Geek Trivia: What Is The Fastest Selling Consumer Electronic Device Of All Time?

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What to expect from Google on October 9: Pixel 3 and 3 XL, Home Hub, Chrome OS-powered Pixel Slate tablet, Pixelbook 2, incremental update to Chromecast, more (Jacob Kastrenakes/The Verge)

Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
What to expect from Google on October 9: Pixel 3 and 3 XL, Home Hub, Chrome OS-powered Pixel Slate tablet, Pixelbook 2, incremental update to Chromecast, more  —  Apple had its moment last month, so now it's Google's turn to show off new hardware.  On October 9th, Google will hold an event …

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Rethink Robotics, which helped pioneer robots like Baxter that could work alongside humans, shuts down after failing to be acquired; Rethink had raised ~$150M (IEEE Spectrum)

IEEE Spectrum:
Rethink Robotics, which helped pioneer robots like Baxter that could work alongside humans, shuts down after failing to be acquired; Rethink had raised ~$150M  —  Rodney Brooks's startup developed a new class of factory robots that could safely work alongside people.  Then came the hardest part: selling them

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DHS and UK's NCSC say they have "no reason to doubt" statements from Apple, Amazon, and others rejecting Bloomberg's story on China spying via microchips (David Brunnstrom/Reuters)

David Brunnstrom / Reuters:
DHS and UK's NCSC say they have “no reason to doubt” statements from Apple, Amazon, and others rejecting Bloomberg's story on China spying via microchips  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Saturday it currently had no reason to doubt statements …

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Microsoft Pulls Windows 10 October 2018 Update from download page (Venkat/Techdows)

Venkat / Techdows:
Microsoft Pulls Windows 10 October 2018 Update from download page  —  Seems Microsoft has pulled the plug on Download Windows 10 website, they've removed October 2018 update download information from the page without any announcement and now showing ‘Windows 10 April 2018 Update now available’ message.

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Tencent is making a secondary $317.6M investment for a 12.3% stake in Bilibili, a China-based video streaming company that went public on Nasdaq in March (Ka Kay Lum/DealStreetAsia)

Ka Kay Lum / DealStreetAsia:
Tencent is making a secondary $317.6M investment for a 12.3% stake in Bilibili, a China-based video streaming company that went public on Nasdaq in March  —  Tencent Holdings Ltd will invest $317.6 million in Chinese streaming site Bilibili in return for a 12.3 per cent stake, the two companies announced this week.

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Marshall’s Kilburn II is a ruggedly handsome bluetooth speaker

Marshall hasn’t been been shy about capitalizing on its legacy. The legendary English amplifier company has plastered its name on cans of beer and a line of refrigerators. It’s not the most crass branding we’ve seen, but it’s pretty damn silly.

At first glance, the same can be said for its line of bluetooth speakers and headphones, save for one important thing: they’re actually quite good. It’s been several years since the company branched out into consumer electronics, and along the way, it’s been remarkably consistent with the products that bear its iconic cursive logo.

Announced this summer at IFA, the Kilburn II doesn’t stray far from the familiar Marshall amplifier style. In fact, you’d be forgiven if you mistook the thing for a practice amp. Instead, it’s just a solidly built bluetooth speaker with a rubberized faux leather design that can take some serious bumps. It’s further ruggedized by way of a chainlink metallic grille up front.

The speaker is water resistant, so you can take it outside without much concern. That said, if you need a true all-weather speaker, I’d recommend looking at something from JBL. The Kilburn isn’t going to go swimming with you, but it’ll withstand a little spilt whiskey.

The sound quality is decent for speaker of this size. It’s not the best sound I’ve heard out of a bluetooth speaker, but if you’re looking for something portable to fill up a small room, it’s a pretty solid choice, and the treble and bass knobs up top will help you find find the perfect medium.

Unlike most bluetooth speakers, the Kilburn requires a proprietary plug for charging. That means no microUSB/USB-C. That’s understandable though, given the massive on-board battery, which should give more than 20 hours of life on a charge, watching the series of red bars creep down in the meantime.

At $299, it’s not a cheap bluetooth speaker, but it’s solid as far as the price point goes. It’s not going to replace your audiophile sound system any time soon, but at least it will look nice sitting next to your vinyl collection.

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This is the Google Pixel Slate

Maybe there will be some surprises at next week’s Google event. At this rate, however, we’re not entirely optimistic at the prospect. Just as the Pixel 3 got the full hands-on treatment in Hong Kong, a new contender has emerged. Like a number of recent leaks, these new renders of the Pixel Slate come courtesy of My Smart Home Hub.

As previous leaks have suggested, the device appears to be a tablet companion piece to the company’s well-designed Pixel Book. That is to say, it’s a premium take on the Chrome OS hardware market.

While the Pixel Book is a convertible via a swiveling keyboard, the Slate does dual-duty by way of a detachable keyboard case. The case features round, typewriter-style keys, which look to be a bit more substantial than those found on other detachables at first glance.

There’s also a built-in trackpad, which puts it ahead of Samsung’s most recent Galaxy Tab offering. The top also appears to have a crease for folding, suggesting that it will prop the slate up when in laptop mode. The system appears to work with the Pixel Book Pen, as well. Not much more in the way of information here, though there does appear to be front- and rear-facing cameras, front-facing speakers and a USB-C port (take that, Microsoft Surface).

More information will no doubt arrive the morning of October 9. Patience, friends.

