting over toilet paper, the lack of support from corporate management that doesn’t send them PPE, and yes, even a Tiger King obsession. (“We’re a little embarrassed by it,” one employee tells her co-worker after the reality-show mania faded in summer.)
I know it doesn’t sound particularly funny, but that’s just a quirk of the workplace comedy genre — try and describe The Office in a way that makes anyone laugh. It’s hard! Work sucks, quoth the bard, often emphatically so, and the joy of workplace sitcoms is in commiserating. Seeing characters deal with co-workers and customers as bad or worse than yours, and responding in ways you probably can’t but wish you could, is cathartic as hell. Labor in America is riddled with indignities. Superstore is fond of reminding us that qualifications have little to do with who your boss is, and how they’ll support you in a pandemic.
And so “Essential,” the premiere, is an episode about doing your best in spite of how indifferent the world is to you. The Cloud 9 staff has to make their own hand sanitizer amid a shortage while managers beg corporate for more PPE. A few industrious employees hoard products so they’ll have something after the panic-buyers clear out the shelves. As dire as this sounds, it’s also a story about the comedy of errors that comes with any new status quo: an overzealous sanitizing robot that sprays too much disinfectant everywhere, some truly bad Zoom calls, and co-workers who overshare on an entirely new level. (“In my panic dream last night, the person clubbing me to death was Topher Grace!”) The only way to cope with that indifference is by laughing at it.
“Essential” isn’t just a good bit of comedy about the pandemic (which is a commendable feat in itself). It’s also a good introduction to Superstore, a deeply humane sitcom that is willing to use its premise of working at a national retail chain as a platform to highlight all sorts of connected social issues, from ICE enforcement of immigration (really!) to unionization and labor rights. There is genuinely sweet character growth and rewarding ongoing plots — one of the lingering questions in the first couple of episodes this season is whether or not Jonah (Ben Feldman), an employee hired at the start of the series, will go with his partner Amy (America Ferrera) to her new corporate job in California — which make it a great binge, but not to the point where it’s inaccessible for those who might want to start watching right now without catching up.


theverge--2020-11-08--Lenovo’s Smart Clock Essential is a slightly smarter bedside clock

There is no shortage of devices that you can stick on your bedside table to use as a voice-controlled alarm clock .
You can , of course , just use your phone , but you can also put a small smart speaker , such as Amazon ’ s Echo Dot , Google ’ s Nest Mini , or Apple ’ s new HomePod mini there and bark commands at it to set an alarm , tell you the weather , or snooze for ten minutes .
If you want something more fully featured , devices like the Echo Show 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Nest Hub have full-color touchscreen displays that can play video , show camera feeds , or be used as a digital picture frame .
Lenovo ’ s latest entrant in this space , the $ 49.95 Smart Clock Essential , sits somewhere in between all of that .
It ’ s a voice-controlled , Google Assistant smart speaker with a simple , black-and-white segmented LED display .
It displays the current time , weather conditions , day , and your currently set alarms .
The display will automatically adjust its brightness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room , so it ’ s not blinding you in the middle of the night .
But it ’ s not a touchscreen , doesn ’ t display photos or video , and can ’ t be used for monitoring camera feeds .
It ’ s effectively what you ’ d get if you combined a modern smart speaker with an old-school LED clock radio from the 1980s .
That combination of ideas carries over into the Smart Clock Essential ’ s looks .
From the front , the white numbers on black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , basic alarm clock .
Peer closer and you can see two small holes for the microphones that pick up your voice commands .
On top of the wedge-shaped device are four buttons for managing alarms , play / pause , and volume .
Around back is a USB-A port that you can use to charge a phone or smartwatch , as well as a switch to stop the microphones from listening .
The sides of the Smart Clock Essential are wrapped in gray fabric , as has become the trend with smart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feature here is the LED ring light on the back of the device that ’ s meant to be a nightlight of sorts .
Lenovo claims it shouldn ’ t disturb your sleep , but I found it too bright to use when the clock is a foot or two from my head as I sleep .
You can adjust the brightness using voice commands , but I wish there was a button to do so or Lenovo just made it adjust automatically based on how much light is in the room .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ come on as a wake up light just before my alarm is set to go off .
As an alarm clock , the Smart Clock Essential is well equipped .
You can set multiple alarms , either via the buttons on top or through voice commands ( a much easier method , if you ask me ) .
It can play a standard alarm beep , or you can just say “ STOP ” once the alarm is going to cancel it .
You can also tap on top of the clock twice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes some effort , though , and when I ’ m half awake and groggy , I find I have to smack the top quite hard to get it to snooze .
Amazon ’ s similar Echo Dot with Clock does this tap-to-snooze thing better .
One note— and this applies to every smart speaker alarm clock I ’ ve tested— there ’ s no backup battery here , so if your power goes out overnight and doesn ’ t come back before your alarm is set to go off , you won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning .
As a smart speaker , the Smart Clock Essential is fine , but don ’ t expect it to be your main music listening device .
The 3-watt speaker does get surprisingly loud , but as you ’ d expect , the bass is lacking and the sound isn ’ t very pleasant at high volumes .
For listening to weather reports , news updates , or your preferred wake-up song , it ’ s certainly adequate .
The Smart Clock Essential can be summed up in two words : functional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarm clock features than a screen-less Nest Mini or Echo Dot but doesn ’ t overwhelm you with the functions of a full smart display .
At its regular price of $ 50 , it provides a good experience .
But lately , it ’ s been selling for half that price or less , which makes it an even better deal if you ’ re looking to upgrade your alarm clock experience .

