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Microsoft’s Surface Duo will cost $1,399 and arrive on September 10th

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Microsoft’s first dual-screen Android device is nearly upon us. In a blog post (which we’re guessing was published a tad early, given how little the company is talking about the news elsewhere) the company re-unveiled the Surface Duo and announced that it’ll be shipping on September 10th. That means the hardware could come to market before Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2, which doesn’t have a release date just now — the company has merely confirmed that it’ll be available to pre-order from September 1st.

Like Samsung’s high-end foldables, the Duo’s hinge and extra display will cost you. Today, Microsoft revealed that the Surface Duo will retail at $1,399, which is more expensive than many flagships including the newly-announced Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ($1,299). For an Android foldable, though, it’s arguably a steal. The Duo is $600 cheaper than Samsung’s original Galaxy Fold and $100 less than the reborn Motorola Razr’s starting price. Samsung’s folding Z Flip is $100 cheaper than the Duo, but like the Razr, it’s a smaller device aimed at flip phone lovers.

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Here’s how cross-platform ‘Rocket League’ play will work

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Psyonix says you can unlink platforms and switch primaries if you change your mind, but you won’t be able to link any platform you remove to another Epic Games account. When it comes to items in your inventory, the feature will allow you to share all earned free drops, season rewards, shop purchases, Rocket Pass items, blueprints and Rocket League-branded DLC. However, you can’t share platform-exclusive items and credits. You can’t share Premium DLC Packs, as well, but Psyonix is working to make them accessible across platforms in the future.

Finally, the developer has clarified that you can only trade purchased items on the platform you bought them on to reduce the risk of fraud. You can’t hop onto Xbox to trade something you bought on PlayStation, for instance. You’ll also need at least 500 Credits to trade, unless you’ve been playing Rocket League before free to play’s launch.

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Samsung’s 120Hz mobile displays use variable refresh rates to save power

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This new screen, debuting first on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, can hit 120Hz when high rates are needed for gaming, drop to 60Hz for video playback, 30Hz when you’re messaging or as low as 10Hz when it’s displaying a still image.

At the slowest setting, Samsung claims it can use just 60 percent of the normally-required power, while other displays can’t adjust without starting to flicker. Samsung Display mobile display planning VP Ho-Jung Lee said in a statement “Our Adaptive Frequency display technology is expected to considerably enhance the user experience by calibrating refresh rates in line with the requirements of a specific application and therein more precisely allocating available power.”

Overall, the company claims its tech can save power by as much as 22 percent compared to other screens. However, as Anandtech points out, it’s not clear how granular the control can be, or if it’s limited to the specified settings. We’ve seen adaptive sync technology in monitors and even TVs used to reduce tearing, but on these small screens at least the first implementation is mostly about saving power.

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WSJ: TikTok used a loophole to track MAC addresses on Android

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As the WSJ explains, Google presents an anonymized advertising ID that users can easily reset, as opposed to the MAC address that doesn’t have the same opt-out capabilities. There are other techniques used for this “ID bridging” that don’t involve the MAC address, and according to their investigation, TikTok removed its tracking with an update on November 18th of last year. In a statement, the company said “the current version of TikTok does not collect MAC addresses.”

Tying user identities to hardware in a way that’s tough to change — particularly without notifying them of it — is troubling, and mobile platforms aren’t the only place where it’s popped up. Last year researchers detailed how makers of TV apps on Fire TV and Roku were bypassing advertiser IDs to collect the MAC addresses on devices, and Roku updated its software shortly after to take away that capability.

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Judge dismisses Genius lawsuit against Google over ‘stolen’ lyrics

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Google has consistently maintained it does not scrape other websites for their data. “We do not crawl or scrape websites to source these lyrics,” Google said in a blog post before Genius sued the company. “The lyrics that you see in information boxes on Search come directly from lyrics content providers, and they are updated automatically as we receive new lyrics and corrections on a regular basis.” 

Despite the legal win, the issue is unlikely to go away. As The Verge points out, the topic of Google scraping data from its competitors is something that came up during the recent antitrust hearing the company took part in last month. Another company that has accused Google of stealing its data is Yelp. In one of the more heated exchanges during the panel, lawmaker David Cicilline questioned Google CEO Sundar Pichai about Yelp. Touching on Yelp’s complaints, he asked the executive if he thought Google had acted in a way that was anti-competitive toward the company. “When I run the company, I’m really focused on giving users what they want,” Pichai said. “We conduct ourselves to the highest standard.”

