Finally, a chocolate iPhone case that you can actually eat
You won't see it in a Black Friday sale, but this iPhone 11 case would surely be a hit with chocoholics if it was up for grabs. The case can be made in the time it takes for melted chocolate to set, but let’s be honest, it won’t save your phone from scrapes and drops. Should taste darn good, though.
Jony Ive can now design his own future as his Apple exit is made official
Apple revealed earlier this year that Jony Ive, its influential chief design officer, would be leaving the firm before the end of 2019. The removal of his profile from Apple’s leadership webpage this week means that the man who helped transform the company with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers is officially out.
Astrophotography: Google reveals how the Pixel 4 nails those night shots
Google’s astrophotography mode for the recently launched Pixel 4 phone helps you take potentially stunning shots of the night sky. In a blog post this week, those who built the powerful software shared some details on how the mode manages to capture the stars without shake or blur. Or hot pixels ...
Twitter pauses plan to clear its platform of inactive accounts
After it emerged earlier this week that Twitter would soon start deleting inactive accounts, some users contacted the company to raise a point that it realized it hadn't considered — how to deal with the accounts of users who have passed away. Twitter has now hit pause on the deletion process until it finds a solution.
Alexa can now show more emotion when your sports team loses
Alexa, Amazon's voice-activated digital assistant, can now express more emotion during interactions. The update also includes new speaking styles designed to create "a more natural and intuitive voice experience” for people that use the digital assistant, the company said this week.
Virtual reality goggles for dairy cows? Pull the udder one
Russian farmers are putting VR headsets on their cows to help improve milk production. It may sound like a load of bull, but apparently it really is part of an ongoing experiment. The modified headsets play visuals that simulate a “unique summer field,” helping to relax the cows so that they produce more milk.
FedEx’s autonomous delivery robot sent packing by New York City
FedEx's delivery robot only made a short trip as part of a promotion, but when New York City officials learned about the outing, they sent the machine packing. A cease-and-desist letter sent to the shipping giant warned of dire consequences if it rolled the robot onto the city’s streets again without prior permission.
Elon’s Cybertruck smash and more: The biggest on-stage screwups in tech history
It’s a brave person who steps onto a stage to show off a new piece of tech. When it goes wrong, it can go spectacularly wrong, leading the incident itself to become the star of the show.
Electric Citi Bikes is returning to New York City with a price shake-up
Following a seven-month absence over safety concerns, Citi Bike operator Motivate is about to start bringing new pedal-assist electric bikes back to the streets of New York City. The e-bikes were removed in April 2019 after some riders complained of harder-than-expected braking on the front wheel.
Elon Musk spills the beans on Tesla Cybertruck pre-order numbers
Tesla boss Elon Musk unveiled the extraordinary Cybertruck on Friday, paving the way for any interested buyer to drop a $100 pre-order deposit on the futuristic vehicle. And within 48 hours, more than 180,000 people had opened their wallets with the hope of receiving the electric pickup in the next couple of years.
Police arrest suspect in hack of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s account
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a hack in August that saw Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s own Twitter account compromised. The suspect is reportedly a former member of the Chuckling Squad, a hacking group known to use SIM swapping, the method by which Dorsey’s account was taken over.
T-Mobile hack may have affected around a million customers
Around a million T-Mobile customers have reportedly been caught up in a security breach in which hackers made off with customer information that includes name, billing address, phone number, account number. The hack comes just over a year after another one hit around 2 million T-Mobile customers.
Google’s Android bug bounty program announces a $1 million prize
Google has announced a potential top payment of $1M as part of its Android bug bounty program. Bug hunters are encouraged to search for a particular kind of security issue linked to the Pixel phone’s Titan M chip. Google’s Android bug bounty program started in 2015, with the single biggest payment so far worth $160K.
Watch this foldable drone get fired out of a cannon before flying away
Getting a drone off the ground is usually the most challenging part of a flight. Not so with SQUID, a quadcopter that you launch by firing it out of a cannon. A team of engineers in California is developing the design, with its unusual launch system giving it potential in a range of scenarios.
Google restricts targeting of political ads ahead of 2020 election
With scrutiny of major online platforms increasing ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Google has announced changes to the way it handles political advertising. It means that political campaigns will no longer be able to target ads based on a person's political leanings or data gleaned from public voting records.
Watch SpaceX’s Starship prototype blow its top during a ground test
SpaceX's Starship blew its top during a pressure test in Texas on Sunday. A nearby camera captured the dramatic incident, which wrecked Starship's upper section. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was quick to respond, confirming the team would continue with work on a more advanced version rather than rebuild the damaged one.
