Acer brings OLED screens to its ConceptD creator laptops

Acer’s creativity-oriented ConceptD laptops are joining the wave of OLED upgrades. The PC maker has updated its ConceptD 5 and ConceptD 5 Pro portables with a 16-inch, 3,840 x 2,400 OLED screen that promises very high contrast while preserving the all-important color accuracy for visual editing. You can expect 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage, Pantone Matching System colors and Delta E<2 calibration. Acer also promises HDR support, although the display’s 400-nit brightness will limit that output.

Both systems promise up-to-the-minute specs, including 12th-gen Intel Core chips (up to the i7-12700H), up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory and as much as 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1 and a full-size SD card reader should also help creatives. The differences largely come down to GPUs. The ConceptD 5 is more mainstream with GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics, while the Pro version uses the workstation-focused RTX A5500.

The ConceptD 5 comes to North America in August with a $2,500 starting price. The Pro edition will only be available in Europe and the Middle East this September, when it will sell for €2,599 (about $2,740). That’s not a small expense, but it could be easy to justify if your livelihood depends on a powerful laptop.

Acer unveils a pair of portable, glasses-free 3D monitors

Acer’s no-glasses 3D is finally available beyond a laptop. The company has trotted out SpatialLabs View and SpatialLabs View Pro portable monitors that bring the more immersive screen tech to gamers and creators. Both 15.6-inch displays deliver stereoscopic 3D for content that either has a profile (for over 50 games) or the right export plugin. The screens can convert 2D content to 3D, and they’ll still be useful as 4K monitors with a 400-nit brightness and 100 percent Adobe RGB color coverage.

The differences largely come down to tweaks for particular audiences. The Pro builds on the regular SpatialLabs View with both creative tech and an “intelligent industrial design” to help deploy in the field. You can even use a VESA wall mount when you want a more permanent presence than the integrated kickstand (present on both models) can provide.

You’ll have to wait until summer for either model. Acer hasn’t yet outlined pricing, but these stand-alone monitors should be considerably more affordable than the $1,700 the company originally charged for its lowest-priced 3D laptop. It’s just a question of whether or not you want a 3D monitor in the first place. The glasses-free visuals could add a pleasant spin to otherwise familiar experiences, but there’s little doubt they’ll carry a premium compared to ‘plain’ 2D screens.

Samsung starts verifying Matter-compatible smart home devices

Now that the Matter smart home standard is finally close to launch, Samsung is doing its part to help device makers get ready. The company’s SmartThings unit has launched an early access program that will help some smart home companies test their first Matter-friendly products. The initial roster of 10 brands includes a multiple well-known names like Eve Systems, Nanoleaf, Wemo and Yale.

The program will verify that devices will support both SmartThings hubs and control through the SmartThings app. You ideally won’t need a dedicated hub just to bring this technology into your household. Matter will support a range of assistants (including Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri) as well as connectivity like Bluetooth LE, Thread and WiFi.

The effort comes just days after Google committed to rolling out Matter in the fall. The standard has endured multiple delays, and it’s not yet clear how well it will work in practice. However, Samsung’s testing should increase the chances of a smooth debut – it may just be a question of choosing the devices that best suit your needs.

Apple softens its stance on remote work amid return-to-office delays

Apple is once again delaying its return to the office, and this time it will be less strict about in-person work. The New York Timesunderstands that Apple has delayed the return to offices once again. The iPhone maker will no longer require staff to come to the office three times a week by May 23rd. Instead, the company will reportedly launch a pilot that has some employees return two days a week in the “weeks ahead.” Anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable can still work remotely, according to a company note.

While Apple didn’t share many other details, it promised at least two weeks’ notice before any changes. The test will require that in-person workers wear masks in common spaces and elevators.

We’ve asked Apple for comment. The delay was reportedly prompted by an increase in COVID-19 cases, and comes after multiple setbacks that included the coronavirus’ more transmissible Omicron variant. Until this latest hurdle, Apple had wanted in-person work at least once per week in April and twice per week as of May 2nd.

