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The Morning After: iFixit looks inside the 16-inch MacBook Pro

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The scissor switch is back.iFixit opens up the 16-inch MacBook Pro to check out its new/old keyboard

Naturally, the teardown team at iFixit was bound to get their hands on the 16-inch MacBook Pro and see exactly how its keyboard works. Just as expected, the new keyboard is nearly identical to the one in the 2015 MacBook Pro as well as Apple’s external Bluetooth Magic Keyboard.

Wait for it.Disney+ will fix its ‘Simpsons’ widescreen problem in 2020

In a repeat of an issue that occurred when FXX started playing old Simpsons episodes a few years ago, someone decided to crop and zoom older content so it fills out an HD widescreen frame. In a statement, a Disney spokesperson said that “in early 2020” it will offer a toggle for the first 19 seasons of episodes so people can choose to view them in their original format — important for many visual gags that extend to the top or bottom of the frame.

Just in time.Engadget’s 2019 holiday gift guide is here!

After months of thinking, curating, photographing and more thinking, we’ve come up with a holiday gift guide that covers all the bases (and budgets), from laptops and mobile devices, to toys, to the smart home, to book and media recommendations (only on nerdy subjects, of course). All told, there are more than 150 items in our guide, spanning 13 categories, with advice from 25 of our writers and editors. You know, the people testing and reviewing this stuff all year long.

And we’re not done yet: We have additional picks and buying advice, including gifts for coffee geeks, shopping for hypebeasts and our favorite wireless earbuds.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is here (and so is our gift guide)!The Engadget Podcast

Get ready for the holidays with an in-depth look at Engadget’s holiday gift guide! This week, editor in chief Dana Wollman joins Devindra to chat about how we pick the best gadget gifts and some of the wildest choices we’ve made. And of course, we find time to dive into the giant laptop in the room, the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

You don’t have to choose between Alexa or a speaker with great sound.Echo Studio review: Amazon finally nailed the audio quality

To get the most out of this Echo Studio, Billy Steele writes that you’ll want to consider a high-res streaming plan like Amazon Music HD. The 3D audio options are a bit limited for now, but even regular Spotify sounds great on this thing. It’s by far the best-sounding Echo yet, and probably will be for the foreseeable future.

Even if they’re hard to find in the US.If your family needs a second car, make it a fun, compact EV

According to statistics, the average household has 1.8 to 2 cars. It depends on who you ask, but let’s just accept that there are more families that have two cars than have one. Roberto Baldwin makes the argument that if you have two vehicles, at least one of them should be something like a fun-to-drive Mini SE or Model 3.

It’s $5 more than YouTube.Hulu increases the price of its live TV service, again

This is the second time this year the company has raised its rate on live television streaming. In February, there was a $5/month hike to $45.99 — up from the $39.99 price when the service debuted in 2017. Now it’s going up to $54.99, as of December 18th.

Forget the Nürburgring, the Taycan is great on any road.Porsche Taycan first drive

Even in pre-production form, Roberto Baldwin reports the Taycan Turbo S EV feels solid and ready for everything from cruising around town to tackling the track.

But wait, there’s more…

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Netflix tweaks ‘Devil Next Door’ documentary after Polish PM complains

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Poland’s prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki sent a letter to Netflix claiming the documentary was not accurate, specifically because of a map showing the locations of Nazi camps within the borders of Poland as they exist now. The government’s argument is that it did not reflect how “Poland’s territory was occupied, and it was Nazi Germany who was responsible for the camps.” According to Stanley Bill who noted some errors in the map on Twitter, the disputed map is from a British press report in 1985. Poland has sought to distance itself from atrocities committed by Nazi Germany, and passed laws last year making it a criminal offense to suggest complicity before weakening the legislation under international pressure.

In response, Netflix has issued a statement saying that “We stand by the filmmakers,” and that to “provide more information” it will add some on-screen text to maps shown that make clear the camps were built and operated by the German Nazi regime. Morawiecki noted the change in a Facebook post, thanking Netflix for the “constructive” talk about a correction, and in a tweet the government said “We are sure that historical accuracy will be essential in your future productions.” In this case the change appears to be one solved by a small explanation, but it’s unlikely to be the last time the streamer faces a government insisting on a different view of the truth than what a production shows.



