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GM will help Chevy EV owners find certified home charger installers

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According to the company, the perceived difficulty of installing an at-home charging station prevents some consumers from taking the plunge. “We’re excited that our Chevrolet Bolt EV owners can now enjoy the ease and accessibility of at-home charging,” said Kelly Helfrich, manager of GM’s EV infrastructure. “This is an important step forward on our journey toward a world with zero emissions.” It could also be a helpful sales incentive when GM’s EV tax credit runs dry sometime next year.

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Microsoft posts record Q4 results despite Xbox slowdown

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According to the report, Microsoft made $33.7 billion this past quarter, which is 12 percent higher than the same quarter last year. For the fiscal year that ended in June, Microsoft made a total of $125.8 billion, representing a 14 percent increase from the year before.

As it has in past quarters, the company saw its Intelligent Cloud segment grow the most (19 percent), netting $11.4 billion over last quarter’s $9.2 billion. The Productivity and Business Processes segment jumped 14 percent over last quarter, while the Personal Computing side of things rose 4 percent to make $11.3 billion. Under this umbrella though, gaming revenue declined 10 percent compared to the same quarter last year, with Xbox software and services revenue dropping 3 percent.

Once again, that’s not surprising since the company hasn’t launched a new console in ages and is expected to unveil a next-gen Xbox next year. At E3 this June, Microsoft teased an upcoming system codenamed Project Scarlett, which promises to be four times more powerful than the Xbox One X. The company’s also prepared some big games to launch alongside the console, and (partially) releasing a cloud-based game streaming service this October, so this slowdown in Xbox revenue isn’t likely to remain for long.

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Chrome update will stop sites from checking for Incognito Mode

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The internet giant says it’s a matter of respecting the very purpose of Incognito mode: maintaining privacy. While people do use private browsing to dodge site paywalls, people may have far more serious reasons for staying anonymous. They may be trying to avoid an abusive partner or political oppression, for instance. Google suggested that publishers avoid knee-jerk reactions to the Chrome change and instead consider either more “generous” free view allowances or requiring a free registration for all content, not just under certain articles or conditions.

This move could please people concerned that private browsing modes are losing some of their value. It’s likely to rub some publishers the wrong way, though. Outlets like the New York Times (which we’ve asked for comment) have been detecting Incognito Mode in a bid to track readership, goad people into subscribing, or both. They’re unlikely to accept Google’s changes without a fight, even if the damage might be limited.

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A sheriff’s office in Colorado will use Galaxy S9s as body cameras

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Using Galaxy S9s as body cameras might bring some benefits, like automatic uploads and real-time livestreams. But it’s an odd thing to tout at the moment, given all of the backlash about body cameras being worn but not turned on and growing concern about police-use of facial recognition — though Samsung did not say these devices will use facial recognition software.

Studies have found that police-worn body cameras don’t necessarily solve issues like excessive use of force, and they can be susceptible to hacking. Still, body cameras have become more common, and there’s a chance we’ll see more, small law enforcement teams looking for creative ways to equip their officers.

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Cellphone interference still poses a risk aboard some Boeing jets

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The manufacturer is pushing back on Bloomberg’s estimate that “potentially hundreds of aircraft worldwide are flying with the unsafe systems.” In a statement, Honeywell spokesman Nina Krauss said the problem may impact 70 or fewer jets, and there’s no evidence that the airplanes are operational. Many units could be on retired aircraft or simulators.

Interference can cause the affected units to lose critical data on airspeed and navigation. Airlines and Honeywell both argue that the cockpit screens don’t pose a safety risk. Still, dozens of pilots have reported instances of display units going blank and important flight important vanishing. The FAA is giving airlines until November 2019 to upgrade their systems.

If you’re due for a flight in the near future, there’s no need to panic. First off, the chances of you flying on a plane with an outdated unit are very low. Both Delta and Southwest Airlines have upgraded their screens. American Airlines still has 14 jets that need the update, and United Airlines has 17 jets that need components replaced, company representatives told Bloomberg. Budget European carrier Ryanair hasn’t upgraded its screens due to the “financial burden,” but inspected its display units and replaced those with issues.

