Facebook is rolling out a suite of new products to expand its capabilities in video chat. On Friday, it announced Messenger Rooms, a tool for starting virtual hangouts with up to 50 people and allowing friends to drop in on you whenever they like. It’s also doubling the capacity of video calls on WhatsApp from […]
Friday, Google and Apple joined together for an ambitious emergency project, laying out a new protocol for tracking the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. It’s an urgent, complex project, with huge implications for privacy and public health. Similar projects have been successful in Singapore and other countries, but it remains to be seen whether US public health […]
In the absence of, well, any available professional sports to air on its network, on Sunday ESPN turned to NBA 2K, Madden NFL 20, and Rocket League tournaments, 12 hours to be exact, to fill the void. “ESPN Esports Day” is a marathon of live events and taped esports coverage that aired on ESPN2 over […]
Life looks very different right now as the novel coronavirus has millions around the world stuck indoors. Festivals, clubs, and even house parties are banned in many cities, leaving musicians (and music lovers) housebound and searching for creative outlets. Over the past few weeks, several music companies have responded by offering freebies in order to, […]
Google has banned the Infowars Android app from the Google Play store, the company confirmed to Wired on Friday. The app was apparently removed because of a video posted by radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that, according to Wired, “disputed the need for social distancing, shelter in place, and quarantine efforts meant to […]
COVID-19 has affected the clothing rental market. While Rent the Runway will still conduct business as usual online, the company sent an email out to its customers this weekend to announce the temporary closures of all of its brick-and-mortar locations. Rent the Runway’s retail stores closed at the end of business on March 15, […]
Sony has issued an update to clarify its stance on backwards compatibility for the PlayStation 5, saying the upcoming console will support an “overwhelming majority” of the 4,000-plus existing PS4 titles. Prior to the update, The Verge reported that Sony’s Mark Cerny, the system architect for the PS5 who detailed its full hardware specifications in […]
Google is slowly but steadily opening its Stadia cloud gaming service to more interested customers, with a new promotion starting this month that offers three months of its Stadia Pro subscription to owners of Chromecast Ultra devices. It’s not required that you buy a new device. Rather, you just have to opt to receive promotional […]
Starbucks is temporarily restricting the use of reusable, personal mugs in stores because of the coronavirus, the company announced last week. In an open letter posted on the company’s website, executive Vice President Rossann Williams wrote that the company has “taken a series of precautionary steps in response to this emerging public health impact.” “Our focus […]
Starbucks is temporarily restricting the use of reusable, personal mugs in stores because of the coronavirus, the company announced last week. In an open letter posted on the company’s website, executive Vice President Rossann Williams wrote that the company has “taken a series of precautionary steps in response to this emerging public health impact.” “Our focus […]