There is no shortage of devices that you can stick on your bedside table to use as a voice-controlled alarm clock. You can, of course, just use your phone, but you can also put a small smart speaker, such as Amazon’s Echo Dot, Google’s Nest Mini, or Apple’s new HomePod mini there and bark commands at it to set an alarm, tell you the weather, or snooze for ten minutes. If you want something more fully featured, devices like the Echo Show 5, Lenovo Smart Clock, or Google’s Nest Hub have full-color touchscreen displays that can play video, show camera feeds, or be used as a digital picture frame.
Lenovo’s latest entrant in this space, the $49.95 Smart Clock Essential, sits somewhere in between all of that. It’s a voice-controlled, Google Assistant smart speaker with a simple, black-and-white segmented LED display. It displays the current time, weather conditions, day, and your currently set alarms. The display will automatically adjust its brightness depending on the light levels of the room, so it’s not blinding you in the middle of the night. But it’s not a touchscreen, doesn’t display photos or video, and can’t be used for monitoring camera feeds. It’s effectively what you’d get if you combined a modern smart speaker with an old-school LED clock radio from the 1980s.
That combination of ideas carries over into the Smart Clock Essential’s looks. From the front, the white numbers on black background make it look like a typical, basic alarm clock. Peer closer and you can see two small holes for the microphones that pick up your voice commands. On top of the wedge-shaped device are four buttons for managing alarms, play / pause, and volume. Around back is a USB-A port that you can use to charge a phone or smartwatch, as well as a switch to stop the microphones from listening.
The sides of the Smart Clock Essential are wrapped in gray fabric, as has become the trend with smart speakers in recent years. A unique feature here is the LED ring light on the back of the device that’s meant to be a nightlight of sorts. Lenovo claims it shouldn’t disturb your sleep, but I found it too bright to use when the clock is a foot or two from my head as I sleep. You can adjust the brightness using voice commands, but I wish there was a button to do so or Lenovo just made it adjust automatically based on how much light is in the room. Or even better, it could gradually come on as a wake up light just before my alarm is set to go off.
The back of the Smart Clock Essential features a USB-A port for charging other devices, a mute switch, and a LED ring light. On top are buttons for managing alarms, playback, and volume.
As an alarm clock, the Smart Clock Essential is well equipped. You can set multiple alarms, either via the buttons on top or through voice commands (a much easier method, if you ask me). It can play a standard alarm beep, or you can just say “STOP” once the alarm is going to cancel it. You can also tap on top of the clock twice to snooze it. This tap gesture takes some effort, though, and when I’m half awake and groggy, I find I have to smack the top quite hard to get it to snooze. Amazon’s similar Echo Dot with Clock does this tap-to-snooze thing better.
One note— and this applies to every smart speaker alarm clock I’ve tested— there’s no backup battery here, so if your power goes out overnight and doesn’t come back before your alarm is set to go off, you won’t have an alarm in the morning.
As a smart speaker, the Smart Clock Essential is fine, but don’t expect it to be your main music listening device. The 3-watt speaker does get surprisingly loud, but as you’d expect, the bass is lacking and the sound isn’t very pleasant at high volumes. For listening to weather reports, news updates, or your preferred wake-up song, it’s certainly adequate.
Agree to Continue: Lenovo Smart Clock Essential 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. Though it’s branded a Lenovo device, the Smart Clock Essential is a Google Assistant smart speaker, which means it carries all of the required agreements of Google’s own smart speakers. Those include: Google Terms of Service
Google Privacy Policy (included in ToS) The following agreements are optional: Help improve Nest Audio by sharing device stats and crash reports with Google
Voice Match: store a unique voice model on the device to allow the Assistant to identify you when you speak to it Final tally: two mandatory agreements and at least two optional agreements.


theverge--2020-11-08--Here are some must-have accessories for your Xbox Series X or Series S

The Xbox Series X and Series S consoles launch on Tuesday , November 10th .
Whether you were able to secure one in time for launch day , or if you plan to get one soon , you might want some fresh accessories to snag with your big purchase .
First up , controllers .
You probably already know that Microsoft ’ s Xbox One wireless controller is also compatible with the new Series X / S consoles , which is great .
However , the older controller model lacks a few features that might make the newer one a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the revised controller has a dedicated share button for saving clips and screenshots and sharing them online , a USB-C port for charging up Microsoft ’ s optional $ 24.99 play-and-charge rechargeable battery , along with a few cosmetic and physical improvements to the d-pad and triggers .
It ’ s not a completely new controller , like the PS5 ’ s DualSense , but that comes through with its lower $ 59.99 price tag .
In addition to working with the Xbox consoles , the new controller also has Bluetooth support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your Android phone or PC .
If your PC doesn ’ t have Bluetooth , you can pick up the Xbox wireless adapter made for Windows 10 .
Microsoft sells the aforementioned PC adapter for $ 24.99 .
The next thing you ’ ll want to think about is storage .
The Xbox Series X ships with a 1TB SSD built-in , and the Series S has a 512GB SSD , though each actually offers less storage for games than is advertised .
In the Series S ’ s case , you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amount to use .
The Series X ’ s 1TB drive only actually has 802GB of usable space for games .
So , you naturally may want some extra storage , and opting for a multi-terabyte drive might seem like the obvious move , given that more and more games venture into 100GB territory .
You ’ ll definitely save money with this route , but I recommend using this kind of storage for your collection of older Xbox One , Xbox 360 or original Xbox games .
The reason being that you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SSD space for your most-played games , particularly the ones made especially for these newer consoles .
Delegating your older games to slower , but far cheaper storage is a clever way to let you have all of your games accessible without crowding your already-limited SSD space .
Though , it ’ s worth pointing out that any external USB drive will be significantly slower to load than what the Series X ’ s and Series S ’ s respective SSDs can handle .
If you ’ re hungry for more info , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard drive performance points from Digital Foundry ’ s Richard Leadbetter .
Of course , you can buy faster storage to add onto your Series X / S console , but it ’ ll cost you significantly more money than the option above .
Microsoft partnered with Seagate to make proprietary 1TB SSDs that can be inserted into the rear of either console .
These $ 220 SSDs are advertised to be just as fast as the storage inside your new console , so this is the best place to keep all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ load and switch between at will .
And , if you have the cash to burn , you can buy multiple 1TB cards and hot-swap them to access more games .
We ’ ll include more accessories once they become available .

