Month: August 2022

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Technology

Game Pass Vs. The New PS Plus, The Comparison We Had To Make

Game Pass Vs. The New PS Plus, The Comparison We Had To Make

Two months ago, Sony reimagined PS Plus, its longtime membership program for PlayStation owners. Now, it looks a whole lot like Microsoft’s Game Pass: For roughly the same amount of money, both offer access to a Netflix-style games-on-demand library. Obviously, we had to stack the two services up against each other.

Price

Game Pass is available as a subscription for console, PC, or both. The two separated tiers cost $US10 ($14) a month. Xbox Live Ultimate, which joins the two and provides access to the EA Play Library (a similar games-on-demand service) and Xbox Live Gold, costs $US15 ($21) a month. There is no way to pay for multiple months or a year up front at a tiered markdown (at least officially).

PS Plus is also available for a subscription, but it gets very complicated very fast. There are two new tiers. The Extra is $US15 ($21) a month, or $US100 ($139) for the year, and offers free monthly games, online play, and a catalog of on-demand games including some of Ubisoft’s library. Premium is $US18 ($25) a month, or $US120 ($167) a year, and adds access to classic games, game trials, and cloud streaming for most of the games in the library. That’s a huge price difference, and while PS Plus Premium is more expensive month-to-month, it’s actually almost 50 per cent cheaper if you commit to the whole year.

Winner: PS Plus

streaming

Game Pass allows for cloud-streaming, provided you pay for the Ultimate tier pricier. The streaming functionality is technically still “in beta,” but it is for all intents and purposes up and running. Microsoft recommends internet speeds of at least 10mbps for mobile devices and 20mbps for consoles and PCs. Based on Kotaku‘s testing, it’s…fine? Despite cloud gaming’s huge advancements recently, streaming still can’t compete with downloaded games. The latency, however minor, is unignorable. As such, cloud gaming is best used for puzzlers, chill RPGs, light platformers, and other games that don’t demand split-second reflexes.

Microsoft says “more than 100” games are currently streamable via cloud gaming on Xbox Game Pass, but more games are added every few weeks. Right now, the Game Pass library currently lists 381 games as capable of streaming.

Stray. (Screenshot: Annapurna / Kotaku)Stray. (Screenshot: Annapurna / Kotaku)

To unlock streaming on PS Plus you need to buy the $US18 ($25) a month tier. And even then, the streaming quality is nothing to write home about. At best, it’s as good as Xbox Cloud Gaming. Sometimes it’s worse. Roughly 320 games from the Premium library can be streamed on console or PC, and a good chunk of those are PS3 games and classics rather than the full PlayStation 4 library. For example, Marvel’s Avengers and stray are available on console but not in the streaming library.

Most notably, you can’t stream PS Plus games to your phone. For now, the service relies on Remote Play, meaning you need a console to play on mobile and you must be on the same WiFi network.

Winner: Game Pass

Game Library

Of course, a games-on-demand service is only as good as the one thing it’s supposed to provide: games.

Right now, the Xbox Game Pass library has about 475 games, but that tally comprises the library across both tiers, including the 92 games currently part of EA Play. The main draw, of course, is that Microsoft puts its entire first-party portfolio on the platform. That also includes the major tent poles — like halo-infinite and ForzaHorizon 5alongside forthcoming blockbusters like Starfield and red fall — which become available the day they came out. Third-party games tend to stick around for a year at most, though some, like Rockstar’s open-world Hold ‘Em simulator Red Dead Redemption 2, become unavailable after a matter of months. It’s unpredictable.

Halo Infinity. (Screenshot: 343 Industries)Halo Infinity. (Screenshot: 343 Industries)

The library also regularly cycles in third-party games and often serves as a launch pad for indie gems. This year alone, the twee Zelda-like Tunicthe snowboarding sim shreddersand the puzzler-cum-dungeon-crawler Loot River all launched on Game Pass. (here’s Kotaku‘s list of the best under-the-radar games currently available.) Developers have acknowledged to Kotaku that debuting on Game Pass cuts into initial sales but is ultimately worth it for the tradeoff in publicity.

