June is fast approaching, which means it’s almost time for Apple to hold this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference. The company has announced that its WWDC 2022 event will be held between June 6th and June 10th. The conference itself will be virtual, but there will be a limited opportunity to watch the keynote and State of the Union videos in-person at Apple Park on June 6th.
The last twoWWDC events were online-only and free for everyone due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple is gradually returning to in-person activities and will require corporate staff to work from the office at least one day per week by mid-April. Google I/O will go ahead in April with limited in-person attendance from employees and some partners.
Unless Apple changes the script dramatically at WWDC this year, we should get our first proper looks at iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16 and whatever the next version of macOS is called. There’s always the possibility Apple will show off some new hardware. It hasn’t done so at WWDC since 2019, when it revealed the third-gen Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR. We could also learn more about Apple’s next-gen silicon chips, a few months after it announced the M1 Ultra.
With road trip season about to commence, Google Maps is getting an update that should help make vacation planning a bit easier thanks to enhanced details and a new feature that will calculate estimated toll prices.
Previously, while Google Maps could tell you which routes had tolls or not, you didn’t get much info beyond that. But now, in an update rolling out later this month that will cover more than 2,000 roads across the US, India, Japan and Indonesia, users will be able to see estimated toll pricing sourced from local authorities.
Google
This means you should have more information when trying to figure out the cheapest way to get to your destination, with Google Maps even factoring in things like different payment methods (e.g. paying with a pass versus cash/credit), the day of the week or even the specific time you’re expected hit a toll. And of course, if you want to save as much money as possible, Google will still surface toll-free routes and provide an option to completely block routes with tolls from being displayed.
Google
On top of that, to help make driving through unfamiliar territory a bit less scary, Google Maps is also getting enhanced details. Soon, you’ll be able to see things like traffic lights and stops signs along with additional info regarding nearby points of interest and even more precise building outlines. Google also says that in select cities, users will be able to spot details like the shape of the road, including features such as medians and islands. The update is slated to roll out to Android, iOS, Android and CarPlay throughout select countries in the coming weeks.
Finally, for those with iOS devices, Google is adding a few extra features for use across Apple’s ecosystem. On iPhones and iPads, Maps is getting a new trip widget that will let you pin your next trek to your home screen. Additionally, the standard Google Maps search widget is also getting a size reduction, so you can quickly lookup a destination without the widget taking up too much screen real estate.
Google
Meanwhile, for those who want to travel super light, Google is adding deeper support for Google Maps to the Apple Watch. This will allow you to look up a destination and even see directions on your wrist, all without ever having to pick up your phone. Additionally, iOS Spotlight, Siri and the Shortcuts app are also getting Google Maps integration in the coming months, so you can more easily search for a place using voice commands.
Instacart is doing more to limit the damage from customers who shortchange drivers (aka shoppers in Instacart lingo) through “tip baiting.” The service is introducing “tip protection” for shoppers that covers up to $10 if a customer eliminates their tip after delivery without reporting an order problem. This won’t always cover the full tip and suggests earlier initiatives (such as requiring feedback on zero-tip orders) weren’t effective, but should prevent couriers from suffering particularly severe financial blows.
The company is also making it easier for shoppers to collect their tips by shrinking the cash-out window from 24 hours to just two. The platform is also rolling out a previously-tested prompt that asks customers to consider increasing their tips when they give shoppers five-star ratings. This has led to a slight 6 percent increase in average shopper earnings during the pilot phase, Instacart claimed.
The tipping changes come alongside new batch types that let shoppers make the most of their travel time. Multi-store batches let them pick up orders from numerous locations, and they can accept new customers’ orders while they’re already in a store, not just before they start shopping. They might not miss out on as many income opportunities, to put it another way.
The additions are part of a four-month improvement plan for Instacart shoppers that includes live phone support and in-store app navigation features introduced in March. More upgrades are coming over the next two months, Instacart said,
The additions come as Instacart faces pressure on multiple fronts. Legislators called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate tip baiting back in 2020, and they’ve been pushing for greater benefits for gig workers in recent months. The company has also faced unionization efforts, and the move toward ever-faster deliveries hasn’t exactly been gentle on shoppers. In theory, at least, these latest changes will address the complaints and keep shoppers from working for rival services.
Microsoft just unveiled a set of news around Windows 11 and its capabilities for hybrid work, bringing things like system-wide improvements to video-calling tools on PCs. It also announced some changes coming to the beloved File Explorer, with the biggest being a redesign and a highly anticipated tabs feature.
According to the company’s release, “the redesigned, cloud-powered File Explorer” would let you “see all files in one centralized place.” You will be able to pin files and create tabs, keeping your most frequently visited folders within easy reach.
In a video demonstrating the new features, it looks like you can right click on a file or document and select “Add to Favorites” to pin it. And if you want to have multiple File Explorer tabs open, you can click a plus symbol at the top left of the window to start a new tab, and they look just like browser tabs.
