Author Archives: Anna Washenko

Texas AG opens probe into Shein

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into online fast fashion retailer Shein. The probe will examine whether the company violated state laws related to labor practices and product safety. According to a release, Paxton's office wants to know if Shein uses toxic or hazardous materials and whether it misleads consumers about product safety and ethical sourcing. The Texas investigation will also look into privacy concerns and data collection at Shein, which isn't the first time those topics have arisen for the business.

Shein also drew criticism last month after a French consumer protection watchdog discovered illegal weapons and childlike sex dolls available on its website. France is now taking steps to suspend Shein's business in the country. Last year, the US government also seemed ready to take action against Shein and fellow low-cost retailer Temu over issues of product safety.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/texas-ag-opens-probe-into-shein-000812688.html?src=rss

Instagram mandates total return to office for employees in 2026

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Instagram employees will be back at their desks full time next year. Beginning February 2, workers with the social media network will be expected to spend five days a week working in person in offices. Instagram leader Adam Mosseri announced the change in an internal memo first reported by Alex Heath's Sources newsletter. "It's clear we have to evolve," he told the staff, also closing with the note that "2026 is going to be tough." 

The full return to office mandate applies to Instagram's US employees in offices with assigned desks. The memo allowed that people will still be able to work remotely "when you need to," but gave an open-ended call to "use your best judgment" about when to take advantage of that flexibility. 

Many tech companies have adopted a hybrid approach to office work in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, Meta instituted a policy of three days a week spent in the office in 2023. Although the messaging from executives insists that in-person work has important benefits, employees have often resisted the shift back to old ways. 

Mosseri outlined other planned changes intended to make the social media company "more nimble and creative." One shift that's probably more welcome than the return to office is to scale back recurring meetings. Any recurring meetings will be canceled every six months unless they're deemed "absolutely necessary." He also plans the team to have more prototypes of product overviews rather than decks, and a faster process for unblocking and decision-making.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-mandates-total-return-to-office-for-employees-in-2026-212738225.html?src=rss

The Nintendo Switch 2-compatible Samsung P9 microSD Express Card is 25 percent off for Cyber Monday

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Anyone who has a Switch 2 will probably need some extra storage space at some point. Cyber Monday deals present a good opportunity to get ahead of things and stock up on storage while the options are discounted. A notable deal available now is the Samsung P9 microSD Express Card, which is on sale for $75. That's 25 percent off the 512GB card's usual price.

This Samsung microSD model is one of the few that is currently compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2. On its own, a microSD card might feel a little underwhelming as a standalone gift, but it's actually a very useful addition if you're presenting someone with some new Nintendo hardware this holiday, because modern game file sizes are pretty dang hefty. That means if you want to have easy access to more than a few titles in your game library, more storage is a must. If the 512GB option feels like overkill, the 256GB version of Samsung's Nintendo 2 microSD card is also 35 percent off at $39.

But Nintendo fans aren't the only ones who can appreciate more digital storage. MicroSD cards are useful for a range of other gaming handhelds, as well as a bonus for drone enthusiasts and even some tablet owners. And if Samsung isn't your brand of choice, there are several other options that are also on sale for Cyber Monday. The Lexar 256GB Play PRO microSD Express Card is going for about $49. The SanDisk 256GB microSD Express Card currently costs $60, and SanDisk's 512GB option is down to about $89.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-nintendo-switch-2-compatible-samsung-p9-microsd-express-card-is-25-percent-off-for-cyber-monday-100034365.html?src=rss

The Beats Studio Pro headphones are more than half off for Black Friday

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Black Friday deals are officially upon us. We've seen loads of great deals popping up around the Internet, including some serious discounts on headphones. The Beats Studio Pro set is available for a whopping 51 percent off on Amazon. That means you can grab the high-end Beats model for just $170 instead of its usual $350 price tag. This matches the cost we've seen for the Studio Pro headphones during other peak shopping times earlier this year, so this might be your last chance to pick them up for this price.

