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One of the biggest issues with smart lights is the way they interact with traditional wall switches, which is exactly what Philips Hue is hoping to fix with its new Wall Switch Module. Typically, the problem with connecting smart lights to a traditional wall switch is that if you use the switch to turn smart…
Starting today, Google is issuing a pause on all political ads—as well as any ads referencing to the US Capitol siege—until “at least” January 21st, according to an email the company sent to its advertising partners that was obtained by Axios. In it, Google described taking this stance “following the unprecedented events of the past…
Beginning next month, Oculus will roll out multi-user accounts and app sharing, in a move meant to make it easier for multiple people to share a single headset. The feature will first launch on the Quest 2 before rolling out to all Quest devices, and yes, you will have to do this using your Facebook…
Over a year since announcing the deal and after months of regulatory scrutiny, the Google-Fitbit merger is finally official. This outcome was inevitable after the European Union, which led the most public and in-depth investigation into the deal, granted the merger conditional approval last month. To secure that approval, Google made several concessions over the…
If you subscribe to the Peloton app or own one of the company’s bikes or treadmills, you know part of the fitness service’s appeal is the variety of class lengths it offers. You can take a 30-minute ride, run, or cardio class, then follow it up with a 20-minute upper body workout, 10-minute core, and…
CES was very different this year. Show floors in Vegas hotels were swapped for an entirely virtual event and back-to-back Zoom presentations. That can make demoing the technology powering new OLED or 8K TVs a little tough. But from what we did get to see coming out of this year’s CES, there’s plenty to be…
Every few years, Samsung’s premium Galaxy phones get a major redesign as they enter a new phase of development. The new Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra continue that tradition—this year, it feels like Samsung’s flagship phone line just got its biggest overhaul since the Galaxy S8. When it comes to design, it’ll be pretty…
It seems like just a few months ago Samsung released its active noise-canceling Galaxy Buds Live. Oh, right, that’s because it did. And yet here we are with a brand new pair of active noise-canceling Bluetooth earbuds, Galaxy Buds Pro. They’re a little pricier than the Buds Live, but promise more intelligent (and hopefully more…
We’re barely into 2021 and it’s already been kind of a lot, to say the least. If you’re able to take a break from doomscrolling, we recommend it. We’ve also rounded up some of the best iOS and Android apps for calming your brain amidst the chaos. Close Twitter, take a break from cable news,…
Bulgarian man Rossen G. Iossifov was sentenced to 10 years in U.S. federal prison January 12 for his role in a transnational scheme that stole millions of dollars from hundreds of Americans. Before his downfall, Iossifov ran RG Coins, a cryptocurrency exchange based out of Sofia, Bulgaria that authorities say frequently acted as a vehicle…
Members of a violent and deadly mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 reportedly communicated with each other through the walkie-talkie app Zello — a company long criticized for its failure to moderate the far-right extremist content it sometimes hosts. According to audio and chat logs reviewed by The Guardian, at least two…
President Donald Trump, the apparent owner of a Snapchat account, will soon be permanently banned from Snapchat. According to Axios, the platform will become the latest to give Trump the boot on January 20 following his incitement of a violent and deadly uprising that took place inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6. “Last week…
Checked bags aren’t the only things that cost extra: Under a new policy announced by the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday, airplane passengers who act like giant assholes by threatening or assaulting crew members could soon be subject to $35,000 in fines or up to 20 years imprisonment. Here’s looking at you, Plane Karen. In…
Today in terrible ideas: an AI system that claims to be able to accurately predict your political affiliation using…your face. Yes, really. Stanford researcher Michal Kosinski published his research (which you can read here) in the journal Nature earlier this week. You might remember Kosinski’s name from spearheading a similar studyback in 2017 that claimed…
Twitter has suspended Patrick Byrne, libertarian firebrand and former CEO of Overstock who’s been peddling Trump’s election fraud conspiracies. Byrne assumed the more full-time role of rogue warrior last year when he sold all of his shares in the company in order to buy cryptocurrency and deep-six the oligarchy and Deep State, a mission that…
Professional disinformation campaigns are a boom market, according to a new report from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII); researchers found “evidence of 81 countries using social media to spread computational propaganda and disinformation about politics,” up from 70 in 2019. Among them: Both sides of the civil war in Libya, a pro-Trump group that tries…
Portable or practice amps are a guitarist’s best friend. These tiny devices usually plug right into your guitar and let you listen to the audio without waking the neighbors or the baby in the next room. Fender, for its part, has made it easier to get great tone out of a box the size of…
Apple introduced a new version of its classic MagSafe charging technology, previously used in MacBooks, with the iPhone 12. It works a little differently in the iPhone than it does in a laptop: a circular array of magnets embedded in back of the phone enables it to snap to a compatible accessory. It could be…
Google’s smart speakers and displays, like Nest Audio and Nest Hub Max, have a new feature as of today: Guest Mode, which makes the devices act more like a public Google Assistant terminal rather than a personal assistant, says The Verge. All you do is say “Hey Google, turn on Guest Mode,” and your smart…
Turtle Beach, a maker of popular gaming headsets, has acquired Neat Microphones, a company that made waves with its unique-looking microphones for broadcasters and podcasters. Originally launched by musical instrument manufacturer Gibson, Neat’s Widget microphone line looked like something Jessica Rabbit would sing into in Toontown. Founded by the co-founder of Blue Microphones Skipper Wise,…
