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VW inadvertently offers a peek at the interior of its ID.3 EV

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Much like Mercedes’ newer cars, the ID.3 will apparently have natural-language voice commands to handle common tasks. You can say “hello ID,” mention that you’re feeling cold and expect your car to turn up the heat. There isn’t an extensive demo of the functionality, but it’s promising if you hate reaching over to tweak the AC or make a phone call.

VW quickly pulled the clip from its own channels, but we wouldn’t rule out a swift return. The promo video still shows the ID.3’s exterior wrapped in the neon-hued camouflage used to pitch the car in recent months. It wouldn’t be surprising if the video was meant to build up hype in the last weeks before the ID.3’s official reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. If nothing else, it suggests that VW’s first from-scratch EV will feel fresh for the brand, if not out of line with what you get from rivals.

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Microsoft is shutting down its internet board and card games

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The first ones to lose access will be Windows XP and Windows ME users. For them, compatible games (everything except MSN Go) will vanish in mere days on July 31st, 2019. Windows 7 users will get a bit of a break. They’ll have access to Backgammon, Checkers, Spades and MSN Go until January 22, 2020, or roughly a week after Microsoft ends normal support for Windows 7 itself.

There are bound to be web-based equivalents to these games, so you might not be completely stuck if you’re determined to play something on an older PC. Microsoft would no doubt prefer that you upgrade to a Windows 10 system and play something from its own app store, though. As it is, it’s almost surprising that support didn’t end earlier. Microsoft stopped regular maintenance of Windows XP and ME years ago — Internet Games on those platforms were clearly living on borrowed time, and Windows 7 isn’t far behind.

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NASA backs demo that will 3D-print spacecraft parts in orbit

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Made In Space has already 3D-printed beams in 2017, when it used a NASA location that simulated some of the conditions of space. This, of course, is another challenge entirely — it’s introducing microgravity along with a lack of human support if things go wrong.

This is the start of a second phase of a partnership between the two companies. If successful, it could alter how NASA and others approach building and fixing spacecraft. This could lead to building spacecraft (albeit smaller ones at this stage) in orbit, of course, but it could also let space agencies launch small satellites that receive large power collectors once they’re floating above Earth. It could also lead to fewer spacewalks by having robots build items that would otherwise require human involvement. Star Trek-like orbital shipyards are still a long, long way off, but this demo is a step in the right direction.

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Watch India launch a historic Moon mission starting at 5PM ET

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The mission is getting started with India’s most powerful launch rocket to date, the GSLV Mk III-M1.

It’s going to be a long while before you can see the landing itself. Vikram won’t be ready to touch down until September 6th. If successful, though, it will represent a major milestone for India’s spacefaring ambitions. The nation hasn’t been shy about wanting to compete with other countries, including plans to launch a space station by 2030. A Moon rover landing would suggest that it’s just a matter of when India can match or exceed the achievements of other spacefaring nations.

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Huawei preps ‘extensive’ US job cuts despite partial reprieve

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The move would be prompted by complications surrounding Huawei’s presence on the Commerce Department’s Entities List, which bars US companies from doing business with a given firm unless there’s explicit approval. Futurewei staff have been restricted when communicating with Huawei’s Chinese offices, according to the tipsters, since their work might be considered US technology despite the corporate connection. Reuters contacts recently said that Futurewei was trying to separate its operations from Huawei proper as a result of the US blacklisting.

Huawei has declined to comment. If accurate, though, the job cuts could significantly hamper the tech giant’s research efforts — at least until it boosts R&D outside the US. It also underscores the toll the de facto ban is having on the company’s business. Between this and talk of reduced phone production, Huawei may face tough times until and unless American officials give it a break.

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Should I buy this big thing if it’s a Prime Day deal?

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By Wirecutter Staff

Amazon Prime Day 2019 is coming, and we’re getting ready to bring you all the best deals on Wirecutter picks and recommendations from our expert staff. Bookmark our Deals page, follow @WirecutterDeals on Twitter, and sign up for our daily deals newsletter to see the best deals from around the Web on Prime Day—and every day.

