Feb 14
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G Review
Posted in: Today's ChiliXiaomi kicked 2022 off with four new Redmi Note 11 smartphones, only one of which packs 5G. How does this “Pro” model compare to its siblings?
Feb 14
Uber users will eventually be able to pay for rides using cryptocurrency, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told Bloomberg. However, the company is essentially taking the same tack as Tesla by waiting for changes that will lower transaction fees and make it more environmentally friendly.
“Is Uber going to accept crypto in the future? Absolutely, at some point,” Khosrowshahi said. “As the exchange mechanism becomes less expensive, becomes more environmentally friendly, I think you will see us lean into crypto a little bit more.”
If Uber does jump onto the crypto train, it would be joining a number of firms that already accept Bitcoin, most notably Microsoft, AT&T and Wikipedia. Other major companies have been more reluctant, however, as cryptocurrencies along with related products like NFTs have been under fire for using massive amounts of energy generated in part by burning fossil fuels.
Tesla was the highest-profile company to accept Bitcoin as payment for its EVs, but it suspended the practice, saying it would only use it again “as mining transitions to more sustainable energy.” However, the company recently started accepting Dogecoin payments for some of its merch like the Cyberquad for Kids, with CEO Elon Musk tweeting that it’s “better suited for transactions.”
Feb 14
The retired star quarterback left a couple of quips on social media to jab at his absence.
Feb 14
More electric vehicle drivers will soon be able to charge their car’s battery when they stop by the drugstore. EV charging network Volta is bringing another 1,000 DC fast-charging stalls to 500 Walgreens locations.
This marks a significant expansion of their partnership. The pair started working together in 2019 and there are currently Volta stations at 49 Walgreens stores. The companies say the latest agreement builds on Volta’s plans to expand access to its DC fast-charging network and aligns with Walgreens’ support of efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
“Walgreens is an ideal match for faster forms of Volta charging given the average time a Walgreens shopper typically spends in-store,” Volta founder and CEO Scott Mercer said in a statement. “The next phase of our work with Walgreens will provide people with a quick, convenient, and meaningful charge that is tailored to their shopping experience while bringing us another step closer to a clean energy future.”
Drugstores and grocery stores are good spots for EV charging stations, since drivers can top up their battery while grabbing some essentials. On top of that, the easier it is for folks to access fast-charging stations, the more likely they might be to switch to an EV. This week, the Biden administration announced a $5 billion plan to improve EV charging infrastructure across the US.
Feb 14
Finally, the two newest consoles are hitting their exclusive-game groove. Microsoft finally has its Halo, and while Forbidden West is available on PlayStation 4, it was made to sing on the more powerful PS5. Senior Editor Jessica Conditt has spent some time with the game, ahead of its launch later this week — read her full review right here — and, well, she likes it. (What’s not to like about an underwater Vegas?)
It’s going to be a busy few weeks for gamers. Destiny 2’s latest expansion, the Witch Queen, lands, alongside the hugely anticipated Elden Ring, which is coming to both Xbox and PlayStation. Meanwhile, I’m going low-fi and playing through Earthbound — a game from 1994 — on my Switch.
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories you might have missed
Don’t blame SpaceX for that rocket on a collision course with the Moon
Amazon is reportedly fast-tracking a live-action Blade Runner series
With Google’s Valentine’s Day doodle, you can help two lovelorn hamsters reunite
Uncharted’s Nathan Drake heads to ‘Fortnite’ on February 17th
Watch the first trailer for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’
The 60-second teaser dropped at Super Bowl LVI.
Amazon
Amazon’s epic is almost here. The series is set in the Second Age of Middle Earth, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. It will be drawing material from J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, which details key events like Sauron’s story and the forging of the rings of power. To whet your appetite, check out the minute-long teaser from this weekend’s Super Bowl.
VR-related insurance claims increased by 31 percent in 2021 in the UK
Insurance companies are seeing a lot of claims for cracked TVs.
UK insurer Aviva said last year it saw a 31 percent increase in home contents claims involving VR headsets and a 68 percent overall increase since 2016. In 2021, the average claim for VR-related accidental damages was about £650 or $880, and most incidents involved cracked TVs screens. It’s reflecting a boom in VR: On Christmas Day 2021, the Oculus app hit the top of Apple’s App Store charts for the first time. Please remember where you are, folks.
Facebook removed anti-vaccine trucker protest groups run by foreign actors
Many of the pages were scams from Vietnam and Romania.
Facebook has recently removed several “trucker convoy” groups and pages run by scammers in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Romania and other countries. The company said many of those groups had recently changed their names to adopt ones that use terms like “trucker,” “freedom” and “convoy” in hopes of taking advantage of the sudden interest in the rallies occurring in Canada. Many of those same pages included links to websites that sold pro-Trump and anti-vaccine merchandise. At the same time, most of the accounts that took part in those groups were tied to real people.
