Users could be blocked from sharing news, Facebook claims, if new draft regulations are put in place. Facebook threatens to remove news from its platform in Australia – CNET
Source: CNet

Illustration by James Bareham / The Verge

Facebook plans to block the sharing of local and international news stories on its platforms if legislation requiring tech platforms to pay publishers for content becomes law, the company said in a blog post Monday.

“Australia is drafting a new regulation that misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and will do damage to the very news organisations the government is trying to protect,” Will Easton, managing director of Facebook Australia and New Zealand wrote in the blog post, arguing that the commission overseeing the process “ignored important facts,” including the relationship between social media and news media.

“Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from…

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Facebook may block news from being shared on its platforms in Australia
Source: New feed

A Microsoft sustainability campaign creates confusion. No, Microsoft has not made 825,000 carbon-neutral Xbox Series X consoles – CNET
Source: CNet

Weather postponed the launch Sunday, but SpaceX will go for its 10th Starlink launch in 2020 on Thursday. SpaceX Starlink: How to watch Falcon 9 launch next batch of satellites – CNET
Source: CNet

The move, a response to pressure to pay publishers when their stories are posted on the social network, could add to internet silos springing up around the world. Facebook Could Block Sharing of News Stories in Australia
Source: NY Times Tech

The agency said it had issued a certificate clearing the way for the company to use drones to fly packages to its customers’ doorsteps. Drone Delivery? Amazon Moves Closer With F.A.A. Approval
Source: NY Times Tech

Commentary: The groundbreaking device is impressive, but where is the data? Elon Musk's Neuralink device focused on the 'computer', but what about the 'brain'? – CNET
Source: CNet

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple accidentally approved common malware disguised as an update for Adobe Flash Player to run on macOS, according to a new report.

According to security researcher Patrick Wardle, Apple approved an app that contained code used by a well-known malware called Shlayer. Shlayer is a trojan downloader that spreads through fake applications, bombarding users with an influx of adware. Shlayer is the “most common threat” to Macs, cybersecurity and anti-virus firm Kaspersky said in 2019.

Wardle says this is the first time he knows of that Apple mistakenly notarized malware following the debut of its new notarization process. Apple announced the macOS notarizing process in 2019, requiring…

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Apple accidentally approved malware disguised as Flash, new report finds
Source: New feed

According to a new survey from Visual Objects, 51 percent of high school and college students do not have consistent access to high-speed internet and WiFi. More than Half of Students May Lack Reliable Access to High-Speed Internet
Source: Campus Technology

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

If you still play Pokémon Go on a smartphone or tablet running Android 5.0 “Lollipop” or iOS 10 or 11, you’ll no longer be able to access the game when Niantic pushes an update in mid-October. The Pokémon Go Twitter account confirmed that two popular older phones also won’t make the cut: the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 are being left behind, despite the fact both phones can be upgraded to run iOS 12.

“iPhone 5S and 6 have just 1 GB of RAM, and we don’t want to hold back development and implementation of features for the vast majority of players who have more robust phones,” Niantic tells The Verge.

All things considered, the performance on those devices probably wasn’t great. Pokémon Go might not be as demanding as some other titles, but it…

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Pokémon Go will end support for older iOS and Android phones in October
Source: New feed

Before you spend $2,200 or more, check out these less expensive cycles from Bowflex, Echelon, Myx Fitness, NordicTrack and ProForm. 5 best Peloton alternatives: Great indoor exercise bikes that cost less – CNET
Source: CNet

The Otegaru blocks around 15 decibels on average. A Japanese company has invented tiny soundproof rooms so you can work from home in peace – CNET
Source: CNet

The Google Photos app for iOS is getting an updated video editor that adds several useful new features, including the ability to trim video clips, add filters, crop, and make adjustments like exposure, contrast, and saturation.

The new video editor options work similarly to the existing image editing tools. Simply tap the “edit” button when previewing a video, and you’ll be taken to the new editor, which adds several new tabs, in addition to the existing “export frame” option.

