The best wireless headphones for 2022

Over-ear noise-canceling headphones typically offer the most comprehensive set of features we want for our listening pleasure. The best of these wireless options combine stellar audio with powerful active noise cancellation (ANC) and other handy tools …

Apple faces US labor complaint over union busting

Apple’s alleged union busting has prompted federal action. As The New York Timesreports, the National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against Apple following accusations it broke multiple laws trying to thwart union organizers at the World Trade Center store in New York City. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union claims Apple surveilled and questioned staff, limited access to pro-union fliers and made employees listen to anti-union speeches.

The NLRB found enough merit in two of the claims. A judge will hold a hearing on December 13th if there’s no settlement.

We’ve asked Apple for comment. In a statement to The Times, a spokesperson said the iPhone maker disputed CWA’s allegations and was anticipating “presenting the facts.” In the past, Apple has maintained that unionization would hinder labor improvements and prevent “direct engagement” between the company and store workers. Apple told staff it would increase pay, but also that unionization could lead to fewer promotions and fixed hours.

There’s no certainty the NLRB complaint will lead to change in Apple’s labor practices. However, it comes as teams at multiple US stores have made unionization bids. While people at an Atlanta location gave up their efforts, Towson, Maryland workers voted to unionize this spring. Oklahoma City employees vote next week. There’s mounting pressure on Apple to act, if just to minimize similar complaints.

Spotify’s latest acquisition is a company that detects harmful content in podcasts

Spotify has bought a company it says will help it detect and address harmful content on the platform. Kinzen uses machine learning and human expertise to analyze possibly harmful content and hate speech across multiple languages, Spotify said in a statement. It added that Kinzen will “help us more effectively deliver a safe, enjoyable experience on our platform around the world” and that the company’s tech is especially suited to podcasts and other audio formats.

Looking for signs of harmful audio content across hundreds of languages is a difficult task, particularly since there may be nuances that certain systems and non-native speakers may not pick up on. As such, Spotify says Kinzen will help it to “better understand the abuse landscape and identify emerging threats on the platform.”

The two companies have actually been working together since 2020, with the aim of preventing misinformation in election-related content. They forged their partnership before Joe Rogan started spreading COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on his Spotify-exclusive show, which is said to be the most-listened-to podcast on the planet. 

There was a significant backlash against Rogan and Spotify earlier this year. Hundreds of doctors and scientists urged Spotify to enact a policy to stem the spread of misinformation. Weeks later, Spotify started adding a content advisory to podcast episodes that included discussions about COVID-19 and made its content guidelines public.

Several prominent artists pulled their music from Spotify in protest against Rogan, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. The host and editor of Spotify-owned podcast Science VS also pledged to stop making episodes (except ones in which it fact-checked Rogan and countered misinformation on the platform) unless the company did more to stem the flow of harmful falsehoods.

It may be the case that Spotify sees employing Kinzen’s tech as a means to help it avoid similar PR catastrophes in the future. However, it’s unclear how effective it will be in preventing the spread of misinformation. Were harmful content to be featured on a popular podcast, it may gain traction on social media and in press coverage before Spotify can act. Still, at least it’s trying to do more to stamp out misinformation.

Stadia launch title ‘Gylt’ is heading to other platforms next year

Now that Google is shutting down Stadia, at least one of its exclusives is headed elsewhere. Eurogamerreports that Tequila Works is bringing Stadia’s first exclusive, Gylt, to other platforms sometime in 2023. The Rime creator didn’t say just which systems would get their turn, but it won’t be surprising if consoles are included.

The third-person horror game has you playing Sally, a tween who ventures into a dark alternate world to rescue her cousin. You have to complete quests and solve spatial puzzles while hiding from (or illuminating) sludge monsters. While Gylt isn’t the most original title, we found it was a good introduction to horror gaming for older kids who might not be ready for something as intense as Dead Space.

This isn’t a stunning development, as you might have guessed. Gylt certainly isn’t Tequila Works’ only recent project (it’s working on the League of Legends spinoff Song of Nunu), but it will effectively cease to exist when Stadia goes offline in January. A multiplatform launch could help Tequila revive interest in Gylt and continue making money after Google’s cloud gaming service is gone.

The question is whether or not other Stadia exclusives will make the leap. Splash Damage said it would “evaluate the options” for its competitive multiplayer title Outcasters, but other developers have remained silent. While these cloud gaming projects weren’t must-play blockbusters, they’ll fade into complete obscurity if they aren’t ported elsewhere.

Amazon’s Blink security cameras and bundles are up to 54 percent off

Amazon is running a sale on Blink security cameras, and many of the devices and bundles are available for a steal at up to 54 percent off. Several have dropped to their lowest price to date, including the Blink Outdoor. That camera is currently $60, which is $40 off the regular price of $100.

Buy Blink Outdoor at Amazon – $60

Blink Outdoor is a wireless device and Amazon says it will run for up to two years on two lithium AA batteries. As long as you have the right mount, you should be able to position Blink Outdoor just about anywhere around your home. The weather-resistant camera records footage at up to 1080p resolution and it has infrared night vision.

You’ll receive a notification when the Blink Outdoor detects motion, and there’s two-way audio support, so you’ll be able to speak with someone who’s in front of the camera. Naturally, since it’s an Amazon device, Blink Outdoor works with Alexa, so you can use voice commands to stream live video to compatible devices and to arm or disarm the camera.

