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Entertainment

Benedict Cumberbatch, ‘SNL’ Cast Members Wear Support For Roe v. Wade On Their Hearts

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“Saturday Night Live” host Benedict “Dr. Strange” Cumberbatch and cast members gave one more blast of support for Roe v. Wade as the program closed out, wearing T-shirts reading “1973” — the year the Supreme Court issued the groundbreaking ruling recognizing women’s right to abortions.

Just minutes earlier, Arcade Fire’s lead singer Win Butler — whose guitar sported a 1973 sticker — proclaimed: “Women’s right to choose forever and ever and ever, amen” at the end of the song “The Lightning.”

Do “your nine, leave it on the sidewalk. Wrap it up like a little Moses, put it in a little basket, send it down the creek. … It’s simple,” McKinnon smirked.

What is “more traumatic?” she asked. “Safely ending an early pregnancy or giving full birth to a baby you can never see again because you put it on a Ferris wheel?”

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World

Taliban order all Afghan women to wear burqa | Afghanistan

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Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders have issued an order that all Afghan women should wear the all-covering burqa in public.

The move confirms the worst fears of rights activists and is likely to further complicate Taliban dealings with an already distrustful international community.

“We want our sisters to live with dignity and safety,” said Khalid Hanafi, the acting minister in the Taliban’s vice and virtue ministry, as it announced a decree that evoked similar restrictions on women during the Taliban’s hardline rule between 1996 and 2001.

The Taliban previously decided against reopening schools to girls above the age of 12, reneging on an earlier promise and opting to appease their base at the expense of further alienating the international community. That decision disrupted efforts by the Taliban to win recognition from potential international donors at a time when the country is mired in a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Shir Mohammad, an official from the vice and virtue ministry, said: “For all dignified Afghan women, wearing hajib is necessary and the best hajib is chadori [the head-to-toe burqa], which is part of our tradition and is respectful.”

The decree added that if women had no important work outside it was better for them to stay at home. “Islamic principles and Islamic ideology are more important to us than anything else,” Hanafi said.

Most women in Afghanistan wear a headscarf for religious reasons, but many in urban areas such as Kabul do not cover their faces.

The Taliban have faced intense pushback, led by western governments but joined by some religious scholars and Islamic countries for their growing limits on women’s rights. The US and other nations have cut development aid and enforced strict sanctions on the banking system, pushing Afghanistan towards economic ruin.

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Sports

All of MLB to wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 in Dodger Blue on April 15

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Players, coaches and managers throughout Major League Baseball will continue the annual tradition of donning Jackie Robinson’s iconic No. 42 on April 15, but there will be an added twist for this year’s 75th anniversary: All 42s will be colored Dodger Blue, regardless of the team’s primary colors.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, the organization for which Robinson carved out his entire trailblazing career, will be at home against the Cincinnati Reds on April 15, a day that will mark 75 years since Robinson broke the color barrier in his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. A little more than three months later, on July 19, Dodger Stadium will host the All-Star Game and the Robinson-related tributes will continue for a different reason — his widow, Rachel, turns 100 that day.

MLB has put together a special tribute video, titled “Play, Run, Win, Rise,” that was written by Eljon Wardally and narrated by Leslie Odom Jr. and will air at every host ballpark on April 15. A special logo, featuring Robinson’s digital signature, was designed. Also, honorary patches will be stitched onto sleeves and caps, in addition to the Dodger Blue 42 that will emblazon the backs of all uniformed personnel.

Robinson, whose statue resides at the main, center-field entrance to Dodger Stadium, won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was named MVP two years later and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. The Dodgers will reveal their own plans for Jackie Robinson Day at a later date.

“Our family is thrilled to see the many wonderful tributes to Jack’s historic moment 75 years ago,” Rachel Robinson said in a statement. “We will continue to honor his memory and legacy through our work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation. We are proud to have Major League Baseball and so many others as supporters of the young men and women we impact each year.”



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Technology

These Air-Purifying Headphones Look Like Something a Batman Villain Would Wear

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The Dyson Zone is set to ship this fall.


Dyson

It’s not dystopian science fiction. Dyson’s new Zone air-purifying headphones may look as wild as they sound, but it’s a real device you’ll be able to buy sometime this fall, according to Dyson.

For Dyson — a company that’s best known for its high-end vacuum cleaners — it’s the first foray into wearable technology. The Zone is a set of noise-canceling, over-ear headphones that “simultaneously deliver immersive sound to the ears and purified airflow to the nose and mouth,” addressing the “urban issues of air quality and noise pollution.” No word yet on pricing, but it seems safe to assume that these will cost more than your typical premium noise-canceling headphones from Bose and Sony, and maybe even more than Apple’s AirPods Max headphones.

