theverge--2020-09-28--You can now lower your AT&T bill with mix-and-match wireless plans

If you ’ re with any major US phone carrier other than Verizon , you ’ ll know you couldn ’ t mix and match phone plans between different lines on your account .
Starting today , AT & T is finally allowing customers to mix and match which unlimited plan they choose and potentially save some money on their phone bill each month , with a program it ’ s calling Unlimited Your Way .
For instance , if previously your parents were looking for more hotspot data or a bundled subscription to HBO Max , they would likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and pay $ 50 each for four lines ( or $ 200 a month ) for a family of four .
With mix and match , those parents can choose an Unlimited Elite plan for themselves and put two kids on the cheaper Unlimited Starter plan , saving $ 30 a month on their phone bill .
Now that AT & T and Verizon both offer mix and match plans , T-Mobile is the odd one out AT & T ’ s three unlimited wireless plans — Unlimited Elite , Unlimited Extra , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as last year , including how much they cost , as you can see from the charts below .
Each offers unlimited talk , text , and 5G access if your phone is compatible with the network .
While similar , the plans differ depending on how much premium data you want and what quality of streaming is available for your phone , with only Elite letting you stream HD video .
Now that AT & T and Verizon both offer mix and match plans , T-Mobile is the odd one out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a similar program , Magenta and Magenta Plus customers can pay for “ PlusUp ” if they need more data .
It adds up to 20GB of data and unlimited HD streaming at an additional $ 15 a month for Magenta plans or $ 10 a month for Magenta Plus plans .
AT & T ’ s Unlimited Your Way is available starting today .

If you’re with any major US phone carrier other than Verizon, you’ll know you couldn’t mix and match phone plans between different lines on your account. Starting today, AT&T is finally allowing customers to mix and match which unlimited plan they choose and potentially save some money on their phone bill each month, with a program it’s calling Unlimited Your Way.
For instance, if previously your parents were looking for more hotspot data or a bundled subscription to HBO Max, they would likely have chosen the Unlimited Elite plan, and pay $50 each for four lines (or $200 a month) for a family of four. With mix and match, those parents can choose an Unlimited Elite plan for themselves and put two kids on the cheaper Unlimited Starter plan, saving $30 a month on their phone bill.
Now that AT&T and Verizon both offer mix and match plans, T-Mobile is the odd one out
AT&T’s three unlimited wireless plans — Unlimited Elite, Unlimited Extra, and Unlimited Starter — remain the same as last year, including how much they cost, as you can see from the charts below. Each offers unlimited talk, text, and 5G access if your phone is compatible with the network. While similar, the plans differ depending on how much premium data you want and what quality of streaming is available for your phone, with only Elite letting you stream HD video.
Image: AT&T
Now that AT&T and Verizon both offer mix and match plans, T-Mobile is the odd one out. But even though it doesn’t have a similar program, Magenta and Magenta Plus customers can pay for “PlusUp” if they need more data. It adds up to 20GB of data and unlimited HD streaming at an additional $15 a month for Magenta plans or $10 a month for Magenta Plus plans.


theverge--2020-09-28--HyperJuice’s new stackable GaN charger supports up to 1600W and 48 USB-C ports

Hyper , a gadget maker known best for its small and ultra-fast gallium nitride ( GaN ) chargers under the HyperJuice brand , is back on Kickstarter with a new plug that ’ s even more impressive than its last : a stackable GaN charger that can support an eye-popping 1600W of passthrough power .
This follows Hyper ’ s first 100W GaN charger released via Kickstarter last fall and made available for purchase back in July .
The charger , which comes in a 65W option with three plugs ( two USB-C and one USB-A ) and a 100W @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and one USB-A ) , has a built-in plug of its own rated at 1500W , so the charger can be plugged into a second unit to multiply the passthrough power available and double the ports .
( Or in the event you just don ’ t want to lose an outlet . )
Hyper says you can actually stack 16 of the 100W model on top of one another for a max of 1600W , 48 USB-C ports , and 16 USB-A ports .
A stackable 100W Gan charger that can support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reference , 100W is enough to power most laptop computers while simultaneously charing a second smartphone or tablet .
Take the power-hungry laptop out of the equation and Hyper ’ s GaN chargers can handily support as many as four devices at once — hence the four plugs on the 100W brick , although the company does advertise its 100W model as capable of charging an iPhone , iPad , and MacBook Pro all at the same time .
The real draw here , however , is the stackable nature of the chargers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when plugging in the HyperJuice charger or stacking multiple together all on one wall outlet to multiply the number of available ports .
9to5Mac got to go hands on with the new HyperJuice to show off its capabilities , and it looks like a seriously impressive and well-designed gadget : Thanks to GaN , which is a much more efficient charging tech than traditional silicon and therefore allows for smaller and faster chargers , these chargers as as small as a box of mints .
The 65W option measures 2.83 inches x 1.42 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ option is 3.36 inches x 1.77 inches x 1.20 inches .
These products don ’ t come cheap — the 65W model will retail for $ 80 some time next year , while the 100W model will cost $ 100 .
But pledging to the Kickstarter today will get you in the queue for one starting January 2021 at the Kickstarter special discount of 40 percent off , as the 50 percent early bird discount is unfortunately already over .
Hyper has blown past its initial $ 100,000 goal with more than $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but that company has a rather successful track record on the platform following last year ’ s campaign .
And its past devices are all available on Amazon if you ’ d rather pick one of those up now while you wait .

Hyper, a gadget maker known best for its small and ultra-fast gallium nitride (GaN) chargers under the HyperJuice brand, is back on Kickstarter with a new plug that’s even more impressive than its last: a stackable GaN charger that can support an eye-popping 1600W of passthrough power. This follows Hyper’s first 100W GaN charger released via Kickstarter last fall and made available for purchase back in July.
The charger, which comes in a 65W option with three plugs (two USB-C and one USB-A) and a 100W option with four plugs (three USB-C and one USB-A), has a built-in plug of its own rated at 1500W, so the charger can be plugged into a second unit to multiply the passthrough power available and double the ports. (Or in the event you just don’t want to lose an outlet.) Hyper says you can actually stack 16 of the 100W model on top of one another for a max of 1600W, 48 USB-C ports, and 16 USB-A ports.
A stackable 100W Gan charger that can support up to 1600W of passthrough power
For reference, 100W is enough to power most laptop computers while simultaneously charging a second smartphone or tablet. Take the power-hungry laptop out of the equation and Hyper’s GaN chargers can handily support as many as four devices at once — hence the four plugs on the 100W brick, although the company does advertise its 100W model as capable of charging an iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro all at the same time.
The real draw here, however, is the stackable nature of the chargers, allowing you to preserve an outlet when plugging in the HyperJuice charger or stacking multiple together all on one wall outlet to multiply the number of available ports.
Image: Hyper
9to5Mac got to go hands on with the new HyperJuice to show off its capabilities, and it looks like a seriously impressive and well-designed gadget:
Thanks to GaN, which is a much more efficient charging tech than traditional silicon and therefore allows for smaller and faster chargers, these chargers as as small as a box of mints. The 65W option measures 2.83 inches x 1.42 inches x 1.2 inches. The 100W option is 3.36 inches x 1.77 inches x 1.20 inches.
Photo: Hyper
These products don’t come cheap — the 65W model will retail for $80 some time next year, while the 100W model will cost $100. But pledging to the Kickstarter today will get you in the queue for one starting January 2021 at the Kickstarter special discount of 40 percent off, as the 50 percent early bird discount is unfortunately already over.


theverge--2020-09-28--Ransomware reportedly to blame for outage at US hospital chain

Health care provider Universal Health Services , one of the largest chains in the US , has been hit by an apparent ransomware attack , TechCrunch reported .
UHS facilities in California , Florida , North Dakota , Arizona , and other locations began noticing problems early Sunday , with some locations reporting locked computers and phone systems .
Some UHS hospitals had to use pen and paper to file patient information as a result , according to NBC News .
The hospital system , which has more than 400 locations in the US and the UK , said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network across several facilities was offline “ due to an IT security issue.
” No patient or employee data appears to have been compromised , according to the statement , which did not mention malware or ransomware .
“ We implement extensive IT security protocols and are working diligently with our IT security partners to restore IT operations as quickly as possible , ” the statement reads .
“ In the meantime , our facilities are using their established back-up processes including offline documentation methods.
” Hospitals are frequent targets for cyberattacks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adequately prepared .
Earlier this month , a woman died during a ransomware attack on Duesseldorf University Hospital in Germany when she had to be moved to another facility .
That incident is believed to be the first-ever patient death due to a cyberattack on a health care facility .
Most famously , hospitals across the UK were shut down in 2017 after North Korea unleashed the WannaCry ransomware across the globe .

