Here’s the top tech news for Wednesday, January 25th, 2023.
Three months ago, electric vehicle company Lightyear said that it had started production of its €250,000 (around $270,000) Lightyear 0, which boasted an expansive array of solar panels capable of adding up to 44 miles of range to the car. Well, the company has now announced that it’s halting production of the 0 in order to focus on the sub-$40,000 Lightyear 2 coming in 2025. It’s not great news for the fledgling startup, whichever way you cut it.
Meanwhile, a Bloomberg report has shed new light on Apple’s long-rumored AR / VR headset, which is expected to launch this spring. The good news is that it’s expected to be packed with premium technology like advanced hand tracking and face-tracked FaceTime calls. The bad news is that this technology apparently won’t come cheap, with the headset expected to cost around $3,000. Sounds like it’ll be an early-adopter product for the foreseeable future. If you’re after something more affordable and current, why not check out the Meta Quest 2, which now uses more advanced hand-tracking software by default.
For now, here’s a silly tweet to start your day:
Stay tuned, as we continue to update this list with the most important news of today: Tuesday, January 24th, 2023.
Jan 25, 2023, 7:10 PM UTCCharles Pulliam-Moore
Rick and Morty will continue but without Justin Roiland
Adult Swim and High on Life developer Squanch Games have parted ways with the Rick and Morty co-creator, who is facing two felony charges for domestic violence.
Jan 25, 2023, 1:18 AM UTCJay Peters
Tesla’s new $3.6 billion Nevada investment includes a ‘high-volume’ Semi factory
The company is also planning a new battery cell factory and wants to hire more employees.
Jan 24, 2023, 11:20 PM UTCEmma Roth
Now Lyft will charge extra if you make drivers wait
Lyft will start charging you wait time fees if you make a driver wait more than two minutes after their arrival.
Jan 24, 2023, 10:15 PM UTCAriel Shapiro
How the Spotify layoffs impact its podcasting business
Plus, more Hot Pod Summit updates.
Jan 24, 2023, 9:09 PM UTCTom Warren
Microsoft Q2 2023: Windows, devices, and Xbox down as cloud holds strong
Windows OEM revenue and hardware revenues both down big in Q2.
Jan 24, 2023, 9:05 PM UTCUmar Shakir
LastPass owner GoTo shares more bad news about November’s security breach
The service formerly known as LogMeIn has confirmed attackers made off with customers’ encrypted backups and the encryption key for a ‘portion’ of them.
Jan 24, 2023, 8:45 PM UTCMakena Kelly
Google to shut down spam backdoor for political campaigns
Google launched the program to address bias concerns from Republican fundraisers last month.
Jan 24, 2023, 8:38 PM UTCEmma Roth
Google is being sued by the US government and eight states over online advertising
The Department of Justice’s latest complaint targets Google’s grip on the digital advertising market.
Jan 24, 2023, 8:36 PM UTCAllison Johnson
Apple issues security update for the almost 10-year-old iPhone 5S
While the iPhone 5S is no longer eligible for new iOS versions, Apple is still supplying it with the occasional security update. For a phone that’s almost a decade old, that absolutely rules.
Jan 24, 2023, 8:20 PM UTCMitchell Clark
Twitter for web will now stay on your preferred timeline
If the algorithmic timeline isn’t for you, the latest Twitter update should be a relief.
- MYour HomePod Mini is now a thermometer.
The update that unlocks the HomePod Mini’s temperature and humidity sensors is finally here, and you can download it now. Here’s our rundown of how it works, as well as the other features added in 16.3.
- ATime to get your Black Girl Magic on.
Forspoken is out today. Folks can finally play it for themselves and hopefully see what I saw in it. Or they could instead flood the internet with complaints about cringey dialogue that has flown with literally every male MCU protagonist for the last 15 years.
- RThe Senate Judiciary hearing over Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift debacle is starting now.
Ticketmaster’s botched attempt to sell tickets to Taylor Swift’s The Eras tour — and inadvertent antitrust radicalization event — is now being discussed on Capitol Hill.
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing “That’s the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment” will have Joe Berchtold, the CFO and president of Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation, and others testifying.
Jan 24, 2023, 2:20 PM UTCCameron Faulkner
Apple’s latest M2 iPad Pro is back down to its lowest price
The 11-inch model is $729 at B&H Photo, costing $40 less than Amazon. Plus, we have deals on big LG OLED gaming monitors, Wi-Fi 6E routers, and more.
- JPeople really, really like HBO’s The Last of Us.
The second episode of the videogame-inspired TV series brought in 5.7 million viewers on Sunday, an impressive 22 percent increase from the premiere’s 4.7 million viewers last week.
The first episode is also currently tracking 18 million viewers since airing, edging towards HBO’s wildly popular House of the Dragon viewership numbers. Check out our full review for The Last of Us here.
Jan 24, 2023, 12:03 PM UTCJess Weatherbed
Amazon launches a $5 monthly subscription for unlimited prescription medications
The RxPass subscription is exclusive to Prime members and includes generic medications for over 80 common health conditions.
Jan 24, 2023, 12:00 PM UTCUmar Shakir
Polestar 2 gets a facelift, goes both faster and farther for 2024
Polestar has updated the Polestar 2 on its fifth model year release with a new grille, up to 300 miles of range, and better performance. Available to order now.
Jan 24, 2023, 10:59 AM UTCTom Warren
Microsoft Edge will soon let you split two tabs in a single window
The useful split-screen feature lets you compare two tabs side by side in a single browser window.
Jan 24, 2023, 12:18 AM UTCJay Peters
The Meta Quest’s improved hand tracking is now the default
Meta introduced its Hand Tracking 2.0 system last year, but it’s now the default for apps ahead of the April deprecation of 1.0.
Jan 23, 2023, 10:51 PM UTCMitchell Clark
Lightyear has stopped production on its solar-powered EV after three months
It says it plans to focus on producing a less expensive car aimed at the mass market.
Jan 23, 2023, 7:22 PM UTCJay Peters
Apple’s ‘Reality Pro’ VR headset sure sounds like a monster device
Bloomberg reports Apple’s headset is set to launch this spring with controls you can use without a handheld controller, movie screens set in space, screen mirroring from your Mac, and full-body rendered 1-on-1 VR FaceTime sessions.
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