Technology news

Google today announced that it has come out with a new Mac screen saver that displays certain photos that people share publicly on Google+. Previously, these kinds of photos have been available as a backdrop on the Chromecast and other devices, but now they’re available for use on Apple’s desktop operating system.
Recently, Google released the Wallpapers app for Android that made its debut exclusively on the Google Pixel smartphone. Today, Google said it has also added these photos i

Paris-based Devialet announced today it has raised $106 million in venture capital as the company seeks to capitalize on strong reviews of its connected Phantom speakers.
A renowned name among high-end audiophiles for years, Devialet unveiled the $2,000 Phantom speaker in 2015 to carve a new niche for itself with sophisticated consumers. Over the past year, the company has been courting tech influencers and celebrities while starting to open a series of retail stores where customers could experi

 Make way for another startup that wants to shake up the world of music and audio technology. Devialet, the French developer of high-end speakers and the IP behind the sound systems that make them go boom, has raised €100 million ($106 million). This is a strategic growth round that is bringing in a number of high-profile new investors — and with them, a lot more audio… Read More

Since Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election she has gone for a relaxing hike in the woods, browsed a bookstore and stopped by the grocery store to stock up on cheese.
But perhaps her most amazing move since Election Day took place recently, when she made the decision to follow her loyal fan, Snoop Dogg, on Twitter.
SEE ALSO: Snoop Dogg can't handle this election, asks Drake to help him move to Canada
Snoop, the rapper and avid Clinton supporter, has not been shy about his political pref

The broken, the beaten and the damned could really use some snuggles under the mistletoe right about now. 
This mashup of the greatest Christmas song of all time, Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," and the greatest emo marching band anthem of all time, My Chemical Romance's "Welcome to the Black Parade," is truly a gift. 
The band has previously covered "All I Want For Christmas Is You" and Way has been a vocal supporter of Carey's talents. Mariah, meanwhile, loves swee

Here are a couple facts: physical keyboards are easier to type on than touchscreen keyboards, especially for prolonged periods of time. Physical keyboards also take up space and, honestly, you have to be extremely committed to keyboards to ever want to carry one around with you. We’ve seen multiple covers with built-in Bluetooth keyboards for tablets, like Apple’s Smart Keyboard, as well as more specialized cases for products like Apple’s Wireless Keyboard. But now a company ca

The young man identified by officials as responsible for Monday's attack at Ohio State, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, had spoken with school's student newspaper three months ago as he was adjusting to life on campus. 
SEE ALSO: Trump's America: What women, immigrants and people of color want you to know
The interview, part of The Lantern's "Humans of Ohio State" section, was originally published in the Aug. 25, 2016 issue. In the piece, Artan talks about his Muslim faith, being new at Ohio State a

Sling TV is sweetening its Internet-based live-TV service with a feature typically associated with more traditional cable plans: a DVR. But unlike a normal DVR, this one is based in the cloud.
Sling isn't the first Internet TV service to offer a DVR; Sony's PlayStation Vue offers one, too. However, Sling TV's cloud DVR — which launches in beta on Monday — has an edge: The recordings, up to 100GB worth, have no expiry date.
“Unlike other OTT [over the top] services, we’re

One of 2016’s sleeper hits is getting an update to close out November.
Hitman, the episodic assassination-based action adventure, is getting an update today on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC that features a number of improvements, according to a blog post from developer IO Interactive. The biggest addition is an “offline profile” that will enable you to continue using items you earned online even when you cannot connect to web. Previously, you could earn special weapons, gear,

Enjoy a glimpse of consumerism at its best from an e-commerce site that is showing how much shopping we do online, especially the Monday after Thanksgiving.Image:Shopify.comBlack Friday may have had people duking it out over sneakers, but Cyber Monday is all about emptying your wallet from the comfort of your laptop — and online stores are ready.
SEE ALSO: Keep track of the best tech deals of Cyber Monday
On Shopify's site, which hosts small- and medium-sized online stores from around the

Want to understand the problem of fake news? Want to do it while seeing how much money you just got schemed out of by Google, Amazon, or Facebook? Then take one look at the online holiday shopping bonanza: Massive corporations, peddling questionable information, to a public without sufficient tools to help separate the good from the bad.
Black Friday just gave way to Cyber Monday, and now, the internet's lousy with "deals." Consumers have already spent over $5.3 billion online this shopping seas

