Technology News for Wednesday 3rd November 2021

1. Purported Battlefield 2042 pre-load dates for PlayStation leaked online

PlayStation gamers who are eagerly awaiting the launch of Battlefield 2042 may have some new information for when they can prep their console for the game. In a tweet by PlayStation Game Size, purported pre-load dates for the upcoming Battlefield title ...

2. Niantic to perform server maintenance for Pokemon Go and Pikmin Bloom

Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom players may encounter some unexpected issues this week as Niantic performs three days of server maintenance. Niantic tweeted today that server maintenance will begin on Nov. 3 and last until Nov. 6.

3. All of VALORANT's RiotX Arcane pass rewards and how to get them

Riot Games is celebrating the launch of its upcoming animated series, Arcane, with the RiotX Arcane pass. VALORANT's largest event pass to date includes 10 exclusive items inspired by elements from the show. The three-act Netflix series, ...

4. Free PS Plus Games for November 2021 Are Available to Download Now

Sony's PS Plus service provides incredible value for money for players. In addition to allowing gamers to play online, Sony also gives away a number of free games each month as part of the PS Plus membership, ranging from both PS4 and PS5 games.

5. The World's First iPhone With a Working USB-C Port Is Now Up for Auction

Last month, engineering student Ken Pillonel showed off the world's first iPhone with a USB-C port, and now Pillonel has returned to reveal how he did it while also putting his custom USB-C iPhone up for auction. Advertisement.

6. Blizzard Games Aren't Doing So Great Lately

Blizzard is in the eye of a storm. In the wake of a departing studio head and two major delays of anticipated games, the Diablo and Overwatch developer is bleeding players across the board, as it revealed during an Activision Blizzard earnings call ...

7. Ubisoft Pulls Far Cry 6 Mission Released Early By 'Accident'

Far Cry 6 has only been out for a month now and the game is already doling out some downloadable content, but not intentionally. Ubisoft recently admitted it pushed out a free DLC mission with star Danny Trejo before it was slated to arrive in December ...

8. Amazon launches a $70 air quality monitor for Alexa

The device is designed to measure the air for particulate matter, including carbon monoxide, dust and volatile organic compounds – essentially chemicals in the air that could harm you. There's also built in temperature and humidity detection.

9. Ford electrified a classic F-100 truck to showcase its EV motor kit

Chevy isn't the only one electrifying vintage cars to sell you on aftermarket EV motors. Ford has introduced an F-100 Eluminator concept that upgrades the circa-1978 pickup truck with two of the company's new Eluminator electric crate motor kit.

10. Instagram brings back Twitter Card preview support for posts

The change was met with backlash, as it made cross-posting more difficult for users. In some cases, users found workarounds through third-party platforms in order to feature Instagram posts in tweets.

11. NSO Group: Israeli spyware company added to US trade blacklist

The Israeli company behind the controversial Pegasus spyware has been added to a US trade blacklist. Pegasus has reportedly been used by nation states to target the phones of rights activists and journalists. The US has now put its maker, NSO Group, ...

12. Amazon's new Alexa-enabled air quality sensor alerts you to harmful allergens for $70

The Smart Air Quality Monitor has built-in temperature and humidity sensors. It also claims to detect a range of allergens and toxins in your home, including dust, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. Volatile ...

13. Marvel's Midnight Suns has been delayed to late 2022

Midnight Suns features of a roster of Marvel's best-known heroes, along with some fan favorites such as Blade and Ghost Rider. 2K Games / Firaxis Games. 2K and Firaxis Games have just announced that the upcoming Marvel superhero RPG, Midnight Suns, ...

14. PS5 restock tracker: Tips for finding a console this week

November is only three days long and already it has been good for PS5 restocks. Walmart has offered back-to back PS5 restock events already this week, with more offers from almost every other major retailer the week before. The one regular retailer we ...

15. 20 iPhone settings you'll wonder why you didn't change sooner

Do you have an iPhone 13 or older iPhone running iOS 15? Then you can fine-tune your Face ID, Siri, notification settings and more to your liking. Here's how.

16. Apple's AirPods 3 vs. AirPods Pro: All the biggest differences

The new earbuds are essentially a cross between the high-end $249 AirPods Pro (£239, AU$399) and the entry-level $129 AirPods (£119, AU$219), both of which are still available alongside the new model. (You can read more about the AirPods 3 in our full ...

17. Best cases for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

Available in three colors, Spigen's Thin Fit has a two-piece design with a soft-to-the-touch finish. It's a straightforward, lightweight case that looks good on your phone. There's no hinge protection.

18. Netflix games are here. Android users get to play first

London (CNN Business) Netflix (NFLX) has launched five mobile games for Android phones and tablets, as it seeks to gain a bigger share of subscribers' attention and entertainment time. The streaming giant is looking to capitalize on the success of its ...

