The latest cover of ‘Time’ is composed of 958 Intel drones
Intel's latest drone trick is on the cover of Time. Err, it is the cover of Time. Allow me to explain. The magazine's most recent issue features special reports on UAVs, and rather than, say, featuring a photo of Intel's drone team on the cover, as PetaPixel notes, the publication's iconic red border and logo is made up of 958 of Intel's light-show drones themselves.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/intel-drones-time-cover/
Ticketfly temporarily shuts down to investigate ‘cyber incident’
The intrusion might have started through Ticketfly's WordPress blog -- the hacker claimed to have downloaded and posted this on Ticketfly's site before it was taken down.
The firm hasn't said when it expects services to return to normal,and it has yet to gauge the full extent of the breach. It took everything down out of an "abundance of caution," according to a spokesperson.
It's possible that the actual damage to customers may be limited based on early details. It's far from a happy day for Eventbrite, however. It bought Ticketfly from Pandora in 2017 to bolster its event management and ticketing businesses, and having such a high-profile crisis on its hands a year later isn't exactly going to instill confidence in customers or the industry.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/ticketfly-temporarily-shuts-down-after-hack/
Microsoft adds more parental controls to monitor app and device use
There's also an update to Microsoft Edge on Android rolling out today. If you've approved or blocked any websites on Microsoft Edge through your PC for your family group, those settings will be extended to Microsoft Edge for Android devices.
Microsoft also announced MSN Kids -- a kid-friendly, ad-free news site for children in the elementary and middle school age range. Currently in preview, the website will include curated news items from publishers like Time for Kids, Popular Science, Sports Illustrated for Kids, National Geographic and USA Today.
These updates follow other similar parental control and digital health changes introduced or announced by companies like YouTube, Verizon, Amazon, Netflix, Apple and Google. "Creating tools and features that empower both parents and kids has always been an important part of our work," said Microsoft, "and is becoming increasingly vital, not only to us as a business, but to us as individuals -- parents, aunts and uncles, siblings and friends."
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/microsoft-adds-parental-controls-monitor-app-device-use/
Teens are using Facebook less and less
As for which sites teens say they use most often, YouTube and Snapchat take the lead, pulling in about a third of respondents each and 15 percent said they used Instagram most often. Only 10 percent said Facebook was their most visited social media site while Twitter, Reddit and Tumblr pulled in three percent, one percent and less than one percent of respondents, respectively. "The social media environment among teens is quite different from what it was just three years ago," research associate Monica Anderson, the lead author of the report, said in a statement. "Back then, teens' social media use mostly revolved around Facebook. Today, their habits revolve less around a single platform."
In regards to whether social media is good or bad for those that use it, teens don't really land one way or the other. While 31 percent reported a mostly positive effect and 24 percent a mostly negative effect, around 45 percent said they didn't think social media had a positive or negative impact. Those reporting a more positive view noted how social media helps users connect to friends and family while those believing it to have a negative impact pointed to bullying and rumor-spreading on social media sites.
Pew also found that 95 percent of teens say that have a smartphone or have access to one, as opposed to 73 percent who said the same during the 2015 study. And 45 percent of respondents said they use the internet "almost constantly," while just 24 percent reported that same level of usage in Pew's earlier study.
The study was conducted with 1,058 parents and 743 teens between March 7th and April 10th of this year.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/teens-using-facebook-less-and-less/
Wirecutter’s best deals: Save $30 on an ASUS Chromebook Flip
Timbuk2 Hudson Laptop Briefcase 2015
Street price: $300; Deal price: $188
If you're looking for a versatile briefcase that works as well on casual Friday as it does at a formal meeting, this is a very notable discount. The Timbuk2 Hudson Laptop Briefcase 2015 is down to $188 from a street price of just under $300. It's the lowest price we've seen in the past 6 months. The only time we've seen a better sale was during Black Friday, and that price only barely beat this one. We've seen some recent drops into the low $200s, but it's very rare to see this bag get lower, so grab this while it lasts.
