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Nest Hubs will use ultrasonic sensing to display reminders and appointments

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Last month Google updated the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max so that they could use ultrasonic sensing to tell when a person is nearby. While the Hub Max includes a camera that it could already use to surface Proactive Notifications when people are around, the original Hub doesn’t have one at all. By sending out a high frequency chirp and listening to the echoes on embedded microphones, the smart displays can detect a person-sized object in the room without pulling in a video feed.

In a new blog post, a team member explained more about how the technology works, and that it changes the available information based on distance. When someone’s further away, it features larger text, as they move closer it can shift to include more details and touch controls. So far the technology has been used for timers, commute times and weather, but over the next week an update will add “reminders, appointments and alerts.”

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Witcher card game ‘Gwent’ is shutting down on consoles

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To start, real-money purchasing has already been disabled. CDPR will subsequently patch the console versions on December 9th to “freeze” them in their current state. From then on, you can visit a website to transfer your progress to a GOG account (used by both the PC and mobile versions) without any Gwent progression. All matchmaking with non-console platforms will go away, too. The game itself will stop working on PS4 and Xbox One until June 9th, 2020.

The developers noted that the PC and mobile editions were the “most popular.” In that light, this is really triage to ensure that CDPR supports the widest possible audience without compromising on quality. All the same, this is bound to be frustrating if you’re a Gwent console fan. You’ll have to either switch to another title on consoles (not always an easy choice) or accept that you’ll be playing on another platform from here on out.

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FCC rolls out a $9 billion fund for rural 5G connectivity

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“We must ensure that 5G narrows rather than widens the digital divide and that rural Americans receive the benefits that come from wireless innovation,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement.

The 5G Fund will be available through “reverse auction,” and it will replace the $4.5 billion Mobility Fund Phase II, which was meant to expand 4G LTE service in underserved areas.

The FCC also acknowledged an investigative report, which found that carriers were inflating their 4G LTE coverage maps. As you may remember, Microsoft came to this conclusion last year. Now, the Commission says it will take steps to make sure that, going forward, coverage data is accurate.

“FCC staff conducted thousands of speed tests to measure network performance and concluded that the MF-II coverage maps submitted by certain carriers likely overstated each provider’s actual coverage and did not reflect on-the-ground experience in many instances,” the FCC said in a press release.

The FCC has invested heavily in expanding rural broadband access. Most recently, it approved another $137 million to bring high-speed internet to 36,579 homes and businesses over the next decade. That funding was part of the Connect America Fund Phase II.

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Craigslist only took 11 years to make its own iOS app

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You can scour listings for jobs and apartments, lowball people trying to get rid of some of their stuff or see if anyone thinks you’re their missed connection wherever you are, without having to use Craigslist’s mobile site. On the flip side, you can also use the free app to post and edit classified ads fairly easily.

There have been other Craiglist apps for iOS and Android over the years, including officially licensed ones. Craigslist’s Android app isn’t formally available yet, but can try a beta version of it.

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Google Fiber drops its 100Mbps tier in favor of gigabit-only service

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The service started at a time when gigabit access was rare, and the average American internet speed was “crawling in single digits,” according to Google. Flash forward to 2019 and it’s a different story, with AT&T, Comcast and others offering gigabit broadband options. Google also pointed to rapidly growing demands on internet connections like streaming video, smart home devices and (of course) gaming.

Appropriately, Google said it would give new Fiber customers the option to sign up for YouTube TV at the same time, starting on December 5th.

To a degree, Google’s decision reflects practical reality. You’re typically choosing Fiber for the speed, so why keep a plan that’s neither particularly fast nor the cheapest? This still takes an option away, though, and it might put Fiber out of reach for homes where $70 broadband is too costly.

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Twenty more women sue Lyft over ‘inadequate’ response to sexual assaults

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The complaint also accuses Lyft of hiding the extent of sexual assault issues, promoting a culture that silences victims and hindering police efforts to investigate cases. It doesn’t tell women how Lyft investigates incidents, whether or not there were prior reports or even whether or not the company has kicked an offending driver from the platform.

