A free version of Google Chat is officially set to arrive in the first half of 2021. As we spotted earlier this month, Google is starting the Hangouts migration with a “preview of the new Chat” for free, personal accounts.
Chat has long just been a Workspace-only app, though those paying customers can invite anyone with a Gmail address to specific conversations. The company has spent the…
In 2019, Google introduced a powerful Recorder app with real-time transcriptions for Pixel devices. The latest version, released alongside the Pixel 5, added editing and social sharing through video clips. A Google Recorder web app is coming soon with the ability to backup…
Google TV ‘basic’ mode will strip smart features, apps on TVs from TCL, Sony, others
February 25, 2021
Google TV is the company’s next effort to rule the living room, picking up on the progress that Android TV made over half a decade. The first smart TVs running on top of Google TV have yet to hit the market, but when they do, they’ll come with a “Basic TV” feature…
Maryland county transitioning to electric public school buses
February 25, 2021
Maryland’s Montgomery County plans to switch the entire public school bus fleet to fully electric from diesel engines. The transition is one of the largest in the US to date, and is expected to take 12 years. The green plan will completely replace all 1,400 current ICE buses. What’s most interesting about the deal is that it comes with virtually no additional cost to Montgomery County’s…
Tesla prepares cloud-based driver profile ahead of ‘Tesla Network’ ride-hailing app launch
February 25, 2021
Tesla is preparing to move all driver data and settings into the cloud ahead of the launch of its “Tesla Network” ride-hailing app launch.
Driver profiles exist in Tesla vehicles and are linked to keys (or phones through the Tesla app) in order to automatically have…
The first-ever World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia is a year away. Are event planners ready?
February 25, 2021
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabian Military Industries is the official strategic partner for the World Defense Show, a defense conference scheduled for an inaugural launch in March 2022 in Saudi Arabia, event organizers announced Monday.
Saudi Arabia’s…
Star Wars: Republic Commando gets Switch/PlayStation 4 port
February 24, 2021
Nintendo Switch is getting another Star Wars game. This time it’s Star Wars: Republic Commando from LucasArts. Publisher Aspyr Media is porting the squad-based shooter just like it did with the Star Wars: Jedi Knight games. It is also releasing the game on PlayStation 4. It makes its debut on the eShop and PlayStation store April 6 for $15.
“Since its original launch in 2005, Republic Commando…
Photographer Paints Pastels with Her Camera
February 24, 2021
Teresa Freitas is a photographer, although her photographs look more like airy pastel paintings. Her imagery is not just art for art’s sake, but she makes a living as a professional photographer working with brands like Adobe, American Express, Chloé, Club Med, DKNY…
Who Should Own Photos of Slaves?
February 24, 2021
In 1976 while rummaging through an attic of Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in search of old museum publications, editorial assistant Lorna Condon opened a drawer in a wooden cabinet. Inside, she found a number of flat leather cases which contained a…
Sigma Launches 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens
February 24, 2021
Sigma has announced the 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN zoom lens for Sony E-Mount and L-Mount. In contrast to what is commonly associated with Sigma lenses, the company says this new lens is the smallest and lightest full-frame f/2.8 standard zoom for mirrorless systems currently available.
Sigma says that this new lens, though categorized under the Contemporary line, is based on the company’s famed Art…
