The Verge
Samsung regains top smartphone vendor spot as Xiaomi overtakes Apple
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Samsung is back on top as the world’s biggest smartphone vendor one quarter after losing its spot to Huawei, according to reports from IDC, Counterpoint, and Canalys. The news comes just as Samsung posted its highest quarterly revenue figures ever, which the company said was helped by a boost in demand for smartphones. Huawei became the number one vendor for the first time three months ago, benefiting from Read more…
Life Hacker
Which Streaming Apps Won’t Work With the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 at Launch?
Ever since Sony put a DVD player in the PlayStation 2, video game consoles have been expected to pull double duty as gaming systems and entertainment devices. These days, many of us use our PlayStations, Xboxes, and Nintendo Switches to stream TV, movies, and music when we’re not using them to play games. The upcoming… Read more…
The Next Web
Netflix just made its best two plans a bit more expensive
You’ll soon have to spend a few more Washingtons to watch your favorite Netflix content in the US. The standard plan — HD resolution, with up to two simultaneous streams — is going up from $13 a month to $14 a month. If you’re fancy and use the premium 4K tier, you’ll now have to pay $18 instead of $16. The basic 480p tier’s pricing remains the same, at $9 a month. The price hike Read more…
Gizmodo
Two Ohio Republicans Plead Guilty in Alleged $60 Million Bribery Scandal for Coal and Nuclear Bailout
Two of the five Republicans arrested on corruption charges involving former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder pleaded guilty on Thursday to racketeering. They’re the first to be convicted in the alleged $60 million federal corruption scandal, which federal prosecutors are already calling one of the largest… Read more…
The Verge
Google is bringing its own VPN to desktops and phones with $9.99 Google One subscription
There are any number of VPN services you can use to help protect your privacy and security with an encrypted internet connection, and now Google has its own. Well, technically, it already did, but only for Google Fi cellular subscribers on Android smartphones. Now, the company’s announcing it’ll throw in an Android-based VPN free of charge to any 2TB Google One cloud storage subscriber in the US — and will expand to iOS, Windows and Read more…
The Verge
Lil Yachty’s Quibi show is the first to find a life raft
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Remember Quibi, short-lived media company and purveyor of bizarre shows like Murder House Flip and a horror anthology featuring a golden arm? It’s only been a little over a week since the mobile-first, shortform streamer announced it was shuttering, but already the first of its unreleased shows has found a new home: Lil Yachty’s dramedy, Public Figures, is headed to HBO Max. It seems pieces of Quibi might Read more…
The Next Web
How to change your Messenger background and emoji
Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. Facebook recently announced an overhaul to Messenger, which includes several new visual elements. One of them is the addition of new themes, which change the background and emoji of each of your Messenger chats. Here’s how to change to one of the new ones. Messenger has a handful of themes Read more…
Gizmodo
Disney Made a Skinless Robot That Can Realistically Stare Directly Into Your Soul
One of the obvious giveaways that you’re interacting with a robot is their blank dead-eyed stare. The eyes don’t connect with yours the way they would if they were, you know, human. A research team at Disney is trying to fix that using subtle head motions and eye movements that make the robot seem more lifelike… Read more…
The Verge
PlayStation CEO says VR won’t be a ‘meaningful’ part of gaming for years
Photo: Sony Sony PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says virtual reality won’t be a meaningful part of interactive entertainment in the near future. Ryan indicated to The Washington Post that VR still has a long way to go, although he emphasized that Sony isn’t giving up on the medium. The statement suggests that an update to Sony’s PlayStation VR headset is years away. “I think we’re more than a few minutes from the future of VR,” Read more…
The Verge
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe successfully stores small sample of asteroid rocks in its belly
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully stored a small cache of rocks that it grabbed from the surface of an asteroid named Bennu last week, sealing the pebbles inside the vehicle’s belly. The asteroid particles will now remain inside the spacecraft over the next three years, as OSIRIS-REx makes its way back to Earth. OSIRIS-REx grabbed the sample on October 20th of last week, more than four years after launching from Earth on its mission to Read more…
