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Telegram users can delete any message in their private chat history
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Company founder Pavel Durov noted in his public Telegram channel that the potential for misuse of old messages is getting worse. Something you said can be “taken out of context” and used to hurt you years down the line, Durov said. This ostensibly gives you “complete control” over conversations, rather than trusting someone else to use your chat history in a responsible fashion.
As TechCrunch warned, though, the feature could be as problematic as it is helpful. While it could be used to prevent revenge porn or similar incidents, a malicious user could quietly delete messages to create a bogus version of a conversation, or wipe out evidence of a crime. There’s no consent here, or even notifications — crooks could cover up their tracks, and abusers could use it to attack people while leaving no trace. Durov said Telegram was aware of the “potential misuse” and thought the control would ultimately be beneficial, but that might not be how it works in practice.
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NBC shot an entire episode of the ‘Tonight Show’ with the Galaxy S10+
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This isn’t the first time a tech giant has taken over at least some portion of a nighttime talk show, and it also isn’t the Tonight Show‘s first stab at sponsored segments. It’s really just the logical extension of streaming’s effect on TV advertising. When the audience can avoid most (if not all) commercial breaks, having a product dictate the very nature of the show may be the most effective way of reaching potential customers’ eyeballs.
You’ll also want to brace yourself for more not-so-subtle S10 ads. Samsung’s deal will also put its smartphone into episodes of Today, Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Telemundo’s La Voz and E!’s Snapchat Discover Show The Rundown. Paucar hinted at a possible deal with ABC, too. It may be nigh-on impossible to escape Samsung’s latest flagship if you’re a regular TV viewer, at least in the short term.
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YouTube is reportedly canceling its big-budget originals
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YouTube’s chief business officer Robert Kyncl said in November that many of its originals, which are currently available to YouTube Premium subscribers, would soon be accessible for free. They include a mix of films (The Thinning, Viper Club), reality shows starring YouTubers (Scare PewDiePie, Prank Academy), series (Wayne, Impulse), and documentaries (BTS Burn the Stage, Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman Diaries).
It’s biggest hit has been Cobra Kai, a Karate Kid reboot that’s among the tiny number of shows to be renewed, and is reportedly now set for a third season, per Bloomberg. But that’s a smaller series that bucked a-list stars and expensive CGI set-pieces in favor of pure nostalgia. Eventually, all originals will reportedly make their way to YouTube free of charge.
What YouTube won’t be gambling on is a tentpole in the vein of Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series. Neither does it seem keen to follow Netflix in setting aside a $12 billion originals budget. It’s not like YouTube parent Google doesn’t have the cash, but that hasn’t stopped others from failing. The streaming wars are littered with casualties, from Yahoo! Screen to Comcast’s SeeSo and Target Ticket. It seems YouTube has opted to leave the battlefield before it gets even more crowded with the launch of Apple and Disney‘s respective services.
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Tesla’s Autopilot might be generous letting cars into your lane
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Honda’s big EV push now includes dirt bikes and scooters
Honda is having fun with electric cars, but what about the motorcycle? Don’t worry, you’ll get your fix soon. The automaker has unveiled prototypes for both the CR Electric dirt bike (above) and the Benly Electric delivery scooter, offering a peek at how it will approach emissions-free transportation on two wheels.
‘Overwatch’ endorsements reduced toxic behavior by 40 percent
Overwatch overlords at Blizzard have revealed that the number of matches with “negative behavior” has dropped 40 percent since the addition of endorsements, the “looking for group” feature and penalties for prematurely quitting matches.
The latest ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ mode mixes human and AI players
How about AI opponents instead of trolls? In a bid to keep things fresh (and keep players playing) the next Star Wars Battlefront II update on March 26th will have Capital Supremacy, a Clone Wars-era mode that includes AI characters for the first time in competitive Battlefront II matches. Two teams of 20 human players, each augmented by 12 computer-guided troopers, will race to invade each other’s spaceships. It’s a complex, multi-stage mode that could lead to prolonged fights if there are any big upsets.
China says it cloned a police dog to speed up training
It can be costly and time-consuming to train police dogs when each candidate might have different skills and personalities. China’s solution is to make copies of the best-performing dogs. The state-backed China Daily reports that the city of Kunming, Yunnan Agricultural University and Beijing Sinogene Biotechnology are about to train Kunxun, a two-month-old Kunming wolfdog cloned from a “great” canine detective.
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Nintendo could launch two new Switch consoles this year
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The WSJ‘s sources are parts suppliers with access to a prototype. Those folks claim Nintendo will also eliminate the little-used HD Rumble controller vibration and other features in order to cut costs.