PS Plus Extra currently includes around 430 PS4 and PS5 games, while Premium adds another 395 from PS1, PS2, PS3 (streaming only), and PSP. While the classics are a nice bonus, the biggest draw by far are the PlayStation exclusives like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Spider-Man: Miles Moralesand Bloodborne. Unlike Microsoft, Sony has committed to not putting its newest releases on the service day-and-date, and if Returnal arriving a year after release is any indication, it seems like a good bet that players will have to wait at least a year to 18 months before newer stuff appears.

There are plenty of strong contenders in the third-party department though. games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Prey, Control, doomand Tetris effect are all present, as are indies like Light blue, Outer Wilds, Dead Cellsand Virginia. The library has plenty of diversity and was bolstered most recently from the same-day addition of stray, which is already a 2022 GOTY contest. The Ubisoft component, led by Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is also a strong compliment. At the same time, Sony hasn’t yet demonstrated it is, or will be, as aggressive as Microsoft in courting a steady stream of third party day-and-date additions. There’s also no PC-exclusive portion of the library.

Winner: PS Plus

Ari: Going into this exercise, I totally imagined it’d paint a clear picture of Game Pass superiority, but these two services seem fundamentally identical to me — right down to the UI — with Sony’s new version of PS Plus marginally better in the few aspects that matter. The prices are mostly the same, but the option to pay for a year of PS Plus at a “discount” edges out Game Pass in that regard. Sure, Game Pass’ big draw is that it puts Microsoft’s first-party games on the service at launch, but…Microsoft has barely any first-party games out this year! Right now, that perk seems like little more than a marketing line.

Ethan: I also thought Game Pass would be the clear winner coming out of this, but now I’m conflicted as well. Not everyone can afford to pay for a full year up front, but it really changes the calculus in this matchup. There are some other key differences as well, and while I don’t think they make one a clear winner over the other, I do think it makes it easier to decide which you want to pay for. Want immediate access to a meaty back catalog of some of the biggest and best games from the last generation? PS Plus wins. Want to stay current on some of the best new games coming out every month and play them at any time on your phone? Then it’s Game Pass all the way.

Categories
US

Indiana passes near-total abortion ban, the first to do so post-Roe

Indiana passes near-total abortion ban, the first to do so post-Roe

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Indiana became the first state in the country after the fall of Roe v. Wade to pass sweeping limits on abortion access, after Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed into law Friday a bill that constitutes a near-total ban 0n the procedure.

The Republican-dominated state Senate approved the legislation 28-19 Friday in a vote that came just hours after it passed Indiana’s lower chamber. The bill, which will go into effect Sept. 15, only allows abortion in cases of rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormality or when the procedure is necessary to prevent severe health risks or death.

Supporters of abortion rights crowded into the corridors of the Indiana Statehouse throughout the day as lawmakers cast their votes, some holding signs that read “You can only ban safe abortions” and “Abortion is health care.” Moments after the vote, some protesters hugged and others stood stunned before the crowd broke out into chants of “We will not stop.”

‘Not her body, not her choice:’ Indiana lawmakers on abortion ban

In a statement released after signing the bill, Holcomb said he had “stated clearly” following the fall of gnaws that he would be willing to support anti-abortion legislation. He also highlighted the “carefully negotiated” exceptions in the law, which he said address “some of the unthinkable circumstances a woman or unborn child might face.”

Before settling on the exceptions, Republican legislators disagreed on how far the law should go, with some GOP members siding with Democrats in demanding that abortion be legal in cases of rape and incest.

The vote followed days of testimony from citizens and a debate that grew heated at times. “Sir, I am not a murderer,” Rep. Renee Pack (D) said in the chamber after Rep. John Jacob (R), a staunch abortion opponent who wanted exceptions for rape removed, described the procedure as murder.

Abortion is now banned in these states. See where laws have changed.

Abortion rights organizations quickly rebuked Friday’s decision. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the vote “was cruel and will prove devastating for pregnant people and their families in Indiana and across the whole region.” “Hoosiers didn’t want this,” Johnson said.

In a statement, the antiabortion group Indiana Right to Life opposed the exceptions, and said the new law did not go far enough in cutting abortion access.

