Month: February 2023

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is bringing a preview of its PC Game Pass service to 40 new countries today. The preview will include access to all the hundreds of games available on Microsoft’s PC Game Pass subscription for a special test price for the first month. The 40 new markets see the service expand to countries across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, including Croatia, Iceland, Libya, Qatar, and Ukraine.
The PC Game Pass subscription will be available in these 40 markets through the Xbox Insider Hub app, which will unlock a preview version of the service before it’s launched fully. “In the coming months, PC Game Pass will launch in these countries for all players to experience,” explains Jerret West, CVP of gaming marketing at Xbox.
This big expansion means 86 countries will now have access to Game Pass, as Microsoft seeks to capitalize on new markets to grow its subscription service. While Xbox chief Phil Spencer warned of growth slowing down on the console side of Xbox Game Pass last year, he did mention the company was “seeing incredible growth on PC.” Microsoft say PC Game Pass subscriptions increase by 159 percent year-over-year in October, with the PC side looking like an obvious growth area for Microsoft.
Here’s the full list of 40 countries getting access to PC Game Pass today:

Albania
Algeria
Bahrain
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Estonia
Georgia
Guatemala
Honduras
Iceland
Kuwait
Latvia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Nicaragua
North Macedonia
Oman
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Qatar
Romania
Serbia
Slovenia
Tunisia
Ukraine
Uruguay

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is bringing a preview of its PC Game Pass service to 40 new countries today. The preview will include access to all the hundreds of games available on Microsoft’s PC Game Pass subscription for a special test price for the first month. The 40 new markets see the service expand to countries across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, including Croatia, Iceland, Libya, Qatar, and Ukraine.

The PC Game Pass subscription will be available in these 40 markets through the Xbox Insider Hub app, which will unlock a preview version of the service before it’s launched fully. “In the coming months, PC Game Pass will launch in these countries for all players to experience,” explains Jerret West, CVP of gaming marketing at Xbox.

This big expansion means 86 countries will now have access to Game Pass, as Microsoft seeks to capitalize on new markets to grow its subscription service. While Xbox chief Phil Spencer warned of growth slowing down on the console side of Xbox Game Pass last year, he did mention the company was “seeing incredible growth on PC.” Microsoft say PC Game Pass subscriptions increase by 159 percent year-over-year in October, with the PC side looking like an obvious growth area for Microsoft.

Here’s the full list of 40 countries getting access to PC Game Pass today:

Albania
Algeria
Bahrain
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Estonia
Georgia
Guatemala
Honduras
Iceland
Kuwait
Latvia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Nicaragua
North Macedonia
Oman
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Qatar
Romania
Serbia
Slovenia
Tunisia
Ukraine
Uruguay

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google has announced that Gmail’s client-side encryption mode is now generally available for businesses and educational organizations, after it launched in beta last year. The feature makes it so even Google itself can’t see the contents of the emails it’s hosting, with data being “encrypted before it reaches Google servers.” The company says this can be helpful for companies that have to meet strict compliance or privacy standards.
In a blog post on Tuesday, Google writes that client-side encryption for Gmail gives customers “sole control over their encryption keys — and thus complete control over all access to their data.” Users can encrypt emails they’re sending within their organization, as well as emails they’re sending to other parties, even if the recipient doesn’t use Gmail.

Image: Google
If your company enables client-side encryption, you’ll have the option of enabling it for especially sensitive emails.

Reports about the company working to strengthen the encryption for its email service go back to at least 2014, so it’s good to see that client-side encryption is finally here. However, the feature isn’t intended for everyone — it’s only available to people with Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, or Education Plus accounts, not personal ones. It’s also not particularly easy to set up, as the process seems geared toward IT departments.
While Gmail is arguably one of the most important applications for client-side encryption, Google has also rolled out the option to use the feature for several of its other Workspace apps, such as Drive, Docs, and Meet. Earlier this month, it also announced that client-side encryption was generally available for Google Calendar, letting companies add additional protection for an event’s description and attachments.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google has announced that Gmail’s client-side encryption mode is now generally available for businesses and educational organizations, after it launched in beta last year. The feature makes it so even Google itself can’t see the contents of the emails it’s hosting, with data being “encrypted before it reaches Google servers.” The company says this can be helpful for companies that have to meet strict compliance or privacy standards.

