Nothing Phone(1) looks a little busier in black

There is probably nothing more frustrating than being emotionally invested in an upcoming product, only for its very creators to take the wind out of its sails. That is undoubtedly what some of the believers of Nothing’s inaugural smartphone felt when the company officially revealed what the phone would actually look like. On the one hand, the startup tried to beat leaks to the punch so that no one could claim they didn’t protect their secrets well enough. On the other hand, they are tempting fate by either confirming fears or calming them, and, as expected, camps are split on whether the white Phone(1) does live up to the hype that Nothing itself built. Fortunately, the story doesn’t end there completely, and the black finish of the same phone could still win some people over. Or it could cement their decision to stay away completely.

Designer: Nothing (via Roland Quandt)

It almost seems like Nothing’s early years will be marked by a lot of controversies, partly thanks to how it has been building up expectations about the company’s mission. Just like OnePlus, which Carl Pei also helped found, Nothing presents itself as a revolutionary that is trying to go against the excesses of the smartphone industry. Well aware of the current trends in the design industry, Nothing espoused values like transparency and minimalism, which would translate to both product design and company management.

Its first product, the Nothing Ear(1) TWS buds, already divided people between those who lauded its unique, partly transparent design and those that felt short-changed from the brief hype that preceded it. History is repeating itself with the Phone(1), which Nothing has been teasing as nothing short of revolutionary, pardon the pun. That, however, might only be in relation to what is available in the market, so it’s not exactly lying in that regard.

After official revealing the transparent yet occluded back of a white Nothing Phone(1), unofficial images of a black variant have now become available for everyone to see. Compared to the white phone, the black plate underneath makes the “glyph” lights even more visible. In a way, this makes the back look even busier compared to the white model, which sort of takes away from the minimalism appeal of the phone. Then again, if the Nothing Phone(1)’s back were completely transparent, it would definitely be a lot more chaotic inside.

There is also some disappointment or at least growing concern about the choice of hardware that will go inside the Phone(1). Nothing has already confirmed that it will use a custom Snapdragon 778G+ processor, which was made specifically for it, adding wireless charging and reverse wireless charging capabilities that are absent in the plain version of the silicon. It is, however, what would be considered a mid-range chip, which sounds a little disheartening for a new flagship phone. Pei explains to Input magazine, however, that the choice goes in line with the company’s message that tech specs aren’t always relevant. In terms of balancing performance, thermal management, efficiency, and overall sustainability, the Phone(1) will do just fine.

Whether that will be enough to translate interest into sales, we’ll see in two weeks when the Nothing Phone(1) is officially launched. The company is taking a more cautious approach, however, mimicking the chaotic invite-only system from the early years of OnePlus. Of course, that also creates an artificial scarcity that makes the product look like a very limited edition, pumping up the hype even more.

The post Nothing Phone(1) looks a little busier in black first appeared on Yanko Design.

OpenSea users’ email addresses leaked in data breach

NFT marketplace OpenSea shared today that it’s the victim of another data breach — though this time the target is one of its vendors. An employee of its email delivery vendor, Customer.io, allegedly downloaded and shared stored email addresses associated with OpenSea accounts and newsletter subscriptions with an unknown third party. Any OpenSea account holder or newsletter subscriber should assume their email address was among those impacted, according to a blog post by the company’s head of security Cory Hardman. At this time it does not appear any passwords or other personal information was stolen.

The company is working with Customer.io to investigate the matter. “Please stay vigilant about your email practices, and be alert for any attempt to impersonate OpenSea via email,” wrote Hardman.

Unlike a previous phishing attack on OpenSea in February that resulted in hundreds of NFTs being stolen, there appears to be no further reported damage beyond the leaked email addresses. Still, the number of people likely impacted by the breach is significant. Hackread noted that 1.8 million users made purchases through the Ethereum network on OpenSea, according to data from Dune Analytics.

Yesterday the company sent emails to OpenSea users who they suspected were involved, warning them to be on the lookout for phishing emails and other scams. Beyond standard advice such as not to download attachments or click on a link from an OpenSea email, users were also warned not to sign wallet transactions directly from an email or to share or confirm secret wallet phrases.

The identity of the third party who received the breached email addresses has not been revealed. A representative from Customer.io toldTechCrunch that the employee behind the breach had “role-specific” access to the OpenSea data that they abused. “We do not believe any other clients’ data has been compromised, but we are continuing to investigate. The employee in question has had all access removed and has been suspended pending the conclusion of our investigation.”

