Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss
Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.
Today you can get big discounts on Eufy’s RoboVac 11c, smartphone repair kits, TopGreener USB outlets and more! Don’t pass these up.
View the rest of the deals
If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!
Galaxy S9+ vs iPhone X: A MrMobile/TechnoBuffalo Collab
To anchor a collaboration years in the making, Jon Rettinger and I chose a comparison that never seems to get old. That’s right: for the ninth year running, it’s Galaxy vs iPhone time as we put Samsung’s Galaxy S9+ head to head with Apple’s iPhone X! In this break from the traditional MrMobile format, I visit the TechnoBuffalo offices for a podcast-like debate with Jon Rettinger on the merits of iOS vs Android, FaceID vs iris scanning, and simplicity vs customizability. We evaluate the iPhone X and Galaxy S9+ across five separate categories — and in keeping with TechnoBuffalo tradition, there are no cop-outs allowed: every category gets a score, and an ultimate “winner” is indeed crowned! At the end of it all, we flip the objective into the subjective with our own choices for which would find a home in our own pockets.
A comparison this big takes two videos to tackle, so brew up a pot of something hot and plant your phone in front of your face for Galaxy S9+ vs iPhone X Part 1 over at TechnoBuffalo, and Part 2 at MrMobile! Then be sure to subscribe to each channel so you don’t miss the next big smartphone reviews from each!
- Subscribe to MrMobile
- Subscribe to TechnoBuffalo
Stay social, my friends
- YouTube
- The Web
- Snapchat
Engadget giveaway: Win an outdoors package with goTenna and more!
As we shake off the shackles of winter and ease into the more clement weather of spring and summer, it’s time for travel plans to take shape. Enjoying the outdoors doesn’t mean you have to ditch all the mod cons, though. This week, we have a trio of outdoors items for two winners that will let you keep the tech while you head off-the-grid. The goTenna Mesh communicator lets you stay in touch with others without a cell signal by sending texts and GPS details over radio waves. The radius of communication is a few miles when you’re in the sticks, but can expand when there are more devices around. BioLite’s Charge 20 is a rugged portable battery to help keep your phone and other devices topped up. And if you’re out capturing footage with a camera, the GNARBOX storage unit and mobile editing software can turn some of those quiet hours in the outdoors into casual productivity without needing a laptop (iOS / Android). It even supports editing of 4K video and RAW photos.
All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to five chances at winning one of these outdoors tech packages including the goTenna Mesh, BioLite Charge 20 and GNARBOX editing set up. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. Two (2) winners will each receive one (1) goTenna Mesh communicator (two-pack, $179), one (1) BioLite Charge 20 portable battery ($39.95) and one (1) GNARBOX portable media editing (128GB, $300).
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all of its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until April 4th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Sony Xperia XZ2 review: Memorable looks, forgettable features
Sony isn’t the big hitter in mobile it once was. It hasn’t been one of the popular kids for a while now, but that hasn’t stopped the company from producing new smartphones at a steady clip. At Mobile World Congress in February, Sony announced its first new hopes for 2018, the frontman of which is the Xperia XZ2. The flagship marks something of a fresh start for Sony: a departure from the recycled design language that’s touched every Xperia for several years. What you get is a device that’s curvier, glossier and an absolute dream to use in several respects. The problem Sony still faces, though, is a lack of unique features to entice people away from the brands and lineages they’ve become familiar and comfortable with.

Ever since the Xperia Z hit the scene way back in 2013, Sony has remained committed to a fixed aesthetic that it calls “OmniBalance.” I’m personally a fan of this blocky, almost utilitarian design brief, which has stayed recognizable and unique in comparison with the many different looks other manufacturers have played with over the years. But, as the saying goes, if your mobile business is going broke, time to fix … something. And so OmniBalance as a design concept has been retired, but nevertheless the XZ2 carries some classic Sony traits.
The defined border that spans the edge of the device is still very OmniBalance-esque, and thankfully Sony has decided to keep the dedicated, two-stage camera button — a rarity among smartphones these days. Naturally, there isn’t a great deal to say about the front of the device, other than that it sports a small multicolor notification LED, which I always find handy. The back is where you’ll see the greatest difference from Sony devices past. Instead of just a flat pane, as per OmniBalance rules, you now get a subtle, shallow curve that changes the feel completely. There are no hard edges here, and, as the XZ2 is covered almost entirely in Gorilla Glass 5, it’s seductively glossy. Be careful where you put it down, though. Leave it on the arm of a sofa or basically anything that isn’t a completely level surface and you can bet it’ll slide around as if it has a strong desire to see what hitting the floor is like.

