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FCC chairman wants public auction to repurpose satellite bands for 5G

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An FCC official told the Wall Street Journal that the regulator hoped to bring the C-band auction up for a vote in 2020 and start the auction by the end of that year.

Satellite companies, however, might not be so happy. Industry giants like Intelsat and SES haven’t been averse to selling their spectrum, but they’ve wanted a private auction to share the money they make and have claimed the FCC isn’t allowed to take in-use spectrum without paying them. A public auction flies in the face of that. The C-Band Alliance, a group representing the satellite firms, has hinted at “protracted litigation” if the FCC pushes forward. Carriers are also of mixed opinions. AT&T, which owns DirecTV, has called C-band an “opportunity” but also wanted compensation and a “reasonable transition plan” to avoid disruptions. Verizon (Engadget’s parent company and Pai’s former employer) likewise wanted “appropriate incentives and protections” to ensure a quick process.

This isn’t the first time the FCC has butted heads in its quest for more 5G airwaves. Senators have accused the FCC of ignoring evidence of possible interference with weather forecasts if 5G is allowed in the 24GHz band, as an example.

With that said, there’s no doubt that 5G in the US is running into problems as-is. AT&T and Verizon both have to run their current 5G in very high frequency ranges that makes a signal hard to find and all too easy to lose — it doesn’t even cover complete sports arenas in some cases. C-band access would still sit in a higher range than the LTE you typically use today, but it could provide much wider coverage and more capacity. It may be more a question of when those frequencies open up than whether they do at all.



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Valve will unveil its ‘Half-Life: Alyx’ VR game on Thursday

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A purportedly leaked Game Awards interview transcript indicated that Alyx would be VR-only and focus on immersion, with the possibility of seeing the player’s “whole body” and the tension of fumbling with reloads as you face off against headcrab zombies. If accurate (this is still far from certain), the title would be ready to play in March 2020. There are plenty of unknowns, though — how much of this is a tech demo versus an honest-to-goodness game, for one thing?

Whatever the answers, this isn’t a surprising move for Valve. It hasn’t been shy about tapping its best-known properties for VR experiences, and it now has a headset of its own (the Index) to show off. Alyx could easily drive sales of the Index and other SteamVR-capable headsets. For that matter, even Half-Life 2 served as much as a tech demo for the Source engine as it did an actual game. Still, it’s easy to understand if you’re at least a little bit excited. This is proof that Valve hasn’t abandoned Half-Life, even if it can’t get over its fear of games with “3” in the name.

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Apple’s next ‘event’ honors the best apps and games on December 2nd

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We’ve only just gotten used to the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, so what might Apple have up its sleeve for one more event in 2019? An invite has gone out requesting that the press “Join us for an Apple special event honoring our favorite apps and games of 2019.” As CNBC notes, this appears to be a replacement for Apple’s annual press release (see the last one for 2018) proclaiming a “best of” apps, games, podcasts and more.

Since last year’s list, it’s taken a more active stance in the media markets by breaking up iTunes on the desktop, and getting into subscription media with News, Arcade and Apple TV+, so maybe its time for an upgrade.

We wouldn’t expect a big reveal in the form of Apple’s WWDC or product showcases, but if you want to stay tuned at 4 PM on December 2nd, you’re certainly welcome to do it.

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Amazon expands free music streaming to Android, iOS and Fire TV

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As with the initial launch, this is really about Amazon taking advantage of its far-reaching presence to bring more people into the fold. In theory, you’ll like the free service (or dislike the ads) enough to pay for a Prime membership or a full-on Music Unlimited subscription. Whatever it costs Amazon in the short term might be worthwhile if it leads to more paying members.

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Senate bill would block US companies from storing data in China

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The changes could impact companies like Apple and TikTok. Per Chinese law, Apple began storing Chinese users’ iCloud accounts in a Chinese data center last year. Apple says it still controls encryption keys, but Hawley sees this as a national security threat. And like other senators, Hawley fears TikTok’s owner ByteDance could be pressured to cooperate with intelligence work by the Chinese Communist Party. TikTok has denied those accusations.

According to a one-page summary released by Hawley’s office, “China and countries that similarly threaten America’s national security are taking steps to vacuum up our sensitive data.” Supposedly, this act would prevent that. But it could also cause serious problems for tech companies that are legally obligated to store data in China. It might force them to leave China altogether.

Hawley has previously proposed making user data “portable” across social networks and restricting social network features deemed addictive. He has asked the FTC to investigate how social networks curate content, pushed for an investigation into Amazon’s handling of child privacy and introduced legislation to ban loot boxes in gaming. The National Security and Personal Data Protection Act isn’t Hawley’s first tech-focussed bill, but like the others, its survival is up in the air.

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Sony patent may show a familiar-looking controller for the PS5

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At first glance, the new controller doesn’t look that different from the DualShock 4 we’re all familiar with, but there are some notable differences. First of all, it appears the new accessory won’t include a light bar. Combined with the higher capacity battery we know Sony plans to build into the controller, the light bar’s absence may lead to significantly better battery life. Based on the diagram, the controller may also forgo the two-tone design of its predecessor and include larger triggers. One detail that’s hard to make sense of is the inclusion of what looks like two separate headphone jacks on the bottom of the controller.

Sony controller patent

However, perhaps the biggest detail to glean from these images is what Sony doesn’t plan to change. Like the DualShock 4, it looks like the company’s new controller will feature symmetrical thumbsticks. The advantages and disadvantages of a symmetrical thumbstick layout compared to an asymmetrical one is one of those things PlayStation and Xbox fans like to debate endlessly.

