Month: November 2024
Sony will discontinue its pricey Airpeak S1 camera drone in March
Sony announced that it will stop selling the Airpeak S1 camera drone. Sales of the product will end on March 31, 2025. Sony will also stop selling most of the drone’s accessories next year, but replacement batteries and propellers will be available until March 31, 2026. Inspections, repairs and software maintenance will continue through March 31, 2030.
The Airpeak S1 was initially introduced during a virtual presentation at CES in 2021. The drone was intended to capture high-definition footage with Sony’s full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens Alpha cameras. It could fly for 12 minutes with a camera attached and achieved a max flight speed of 55.9mph. While the high-end drone would set buyers back about $9,000 even before buying accessories, it had middling to flat-out negative reviews.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/sony-discontinues-its-pricey-airpeak-s1-camera-drone-in-march-234823252.html?src=rss
Sony announced that it will stop selling the Airpeak S1 camera drone. Sales of the product will end on March 31, 2025. Sony will also stop selling most of the drone’s accessories next year, but replacement batteries and propellers will be available until March 31, 2026. Inspections, repairs and software maintenance will continue through March 31, 2030.
The Airpeak S1 was initially introduced during a virtual presentation at CES in 2021. The drone was intended to capture high-definition footage with Sony’s full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens Alpha cameras. It could fly for 12 minutes with a camera attached and achieved a max flight speed of 55.9mph. While the high-end drone would set buyers back about $9,000 even before buying accessories, it had middling to flat-out negative reviews.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/sony-discontinues-its-pricey-airpeak-s1-camera-drone-in-march-234823252.html?src=rss
Apple Planning ‘Ten Year Celebration’ Activity Achievement for Apple Watch
Apple appears to be planning an activity challenge to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which was released in 2015. In the latest iOS 18.2 beta, there’s a mention of a “Ten Year Celebration” with references to an activity achievement, so it sounds like something is in the works.
While the Apple Watch was introduced at Apple’s September 2014 iPhone event, it was not released until April 2015. The delay between the device’s introduction and its launch have raised questions about whether the Apple Watch 10th anniversary is in 2024 or 2025.
Apple celebrated the 10th anniversary of the iPhone with the launch of the iPhone X in 2017, and this year, the company highlighted the 10th anniversary of Apple Pay. Apple does see 10th anniversaries as notable, so we can expect something for the Apple Watch.
Back in 2023, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that Apple was planning a complete revamp of the Apple Watch for its 10th anniversary, complete with a magnetic band attachment system and a slimmer design. In September 2024, the Apple Watch did get a design update with larger displays and a thinner chassis, but the device was not branded the “Apple Watch X” as Gurman said it would be, nor did it have a new band attachment system.
It is possible that those updates that Gurman talked about in 2023 will actually come in 2025 as part of an anniversary celebration for the device, but it is unclear because the slimmed down look that Gurman mentioned has already been implemented.
Next year will also mark the 10th anniversary of the Apple Music streaming service, which came out in June 2015. Apple could also have something planned for that anniversary.Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)This article, “Apple Planning ‘Ten Year Celebration’ Activity Achievement for Apple Watch” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple appears to be planning an activity challenge to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which was released in 2015. In the latest iOS 18.2 beta, there’s a mention of a “Ten Year Celebration” with references to an activity achievement, so it sounds like something is in the works.
While the Apple Watch was introduced at Apple’s September 2014 iPhone event, it was not released until April 2015. The delay between the device’s introduction and its launch have raised questions about whether the Apple Watch 10th anniversary is in 2024 or 2025.
Apple celebrated the 10th anniversary of the iPhone with the launch of the iPhone X in 2017, and this year, the company highlighted the 10th anniversary of Apple Pay. Apple does see 10th anniversaries as notable, so we can expect something for the Apple Watch.
Back in 2023, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman claimed that Apple was planning a complete revamp of the Apple Watch for its 10th anniversary, complete with a magnetic band attachment system and a slimmer design. In September 2024, the Apple Watch did get a design update with larger displays and a thinner chassis, but the device was not branded the “Apple Watch X” as Gurman said it would be, nor did it have a new band attachment system.
