When the Galaxy Z Flip 3 goes on sale later this month, you’ll be able to buy it from Google Fi, marking the first time the MVNO has sold a foldable device. Moreover, if you decide to pre-order the clamshell phone from the search giant, you can get a $400 bill credit.
If you’re new to the carrier, you’ll need to port your number to Fi from your current wireless provider. As part of the promotion, you can also get a $150 credit from Samsung, which you can use on its website, provided you order the foldable before its August 27th release date and then register your purchase through the Samsung Shop app before the end of September 26th. The credit is valid until November 9th. You can find the full details of the deal on Google’s website.
When Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 3 at its Unpacked event on Wednesday, it said it was ready to make foldables mainstream. With a more affordable $1,000 price tag, the company certainly has a chance to make that happen. It also doesn’t hurt to have aggressive promotions like the one Google is offering through Fi.
Microsoft is updating some of the apps that come preloaded with Windows 11. To start, you’ll find a new version of the Snipping Tool that borrows a handful of features from Microsoft’s Snip & Sketch app. Press the “Win,” “Shift” and “S” keys on your keyboard simultaneously to activate the software and then select the part of your screen you want to capture. Once you’ve snapped a screenshot, you’ll find various tools that allow you to edit and annotate the image. With Windows 11, the Snipping Tool also finally includes a dark mode, and you can set it independent of your system theme.
Microsoft
Microsoft is also updating the Mail and Calendar apps in Windows 11. You’ll notice they now feature rounded corners “and other adjustments” that should help make them feel more like a natural extension of the operating system.
Last but certainly not least, the humble calculator app has received some love from Microsoft. It too now includes a dark mode you can set independent of Windows. The company has also rewritten the software in C# in hopes of more people contributing to its development over on GitHub.
According to Dave Grochocki, a senior program manager lead for Windows inbox apps, Microsoft plans to release “even more updates to the apps that come in Windows 11.” Look for previews of those to arrive before the company releases Windows 11 later this year. In the meantime, you can test the newly updated apps if you’re in the Windows Insider Dev Channel.
Last week, Apple previewed a number of updates meant to beef up child safety features on its devices. Among them: a new technology that can scan the photos on users’ devices in order to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Though the change was widely praised by some lawmakers and child safety advocates, it prompted immediate pushback from many security and privacy experts, who say the update amounts to Apple walking back its commitment to putting user privacy above all else.
Apple has disputed that characterization, saying that its approach balances both privacy and the need to do more to protect children by preventing some of the most abhorrent content from spreading more widely.
What did Apple announce?
Apple announced three separate updates, all of which fall under the umbrella of “child safety.” The most significant — and the one that’s gotten the bulk of the attention — is a feature that will scan iCloud Photos for known CSAM. The feature, which is built into iCloud Photos, compares a user’s photos against a database of previously identified material. If a certain number of those images is detected, it triggers a review process. If the images are verified by human reviewers, Apple will suspend that iCloud account and report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Apple also previewed new “communication safety” features for the Messages app. That update enables the Messages app to detect when sexually explicit photos are sent or received by children. Importantly, this feature is only available for children who are part of a family account, and it’s up to parents to opt in.
Apple
If parents do opt into the feature, they will be alerted if a child under the age of 13 views one of these photos. For children older than 13, the Messages app will show a warning upon receiving an explicit image, but won’t alert their parents. Though the feature is part of the Messages app, and separate from the CSAM detection, Apple has noted that the feature could still play a role in stopping child exploitation, as it could disrupt predatory messages.
Finally, Apple is updating Siri and its search capabilities so that it can “intervene” in queries about CSAM. If someone asks how to report abuse material, for example, Siri will provide links to resources to do so. If it detects that someone might be searching for CSAM, it will display a warning and surface resources to provide help.
When is this happening and can you opt out?
The changes will be part of iOS 15, which will roll out later this year. Users can effectively opt out by disabling iCloud Photos (instructions for doing so can be found here). However, anyone disabling iCloud Photos should keep in mind that it could affect your ability to access photos across multiple devices.
So how does this image scanning work?
