vendredi 30 décembre 2022

The 10 best shows to stream on Apple TV Plus from 2022

The 10 best shows to stream on Apple TV Plus from 2022
Micha Huigen / The Verge

Apple TV Plus is one of the best bangs for your subscription buck. It started with a limited number of shows back in 2019, but the offerings have steadily increased, the shows that have ended have ended super satisfyingly, and there’s just a whole lot of stuff you can binge on there.

The problem is that, unless it’s Ted Lasso, you might have problems finding other people in your friend group to watch these shows with. But there are probably dozens — dozens! — of us watching Apple TV Plus. Below are some of the best shows you can watch. I excluded Ted Lasso from this list because I’m positive you’ve already watched it.


Severance

You know it’s been a long year when you realize Severance premiered this same year. The show is about people who willingly separate themselves into two personalities: one who always works and one who never does. It’s partly a satirical look at how much of ourselves we sacrifice for work and partly a fascinating puzzle box show. It feels like the biggest hit Apple has had since Ted Lasso, and that’s down to its wonderful blend of humor, absurdity, and perfectly paced drama.


For All Mankind

This show is scooped straight out of the brain of Ronald D. Moore, the guy who gave us the tremendous Battlestar Galactica reboot, some of the best episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the often bizarre but always entertaining Outlander. For All Mankind follows the US space program in a world where the USSR beat America to the Moon. The first two seasons saw war on the Moon, but the third season, set in the early ’90s, was focused on a more prescient storyline about a billionaire trying to get to Mars, no matter the cost.


Mythic Quest

Mythic Quest returned for a third season this year as well. It’s a little more uneven than the first two seasons, but the show — about a bunch of jackasses running a video game company — continues to be one of the most accurate looks at the game industry around. It’s also an often heartwarming, frequently funny examination of the relationships forged in the workplace.


Loot

Loot — about the wife of a tech billionaire who, as one of the richest people in the world, slowly learns to use her fortune — shouldn’t work. It should feel like a misguided attempt at crafting empathy with the richest people in the world. But Maya Rudolph isn’t afraid to make her character look like a dumbass, and she gives her just enough humanity that you root for her — even if you might wish no one had that much cash.


Foundation

I wasn’t personally a fan of Foundation — I found it to be kind of a slog through one of Isaac Asimov’s less fascinating sci-fi worlds. But at least three of my Verge co-workers have finished the show and loved it, and Lee Pace is very good as what is effectively a God clone. Plus, it’s already been renewed for another season.


Pachinko

At least half of what I watch on Netflix nowadays is a K-drama, but Apple’s first foray into Korean language dramas often feels much more luxurious. The show is based on the book of the same name and deals with the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II, so it can be a hard watch sometimes. But Pachinko is worth it.


The Essex Serpent

Every good streaming service should have at least one romantic period drama, and The Essex Serpent is Apple TV Plus’. Like Pachinko, The Essex Serpent is based on a novel. This one is about a widow (Claire Danes) who travels to Essex to learn if a mythical serpent is killing people. There, she meets the town’s very married pastor, played by Tom Hiddleston. Longing looks and heated moments ensue.


Slow Horses

Have you ever watched an otherwise thrilling spy caper and wished it had a dark sense of humor or a lot more Gary Oldman? Then have I got the show for you! Slow Horses, which premiered its first two seasons this year and has already been renewed for a third and fourth, is just a straight-up entertaining espionage thriller about a bunch of rejected spies trying to get their new, less important, spy jobs done. Oldman is their grumpy boss.


Dickinson

This three-season comedy about Emily Dickinson started off a little rocky but, by season 2, had turned into an intricate portrait of romance, ego, and family. The final season aired last year and was absolutely stunning as it carefully set up the messed-up family dynamics that would lead to Emily’s work reaching a wider audience while balancing it with a hopeful story of a woman who is content to let fame pass her by as long as she has love — and her work — by her side.


See

I know I could suggest a lot of other shows to watch — like Servant, about a resurrected baby, or Black Bird, about an inmate trying to get a confession out of an even worse inmate — but we need to take a moment to appreciate See, set in a post-apocalyptic North America where everyone is born blind. It was one of the first shows to launch on Apple TV Plus back in 2019, and it concluded this year. It’s extremely goofy in a syndicated-for-SyFy kind of way, and some of the characters are positively grating, but when it wanted to be fun, it was really, really fun.

Turning Sports Statistics Into Riveting Cinema

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Tim Wu, Architect of Biden Antitrust Push, to Leave White House

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jeudi 29 décembre 2022

Google Voice will now warn you about potential spam calls

Google Voice will now warn you about potential spam calls
Screenshot of the Google Voice suspected spam caller screen
Google says it’s using “advanced artificial intelligence” to determine if a call is legit. | Image: Google

Google has announced that it’s adding a red “suspected spam caller” warning to Google Voice calls if it doesn’t think they’re legitimate. In a post on Thursday, the company says it’s identifying spam “using the same advanced artificial intelligence” system as it does with its traditional phone app for Android.

If the spam label appears, you’ll also have the option of confirming that a call was spam — in which case any future calls will be sent straight to your voicemail — or clarifying that it wasn’t, which will get rid of the label for future calls.

Google Voice has had the ability to automatically filter calls identified as spam to voicemail for years, and has also allowed you to screen calls before actually picking them up, but those options may not have been great if you’re the type of person who gets a lot of important calls from unknown numbers. Google does say that you’ll have to turn off the Filter Spam feature by going to Settings > Security > Filter spam if you want the automatic spam labeling.

While it’s definitely nice that Google’s giving Voice users more options for dealing with spam, there are some advanced features that it currently offers on its Pixel phones that could help even more. Specifically, the ability to have Google Assistant screen the call while letting you choose its responses would be a big boon — though it seems unlikely that the company would put a flagship feature like that on a service that many people use for free.

The spam warnings will be available to everyone with a Google Voice account, and could take up to 15 days to roll out starting from Thursday, according to the company. That means you should start seeing them by January 13th.

InnoView 27″ Monitor Improves the Computing Picture

InnoView 27″ Monitor Improves the Computing Picture
InnoView Monitor Style: INVPM701/27''
If you'd like a different view of your online work productivity and game-playing perspectives, InnoView makes your upgrading choice easy with its recently released 27" desktop monitor. The post InnoView 27″ Monitor Improves the Computing Picture appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

I just wish my Tesla Model 3 had Steam

I just wish my Tesla Model 3 had Steam
INT: driver of a Tesla model S with yoke steering wheel is parked and playing Cyberpunk 2077 steam game on the car’s infotainment screen while using a gaming keyboard in his lap, a mouse on the arm rest, and a PS5 controller sitting in the center console.
I just want a rolling battle station. | Image: Tesla

Steam, the PC gaming platform, is making its way around town as part of Tesla’s latest holiday update. It fulfills a promise Tesla CEO Elon Musk made almost two years ago: that you’ll be able to play The Witcher 3 using the car’s built-in hardware. But unfortunately for me, I won’t get to play it, and it doesn’t look like there will be any easy path toward upgrading.