During the frenzy of deal events like Prime Day, you can grab everything from mattresses to widescreen computer monitors at a discount. For instance, one former Wirecutter writer and fitness enthusiast found this treadmill, a model similar to our upgrade treadmill pick, the NordicTrack C 990, on sale during Prime Day 2017. Offering a large display and included assembly for $150 less than the model we recommended, the value was apparent for what this person wanted and needed.

And that’s the key to any discount. A truly great deal has to lie at the intersection of need, quality, and value—but need is the most important of the three.

A shopping holiday like Prime Day can often drive a big purchase in the improvident haze of the moment, but it’s important to pause, step back, and ask yourself a question or two before you take your brimming virtual cart to checkout.

You can reasonably expect that at least one or two of our mattress, TV, laptop, camera, projector, grill, or office chair picks will be discounted on Prime Day. But an impulse buy can often lead to regret about spending big on a dust-collecting reminder of a hasty decision. So before you buy, ask yourself a few questions.

Is it actually a deal?

We see a lot of good deals during big shopping holidays, but we see a lot of mediocre-to-bad deals too. Whether it’s raising the price just before Prime Day to inflate the discount percentage or just an average deal we see every two weeks, there are a lot of pitfalls, even for the wary shopper. Luckily for you, our Deals team carefully researches price trends and deal histories on all of our picks to save you time and effort. So if you see the item featured on our Deals page during our Prime Day coverage, we’ve already verified that it’s a deal worth spending money on.

If you’re evaluating a deal yourself, here are a couple things to keep in mind. Make sure to consider the percentage you can save when you’re looking at a deal. A $50 discount on a $100 item makes it a steal. But on a $1,000 item, $50 isn’t a huge markdown—and the sale might be worth skipping if you’d value the extra time to calmly think the purchase over.

But if it’s an item that rarely goes on sale or you’re willing to buy at full price, sometimes a relatively small drop in price can be worth jumping on—especially if we haven’t seen the price drop significantly lower (we’re looking at you, MacBooks and iPads).

Another important note is that an item’s street price (the price it sells for on most days) is almost always different from the list price (the price the manufacturer recommends). Although it can be difficult to determine the street price on some items, you can always check the price history on websites like CamelCamelCamel. Or you can drop us a question via @WirecutterDeals on Twitter.

Amazon displays both the percentage and the dollar amount you save when it shows sale prices—but it bases those figures on the list price, which doesn’t give you the full story about how good the deal is. Our Deals team always makes sure to tell you the percentage you save off the street price as well as the price something sells for every day, and tries to give context on how the deal compares to prices we see throughout the year and during other major holidays.

Will I use this?

If an impulse purchase is aspirational, it can feel especially satisfying in the moment, marrying the buzz of a big spend with the notion that you’re doing something good for yourself.

But you should make sure this big purchase is something you already had on your shopping list or something you would want even at full price. (There are worthwhile variants of many items that may merit consideration if discounted, a topic we’ll explore more below.)

When you see something tempting, first ask yourself whether that thing resolves a problem or satisfies a need. A treadmill won’t make you run a marathon, a grill won’t make friends come over more often, and an upholstered bed frame won’t make dates like you more. All of these things need to come from you.

“I add things to an Amazon wish list, and if they are still on the list in three or four months I consider buying them,” said Wirecutter senior staff writer Chris Heinonen, who covers TVs. If you add a 4K TV to your wish list now, you’ll have time by Black Friday to consider whether you really want to take the plunge (a better time to buy anyway in most cases, especially if you’re seeking a 2019 model).

Is this a variation of what I’ve been eyeing?

If you want a specific TV, consider other models in the same line or last year’s model of the same television. Be careful—although you can nab a variant that offers nearly all of the features of your preferred model for significantly less, the quality and features can vary greatly even within the same brand. A logo isn’t necessarily a bulletproof indicator that you’re getting everything you want. You can reach out to our experts via @WirecutterDeals or @Wirecutter to see if a variant is worthwhile or if last year’s model still presents a great value.

What’s my budget like?

It doesn’t matter if a nonessential item is half off if you can’t afford it. Credit card interest and regret can quickly sour the momentary joy of immediate savings.

Can I just fix my old thing?

