Facebook’s dedicated news section is finally available to everyone in the US… in a manner of speaking. The social media giant has made News accessible to all American users as a bookmark, but it’s only available to “millions more” than previously as the promised tab. If you want that tab to appear sooner, you’ll have to “frequently” visit the bookmark to make your intentions clear. No, it doesn’t make sense to us, either.
Thankfully, there’s more to the rollout. You’ll see a local section in news that brings in more region-specific updates. The Today In discovery feature will weave its way into Facebook News in the “weeks ahead,” and the company is either introducing or testing features like news video (a test), targeted notifications, breaking news alerts and digests that recap larger events.
Webcams tend not to have the sharpest picture quality, so in some instances, it might be a better idea to use your DSLR, mirrorless or compact camera instead. However, most computers aren’t equipped to interpret the video signal coming from a camera’s USB or HDMI output. Panasonic is joining Canon and Fujifilm in releasing software that will do just that, without the need for a video capture device. Lumix Tether for Streaming enables webcam functionality for the popular GH5 and GH5S — as well as the G9 and S1 series — via USB.
The app is based on the same software that lets photographers monitor and preview their shoots on a laptop or desktop, but removes graphical elements so your friends or coworkers only see what the camera sees — no focus points, zebra lines or menus. However, it’s still in beta, so you shouldn’t expect to get any technical support from Panasonic at this point. It’s also only available for Windows, so Mac users will have to stick with their built-in FaceTime cameras.
Cox contacted Mike via phone and email saying they needed to talk to him about his internet use. The company reportedly warned Mike that “adjustments need to be made immediately,” or else his service would be terminated. Then, Cox told Mike in an email that “… we’ve adjusted our Gigablast upload speeds in your neighborhood from 35Mbps to 10Mbps, now through July 15, 2020.”
Cox, a company with 5.2 million broadband users across the US, didn’t directly address questions from Ars Technica asking why it couldn’t handle Mike’s overnight data usage. It did say that neighborhood-wide slowdowns and warnings to individual customers “are two separate initiatives that could cross over in some cases.” Cox said the change in Mike’s neighborhood came because “performance can be improved for all customers in the neighborhood.” The company also defended the 10 Mbps rate, saying, “10Mbps is plenty of speed for the vast majority of customers to continue their regular activity and have a positive experience.”
Mike and others speculate that Cox is struggling to keep up with increased broadband traffic brought on by the pandemic. Cox, however, said its “network is performing very well overall.” Mike’s situation isn’t typical — the average US household isn’t using 12TB of data each month. However, for Cox to not provide a whole neighborhood of customers with what they’re paying for because one person is using a lot of bandwidth, especially during a pandemic, doesn’t sound like good customer service.
For most people who have experienced the issue, what they notice is a one- to two-second audio pause when they turn their head while wearing the earbuds. Those same cutouts can also happen when the person cups their hand over their ear. It can affect either one or both of the earbuds. A firmware update Google released in May doesn’t appear to have done anything to alleviate the issue, and it can ever persist after someone replaces their current pair.
Pixel devices have had a history of Bluetooth-related problems. With the Pixel 3, for instance, it was sometimes difficult to pair the phone with other Bluetooth-capable devices. So it’s a shame to see Bluetooth issues sidetrack another Google device, particularly one we thought was a significant improvement on the company’s previous efforts. That said, it’s reassuring Google is working on a fix.
Here’s a glimpse of the scene at Cross Keys, where technical issues have ground voting to a standstill and officials have run out of provisional ballots. #gapolpic.twitter.com/XtezH1Qyrm
The issues have led to many people facing long waits in lines to cast their votes. But even the provisional ballot system isn’t sufficient, as some locations quickly ran out of them. “If you are in line, PLEASE do not allow your vote to be suppressed,” Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms wrote on Twitter. “PLEASE stay in line. They should offer you a provisional ballot if the machines are not working.” Engadget has contacted the Georgia secretary of state office, which oversees local elections, for comment.