All told, the outdated cockpit screens still present a relatively low risk. Back in 2014, Southwest Airlines ran a test on WiFi-enabled Boeing 737s with the affected Honeywell system and reached 2,300,000 hours with no issues. Still, it’s better for the airlines to be as safe as possible when it comes to passenger safety.

Update, 7/18/19, 5:20PM ET: This story has been updated with more details from manufacturer Honeywell.

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US networks improved in early 2019 with help from 5G upgrades

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The explanation could be a straightforward one. For the most part, carriers were in a rush to either launch their 5G networks or expand what little 5G service they had. That meant upgrading their infrastructure to handle 5G’s extra demands and improving quality for everyone, whether it was call quality or download speeds.

This doesn’t let providers off the hook. Even the seven percent figure still amounts to a lot of frustrated customers, and there are bound to be areas where a carrier has poorer-than-usual coverage. Nonetheless, it’s a positive sign — let’s just hope that there isn’t a repeat of what happened with LTE, where the initially blistering networks bogged down as capacity failed to keep up with demand.

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Save $150 on a Dell 34-inch 2K curved monitor

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Lutron Caséta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch Starter Kit

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Street price: $100; deal price: $64

Available for $64 at checkout for Prime members, this is an all-time low for this smart light switch starter kit. This kit features a remote and hub and additional in-wall switches can be added to it piecemeal.

The Lutron Caséta Wireless In-Wall Dimmer Starter Kit is the top in-wall lighting system pick in our guide to the best in-wall wireless light switch and dimmer. Wirecutter Staff Writer Rachel Cericola wrote, “The Lutron Caséta Wireless In-Wall Dimmer is a reliable smart replacement that provides remote on/off, dimming, scheduling, and grouping by room, and connects over a reliable wireless mesh network. The single-pole dimmer offers support for more smart-home platforms, including Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant, than any model we tested, so it’s good for people with existing smart-home devices or those who plan to add more. It’s also the only model with a multi-button keypad, which allows you to program custom scenes that work from the dimmer, and it’s the only wireless switch we tested that doesn’t require a neutral wire, which means you can install it in locations where most other models won’t work. The easy-to-use app includes geofencing, scenes, and a Smart Away feature that makes it look like you’re home when you’re not.”

Apple AirPods (2nd Gen)

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Street price: $185; deal price: $170 (in stock 7/24)

Down to $170 from a street price of around $185, this seemingly-small discount is the first deal we’ve seen on the 2nd Gen Apple AirPods with a wireless charging case. Though they are currently out of stock, this item will be available to ship as on 7/24, which is worth the wait if you’re interested in a set of AirPods. At this price, they are also $80 less than the current runner-up in our guide, the Beats Powerbeats Pro.

Though they’re no longer a formal pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds, the Apple AirPods (2nd Gen) are our former runner-up, best for iPhones pick that we still like. Wirecutter Senior Staff Writer Lauren Dragan wrote, “Apple’s AirPods pair with Apple devices easily, sound great on phone calls, and are comfortable to wear. Like the Powerbeats Pro, these true wireless earbuds use the Apple H1 chip, which mildly improves battery life and connection speeds between Apple devices, as well as mic quality, and it adds built-in hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ capabilities.”

Crucial MX500 2TB SSD

Crucial

Street price: $240; deal price: $207

While the street price of this large-capacity drive has continued to drop to around $240, this is still a nice additional drop to a new low price of $207. If you’ve been waiting on a good price for a capacious SSD, this is the best deal we’ve seen for the 2TB version of the Crucial MX500.

The Crucial MX500 is the top pick in our guide to the best SSDs. Wirecutter Editor Andrew Cunningham wrote, “The Crucial MX500 is just a little slower than Samsung’s more expensive SATA SSDs in most benchmarks, but most people wouldn’t notice the difference. It’s as good as or better than the rest of the competition and it performs better when full or near-full than its predecessor, the MX300. It supports full-disk encryption and it comes in both 2.5-inch and M.2 SATA versions, but not the (older, less common) mSATA. Crucial offers a five-year warranty on the drive for more peace of mind (three years is typical).”

