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Motorola’s Razr is still $1,500 but now you can get it in ‘blush gold’

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The Motorola Razr is now available in blush gold, in case the only thing that’s keeping you from spending $1,500 on one is the fact that the phone only came in black. While the new option thankfully doesn’t make the foldable device even more expensive, the only difference between it and the basic black version is the color of the back panel and the front chin.

It’s still the same Razr we reviewed in February that’s more of a fashion statement than anything. As we mentioned then, the device won’t run faster, last longer or take better pictures than other devices just because it costs $1,500. It also remains a Verizon exclusive. If you’re actually looking to get the phone because it makes a fashion statement, though, then you can get the blush gold Razr from Motorola’s or Verizon’s website.

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NASA wants your miniature science payload designs for Moon rovers

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NASA says it could send tiny rovers to the Moon one day in addition to its water ice-hunting VIPER robot that’s scheduled for launch in 2022. Before the agency can do so, though, it has to develop tiny scientific payloads for its tiny rovers — and it needs your help to make that happen. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has launched a crowdsourcing project on HeroX aptly entitled “Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload.” In particular, it’s seeking instrument designs that can provide support for sustained human presence on the Moon and can help us use the resources we find on it.

The instrument ideas must be similar in size to a bar of soap. They must weigh no more than 0.8 pounds and must have max dimensions of 3.9 inches by 3.9 inches by 1.9 inches. These smaller payloads won’t just be more affordable than their bigger counterparts, they’ll also require less energy. JPL technologist Sabah Bux explained:

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WSJ: Travelex paid ransomware ring $2.3 million

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Earlier this year Travelex made news after attackers shut down its computer networks. Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting new details about the incident, including how much the foreign exchange company paid to resolve its problem: $2.3 million in the form of 285 Bitcoin.

Travelex found itself crippled after a New Year’s Eve attack, and later confirmed in a statement that its network was offline due to the Sodinokibi ransomware, aka REvil. By January 13th it was updating customers on its recovery process and said January 17th that the first of its customer-facing systems were back up and running. That isn’t the end of its issues, however, as parent company Finablr announced today that it appointed a bank as an Independent Financial Advisor to “explore strategic options for the Company including a debt restructuring, capital raise or sale of assets.”

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Google Meet’s premium features are now free through Sept. 30th

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Since then, the company says it’s added up to 2 million new Meet users each day, with more than 100 million students and teachers using Google Classroom, the company’s suite of educational tools, which includes Google Meet.

Google’s extension comes as rival Zoom faces increasing scrutiny over its security practices. Some companies have since banned the software, as have many school districts. Extending the amount of time its premium features are more widely available could help Google further chip away at Zoom’s popularity.



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Facebook adds ‘quiet mode’ to help you manage screen time

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When quiet mode is enabled, the app will warn you.

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Quiet mode builds on the time management tools the company launched in 2018. That tool allowed users to set limits on time spent in the app, as well as the ability to mute notifications for short periods of time.

With the introduction of quiet mode, Facebook is also making more detailed usage statistics available. You’ll now be able to see details for two-week periods, and get breakdowns of time spent during the day and at night. 

Facebook is adding more detailed statistics to its time spent dashboard.

Facebook

Facebook is billing the new features as a mental health resource for those who may be struggling to cope with isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. The company also announced that it’s adding mental health resources to its coronavirus information hub, and that it’s making a $2 million donation to crisis helplines around the world.

Quiet mode is rolling out now, but it could still be a few weeks before it’s live for everyone. Facebook says it expects the feature to be live for all iOS users by May with a full Android rollout expected by June.

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Twitch rolls out Prime Watch Parties to US streamers

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Twitch first revealed its plans for “Watch Parties” back in October 2019. The test feature would allow streamers to watch Prime Video with their viewers, as long as they were also subscribers. Now, Watch Parties beta is being expanded to all US Twitch partners and will roll out to all US creators in the coming weeks. Twitch says it plans to launch the feature worldwide in the coming months.

This couldn’t come at a more opportune time, since millions of people around the world are currently stuck indoors due to COVID-19 measures, and streamers and influencers are tasked with keeping their audiences occupied. The new beta will also include a picture-by-picture format, so viewers can see and hear how streamers react to every scene.

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‘Saturday Night Live’ returns to TV with a remote episode on April 11th

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Talk shows and sports leagues have used internet services to keep offering fresh content despite the COVID-19 pandemic, so why not comedy shows? Saturday Night Live is taking a stab at it. As noted by Hollywood Reporter, NBC’s long-running series is planning a “remotely produced” episode that will air April 11th at 11:30PM Eastern. It won’t shock you to hear that the usual sketches and music breaks won’t take place. You will get “Weekend Update,” though, and there are promises of material from various cast members.

There’s no mention of plans for follow-up episodes, so you shouldn’t expect this to represent SNL’s regular programming until it’s safe for people to be close once again.

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Facebook sues cloaking software maker for deceptive COVID-19 ads

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Facebook is suing Basant Gajjar (aka LeadCloak) for allegedly selling software that helped bad actors circumvent Facebook’s automated ad review systems and push deceptive ads around COVID-19 and other scams. As the name suggests, LeadCloak’s software allegedly provided cloaking services, a malicious technique Facebook has been fighting for years. According to Facebook’s announcement, LeadCloack’s software also targeted companies like Google, Oath (aka Verizon Media, the parent company of Engadget), WordPress and Shopify.

Cloaking works by showing a company’s ad review system an innocuous product or website and showing users something completely different. According to Facebook, LeadCloak’s software was used to conceal websites with scams related to the coronavirus pandemic, cryptocurrency, pharmaceuticals, diet pills and fake news. Those shady ads showed up on both Facebook and Instagram.

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MIT is working on a way to track COVID-19 while protecting privacy

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This is still a research project, and might require talking directly to phone OS developers like Apple and Google to implement properly. It does work cross-platform, though, and MIT is also showing its system to US federal and state governments.

If PACT can be ready in a timely fashion, it could be useful not just for minimizing the spread of COVID-19 during the outbreak, but play a vital role during the recovery. When lockdowns start lifting, an automated system like this could help keep public spaces open by asking people to quarantine only when they’ve recently been close to an infected person. Of course, this also requires widespread adoption to work — it would have to be an integrated, mandatory part of the OS to ensure that the right people know to isolate themselves.

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Overwatch’s new hero Echo arrives April 14th

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If you’re an Overwatch fan, you’ll want to mark April 14th on your calendar. That’s when Echo, the game’s 32nd hero, will join its official roster pool.

As the shooter’s latest damage-dealing hero, Echo comes with a couple of nifty abilities. Her ultimate, Duplicate, allows you to copy the form and abilities of an opposing enemy hero, gaining access to their ultimate in the process. Echo can also use sticky bombs and a beam attack to quickly take out low-health heroes.



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