Month: October 2020

Someone leaked the COVID hospitalization data taken from the CDC

Patrick October 31, 2020

Earlier this year, the federal government made a major change to how data on the pandemic is reported, taking the aggregation of hospital data away from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and shifting it into the CDC’s parent organization, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

At the time, there were worries that this represented an attempt to limit the public’s ability to see how bad the pandemic was—worries that were reinforced when the data was no longer made public as it came in. But some recent reporting indicated that the change

…

Apple ordered to pay VirnetX $502.8 million in patent trial

Patrick October 31, 2020

A jury in Texas has ruled that Apple has to pay VirnetX $502.8 million in royalties for VPN on Demand, a feature that lets iOS users access a VPN connection, Bloomberg reported. The two companies have been involved in a legal battle for ten years, with VirnetX— sometimes referred to as a patent troll — arguing that Apple’s VPN on Demand and FaceTime use its technology.

Apple said in a statement it plans to appeal the decision: “This case has been going on for over a decade, with patents that are unrelated to the core operations of our products

…

DJI Pocket 2 review: Better than the original

Patrick October 31, 2020

When the DJI Osmo Pocket launched in 2018, it quickly became one of my favorite gadgets. Its tiny size and powerful features make it an essential part of my gear bag. It allows me to get high-quality, ultra-smooth video with the same camera sensor found on a prosumer DJI drone.

Needless to say, I was super excited to get my hands on the follow-up for this DJI Pocket 2 review. DJI made a lot of substantial upgrades to the Pocket 2 compared to the original, and I couldn’t wait to put them to the test.

About this DJI Pocket

…

Tesla raises “full self-driving” price from $8,000 to $10,000

Patrick October 30, 2020
Enlarge / Interior of Tesla’s Model 3.

Tesla is wasting no time cashing in on excitement over the company’s forthcoming “full self-driving” software release, which was released in beta form to a small number of customers last week. Tesla has now raised the price of the FSD upgrade from $8,000 to $10,000.

Tesla has tinkered with pricing for the full self-driving package repeatedly over the last two years. In 2018, the package cost $3,000 at vehicle purchase time or $4,000 when purchased later. In 2019, Tesla briefly cut the price to $2,000, angering customers who had paid higher prices.

…

An easy choice for most people

Patrick October 30, 2020

The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is a minimalist machine meant for students and those with lightweight, everyday computing needs. It’s a simple device, but sometimes simple is what gets the job done. If you’re looking for an affordable, usable piece of hardware, the Spin 311 could be it.

We put this Chromebook through the wringer in the Android Authority Acer Chromebook Spin 311 review.

Acer Chromebook Spin 311 An easy choice for most people

If you need something simple to use around the house or give the kids, the Spin 311 makes a lot of sense.

About this Acer Chromebook

…

Samsung rolls out SmartThings Find globally for locating all your Galaxy gear

Patrick October 30, 2020

Samsung is rolling out a service to help Galaxy gadget owners find their gear when it goes missing. Called SmartThings Find, the feature extends the capabilities of Samsung’s Find My Mobile app by letting users locate not only their Samsung smartphones, but also any Galaxy brand tablets, smartwatches, and earbuds they also own.

SmartThings Find previously launched as a trial in the US, UK, and South Korea last month, but Samsung says the feature is now “ready for a global launch” (while also noting that access “may vary by market and carrier”).

Those uncertainties aside, we know SmartThings

…

Personalized strain and recovery on your wrist

Patrick October 29, 2020

NBA players use it. Professional skateboarders use it. CrossFitters use it. The Whoop Strap promises to go above and beyond what “normal” fitness trackers can do. You buy a Whoop Strap if you want to get an idea of how much you should be pushing your performance, and when you should be dialing things back.

I’ve spent over three weeks with the Whoop Strap 3.0 and I have a pretty good understanding of why it’s so popular among athletes — and why it may not be the training device everyone has been waiting for. This is Android Authority‘s full

…

Bethesda exec says an Xbox-exclusive Elder Scrolls is “hard to imagine”

Patrick October 29, 2020
Enlarge / Seriously, about all we really know about The Elder Scrolls VI at this point is that it will have mountains.

It has been over a month now since Microsoft announced it was spending $7.5 billion to purchase Bethesda Softworks via its parent company, Zenimax Media. But gamers and industry-watchers are still left with one burning question: what does this mean for the prospect of multi-console (i.e. non-Xbox) releases for future Bethesda games?

Bethesda’s Todd Howard, known for his directing and producing work on The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, isn’t quite ready to answer that question directly.

…

Subscribe US Now