Tech

Want to reduce waste? These are some unique semi-green gadgets

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Earth Day is April 22, and its usual message—take care of our planet—has been given added urgency by the challenges highlighted in the latest IPCC report. This year, Ars is taking a look at the technologies we normally cover, from cars to chipmaking, and finding out how we can boost their […]

Sport

The Jarrett Allen social media jokes were funny, but his real life teammates were wrong for making him buy that phone

iShameThe personalities are the most fun part about the NBA, but not only because they’re flashy or frequently appear in gossip blogs. Those players are fun, but it’s different types of personalities in the league that make it work. Read more…

Tech

Components shortage sends smartphone market into decline

Enlarge / Foldable devices like the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G (above) helped Samsung keep its top spot. (credit: Samsung ) Component shortages have been wreaking havoc on the tech industry since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and smartphones are no outlier. Decelerated production schedules have given way to smaller stock and delayed launches. All of […]

Tech

DuckDuckGo wants to stop apps tracking you on Android

Enlarge / Gabriel Weinberg, creator of DuckDuckGo. (credit: Washington Post | Getty Images) At the end of April, Apple’s introduction of App Tracking Transparency tools shook the advertising industry to its core. iPhone and iPad owners could now stop apps from tracking their behavior and using their data for personalized advertising. Since the new privacy controls […]

Tech

You may soon be able to answer phone calls on your Chromebook

Enlarge / Samsung Galaxy Chromebook. (credit: Samsung) Chromebooks, which are powered by Chrome OS, are generally viewed as a simpler alternative to Windows and macOS systems. But as more Chromebooks flirt with four-figure price tags—take, for example, the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 , Samsung Galaxy Chromebook , plus recently announced Acer Chromebook Spin 514 —consumers […]

Tech

European Union announces plans to require all mobile devices to use USB-C

Enlarge / iPads with USB-C ports. (credit: Andrew Cunningham ) The European Commission has announced its intent to enact legislation that would mandate all consumer electronic devices sold in the European market have a USB-C port for charging. Should the new rules be enacted, they would make it illegal to sell consumer electronic devices that […]

Tech

Security audit raises severe warnings on Chinese smartphone models

Enlarge / Be sure you know what you’re getting into before buying and using unfamiliarly branded smartphones—especially international models not originally intended for your country. (credit: Clover No. 7 Photography via Getty Images) The Lithuanian National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently published a security assessment of three recent-model Chinese-made smartphones—Huawei’s P40 5G, Xiaomi’s Mi 10T […]

Tech

Samsung has its own AI-designed chip. Soon, others will too

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Samsung is using artificial intelligence to automate the insanely complex and subtle process of designing cutting-edge computer chips . The South Korean giant is one of the first chipmakers to use AI to create its chips. Samsung is using AI features in new software from Synopsys , a leading chip design […]

Tech

A simple software fix could limit location data sharing

Enlarge / Pretty Good Phone Privacy wants to minimize how much your wireless provider knows about your location. (credit: Noam Galai | Getty Images) Location data sharing from wireless carriers has been a major privacy issue in recent years. Marketers, salespeople, and even bounty hunters were able to pay shadowy third-party companies to track where […]

Tech

Google Pixel 6 leak shows off distinctive new design

Renders of the Pixel 6. Get a load of that camera bar. [credit: Jon Prosser ] The Pixel 6 promises to be a landmark device for Google, as it is expected to mark the debut of the Google-developed “Whitechapel” SoC, instead of the Qualcomm chips the search giant has shipped in all of its previous […]