The Beats brand last updated this wireless over-ear headset in 2023, but it's still a solid choice for a workhorse pair of headphones. The current model improved audio quality and added a useful Transparency mode, so that you can listen to your tunes and still be aware of the world around you, which is great for settings such as public transit and the gym. The other option is a more immersive active noise-canceling mode. Beats Studio Pro also support lossless audio when wired on a USB-C cable. The official specs say the battery life for the headphones lasts up to 40 hours, or 24 hours when the active noise canceling mode is engaged. If you need to eke more life out of these Beats, they do offer a fast-charging mode that promises four hours of activity from just ten minutes of recharge.

There are several color options for the Beats Studio Pro, so if there's a particular hue you want to be sporting, this might be a deal to hop on quickly before the supplies run out or the deal expires. Also on sale in the Beats realm for Black Friday is the Beats Solo 4, which is 35 percent off and down to $130.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/the-beats-studio-pro-headphones-are-more-than-half-off-for-black-friday-140335170.html?src=rss

Meta now lets you invite people for virtual hangouts in Hyperscape Capture spaces

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Meta is rolling out a way for people to interact together in its virtual spaces. Users will now be able to invite friends to hang out in the spaces created with Hyperscape on Meta Horizon. Up to eight people can join an instance, as long as they are age 18 or older and have the link to the space. The virtual spaces can be joined through a Meta Quest 3 or 3S as well as via the Meta Horizon mobile app, which is on both Android and iOS. People can scan their own homes to create a virtual hangout when they can't be in person together, or they can indulge their inner lookieloos and wander around some of the celebrity spaces, such as Gordon Ramsay's kitchen or Chance the Rapper's living room.

It's an application of Hyperscape Capture, which Meta showed off during its Connect conference earlier this year. That tech allows people to use a Meta Quest to scan real spaces and create digital replicas. The invite option is being gradually added to accounts, and Meta also said that it hopes to raise the party cap in the future for this metaverse feature.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-now-lets-you-invite-people-for-virtual-hangouts-in-hyperscape-capture-spaces-231152311.html?src=rss

Microsoft has open sourced the Zork trilogy of text games

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Preservation has become a pressing topic for games in this era of digital-only releases and games-as-a-service. So it's wonderful to have a big win in archiving a trio of seminal text games for the ages. Microsoft announced today that the code for Zork, Zork II and Zork III will be made available open source under the MIT License. The company's Open Source Programs Office, Xbox and Activision all contributed to the effort. "The goal is not to modernize Zork but to preserve it as a space for exploration and education," Microsoft team members wrote in the blog post sharing the news.

They're works well-worth studying. The first Zork was a milestone moment for parser games that still inspires the present-day interactive fiction community. Not only was it a unique experience of narrative and puzzles, but the accomplishments of the Z-Machine virtual machine it ran on helped make Zork easily available to players on multiple platforms during the rise of personal computers in the 1990s. There are still modern Z-Machine interpreters out there (or you can buy and play all three Zork titles the normal way thanks to the similarly preservation-minded folks at Good Old Games).

The code for many famous text games made by Infocom was released on GitHub in 2019, but the rights still technically belonged to Activision, which could have issued a takedown. This move keeps the code for this iconic Zork games available for the ages.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/microsoft-has-open-sourced-the-zork-trilogy-of-text-games-213519368.html?src=rss

Google Calendar now lets you schedule tasks

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Productivity setups are a personal thing. Some people swear by to-do lists and apps, some people like scheduling and planners. For those in the latter camp, Google has made a minor but valuable addition to the Workspace suite. Going forward, you'll be able to block off segments of time in Google Calendar for working on specific tasks. You can add descriptions and set your preferences for that task in regard to do not disturb and visibility settings. It's a nice step up from scheduling meetings with yourself when you have to focus on a particular assignment (which several of us at Engadget have been known to do).

Example of how to schedule a task in Google Calendar
Google

This option began appearing for Google's Rapid Release domains earlier in November, while standard release domains will see a gradual release beginning December 1. Once it’s fully rolled out, it will be available by default, whether you're a Google Workspaces customer or just using a personal Google account.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-calendar-now-lets-you-schedule-tasks-231026000.html?src=rss

This Black Friday Meta Quest deal includes a free $75 gift card when you buy the Quest 3S

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It's hard to beat the promise of a big box for one-stop shopping. Target is one of my favorites if I just want to browse with no agenda, because I'll inevitably stumble on something fun or on sale. Or in the case of this Black Friday deal, both. Target is currently selling a Meta Quest 3S for $300, as is Amazon. That's the usual price tag for this virtual reality headset, but both retailers include a $75 gift card along with the tech (On Amazon, use the code QUEST75 to get it.) That covers a lot of impulse buys.

