IKEA Nordmärke Qi charger was spotted on Reddit and German media outlets. It features a 6,500mAh battery and can charge Qi-compatible devices at a glacial 5W. The internal batteries are user-replaceable and the charger is not available online yet. IKEa has not confirmed whether or not it will carry the charger in the US.
Dr. Timnit Gebru was fired by Google in Dec. 2020 after co-releasing a research paper claiming to identify ethical risks involved in the company’s models for digitally processing human language. The prominent computer scientist is launching an independent research institute of her own to continue her inquiry into the capacity of AI and other emerging technologies that may be embedded with biases against marginalized communities.
Google is reportedly making its own smartwatch that's set to launch in 2022. The watch is being worked on by Google’s Pixel hardware group separately from Fitbit. The device is expected to cost more than a Fitbit and compete more directly with the Apple Watch. Google is currently in the middle of the latest reinvention of its smartwatch platform.
US politicians across the political spectrum have called for more scrutiny of the sector. Witnesses called to appear include Alesia Haas, Jeremy Allaire and Brian Brooks of Bitfury. Mr Brooks previously served as a top banking regulator under the Trump administration.
Astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron completed a 6-hour spacewalk Thursday morning. The spacewalking was scheduled for Tuesday morning but was delayed after NASA received a "debris notification" The source of the debris has not been confirmed. The astronauts replaced a faulty antenna with a spare onboard.
Adidas has teased a new app that lets users share their "most original ideas" The company is encouraging users to grab its Confirmed app to "discover more" Nike is also experimenting with a " Metaverse" where users can share their individualism. The app could help the brand expand its fashion and art ambitions.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg changed the company's name to Meta in October. The term is a catchall for anything that mixes people's physical and virtual lives. It includes virtual and augmented reality headsets, 3D virtual worlds like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft.
Zoom meetings will now have an "Attendance Status" feature. It will track whether participants joined the meeting and whether anyone arrived late. The feature is available to people with Google and Outlook calendar integrations. It is currently in beta testing and only works with a maximum of 200 attendees.
Amplify Studio is a new service from AWS that lets developers build cloud-connected apps. It connects to the Figma user interface design tool and translates Figma designs into React UI component code. It also frees AWS from having to build its own design tool, of course.
The FTC is suing to block Nvidia's $40 billion acquisition of Arm. The FTC says the merger would "stifle competing next-generation technologies" The suit comes after an investigation into the deal following complaints from Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm. The concern is that by acquiring Arm, Nvidia would gain an unfair advantage in certain markets.
Apple reportedly told suppliers that demand for the iPhone 13 has weakened. The tech giant lowered the lineup's production goal to 80 million units due to a chip shortage. Apple was expecting to make up for the loss next year when supplies are expected to improve. Some potential buyers may already have decided to skip this generation altogether after they were faced with lengthy wait times.
