Later this morning, we'll have a piece from Devindra Hardawar that you should read about how the game's rogue-like nature encourages players to embrace their failures. But if you're just trying to get a handle on what it has to offer, then check out a new 30-minute video from the development team. It shows how the title mixes arcade-style shooter action with a deep story to (hopefully) create a new-gen exclusive that's worth the hassle and expense of buying a new system.
It's stopping apps from jumping to the wrong screen when your PC goes to sleep.
If you use a multi-monitor setup on Windows 10 for gaming, work or because it's built right into your laptop, you may have noticed that apps can annoyingly move to the wrong display. Microsoft has announced it's finally introducing a fix for the issue, so app windows behave more predictably. When your PC wakes up from sleep, all the apps on your secondary monitor can suddenly jump to your main or laptop display, meaning you'll have to re-drag apps across to their original positions — an utter nightmare if you're an accomplished multitasker. With an incoming Windows Insider release (you'll need to sign up for it), when you wake up from a sleep, all your windows should appear where you previously left them.
You'll need to join Microsoft's Insider program to get the new feature, which will work by default, while the final version should ship to all Windows 10 machines by October 2021. Continue reading.
The new WiFi 6E standard promises users better wireless connections with lots of bandwidth and less interference. Now Linksys has unveiled its first two products based on the standard, and while they'll get you an upgrade early, they won't come cheap.
The Qualcomm-powered Linksys Hydra Pro 6E is capable of WiFi speeds up to 6.6Gbps. It can cover 2,700 square feet of space and can connect to more than 55 devices at one time.
Meanwhile, the Atlas Max 6E mesh system is powered by the Qualcomm Networking Pro 1210 platform and was designed specifically for bandwidth-heavy homes.
A three-node mesh system that can connect up to 195 devices and cover up to 3,000 square feet per node costs $1,200, and one- or two-pack systems are also available. The Hydra Pro 6E router is available for $500, which is cheaper than the Netgear RAXE500 router that just went on sale for $600. Right now, you can only get them on the Linksys website, but they will come to retail shelves soon. Continue reading.
Zoe Roth, a 21-year-old college student and face of the viral Disaster Girl, sold an NFT (non-fungible token — if you need an explanation of what that means and why it might be worth anything then you're in luck, we can help) of the meme for roughly $500,000 worth of Ether, The New York Times reported.
The now-iconic image dates back to 2005, when her father, David Roth, snapped the photo in their neighborhood while watching local firefighters at a controlled burn. He entered the photo into a contest (he won), and it was quickly picked up by internet forums, according to Know Your Meme. Continue reading.
The police force canceled its $94,000 lease and will return Spot to the company.
The New York Police Department will no longer deploy its Spot robot dog and has canceled its lease from Boston Dynamics. The police force had planned to keep testing Spot (which it nicknamed Digidog) until the lease ran out in August. However, critics raised privacy concerns about the robot, which has been deployed to several crime scenes and hostage situations since October. Bill Neidhardt, a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, told The New York Times that the machine is "creepy, alienating and sends the wrong message to New Yorkers." Continue reading.
For chips, demand has outstripped supply in the wake of a pandemic-induced buying spree that saw the public snap up everything from gaming consoles to TVs during lockdowns. Now, the situation is deteriorating for one of the worst hit sectors: cars.
In just 12 hours, Ford in the US said the chip shortage could halve production in the current financial quarter, Japan's Honda announced it will halt production at three domestic plants for five to six days next month and BMW warned of delays at its facilities in Germany and England. Continue reading.
From tablets to snack subscriptions, these are gifts Mom probably hasn't received before.
You didn't forget, did you? Don't worry, the Engadget team has pulled together a selection of tech-based recommendations for Mom, including what I think is the best one: a wine subscription. We cover tablets, smart home gadgets and even a fitness wearable, if your mom's currently in the midst of a health kick. Continue reading.
Samsung's big event yesterday had nothing to do with phones — for once. It was still all about the Galaxy family, though, with the company unveiling a selection of new Galaxy Book laptops.
To start with, both the Galaxy Book Pro and Pro 360 (starting at $999 and $1,199) feature vivid AMOLED displays — something Samsung's phones are known for — inside thin, light bodies. The cool part is you can easily switch between four color spectrums, including Adobe RGB and DCI-P3. It's a smart feature for anyone looking to balance vivid colors with color accuracy when editing photos or video. The clamshell and convertible (with touchscreen) laptops will each come in 13- and 15-inch sizes. Interestingly, and despite its size, the 13-inch Book Pro 360 also manages to house a 5G radio, making it Samsung's first 5G PC. Expect to see a WiFi model first, however. Samsung plans to launch the Pro family on May 14th.
