Новости за 19.04.2022

Amazon will perform a racial equity audit of its nearly one million hourly employees, the company said last week in a statement to shareholders. The company is hiring a law firm to conduct the audit, which will be led by former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and released to the public. But some critics say the audit should extend to the corporate level, instead of Amazon’s traditionally more diverse warehouse workers.

Every year, companies like Canon and Nikon push camera technology forward with new models that add features like 8K video recording and 30 fps shooting speeds. But the batteries powering those cameras haven’t changed nearly as much during the mirrorless era.

Real-time strategy game Crossfire: Legion will soon be available on Steam in early access. You'll be able to get your hands on Blackbird Interactive's latest Starcraft-esque title starting on May 24th.

Meta's VR hand tracking has come a long way in two years. The company has upgraded its Presence Platform hand tracking support for Quest headset apps to allow considerably more natural gestures, particularly those involving hand-over-hand interactions. You can now clap your hands, provide a truer-to-life thumbs-up and deliver high-fives — you can show your appreciation without reaching for your controllers.

Nearly two decades into the life of World of Warcraft, Blizzard has just announced the MMO’s ninth expansion. Dragonflight will allow players to explore the Dragon Isles, the ancestral home of Azeroth’s dragonflights. It’s been a while since WoW’s shapeshifting dragons have been the star of its narrative. A cinematic trailer the studio released today recounts the history of the continent.

Researchers at MIT created a 3D-printed device to develop a better understanding of the science behind what happens to the cream filling when you split the two sides of an Oreo cookie. Their device, the Oreometer, uses rubber bands and coins to control the torque applied to each side as a cookie is twisted apart. Adding pennies to one side rotates one of the two chambers and separates the Oreo.

Europa's potential to support life may have increased thanks to geographic observations. Reutersnotes researchers have discovered similarities between double ridges on the Jovian moon's surface and smaller-scale equivalents in Greenland. As the Greenland ridges were formed by subsurface water that refroze, this suggests Europa's counterparts formed the same way. That, in turn, would indicate large volumes of the liquid water necessary to support life similar to that on Earth.

Amy Hennig’s Skydance New Media studio is working on not one but two new games with Disney. Following last year’s Marvel announcement, Hennig and company revealed today they’re working on a AAA Star Wars game with Lucasfilm Games. And just like the studio’s Marvel collaboration, fans can expect a “narrative-driven, action-adventure” experience. Lucasfilm Games said the title would tell a new original story set within the Star Wars galaxy but offered few other details on the project, including a release date or target platforms. Читать дальше...

Instagram is rolling out the option to create and donate to fundraisers through Reels. Users in more than 30 countries can now add a link for people to donate to more than 1.5 million nonprofits. The fundraiser tool has been available in Stories and on livestreams for the past couple of years.

Apple Store employees attempting to form a union at the company’s flagship Grand Central Terminal location in New York City want the tech giant to pay workers at least $30 per hour. According to CNBC, the group leading the effort, Fruit Stand Workers United, made the request on Monday in an update posted to its website.

You no longer need to wear a mask to ride with Uber or Lyft n the US. Uber has dropped mask requirements for US drivers and passengers as of today (April 19th). Lyft, meanwhile, announced that mask wearing is now optional in the country. Both ridesharing firms now let you sit in the front passenger seat, although Uber said this should only be done if a party is too large to fit exclusively in the back.

Researchers in Japan have developed a set of electric chopsticks they claim can enhance the taste of salt. The device is attached to a wristband computer. It uses electrical stimulation to transmit sodium ions from food to the eater's mouth, according to Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita, who developed the chopsticks with food and drink maker Kirin.

The Instant Pot may be the most popular and ubiquitous multicooker, but it's certainly not the only option. Companies like Ninja now make their own multicookers that can hold their own against the various Instant Pot models out there, and now you can pick up one of Ninja's most capable machines at a near record-low price. The Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 multicooker is on sale for $130, or $70 off its normal price and only $10 more than its all-time low that we saw at the end of last year.

