VR Week 2022

Hot job alert: metaverse architect

More and more people, including traditionally trained architects, are creating buildings for the booming virtual real estate market.

VR Week 2022

The 9 best apps to get started working in VR

Whether you’re ready or not, virtual workspaces are coming to replace our work-from-home world.

VR Week 2022

Inside the volunteer 'police department' arresting people in VR

Thousands are roleplaying as cops on the VRChat platform, engaging in a mix of right (saving hostages) and wrong (planting drugs on civilians).

VR Week 2022

There’s no VR internet in our future — at least not one we’d want

HTC’s pitch for the metaverse, called Viverse, is a collection of buzzwords — AI, 5G, NFTs! — a clone of Meta’s promises without the scam-covering sheen.

VR Week 2022

The 11 best hardcore VR games you should play right now

Full virtual reality titles are still in short supply, but there are plenty of gems available whether you’re a beginner or veteran VR user.

VR Week 2022

From ‘The Lawnmower Man’ to Meta: VR’s most important moments

Thirty years ago an adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘The Lawnmower Man’ hyper-fixated on the dangers of “virtual reality." Here’s a short timeline of how VR has become a mainstream buzzword.

VR Week 2022

Motorola’s solution to bulky VR headsets is a bulky 5G necklace

The 5G neckband would house all the bulky components of a VR headset, so it could pair with a much lighter alternative.

Tech

How to have a long-distance date in VR

Sometimes you need more than a FaceTime with your significant other on Valentine’s Day. Let this collection of VR apps and experiences offer some inspiration for remote dates.

Remotely together

People can’t stop smashing their TVs while playing games in VR

There was a 31 percent increase in virtual reality-related claims in 2021, according to British insurance company Aviva.

Tech

How to watch Super Bowl LVI in VR... if that’s a thing you want to do

Meet up with friends from afar to watch Super Bowl LVI from the (relative) comfort of your own headset. Just don’t get any dip on your headset.

The Big Virtual Game

We won't be seeing the HoloLens 3 anytime soon

A new report says the Microsoft department working on the third-gen HoloLens headset is in disarray and has scrapped plans for mixed reality headset entirely.

Tech

This VR doc shows how vibrant virtual life already is without Meta's meddling

Sundance documentary We Met in Virtual Reality, filmed entirely in VRChat, proves corporate metaverse boosters already have the wrong ideas about VR.

Reviews

Meta wants to literally stare into your eyes to sell ads

‘Dozens’ of new patents showcase the wide array of ways Zuckerberg intends to track every move you make. No exaggeration.

Eye Spy

The Brooklyn Nets’ metaverse tech puts players on the virtual court

It's the first instance of a professional sports team in America getting in on the virtual world gold rush.

Netaverse

The VR cows are really bumming us out

A Turkish rancher is outfitting his cattle with VR headsets to increase milk production while they're stuck inside for winter.

Mootrix

Shiftall’s lightweight VR headset does away with all the bulk

The company is expecting to release the MeganeX in spring 2022, with a price tag estimated to be less than $900.

CES 2022

Layers

Twitter’s new Tor-friendly browsing service circumvents Russian censorship

For Russian Twitter users, there’s a new bright side to the dark web.

Shutterstock

On Friday, Russia blocked access to Twitter, engaging in the censorship that the free internet was intended to prevent. But just days later, Twitter announced its new onion service — an anonymous browsing tool that allows internet users to bypass government censorship. Twitter’s ordinary website has long been available via Tor, but the new onion address allows for better protection. The onion service is now on Twitter’s “supported browsers” page.

The address is https://twitter3e4tixl4xyajtrzo62zg5vztmjuricljdp2c5kshju4avyoid.onion. To access it, you’ll first have to download Tor Browser.

Motherboard reports that, in March, 12.77 percent of Tor relay users were connecting from Russia, according to data from the Tor Project.

HOT FITS

Kanye and Adidas are dropping more Yeezy Foam Runners this week

“Mist” and “Stone Sage” versions of the slipper will be available in full family sizing.

