Apple Watch fans may have gasped at the $800 price tag of the Ultra model when it was revealed last September, but that still seems like a bargain compared to some options. TAG Heuer today revealed three new versions of its Connected Calibre E4 smartwatch featuring premium build materials, but they’ve also got price…
The Tesla Semi is one of the most anticipated vehicles in the trucking industry, and new design leaks show details about how the truck will work.
After failing to reach orbit and deliver seven payloads on board, Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket fell back to Earth towards its fiery doom. The rocket’s hellish descent was captured on video, revealing the unfortunate journey back from space.
Apple Maps still isn’t likely to replace Google Maps for some users (it only got multi-stop routes last year), but Apple thinks it has another way to shrink the feature gap: give stores more control over what you see. The company has launched a free Apple Business Connect tool that lets any firm customize its location cards in apps like Maps, Messages, Siri and Wallet. They can add their own imagery, invite actions in other apps (such as booking a restaurant through OpenTable) or showcase the latest promos.
Apple will verify businesses before it gives control over a location card, but shops only have to use an Apple ID to sign up. Business Connect is available worldwide, although showcases will only be available in the US at first. They’ll reach other countries in the “coming months,” the company says.
The expansion comes as Apple is rumored to be finding ways to profit from Maps. The iPhone creator is reportedly preparing to bring search ads to Maps as soon as this year. If that’s true, custom store info could help Apple’s bottom line — a business might be more likely to pay for ads if it knows they’ll lead to more sales.
Whatever Apple’s motivations, the custom cards still promise to improve the Maps experience for everyday users. You should see more accurate and polished info for local businesses, and have an easier time with everyday tasks like booking a hotel or ordering groceries. It may be more helpful when you share locations with friends in Messages, too. Apple is arguably overdue on this front (businesses have had control over their Google Maps profiles for years), but you may well notice the difference.
The new MAGA House member isn’t putting conspiracy theories out to pasture.
Video gaming and Oreos: they’re a match made in heaven. Oreos make a great video game snack because they don’t leave your fingers all dusty as chips do. Trust me; I have an almost entirely orange PS5 controller. Well, now Microsoft has teamed up with Nabisco to produce limited edition Oreos featuring cookies printed with the Xbox logo and controller buttons. That’s… something.
The cookies, which will only be available in European countries because the U.S. already has more than enough Oreos, will be scannable, and gamers can unlock in-game prizes by cracking exclusive cookie combinations inspired by the video game cheat codes of yesteryear. Prizes include armor packs and vehicle skins for Forza Horizon 5, Sea of Thieves, and Halo Infinite, and grand prizes of custom Oreo hardware, Xbox consoles, Game Pass Ultimate memberships, and a family vacation. That’s cool, but I really just want the cookies.
Am I going to fly to Europe just to get some Xbox Oreos? Of course, I am. Then travel back to the states with a suitcase full and sell them on eBay! I figure if I charge around $20 a package, it should cover about half the cost of my flight alone. It’s a no-brainer! As in, I really didn’t think this through.
[via Xbox News]
After the dreadful crypto winter of 2022, this current year may prove just as cold for the waning crypto industry. More investigations into the most-popular crypto exchange Binance’s financial backbone reveal there are some concerning potholes that the exchange is struggling to fill.
Employers are promoting workers to managerial positions in an attempt to avoid paying for overtime, a new study shows. Managers are expected to take on additional responsibilities that go above and beyond for the company without having the increased payout of overtime work.
The first major gaming showcase of the year (unless another one emerges in the meantime) is on the calendar. Xbox and Bethesda are hosting an event on January 25th at 3PM ET. You’ll be able to watch it on both brands’ Twitch and YouTube channels.
The so-called Developer_Direct will be presented by creatives from various studios and it will center on major features, gameplay and more details on titles coming to Xbox, PC and Game Pass in the next few months. It’s unclear whether any third-party studios will be involved.
Turn 10 Studios will provide more Forza Motorsport details and gameplay, while there will be some info on the player vs. player experience in Minecraft Legends. Both of those games will arrive this spring. Expect to see more single-player and multiplayer vampire slaying in Redfall too, along with updates on the combat, customization, bosses and open world. Hopefully, we’ll get firm release dates for all these games too.
Curious about what’s coming to Xbox?
Check out Developer_Direct on January 25, featuring news and gameplay from some highly-anticipated games: https://t.co/DvTYGzc85z | #DeveloperDirectpic.twitter.com/5QUbL0OXqA— Xbox (@Xbox) January 11, 2023
You’ll get a look at this year’s major chapter update for The Elder Scrolls Online as well. Immediately following the Developer_Direct, Zenimax Online Studios will host an ESO Chapter Reveal Event to provide fans with more details.
Don’t expect to see much, if any, of Starfield during the Developer_Direct, though. Xbox says a standalone show for that game is in the works in order “to dedicate the proper amount of time for a deep dive.” Bethesda’s hotly anticipated space RPG is slated to arrive by the summer.
After a fairly quiet 2022 for first-party Xbox games, Microsoft is looking to come racing out of the traps this year. Several other games are expected to debut on Game Pass in the first half of 2023, including Cocoon (from the lead designer of Limbo) and a little project called Hollow Knight: Silksong.
The former Brazilian president originally planned to stay in the U.S. until late January.
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