Intel claims 8th-gen chips will be 30 percent faster than 7th-gen

Intel’s upcoming 8th generation processors could be more interesting than we initially thought. While the company previously said they would be a mere 15 percent improvement over 7th-gen chips — a performance gain it’s been achieving steadily over the years — Intel revealed today at Computex that the new processors actually perform around 30 percent better. Sure, that figure is only based on a Sysmark benchmark, but it’s an encouraging sign for overall performance improvements.

Intel didn’t have much else to share about the chips during its Computex keynote, unfortunately. They’re still expected to arrive by the end of the year, and they’re still based on a 14 nanometer architecture, like before. The company briefly showed off a Quanta machine powered by one of the new chips, but aside from looking respectably thin, there wasn’t much we could gather from it.

MSI’s updated gaming laptop line-up will let you enter virtual reality from anywhere

Why it matters to you

Virtual reality gaming keeps getting better, with new machines like MSI’s latest seriously upping performance and design.

Computex 2017 is in full swing, and as usual, manufacturers are taking advantage of the spotlight to introduce new systems and technologies. This time around MSI is grabbing the limelight, with the introduction of a few new gaming laptops.

The new machines are aimed at leveraging the newest technologies, and they are aimed at meeting today’s most important gaming requirements, such as achieving high sustained frame rates and supporting virtual reality (VR) gaming.

First up is the top-tier GT75VR, which sports a mechanical keyboard with customizable per-key RBG lighting and diamond-shaped palm rest. The GT75VR utilizes the high-end Intel Core i7-7820HK CPU, and GPU options include the GeForce GTX 1080, GTX 1070 SLI, and GTX 1070. The display offers some advanced specifications including MSI True Color Technology 2.0 and 120Hz display for HDR color and video editing. Nahimic VR support is on-hand, and things are kept cool via MSI’s Cooler Boost Titan technology.

Next up are the GS63VR and GS73VR, two notebooks aimed at providing VR gaming in a variety of form factors. The 15.6-inch GS63VR boasts 17.7mm thickness and weighs a moderate 4.19 pounds, while packing in the “world’s fastest” 120Hz display, with a 3-millisecond response time. It also supports High Dynamic Range (HDR). The GS63VR uses MSI’s Cooler Boost Trinity technology with five heatpipes and enhanced Whirlwind Blade fans to make heat dissipation quiet and efficient. The SteelSeries keyboard offers up Engine 3 customization support while the ESS SABRE HiFi technology support 24bit/192KHz hi-resolution audio.

The GS73VR offers a 17-inch display in a relatively slim brushed-finished chassis constructed of a high-density aluminum alloy. The machine also sports a SteelSeries mechanical keyboard with Engine 3 software support and ESS SABRE audio and also includes Nahimic 2 Audio Enhancer support and MSI’s True Color technology.

Finally, the GE63VR and GE73VR Raider machines offer unique designs inspired by exotic sports cars. The 15-inch GE63VR Raider and 17-inch GE73VR Raider both utilize Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Gpus, and offer 120Hz displays with fast 3ms response times and HDR support. Customizable per-key RGB lighting, Cooler Boost 5 technology, and Dynaudio Giant Speakers are also on tap.

As with many of the new systems introduced at Computex 2017, MSI has not released pricing and information yet on any of their new gaming notebooks.

NVIDIA ‘Max-Q’ gaming laptops are ultrabooks with GTX1080 power

Based on NVIDIA’s 2017 Computex announcements, PC gamers won’t have to choose between bulky gaming laptops and desktop-level processing power for much longer. A new design called “Max-Q” is arriving in new laptops that it claims are both 3x thinner and 3x more powerful than their predecessors — think 18mm thick, 5 pounds and with the power of NVIDIA’s GTX1080 inside. Plus, there’s “WhisperMode,” which can pace the game’s framerate to keep the laptop cool and quiet during a plugged-in gaming session.