I have a 2018 Tesla Model 3, and I think I should mention it’s received plenty of upgrades over the years, including overhauled user interface, Autopilot visualizations, streaming apps, and arcade games. But in my car, all of Tesla’s fancy new software is running on the Intel Atom — a processor designed for cheap netbooks from the previous decade (Remember the Eee PC?). So it’s no surprise that my Model 3 can’t play Steam games, but I still wish it could.

Support for PC games from Steam, however, is reserved for the latest Model S and X vehicles, ones that cost about twice, if not more, than what I paid for my 3 (even with the latest discounts).

And we’re talking about only the latest of the 2022 models, as redesigned S and X vehicles from 2021 and early 2022 include the “PS5-level” graphics chips based on AMD RDNA2 but don’t have the needed 16GB of RAM.

Owners of those models may not be totally screwed, though, as Musk confirmed on Twitter that there will be a retrofit offered.

The 2022 holiday update from Tesla, like we see every year, does add plenty of cool new features that my Model 3 can take advantage of. The automaker uploaded a new video this week highlighting Easter eggs like always-on rainbow road graphics for Autopilot, the ability to remotely monitor your pet while in dog mode, and, finally, play Apple Music directly in the car (thanks, Tim Cook?).

Of course, the holiday update comes with a brand-new holiday light show that can time up with other Teslas. Also, I appreciate that Tesla brought back the swipe-able cards that conveniently show trip info and tire pressure — that was removed in last year’s introduction of software version 11, amongst other head-scratchers like removing seat heater buttons from the bottom bar.

The video also includes some technical details on what it takes for games like Cyberpunk 2077 to run at high graphics settings in a Tesla. It uses a Linux virtual machine, Steam Deck verified games, and of course, GPU acceleration from hardware I could only dream of having in my car.

 Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge
Thanks for bringing the cards back, Tesla! Version 11 of the OS is finally good.

Interestingly, Model 3 and Y vehicles that started shipping this time last year came with some upgrades, too, including new infotainment computers running on AMD Ryzen chips. The new hardware, known in Tesla community circles as MCU3, shows improved performance throughout the OS — but unfortunately, they don’t come with discrete graphics needed to run many resource-heavy games offered on Steam.

There’s also no official word whether older cars with the Intel-based MCU2 (like mine) can get a retrofit, which would be awesome since apps I can run, like Netflix and the web browser, are feeling increasingly sluggish nowadays.

Supporting the more powerful AMD chipset might even require the new Lithium-based 12V battery that comes in the newer Model 3 and Y, according to the founder of Tesla Owners Online, a Tesla forum. And to make matters worse, the ability to make in-car Zoom calls might not even come to the Intel Atom-based Teslas.

 Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge
Behold! Apple Music is finally in a Tesla!

So it’s time for me to just accept it: I’ll only be able to play games like Stardew Valley, Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), and Cuphead in my Model 3 during road trips (not while driving, just to be clear), unless I pack an actual Steam Deck or gaming laptop. One other option could come via this unofficial Xbox cloud gaming workaround, but it isn’t perfect.

While the update didn’t bring me Steam, it did at least get me Apple Music — so I no longer need to pay for Spotify to listen to music directly on my slow Intel Atom-powered screen.

Elon Musk’s Cuts at Twitter? A Data Center, Janitors, Some Toilet Paper

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The 2022 Good Tech Awards

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mercredi 28 décembre 2022

Twitter Users Report Widespread Service Interruptions

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Tesla behind eight-vehicle crash was in ‘full self-driving’ mode, says driver

Tesla behind eight-vehicle crash was in ‘full self-driving’ mode, says driver

San Francisco crash is the latest in a series of accidents blamed on Tesla technology, which is facing regulatory scrutiny

The driver of a 2021 Tesla Model S told California authorities the vehicle was in “full self-driving mode” when the technology malfunctioned, causing an eight-vehicle crash on the San Francisco Bay bridge last month.

The crash on Thanksgiving Day resulted in two juveniles being transported to hospital and led to lengthy delays on the bridge. The incident was made public in a police report on Wednesday.

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TikTok banned on devices issued by US House of Representatives

TikTok banned on devices issued by US House of Representatives

Politicians ordered to delete Chinese-owned social video app that House has said represents ‘high risk to users’

TikTok has been banned from any devices issued by the US House of Representatives, as political pressure continues to build on the Chinese-owned social video app.

The order to delete the app was issued by Catherine Szpindor, the chief administrative officer (CAO) of the House, whose office had warned in August that the app represented a “high risk to users”.

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This new Game Boy-inspired 8-bit game console is the size of a matchbox

This new Game Boy-inspired 8-bit game console is the size of a matchbox
The Arduboy Mini next to the original Arduboy and an orange wallet.
Image: Arduboy | The Verge

The Arduboy Mini is the latest Game Boy-inspired handheld game console from creator Kevin Bates, the man behind the original Arduino-based 8-bit Arduboy. Measuring in at around two quarters in length (as shown in Gizmodo’s early review), this tiny gaming handheld offers many of the same benefits as the larger Arduboy despite its compact size, such as an OLED display, hundreds of open-source games, and an exposed design that encourages users to explore hardware hacking and coding.

In fact, tinkering is so encouraged that the Arduboy Mini doesn’t come with a speaker or a battery built-in. Instead, the gadget comes with clearly labeled solder contacts for both a battery and speaker located on the exposed rear of the device. Otherwise, the Arduboy Mini can be powered by a portable battery connected to the USB-C port.

The Mini features a monochromatic 128 x 64-pixel OLED screen, a 16MHz ATmega32u4 processor, and six buttons — four on the front left laid out like a directional pad and two on the right that can be used as action buttons in-game. A seventh button is also located on the rear of the device, which is used to reset the console. A library of over 300 8-bit retro-inspired games come preinstalled on the tiny console, all open-source and created by a dedicated developer community.

A gif showing various 8-bit style games for the Arduboy Mini Image: Kevin Bates | Arduboy
The Arduboy community has developed over 300 retro-inspired 8-bit games that come pre-installed on the Arduboy Mini.