Apple is far from the only company that scans photos to look for CSAM. Apple’s approach to doing so, however, is unique. The CSAM detection relies on a database of known material, maintained by NCMEC and other safety organizations. These images are “hashed” (Apple’s official name for this is NeuralHash) — a process that converts images to a numerical code that allows them to be identified, even if they are modified in some way, such as cropping or making other visual edits. As previously mentioned, CSAM detection only functions if iCloud Photos is enabled. What’s notable about Apple’s approach is that rather than matching the images once they’ve been sent to the cloud — as most cloud platforms do — Apple has moved that process to users’ devices.
Apple
Here’s how it works: Hashes of the known CSAM are stored on the device, and on-device photos are compared to those hashes. The iOS device then generates an encrypted “safety voucher” that’s sent to iCloud along with the image. If a device reaches a certain threshold of CSAM, Apple can decrypt the safety vouchers and conduct a manual review of those images. Apple isn’t saying what the threshold is, but has made clear a single image wouldn’t result in any action.
Apple also published a detailed technical explanation of the process here.
Why is this so controversial?
Privacy advocates and security researchers have raised a number of concerns. One of these is that this feels like a major reversal for Apple, which five years ago refused the FBI’s request to unlock a phone and has put up billboards stating “what happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone.” To many, the fact that Apple created a system that can proactively check your images for illegal material and refer them to law enforcement, feels like a betrayal of that promise.
In a statement, the Electronic Frontier Foundation called it “a shocking about-face for users who have relied on the company’s leadership in privacy and security.” Likewise, Facebook — which has spent years taking heat from Apple over its privacy missteps — has taken issue with the iPhone maker’s approach to CSAM. WhatsApp chief, Will Cathcart, described it as “an Apple built and operated surveillance system.”
More specifically, there are real concerns that once such a system is created, Apple could be pressured — either by law enforcement or governments — to look for other types of material. While CSAM detection is only going to be in the US to start, Apple has suggested it could eventually expand to other countries and work with other organizations. It’s not difficult to imagine scenarios where Apple could be pressured to start looking for other types of content that’s illegal in some countries. The company’s concessions in China — where Apple reportedly “ceded control” of its data centers to the Chinese government — are cited as proof that the company isn’t immune to the demands of less-democratic governments.
There are other questions too. Like whether it's possible for someone to abuse this process by maliciously getting CSAM onto someone’s device in order to trigger them losing access to their iCloud account. Or whether there could be a false positive, or some other scenario that results in someone being incorrectly flagged by the company’s algorithms.
What does Apple say about this?
Apple has strongly denied that it’s degrading privacy or walking back its previous commitments. The company published a second document in which it tries to address many of these claims.
On the issue of false positives, Apple has repeatedly emphasized that it is only comparing users’ photos against a collection of known child exploitation material, so images of, say, your own children won’t trigger a report. Additionally, Apple has said that the odds of a false positive is around one in a trillion when you factor in the fact that a certain number of images must be detected in order to even trigger a review. Crucially, though, Apple is basically saying we just have to take their word on that. As Facebook’s former security chief Alex Stamos and security researcher Matthew Green wrote in a joint New York Times op-ed, Apple hasn’t provided outside researchers with much visibility into how all this actually works.
Apple further says that its manual review, which relies on human reviewers, would be able to detect if CSAM was on a device as the result of some kind of malicious attack.
When it comes to pressure from governments or law enforcement agencies, the company has basically said that it would refuse to cooperate with such requests. “We have faced demands to build and deploy government-mandated changes that degrade the privacy of users before, and have steadfastly refused those demands,” it writes. “We will continue to refuse them in the future. Let us be clear, this technology is limited to detecting CSAM stored in iCloud and we will not accede to any government’s request to expand it.” Although, once again, we kind of just have to take Apple at its word here.
If it’s so controversial, why is Apple doing it?
The short answer is because the company thinks this is finding the right balance between increasing child safety and protecting privacy. CSAM is illegal and, in the US, companies are obligated to report it when they find it. As a result, CSAM detection features have been baked into popular services for years. But unlike other companies, Apple hasn’t checked for CSAM in users’ photos, largely due to its stance on privacy. Unsurprisingly, this has been a major source of frustration for child safety organizations and law enforcement.
To put this in perspective, in 2019 Facebook reported 65 million instances of CSAM on its platform, according to The New York Times. Google reported 3.5 million photos and videos, while Twitter and Snap reported “more than 100,000,” Apple, on the other hand, reported 3,000 photos.
