A new study has found that COVID-19 infections, including ones that didn't result in hospitalization, can result in 'significant cognitive deficits' that persist after the symptoms have resolved. The study builds upon the growing body of evidence that COVID-19 can result in long-term symptoms in some people, as well as potential neurological problems ranging from loss of smell to brain fog.
This week Amazon announced two new Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) programs meant to improve the dirty business of unsold and returned products. One is an "FBA Liquidations" program, the other is the "FBA Grade and Resell" program. Amazon is still a long way away from solving issues created by the immense amount of waste created by their shipping programs*, but making moves to acknowledge and deal with returned and unsold products is a step in the right direction.
HBO Max has big plans for its podcast, with parent company WarnerMedia announcing an expansion that includes original, scripted podcast shows. Thus far, the company has focused on companion podcasts for its hit shows like Chernobyl; the upcoming content will differ, instead offering listeners original scripted shows in audio format.
Battlefield 2042 is quickly approaching, but before it arrives, DICE and Electronic Arts will want to put the game through its paces with alpha and beta tests. As it turns out, the first of those tests could be right around the corner, as new reports are claiming that they could kick off as soon as next week. In addition, we're also learning about the minimum and recommended PC specifications ahead of this series of tests.
Apple is expanding its iPhone suppliers in China in relatively unprecedented fashion this year. It would appear that the new iPhone 13 Pro will be the main device that'll be manufactured by the company Luxshare Precision Industry, per reports from China. This is the first time Luxshare will have a contract handling a final product iPhone, meaning Apple must have the utmost faith in the company, even though the amount of devices the company has contracted is relatively small compared to Apple's expected first-wave orders with all suppliers combined.
It looks like it's going to be a big couple of months for Ghost of Tsushima fans. Not only are we getting Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut for PS4 and PS5 on August 20th, but today Sucker Punch announced that Legends, the multiplayer game mode that was added to Ghost of Tsushima last year, is getting a standalone release. The standalone release will be coming down the pipeline shortly after the Director's Cut lands later this month.
A law enforcement agency is once again having to go public with a warning that most would consider common sense -- only this time it doesn't have to do with bolting a satellite dish on your car or packing dung in your travel luggage. According to Weber County Sheriff's Office, there has been an uptick in people climbing power installations to hang hammocks from power lines.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was the center of a major City Hall announcement yesterday, August 3, during which time he discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccination effort, and a big change in how the city will handle unvaccinated individuals going forward. The announcement has renewed talks about vaccine 'passports' and the role they may play in recovery going forward.
Today we have the full set of Pokemon that'll appear in Pokemon GO as Spotlight Hour Pokemon in the month of August, 2021. This lineup previously included potentially Shiny Magnemite (for an event on August 3), Shellos East Sea, and Shellos West Sea. Those Pokemon will appear on August 10 and August 17 on Tuesday (both times) starting at 6PM local time. The final two Spotlight Hour events were revealed this week: Skwovet and Wooloo!
If you were looking forward to Amazon's incoming MMO, New World, then we've got some sour news for you. In response to player feedback after New World's most recent closed beta, Amazon has decided to delay the game once more. This isn't the first time New World has been delayed, but the good news is that this delay isn't nearly as long as the others.
Google sent out a note this week about some of the oldest Android devices, saying they'll cut off service soon. If you have an Android device that's a certain age or older - or more specifically, running a very old version of Android - it may finally be time to accept that it's no longer worth keeping in your dresser drawer. Unless, of course, you're just using the device like a virtual photo album. That'll still work.
Oftentimes, when gaming companies release new gaming hardware, they usually take a loss on each console sold. Of course, this doesn't last forever as the cost to produce a console goes down as time goes on, but at the start of a new generation, it isn't rare to hear that console makers are selling the consoles at a loss to get them to a certain price point. As it turns out, the period in which Sony was selling the PS5 at a loss was a short one, as Sony is now running a profit on the disc-based console.