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Researchers develop an AI system with near-perfect seizure prediction

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While it’s not a complete fix, the new AI system, developed by Hisham Daoud and Magdy Bayoumi of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is a major leap forward from existing prediction methods. Currently, other methods analyze brain activity with an EEG (electroencephalogram) test and apply a predictive model afterwards. The new method does both of those things at once, with the help of a deep learning algorithm that maps brain activity and another that can predict the electrical channels lighting up during a seizure.

It’ll still be some time before this technique will be available for widespread use — the team is now working on a custom chip that can help process the necessary algorithms — but it could be life-changing news for patients with epilepsy.

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NYT: Trump admin set to extend Huawei license again

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In May, the US Commerce Department added Huawei to the “Entity List,” banning US companies from doing business with it unless they have a special license. Since then it has extended temporary licenses for existing customers, like mobile phone users and rural telecoms that use its equipment. The most recent extension is set to expire next week, but the New York Times reports the Trump administration is set to extend it a third time, for a length of time that is unknown.

This deadline is arriving against the backdrop of negotiation over trade between the US and Chinese government, and the report also indicates that the administration is considering “product specific” licenses that would allow some companies to keep supplying Huawei.

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Disney+ will fix its ‘Simpsons’ widescreen problem in 2020

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As soon as Disney+ launched, fans of The Simpsons noticed a big problem. In a repeat of an issue that occurred when FXX started playing old episodes a few years ago, someone made the decision to crop and zoom older 4×3 aspect ratio episodes to fill out an HD widescreen frame. It was eventually corrected, and it turns out that new owner Disney will also fix things up — eventually.

In a statement given to the LA Times, a Disney spokesperson said that “in early 2020” it will offer a toggle for the first 19 seasons of episodes so people can choose to view them in their original format — important for many visual gags that extend to the top or bottom of the frame — or widescreen-adjusted.

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CNBC: T-Mobile CEO John Legere won’t be the next WeWork CEO

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Earlier this week T-Mobile CEO John Legere’s name popped up as a possibility to take over the top spot at WeWork after its failed IPO and ouster of co-founder Adam Neumann. However, subsequent rumors clarified that he was just one of the potential replacements, while today CNBC reports that Legere isn’t taking the job and has “no plans” to leave T-Mobile.

The report also cites people with knowledge of the matter as saying he was not the top candidate for the job, which would have presented a tricky transition as Softbank is both the majority owner of WeWork, and Sprint, which his company is still in the process of merging with.

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Google scales back town hall meetings following leaks

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There’s a “coordinated effort” to leak meetings after each TGIF, Pichai said. He argued that this hurt Google’s ability to use TGIF as a platform for “candid conversations” on key subjects. The company will still hold town hall discussions for “important workplace issues,” the executive promised, and there will still be “Social TGIFs” in local offices. There just won’t be one bi-weekly meeting to cover everyone.

Pichai added that the split between product discussions and other issues wasn’t “serving either purpose very well.” He also noted that viewership had dropped substantially over the past decade from 80 percent of Google staff to just 25 percent. That was partly due to the company getting bigger, according to the CEO.

Google confirmed the accuracy of the email to Engadget, but didn’t offer additional commentary.

The move could prompt mixed reactions at Google. Leaks have sometimes been used to spin Google’s internal discussions, such as Breitbart‘s attempt to use a 2016 TGIF meeting as evidence of political bias in the company’s products. This theoretically reduces the chances for weaponizing TGIF meetings. At the same time, though, the reduced frequency could be seen as a way to avoid dealing with complaints about company culture, including reports of retaliation against protesters. While this may help Google control more of its own narrative, it could hinder solutions to any deep-seated problems.

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What we’ve been watching: ‘State of the Union’ and ‘Little Monsters’

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Little Monsters

Richard Lawler

Richard Lawler
Senior News Editor

In the age of prestige television, sometimes I just need something a little more comfortable to watch, and that’s what Little Monsters delivers. After taking a break from the Walking Dead series I wasn’t sure if I needed any more zombie content, but this movie on Hulu split the difference between 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead.

Instead of a group of 20 somethings stumbling through London, though, this zombie outbreak moves from a US military base in Australia to the amusement park next door. There, Lupita Nyong’o is the teacher, Ms. Caroline, guiding a group of kids on a class trip while Dave, played by Alexander England, does a poor job of chaperoning and an even worse job of trying to impress the teacher.

