Technology news

Apple's first big iOS 12 update is imminent. 
The company just confirmed that the update, which will add long-awaited group calling features to FaceTime, will roll out Tuesday, Oct. 30, the same day as its fall hardware event.
SEE ALSO: What to expect from Apple's iPad event in Brooklyn
Group calling for FaceTime was first previewed over the summer during Apple's World Wide Developer Conference, but the feature was removed from beta versions of iOS 12 because it was extremely buggy. Those e

Apple's first big iOS 12 update is imminent. 
The company just confirmed that the iOS 12.1 update, which will add long-awaited group calling features to FaceTime, will roll out Tuesday, Oct. 30, the same day as its fall hardware event.
SEE ALSO: What to expect from Apple's iPad event in Brooklyn
Group calling for FaceTime was first previewed over the summer during Apple's World Wide Developer Conference, but the feature was removed from beta versions of iOS 12 because it was extremely buggy

Peter Savagian, a former chief engineer of General Motors’ famous (and ill-fated) EV1 electric car, has left his job as senior vice president at Faraday Future, two sources tell The Verge. The news comes one week after the electric car startup announced layoffs and salary cuts as a result of a fallout with China’s Evergrande Group, which is Faraday Future’s main investor.Reached by phone Monday, Savagian declined to comment. A representative for Faraday Future did not return r

Observant has found a new way to use the fancy infrared depth sensors included on the iPhone X, XS and XR: analyzing people’s facial expression in order to understand how they’re responding to a product or a piece of content.
Observant was part of the winter batch of startups at accelerator Y Combinator,but was still in stealth mode on Demo Day. It was created by the same company behind bug-reporting product Buglife, and CEO Dave Schukin said his team created it because they wanted t

Kodakisn’t feeling very well. The company, which sold off most of its legacy assets in the last decade, is licensing its name to partners who build products like digital cameras and, most comically, a cryptocurrency. In that deal, Wenn Digital bought the rights to the Kodak name for an estimated $1.5 million, a move that they hoped would immediately lend gravitas to the crypto offering.
Reader, it didn’t. After multiple stories regarding the future of the coin it still has not hit th

Mytaxi, the Daimler-owned Uber competitor, announced today it would launch an electric scooter pilot in Southern Europe later this year, with a full international roll-out planned for 2019.
Daimlerinitially took a 15 percent stake in Hamburg-based mytaxi in 2012, adding the company to its portfolio of ridesharing businesses that also includes Chauffeur Privé, Careem, Flinc, car2go and Hailo, which merged with mytaxi in 2016.
The company has yet to unveil its scooters’

A U.S. government network was infected with malware thanks to one employee’s “extensive history” of watching porn on his work computer, investigators have found.
The audit, carried out by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s inspector general, found that a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) network at the EROS Center, a satellite imaging facility in South Dakota, was infected after an unnamed employee visited thousands of porn pages that contained malware, which downloaded to

Apple isn't done with new products for 2018 just yet.
For the first time, the Cupertino-based behemoth is unveiling its latest and greatest in Brooklyn on Oct. 30.
SEE ALSO: What to expect from Apple's iPad event in Brooklyn
New iPads and smart accessories, alongside a much needed Mac refresh, are likely en route. The spectacle is kicking off earlier than normal at 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this year. The event will be streamed, so no worries if you didn't score an

Looks like Apple’s not saving all of its news for the big event in Brooklyn tomorrow. The company just revealed that the latest version of iOS is arriving tomorrow in time for the iPad reveal.The biggest addition here is the long-awaited arrival of Group FaceTime, something the company’s been talking up since WWDC. The update to the video chat app lets up to 32 people participate at once.
The system now autodetects speakers, prioritizing them at the top of the list. Everyone

Amazon’s facial recognition technology, Rekognition, continues to cause controversy.
In documents recently obtained by BuzzFeed News, we now have a behind-the-scenes look at how Orlando police have been using the technology. After the city let the original pilot program expire after public outcry, Orlando started a second pilot program with an “increased” number of face-scanning cameras. 
Amazon’s Rekognition is described broadly as a visual analysis tool. But, deplo

The new iPhones have some great new photography features, but the XR lacks a couple, for instance portrait mode for non-people subjects, owing to its sadly having only the one camera. So last year! Fortunately third-party camera app Halideis here to help you get that professional-looking bokeh in your doggo shots.
There’s more to this than simply the lack of a second camera. As you know, because you read my article, The future of photography is code — and the present too, really. Wha