The Timbuk2 Hudson Laptop Briefcase 2015 is our top pick in our guide to our favorite briefcases. Tim Barribeau wrote, "The Timbuk2 Hudson Laptop Briefcase 2015 is the perfect bag if you need a briefcase that's comfortable, high capacity, nicely organized, and styled well enough that you can dress it up or dress it down—if you wear a suit one day and a T-shirt the next, the Hudson will look just as good and appropriate to both."
Thule Gauntlet 3.0 13-Inch MacBook Case
Street price: $45; Deal price: $39
Down to $39, this is a solid drop for this rigid case as compared to the average street price of around $45. This model, available at the deal price in the Dark Shadow finish, fits a few variations of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Retail is $50 and it tends to bounce between $40 and $50 with pricing from third party sellers of around $45. The version for the 15-inch MacBook is also available in black for the same price.
The Thule Gauntlet 3.0 is our protective hard case pick in our guide to the best MacBook and laptop sleeves and cases. Nick Guy wrote, "Thule is well-known for its tough and reliable car-roof carriers, and we've found that its protective luggage pieces and cases match that reputation. Unlike the sleeves in the other categories we tested, the Thule Gauntlet 3.0 has a rigid clamshell design that zips along three of its four edges and can withstand more abuse than a padding-only design. The Gauntlet 3.0's stiff sides offer about as much protection as you can get in a sleeve, and its water-resistant zipper helps keep liquids out."
ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA
Street price: $370; Deal price: $340
We've tracked the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA for a while now and waited for a serious drop, but none has occurred to this point, probably because the Flip C302CA has long been a pretty sought after item. While we posted as low as $430 during Cyber Monday of last year, this is one of the better prices we've seen since on this recommended Chromebook.
The ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA is our top pick in our guide to the best Chromebook. Kimber Streams wrote, "After testing most of the Chromebooks released in the past three years, we've found that the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA is the best Chromebook for most people. It's fast enough for tab-heavy browser work, it provides a full workday of battery life, it supports Android apps, and it has a small, light body, a comfortable backlit keyboard, and a bright screen. At around $500, it's more expensive than we'd like, but unfortunately all good Chromebooks are expensive right now—and the Flip feels more like a $1,000 ultrabook than a $500 laptop."
Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Street price: $70; Deal price: $59
Usually $70, we've started to see more deals on the Switch Pro Controller over the past few months, with it dropping to $60 a few times. This deal matches the last sale price we saw for this controller in new condition at $59. If you like to game for long periods with the Switch docked, this controller is close to a necessity.
The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is our extended gaming sessions controller pick in our guide to the best Switch accessories. Andrew Cunningham wrote, "The Joy-Con grip that comes with the Switch makes the two Joy-Cons into a decent controller, but if you're planning to play a lot of Mario or Zelda, you owe it to yourself to buy Nintendo's Switch Pro Controller. It's a wireless controller similar to Microsoft's Xbox One controller, and its joysticks, face buttons, shoulder buttons, and triggers are all more comfortable and satisfying than the ones on the Joy-Cons, especially for long play sessions. It also supports all the same motion controls and Amiibo scanning features as the Joy-Cons, for the games that need it. It costs between $60 and $70, which is a little expensive, but if you play lots of single-player games with the Switch in its dock, it's definitely worth it."
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.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/wirecutters-best-deals-save-30-on-an-asus-chromebook-flip/
Google search showed ‘Nazism’ as a California Republican Party ideology
Google insists the listing wasn't put in place by a human but instead was a result of vandalized public information sources getting through systems meant to catch them. The information included in Google's knowledge panels, like the one listing Nazism as an ideology of the California Republican Party, comes from public sources such as Wikipedia. "Sometimes people vandalize public information sources like Wikipedia, which can impact the information that appears in search," a Google spokesperson told Engadget. "We have systems in place that catch vandalism before it impacts search results, but occasionally errors get through, and that's what happened here. This would have been fixed systematically once we processed the removal from Wikipedia, but when we noticed the vandalism we worked quickly to accelerate this process to remove the erroneous information."
"It is libelous and Wikipedia and Google should take more ownership of what is published on their sites, since both companies just said 5 million Californians support Nazism," Cynthia Bryant, executive director of the California Republican Party, told Vice News. "It is unfortunate, but is unlikely to affect the election because anyone with common sense knows we don't support Nazism."
