theverge--2020-08-23--Twitter says President Trump’s tweet about mail drop boxes violated its rules but will stay visible

Twitter has labeled a tweet from President Trump in which he questioned the use of mail drop boxes for the November election .
The president claimed , without citing evidence , that the boxes made it “ possible for a person to vote multiple times , ” and are a “ voter security disaster , ” that “ are not Covid sanitized.
” Twitter applied a label to the Sunday morning tweet that reads “ This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity .
However , Twitter has determined that it may be in the public ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accessible.
” A “ learn more ” link goes to Twitter ’ s rules about public-interest exceptions .
“ We placed a public interest interstitial on this Tweet for violating our Civic Integrity Policy , for making misleading health claims that could potentially dissuade people from participation in voting , ” a Twitter spokesperson said in an email to The Verge on Sunday .
“ We ’ ve taken action given the Tweet violates our Rules , but have kept the Tweet on Twitter because it is important that the public still be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relevance to ongoing matters of public importance.
” Engagement with the tweet will be limited , the spokesperson added : “ As is standard with this notice , engagements with the Tweet will be limited .
People will be able to Retweet with Comment , but will not be able to Like , Reply or Retweet it.
” It ’ s not the first time one of the president ’ s tweets has been flagged for posting inaccurate information about voting and the election .
On May 26th , Twitter labeled two tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making false statements about mail-in voting , the first time the platform had fact-checked Trump ’ s tweets .
The tweets in question falsely claimed that “ mail-in ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent ” and would result in “ a rigged election.
” Twitter labeled the tweets “ potentially misleading , ” adding that “ fact-checkers say there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud .
”

Twitter has labeled a tweet from President Trump in which he questioned the use of mail drop boxes for the November election. The president claimed, without citing evidence, that the boxes made it “possible for a person to vote multiple times,” and are a “voter security disaster,” that “are not Covid sanitized.”
Twitter applied a label to the Sunday morning tweet that reads “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.” A “learn more” link goes to Twitter’s rules about public-interest exceptions.
“We placed a public interest interstitial on this Tweet for violating our Civic Integrity Policy, for making misleading health claims that could potentially dissuade people from participation in voting,” a Twitter spokesperson said in an email to The Verge on Sunday. “We’ve taken action given the Tweet violates our Rules, but have kept the Tweet on Twitter because it is important that the public still be able to see the Tweet given its relevance to ongoing matters of public importance.”
Engagement with the tweet will be limited, the spokesperson added: “As is standard with this notice, engagements with the Tweet will be limited. People will be able to Retweet with Comment, but will not be able to Like, Reply or Retweet it.”
It’s not the first time one of the president’s tweets has been flagged for posting inaccurate information about voting and the election. On May 26th, Twitter labeled two tweets from the president’s account for making false statements about mail-in voting, the first time the platform had fact-checked Trump’s tweets. The tweets in question falsely claimed that “mail-in ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent” and would result in “a rigged election.” Twitter labeled the tweets “potentially misleading,” adding that “fact-checkers say there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud.”


theverge--2020-08-23--Microsoft says Forza is at risk from Apple’s Unreal Engine cutoff

Apple is threatening an entire ecosystem of game developers in response to the Fortnite lawsuit , Epic alleged in a new filing on Sunday .
The motion centers on iOS support for the Unreal Engine , which Apple has threatened to revoke as part of Epic ’ s broader loss of developer privileges .
Epic has asked the court to restrain Apple from revoking that access while the case is ongoing .
Apple responded to the request on Friday , emphasizing that it was enforcing previously stated policies , but not denying that iOS support was at risk .
Epic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , affecting developers who have built on Epic ’ s engine but have no direct interest in the case .
“ The breadth of Apple ’ s retaliation is itself an unlawful effort to maintain its monopoly and chill any action by others who might dare oppose Apple , ” the motion reads .
The filing came alongside a new declaration from Microsoft in support of Epic ’ s motion , emphasizing how disastrous it would be to revoke Epic ’ s access to Apple ’ s developer tools .
Any developer using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security flaws or fix bugs once the access was revoked , effectively halting support for a wide range of games including Microsoft ’ s Forza .
“ Denying Epic access to Apple ’ s SDK and other development tools will prevent Epic from supporting Unreal Engine on iOS and macOS , ” said Kevin Gammill , Microsoft ’ s general manager for third-party developers on the Xbox , “ and will place Unreal Engine and those game creators that have built , are building , and may build games on it at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Apple began on August 13th , when Epic announced a new in-app payment system for Fortnite that skirted Apple ’ s 30 percent fee — dubbed the Fortnite “ mega drop.
” Apple removed Fortnite from its App Store , citing its long-standing rules for in-app purchases .
Epic responded with an antitrust lawsuit seeking to establish the App Store as a monopoly .
Apple responded to Epic Games suit on Friday , asking a court to deny Epic ’ s motion .
Apple claims Epic created a false “ emergency ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violation of Apple ’ s rules .
Epic , the court filing states , asked for a special deal that Apple said would “ fundamentally change the way in which Epic offers apps on Apple ’ s iOS platform.
” “ Developers who work to deceive Apple , as Epic has done here , are terminated , ” the court filing states , adding that when developers find ways to avoid its digital checkout , as Epic did , “ it is the same as if a customer leaves an Apple retail store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not get paid .
”

Apple is threatening an entire ecosystem of game developers in response to the Fortnite lawsuit, Epic alleged in a new filing on Sunday.
The motion centers on iOS support for the Unreal Engine, which Apple has threatened to revoke as part of Epic’s broader loss of developer privileges. Epic has asked the court to restrain Apple from revoking that access while the case is ongoing. Apple responded to the request on Friday, emphasizing that it was enforcing previously stated policies, but not denying that iOS support was at risk.
Epic says removing support would be unnecessarily punitive, affecting developers who have built on Epic’s engine but have no direct interest in the case. “The breadth of Apple’s retaliation is itself an unlawful effort to maintain its monopoly and chill any action by others who might dare oppose Apple,” the motion reads.
The filing came alongside a new declaration from Microsoft in support of Epic’s motion, emphasizing how disastrous it would be to revoke Epic’s access to Apple’s developer tools. Any developer using the engine would be unable to patch security flaws or fix bugs once the access was revoked, effectively halting support for a wide range of games including Microsoft’s Forza.
“Denying Epic access to Apple’s SDK and other development tools will prevent Epic from supporting Unreal Engine on iOS and macOS,” said Kevin Gammill, Microsoft’s general manager for third-party developers on the Xbox, “and will place Unreal Engine and those game creators that have built, are building, and may build games on it at a substantial disadvantage.”
The conflict between Epic and Apple began on August 13th, when Epic announced a new in-app payment system for Fortnite that skirted Apple’s 30 percent fee — dubbed the Fortnite “mega drop.” Apple removed Fortnite from its App Store, citing its long-standing rules for in-app purchases. Epic responded with an antitrust lawsuit seeking to establish the App Store as a monopoly.
Apple responded to Epic Games suit on Friday, asking a court to deny Epic’s motion. Apple claims Epic created a false “emergency” by accepting direct payments through Fortnite in violation of Apple’s rules. Epic, the court filing states, asked for a special deal that Apple said would “fundamentally change the way in which Epic offers apps on Apple’s iOS platform.”


theverge--2020-08-23--WeChat users group sues Trump administration over ban it says is unconstitutional

A group of WeChat users is suing the Trump administration over the president ’ s executive order banning transactions with the app , The Wall Street Journal reported .
The group isn ’ t affiliated with WeChat or its owner Tencent , but seeks to block the president ’ s August 6th order which the group says is unconstitutional because it violates users ’ due process and free speech rights , according to the Journal .
The lawsuit also argues that the ban targets Chinese-Americans .
“ It is the primary app Chinese-speakers in the U.S. use to participate in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sharing special moments , arguing ideas , receiving up-to-the minute news , and participating in political discussions and advocacy , ” the lawsuit states , and has “ become essential to the conduct of daily life for its users , many of whom regularly spend hours each day on the app.
” President Trump ’ s executive order explicitly blocks “ any transaction that is related to WeChat.
” There ’ s been significant confusion about the ban , which is set to take effect next month , because of its broad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pair of executive orders the president signed which targeted Chinese companies , the other blocked all transactions with ByteDance , the parent company of video-sharing app TikTok .
Both orders invoke the Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act .
“ WeChat , like TikTok ... may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party , ” Trump ’ s order against WeChat states .
Both WeChat and TikTok have maintained they are not security risks .
On Saturday , TikTok confirmed it plans to sue the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been in talks with Microsoft about the software giant possibly acquiring TikTok ’ s US operations , and other companies including Twitter and Oracle also were reportedly in separate talks with TikTok .
The WeChat user alliance is made up of people who say they depend on WeChat for personal and business purposes .
An attorney for the group says it ’ s hoping that the Trump administration will have to provide notice for which WeChat transactions would be subject to the ban , according to the Journal .
WeChat is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other business transactions in China ; with an estimated 1 billion users in that country , compared to 1.5 million users in the US .
Earlier this month , more than a dozen American companies including Apple , Ford , Disney , and Walmart pushed back against the WeChat ban , telling White House officials on a call how a WeChat ban would be problematic for them and their businesses .
UPDATE August 23rd 10:15AM ET : Added details from the text of the lawsuit

