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First macOS Catalina update brings new emoji and support for AirPods Pro

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Additionally, the software adds support for Apple’s new AirPods Pro headphones which launch tomorrow. Apple has also added new privacy settings that allow you to opt-out of sharing your Siri recordings with the company. Beyond that, the Home app now allows you to add AirPlay 2-enabled speakers to scenes and automation routines, in addition to the ability store and watch footage from any HomeKit-enabled security cameras. Last but not least, there are a couple of more minor bug fixes for Photos, Messages, Contacts and a couple of other apps.

Apple also released watchOS 6.1. If you’re a Series 1 or Series 2 owner, it’s the first watchOS update to bring the latest software to the company’s first two wearables. Like all the other updates from this week, it also adds AirPods Pro support, as well as an assortment of bug fixes and other improvements.

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Microsoft and Ninja Theory are making games to fight mental illness

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Fletcher and Taneem Antoniades, co-founder and Creative Director at Ninja Theory, plan to study how game design, technology and neuroscience can come together to benefit those with mental illness.

Their work will take place over the course of years. At the moment, the team is testing how you can use biometric data to control gaming simulations with the mind and body. The Insight Project plans to conduct formal experiments and share the results with the scientific community. Ultimately, the goal is to help gamers recognize, respond to and control their own fear, anxiety and emotional suffering.

This isn’t the first time a gaming studio has attempted to tackle mental health, and as we’ve seen first hand, there have been mixed results. But it’s critical that we address mental health in the gaming community (and beyond). While gaming is sometimes blamed for problems like addiction, we’ve also seen that it can help users who are depressed or isolated connect and socialize. Given their track record, Antoniades and Fletcher could make a significant impact.

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Lyft’s new monthly subscription is cheaper, but has fewer perks

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Lyft Pink comes with a few other perks, like three “free” 30-minute bike or scooter rides per month (in select markets), three free trip cancelations, priority airport pickup and waived lost-and-found fees. The service isn’t quite ready yet, but the company says it’s coming soon, and you can sign up for early access now.

The new plan will replace Lyft’s All-Access service. By the end of the year, Lyft Pink will be the only subscription plan, a Lyft spokesperson told Engadget. Beginning October 30th, current All-Access members will be notified of the change.

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Apple may sell iPhone 11 and 11 Pro Smart Battery Cases

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In past years, a battery case was almost a necessity if you owned an iPhone. This year, however, Apple went out of its way to make the iPhone 11 lineup thicker so that it could add higher capacity batteries to each of the devices. In fact, battery life is so good on the new iPhones, you may not need or want to buy a battery case.

9to5 wasn’t able to find out how much battery life the cases will add to each iPhone, nor when Apple will release them. However, the website speculates Apple may announce the new case, alongside its long-rumored tracking tags, later this year. The company did something similar this past March when it launched the second-generation AirPods, 10.5-inch iPad Air and 2019 iPad mini all in the same week.

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Sony’s X900F 55-inch 4K TV is $500 off on Amazon

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Sony’s 55-inch 4K Ultra HD X900F is listed at a historically low price on Amazon. The well-regarded, Alexa-compatible LED TV launched at $1,500, but its price has been steadily sliding down. For most of the year, we’ve seen it priced at $1,200. Today’s price ($998) is the lowest yet.

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BMW’s Z4 M40i is a powerfully fun roadster

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Starting at $49,700 the Z4 returned in 2019 after a four-year hiatus. The 2020 model year vehicle ticks all the boxes driving-wise for a roadster. BMW sent us the M40i version of the vehicle which sports a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine that produces 382 horsepower and 369 pounds-foot of torque. The result is that it’s quick at any stage of driving. Off the line, it’ll do zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds and I was never wanting for power to overtake another vehicle, no matter what speed I was traveling.

It’s fast. Possibly too fast.

