Geek News

Just a few weeks ago, a Barclays analyst said the wait time for replacing the battery in an iPhone was about two weeks and would be improving. Now, the firm says the average wait time has jumped to three to four and a half weeks, with some stores having a wait time of nine to 10 weeks, according to 9to5Mac . The initial bump in wait time was a result of Apple slashing the price of battery replacement to $29 back in December 2017. The company admitted it was intentionally slowing down older phones in order to compensate for aging batteries and slashed the price of battery replacement to make up for it. As a result of the discount, the average wait time for battery replacement jumped up to four weeks in January, but then fell to around two... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2t1N708"

Last week, the FCC officially published its net neutrality rollback plans, which were voted on back in December. Today, the next stage of the battle begins. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) has introduced his Congressional Review Act "resolution of disapproval" that would begin the process of undoing the FCC's vote. Today, we are officially introducing the CRA resolution, which would reverse the @FCC 's actions and restore #NetNeutrality . And when we take this vote on the Senate floor, every one of my colleagues will have to answer this simple question: Whose side are you on? #OneMoreVote — Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) February 27, 2018 Senator Markey has been working on this since the FCC voted to roll back the net neutrality protections that were voted into effect back in 2015. And since mid-January, the appeal has had the support of all 49 Democrats in the Senate as well as Republican Susan Collins of Maine. But the bill needs one more vote to break a pote...

Just because Facebook is downplaying publishers in your News Feed doesn't mean it's uninterested in giving media outlets a helping hand. The social network's Journalism Project is launching a Local News Subscriptions Accelerator that will help "metro newspapers" grow their reader bases. The $3 million, 3-month pilot will have 10 to 15 publishers participate in weekly training and once-a-month meetings to improve their digital subscription marketing both on and off of Facebook, including the creation of tailor-made projects with funding. A total of 13 major publishers are involved in the pilot, including the Boston Globe , Chicago Tribune , Seattle Times and San Francisco Chronicle . It's no secret as to why Facebook would be willing to mount this campaign. It could help boost Instant Articles subscriptions among the newspapers still involved in the service, and may reassure publishers that it still supports them. And of course, fostering the growth of...

Save 50% on Bomber Crew during this week's Midweek Madness*! *Offer ends Friday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2GOXXsi"

Puyo Puyo™Tetris® is Now Available on Steam! Two puzzle game juggernauts collide as global phenomenon Tetris® and SEGA’s famous Puyo Puyo™ combine in a super mash-up of ferocious competition, adorable looks, and addictive puzzle fun! via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2t4z0r8"

Today's Deal: Save 50% on Ultimate General: Civil War !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Thursday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2HR1KH4"

Today, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the self-regulatory association responsible for rating the content of video games, responded to the mounting controversy around the industry’s shift toward microtransactions, specifically the gambling-style loot box systems favored by the world’s most popular competitive multiplayer titles. Unfortunately, the ESRB’s solution is only a new “in-game purchases” label that seems as if it would apply to a vast majority of modern games, from story-focused Nintendo classics like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to EA’s bungled Battlefront 2 . The ESRB’s criteria is extraordinarily broad, covering any game that offers “the ability to purchase digital goods or premiums with real world... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FBSuG5"

If you're about eye-watering clarity when it comes to home entertainment, get yourself an Epix subscription. The network has announced that from today it'll be offering Ultra HD content on its platform -- the first such offering from any premium network in the US. The service launches with a select number of movies and original programs, including a raft of old-school James Bond films and newer additions such as Arrival, Star Trek Beyond, Transformers: The Last Knight and the Epix original series Get Shorty. According to Epix's chief digital officer Jon Dakss, the service comes as a result of the widespread adoption of Ultra HD TV sets in the US, which provides a "great deal of opportunity" for the network to tap into this high-demand space. Epix was for a long time owned by four studios (Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount and Viacom), but April 2017 saw MGM drop more than $1 billion on full ownership , so this new offering is a clear example of the studio maximizing ...