There’ve been rumors that Dyson was working on such a device for years. Back in 2018, Bloomberg reported that Dyson was working on an air purifier-headphone combo and in 2020, Dyson applied for a patent for a new pair of headphones with a built-in air filter.


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“Air pollution is a global problem — it affects us everywhere we go. In our homes, at school, at work and as we travel, whether on foot, on a bike or by public or private transport,” says Jake Dyson, chief engineer (and son of the company’s eponymous founder). “The Dyson Zone purifies the air you breathe on the move. And unlike face masks, it delivers a plume of fresh air without touching your face, using high-performance filters and two miniaturized air pumps. After six years in development, we’re excited to deliver pure air and pure audio, anywhere.”

Dyson says it created 500 prototypes over the course of the Zone’s six-year development.


Dyson

According to Dyson, the air-filtration component is a “non-contact” system, which means it doesn’t touch your face like a mask but rather sits just in front of it. “The compressors in each ear cup draw air through the dual-layer filters and project two streams of purified air to the wearer’s nose and mouth, channeled through the non-contact visor,” Dyson explains. “Sculpted returns on the visor ensure purified airflow is kept near to the nose and mouth and diluted as little as possible by external crosswinds.”

Dyson says that developing a non-contact solution was crucial in order to avoid the “discomfort and irritation associated with full-contact alternatives.” In the latest Dune movie, no one seems to be complaining too much about wearing filt-plugs in their noses to draw moisture from exhaled air back into their stillsuits for later drinking. But in the real world, people can have strong emotions about wearing anything on their faces, particularly masks. 

Dyson says to test the Zone, its engineers used a breathing mannequin named Frank that was fitted with medical-grade mechanical lungs and sensing equipment that replicated human breathing patterns in a controlled chamber. That sensing equipment measured pollution levels within the nose and determined “the filtration efficacy of those particles, which would otherwise end up in Frank’s artificial lung.” The mannequin was named Frank because it reminded the engineers of Frankenstein, a Dyson rep told CNET.

Frank, the mannequin.


Dyson

Earlier this year, Razer released its cyberpunk-style Zephyr Pro air-purifier mask. Initially the company said it used N95-grade air filters, but later ran into some bad publicity when it had to retract that designation. Dyson doesn’t reference any medical-mask grades as far as air filtration goes, but does say that electrostatic filtration captures 99% of particle pollution as small as 0.1 micron, such as dust, pollen and bacteria and that a potassium-enriched carbon filter captures city gasses like NO2, SO2 and O3. How much that filter will cost to replace is still up in the air, but filters for its full-size air purifiers list for $70-$80, depending on the model.. 

On the audio side, Dyson says you can expect a premium listening experience with an accurate, neutral audiophile sound profile and proprietary advanced noise canceling. The headphones are also designed with comfort in mind, though Dyson hasn’t announced how much the headphones weigh or what their battery life ratings are with air filtration and noise-canceling on. Each ear cup houses two motors, and Dyson says they’re the smallest in any of its machines to date. The headphones connect via Bluetooth — no word on what version number — and can also be used to make voice calls.

As soon as we get our hands on a review sample later this year, we’ll provide more details about how the headphones perform and how they feel to wear around the New York City streets and subway system. We imagine we’ll get some interesting reactions from our fellow travelers. 

The Dyson Zone air-purifying headphones key features, per Dyson

  • Radical new format for delivering purified air and high-fidelity audio on-the-go
  • Electrostatic filtration captures 99% of particle pollution as small as 0.1 micron, such as dust, pollen and bacteria
  • Potassium-enriched carbon filter captures city gasses like NO2, SO2 and O3
  • Contact-free air delivery visor channels two streams of purified air to the nose and mouth, engineered specifically for usage outdoors and in crosswinds
  • The smallest in any Dyson machine to date, two motors sit in each ear cup and are the “beating heart” of the Dyson Zone air-purifying headphones
  • Advanced ANC and a high performing neodymium electroacoustic system deliver rich, immersive audio that faithfully replicates audio as the artist or creator intended
  • 15 undergraduate students from the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology worked on the Dyson Zone project, supporting disciplines as diverse as acoustics development, electronics and airflow systems.
  • 3 ANC modes: Isolation, Conversation and Transparency
  • Isolation mode: Highest level of active noise cancellation
  • Conversation mode: Activates when you dip the visor –- automatically turns off the purification to conserve battery power and amplifies conversation
  • Shipping this fall

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Entertainment

Elliot Page describes his joy at being able to wear a suit to the Oscars

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Elliot Page has opened up about his milestone appearance at this year’s Oscars, describing his ‘joy’ at being able to wear a tuxedo to the event – which marked his first Academy Awards since he came out as transgender in December 2020. 

