Technology News for Friday 13th May 2022

1. Say goodbye to the iPod: Apple announces discontinuation of the device

Earlier this week, Apple announced that it will be discontinuing its iPod touch, the last available iPod model. The product will continue to be available through Apple retailers while supplies last.

2. Terraform Again Halts Blockchain Behind UST Stablecoin, Luna

The blockchain behind the collapsed TerraUSD stablecoin and the affiliated Luna token stopped processing new transactions for the second time in less than a day. Terraform Labs said in a tweet from their verified account that validators, the entities ...

3. Why Snap and Saber Interactive are promoting the release of Evil Dead: The Game with an AR magazine cover

Though the game comes out on Friday, the AR-powered Game Informer cover has been on newsstands since April. When Snap users scan a Snapcode on the cover, it triggers an immersive animation in which Evil ...

4. Universal Control No Longer in Beta in macOS Monterey 12.4 and iPadOS 15.5

Under System Preferences > Displays > ?Universal Control?, the beta labeling next to the ?Universal Control? options has been removed. Likewise, there is no longer a beta label on the iPad under System Preferences > AirPlay > Handoff > Cursor and Keyboard.

5. One-Third of Apple and Google Apps Are So Outdated They Could Get Removed

A new report finds that 1.5 million apps on both Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store haven't been updated in two years or longer and get hidden or removed entirely according to recent policy changes. These "abandoned" apps constitute one-third of ...

6. Bitcoin set for record losing streak as 'stablecoin' collapse crushes crypto

SINGAPORE/HONG KONG, May 13 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrencies nursed large losses on Friday, with bitcoin trading near $30,000 and set for a record losing streak as the collapse of TerraUSD, a so-called stablecoin, rippled through markets.

7. Luna Cryptocurrency Collapse: How UST Broke and Why It Matters

There are two intertwined stories here: That of the UST stablecoin and that of luna, both of which are part of the Terra blockchain. The UST coin is designed to retain a value of one US dollar at all times, but depegged on Saturday and has since fallen to ...

8. iPod Creator Tony Fadell Isn't Buying the Metaverse Hype

If anyone has an eye for where the tech industry is headed, it's probably Tony Fadell. During his time at Apple, he led the team that developed the iPod (RIP) and first three generations of the iPhone. Then, he co-founded the now Google-owned smart ...

9. Elon Musk tweeted that Twitter deal is temporarily on hold

SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk tweeted early Friday that his $44 billion bid to buy Twitter was temporarily on hold as he examined the number of spam accounts on the site, sending the company's stocks nearly 20 percent lower in pre-market trading.

10. Crash of TerraUSD Shakes Crypto. 'There Was a Run on the Bank.'

It ricocheted back into other cryptocurrencies, helping drive down the price of bitcoin. Another stablecoin, tether, edged down to as low as 96 cents on Thursday before regaining its peg to the dollar. The stock price of the largest U.S. crypto exchange, ...

11. YouTube Shorts Green Screen Now Compatible With All Videos

YouTube creators can now remix any video on the platform into a Short through an expansion of the green screen feature. Previously, you could utilize green screen to create Shorts with other short videos on YouTube. Now you can take any video on ...

12. A Decade in the Making: How Samsung Foldables Are Defining the Future of Smartphone Innovation

When Samsung Electronics revealed its first prototype of a flexible display back in 2011, few people realized they were witnessing a glimpse into the mobile industry's future. A decade later, Samsung shipped 4 times more foldable devices in 2021 than ...

13. Apple sending notice to developers invited to special WWDC 2022 in-person event

In-person Apple events had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, although WWDC 2022 will be pre-recorded and all online, Apple will open its campus to a limited number of developers who can watch the opening keynote along with the ...

14. Evil Dead: The Game - Official Launch Trailer

Get ready to team up with Ash Williams and his crew in the fight against the Kandarian demon in Evil Dead: The Game, available now on PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Watch the bloody launch ...

15. With its Pixel Watch and tablet, Google is getting serious about its own ecosystem

Pixel phones themselves aren't going to stop being important, but Google wants people to know that, once they've bought a Google smartphone, there's an array of accessories like smartwatches, earbuds, and tablets that are designed to pair perfectly with it ...

16. A World Without iPods

Later that year, however, we saw the iPod Touch—an iPhone without the phone, complete with iOS, a touch screen, and, of course, a music player, among many other available apps. It was one of countless 180s that Jobs executed in his years at Apple, a skill ...