There's a lot to recommend the Meta Quest 3S for a virtual reality fan. In fact, it's our pick for the best budget VR set. Even if you're investing in a lower-range VR headset, you'll want to have plenty of software to run on it. The Quest 3S has a large app library and it can be used to stream games from a PC.

While some headsets can be unpleasant to wear for very long, reviewer Devindra Hardawar found that wasn't an issue with the Quest 3S. And although it has made some sacrifices on the screen and lenses to keep the costs down, this set still delivers a strong, immersive virtual reality experience.

The content included with any Quest headset purchase will help you get started in VR. Batman: Arkham Shadow is one of the most notable exclusive games for Meta's Quest 3 and Quest 3S, continuing the lineage of the Arkham game universe initially developed by Rocksteady Studios. You'll also get three months' subscription to the Meta Quest+ catalog of games. Keeping the subscription after the trial period will cost $8 a month. Or use that gift card and pick up a title to keep.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-black-friday-meta-quest-deal-includes-a-free-75-gift-card-when-you-buy-the-quest-3s-115856500.html?src=rss

Steam will force developers to be transparent about their season pass plans

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Season passes are one of the most common ways to generate revenue for games such as Fortnite or Call of Duty that want players to keep returning day after day, month after month. This week, PC game platform Steam has rolled out support for this monetization approach. The Valve-owned platform clarified its policy about what it considers a season pass, as well as implementing rules for how developers should communicate with players about pass content.

Steam documentation now states that when a season pass is made available for a game, it must list all of the downloadable content (DLC) included within that purchase. Developers will also need to provide an expected release date for each DLC. Delays are common in game development, but Valve will only allow a studio to reschedule a season pass' release date once; if more changes are needed, Valve has to get involved with making that change. In cases where a season pass is canceled, customers must receive a refund for any unreleased content that they have paid for.

"By offering a Season Pass, you are promising future content," the documentation reads. "In the process of launching a Season Pass you will be asked to commit to a launch timing for each content release in the Season Pass. That launch timing is a commitment to both customers and Steam. If you aren't ready to clearly communicate about the content included in each DLC AND when each DLC will be ready for launch, you shouldn't offer a Season Pass on Steam."

Steam recently revised its language around a few key topics this fall. The platform now clarifies that the hundreds or thousands of games in players' libraries are licenses to those titles rather than outright ownership. Valve has also removed points about binding arbitration from its Steam Subscriber Agreement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-will-force-developers-to-be-transparent-about-their-season-pass-plans-212313027.html?src=rss

Chemists have created the world’s thinnest spaghetti

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Researchers from the University College London have done what celebrity chefs and Italian nonnas could only dream of: they've made the world's thinnest spaghetti. This culinary-sounding accomplishment, published in Nanoscale Advances, has yielded strands of starch nanofibers that are just 372 nanometers wide, which is invisible to the naked eye and is even smaller than some wavelengths of light.

"The world's thinnest spaghetti" sounds silly, but starch can actually have important applications in medicine. For instance, nanofiber starches could help wounds heal when used in bandages, since they'd be able to keep out bacteria while allowing moisture through. Rather than going through the energy-intensive process of refining their own plant cell starch for nanofibering, these chemists decided store-bought was fine and made their strands directly from flour. Their version of the nanofibers were created with a process called electrospinning, where an electric charge pulls a flour and liquid mixture through extremely small metal holes into threads that are just nanometers wide. Extrusion through a die is literally the same way you'd make conventional spaghetti to accompany your bolognese or your meatballs, only at a much, much smaller scale.

There's still a lot of study to be done before the product will be appearing in the doctor's office, but this is a step toward more sustainable starch nanofibers. And while I would pay good money to watch chefs try to explain invisible pasta on a reality show, electrospinning almost certainly won't become the new molecular gastronomy hotness. As co-author Professor Gareth Williams of the UCL School of Pharmacy put it: "I don't think it's useful as pasta, sadly, as it would overcook in less than a second, before you could take it out of the pan."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/chemists-have-created-the-worlds-thinnest-spaghetti-201509365.html?src=rss