The 35-year-old Umbrella Academy star put on a dapper display on the red carpet at this year’s glittering awards ceremony, donning a classic black tuxedo by Gucci, before taking to the stage to mark the 15th anniversary of his breakout movie Juno alongside co-stars Jennifer Garner and JK Simmons. 

But beyond marking the milestone of the movie that turned him into a Hollywood heavyweight, Page says his appearance at the Oscars also served as a significant personal step – describing it as a ‘special, wonderful, joyful moment’ during an Instagram Live interview to mark the start of the Trans Week of Visibility and Action on Monday.  

‘I feel the best I’ve ever felt like, like, I feel the way that I really actually never thought was possible,’ Page said of his decision to come out as transgender, adding: ‘Just the degree now that I can feel present, simply that I can feel present in a space without this incessant underlying anxiety or some sort of feeling like I need to flee.’

Speaking specifically about the Academy Awards, the actor continued: ‘All those things are really special, wonderful, joyful moments where you’re looking at a photograph and it’s really cool to see yourself for the first time — or the person you already saw but here they are, like, they’re f***ing emerging.’

Elliot Page has opened up about the ‘joy’ he felt at being able to wear a suit on the red carpet at this year’s Oscars – which marked his first time at the event since he came out as transgender

Speaking in an Instagram Live to mark the start of Trans Week of Visibility and Action (seen), Page, 35, described his Oscars experience as a ‘special, wonderful, joyful moment’

The actor donned a classic black tuxedo by Gucci for his appearance at the Oscars – where he marked the 15th anniversary of his cult 2007 movie Juno 

Page’s appearance at this year’s Oscars comes 14 years after he walked the red carpet as a Best Actress nominee, having earned the nod for his breakout role in the hit 2007 movie Juno. 

At the time, Page wore a vintage Jean-Louis Scherrer dress – however he revealed in an April 2021 Oprah that the experience of wearing dresses on the red carpet was so ‘painful’ for him, he couldn’t stand to look back at the images of himself at the awards ceremony. 

The actor, who previously stated that he had known he was a boy since he was a toddler, recalled to the TV host how, before puberty, being a ‘tomboy’ was ‘accepted’ — but upon reaching adolescence, it was less so, and having to wear girls’ clothing made him feel ‘ill’. 

He added that he ‘couldn’t express just the degree of pain that I was in’ while promoting Juno, which came out in December 2007, and in which he portrayed a pregnant teenager preparing to give her baby up for adoption.  

Page marked the 15th anniversary of the hit movie at this year’s Academy Awards, during which he praised the movie’s lasting impact on viewers, while recalling his own initial excitement at reading the script, which he said ‘had him hooked from the very first page’. 

‘Juno had me hooked from the very first page and was completely infused with [screenwriter] Diablo Cody’s distinctive voice. It was unlike anything I’d ever read before,’ he told the star-studded audience during the ceremony. 

Jennifer, 49, agreed, chiming in: ’15 years ago, we all experienced the exhilarating feeling of reading a wholly original screenplay that felt new and exciting.’ 

In an April 2021 interview with Oprah, Page described the ‘painful’ experience of having to wear dresses while promoting Juno – admitting he couldn’t stand to look at images of himself in the vintage Jean-Louis Scherrer dress he wore to the Oscars in 2008 (pictured)

 ‘I feel the best I’ve ever felt like, like, I feel the way that I really actually never thought was possible,’ Page said of his decision to come out as transgender

Meanwhile JK, who appeared as Juno’s father in the film, joked about the flick’s witty dialogue, noting: ‘There were definitely a couple phrases in there I’d never read before, like, “Your Eggo is preggo” and “pork swords” come to mind.’ 

The touching reunion comes almost 15 years after Juno premiered; the movie, which was released in December 2007, catapulted Page to global stardom. 

In the movie, the actor played the part of Juno MacGuff, a pregnant teenager who offers to give her baby up for adoption to a local couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring – played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer.  

