Jan 07
Android Auto is a popular feature found in many modern cars. If your vehicle lacks support for it, there is a way to add it using an Android tablet.
Jan 07
Apple has reportedly canceled the development of a new iPhone SE. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company recently told suppliers it would not release a fourth-generation SE model sometime in 2024. In a Medium post spotted by MacRumors, Kuo said the device would have been the debut of Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, adding that the company had planned to test and fine-tune the chip on the SE before rolling it out more broadly to the iPhone 16 and beyond. Instead, Kuo suggests Apple is now more likely to continue using Qualcomm modems through 2024.
Kuo doesn’t say why Apple shelved the fourth-generation iPhone SE or if the performance of its own 5G chip had anything to do with the decision. For the better part of a decade, Apple has tried to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm. In 2019, the two ended their bitter patent feud and signed a “multiyear” wireless chip supply deal. Months later, however, Apple bought the majority of Intel’s mobile modem business. Then, at the end of 2020, the company disclosed it was working on its own cellular chipset. There’s been little news about the project since.
Jan 07
“The lake’s ecosystem is not only on the edge of collapse. It is collapsing,” said one researcher.
Jan 07
Got a smudge or stain on your fancy new AirPods Max? Don’t panic. You can clean them with a few simple steps. Apple might even be able to help you with them.
Jan 07
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma is ceding control of Alipay owner Ant Group. Per The Wall Street Journal, the Alibaba-affiliated company announced it would end agreements that had allowed Ma to hold a dominant position within Ant Group’s corporate governance structure. The outspoken entrepreneur previously possessed more than 50 percent of voting rights at Ant, even though he did not sit on the company’s board of directors or was involved in day-to-day operations. Ma’s influenced Ant Group through a handful of investment vehicles that owned a combined 50.5 percent stake in the fintech giant.
Moving forward, Ant said Ma and nine other company executives and employees would have voting rights they had agreed to use independently of one another. Reuters estimates Ma will own 6.2 percent of Ant Group shares once the company implements the changes it announced over the weekend.
In 2020, shortly before Ant was scheduled to hold an initial public offering that was expected to raise a record $34 billion, Ma drew the ire of Chinese authorities after he called the country’s banks “state-owned pawnshops” during a speech in Shanghai. Chinese regulators went on to block the impending IPO and ordered Ant to scale down its business. Specifically, the company was ordered to return to its roots as a payment provider. A year later, authorities fined Alibaba, Ma’s other company, $2.8 billion following an antitrust investigation into alleged monopolistic practices by the company. Ma has avoided the public eye ever since.
Jan 07
The Idaho Supreme Court has ruled that the state Constitution does not implicitly enshrine abortion as a fundamental right.
Jan 07
A West Virginia journalist lost her job after she reported about alleged abuse of people with disabilities in state care.
Jan 07
Roland's 50th Anniversary Concept Piano has flying speakers for some reason
Posted in: Today's Chili2022 marked the 50th anniversary of storied instrument maker Roland. But, even though we’ve switched over to our 2023 calendars, the company took the opportunity at CES to take one more victory lap by showing off its 50th Anniversary Concept Piano. It’s an audacious electronic piano built in collaboration with Japanese furniture maker Karimoku. The outside is one piece molded from Japanese Nara oak that hides a 360-degree, 14 speaker system.
If the elegant curves stuffed to the brim with speakers aren’t exciting enough for you, well I’ve got good news: Roland has also built speakers into drones that hover above the piano and can be controlled by the player. Unfortunately, those couldn’t be flown on the show floor at CES, so Roland dangled a pair of them from wires. Those are combined with a proprietary low-latency audio connection and the company’s PureAcoustic Ambience tech to create flexible natural sounding reverb that more accurately mimics what you’d hear in, say, a concert hall. And I can confirm that even in the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center, fighting against the constant din of people and other exhibitors, the concept piano sounded amazing.
Terrence O’Brien / Engadget
Above the keyboard itself there’s a large touchscreen that can be used to stream tutorials, video conference with a piano teacher, or even run Zenbeats from Roland Cloud, turning the instrument into a studio hub. There’s even USB MIDI and Bluetooth connectivity for interacting with other instruments.
Of course, the Roland 50th Anniversary Concept Piano is not for sale. And never will be. This is a creation in the tradition of over-the-top concept cars. Maybe some of its features will eventually make their way to future instruments, but for now it’s truly a one of a kind.
Terrence O’Brien / Engadget
Terrence O’Brien / Engadget
Jan 07
Over the years, there’ve been so many zombie shows and films that new additions to the undead canon need some a pretty good hook to stand out from the crowd. How do you make the undead feel fresh and fun in today’s market? According to Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, you use them as an excuse to quit your job.
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