Posts Tagged: Second

Get A 2nd Number On Your Phone With Verizon’s Second Number

Verizon’s Second Line gives you another number without needing a second smartphone.
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SpaceX prepares for Starship’s second test flight after securing FAA clearance

SpaceX aims to send Starship to space for its second test flight on November 17, now that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given it the clearance to do so. The company completed its next-generation spacecraft’s first fully integrated launch in April, but it wasn’t able to meet all its objectives, including having its upper stage fly across our planet before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the ocean near Hawaii. SpaceX had to intentionally blow up the vehicle in the sky after an onboard fire had prevented its two stages from separating. 

According to federal agencies, debris from the rocket explosion was found across 385 acres of land on SpaceX’s facility and at Boca Chica State Park. It caused wildfire to break out on 3.5 acres of state park land and had led to a “plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site.” The FAA grounded Starship until SpaceX took dozens of corrective actions, including a vehicle redesign to prevent leaks and fires. As Space notes, the agency finished its safety review in September, but it still had to work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to finish an updated environmental review of the spacecraft. 

For now, the FAA has given SpaceX the license to fly Starship for one flight. The company will open the spacecraft’s two-hour launch window at 8AM EST on November 17, and if all goes well, Starship will fly across the planet and splash down off a Hawaiian coast as planned. Starship, of course, has to keep acing test flights before it can go into service. The fully reusable spacecraft represents SpaceX’s future, since the company plans to use it for missions to geosynchronous orbit, the moon and Mars. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spacex-prepares-for-starships-second-test-flight-after-securing-faa-clearance-035159364.html?src=rss

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

The second season of ‘Diablo IV’ arrives October 17th

Blizzard Entertainment has released the trailer for the second season of Diablo IV along with the announcement that it's arriving on October 17th. According to IGN, Rod Fergusson, who oversees the development of the franchise, players will get vampire powers and will face against a vampire lord in the new questline during the opening night of Gamescom 2023. Season 2 of the online action role-playing game is called "Season of Blood," because yes, it does feature vampires. 

Gemma Chan, actor and producer who starred in Eternals and Crazy Rich Asians, voices the vampire hunter companion Erys, who leads the fight against the new threat in the game's universe. The new season will also feature five new and returning endgame bosses, as well as updates to renown rewards, gem and stash storage, making it so that gems no longer take up space, as well as to resistance and status effects. 

The main Diablo IV storyline that came out earlier this year featured a tale that takes place decades after the end of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. It puts the player in the shoes of a wanderer who, due to certain circumstances, must now go after Lilith. That's the daughter of Mephisto, who was prominently featured in Diablo II as one of the Prime Evils the player must defeat. Diablo IV became the best-selling game in June when it came out, and Fergusson said the game, with the first season that's still ongoing, boasts 12 million players. 

We'll have to wait and see if the second season will add more players to that number. For now, fans can watch the trailer for it below:

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-second-season-of-diablo-iv-arrives-october-17th-065859953.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Rode’s Wireless ME squeezes a second mic into its receiver

When Rode released the original Wireless GO, it was an instant success. The ease of use, audio quality and reasonable price made wireless microphones much more accessible. In fact it was so successful that it spawned a number of copycat products from rivals. After releasing the Wireless GO II ($ 299) with dual mics, the company is back with a more affordable option – the $ 149 Wireless ME. There’s also a new video app called Rode Capture aimed at creators which offers tight integration with the Wireless ME and other products from the company.

If you’re thinking “more affordable” means fewer features, then you’d be right. But also you might be surprised. Even though there initially appears to be just one transmitter (mic) and one receiver, the latter also has a mic built-in so you can still record two speakers at the same time with their own separate audio files. That said, Rode is calling the second mic the “ME mic” and describes it as a “narrator” microphone because you can’t use it wirelessly (it’s the one that plugs into your recording device) so it can only really be used by someone off camera. That obviously is no problem if you’re not recording video, but worth knowing if you are.

There are, of course, other minor compromises. For one, the receiver doesn’t have any type of display, so visual feedback for connectivity is limited to a pair of LEDs. There doesn’t appear to be any feedback for gain levels at all. There’s also no onboard storage for recording away from a camera, computer or a phone. This also means there’s no option to record a safety track at a lower gain level which, given the lack of a way to see levels means you’ll have to really be sure you have everything set right up front. As a reminder, though, the ME is half the price of the GO II.

Rode's Wireless ME lav mic system connected to a phone.
Photo by James Trew / Engadget

There are tools to help, though. The Wireless ME comes with a feature called GainAssist which internally monitors the signal and sets levels automatically depending on your environment and the volume of the subject. This definitely helps keep things from clipping, but you can still go into the red with it. It appears to be using either a limiter or compression (or both) but you can still make it go into the red. There’s a “dynamic” mode too for when recording things with a more consistent volume than speech.