It is possible that those updates that Gurman talked about in 2023 will actually come in 2025 as part of an anniversary celebration for the device, but it is unclear because the slimmed down look that Gurman mentioned has already been implemented.
Next year will also mark the 10th anniversary of the Apple Music streaming service, which came out in June 2015. Apple could also have something planned for that anniversary.
This article, “Apple Planning ‘Ten Year Celebration’ Activity Achievement for Apple Watch” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Steam’s built-in game recording is now available to all
Image: The Verge
Steam Game Recording is officially out of beta and available to all users, giving PC, Mac, and Steam Deck players a built-in way to record and share audio and video from their gaming sessions. It joins many other ways PC gamers have been able to record their highlights, including as a feature of tools like the Xbox Game Bar, Nvidia GeForce, and AMD’s Adrenalin.
This version of the Steam client is also the first to drop support for Windows 7 and 8 machines, as well as Macs running macOS 10.13 and 10.14 after Valve announced the move at the beginning of this year.
Image: Valve
After an automatic update, players can start recordings manually using a hotkey (Ctrl + F11 is the default) or set it to trigger automatically, with options to restrict the length, quality, and storage space that Steam can use. Valve says it works with any game, including non-Steam games that allow Steam Overlay to run. Recording is off by default — you’ll find its settings in a new Game Recording tab in Steam’s settings.
Valve has updated Steam Game Recording with a handful of new features that weren’t there when the beta period began in June, including adding “advanced” export options and the ability to configure game-specific settings. The company also added Session View, which includes a “Recordings & Screenshots manager with game-specific tags and data.”
Image: The Verge
Steam Game Recording is officially out of beta and available to all users, giving PC, Mac, and Steam Deck players a built-in way to record and share audio and video from their gaming sessions. It joins many other ways PC gamers have been able to record their highlights, including as a feature of tools like the Xbox Game Bar, Nvidia GeForce, and AMD’s Adrenalin.
This version of the Steam client is also the first to drop support for Windows 7 and 8 machines, as well as Macs running macOS 10.13 and 10.14 after Valve announced the move at the beginning of this year.
Image: Valve
After an automatic update, players can start recordings manually using a hotkey (Ctrl + F11 is the default) or set it to trigger automatically, with options to restrict the length, quality, and storage space that Steam can use. Valve says it works with any game, including non-Steam games that allow Steam Overlay to run. Recording is off by default — you’ll find its settings in a new Game Recording tab in Steam’s settings.
Valve has updated Steam Game Recording with a handful of new features that weren’t there when the beta period began in June, including adding “advanced” export options and the ability to configure game-specific settings. The company also added Session View, which includes a “Recordings & Screenshots manager with game-specific tags and data.”
Interpol Disrupts Cybercrime Activity On 22,000 IP Addresses, Arrests 41
During an operation across 95 countries from April to August 2024, Interpol arrested 41 individuals and dismantled over 1,000 servers and infrastructure running on 22,000 IP addresses facilitating cybercrime. BleepingComputer reports: Interpol said its enforcement action was backed by intelligence provided by private cybersecurity firms like Group-IB, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, and Team Cymru, leading to the identification of over 30,000 suspicious IP addresses. Eventually, roughly 76% of those were taken down, 59 servers were seized, and 43 electronic devices were confiscated, which will be examined to retrieve additional evidence. In addition to the 41 individuals who were arrested, the authorities are also investigating another 65 persons suspected of associating with illicit activities.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
During an operation across 95 countries from April to August 2024, Interpol arrested 41 individuals and dismantled over 1,000 servers and infrastructure running on 22,000 IP addresses facilitating cybercrime. BleepingComputer reports: Interpol said its enforcement action was backed by intelligence provided by private cybersecurity firms like Group-IB, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, and Team Cymru, leading to the identification of over 30,000 suspicious IP addresses. Eventually, roughly 76% of those were taken down, 59 servers were seized, and 43 electronic devices were confiscated, which will be examined to retrieve additional evidence. In addition to the 41 individuals who were arrested, the authorities are also investigating another 65 persons suspected of associating with illicit activities.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google CEO says the company should be a ‘trusted source’ in the election
Sundar Pichai. | Image: Laura Normand / The Verge
Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees ahead of Election Day to make sure “the products we build” are “a trusted source of information to people of every background and belief.”
