Airbnb’s nonprofit arm will offer free, temporary housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing war. The efforts could help bring much-needed short-term relief for the more than 500,000 Ukrainians who have reportedly fled into neighboring countries since the invasion’s onset, though longer-term solutions…
Source: Gizmodo – Airbnb Will Provide Free Temporary Stays for 100,000 Ukrainian Refugees
One time passwords, otherwise known as OTPs, are great for keeping your accounts safe. They force anyone looking to sign into an app or site to not only know the username and password, but also provide a one-time code from a trusted device. Bu if you’ve ever received your OTPs via text, you know they can start to add…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Automatically Delete One-Time Passwords From Google Messages (and Why You Should)
Advances in fast charging technologies mean we’ll spend less time waiting for our smartphones and other electronics to recharge, but how fast are we talking about? Try just 15 minutes to bring a premium smartphone from nearly depleted (1 percent) to fully charged (100 percent), which is the promise of Oppo’s 150W SuperVOOD flash charge technology.
This
Source: Hot Hardware – Oppo 150W SuperVOOC Will Fully Charge The Next OnePlus Flagship In Just 15 Minutes
Robert Pattinson, sparkly telepathic vampire that he is, loves Final Fantasy VII’s Tifa. Or is it Aerith? No, no, it’s definitely Tifa. But that Aerith…
Source: Kotaku – Robert Pattison Is Still Caught Up On Tifa Vs. Aerith In Final Fantasy
It’s been more than 11 years since Instagram first launched… and there’s still no native iPad app. Instagram users are limited to using the web interface or the iPhone version, an app that is definitely not optimized for the iPad’s larger screen. And according to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, that’s not going to change any time soon.
In a series of tweets between Mosseri and prolific tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, Mosseri said that there weren’t enough iPad users to justify making a dedicated app. “The year is 2022 and there’s still no proper Instagram app for iPad,” Brownlee tweeted Sunday afternoon. Mosseri apparently saw it and decided to open up a bit about the decision. “It’s still just not a big enough group of people to be a priority,” he responded. “Hoping to get to it at some point, but right now we’re very heads down on other things.”
Yup, we get this one a lot. It’s still just not a big enough group of people to be a priority. Hoping to get to it at some point, but right now we’re very heads down on other things.
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) February 27, 2022
Mosseri shed a little more light on the situation; in a subsequent tweet, he noted that Instagram’s team is “leaner than you think” and said the company was already supporting four platforms (iOS, Android, web and Instagram Lite). He also mentioned Instagram’s competitors by name, calling TikTok and YouTube “behemoths.” In relation to how people use Instagram vs. those apps, Mosseri said that Instagram users share more in private messages than they do in the feed or through stories, and that the company “need[s] to adapt.”
It wasn’t exactly clear what he meant by needing to adapt, but it sounds like he thinks people are sharing more publicly on TikTok and YouTube than they are on Instagram right now. Adapting could either be finding ways to make people share more publicly or to improve the messaging experience that is so popular on Instagram, but Mosseri didn’t say more on that point.
Finally, Mosseri indicated that Instagram internally views full iPad support as a “finally feature,” something they want to get to but isn’t a huge priority. “Things like supporting dark mode, scheduled posts, an iPad app, deleting one photo from a carousel, etc,” he tweeted.
While there are clearly millions of iPad owners who would likely enjoy an Instagram app, the company has done a lot to make the web experience better over the last few years. Messaging has been fully supported for a while now, and as of last fall you can even create Instagram posts from the website as well. Stories are still exclusive to the mobile apps, but the overall web experience is not nearly as compromised as it used to be.
Regardless, people will probably not stop asking for an Instagram iPad app any time soon, but at least the app’s leader has been forthcoming about the chances of that happening in the future. Never say never, iPad users, but don’t hold your breath.
Source: Engadget – Instagram head says iPad ‘not big enough’ to make app a priority
A member of the Conti ransomware group, believed to be Ukrainian of origin, has leaked the gang’s internal chats after the group’s leaders posted an aggressive pro-Russian message on their official site, on Friday, in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From a report: The message appears to have rubbed Conti’s Ukrainian members the wrong way, and one of them has hacked the gang’s internal Jabber/XMPP server. Internal logs were leaked earlier today via an email sent to multiple journalists and security researchers. Dmitry Smilyanets, a threat intelligence analyst for Recorded Future, who has interacted with the Conti gang in the past, has confirmed the authenticity of the leaked conversations. The leaked data contains 339 JSON files, with each file consisting of a full day’s log. Conversations from January 29, 2021, to last February 27, 2022, have been leaked and can be read online here, courtesy of security firm IntelligenceX.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Conti Ransomware Gang Chats Leaked by Pro-Ukraine Member
Apple maintains predictable release patterns, so it’s rare for one of the countless product rumors and leaks to catch us by surprise. It does happen though and over the past week, one prediction, in particular, has caught our attention: Apple is supposedly considering a 20-inch foldable device.
