vendredi 13 janvier 2023

The best tech you can gift mom year-round

*The Oura Ring is a great gift for the mom who hates strapping things to her wrist.* | Image: The Verge

What do you gift your mom? That’s a challenging question to answer, especially given mothers — the generous, unselfish beings they can be — are not likely to spill the beans when asked.

Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you. With the help of The Verge staff, we’ve curated a list of some of the best tech gifts you can treat your mom — or any mother figure, really — to year-round. Whether it’s for her birthday, Mother’s Day, or Christmas, here you’ll find something that caters to all kinds of budgets and interests, ranging from smartwatches and Kindles to massage guns, robot vacuums, and more. You can rest assured that these are items we can personally vouch for as well, having tested and reviewed them ourselves.

Peruse this list below and see if there’s anything on here you can either buy or glean an idea from that’ll put a smile on your mom’s face.

The best gifts for mom

Gifts under $50

An image of the Google Chromecast, the best streaming stick of 2021 for most people, resting on a soundbar. — *The Chromecast plugs into your TV’s HDMI port.*

Chromecast with Google TV (4K)

The best streaming device out there

If you’re going to buy your mom a streaming device, you might as well purchase the best one on the market, which is the Chromecast with Google TV (4K). Google’s Chromecast offers software that brings together recommendations from all of your streaming services and even provides a host of useful information, including Rotten Tomatoes ratings. In addition to offering access to all the major streaming services, the device provides support for 4K content, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Vision. Right now, you can buy it for $49.99 from Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and Google. Read our review.

*Unlike Apple’s AirTags, the Tile Mate is compatible with iOS and Android devices.*

Tile Mate (2022)

An item tracker that’s compatible with iOS and Android

Gifting your mom a Bluetooth tracker like the 2022 Tile Mate can help her save time the next time she forgets where she put her car keys. The convenient tracker is compatible with both iOS and Android, and the Tile app will allow you to keep tabs on her belongings from up to 250 feet away. Unlike Apple’s AirTags, each Tile Mate features a built-in hole, too, so she can securely attach the device to her keys, purse, or just about anything without the need for additional accessories. The trackers are even water-resistant and offer user-replaceable batteries. You can currently buy one for $19.99 in either white or black at Amazon, Best Buy, or Target.

*The third-gen Echo Dot offers far better sound quality than its predecessor.*

Echo Dot (third-gen)

An excellent, puck-like smart speaker

It may be an older device, but Amazon’s third-gen Echo Dot is still a high-quality, Alexa-enabled smart speaker you can buy for under $50. Once set up, the puck-like speaker will allow your mom to easily control her smart home gadgets hands-free — or check the weather, set alarms, listen to music, and carry out a host of other tasks via Alexa. It may not sound as great as the fifth-gen Echo Dot, but it still offers impressive sound for its size and remains an affordable way to smarten up any room. Right now, you buy the last-gen device for $24.99 instead of $39.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Read our review.

*The MyQ Chamberlain’s Smart Garage Control is compatible with Amazon Key, so Amazon drivers can securely drop packages off in your mom’s garage if she’d like.*

MyQ Chamberlain Smart Garage Control

A smart garage door opener that’s compatible with Amazon Key

With MyQ Chamberlain’s Bluetooth-equipped smart garage door controller, your mom can open and close her garage door from just about anywhere. This means if she accidentally forgets to shut it while leaving home, she can do so even while out and about. Even better, it’s compatible with Amazon Key and Walmart’s in-home delivery service, which means drivers can securely drop off groceries and other packages in your mom’s garage if she opts in. The Smart Garage Control retails for $29.99, and you can buy it from Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Ring.

An assortment of screens displaying Netflix’s content like Stranger Things, The Queen’s Gambit, and The Umbrella Academy. — *A Netflix gift card offers mom access to thousands of movies and TV shows.*

Netflix gift card

A gateway to endless entertainment

With a Netflix gift card, your mom can indulge in thousands of movies and TV shows from the comfort and safety of her home. The popular streaming service boasts more recent hits like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Wednesday, along with older hits like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Top Gun, and more. Plus, if she’s already a subscriber to the popular streaming service, she can use the gift card toward paying her monthly fees, which start at $6.99 / month and run up to $19.99 / month depending on the plan. Right now, you can buy a digital Netflix gift card from Target , Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart. If you prefer a physical gift card you can wrap, you can order one from Best Buy.

