The James Webb Space Telescope is capturing the universe on a 68GB SSD

With the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) now powered up and snapping some spectacular images, you may wonder exactly how it’s storing them. Surprisingly enough, it carries a relatively tiny 68GB SSD, according to IEEE Spectrum — enough to handle a day’s worth of JWST images, but not a lot more.

While that might sound ludicrously small for a $10 billion satellite, there are multiple reasons NASA chose the system. To start with, the JWST is a million miles from Earth where it gets bombarded by radiation and operates at a temperature of less than 50 degrees above absolute zero (-370 degrees F). So the SSD, like all other parts, must be radiation hardened and survive a grueling certification process. 

While not nearly as fast as consumer SSDs, it can still be nearly filled in as little as 120 minutes via the telescope’s 48 Mbps command and data handling subsystem (ICDH). At the same time, the JWST can transmit data back to Earth at 28 Mbps via a 25.9 Ghz Ka-band connection to the Deep Space Network. 

That means that while it collects far more data than Hubble ever did (57GB compared to 1-2GB per day), it can transfer all that data back to Earth in about 4.5 hours. It does so during two 4-hour contact windows each day, with each allowing the transmission of 28.6GB of science data. In other words, it only needs enough storage to collect a day’s worth of images — there’s no need to keep them on the telescope itself.

There is one puzzler, though. NASA estimates that only 60GB of storage will be available at the end of the JWST’s 10-year lifespan due to wear and radiation — and 3 percent of the drive is used for engineering and telemetry data storage. That will leave the JWST very little margin, making us wonder if it will have anywhere near the longevity of Hubble — still going strong after 32 years. 

Intel price hikes could make PCs more expensive

Intel has told customers that it will raises prices on most of its processors and other chips by up to 10-20 percent later this year, Nikkei has reported. That could mean price increases on computers products ranging from laptops to servers, at the same time that demand is weakening and sales are dropping. 

Intel effectively confirmed the news, referring back to its Q1 earnings call. “Intel indicated it would increase pricing in certain segments of its business due to inflationary pressures. The company has begun to inform customers of these changes,” it told Nikkei.

With the COVID-19 keeping folks working at home, PC sales increased dramatically in 2020-21. That bubble has since burst, however, and key Intel buyers like Acer, ASUS and others have warned of slowing sales ahead. Acer Chairman Jason Chen even noted that his company is no longer seeing a shortage of chips. “Some of the chip suppliers’ CEOs even called me recently to buy more chips from them. The situation has changed,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

Rival chipmaker TSMC previously said that it would race prices by a “single-digit” percentage starting next year. Since that company manufactures AMD’s chips, consumers aren’t likely to find as much price relief by switching brands, either. 

Some device makers are starting to build up inventories, which could mean deals in the short term. However, the outlook longer term is less clear. Samsung, for one, reportedly told suppliers to stop shipping parts used to manufacture its PCs, TVs and other devices. 

Nintendo is buying an animation studio to help create its own ‘visual content’

Nintendo has acquired the Japanese CG production company Dynamo Pictures and plans to rebrand it as “Nintendo Pictures,” the company announced. Its aim with the new subsidiary is to develop visual content using Nintendo IP and focus on “the planning and production of visual content including CG animation.” Dynamo worked with Nintendo before on the Metroid: Other M game also has credits on anime TV series like Evangelion: 2.0. 

Nintendo is gearing up for its Super Mario Bros. movie starring Chris Pratt, which was recently delayed to April 2023. The live adaptation of Detective Pikachu based on the Pokémon franchise was successful enough that a sequel is in the works, but the last major cinema release was way back in 1993 with Super Mario Bros. starring Bob Hoskins. 

Movies and TV series based on gaming IP are a popular trend at the moment, with movies like Sonic based on Sega’s popular character seeing impressive success. Sony recently released an Uncharted film and HBO is producing a TV series based on The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal. With its latest acquisition, Nintendo could be ready to bring more of its content to the small and big screens, which is (hopefully) good news for fans of its games. 