The sleek glass body isn’t the only thing that screams premium. It’s dense — not heavy, but dense, like it could take a left hook to the face and not even flinch. It’s waterproof too (IP65/68 rated), which you’d expect, since Sony was an early proponent of that feature. And while I’m quite happy with the deep black of my review unit, you can pick up the XZ2 in a silver or turquoisy shade if that’s more your vibe, or a pastel pink in some markets.
It’s a good-looking phone by all accounts, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t shortcomings. For one, it’s a little on the big side. It has to be to accommodate the large display, but even with my long digits, it’s not the easiest phone to manage one-handed. In other words, it won’t be to everyone’s preference. Similarly, you’ve only got a USB-C port to work with, which is another way of saying there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack. Granted, that’s pretty much standard procedure now, and Sony’s kind enough to include compatible headphones and a USB-to-3.5mm dongle in the box. Still, it’s worth mentioning, since I know lack of jack is a deal-breaker for some.

What personally rubs me the wrong way, though, is the clutter around the back. Previous Sony phones (outside the US, anyway) have featured a power button/fingerprint reader combo, but the XZ2 goes with the tried and tested back-mounted affair. First off, I don’t like how the camera and fingerprint reader are all cramped up together. It’s not particularly pleasing to the eye (probably a golden-rule-type thing), and it’s not very functional either. Yes, the primary camera is in such a position that your hand never obscures the lens while you’re shooting, but it pushes the fingerprint reader too low. The whole point of a back-mounted sensor is that your fingertip naturally falls on it. Instead, I catch myself pawing at the camera glass as the reader rejects random finger flesh.
Overall, the XZ2 looks and feels very 2016 flagship. If that sounds like a criticism, it’s not. However, the marketeer in me can’t think of anything to plug in the way of distinguishing features. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but Samsung has its curved screen, Apple has its notch, and Sony? Well, Sony has something that doesn’t look the same as everything else it’s made in the past five years.
| Sony Xperia XZ2 | |
| Processor | Octa-core Snapdragon 845 |
| RAM / storage | 4GB / 64GB |
| MicroSD card support | Up to 400GB |
| Display | 5.7-inch LCD, HDR |
| Display resolution | 1,080 x 2,160 (16:9) |
| Glass | Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Rear camera | 19MP Motion Eye, f/2.0 lens |
| Front-facing camera | 5MP, f/2.2 lens |
| OS | Android 8.0 Oreo |
| Battery | 3,180mAh |
| Charging | USB-C (quick-charging), wireless |
| Dimensions | 153 x 72 x 11.1mm (6.0 x 2.8 x 0.4 inches) |
| Weight | 198g (7 ounces) |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes |
| Waterproofing | IP65/68 |
| NFC | Yes |
| Headphone jack | No |
Camera

If there’s one thing Sony knows, it’s smartphone cameras — you’ll find its sensors in most top-tier devices. The XZ2 brandishes one of the company’s 19-megapixel “Motion Eye” cameras, and, boy, does it take some beautiful shots. There’s bags of detail in the 17-megapixel images it spits out, with color saturation on point the vast majority of the time. It holds up well enough in low light, although, as is typically the case, the shutter speed gets much slower in these less-than-ideal conditions, making slightly blurry shots unavoidable at times.
One of the best things about the camera is ease of use. The two-step shutter key feels much more natural than tapping at an icon on the screen, and a long press of that launches the camera app immediately for those opportunistic shots. Also, Sony’s “Superior Auto” mode takes the hassle out of fiddling with settings and scene selection, and it pretty much always squeezes the best out the camera. Very occasionally, pictures came out slightly underexposed, but that seems like a fair trade-off when you get mostly great results from simply pointing and shooting.
The XZ2’s camera is kind of simple compared with other phones on the market. There’s no dual camera arrangement, optical zoom or variable aperture to swoon over. There is a bokeh app that sort of does the same thing a dual camera would, but it’s not particularly user-friendly. You have to select the subject in the viewfinder and hold the phone steady while it takes two separate pictures at different focal lengths. And the result looks far more manufactured than I’ve seen from proper dual camera setups. However, the fact that the XZ2’s single camera has an f/2.0 aperture means you get some nice, natural background blur in close-up shots.