The company also added touch Snap layouts to make it easier to quickly arrange your apps on touch-enabled devices.
Microsoft has called Windows 11 the most accessible and inclusive version of Windows ever, and today it shared more around some assistive tools coming to the platform. A system-wide Live Captions feature, which was announced earlier this year, would transcribe all audio on your PC, including content streaming from the web. A Focus mode could help people with ADHD to be more productive, the company said.
To keep your sensitive information safe, the company is bringing two new tools to Windows 11: Microsoft Defender SmartScreen and Smart App Control. The former will detect when you’re entering your Microsoft account login info into a “malicious application or hacked website,” potentially protecting you from phishing attacks.
Microsoft
Smart App Control, meanwhile, uses the company’s AI and code signing to make sure only trusted applications can be run on your PC. This “[blocks] one of the largest attack vectors on Windows by-default,” Microsoft said. The company also said it plans to bring more features to its Pluton security processor, and can also help organizations ensure their fleets of devices retain the right registry keys.
Microsoft hasn’t shared when exactly these features will be released to the public version of Windows 11 just yet, but it sounds like they’re coming soon.
Unreal Engine 5 is finally here after nearly a year of early access. Epic Games has officially released UE5 to developers, promising both more photorealistic visuals and easier-to-use creator tools.
The new Unreal Engine’s most obvious upgrades affect the basics of 3D rendering. The Nanite geometry system lets producers use objects with millions of polygons each while scaling gracefully and maintaining playable frame rates. Lumen, meanwhile, provides dynamic global lighting that adapts to everything from the time of day to a character’s flashlight. You’ve seen early results in Epic’s The Matrix Awakens tech demo — UE5 can render extremely detailed scenes with more natural lighting than you might have seen in the past.
Epic Games
There are some behind-the-scenes improvements that should affect the games you play, too. It’s now much easier for developers to make open-world games thanks to systems that both automatically divide areas (to make them easier to stream) and let multiple developers work on the same region at the same time. There are new and upgraded tools to create models, animations and audio without resorting to external editors, and companies making videos or still images can generate very high quality output that would normally require a time-consuming offline renderer.
It will take a while for content to use the new engine. At best, studios have had less than a year to test the engine and start work on their projects. Even Black Myth: Wukong (one of the first announced Unreal Engine 5 titles) won’t be available until 2023, and the next Witcher game doesn’t have a release date. Still, the launch effectively sets the stage for the next wave of games and video special effects. You could see a significant leap in realism from games that take better advantage of the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and the latest PC video cards.
VanMoof is updating its core e-bike lineup for the first time in two years. There are two new models designed for different use cases.
The company created the S5 with longer rides in mind. It reworked the straight frame to increase the height of the riding position. It’s for riders between 165 and 210 cm tall (approximately 5’5″ to 6’11”). There are larger, 27.5-inch wheels and the base e-bike weighs 23kg (51 lbs).
As for the A5, that’s designed more for shorter trips and city rides. It has an angled frame with a lower step-in and it’s for riders between 155 and 200 cm in height (roughly 5’1″ to 6’7″). It has 24-inch wheels and weighs 22kg (48.5 lbs). There’s support for both rear and front carriers as well
The front one is designed to carry up to 10kg (22 lbs) and has an elastic cord to secure items. Both bikes can be equipped with rear carriers. The regular rack is designed for loads up to 15kg (33 lbs), while the heavy-duty option should comfortably support up to 27kg (59.5 lbs).
VanMoof
VanMoof has upgraded the motor on both bikes as well. With the 250W, 5V Gen 5 motor, the company says these models will provide the smoothest rides around. The motor has an e-shifter, torque sensor and integrated battery. The improved Turbo Boost will provide 68 Nm of torque, compared with 59 Nm in 2020’s S3.
Both models have a 26-cell, 47V permanent battery, though there are slight differences. The S5 has a 487Wh capacity, while the A5’s has a 463Wh capacity. At full power and in economy mode, the S5 will offer a range of up to 150 km (93 miles), while the A5 has a range of up to 140 km (87 miles). You can extend those by up to 140 km with the click-on battery.
Using the Gen 5 charger, you’ll be able to charge the battery to 50 percent of capacity in two and a half hours and fully in six hours and 30 minutes. The speed charger shortens those times considerably. You’ll be able to juice up your e-bike’s battery to half capacity in an hour and to 100 percent in four and a half hours.
VanMoof
New to the S5 and A5 is a halo ring interface with LED display integrated in the handlebar. There’s a phone mount with a USB-C charging port too.
The anti-theft tech includes a Gen 5 kick lock that you can arm with a tap of your foot. It’ll unlock automatically when you return. VanMoof is working on certification for Apple Find My support, and it’ll continue to employ its Bike Hunters. If that team can’t find and recover your bike within two weeks of it being lost or stolen, it will send you a replacement.