Preorders for the Arduboy Mini are currently available for $29 via an open KickStarter project, which surpassed its initial $10,000 funding goal within just 13 hours of launching on December 7th. Discounts are available when buying multiple Arduboy Mini consoles (such as a pack of ten for $240) and fulfillment isn’t expected to start until June 2023.

Google Employees Brace for a Cost-Cutting Drive as Anxiety Mounts

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Sam Bankman-Fried’s Power Was Contingent on Belief

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mardi 27 décembre 2022

US military biometric capture devices loaded with data were sold on eBay

US military biometric capture devices loaded with data were sold on eBay
Photo of U.S. Troops In Afghanistan collecting someone’s fingerprint.
Image: Getty

Old US military equipment being sold on eBay contained what appears to be biometric data from troops, known terrorists, and people who may have worked with American forces in Afghanistan and other countries in the Middle East, according to a report from The New York Times. The devices were purchased by a group of hackers, who found fingerprints, iris scans, peoples’ pictures, and descriptions, all unencrypted and protected by a “well-documented” default password. In a blog post, the hackers called getting at the sensitive data “downright boring,” given how easy it was to read, copy, and analyze.

Matthias Marx, who lead the group’s efforts in researching the devices, doesn’t think that the data itself is boring, though, calling the fact that they had been able to get their hands on it “unbelievable.” Though he plans on deleting the data after the club finishes its research, what they’ve already found raises concerns about how closely the military guarded this information.

Screenshot showing the UI of one of the biometric scanning devices, with icons for Computer, network, MOBS, Internet, Battery status, and Watchlist. Image: Chaos Computer Club
Screenshot of the Windows XP-based UI from one of the biometric devices obtained by the Chaos Computer Club. MOBS stands for “Mission Oriented Biometric Software,” according to a presentation from the club.

That’s especially true given reports from last year that the Taliban obtained biometric devices as the US was withdrawing from Afghanistan. As several commentators have pointed out, the data that may or may not remain on the devices could help identify people who had helped American forces. The US also built biometric databases of Iraqi citizens. Talking to Wired in 2007, one US official said of the database: “essentially what it becomes is a hit list if it gets in the wrong hands.” (It’s worth noting that the devices wouldn’t necessarily let someone use the master database of Afghanistan’s population, unless they had access to additional equipment, according to The Intercept — small comfort for those whose data was stored locally on the device.)

In all, members of the Chaos Computer Club purchased six devices, which the Times says the military used around a decade ago to gather biometric info at checkpoints and during patrols, screenings, and other operations. Two of the devices — both Secure Electronic Enrollment Kits, or SEEK IIs — had information left on their memory cards. According to the hackers, one of the devices contained 2,632 peoples’ names and “highly sensitive biometric data” that appeared to have been collected around 2012.

The device only cost them $68, according to the Times. The outlet also says the company that sold it on eBay after acquiring it from an auction wasn’t aware it contained sensitive data, according to one of the employees it spoke to. Another company wouldn’t comment on how it had gotten the devices that it sold to the club. In theory, the devices should’ve been destroyed after they stopped being used.

It’s not a surprise that they’re available for sale online — decommissioned military equipment often ends up in private hands. The disconcerting part is that the data was left on at least some of them and that nobody caught it before the devices were sold on eBay (which technically constitutes a violation of the platform’s policies against selling computers with personally identifiable information). The response from the US and device vendors is also not reassuring; when contacted by the Times, the Department of Defense just requested the device be mailed back. The Chaos Computer Club says it also contacted the DoD, and was told to get in touch with the SEEK’s manufacturer, HID Global. The hackers say they didn’t receive a response.

Southwest cancels thousands of flights, leaving passengers stranded across the US

Southwest cancels thousands of flights, leaving passengers stranded across the US
People waiting at the Southwest Airlines counter at San Francisco International Airport
Southwest Airlines canceled over 2,600 flights on Tuesday. | Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Southwest Airlines has left thousands of travelers stranded at airports throughout the country after a winter storm barreled through most of the US before and during the holiday weekend.

While Southwest canceled over 2,600 of its flights on Tuesday, the trouble’s expected to extend well into this week, with data from Flight Aware indicating that the airline has already called off more than 2,400 flights on Wednesday and over 1,500 on Thursday. Southwest canceled nearly 3,000 flights on Monday. Other airlines with notable flight cancellations didn’t even come close to Southwest’s total, as Spirit canceled 83 flights on Tuesday, while Alaska Airlines called off 75.

According to The New York Times, unlike the June 2021 computer network problems that delayed over 1,500 flights and canceled hundreds, Southwest’s delays this week have a lot to do with the way the airline has its flights set up.

Southwest uses a “point-to-point” system that has planes flying from destination to destination and picking up staff along the way. Point-to-point systems have their advantages, as they can offer direct and more affordable flights because the destinations they stop at typically have less air traffic, but flight schedules can quickly fall apart once one route gets canceled.

Other airlines, like United, use a “hub and spoke” system that has planes returning to a central hub once their route is complete. This allows airlines to cancel flights to certain locations without affecting other routes, as well as have access to additional planes and flight crews without flying them in first; something Southwest can’t do without causing a domino effect of cancellations for its other flights.

Southwest spokesperson Jay McVay said to reporters that due to the storm, “We end up with flight crews and airplanes that are out of place, and not in the cities that they need to be in to continue to run our operations,” which was echoed in a video released by CEO Bob Jordan (below).

WFAA-TV in Dallas, where Southwest is headquartered, spoke to Mark Duebner, a former director of aviation at Dallas Love Field. Duebner, who was driving to his destination due to a canceled flight, told the station that while Southwest’s system is normally very efficient with no slack, “If the crew isn’t positioned in the right spot, because of another cancellation, then that flight gets canceled, connecting flights get canceled. It just really spirals downward very quickly. It’s the combination of a perfect storm as you will.”

The mass cancellations have travelers at airports waiting in line for two or more hours to rebook their new flights, which, unfortunately, won’t occur anytime soon. A number of passengers report not getting new flights until the end of this week or after the New Year, forcing them to sleep on airport floors while they wait.

Cancellations are spread out around the US, hitting major transit hubs like Denver International Airport, Chicago Midway International, and Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport. Ryan Green, Southwest’s chief commercial officer, tells the Wall Street Journal that the company will cover the costs for hotels, rental cars, and other airline tickets, and is notifying customers that they’re entitled to refunds if they don’t want to rebook their flights.

