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The Morning After: Vine is back, but now it’s Byte

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The SUV and sedan are about due for a hardware update.Tesla update leaks some upcoming changes for Model S, Model X

The first new Tesla software update of 2020 just started rolling out, and @Greentheonly has taken a look at the files to get a peek at features that are on the way. According to his analysis, the Model S and Model X could be due for changes soon that include a built-in wireless phone charging setup, new battery configurations and more. We’re already expecting a triple-motor “Plaid” Model S later this year with a larger battery, so maybe this is a hint of a broader redesign for the sedan.

Mesh might be an answer.My quest to fix my terrible home WiFi

Chris Velazco’s duplex has a problem that some of you might be able to relate to: bad WiFi signal. He swapped out his cable company-provided setup for a few different routers and mesh setups to find a fix, and now has some suggestions for anyone else in a similar situation.

Meet your new high-tech sous chef.How Weber used decades of expertise to improve smart grilling

The addition of WiFi means you don’t have to physically walk to your grill to check the status of your 12-hour brisket cook. And during the winter months, that’s a huge perk. Billy Steele went in-depth with Weber about some of its new designs.

Hmm…This is the logo for ‘Space Force’

Wait, doesn’t that look like the Starfleet icon? Yes. It also looks like the old Air Force Space Command logo.

One app creates a printable envelope to put your phone in.Google’s experimental apps shame you into taming phone addiction

Activity Bubbles, Screen Stopwatch and Envelope are all part of the latest push from Google to get you to put your phone down (after you finish reading this, of course). The first two add on-screen reminders of how much time you’ve spent staring at a screen, while Envelope creates some physical separation. Do the apps go too far? Do they not go far enough? I can’t stay off my phone for long enough to check.

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Recommended Reading: Facial recognition, police and privacy

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The secretive company that might end privacy as we know it
Kashmir Hill,
The New York Times

Clearview is a startup that developed a facial recognition system that matches a photo of a person to publicly available images. Those can be from Facebook, YouTube or even Venmo. It’s powerful technology, and law enforcement is using it to solve crimes like shoplifting, murder and child sexual exploitation. The code in Clearview’s app references the ability to pair the software with AR glasses, giving the person wearing them the ability to identify whoever they see. And the company is monitoring who law enforcement is looking for, which makes an already massive privacy issue sound like something out of a dystopian novel.

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Four Netflix originals are coming to the Criterion Collection

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The supernatural romantic drama Atlantics — a horror film that’s also a social commentary — will be added to the collection, as well. It was one of the films Netflix purchased at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. Finally, the Criterion Collection is also adding the documentary film American Factory about a Chinese company opening a factory in Ohio. It was the first film produced by Barack Obama’s and Michelle Obama’s production outfit, and it premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Netflix didn’t say when the originals will become part of the archive, only that they’ll officially be added to the collection later this year.

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Tesla update leaks some upcoming changes for Model S, Model X

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Tesla has routinely refreshed its models with new tweaks and configurations. The last major exterior change for the Model S was back in 2016, so it’s about due for some changes. Last year there were sightings of a possible Model S refresh on the streets, and Elon Musk already confirmed that a higher-performance “Plaid” Model S is supposed to arrive this year with larger battery packs than current models.

According to Electrek, the new software update has rolled out to vehicles in China first, with an added feature to contact support via WeChat, plus newgames including Happy Mahjong, Fight Landlords, and Happy Upgrade. There’s also an app specifically for weather and air quality, however it hasn’t popped up in other markets yet.



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Vine co-founder launches a new 6-second video app: Byte

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In 2017 Twitter pulled the plug on Vine, and left a community of extremely-short-form-video creators without a platform. Since then TikTok has flourished, but it’s still not the same thing. Vine cofounder Dom Hofmann has been teasing a sequel since late in 2017, and after months of being in closed beta, Byte is now available to everyone on Android and iOS.

A partner program to pay creators for their work is supposed to arrive “soon,” and you sign up using either your Google account or Apple ID. If you’re curious, the community guidelines are here, and the privacy notice is here. The app is video first, with a focus on getting stuff in front of you quickly just like Vine always did and TikTok does now. Will it be as addictive as either of those? Judging by the track record, probably, but it all depends on what people make of the app.

