Technology news

Best known for slick-looking vacuum cleaners and hand dryers, James Dyson has already stated his intentions to tackle a completely different machine — the electric car. Now, however, the inventor is looking to build more than just a niche model as the list of EV models on sale grows.
Dyson is planning a trio of new EVs for the next decade that will also adopt a solid-state battery pack, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, embarking on an estimated $2.8 billion project to give an Elon

Rare wants your help testing out the weakness of its upcoming pirate simulator Sea of Thieves. The studio has informed GamesBeat that it is launching another round of beta tests this weekend in order to see exactly how many scurvy curs (players) its servers can handle for the always-online high-seas adventure before its March 20 release on PC and Xbox One.
This test begins February 16 at 2 a.m. Pacific time, and it will run through February 18 at 2 a.m. Pacific time.
But while this is exciting n

Sometimes, old fashioned things are better. I understand the arguments of those who prefer taking pen and paper notes to typing for example, or even people who prefer analog, vinyl recordings to digital ones.
But I cannot for the life of me wrap my head around the iBrain: Digital Abacus, currently looking for funding on Kickstarter. The fact that abacuses have fallen out of style since theadoption of the conventional Arabic number system that we use today doesn’t seem to have stopped iBra

Twitter's decision to simply delete the tweets of accounts it says are part of a Russian-linked propaganda bot army has proven to be really short-sighted because, well, it turns out that those tweets are really similar to your average Twitter troll. And telling the difference is a crucial, if difficult, task that the average user needs to be able to do in order to operate more safely on the platform.
SEE ALSO: Despite efforts of transparency, Twitter is still clouding Russian troll abuse
Look no

A fluffed-up bichon frise named Flynn took home the Best in Show award at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday night, but not everyone was cheering him on.
To hear the Associated Press tell it, it was a moment of disbelief for those sitting on the sidelines. From the AP's dog show dispatch:It's true that Flynn was up against some heavy hitters in the fancy dog industrial complex. One pup in particular, a squat pug named Biggie, had fans in the audience chanting his name before the win

Last weekend, an over-the-air update was deployed to vehicles that run the newest version of Fiat Chrysler of America’s Uconnect software system. And on Monday, Jalopnik discovered that the update sent some customers’ infotainment screens spiraling into an endless loop of reboots. While it was previously unclear how widespread the problem was, The Verge has learned that it is localized to the Northeast region of the US and Canada, after obtaining a notice that was sent out by the Uc

We've all had to write Valentines to our classmates when we were younger, but Michael Cruz Kayne's daughter took a slightly different approach.
On all of her cards this year, she wrote "you love me" to each of her peers. When told that she may have made a mistake, she said simply, "no I didn't."
SEE ALSO: Little girl pens grim birthday card for mom's significant otherMy five year old daughter is writing valentines for her kindergarten class and has written on all of them “you love me&rdquo

For the last decade, technology companies have been hyping the idea of “the cloud” and cloud computing. Recent advancements in technology have borne out the initial hype and are creating new excitement around this space. One of the first major milestones for cloud computing was the launch of Amazon Web Services, which enabled anyone to launch a website. Subsequently, the discussion became much more focused on data and what businesses could do when they decentralized their systems. M

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.
The HomePod is finally here, and we love it. But after spending a few days with Apple's smart speaker, some users have discovered an unexpected side effect. 
WireCutter's review, published Wednesday, praised the HomePod's audio quality, but the reviewers were in for a surprise when they lifted the speaker up. They found that t

Esteemed noble and EPA Head Scott Pruitt is not one to mix with the hoipolloi.
On Sunday, The Washington Post reported hat Pruitt had been flying first class throughout his time at the EPA and leaving the government with the bill. Pruitt defended his decision on security grounds, before pouring his heart out to New Hampshire's WMUR On Tuesday. 
The EPA administrator was at extreme risk of unpleasant "interactions" with people who take coach, Pruitt explained.
SEE ALSO: Behold! the gruesome

We’re still waiting on Intel and AMD’s new partnership to help mainstream thin and light laptops with discrete graphics, but in the meantime Nvidia’s GeForce MX150 is the best blend of power and performance when portability is a priority. Asus now claims to have created the “thinnest laptop on the planet” to include discrete graphics: the ZenBook 13 UX331 (as seen on Engadget).
Asus also offers an MX150 in its Flip 14 two-in-one, but this new ZenBook 13, which was

