PC World - 8 Sep 2020 12:00

While you can spend a thousand bucks or more on a phone if you want, you don't actually need to anymore. In the past few months, Apple and Google have both released impressive mid-range phones that
... cost less than $400 and bring many of the features usually reserved for premium handsets, including wireless charging, all-screen designs, and impressive battery life. But as with all things Apple and Google, the iPhone SE and Pixel 4a are not created equal. But I wanted to see just how different they are. I had been using the iPhone SE since receiving it in early June, so when the Pixel 4a arrived on my doorstep, I popped out the SIM and jumped back into the world of Android. Here's what I learned: DP Review - 8 Sep 2020 16:20

Chinese lens manufacturer Jakumei Optics has announced (translated) the release of the Dulens APO 85mm F2 manual lens for Canon EF- and Nikon F-mount camera systems. According to the manufacturer, the
... lens' apochromatic (APO) design is inspired by 'Sonnar-style' lenses, the first of which was created by Dr. Ludwig Bertele in 1929. The lens is constructed of seven elements in six groups, including two extra-low dispersion elements and one high-refractive index lens. Other features include an aperture range of F2-F16, a nine-blade aperture diaphragm, a 90cm (3ft) minimum focusing distance and a 55mm front filter thread. The lens is available in black, grey and silver, and is available to purchase on the Shoten Kobo website (translated) for approximately $735 (76,950 JPY).
After two days in orbit, the experimental reusable spacecraft glides home, but details on the mission remain scant.
9 to 5 Mac - 8 Sep 2020 15:15
If you have MacBook tastes but a Chromebook budget, Macworld says you needn’t despair: with a bit of configuring, you can create a pseudo MacBook … more… The post Macworld explains
... how to turn a Chromebook into a pseudo MacBook appeared first on 9to5Mac.Ars Technica - 8 Sep 2020 00:11

Well those measurements of rotational speed are just, like, your opinion, man...
Twisted Sifter - 8 Sep 2020 19:44

Has technology gone too far?
Phys.org - 8 Sep 2020 15:20

Future wireless networks of the 6th generation (6G) will consist of a multitude of small radio cells that need to be connected by broadband communication links. In this context, wireless transmission
... at THz frequencies represents a particularly attractive and flexible solution. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed a novel concept for low-cost terahertz receivers that consist of a single diode in combination with a dedicated signal processing technique. In a proof-of-concept experiment, the team demonstrated transmission at a data rate of 115 Gbit/s and a carrier frequency of 0.3 THz over a distance of 110 meters. The results are reported in Nature Photonics.DP Review - 8 Sep 2020 15:00

It has been a while since the Hasselblad 907X was launched. It didn't go on general release at first as the company made a limited edition all-black kit to commemorate the moon landing, but now the
... chrome-edged production version is finally available to purchase. The concept is a tiny, slim body that acts as an interface between the CFV ll 50C digital back and Hasselblad's XCD lens series, to create a very small lightweight kit that is highly portable, fun to use and, most importantly, beautiful to look at. As the sensor in the CFV ll 50C is the same as that used in the X1D ll and the lenses are the same, in theory we should expect the same image quality, so really choosing this camera over the more conventional X1D ll is a matter of the handling experience. Hasselblad CFV II 50C digital...Slash Gear - 8 Sep 2020 14:27

The team of researchers and engineers from TU Delft went to an airbase in Germany over the summer, where they conducted the first real test flight of a scale flight model of an energy-efficient
... aircraft design called the Flying-V. The scale model is three meters wide and weighs 22.5 kilograms. Its test flight occurred at an airbase in Germany with … The New Yorker - 8 Sep 2020 12:00
Robin Wright on the deepening fracturing of American society and whether it could result in one or many secessionist movements.
Daily Mail - 8 Sep 2020 00:15

Facebook confirmed it is testing a feature that let users cross-post Stories from Instagram to its main platform, but friends who don't follow you on Instagram can't view the content.
Gizmodo - 8 Sep 2020 23:49

Ever since the covid-19 pandemic made its way to the United States, the question of whether Americans would accept a potential vaccine has lingered over everything. First, there was the concern that
... the antivaxxer movement might dissuade people from taking a legitimate vaccine. More recently, the worry has been that... TechCrunch - 8 Sep 2020 20:15
Dropbox CEO Drew Houston will be joining us for a one-on-one interview at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt happening next week from September 14-18. Houston has been there and done that as a
... startup founder. After attending Y Combinator in 2007 and launching at the TechCrunch 50 (the precursor to TechCrunch Disrupt) in 2008, he went […]SPACE.com - 8 Sep 2020 16:47

Fires continue to ravage California, with five new blazes igniting since Friday (Sept. 4).

VW has a new compact crossover SUV coming for the US, and the automaker has just given us our first look at the new model.
The country climbs four positions in relation to 2019 but is still far from the position it reached nearly a decade ago.

A new CBS News poll reveals that, in terms of sources of coronavirus news that Americans trust, President Trump actually fares slightly better than the national media. The poll, however, shows that
... trust in many institutions and key figures, including both Trump and the media, has fallen as the coronavirus pandemic has dragged on. Trust in the CDC has fallen especially far, according to the CBS poll. There's been an unfortunate trend that's unfolded over the past several months, in terms of where Americans get their coronavirus news -- and, more specifically, what sources of information they trust the most. A new poll commissioned by CBS News and conducted last week found that Americans' trust in a number of key institutions has diminished as the coronavirus pandemic has dragged on....Need a tablet that doesn't feel like you can break it just by looking at it? These rugged tablets should get the job done.
Uber Freight is now offering the technology that powers its platform as a service, regardless of whether shippers and carriers are using the Uber Freight network of drivers.
The Verge - 8 Sep 2020 16:00
The verified calls feature allows businesses like banks to display the reason for their call when they contact you. | Image: Google Google has officially announced a new "Verified Calls" feature for
... its phone app, which is designed to give more information when a business is calling you. Compatible calls will show a company's name, branding, a small badge to show that it's verified, and a reason for its call. The feature is coming to the Google Phone app, which typically comes preloaded on Pixel and Android One phones. However, Google says it will now be available to download on a "limited" set of additional phones running Android Pie and higher, including flagship handsets from Samsung and LG. Compatible phones will be able to grab the app from the Google Play Store and then set it as...
Remember Black Friday last year, when Apple's AirPods Pro price was cut by $15 and they flew off the shelves? Well, right now you can score a $30 discount on Apple's noise cancelling earphones. Beyond
... that, AirPods 2 are on sale right now at the lowest price ever, just $129.98. Those are both incredible deals, but there's an even bigger discount on AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Case — hurry and you can get them for just $154.98, which is less than the $159 Apple charges for the entry-level model! Among our readers right now, nothing is flying off of Amazon's shelves faster than 10-packs of DecoPro KN95 face masks, and there are three main reasons why. First and foremost, they're the only KN95 masks on Amazon that have been tested by NIOSH and authorized by the FDA. Second, NIOSH...Phys.org - 8 Sep 2020 15:30

General Motors formed its second major electric vehicle partnership in less than a week, this time a $2 billion deal with startup Nikola.
Phys.org - 8 Sep 2020 15:30

How do you calculate the coordinated movements of two robot arms so they can accurately guide a highly flexible tool? ETH researchers have integrated all aspects of the optimisation calculations into
... an algorithm. A hot-wire cutter will be used, among other things, to develop building blocks for a mortar-free structure.Phys.org - 8 Sep 2020 15:15

TikTok says it's working to remove videos of a man apparently taking his own life and banning users that keep trying to spread the clips on the popular social media platform.