Lamborghini wants to continue manufacturing gas-powered cars into the 2030s
Of course it does.
Lamborghini hopes to continue producing cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) into the next decade, CEO Stephan Winkelmann told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag this week. “After hybridization, we will wait to see whether it will be possible to offer vehicles with an internal combustion engine beyond 2030,” he said in the interview. Even if Lamborghini continues producing ICE cars into the 2030s, it may not be able to sell those vehicles in many places. In the US and other parts of the world, governments have moved to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars by mid-decade.
Feb 14
Eileen Gu Boasts How Easy It Is To Dodge China Social Media Censors; Post Vanishes
Posted in: Today's ChiliA Taiwan newspaper wrote that the gold medalist skier had a “Marie Antoinette moment,” revealing her special-status cluelessness about Chinese censorship.
Feb 14
If you’ve been looking for wireless chargers, cables or high-speed chargers with surge protection, now is a good time to stock up. You can pick up various Anker products at Amazon with discounts up to 39 percent, including its magnetic 623 MagGo 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Station bundle, USB-C to Lightning cables and a USB-C surge protector strip with three 30-watt USB ports.
Buy Anker charging products at Amazon
Anker’s 632 MagGo 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Station delivers 20 watts of charging power for iPhone 13/13 Pro and iPhone 12/12 Pro models, while also letting you charge up your AirPods Pro wireless earbuds. Your phone attaches to the charging base magnetically, and it can even flip up 60 degrees so you can easily see the screen. Included is a 20-watt USB-C charger and USB-C to USB-C charging cable, all for $56 or 30 percent off, in powder blue only.
If you’re tired of losing iPhone charging cables and just want to get a bunch of them, Anker’s USB-C to Lightning cable is available in a five-pack for $40, or 39 percent off the regular $66 price. For that, you get three 3-foot cables and two 6-footers, each compatible with USB-C chargers up to 87 watts. They also allow you to connect your iPhone to a Mac for seamless sync and charging.
Finally, take a look at Anker’s USB-C surge protector power strip on sale for $30, or 36 percent off. It comes with six AC outlets and three USB charging ports, including a dedicated USB-C Power Delivery (PD) port with up to 30 watts of power. It offers 1,280 joules of overload protection, ensuring that random power surges won’t bork your gear. You’ll also find other Anker deals here for PD and wireless chargers, battery banks and more, while the sale lasts.
Feb 14
Gen Xers And Millennials Got Into Weirdest Fight Over Super Bowl Halftime Show
Posted in: Today's ChiliIt was good-natured… mostly.
Feb 14
Super Bowl Crypto Ads Feature Larry David, LeBron James, and QR Code for Free Bitcoin
Posted in: Today's ChiliIf Sunday’s Super Bowl ads are any indication, crypto has truly arrived in mainstream culture. And if you didn’t catch the game, you can watch the ads here, featuring Larry David, LeBron James, and a QR code that crashed Coinbase’s website within minutes.
Feb 14
Dell's 34-inch QD-OLED monitor will cost $1,299 when it arrives this spring
Posted in: Today's ChiliDell’s Alienware monitor that uses Samsung’s quantum dot OLED (QD-OLED) tech will arrive this spring for a surprisingly reasonable $1,299, the company announced via a tweet. Dell first unveiled the curved, 34-inch gaming display at CES promising the ultra-high contrast of OLED displays with improved brightness, color range and uniformity.
That price might not seem cheap, but other OLED monitors can cost far more. LG’s 32-inch UltraFine OLED model costs $3,999, and even its 27-inch UltraFine model is $2,999.
The Alienware model has specs more designed for gamers than content creators, though, with 3,440 x 1,440 of resolution, a 175 Hz refresh rate, 99.3 percent DCI-P3 color gamut, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 250 nits of brightness with 1,000 nits peak. It also offers HDR, conforming to the minimum DisplayHDR True Black 400 standard for OLED displays.
Samsung’s QD-OLED technology uses blue organic light-emitting diodes passed through quantum dots to generate red and green. That compares to standard OLED, which uses blue and yellow OLED compounds. Blue has the strongest light energy, so QD-OLED in theory offers more brightness and efficiency. Other advantages include a longer lifespan, more extreme viewing angles and less potential burn-in.
How it performs is yet to be seen, however, as the technology is brand new. We’ll learn more once the Alienware monitor comes to market this spring, and you can expect to see 55- and 65-inch QD-OLED Bravia TVs from Sony in the near future, as well.
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