A group of WeChat users is suing the Trump administration over the president’s executive order banning transactions with the app, The Wall Street Journal reported. The group isn’t affiliated with WeChat or its owner Tencent, but seeks to block the president’s August 6th order which the group says is unconstitutional because it violates users’ due process and free speech rights, according to the Journal.
The lawsuit also argues that the ban targets Chinese-Americans. “It is the primary app Chinese-speakers in the U.S. use to participate in social life by connecting with loved ones, sharing special moments, arguing ideas, receiving up-to-the minute news, and participating in political discussions and advocacy,” the lawsuit states, and has “become essential to the conduct of daily life for its users, many of whom regularly spend hours each day on the app.”
President Trump’s executive order explicitly blocks “any transaction that is related to WeChat.” There’s been significant confusion about the ban, which is set to take effect next month, because of its broad language. It was one of a pair of executive orders the president signed which targeted Chinese companies, the other blocked all transactions with ByteDance, the parent company of video-sharing app TikTok. Both orders invoke the Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act.
“WeChat, like TikTok... may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party,” Trump’s order against WeChat states. Both WeChat and TikTok have maintained they are not security risks.
The WeChat user alliance is made up of people who say they depend on WeChat for personal and business purposes. An attorney for the group says it’s hoping that the Trump administration will have to provide notice for which WeChat transactions would be subject to the ban, according to the Journal.
WeChat is widely used for shopping, payments, and other business transactions in China; with an estimated 1 billion users in that country, compared to 1.5 million users in the US.
Earlier this month, more than a dozen American companies including Apple, Ford, Disney, and Walmart pushed back against the WeChat ban, telling White House officials on a call how a WeChat ban would be problematic for them and their businesses.


theverge--2020-08-24--Spotify is launching an exclusive League of Legends esports podcast

Spotify keeps adding to its exclusive podcast arsenal , and today , it ’ s getting into the esports space .
The company announced a multiyear partnership with Riot Games that ’ ll make Spotify the hub for all League of Legends audio content , including exclusive podcast series .
At least one show will launch this year , called Untold Stories : Top Moments from Worlds , a nine-episode series that ’ ll lead up to the 10th League of Legends championship this fall .
Listeners will hear about the players and top anthem through game highlights , interviews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music playlists , including the existing , “ This is League of Legends , ” will be updated regularly , too .
Spotify ’ s also planning to dedicate a day to the Worlds Anthem , a song Riot releases every year to kick off its annual championship competition , to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how the music was made .
The partnership might seem somewhat unlikely , but it makes sense given how popular League of Legends ’ music appears to be .
The game ’ s YouTube channel has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the game , and more than 21 million people have watched .
The game is also an official user on Spotify with its top track counting more than 154 million listens .
Spotify clearly sees an opportunity here to beef up its marketing and lure gamers onto the platform .
Once they ’ re there , it can start marketing other audio content , possibly other game-related podcasts , and eventually encourage them to make Spotify their go-to music and audio player .
An esports podcast is also an intriguing idea , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
League of Legends is one of the most popular esports , if not the most popular .
More than 100 million people watched the world championship last year .
Getting even a small percentage of these viewers to tune into a podcast would generate enough listeners for Spotify to easily monetize the show .

Spotify keeps adding to its exclusive podcast arsenal, and today, it’s getting into the esports space. The company announced a multiyear partnership with Riot Games that’ll make Spotify the hub for all League of Legends audio content, including exclusive podcast series.
At least one show will launch this year, called Untold Stories: Top Moments from Worlds, a nine-episode series that’ll lead up to the 10th League of Legends championship this fall. Listeners will hear about the players and top anthem through game highlights, interviews, and game sound effects.
Two music playlists, including the existing, “This is League of Legends,” will be updated regularly, too. Spotify’s also planning to dedicate a day to the Worlds Anthem, a song Riot releases every year to kick off its annual championship competition, to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how the music was made.
The partnership might seem somewhat unlikely, but it makes sense given how popular League of Legends’ music appears to be. The game’s YouTube channel has a playlist dedicated to music videos from the game, and more than 21 million people have watched. The game is also an official user on Spotify with its top track counting more than 154 million listens. Spotify clearly sees an opportunity here to beef up its marketing and lure gamers onto the platform. Once they’re there, it can start marketing other audio content, possibly other game-related podcasts, and eventually encourage them to make Spotify their go-to music and audio player.


theverge--2020-08-24--Flight sticks are selling out after the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator

The recently-released Microsoft Flight Simulator is a game best enjoyed with a dedicated flight stick , but actually finding one of these controllers is a challenge .
None of Amazon.com ’ s best-selling PC flight sticks are available to buy new as of Monday August 24th — they ’ re either listed as unavailable , only available used , or scheduled to be back in stock in the coming months .
It ’ s impossible to know if this current shortage is directly caused by the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator .
Flight yokes and sticks are a relatively niche @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even prior to the game ’ s official release , people on Twitter were complaining about shortages .
Meanwhile , plenty of other gaming accessories like Nintendo ’ s Ring Fit have also been selling out this year thanks to a combination of increased demand as people are staying at home more , and manufacturing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic .
Star Wars : Squadrons is also releasing in October Equally , however , Microsoft Flight Simulator is the biggest flight sim release in years , and it ’ s also relatively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Game Pass subscriptions .
Plus , in a couple of months ’ time , Star Wars : Squadrons is due to release , meaning anyone who buys a flight stick now will have a second big-budget game to use it with come October 2nd .
Although flight sticks are getting harder to find at the likes of Amazon.com and Best Buy , there do seem to be some other online retailers where they ’ re still available .
Dell has a relatively affordable Thrustmaster combination flight stick and throttle controller in stock , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ options if you ’ re willing to buy second-hand .
Otherwise , you might have to settle for using a regular gamepad as you explore Microsoft ’ s massive procedurally-generated world .

The recently-released Microsoft Flight Simulator is a game best enjoyed with a dedicated flight stick, but actually finding one of these controllers is a challenge. None of Amazon.com’s best-selling PC flight sticks are available to buy new as of Monday August 24th — they’re either listed as unavailable, only available used, or scheduled to be back in stock in the coming months.
It’s impossible to know if this current shortage is directly caused by the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Flight yokes and sticks are a relatively niche product to begin with, and, even prior to the game’s official release, people on Twitter were complaining about shortages. Meanwhile, plenty of other gaming accessories like Nintendo’s Ring Fit have also been selling out this year thanks to a combination of increased demand as people are staying at home more, and manufacturing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Star Wars: Squadrons is also releasing in October
Equally, however, Microsoft Flight Simulator is the biggest flight sim release in years, and it’s also relatively affordable thanks to its inclusion in Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. Plus, in a couple of months’ time, Star Wars: Squadrons is due to release, meaning anyone who buys a flight stick now will have a second big-budget game to use it with come October 2nd.


theverge--2020-08-24--Google’s Android TV dongle could be coming soon

Two new Google hardware devices have shown up in FCC filings , and as 9to5Google notes , it seems likely that they ’ re related to the new Android TV product that ’ s reportedly been in the works for a while .
If so , the filings could suggest that Google is finally gearing up to release it soon .
An XDA Developers report in June said that Google was preparing a TV dongle codenamed “ Sabrina ” that would use Android TV and a traditional remote-driven UI , unlike smartphone-controlled Chromecast devices .
One of the new FCC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Streaming Device ” with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth , while the other is for a “ Wireless Device ” with Bluetooth and a power cover , which 9to5Google speculates could be Sabrina and its remote control respectively .
Unless you buy a TV with the software built in , there aren ’ t too many options for Android TV right now .
There ’ s the high-end Nvidia Shield range , which starts at $ 149.99 , or the $ 59.99 Xiaomi Mi Box S that Google itself promoted a couple of years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Xiaomi did also just release a $ 40-ish Mi TV Stick in India and Europe , which is currently the only way to get Android TV in that form factor .
We ’ ll have to see whether Google has something more compelling on the way .
XDA Developers initially reported that the launch was planned for this summer , so there ’ s still time for Google to hit that window .