Dell U3417W

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Street price: $670; deal price: $510

At only $10 more than the deal pricing we saw for Prime Day, this deal is a solid drop on the Dell U3417. Already more affordable than our current runner-up pick, if you don’t need USB-C, this deal places the U3417W at over $260 less than the Dell U3419W.

The Dell U3417 is our former runner-up in our guide to the best ultrawide monitors. With a functional split-screen mode and an included KVM switch, this monitor is ideal for connecting two computers to. Wirecutter Staff Writer Thorin Klosowski wrote, “the Dell U3417W is still a great monitor, but Dell tells us it won’t be available for long. It lacks the USB-C port of the U3419W and has a blue tint but is otherwise very similar.”

Because great deals don’t just happen on Thursday, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go here.

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‘Overwatch’ test lets you pick and queue for a specific hero class

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But now, if you’re in competitive or quick play, you can choose your role before the game starts and the system will match two tanks, two supports and two damage heroes to create a team. Each of the roles has its own queue, and you’ll be able to see estimates for the wait times for each — this will generally be down to the number of players queuing for a particular role. There may also be rewards on offer to help balance out the distribution of players.

Blizzard has also made a couple of other tweaks to ensure matches remain as fair as possible. Players will earn a separate skill rating for each role in competitive play and be assigned a tier per role based on that rating — bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond or grandmaster. This will help the matchmaking system create teams on an evenly skilled basis. Role Queue will affect hero balance, especially for heroes such as Brigitte who is most potent as a third Healer or Tank. As such, Blizzard is updating Brigitte’s kit to provide more healing overall while decreasing her survivability to help solidify her as a support hero.

The feature is currently available on the public test region on PC, and will be coming to live servers starting with a Role Queue beta season in Patch 1.39. It’ll be fully available for quick and competitive play from September 1st for the start of Competitive Season 18.

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Google’s plan to improve local news will start in Youngstown, Ohio

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The Compass Experiment, part of the Google News Initiative, aims to develop sustainable business models for local news organizations. It plans to launch digital platforms in three mid-sized communities, with the Youngstown site going live this fall. In addition to covering local news, Compass will test a variety of revenue models. The goal is to make each operation financially self-sustaining and to share lessons learned with other publications.

While Compass could help fill the news void in Youngstown and the two other yet-to-be-named cities, it could also serve as a model to increase local coverage across the country. According to the Pew Research Center, the estimated circulation of daily newspapers in the US fell to 28.6 million in 2018, down from 48.6 million a decade earlier. And Facebook recently admitted it’s having a hard time finding enough local news. To make matters worse, companies are still fighting the spread of fake news.

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Toyota unveils electric shuttles for 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo

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Unsurprisingly, Toyota’s APM isn’t meant for the masses. The open-air vehicles resemble large golf carts, rather than futuristic vessels of public transportation. There’s a good reason why. Toyota intends it to be a “last mile” solution for staff and athletes, as well as visitors with accessibility needs — such as the disabled, pregnant women, the elderly or families with small children. Each APM can accommodate a wheelchair or a stretcher, and includes an access ramp.

This transportation solution will no doubt be vital for disabled athletes and guests. The Olympics and Paralympics haven’t had the best track record with accessibility. Disabled visitors at the 2018 Paralympic Games in South Korea encountered numerous challenges in rural areas. Tokyo, as one of the world’s most developed cities, could pose its own set of problems. Unlike previous Olympic games, where tickets have gone unsold, there’s been record-breaking demand for the Tokyo games, so crowds will be considerable. The last time Japan’s capital city hosted the worldwide event was in 1964, so expectations for its return are sky-high.

Toyota is expected to reveal even more innovations ahead of the event, including a flying car that will light up the Olympic torch and robots that can bring food and drinks to guests. The automaker is even planning on building robots that can assist guests in wheelchairs. With any luck, the 2020 Olympic Games will be a demonstration of technology’s real-life impacts — and not just futuristic whimsy.

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