Today is the end of the line for Google’s 2017 flagship smartphones. The Pixel 2 and 2 XL are no longer available for purchase on the Google Store. Those device listings instead redirect to the current Pixel 3 and 3 XL devices. You can still purchase the phones elsewhere if you really want, but you shouldn’t. The Pixel 2 and 2 XL launched in October 2017, marking a departure from the first-generation Pixels. The 2016 Pixels looked identical other than the sizes, but the 2 and 2 XL were completely different devices. HTC manufactured the smaller of the 2017 Pixels, and LG took care of the larger one.
This is not an April Fool’s joke, though it may sound like one. The r/games subreddit on Reddit.com has gone dark for a day to draw attention to the growing problem of hate speech and bigotry online. The mods write that while they do not object to strong discussion, “when that argument descends into vitriolic attacks between individuals on a regular basis with no chance at de-escalation, that’s when, put simply, something’s got to give.” The mods that r/games, by their own estimation, has become an increasing center for this type of material and that banning perpetrators and removing disallowed comments has not solved the problem.
April 1 is usually a day for terrible jokes masquerading as the truth, but Cloudflare says its latest announcement is the real deal. The company has fittingly chosen this hallowed day to announce that its 1.1.1.1 DNS service is getting a new feature: . Again, it says this is not a joke. Traditionally, Cloudflare has not been a very consumer-facing company. It’s a content delivery network (CDN) that offers hosting, DDoS protection, and other internet services to websites. It recently launched the 1.1.1.1 DNS app for everyone, allowing mobile internet users to get faster access to websites than they can with the default DNS.
Last week, Google announced the formation of an Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC). The purpose of ATEAC was to consider the complex challenges that might arise while developing AI technology and to provide diverse perspectives on these issues. Google isn’t the first company to take these sorts of steps, as Microsoft has its own AI advisory board as well. But all isn’t well with Google’s AI advisory. Less than a week after the announcement, it’s falling apart. On Saturday, behavioral economist and privacy researcher Alessandro Acquisti tweeted: I'd like to share that I've declined the invitation to the ATEAC council.
Anyone who played computer games in the 1990s probably spent a good deal of time doing battle in Warcraft and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. These classic real-time strategy games have never been available digitally, but that ends today. Both games are on sale at GOG.com. You can even play Warcraft II online — Blizzard’s servers are still running all these years later. The first game (Warcraft: Orcs and Humans) launched in 1994, taking place in Azeroth and consisting of just human and orc characters. The sequel came out just a year later featuring more unit types. The GOG version of Warcraft II also includes the “Beyond the Dark Portal” expansion pack.
The FTC announced it has fined Office Depot $25M for scamming customers into buying malware removal services they never needed. The company that cooperated with the scam, Support.com, was also fined $10M, for a total of $35M. The two companies collaborated to charge Office Depot customers up to $300 for malware removal services. Office Depot also owns OfficeMax (the two companies merged in 2013). From 2009 through 2016, Support.com provided Office Depot/OfficeMax with a “PC Health Check Program.” While it posed as a PC hardware diagnostics application, the actual purpose of the program was to sell consumers malware removal services.
Europe will require “intelligent speed assistance” on cars produced from 2022 and later to limit their speeds. Where Volvo is putting a voluntary cap on the top speed of its cars, this appears to establish speed caps relative to speed limit signs and to road conditions, as well as in special areas such as school zones and hospitals. European Union officials and automakers both say they want to proceed cautiously to iron out glitches and make sure the infrastructure is ready. Before any of this happens, the proposal has to be approved by EU member states and the European Parliament.
The Russian government has cracked down on VPN services, them to begin blacklisting websites the government finds objectionable. Multiple VPN services, including NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPVanish, and HideMyAss, are reportedly affected by the announcement. TorGuard also received a notice but has pulled out of Russia as a result. This is part of a broader push in Russia to limit access to internet-anonymizing services like VPNs. Over the past four years, Russia has cracked down on a number of freedoms and instituted/evolved its own internet monitoring systems. The country has been working to test its own intranet in a scenario in which access to the net outside Russia is unavailable or disrupted.
LG at Mobile World Congress last month, and now we know when you’ll be able to buy one. The G8 goes on sale and goes up against the recently released Galaxy S10 family. Carriers have already committed to a number of discounts on the G8 at launch that might help LG get a leg up. Unlike in past years, it sounds like the G8 will be LG’s main flagship phone for the whole year. It announced the V50 alongside the G8 as its 5G carrier phone. The V-series used to be a more premium offering announced in the fall.