The actor shot to fame while starring in the title role of Juno MacGuff, a pregnant teen who wants to give her baby up for adoption to Jennifer’s character, Vanessa Loring

JK played the part of Juno’s father, Mac, while the her stepmother, Bren, was portrayed by Allison Janney.

The role landed Page an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and saw him hailed as one of the brightest young stars in Hollywood. Major movie roles in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Inception — in which he starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio — followed.  

However, while the actor’s career was going from strength to strength, behind the scenes he was struggling with his gender identity – revealing to Oprah in 2021 that he eventually ‘lost it’ in 2010 after being presented with three dresses to wear to the Paris premiere of his movie Inception.  

He then ‘collapsed’ in what was likely a ‘panic attack’ when he arrived back from the after party. 

In his latest Instagram Live appearance, Page reflected back on the ‘challenges’ that he has gone through to reach a place where he now finally feels his ‘best’ – while shedding light on the severe struggles faced by so many transgender people, particularly those who do not have the same ‘privilege’ that he enjoys. 

‘I know the challenges I’ve gone through and I know how difficult it has been for me, how close I’ve come to… you know,’ he said. 

Page shared a touching moment on-stage when he reunited with his Juno co-stars, Jennifer Garner and JK Simmons, with all three paying tribute to the movie’s 15th anniversary 

Juno, which was released in December 2007, shot Elliot (seen in the movie with Jennifer and Jason Bateman) to global fame and even earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actress

‘I think about the enormous amount of privilege, the enormous amount of resources I’ve had absolutely, unequivocally saved my life — from therapy to my surgery, and so many things in between.’

Speaking about anti-trans bills in places like Arizona, Page warned of the severe and ‘painful’ toll that they will have on transgender youth, noting that he is continually working on ways to use his ‘platform’ in order to raise awareness and support for the community. 

‘We’re tired of having to say, “Oh no, I actually do exist,”‘ he said.  

Before arriving at the Oscars, Elliot took a moment to advocate for transgender rights on his Instagram account, sharing a series of posts about the Trans Week of Visibility + Action, a digital campaign to fight anti-trans legislation across the U.S.

In the two and a half years since he himself came out as trans, Elliot has become an outspoken advocate for transgender rights, using his own experiences to highlight the importance of support for trans youngsters the world over. 

During his interview with Oprah last year, he opening up about his ‘life-changing’ top surgery, explaining that the result of the procedure – which is typically performed on transgender men who have started undergoing hormone therapy – ‘completely transformed his life’. 

‘Getting out of the shower and the towel’s around your waist and you’re looking at yourself in the mirror and you’re just like, “There I am,”‘ he said, getting choked up. ‘And I’m not having the moment where I’m panicked. I’m not having all these little moments that used to be — just being in a T-shirt. It’s being able to touch my chest.’

He also stressed the need to demonstrate to others just how important this surgery can be — particularly ‘because there is such an attack on trans health care right now, when already there is such a lack of access or trans people who don’t even want to go to the doctor.’ 



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Entertainment

Oscars 2022 Worst Dressed: Tracee Ellis Ross and Niecy Nash wear unusual outfits on red carpet

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After two years of canceled, toned-down, or scaled-back red carpet events, the Academy Awards have returned with a bang, bringing together a host of stylish celebrities putting their most fashionable foot forward in Hollywood on Sunday night. 

But while the majority of guests at the star-studded Oscars hit the ball out of the park when it came to their ensemble choices for the evening, there were – as always – several attendees who totally missed the mark with their outfits. 

This year’s red carpet, which kicked off an hour earlier than usual, four hours ahead of the ceremony, saw a host of early arrivals, with the likes of Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Laverne Cox among some of the first to set the stylish tone for the evening. 

However, among the fashion hits were some disastrous fails, with Jada Pinkett Smith, Kristen Stewart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and singing sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey all suffering some serious style misses. 

Jada led the list of worst-dressed stars at the 94th Academy Awards in a voluminous metallic green gown, which featured an enormous ruffled train that left her looking as though she was dragging a giant lettuce behind her. 

This year’s Oscars red carpet didn’t fail to provide viewers with plenty of memorable style moments, both good and bad, with Jada Pinkett Smith leading the list of worst-dressed stars in her enormous metallic green dress

The actress’s puffy green frock took up a great deal of space on the red carpet and thanks to its bizarre texture, it ended up looking like Jada was dragging a giant head of lettuce behind her 

Jada was joined on the red carpet by her husband Will Smith, who kept things simple in a black suit

Singing sisters Chloe (right) and Halle (left) Bailey were also among the worst-dressed stars at the glamorous event

Chloe’s barely-there dress left far too much to the imagination, while the shiny purple material gave it an incredibly tacky feel

Maggie Gyllenhaal also suffered a fashion fail in her structured gown, which featured 3D gold detailing along the front that made her look like she was wearing several door knockers 

The 50-year-old nailed the glamour with her chic makeup look, however it was almost impossible to see past the over-the-top dress design, which had a high neck collar and form-fitting, long-sleeved textured bodice that then poofed out into an enormous skirt and train.

