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  • Can the iPad Replace Your Laptop? An Upcoming Feature Might Change Your Mind

    Can the iPad Replace Your Laptop? An Upcoming Feature Might Change Your Mind

    Tablets are neat, but they’re really just a half-step between smartphones and laptops, right? Certainly, an iPad could never truly replace a laptop. When you need to be productive, you need to put the iPad away and bust out the laptop. Or, do you?

    iOS 13 promises to bring some long-awaited functionality to the iPad that might make you reconsider its usefulness. The much-anticipated feature in question? Mouse compatibility, for the first time since the iPad launched in 2011.

    iPad Mouse Functionality Coming in iOS 13

    Specifications

    Specifics and hard details are scarce at the time of this writing. This information comes courtesy of Federico Viticci, from the Connected podcast. This was corroborated on Twitter by Steve Troughton-Smith, an Irish Apple developer. Neither was forthcoming with hard-and-fast information, as the functionality isn’t yet officially confirmed.

    What Kind of Mouse?

    Rumor has it that every USB mouse will be included in this update, which is likely to be touted as an accessibility feature. This is great news for power-users who would prefer to just own one productivity device. Importantly, this could also be a huge help for mobility-limited people who want to use a mouse on their iPad for accessibility reasons.

    While USB supported was explicitly named in the rumor, we wouldn’t be surprised if Bluetooth mouse options were supported, too. It’s not a stretch to picture this feature being a low-key addition to iOS 13, though it would be a big deal for the right types of users.

    Apple and Laptops

    Apple’s relationship with laptops has been a bit rocky lately. Their own iMac line of products, alongside the MacBook product line, has been struggling as of late. Smartphones and tablets have been the focus of many “tech-forward” users who were once Apple’s laptop faithful.

    It would make sense, then, if Apple were to simply position the iPad as a competitor to, and replacement for, traditional laptops. This could simply be another step in that direction.

  • Google Stadia Update: All Pricing Options on the Table

    Google Stadia Update: All Pricing Options on the Table

    When Google unveiled its ambitious Stadia streaming service last month, the biggest question lingering over it was the cost. Will the service be subscription-based? Will users purchase games in the same way they would from Steam? Or, will there be an altogether different pricing model?

    Google’s Phil Harrison has partially addressed these questions, speaking at the LA GamesBeat Summit earlier this week. Harrison stated, “Our platform at a fundamental level has been architected to support a very wide variety of what people call ‘monetization options.’ Everything from purchase to transaction to subscription.”

    Stadia Pricing Models

    Google Stadia

    Google Stadia is Google’s upcoming foray into the world of games-on-demand streaming. The service promises to stream games to nearly any screen or device you can connect to the Internet and will allow you to use whatever controller you would like. The service has been met with cautious optimism by some, and outright suspicion by others.

    On the one hand, some have noted that the potential of streaming high-quality, 4K, 60 FPS games to any screen without needing any hardware will be quite enticing to some customers. However, others have noted that the system is unlikely to be as stable or clean as Google is promising.

    Pricing Question

    Many observers saw Stadia as likely to be Google’s attempt to create a Netflix-like subscription model for games. This would look similar to Xbox Games Pass or PlayStation Now, which both allow for access to a large library of games for a monthly fee.

    However, according to Harrison, Stadia’ systems will allow for a variety of pricing options. “There is no technical limitation on how we have architected the platform to support a variety of business models,” Harrison explained at the GamesBeat Summit.

    In Practice

    Stadia will allow for what Google is calling “frictionless” discovery of new games. For instance, a Stadia user could be watching a favorite YouTuber play a game, and then click open the exact spot the video is in into their game. It would make sense if Stadia allowed for a games pass subscription or timed free trials for these sorts of “discovery” play sessions.

    In short, Stadia is attempting to subvert the normal “storefront” experience of buying games. Google’s marketing holds that Stadia will allow for a more immersive culture of sharing and discovering games. Harrison noted that friends could even text you a link to a new game, and you could open it and stream it directly to your phone to try it out.

