Sam Corbin writes a parody of Edward Gorey’s “The Gashlycrumb Tinies,” about baby boomers.
Alienware Takes on Nintendo Switch With Portable Gaming PC
Alienware, Dell’s line of powerful gaming PCs, brought a portable console prototype to CES 2020 that could outperform the Nintendo Switch if it makes it to market .
The Concept UFO offers a look at what a full-fledged PC gaming experience might look like in a handheld device. The prototype seen here has an 8-inch screen with 1200p resolution, compared to the Switch’s 6.2-inch, 720p screen.
Players can use the Concept UFO as more typical standalone handheld. But users can also remove the to detachable controllers on either side of the screen, prop the screen up on a nearby table via a built-in stand, and magnetically lock the two controllers together to a central head unit to create a separate gamepad for more a desktop-like experience. The video below shows what the process looks like:
Unlike the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers, the Concept UFO’s controllers each have different button configurations and don’t appear to be usable on their own when not connected to the head unit.
The Concept UFO also runs a Windows 10 operating system. If Alienware added a keyboard attachment, this thing could conceivably be used for both serious gaming and as a high-performance tablet like a Microsoft Surface Pro.
Business Insider has more details on the Concept UFO’s processing power and capabilities:
According to Alienware, the Concept UFO uses a 10th generation Intel processor and will have access to WiFi, Bluetooth, and Thunderbolt. The device has two USB-C ports and can be controlled using a keyboard and mouse like a normal PC computer. Alienware hasn’t said anything about how long the battery life lasts, though the newest version of the Switch lasts about 9.5 hours at the outside.
As it’s a concept, there’s no word the Concept UFO’s price or release.
This $3,995 fat-tire electric scooter is totally unique — just don’t pick it up
Over a year ago, images and videos of an electric scooter with enormous wheels and a slanted, off-center frame began popping up online. The self-balancing scooter concept, made by a US-based company called Stator, went viral, but wasn’t available for purchase at the time. Well, now it is.
Stator says it has finally lined up a manufacturing partner, making it now available for preorder. The scooter will be produced and delivered by a company called NantMobility, a subsidiary of NantWorks, which was founded by Los Angeles Times owner and CEO Patrick Soon-Shiong. He’s a South African surgeon and billionaire investor who invented the cancer drug, Abraxane, which took off thanks to its efficacy against pancreatic cancer. (Last year, he was…
Did Donald Trump and Iran Use Twitter to Prevent a War?
Tweets from US president Donald Trump and Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif Tuesday offered a fascinating glimpse at how world leaders can communicate more quickly and directly than ever in times of crisis.
Samsung keeps the removable battery alive with new XCover Pro smartphone
Image: Samsung
Samsung’s new Galaxy XCover Pro is a rugged smartphone that features a removable battery, a feature that’s almost unheard of in a modern phone. So, if you’re prepared enough, you can easily swap out the phone’s 4,050mAh battery with a fully charged spare when its power runs dry. The device was technically launched last week in Finland, but Samsung did it so quietly that at least one report had it pegged as an unannounced handset.
Away from its removable battery, the real focus of the handset is its rugged design that’s meant to be able to survive being used out in the elements. WinFuture.de reports that it’s got an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating, can survive falls of up to 1.5 meters (roughly 4.9 feet), and that its touchscreen…
Samsung’s Device Care app is sending data back to China — but it’s less scary than it sounds
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
On January 6th, a post appeared on Reddit’s largest Android forum with alarming news: “Chinese spyware pre-installed on all Samsung phones.”
“I know the title is rather sensational,” the author explained, “however it couldn’t get any closer to the truth.”
The problem was a utility in Samsung’s Device Care application, a mandatory feature that comes preinstalled as part of Samsung’s Android implementation that cannot be removed. Using packet analysis tools on a Galaxy S10, the author discovered some strange traffic coming out of Device Care’s storage scanner, which looks for junk files that can be deleted to free up space. That scanner was sending data back to Chinese domains — and because storage scanners generally need access to all of…
Conor McGregor’s Official UFC 246 Walkout Shirt Is Getting Absolutely Roasted By Fans
Conor McGregor is returning to the Octagon in UFC 246, facing Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Pretty exciting for fans of the outspoken Irish fighter, but probably also a subject of skepticism from more cynical MMA devotees—it could be a money grab, even though there seems to be general agreement that McGregor has all the money he’ll ever need.
His return already seems a little fraught, too, as this week Reebok revealed the special ring walkout shirt he’ll supposedly wear when he steps in to face Cerrone and fans promptly started slamming it on social media.
“Wait. Conor McGregor is really walking out in this shirt?” was definitely a characteristic example of responses to the tee. That skepticism was immediate, too.
The consensus seemed to be that it’s hard to view the ferocious one-time two weight-class champion as a serious competitor when he’s apparently put his stamp of approval on such a cartoony representation of his image.
McGregor’s recent history with the UFC has been pretty bad, and this is the most petty sort of minor bump, but these things add up, morale-wise.
Still, nothing will matter but who can still pull off a win once Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone end up face-to-face when UFC 246 on January 18, 2020 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
#ReleaseTheJJCut Brings Conspiracy Theories to Star Wars
Hollywood fandom theories are everywhere. Now, ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ has one of its own.
CES 2020 WIRED Liveblog: Smart Vibrator, Exoskeleton, and More from CES
The WIRED crew is roaming the CES 2020 show floor to find the coolest and strangest gadgets this year.
Chrome is toning down its notification requests
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Chrome is cutting down on annoying browser notifications with its latest update. As part of this “quieter” new notification process for desktop and mobile, Chrome will automatically enable the new UI for users who tend to block notification requests as well as for sites with low opt-in rates. Users can also manually opt in to the less intrusive UI through the settings tab.
Google has been experimenting with less invasive prompts since last year. According to Chrome, notifications are a common complaint among users. “Unsolicited permission requests interrupt the user’s workflow and result in a bad user experience,” a post on its official blog reads.
Browsers like…