Singer Billie Eilish also opted for a very ruffly number in the form of a strapless black gown that featured layer upon layer of black fabric, leaving the singer completely dwarfed in material. 

In fact, the 20-year-old was so swamped by ruffles that her arms were almost completely hidden from view as she made her way down the red carpet. 

Ruffles were also something of an issue for Caitriona Balfe, whose ill-fitting white dress looked wrinkled and, thanks to the lengthy train of ruffled fabric that flowed behind it, rather resembled a long crumpled tissue  

Singer Billie Eilish was swamped by layer upon layer of black ruffle , leaving her arms almost completely hidden 

The dramatic dress featured a length texture train, reminiscent of that on Jada’s green frock

Saweetie put on an eye-popping display at the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s viewing party

Ruffles were also something of an issue for Caitriona Balfe, whose white dress looked wrinkled and rather resembled a long crumpled tissue

Just like Venus, Tracee Ellis Ross landed herself on the worst-dressed list thanks to the barely-there breast cups on her gown

On the opposite end of the style spectrum was Kristen Stewart, who left absolutely nothing to the imagination in a pair of tiny black hotpants, which she wore with a white shirt that was completely unbuttoned down to the waist. She added a black blazer and heels to complete her barely-there look. 

Flashing copious amounts of skin became something of a theme for the evening, with singing sisters Halle and Chloe joining Kristen in flashing a serious amount of flesh on the red carpet. 

The siblings both opted for incredibly risque numbers; older sister Chloe wore a metallic one-shoulder purple gown that had a slit all the way up to her ribcage, leaving one leg entirely bare – and putting her at serious risk of flashing far too much for the cameras. 

Meanwhile Halle appeared to take inspiration from her upcoming role as The Little Mermaid for her ensemble, a bright turquoise dress that consisted of a bra top attached to a long skirt that also had a risque slit, while leaving her stomach exposed.   

In addition to the red carpet at the Oscars ceremony itself, there were also several awkward fashion moments at other events, including the Vanity Fair party, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s annual viewing event.  

Like Tracee, actress Niecy Nash risked a red carpet mishap in her garish pink gown, which had a raunchy slit that rose all the way up to her crotch 

Pink was an unlucky color on Sunday night, with Colombian actress Carolina Gaitán also dropping the style ball with her voluminous gown, which featured comically-large sleeves

Although host Regina Hall made a stylish appearance on the red carpet, she underwent a costume change during the ceremony, switching into an unflattering pink number with ugly ruffles down the front 

At the Vanity Fair soiree, Janelle Monae kept up the flesh-baring fashion in her bizarre cut-out number, which looked as though it had been attacked with a pair of scissors before she stepped out onto the carpet. 

Saweetie pulled off a very similar look at Elton John’s party, where she put on an eye-popping display in a very daring black gown that also featured several risky cut-outs across the bodice. 

Also daring to bare was Venus Williams, who flashed a huge amount of cleavage in her plunging white gown – as Tracee Ellis Ross in her bold red dress.   

Actress Niecy Nash was another star who risked a red carpet mishap with her garish neon pink gown, which featured a very risque slit that rose all the way to her crotch. 

Pink proved to be an unlucky color for another actress, Colombian starlet Carolina Gaitán, who sported an almost comically voluminous gown that completely swamped her petite frame.  

Swedish makeup artist Eva Von Bahr made a unique choice with her dress, which featured a Renaissance-style design and was paired with a bizarre statue-style handbag

Warren and Parent’s accessories took away from their ensembles, leaving them looking tacky rather than high-end

Orange Is the New Black star Diane Guerrero channeled Cruella de Vil in her polka-dot gown

British makeup artist Julia Vernon looked like she was preparing to head out to a concert or a bar in her chunky boots, leather leggings, and voluminous top, not a glamorous red carpet event

Both Renate Reinsve and Rickey Thompson could well have DIYed their outfits at home, with the latter looking as though he had hot glue gunned several Christmas ornaments on his ensemble

Both Amanda Peet (left) and Jean Smart (right) missed the mark in their ill-fitting black numbers at the Vanity Fair event

Oscars host Regina Hall also struggled with her own take on the hue. 