ANALYSIS: Even if you’re a daily smartphone user, you might not have heard that the big carriers are launching next-generation “5G” cellular networks this year, or that the last two months have been packed with 5G and 4.5G news. I cover these topics for VentureBeat, and as we’re less than two weeks away from the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, this struck me as the right time to provide a big picture explanation of what you can expect over the next year o

In Roguemance, love is a procedurally generated battlefield. The romance-themed roguelike (though you can turn off permadeath) places equal emphasis on the creatures you fight as well as the bonds you form with your party members. It’s indie developer Lucas Molina’s latest game, and it’s out now on PC.
As players traverse the colorful pixel realm of Heartipelago, they have the option to pick up sidekicks, select and buy new skills, and face off against hostile creatures. Before

After first testing the feature in its beta apps, Microsoft today rolled out party chat to its public Android and iOS Xbox mobile apps. The feature allows Xbox Live users to communicate with their gaming pals via both voice and text when they’re out of the house and away from the console. That heightens the community feel of party chat and brings it more in line with something like Discord, as Tom Warren pointed out when Microsoft first announced this was coming.It’s also an option

When a magnitude 8.1 earthquake hit Mexico City in September 2017, residents knew it was coming minutes before the ground started shaking — and they could take cover. That’s thanks to Mexico’s earthquake early warning system, which has been alerting Mexico City residents of imminent quakes since 1993. The US doesn’t have an early warning system yet — and if President Donald Trump’s budget cuts go through, the development of this life-saving project could be p

Last week I visited Urban-X Demo Day held at A/D/O in Brooklyn, a 23,000 square foot space that houses co-working space and a restaurant, and is low-key funded by BMW’s Mini brand. I say low-key because there’s not a single Mini logo on the site, or Cooper-like vehicle parked out front of the facility. I arrived with the same skepticism I take to any carmaker-sponsored event that feels like an attempt to sell me the future. How can anyone sell the future, when no one knows exactly w

SpaceX hopes to launch a global fleet of small internet-beaming satellites in the next few years, and Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai wants to grant SpaceX that opportunity. 
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Pai urged the other four FCC commissioners to support an approval of SpaceX's application to put a constellation of thousands of satellites into orbit some 700 miles above Earth. The satellites would be especially useful for expanding internet access to rur

Have you grown weary of shipping every possible character pairing from every CW show? Take a leaf from the internet's book and consider shipping figure skating pairs instead.
One key difference between the two: figure skating pairs are seasoned athletes working with their professional partners, so don't, like, publish detailed fanfic about them like you would about Betty and Veronica. But, as The Ringer pointed out Tuesday, it's hard to deny the fun of shipping two extremely hot people performin

Picture this: A crew of the first humans to journey beyond Earth and the moon arrive at Mars. Their boots touch the rusty surface of the red planet after a months-long trip through deep space. 
Who are they? How do they understand what they see? And what are the circumstances that sent them there?
These are questions that may seem like thought experiments for the distant future, but in truth, we need to confront them long before we send anyone to the red world.
SEE ALSO: Elon Musk shares th

The most commonly asked questions about climate change, particularly from those who doubt the mainstream findings showing that greenhouse gases are warming the planet, tend to be zombies. They rear their heads again and again, only to seemingly die and then rise once more. 
This is the case with one particular question that a high-ranking U.S. official has been asking: How do we know the planet's "ideal temperature" years into the future? 
On its face, it seems like an innocent-enough

"I was sexually harassed by Scott Baio and ultimately assaulted by him between the ages of 12 to 15 years old."
Charles in Charge star Alexander Polinsky made that statement at a Wednesday press conference, raising new allegations regarding Baio's behavior on the set of the popular TV series. Polinsky appeared with his attorney, Lisa Bloom, and co-star Nicole Eggert, who played his sister on the show and was the first to come forward with her story.
SEE ALSO: Scott Baio denies Nicole Eggert's se