In a blog post on Tuesday, Google writes that client-side encryption for Gmail gives customers “sole control over their encryption keys — and thus complete control over all access to their data.” Users can encrypt emails they’re sending within their organization, as well as emails they’re sending to other parties, even if the recipient doesn’t use Gmail.

Image: Google
If your company enables client-side encryption, you’ll have the option of enabling it for especially sensitive emails.

Reports about the company working to strengthen the encryption for its email service go back to at least 2014, so it’s good to see that client-side encryption is finally here. However, the feature isn’t intended for everyone — it’s only available to people with Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, or Education Plus accounts, not personal ones. It’s also not particularly easy to set up, as the process seems geared toward IT departments.

While Gmail is arguably one of the most important applications for client-side encryption, Google has also rolled out the option to use the feature for several of its other Workspace apps, such as Drive, Docs, and Meet. Earlier this month, it also announced that client-side encryption was generally available for Google Calendar, letting companies add additional protection for an event’s description and attachments.

Read More 

Image: Aventon

Aventon announced a new electric cargo bike, the Abound, which the California-based company describes as “an efficient alternative to driving a car around town.” With a 750-watt motor, a variety of accessories, and a total weight rating of 440 lbs, the Abound is designed to be a versatile, safe, and affordable mobility option for anyone looking to do less driving in their life.
Aventon is mostly known for its fat-tired, adventure-themed road bikes, so a cargo bike was never a guaranteed addition to the company’s lineup. That said, Aventon brought a lot of the same attention to detail to the Abound as it did with previous models, which should help give the bike a bit of a leg-up compared to other low-cost models.
Aventon says the suggest price for the Abound is $2,199
How low cost as we talking? Aventon says the suggest price for the Abound is $2,199, putting on par (if not slightly more expensive) with competitor cargo bikes like Rad Power Bikes’ RadWagon and Lectric’s newly released Xpedition. That should help spark interest among consumers who are looking to supplant car trips with a more sustainable mode of transportation, but don’t want to take out a second mortgage on the house in the process.
The Abound may be low priced compared to many of cargo bikes from legacy manufacturers, but it doesn’t skimp on features. A powerful 750W, rear-hub motor will propel the bike to a max speed of 20 mph (32km/h). There are four assist levels — Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo — and torque sensors deliver power nearly as soon as you start pedaling. And when you’re stuck at a dead stop with extra cargo weighing you down, there’s a thumb throttle to help get you started moving.

Image: Aventon

The removable 720Wh battery (48V / 15Ah) is rated up to 50 miles of range, but that will depend on how much assist you’re using. Like cruising around in the top Turbo mode? You should expect to get less range out of the Abound’s battery if that’s the case.
One of the features that makes Aventon bikes stand out from the rest of the pack is the inclusion of color displays, where you can see important information like speed, mileage, and battery percentages. Most budget e-bikes skimp in this area by offering only the most basic displays, but Aventon likes to splurge on the color LCD, and it’s hard to fault them for it when the price is so nice. Aventon also has its own smartphone app which can be linked to the bike via Bluetooth, for a more thorough breakdown of your bike’s performance.
Another surprising feature you’ll find on this bike are working turn signals in the integrated rear tail light. That certainly comes in handy when communicating your intentions to mostly clueless car drivers who often chafe at sharing the road with cyclists.

In fact, there are a host of top-shelf features to be found on this bike, which again, and I can’t stress this enough, is pretty rare on a bike in this price segment. These include adjustable front suspension, a nice dropper seat, hydraulic disc brakes of extra stopping power, and a 7-speed transmission.
Of course, all those features add up — literally. The Abound is a heavy bike, weighing in at 81 lbs without any accessories. Add a childseat, or rear rack railings, and those pounds will add up. The front handlebar folds down, for extra storage flexibility, but ultimately this is not a bike you want to be caught carrying up (or down) any stairs if you can avoid it.
Most budget e-bikes skimp in this area by offering only the most basic displays, but Aventon likes to splurge on the color LCD
Speaking of accessories, Aventon offers a lot to help you configure your ride to your specific needs. There’s a front and rear baskets, a rear seat pad for kids or adult passengers, pannier bags, a center compartment for extra storage, and options for a trailer. Of course, adding any of things to your bike will cause that suggested retail price to go up, so keep all that in mind when shopping.
But of course, a fully kitted cargo e-bike should not be compared to traditional bikes, or even other e-bikes, but rather to the car that you’re probably hoping to replace. E-bikes are always a better value proposition, in addition to being better for the environment and all around more fun to ride. Don’t take my word on it: just ask any kid who’s had the pleasure of riding with a parent or caregiver, and they’ll tell you just how much better it is seeing the world from the back of a bike than from a car.

