Here’s another game you can download for free and sink your teeth into: NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. have made Injustice: Gods Among Us available at no cost until June 25th. The fighting video game that lets you pit DC Comics characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman against each other was originally released in 2013 for the previous generation of consoles. An “Ultimate Edition” quickly made its way to the PS4 and, a few years later, also became available for the Xbox One.
If you play on a PC, you can now get the Ultimate Edition of the game from Steam without paying for a copy. It’s now also out for free on the PlayStation Store for the PS4 — the PS3 and PS Vita versions, however, aren’t part of the promo. Finally, you’ll have to visit the old Xbox 360 store to secure a copy if you have an Xbox One. As Forbes explains, you’ll be able to install it from the “owned games” section of your console after you claim it from the marketplace.
“This is an early version of this feature and we’re exploring ways to make these types of Tweets accessible to everyone,” Twitter responded from its official support account.
But if Twitter’s initial statement was meant to to smooth things over, it had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead, the response came off as tone deaf, with critics saying it made it seem as though accessibility is an afterthought for Twitter.
“The Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law 30 years ago,” Cortland wrote. “Federal law requires accessibility from the start. You don’t, as a matter of civil rights law, get to roll out an inaccessible feature and then, only later, make it accessible.”
Criticism intensified when a Twitter engineer noted that the company doesn’t have a formal team dedicated to accessibility work. Instead, he and other engineers “volunteer” to work on accessibility projects in addition to their regular duties.
The Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law 30 years ago. Federal law requires accessibility from the start. You don’t, as a matter of civil rights law, get to roll out an inaccessible feature and then, only later, make it accessible. https://t.co/f58t9pthAy
“The volunteers behind accessibility at Twitter (there is no formal team) strive to do their best to ensure products are shipped appropriately,” wrote Andrew Hayward. “Unfortunately though, we aren’t aware of every product decision, and the wider #a11y conversation is ongoing.”
Multiple Twitter employees later apologized for the missteps. The product designer behind voice notes posted a lengthy apology — in the form of a voice note with an accompanying transcript — saying Twitter is “absolutely working to fix this as soon as possible.” Twitter’s Head of Design and Research, Dantley Davis, also promised accessibility would play a larger role in future projects.
I appreciate the feedback and direct conversation about #a11y from our passionate community. It’s clear we have a lot of work ahead to make Twitter more inclusive for people with disabilities. I will advocate for a11y to be part of our design from the beginning of all projects.
In a statement, Twitter said it’s “looking at how we can build out a more dedicated group to focus on accessibility tooling and advocacy.”
Right now, there are groups and individuals across the company that support our accessibility work like @TwitterA11y and @TwitterAble. But, we’re looking at how we can build out a more dedicated group to focus on accessibility tooling and advocacy across all products. We missed around voice Tweets, and we are committed to doing better – making this feature more accessible and also all features in the future. We’re constantly reviewing both the functionality of our products and the internal processes that inform them.
The company also said it is “exploring ideas for how we could support manual and auto transcriptions,” and has updates planned that will make voice tweets more accessible for people with vision impairments.
We’re already exploring ideas for how we could support manual and auto transcriptions.
We’re also looking at how we can build a dedicated group to focus on accessibility, tooling, and advocacy across all products, in partnership with the @TwitterA11y and @TwitterAble teams. (3)
The real test for Twitter, though, will be not whether or not it addresses voice notes, but how it approaches accessibility in the future. Other companies have dedicated teams, not just employee volunteers, to ensure products are accessible to people with a range of abilities and backgrounds. Twitter might want to follow their example if it wants to prove it takes these issues seriously.
WWDC 2020 is looming, and Apple wants to be sure developers can keep track of new developments even though they’re stuck at home. It just released a Mac version (first spotted by The Verge) of its normally iPhone- and iPad-focused Apple Developer app to provide news, developer stories and educational videos from the same system you’re using to write your apps. You can see any major changes with a given OS or play a past WWDC session to better understand a feature that’s been around for a while.
Apple is promising a Mac-native interface — this isn’t just a blown-up iOS app. And yes, you can pay for a $99 Developer Program membership directly from the app. This may not be as important as the other versions when you can check much of this information on the web, but it may be helpful if you’d rather not launch a browser and risk distraction when you’re looking for some help with a project. If nothing else, it’s an appropriately-timed release when there are rumors of a CPU architecture transition for the Mac beginning at WWDC this year.
Disney+ has pulled the plug on a promotion allowing new users a week-long free trial of the streaming service. The development comes weeks ahead of megahit musical Hamilton’s July 3rd debut on the platform.
“The service was set at an attractive price-to-value proposition that we believe delivers a compelling entertainment offering on its own,” a Disney spokeswoman told CNET. The free trial offer ended sometime this week. However, Disney+ had stopped advertising the trial weeks ago, according to CNET.