OpenSea users’ email addresses leaked in data breach

NFT marketplace OpenSea shared today that it’s the victim of another data breach — though this time the target is one of its vendors. An employee of its email delivery vendor, Customer.io, allegedly downloaded and shared stored email addresses associated with OpenSea accounts and newsletter subscriptions with an unknown third party. Any OpenSea account holder or newsletter subscriber should assume their email address was among those impacted, according to a blog post by the company’s head of security Cory Hardman. At this time it does not appear any passwords or other personal information was stolen.

The company is working with Customer.io to investigate the matter. “Please stay vigilant about your email practices, and be alert for any attempt to impersonate OpenSea via email,” wrote Hardman.

Unlike a previous phishing attack on OpenSea in February that resulted in hundreds of NFTs being stolen, there appears to be no further reported damage beyond the leaked email addresses. Still, the number of people likely impacted by the breach is significant. Hackread noted that 1.8 million users made purchases through the Ethereum network on OpenSea, according to data from Dune Analytics.

Yesterday the company sent emails to OpenSea users who they suspected were involved, warning them to be on the lookout for phishing emails and other scams. Beyond standard advice such as not to download attachments or click on a link from an OpenSea email, users were also warned not to sign wallet transactions directly from an email or to share or confirm secret wallet phrases.

The identity of the third party who received the breached email addresses has not been revealed. A representative from Customer.io toldTechCrunch that the employee behind the breach had “role-specific” access to the OpenSea data that they abused. “We do not believe any other clients’ data has been compromised, but we are continuing to investigate. The employee in question has had all access removed and has been suspended pending the conclusion of our investigation.”

Meet the Polestar Adaptor, a roadster concept designed with Level 5 autonomy

Although the Polestar Adaptor’s autonomous skills may seem like its most impressive detail, that distinction actually goes to the cockpit, which designer Yi-Wei Chiu created in the shape of Polestar’s own logo!

The Adaptor follows Polestar’s firmly rooted design language of classic Scandinavian minimalism (the company’s Swedish, remember?) with a touch of edgy futurism. The car’s envisioned in white (as are most Polestar automobiles), and has the same headlights as the Precept. Unlike the Precept, however, the Adaptor is a slick, floor-hugging roadster with no top. And it seats just two people, who can access the car’s cabin using a rather unseen door style, but more on that later.

Designer: Yi-Wei Chiu

Designer Yi-Wei Chen began the project as a way of exploring a human’s journey toward autonomous cars. The first step was to design an automobile that inspires trust. A car that looks capable yet equally thrilling, inviting you for the ride. Chen designed the Adaptor to be the kind of car that people would enjoy to drive, or even ride in. The lack of a top means feeling the wind on your hair, and the low-slung body allows you to hit higher speeds while maintaining great downforce.

Chen also speaks about how the Polestar Adaptor would gather data for its level 5 autonomy. There’s a focus on privacy, stating that all the information the car collects is owned by the owners of the car. The driver can use this to train their car’s AI while being certain that any data the Adaptor collects won’t be monetized or infringed upon.

What’s perhaps the most interesting detail is the Adaptor’s cabin. The car is relatively slab-shaped and has doors that are located horizontally on the top rather than on the sides of the car. Its interiors (if you can call them that) are a modern take on the sidecar, with an elongated cockpit for the driver, and a more enclosed cabin for the shotgun rider. When observed from the top, the cabin looks almost ‘star-shaped’, like a reinterpretation of Polestar’s own logo. The elongated cabin for the driver comes with a steering wheel, and should they choose, will also support level 5 autonomy so the driver and passenger can both enjoy the thrill of the journey!

The post Meet the Polestar Adaptor, a roadster concept designed with Level 5 autonomy first appeared on Yanko Design.

These brutalist concrete yurts were designed to adorn the future of Kyrgyzstan’s landscape

Designed as a minimalist reinterpretation of the iconic yurt found in the steppes of Central Asia, these futuristic housing solutions are a part of designer Batyrkhan Bayaliev’s Kyrgyzstan 2122 visual project.

Yurts are a common, if not signature motif of the Central Asian landscape, found in countries like Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and eastern Kazakhstan. The primary housing for nomadic tribes, the yurt or ger is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt, relatively unchanged even today. Kyrgyzstan-based design Batyrkhan, however, feels like they need a makeover, especially for a future where the nomadic lifestyle may not be too feasible, given the issues posed by climate change.