    We’re reserving judgement on the ambitious-sounding system until it becomes a reality. Time will tell if Google can deliver on the lofty promises they’ve made regarding the service.

  • Rumor Mill: Cheaper Switch Coming in June

    Rumor Mill: Cheaper Switch Coming in June

    There have been rumors swirling regarding new versions of Nintendo’s mega-popular Switch system for months. Most rumors have centered on a supposed “Pro” version that fans hope includes better graphical capabilities and a larger, brighter screen. However, recent rumors indicate that a less-expensive, more kid-friendly Switch is likely to hit as early as June of this year.

    Less Expensive Switch Coming in June

    The Rumor

    This rumor comes courtesy of a report from Bloomberg, which corroborates existing speculation regarding the hybrid console. However, the rumor doesn’t include any information regarding exact release date, console specifications or a price point. All that is included in this rumor is that  the system will likely see a June release and will cost less than the existing Switch.

    Best Guesses

    If we had to hazard a guess, a less expensive Switch model could go a few ways. One of the simplest ways for Nintendo to do this would to be making a Switch that doesn’t, well, Switch. A system with no dock and without the capability of up-scaling graphics for TV mode could be sold for less than the existing $300 model.

    This move, while simple, seems unlike. The biggest selling point of the Switch is the ability to play in handheld mode or TV mode. As such, a more likely outcome is a Switch model without detachable Joy-Cons, a smaller screen and perhaps even a small battery.

    This model could still include a dock, though it would likely require buyers to furnish their own controllers for use in TV mode.

    Potential Price

    We wouldn’t be surprised to see a scaled-back Switch retail for between $220 and $250, making it a more affordable option. Nintendo has long seen the young demographic of gamers as ideal targets for their handheld systems, making console revisions like the Nintendo 2DS with that exact demographic in mind.

    It makes sense that Nintendo would want to release a less expensive, more kid-friendly version of their mega-hit console. Parents are more likely to buy their kids a cheaper console, especially if they already have a Switch or PS4 in the living room.

  • Hurricane Michael Was Category 5 When it Touched Down: Updates

    Hurricane Michael Was Category 5 When it Touched Down: Updates

    When Hurricane Michael made landfall on the Florida Panhandle in October of 2018, it caused absolute havoc. The storm was originally estimated to have hit at Category 4, though it seems that categorization might have been incorrect. New post-storm analyses show it hit at Category 5 when it touched down.

    Hurricane Michael Category 5 When it Touched Down

    Stronger Than Thought

    New post-storm analyses have drawn new conclusions about the 2018 hurricane. It now appears that the storm had winds at 160 mph even when it hit land. As such, Michael is only the fourth ever Cat 5 hurricane to touch down on US soil.

    Originally, it was thought that the storm had wind speeds up to 155 mph when it hit land on October 10th. That would have made the storm on the high end of Category 4. However, no matter the recorded windspeeds, the storm was incredibly destructive.

    Destructive Power

    The destructive power of the storm was nearly unprecedented. While only a small portion of the coast was exposed to the full force of the Category 5 wind speeds, the destruction was widespread across the Panhandle and even into the Carolinas.

    The storm was directly responsible for no less than 16 deaths, and indirectly could have cause as many as 30 more. Economically, roughly $25 billion in damage was wrought in the United States alone. That’s not counting the amount of damage the storm wreaked on the islands before making US landfall.

    What This Means

    While this new up-tick in Categorization is interesting for academic reasons, it has no bearing on the actual damage the storm wrought. Hurricane Michael’s categorization is more important for chronicling weather history than for assessing the damage it dealt to the coast.

    The last Category 5 storm to hit the US before Michael was Andrew in 1992. Before that, Camille hit in 1969 and the Labor Day Hurricane was a Category 5 in 1935.

  • Ever Wondered What Jason Momoa Looks Like Without a Beard?