*Anker’s Nano 3 is a powerful charger you can easily take with you on the go.*

Anker 511 Charger

A fast, portable charger

For the mom who is always on the go, there’s the Anker’s 30W 511 Charger, a USB-C charger that’s small enough to fit in your mom’s purse but capable enough to juice any device she might have. The Anker charger can quickly charge iPhones as well as Samsung Galaxy devices, Google Pixel phones, tablets, and a range of other tech. The charger comes in a variety of attractive colors, too, including black, white, blue, green, and purple. Right now, you can buy it for $22.99 from Amazon and Anker.

Gifts between $50 and $150

*The Instax Square SQ1 is like the classic Polaroid but comes in a variety of fun colors.*

Fujifilm’s Instax Square SQ1

An instant camera with a selfie mode that prints classic Polaroid-framed film

Mom can take a trip down memory lane with Fujifilm’s Square SQ1, a great instant camera she can use to capture and print memories within minutes. The camera is like the classic Polaroid cameras that rose to prominence in the late-’70s — it even uses Polaroid-framed film — but it’s also equipped with fun, modern features like a one-touch selfie mode and mirror. The camera comes in several colors (orange, blue, and white) and is available for around $120 from Amazon, Best Buy, and Moment. Read our review.

Amazon’s Echo Show 8 (second-gen)

The best smart display for most people

Amazon’s second-gen Echo Show 8 is always a popular, welcome gift (and for good reason). Your mom can use the Alexa-enabled smart speaker to make Zoom calls, view grocery lists and family photos, watch videos, and control a range of smart home devices. The newer Echo Show 8 also offers faster performance than its predecessor and an improved 13MP camera that allows you to keep the subject centered in the frame as they move around on video calls, meaning your mom can call friends and family while cooking or exercising. Plus, she can use the device to stream shows and movies from Netflix, Hulu, and a number of other popular services. Right now, you can buy it for $79.99 instead of $129.99 at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Read our review.

2021 Kindle Paperwhite

The ultimate e-reader

For the bibliophile, the latest Kindle Paperwhite is the ultimate Kindle. Your mom won’t need to worry about the device running out of battery life because it can last for months on a single charge, nor will she have to worry about getting it wet given its IPX8 waterproofing. It’s also easy to read text on its crisp 6.8-inch 300ppi display, which is larger than that of its predecessor, and it even features a USB-C charging port and adjustable color temperature, allowing it to better emulate the color of actual paper. The ad-supported base model with 8GB of storage starts at $139.99 and is currently available at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Read our review.

Amazon Smart Thermostat

A cheap, Alexa-enabled thermostat

Don’t be fooled by the price: Amazon’s Smart Thermostat may be affordable, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. If anything, our reviewer found it to be one of the best she’s used in her 10 years of testing smart thermostats. The modern device — which is the cheapest smart thermostat you can buy right now — ensures your mom will feel comfortable no matter how hot or cold it is, as it will automatically adjust to the temperature of her home based on whether she’s inside, out and about, or asleep. It also offers native support for Amazon Alexa, so she can adjust the temperature hands-free using her voice. It’s available for $79.99 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and Lowe’s. Read our review.

A person holding the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus tablet — *You can use the Fire HD 8 to use popular apps like Netflix, read books, video chat, and more.*

Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet

An affordable tablet

While it can’t compete with an iPad in terms of performance, Amazon’s latest Fire HD 8 could be a good present if you’re looking for a basic tablet for under $100. The Fire HD 8 comes with USB-C support, a battery that should last for up to 12 hours, and support for Amazon Alexa. Your mom can use the budget-friendly tablet to play games, access popular apps like Netflix and Twitter, or video chat with loved ones. She can also use the Fire HD 8 to read books — even if it isn’t a dedicated Kindle — making it an affordable e-reader alternative as well as a tablet. The ad-supported base model, which comes with 32GB of storage, currently starts at $99.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Read our review.

Gifts between $150 and $399

*These AirPods are sweat and water resistant, features that come in handy while out for a run.*

AirPods (third-gen)

The latest pair of AirPods

If you have a music-loving mother, the latest pair of AirPods make for a great gift. The third-gen wireless earbuds are IPX4 sweat and water-resistant, which is something your mom will likely appreciate during a light workout, and they support features like spatial audio, which makes listening to select content a more immersive experience. The newer earbuds also showcase shorter stems than the previous model and come with a wireless charging case that’s compatible with Apple’s MagSafe charging system.

Normally $179, you can buy the MagSafe-compatible model from Apple or AT&T for around $179, or at Sam’s Club for $169.98 ($10 off) if you’re a member. The model that comes with a Lightning charging case is also on sale for $169 at Walmart. Read our review.

