“Just like many other companies in the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted our business. With fewer consumers purchasing and leasing vehicles and drivers on the road, we unfortunately do not see a path forward for our business. These are unprecedented times, and with so much uncertainty ahead, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Automatic connected car product, service and platform.”
Automatic introduced its first-generation device, Automatic Link, in 2013. The $100 dongle could track trips and fuel automatically, but the diagnostics were a bit limited. A couple years later, Automatic unveiled a second-generation adapter and launched an app store. Last spring, the company upset some when it announced that it would no longer support its first- and second-generation adapters and that it would render their apps useless.
While we’ve seen some companies delay new products (like the Hummer EV) or scrap them altogether (iRobot’s robotic lawn mower) due to COVID-19, we haven’t seen as many companies shut down completely. Though, as the pandemic continues and the shockwaves of its economic impact hit, we will likely see more shutter.
If you’ve been logging into third-party apps with Automatic, you’ll still be able to do so until June 28th. Automatic users with a connected PayTollo account will receive instructions from PayTollo.
Bandcamp is once again waiving its commission fees to help musicians impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The company won’t take a cut of any music or merchandise you buy between now and 12AM PT / 3AM ET. Several labels, such as Arts & Crafts and Ghostly, are waiving their fees as well.
When Bandcamp did this same thing on March 20th, fans spent approximately 15 times more than on the average Friday, leading to the best sales day in the platform’s history. In all, Bandcamp says that day it recorded $4.3 million in music and merch sales. That said, fans have been supportive throughout the pandemic. In the last 30 days, consumers have spent approximately $16.5 million buying music on Bandcamp.
This being a semi-romantic comedy, it’s only a matter of time until sparks begin to fly between Nathan and Nora. And yes, it’s all a bit odd, since he’s a digital consciousness whose real body has died. But if you think about it, that’s not too different than online relationships in general. Thanks to advances in virtual reality (and some gross full-body haptics), there’s even the potential for them to touch and feel each other in the digital world. As they get to know each other, Nora also starts to learn that Nathan’s death may not have been accidental at all, and everyone is a suspect.
Amid the romance and potential murder mystery, Upload is also an intriguing exploration of digital consciousness. Even if some technology could take all of the matter in your brain and upload it to the cloud, is the resulting consciousness still you? For simplicity’s sake, the show accepts that’s the case. But there are factions within the series that question the ethical nature of uploading yourself to the cloud. And argue that, if it’s indeed a miraculous technology that lets humans live forever, shouldn’t it be accessible to everyone?
Aaron Epstein/Amazon Studios
“My personal feeling, and what the show is based on, is the idea that if you were to deconstruct your brain, it’s, it’s a finite amount of information,” Daniels said. “It’s a very large amount of information, because of the trillions of connections, but it’s a finite amount and it’s all based on atoms and chemicals. And if you had a large enough computer, and a quick enough way to scan it, you ought to be able to measure everything, all the information that’s in someone’s brain.”
As you’d imagine, there are plenty of people who think it’s an unnatural way to stave off death, like Nora’s father. He’d rather die the natural way to have a chance to be with his dead wife, instead of uploading and being a part of Nora’s life (and presumed digital afterlife). And unlike Nora, who has faith in technology even after seeing the downsides of her own company, her father fundamentally distrusts how much tech has overtaken their reality. “The problem isn’t capitalism’s unholy alliance with big data, no, it’s the weirdos who want to grow their own vegetables,” he says at one point.
Best Buy dropped the price of the Apple Watch Series 5 to $300. You can still get a 40mm GPS model for $300 or a 44mm GPS model for $330. This is the best price we’ve seen on the latest Apple Watch as it normally starts at $400. This wearable, which earned a score of 88 from us, has all of the features that the Series 4 had: ECG measurements, fall detection, solid exercise tracking and Apple Pay, to name a few. Plus, it has new features like an always-on display, a built-in compass and international emergency calling.
The iRobot Roomba i7+ vacuum is still on sale for $700. Robot vacuums in general can be quite expensive, and the top-of-the-line i7+ is normally a whopping $1,000. This sale price is much more palatable, and it means you can get some of iRobot’s advanced features at a more affordable price. The i7+ includes Imprint Smart Mapping, which lets the robot map and remember the rooms in your home, as well as a charging station that automatically empties the collection bin after each cleaning session. We gave it a score of 87 and dubbed it “iRobot’s best robot vacuum yet.”