“As with other elections, the outcome will be a major topic of conversation in living rooms and other places around the world,” Pichai said in an internal memo on November 4th obtained by The Verge and first reported on by The Washington Post. “And of course, the outcome will have important consequences.”
“Whomever the voters entrust, let’s remember the role we play at work, through the products we build and as a business: to be a trusted source of information to people of every background and belief. We will and must maintain that.”
Naturally, Google has already had to contend with accusations of bias before the polls even close. Earlier on Tuesday, Elon Musk amplified a theory that Google was intentionally hiding a map of polling places from Trump voters while showing the map to those who searched “where can I vote for Harris.” The claim compelled Google to say that it had fixed a bug that displayed its polling map for searches with “Harris” and not Trump because her last name is also the name of a county in Texas.
You can read Pichai’s full memo to Google employees below:
Hi Googlers,
Tomorrow is election day here and many in the U.S. will be heading to the polls to vote for everything from school board to judges to the Congress and President.
Teams across Google and YouTube have been working hard to make sure our platforms provide voters with high-quality and reliable information, just as we’ve done for so many other elections around the world — in fact, dozens of countries have held major, hotly contested elections this year, from France to India to the UK to Mexico and many more, with well over a billion people casting votes in 2024.
We should be proud of our work, and also of our teams’ efforts to keep campaigns secure, to deliver accurate information on where and how to vote, and to provide digital advertising solutions to campaigns. Thanks to everyone working around the clock on these efforts throughout the campaign season and as votes are tallied.
As with other elections, the outcome will be a major topic of conversation in living rooms and other places around the world. And of course, the outcome will have important consequences.
Whomever the voters entrust, let’s remember the role we play at work, through the products we build and as a business: to be a trusted source of information to people of every background and belief. We will and must maintain that. In that spirit, it’s important that everyone continue to follow our Community Guidelines and Personal Political Activity Policy.
Beyond election day, our work to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful will continue. Al has given us a profound opportunity to make progress on that mission, build great products and partnerships, drive innovation, and make significant contributions to national and local economies. Our company is at its best when we’re focused on that.
Thanks, Sundar
Sundar Pichai. | Image: Laura Normand / The Verge
Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees ahead of Election Day to make sure “the products we build” are “a trusted source of information to people of every background and belief.”
“As with other elections, the outcome will be a major topic of conversation in living rooms and other places around the world,” Pichai said in an internal memo on November 4th obtained by The Verge and first reported on by The Washington Post. “And of course, the outcome will have important consequences.”
“Whomever the voters entrust, let’s remember the role we play at work, through the products we build and as a business: to be a trusted source of information to people of every background and belief. We will and must maintain that.”
Naturally, Google has already had to contend with accusations of bias before the polls even close. Earlier on Tuesday, Elon Musk amplified a theory that Google was intentionally hiding a map of polling places from Trump voters while showing the map to those who searched “where can I vote for Harris.” The claim compelled Google to say that it had fixed a bug that displayed its polling map for searches with “Harris” and not Trump because her last name is also the name of a county in Texas.
You can read Pichai’s full memo to Google employees below:
Hi Googlers,
Tomorrow is election day here and many in the U.S. will be heading to the polls to vote for everything from school board to judges to the Congress and President.
Teams across Google and YouTube have been working hard to make sure our platforms provide voters with high-quality and reliable information, just as we’ve done for so many other elections around the world — in fact, dozens of countries have held major, hotly contested elections this year, from France to India to the UK to Mexico and many more, with well over a billion people casting votes in 2024.
We should be proud of our work, and also of our teams’ efforts to keep campaigns secure, to deliver accurate information on where and how to vote, and to provide digital advertising solutions to campaigns. Thanks to everyone working around the clock on these efforts throughout the campaign season and as votes are tallied.
As with other elections, the outcome will be a major topic of conversation in living rooms and other places around the world. And of course, the outcome will have important consequences.
Whomever the voters entrust, let’s remember the role we play at work, through the products we build and as a business: to be a trusted source of information to people of every background and belief. We will and must maintain that. In that spirit, it’s important that everyone continue to follow our Community Guidelines and Personal Political Activity Policy.
