Mariella Moon
Engadget
Philippines
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Recent articles by Mariella:
Google Search will highlight government's COVID-19 announcements
Google will make announcements related to the coronavirus pandemic a lot more visible within Search results. The tech giant has introduced a way for websites to highlight special announcements, so that people can instantly see COVID-19-related information without even having to click through. At the moment, the feature is only accessible to health and government agency websites, which can use it… → Read More
Zoom will enable waiting rooms by default to keep trolls out
Zoom will make a couple of important security changes in an effort to prevent trolls from crashing shared video calls on the app. To be exact, it will require passwords to enter calls and will switch on waiting rooms by default starting on April 5th. The platform's explosive growth due to COVID-19 brought its security shortcomings into stark relief, and one of the biggest issues its users have… → Read More
'Artemis Fowl' will debut on Disney+
Disney has adjusted the theatrical release dates for its biggest upcoming movies this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, except for Artemis Fowl. Instead of pushing back its opening date from May 29th to a later one, the entertainment giant won't be showing it in theaters altogether: The young adult fantasy film about a 12-year-old criminal mastermind will be heading straight to Disney+. → Read More
Google rolls back Chrome feature that blocks cross-site tracking
Google is temporarily rolling back a feature it launched with Chrome 80 to make sure it doesn't break websites in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Back in February, the tech giant started enforcing a new cookie classification system that was designed to block cross-site tracking on Chrome in an effort to prevent bad actors from exploiting cookie vulnerabilities. → Read More
Apple Stores in the US will remain closed until early May
In a memo obtained by Bloomberg, Apple SVP Deirdre O’Brien told retail employees that its retail stores will remain closed until early May due to the coronavirus outbreak. → Read More
Instacart will provide shoppers with free masks and hand sanitizers
Instacart will start distributing free health and safety kit to its full-service shoppers next week. The move likely comes as a response to the walkout workers staged a few days ago to protest the company's inadequate safety measures against the coronavirus pandemic. One of their demands was the distribution of items like hand sanitizers. → Read More
Tesla reports best ever first quarter production and delivery numbers
Tesla has announced a record-breaking quarter for the company when it comes to vehicle production and delivery. The automaker manufactured 102,672 and delivered 88,400 vehicles in the first quarter of 2020 ending on March 31st. Tesla called these results its "best ever first quarter performance." It also said that its final delivery figures could be even higher, since it only counts a car as… → Read More
Honda will build two EVs based on GM battery technology
Honda will launch two new EVs for model year 2024 in the US and Canada, and they'll both be based on GM's EV platform. According to GM EVP Doug Parks, the automakers have teamed up to achieve an "all-electric future" and to deliver "a profitable EV business through increased scale and capacity utilization." Since they'll still be Honda vehicles, the Japanese automaker will be in charge of its… → Read More
NBC Sports will air IndyCar's second virtual race on April 4th
Another live esports event will air on TV this Saturday -- something we might have to get used to now that people are glued to their screens even more than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic. The second round of the IndyCar iRacing Challenge, an online simulation-style competition, will air live on NBC Sports at 2:30PM ET on April 4th. → Read More
FCC vote on 6 GHz WiFi will take place April 23rd
On April 23rd, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on whether to allow WiFi devices to access the 6 GHz band. The band is currently being used by companies like broadcast firms and utilities to beam video signals and monitor electric grids, among other things. But if the FCC allows WiFi devices to access it, then it will lead to internet connections for homes and offices that are… → Read More
Volvo's app-based Valet maintenance service launches across the US
Volvo has officially rolled out its pickup and delivery service for vehicles needing maintenance across the US. The automaker first introduced the service called Volvo Valet back in 2018 when it debuted a pilot program in California. It was the result of its Luxe acquisition in 2017, when it snapped up the premium app-based valet service's technology and engineers. Now that Valet is available… → Read More
Google and Microsoft are working to make web forms more touch-friendly
Google and Microsoft have redesigned native form controls -- buttons and various input elements you see on web forms -- to look more harmonious and be more touch-friendly. They spent the past year working together to design a new theme and make built-in form controls better for Chromium browsers, which serve as the basis for both Edge and Chrome. One of the changes they came up with will make… → Read More
Airbnb vows to partly cover host losses following COVID-19 cancellations
Airbnb is setting aside $250 million for hosts affected by the coronavirus pandemic and is also expanding its no-penalty cancellations even further. A couple of weeks ago, the company announced that all stays and Experiences with check-in dates between March 14th and April 14th can be cancelled and fully refunded with no penalty. However, the decision was met with harsh criticism, because Airbnb… → Read More
Lucid Motors pushes back the unveiling of its long-awaited electric sedan
Back in January, Lucid Motors announced that it's finally unveiling the production model of its electric sedan in April three years after it was first revealed. The company was supposed to launch the car next week at the New York Auto Show, but the event was postponed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now company CEO and former Tesla chief engineer Peter Rawlinson has confirmed to… → Read More
UCSF app want to use your biometric data to track the spread of coronavirus
A new UC San Francisco initiative will give you a way to help advance our understanding of the coronavirus pandemic, even if you're not a scientist or a medical professional. The COVID-19 Citizen Science project welcomes contributions from anyone over 18, so long as they have a phone and can download its app. → Read More
Google rolls out Drive shortcuts ahead of folder structure changes
Google has started giving everyone access to Drive shortcuts, a few months after it first revealed its beta version. The feature was designed to make it easier to organize files and to point people to specific ones across various folders. You can, for instance, create a shortcut for a certain file saved in a shared drive and then send that shortcut to people in your team. They'll only be able to… → Read More
NASA picks SpaceX to deliver cargo to the Lunar Gateway
In the next few years, SpaceX will fly cargo to an orbit farther than where the ISS is. NASA has awarded the space agency with a contract to deliver critical cargo, scientific experiments and other supplies to the Lunar Gateway, which will serve as the staging point for missions headed to the lunar south pole under the Artemis program. SpaceX is the first commercial provider the agency has… → Read More
NVIDIA adds 'Control' and other games to GeForce Now
NVIDIA's GeForce Now has expanded its list of supported games with a bunch of new titles, starting with Remedy Entertainment's and 505 Games' action-adventure title Control. The supernatural action game supports graphics cards with ray tracing, which enables realistic lighting effects. Android Central notes, though, that it may look still inferior to the Xbox One version, because its video… → Read More
Apple makes its pro video and audio editing software free to use for 90 days
Apple is giving people stuck at home the chance to try out two of its professional creative applications at no cost. To start with, the tech giant is extending Final Cut Pro X's free trial period from 30 days to 90 days. Users will still have to pay $300 for a license once it's over, but they'll at least have three months to master the video editing application before having to decide whether… → Read More
'Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy' is now available on Switch and PS4
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, the classic action game originally released in 2003, has arrived on the PS4 and the Nintendo Switch. The game puts you in the role of a new student at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy and will have you fighting a mysterious Sith cult across the galaxy. Unlike other games with a set main character, Jedi Academy lets you customize your character's species,… → Read More