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Pour one out for the Surface Duo 2. As Windows Central points out, Microsoft has pushed out what will almost certainly go down as the devices final software update, a security patch, ahead of its October 21 end-of-support date. When Microsoft debuted the Surface Duo 2 in October 2021, the company pledged to provide three years of software updates for the dual-screen device. Since then, the company has released just one platform update for the Duo 2, upgrading it from Android 11 to Android 12L. By comparison, Surface Duo users were more fortunate. They got to see their devices make the jump from Android 10 to Android 11 and then later to Android 12L. Ill note here that the latest version of Googles mobile operating system is Android 15. By modern standards, the Duo 2s run is particularly bad. Some Android manufacturers, including Google and Samsung, now promise to provide up to seven generations of platform updates. Consider also that Microsoft priced the Surface Duo 2 at $1,500 on release. Most of all, its a shame since software was always the Achilles heel of the Duo line. As Engadget Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low noted in her review of the device back in 2021, the device offered more compelling hardware but was still plagued by an inconsistent user experience. Of course, none of this is surprising if youve been following Microsoft in recent months. As the company has shifted its attention to AI, its Surface portfolio has seemingly fallen to the wayside. In fact, according to a report Business Insider published last year, part of the reason Panos Panay left Microsoft was because the company had canceled some of his units more ambitious projects.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/microsofts-ill-fated-surface-duo-2-foldable-recieves-one-final-security-patch-192001469.html?src=rss
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The Vegas Loop, underground tunnels built by Elon Musks Boring Company that snake underneath Sin City, hasnt been the traffic or even technological game changer the company promised it would become. It was supposed to be a futuristic, autonomous people mover that looked like public transit from the Tron universe. Instead, Las Vegas just got a bunch of underground tunnels where people are transported by ordinary Tesla vehicles that didnt really solve any of the citys traffic problems. Apparently, its not just Tesla vehicles in the tunnels either. Fortune filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on incidents involving the Tesla tunnels going back to 2022. The records revealed that the tunnels have seen at least 67 trespassing reports going back to 2022 and 22 instances of vehicles following Teslas into the tunnels and stations. Borings monthly reports to the Legas Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority also showed several instances of property damage, theft, technical issues, or injuries, near-misses and trespassing or intrusions, according to Fortune. The cars that wandered into the stations appear to mostly be just accidents in which drivers followed the Teslas into the unauthorized areas. The trespassing incidents are a bit more egregious and Fortune described them as a headache for the Boring Company. Some of the more notable instances include a skateboarder who snuck into the tunnels through a passenger pickup station, two people who were spotted sleeping in one of the tunnel stations and a man who tried to remove a license plate reader at a station. In each case, Boring security escorted the trespassing out of the tunnels and stations but there are no records showing they were reported to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. Even the construction of the tunnels had more than a few sketchy moments but not nearly as amusing. Former Boring Company construction crew members spoke with Fortune back in February including one who said, We have consistently flirted with death. During a six month period last year, Boring reported 36 injuries to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials including heat exhaustion, contusions and crushed hands and elbows. One tip sent to OSHAs Nevada field office reported that 15 to 20 employees were burned with accelerant chemicals while working in the tunnels. Somehow, none of these incidents have stopped the city and Clark Countys desperate hope for the transit system that the Boring Company promised but never delivered. County commissioners approved a plan last May to expand the underground Tesla vehicle tunnels to 65 miles and add 69 passenger stations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/the-boring-companys-vegas-loop-is-a-comedy-of-trespassing-errors-191025432.html?src=rss
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European Union residents will have a new place to turn to settle disputes with Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. A new Appeals Centre, certified by Irish regulators, will soon begin accepting complaints about content moderation decisions. The concept is similar to Metas Oversight Board, which weighs in on content moderation decisions across Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Meta has long suggested that other social media companies should use its Oversight Board, though theres been little incentive for them to do so. Europes Digital Services Act (DSA) changed that calculation somewhat, as it enabled the creation of Out-of-Court Dispute Settlement (ODS) bodies that have the ability to help resolve user complaints. And while the Appeals Centre is a separate entity, there are some notable links between the two organizations. The new Appeals Centre will be led by Thomas Hughes, who was previously the CEO of the Oversight Board Administration. The Oversight Board Trust, which oversees the board's budget, also helped fund the new Appeals Centre with a one-time grant, according to a statement from its chair of trustees, Stephen Neal. And, the first non-executive trustees of the Appeals Centre are also trustees on the Oversight Board. The Appeals Centre says it expects to be up and running in late 2024, at which time individuals and organizations will be able to request appeals through its website. Users wishing to appeal a moderation decision from Facebook, YouTube or TikTok will be required to pay a nominal fee that will be refunded if the group rules in their favor, according to information posted on its website. However, its not clear exactly how this process will work or how many cases the group will be able to take on. Metas Oversight Board, which has been up and running for years, received nearly 400,000 appeals and issued just 53 decisions in 2023. The Appeals Centre may also end up being less influential than the Oversight Board. A press release from Ireland's media regulator notes that the decisions of ODS bodies are not binding. Still, it could increase the visibility of the kinds of content moderation issues that often frustrate users and give some hope that their situation may be reconsidered.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/eu-residents-will-have-a-new-way-to-dispute-content-moderation-decisions-by-facebook-youtube-and-tiktok-190221606.html?src=rss
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