Adults in the US with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can now buy hearing aids online or from a store without a prescription, medical exam or audiologist fitting. The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule in August that allows stores and online retailers to sell over-the-counter (OTC) devices starting today.
The move could save consumers thousands of dollars on a pair of hearing aids, according to the White House. Walmart is now selling them through its website, Sam’s Club, more than 1,000 in-store Vision Centers and 474 Sam’s Club Hearing Aid Center locations. Walmart’s options cost between $199 and $999 per pair. The company claimed comparable prescription hearing aids cost between $4,400 and $5,500.
Walgreens and CVS are also now selling OTC hearing aids. Best Buy and Hy-Vee will begin selling them online this week and in stores a little later.
Last week, Sony announced two hearing aid models that it created with WS Audiology. The CRE-C10 has a battery life of up to 70 hours on a single charge, according to Sony. That model will be available sometime this month. The CRE-E10, meanwhile, will cost $1,300. Sony claims it has a battery life of 26 hours, though you’ll be able to recharge it wirelessly. The CRE-E10 can also connect to an iPhone for audio playback.
Jabra revealed a set of hearing enhancement earbuds in August 2021. While they were initially available from hearing care clinics, but Jabra says they’re now on sale as OTC hearing aids. Early last year, Bose announced what it claimed were the first FDA-cleared hearing aids that don’t need a prescription or visit to a doctor.
Nearly 30 million Americans are believed to have some degree of hearing loss, including 10 million folks under the age of 60. Over-the-counter hearing aids could drastically improve many people’s quality of life, especially since the devices should be far less expensive. However, those who have severe hearing loss or anyone aged under 18 will still need a prescription for hearing aids, the FDA ruled.
Almost a decade to the day since it released the last Silent Hill game (as long as you don’t include P.T.), Konami is finally ready to reveal what’s next for the franchise. The company will divulge the “latest updates” for the series during a stream that starts at 5PM ET on October 19th.
The latest updates for the SILENT HILL series, will be revealed during the #SILENTHILL Transmission on Wednesday, October 19th, at 2:00 PM. PDThttps://t.co/18sulbhIaR
It seems there’s at least one new game in the pipeline. Composer Akira Yamaoka and Masahiro Ito, the art director on the first three games, shared news of the upcoming stream, as Video Game Chronicle notes. Both have previously hinted that they’re working on a new Silent Hill title. Yamaoka also handled the score for Bloober Team’s The Medium— according to reports, that studio is working on a remake of Silent Hill 2 after teaming up with Konami last year.
Other Silent Hill projects said to be in the works include an episodic, narrative-driven series and a playable teaser in the vein of P.T. for a new mainline game. P.T. was an interactive teaser for Silent Hills, a planned full game from Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. However, Konami canceled Silent Hills in 2015 and Kojima left the publisher in contentious fashion. The Silent Hill series has been dormant ever since, other than crossovers such as Pyramid Head showing up in Dead by Daylight.
Meanwhile, a third Silent Hill movie may be on the horizon. Christophe Gans, who directed and co-wrote the first film in 2006, said this year that he’d completed a script for another movie. Gans also hinted this month that Konami was working on several Silent Hill games. It seems likely that we’ll find out more about those very soon. Here’s hoping Konami brings back P.T. as well.
Torontonians now have another way to get cannabis without having to wait too long for it to show up, as Uber Eats is offering deliveries in the city starting today. Uber Eats has teamed up with cannabis marketplace Leafly to offer residents swift weed delivery from local, licensed retailers. Uber Eats claims this is a world first for a “a major third-party delivery platform.” Users in Ontario have been available to order weed through the app since last November, but until now items were only available for pickup.
If you’re in the city and feel the need to take the edge off, you can select the cannabis category or search for one of the retailers (Hidden Leaf Cannabis, Minerva Cannabis and Shivaa’s Rose are the first three to sign up). You’ll receive a warning that you need to be of legal age, which is 19 in Ontario, to view the products. After you place an order and the retailer confirms it, one of the retailer’s own licensed “budtenders” will deliver your items. As is the case with alcohol orders, the delivery person will verify your age and level of sobriety before handing over the goods.
Uber Eats claims the move will reduce the need for people to buy cannabis from the underground market. While the app might make it easier for people to order some cannabis, it’s already possible to do so from some retailers on Leafly’s platform. Some offer delivery within 45 minutes, but Uber Eats may be faster in many cases.
Razer, you may recall, recently teased a 5G handheld device that’s focused on cloud gaming. The company took the opportunity at RazerCon to formally announce the system, which it calls the Razer Edge — yep, Razer finally went there with its branding.
The Edge has a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz and a Full HD+ resolution of 2,400 x 1,080. Razer claims the display has 87 percent more pixels than competitors’ devices. The Steam Deck’s screen, for instance, has a 1,280 x 800 resolution. The Edge’s Gorilla Glass touchscreen also has a 288Hz sampling rate, which should make it pretty darn responsive.
