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Senate panel wants stricter oversight of Chinese telecoms

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American officials have stepped their scrutiny of China over the years. Team Telecom has asked the FCC to revoke China Telecom’s license, and it’s no secret that the US has clamped down on equipment makers like Huawei and ZTE. However, this panel could help foster an even more aggressive stance.

It’s not certain this approach will prove beneficial. It might reassure people worried that China might use its telecoms to surveil the US, but it could also prompt retaliation that hurts American telecoms’ Chinese business and the ability to intercept Chinese data. Still, it’s unlikely the Senate panel will back down — the US sees Chinese surveillance as a major threat, and it’s willing to make sacrifices in response.

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Facebook is releasing a dedicated gaming app tomorrow

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The app will initially be available for Android. An iOS version will be available once Apple approves it, Facebook said. It didn’t say how broadcasting would work on iOS devices, though. App Store policies may bar Facebook from streaming footage from third-party apps. Facebook has been testing versions of the app in Latin America and Southeast Asia for the past 18 months.

It’s no secret as to why Facebook is rolling out this app: it wants a larger stake in livestreaming, and it’s betting that dedicated software will help. The company may need the boost. While Facebook has been poaching top streamers, Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet data suggests it’s still struggling to grow compared to Twitch and YouTube. This may draw attention to game streams where earlier efforts (such as the Gaming tab) have fallen short.

Whether or not it works is uncertain. Remember, YouTube shuttered its dedicated gaming app in 2019 after four years. There’s no guarantee that a gaming-specific app will help. And despite key deals, Twitch still dominates both in terms of viewers and the number of big-name streamers. Facebook may have trouble gaining share if its Amazon-owned rival still has most of the creators people want to watch.

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Samsung pulls Galaxy S20 Ultra update following glitches

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There are reportedly already plans to fix the tinting issue, but that and other flaws (most notably slow camera autofocus) have marred the Ultra’s debut. The flagship phone’s $1,400 price is already a point of contention — its chances aren’t helped by any hiccups that give people second thoughts.

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Amazon keeps French warehouses closed in standoff over health protections

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Amazon said it will try to avoid disruptions by leaning on other European warehouses to handle orders, and it’s noting that sellers with their own logistics should still deliver. It’s also improving safety measures elsewhere. In the meantime, though, this causes significant problems for French residents. They may have a harder time getting essentials, let alone nice-to-have items that could help them endure the pandemic.

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LG offers first clear look at its premium Velvet phone

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LG is still dribbling out details of its posh-looking Velvet phone, but this time it’s offering a much better look than crude sketches. The tech giant has posted a new teaser video that shows the design in earnest, including the curved edges, that “raindrop” rear camera layout and vivid color options that include the chameleonic “Illusion Sunset.” The clip also confirms rumors that this is an upper mid-range phone rather than a flagship — the Velvet will have 5G, but it’s running a Snapdragon 765 instead of the 865 from this year’s high-end Android devices.

The company told Engadget that it doesn’t have more to share about the phone beyond what you see in the video. There’s no word on when it arrives, let alone whether it reaches the US. We wouldn’t count on LG rushing to launch the Velvet given the pandemic, but the steady stream of teasers suggests you’ll hear more about the phone soon enough.

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After Math: What to spend your stimulus check on

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Arturia's KeyStep Pro

Arturia

Still have a third of your stimulus check burning a hole in your pocket along with a burning desire to make your neighbors’ quarantines just a little bit worse? Then the KeyStep Pro is the MIDI controller for you. Go ahead, let your synth flag fly and “entertain” the entire neighborhood!

Pixelbook Go

Engadget

Best Buy is taking a break from furloughing 51,000 of its hourly workers to bring you a great deal on Google’s Pixelbook Go laptop. For just less than half of your stimulus check you can have an entry-level Go delivered to your door, or if you want to splurge and spend two thirds of your check, Best Buy is also offering its mid-tier Core i5 version at an $85 discount.

Withings smartwatch

Engadget

Do you need a Withings’ Steel HR smartwatch when you’re stuck indoors 23 hours a day and the longest distance you walk is from the couch to the fridge and back? Of course not. Can you buy a Withings’ Steel HR smartwatch for less than ten percent of your stimulus check total? Yes, yes you indeed can.

Google Pixel 4

Engadget

Ok, I’ll admit it, this is a very tempting deal given that I’m still rocking a Pixel 2 whose battery life cratered the day after I paid it off and whose charging cable now needs to be secured overnight with rubber bands. But now is not the time for frivolous purchase — at least until the government starts issuing checks monthly, then it’s time to spend, spend, spend!

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Tesla Powerwall knows when to stop charging your EV during power outages

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Tesla’s Powerwall can ironically create problems if you’re all-in on the company’s ecosystem. What happens if there’s a power outage and the battery pack has to juggle the needs of both your home and your EV? You might rest a little easier from now on. Teslerati reports that Tesla has released a Powerwall update that will coordinate with the company’s cars to prioritize charging during power outages. Charging will slow down if there’s a high load in your household during the outage, and will even stop entirely if the Powerwall dips below an “energy threshold.”

The feature is currently available to North American owners who drive a Model 3 or Model Y. You’ll have to be patient if you live elsewhere or drive one of Tesla’s higher-end EVs. If you do qualify, though, this could ensure that you aren’t left in the dark simply because your car was a little too thirsty during a bad storm.

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New York allows clerks to perform weddings by video conference

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New York is adjusting to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic even for some of its most time-honored traditions. Governor Andrew Cuomo has implemented an Executive Order that not only lets state residents get their marriage licenses remotely, but allows clerks to perform wedding ceremonies through video conferences. Yes, you can get hitched without having to track down another officiator who knows their way around Skype or Zoom.

Remote weddings aren’t a completely novel concept, but this move might be particularly important. The Hill noted that NYC’s Marriage Bureau has been closed since March 20th, leaving couples in one of the US’ most populous cities without many options. And while there are signs the pandemic is turning a corner, it could be a long time before it’s safe for partners to say their “I dos” in a packed building. Technology, in other words, might be crucial to keeping a staple of romance going.



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Instagram founders reunite to create a COVID-19 spread tracker

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Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have put out their first joint product since leaving Facebook, and it’s not a social network. The two have launched Rt.live, a site that helps track attempts to fight the spread of COVID-19 in each state. As Krieger told TechCrunch, the project takes advantage of Systrom’s open source approach to calculating Rt (the average number of people infected by a given infected person) on a daily basis to show how well a given state is coping — anything below an Rt of 1 indicates a successful fight agains the disease.

The site also helps make sense of the data in a way you don’t always see with these trackers. You can filter by region, recency and the use of shelter in place orders (as you might guess, those states without orders typically fare worse). This could give you a better sense of how the US is coping with the pandemic than simply looking at case rates, and might prove useful for later studies.

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Labor regulators look into Amazon’s firings of outspoken critics

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Amazon is facing scrutiny for firing employees and otherwise striking back at vocal critics of its workplace practices. The National Labor Relations Board is looking into claims Amazon is retaliating against employees who organize or participate in protests, including firing them or asking illegal questions. The board has declined to take action against Amazon so far, but the NLRB’s Chicago regional director said punishments might come if there was a “meritorious charge” involving other unfair behavior in the next six months.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, the company maintained that staff were punished for “bad actions” that included “endanger[ing] the health, well-being or safety” of coworkers by violating social distancing rules. However, those levelling complaints have argued that Amazon is just using social distancing as a pretext and is using intimidation tactics to keep employees in line, such as jumping directly to final written warnings instead of the gradual warnings it’s supposed to use.

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