You can still snag the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active for $120 at Best Buy, which is $80 off its normal price. While not the newest version of Samsung’s smartwatch, it’s still a solid wearable especially for Android users. It earned a score of 83 from us — we like it for its bright display, Tizen’s great health and fitness features and built-in Samsung Pay. However, you won’t get the rotating bezel found on other Samsung smartwatches (like the Watch Active 2) and this model has a slightly shorter battery life than the newest version.
The budget-friendly Google Pixel 3a XL remains even more affordable at Best Buy where its price is $330. We gave this smartphone a score of 88 for its reliable performance, improved battery life and excellent camera. You’ll essentially get all of the best features of the Pixel 3 smartphones in this cheaper handset. The only catch with this deal is that you must activate the Pixel 3a XL immediately when you buy it, so it’s best for those who cannot wait for a new smartphone.
Sling TV is still running its Happy Hour offer in which you can watch content for free from 5PM to midnight ET every day. The best part is that there’s no purchase nor credit card required — just make an account on Sling’s website with your name, email address and zip code (necessary for local channel access) and you can start watching. You essentially get Sling Blue content for free during that time frame, which includes channels like CNN, AMC, USA, TNT and others but leaves out Disney, ESPN and others that are only included in Sling Orange. Nevertheless, it’s a great opportunity to test out Sling TV and watch some channels you may not normally have access to.
Fitbit’s Mother’s Day sale drops the prices of some of its most popular smartwatches and fitness trackers. We already highlighted the Inspire HR deal above, but also noteworthy is the Versa 2 smartwatch starting at $150. That’s $50 off its normal price of $200 and close to the lowest price it’s ever been ($130). The Versa Lite is also included in this sale at $130, but the Versa 2 is the better deal in this case. It has all of the features that the original Versa smartwatch had, plus standard Fitbit Pay, Spotify playback control, built-in Amazon Alexa support and an improved AMOLED, always-on display. These sale prices are also being matched at Amazon.
Satechi is also having a Mother’s Day sale — from May 1 through May 5, you can take 15 percent off your order using the code TREATMOM. Satechi makes a number of accessories and peripherals, and some of them like the R1 smartphone stand, the 5-port charging station and the magnetic Apple Watch charging dock could make good gifts for Mom.
Another Mother’s Day sale is going on at NutriBullet where you can get 15 percent off your order with the code MOM15. This is a good opportunity to either add to or upgrade your kitchen appliances as all of NutriBullet’s personal and and full-sized blenders are included in the promotion. New moms may also like the new NutriBullet Baby, which is designed to quickly and easily turn regular food into baby-ready puree.
The Roomba 890 robot vacuum is down to its lowest price ever at Walmart — only $280. Normally $500, this vacuum has five times more suction power than others and “dirt detection” sensors that help it pick up more in areas that have a lot of debris. Compatible with Alexa and the Google Assistant, the Roomba 890 also has all of the standard Roomba features including WiFi connectivity, an edge-sweeping brush, an auto-adjusting cleaning head and more.
My Best Buy members can get the Galaxy Tab S6 tablet for $550, which is $100 off its normal price of $650. You’ll only see the sale price if you’re signed in to your My Best Buy account, and if you don’t have one yet, you can sign up for free. We gave this Android tablet a score of 77 — it has a long-lasting battery, a crisp 10.5-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen and S Pen support. It may not be the best laptop-replacement device, but it’s an excellent on-the-go tablet.
Best Buy has the futuristic Dyson Supersonic hair dryer at the lowest price we’ve seen it — $320. It’s another My Best Buy member offer, so you’ll only see the sale price if you’re signed in to your My Best Buy account. This particular set could be a good gift because it includes the hair dryer, a vented round brush and a detangling comb. This device takes hair drying up a notch with a Dyson digital motor, magnetic attachments and constant temperature control for less damaged hair.
The 10th International prize pool will be funded by 25% of sales of the next Battle Pass, which we are planning to release soon instead of closer to the event itself. However, with our team working from home and things taking longer to complete, the release date of the Battle Pass will be at least a couple of weeks later than usual.
The International crowns the extensive Dota 2 tournament schedule, controlled by Valve since 2017. Dota 2 recently received a massive update with new characters, upgraded courier abilities, the addition of outposts and more.
Valve will still create the prize pool from Dota 2 seasonal battle pass sales, and will now release the battle pass “soon” instead of just ahead of the now-canceled tournament. “With our team working from home and things taking longer to complete, the release date of the battle pass will be at least a couple of weeks later than usual,” Valve said.
