Новости за 07.12.2021

City leaders and representatives from NRG eVgo unveil three new electric vehicle charging stations at the public parking structure in Hermosa Beach, CA on Friday, September 05, 2014. | Photo by Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images

Over 50 utilities across the US have come together to speed up the build-out of electric vehicle charging stations along the nation’s highways. The new National Electric Highway Coalition was announced today by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI)... Читать дальше...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Instagram’s algorithms recommend drug dealers’ accounts to minor users, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project. The platform also suggests drug-related hashtags, the report found.

NASA’s new astronaut candidates posing for a photo | Photo by THOMAS SHEA/AFP via Getty Images

Yesterday, NASA announced its newest class of astronauts: 10 new candidates who will train to fly to space with the agency over the next two years. The group included plenty of qualified individuals with backgrounds in the military, as well some with more unique professions. One of the candidates was most recently a flight surgeon at SpaceX, while another has worked as a drilling engineer on remote rigs in the Arctic. Читать дальше...

Amazon Prime delivery van | Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Amazon Web Services outage that started this morning might be worse than it seemed. That’s not only because it’s reportedly cutting off some streams from Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, and Netflix, but because the apps that keep warehouse, delivery, and Amazon Flex workers connected are down too.

Photo Illustration by Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Problems with some Amazon Web Services cloud servers are causing slow loading or failures for significant chunks of the internet. Amazon’s widespread network of data centers powers many of the things you interact with online, including this website, so as we’ve seen in previous AWS outage incidents, any problem has massive rippling effects. People started noticing problems at around 10:45AM ET.

Apple Music’s new voice plan will cost $4.99 per month. | Image: Apple

Apple seems to be close to rolling out the Apple Music Voice Plan, a more affordable tier of Apple Music that lets you access music using only your voice and the company’s Siri assistant. The new plan appeared in the update notes for the iOS 15.2 release candidate, according to MacStories editor-in-chief Federico Viticci, which suggests it will be available widely sometime soon.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

An escalating feud that has pitted YouTube, one of the most popular streaming apps in the world, against Roku, a leader in TV streaming devices, could be about to boil over. Both companies have said that unless they can reach a new distribution agreement in the coming days, the YouTube app will be removed from Roku’s channel store for new users on December 9th.

The Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) has seized 42 websites that the China-based hacking group Nickel used to attack organizations in the US, as well as around the world, according to a report on Microsoft’s blog (via Bleeping Computer). Microsoft says that the attacks were likely carried out to gather intelligence from government agencies, think tanks, and human rights groups.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Ubisoft is officially getting into NFTs. On Tuesday, the company announced a new platform, Ubisoft Quartz, where it will offer NFTs that it’s calling Digits. The Digits will be available first as in-game items like vehicles, weapons, and equipment in Ghost Recon Breakpoint in beta on Windows beginning later this week, according to a press release.

The lowest price ever on this smart thermostat

Amazon’s new smart thermostat just received its first-ever price break. Normally, this thermostat costs $59.99 but is currently on sale for $47.99 at Amazon. It’s the best price we’ve seen yet for this particular device, and considering it didn’t get a discount during Black Friday, this sale may not last.

I adore the face buttons that don’t show the signature shape indicators. | Scuf

Scuf has introduced the Reflex lineup of customizable wireless controllers made for the PS5 and PC, consisting of three pricey controllers. Pricing starts at $199.99 for the Reflex, $229.99 for the Reflex Pro, going all the way up to $259.99 for the Reflex FPS, and each model has its own unique features.

Intel announced that it will take public its self-driving technology company Mobileye, the Israeli company it acquired for $15.3 billion in 2017. The chipmaker said that by listing Mobileye’s shares on the stock market, it hopes to unlock more value for Intel’s shareholders. Intel will remain the majority shareholder in Mobileye.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Samsung Electronics has announced an internal reorganization of its businesses with several changes to leadership. The company will have two new CEOs overseeing two divisions: Device Solutions, which is the semiconductors business, and a new SET Division that includes mobile, TVs, and consumer electronics. It’s the biggest change to Samsung’s structure since 2017, when the company appointed three leaders for three separate divisions.

Photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images

Elon Musk said Monday at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO summit that he doesn’t think the United States needs the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill — or any government subsidies, for that matter. “Just delete them all,” he said.

Science fiction movies have prepared us for the distinct possibility that artificial intelligence will walk among us someday. How soon? No one can say — but that isn’t stopping a raft of companies by trying to sell “digital humans” before that whole intelligence thing gets figured out. Ah, but what if you don’t want to buy a digital human because that sounds icky? Rent one, of course! That’s why we now have the regrettable acronym Digital Human as a Service (DHaaS).

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Google is releasing an update for its Pixel Buds A-Series wireless headphones, which will add a bass slider, a loudness compensation setting for better bass and treble response at low volumes, and a nice connectivity improvement (via Droid-Life). Given that the buds are only $99 (or free, if you got them with a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro preorder), it’s nice to see Google adding new features through software updates.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Japan is proposing new restrictions that would only allow banks and wire transfer services to issue stablecoins, first reported by Nikkei Asia.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 20: Jeff Bezos speaks during the Climate Week NYC Leaders’ Reception | Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Bezos Earth Fund

On Monday, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced his Earth Fund’s latest round of grants: $443 million to be spent primarily on land conservation and restoration and efforts to reduce environmental burdens on marginalized communities.

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Ve

The global chip shortage has claimed yet another camera from Sony’s lineup. This time, Sony is suspending orders for the ZV-E10, a mirrorless vlogging camera that the company released in August, as reported by Digital Photography Review.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Gizmodo released a deep-dive look into the data collection process behind its co-reported investigation with The Markup into PredPol, a software company specializing in predictive policing (hence the name, which it has since changed to Geolitica) through machine learning.

Both the disc-based model and the Digital Edition will be available. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Ready. Steady. Go. If you’re still looking for a PlayStation 5, Walmart Plus members will be able to queue up for the console beginning at 12PM EST on Wednesday, December 8th. Walmart will open the digital queue for the standard Playstation 5 ($500) and the disc-less, digital-only version ($400). This paywall doesn’t necessarily improve your chances of snagging a console but is currently... Читать дальше...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg published Monday, a group of academics called for Meta to be more transparent about its research into how Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp affect the mental health of children and adolescents. The letter calls for the company to allow independent reviews of its internal work, contribute data to external research projects, and set up an independent scientific oversight group.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

TikTok’s much-vaunted video algorithm is designed around two things: getting users to stick around and getting users to come back. That’s according to a report in The New York Times, which reviewed a leaked copy of an internal TikTok document summarizing how the system works. The report offers a rare look into one of the most discussed algorithms in tech right now, and it reveals some considerations — like retaining creators and ensuring they make money ... Читать дальше...