Technology news

How much is an apology worth? Well, if you’re Apple, it turns out the number is at least $4.5 billion, which is the amount that Qualcomm revealed in its Q2 earnings it will get from the settlement agreement between the companies, which had previously been embroiled in an ugly patent dispute for the past few years.The Apple / Qualcomm settlement was an unexpected shift that came early in the trial between the two companies. According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple had decided that Intel

Apple physically makes its products hard to repair in a wide array of ways, and this week may have brought proof that Apple is also fighting to keep pesky laws from challenging the status quo. It seems an Apple lobbyist has quietly managed to get California to postpone its right-to-repair bill until 2020 at the earliest, partly by stoking fears of exploding batteries should consumers attempt to repair their iPhones.
As Motherboard first reported yesterday and The Verge’s sources can corro

Late last year, Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr got an “earful” from remote Alaskan residents who were concerned with how poor their access to the internet is — and they weren’t wrong. Alaska has, on average, some of the slowest internet connections in the country, primarily due to its distance from the rest of the continental United States.But remote Alaskans may see faster speeds soon. MTA Fiber Holdings announced today that it would build the “first and

Beleaguered electric vehicle startup Faraday Future is restructuring in order to survive. The company announced a new deal on Monday that could chart a path forward. The startup has been without a main financial backer for months, is unable to bring back hundreds of employees still on unpaid leave, and recently sold its own headquarters to generate cash. But its new path, financial experts tell The Verge, resembles an out-of-court bankruptcy.
The would-be automaker announced that Chicago-based

Fortnite creator Epic Games announced today that it’s acquired the independent game development studio Psyonix, makers of the massively popular vehicular soccer game Rocket League.As a result of the deal, Psyonix says it will have access to more resources to support Rocket League’s competitive e-sports league and, by late 2019, will bring the game to Epic’s PC storefront.After that, it sounds like Rocket League will no longer be available on Valve’s competing Steam store

Lyft’s effort to overturn New York City’s first-in-the-nation minimum wage law for drivers was blocked by a state judge Wednesday, according to Business Insider. Judge Andrea Masley ruled that Lyft’s lawsuit, which was filed in January, was insufficient to overturn the law that went into effect February.Under the law that went into effect in February, ride-hail companies must pay drivers at least $17.22 an hour after expenses. The pay formula uses a so-called utilization rate,

Lyft’s effort to block New York City’s first-in-the-nation minimum wage rules for drivers was blocked by a state judge Wednesday, according to Business Insider. Judge Andrea Masley ruled that Lyft’s lawsuit, which was filed in January, was insufficient to overturn the law that went into effect February.Under the law that went into effect in February, ride-hail companies must pay drivers at least $17.22 an hour after expenses. The pay formula uses a so-called utilization rate,

Spotify is spending millions to become a major player in podcasting, and today we got a look at how it might begin promoting shows: by placing suggested episodes into algorithmically generated playlists. A test seen by The Verge shows several short podcast episodes placed alongside personalized music suggestions in a playlist meant for the drive to work. Spotify doesn’t have a widely available podcast recommendation tool or offer curated podcast playlists right now, so this appears to be

Back in February, season 8 of Fortnite introduced a volcano to the game’s ever-changing island, and now it’s finally starting to erupt. Events were first set in motion a few weeks ago when a mysterious alien rune appeared on the island. Players were able to collectively push it across the map toward a spaceship-style structure that was excavated at Loot Lake. Now, the fifth and final rune has appeared, resulting in the start of a volcanic eruption.
It’s an outcome much of the

Google employees are holding a sit-in at offices around the world to protest alleged retaliation against workers.A Google employee told The Verge that hundreds were expected to be involved throughout the day, with sit-ins at offices scheduled for 11AM local time. A Google spokesperson said more than 200 employees participated in the New York sit-in, but that not all company offices participated. Employees in international offices, including London, also took part.At the sit-ins, employees share

Spoiler warning: major plot reveals from season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery ahead.While the Klingon War and the Mirror Universe dominated Star Trek: Discovery’s first season, the second season — which concluded on April 18th — set off on a different path. The Federation starship Discovery spent the season tracking seven mysterious red signals, each of which led toward some greater purpose. A powerful being the protagonists dubbed the Red Angel also appeared alongside these signa

