Five years after debuting at CES 2018, Hyundai’s e-Corner technology is closer to reality. Following its most recent appearance at CES 2021, the system was on display at last week’s show. And this time around, rather than building a dedicated prototype…
What an ‘oddball’ star in the Cygnus cluster can teach us about how masers are made
Like going to the store to buy dog food and coming back with a duck, researchers with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory may have uncovered a significant insight into how masers (nature’s lasers) are formed while conducting a routine study of the…
Facebook and Instagram will limit ads targeting teens based on gender (updated)
Meta is taking more steps to limit potentially harmful ad campaigns. The company is placing more restrictions on advertisers’ ability to target teens. From February onward, Facebook and Instagram will no longer let marketers aim ads at teens based on gender — only age and location.
In March, Meta will expand the ad preferences in Facebook and Instagram to let teens see fewer sales pitches for a given topic. Teens could already hide the ads from specific advertisers, but this gives them the choice of automatically downplaying whole categories like TV dramas or footwear.
The social media giant has put ever-tighter restrictions on the content teens can access. In 2021, Facebook and Instagram barred advertisers from using teens’ interests to target ads. Instagram also made accounts private by default for teens under 16, and this year limited sensitive content for all new teen users. Meta has likewise limited the ability of “suspicious” adults to message teens on both platforms.
This is the second major ad policy change in a week. Just a day before, Meta rolled out an AI-based system meant to reduce discriminatory ad distribution. The technology is launching as part of a settlement with the federal government over charges that Facebook let companies target ads based on ethnicity, gender and other protected classes.
As with those earlier efforts, Meta has a strong incentive to act. The attorneys general of 10 states are investigating Instagram’s effects on teens, while the European Union recently fined Meta the equivalent of $402 million for allegedly mishandling privacy settings for younger users. Governments are concerned that Meta might be exploiting teens’ usage habits or exposing them to threats, including content that could lead to mental health issues. The new protections won’t solve these problems by themselves, but they might show officials that Meta is serious about curbing ads that prey on teens.
Update 1/10 2:39PM ET: Meta says it already prevents ads from targeting teens based on follows and likes. We’ve updated the story accordingly.
NASA is funding ideas for a Titan seaplane and faster deep space travel
NASA is still willing to fund unusual concepts in its bid to advance space exploration. The agency is handing out $175,000 initial study grants to 14 projects that could be useful for missions in and beyond the Solar System. The highlight may be TitanAir, a seaplane from Planet Enterprises’ Quinn Morley that could both fly through the nitrogen-and-methane atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan and sail its oceans. The “flying boat” would collect methane and complex organic material for study by sucking it in through a porous leading edge.
A project from UCLA’s Artur Davoyan, meanwhile, could speed up missions to the outer edge of the Solar System and even interstellar space. His design (shown at middle) would propel spacecraft by producing a “pellet-beam” of microscopic particles travelling at very high speed (over 74 miles per second) using laser blasts. The concept could dramatically shorten the time it takes to explore deep space. Where Voyager 1 took 35 years to reach interstellar space (the heliopause, roughly 123AU from the Sun), a one-ton spacecraft could reach 100AU in just three years. It could travel 500AU in 15 years.
Artur Davoyan
Other efforts are sometimes similarly ambitious. MIT’s Mary Knapp has proposed a deep space observatory that would use a swarm of thousands of tiny satellites to detect low-frequency radio emissions from the early universe, not to mention the magnetic fields of Earth-like exoplanets. Congrui Jin from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln has envisioned self-growing habitat building blocks that could save space on missions to Mars, while Lunar Resources’ Peter Curreri has devised pipelines that could shuttle oxygen between Moon bases.
These are all very early initiatives that aren’t guaranteed to lead to real-world tests, let alone missions. However, they illustrate NASA’s thinking. The administration is funding the projects now in hopes that at least one will eventually pay off. If there’s even partial success, NASA could make discoveries that aren’t practical using existing technology.
Coinbase is laying off another 950 workers amid a crypto market downturn
Coinbase is letting another 950 employees go, seven months after it cut 1,100 jobs. In a note to staff, the company’s CEO Brian Armstrong said that amid a downturn in the crypto market and the broader economy, he’s made the call to reduce operating exp…
Amazon brings Prime shipping to more third-party sites on January 31st
Like it or not, Amazon is expanding Prime to cover more of the web. The company says it’s making Buy with Prime “widely available” to eligible third-party sites in the US on January 31st. More shops can offer free shipping, a streamlined checkout and simplified returns to Prime members. Before now, stores had to already be using Amazon’s fulfillment system and receive an invitation.
The company is also introducing an option that lets Buy with Prime partners feature Amazon customer ratings and reviews on their store pages. A site won’t have to hope that someone leaves a glowing review on its own storefron. If someone shopping at Amazon likes a product, it’ll be visible on the third-party shop.
The theoretical advantages are clear. You get products with less hassle, while stores are more likely to turn visitors into paying customers. Amazon, meanwhile, is hoping to boost interest in Prime subscriptions and play an important role at other merchants.
The catch, of course, is that you have to pay Amazon to reap the benefits — and not everyone may be thrilled by the prospect. Amazon is already facing government scrutiny over the treatment of third-party sellers on its marketplace, including accusations it uses their sales data to develop rival products. Buy with Prime extends Amazon’s influence to yet more sellers, and could invite more attention from regulators as a result.