Two new Google hardware devices have shown up in FCC filings, and as 9to5Google notes, it seems likely that they’re related to the new Android TV product that’s reportedly been in the works for a while. If so, the filings could suggest that Google is finally gearing up to release it soon.
An XDA Developers report in June said that Google was preparing a TV dongle codenamed “Sabrina” that would use Android TV and a traditional remote-driven UI, unlike smartphone-controlled Chromecast devices. One of the new FCC filings refers to an “Interactive Media Streaming Device” with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while the other is for a “Wireless Device” with Bluetooth and a power cover, which 9to5Google speculates could be Sabrina and its remote control respectively.
Unless you buy a TV with the software built in, there aren’t too many options for Android TV right now. There’s the high-end Nvidia Shield range, which starts at $149.99, or the $59.99 Xiaomi Mi Box S that Google itself promoted a couple of years ago, but that’s about it. Xiaomi did also just release a $40-ish Mi TV Stick in India and Europe, which is currently the only way to get Android TV in that form factor.


theverge--2020-08-23--Apple apologizes to WordPress, won’t force the free app to add purchases after all

On Friday , the internet erupted in a small way to learn that Apple had successfully forced WordPress to monetize its free app — forcing it to sell premium plans and custom domain names seemingly just so that Apple could get its traditional 30 percent cut .
But one afternoon and evening of surprise and outrage later , Apple is backing off .
The company is issuing a rare on-the-record apology , and it says that WordPress will no longer have to add in-app purchases now that all is said and done .
We believe the issue with the WordPress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app , it is now a free stand-alone app and does not have to offer in-app purchases .
We have informed the developer and apologize for any confusion that we have caused .
You ’ ll notice that Apple is positioning this as the developer — WordPress — having done the right thing and removed the “ display of their service payment options from the app , ” and to my knowledge that is technically true .
But as far as I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t happen today : it happened weeks or months ago .
While as of yesterday , the WordPress app didn ’ t sell a single thing and didn ’ t so much as mention a paid “ Wordpress.com ” plan unless you followed an unlikely workaround , I was able to track down a fellow journalist this weekend who had a much older version of the app , one with a dedicated “ Plans ” tab that listed some of the different plans available to premium customers : It was already a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That said , my source told me there was no ability to purchase any of those plans — and I can confirm the entire “ Plans ” section had already been removed by the time WordPress developer Matt Mullenweg told us Apple had successfully forced him to add Apple ’ s in-app purchases ( IAP ) .
( Originally , he ’ d said Apple locked him out of updating the app unless he added Apple IAP within 30 days . )
What ’ s more , Mullenweg told us that he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the paid plans out of the app ( even workarounds like when a user views a preview of their own WordPress webpage and then navigates to WordPress.com ) , only to have those suggestions rejected by Apple .
So , to the best of my knowledge , this isn ’ t WordPress caving yet again .
Apple simply seems to have decided that trying to extract its cut from a free app — by forcing in-app purchases — isn ’ t a hill worth dying on today .
Update , 8:52 PM ET @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprise to WordPress ’ s Matt Mullenweg , who has a new Twitter thread here .
Update , August 23rd , 5:40 PM ET : In case you ’ re wondering , WordPress ’ s Matt Mullenweg is denying that WordPress itself submitted an update that would have allowed iOS users to purchase premium plans : “ There was no link to the plans page , and no direct way to buy plans from inside the app , ” he tells The Verge .
Update , 10:49 PM ET : Please see this @ @ @ @ @ @

On Friday, the internet erupted in a small way to learn that Apple had successfully forced WordPress to monetize its free app — forcing it to sell premium plans and custom domain names seemingly just so that Apple could get its traditional 30 percent cut.
But one afternoon and evening of surprise and outrage later, Apple is backing off. The company is issuing a rare on-the-record apology, and it says that WordPress will no longer have to add in-app purchases now that all is said and done.
Here’s Apple’s full statement:
We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved. Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free stand-alone app and does not have to offer in-app purchases. We have informed the developer and apologize for any confusion that we have caused.
You’ll notice that Apple is positioning this as the developer — WordPress — having done the right thing and removed the “display of their service payment options from the app,” and to my knowledge that is technically true. But as far as I’m aware, that didn’t happen today: it happened weeks or months ago.
While as of yesterday, the WordPress app didn’t sell a single thing and didn’t so much as mention a paid “Wordpress.com” plan unless you followed an unlikely workaround, I was able to track down a fellow journalist this weekend who had a much older version of the app, one with a dedicated “Plans” tab that listed some of the different plans available to premium customers:
It was already a “free stand-alone app,” no?
That said, my source told me there was no ability to purchase any of those plans — and I can confirm the entire “Plans” section had already been removed by the time WordPress developer Matt Mullenweg told us Apple had successfully forced him to add Apple’s in-app purchases (IAP). (Originally, he’d said Apple locked him out of updating the app unless he added Apple IAP within 30 days.)
What’s more, Mullenweg told us that he had previously offered to strip other mentions of the paid plans out of the app (even workarounds like when a user views a preview of their own WordPress webpage and then navigates to WordPress.com), only to have those suggestions rejected by Apple.
So, to the best of my knowledge, this isn’t WordPress caving yet again. Apple simply seems to have decided that trying to extract its cut from a free app — by forcing in-app purchases — isn’t a hill worth dying on today.
Update, 8:52 PM ET: The news apparently came as a surprise to WordPress’s Matt Mullenweg, who has a new Twitter thread here.
Update, August 23rd, 5:40 PM ET: In case you’re wondering, WordPress’s Matt Mullenweg is denying that WordPress itself submitted an update that would have allowed iOS users to purchase premium plans: “There was no link to the plans page, and no direct way to buy plans from inside the app,” he tells The Verge.


theverge--2020-08-24--Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 doesn’t have a release date, but you can already watch this review

Samsung finally announced the follow-up to the beleaguered first generation Galaxy Fold , the Galaxy Z Fold 2 , earlier this month , but the phone still isn ’ t out yet — Samsung promised to reveal more on September 1st .
Ahead of then , though , it seems at least one Z Fold 2 has made it into the wild , as a Chinese YouTube channel has already posted a review of the upcoming foldable ( via SamMobile ) .
I don ’ t speak Chinese , so I can ’ t tell you what the reviewer is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see what an actual powered-on Z Fold 2 looks like doing a bunch of different things , I recommend watching the whole video .
And there ’ s a few interesting tidbits worth calling out .
Perhaps most noticeably , the outer screen seems like a major improvement , as it now takes up almost the entire front of the phone : The inner screen gets a nice upgrade , too .
Not only is it a 7.6-inch screen , up from the Fold ’ s 7.3-inch panel , but the Z Fold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be less distracting than the entire corner that was dedicated to housing the cameras on the original Fold .
One particularly cool new feature : it looks like you ’ ll be able to use the Galaxy Z Fold 2 ’ s front display as a viewfinder for the back cameras , which could make the Z Fold 2 really useful for vloggers or great for taking a higher-quality selfie .
As far as I can tell , you couldn ’ t do that with the first Fold ( if so , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to highlight that in either of these videos about how to use the Fold ’ s camera ) , so that feature alone could be a huge upgrade for some .
The video also shows off the Z Fold 2 ’ s “ Flex Mode , ” a feature Samsung brought over from its flip phone-like Galaxy Z Flip that lets you show different content on each screens when using one side of the phone as a stand .
Unfortunately , though , it seems like you ’ ll still be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the display when the Z Fold 2 is fully unfolded , even though its screen is covered with ultra-thin glass , instead of the plastic in the first Fold .
( Though to be fair , the Z Flip also uses ultra-thin glass , and it also has a crease . )
If you ’ re curious about what the Z Fold 2 might actually look like when it comes out , then I recommend you watch the whole video while we wait for September 1st .