The catastrophe prompted a response from the US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who says he’s tracking the situation “closely” and will have a statement on the matter tomorrow. On Monday, the US Department of Transportation sent out a tweet, stating that it’s “concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service” and that it will “examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.” Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also called for Southwest to compensate passengers for the cancellations.

In a video posted to the company’s website, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan says he reached out to Buttigieg on Tuesday to talk about what the airline was doing to help customers. He also apologized to travelers and employees, and reiterated that the company’s “highly complex” network struggled with large numbers of its airplanes and crew being put out of commission. “After days of trying to operate as much of our full schedule across a busy holiday weekend, we reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flying to catch up,” he said. You can watch his full statement below.

CEO Bob Jordan addressing Southwest’s delays.

In addition to cancellations due to the snowstorm, Southwest is also struggling with a staffing shortage in some locations. The airline declared a state of operational emergency last week at the Denver airport after receiving “an unusually high number of absences.” In a leaked memo to employees, Southwest Airlines says staff members will need a doctor’s note when calling out sick, and that it “will use mandatory overtime” to require employees to come into work or otherwise be fired. As noted by the Denver Post, Southwest spokesperson Chris Perry denied that the callouts were part of a coordinated effort from employees.

“We were fully staffed and prepared for the approaching holiday weekend when the severe weather swept across the continent, where Southwest is the largest carrier in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S,” Southwest Airlines says in a statement. “As we continue the work to recover our operation, we have made the decision to continue operating a reduced schedule by flying roughly one third of our schedule for the next several days.”

This isn’t the only other time Southwest has experienced major operational issues. Last October, the airline contended with both staffing shortages and severe weather conditions, leading Southwest to cancel almost 3,000 flights over the course of four days. At the time, former Southwest COO Mike Van de Ven told employees that the company has “a very aggressive hiring plan” but that it still isn’t “where we want to be with staffing.” Dallas Business Journal reports CEO Bob Jordan made similar statements during an investor day presentation earlier this month, saying the company’s systems needed to be upgraded as part of a major modernization push to eventually operate 6,000 flights per day while employing 100,000 people.

Update Tuesday December 27th, 7:18PM ET: Added video from Southwest CEO Bob Jordan.

The Google Nest Hub Max is still matching its best price ever at Best Buy and Target

The Google Nest Hub Max is still matching its best price ever at Best Buy and Target
The Nest Hub Max is a great alternative to Amazon’s larger Echo Show devices | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Just in case Santa didn’t make it to your house this year, we’re bringing you a handful of post-Christmas content. Because unlike the big dude that lives up north, The Verge Deals team works hard all year scouring the internet to make sure its best discounts are all front and center for you to see. The discounts available right now are a bit sparse, but we’ve still managed to wrangle a handful that we think are worth looking into if you’re looking for something to treat yourself.

Currently, Google’s Nest Hub Max is still on sale at Best Buy and Target for $174.99 (normally $229.99). While it may not offer the same, room-filling sound as the Nest Audio, the Max features a gorgeous 10-inch screen with a great camera for making video calls. It also offers extensive smart home controls and offers up personalized information based on whoever is looking at the screen. Read our review.

The Nanoleaf Shapes Mini Triangles Smarter Kit is usually $119.99, but is currently discounted to $99.99 at Best Buy, and comes packaged with everything you need to set up a small area of customizable accent lighting. The bundle comes packaged with ten individual touch-activated pieces that can be programmed to display specific themes or mirror the colors on your computer monitor, allowing for a more immersive gaming experience. Just like other Nanoleaf products, the modular light panels can also be controlled using either the Nanoleaf app or voice commands via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones are discounted to $249 at Amazon and Best Buy (normally $329). Not quite their lowest price ever, but still worth checking out if you’re shopping for a relatively inexpensive pair of high-quality noise-canceling headphones. Living up to their name, the Bose headphones are remarkably comfortable, in addition to providing excellent noise cancellation. While the QuietComfort 45 headphones can’t be used while charging and lack audio support over USB-C, the solid battery life should ensure that these occasions are rare. Read our review.

You can also find Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II discounted to the same price at Amazon and Best Buy, lowering the $299 earbuds to just $249. The QuietComfort Earbuds may lack multipoint Bluetooth support and wireless charging but still provide excellent noise cancellation and sound quality. Read our review.

If you’re running out of space on your PC or PlayStation 5, the 2TB WD Black SN850 SSD is currently available for $229.99 at Best Buy. This is the lowest price we’ve seen on this drive, which usually costs $359.99. This is a little pricey but condenses a lot of storage into a single drive, and this model comes equipped with a heatsink that makes it compatible with Sony’s PlayStation 5.

M.2 SSDs like the SN850 are much easier to install than older storage methods, allowing you to slot them into a motherboard or other device with an M.2 slot without the need for cables. SSDs also offer much faster transfer speeds than older SATA storage methods, allowing files to be moved around quickly and games to load faster.

You can also find discounts on the 1TB model at Best Buy for $154.99. The 1TB model is a good option if you need a drive with a less expensive entry fee, but the 2TB model is the best value of the bunch.

One more deal for the road

New iPad Mini could be a year away

New iPad Mini could be a year away
Apple’s iPad Mini launched at the end of 2021. | Photo: The Verge

Apple is updating its iPad Mini with a new processor, says respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The inbetweener is supposed to begin shipping by the end of 2023 or the first half of 2024.

The iPad Mini received an all new design at the end of 2021 after remaining largely unchanged since it was introduced way back in 2012. The 8.3-inch tablet fits in between Apple’s largest iPhone (the 6.7-inch Pro Max) and 10th-gen iPad (10.9 inch). It runs on an A15 Bionic chip with a USB-C port and an option for 5G connectivity. Kuo says the new processor will be “the main selling point,” so we shouldn’t expect too much else to change.

The iPad Mini will certainly be ready for a chip update after two years, if Kuo’s timeline is correct. That could mean an A16 inherited from the current top-of-the-line iPhone 14 Pro, or even an M-series chip used by the iPad Air and iPad Pro. Guess we’ll find out as early as next fall when Apple usually unveils its pre-holiday lineup of hardware.

Four stories that sum up the state of tech in 2022

Four stories that sum up the state of tech in 2022

Crypto self-destructed (twice) and Twitter got a new, CEO-shaped main character– but what else happened this year?

Happy Betwixtmas to those who celebrate, and mournful “sorry everything fun is shut” to those who don’t. Me? I’m thankful for the one week of the year where tech news stops – or at least, slows down. (This is written in advance and I’ve got a lot riding on that sentence still being true by the time you read it).

