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The Morning After: iPhone ‘Pro’ rumors

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The end of XS.Rumors point to iPhone ‘Pro,’ new iPad and 16-inch MacBook Pro

As usual, we’re expecting a slew of new hardware from Apple this fall, and according to Bloomberg that will include a new Pro variant of the iPhone to replace the XS and XS Max. So what could make it worthy of the moniker? Try reverse wireless charging, wider-angle FaceID and a triple rear camera setup.

While they’ll likely skip 5G this time, we could see an upgrade to the iPhone XR, plus updated iPads and a 16-inch MacBook Pro that expands its screen by trimming the bezel. Smaller upgrades are said to be in store for the Watch, AirPods and HomePod products.

At $1,099, it’s the most expensive one yet.Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ review: Weird, but in a good way

The Galaxy Note 10+ isn’t a perfect phone, but Chris Velazco explains in his review why it’s “still the best big phone out there right now.” Magic wand-style gestures with the S Pen were a mixed bag, but it has a large 4,300mAh battery inside plus a sweet triple camera setup on the back that’s snagged from the S10 series. And then there’s Samsung’s DeX desktop computing software…

Only the best from the rumor mill.What to expect at IFA 2019

Europe’s biggest tech show approaches, and we’re hearing even more things about foldable phones. And it’s not Huawei or Samsung. Interested? Read on. Even if you’re not, we’ve got what to expect from TVs, audio and everything else expected to show up at IFA 2019.

No more nicknames.Android Q is now simply Android 10

Google has finally revealed Android Q’s release name, and it’s not Quiche, Quinoa or Quesadilla. In fact, it’s not named after any snack that starts with the letter Q — the tech giant has decided to just call it Android 10. Plus, the mobile OS has a redesigned logo. Google changed the text from green to black to make it easier to read, switched fonts and used a close-up of the Android robot that’s now colored in a new shade of green.

Developed by ‘Halo’ co-creator Marcus Lehto and his indie studio V1 Interactive.‘Disintegration’ is a tactical shooter that questions transhumanism

In this upcoming tactical shooter, you play in a future where human brains have been implanted in robot bodies, as a war rages over whether our species will continue in organic bodies or metal ones. The player’s character pilots a hovering vehicle and directs a small band of rebels fighting to get back into their flesh-and-bone selves. There’s a mix of aerial tactics and FPS action, with the twist that when an ally goes down, you’ll need to find a new robot body to keep their brain alive — fast.

Longer than the standard range Tesla Model 3.Chevy’s Bolt EV will pack a longer 259-mile range for 2020

Chevy hasn’t tweaked the Bolt EV much since its introduction, but an impending refresh could be welcome by giving drivers what they often crave: more range. The EPA has rated the 2020 Bolt EV as delivering 259 miles of range, up substantially from the 238 miles you’ve seen since the start.

Its name is Fyodor, and it will help determine if the rocket is safe for crewed flights.Russia adds a humanoid robot passenger for its new Soyuz rocket launch

Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, launched a new Soyuz booster on a trip to the ISS. Unlike other Soyuz flights that bring astronauts to the space station, this trip has a humanoid robot passenger called Fyodor. The machine’s real model name is Skybot F-850, and it’s one of the latest versions of the FEDOR robot Russia has been working on for years.

Roscosmos monitored Fyodor’s condition during the launch and will continue to keep an eye on the robot. Unlike Robonaut2, which stayed aboard the ISS for years, Fyodor will only stay there for two weeks to undergo some tests. After that, it will hitch a ride on the same Soyuz vehicle to come back home.

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Disney+ docu-series will focus on the people behind its movies and parks

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“This exciting new series takes an in-depth look at the unique and surprising roles these men and women call their daily jobs,” the company said in a press release. Fans of Disney’s theme parks, animation, art and VFX will no doubt geek out over the series, with no need to commit a lot of time for each episode. It might be the first step toward similar, inward-looking content that will be ideal filler for Disney+.