Style

Converse’s Women’s History Month collection is full of bouquets

Perfect for the girls whose love language is receiving flowers and sneakers.

Style

CLOT uses optical illusion to make Nike’s ‘Flux’ Dunk sneaker look chrome

Lenticular fabric makes for a shoe unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

Style

Wearing Nike's Union Dunk Low 'Pistachio': Must-have sneaker of 2022

The first color from the "Passport Pack" does not disappoint, and this is a shoe you can wear just about every day.

Style

Travis Scott’s answer to Astroworld tragedy is a charity called ‘Project Heal’

One initiative is to "address safety challenges for large-scale live events."

Style

This grungy Chrome Hearts ice cream scooper costs nearly $3,000

Good luck finding a pint worthy of scooping from.

Design

Wearing Nike's Jordan 1 ‘A Ma Maniére:’ A stunning luxury sneaker

Premium materials and a clean color combo makes this a must-have shoe for sneakerheads.

Style

Burton is auctioning ten Virgil Abloh-designed snowboards for charity

Proceeds will go to the late designer's “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund.

Style

Nike’s ‘Great White Shark’ SB Dunk sneaker is the catch of the season

Made in collaboration with Swedish skater Oskar "Oski" Rozenberg.

Style

Salehe Bembury's New Balance outdoor gear is as great as his sneakers

Collarless fleeces and canvas noragis keep the outdoors weird.

Style

New Balance’s platform CT302 sneaker is an instant classic

The fresh footwear balances retro and modern aesthetics not unlike New Balance’s collaborations with Aimé Leon Dore and Casablanca.

Style

Nike’s doubling down on making more earth-friendly sneakers and clothes

The company’s “Move to Zero” initiative will also focus further on its mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep supply chain waste out of landfills.

Style

Gap taps Dapper Dan to rework its iconic logo hoodie

The legendary designer is helping Gap celebrate classic American style.

Style

Palace’s Elton John collab may just get boomers into streetwear

Featuring the tracksuit you never knew you needed.

Style

Givenchy takes cue from Kanye with its Yeezy-like slip-on shoes

A more curvaceous shape and skeletal graphics make the luxury knit sneaker all that more appealing than Yeezy’s own.

Style

Michael Jordan's first NFTs are here

What are you gonna do when the NBA and Nike own your best images?

Style

Gaming

New 'Fall Guys' mode is all about stealing candy

Sweet Thieves is available to play until March 13.

Fall Guys

This week, Fall Guys introduced a new game mode called “Sweet Thieves” that’s available to play until March 13. In it, users are split into two team, Guardians and Thieves, as they try to protect or steal candy pieces from each other.

As you can probably guess, Thieves attempt to take candy from a base protected by Guardians. There’s also a stealth element in play; thieves are invisible and must be evasive while infiltrating enemy territory. Guardians can capture thieves by grabbing them, which sends the unlucky player to jail. There is a jail break button, though (presumably it isn’t always active).

Even though the test run for Sweet Thieves is only supposed to last until March 13, we wouldn’t be surprised if the mode becomes a permanent Fall Guys fixture. Why spend the hours developing a brand new add-on if it will only be playable for five days?

Tap Stories

9 things Apple didn’t mention at its “Peek Performance” event

There’s more to know about the company's new 2022 iPhone SE, Mac Studio, Studio Display, and iPad Air 5.

Tech

Wearing Nike's Union Dunk Low 'Pistachio': Must-have sneaker of 2022

The first color from the "Passport Pack" does not disappoint, and this is a shoe you can wear just about every day.

Style

Apple’s ‘Alpine Green’ makes debut on iPhone 13 Pro lineup

Alpine green and a regular dark green will offer an understated, but sleek look.

Design

Apple's new M1 Ultra chip explained in 5 key stats

Apple’s newest update to the M1 lineup harnesses the power of “UltraFusion” to combine two chips into one.

Gotta go fast

Wearing Nike's Jordan 1 ‘A Ma Maniére:’ A stunning luxury sneaker

Premium materials and a clean color combo makes this a must-have shoe for sneakerheads.

