Respawn has shared a new gameplay trailer that details what Apex Legends players can expect when tomorrow’s the Old Ways event starts. The highlight of the two-week event is a town takeover mode called “Bloodhound’s Trials” that will put you and your squad against computer-controlled prowler monsters and other players. Complete the trials and you’ll get access to high-tier loot. One of the more interesting aspects of the mode is that Respawn has reworked part of the World’s Edge map to incorporate the arena where the trials take place.
As you might expect, Respawn is also adding a host of new in-game items for players to earn. You’ll be able to obtain these through Apex’s direct purchase shop a new prize track. All the new items are inspired by the Old Ways short Respawn shared at the start of the month.
On April 18th, late night hosts and celebrities will participate in One World: Together At Home, a virtual benefit concert to raise money for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. The multi-hour digital broadcast will stream on several platforms, including Apple, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube, as well as traditional TV networks, like ABC, NBC and ViacomCBS.
Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert will host the fundraiser, and musicians from Billie Eilish to Alanis Morissette, Chris Martin, Elton John, John Legend and Kacey Musgraves are scheduled to perform. Proceeds from the event, which is being organized by Global Citizen and the World Health Organization, will help get protective equipment to healthcare workers and support charities providing food and shelter to those in need.
I’m not currently reviewing anything, but I want to be prepared for the future when inevitably I’ll have to become a one-woman film crew. Plus, I have long wanted to try creating makeup review videos and other vlogs for Instagram, YouTube or even Twitch. What better time to get started on my long-neglected side hustle ideas?
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
But first, work. I used the S20 Ultra to capture B-roll of a Galaxy S20 for an imaginary review video, getting pans and other clips of the phones, otherwise known in the biz as “beauty shots.” The footage I got was generally bright, thanks to the large windows In my well-lit apartment. I sent the files to our (talented, kind and infinitely patient) video producer Brian Oh to evaluate, asking him to ignore my lack of skills.
He said the 8K footage was acceptable, although he noted that it looked “jittery” due to a low 24 fps frame rate. Using the S20 Ultra’s manual mode, I switched over to shoot in 4K at 60 fps — the highest resolution and frame rate combination you can pick. Those results were much better, and Brian said he wouldn’t mind using the footage if he was producing for the web. Overall, though, he said that while the quality of the S20 Ultra’s clips were acceptable, he would still only use them as a last resort.
In other words, during these desperate times, the S20 Ultra’s rear camera is a decent desperate measure. A quick note on Samsung’s Pro Video mode: It only allows me to control things like shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, autofocus and white balance. Don’t expect the full suite of tools you’ll find on a DSLR, but the basics are there.
I also shot a makeup test to see how well the S20 Ultra could show blemish-covering foundation on my less-than-perfect skin. I’ve been dissatisfied with the quality of most makeup reviews on YouTube because it’s nearly impossible to see how well or poorly the product they’re applying adheres to their skin or settles into fine lines. I wanted to see if a high-res camera like the S20 Ultra’s could render my pores and spots clearly.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
I ordered a ring light tripod kit from Amazon to try and mimic the super bright, no-shadow look that so many YouTubers adopt. But I also wanted to make sure that I had enough light on my face because I knew from experience that the S20 Ultra can sometimes produce noisy footage.
I tried using the rear cameras first, since I wanted to see how well my terrible complexion would be rendered in 8K. But since I don’t have an 8K screen, I could only play the footage back in 4K on my ThinkPad X1 Carbon. For both the beauty shots of the S20 as well as my face, I’m still not convinced that 8K video is practical, since so few people own compatible devices and the download time for such large files is excruciatingly long.
Even in the lower-res 4K playback, I could already see the scars and dark spots on my skin more clearly than in footage shot on my Pixel or older Galaxy flagships. I also wanted to get some establishing shots of the New York City skyline. Samsung’s Super Steady software did a decent job of reducing motion and shakiness as I panned outside my window. It almost felt like drone footage. Sadly, it only works for full HD capture.
A still from the full HD clip downscaled to 720p.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
If you’re trying to film yourself, though, you’ll probably be relying on the front facing cam more often than not. The S20 Ultra’s is 40-megapixels and can shoot in 4K — that’s pretty high-res for a selfie video. I used this to shoot my makeup tests, since I wanted to be able to see my face easily while filming, and I didn’t have a monitor to show what the rear sensor was capturing in real time. I’d also have to use this to shoot my standups for a review, since I’d need to make sure I remain in focus.
While the quality of the 4K videos was slightly sharper than I’m used to seeing from my Pixel 3, it was a little less crisp compared to clips from the S20 Ultra’s rear cameras. Still, I was pleased to see that the front sensor clearly captured the liquid foundation’s lack of coverage on my face. Compared to a lot of videos I’ve watched on YouTube where you can barely see a difference before and after someone’s applied powder, this was a nice change. Granted, many makeup influencers use lights that make their sets look more professional, but also subdue the appearance of imperfections.
Like any hip, trendy influencer worth their salt, I also used the S20 Ultra to stream an Instagram Live session with all five of my eager followers. The camera delivered detailed footage to my audience, and you could make out individual strands of my hair, as well as faint acne scars on my face. Instagram Live streams at full HD, though, so the S20 Ultra’s higher-res cameras don’t help very much in this scenario.
NVIDIA has a number of existing contributions to coronavirus research, including the 27,000 GPUs inside the Summit supercomputer and those inside many of the computers from the crowdsourced Folding@Home project. This is still a significant step forward, though, and might prove lifesaving if it leads to a vaccine or more effective containment.