The series will launch on December 3rd with a feature-length One Day in Disney special and matching coffee book. After that, Disney+ will stream shorts ranging in length from four to seven minutes each week for over 50 weeks. Disney+ debuts on November 12th, 2019.

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Amazon will no longer use drivers’ tips to cover their base pay

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The delivery drivers weren’t aware of the practice due to the lack of transparency. They weren’t told how much of the money they get came from tips, so some of them had to experiment by ordering items themselves to figure out what was going on. Going forward, based on Amazon’s email, the company will start sending them a fare breakdown for their shift, showing how much their base pay is and how much tips they got.

Here’s a photo sample of the breakdown included in the email to drivers:

Amazon

“While earnings vary by region and block, with the change to Amazon’s minimum contribution, we expect nationwide average earnings for these blocks to increase to more than $27 per hour,” the email reportedly read.

Amazon has long been criticized for its lack of driver pay transparency. Back in 2015, a group of Prime Now drivers sued the company, accusing it of withholding tips paid via credit cards. One of the plaintiffs said he had no way of knowing if he was paid right, because he had never seen an accounting of his tips.

DoorDash, another company that’s gotten flak for counting tips towards its drivers’ base pay, has also changed its tipping policy a month after promising to do so in a win. “Under our new model, every dollar a customer tips will be an extra dollar in their Dasher’s pocket,” the company’s announcement reads. “If you leave a $3 tip on your order, your Dasher will earn an extra $3.”

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YouTube pulls hundreds of channels tied to Hong Kong influence campaign

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On Monday, both Twitter and Facebook announced they’d blocked accounts from China that were involved in disinformation attempts around protests in Hong Kong. Now YouTube revealed it has disabled 210 channels this week that “behaved in a coordinated manner while uploading videos related to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.” Google Security’s Shane Huntley did not identify a source for the channels in the post, but said this discovery was “consistent” with Facebook and Twitter’s actions related to China.

YouTube told Reuters that unlike Twitter, it does not have any plan to change advertising policies for state-controlled media outlets, however it will soon expand labeling of state sponsored outlets to the region. Also unlike Twitter, it did not release any notes about the accounts or the contents of their posts, so we’ll just have to speculate about what those channels looked like.

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‘Fortnite’ finally nerfs the hated B.R.U.T.E. mechs

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It’s not all downside for the mechs though — their health has been bumped up from 1,000 points to 1,250. Overall, it should reduce much of the frustration players have had because they could so quickly kill someone even if that person had full health, with the changes designed to make it so mechs can still destroy a structure quickly, without being as hard to fight against.

Epic has also temporarily removed the Junk Rift weapon from Arena playlists, which it says is the result of an audio issue.

The response from the community so far seems positive, as reflected by streamer TimTheTatMan and pro player FaZe Ewok showing their appreciation. There’s no patch to download, so go ahead and try out the game now, then let us know if it’s finally moving in the right direction.

Changelog:

B.R.U.T.E.