I don’t speak Chinese, so I can’t tell you what the reviewer is saying. But if you want to see what an actual powered-on Z Fold 2 looks like doing a bunch of different things, I recommend watching the whole video. And there’s a few interesting tidbits worth calling out.
Perhaps most noticeably, the outer screen seems like a major improvement, as it now takes up almost the entire front of the phone:
The inner screen gets a nice upgrade, too. Not only is it a 7.6-inch screen, up from the Fold’s 7.3-inch panel, but the Z Fold 2’s hole-punch camera seems to be less distracting than the entire corner that was dedicated to housing the cameras on the original Fold.
One particularly cool new feature: it looks like you’ll be able to use the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s front display as a viewfinder for the back cameras, which could make the Z Fold 2 really useful for vloggers or great for taking a higher-quality selfie. As far as I can tell, you couldn’t do that with the first Fold (if so, you’d think that Samsung would want to highlight that in either of these videos about how to use the Fold’s camera), so that feature alone could be a huge upgrade for some.
The video also shows off the Z Fold 2’s “Flex Mode,” a feature Samsung brought over from its flip phone-like Galaxy Z Flip that lets you show different content on each screens when using one side of the phone as a stand.
Unfortunately, though, it seems like you’ll still be able to see a noticeable crease down the middle of the display when the Z Fold 2 is fully unfolded, even though its screen is covered with ultra-thin glass, instead of the plastic in the first Fold. (Though to be fair, the Z Flip also uses ultra-thin glass, and it also has a crease.)


theverge--2020-08-24--iFixit’s teardown for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra could explain why your phone is running hot

Tech teardown specialist iFixit has published a new article taking apart the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra , providing us a better look at what ’ s underneath the giant camera bump of Samsung ’ s $ 1,300 stylus-equipped smartphone and its cheaper sibling .
Surprisingly , iFixit found that both phones are missing the vapor chamber and copper heat pipes Samsung had been using on previous phones to cool their processor during extended gaming sessions .
Instead of copper , iFixit found a multi-layered graphite thermal pad inside each device during its teardowns and says that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But weirdly , at least one other Galaxy Note 20 Ultra does have the copper heatpipe and vapor chamber cooling , as you can see in this teardown video .
We are not sure why some phones have graphite thermal pads instead of copper , but it might be cause for concern .
Some reviewers did note in their reviews of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra that the phone ran hot , regardless of how they used it .
“ The Note 20 Ultra warmed up all the time .
Using the camera @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a game ?
The phone gets hot , ” Android Authority said in their review , noting that it got hotter than similar Snapdragon-powered phones .
Wired UK said that just downloading Fortnite indoors made the Note 20 Ultra “ warmer than we ’ d usually expect.
” PCWorld used an infrared thermometer to measure temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with the phone under heavy load .
And SamMobile pointed out that “ its temperature went up to 45-46C with just 5-6 minutes of 8K recording.
” Amusingly , two of the reviews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specialized cooling systems these days , the same kind of cooling system we thought Samsung had as well .
It ’ s important to note my colleague Dieter Bohn didn ’ t notice any such issues when he reviewed the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra for The Verge , but perhaps our phone had different cooling .
Before you buy a Galaxy Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra , you might want to know what type of cooling it ’ ll have and whether it might be an issue .
Samsung did not respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so we ’ re not sure what to tell you .
Aside from the weird copper chamber switcheroo , iFixit also spotted something interesting about the new motherboards : Samsung seems to have shaped them to look like AT-ATs , those massive , four-legged fighting machines from Star Wars .

Tech teardown specialist iFixit has published a new article taking apart the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, providing us a better look at what’s underneath the giant camera bump of Samsung’s $1,300 stylus-equipped smartphone and its cheaper sibling. Surprisingly, iFixit found that both phones are missing the vapor chamber and copper heat pipes Samsung had been using on previous phones to cool their processor during extended gaming sessions.
Instead of copper, iFixit found a multi-layered graphite thermal pad inside each device during its teardowns and says that JerryRigEverything reportedly found one as well. But weirdly, at least one other Galaxy Note 20 Ultra does have the copper heatpipe and vapor chamber cooling, as you can see in this teardown video.
Instead of copper, there was graphite and quite a lot Image: iFixit
We are not sure why some phones have graphite thermal pads instead of copper, but it might be cause for concern. Some reviewers did note in their reviews of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra that the phone ran hot, regardless of how they used it.
“Warmer than we’d usually expect”
“The Note 20 Ultra warmed up all the time. Using the camera? The phone gets hot. Playing a game? The phone gets hot,” Android Authority said in their review, noting that it got hotter than similar Snapdragon-powered phones. Wired UK said that just downloading Fortnite indoors made the Note 20 Ultra “warmer than we’d usually expect.” PCWorld used an infrared thermometer to measure temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with the phone under heavy load. And SamMobile pointed out that “its temperature went up to 45-46C with just 5-6 minutes of 8K recording.” Amusingly, two of the reviews mentioned how some rival phones come with specialized cooling systems these days, the same kind of cooling system we thought Samsung had as well.
It’s important to note my colleague Dieter Bohn didn’t notice any such issues when he reviewed the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra for The Verge, but perhaps our phone had different cooling.
Before you buy a Galaxy Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra, you might want to know what type of cooling it’ll have and whether it might be an issue. Samsung did not respond to a request for comment, though, so we’re not sure what to tell you.
Aside from the weird copper chamber switcheroo, iFixit also spotted something interesting about the new motherboards: Samsung seems to have shaped them to look like AT-ATs, those massive, four-legged fighting machines from Star Wars.


theverge--2020-08-24--‘Developers are fleeing the Unreal Engine,’ Epic tells court

On Monday , Epic Games and Apple faced off in the first hearing of their ongoing legal fight , held in a public Zoom call because of the ongoing quarantine restrictions .
The hearing sought to determine whether Epic ’ s developer privileges should be legally protected — initially by a temporary restraining order , setting the stage for a more powerful preliminary injunction that would remain in force for the duration of the trial .
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers did not issue an immediate ruling on the issue , but said she would be issuing a written order after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it quickly.
” However , Judge Rogers opened the hearing by indicating she was likely to take action to protect the Unreal Engine , but let the Fortnite ban stand .
“ I am not inclined to grant relief with respect to the games , ” the judge said , “ but I am inclined to grant relief with respect to the Unreal Engine.
” “ I am inclined to grant relief with respect to the Unreal Engine ” Judge Rogers seemed uncertain which side would succeed on the merits of the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the injunction will be granted .
“ This is not something that is a slamdunk for Apple or for Epic Games , ” Judge Rogers said .
Fortnite was removed from the app store on August 13th , in response to the implementation of a new program sidestepping Apple ’ s mandatory in-app payment system .
But Apple has also moved to restrict Epic ’ s ability to work on the Unreal Engine , which is widely used by third-party game developers .
A Microsoft executive submitted testimony on Sunday that revoking Epic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Engine would cause significant problems for iOS versions of games using the engine , including Microsoft ’ s Forza .
Apple says it is within its rights to remove developers that violate the platform rules , which Epic did clearly and deliberately .
“ Developers who work to deceive Apple , as Epic has done here , are terminated , ” the company said in a filing last week .
The judge ’ s primary concern was Epic ’ s own role in bringing about the crisis , and the company ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply restoring the pre-August version of the app .
“ So far , ” Judge Rogers said , “ I haven ’ t heard anything that suggests they can ’ t just flip the switch to the way it was August 3rd.
” “ We can ’ t just flip a switch and reenter an anti-competitive environment , ” replied Cravath ’ s Katherine Forrest , representing Epic .
“ There ’ s no technical reason it can ’ t be done , but it ’ s something the law does not and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significantly more skeptical about Apple ’ s efforts to restrict Epic ’ s ability to maintain the Unreal Engine .
“ It does to me look retaliatory , and I don ’ t see any harm to Apple to restrain you from not impacting the Unreal Engine on that platform , ” Judge Rogers said .
“ It looks like overreach to me.
” Representing Apple , Gibson Dunn ’ s Richard Doren defended the move by citing Apple ’ s long-standing App Store policies for responding to developers who breach its terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an entity that is breaching its contracts , its practice is to terminate the accounts of all related parties , ” Doren said .
“ The reason Apple does this is so that it doesn ’ t become a shell game ... .
The concern is that the misconduct will simply be transferred to another Epic entity.
” Forrest also emphasized the damage done by limiting the Unreal Engine ’ s capabilities on iOS , as many developers had sought out the engine specifically for its cross-platform capabilities .
“ It will no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forrest said .
“ Developers are fleeing the Unreal Engine .
It ’ s happening now .
It ’ s not speculative .
”