Despite lacking anything fancy on the imaging hardware side, the XZ2 can do a few things no other phone can. First, it can shoot 960fps video at full HD resolution. When Sony introduced the super-slow-mo feature on the XZ Premium last year, 720p was as good as it got. Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Huawei’s P20 top out at 720p too. However, being able to now shoot in 1080p isn’t a big deal. In fact, it makes the feature borderline unusable. That’s because, whereas at 720p you can record 0.2 seconds of slow-mo at a time, at 1080p that window shortens to 0.1 seconds.
The feature is incredibly testing at the best of times. You can’t reactively hit that slow-mo button or you’ll have already missed what you were trying to capture. You have to predict it, which is far more difficult when we’re talking such small fractions of a second. While I was out testing the camera, I managed to stop a passing skater who agreed to do a few tricks for me to capture in super-slow-mo. After trying to time a 1080p clip with zero success, I switched to 720p just to get the thing shot and let the guy leave. Even then, it took me about six tries to get something usable. The same gripe cropped up in my colleague Cherlynn’s review of the S9, too. Super-slow-mo is cool and all, but it’s so hit-and-miss as it is that the 1080p upgrade is something you can ignore entirely.

The XZ2 is also the only phone that can shoot 4K HDR video, beating Samsung to the punch. There are a couple of reasons why this feature can be similarly overlooked. For starters, the 4K HDR clips look … bad. Rather than adding an extra layer of contrast, HDR seems to be code for “Let’s overexpose everything.” Given the high quality of regular 4K clips shot on the XZ2 (tinny audio notwithstanding), I see no reason to switch HDR on. Also, unless you have compatible hardware, like a new TV or an expensive monitor, you’re only going to watch these videos on the screen you have in your hand. I tried to watch the 4K HDR clips on my MacBook but gave up after trying three different players with no success.
Sony has a habit of throwing camera features at the wall and hoping something sticks. It may have failed here, but forget about those exclusive XZ2 shooting modes and you’ve still got a great smartphone camera to work with. The front-facing shooter might leave selfie addicts wanting, though, because there’s only so much detail you can capture with a 5-megapixel sensor. The only counterpoint to that is you can now use the front-facing camera with Sony’s 3D Creator app, meaning you can sort of make a 3D scan of your mug without getting a friend to help. It’s a bit of a clumsy process, and the models you end up with tend to be a bit warped and strange. Still, it’s there if you want it, which you probably won’t.
That’s entertainment
Jamie Rigg, Engadget
When Sony exec Hideyuki Furumi introduced the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact onstage at Mobile World Congress, he referred to them not as smartphones, but “entertainment devices.” It’s marketing-speak, obviously, but there are some design choices backing this classification up. Most notably, the XZ2’s big 5.7-inch HDR display. It’s an LCD panel, so blacks aren’t OLED deep, but otherwise it’s very pretty indeed, with rich, vibrant colors. It’s paired with Sony’s X-Reality engine, which “upscales” everything onscreen from normal dynamic range to HDR (if it isn’t HDR already). Switching the enhancement mode on and off, you can see the extra contrast and depth it adds to, say, the latest Deadpool 2 trailer on YouTube. It definitely works, but it is quite subtle, so it’s not something I expect people will be lining up to get their hands on.
The display doesn’t hold up that well in direct sunlight. It seems the panel just doesn’t have enough power available to it to completely eliminate glare on a bright day, but power is a precious commodity on the XZ2. The display absolutely hammers the battery, being responsible for around 70 percent of drain per charge, in my experience. The phone actually has a pretty big battery hidden beneath its glossy exterior, and I dare say that if it sat on a desk all day, you’d get perhaps a day and a half of mild use out of it. Maybe more. But obviously I’ve been playing around with it a lot, taking pictures, playing games and everything else you do to get really familiar with a new smartphone.