While the host made a stylish appearance on the red carpet, she underwent a costume change during the ceremony, switching into an unflattering pink number with ugly ruffles down the front. 

There were also several very bizarre accessories being sported on the Oscars red carpet, with makeup artist Eva Von Bahr toting a quirky handbag that looked like the head of a statue – having no doubt been inspired by her equally-odd Renaissance-style gown. 

Diane Warren also opted for a daring-turned-disastrous purse in the form of a multi-colored bedazzled clutch shaped like a retro boom box.   

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Technology

Where is Fitbit’s Wear OS watch?

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2022 is going to be a big year for Wear OS. Google’s rumored to be making its own Pixel Watch (again). Older Wear OS 2 watches are expected to finally make the transition to Wear OS 3. Samsung’s promised that Google Assistant will be coming to its Galaxy Watch 4 in the “coming months.” But there’s something notably missing from this Wear OS lineup: Fitbit.

Since Google and Samsung first announced their partnership at last year’s Google I/O, Fitbit CEO James Park hasn’t been coy. He’s said multiple times that a premium Fitbit smartwatch running Wear OS was in the works. This year will be the one where Wear OS 3 debuts on a wider scale. It would’ve been stellar timing to unveil a Wear OS Fitbit. However, a 9to5Google report notes that although code uncovered in the Fitbit app hints at several new products, not a single one will run Wear OS.

Instead, it looks like Fitbit may be planning a Sense 2, a Versa 4, and a Fitbit Luxe 2. The code reportedly makes reference to a “software bridge” that shares data between the device and phone using Bluetooth. According to the report, Wear OS uses a different method of sharing data between your phone and watch — meaning Wear OS watch likely wouldn’t need that so-called bridge. Two of the rumored devices share the same square screen resolution as the Versa 3 and Sense. The other matches the Luxe. That hints at updates to existing product lines rather than creating something new. If true, all this strongly suggests it’s not likely we’ll see a Wear OS 3 Fitbit anytime soon.

Of course, none of this is official. Things can dramatically change between when a product is in testing and when it actually lands on shelves. It’s just disappointing to see — and for Fitbit, rehashing the same formula isn’t in its best interest.

No cheating: Is this a Versa, Versa Lite, Versa 2, or Versa 3?
Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

In 2014, Fitbit was a leading wearables maker, with nearly 40 percent of the market. According to Statista, Fitbit’s market share in 2020 had dwindled to a measly 2.9 percent. Every year has seen Fitbit’s piece of the pie get smaller, and smaller, and smaller. There’s no one factor that led Fitbit here, but if I had to pick one, it’d be that Fitbit products have gotten a bit stale.

In my reviews, I often joke that Fitbit doesn’t like to fix what isn’t broken. You can look at the evolution of its popular Charge fitness trackers to see that in action. If you lined up the Charge 2, 3, and 4, I guarantee you most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Similarly, once it became clear that its original Versa smartwatch was popular, Fitbit began pumping out Versas left and right. Again, if you lined up the Versa, Versa 2, Versa Lite Edition, and Versa 3, you’d be hard-pressed to say what was distinctive about each. I reviewed all four of them, and even I’d have to take a second look.

That’s why it was a breath of fresh air in 2020 when Fitbit lobbed a hail mary of a fall product launch. The Fitbit Sense introduced FDA-cleared EKGs and added an electrodermal activity sensor — something that no other wearable company had done yet. Google Assistant was added to the Sense and Versa 3. The company also upgraded its Pure Pulse 2.0 heart rate tracking tech, and all around, meaningful updates were to be had. That energy continued into 2021, when Fitbit made the first significant updates to the Charge lineup in years and introduced the fashionable Luxe.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is the only Wear OS 3 watch that’s currently available.
Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

But unless Fitbit has some new sensor it’s been hiding or finally figures out how to add LTE to its trackers, it’s hard to get jazzed over a Sense 2, Versa 4, and Luxe 2. There are so many more affordable Fitbit alternatives these days — and many of them are quite good.

A Fitbit Wear OS smartwatch, however, would give a much-needed boost to the Wear OS ecosystem.

Right now, Wear OS watches are predominantly Fossil Group watches. They are fine. Samsung’s there now, too, with the Galaxy Watch 4, and there’s a smattering of luxury brands for absurd prices. Fossil and luxury smartwatches prioritize the aesthetic. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 is actually great but also doesn’t serve non-Samsung phone owners well.

