Новости за 27.07.2022

Facebook parent company Meta has just reported its earnings for the second quarter of 2022, and it was another quarter of shrinking profits. Total revenue of $28.8 billion was only down one percent compared to Q2 one year ago, but net income dropped 36 percent to $6.7 billion. Making almost $7 billion in profit is not a bad quarter for anyone, but the size of the decline compared to a year ago is pretty significant. And, according to the Wall Street Journal, this is the first-ever drop in revenue for Meta / Facebook ... Читать дальше...

The Federal Trade Commission has filed an antitrust suit against Meta in a bid to block it from buying Within Unlimited, the maker of the virtual reality workout app Supernatural. The agency accused the company and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg of "planning to expand Meta’s virtual reality empire with this attempt to illegally acquire a dedicated fitness app that proves the value of virtual reality to users."

Google is again delaying its plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome. For those keeping track, the company first unveiled its Privacy Sandbox initiative in 2019 and said implementation would begin in 2022. However, following scrutiny from the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the US Department of Justice, Google delayed the phaseout to mid-2023 last year. On Wednesday, the company announced a further delay and said it won’t end support for third-party cookies before the second half of 2024. Читать дальше...

Apple is toning down iOS 16's vaunted iMessage edit and unsend features. The company has released fourth developer betas of iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura that limit you to five edits for a given message within the available 15 minutes, and shrink the unsend window from 15 minutes to just two. You can also tap a message to see its edit history — previously, you would only see a notice that it had been edited.

The US government just crossed a key milestone in its bid to improve domestic chip production and compete with rivals like China. CNBCreports the Senate has passed the CHIPS and Science Act, a bill to fund and incentivize American semiconductor manufacturing, in a 64-to-33 vote. The measure includes over $52 billion for US firms making chips, additional funding for further technology development and tax credits to spur manufacturing investments.

Doing just about anything in space is expensive, but a group of MIT scientists has found a way to bring down some costs — and perhaps help accelerate climate change research. The team has developed what MIT said are the first 3D-printed plasma sensors for use in satellites. The sensors can detect the chemical composition and distribution of ion energy in plasma in the upper atmosphere.

Manchester City wants to know what makes its fans feel alive. On Wednesday, the Premier League football club shared that it has been working with Cisco, the team’s technology partner since 2019, to create a "Connected Scarf" that features an “EmotiBit” sensor for tracking the heart rate, body temperature and emotional state of its wearer during a match. According to the two organizations, the accessory will bring “fans closer to the game than ever before,” but exactly how it will do is unclear.

Sony is bringing eight Yakuza games to PlayStation Plus this year as it looks to build out the revamped service's library with notable third-party titles. Starting on August 2nd, subscribers on all three tiers will be able to snag Yakuza: Like a Dragon on PS4 and PS5. The other two games hitting the base Essential tier as part of August's solid lineup are Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 (PS4 and PS5) and Little Nightmares (PS4).

President Biden's administration is backing up its funding for heat disaster prevention with a website to keep people informed. Fast Companynotes the White House has launched a Heat.gov website to help the public and authorities understand the dangers of extreme heat and reduce the health risks. The 11-agency collaboration offers maps for current and expected temperature spikes across the US, prevention guidance and data-driven tools.

With Lollapalooza returning to Chicago’s Grant Park this weekend, Hulu subscribers can watch the festival from the comfort of their homes. All you need is a standard or No Adds package – no Live TV plan required.

Later this year, Google Photos is going to get a significant update that has the distinction of first arriving on Chromebooks. According to a Google blog post, Google Photos will get a new movie editor and video editing features this fall as part of an update to Chrome OS. From the sound of things, it’ll let users make videos similar to the highlight clips the app already automatically makes. You’ll be able to select a theme as well as people or pets you want to feature in it; from there, Google... Читать дальше...

In 1917, Marcel Duchamp submitted a sculpture to the Society of Independent Artists under a false name. Fountain was a urinal, bought from a toilet supplier, with the signature R. Mutt on its side in black paint. Duchamp wanted to see if the society would abide by its promise to accept submissions without censorship or favor. (It did not.) But Duchamp was also looking to broaden the notion of what art is, saying a ready-made object in the right context would qualify. In 1962, Andy Warhol would twist convention with Campbell’s Soup Cans... Читать дальше...

