Quentin Tarantino is getting his own film podcast on Stitcher

Four decades after famed film director Quentin Tarantino and his “Pulp Fiction” co-writer Roger Avary started their employment at Video Archives in 1983, the pair are reuniting once again to host a podcast exploring those seminal moments and the movies that influenced their later careers in The Video Archives Podcast, premiering on Sirius Stitcher later this summer. 

“We never imagined that 30 years after we worked together behind the counter at Video Archives, we would be together again doing the exact same thing we did back then: talking passionately about movies on VHS,” Tarantino and Avary said in a joint statement. “Watching movies was what originally brought us together and made us friends, and it’s our love of movies that still brings us together today.”

The films will be pulled from Tarantino’s extensive collection of more than 8,000 tapes and DVDs — Video Archives’ actual archives that he bought after the rental shop went out of business. 

Sirius has been working to develop its spoken word offerings in recent years, launching three new Marvel podcasts in 2020, reviving Lucille Ball’s old radio show, buying “99 Percent Invisible,” and purchasing not only Conan O’Brien’s podcast but his entire media company to boot. The Engadget Podcast, on the other hand, is entirely subscription-free while Filmcast, from Engadget’s own Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar, has all the movie references with (I assume) far fewer N-bombs than Tarantino’s.

The next Dragon Age game is called ‘Dreadwolf’

BioWare has finally shared more than the briefest of teases for its next Dragon Age game. The studio has revealed that the future title will be named Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, and that it will revolve around its enigmatic namesake character. The Dread Wolf, also known as Solas, is rumored to be an ancient elven god and could be a traitor, a hero for his people or something in between.

More details for Dreadwolf are coming later in the year, BioWare added. The company still hasn’t committed to a release date, but it emphasized that the new Dragon Age game wouldn’t arrive in 2022.

Word of the new Dragon Age first emerged in December 2020, but little has been mentioned since. There may have been a sharp change in direction, however. Reports emerged that BioWare and EA scrapped plans to make Dreadwolf a Destiny 2-style “live service” game in favor of a more conventional single-player experience. If so, this isn’t shocking — BioWare’s online-only Anthemfloundered, while Respawn’s multiplayer-free Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was a hit that prompted a sequel. The long development time might be necessary to rework the game and deliver the follow-up series fans are expecting.

Apple is reportedly working on a major multitasking update for iPad

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference takes place next week and, as always in the lead up to the event, the rumor mill is churning away. A report from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman suggests that Apple will reveal some big updates for iPadOS 16. Apple has long been trying to position the iPad as a viable alternative to a laptop, and the software changes will seemingly nudge the device further in that direction.

Gurman’s sources say iPadOS 16 will have a revamped multitasking interface, including more resizing options. Currently, users can run apps in full screen or side by side in Split View. The Slide Over function allows you to bring in a narrower version of a third app as well. The next version of iPadOS will seemingly make it easier to move between apps and see which ones you have open too. 

To add fuel to the fire, developer Steve Troughton-Smith last week spotted code in WebKit which indicates that Apple may allow for freely resizable windows in iPadOS.

Improved multitasking options and resizable apps will be very welcome for many users. Folks have long been able to use keyboards with the iPad and Apple added full mouse and trackpad support two years ago. Whether the mooted iPadOS updates will actually help the device become a laptop killer remains to be seen, but it’s clear Apple hasn’t given up on the idea. 

Also during Monday’s keynote, we’ll surely get a look at what’s next for the iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch operating systems. Gurman previously reported that iOS 16 will introduce more health-tracking features, upgraded notifications and support for always-on displays (which is expected to only be available on iPhone 14 Pro models at first). A refreshed lock screen may include widgets, which Messages is believed to be getting more features as well.

Android update brings Pixel’s custom text stickers to more phones

While we wait to learn more about Android 13, Google continues to release new features to its platform in the same regular cadence it’s adopted for the last few years. Today, the company has announced a set of updates around GBoard stickers, the Play Store and accessibility apps like Lookout and Sound Amplifier.

First, Google is bringing custom text stickers, which it previously launched on Pixel phones, to all Android devices. The feature allows you to convert English words into images, so if you type “Hi Ma” into GBoard and tap the custom stickers button in the suggested emojis row, you’ll see some auto-generated graphics featuring that text in different designs. Your language will have to be set to US English for this to work, for now.

The company is also adding more than 1,600 new Emoji Kitchen combinations so you can make new hybrid emoticons by tapping two symbols in succession. It’s also adding rainbow-themed stickers for users to share their Pride celebrations. 

Sound Amplifier is an Android app that makes sounds around you louder, which could be helpful for people with hearing loss. “Today’s update brings improved background noise reduction,” according to Google, along with “faster and more accurate sound and a revamped user interface that is easier to see.”

Also relevant to accessibility is the Lookout app, which uses the device’s camera to identify and describe objects around the user. It can read out words on signs or tell you if there’s say, a table at the two o’clock position, for example, so you can avoid walking into it. Today, Google’s adding a new Images mode that uses its “latest machine learning model for image understanding” and can describe an image even if you opened it from “just about any app.” The company also updated the Text, Documents, Food Label and Explore modes to make the app more accurate. Plus, Lookout now works offline, so you can use it without an internet connection.