  • Decreased the maximum amount of rockets fired by the B.R.U.T.E. in a single charge from 10 to 6.
  • Decreased the rate at which the rockets are fired from the B.R.U.T.E. by 56%.
  • Our goal with these changes is to increase the back and forth between the users of the B.R.U.T.E. and the players they face. These changes allow the players on the receiving end of the missile volley to have more time to react and protect themselves.
  • Decreased the radius of the B.R.U.T.E.’s rocket explosion by 42%.
  • Our goal with this change is to improve consistency and understanding around focused barrages of missiles. B.R.U.T.E.s will continue to be a strong option against structures, but less lethal against players.
  • Increased the dash cooldown from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.
  • The previous dash cooldown not only increased the B.R.U.T.E.’s mobility, but also made the B.R.U.T.E.s a harder target to hit from distance than we’d like. The adjustment here reduces the ability to close gaps quickly while in the B.R.U.T.E. while also increasing the ability to land shots on target for players facing the B.R.U.T.E.
  • Decreased the velocity gained from boosting while in air by 33%.
  • We want to reduce a B.R.U.T.E.’s ability to engage and disengage at long distances to encourage a more strategic approach to an encounter. In general we hope to shift B.R.U.T.E.s away from being highly mobile and put more emphasis on their already defensive nature.
  • The B.R.U.T.E. no longer grants materials to the driver and passenger when stomping or dashing through the environment.
  • Note: This change should roll out shortly following the other changes.
  • Our goal is to add more tension between being in and out of a B.R.U.T.E. as well as reduce instances where players can farm faster than intended without exposing themselves to danger.
  • Adjusted the variability of spawn rates for storm phases 1, 2, and 3 in core modes. Arena spawn rates will remain unchanged.
  • Storm phase 1
    • New spawn rates
      • 29% chance to spawn 0.
      • 14.3% chance to spawn 1.
      • 14.3% chance to spawn 2.
      • 14.3% chance to spawn 3.
      • 14.3% chance to spawn 4.
      • 14.3% chance to spawn 5.

    • Old spawn rates
      • 33% chance to spawn 2.
      • 33% chance to spawn 3.
      • 33% chance to spawn 4.

  • Storm phase 2
    • New spawn rates
      • 25% chance to spawn 0.
      • 25% chance to spawn 1.
      • 25% chance to spawn 2.
      • 25% chance to spawn 3.

    • Old spawn rates
      • 33% chance to spawn 2.
      • 33% chance to spawn 3.
      • 33% chance to spawn 4.

  • Storm phase 3
    • New spawn rates
      • 25% chance to spawn 0.
      • 25% chance to spawn 1.
      • 25% chance to spawn 2.
      • 25% chance to spawn 3.

    • Old spawn rates
      • 33% chance to spawn 1.
      • 33% chance to spawn 2.
      • 33% chance to spawn 3.

  • Previously, the early stages of a match were guaranteed a minimum amount of B.R.U.T.E.s. We’d like to provide a little more variance to that experience so that matches don’t always play out the same way. The overall average number of B.R.U.T.E.s per game is reduced slightly.
  • Decreased the material cost of using the gunner’s overshield from 200 to 75.
  • Our goal is to further emphasize use of materials for positive defensive benefit.
  • Increased the Health of the B.R.U.T.E from 1000 to 1250.
  • With the above changes, users of the B.R.U.T.E. need to play a bit more strategic than before, so we want to give a little bit longer of a window to do so.

Junk Rift

  • The Junk Rift has been temporarily removed from Arena playlists.
  • This is due to an audio issue caused when the portal is significantly higher than a player.



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FDA to trial innovative computer-assisted heart surgeries this fall

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The first step is an MRI scan, which is used to create a model of the heart’s atria chambers. The Johns Hopkins University team that created the procedure then populates the model with virtual cells. These cells, like their real-life counterparts, act differently based on whether they’re in the vicinity of healthy or scarred heart tissue. They then stimulate each cell with a virtual electrical pulse to see where an irregular heartbeat develops.

Virtual heart model

This is where things get even more interesting. After they have their initial model, the team conducts a simulated surgery. This process updates the model, adding new lesions to the virtual heart. The team then repeats the entire process, testing and operating multiple times so that they can see which parts of the heart will produce an irregular heartbeat in the future. In this way, they’re able to develop a single treatment plan that targets not only any heart tissue that’s of immediate concern, but also parts of the heart that will cause trouble in the future. The last step is to send the treatment plan to a surgeon, who simply follows it when they operate in real life.