Health care provider Universal Health Services, one of the largest chains in the US, has been hit by an apparent ransomware attack, TechCrunch reported. UHS facilities in California, Florida, North Dakota, Arizona, and other locations began noticing problems early Sunday, with some locations reporting locked computers and phone systems.
Some UHS hospitals had to use pen and paper to file patient information as a result, according to NBC News.
The hospital system, which has more than 400 locations in the US and the UK, said in a statement on Monday that its IT network across several facilities was offline “due to an IT security issue.” No patient or employee data appears to have been compromised, according to the statement, which did not mention malware or ransomware.
“We implement extensive IT security protocols and are working diligently with our IT security partners to restore IT operations as quickly as possible,” the statement reads. “In the meantime, our facilities are using their established back-up processes including offline documentation methods.”


theverge--2020-09-28--The Biden campaign wants to take back YouTube

On Tuesday night , Joe Biden and Donald Trump will face off in the first presidential debate of the 2020 cycle , and cable channels will be lit up with analyses of which candidate beat expectations and which lines landed best with audiences at home .
But 60 years after the first televised presidential debate , the post-event spin isn ’ t limited to television anymore .
The moment the event finishes , a new class of pundits on YouTube and Instagram will be digging through the footage for memorable moments to clip , remix , or outright manipulate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ played to cable pundits , the 2020 campaigns are increasingly planning their message with an eye to how it will play on YouTube .
On YouTube at least , the early advantage is to Trump .
Over the last four years of Trump ’ s presidency , the campaign and Republican Party have built a vast network of conservative online influencers , including personalities like Ben Shapiro from The Daily Wire and Dave Rubin , host of The Rubin Report on YouTube .
Shapiro and Rubin speak with Trump surrogates often , reaching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A conscious counterpoint to the Trump campaign ’ s “ Death Star , ” the effort has been nicknamed “ the Rebel Alliance.
” But behind the scenes , Biden ’ s campaign is pushing to make YouTube a more friendly place for Democrats .
The Biden campaign has been working directly with YouTube channels and Facebook pages like Occupy Democrats and creators like Brian Tyler Cohen to create content that reaches millions of people , the campaign said , as part of a broader effort to counterbalance influencers like Shapiro and Rubin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign ’ s “ Death Star , ” the effort has been nicknamed “ the Rebel Alliance.
” The effort isn ’ t limited to YouTube .
In June , the Biden campaign hired the influencer marketing firm Village Marketing for creator outreach , focusing primarily on Instagram .
Internet stars like Keke Palmer , Jerry Harris , and Khadeen have all held Instagram live streams with the former vice president .
Biden ’ s team struck a deal with the celebrity video platform Cameo for fundraising and even released virtual yard signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crossing : New Horizons .
But the campaign has also started building relationships with political YouTubers , like connecting surrogates for interviews with popular creators .
“ The Biden campaign has been really proactive in terms of getting surrogates to speak on my channel , ” Brian Tyler Cohen , a podcaster and creator with over 700,000 subscribers on YouTube , told The Verge in an interview last week .
“ I ’ ve been able to speak to Governor Whitmer , Andrew Yang , and Vice President Biden ’ s chief of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has focused more on getting the former vice president and his staff in front of non-political voices online .
Biden has made inroads outside traditional political channels on YouTube , chatting with family YouTube vloggers in April , offering advice for families during the pandemic , and even striking up conversations with beauty vloggers like Dulce Candy .
If campaigns are paying particular attention to YouTube , it ’ s because the polling tells them they need to .
As of 2020 , more than a quarter of all US adults say that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which they get their news , a recent Pew Research Center report says .
Users from 18 to 29 — what campaign strategists call the youth vote — received a majority of their YouTube news from independent channels .
“ When YouTube news consumers were asked to describe in their own words why YouTube is a unique place to get news , the most common responses relate to the content itself – including access to news sources outside the mainstream and the plethora of different opinions and views that are available on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report .
Over the last few years , Trump and the GOP have scorned mainstream media outlets from CNN to The New York Times for being “ fake news ” or acting unfairly toward Republicans .
“ The people on the right started migrating to other places where they would be treated more fairly , ” Rubin told The Verge in an interview last Thursday .
Regardless of the truth in this narrative , these ideas helped the political right build a substantial presence on YouTube and other platforms long before Democrats understood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the seas changing in terms of where people are getting their news.
” “ It was Dan Crenshaw who reached out to me .
It was the Ted Cruz people who reached out to me .
It was Rand Paul people who reached out to me , ” Rubin told The Verge .
“ They clearly see the seas changing in terms of where people are getting their news , and that they need an opportunity to have their ideas heard.
” In that same Pew report , the research center also said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more frequently than established news organizations .
This heightens the risk of misinformation when campaigns choose to interview through independent channels .
In order to combat this , YouTube has rolled out several new changes ahead of the election , like including official candidate information in search and linking out to reliable sources on voting information .
For Democrats , the heated primary season drove home the importance of YouTube specifically .
Throughout the Democratic primary season , candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang frequented popular YouTube-first shows and podcasts like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Podcast , but Biden ’ s campaign is just beginning to build these relationships with creators and influencers .
Often , these shows span longer than any television interview and give candidates and their surrogates more time to discuss issues than at any debate .
The Sanders campaign saw this opportunity early on during the Democratic primary , often finding significant success and support from ostensibly non-political outlets like The Joe Rogan Experience .
“ Too often politicians try to reach people through political channels , ” Sanders senior adviser Jeff Weaver said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the candidate ’ s appearance on Rogan ’ s podcast .
“ It is always good practice to try to reach folks outside of the normal political conversation , particularly in formats that allow a more free flow and longform answers.
” Not only do these YouTube shows carve out room for longer , more in-depth discussions , but the simple ability to link out to calls for action takes these conversations a step further than traditional media .
A link in a channel ’ s YouTube bio could lead hundreds of viewers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote , something unmatched on cable television .
It ’ s a huge change from television , which tends to be directed toward casual viewers and casual voters .
On YouTube , candidates can reach an audience of potential activists .
For channels like the left-leaning Crooked Media , it ’ s a huge opportunity .
“ In 2020 , [ we ’ ve ] taken on the role of focusing the scope from just information down into action , ” Tanya Somanader , Crooked Media ’ s chief content officer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everybody who listens to our shows , here ’ s exactly what ’ s going on and here ’ s exactly how you can get involved to change the outcome on November 3rd .
”

On Tuesday night, Joe Biden and Donald Trump will face off in the first presidential debate of the 2020 cycle, and cable channels will be lit up with analyses of which candidate beat expectations and which lines landed best with audiences at home.
But 60 years after the first televised presidential debate, the post-event spin isn’t limited to television anymore. The moment the event finishes, a new class of pundits on YouTube and Instagram will be digging through the footage for memorable moments to clip, remix, or outright manipulate. And just as candidates in previous cycles played to cable pundits, the 2020 campaigns are increasingly planning their message with an eye to how it will play on YouTube.
On YouTube at least, the early advantage is to Trump. Over the last four years of Trump’s presidency, the campaign and Republican Party have built a vast network of conservative online influencers, including personalities like Ben Shapiro from The Daily Wire and Dave Rubin, host of The Rubin Report on YouTube. Shapiro and Rubin speak with Trump surrogates often, reaching over 1 million subscribers per channel.
A conscious counterpoint to the Trump campaign’s “Death Star,” the effort has been nicknamed “the Rebel Alliance.”
But behind the scenes, Biden’s campaign is pushing to make YouTube a more friendly place for Democrats. The Biden campaign has been working directly with YouTube channels and Facebook pages like Occupy Democrats and creators like Brian Tyler Cohen to create content that reaches millions of people, the campaign said, as part of a broader effort to counterbalance influencers like Shapiro and Rubin. A conscious counterpoint to the Trump campaign’s “Death Star,” the effort has been nicknamed “the Rebel Alliance.”
The effort isn’t limited to YouTube. In June, the Biden campaign hired the influencer marketing firm Village Marketing for creator outreach, focusing primarily on Instagram. Internet stars like Keke Palmer, Jerry Harris, and Khadeen have all held Instagram live streams with the former vice president. Biden’s team struck a deal with the celebrity video platform Cameo for fundraising and even released virtual yard signs for the popular Nintendo Switch game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. But the campaign has also started building relationships with political YouTubers, like connecting surrogates for interviews with popular creators.
“The Biden campaign has been really proactive in terms of getting surrogates to speak on my channel,” Brian Tyler Cohen, a podcaster and creator with over 700,000 subscribers on YouTube, told The Verge in an interview last week. “I’ve been able to speak to Governor Whitmer, Andrew Yang, and Vice President Biden’s chief of staff.”
Still, the Biden campaign has focused more on getting the former vice president and his staff in front of non-political voices online. Biden has made inroads outside traditional political channels on YouTube, chatting with family YouTube vloggers in April, offering advice for families during the pandemic, and even striking up conversations with beauty vloggers like Dulce Candy.
If campaigns are paying particular attention to YouTube, it’s because the polling tells them they need to. As of 2020, more than a quarter of all US adults say that watching YouTube is an important way in which they get their news, a recent Pew Research Center report says. Users from 18 to 29 — what campaign strategists call the youth vote — received a majority of their YouTube news from independent channels.
“When YouTube news consumers were asked to describe in their own words why YouTube is a unique place to get news, the most common responses relate to the content itself – including access to news sources outside the mainstream and the plethora of different opinions and views that are available on the platform,” Pew said in its report.
Over the last few years, Trump and the GOP have scorned mainstream media outlets from CNN to The New York Times for being “fake news” or acting unfairly toward Republicans. “The people on the right started migrating to other places where they would be treated more fairly,” Rubin told The Verge in an interview last Thursday. Regardless of the truth in this narrative, these ideas helped the political right build a substantial presence on YouTube and other platforms long before Democrats understood their necessity.
“They clearly see the seas changing in terms of where people are getting their news.”
“It was Dan Crenshaw who reached out to me. It was the Ted Cruz people who reached out to me. It was Rand Paul people who reached out to me,” Rubin told The Verge. “They clearly see the seas changing in terms of where people are getting their news, and that they need an opportunity to have their ideas heard.”
In that same Pew report, the research center also said that independent channels cover conspiracy theories far more frequently than established news organizations. This heightens the risk of misinformation when campaigns choose to interview through independent channels. In order to combat this, YouTube has rolled out several new changes ahead of the election, like including official candidate information in search and linking out to reliable sources on voting information.
For Democrats, the heated primary season drove home the importance of YouTube specifically. Throughout the Democratic primary season, candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang frequented popular YouTube-first shows and podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and the H3 Podcast, but Biden’s campaign is just beginning to build these relationships with creators and influencers. Often, these shows span longer than any television interview and give candidates and their surrogates more time to discuss issues than at any debate.
The Sanders campaign saw this opportunity early on during the Democratic primary, often finding significant success and support from ostensibly non-political outlets like The Joe Rogan Experience. “Too often politicians try to reach people through political channels,” Sanders senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in a press call last year after the candidate’s appearance on Rogan’s podcast. “It is always good practice to try to reach folks outside of the normal political conversation, particularly in formats that allow a more free flow and longform answers.”
Not only do these YouTube shows carve out room for longer, more in-depth discussions, but the simple ability to link out to calls for action takes these conversations a step further than traditional media. A link in a channel’s YouTube bio could lead hundreds of viewers to take steps to phone-bank or register to vote, something unmatched on cable television. It’s a huge change from television, which tends to be directed toward casual viewers and casual voters. On YouTube, candidates can reach an audience of potential activists.


