THE VERGEMICROSOFTTECHREVIEWSSCIENCECREATORSENTERTAINMENT The Verge was founded in 2011 in partnership with Vox Media, and covers the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture. Its mission is to offer in-depth reporting and long-form feature SENATE APPROVES BILLIONS FOR US SEMICONDUCTOR The Senate approved a sweeping science and technology bill, including over $50 billion to boost competitiveness in US semiconductor manufacturing amid an ongoing global chip shortage. WAABI, THE RARE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE STARTUP WITH A WOMAN Waabi is an autonomous vehicle startup founded by computer vision luminary Raquel Urtasun, who formerly helped lead Uber’s AV division

in Toronto. The

THE FBI SECRETLY LAUNCHED AN ENCRYPTED MESSAGING SYSTEM The FBI, Australian Federal Police, Europol, and other agencies announced 800 arrests as part of Greenlight / Trojan Shield, a sting operation based on a APPLE EMPLOYEES PUSH BACK AGAINST RETURNING TO THE OFFICE Apple staff members say they want a flexible approach where those who want to work remote can do so. Tim Cook sent out a note two days ago HOW TO OPT OUT OF (OR INTO) AMAZON’S SIDEWALK NETWORK Sidewalk, Amazon’s new connection bridge between its devices, will get automatically switched on this coming June 8th. It’s actually pretty easy to opt out — we tell you how. GO READ THIS STORY ABOUT WHY IT’S TIME TO SCRAP RACIST Washington Post environmental justice reporter Darryl Fears breaks down a legacy of racism within birding.There’s a growing movement to

change birds

DONALD TRUMP’S ‘SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM’ HAS LAUNCHED AND IT After months of promising his own social media network for banned posters, former President Donald Trump on launched a new section of his website that’s more similar to a PELOTON: IT ‘COULD TAKE MONTHS’ TO BRING TREADMILL BACK Peloton says it’ll take months to get its Tread Plus treadmill back on the market. The cheaper Tread model could arrive sooner, in July 2021, after fixing a screw. WATCH DEXTER CREEPILY SMILE AGAIN IN THE FIRST TEASER The first teaser trailer for the Dexter sequel features a cabin in the woods and Michael C. Hall’s face. It’s for a 10-episode limited series on Showtime that’ll arrive in Fall 2021, picking THE VERGEMICROSOFTTECHREVIEWSSCIENCECREATORSENTERTAINMENT The Verge was founded in 2011 in partnership with Vox Media, and covers the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture. Its mission is to offer in-depth reporting and long-form feature SENATE APPROVES BILLIONS FOR US SEMICONDUCTOR The Senate approved a sweeping science and technology bill, including over $50 billion to boost competitiveness in US semiconductor manufacturing amid an ongoing global chip shortage. WAABI, THE RARE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE STARTUP WITH A WOMAN Waabi is an autonomous vehicle startup founded by computer vision luminary Raquel Urtasun, who formerly helped lead Uber’s AV division

in Toronto. The

THE FBI SECRETLY LAUNCHED AN ENCRYPTED MESSAGING SYSTEM The FBI, Australian Federal Police, Europol, and other agencies announced 800 arrests as part of Greenlight / Trojan Shield, a sting operation based on a APPLE EMPLOYEES PUSH BACK AGAINST RETURNING TO THE OFFICE Apple staff members say they want a flexible approach where those who want to work remote can do so. Tim Cook sent out a note two days ago HOW TO OPT OUT OF (OR INTO) AMAZON’S SIDEWALK NETWORK Sidewalk, Amazon’s new connection bridge between its devices, will get automatically switched on this coming June 8th. It’s actually pretty easy to opt out — we tell you how. GO READ THIS STORY ABOUT WHY IT’S TIME TO SCRAP RACIST Washington Post environmental justice reporter Darryl Fears breaks down a legacy of racism within birding.There’s a growing movement to