Whenever the new laptops arrive, they should well outpace current options like Razer’s GTX1060-powered 4K Blade. There aren’t specific benchmarks listed, but a graph on the official website claims an average 1.8x performance increase over GTX1060 when running “AAA” titles at 4K. During the demo, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang showed off a 5-lb laptop running Project Cars 2, saying it was 60 percent faster than the PS4 Pro.

We’ll probably find out more about how the tech works soon, but NVIDIA says that they’re not only engineered to be thin and light across the “chip, drivers, thermal and electrical components,” but that its software optimizes settings and the workload across CPU/GPU to regulate power and heat.

Source: NVIDIA Blog

Micromax Dual 5 review

Not many will argue that 2016 was a bad year for Micromax. From being the second largest smartphone vendor in India, behind the global behemoth Samsung, Micromax was ousted from the top five as Chinese players took over the market as well as mindshare.

The company’s dominance in the budget segment took a hit with devices from other brands that offered more value-for-money or stepped on the gas in innovation or undercut pricing with the online-only model.

However, after an unusual quiet period, Micromax is back with Dual 5 – a comeback device with an aim to bring Micromax back in the game and establish its credentials in the mid-range segment – an unfamiliar territory for the company.

On paper, the Micromax Dual 5 packs in a punch and according to the company’s claims, it sports the best-in-class camera. Can it live up to the hype and the expectations? Let’s find out in our comprehensive review.

Design

The Micromax Dual 5 feels solid right away as you take it in your hand and with a unibody metal design, it looks premium too.

The all-metal body of Dual 5 is accentuated with the chamfered edges and antenna bands running across the top and bottom on the rear. I quite liked the minimal branding at the bottom with just the Micromax logo. There are two IMEI numbers too, not to my liking, but they aren’t an eyesore either.

With a curved a 2.5D glass on the top and curved edges, the Dual 5 offers fantastic grip and the phone fits comfortably in your palm even though it sports a 5.5-inch display. At 164 grams, it’s not very light, yet it’s very ergonomic and is pleasant to hold and use for extended periods of time.

Overall, the Micromax Dual 5 looks rad, and is definitely one of the best-looking smartphones to have come from the Indian smartphone maker. There’s nothing that we’ve not seen before, but the workmanship on this one is impressive.

Display

The Dual 5 sports a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and an effective pixel density of 401ppi. The display comes with a layer of scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3.

It’s a bright and vivid display that offers rich colors and sharp text. The contrast and color depth are impressive too and the vibrancy associated with AMOLED displays shines through here as well – although the colors might be too over-saturated for some people. The viewing angles are pretty good too. However, it is a tad reflective to my liking and while it is a problem in sunlight as is, the sunlight mode adjusts the display and brightness level to improve visibility.

Performance

Powered by the Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 652 processor, the Dual 5 packs in 4 GB of RAM and a very generous 128GB of internal storage.

The 652 is a very capable mid-ranger, and the Dual 5 runs through everyday paces very well. In my two weeks of usage, I didn’t face any lag while web browsing or navigating between the apps. Multi-tasking is a breeze too (the 4 GB RAM helps) and you can jump from one app to the other without any stuttering or significant delay. There’s no frame drops while playing graphic-intensive games like Dead Trigger 2 or Asphalt 8 or streaming HD videos. However, it does go warm when stressed. I had Google Maps open for navigation for an hour-long commute, and the phone got quite warm during the same.

A lot of people still use phones for calling (d’oh!), and the Dual 5 actually does well in that primary but often overlooked department. While the call quality on the Dual 5 is excellent, the company claims that the smartphone is equipped with stereoscopic antennas for three times better signal reception. Well, the claim holds true as far as practical, real-world observation goes. Even in areas with weak signals, the Dual 5 did manage to latch on to the network better than other devices I had on me at that moment.

The 3200mAh battery on the Dual 5 lasts a full day on moderate usage. It’s decent, but nothing special. However, the Quick Charge 3.0 support is a good addition, and it allows you to get from zero to around 40 percent in just 20 minutes and about an hour to fully charge the battery. That’s quite neat, really.

The Dual 5 can take whatever you throw at it, reasonably of course. This one is no 8xx chip by any measure, but packs in a decent punch.