Every time the screen is on with the brightness cranked up, you can see the charge percentage ticking down like a clock (I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea). And, no, I haven’t just been playing 3D games for hours and then gone searching for something else to blame the battery life on. Just having the viewfinder open to shoot the sample photos necessary for this review gulped down the best part of a charge. Naturally, there are modes that extend battery life, but if you’re a power user, be prepared to charge the XZ2 regularly. The phone supports wireless charging, but I’d recommend plugging the thing into a wall to take advantage of fast charging. At low percentages, I was able to get a good 30 percent boost in only 20 minutes, so there’s that at least.
Anyway, back to the entertainment. Hi-res audio support is a given — Sony’s been making a point of this for years now — but not so common are the stereo speakers the XZ2 has up front. They’re … not good. They get real loud, but the highs are raspy, and the bass tones empty. It’s fine for a YouTube clip or whatever, and only bus menaces play music out of their phones anyway.

Undeniably the XZ2’s strangest feature is “Dynamic Vibration.” What Sony’s done, basically, is install an oversize haptic actuator, which is the vibrating component of the phone. Pair that with some software that turns audio in rumbles and you’ve got Dynamic Vibration. It doesn’t work very consistently, though. Not all apps feed audio into Android in the same way, so only those that pass through the media volume channel can be remixed into vibrations. It doesn’t work in Twitch unless there’s some loud gunfire onscreen. Most games I’ve been trying are incompatible, too. I’d love it if the thing would rumble when I’m getting shot in the back in PUBG Mobile, but it doesn’t. If for some reason you want numb hands in five minutes, you can turn the vibration setting to max and put on a bass-heavy track on YouTube. It’s pretty damn gimmicky, though, especially when it’s a coin flip as to whether an app uses the right type of audio.
Performance

This is where it gets interesting. Under the XZ2’s hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, the best chip money can buy right now. It’s the first phone I’ve played with in a while that completely encapsulates that new-computer feel — when you turn a laptop on for the first time and everything is effortless and lightning fast. That’s what using the XZ2 is like. Everything happens instantly and it all moves smooth as butter. Every game plays flawlessly at the highest possible settings. It never gets too hot. No gremlins, no crashes, no weirdness. As close to perfection as I’ve seen. That’s all you need to know, really. And bear in mind that my review unit has only 4GB of RAM, not the 6GB some Asia-only XZ2 phones get.
Sometimes the skins that manufacturers layer on top of Android can slow things down a little, but that’s not an issue here. Sony’s augments to Android 8.0 Oreo are few, and mostly geared toward visual personalization, but there are a few duplicate apps, like Sony’s own email client, gallery and video-specific gallery that needn’t exist. I don’t have much love for the pre-installed Xperia Lounge, AVG Protection, Kobo or Amazon apps either. Xperia Assist is quite handy, though, popping up whenever I was trying out new features like Dynamic Vibration to explain it to me by way of chatbot. Sony’s additions are inoffensive on the whole.
The competition

Unfortunately, Sony has yet to provide me with concrete US pricing and availability details. What I do know is that the XZ2 goes on sale in the UK on April 6th for £699. Considering that it’s not yet up for pre-order in the US, we can assume a slightly later launch — late April/early May, perhaps — and hazard a guess at roughly a $750 to $800 price tag. That assumption’s based on both the UK price and the fact that Sony phones are typically on the expensive side no matter what kind of price band they fall into.
Obviously, there are a plethora of phones you can buy with this kind of money, but trust me when I say you want to put your dough toward a 2018 device with a Snapdragon 845 inside. The general user experience is too good to pass up. Now, the 845 party is going to get a lot more crowded as the year rolls on — the LG G7, ASUS Zenphone 5Z and HTC U12 have been invited, to name a few — but right now the Samsung Galaxy S9 is the nemesis of the Xperia XZ2. And that’s where Sony might have a problem.

