Technology News for Wednesday 4th August 2021

1. Boeing's Starliner launch delayed yet again

"NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) have scrubbed the Aug. 3 launch attempt of the agency's Orbital Flight Test-2 to the International Space Station due to unexpected valve position indications in the Starliner propulsion system.

2. Left 4 Dead 2 survivors come to Zombie Army 4

They don't come with character voices unfortunately, so you won't be able to hear Ellis ramble his good-old-boy stories as you blast Nazi zombies, but it's a fun freebie nonetheless.

3. OtterBox Launches MagSafe-Compatible Mobile Gaming Clip

Priced at $40, the Mobile Gaming Clip attaches to an Xbox controller using a fitted clip and holds an iPhone with the magnetic mount. It can be used when playing an ?iPhone? game with an Xbox controller, and OtterBox says the magnetic mount and clip design ...

4. Blizzard Entertainment president steps down after workplace protests

Video game maker Activision Blizzard said Tuesday that the president of its Blizzard Entertainment studio was stepping down, a week after workers staged a walkout over allegations of harassment and discrimination. Activision, known for Call of Duty and ...

5. U. reinstates masking, other protocols, citing Delta variant concerns

The University has reinstated its mask-wearing requirement for vaccinated individuals in indoor facilities on campus, increased its required COVID-19 testing frequency for on-campus community members and revised its initial plan for employees to return to ...

6. Apple launches big redesign of its online store

The iPad category in the new Apple Store. The new design is filled with cards — it's somewhat reminiscent of Apple's Store app for iOS. It feels mobile-first, with smooth horizontal ...

7. 'Pokemon Go' analysis: Here's what to catch in surprise Galar region Ultra Unlock event

Blaming the chaos caused by Hoopa, Niantic will release Zacian and Zamazenta, the legendary mascots from “Pokemon Sword” and “Pokemon Shield” into the game. They'll appear in their “Hero of Many Battle” forms meaning they won't have the upgrades ...

8. Sony's $499 PS5 is no longer selling at a loss

Sony's $499 PlayStation 5 console is no longer selling at a loss. Bloomberg reports that Sony chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki shared the news just a week after the company announced it had sold 10 million PS5 consoles. While the PS5 with a disc drive is ...

9. Google's One Tap lets you sign into websites and apps without a password

Google Identity Services aims to make it easier for businesses to gain new users and make life easier for users to sign in. It's available as a software development kit containing its Identity APIs, including the Sign with Google button as well as the new One Tap ...

10. Diablo Immortal delayed until 2022 for some extra polish

What just happened? Activision Blizzard is dealing with quite a lot at the minute, but that's not stopped it putting out an update on some upcoming games. The most significant news is that mobile spin-off Diablo Immortal has been delayed until the first half of ...

11. [From the industry] Former Codemasters CEO Frank Sagnier appointed Non-Executive Chair of nDreams

nDreams Ltd., has named ex Codemasters CEO, Frank Sagnier as its new Non-Executive Chair of the Board effective immediately. The UK based company is a world leading developer and publisher of virtual reality games including Phantom: Covert Ops for ...

12. PSVR 2 Will Feature OLED Screens with 2000×2040 Resolution Per Eye, Haptics in Headset, and More – Rumour

A new leak has revealed potential details on Sony's next generation VR headset, which it supposedly plans to reveal in early 2022. Posted By Shubhankar Parijat | On 04th, ...

13. Microsoft just paused its free trial of Windows 365 because of 'unbelievable' demand

Microsoft's new Windows 365 Cloud PC service has attracted so much interest in the trial version that the company has now run out of servers to support trial signups. Microsoft has now paused the Windows 365 trial program ...

14. Free Fire OB29 Update Brings Lone Wolf Game Mode, New Weapons, Characters and More

The new features include a new game mode, improved Clash Squad gaming, and new game elements as part of publisher Garena's fourth anniversary celebrations with the game. The new elements are set to bring new characters, ...

15. Galaxy S21 Sales Are Far Worse Than Samsung Had Hoped

This information comes from Business Post, which is citing Kiwoom Securities. It seems like the Galaxy S21 sales numbers are lower compared to devices from previous years. In other words, the Galaxy S10 and S20 were selling better for the company.

16. Honor X20 5G to be unveiled on August 12, here are some clear pictures

Honor confirmed this week its next major reveal is set for August 12. The next member of the Honor X20 series will be unveiled in about a week from now and judging by the pictures leaked today, it will be a doozy. The 5G-enabled Honor X20 will be officially ...

17. 'Wreckfest' brings back 'Carmageddon' in new (censored) tournament

Players can take part in not only wrecking opponents but also zombies (and zombie cows) in two different events on two classic Carmageddon tracks, Bleak City and Death Canyon. Advertisement.