Facebook is reportedly releasing two smart speakers later this year to compete with the Amazon Echo. The two devices, apparently codenamed “Fiona” and “Aloha,” could be released as early as July. Reports about the speakers first surfaced last year, with Business Insider naming Aloha. Bloomberg later revealed the second device and gave more details about how the two would operate, with one being a touchscreen device similar to the Echo Show and the oth

Facebook's foray into hardware may actually be happening. Its new smart speakers will be available starting in July, according to a Digitimes report published Wednesday.
Portal, the Facebook-connected video chat device will reportedly have two models announced at the social media company's developer conference in May. The devices, under the code names Fiona and Aloha, will then be available to order in July, according to a report from Digitimes based on leaks from supply chain sources outfitting

Sony is getting into the STEM education game with KOOV, a coding kit containing more than enough sensors, actuators, and electronic parts to bring blocky Minecraft-like robots to life.It’s the first US launch from Sony’s Global Education division, which already found success with KOOV in Japan and China last year. Sony ran an Indiegogo campaign to bring the robotics kit stateside last June, but the campaign just missed its goal of $100,000, ending at 98% fulfilled. That hasn’t

Mascots are a special, yet often overlooked, component of the Olympics. 
Since 1968, a cute creature has been designed for each of the games and plastered all over merchandise. In the grand internet tradition of ranking things, it's only fitting that we examine the strengths and weaknesses of some of the most beloved Olympic mascots and see how they stack up.
SEE ALSO: Ranking every sport in the Winter Olympics, even the ridiculous ones
25Izzy: Atlanta 1996I'm Izz-AY and I'm here to part-AY

Remember the days when Kanye West skipped concerts and spammed his Instagram accounts with screenshots from fashion lookbooks, or shared completely random Total Recall stills? 
If you don't, it's not your fault. The rapper deleted his Instagram back in May 2017. But have no fear—he's finally made his return to timelines everywhere with a very stripped down (and very underwhelming) Valentine's Day card. 
SEE ALSO: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West reveal their newborn's nameA post sha

Apple’s HomePod has, by all measures, been a huge success. In a week of reviews, I’ve yet to stumble on any strong criticism of the device, or any notable shortcomings that can’t be fixed via a future software update. Noted Apple fanboy John Gruber even waxed poetic about the power cord, of all things: The power cord is perhaps the nicest power cord I’ve ever seen for any product. The cable is covered with a nice fabric, and it’s very supple. For all the praise hea

It's pretty cold in Pyeongchang, but Team Ulsrud's outfit choice will warm your heart. 
SEE ALSO: The Norwegian curling team's pants are the real stars of the Olympics
The Norwegian curlers sported these showstoppers during the men's curling event at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday: bright red and pink trousers, complete with layers of hearts for Valentine's Day.Image:Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty ImagesYes, Team Ulsrud actually competed in these beauties. 💕PANTS💕Norway&rs

Psyonix is about to make it easier for you to compete against your friends in its vehicular soccer hit Rocket League. The studio is launching its Tournaments mode into a short beta test on Steam next week. This trial begins February 21, and it runs through February 23.
Rocket League debuted in 2015, and it is now one a regular among the top 10 most played games on Steam. The competitive gameplay is a huge reason it is so popular, but running a tournament with a large number of competitors has re

NBC News today made available a database of more than 200,000 tweets from the (allegedly) state-sponsored Russian troll farm known as the Internet Research Association (IRA). The accounts responsible for the tweets come from the list Twitter submitted to congress last year as part of the ongoing US investigation into Russian election interference. They’ve been identified as belonging to the Russian IRA and the tweets sent from those accounts are paid propaganda created with the intent of

The massive vessel Eduard Toll, loaded with liquified natural gas from Siberia, successfully traversed through an icy Arctic sea route in January without any help from icebreaking ships — robust vessels that typically break through masses of ice to clear a path ahead. 
This is a first for this time of year, when sea ice should be too thick for non-icebreakers to get through unaided. Instead, Arctic sea ice has been hovering near record low levels throughout the winter so far.
The tank

GUEST: In honor of Valentine’s Day, the team at Dashbot took a closer look at how men and women show their love for Facebook Messenger bots. Our team processes more than three billion messages a month; we used January’s data for our analysis.
Here’s a holiday-themed look at how users interact with Facebook chatbots.
Women’s usage is on the rise
In general, there are more men using Facebook chatbots than women. On average, about 59 percent of chatbot users are men, wh