change birds

DONALD TRUMP’S ‘SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM’ HAS LAUNCHED AND IT After months of promising his own social media network for banned posters, former President Donald Trump on launched a new section of his website that’s more similar to a PELOTON: IT ‘COULD TAKE MONTHS’ TO BRING TREADMILL BACK Peloton says it’ll take months to get its Tread Plus treadmill back on the market. The cheaper Tread model could arrive sooner, in July 2021, after fixing a screw. WATCH DEXTER CREEPILY SMILE AGAIN IN THE FIRST TEASER The first teaser trailer for the Dexter sequel features a cabin in the woods and Michael C. Hall’s face. It’s for a 10-episode limited series on Showtime that’ll arrive in Fall 2021, picking MICROSOFT IS GETTING BACK INTO PHYSICAL RETAIL Microsoft is returning to selling products at brick-and-mortar stores, kind of. The software giant will start selling products at its “Experience Centers” in London, New York City, and Sydney SWEET TOOTH REVIEW: NETFLIX’S NEW SHOW IS A WARMER TAKE ON The main character of Netflix’s new series Sweet Tooth, based on the comic by Jeff Lemire, is a young boy struggling to survive in a world ravaged by a pandemic. But while the world around him MICROSOFT TO REVEAL ITS NEXT GENERATION OF WINDOWS ON JUNE Microsoft is planning to detail its “next generation of Windows” at an event later this month. The software giant has started sending invites to media for a Windows event on June 24th. MICROSOFT LOOKS READY TO LAUNCH WINDOWS 11 Microsoft looks ready to launch Windows 11. Microsoft has been teasing a “next generation” of Windows for months now, but new hints

suggest

BIDEN’S PROPOSED BUDGET KEEPS A BLOCK ON RECREATIONAL WEED A rider that has effectively blocked recreational cannabis for years in Washington, DC appears in President Joe Biden’s proposed 2022

budget,

BACTERIA GET A FRESH GIG AS ART RESTORERS IN ITALY Bacteria get a fresh gig as art restorers in Italy. An image of Michalangelo’s The Day, part of the tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici. This image was taken in 2002, long before bacteria got a chance FORD STARTS TAKING $100 DEPOSITS FOR NEW F-150 LIGHTNING Ford’s F-150 Lightning has just been revealed, and you can reserve one at Ford’s website. A refundable deposit of $100 is required. Orders can be completed in fall of 2021, ahead of deliveries GOOGLE TO USE PATIENT DATA TO DEVELOP HEALTHCARE Google has made a deal for access to patient records from HCA, which which operates 181 hospitals and more than 2,000 healthcare sites in 21 states, so the tech company can develop healthcare THE FOUNDER OF LIDAR MAKER VELODYNE IS GOING TO WAR WITH By Andrew J. Hawkins @andyjayhawk May 25, 2021, 1:03pm EDT. David Hall, the founder of leading lidar manufacturer Velodyne, is going to

war with

GOOGLE GOES NUCLEAR AGAINST ROKU BY ADDING YOUTUBE TV TO Google is escalating its ongoing dispute with Roku by letting customers stream YouTube TV directly through the YouTube app. The two sides have been unable to THE VERGEMICROSOFTTECHREVIEWSSCIENCECREATORSENTERTAINMENT The Verge was founded in 2011 in partnership with Vox Media, and covers the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture. Its mission is to offer in-depth reporting and long-form feature MICROSOFT LOOKS READY TO LAUNCH WINDOWS 11 Microsoft looks ready to launch Windows 11. Microsoft has been teasing a “next generation” of Windows for months now, but new hints

suggest

HOW TO OPT OUT OF (OR INTO) AMAZON’S SIDEWALK NETWORK Sidewalk, Amazon’s new connection bridge between its devices, will get automatically switched on this coming June 8th. It’s actually pretty easy to opt out — we tell you how. BACTERIA GET A FRESH GIG AS ART RESTORERS IN ITALY Bacteria get a fresh gig as art restorers in Italy. An image of Michalangelo’s The Day, part of the tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici. This image was taken in 2002, long before bacteria got a chance MICROSOFT TEASES A ‘NEXT GENERATION OF WINDOWS Microsoft is teasing a "next generation" of Windows coming very soon. CEO Satya Nadella revealed at Build 2021 that Microsoft is making some store changes for Windows developers. GOOGLE TO USE PATIENT DATA TO DEVELOP HEALTHCARE Google has made a deal for access to patient records from HCA, which which operates 181 hospitals and more than 2,000 healthcare sites in 21 states, so the tech company can develop healthcare MICROSOFT IS FINALLY RETIRING INTERNET EXPLORER IN 2022 Microsoft is finally retiring Internet Explorer. The web browser will no longer be supported next year, and Microsoft is dropping support for IE11 on its services later in 2021. APPLE’S NEW PRIVACY AD IMAGINES THANOS-SNAPPING YOURCLICK TO