The push by Indiana Republicans to restrict abortion access stands in stark contrast with the overwhelming support for it by voters in Kansas, where an attempt to strip away abortion protections was voted down this week in another traditionally conservative state. That victory is likely to boost the Democratic Party’s hope that the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade will energize voters ahead of the midterm elections.

In Indiana, Democratic legislators described the Kansas vote as a warning to their Republican colleagues to consider the potential fallout from voters.

Kansans resoundingly reject amendment aimed at restricting abortion rights

Unlike many of its predominantly conservative neighboring states in the Midwest, Indiana did not have a “trigger law” on the books that would immediately prohibit abortion when gnaws was overturned. Because the procedure had been legal in the state up to 22 weeks, Indiana became the destination for many seeking to terminate their pregnancies.

Cutting off this “critical access point” may force people to travel “hundreds of thousands or carry pregnancies against their will,” the American Civil Liberties Union said.

Most recently, a 10-year-old girl rape victim had to travel to Indianapolis for an abortion after she was denied one in her home state of Ohio. The case prompted outrage among abortion rights proponents, was criticized by President Biden and drew international attention.

The OB/GYN who provided the care, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, has faced threats and harassment. Her legal team de ella is looking into filing a defamation suit against Indiana’s attorney general, whose office is investigating how the abortion case was handled.

Kim Bellware and Ellen Francis contributed to this report.

Categories
Sports

Triple Eight wins GTWC Australia opener

Triple-Eight-Queensland-Raceway

Triple-Eight-Queensland-Raceway

Shane van Gisbergen/Prince Jefri Ibrahim

Shane van Gisbergen and Prince Jefri Ibrahim won the opening race of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS round at Queensland Raceway.

Van Gisbergen was at the wheel of the #888 Mercedes-AMG GT3 after 60 minutes, with Garth Tander/Yasser Shahin making a move late in the race to finish second in the #1 The Bend Audi LMS EVO, while Fraser Ross/Liam Talbot completed the podium in the #20 Coin Spot Audi R8 LMS EVO.

Am Class winner Mark Rosser finished fourth outright in his #17 Catan Audi R8 LMS EVO, while Brad Schumacher claimed GT Trophy Series honors in the #55 Schumacher Motorsport Audi R8 LMS Ultra.

After finding himself off the road on the opening lap, Prince Ibrahim mounted a recovery effort, climbing back up to third from eighth.

Ibrahim said he worked hard to gain the position back on track.

“I was trying to do my best in the first few laps and messed it up, so I had to make it up before the team kicked me in the ass,” Ibrahim said.

“I just tried to keep it clean, try to gain that position back, and enjoy every moment of the lap.”

The Safety Car was called after mechanical dramas struck by James Koundouris in the #47 Supabarn Audi R8 LMS EVO on Lap 13.

Shortly after the Safety Car pulled off, the pit window opened, with Ibrahim handing over to van Gisbergen who quickly moved through the field into the lead of the race.

Once he had taken command of the race, the Supercars Championship leader traded times with Tander, before Supercars regular David Reynolds in the #24 Bostik Racing Audi R8 LMS EVO joined the fray, posting back-to-back fastest laps, breaking the lap record on Lap 31 with a 1:08.9125s from 10th on the track.

Van Gisbergen credited Ibrahim’s recovery drive with setting up the win.

“I didn’t really do much there, even when I got in I had a 10-second lead or something, so yeah I just drove around, but what an awesome job,” van Gisbergen said.

“He had a tough first lap, but then his passes back through were really, really cool, so hopefully I’ll do the same tomorrow, get him in a good spot, and he can bring it home.”

GTWC Australia will return to the track tomorrow for Race 2 at 14:10 local time/AEST.

Race 2 will be streamed live and ad-free on Stan Sport.

Categories
US

DC-area forecast: Nonstop steaminess with storms possible nearly daily

DC-area forecast: Nonstop steaminess with storms possible nearly daily

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A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10.

4/10: Slight improvements over Friday include pinch lower heat-index values ​​and temperatures, along with slightly less chance of showers and storms. Still, one or two flooding downpours are possible.

  • Today: Shower/storm chance, especially pm Highs: Upper 80s to low 90s.
  • Tonight: Slight shower/storm chance. Muggy. Lows: Mid-to-upper 70s.
  • Tomorrow: Slight shower/storm chance. Highs: Near-90s to mid-90s.