theverge--2020-09-28--Among Us is behind a huge spike in Discord’s mobile app downloads

The surprise success of InnerSloth ’ s game Among Us was one of the bigger Twitch stories that happened this summer : over the last month , the game shot up a full 650 percent in hours watched on the site .
( It has gotten so popular so suddenly that the developers at InnerSloth have canceled Among Us 2 to focus more on the first game . )
Its success has spawned other successes , too .
Among Us ’ spike in popularity has led to Discord ’ s mobile app downloads hitting new heights .
As Apptopia ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Discord has been hitting a new lifetime high for mobile app downloads every day since September 5th.
” That ’ s around 800,000 installs a day .
The reason Discord ’ s downloads and Among Us ’ popularity are linked , of course , is because the game requires voice chat to function .
It ’ s a hidden role game ; your duty as a crewmate is to sniff out the impostors on your ship before they kill all of you .
Because the game is cross-platform and because you need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impostors , it ’ s important to find an easy way to communicate with everyone at once .
Discord also integrates fairly closely with Twitch , which means it ’ s even easier for you to stream your gameplay to the world .

The surprise success of InnerSloth’s game Among Us was one of the bigger Twitch stories that happened this summer: over the last month, the game shot up a full 650 percent in hours watched on the site . (It has gotten so popular so suddenly that the developers at InnerSloth have canceled Among Us 2 to focus more on the first game.)
Its success has spawned other successes, too. Among Us’ spike in popularity has led to Discord’s mobile app downloads hitting new heights. As Apptopia’s Adam Blacker recently observed : “Discord has been hitting a new lifetime high for mobile app downloads every day since September 5th.” That’s around 800,000 installs a day.
The reason Discord’s downloads and Among Us’ popularity are linked, of course, is because the game requires voice chat to function. It’s a hidden role game; your duty as a crewmate is to sniff out the impostors on your ship before they kill all of you. Because the game is cross-platform and because you need to chat with your teammates to find the impostors, it’s important to find an easy way to communicate with everyone at once. Discord also integrates fairly closely with Twitch, which means it’s even easier for you to stream your gameplay to the world.


theverge--2020-09-28--Google says Android 12 will make using third-party app stores easier

Google is outlining new changes to its developer policies and promising to make using third-party app stores easier on Android 12 .
The announcement addresses recent concerns around Android app development , including a fight over alternate in-app payment systems and difficulties for businesses moving online because of COVID-19 .
Android users can already install apps through third-party stores like Samsung ’ s Galaxy Store .
Google says that in response to developer feedback , it ’ s adding features to next year ’ s Android 12 release that will “ make it even easier for people to use other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ careful not to compromise the safety measures Android has in place.
” It will release more details on these changes in the future .
Google isn ’ t , by contrast , relaxing its grip on in-app payments for Play Store apps .
The company says that “ all developers selling digital goods in their apps are required to use Google Play ’ s billing system , ” and it ’ s tweaking language in its payment policy to make that clear .
Any app that ’ s not already using the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ add it by September 30th , 2021 .
“ Even if a developer and Google do not agree ... the developer can still distribute on the Android platform.
” This has been a sticking point for Epic Games , whose title Fortnite was kicked off the Play Store in August after Epic added support for an alternate billing method .
Fortnite is currently only available through third-party stores and Epic ’ s website , and Google doesn ’ t appear to be backing down — it specifically references Fortnite as an example of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google do not agree on business terms the developer can still distribute on the Android platform.
” There ’ s one particularly complicated in-app purchase category : businesses that started letting users sell “ virtual ” versions of their normal non-digital offerings during the coronavirus pandemic .
These companies , including Airbnb and ClassPass , have complained about being asked to pay a new service fee on iOS .
Apple has begun waiving these fees in some circumstances , and Google says these businesses won ’ t have to use Android ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We recognize that the global pandemic has resulted in many businesses having to navigate the challenges of moving their physical business to digital and engaging audiences customers in a new way , for example , moving in-person experiences and classes online , ” it says .
“ For the next 12 months , these businesses will not need to comply with our payments policy , and we will continue to reassess the situation over the next year .
”

Google is outlining new changes to its developer policies and promising to make using third-party app stores easier on Android 12. The announcement addresses recent concerns around Android app development, including a fight over alternate in-app payment systems and difficulties for businesses moving online because of COVID-19.
Android users can already install apps through third-party stores like Samsung’s Galaxy Store. Google says that in response to developer feedback, it’s adding features to next year’s Android 12 release that will “make it even easier for people to use other app stores on their devices while being careful not to compromise the safety measures Android has in place.” It will release more details on these changes in the future.
Google isn’t, by contrast, relaxing its grip on in-app payments for Play Store apps. The company says that “all developers selling digital goods in their apps are required to use Google Play’s billing system,” and it’s tweaking language in its payment policy to make that clear. Any app that’s not already using the system for digital goods will be required to add it by September 30th, 2021.
“Even if a developer and Google do not agree ... the developer can still distribute on the Android platform.”
This has been a sticking point for Epic Games, whose title Fortnite was kicked off the Play Store in August after Epic added support for an alternate billing method. Fortnite is currently only available through third-party stores and Epic’s website, and Google doesn’t appear to be backing down — it specifically references Fortnite as an example of how “even if a developer and Google do not agree on business terms the developer can still distribute on the Android platform.”
There’s one particularly complicated in-app purchase category: businesses that started letting users sell “virtual” versions of their normal non-digital offerings during the coronavirus pandemic. These companies, including Airbnb and ClassPass, have complained about being asked to pay a new service fee on iOS.


theverge--2020-09-29--Playing 13 Sentinels on PS4 is like binge-watching an amazing, ambitious sci-fi drama

13 Sentinels : Aegis Rim has all of the necessary elements for the most confusing science fiction story imaginable .
There ’ s time travel , lost memories , prophetic dreams , android doppelgängers , and a cast of more than a dozen characters each with their own perspective on events that span hundreds of years .
It took me around 10 hours before I even had a slight grip on what was happening in its century-spanning mech vs. kaiju story .
Yet despite this — or maybe because of it — I ’ ve been hooked .
The narrative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many important revelations , that I found it hard to pull myself away .
Playing 13 Sentinels is a bit like binge-watching an amazing sci-fi drama — except one where you have a huge amount of control over how you see the story .
13 Sentinels is the latest release from Vanillaware , a Japanese studio best known for its incredible 2D art in games like Odin Sphere and Dragon ’ s Crown .
It ’ s also a studio known for experimenting with different genres .
In the case of 13 Sentinels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of two styles of game .
On one hand , there ’ s a strategy game , where you control a small team of mech pilots as they fight off an incursion of alien kaiju across an urban landscape .
It works well enough and plays sort of like a streamlined take on a traditional strategy game , blending elements of turn-based combat and RTS titles .
It also gets much more involved as the game progresses : you ’ ll unlock more abilities for your small army of mechs and face off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including ones that can manufacture reinforcements and others that burrow underground for surprise attacks .
But the much meatier part of the experience is the narrative , which plays a bit like a visual novel .
You control more than a dozen Japanese high school students through various scenes , seeing events across different time periods and from different perspectives .
It ’ s hard to say too much about the game ’ s story without spoiling the big revelations — and honestly , I ’ m not sure it ’ s possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narrative anyway .
Suffice to say it touches on a lot of things , from teens coming of age to the far-flung future of the human race .
What ’ s most remarkable about 13 Sentinels is its structure .
Those two sides of the game are presented as distinct experiences .
When you ’ re in the main menu , you can choose “ destruction ” to head into battle or “ remembrance ” to explore the narrative .
The story , meanwhile , is anything but straightforward .
It doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , you choose from a cast of characters , exploring each one ’ s personal story in bite-sized chunks .
And you can do this in any order .
You might find yourself leaning toward the girl on the track-and-field team who stumbled upon an ET-like robot , or maybe the bully who is experiencing the same day over and over again .
I found myself gravitating toward the rich kid who could talk to a pop star through his television .
Or you can jump back and forth between these stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threads all seem separate , and I found myself extremely confused .
13 Sentinels doesn ’ t ease you in .
Even before you have a basic grasp of the story you ’ ll have to deal with flashbacks , flash-forwards , and all kinds of arcane terminology .
Things only get more convoluted as the narrative grows to encompass even more : the story involves a number of important events over the course of hundreds of years , and the cast of characters steadily grows to more than a dozen .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so satisfying as you slowly start to piece things together .
The fact that you choose which narrative threads to pull on only adds to this investigative feel .
There are times when you hit a roadblock — a character ’ s story might be blocked until you complete a few battles or learn more about another member of the cast — but there are always multiple entry points to the story .
If one feels confusing or like it ’ s going nowhere , you can move on to a different character @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overwhelming , but 13 Sentinels is surprisingly easy to digest once you get over that initial hump .
Part of this is because each character ’ s arc is divided into a series of smaller episodes , each of which typically lasts 20-30 minutes .
It ’ s sort of like someone handing you the entire run of Battlestar Galactica but not giving you the episodes in order .
The game also really drills certain ideas into you through repetition .
You ’ ll see events multiple times from different perspectives and explore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the game ’ s best features is something called a “ thought cloud , ” which functions sort of like the inventory in an adventure game .
Only instead of holding objects , it is full of ideas you learn ; if you need a refresher , you can explore a character ’ s cloud to relearn key terms and names from their particular story .
It ’ s especially useful since you ’ ll be jumping back and forth so much .
That said , it still requires patience to enjoy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long time to get going — it was several hours before I was out of the tutorial — and you have to be okay with the fact that , for a lot of the time , you won ’ t understand everything that ’ s happening .
And , at least for me , the strategy element also became somewhat of a chore after a while .
It ’ s not that it ’ s bad , but it never grabbed me in a way where I enjoyed it on its own .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ so I could see what happened next in the story .
( On the plus side , you can always just set the battles to easy if you want , and breeze through them . )
But if you love great sci-fi storytelling , your patience will certainly be rewarded .
13 Sentinels is the kind of game I can ’ t stop thinking about , one of those multifaceted narratives where I find myself piecing things together even when I ’ m not playing .
And it ’ s all wrapped up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vanillaware such a renowned studio : amazing art , inventive character and enemy designs , and just the right amount of weirdness .
( One of the main plot threads involves a talking cat who gives you a magical gun for shooting witches . )
It ’ s strange and daring , and the kind of ambitious single-player experience you don ’ t see much of anymore .
Embrace the confusion — it ’ s worth it .
is available now on the PS4 .

