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Wes Davis

Wes Davis

Former Weekend Editor

Former Weekend Editor

    More From Wes Davis

    Range Rover opens a waiting list for its upcoming EVRange Rover opens a waiting list for its upcoming EV
    Starlink loses out on $886 million in rural broadband subsidiesStarlink loses out on $886 million in rural broadband subsidies
    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    GM is ditching CarPlay for your safety.

    MotorTrend paraphrased GM infotainment boss Tim Babbitt’s reasoning for ditching Android and Apple:

    When CarPlay and Android Auto have issues, drivers pick up their phones again, taking their eyes off the road and totally defeating the purpose of these phone-mirroring programs.

    If drivers were to do everything through the vehicle’s built-in systems, they’d be less likely to pick up their phones and therefore less distracted and safer behind the wheel.

    It wasn’t clear if he said this with a straight face.

    GM Says It's Ditching Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for Your Safety

    [MotorTrend]

    Sony is investigating an alleged ransomware attack on InsomniacSony is investigating an alleged ransomware attack on Insomniac
    Meta’s AI for Ray-Ban smart glasses can identify objects and translate languagesMeta’s AI for Ray-Ban smart glasses can identify objects and translate languages
    WhatsApp’s new pinned messages make it easy to keep group chats on taskWhatsApp’s new pinned messages make it easy to keep group chats on task
    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    You have about two weeks till it becomes risky to buy a used Stadia gamepad.

    When Google shut Stadia down, it let gamers save their controllers from oblivion by converting them into generic Bluetooth gamepads.

    But, as TechRadar pointed out today, Google’s “Switch to Bluetooth” goes away on December 31st — afterward, the used market for them becomes a minefield of potentially useless controllers, so now is the time to buy.

    A picture showing the blue and orange Google Stadia wireless controller.
    If you see one of these for sale after December 31st, take a beat to check if it’s in Bluetooth mode.
    Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    Hasbro blames slow toy sales as it lays off 1,100 workers.

    CNBC reported that the layoffs, which follow a previous round that cut 800 jobs, come as the holiday sales boost the company hoped for never materialized, even given its rehash of former smash hit lines like Furby.

    Nilay Patel interviewed CEO Chris Cocks earlier this year about the company’s missteps, like a controversial D&D license change it had to walk back, and struggles that lead it to sell its production company.

    Hasbro laying off 1,100 workers as weak toy sales persist into holiday season

    [CNBC]

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    “How much do you think this advanced operating environment is worth?”

    If you’ve never come across it, here’s a 1986 commercial featuring then-future Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer selling Windows for $99 (except in Nebraska).

    It’s a parody, of course, and was never actually aired in the first place. But Ballmer’s unfiltered enthusiasm at Microsoft events and elsewhere really sells it for those who want to believe.

    Wes Davis
    Wes Davis
    I just want Hyundai’s magic built-in snow chain wheels.

    Hyundai has a new concept for dealing with snow driving: shape-changing, bent memory alloy rods, integrated with a “wheel and tire assembly,” that extend out to act like snow chains when a current is applied.

    It’s a very cool idea, though I doubt these will be cheap to fix when they go flat. Still, probably a less fraught approach than spinning chain wheels under your car.

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