Rockstar Games will shut down access to Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online from 2-4 PM ET today “to honor the legacy of George Floyd.” Anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests have taken place across the world after Floyd died on May 25th. Four former Minneapolis police officers have been charged in connection with Floyd’s death.
Following the memorial, we hope you will join us in further honoring the many victims of America’s racial injustices by supporting their families, black-owned businesses, those marching on the streets, and coalitions through the organizations listed here: https://t.co/yIQu2R1pJb
The publisher expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement in its announcement. It also encouraged players to “honor the many victims of America’s racial injustices by supporting their families, black-owned businesses, those marching on the streets and coalitions” through a number of civil rights organizations and charities.
The crash rate would only drop further if cars prioritized safety over rider preference, the IIHS said, and that could frustrate people used to weaving around cars during their daily commute. They might drive more slowly than humans would when there’s low visibility or an abundance of foot traffic, for example.
It’s still early days for autonomous driving, and safety has taken higher priority for Uber and others in recent times. However, this study indicates that a driverless utopia might require a lot of patience and understanding. You’d safely get to where you were going — it would just take longer.
“The wonderful part about this exercise is that we did not have to change anything about the previous design,” said Kaushik Jayaram, first author of the paper on HAMR-JR. “We proved that this process can be applied to basically any device at a variety of sizes.”
The researchers also wanted to see how shrinking a bot would impact its running speed and other abilities. They shrank the four-legged HAMR-JR to just 2.25 centimeters in body length — it weighs in at about 0.3 grams. The team mimicked the movement of similarly-scaled insects, so HAMR-JR is able to trot, jump, bound and pronk. It can turn left and right, and it can trot backwards.
“Most robots at this scale are pretty simple and only demonstrate basic mobility,” Jayaram said. “We have shown that you don’t have to compromise dexterity or control for size.”
Jayaram and co-authors Samantha Castellanos, E. Farrell Helbling and Jennifer Shum presented their findings at the International Conference on Robotics Automation this week, where teams from MIT also presented work on improving soft robots’ spatial awareness and ability to grasp delicate objects.
Sony’s WH-1000XM3 headphones are due for an upgrade, and there are hints it might be worth waiting. Walmart has prematurely listed the WH-1000XM4 (via Laptop Mag) with multiple major feature additions. To start, it would finally support multiple devices with easy switching — you’d only have two devices, but that might be fine if you just want to jump between your phone and PC. Bluetooth makes the leap from 4.2 to 5.0 as well. Precise Voice Pickup, meanwhile, would address the XM3’s lackluster voice quality using five microphones and “advanced audio signal processing” improve sound for your call recipients.
It’s not certain how much audio quality would improve (if at all) over the XM3. You’d still have 40mm drivers and a frequency response range up to 40kHz. The listing does refer to “Edge-AI” that aims to restore sound details lost in compression, however. You could expect the same 30 hours of claimed battery life, including fast USB-C charging that provides five hours of playback after 10 minutes of plugging in.
However, as The Verge points out, the emoticon’s removal likely comes in response to the ongoing protests across the US that were sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. In recent days, social media networks like Facebook and Twitter have been flooded with videos documenting rampant police brutality. In light of what’s going on at the moment, some viewers may have used the emote to harass black streamers and other people of color.
Compared to the statements we’ve seen some companies share recently, Twitch’s decision to remove a potentially hurtful emoticon is one of the more tangible responses to the current situation. We’ve also seen companies like Sony delay their promotional events. On Monday, the console-maker announced it was delaying its June 4th PlayStation 5 livestream. “We do not feel that right now is a time for celebration…” the company said at the time, without sharing a revised air date.
Since their debut in 2016, Apple’s AirPods have become the quintessential true wireless earbuds, thanks to their ease of use. But our reviews of the original and its followup came with caveats: Our reviewer Chris Velazco dinged them on sound quality and comfort issues. This year the company finally rectified those issues with the AirPods Pro. When our resident audio expert Billy Steele took a listen, he found the sound quality to be greatly improved — and that’s before you even factor in the addition of active noise cancellation. They’ve also gotten a redesign, making them more comfortable and secure in your ears. All these improvements added up to a score of 87, which from us amounts to a glowing recommendation.
The AirPods Pro have been on sale fairlyfrequently since then, and plenty of our readers have snatched up a pair. If that includes you, we’d love to know how Apple’s latest true wireless earbuds are working out. Are they comfortable? Do you like the way they look? And how do you feel about the improved sound, or the addition of ANC? What was the biggest selling point for you, and did you get your money’s worth? Tell us all this and more in a user review here on our product page, and you may see your comments featured in an upcoming roundup article.
