13-year old girl wipes out family savings making in-game purchases
A 13-year old girl from China blew her family’s fortune on microtransactions in a mobile game, wiping out their life savings in the process. Microtransactions are the new way that developers make money from their games and apps. This is.....»»
HomePod 18.2 upgrades Siri’s most used feature with one big change
This hasn’t been a great year for the HomePod, but Apple’s finally showing its smart speaker some love. Today’s HomePod 18.2 software update brings a key upgrade to what’s surely the device’s most used Siri feature: Apple Music requests......»»
My favorite Mac accessory is infinitely more comfortable than other peripherals
At the start of this year, I told my doctor about experiencing constant severe wrist pain since the prior summer. A few weeks later I was connected to a machine with gentle shocks to complete a nerve conduction study. As expected, the cause was moder.....»»
Interview: How these developers created 2024’s most celebrated apps
Apple today announced the winners of the 2024 App Store Awards, recognizing apps and games that “helped users ignite their creativity, achieve new milestones, and cherish everyday moments with family and friends.” I had the chance to spend tim.....»»
Reminder: Donate to win swag in our annual Charity Drive sweepstakes
Add to a charity haul that's already raised nearly $9,500 in just a couple of days. If you've been too busy punching virtual Nazis to take part in this year's Ars Technica Charit.....»»
Google goes “agentic” with Gemini 2.0’s ambitious AI agent features
Google barrels ahead with a push into AI systems that take action for you. On Wednesday, Google unveiled Gemini 2.0, the next generation of its AI-model family, starting with an e.....»»
All Aventura Observation quest answers in Infinity Nikki
There are 13 different quizzes that Aventura gives you in the Observation questline of Infinity Nikki. Here are all the answers and quest locations......»»
Day of the Devs reveals 3 surprise sequels ahead of The Game Awards
Day of the Devs 2024: The Game Awards Edition was full of eye-catching indie games, including sequels to Ultimate Chicken Horse, Demon Turf, and more......»»
Astronomers discover magnetic loops around supermassive black hole
NGC 1068 is a well-known, relatively nearby, bright galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center. Despite its status as a popular target for astronomers, however, its accretion disk is obscured by thick clouds of dust and gas. A few light-year.....»»
The Galaxy Z Flip 7’s biggest change may be hidden inside the phone
There's more confirmation that Samsung is making a huge switch on next year's Galaxy Z Flip handset......»»
The latest in poker cheats: Tiny cameras that can see cards as they’re dealt
Several recent schemes were uncovered, so should players everywhere be concerned? Matt Berkey was becoming suspicious. Berkey, a 42-year-old poker pro known for his presence in so.....»»
Here are the winners of the 2024 App Store Awards
After unveiling the finalists last month, Apple today officially took the wraps off the 2024 App Store Awards winners. This year, the company crowned Kino from Lux Optics as the iPhone App of the Year, Adobe Lightroom as the Mac App of the Year,.....»»
The best Nintendo Switch games of 2024: Zelda, Mario Party, and more
If 2024 was the Nintendo Switch's last full year, it went out in a memorably eclectic fashion......»»
Game Awards 2024: the case for and against every Game of the Year nominee
What will win Game of the Year at this year's Game Awards? For the first time, every single nominee has a chance at gold......»»
NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wednesday, December 11
Connections is the new puzzle game from the New York Times, and it can be quite difficult. If you need a hand with solving today's puzzle, we're here to help......»»
2024’s most underrated game turned me into a cheater
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is the hardest game of 2024, surpassing even Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC......»»
"Zero progress": Western states at impasse in talks on Colorado River water shortages
Seven Western states that depend on the Colorado River are ending the year at an impasse in negotiations over the writing of new rules for dealing with chronic water shortages......»»
Industry expertise in audits leads to cost savings, quality boost: Study
Corporations that partner with auditors who specialize in the company's industry reap cost savings and get a better picture of their finances, which boosts investor confidence, a new study has found......»»
Microsoft enforces defenses preventing NTLM relay attacks
Since making Kerberos the default Windows authentication protocol in 2000, Microsoft has been working on eventually retiring NTLM, its less secure and obsolete counterpart. Until NTLM gets disabled by default, Microsoft is working on shoring up defen.....»»
Tap to Pay on iPhone comes to Chile and Egypt
Apple has now launched its Tap to Pay on iPhone service in both Egypt and Chile, making a total of 20 countries that have received the feature since it started in 2022.Tap to Pay on iPhone lets merchants take payments without a separate contactless d.....»»
Scientists develop coating for enhanced thermal imaging through hot windows
A team of Rice University scientists has solved a long-standing problem in thermal imaging, making it possible to capture clear images of objects through hot windows. Imaging applications in a range of fields—such as security, surveillance, industr.....»»