Mar 15
Texas-based Firefly has been tasked with placing a lunar lander on the far side of the Moon, where it will drop off a pair of communications experiments.
Mar 15
Warner Bros. has announced that James Gunn will officially direct DC’s latest cinematic reboot of the Superman franchise, Superman: Legacy, for a 2025 release.
Mar 15
California has been grappling with storm after storm since November. The state, which was just up until recently plagued by extreme ongoing drought, is now instead at the mercy of too much rainfall all at once.
Mar 15
Researchers Spot an Active Volcano on Venus, Suggesting the Planet Is Active
Posted in: Today's Chili
A new analysis of 30-year-old images taken by the Magellan spacecraft suggests that a volcanic eruption happened on the planet between 1990 and 1992. In other words, Venus is a living planet.
Mar 15
The Razer Blade 16 is finally here, following in the footsteps of Apple after the Cupertino company shifted its MacBook Pro design to a 16-inch model. This lets the high-end gaming laptop continue to claim the “MacBook of gaming laptops” title for another year, but even if Razer hadn’t upped the computer’s screen…
Mar 15
Anyone hoping to stay ahead of the next viral outbreak might want to avoid TikTok, new research suggests. The study, published Wednesday in BMJ Global Health, found that TikTok videos discussing the viral disease monkeypox, which spread widely around the world and infected tens of thousands of Americans last year,…
Mar 15
When we learned that a BlackBerry movie was in the works last year, we had no idea it would be something close to a comedy. But judging from the the trailer released today, it’s aiming to be a far lighter story than other recent films about tech, like The Social Network and Steve Jobs. The BlackBerry movie stars Jay Baruchel (How to Train Your Dragon, Goon) and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton as Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, the former co-CEOs of the Canadian firm Research in Motion. They’re not exactly household names, but they both played a huge role in the history of mobile communications. Without the BlackBerry’s success, the iPhone may have never happened.
Judging from the trailer, the film will cover everything from the origins of BlackBerry as a crazy idea between a few college students (director Matt Johnson also co-stars as RIM co-founder Douglas Fregin), to its ignominious end as it failed to keep up with the iPhone and Android smartphones. It’s a classic innovator’s dilemma tale: RIM revolutionized the way we communicated by tapping into early cellular networks, but it failed to see the potential of touchscreen smartphones that didn’t need physical keyboards.
BlackBerry is based on the 2015 book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry, which was written by Globe and Mail reporters Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blackberry-movie-trailer-jay-baruchel-191747935.html?src=rss
Mar 15
Sling TV is preparing for March Madness with several new features that make it easier to keep tabs on the tournament. It’s adding picture-in-picture viewing on desktop browsers, a new iOS widget and enhanced sports scores.
Picture-in-picture lets you watch NCAA Tournament games in the corner of your screen without minimizing whatever you’re supposed to be focused on at work. Sling calls the feature “Side View,” and you can activate it by clicking a button labeled, “Browse your computer while watching video” in the top-right corner of the Sling player in desktop browsers. You can then move the resulting pop-out window around the screen, and it will remain on top of any other active apps or web pages.
Sling also added an iOS widget displaying a custom channel list. For example, you can create a widget showing only the channels broadcasting March Madness (ESPN for the women’s tournament; TBS, TNT and truTV for men’s), providing a home screen shortcut to the action. It’s available in two-row and four-row sizes, and you can create widget stacks with different channel collections for each.
Sling
Finally, Sling has updated its in-app guide. During the tournament, the Sling TV app will display a dedicated March Madness row with live scores and game times, letting you quickly glance for nail-biters you don’t want to miss. (However, Sling adds the caveat that the feature “may not be available on all devices.”)
Watching games on Sling requires a Sling Orange (including both men’s and women’s tournaments) or Sling Blue (men’s only) subscription. Although you may see sign-up perks for first-time customers, the standard cost is $40 per month for each package after a price hike last year.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sling-tv-adds-picture-in-picture-in-time-for-march-madness-193349012.html?src=rss
Mar 15
Volkswagen has teased a genuinely affordable EV for years (the ID.3 was originally meant to be that model), but now it’s finally ready to make that machine a reality. The company has unveiled an ID.2all concept that previews a production compact car priced below €25,000 (about $26,000). It should be considerably more affordable than the second-gen ID.3 (€39,995 in Germany), but it won’t be as compromised as you might think.
The ID.2all is based on an upgraded “MEB Entry” platform that promises more performance than you’d expect from an EV this size. The front wheel drive car will pack a 223HP motor good for a 62MPH sprint in under seven seconds, and it should muster an estimated 280-mile range. It’s expected to take just 20 minutes to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent, too. While there are clearly faster and longer-ranged EVs, VW’s offering is more capable than alternatives like the Mini Cooper SE.
Volkswagen
And like many EVs, the switch away from combustion power allows for considerably more interior space. VW claims as much room as a Golf despite pricing closer to the Polo supermini. The trunk isn’t huge at 17 cubic feet, but the automaker claims it bests some larger cars. You might not compromise much on technology, either, as VW is promising Travel Assist, an EV route planner and smart lighting.
The production ID.2all should debut in Europe in 2025. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t count on a North American release. Compact cars have been losing ground to crossovers and SUVs in the region for years, and VW’s American branch only sells the sportier Golf GTI and Golf R in that category. Like it or not, you’ll likely have to make do with an ID.4 if you want a reasonably-sized VW EV on this side of the Atlantic.
Even so, the ID.2all is an important car both for VW and the industry. It should play a key role in a stepped-up electrification strategy that will see VW launch ten new EVs by 2026, including the ID.7 sedan. This will also help the brand fend off competition from rival cars like the Renault Zoe (€35,100 in its native France). And importantly, this is part of a broader trend of making lower-priced EVs that don’t feel like major compromises. Chevy’s Equinox EV is poised to cost $30,000 when it arrives this fall, and Tesla is still clinging to dreams of a $25,000 model. Even if these cars are priced above combustion engine equivalents, they should help EVs transition into the mainstream.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vws-id2all-compact-ev-will-cost-under-%E2%82%AC25000-when-it-arrives-in-2025-194635295.html?src=rss
Mar 15
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called the Memphis Grizzlies point guard’s conduct “irresponsible, reckless and potentially dangerous.”
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