17. Abandoned apps policy could see one-third of apps removed from App Store and Google Play

The notice to developers today indicates that Apple will begin reviewing and removing non-functional apps on September 7th within all categories from the App Store. Apps that automatically crash on launch will be immediately removed from the ...

18. No Joke: Google's AI is Smart Enough To Understand Your Humor

Screengrab from Google I/O 2022 Keynote with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai explaining PaLM AI model and it's ability to understand jokes. Screenshot by Imad Khan/CNET.

19. Bloomberg Confirms Apple is Testing iPhones With USB-C Ports

USB-C ports would allow for faster charging speeds and quicker data transfers, plus it would bring the ?iPhone? in line with the Mac and ?iPad? models that already use USB-C. If Apple does ...

20. Hulu partners with Xbox to bring PC Gamers free games in a bundle deal

Hulu and Xbox have announced a partnership deal that gives existing U.S. Hulu subscribers three free months of PC Game Pass as part of the Hulu “Friends with Benefits” initiative. The move to target gamers follows Netflix's entry into the gaming market ...

21. The Nintendo Switch has now outsold the PS4 in the US

The PS5 led April in dollar sales, aligning with what we saw as retailers seemed to have more of the consoles in stock last month than for most of 2022. It was followed by the Xbox platform and then Nintendo.

22. Watch the first trailer for Zenless Zone Zero from the creators of Genshin Impact

The two games look like they share much in common — including an anime-inspired visual style — but Zenless swaps the fantasy setting for a grittier post-apocalyptic vibe. There aren't many other ...

23. Steve Jobs Wanted Original iPhone to Have No SIM Card Slot, Says Former iPod VP

Fadell said he had to show Jobs market data to convince the former Apple CEO that CDMA adoption was too low for it to be a feasible option for the ?iPhone?. In fact, Apple did eventually release ...

24. Google Search Console adds translated results search appearance filter

Google Search Console had added “translated results” to the search appearance filter in the performance reports today. This filter lets you drill down to how searchers who get translated results interact with your content in Google Search.

25. There are only three Macs available for immediate shipping from Apple

The global chip shortage was created by a mix of factors. These include increased demand for technology during the pandemic, COVID-19-related production disruption, and a growing demand for chips by car makers, as cars rely on increasing numbers of ...

26. Musk says $44 bln Twitter deal on hold over fake account data

May 13 (Reuters) - Elon Musk tweeted on Friday that his $44-billion cash deal for Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) was “temporarily on hold” while he waits for the social media company to provide data on the proportion of its fake accounts.

27. 'Halo Infinite' should have been delayed again. Season 2 is proof.

It's time to admit the truth: “Halo Infinite” needed more than a year's delay. Longtime Halo fans have understood this about “Infinite” since its December launch last year. Half a year later, it remains shockingly and sadly true. To this day, the game ...

28. Deathloop finally gets a photo mode

It's been more than eight months since Deathloop came out, and Arkane Studios is still tweaking the mind-bending shooter. On Thursday, Game Update 3 for Deathloop added the long-requested photo mode. Producer Jeremy Leulier believes fans should have a ...

29. Punta Gorda police officers comes in contact with unknown substance during arrest of man

A welfare check led to the arrest of a 43-year-old man after Punta Gorda police said they found drugs in his vehicle. An officer was also sent to the hospital after they came in contact with an unknown substance. Jeremy Allen Jones, of Punta Gorda, ...

30. Mark Zuckerberg shows demo of Meta's mixed reality headset

The Meta boss showcased the mixed reality capabilities of the upcoming 'Project Cambria' headset. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has released a video showcasing the company's next VR headset that it plans to launch this year, although the headset isn't ...

31. Evil Dead Regeneration: Can you still play the 2005 game in 2022?

Jumping forward a few years, the PS2 era was a particularly powerful proponent of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell's film franchise, with games like A Fistful of Boomstick, Hail to the King and Evil Dead Regeneration popping up in the 2000s.

32. Micron reveals flash roadmap to 500 layer 3D NAND

3D NAND is manufactured by layering groups of cells atop each other in a vertical stack. The more layers there are in a flash die, the higher the capacity. All the manufacturers are currently building 100-plus layer chips with higher layer counts in ...