Style

Apple’s iPad Air 5 comes in 5 groovy colors

The fifth-gen iPad Air is basically the same as the iPad Air 4, but with a new A15 Bionic chip, 5G, and a few new eye-catching colors.

Tech

Apple's 2022 iPhone SE adds 5G, same chip as iPhone 13

The new budget phone has 5G support, a new A15 chip, the same old design, and it's coming out March 18.

Tech

The best books under $50 to make your coffee table better

Let’s give the tired fashion house and classical artist books a rest, shall we?

Design

How to dress like rap queen Nicki Minaj for under $100

Getting Nick’s look is easier than it seems. These eight affordable pieces will have you feeling yourself in no time.

Style

Jeep’s fully-electric SUV may arrive early next year

Jeep's parent company, Stellantis, teased a couple of images and said the SUV would be available in early 2023.

Tech

The Polestar O2 concept looks like it belongs in a museum

The electric convertible is trying to redefine our ideas of what a sports car can be.

EV

Here’s every Adidas Yeezy shoe Kanye is dropping in March

Yeezy Slides, 350 Boost V2 sneakers, and Foam Runners are all coming back soon. Use this guide to keep track of what’s dropping, and when.

Style

Razor’s electric Icon scooter is an homage to the early aughts

With a newly launched Kickstarter campaign, Razor is looking to bring its iconic design to the electric age.

Tech

People are losing their minds over Pokémon’s new starters

Sprigatito, Quaxly, and Fuecoco have captured the people’s minds and memes.

Gaming

Samsung’s Galaxy Book 2 Pro laptops have 1080p webcams and 21 hours of battery

At MWC 2022, Samsung is showing new lightweight laptops with upgraded webcams and even bigger battery life claims.

MWC 2022

How to dress like 'The Batman’ star Robert Pattinson for under $100

The actor mixes workwear, luxury, and skater trends for a look that’s laid back yet put-together. Get the same style with these eight affordable pieces.

Style

there's an app for that

Substack’s new iPhone app is here to clean your email inbox

The Substack app will let you choose between email delivery and a simple push notification. Game-changer.

ShutterStock

In the past five years or so, my inbox has been bombarded by my beloved newsletters — essays and roundups and dispatches that simultaneously spark joy and bury more urgent emails. And I’m not alone: over the years, people have come up with creative fixes to rescue their inbox from being drowned out by newsletters (RSS feeds! A separate email for newsletters! Intense organization schemes!).

Now Substack has introduced a solution of its own: the Substack Reader app.

“Amazon lied through a senior executive’s sworn testimony that Amazon did not use any of the troves of data it had collected on its third-party sellers to compete with them. But credible investigative reporting showed otherwise.”

U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on the Judiciary

Laura Lezza/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Over the past couple of years, it’s grown increasingly clear that Amazon, contrary to official statements otherwise, consistently snoops on third-party sellers’ private data in order to rip off rivals’ products. Not only that, but the Big Tech giant often manipulates search results to boost its own cloned wares to consumers in an effort to overtake the competition. After months of stonewalling Congress on this issue, it seems that lawmakers have finally had enough.

Earlier today, the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary filed a letter to the Attorney General’s office urging the AG to open an investigation into Amazon’s shady, potentially illegal business practices.

“The Committee spent 16 months exercising this fundamental truth-seeking function to uncover facts about competitive conditions in digital markets, and Committee members have since proposed legislation to correct the problems uncovered by that investigation,” the document reads, referring to the recent, high-profile Congressional antitrust hearings. “Yet throughout this process, Amazon repeatedly endeavored to thwart the Committee’s efforts to uncover the truth about Amazon’s business practices. For this, it must be held accountable.”

Reviews

Wearing Nike's Union Dunk Low 'Pistachio': Must-have sneaker of 2022

The first color from the "Passport Pack" does not disappoint, and this is a shoe you can wear just about every day.