It’s been an odd year. Even by the standards of the sector, it was just extraordinarily silly. Crypto collapsed in the dumbest possible way, twice. Elon Musk bought his way into being the main character of Twitter, for good. AI seems just on the precipice of doing away with the Ucas personal statement. Nothing is normal.

Standing for “decentralised autonomous organisation”, a DAO isn’t really in the same class as an NFT. Rather than being a singular digital asset, like a picture of a monkey or a dog-themed copy of a dog-themed copy of bitcoin, a DAO is more like a company – but one which is directly controlled by its shareholders, without the need for employees or directors.

(Although, we should note, a DAO is Not A Company and owners of DAOs are Not Shareholders, because if it were and they were, the whole thing would be wildly illegal. Glad we’ve cleared that up.)

Given what we know and expect from Russia, it’s unlikely to come as a shock that – according to data from Checkpoint Research – in the first three days of combat, cyber-attacks on Ukraine’s government and military sector went up by 196%, compared to the rest of February.

But what has been interesting to watch has been the fightback, with attacks on Russia up 4% for the week. It might not sound like much, but there has been noticeable pushback from white hat hackers, hactivist groups and others on the counterattack.

What happened was unexpected. Upon proving that I was the real Alex Hern, I was greeted with a wall of glee. One user spammed the phrase “YOUNG_HERN_IN_THE_HOUSE”, another posted “ITS_FUCKING_ALEX”. “ALEX NEXT ELON”, “ALEX SAVE OUR BAGS”… before I could even post my first real message, someone had sent “ALEX TYPING” 15 times. Where my first appearance had felt like a parent breaking up an illicit house party, this felt more like the second coming, with me unwillingly cast in the role of Jesus.

Things got worse when I said I wanted to speak to people for a story about it. No matter how explicit I was that I thought the entire thing was dumb as hell – dumber than I thought was possible for an already extremely-dumb sector – news of a forthcoming article spread like wildfire. “All publicity is good publicity,” was spammed into the channel, with one user pointing out that Shiba Inu, a shitcoin worth an inexplicable $7bn, had had a very similar genesis, with the majority of its early press simply mocking it as a low-effort clone of the original shitcoin, Dogecoin.

[Elizabeth Lagone], the head of health and wellbeing policy at Mark Zuckerberg’s company was taken through a selection of the Instagram posts the teenager had viewed in the six months before her death – deeming many of them to be “safe” for children to view. It was not an opinion shared by many in the room at north London coroner’s court.

Molly, from north-west London, died in 2017 after viewing extensive amounts of online content related to suicide, depression, self-harm and anxiety. In what the NSPCC described as a global first, the senior coroner said social media had contributed to Molly’s death, ruling that that Molly had died from “an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content”.

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Reliance on hi-tech solutions to climate crisis perpetuates racism, says UN official

Reliance on hi-tech solutions to climate crisis perpetuates racism, says UN official

Rapporteur Tendayi Achiume says projects are at expense of marginalised groups and Indigenous peoples

The world’s reliance on hi-tech capitalist solutions to the climate and ecological crises is perpetuating racism, the outgoing UN racism rapporteur has warned.

Green solutions including electric cars, renewable energy and the rewilding of vast tracts of land are being implemented at the expense of racially and ethnically marginalised groups and Indigenous peoples, Tendayi Achiume told the Guardian in an interview.

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The best of the long read in 2022

The best of the long read in 2022

Our 20 favourite pieces of the year

Gary Hersham has been selling houses to the very rich for decades. At first, £1m was a big deal. Now he sells for £50m, £100m, even £200m. What does it take to stay on top in this cut-throat business?

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Finding Community, and Freedom, on VRChat

Finding Community, and Freedom, on VRChat On any given weekend, there are dozens of parties happening on VRChat, a platform where users assume fantastical avatars of their own design.

Is A.I. the Future of Test Prep?

Is A.I. the Future of Test Prep? Riiid is one of a handful of companies that believe that A.I.’s algorithms are perfectly suited to track student performance and give individualized attention.

LG’s new minimalistic appliances are also upgradeable

LG’s new minimalistic appliances are also upgradeable
Photo of LG’s all white fridge, washing machine, dryer, oven, and dishwasher showing cleaner design on white and blue background.
LG’s new lineup of minimalistic appliances is coming in 2023. | Image: LG

LG Electronics has a new lineup of minimalistic appliances that removes all unnecessary buttons and decorative flourishes in a refreshing “less is more” approach. The fridge, washing machine, dryer, oven, and dishwasher are said to feature improved controls for an “effortless” user experience.

The appliances are also upgradeable via software and hardware as part of a program LG launched in January. “Upgradeability challenges the idea that expensive appliances are designed with planned obsolescence in mind,” said Lyu Jae-cheol, president of LG Electronics home appliances at the time. “We want customers to experience the feeling of getting a new washer or refrigerator throughout the entire lifecycle of an LG appliance, not just the first time they bring the item home.” Let’s just hope LG isn’t taking a page from the automotive industry to extort money from customers in perpetuity by charging to activate basic features the appliances already come with.

Unfortunately, LG’s announcement lacks any detail like specs or pricing or dates of availability, so we’ll have to wait for CES to kick-off on January 5th to learn more.

lundi 26 décembre 2022

‘Hack’ of UK cabinet minister’s Twitter account changes profile picture to Elon Musk

‘Hack’ of UK cabinet minister’s Twitter account changes profile picture to Elon Musk

Education secretary Gillian Keegan’s account was completely altered, with profile picture showing Elon Musk

The Twitter account of the British education secretary appears to have been hacked. The profile picture was changed to one showing Elon Musk and several tweets were posted promoting a cryptocurrency event.

On Christmas Day the account of Gillian Keegan, the MP for Chichester, replied to a number of tweets with links to a website advertising cryptocurrencies including bitcoin and dogecoin.

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Yes, I’ve got two watches on — why don’t you?

Yes, I’ve got two watches on — why don’t you?
A close-up photo of a man wearing a black denim jacket, holding his backpack straps and exposing both a traditional watch and an Apple Watch on his wrists.
A mechanical dive watch like this Seiko SKX013 is a classically cool look, especially on a NATO strap, but there’s no reason you can’t pair it with a smartwatch and still look great.

A little over a year ago, I made the conscious decision to wear both a traditional watch on my left wrist and a smartwatch on my right wrist day in and day out. And I’m here to tell you with a straight face that this best-of-both-worlds solution has no downsides. If you’re into watches and tech or even remotely watch-curious, you should consider doing the same.