Taylor Swift’s dominance is spreading over to AT&T. At today’s DirecTV Now unveiling, AT&T executive Brad Bentley announced a new partnership between the telecom and “Bad Blood” singer called Taylor Swift Now. As part of the partnership, AT&T customers who happen to love 1989 will get exclusive content and footage, all ready for streaming.
.@TaylorSwift13 fans have a new destination for unique and never seen videos, #TaylorSwiftNOW – coming soon, only on

AT&T will soon launch several new ways for subscribers to consume live and premium video content. Starting November 30, the telecommunications and cable provider will make available DirecTV Now, Freeview, and Fullscreen, options it hopes will help users get the video they want, when they want it.
“We’re extending our entertainment portfolio for those who value premium content but also want more TV freedom suited for their lifestyle, whether watching at home or on their mobile dev

As everyone knows, Captain America longs for the good old days. Unfortunately, he's in for some new bad days when the Winter Soldier shows up in this animated short.
Our CineFix series, Bad Days, tells the story of Captain America: The Winter Soldier slightly differently than the hit Marvel film: fewer fight scenes and more beer.
Subscribe to CineFix for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/cinefix Read more...More about Mashable Video, Captain America, Animation, Bad Days, and Movies

Robert De Niro is known as one of the greatest dramatic actors of all time, but he's always had a knack for comedy. From Midnight Run to Analyze This to Meet the Parents, De Niro has always made us laugh, and he's back at it again in the new trailer for Taylor Hackford's The Comedian.
De Niro plays Jackie Burke, an aging comic icon once beloved by TV audiences who has struggled to reinvent himself. After accosting an audience member, he's forced to do community service, where he strikes up an u

Apple today started rolling out the fourth public beta version of iOS 10.2, an update that became available to developers earlier today and will become available for everyone to install in the next few weeks.
The public beta is a way for Apple to test out the next version of its operating systems before they go out to the general population so that Apple can figure out what to fix. Unlike developer beta releases, public beta releases can be accessed free of charge by signing up for Apple’s

Dishonored 2’s “grand inventor” Kirin Jindosh is a blowhard at best, a bringer of death at worst. The Clockwork Soldiers inventor is a nuisance for leads Emily and Corvo either way. In the game’s “The Clockwork Mansion” mission, regardless of which hero you play, you’re charged with eliminating the threat posed by Jindosh.How you want to do this is up to you, whether that means by peaceful methods or a more lethal option. As YouTuber Cosmic Contrarian de

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. scored a pair of touchdowns in Sunday's win at Cleveland. Naturally, he channeled one of the city's biggest stars — LeBron James — while celebrating one of those touchdowns.
The best part? He actually busted out the James impression twice. 
SEE ALSO: Colin Kapernick booed in Miami for 'defending' Fidel Castro
Beckham returned a punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter — displaying James' classic chalk toss and "The Sil

Scientists say they discovered the "troubling" reason why a massive iceberg splintered off one of West Antarctica's largest glaciers last year, and why this may not bode well for the future of the world's coastal megacities.
Warm ocean waters appear to have melted Pine Island Glacier from underneath, causing a deep subsurface crack that split the ice from the inside out, Ohio State University researchers found.
SEE ALSO: Global warming to cause fastest rate of sea level rise in human history
The

Just days after a digital attack brought down payment systems at San Francisco’s MUNI rail system, the hacker responsible for the attack has threatened to release data on MUNI’s employees and customers if his ransom is not paid.
"I hope company try to fix it correctly and we can advise them," the hacker wrote in a message obtained by The Verge. "But if they don’t, we will publish 30G databases and documents include [sic] contracts, employees data, LLD Plans, customers." Continu

AT&T just announced the details of its streaming TV service, DirecTV Now, which launches this Wednesday. For a limited time you can access 100 channels for $35 a month, and for just $5, you can add HBO and Cinemax. And AT&T is extending its zero-rating policy to the new service, meaning anything you stream through DirecTV now on a mobile device won’t count against your data allowance.This is one of the cheapest ways to access HBO we’ve seen to date, and it’s also a harb

At an event in New York City today, AT&T has announced that its mobile subscribers will be able to stream its new DirecTV Now service without using their data. The now common industry strategy, known as zero rating, is controversial to say the least, with the FCC telling AT&T earlier this month that it may be violating net neutrality by zero rating the standard DirecTV service.
Currently, T-Mobile has been offering data-free use of music and video services for years, and Verizon has made

