Month: November 2020

Enlarge / An illustration picture shows vials with Covid-19 Vaccine stickers attached, with the logo of US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, on November 17, 2020. (credit: Getty | JUSTIN TALLIS)

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech announced Wednesday that they have wrapped up the Phase III trial of their COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, finding it to be 95 percent effective at preventing disease and consistently effective across age, gender, race, and ethnicity demographics. The vaccine appeared effective at preventing cases of severe disease as well.

The companies added that they have also met a safety milestone—collecting a median of two months of safety monitoring data on trial participants—to file a request for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with the US Food and Drug Administration. They plan to file the request “within days.”

“The study results mark an important step in this historic eight-month journey to bring forward a vaccine capable of helping to end this devastating pandemic,” Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We continue to move at the speed of science to compile all the data collected thus far and share with regulators around the world.”

Enlarge / A Boeing 737 MAX jet lands following a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, on June 29, 2020. (credit: Jason Redmond | Getty Images)

The US Federal Aviation Administration issued an order on Wednesday to allow Boeing’s 737 Max to return to the skies, clearing the way for other regulators to follow and airlines to restore the plane to their schedules.

The move by US regulators, which had been expected, marks the beginning of the end of the worst crisis in Boeing’s century-long history. Two 737 Max crashes killed 346 people, and afterwards destroyed billions in Boeing’s market value, led to the departure of former chief executive Dennis Muilenburg and tarnished the reputation of one of the most storied US manufacturers.

The FAA is requiring that Boeing change flight control software, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, which was a critical factor in the two fatal crashes which happened within five months. The software will be unable to activate repeatedly and can only do so with input from two sensors, instead of just one. The agency is also requiring changes to the plane’s wiring.

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  The AMD Radeon RX 6800XT (top) and RX 6800 (bottom). [credit: Sam Machkovech ]

As 2020 draws to a close, the matter of "which new $500+ GPU is better" has become moot for most prospective PC gamers. Nvidia had a go at it starting in September with the impressive RTX 3000 series, offering on-paper value that blew its RTX 2000 series straight into obsolescence. But so far, its three RTX 3000 models have suffered from a mix of low supply and savvy scalpers scooping up such scant inventory.

This changes the tenor of any conversation about AMD's new RDNA 2 line of GPUs. In a more stable supply-and-demand universe, I'd be careful to warn buyers about the pros and cons of $500+ GPUs made by either manufacturer this year—each GPU has its own clear victories. That's already good news for AMD's two new cards going on sale this week, since it has been years since the "Red Team" has been this competitive with Nvidia.

With no clear indication that AMD will handle Radeon RX 6800 ($579) and Radeon RX 6800XT ($649) supplies any better than Nvidia and its RTX 3000 series, the verdict is a bit wacky. Your best option for the rest of 2020, honestly, is whatever you can actually purchase at a reasonable retail price. These cards are duking it out enough to give either side something in the way of future-proofed gaming performance at high-but-fair prices. If you're incredibly eager to upgrade to this tier and see anything in stock this year, outside of the worst resellers, close your eyes and buy.

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  Players who reach Level 40 before the end of the year will be the only ones able to access a limited edition in-game Gyardos hat. [credit: Niantic ]

If you're still playing Pokémon Go over four years after it first set mobile gaming records (and near-record revenue numbers in July suggest there are plenty of you out there), you've probably been stuck at the game's experience cap of Level 40 for a while now. If so, you'll be happy to hear that level cap will be increased for the first time ever, to Level 50, as part of an upcoming update branded Pokémon Go Beyond.

"Leveling up is one of the most important and meaningful aspects in the game," Niantic Product Manager Philip La said during a press presentation. "Reaching the current cap of 40 is a 'badge of honor' that other trainers will recognize. Some have reached it multiple times over. Now is the right time [to increase that cap]. Many dedicated players have achieved so many milestones and [are] looking for new challenges."

While Niantic isn't discussing specific timing for the level cap update (beyond "soon"), the company did say that trainers who hit the current level 40 cap by midnight on Dec. 31 will receive a "Legacy 40 Trainer" badge and additional "exclusive rewards." That seems to suggest leveling past 40 will be available in early 2021, if not as soon as the year transfers over. A few lucky Level 40 players in Australia will get to test the new level cap in the coming weeks.

Enlarge / This BYD Class 8 truck, capable of hauling a combined 82,000 lbs, is yellow, but it's also green. (credit: BYD)

DHL's deliveries in the Los Angeles area are going to get a little greener in time for the holiday rush. The international courier company is deploying four Class 8 trucks to the city, built for it by BYD Motors, which it will use to haul cargo between its hub at Los Angeles International Airport and its local service centers.

"By implementing these electric trucks, we will prevent more than 300 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere per year, as we continue to grow and enhance our clean pick-up and delivery solutions," said Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express US.

"The introduction of these efficient electric trucks is a huge step forward, not only toward achieving our own clean transport goals, but also California’s ambitious goals on the adoption of zero-emission vehicles," Hewitt said.