Amazfit GTR 4

Our absolute favorite fitness tracker

You can help your mom keep tabs on her health by gifting her the Amazfit GTR 4, which is one of our favorite fitness trackers. The smartwatch boasts a lot of features that are hard to find at this price range, including an OLED screen, stress and sleep tracking, and Amazon Alexa support. It also offers a host of basic features, like the ability to make calls, as well as some more unique features, such as a native camera remote and a Pomodoro timer. Plus, it’s platform-agnostic, so she can use it with either her iPhone or Android device. It’s currently available for $199.99 from Amazon, Target, and Amazfit. Read our review.

Beats Fit Pro

A great pair of wireless earbuds for fitness fans

Apple’s AirPods make for a great gift, but if your mom is a fitness fan or fancies herself an athlete, it may be a better idea to gift her a pair of the Beats Fit Pro. The fitness-centric earbuds boast IPX4 waterproofing — meaning she won’t have to worry about them while in the middle of a sweaty workout — and they come with built-in wing tips, helping ensure they’ll stay in her ears no matter how fast she runs. Plus, unlike the third-gen AirPods, they feature active noise cancellation, so your mom can easily tune out the world and better focus on the task at hand. Regularly $199.99, you can currently buy a pair of the Beats Fit Pro for $159.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. Read our review.

*The Theragun Mini is small, powerful, and quiet.*

Theragun Mini massager

A powerful, portable massager

Whether she’s in need of some R&R, suffers from the aches and pains of growing older, or simply lives an active lifestyle, the Theragun Mini is a gift your mom will surely appreciate. The excellent massage gun is powerful, quiet, and incredibly small — so she can carry it around whenever she needs some relief for her muscles — and it comes in three distinct colors (black, white, and red). You can buy it right now at Target and Walmart for around $179, or at Amazon for $199, its typical retail price.

Ring Alarm Pro

A smart home security system that makes it easy to build out a smart home

Gifting a smart home security system is like gifting your mom some peace of mind. Provided she doesn’t already own a lot of smart home devices, the Ring Alarm Pro is well-designed, simple to use, and will make it easy for your mom to build out her smart home. It comes with a slew of useful features, including a built-in Eero mesh Wi-Fi router and a Ring Lighting bridge she can use to connect her smart lighting. While it integrates extremely well with Amazon’s Alexa, note that it isn’t compatible with other platforms. The Ring Alarm Pro Base Station starts at $249.99 at Amazon and Best Buy, while the starter kit sells for $299.99 (Amazon, Best Buy). Read our review.

*The latest Oura Ring is an excellent health tracker that doubles as a subtle piece of jewelry.*

Oura Ring (third-gen)

A smart ring loved by the stars

Loved by celebrities like Prince Harry and Kim Kardashian, the third-gen Oura Ring is a sleep and recovery tracker that doubles as jewelry. As noted in our review, the comfortable health tracker offers a range of perks, including quantified meditation sessions as well as the ability to measure your daytime heart rate and track various sleep metrics. It’s a nice gift if your mom is a fan of rings or simply would prefer a stylish smartwatch alternative that doesn’t wrap around her wrists.

Right now, you can buy the ring in gold, silver, and black directly from Oura for $299. Note, however, that a paid subscription is required to access some of the ring’s more insightful features, including the guided mindfulness sessions. The first six months are free, but after that, you — or your mom — will be required to pay $5.99 a month.

Fellow Stagg Kettle

A terrific (and attractive) pour-over kettle

Whether your mom opts for tea or coffee, an excellent pour-over kettle is always a welcome gift that will brighten up her mornings. With Fellow’s electric Stagg Kettle, your mom will be able to enjoy the perfect drink each day, primarily because she can choose her desired temperature and even time her tea or coffee extraction with the kettle’s built-in stopwatch. The stainless steel kettle also comes in a variety of colors and handle styles, making it an attractive piece of kitchen decor as well as a convenient appliance. Right now, it’s available starting at $165 from Amazon, Williams Sonoma, and Fellow.

Gifts over $400

2021 iPad Mini

The most powerful iPad Mini yet

If you’ve got some cash to spare, why not gift your mom Apple’s latest iPad Mini? The 2021 tablet is the most powerful Mini yet, with a fast A15 Bionic processor, USB-C support, and an elegant, 8.3-inch display your mom will surely appreciate. Plus, the redesigned tablet comes with perks like Apple’s Center Stage feature, which allows the front-facing camera to digitally pan and zoom in on your mom while she’s taking video calls. The base model with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage normally retails for $499.99, but Best Buy currently has it for just $399, while Walmart has it for $469.99. You can also buy it for around full price from B&H Photo and Target. Read our review.

iRobot Roomba j7

Our favorite robot vacuum

The iRobot Roomba j7 is our favorite robot vacuum, one capable of accurately navigating around your home and avoiding obstacles like pet waste and power cables. Your mom will also appreciate its mapping capabilities and support for Google Home and Amazon Alexa, which will allow her to control it with her voice and program it to clean only select areas. Right now, you can buy the Roomba j7 for $599 from Best Buy, Wellbots, and iRobot. Read our review.

