Month: June 2021

Enlarge / It may look nearly featureless, but it's meant to contain 80 qubits. (credit: Rigetti Computing)

A quantum-computing startup announced Tuesday that its future quantum processor designs will differ significantly from its current offerings. Rather than building a monolithic processor as everyone else has, Rigetti Computing will build smaller collections of qubits on chips that can be physically linked together into a single functional processor. This isn't multiprocessing so much as modular chip design.

The move is consequential for both Rigetti processors and quantum computing more generally.

What’s holding things back

Rigetti's computers rely on a technology called a "transmon," which is based on a superconducting wire loop linked to a resonator. It's the same qubit technology used by large competitors like Google and IBM. The state of one transmon can influence that of its neighbors during calculations, an essential feature of quantum computing. To an extent, the topology of connections among transmon qubits is a key contributor to the machine's computational power.

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  This is Lexus' flagship model, the LS500 sedan. [credit: Jonathan Gitlin ]

When Lexus arrived on the scene in 1989, it was truly a wake-up call for existing luxury car makers. Toyota was only really known outside Japan for making mainstream cars, and the company wanted to prove it could build a better luxury car than anyone else. The LS400 made a convincing case that it could. Not only was the car cheaper and faster than its German rivals, it was also quieter and more refined, as well as lighter and more efficient. Well-built, too. (It even made a cameo in Street Fighter II.)

Thirty-two years later, Lexus is a well-established option if you're looking for a luxury car. And despite shrinking demand for flagship sedans as drivers continue to display a bad case of SUV-itis, Lexus still offers a flagship sedan. The current LS is in its fifth generation, first introduced at the end of 2017 and then face-lifted recently for model year 2021. After spending a week getting to know one, I can say that Lexus still knows how to craft a beautiful, well-put-together car. At the same time, the new LS is starting to show its age in places.

At its core, the LS500 uses one of Toyota's new global architectures, in this case TNGA-L, for the biggest rear- or all-wheel-drive luxury cars. Although the numerals in the name used to refer to engine displacement, like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, they are no longer accurate: the 2021 LS500 is actually powered by a 3.4 L twin-turbocharged V6. A decrease in capacity over the previous naturally aspirated V8 is no real downgrade, as the V6 is silky in its delivery of 416 hp (310 kW), and the 442 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque arrives as a broad plateau from 1,500 rpm. Lexus builds both rear-wheel-drive (MSRP: $76,000) and all-wheel-drive (MSRP: $79,250) LS500s, but regardless of how many wheels are driven, all come with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Enlarge / A screenshot of the Netflix downloads page on a smartphone. (credit: Netflix)

The ability to download videos in their entirety to a mobile device has been one of the unsung features of Netflix and similar services for a few years now, but the experience has not been without its frustrations. A new update to the Netflix mobile app targets one of those challenges.

Starting today, Android phone or tablet users on version 7.64 or higher will be able to start viewing a video download in the Netflix mobile app even if that video hasn't finished downloading to their device. The company's newsroom post announcing the new feature says it's intended for situations when "unreliable wifi or a maxed-out data plan" prevented a video from fully downloading.

So if you tried to download a movie on airport Wi-Fi before your coast-to-coast flight but only got to 80 percent before you had to board, you can now at least watch part of the movie while waiting for an opportunity to finish the download. Once you have a reliable connection again, the download can pick up where it left off even if you started watching the video in the interim.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images)

Microsoft gave its digital imprimatur to a rootkit that decrypted encrypted communications and sent them to attacker-controlled servers, the company and outside researchers said.

The blunder allowed the malware to be installed on Windows machines without users receiving a security warning or having to take additional steps. For the past 13 years, Microsoft has required third-party drivers and other code that runs in the Windows kernel to be tested and digitally signed by the OS maker to ensure stability and security. Without a Microsoft certificate, these types of programs can’t be installed by default.

Eavesdropping on SSL connections

Earlier this month, Karsten Hahn, a researcher at security firm G Data, found that his company’s malware detection system flagged a driver named Netfilter. He initially thought the detection was a false positive, because Microsoft had digitally signed Netfilter under the company’s Windows Hardware Compatibility Program.

Enlarge / Juul went with a fashionable, "cool" marketing strategy. (credit: Mass.gov)

Electronic cigarette maker Juul and the state of North Carolina have reached a settlement over the state’s claims that Juul aggressively targeted its “highly addictive” products to youth, igniting a vaping epidemic.

While still denying any wrongdoing, Juul has agreed to pay North Carolina a total of $40 million over six years. Additionally, the company will adhere to a list of restrictions aimed at blocking any promotion and sales of its products to youths. According to the list, Juul won’t use advertisements that may appeal to youth; it will avoid most social media advertising and the use of influencers; it won’t sponsor sports and entertainment events, like concerts; and it won’t use anyone under the age of 35 in its marketing.

The company also agreed to help enforce age restrictions by running a “secret shopper” program. Juul will send undercover representatives, ages 21 to 27, into at least 50 stores throughout the Tar-Heel State per month to check whether retailers verify buyers’ ages.

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

Today's rendition of the Dealmaster has discounts on a number of gadgets we at the Ars Orbiting HQ have previously recommended. Eufy's Indoor Cam 2K, one of our favorite indoor security cameras for those on a budget, is $10 off, for instance, while UE's crisp-sounding and rugged Wonderboom 2 Bluetooth speaker is down to $65. Multiple SKUs of Apple's impressive M1 MacBook Air are on sale, as is Anker's compact PowerPort III Nano USB-C fast charger. A number of PC games we like, including recent Ars GOTYs Hades, Control, and Celeste, are deeply discounted as part of Steam's ongoing Summer Sale, while Switch owners can get the lowest price we've tracked on the Ars-approved Monster Hunter Rise.

Elsewhere, Microsoft's recently upgraded Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service is still $15 off for past or current subscribers, while Apple's high-end AirPods Max headphones are $60 off, bringing them down to $490. That's still pricey, but it's a new low all the same. We also have deals on Audible subscriptions, Dyson vacuums, Nest thermostats, and more, all of which you can find in our curated roundup below.

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.