Technology

Yubico is announcing a new version of its USB-C equipped YubiKey 5 security key with NFC built in, which should theoretically be a convenient combo and compatible with many future devices moving forward. Previously, YubiKey offered the YubiKey 5 series in your choice of USB-A; USB-A and NFC; USB-C; and USB-C and Lightning. But with the new YubiKey 5C NFC that’s being announced today, you no longer have to pick between being able to plug your key into a USB-C port or the convenience of NFC authentication, which lets you just tap your key on your device — you can now buy a key that offers both. Hardware-based keys offer extra layer of account security Hardware-based keys offer an extra layer of account security by requiring that you either plug in the key or tap it to your device when you’re...

2020 is on track to be a hell of a year for yet another reason: it will close out the hottest five-year period in recorded history, according to a new report. The average global temperature for that five-year period was 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. Even a degree of change has dire consequences. Even a degree of change has dire consequences. World leaders that have signed onto the Paris climate agreement are working to keep the planet from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to avoid catastrophic damage. But they are nowhere near meeting that goal, the report reaffirms. The new report released today by the World Meteorological Association and other United Nations agencies breaks down how climate change has steadily worsened despite COVID-19 disrupting bu...

Nintendo is said to be increasing its Switch production again, with a new Bloomberg report saying the company is asking its partners to manufacture as many as 30 million consoles this fiscal year. While Nintendo’s official forecast remains a conservative 19 million shipments, Bloomberg has reported hikes in production targets to 22 million, 25 million, and now 30 million throughout the year. The Switch is still difficult to find in some markets, including Nintendo’s home country of Japan, as the coronavirus pandemic has sparked a huge increase in demand. With people staying at home, some of Nintendo’s titles like workout RPG Ring Fit Adventure and escapist island fantasy Animal Crossing: New Horizons have been constantly selling in big numbers. Nintendo may be able to maintain Switch sales...

Samsung and SK Hynix will reportedly stop selling components to Huawei as the Trump administration tightens sanctions on the Chinese phone maker. According to Chosun Ilbo and other Korean news outlets, the companies will suspend trade on September 15th, the day a new set of rules limits dealing with Huawei. These sanctions were introduced in August, following a string of other restrictions implemented since last year. They ban non-American companies from selling components that were developed with US technology unless these companies obtain special approval. This poses a serious threat to Huawei, which has said it may no longer be able to make its Kirin chipsets. Conversely, Huawei’s business is valuable to many other companies, as it recently became the top-selling smartphone manufacturer...

Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings is still confident that 2021 will see more Netflix originals released than this year, but he is acknowledging that with the pandemic affecting production, especially in the United States, it won’t be as many as previously predicted. Hastings sat down with many publications ahead of the launch of his new book, and one question that repeatedly came up is how Netflix is fairing with production on titles moving slower or stopping completely. Netflix is far from the only company encountering these issues, but the slowdown is still prevalent. Hastings says despite those obvious setbacks, the streamer is still on track to release more original films and series in 2021 than this year. “Next year, we’ve planned out the year — we’ve got a great selection of content,” Has...

LG’s upcoming “Wing” smartphone is expected to be a dual-screen device with a swiveling mechanism, and the screen that flips around could be surprisingly thin, as shown in new leaks of the phone. Take a look for yourself in this video — when this person, who appears to have the phone, shows a side profile of the device, you can see that the rotating screen appears to be quite thin: [embedded content] The video also gives us a good look at the Wing’s swiveling mechanism in action, which allows one screen to rotate 90 degrees horizontally above another screen so they can align in a T-like shape. And in an image shared by leaker Evan Blass on his Patreon, you can get another peek of the thin-looking side profile of the device. Blass’ image also indicates that the Wing will have a triple-camer...

The Apple TV app is now available on Vizio SmartCast TVs to customers in the US and Canada, Vizio announced today. With the app, you can access your library of movie and TV show rentals / purchases and also stream Apple’s original content if you’ve got an Apple TV Plus subscription. Vizio TV owners can redeem a three-month free trial of Apple TV Plus, but only if they’re new to the service; this promotion expires on October 16th. (Apple TV Plus normally costs $4.99 per month.) The Apple TV app also offers add-on subscriptions, Apple TV Channels, for other premium services like CBS All Access, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz, and more. You can watch content from your Apple TV Channels inside the Apple TV app — without being bounced between several different video apps. If you’ve got a Vizio TV, yo...

Google-owned mapping app Waze will now let you send directions from your computer to your phone. The process to do so was pretty straightforward in my brief testing (my personal phone is an iOS device). First log in to Waze on your phone, and then log in to Waze on a desktop browser by scanning a QR code with your phone’s camera. Then, use the browser to get directions to where you want to go, and you’ll see a button to save those directions to the app. Click that button and you’ll get a notification on your phone from Waze. Tap that notification to start the directions on your phone. Google Maps has offered a similar feature for years, so it’s nice to see Waze finally getting the functionality. Waze says that both Android and iOS users will be able to have directions from a desktop sent t...

Need to tell your co-workers you’re taking lunch? Slack will now let you pick from your last five custom statuses so you don’t have to type them (and find the right emoji) over and over again. That’s it, that’s the news — but it’s already becoming a most welcome feature at The Verge, let me tell you. Except perhaps for the shaming: At least Kaitlin’s got lots of protein and fruit in her diet, unlike me (see top image). I may need to lay off the carbs a bit? The changes appear to be server-side, and they’re new as of September — but contrary to what Slack’s changelog says, we’re seeing them on Android and iOS as well, not just desktop. I guess you could use them for other things than lunch, if you really wanted to. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we ...

A group of Senate Republicans introduced a new bill Tuesday aimed at chipping away some of the protections provided to social media companies through Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The Online Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity Act, introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), would strip away the liability protection provided by Section 230 if a platform restricted access to content without providing specific rules that it violated. The bill would require platforms to have an “objectively reasonable belief” that content violated a specific policy in order for it to be removed, or they could be held liable for their moderation actions. The bill would also amend language in the original law, changing vague terms like “objectionable...

Taboola and Outbrain, best known as the rival chumbox providers who fill space on your favorite websites with garbage like “You Won’t Believe What [NAME] Looks Like Today!” and the ever-popular “1 Weird Trick,” will apparently not be merging into the ultimate source of low-quality web filler we’d feared ever since the Department of Justice saw fit to put its stamp of approval on the deal. CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch are all reporting that the merger, first announced in October 2019, is being called off, after an attempt to renegotiate changing conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t result in a new agreement. What a shame! If you’re curious what a chumbox looks like, you won’t have to look far. (Vox Media is not immune to the allure of money, after all.) You can fin...