In terms of range, you can expect about 100 meters / 328 feet (line of sight) but in practice this can vary a little in either direction depending on the conditions. This is a shorter range than the Wireless GO II (200 meters / 656 feet) and DJI’s Mic (250 meters / 820 feet) but likely ample for most scenarios. As for battery life, it’s a respectable seven hours but there’s no charging case as with DJI or Anker’s solutions.

With no way to change settings directly on the device, you’ll want to get familiar with the Rode Central app. It’s here where you’ll be able to turn the receiver’s microphone on or off if you want to use it, change whether it records to one or two separate files (if using both mics) and adjust the gain settings. There are versions for both desktop and mobile (Android/iOS) so you can change modes on the go, even if it’s a bit more involved than doing it on the receiver as with DJI and Anker’s products.

Given that the narrator-guest setup isn’t ideal for recording two speakers on camera at the same time it's a shame that the receiver doesn't have the option to plug an external 3.5mm lav mic into it. This would mean you could theoretically run one with a longer cable and have two on camera hosts. You can still use 3.5mm mics with the main transmitter though. Alternatively, if you have access to another transmitter, such as a Wireless GO II, you can pair it with the ME’s receiver and record up to three people at the same time – though two of them will have to share an audio channel in case having separate files for all speakers is important to you.

Screenshots of Rode's new video recording app
Rode

The interoperability between the Wireless GO II and the ME shows that Rode is thinking about how these products can work together, meaning creators can collaborate seamlessly with their own gear or continue using older products even as new ones come around. Expect to see more interoperability with other wireless devices in the future.

Along with the new microphone kit is the aforementioned Capture app. It’s a dedicated video app with a twist: direct access to the settings of compatible Rode microphones. Most video apps don’t even let you know what mic you’re using which can cause anxiety when you’re not sure it’s working with the one you plugged in. Having this assurance alone is useful and the direct access to microphone settings is always going to be a welcome bonus for creators. The app is entirely free and doesn’t require a Rode product to work but will need one of Rode's compatible products if you wish to access its settings.

The Wireless ME is available for $ 149 starting today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rodes-wireless-me-squeezes-a-second-mic-into-its-receiver-000009619.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

The best apps for a second smartphone number

Back in the old days, a mobile phone functioned as a second phone number. We compile some apps that provide extra phone lines for your current smartphone.
Android | Digital Trends

Boeing’s Starliner safely returns to Earth after second test flight

Boeing's Starliner has returned to Earth safely after docking with the International Space Station for the first time. The six-day Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 mission came to an end when the spacecraft landed at the US Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It's the first American capsule to touch down on land instead of in the ocean. Starliner undocked from the ISS at 2:36PM ET and by 6:05PM, it was firing its thrusters to drop out of orbit. 

The uncrewed Starliner, which took over 800 pounds of equipment to the ISS (including a Kerbal Space Program plush toy), brought back over 600 pounds of cargo. Among the returned items were reusable Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System tanks, which are used to provide air to those on the ISS. They'll be refilled and taken back to the space station later.

The spacecraft's first test flight took place in 2019. While it reached orbit, an automation system issue prevented thrusters from firing, meaning Starliner was unable to dock with the ISS. An attempt at a second test flight last year was scrapped because of a propulsion system valve problem, which led to a nine-month delay. In the interim, SpaceX conducted more crewed trips to the ISS than previously planned. 

After assessing the data from this flight, Boeing will be able to start planning crewed flights that will take astronauts to the space station and bring them back to Earth. The New York Times says NASA will announce the astronauts who'll be flying on Starliner this summer, and the mission could take place before the year ends. 

Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program, said:

"We have had an excellent flight test of a complex system that we expected to learn from along the way and we have With the completion of OFT-2, we will incorporate lessons learned and continue working to prepare for the crewed flight test and NASA certification. Thank you to the NASA and Boeing teammates who have put so much of themselves into Starliner."

Mariella Moon contributed to this story.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

A second Apple Store union election will take place next month

Employees at an Apple Store in Towson, Maryland have set a date for their union election. Workers at the Towson Town Center location will vote in person over four days, starting on June 15th.

The organizers call themselves Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (AppleCore). They're aiming to unionize with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. 

In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the group said "a solid majority" of staff supports the union drive. They said they are organizing "because of a deep love of our role as workers within the company and out of care for the company itself." They want "access to rights that we do not currently have" and for Apple to apply the same neutrality agreements it has with suppliers to workers, "so that as employees we can obtain our rights to information and collective bargaining that the law affords us through unionization."

They will be the second group of Apple Store workers to stage a union election. Those at the Cumberland Mall location in Atlanta will vote in early June on whether to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

Employees at Apple Stores other than the Towson and Atlanta locations are conducting union drives as well. Workers at the Grand Central Terminal store in New York City have been collecting signatures for a union vote.