    Ever Wondered What Jason Momoa Looks Like Without a Beard?

    Jason Momoa is a very beloved actor and is known for his good looks, big muscles and killer beard. In a new YouTube video Momoa, who has played Aquaman and Khal Drogo, shaves off his famous beard, causing tons of his fans to cry out and ask “why?”. There’s actually a very good reason, so read on to find out.

    Why Did Jason Momoa Shave his Beard?

    Jason Momoa

    Momoa is well-known for his roles in Game of Thrones and the DC Cinematic Universe. In Game of Thrones, he portrayed wild horse-lord Khal Drogo, a fan-favorite character. In the DC Universe, he portrays a much swarthier and meaner version of Arthur Curry, also known as Aquaman.

    A huge part of his public image, of course, is his thick beard. In a video recently uploaded to YouTube, however, Momoa is seen shaving off his famous facial hair.

    For a Good Cause

    Momoa uploaded the beard-shaving in order to draw views to the video for a good cause. The video, sponsored in part by the Aluminum Association, draws attention to the pollution of plastic bottles and the importance of recycling.

    Momoa, per the Association, tells the viewer that 75% of all aluminum that has been produced is still in circulation today. As such, Momoa and the Association argue that the use of aluminum is much preferable to plastic.

    So Long, Beard

    As Momoa shaves off the famous beard, he bids farewell to the famous characters he’s portrayed with it. He says goodbye to Aquaman and Khal Drogo, all while walking through a desert that is strewn with plastic.

    Momoa explains that his big change in appearance is preface to another change. That change, he says, is aluminum over plastic. Given that he also plays Aquaman and defends the seas, it makes sense that Momoa would want to see us cut down on plastic usage. After all, the oceans are home to the vast majority of plastic pollution.

  • Early Galaxy Fold Models Experiencing Critical Failures

    Early Galaxy Fold Models Experiencing Critical Failures

    Samsung’s taking a huge gamble with their foldable smartphone. The Galaxy Fold is the first foldable smartphone with a plastic display hitting the market. However, within a few hours of each other, several prominent reviewers had their Fold review models begin experiencing critical screen failures and issues.

    Galaxy Fold Early Woes

    The Errors

    The errors on display have varied by reviewer, but they almost all include issues with the inner screen. The fold has a normal, Gorilla Glass display on the outside. The inside of the phone sports a huge 10-inch screen that folds in the middle, and this is the one experiencing issues.

    Primarily, the issues appear to be related to parts of the screen flickering, blacking out or breaking. One reviewer has a strange bulge under their screen. Another reviewer has one half of their screen blacked out entirely. Yet another has one side of the screen flickering and washing out in strange patterns.

    Crucial Points

    This is a critical point for Samsung. As the first company to hit the market with a foldable phone, all eyes are on them to deliver a top-quality product. With so many reviewers experiencing issues with their early production models, concerns are growing that Samsung’s ambitious phone might be dead on arrival.

    Samsung has stated that they’re aware of the issues the reviewers are having and are sending technicians out in person to review the damage.

    Causes

    It’s unclear what, exactly, is causing the damage to the screens. There is a thin layer of protective film on the inner screen that has is to not be removed. Some of the reviewers removed this film, resulting in the issues. Others, however, didn’t remove it and are still experiencing strange problems with their screens.

    Hopefully Samsung will be able to address the problem with the screens before the first mass production models hit store shelves. For Samsung, if the Galaxy Fold goes down as a buggy, easily-broken mess, then foldable displays might be perceived as an unrealizable fad.

  • Attorney General Barr Releases Full Mueller Report

    Attorney General Barr Releases Full Mueller Report

    Despite the lengthy investigation and contentious creation of the report, Mueller’s full (well, slightly redacted) report has been made public. The release followed a press release by Attorney General Barr. On March 22nd, Robert Mueller’s team turned the report over to Attorney General Barr, who, in turn, provided a 4-page summary of the 400-page report to Congress.

