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Tech NewsIt’s Official—Apple Music’s Getting Hifi Streaming
Rumors had it that Apple would soon launch hifi audio streaming for Apple Music—and they were true. Today, Apple announced it’s bringing both spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and lossless audio to its music streaming service in June. Apple adding this to Apple Music isn’t exactly surprising. Apple’s been leaning into spatial audio for a … Continued
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Tech NewsClubhouse Announces That Its App Will Be Available on Android Worldwide by Friday
Faced with plummeting app downloads on iOS in recent months, Clubhouse has one thing to say: Hello, Android. The audio-based social network announced on Sunday in a town hall it would be rolling out to Android users worldwide by Friday afternoon, May 21. In a Twitter post, Clubhouse said that it would start its expansion … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsLooks Like Twitter May Be Working on a Subscription Service Called Twitter Blue for $2.99 per Month
Twitter hasn’t released many details about the paid subscription model it’s cooking up, but thanks to app researcher Jane Manchun Wong we may have some clues about what it will cost and be called. On Saturday, Wong tweeted that the subscription service Twitter Blue will cost $2.99 per month and allow users to undo their … Continued
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Tech NewsEx-Apple Employee Claims Company Knew About His ‘Misogynistic’ Writings and Hired Him Anyway
Former Apple employee Antonio García Martínez has refuted the company’s portrayal of his high-profile ouster this week and claims Apple knew about his past writings demeaning women and people of color, which came under fire from employees this week, before it made a job offer. “Apple was well aware of my writing before hiring me. … Continued
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Tech NewsHere’s What to Expect From Google I/O
Google canceled last year’s annual Google I/O developers conference due to the pandemic, but this year, it’s back—virtually. The event kicks off Tuesday, May 18 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT with a keynote speech from Google CEO Sundar Pichai. And while we don’t know exactly what Google has in store this year, we’re hoping … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsGadgetsA Toaster Company Is Releasing an Android Phone
If a company can figure out how to perfectly toast a slice of bread, it can surely bring something to the table with regards to Android smartphone design. And anyway, some people think Android phones are nothing but chunks of carbs, so there’s clearly a market out there! Balmuda is a Japanese company that developed … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityDarkSide, We Hardly Knew Ya: Ransomware Gang Behind Pipeline Hack ‘Quits’ the Business
Less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would seek to disrupt the operations of those responsible for the Colonial Pipeline attack, the gang in question seems to be ducking for cover—and claims it will shut down its criminal operation, at least for now. In posts made online Thursday, the ransomware … Continued
By Lucas Ropek -
Tech NewsGadgetsFramework’s Dream of a Modular Laptop Is Real and Ready to Preorder
Imagine sprucing up your laptop the same way you would swap out the components inside a desktop PC case. That’s part of the premise behind the Framework laptop, made by a startup that wants to make it easier to diagnose and repair your stuff. Preorders are now open for Framework’s first batch of modular laptops, … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsGoogle Docs Update May ‘Unilaterally Kill’ Some Chrome Extensions, Researcher Warns
For a company that’s staring down three separate antitrust cases from several dozen states and the Department of Justice, Google sure seems pretty comfortable issuing update after update that is nothing less than despotic. The latest example comes courtesy of a Google Docs tweak that on one hand makes the program speedier and smoother, but … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsThe Extremely Korean Reason Why Samsung Might Ditch Tizen for Wear OS
When I first heard the rumors that Samsung might ditch its proprietary Tizen OS for wearables in favor of Google’s Wear OS, I was flummoxed. Tizen is snappy and free of the many problems plaguing Google’s wearables softeware. In fact, I’d say Tizen has played a large role in making Samsung’s smartwatches the best option … Continued
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Tech NewsApple Take Note: You Can Park Lenovo’s New Cordless Mouse on a Wireless Charging Pad
It’s been over five years and the second-generation Apple Magic Mouse still needs to be awkwardly flipped on its back like a turtle to be recharged with a lightning cable—rendering it unusable in the process. A better approach is what Lenovo has done with its new Go mouse, letting it rest atop a wireless charging … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsFor Its Next Trick, Motorola Is Working On Smartphones That Can Charge Wirelessly Over the Air
They haven’t all been home runs, but Motorola is known for taking chances. The company has repeatedly shown it’s not afraid to bet on new technology, from the recently phased-out Moto Mods back to the first wafer-thin Razr feature phones. Now, Motorola is trying its hand at remote wireless charging for smartphones by partnering up … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsApple Faces Employee Backlash for Hiring Antonio García Martínez Over His Views on Women, People of Color
Apple employees circulated a petition on Wednesday to express concern over a new hire and his apparently problematic views on women and people of color. In the petition — which is available to read in full over at The Verge — employees object to the hiring of former Facebook product manager and Chaos Monkeys author … Continued
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Tech NewsCommerceAmazon’s Echo Show 8 Will Now Follow You As You Move
If you’re hooked on Alexa and want a more capable smart display, Amazon just announced a refresh to the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5, with better cameras than their predecessors. There’s also an update to the Echo Show 5 Kids Edition, which includes access to Amazon’s kid-friendly content. The Echo Show 8 and Echo … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsFacebook Moderator Says That ‘Wellness Coaches’ Advise Karaoke and Painting for Traumatized Workers
The Irish Parliament today held a hearing on Facebook’s treatment of subcontracted content moderators—the thousands of people up to their eyeballs in toxic waste in the company basement. Moderators have repeatedly reported over the years that their contract companies hurl them into traumatizing work with little coaching or mental health support, in a system designed … Continued
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Tech NewsApple Is Still Struggling to Unload Its Launch Day HomePods
Two months ago, Apple decided to discontinue the original HomePod. And yet, it appears the product is still available in the Apple Store—and if you buy one, you might actually get sent a HomePod from the original launch stock. Typically when a product is discontinued, you can find massive discounts, and if the product is … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsMy Kingdom for an Android Tablet That Doubles As a Portable Monitor
Last week, Lenovo shared a photo on its Weibo social media page showing a tablet propped up on the company’s signature built-in kickstand. Behind it, a Nintendo Switch is shown plugged in to the tablet and using it as a monitor. Rumor has it Lenovo is working on such an Android tablet with a dedicated … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsGadgets7 Gmail Browser Extensions That Are So Good They Should Be Native Features
Google is pretty regularly adds new features to Gmail, but there’s always room for improvement, and third-party developers have been quick to plug the gaps. Here are seven browser add-ons that are polished and powerful enough to be native features (and hopefully will be one day…). 1. Checker Plus for Gmail (Chrome, Edge) Checker Plus … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsPoliticsUK to Ban Big Tech Companies From ‘Discriminating’ Based on Political Views
The UK’s conservative government will ban technology companies from “discriminating” against particular political viewpoints, according to a press release about the country’s new proposed Online Safety Bill. The anti-censorship clause is just a minor part of a much larger draft bill, but will likely get attention from conservatives around the globe who believe their viewpoints … Continued
By Matt Novak