The procedure looks to be a game-changer for people with atrial fibrillation (AF). On average, 50 percent of individuals who undergo surgery for persistent irregular heartbeats have to return to the operating table for multiple follow-up surgeries. While it’s only a small sample, of the 10 individuals who were operated on using the OPTIMA technique, only one had to return for a follow-up procedure. Initially, the procedure is expected to cost more per patient since it involves an MRI scan. Over time, however, it will likely save money overall. Besides the monetary benefits, fewer surgeries are also better for the physical and mental health of patients.

If OPTIMA passes its FDA trials, it will likely make its way to hospitals soon.

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After a year of Epic Games exclusivity, ‘Hades’ heads to Steam Early Access

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Hades

In Hades, players take on the role of a son of Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, as he attempts to escape his father’s domain. Standing between the player and their goal is a mountain of hurt. Supergiant describes Hades as a “rogue-like.” That is, expect to die a lot as you learn the ins and outs of the combat mechanics and level design. Along the way, you’ll meet mythological heroes such as Achilles, as well as most of the Olympian gods.

Back when Epic launched the Epic Games Store last year, Hades was the company’s first major exclusive. Since then, Epic has used its Fortnite war chest to land other high-profile exclusives, much to the chagrin of some PC gamers. Since launching in early access, Supergiant has released six major content updates for Hades, adding new levels, weapons, story beats and, best of all, additional music by composer Darren Korb. Supergiant says players who purchase Hades before October 15th, 2019 will get a complimentary digital copy of the game’s soundtrack. If you would rather wait for Supergiant to finish development on Hades before paying to play it, the studio says it expects to launch the game sometime in the second half of 2020.

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DoorDash finally makes sure delivery drivers get your tips

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Under the new policy, DoorDash drivers will receive a base pay that ranges between $2 to $10, and is estimated based on factors like distance, duration and the desirability of the job itself. “Deliveries that are expected to take more time, that require Dashers to travel a longer distance, and that are less popular with Dashers will have higher base pay,” wrote Xu in a blog post announcing the revamped policy. On top of that, drivers will be able to pocket 100 percent of the tips they receive from customers. DoorDash was originally criticized for its practice of subsidizing worker’s pay with the tips they receive from customers.

Drivers will also have the chance to earn extra income for deliveries made during peak times or for especially high performance. These promotions will be known as “Peak Pay” and “Challenge Bonuses”, and will roll out to drivers over the next several months.

Workers will also be able to see the full amount of potential earnings from a delivery up-front, before they choose to accept a job. Same as before, drivers will receive a breakdown of their earnings after delivery.

In light of backlash over the unfair tipping policies practiced by InstaCart and other gig economy delivery services, DoorDash was the last holdout. Its decision to cave is proof that companies are still receptive to public outcry over the welfare of its employees. Amazon today also announced that it would end similar tipping practices for its drivers.

Still, it appears that optics are DoorDash’s primary concern, rather than treating its drivers fairly. Even though Xu announced that changes were in store back in July, Recode noted that delivery drivers still have had to work under the old policy for an entire month. And it looks like they’ll have to wait a while longer. DoorDash says it expects to roll out the new tipping policy in September. In other words, it will continue pocketing its driver’s tips until that point.

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‘Uncharted’ movie loses its director, again

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While Trachtenberg — who recently directed the pilot episode of Amazon’s super hero sendup The Boys — is out on Uncharted, Sony has added to some talent to the project. PlayStation Productions, the media company set up by Sony last year, is now on board with the film, per Deadline. Assuming Uncharted eventually make its to movie theaters, it will be the first feature-length production to have the PlayStation Productions name attached to it.

The Uncharted film has had a pretty troubled history since it was first announced back in 2014, with an original planned release date set for 2016. Trachtenberg isn’t even the first director to leave the project — Stranger Things director Shawn Levy was attached at one point before exiting. The delays may be for the best, though. In 2017, Spider-Man star Tom Holland signed on to tackle the role of young Nathan Drake. Since he apparently won’t have any more MCU films on his plate (at least for now), he should be able to keep busy with the Uncharted film that is set to be released in December 2020.

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