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Google Assistant’s ambient mode is coming to OnePlus phones

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In addition to showing controls for smart devices and music playback, it also lets you set the alarm, as we as well as see your schedule and the weather. The ambient mode screen can also display a slideshow from Google Photos, essentially turning your phone into a digital photo frame.

A OnePlus staff member has announced the feature’s launch on the company’s forum, telling users to plug their devices in, click the notification that pops up and follow the guidance to set it up. You can also go to Google App Settings > Assistant > Devices (Phone) to enable it. Take note that it may take a week for all OnePlus users to get access to the feature, so just keep checking if it’s not enabled for you yet.



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Amazon hires former Hulu CEO to lead Prime Video

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When Hopkins officially joins Amazon on February 24th, he will report directly to company chief Jeff Bezos. According to the Wall Street Journal, he will divide his time between Los Angeles and the company’s headquarters in Seattle. In a note sent to staff members, Blackburn introduced Hopkins as someone who has an “extensive track record” in media, film and TV. The note reads:

“Mike comes to us with over 20 years of industry experience at Fox, Hulu, and Sony. He has an extensive track record as a global business leader in media, film and TV — negotiating landmark content and distribution agreements, running marketing operations, leading product/tech teams, and overseeing production of breakthrough television content.”

Hopkins joins the list of executives Sony lost to other TV, video and streaming services. In 2017, Sony presidents Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg joined Apple to lead its video programming division. A handful of other Sony executives followed them to Apple, including Angelica Guerra who led the company’s Latin American and US Hispanic content.

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‘Space Channel 5’ returns in VR form on February 25th

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If you’re still pining for Space Channel 5, Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s first big music-focused games, you’re in for a treat… if you have the right hardware, anyway. Grounding and Sega are releasing a VR take on the franchise, Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash, on February 25th for PlayStation VR owners. You’re not taking Ulala’s place as she dances her way to saving the galaxy. Rather, you play an intern reporter who dances along to the action while dodging blasts from enemies. The super-colorful ’60s style and music remain intact.



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Activists form nonprofit to fight gig worker exploitation

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The pair are well-known activists in the gig worker community. They were among the leaders of a six-day protest against Instacart in December, and held a 72-hour strike in the hopes of persuading Instacart to give all tips to its shoppers and to revamp how fees work. Earlier this month, a group of Instacart employees in Chicago unionized, the first group of the company’s workers to do so in the US.

Clarke’s goals with the organization include helping gig workers organize, file grievances and stand up for themselves whichever company they carry out work for. “We want to be the first responders that, whenever gig workers find out there is a pay cut or some type of issue, they’ll feel comfortable coming to us,” Clarke told TechCrunch.

It’s early days for the Gig Workers Collective, which is seeking funding to bolster its work. If it gains traction, it could help gig workers give themselves more of a voice in their efforts to secure better pay and working conditions. Given the complex and ever-evolving gig worker landscape — including various attempts at obtaining employee status and legislation to bolster their rights — having an organization they could turn to for help and perhaps clarity might prove beneficial for them.



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YouTube may offer sign-ups for premium subscriptions like Showtime

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The reasoning would be familiar. Like Amazon’s Prime Video Channels or the Apple TV app, this would turn YouTube into a central hub for your online viewing. It’d be convenient and give you one less reason to drift toward the competition, even if there’s little to no money headed YouTube’s way. Of course, this would also give YouTube a way to pitch Premium, TV and other in-house offerings to viewers who otherwise wouldn’t take a closer look.

Not that success is guaranteed. Facebook tried subscriptions to other services through Watch starting in summer 2019, but gave that up in November due to a lack of customer interest. These multi-service strategies only work if people are interested in both the destination and the services on offer. YouTube will have to show that it can serve as a one-stop shop for video services, not just as a place to go for funny cat clips and makeup tutorials.

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Microsoft’s redesigned Office apps for iOS are faster and simpler

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There isn’t a surfeit of new features. The largest changes are to Excel, where a newly available XLOOKUP function helps you find cell data. You can also read and respond to comments directly from email. And whichever app you’re using, there’s a new alt text pane that helps you add captions and mark elements as decorative. The spruced-up interface is really the centerpiece here –the new capabilities are mostly nice-to-have perks.

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Judge will reportedly approve Sprint / T-Mobile merger tomorrow

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A push by several state attorneys general will reportedly not be enough to stand in the way of a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times cite sources saying that tomorrow a US district judge is expected to rule in the companies favor, allowing them to go through with the deal after the Department of Justice gave its approval last fall, and the FCC signed off in November.

Developing…

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Nikola Motors unveils hybrid fuel-cell concept truck with 600-mile range

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Nikola plans to offer the Badger as both a purely battery-electric vehicle and as an electric/fuel-cell hybrid. The company claims the hybrid powertrain model will feature a maximum range of approximately 600 miles, while the battery model will be limited to 300 miles. It also claims the pickup will be able to tow up to 8,000 pounds and accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in approximately 2.9 seconds. Those capabilities, if Nikola can deliver on them, would make the Badger mostly comparable to Tesla’s Cybertruck.

However, one major issue is the availability of hydrogen stations. Compared to battery charging stations, there aren’t many places in the US where you can refill a fuel-cell vehicle. Even in a state like California, they’re few and far between outside of major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. To solve the problem, Nikola says it plans to build 700 hydrogen filling stations. The company claims it has the first locations secured, but it won’t announce them until later this quarter.

As for the truck, the company says it will fully detail the Badger at its upcoming Nikola World 2020 event in September, at which point it will start accepting limited reservations as well. The Badger, if it turns out to be more than a concept, will enter a field that is quickly becoming crowded. Beyond obvious competitors like the Cybertruck, there are vehicles like the upcoming Hummer, Rivian R1T and eventual electric Ford F-150 for Nikola to worry about.

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The first crewed SpaceX flight could happen around May 7th

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It’s been almost a year since the Crew Dragon achieved one major milestone: reaching the ISS. In January, SpaceX completed Crew Dragon’s in-flight launch escape test, which proved that the capsule can break away from the Falcon 9 rocket and splash down in the Atlantic if necessary during launch. SpaceX has also successfully completed a round of engine tests without any explosions.

At this point, it seems things are going well for SpaceX and Crew Dragon. It makes sense that, following these successful tests and Musk’s previous estimate, Crew Dragon might be ready to launch on May 7th. When the flight does occur, it could look something like this simulated two-minute video clip that Musk tweeted late last year.



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