The S5 and A5 are both pricier than the S3 and X3, which cost $2,448. They’ll each cost $2,998/£2,298/€2,498. The company didn’t mention when it’ll ship the new models.
With Sony and Canon dominating headlines, Nikon has been the forgotten company in the mirrorless race. That’s set to change, though, with the launch of the 45.7-megapixel Z9. It’s an innovative professional camera that offers awesome speed, incredible …
Four years ago, I decided to purchase a Peloton bike. I was spending way too much on membership dues at a luxury gym I hardly attended, and I was intrigued by the idea of an exercise bike with live and on-demand classes. Even though the bike is expensive, I bought it on an installment plan; the monthly payments worked out to be around $100 less than that underused gym membership. Add in the fact that both my husband and I could use it for the price of a single subscription, and I was sold.
While I still do like the bike, I’ll admit that I haven’t been using it as much in recent months. I just haven’t been very motivated, and when I do get the energy to go for a ride, I sometimes feel discouraged by my poor performance. Of course, I know that the beauty of the Peloton is that you can ride at your own pace, but it can feel demoralizing to rank at the bottom of the leaderboard all the time.
Recently, however, Peloton added a new “gamified” experience to the Bike and Bike+ called Lanebreak. Instead of following instructors in a class, you’ll be cycling along different tracks and at different difficulties in order to get a high score. Seeing as I’m a fan of fitness games – I really like Nintendo’s Ring Fit Adventure as well as Just Dance, for example – I was excited to try it out.
Engadget
Lanebreak is found in the “More Rides” section in the Peloton menu, which is also where the Scenic Rides and Just Ride options are. In the game, there are six different tracks, and you navigate from one to the other with the bike’s resistance knob (you’ll know which one you’re in by the rotating wheel avatar). The farthest left is with the least resistance, while the furthest right is with the most resistance. As you might expect, the farther right you go, the more points you can score.
In order to gain points, you have to complete a few different tasks, which are either one after another on the same track or dispersed on to separate tracks. One is to simply cycle in the lane with blue bars, each of which represents “Beats.” These score points every time you go over them. Another is to cycle really fast in an orange “Breakers” section until the meter is “charged” – the more it’s charged, the more points you’ll get. Last but not least, there are “Streams,” where you’re tasked with holding your target cadence within a specified range.
At the end of a Lanebreak workout, your total score is based on all the Beats, Breakers and Streams that you’ve completed and collected throughout the game. You’ll also see a high score on the Lanebreak leaderboard for that particular game.
The length of a Lanebreak workout runs the gamut from five minutes to 30, and there are four different levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert. There’s also a wide variety of music playlists to pick from, such as “Rock Riot” and David Bowie remixes.
Engadget
I have to say, I had a lot of fun. The look and feel really reminds me of Guitar Hero, a game which I have fond memories of. I enjoy navigating to the different tracks and then cycling as hard as I can to score the maximum points. I tend to score fairly well in the beginner and intermediate levels, but I dare not venture into advanced or expert modes just yet. I was a little concerned that a 20 or 30 minute game might feel repetitive, but I actually really liked it – the song mixes help keep things interesting.
There are a few downsides, though. For one thing, the resistance knob can be a little fiddly, which is not great when I’m trying to make quick lane changes. Plus, there’s no real break for you to take a sip of water; you kind of just have to miss out on a few points when you’re hydrating. Of course, as there’s no instructor, you’ll also miss out on motivation shoutouts and stretching exercises. But I find that the gameplay aspect of Lanebreak is fun enough to make up for that.
Perhaps the best part of Lanebreak is that it got me back cycling after several months of not doing so. It really made me fall in love with cycling all over again. After a five-minute Lanebreak session yesterday, for example, I navigated over to the on-demand library and took a 20-minute beginner class. I felt great afterwards, and didn’t care at all about where I was on the leaderboard.
Elon Musk isn’t just stopping at buying a stake in Twitter — he’ll also have a seat at the table. As CNBCreports, Twitter is appointing Musk to the company’s board of directors. He’ll be of value as both a “passionate believer and intense critic” of the social network, according to chief executive Parag Agrawal.
An SEC filing shows that Musk will serve as a Class II director (that is, not top-tier) with a term that expires at the company’s 2024 annual shareholder meeting. The appointment limits the stake Musk can hold. He can’t own more than 14.9 percent of common stock during his tenure, and for 90 days afterward.
Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey thought well of the deal. In a response to the news, he believed Musk “cares deeply” about the planet and Twitter. Musk and Agrawal “lead with their hearts,” he said.
It’s too soon to say how much influence Musk will have as a director. However, he recently blasted Twitter for allegedly falling short of “free speech principles” and asked the social site’s users if they want an edit button. He clearly intends to make his presence felt, not to mention thumb his nose at the SEC for its crackdown against his finance-related tweets.
I’m excited to share that we’re appointing @elonmusk to our board! Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board.