The women further blasted Lyft’s recent switch to a standardized response to misconduct claims, claiming that it would lead to a “black and white” decision-making process that reduces the ability for humans to recognize and address patterns of behavior. The approach could let predators stay on Lyft “until a more serious incident,” according to the lawsuit.

In a statement to Engadget, Lyft didn’t say how or if it would contest the lawsuit. It instead focused on how it built safety “into every aspect of our work” and implemented safety “features and policies.” You can read the full statement below. The company reiterated that it continously screens drivers for offenses, provides emergency tools like fast 911 access and a “Critical Response Line” for urgent problems.

The lawyers for the women contended that Lyft doesn’t do “real screening,” though, and that it doesn’t properly warn them about the potential risks. They further argued that Lyft hasn’t shouldered costs for victims. And importantly, many of the safety improvements only came relatively recently. Whatever Lyft has done to improve safety lately, that won’t address previous shortcomings.

“What these women describe is something no one should ever have to endure. Everyone deserves the ability to move about the world safely, yet women still face disproportionate risks. We recognize these risks, which is why we are relentless in our work to build safety into every aspect of our work. That means continually investing in new features and policies to protect our riders and drivers.

“This year, nearly one in five employees at Lyft have been dedicated to initiatives that strengthen the platform’s safety. In just the last few months, we’ve launched more than 15 new safety features — including daily continuous criminal background monitoring of all of our drivers, in-app emergency assistance to make reporting easier for riders, and mandatory feedback for rides rated less than four stars to ensure we are constantly tracking any level of problematic behavior by drivers. We’ve also partnered with RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, to roll out required sexual violence prevention education. Our work on safety is never done, and we will continue to invest in new features, protocols, and policies to ensure Lyft is the safest form of transportation for our riders and drivers.”

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Microsoft may be building a disc-less next-gen Xbox after all

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Unpacking what that means requires a short history lesson. Back when rumors of Project Scarlett first started to trickle out in 2018, publications like Thurrott suggested that Microsoft planned to release two devices: “Anaconda,” a traditional console with high-end specs; and “Lockhart,” a cheaper cloud-based device with minimal local computing capabilities. The pitch of Lockhart, at least at the time, was that it had just enough processing power to handle “specific tasks like controller input, image processing and importantly, collision detection.” In this way, the console would allow you to stream a game without any of the usual drawbacks associated with the tech like input delay. In later reports, the focus of Lockhart seemed to shift from a cloud streaming device to a more traditional console.

The important development is that when Microsoft finally shared official details on Project Scarlett at its recent E3 keynote in June, Xbox chief Phil Spencer didn’t mention a cheaper console at all. In fact, when he was subsequently asked about the possibility of multiple Project Scarlett consoles by Business Insider, he said, “Last year we said consoles, and we’ve shipped a console and we’ve now detailed another console. I think that’s plural.” Subsequent reporting by The Verge suggested Microsoft scrapped plans for Lockhart several weeks before it announced Project Scarlett at E3.

Returning to today’s report, it now seems Microsoft is once again at least considering a second version of Project Scarlett — though that doesn’t mean the two devices will come out at the same time next holiday season.

The device Schreier details in his report also sounds like the more traditional console that was a feature of later reports related to Lockhart. According to the developers he spoke to, they think of the console as the successor to the Xbox One S (as opposed to the console we know is coming at the end of next year, which they see succeeding the Xbox One X). One developer told Schreier Lockhart features similar specs to the PlayStation 4 Pro, though it reportedly includes a solid-state drive and a faster processor than any current generation console. Schreier adds Microsoft aims for the console to render most games at 1440p and 60 frames per second — real-world performance may vary, however.