Kickstarter’s new budget tool could save projects from collapse
Crowdfunding site Kickstarter has launched a new tool called Project Budget that aims to provide valuable assistance to creators in the important early stages of their work. It’s hoped that a clearer plan as to how funds will be spent will also encourage more people to back projects on the site.
Bird offers free e-scooter rides in exchange for a certain kind of selfie
Bird is offering free rides on its electric scooters if you snap a selfie wearing a helmet at the end of a trip. It's part of the company’s ongoing efforts to promote more responsible use of its app-based service as regulators across the country continue to scrutinize their safety.
Macy’s confirms hackers stole customer data from its website
Macy's says a small number of people who shopped on its website in October 2019 may have had their data stolen by hackers. Customers are being advised to check their statements for suspicious activity. The stolen data includes name, home address, phone number, email address, and payment card number.
iOS update for iPhone squashes bugs in Mail, Notes, and Messages
Apple on Monday issued its seventh software update for the iPhone since the release of iOS 13. The latest release improves the handset's overall performance and squashes several bugs in Mail, Files, Notes, and Messages. iOS 13 is available for the iPhone 6S onward as well as the latest iPod Touch.
NASA invites SpaceX and Blue Origin to help with moon missions
NASA has given SpaceX and Blue Origin the green light to bid for contracts linked to its Artemis program, which is seeking to establish a sustainable presence on the moon with an eye on eventual missions to Mars. The two companies are among 14 vying to help take essential payloads to the moon starting in 2021.
Internet shut down in Iran in response to large-scale fuel protests
The "largest internet shutdown ever observed in Iran" is happening right now in response to ongoing protests sparked by a sudden rise in fuel prices late last week. The nationwide blackout appears to be an attempt by the Iranian government to prevent people from organizing protests and disseminating news of the unrest.
Google Maps puts Local Guides front and center for top travel tips
Google Maps is giving more prominence to its top Local Guides in a test designed to give travelers easier access to their suggestions for things to do and places to go. The pilot, which places the Guides in Maps' personalized For You section, begins in nine cities that include New York, San Francisco, and London.
Lyft is pulling its e-scooters from six cities and laying off workers
Lyft is removing its rentable electric scooters from six locations across the U.S. and laying off around 20 workers as it battles against a slew of competitors. The company, which launched its first scootersharing service in September 2018, will continue to offer its scooters to riders in around 12 cities.
Nissan recalls nearly 400,000 vehicles over fire danger
Nissan is recalling nearly 400,000 cars across four models over a brake fluid issue that in rare instances could lead to a fire. Affected owners will be contacted starting in December, though if the vehicle’s anti-lock brake system warning light remains on for more than 10 seconds, action should be taken now.
Google Search can now teach you how to pronounce tricky words
A new Google Search feature shows you how to pronounce difficult or unusual words. It’ll even offer feedback if you practice the pronunciation by speaking it into the microphone. It also offers the phonetic spelling of the word and an animation that shows you how to move your mouth when saying it.
Uber just got hit with a massive fine over how it classifies its drivers
New Jersey has slapped Uber with a $649M fine to cover the cost of unpaid employment taxes that it says result from the ridesharing company’s misclassification of its drivers. Uber describes them as independent contractors, which exempts it from having to offer various benefits enjoyed by regular company employees.
Hayabusa2 spacecraft begins long journey home laden with asteroid samples
Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft is on its way home following a successful 17-month rendezvous with the Ryugu asteroid some 200 million miles from Earth. And there’s a good reason for it coming back as it’s carrying with it the first-ever rock samples collected from the subsurface of an asteroid.
SpaceX conducted a key Crew Dragon engine test — and it didn’t blow up!
The last time SpaceX tested the launch abort system on its Crew Dragon capsule, there was an almighty explosion. This time around, it appeared to go much better. Wednesday’s apparent success takes SpaceX another step closer to a manned test of the Crew Dragon, which could soon be taking astronauts to the ISS.
DJI has built an app that lets anyone track nearby drones
DJI plans to release an app that lets anyone track and identify quadcopters and similar machines that are flying nearby. It would also show the drone’s altitude, speed, travel direction, and pilot location. DJI said the aim is to offer an easy way to monitor drones “for enhanced safety, security, and peace of mind.”
Twinkle, twinkle, little satellite: SpaceX’s Starlink project worries astronomers
The sight of SpaceX's Starlink satellites trailing across the sky may be spectacular to some, but astronomers fear that plans to deploy tens of thousands of them could seriously hinder their work. SpaceX is one of several outfits aiming to beam broadband internet services to underserved communities around the world.