EVgo’s New Year’s resolution: make its EV fast-charging network more reliable

two workers in white hard hats and orange vests are opening large wooden crates in a parking lot in front of an EV charging spot. One crate reveals a charging station covered in plastic and foam protectors. — *A crew works to replace older EVgo fast charging stations through its new ReNew program.* | Image: EVgo

When electric vehicle owners take longer trips, they often rely on nationwide fast charging providers like EVgo, Electrify America, and ChargePoint to reach their destinations. So it can be more than a minor inconvenience for EV drivers if they arrive at a station with problems like damaged cables, disconnected modems, or annoying error codes.

This year, EVgo is looking to leave behind broken and unreliable EV chargers with its ReNew program that bolsters site maintenance efforts across its more than 850 fast charging stations with 1,700 or so charging stalls. It’ll also upgrade older stations with new hardware that enables up to 350kW charging for capable vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV.

The backbone of the ReNew program is, essentially, an organized continuation of EVgo’s monitoring and maintenance of its own infrastructure — something it’s been actively working on throughout 2022. EVgo notes that during the first three quarters of last year, it had “upgraded, replaced, or removed 125 charging stalls.”

In August, EVgo COO Dennis Kish wrote in a company blog that more than 45 chargers had been upgraded or replaced since the beginning of 2022. Those efforts will continue this year, as Kish mentions in an announcement video that ReNew will roll out across “hundreds” of US stations: “We are going to be retiring or upgrading or replacing chargers that have aged in our network.”

EVgo says it has been leveraging data it collects from charging station diagnostics and insights from customers who use the network, app, and rate chargers on PlugShare. Stations can be analyzed for issues like lower usage, failed connections, and error code patterns. Based on alerts received, EVgo’s rapid response team can then either go fix problems or plan for an overhaul to replace legacy equipment.

As EVgo works on revamping the stations, it says customers will be in the know. “When we know a station will be replaced or upgraded, we notify customers in the area via email that we’re about to visit the site and their nearby charger will be offline while we work; we send another email when the station is back up and running,” EVgo’s chief commercial officer, Jonathan Levy, via an email to The Verge.

*Newer EVgo charging station models — some still include CHAdeMO for Nissan Leaf compatibility.*

The new upkeeping program comes as EVgo works with automakers like GM to grow its network and enable more convenient charging sessions that can activate by just plugging in a compatible vehicle. And EVgo’s Plug and Charge service, Autocharge Plus, works with many of the latest EVs, now including compatible Tesla vehicles via an official CCS combo 1 adapter.

What really matters for EV drivers is that the charger just needs to work, and EVgo’s new program could help relieve some anxiety stemming from the inadequacies of charging networks. Time will tell if the ReNew program measurably improves customer experience throughout 2023 — the company had ranked third behind ChargePoint and Electrify America in customer satisfaction for fast chargers last year, according to a JD Power survey.

Maybe don’t stick flying bladed cameras in a movie star’s face

A photo of Kai Ko — *A promo still for Netflix’s Agent From Above.* | Image: Netflix

The upcoming Netflix show Agent From Above tried to film its star up close with a drone — and Taiwanese actor Kai Ko got stitches, and possibly worse, when things went wrong (via DroneDJ).

We don’t have many confirmed details on what happened during the December 27th shoot other than that they were filming an action scene close-up when the drone hit him in the face, slashing his cheek.

Ko’s manager told Taiwanese media that the star suffered “serious disfigurement” and needed up to 30 stitches after the drone exploded. Production companies mm2 and Good Films say “there was no explosion or blades shattering as reported in some articles,” claim it was operating “within standard safety guidelines,” and say that the drone’s propeller blades were “shielded by a protective layer.”

Both sides agree that his cheeks were injured and needed stitches, though, and Variety confirmed that he hadn’t returned to work as of January 11th, though production on the show has resumed.

Netflix doesn’t appear to be commenting on the incident.

I humbly suggest that the “standard safety guidelines” should include: “don’t film anywhere near a person’s face with a flying bladed camera.”

Of the many drone incidents we’ve covered at The Verge, most of them have happened when a drone was someplace it shouldn’t be — like directly above a world championship skier or over busy Manhattan streets or atop power lines that are not, in fact, a landing pad or above a stand of bull run spectators or above a parade or near a group of Swiss children or simply within reach of Enrique Iglesias.

