So, what do you get for your (not quite) two Benjamin Franklins? Well, it fulfills the main function of a robot vacuum, traversing thorough your house, consuming as much dust, lint and debris as it possibly can in the process. But there are some added extras. For starters, the Deebot 601 claims to be quieter than much of the competition, which should be good news for any pets that get traumatized whenever you pull the Dyson out of the cupboard....

Microsoft recently unveiled the lineup for its third generation of Surface Laptops. It looks like a svelte, powerful device, but hold your horses before you rush to cop one, there might be a better deal: the first-gen Surface Laptop. Yep, there’s currently a brain-melting 61-percent discount on the inaugural Surface Laptop — it’s available for just $1,049, that’s $1,650 off the original price of $2,699. Woooooah. Doesn’t sound good to you?...

Despite that, there is a lack of consistency in how many AI concepts are discussed, not just at the STEM education level, but in popular entertainment, science writing, and even at times in scientific journals. To address this, we need to standardize how we describe AI and its many subsets, and accurately define these terms both in general and specific to individual technologies and applications of those technologies. We discuss some of the most commonly misused and what they really mean....

The stringent requirements of the Chinese gaming authorities mean that it can sometimes take a while for games to be officially approved, if they ever are. Animal Crossing New Horizons was never approved, but imported copies were available via the e-commerce site Taobao and the game was apparently a major hit. Given it came out in the shank of the COVID-19 pandemic, its appeal as a social space where you could visit your friends within an escapist paradise was as valid in China as it was anywhere else....

In Google’s own words: Specifically, the company found that JavaScript Timers took up over 40% of resources in background tabs, and that reducing their impact made a big improvement to efficiency. With Chrome M87, JavaScript Timer wake-ups in the background will update just once a minute, reducing CPU usage by up to 5 times, and extending battery life by 1.25 hours, according to Google (tests were conducted on a 2020 MacBook Air with Intel’s Core i3)....

Android users in those countries can now download the Clubhouse beta from the Google Play Store — but they’ll still need an invite to use the app. The audio-based social network arrived on Android in the US on Sunday, more than a year after the app launched on iOS. Before you ask…yes, still invite-only. We’re managing growth so we can build more sustainable infrastructure before the floodgates open. Soon(ish)! pic....

Putting aside its bizarre shallowness, the tweet encourages tolerance of anti-social behavior in these hypothetical candidates because of their technical output. He suggests that it’s a sacrifice worth making because they are great at writing code. But is this the real image of a valuable developer? Is trading general warmness for raw technical talent worth it? Or is Kirani’s depiction of the ideal coder just, as one reply to the tweet stated, a list of “the worst tendencies of inexperienced engineers....

James’ office sent the company a letter on Monday that requested the startup provide details of additional steps its taken to protect new users, which are especially important considering Zoom’s rough history with security flaws, the New York Times reports. [Read: SEC halts $ZOOM after coronavirus traders confuse it for Zoom app] “[Our office] is concerned that Zoom’s existing security practices might not be sufficient to adapt to the recent and sudden surge in both the volume and sensitivity of data being passed through its network,” said the letter....

Ivan Manuel Molina Lee is accused of being part of an international drug cartel involved in money laundering operations using embattled cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex to siphon funds between Latin America and Europe. According to several Polish news outlets, Lee, who was first arrested in Greece, was extradited to Warsaw under police escort. Polish authorities say Lee was wanted in Poland for laundering up to 1.5 billion zloty or about $390,000,000 “from illegal sources....

However, I always wanted to learn a foreign language. So after the first season of Narcos aired on Netflix, I was determined to learn Spanish. But, after using Duolingo for 10 days, I couldn’t continue the course, and I had to put my dreams of watching the second season without subtitles to bed. My point is, don’t be a lazy-ass like me. While you’re stuck at home, you can surely pick up a new language....

But not everyone needs active noise-canceling (ANC) circuitry. For some people, a headphone that just blocks out a decent amount of sound through physical characteristics is enough. If that sounds like you, Dali’s IO-4 is the better option, with a more palatable $399 price tag, and somehow even better battery life that’s rated at 60 hours, compared to the IO-6’s 30. I’m going to keep this review short. The Dali IO-4 is nearly identical to the IO-6 in every regard other than noise-canceling....

That sounds fine on the surface, but a potential ban doesn’t refer to buying cryptocurrency “on the job,” it extends into employees’ private lives. According to a release made by Danish court yesterday, Nordea Bank is now free to prevent its staff from buying and trading cryptocurrencies in their own time, Bloomberg reports. They are also banned from buying crypto on behalf of others too. How the bank will enforce a ban and what happens if someone breaches the policy remains unclear....

It’s a waste of time to try to learn every new technology. Instead, focus on learning how to learn. The tech industry thrives on the insecurity of software developers. The less a software developer thinks they know, the easier it is to sell them new tech. Top companies like Facebook and Google thrive on this insecurity economy, as it maintains their status as being at the top of the software development hierarchy....

Hollywood has us believing that spyware technology is only used by secret-agent hackers who plant tracking devices in car wheels or in the soles of shoes. But in reality, “stalkerware” isn’t as high-tech or inaccessible as we’re led to believe. It’s harnessed to become a dangerous weapon that strips people of their privacy all too often — especially women in abusive relationships. Today, stalkerware technology, also known as “spouseware,” takes the form of applications or add-ons to a device that allows someone to remotely monitor another person’s activity....

Anyway, hate aside, let’s kick off from where all the best stories start: The beginning. There have been rumors circulating over the last few months about Apple introducing a pair of ‘entry-level’ AirPods Pro. Much of this speculation has been driven by Digitimes, which is a Taiwanese publication that focuses on the supply chain. Now, it’s worth pointing out that Digitimes reports aren’t always accurate. It could be that their wires are crossed and that Apple is making another pair of Beats wireless earbuds instead....

The channel’s been verified, so I gotta assume it was set up by someone from the President’s actual team. (I’ll keep saying “he’s streaming,” even though I’m pretty sure Trump is not handling the tech himself.) As yet, all he’s streamed is a rally in Minneapolis. His channel had only 135 followers last night, according to The Verge, but at the time of this writing it’s got almost 50,000. I gotta admit, that piques my curiosity....

Back in January, the rumor mill spun into action after images surfaced on Twitter that appeared to suggest Dutch bank ABN AMRO was designing a cryptocurrency wallet. But now the bank’s senior press officer, Jarco de Swart, confirmed to Hard Fork in an email that the bank has “decided not to follow up on the Wallie enquiry [sic].” “We have approached all the people who have shown interest,” he continued....

(Note: I’m not including anything going into Early Access on a certain day — that feels like cheating. Also, I didn’t include games for which we already knew the release date. I’m trying to help you cut through the noise — I’m not running a charity here.) Out now A few games revealed during the show are playable immediately now that the show has wrapped. It’s always nice when the presenters do this: it’s like a little reward for having sat through the droning of so many shows....

Equifax dropped the ball in the summer of 2017 when as many as 147 million people were put at risk for identity theft after a preventable breach exposed their private data. Amazingly, the company’s CEO just said screw it and quit – walking away with a gigantic payout in the form of a $15M golden parachute. The new CEO wasn’t any better, he apparently took the job with next to no understanding of what caused the breach or how customers were affected....

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) said that the use of the service by law enforcement would “likely not be consistent with the EU data protection regime.” The body added that it “has doubts as to whether any Union or Member State law provides a legal basis for using a service such as the one offered by Clearview AI.” The statement comes amid growing concerns around potential misuses of Clearview, which matches faces to billions of photos scraped from websites....