Back in 1994, a massive earthquake happened in Bolivia. That earthquake occurred on June 9, 1994, and registered a massive 8.2 magnitude, and was so powerful that shocks were felt as far away as Canada. Earthquakes of that magnitude are very rare, and this one happened to be among the first to be measured with a modern seismic network.
Facebook might be setting a new world record soon but not in a very good way. Reports indicate that it is negotiating with the US Federal Trade Commission over what could be the largest fine ever levied on a technology company, breaking Google's $22.5 million in 2012. But while the still non-final multi-billion dollar penalty is seen as a "day of reckoning" for the social network giant, it will take more than just monetary fines to make Facebook change its ways.
Fame has its price, as many high-profile personalities can attest to. In addition to dealing with both love and hatred, there's also the matter of potential threats to their safety. That's true for both a single person and a large company, especially one that's both famous and infamous like Facebook. But while most other companies have to take a reactive stance, Facebook tries to be one step ahead of danger by putting its own users in a "Be On Lookout" or BOLO list of people whom it perceives as a potential threat to the safety of its employees and offices.
We are still very far from that futuristic age where augmented reality almost becomes our reality, where every object or place can hold deeper value than what physical matter can contain. That doesn't mean, however, that we have to limit ourselves to fun but short-lived AR stickers and non-interactive dinosaurs. LEGO, the toy company that always puts itself at the STEM forefront, is showing what else can be down using AR with its new Hidden Side play theme, a ghost-filled experience that keeps one hand on the physical and another on the virtual, literally too.
Epic really wants its Fortnite players to enable two-factor authentication, and it is offering a new incentive to nudge them into action. For a very limited time, Fortnite players can grab the free glider from the in-game store, but they'll need to enable 2FA in their Epic account before they can access the reward. There's a catch, though: you have to give the glider away.
It seems that Samsung is truly retiring the Gear brand, putting all its mobile products under a single "Galaxy" name, regardless of form or operating system. That has started with the Gear Watch, now Galaxy Watch, and the rumored Galaxy Buds that will succeed the Gear IconX. Now it seems that Samsung itself has accidentally confirmed that the Gear Fit trackers will also experience a change, but the new Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Fit e will bring more than just a new name.
Energizer seems to have gone smartphone-crazy. The famed battery maker will be showing off no less than 26 phones at MWC 2019 in less than two weeks. Two of those, as reported, will have the pop-up camera feature that the Vivo NEX S tried to popularize. That, however, isn't all that Energizer has in store. It has just formally announced the existence of the Max P18K Pop and the dual pop-up cameras are the least insane thing about it.
Amazon has announced that its limited Good Omens series will be available to stream starting on May 31. The show is an adaption of the Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett fantasy novel by the same name. In addition to announcing its premiere date, it was also revealed that British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has joined the cast in the role of Satan.
Focal has unveiled a wireless version of its Sphear premium earbuds, the Sphear Wireless. This new model targets discerning on-the-go audiophiles, promising 'excellent tonal balance' alongside overall precise audio and 'explosive' bass. The earbuds offer a variety of features, including two different listening modes that accommodate various ambient environments.
French high-resolution music service Qobuz has expanded into the United States, taking on TIDAL and other music services targeting audiophiles. The service has been live overseas for more than a decade, but only launched in the US this month, bringing with it unlimited music streaming across three different subscription tiers. The cheapest plan takes on Spotify and similar services, but customers will need to pay more for lossless quality.
Just when you thought Sony was done with the letters, along comes a new leak that says otherwise. Of course, the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus might just be its new mid-range line and that doesn't mean the company has abandoned those who can't afford even that. It is still keeping its Xperia L series alive and it will be revealing a certain Xperia L3 at MWC later this month for those who need or have less. Or for those who don't want their phones to be insanely long.
There are patents that we wish were made real and there are some patents we wish would never see the light of day. Samsung's newly-granted patent might fall somewhere in between. For better or worse, it might also be the foldable phone that Samsung will actually show off at its Unpacked event next week. Taking a page from ZTE's Axon M book, the patent shows a phone with two screens instead of one. The difference is that it can actually fold both ways.