That’s not because child predators don’t use Apple services, but because Apple hasn’t been nearly as aggressive as some other platforms in looking for this material, and its privacy features have made it difficult to do so. What’s changed now is that Apple says it’s come up with a technical means of detecting collections of known CSAM in iCloud Photos libraries that still respects users’ privacy. Obviously, there’s a lot of disagreement over the details and whether any kind of detection system can truly be “private.” But Apple has calculated that the tradeoff is worth it. “If you’re storing a collection of CSAM material, yes, this is bad for you,” Apple’s head of privacy toldThe New York Times. “But for the rest of you, this is no different.”
We learned all the way back in December that the terrific Spelunkyand Spelunky 2 were coming to Nintendo Switch sometime this summer, and the wait's almost over — at least in a few regions. The two games will hit the eShop in North America, Europe and Australia on August 26th, adding another pair of indie gems to the Switch library.
?? The light of your torch illuminates the glint of a gold idol… #Spelunky and #Spelunky2 are both coming to #NintendoSwitch on August 26, in North America, Europe, and Australia! Other regions will be announced soon! pic.twitter.com/fClL27JfHO
Spelunky supports local multiplayer, and Spelunky 2 adds online play to the mix. Although there are distinct areas in both platformers — each with their own enemies, lethal traps and rules — the levels are procedurally generated, so things are always going to be a bit different on each run.
It's hardly the first time Spelunky, a stone-cold classic,has landed on a handheld console. It was released on PS Vita (and PlayStation 3) all the way back in 2013, a year after the remake of the 2008 original debuted on PC and Xbox 360. The sequel, however, has only been available on PC, PlayStation 4 and PS5 until now.
If you'd like to plunder the caverns on Switch, you'll be able to pick up Spelunky for $10. Spelunky 2 will cost $20.
According to an internal company document obtained by Motherboard, Amazon plans to monitor how its employees use their keyboards and mice to prevent customer data leaks. The retailer is reportedly leaning toward licensing tools from a company called BehavioSec.
"The software does not rely on personally identifiable information or other static data," a FAQ page from BehavioSec states. Instead, the company claims it uses "behavioral biometrics" to generate a profile of how someone types and uses their computer. Its software then utilizes that profile to verify that a hacker or imposter hasn't compromised an employee's device. BehavioSec's website lists Cisco and Deutsche Telekom as "partners," suggesting Amazon wouldn't be the first company to use its software. Amazon reportedly looked at other employee monitoring solutions. However, due to "challenges around collecting keystrokes data," concluded it was best to turn to more "privacy-aware" models like BehavioSec.
In the document, Amazon claims it needs such software to combat various security threats. The company points to at least four cases where its security team identified incidents where someone posed as a service agent to obtain customer data. "We have a security gap as we don't have a reliable mechanism for verifying that users are who they claim they are," the company states in the document.
With more of its employees working remotely due to the pandemic, it's also worried about a higher risk of "data exfiltration." Amazon points to several hypothetical scenarios it wants to protect itself against, including one where a customer service employee forgets to lock their computer, and a nosy roommate steals the company's data. By 2022, it estimates the software could help it reduce imposter takeover by 100 percent.
"Maintaining the security and privacy of customer and employee data is among our highest priorities," Kelly Nantel, director of national media relations at Amazon, told Engadget. "While we do not share details on the technologies we use, we continually explore and test new ways to safeguard customer-related data while also respecting the privacy of our employees. And we do this while also remaining compliant with applicable privacy laws and regulations."
While Amazon's reasons for considering BehavioSec appear to be well-intentioned, the company doesn't have the best history with employee monitoring software. A recent report from CNBC found Amazon's Mentor app was far too overbearing to do its intended job effectively, and it would needlessly penalize drivers for things like going over the occasional bump on the road.
Google has banned SafeGraph, a company that captured and sold Android users' location data. Android developers who used the company's software development kit (SDK) were given seven days to remove SafeGraph's location gathering tools from their apps or face possible ejection from the Play Store, as Motherboard reported.
Some of the data SafeGraph obtained was from apps that harnessed the SDK. The apps were able to track user locations, though many people many not be aware how companies use their data.
Google brought the hammer down on SafeGraph in early June. It's not clear if any apps are still using the SDK or if Google has taken action against developers who haven't removed SafeGuard's plug-ins. Engadget has contacted Google for comment.
