Новости за 09.02.2021

Image: Weber

Weber is expanding its line of internet-connected grills to encompass its popular gas models, including the company’s entry-level Spirt lineup, offering Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity for tracking temperature and an integrated digital display.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Disney is shutting down Blue Sky Studios, the animation house responsible for the Ice Age movies, according to Deadline. The reason cited by a studio spokesperson is the “current economic realities,” likely referring to COVID, which has hit the movie industry in a number of ways.

Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

SpaceX started accepting preorders for its Starlink satellite internet service late on Monday, as the company broadens its beta program to “a limited number of users per coverage area.” Members of the public can now enter their home address and put down $99 for an antenna-router bundle that Starlink’s website says will ship “on a first-come, first-served basis,” depending on location.

Screenshot by Nick Statt / The Verge

As Rod Ponton awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed during a live Zoom hearing into an adorable pet feline.

UAE’s Hope probe sits in a clean room before launch.

A probe from the United Arab Emirates successfully reached Mars on Tuesday, earning the country a spot in a small group of spacefaring powers that have sent spacecraft to study the fourth planet from the Sun. The UAE hopes the mission will yield key discoveries on Martian weather patterns and catalyze a new science and technology sector as it looks to wean its economy from oil dependence.

Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge

Belgian e-bike maker Cowboy has delivered on its promise to help riders avoid pollution on their commutes with a new air quality navigation feature in the company’s latest iOS and Android apps. Owners now have the option to pick the quickest or healthiest routes to their destination.

A robotic probe owned by the United Arab Emirates is preparing to jump into Mars orbit on Tuesday after launching from Earth last year. For mission managers in Dubai, it’s a nerve-racking climax in the UAE’s first mission to deep space. If successful, the Hope probe will survey the Martian atmosphere. The Emirati cabinet hopes the mission will also inspire a new science and technology sector as the Gulf state looks to wean its economy from oil dependence.

CD Projekt says it’s been hacked by attackers who’ve been able to access its internal network, encrypt some devices, and collect “certain data” from the Polish video game company. The Cyberpunk 2077 developer says it will not give in to the demands or negotiate with the attacker, and does not believe any personal data of players or service users has been compromised.

Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has called for a reset in relations between the US and the Chinese tech giant. Speaking to international media in China for the first time in more than a year, Ren expressed willingness to speak with President Biden and said he hoped for an “open policy” from the new administration.

Snap is introducing a new feature it’s calling Friend Check Up. On Snapchat, having someone friended could give them access to your story and even possibly your location, depending on your Snap Map settings, so Snap wants to make sure that everyone on your friends list is still someone you actually want to call your friend.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Last June, 20-year-old Alex Kearns died by suicide, blaming stock trading app Robinhood for his death. He mistakenly believed he’d lost $730,000, and that the company was coming for more than $170,000 of that money in a matter of days. His family now agrees that it was Robinhood’s fault — on Monday, they sued the company for wrongful death.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Though the international version of Steam has been available in China for years, an official Chinese release of the the popular PC gaming platform has now debuted (via analyst Daniel Ahmad). If Chinese gamers needed more reason to celebrate, Sony also announced that the PlayStation 5 will be coming to the country soon.

What are we actually looking at here? A rock? An enemy? Does it even matter compared to the glory of running Horizon Zero Dawn at the eye-watering resolution of 128 pixels wide by 72 pixels tall? Yes, a YouTuber has managed to play Horizon Zero Dawn at 72p, and that’s not a typo.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Facebook is expanding what false claims it will remove from its platforms related to COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccines, and vaccines in general starting today. The company began removing debunked COVID-19 claims in December of last year and notifying customers when they had interacted with a post that has false information that same month. But now the list of potential claims that could get a post removed has grown.

While Zoom was originally created as a serious meeting application for businesses, it has since become one of the most-used services during the pandemic for anyone who wants to have a face-to-face virtual conversation. As a result, the company has been adding more fun stuff, such as weird backgrounds, to use for online family gatherings, friend chats, and well, for business meetings. And now, it’s come up with a feature called Studio Effects that gives you the ability to add a variety of eyebrows... Читать дальше...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The parent company of a West Virginia newspaper chain has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook and Google parent company Alphabet, alleging the platforms are siphoning away much-needed digital ad revenue. It appears to be the first such lawsuit by a news organization against the digital giants and makes the argument that the platforms represent a digital monopoly that should be broken up, like Standard Oil or AT&T were back in the day.

Expanscape

A company called Expanscape has created the most Inspector Gadget-like device that I’ve ever seen. It’s a laptop prototype called the Aurora 7 (a working title), and attached to its humongous black box of a chassis are six extra displays that extend out in every direction away from the main screen, each showing its own windows and applications.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Hackers successfully infiltrated the computer system controlling a water treatment facility in the city of Oldsmar, Florida, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times. In doing so, the hackers were able to remotely control a computer to change the chemical levels of the water supply, increasing the amount of sodium hydroxide before a supervisor was able to catch the act in real time and revert the changes.