Apple will reportedly use in-house wireless chips in iPhones by 2025
Apple’s long-rumored plans to use its own wireless chipsets in iPhones may be solidifying. Bloombergsources claim Apple is not only prepping its first cellular modem (now slated for late 2024 or early 2025), but is working on a combination Bluetooth and WiFi chip to replace the Broadcom chip that handles those duties. That part would arrive in 2025, according to the tipsters.
The company is also said to be working on a follow-up that would combine the Bluetooth, cellular and WiFi functionality in a single design. A move like this could both simplify production and save space in the iPhone’s tightly packed chassis.
Apple and Qualcomm have already declined to comment. We’ve asked Broadcom for comment. Qualcomm said in November that it would supply the clear majority of iPhone cellular modems for 2023 models, but that it expected a “minimal contribution” from Apple hardware in its fiscal 2025. Broadcom chief Hock Tan, meanwhile, said in December that he believed Apple would continue to use his firm’s components.
While the exact reasoning for the transition wasn’t mentioned, it’s no secret that Apple started designing its own silicon to have more control over its products and reduce dependence on companies that might not always be on friendly terms. The tech behemoth notably got into a bitter royalty dispute with Qualcomm that led to a costly settlement, and Broadcom is known to strike hard bargains. Apple-made parts wouldn’t completely avoid problems like these, but they could reduce the chances of third parties effectively holding Apple captive.
There’s still no guarantee things will go according to plan, provided the rumor is accurate. Earlier scoops suggested Apple could switch to its own cellular chips as soon as 2023, and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple cancelled a fourth-gen iPhone SE that would use the company’s first internally-designed modem in 2024. If there are development troubles, Apple may have to lean on Broadcom and Qualcomm for a while yet.
The best fast chargers for 2023
Now that companies like Apple, Google and Samsung are no longer including power adapters with new phones, getting the right charger for your device is a little trickier than it used to be. And while it hasn’t happened yet, given the increased focus on …
DJI’s lightweight RS 3 Mini camera stabilizer is designed to be used with one hand
Where DJI’s RS 3 and RS 3 Pro stabilizers were about maximum convenience and power, the company’s latest is designed to reduce as much weight as possible. The new RS 3 Mini weighs in at just 1.8 pounds, but can carry cameras up to 4.4 pounds, which inc…
The Morning After: Instagram redesign kills the shopping tab
Instagram has revealed a home screen refresh, due in February, that axes the Shop tab and moves the Create button back to the center of the bottom navigation bar. The social network’s Adam Mosseri said shopping will still exist in your feed, Reels, Stories and ads – because of course it will – it’s just not a dedicated tab anymore. The change may also be part of a larger strategy shakeup. The Information claims an internal memo in September indicated Instagram would cut many of its shopping features. Instead, the site would concentrate on commerce efforts “more directly tied” to ad revenue. Simply put, the shopping push doesn’t appear to have helped.
Who exactly was browsing the randomized world of Instagram shopping ads for their next purchase, anyway? My shopping tab currently shows me a $10,000 oven, a vegan cheese selection box and stabilizers for a children’s bike. I guess I’d take the fake cheese.
– Mat Smith
The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.
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Raspberry Pi launches some more modern camera modules
Module 3 variants include standard and wide-angle FOVs as well as autofocus.
Raspberry Pi has launched the Camera Module 3 with big improvements, including higher resolution, infrared, HDR, autofocus, a wide-angle field of view and more. Not counting an interchangeable lens model introduced in 2020, it’s the company’s first new camera module in six years. Where the previous module had fixed autofocus, Module 3 has built-in powered autofocus capability. That makes it a bit thicker (up to 12.4mm compared to 9mm) but more versatile, letting you focus on objects ranging in distance from 5cm (2 inches) to infinity.
The best laptops for 2023
These are our favorites, already.
A new laptop is an expensive purchase that warrants some thought. Despite continued chip supply woes, companies are still making a ton of new laptops, and there’s plenty of choice. While most laptops with top of the line specs can cost around $1,800 to $2,000 these days, you can still get a good system for under $1,000. Then again, if you do most of your work in a browser (lots of online research, emails and Google Drive), then a Chromebook might be a cheaper alternative. We lay out the best options.
The right-to-repair battle hits John Deere and US farmers
A new deal allows farmers to repair their own equipment.
Jon G. Fuller/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The right to repair isn’t limited to replacing your smartphone battery. Tractor and farm-vehicle maker John Deere has resisted right-to-repair regulation, but it’s now willing to make some concessions. Deere & Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) that lets US farmers and independent repair shops fix equipment, rather than requiring authorized parts and service centers. Why now? President Biden ordered the Federal Trade Commission to draft right-to-repair regulation in 2021. If Deere didn’t act, it risked legal battles that could limit where and how it does business in the country.
NASA’s 38-year-old science satellite finally falls back to Earth
The re-entry comes as officials hope to cut back on space debris.
NASA’s 38-year-old dead satellite has returned to Earth without incident. The Defense Department confirmed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) re-entered the atmosphere off the Alaskan coast at 11:04 PM ET on January 8th. The ERBS traveled aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984 and was only expected to collect ozone data for two years. It was actually retired in 2005 — over two decades later.