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.
Love stories have defined film, TV, poetry, novels. But games? Not so much.
"That's largely a blind spot for us," says Ken Wong, who was previously the lead designer on the iOS art house hit Monument Valley that recently launched his own studio Mountains, alongside their first game. 
"So we thought it would be an interesting c

After training all your life to become the most powerful athletes in the world, Olympic medalists are given... a stuffed tiger. 
It might seem a bit anticlimactic to viewers, but the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics claim they have a good reason to be handing out plushies in place of medals.
SEE ALSO: Watch this Olympic skater perform to Beyoncé
According to the International Olympic Committee, athletes who place in the top three receive the stuffed tiger immediately after their event, an

Google’s messaging app strategy is a huge mess, but one surprisingly useful feature that has extended from Inbox to Gmail to Allo and Android Messages is Smart Reply, which offers three responses based on context for you to quickly reply to your contacts. Google is now working to expand this beyond its own suite of products, and is opening up a limited test to Android users to add the feature to other chat apps, such as Slack and Skype.
According to a sign-up page for the app appropriatel

It's not always easy to be a woman on a dating app. 
That's a big part of why Bumble, which leaves it up to women to decide whether they want to initiate a conversation, has been so successful. So much so, in fact, that rival dating app Tinder now has plan to implement a similar feature.
SEE ALSO: Which dating app is right for you? Use this guide to figure it out.
A future update will add a new setting that leave it up to women to decide if they want to start a conversation with their match

All Walls Must Fall takes to the dance floor to stop nuclear devastation. It’s a tactics game starring time-traveling agents in a future where the Cold War never ended. The title is Berlin-based indie studio Inbetweengames’s second effort, and it’s exiting Steam Early Access February 23 on PC for $10.
Inbetweengames describes All Walls Must Fall as “tech noir,” and its hardboiled sci-fi aesthetics reflect this. Much of the game takes place in gay clubs saturated in

 As the augmented reality industry slowly matures and those within it look to realize the path to ubiquity they have been preaching, it turns out they’re showing more appreciation for the vision that Google laid out years ago with its Glass headset. RealWear is aiming to eschew the space-age reality-altering helmets others are pitching to enterprise customers in favor of an AR headset… Read More

Two best friends are working together to shatter the stigma surrounding sex toys for women.
Knotty Vibes, an innovative feminist sex toy company co-founded by Sheila Oh and Courtney Davis, aims to empower women to embrace their sexual freedom while simultaneously raising funds for women's reproductive health.
SEE ALSO: Exploring the Orgasm Gap
"Knotty Vibes is an organization founded in my quest for women's freedom and equality," Sheila said, recalling how her first

Apple today added the Apple Watch Series 3, the company’s latest smartwatch, to its list of available refurbished gadgets, as spotted by 9to5Mac. The device is only available in two different versions: a 38mm, gold aluminum case with a pink sport band, and a 42mm space gray aluminum case with a black sport band. The 38mm version is $279 while the 42mm version is $309, with both receiving $50 discounts from the standard price. It doesn’t look like you can buy these watches with LTE f

Huawei, the second-largest phone maker in the world, needs to do something fast if it ever wants to gain a foothold in the U.S. and potentially become the world's largest phone maker one day.
The Chinese company can't get U.S. carriers to sell its phones. And now the heads of the FBI, CIA, and NSA have publicly accused the company of allowing its devices — along with ZTE's — to be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans.
Though Huawei has denied the allegations, it needs t

Google Cloud customers running high-performance applications can now launch compute instances with up to 96 virtual CPUs, thanks to an update released today. The new 96 vCPU instances can support up to 624GB of RAM, making them good candidates for applications that scale up to take advantage of additional compute capacity on a single node.
That’s important for customers running applications like in-memory databases and satellite image analysis. Descartes Labs, a startup that processes tons

Twitter is finally following Facebook's lead and coming clean about how Russian trolls abused their platform in spreading misinformation ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. But even in transparency, Twitter is still clouding the issue by literally deleting the evidence.
SEE ALSO: Americans say social media is destroying the news — but nobody knows what to do about it
In late January, the company published a blog post detailing some of its findings on accounts run by the Russian-l