Новости за 01.02.2022

Google One's VPN hasn't been much use if you primarily surf the more secure web through your iPhone, but that won't be a problem from now on. Google is starting to roll out One VPN service for iOS users. So long as you've subscribed to the 2TB Premium plan in eligible countries, this should help you shield your internet activity. It won't give you an IP address in another country, though, so don't expect to browse foreign streaming service libraries.

Rocket League Sideswipe, a mobile spin-off from the hit car soccer game, is getting some new features and modes as part of its second season. Along with the latest free Rocket Pass and season challenges, a volleyball mode will go live in the iOS and Android game at 11AM ET on Wednesday.

The first major update to Ableton Live 11 is now available to all users, bringing with it native support for Apple's M1 chips. Ableton had been beta testing the update and Apple silicon support since September.

You'll soon have a chance to try Google's simplified, integrated Gmail update in the (virtual) workplace. Google is making the new "integrated view" available to Workspace users as an opt-in choice starting February 8th. Don't expect to hold out for long if you prefer the existing view, though. Users will start seeing the new look by default no later than April, and by the end of the second quarter (that is, June), it will be the "standard experience" with no chance to go back.

The host and editor of Science VS, a podcast owned by Spotify, are no longer making episodes of the show — save for those "intended to counteract misinformation being spread on Spotify." In a letter to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, Wendy Zukerman and Blythe Terrell said their policy would remain in place until "Spotify implements stronger methods to stop the spread of misinformation on the platform."

Google is making it easier for domestic violence survivors to get help. As of today, people who search for domestic violence and abuse terms in the US will see a box that provides direct contact info for The National Domestic Violence Hotline's 24-hour phone (1-800-799-7233) and chat services. The move is meant to help survivors quickly get assistance, particularly when there's only a brief opportunity to safely request aid.

Snap may not be particularly keen on the metaverse — at least, not as it’s been articulated by Mark Zuckerberg — but the company’s latest experiment certainly sounds a lot like a version of one. The company is teaming up with Universal to host a virtual concert featuring Jennifer Lopez and Colombian pop singer Maluma, which viewers can watch as their Bitmoji avatars.

Battlefield 2042 is flawed, to put it mildly, and the developers are rethinking their schedule to address to address those shortcomings. DICE and EA have officially delayed the game's first season to early summer, and will use the extra time to fix the core experience. The next BF2042 update will bring a revamped, easier-to-digest scoreboard, while better player profiles and long-awaited voice chat functionality are coming "as soon as possible." There will be improvements to squad mechanisms, the ping system... Читать дальше...

HBO Max will soon be available in 15 more countries as part of the platform's gradual global rollout. Folks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia can start using the service starting on March 8th.

Bose's QuietComfort family of headphones is a safe bet for those who want both great sound quality and strong active noise cancellation. You'll have to shell out quite a bit of money for a pair, however right now one of the latest models is back down to a record low. The QuietComfort 45 wireless headphones are on sale for $279, or $50 off and a return to their Black Friday price.

Pretty soon, you'll no longer have to see those weird reaction texts from your iPhone-using friends. Google has started rolling out a feature for Messages that translates iMessaging "Tapbacks" as emojis, according to 9to5Google. The publication first discovered the experimental feature in a deep dive of the Google Messages beta app last year. It's unclear where it'll come out for the stable version, but If you're using the beta app, you'll get the update that enables it soon enough.

Peloton is once again expanding its fitness equipment, but this time it's focused on tracking your workouts. PCMag and The Verge note Peloton has unveiled a $90 Heart Rate Band that, as the name implies, moves monitoring to your arm. The optical sensor-based wearable is theoretically more comfortable and easier to use than a chest strap (which typically requires precise positioning and a moistened contact point) while remaining accurate. That's particularly important for people whose limb and... Читать дальше...

Bloodborne, a game famous for being notoriously difficult to beat, was released in 2015 for the PS4 with modern graphics and visuals. Over the past 13 months, though, game programmer Lilith Walther created a version of the title that makes it look like it was released way back in the 90's for the first PlayStation. Bloodborne PSX reimagines the Victorian city of Yharnam in the art style commonly seen in games from that console era. The blocky and pixelated graphics with the colored health bars... Читать дальше...

It's now been three months since Apple brought its own silicon to its pro-grade laptops. As we said in our review, the M1 Pro and Max are fantastically capable chips that offer more than enough performance for the vast majority of users.

Tesla is issuing an over-the-air update to recall a "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) beta feature that allowed cars to roll through stop signs, ABC News has reported. The function first appeared in FSD 10.3 with the addition of the so-called Assertive profile. It allows vehicles to illegally roll through stop signs at 4-way intersection at speeds of up to 5.6 MPH, according to ABC.  

It’s another big game studio deal. Sony has announced plans to acquire Bungie, the studio behind the hit sci-fi MMO shooter Destiny, in a deal worth $3.6 billion. Bungie is positioning the acquisition as the start of a new era for the company — one focused on global multimedia entertainment, not just games. One notable point: Bungie will continue to develop for multiple platforms, not just PlayStation, according to a blog post by CEO Pete Parsons. It’s another sign of the video game industry consolidating. Читать дальше...

India is introducing a battery swapping policy as part of a push to boost EV sales, Reuters has reported. "Considering the constraint of space in urban areas for setting up charging stations at scale, a battery swapping policy will be brought out," said India's Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman. 

Meta is ending its Express Wi-Fi program designed to provide low-cost internet in developing countries through partnerships with local communities, mobile operators and businesses. Launched in 2016, it wasn't free like Meta-owned Facebook's failed Free Basics program, struck down by Indian courts for violating net neutrality. Instead, it was designed to be inexpensive, starting at around 15 cents for 100MB or $5 for 20GB. 

Microsoft was most likely ready for rigorous anti-trust scrutiny around the world when it decided to purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal is the tech giant's biggest yet, and it's also set to become the largest all-cash acquisition ever. In the US, the proposed acquisition will be reviewed the Federal Trade Commission instead of the Justice Department, according to Bloomberg. The two agencies are in charge of investigating mergers in the country and typically decide between themselves which one will take charge of a case.

Since a group of 34 quality assurance testers at Raven Software voted to unionize earlier this month, the studio's parent company, Activision Blizzard, has been making moves that will undermine that support and make it harder for workers to organize. This morning, Activision VP of QA Chris Arends sent the clearest message yet about where executives stand on the unionization effort, and (spoiler) it's firmly against.

Diem, the ambitious crypto project funded by Facebook has collapsed. The Diem Association confirmed that it’s selling its assets to Silvergate, the bank that had previously partnered with the group, and that it would “begin the process of winding down.” Bloomberg had reported talks of a sale last week. A Diem Association spokesperson alleged at the time that the report had unspecified "factual errors."

Wordle, the once-a-day word game that's been delighting puzzle nerds (and cluttering Twitter feeds) since launching in October of last year, has been purchased by the New York Times... reportsThe New York Times. So long, old buddy. 

There's always been a strict wall in World of Warcraft between Alliance and Horde players — you can only cooperate with people from your own side. Blizzard is ready to (partly) remove that barrier, though. As Polygonexplains, WoW's 9.2.5 update will allow cross-faction dungeon crawls, raids and rated PvP matches. You won't be cut off from your friends just because they chose the 'wrong' allegiance for their characters.