Uber sued by more than 500 women over sexual assault and kidnapping claims

Uber is facing a lawsuit filed by more than 500 women who allege they were assaulted by drivers, CNBC has reported. The complaint states that “women passengers in multiple states were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, or otherwise attacked,” by Uber drivers. The San Francisco law firm that filed the suit said it has about 550 clients with at least another 150 claims being investigated. 

Earlier this month, Uber released its second safety report showing that sexual assault reports in the five most severe categories fell 38 percent from 5,981 in 2017 and 2018 to 3,824 for the years 2019 and 2020. However, that may be correlated with the COVID-19 pandemic which saw a severe drop in ridership from 2020-2021. “We’re constantly innovating and investing in the safety of our platform,” Uber chief legal officer Tony West wrote in the report.

However, the law firm said that safety is not the company’s highest priority. “Uber’s whole business model is predicated on giving people a safe ride home, but rider safety was never their concern – growth was, at the expense of their passengers’ safety,” said Slater Slater Schulman LLP founding partner Adam Slater. “While the company has acknowledged this crisis of sexual assault in recent years, its actual response has been slow and inadequate, with horrific consequences.”

The law firm criticized Uber for lax policies related to driver background checks and enforcement. It noted that Uber has “opted to hire drivers without fingerprinting them or running their information through FBI databases… [and] has a longstanding policy that it will not report any criminal activity – even assaults and rape – to law-enforcement authorities.” 

Uber said it can’t comment on pending litigation but a spokesperson gave Engadget the following comment: “Sexual assault is a horrific crime and we take every single report seriously. There is nothing more important than safety, which is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents. While we can’t comment on pending litigation, we will continue to keep safety at the heart of our work.” 

The company also pointed out recent safety features like the Emergency button and Ride Check feature that checks if a vehicle goes “unusually off-course.” It also noted that it checks MVR and criminal offenses at the local, state and federal level and re-screens drivers annually.

Uber has a history of settlements and complaints related to passenger and driver safety. In 2016, The Guardian reported that Uber had paid out $161.9 million in safety-related lawsuits since 2009. In 2017, it faced a class-action lawsuit accusing it of “giving perpetrators of sexual assault, sexual harassment and physical violence access to thousands of ‘vulnerable victims’ nationwide.” And in 2019, the company was sued for $10 million by a woman who was sexual assaulted by an Uber driver, saying the company put her in harm’s way. 

Update 7/14/2022 10:44 PM ET: The article has been updated to include a comment on the litigation from Uber. 

Beats Studio Buds return to a record low of $100 for Prime Day

If you’re on the hunt for budget wireless noise-cancelling earbuds in the Apple family, don’t forget about the Beats Studio Buds. They’re already well-priced at $150, but now you can pick them up at Amazon on Prime Day for just $100 ($50 off), matching the lowest price we’ve seen yet.

Buy Beats Studio Buds at Amazon – $100

The Studio Buds earned an 84 score in our Engadget review and also made our list of best wireless earbuds for 2021. The small, comfortable design and IPX4 water resistance makes them great for workouts and, more importantly, they deliver good sound quality with Beats’ famous punchy base. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, and they can adjust the volume based on your environment via the active gain feature.

The Studio Buds use Apple’s H1 chip, so they support Apple’s Spatial Audio feature and let you easily switch between Apple devices — just as you can with a pair of AirPods. However, they’re also device agnostic, so you can use the Fast Pair option to quickly set them up with your Android device. They also work with Find My Device on Android, so you can see their last known location.

The main drawbacks are a lack of wireless charging and onboard controls, but most budget wireless buds lack those features. And at that $100 price point, you won’t find many rivals that can match its features.

Get the latest Amazon Prime Day offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

Solo Stove’s fire pits are up to 56 percent off for Prime Day

Solo Stove products are joining the Prime Day follies with a bunch of products on sale at up to 56 percent off. The best deal is on the popular Solo Stove Campfire that normally sells at $150 but is marked all the way down to $66, for a savings of $84 (56 percent). You’ll also find savings from 30 to 47 percent on the Ranger Backyard Bundle ($287), Bonfire with stand ($250), Bonfire Shield ($110) and Roasting Sticks/Fire Pit Poker accessory combo ($90).