Days after a New York Times investigation revealed Google gave Android creator Andy Rubin a $90 million exit package despite multiple relationships with other Googlestaffers and accusations of sexual misconduct, some 200 employees at the search giant are planning a walkout, per BuzzFeed News.
We’ve reached out to Google for comment.
The walkout, or “women’s walk,” as it’s been referred to in internal company forums, is planned for Thursday.
Following the NYT report,

Yes, Apple can still keep a secret.
Certainly, there have been all sorts of leaks and rumors about the new products Apple is poised to unveil at its Oct. 30 event, which begins at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. But what took many by surprise when the invitations hit reporters' inboxes was the choice of venue: Instead of a location at its Cupertino, California, headquarters or somewhere in the Bay Area, Apple chose the Howard Gilman Opera House at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City.That seems

Some cats are born to walk the runway. Well, maybe only one cat. But it's definitely this one, who crashed a runway at a Vakko ESMOD International fashion show in Istanbul.
No one seems to know how the cat accessed the runway, but she really made the most of her time there. She rolled around, she strutted a little, she licked her butt, she tried to get a model to hang out with her — all the good stuff. (The model ignored her.)
SEE ALSO: Some good news: Doughnut the 28-pound cat has a new h

The US is preparing tariffs against all Chinese imports that still remain untaxed, in the event that President Donald Trump’s talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping fall through, according to Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources. These new tariffs could come as early as December and would cover all goods that aren’t already affected. They would cover about $257 billion worth of goods.
That spells trouble for many hardware-producing tech companies, who have so far managed to elude the w

Finding the perfect gift for the man in your life can be difficult. What if he doesn't like it? What if he doesn't need it? What if he already has it? These are just a few questions that might race through your head when trying to pick out the perfect gift.
While you may be tempted to get your guy something he needs, we’ll let you in on a little secret: Get him something he really wants instead and watch his eyes light up as he unwraps your gift. 
Whether you're buying a gift for your

Finding the perfect gift for the man in your life can be difficult. What if he doesn't like it? What if he doesn't need it? What if he already has it? These are just a few questions that might race through your head when trying to pick out the perfect gift.
While you may be tempted to get your guy something he needs, we’ll let you in on a little secret: Get him something he really wants instead and watch his eyes light up as he unwraps your gift. 
Whether you're buying a gift for your

Ahead of its big iPad Pro and Mac event, Apple just announced that iOS 12.1 will be released tomorrow. It’s the first significant update to iOS 12 and includes the Group FaceTime feature that was removed from the initial release. Group FaceTime allows you to video chat with up to 32 people simultaneously and supports stickers, video filters, and Animoji/Memoji. The feature was held back from iOS 12.0, but apparently it’s now ready to go. The video bubble for each person gets larger

There are many things that James Cameron’s Avatar movies have been made fun of for over the years: the hackneyed plot that borrows heavily from FernGully, the tedious White Savior trope, the magic trees, the improbably oversized knife that features prominently in the film’s final battle. But none of them have perhaps seen the same level of ridicule as the movie’s logo, infamously done in the internet’s second-most hated font, Papyrus.
The inexplicable design choice was m

Following an alarming week of domestic terrorism, the U.S. Department of Justice has consolidated into a single online hub resources and reporting tools for hate crimes.
According to a DOJ press release, the new portal is meant to “provide a centralized portal for the Department’s hate crimes resources for law enforcement, media, researchers, victims, advocacy groups, and other related organizations and individuals.” The new website can be found at https://www.justice.gov/

Are you one of those people who loves being scared — but, you know, in that not-quite-real way? There's nothing like the thrill of watching a scary video. And YouTube has plenty of them that are short and free and will totally satisfy your adrenaline craving. 
Plus, watching on YouTube beats spending a ton of money to watch the latest horror flick on the big screen through your fingers.
SEE ALSO: 17 terrifying creepypastas guaranteed to keep you up at night
In the spirit of Hallo

“It's not like in the movies. It's better, because it's real.”
From a small mountain of adorable, quotable moments to the iconic and timeless dreamboat that is Peter Kavinsky, Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before gave us all a lot to love this past summer. 
Now, in the heart of October 2018, the gift of protagonist Lara Jean Covey keeps on giving. This paradigm of effortlessly sophisticated teenage fashion—seriously, has the Peter Pan collar ever looked this good on

No tricks here, Netflix subscribersJeopardy is coming to Netflix, and it's happening on Oct. 30.
Details are slim at presentJeopardy is already available for streaming on Hulu, but only the three most recent seasons. A tweet confirming the show's imminent arrival on Netflix suggests a slightly different approach here.#Jeopardy is coming to Netflix for the first time! 45 hand-picked episodes launch tomorrow, October 30 pic.twitter.com/i3rNYOfKGq
— See What's Next (@seewhatsnext) October 29,