Google is introducing a new feature for your Google account that will allow you to automatically delete your Location History and Web and App Activity data after a set period of time. You’ll be able to delete the data after either three or 18 months, and it will then continue to be deleted on a rolling basis over time.The search giant’s location tracking practices got it into trouble last year when it emerged that Google would continue to track you even when you turn off the Locatio

Hulu has unveiled a new look at the upcoming third season of its dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale, showing off the birth of a resistance movement.This new trailer opens with Offred (Elizabeth Moss) highlighting some of the changes that have come to the world. She opted not to leave Gilead during the show’s second season, and it seems she’s now hard at work formulating a revolution against her oppressors and hunting for allies to help her.We got our first look at season 3 b

People online are always getting mad about food they do not feel is made correctly — the more egregious the crime, the more heated the discourse. This makes sense: Food is both highly personal and highly political, and beloved dishes are constantly being misinterpreted and bastardized beyond recognition. (Remember the peas in the guacamole?)
It's not surprising, then, that a lot of people were horrified by the "vegan lasagna" that made the rounds on Reddit and Twitter this week. The dish,

These days "the border" is used more as an inflammatory concept than an actual place with rules and laws. Now, the ACLU is trying to puncture that hot air with some help from the Constitution.
In preparation for a lawsuit the ACLU is bringing against the federal government, U.S. officials from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had an under-oath chat with the ACLU about how exactly they search electronic devices at the border when they don't ha

Can it be all of 24 years since we first thrilled to the adventures of Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the gang in the world's first computer-animated movie, Pixar's Toy Story?
Back in 1995, the plot revolved around Woody's fear that he was aging out and would soon be abandoned. In Toy Story 4, which hits theaters June 21, Woody reveals that he was probably made in the mid-1950s — which made him a mere 40-something in the original movie, but puts him in his mid-60s now. Never mind aging

Nothing is more cringe-inducing than when your professor (or any adult, really) tries get hip with the kids and sprinkles some totally rad teen lingo into their everyday lectures. 
That's why one professor goes the extra mile to avoid stepping into "How do you do, fellow kids?" territory. Twitter user @mewtailv2 posted a picture of a document their sociology professor created of new slang terms he's learned from his students, titled the "Callahan's Generation Z Dictionary." My sociolog

Spoilers ahead for Game of Thrones, season 8, episode 3, “The Long Night.”
When Arya stabs the Night King at the 11th hour in the Game of Thrones episode “The Long Night,” it was a shocking relief for the high tension of seeing most of the show’s fan-favorite cast overwhelmed by the sheer mass of undead. But showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss explain that they’ve known about the twist for three years now, and they’ve been foreshadowing it in the s

Netflix is rolling out an upgrade to its audio streaming technology that increases the maximum bitrate of its audio and allows it to adjust based on the speed of your internet connection. The streaming service’s new high-quality audio increases the maximum bitrate of a 5.1 audio mix to 640 kbps, and a Dolby Atmos mix to 768 kbps. The bitrate will also scale based on your internet speed, and can drop as low as 192 kbps in order to stop the video from having to buffer.
The streaming service

Hulu has released a new trailer for its upcoming revival of the detective series Veronica Mars. It’s the first real look at the show’s eight-episode fourth season, which will debut on July 26th.The series premiered in 2004, following high school student Veronica (Kristen Bell) as she moonlights as a private detective, solving the mystery behind her best friend’s death and a fatal bus crash. Later, she moves to college where she tracks down a rapist and murderer. CW canceled th

Tesla is being sued by the family of Wei “Walter” Huang, a software engineer who died when his Model X with Autopilot engaged crashed into a highway safety barrier in March 2018.In the complaint, the family claims that Huang’s Model X lacked safety features, such as an automatic emergency braking system. Such features are available on much less expensive vehicles from other carmakers as well as on more recent Model Xs, Huang’s family said. The Model X does come with auto