The Xbox Series X and Series S are excellent machines, yet, no matter how good they are, there will always be room for improvement. Accessories like the Elite Series 2 Controller and the Xbox Stereo Headset can help you get the most out of your new console, while others, like Seagate’s Storage Expansion Cards, will help ensure you have ample storage space for years to come.
Below, we’ve listed some of the best accessories available for the Series X and S, many of which often go on sale at most major retailers.
Controllers and charging stands
Xbox Wireless Controller
First up, controllers. The last-gen Xbox Wireless Controller from the Xbox One may be compatible with the Series X / S consoles; however, the older controller lacks a few new features. For instance, the revised controller has a dedicated button for saving and sharing clips and screenshots, a USB-C port for wired use or charging up Microsoft’s play-and-charge rechargeable battery, and an improved D-pad.
In addition to working with the Xbox consoles, it also features Bluetooth support so you can connect it to your Android phone, iPhone, or PC. If your PC doesn’t have Bluetooth, you can plug in via USB or pick up the Xbox wireless adapter made for Windows.
The Xbox Wireless controller regularly retails for $59.99 to $64.99, depending on the color or edition, but we often see it on sale for as low a price as $40. And for those that want something really unique, you can order a custom model through the Xbox Design Lab.
Xbox Elite Series 2 Controllers
If you’re willing to fork out a bit of extra money, it may be worth investing in the Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller.
While nearly double the price of the Xbox wireless controller, we consider it the best premium Xbox controller you can buy. We love how customizable it is, as well as features like the adjustable-tension thumbsticks, the paddles for custom button mapping, and the shorter hair-trigger locks. The controller also offers USB-C and Bluetooth connectivity and great battery life whether you’re playing on an Xbox One, Xbox Series X, or Windows 10 / 11 device. In fact, we were able to enjoy roughly 40 hours of playtime on a single charge.
Although the Elite Series 2 typically sells for $179.99, it sometimes dips to as low as $139.99 when it’s on sale. There’s also the Xbox Elite Series 2 Core, a cheaper version that comes packaged with fewer accouterments. The Core version is the same controller in two-tone white, red, or blue — but without the accessories — and sells for $129.99 on its own.
PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller
If you’d rather buy a more affordable controller for your spare, the PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is a great budget pick. It lacks wireless connectivity, but it comes with a lengthy Micro USB cable and works on both the Xbox Series X / S and PC. It’s a more than capable gamepad that comes in a wide variety of colors and licensed designs, one that often sells for as little as $24.99
PowerA Charging Stand
If you want to save money on pricey replacement batteries, consider picking up a charging stand when you buy your controller. The PowerA Charging Stand offers a 1,100mAh rechargeable battery and two battery doors, as well as a USB charging cable. It’s also compatible with both the Xbox Series X / S and Xbox One wireless controllers. While we don’t often see significant deals on the device, Amazon and PowerA normally sell the black and white configurations for $19.99. Alternatively, if you own several controllers, you can opt for a PowerA Duo Charging Station for $29.99, allowing you to charge two at once.
Headsets
Xbox Wireless Headset
You don’t have to miss a call while you game, thanks to Microsoft’s $99.99 Xbox Wireless Headset. When we reviewed it in 2021, we found it to be a comfortable, intuitively designed headset that’s well worth the price. And in addition to working well with Xbox consoles, it can connect to another device simultaneously via Bluetooth.
Xbox Stereo Headset
If you’re on a tighter budget and don’t mind a wire, the Xbox Stereo Headset is mostly the same but for less. It connects to your controller via a 3.5mm cable, and while it can’t simultaneously pair with your phone, it has a handy volume control on its right ear cup.
Storage solutions
Seagate Game Drive (HDD)
Delegating your older games to a slower but far cheaper storage solution — like Seagate’s 4TB Game Drive For Xbox — is a clever way to let you have all of your games accessible without crowding your already-limited SSD space. However, it’s worth pointing out that any external USB drive will be significantly slower to load than what the Series X’s and Series S’s respective SSDs can handle. If you’re hungry for more info, check out this in-depth look at different hard drive performance points from Digital Foundry’s Richard Leadbetter.
Seagate Storage Expansion Card
Of course, you can buy faster storage to add to your Series X / S console, but it’ll cost you significantly more money than the option above. Microsoft partnered with Seagate to make proprietary SSDs that can be inserted into the rear of either console. The SSDs are available in multiple configurations, including a 512GB model for $139.99, a 1TB variant for $219.99, and a 2TB version for $399.99. All three are supposedly just as fast as the storage inside your new console, so this is the best place to keep all of the new games you want to quickly load and switch between at will.
There’s been talk of the expansion card slot being opened up to more manufacturers after cheaper ones from Western Digital were briefly spotted on Best Buy’s site, but for now, Seagate’s expandable storage cards remain the sole option.
An essential subscription, an exceptional gaming TV, and other accessories
Xbox Game Pass
Okay, maybe it’s not absolutely essential, but a $9.99 monthly Xbox Game Pass subscription is a valuable asset for any Xbox console owner. It offers access to over 100 games from Microsoft, Bethesda, and many more. There are day-one releases of big AAA titles, including Bethesda's upcoming spacefaring epic, Starfield, as well as indie darlings like Citizen Sleeper. Frankly, it’s one of the best things about owning an Xbox if you like to try a wide variety of games. Plus, if you opt for the $14.99 per month Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you also get access to Xbox Cloud Gaming and PC Game Pass.
LG C2 OLED
LG’s C2 OLED is a great gaming TV with four HDMI 2.1 ports that each supports 4K resolution at up to 120Hz. It also features support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync technologies, low input lag, and a fast processor. It even has a “Game Optimizer” dashboard, which is a settings pane that conveniently brings together game-centric settings like refresh rate and latency for quicker access.
The C2 remains one of our top recommendations for those who want to game on an OLED TV, which allows you to advantage of excellent black levels and vivid color contrast. There’s a new C3 model now hitting the market, but it’s selling for quite a bit more than the C2. For now, you can still get the last-gen model in a number of size configurations, ranging from 42 inches to a massive 77 inches.
8BitDo Media Remote
If a new TV is out of your budget, you can still make playing games on your existing set more enjoyable for cheap with 8BitDo’s infrared media remote. In our review, we concluded the remote does a good job if your Xbox is your primary streaming device. It offers Xbox buttons so you can easily navigate menus and apps, as well as a Home button that wakes up your Xbox instantly. The Short Edition we reviewed seems to be discontinued, but you can still get the black Long Edition, which features a number pad, for $24.99.


theverge--2020-11-08--Virgin Hyperloop hits an important milestone: the first human passenger test

