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Fossil’s new hybrids have customizable, E ink displays

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The Fossil Hybrid HR has an E ink face behind a pair of analog hands and, best of all, built-in heart-rate tracking. The latter comes from a PPG sensor on the underside of the case which will display your vitals in real time on the face. And you can add up to four complications to the display, covering your step count, alternative timezones and phone notifications through to your projected commute time. It’ll work well in darkness, too, since you just need to double tap the crystal to activate the backlight.

Oh, and contrary to rumors, the Fossil Hybrid HR does not use Wear OS, but Fossil’s own in-house software.

The Hybrid HR will have five different case options, all of which measure 42mm, with three working with 22mm straps, and the other two suiting 18mm straps. Each one will have around two weeks’ worth of battery life on a single charge, depending on your usage. And Fossil offers a number of strap options, from leather and silicone through to stainless steel, to suit your particular style.

One thing that wasn’t clear from Fossil’s messaging, but we want to check out, is if the backgrounds can be used for animations. That would be a neat callback to a number of Fossil watches from its history, like the JR8621 from 2006, that had cascading text in the same style as that from The Matrix. And, frankly, I’m here for it.

The Fossil Hybrid HD is available today, with prices starting at $195 and running through to $215, depending on the options you select. There’s certainly something about Fossil’s pitch to make a fancier looking Pebble, especially if buying a “proper” smartwatch would leave you cold.

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Facebook confirms 100 app developers retained member data from Groups

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Facebook says it has already removed the apps’ access to Group members’ names and photos. Those applications were primarily for managing social media and video streaming services, such as those used by companies to provide customer support online. The company has also reached out to the 100 developers, asking them to delete member data they may have retained.

While Facebook believes that the actual number of developers that accessed member data is likely smaller than a hundred — and says it found no evidence of abuse — it has confirmed that 11 partners did access Group members’ names and photos within the last 60 days. To make sure that the developers truly do delete the user information they accessed, the company vows to conduct audits for confirmation.

The social network writes in its announcement:

“We aim to maintain a high standard of security on our platform and to treat our developers fairly. As we’ve said in the past, the new framework under our agreement with the FTC means more accountability and transparency into how we build and maintain products. As we continue to work through this process we expect to find more examples of where we can improve, either through our products or changing how data is accessed. We are committed to this work and supporting the people on our platform.”

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Sports teams are using Signal to duck deflategate-like scandals

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Facebook isn’t the only company struggling over the prospect of end-to-end encryption in messaging apps, as a report from Yahoo Sports cites examples from “every level of sport” turning to encrypted messaging. While Whatsapp and iMessage provide encrypted communications, increasingly the app of choice is turning out to be Signal, which not only protects their message from MITM spying, but can also auto-delete them based on rules.

If you’re a college coach or athletic director and someone makes a FOIA request, that could reduce the amount of information they get about contacts with recruits and boosters. In the NFL, investigators pursuing the “deflategate” incident famously requested access to Tom Brady’s texts, but the quarterback destroyed his phone prior to meeting them — an act cited in the league’s decision to hand down a four game suspension.

He stated that breaking or wiping a cell phone when he got a new one was a standard practice, but execs and agents believe a simpler, stronger argument is that if you’ve set Signal’s rules to delete all messages regularly, then investigators can’t claim you were trying to hide a particular conversation.

The report specifically calls out the NBA, where commissioner Adam Silver has been pushing to reduce “tampering,” or contact between players, their representatives and teams about contracts or transactions outside of the approved periods. Marc Stein of the New York Times reported this week that the NBA sent a memo to teams requiring them to keep all contract-related communications for at least a year, while The Athletic explained that could include notes on training, endorsements, player fit with a team and more. The rule seems specifically aimed at cutting off any argument about using Signal as a simple standard practice, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see other leagues do something similar, whether or not they’ll be able to enforce it.



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Boeing’s lunar lander pitch promises ‘fastest path’ to the moon

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NASA intends to send humans to the moon in an Orion capsule atop an SLS rocket. After the capsule docks with the Lunar Gateway, a space station the agency will place in the lunar orbit, the astronauts would transfer to a lander that would take them to the moon itself. Boeing says the HLS can either dock with the Gateway or dock directly with Orion to take astronauts straight to the lunar surface.

Further, the descent stage and the ascent stage of its design — as you can guess, the former is necessary to be able to land on the lunar surface, while the latter will take astronauts back to the Gateway — can be launched on one rocket. HLS also doesn’t need an additional transfer stage to lower itself from lunar orbit. Meanwhile, Blue Moon’s design calls for a transfer stage, which will be built by Northrop Grumman.

The company explained:

“Using the lift capability of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B, we have developed a ‘Fewest Steps to the Moon’ approach that minimizes mission complexity, while offering the safest and most direct path to the lunar surface.”

The more powerful block 1B variant of the SLS will allow the company to send the lander to space already fully assembled, eliminating the need for multiple flights. “This approach reduces the complexity and risk of sending multiple segments to orbit on multiple launches, enabling a crewed lunar surface landing with only five mission critical events instead of the 11 or more required by alternate strategies,” Boeing said. According to the company, the lander will be ready in time for the first Artemis moon landing mission in 2024, but it’s unclear if the 1B variant booster will also be ready by then.