On Monday, Epic Games and Apple faced off in the first hearing of their ongoing legal fight, held in a public Zoom call because of the ongoing quarantine restrictions. The hearing sought to determine whether Epic’s developer privileges should be legally protected — initially by a temporary restraining order, setting the stage for a more powerful preliminary injunction that would remain in force for the duration of the trial.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers did not issue an immediate ruling on the issue, but said she would be issuing a written order after the fact “and I will issue it quickly.”
However, Judge Rogers opened the hearing by indicating she was likely to take action to protect the Unreal Engine, but let the Fortnite ban stand. “I am not inclined to grant relief with respect to the games,” the judge said, “but I am inclined to grant relief with respect to the Unreal Engine.”
“I am inclined to grant relief with respect to the Unreal Engine”
Judge Rogers seemed uncertain which side would succeed on the merits of the case, which will have bearing on whether the injunction will be granted. “This is not something that is a slamdunk for Apple or for Epic Games,” Judge Rogers said.
Fortnite was removed from the app store on August 13th, in response to the implementation of a new program sidestepping Apple’s mandatory in-app payment system. But Apple has also moved to restrict Epic’s ability to work on the Unreal Engine, which is widely used by third-party game developers. A Microsoft executive submitted testimony on Sunday that revoking Epic’s ability to maintain the Unreal Engine would cause significant problems for iOS versions of games using the engine, including Microsoft’s Forza.
Apple says it is within its rights to remove developers that violate the platform rules, which Epic did clearly and deliberately. “Developers who work to deceive Apple, as Epic has done here, are terminated,” the company said in a filing last week.
The judge’s primary concern was Epic’s own role in bringing about the crisis, and the company’s ability to restore its iOS privileges by simply restoring the pre-August version of the app.
“So far,” Judge Rogers said, “I haven’t heard anything that suggests they can’t just flip the switch to the way it was August 3rd.”
“We can’t just flip a switch and reenter an anti-competitive environment,” replied Cravath’s Katherine Forrest, representing Epic. “There’s no technical reason it can’t be done, but it’s something the law does not and should not require.”
Judge Rogers was significantly more skeptical about Apple’s efforts to restrict Epic’s ability to maintain the Unreal Engine. “It does to me look retaliatory, and I don’t see any harm to Apple to restrain you from not impacting the Unreal Engine on that platform,” Judge Rogers said. “It looks like overreach to me.”
Representing Apple, Gibson Dunn’s Richard Doren defended the move by citing Apple’s long-standing App Store policies for responding to developers who breach its terms.
“When Apple is dealing with an entity that is breaching its contracts, its practice is to terminate the accounts of all related parties,” Doren said. “The reason Apple does this is so that it doesn’t become a shell game.... The concern is that the misconduct will simply be transferred to another Epic entity.”
Forrest also emphasized the damage done by limiting the Unreal Engine’s capabilities on iOS, as many developers had sought out the engine specifically for its cross-platform capabilities.


theverge--2020-08-24--Disney Plus revived some ads from the 1970s, and it’s the extremely Gen X content we need

So it looks like Disney Plus has revived a Mouseketeers special from the 1970s ( via Gizmodo ) because Gen X deserves to wallow in nostalgia once in a while .
But !
Not only is the 60-minute promotional show The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World available to stream , but all the commercials that aired during the original 1977 broadcast are in there as well .
Credit to artist / director Rob Sheridan for the discovery , which he posted on Twitter .
Shake ‘ n Bake , man .
We didn ’ t know how good we had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV streaming content up through the 90s was presented with the original commercials and badly dubbed from VHS , it ’ s such a more authentic cultural preservation , ” Sheridan tweeted .
Amen to that .
Why the commercials are still included in what looks to be a digitized copy of a VHS tape is anyone ’ s guess , but we reached out to Disney to ask if it was intentional .
In case it was not and they eventually take the old ( not sure they qualify as “ vintage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few screenshots so you can relive the corduroy-clad glory that was the 1970s .
Look at those beautiful graphics .
This is what we had in lieu of special effects ; we admittedly didn ’ t realize how clunky they would appear years later .
Gizmodo describes the show where the commercials appear as centering around some hijinks at Walt Disney World in Florida , with the Mickey Mouse Club Kids highlighting the attractions at the park via a relatively thin plot .
In addition to ads for Shake ‘ n Bake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( sorry environment ! )
, there are spots for Tonka toys and the Canon G-III film camera .
Honestly , I would love to see more old shows from the ‘ 70s and ‘ 80s appear with original commercials intact , if only to relive the feathered hair , sideburns , mustaches , and other fashion disasters we all managed to live through .

So it looks like Disney Plus has revived a Mouseketeers special from the 1970s (via Gizmodo) because Gen X deserves to wallow in nostalgia once in a while. But! Not only is the 60-minute promotional show The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World available to stream, but all the commercials that aired during the original 1977 broadcast are in there as well.
Credit to artist / director Rob Sheridan for the discovery, which he posted on Twitter. Shake ‘n Bake, man. We didn’t know how good we had it. “I wish all archival TV streaming content up through the 90s was presented with the original commercials and badly dubbed from VHS, it’s such a more authentic cultural preservation,” Sheridan tweeted. Amen to that.
Why the commercials are still included in what looks to be a digitized copy of a VHS tape is anyone’s guess, but we reached out to Disney to ask if it was intentional. In case it was not and they eventually take the old (not sure they qualify as “vintage”) commercials out, we grabbed a few screenshots so you can relive the corduroy-clad glory that was the 1970s.
Screenshot: Disney Plus
Look at those beautiful graphics. This is what we had in lieu of special effects; we admittedly didn’t realize how clunky they would appear years later.
Gizmodo describes the show where the commercials appear as centering around some hijinks at Walt Disney World in Florida, with the Mickey Mouse Club Kids highlighting the attractions at the park via a relatively thin plot. In addition to ads for Shake ‘n Bake and that sweet V8 diesel Chevy pickup (sorry environment!), there are spots for Tonka toys and the Canon G-III film camera.


theverge--2020-08-24--Facebook blocks access to group criticizing Thailand king after government threat

In this week ’ s episode of “ should the social network leave it up or take it down ?
” we have Facebook wading into another thorny moderation situation , this time in Thailand .
According to a report from The Guardian , the company has removed a Facebook group with more than 1 million members after it was threatened by the Thai government for violating local laws around defaming the ruling monarch .
The group , called “ Royalist Marketplace , ” was created in April by academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun , a critic of the Thai government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now lives in Japan .
However , on Monday , the group was restricted based on a legal request from Thailand ’ s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society .
The group was dedicated to discussing Vajiralongkorn and it had amassed more than 1 million members in the past four months , the report states .
Thailand has laws against criticizing its monarch punishable with up to 15 years in prison , The Guardian reports .
The government on August 10th gave Facebook about two weeks to comply with its takedown order or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day under the country ’ s Computer Crime Act , a controversial piece of legislation passed in 2016 .
“ Our group is part of a democratization process , it is a space for freedom of expression , ” Pavin said in an interview with Reuters .
“ By doing this , Facebook is cooperating with the authoritarian regime to obstruct democracy and cultivating authoritarianism in Thailand.
” Facebook restricted the group to avoid fines from the Thai government “ After careful review , Facebook has determined that we are compelled to restrict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has deemed to be illegal .
Requests like this are severe , contravene international human rights law , and have a chilling effect on people ’ s ability to express themselves , ” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement given to The Verge .
“ We work to protect and defend the rights of all internet users and are preparing to legally challenge this request .
Excessive government actions like this also undermine our ability to reliably invest in Thailand , including maintaining an office , safeguarding our employees , and directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These debates are difficult , and there are no easy answers .
But the company ’ s response is not all too surprising .
Facebook has often prided itself as a bastion for free speech — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said his company tries to chart a middle path between moderating the platform as a total speech free-for-all that could cause real-world harm and a censorious liability that infringes on civil and human rights .
He ’ s also evoked the threat of China as a reason why Facebook tends not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it should .
But in practice , Facebook has shown it often avoids making decisions that disadvantage it politically .
It ’ s also comfortable with censorship and defers to local governments rather than risk financial penalty or , even worse , shutting down access to the platform in a foreign country .
That ’ s despite potential human rights abuses that may arise like the catastrophic episode in Myanmar , where ruling members of the military used hate speech on Facebook to promote its real-world genocide of the minority Muslim Rohingya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has played out in the form of top Facebook executives like policy chief Joel Kaplan personally intervening in third-party fact-checks to ensure conservative pages and individuals don ’ t receive suspensions or bans .
One of the company ’ s Indian policy lobbyists , Ankhi Das , was also recently shown to have given preferential treatment to politicians belonging to the party of India ’ s ruling regime , some of whom were peddling dangerous hate speech against Muslims .
After a journalist criticized her by sharing a link to a Wall Street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a criminal complaint him and five others , claiming she was endangered by their comments .

