Новости за 25.10.2022

Starting next month, dating app Hinge will begin rolling out a new profile verification feature to combat a surge in fake accounts. Dubbed “Selfie Verification,” the feature will prompt users to upload a video of themselves, which the app, with a combination of machine learning and human oversight, will use to confirm they look like the person pictured in their profile. People who complete the process will get a “Verified” badge on their dating profile.

Google has announced it will end Chrome support on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 early next year. Chrome 110, which is scheduled for release on February 7th, will not work on either of the operating systems. You'll still be able to use older versions of Chrome on Windows 7 and 8.1, but you'll no longer be able to install newer builds, which will include new features and security updates.

World's Edge, the Xbox studio that's overseeing Age of Empires these days, held an event to mark the franchise's 25th anniversary. With it came some major news about the future of the series, including its debut on consoles. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will be available on Xbox consoles and Xbox Cloud Gaming on January 31st. 

Lyft is once again rethinking its monthly subscription plan, and this time the cost might be easier to justify. The company has re-launched its Pink membership at $10 per month or $99 per year, or about half the previous price. You lose the discounts on all rides. Instead, the focus is on perks that may save you money in the long run. You now get free priority pickups that, according to Lyft, save an average of $3 to $4 per trip. You'll also receive "at least" a 5 percent discount on Preferred... Читать дальше...

Dark Souls 2 players can once again team up and square off against each other on PC after FromSoftware reactivated the servers. The studio and publisher Bandai Namco switched off the online components for all Dark Souls games on PC back in January in order to tackle a security issue that allowed hijackers to take over players' systems. Nine months later, From and Bandai Namco have restored online features for the DirectX 11 version of Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin. The company said it... Читать дальше...

As promised, Ken Block has released his first Gymkhana video with an electric car — and this time, the vehicle is almost as important as the hooning. The "Electrikhana" sees Block drift around Las Vegas landmarks in a one-of-a-kind Audi S1 Hoonitron. It borrows design cues from the well-known Sport Quattro S1 while using a dual-motor system (with an 800V architecture), a carbon fiber shell and FIA-grade safety measures. Think of it as a souped-up cousin to the E-tron GT. Audi is shy on the exact performance figures... Читать дальше...

Sony's LinkBuds S offer a more traditional true wireless fit as opposed to the open wear design of the original model. The company debuted the follow-up back in May, filling out the features list with active noise cancellation (ANC) and a host of other handy items from Sony's premium audio products. Like the first LinkBuds, the S model was built to wear all the time, thanks to they're small size, comfy fit and capable transparency mode. LinkBuds S were already being made with recycled plastics from automobile parts... Читать дальше...

Nothing only just released its first phone months ago, but that isn't stopping the company from establishing a physical retail presence. The company is opening its first Nothing Store on 4 Peter Street in London's fashion-oriented Soho neighborhood sometime "before Christmas" this year. The company is promising a "boutique" rather than the usual tech shop experience, and touts design flourishes inspired by classic chains like Italy's Olivetti.

The BBC and Disney have announced future seasons of Doctor Who will stream on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. It’s the validation of a longstanding rumor that the UK’s public broadcaster was looking to move the show from its traditional distribution network.

Google is on the hook for another nine-figure fine after India’s antitrust agency said the company abused the dominant position of the Play Store. The regulator told Google to pay 9.36 billion rupees ($113.5 million) and to allow Play Store developers to use third-party payment systems for app and in-app purchases.

Shutterstock is eager to embrace AI-generated art. As The Vergereports, the photo provider has widened its deal with OpenAI to begin selling stock images built using the DALL-E 2 AI generator. The approach will offer "direct access" to DALL-E through the Shutterstock website, and compensate creators whose pictures played a role in developing the technology through a new Contributor Fund. The company also plans to pay royalties to artists when the AI uses their work.

Your Venmo money is now useful for much more than covering your share of last night's pizza. As promised last year, Amazon is rolling out the option to use either your Venmo balance, a linked bank account or an associated debit card for payments. You can make Venmo the default if you like, and that service's purchase protection still applies in addition to Amazon's own safeguards.

A new Bayonetta game is like the circus rolling into town. Bayonetta is the ringmaster, of course, and she shows up out of the blue with boxcars of strange beasts, weird friends, dangerous spells, magnificent clothing and endless promises to impress. Her stories don’t always make sense, but they’re filled with melodrama and action, magic and gunfire, and once Bayonetta enters the spotlight, there’s no looking away. Especially not when she’s dancing her way through a spell in an outfit made of her own hair... Читать дальше...

Apple surprised us last week with two new iPads. We’ve spent a bit of time with the new entry-level iPad ($449) which has been redesigned to match the rest of the iPad family with flat edges, USB-C and a Touch ID-enabled power button. Unusually, it also has a landscape selfie camera. Inside, there’s an A14 chip, which might not match the M1 in the iPad Air (let alone the M2 in the new iPad Pro), but it’s still a powerful enough processor.

Last June, NASA announced that it would convene a panel to study "unidentified aerial phenomena" (UAP), aka UFOs — while saying it doesn't believe they're "extraterrestrial in origin." Now, the space agency has unveiled the 16-member panel that will focus on "unclassified sightings and other data collected from civilian government and commercial sectors."

If you've been trying to send messages via WhatsApp and they're not going through, you're not alone. The messaging app has been down for many users around the world for at least 30 minutes. Based on information from Downdetector — and from Engadget editors' reports — the service isn't working in several regions, including the US, Canada, parts of Europe like the UK and Italy, and Asian countries that include India, Malaysia, Japan and the Philippines. WhatsApp users either can't connect to the... Читать дальше...

The Federal Trade Commission wants to limit the amount of personal information Drizly can collect as part of the enforcement actions it's proposing against the marketplace and its CEO. According to the FTC, the alcohol delivery service that Uber had purchased in 2021 and its chief executive, James Cory Rellas, were alerted to security issues way back in 2018. The commission has found that they had failed to adequately protect their users' information, which enabled a data breach in 2020 that exposed... Читать дальше...

Days before Elon Musk’s deal to acquire Twitter could finally close, workers at the social company are warning that staff cuts would be “reckless.” Timereports that an open letter from an unspecified number of Twitter employees, directed to Musk and Twitter’s board, is making rounds within the company.

Fallout 5 is nowhere near release, but Bethesda might have something to tide you over. VGCreports the game developer has unveiled plans to release a "next-gen" (really, current-gen) update for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2023. The upgrade will offer high frame rate and 4K quality features, and include new (if currently unspecified) Creation Club content.