Finally, those who have been racking up Google Play Points can use them to get in-app items without leaving their games or apps. You can choose to pay for things with solely Play Points or a mix of money and points. This feature is rolling out over the coming weeks in the countries where Play Points are available. Meanwhile, you can update your other apps like Lookout and GBoard to see the new tools announced today.

Oregon is shutting down its controversial child welfare AI in June

In 2018, Oregon’s Department of Human Services implemented its Safety at Screening Tool, an algorithm that generates a “risk score” for abuse hotline workers, recommending whether a social worker needs to further investigate the contents of a call. This AI was based on the lauded Allegheny Family Screening Tool, designed to predict the risk of a child ending up in foster care based on a number of socioeconomic factors. 

But after the Allegheny tool was found to be flagging a disproportionate number of black children for “mandatory” neglect, and a subsequent AP investigative report into the issue, Oregon officials now plan to shutter their derivative AI by the end of June in favor of an entirely new, and specifically less automated, review system.

The department’s own analysis predicts that the decision will help reduce some of the existing racial disparities endemic to Oregon’s child welfare system. “We are committed to continuous quality improvement and equity,” Lacey Andresen, the agency’s deputy director, said in a May 19 email to staff obtained by the AP. 

A number of states across the country have already implemented, or are considering, similar algorithms within their child welfare agencies. But as with Northpointe’s COMPAS before them, their implementation have raised concerns about the transparency and reliability of the process as well as their clear tendency towards racial bias. However, the Allegheny developers did note that their tool was just that and was never intended to operate on its own without direct human oversight.   

“Making decisions about what should happen to children and families is far too important a task to give untested algorithms,” Senator Ron Wyden (OR-D) said in a statement. “I’m glad the Oregon Department of Human Services is taking the concerns I raised about racial bias seriously and is pausing the use of its screening tool.”

In its place, the Oregon DHS will implement a Structured Decision Making model used by California, Texas and New Jersey. Oregon’s other child welfare AI, one that generates a score for whether or not a foster kid should be reunited with their family, remains on hiatus.

Activision will reveal its ‘Modern Warfare II’ remake on June 8th

Just a couple of weeks after divulging the release date for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Activision Blizzard is set to show off much more about the next game in the long-running series. A “worldwide reveal” will take place on June 8th at 1PM ET. 

The embattled publisher teased the reveal when it announced the October 28th release date last month. Activision previously confirmed some of the characters who will appear in Modern Warfare II, including John “Soap” MacTavish and Simon “Ghost” Riley. The reveal will surely offer a lot more info, probably including a first look at gameplay.

Infinity Ward is on deck for this year’s Call of Duty game, which is a sequel to 2019’s Modern Warfare. That itself was a reboot of the Modern Warfare sub-series, which started in 2007 with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Confused yet? Don’t blame you.

Infinity Ward is also working on a major revamp of the Call of Duty: Warzone battle royale, which will arrive at the same time as Modern Warfare II. Among the updates will be a new engine for both games.

Valve further delays Steam Deck dock due to supply shortages

You’ll have to be patient if you want an official way to turn your Steam Deck into a makeshift desktop. As The Verge notes, Valve has indefinitely delayed its Steam Deck Docking Station due to a combination of supply shortages and pandemic-related manufacturing shutdowns. The company said it was “improving the situation” and would share more info when available.

The setback won’t affect production and reservation windows for the Steam Deck itself, Valve said. In the interim, the company vowed to upgrade support for third-party USB-C hubs and external monitors.

The Docking Station cradles the Steam Deck while providing display, Ethernet and USB connections. It was announced alongside the handheld system, but wasn’t available when the Steam Deck first reached customers. Valve still lists the release as “late spring.” The delay won’t preclude you from using the Steam Deck as a PC or attaching it to a TV, but generic hubs clearly won’t be as elegant as a dock built with the console in mind.

BMW’s new entry-level EV is the iX1 SUV

BMW is expanding its lineup of electric vehicles once again. The iX1 SUV is an all-electric variant of the X1 crossover — BMW announced a third-gen edition of that vehicle as well. The iX1 is pegged as an entry-level model that’s expected to supplant the i3 as the automaker’s least expensive EV.

The company says the X1 will have two petrol and two diesel engine options when it arrives in October. Those variants “will immediately be followed by” the iX1 xDrive30, along with plug-in hybrid versions.

The iX1 will have a dual-motor powertrain with one on each axle. They’ll produce a combined output of 313 horsepower and 364 lb-ft of torque. BMW says the EV will be able to go from zero to 100 kh/h (62 mph) in 5.7 seconds.

The automaker estimates the iX1 will have a range of up to 438 kilometers (272 miles). It can be charged at a rate of up to 127 kW and BMW claims you’ll be able to top up the battery charge level to 80 percent of capacity in 29 minutes at high-speed public stations.

Inside the EV, you’ll see a curved display with support for voice and touch controls. The central console includes a wireless charging tray for your smartphone. There will be support for BMW Digital Key Plus, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

BMW will build all models in the X1 lineup at its plant in Regensburg, Germany. It’s keeping many of the details about the iX1 under wraps for now, including the battery capacity and pricing. The company should reveal pricing closer to the launch window.