Waze is one of the more popular GPS navigation apps used by lots of people even when they know where they’re going and how to get there. One of the big benefits of Waze has always been that other users can report accidents and slowdowns, allowing you to find alternate routes to get where you’re going with minimal delay. Waze … Continue reading
Researchers from Ohio State University have conducted a new study looking at exoskeletons designed to help relieve back pain. Research is being conducted on exoskeletons by researchers worldwide with the idea that someday they could help people with limited or no mobility to return to regular activities. However, the new study has found that wearable devices used by workers on … Continue reading
After a series of setbacks, a small batch of beta testers will be among the first to play Halo Infinite. From tomorrow, July 29th, until August 1st, a bunch of Halo Insiders will get to try the sequel’s multiplayer preview. The invite-only test will see players sample gameplay including bot slaying in four-player teams across three maps, with the action growing fraught as players wipe out more enemies.
Bots aren’t the only first in the new Halo. Beta testers will also sample the new Academy experience at a firing range, where they’ll try out a dozen weapons on strafing bots. As a taster of the customization on offer, players will be get a set amount of in-game credits to spend on items. This is so they can get accustomed with the Battle Passes, check their Challenges, use the Store, and apply their changes in the Armor Hall. However, these items won’t carry over into the full game.
Ok, so #HaloInfinite tech preview invite confirmation emails started going out around 5PM PT today. A LOT of Insiders are being invited, but alas, we’ve had so much growth with the program that not everyone will get into this one. How did we select participants? (1/8)
— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) July 28, 2021
Finally, chosen Insiders will also go hands-on with the Halo Waypoint web and mobile app experiences on iOS and Android. Offering some more insight into the invite process, 343 Industries’ Brian Jarrard said the developer is targeting a large number of testers across platforms (including Xbox One, Series X/S, and different PC configurations).
To meet that goal, preference may also be given to Insiders with valid profiles, those opted in to comms and the DXDIAG diagnostics tool, he added. The developer is also looking at tenure, with preference for long-standing Insiders. You can still sign up to the Halo Insider program. Though it may be too late to jump on this test, more Halo previews are planned in the lead-up to the game’s launch this fall.
The curse of buying new tech at the wrong time will get us all. In the last year, I’ve seen fellow Engadget employees buy a Nintendo Switch just before the OLED model broke cover, take the plunge with the iPhone SE just before the iPhone 12 mini was unveiled and make several more shopping missteps. Now, I might have done the same.
I picked up Sony’s vlogging camera, the ZV-1, earlier this month. I was looking for an agile video setup for the occasional time I have to record footage at Engadget without a skilled member of our video team. It’s very easy to make it work, with great face tracking capabilities and even a product showcase mode that helps me really show off whatever gadget I’m handling and I was happy with it.
For a couple of weeks.
Then I heard the rumors that Sony was about to expand its vlogging camera family, and my heart sank. Here it is, then. The ZV E-10, a new vlogging camera that fuses the tiny frame of the ZV-1 with interchangeable lenses.
The two major improvements seem to be a larger 24-megapixel sensor and an interchangeable mirrorless mount. The latter means you can use one of the 60-plus E-mount lenses, while that larger sensor should offer improved light sensitivity and a shallower depth of field. The ZV-E10 will launch by the end of August and will cost $700 for the body or $800 in a bundle with one of Sony’s power zoom lens. The price is roughly level with how much I paid for the ZV-1 earlier this month. It’s probably too late to ask for a refund, right?
— Mat Smith
Despite the pandemic, Apple has spent most of the last two years relentlessly upgrading its product lineup, and its moves are definitely paying off. During its fiscal year third quarter, all of its product segments (the iPhone, Mac, iPad, services and wearables/home/accessories) increased in revenue year over year, leading to total revenue of $81.4 billion. iPhone revenue of $39.6 billion made up almost half of that figure, likely thanks to an unusual four devices making up the iPhone 12 lineup. Continue reading.
Tesla has revealed during its most recent earnings call that it has pushed back the truck’s arrival — yet again — to 2022, three years after its original launch target in 2019. Last year, the company announced it had to delay the vehicle’s release to 2021 but didn’t elaborate on why. Now, the company has told shareholders the delay is due to the limited availability of battery cells and global supply chain challenges. Continue reading.
The new hardware startup from the co-founder of OnePlus is almost ready to show off its first product — and I hope you like wireless earbuds. Taking a leaf out of Carl Pei’s former company, the dripfeed for Nothing’s Ear 1 hasn’t left much to reveal, although we’ve gleaned an eventual US launch date, mid-August, and some battery estimates. Rumor has it, we’ll have some first-hand impressions on these see-thru wireless buds very soon. Stay tuned. Continue reading.
After sharing an open letter decrying the company’s “abhorrent and insulting” response to a harassment lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), Activision Blizzard employees plan to hold a walkout.
According to Kotaku, at least 50 employees will protest the company’s recent actions in person and call on it to improve working conditions for women by at least temporarily leaving their posts today. In the open letter, the employees call on Activision Blizzard to end the use of forced arbitration for all current and future employees, adopt new hiring policies designed to increase representation across the company, publish transparency data on compensation and hire a third-party firm to conduct a review of the studio’s HR department and executive staff. Continue reading.
‘The Simpsons’ gets a home arcade cabinet for its 30th birthday
Discord finally adds threaded messaging
Microsoft’s profits skyrocketed by 47 percent in Q4
Waze will warn you about traffic jams and detours before you drive
Netflix turned a Twitter account into an animated show
Google parent Alphabet made a whopping $61.9 billion last quarter
Facebook recalls Quest 2 foam inserts over skin irritation issues
US government sells ‘Pharma Bro’ Martin Shkreli’s one-off Wu-Tang Clan album
AZIO’s colorful IZO collection looks great (and that’s about it)
Arkansas hospitals placed 33 new covid-19 patients on ventilators Tuesday, according to the state’s department of health, bringing the total to 205 patients struggling for life on the machines. Sadly, that’s the highest number of patients on ventilators since January, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, and…
The U.S. swim star had a powerful message after winning the 1500-meter freestyle.
“Racist comments have no place on public television,” Greek officials said after firing the journalist.
“Will you stop?” the actor tells Mica Burton in a funny viral clip.
The Vivaldi browser has been updated for desktop and laptop computers, bringing the web browser to version 4.1, which is available for download now. The latest update allows users to expand groups with Accordion Tabs and run browser commands in sequence using a single shortcut. Users now have three different Tab Stack styles to choose from, including compact, two-level, or … Continue reading
Scientists from Cambridge University and NTU Singapore have made an interesting discovery. They found that slow-motion collisions of massive tectonic plates inside the Earth are dragging more carbon into Earth’s interior than previously believed. Researchers say that the carbon is drawn into the planet’s interior at subduction zones where tectonic plates collide and dive into the interior of the Earth. … Continue reading
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