While I really like the larger engine in the Z4 M40i (it’s the same found in the new Toyota Supra), I’m going to suggest that if you are interested in the Z4, try the twin-turbo 2.0-liter 4 cylinder in the regular trim level. Yes, it’s “only” got 254 horsepower, but you’ll likely never use the M40i’s to its fullest potential and that more powerful version of the Z4 (which I drove) starts at $63,700. That’s a $14,000 difference. That’s a lot of cash for something you’ll never take full advantage of.

What you will enjoy is how the Z4 handles. It’s a proper sports car with tight suspension that keeps it glued to the road. Steering is precise with the rear-wheel-drive Z4 offering just a tiny bit of oversteering with all the safety items on. It’s a satisfying driving experience that should soften the blow to enthusiasts when they discover this car will not be offered with a manual transmission.

2020 BMW Z4 M40i review

Fortunately, the automatic 8-speed transmission is paired perfectly with the engine and shifts quickly and exactly when needed for linking corners. Paddle shifters are available for extra control over the experience.

But all this top-down driving comes with the comforts and tech you would expect from a BMW. It’s the tech side where things get slightly weird. The company’s infotainment system is still easy to use with access to controls via the touchscreen or scroll wheel. Plus the inclusion of the “Hey BMW” voice assistant is a reminder that voice assistants are the future of controlling everything in your car without taking your eyes off the road.

The Z4 doesn’t come with adaptive cruise control, but it does have Dynamic Cruise Control. Essentially, it slows the vehicle down if it encounters a curve that the system thinks requires deceleration. It’ll slow down for sharp corners while you’re on the freeway. It won’t track cars, but it does know the lay of the land.

The lane-keep assist system does a splendid job nudging you back into your lane without being overbearing. It can be a bit annoying on backroads, but you can customize the safety features to turn that off while everything else (automatic braking, pedestrian protection, etc) stay active. Almost all is well until you try to set up your iPhone with the infotainment system.

BMW’s CarPlay integration is a source of frustration. In addition to charging $80 a year after the first 12 months with a car, the experience is fraught with issues. BMW’s wireless CarPlay connection has recently been a source of frustration for myself with the Z4 and another recent BMW either not keeping the connection or failing to make a connection at all. I’m not alone, our sister site Autoblog recently posted about issues with CarPlay in a BMW.

And sure, in the grand scheme of things $80 a month for someone that can afford a BMW isn’t that much money. But it should at least work consistently.

Another weird issue is the distance around the car in which the key fob activates the security system. It feels too short and therefore seems aggressive when you’re nearby. I couldn’t walk past the car in my driveway without it constantly locking and unlocking the doors. My neighbors probably think I’ve lost my mind locking and unlocking the car while just getting out and moving to the back of the car to open the trunk.

2020 BMW Z4 M40i review

This might seem like nitpicking an otherwise outstanding car, but the issues got on my nerves enough during my week with the car, that I assume that owners will also be irritated by it. I’m assuming most will turn off the car’s auto-lock and just stop using CarPlay all together until BMW or Apple figure out what’s going on.

Does it take away from the driving experience? No. Does it slightly taint an impressive interior experience? Yeah, a little bit. But ever so slightly less, once you sit down. The Z4 is comfortable with seats that secure you without being too “sporty.” The interior materials are high quality and every button is logically placed.

I’m also a big fan of the tiny door between the seats that leads to the trunk. There are actually two doors, so if you want to store something without it sliding around the interior of the vehicle, you can place it between them in a little cubby.

At the end of the week with the Z4 it was one of those cars I’m sad to see go. Convertibles are a special breed of vehicle. Top-down at any speed is a joy. But the M40i makes it extra special by being a true sports car roadster in nearly every sense of the word. Just don’t expect your iPhone to connect to it on a regular basis.

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Xiaomi’s first real smartwatch looks just like an Apple Watch

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Details are still a little scarce, but Xiaomi did take to official Weibo channels to reveal basic specs. Falling under Xiaomi’s “Mijia” IoT sub-brand, the Mi Watch comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100, and will independently support WiFi, GPS and NFC, plus an eSIM, so you’ll be able to make calls via the device, too. That’s all packaged neatly into a shell that’s very similar to the Apple Watch — complete with digital crown on the side — albeit a slightly thicker, less-rounded version.