Importantly, Schreier doesn’t say how much the console will cost, nor when Microsoft will release it. As usual with these types of reports, remember that things change — if the mini-history lesson didn’t make that clear already. Until Microsoft announces something, there’s no guarantee that we’ll see a more affordable version of Project Scarlett.

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NASA’s closest-ever Sun flybys reveal how solar wind works

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There were more mysteries. The probe spotted tiny energetic particle events that never reach Earth, as well as bursts with oddly high levels of heavy elements. Both may be more common than scientists first thought, NASA said. At the same time, the craft also answered questions — humanity now has the first direct evidence of dust thinning out roughly 7 million miles from the Sun as the intense heat transforms the dust into gas.

The discoveries are poised to change humanity’s understanding of stars in multiple ways, including the causes of solar wind, the Sun’s rate of slowdown (a clue to its lifespan) and the effects of particle events on space weather. And remember, there are closer flybys to come, including a sixth flyby in September 2020 that could observe a dust-free zone roughly 2 to 3 million miles from the Sun. You may well see more findings that force astrophysicists to rethink their cosmic models.

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Serato Studio music production software is now a powerful DJ edit tool

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The core layout of Serato Studio remains the same, but you get to choose between the beat-making or DJ edit environment when you launch the application. Your library and track layout are always found at the bottom regardless, and are easily toggled from side to side. The beat-making and new audio track layouts occupy the top section of the screen and these toggle vertically depending on which track layer you’re on. Overall, it’s a pretty fluid way to navigate through the sections on a single screen.

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You can import songs from your library via drag-and-drop, but unlike before, you can add the entire tune to your song layout. If the tracks are, say, an old disco tune that doesn’t lock to a consistent beat grid, you can fix that with a little tweaking. You can also change the key or tempo for those tracks with some interesting results.

The audio tracks editor includes a slicer that chops up your audio file into equal clips of up to 64 measures long, similar to Studio’s scenes although those max out at 8 measures each. You can also use the endless slicer to create segments that span from a clip’s starting point through to the end of the track as a single chunk. Additionally, you can drag your cursor to manually reduce a clip instance’s length in the track layout. All these features make it easy to do simple edits like changing the intro or removing portions of a track that don’t work in your set. This new flexibility in Serato Studio begins to narrow the gap between it and fully functioning DAW apps, but more importantly becomes an incredible DJ edit tool.

There are plenty of little updates scattered throughout, including a dedicated solo button right next to the mute feature for each instrument or track layer. Cue points will also be placed on the first down beat for tracks, saving you the extra effort if that’s what you prefer.

Serato Studio 1.4 is available to download now for the $10 monthly subscription or outright purchase for $200. If you’ve already used up your trial on the previous version of Studio, have no fear, all trials have been reset so you can hop in for an additional 14-day test run of this new version with full audio track capability.

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Teenage Engineering’s OP-Z companion app is now available on Android

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The companion app allows you to see how you’ve mixed a song, as well as any effects you may have applied to a track. Its minimalist looks match nicely with the appearance of the OP-Z itself, with clean lines and small splashes of color helping to differentiate disparate interface elements. Teenage Engineering says the app also doubles as a way to learn the ins and outs of its synth — a good thing, since the OP-Z doesn’t come with a full manual.

However, the coolest aspect of the software is that it allows you to use the camera on your phone to create videos and slideshows that accompany your music. When he reviewed the OP-Z, Engadget’s James Trew said this part of the app was “incredibly fun.” While it took a bit of fiddling with iTunes (RIP), he was able to get Tina from Bob’s Burgers to twerk to one of his songs.

Just keep in mind that this is a beta release, with all the usual pitfalls that come with unfinished software. Over on Reddit, there are reports of the app not working on a variety of devices, including popular phones like the Galaxy S10, OnePlus 6 and Pixel 2. Given that it took Teenage Engineering a while to get out the app, it may take some time for the company to sort out all the bugs. As usual, a bit of patience goes a long way.

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