Hasta La Gadget!

You’re about to get another shot if you missed Sony’s brief pre-order window for its 30th anniversary PS5 console. The retro-themed hardware sold out in a flash on its initial September 26 pre-order period, leaving fans fuming at Sony’s predictably frustrating order process. An alert on Sony’s product page (via Kotaku) says the second go-round will happen on Tuesday, October 29, at noon ET.

The limited-edition consoles and accessories have a throwback skin reminiscent of the OG PlayStation, which launched in Japan in 1994. That includes a sleek gray color scheme that gives the old-school Playstation logo room to really pop.

Sony

The message (“Please check back on October 29th from 9 AM PDT”) only appears on the 30th Anniversary product pages for the $500 PS5 Slim Bundle and $80 DualSense controller. Unfortunately, no such message appears on the throwback PS5 Pro bundle or PlayStation Portal product pages.

Assuming only the Slim bundle is available, this will be your second (and perhaps last) chance to get the cheaper of the two consoles. It includes the digital (no disc drive!) PS5 Slim, a standard DualSense controller (also themed for the occasion), a retro cable connector housing, PlayStation-shaped cable ties and a vertical stand. Oh, and there are some extra goodies like a sticker, poster and PlayStation paperclip, which we can only imagine will be sold for three figures on eBay after the bundle arrives on November 21.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/youll-get-another-chance-to-pre-order-the-retro-themed-ps5-on-tuesday-202504921.html?src=rss

Microsoft is accusing Google of funding a proxy campaign designed to discredit it in the eyes of regulatory authorities and policymakers in the European Union and beyond. In a blog post penned by Rima Alaily, the company’s deputy general counsel, Microsoft claims the search giant has gone to “great lengths to obfuscate its involvement, funding and control” of the Open Cloud Coalition, a group of “cloud service providers, industry leaders and stakeholders” that says it’s committed to advocating for a “fair, competitive, and open cloud services industry across the UK and EU.”

According to Microsoft, Google hired a lobbying agency in Europe to create and operate the organization, and recruited “a handful of” European cloud providers to appear as the public face of the soon-to-launch campaign. The company says that Google plans to “present itself as a backseat member” of the Open Cloud Coalition, rather than its leader and primary funder. As one example, Microsoft points to a recruitment document (PDF link) that makes no mention of the group’s claimed affiliation to Google. It also notes the involvement of Nicky Steward, who co-wrote a complaint against Microsoft and Amazon Web Services as part of the UK’s ongoing antitrust investigation into the cloud services market.

“It remains to be seen what Google offered smaller companies to join, either in terms of cash or discounts,” Microsoft says. It adds that one of the cloud providers Google approached about joining the Open Cloud Coalition claims that the company will direct the group to attack “Microsoft’s cloud computing business in the European Union and the United Kingdom.”

Engadget was unable to independently verify Microsoft’s claims.

“We’ve been very public about our concerns with Microsoft’s cloud licensing. We and many others believe that Microsoft’s anticompetitive practices lock-in customers and create negative downstream effects that impact cybersecurity, innovation, and choice,” a Google spokesperson told Engadget, and pointed us to four separate blog posts on the matter.

As for why Google would potentially go to the extraordinary lengths of funding an astroturf campaign, Microsoft points to the recent uptick in regulatory scrutiny of the company’s search, advertising and mobile app store businesses. By Microsoft’s count, Google faces at least 24 antitrust investigations globally, including a Department of Justice probe that could see the potential break up of the company.

“Never in the past two decades have Google’s search, digital advertising, and mobile app store monopolies faced such a concerted and determined threat as they do today.” Alaily writes. “At a time when Google should be focused on addressing legitimate questions about its business, it is instead turning its vast resources towards tearing down others. It is disappointing that, with the foundation of their business facing jeopardy, they have sought to bolster their cloud computing service – Google Cloud Platform – by attacking ours.”

The accusations come after Google had reportedly attempted to derail an antitrust settlement Microsoft had negotiated with the Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE). In July, Bloomberg wrote that Google had offered the group €470 million to go forward with litigation against its rival, an overture CISPE ultimately rejected.

As revenue growth from digital ads has slowed for Google in recent years, the company has increasingly turned to the cloud market to pick up the slack. In 2023, Google’s cloud business broke even for the first time. More recently, the unit generated a $900 million profit in the first quarter of this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/microsoft-accuses-google-of-secretly-funding-regulatory-astroturf-campaign-203804594.html?src=rss

Level Zero Health, co-founded by Ula Rustamova and Irene Jia, is developing a pioneering continuous hormone monitoring device, aiming to revolutionize hormone health in the same way continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) have transformed diabetes management.