While I prefer the glossy look of the XZ2, the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus both carry better, higher-resolution displays than their Sony rival. They also have larger, 8-megapixel front-facing cameras for selfies and socials, and the S9 Plus comes with 6GB of RAM as standard, whereas the 6GB XZ2 is reserved for select Asian markets. What’s more, features that are relatively unique to the S9 duo, such as variable aperture cameras and AR emoji, are things that resonate more with consumers than 4K HDR video recording.
The feature sets of all three phones are otherwise very similar, but when the S9 is $720, the S9 Plus is $840 and the XZ2 is probably somewhere in between, you really have to be sold on the design of the XZ2 to ignore the obvious shortcomings on the spec sheet.
There’s always the Xperia XZ2 Compact, of course, which is almost exactly the same phone in a smaller, 5-inch package. You’ll save yourself a good chunk of change downsizing, too. US pricing hasn’t been confirmed, but in the UK the Compact will retail for £549 — significantly cheaper than the £699 asking price of the XZ2.
Wrap-up

The Xperia XZ2 has a number of desirable characteristics, but it’s far from perfect. All that glass looks and feels beautiful, even if the fingerprint reader placement is a little off. The main camera takes pictures rich in detail and color. The HDR display is vibrant, but crank up the brightness and battery life really suffers. Performance-wise, it’s faultless.
The features that really differentiate the XZ2 from its competition are easily overlooked, though: Dynamic Vibration, super-slow-mo at 1080p and 4K HDR video. These aren’t things you are going to use very often, if at all.
Assuming a price of roughly $750 to $800 is accurate, the XZ2 is in danger of being overshadowed by the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. I personally prefer the look of the XZ2, and you might too. But would you be happy spending the best part of a grand on one when you know there’s something that little bit better out there for the same kind of money?
SEC charges two individuals with fraud in continuing ICO investigation
The SEC has charged two individuals for what it alleges was a fraudulent initial coin offering (ICO) that raised over $32 million last year. Sohrab Sharma and Robert Farkas co-founded Centra Tech Inc. and the SEC says the company sold unregistered investments through a token. Sharma and Farkas are said to have told potential investors that the company was working on a Visa and MasterCard-backed debit card that would convert cryptocurrencies into US dollars, but the SEC alleges Centra was not actually working with either of those companies. Additionally, the co-founders made up executives with impressive backgrounds and shared misleading information on the company’s website.
“We allege that Centra sold investors on the promise of new digital technologies by using a sophisticated marketing campaign to spin a web of lies about their supposed partnerships with legitimate businesses,” Stephanie Avakian, co-director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said in a statement. “As the complaint alleges, these and other claims were simply false.” The SEC also says that Centra paid celebrities to talk about its ICO, the likes of which included Floyd Mayweather and DJ Khaled. A class action complaint filed against Centra and its founders in December also claimed the company violated US securities law and misled investors.
The SEC formed its Cyber Unit last September and since then, it has filed charges against those it alleges have fraudulently raised money through ICOs and begun looking closely at companies that suddenly shift their interests to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Last month, the commission issued dozens of subpoenas to companies conducting ICOs.
The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, refunds of fraudulently raised money and a ban on Sharma and Farkas participating in securities offerings or serving as officers in a public company. The US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York has also filed criminal charges against Sharma and Farkas.
Via: ZDNet
Source: SEC
‘Dragon Quest VR’ brings giant virtual slimes to Japan’s arcades
What do you mean you haven’t ever played Dragon Quest? One of few JPRGs to have gone toe-to-toe with Final Fantasy and lived to tell the angsty tale, the series is still huge in Japan, even if the games have struggled to amass similar fanbases elsewhere. (Something that its Minecraft-esque spin-off has been trying to fix.)
Next up, then, is virtual reality. Dragon Quest VR is set to launch at the end of April in a Tokyo arcade — in fact, the same place (Shinjuku’s VR Zone) where you can virtually race Mario Kart. Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii claims the new title is “like a dream” although the YouTube teaser doesn’t offer much in regard to gameplay. Well, nothing beyond some guys waving some plastic around while decked in VR gear. At least we know there’s a shield involved?
