Year: 2024

The Jabra Elite 10 are fantastic noise-cancelling and versatile earphones and they’re even more tempting while they’re on sale at Best Buy.

PSG face Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League tie, and we’ve put together all the ways you can watch a free live stream of the match in the US.

Atletico Madrid host Dortmund in the Champions League quarterfinals today, and we have all the ways you can watch a free live stream from the United States.

Battery life always limits a drone’s ability to perform tasks and get anywhere. So why not let it slurp from nearby power lines? (Well, there are reasons.) 

Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark attached a gripper system to a Tarot 650 Sport drone, which they customized with an electric quadcopter propulsion system and an autopilot module. An inductive charger pulls current from the power line, enabling it to recharge five times over two hours during tests. The benefit here is that power lines already exist (duh), but there is the real concern that a drone could damage a line and knock out electricity for thousands.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

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The owner of WordPress has bought Beeper, that brazen messaging app

It challenged Apple and lost almost immediately.

WordPress and Tumblr owner Automattic has bought Beeper, the maker of the Beeper Mini app, which challenged Apple with iMessage tricks on Android phones, late last year. Although it ultimately lost its only USP when Apple blocked the exploit — mere days later — the incident gave the DOJ more ammunition in its antitrust suit against Apple. Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Automattic paid $125 million. It’s a lot of money, especially when Automattic already owns a messaging app, Texts. No, I hadn’t heard of it either.

Continue reading.

Starlink terminals are reportedly being used by Russian forces in Ukraine

There’s a thriving black market for satellite-based internet providers.

Reuters

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Russian forces in Ukraine are using Starlink satellite internet terminals to coordinate attacks in eastern Ukraine and Crimea as well as to control drones and other forms of military tech. The Starlink hardware is reaching Russian forces via a complex network of black-market sellers. After reports in February that Russian forces were using Starlink, US House Democrats demanded Musk act, noting Russian military use of the tech is “potentially in violation of US sanctions and export controls.” Starlink can disable individual terminals.

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Congress looks into blocking piracy sites in the US

The Motion Picture Association will work with politicians.

The Motion Picture Association chair and CEO Charles Rivkin has revealed a plan to make “sailing the digital seas,” so streaming or downloading pirated content, harder. Rivkin said the association is going to work with Congress to establish and enforce site-blocking legislation in the United States. He added that almost 60 countries use site-blocking as a tool against piracy.

Continue reading.

You can now lie down while using a Meta Quest 3 headset

Finally.

Shh, relax… And strap two screens to your face.

Relaaaaax.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-drones-that-can-charge-on-power-lines-111517677.html?src=rss

You can now ensure that you’re not going to be hit by hidden fees and taxes before you sign up with an internet service provider (ISP). Starting today, big ISPs with more than 100,000 subscribers will be required to display “nutrition labels” both in store and online under a new FCC rule. Those labels have to show the companies’ plans, fees and any additional costs, such as activation fees and upfront or rental fees for modems and other equipment. 

They also have to show whether a particular amount that’s being advertised is an introductory or a discounted rate and how long you can enjoy that lower rate. Plus, the labels have to indicate each particular plan’s download and upload speeds, as well as any early termination fee associated with it. ISPs can’t hide these labels behind multiple clicks or camouflage them with other elements that make them hard to see. They have to be accessible from your customer account portal, and ISPs should give you a copy if you ask. 

The FCC first floated the idea of nutrition labels for ISPs back in 2016, but it wasn’t until 2022 that it formally introduced rules requiring them to be displayed at the companies’ points of sale. As you can see in the image below, it resembles the nutrition labels for food and will (theoretically and hopefully) account for every dollar you pay for a wired or wireless plan. Back when the rule was announced, FCC Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel explained that the agency chose to approve and implement it as part of its efforts to “end the kind of unexpected fees and junk costs that can get buried in long and mind-numbingly confusing statements of terms and conditions.”

Based on the FCC’s website, providers with less than 100,000 subscribers will be given a bit more time to comply and have until October 10. And in case you come across any ISP that isn’t displaying any label even when they should or is showing inaccurate information, you can file a complaint with the commission through its official portal. 

FCC

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/isps-roll-out-mandatory-broadband-nutrition-labels-that-show-speeds-fees-and-data-allowances-103832369.html?src=rss

Sensitive files will now self-destruct, and it may blow your socks off.

Virtual reality holds massive promise for enhancing productivity but it could also lead to the very opposite if not approached carefully.