Новости за 22.06.2017

Airbnb is getting ready to launch a new premium service meant to attract higher-paying travelers, according to Bloomberg. This tier will try to lure new customers who have yet to try the platform because they prefer the amenities that come with upscale hotels.

Asus launched a new VivoBook S, the S510, today that features a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, runs Windows 10, and is designed to look nearly identical to the MacBook Air. The laptop weighs only 3.3 pounds and has 7.8mm-thick bezel.

Google is launching a new, more limited cinematic VR format that it hopes will be almost as accessible as regular YouTube videos. It’s called VR180, a collaboration between YouTube and Google’s Daydream VR division. And it’ll be produced with a new line of cameras from Yi, Lenovo, and LG, as well as other partners who meet VR180 certification standards.

The eighth annual VidCon starts today, and all eyes are on YouTube, the world’s biggest platform for online video. It’s been almost two years since the company announced Red, its subscription service, and began creating ad-free original content that would exist behind a paywall. While the company hasn’t shared any hard subscriber numbers yet, it’s made clear that its bet on original programming is only going to grow.

The FCC today proposed to add the “Blue Alert” to the US Emergency Alert System which will notify the public of nearby suspects or threats to their communities’ law enforcement officials. The Blue Alert was introduced in 2015 after two New York City police officers were ambushed and killed while on duty.

Some Uber employees — including a few managers — are circulating a petition that calls for the reinstatement of Travis Kalanick, who was forced to resign as CEO earlier this week. The petition, which was first reported by Recode and BuzzFeed, speaks in glowing terms about Kalanick and calls for supportive employees to “revolt this!”

China is tightening its control over internet content. Yesterday, the government reportedly told three websites — Sina Weibo, iFeng, and ACFUN — to stop streaming video and audio content that apparently were “not in line with national audiovisual regulations and propagating negative speech,” according to the Financial Times.

Airbnb is testing a feature that should have existed ages ago: split payments.

JetSmarter, a Florida startup that offers a subscription service for air travel on private planes, is being sued by former employees who alleges the company failed to pay thousands of hours of overtime. The lead plaintiff, Grace Lamey, worked as a shuttle experience manager, dealing with things like reservations, boarding, and handing out food and drinks.

Scientists may have just cracked the mystery of why bird eggs come in all shapes and sizes: it has to do with the bird’s ability to soar up in the sky — and the body changes wrought by years of evolution.

Exoskeletons can be incredibly useful, giving people extra strength or the ability to move freely when injured or disabled. But augmented performance comes at a cost, and users usually have to put in more effort while wearing these prosthetics. Scientists are trying to fix this: they have developed a new system that actively saves the user’s energy by adjusting the exoskeleton to their body’s natural movement.

Tesla has confirmed it’s in talks with the Chinese government to open a factory in the Shanghai region, as the company aims to fulfill a promise by its CEO Elon Musk to produce 500,000 cars a year by 2018.

After what felt like years of hammering Hillary Clinton for failing to adhere to federal email transparency policies, you might think politicians would take pains not to make the same mistake. But now, the White House has been accused of just that.

Thanks to a brand-new poster, we now know the title for the Jurassic World sequel: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. We have no idea what that means, though it may suggest that dinosaurs were royalty at some point? Who knows? Look, the new Transformers movie opens with a King Arthur battle. Literally anything can happen and I wouldn’t be surprised.

Most states in the US have banned texting and driving, but what about texting and biking? Dutch telecom provider KPN is developing the Smart Lock, which will disable the mobile network on your smartphone once you unlock your bike using the app. Designed in partnership with the Dutch Traffic Safety Association, the Smart Lock is targeted at kids to promote “the safe use of smartphones in traffic.”

The Nintendo Switch was very difficult to charge with anything but a Nintendo-branded wall charger when it was first released. But life is improving for people who want use the Switch for more than a few hours away from a dock — although we're still waiting on that holy grail solution.

Chariot, the on-demand shuttle startup owned by Ford, is bringing its app-based, crowdsourced transit service to the traffic-choked streets of Seattle.

Imagination Technologies, former chip designer for Apple, has announced today that it’s selling the entire company, initiating a formal sale process.

In June, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller had stepped down as directors for the upcoming Han Solo film, saying that a replacement would “be announced soon.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company has announced that Ron Howard will be taking over the film, and will meet with the cast to get production rolling again.

Yet again, Samsung is disappointing me by releasing a smart flip phone in its native Korea, leaving this flip phone fan empty-handed. The company announced its new Folder Flip 2 today, which looks pretty much just like the old version, but with a larger keypad. The phone is also available in both pink and black. The pink is everything I want, and seriously re-creates old Razr vibes.

Today’s Google Doodle honors what would have been the 117th birthday of German-American abstract artist Oskar Fischinger.

Nearly one-third of the advertisements for “memory-boosting” supplements reviewed by a government watchdog may be illegally claiming to cure or prevent diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, according to a recent report. The report suggests that government regulation is failing to keep up with the growing supplement industry, but regulators aren’t prepared to actually fix the problem at its root.

Microsoft now has a variety of Surface devices that are designed to replace your laptop. There’s the Surface Book with a removable display, the Surface Pro with a kickstand, and now the new Surface Laptop that is the most traditional laptop Microsoft has ever made. I’ve been using all three extensively recently and have been able to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each. If you’re thinking about buying one of Microsoft’s Surface devices, here’s what you need to know.

The perfect smart speaker for the home is easy to describe, and completely elusive. Ask Verge readers for what they wanted in an Echo or HomePod, and the majority would likely land on more or less the same features. And after they finished describing it, and went out to buy it, they would learn that it doesn't exist. Can someone build us the speaker of our dreams already?

Today, a historical feat is taking place, one that will wow space and fried chicken aficionados alike: a Kentucky Fried Chicken sandwich is traveling to the edge of space aboard a balloon. The fried chicken will float in the upper atmosphere for a few days, before traveling back to Earth at a speed of 2,000 feet per minute.