While Apple has agreed to the elections in Maryland and Georgia, the company is reportedly fighting unionization efforts. It's said to have hired the same anti-union law firm as Starbucks. The company has also reportedly used anti-union talking points in pre-shift meetings at some locations. This week, workers at two stores accused Apple of union busting in Unfair Labor Practice filings.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Instagram back up after second major outage of the week

Just a few days after a global Facebook outage, Instagram went down for over two hours due to a different technical issue.
Mobile | Digital Trends

Porsche pushes back the launch of its second EV to 2021

You’ll have to wait a while longer if you want to drive Porsche’s second-ever electric car after the Taycan. Porsche chief Oliver Blume told Bloomberg and others that the Taycan Cross Turismo’s launch has been moved from late 2020 to sometime in earl…
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Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo completes a second ‘glide test’

Virgin Galactic’s repeatedly-delayed plans for commercial spaceflight are drawing closer, after the company completed another glide test at its Spaceport America HQ in New Mexico. The VSS Unity once again released from its mothership at about 50,000…
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OnePlus reveals its second website data breach in two years

Early in 2018, popular cellphone maker OnePlus revealed it had coughed up credit card information on over 40,000 users in a data breach, and now it's informing users of another one. This time, while the website is the source of the breach, the compan…
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SpaceX’s plan for in-orbit Starship refueling: a second Starship

During an update on the SpaceX Starship program, Elon Musk just showed off a brief clip that explained part of the plan for using these vehicles to reach Mars. It involved a Starship in orbit around Earth, meeting a similarly-sized vehicle to refuel…
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Second failure of ExoMars parachute test throws schedule in jeopardy

A joint mission between the European and Russian space agencies to deliver a rover to Mars is facing another setback. The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed that parachutes for the ExoMars lander mission failed a second test that was conducted las…
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‘Apex Legends’ second season debuts July 2nd with an engineer character

There's finally some concrete details about the second season of Apex Legends, and it's heartening news if you're either a defensive player or particularly competitive. The next phase of the game will add Wattson, an engineer character who thrives o…
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Hitting the Books: The Second Kind of Impossible

Welcome, dear readers, to Engadget's new series, Hitting the Books. With less than one in five Americans reading just for fun these days, we've done the hard work for you by scouring the internet for the most interesting, thought provoking books on s…
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LG is planning on launching a phone with an attachable second screen

LG has a few concepts in its graveyard of ideas, including small secondary displays and external modules. Both of those ideas have been wiped from their current crop of flagships, but it looks like they’ll be reviving both ideas in one swoop, whether or not that’s a good idea. The device will reportedly feature a […]

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Barnes & Noble releases their second tablet of the year with the Nook 7″

Barnes & Noble hopped back into the tablet game almost exactly one month ago with their brand new 10-inch Nook tab, and now they’re followed it up almost immediately with a smaller, 7-inch version of the Nook. It still fundamentally works the same, allowing you to access your B&N digital book library while still keeping […]

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NASA activated Curiosity’s second ‘brain’ after it misbehaved

Tired? Sluggish? Wouldn't it be great if you could just switch your brain to a better functioning version? Well, that's a privilege you can enjoy if you're the Mars Curiosity rover. NASA's intrepid explorer has been subject to a few technical problem…
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Watch Virgin Galactic Unity’s second rocket-powered flight

Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity recently flew its second rocket-powered flight merely a couple of months after its first. That's definitely a victory for the company, considering it designed Unity to be flown at a higher frequency than other spacecraft….
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India passes US to become second largest smartphone market

The US is now the third largest smartphone market in the world, according to a new report by global technology market analyst firm Canalys. The number of smartphone shipments to India grew 23 percent in the third quarter of this year, reaching just o…
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[Deal] Add a second number on your phone from Hushed for $25!

Many people want a second number, but they don’t want a second phone. It’s probably better to avoid using your personal number for work, while dating, and on select public services where you don’t know who you’re communicating with. Your number is a piece of highly sensitive information. So you shouldn’t just hand it out […]

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MIT’s app only needs a second to teach you a new language

You know the seconds and minutes you waste waiting for the elevator to arrive, for a friend to reply to an IM or for a website to load? A team of MIT CSAIL researchers believe you can put them to good use, so they created a series of apps called the…
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Android 7.1 gets a second developer preview build for Nexus devices

The Google Pixel launched with Android 7.1 Nougat ahead of its release on the Nexus phones, marking the first time we’ve seen Google officially update another device to the newest OS before its Nexus line. Obviously that didn’t mean the Nexus phones were getting left behind permanently, and now we’re finally seeing 7.1 make its […]

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Second presidential debate-related videos rack up 40 percent more views than the first

Sunday’s highly-anticipated debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump drew new levels of interest from the YouTube community. The closely watched live debate and on-demand videos surrounding it generated over 124M views since Sunday, representing a 40 percent increase compared to the first presidential debate, which drove 88M views.