With context, it's possible to find out details about individuals using location data, even when it's supposedly anonymized. Data Motherboard bought from SafeGraph showed the movement of users between points of interest. The company also sells secondary information from other companies to augment the location data, according to the report. Other datasets are said to include the names of people who own property in the US, which could reveal details about individual users.
SafeGraph reportedly sells its location data to almost anyone willing to pay for it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is said to be among SafeGraph's customers, while The New York Times used SafeGraph data for a project that showed where people were gathering after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were loosened. The publication told Motherboard that it aggregated the location data.
In February, Google took a similar action against Predicio, which is linked to a company named Venntel. Public contracts that emerged last year showed that US Customs and Border Protection bought data from Venntel, reportedly for warrantless phone tracking. Google and Apple both banned X-Mode, another location data broker, last December. Location data brokers sometimes pay app developers to use their tracking code so they can sell the information, which is against Google's rules.
Disney’s upcoming Home Alonereboot will arrive just in time for the holidays. 20th Century Studios announced today Home Sweet Home Alone will debut on November 12th. There's no trailer yet, but the cast looks promising.
Archie Yates, best known for his role in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit, plays main character Max Mercer. The Disney+ exclusive also stars several Saturday Night Live alumni, including Kenan Thompson and Chris Parnell, as well as Devin Ratray, who played Buzz in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Other notable cast members include Veep actor Tim Simons and Ellie Kemper from The Office.
Three months until we’re #HomeSweetHomeAlone. The all-new Original Movie starts streaming November 12 on @DisneyPlus starring Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, Archie Yates, Aisling Bea, Kenan Thompson, Tim Simons, Pete Holmes, Devin Ratray, Ally Maki, and Chris Parnell. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/ifcE544tAD
Home Alone is just one of several Fox franchises Disney plans to reboot in the coming years. It is also working on bringing back Cheaper by the Dozen, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Night at the Museum.
Polestar is finally ready to confirm pricing and details for its more affordable single-motor Polestar 2. As Autoblogreports, the 2022 "entry-level" EV will start at $45,900 before incentives, or a cool $14,000 below the original dual-motor version's price. If you're in California, that cost after incentives could dip to a relatively low $34,900. That's no mean feat when it offers the longest range of the bunch at an EPA-estimated 265 miles.
The long-range dual-motor version starts at a lower $49,900 for 2022 ($38,900 after California incentives), with a longer 249-mile range on top of that. The catch, as you might guess, is that you'll need to add "packs" to get certain creature comforts, regardless of which car you're buying.
The promised mechanical heat pump, which extends range in chilly conditions, is part of a $4,000 Plus Pack that also includes a full-length glass roof, a "premium" interior (with Harman Kardon audio), vegan seating and cabin illumination. A $3,200 Pilot Pack adds driver aids like adaptive cruise control, blind spot warnings and a 360-degree camera. The dual-motor-only $5,000 Performance Pack adds 20-inch alloy wheels with Brembo brakes, sport tires and gold cosmetic touches.
Deliveries of single-motor Polestar 2 units are expected by the end of 2021, while the updated dual-motor configurations should arrive in October. The pricing still makes the electric fastback more expensive than its most obvious rival, the $39,900 Tesla Model 3 in Standard Range Plus trim. However, it's now close enough that you might not mind the extra outlay if Polestar's design is more appealing — and the claimed range is finally competitive.
Three years after taking on Brexit in Not Tonight, publisher No More Robots and developer PanicBarn are working on a sequel to the satirical political RPG. Not Tonight 2 takes place in a supposedly alternate version of the US, where "capitalism and political greed have taken center stage and democracy is a thing of the past."
Not Tonight 2 centers around three intertwined stories written by a group of POC artists and authors. Three characters — Malik, Kevin and Mari — embark on a road to trip to try and save their friend Eduardo from deportation or another terrible fate.
The original game drew comparisons to Papers, Please for its core gameplay of checking IDs as a bouncer at pubs and nightclubs. Those mechanics are back in the sequel, along with a variety of minigames, including everything from word association and rhythm games to working at the border wall, joining a cult and serving poutine to Canadians.
