No shade on Acer before now, but I’ve always found its laptop naming scheme to be a little bit obtuse. For instance, can you tell me the qualitative difference between Acer’s Swift 3 and Swift 5 without looking? To address this, the company has dumped …
Meta buys smart lensmaker Luxexcel to further AR ambitions
Facebook parent company Meta has acquired Luxexcel, a Dutch startup specializing in smart eyewear. News of the purchase was first reported by De Tijd and later confirmed by TechCrunch. “We’re excited that the Luxexcel team has joined Meta, deepening the existing partnership between the two companies,” a Meta spokesperson told the outlet. The company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Founded in 2009, Luxexcel began life as a prescription lens manufacturer. More recently, the company has made a name for itself in the augmented reality space. At the start of 2021, for instance, it partnered with WaveOptics, the display manufacturer Snap paid $500 million later that same year to buy. As TechCrunch points out, there are also rumors Luxexcel previously worked with Meta on the company’s Project Aria AR glasses.
The acquisition comes as Meta faces regulatory scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission over its purchase of Supernatural developer Within. The agency sued Meta in July to block the deal. The social media giant also faces criticism over just how much it’s spending to further its metaverse ambitions. In October, a month before the company laid off 11,000 employees, Meta told investors Reality Labs, its virtual and augmented reality unit, lost more than $9 billion in 2022. It went on to predict the division’s operating losses were likely to “grow significantly year-over-year” in 2023.
Amazon is reportedly working on a standalone sports app
Amazon’s growing library of sports content could soon have a home of its own. The Information reports the retailer is working on a new standalone streaming app to declutter Prime Video and better highlight its deals with the NFL, Premier League and New…
Apple pulls new iOS 16.2 HomeKit architecture after users report Home app issues
Apple has stopped rolling out an optional Home app upgrade after users began reporting issues with the software. “We temporarily removed the option to upgrade to the new Home architecture,” the company says on a support page spotted by M…
The best PC games for 2023
So how do you categorize a beast like gaming on the PC? With decades of titles to pluck from (and the first port of call for most indie titles, too), there’s so much to choose from. Gaming on your PC adds the benefits of (nearly always flawless) backwa…
The best Xbox games for 2023
A series of missteps put Microsoft in second place before the Xbox One even came out. With the launch of the Xbox Series X and S, though, Microsoft is in a great position to compete. Both are well-priced, well-specced consoles with a huge library of ga…
Apple’s 11-inch iPad Pro M2 drops to a new all-time low of $699
The new 11-inch iPad Pro has hit its lowest price ever at Amazon, which means you can grab the base version of Apple’s premium tablet for just $699. That’s $100 off the list price and $40 less than it was before Black Friday. It won’t arrive in time fo…
Apple is reportedly working on a new Pro Display XDR monitor
Apple fans disappointed by the Studio Display could soon have a few more options from the company. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is developing “multiple new external monitors,” including a refresh of its 32-inch Pro Display XDR from 2019. Details on the upcoming screens are sparse, but Gurman suggests they’ll incorporate built-in Apple Silicon chipsets like the Studio Display, which features a dedicated A13 Bionic processor. He adds that the updated Pro Display XDR could ship after the M2 Mac Pro arrives (more on the computer in a moment).
It’s unclear if Apple’s slate of new monitors could include a Studio Display refresh. As MacRumors points out, display analyst Ross Young tweeted in October that the company was preparing to release a monitor with a 27-inch mini-LED panel in the first quarter of 2023. Based on the specs Young shared, it looked like Apple was planning to update the Studio Display with its ProMotion technology.
Gurman also provides an update on the long-rumored M2 refresh of the Mac Pro. In October, he reported the computer would ship with an optional “Extreme” variant of the company’s M2 chipset that was reportedly slated to feature a processor with up to 48 cores and 256GB of memory. Since then, Gurman says Apple has abandoned those plans.
“Based on Apple’s current pricing structure, an M2 Extreme version of a Mac Pro would probably cost at least $10,000 — without any other upgrades — making it an extraordinarily niche product that likely isn’t worth the development costs, engineering resources and production bandwidth it would require,” Gurman writes.
As things stand, the remaining model will reportedly feature an M2 Ultra chipset with up to 24 CPU cores, 76 GPU cores and at least 192GB of RAM. Additionally, Gurman says the new Mac Pro retains the current model’s expandability, including the option to add more memory. It will be interesting to see how Apple offers that kind of upgradability since the company’s current chips feature soldered RAM.
Apple was supposed to finish transitioning its computer lineup to Apple Silicon two years after the release of its first M1 chip. According to Gurman, feature tweaks and a change in Apple’s manufacturing plans are among the reasons why it’s taken the company so long to announce a new Mac Pro. Barring any additional delays, the new model will likely arrive sometime next year, though Gurman did not speak to a specific timeline.
Instagram’s latest feature helps hacked users regain account access
Instagram is introducing more safety and security tools. These include a hub where people can go to report and resolve account access issues they’re having. This could be hugely beneficial for hacked users who are struggling to regain access to their accounts.
If you can’t log in, you can visit the hub on the Instagram website. Instagram will ask whether the issue concerns a hacked account, forgotten password, impersonation, loss of two-factor authentication method or disabled account. Once you select the issue, you can follow a string of steps to help you access your account again.
One method you can use to verify an account is actually yours is to ask others to confirm your identity. If you get locked out of an account, you can get two Instagram friends to verify your identity. Instagram started testing this feature earlier this year and now it’s available to everyone. Your friends will have 24 hours to respond to the request. If they do, Instagram will let you reset your password.
Instagram
Meanwhile, Instagram says it’s employing more measures to prevent account hacking in the first place. The service is removing accounts that its systems deem malicious, such as those that are impersonating others. A new test involves sending you a warning “if an account that we suspect may be impersonating someone requests to follow you.” In the coming months, Instagram will start sending warnings to those who get a DM from an account that may be impersonating a business.
On top of all that, you’ll start seeing the blue badge for verified accounts in more places. Along with profiles, you’ll now see the badge on Stories and DMs. The badge will show up in the feed soon as well. Instagram says this will help users know if an account they’re interacting with is the real deal.
The best VR headsets for 2023
If you’ve been holding out for VR hardware to mature, you chose wisely. Headsets have come a long way since the launch of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive six years ago. The Meta Quest 2 has already been around for two years, and it’s proven to be a very c…