Month: December 2021

Enlarge / A man prays at the bedside of his wife, who is intubated and remains critically-ill after a COVID infection in the South Seven Intensive Care Unit Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minn. (credit: Getty | Aaron Lavinsky)

Nine Minnesota hospital systems published a joint letter Sunday saying that all of their beds are full, doctors and nurses are overwhelmed and demoralized, and their ability to provide care is threatened.

"We're heartbroken, we're overwhelmed... The situation is critical," they wrote in the letter, which was published as full-page ads in newspapers statewide. It was signed by executives from Allina Health, Children's Minnesota, CentraCare, Essentia Health, Fairview Health Services, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, and North Memorial Health.

Minnesota currently has the third-highest rate of new daily COVID-19 infections of any state in the US, with 76 cases per 100,000 people. Cases have risen 24 percent over the last two weeks, and they are expected to continue rising. Test positivity in the North Star State is currently over 11 percent, and only 64 percent of the state is fully vaccinated.

Enlarge / The iPhone 13 Pro Max, photographed by the iPhone 13 Pro in low light. (credit: Samuel Axon)

As is customary, Apple has released new OS updates for virtually all of its devices in one giant volley today. The releases include iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2, macOS Monterey 12.1, watchOS 8.3, and tvOS 15.2

All of these updates are now publicly available on supported devices. All but tvOS are x.x feature updates, meaning that they actually add new features instead of just fixing issues.

Depending on the OS, those features may include SharePlay, Apple Music Voice Plan, the App Privacy Report panel, and more.

Enlarge / Logitech G303 Shroud Edition. (credit: Scharon Harding)

What do you get when you take 2015's Logitech G Daedalus Apex G303, halve its weight, tweak the length and width, and cut the cable? Well, you get another G303. But this time, it's called the Logitech G G303 Shroud Edition. It's way more powerful and expensive ($130 MSRP) than its predecessor, and it's not for everyone.

Some of the changes made to the G303 were necessary for the mouse to compete in today's gaming landscape. At 2.6 oz (75 g), it's ready to compete in first-person shooters and for long sessions without tiring out your arm. At the same time, it avoids the aggressive sub-2-oz (57 g) ultralight category.

The G303 Shroud Edition is named so because it was made to the specifications of pro streamer Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek. What that means for you, besides some subtle Shroud branding on the mouse, is a wider, flatter device. You'll need bigger hands to find comfort here, and even then, the mouse's pointy edges may turn you off. But if you're bigger-handed and have been seeking a wireless gaming mouse for your fingertip or claw grip, you'll be proud to rock the Shroud.

Enlarge / A slightly grimy Hyundai Ioniq 5 on an unusually wet and gray day in Southern California. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

The car I've been most excited about in 2021 is the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The Korean automaker has impressed with each new model we've tried, and its smaller electric vehicles are some of the few that can rival Tesla in terms of range efficiency.

The Ioniq 5 is the first product from Hyundai Motor Group—which includes Kia and Genesis—to use the new 800 V E-GMP platform, which was designed from the ground up to produce pure battery EVs. I spent a day driving one last week, but I can't say more about that until later this week. What I can tell you, now that Hyundai has finalized pricing, is how much the Ioniq 5 will cost.

The cheapest way to get an Ioniq 5 will be the 125 kW (168 hp) rear-wheel drive SE Standard Range model with the smaller 58 kWh battery pack. This will cost $39,700 before the IRS 30D tax credit and any local incentives. However, as is nearly always the case with a new car regardless of OEM, if you want the cheapest one, you need to be prepared to wait, as it will only become available in spring 2022. (That is still an improvement over Hyundai's original plan of not bringing the car to the US at all.)