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim has all of the necessary elements for the most confusing science fiction story imaginable. There’s time travel, lost memories, prophetic dreams, android doppelgängers, and a cast of more than a dozen characters each with their own perspective on events that span hundreds of years. It took me around 10 hours before I even had a slight grip on what was happening in its century-spanning mech vs. kaiju story. Yet despite this — or maybe because of it — I’ve been hooked. The narrative is so complex and filled with so many important revelations, that I found it hard to pull myself away. Playing 13 Sentinels is a bit like binge-watching an amazing sci-fi drama — except one where you have a huge amount of control over how you see the story.
13 Sentinels is the latest release from Vanillaware, a Japanese studio best known for its incredible 2D art in games like Odin Sphere and Dragon’s Crown. It’s also a studio known for experimenting with different genres. In the case of 13 Sentinels, it’s actually a mixture of two styles of game.
On one hand, there’s a strategy game, where you control a small team of mech pilots as they fight off an incursion of alien kaiju across an urban landscape. It works well enough and plays sort of like a streamlined take on a traditional strategy game, blending elements of turn-based combat and RTS titles. It also gets much more involved as the game progresses: you’ll unlock more abilities for your small army of mechs and face off against all kinds of devious kaiju, including ones that can manufacture reinforcements and others that burrow underground for surprise attacks.
But the much meatier part of the experience is the narrative, which plays a bit like a visual novel. You control more than a dozen Japanese high school students through various scenes, seeing events across different time periods and from different perspectives. It’s hard to say too much about the game’s story without spoiling the big revelations — and honestly, I’m not sure it’s possible to accurately summarize the ambitious, complex narrative anyway. Suffice to say it touches on a lot of things, from teens coming of age to the far-flung future of the human race.
What’s most remarkable about 13 Sentinels is its structure. Those two sides of the game are presented as distinct experiences. When you’re in the main menu, you can choose “destruction” to head into battle or “remembrance” to explore the narrative. The story, meanwhile, is anything but straightforward. It doesn’t flow in any predetermined way. Instead, you choose from a cast of characters, exploring each one’s personal story in bite-sized chunks. And you can do this in any order. You might find yourself leaning toward the girl on the track-and-field team who stumbled upon an ET-like robot, or maybe the bully who is experiencing the same day over and over again. I found myself gravitating toward the rich kid who could talk to a pop star through his television. Or you can jump back and forth between these stories as you please.
Initially, these threads all seem separate, and I found myself extremely confused. 13 Sentinels doesn’t ease you in. Even before you have a basic grasp of the story you’ll have to deal with flashbacks, flash-forwards, and all kinds of arcane terminology. Things only get more convoluted as the narrative grows to encompass even more: the story involves a number of important events over the course of hundreds of years, and the cast of characters steadily grows to more than a dozen. But that’s also what makes it so satisfying as you slowly start to piece things together. The fact that you choose which narrative threads to pull on only adds to this investigative feel. There are times when you hit a roadblock — a character’s story might be blocked until you complete a few battles or learn more about another member of the cast — but there are always multiple entry points to the story. If one feels confusing or like it’s going nowhere, you can move on to a different character for a bit.
It may sound overwhelming, but 13 Sentinels is surprisingly easy to digest once you get over that initial hump. Part of this is because each character’s arc is divided into a series of smaller episodes, each of which typically lasts 20-30 minutes. It’s sort of like someone handing you the entire run of Battlestar Galactica but not giving you the episodes in order. The game also really drills certain ideas into you through repetition. You’ll see events multiple times from different perspectives and explore the same locations decades apart. One of the game’s best features is something called a “thought cloud,” which functions sort of like the inventory in an adventure game. Only instead of holding objects, it is full of ideas you learn; if you need a refresher, you can explore a character’s cloud to relearn key terms and names from their particular story. It’s especially useful since you’ll be jumping back and forth so much.
That said, it still requires patience to enjoy 13 Sentinels. The story takes a long time to get going — it was several hours before I was out of the tutorial — and you have to be okay with the fact that, for a lot of the time, you won’t understand everything that’s happening. And, at least for me, the strategy element also became somewhat of a chore after a while. It’s not that it’s bad, but it never grabbed me in a way where I enjoyed it on its own. I was always just pushing through battles so I could see what happened next in the story. (On the plus side, you can always just set the battles to easy if you want, and breeze through them.)
But if you love great sci-fi storytelling, your patience will certainly be rewarded. 13 Sentinels is the kind of game I can’t stop thinking about, one of those multifaceted narratives where I find myself piecing things together even when I’m not playing. And it’s all wrapped up in the key elements that have made Vanillaware such a renowned studio: amazing art, inventive character and enemy designs, and just the right amount of weirdness. (One of the main plot threads involves a talking cat who gives you a magical gun for shooting witches.)


theverge--2020-09-29--Pokémon Sword and Shield expansion, The Crown Tundra, launches October 22nd

The second Pokémon Sword and Shield expansion , The Crown Tundra , is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 22nd @ @ @ @ @ news today during a Nintendo Direct .
The Crown Tundra takes players to a snowy @ @ @ @ @ additional story content .
The expansion will also allow players to capture every Legendary pokémon @ @ @ @ @ games , as well as the opportunity to team up with trainers they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ also be able to snag special Pikachu with decorative hats with passwords , the first @ @ @ @ @ the password “ P1KACHUGET.
” Game Freak announced expansions for Sword and Shield , which @ @ @ @ @ 2019 , earlier this year .
The first expansion , Isle of Armor , was @ @ @ @ @ developer plans to release bundles with both expansions on November 6th .

The second Pokémon Sword and Shield expansion, The Crown Tundra, is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 22nd. Game Freak announced the news today during a Nintendo Direct.
The Crown Tundra takes players to a snowy new location in-game and introduces additional story content, as well as new Galarian forms of pokémon like Slowking. The expansion will also allow players to capture every Legendary pokémon that has appeared in past games, as well as the opportunity to team up with trainers they’ve previously met.
Starting today, Players will also be able to snag special Pikachu with decorative hats with passwords, the first of which is available with the password “P1KACHUGET.”
Game Freak announced expansions for Sword and Shield, which launched for Nintendo Switch in 2019, earlier this year. The first expansion, Isle of Armor, was released in June. The developer plans to release bundles with both expansions on November 6th.