Hardware

Micromax Dual 5 has capacitive buttons for navigation right below the display. It’s a shame they aren’t backlit; disappointing at this price point.

While the Dual 5 packs in a volume rocker and the power button on the right side, there’s a third button on the left side, dubbed ‘Smart Key’, which can be configured to perform different functions using the SmartKey app. There’s an infrared sensor as well that can help you control your home appliances without needing individual remote controls for each.

The Dual 5 includes a hybrid dual SIM tray which is despised by a set of users who want the ability to use two SIMs as well as a microSD card. It’s no showstopper if you aren’t one of them.

The Dual 5 packs in an independent security chip for storing passwords and fingerprints, and uses EAL 5+ military-grade security. It’s a unique proposition, though lost on most users.

Camera

Of course, the highlight of Micromax Dual 5 is its dual camera setup. The dual 13-megapixel cameras at the back capture photos simultaneously, capturing focus and depth-of-field information. Similar to the camera setup we saw on Huawei P9, one camera module captures monochrome imaging data while the second one captures RGB data.

Both cameras have f/1.8 apertures and support phase detection autofocus (PDAF). Yes, you can achieve a bokeh effect, a feature that is one of the most popular pitches for a dual camera setup these days.

In well-lit conditions, the Dual 5 captures some fantastic photos. I was surprisingly impressed with the color reproduction and the details it manages to capture. The camera focuses very quickly, but it takes quite a while to process the images. It’s actually annoying waiting for several long seconds after tapping the camera shutter button to move to the next one.

In low light or indoors, some of the shots come out great with great colors and texture. In some cases though, a lot of noise creeps in – quite noticeable when you zoom in.

On the front, there’s another 13-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 aperture…. Pretty much why the phone is marketed as one with ‘13 + 13 + 13 camera’. Outdoors in daylight, the Dual 5 can take some pretty good selfies although the ones in night are just average. There’s also a SmartBeauty mode to enhance your selfies if vanity is your thing.

The camera app offers a host of options and supports recording slow-motion and time lapse videos along with GIFs. There are different shooting modes and a few filters available too to snap on to your photos.

Software

If camera is the biggest highlight of the Dual 5, the biggest disappointment is that it ships with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. It’s 2017, and there’s no excuse for a flagship device to not have Android Nougat out of the box or at least share a clear timeline for an upgrade.

The Dual 5 runs Micromax’s new UI on top of Android which is similar to the one by Qiku. Qiku is the ODM for this device and hence the similarity in hardware and software from the one released by Qiku. App icons, notification shade, and the Settings app all have received a makeover – and there’s no app drawer.

The Dual 5 also includes a suite of apps by 360 Security for optimization and maintenance.

There are few handy addition as well. There’s a SafeSwitch feature that prevents anyone to shut down your phone without a password. My Pixel XL was recently stolen, and I would really like to see this feature in more smartphones. Also, if one attempts to pull out the SIM without unlocking the phone, the picture of the person will be automatically sent to a pre-configured account. There’s also a SecureVault app that offers a secure space that can be accessed only with fingerprint authentication and helps you keep apps and content hidden from plain sight.

See also:

SecureVault app from Micromax helps you hide your apps and private content

April 18, 2017

Specifications

Gallery

Pricing and final thoughts

The Micromax Dual 5 delivers what it promises, and comes in a pretty nice looking chassis. It delivers good performance and manages to take some great photos.

The Micromax Dual 5 delivers what it promises, and comes in a pretty nice looking chassis.

There’s also one-year free replacement warranty, which is a segment first, and a nice proposition.

I would’ve liked if it came with Android Nougat out of the box, but apart from that, there’s hardly anything to complain. Overall, the Dual 5 is a nice package and Micromax should be happy withby what they’ve brought to the table to kindle their resurgence.

The League isn’t taking things so slowly anymore, expands to 10 new cities

Why it matters to you

Dating app The League has always prided itself on its exclusivity and taking things slow, but now it’s getting ready to shift gears.