In a bit of a rinse-and-repeat that we’re used to during the dog days of summer, DC has virtually nonstop mugginess ahead and essentially daily chances for showers and storms — especially during the afternoon and evening hours. Please quickly move to safety when you hear thunder. Monday may still be the day with lowest chances of rain, in case you can focus outdoor activities then.

Get our daily forecasts on your Amazon Alexa device.

Today (Saturday): With soupy dew points in the mid-70s likely, heat-index values ​​in the mid-90s are likely in the hottest and steamiest spots. The thermometer may top out in the upper 80s to low 90s. Skies are partly to mostly cloudy, but we may end up seeing a bit more sunshine than Friday.

A few raindrops are possible most anytime during the day, but the main (and only moderate) chance for showers and storms starts around midafternoon. Storms should be less numerous than Friday, but one or two storms could still be strong to severe. We have a slight 5 to 10 percent chance of a flooding downpour or two. Moderate afternoon southerly breezes around 10-15 mph are possible. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: An evening chance for showers and storms may extend closer to midnight, but any rain activity should dwindle in intensity and coverage before then. Skies likely to stay mostly cloudy, even after any rain ends. Mid- to upper 70s are the best we can do for low temperatures. oof. Thank dew points in the mid-70s that prevent the atmosphere from cooling much below that level. Confidence: Medium-High

Follow us on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates. Keep reading for the forecast into next week…

Tomorrow (Sunday): Skies may offer a hair more sunshine than Saturday, and corresponding (hair lower) shower and storm chances. With more sunshine, high temperatures rise a bit more to near 90 into the mid-90s. As the afternoon wears on, though, remember to head indoors if thunder roars. A few storms may pop throughout the region, especially from midafternoon onward.

Moderate south-southwest breezes may be noticeable during the afternoon hours. Do I even need to mention how humid it will feel? Well, heat index values ​​around 100 degrees are possible — that’s the combination of humidity with air temperature. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrownight: After sunset, rain chances drop, but they’re not completely out. A slight chance for a shower or storm exists until the early morning hours. Skies slowly clear, and any breezes calm, as we approach dawn. Sultry low temperatures hover in the mid- to upper 70s. Confidence: Medium

Steaminess may continue Monday and Tuesday, with high temperatures in the low to mid-90s. Dew points may not slide much, if at all, as once thought. This means heat index values ​​in the low 100s are possible. Rain chances remain lowest on Monday vs. Tuesday. Still, a shower and storm chance can’t be ruled out either day — especially during afternoon and evening hours. Low temperatures merely get down into the usual range lately, the mid- to upper 70s. Confidence: Medium

Read more about Capital Weather Gang’s confidence rating.

Categories
Technology

‘Halo Infinite’ August update will improve player customization

'Halo Infinite' August update will improve player customization

343 Industries has detailed the upcoming halo-infinite August update, which will feature even more player customization options.

Sharing in a new blog post, 343 has confirmed that halo-infinite‘s next Drop Pod update is set to arrive on August 9 and will focus specifically on “improving the player experience,” quality of life changes, and other fan-requested features.

As of right now, players have access to a collection of visors that are split across five armor cores, but with the new update, Halo Infinite will allow unlocked visors to be used interchangeably between all of the game’s armor cores instead. This means all visors in the game will work across all helmets in the game.

https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2022/08/Rakshasa-to-Yoroi_Visors_no_GT_1920x1080.jpg
Credit: 343 Industries

Another update to helmets will allow for certain Mark VII helmet attachments to be worn across multiple Mark VII helmets. “This is a response to player feedback we’ve seen requesting an expansion of the compatibility of Mark VII helmet attachments,”343 explained, adding that it was difficult because most helmet attachments for the Mark VII core are designed to fit a specific helmet, while some also fit well on other Mark VII helmets.

The team managed to work around the issues, which involved avoiding awkward clipping and large holes, in the helmets, but 343 noted that while not every Mark VII helmet will be able to use every helmet attachment, the total number of options has been “greatly increased.”

halo-infinite multiplayer will also be getting some tweaks. The Drop Pod will be introducing a ranked Doubles playlist and social Team Doubles playlist two weeks after the update drops. 343 is also eventually going to let players select their matchmaking region for faster search times.

