NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) handily beat its goals. The space agency has revealed that its spacecraft has spotted over 2,200 potential planets since beginning its mission in 2018. Hundreds of those are smaller planets, some of which could include rocky worlds that are more Earth-like (though not necessarily habitable). TESS was originally expected […]
New York rolls out first digital COVID-19 vaccine passports in the US
COVID-19 vaccination passports have become a practical reality in the US. As USA Today reports, New York state has launched a digital Excelsior Pass that residents can use to prove they’ve been vaccinated or recently tested negative for infection. You can use your phone’s virtual wallet (on Android or iOS) or a printout to flash […]
Hulu’s Android TV app finally gets bumped from 720p to 1080p
Hulu’s Android TV apps can finally stream in 1080p on new Nvidia Shield TV set-top boxes and Sony Bravia TVs, as noted by users on Reddit, and written by 9to5Google Gizmodo says it could confirm that at least the 2019 Nvidia Shield and Bravia TVs received the 1080p bump on March 23, but the change […]
Netflix planning to launch 40 anime shows in 2021
Netflix will have a much larger anime collection to choose from by the end of this year. The streaming giant has announced at Tokyo’s AnimeJapan 2021 Expo that it’s launching around 40 anime shows and movies within the year, which is double the number of titles it released in 2020. Bloomberg reported, following the success of […]
Latest Apple iOS update fixes security flaw that’s already been exploited
Apple has released iOS 14.4 with security fixes for three vulnerabilities, said to be under active attack by hackers. The technology giant said in its security update pages for iOS and iPadOS 14.4 that the three bugs affecting iPhones and iPads “may have been actively exploited.” Details of the vulnerabilities are scarce, and an Apple […]
Razer is actually making its concept RGB face mask
Razer has announced it plans to manufacture and ship the concept N95 face mask it showed at CES 2021 in January. Razer has not announced a price or release plans for the mask, so far only known as Project Hazel, but CEO Min-Liang Tan said it will be coming to market in a recent interview. […]
SpaceX rocket debris creates a fantastic light show in the Pacific Northwest sky
A mysterious streak of lights dazzled the night sky over parts of Oregon and Washington, leaving stargazers wondering what the unusual sighting might be. After some people speculated that it was a meteor shower, the National Weather Service said it was more likely to be debris from a SpaceX rocket “that did not successfully have […]
Apple reportedly considering rugged Apple Watch for outdoor enthusiasts
Apple is reportedly considering another version of its wildly popular smartwatch, the Apple Watch. Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that executives have discussed the possibility of launching a hardened Watch variant later this year or in 2022 at the earliest. And it’s not the first time the idea has been considered. Back in […]
Samsung adds a podcast section to its free-entertainment app
Samsung has added a podcasts section to its Free app, which is where Samsung users can access a selection of complimentary TV shows, movies, games and news articles. The section, officially known as Samsung Podcasts, is rolling out to Galaxy S21, S20, Note 20, S10 and Note 10 devices. As long as you’re logged into […]
Competitively priced Motorola G100 and G50 offer 90Hz screens and 5,000mAh batteries
Motorola has unveiled the G100 and G50, two midrange phones headed first for European and Latin American markets. Both offer displays with fast 90Hz refresh rates for smooth scrolling and animations, 5G connectivity, and they embrace Motorola’s ethos of “more battery, more better” with huge 5,000mAh cells. The higher-end G100 is poised to compete with […]
Google is testing Memory, an upgrade for Assistant to ‘save and find everything’
Google is reportedly engaged on a brand new function for Assistant referred to as Reminiscence, a mix of a to-do checklist, a notes app, a Pocket-like studying checklist, and Pinterest-style assortment board right into a single overarching digital locker built-in into the broader Google Assistant app. 9to5Google first revealed the feature, which is presently in […]
The lower-cost OnePlus 9R is official
OnePlus event covered the high-end 9 and 9 Pro, but outside of that spotlight, the company has quietly revealed a smartly specced, less-expensive model: the OnePlus 9R. CEO Pete Lau confirmed last week that the 9R was on the way and would launch in India. It’s now listed on the company’s Indian website starting at […]
Microsoft starts testing complementary multiplayer for free-to-play games
As promised earlier in the year, Microsoft has started testing functionality that will allow Xbox users play multiplayer in free-to-play games without requiring an Xbox Live Gold subscription. Unfortunately, this testing is limited to Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip Ahead and Alpha rings today, so it’s still in pretty early testing and might not […]
LG’s brightest OLED TV ever starts at $2,200
LG today announced the pricing for its 2021 lineup of 4K OLED TVs. The most buzz-worthy part for home theater enthusiasts is the new G1 series, which includes LG’s new “OLED evo” panel with a brighter picture than any of the company’s past OLEDs. But the G1 doesn’t come cheap: it’s $2,199 for a 55-inch […]
Amazon delivery drivers have to consent to AI surveillance in their vans or lose their jobs
Working as an Amazon delivery driver is about to get a lot less private, that is, assuming drivers are willing to sign up to be monitored and tracked by the company using their biometric data. Amazon is requesting around 75,000 of its delivery drivers in the US to sign a new consent form, allowing the […]