There’s a variety of filters, including an “Auto” filter that intelligently adjusts your video. There are manual adjustment controls, divided into a Light menu (for exposure, contrast, whites, highlights, shadows, blacks, and vignette sliders) and Color (to…

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Google Photos on iOS can now crop, trim, and add filters to your videos
Source: New feed

China’s new export rules, which could delay or scuttle a sale of TikTok, have further turned giant companies into pawns in a geopolitical struggle. TikTok Deal Faces Complications as U.S. and China Ratchet Up Tit-for-Tat
Source: NY Times Tech

The company is charging ahead toward Mars by developing its next-generation rockets. Elon Musk: SpaceX starting on 'Super Heavy' rocket booster to power Mars trip – CNET
Source: CNet

Save $30 on AirPods with a wired case, which makes them at least $10 less than anywhere else. The best price on AirPods is 0 at Amazon right now – CNET
Source: CNet

Beginning September 1 at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT), MIT is offering a course on “COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 and the Pandemic.” The course’s lectures will be livestreamed every Tuesday and are free to the public. (Only enrolled students can ask questions, but everyone can watch.)

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Take a Free Course on COVID-19 From MIT
Source: Life Hacker

Image: OxygenUpdater

OnePlus may have accidentally revealed a first look at the OnePlus 8T, thanks to an image found in the latest Android 11 developer preview for OnePlus 8-series devices by OxygenUpdater.

The leaked image doesn’t offer much to go on, just a front-facing view of the device, which appears to be pretty similar to the existing OnePlus 8. It’s possible that this image — which is labeled OnePlus_8T.webp and is a distinct file from the images for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro — is simply a placeholder for a different, final design for the OnePlus 8T.

But given the timing of the leak (OnePlus usually releases its fall T-series refreshes in the October to November range) and the fact that it was found in OnePlus’ own firmware update, it seems…

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OnePlus may have accidentally revealed the upcoming OnePlus 8T
Source: New feed

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Videoconferencing platform Zoom had a huge second quarter, with $663.5 million in revenue compared to $145.8 million a year ago, the company announced on Monday. It now has around 370,000 customers with more than 10 employees, an increase of 458 percent year over year.

“Our ability to keep people around the world connected, coupled with our strong execution, led to revenue growth of 355% year-over-year in Q2,” Zoom founder and CEO Eric S. Yuan said in a statement announcing the earnings.

The company’s revenue outlook for fiscal 2021 is now $2.39 billion, Yuan added. Zoom has become ubiquitous during the coronavirus pandemic, reflected in its blockbuster first quarter when it grew revenue almost 170 percent year over year to $328…

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Zoom saw revenue quadruple in monster second quarter
Source: New feed

I love my smart speaker—as much as one can ever love a piece of privacy-stealing technology that only exists to gather information about you, I suppose—but that doesn’t mean I don’t find many things about it creepy, in a dystopian sort of way. And one of the things I find creepiest about Alexa is the fact that if you…

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How to Turn Off Alexa's Creepy 'Whisper Mode'
Source: Life Hacker

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines both said they would permanently eliminate fees associated with changing or canceling a flight. The news comes less than a day after United Airlines first announced a permanent end to its change fee policy.

All three carriers have been waiving change fees since March 2020, when the novel coronavirus pandemic first disrupted global air travel. With demand dried up, the airlines are seeking to make flying look safe, stress-free, and, most of all, cheap. And that means eliminating many of the fees and surcharges associated with air travel.

“We’ve said before that we need to approach flexibility differently than this industry has in the past, and today’s announcement builds on that promise to ensure…

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The airline industry is ditching change fees because it’s desperate for people to fly
Source: New feed

Left: Matt Birchler’s recreation. Right: Apple’s original wallpaper. | Matt Birchler, Apple

Many of us are finding cool things to work on while stuck at home, and I think Matt Birchler takes the cake this week. He, like much of the internet, has been taking off in Microsoft Flight Simulator, and he used the absolutely unreal detail in the game to re-create some of the more iconic wallpapers from recent releases of macOS.

To re-create these images, Matt flew to each location, then used Flight Simulator to position the camera, set the focal length, and adjust the time of day with in-game controls. Then, with a little post-processing magic in Adobe Lightroom, he created the images below.

“Flight Simulator is a ‘make your own fun’ game and I was looking for interesting things to do while flying around,” Birchler told The Verge. He…

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Microsoft Flight Simulator’s re-creations of macOS wallpapers look just as good
Source: New feed

Starting today, Waymo will include both the superhero and the villain as special guidance voices. Let Batman or the Riddler guide you on your next Waze trip – Roadshow
Source: CNet

They would use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Sonos wireless headphones detailed in patent filing – CNET
Source: CNet

Flu shots are already available in many places, and as we’ve noted, it’s especially important to get your flu shot this year. (You don’t want to have COVID and the flu, nor do you want to catch the flu and seek testing and care because you don’t know whether it might be COVID.) So is it time? Go for it now if you…

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Is There an Optimal Time to Get Your Flu Shot This Year?
Source: Life Hacker