Georgia’s election security has faced intense scrutiny in recent years. Governor Brian Kemp came under fire over how he handled elections during his time as secretary of state, including accusations that he engaged in voter suppression and abused his power to steal the 2018 gubernatorial election. Last year, a federal judge ordered Georgia to update its outdated machines for the 2020 election cycle. Both of the state’s Senate seats are on the line this year.
A number of states have faced serious technical issues during this primary season. On Super Tuesday in early March, many people ran into problems with new voting machines in Los Angeles. In Iowa, an app designed to report caucus results was a complete failure. An HBO documentary that premiered in March highlighted just some of the many critical problems with America’s voting machines and fragile election system.
Beyond Light is also the first release aimed at next-generation consoles, and Bungie is promising both an improved experience and continuity. D2 will play in 4K at 60 frames per second on these systems (presumably both the PS5 and Xbox Series X), and the content and friends you’ve accumulated over the years will carry over. You can also expect intergenerational console cross-play — you won’t have to wait for your PS4 or Xbox One friends to upgrade to join them.
You can also expect D2 to carry on for a long time. Bungie has already teased the launches of follow-ups The Witch Queen in 2021 and Lightfall in 2022. There won’t be a full-fledged Destiny 3 (if at all) any time soon, in other words. It’s not certain if this reflects a split with what Activision wanted, but it’s evident that Bungie isn’t in a rush to complete a trilogy.
In the meantime, you can wind down the existing phase of D2 with the just-launched season 11, or the Season of Arrivals. You can expect obligatory additions like a new story, a new Dungeon (this time involving the mysterious Nine) and an exotic weapon quest. However, there’s little doubt that this is secondary to what’s coming next — Bungie is upping the stakes for both the story and gameplay this fall.
“We are all in agreement that our neighborhood has been turned into [a] warzone escalated by SPD and that our coworkers and leaders need to know what is happening,” the letter reads. “We need awareness and empathy across every level of management asap so that the burden of educating our coworkers doesn’t fall on those of us in the middle of a public safety and mental health crisis.”
The employees ask that Microsoft condemn the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and flashbanging on peaceful protestors, cancel contracts with SPD and other law enforcement, petition for the resignation of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan “for her failure to protect her people and keep police accountable” and support defunding and demilitarizing the SPD.
The letter also asks the Microsoft leaders to support Black Lives Matter Seattle’s list of demands and encourage donations and employee matching to related organizations. The letter requests a four-day work week policy and that the company allow for a 50 percent reduction in productivity due to both the pandemic and protests.
In a blog post published late last week, Nadella said the company has “goals and programs to improve representation in all roles and at all levels,” that it’s using its tech and voice to create a more equitable criminal justice system and that it’s deepening its engagement with six organizations addressing racial inequality. But those promises are far less specific than the demands outlined in the employee letter.
The letter follows a history of Microsoft, Google and other tech staff pressuring their companies to ditch contracts with government agencies that do questionable things. For instance, thousands of Google employees successfully petitioned CEO Sundar Pichai to drop a controversial Pentagon AI project, and Microsoft workers demanded an end to the HoloLens contract with the US Army. It’s too soon to say whether Microsoft will agree to any of the most recent demands.
Engadget has reached out to Microsoft for comment.
David Fincher’s movie The Social Network committed the origins of Facebook to film. A major part of that drama brought to light how Mark Zuckerberg allegedly stole an idea from the Winklevoss twins to create Facebook. According to Deadline, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have partnered with Stampede Ventures to create a film about their own adventures in cryptocurrency. An adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s Bitcoin Billionaires, the film will detail how the twins invested in Bitcoin payment processor BitInstant, and eventually became the first people to make $1 billion from the cryptocurrency.
Stampede Ventures is headed by former Warner Bros. production chief Greg Silverman. The company has yet to release a movie. It had planned to release its first film, Pink Skies Ahead this spring, but the premiere was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Stampede has officially announced 22 other movies thus far.
WhatsApp claims it fixed an issue that was showing users’ phone numbers in Google search results, TechCrunchreports. The change comes after security researcher Athul Jayaram revealed that phone numbers of WhatsApp users who used the Click to Chat feature were being indexed in search.