It’s easy to be a little bit anachronistic, admiring the simplicities of the past while wanting the bleeding-edge intricacies of the future. I find myself bouncing back and forth on these all of the time. I want the latest technology in my digital camera, but part of me feels an itch to go back to shooting film. I like the convenience of streaming music on Spotify, but I spend money on vinyl records to own a proper sonic keepsake. The same is the case for my love of wristwatches. For years, I’ve admired traditional watches, fancy handmade mechanicals and inexpensive quartz movements alike, but I’m still drawn to smartwatches and all of the functional advantages they offer.

A silver or black Apple Watch can match with just about anything, even a bright red see-through Casio G-Shock.

My traditional watch collection is quite modest, as I’m more the Casio and Seiko type than the Rolex and Omega type. In other words, while I appreciate the luxury stuff out there, I seek out affordable timepieces that are still fairly well made and designed and should last a long time if well taken care of. On the other hand, I also own an Apple Watch Series 6 that I bought off of my colleague Mitchell Clark shortly after I started at The Verge. While the horological folks out there might categorize most styles of watches I own as “sport” or “tool” watches, there really is nothing more sporting or tool-equipped than an Apple Watch. It’s a helpful little computer for your wrist, though frankly, it doesn’t get me excited quite like my Seiko SKX013 — which was my first automatic watch — or spark emotion in me like my dad’s old Hamilton Paxton that he left behind.

If I don’t get an occasional pop of color from my watches, then the yellow stitches on my Docs have to do all the heavy lifting.

The Apple Watch is a great work of technology and engineering, but its masterstroke comes from all of the stuff you can do with it: timers, alarms, notifications, activity and fitness tracking, and digital watchfaces you can change on the fly. Traditional watches have some of those features, like timers and alarms, but I don’t feel like I have to do much extra with a regular watch to appreciate their form and function.

Once I combined these two devices by wearing them at the same time every day, I quickly learned how perfectly they complement each other. It starts out as simply as how I’m going to dress for the day. I often swap out which traditional watch I’m using every few days or even on a daily basis depending on my mood or what I’m wearing. Sometimes I want something that blends in with my outfit (which is usually black, some gray, and occasionally white), and sometimes I want my watch to be a statement piece that really pops from my monochromatic wardrobe. You can sort of do that with an Apple Watch on its own since there is a litany of strap options and watchfaces available, but it’s not the same as traditional watches that have wholly different shapes, sizes, textures, and materials from one to another.

With unique watches like this all-metal G-Shock, you get cool features like a solar-powered movement that you just don’t get with most smartwatches. So why not wear and appreciate both?

However, by combining the unique qualities of my traditional watch opposite my Apple Watch, I feel like I can come up with small ensembles that lend me a bit of added confidence in my personal style and leave me feeling more comfortable in my own skin.

Now, you may ask: is that the clothes or is it the watches? I’d argue it’s both. Each of my traditional timepieces has a small connection to me in terms of design and style, so if I didn’t wear a watch or only stuck with a smartwatch, I’d lose out on that little bit of personal flair.

This is my first main pitch to you for why I think more people should try out this double-wrist combination — accessorizing is just a whole lot of fun. Finding your personal style is essential to a lot of people’s confidence and overcoming personal anxieties, and even if it helps a tiny bit, it’s worth it. The other primary reason why you should try double-wristing is that it teaches you to settle into appreciating the things you’re into in a slightly more casual manner.

Okay, I know, I own a lot of G-Shocks. They’re affordable and so dang fun.

For example, all of us that wear Apple Watches or other smartwatches are often familiar with battery anxiety. My 44mm Series 6 dies in about a day and a half, but it rarely phases me. It’s barely a minor inconvenience because, while it’s charging, I’ve still got my regular watch on the opposite wrist. In fact, I rarely ever charge my Apple Watch overnight, which is the usual routine for many people. I let it track my sleep — because why not — and just plop it on the charger at any point in the day when it buzzes about a low battery. This practice may sound chaotic to some, but to me, it helps me mostly not care too much about the battery life of one more device in my life. If it dies, it dies. I’ll get to charging it soon enough and have no problem being a bit blasé about it.

These casual feelings have also helped me not get too bent out of shape over the inevitable dents and dings my watches pick up. In fact, when I bought my Apple Watch from Mitchell, I was aware that it already had led a very Pacific Northwest life — it had a bunch of small scuffs and a long scratch across its screen, which I assume happened while running away from a bear trying to steal Mitchell’s fancy trail mix or something. Buying a well-loved timepiece for a good deal is a great way to help you overcome that initial anxiety of putting the first scratch on it, and since my wrists have a tendency to make unscheduled appointments with the door frames in my house, it’s just best that I don’t fret. Patina and wear and tear are cool anyway, right?

Watches are important keepsakes for a reason. My father’s old manual-wind Hamilton still works like a charm, and when I wore it on my wedding day, it was a small way of making him a part of it. I usually reserve it for special occasions.

Keeping my relationships casual with my timepieces (and any device I own, really) is often best, as I have a tendency to be a little too hardcore about some of the things I care about most. When someone asks me about my cameras or my fountain pens or my love of Dr. Martens boots, I have a tendency to come on a little strong and overshare my passion for these things — I’m working on that. But that brings me to what may be my most important point about the double wristwatch ensemble: you think you’ll look like a weird nerd, but the truth is, most people do not care. Not one iota. Like, nobody else gives a shit. Trust me.

Most people don’t give a shit about your expensive camera, either, by the way, unless they’re just as big of a nerd as you. Ditto for wearing two watches.

Just like when you go out looking your best and nobody comments on how cool or pretty or handsome you look that day, if you’re doing this for other people, you’re doing it wrong. You have to do it all for yourself because that’s the opinion that matters most. You’ll think wearing two watches will paint you as some weirdo, but even if and when people actually notice enough to make a comment, it’s so low on their list of concerns that they probably won’t give it much more thought or attention after that. You can give them a long explanation, sort of like I’m doing here, as to all the advantages of wearing two watches, but most conversations will play out like this:

“Oh, are you wearing two watches?”

“Yeah, a regular watch and a smartwatch.”

“Why?”

“I like it.”

“Oh okay, cool.”

On the off chance that someone asks you about your duo of watches and they actually do care, it’s probably because they’re into this stuff, too, and it will instead spark a beautifully nerdy conversation about watches or tech or both. In my experience, this is more likely than any snide remarks or perplexed stares of confusion.

The Casio F91W may be my most inexpensive watch, but that doesn’t stop me from cherishing it like few others — even opposite a pricey Apple Watch.