Airwaredesperately sought cash for 18 months before running out of money and shutting down last month, leaving about 120 employees without jobs after the startup had burned $118 million in funding. Bandaid strategic investments from construction company Caterpillar and others kept Airware alive as it looked for a $15 million round, according to a former employee.
A late pivot from hardware to drone software sales through Caterpillar’s dealers went sour, as Airware lacked the features

The world is filled with a wide variety of good dogs, but some are harder on their toys than others. You know the type: they take less than five minutes to turn a brand new stuffed animal into a cloud of torn cloth and stuffing.
It can be a challenge to pick the right gift for these dogs knowing that you're going to be shelling out money that leads to a big mess for you to clean up. 
I know this from first-hand experience. Before/After pic.twitter.com/FPqoMRgfkZ
— Marcus Gilmer (

Ever since The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was announced by Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the question of how and when the two shows — both starring characters from Archie comics — would cross over. 
Now that Sabrina’s entire first season is out on Netflix, that question has been answered in a way that makes literally everything else about both shows way more complicated than it has to be. 
SEE ALSO: ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ take

Video games suck at blackjack. 
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a convenient target, being the latest and most high-profile offender. But video game blackjack hasn't ever been done right in my recollection. And it's because every game gets a central component wrong: The key to blackjack, the thing that makes it interesting, is the betting. Not the rules.
SEE ALSO: 'Red Dead Redemption 2' review: Great art at great cost
So let's talk first about those rules, the absolute basics of blackjack. How ea

If you've opened Google.com on your phone lately, you might have noticed it looks a lot different.
That's because Google's personalized news feed is now rolling out to mobile browsers. The feature, which we first saw last year, delivers a mix of news stories, YouTube videos, sports scores, and other content Google has determined you're most likely to be interested in at that moment.
SEE ALSO: Your most Googled 'Can I get pregnant if ...' questions, answered
Google has launched similar features i

Oh baby, baby it's a wild world.
It's hard to get by just upon a smile, so we're here to offer you something a bit more substantial: A photo of Cat Stevens and a cat celebrating National Cat Day.Happy #NationalCatDay to all the cats and kittens pic.twitter.com/eUrc6aGRjw
— Yusuf / Cat Stevens (@YusufCatStevens) October 29, 2018I believe this is what one might call the definition of purrrfection. (Sorry. Had to.)
SEE ALSO: These Insta-famous felines prove how photogenic black cats truly are

Michael Weist, the CEO of Good Times Entertainment, just can’t escape TanaCon.In a press release today, Weist says that he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on October 17th, noting that Good Times Entertainment will be dissolved within the next 60 days. His lawyer, Stephen Lefkovitz, tells The Verge that Weist filed for bankruptcy independently through Tennessee’s bankruptcy courts. A bankruptcy trustee has been appointed to Weist’s case, according to Lefkovitz.This isn’t t

Last year, Waze successfully integrated Spotify directly into its navigation app. Now, the company is building a more full-featured audio player.
The Waze Audio Player is launching for beta-testers Monday and rolls out more widely to all Waze users on Nov. 14. The feature allows drivers to listen to and browse music, audiobooks, radio, and podcasts without ever leaving the popular traffic app.
SEE ALSO: Waze offers carpool rides like Lyft and Uber, but for way less
Upon its initial release, the

Volkswagen and Mobileye, the computer vision firm owned by Intel, announced Monday a plan to launch a commercial self-driving ride-hailing service in Israel in 2019. It’s an aggressive move by the German automaker that could propel it to the front of the pack of companies working to commercialize autonomous driving, along with Alphabet’s Waymo and GM’s Cruise.
“a turn-key, driverless solution”
As part of the deal, Volkswagen will supply a fleet of electric cars, Mo

James Patterson is one of the biggest authors in the world. He was the first author to sell a million ebooks, while also selling more than 375 million copies of his works overall. Now, he’s trying a new medium: Facebook Messenger. Tomorrow, Facebook will debut a “digital novel experience” based on his forthcoming book The Chef.
The Chef will be formally published as a hardcover novel next February, and it follows New Orleans celebrity food truck chef and police detective Caleb

