The Morning After: Cloverfield returns


Hey, good morning!

We're kicking off the week with Netflix's Super Bowl surprise, hints about the future of Windows 10 S and more details around SpaceX's upcoming Falcon Heavy launch.

Day-and-date announce and release is a new wrinkle.Netflix surprise released 'The Cloverfield Paradox' worldwide after Super Bowl LII

Last year, Netflix's Super Bowl ad focused on a season of Stranger Things we still had months to wait for, but this year things are different. The streaming company dropped a surprise 30-second teaser for The Cloverfield Paradox, a sequel to the 2008 monster movie, which became available for viewing worldwide right after the game. The Paramount/J.J. Abrams flick had been planned for a theatrical release this weekend, but this agreement with Netflix reportedly made the $45-million movie "immediately profitable." And you can watch it, well, right now.

Say hello to S Mode.
Microsoft to drop Windows 10 S as a stand-alone product

Both Thurrott and Neowin have discovered that Microsoft is dropping Windows 10 S as a stand-alone product for everyday users in favor of S Mode, which is already available for the enterprise crowd. The cost of unlocking full access would depend on what you're running: Windows 10 Home S users could unlock to the regular Home release for free, while those using Windows 10 Pro S would pay $49.

Good luck with that.
SpaceX confirms it will try to land all of Falcon Heavy's boosters

Elon Musk's outfit has confirmed it will attempt to land all three boosters on Falcon Heavy's launch, which is now slated for a 2.5-hour window starting at 1:30PM Eastern on February 6th. As expected, the two side boosters will come back to the on-ground landing zones at Cape Canaveral, while the center booster should land on a drone ship off the coast.

Over $200 million minimum -- and a lot of luck.
Here's what it would take to make Overwatch's 'Blizzard World' IRL

Last week, the Overwatch team released a new map: Blizzard World. The multiplayer arena is a colorful amusement park filled with attractions and rides themed after Blizzard's stable of games. It's a delightful backdrop for the team-based shooter, filled with in-jokes and puns that make it look like a rapturous place for a gamer to visit. But what would it take to bring Blizzard World to life? Come dream with us.

The solar-based project promises to stabilize power and lower prices.
Tesla will create "virtual power plant" with 50,000 Australian homes

Tesla isn't done bolstering Australia's power grid just because its giant battery farm is up and running. South Australia premier Jay Weatherill has unveiled a partnership that will provide 5kW solar panels and Tesla Powerwall 2 batteries to "at least" 50,000 homes in a bid to create the largest-ever "virtual power plant," where homes contribute their surplus energy to the grid. The move will theoretically stabilize the Australian state's electricity infrastructure, reducing the blackouts and surging prices that have plagued the region in recent times.

Banks ban credit purchase of cryptocurrency due to risks
Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase are anxious.

If you use your Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase or Citigroup credit card to buy cryptocurrency, then you'll have to find an alternative ASAP. Banks have reportedly banned crypto purchases using their cards due to the virtual coins' volatile nature. BofA has already started declining credit transactions with known exchanges, though its debit cards aren't affected by the ban. Citigroup also announced on Friday that it'll no longer process crypto purchases, while JPMorgan Chase's new rule will take effect today.

But wait, there's more...

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2s9cIUz"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evernote cuts staff as user growth stalls

Image
Note-taking app Evernote has fallen on hard times of late, culminating in its latest spate of job cuts impacting 15 percent of its workforce (54 employees). CEO Chris O' Neil -- an ex-Googler who took the reins in 2015 -- announced the firings at an all-hands meeting earlier today, reports TechCrunch . In a message on the Evernote blog , O' Neill admitted he'd set "incredibly aggressive goals" for the company in 2018. He continued: "Going forward, we are streamlining certain functions, like sales, so we can continue to speed up and scale others, like product development and engineering." The layoffs follow an exec exodus just weeks ago and the company's recent brand refresh (complete with a refined logo and wordmark). But critics are more concerned about its product, especially the free tier, which they claim lacks the perks to
Read more

The best air conditioner

Image
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After six summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. This 8,000 Btu unit cools as efficiently and effectively as any model with an equal Btu rating, and runs at a lower volume and deeper pitch than others at this price. Little extra features like a fresh-air vent, two-axis fan blades, and a removable drain plug help set it apart, too. The LG LW8016ER is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too. If our main pic
Read more

We won't see a 'universal' vape oil cartridge anytime soon

Image
Pre-loaded cartridges of cannabis concentrate are currently among the most popular means of consumption, and for good reason. They're discreet to use and easy to handle, a far cry from the dark days of 2016 when we had to dribble hash oil or load wax into narrow-mouthed vape pens by hand. But, frustratingly, an ever increasing number of oil cartridge manufacturers employ one-off design standards so that their products won't work with those of their competitors, thereby locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. We've already seen this with nicotine vaporizers -- which has a seen a massive rise in "pod systems" in the last few years, each outfitted with a unique canister and battery built to be incompatible with those of their competition. Is it too late for the burgeoning cannabis industry to set a universal standard for their product designs?
Read more