It’s not strictly the first wearable for Xiaomi, which already has a number of models in its line-up, such as the Mi Band 4. It is, however, the company’s first foray into a smartwatch proper, and depending on its price point could make for strong alternative to Apple’s.

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Loupedeck’s premium editing console is for video and photo pros

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As before, it natively supports a number of creative apps including Adobe Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, Final Cut Pro X and Ableton Live. However, for the CT, Loupedeck ditched the plastic body and buttons of the last models. It’s now built with an “aluminum cover and dials, LED backlight, touchscreens, machine-quality ball bearings and more,” the company wrote. In addition, the tactile dials now include “haptic feel” for better precision.

Loupdeck Creative Tool control surface

On top of native integrations for the above apps, the Loupedeck CT comes with preset workspaces. For instance, inside Adobe Premiere, you can launch specific modules like Assembly, Editing and Color that match the modules in the app. That brings up the relevant controls on the center button group, while also showing the actions you can take on the main control wheel.

If the preset controls don’t cut it, you can personalize all the buttons, dials and touchscreens. “With color coordinated customizable buttons, dials and touchscreens, you can create as many workspaces as you need,” Loupedeck wrote in the production description. “You can break them down by editing stage, project type or however you like.”

The Loupedeck CT is compact in size and has a removable USB cable so you can easily take it from gig to gig, and the company will introduce more customizations over the next year. It’s now available to purchase for $549 exclusively at Loupedeck’s online store or B&H Photo Video. In the UK it’s available for £469 at Wex Photo Video and elsewhere.

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Elon Musk will go to trial in December over ‘pedo guy’ case

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It was later revealed that Musk hired a private detective to dig up dirt on Unsworth and then sent BuzzFeed News an off-the-record email, accusing the diver of moving to Thailand for a 12-year-old child bride. Unsworth denied the accusation and said his wife was 32, not 12, when he met her in London. He then sued Musk, who insisted in court filings that his “pedo guy” tweet was just meant as an insult. “Pedo guy was a common insult used in South Africa when I was growing up. It is synonymous with ‘creepy old man’ and is used to insult a person’s appearance and demeanor, not accuse a person of pedophilia,” the filing read.

The Tesla and SpaceX chief will now have to go to trial for the defamation lawsuit in December. A jury will then decide whether he was negligent for failing to ensure that what he said in his tweet and his off-the-record email were true. Unsworth’s lawyer told Bloomberg that the burden of proof for negligence is lower than that for actual malice, so it will be easier to convince the jury to find Musk liable for defamation. As for Musk’s lawyer, he said in a statement: “We look forward to the trial. We understand that, while Musk has apologized, Unsworth would like to milk his 15 minutes of fame.”

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Adobe won’t ban Venezuelans from using its products after all

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“After discussions with the US government, we’ve been granted a license to provide all of our Digital Media products and services in Venezuela,” Adobe’s Chris Hall said in a blog post. “With this update, we’re sharing that users can continue to access the Creative Cloud and Document Cloud portfolio, and all of their content, as they did before.”

When Adobe first announced the ban there was some debate over whether it was over-interpreting the executive order, which was intended to target the Venezuelan government and not regular Venezuelan citizens. The company also took flack for saying that it would not be able reimburse paid subscribers, but it later clarified that it would be offering refunds.

With so many people using Adobe products like Photoshop and Premiere for their work and entertainment, cutting off an entire country did not go down well. According to Reuters, many Venezuelans said they were resorting to pirating the software.

In its FAQ about the issue, Adobe says that paid subscribers who had their accounts canceled will receive 90 days of free access to all the products and services they had before by way of an apology. Anyone who lost access to paid services should find their access restored within one week.

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