Virgin Hyperloop announced that for the first time it has conducted a test of its ultra-fast transportation system with human passengers .
The test took place on Sunday afternoon at the company ’ s DevLoop test track in the desert outside Las Vegas , Nevada .
The first two passengers were Virgin Hyperloop ’ s chief technology officer and co-founder , Josh Giegel , and head of passenger experience , Sara Luchian .
After strapping into their seats in the company ’ s gleaming white and red hyperloop pod , dubbed Pegasus , they were transferred into an airlock as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was removed .
The pod then accelerated to a brisk 100 miles per hour ( 160 km/h ) down the length of the track , before slowing down to a stop .
It ’ s an important achievement for Virgin Hyperloop , which was founded in 2014 on the premise of making Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk ’ s vision of a futuristic transportation system of magnetically levitating pods traveling through nearly airless tubes at speeds of up to 760 mph ( 1,223 km/h ) a reality .
“ No one has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re talking about right now.
” The DevLoop test track is 500 meters long and 3.3 meters in diameter .
The track is located about 30 minutes from Las Vegas , out in the kind of desert that hyperloop pods could one day traverse in minutes .
The company says it has conducted over 400 tests on that track , but never before with human passengers — until today .
“ No one has done anything close to what we ’ re talking about right now , ” Jay Walder , CEO of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This is a full scale , working hyperloop that is not just going to run in a vacuum environment , but is going to have a person in it .
No one has come close to doing it.
” The Pegasus pod used for the first passenger test , also called XP-2 , was designed with help from famed Danish architect Bjarke Ingels ’ design firm .
It represents a scaled-down version of what Virgin Hyperloop hopes will eventually be a full-sized pod capable of carrying up to 23 passengers .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feet long , according to Giegel .
Inside , its lush white interior is meant to be familiar to passengers , who may not be immediately comfortable with the idea of slingshotting through a vacuum-sealed tube at the speed of a commercial jet .
“ This is not like some crazy , newfangled science fiction invention , ” Luchian said in an interview several days before the test .
“ This is something that reminds me of a place that I ’ ve been and I ’ ve used many times , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sending her on a visit somewhere.
” “ This is not like some crazy , newfangled science fiction invention.
” Prior to the test , Luchian said she was eager to experience the acceleration , as well as monitor the temperature inside the pod and the ventilation system .
Giegel said he wanted to see the system ’ s safety procedures in action , and would be keeping track of whether they ’ re able to maintain communication with operators during the test .
“ If it ’ s not safe enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe enough for anyone , ” he said .
Giegel said the acceleration will feel similar to a plane taking off .
The pod is propelled by magnetic levitation — the same technology used for bullet trains .
The top speed of the fastest commercial bullet train , the Shanghai Maglev , hovers around 300 mph .
To be sure , the pod didn ’ t reach the hyperloop ’ s theoretical maximum speed of 760 mph .
Virgin Hyperloop projects that with enough track it can eventually get up to 670 mph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to date is 240 mph , which it hit in 2017 .
“ It ’ ll be a bit short , ” Giegel said before the test .
“ We ’ ll get up to probably about 100 miles an hour , a little over , and we ’ ll accelerate , decelerate , and it ’ ll be smooth .
We ’ re not astronauts , we ’ re just there — we ’ re sitting in it.
” In 2013 , Musk published his “ alpha paper ” which theorized that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cargo could be propelled through a nearly airless tube at airliner-speeds of up to 760 mph .
These tubes , either raised on pylons or sunk beneath the earth , could be built either within or between cities .
He called it a “ fifth mode of transportation ” and argued it could help change the way we live , work , trade , and travel .
The most eye-catching scenario he proposed was a trip from LA to San Francisco in only 30 minutes .
The idea captured the imaginations of engineers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hyperloop was originally founded as Hyperloop Technologies before changing its name to Hyperloop One in 2016 and then again to Virgin Hyperloop One after being acquired by Richard Branson ’ s company .
The company came out of the gate strong with tens of millions of dollars of funding and a bold vision of hyperloop systems all around the globe .
But it wasn ’ t always smooth traveling for Virgin Hyperloop .
In 2017 , the company settled a lawsuit with one of its co-founders over competing claims of harassment and sabotage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was ousted amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct .
The company was also strapped for cash for a notable stretch of time .
Branson helped secure a new $ 50 million investment from two existing investors , which helped meet payroll obligations .
More recently , Virgin Hyperloop raised $ 172 million in new funding in 2019 , $ 90 million of which came from Dubai port operator DP World , which has previously invested $ 25 million in the company and already has two seats on the startup ’ s board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ settled down , with Giegel and his team working diligently to validate the technology with a series of tests .
On the regulatory front , things are looking brighter .
The company recently announced its plan to build a $ 500 million certification center to advance its vision of the future of high-speed transportation in West Virginia .
And the federal government has recently laid out the framework for regulating the hyperloop , giving hope to companies like Virgin Hyperloop that it may eventually break ground on a full-sized operational hyperloop system .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , financial , and regulatory challenges ahead Critics say the hyperloop may be technically feasible , but still only amounts to vaporware .
It ’ s been called a “ utopian vision ” that would be financially impossible to achieve .
It ’ s one of those technologies that is also “ just around the corner ” according to its boosters — despite outwardly appearing to still being years away from completion .
In 2017 , Virgin Hyperloop ’ s top executives told The Verge they expect to see “ working hyperloops around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deadline was later pushed to 2021 , the year they believe the hyperloop will be ready for human passengers .
There are still a lot of safety questions that need to be answered , said Constantine Samaras , associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University .
“ A hyperloop vehicle will travel much faster than high-speed rail , maybe even reaching 760 mph , ” Samaras said in an email .
“ Maintaining safety at such high speeds is very important , and all of the unforeseen disasters need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An earthquake ?
The vacuum tube breaks ?
The train somehow punches through the tube ?
At such high speeds , these events amplify the danger , and so safety has to be paramount.
” No government in the world has awarded a contract or approved the building of a hyperloop system yet .
It ’ s unclear how much it would cost to build a hyperloop , but surely it would be in the billions of dollars .
Leaked financial documents in 2016 suggested the hyperloop would cost between $ 9 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 84 million and $ 121 million per mile — significantly more than high-speed rail .
Even with public funding , any company would need to raise millions of dollars in funding , acquire the enormous tracks of land , and certify that the hyperloop can be operated safely .
Which is all to say , the hyperloop is still very far off .
The ability to maintain a vacuum in the tube , especially one hundreds of miles long , is another enormous challenge .
Every time a pod arrives at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop .
Then the airlock will have to close , pressurize , and open again .
Then the pod has to clear the airlock before the next pod arrives .
The speed at which this occurs will determine the distance between pods .
Turning will also be extremely difficult .
A hyperloop would need approximately six miles to execute a 90-degree turn at 600 mph , a Virgin Hyperloop engineer once told the New York Times .
“ At such high speeds , these events amplify the danger , and so safety has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is headways .
The longer the headway , the less capacity these pods will have , which may determine how useful a mass transit system the hyperloop can be .
Operators can try to compensate by building larger pods , but then they ’ ll need stronger steel for their tubes to accommodate the added weight , and that spells higher costs .
Walder , who has run public transportation systems in China and the US and most recently was head of Citi Bike in New York City , said that headways would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a full-scale , commercially operational hyperloop , compared to 2 minutes or more for most trains .
Luchian said she was excited , if a little nervous .
“ A little bit of nervous energy , ” she said , “ only because I can appreciate the gravitas of the moment.
” She said it was important the experience of riding in the hyperloop feel comfortable and familiar , like riding in a train , other normal people would reject it as a feasible and safe mode of transportation .
She noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ training beforehand or wore protective clothing like astronauts .
“ Even for such a momentous occasion , for a technology that was literally a pipe dream like six , seven years ago , we don ’ t have to do all of these iterations with specialists , ” she said .
“ We ’ re getting right in.
” For Giegel , this test was the culmination of years of labor .
It takes place almost six years after he quit his job as a systems propulsion lead at Virgin Galactic to start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I think a long time from now , this moment , this thing in the desert that wouldn ’ t have existed unless we put it here , is going to be that spot where people can look and say , ‘ that was a really big idea , it was a really risky idea , ’ ” he said , “ ‘ but they came , they did it , and they made it successful .
’ ”