In this week’s episode of “should the social network leave it up or take it down?” we have Facebook wading into another thorny moderation situation, this time in Thailand. According to a report from The Guardian, the company has removed a Facebook group with more than 1 million members after it was threatened by the Thai government for violating local laws around defaming the ruling monarch.
The group, called “Royalist Marketplace,” was created in April by academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a critic of the Thai government and its king, Maha Vajiralongkorn, who now lives in Japan. However, on Monday, the group was restricted based on a legal request from Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. The group was dedicated to discussing Vajiralongkorn and it had amassed more than 1 million members in the past four months, the report states.
Thailand has laws against criticizing its monarch punishable with up to 15 years in prison, The Guardian reports. The government on August 10th gave Facebook about two weeks to comply with its takedown order or risk fines of roughly $6,300 per day under the country’s Computer Crime Act, a controversial piece of legislation passed in 2016.
“Our group is part of a democratization process, it is a space for freedom of expression,” Pavin said in an interview with Reuters. “By doing this, Facebook is cooperating with the authoritarian regime to obstruct democracy and cultivating authoritarianism in Thailand.”
Facebook restricted the group to avoid fines from the Thai government
“After careful review, Facebook has determined that we are compelled to restrict access to content which the Thai government has deemed to be illegal. Requests like this are severe, contravene international human rights law, and have a chilling effect on people’s ability to express themselves,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement given to The Verge. “We work to protect and defend the rights of all internet users and are preparing to legally challenge this request. Excessive government actions like this also undermine our ability to reliably invest in Thailand, including maintaining an office, safeguarding our employees, and directly supporting businesses that rely on Facebook.”
These debates are difficult, and there are no easy answers. But the company’s response is not all too surprising. Facebook has often prided itself as a bastion for free speech — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said his company tries to chart a middle path between moderating the platform as a total speech free-for-all that could cause real-world harm and a censorious liability that infringes on civil and human rights. He’s also evoked the threat of China as a reason why Facebook tends not to take action on speech when many critics think it should.
But in practice, Facebook has shown it often avoids making decisions that disadvantage it politically. It’s also comfortable with censorship and defers to local governments rather than risk financial penalty or, even worse, shutting down access to the platform in a foreign country. That’s despite potential human rights abuses that may arise like the catastrophic episode in Myanmar, where ruling members of the military used hate speech on Facebook to promote its real-world genocide of the minority Muslim Rohingya population.
In the US, this has played out in the form of top Facebook executives like policy chief Joel Kaplan personally intervening in third-party fact-checks to ensure conservative pages and individuals don’t receive suspensions or bans. One of the company’s Indian policy lobbyists, Ankhi Das, was also recently shown to have given preferential treatment to politicians belonging to the party of India’s ruling regime, some of whom were peddling dangerous hate speech against Muslims. After a journalist criticized her by sharing a link to a Wall Street Journal story on Facebook, Das filed a criminal complaint him and five others, claiming she was endangered by their comments.


theverge--2020-08-24--Unity’s IPO filing shows how big a threat it poses to Epic and the Unreal Engine

Unity , maker of the popular Unity Game Engine , has filed to go public at an incredible moment in time .
Its chief rival , Epic Games , is currently busy arguing that Apple is holding the Unreal Engine hostage , and Epic will appear in court this very afternoon to demand a restraining order so Apple can ’ t cut off access to developers .
What ’ s more incredible , though : the numbers revealed in Unity ’ s new S-1 filing show the company is far more of a formidable rival to Epic than we thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interest in Unity may have forced Epic ’ s hand , first when Epic drastically dropped the price of Unreal Engine in 2014 , and in 2015 when it started letting developers build with Unreal for free .
But despite those moves , Unity says that in 2019 , over half of the top games on mobile , PC , and consoles were made with Unity — including 53 percent of the top 1,000 games in the iOS App Store and Google Play .
Unity says as of June 30th , it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion monthly active end users ( read : consumers , not developers ) adding up to 8 billion hours of gameplay per month , as well as 1.5 million monthly active creators .
Those creators developed 8,000 apps and games each month with Unity in the six months prior to June 30th .
And while surely many of those 8,000 apps and games are tiny projects ( the charm of game engines like Unity and today ’ s Unreal is that anyone can try ) , Unity says it had 716 specific customers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year to its bottom line — 60 of which are using Unity for something other than games .
The S-1 suggests Unity is continuing to grow , too , both in terms of revenue ( $ 542 million in 2019 , up from $ 381 million in 2018 ) and employee head count — from 2,715 employees in December to 3,379 in June .
It ’ s not all good news financially , though , as Unity admits it ’ s never made a profit since the very beginning .
It lost $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 131 million the year before that .
Obviously , Unity would like you to think it ’ s continually growing revenue could make up for that loss , but like any IPO filing , it includes plenty of reasons ( aka “ risk factors ” ) as to why it might not happen .
I won ’ t bore you with all of them here , but this one stuck out : If we or our customers were to violate , or an operating system platform provider or application store believes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its terms of service or policies , that operating system platform provider or application store could limit or discontinue our or our customers ’ access to its platform or store .
In some cases these requirements may not be clear and our interpretation of the requirements may not align with the interpretation of the operating system platform provider or application store , which could lead to inconsistent enforcement of these terms of service or policies against us or our customers , and could also result in the operating system platform provider or application @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform or store .
Sound familiar ?
These are the sorts of things Apple and Epic are fighting about right now .
Unity also spends a considerable amount of time discussing how any changes to how China treats intellectual property , game software , and corporate ownership might impact its business .
Unity is planning to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “ U , ” which , frankly , is a little surprising .
I didn ’ t know you could still call dibs on a single-letter ticker @ @

If we or our customers were to violate, or an operating system platform provider or application store believes that we or our customers have violated, its terms of service or policies, that operating system platform provider or application store could limit or discontinue our or our customers’ access to its platform or store.
In some cases these requirements may not be clear and our interpretation of the requirements may not align with the interpretation of the operating system platform provider or application store, which could lead to inconsistent enforcement of these terms of service or policies against us or our customers, and could also result in the operating system platform provider or application store limiting or discontinuing access to its platform or store.


theverge--2020-08-24--This giant glowing orb is the world’s first floating Apple Store

Apple ’ s worldwide retail network may be struggling during the coronavirus pandemic , but that hasn ’ t stopped the company from indulging in its penchant for pricey-looking , unique , and outlandish exterior design .
The iPhone maker ’ s newest retail location , located in Singapore on the city-state ’ s waterfront and known officially as Apple Marina Bay Sands , can claim a world ’ s first title : it ’ s the only Apple retail shop on the planet that floats on water .
The location , part of the luxury hotel and resort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s third Apple Store following Orchard Road , which opened as Singapore ’ s first in 2017 , and Apple Jewel Changi Airport , located in the world-famous retail sector of Singapore ’ s transportation hub that also features the world ’ s tallest indoor waterfall .
( Singapore seems cool , huh ? )
During the daytime , the new Marina Bay Sands store appears to look like an odd spacecraft of some sort or perhaps some form of futuristic theater .
But at nighttime , when Singapore ’ s iconic skyline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the background , the store really comes alive and you can tell the company clearly designed it as an evening fixture best viewed in the dark .
( Although , I get real Rehoboam vibes , that sinister-seeming artificial intelligence from Westworld ’ s third season . )
We don ’ t have a lot of details on the location , like how exactly the interior is structured .
We do know that the store is Apple ’ s 512th retail shop globally , and that it ’ s opening sometime soon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ little teaser video Apple made to promote the store ’ s opening , showing a custom graphic meant to emulate the look of the thin light lines that spread across the orb at night .
9to5Mac has published what appear to be marketing images and blurbs promoting the new store , in which the store is referred to as “ the lantern on the bay.
” “ During the day , the store ’ s glass panels reflect the towering skyline of the Downtown Core and motion of the rippling water .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gentle warmth , evoking the design of traditional lanterns carried during Singapore ’ s Mid-Autumn Festival , ” one of the slides reads .
“ The pavilion dome narrows to an oculus , allowing unobstructed light to flood in .
A birds-eye view of the store resembles a glass iris peering into the sky.
” According to the marketing material , the store will “ include the same measures found at Singapore ’ s other Apple Stores ” regarding ongoing COVID-19 health and safety efforts , which include limited occupancy , mask wearing @ @ @ @ @ @

