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General Motors has a solution for our crappy EV charging infrastructure

General Motors announced a “holistic charging approach” to electric vehicle charging that it’s calling the Ultium Charge 360. Much like Ford does with its FordPass network, the Ultium Charge 360 will integrate GM’s own vehicle apps and software with a variety of third-party charging services, such as Blink, ChargePoint, EVgo, Flo, Greenlots, and SemaConnect. The… Read more

AMD and Intel Invest in Substrate Production to Fight Shortages

Home News (Image credit: JCET Group) There a numerous causes that have led into the ongoing computer component shortage, one of which is the lack of availability of materials called ABF substrates. The Good news is that companies like AMD and Intel are taking the problem seriously and are investing in packaging facilities and production… Read more

Ford takes its first step toward producing its own electric car batteries

Ford announced the launch of a new battery development center in Michigan, the first step toward taking on some of the burden of building its own battery cells for electric cars in-house. The new “global battery center of excellence” will be called Ford Ion Park and will be based in Southeast Michigan. Ford said the… Read more

Android bug exposed COVID-19 contact tracing logs to preinstalled apps

The Android version of Google and Apple’s COVID-19 exposure notification app had a privacy flaw that let other preinstalled apps potentially see sensitive data, including if someone had been in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, privacy analysis firm AppCensus revealed on Tuesday. Google says it’s currently rolling out a fix to… Read more

EA says FIFA mode with loot boxes is the ‘cornerstone’ of the franchise in leaked documents

Electronic Arts wants to push FIFA players to the FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) mode, which lets people spend real-world money and in-game currency to buy loot boxes with virtual athletes, according to documents obtained by CBC News. Loot boxes, which typically offer random collections of virtual goods with the tantalizing (and often very small) chance… Read more

With Batman: Zero Point, Fortnite’s lore makes a lot more sense

Comics have never been bigger: with Marvel TV shows, DC movies, and indie adaptations growing by the day, comic books have never been more prominent in pop culture. This biweekly Verge column recommends comic series new and old, whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer. I’ve played a lot of Fortnite over the years,… Read more

A fourth Captain America movie is in the works from the creator of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

A fourth Captain America movie is on the way, set to be co-written by Malcolm Spellman, the creator, showrunner, and head writer of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (which just aired its season finale on Disney Plus on Friday). Dalan Musson, a staff writer on the series, will also co-write the upcoming film, according… Read more

CDC committee backs Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

The United States should resume use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for all adults, an independent advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today. There is a small risk of a rare type of blood clot in women under 50, and health officials should warn patients of that… Read more

Apple Doubles Down on Keeping Mac and iPad Separate, Despite M1

Home News (Image credit: Apple) The iPad Pro now uses M1, Apple’s homegrown processor that is also in the 21-inch iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Mini. That’s a lot of power, but don’t expect the iPad to merge with the Mac line anytime soon. In an interview with The Independent, Apple hardware… Read more

Congress is diving into the App Store fight

For years, tech companies like Facebook and Amazon have faced the brunt of antitrust criticism by Congress, and Apple has gotten far fewer questions. But that changed on Wednesday, when Congress finally sunk its teeth into Apple as part of a hearing titled “Antitrust Applied: Examining Competition in App Stores.” The hearing brought in representatives… Read more

A first look at Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS and the web

Microsoft has started inviting Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to test its Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) service on iPhones and iPads today. The service works through web browsers, allowing it to also run on PCs and Macs on Edge, Chrome, or Safari. We’ve managed to get an early look at this beta and see how… Read more

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter achieves historic powered flight on Mars

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter nailed a successful debut test flight on Mars, engineers confirmed early Monday morning. The tiny spacecraft lifted itself 10 feet off the Martian surface for 39 seconds, marking the first powered flight on another world. The historic demonstration opens up tantalizing possibilities for a new mode of planetary travel that could send… Read more

Twitter, Facebook, and Snap are reportedly part of White House vaccination campaign

Facebook, Twitter, and Snap are among the companies that will assist with the Biden administration’s promotional campaign for vaccine eligibility, Axios reported. The White House had set a date of May 1st for states to open coronavirus vaccine eligibility to all adults, but later pushed it to April 19th. The White House is hoping to… Read more

Charles Geschke, co-founder of Adobe and co-inventor of the PDF, has died at 81

Charles “Chuck” Geschke, a co-founder of Adobe who helped develop the PDF, has died at age 81, the company said in a statement. “This is a huge loss for the entire Adobe community and the technology industry, for whom he has been a guide and hero for decades,” Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said in an… Read more

US institutes new Russia sanctions in response to SolarWinds hack

A White House order issued Thursday morning directs the US government to expel ten diplomats and place a range of new sanctions on Russian individuals and assets in response to the SolarWinds hack. The order also places significant new restrictions on Russia’s sovereign debt, which will make it more difficult for the country’s government to… Read more