If ever there were a scenario in which to privilege quality over quantity, your dating life would be it. Because alas, while there are many fish in the sea, there are only a few good catches. Luckily, the League understands, and in its relatively short existence as a dating app, has doubled down on the notion that selectivity is a plus when it comes to your romantic liaisons. While the League launched back in 2015, it’s taken things pretty slow (in terms of expansion). In fact, thus far, you can only go on a League date if you’re in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, London, or Washington, D.C., and you actually have to be approved before joining, too. But now, the app is taking things up a notch, and launching 10 cities before the end of August. That means it’ll more than double its current pool in about two months.

Included in the 10 new cities are Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Diego, Denver, Seattle, and Toronto. The first three (Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Miami) will see the League in their users’ smartphones in early June, whereas the remaining seven will be introduced in subsequent groupings. The new locations were carefully selected, with the app looking at various data including the number of college-educated singles in each city to determine where the most “aspiring power-couples” are located.

To kick off the launch of the app in each city, the League will be hosting a market-specific launch party, because what better way to meet your new boyfriend or girlfriend than at an in-person soiree thrown by a virtual matchmaker? Indeed, the startup explains, the rationale behind the parties is to prove to new members that the League isn’t just your run-of-the-mill dating frenzy — rather, it has a real community of desirable humans that make it tick.

And if you don’t find your prince or princess at the party, don’t worry. The League has a “concierge” service that pairs you with a dating expert of sorts who will help you refine your dating profile and tell you about the coolest events in your city where romance may bloom.

Part of the appeal of this app, of course, lies in its exclusivity, and the waiting list for many of these new cities is at least 10,000 people large. But rest assured, America. The League is slowly making its way across the nation, and hopes that by the end of 2017, it will be in 20 cities.

Artificial intelligence will track whether you’re paying attention in class

Why it matters to you

If you find yourself daydreaming during class, Nestor could help you regain your focus and help professors improve the least-engaging parts of their lecture.

You may have gotten away with staring off into space during your college years, but alas, the students of tomorrow may not be so lucky. In fact, some business students of today will soon find that their attention spans (or lack thereof) are being closely monitored. It’s all thanks to a combination of artificial intelligence and facial analysis, which researchers are using to detect whether or not students are actually paying attention in lectures. This combination forms a new kind of software called Nestor, and at its September launch, will be used in two online courses at the ESG business school. It’s the brainchild of LCA Learning, and it may just change the way we take classes.

According to LCA founder Marcel Saucet, the point of Nestor is to ultimately improve both student and professor performance (as the two are integrally related). By using student computers’ webcams to track their eye movements and facial expressions, Nestor claims to be able to figure out whether or not learners are in fact learning (or at the very least, attempting to). And to further substantiate its hypotheses, Nestor will also give students quizzes based on class content, especially content from moments when it seems as though attention may be lacking. This information could then be relayed to professors, who would be able to adjust their lectures in moments when students seemed least engaged.

For the time being, Nestor will only be used for students who are taking elearning courses, or watching their professors’ lectures remotely. However, Saucet hopes that in the future, an in-class version could also be implemented that would send students real-time notifications anytime they’re drifting off (though it seems this would actually create more distractions). Regardless, Saucet believes that Nestor could improve student performance, especially as the popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs) rises.

Of course, even if online learning becomes more effective, Saucet still believes that humans will be required to help educate others. “Human contact is not going to go away,” he said. “There will always be professors.”

Galaxy S8 has a frustrating Bluetooth problem, but a fix is on the way

Bluetooth problems have been plaguing a few Galaxy S8 owners, but a fix is reportedly on the way.

The Galaxy S8, like any popular phone, has its share of problems. While its most visible issue, a red tint on some of its SuperAMOLED displays, has been dealt with in a widely-released software update, another chorus of people are making noise about a less publicized issue: Bluetooth instability.

According to a number of forum posts, both on Samsung’s official forums and here at Android Central, some Galaxy S8 owners are having a difficult time maintaining a smooth connection to their Bluetooth speakers, head units and headphones.

