Month: May 2021

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Oscar Wong)

The Federal Communications Commission today opened enrollment for $50-per-month broadband subsidies for US residents who have low incomes or who lost income during the pandemic. Over 825 Internet service providers across the US are participating in the program, with the full list of ISPs in each state and territory available here. All the biggest ISPs and hundreds of smaller ones are participating, so the subsidies should be available in most areas with home Internet access.

Cable, fiber-to-the-home, DSL, and fixed wireless ISPs are among the home-Internet services included in the program. The subsidies aren't just for home Internet, as many mobile providers are participating in the program as well. To enroll, go to getemergencybroadband.org and click on "Apply Now." I received error messages when clicking the link today, but other people said it was working, so hopefully everyone who needs it will be able to get through without much trouble.

Congress approved the subsidy program in December, providing $3.2 billion. "This pandemic-related program will continue until the $3.2 billion in federal funding runs out or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the pandemic," the FCC said today. "Eligible households will be able to receive on their broadband bill a discount of up to $50 per month, or $75 on qualifying Tribal lands. They will also be eligible for a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price."

Enlarge (credit: stockcam / Getty)

Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, yesterday suspended two apps that allowed users to send anonymous messages to other users on the platform. The move came in response to a lawsuit filed Monday against Snap and the two messaging apps.

The lawsuit seeks class-action status to represent all 92 million Snapchat users, and it demands that Snap ban both Yolo and LMK from its app store. The developers of both apps, the suit alleges, did not implement adequate safeguards against harassing and bullying behavior.

The suit was brought by Kristin Bride, the mother of Carson Bride, a 16-year-old who suffered from cyberbullying on the Yolo and LMK apps. Over half the messages he received on Yolo were “meant to humiliate him, often involving sexually explicit and disturbing content,” according to the lawsuit. After a particularly personal string of insults, 16-year-old Carson searched in vain for how to reveal the identity of his bullies. Just over two weeks later, he took his own life. His last search was “reveal Yolo username online.”

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  Newell poses with faculty at Sancta Maria College before speaking to students at the Auckland school. [credit: Sancta Maria College ]

Valve co-founder and Managing Director Gabe Newell hinted that his company may be planning an expansion into the console space soon.

While speaking on Monday to students at Auckland, New Zealand's Sancta Maria College (the rough equivalent of a Catholic high school in the US), Newell was asked, "Will Steam be porting any games on consoles, or will it just stay on PC?" The answer, as recorded by Reddit user Odysseic, was a vague gesture at unspecified plans. "You will get a better idea of that by the end of this year... and it won't be the answer you expect," Newell said. "You'll say, 'Ah-ha! Now I get what he was talking about.'"

"The answer you expect" would probably be "we're sticking with PC games," so any answer involving console plans would definitely be unexpected. But the lack of specifics in Newell's statement has left a lot of Valve-watchers guessing.

Enlarge / The Apple Watch Series 7 (left) and Series 6 (right). (credit: Corey Gaskin)

With the holiday shopping season starting up, we’ve updated our guide to the best smartwatches you can buy. The Apple Watch Series 7 now takes the top spot from the Series 6, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 replaces the Galaxy Watch 3 as a top pick for Android users, and we’ve swapped in a couple new Garmin watches as running- and style-focused recommendations.

Believe it or not, there are smartwatches worth owning besides the Apple Watch. If getting important (or not so important) notifications on your wrist sounds appealing to you, there’s great news: most smartwatches can now do that for you. And you have options when it comes to style, form factor, and more dedicated wearable purposes.

There are smartwatches that emphasize style and a classic timepiece aesthetic, others that help you train for competition in specific sports, and everything in between. From casual exercisers to those who want every bit of data and guidance they can get, the smartwatch landscape has matured. And recently, we revisited some of our favorite options and tested the latest releases in an effort to help you nail down the best smartwatch for your needs.