19. US blacklists Israeli firm NSO Group for use of spyware

(CNN Business) The US Commerce Department on Wednesday blacklisted Israeli firms NSO Group and Candiru, accusing the companies of providing spyware to foreign governments that "used these tools to maliciously target" journalists, embassy workers and ...

20. Riot responds to Valorant criticism over upcoming “spicy” ranked queue changes

A new batch of Valorant ranked changes are coming on patch 3.10, bringing back five-stacks at all ranks while removing four-stacks to improve “the solo experience”. The “spicy” changes have been met with skepticism, but Riot is confident it'll work.

21. Why Advanced Micro Devices Stock Is a Buy After Earnings

AMD is seeing broad strength across data centers and gaming. · Intel is having a hard time matching the performance of AMD's Ryzen CPUs, used in consumer PCs. · High demand for new game consoles and cloud gaming are two catalysts for AMD's gaming business.

22. Apple is reportedly developing car crash detection for the 2022 Watch

Khamdoobalm, 14 hours agoHaha lol, mercedes audi bmw and many other cars have this feature for more than 5 years, go ch... moreMy 2012 Ford Focus had this feature. Rating0 |; Reply; Report ? Anonymous; Myn; 22 minutes ago.

23. Amazon Kindle paperwhite (2021) review: The class-leading ereader gets smarter charging and a bigger screen

The existing Kindle is as near to a perfect ereader as you can get, and so Amazon has sensibly adopted an “if it ain't broke” attitude to refreshing its market-leading device. Hardware ...

24. Genshin Impact Diona build takes advantage of her powerful support magic

Teyvat wouldn't be an anime-inspired fantasy world without at least one catgirl working in the hospitality industry, and that's where Genshin Impact's Diona comes in. Forget Keqing's fake feline hairstyle, Diona is a genuine cat person who works as a ...

25. Battlefield 2042 devs spend 3600 words explaining how Portal works

Earlier this year, DICE unveiled Battlefield 2042's Portal – a mode that lets players use maps, vehicles, and loadouts from across games in the series, fold in their own custom-made rulesets, and then share the resulting creations with other fans.

26. Amazon Fire TV Omni (43-Inch) Review

Cons · Mediocre contrast and color range · No Apple AirPlay or Google Cast · Few gaming features · Dolby Vision only on 65- and 75-inch models ...

27. Amazon Fire TV Omni (50-Inch) Review

Amazon's first attempt at making its own television, the Fire TV Omni offers an impressive range of features for the price, tempered by average picture quality. MSRP $509.99. PCMag editors select and review products independently.

28. Call of Duty Vanguard PC requirements: recommended & minimum specs for CoD

Like CoD games of the past, Vanguard will be out on consoles, including current-gen ones, and it also has a PC release lined up which means you will need to know the requirements before you commit to buying – no point buying it if it won't run.

29. US blacklists Israeli hacking tool vendor NSO Group

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department added Israel's NSO Group and Candiru to its trade blacklist on Wednesday, saying they sold spyware to foreign governments that used the equipment to target government officials, journalists and ...

30. Early Black Friday 2021 deals you may want to snag on Amazon right now

These wireless earbuds for running and sports feature a charging case, 24-hour battery. Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds, Copper Black: Was $179.99, ...

31. Activision Blizzard delays Diablo and Overwatch sequel games, CEO takes 99.9% pay cut

This is after chief executive officer Bobby Kotick said last week that he would take a 99.9 per cent pay cut and outlined several measures that the company hoped would mollify angry employees, such as ending mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment and ...

32. Netflix launches mobile games for members worldwide

Two of the games are based on the hit Netflix horror series Stranger Things and the remaining three are basic card or skill games, according to the Silicon Valley based company. "We're excited to ...

33. There will never be another Pokémon Go

People were trespassing to catch Squirtles as the game set App Store download records. The wish fulfillment that came from seeing pokémon in the real world created a sensation that, even years after its peak, remains one of the biggest games in the world.

34. 'Sideloading is a cyber criminal's best friend,' according to Apple's software chief

“Sideloading is a cyber criminal's best friend and requiring that on iPhone would be a gold rush for the malware industry,” according to Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi, who delivered a dramatic speech at Web Summit 2021 declaiming the ...

35. MacBook Pro 14-inch vs Dell XPS 13: Which laptop wins?

During the October 2021 launch event for these new MacBook Pros Apple compared them against the latest Windows laptops manufactured by competitors. To help you make a more informed buying decision, we're doing the same by ...

36. Israeli Cyber Firm NSO Group Blacklisted by US Amid Phone Hacking Allegations

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration on Wednesday placed Israeli cybersecurity company NSO Group on an export prohibition list that will restrict the firm from obtaining some types of technology from the U.S.. NSO Group was placed on an “entity list” by ...