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Amazon slashes $30 off its brand new Fire HD 8 tablets for today only

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Those were unveiled just last month and it’s rare to see Amazon discount new branded products. At the same time, they’re significantly improved from before. Amazon refreshed the Fire HD design with smaller (though still not small) bezels, a thinner profile, faster 2GHz quad-core MediaTek 8168 chips, USB-C charging and up to 12 hours of battery life.

The Fire HD Plus adds 3GB of RAM (rather than 2GB on the regular Fire HD model), faster wired charging and wireless charging via an optional dock. The bundle with the wireless charging dock doesn’t appear to be discounted, however.

These are solid tablets for the price, being ideal as Alexa devices, Kindle readers and Netflix/Prime Video entertainment machines. The downside (and it is a big one) is that the Fire HD tablets don’t come with Google’s Play Store or Google apps. That means you’re stuck instead with Amazon’s AppStore and generic substitutes for apps like Gmail, though you can still get Play if you’re not scared of sideloading it. In any case, the Fire HD tablets are only on sale today, so if you’ve been looking at getting one for a family member or yourself, now’s the time to act.

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EU will speed up its spaceflight plans in response to SpaceX and China

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The modern space race is heating up, and the European Union is acutely aware that it needs to keep pace. Space chief Thierry Breton told Reuters in an interview that the EU is accelerating its plans in light of rapid progress by private companies like SpaceX as well as China’s successes. It’s moving the deployment of its Galileo navigation satellites ahead by three years, to 2024, and will use its budget for the first time to support reusable rockets and other new launch tech. The EU is also forging a €1 billion deal with Arianespace to spur innovation, and will propose a €1 billion European Space Fund and competitions to foster startups.

Breton also hoped to launch a pan-European satellite broadband network as well as a system to avoid collisions with satellites and other items in orbit.

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Autonomous robot uses UVC light to disinfect warehouses

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The researchers believe the approach could be used to autonomously disinfect other environments, like factories, restaurants, supermarkets and schools. The system is capable of mapping a given space, and it can navigate between waypoints and other specified areas.

“As we drive the robot around the food bank, we are also researching new control policies that will allow the robot to adapt to changes in the environment and ensure all areas receive the proper estimated dosage,” Alyssa Pierson, CSAIL research scientist and a technical lead on this project, said in a statement. “We are focused on remote operation to minimize human supervision, and therefore, the additional risk of spreading Covid-19, while running our system.” 

UVC light is sometimes used to sterilize patient rooms and other medical settings. The MTA is currently testing UV light boxes as a way to disinfect subways and buses. We’ve also seen UV light used to clean humidifiers and airplane bathrooms.

“We are excited to see the UVC disinfecting robot support our community in this time of need,” said CSAIL director and project lead Daniela Rus. “The insights we received from the work at GBFB has highlighted several algorithmic challenges. We plan to tackle these in order to extend the scope of autonomous UV disinfection in complex spaces, including dorms, schools, airplanes, and grocery stores.”

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Toyota recalls 752,000 Prius cars over flawed hybrid software

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If you drive a Prius from the past several years, there’s a distinct chance you’ll have to take it in for service. Autoblog reports that Toyota has begun a safety recall for 752,000 of the vehicles worldwide, 267,000 of them in the US, due to a flaw in the hybrid software for 2013-2015 standard Prius cars and 2014-2017 Prius V models. The machines won’t kick into a failsafe mode “in rare situations” if the hybrid system fails, forcing the gas engine to lose power and stall — a significant problem if you’re on the highway.

The fix will involve a free software update at the dealership, plus an inverter fix if that component failed as a result of the glitch. Drivers will be notified by late August.

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Amazon workers in Germany plan two-day strike over COVID-19 infections

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Amazon’s efforts to deal with COVID-19 at its warehouses haven’t been enough to sway at least some workers. The labor union Verdi has announced that staff at six sites in Germany will strike for a minimum of two days over a claimed lack of transparency regarding infections. There had been “at least 30 to 40” workers infected, Verdi representative Orhan Akman told Reuters, arguing that Amazon valued profits over safety.

We’ve asked Amazon for comment. In a statement to Reuters, it denied that it didn’t prioritize safety and pointed to $4 billion in safety measures for both employees and customers.

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UK contact tracing app may warn you about areas with high infection rates

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A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson didn’t comment on the specific details. Instead, they reiterated the goal of supporting the NHS Test and Trace service.

The extras would come alongside a possible new “PPE in your pocket” marketing scheme, and would underscore the challenges the UK faces. Widescale adoption of the contact tracing app may be important to preventing infection spikes that lead to further lockdowns, but there’s no guarantee a wary public will download it. Singapore has considered smart bracelets after struggling to recruit users for its app — the UK might not fare much better if residents see few immediate benefits.

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This year’s iPhones might not include a charger in the box

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You might not find much in the box for this year’s iPhone besides the handset itself. Historically trustworthy analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in a research note that 2020 iPhone models not only won’t include the usual wired earbuds, but won’t include the power adapter either — you may just get a charging cable. There would be a more powerful 20W charger (versus the 18W for the iPhone 11 Pro), but you’d have to buy it after the fact.

Barclays analysts also believed Apple would no longer bundle a charger.

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Starbucks pauses all social media ads over hate speech concerns

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However long the pause lasts, Starbucks is adding to a list of major brands pulling their ads (largely from Facebook) to press for change, including Coca-Cola, Honda, Hershey and Engadget’s parent company Verizon. Facebook said it wouldn’t make policy changes in response to financial pressure, but nonetheless said it would label politicians’ posts when they break the rules.

Starbucks isn’t committing as deeply as some of its peers. Unlike other brands, the company hasn’t joined the Facebook-focused “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign against Facebook run by the Anti-Defamation League and NAACP. It may be willing to withhold money, but it’s stopping short of directly criticizing specific social networks.

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Boeing poised to start crucial 737 Max flight safety tests tomorrow

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There’s no guarantee the tests will go smoothly. Boeing has had to push back the 737 Max’s return for months due to software glitches, some of which come from flaws that aren’t related to the behavior that led to two fatal crashes. Even so, it’s progress for an aircraft that has been grounded for over a year.

Any return to the sky would be bittersweet, however. Air travel has been upended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many airlines to cancel flights, ground aircraft and cut jobs. Boeing had already frozen 737 Max production at the end of 2019. The 737 Max may get the all-clear without many willing carriers, let alone passengers.

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US pushes Europe to reject Chinese baggage screening tech over spying fears

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Nuctech denied the assertions, claiming that data from its devices “belong to our customer[s] only,” and “by no means” go to the Chinese government. It also rejected claims that it had dominant shares of baggage and cargo screening, and that it priced anything below cost to thwart the competition. The EU found the company guilty of price dumping in 2010, but Nuctech has since set up a Polish factory to keep costs low.

The State Department didn’t directly confirm the strategy, but did state that the US was still asking allies to guar against companies “heavily subsidized by authoritarian regimes.”

Whether or not there’s any substance to the accusations, there are economic maneuvers invovled as well. The US is supposedly asking European nations to replace Nuctech equipment with American equivalents — it stands to benefit if the Chinese company gets kicked out. That’s a strong incentive to keep up the campaign, even if the surveillance claims are unwarranted.

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