18. The PS5 worked fine with the slowest compatible SSD we could find

We compared the S50 Lite against both the PS5's internal SSD and a 5,000MB/s Sabrent Rocket 500GB in a battery of tests, including load times for games like early PS5 showcases Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

19. Realme Narzo 30 Gets New 6GB RAM 64GB Storage Variant, Sale Begins August 5

The phone launched alongside the Realme Narzo 30 5G and came in a 4GB + 64GB model, as well as a 6GB + 128GB model. The Realme Narzo 30 comes with a triple rear camera setup and a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera. It comes in Racing Blue ...

20. Apple's European iPhone sales climb, but not enough to beat Samsung, Xiaomi

New research figures show that Chinese smart phone manufacturer Xiaomi outsold Apple's iPhone in Europe in Q2 2021, and was beating Samsung by the end of the quarter. The latest market research report from Counterpoint claims that Europe is seeing ...

21. Code hints at upcoming Snapdragon Wear 5100 chip for smartwatches

Historically, smartwatches haven't benefited from annual chip upgrades, chiefly because they haven't needed them. The basic functions of a smartwatch don't require as much processing power as smartphones and, generally speaking, wearable upgrades ...

22. Zoom Won't Stop at Video Chat Dominance

Over the last pandemic-stricken year, Zoom Video Communications Inc. has grown from a scrappy upstart into a $111 billion video-conferencing behemoth, central to the lives of millions of remote workers and other socially distant users.

23. The under-screen camera war is heating up with exciting new smartphones

The Korean giant already coined a marketing term for the technology that will launch with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 next week. But it's a different Chinese smartphone maker that just made the news with its next-gen under-screen camera tech. That's Oppo, and the ...

24. Street Fighter's Cammy and Guile Arrive in Fortnite This Week

Cammy will also come with a classic outfit, as well as her 'Tactical Cammy Variant' which dons her in camo pants and a dark brown crop top. Players will also get the Borealis Backer Back Bling as part of the bundle.

25. Chinese hackers are reportedly now deploying malware on targets in Russia

Cybersecurity researchers have detected new activity from a notorious Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group in countries it didn't attack earlier, particular Russia. Detected by the Positive Technologies Expert Security Center (PT ESC), the attacks have ...

26. When Is the Blue Moon in 2021 and How Often Does It Happen?

But what is a blue moon and how often do they occur? Full moons happen when the moon is located opposite the sun, with the Earth directly in between. This alignment will happen next at 8 ...

27. Freeview Play box reaches 200 channels and launches new function with perfect timing

Good news for parents anyway, as Netgem TV – a popular set-top box powered by Freeview Play sold by a number of gigabit broadband providers in the UK – has just announced that its 200 free-to-watch channels have been added by a new TV hub. for kids ...

28. How to get New York's Excelsior Pass so you can show your proof of vaccination from your phone

New York City is set to require proof of Covid vaccination for a range of indoor activities beginning Aug. 16, with full enforcement beginning Sept. 13. New York's Excelsior Pass lets you find and store your proof of vaccination right on your phone with a QR ...

29. Samsung's Galaxy Tab S7 FE is coming to the US, preorders start Aug. 5

The new "Fan Edition" devices, which will be available in the US starting on Aug. 5, will sport 12.4-inch LCD displays with support for the company's S-Pen stylus, which is included in the box.

30. Mythical launches Burberry NFTs in Blankos Block Party

The launch of the limited-edition NFTs will pave the way for the future of digital ownership in gaming, the companies said. Blankos Block Party is a multiplayer party game featuring digital vinyl toys known as Blankos that live on a blockchain, the transparent and ...

31. Jet Set Radio's Beat joins the new Super Monkey Ball roster

Sega said Wednesday that Beat is just one of “several iconic guest characters” coming to Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, and teased more reveals in the weeks to come. Beat is the cover star of the ...

32. Genshin Impact Aloy leak reveals first look at Horizon Zero Dawn character abilities

Horizon Zero Dawn's Aloy is set to release in Genshin Impact as part of a new crossover, but gameplay depicting the new character has leaked ahead of her official release. Genshin Impact announced that Horizon Zero Dawn's Aloy would be making her way ...

33. Would Facebook's Virtual 'Metaverse' Make Your Travel Bucket List Obsolete? Hardly

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg believes the metaverse will one day supplant the mobile internet, and create the sense that you are actually together with someone else in a distant place. Whatever it ever ends up meaning to the travel industry, you can be sure it ...