Shoppers are ruthless when Black Friday rolls around, and this year was no different.
Last Friday, the Nike store at the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip, Washington felt the wrath of determined sneaker addicts eager for some good deals.
After the doors opened on Black Friday, it was only a matter of time before the immaculately organized store devolved into a chaotic mess of mismatched shoes and an obstacle course of piled boxes.
SEE ALSO: Watch this eye-popping visualization of how we shop o

Embrace your inner #ForeverAlone.
Ichiran Ramen is a Japan-based restaurant chain famous for its unique dining style. Customers eat alone, partitioned into individual sections that separate them from other diners and the staff, and orders are taken by filling out a form, all in order to limit human interaction. 
And now, there's good news for New Yorkers: Last month, the introverted foodie's paradise finally opened a shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
SEE ALSO: Get a custom Cup Noodles made at Jap

After months of rumors, AT&T officially unveiled its DirecTV Now internet TV streaming service this afternoon at an event in New York City. The product, which starts at $35 per month, is meant to compete with traditional cable providers and a wave of web TV offerings including Dish’s Sling TV, Sony PlayStation Vue, and upcoming services from Hulu and YouTube. DirecTV Now launches Wednesday, November 30th, in the US on iPhone, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and PC/Mac. Roku compat

It wasn't long ago that this baby tried broccoli for the first time and realized the world is a cruel place. So when her parents offered her a new food to sample for the first time, they figured yogurt might be a safe bet.
Well, perhaps this baby already has a refined palate because she was totally repulsed by her first taste.
If just one spoonful was enough to make her gag, sampling new snacks should continue to be a pretty entertaining adventure. Lupita Nyong'o recites insane stand up fr

Here's a video we didn't know we needed.
Billy Eichner has taken his show to the streets again, this time with Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o.
Under the guise of preparing for her Netflix half-hour stand up special, Nyong'o recites some seriously racy jokes from famous male comics to unsuspecting pedestrians - and of course (being Lupita), she does not disappoint.
Watch the Queen of Katwe star deliver jokes from Bob Saget, Louis Ck, Daniel Tosh and Andrew Dice Clay above.
We would absolut

Mark your calendars — the latest Hearthstone expansion, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, is coming very soon.
Hearthstone: Mean Streets of Gadgetzan is releasing Dec. 1, Blizzard revealed during a live stream showing off a ton of new cards from the expansion and how eight of the nine classes are looking in the new meta.
The stream below begins at 9:44. The Warrior vs. Priest match starts at 11:50, the Priest vs. Hunter match starts at 30:32, the Druid vs. Paladin match starts at 42:05 and the Wa

Final Fantasy XV is a great game, and a far better one than its protracted, 10-year development would suggest.
So say many critics who lined up the day before the game's long-awaited Nov. 29 release to share their thoughts. It's not without its flaws, but the stuff that works, works extremely well.
SEE ALSO: 'Final Fantasy XV' has killer product placement
For a lot of people, diving in with this new Final Fantasy adventure will be a no-brainer. But for anyone else, here's a general sense of what

The start of this news story reads like a typical vaguely futuristic plot from a movie that isn't hard to imagine coming to a theater near you. 
First, a hacker breaks into the fare system of the San Francisco Municipal Railway on Friday. Unable to immediately regain control of the system, railway officials allow free rides until further notice. Then the hacker demands a ransom to stop the attack, but officials release a statement on Sunday saying the situation is "contained," and things ar

Hackers infected a computer network operated by San Francisco’s public railway system with malicious software over Thanksgiving weekend.
After two days of interrupted ticketing service and free rides for passengers, the railway’s station kiosks went back online on Sunday. A day later, though, the hackers were still threatening to expose 30 gigabytes of stolen employee and customer data, Fortune learned through a series of email exchanges with the alleged attackers.
The group said tha

A man driving his truck across a bridge made the terrible mistake of trusting that a hippo was friendly toward humans.
Wikus Ceronie, a 26-year-old welding inspector, was crossing a bridge in Kruger National Park during a drive from Mozambique to South Africa on Friday. Ceronie tells Latest Sightings that he noticed the hippo on the bridge, but assumed that it was used to humans because there were people walking in the nearby vicinity. Ceronie was very wrong.
Almost immediately upon noticing th

Your average granola bar simply won't cut it for a Mars-bound astronaut.
NASA food scientists are in the process of developing a new "food bar" (that's seriously what they call it) that astronauts will be able to eat for breakfast every morning while on missions to deep space destinations like Mars or the moon. 
At the moment, NASA astronauts have a variety of good tasting — but mostly questionable looking — options for breakfast and other meals on the International Space Statio