Twitter reportedly makes more cuts to online safety teams

A dozen people based in Dublin and Singapore who moderate content and monitor hate speech believed to have been let go

Twitter has made more cuts to its trust and safety team in charge of international content moderation, as well as a unit overseeing hate speech and harassment, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

The move adds to longstanding concerns that new owner Elon Musk is dismantling the company’s regulation of hateful content and misinformation.

Chameleon cars, urine scanners and other standouts from CES 2023

AI-ovens, dual-display or 3D screen laptops and satellite SOS texting shine at Las Vegas tech show

From colour-changing cars, dual-screen laptops and satellite emergency texts to AI-ovens and a urine-scanning smart toilet upgrade, the annual CES tech show in Las Vegas had more concepts of the future on show than ever before.

The biggest consumer gadget show of the year was still quieter than pre-pandemic levels, with the global economic slowdown biting big tech along with everything else.

jeudi 12 janvier 2023

Some third-party Twitter apps appear to be broken

There was a problem accessing your account. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Some third-party Twitter clients such as Twitterific and Tweetbot appear to be experiencing an outage, though the cause is currently unclear. Developers haven’t received any communication from the company about whether the issue is caused by a bug or something else, according to a Mastodon post from Paul Haddad, one of Tweetbot’s creators.

There’s been speculation from Twitter users and some news outlets that this is a move from Twitter to shut down third-party clients altogether. However, the outage may not be universal. Some apps, like Fenix 2 or Albatross, appear to be working for me and some others, though I have seen other users report problems with Fenix. The first-party Twitter app is also still functional.

Tweetbot and other clients are experiencing problems logging in to Twitter. We’ve reached out to Twitter for more details, but haven’t heard back.

We’re hoping this is just a temporary glitch and will let you know more as soon as we know more.
— Tweetbot by Tapbots (@tweetbot) January 13, 2023

We’re aware that Twitterrific is having problems communicating with Twitter. We don’t yet know what the root cause is, but we’re trying to find out. Please stay tuned and apologies.
— Twitterrific (@Twitterrific) January 13, 2023

Third-party apps rely on Twitter’s API to get data from the service, a point that’s been contentious in the past as the company went through a period where it neglected tools for outside developers. That appeared to be turning around before Elon Musk bought the company, though where he stands on alternative Twitter apps isn’t clear; he doesn’t appear to have said much positive or negative about them.

It’s hard to tell whether the third-party client outage is due to the API. Attempting certain calls from my individual Twitter developer account seemed to work, while Twitter’s own API explorer tool is currently broken. Many of the error messages seem by users refer to issues with authentication.

At time of writing, there haven’t been any tweets about the apparent outage, either from the official Twitter account, the Twitter Support account, or Elon Musk. The company doesn’t have a communications department that we could ask about the issue directly, so we’ll keep an eye out for any developments.

Nvidia Broadcast can now deepfake your eyes to make you look at the camera

Image showing the same frame, once with Eye Contact off and once with it on. — *The effect is very impressive in stills, but wait until you see it in motion.* | Image: Nvidia

Nvidia’s streaming software now has an option to make it appear like you’re making eye contact with the camera, even if you’re looking somewhere else in real life. Using AI, the “Eye Contact” feature added to Nvidia Broadcast 1.4 will replace your eyes with “simulated” ones that are aligned with your camera — an effect that worked really well when we tested it ourselves, except for all the times it didn’t.

In an announcement post, the company writes the feature is meant for “content creators seeking to record themselves while reading their notes or a script” without having to look directly at a camera. Pitching it as something you’d use during a public performance, instead of something you’d use socially, does kind of sidestep the dilemmas that come with this sort of tech. Is it rude to use AI to trick my mom into thinking I’m engaged in our video call when I’m actually looking at my phone? Or, to make my boss think I’m not writing an article on my other monitor during a meeting? (I’m going to say yes, given that getting caught in either scenario would land me in hot water.)

Nvidia suggests that Eye Contact will try to make your simulated eyes match the color of your real ones, and there’s “even a disconnect feature in case you look too far away.”

Here’s a demo side by side with an unedited stream, so you can compare how my eyes are actually moving to how Nvidia’s software renders them:

Looking at the results I got, I’m not a huge fan of Eye Contact — I think it makes things just look a little off. Part of that is the animated eye movement. While it’s very cool that it’s even possible, it sometimes ends up making it look like my eyes are darting around at superhuman speeds. There’s also the odd, very distracting pop-ins that you can see near the end of the video.

There were definitely a few times when the feature got it right, and when it did, it was very impressive. Still, the misses were too frequent and noticeable for me to use this the next time I show up to a meeting (though, in theory, I could).