Viral Hog shared a video on Monday of a man attempting to shoo a cat off his car by kicking his windshield. Of course! Always the right way to go about something like this.
Naturally, things did not go as planned.
One kick wasn't quite enough to get the cat to move, so he gave the windshield another forceful kick, resulting in a sizable crack.
"I was resting in the car when a cat approached the front windshield," the man — whose identity is concealed — told Viral Hog. "I wanted to sc

Amazon’s kid-focused tablets have been discounted since last week, and now the sale has extended to its main lineup, including the Fire 7, Fire HD 8, and Fire HD 10. Depending on the tablet you choose, the savings range from $10 to $30 off until November 3rd. That’s not bad for options that already fall well below or near the $100 price point.
If you’re a bit confused about which tablet is best for you, it really comes down to cost, size, and screen resolution. All of them inc

We’ve entered some profoundly unfamiliar planetary territory.
Amid a backdrop of U.S. politicians still questioning whether the changing climate is attributable to humans (it is), it's quite likely that we’ve actually boosted Earth's carbon dioxide — a potent greenhouse gas — to the highest levels they’ve been in some 15 million years. 
The number 15 million is dramatically higher than a statistic frequently cited by geologists and climate scientists: That toda

Well, this is an odd software glitch. Certain Pixel 3 XL units are displaying a second, virtual notch on the screen of the device. This is completely unrelated to the real, physical notch on the screen which houses both front-facing cameras, as well as sensors. The glitch is already being addressed by Google and will be fixed via an upcoming software update.Several users testing the Pixel 3 XL have come across this issue, including myself. The issue on my unit has been temporary, and reverted b

Does the mere thought of having your vocabulary skills tested make you kakorrhaphiophobic? Follow-up question: Do you even know what "kakorrhaphiophobic" means? Didn't think so. 
Well, fear not: You can easily improve your command of the English language — not to mention your self-esteem and your job prospects — with the Award-Winning Vocabulary Builder Bundle, a set of two programs designed to improve your communication skills.
You'll begin your training with Voc

You Won't Regret It is a new weekly column featuring recommendations, tips, and unsolicited advice from the Mashable culture team.A lot of people have already extolled the value of using an actual alarm clock instead of the alarm clock on your phone. I, however, was skeptical. Why would I buy a thing (one that might take up an outlet, no less) when I already have a version of that thing on my phone?
Then I found my old digital alarm clock in a plastic bin under my couch. I was going to put it ba

One of the biggest hurdles in the field of artificial intelligence is preventing such software from developing the same intrinsic faults and biases as its human creators, and using AI to solve social issues instead of simply automating tasks. Now, Google, one of the world’s leading organizations developing AI software today, is launching a global competition to help spur the development of applications and research that have positive impacts on the field and society at large.The competiti

Originating in ancient Japan as a ceremonial practice based on paper's status as a luxury good, the art of origami, or paper folding, has recently given way to a host of technological breakthroughs. In 2015, MIT researchers debuted a teeny, self-assembling origami robot that could be ingested in the form of a meltable pill and controlled magnetically from outside a person's body. The invention could transform the medical field once it's perfected, with experts hoping doctors can one day use

In Red Dead Redemption 2 you pretty much have to care about your horse: not only can youbond with your steed, your ride can also permanently die. Given that horses are your main mode of transportation, you’re probably going to end up caring about your galloping pal. And with this being a Rockstar game, the physics are a show onto themselves, too.
You see where this is going, right? Horse riding wipes were inevitable in RDR2, but this time around, the game comes with a “cinematic mod

SoundCloud has rewritten the contract for its self-monetization program, called SoundCloud Premier, following The Verge’s report that the deal was unfair to artists. The new contract is currently being served to artists signing up for Premier, and it will be emailed to those who have already joined Premier at an unspecified future time. The Verge has obtained a copy of the new agreement from artist and DJ duo Golf Clap and embedded it below.
SoundCloud announced the changes in a blog post

Everyone’s focus right now is probably on the new OnePlus 6T that was just announced this morning, but OnePlus itself is already looking far ahead of that. Last week, OnePlus announced that it was working on a 5G phone for launch as early as the first half of next year, and today, this upcoming 5G phone was a point of discussion during the 6T launch event.
When discussing the Snapdragon 845 processor found in the 6T, Qualcomm’s president Cristiano Amon made a point to note that &ldq

I woke up this morning to two pieces of news that I couldn’t help but see as two sides of the same coin: Brazil elected a person who very clearly looks like a demagogue who weaponized social media to win, and Google finally placed a news feed on its mobile homepage.
These two things are, of course, not related. But after a weekend where we learned about two domestic terrorists who were radicalized by social media, all I could think about regarding Google’s new effort to push an algo