Apple’s worldwide retail network may be struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped the company from indulging in its penchant for pricey-looking, unique, and outlandish exterior design. The iPhone maker’s newest retail location, located in Singapore on the city-state’s waterfront and known officially as Apple Marina Bay Sands, can claim a world’s first title: it’s the only Apple retail shop on the planet that floats on water.
The location, part of the luxury hotel and resort of the same name, is Singapore’s third Apple Store following Orchard Road, which opened as Singapore’s first in 2017, and Apple Jewel Changi Airport, located in the world-famous retail sector of Singapore’s transportation hub that also features the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. (Singapore seems cool, huh?)
During the daytime, the new Marina Bay Sands store appears to look like an odd spacecraft of some sort or perhaps some form of futuristic theater.
Photo by Roslan Ragman / AFP via Getty Images
Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah / Getty Images
But at nighttime, when Singapore’s iconic skyline is lit in all its glory in the background, the store really comes alive and you can tell the company clearly designed it as an evening fixture best viewed in the dark. (Although, I get real Rehoboam vibes, that sinister-seeming artificial intelligence from Westworld’s third season.)
We don’t have a lot of details on the location, like how exactly the interior is structured. We do know that the store is Apple’s 512th retail shop globally, and that it’s opening sometime soon. MacRumors got its hands on a neat little teaser video Apple made to promote the store’s opening, showing a custom graphic meant to emulate the look of the thin light lines that spread across the orb at night.
9to5Mac has published what appear to be marketing images and blurbs promoting the new store, in which the store is referred to as “the lantern on the bay.”
“During the day, the store’s glass panels reflect the towering skyline of the Downtown Core and motion of the rippling water. At night, the sphere glows with a gentle warmth, evoking the design of traditional lanterns carried during Singapore’s Mid-Autumn Festival,” one of the slides reads. “The pavilion dome narrows to an oculus, allowing unobstructed light to flood in. A birds-eye view of the store resembles a glass iris peering into the sky.”


theverge--2020-08-24--Samsung’s Find My Mobile feature now works with offline devices

Samsung ’ s Find My Mobile feature is a handy tool to help you find a lost phone .
With the latest app update , Find My Mobile will now work for Galaxy devices that aren ’ t connected to Wi-Fi or cellular .
Max Weinbach of XDA Developers spotted the feature on Saturday .
The “ Offline finding ” function will leverage a network of nearby Galaxy devices — it looks similar to the “ Community Find ” feature that Tile trackers use when they ’ re out of Bluetooth range .
If your phone can ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearby Galaxy devices might be able to locate it .
If you have offline finding enabled , your phone will also be able to scan for other devices , meaning you ’ ll be able to help others find their lost phones if you ’ re in range of the item or find watches and earbuds that you ’ ve used recently .
The feature isn ’ t enabled by default — you can enable and disable it in your settings and encrypt your offline location if you ’ re worried about privacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For instance , we don ’ t know for sure what specific technology the community network will use or which watches and earbuds the feature can find .
The Verge has reached out to Samsung for more details , and the company says it ’ s looking into it now .
It ’ s easy to see how this feature could make Find My Mobile even handier .
If you ’ re traveling ( especially internationally ) , you may not have reliable access to Wi-Fi or cell service — and losing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a disaster .
It looks like Samsung is sending out push notifications to Galaxy owners once they receive the latest Find My Mobile update .
You can tap that notification to open the “ offline finding ” page in settings , where you can toggle the feature on and off .

Samsung’s Find My Mobile feature is a handy tool to help you find a lost phone. With the latest app update, Find My Mobile will now work for Galaxy devices that aren’t connected to Wi-Fi or cellular. Max Weinbach of XDA Developers spotted the feature on Saturday.
The “Offline finding” function will leverage a network of nearby Galaxy devices — it looks similar to the “Community Find” feature that Tile trackers use when they’re out of Bluetooth range. If your phone can’t be found by Wi-Fi or cellular connection, nearby Galaxy devices might be able to locate it.
If you have offline finding enabled, your phone will also be able to scan for other devices, meaning you’ll be able to help others find their lost phones if you’re in range of the item or find watches and earbuds that you’ve used recently.
The feature isn’t enabled by default — you can enable and disable it in your settings and encrypt your offline location if you’re worried about privacy.
We’ve got some questions. For instance, we don’t know for sure what specific technology the community network will use or which watches and earbuds the feature can find. The Verge has reached out to Samsung for more details, and the company says it’s looking into it now.
It’s easy to see how this feature could make Find My Mobile even handier. If you’re traveling (especially internationally), you may not have reliable access to Wi-Fi or cell service — and losing your phone while on a trip can be a disaster.


theverge--2020-08-24--YouTube permanently bans controversial creator LeafyIsHere

YouTube has banned the controversial creator Calvin Lee Vail , better known as LeafyIsHere , for repeatedly violating the company ’ s harassment policies .
The ban follows big changes to YouTube ’ s harassment policy meant to deter behavior that in part helped creators in the commentary community like Leafy develop a following .
Although Vail has a history of making videos that include offensive comments about other creators on the site , including a now-deleted video from 2016 that mocked the appearance of another creator , the termination only came after his channel amassed at least three violations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last 90 days .
That includes videos featuring cyberbullying ( including malicious insults and name-calling based on someone ’ s appearance , gender , or orientation ) and encouraging viewers to disrupt other creators ’ streams .
Vail told YouTube creator Daniel “ Keemstar ” Keem that he didn ’ t receive any emails about specific videos prior to the ban .
“ We have strict policies that prohibit harassment on YouTube , and we remove content that violates our policies when flagged to our attention , ” a YouTube spokesperson told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violate our policies will be terminated.
” The spokesperson confirmed that Vail ’ s ban is permanent .
YouTube has started instituting new measures to try to prevent creator-on-creator harassment over the last year .
The company came under fire after former Vox host Carlos Maza tweeted out multiple instances where conservative pundit Steven Crowder used homophobic and other derogatory language to talk about him .
YouTube didn ’ t respond to the situation right away , but after backlash continued , the company temporarily removed Crowder from its partner program , essentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to run advertisements .
CEO Susan Wojcicki acknowledged that YouTube needed to institute new policies .
“ Channels that repeatedly violate our policies will be terminated ” Vail , who had close to 5 million subscribers at the time of his ban , found himself at the center of a few high-profile disputes over the last few months , most notably with H3H3 ’ s Ethan Klein and Twitch streamer Imane “ Pokimane ” Anys .
Vail tweeted in early June that he received two “ channel strikes today for ‘ harassment ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he was setting all his videos to private to hopefully avoid a third strike .
YouTube ’ s community guidelines state that three content strikes will lead to a channel ’ s termination .
YouTube did not comment on which videos led to Vail ’ s ban .
Notably , Vail ’ s ban arrived after he started an ongoing video series about Anys , in which he lobbed personal insults at her and her fans , leading to criticism from several high-profile Twitch streamers and YouTube creators .
Videos that contain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disrupt another person ’ s stream violate the company ’ s guidelines .
Vail ’ s ban didn ’ t come as a shock to many in the community , but his channel termination is a stark reminder of how different YouTube is in 2020 compared to the early 2010s .
YouTube ’ s new creator-on-creator harassment policy was specifically drafted to address videos from personalities who use their platform to attack others , which had previously been more common on the platform .
“ Where do they cross the line ?
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but they ’ re criticizing them as a person ” “ The policy has to be written in such a way that creators can comment on each other and criticize each other , ” CEO Susan Wojcicki said in a 2019 interview while talking about the new policy .
“ The question is ... where do you draw the line ?
Where do they cross the line ?
When it ’ s no longer just ideas , but they ’ re criticizing them as a person.
” The commentator community can run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their videos are dedicated to talking about other YouTubers , but Vail has a history of using offensive language while doing so .
Although some of Vail ’ s content might have been more accepted five years ago , new policies like the creator-on-creator harassment guidelines were created to prevent the type of behavior that Vail often employs .
“ I would love to see Leafy try and exist in today ’ s current landscape , ” Klein , one of Vail ’ s staunchest critics , wrote on Twitter .
Other commentators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Vail ’ s ban , tweeting , “ Even if you weren ’ t a fan of his videos , Leafy ’ s termination is very , very , concerning.
” Some commentators are worried this could imply a larger crackdown is coming .
“ Leafy being terminated now means any of us could be next , ” Scarce added .
Following his ban , Vail has joined StoryFire , an app co-created by Jesse Ridgway , a former YouTube creator who criticized YouTube ’ s demonetization practices .
Parts of YouTube @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonder what this means for the site ’ s culture , something that has radically changed over the last few years .
Vail isn ’ t the only creator who makes these types of videos , but his videos represent the type of content that YouTube seems to be targeting .