Style

Decked Drawer System is the easiest way to organize your pickup truck bed

The Decked Drawer System might not be ideal for all pickup truck owners, but for many, it promises a revolution of functionality, without compromising your truck’s DNA.

Reviews

Wearing Nike's Jordan 1 ‘A Ma Maniére:’ A stunning luxury sneaker

Premium materials and a clean color combo makes this a must-have shoe for sneakerheads.

Style

The 8 best water bottles for hiking

Hiking is thirsty work and staying hydrated is paramount on any trek. Single-use plastic is so passé, so do the planet a favor and invest in a good water bottle.

Guides

Philips’ SmartSleep Wake-Up Light changed the way I wake up

Using the $200 alarm clock is the closest I’ve gotten to being a morning person. Was it worth the money?

This Thing Rules

The 11 best hardcore VR games you should play right now

Full virtual reality titles are still in short supply, but there are plenty of gems available whether you’re a beginner or veteran VR user.

VR Week 2022

The 9 best dehydrated meals for camping

A thru-hiker can burn between 3,000 and 5,000 calories in a day. That’s a lot to carry, and dehydrated meals are a lightweight way to up your calorie intake.

Guides

The 7 best over-ear ANC headphones that aren’t Beats

Nobody can dispute that Beats headphones are stylish. But if you're looking to make your fit stand out or just want superior sound or features, these are the ANC headphones you want.

Guides

Martha is Dead is a horrifying game, and not in the fun way

CW: Descriptions of graphic content, including mutilation, child abuse, mental illness, and self-harm. Oh, and violent thoughts towards bicycles.

Reviews

ROG Strix Flare II Animate review: So much more than a gaming keyboard

ROG’s latest gaming mechanical keyboard doesn’t just look good — it’s a delight to type on, has hot-swappable switches, and has a sick programmable LED matrix panel.

Reviews

Why I bought a stereo receiver in 2022 and you should too

Sony’s STRDH190 2-channel stereo receiver lets me play CDs, vinyl, and stream via Bluetooth all in one hefty all-black package.

This Thing Rules

The 10 best cutlery sets for camping

A highlight of any backcountry adventure is cooking outdoors. Without an entire kitchen cutlery drawer at your disposal, which essentials do you need? And what’s a foon?

Guides

The 7 best lightweight solar panel chargers for hikers and nomads

Learn the difference between a solar power bank and a solar panel charger. Carry the power of the sun everywhere you go with these portable chargers.

Guides

The 8 best headlamps for camping

Hiking without a headlamp can be inconvenient at best, and dangerous at worst. Here's how to choose the right features (lumens, beam distance, and battery type).

Guides

Wyze Buds Pro review: $90 wireless earbuds that have it all?

With ANC, wireless charging, and a comfortable fit, the Wyze Buds Pro sounded too good to be true for $90 wireless earbuds. But they're surprisingly impressive.

Reviews

Wearing the Karol G Crocs: Love at first sight

The Colombian singer's classic clogs are full of hearts, barbed wire, and other cute details.

Style

Thanks, but...

Facebook's new Group admin tools won't stop the misinformation flood

Meta is introducing new moderation tools for Groups. Misinformation will continue to flow with or without them.

Shutterstock

Amongst Facebook’s extensive lineup of public scandals over the last few years, its inability to control the spread of misinformation across the platform is by far its most consistent. That’s why it adds new “tools” for fighting falsities every few months; the latest is a set meant to help Group admins get a grip on members’ misinformation campaigns.

Some of these new tools are automated, allowing Group admins — who are, for the most part, volunteers — to take a more hands-off approach to monitoring their communities for misinformation. Others are meant to extend the control already given to admins.

Meta’s goal here is a good one. Facebook’s hired moderators don’t touch Groups — there are simply too many of them — leaving daily moderation up to volunteer administrators. As you might imagine, much falls through the cracks, especially in Groups with very active communities. Adding a few more moderation tools should ostensibly help them out.

There’s a larger problem here, though, and it’s one Facebook can’t really change: Its Group tools will only ever be as effective as the admins using them.