Source: Gizmodo – Apple Is Considering a Foldable iPad, MacBook Hybrid with a 20-Inch Display: Report
A weekend away or even an extended work trip can be a fun break from your day-to-day life, but the unfortunate fact is that while you’re gone, your responsibilities are still waiting for you at home. If one of those responsibilities includes a dog, you have to plan ways in advance to keep your pet happy, healthy,…
Source: LifeHacker – How to Prepare Your Dog for an Extended Separation
Restartable sequences, a Linux kernel feature that facilitates the writing
of lockless, per-CPU code in user space, has been around for some years,
but it only just received support in the GNU C
Library this month. Now that this barrier has been crossed, it would
seem that the time has come to start adding features. Mathieu Desnoyers
has responded to this challenge with a
patch set adding an extension mechanism and a new “virtual CPU ID”
feature.
Source: LWN.net – [$] Extending restartable sequences with virtual CPU IDs
Russia is cutting some of its cooperation with international space programs in response to sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. Roscosmos is “suspending” cooperation with European partners on launches from the Guiana Space Center in retaliation for EU sanctions. As Ars Technicaexplains, the Russian agency also announced that it’s pulling staff from the French Guiana-based spaceport.
At the same time, Parabolic Arcnotes Russia is ending NASA’s participation in the Venera-D mission to Venus, deeming it “inappropriate” to continue joint work in light of sanctions. Venera-D is meant to revive Russian exploration of Venus by sending an orbiter and lander to the hellish planet in 2029. It’s not yet clear how the lack of US involvement will affect the project, although Russia claimed in 2020 that its mission wouldn’t have “extensive involvement” from other countries.
EU space commissioner Thierry Breton said in a February 26th statement that Russia’s decision on the spaceport wouldn’t affect service for the Copernicus and Galileo satellite networks. However, this could complicate future launches for either project. Europe’s remaining Ariane 5 rockets are already booked, and Ariane 6 won’t be ready until 2023 or later. The EU likely won’t have access to Russian Soyuz rockets if it needs a launch on short notice, and might have to turn to companies like SpaceX instead.
Russia hasn’t severed all its partnerships. It’s still involved in the International Space Station for now, although it might leave to establish its own facility. Even so, it’s now clear the country is willing to limit scientific efforts in space to punish its political opponents.
В ответ на санкции Евросоюза в отношении наших предприятий Роскосмос приостанавливает сотрудничество с европейскими партнерами по организации космических запусков с космодрома Куру и отзывает свой технический персонал, включая сводный стартовый расчёт, из Французской Гвианы. pic.twitter.com/w05KACb9nI
— РОГОЗИН (@Rogozin) February 26, 2022
⚡ «В условиях введения новых и сохранения ранее введённых санкций продолжение участия США в российском проекте разработки и создания межпланетной станции #ВенераД считаю неуместным», — глава Роскосмоса Дмитрий Рогозин. pic.twitter.com/ml9Fu8rf1j
— РОСКОСМОС (@roscosmos) February 26, 2022
Morbius? You’ve finally got me a bit worried. When the movie was first announced, I was basically stunned with disbelief that such an nth-tier Spider-Man foe would get his own major motion picture. When I saw the first couple of trailers, I was genuinely impressed. But now that the Jared Leto anti-hero movie’s final…
Source: Gizmodo – Morbius’ Final Trailer Wants to Remind You: Oh Yeah, Matt Smith Is in This
Is a Steam subscription service in the works? It was recently revealed that Valve does not plan on developing its own personal subscription service. However, it was noted that Valve would be willing to work with Microsoft to add Game Pass games to Steam.
Wes Fenlon of PC Gamer asked Gabe Newell, President of Valve, straight up whether Valve
Source: Hot Hardware – Game Pass On Steam? Valve Is Open To Working With Microsoft To Make It Happen
No matter our age, we should never stop learning, growing, and expanding our understanding of the world around us. While this fact can lead to beautiful epiphanies, it can also lead to utter humiliation. As I write this, someone somewhere just had their pronunciation of “Tupperware” corrected—much to the joy of the…
Source: LifeHacker – What’s Something You Learned Embarrassingly Late in Life?