Click to Chat allows users to create a link with their phone number in plain text. According to Jayaram, because the links don’t have a robot.txt file in the server root, they cannot stop Google or other search engine bots from crawling and indexing the links. Jayaram says as many as 300,000 phone numbers may have appeared in Google search results, and they could be found by searching “site:wa.me.”
The Kishi’s analog sticks are almost identical to those on a Switch Joy-Con. They’re large enough for my tiny hands, but I suspect some will prefer the heftier sticks found on Sony’s DualShock 4 or the Switch Pro controller. Unlike Nintendo’s Joy-Cons, they have a convex top that makes them slightly easier to click. I do wish the outer rim was coated in a grippier material, though, similar to the official Xbox One controller. Sometimes my fingers would shift and slide around on the sticks — never to the point where they came off, but enough for me to worry during a tense Fortnite showdown.
The rubber seems high quality (hopefully the sticks won’t tear like early DualShock 4 controllers did), and I never experienced anything like Nintendo’s now notorious ‘Joy-Con drift’ problem.
The face buttons (A, B, X and Y) on the right are slightly larger than the ones on Nintendo’s portable system. The left side of the Kishi, meanwhile, has a traditional cross-shaped D-Pad. It’s a welcome change from the Switch’s separated arrow buttons. (An understandable compromise so you can break off and use the Joy-Con as a standalone controller). I’m grateful for the D-pad, though it feels a bit spongy and imprecise. The bumpers are small but clicky, and the twin triggers have a surprising amount of travel for shooters and racing games.
Unfortunately, the back of the peripheral doesn’t feel as polished. There’s no obvious place to rest your fingers, which feels like a bizarre oversight. My confused digits eventually settled in the recessed areas between the rubber belt. It never felt natural or comfortable, though. If Razer and Gamevice release a successor, I hope it has proper grips on the back or at minimum some kind of rubberized material similar to the PlayStation Vita.
Where am I supposed to put my fingers?
Nick Summers
But hey, at least you don’t need to charge it. Unlike most Bluetooth controllers — which include full-size pads and Switch-style peripherals like the Flydigi Wee 2T — there’s no separate battery to worry about. The Kishi also supports passthrough charging, which means you can top up your phone while the controller is still connected. Wisely, the port is on the bottom of the Kishi’s right-hand grip, ensuring your wrist, fingers and thumbs aren’t constantly brushing against a cable. It doesn’t support USB-C headphones, though, so you’ll need to make do with your phone’s built-in speaker making it through two thin slots on the right-hand side of the Kishi or a pair of Bluetooth-connected buds or cans.
Razer has an optional app to help you discover controller-friendly games. There’s also a launcher section that highlights “fully supported” apps on your phone. It’s a nice idea, but the software is a little dull and half-baked. I tried the Kishi with a number of native Android applications including Fortnite, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Sky: Child of Light. The controller worked instantly and flawlessly with all of these games. I was particularly impressed with Asphalt 9: Legends, though, which lets you choose between finger-friendly Touchdrive controls and a completely manual setup that plays identically to a console racing game.
Conversely, some games didn’t work at all. These included the newly released Forza Street, Riot’s Legends of Runeterra, and select indie games including Oxenfree. The problem wasn’t unique to the Kishi — these games simply haven’t been optimized for physical controllers and won’t work with a DualShock 4 or 8Bitdo either. The sole exception I could find was Call of Duty Mobile. The Tencent-developed title doesn’t seem to work with the Kishi, despite supporting select Bluetooth controllers.
Razer is pitching the Kishi as a companion for early streaming adopters, too. If you own the correct smartphone, the Kishi will work with Google Stadia, Nvidia’s GeForce Now and Microsoft’s still-in-beta Project xCloud service. Thankfully, my OnePlus 8 is compatible with all three. I played the opening hours of Destiny 2 on Stadia, A Plague Tale: Innocence on GeForce Now (via a copy that I bought on Steam) and Forza Motorsport 7 on xCloud.
