Toyota has A sleek and shiny Prius, and the press seems to agree: This one looks great. The old Prius used to look like, uhh, less than cold, with their complex boxy teardrop style and normcore vibe. The 2023 Prius, by comparison, looks sleeker, with a sleeker body that lowers the Prius’ teardown into something akin to a Tesla.
It’s still a gas-electric hybrid that requires refueling to drive—sadly, the all-electric revolution didn’t come to the old Prius. Toyota claims it gets an average of 57 mpg, making the Prius the most affordable. The car will also be zippier than before, with a 220-horsepower engine under the hood. This is good for the Prius; ask the car guy. Other innovations include a hands-free driving system and the addition of solar panels to recharge the battery while the vehicle is stationary.
The new Prius will be available in two models: the base Prius and the slightly more fuel-efficient Prius Prime. Toyota hasn’t said when the cars will be available or how much they’ll cost, but look for them next year.
Here are some stories from today’s consumer world.
Microsoft Teams Get Games
Microsoft has announced a new feature of its Teams video conferencing software: video games. Participants in Teams calls can now play as Solitaire, A minerand Amazing right in the app. The game is aimed at people who use Teams for work. Nancy Baym, senior director of research at Microsoft, says that putting games into a work tool encourages much-needed connection after nearly three years of remote work.
“People were able to do well, but they felt disconnected, and that had negative consequences,” says Baym. “Games are one of the best ways to step in and say, here’s an offer to connect with each other in a very difficult way.”
To promote the goal of building connections, none of the games are single-player. (No, not even Solitaire). This means you can’t quietly play the game by yourself while pretending to be listening to your manager broadcast the KPIs every quarter. Playing a game with your team can be a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the work day, even if there is still time to watch. We’ll see how long it takes for Zoom’s fatigue to settle A miner fatigue.
Check out the Leica Large Lens Phone
Hey look, Leica made a smartphone to follow the 2021 Leitz Phone 1. What is that? Does it have a camera, you ask? Oh, it does. As you’d expect from a high-end camera brand, the Leica lens is the main attraction on the Leitz Phone 2. One large lens takes up one third of the phone. Its focussing design rivals all integrated smartphone cameras.
The Leitz Phone 2’s main camera captures 47.2-megapixel photos. On the other side there is a 6.6-inch OLED screen that allows you to see all your beautiful pictures or detailed selfies. Oh yeah, and you can also use it to make phone calls or whatever. It will only be available in Japan; those outside the country will have to buy it as an import.
Netflix is Coming to Friends
The days of sharing a Netflix account may be coming to an end. This week, Netflix introduced a new feature in user accounts called Managing Access and Devices. It allows the user to block their Netflix account on specific devices—something that the user can easily use to ban family, friends, and roommates from their Netflix account. It’s an innocent enough piece, and one that would be great for anyone who wants to release their social media credentials that they lost in a divorce, to prevent their ex from showing fraudulent behavior at their expense. But it’s a move that makes Netflix end account sharing.
Netflix has been planning this for months. The company has tried charging additional fees for additional accounts in a few countries, and says it plans to roll out the program in nearly all of its markets next year. The company also launched an ad-supported subscription system earlier this month.
Common Twitter Problems
Well, Twitter went well. Now that nearly every employee has left Twitter and the site appears to be free-wheeling, things are about to get even worse for the bird program. (Assuming it’s still up and running.) In any form Twitter continues to rock, it’s never been more vulnerable to security threats.
This week on WIRED’s Gadget Lab In the podcast, security writer Lily Hay Newman talks about how Twitter’s insecurity can lead to hacking, data leaks, and misinformation on the platform.
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