Image: Aventon

Aventon announced a new electric cargo bike, the Abound, which the California-based company describes as “an efficient alternative to driving a car around town.” With a 750-watt motor, a variety of accessories, and a total weight rating of 440 lbs, the Abound is designed to be a versatile, safe, and affordable mobility option for anyone looking to do less driving in their life.

Aventon is mostly known for its fat-tired, adventure-themed road bikes, so a cargo bike was never a guaranteed addition to the company’s lineup. That said, Aventon brought a lot of the same attention to detail to the Abound as it did with previous models, which should help give the bike a bit of a leg-up compared to other low-cost models.

How low cost as we talking? Aventon says the suggest price for the Abound is $2,199, putting on par (if not slightly more expensive) with competitor cargo bikes like Rad Power Bikes’ RadWagon and Lectric’s newly released Xpedition. That should help spark interest among consumers who are looking to supplant car trips with a more sustainable mode of transportation, but don’t want to take out a second mortgage on the house in the process.

The Abound may be low priced compared to many of cargo bikes from legacy manufacturers, but it doesn’t skimp on features. A powerful 750W, rear-hub motor will propel the bike to a max speed of 20 mph (32km/h). There are four assist levels — Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo — and torque sensors deliver power nearly as soon as you start pedaling. And when you’re stuck at a dead stop with extra cargo weighing you down, there’s a thumb throttle to help get you started moving.

Image: Aventon

The removable 720Wh battery (48V / 15Ah) is rated up to 50 miles of range, but that will depend on how much assist you’re using. Like cruising around in the top Turbo mode? You should expect to get less range out of the Abound’s battery if that’s the case.

One of the features that makes Aventon bikes stand out from the rest of the pack is the inclusion of color displays, where you can see important information like speed, mileage, and battery percentages. Most budget e-bikes skimp in this area by offering only the most basic displays, but Aventon likes to splurge on the color LCD, and it’s hard to fault them for it when the price is so nice. Aventon also has its own smartphone app which can be linked to the bike via Bluetooth, for a more thorough breakdown of your bike’s performance.

Another surprising feature you’ll find on this bike are working turn signals in the integrated rear tail light. That certainly comes in handy when communicating your intentions to mostly clueless car drivers who often chafe at sharing the road with cyclists.

In fact, there are a host of top-shelf features to be found on this bike, which again, and I can’t stress this enough, is pretty rare on a bike in this price segment. These include adjustable front suspension, a nice dropper seat, hydraulic disc brakes of extra stopping power, and a 7-speed transmission.

Of course, all those features add up — literally. The Abound is a heavy bike, weighing in at 81 lbs without any accessories. Add a childseat, or rear rack railings, and those pounds will add up. The front handlebar folds down, for extra storage flexibility, but ultimately this is not a bike you want to be caught carrying up (or down) any stairs if you can avoid it.

Speaking of accessories, Aventon offers a lot to help you configure your ride to your specific needs. There’s a front and rear baskets, a rear seat pad for kids or adult passengers, pannier bags, a center compartment for extra storage, and options for a trailer. Of course, adding any of things to your bike will cause that suggested retail price to go up, so keep all that in mind when shopping.

But of course, a fully kitted cargo e-bike should not be compared to traditional bikes, or even other e-bikes, but rather to the car that you’re probably hoping to replace. E-bikes are always a better value proposition, in addition to being better for the environment and all around more fun to ride. Don’t take my word on it: just ask any kid who’s had the pleasure of riding with a parent or caregiver, and they’ll tell you just how much better it is seeing the world from the back of a bike than from a car.

Read More