Verizon (currently Engadget's parent company) is still betting on streaming bonuses to win over new subscribers. The carrier has launched a promo that gives Fios and wireless subscribers up to a year of 'free' AMC+ streaming. Not surprisingly, you'll only get the full 12 months if you spend the most — you'll have to either sign up for a Mix & Match Fios plan or activate a new line on one of the network's better unlimited wireless plans (Play More, Do More or Get More) while buying one of the company's "best" 5G-capable phones.
Cellular subscribers who either activate a Start Unlimited plan or upgrade to a top-tier 5G phone on an existing line will get a more modest six months of AMC+ service. The promo expires for Fios customers on February 10th, 2022, but there's no mention of an expiry date for wireless.
Verizon isn't shy about the timing — The Walking Dead season 11 premieres August 22nd for most viewers, and the company is clearly hoping to reel in customers who want to watch more of AMC's humans-are-the-real-monsters drama. We'd add that this comes just a day after Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 — the bonus AMC+ access could serve as an incentive to update your phone.
The question, as with other carrier perks, is whether or not this is really adding value. Verizon already gives all its users at least six months of Disney+, Discovery+, Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass and Apple Music — if you aren't a hardcore Walking Dead fan, what's another service you'll try a few times and cancel? There's also the question of pricing — what if you were comfortable dropping the freebies in return for a lower rate? While networks like Verizon don't say how much it costs to offer bonuses like this, there's a mounting concern that the costs could add up.
Zagreus might struggle to escape the Underworld, but he's no longer bound by the confines of PC and Nintendo Switch. Hades, widely regarded as one of the best games of 2020, is coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and PS5 on August 13th. It'll be on Xbox Game Pass on Xbox and PC on the same date.
Supergiant Games says the dungeon-crawling roguelike is targeting 60 frames per second at 1080p on Xbox One and PS4. It'll run at up to 60 fps in 4K on Series X/S and PS5.
Physical editions will come with a bonus download code for the soundtrack and a 32-page booklet. The Xbox One and Series X versions will be available on the same disk. Both the physical and digital PS4 versions offer a free upgrade to the digital PS5 version.
Unfortunately, unlike the Switch version, you won't be able to transfer Hades saves between PC and Xbox or PlayStation consoles. Still, Xbox and PlayStation owners will at last get their chance to tackle Hades again and again and again in a couple of months.
Foxconn is getting more serious about its electric vehicle ambitions. The company told investors during an earnings call that it plans to build EV factories in the US and Thailand in 2022 and start mass producing vehicles the following year. Chairman Liu Young-way said the company is also in talks regarding possible locations for plants in Europe.
At its US facility, Foxconn will build vehicles for EV clients including Fisker. The companies signed a deal in May, and Foxconn plans to start making Fisker EVs by the end of 2023. The two are jointly investing in the Project Pear vehicle and will share revenue from it.
Foxconn is in discussions with three states, including Wisconsin, for the EV plant, according to Nikkei. Earlier this year, Foxconn drastically scaled back plans for its existing facility in Wisconsin. Liu has also suggested Foxconn may build EVs at the controversial plant.
The planned Thai factory will form part of Foxconn's joint venture with oil and gas conglomerate PTT. The two are working on a platform for EV and component production. Liu said Foxconn plans to build up to 200,000 EVs at that plant each year.
If you’ve been holding out for VR hardware to mature, you chose wisely. Headsets have come a long way since the launch of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive five years ago. Standalone devices like the Oculus Quest 2 let you hop into virtual reality anywhere, while also giving you the flexibility of streaming virtual reality from powerful PCs. And if you don't care about dealing with a wired headset, there are a plethora of high-end options out there. Most importantly, there are plenty of memorable VR experiences like Vader Immortal and Half-LIfe: Alyx that you can't experience outside of a headset.
So what makes a good VR headset?
I tend to judge them on a few basic criteria: Ergonomics, immersion and controls. It's not that hard to shove a mobile display into a plastic headset and strap some cheap elastic headbands onto them. But it takes skill to craft something that's well balanced and doesn't feel uncomfortable after 30 minutes.
Immersion, meanwhile, comes from having high resolution screens with fast refresh rates, so everything looks sharp and smooth. Field of view is also a major element, as it describes how well VR screens can cover what you see. Having a low field of view makes it look like you’re looking through a pair of binoculars, which limits the sense of “presence” you can feel in VR. But a wide field of view can make it seem like you’re actually flying over the globe in Google Earth.
