Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
The British Army is carrying out a major, four-week test of 70 new technologies, “including unmanned vehicles and surveillance drones,” as part of its “Autonomous Warrior experiment,” the MIT Technology Review reported this week. A press release from the Ministry of Defense was light on specifics, but it said that the military will have over…
Look outside, New Yorkers. Squint hard enough to see the Manhattan skyline from your barely affordable studio apartment an hour into the outer boroughs, and you can just make out one last act of shameless groveling on the horizon: In celebration [of the winning bid for Amazon’s HQ2 competition], several key New York City buildings,…
Halloween has passed, but Essential hath risen from near death to deliver unto us a $150 dongle. Audiophiles who also happen to own an Essential phone, now is the time to rejoice—if you’re actually out there. The dongle, available now in the U.S. and Canada, is called the Audio Adapter HD and attaches magnetically to…
Three senators sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday, urging the agency to investigate advertising in children’s apps. The senators believe that, according to a recent study that looked at the prevalence of these apps, the techniques are in violation of a section of the FTC Act that prohibits “unfair or…
Facebook neglected to properly monitor multiple device makers that were allowed to access Facebook users’ personal data, the company recently admitted to U.S. lawmakers. The New York Times reports that a previously unreported disclosure Facebook sent to Congress last month revealed that in early 2013, the social-media behemoth engaged in partnerships with seven device manufacturers…
One of the big selling points of smartwatches is the ability to control apps without needing to pull out your phone. However, due to the absence of an official Apple Watch app, adjusting music in Spotify using Apple’s smartwatch always felt kind of clunky. Now that’s changing. Spotify is finally gracing Apple Watch owners with bespoke…
It’s a ritual among women: Call an Uber (or Lyft, or another rideshare app), get home, and immediately text your besties to let them know you’re not dead in a ditch somewhere. That’s due in large part to the numerous horror stories you see in the news where women are sexually harassed or worse while…
A freelance videographer has filed a class action lawsuit against Adobe on behalf of mortified users that watched their files vanish due to a bug in video-editing software Premiere Pro. Even if this nightmare scenario hasn’t come up yet, all Premiere users should take note. The lawsuit was filed in a California district court last…
Amazon has finally confirmed that Long Island City, Queens, and the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, have both earned the dubious honor of hosting glorified branch offices for the e-commerce giant. Hiring is slated to begin next year. The Long Island City office is set to occupy 4 million square feet, with the option…
There’s a reason your computer’s home screen is often referred to as its desktop. The user interface is designed to emulate a physical desk covered in documents and tools. That analogy doesn’t work quite as well with a smartphone’s tiny screen, but this concept UI that switches apps automatically as you physically move your phone…
Flipkart, India’s largest ecommerce company, sparked a bidding war between U.S. giants Amazon and Walmart this year—the winning bid for a majority stake from the latter was an eye-popping $16 billion. Less than half a year later, its co-founder and CEO Binny Bansal has reportedly stepped down following an accusation of sexual assault. The allegation…
Updated: 11/13/2018, 9:50 p.m. ET: Looks like it was a glitch. In a statement to Gizmodo, a Google spokesperson wrote: We’re aware that a portion of internet traffic was affected by incorrect routing of IP addresses, and access to some Google services was impacted. The root cause of the issue was external to Google and…
Amazon’s grueling, year-long HQ2 search—which mostly entailed cities across the country competing to outdo each other with the most lavish incentives, often behind closed doors—has come to a close, with the company reportedly choosing New York and Crystal City, a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia. According to the Wall Street Journal, “people familiar with the…
The American Cable Association, a group of about 700 small cable providers, has requested the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division open an immediate investigation into Comcast’s competitive practices after restrictions on its 2011 merger deal with NBC recently expired. The group claims the telecom giant poses a greater threat than the newly merged AT&T/Time-Warner juggernaut. In…
Just over a week after the massive Google walkout, some tech companies are taking strides toward ending a commonly used practice in Silicon Valley and elsewhere to keep disputes out of the limelight. And on Monday, it was revealed that two more companies followed suit. Forced arbitration waives an individual’s right to a trial by…
While you can replace a lot of desktop apps with online equivalents when using a Chromebook—and even run Linux apps—you can’t exactly transfer your local media library wholesale from Windows or macOS to your thin and light laptop. Here are some of the smartest ways to take your media library anywhere. Of course we’re not…
Tide just announced a new alternative to the classic bottle of laundry detergent. It basically looks and works just like a box of wine, which is sort of funny because of that whole meme about teens eating Tide Pods. But the new Tide Eco-Box is no joke. It’s actually a glimpse into a future where…
On Monday afternoon, Facebook made it clear that it’s listening more intently to users’ desires than ever before. At the time of writing, the social media network is down for at least some users. And there’s a calm over the internet that hasn’t been felt in more than a decade. Update 3:45pm ET: Nevermind, it’s…
Last week, Samsung teased its Infinity Flex Display for use on a still-unnamed folding smartphone. Samsung’s project isn’t the only bendy-screen device in the works, but reports from two Korean news agencies already have people balking about the gadget’s anticipated price. That’s because Samsung’s flexible screen device—which has been dubbed the Galaxy F for now—may…
If humans are dependable for anything, it’s discovering new ways to get horny over new tech. And according to a new report, self-driving will really get people riled up. Researchers in the United Kingdom just released a paper in the in the journal Annals of Tourism Research that details how self-driving cars may affect urban tourism.…
