Here’s the top tech news for Thursday, February 16th, 2023.
Are you tired of Elon Musk’s Twitter leadership? Because Elon Musk isn’t. After conducting a poll last December about whether he should step down as CEO of the social media company, Musk now says he might be ready to leave by the end of 2023, a whole year after the conclusion of the poll. Get ready for around ten more months of the “Chief Twit” and his antics, assuming he can afford to keep the lights on.
Next up, ahead of the PSVR2’s release on February 22nd, Sony has published an official teardown of its upcoming VR headset. It’s an undeniably expensive piece of kit, but Sony doesn’t appear to have skimped on the specs. I can’t wait for full reviews to drop for the headset soon.
And finally, here’s a short Vergecast clip for you to check out featuring Bing’s new AI-powered chatbot feature. No spoilers, but Bing doesn’t come out of it looking great.
And 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: Wednseday, February 15th, 2023.
Feb 16
Xbox February update includes Google Home app support and ‘carbon aware’ downloads
Additional sustainability options are still available to test groups only.
Feb 15
Twitter is relaxing its policies to allow cannabis ads
The company’s new policy allows significantly more than other major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Feb 15
Apple’s mixed reality headset will reportedly debut at WWDC
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the new platform’s launch should come during the annual developer event and not before, as previous rumors suggested.
Feb 15
Twitter is back after struggling on a random Wednesday
Many people reported issues with Twitter on iOS on Wednesday, but the company says things should be ‘back to normal.’
Feb 15
Court reveals the two people who helped Sam Bankman-Fried post bail.The former FTX crypto tycoon is living with his parents in California instead of sitting in jail, thanks to a $250 million bail secured by his parent’s home as well as two people who had been kept anonymous.
Today, after news organizations argued for the information to be released, the court revealed Stanford research scientist Andreas Paepcke put up $200,000 and former Stanford Law School dean Larry Kramer put up $500,000. SBF’s parents teach law at Stanford.
Feb 15
Peacock’s all in for Poker Face season 2
Peacock’s best show is coming back for even more murder mystery-solving hijinks.
Feb 15
Horizon Forbidden West arrives on PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium on February 21st
The February PlayStation Plus update is bringing some big names, including Resident Evil and Borderlands.
Feb 15
What’s wrong at Google?Well, according to one ex-Googler:
(1) no mission, (2) no urgency, (3) delusions of exceptionalism, (4) mismanagement.
But all the ad money is covering its sins.
The maze is in the mouse[Medium]
Feb 15
Epic’s next ‘State of Unreal’ could feature Unreal Engine 5.2 and Fortnite
The keynote will happen on March 22nd, which is during the Game Developers Conference.
Feb 15
Microsoft’s Bing is an emotionally manipulative liar, and people love it
Microsoft’s AI chatbot has been online for less than a fortnight and is already going wild.
Feb 15
We talk to technicians keeping old HomePods and Harmony remotes alive
A gadget repair episode of The Vergecast.
Feb 15
Touchy buttons and folding screens.An Apple patent (PDF) awarded on Valentine’s Day hints at future iPhones with touch-sensitive volume sliders and folding screens.
There’s also a “virtual shutter button” that sounds a lot like the solid-state buttons predicted by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last year.
Whether Apple actually makes a foldable iPhone (we’ve seen patent applications before) or is playing the wait-and-see game is still up in the air, but Kuo had also predicted a foldable iPad for 2024.
Feb 15
Oppo Find N2 Flip review: big screens at a better flipping price
The Find N2 Flip’s global release means there’s finally a viable alternative to Samsung’s Z Flip devices, at least in certain markets. Oppo’s foldable boasts some impressive hardware and neat software to try and make the most of it.
Feb 15
Install those OS updates ASAP.Beyond unplugging Internet Explorer and improving crash detection, updates for both Microsoft and Apple operating systems are fixing security flaws that they report have already been exploited by attackers.
A WebKit exploit on iOS applies no matter which browser you’re using, so you’ll want to update right away.
BleepingComputer has a rundown of the security fixes, which includes one for the Microsoft Store on Windows, so make sure you have updates turned on for that app specifically — it won’t get patched via Windows Update alone.
Feb 15
Oppo launches Find N2 Flip internationally to compete with Samsung’s Z Flip 4
The foldable flip phone arrives in the West exactly two months after launching in China.
Feb 15
Mazda MX-30 electric SUV review: a perfect storm of range anxiety
The 2022 Mazda MX-30 will get you an EPA-estimated 92 miles of range combined, making it one of the shortest-range EVs on the market.
Feb 15
Green light.In Elon news: he’s apparently running Twitter the same way I would if I spent $44 billion on it and plans to keep running it directly for most of this year.
In non-Elon news: Are you ready for the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s rating? We gave it a 9. Also, expect earnings updates today from Roblox and Roku, but don’t miss Liz’s breakdown of what happens in tech when the money stops being cheap.
Feb 15
The first trailer for Extrapolations features a cast only Apple money can buy
The first trailer for the upcoming Apple TV Plus series depicts a star-studded cast of characters surviving devastating climate change.
Feb 15
Here’s why you’re still waiting for Bing AI
Microsoft says it’s now testing the new Bing in 169 countries and that millions have signed up to the waitlist.
Feb 15
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review: practically peerless
It’s big, expensive, and occasionally weird. But the S23 Ultra lives up to its name.
Feb 15
Qualcomm’s new smartphone modem aims to bridge tricky coverage situations
The Snapdragon X75 5G modem-RF system supports the next wave of 5G advances and should help your phone connect to the right signal when you get off the subway. It’ll start landing in devices in the second half of 2023.
Feb 15
Elon Musk says Twitter should be ready for new CEO by end of year
‘I’m guessing probably towards the end of the year would be good timing to find someone else to run the company.’
Feb 15
Sony’s PSVR2 teardowns reveal how the headset tracks the Sense controllers
The PSVR2’s Sense controllers include a hidden ring of IR LEDs.
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