That said, like with most patents and the line diagrams that accompany them, it’s best not to read too much into these images. While Wired said a prototype of Sony’s new controller looked “an awful lot like the PS4’s DualShock 4” in its recent exclusive on the upcoming console, it’s possible the final design could differ significantly from what we see here.

Sony controller patent

Whatever it ends up looking like, we at least have some details about the new capabilities of the controller. In the same Wired article mentioned above, Sony’s Mark Cerny said the peripheral will feature enhanced rumble and haptic feedback that will do a better job of conveying different tactile sensations to players. It will also include “adaptive” triggers that developers will be able to program to represent in-game tension and force, as well as a USB-C for charging.

Sony has also been open about other details related to its next console. In an earlier interview with Wired, Cerny said the device will feature a third-generation eight-core AMD Ryzen CPU complemented by a GPU that will be capable of ray-tracing. It will also include an SSD for faster load times. We’ll probably learn new details about the console in the coming months before its holiday release.

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California is suing Juul for allegedly targeting minors

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Becerra said the lawsuit comes after a 21-month investigation into Juul and its marketing and sales practices. In a press event, Becerra noted that the number of high school students vaping in 2019 is 27.5 percent, up from 11.7 percent in 2017. Becerra blames that, in part, on vaping products sold in “child-friendly fruity flavors,” like those previously sold by Juul.

In a statement provided to Engadget, Juul spokesperson Austin Finan said:

“While we have not yet reviewed the complaint, we remain focused on resetting the vapor category in the U.S. and earning the trust of society by working cooperatively with attorneys general, regulators, public health officials, and other stakeholders to combat underage use and convert adult smokers from combustible cigarettes.”

Just a couple months ago, the FDA accused Juul of telling students that its vaping products are “totally safe” and “99% safer than cigarettes.” The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the House and Senate have all launched their own investigations into Juul’s teen marketing tactics. The Trump Administration has discussed banning flavored e-cig products and/or raising the minimum vaping age.

In response to teen vaping concerns, Juul has launched a track-and-trace program, and beginning next year, it will require retailers to scan customers’ IDs. It has also stopped selling fruit and mint-flavored vape products.

As if this were not bad enough for Juul, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed more 2,000 cases of vaping-related lung injury. The CDC has determined that vitamin E acetate is a “potential toxin of concern” but the cause of the illness is still a mystery. Juul has also been accused of shipping contaminated products, though the company denies those claims.

You can read Juul’s full statement below:

“While we have not yet reviewed the complaint, we remain focused on resetting the vapor category in the U.S. and earning the trust of society by working cooperatively with attorneys general, regulators, public health officials, and other stakeholders to combat underage use and convert adult smokers from combustible cigarettes. As part of that process, we recently stopped accepting orders for our Mint JUULpods in the U.S., suspended all broadcast, print, and digital product advertising in the U.S. and are investing in scientific research to ensure the quality of our FDA Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) application and expanding our commitment to develop new technology to reduce youth use. Our customer base is the world’s 1 billion adult smokers and we do not intend to attract underage users.”

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MIT researchers teach autonomous cars how to deal with selfish drivers

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New research from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) examines the problem of how a self-driving car can predict the behavior of other drivers on the road. This prediction requires a degree of social awareness which is difficult for machines, so the researchers took tools from social psychology to help the system classify driving behaviors into either selfish and selfless.

The system observed human driving behaviors and was then able to better predict the movements of other cars when it came to merging lanes or making unprotected left turns, with 25 percent greater accuracy than previously.

This kind of insight into human behavior is important for safety when autonomous and human drivers are sharing the road. An Uber self-driving car which struck and killed a pedestrian last year, for example, didn’t have the ability to recognize jaywalkers.

“Working with and around humans means figuring out their intentions to better understand their behavior,” said graduate student Wilko Schwarting, lead author on the new paper. “People’s tendencies to be collaborative or competitive often spills over into how they behave as drivers. In this paper we sought to understand if this was something we could actually quantify.”

The research needs to be expanded before it can be implemented on real roads. The next step is for the team to apply their model to other road users like pedestrians, cyclists and other robotic systems.

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Commerce Department extends Huawei license for another 90 days

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“The Temporary General License extension will allow carriers to continue to service customers in some of the most remote areas of the United States who would otherwise be left in the dark,” explains Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in a press release. This is the third extension granted by the administration.

Along with national security concerns, the trade war between the US and China hasn’t done Huawei any favors. However, The New York Times reported last week that the administration is considering “product specific” exemptions that would allow companies to sell certain Huawei’s products like its smartphones. These exemptions are meant for consumers to be able to buy the company’s gadgets, though, meaning they likely wouldn’t solve the issues related to the TGL.

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Nintendo is adding subscriptions to ‘Animal Crossing’ on mobile this week

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Nintendo didn’t say how much either plan would cost, although Mario Kart Tour‘s plan costs $5 per month. You should hear more about the Pocket Camp offerings in videos appearing on November 20th.

The news might not please fans. The mobile Animal Crossing title already has a free-to-play system that can get expensive if you want to decorate your campsite in style. Now, Nintendo is encouraging subscriptions on top of whatever you pay to get the gear you want. And while subscriptions like this aren’t unheard of, it’s more than a little eyebrow-raising in a game aimed squarely at kids.

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