And when it comes to controllers, the best options fit naturally in your hands and offer accurate tracking. The industry has practically adopted the design of Oculus's excellent touch controllers, but we're also seeing intriguing leaps forward like Valve's finger tracking gamepads.
Best VR headset for most people: Oculus Quest 2
Engadget
Almost a year since its release, the Oculus Quest 2 remains the best VR option for the vast majority of consumers. It's completely cordless, relatively inexpensive (starting at $299) and it's comfortable to wear for long sessions. There's also a huge library of titles that you can experience anywhere, and it's bundled with Oculus's great motion controllers. You can also connect the Quest 2 to a gaming PC to stream more complex VR experiences.
The Quest 2 features fast-switching LCDs with a resolution 1832×1920 per eye, the highest we've seen from Oculus. It also has a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, which is impressive for something running entirely on mobile hardware. The Quest 2's field of view isn't the best — it's been measured at just around 90 degrees — but it's still enough to enjoy most VR experiences. You can also use different face pads to increase its field of view a bit. And if you want an even more comfortable fit, you can snag Oculus's Elite headstrap for $49 (or $129 with a built-in battery and case).
Facebook has recalled the foam inserts from the original model and is offering silicone covers to make the headset more comfortable. We didn't experience any issues during our review, or during the past year of usage, but there have been enough complaints for Facebook to take action. The base $299 Quest 2 will also come with 128GB of storage when it returns to store shelves on August 24th. That's double the storage of the original model, giving you even more room to cram in games and VR apps.
The Quest 2 may not offer the best overall VR experience, but it's certainly the most accessible headset on the market.
If you don't care about wireless VR, and you want to invest a bit more in a high-quality PC headset, HP's $599 Reverb G2 is meant for you. It was developed in cooperation with Valve and has some of the best features from the pricier Index headset, like near-field speakers. The Reverb G2 also has sharp screens, offering 2,160 by 2,160 pixels per eye, a 90Hz refresh rate, and a relatively wide 114-degree field of view.
It's also the first Windows Mixed Reality headset to include four tracking sensors, which helps to ensure more accurate VR tracking, especially during fast-paced games. I also give HP credit for making a headset that’s extremely comfortable thanks to its luxurious amount of cushioning around the eye-piece and rear strap.
The Reverb G2's motion controllers weren't my favorite, but they're still a big step up from HP's previous model. You could also upgrade it to use Valve's finger-tracking controllers, but that involves snagging SteamVR sensors and a lot more setup. Still, it's nice to have the upgrade path available.
Valve's Index kit remains one of the best high-end VR solutions on the market. For $999 you get the Index headset, Valve's finger tracking controllers and two SteamVR base stations. While we've seen higher-resolution headsets arrive in the last two years, it's still a very solid option, with a 1,440 by 1,600 pixel resolution, an eye-watering 144Hz refresh rate and a massive 130-degree field of view. I'd gladly lose a few pixels to get a smoother and more expansive screen, which are still far beyond any other consumer headset.
As a SteamVR product, the Index requires installing two sensors at opposite corners of your room. And of course, it's wired to your PC. But that clunkiness is worth it for the higher refresh rate and more accurate tracking. Sure, it's not as easy to use as the Quest 2, but at this price range, we assume you'll suffer a bit of inconvenience to get a truly high-quality VR experience.
Valve's finger tracking controllers are fantastic as well, with a convenient strap that locks them onto your hands. They make playing Half-Life: Alyx feel like a dream. It's unfortunate that other VR games haven't fully taken advantage of the finger tracking though.
Best VR quality, no matter the cost: HTC Vive Pro 2
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
HTC's Vive Pro 2 is the best-looking PC VR I've seen. It has an astoundingly sharp 5K screen and a solid 120Hz refresh rate. Just be prepared: the full kit, which includes the headset, two SteamVR sensors and wand controllers, costs $1,399. You can also buy the headset separately for $799 as an upgrade to the original Vive Pro, or the Valve Index.
For the price you get a well-balanced and supremely comfortable VR headset. The Pro 2 is a clear sign that Valve has practically perfected the art of making high-end hardware. I'm less impressed with the large wand controllers, which are exactly the same as the ones that came with the original HTC Vive in 2016. They're functional, but they're nowhere near as ergonomic as Oculus's Touch Controllers.