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US Space Force logo unveiled with a clear Star Trek influence

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The president has been pushing to create a new military branch, dubbed Space Force, since 2018 and today tweeted out a logo for the department. The most noticeable part of the logo is right in the center, where a design that closely resembles Star Trek’s arrowhead-style Starfleet insignia sits.



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YouTube will stream Blizzard’s CoD and Overwatch leagues in 2020

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As part of a multi-year deal, Google Cloud will handle the publisher’s game hosting and streaming infrastructure. In a press release, Google said Activision Blizzard opted for Cloud “because of its highly reliable global footprint, advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, and commitment to open source, creating a platform for building future gaming innovations.” It also suggested the company might use Cloud AI tools to provide “curated recommendations for in-game offers.”

Losing Overwatch League and a chance to stream Call of Duty League is the latest in a string of blows for Twitch. It hosted OWL for the last two seasons and paid Blizzard a reported $90 million to be the league’s streaming partner in a two-year deal. By some estimates, Overwatch League was the most-watched channel on Twitch in the third quarter of 2019.

A number of big names have also jumped ship from Twitch in favor of other streaming platforms over the last few months, including Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek and Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter. It did manage to hang onto some popular streamers, including Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo, Saqib “LIRIK” Zahid and Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar, but losing OWL is another setback for Twitch in its quest to remain the livestreaming kingpin.



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Uber reaches its last major city in North America

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The approvals technically cover the whole of the Lower Mainland and the skiing destination of Whistler, BC, although that wider permission only allows for drop-offs. The companies only have permission to pick up passengers in Vancouver. Most other cities in the region (including Burnaby and Richmond) expect to offer licenses soon, though, with Surrey being the notable exception.

The city wasn’t in dire straits by going without ridesharing services. As Slate noted, Vancouver has thrived on mass transit as well as car sharing. It’s Car2Go’s biggest membership base in North America. With Car2Go on the way out in late February, however, there will be a significant vacuum that Uber and Lyft might fill. And whether city officials liked it or not, there was a lot of pressure to embrace ridesharing. It not only frustrated those tourists who expected app-based rides, but locals who had trouble getting taxis or public transportation after nights out. Whatever you think of these services, they might fill key gaps in Vancouver’s transportation network.



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Grab a discounted Pixel 3a and get a $100 gift card at these US retailers

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When we first spotted this deal, Best Buy had was also offering the phones for $50 off. However, it has since cut the price of both the 3a and 3a XL by an additional $50, making them $300 and $380 respectively. You’ll also get a $100 gift card when you buy either of the two devices from Best Buy.

Engadget’s Chris Velazco gave the Pixel 3a and 3a XL scores of 88 and 87 when he reviewed them. For the price, he found Google’s mid-range phones offered reliable performance and battery life, as well as an excellent camera. As expected for two devices that cost less than $500, they don’t include an official water resistance rating, but that’s an easier omission to come to terms with when they’re $50 to $100 cheaper.

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Watch Google’s upcoming AirDrop-style file sharing in action

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The good news is that it looks like Nearby Sharing solves a lot of the usability quirks that stopped Android Beam from becoming more popular. To start, Android now completes the initial handshake between two devices through Bluetooth rather than NFC. As a result, you don’t have to put two phones right up next to one another to start the sharing process. Instead, it looks like you have about a foot of range to work with. Using the feature also looks more straightforward. You can enable Nearby Sharing from Android’s quick settings menu. Afterwards, sharing a file is simply a matter of accessing the share sheet, which you can pull up in most apps by tapping the three dots icon.

Notably, it also likes you will have a couple of options when it comes to setting up how the feature works. For instance, there are visibility options that allow you to restrict who can send you a file. Additionally, there’s a setting to allow your phone to use data to assist with the process.

We could soon see a variety of Android phone makers each release their own take on AirDrop. Earlier today, XDA published a report that showed Samsung is working on a feature called Quick Share. Last year, a trio of Chinese phone manufacturers announced they were working on their own file-sharing protocol. However, the benefit of Google’s approach is that it would work with any Android phone, instead of a specific make of phone. It’s not clear when Google will release Nearby Sharing, but there’s a good chance we’ll learn about it at the company’s upcoming I/O developer conference, which starts on May 12th.

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