    Mueller Report Released

    Robert-Mueller
    USA Today

    The Press Release

    The Attorney General held a press conference prior to the release of the report, attempting to frame the Special Counsel’s findings in his own light. Famously, Barr wrote an unsolicited 19-page memo prior to being nominated to the AG job in which he alleged that the Department of Justice wouldn’t be able to find Trump guilty of obstruction of justice.

    Barr’s press release focused mainly on depicting the Special Counsel as having differing opinions of legal theory from the AG’s office. This largely tracks with what legal experts expected, following Barr’s numerous attempts to spin the report as not being as bad for the administration as people have predicted.

    The Report

    Mueller’s report focuses on ten specific episodes that could be evidence of obstruction of justice by the Donald Trump administration. The report also spends some time focusing on Russian interference in the election, which led to no less than 25 criminal charges levelled at Russian hackers.

    Obstruction

    According to the report, Mueller’s team didn’t find sufficient evidence to either exonerate nor indict Trump on charges of obstruction of justice. The obstruction case largely centered around the firing of former FBI director James Comey, as well as multiple tweets sent by Trump following that event.

    Russian Interference

    The other major part of the Special Counsel’s report involved an unprecedented Russian hacking effort that used social media to sow discord. The massive project had a budget of over $35 million and was overseen by top GRU operatives.

    The interference campaign created sock-puppet accounts to argue vehemently on wedge issues like abortion, gun control and trans rights. Then, the Russians used their considerable budget to advertise heavily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all in the name of exposing political fault lines in battleground states.

    Conclusions

    The 400-page report is available online from the Special Counsel’s website for free. Those curious about its contents can download it and read it today. Some small parts of the report are redacted, likely for the sake of national security.

    The report is expected to be a bombshell for the beleaguered Trump administration. As legal experts and Congressional committees absorb and dissect the document, it is expected that the full scope of the administration’s actions will come into clearer focus.

  • Event Horizon Telescope Photographs Supermassive Black Hole

    Event Horizon Telescope Photographs Supermassive Black Hole

    Is there anything in the cosmos more mystifying and terrifying than a black hole? The Event Horizon Telescope array has managed to do the impossible and photograph a distant black hole in the M87 galaxy. Well, the array photographed the hole in space where the black hole should be. It devours all the light that passes the event horizon, of course.

    Event Horizon Telescope Photograph

    Supermassive

    The black hole in question is incredibly huge. It is so big, in fact, that it could envelop the entirety of our solar system. The object is estimated to be 3.5 million times the size of our planet. In order to image the supermassive black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, the Event Horizon Telescope team used an array of eight telescopes.

    Imaging

    The team used radio imaging and very precise array movements to gather petabytes of radio signals. Yes, petabytes. The tremendous amount of data gathered by the team was, in fact, too great to be sent over the internet. Instead, each dish in the array had an on-site hard drive recording information.

    When the team had enough data across their eight dishes, they brought all eight hard drives to a supercomputer. In order to image the black hole properly, the supercomputer collated the eight data points and gave us our clearest view yet of the oddest objects we’ve ever observed.

    Einstein’s Theories

    According to the Event Horizon team, the images gathered support Einstein’s theories, proving the famous scientist right yet again. The image itself shows superheated gas being sucked into the black hole, resembling some demonic force consuming all that surrounds it.

    This image largely shows what physicists expected: black holes have their own set of rules. Einstein theorized that sufficiently massive object bend reality around them, altering gravity and light in the area. According to Einstein, as you approach the event horizon and get nearer to the singularity within, the very laws of physics begin to break down.

    What This Means

    Black holes fascinate us because they are so unlike any other objects in the cosmos. Their massive, light-obliterating profiles cast an odd shadow on our understanding of physics and reality. How can an object be so massive and so dense that it alters the nature of reality around itself?

