Hasta La Gadget!

Last week, we had an audio excerpt from io9 co-founder Charlie Jane Anders’ new YA fantasy. Today, we’ve got an exclusive cover reveal and excerpt from io9’s other co-founder, Annalee Newitz—author of acclaimed works of both fiction (The Future of Another Timeline) and non-fiction (Four Lost Cities: A Secret History…

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Meta has been conspicuously eager to stake its future on augmented reality and the metaverse, but a new report from The Verge might shed light on exactly what the social media giant hopes to deliver. According to anonymous sources, the company aims to launch its first AR glasses, part of its Project Nazare initiative, in 2024. You would see a “lighter, more advanced” model in 2026, and a third iteration in 2028. The initial model would be independent of your phone, but you would need a “phone-shaped device” to handle the computing and rely on a CTRL-Labs-derived electrical pulse-based wristband for control.

This first model is supposedly based on Android and could offer “full” AR with 3D visuals, eye tracking, an outward-facing camera, stereo audio, a relatively wide field of view and a “socially acceptable” look. The centerpiece feature would be communication with other people’s “holograms,” much like Meta portrayed in a video that accompanied its big rebranding last fall. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg apparently believes this will provide a more engrossing experience than simple video calling.

The tech firm might also hedge its bets by releasing a less exotic wearable. A pair of phone-paired smart glasses, nicknamed Hypernova, would show notifications through a small display. Hypernova would also debut in 2024.

Sales expectations are apparently modest for the first Project Nazare glasses. Meta might only sell the eyewear in the “low tens of thousands” to enthusiasts and developers. Zuckerberg, however, apparently sees them as crucial. A former staffer told The Verge that Zuckerberg wants the AR glasses to represent an “iPhone moment” for Meta — that is, a launch that shakes up the industry and redefines the company.

Whether or not they fulfill that ambition is another matter. Meta has faced numerous setbacks, including scrapped plans for a custom (if Google Fuschia-based) OS and staff shuffles. The prototype hardware also has its limitations. While it’s using cutting-edge microLED projectors and waveguide technology, it’s about four times heavier than conventional glasses and musters just four hours of battery life.

Still, it’s not hard to see why Meta and Zuckerberg might pour so much energy into AR glasses. Meta has an increasingly negative reputation due to privacy issues, content controversies and regulatory pressure. It’s also struggling with flat user growth as competition like TikTok eats away at its core business. The glasses will theoretically help Meta leave scandals behind and regain the innovator status it had in its early years.

No Man’s Sky gets a major update that brings a whole lot of in-game piracy to the universe, along with a bunch of new fighting mechanics for epic battle action.

While attempts have been made to try and bring Doctor Who to the big screen, the TV franchise hasn’t had the luck since the height of 1960s “Dalekmania” saw Peter Cushing thrust into the role of Dr. Who for two adaptations of iconic Dalek stories. Now, those movies are back for a snazzy new re-release—and a chance at…

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Amazon is said to have intensified its anti-union efforts ahead of a union election at a warehouse later this month. The Amazon Labor Union told Motherboard the company is mandating daily anti-union meetings at LDJ5, a facility in Staten Island, New York. It’s also said to have distributed anti-union literature and disciplined a leader of the drive for organizing on the warehouse floor. What’s more, ALU says Amazon has hired anti-union consultants to pose as employees.

Workers at the warehouse, which reportedly has around 1,500 employees, are scheduled to begin a union election on April 25th. Amazon’s anti-union efforts ramped up in recent days, according to the report. The ALU recently won an election at a nearby facility, JFK8, which became the first Amazon warehouse in the US to formally unionize. Amazon plans to appeal the union’s victory.

Amazon and the National Labor Relations Board in December reached a deal in December, under which the company agreed to inform past and current warehouse workers in the US of their right to organize. The terms of the agreement afforded workers more leeway to organize in break rooms, which is said to have been a key factor in ALU’s success at JFK8.

However, Amazon reportedly isn’t sticking to those terms at LDJ5. The ALU said the company removed pro-union literature from the break room and took down a pro-union banner after the JFK8 election result became clear. A lawyer representing ALU workers has filed unfair labor practice charges against Amazon for removing the banner and allegedly retaliating against a worker to stifle unionization efforts.

Engadget has contacted Amazon for comment.

Amazon has long been accused of cracking down on workers’ attempts to organize. Last year alone, it spent $4.3 million on anti-union consultants. The company’s also said to be working on a chat app for workers, in which terms like “union” and “pay raise” are on a blocklist.

The NLRB said the company illegally interfered in a union election in Bessemer, Alabama last year and called for a rerun. However, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union claimed Amazon interfered in the second election as well. The result of that vote hinges on a court hearing over challenged ballots.