Technology and News Today
ZTE Blade 11 Prime review: wireless charging for under $200 Allison Johnson The ZTE Blade 11 Prime offers one standout feature in a field of largely similar sub-$200 phones: wireless charging. In the smartphone trickle-down economy, wireless charging is basically guaranteed on any flagship-level phone, but it’s still hit-and-miss among midrange phones and all but…
First in Flight: NASA Just Proved Flying on Mars Is Possible–Next Up Is the Solar System Jonathan O’Callaghan Picture the scene: A small drone the size of a suitcase descends into a dark Martian crevasse—perhaps a lava tube that was formed billions of years ago by volcanic activity on the Red Planet. The drone illuminates…
In Epic v Apple, everybody is losing at the game of defining games Elizabeth Lopatto If you have ever wanted to see a bunch of mumbly nerds struggle to define what constitutes a “game,” well, is Epic v. Apple the trial for you! What is the difference between an “app” and a “game?” This sounds…
Google Stadia has figured out a way to ditch the fancy gamepad for TV play Sean Hollister Today, there’s only one official way to play Google’s Stadia game streaming service on your 4K TV — the last-gen Chromecast Ultra, connected to the company’s proprietary Stadia Controller over Wi-Fi. That’s because Google hasn’t yet brought Stadia…
Google childcare workers ask for commute stipend in new petition Zoe Schiffer More than 200 Alphabet employees have signed a petition from Google childcare workers asking for a commute stipend. The petition calls for workers to be given an extra $1,500 per month to help pay for ride-shares, car rentals, or other transportation costs. Google…
Google’s Nest Mini is only $19 at Adorama Brandon Widder Whether you’ve fully committed to the smart home ecosystem or are just dabbling in the space for the first time, picking up a smart speaker is a no-brainer for most people. If you haven’t yet grabbed an Amazon or Google smart speaker, however, Adorama is…
Failure of Genetic Therapies for Huntington’s Devastates Community Diana Kwon, Nature magazine Two pharmaceutical companies have halted clinical trials of gene-targeting therapies for Huntington’s disease (HD), following the drugs’ disappointing performance. Researchers had hoped that the treatments—known as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)—would be a game changer for HD, an incurable genetic condition that affects…
Coronavirus News Roundup, May 1–May 7 Robin Lloyd The items below are highlights from the free newsletter, “Smart, useful, science stuff about COVID-19.” To receive newsletter issues daily in your inbox, sign up here. A 5/5/21 post by Katelyn Jetelina at her site Your Local Epidemiologist lays out the case for getting a…
Google Assistant will sing you a song about getting vaccinated Mitchell Clark Many of us are excited that COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available in the US, and it seems like Google Assistant is joining in. In fact, it’s got a song to share about it (via Android Police). You can listen to the song…
Carbon Capture Technologies Are Improving Nicely John Fialka, E&E News The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is known for its far-reaching array of experiments. It’s now wrestling with what may be its toughest one: how to stimulate the technologies for three new industries to capture, transport and store the climate-changing emissions of fossil…