After a relatively quiet month, all the feature film news came at once. No, it’s not another Uncharted delay (that we know of), but a new, reimagined Mortal Kombat movie lands tomorrow. According to screenwriter Greg Russo, violence and blood can be expected (of course), but ensuring the humor of the Mortal Kombat characters translated into the film was also important.
Warner Bros. Entertainment
On the other end of the spectrum, with little to no blood, a sequel to the Sonic movie is underway. We know Sonic’s pal Tails is likely to play a role, but antihero Knuckles could make an appearance too, based on the prop from Knuckles who will stand alongside Sonic and Tails during filming in Vancouver.
Neither of these franchises usually contain serious emotional narratives, and that’s fine. We’ll leave that up to the incoming Last of Us series from HBO.
– Mat Smith
There’s more going on than just test flights with drones.
Together with a family portrait of his robot siblings, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab equipped Perseverance with an instrument called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE for short. On April 20, it successfully pulled carbon dioxide from the planet’s atmosphere and converted it to oxygen.
The toaster-sized tool enabled Perseverance to separate oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules by heating the gas to approximately 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit and creating carbon monoxide as a by-product. During the first test of the instrument, it produced about five grams of oxygen, or about enough to give a single astronaut about 10 minutes of air in his suit. Continue reading.
Now in the US, UK and Korea.
Samsung
Samsung, which currently has more than 20 cellphones for sale in its store after trying to reduce its range by 30 percent in the past, is hoping to revive its old phones by converting them into smart home devices. Now the Galaxy Upcycling at Home program is making its way into the public eye after it was announced at CES earlier this year. Like its other smart home experiments, Samsung is testing the upcycling software using the Labs function in its SmartThings app. Once activated, users can use their old Galaxy phones as baby monitors or light detectors with the help of reused sensors, improved AI and battery optimization. Continue reading.
First, Seattle.
Amazon
Amazon is expanding its contactless payments to Whole Foods Market stores. Amazon has now installed it on a Seattle Whole Foods Market and plans to expand it to seven more in the area. With Amazon One, you can link a card to your handprint and pay for goods by simply swiping your hand over the reader. The company plans to expand the service further and even offer it to third parties. Continue reading.
The Video Pass may give you one more reason to sign up.
Sony
VGC discovered a logo and description for a PlayStation Plus video pass on the Sony official website. While the company has since removed the footage, it has pledged access to Sony films (including Venom and Zombieland: Double Tap) as part of a “trial service” that would last at least a year. Sony recently announced that it would stop selling movies and TV shows on the PlayStation Store on August 31st. A video pass could fill this gap and offer PS Plus subscribers even more, such as Amazon’s Prime offer. Continue reading.
Lucid wants to take on the Mercedes EQS.
Engadget
Starting at $ 77,400, the Lucid Air is compared to the Tesla Model S. But the automaker wants to target German luxury vehicles from Mercedes and Audi. With the recently unveiled Mercedes EQS, which launches around the same time as the Air, there has never been more choice for luxury electric vehicles. Take a look at our test drive here.
But wait, there’s more …
Tesla’s solar panels and Powerwall batteries become a package deal
All about Eve: the emerging PC brand struggling to repay confused customers
Disney’s new deal with Sony brings Spider-Man movies to Disney +
Google is responding to last month’s WebView nightmare on Android
TP-Link’s latest WiFi 6 mesh system starts at $ 280
The Apple vendor is the latest target in a $ 50 million ransomware hack
The FIA introduces the groundbreaking category of electric GT motorsport
Mac owners in the US can now extend their warranty beyond three years
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