Finally, players’ active Challenges will also be viewable while in a match on the pause menu when the update goes live, allowing for easier access.

In other news, Capcom is going to reveal Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak’s first major post-launch update next week.

Categories
US

NYPD cops shoot 3 males who opened fire on Queens house party with 75 to 100

NYPD cops shoot 3 males who opened fire on Queens house party with 75 to 100

NYPD cops who were monitoring a Queens house party Friday night shot three males after the group rolled up and opened fire on the 75 to 100 partygoers, according to police.

The violence erupted about 11:35 pm Friday night at Springfield Boulevard and 130th Avenue in Laurelton and sent the three alleged shooters to the hospital with injuries, NYPD’s Chief of Patrol Jeff Maddrey said.

The plain-clothes officers in unmarked vehicles were watching the party because they feared there was a “potential for violence by some of the local street crews,” police said.

The melee began when plain-clothes officers spotted a group of men showing up to the party, threatening revelers with guns and open fire.

As a number of party attendees shot back, the cops drew their weapons and fired at the gunmen, according to sources.

Police responded to a Queens house party gone wrong late Friday night.
Wayne Carrington
NYPD officers were monitoring the party when the violence occurred at Springfield Boulevard and 130th Avenue in Laurelton.
NYPD officers were monitoring the party when the violence occurred at Springfield Boulevard and 130th Avenue in Laurelton.
Wayne Carrington

Maddey said no officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire.

Two of the alleged shooters suffered non-life threatening injuries, the third suspect is in critical condition.

Police recovered three firearms from the scene.

Firearm recovered at Queens house party shooting
Three guns were apprehended at the scene.
NYPD
Firearm recovered at Queens house party shooting
The firearms were recovered by the NYPD after three men were shot by police.
NYPD
Firearm recovered at Queens house party shooting
The chaos ensued when the group of males began firing into the crowd.
NYPD
Chief Jeff Maddrey, NYPD's Chief of Patrol
Chief Jeff Maddrey cited the incident as another example of gun violence in the community.
NYPD

The investigation continues and cops are seeking information from the “large number of people” who were at the party.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers: 800-577-TIPS.

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Categories
Technology

Let’s Talk About the Best Fighting Games of All Time

Let's Talk About the Best Fighting Games of All Time

The 2022 Evolution Championship Series (Evo) goes down this weekend and will pit fighting game players from across the world against each other for a chance at glory. Fighting games live and die by their ability to welcome newcomers into the ecosystem, convert them into long-term veterans, and keep those veterans invested enough to compete in tournaments like Evo.

In celebration of this weekend’s events, we’re wondering what your favorite fighting games of all time are and why.

Are you Team Street Fighter with its flashy combos, or are you in Mortal Kombat’s camp and appreciate over-the-top Fatalities? Maybe you’re a fan of one of the more recent franchises like Granblue Fantasy: Versus or Melty Blood: Type Lumina. Have you ever competed or are interested in competing in a fighting game tournament? Do you enjoy watching others compete at the highest levels? Please let us know in the comments section.

Jada Griffin is IGN’s Community Lead. If she’s not engaging with users here, chances are she’s developing her own games, maxing the Luck stat in her favorite games, or challenging her D&D players with Intense combat or masterful puzzles. You can follow her de ella on Twitter @Jada_Rina.

Categories
Sports

Gauff suffers second set meltdown in loss against Badosa in San Jose

Gauff suffers second set meltdown in loss against Badosa in San Jose

It was a tough day at the office for Coco Gauff, who couldn’t capitalize on any of her opportunities in her quarterfinal loss against Paula Badosa at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose.

The Spaniard rallied from a break down in the first set to record the 7-6(4) 6-2 victory, looking more confident as the match progressed. Gauff obtained an early break to lead 3-1, and served for the opening set at 5-4. However, a few errant shots and some inspired play from Badosa saw the World No.4 break back, before taking the set in a close tiebreak.

