Netflix’s latest mobile game raises awareness for drinking water scarcity

Netflix is now using its growing mobile game collection to support a good cause. The streaming service has launched three Android and iOS games headlined by This Is A True Story, a game meant to raise awareness about the lack of safe drinking water. The team-up between Frosty Pop and Charity:Water is an educational RPG that challenges you walk miles in sub-Saharan Africa to find water while dealing with poachers, windstorms and other hazards. It’s a frank commentary on a dire state of affairs (771 million people don’t have access to clean water), although the hand-painted backdrops might keep you coming back after you understand the message.

The other games are less poignant, but may still be worth a try. Pik Pok has unveiled both Into the Dead 2: Unleashed, a sequel to its endless runner/shooter hybrid, as well as Shatter Remastered, a modernization of its brick-breaker/shoot-em-up crossover for the PS3.

All three games should be available on Android and iOS today (March 22nd) at 1PM Eastern. As with other Netflix games, the latest selection is ‘free’ once you’ve signed in with your account. These releases probably won’t convince you to sign up for Netflix. However, This Is A True Story might just use Netflix’s size to reach a large audience.

Maserati’s first electric SUV is the Grecale Folgore

Maserati is already following the reveal of an electric GranTurismo with another, decidedly more practical model. The trident badge has introduced its first electric SUV, a Folgore edition of its upcoming Grecale crossover. While the company didn’t share many technical details, it promised a familiar 400-volt architecture (not like the speedier 800V of the Porsche Taycan or Hyundai Ioniq 5) and previously indicated it wouldn’t share a platform with other Stellantis EVs. The Vergenotes Maserati will instead use a modified take on the platform from Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio SUV.

The in-cabin tech also represents an upgrade for Maserati. The Grecale Folgore and its siblings will include a digital instrument cluster (a first for the brand), a 12.3-inch main center screen and an 8.8-inch sub-screen for extra controls. Passengers will have their own touchscreen, too. You can also expect a 3D sound system with 14 speakers standard and 21 available as an upgrade.

The Grecale Folgore is due in 2023 alongside two “mild hybrid” variants, the 300HP GT and 330HP Modena, as well as a gas-only Trofeo with the 530HP V6 from the MC20. The price of the Folgore wasn’t available, but the GT will start the line at $63,500.

This and the GranTurismo aren’t Maserati’s only EVs. The automaker also plans electric versions of all its models by 2025, including the GranCabriolet convertible, Levante SUV, MC20 Spyder sports car and Quattroporte sedan. While Maserati won’t completely drop combustion engines until 2030, the marque’s role is clear — it’s becoming the vanguard for Stellantis’ upscale EV efforts.

Akai’s third-gen MPK Mini Play keyboard offers a better feel and all-day battery life

Akai’s MPK Mini Play keyboard has a reputation as a solid portable music-making machine (Akai claims it’s the best-selling mini keyboard), and the company appears keen to make the most of that perception. The brand has introduced an MPK Mini Play Mk3 that upgrades both the feel and longevity. You’ll find a new keybed with greater “dynamic” performance and more accurate velocity response, while the eight drum pads are now true velocity-sensitive MPC units. You can lean more on the Mk3 as a serious production tool, then.

The four-battery design (the original used three) also promises a long 14-plus hours of playing to help with all-day creative sessions, and a larger speaker with better low-end output will help when you’d rather not plug in headphones. You’ll find 100 built-in drum and instrument sounds, four customizable knobs and an equally flexible joystick. Akai includes its MPC Beats software to help you get started, but the new MPK Mini Play should work with any digital audio workstation that supports USB-based MIDI controllers.

The MPK Mini Play Mk3 sells for $150. That’s about $20 more than the original, but it should still be easy to justify if you’re either new to music production or want a compact keyboard for live gigs or on-the-spot composition.

SpaceX aims to send Starship into orbit in May

SpaceX’s long-delayed Starship orbital test flight might finally be close. As CNBCnotes, Elon Musk now believes SpaceX will launch Starship into orbit this May. The company plans to have 39 “flightworthy” engines ready by April, and will take about a month to integrate them.

The launch will depend on the newer Raptor 2 engines as they’re “much more capable” and reliable than the older models, according to Musk. SpaceX started producing Raptor 2 in December 2021 and says the design costs half as much as its predecessor while delivering more power and using fewer parts. They’re expected to power both Starship and its Super Heavy booster, and should be key to SpaceX’s plans for both the Moon and Mars.

The launch hinges on more than just technical progress, however. SpaceX still needs an FAA license for the flight, and will finish an important environmental review on March 28th. Any regulatory flags could stall the launch.