theverge--2020-09-29--What to expect from Google’s Pixel 5 event

Fall hardware season is in full swing , and tomorrow , Google will be showing off some new products at its “ Launch Night In ” event .
The company has already officially announced some of what we ’ ll see : Google will be telling us more about new Pixel smartphones ( the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G ) , as well as a new Chromecast and a new Nest smart speaker .
We already know a lot about each one of those products , partly because of the the typical pre-event leaks , rumors , and renders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bought some of these unannounced products off store shelves .
( That includes The Verge ; we bought the new Chromecast at Home Depot on Monday . )
We ’ ve collected what we know in this post .
And you can follow The Verge for the actual news when the event kicks off tomorrow at 2PM ET .
The Pixel 5 is Google ’ s next flagship The Pixel 5 is Google ’ s next flagship smartphone , and Google has already revealed a few details : the phone is coming this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and will be available in the US , UK , Canada , Ireland , France , Germany , Japan , Taiwan , and Australia , the company said in August .
As for what the phone looks like , Google itself has revealed a side profile of the device ( see the picture at the top of this post ) .
And Google Japan showed off most of the Pixel 5 ’ s front in a now-deleted tweet on September 24th .
A translation of the tweet said the phone is now available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t . )
If you ’ re familiar with the Pixel 4 , you might notice that the front of the Pixel 5 has a conspicuous difference : the Pixel 5 doesn ’ t look to have the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL ’ s larger top bezel that housed its face unlock technology and motion-detecting radar .
It seems Google is returning to a fingerprint reader on the back of the phone instead , as shown in renders from reliable leaker Evan Blass , which also show the the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Other leaks from WinFuture show more angles of the Pixel 5 and may reveal the phone ’ s specs .
The phone will reportedly have a midrange Snapdragon 765G processor , which has Qualcomm ’ s integrated X52 modem for 5G support , but the phone will apparently only support the slower sub-6GHz 5G networks and won ’ t support faster mmWave 5G .
The Pixel 5 may also have a 6.0-inch 2340 x 1080 OLED screen , a 19.5:9 aspect ratio , and a 90Hz refresh rate , the last of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in day-to-day use .
As for cameras , the Pixel 5 is rumored to have two cameras , like the Pixel 4 , but there will be at least one major difference between the two phones : in addition to having the same 12.2MP main camera that ’ s served Google well for years , the Pixel 5 might have a 16MP ultra-wide camera , instead of bringing over the Pixel 4 ’ s telephoto lens .
Google put a stake in the ground with choosing a telephoto lens last year at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Levoy , the former Googler who led the development of the computational photography technology in the Pixel phones , even said , “ while wide-angle can be fun , we think telephoto is more important.
” It seems Google may have changed its mind .
It ’ s also possible Google will add additional software smarts to its camera , like the Night Sight and astrophotography modes that it added in prior years .
Rounding out the reported specs are an 8MP hole-punch selfie camera , 8GB of RAM , 128GB of internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IP68 water resistance rating , and 18W USB-C fast charging .
The Pixel 4A 5G might share some specs with the Pixel 5 Leaked specs for the Pixel 4A 5G indicate it will have a 6.2-inch screen , which would make it the biggest phone in the Pixel lineup , as the 4A has a 5.8-inch display and the 5 is rumored to have a 6-inch panel .
( The Pixel 4A 5G ’ s display would sit in-between the now-discontinued Pixel 4 and 4 XL — the Pixel 4 had a 5.7-inch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6.3-inch screen . )
But the Pixel 4A 5G may share the Pixel 5 ’ s 2340 x 1080 resolution , meaning its pixel density would be slightly lower and the display may look slightly less crisp .
Google is also rumored to be putting a Snapdragon 765G processor , 12.2MP and 16MP back cameras , and 8MP front camera in the Pixel 4A 5G — the same specs as rumored for the Pixel 5 .
But the Pixel 4A 5G will reportedly have trade-offs in some other areas , such as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smaller 3,885mAh battery , 6GB of RAM instead of 8GB , a Gorilla Glass 3 screen instead of a Gorilla Glass 6 screen , and no IP rating for water or dust resistance .
The phone is rumored to have a 3.5mm headphone jack , though , like the Pixel 4A and 3A before it .
Google has already said that the Pixel 4A 5G will cost $ 499 , which is a $ 150 bump from the Pixel 4A ’ s $ 349 .
It ’ ll be available in the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ireland , France , Germany , Japan , Taiwan , and Australia .
Rumors about a new Google-made TV dongle with the codename “ Sabrina ” have circulated for months , but in recent days , people ( including The Verge ’ s Chris Welch ) have actually been able to buy the new , unannounced Chromecast off store shelves for $ 50 , revealing nearly everything about the device .
The new TV dongle is called Chromecast with Google TV , and it runs the new Google TV operating system ( which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV ) with its own remote control , unlike any previous Chromecast device .
Having a dedicated operating system and remote are big changes for Chromecast , as previous models relied on users casting content from phones or laptops to watch on their TV .
Reddit user u/fuzztub07 , who was lucky enough to buy the device from Walmart , has posted a video of the operating system in action .
The video shows apps for video services like Netflix , YouTube , and Amazon Prime Video , an app for Spotify , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says you can play with a gamepad or the device ’ s remote .
Google ’ s Stadia cloud gaming service isn ’ t supported , according to u/fuzztub07 , so it seems you ’ ll still only be able to play Stadia on a TV with the existing Chromecast Ultra .
Past leaks revealed that the Chromecast with Google TV ’ s remote control would have dedicated buttons for Google Assistant , YouTube , and Netflix and a circular navigation tool at the top .
While that circular navigation tool might look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it apparently can only navigate in four directions , according to according to u/fuzztub07 .
The new Chromecast also is 4K / HDR compatible , supports multiple user accounts , will let you pair Bluetooth headphones , and doesn ’ t have an Ethernet port , says u/fuzztub07 .
My colleague Chris Welch bought his Chromecast with Google TV for $ 49.99 from Home Depot , and u/fuzztub07 said they bought theirs for $ 49.98 , so you should probably expect to pay about $ 50 for the device when it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that people have already bought and tested retail units wasn ’ t enough evidence that the Chromecast with Google TV will be launching imminently , 9to5Google reported that a “ Sabrina ” device appeared in Home Depot ’ s internal systems with a September 30th release date , so we ’ d be surprised if it isn ’ t made official at Google ’ s event tomorrow .
We already know exactly what the new Nest smart speaker looks like because Google shared a photo and a video of the device back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off a blue model , the video below has a pink one in the background of one of the shots , and we ’ ve also seen a grey one in a regulatory filing .
Like the Chromecast with Google TV , this new Nest speaker has also been spotted on store shelves , and the packaging reveals it will be called Nest Audio , will support Google Assistant , and will come in a darker grey / black color .
The device could support touch controls , according to a photo taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually bought the Nest Audio from Walmart .
And a now-pulled Nest Audio listing on Lowe ’ s ’ website revealed the speaker can tune itself to a room with a “ smart sound ” feature , which we first saw in the Google Home Max , and that it will cost $ 99.99 .
Since we ’ re already seeing the device show up on physical and virtual store shelves , it seems likely you ’ ll be able to buy the Nest Audio very soon .

Fall hardware season is in full swing, and tomorrow, Google will be showing off some new products at its “Launch Night In” event. The company has already officially announced some of what we’ll see: Google will be telling us more about new Pixel smartphones (the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G), as well as a new Chromecast and a new Nest smart speaker.
We already know a lot about each of those products, partly because of the typical pre-event leaks, rumors, and renders — and partly because people have already bought some of these unannounced products off store shelves. (That includes The Verge; we bought the new Chromecast at Home Depot on Monday.)
We’ve collected what we know in this post. And you can follow The Verge for the actual news when the event kicks off tomorrow at 2PM ET.
WinFuture claims this is the Pixel 5 in a new green color. Image: WinFuture
The Pixel 5 is Google’s next flagship
The Pixel 5 is Google’s next flagship smartphone, and Google has already revealed a few details: the phone is coming this fall, will support 5G networks, and will be available in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia, the company said in August.
As for what the phone looks like, Google itself has revealed a side profile of the device (see the picture at the top of this post). And Google Japan showed off most of the Pixel 5’s front in a now-deleted tweet on September 24th. A translation of the tweet said the phone is now available to preorder. (Narrator: it wasn’t.)
If you’re familiar with the Pixel 4, you might notice that the front of the Pixel 5 has a conspicuous difference: the Pixel 5 doesn’t look to have the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL’s larger top bezel that housed its face unlock technology and motion-detecting radar. It seems Google is returning to a fingerprint reader on the back of the phone instead, as shown in renders from reliable leaker Evan Blass, which also show the phone in seafoam green and in black:
Other leaks from WinFuture show more angles of the Pixel 5 and may reveal the phone’s specs. The phone will reportedly have a midrange Snapdragon 765G processor, which has Qualcomm’s integrated X52 modem for 5G support, but the phone will apparently only support the slower sub-6GHz 5G networks and won’t support faster mmWave 5G. The Pixel 5 may also have a 6-inch 2340 x 1080 OLED screen, a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and a 90Hz refresh rate, the last of which could make your phone feel smoother in day-to-day use.
As for cameras, the Pixel 5 is rumored to have two cameras, like the Pixel 4, but there will be at least one major difference between the two phones: in addition to having the same 12.2MP main camera that’s served Google well for years, the Pixel 5 might have a 16MP ultrawide camera, instead of bringing over the Pixel 4’s telephoto lens.
Google put a stake in the ground with choosing a telephoto lens last year at the introduction of the Pixel 4. Marc Levoy, the former Googler who led the development of the computational photography technology in the Pixel phones, even said, “while wide-angle can be fun, we think telephoto is more important.” It seems Google may have changed its mind. It’s also possible Google will add additional software smarts to its camera, like the Night Sight and astrophotography modes it added in prior years.
Rounding out the reported specs are an 8MP hole-punch selfie camera, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, a 4,080mAh battery, an IP68 water resistance rating, and 18W USB-C fast charging.
The Pixel 4A 5G might share some specs with the Pixel 5
Leaked specs for the Pixel 4A 5G indicate it will have a 6.2-inch screen, which would make it the biggest phone in the Pixel lineup, as the 4A has a 5.8-inch display and the 5 is rumored to have a 6-inch panel. (The Pixel 4A 5G’s display would sit in between the now-discontinued Pixel 4 and 4 XL — the Pixel 4 had a 5.7-inch screen and the 4 XL had a 6.3-inch screen.) But the Pixel 4A 5G may share the Pixel 5’s 2340 x 1080 resolution, meaning its pixel density would be slightly lower and the display may look slightly less crisp.
Google is also rumored to be putting a Snapdragon 765G processor, 12.2MP and 16MP back cameras, and 8MP front camera in the Pixel 4A 5G — the same specs as rumored for the Pixel 5. But the Pixel 4A 5G will reportedly have trade-offs in some other areas, such as a slower 60Hz refresh rate screen, a smaller 3,885mAh battery, 6GB of RAM instead of 8GB, a Gorilla Glass 3 screen instead of a Gorilla Glass 6 screen, and no IP rating for water or dust resistance. The phone is rumored to have a 3.5mm headphone jack, though, like the Pixel 4A and 3A before it.
Google has already said the Pixel 4A 5G will cost $499, which is a $150 bump from the Pixel 4A’s $349. It’ll be available in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
A new Chromecast powered by “Google TV”
Rumors about a new Google-made TV dongle with the codename “Sabrina” have circulated for months, but in recent days, people (including The Verge’s Chris Welch) have actually been able to buy the new, unannounced Chromecast off store shelves for $50, revealing nearly everything about the device.
The new TV dongle is called Chromecast with Google TV, and it runs the new Google TV operating system (which seems to be a rebrand of Android TV) with its own remote control, unlike any previous Chromecast device. Having a dedicated operating system and remote are big changes for Chromecast, as previous models relied on users casting content from phones or laptops to watch on their TV.
Reddit user u/fuzztub07, who was lucky enough to buy the device from Walmart, has posted a video of the operating system in action. The video shows apps for video services like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video, an app for Spotify, and a number of games that Google says you can play with a gamepad or the device’s remote. Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service isn’t supported, according to u/fuzztub07, so it seems you’ll still only be able to play Stadia on a TV with the existing Chromecast Ultra.
Past leaks revealed that the Chromecast with Google TV’s remote control would have dedicated buttons for Google Assistant, YouTube, and Netflix, and a circular navigation tool at the top. While that circular navigation tool might look like a scroll wheel of some kind, it apparently can only navigate in four directions, according to u/fuzztub07.
The new Chromecast also is 4K / HDR compatible, supports multiple user accounts, will let you pair Bluetooth headphones, and doesn’t have an Ethernet port, says u/fuzztub07.
My colleague Chris Welch bought his Chromecast with Google TV for $49.99 from Home Depot, and u/fuzztub07 said they bought theirs for $49.98, so you should probably expect to pay about $50 for the device when it’s officially available. And if the fact that people have already bought and tested retail units wasn’t enough evidence that the Chromecast with Google TV will be launching imminently, 9to5Google reported that a “Sabrina” device appeared in Home Depot’s internal systems with a September 30th release date, so we’d be surprised if it isn’t made official at Google’s event tomorrow.
Image: Google
A new Nest smart speaker: “Nest Audio”
We already know exactly what the new Nest smart speaker looks like because Google shared a photo and a video of the device back in July. The photo above shows off a blue model, the video below has a pink one in the background of one of the shots, and we’ve also seen a gray one in a regulatory filing.
Like the Chromecast with Google TV, this new Nest speaker has also been spotted on store shelves, and the packaging reveals it will be called Nest Audio, will support Google Assistant, and will come in a darker gray / black color. The device could support touch controls, according to a photo taken by a Reddit user who says they actually bought the Nest Audio from Walmart. And a now-pulled Nest Audio listing on Lowe’s website revealed the speaker can tune itself to a room with a “smart sound” feature, which we first saw in the Google Home Max, and that it will cost $99.99.