With momentum on her side, Badosa seemed more energized as she matched the American’s power from the baseline. Conversely, Gauff appeared deflated, as the errors began to creep into her eleven solid game. The World No.11 was broken twice to fall into a 1-5 hole, and she appeared more frustrated with each shot. Badosa on her part de ella relied on her consistency to engage in long rallies with her younger opponent, which resulted in the Spaniard winning most of the points.

Although Gauff staved off defeat to force Badosa to serve for the match, the second seed was able to do so, closing out proceedings after an hour and 26 minutes.


The second seed will face Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals, after the World No.12 upset fourth seed Aryna Sabalenka in their quarterfinal encounter.

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Categories
US

Uvalde under scrutiny: What we know about the key figures connected to the shooting response

Uvalde under scrutiny: What we know about the key figures connected to the shooting response

Title: Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety (appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott)

His connection to the massacre: McCraw leads the state agency investigating the law enforcement response to the Uvalde mass shooting. His agency includes the Texas Rangers, an investigative branch of the Texas DPS.

McCraw called the police response “an abject failure and antithetical to everything we’ve learned over the last two decades since the Columbine massacre.”

He identified the incident commander as the school district police chief and slammed the chief’s decision to not immediately breach the classroom door. Officers waited in or around a hallway for more than an hour after the shooting began.

“It was the wrong decision, period,” McCraw said. “There’s no excuse for that.”

Why he’s under scrutiny: Uvalde’s mayor criticized McCraw for directing blame at the Uvalde schools police chief when officers from McCraw’s own agency were also at the scene.

DPS did not directly address McLaughlin’s criticism of McCraw. In a July 5 statement, DPS said it is “committed to working with multiple law enforcement agencies to get the answers we all seek” and said “this is still very much an active and ongoing investigation.”

The 376 respondents came from an array of agencies, according to a Texas House investigative committee report. Among them, 149 were from the US Border Patrol, 91 were from the Texas Department of Public Safety and 14 were from the Department of Homeland Security.

“Every agency in that hallway is gonna have to share the blame,” McLaughlin, the elder, told CNN on July 5.

A shifting timeline of when DPS personnel arrived on the scene raises serious questions about the department’s trustworthiness, the head of the largest police union in Texas told CNN. He has called for an “outside independent source” to probe the initial response.

“I don’t know that we can trust (DPS) to do an internal investigation,” said Charley Wilkison, executive director of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, which represents some law enforcement officers in Uvalde. “I would say that DPS was fast to wash its hands, to point fingers and to make sure that the general public, particularly the elected officials, knew that they were spotless, blameless and that this was a local problem.”

Latest: While in June the DPS director called the response an “abject failure,” a DPS trooper was on scene outside Robb Elementary just 2 minutes and 28 seconds after the gunman entered, CNN was first to report August 2. The trooper was seen on police bodycam video provided to CNN by McLaughlin.

Previously, McCraw said one trooper had entered the hallway at 11:42 am, or nine minutes after the shooter entered the school. Uvalde police bodycam video first reported on by CNN showed a DPS trooper at the west entrance of the school at 11:37:51 – about five minutes earlier than previously acknowledged.

DPS’ investigation into the shooting will include an internal review of the actions taken by every DPS officer on the scene to determine whether any should be referred to an inspector general for investigation, McCraw said August 4. The DPS director said he had not yet reviewed video from all 34 body cameras – noting that he may have to correct that number in the future – but he had seen excerpts.

McCraw would not publicly release any details of the probe, in accordance with a Uvalde County district attorney’s request, he said, noting the case could take years.

Photo: Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis/Getty Images

Categories
Technology

Samsung’s New Phone Repair Kits Are Better Than Nothing

Samsung's New Phone Repair Kits Are Better Than Nothing

Samsung officially introduced its repair kit program in the US this week. Now, anyone who owns one of the handful of Galaxy phones covered by the program can order the parts, tools, and instructions needed to fix their devices themselves.

The company first announced its repair program in April. Thanks to some laws in Europe that require devices to indicate how repairable they are, similar legislation that secures consumers’ rights to repair their own phones, laptops, and gadgets feels all but inevitable in the US. Companies like Samsung and Apple are eager to get ahead of it and set the tone for what device repairability will mean. Problem is, now that these companies have unveiled their repair kit programs, it appears they offer more of a morsel of reparability than a full buffet.