Razer worked with Qualcomm and Verizon on this device. It runs on the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform, which was developed exclusively for the Edge. The device has a 3Ghz octa-core Kryo CPU and an Adreno GPU, along with active cooling and six air vents. Razer says early benchmarking shows that the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 delivers two to three times the speeds of typical mobile platforms, such as the Snapdragon 720G.
Razer
The device has a 5,000mAh capacity battery, as well as 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage. On the audio front, there are two-way speakers with Verizon Adaptive Sound and a pair of digital microphones. There’s a webcam too — you’ll have the option to livestream your gameplay.
The Edge is comprised of an Android 12 tablet housed inside the new Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller. The latter has the same analog triggers as the Kishi V2, along with microswitches, programmable buttons and what Razer claims is an “ultra-precise” D-pad. What makes the Kishi V2 Pro different is that it has HyperSense haptic feedback and, blissfully, a 3.5mm headphone jack. Together, the tablet and controller weigh 400.8 grams, which is a bit less than a pound.
As for the games, the Edge, which will only be available in the US at the outset, will come with launchers for Epic Games, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now preinstalled. You’ll also be able to access remote play services such as Steam Link, Moonlight and Parsec.
Razer
Since this is a cloud gaming-focused device, connectivity is key. Razer says the Edge has WiFi 6E that performs on an “uncongested” 6GHz channel and has multi-gig bandwidth support for fast download and upload speeds. When you’re on the go, you’ll be able to connect to cloud gaming services through 5G as long as you have the right model.
The 5G version of the Razer Edge is a Verizon exclusive. Pricing and exact availability will be confirmed later, but it should be out in January, around the same time as the WiFi model. That version will run you $400 and it’ll be available from Razer’s website and RazerStore locations. You can reserve one for a refundable deposit of $5. Razer hasn’t revealed pricing or availability for the standalone Kishi V2 Pro controller.
That’s not an insignificant price for the WiFi model, and it’s likely that the 5G version will cost more, but the specs seem solid for the money. It seems like an option worth considering for on-the-go cloud gaming if you’d rather not slot your phone into a controller and you don’t want to lug a Steam Deck around.
The Razer Edge isn’t the only handheld device focused on cloud gaming. Logitech’s $350 G Cloud Gaming Handheld, which doesn’t have WiFi 6 or 6E support, will be available next week. Other notable manufacturers are turning their attention to cloud gaming as well. Google this week announced three Chromebooks from Acer, ASUS and Lenovo that are designed for streaming games.
Razer
The Edge was far from Razer’s only product announcement at RazerCon. Along with the Kraken Kitty V2 Pro wired headset (featuring swappable bunny, bear and cat ears with Chroma RGB lighting) and some other gear, the company showed off its Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds.
The earbuds feature Chroma RGB, active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.2 and 2.4GHz connectivity (via a USB-C dongle you can plug into your console or other device) to minimize latency. Razer claims you’ll get up to 30 hours of total battery life, factoring in top ups from the charging case. Hammerhead HyperSpeed is available in PlayStation- and Xbox-braded variants. The earbuds cost $150 and they will be available in November.
“Currently less than 3% of what people around the world see in Facebook’s Feed are posts with links to news articles,” a Meta spokesperson told Engadget. “And as we said earlier this year, as a business it doesn’t make sense to over invest in areas that don’t align with user preferences.” The company pointed out that its users are spending more time watching videos, especially short-form ones, and that they want to see less news and political content on Facebook.
The mid-April timeline for winding down Instant Articles support will give publishers six months to reassess their Facebook strategies. After that, when you tap a link to a news article on Facebook’s mobile apps, you’ll be taken to publishers’ own websites.
Meta noted that since it debuted Instant Articles, the mobile web experience has broadly improved due to faster internet speeds and more powerful devices. As such, it suggested that these upgrades have rendered Instant Articles unnecessary for many people who access text-based stories. However, you may soon find that some articles take longer to appear on your screen, depending on the page load of publishers’ websites.
Google effectively made a similar switch last year when it no longer made its AMP format worthwhile for news publishers. The company said it would stop prioritizing news articles that use the format in its search rankings.
Samsung has revealed more details about One UI 5, the updated user interface it will begin rolling out to devices later this month. Galaxy S22-series devices will be the first to get the update. The company is placing an even bigger focus on personalization, including on the lock screen. You’ll be able to select up to 15 photos and videos for the lock screen, with a different one appearing each time you turn on the display.
Alternatively, you can let Samsung handle the dynamic lock screen with a selection of curated images — you’ll see a different one each time. You can choose up to five image categories (such as dogs, cats, animals, landscapes and plants) and Samsung will refresh the collections every two weeks. You’ll also be able to tweak the wallpaper, clock style and notification pop-ups on the lock screen. Expect more color palette options to change the device-wide look of the UI and more customizable faces for Galaxy Watches.