VIEW1:08

Apple’s new App Tracking Transparency feature in iOS 14.5 doesn’t seem to be a difficult concept to grasp; initial estimates suggest as many as 96 percent of US users are leaping at the chance DONALD TRUMP’S ‘SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM’ HAS LAUNCHED AND IT After months of promising his own social media network for banned posters, former President Donald Trump on launched a new section of his website that’s more similar to a FORD STARTS TAKING $100 DEPOSITS FOR NEW F-150 LIGHTNING Ford’s F-150 Lightning has just been revealed, and you can reserve one at Ford’s website. A refundable deposit of $100 is required. Orders can be completed in fall of 2021, ahead of deliveries THE VERGEMICROSOFTTECHREVIEWSSCIENCECREATORSENTERTAINMENT The Verge was founded in 2011 in partnership with Vox Media, and covers the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture. Its mission is to offer in-depth reporting and long-form feature MICROSOFT LOOKS READY TO LAUNCH WINDOWS 11 Microsoft looks ready to launch Windows 11. Microsoft has been teasing a “next generation” of Windows for months now, but new hints

suggest

HOW TO OPT OUT OF (OR INTO) AMAZON’S SIDEWALK NETWORK Sidewalk, Amazon’s new connection bridge between its devices, will get automatically switched on this coming June 8th. It’s actually pretty easy to opt out — we tell you how. BACTERIA GET A FRESH GIG AS ART RESTORERS IN ITALY Bacteria get a fresh gig as art restorers in Italy. An image of Michalangelo’s The Day, part of the tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici. This image was taken in 2002, long before bacteria got a chance MICROSOFT TEASES A ‘NEXT GENERATION OF WINDOWS Microsoft is teasing a "next generation" of Windows coming very soon. CEO Satya Nadella revealed at Build 2021 that Microsoft is making some store changes for Windows developers. GOOGLE TO USE PATIENT DATA TO DEVELOP HEALTHCARE Google has made a deal for access to patient records from HCA, which which operates 181 hospitals and more than 2,000 healthcare sites in 21 states, so the tech company can develop healthcare MICROSOFT IS FINALLY RETIRING INTERNET EXPLORER IN 2022 Microsoft is finally retiring Internet Explorer. The web browser will no longer be supported next year, and Microsoft is dropping support for IE11 on its services later in 2021. APPLE’S NEW PRIVACY AD IMAGINES THANOS-SNAPPING YOURCLICK TO

VIEW1:08

Apple’s new App Tracking Transparency feature in iOS 14.5 doesn’t seem to be a difficult concept to grasp; initial estimates suggest as many as 96 percent of US users are leaping at the chance DONALD TRUMP’S ‘SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM’ HAS LAUNCHED AND IT After months of promising his own social media network for banned posters, former President Donald Trump on launched a new section of his website that’s more similar to a FORD STARTS TAKING $100 DEPOSITS FOR NEW F-150 LIGHTNING Ford’s F-150 Lightning has just been revealed, and you can reserve one at Ford’s website. A refundable deposit of $100 is required. Orders can be completed in fall of 2021, ahead of deliveries MICROSOFT TO REVEAL ITS NEXT GENERATION OF WINDOWS ON JUNE Microsoft is planning to detail its “next generation of Windows” at an event later this month. The software giant has started sending invites to media for a Windows event on June 24th. UNITED AIRLINES IS BUYING 15 SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT FROM BOOM Update June 3rd, 12:46PM ET: United said it would purchase 15 jets from Boom Supersonic, with the option to buy 35 more, for a total of 50 aircraft. Also, Boom has said that its tickets would cost THE GOVERNMENT’S BEEN WORRIED ABOUT DJI DRONES The government has been so worried about equipment from Chinese companies like ZTE and Huawei acting as part of its network