Virgin Hyperloop announced that for the first time it has conducted a test of its ultra-fast transportation system with human passengers.
The test took place on Sunday afternoon at the company’s DevLoop test track in the desert outside Las Vegas, Nevada. The first two passengers were Virgin Hyperloop’s chief technology officer and co-founder, Josh Giegel, and head of passenger experience, Sara Luchian. After strapping into their seats in the company’s gleaming white and red hyperloop pod, dubbed Pegasus, they were transferred into an airlock as the air inside the enclosed vacuum tube was removed. The pod then accelerated to a brisk 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) down the length of the track, before slowing down to a stop.
It’s an important achievement for Virgin Hyperloop, which was founded in 2014 on the premise of making Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s vision of a futuristic transportation system of magnetically levitating pods traveling through nearly airless tubes at speeds of up to 760 mph (1,223 km/h) a reality.
“No one has done anything close to what we’re talking about right now.”
The DevLoop test track is 500 meters long and 3.3 meters in diameter. The track is located about 30 minutes from Las Vegas, out in the kind of desert that hyperloop pods could one day traverse in minutes. The company says it has conducted over 400 tests on that track, but never before with human passengers — until today.
“No one has done anything close to what we’re talking about right now,” Jay Walder, CEO of Virgin Hyperloop, told The Verge. “This is a full scale, working hyperloop that is not just going to run in a vacuum environment, but is going to have a person in it. No one has come close to doing it.”
The Pegasus pod used for the first passenger test, also called XP-2, was designed with help from famed Danish architect Bjarke Ingels’ design firm. It represents a scaled-down version of what Virgin Hyperloop hopes will eventually be a full-sized pod capable of carrying up to 23 passengers. It weighs 2.5 tons and measures about 15-18 feet long, according to Giegel. Inside, its lush white interior is meant to be familiar to passengers, who may not be immediately comfortable with the idea of slingshotting through a vacuum-sealed tube at the speed of a commercial jet.
“This is not like some crazy, newfangled science fiction invention,” Luchian said in an interview several days before the test. “This is something that reminds me of a place that I’ve been and I’ve used many times, that I would feel comfortable putting grandma in and sending her on a visit somewhere.”
“This is not like some crazy, newfangled science fiction invention.”
Prior to the test, Luchian said she was eager to experience the acceleration, as well as monitor the temperature inside the pod and the ventilation system. Giegel said he wanted to see the system’s safety procedures in action, and would be keeping track of whether they’re able to maintain communication with operators during the test. “If it’s not safe enough for me, it’s not safe enough for anyone,” he said.
Giegel said the acceleration will feel similar to a plane taking off. The pod is propelled by magnetic levitation — the same technology used for bullet trains. The top speed of the fastest commercial bullet train, the Shanghai Maglev, hovers around 300 mph.
To be sure, the pod didn’t reach the hyperloop’s theoretical maximum speed of 760 mph. Virgin Hyperloop projects that with enough track it can eventually get up to 670 mph — but the company’s record to date is 240 mph, which it hit in 2017.
“It’ll be a bit short,” Giegel said before the test. “We’ll get up to probably about 100 miles an hour, a little over, and we’ll accelerate, decelerate, and it’ll be smooth. We’re not astronauts, we’re just there — we’re sitting in it.”
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In 2013, Musk published his “alpha paper” which theorized that aerodynamic aluminum capsules filled with passengers or cargo could be propelled through a nearly airless tube at airliner-speeds of up to 760 mph. These tubes, either raised on pylons or sunk beneath the earth, could be built either within or between cities. He called it a “fifth mode of transportation” and argued it could help change the way we live, work, trade, and travel. The most eye-catching scenario he proposed was a trip from LA to San Francisco in only 30 minutes. The idea captured the imaginations of engineers and investors across the world.
Virgin Hyperloop was originally founded as Hyperloop Technologies before changing its name to Hyperloop One in 2016 and then again to Virgin Hyperloop One after being acquired by Richard Branson’s company. The company came out of the gate strong with tens of millions of dollars of funding and a bold vision of hyperloop systems all around the globe.
But it wasn’t always smooth traveling for Virgin Hyperloop. In 2017, the company settled a lawsuit with one of its co-founders over competing claims of harassment and sabotage. A year later, another co-founder was ousted amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
The company was also strapped for cash for a notable stretch of time. Branson helped secure a new $50 million investment from two existing investors, which helped meet payroll obligations. More recently, Virgin Hyperloop raised $172 million in new funding in 2019, $90 million of which came from Dubai port operator DP World, which has previously invested $25 million in the company and already has two seats on the startup’s board of directors.
After that, things settled down, with Giegel and his team working diligently to validate the technology with a series of tests. On the regulatory front, things are looking brighter. The company recently announced its plan to build a $500 million certification center to advance its vision of the future of high-speed transportation in West Virginia. And the federal government has recently laid out the framework for regulating the hyperloop, giving hope to companies like Virgin Hyperloop that it may eventually break ground on a full-sized operational hyperloop system.
There are still a host of technical, financial, and regulatory challenges ahead
Critics say the hyperloop may be technically feasible, but still only amounts to vaporware. It’s been called a “utopian vision” that would be financially impossible to achieve. It’s one of those technologies that is also “just around the corner” according to its boosters — despite outwardly appearing to still being years away from completion. In 2017, Virgin Hyperloop’s top executives told The Verge they expect to see “working hyperloops around the world... by 2020.” That deadline was later pushed to 2021, the year they believe the hyperloop will be ready for human passengers.
There are still a lot of safety questions that need to be answered, said Constantine Samaras, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. “A hyperloop vehicle will travel much faster than high-speed rail, maybe even reaching 760 mph,” Samaras said in an email. “Maintaining safety at such high speeds is very important, and all of the unforeseen disasters need to be engineered into the system. An earthquake? The vacuum tube breaks? The train somehow punches through the tube? At such high speeds, these events amplify the danger, and so safety has to be paramount.”
No government in the world has awarded a contract or approved the building of a hyperloop system yet. It’s unclear how much it would cost to build a hyperloop, but surely it would be in the billions of dollars. Leaked financial documents in 2016 suggested the hyperloop would cost between $9 billion and $13 billion, or between $84 million and $121 million per mile — significantly more than high-speed rail. Even with public funding, any company would need to raise millions of dollars in funding, acquire the enormous tracks of land, and certify that the hyperloop can be operated safely. Which is all to say, the hyperloop is still very far off.
The ability to maintain a vacuum in the tube, especially one hundreds of miles long, is another enormous challenge. Every time a pod arrives at a station, it has to decelerate and stop. Then the airlock will have to close, pressurize, and open again. Then the pod has to clear the airlock before the next pod arrives. The speed at which this occurs will determine the distance between pods. Turning will also be extremely difficult. A hyperloop would need approximately six miles to execute a 90-degree turn at 600 mph, a Virgin Hyperloop engineer once told the New York Times.
“At such high speeds, these events amplify the danger, and so safety has to be paramount”
Another potential hurdle is headways. The longer the headway, the less capacity these pods will have, which may determine how useful a mass transit system the hyperloop can be. Operators can try to compensate by building larger pods, but then they’ll need stronger steel for their tubes to accommodate the added weight, and that spells higher costs.
Walder, who has run public transportation systems in China and the US and most recently was head of Citi Bike in New York City, said that headways would be “a few seconds apart” in a full-scale, commercially operational hyperloop, compared to 2 minutes or more for most trains.
Luchian said she was excited, if a little nervous. “A little bit of nervous energy,” she said, “only because I can appreciate the gravitas of the moment.”
She said it was important the experience of riding in the hyperloop feel comfortable and familiar, like riding in a train, other normal people would reject it as a feasible and safe mode of transportation. She noted that neither Giegel nor herself received special training beforehand or wore protective clothing like astronauts.
“Even for such a momentous occasion, for a technology that was literally a pipe dream like six, seven years ago, we don’t have to do all of these iterations with specialists,” she said. “We’re getting right in.”
For Giegel, this test was the culmination of years of labor. It takes place almost six years after he quit his job as a systems propulsion lead at Virgin Galactic to start a hyperloop company in his garage.


theverge--2020-11-08--Longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has died

Alex Trebek , the longtime host of the answer-and-question game show Jeopardy !
has died at age 80 , according to a statement from the show .
“ Jeopardy !
is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning , surrounded by family and friends , ” the statement posted on Twitter read .
Trebek was born in Sudbury , Canada , on July 22nd , 1940 .
His career began at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1961 .
He moved to the US in the 1970s where he hosted game shows including The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The $ 128,000 Question , and The New High Rollers before he landed the Jeopardy !
hosting gig in 1984 .
He hosted more than 7,000 episodes of the show , winning five Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host .
Trebek received a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2011 .
Ken Jennings , the former contestant who holds the record for the longest Jeopardy !
winning streak , offered his condolences Sunday .
“ Alex wasn ’ t just the best ever at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lovely and deeply decent man , and I ’ m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him , ” Jennings tweeted .
Trebek was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer , which he announced in March 2019 , not long after he renewed his contract to host the show through 2022 .
He underwent chemotherapy treatment but continued to appear on Jeopardy !
“ Normally , the prognosis for this is not very encouraging , but I ’ m going to fight this , ” Trebek said in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support of my family and friends , and with the help of your prayers also , I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.
” Trebek ’ s last day in the studio was October 29th , according to Variety , and the last episodes with him as the host will continue to air through December 25th .