Samsung
Samsung says it has redesigned notifications to make them more intuitive and easier to parse with a glance. There’s the promise of improved widget stacking on the home screen too. One UI 5 will also have “more defined answer and decline buttons” when you see the pop-up call display.
Speaking of calls, there’s a new feature called Bixby Text Call. You’ll be able to answer a call by typing a message and Bixby can read this to the caller. The voice assistant can convert what the caller says into text as well. This could come in handy if you’re in a noisy environment and wouldn’t be able to hear what the other person is saying. Bixby Text Call became available in Korean as part of One UI 4.1.1. An English version will arrive in early 2023.
One UI 5 will place an onus on modes and routines too. With routines, you can trigger several actions on your device based on your activities (such as starting a certain playlist when you leave home). In addition, you can have modes with custom settings for certain situations, such as when you’re sleeping, relaxing or working out. In relax mode, you might mute notifications so you can focus on watching a video or playing a game. And when it’s time for bed, perhaps turning off all sounds and reducing the screen brightness will do the trick.
Samsung
At the Samsung Developer Conference keynote, Sally Hyesoon Jeong said that your device will ask a series of simple questions to help you set modes up as you see fit. The company plans to launch modes on more devices (namely watches and tablets) in the near future
Elsewhere, Samsung is merging the “biometrics and security” and “privacy” settings from One UI 4 into a single security and privacy menu. You’ll be alerted to potential security issues and see possible solutions all on one screen.
You’ll see a new warning on the share panel if your phone believes you’re about to share an image that includes sensitive information, such as a photo of your credit card, driver’s license, Social Security card or passport. When it comes to IDs, Samsung noted that availability may vary depending on the language. At least for now, this feature will only be available when you set your system language to English (US) or Korean.
On the health front, Samsung worked with Google on a platform called Health Connect, a single set of APIs that should enable Android developers to create “richer health experiences,” Jeong said. There will be centralized privacy controls that will still enable you to sync data between various health and fitness apps.
As a result of Samsung’s partnership with Microsoft, when you set up a new Windows PC, you can use a QR code to link it to your phone. This will automatically add your mobile hotspot to your PC WiFi options. Jeong suggested that One UI 5 will deliver improved continuity across apps. You can switch from PowerPoint on phones to the desktop app and continue from where you left off, for instance. There are plans to enable similar features for non-Microsoft apps soon. Also on the productivity front, the Z Fold 4’s redesigned taskbar is coming to other Z Fold and Tab S8 devices as part of the Android 12L update. Moreover, you’ll be able to copy text from images and paste it elsewhere.
A new connected devices menu will include interoperability options for the likes of Quick Share, Smart View and Samsung DeX. Finally, you can expect easier access to a menu that will help you switch your Galaxy Buds from one device to another.
Signal is removing the option to send and receive SMS messages in its Android app. Folks who currently use Signal as their default SMS app will receive alerts advising them to switch to a different one. You’ll be able to export your SMS messages and import them into another app (as long as the other one supports that option).
The change won’t happen overnight. “You will have several months to transition away from SMS in Signal, to export your SMS messages to another app, and to let the people you talk to know that they might want to switch to Signal or find another channel if not,” Signal wrote in a blog post.
Signal said it included SMS support in the first place to make it easier to use — you wouldn’t have to convince friends to start using Signal before exchanging messages with them from the app. While the move may be inconvenient for those who have been using Signal for the bulk of their messaging, the company spelled out some practical reasons for the change.
For one thing, SMS messages don’t have end-to-end encryption. Also, given the shifting prices of data and text plans over the years, it may actually be more expensive to send an SMS message than a Signal one these days. “We’ve heard repeatedly from people who’ve been hit with high messaging fees after assuming that the SMS messages they were sending were Signal messages, only to find out that they were using SMS, and being charged by their telecom provider,” Signal’s blog post reads. “This is a terrible experience with real consequences.”
The third reason Signal gave is that it wants to avoid folks getting confused between SMS and Signal messages in the app. It said that making these distinct has “serious UX and design implications.” Furthermore, Signal said dropping SMS support will free up resources to work on other projects and features.
It made the decision following a data breach at its verification partner Twillio. Signal said the incident exposed around 1,900 of its users’ phone numbers and SMS codes. It’s unclear whether the call to end SMS support is directly connected to the breach.
TikTok may soon offer an easy way for you to buy a movie ticket after you see a trailer that catches your attention. It’s offering select movie studios access to a tool called Showtimes on TikTok. The studios will be able to show a full trailer, then display details on showtimes and nearby theaters. They’ll also be able to add a link to a partner site where you can buy tickets.