theverge--2020-09-29--Disney Plus is rolling out GroupWatch feature to all US subscribers

Disney Plus is rolling out its party watch feature , GroupWatch , to subscribers in the US after previous testing in other countries this month .
Similar to Amazon Prime Video ’ s watch party function , GroupWatch allows a certain number of Disney Plus subscribers to host a private viewing party with friends and family members .
GroupWatch will allow up to seven people with Disney Plus subscriptions to watch a title at once , according to the company .
The feature , which The Verge previously reported was being tested in Canada , will be available for web @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connected TV devices like Roku and Amazon Fire TV users .
In an effort to make it as interactive as possible , GroupWatch will also give members the ability to react to scenes with six different emoji ( funny , sad , surprised , etc. )
.
People can also control playback controls ( rewinding , fast-forwarding , pausing ) for the entire group .
Disney is far from the first company to roll out a party watch feature for its streamer , but Jerrell B Jimerson , senior vice president of product @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this moment when many are still apart from their friends and family , GroupWatch offers a way to safely connect virtually by co-viewing ” in a statement .
Alongside Amazon Prime Video ’ s watch party function , and Twitch ’ s Watch Party feature , there are also a variety of third-party web browser extensions , like Scener , that let people connect their Netflix , Disney Plus , HBO , and other subscriptions so they can watch things with friends .
Scener saw a spike in usage over the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tools to connect with friends they couldn ’ t physically see .
Now , Disney Plus is hoping subscribers will use the feature within the streaming service itself .
The feature is expected to roll out to European countries where Disney Plus exists later this fall .

Disney Plus is rolling out its party watch feature, GroupWatch, to subscribers in the US after previous testing in other countries this month.
Similar to Amazon Prime Video’s watch party function, GroupWatch allows a certain number of Disney Plus subscribers to host a private viewing party with friends and family members. GroupWatch will allow up to seven people with Disney Plus subscriptions to watch a title at once, according to the company. The feature, which The Verge previously reported was being tested in Canada, will be available for web, mobile, smart TVs, and connected TV devices like Roku and Amazon Fire TV users.
In an effort to make it as interactive as possible, GroupWatch will also give members the ability to react to scenes with six different emoji (funny, sad, surprised, etc.). People can also control playback controls (rewinding, fast-forwarding, pausing) for the entire group. Disney is far from the first company to roll out a party watch feature for its streamer, but Jerrell B Jimerson, senior vice president of product management for Disney Plus, said “in this moment when many are still apart from their friends and family, GroupWatch offers a way to safely connect virtually by co-viewing” in a statement.
Alongside Amazon Prime Video’s watch party function, and Twitch’s Watch Party feature, there are also a variety of third-party web browser extensions, like Scener, that let people connect their Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO, and other subscriptions so they can watch things with friends. Scener saw a spike in usage over the last few months as people stuck inside used the tools to connect with friends they couldn’t physically see.
Now, Disney Plus is hoping subscribers will use the feature within the streaming service itself. The feature is expected to roll out to European countries where Disney Plus exists later this fall.


theverge--2020-09-29--Origin EVO15-S (2020) review: a customizable 4K machine

The most recent Origin EVO15-S came out in early 2018 .
That was an exciting time for laptops because it was the first generation of the Max-Q design , which brought about thinner and lighter gaming laptops than seen before .
Asus released the ROG Zephyrus only a few months earlier , and the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin and updated Razer Blade 15 — some of the first portable systems that had a hope of running AAA games — came soon after .
The 2018 EVO15-S arrived at a time when the world was first starting to take thin and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 , and the EVO has returned .
The laptop has dropped some weight , upped its specs , and brought a modern , matured design to the table .
But while it doesn ’ t have any glaring flaws , today ’ s gaming market has more powerful portable 15-inchers .
The new EVO has some nice features , but there ’ s very little it does that those competitors don ’ t do better .
There ’ s one strong argument for buying it , though : the customization options .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ They all come with an eight-core Core i7-10875H and an RTX 2070 Max-Q or RTX 2080 Super Max-Q .
But then there are three screen options , nine memory options ( including 2400MHz and 2666MHz ) , 20 SSDs ( NVMe and M.2 SATA options , including brands from Samsung to Corsair ) with two slots , and a whopping 20 different colors .
( There are some really cool ones — you can see them on Origin ’ s website . )
The company offers personalized laser etching , HD UV printing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can customize other laptops using cases and skins , but the ability to order a personalized paint job from a manufacturer is pretty unusual ( especially at this price point ) .
If you ’ re searching for a specific aesthetic or combination of components that you can ’ t find anywhere else ( or you ’ re just very picky ) , the EVO15-S is made just for you .
My test model had a GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q ( in addition to a 1TB Samsung 970 Plus PCIe NVME @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RAM at 2666MHz , and a 4K OLED display ) and sells for $ 2,846 .
That ’ s a huge jump up from the components in the 2018 EVO , of course , which only had a GTX 1070 ( and a seventh-gen processor ) .
While the chips are mightier , the chassis has gotten lighter — it ’ s 4.4 pounds .
It ’ s also a bit lighter than the MSI GS66 Stealth ( 4.63 pounds ) .
The design has matured since 2018 The design has matured since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the EVO doesn ’ t look at all out of date .
The bezels are much smaller , particularly those on the sides .
The 15.5-inch screen has a respectable 83 percent screen-to-body ratio .
The logo on this EVO ’ s lid is a sleeker , friendlier version of the one Origin stamped on the 2018 model — it looks nice but wouldn ’ t draw undue attention in a meeting or classroom .
And Origin has ditched the obnoxious red-printed power button , which used to live in the center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ logo on the bottom bezel .
That ’ s been replaced by a much more attractive silver button on the right side .
The slimmer form factor hasn ’ t compromised the sturdiness of the build , though .
There ’ s very little flex in the keyboard and touchpad , and none in the display .
And I really like the texture of the palm rests , which feel smooth and high-quality without collecting a ton of fingerprints .
This laptop was made for gaming , so let ’ s get into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ configuration has a 4K OLED screen that ’ s only 60Hz , meaning you won ’ t see higher than 60fps no matter how many frames the chips are churning out each second .
Right off the bat , that means this model in particular isn ’ t the best choice for serious gamers .
( It also exhibited some serious ghosting . )
It ’ s a better option for folks who might play the occasional game but also spend time doing some creative work or watching Netflix with high expectations ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covers 100 percent of the sRGB gamut and 97 percent of Adobe RGB ) .
Still , these results can give gamers a sense of what to expect from other configurations .
I really like the texture of the palm rests I ran several games at native resolution to see whether the EVO can handle gaming in 4K .
There are actually some titles where it can — but you probably won ’ t be surprised to hear that if you want the best performance out of the latest AAA offerings , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The first test was Horizon Zero Dawn , one of the most taxing games on the market that has been giving even desktop Nvidia cards trouble .
The EVO only averaged 45fps in 4K , but it hit a more comfortable 67fps in 1080p .
( All games were run at their highest possible settings . )
That delta was even larger with Fortnite , which the EVO ran at an average of 38fps in 4K and 107fps in 1080p .
Kinder titles ran just fine in 4K , though .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on League of Legends at native resolution .
With Shadow of the Tomb Raider , the EVO proved itself capable of handling ray tracing — it ran the game at an average of 50fps in 4K and 94fps in 1080p with that setting maxed out .
That ’ s comparable to ( but slightly worse than ) the GS66 Stealth .
( The CPU didn ’ t pass 92 degrees Celsius throughout any of the testing . )
It ’ s not quite the best of the best Broadly , these are fine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a playable experience with whatever games you ’ d like — they ’ re just not quite the best of the best .
If the EVO were exceptional in other areas , that could help make up for slightly weaker performance .
There are a couple very nice features .
I actually like the webcam , which is something I don ’ t say about webcams very often .
It ’ s grainy , but it takes a decent photo — you won ’ t be washed out in bright settings or totally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s also a lot that I like about the keyboard .
Origin managed to squeeze in a numpad ( a feature you don ’ t see on 15-inch laptops every day ) without having to make the letter keys uncomfortably small .
( I ’ m particularly excited about this because it ’ s really difficult to play Microsoft Flight Simulator without a numpad — you have to remap a bunch of keys . )
The EVO ’ s is also probably the most beautiful RGB keyboard I ’ ve ever seen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ colorful gaming laptop keyboards , but there ’ s just something different about this one .
The lights shine really neatly through the keys without bleeding into each other , and some of the effects ( particularly Wave Mode and Ripple ) are really stunning .
But there are also some issues .
The space bar on my unit was a bit squeaky , making it both cringey to press and awkward to listen to all day .
This is a small thing , but think of how many times a day you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the touchpad , while a fine size and quite smooth , has plastic discrete clickers .
You ’ re welcome to your opinion on these — I know some people love them .
But they make me feel like I ’ m using a 2009 Dell Inspiron , and they also require your fingers to jump down to the bottom of the deck each time you need to click .
Again , that ’ s a pretty small thing , but given how much clicking you do throughout the day , the effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Battery life wasn ’ t great either — my unit made it through two hours and 39 minutes of non-gaming productivity work with the screen at around 200 nits of brightness .
This is a gaming laptop with a 4K display , so I wasn ’ t expecting anything close to all-day juice .
Still , that rules out doing much work on the go , if you intend to use this as a multipurpose device ( and if you don ’ t , for the love of God do not buy the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also another area in which the EVO loses out to the GS66 Stealth , which managed around five hours .
Finally , the speakers are not very good .
The audio gets quite loud , but it has very little bass or definition , and there ’ s some weird distortion in the lower tones around maximum volume .
Game audio was fine , but blasting my Spotify library was just a weird experience .
Like I said , the EVO15-S is a well-built laptop with some nice features .
And there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly among folks who are looking for unique customizable designs and don ’ t want to buy a skin .
( Seriously , take a look at some of the options on the website . )
The EVO is far from the worst option When it comes to gaming results — the most important feature — the EVO is far from the worst option .
But it ’ s also not the best .
That ’ s compounded by the limitations the 60Hz screen places on the results of this particular configuration ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other frustrations with the system .
Overall , if the EVO isn ’ t offering better frame rates than the GS66 , or a significantly better price ( the GS66 with half the storage but double the RAM , as well as a 300Hz screen , goes for $ 2,799 ) , it ’ s hard to recommend it as the best option for most gamers .