Each Samsung Galaxy repair kit includes the tools, spare parts, and step-by-step instructions needed to fix broken screens, charging ports, and glass-backed chassis.

Photography: Samsung

Samsung has only made repair kits available for some of its products, namely the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21 phones, and the Galaxy Tab 7+. That’s seven devices total, out the hundreds of Samsung gadgets still in service. What’s more, only certain parts of each device can be repaired: The screen, charging port, and back panel glass. (Galaxy Tab owners can also replace the battery.) While Samsung’s repair kit rollout is limited, it’s been a smoother process so far than when Apple introduced its repair program in April. Apple’s kits were expensive, unwieldy, and often more bother than they were worth.

Samsung, along with Google (which makes available parts and tools for its Pixel phones) has partnered with the right-to-repair advocacy group iFixit. It’s a good partnership and a step toward a more repairable future. But for now that future is only manifesting in fits and starts. If Samsung, Apple, and other companies want to build out a robust self-repair program before the regulatory hammer comes down, they’ll have to step up their efforts.

Here’s some more news from the Gear desk.

Hey Alexa, Sweep My Floor

Say what you will about Amazon, but there’s no denying that it’s just a big ol’ hungry bear that wants to gobble up everything around it. The latest entity to slide screaming into Amazon’s gaping maw is iRobot, the company that makes Roomba vacuums. Amazon will be absorbing the company for a chill $1.7 billion in cash, which seems like chump change against its $3.9 billion feast of OneMedical last month. (That’s right, Amazon is a health care provider now too.)

Sure, there are all sorts of privacy implications from this acquisition, especially when you consider that Amazon may soon own the map of your home’s floor plan collected by the sensors on iRobot’s vacuums. But hey, just think of the other possibilities: Ring cameras in your robot lawn mower! Flying Dustbuster drones that listen to your conversations! Truly anything will be possible.

Clubhouse Subdivides Itself

Remember Clubhouse? The audio-based social network took off in 2020 during the early days of the pandemic, when it provided relief from the isolation and Zoom fatigue many of us were feeling. (Ha ha, glad that’s over, right?) Since admission to the app was invite-only, it lent the Clubhouse experience a sense of exclusivity that made it feel exciting. Soon, Clubhouse became the go-to virtual meet space for Silicon Valley bigwigs to delight each other with their collective presence. Then the app opened up to the general public, and its appeal fizzled faster than a warm La Croix.

Now, Clubhouse is trying to recapture some of its old cool by making parts of itself exclusive again. A new feature lets users split rooms off into multiple Clubhouses (Clubs house?) that will enable them to keep their conversations private. Clubhouse is taking applications to create “Houses” now but will be rolling them out on a case-by-case basis.

Clearly Clubhouse is hoping that these smaller, more curated experiences lure users back from the many other, much more popular audio chat services. when announcing the feature on Twitter, Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison wrote, “The best social experiences are not open to everyone. They are small and curated. This is what creates intimacy, trust, and friendship.”

Instagram NFT’s

After a controversial move to prioritize its TikTok clone Reels in user’s feeds, Instagram is digging in on another buzzy online trend: NFTs. In May, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced that the social platform would dip its toes into the then-piping-hot NFT waters. Of course, the NFT market has cooled off considerably since May. Still, this week Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that his company is expanding its plan to enable NFTs across Instagram in more than 100 countries. The feature will let users create posts as NFTs, and buy or sell them using digital wallets.

Speaking of non-fungible assets …

Take an NFT, It’ll Last Longer

The hallmark of NFTs has always been that they’re digital. Artists minting their works as NFTs create a marker on a blockchain that indicates that a work is an original. Otherwise, the piece itself is as infinitely re-creatable as any online GIF. (OK, it’s actually way more complicated than that, so here’s a guide explaining exactly how NFTs work.)

Now, thanks to companies like Infinite Objects and Tokenframe, you can take that digital art and stick it on your wall. This week on the Gadget Lab podcast, WIRED’s Lauren Goode and Michael Calore talk about the weird world of NFTs and how physical frames for digital art might make the whole thing more approachable for the uninitiated.

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