Alex Trebek, the longtime host of the answer-and-question game show Jeopardy! has died at age 80, according to a statement from the show. “Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” the statement posted on Twitter read.
Trebek was born in Sudbury, Canada, on July 22nd, 1940. His career began at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1961. He moved to the US in the 1970s where he hosted game shows including The Wizard of Odds, Double Dare, The $128,000 Question, and The New High Rollers before he landed the Jeopardy! hosting gig in 1984.
He hosted more than 7,000 episodes of the show, winning five Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host. Trebek received a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2011.
Ken Jennings, the former contestant who holds the record for the longest Jeopardy! winning streak, offered his condolences Sunday. “Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,” Jennings tweeted.
Trebek was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, which he announced in March 2019, not long after he renewed his contract to host the show through 2022. He underwent chemotherapy treatment but continued to appear on Jeopardy!
“Normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this,” Trebek said in 2019. “And with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.”
Trebek’s last day in the studio was October 29th, according to Variety, and the last episodes with him as the host will continue to air through December 25th.


theverge--2020-11-08--If your screen time was up during election week, you’re not alone

As Election Day came and went and we still didn ’ t know who was going to win the presidency , many of us ended up glued to our devices last week— moreso than usual— seeking the latest news .
Whether it was the obsession with MSNBC ’ s Steve Kornacki and his map wizardry or the constant updates about how many votes were left to count in Pennsylvania or Georgia , Americans likely spent more time doomscrolling through their Twitter feeds and other apps than they normally do .
Depending on who your preferred candidate was , by Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Joe Biden— your doomscrolling may have turned into gleefreshing— the newly-coined term for manually updating your feed to read good news .
On Sunday , we started seeing the updates : the iOS Screen Time feature helpfully lets you know how your screen time compares to the week before .
Gene Park of The Washington Post got down into the nitty gritty of exactly how many hours of screen time he averaged ( although it ’ s sort of his job to be a power user ) : Not everyone was interested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) how much more screen time they had last week compared to the week before , however .
There ’ s a lot of research on screen time but it ’ s not all that conclusive ; some studies suggest too much screen time makes people anxious , other studies say not so much .
Whatever the case , if you ’ re worried about last week ’ s screen time , maybe let yourself off the hook a little .
Awaiting the results of a momentous presidential election during a pandemic is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be looking at their phones , tablets , or even TVs for more information .

As Election Day came and went and we still didn’t know who was going to win the presidency, many of us ended up glued to our devices last week— moreso than usual— seeking the latest news. Whether it was the obsession with MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki and his map wizardry or the constant updates about how many votes were left to count in Pennsylvania or Georgia, Americans likely spent more time doomscrolling through their Twitter feeds and other apps than they normally do.
Depending on who your preferred candidate was, by Saturday morning —when the networks called the election for Joe Biden— your doomscrolling may have turned into gleefreshing— the newly-coined term for manually updating your feed to read good news.
On Sunday, we started seeing the updates: the iOS Screen Time feature helpfully lets you know how your screen time compares to the week before.
Gene Park of The Washington Post got down into the nitty gritty of exactly how many hours of screen time he averaged (although it’s sort of his job to be a power user):
Not everyone was interested to learn (or to tell others) how much more screen time they had last week compared to the week before, however.
There’s a lot of research on screen time but it’s not all that conclusive; some studies suggest too much screen time makes people anxious, other studies say not so much.
Whatever the case, if you’re worried about last week’s screen time, maybe let yourself off the hook a little.


theverge--2020-11-08--Here are the accessories you’ll need for your PlayStation 5

Sony ’ s PlayStation 5 launches on Thursday , November 12th .
Whether you secured one ahead of launch day or plan to buy one during the holiday season , you might want to consider picking up additional accessories to ensure you get the most out of your brand new console .
First , there ’ s the controller .
Every new PS5 includes one DualSense controller .
Unlike the DualShock controllers , the DualSense has a two-color scheme and a more ergonomic design .
The controller also features adaptive triggers , a built-in microphone , and haptic feedback , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controller ’ s features to provide more immersion .
In addition to working with the PS5 , the DualSense can connect to Android devices wirelessly .
The controller will also connect wirelessly to a PC if your computer supports Bluetooth .
If not , you can connect the DualSense to a PC using a USB cable .
The controller is $ 70 , which is $ 10 more than the DualShock 4 .
The DualSense is a good successor to the PS4 ’ s controller , given all the improvements that come with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PS4 or own a DualShock 4 , you can still use the controller on the PS5 , but it will only work while playing PS4 games .
If you are interested in using your PS5 to live-stream video games or broadcast your gameplay with friends , you ’ ll want to pick up the PS5 HD Camera , which is $ 60 .
It includes dual 1080p lenses and is a successor to the PS4 camera .
The camera also allows you to remove the background of your camera ’ s feed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of streaming , let ’ s quickly talk about games .
Sony will have a good chunk of games playable at launch , including some highly anticipated titles , which we will list below .
If you are curious to know the full list of games available on the console at launch , we have compiled an extensive list of games coming to Sony ’ s next-gen console at launch and other games coming out within the next two years .
But here are a few PlayStation exclusives coming to the console at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PlayStation Plus Collection , a digital library of some of the most popular games released during the PS4 ’ s lifespan .
But you will need to have an active PlayStation Plus subscription to access the service .
You can grab a one-year subscription for $ 29 at Eneba or $ 30 at CDKeys right now .
Shifting back to accessories , the PS5 also has its own media remote .
The PS5 can double as a device to stream movies and videos , or if you buy the PS5 with a disc @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The PS5 will have a ton of streaming apps available at launch , including Apple TV Plus , Crunchyroll , and Hulu , so if you plan to watch movies and shows on your device , the PS5 media remote would be a smart thing to buy .
With the console ’ s SSD space limited and no signs of SSD expansion support coming in the near future , using an external hard drive as a way to store older PS4 games is not a bad idea .
Just note that you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to play next-gen PS5 titles .