YouTube has banned the controversial creator Calvin Lee Vail, better known as LeafyIsHere, for repeatedly violating the company’s harassment policies. The ban follows big changes to YouTube’s harassment policy meant to deter behavior that in part helped creators in the commentary community like Leafy develop a following.
Although Vail has a history of making videos that include offensive comments about other creators on the site, including a now-deleted video from 2016 that mocked the appearance of another creator, the termination only came after his channel amassed at least three violations of YouTube’s harassment policy over the last 90 days. That includes videos featuring cyberbullying (including malicious insults and name-calling based on someone’s appearance, gender, or orientation) and encouraging viewers to disrupt other creators’ streams. Vail told YouTube creator Daniel “Keemstar” Keem that he didn’t receive any emails about specific videos prior to the ban.
“We have strict policies that prohibit harassment on YouTube, and we remove content that violates our policies when flagged to our attention,” a YouTube spokesperson told The Verge. “Channels that repeatedly violate our policies will be terminated.” The spokesperson confirmed that Vail’s ban is permanent.
YouTube has started instituting new measures to try to prevent creator-on-creator harassment over the last year. The company came under fire after former Vox host Carlos Maza tweeted out multiple instances where conservative pundit Steven Crowder used homophobic and other derogatory language to talk about him. YouTube didn’t respond to the situation right away, but after backlash continued, the company temporarily removed Crowder from its partner program, essentially cutting off his channel’s ability to run advertisements. CEO Susan Wojcicki acknowledged that YouTube needed to institute new policies.
“Channels that repeatedly violate our policies will be terminated”
Vail, who had close to 5 million subscribers at the time of his ban, found himself at the center of a few high-profile disputes over the last few months, most notably with H3H3’s Ethan Klein and Twitch streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys. Vail tweeted in early June that he received two “channel strikes today for ‘harassment’ on my new videos,” noting that he was setting all his videos to private to hopefully avoid a third strike.
YouTube’s community guidelines state that three content strikes will lead to a channel’s termination. YouTube did not comment on which videos led to Vail’s ban. Notably, Vail’s ban arrived after he started an ongoing video series about Anys, in which he lobbed personal insults at her and her fans, leading to criticism from several high-profile Twitch streamers and YouTube creators. Videos that contain prolonged insults and may encourage viewers to disrupt another person’s stream violate the company’s guidelines.
Vail’s ban didn’t come as a shock to many in the community, but his channel termination is a stark reminder of how different YouTube is in 2020 compared to the early 2010s. YouTube’s new creator-on-creator harassment policy was specifically drafted to address videos from personalities who use their platform to attack others, which had previously been more common on the platform.
“Where do they cross the line? When it’s no longer just ideas, but they’re criticizing them as a person”
“The policy has to be written in such a way that creators can comment on each other and criticize each other,” CEO Susan Wojcicki said in a 2019 interview while talking about the new policy. “The question is ... where do you draw the line? Where do they cross the line? When it’s no longer just ideas, but they’re criticizing them as a person.”
The commentator community can run into this issue more than others because their videos are dedicated to talking about other YouTubers, but Vail has a history of using offensive language while doing so. Although some of Vail’s content might have been more accepted five years ago, new policies like the creator-on-creator harassment guidelines were created to prevent the type of behavior that Vail often employs. “I would love to see Leafy try and exist in today’s current landscape,” Klein, one of Vail’s staunchest critics, wrote on Twitter.
Other commentators, including John Scarce, spoke out against Vail’s ban, tweeting, “Even if you weren’t a fan of his videos, Leafy’s termination is very, very, concerning.” Some commentators are worried this could imply a larger crackdown is coming. “Leafy being terminated now means any of us could be next,” Scarce added.


theverge--2020-08-24--How to watch the Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention officially kicked off Monday at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte , North Carolina .
It ’ s the third location of the event after it was moved twice due to restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic .
The convention is set to feature a mix of online and in-person events .
WHEN IS IT ?
The convention is scheduled to last two hours each night , Monday through Thursday , starting at 8:30PM ET .
HOW DO I WATCH IT ?
The event is available to stream on the RNC ’ s official Facebook page @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and on Amazon Prime Video by searching for the “ Republican National Convention .
If you ’ d rather listen to the convention , you can ask your Alexa device to play it as well .
Spotify is also rounding up all of the RNC speeches into a playlist that will be available to stream at the end of each convention day .
ABC News , CBS News , C-SPAN , CNN , MSNBC , NBC News , and PBS News are expected to air the convention as well .
Monday ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , Rep. Steve Scalise ( LA ) , Rep. Matt Gaetz ( FL ) , Rep. Jim Jordan ( OH ) , former Ambassador Nikki Haley , RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel , Rep. Vernon Jones ( D-GA ) , Amy Johnson Ford , Kimberly Guilfoyle , Natalie Harp , Charlie Kirk , Mark and Patricia McCloskey , former Alaska Governor Sean Parnell , Andrew Pollack , Donald Trump Jr. , Tanya Weinreis .
Tuesday ’ s lineup : First Lady Melania Trump , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , Sen. Rand Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reynolds , Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez , Attorney General Daniel Cameron , former Attorney General Pam Bondi , Abby Johnson , Jason Joyce , Myron Lizer , Mary Ann Mendoza , Megan Pauley , Cris Peterson , John Peterson , Nicholas Sandmann , Eric Trump , Tiffany Trump .
Wednesday ’ s lineup : Vice President Mike Pence , Second Lady Karen Pence , Sen. Marsha Blackburn ( TN ) , Sen. Joni Ernst ( IA ) , South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem , Rep. Dan Crenshaw ( TX ) , Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lee Zeldin ( NY ) , former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell , Kellyanne Conway , Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg , Jack Brewer , Sister Dede Byrne , Scott Dane , Clarence Henderson , Ryan Holets , Michael McHale , Burgess Owens , Lara Trump .

The Republican National Convention officially kicked off Monday at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s the third location of the event after it was moved twice due to restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The convention is set to feature a mix of online and in-person events.
WHEN IS IT?
The convention is scheduled to last two hours each night, Monday through Thursday, starting at 8:30PM ET.
HOW DO I WATCH IT?
The event is available to stream on the RNC’s official Facebook page, Twitter account, YouTube channel, and on Amazon Prime Video by searching for the “Republican National Convention.
If you’d rather listen to the convention, you can ask your Alexa device to play it as well. Spotify is also rounding up all of the RNC speeches into a playlist that will be available to stream at the end of each convention day.
ABC News, CBS News, C-SPAN, CNN, MSNBC, NBC News, and PBS News are expected to air the convention as well.
WHO’S SPEAKING?
Monday’s lineup: Sen. Tim Scott (SC), Rep. Steve Scalise (LA), Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL), Rep. Jim Jordan (OH), former Ambassador Nikki Haley, RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Rep. Vernon Jones (D-GA), Amy Johnson Ford, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Natalie Harp, Charlie Kirk, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, former Alaska Governor Sean Parnell, Andrew Pollack, Donald Trump Jr., Tanya Weinreis.
Tuesday’s lineup: First Lady Melania Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Rand Paul (KY), Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Abby Johnson, Jason Joyce, Myron Lizer, Mary Ann Mendoza, Megan Pauley, Cris Peterson, John Peterson, Nicholas Sandmann, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump.
Wednesday’s lineup: Vice President Mike Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Sen. Joni Ernst (IA), South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX), Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY), Rep. Lee Zeldin (NY), former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, Kellyanne Conway, Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, Jack Brewer, Sister Dede Byrne, Scott Dane, Clarence Henderson, Ryan Holets, Michael McHale, Burgess Owens, Lara Trump.