TikTok says 52 percent of users learn about a new show, movie or actor on the app, and a quarter of people who see an entertainment ad or trailer buy a ticket. This tool may streamline things and (from the studios’ perspective) help consumers follow through on their intent to buy a ticket.
The platform announced Showtimes on TikTok as part of a summit focused on brands and advertising. Another notable update is the fact that creators who are collaborating with mobile gaming companies will be able to include relevant iOS and Android app store links to help folks download the game they’re promoting. Creators will also be able to pin a comment with a link to more details about the service or product they showcase in a video.
There will be updates to the TikTok Creator Marketplace, where brands can find influencers to partner with. TikTok says it will improve search, help brands and agencies to quickly find creators who match a brief and allow them to invite any user (including those who aren’t on the 800,000-strong TikTok Creator Marketplace) to take part in a campaign.
Meanwhile, TikTok has announced a feature called Profile Kit. This will allow users to link their accounts to some third-party apps and display some of their videos there. TikTok’s first partner for this initiative is Linktree. You’ll be able to display some of your TikToks on your Linktree “link in bio” page alongside links to your other social media profiles.
Apple is reportedly declining to offer new benefits to employees at its only unionized retail store. According to Bloomberg, the unionized workers at the store in Towson, Maryland, will need to negotiate for benefits with Apple as they hash out a collective bargaining agreement. The perks in question haven’t been announced publicly as yet, but they’re said to include additional health plan benefits in some jurisdictions, funds to take educational classes and a free Coursera membership.
The report suggests that by withholding benefits from the unionized workers, who have organized Apple may be dissuading workers at other retail stores from attempting to form a union. Workers at an Oklahoma City location are set to vote in a union election this week. Apple has faced labor tensions on other fronts, with some staff resisting a mandate to return to the company’s offices (a stance that Apple eventually backed down from). The company has also been accused of union busting.
Withholding perks from unionized workers or those who plan to organize is not exactly a new issue. Starbucks has provided some benefits to non-union cafes, and claimed it couldn’t offer them to unionized locations in one fell swoop. In April, Activision Blizzard said workers who were organizing at Raven Software (they’ve since voted to form a union) were ineligible for raises due to its legal obligations under the National Labor Relations Act. The National Labor Relations Board determined last month that the company withheld raises due to the workers’ union activity.
The workers at Apple’s Towson store will soon start formal union contract negotiations with Apple. Engadget has contacted the company for comment. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (I AM CORE) provided the following statement to Engadget:
“Despite the news from Apple today, our goal is still the same. We are urging Apple to negotiate in good faith so we can reach an agreement over the next few weeks. The IAM CORE negotiating committee is dedicated to securing a deal that gives our IAM CORE members the proper respect and dignity at work and sets the standard in the tech industry.”
Researchers who grew a brain cell culture in a lab claim that they taught the cells to play a version of Pong. Scientists from a biotech startup called Cortical Labs say it’s the first demonstrated example of a so-called “mini-brain” being taught to carry out goal-directed tasks. ”It is able to take in information from an external source, process it and then respond to it in real time,” Dr. Brett Kagan, lead author of a paper on the research that was published in Neuron, told the BBC.
The culture of 800,000 brain cells is known as DishBrain. The scientists placed mouse cells (derived from embryonic brains) and human cells taken from stem cells on top of an electrode array that was hooked up to Pong, as The Agenotes. Electrical pulses sent to the neurons indicated the position of the ball in the game. The array then moved the paddle up and down based on signals from the neurons. DishBrain received a strong and consistent feedback signal (a form of stimulus) when the paddle hit the ball and a short, random pulse when it missed.
The researchers, who believe the culture is too primitive to be conscious, noted that DishBrain showed signs of “apparent learning within five minutes of real-time gameplay not observed in control conditions.” After playing Pong for 20 minutes, the culture got better at the game. The scientists say that indicates the cells were reorganizing, developing networks and learning.
“They changed their activity in a way that is very consistent with them actually behaving as a dynamic system,” Kagan said. “For example, the neurons’ ability to change and adapt their activity as a result of experience increases over time, consistent with what we see with the cells’ learning rate.”
Future research into DishBrain will involve looking at how medicines and alcohol affect the culture’s ability to play Pong, to test whether it can effectively be treated as a stand-in for a human brain. Kagan expressed hope that DishBrain (or perhaps future versions of it) can be used to test treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Meanwhile, researchers at Stanford University cultivated stem cells into human brain tissue, which they transplanted into newborn rats. These so-called brain organoids integrated with the rodents’ own brains. After a few months, the scientists found that the organoids accounted for around a third of the rats’ brain hemispheres and that they were engaging with the rodents’ brain circuits. As Wirednotes, these organoids could be used to study neurodegenerative disorders or to test drugs designed to treat neuropsychiatric diseases. Scientists may also look at how genetic defects in organoids can affect animal behavior.