In fact, one forum member is switching back to his iPhone because of the problem:

dejanh
05-28-2017 10:33 AM

“

I have enjoyed many things abouty S8+ so far, but one issue has been plaguing me and many others since day one – Bluetooth connectivity. I am often facing disconnects with my Gear S3, something that was never an issue on multiple S7 Edge devices or my Note devices. Also, the S8+ almost never automatically reconnects to my vehicle Bluetooth for music steaming, further contributing to an…

Reply

People in the official Samsung forums are having similar problems, and are working with someone on the moderating team to get an ETA on a fix, but no one from Samsung has been forthcoming (we reached out to Samsung but haven’t heard back. Will update when we do).

Plenty of Bluetooth issues here as well with the S8 Plus. My Gear S3 Classic randomly loses connection. Definitely a phone problem as the same Gear S3 has no issues with my S7 Edge or even my iPhone. Also, Bluetooth connection in the car for media playback is unstable. It either refuses to connect, or sometimes drop out. AgaIn, no such issues with the S7 Edge or iPhone. Hardware is not faulty. Clearly a software/firmware problem. Samsung needs to step up and address this issue urgently. I got fed up and switched back to my iPhone 7 Plus until Samsung releases an update that fixes this myriad of Bluetooth issues.

The good news is that Samsung reportedly has a fix in the works. An update that purports to fix “Bluetooth connectivity and stability” has begun rolling out to Galaxy S8 customers in the United Arab Emirates, and it should hit other, larger markets in the coming weeks.

Are you experiencing Bluetooth issues with your Galaxy S8?

Join the discussion in our forums!

Facebook: German bill isn’t ‘suitable’ to fight hate speech

Germany says sites like Facebook and Twitter aren’t doing enough to combat hate speech and fake news on their platforms. The country’s Ministry of Justice proposed a bill that, if approved, would fine social networks and other websites up to 50 million euros ($53 million) if they don’t remove the content quickly. Well, Facebook says the Network Enforcement Act (Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz or NetzDG in German) in its current form is “not suitable to combat hate speech and false news.”

Facebook’s response to the proposed legislation was first reported by German news outlet WirtschaftsWoche and later confirmed to Engadget by a spokesperson for the company. Back in 2015, Facebook, Twitter, Google all pledged to Germany that they would remove criminal forms of hate speech within 24 hours. According to the local government, those commitments haven’t always gone according to plan.

Late last year, Facebook drew the ire of the German government when it took longer to delete posts and the page of a hate group targeting Jewish people and their businesses. In March, Germany said Facebook and Twitter were still failing to remove the content in a timely fashion. Facebook disputed the Justice Ministry findings saying its numbers showed higher removal rates. The company also pledged to put more staff behind the effort, including 700 people in Berlin before the end of 2017.

In its statement this week, Facebook explains that while it typically shares similar view on hate speech and fake news and federal governments, Germany’s proposed legislation won’t do much to help fix the problem. Why? The company says the law would encourage it and others to remove content that might not be illegal to avoid risking such hefty fines.

“The draft law provides an incentive to delete content that is not clearly illegal when social networks face such a disproportionate threat of fines,” a Facebook spokesperson says in a statement to Engadget. “It would have the effect of transferring responsibility for complex legal decisions from public authorities to private companies.”

Facebook also says that “several legal experts” noted that the proposal violates the German constitution and doesn’t comply with EU law. As you might expect, the company says it’s willing to work with local governments and the general public on a better solution. If we had to guess, that would include something that doesn’t carry such a big financial penalty for companies that are trying to balance clamping down on hate speech and fake news with freedom of speech on their various platforms.

Just last week, the EU approved its own proposal to fight hate speech on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. That piece of legislation still has to be approved by the European Parliament before it becomes law, but if it does, the ruling would allow social networks to block videos that promote hate speech or terrorism. However, those regulations only apply to archived footage, not live streams. On top of having the attention of legislators around the world, Facebook is also dealing with the massive problem of violent acts being broadcast live on its site.