I'm mainly recommending the Pro 2 here based on the astounding quality of the headset.
True VR fans may want to just grab that separately along with SteamVR base stations and Valve's finger-tracking controllers. That way you can ensure you have the best experience while playing Half Life: Alyx.
We adored Sony’s PlayStation VR when it launched… but that was nearly five years ago. While it’s still a very comfortable headset, and it does magic with the PS4’s limited power, it’s not the smartest buy today. That’s particularly true when Sony has been eager to chat up its sequel VR headset for the PS5. We know that device will come with more modern controllers and have hardware similar to PC VR headsets. The only problem is that you’ll have to wait for it — Sony says it won’t be ready in 2021.
TikTok's determination to clean up its feeds now includes significant limits on its app for the teenage crowd. The social video service is limiting the visibility of teens' videos, with the most restrictions applying to the youngest users. Teens aged 13 to 15 are set to private by default, and will have to decide who can see a video the first time they post. They'll have that option for every video they post beyond that, and they won't have access to Duet or Stitch features.
Older teens will see restrictions, too. TikTok will turn off Direct Messages by default for 16- and 17-year-olds joining the service for the first time, and ask existing users to review their settings if they haven't tried DMs before. The company will also double-check before those older teens enable downloads for their videos.
The social media giant will try to promote healthy usage habits, too. Notifications will turn off for teens under 16 starting at 9PM local time, while 16- and 17-year-olds will receive their alerts until 10PM. This will theoretically help teens wind down, not to mention discourage late-night bullying.
TikTok stressed that there was "no finish line" for privacy and safety efforts, and that there would be more to come in the months ahead. The focus is clear, however — TikTok doesn't want stories of teens facing bullies, creeps and other abusers that found them through public videos and unsolicited messages. In theory, the restrictions provide a gentler introduction to TikTok that helps younger audiences understand the consequences of their actions.
Honor, the smartphone manufacturer that was, until late last year, Huawei’s budget division, is back. Not that it ever really went away, you understand, since it’s already released the View 40 and Honor 50 in its homeland while under its new owners. But today marks the first time that it is launching a flagship phone to the global market as an independent company. Free from the US sanctions that rocked its former parent, Honor is once again able to use American software (hello, Android 11) and silicon (hello, Qualcomm). This then, is the start of Honor’s second life, which is beginning with the launch of the Magic3, its first — well, “first” — flagship.
Historically, Honor was Huawei’s budget play, offering a surprising level of quality and tech for relatively low prices. The Honor 20, for instance, was the sort of phone that made you forget about the need to buy a flagship handset despite its modest sticker. Now, of course, with the freedom (read: obligation) to create high-end handsets, Honor is shuffling its brands. The high end will now be dominated by Magic-branded handsets, while the numbered line (like the Honor 50) will sit in the middle, and the low end now the domain of the X-Series.
Design-wise, Honor’s apple did not fall far from Huawei’s tree. From several angles, the Magic3 looks like a Huawei Mate, and this is not the only time I’ll bring this up. Given the sharing of IP and technology between the two companies before the split, this is not a huge surprise. I’m sure that many of the handsets Honor releases over the next couple of years will have that whiff of shared DNA, and like the Mate this phone has a waterfall display, with an 89-degree curve down both sides of the screen.
Honor
There are three Magic3 handsets in the range, the vanilla Magic3, Magic3 Pro, and the Magic3 Pro+. Every member of this trio is packing a 6.67-inch, 2,272 x 1,344, always-on flexible OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR 10+. There’s a 94.82 screen-to-body ratio, the ideal fact to wheel out when you need to impress folks in bars, too. The cut-out for imaging plays host to a 13-megapixel, f/2.4 wide camera with a 100-degree wide-angle lens no matter what model you opt for. Although the higher end Pro and Pro+ models are the only ones that pair it with a 3D Time of Flight sensor for face unlocking.
The real interest, however, is in the lenses on the back of the phone, and Honor is throwing all but the dishwasher at this phone. Arranged in a setup the company is calling "The Eye of Muse," the regular handsets get a 50-megapixel, f/1.9 lens with Sony's IMX766 image sensor, a 64-megapixel, f/2.2 monochrome camera and a 13-megapixel, 120-degree f/2.2 ultra-wide camera.