Next up, a two-pack of the Blink Mini can be all yours for $30. The bundle has returned to the lowest price we’ve seen for it to date. These are wired cameras, so they’ll need to stay inside and close to an outlet. Still, they have many of the same features as other Blink devices, including 1080p video capture, infrared night vision, motion sensors, Alexa support and two-way audio — which could be useful if you don’t feel like yelling from the other side of the house to speak to someone.

Buy Blink Mini (2-pack) at Amazon – $30

Also worth noting is the Whole Home Bundle. This includes the Video Doorbell, Blink Outdoor, Blink Mini and the Sync Module 2, which can store recordings locally. The bundle has dropped by $70 to $140, which is a 33 percent discount. Again, this is an all-time-low price.

Buy Blink Whole Home Bundle at Amazon – $140

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Someone made an operating system for the NES

You probably never saw the NES as a productivity machine, but some clever developers beg to differ. Hackaday and Ars Technica note Inkbox Software has released a graphical operating system, NESOS, for Nintendo’s console. The mid-’80s technology restricts the OS to two apps (a word processor and settings) and eight 832-byte files, but you have an honest-to-goodness pointer, movable icons and customizable interface colors.

Inkbox primarily had to overcome the NES’ very limited memory and storage. NESOS fits into just 48K, and the files have to sit inside the 2K of NVRAM that retains data when the console turns off. Graphics memory was a particularly large hurdle. Nintendo’s system only has two sprite memory grids (one each for the foreground and background), and it can only display 64 sprites at any time — that’s why many NES games flicker at busy moments. The creator had to combine sprites into larger shapes.

The project is available in a ROM that you’ll likely use through an emulator (unless you make your own cartridge). You won’t be writing a novel in NESOS. The memory prevents any kind of substantial content creation, and typing with the NES controller involves very slowly cycling through characters. This is more about defying expectations, and it’s significant that Inkbox didn’t have to modify the console to achieve its feat.

iRobot’s Roomba 694 is on sale for $199 right now

Those who have a robot vacuum on their gift list this year can pick up a few iRobot machines for less right now. Arguably the best for most people is the Roomba 694, which is 27 percent off at Amazon (which now owns iRobot) and down to only $199. While this model has dropped to $179 in the past, this is the best deal we’ve seen on it since June. Also discounted are the higher-end Roomba j7+ and Roomba s9+, which are going for $599 and $799, respectively.

Buy Roomba 694 at Amazon – $199Buy Roomba j7+ at Amazon – $599Buy Roomba S9+ at Amazon – $799

The Roomba 694 topped our list of best budget robot vacuums because it combines all of the essential features you’d expect in one of these machines with a relatively slick design and an easy-to-use mobile app. It cleans both hard and carpeted floors well, and it’ll run for about 90 minutes (depending on floor surfaces) before it automatically returns to its dock to recharge. Its three-stage cleaning system did a pretty good job sucking up dirt, debris and even pet hair, and it navigates around furniture well, too.

You can control the device using the physical buttons on it, but the iRobot app is where you’ll have more customization options. In it, you can check on the status of the robot’s current job, plus set cleaning schedules, manually send the robot home and more. And when you don’t even want to lift a finger, you can use Alexa or the Google Assistant to control the machine. While the Roomba 694 doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the brand’s more expensive devices, it has all the necessities and will be easy for first-time users to figure out.

If you’re looking to invest in something more powerful, or just know you’ll need stronger suction power, either the Roomba j7+ or the s9+ would be great picks. The j7+ is the newer of the two, debuting last year, and it has advanced obstacle avoidance that should help it navigate around a robo-vac’s worst enemy — pet poop. It also has 10x the suction power of a standard Roomba and smart mapping abilities, plus it comes with a clean base into which it automatically empties its bin after every job. The Roomba s9+ takes it even further with 40x the suction power, a more corner-friendly design, obstacle detection, smart mapping and an included clean base.

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Tesla phasing out ultrasonic sensors as it moves toward a camera-only system

Tesla has announced that it’s phasing out ultrasonic sensors (USS) used in its EVs to detect short-range obstacles, Electrek has reported. While other automakers use LiDAR, radar and other sensors on top of cameras, Elon Musk’s company is determined to use only cameras in its Tesla Vision driver assistance system. 

It will remove the ultrasonic sensors from Model 3 and Model Y vehicles over the next few months, then eliminate them in Model S and Model X models by 2023. They’re mainly used for parking and short-range collision warnings, Tesla said.

With the changes, new vehicles not equipped with USS will have some features limited or disabled, including Park Assist that warns of surrounding objects when traveling under 5 MPH, along with Autopark, Summon and Smart Summon. The features will be restored via over-the-air updates “in the near future,” once the features perform just as well with the camera-only system, the company said. It believes the changes will not affect the crash safety ratings of these vehicles.

Last year, Tesla started phasing out radar sensors in favor of vision-only Autopilot, tweeting at the time that “vision has much more precision [than radar].” And Musk has previously told employees that if humans can drive cars with binocular vision only, machines should be able to as well, The New York Times reported last year. 

However, Tesla’s radar was able to detect potential accidents “two vehicles ahead” that drivers couldn’t even see, so that appears to be a safety benefit lost. And when radar was discontinued, the company had a spate of “phantom braking” accidents where the system mistakenly calculated a car was about to collide with something — triggering an NHTSA probe.