We wouldn’t count on SpaceX holding to the May target regardless of the FAA’s decisions. The company was discussing the prospects of a Starship orbital flight last year, and SpaceX is sometimes optimistic about its timelines — just ask enthusiasts who spent years waiting for a Falcon Heavy flight. Still, there are now enough ingredients in place that liftoff might be several weeks away, not several months.

GM starts producing the Cadlllac Lyriq EV ahead of schedule

It’s all too common for electric vehicle makers to delay releases, but GM claims it’s bucking the trend. The company says it has started production of the Cadillac Lyriq at its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant about nine months ahead of the initial schedule. GM didn’t say how many of the sold-out reservations for the luxury crossover translated to real purchases, but it will take more orders for the Lyriq starting May 19th. The EV is due to reach dealers in the first half of the year.

The Lyric is Cadillac’s first EV, and the first passenger vehicle to use GM’s Ultium platform beyond the Hummer EV. It won’t be as brawny as the Hummer with its estimate 340HP motor system, but it’s expected to net 300-plus miles of range and 190kW fast charging at compatible stations. You can also anticipate plenty of tech, including a 33-inch OLED screen and Super Cruise hands-free highway driving. More importantly, the Lyriq will start at $59,990 — still not cheap, but it’s far more affordable than the $79,995 minimum you’ll pay for the Hummer.

The Lyriq doesn’t quite represent the next generation of mainstream GM EVs. For that, you’ll have to wait until Chevy’s electric Silverado ($39,900) and Equinox (roughly $30,000). It does serve as a bridge between the Hummer and more affordable models, though, and it’s certainly easier to justify for those that don’t need the Hummer’s off-roading abilities.

Apple service outages affect App Store, Maps and more (updated)

Notice Apple that several Apple services are unavailable? You’re not alone. As Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman notes, Apple’s system status page indicates outages across several major services, including the App Store, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, on-device AppleCare, Find My, the iTunes Store, Maps and radio. The alerts note that some users are affected, and that problems may be “intermittent” (the App Store) or lead to slowdowns. We’ve asked Apple for comment.

Apple appears to be recovering. Gurman initially observed problems with the Podcasts app as well as school- and work-oriented services like Apple Business Manager and Schoolwork. Those products had come back online as of this writing, however, and Apple also marked iOS device activation as a “resolved outage.” Corporate and retail systems were reportedly down and have started bouncing back.

This isn’t the first time Apple has dealt with a significant service outage, and it isn’t as severe as in the past. The company grappled with multipleoutages in late 2020, including one on Christmas that may have stemmed from a flood of new users. Still, this isn’t exactly thrilling if you need to grab an app or navigate to a mid-day meeting.

Update 3/21 3:45PM ET: Apple now says all the outages have been resolved, including one with Fitness+ that surfaced after initial reports.

Ford’s F-150 Lightning will offer an EPA-rated 320 miles of range (updated)

Ford was slightly conservative with its initial range estimates for the F-150 Lightning. The automaker has shared final EPA range estimates for its electric pickup truck, and the Extended Range variants of the XLT, Lariat and fleet-only Pro offer up to 320 miles of driving, or 20 more than the original targets. The standard-range XLT, Lariat and Pro trucks still provide the 230 miles Ford first claimed, although Lightning Platinum buyers will be happy to know they’ll get an estimated 300 miles instead of the previously promised 280.

It’s unclear if these definitive EPA ranges factor cargo into the performance. Ford told YouTube personality Marques Brownlee last year that its estimates included a 1,000-pound payload, which would lead to considerably longer ranges in everyday driving. We’ve asked Ford if this factor is still present today, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Ford was just as cautious as before. Cargo significantly affects EV range, and the company might not want to oversell the F-150 Lightning to workers counting on that heavy-duty capability.

The F-150 Lightning will reach customers later this spring, with prices starting under $40,000 for fleet models. Provided the range claims hold up in real-world use, they’ll help Ford compete against rivals like the Chevy Silverado EV and Rivian R1T. The potential surplus battery power should also be helpful for charging work equipment, other Lightning trucks and even entire homes.

Update 3/21 2:22PM ET: Ford tells Engadget that the final EPA range numbers don’t include a payload. You’ll have to account for weight when you’re planning routes, then.