BMW and Mercedes may have also been too ambitious. When they announced the collaboration last July, they said their goal was to start selling Level 4 self-driving cars, with the ability to handle freeway driving and parking on their own, by 2024. Automotive executives like Ford CEO Jim Hackett have said companies have “overestimated” how soon they’ll be able to roll out the technology. In 2019, Uber similarly said it would be a while before self-driving cars become a frequent sight on roadways. A recent study also found most American drivers aren’t enthusiastic about the idea of autonomous vehicles.
While they’re not working together on autonomous driving technology anymore, BMW and Mercedes are still partners in other areas. In 2015, Audi, BMW and Mercedes parent Daimler joined forces to buy Nokia’s Here maps platform for €2.8 billion (roughly $3.07 billion).
It was eight years ago that Steve Ballmer stepped onto a stage in Los Angeles to announce Microsoft’s latest offering: the Surface tablet with Windows RT (aka the Surface RT). The first PC to be designed in-house by Microsoft, the Surface stood out for its kickstand, ARM architecture and USB port (which the iPad lacked). When we reviewed it way back in 2012, we also liked the build quality, bright display and Touch Cover keyboard. The drawbacks? Mainly the limited app selection, an issue that has plagued non-Apple tablets for years.
There are currently over 100 user reviews for the Surface RT, with an average score of 88. So we know this device earned its share of fans who appreciated its performance and battery life. If you loved your original Surface, head over to its product page and leave us a nostalgic review detailing all the pros and cons of this slate. What did you like most about your Surface? How did it feel to type on the Touch Cover? How productive could you be using Windows RT? Give us all the details and your review could be included in an upcoming user review roundup!
The Apple Watch Series 5 remains at its lowest price ever, only $300 for the GPS-only, 40mm model. The GPS + Cellular model is also $100 off, dropping it down to $400. These sales are available at Amazon as well as Best Buy. The latest Apple Watch builds upon all the solid features present in the previous models including great workout tracking, built-in heart rate and GPS monitors, ECG measurements and more. We gave the Series 5 a score of 88 for its new always-on display, built-in compass and new international emergency calling.
The latest iPad mini is $50 off at Amazon, bringing its price down to $350. While not the lowest price ever, it’s still a good deal that’s worth grabbing if you’ve been eyeing Apple’s smallest tablet. We gave the iPad mini a score of 85 for its improved display, great performance and new Apple Pencil (1st gen) support.
You can still snag a bunch of discounted Echo devices right now. Of note in this sale is the Echo Dot smart speaker with clock for $35, which is the lowest price we’ve seen this device hit, other than the occasional lightning deal. Normally priced at $60, this Echo Dot is slightly more useful than the regular model because it displays the time through its fabric coating. Other good deals include the $170 for an Echo Studio plus a Hue smart light bulb, $100 for an Echo Plus plus a Hue bulb and $17.49 for the Echo Flex.
The regular Kindle is still $25 off, bringing its price down to $65. While this is $5 shy of the lowest price we’ve seen the Kindle drop to, it remains a great deal — especially if Dad has been eyeing an e-reader. The more expensive Kindle Paperwhite is also on sale for for $100, but the regular Kindle is the better deal of the two. We gave the Kindle a score of 91 for its front-lit display, improved design and better screen contrast.
Roku has discounted a number of its streaming devices ahead of Father’s Day. You can get them at Roku’s website, but they’re also available at Amazon and Best Buy. The best deal of the bunch is the Roku Premiere for $29 — this tiny streamer is normally priced at $39 and it basically gives you everything you need to stream 4K, HDR content in a really affordable package. If you want a device with more capabilities, the Roku Streaming Stick+ is on sale for $39 (down from $49) and the Roku Ultra is on sale for $79 (down from $100).
You can still grab a discounted fitness tracker through Fitbit’s Father’s Day sale. A couple of its devices are on sale, but the best deal is $20 off the new Fitbit Charge 4. This is the company’s newest fitness tracker that’s normally priced at $150. It has all of the features you’d expect in a Fitbit device, including solid workout and daily activity tracking, sleep monitoring and automatic exercise tracking — but the kicker is its built-in GPS that allows you to map outdoor runs and bike rides without your smartphone.
The Anova Precision Cooker Pro remains discounted to $200 at Amazon. That’s 50 percent off its normal price of $400, which is a great deal if you want a powerful sous vide machine. Those with tighter budgets can get Anova’s regular Precision Cooker for $133 as well, which is about $57 off its normal price. The Cooker Pro is better for those with large families or those who often entertain, while the regular model is best if you’re just starting out with sous vide.
Some of the best wireless headphones you can get are still on sale — Amazon and Best Buy have the white model of the Bose 700 headphones for $300, which is the lowest price we’ve seen them. They earned a score of 90 from us for their fantastic noice cancellation, easy touch controls and comfortable design.
