The Morning After: Uber receipts are crashing Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft has flagged a formatting bug that freezes Outlook whenever you open emails with complex tables, including, er, Uber receipts. The glitch is so powerful it even crashes Word, too. The problem was first noted in a standard release of Outlook, b…

Uber tests train and bus bookings in the UK

As it promised earlier this year, Uber is testing bus and train travel options in the UK via a partnership with Berlin-based travel platform Omio, TechCrunch has reported. “We’re excited to launch our new travel offering this summer, allowing a seamless door-to-door travel experience across the UK,” Uber UK general manager Andrew Brem said in a statement. 

Omio covers over 1,000 transportation providers in 37 countries. It has its own travel app for consumers, but has also been developing a business-to-business API that allows partners to access its ground transport network. The company also offers air and ferry travel on its consumer app and website, but its primary focus is on train and bus/coach travel.

The company has already partnered with UK’s LNER, travel site Kayak and others, but Uber is its biggest partner so far. “Uber is the first partner that is both at this scale but also the first that gets access to our full ticketing API so you actually are, as a customer, able to do everything within the Uber app,” Omio CEO and founder Narem Shaam told TechCrunch.

With access to Omio’s API, Uber will be able to offer international train travel to UK users right away. Trips booked via Uber’s app will generate a commission for Omio, which it will share with Uber via an undisclosed split. Uber is also paying Omio to license its technology. 

Omio believes that its app has a “high overlap” with Uber users, and is hoping the deal will increase its UK market penetration. Ground transport functionality will be added in phases with a basic feature set launching today and building out over the coming months. 

Samsung 的 UFS 4.0 快閃晶片進入量產階段

Samsung 是在五月時發表了新的 UFS 4.0 行動存儲晶片，並且預估會在第三季進入量產，而在 2022 年記憶體高峰會上，Samsung 宣佈了本月 UFS 4.0 產品已經如期進入量產階段，意味著可能年底前就能看到搭載的產品面世了。…

Outlook Lite for Android brings Microsoft’s email app to budget phones

Microsoft quietly announced the launch of Outlook Lite for Android, a streamlined version of the company’s email service designed to use less battery and storage space than the default Outlook app without sacrificing features or performance.

Specifically, Microsoft says that Outlook Lite has all the main features of the Outlook experience neatly packed into a 5MB app that’s optimized for speed, even on lower-end Android devices. The company says the app was designed to run fast on devices with as little as 1GB of RAM, use less battery impact than the full app and offer good performance on older 2G and 3G networks.

That lower data, storage and battery impact is, of course, the point. And Microsoft isn’t alone: pared down, lightweight apps serve a huge market of users with budget devices on older networks. That’s why Google offers Android Go, a pared down version of the mobile OS designed specifically for lower-end phones, and why Meta has put so much effort into building small, but feature-rich versions of its Instagram and Facebook apps. You can find lightweight apps for Twitter, Tiktok and even Tinder. 

Like most lightweight apps, this one has its caveats. Microsoft’s new mail app doesn’t cut any major features to earn its ‘lite’ moniker, but it won’t work with as many email providers as the primary Outlook app. At present, Outlook Lite is only compatible with Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Exchange Online accounts. Likewise, the app is also only available in select countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela — though Microsoft says it may add support for more locations in the future.

LG’s newest 4K CineBeam projectors start at $6,000

LG’s newest CineBeam projectors are ready for your living room, and it’s clear you’ll pay a premium for their image quality. The company has announced that the laser-based lineup is available starting at $6,000 for the HU915QE, which can produce a 90-inch 4K picture when positioned just 2.2 inches from the wall, or 120 inches when it sits 7.2 inches away. It also reaches a high 3,700 lumens of brightness and can muster a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, so daytime viewing is a realistic option.

The $6,500 HU915QB (shown above) isn’t quite as bright at 3,000 lumens, but its black finish makes it better-suited to nighttime sessions. Both models have three HDMI ports with eARC support, two USB ports and an integrated 2.2-channel 40W speaker system. They unsurprisingly run LG’s webOS interface (an advantage over rival ‘dumb’ projectors that lack native apps) and offer creature comforts like AirPlay 2 support, Bluetooth and screen mirroring.

The new Cinebeam projectors’ HDR support is limited to HDR10 and HLG. You’ll want to buy one of LG’s latest OLED TVs if you crave Dolby Vision, and you certainly won’t get 8K support. With that said, these units might be strong values if picture size matters more than anything else.

Logitech and Tencent are making a cloud gaming handheld

Logitech and Tencent have announced that they’re working on a handheld cloud gaming device. They’re blending the Logitech G brand’s hardware knowhow with Tencent’s software prowess. According to a landing page (where you can plug in your email address to receive updates), the device is tentatively called the Logitech G Gaming Handheld.

The system should come to market later this year and it will “support multiple cloud gaming services,” Logitech said. Tencent and Logitech are working with the Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now teams at Microsoft and NVIDIA, respectively, so expect the handheld to support both of those platforms at the very least.

Whether the device actually goes on sale as scheduled remains to be seen, given the ongoing supply chain crisis that’s making production difficult for just about every electronics company. However, many cloud gaming services are accessiblethrough web apps on phones, so the device likely wouldn’t need a ton of processing might. It probably won’t need to be as powerful as, say, the Steam Deck. Using lower-power components that aren’t super difficult to come by could make it easier for Logitech and Tencent to actually build the handheld. In any case, we should find out more about the device in the coming months. 

Samsung and iFixit now offer self-repair parts and tools for Galaxy devices

It took nearly half a year, but Samsung’s self-repair program is finally available. The iFixit team-up helps you fix your Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21 or Galaxy Tab S7+ by purchasing officially sanctioned components and tools, complete with guides to walk you through the repair process. The initial selection is limited to screen and batteries, charging ports and back glass, with prices ranging between $67 (for a charging port on any model) to $227 (for a Tab S7+ display).

The kits include a free return label to help you ship the broken parts to Samsung for recycling. The self-repair program is limited to the US at present, but the companies expect to support more countries, devices and part repairs over time.

Samsung’s launch comes a few months after Apple’s. It’s at once better and worse. While Apple doesn’t yet offer self-repair kits beyond smartphones, it covers a wider array of components (such as cameras and SIM trays), and is more granular (you can even order screws by themselves). However, Samsung also doesn’t require that you rent or buy a separate toolkit, and doesn’t require a phone call to complete the repair process. Buy a part and you’ll have everything you need, in other words.

The self-repair option doesn’t currently cover the Galaxy S22 or Tab S8 families, and Samsung is keen to point its less DIY-oriented users toward regular repair providers. We’d add that this isn’t a strictly altruistic gesture — Samsung, Apple and others are facing pressure from federal and state officials who are either implementing or proposing right to repair rules. Vendors might not have much choice but to let you fix devices on your own terms.

Still, this could be an important move. If you’re reasonably comfortable with screwdrivers and spudgers, this gives you a way to lengthen the useful lifespan of a Samsung device without worrying about turnaround times or potentially expensive out-of-warranty repair costs. That, in turn, could reduce e-waste and offer more control over when you upgrade your mobile gear.