April 19, 2024 | View in browser 

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 

💻 Acer's powerful new Chromebook
📱 Polestar's first smartphone incoming
🥽 Netflix to start hiding subscriber numbers
👻 National Geographic celebrates Earth Month

🕹️ Cities: Skylines II developers say sorry

 
 

COMPUTING

 

Acer has just announced a powerful new Chromebook

 

The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 starts at $400 and will be available in North America starting next month

 

Acer has just announced a new Chromebook Plus laptop that’s already generating favorable headlines.

ZDNet said the 14-inch Chromebook Plus 514 “may just be the best budget laptop” currently on the market, while TechRadar described it as offering “a fantastic mix of performance and affordability that you don't always find with a Chromebook.”

Performance is front and center, with the base model featuring an AI-ready Intel Core i3-N305 processor, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, a 300-nit Full HD (1920x1080) display, and a Full HD webcam. The new laptop weighs 1.43 kilograms, is 20.5 mm thick, and has an 11-hour battery life ...

 
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MORE COMPUTING

 
  • GPT-4 was given a go at medical eye assessments
  • TSMC expects customers to pay more for chips fabbed overseas
  • It’s time to stop believing these PC building myths
 
 

MOBILE

 

First smartphone from this Swedish EV maker looks surprisingly good

 

The new, sleek-looking handset from Polestar features a 21:9 aspect ratio, a large display, and four camera modules on the back

 

While smartphone-maker Xiaomi recently entered the auto market with the launch of its first electric car, EV maker Polestar is going the other way and launching its first handset.

Ahead of its official release next week, the company has shared some images of the new phone, which features superthin symmetrical bezels and a large display that Android Police said is likely to be larger than 6.5 inches.

“The reason for the Polestar phone’s existence is not to compete with other smartphone [manufacturers], but to show the potential of a connected ecosystem and how well its vehicles can communicate with other devices,” the news site said ...

 
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MORE MOBILE

 
  • Samsung just launched a $400 phone in the U.S. and it looks great
  • Apple starts rolling out AirPlay for hotel rooms
  • Meta to add AI chatbot to Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook
 
 

AUDIO / VIDEO

 

Netflix says it will stop reporting subscriber tally

 

The move reduces transparency, but Netflix won't be the first to keep such stats under wraps

 

Netflix reported its latest quarterly data on Thursday and said that starting next year, it will stop including subscriber numbers, Variety reported.

Why? Because — it said — it believes that engagement (time spent with the service) is its “best proxy for customer satisfaction.” However, it has promised to announce “major subscriber milestones as we cross them.”

But for now, the figures are still available. For the first quarter of this year, the streaming giant gained 9.33 million new members, to reach nearly 270 million globally. Revenue came in at $9.37 billion and net income reached $2.33 billion, up from $1.3 billion in the prior-year period ...

 
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MORE AUDIO / VIDEO

 
  • Nothing’s new earbuds upstage Apple, others by embedding this tech
  • Hands-on with Sony's top-of-the-line Bravia 9 TV
  • SoundMagic E80D earphones offer high-res audio at an affordable price
 
 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

National Geographic celebrates Earth Month with new series for ASMR fans

 

The esteemed publication encourages you to 'sit back, relax, and get immersed in the beautiful nature sounds' from its shows

 

National Geographic has announced the launch of Vibe Check x Nat Geo, a four-part digital series featuring autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) meditative videos with archival footage from the brand’s natural history shows, Digital Trends reported.

The series is linked to the ourHome campaign, a collaboration between National Geographic and Disney that celebrates the “blue marble.” You can watch the first episode on YouTube.

Each of the Vibe Check x Nat Geo episodes runs for four hours and uses extraordinary footage from some of National Geographic’s award-winning series. The first episode, for example, includes scenes from Incredible Animal Journeys, which focuses on wildlife migration patterns, and America’s National Parks, which explores life inside America’s national parks ...

 
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MORE ENTERTAINMENT

 
  • New seasons of Squid Game, The Night Agent confirmed for late 2024 
  • The best show on TV right now is doing something simple
  • The Gates will aim to revive a fading genre
 
 

GAMING

 

Companies behind Cities: Skylines II apologize for poor state of the game

 

Those behind the title say they are 'truly sorry' for the mess and promise to put things right

 

Developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive have issued an apology for the poor PC performance of Cities, Skylines II and also for the disappointing Beach Properties DLC, Polygon reported.

“We see and understand the disappointment many of you have expressed after the release of Cities: Skylines II and the recent release of Beach Properties,” a joint statement said. “We asked for your patience and support, and you’ve shown those. In return, we let you down. We thought we could make up for the shortcomings of the game in a timeframe that was unrealistic, and rushed out a DLC that should not have been published in its current form.”

Refunds will be offered to those who bought Beach Properties ...

 
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MORE GAMING

 
  • GTA Online celebrates 4/20 with double XP, money, and more
  • Nintendo modder builds the world’s smallest Wii
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is coming this year and it’s twice as big as the original
 
 
 

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