If you’re buying to replace a broken or worn-out item you already own, first check to confirm whether your old thing is under warranty. Warranties from reputable companies can cover common fixes or even get you a replacement if something is beyond repair. For example, a foam mattress under five years old suffering from sagging or indentations may be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, and although such replacements can present a short-term hassle, it’s well worth the thousand dollars you could save. While you’re thinking about any substantial purchase, looking up the warranty and return policy of the item you’re eyeing can help confirm that the big purchase you have in mind is the right buy for you.



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After Math: Flipping the Switch

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When Foxconn and the Wisconsin state government agreed to open a production facility in the home of the Cheeseheads, the addition of 13,000 jobs was supposed to come with the new buildings. Psych, Foxconn is actually only bringing 1,500 jobs to the state, despite receiving $222 million in subsidies. But don’t worry they’ve got a full 13 years to get those staffing numbers up to full strength.

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Harley is flipping the power switch for its new LiveWire customers, offering to charge the electric motorcycles for free at any of its dealerships for the first two years. And given that you’re shelling out 30 grand for the bike, they’d darn well better.

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Yes, robots are coming to take your job. No, that doesn’t mean you can’t go find another one. Amazon announced this week that it plans to spend $700 million over the next six years to retrain 100,000 employees at risk of being made redundant by emerging automation systems.

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Those fancy LiDAR rigs that you see on the tops of self-driving vehicles, those typically go for around $75,000 a pop. Even the newer generation of compact arrays — a steal at 10 percent of the price — will set you back $7,500. But this new system from Luminar only costs a grand to install in production vehicles, paving the way for more widespread adoption of autonomous driving functions.

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Is there any game of skill or chance that machine learning systems can’t mop the floor with us at? Short answer: no. Long answer: Yes, but only until the system has acquired a sufficiently robust training data set, then, no.

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One hour. That’s how long Las Vegas’ autonomous bus system was able to operate in 2017 without getting into a wreck. Granted while the NTSB investigation found that the other vehicle had failed to stop at the light, the bus’ design was also cited as a contributing factor due to the difficulties the attendant had in reaching the manual override switch.

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Disney pulls the plug on FX Networks’ standalone streaming service

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The current season of FX shows will continue airing on its channels, as usual, and will be available for on-demand viewing in the FXNow app and on the FXNetworks website for a limited time with pay-TV subscriber authentication. Those who don’t have access to a cable subscription don’t have to worry, though, because Disney plans to distribute the network’s shows through Hulu.

Disney took full control of Hulu in May, giving the service the resources it needs to develop more original programming. The House of Mouse is also gearing up to launch Disney+, but it’ll mostly serve as home to its family-friendly programming. Its adult-oriented shows will go to Hulu. According to Variety, FX CEO John Landgraf admitted at an event in May that the network doesn’t have a large enough programming to sustain its own streaming service. He said Hulu will give FX the option to offer its shows ad-free as part of a bigger service, and that’s “really exciting” to him.

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Sony says its USB hub is the world’s fastest SD card reader

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The hub supports 100W power delivery to handle monitors and other particularly demanding peripherals. You’ll also have USB-C and USB-A connectors to connect devices new and old, not to mention HDMI output for video up to 4K at 30 frames per second. Even the case is resilient, with IP68 dust and water resistance as well as an aluminum “wave” design that improves grip and reduces scratches.

Sony will sell the MRW-S3 sometime in the fall alongside new SF-M Tough SD cards (in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities) that can take advantage of the hub’s speeds. The tech giant hasn’t provided a price, but that might not be an obstacle. If you own a high-end mirrorless or DSLR camera that can seriously tax the fastest card readers, the price of the USB hub will seem trivial by comparison.

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Blizzard will shut down ‘Overwatch’ matches when it spots cheating

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Kaplan noted that the feature is active on PTR (Public Test Realm) servers, although he didn’t say just when you could expect it to reach the general release.

Whether or not this approach deters cheaters will depend on its effectiveness. It might not help much if it only flags some sketchy players, or if cheaters manage to stay one step ahead through bots that avoid raising alarms. If it works as promised, though, it could make cheating highly unpalatable. There’s not much point to playing dirty if you can’t finish a match in the first place.

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