Hasta La Gadget!

The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating whether Tesla has misled customers and investors by claiming that its Autopilot technology enables full-fledged self-driving capabilities. According to Reuters, the DOJ launched the probe last year following over a dozen crashes, including fatal ones, in which Autopilot was activated. Prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco are examining if Tesla had made unsupported full self-driving claims about the technology, and they could ultimately pursue criminal charges or seek sanctions. But they could also shut the probe down without doing anything if they determine that Tesla hasn’t done anything wrong. 

Back in August, reports came out that the California DMV had filed complaints against the automaker with the California Office of Administrative Hearings. The state’s DMV had accused Tesla of using advertising language on its website for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving products that aren’t based on facts and made it seem like its vehicles are capable of fully driverless trips. One example is part of the Autopilot page on Tesla’s website that says “All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go.” In the same page, there’s a video that starts with a note that reads “The person in the driver’s seat is only there for legal reasons. He isn’t doing anything. The car is driving itself.”

But at the same time, Tesla explicitly states in its support page that “Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel.” Those currently enabled features, the company added, “do not make the vehicle autonomous.” Its sources told Reuters that Tesla’s warnings that drivers should keep their hands on the wheel could complicate any case the DOJ may bring. 

Aside from the Justice Department, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also looking into Tesla’s Autopilot system. The agency initiated a probe in 2021 following the report of 11 crashes with parked first responder vehicles since 2018. Those crashes results in 17 injuries and one death. In June this year, the NHTSA upgraded the probe’s status and expanded it to cover almost all Tesla vehicles sold since 2014.

Duolingo Math is now available on iOS, over a year since it was first teased. Naturally, the new math app feels a lot like the company’s language app, including colorful animations and interactive exercises all built into gamified lessons.

There are two main components to the app: an elementary-level math curriculum that goes over classroom topics and a brain-training course aimed at adults, with a focus on improving mental math skills. Dr. Kawashima has a lot to answer for. For those anxious about their math skills, it could be a subtle way of brushing up on those multiplication skills. Sadly, mental arithmetic remains not quite as dreamy as learning a second language.

Duolingo’s reputation should help it stand out in a sea of similar apps, and like many rivals, Duolingo Math is free. The app is available on iPhone and iPad, only in English for now. No word yet on when it will be available on Android.

– Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• Sony’s wireless earbuds will support multipoint connections this fall

• Apple’s new iCloud web interface is much more useful than before

• Samsung’s 2022 The Frame smart TVs are cheaper than ever right now

• OM System unveils the OM-5, its first camera without the Olympus name

• Nintendo’s retro controllers now work on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac

• ‘The Witcher’ is getting an Unreal Engine 5 remake

SpaceX’s pricier Starlink internet service for RVs now works on moving vehicles

You’ll have to pay $2,500 upfront for the hardware.

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SpaceX has launched a new variant of Starlink for RVs called “Flat High Performance” that you can use on moving vehicles. You will have to be willing to pay almost five times as much for the dish needed to be able to access the service. It’s designed for in-motion use, with a bigger rectangular terminal that can see 35 percent more sky than its standard counterpart. It also has enhanced GPS capabilities, giving the dish the ability to connect to more satellites. SpaceX is already taking pre-orders for the new service and will start deliveries in December. The hardware kit, which includes its dish and mount, will set you back $2,500.

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Nothing’s $99 Ear Stick earbuds have a fancy twisting case

But there’s no noise cancellation.

Nothing

Nothing’s second attempt at wireless headphones come in a carry case that tries to combine a cosmetics packaging aesthetic with the glossy white, transparent style of its other devices so far. While the $99 Nothing Ear Stick wireless earbuds are cheaper than its predecessor, these buds lack active noise cancellation. There are no silicone buds this time around, so you can expect more noise bleed-through, too, although some headphone wearers may find them a more comfortable fit. Expect to read our impressions on the buds very soon.

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The best monitors for 2022

HDR, refresh rate, curved screens? Help!

Computer monitors keep evolving rapidly, with new technology like OLED Flex, QD-OLED and built-in smart platforms just in the last year alone. That’s on top of big improvements in things like color accuracy, size and resolution. As there are a lot of products in this market and a lot of features, it can be overwhelming, so we’ve researched the latest models for all kinds of markets, whether you’re a gamer, business user or content creator. Read on to find out which model is the best for you and, especially, your budget.

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‘The Callisto Protocol’ hands-on

Think ‘Dead Space’, but grosser.

Callisto Protocol

The Callisto Protocol is a new game from a studio with zero releases to its name, but playing it feels familiar – according to Engadget’s Jessica Conditt. It all seems to unapologetically feed off the immersive sci-fi horror concepts of Dead Space. This is the first game out of Striking Distance Studios, a team led by Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield — so yeah, all the references are coming straight from the source.

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Sony’s new high-end camera shoots 8K video with AI-powered autofocus

The high-resolution A7R V uses ‘human pose estimation.’

Sony’s $3,900 A7R V is expensive and impressive. Built for shooting portraits, landscapes and other subjects that require as much resolution as possible, it’s plenty capable in other regards, too. The new model carries the same 61-megapixel resolution as the A7R IV, but the key improvement may be in the autofocus. This is Sony’s first camera to introduce “human pose estimation.” The system can see 20 different points in the human body and thus figure out where the eye is supposed to be, and keep faces in tight focus.

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Google Workspace individual plans jump from 15GB to 1TB of storage

You probably won’t run out of Gmail and Drive storage space anytime soon.

Google has some good news for those using its Workspace plans. Users will soon get a significant storage upgrade from 15GB to 1TB at no extra cost. This storage will be accessed through Gmail, Drive and other Google services attached to your Workspace account, and it’s a major space upgrade, and it’ll come at no extra cost.

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Elon Musk, who’s reportedly on track to finalize his purchase of Twitter this week, doesn’t actually plan to cut the social media company’s staff by 75%, according to a new report from Bloomberg News. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be significant pain at the social media company after Musk shells out $44 billion in…

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On October 25th, Apple started displaying more ads in the App Store, particularly in the “Today” tab and at the bottom of app listings. Since then, multiple developers have complained about getting ads for gambling under their listings’ “You Might Also Like” section, when they have nothing to do with their applications. One of those developers was Marco Arment, who posted a screenshot on Twitter showing gambling advertisements on the App Store page for his podcast app Overcast. Other developers reported having the same issue and made it clear that they weren’t OK with casino ads in their product pages. Now, Apple has told MacRumors that it has “paused ads related to gambling and a few other categories on App Store product pages.”

That’s pretty much Apple’s whole statement. It’s not quite clear if the tech giant intends to resume serving gambling ads after the backlash dies down — Apple didn’t expound on its decision, and the word “pause” seems to suggest that the change is only temporary. As MacRumors notes, people have been criticizing Apple for serving casino ads as a whole and not just because they’re being served within app listings. Florian Mueller of the FOSS Patents blog also argued that by putting ads in app pages, Apple is forcing developers to pony up money to buy those ad spaces. That’s because if they don’t purchase them, competitors could use them and take potential customers away. 

Apple has sold ads in the App Store for years, but the ads space in the Today tab used to be reserved for a curated list of recommendations from Apple’s editorial team. Meanwhile, the “You Might Also Like” section where ads are now displayed at the bottom of listings contained suggestion cards for similar apps. Since Apple allows advertisers to target categories different than their own, though, casino ads can show up just about anywhere on the App Store. 

But the former president claimed the real problem was not himself, but the media.