infrastructure

ACER CHROMEBOOK SPIN 713 (2021) REVIEW: VICTORY LAP Acer has made three significant upgrades to the best-in-class Chromebook Spin 713. The first is that the device now has Intel’s newest 11th Gen processors. The second is that the USB-C ports MICROSOFT AND QUALCOMM TEAM UP TO CREATE A WINDOWS ON ARM Microsoft has teamed up with Qualcomm to create a Windows on ARM-based dev kit for developers. The miniature PC will be sold at the Microsoft

Store this

GOOGLE’S NEW TOOL WILL IDENTIFY SKIN CONDITIONS Google announced a new tool to help people identify skin conditions. Experts don’t have much information on how symptom-checkers like this influence people’s management of their healthcare. MICROSOFT’S NEW OUTLOOK CALENDAR BOARD VIEW LOOKS A LOT A new Outlook calendar board view is coming soon to Outlook for the web, and it works a lot like Trello. It’s a new dynamic view that will let you organize meetings alongside tasks, notes, goals ANKER’S SECOND-GENERATION NANO II GAN CHARGERS ARE EVEN Anker’s GaN (gallium nitride) chargers are some of the best around, offering tiny sizes but powerful charging capabilities. Now, the company is introducing its second-generation GaN-based PELOTON: IT ‘COULD TAKE MONTHS’ TO BRING TREADMILL BACK Peloton says it’ll take months to get its Tread Plus treadmill back on the market. The cheaper Tread model could arrive sooner, in July 2021, after fixing a screw. WATCH DEXTER CREEPILY SMILE AGAIN IN THE FIRST TEASER The first teaser trailer for the Dexter sequel features a cabin in the woods and Michael C. Hall’s face. It’s for a 10-episode limited series on Showtime that’ll arrive in Fall 2021, picking THE VERGEMICROSOFTTECHREVIEWSSCIENCECREATORSENTERTAINMENT The Verge was founded in 2011 in partnership with Vox Media, and covers the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture. Its mission is to offer in-depth reporting and long-form feature MICROSOFT LOOKS READY TO LAUNCH WINDOWS 11 Microsoft looks ready to launch Windows 11. Microsoft has been teasing a “next generation” of Windows for months now, but new hints

suggest

MICROSOFT TO REVEAL ITS NEXT GENERATION OF WINDOWS ON JUNE Microsoft is planning to detail its “next generation of Windows” at an event later this month. The software giant has started sending invites to media for a Windows event on June 24th. HOW TO OPT OUT OF (OR INTO) AMAZON’S SIDEWALK NETWORK Sidewalk, Amazon’s new connection bridge between its devices, will get automatically switched on this coming June 8th. It’s actually pretty easy to opt out — we tell you how. BACTERIA GET A FRESH GIG AS ART RESTORERS IN ITALY Bacteria get a fresh gig as art restorers in Italy. An image of Michalangelo’s The Day, part of the tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici. This image was taken in 2002, long before bacteria got a chance MICROSOFT TEASES A ‘NEXT GENERATION OF WINDOWS Microsoft is teasing a "next generation" of Windows coming very soon. CEO Satya Nadella revealed at Build 2021 that Microsoft is making some store changes for Windows developers. GOOGLE TO USE PATIENT DATA TO DEVELOP HEALTHCARE Google has made a deal for access to patient records from HCA, which which operates 181 hospitals and more than 2,000 healthcare sites in 21 states, so the tech company can develop healthcare MICROSOFT IS FINALLY RETIRING INTERNET EXPLORER IN 2022 Microsoft is finally retiring Internet Explorer. The web browser will no longer be supported next year, and Microsoft is dropping support for IE11 on its services later in 2021. DONALD TRUMP’S ‘SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM’ HAS LAUNCHED AND IT After months of promising his own social media network for banned posters, former President Donald Trump on launched a new section of his website that’s more similar to a FORD STARTS TAKING $100 DEPOSITS FOR NEW F-150 LIGHTNING Ford’s F-150 Lightning has just been revealed, and you can reserve one at Ford’s website. A refundable deposit of $100 is required. Orders can be completed in fall of 2021, ahead of deliveries THE VERGEMICROSOFTTECHREVIEWSSCIENCECREATORSENTERTAINMENT The Verge was founded in 2011 in partnership with Vox Media, and covers the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture. Its mission is to offer in-depth reporting and long-form feature MICROSOFT LOOKS READY TO LAUNCH WINDOWS 11 Microsoft looks ready to launch Windows 11. Microsoft has been teasing a “next generation” of Windows for months now, but new hints