Here’s the full statement on Germany’s proposed hate speech legislation from Facebook:

“In its statement on the Network Enforcement Act (GER: Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz, NetzDG), Facebook outlines the main reasons why the NetzDG is not suitable to combat hate speech and false news. Generally, Facebook shares the federal government’s concern regarding hate speech and false news online. At the same time, Facebook understands its own responsibility and welcomes political efforts to combat these challenges.

However, the draft law is not the right way to achieve these political goals. The draft law provides an incentive to delete content that is not clearly illegal when social networks face such a disproportionate threat of fines. It would have the effect of transferring responsibility for complex legal decisions from public authorities to private companies. And several legal experts have assessed the draft law as being against the German constitution and non-compliant with EU law. Facebook is committed to working in partnership with governments and civil society on solutions that will make this draft law unnecessary.”

Via: Deutsche Welle

Source: WirtschaftsWoche (German)

What’s on TV: ‘House of Cards,’ ‘Fear the Walking Dead’

This week the NBA and NHL are finally kicking off their final round of games, and it’s time for the latest season of House of Cards to try and beat real-life political drama. AMC’s The Walking Dead spinoff is back for another round, and HBO is about to air the final episode of The Leftovers. Gamers can look forward to Tekken 7, plus some new DLC for Mafia III, and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• The Shack
• Speed Racer (Complete Series)
• Ghost World (Criterion)
• Tough Guys
• The Hearse
• Before I Fall
• The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series A New Frontier Episode 5, (PS4, Xbox One)
• Lock’s Quest (PS4, Xbox One)
• Perception (PS4, Switch)
• Mafia III: Stones Unturned DLC (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
• Star Trek: Bridge Crew (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands: Fallen Ghosts DLC (PS4, Xbox One)
• Redout (Switch)
• Tropico 5 Complete Collection (Xbox One, PS4)
• Tekken 7 (PS4, Xbox One – 6/2)
• The Culling (Xbox One – Game Preview)

Monday

• NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 1: Predators/Penguins, NBC, 8PM
• Gotham, Fox, 8PM
• Lucifer (season finale), Fox, 9PM
• Whose Line is it Anyway? (season premiere), CW, 9PM
• Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, A&E, 9PM
• The Twins, Freeform, 9PM
• Still Star-Crossed (series premiere), ABC, 10PM
• American Dad, TBS, 10PM
• The Therapist, Viceland, 11PM
• Angie Tribeca, TBS, 10:30PM

Tuesday

• F is for Family (S2), Netflix, 3AM
• House of Cards (S5), Netflix, 3AM
• Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust, Netflix, 3AM
• Casual, Hulu, 3AM
• America’s Got Talent (season premiere), NBC, 8PM
• Victorian Slum (season finale), PBS, 8PM
• Downward Dog, ABC, 8PM
• Pretty Little Liars, Freeform, 8PM
• The Manns, TV One, 8PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
• The Challenge, MTV, 8PM
• Animal Kingdom (season premiere), TNT, 9PM
• The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros, MTV, 9PM
• Famous in Love, Freeform, 9PM
• Deadliest Catch, Discovery, 9PM
• iZombie, CW, 9PM
• Prison Break (season finale), Fox, 9PM
• Switched at Birth, Freeform, 9PM
• Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
• Imaginary Mary (season finale), ABC, 9:30PM
• Wold of Dance (series premiere), NBC, 10PM
• Cooper’s Treasure (season finale), Discovery, 10PM
• Team Ninja Warrior, USA, 10PM
• The Americans (season finale), FX, 10PM
• Truth & Iliza, Freeform, 10PM

Wednesday

• The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu, 3AM
• NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 2: Predators vs. Penguins, NBC Sports Network, 8PM
• Dirty Dancing, ABC, 8PM
• Kingdom (season premiere), DirecTV Audience, 8PM
• Catfish, MTV, 8PM
• The Carmichael Show (season premiere), NBC, 9PM
• Big Star Little Star (series premiere), USA, 9PM
• The F Word with Gordon Ramsey (series premiere), Fox, 9PM
• Are You the One: All Star Challenge, MTV, 9PM
• The Magicians, Syfy, 9PM
• Major Crimes, TNT, 9PM
• Fargo, FX, 10PM
• The Ultimate Fighter, FS1, 10PM
• The Expanse, Syfy, 10PM
• Nobodies, TV Land, 10PM