Nvidia does label the feature as a beta and is soliciting feedback from community members to help it improve. “There are millions of eye colors and lighting combinations,” the company says. “If you test it and find any issues, or just want to help us develop this AI effect further, please send us a quick video here, we would really appreciate it!”

Nvidia has been leaning heavily into this sort of AI generation in recent years — a major selling point of its graphics cards is DLSS, a feature that uses machine learning to intelligently upscale images, adding information that’s not there when you go to a lower (but easier to run) resolution. The latest version, DLSS 3, generates and inserts entirely new frames into your gameplay, like how Broadcast generates and adds a new pair of eyes to your face.

Broadcast also has other AI-powered features, such as background replacement that works as a virtual green screen and the ability to clean up background noises that your microphone picks up.

This isn’t the first eye contact feature we’ve seen. Apple started testing a similar feature called “Attention Correction” for FaceTime in 2018. In current versions of iOS, it’s labeled as “Eye Contact” in Settings > FaceTime. Microsoft also has a version of the feature in Windows 11 for devices with a neural processing unit.

Eye Contact isn’t the only feature Nvidia added to Broadcast version 1.4. The latest update also brings a vignette effect that Nvidia says is similar to Instagram’s and improves the Blur, Replacement, and Removal Virtual Background effects. The update is currently available to download for anyone with an RTX graphics card.

Tim Cook takes a $35 million pay cut that he recommended

Apple CEO Tim Cook is taking a big pay cut — at his own recommendation. Cook’s target compensation will be decreasing by $35 million, according to a new regulatory filing, dropping from $84 million in 2022 to $49 million in 2023. That’s a drop of more than 40 percent.

The changes come entirely from an adjustment in his equity award value, which makes up the bulk of Cook’s total compensation. In 2022, that value was estimated to be worth $75 million, but this year, that estimate drops to $40 million. His base salary of $3 million and his annual cash incentive of $6 million will remain the same. Bloomberg reported the pay cut earlier on Thursday.

To set Cook’s new pay, the compensation committee on Apple’s board “balanced shareholder feedback, Apple’s exceptional performance, and a recommendation from Mr. Cook to adjust his compensation in light of the feedback received.” In reality, his 2023 compensation could differ; Cook actually made $99.4 million in 2022, according to the filing.

While Apple continues to be quite successful, its market cap has dropped $1 trillion from its peak a year ago, and the company has been facing some production challenges with its cash cow, the iPhone. There is also some worry about the company’s future big bets. The long-rumored mixed reality headset still hasn’t been officially announced (though that may finally happen this spring). The Project Titan car project is reportedly still years away, and according to a December Bloomberg report, it will now be arriving a year later than originally planned. And Apple is facing the same economic challenges affecting other big tech firms, which have resulted in massive layoffs at companies like Meta and Amazon.

Royal Mail ransomware attackers threaten to publish stolen data

Postal service has been unable to send letters and parcels overseas since Wednesday due to hacking

Royal Mail has been hit by a ransomware attack by a criminal group, which has threatened to publish the stolen information online.

The postal service has received a ransom note purporting to be from LockBit, a hacker group widely thought to have close links to Russia.

mercredi 11 janvier 2023

‘Uh oh … boom!’: TikTok is in love with simulated shipwrecks

Fans say the use of an accurate physics engine to reimagine historic shipwrecks makes it ‘difficult to look away’

A shark swims slowly and serenely beneath the Bismarck seconds before it sinks deep into the ocean. Seemingly out of nowhere, the battleship tilts and falls; its bow crashes on to the seabed. Its hull floods before briefly resurfacing out of the water. Then the voiceover says: “Oh! Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh! Boom!” The Bismarck snaps in half and sinks.

This was not the Bismarck’s real end, but a shipwreck simulated by Alex Reifsnyder, a 27-year-old retail supervisor from Pennsylvania. Reifsnyder uses the physics simulator Floating Sandbox to sink ships with tidal waves, icebergs and lightning for between one and two hours almost every night. On his TikTok page @an_angry_flyy, 167,000 loyal followers cannot get enough.

Why we need new stories on climate | Rebecca Solnit

So much is happening, both wonderful and terrible – and it matters how we tell it. We can’t erase the bad news, but to ignore the good is the route to indifference or despair

Every crisis is in part a storytelling crisis. This is as true of climate chaos as anything else. We are hemmed in by stories that prevent us from seeing, or believing in, or acting on the possibilities for change. Some are habits of mind, some are industry propaganda. Sometimes, the situation has changed but the stories haven’t, and people follow the old versions, like outdated maps, into dead ends.