While Sony's TV-streaming service PlayStation Vue has been around for almost three years, it's currently facing stiff competition from the likes of Sling TV , DirecTV Now , YouTube TV and Hulu TV . To stave off its rivals, it's been adding features like multi-picture viewing as well as beefing up its sports offerings . Today, Sony announced three more updates, all of which are designed to make the service more mobile-friendly. Of note, you now no longer need a television to sign up for PS Vue. That's right, you can now register for PS Vue completely online. Before, you needed to have a connected TV or streaming device in order to sign up for the service (this was mostly to confirm your location and get local services). But now all you need is a laptop or mobile device. Dwayne Benefield, the head of PS Vue at Sony, suggests this was a necessary move to keep up with current trends. "More and more people start these cord cutting services on mobile," he said...

BATTLETECH is Now Available for Pre-Purchase on Steam! Pre-Purchase today to receive the BATTLETECH - Shadowhawk Pack which includes an alternate skin for the formidable Shadowhawk 'Mech plus an exclusive wallpaper, to be delivered at launch. via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2oBD3p7"

Oh, hey. It’s Tuesday again, and you know what that means: Circuit Breaker Live on YouTube. Today’s episode has it all: smart lighting, Nintendo Switch accessories, and a universal remote with wood panelling. As usual, we’ll be live on YouTube at 4PM ET with an archived version living on our page right after. The Verge’s very own Jake Kastrenakes is in Barcelona right now for Mobile World Congress, but he’s going to send us a dispatch from the show. It’s very exciting for all of us. Here’s a sneak peek: Okay see you soon! Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FcEuoe"

T-Mobile will start building out its 5G network this year and plans to be in 30 cities by the end of 2018. The first four of those are being announced today: New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Las Vegas. T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray boasted that the company’s competitors aren’t starting their 5G deployment in locations anywhere near as dense. “Why are we in New York and not Waco ? Because New York matters.” No one will actually be able to use the 5G network this year, though. Ray said it wouldn’t be until this time next year that we’ll see the first phones announced that support 5G on T-Mobile’s network. “A year from now, we’re very confident,” he said today during a presentation at Mobile World Congress. It’s not entirely clear what... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2ouj1gZ"

Health There is no cure for the fatal condition. Mining conditions were getting better, until recent trends revealed an increase in black lung disease. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2ozsTW8"

Oregon legislators just took a step towards protecting net neutrality in their state. The Oregon House of Representatives passed a proposal yesterday that would require state agencies to sign internet service contracts with providers that abide by net neutrality practices, meaning no blocking, throttling or paid prioritization. The bill now heads to the state Senate. While governors in Montana , New York , New Jersey , Hawaii and Vermont have signed executive orders that institute similar requirements on state agencies, a handful of states are pursuing comparable statutes through legislation. States that are going the legislative route include Iowa , Maryland , Kansas , Rhode Island , South Dakota , Tennessee and Wisconsin . By prohibiting state agencies from working with ISPs that don't adhere to net neutrality ideals, these states believe they are circumventing the FCC order that prevents state governments from passing laws that contradict its own rules. By changing the rul...

A company called rOcean wants to save the ocean with reusable water pods. Its new device, the rOcean One, launched on Indiegogo today and is designed to eliminate the need for all sorts of bottled water, like bottled seltzer, bottled flavored water, and bottled mineral water. You can think of the device as a connected SodaStream with water filtration the hooks straight up to a user’s tap. rOcean’s whole mission is to save the ocean, or at least that’s how they’re spinning it. Their companion iOS / Android app keeps track of how many water bottles users have saved and the company encourages users to re-use their pods. I was shocked to hear this, as the whole point of pods is usually to keep them proprietary, but rOcean says it wants users... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HP88yz"

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus at Mobile World Congress on Sunday evening. Both devices look a lot like the S8 and S8 Plus — and for good reason, as those were some of the best smartphones released last year. But the new models also boast a number of upgrades, including a nicer camera, better fingerprint scanner placement, more color options... and some creepy AR Emoji nobody has defended yet. Maybe you’ve been eyeing these new phones since the first leak, or perhaps you’re wavering on waiting for the Note 9 , which is speculated to be revealed in August. While it’s impossible to compare phones that don’t exist yet, we’ve highlighted the best and worst features of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. The phones are available for... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2ou0SA6"