34. Sony profits soar as it benefits from home entertainment boom

The better-than-expected first-quarter results prompted the company to raise its profit forecast for the year to March 2022 to 980bn yen from 930bn yen, anticipating that prospects for its music, movies and electronics divisions will continue to improve as the ...

35. Facebook cuts off NYU researcher access, prompting rebuke from lawmakers

Facebook shut down accounts belonging to two academic researchers late Tuesday, cutting off their ability to study political ads and misinformation on the world's biggest social network. The company accused the academics of engaging in “unauthorized ...

36. Money Stuff: The SEC Has Its Eye on Crypto

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is not in the general investor-protection business. If someone comes to you and offers you a can't-lose opportunity to buy Florida swampland, and it turns out they're lying, the SEC will not get involved. If they sell ...

37. Windows 11 download: How to get the free upgrade (if your device is compatible)

7. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Click the Check for updates button. You should see the latest Insider Preview build based on the settings you selected. From there ...

38. Apex Legends needs to blow up Fragment ASAP

This week Apex kicked off its tenth season, Emergence, with a sweeping rework to the ailing map. And fair credit, it's a strong one. The bland grey factories at Sorting and Refinery have been sunk under lava, replaced with brighter new facilities.

39. Facebook cuts off access for NYU research into political-ad targeting

Facebook Inc. cut off a New York University research project's accounts and access to the platform, effectively shutting down a study of the social-media giant's targeting of political ads. The NYU Ad Observatory, launched last September by the university's ...

40. SEC 'Looking Closely' At 'Dark Pools'—Here's What They Are And Why Reddit Traders Are Rallying

In a TV interview Wednesday, Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler responded to allegations from at-home traders that hedge funds and other "big actors" may be manipulating markets and said the agency is "looking very closely" at ...

41. Street Fighter 5's final character is a link to Street Fighter 6

Luke has a punch-focused fighting style and looks like something of a cross between a boxer and MMA fighter. He also has more than a few similarities to one of Street Fighter's golden oldies, Guile: blonde hair, dogtags, and as you'll see above, projectiles that ...

42. Skyward Sword HD Revisits The Stumble That Led To Breath Of The Wild

Almost a decade after its original Wii debut, Nintendo's released The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Switch. And let's be frank: Skyward Sword wasn't the best-received Zelda title ever. Even as it charmed most media outlets, many fans ...

43. PSA: iOS 15 beta 4 can auto-remove lens flares in photos

It's been two months since Apple previewed iOS 15, and there are still new things to get to know about the upcoming iPhone operating system. According to a Reddit user, beta 4 can auto-remove lens flares when post-processing a photo. This finding was ...

44. Facebook shuts out NYU academics' research on political ads

Facebook has shut down the personal accounts of a pair of New York University researchers and shuttered their investigation into misinformation spread through political ads on the social network. Facebook says the researchers violated its terms of service ...

45. New online portal to help spot 'quality of life' problems efficiently across Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A new mobile application and web portal for the City of Syracuse's non-emergency reporting system for service requests is now launched. A user-friendly digital software platform called SeeClickFix will power the SYRCityline portal can ...

46. Super Monkey Ball x Jet Set Radio Crossover Is Like A Tasty Peanut Butter Cup

Jet Set Radio protagonist Beat will appear in the upcoming Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania as a playable character, Sega announced this morning. Advertisement. Much like the rest of Super Monkey Ball's simian cast, Beat is happily confined to a ...

47. Amazon's New World delayed a month to September 28

Amazon Games announced today that it is pushing back New World's release by a month, sliding its original August 31 debut to September 28. New World is an MMORPG that has players fighting, crafting, and exploring a fantasy world inspired by the ...

48. Buying an Oculus headset to help get your Facebook account back is a risky move

Some Facebook users stymied by the company's seemingly impenetrable support channels have turned to an interesting — and expensive — loophole to get access to their locked accounts: buying an Oculus Quest headset, as reported by NPR. But it doesn't ...

49. Apple iOS 14.7: Everything to know about the latest iPhone update

Apple's iOS 14.7 upgrade brought iPhone bug fixes and a few new handy features, but iOS 15's general release could be just around the corner. Alison DeNisco Rayome headshot.

50. Back on track and looking great: Halo Infinite's technical preview tested on all systems

The Halo Infinite technical preview debuted to Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC owners last weekend, giving us our first look at how the game has evolved since its controversial real-time debut last year. The reaction has been broadly positive - and rightfully so ...

51. Best legends to pair with Seer, the Ambush Artist in Apex Legends

In a flourish of style and grace, Seer has arrived on the battlefield of Apex Legends as the game's latest playable character. Once considered a cursed child, the icon of the shunned brings good fortunes and even better abilities to help your squad pick up ...