If you’re looking for a taste of Dragon Quest away from Nihon and virtual medieval lands, then you’ll have to wait on Dragon Quest IX, which launches in Europe and the US in early September, on both PS4 and PC. Japan’s been playing it since July last year, on both the 3DS and PS4. There’s still no signs that rest of the world will pick up the portable version.
Via: The Verge
NASA explores ‘quiet’ supersonic flight over land
Today, NASA announced its latest experimental aircraft called the Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator (LBFD). The agency signed a contract to design the plane back in 2016; now it’s ready to proceed with development and construction. If the LBFD is successful, it will be a testbed for quiet supersonic technology, and possibly allow for supersonic flights over land, getting passengers from New York to Los Angeles in just two hours.
At a press conference today, Jaiwon Shin, the associate administrator of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, announced that Lockheed Martin would build the aircraft for $247.5 million. Dave Richardson from Lockheed Martin made clear that this plane is not a prototype; it’s a research aircraft only. It will start flight tests in 2021.
Lockheed Martin’s research will focus on reducing the noise of a sonic boom (hence the name “low boom”), allowing the LBFD to fly quietly over land. It will be flown over select US cities, and then NASA will ask residents and workers in those cities whether they heard anything. They hope to use this data to change the rule that prohibits civil supersonic flights over land, opening the air travel market to supersonic flight on land.
Update: Lockheed Martin published the following video today explaining more about the LBFD.
Facebook users can now delete third-party apps in bulk
In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook has been making some changes, giving users a little bit more control over their data and how it’s used. Today, TechCrunch reports that the company is making it easier to remove third-party apps. Previously, users had to delete each one separately, making the removal process rather time-consuming for some. But now, Facebook is rolling out a way to delete multiple apps at once. Though you can’t just grab them all at the same time, you can select as many as you’d like and delete them in bulk.
Last month, Facebook made its data security tools easier to access and launched an Access Your Information tool that lets users see and manage their data. It also began restricting what sorts of data advertisers can use to target users and will start requiring advertisers to declare that they’ve obtained users’ permission before using their email addresses for ad-targeting. Last week, reports surfaced that Facebook has been keeping videos that users recorded but never published on their pages.
A Facebook spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company has “more to do” and it will be sharing its ongoing efforts sometime in the future. The bulk removal tool is available now on both mobile and desktop.
Source: TechCrunch
Spotify is now a public company
It’s been a long road for Spotify in terms of going public, but now that day is here. The company is now public; it took the unusual step of pursuing a direct listing, rather than the more traditional IPO. Shares were set at a price of $132 by the New York Stock Exchange late Monday, according to Reuters. That gives Spotify a value of over $23 billion.
As of the time of this writing, Spotify still has not had its first trade (which may be a record; it’s now taken longer to start trading than Alibaba). The NYSE did warn traders that it could take longer than usual for that first trade to occur because of the direct listing. The Wall Street Journal reports the anticipated range of Spotify’s first trade has been creeping up all morning; it’s now at $167 to $170. That signals there’s a lot of interest in Spotify’s shares. It will be interesting to see what happens when the company finally has its first trades.
The flux in share price is due to the fact that Spotify is pursuing a less traditional direct listing instead of an IPO. This allows the share price to be set by supply and demand, rather than underwriters. Last year, the company hoped for a total valuation of $10 billion. It looks like the streaming service is going to get a whole lot more than that, judging by the interest in shares.
Update: Shares of Spotify were open for trading at 12:45 PM ET. The starting price was $165.90, and 5.6 million shares were traded initially.
Source: Reuters
Square Enix pledges to fix the PC version of ‘Chrono Trigger’
Square Enix is going to make it right for Chrono Trigger fans. In late February, the publisher dropped the classic JRPG onto Steam, but it was the oft-derided mobile port from six years ago — not the original SNES game from 1995. To right that wrong, Square Enix will patch the game with an option to switch between the current visuals and “the original graphical style” of the game.
There will be “a number” of updates beyond this, with the graphics-and-UI-related one dropping between now and the middle of April. Previously, modders took matters into their own hands and addressed the gaffe. What the other patches will entail is anyone’s guess.
Via: Polygon
Source: Steam