If you’re interested in starting a Patreon campaign for your art, videos, or other creative work, you should join this week before the crowdfunding company raises its rates. Patreon announced a new payment plan structure in March, and on May 7th, it will start charging a higher commission for access to popular features. But the new rates won’t apply to anybody who’s already using the platform.
Patreon currently takes 5 percent of its users’ earnings, and it has one servi

Anyone who has been following the European Space Agency’s Twitter account over the past week may have gotten a small scare when the organization started tweeting about an “enormous asteroid” that’s on track to hit our planet in 2027.The good news is that’s not actually going to happen.ESA is just one of many space agencies and organizations participating in a simulated scenario of what would happen if humans did discover a massive asteroid heading our way. It&rsquo

When you’re shopping for a business laptop — one that’s going to basically follow you everywhere on a daily basis — you have to take more than a few things into account. Power, durability, size, weight, and software features are just some of the things you’ll have to consider when you’re about to make the big purchase. Making the right choice the first time is important too, because laptops are definitely not cheap. 
One of the most popular laptops for bu

Owning an iPad has guaranteed clout since they debuted in 2010, and there's just something different about being the parent of the iPad, the device that changed the tablet market forever.
While projects like 4K video editing and graphic design on Photoshop have mostly been a laptop thing in the past, the iPad Pro handles them with ease.
It's finally time to stop playing with the show models at the Apple Store and get one for yourself: The newest 12.9-inch iPad Pro (256 GB) is $150 off at Best Bu

Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 12th, in the US, so you still have plenty of time to think up the perfect gift idea. In terms of what you should buy, only you know your mom best, but a device from Google’s discounted Home smart speaker lineup or a Nest device may be appealing. While these aren’t the best deals that we’ve seen, they’re still decent savings if you think your mom will be interested in a smart home upgrade. We’ve also listed a few other deals belo

We often think of moms as superheroes (which they totally are, BTW), but they’re also humans who forget and lose things. Help the mamas in your life out this Mother’s Day by gifting them Tile Bluetooth trackers to keep tabs on their belongings.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, Tile is offering $5 off one-pack Tile Pros and $10 off two-pack Tile Pros, dropping the prices to $30 and $50 respectively.
SEE ALSO: Mother's Day gifts under $50 that your mom actually wants
The Pro series is

Google has spent the last year refining its Wear OS smartwatch software to make everything feel simpler, more intuitive, and easier to use. The improvements have gone a long way in making Wear OS feel smoother and more useful. Today, Google is announcing another new addition: Tiles. Tiles are glanceable widgets that you can swipe between to get information quickly, including the weather, your next calendar appointment, your heart rate, news headlines, etc.You access Tiles with a left swipe on y

Google hasn't completely given up on its Wear OS smartwatch platform just yet.
Ahead of its I/O developer conference, Google's updated Wear OS with what it calls "Tiles" — new widget-sized apps designed to help you quickly do more right from your wrist.
SEE ALSO: Is Google teasing new Pixel phones for May 7?
Currently, if you swipe left from the watch face on the latest version of Wear OS, you'll be taken to Google Fit, where you can see information about your Move Minutes and Heart P

Even without selling phones in the U.S., Chinese tech titan Huawei is well on its way to becoming the world's largest smartphone maker.
Huawei has now cemented itself as the world's second-largest smartphone maker, bumping Apple to third place, according to IDC's latest smartphone shipment report. Huawei's next challenge is to topple Samsung.
SEE ALSO: Huawei P30 Pro review: Smartphone photography, redefined
Per IDC's report, Huawei was the only smartphone company "at the top of the market" that

"Blessed be the fruit," intones Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) in the trailer for The Handmaid's Tale Season 3. We've heard her say that since Season 1 as Commander Waterford's dutiful wife, but the tone shift from then to now is unmistakable.
What she really means is: "Fuck this shit."
SEE ALSO: 15 Hulu tips for streaming TV fans
The trailer for Hulu's returning drama shows June (Elisabeth Moss) and her allies fighting Gilead's powers that be from within. That's an act of supreme subversion fro

Who doesn’t love the delicious, savory crunch of a perfectly pressed sandwich? If you’re a member of the panini fan club and a collector of unique kitchen appliances, this device from Hamilton Beach is just the thing for you.
SEE ALSO: 8 of the best slow cookers right now, according to Amazon reviews
Grab a Hamilton Beach electric panini press for $10 off on Amazon and turn your kitchen into the best sandwich shop in town. 
First off, let’s talk about versatility — t