Sony’s WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds remain on sale for $178 at Best Buy and Amazon. We gave these ANC earbuds a score of 89 for their long battery life, solid sound quality and handy mobile app. If you want something a bit more sporty, Best Buy and Amazon are also running a sale on the Sony WF-SP800N wireless earbuds, dropping them down to $168. These earbuds are nearly as good as the WF-1000XM3s, earning a score of 88 from us for their powerful bass and affordable starting price.
You can still snag Beat Solo Pro headphones for $230 at Best Buy and Amazon. They earned a score of 81 from us for being Beats’ most impressive headphones to date thanks to their impressive sound quality, good ANC and hands-free Siri controls.
Those in need of a smart yet somewhat analog watch can get the Withings Steel HR for $120, or $60 off its normal price. This sale price is close to the lowest price we’ve seen on this watch and it’s a good option for those that want daily activity and fitness tracking features in a smartwatch that almost passes for a traditional timepiece.
Newegg has a sale that knocks the price of three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate down to $22 when you use the code EMCDMGR38 at checkout. Recently, we saw the price of the three-month subscription drop to $25 and then $23, so this is an ever-so-slightly better deal than those. Game Pass Ultimate gives you access to a library of games to play whenever you want, discounts on new Xbox games and a percentage off add-ons and consumables.
This bundle combines the Echo Show 5 smart display and Amazon’s new Blink Mini security camera for only $65. The Show 5 typically costs $60 to $90, while the Blink Mini normally costs $35. Getting them both for $65 is a great deal, and you can use them together. Just ask Alexa to show you the video feed from the Blink Mini on the Echo’s screen whenever you want to see what kind of mischief your pets are getting up to in your living room.
Maker of smart hearing aids Eargo is running a Father’s Day sale that slashes 15 percent off the price of the Eargo Neo HiFi. These are the newest hearing aids from the company that include increased bandwidth to amplify a wider range of frequencies, better feedback cancellation and a new algorithm for wind reduction. Engadget’s James Trew tested these out and found them to be a solid improvement to Eargo’s previous hearing aids. This sale knocks $450 off the Neo HiFi’s price and, while they remain expensive at $2,500, it’s not an usual price for a good hearing aid.
Apple’s already has the back-to-school mindset as it announced its special promotion for the 2020 season — the company will throw in a pair of free AirPods when you buy select Macs or iPads for college. AirPods with the wired charging case will be totally free and you can upgrade to AirPods with the wireless charging case for $40 extra or even AirPods Pro for $90 extra. This is a good deal considering how popular AirPods are and how well they work with Apple devices. Student customers can also save a bit of money on their new Apple devices with the company’s education pricing.
As you might imagine, privacy advocates aren’t thrilled with this latest revision, either. One concern is that it will force private companies to help police build a database of people’s personal information. Particularly worrisome is the fact the law obligates companies to transfer someone’s data before there’s suspicion of criminal wrongdoing. Another issue is that the law effectively puts the onus of identifying and forwarding potentially harmful content on companies like Facebook and Twitter.
The addition to NetzDG is part of a broader push by Germany to control online hate speech, which the government has linked to an increase in right-wing extremism. In 2019, a neo-nazi extremist murdered Walter Lübcke, a pro-migrant member of chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party. In the lead up to the crime, Lübcke received multiple death threats.
The good news is that the German government is considering a broader reform of NetzDG that would make the law more transparent by enforcing more robust user notifications. If passed, it would also give people the right to have their posts restored in cases where they’ve successfully appealed a deletion.
Snapchat has a history of creating insensitive, and sometimes downright racist, content. Today, users were presented with a filter to “celebrate” Juneteenth — a remembrance of slaves being informed they were free years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed — but they were quick to call out Snap for yet another case of thoughtlessness. The filter urges users to “smile and break the chains” — smiling while taking a selfie causes virtual chains to rise behind the user’s head, and after smiling enough, the chains fracture. Spotted by Variety, Ashten Winger, who formerly worked at Snap as a developer, tweeted that “this is what happens when you don’t have any black people on the product design team.”
In 2016, Snapchat released a Bob Marley-themed filter to celebrate 4/20, but it was seen by many as an augmented reality version of blackface. Just months later, Snap was in hot water again when it created a filter that would turn the user’s face into an Asian caricature featuring stereotypical slanted eyes and large teeth. Like the Juneteenth filter, the company eventually pulled.
According to Comcast, hundreds of thousands of non-Xfinity customers have taken advantage of the free hotspots. Last month, Senators Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Ron Wyden urged Comcast to make all of its WiFi hotspots (including Xfinity customers’ routers) open to students who don’t have internet access at home. In response to Engadget’s inquiry at that time, Comcast pointed to its other programs meant to keep people connected.
Comcast’s offer to make its Internet Essentials program free to new users for 60 days was also set to expire. Yesterday, the company shared that it will continue to provide 60 days of free service to new Internet Essentials customers through the end of the year.
“Now more than ever, connectivity has become a vital tool for families to access educational resources for students, important news and information about their community and the world, telehealth applications, or to stay in touch with family and friends,” Strong said.