The PlayStation 5 is becoming more available than it once was, but even with the increased frequency of restocks, Sony’s latest console remains a chore to get a hold of. If you’ve been savvy enough to secure a PS5 of your own, however, getting the right accessories can help ensure you get the most out of your new console.
From headsets and spare DualSense controllers to M.2 SSDs that allow you to easily expand your console’s storage capacity — that’s a thing now, after all — these are just a few PS5 accessories we suggest picking up, some of which occasionally go on discount.
Extra controllers
First off, there’s the controller. Every new PS5 includes a white DualSense controller. Unlike the last-gen DualShock controllers, the DualSense has a two-color scheme and a more ergonomic design. The controller also features adaptive triggers, a built-in microphone, and haptic feedback, with some games taking advantage of the controller’s features to provide an added level of immersion.
In addition to working with the PS5, the DualSense can wirelessly connect to Android and iOS devices — along with a PC, if your computer supports Bluetooth. If not, you can connect the DualSense to a PC using a USB cable.
The standard white and midnight black controllers usually retail for around $69, but sometimes you can find them on sale for around $60. As for the newer DualSense colors — including the red, purple, blue, and pink variants — they usually sell for $74, a slightly higher price tag. The DualSense is a good successor to the PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 controller, given the improvements; however, it doesn’t sport the greatest battery life, so having a spare handy can be helpful even outside of local multiplayer games. If you already own a DualShock 4, though, you can still use the controller on the PS5, but it will only work while playing PS4 games.
DualSense Wireless Controller (black) $ 50 $ 70 29 % off $ 50 $ 50 $ 70 29 % off The black DualSense controller sports the same hardware as the original — haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, etc. — only with a two-tone black design reminiscent of PS2, PS3, and PS4 consoles. $50 at Best Buy
DualSense Charging Station
With Sony’s DualSense Charging Station, you can charge two wireless DualSense controllers at the same time, allowing you to free up the USB-C ports on the PS5 and ensuring your local multiplayer sessions go off without a hitch. After at first being notoriously difficult to find, we have only seen the occasional discount on the charging station of about $10 off. Discounts are pretty infrequent, however, so keep an eye out for big Sony promotions or events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
Sony’s replaceable console covers take a colorful cue from the more recent DualSense controllers. Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
User-replaceable console covers
While replacement console covers for the PS5 may not be essential, they remain a fun way to customize your system. Sony’s user-replaceable covers also come in an array of colors to match the DualSense controllers, allowing you to outfit your console in black, red, purple, blue, or pink. Whether you have a regular PS5 with a disc drive or the Digital Edition, these cost $54.99 each — though be sure you get the right one for your console. At this time, they’re only available direct from Sony.
The PS5 design is a bit polarizing to some, and these covers are a unique way to make it blend in better with your home or go the other way and add a pop of color. It’s your choice. There are no wrong answers here, but keep in mind that the correct answer is always black.
The ideal TV to plug your PS5 into
Looking for a new 4K TV that can take full advantage of the PS5’s capabilities? Verge reviewer Chris Welch has you covered with a range of TVs from TCL, LG, and Samsung. They all come in different sizes and prices, but working well with the PS5 is something they each have in common.
However, our favorite option remains LG’s excellent C1 OLED from last year, which comes with HDMI 2.1 support on all four inputs, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support. Right now, Amazon is selling the 65-inch model for $1,596.99 instead of its full price of $2,499.99. LG’s newer C2 is also now readily available, but we don’t think the improvements are worth the higher price tag over the C1.
The PS5’s proprietary webcam and streaming camera
If you are interested in using your PS5 to livestream video games or broadcast your gameplay with friends, you’ll want to pick up the PlayStation 5 HD Camera, which is available for around $60 at Amazon and Best Buy. The successor to the PS4 camera, the HD peripheral includes dual 1080p lenses and allows you to remove the background of your camera’s feed and replace it with something else.
Wireless gaming headsets
The SteelSeries Arctis 7P Plus offers a nice balance in terms of features, connectivity, and comfort. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Sony’s Pulse 3D Wireless Headset may be worth the $100 price tag if you want a wireless model that allows the audio to shine in select PS5 exclusives. It sounds fantastic with titles like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon’s Souls, as well as more recent hits like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Sony also makes a black version of the headset for the same asking price, and though we’ve seen few deals on either model, they have been discounted to as low as $89 in the past.
However, out of all of our favorite headsets, we found the SteelSeries Arctis 7P Plus to be the best gaming headset for PlayStation consoles. It’s pricier than Sony’s aforementioned Pulse 3D Wireless at $169.99, though it does occasionally go on sale for around $140 or $150 at retailers like Amazon. In exchange for that higher price tag, you’re getting a comfier headset than the Pulse, one that offers better mic quality and a more intuitive button layout.
SteelSeries Arctis 7P Plus $ 149 $ 166 10 % off $ 149 $ 149 $ 166 10 % off The new Arctis 7P Plus has the same design and comfort as previous SteelSeries headsets, but the newer model boasts improved battery life and USB-C charging, making it easy to use the same charging cable that your DualSense uses. $170 at SteelSeries$149 at Amazon
A PlayStation controller with a Netflix button
Like the PS4, Sony’s newest console also touts its own media remote. Like most consoles, the PS5 doubles as a competent streaming device, granting you access to services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus and allowing you to control 4K Blu-ray playback if you’re using the disc-based PS5. It doesn’t provide any additional functionality over the PS5’s DualSense controller, but it’s smaller and more comfortable, with dedicated launch buttons for some of the more popular streaming services. Read our review.
Expandable storage (both internal and external)
After an initial beta testing phase, you can now add specific M.2 SSDs to the PS5, making it possible to increase your console’s storage capacity. If you’re looking for a surefire bet that’s affordable, we recommend the WD Black SN850 drives, which run at a blistering 7,000MB/s (read speeds) and 4100MB/s (write speeds) and are ideal if you want to quickly install an SSD and not have to worry about it afterward. Right now, the 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB models are all on sale with a heatsink, with the 500GB model going for $89.99 instead of its typical $169.99.
For an even faster alternative, Samsung’s 980 Pro is another PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD that’s capable of sequential read speeds of up to 7,000MB/s and write speeds of up to 5,000MB/s. These specs make it a great choice for a modern PCIe 4.0-equipped PC or for the PS5 with the required heatsink.
WD Black SN850 (1TB, with heatsink) $ 125 $ 180 31 % off $ 125 $ 125 $ 180 31 % off The WD Black SN850 is one of the fastest M.2 drives around, with a sequential read speed of up to 7,000MB/s and a write speed of up to 4,100MB/s. It can perform best in a PC that has a PCIe 4.0 motherboard or in a PS5. $125 at Amazon$150 at Best Buy
Samsung 980 Pro (with heatsink) $ 100 $ 200 50 % off $ 100 $ 100 $ 200 50 % off Samsung’s 980 Pro is a fast PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD that’s capable of sequential read speeds of up to 7,000MB/s and write speeds of up to 5,000MB/s. These specs make it a great choice for a modern PCIe 4.0-equipped PC or for a PS5. $100 at Best Buy (2TB)
The PS5’s user-accessible M.2 SSD slot Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge
On the other end of the storage spectrum, traditional hard drives still have their place in with modern gaming consoles, especially if you like having lots of games downloaded but want to save room on your SSDs. Seagate’s external hard drive is great for storing your PS4 games on your PS5 without taking up precious SSD space. Right now, you can buy the 4TB model for $109.99 instead of $124.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. You won’t be able to use it to play PS5 titles, but you can off-load them onto a hard drive like this one. Think of it as a PS4 drive and also cold storage for PS5 games to save you from re-downloading them.
Seagate Game Drive (4TB) $ 110 $ 125 12 % off $ 110 $ 110 $ 125 12 % off Seagate’s external hard drive is great if you want to store your PS4 games on your PS5 without taking up precious SSD space. Right now, you can also buy the 4TB model for $109.99 instead of $124.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. Just note that you won’t be able to use it to play PS5 titles, though a firmware update allows you to off-load them onto a hard drive like this one.
$110 at Amazon$110 at Best Buy
PlayStation Plus subscription
What good is a PlayStation without games? A PlayStation Plus subscription offers you access to online multiplayer, exclusive discounts, free monthly games, and access to the PlayStation Plus collection, a catalog of PlayStation 4 hits you can download and play on PS5 at no additional cost.
The service was recently split into three tiers: PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium. The Essential tier gets you, essentially, the original PS Plus benefits outlined above for $9.99 a month or $59.99 annually. If you want access to a selection of existing and new PS5 games (such as Demon’s Souls, Returnal, Stray, and more), then PlayStation Plus Extra has you covered for $14.99 a month or $99.99 annually. The top-tier PlayStation Plus Premium has all the lower two have, plus it adds game trials and a classic catalog of PS1, PS2, PSP, and cloud streaming PS3 games for $17.99 a month or $119.99 annually.
At this time, you can’t buy prepaid subscription cards for the new PlayStation Plus membership tiers. If you have any older PlayStation Plus cards, however, those can be redeemed for the same length subscription under the Essential tier — though converting it to Extra or Premium will net you fewer months on a sliding scale.
PlayStation Plus (annual membership) $ 50 $ 60 17 % off $ 50 $ 50 $ 60 17 % off PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now prepaid membership cards can still be redeemed toward Sony’s three new tiers of its revised service: PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium. All of these subscriptions offer online play, with varying degrees of downloadable games included as part of the membership. $50 at Eneba
A racing wheel for you Gran Turismo fans
This may be a bit more niche, but it’s not often that a new racing game like Gran Turismo 7 comes along to flex the graphical power of Sony’s latest console. Despite its bit of drama around microtransactions and patches, the latest Gran Turismo title has proven itself an impressive installment and a return to form for the iconic racing series. And while racing with the DualSense controller’s haptics firing off is certainly satisfying, no controller substitutes the satisfaction of playing with a proper wheel.
Luckily, the Thrustmaster T248 is a great wheel and pedal set for the PS5, PS4, and even PC. The premium, all-in-one solution may cost a pretty penny at $399.99, but it has been on sale for as much as $100 off. Check out our review, and read all about its impressive force feedback and feel. Just be aware that you may never want to go back to playing racing games with a controller again.
Thrustmaster T248 $ 373 $ 400 7 % off $ 373 $ 373 $ 400 7 % off Thrustmaster’s T248 steering wheel and pedal setup is designed for both the PS4 and PS5, as well as PC. It’s an excellent force feedback wheel that also comes with a unique LCD screen that displays information such as speed, position, and more depending on the game. $373 at Amazon