suggest

MICROSOFT TO REVEAL ITS NEXT GENERATION OF WINDOWS ON JUNE Microsoft is planning to detail its “next generation of Windows” at an event later this month. The software giant has started sending invites to media for a Windows event on June 24th. HOW TO OPT OUT OF (OR INTO) AMAZON’S SIDEWALK NETWORK Sidewalk, Amazon’s new connection bridge between its devices, will get automatically switched on this coming June 8th. It’s actually pretty easy to opt out — we tell you how. BACTERIA GET A FRESH GIG AS ART RESTORERS IN ITALY Bacteria get a fresh gig as art restorers in Italy. An image of Michalangelo’s The Day, part of the tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici. This image was taken in 2002, long before bacteria got a chance MICROSOFT TEASES A ‘NEXT GENERATION OF WINDOWS Microsoft is teasing a "next generation" of Windows coming very soon. CEO Satya Nadella revealed at Build 2021 that Microsoft is making some store changes for Windows developers. GOOGLE TO USE PATIENT DATA TO DEVELOP HEALTHCARE Google has made a deal for access to patient records from HCA, which which operates 181 hospitals and more than 2,000 healthcare sites in 21 states, so the tech company can develop healthcare MICROSOFT IS FINALLY RETIRING INTERNET EXPLORER IN 2022 Microsoft is finally retiring Internet Explorer. The web browser will no longer be supported next year, and Microsoft is dropping support for IE11 on its services later in 2021. DONALD TRUMP’S ‘SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM’ HAS LAUNCHED AND IT After months of promising his own social media network for banned posters, former President Donald Trump on launched a new section of his website that’s more similar to a FORD STARTS TAKING $100 DEPOSITS FOR NEW F-150 LIGHTNING Ford’s F-150 Lightning has just been revealed, and you can reserve one at Ford’s website. A refundable deposit of $100 is required. Orders can be completed in fall of 2021, ahead of deliveries UNITED AIRLINES IS BUYING 15 SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT FROM BOOM United Airlines said it would purchase 15 supersonic jets from Boom Supersonic. Depending on safety testing, that order may increase to 35 aircraft. The plan is to have the jets ready for FIREFOX GETS A REDESIGN WITH BIGGER, FLOATIER TABS Mozilla launched a redesign for Firefox on Tuesday, and one of the changes you might notice first is a whole new look for tabs, which are now bigger. The tab in GOOGLE’S NEW TOOL WILL IDENTIFY SKIN CONDITIONS Google announced a new tool to help people identify skin conditions. Experts don’t have much information on how symptom-checkers like this influence people’s management of their healthcare. THE GOVERNMENT’S BEEN WORRIED ABOUT DJI DRONES The government has been so worried about equipment from Chinese companies like ZTE and Huawei acting as part of its network