Contrary to what reports from last year suggested, English Championship football club Hull City AFC won’t be getting acquired by cryptocurrency crowd funding platform SportyCo. According to sources familiar with the matter, SportyCo’s managing director, Marko Filej, met with the club’s owners and agreed on a price. However, after that price was disclosed to investors supporting SportyCo’s bid, the deal fizzled out to nothing. Sources claim the price was “higher tha

Air fryers have taken over the at-home fried food scene, but there is absolutely no shame in still wanting to use a deep fryer — we get it, food crisped in oil is amazing. A good air fryer can cost anywhere from $50 to a couple hundred dollars, so they’re not the most economical choice.
If you like sticking to the old fashioned way of frying food — and saving money — you’ll be happy to know that the Hamilton Beach two-liter deep fryer is on sale for just $20 at Walm

I picked up two books about the modern state of Star Wars recently. The first is Making Solo: A Star Wars Story by Industrial Light and Magic supervisor Rob Bredow. The book is an exhaustive behind-the-scenes look at how the last Star Wars movie came together through Bredow’s photographs, looking at the locations, actors, props, and special effects process. It also wasn’t the exhaustive look in the vein of J.W. Rinzler’s trilogy of books for the original films, neatly sidestep

A drone captured this absolutely bonkers footage of a tornado from the air on Tuesday. It followed the small twister for several minutes as it traversed open land near Sulphur, Oklahoma.
It's stunning to see the tornado churning across the landscape for several minutes before finally dying out. It's especially cool at about the 1:30 mark when it rips right over a pond, sucking up water into its vortex. 
The video was captured by Brandon Clement, a storm chaser who caught a break as a lack o

Cliché gifts aren't our thing — especially when those gifts are for Mother's Day and represent how much you appreciate the person who gave you life and/or raised you. (No pressure.)
But we're here to say that, when done correctly, a bouquet of flowers isn't off the list: From now until May 12 (that's Mother's Day, BTW), you can save 20% on a delivery from The Bouqs' Mother's Day collection using code MOM20.
By "done correctly," we mean that a bouquet should seem handpicked and heart

As Facebook continues to weather a string of legal battles and harsh criticism for its never-ending privacy disasters and a generally lackadaisical attitude towards consumer data, the social networking site kicked off its annual F8 annual developer conference at San Jose yesterday. It took to the event to outline a new “privacy-focused vision” for the company. “The future is private,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg told the crowd of 5,000 developers, creators and entrepreneurs asse

As the number of measles cases in the United States has surged, some officials are encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated sooner rather than later. Normally, kids would get their first measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine when they’re about a year old, but given the rise in cases, babies in areas with ongoing measles outbreaks may be able to get theirs earlier in an effort to keep some of the youngest and most vulnerable members of those communities safe.The Centers for Disea

The Dutch central bank developed and evaluated four distributed ledger technology (DLT) prototypes in three years, but so far blockchain hasn’t lived up to the hype, The Banker reports. In fact, the only use-case it can easily envision is cross-border payments, after it discovered that markets with efficient payment systems that exist (such as Nordic countries and the Netherlands) don’t really benefit from blockchain. The bank said limitations of DLT include inefficiency c

High-quality speakers are kind of a necessity for the home. Not in the same way that you need a bed or an oven obviously, but a speaker is still an essential bit of kit.
If your home is the place that you sing and dance the most (and it probably should be) then you need some speakers that can keep up with your moves and perfect vocals. The difficulty can be finding a speaker that combines impressive audio with style.
The Sonos PLAY:1 speaker produces great sound and looks good doing it. This spe

Argos is a hub for just about anything. It's the place to be if you're interested in technology, home and garden products, toys, clothing, or jewellery. It also stocks a wide range of other bits, but we would be here all day if we listed them all out.
Until May 7, Argos is offering customers the chance to receive a free £5 voucher or a £5 promotional voucher code with any purchases of £50 or more. That does have to be on a single purchase and it does exclude delivery charges, b