Google Photos makes it easier to import and organize your pics

Over the next few weeks, Google is rolling out new features for the Photos app that could make the daunting task of organizing shots you’ve taken over the years feel more achievable. To start with, the tech giant is updating the app’s layout so that you can display groups of photos as a grid or a list that you can filter by type, namely albums, shared albums, favorites and on-device folders. Then, at the bottom menu, you’ll find a new “import photos” section that will help you transfer photos from other services, such as Facebook and iCloud. 

The new feature will also make easier to copy files from a camera, as well as to digitize old images and videos. Plus, it has a function to help you scan physical images with your phone. If you’re on Android, you’ll find more defined sections marked as partner sharing, shared albums and conversations under the sharing tab starting this week, as well. The sections will make their way to the iOS app in the near future.

Another update that could make organizing your images much more doable is the option to exclude your own device folder from backups. If you have a Pixel or another Android device that saves screenshots in that folder, that means you don’t have to wade through snapshots of random things you found online or of bank and other payment transactions. 

Google will soon add a shortcut for screenshots at the top of the main photo grid to take you right to them in case you choose not to back up your device folder. And soon, you’ll also see a carousel of contextual suggestions to copy text, crop and search using Google Lens whenever you view a screenshot. 

Elon Musk’s Starlink is raising prices

It feels like the price of most things has increased lately — that’s the rub with inflation. While many Americans who have experienced the rollercoaster of capitalism before have some familiarity with cost instability around staples like food and gas, inflation, SpaceX claims, is also behind some upcoming changes to its satellite internet provider, Starlink. 

“Due to excessive levels of inflation, the price of the Starlink kit is increasing from $499 to $549 for deposit holders, and $599 for all new orders, effective today,” an email forwarded to Engadget states. “In addition, the Starlink monthly service price will increase from $99 to $110. The new price will apply to your subscription on 4/22/2022.” 

The email reminds customers that, within their first year they can cancel and receive “a partial refund of $200,” or a full refund if their equipment was received within the last 30 days. Several other customers have posted identical emails on Twitter, though the company has yet to respond to our request for confirmation, and for further details. We’ll update if we hear back.

Line 6 overhauls its legendary delay pedal with the DL4 MkII

If you’re a guitarist, you almost certainly have heard of Line 6 — the company is well-known for building gear like amp and effects modelers, digital tools that can convincingly re-create a vast array of classic sounds. One of its most iconic products is undoubtedly the Line 6 DL4, a pedal that digitally emulates more than a dozen classic delay and echo tones and also includes a looper that lets musicians quickly record and repeat a phrase on the fly. Guitar World said that the DL4 “marked a significant leap forward in the effects world, and was one of the very first multi-function digital effects processors to be released.”

Today, Line 6 announced that the DL4 was getting a sequel. The DL4 MkII is a total redesign that has the same essence as the original in a smaller package: it combines a wide variety of different delay / echo effects and a looper. This time out, though, Line 6 added 15 more delays to go along with the 15 options from the original pedal. As before, you select an effect with the left-most dial, and then adjust its settings with the rest of the dials; once you have it set up the way you want, you can save three different presets, which are accessible using the left three foot switches. The fourth switch lets you tap out the tempo for your delay. 

Another crucial part of the DL4 was the looper feature, and it is getting a major upgrade on the MkII. While the original DL4 could only record 14 seconds of audio, the MkII can save up to 120 seconds in stereo or 240 seconds in mono. For players who want even more, you can pop in an SD card — Line 6 doesn’t say what kind of time limits you’ll run into when using an SD card, but it should far exceed what you can do with the build-in storage. There’s also a new looper mode where you can activate it with the fourth foot switch, rather than dialing the pedal in to looper mode (which traditionally uses all four switches to give you more granular control over recording and playback). The DL4 MkII also includes a microphone input for the first time, so that vocalists can take better advantage of the pedal’s looping features.

There are a few other new features on board here, like the ability to add both an expression pedal and external footswitch for more customization, but the biggest highlights here are probably the new delay effects and improved looper. For this, Line 6 is asking $50 more than the original; the DL4 MkII costs $299. Chances are good that loads of guitarists and other musicians will find the premium more than worth it, especially if they’ve been bumping up on the limits of that old 14-second looper. The DL4 MkII is up for pre-order now, but there’s no word on exactly how fast these new pedals will ship.

Annoyingly, the Mac Studio’s software lock prevents SSD upgrades

The dream of an upgradeable Mac Studio is dead – at least for the time being. If you follow Apple blogs, you probably saw that over the weekend teardowns of the company’s latest desktop computer showed that it features SSD storage that isn’t soldered down to its main logic board. That led some to believe that it would be possible for Mac Studio owners to upgrade the computer on their own. However, those hopes have now been dashed.

YouTuber Luke Miani conducted a test to see if he could upgrade the Mac Studio’s storage. To do so, he took one unit and wiped its SSD so that he could then transfer the drive to an open SSD slot on a second machine. The secondary Mac Studio recognized the drive, but no matter what Miani did, the computer would not boot with the component installed in it. The Mac Studio’s only response was to use its status LED to send out an SOS call. All of that suggests Apple has programmed the Mac Studio not to accept replacement SSDs.