Both Sony and Microsoft have released multiple versions of the PS4 and Xbox One, including higher-end and cheaper versions, in order to keep sales rolling — and it has largely worked. The Switch has been a big hit, with 32 million units sold so far, although Nintendo recently revised its 2018 fiscal sales projections downward, from 20 million to 17 million. It likely hopes that the new consoles will help it get its groove back.
At the same time, Nintendo won’t want to get left behind in the next generation of the console wars. Microsoft and Sony may release new models in the near future, and both currently have a half-generation head start over Nintendo. By launching refreshed Switch models with new games, Nintendo won’t be too far behind its competition.
The cheaper Switch version was originally rumored to be a strictly handheld device without the plastic docking station of the current Switch. Without revealing any details, suppliers told the WSJ that might not be quite accurate, however. “You would be wrong to think the enhanced version is similar to what Sony did with PS4 Pro and the other is just a cheap alternative that looks very similar to some past hand-held machines, say, Sony’s PlayStation Vita,” said a person who used both devices. We could find out as early as this summer.
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Faraday Future gets another lifeline to build EVs in China
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The news is pretty surprising, considering Faraday’s messy relationship with its last partner, Chinese real estate firm Evergrande. That company promised $2 billion, but withdrew the offer after Faraday blew through the initial $800 million payment more quickly than expected. A promise of further financing collapsed, in part, over the condition that Faraday founder Jia Yueting remove himself as director of various offshore companies.
They resolved the dispute at the end of 2018, with Evergrande assuming the rights to Faraday Future’s potential EV sales in China. In exchange, Faraday regained control over its own assets, enabling it to obtain other loans and sources of equity financing. That, presumably, is where The9 comes in. It will make an initial $5 million deposit to help Faraday Future bridge “short-term cash flow difficulties,” with the remaining $595 million contingent on further, unspecified funding.
Faraday Future’s main asset is its FF91 pre-production vehicle that ate up a lot of that financing. The vehicle has hit speeds of up to 155 MPH during trials, but reportedly caught fire during a Faraday event, setting back development. Now, the company has to get back to preparing it for production. After its dispute with Evergrande, however, it lost many of its employees and engineers to Rivian, which recently unveiled an electric pickup truck and SUV. Considering all that Faraday has gone through, it would be quite a miracle if it ever produced any EVs.
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Arlo’s 4K wireless security camera is rolling out worldwide
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In addition to capturing footage in 4K — clear enough to be able to zoom into details, such as plate numbers — it also has a 180-degree diagonal field of view. Arlo Ultra comes with a built-in spotlight and siren, as well, which can flood a specific area with light and start blaring if it detects movement or hears suspicious sounds. You can trigger both manually using the company’s app in case you see something the device hasn’t spotted yet.
A single Ultra camera will set you back $400 and will come with a year’s worth of free access to Arlo’s subscription service, which can save the footage it takes. The company also offers bundles that shave hundreds of dollars off multiple cameras’ prices if you need more than one to keep your home safe.
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China says it cloned a police dog to speed up training
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The pup was reportedly cloned by plucking somatic cells (used relatively often in cloning) from the skin of the adult dog, creating a cloned embryo and implanting that into a beagle for birth.
Researcher Wan Jiusheng said that Kunxun was promising — there’s “good aptitude” for sniffing and other skills needed in a police dog. He might enter service as soon as 10 months after training. This is an experiment for now, Wan added, but the ultimate plan is to “mass produce” cloned police dogs sometime within the next 10 years. There would even be a cell bank to help quickly breed a collection of dogs.
The move could raise further ethical questions about cloning animals, including issues specific to police forces. Not everyone is likely to relish the thought of a unit full of virtually identical dogs, and there are associated risks. If there are any genetic weaknesses, a large portion of the force could be vulnerable to diseases or other hard-to-predict issues. As it stands, you’re unlikely to see other police forces (at least, outside of China) rush to embrace this concept even if it works as hoped.
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WhatsApp test highlights frequently forwarded messages to curb fake news
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It’s not certain if or when this will reach the standard WhatsApp releases, although its presence in the beta program suggests it’s largely a matter of time.
The messaging giant is certainly under pressure to act. Critics have blamed fake news on WhatsApp for spurring lynchings and other violence in India, and Facebook has gone so far as to run newspaper ads and hire dedicated staff to keep a lid on misinformation. If WhatsApp can call out questionable messages through methods like this, it might not need to resort to drastic measures in the future.
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