Jan 16
Magnetic shelves, narrow cabinets, expandable organizers and more nifty options ready to address whatever “problem area” your home has.
Jan 16
The actor opened up about filming Netflix’s new horror series in isolation, standing on the shoulders of Sidney Poitier and falling in love with his journey to success.
Jan 16
The Netherlands Has Made a Dent in Apple’s Walled App Store Garden, For Now
Posted in: Today's Chili
Apple will grudgingly allow dating app developers in the Netherlands to use alternative payment methods in the App Store, but it doesn’t like it, and the score hasn’t been settled yet.
Jan 16
Youngkin Ends School Mask Mandates, Vaccines For State Workers On Day One As Virginia Governor
Posted in: Today's ChiliYoungkin quickly signed 11 executive orders, including dropping vaccine requirements for state workers and barring the teaching of critical race theory.
Jan 16
Eric Swalwell Rips Steve Bannon’s New Call To ‘Decertify’ Biden As Democracy’s ‘Endgame’
Posted in: Today's Chili“You cannot interpret this as anything but a declaration of war on democracy,” notes the California lawmaker.
Jan 16
Apple is once again honoring regulations requiring it to allow alternative payment options in the App Store, although this one is highly specific. As Reutersreports, Apple confirmed it would comply with orders from the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets forcing it to allow third-party payment systems in Tinder and other locally-offered dating apps. The regulator determined on December 24th that Apple had abused its market power by requiring its in-app purchasing platform, and gave Apple until January 15th to make the change if it wanted to avoid fines.
Like with past decisions, Apple wasn’t happy. It contended that allowing third-party options would “compromise the user experience” while posing new privacy and security threats, and reminded developers they (or their payment partners) would be responsible for handling refunds and similar issues. Apple is appealing the ACM’s decision and noted it would still take commissions from third-party payments.
The order doesn’t affect other apps available in the Netherlands. However, it reflects growing regulatory opposition to Apple’s App Store business model in multiple countries, including South Korea and the US. Officials are increasingly convinced Apple is using its in-app purchasing requirement to stifle competition, and it won’t be surprising if other countries follow suit before long.
Jan 16
Former president Donald Trump, known for his gluttonous diet of TV news, is going to have trouble finding one of his favorite far-right channels, One America News Network, in a few months.
Jan 16
The “Yellowjackets” star talked about how she got in touch with her inner Misty Quigley.
Jan 16
If you made the resolution to tidy up more regularly in 2022, a robot vacuum can help with that. And for those that hate cleaning, investing in a robot vacuum with self-emptying functionality can make it so you rarely have to interact with the machine. Two of iRobot’s higher-end models with clean bases are on sale at Wellbots right now when you use the code ENGADGET250 at checkout — both the Roomba s9+ and the Roomba j7+ will be $250 off, bringing them down to $850 and $600, respectively. Those are great deals, especially considering the prices are better than we saw during Cyber Monday at the end of last year.
Buy Roomba j7+ at Wellbots – $600Buy Roomba s9+ at Wellbots – $850
The Roomba j7+ is the latest robo-vac from iRobot and it has new AI-driven computer vision technology the helps it detect objects and move around them as it cleans. It’s thanks to this feature that the company calls the j7 a series of “poop-detecting” devices because they should be able to successfully avoid a robot vacuum’s arch nemesis — your pet’s accidents. iRobot’s Pet Owner Official Promise (or P.O.O.P. for short) ensures that you’ll get a new vacuum if the robot fails to avoid a run in with poop during your first year of ownership.
Otherwise, the j7 series sits right under the s9 series in iRobot’s lineup, meaning it has a number of advanced features like 10x the suction power of a standard Roomba, dual multi-surface rubber brushes and Imprint Smart Mapping, the latter of which lets you direct the vacuum to clean only certain rooms. The “plus” part of the j7+ refers to the clean base, or an extended part of the dock into which the vacuum will empty its debris after every job. So instead of emptying the dustbin yourself after every cleaning, you’ll only have to empty the base about once every two months. Combine that with the smart controls in the iRobot mobile app and you may only have to interact with the Roomba every so often — the app lets you do things like remote start the device, set cleaning schedules and more.
The s9+ is the most advanced device that iRobot makes and it has a few differences from the j7 series. It has 40x the suction power of iRobot’s standard series of vacuums and a design that helps it clean corners better. It also has a 3D sensor that helps it detect and clean around objects, although the technology is slightly different than that in the j7 series. Both are compatible with Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant, too, so you can control the robo-vacs with voice commands if you wish.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Jan 16
A Massive Icefish Breeding Colony Existed In Secret In Antarctica — Until Now
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe fish nest site, believed to be the largest in the world, is also a dining destination for hungry seals.
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