Microsoft today announced that it has updated its Skype for Business app for iOS such that the app now takes advantage of optional improvements for third-party VoIP calls that Apple introduced in iOS 10 earlier this year.
Formerly known as Lync 2013, Skype for Business lets people at big companies chat, hold meetings, and make voice and video calls. The iOS version of Skype for Business launched in preview last year.
But historically VoIP calling apps, including Messenger, WhatsApp, and the free

After 12 years of touring the Saturn system, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is about to enter a new orbit — one that will take the probe up close to the planet’s famous rings. These Ring-Grazing Orbits, as NASA is calling them, will bring Cassini within nearly 5,000 miles of Saturn’s F ring, which marks the border of the main ring system. These orbits will allow Cassini to study the particles and gas molecules that linger near the rings, as well as observe the small moons that

Konami wants to give everyone a chance to prove they are the best digital-soccer star in the world.
The publisher is launching PES 2017 Trial Edition this week on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PC. This is a free-to-play version of the well-regarded soccer simulation, but the Trial Edition focuses more on the game’s PES League esports division. Without spending any money, players can use the Trial Edition to compete in the PES League for a chance to take on other competit

Walmart is promoting its Cyber Monday deals today with a QVC-style, four-hour stream. If you missed its live run from 9AM to 1PM ET today, good news! It’s looping all day. Yes, you too can partake in this bizarre collection of corny jokes, caroling, holiday beats, and sales online.The infomercial-style of hawking products is probably familiar to late-night-TV watchers, but it’s jarring to watch from your work computer. In the cold hard light of day, this level of camp feels forced, o

Every week, Chris Plante swings for the fences with one massive theory about the future of Westworld. But he’s out with food poisoning — we’re going to try to take that as proof that he isn’t secretly a bot — and we only have one episode left in season 1, so it’s time to air all our final wild theories for the year. Are we wrong? Are we right? We’ll find out when the finale airs, and then it’ll be time to start theorizing about season 2.HBOFord&rsq

On top of Colin Kaepernick's lackluster performance against the home team Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the 49ers quarterback rubbed some people the wrong way with his off-field comments, the latest of which defended late Cuban leader Fidel Castro. 
When Kaepernick took the field on Sunday, boos proved again that the NFL star is now one of the league's most polarizing figures. 
SEE ALSO: Watch Usain Bolt drop the mic on James Corden with an epic rap battleEarlier this season, Kaepernick sp

On top of Colin Kaepernick's lackluster performance against the home team Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the 49ers quarterback rubbed some people the wrong way with his off-field comments, the latest of which defended late Cuban leader Fidel Castro. 
When Kaepernick took the field on Sunday, boos proved again that the NFL star is now one of the league's most polarizing figures. 
SEE ALSO: Watch Usain Bolt drop the mic on James Corden with an epic rap battleEarlier this season, Kaepernick sp

During the past two years, Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef suffered its largest die-off ever recorded — with an average of 67 percent of corals in one area declared dead, scientists said on Monday. The cause was unusually warm waters that pushed the intricate ecosystems past their limits of survival.
The worst affected area is a 430 mile section of reefs in the northern part of the reef that has lost an average of 67 percent of its shallow water corals in just the past 8 to 9 months

This adorable baby goat and her duck costume are totally the G.O.A.T.
Polly was rescued by Goats of Anarchy, an Annandale, New Jersey-based sanctuary that rescues special needs baby goats. She suffers from several neurological issues which can sometimes cause anxiety.
Luckily, Goats of Anarchy's founder Leanne Lauricella discovered the best (and cutest) way to quell her anxiety: by putting Polly in a fuzzy duck costume.
SEE ALSO: Oh nothing, just a hedgehog unlocking an iPhone with its paw
"Poll

Uber riders may find available rides in short supply on Tuesday as “hundreds” of drivers in two dozen U.S. cities go on strike. The action is intended to raise awareness of a desire by not only Uber drivers, but fast-food cooks, airport baggage handlers, home care workers, child care teachers, and graduate assistants wanting to receive a fair day’s pay — they’re fighting for the $15 per hour minimum wage.
Protests are supposed to be taking places in cities such

Blizzard is moving on to the fourth expansion for its popular digital card game, and now we know when you can expect it.
The Mean Streets of Gadgetzan will debut December 1, which should make it easy for me to figure out what to get GamesBeat editor Jason Wilson and writer Mike Minotti for the holidays. Gadgetzan brings with it 132 new cards to collect, and it also introduces a new tri-class concept that enables players to build decks from a combination of three different standard classes. You c