The company may not have had much choice regardless of the exact infection levels. Thousands of Apple workers have pushed back against the return-to-office plans as part of an “Apple Together” movement. In early May, the alliance published an open letter asking management for more flexibility in remote work. The company’s director for machine learning, Ian Goodfellow, even quit over the return-to-office policy. Apple risked further stoking tensions, and potentially losing more talent, if it continued with its earlier plans.

Disney+ won’t show ads to preschoolers on its new streaming plan

You might not have to worry that Disney+ will bombard you with marketing when the ad-supported tier arrives later this year. Disney has confirmed to TechCrunch that it will limit the volume of ads to an average of four minutes per hour with this cheaper plan, or far less than the 7.4 minutes you endure with Hulu. Content aimed at preschoolers won’t include any ads, and Disney will “never” target ads at individual kids.

It’s still not clear how much the ad-backed tier will cost. However, Disney mentioned during its latest earnings call that it would likely hike the price of the ad-free version (currently $8 per month) once the more affordable plan arrives.

The restraint wouldn’t be surprising. Disney+ is mostly built around family-friendly content, and a heavy ad load could be seen as exploiting the high ratio of child viewers. It just has to look to YouTube as an example. Google’s video service drew flak from politicians and other critics for allowing targeted ads meant for kids, not to mention exploitative videos. YouTube responded by restricting ad targeting and demonetizing “low-quality” videos that are overly commercial or promote bad behavior. Limited ads could both prevent a regulatory crackdown and reassure companies jittery about where their ads appear.

As it stands, Disney can’t afford to risk alienating customers. While the company said during its call that its growth strategy is still on track, its direct-to-consumer division (which includes streaming) saw losses deepen to $887 million last quarter as licensing and other costs hit hard. The more people sign up for the ad-supported tier, the sooner Disney+ can swing to a profit.

Mastercard’s pay-with-a-smile test is bound to rile privacy advocates (updated)

Amazon isn’t the only one hoping you’ll be willing to use biometrics to pay at the store. Mastercard has unveiled a Biometric Checkout Program that aims to set standards for paying with scans or gestures. The company hopes to make the purchase as simple as smiling for a camera or waving your hand in front of a reader — you wouldn’t risk holding up the queue by reaching for your card, phone or watch.

The initiative would have you enroll either at the store or through an app. The potential standard is meant to accommodate shops of all sizes, and Mastercard is teaming with Fujitsu, NEC, Payface and other companies to establish baseline requirements for performance, privacy and security.

A pilot version is launching this week in Brazil, with Payface providing technology in five St Marche supermarkets across São Paulo. Customers will just have to smile to pay for their groceries. Tests are also planned for Asia and the Middle East, although Mastercard didn’t share more details.

Biometric checkouts may be appreciated if you’ve ever fumbled for your wallet at the cash. As with other implementations, though, it’s not clear if Mastercard will satisfy privacy concerns. Regardless of promises to protect your data, you’re still trusting companies with photos and other sensitive body info. Many people aren’t comfortable with that, and the Red Rocks Amphitheater even dropped Amazon palm scanning after a backlash from artists and activists worried about hacking and government surveillance. If Mastercard and its allies are going to establish a standard, they’ll need to reassure shoppers that spies and fraudsters won’t abuse body scans.

Update 5/17 3:58PM ET: Mastercard stressed that data would be converted into a digital template and encrypted, and that your face image stays on your device. This might not assuage everyone, but it’s worth knowing if you’re mainly concerned that someone else might have access to any photos.

You can practice for a job interview with Google AI

Never mind reading generic guides or practicing with friends — Google is betting that algorithms can get you ready for a job interview. The company has launched an Interview Warmup tool that uses AI to help you prepare for interviews across various roles. The site asks typical questions (such as the classic “tell me a bit about yourself”) and analyzes your voiced or typed responses for areas of improvement. You’ll know when you overuse certain words, for instance, or if you need to spend more time talking about a given subject.