theverge--2020-11-09--A first look at ray tracing on the $299 Xbox Series S

Ubisoft provided a first look at ray tracing on next-gen Xbox consoles a couple of weeks ago , and we ’ ve now had the chance to play the optimized version of Watch Dogs : Legion on both the Xbox Series X and Series S. The most visible change over a regular Xbox One or PS4 version of the game is the introduction of ray tracing for the Series X and S. On both consoles , there are plenty of reflective windows , puddles , and bright neon signs inside the London-based world of Watch Dogs : Legion .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These ray-traced reflections more accurately demonstrate the often wet and dark parts of London , and it often feels like there are numerous puddles on the floor in Watch Dogs : Legion just ready to reflect nearby light sources .
One of the best places to demonstrate this in the game is Piccadilly Circus , a tourist hotspot in the heart of London ’ s West End theater district .
There are large screens , reflective puddles , neon signs , and lots of windows nearby to really show off ray tracing at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ S handles most of these well , albeit running at 30fps in 1080p .
In fact , I ’ m surprised at this early example of ray tracing on this smaller next-gen Xbox .
Because the Xbox Series S is able to output at 4K , I ’ ve been playing Watch Dogs on a 4K OLED TV .
While the game doesn ’ t render in 4K on the Series S , the console upscales the image quality from its 1080p target to 4K .
The result is a little rough around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ OLED TV certainly helped mask the fact the image is being upscaled from 1080p for me .
The $ 499 Xbox Series X targets a 4K resolution at 30fps , and the image quality is often close to the ultra settings found on the PC version of the game .
I ’ ve also been testing Watch Dogs : Legion on a PC equipped with a Core i9-10900K and Nvidia ’ s latest RTX 3090 graphics card .
The PC version is obviously superior thanks to a higher frame rate , improved ray-tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the Xbox Series X is also surprisingly close .
Ray tracing feels like one of the bigger promises of this next generation of consoles , but we weren ’ t able to test it fully on the Xbox Series X and S during the review period .
The PS5 is also using ray tracing in a variety of games , including Spider-Man Miles Morales , which includes a ray tracing mode at 30fps or a performance mode at 60fps .
We haven ’ t been able to test Watch Dogs : Legion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might need to wait to see a AAA next-gen game running at 60fps with lots of ray-tracing effects enabled , but these early examples across Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X , and PS5 are encouraging .
We ’ re bound to see even more impressive examples in the months and years ahead .

Ubisoft provided a first look at ray tracing on next-gen Xbox consoles a couple of weeks ago, and we’ve now had the chance to play the optimized version of Watch Dogs: Legion on both the Xbox Series X and Series S. The most visible change over a regular Xbox One or PS4 version of the game is the introduction of ray tracing for the Series X and S.
On both consoles, there are plenty of reflective windows, puddles, and bright neon signs inside the London-based world of Watch Dogs: Legion. These are all ideal for ray tracing. These ray-traced reflections more accurately demonstrate the often wet and dark parts of London, and it often feels like there are numerous puddles on the floor in Watch Dogs: Legion just ready to reflect nearby light sources.
One of the best places to demonstrate this in the game is Piccadilly Circus, a tourist hotspot in the heart of London’s West End theater district. There are large screens, reflective puddles, neon signs, and lots of windows nearby to really show off ray tracing at nighttime.
The $299 Xbox Series S handles most of these well, albeit running at 30fps in 1080p. In fact, I’m surprised at this early example of ray tracing on this smaller next-gen Xbox. Because the Xbox Series S is able to output at 4K, I’ve been playing Watch Dogs on a 4K OLED TV.
While the game doesn’t render in 4K on the Series S, the console upscales the image quality from its 1080p target to 4K. The result is a little rough around the edges at times, but an OLED TV certainly helped mask the fact the image is being upscaled from 1080p for me.
The $499 Xbox Series X targets a 4K resolution at 30fps, and the image quality is often close to the ultra settings found on the PC version of the game. I’ve also been testing Watch Dogs: Legion on a PC equipped with a Core i9-10900K and Nvidia’s latest RTX 3090 graphics card. The PC version is obviously superior thanks to a higher frame rate, improved ray-tracing effects, and just more detail, but the Xbox Series X is also surprisingly close.
Ray tracing feels like one of the bigger promises of this next generation of consoles, but we weren’t able to test it fully on the Xbox Series X and S during the review period. The PS5 is also using ray tracing in a variety of games, including Spider-Man Miles Morales, which includes a ray tracing mode at 30fps or a performance mode at 60fps. We haven’t been able to test Watch Dogs: Legion on the PS5 just yet.