Scott Stein

Facebook adding 1,000 to its global ad review staff

Today, Facebook is delivering copies of 3,000 ads to Congress that were likely bought by Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign. But the social media company is also pushing to improve how its ad transparency works in the future. Facebook aims to hire 1,000 people to its global ad review team over the next year, …

Read More »

A new PlayStation VR headset integrates headphones

Expect a minor update to Sony’s one-year-old PlayStation VR headset, according to a new blog post from Sony. It sounds like minor changes, but a few key differences could be helpful. Improved headphone integration sounds like it will allow for headphones to plug right into the visor, instead of dangling from the remote on the cord. Also, a new processing …

Read More »

Google ends punishment to paywall news in search results

News search results for sites with paid subscriptions will no longer be demoted in Google search, Bloomberg reported Sunday. It’s part of a Google move to offer better search and ad solutions for news sites with paywalls. The biggest change is that Google is dropping its “first click free” program, which favored search results from news sites that offered a free …

Read More »

Texting problems on Apple Watch 3? Here’s what’s going on

The big new feature on the Apple Watch Series 3 is its ability to live on a cellular LTE network, free from both Wi-Fi networks and the need to be paired to an iPhone. I’ve been living with the Watch for about two weeks (read my Apple Watch Series 3 review here), and I haven’t experienced the sort of wireless …

Read More »

Samsung waiting for Apple’s OK on its Gear Fit 2 Pro iOS app

When it was announced in August, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro fitness tracker was touted as being compatible with Android phones and iPhones. It’s been on sale since Sept. 15, but there’s just one problem: The iOS app isn’t available yet. No app, of course, means no iPhone compatibility, much to the chagrin of Apple owners in Samsung’s support forums. In …

Read More »

Titanic VR ride at NYC Samsung store is as weird as it sounds

I looked at my colleague as we took a breather at the bathroom sink, moments after we had sat together in a boat. With VR helmets on. No, we weren’t exactly sure what just happened, either. We were right off the Highline — the elevated park and major tourist attraction –at Samsung’s flagship 837 showroom in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. Here, …

Read More »

10 things we now know about Face ID on iPhone X

Curious about using your face to unlock your phone? Apprehensive about Face ID and Apple Pay? Apple published an extensive guide on Face ID in advance of the upcoming iPhone X. You can read it all yourself. Also, check out our in-depth look at the security aspects of Face ID and general overview of the tech. This isn’t the first …

Read More »

iOS 11’s best feature lets you put a couch anywhere you want

The iPhone 8 is an augmented reality phone. But guess what? The iPhone in your pocket might very well be, too. Before the new iPhones were announced, I told some coworkers that I thought ARKit and its apps — which promise to place virtual things in our real world — would be a bigger story than the new iPhones. Most …

Read More »

iPhone X: Our biggest questions about the phone we don’t have

My time with the iPhone X was brief. In a crowded demo room at the Steve Jobs Theater back on Sept. 12, I tried to use it as long as I could. And I can’t wait to take it for another spin. Just a week later, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are now known quantities. (Check our iPhone 8 …

Read More »

The iPhone X camera tech may go well beyond phones

After sitting in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s Sept. 12 event and looking at the iPhone X and its new technology for myself, I kept thinking about that front-facing camera array. TrueDepth, it’s called. It’s a bundle of sensors. It can detect faces, or moving muscles. It can see 3D objects. It can enable more advanced augmented reality. And, I can …

Read More »