Interview Warmup is aimed at Google Career Certificates users hoping to land work, and most of its role-specific questions reflect this. There are general interview questions, though, and Google plans to expand the tool to help more candidates. The feature is currently only available in the US.

AI has increasingly been used in recruitment. To date, though, it has mainly served companies during their selection process, not the potential new hires. This isn’t going to level the playing field, but it might help you brush up on your interview skills.

Netflix is using subscribers as focus groups for unreleased shows

Netflix is turning to a conventional strategy to improve its originals: the focus group. Variety has learned Netflix has been screening movies and TV shows in advance to obtain feedback from subscribers invited to participate. Customers reportedly watch several titles over the course of six months and fill out a survey to indicate what they liked, hated or would change.

The company confirmed that it’s running focus groups, but only in the US. The panels have reportedly been active for roughly a year.

These screenings have been mainstays in Hollywood for decades, and are used to make edits when producers want a title to reach the broadest possible audience. Terminator 2‘s ending was changed after a focus group rejected the initial version, for instance. As in those cases, Netflix is using the groups to make sure its originals are received well and keep viewers coming back.

The company is very familiar with experimentation. It has tested everything from random show selection through to mobile games. However, testing show content is relatively new. While it’s not clear what prompted the new approach, Netflix is facing mounting pressure from rivals who are chasing awards and the customers that sometimes follow.

Tesla starts taking Semi truck reservations, five years later

Tesla’s long-delayed Semi just took an important step toward becoming a practical reality. As CNETreports, the automaker has started taking reservations for its electric big rig. You’ll need to place a $20,000 deposit ($15,000 of it by wire transfer), and Tesla still hasn’t narrowed down the launch beyond the expected 2023 production window. Still, this is notable when early commitments have largely been limited to bulk orders from the likes of PepsiCo and Walmart.

The Semi was unveiled in 2017 alongside the second-generation Roadster. The machine was meant to up-end conventional trucking with a maximum 500-mile range, fast “Megacharger” top-ups and a 20-second 0-60MPH time at a loaded weight of 80,000lbs. It’s still expected to start at $150,000, making it potentially viable for companies that want inter-city haulers without the usual fuel costs or environmental impact.

As with the new Roadster, though, the launch didn’t go according to plan. Tesla has delayed the Semi multiple times, most recently to grapple with chip shortages and limited production capacity for the necessary 4680 battery cells. Reservations at this stage are less about imminent delivery and more about locking in future income, just as Cybertruck deposits (estimated at 1.3 million as of November 2021) helped Tesla secure billions in revenue whenever the pickup arrives.

Still, Tesla might not be too worried about the wait. Rival Nikola is only just ramping up production of its electric semi-truck, and established brands like Freightliner haven’t found runaway success with their EVs. The Semi will still enter a relatively young field with both name recognition and technology as advantages.

Apple rolls out iOS 15.5 with upgrades to Apple Cash and Podcasts

Apple is quickly acting on its promise to deliver some useful upgrades before WWDC. The company has released iOS 15.5 and its iPadOS 15.5 counterpart with improvements to both Apple Cash and (as mentioned earlier) Podcasts. Cash users can now send and receive money from their card, while Podcasts users can have the app automatically limit episode storage based on criteria like the number of shows or time since release.

A corresponding macOS 12.4 update adds the relevant Podcasts features. You can also grab a previously teased firmware fix for the Studio Display’s mediocre webcam quality. Apple has also released watchOS 8.6, tvOS 15.5 and HomePod 15.5 updates, although those focus on bug fixes and performance rather than any significant features.

The iOS, iPadOS and macOS updates aren’t huge, but that’s not surprising. Apple has historically wound down significant upgrades to its current operating systems around this time of year. The focus now is likely on iOS 16 and other big revisions likely to arrive in the fall.