Shop Solo Stove Prime Day sale at Amazon

We’ve recommended the stainless steel Solo Stove fire pits before because of the advantages over standard fire pits. They actively channel smoke away from the user thanks to a double-walled design that pulls hot air through vent holes and back into the fire. This keeps flames hot while reducing smoke and creating fine ashes.

The Campfire model is the number one wood-burning camp stove out there and comes recommended by Backpacker Magazine and others. Along with the double-walled design, it’s lightweight at just 2.2 pounds and designed to burn twigs, leaves, pinecones and wood as fuel, eliminating the need carry heavy and polluting cannister fuel. For serious campers, the Prime Day deal of $66 should be a no-brainer. 

The Ranger ($287, sold with a stand, shield and shelter) and Bonfire ($250, sold with a stand) are larger at around 21 pounds each, but they’re still light enough to move around the yard, bring camping or pack over to a friend’s house. And if you opt for the Bonfire model, you can grab the Bonfire Shield for $110 (31 percent off) to stop hot embers from escaping. Finally, Solo Stove’s Roasting Sticks and Fire Pit Poker combo is on sale for $90, netting you a $40 discount. 

Get the latest Amazon Prime Day offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

Google slows hiring and says the company needs to be ‘more entrepreneurial’

Google has announced that will slow its pace of hiring for the rest of 2022 and told employees to “be more entrepreneurial,” Bloomberg reported. Much like Meta and other tech companies, CEO Sundar Pichai cited an “uncertain global economic outlook” for the change of pace and said that the company would consolidate operations and streamline “where investments overlap.”

Google’s pace of hiring was also torrid in the second quarter of 2022 as the company added 10,000 new employees to its 163,906 workforce, up 17 percent year over year. For the rest of 2022, however, Google will focus hiring on engineering, technical and other crucial roles.

Moving forward, we need to be more entrepreneurial, working with greater urgency, sharper focus, and more hunger than we’ve shown on sunnier days. In some cases, that means consolidating where investments overlap and streamlining processes. In other cases, that means pausing deployment and re-deploying resources to higher priority areas.

Microsoft also plans to cut a small number of jobs due to a realignment in its business groups, according to Bloomberg. Those will affect groups including consulting and partner solutions around the world. However, the company plans to continue hiring in other roles and will finish 2022 with a higher number of employees. 

Other tech firms have said that the slowing economy will affect hiring. Yesterday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg warned employees that “one of the worst downturns [it has seen] in recent history” could affect the company, while telling managers to “move to exit” poor performers “who are unable to get on track.” Netflix, Unity, Coinbase and Paypal have all recently cut jobs as well.

Google files a lawsuit that could kick Tinder out of the Play Store

Google has counter-sued Match seeking monetary damages and a judgement that would let it kick Tinder and the group’s other dating apps out of the Play Store, Bloomberg has reported. Earlier this year, Match sued Google alleging antitrust violations over a decision requiring all Android developers to process “digital goods and services” payments through the Play Store billing system. 

Following the initial lawsuit in May, Google and Match reached a temporary agreement allowing Match to remain on the Play Store and use its own payments system. Google also agreed to make a “good faith” effort to address Match’s billing concerns. Match, in turn, was to make an effort to offer Google’s billing system as an alternative. 

However, Google parent Alphabet claims that Match Group now wants to avoid paying “nothing at all” to Google, including its 15 to 30 percent Play Store fees, according to a court filing. “Match Group never intended to comply with the contractual terms to which it agreed… it would also place Match Group in an advantaged position relative to other app developers,” the document states.

Match group said that Google’s Play Store policies violate federal and state laws. “Google doesn’t want anyone else to sue them so their counterclaims are designed as a warning shot,” Match told Bloomberg in a statement. “We are confident that our suit, alongside other developers, the US Department of Justice and 37 state attorneys general making similar claims, will be resolved in our favor early next year.”

Match is referring to an antitrust action launched last year by States and the federal government probing Google’s Play Store fees. Shortly before that, Google dropped its fee on app developer revenue to 15 percent on the first $1 million, and 30 percent after that. At the same time, it announced it would enforce a policy requiring all developers to process payments through the Play Store’s billing system. Earlier this year, a Senate bill moved forward targeting in-app payments in both Google and Apple’s stores.