The most recent Origin EVO15-S came out in early 2018. That was an exciting time for laptops because it was the first generation of the Max-Q design, which brought about thinner and lighter gaming laptops than seen before. Asus released the ROG Zephyrus only a few months earlier, and the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin and updated Razer Blade 15 — some of the first portable systems that had a hope of running AAA games — came soon after. The 2018 EVO15-S arrived at a time when the world was first starting to take thin and light gaming seriously.
It’s 2020, and the EVO has returned. The laptop has dropped some weight, upped its specs, and brought a modern, matured design to the table. But while it doesn’t have any glaring flaws, today’s gaming market has more powerful portable 15-inchers. The new EVO has some nice features, but there’s very little it does that those competitors don’t do better.
7 Verge Score Origin EVO15-S (2020) $ 2044 The Good Numpad
Plenty of ports
Many customization options The Bad 60Hz screen
Worse battery life than competitors
Gaming results don’t beat the GS66 Stealth $2044 at Origin How we rate and review products
There’s one strong argument for buying it, though: the customization options.
Configurations start around $2,000
EVO configurations start around $2,000. They all come with an eight-core Core i7-10875H and an RTX 2070 Max-Q or RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. But then there are three screen options, nine memory options (including 2400MHz and 2666MHz), 20 SSDs (NVMe and M.2 SATA options, including brands from Samsung to Corsair) with two slots, and a whopping 20 different colors. (There are some really cool ones — you can see them on Origin’s website.) The company offers personalized laser etching, HD UV printing, and custom prints.
Sure, you can customize other laptops using cases and skins, but the ability to order a personalized paint job from a manufacturer is pretty unusual (especially at this price point). If you’re searching for a specific aesthetic or combination of components that you can’t find anywhere else (or you’re just very picky), the EVO15-S is made just for you.
14.07 x 9.3 x 0.77 inches
My test model had a GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q (in addition to a 1TB Samsung 970 Plus PCIe NVME M.2 SSD, 16GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM at 2666MHz, and a 4K OLED display) and sells for $2,846. That’s a huge jump up from the components in the 2018 EVO, of course, which only had a GTX 1070 (and a seventh-gen processor). While the chips are mightier, the chassis has gotten lighter — it’s 4.4 pounds. It’s also a bit lighter than the MSI GS66 Stealth (4.63 pounds).
The design has matured since 2018
The design has matured since 2018 as well — for a refresh, the EVO doesn’t look at all out of date. The bezels are much smaller, particularly those on the sides. The 15.5-inch screen has a respectable 83 percent screen-to-body ratio. The logo on this EVO’s lid is a sleeker, friendlier version of the one Origin stamped on the 2018 model — it looks nice but wouldn’t draw undue attention in a meeting or classroom. And Origin has ditched the obnoxious red-printed power button, which used to live in the center of the deck right below the Origin logo on the bottom bezel. That’s been replaced by a much more attractive silver button on the right side.
Origin calls it “integrated high-definition audio.” Three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A, one Thunderbolt 3, one Mini DisplayPort 1.3, one HDMI, one audio jack for headphones and microphones, one audio jack for microphones or S/PDIF optical, one RJ-45 Ethernet port. There are ports on the back, too.
The slimmer form factor hasn’t compromised the sturdiness of the build, though. There’s very little flex in the keyboard and touchpad, and none in the display. And I really like the texture of the palm rests, which feel smooth and high-quality without collecting a ton of fingerprints.
This laptop was made for gaming, so let’s get into that. As a reminder, this configuration has a 4K OLED screen that’s only 60Hz, meaning you won’t see higher than 60fps no matter how many frames the chips are churning out each second. Right off the bat, that means this model in particular isn’t the best choice for serious gamers. (It also exhibited some serious ghosting.) It’s a better option for folks who might play the occasional game but also spend time doing some creative work or watching Netflix with high expectations (it gets up to 407 nits and covers 100 percent of the sRGB gamut and 97 percent of Adobe RGB). Still, these results can give gamers a sense of what to expect from other configurations.
I really like the texture of the palm rests
I ran several games at native resolution to see whether the EVO can handle gaming in 4K. There are actually some titles where it can — but you probably won’t be surprised to hear that if you want the best performance out of the latest AAA offerings, you’ll be bumping the resolution down.
You can create your own keyboard effects. The keys are comfortable to press, too.
The first test was Horizon Zero Dawn, one of the most taxing games on the market that has been giving even desktop Nvidia cards trouble. The EVO only averaged 45fps in 4K, but it hit a more comfortable 67fps in 1080p. (All games were run at their highest possible settings.) That delta was even larger with Fortnite, which the EVO ran at an average of 38fps in 4K and 107fps in 1080p.
Kinder titles ran just fine in 4K, though. The EVO averaged 102fps on Overwatch and 192fps on League of Legends at native resolution. With Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the EVO proved itself capable of handling ray tracing — it ran the game at an average of 50fps in 4K and 94fps in 1080p with that setting maxed out. That’s comparable to (but slightly worse than) the GS66 Stealth. (The CPU didn’t pass 92 degrees Celsius throughout any of the testing.)
It’s not quite the best of the best
Broadly, these are fine results, and you’ll have a playable experience with whatever games you’d like — they’re just not quite the best of the best.
The touchpad is smooth, but the clickers take up some room.
If the EVO were exceptional in other areas, that could help make up for slightly weaker performance. There are a couple very nice features. I actually like the webcam, which is something I don’t say about webcams very often. It’s grainy, but it takes a decent photo — you won’t be washed out in bright settings or totally dark in low-lit ones. There’s also a lot that I like about the keyboard. Origin managed to squeeze in a numpad (a feature you don’t see on 15-inch laptops every day) without having to make the letter keys uncomfortably small. (I’m particularly excited about this because it’s really difficult to play Microsoft Flight Simulator without a numpad — you have to remap a bunch of keys.) The EVO’s is also probably the most beautiful RGB keyboard I’ve ever seen. I’ve used a number of colorful gaming laptop keyboards, but there’s just something different about this one. The lights shine really neatly through the keys without bleeding into each other, and some of the effects (particularly Wave Mode and Ripple) are really stunning.
AGREE TO CONTINUE: Origin EVO15-S (2020) Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate. To use the Origin EVO15-S (2020), you have to agree to: Request for your region and keyboard layout
Windows 10 License Agreement
Microsoft account
Windows Hello PIN The following agreements are optional: Connecting to Wi-Fi
Windows Hello fingerprint recognition
Sync an Android phone
OneDrive backup
Microsoft 365
Set up Cortana
Privacy settings, including online speech recognition, find my device, inking and typing, advertising ID, location, diagnostic data, and tailored experiences That’s five mandatory agreements and 13 optional ones to use the Origin EVO15-S (2020).
But there are also some issues. The space bar on my unit was a bit squeaky, making it both cringey to press and awkward to listen to all day. This is a small thing, but think of how many times a day you press the space bar. Similarly, the touchpad, while a fine size and quite smooth, has plastic discrete clickers. You’re welcome to your opinion on these — I know some people love them. But they make me feel like I’m using a 2009 Dell Inspiron, and they also require your fingers to jump down to the bottom of the deck each time you need to click. Again, that’s a pretty small thing, but given how much clicking you do throughout the day, the effort adds up.
There are some issues
Battery life wasn’t great either — my unit made it through two hours and 39 minutes of non-gaming productivity work with the screen at around 200 nits of brightness. This is a gaming laptop with a 4K display, so I wasn’t expecting anything close to all-day juice. Still, that rules out doing much work on the go, if you intend to use this as a multipurpose device (and if you don’t, for the love of God do not buy the OLED model). It’s also another area in which the EVO loses out to the GS66 Stealth, which managed around five hours.
Finally, the speakers are not very good. The audio gets quite loud, but it has very little bass or definition, and there’s some weird distortion in the lower tones around maximum volume. Game audio was fine, but blasting my Spotify library was just a weird experience.
The 1MP HD webcam doesn’t support Windows Hello.
Like I said, the EVO15-S is a well-built laptop with some nice features. And there’s definitely a market for it, particularly among folks who are looking for unique customizable designs and don’t want to buy a skin. (Seriously, take a look at some of the options on the website.)
The EVO is far from the worst option
When it comes to gaming results — the most important feature — the EVO is far from the worst option. But it’s also not the best. That’s compounded by the limitations the 60Hz screen places on the results of this particular configuration’s performance, and by a few other frustrations with the system. Overall, if the EVO isn’t offering better frame rates than the GS66, or a significantly better price (the GS66 with half the storage but double the RAM, as well as a 300Hz screen, goes for $2,799), it’s hard to recommend it as the best option for most gamers.
Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge


theverge--2020-09-29--Amazon’s $4.99-a-month personal shopper service is now available for men

Amazon is expanding its personal shopping service to cover men ’ s fashion .
For $ 4.99 a month , Amazon Prime members can be sent monthly packs of personalized clothes that match their style and budget based on an introductory survey .
They can choose eight items to be shipped to their home for free , with a seven-day try-on period and free returns .
The service , dubbed Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe , originally launched for women ’ s fashion in July last year .
It ’ s Amazon ’ s answer to Stitch Fix , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rather than a monthly subscription , Stitch Fix charges a $ 20 “ styling fee ” whenever users request a new package of clothing ( the frequency of which depends on the customer ) .
This $ 20 payment is then credited towards any clothes they buy .
Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe for men will include a number of established brands including Adidas , Lacoste , Carhartt , and Levi ’ s , as well as Amazon ’ s own in-house brands , reports TechCrunch .
New customers will take a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and subscribers can also make special requests , like a new suit for a job interview .
Right now the service is only available on Amazon ’ s mobile app for US Prime customers .
The service is an expansion of Amazon ’ s Prime Wardrobe feature , included with Prime memberships .
This also offers shipments of up to eight clothing items , with free returns and no payments until customers decide what they want to keep .
The only difference is that for $ 4.99 a month , Personal Shopper will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Amazon is expanding its personal shopping service to cover men’s fashion. For $4.99 a month, Amazon Prime members can be sent monthly packs of personalized clothes that match their style and budget based on an introductory survey. They can choose eight items to be shipped to their home for free, with a seven-day try-on period and free returns.
The service, dubbed Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe, originally launched for women’s fashion in July last year. It’s Amazon’s answer to Stitch Fix, one of the leaders in online personal shopping. Rather than a monthly subscription, Stitch Fix charges a $20 “styling fee” whenever users request a new package of clothing (the frequency of which depends on the customer). This $20 payment is then credited towards any clothes they buy.
Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe for men will include a number of established brands including Adidas, Lacoste, Carhartt, and Levi’s, as well as Amazon’s own in-house brands, reports TechCrunch. New customers will take a style survey to uncover their preferences, and subscribers can also make special requests, like a new suit for a job interview.


theverge--2020-09-29--Biden for Florida to activate thousands of volunteers for the debate

On Tuesday , Biden for President ’ s Florida Digital Organizing team will be activating thousands of supporters and volunteers ahead of the first presidential debate .
The team will be hosting virtual livestreams and reaching out to voters on Twitter through their specialized social canvassing app , part of a specialized digital effort to organize in one of the most important battleground states this election .
In recent months , the Biden campaign ’ s Florida Digital Organizing team has been rallying voters online amid the coronavirus pandemic , building the largest grassroots digital team in the country with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win the hotly contested battleground state this year .
There are more than 37,000 users in the Florida team ’ s official Facebook group , and 5,400 people have signed up for the state ’ s Slack channel to send texts , phonebank , and share campaign content across social media .
“ The campaign ’ s groundbreaking digital first organizing approach has allowed us to reach voters in new and creative ways , creating digital organizing hubs on Slack , speaking with voters on every platform , and hosting daily virtual events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackie Lee , Biden for President ’ s Florida state director told The Verge .
“ The campaign ’ s groundbreaking digital first organizing approach has allowed us to reach voters in new and creative ways ” Biden ’ s Florida Coordinated Campaign will be livestreaming its own pre-debate watch party on Twitch , and the program ’ s Gen Z digital fellows will be going live on Instagram on the @ BidenForFL and @ VamosDemocratas accounts before and after the debate to engage with voters .
The campaign is also sending out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to friends and family while providing them with downloadable posters to tape up in their community centers and neighborhoods .
They will also be leveraging WhatsApp , a Facebook-owned messaging app popular with Hispanic voters in Florida , to broadcast graphics and videos for supporters to share online .
Earlier this month , polls suggested that Hispanic support for the 2020 Democratic ticket dropped more than double-digits from 2016 .
On Tuesday night , the Florida Digital Organizing team will also host a digital volunteer training for supporters in the state .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the campaign ’ s social canvassing web-based app , the Florida Digital Doorknocking app .
It was built by the Florida field office ’ s own data team and allows volunteers to respond to tweets including hashtags like # RonDeathSantis and # VoteEarlyFL .
The volunteers will decide whether a tweet is in favor or against Florida Democrats and will tag it as so in the app .
If the tweet is positive toward Florida Democrats , volunteers can respond with prewritten messages directing the poster to take action alongside the Biden campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign is running a voter contact program focused on quality conversations with voters across Florida to meet voters where they are and earn every vote , ” Lee said .
On Tuesday , the Biden for Florida campaign will also be hosting a virtual art gallery showcasing some of the content they ’ ve created over the last few weeks .

On Tuesday, Biden for President’s Florida Digital Organizing team will be activating thousands of supporters and volunteers ahead of the first presidential debate. The team will be hosting virtual livestreams and reaching out to voters on Twitter through their specialized social canvassing app, part of a specialized digital effort to organize in one of the most important battleground states this election.
In recent months, the Biden campaign’s Florida Digital Organizing team has been rallying voters online amid the coronavirus pandemic, building the largest grassroots digital team in the country with over 900 volunteers, in order to win the hotly contested battleground state this year. There are more than 37,000 users in the Florida team’s official Facebook group, and 5,400 people have signed up for the state’s Slack channel to send texts, phonebank, and share campaign content across social media.
“The campaign’s groundbreaking digital first organizing approach has allowed us to reach voters in new and creative ways, creating digital organizing hubs on Slack, speaking with voters on every platform, and hosting daily virtual events in every part of Florida,” Jackie Lee, Biden for President’s Florida state director told The Verge.
“The campaign’s groundbreaking digital first organizing approach has allowed us to reach voters in new and creative ways”
Biden’s Florida Coordinated Campaign will be livestreaming its own pre-debate watch party on Twitch, and the program’s Gen Z digital fellows will be going live on Instagram on the @BidenForFL and @VamosDemocratas accounts before and after the debate to engage with voters. The campaign is also sending out email templates for elderly volunteers to send out to friends and family while providing them with downloadable posters to tape up in their community centers and neighborhoods.
They will also be leveraging WhatsApp, a Facebook-owned messaging app popular with Hispanic voters in Florida, to broadcast graphics and videos for supporters to share online. Earlier this month, polls suggested that Hispanic support for the 2020 Democratic ticket dropped more than double-digits from 2016.
On Tuesday night, the Florida Digital Organizing team will also host a digital volunteer training for supporters in the state. These volunteers will learn how to use the campaign’s social canvassing web-based app, the Florida Digital Doorknocking app. It was built by the Florida field office’s own data team and allows volunteers to respond to tweets including hashtags like #RonDeathSantis and #VoteEarlyFL. The volunteers will decide whether a tweet is in favor or against Florida Democrats and will tag it as so in the app. If the tweet is positive toward Florida Democrats, volunteers can respond with prewritten messages directing the poster to take action alongside the Biden campaign.
“Across the state, our campaign is running a voter contact program focused on quality conversations with voters across Florida to meet voters where they are and earn every vote,” Lee said.