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Netflix’s ‘Heartstrings’ trailer reimagines Dolly Parton songs as dramas

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The trailer has strong Hallmark Channel vibes, but if you’ve listened (read: dramatically sung along) to “Jolene” on repeat, you might be able to look past the cheesiness long enough to give the series a shot.

Netflix first announced the collaboration with Parton in 2018. She will serve as the singer and songwriter for the series, and in previous statement she said, “I am thrilled to be bringing some of my favorite songs to life with Netflix.”

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This is just the latest in a trend of music adaptations on Netflix. Country singer Sturgill Simpson recently released a samurai anime alongside his album Sound & Fury. This summer, Thom Yorke released a short Netflix film with his new album ANIMA. While those projects were companions to new music, Parton’s Heartstrings presents old songs in a new way.

Heartstrings arrives on Netflix on November 22nd.

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‘Minecraft Earth’ early access comes to the UK and 8 other countries

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Minecraft Earth‘s early access release is finally rolling out to countries around the world, although it’s not necessarily available where you might expect it. Mojang and Microsoft have confirmed that the augmented reality game is now available on Android and iOS in nine countries. The UK is the most recent addition, but it’s also been available for a few days in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea and Sweden.

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Twitter is rolling out a fix for the ‘auto-scrolling’ bug on iOS

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Has the Twitter timeline been extra jumpy on your iPhone or iPad? Yesterday Twitter acknowledged the “frustrating” issue, and now an update to address it is rolling out via the App Store. It’s unclear if it was supposed to be a seamless addition of new tweets that simply didn’t behave properly, but now users should be able to decide whether or not the tweet they’re looking at is worth reading without the app deciding it’s time to move on. The fixed version is v8.1.5, so if you’re still on 8.1, then hang on — it’s coming.



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Ford’s electric Mustang project car packs a manual transmission

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The power is possible in part due to some cutting-edge tech. Like the Porsche Taycan, the Mustang Lithium has an 800-volt battery system that delivers more performance (up to a megawatt of electrical discharge) even as it reduces weight and heat. You can even fine-tune the output on a 10.4-inch touchscreen, choosing between torque settings that range from a modest “valet” through to “beast.”

Don’t get your hopes too high. Ford stressed hat this is a “one-off” that’s designed both for bragging rights as well as a test mule for battery and heat control technologies that will reach production cars. You probably won’t roll out of a dealership with a toned-down Mustang EV any time soon.

With that said, it won’t be long before Ford shifts its attention to more practical designs. It’s revealing its Mustang-inspired electric SUV on November 17th ahead of a 2020 debut, and there will be a production electric F-150 within a few years. The Mustang Lithium is really just an early taste of an electrification push that could dramatically change Ford’s lineup over time.

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FCC crackdown on cellphone subsidies leaves millions without service

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Some of the problems may stem from a verifier system that was approved in 2016. It was meant to automatically check whether people qualified for Lifeline service and reduce fraud, but its incomplete access to benefit databases appears to have rejected people who were eligible for the program. Enrollment has plunged in those six states where the verifier launched, although a connection to the Medicaid database (and ideally state databases) might solve some of these problems.

However, the current FCC’s crackdown (including ongoing support of the verifier) is raising concerns that it’s simply interested in cutting off support for poor people, in sync with a presidency that has focused on cutting other benefits for low-income homes. There are particular concerns that changes due in December may prompt carriers to quit Lifeline and leave customers without access. Networks are supposed to help Lifeline recipients by providing more data and phasing out support for call minutes, but they’re expected to complain when the subsidy amounts to less than $10 per month.

Ina statement, the FCC’s Mark Wigfield claimed that the sharp drop in users reflected the success of the anti-fraud campaign — it only “makes sense” that the numbers would go down with the “high rate of improper payments,” he said. It’s not clear how many of those people were actually committing fraud, however, and the evidence to date suggests at least some were kicked out in error.

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‘Rocket League’ will allow players to trade its not-quite-loot boxes

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To get everyone on the same page, Rocket League will convert any existing loot crates players have in their inventory to blueprints when the update goes live in December. When you launch the game, they’ll be there waiting for you to reveal what they can turn into. The one thing to note here is that you can’t trade a blueprint without first finding out what it turns into since that would go against the spirit of the new system.

Psyonix also revealed that you’ll be able to trade credits, the new premium currency you need to unlock blueprints, in certain circumstances. The main takeaway here is that you’ll be swap credits as long as only one player is offering the currency in a trade. Another important restriction is that you can’t offer credits to another player for free — you have to receive something as part of the transaction.

Decryptors, an item that allows you to open a loot crate without purchasing a key first, will be phased out as part of next month’s update. If you happen to have any decryptors in your inventory, they’ll be converted to bonus gifts, which you can open for free. Lastly, once the new in-game economy is up and running, you’ll only be able to trade in items you got for free from a post-game drop. Rocket Pass items will still be ineligible for trade-ins.

As before, Psyonix thinks the new system is fairer to players while still allowing it to monetize its game. Loot boxes have for a couple of years now been a major source of controversy since many of them don’t reveal what’s inside.

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