It’s not much for a plot, and makes it even more ridiculous to see legitimate stars like Nyong’o and Josh Gad — who parachutes in as the deeply troubled children’s TV star ‘McGiggles’ — hamming it up in what is essentially a B-movie. Lupita’s previous horror turn in Us provided a strong performance as she took on two very different characters, and while Little Monsters isn’t a better movie, it’s an even better example of what she can do. The stakes are never too high, and despite an R-rating the horror is never too gory to make this a truly bad day at the park, and if you’re flipping through things to stream late at night, it’s an almost perfect pick.

Little Monsters is now streaming on Hulu.

State of the Union

Daniel Cooper

Daniel Cooper
Senior Editor

I had the words of The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan ringing in my ears when we started watching the first episode of State of the Union (Sundance TV, BBC iPlayer). “Don’t binge the whole thing,” she wrote, “the temptation will be terrible… but resist,” and so we sipped the show like a fine wine.

State of the Union is a series of ten, 10-minute films about a married couple in the moments before their weekly visit to a marriage counselor. Louise (Rosamund Pike) and Tom (Chris O’Dowd) meet up in the pub across the street to talk about the minutiae of pop culture through to the rules of prison sex.

Naturally, once you’ve seen the first episode, you will be desperate to watch the next, as the story gently pulls you in. And none of their conversations are as meaningless as first seen, but highlight the peaks and troughs of marriage.

There’s no shouty, turned-up-to-11 melodrama here, just gently amusing repartee that lets you feel your way to the truth of the pair’s relationship. It’s wonderfully enjoyable entertainment and in a format that works perfectly, making me wish the BBC had stuck with its 10-minute comedy run from 2002.

It’s essentially a two-hander between Pike and O’Dowd, with barely another speaking part across the runtime. Both are electrifying, and deserved their Emmy wins for best actor / actress, as well as best short-form comedy or drama.

I don’t want to say much more than that, except that it’s clear that the vignettes work better in isolation, rather than in a single sitting. So heed Lucy Mangan’s words, and resist the temptation to watch it all in one sitting.

State of the Union is now available via BBC iPlayer or Sundance Now subscription

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iFixit examines the 16-inch MacBook Pro’s ‘throwback’ keyboard design

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iFixit’s story is a good read if you want to get the full, sad tale of the rise and fall of Apple’s laptop keyboards. Long story short, Apple replaced the comfortable, highly-lauded keyboard in the MacBook Pro in the fall of 2016, bringing over the thin, butterfly-switch keyboard it originally introduced in the tiny 12-inch MacBook in 2015. People were pretty quickly divided about the new keyboard’s shallow travel and rather loud typing sound, but the bigger issue was undoubtably a reliability one. Keys were liable to get stuck or repeat characters if even a small piece of dust or a crumb got in there the right way, and getting them fixed required taking apart the entire laptop. It was, in short, a fiasco.

Apple tried to make the keys more reliable over a few revisions of the butterfly keyboard mechanism, and it also guaranteed to replace any computer with that keyboard if there were issues even after the warranty expired. My own experience with Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro from this year is that the keyboard is now much more reliable than previous models I’ve tried — but it does seem the keyboard is inherently flawed.

It’s thus a huge relief that they’ve gone back to the scissor-style keyboard design, which means more travel and easier repairability. If you want to get up-close and personal with Apple’s various keyboard designs over the last few years, definitely check out the photography over at iFixit. We’ll have a full review of the new MacBook Pro soon, but in the meantime you can at the very least rest assured that the keyboard is a huge step forward. Now we’ll just have to wait for Apple to bring it to the rest of its MacBook lineup.

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Spotify’s latest feature creates a playlist for your road trip

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First, you put in your starting point and destination so Spotify can calculate your drive time with the help of Google Maps. Then you’re led through a series of questions that gather info like who you’re traveling with, your favorite genre for a road trip and what type of car you drive. The questionaire also asks for your “drive vibe” (mellow, sing-a-long, pedal to the metal, etc.) and your “ultimate road trip song.” The list there is limited to six options, and nearly all of them directly reference driving, so you have to go with one that’s closest to your preference and keep on truckin’.

When you’re done, Spotify will compile a playlist that lasts the length of your journey, and save it to the playlists section of the app. Like most of the company’s playlist generating tools, Soundtrack your Ride is only available on the web on desktop. You can access it on mobile, but things get trimmed to the point it’s not really usable. You can’t use it inside any of Spotify’s apps either, so you’ll need to plan ahead and compile your list before you depart.

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