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Xiaomi is spinning off its Poco brand into a new company

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Xiaomi is the fourth-largest smartphone maker in the world and is particularly popular in India. While it largely sells low- and mid-range devices, it launched the Poco sub-brand in 2018 to compete with high-end smartphones from Samsung, OnePlus and others. However, since the Pocophone F1, the brand has yet to launch another smartphone.

Xiaomi also has the Mi/Redmi sub-brands, which it created to sell smartphones, computers, TVs and other products in Europe and other markets. That brand has remained in-house, however, while it appears to be spinning Poco off into a whole new company.

Details about the brand or its future products are still unknown, though head of Poco Alvin Tse told TechCrunch in 2018 that Poco was working on other smartphones and product categories. It’s also unclear what resources (manufacturing, marketing, etc.) the new company will share with its parent.

Poco will be joining a crowded field in a relatively tough market that hasn’t grown much in the last few years. Xiaomi itself is now making more premium devices like the K20 Pro and CC9, so Poco will also be competing with its own parent. Similarly, Huawei has had Honor for years, whereas Oppo brought us OnePlus and, more recently, Realme.

Update 1/17/20 10:30PM ET: The article has been updated with the correct spokesperson’s name.

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Microsoft’s Xbox Console Streaming preview goes global

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The list of requirements is fairly hefty: As well as being inside an Update Preview ring, you’ll need an Android device running Marshmallow, or higher. You’ll also need to own a Bluetooth Xbox One controller, and a speedy home network to ensure your setup can cope with streaming.

Microsoft’s Jonathan Hildebrandt says that the company views “the public preview as an important step in our journey to deliver game streaming to Xbox players around the world.” He added that the company has been pleased by the feedback given by early-access testers in the US and UK since tests began.

Hildebrandt also said that users can expect performance updates, and more, in the near future with the next update. Hopefully, it won’t be long before everyone can grab some game time while they’re away from the living room.

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The Morning After: Comcast and NBC explain their Peacock streaming service

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Ready for another trip?Engadget Podcast: Super Nintendo World, here we go!

Devindra, Cherlynn and Senior Editor Nick Summers take a relaxing break from the madness of CES by diving into some of this week’s news, like the trailer for Japan’s Super Nintendo World park. They also question the wisdom of Sony abandoning E3 (yet again), and welcome Microsoft’s new Chromium-infused Edge browser. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.

Intriguing.This Star Trek-inspired medical bed could make X-rays more affordable

The Nanox.Arc looks like a Star Trek biobed and promises to drop the cost of X-rays to low five-digit figures with a “pay-per-scan” business model.

Who needs a backdoor?Search warrant suggests FBI pulled data from a locked iPhone 11 Pro Max

Federal agencies are insisting they need Apple’s help to access an iPhone 7 from the Pensacola naval base shooting. However, a Forbes reporter dug up a warrant showing the FBI just recently used a tool called GrayKey to pull information from a locked iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Separately, a forensics company from Israel is reportedly advertising software that can unlock models from the iPhone 5S to the iPhone X. If current technology works on much newer (and presumably more secure) devices, then arguments from AG Bill Barr and others lose some punch.

Not for everyone, but it is for someone.Fujifilm X-Pro3 review: One peculiar camera

This entry in Fujifilm’s X-Pro series has an impractical rear display, tricky-to-learn optical viewfinder and isn’t a good option for shooting video. Still, its impressive autofocus, film simulations and ruggedized body make it perfect for the street shooting that buyers will likely pick it up for.

The team needs more time.CD Projekt Red delays ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ until September 17th

CD Projekt Red says Cyberpunk 2077 won’t be ready in time for its scheduled April 16th release date. As such, it’s delaying the futuristic RPG by five months to mid-September. While the game apparently is playable in its current state, “there’s still work to be done,” the developer said in a tweet. “Due to the sheer scale and complexity of it all, we need more time to finish playtesting, fixing and polishing.” It’ll provide more updates as it approaches the game’s new release date. At least we’ll have time to play the Final Fantasy VII Remake now.