Of course many viewers came to YouTube to watch the debate live and we saw over 1.5M peak concurrent viewers, five times higher than the second presidential debate in 2012, and over 2.5M live watch hours, nearly six times higher than 2012.

Those viewers were highly engaged as well. On average, they watched the debate for nearly 25 minutes. And they came from all over the globe. After the U.S., top countries by viewership were: Canada, Mexico, Australia, Great Britain and Vietnam.

While much of the attention was on the debate, commentary continues to be a hot topic on YouTube. Sketches from some of the most popular late night shows were amongst the weekend’s most-viewed videos leading up to the debate. If you’re looking for a laugh after Sunday’s heated debate, check out Jimmy Fallon’s Trump calls Madea and Saturday Night Live’s Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton Debate Cold Open.

The final presidential debate is next Wednesday, Oct. 19, and we’ll bring you all the action live on YouTube from Las Vegas, Nev.

Brandon Feldman, YouTube News & Politics, recently watched the second presidential debate.


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Tune into the second presidential debate, live on YouTube

As U.S. voters prepare to head to the polls in just over a month, all eyes are on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as they debate for a second time — and like the last two debates, you can head to YouTube to watch the candidates take the stage.

Just choose a news channel on YouTube and join us live from St. Louis, Mo., on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET:

Stay up to speed on U.S. election news, including live coverage, by heading to youtube.com/news. And if you haven’t already, register to vote. It only takes 1 min, 34 seconds!

Brandon Feldman, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched “The Vice-Presidential Debate.”


YouTube Blog

Watch the world’s largest aircraft crash-land on only its second outing

Having celebrated a successful maiden flight just a week ago, the team behind the world’s largest aircraft were shocked to see the enormous Airlander 10 crash-land on Wednesday at the end of only its second outing.

The post Watch the world’s largest aircraft crash-land on only its second outing appeared first on Digital Trends.

Cool Tech–Digital Trends

Qualcomm’s second Snapdragon Wear chip Is more efficient

Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon Wear 1100, the second chip in its Snapdragon Wear lineup. This one is more power efficient, and it’s meant for more targeted devices, such as wearables for children and the elderly.

The post Qualcomm’s second Snapdragon Wear chip Is more efficient appeared first on Digital Trends.

Wearables–Digital Trends

Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2016 second quarter ended March 26. The company posted quarterly revenue of $ 50.6 billion and quarterly net income of $ 10.5 billion, or $ 1.90 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $ 58 billion and net income of $ 13.6 billion, or $ 2.33 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 39.4 percent compared to 40.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 67 percent of the quarter’s revenue. “Our team executed extremely well in the face of strong macroeconomic headwinds,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are very happy with the continued strong growth in revenue from Services, thanks to the incredible strength of the Apple ecosystem and our growing base of over 1 billion active devices.”
Apple Hot News

How to stream the second round of the NFL playoffs online

The NFL postseason is upon us. It’s time to put on your jersey, grab some snacks, and settle in for some football. Check out our streaming guide for catching each AFC and NFC conference championship this weekend.

The post How to stream the second round of the NFL playoffs online appeared first on Digital Trends.

Mobile–Digital Trends

China’s recently-completed Shanghai Tower is now the second tallest building in the world

Trailing only Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in terms of height, construction on the Taiwanese skyscraper known as Shanghai Tower recently completed on the small Chinese island. The San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler built the structure.

The post China's recently-completed Shanghai Tower is now the second tallest building in the world appeared first on Digital Trends.

Cool Tech–Digital Trends

The Oculus Touch controller isn’t coming out until the second half of 2016

Oculus Touch, the motion-based controller designed to accompany the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, will not ship until “the second half of 2016,” the manufacturer announced Thursday.

The post The Oculus Touch controller isn’t coming out until the second half of 2016 appeared first on Digital Trends.

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Apple Reports Record Second Quarter Results

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2015 second quarter ended March 28. The company posted quarterly revenue of $ 58 billion and quarterly net profit of $ 13.6 billion, or $ 2.33 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $ 45.6 billion and net profit of $ 10.2 billion, or $ 1.66 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.8 percent compared to 39.3 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 69 percent of the quarter’s revenue. “We are thrilled by the continued strength of iPhone, Mac, and the App Store, which drove our best March quarter results ever,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re seeing a higher rate of people switching to iPhone than we’ve experienced in previous cycles, and we’re off to an exciting start to the June quarter with the launch of Apple Watch.”
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