Designer: Batyrkhan Bayaliev

A rather modern reinterpretation of the traditional yurt, Batyrkhan’s yurts are cuboidal instead of cylindrical and are permanent concrete structures instead of tents. As a hat-tip to the yurt’s iconic design, however, these modern establishments have frosted glass windows in the shape of a yurt, capturing the iconography of the traditional tent. Batyrkhan’s modern yurts are spacious and have two levels for accommodating more people. Designed to be built on much colder ground, the yurts are like modern-day igloos, with no discernible windows or ventilation on the side. This helps maintain a liveable climate inside these houses, protecting the residents from the harsh weather of the cold landscape outside.

These new yurts look as iconic as their original counterparts, and make for rather wonderful colonies when paired together. They have an aesthetic that’s both refreshing and unmistakable, and glow rather wonderfully at night thanks to the internal lighting and the frosted glass windows.

The post These brutalist concrete yurts were designed to adorn the future of Kyrgyzstan’s landscape first appeared on Yanko Design.

A swarm of Cruise robotaxis blocked San Francisco traffic for hours

A small fleet of Cruise robotaxis in San Francisco suddenly stopped operating on Tuesday night, effectively stopping traffic on a street in the city's Fillmore district for a couple of hours until employees were able to arrive. TechCrunch first noticed a Reddit post that featured a photo of the stalled driverless cabs at the corner of Gough and Fulton streets. Cruise — which is General Motor’s AV subsidiary — only launched its commercial robotaxi service in the city last week. The rides feature no human safety driver, are geo-restricted to certain streets and can only operate in the late evening hours.

Cruise apologized for the incident in a statement, but gave little explanation for what caused the mishap. “We had an issue earlier this week that caused some of our vehicles to cluster together,” a Cruise spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. “While it was resolved and no passengers were impacted, we apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced.”

The GM-backed AV startup won the first driverless taxi permit in a major US city, and began offering San Francisco residents free rides in February. After launching its paid passenger service on June 24, early reviews from Cruise passengers came pouring in. One passenger noted that his Cruise car took an unusually long route to get to his home. Another passenger seemed to have a more positive experience, even leaving a cash tip for the driverless car.

This week’s traffic jam appears to be Cruise’s first major stumbling block, at least for its commercial service. Back in April, police stopped a Cruise car for not having its headlights on. Officers appeared unsure of how to proceed after discovering there was no human behind the wheel.

The State of California requires AV companies to report any collision that involve property damage, bodily harm or death to the DMV, which publishes the data online. A total of 18 reports involving Cruise vehicles have been filed this year.

A swarm of Cruise robotaxis blocked San Francisco traffic for hours

A small fleet of Cruise robotaxis in San Francisco suddenly stopped operating on Tuesday night, effectively stopping traffic on a street in the city's Fillmore district for a couple of hours until employees were able to arrive. TechCrunch first noticed a Reddit post that featured a photo of the stalled driverless cabs at the corner of Gough and Fulton streets. Cruise — which is General Motor’s AV subsidiary — only launched its commercial robotaxi service in the city last week. The rides feature no human safety driver, are geo-restricted to certain streets and can only operate in the late evening hours.

Cruise apologized for the incident in a statement, but gave little explanation for what caused the mishap. “We had an issue earlier this week that caused some of our vehicles to cluster together,” a Cruise spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. “While it was resolved and no passengers were impacted, we apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced.”

The GM-backed AV startup won the first driverless taxi permit in a major US city, and began offering San Francisco residents free rides in February. After launching its paid passenger service on June 24, early reviews from Cruise passengers came pouring in. One passenger noted that his Cruise car took an unusually long route to get to his home. Another passenger seemed to have a more positive experience, even leaving a cash tip for the driverless car.

This week’s traffic jam appears to be Cruise’s first major stumbling block, at least for its commercial service. Back in April, police stopped a Cruise car for not having its headlights on. Officers appeared unsure of how to proceed after discovering there was no human behind the wheel.

The State of California requires AV companies to report any collision that involve property damage, bodily harm or death to the DMV, which publishes the data online. A total of 18 reports involving Cruise vehicles have been filed this year.

Cyberattack impacts unemployment benefits in several states

A cyberattack on a third-party vendor has impacted employment services, including unemployment benefits, in several states, according to the Associated Press. Some state employment websites have been offline since Sunday, including the ones in Tennessee and Nebraska.

“We recently identified anomalous activity on our network, and immediately took [Tennessee's] Jobs4TN system offline to halt the activity. With the help of third-party specialists, we are conducting a full investigation to determine the cause and scope of the incident," Paul Toomey, the president of vendor Geographic Solutions, said in a statement on Wednesday. "Our current focus is working around the clock to bring Jobs4TN back online. We anticipate that this will occur prior to the July 4th holiday."