Beyond election day, our work to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful will continue. Al has given us a profound opportunity to make progress on that mission, build great products and partnerships, drive innovation, and make significant contributions to national and local economies. Our company is at its best when we’re focused on that.
Thanks, Sundar
Apple News Offers an Election Day Live Activity
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch:
It’s Election Day in the U.S., which means you’re likely glued to
the latest news about which presidential candidate is currently in
the lead. To help with this, Apple has released a Live Activities
widget within its Apple News app that will offer real-time
election updates directly on your iPhone or iPad’s Home Screen and
Lock Screen. […]
To use the Apple News Live Activity in the U.S., you’ll need to
first launch the News app and then tap on the banner at the top of
the page offering live updates. After doing so, you’ll get a
message saying “Live Activity Scheduled,” which notes that when
the event starts, you’ll begin to receive real-time updates on
both your Home Screen and Lock Screen.
On Apple Watch and in the iPhone’s Dynamic Island, it shows the Electoral College results for the presidential election; on the Home and Lock screens, it adds the results for the Senate and House of Representatives.
★
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch:
It’s Election Day in the U.S., which means you’re likely glued to
the latest news about which presidential candidate is currently in
the lead. To help with this, Apple has released a Live Activities
widget within its Apple News app that will offer real-time
election updates directly on your iPhone or iPad’s Home Screen and
Lock Screen. […]
To use the Apple News Live Activity in the U.S., you’ll need to
first launch the News app and then tap on the banner at the top of
the page offering live updates. After doing so, you’ll get a
message saying “Live Activity Scheduled,” which notes that when
the event starts, you’ll begin to receive real-time updates on
both your Home Screen and Lock Screen.
On Apple Watch and in the iPhone’s Dynamic Island, it shows the Electoral College results for the presidential election; on the Home and Lock screens, it adds the results for the Senate and House of Representatives.
Amazon’s CEO defends return-to-office policy
Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is pushing back on claims that his return-to-office mandate was a “backdoor layoff.” In a transcript of an all-hands staff meeting seen by Reuters and CNBC, Jassy said the move “is very much about our culture and strengthening our culture.”
In September, Amazon announced that it would start making employees return to the office five days per week starting January 2nd, 2025. The e-commerce giant previously required employees to work in the office three days per week. Some speculated that the five-day-per-week mandate is a “layoff in disguise,” intended to push out employees who couldn’t or wouldn’t make the full return.
“A number of people I’ve seen theorized that the reason we were doing this is, it’s a backdoor layoff, or we made some sort of deal with city or cities,” Jassy said during the meeting, according to Reuters. “I can tell you both of those are not true. You know, this was not a cost play for us.” Amazon has laid off more than 27,000 workers since 2022.
Recent reports suggest many Amazon employees aren’t happy with the return to office mandate, with some even threatening to quit, according to a report from Fortune. Last month, hundreds of employees signed a letter in protest of comments from Amazon Web Services head Matt Garman, who said “there are other companies around” for workers who don’t want to come in five days per week.
Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is pushing back on claims that his return-to-office mandate was a “backdoor layoff.” In a transcript of an all-hands staff meeting seen by Reuters and CNBC, Jassy said the move “is very much about our culture and strengthening our culture.”
In September, Amazon announced that it would start making employees return to the office five days per week starting January 2nd, 2025. The e-commerce giant previously required employees to work in the office three days per week. Some speculated that the five-day-per-week mandate is a “layoff in disguise,” intended to push out employees who couldn’t or wouldn’t make the full return.
“A number of people I’ve seen theorized that the reason we were doing this is, it’s a backdoor layoff, or we made some sort of deal with city or cities,” Jassy said during the meeting, according to Reuters. “I can tell you both of those are not true. You know, this was not a cost play for us.” Amazon has laid off more than 27,000 workers since 2022.
Recent reports suggest many Amazon employees aren’t happy with the return to office mandate, with some even threatening to quit, according to a report from Fortune. Last month, hundreds of employees signed a letter in protest of comments from Amazon Web Services head Matt Garman, who said “there are other companies around” for workers who don’t want to come in five days per week.