We need to leave the age of fossil fuel behind, swiftly and decisively. But what drives our machines won’t change until we change what drives our ideas. The visionary organiser adrienne maree brown wrote not long ago that there is an element of science fiction in climate action: “We are shaping the future we long for and have not yet experienced. I believe that we are in an imagination battle.”

Elon Musk breaks world record for largest loss of personal fortune in history

The tech billionaire has reportedly lost $182bn (£150bn) since November 2021, largely due to the drop in Tesla’s share price

Elon Musk has broken the world record for the largest loss of personal fortune in history, according to a Guinness World Records report.

The tech billionaire has lost approximately $182bn (£150bn) since November 2021, although other sources suggest that it could actually be closer to $200bn, the report said.

Amazon Loses Bid to Overturn Union Victory at Staten Island Warehouse

Amazon Loses Bid to Overturn Union Victory at Staten Island Warehouse A National Labor Relations Board official found a lack of evidence to support claims of election improprieties. Amazon could appeal the decision.

Apple’s Music and TV apps for Windows are now available in preview

Illustration of the Apple TV Plus logon on a black, orange, and tan background. — Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple’s Music and TV apps for Windows have made an appearance, with preview versions of the apps being spotted on the Microsoft Store by The Verifier (via MacRumors). LAst October, Microsoft announced they were coming to the platform, letting users finally ditch the old iTunes app and Apple TV web player for native software that is closer to the experience embedded in macOS.

There’s also a third preview of an app called Apple Devices, which is meant to let you manage and sync things like iPods and iPads — functionality that’s currently handled by iTunes on Windows and Finder on the Mac. It also, apparently, contains some references to Reality OS and xrOS, two codenames that have reportedly been associated with Apple’s virtual reality headset.

The TV app is similar to the version on macOS, though you access different sections via a list to the side rather than tabs on the top. Using it, I was able to watch Apple TV Plus shows, as well as movies I’d purchased on iTunes; it even had a miniplayer mode. The Music app is a similar to the macOS version, though the iTunes store is ever so slightly harder to access.

Two Verge staffers running Windows 11 were able to install and run the apps using The Verifier’s links. You can download them yourself here: Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Devices.

When you open the apps for the first time, they warn that iTunes will stop working if you use them and that you’ll have to uninstall the previews to bring it back. It does seem like the Music app brought over my music and settings from iTunes, but if you absolutely have to sync an iPod, it may be worth holding off on trying these apps out until the Apple Devices app is out of preview. MacRumors also points out that you may want to hold off if you use iTunes for Windows to manage or listen to podcasts and audiobooks.

So far, the previews seem to be mostly stable with a lot of the basic functionality I’d expect, though the apps do say that “not all features may work as expected.”

Google strikes back in search antitrust lawsuit

Illustration: The Verge

Courts have unsealed Google’s motion to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit over its search engine — one that could fracture a core Google service in order to increase online competition. In a motion for summary judgment filed on December 12th, the company argues that the complaint misrepresents its agreements with browser developers and Android phone makers, unfairly punishing its success. “Requiring Google not to compete vigorously — or requiring browser developers to alter their product designs and provide a worse experience for their customers,” it says, “would turn competition law on its head.”

The US Department of Justice and a coalition of state attorneys general sued Google in 2020, part of a multi-pronged approach to limit the web giant’s power. (The state and federal suits were filed separately but largely consolidated.) The latest complaint alleges that Google used its incumbent power and its Android operating system to lock up the search market, denying competitors “vital distribution, scale, and product recognition.” It seeks structural changes that would limit Google’s power over new entrants.

Google’s moderately redacted brief argues that its search deals — including agreements with Mozilla and Apple to feature Google search in their browsers — don’t prevent users from trying other engines and are the result of Google simply outperforming its competitors. “No evidence suggests that Google coerced Apple, Mozilla, or any other browser developer into adopting a design that includes a single default search engine,” the filing asserts. Similarly, it argues that its contracts with Android phone makers don’t constitute exclusive deals. And in a separate Colorado suit, it denies that it unlawfully stacked its search results against specialized “vertical” search engines like Yelp, which has persistently argued that Google favors its own services.

Google search has faced persistent antitrust scrutiny in Europe, which has taken a more active approach to anti-monopoly efforts. Last year, the European Union General Court upheld a €4.125 billion (roughly $4.4 billion) fine for placing “unlawful restrictions” on Android phone manufacturers to consolidate its search dominance. It was previously censured for demoting a rival shopping search engine in its own service, a move Google argued it made to reduce low-quality results.

In the US, a larger push to fundamentally reform antitrust policy — and likely create more legal risks for large tech companies — fizzled out at the end of 2022.