The full scope of the cyberattack's impact is not yet clear, though Geographic Solutions claims to have clients in more than 35 states and territories. As noted by StateScoop, the Louisiana Workforce Commission said on Wednesday its HiRE website is offline and the "attack is also impacting as many as 40 other states and Washington D.C." Geographic Solutions' website is also down.

The situation could have a significant effect on those who depend on unemployment benefits and are having problems accessing them. Around 12,000 people rely on such benefits in Tennessee, but the AP reports that they are not receiving payments.

The Nebraska Department of Labor expects its employment services site to remain offline through at least Friday. “Individuals cannot file for unemployment until the system is back online," a spokesperson told the AP.

Some state-run jobseeking sites are unavailable as well. In many cases, those seeking unemployment assistance need to show that they're actively searching for work to be eligible for benefits. California and Florida are among the states that have temporarily waived those rules.

Toomey said Geographic Solutions is taking steps to prevent a similar situation from happening again. "The latest information from GSI indicates no personal data was accessed, and no data was removed from its network operations center."

Cyberattack impacts unemployment benefits in several states

A cyberattack on a third-party vendor has impacted employment services, including unemployment benefits, in several states, according to the Associated Press. Some state employment websites have been offline since Sunday, including the ones in Tennessee and Nebraska.

“We recently identified anomalous activity on our network, and immediately took [Tennessee's] Jobs4TN system offline to halt the activity. With the help of third-party specialists, we are conducting a full investigation to determine the cause and scope of the incident," Paul Toomey, the president of vendor Geographic Solutions, said in a statement on Wednesday. "Our current focus is working around the clock to bring Jobs4TN back online. We anticipate that this will occur prior to the July 4th holiday."

The full scope of the cyberattack's impact is not yet clear, though Geographic Solutions claims to have clients in more than 35 states and territories. As noted by StateScoop, the Louisiana Workforce Commission said on Wednesday its HiRE website is offline and the "attack is also impacting as many as 40 other states and Washington D.C." Geographic Solutions' website is also down.

The situation could have a significant effect on those who depend on unemployment benefits and are having problems accessing them. Around 12,000 people rely on such benefits in Tennessee, but the AP reports that they are not receiving payments.

The Nebraska Department of Labor expects its employment services site to remain offline through at least Friday. “Individuals cannot file for unemployment until the system is back online," a spokesperson told the AP.

Some state-run jobseeking sites are unavailable as well. In many cases, those seeking unemployment assistance need to show that they're actively searching for work to be eligible for benefits. California and Florida are among the states that have temporarily waived those rules.

Toomey said Geographic Solutions is taking steps to prevent a similar situation from happening again. "The latest information from GSI indicates no personal data was accessed, and no data was removed from its network operations center."

Boring Company’s underground Loop now runs to the Las Vegas Strip

The walk from the Las Vegas Convention Center to Tacos El Gordo may only be seven-tenths of a mile but under the blazing sun of a Nevada winter, the trip can seem an eternity. Lucky for us Al Pastor enthusiasts, this traditional CES taco trek is now far more convenient as the Boring Company and Resorts World Las Vegas announced the official opening of the latest Loop station at Las Vegas Convention Center. 

This spur off of the Boring Company's existing Loop network (which runs underneath the North and South halls of the LVCC) connects the convention center directly to a sister station underneath the World Resorts property on the other side of South Las Vegas Blvd. Boring expects the trip between the two to take just a few minutes — assuming nothing goes wrong — and plans to eventually expand the underground vehicle network to more than 55 stops along the Strip. 

“Today marks a monumental moment not only for our resort, but for Las Vegas,” Scott Sibella, president of Resorts World Las Vegas, said in a Thursday press relea. “Our passenger station will make a visit to our resort from the Las Vegas Convention Center easier than ever, and eventually connect us to key destinations throughout the city.”     

The Boring Company began work on the initial $47 million tunnels running under the LVCC back in 2019, completed excavation the following May, and opened for service — because of course it did — on April 20th, 2022. In October, 2021 Las Vegas approved the Boring Company's plans to expand its Loop network to encompass more than 29 miles of tunnel. That figure grew to 34 miles in June, 2022 to include stations at Harry Reid International Airport and Allegiant Stadium following approval from the Clark County Commissioners. However, despite Boring CEO Elon Musk's claims of superior passenger capacity — up to 4,400 people every hour! — the system so far has only managed to move around 575 people in that time.