Now that Bluesky has opened itself up to the public and introduced some new moderation options, the team’s decided it’s finally time to allow world leaders on board, too. A post from the official Bluesky account on Friday notified users, “By the way… we lifted our ‘no heads of state’ policy.” The policy has been in place for the last year as Bluesky worked through all the early growing pains of being a budding social network.
Bluesky remained an invite-only platform from its launch in February 2023 until February of this year, when it finally ditched the waitlist. Bluesky had said last May that it wasn’t ready for heads of state to join, and even asked users to give its support team notice “before you invite prominent figures.” It’s since grown to more than 5 million users, gaining roughly a million alone in the day after it stopped requiring invite codes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-now-allows-heads-of-state-to-join-the-platform-202700504.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Wondering what you'll be playing on your PlayStation 5 this fall? Sony has some ideas. The company announced that its next State of Play stream will take place at 5PM ET on September 14, hosted on PlayStation's YouTube, Twitch and TikTok accounts. While the stream's announcement promises to have "something for everyone," including updates on major releases and PS VR2, don't expect a lot of big reveals: Sony says that the showcase will have a strong focus on indie and third party titles, and will primarily feature updates to previously announced games.
If you can't bear to wait until Thursday evening, however, you may be able to get some clues from the Nintendo Direct stream happening earlier that same day. While the Switch-focused stream won't give you any clues about PlayStation's flagship updates, there's a good chance some of the third party announcements featured on the Nintendo Direct will be at Sony's showcase, too. If nothing else, the State of Play should give us a good idea of what fans might be playing on the upcoming PlayStation Portal streaming device when it launches this fall.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/playstation-is-hosting-a-surprise-state-of-play-on-september-14-000143525.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Russian authorities are banning government employees from using Apple devices for official state use, according to the Financial Times. As of Monday, the country’s trade ministry will prohibit the use of iPhones for all “work purposes.” Other agencies, including Russia’s telecommunications and mass media ministry, either have similar mandates already in place or plan to enforce some soon. The Financial Times reports the ban covers all Apple products – no, not Yuri’s AirPods, too? Well, officials will apparently be able to continue using those for personal use.
The ban comes after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed at the start of June it had uncovered a “spying operation by US intelligence agencies” involving Apple devices. The FSB said thousands of iPhones, including those in use by the country’s diplomatic missions in NATO countries, had been “infected” with monitoring software. The FSB claimed — without showing evidence — that Apple had worked closely with US signal intelligence to provide agents “with a wide range of control tools.” The company denies this. The move comes when Russia is also trying to reduce its dependence on foreign-made tech.
– Mat Smith
Microsoft and Sony agree to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation
Bluesky allowed people to include the n-word in their usernames
Larry Hryb, Xbox’s ‘Major Nelson,’ is leaving Microsoft
To celebrate Nintendo’s first home console’s anniversary, we’ve taken a closer look at some of the major ways it’s shaped gaming since 1983. That includes innovations (at the time!) like the d-pad, the idea of gaming franchises and game characters and mascots that have stood the test of time.
Ahead of its full launch later this year, there's plenty to test out in the latest iOS beta. Its new StandBy feature might not be a smart display killer, but it’s possibly a free alternative. Other highlights include a revitalized FaceTime experience, a streamlined Messages app and a long-overdue solution for sharing contact details.
To the shock of none, Elon Musk tweeted the company was suffering an approximate 50 percent drop in advertising revenue and heavy debt burden. According to an estimate research firm Sensor Tower shared with Bloomberg, advertising spending fell by 89 percent to $ 7.6 million during a two-month period earlier this year. The admission comes in the same week Twitter’s ad-revenue sharing program began paying out some creators, including a handful of controversial far-right influencers. On Friday, Musk also claimed the social network could see “all-time high device user seconds usage” sometime this week.
Writing in his latest newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports there “should be another launch” after the company’s annual iPhone event in September, with a new slate of Macs likely the focus of whatever Apple has planned. “October is too early for new high-end MacBook Pros or desktops, so the first beneficiaries of the new [M3] chip should be the next iMac, 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro,” he notes.