The Pro, meanwhile, adds a 64-megapixel, f/3.5 OIS telephoto camera with a 3.5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom. The Pro+, meanwhile, swaps out that IMX766 for the larger, f/1.9 1/1.28-inch IMX700 with OIS. You'll get that 64-megapixel monochrome camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a 64-megapixel 126-degree, f/2.4 ultra-wide camera and that same telephoto lens. (You'll also get a TOF sensor and color temperature sensor for more accurate imaging.)
Honor also said that this IMAX-enhanced camera can be used to shoot your own cinema-quality films, a boast previously used to sell Huawei’s Mate 30 and Mate 40 (told you I’d mention this again). Honor says that, unlike those handsets, it has developed a custom, mobile-friendly version of the filming standard Log, dubbed MagicLog, which is designed to shoot high-quality video.
Broadly speaking, Log is a way of recording footage that preserves as much of the dynamic range and tone as possible. When viewed straight from the camera, the footage looks weird and it requires a lot of post-processing and grading. In order to save ordinary users from that agony, Honor teamed up with professional colorist Bryan McMahan to create eight pre-set grades which work like Instagram filters.
Honor said that one minute of MagicLog footage will take up around 500MB of memory, so if you want to shoot a film with one of these, invest in one with lots of storage. And this is a feature that we’d love to test in depth in future, because if this in some crazy way does turn out to work, it could be a very big deal.
Beyond imaging, Honor wanted to talk up the various software engines that it has designed to help squeeze better performance out of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ 5G SoC found in the Pro and Pro+. (The regular Magic3 is using Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888.) Long story short, Honor (and Huawei before it) uses an AI layer which has been trained to monitor for challenging processes and adjust power to compensate. It says that, for the Magic3, you can expect to see faster and more stable 5G and gaming performance when using the phone. Then there is OS Turbo X (Apple’s lawyers, I’m sure, will be taking notes) which, it’s claimed, will be able to keep the system running at peak performance for longer. Honor’s representatives said that this system alone will ensure that, after using it for 36 months, you’ll only experience a 3.8 percent drop in performance compared to the day you bought the phone.
And then there’s “Smart RAM,” which sounds like the sort of RAM-doubling scamware that we saw back in the days of Windows 3.1. Honor’s representatives said that, in times of need, the Magic3 can bounce some of the data from its RAM to the phone’s flash memory. Now it’s not clear if the company is trying to pass virtual memory off as some sort of new-fangled innovation or if there’s some clever new implementation here. Honor says that, no matter if you have the 8GB or 12GB variant, you can expect this system to offer you an additional 2GB of headroom when required. I have no idea if file transfer speeds between the SoC and flash memory are fast enough to make this a viable, boastworthy feature for a new flagship handset.
The company has also offered some smart privacy features, like obscuring message notifications when you cast video to a TV, as well as the ability to strip metadata from images before you share them to social media.
Honor hasn’t said how long this device will last on a single charge, but that 4,600mAh battery should have plenty of staying power. All three variants support 66W wired SuperCharge, and you can get up to 50 percent of your battery re-juiced with just 15 minutes of connection. In addition, the Pro and Pro+ models both support 50W wireless charging, should you feel the need.
Magic3 is available in four colors: Black, White, "Golden Hour" and "Blue Hour," the latter pair are a pinkish-orangey hue, and a deep royal blue. The standard colors are available in Honor's usual coating, while the two hours are available in vegan leather. The 3 Pro+, meanwhile, comes in either a ceramic black or white ceramic body with pinstripe texturing which, at first blush, looks extraordinary. All of the handsets are IP68-rated for water and dust resistance, which is about the minimum you can expect from a phone these days.
The Honor Magic3 series will make its debut in Mainland China, with news about arrivals in western markets coming in short order. CEO George Zhao did, however, reveal pricing for the handset when it reaches Europe, at the very least. The Magic3, with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, will retail for €899 ($1,054), while the Magic 3 Pro (8GB + 256GB) will set you back €1,099 ($1,289). Flagship-lovers, looking to grab the Magic3 Pro+ with 12GB RAM and 512GB Storage, meanwhile, will have to fork over at least €1,499 ($1,758).