LG’s 2022 OLED TVs are available now

LG is starting to ship the OLED TVs it launched at CES 2022, and it’s mostly good news — though you may have to be patient depending on the model you want. The company is selling multiple B2, C2 (pictured) and G2 Gallery Edition sets though its website this month, with pricing that isn’t too far from what you paid for last year’s models. The B2 variants currently on offer range from a $1,499 55-inch version through to a $3,299 77-inch edition. The C2s you can buy vary from a $1,499 48-inch screen through to a $3,499 77-inch set, while the G2 is available in 65-inch ($2,999) and 77-inch ($3,999) flavors. Third-party dealers will carry the new models starting in April.

Both the most affordable and priciest sets will take longer to reach your living room. The $1,399 42-inch C2 won’t arrive until May, and neither the entry-level A2 nor the gargantuan 97-inch G2 have received prices or release dates. The 83-inch C2 ($5,499), 55-inch G2 ($2,199) and 83-inch G2 ($6,499) ship in April. You’ll also have to wait until April for the Z2 series 8K OLED sets, although the 77- and 88-inch sets’ respective $12,999 and $24,999 prices will rule them out for most viewers.

The 2022 LG OLED TVs are iterative upgrades. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. C2 models use the brighter “evo” panels that first appeared in 2021. The C2, G2 and Z2 are the first sets to support Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail to improve HDR output, and they use a new Alpha 9 Gen 5 chip that promises better luminance, tone mapping and virtual 7.1.2 surround sound. WebOS 22 adds helpful features like user profiles and content mirroring on a second TV. B2 buyers will have to ‘settle’ for an Alpha 7 Gen 5 chip with more limited audiovisual processing and virtual 5.1.2-channel sound.

The launch details come just days after Samsung outlined pricing for 2022 TVs that include a long-awaited OLED set, the $2,200 S95B. LG might not be too worried about short-term competition given the sheer variety of OLED TVs it sells, but Samsung is clearly gunning for some of that audience.

DJI’s latest work drone can fly autonomously in harsh weather (updated)

You might soon see DJI’s drones flying in particularly rough conditions. DJI has unveiled the Matrice 30 (aka M30), an enterprise-class drone with IP55 dust and water resistance that lets it fly in heavy rain, strong wind and even icy situations. It can fly to altitudes as high as 22,965ft above sea level (with the right propellers) and survive temperatures between -4F and 122F, too. Even the included RC Plus controller can handle a downpour thanks to an IP54-rated body.

The M30 can also fold with a button press. The self-heating battery lasts for 41 minutes, but the charging case can bring the drone from 20 percent to 90 percent in 30 minutes.

DJI’s robotic flier will also require little human intervention in some cases. A variant of the M30 will support an upcoming DJI Dock that, like other drone stations, lets the aircraft fly programmed routes and autonomously land to recharge between rounds. You can remotely monitor work sites from the air in areas where beyond-line-of-sight drone use is allowed, in other words. The dock is dust- and water-resistant, includes its own weather station and has both a battery backup and 4G dongle support to keep it running.

DJI is taking orders for the M30 today through a contact form. The dock will be available sometime in the fourth quarter of 2022, and M300 RTK drone owners can also buy a new Zenmuse H20N sensor with “starlight-grade” night vision. There’s no mention of pricing, but it’s safe to assume individual drone enthusiasts aren’t the target market. This is for companies that have the need and budget to fly drones on a regular basis.

Update 3/21 12:05PM ET: The base M30 starts at $9,999 with remote, two batteries, the charging case and a storage case. An M30T with a thermal camera starts at $13,999.

Windows 11 will add a watermark if you use unsupported hardware

Microsoft isn’t just reserving watermarks for unactivated or bootlegged Windows copies. The Verge has learned that the most recent Windows 11 Release Preview build (22000.588) applies a watermark to the desktop if you use a workaround to run the operating system on unsupported hardware. Try it and you’ll see a “system requirements not met” notice that asks you to visit settings to learn more. There don’t appear to be any feature limitations, however.

The company started testing the watermark in rough Windows 11 builds released in February. Its inclusion in the Release Preview indicates Microsoft is ready to bring the alert to a completed software update in the near future.

Windows 11 officially requires either an 8th-generation Intel Core CPU or an AMD chip based on a Zen+ or Zen 2 architecture. Many believe the cutoff is arbitrary, and have used a Microsoft-sanctioned registry tweak to bypass a CPU check and install the OS without a rejection message. Microsoft has warned it might not provide updates to these PCs, but the software should still work.

In practice, a purely cosmetic mark like this is more a disclaimer than a deterrent — it’s a reminder that Microsoft won’t help you if the software misbehaves on an unsupported machine. If you’re comfortable bypassing the CPU check in the first place, you can likely remove the watermark as well. Still, this might prove annoying if you’ve been running Windows 11 on an out-of-spec PC without hassles.