Новости за 21.04.2022

Image: Google

With all the apps that we tend to have running on our phones, it’s a constant worry as to whether the battery will be able to make it through the day — and that’s not helped when apps misfire and run power-draining features in the background. According to 9to5Google, a recent bug in Google’s Messages app on Android phones left the camera running in the background — a great way to both heat up your phone and run down your battery.

But Google’s own app can still record calls. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is changing its Play Store policy to clamp down on a workaround that call recording apps were using, potentially closing the final loophole that allowed these apps to exist (via NLL-Apps on Reddit). On May 11th, a rule clarifying that “the Accessibility API is not designed and cannot be requested for remote call audio recording” will go into effect, making it so that apps won’t be able to record audio from a call. Читать дальше...

Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Following a 23–16 Wednesday vote, Florida’s Senate passed SB 4-C, a bill designed to dismantle any and all of the state’s special tax districts that were created before 1968. Though there are over 1,800 different special tax districts in the state, given the GOP’s ongoing fight with The Walt Disney Corporation, the new bill reads very much like retaliation against the megacorporation for recently denouncing Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Asus has quietly announced two additions to its Zenbook line that are all about the screens. The new AMD-powered Zenbook 13 S joins a limited, but slowly growing lineup of 13-inch OLED laptops for folks seeking the benefits of OLED technology for a consumer-accessible price. But Asus isn’t leaving Intel behind — the company has also unveiled a new Zenbook Pro 15 Flip OLED convertible powered by 12th-Gen Core processors and Arc GPUs.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Sony is reportedly working to bring advertisements to free-to-play PlayStation games, according to a report by Insider. The ads would appear in games and are meant to give game developers a way to monetize their work and encourage them to continue building free-to-play games.

Psyonix

Carcinization describes the evolutionary process in which a crustacean will eventually and inevitably evolve into a crab. Battle royale-ification is this process happening in video games. Rocket League, the game with the simple-yet-elegant premise of “what if soccer was soccar,” will undergo battle royale-ification with its new game mode Knockout Bash.

A 3D recreation of the upcoming Sonos soundbar. | 3D product render by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge

Sonos is nearing the release of a new entry-level soundbar, and you’re looking at it. Codenamed “Fury” and officially known as model S36, the new device is yet another soundbar that will join the company’s lineup beneath the $449 Beam and flagship $899 Arc.

Slowly but surely, Lego is supersizing all the most iconic vehicles you’ve ever seen in brick form — like the Back to the Future DeLorean, the Space Shuttle, and, of course, its Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series, including the legendary 7,541-piece UCS Millennium Falcon and 6,785-piece UCS AT-AT Walker. Today, Luke’s scuffed-up X-34 Landspeeder is getting the treatment in time for Star Wars Day (“May the Fourth”), and the $199, 1,890-piece set certainly looks the part.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has demanded that YouTuber Trevor Jacob turn over his pilot license after he posted a video called “I Crashed My Plane,” of a crash that the agency suggests was staged, as reported by The New York Times. In the video (which you can watch here), Jacob’s plane appears to have an engine malfunction, and he jumps out of it while wearing a parachute. In a letter, the regulator told Jacob that he “demonstrated a lack of care, judgment and responsibility by choosing... Читать дальше...

Fitness Plus users will be able to learn BTS choreography in the service starting next week. | Image: Apple

When Apple Fitness Plus launched in 2020, it was not only a way to showcase the new Dance activity on the Apple Watch but also a subtle way to integrate other services like Apple Music. The fitness service has since added Artist Spotlight series with celebrated musicians, so it’s no surprise Apple is mashing all this together with Dance workouts based on mega-popular K-pop band BTS. Читать дальше...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Update April 21st, 1:20PM ET: Best Buy’s site has sold out of PS5 consoles for now.

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Meta Platforms, used her influence to bury two stories about her then-boyfriend, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, according to a bombshell report from The Wall Street Journal.

CNN Plus, the news network’s dedicated streaming service, is shutting down before even turning a month old. Chris Licht, the new CEO of CNN, delivered the news to his new team at an all-hands meeting on Thursday, and the service will shut down entirely on April 30th.

Watching the latest footage of a solar eclipse on Mars gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “out of this world.”

Pixar/Disney

Pixar and Disney’s upcoming Lightyear feature has already thrown people with the idea of it being an origin story about the “real” space ranger Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear is apparently based on. That aspect of the feature immediately raised questions about whether Toy Story’s been set in some sort futuristic universe this whole time without acknowledging it, or if the studios were dancing around Lightyear actually being an in-universe movie about Buzz.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Older adults who turn to psychedelic therapies to treat psychiatric conditions like depression and PTSD are uniquely vulnerable to financial abuse, according to a STAT investigation. The substances could make people feel more emotionally connected with care providers who deliver the drugs, making them susceptible to manipulation by bad actors.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is introducing new options to reject tracking cookies in Europe after its existing dialog boxes were found to be in violation of EU data laws.

It may not be a sequel to Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style, but it’s something: the Wu-Tang Clan is coming to Fortnite with a new clothing collection. The iconic members of the hip-hop supergroup aren’t coming to the game themselves; instead, players will be able to buy Wu-Wear gear in the Fortnite item shop starting April 23rd at 8PM ET. There will be two different outfits available, along with some Wu-Tang accessories like reactive backpacks and, naturally, a Wu-Tang hands emote.

Netflix’s new Category Hub menu for smart TV interfaces | Image: Netflix

Netflix is giving its TV interface a small refresh, refashioning its old row of categories into a “Category Hub” menu on the left rail that highlights genre recommendations tailored to your viewing habits.

Video podcasts are now open to all in five markets. | Image: Spotify

All creators in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand can now upload video podcasts to Spotify, the streaming service has announced. Video can be uploaded through Anchor, the podcast creation tool Spotify purchased in 2019. Video podcasts are compatible with Spotify’s podcast subscriptions feature and work with embeds. The company is also offering video-specific analytics for creators.

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Elon Musk has lined up the funding he needs for his proposed takeover of Twitter. In a new filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, Musk laid out his plan for the $46.5 billion worth of loans that will allow him to finance the buyout offer made on April 14th.

Illustration by Melissa Mathieson / The Verge

Joaquin Castillejos remembers walking past goats and alpacas in a neighbor’s yard to get to his elementary school in the 2000s. That home, the goats, and alpacas are gone now. In their place is a massive warehouse.

The 2022 Moto G Stylus 5G gets a spec and price bump this time around. | Image: Motorola

Motorola is introducing a new version of its Moto G Stylus 5G with a couple of nice upgrades for 2022 — and, as a result, a higher $499 price tag. The 2022 edition of the G Stylus 5G includes a 6.8-inch screen with a super smooth 120Hz refresh rate, a more powerful 600-series Snapdragon processor, a stabilized main camera, and a bunch of built-in storage. The company is also debuting its $399, budget-oriented Moto G 5G in North America. Читать дальше...

Illustration by Melissa Mathieson / The Verge

Coming back to your hometown can be an alienating experience, especially when all you find is a dead link to a long-deserted website.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

When you’re running a Windows system, sometimes things just go wrong. A couple of years ago, I made the mistake of not checking to make sure my laptop was securely plugged in while Windows was undergoing a major update. The battery ran out in the middle of the update and voila! I was stuck with what I was sure was now a very expensive brick. Another time, a Windows 10 system decided that it didn’t like the latest update and began misbehaving. Читать дальше...