Airbnb has pledged to work with Ukraine’s neighbors to provide free temporary housing to up to 100,000 refugees who are fleeing the country after Russia invaded. Executives are sending letters to the leaders of several European nations — beginning with Poland, Germany, Hungary and Romania — to offer their support. More than 300,000 people have left Ukraine since the invasion commenced on Thursday, as Bloomberg notes.
The Airbnb.org nonprofit will work with governments and local organizations to support the needs of refugees in each nation, which may include providing longer-term housing. The housing costs will be covered by Airbnb, along with donors to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund and hosts. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said that, while partnerships are being forged with nonprofits in European countries, refugees and asylum seekers can seek help from the UN Refugee Agency
The nonprofit last week announced it has facilitated housing for 21,300 Afghan refugees. It said it would house up to 40,000 Afghan refugees on a temporary basis after the Taliban assumed power. Airbnb.org last week set a target of providing free short-term housing to another 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan, Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America and other territories. That goal is separate from the pledge to help Ukrainian refugees.
Source: Engadget – Airbnb offers free housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees
Apple may be working on a device with a 20-inch foldable display, which Apple tracker Mark Gurman describes as an “iPad / MacBook hybrid” in Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter. The Verge: Gurman says that Apple is, indeed, exploring the possibility of a folding device of the sort, backing up the claims of Ross Young, the CEO and analyst at Display Supply Chain Consultants. Gurman claims the device will feature a dual-screen display that omits a physical keyboard and trackpad — navigating and typing on the device will be entirely touchscreen-based.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Apple is Working on an iPad and MacBook Hybrid With a 20-inch Folding Display, Report Says
China’s Yutu-2 lunar rover detected two distinct glass globules on the far side of the Moon. Discoveries like this could hold information about the Moon’s history.
The spherules were spotted by the lunar rover’s panoramic camera as they twinkled like stars on the dry, dusty surface of the Moon. While the rover was unable to obtain any compositional
Source: Hot Hardware – Lunar Rover Finds Translucent Glass Globules On The Moon, Where Did They Come From?
The seventy-four installment of the 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup is here for the week ending on February 27th, 2022, keeping you guys up to date with the most important things happening in the Linux world.
Source: LXer – 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: February 27th, 2022
The Xbox Series S has not been anywhere near as difficult to find in stock as either the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, but finding one at a discount? That’s another story entirely. It’s also the situation right now, with the Xbox Series S seeing a rare discount to $249.99, saving you $50 over MSRP. If you’ve been considering this system,
Source: Hot Hardware – Xbox Series S Is Off Right Now And That’s Not Just A Hot Deal, It’s A Steal
David Rysdahl wants to make a new take on Rapunzel with Zazie Beetz. Renfield sinks its teeth into a new release date. Chucky plans a return this year. Plus, new looks at Our Flag Means Death, Netflix nabs an unconventional Transformers show, and more. Spoilers now!
Source: Gizmodo – Updates From Indiana Jones 5, What We Do In the Shadows, and More
While the Samsung T7 SSD has been on sale for a week or two, the T7 Touch portable drive has now joined it in being discounted. The palm-sized SSD in 1TB is down to $140, or 26 percent off its normal price. Only the black model is this low — if you really want the silver version, it’ll cost you an extra $20 — but now’s a good time to grab an extra drive and save $50 at the same time.
Buy Samsung T7 Touch (1TB) at Amazon – $140Buy Samsung T7 Touch (1TB) at Best Buy – $140Buy Samsung T7 Touch (1TB) at B&H – $140
Storage gadgets can get expensive, especially when you want a 1TB or more of digital space, so we always recommend waiting for a sale like this one before buying. Samsung’s T7 series has become one of our favorites in the portable SSD space for their pocket-friendly yet durable designs, fast performance and extra features like Dynamic Thermal Guard, AES 256-bit encryption and optional password protection. On top of all that, the Touch model has a built-in fingerprint reader for an extra layer of security.
The T7 Touch comes with both a USB-C to C and a USB-C to A cable, so you can use it with nearly any device you have — smartphone, tablet, laptop, some game consoles and more. If you have a tighter budget, you can still grab the 1TB Samsung T7 — which is identical to the Touch model, with the exception of the fingerprint reader — for $110, which is 35 percent off and the best price we’ve seen. And if you’re looking for an internal SSD that will work with the PS5 you just got your hands on, Samsung’s 980 Pro in 2TB is down to an all-time low of $280 right now, too.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Source: Engadget – Samsung’s 1TB T7 Touch SSD drops to a record low of 0