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Let me guess: You're still carrying a phone you're terrified of dropping. Even though the iPhone 12 passed our scratch and drop test with flying colors, thanks to its ceramic shield screen, Apple still recommends using a case (and the same goes for the not-so-hardy Galaxy S21 ). So you cocoon it in an add-on case , maybe with a finger loop for extra safety, and end up with a package that makes a mockery of your "thin" phone. If so, it's time to consider one of the new breed of rugged phones, which range from slim to attractively chunky. They all have built-in drop-and-dunk resistance, no case needed. And they typically offer a slew of useful features no iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone can replicate. If you think the typical phones have become universally boringly excellent, you're right -- so prepare to be excited all over again. Read more: Best waterproof camera for shooting underwater video in 2020 … [Read more...] about Stop buying breakable phones, and you won’t even need a case anymore

Growing pains An outdoor Google I/O was worth trying. We hope it tries it again — but learns a few things from 2016. Jerry Hildenbrand 24 May 2016 45 [ ]/google-io-2016) Google broke from tradition and held Google I/O 2016 at the Shoreline Amphitheater (conveniently located next door to Google's Mountain View campus buildings) instead of a more mundane but well-proven event center like the Moscone Center. By now you've certainly heard about the show — and a lot of complaints — online from both people who attended, as well as many who didn't. Words like festival, faire (the maker kind, presumably) and even Burning Man have been used to describe it, but those are a little off the mark. Google I/O was still very much a developer conference, filled with people who are more used to the controlled environment most developer get-togethers are held in. And that was one of the many problems with Google I/O 2016 — people weren't ready to spend three … [Read more...] about Google I/O 2016: Sometimes the Great Outdoors isn’t so great

Paramount Plus is the subscription streaming-video service set to replace CBS All Access , costing $10 a month ad-free when it launches Thursday in the US and 18 Latin American countries. Paramount Plus will include live news and sports as well as on-demand shows and movies, including originals -- all of which leaning into parent company ViacomCBS ' brands like CBS , MTV , BET , Comedy Central , Nickelodeon and Paramount Network, plus movies from the Paramount Pictures studio. But Paramount Plus won't have the one show most associated with the Paramount name: Yellowstone . The first three seasons of the cowboy drama are streaming exclusively on rival service Peacock . Down the line, Paramount Plus will have exclusive Yellowstone spinoffs, like the prequel Y:1883 expected later this year. Paramount Plus will have a library of more than 30,000 episodes and 2,500 movies, plus 36 original series debuts this year. Among those originals will be a revival of … [Read more...] about Paramount Plus: Everything to know about CBS All Access’ streaming revamp

The best picture I’ve seen this week was a selfie from my father-in-law who just got his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Along with the shot, they gave him a sticker that says “I got vaccinated!” As the vaccine rollout continues, clinics and distribution centers across the country are embracing things like stickers and even selfie stations decked out with colorful backgrounds to help people celebrate getting the shot. The selfie stations are set up as colorful backgrounds, often with pro-vaccine messaging tiled with the name of the healthcare provider . It’s good branding. And hey, if social media-friendly backgrounds helped make some trendy restaurants popular, there’s no reason they couldn’t work for vaccine sites too. This is a real thing that exists at an NJ mass vaccination site. pic.twitter.com/CWWLVEBKJo — Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) February 25, 2021 Added bonus — if the vaccines are being given in a healthcare setting, it gives people a designated space … [Read more...] about Vaccine centers embrace stickers and selfie stations

The SARS-CoV-2 virus took the world by surprise, but by one measure, it arrived right on schedule. The first SARS virus was discovered in 2003 ; the related MERS virus hit in 2012 . Today, we have COVID-19. In other words, novel coronaviruses seem to be making successful jumps to humans very roughly once per decade — and there’s no reason to think they’ll stop after this one . Unfortunately for us, there’s only been so much cumulative progress when it comes to developing antivirals to fight coronaviruses. As closely related as the SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 viruses are, they’re distinct enough that researchers haven’t discovered a catch-all coronavirus drug. And unfortunately, the SARS and MERS epidemics simply may not have been catastrophic enough to motivate funders, governments, and drug companies to develop proactive antivirals before the next event. “A non-virologist, if you remind them, will remember it happened,” says virologist Nat Moorman about the SARS and MERS … [Read more...] about How to make drugs for viruses that don’t exist yet