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Images of Google Pixel Slate leak, show a Chrome OS tablet with a detachable keyboard, stylus, stereo speakers, and a USB-C port (Asif Iqbal Shaik/MySmartPrice)

Asif Iqbal Shaik / MySmartPrice:
Images of Google Pixel Slate leak, show a Chrome OS tablet with a detachable keyboard, stylus, stereo speakers, and a USB-C port  —  The Google Pixel Slate will run Chrome OS and will be unveiled during the company's October 09 launch event.  The tablet will feature a capacitive stylus …

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Profile of Rappi, an on-demand delivery startup operating in 28 Latin American cities, which recently closed a $220M round led by DST Global at a $1B+ valuation (Ezra Fieser/Bloomberg)

Ezra Fieser / Bloomberg:
Profile of Rappi, an on-demand delivery startup operating in 28 Latin American cities, which recently closed a $220M round led by DST Global at a $1B+ valuation  —  - Rappi forgoing profits to push into new Latin American markets  — Three-year-old startup raised $220 million in latest round

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Banksy piece immediately shreds itself after being sold for $1.25M

Hands-on with Google Pixel 3 XL, bought from a Hong Kong retailer three days before official announcement (Richard Lai/Engadget)

Richard Lai / Engadget:
Hands-on with Google Pixel 3 XL, bought from a Hong Kong retailer three days before official announcement  —  Even though this is an unreleased product, everything seems to check out: The device feels solid and well-built, likewise with its box and accessories, which include a pair of USB-C earphones …

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Test: Macs with T2 chips can still be repaired independently and remain operational as it seems Apple hasn't activated its rumored software "kill switch" (Adam O'Camb/iFixit)

Adam O'Camb / iFixit:
Test: Macs with T2 chips can still be repaired independently and remain operational as it seems Apple hasn't activated its rumored software “kill switch”  —  Well, stop the presses.  Turns out, ‘Apple makes your MacBook inoperative if you get it fixed at local repair shops’ isn't quite true …

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What to expect from Google’s Pixel 3 event

Apple, Amazon and Microsoft have already held their big fall events — and now it’s Google’s turn. Over the past couple of years, the October event has become an increasingly important platform, as the company continues to press into various hardware categories. And really, it’s Google’s last chance to make a big splash ahead of the holidays.

The Pixel 3 will no doubt be the centerpiece of the show. Google’s made no bones about that fact — and between officially sanctioned previews and Niagara Falls-sized leaks, it seems clear we’ve seen what the phone has to offer. Of course, these days, the event is about much more than the Pixel. This time last year, the company rolled out a bunch of additions to its Home line of smart speakers, including the Home Mini and Max. I’d anticipate seeing a fair amount of news on that front, as well this time out. 

The event kicks off October 9 in New York City. We’ll be there, of course. In the meantime, here’s what we think we’ll see, starting with the most obvious.

Hopefully there will be some surprises on the phone front, but I wouldn’t count on it. We’ve already seen both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL from every conceivable angle, both in still images and video. In fact, Google’s given Samsung a run for its money on the leak front, this time out.

The Pixel 3 XL will embrace Android’s notch love with one of the largest cutouts we’ve seen to date. The Pixel 3, on the other hand, may skip the notch altogether. A new color is apparently in the works, as well — Aqua, to match the recently announced Google Home Minty.

The phones are said to be sticking with a single rear-facing camera configuration, which has served the line well in the past, but some new AR tricks are apparently in the works, to help show off ARCore’s latest additions. The squeeze interface introduced by HTC has also been confirmed via a truly adorable official video from Google Japan. A pair of wired, Pixel Bud-esque headphones are expected be in the box, as well.The new phone should also be getting its very own charging stand — similar to one recently rolled out by Samsung (or, for that matter, AirPower). The stand, interestingly, is designed to essentially turn the Pixel into a makeshift smart display — similar to what Amazon’s done with its Fire tablets via Show Mode.

On that note, Google appears ready to put more skin in the smart display game, after partnering with a number of third parties earlier this year. The Home Hub has already shown its face in a couple of leaks and FCC approvals, with Google finally taking on the Echo Show head on. We know that the Home Mini likely won’t be getting a full refresh, given the recent color addition, but the first-gen Home does seem overdue to get a facelift that will hopefully make it look less like a Glade air freshener.

Like the Hub, a new Chromecast has also made the FCC rounds, though information on new features seems scarce. Given the lukewarm reception of the original Pixel Buds, hopefully we’ll see an update on that front. A new Pixelbook seems entirely plausible as well, along with the rumored addition of a convertible Pixel Slate tablet, adding another premium device to its Chrome OS offerings.

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An inside look at the tragic end of Telltale Games, the award-winning studio whose sudden closure left many employees blindsided and financially vulnerable (Megan Farokhmanesh/The Verge)

Megan Farokhmanesh / The Verge:
An inside look at the tragic end of Telltale Games, the award-winning studio whose sudden closure left many employees blindsided and financially vulnerable  —  How an award-winning studio abruptly shuttered, as told by the people who were there  —  When employees showed up for work on Friday …

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Microsoft suspends Windows 10 update, citing data loss reports

A few day after making the latest version of Windows 10 available to users, Microsoft has suspended the update, citing multiple reports of user data loss.

“We have paused the rollout of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) for all users as we investigate isolated reports of users missing some files after updating,” the company writes on its support site.

The company opened up the latest version of the desktop/laptop operating system as part of its big Surface event earlier this week. While it hasn’t officially started pushing the update, some users who’ve downloaded the OS refresh have begun reporting the deletion of documents, photos and other info on a variety of different forums.

The company appears to still be investigating precisely what’s going on here — and how widespread the issue is. Plans to begin pushing it to users early next week are likely delayed until the company gets to the root of the issue. Meantime, if you were planning to install the update, it’s probably best to just wait this one out. 

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