    Surely, our thirst for knowledge as a species can never be quenched. What is truly impressive is the lengths to which we will go to learn more about the world around us.

  • The Scoop on the New 2019 Ford Ranger

    The Scoop on the New 2019 Ford Ranger

    Who doesn’t love the old Ranger line of Ford trucks? Well, we’ve got good news for you: a full 8 years after the last we saw from the line, it’s being revived. That’s right, the 2019 Ford Ranger is on the way and set to double down on Ford luxury and toughness. What’s in store for the 2019 iteration of the Ranger?

    2019 Ford Ranger

    Trim Levels

    The Ranger will sport three trim levels. The XL, the XLT and the Lariat will be available when the truck hits dealerships. Additionally, there will be the FX4 and FX2 packages for the XLT and Lariat, that will allow for better off-roading. There will also be Chrome and Sport appearance packages for those looking to really show off.

    XLT and Lariat trims introduce blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning and rear parking assist. The Lariat is set to be particularly luxurious, with a stellar sound system and smooth, quiet ride. However, all of the trim levels will feature standard safety settings like emergency braking.

    Additionally, cab options like SuperCab and SuperCrew will allow for drivers to pick out which type of interior they want. Both sport a great infotainment screen, including Ford Sync 3 and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. Not to mention, the infotainment system supports Alexa voice functionality.

    Off-Roading

    The off-roading packages will include shocks and suspension tuned for hitting the trail, as well as a Terrain Management System. This is a set of features previously seen on the F-150 Raptor sub-line of trucks, so it’s probably sounding familiar to Ford fans.

    The TMS, in particular, made its debut on the Raptor. It offers a series of driving modes for various conditions, including snow, grass, gravel and sand. That way you know you’re going to be able to conquer any treacherous terrain!

    When and How Much?

    Expect to see the Ranger hitting dealerships by Summer 2019. The much-anticipated revival of the Ford Ranger is set to start at $24,300 for the stock XL Trim. That puts the Ranger in the lower end of the mid-sized truck competition out of the gate, putting it against the Toyota Tacoma and GMC Canyon trucks.

    For those looking to really show out, however, the Lariat trim allows for a ton of luxury and expression. The fully-equipped Lariat, complete with all-wheel drive, off-roading and an appearance kit, would set you back a cool $38,385. That’s nothing to sneeze at and sets the Ranger as a flexible entry for Ford in the crowded pick-up market.

  • Netflix Cancels Punisher and Jessica Jones

    Netflix Cancels Punisher and Jessica Jones

    It’s official: the era of live-action Marvel TV shows on Netflix has come to a close. After each show got a few seasons and the crossover “Defenders,” it looks like the Netflix MCU is now history. The last show we’ll see on the service will be the third season of Jessica Jones.

    Netflix Cancels all Live Action MCU Shows

    The End of an Era

    This news isn’t surprising: after Netflix canceled Iron Fist and Luke Cage, it seemed like their other shows were on thin ice. Daredevil’s cancellation followed shortly after. The cancellation of Punisher and Jessica Jones is unsurprising, if disappointing.

    “We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning,” stated a Netflix representative. It’s odd to think that the first season of Daredevil aired way back in 2014, but now that era has come to a close.

    A Future?

    Disney is starting its own streaming service, Disney+, later this year. They’ve already confirmed that the service will host all of their movies, including MCU films, as well as Disney-owned television properties. There’s a possibility that Netflix’s cancellations of these shows was in order to pave the way for Disney+ versions of the Netflix shows.

    As of yet, none of the characters in Netflix’s MCU shows have appeared in any Marvel films. As such, Disney+ has a lot of options. They could ignore the shows altogether, which would be a shame. They could recast the characters for appearances in other media, which would also be unfortunate.

    Hopefully, the shows will all be picked back up with the new streaming service. It would be a shame for shows as good as these to simply go dormant over some rights issues. After all, we still haven’t seen Luke Cage and Iron Fist team-up to become the Heroes for Hire!