Dota 2 is the latest esport to revamp plans due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Riot Games was forced to cancel its League of Legends mid-season invitational tournament, while the Overwatch League shifted its season to an online-only schedule. Ironically, physical sports like Formula 1 have actually switched to online esports-style formats due to the coronavirus.
Now that the FCC is no longer required to warn robocallers, it’s taking advantage of that expanded power. The regulator has issued an order ending warnings before it slaps spam callers with penalties. The new measure also extends the statute of limitations for robocall and spoofing from a respective one to two years to a consistent four for both. The maximum fines have also increased, the FCC said.
Before the TRACED Act, the FCC could only act immediately for spoofing instances, and could only issue fines for any robocalling violations after a warning had been issued.
The ventilator can be assembled in just minutes, attached to a simple display and packed into a Pelican carrying case. Dally built the prototype using off-the-shelf components for about $400. Produced in quantity, it could cost less than $300, and using open-sourced, 3D-printed parts, the price might drop below $100, he says. According to a NVIDIA blog post, traditional ventilators can cost more than $20,000.
The ventilator has been tested successfully on a lung simulator, and Dally is now in the process of applying for an emergency use authorization from the FDA. That’s the same fast-tracked approval that NASA recently received for its ventilator design. If Dally’s device is approved, the next step will be finding a way to manufacture it, which as other companies have found, is a significant challenge.
“I hope that we do not get so many people sick that we run out of ventilators,” Dally told NVIDIA. “But I want to make sure that if we do, something like this is ready.”
Dally, also a professor at Stanford University, collaborated with university colleagues and former students. Another team from Stanford recently produced reusable face masks made with repurposed scuba gear and designed to help front-line workers during the pandemic. As this crisis continues, we will likely see more tech companies and universities stepping up to help in whatever ways they can.
In an unsurprising turn of events, Valve has announced that it is ending SteamVR support for macOS. Spotted by Apple Insider, the company made a terse announcement on its website, stating that “SteamVR has ended [macOS] support so our team can focus on Windows and Linux.” Legacy builds will remain available, though, so tinkerers can still code VR experiences that run on Apple hardware. SteamVR first came to Apple’s operating system with the 2017 launch of macOS High Sierra. The OS enabled the use of an external GPU (eGPU) over Thunderbolt 3, which could provide the additional processing power needed to run high-end VR applications. Valve didn’t provide explicit reasons for cancelling support, but gaming hasn’t been the Mac’s strong suit for decades, so lack of interest on the part of developers and users could have been a contributor.
There were several signs that the end was nigh. Valve’s own VR headset, the Index, does not support macOS, and Apple even removed photos featuring VR gadgets from its website, as just a few examples. Meanwhile, rumors persist that Apple is developing its own VR and AR glasses. The future of VR on macOS isn’t clear. Apple could turn things around with its own headset, though there’s no guarantee that the company’s AR/VR projects will come to fruition.
But that’s not all. Keighley, who is acting as Summer Game Fest curator, revealed a string of major publishers who are taking part, including 2K, Activision, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Blizzard, Bungie, CD Projekt Red, Digital Extremes, Electronic Arts, Square Enix, Private Division, Riot Games, Steam and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. And that’s just the first wave of confirmed participants.
There’ll be plenty of news and surprises on the cards, along with in-game events. Some, including Steam and Xbox, will offer playable demos and trials. The summer edition of the Steam Game Festival will take place June 9th-14th, while Keighley and iam8bit are putting together a developer showcase of upcoming games. Details about other publishers’ events and others who are taking part will arrive in the coming weeks. An initial schedule will be added to the Summer Game Fest website on Tuesday.
“If the reporting in the Wall Street Journal article is accurate, then statements Amazon made to the Committee about the company’s business practices appear to be misleading, and possibly criminally false or perjurious,” the letter says. “If these allegations are true, then Amazon exploited its role as the largest online marketplace in the U.S. to appropriate the sensitive commercial data of individual marketplace sellers and then used that data to compete directly with those sellers.”
The letter comes after Senator Josh Hawley called for a criminal antitrust investigation into the claims. When the report first came out, Amazon said it “strictly prohibt[s]” workers from using private seller data. It also said it had launched an internal investigation into the situation.
As CNBC notes, Jeff Bezos is the only CEO of one of the big-four US tech companies — Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook — to have not testified before Congress. Amazon is currently the subject of a House Antitrust Subcommittee investigation as well. According to Bloomberg, the Federal Trade Commission has also launched a probe into the company’s practices.
