The Morning After: Counting down to SpaceX's next Crew Dragon test
And...Netflix ice cream?
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
Welcome to your weekend! The first week back after CES has been a long one, but now it's time to relax. Below there are some highlighted stories from Friday and the rest of the week, but the news I needed to see is that a rumored "Pro Mode" for MacBooks could bring back the illicit thrill of a Turbo Button that's been missing since the days of the 486.
This weekend we might see a dramatic test from SpaceX, however the in-flight abort test requires conditions that are right both for its landing and the Crew Dragon's return to Earth in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX is currently targeting a six-hour window on Sunday morning for the test, but also has a backup window on Monday if necessary.
Otherwise, sit back, catch up on a few highlight stories from this week and maybe check out Avenue 5 on HBO.
-- Richard
Ben & Jerry's made a binge-worthy Netflix and Chill'd ice cream flavor
With official support from Netflix, Ben & Jerry's has announced a new flavor called Netflix and Chill'd. It's made with peanut butter, salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownie chunks. The lid displays the company's logo and declares that you're about to eat "A Netflix Original Flavor."
This pigeon-inspired drone bends its wings to make it more agile
A team of researchers from Stanford University's Lentink Lab has built a robotic pigeon aptly called PigeonBot, which can bend, extend and simply change the shape of its wings like real birds can.
Your online activity is now effectively a social 'credit score'
As columnist Violet Blue explains, companies are already using your online profile to decide if they'll allow you on as a customer.
Engadget Podcast: Super Nintendo World, here we go!
Devindra, Cherlynn and Senior Editor Nick Summers take a relaxing break from the madness of CES by diving into some of this week's news, like the trailer for Japan's Super Nintendo World park. They also question the wisdom of Sony abandoning E3 (yet again), and welcome Microsoft's new Chromium-infused Edge browser. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.
Fitbit quietly enables blood oxygen tracking on its wearables
A bunch of Fitbit models already have blood oxygen monitoring hardware, but until now it wasn't being used. The company has just snuck out an update to its Versa, Ionic and Charge 3 devices, which will look at blood oxygen levels to help track things like asthma, heart disease and sleep apnea.
Microsoft's Xbox Console Streaming preview goes global
Microsoft has been experimenting with streaming Xbox games to Android phones and tablets for a while as it looks for an answer to the PS4's Remote Play. Now, after opening a limited beta late last year, all Xbox Insiders in countries that support Xbox One can have a go.
Microsoft patched a major Windows 10 flaw discovered by the NSA
This week Microsoft issued patches for Windows 10 as well as Windows Server 2016 and 2019. However, it wasn't a normal Patch Tuesday, because this time it addressed a flaw that had been uncovered by the NSA and could be used to exploit computers remotely or spy on and manipulate encrypted internet traffic. Disclosing the vulnerability so it can be fixed will hopefully stop it from leaking out, which is what happened in 2017 with the EternalBlue exploit.
Valve is definitely not working on 'Left 4 Dead 3'
Despite "LFD3" popping up on an HTC slide during a presentation, Valve says there's nothing in development for the co-op shooter series, so quit asking.
But wait, there's more...
Super Nintendo World theme park is a 'life-size, living video game'
Walmart's weekend sale includes a $150 Xbox One S All-Digital Edition
PlayStation's new Back Button accessory is a wasted opportunity
The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't Subscribe.
Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.
Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.