Hormones play a critical role in regulating various bodily functions, from reproductive health to mood and energy levels, and a device like this could have wide-reaching health impacts.

The startup presented its technology at TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield and shared its approach: adapting FDA-approved CGM needles for continuous hormone tracking.

This complex endeavor requires novel sensors and scientific groundwork, as the methods to continuously measure hormones in interstitial fluid—a fluid surrounding body cells—are still under development. While CGMs have established protocols for glucose tracking, applying similar methods to hormones involves new scientific challenges.

Level Zero’s method centers on sensors that detect hormone concentrations using aptamers, which are single-stranded DNA molecules that specifically bind to target molecules and undergo reversible changes. By measuring how hormones bind to these aptamer strands, the device can detect hormone density.

Their initial focus is on tracking progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, and testosterone, with applications in high-demand fields like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and low testosterone management. Combined, these areas represent a potential $30 billion market.

Rather than selling directly to consumers, Level Zero plans to distribute the device through healthcare providers. Rustamova critiques home hormone-testing kits, often marketed for urine, sweat, or saliva testing, as largely ineffective. She argues that blood testing remains the only reliable method for hormone measurement. If successful, Level Zero’s innovation could set a new standard in hormone health monitoring and open doors to improved personalized healthcare.

Editor’s note: To our knowledge, this technology has not yet been approved by the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration), the only official institution in the United States allowed to assess any medical-grade device’s health benefits and safety. We only report on the company LevelZero’s claims and could not verify them.

Level Zero Health Aims To Revolutionize Hormone Monitoring, Like CGMs Did For Diabetes

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Scientists from the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new approach to optical memory storage, potentially revitalizing CDs with high-density data storage capabilities. The research, published in Physical Review Research, addresses limitations in traditional optical storage where data density is restricted by the diffraction limit of light—the inability to store bits smaller than a laser’s wavelength.

The breakthrough involves embedding rare-earth element atoms, like those in magnesium oxide (MgO) crystals, into a solid material and using quantum defects to store data. This approach utilizes a technique called wavelength multiplexing, in which each rare-earth emitter operates on a slightly different light wavelength, thus allowing for significantly denser data storage within the same physical space.

Argonne and University of Chicago researchers used classical and quantum modeling to show how rare-earth elements and defects in solids can store optically encoded data. (Image: Galli Group.)

The team began by creating a theoretical model of a material infused with rare-earth atoms capable of absorbing and re-emitting light. They then demonstrated that nearby quantum defects could capture and store the light from these atoms. A notable discovery was that when defects absorb narrow-wavelength energy, they undergo a spin-state flip that is difficult to reverse, enabling potentially long-term data retention.

Despite these promising findings, several challenges remain before commercial application is feasible. Critical questions include how long the excited states can be sustained and precise estimations of capacity gains over current optical storage limits. Although the team did not provide specific data on storage capacity, they described the technology as “ultra-high-density,” emphasizing its potential to revolutionize storage.

Though extensive research and development are still needed, this innovative approach could someday make optical storage relevant in an era dominated by cloud and streaming technologies.

New Optical Storage Breakthrough Could Revitalize CDs With Ultra-High Density

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

The free-to-play mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is going the way of the dodo on November 28. However, it’s being replaced by a paid, (mostly) offline version called Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete. This refresh drops on December 3, giving mobile Animal Crossing players just a few days without access to their beloved campsites.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete won’t be cheap. It’ll be $10 from December 2 until January 25. After that, the price doubles to $20. Tom Nook doesn’t mess around. However, it will allow existing players to transfer save data and progress via their Nintendo accounts. This should be a boon for those who have been on board with the title since 2017. These players have until June 1 to transfer data from the old version to the new game.

The paid version will be different from the original in some ways. First of all, Leaf Tickets are being replaced by Leaf Tokens, likely because the tickets were purchased using real money and this is no longer a freemium game. There’s also something called Camper Cards, which Nintendo calls “customizable in-game cards that each player can create and trade through a QR Code, and that includes information like your personal favorite animal pal.” QR codes? Everyone loves those.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete is also losing gift-sharing and the Market Box. There are a couple of other caveats for pre-existing players. First of all, there are no discounts available for current campers, even those who have regularly paid a monthly subscription fee. Some people have been paying those subs for years.

Finally, it looks like Nintendo plans on discontinuing support for the game next October, according to Kotaku. I’m no economist, but spending $20 on a mobile title that will likely stop receiving updates in less than a year doesn’t sound like fiscal responsibility. In any event, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete will be available for both iOS and Android come December.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-paid-version-of-animal-crossing-pocket-camp-arrives-on-december-3-175248073.html?src=rss