The company also revealed a cheaper model, too: the Galaxy Book (from $800) features an LCD display and makes its way to the US later this year. Rounding off the collection, the Galaxy Book Odyssey is the first laptop to include NVIDIA's new RTX 3050 Ti Max-Q GPU.
Even in normal years, lots of people get sick at CES.
The Consumer Technology Association has announced plans to hold CES 2022 as a combination in-person and digital event in Las Vegas between January 5th and January 8th, with media preview days starting January 3rd. And yes, big-name brands have committed to CES — Amazon, Google, Intel, Samsung and Sony are among those expected to have a presence.
Repeating the pattern of thriving tech companies during the pandemic, Apple says that over the past three months, it made a total of $89.6 billion in revenue — nearly $48 billion of which came as iPhone sales, up 66 percent — and set another quarterly record in the process. Even Mac sales hit a high watermark this quarter. The company's computers netted it $9.1 billion in revenue, more than during back-to-school season or holiday period. The services business, too, reached an all-time high of $16.9 billion. Continue reading.
Samsung's newest Galaxy smartphones are selling well, boosting profits 46 percent higher than the same period last year. However, despite a net profit of 7.1 trillion won (about $6.4 billion) last quarter, the company warned investors that the next few months, and perhaps the rest of the year, the global chip shortage will significantly impact business. When it comes to TVs, Samsung didn't comment on rumors of an OLED deal with LG for next year, merely stating it would continue to focus on its quantum dot displays. Continue reading.
GM says it has a plan to simplify the charging experience for EV owners. Under the Ultium Charge 360 project, it's working with seven charging networks (Blink Charging, ChargePoint, EV Connect, EVgo, FLO, Greenlots and SemaConnect) to give drivers "more seamless access" to almost 60,000 plugs across the US and Canada.
Mobile apps for GM vehicles will soon include real-time information for those stations and help drivers find them on their route. EV owners will be able to initiate and pay for charging through the app as well. Continue reading.
TrovaPage provides a complete e-commerce platform that allows entrepreneurs to build, market, and bill for services. Users' businesses range from yoga instruction and guitar lessons, to small restaurants, personalized astrology, and nonprofits.
Investors have $20 billion to acquire businesses. Is yours one of them?
Our Technology M&A: 2021 Outlook gives owners, founders and entrepreneurs insight into why e-commerce is dominating technology acquisitions, what this means for multiples, when investors are looking to allocate capital and more.
Digital Payments Lead March Toward a Cashless Society
From coin shortages and curbside operations to contactless transactions, how consumers pay for their purchases has been completely transformed during the pandemic. Marketers expect that transformation to continue and expand. It is not just family staples that are seeing a jump in consumer digital payment options. The retail and gaming sectors are also leading the digital charge.
CPG Brands Doubling Down on Direct-to-Consumer E-Commerce
An increasing number of consumer-packaged goods companies are shifting to the direct-to-consumer e-commerce model, thus bypassing retailers as middlemen. This raises questions of how manufacturers can meet customers' needs without jeopardizing relationships with their retail distribution partners. The E-Commerce Times spoke with several DTC experts to help shed some light on these issues.
Tax Benefits That Can Help Small Tech and Entrepreneurs Now
This year's revised federal tax code plus new Covid-19 initiatives provide additional incentives for startup companies, as well as small and medium-sized businesses. If you received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, you may qualify to have that indebtedness forgiven; and other tax incentives this year provide new deductions to lower your tax bill.
With an increasing amount of workers turning to part-time, freelance, and contract work for a variety of reasons, a growing number of businesses are now based on the gig economy model. The E-Commerce Times spoke with several experts familiar with the ins and outs of the gig economy to find out what's evolving and changing in this burgeoning field.
Need More From Your Digital Ad Spend? Adopt Contextual Alignment
Many digital marketers spend too much on targeting an already loyal customer base rather than tapping into new streams. Dr. Jorge Barraza, professor of applied psychology at the University of Southern California, has a plan to help advertisers reach consumers that would not normally buy their products, by using the principle of contextual alignment.
MSFT Nabs Nuance for $19.7B in Cloud for Healthcare Play
"Nuance's popular healthcare-focused products and services will provide Microsoft an instant revenue stream and relationships with existing Nuance customers," noted Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT.
Made in China, Sold on Amazon: The Numbers are Skyrocketing
One of the most successful direct-to-consumer shopping outlets for China-based vendors outside of China's own Alibaba e-commerce platform is Amazon. This trend has been accelerating for years. China-based sellers represented 75 percent of new...
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Contact Center AI Explained by Pop Culture | eBook
What if learning Contact Center AI were as engaging as "Blade Runner"? If understanding how it works could be less painless than how it's portrayed in "2001: A Space Odyssey"?
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