I really don’t feel there is much stigma over wearing two watches. Hell, the late CEO of The Swatch Group, Nicolas Hayek, was known for wearing a half-dozen or more watches at any given time. There isn’t much stigma over wearing a traditional watch at all, really, even though we live in a world that in some ways has evolved past them entirely. So try it out. Bust out that old Timex or Swatch someone gave you as a kid or start with a classically geeky Casio calculator watch. Why not? (Okay, fine, the calculator watch might be a little redundant with a smartwatch.) Get out of your comfort zone if you have to, and instead of choosing between tech and tradition, choose both. Life’s too short to make decisions about yourself or your own sense of self based on what others may think or care about.

Cadillac Lyriq review: the Cadillac of EVs 

Cadillac Lyriq review: the Cadillac of EVs 
2023 Cadillac Lyriq EV
Cadillac finally made an electric vehicle, and it’s great.

Cadillac’s first electric vehicle is the Lyriq, a smooth, sumptuous 312-mile range compact SUV for $64,000 with a focus on comfort over sportiness. But what’s with those door handles?

When something is referred to as “the Cadillac of” its particular category, it usually means it’s the best of the best. That’s because, for decades, Cadillac was the rare American brand willing to go toe-to-toe (wheel-to-wheel?) with the more dominant German brands in competition for luxury car shoppers. (Ask your grandparents, kids.) And while those brands have occasionally outsold Cadillac, the Detroit automaker has won the lexiconic battle by becoming synonymous with style, class, and excellence.

Which brings us to the Cadillac of electric vehicles, the Lyriq. (Pronounced like “lyric.”) Does the brand’s first EV merit the designation? Of course it does — because it’s a literal Cadillac. What a stupid question. But is it the best of the best?

Perhaps a more important question to ask is whether it’s reasonable to expect a world-class EV from Cadillac right out of the gate. A brand’s first electric vehicle is supposed to set the stage for what’s to come. But it can also be a bit rough around the edges, serving as a mishmash of ideas and concepts that may not be fully fleshed out. (See: Leaf, Nissan.)

In that respect, the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq is a beguiling preview of the iconic brand’s future as an all-electric company. It’s comfortable and luxurious but never sporty. Availability remains a major obstacle — Cadillac has already announced that the 2023 model is sold out — but that’s the bitter truth for most EVs these days.

Overall, the Lyriq is a long-legged, compellingly priced, sumptuously appointed EV draped with enough high-tech features to make any Tesla owner reconsider their life choices.

The Lyriq is already sold out, which is a drag.

Drive (and charge) my car

For the 10 days I had the Lyriq, I was able to take it on a 350-mile road trip of mostly highway driving with a few gravelly back roads through New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. I also used it for normal daily driver stuff: shopping, errands, school pickups. My kids put their muddy shoes on the white leather upholstery (sorry, Cadillac). The temperature hovered around 30–40 degrees Fahrenheit during the course of my testing: cold but not so cold as to seriously degrade the battery.

The drive quality was everything I’d expect from a Cadillac: smooth, frictionless, whisper quiet, with plenty of hustle. This was my first Ultium driving experience, and I found it to be really nice, if not particularly notable. The Lyriq glides over roads of various surface quality with ease. The version I had was a single-motor RWD, which has better range but not as much oomph as the dual-motor all-wheel drive Lyriq that’s expected to go on sale next year.

The acceleration was delightful — as is typically the case for an EV — without the same neck-snapping, eye-watering intensity of a Performance-equipped Tesla. The RWD motor emits 340 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, which is on par with other RWD EVs. If it comes out next year, the AWD version promises 500hp and 450 lb-ft of torque.

A quick note about Super Cruise: the Lyriq I tested did not have it, which was a bummer. I was eager to put GM’s hands-free highway driving assistant to work, but according to GM, the Lyriq won’t be getting it for a few more months: after its first over-the-air software update rolls out. If you must have Super Cruise now, you can get it in the decidedly not luxurious Chevy Bolt EV.

The Lyriq is the first Cadillac to be built on GM’s new flexible Ultium architecture, which is being used to power the automaker’s next-generation lineup of EVs, including the Hummer EV and Chevy Silverado EV. Even on those gravelly back roads, the Lyriq gripped the road with seemingly every ounce of its 5,688 pounds of curb weight. That’s right in between a 2022 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, which is incredible when you consider that the Lyriq is a whole 12 inches shorter and 15 inches more compact than the Escalade. But it’s on par with similarly sized EVs like the BMW iX and Audi E-tron.

Where does the Lyriq hide all of that extra girth, you ask? In the battery, of course! There are 102kWh of electrons percolating under those floorboards, similar to comparably priced EVs from the luxury German brands. The Lyriq’s Ultium battery electronics are incorporated directly into the modules, which GM says eliminates nearly 90 percent of the battery pack wiring as compared to other EVs.

In my 350-mile road trip with the Lyriq, I logged 2.7 miles per kWh, which should translate to about 275.4 miles of range given the 102kWh battery. (The Lyriq’s very good instrument cluster gives you efficiency ratings for up to three trips.) But according to the EPA, the Lyriq’s estimated range is closer to 312 miles, which I assume you can get from slower, less complicated driving in slightly warmer weather. At one point, I started with the battery at 90 percent, and after an approximate 190-mile jaunt on highways and backroads, that dropped to 22 percent.

I won’t regale you with another woeful tale of non-Tesla EV charging failure and regret (so, so many broken chargers) except to note that the Lyriq’s fast-charging capabilities sound great on paper, but seeing it in action took some work.

At one charging stop using an EVgo fast charger, it took nearly 40 minutes with a maximum charging rate of 83kW to go from 49 percent to 80 percent on the battery. Another DC fast-charging experience took nearly two hours with a maximum charging rate of 80kW to get the Lyriq from 10 percent to 90 percent. Again, much of this is a function of receiving less energy than advertised — the Lyriq can charge up to 190kW, but I was unable to find a charger that could deliver such speeds.

On a Level 2 home charger, the Lyriq’s 19.2kW AC charging capability allows it to recoup 52 miles of range per hour, which is how most owners are likely to charge their vehicle. That translates to five hours to bring it to a full charge when parked in your garage.

The interior is clean and functional without leaning too far toward minimalism.

Shine bright like a diamond

Maybe you’ve noticed, but EV headlights can be super gimmicky: pixelated light squares, cheap plasticky light bars, whatever the hell Elon Musk was thinking with the Cybertruck. The front of the vehicle has become a weird new sandbox in which designers are throwing a lot of stuff around to see what sticks.