That’s not necessarily surprising. On its website, Apple states, “Mac Studio storage is not user accessible,” and the company recommends customers configure the computer with enough storage to meet their needs when they buy it. MacRumors suggests the purpose of the Mac Studio’s SSD slots is to allow certified technicians to replace nonfunctioning drives. Presumably, they’ll have access to tools that will allow them to bypass the company’s software lock. As the website also notes, it’s possible Apple may at some point allow people to replace the SSD in their Mac Studio on their own by selling storage upgrade kits, much like it started doing with the Mac Pro in mid-2020. Until then, it’s a shame a machine that costs so much doesn’t offer some form of upgradability.

Uber is ditching the ‘split fare’ feature in April

The Uber app will lose the “split fare” option in April as the company attempts to build a better system for sharing the cost of a ride. A replacement feature should roll out within the next few months, according to an Uber spokesperson.

Uber riders in the UK received an email this week alerting them of the shutdown, as spotted by Mashable. A spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the feature is on its way out.

“We are in the process of reworking how riders split fares and the feature will be temporarily removed from the Uber app next month,” they said. “We know this is a popular feature, so rest assured that we are planning to roll out a new, improved version in the coming months.”

This change eliminates the ability to split the cost of a ride within the Uber app itself, but it doesn’t stop you from using Venmo, Cash App or other services to make things equal. The original email to UK Uber customers said the “split fare” feature would be discontinued on March 21st, but it’s definitely sticking around until April, the company clarified.

Apple settles voice over LTE patent dispute with WiLAN

Following years of litigation, Canadian “patent monetization” firm WiLAN has signed a licensing agreement with Apple. With the deal, the two companies have settled all court cases that were ongoing between them in the US, Canada and Germany related to …

Bipartisan bill would expand US data collection transparency requirements

A bipartisan group of legislators today introduced bills in the House and Senate that would expand transparency requirements when it comes to government surveillance of US citizens, adding email, text, location and cloud data to the existing reporting framework. Currently, the US government is required to alert Americans who have been targeted by wiretaps and bank record subpoenas, but this doesn’t apply to digital or cloud data. The Government Surveillance Transparency Act aims to adjust the parameters of this rule, expanding it to cover more common, modern forms of digital communication and data storage.

The Senate bill is sponsored by Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden, Montana Republican Steve Daines, New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker and Utah Republican Mike Lee, while a companion bill in the House of Representatives is backed by California Democrat Ted Lieu and Ohio Republican Warren Davidson. They argue that hundreds of thousands of criminal surveillance orders from US authorities go unreported each year, keeping Americans in the dark about the broad scope of government monitoring programs.

The bill also addresses the government’s use of gag orders to halt technology companies from informing their customers of surveillance campaigns. While many tech companies have tried voluntarily reporting government subpoenas and data requests to their customers, authorities have used gag orders to keep these campaigns secret, according to the legislators.

“When the government obtains someone’s emails or other digital information, users have a right to know,” Wyden said in a press release. “Our bill ensures that no investigation will be compromised, but makes sure the government can’t hide surveillance forever by misusing sealing and gag orders to prevent the American people from understanding the enormous scale of government surveillance, as well as ensuring that the targets eventually learn their personal information has been searched.”

Alongside reforms to notification requirements and the gag-order process, the legislation would force authorities to publish online general information about every surveillance order they complete. It also would require law enforcement to notify the courts if they search the wrong person, house or device in the scope of an investigation, and also if a company shares unauthorized information.

Zoom’s new animal avatars are like Animoji for meetings

You’re probably more than a little tired of video meetings at this (hopefully late) stage of the pandemic, but Zoom thinks it can inject some life into them. The company has introduced avatars that replace your head with a 3D character that mimics your facial expressions — effectively, it’s Apple’s Animoji for virtual offices and classrooms. Only animals like cats, dogs and foxes are available for now, but Zoom is teasing more avatars in the future.

You’ll need Zoom 5.10.0 or later on iOS, Mac and Windows devices. The company stressed that this doesn’t use facial recognition. The software is just looking for the presence of a face, not yours in particular.

It won’t be surprising if the novelty wears out quickly, as it has for Animoji and other digital stand-ins. However, Zoom suggests avatars could be practical in some cases. Avatars let you avoid showing your real face on camera without removing all facial expressions, the company said. This might also be useful for teachers and pediatric doctors wanting to lift the moods of children. If nothing else, they could provide some much-needed silliness in the middle of a dull business seminar.

Nintendo is winding down ‘Dragalia Lost,’ its first original mobile game

Nintendo’s first foray into original mobile games is coming to an end. As Polygonreports, Nintendo and developer Cygames are gradually shutting down the gacha fantasy RPG Dragalia Lost. The last big content update arrives March 31st, when new characters come to the game. After that, the producers won’t provide new content updates apart from those for “certain quests” and the main story, which wraps up in July.

Dragalia Lost itself will shut down at an unspecified “later date” following the core campaign’s end. There will still be “summon showcases” and event revivals until the full shutdown, the companies said.

The companies didn’t explain the decision. Dragalia Lost wasn’t strictly a failure. Sensor Tower estimated the game earned $146 million in revenue by October 2020, roughly two years after launch. It also had 3.9 million installs across Android and iOS, and in 2019 had made more money than every Nintendo mobile game beyond Fire Emblem Heroes. Dr. Mario Worldshut down sooner, in November.

The title has lately faced stiff competition from heavyweights like Genshin Impact, however. And as Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad observed, Nintendo hasn’t exactly been rushing to expand its mobile catalog — the only release in the past two years was the licensed Niantic game Pikmin Bloom. Nintendo may be consolidating around adaptations of well-known franchises, such as Super Mario Run and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.