Correction, 2:25PM ET: This story and its headline originally claimed that NVIDIA was donating 30 supercomputers to the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium. NVIDIA is not directly providing computers (aside from its SaturnV supercomputer); instead it is using its background in AI and optimizing supercomputer throughput to the group. We apologize for the error.
Nintendo has been known for its penchant for colorful hardware since it launched the Play It Loud series of Game Boys in 1995. The Switch is no exception — the console’s Joy-Con controllers and straps come in a variety of eye-popping colors. The company is now letting new Switch customers create their own made-to-order color scheme bundles — at least in Japan. This will help gamers achieve the style they want without forcing them to buy extra Joy-Cons — plus, the Joy-Con straps are available in some exclusive colors.
Customizing and ordering a bundle is a multi-step process. Japanese gamers can select from either the original Switch or the new version with the improved battery. If they choose the former, they get a ¥3,000 voucher (about $30) to make up for the less impressive battery life. Next, Nintendo presents 10 color options for left and right Joy-Cons and seven options for straps. Several add-ons are also available — such as microSD cards, pre-loaded games and Pro Controllers — so gamers are all set to play as soon as their Switch comes in the mail.
In normal circumstances, public health agencies advise people who play a lot of video games to get outside and socialize, but then these aren't normal circumstances. To slow the spread of COVID-19, the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture,…
In select cities — Chicago, Dallas and Miami, for now — Uber Works will connect drivers with shift work like food production, warehouse and customer service. Uber Freight is providing priority eligibility screening for drivers with a Class A Commercial Driver’s License, and Uber is encouraging drivers in the US to accept UberEats requests if the service is available where they live. While Work Hub is only available in the US, Uber says it is partnering with the online retailer Ocado to help UK drivers find work too.
According to Reuters, drivers say their income has dropped by as much as 80 percent, and many have stopped driving over fears of getting sick. Work Hub should help some Uber drivers, but there’s a good chance that for most, it won’t be enough.
The arson attacks against 5G masts in the UK have become serious enough that carriers are joining together to put a stop to the incidents. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have issued a joint statement both urging people not to set fire to cellular masts, threaten engineers or spread conspiracy theories falsely linking 5G to COVID-19. The networks also encouraged people to report abuse of engineers and call out people spreading misinformation.
As the companies reiterated, cell networks are critical in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. They provide “essential connectivity” to emergency services and the National Health Service, help connect families and enable remote education. The arson has disrupted “critical infrastructure,” the carriers said, and threats to engineers have “prevented essential network maintenance.”
The unusual-looking cylindrical Shield TV has all the features you need in a streaming box, including support for Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and most other major streaming services. If you have an HDR capable TV and surround sound system, it also supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
As we found with our hands-on, it does a lot better job of upscaling HD content to 4K than most TVs, assisted by the new Tegra X1+ processor and some AI tricks. We were particularly impressed by how it seemed to add in detail to HD streams of Game of Thrones and Netflix’s Coco.
The remote (which has an equally unusual triangular form) is also one of the best ones available on any streaming box and miles better than the one you get with Apple TV. On top of feeling great in hand, it has a lost remote locator and buttons that light up whenever you move it. Finally, it works with the $59 Shield and any other Bluetooth gamepad, for that matter.
In fact, Shield TV is almost as capable as the $200 Shield Pro model, other than lacking Plex server support. It could serve you well in these times of quarantine when we all need as much entertainment as possible.
Microsoft’s new Chromium-based browser is picking up users. According to the latest figures from NetMarketShare, Edge just inches ahead of Firefox, with 7.6 percent versus 7.2 percent. Yes, it’s Window’s default browser, but it’s that Chromium base that makes it more compatible, faster and, well, less janky compared to older versions of Edge.
Counterpoint Research says paid music subscriptions jumped 32 percent to reach 358 million users in 2019. It points to a mix of exclusives, phone service bundles, regional price cuts and extended trial periods for the leap in growth. Spotify, with a 35 percent cut is out in front, while Apple Music claims 19 percent and Amazon has jumped up to 15 percent. After that, it’s all the others, like YouTube Music, Tencent, Yandex Music and so on.
Devindra Hardawar has been watching those Quibi snippets, and he can’t fathom why anyone would be willing to stump up five bucks a month for it. He also didn’t find much value flipping between portrait and vertical modes. Quibi’s Turnstyle tech moves between those orientations without stopping the show, but without much commuting in our near future, where this would be useful on a crowded train, it’s a miss. You also can’t ‘cast’ the videos to TVs through AirPlay or Chromecast, which means you’ll have to share your actual phone if you do eventually find something cool.
As Zoom hunkers down to fix its reputation and security holes, some US school districts, including large ones like New York City and Nevada’s Clark County, have banned or disabled the video communication service over security and privacy worries. The exact issue differs depending on the district, but they tend to be a mix of tangible security and privacy problems, with teachers and staff who may not be familiar with how Zoom works. There’s no end-to-end encryption for Zoom meetings, making it possible to intercept video conferences. Teachers have also had to grapple with “Zoombombing” incidents where bad actors disrupt virtual classes — sometimes by guessing the meeting number, sometimes because staff share the meeting details on public sites.
But wait, there’s more…
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In normal circumstances, public health agencies advise people who play a lot of video games to get outside and socialize, but then these aren't normal circumstances. To slow the spread of COVID-19, the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture,…
