Tech Talk

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Tesla has a new rewards program in China to encourage customers to trade in their used models for a brand new one ( via electrek ). From now until September 30th, Tesla vehicle owners in China who opt for the deal will receive half-off the Full Self Driving feature, 15,000km (9,320.57 miles) of Supercharging credits, and a home charger installation savings of about $1,184. Tesla enthusiast Ray4Tesla shared the news on the “Ownership Loyalty Program” last month, which prices the Full Self Driving package in the offer at CNY32,000 (or about $4,741 USD) for cars that already have at least the Enhanced Autopilot package. Considering the price of FSD is now $12,000 in the US , it would seem like a deal to get it for more than half the current cost state-side, but don’t forget that in 2019 the regular price for the then mostly dormant feature used to be $5,000 . The current FSD beta in the US has the ability to autosteer in cities, something that

There’s a high chance that we’ll see a new iPad Pro 2022 before the year is done, but the main ‘upgrade’ might not be to the screen or chipset. Rather, it might be to the connectors, with the current three-pin Smart Connector possibly being replaced with a pair of four-pin connectors. That’s according to “reliable sources in China,” speaking to Macotakara , in a report spotted by 9to5Mac . Apparently, the upcoming iPad Pro 11 (2022) and iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) will both have the same housing designs as the current models, but with 4-pin connectors on the “top and bottom side edges.” That wording is slightly ambiguous, especially as this isn't primarily an English language site, so we’re not certain whether they mean the top and bottom of the back when held in portrait or when held in landscape, but it sounds like one or the other. The report also doesn’t specifically state whether these new connectors would be instead of or as well as the existing three-pin Smart Connector, but w

A leaked photo of the DJI Avata. | Image: @AttaccoG A leaked video has given us another look at the DJI Avata, a rumored FPV (first-person view) drone from DJI that reports suggest will be designed to be flyable indoors thanks to a compact, so-called “cinewhoop” design. The Avata follows the release of the DJI FPV , the company’s debut first-person drone released last year. The video, which was posted by reliable drone leaker @OsitaLV , appears to show the drone being piloted with DJI’s motion controller, which was previously available alongside its first FPV drone last year. The drone’s pilot is wearing a pair of FPV goggles unlike any that DJI currently has on the market, suggesting they’re the new model shown off in previous leaks . These DJI Goggles 2 look to have a similar design to its existing pair, albeit with a smaller and more compact design. looks like Avata has somatosensory support, and it was really under KOL's evaluation pic.twitter.com/PLnhPbkpYa — OsitaL

Spoilers follow for Doctor Strange 2 and Ms Marvel. Giancarlo Esposito has called on Marvel Studios to cast him as Professor X in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Speaking at the Superhero Car Show and Comic-Con event in Texas over the weekend (August 5-6), the Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian , and The Boys star revealed that he'd love to play the leader of the X-Men in Marvel's cinematic juggernaut. Esposito's declaration comes after rumors linked him with a number of roles in the MCU. Captured on video by the CountdownCityGeeks TikTok team , Esposito was asked which character he dreamed of playing in the MCU. Surprisingly, Esposito began his answer by confirming he'd already met with Marvel to discuss acting opportunities. After a long conversational tangent – skip to the 1:08 mark of the video above to get to the good stuff – Esposito address the online speculation before deciding which character he'd want to play. "I have not worked for Marvel yet,

Image: LG LG is today announcing two new sets of wireless earbuds. First up are the Tone Free T90 buds, which now become the company’s flagship pair. They still have the signature bacteria-killing UVnano charging case. And like the previous Tone Free FP9 , the case can also double as a Bluetooth transmitter, letting you run an aux cable to devices that might lack wireless connectivity — like a treadmill — and still use the earbuds like normal. According to LG’s press release, the noise-canceling T90s have “a new internal structure with larger drivers that helps generate deeper, more satisfying bass.” But what’s more interesting is that they support Dolby Head Tracking “across your favorite content and devices.” Here’s how LG describes that experience: Dolby Head Tracking recalibrates the sound as users move their heads for a more natural sound experience. Listeners will feel like they are in the center of the scene and experience a whole new level of audio immersion whether they

The beta for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is set to arrive next month, with PlayStation players getting access first, followed by those on Xbox and PC. Infinity Ward shared the news at its CDL Champs (Call of Duty League Championship) tournament. As with its previous betas, the dates are separated by console and whether you preordered the game or not. The first early access beta kicks off on September 16th to 17th for PlayStation 4 and 5 players who preordered the game. This is followed by the open beta for all PlayStation players, which begins on September 18th and ends on the 20th. The crossplay beta for players who preordered the game on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC will last from September 22nd to 23rd, while the open crossplay beta for all platforms starts on September 24th and ends on the 26th. Each session begins at 1PM ET. Pre-Order now for early access to the #MWII Open BETA! The #MWII @Playstation Early Access Beta starts September 16, with Early and Open access

New customization options in the One UI 5 beta. | Image: Samsung Samsung has officially started to roll out its One UI 5 open beta to Galaxy S22 owners in the US, Germany, and South Korea. The update comes only a few weeks ahead of Android 13’s expected release , and just a few days before Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event. Like the operating system it’s powered by, the One UI 5 beta looks like a relatively small update that adds some customization options, tweaks to notifications, as well as new accessibility and security settings. One UI 5 builds off of Android 13’s theming options by offering up to 16 preset color themes based on your wallpaper and 12 additional color options for your home screen, icons, and quick panels. It also introduces a way to stack similarly-sized widgets on top of one another that’s supposed to help create a less cluttered look. Image: Samsung The One UI 5 beta lets you stack widgets on top of each other. There are some new accessibility features a