Will Shanklin
Will Shanklin has been writing about gadgets, tech and their impact on humanity since 2011. Before joining Engadget, he spent five years creating and leading the mobile technology section for New Atlas. His work has also appeared on SlashGear, TechRadar, Digital Trends, AppleInsider, Android Central, HuffPost and others. In his free time, Will enjoys meditation / mindfulness, great music and eclectic New Mexico shenanigans.
- Engadget
The US Supreme Court rejects Elon Musk’s appeal in ‘funding secured’ tweet ruling
On Monday, the US Supreme Court dismissed Elon Musk’s appeal about a 2018 SEC settlement regarding a “funding secured” tweet. The conservative-majority court passed on Musk’s attempt to throw out the agreement.
- Engadget
Getir is getting out of everywhere but Turkey
Getir is getting out of most markets. On Monday, the “instant delivery” startup said it would exit the US, UK, Germany and the Netherlands to serve its Turkish home market exclusively.
- Engadget
The FTC accuses Amazon of using Signal’s auto-deleting messages to erase evidence
As part of its antitrust suit against Amazon, the FTC accused the company of using Signal’s disappearing messages feature to conceal communications.
- Engadget
Drake deletes AI-generated Tupac track after Shakur’s estate threatened to sue
Drake apparently learned it isn’t wise to mess with Tupac Shakur — even nearly three decades after his death. Tthe Canadian hip-hop artist deleted the post with his track “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which used an AI-generated recreation of Shakur’s voice.
- Engadget
Some of our favorite Bose headphones and earbuds are back to all-time low prices
Amazon has some of the highest-rated Bose headphones on sale for record-low prices. That includes the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, which have best-in-class active noise cancellation (ANC).
- Engadget
Tupac’s estate threatens to sue Drake for his AI-infused Kendrick Lamar diss
Tupac Shakur’s estate isn’t pleased with Drake cloning the late hip-hop legend’s voice in a Kendrick Lamar diss track. Attorney Howard King, representing Mr. Shakur’s estate, sent a cease-and-desist letter calling Drake’s use of Shakur’s voice “a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights.”
- Engadget
TikTok Lite axes ‘addictive as cigarettes’ reward-to-watch feature under the EU’s watchful eye
The EU has effectively vanquished a TikTok feature that Europe’s digital commissioner described as “toxic” and “addictive as cigarettes.” TikTok owner ByteDance said on Wednesday that TikTok Lite’s reward-to-watch feature would be suspended.
- Engadget
PUBG will take a nostalgia-infused trip back to its first map in May
PUBG: Battlegrounds is somehow old enough to evoke nostalgia. The pioneering battle royale game will recreate the old-school battlefield from the game’s inception for a limited two-week run in May and June.
- Engadget
The White House wants a zero-emission freight industry by 2040
The Biden administration is tackling the monumental task of making America’s industrial freight system more environmentally friendly. The White House said on Wednesday that it aims to have 30 percent of industrial truck sales produce zero emissions by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040.
- Engadget
Roland’s mobile podcasting studio gives you a mic and streaming app for $140
Roland has a new on-the-go podcasting setup with an eye-catching price. The company’s Go:Podcast studio includes a USB condenser mic and a companion app that can set up streaming to platforms like YouTube, Twitch and Facebook.
- Engadget
Amazon’s grocery subscription program has some strings attached
After asserting itself as an overshadowing presence in retail, Amazon is still experimenting with ways to leave a similar mark with grocery shopping. The company’s latest tweak to the service lowers the minimum price for free grocery deliveries to $35.
- Engadget
Finally, someone used Pareto’s economic theories to find the best Mario Kart 8 racer
Who hasn’t spent sleepless nights pondering what would happen if we applied the theories of Vilfredo Pareto, the early 20th-century Italian economist, to Mario, the Mushroom Kingdom’s Italian high-jump champion and part-time elephant cosplayer? Data scientist Antoine Mayerowitz, PhD, tackled that age-old question.
- Engadget
Automate your vacuuming and mopping with $400 off the Roomba Combo J9+
If you’re looking to automate more of your home cleaning setup, iRobot’s flagship Roomba Combo J9+ is on sale for $400 off. The vacuum-mop hybrid robot, which only arrived last fall, has a redesigned dock that automatically empties debris and refills the device’s mopping liquid.
- Engadget
A correction on Amazon Prime Video subscriptions
Amazon appears to have nixed its Prime Video-only plan in the US and UK. Cord Busters reports that the little-known subscription, introduced in 2016, is no longer available to new users in either country.
- Engadget
The HD Chromecast with Google TV is on sale for only $20
If you watch movies and TV on a 1080p screen, the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) provides a rock-solid streaming experience on the cheap. Today, Amazon has it for $10 off, letting you pick up the HDR10-capable streaming stick for only $20.
- Engadget
Media coalition asks the feds to investigate Google’s removal of California news links
The News/Media Alliance asked US federal agencies to investigate Google’s removal of links to California news media outlets. Google’s tactic is in response to the proposed California Journalism Preservation Act, which would require it to pay for links to California-based publishers’ news content.
- Engadget
Amazon says a whopping 140 third-party stores in four countries use its Just Walk Out tech
Amazon published a blog post on Wednesday providing an update about its Just Walk Out technology, which it reportedly pulled from its Fresh grocery stores earlier this month. While extolling Just Walk Out’s virtues as a sales pitch to potential retail partners, the article lists a startlingly minuscule number of businesses using the tech.
- Engadget
Creepy monitoring service sells searchable Discord user data for as little as $5
A data scraper is selling information on what it claims to be 600 million Discord users. A report from 404 Media details Spy Pet, an online service that gathers, stores and sells troves of information from the social platform.
- Engadget
NASA confirms its space trash pierced Florida man’s roof
On March 8, a piece of space debris plunged through a roof in Naples, FL, ripped through two floors and (fortunately) barely missed the son of homeowner Alejandro Otero. On Tuesday, NASA confirmed the results of its analysis of the incident.
- Engadget
Prime members can play Fallout 3 and New Vegas on Luna for the next six months
Fallout games are having a moment in the wake of its new TV series adaptation. Amazon has added two of the series’ best games to Luna, its cloud streaming service, and a current-gen console update is arriving for Fallout 4.