Apple surprised us Tuesday by simply putting its latest iPhone accessory on sale. The $99 MagSafe Battery Pack isn’t the first power cell we’ve seen that uses Apple’s new magnetic system to connect with the iPhone 12 family (Anker offers a 5,000mAh pack with slower 5W charging for $45.99), but it is the first one from Apple and can charge …
iPhone 12 reverse wireless charging can power up Apple’s new MagSafe battery pack, Richard Lawler
Apple surprised us Tuesday by simply putting its latest iPhone accessory on sale. The $99 MagSafe Battery Pack isn’t the first power cell we’ve seen that uses Apple’s new magnetic system to connect with the iPhone 12 family (Anker offers a 5,000mAh pack with slower 5W charging for $45.99), but it is the first one from Apple and can charge …
Google is capping Meet’s formerly unlimited group video calls to an hour for free accounts, Ian Carlos Campbell
Google has brought an end to its effectively “unlimited” group video calls in Meet for free Gmail accounts, according to support pages spotted by 9to5Google. Now users with free accounts logging on to Meet will have group calls capped at an hour rather than the previous 24-hour meeting duration. Google’s unlimited group meeting offer was helpful because so many traditionally …
Mercedes-Benz’s new Roadster has a flippy touchscreen, Sean O’Kane
Large touchscreens are commonplace in new cars these days, and the bigger these rectangular screens get, the fewer things you can do with the hardware to really differentiate from the competition. Perhaps that’s why, in the new 2022 AMG SL Roadster, Mercedes-Benz is taking the screen out of the dashboard, anchoring it to the center console, and letting it electronically …
‘The Mandalorian’ receives 24 Emmy nominations, including Best Drama Series, ,
The “Star Wars” live-action spin-off “The Mandalorian” on the streaming service Disney Plus received a whopping 24 nominations in 19 categories for the 2021 Emmy Awards, tying with Netflix royal family drama “The Crown,” that also received 24 nominations. The nominations for the second season top the 15 that it received last year. Sadly, the sci-fi genre wasn’t well represented …
Facebook groups can now designate Group Experts, Dave Gershgorn
Facebook is introducing a new feature called “Group Experts” today, which will allow admins to designate which members are highly knowledgeable about the group’s topic. Beyond the bragging rights, Group Experts will have a badge next to their name emblazoned with the proof of their elevated status. This badge will show up on posts, comments, and in the Q&A feature. …
Facebook groups can now designate Group Experts, Dave Gershgorn
Facebook is introducing a new feature called “Group Experts” today, which will allow admins to designate which members are highly knowledgeable about the group’s topic. Beyond the bragging rights, Group Experts will have a badge next to their name emblazoned with the proof of their elevated status. This badge will show up on posts, comments, and in the Q&A feature. …
The Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con drift problem, explained, Chaim Gartenberg
Nintendo Switch owners have been experiencing problems with the console’s removable Joy-Con controllers for years now, with users reporting weird joystick drifting problems that cause false inputs and have been steadily growing over time as original Switch machines grow older. Ever since a report by Kotaku from July 2019 shined a light on the Joy-Con drift issue, Nintendo has changed …
Strange chemical on Venus may come from volcanoes, not life, ,
A mysterious whiff of an unstable chemical in the skies of Venus may not be a sign of life but the result of explosive volcanic eruptions, a new study finds. Last year, scientists reported detecting signs of the molecule phosphine in the clouds of the second rock from the sun. The chemical, which is made up of one atom of …
Google fined EUR500 million in France over bad faith negotiations with news outlets, Ian Carlos Campbell
Google is being charged with a historic EUR500 million ($589 million) fine from the French Competition Authority (FCA) for failing to comply with an April 2020 order to negotiate fairly with news publishers over the use of, and payment for, their articles and other content (via CNBC). News publishers gained the ability to request payment for the use of their …