infrastructure

ACER CHROMEBOOK SPIN 713 (2021) REVIEW: VICTORY LAP Acer has made three significant upgrades to the best-in-class Chromebook Spin 713. The first is that the device now has Intel’s newest 11th Gen processors. The second is that the USB-C ports MICROSOFT’S NEW OUTLOOK CALENDAR BOARD VIEW LOOKS A LOT A new Outlook calendar board view is coming soon to Outlook for the web, and it works a lot like Trello. It’s a new dynamic view that will let you organize meetings alongside tasks, notes, goals ANKER’S SECOND-GENERATION NANO II GAN CHARGERS ARE EVEN Anker’s GaN (gallium nitride) chargers are some of the best around, offering tiny sizes but powerful charging capabilities. Now, the company is introducing its second-generation GaN-based GOOGLE GOES NUCLEAR AGAINST ROKU BY ADDING YOUTUBE TV TO Google is escalating its ongoing dispute with Roku by letting customers stream YouTube TV directly through the YouTube app. The two sides have been unable to WATCH DEXTER CREEPILY SMILE AGAIN IN THE FIRST TEASER The first teaser trailer for the Dexter sequel features a cabin in the woods and Michael C. Hall’s face. It’s for a 10-episode limited series on Showtime that’ll arrive in Fall 2021, picking PELOTON: IT ‘COULD TAKE MONTHS’ TO BRING TREADMILL BACK Peloton says it’ll take months to get its Tread Plus treadmill back on the market. The cheaper Tread model could arrive sooner, in July 2021, after fixing a screw. Skip to main content clock menu more-arrow no yes

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SONIC THE HEDGEHOG REVIEW: FAST CASUAL

New,

12 comments

He’s too cute not to love By Dami Lee @dami_lee Feb 13, 2020, 1:00am EST

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Image: Paramount

When the first trailer for _Sonic the Hedgehog_ was released in 2019, fans were horrified by CGI Sonic’s beady little eyes and human teeth — an uncanny valley horror. He had a face that was asking a lot of a mother to love, let alone moviegoers. So Paramount pushed back the movie’s release date and brought in animator Tyson Hesse

, art

director for _Sonic Mania Adventures_, to lead the redesign. Not only did the animators go above and beyond in fixing Sonic to look more like his video game origins, but they might’ve saved the movie. The new Sonic is so adorable that it almost makes up for a pretty generic plot and a human cast that play the roles of “heroic” and “bad” so straight, they could be extras in _The Good Place_. To run away from villains after his superspeed power, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) leaves his planet via magical portal rings to find himself on Earth in the small town of Green Hills. We find out that his fast-talking personality is basically a result of 10 years of intense isolation, having to hide from the townspeople and keep himself entertained by talking to himself. After causing an energy surge that shuts down the town’s power, the government sends Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to investigate. Sonic partners up with good-hearted sheriff Tom (James Marsden), and the two develop a bromance the way men are prescribed to in movies, through a road trip

and a bar fight.

Image: Paramount

Ultimately, _Sonic_ is a children’s movie that recognizes it may be kids’ first introduction to the hedgehog, so it makes minimal references to the video game world he comes from and spends more time alluding to things they might get. Unfortunately, the gags seem a few years too late, immediately dating themselves: there are multiple jokes about Olive Garden’s unlimited pasta. Sonic does the floss dance not once, but_ twice_. They make jokes about Vin Diesel in _The_ _Fast and the Furious._ (Actually, this one will probably stay relevant for as long as they keep making _FF_ movies, which is

forever.)

The movie shines when it remembers it’s based on a video game, and there’s some genuinely fun stuff — like when Sonic uses his time-stopping powers or Robotnik’s elaborate “evil-plotting” montage that makes you wonder why more movies don’t feature bad guys with choreographed dance sequences. Carrey plays up Robotnik as the cartoon villain he is, and it’s a true delight to watch him in his element. And — _spoilers ahead_ — the end credits hint at a sequel featuring Tails and an even more unhinged Robotnik going full-on

Eggman.

Image: Paramount

But when most of the movie takes place in nondescript city-ville (comes in two flavors: small town and big concrete buildings ‘n streets), it’s hard to not to think back to the lush Emerald Hill Zone planet the movie showcased for maybe 30 seconds. I wish it took place there instead. _Sonic the Hedgehog_ could have gone from a good to a great movie not by bringing Sonic into the human world, but by bringing audiences into his. Maybe we should just be thankful that the movie was watchable at all. _Sonic’s_ success hinges on the character being likable, and the redesigned Sonic is easy to love. _Old Sonic versus new Sonic._ Image: Paramount AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREMotorola Razr review: folding flip phone flops

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