Cadillac is not immune to this trend, but here’s the thing: it works. The diamond-cut pattern on the faux grille is unique and flattering, unlike so many Cadillac grilles that look like a sheer cliffside. The main lines, which descend from the angular headlights and meet in the middle of the grille, are meant to evoke a motorsport checkered flag (but I didn’t really see it). Cadillac is reportedly working on other unique grille patterns to help differentiate various trim levels.

The rear lights are equally impressive, reaching up and along the side of the vehicle until they are parallel with the C pillar. It’s a nifty trick that also has the advantage of making the Lyriq more visible in profile. Locking or unlocking the vehicle sends the red lights flowing across the rear of the vehicle to meet in the center.

At that center is a rather chunky-looking Cadillac logo. It took me a second of searching around the license plate trying to find the latch to open the trunk before I realized the logo was it. Pressing it makes the trunk open automatically. To quote Doug DeMuro, not a bad quirk and feature.

The Lyriq is basically the same size as the Cadillac XT5, with a long wheelbase and 22-inch wheels. It feels like a longer car thanks to its ample hood line. That said, there’s no front storage space, which will be disappointing to all the frunk lovers out there.

Which brings me to the door handles. I can’t really wrap my head around why Cadillac opted for these particular door handles. The paddles, which are flush against the vehicle, improve aerodynamics, sure. But the design makes opening the door a two-step process: push the paddle, and then pull the door open using an L-shaped part attached right below the window. It’s a befuddling decision and clear evidence that automakers are overthinking some of their designs in the shift to electrification. There’s no phone-based locking or unlocking mechanism, so you’re stuck with the weird handle.

Why Cadillac, why?

Get into my car

Visibility from the driver’s seat was just okay; I found myself wishing the rear end of the Lyriq didn’t slope down at such an angle. As it is, the rear windshield was pretty squat and could stand to be much taller. It didn’t make it harder to see out the back necessarily, but it left me wanting more. Otherwise, the Lyriq’s greenhouse was ample, with obvious assistance from the panoramic glass roof. I’m not saying there were Escalade levels of headroom, but the glass roof certainly lent it that appearance.

The interior is plush, comfortable, and inviting. The absence of a transmission tunnel means there’s more space for a cantilevered center console, which extends forward between the front seats with open air below. The storage area underneath is lined in brilliant blue leather, the same material that can be found inside a neat little drawer that pops out above.

There’s an adequate number of USB-C ports (three in all), though they’re sometimes in awkward places. There’s a slot in the center console where you can stick your phone for wireless charging. I wanted to like it — it’s arguably more secure than all of those wireless charging pads, for example — but if you have any kind of cover on your phone, it makes it difficult to get it out. No one wants to have to play tug-of-war with their car’s wireless phone charging slot.

The Lyriq has 28 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seats and 60.8 cubic feet with those seats folded. That’s about average for an electric SUV. The cargo area is narrow but deep, and there’s ample space for carry-on bags, boxes, or the occasional large item. There’s also an additional compartment under the floor of the cargo area for charging equipment and other odds and ends.

Now, we get to the part where I gush about the screen. First impression: it’s huge. Thirty-three inches of floating LED infotainment. That’s nearly three feet of screen, almost stretching the entire length of the dashboard pillar to pillar. It’s also one piece of glass featuring three different displays: the main display; the instrument cluster; and a small third display to the left of the instrument cluster (where you can find the aforementioned trip details).

As gorgeous as it was, the user experience left a little to be desired. While not as ostentatious as Mercedes’ Hyperscreen experience, it did still require too much swiping and searching for it not to be a distraction to some drivers. As with all screens these days, it’s recommended to orient yourself before you start driving, find the features you’re likely to use most, and do your best to build that muscle memory right out of the gate.

Cadillac made the right choice by integrating native Google apps, like Maps, Assistant, and the Play Store for media. I used CarPlay less in the Lyriq because I preferred the big full-screen navigation of its native Google Maps. The Wi-Fi hotspot worked great — I was able to do work from my laptop during a couple of protracted charging sessions — and lo and behold, there’s a line of physical buttons underneath the screen controlling the Lyriq’s HVAC system. You love to see it.

The gear stalk to the right of the steering wheel took a full minute to figure out, but once I did, I liked it. A lovely knob on the center console provides an additional way to toggle between menus on the infotainment display that doesn’t involve tapping and swiping. There’s even a cool little silver scroll wheel for volume control. The material matched the delightfully tactile silver knobs on the vents that controlled the airflow. I can’t overstate how comforting it is to have a bevy of physical knobs and buttons in a modern EV. More of this, please!

The Lyriq’s seats were comfy and included massage functions that provided needed relief on long drives. Speakers embedded in the headrest are a nice addition to the AKG sound system found throughout the vehicle. There are 19 speakers in total, including some dime-shaped ones right above your head to capture voice commands. Google Assistant is Google Assistant. It worked fine for simple things, like navigation, but lacked the ability to control the vehicle’s HVAC and other controls.

This is about as close as you’ll get to a Lyriq for a while.

Should you?

The Lyriq is a welcome addition to the luxury EV market. And at a starting price of $62,990 for the RWD version I tested ($64,990 for the AWD version), it certainly makes a strong case for itself when compared to pricier offerings from BMW, Mercedes, and Tesla.

But will you actually be able to find a Lyriq for that price? Lol, of course not. Even the cheapest of EVs are selling for thousands of dollars above their asking price. Demand is skyrocketing and supply is scant, so it’s best not to harbor any illusions about driving your brand-new sticker-price Lyriq off the lot in the near future.

That said, Cadillac is accepting reservations for the 2024 model. If you can’t wait that long, then you might want to consider a BMW iX, a Genesis G80, or a Mercedes-Benz EQE. But if the Lyriq sounds like music to your ears, then it’s time to get in line.

Photography by Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge

Standout Tech Products of 2022

Standout Tech Products of 2022
best tech products and companies
Every year I look back at my Product of the Week choices and pick what I think made the most significant impact on my life as the Product of the Year. There were a lot of contenders this year, which I will cover, but I want to lead with why I'm calling out BlackBerry. The post Standout Tech Products of 2022 appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

An A.I. Pioneer on What We Should Really Fear

An A.I. Pioneer on What We Should Really Fear “Some people naïvely think if we teach A.I. ‘Don’t kill people while maximizing paper-clip production,’ that will take care of it,” says Yejin Choi.

dimanche 25 décembre 2022

Did a Fourth Grader Write This? Or the New Chatbot?

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This dual-screen laptop swings horizontally — and quotes the Whole Earth Catalog

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