July 31, 2024 | View in browser 

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 

💰 Meta to pay big bucks to settle facial recognition suit
📱 Nothing's new phone is a game of spot the difference
🎤 Spotify brings back much-missed feature for free users
🎥 First Slingshot trailer shows Casey Affleck unraveling in space

🕹️ Our four-hour experience with Star Wars Outlaws

 

Image: Pexels

 

COMPUTING

 

Meta to pay record $1.4 billion to settle Texas facial recognition suit

 

Meta’s photo-tagging feature broke state privacy laws, according to the Texas attorney general

 

Meta has agreed to pay a colossal $1.4 billion to settle claims brought by the Texas attorney general that it flouted state privacy laws by collecting the biometric data of millions of its users without their consent, the Washington Post reported.

It marks the largest privacy settlement ever obtained by a state attorney general, according to the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the world’s biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans’ privacy rights,” Paxton said. Meta said it was "pleased to resolve this matter" ...

 
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MORE COMPUTING

 
  • How a Google-inspired AI model is assisting SpaceX launches
  • Storm clouds are brewing for another GPU shortage
  • Mark Zuckerberg just described my AI nightmare, and I’m terrified
 

Image: Nothing

 

MOBILE

 

The new Nothing Phone 2a Plus is a tough game of spot the difference

 

‘It looks like a lightly refreshed version of the Nothing Phone 2a rather than a new phone serving a new segment of buyers’

 

Nothing has just unveiled the Phone 2a Plus, which, it turns out, is a lot like the Phone 2a that launched just four months ago.

So what exactly are the differences between the two devices? The main ones are the new phone’s faster 4nm MediaTek chip and GPU, the 50MP selfie camera, a few tweaks for the rear camera’s portrait mode, and slightly faster charging.

Nothing says the Phone 2a Plus is for power users, and the chip gives a 10% performance upgrade for app loading over the 2a, while the GPU is apparently 30% faster when playing games ...

 
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MORE MOBILE

 
  • This is one of the most beautiful phones I’ve seen in 2024
  • How to use Private Space, Android 15’s best new feature
  • Samsung provides police with the Galaxy Z Flip phone to use as bodycams
 

Image: Pexels

 

AUDIO / VIDEO

 

Spotify brings back lyrics access for free users

 

Now everyone on Spotify can sing along to their top tunes again

 

A couple of months ago, Spotify decided to make it harder for users of the free, ad-supported tier to enjoy song lyrics by capping them at three tracks per month.

The intention was to nudge more people toward paying for the streaming service, but after a bit of a backlash, Spotify is bringing back lyrics for free users, TechCrunch reported. 

“Over the coming weeks, we’ll be expanding lyrics availability for Spotify Free users so more people can enjoy viewing more lyrics globally,” the company said ...

 
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MORE AUDIO / VIDEO

 
  • Astell&Kern’s latest digital audio player has a surprising price tag
  • Pro-Ject updates its award-winning turntable
  • Snapdragon Sound: Qualcomm’s wireless audio brand explained
 
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ENTERTAINMENT

 

First Slingshot trailer shows Casey Affleck beginning to unravel in space

 

Director Mikael Håfström and star Affleck take us on an unsettling journey to Saturn's largest moon

 

The first Slingshot trailer reveals a sci-fi thriller about astronauts preparing for a dangerous mission to Saturn's largest moon, Collider reported.

Casey Affleck stars as the lead astronaut, alongside Laurence Fishburne, Emily Beecham, and Tomer Capone.

The movie’s logline reads: “A psychological thriller, Slingshot follows an elite trio of astronauts aboard a years-long, possibly compromised mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. As the team gears up for a highly dangerous slingshot maneuver that will either catapult them to Titan or into deep space, it becomes increasingly difficult for one astronaut to maintain his grip on reality.”

Slingshot lands in theaters on August 30.

 
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MORE ENTERTAINMENT

 
  • Jason Reitman’s SNL movie gets new title and release date
  • 10 best movie heroes of all time, ranked
  • Just how much money will Robert Downey Jr. get for the next Avengers movies?
 

Image: Ubisoft

 

GAMING

 

Our takeaways from a four-hour experience with Star Wars Outlaws 

 

Star Wars Outlaws is at its best when you're exploring its open world and engaging with systems reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption

 

A Digital Trends’ gaming specialist got to spend four hours with Star Wars Outlaws at a recent preview event.

One particularly memorable moment came “when walking into a dingy bar on Kijimi from The Rise of Skywalker and playing several rounds of Sabacc, only to walk back to my ship and find some loot to smuggle. It’s such moments that sell the smuggler fantasy that Ubisoft is touting as the first open-world Star Wars video game.”

According to the report, "like Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Star Wars Outlaws is at its best when players are free to explore and immerse themselves in the world and gameplay systems."

Star Wars Outlaws launches for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on August 30 ...

 
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MORE GAMING

 
  • Steam Deck now supports 1200p gameplay — with a catch
  • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games might be dead, producer says 
  • One of Call of Duty: Warzone’s biggest maps is going open source
 
 
 

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