A lawmaker wants to punish people for ghosting, or abruptly cutting off communications with someone without explaining why. Arnolfo Teves Jr., a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, claimed in a note accompanying his bill that ghosting "can be likened to a form of emotional cruelty and should be punished as an emotional offense."

Grand Theft Auto VI might reflect evolving social attitudes as much as it does gameplay. Bloombergsources claim Rockstar's future open-world title will include the franchise's first playable female lead character. The Latina woman will reportedly be part of a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired duo at the heart of the story. Developers are also trying to shake a past reputation for transphobia and won't make jokes about marginalized groups, the tipsters said.

When Amazon first introduced Alexa and the Echo speaker years ago, the idea of talking to a digital assistant wasn't totally novel. Both the iPhone and Android phones had semi-intelligent voice controls — but with the Echo, Amazon took its first step toward making something like Alexa a constant presence in your home. Since then, Apple and Google have followed suit, and now there's a huge variety of smart speakers available at various price points.

Spotify's less-than-stellar quarter can be partly blamed on a decision to exit the hardware business. As part of its earnings data, the streaming service revealed that it stopped manufacturing its Car Thing player. In a statement to Engadget, a company spokesperson pinned the decision on "several factors" that included customer demand and supply chain problems. The withdrawal hurt Spotify's gross profits.

Projectors have come a long way from the clunky, dim models of the past. The latest models are brighter, sharper, more discreet and easier to install than ever. They also deliver a picture size you could never get on a TV without spending a fortune. With all that, they’re highly desirable for home theater buffs who want a true cinematic experience at home.

It's not just students and internet debaters who lean on Wikipedia in a pinch. MIT CSAIL researchers have conducted a study revealing that Wikipedia can influence the legal decisions of judges when there are articles covering relevant cases. The existence of a Wiki page for a case increased its citations by over 20 percent, the scientists said. The boost was pronounced when a case supported a judge's argument, and the language of the articles sometimes manifested in the decisions.

If you've been eyeballing a 2nd-generation Google Nest Hub but can't stomach the regular $100 price tag, there's good news. It's now on sale for just $55 or 45 percent off at B&H Photo Video, matching one of the lowest prices we've seen to date. B&H also has other Nest devices on sale including the Google Nest Audio ($60 or $40 off), Nest Hub Max ($169 or $60 off) and Nest Mini at just $30, for a savings of $20. 

In a piece examining what the NVIDIA Broadcast can do, we praised its noise removal capability for being "impressively adept" at stripping away everything but your voice. Now, AMD has launched a similar tool for computers powered by its chips, and it could vastly improve your gaming and live streaming experience or lead to cleaner recordings. AMD's Noise Suppression tool can reduce background chatter and sounds in real time through the use of a deep learning algorithm. 

Spotify’s second-quarter financial release shows the streaming giant hasn’t yet felt the dread hand of the looming global recession. Unlike Netflix, which had to report a fall in its overall customer base, Spotify has seen both free and paying accounts grow. It now has 433 million users, up from the 422 million reported at the end of the first quarter. 188 million of those are paying for Premium, a leap of six million from three months ago, while a further four million are signed up on an ad-supported basis. Читать дальше...

Instagram's TikTok-like test feed is underwhelming, and a lot of people hate it. But it’s not going anywhere. Social network head Adam Mosseri posted a Twitter clip acknowledging the video-focused trial feed is "not yet good." He also said Instagram would invariably become more video-centric over time, as that was the content being shared on the network.

If you're one of the few people in the US who've yet to get an Instant Pot — or if you want another model to add to the one(s) you already have — this is your chance to grab one at a discount. Amazon is holding a one-day sale for the brand's products, including the 5.7-quart Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer, which is currently listed on the website for 52 percent off. At $67, that's the lowest price we've seen on Amazon for the air fryer-oven combo that has an original retail price of $140. While Instant Pot Vortex is an air fryer... Читать дальше...

A federal court has ruled that Uber does not need to provide wheelchair-accessible service in every US market, ABC News has reported. The company's decision to provide such a service only in certain cities was not in violation of federal law and would be overly burdensome, said Chief Judge Richard Seeborg of the federal San Francisco Court. 

It's rough seas for crytpocurrency exchanges these days and the latest to be buffeted is one of the world's largest, Kraken. It's reportedly under investigation by the US Treasury Department over possible sanctions violations for letting users in Iran and elsewhere trade digital tokens, according to The New York Times.