The bad news keeps coming: According to Polygon, the developer’s SVP of development Michał Nowakowski told investors in a call that Cyberpunk’s multiplayer mode won’t be coming out until after 2021.

Everyone shops online these days.Bose is closing down all of its US and European stores

Bose has announced it’s closing a significant number of its stores, due to the popularity of online shopping and reduced consumer interest in brick-and-mortar stores. All of the Bose retail outlets in North America, Europe, Japan and Australia will close, a total of 119. Elsewhere in the world, 130 stores will remain in Greater China and the United Arab Emirates, with a smattering of other locations in India, Southeast Asia and South Korea.

Bose has not revealed how many employees it’s laying off, but estimates suggest it’ll probably be in the hundreds. The company also told Engadget: “Bose noise-cancelling headphones, truly wireless sport earbuds, portable speakers and smart speakers are increasingly purchased through e-commerce.”

The unique prospect of testing out high-end audio products was a draw in the ’90s when Bose opened its first US store, but over the years, the general quality of audio products has improved so much that people can buy online more confidently. Also: Sonos.

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Google Stadia is being bundled with BT broadband packages in the UK

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After the first three months, you’ll need to pay £8.99 per month to keep Stadia Pro. You can let the subscription expire, though, and still have access to Stadia Base, a basic storefront that lets you buy games individually and play them (via streaming) in up to 1080p resolution.

BT’s offer is available until January 30th. Then, on February 7th, the company will offer various “Superfast Stadia gaming plans” that include a Stadia Premiere Edition. It’s not clear exactly how these deals will differ from what’s being offered today. (BT has merely confirmed that they’ll be available with Superfast Fibre 2, Ultrafast Fibre 100 and Ultrafast Fibre 250.) An ongoing Stadia Pro discount, for instance, would be intriguing.

For Google, it’s an obvious move. Stadia’s launch was met with some lukewarm press coverage — a curious platform with promise, many concluded, but not something that everyone needs just yet. For now, Google’s biggest problem is awareness. It can’t increase Stadia’s install base unless people know it exists. The company made some attention-grabbing TV adverts, but it’s unclear if they’ve made a real dent in the public consciousness. Recruiting BT, which often takes out massive billboard ads, will only help its cause in the UK. Still, it could be difficult to penetrate a market that is already rife with gaming platforms and subscriptions.

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Nestlé adds sausages to its range of plant-based meats

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Meanwhile, Europeans are getting a soy-based sausage in Bratwurst and Chorizo variants. While soy is its main ingredient, it also uses beetroot, carrots, peppers and rapeseed and coconut oils. It will be released as part of the “Incredible” meat alternative lineup under the company’s Garden Gourmet brand and will be available for purchase in 11 European markets, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, starting in April.

Wayne England, head of Nestlé’s food business, said:

“After the huge success of our plant-based burgers and grounds, we’re now adding another favorite. These plant-based sausages really deliver on flavor and texture. Their juiciness and firm bite means you can cook and enjoy them any way you like, including grilling, roasting or pan-frying.”

Nestlé says it will also release restaurant/food service versions of both sausages after their retail launch, so they may eventually be offered as a menu item. Those who aren’t exactly fond of sausages may prefer a new range of products Nestlé plans to launch in the future, though: plant-based deli meats, which will be sold in stores and from deli counters.

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Facebook canceled two original Watch series

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Facebook Watch still has some level of commitment to scripted series, as it plans to go forward with several in development. It would also be willing to pick up new programming if the right project came along, according to Deadline. Overall, however, it plans to emphasize unscripted programming, where it has had better success with shows like Red Table and Mike Rowe’s Returning the Favor.

Both Facebook and Google’s YouTube have struggled to make their streaming services work in the face of formidable competitors with more experience and industry connections. That’s despite both companies have nearly bottomless cash to spend if they wanted. It makes sense to focus on reality, talk and other types of unscripted shows, which are generally cheaper and easier to produce. They’re also more in the wheelhouse of FB and YouTube, which have reams of user-produced unscripted content.