California has had two candidates expressing anti-Semitic and racist views run as Republicans this year. The California Republican Party recently condemned 11th District candidate John Fitzgerald with the party's chairman, Jim Brulte, saying, "Tonight, the California Republican Party's board of directors took swift and decisive action to eliminate any support for John Fitzgerald due to anti-Semitic comments he made recently -- those views have no home in the Republican Party. As always, California Republicans reject anti-Semitism, and all forms of religious bigotry, in the harshest terms possible. We reject John Fitzgerald's campaign and encourage all voters to do the same." Earlier this month, the party banned neo-Nazi Senate candidate Patrick Little from its state convention. "There's no room for that kind of hate speech that that man uses," said Bryant at the time.
Other anti-Semitic candidates running for office as Republicans include Arthur Jones in Illinois and Paul Nehlen in Wisconsin.
Google owes conservatives answers and assurances that they are putting an end to this. Evidence is mounting that conservative voices are either being suppressed or, as it appears in this case, being falsely depicted as hateful extremists. https://t.co/zAFkCLZpfn
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) May 31, 2018
Google's Nazism listing is already renewing concerns that tech companies are silencing conservative views. "It is disgraceful that the world's largest search engine has labeled millions of California Republicans as Nazis," Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told Vice News. "This is just the latest incident in a disturbing trend to slander conservatives. These damaging actions must be held to account. The bias has to stop."
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/google-search-nazism-california-republican-party-ideology/
SoftBank pours $2.25 billion into GM’s self-driving car division
SoftBank hasn't been shy about its interest in smart cars, and it's taking that fascination to a new level. The company's Vision Fund is investing $2.25 billion in GM's self-driving vehicle unit Cruise. The cash influx will start with $900 million the moment the transaction closes, and will finish with $1.35 billion once the completely driverless Cruise AV car is ready to launch. The move will give the Vision Fund a 19.6 percent stake in Cruise -- not enough to take control, but it could easily prove influential.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/softbank-invests-in-gm-cruise-self-driving-unit/
Walmart’s new service does your shopping when you send it a text
We first heard hints of the platform, called Jetblack, in December. It's reportedly been beta testing in New York and will expand to other US markets at some point. The service costs members $50 per month, which grants access to personal shoppers. Customers can ask them for recommendations, pick between photos of different products, and place orders -- all through text messaging. Membership includes delivery, gift-wrapping and returns, but not groceries. The service won't be limited to products from Walmart or Jet.com (which the retail company bought in 2016); Jetblack's shoppers will send customers items from Saks, Pottery Barn and other retailers.
While the service probably won't be for everyone, it's another experiment in Walmart's bid to win over more shoppers from its rival Amazon. Both companies are trying to innovate new ways to buy, with the latter trying out cashier-less convenience stores and AR tools.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/walmart-jetblack-personal-shopping-service-via-text/
‘GTA: San Andreas’ gets Xbox One backwards compatibility
The San Andreas compatibility is a boon for GTA fans. The story of Carl Johnson trying to save his family is often hailed as one of the best games ever, and it's one of the highest-selling games of all time. Either the Xbox and Xbox 360 copy will work on your new-fangled console, but Xbox saves won't transfer. If you do have the OG Xbox version, you can download the Xbox 360 HD remaster with better draw distances and the all-important Achievements.
These three games join Red Dead Redemption on Rockstar's backwards compatibility roster. As ever, if you purchased digital versions of the games, they'll pop up in your Ready to Install tab when they become available on Xbox One. If you have a disc, you can insert it and download a port of the game. We're looking forward to seeing lots of wheelie record attempts in Los Santos on Twitch very soon.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/gta-san-andreas-xbox-one-backwards-compatibility/
Netflix’s ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ season 4 concludes in January
Netflix debuted the first half of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's fourth (and final) season this week, though we didn't know when the second would air. Unfortunately, fans will have a bit of a wait: The last six episodes will arrive on January 25th, 2019, which will end the show's run.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/31/netflix-unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-season-4-part-2-january-2019/