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Back in 2015, Google’s ATAP team demoed a new kind of wearable tech at Google I/O that used functional fabrics and conductive yarns to allow you to interact with your clothing and, by extension, the phone in your pocket. The company then released a jacket with Levi’s in 2017, but that was expensive, at $350, and never really quite caught on. Now, however, Jacquard is back. A few weeks ago, Saint Laurent launched a backpack with Jacquard support, but at $1,000, that was very much a luxury product. Today, however, Google and Levi’s are announcing their latest collaboration: Jacquard-enabled versions of Levi’s Trucker Jacket. These jackets, which will come in different styles, including the Classic Trucker and the Sherpa Trucker, and in men’s and women’s versions, will retail for $198 for the Classic Trucker and $248 for the Sherpa Trucker. In addition to the U.S., it’ll be available in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.K. The idea here is simple and hasn’t changed s...

Stranger Things 4 got its first teaser today, courtesy of the official Stranger Things Twitter account. The Netflix series, which is in its fourth season (although the creators, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, maintain that each instalment isn’t really a ‘season’ in the traditional TV sense, but rather more like a movie broken up across multiple episodes), is being renewed alongside an overall film and TV deal with a 9-figure value for the Duffers at Netflix. Stranger Things  manages a unique blend of sci-fi, horror, 1980s-era nostalgia and coming-of-age teen buddy comedy. It’s among the most successful of Netflix’s original content creations, by most accounts, and also one of the most critically-acclaimed. Details about this fourth series are scarce for now, but based on the teaser we can expect the action to move out of Hawkins, the sleepy town which has provided the backdrop for all of the action thus far (minus a very strange outing for main character Elle back in season tw...

Hyundai Motor Group has launched a new air mobility division aimed at developing technology for the commercialization of flying cars, the latest company to dive into the emerging industry. The division will be led by Dr. Jaiwon Shin, an aeronautics engineer who most recently led the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA. While at NASA, Shin oversaw a $725 million program into aeronautics research initiatives, such as a supersonic X-plane, the electrification of aircraft, UAS traffic management and urban air mobility. The South Korean automaker said the business unit led by Shin will “develop core technologies and innovative solutions for safe and efficient airborne travel.” Shin’s expertise centers on airframe, engine, aviation safety and air traffic management — technologies that Hyundai says will allow it to take a lead in the urban air mobility sector. That urban air sector is expected to grow into a market worth $1.5 trillion within the next 20 years, according to Shi...

Instagram deployed a new tool today that should help it continue to build a more viable alternative to YouTube for individual creators looking to try a different platform. It’s a dedicated account called @creators , which will deliver tips and tricks for people hoping to become more active on the platform. Based on the pinned FAQ story that Instagram has posted to the account, and a brief explainer with some testimonials from actual creators using the platform, one of the questions that Instagram answers is how to get verified — which must be asked so incredibly frequently by this particular set of folks. The grid posts of @creators include some helpful tips, like pointing out that 60% of people listen to stories on the platform with the sound on. Clearly, the account is geared toward pushing video creation tips and tools, which makes sense, given that’s an area of growth for the company, and a way for it to win over disaffected YouTubers and younger creators who are looking for th...

Since launching in the United States five years ago, SmartNews , the news aggregation app that recently hit unicorn status , has quietly built a reputation for presenting reliable information from a wide range of publishers. The company straddles two very different markets: the U.S. and its home country of Japan, where it is one of the leading news apps. SmartNews wants readers to see it as a way to break out of their filter bubbles, says Jeannie Yang, its senior vice president of product, especially as the American presidential election heats up. For example, it recently launched a feature, called “News From All Sides,” that lets people see how media outlets from across the political spectrum are covering a specific topic. The app is driven by machine-learning algorithms, but it also has an editorial team led by Rich Jaroslovsky, the first managing editor of WSJ.com and founder of the Online News Association. One of SmartNews’ goal is to surface news that its users might not seek ...

Microsoft today announced that Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) , its Azure-based system for virtualizing the Windows and Office user experience it announced last September, is now generally available. Using WVD, enterprises can give their employees access to virtualized applications and remote desktops, including the ability to provide multi-session Windows 10 experiences, something that sets Microsoft’s own apart from that of other vendors who offer virtualized Windows desktops and applications. In addition to making the service generally available, Microsoft is also rolling it out globally, whereas the preview was U.S.-only and the original plan was to slowly roll it out globally. As Scott Manchester, the principal engineering lead for WVD, also told me that over 20,000 companies signed up for the preview. He also noted that Microsoft Teams is getting enhanced support in WVD with a significantly improved video conferencing experience. Shortly after announcing the preview of WVD, Mi...

The People’s Bank of China has approved PayPal’s acquisition of a 70% equity state in GoPay (Guofubao Information Technology Co. (GoPay), Ltd.), which will make PayPal the first foreign payment platform to provide online payment services in China. GoPay has licenses for online and mobile transactions, and mainly provides payment products for industries including e-commerce, cross-border commerce, aviation tourism, and others. According to a statement from Guofubao, PayPal acquired the controlling stake through the Shanghai-based subsidiary, Yinbaobao Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The companies did not disclose deal terms. The news of PayPal’s entry into China comes at a time when there’s increased tensions between the U.S. and China, with The White House reportedly now considering curbing some U.S. investments in China amid the trade dispute between the countries. Though China’s payments market today is led by local players, including eWallet providers like AliPay ...