Apple is boasting of its environmental initiatives ahead of Earth Day, and it's shedding new light on its devices in the process. As part of its 2022 Environmental Progress Report, the company has revealed that 18 percent of the material in its fiscal 2021 products was recycled or renewed, the "highest-ever" ratio at the iPhone maker and a 50 percent jump from last year's 12 percent. There were eight new products including at least 20 percent recycled material. This included the company's first... Читать дальше...

That tiny webcam on your laptop has probably gotten more use in the last few years than it ever has before. Even if you’re back to taking some of your meetings in the office, chances are that back-to-back Zoom calls are now a permanent part of your professional life. Once an afterthought, your computer’s webcam has become one of its most important components — and the fact remains that most built-in cameras are not able to provide consistent, high-quality video chat experiences.

In a rare case when we're so used to major games getting delayed, Nintendo now plans to release Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on Switch on July 29th. It originally scheduled the game for September, but perhaps in part due to a Zelda-shaped hole in the 2022 calendar, the company is moving up the release date.

The 2021 MacBook Pros were some of the best laptops we came across last year, but as to be expected, they come with high price tags. Right now, you can pick up the 14-inch MacBook Pro for $250 cheaper than usual at Amazon. The price has already been discounted by $50, but an addition $200 automatically applied coupon brings the machine down to a record low of $1,749.

Amazon is facing legal consequences for its history of firing protest participants. The New York Timesreports that judge Benjamin Green has ordered Amazon to reinstate warehouse worker Gerald Bryson, who was fired from his role at Staten Island's JFK8 facility (the one that just voted to unionize) after allegedly violating language policies during a COVID-19 safety protest on April 6th, 2020. Green sided with a National Labor Relations Board argument that Amazon retaliated against Bryson for protesting... Читать дальше...

After all that waiting, Senior Editor Jessica Conditt finally got her hands on Playdate. From the makers of Firewatch and meme-friendly Untitled Goose Game, it’s a petite portable console that marries the familiarity of the GameBoy with the spirit of indie game innovation. That last bit might sound like hollow platitudes, but well, it’s true.

As automobiles gain increasing autonomy and their occupants spend less time actively paying attention to the task of driving, Audi is reimagining the role of the vehicle’s cabin space — from a rigid, safety-centered, face-forward setup to a more open, communal design. The automaker showcased this evolution in its new Urbansphere EV concept, which it unveiled on Tuesday.

A new, big budget reboot of Crazy Taxi has already been in development for more than a year, and is expected to launch within the next three years. That’s the revelation issued forth by Bloomberg today, suggesting that a rebooted Jet Set Radio is also currently gestating with a similar development timeline. Both titles are part of Sega’s Super Game project, which the company first teased back in early 2021 as a way of accelerating the developer's recovery.

Building upon the success of the EQS and the launch of the EQE, Mercedes has another electric vehicle on the way to the United States. This time it’s more in line with what the US wants: an SUV.

Samsung has unveiled the Pokémon Edition of its Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable smartphone that's bound to be irresistible to collectors. It comes in a special box with a number of Pokémon-themed accessories, including a Pikachu picture case (with a Pokémon Custom Pack), a Pikachu Clear Cover Set, a Pokémon Pouch with a lanyard strap, a Pikachu keychain and a Poké Ball stand. It'll also have some Pokémon-edition ringtones, themes and wallpapers. 

The third season of Netflix's animation anthology Love, Death and Robots will bow on May 20th. The streamer teased the release with a short video showing the same adult-oriented themes and wide variety of animation styles as the previous volumes. 

Because the pandemic has caused me to spend more time at my PC than ever before, things like carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries have become a growing concern. And while the MX Vertical is one of the best gadgets to help avoid straining your tendons, its bulky dimensions meant it never really worked for me. But with the new Lift, Logitech finally has a great alternative for people with smaller hands.