But Google and government agencies are still dueling over whether the company violated existing law. The company is fighting a separate lawsuit alleging that it used anti-competitive practices to dominate the ad-tech field, although a judge pared back the suit in September, throwing out claims that Google and Facebook colluded to fix the market. A more recent suit alleges that Google abused its power in Android’s Google Play Store — echoing an ongoing high-profile case brought by Fortnite developer Epic Games.

mardi 10 janvier 2023

‘I didn’t know if my mother was alive’: joy and grief as Tigray reconnects to the world

The restoration of communications to the war-torn Ethiopian region after last month’s peace deal has ended two years of extreme and destructive isolation for Tigrayans

When Lemlem read online that phone lines had been restored to parts of Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region last month, she spent the entire night trying to call her elderly mother, who lives in the Tigrayan town of Adwa.

“I tried maybe 20 or 30 times but the call wouldn’t go through,” Lemlem said from her home in Maryland in the US. “When I finally heard her voice, it was so emotional. We were crying together and I was just so happy. For two years, I didn’t know if she was alive.”

Esports and lifestyle brand 100 Thieves is laying off staff

Three people posing with 100 Thieves apparel. — *A collection of 100 Thieves apparel.* | Image: 100 Thieves

100 Thieves, a popular gaming, esports, and lifestyle brand, laid off about 30 employees on Tuesday, according to esports journalist Jacob Wolf. The cuts hit roles in sales, marketing, content and human resources as well as senior positions including chief revenue officer, director of people, director of talent, and head of partnerships, Wolf reports.

Matty Lee, the former chief revenue officer, wrote a blog post about his departure on LinkedIn. Other former staffers have been tweeting about being laid off, including one who produced and edited a splashy film released Tuesday hyping 100 Thieves’ 2023 esports jerseys.

Today was my last day at @100Thieves but not before producing and editing this piece. It's been fun and truly thankful for the past 2 years. Open to whatever the future holds for me. https://t.co/YQL8UzQEkz
— Kenny Huynh (@kencreatemedia) January 10, 2023

100 Thieves, which was founded in 2017 by streamer and former Call of Duty pro Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, has grown to be one of the most recognizable names in esports. In addition to competitive gaming, it has a major apparel business, acquired gaming peripherals company Higround in 2021, and is making a video game currently called “Project X.” Drake, Scooter Braun, and streamers Valkyrae and CouRage are co-owners.

Forbes ranked 100 Thieves as the second-most valuable esports organization in an article published in May. But given Tuesday’s layoffs, it appears that 100 Thieves isn’t immune to the economic challenges that have affected many other companies as of late; even giants like Meta and Amazon have announced sweeping layoffs.

100 Thieves didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. Tuesday’s layoff follows another from July 2022 that affected more than a dozen workers on the company’s social media and content teams.

Twitter defaults to a For You page now, just like TikTok

RIP to the Twitter star. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitter is changing how you move between the algorithmically-driven timeline and the reverse chronological one and making the algorithmic feed the default.

In a change rolling out to iOS users first, the company has taken away the star button at the top right that let you switch between two feeds. In its place are two tabs — one labeled “For You” and the other “Following” — and when you open the app, you’ll see the For You tab first.

Gif showing what it’s like to swipe between the “for you” and “following” timelines. — *What swiping between the two timelines looks like.*

For You, which shares a name with TikTok’s algorithmically-driven feed, is similar to the old “Home” option, which shows you tweets from the people you follow out of order, interspersed with tweets it thinks you may like. (This isn’t the first time Twitter has copied a TikTok feature.) Following is what used to be called “Latest Tweets.”

While the change makes it easier to switch between them, taking a single swipe instead of a few taps, there is something that’s been lost — if you set your app to show you the “Latest Tweets,” that would typically stick.

The “For you” and “Following” tabs replace “Home” and “Latest” and will be pinned to the top of your timeline so you can easily switch between them. Swipe to switch timelines instead of tapping the ✨ icon.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) January 11, 2023

Now, however, even when you close the app and reopen it, you’re shown the For You feed. That is a bit of a bummer; there are a lot of people who far prefer the reverse-chronological feed, and previous attempts to get rid of it or make it harder to access have typically sparked ire. While this change does technically make it easier to get to from the algorithmic timeline, it definitely makes the latter option harder to ignore.

The old interface with the star button is still available on Android and web, at least for now.

The change partially makes good on a promise from Twitter CEO Elon Musk. On December 20th, he tweeted that the “Main timeline should allow for an easy sideways swipe between top, latest, trending and topics that you follow,” and said that the company would be “making this change soon.” So far, there’s no option to swipe to trending and followed topics, though the trending page is only a few taps away in the search menu.