In the past, Apple has typically announced new iPad models alongside its latest Macs, but it sounds like that won’t be the case this time. “I wouldn’t expect any major upgrades until the M3 iPad Pros with OLED screens arrive next year,” Gurman writes.
Ubisoft has teamed up with OWO to release an Assassin's Creed Mirage edition haptic feedback shirt. You'll apparently be able to feel parkour, impacts and "exclusive sensations never felt before" — yes, really. You might want to close the door while you're playing, from the sound of it. OWO's shirt includes haptic points on your chest, stomach, lower back and arms. The trick is an algorithm that adjusts nine wave parameters to simulate interactions ranging from the wind to a dagger. Details of pricing and release date are TBC, but it will work with PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game comes out October 12th, and the OWO shirt will include a game code. OWO's Founder Edition shirt sold for a heady €499 ($ 560).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-russia-bans-apple-devices-for-state-officials-111540456.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
State of Decay 2 is getting a major update — and it's no standard content patch either. The total overhaul — appropriately titled "the Juggernaut Edition" — will see the game's graphics and audio get a far-reaching remaster, as well as several oth…
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From breaking news to key moments, people around the world have been able to access important content and news through YouTube. As President Trump begins his fourth year in office, YouTube continues this tradition.
Like we have in the past, YouTube will live stream the President’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 4 at 9 p.m. ET, as well as the response from the Democratic Party. You can tune in to live streams in both English and Spanish. Here are the channels where you can follow the coverage:
As we have done since 2010, YouTube will live stream the President’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 5 at 9 p.m. ET, as well as the response. This year, you can tune in to live streams in both English and Spanish. Here are the channels where you can follow the coverage:
Brandon Feldman, YouTube News and Politics
If you thought State of Decay 2 was getting a bit stale even with a little DLC, relief is at hand. Undead Labs has released its expected free Zedhunter update, and it promises some significant changes to the gameplay in addition to extra missions –…
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What's the definition of "meat"? Once upon a time that would have been an easy enough question to answer, but the advent of meat-substitute products such as the Impossible Burger and the arrival of cultured meat — aka lab-grown meat — has given reg…
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If you have State of Decay 2 but haven't fired it up in a while, you'll have to be… patient. Undead Labs has released its first patch for the zombie-slaying title, and it's a whopping 20GB — that's about as large as the install on the Xbox One….
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From conventions to inaugurations to presidential addresses, YouTube has brought you some of the biggest political moments in recent U.S. History. As President Trump begins his second year in office, YouTube is continuing this tradition.
For the ninth year, YouTube is live streaming coverage of the president’s State of the Union address along with the response from the Democratic Party. This year, you can tune into live streams from more sources than ever before in English and Spanish. Here are the many channels where you can follow the coverage:
Head to YouTube on Tuesday, January 30, at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET to watch the action live.
Brandon Feldman, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched ”History of the State of the Union.”
FirstNet's priority LTE network for first responders is a long time coming. Now that its deal with AT&T means the project is finally moving forward, some states' firemen and EMTs might have a dedicated network for communication very, very soon. T…
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(Cross-posted from the Google Blog.)
“We’re going to have 21st century fireside chats where I’ll speak directly to the American people in a way that I think will enhance democracy and strengthen our government. “ – Senator Barack Obama, November 15, 2007
Tomorrow evening, President Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address to Congress, which will broadcast live on YouTube. Then, as he has every year after the speech, he’ll turn to YouTube and Google to take questions from Americans about the issues that matter to them.
This Friday, January 15, Destin Sandlin, Ingrid Nilsen, and Adande Thorne—three popular YouTube creators—will travel to Washington, D.C. to host a live YouTube Interview with President Obama. They’ll join the President in the East Room of the White House, asking a selection of questions that are top of mind for them and their fans. You can watch the whole thing on the White House YouTube channel—and if you have a question for the President, suggest it by using the hashtag #YouTubeAsksObama on social media.