Thursday

• Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ (season premiere), Seeso, 3AM
• The Cyanide & Happiness Show, Seeso, 3AM
• NBA Finals Game 1: Warriors vs. Cavaliers, ABC, 9PM
• Beat Shazam Fox, 8PM
• American Ninja Warrior: Celebrity Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
• Love Connection, Fox, 9PM
• The Amazing Race (season finale), CBS, 10PM
• Beerland (season finale), Viceland, 10PM
• Inside the FBI (season finale), USA, 10PM
• Dead Set on Life (season finale), Viceland, 10:30PM
• Impractical Jokers, TruTV, 11PM

Friday

• Flaked (S2), Netflix, 3AM
• Inspector Gadget (S2), Netflix, 3AM
• Long Strange Trip (S1), Amazon Prime, 3AM
• Lucid Dream, Netflix, 3AM
• The Originals, CW, 8PM
• First Dates (season finale), NBC, 8PM
• Vice, HBO, 8PM
• Andrew Santino: Home Field Advantage, Showtime, 9PM
• Motherboard, Viceland, 9PM
• Reign, CW, 9PM
• The 76th Annual Peabody Awards, Showtime, 9PM
• Earthworks (series premiere), Viceland, 11PM

Saturday

• Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine, Hulu, 3AM
• NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 3: Penguins vs. Predators, NBC Sports Network, 8PM
• In an Instant (season premiere), ABC, 9PM
• Doctor Who, BBC America, 9PM
• The Son, AMC, 9PM
• Class (season finale), BBC America, 10PM

Sunday

• NBA Finals Game 2: Warriors vs. Cavaliers, ABC, 8PM
• American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
• Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN, 7:30PM
• NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 8PM
• White Princess (season finale), Starz, 8PM
• Fear the Walking Dead (season premiere), AMC, 9PM
• American Gods, Starz, 9PM
• The Leftovers (series finale), HBO, 9PM
• Twin Peaks, Showtime, 9PM
• Comedy Central’s Colossal Clusterfest, 10P<
• Naked & Afraid XL, Discovery, 10PM
• Unsung, TV One, 10PM
• Silicon Valley, HBO, 10:15PM
• United Shades of America, CNN, 10PM
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11:15PM

Apple, Facebook and Google condemn Texas transgender bill

Proposed legislation in Texas has irked some of the biggest names in tech, sparking condemnation from the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook and 12 other influential tech leaders. If passed, this controversial state law would only allow transgender students to use restrooms that match the gender printed on their birth certificate.

While Texan lawmakers continue to debate what’s become known as the “bathroom bill”, the influential executives have penned a letter urging the state’s governor not to pass the “discriminatory” legislation. Senior employees from Microsoft, Amazon and game developer Gearbox Software have also co-signed the letter with Facebook and Apple, claiming that the proposed law would be “bad for employees and bad for business.” Governor Greg Abbott has revealed that he intends to pass the controversial bill before the end of May.

“As large employers in the state, we are gravely concerned that any such legislation would deeply tarnish Texas’ reputation as open and friendly to businesses and families”, begins the tech companies’ letter to Abbott. “Our ability to attract, recruit and retain top talent, encourage new business relocations, expansions and investment, and maintain our economic competitiveness would all be negatively affected.”

“Discrimination is wrong and it has no place in Texas or anywhere in our country,” the letter continues. “Our perspective is grounded in our values and our long-held commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

This isn’t the first time the tech industry has taken a stand against issues arising from Trump’s controversial transgender policies. With much of Silicon Valley also vocally supporting a 17-year-old transgender student’s legal battle and opposing similar legislation in Northern Carolina, this latest intervention continues to show the industry firmly sticking to its guns.

Via: The Verge

Source: The Dallas Morning News