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Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer won’t arrive until after 2021

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Cyberpunk 2077, was supposed to be part of the pretty long list of much-awaited games dropping in April, along with the Resident Evil 3 and Final Fantasy VII remakes. (Square Enix also move back FFVII’s release for a month.) However, CD Projekt Red had to delay the RPG’s release by five months to give it enough time to polish and test the game, as well as to fix any issues it may have.

In the call, Nowakowski said:

“Given the expected release of Cyberpunk 2077 in September, and frankly speaking of the series of events we expect to occur after that date, 2021 appears unlikely as a release date for the Cyberpunk multiplayer.”

Unfortunately, the exec didn’t give a more specific timeframe for multiplayer’s availability. We’d just have to wait for more updates to come out over the next two years.

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Lyft’s autonomous vehicle partner Magna is done with self-driving tech

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Magna isn’t fully severing ties with Lyft, in which it invested $200 million in 2018, but the self-driving partnership seems to have been impacting its bottom line. They’ll keep working together on other autonomy-related software and hardware. Lyft has also collaborated with Waymo on autonomous cars.

Ultimately, Magna doesn’t think there’s big enough potential in autonomous vehicles in the medium term. It sees more opportunities for growth in the assisted driving market (up to Level 3 autonomy) over the next five years.

CEO Don Walker told reporters that the industry is getting “more realistic” about how long it’ll take before autonomous driving really takes off. As such, Magna plans to invest “where we’re going to get a higher volume,” CFO Vince Galifi said.

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NPD’s best-selling games of the decade charts ‘Call of Duty’ domination

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As usual, the NPD group has rounded up sales stats for the last month, but with the flip from 2019 to 2020 it is also listing some of the best sellers over the last ten years. Grand Theft Auto V is the best selling game across all platforms and outlets tracked from 2010 through the end of 2019, but otherwise the top ten is dominated by the Call of Duty series, with Red Dead Redemption at number 7 and Minecraft at number 10 as the only other titles.

  1. Grand Theft Auto V
  2. Call of Duty: Black Ops
  3. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
  4. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
  5. Call of Duty: Black Ops III
  6. Call Of Duty: Ghosts
  7. Red Dead Redemption II
  8. Call of Duty: WWII
  9. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII
  10. Minecraft
  11. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
  12. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019
  13. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  14. Mario Kart 8
  15. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
  16. Battlefield 1
  17. Battlefield 4
  18. Destiny
  19. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  20. Star Wars Battlefront 2015

In fact, Call of Duty accounted for 10 of the top 15 selling games over the last decade, with Infinite Warfare just making the list. The PlayStation 4 is the top selling console over the last ten years, and the DualShock 4, accordingly, is the best-selling accessory. Still, Nintendo managed to grab the sales crown for December and 2019 as a whole, and as we head into a new decade with a new generation of systems on the way things look wide open.

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WSJ: Facebook won’t push through with plans to put ads in WhatsApp

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The founders have strong feelings against advertisements, after all. In a 2012 post on the app’s blog, they called ads “insults to your intelligence” and said they wanted to “make something that wasn’t just another ad clearinghouse.” Jan Koum left in 2018, a few months before Facebook announced it’s putting ads in Status, though reports back then said it was mostly due to the social network’s desire to use WhatsApp user data and weaken its encryption. His fellow co-founder Brian Acton left a year earlier, even tweeting #deletefacebook after the Cambridge Analytica scandal blew up.

It’s not entirely clear if Facebook is killing its advertising plans for WhatsApp entirely. WSJ says those efforts are “now on ice” and that it “plans at some point to introduce ads to Status,” so the app may still show ads in the future. For now, though, WhatsApp is reportedly focusing on building features for its business users. A lot of people in developing nations use WhatsApp for their businesses, which is why the company has been rolling out features they can use for quite a while now. WhatsApp released a dedicated customer service app in 2018 and, more recently, launched the ability to create product catalogs within the application.

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