Now would’ve been a great time for Fitbit to bust in like the Kool-Aid man to offer a truly platform-agnostic Wear OS 3 watch. Right now, the only option for that is Mobvoi’s TicWatch 3 lineup — and let’s be real. You’ve probably never heard of Mobvoi, whereas Fitbit is a household name.

Plus, you can’t discount Fitbit’s vast experience with health data. It’s also got several advanced health features that could ostensibly take on the Apple Watch. Earlier this week, the company announced it had asked the FDA to clear passive atrial fibrillation monitoring. It was the first to implement SpO2 sensors in 2017, and it’s been hard at work researching sleep apnea. Rolling all of these things into a Wear OS 3 watch would’ve been something to actually be excited about.

A Fitbit Wear OS watch will arrive one day. Hopefully. And so long as it doesn’t crap the bed as hard as the OnePlus Watch, it’ll be great for all the reasons listed. The rumored Pixel Watch will supposedly have some kind of Fitbit integration, but we all know that’s not the same thing.

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Business

Uniqlo owner stays put in Russia as Levi, AMEX and others sever ties

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  • Uniqlo’s Russian stores to stay open
  • Danone suspends investments in country
  • KPMG, PwC, EY, Deloitte all cut ties with local units
  • American Express calls Ukraine attack ‘unjustified’

March 7 (Reuters) – Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing (9983.T) will keep its stores in Russia open, joining a small group of international firms that are staying put even as dozens of big brands temporarily shutter operations or exit the country over its invasion of Ukraine.

Political pressure is building on companies to halt business in Russia, while operations have also been complicated by sweeping sanctions affecting everything from global payments systems to a range of high-tech products.

Large shippers have suspended container routes to and from Russia and many Western companies from Nike Inc and home furnishings giant Ikea to energy majors BP and Shell (SHEL.L) have closed shop or announced plans to exit the country.

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“Clothing is a necessity of life. The people of Russia have the same right to live as we do,” said Fast Retailing CEO Tadashi Yanai in remarks first reported by Nikkei, adding that every country should oppose war.

A spokesperson told Reuters the company had seen no noticeable impact on its supply chain or logistics in Russia, where Uniqlo has 49 stores.

In contrast, Levi Strauss & Co (LEVI.N) suspended its Russian operations, including any new investments.

The Big Four accounting firms KPMG, PwC, EY and Deloitte moved one by one to cut their ties with Russia, as did credit card company American Express (AXP.N).

Dairy cooperative Arla Foods, French yoghurt maker Danone (DANO.PA) and Belgian chemicals group Solvay (SOLB.BR) also suspended operations or investment in the country, while the RIA Novosti news agency cited carmaker Nissan as saying it would halt production at its factory in St Petersburg. read more

Nissan said last week it was suspending vehicle exports to Russia, joining peers like General Motors Co (GM.N) and Sweden’s Volvo Cars (VOLCARb.ST).

The sun sets behind the skyscrapers of the Moscow International Business Centre, also known as “Moskva-City”, in Moscow, Russia April 23, 2018. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

Among companies continuing to operate in Russia were McDonald’s Corp (MCD.N) and PepsiCo Inc (PEP.O), prompting New York state’s pension fund – a shareholder in the pair – to urge them and others to consider pausing their operations there. read more

Russia announced new “humanitarian corridors” on Monday to transport Ukrainians trapped under its bombardment – to Russia itself and its ally Belarus, a move immediately denounced by Kyiv as an immoral stunt. read more

Russia calls the campaign it launched on Feb. 24 a “special military operation”. It denies attacking civilian areas and says it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new media law on Friday, Chinese-owned video app TikTok said it would suspend live-streaming and the uploading of videos to its platform in Russia. read more

“We have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law,” it said in a series of Twitter posts on Sunday.

‘UNJUSTIFIED ATTACK’

Many companies have strongly condemned Russia’s actions as they suspended services in the country.

“In light of Russia’s ongoing, unjustified attack on the people of Ukraine, American Express is suspending all operations in Russia,” AMEX said on its website. read more

Netflix , which had already temporarily stopped future projects and acquisitions in Russia, suspended its service “given the situation on the ground”, a spokesperson said. read more

KPMG, PwC, EY and Deloitte all said they would sever links with their Russian operations, affecting thousands of staff. read more

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Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru, Chris Gallagher in Washington, DC, Rocky Swift in Tokyo; Writing by Anna Driver and Sayantani Ghosh; editing by Diane Craft, Kirsten Donovan, Bernadette Baum and Susan Fenton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Business

The world’s leading luxury brands suspend business in Russia

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  • French group Hermes has three stores in Moscow
  • Hermes ‘deeply concerned about situation in Europe’
  • Russians spend $9 bln/year on luxury goods -Jefferies

PARIS, March 4 (Reuters) – The world’s leading luxury brands said on Friday that they planned to temporarily close stores and pause business operations in Russia.