With how similar the Series 4 and Series 5 are to one another, Apple doesn’t sell the former anymore. That leaves the Series 3 as the budget pick for people who want to save money by going for an older model. While it’s missing features like ECG measurement, fall detection and an always-on display, everything that makes the Apple Watch one of the best fitness wearables you can buy currently is present on the Series 3. It features a lightweight and attractive design, accurate heart rate and activity tracking, as well as a compelling selection of apps and all-day battery life. Engadget’s Chris Velazco gave the Series 3 an 82 when he reviewed the device back in 2017. With the Series 3, he thought Apple’s wearable had finally come into its own after the company’s first two attempts.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Brussels-based startup Cowboy launched its first e-bike last year, solving the tech’s ongoing battle between form and function with its unique removable battery. Now it’s had an upgrade. The Cowboy 3 comes with a bunch of new hardware features designed to make e-bike commuting easier and more stylish, while still touting a sleek removable battery built into its frame.
First up, there’s a new carbon belt (no oily chain, as per), this time provided by transmission supplier Gates. This is a well-known brand, so bike shops should be able to maintain the belt more easily. Cowboy says it’s good for 30,000 kilometers, compared to the original bike’s 15,000. The gears have also been tweaked, with a lower gear ratio making it easier to get up hills, and puncture-resistant tires have been introduced. The trim has been given an upgrade, and the bike is now available in three colorways — absolute black and two shades of grey: anthracite and mineral.
Following Apple Music’s participation in Black Out Tuesday this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook has released an official statement confirming the company’s stance on the Black Lives Matter demonstrations taking place around the world. In a post titled “Speaking up on racism,” Cook decries the inequalities of America’s justice system and notes that while “we’ve seen progress since the America I grew up in … communities of color continue to endure discrimination and trauma.”
Cook goes on to say that it is Apple’s mission to create technology that empowers people to change the world for the better, “But we must do more.” He touches briefly on the work being done to help underserved school systems and the environment, and says that Apple is donating to organizations including the Equal Justice Initiative, which challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration.
Despite the cancellation of pretty much every major tech event so far, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) says that CES 2021 will still take place in January, with a raft of social distancing safety measures in place.
Those include widening aisles in many exhibition areas and more space between seats during events The organization says various spaces across the show will be cleaned and sanitized regularly (shouldn’t that be de rigueur, anyhow?), with hand sanitizer stations placed throughout.
CES
For tech media and analysts, the Consumer Electronics Show is legendary for its ability to make you ill with flu-like symptoms. Maybe it’s the dry air or the melting pot of thousands of people from around the world. Maybe it’s just all those touchscreen devices or simply those Vegas buffets, but it’s very easy to get sick by the end of the show.
For now, the organization says it’ll encourage attendees and exhibitors to adopt best practices, like wearing masks and not shaking hands — though it seems it won’t demand it. The CTA says major companies and brands have already committed to next year’s CES.
Seven months is ample time to prepare and reassess the risks — and maybe reconsider holding the event all over again?
— Mat
Studio Ghibli is making a fully CG movie
‘Aya and the Witch’ will premiere on Japanese TV, not theaters.
Studio Ghibli
The next animated movie from the world-renowned Studio Ghibli will be a departure from its previous efforts. The studio co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki is well known for its expertise in traditional hand-drawn animation and only occasionally uses CG in its films. The upcoming Aya and the Witch, however, will be animated entirely in 3D. The studio usually only uses computer animation as a fallback for scenes that would be particularly difficult or labor intensive to achieve through hand-drawn methods. (All Ghibli films before 1997’s Princess Mononoke are completely animated by hand.)
The movie will be based on the children’s book Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones. Studio Ghibli previously used another Wynne Jones title, adapted into 2004’s Howl’s Moving Castle. The movie will arrive this winter but will go direct to TV, sidestepping movie theaters. Continue reading.
SpaceX’s latest batch of internet satellites includes one with a sun shield
The Falcon 9 booster used is now the first one to have launched and landed five times.
SpaceX
Last night, SpaceX deployed another 60 of its Starlink internet satellites, but one of them was different from the rest. It includes a deployable visor intended to keep sunlight from hitting the brightest, most reflective surfaces. These satellites intentionally fly lower than normal communications satellites, and reflected light has been upsetting astronomers who need clear skies to look out into space. Continue reading.
Kitty Hawk moves on from its original flying car project
The Flyer is no more.
Kitty Hawk
The original Flyer that debuted in 2017 was a one-seat, propeller-driven vehicle that looked like a flying motorcycle. Kitty Hawk introduced a new version one year later, and while it remained a single-seater, the updated 250-pound aircraft looked more like a cross between a drone and a stunt plane. However, the Larry Page-backed company is ending work on that project.
CEO Sebastian Thrun told TechCrunch that “No matter how hard we looked, we could not find a path to a viable business.” So instead it’s focusing on a new project: an all-electric aircraft dubbed Heaviside that takes off and lands like a helicopter despite being 100 times quieter. Continue reading.