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The last Blockbuster is hosting an Airbnb sleepover in September

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“Our Blockbuster store is open because of the incredible local community in Bend, and we’ve been grateful to have the support of those beyond our town as the coronavirus pandemic has impacted our business,” she wrote on Airbnb. “To celebrate and pay it forward in this tradition of support, Airbnb will make a donation to the Humane Society of Central Oregon, a longtime partner of ours.”

The last Blockbuster is listed on Airbnb for three nights.

Airbnb

Harding says guests will have the store completely to themselves, and everything will be thoroughly cleaned between visits, abiding by CDC recommendations.

“We’ve created the perfect space complete with a pull-out couch, bean bags and pillows for you to cozy up with ‘new releases’ from the ‘90s,” the Airbnb description reads. “Crack open a two-liter of Pepsi before locking into a video game, charting your future in a game of MASH, or watching movie after movie. But be wary of reciting “Bloody Mary” in the staff bathroom off of the break room, as you just may summon the ghost rumored to haunt the store. And help yourself to some NERDS, Raisinets and popcorn (heavy on the butter), but make sure you save room for a couple slices.”

After the sleepovers, the living room set-up will remain at the Blockbuster for a limited time, and customers will be able to check it out for themselves during store hours.

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Walmart tests same-day delivery with Instacart

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But since the coronavirus pandemic hit the US, Instacart and other grocery delivery companies have been thriving. Instacart hired 300,000 shoppers in March and then another 250,000 shoppers in April to keep up with the demand. Today, Instacart operates at Aldi, Target, Costco, Albertsons, Kroger and Walmart’s Sam’s Club, among smaller stores. The company is worth $14 billion, according to CNN business.

“The new partnership brings thousands of items — from groceries, alcohol and pantry staples to home decor and improvement, personal care, electronics and more — at everyday low prices from Walmart stores to customers’ doors in as fast as an hour,” an Instacart spokesperson said in a statement.

The partnership makes both Walmart and Instacart stronger in opposition to Amazon and Whole Foods. In his July 29 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos cited Walmart and Instacart as major competitors. “Every day, Amazon competes against large, established players like Target, Costco, Kroger, and, of course, Walmart,” Bezos said. “… We also face new competition from the likes of Shopify and Instacart.”

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‘Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’ won’t arrive until 2021

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The makers of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 are pushing the game’s release date back to 2021. In a statement shared on Twitter, Hardsuit Labs and Paradox Interactive announced that they simply need more time to work on the game.

“Due to the quality bar and ambitions we have set for ourselves, we have made the difficult decision that we need more time,” they wrote.

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Shroud returns to Twitch under a new, exclusive deal

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Shroud’s homecoming stream will go live on August 12th at 11am PT.

Shroud was one of many high-profile streamers who jumped ship from Twitch in fall 2019, mainly to sign exclusive deals with Microsoft’s rival streaming platform, Mixer. He was one of the most prominent names on the list, alongside Tyler “Ninja” Blevins.

Microsoft unceremoniously shut down Mixer in July, less than a year after signing numerous multimillion deals with streamers. This left Shroud, Ninja and other big names up for grabs, and it’s been a waiting game to see where they all land. Facebook Gaming reportedly offered both Shroud and Ninja “almost double” the value of their Mixer contracts, though they both refused early on, according to esports lawyer Rod Breslau. He said Shroud’s Mixer contract was worth $10 million, while Ninja’s came in at $30 million.

Ninja still hasn’t announced any concrete plans, but he booted up his Twitch channel in early August and he streamed on YouTube in July. Ninja has 15 million followers on Twitch and 24 million subscribers on YouTube.



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‘Halo Infinite’ will not be an Xbox Series X launch title

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“I want to acknowledge the hard work from out team at 343 Industries, who have remained committed to making a great game and finding solutions to development challenges,” Lee continued. “However, it is not sustainable for the well-being of our team or the overall success of the game to ship it this holiday.”

Halo Infinite is far from the only title to be affected by its developers working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Former Halo series developer Bungie delayed its upcoming Beyond Light expansion for Destiny 2 for the same reasons. Earlier this month, League of Legends and Valorant developer Riot Games gave its employees a week off to recharge from the demands of working from home. With Infinite delayed, Xbox fans will have to be content playing cross-platform titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Destiny 2 on their new next-generation console for the time being.

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