Birkin bag maker Hermes and Cartier owner Richemont were the first firms to announce such moves, followed by LVMH (LVMH.PA), Kering (PRTP.PA) and Chanel.

Doing business in Russia has become complex since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the United States, Britain and the Europe Union to impose sweeping sanctions.

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“Given our increasing concerns about the current situation, the growing uncertainty and the complexity to operate, Chanel decided to temporarily pause its business in Russia,” the French luxury fashion house said in a LinkedIn post.

Luxury giant LVMH, which owns such brands as Christian Dior, Givenchy, Kenzo, TAG Heuer and Bulgari among others, will close its 124 boutiques in Russia from Sunday but will continue to pay the salaries for its 3,500 employees in the country, a spokesperson told Reuters.

French multinational Kering, whose brands include brands as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Boucheron among others, has two shops and 180 employees, which the company will continue to support.

While affluent Russians are keen consumers of luxury goods, analysts say the proportion of luxury sales generated from Russian nationals is small compared to the industry’s main growth engines, China and the United States.

Richemont, which also owns Dunhill, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Piaget, and Van Cleef & Arpels among other brands, has around a dozen directly operated stores, mostly in Moscow. It said in a statement it had suspended commercial activities in Russia on March 3 after stopping Ukraine operations on Feb. 24, the day Russia launched its invasion.

Hermes, which has three stores in Moscow, had planned to open an outlet in St. Petersburg later this year.

Investment bank Jefferies estimates that Russians account for around $9 billion in annual luxury sales, which is around 6% of Chinese spending and 14% of U.S spending on luxury goods.

Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group (UHR.S), which owns high end watches and jewellery labels including Harry Winston, said it would continue its operations in Russia, but was putting exports on hold “because of the overall difficult situation”.

L’Oreal (OREP.PA), LVMH (LVMH.PA) and Kering (PRTP.PA) have all pledged financial support to help Ukrainian refugees and Richemont said on Friday it was initiating a “significant donation” to Medecins Sans Frontieres.

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Reporting by Mimosa Spencer, Silvia Aloisi and Layli Foroudi; Editing by Tassilo Hummel, Jon Boyle, Susan Fenton, Alexander Smith and Sandra Maler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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US

Here are the Illinois Counties Where You Should Still Wear a Mask, According to New CDC Guidelines – NBC Chicago

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The U.S. has relaxed mask guidance for the majority of Americans, explaining more than 70% of people live in areas where masks can safely be removed indoors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a shift in metrics Friday that leans less heavily on COVID-19 cases and instead gives more weight to hospitalizations and hospital capacity.

While the new recommendation means most people don’t need to wear a mask indoors, that’s not the case for everyone in Illinois.

Masks aren’t recommended in the any Illinois’ counties in the Chicago area. Most, except one, are ranked as “low” community levels – the lowest category of risk as defined by the CDC.

As shown in a map from the CDC, counties said to have “low” community levels are colored green, those with “medium” levels are yellow and areas with “high” levels are orange.

LaSalle County has been ranked as a “medium” community level. In these locations, those at risk for severe illness are encouraged to talk to their health care provider about whether a mask should be worn and if other precautions should be taken, according to the CDC.

Kenosha County, Wisconsin, is the only area county listed as having “high” risk. According to CDC guidelines, in such areas, people are advised to wear masks in public indoor spaces, including schools, and take additional precautions if at risk for severe illness.

A total of 21 Illinois counties are experiencing troublesome metrics and are too listed as having “high” COVID transmission.

The counties where masks are recommended are listed below:

  • Adams County
  • Brown County
  • Christian County
  • Clark County
  • Edgar County
  • Franklin County
  • Gallatin County
  • Jackson County
  • Jefferson County
  • Johnson County
  • Marion County
  • Massac County
  • McDonough County
  • Perry County
  • Pike County
  • Saline County
  • Stark County
  • Wabash County
  • Washington County
  • Wayne County
  • Williamson County

To learn more information about the situation in your community, you can find the CDC’s map of community levels by county here.

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