News

Time marches on, even for royalty. As the hit Netflix series "The Crown" returns for its third season, the young and glamorous Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, played to critical acclaim by Claire Foy and Matt Smith, are out; the more mature Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies are in. Mark Phillips spent time on the set with Colman and Helena Bonham Carter (who co-stars as Princess Margaret), and with series creator and writer Peter Morgan, to discuss the show about a family in extraordinary circumstances.

Dealing with death is simply part of living life, as every person who dies leaves behind loved ones who must face a grieving process. And while most of us eventually adapt to a "new normal," one in 10 endures what researchers calls "complicated grief." For them the acute phase of grief never lets up. Susan Spencer investigates the study of grief with Dr. Katherine Shear, and how a website, Modern Loss, is sharing personal stories of grief, loss and coping from around the world, sometimes with unexpected twists. She also talks with columnist Leslie Gray Streeter, who wrote the loss of her husband and came up with a surprising response to her grief.

Android phones that support Qi2 wireless chargers that are magnetically secured in place might finally be hitting the market. Android Authority reports that Google plans to add Qi2 charging with the upcoming Google Pixel 10. The Qi2 standard was announced at CES in 2023, and was developed with substantial contributions from Apple. The new design iterated on the Qi standard by adding magnets that would help ensure a perfect alignment, among other improvements. That magnetic alignment tech was built on Apple's MagSafe technology.

There was a lot of excitement around the standard coming to the Android ecosystem, but manufacturers dropped the ball. Displaying a total lack of urgency in implementing the standard, not a single Android device made by Samsung, Google or Motorola supported Qi2 in 2024.

The team at Android Authority reports that they have “viewed credible marketing materials intended for retailers that show that Google is working on a few magnetic Qi2 accessories meant for the upcoming Pixel 10.” They suggest Google will name the magnetic ecosystem “Pixelsnap” and at least three accessories to start. A Pixelsnap Charger, Charger with Stand and Ring Stand are set to be in the works for the new Pixel 10. Assuming that magnetic profiles are included as rumored, the Pixelsnap Charger with Stand sounds like the successor to Google’s Pixel Stand. This would ostensibly allow users to magnetically snap their phones to the stand while the phone charges wirelessly.

Android Authority reports that the Pixel 10 would support Qi 2.2, with a maximum hardware-supported charge rate of 60W, though Google will ultimately decide what rate of charging will be allowed on each compatible phone model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/pixelsnap-googles-belated-answer-to-magsafe-could-arrive-alongside-the-pixel-10-184527063.html?src=rss

In the 1960s, Ford Motor Company embarked on building a supercar that could beat the Italian automaker Ferrari at one of the world's most prestigious car races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That effort (and the story of the car designer and driver behind it) is now told in the new movie "Ford v. Ferrari." Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with stars Matt Damon (who plays Carroll Shelby, the automotive artist hired to defeat Ferrari) and Christian Bale (who plays legendary driver Ken Miles) about the quest to create a finely-tuned weapon of speed.

Two actors who appeared in the 1994 film "Forrest Gump," which featured harrowing scenes of combat in Vietnam and the anguish of veterans upon their return home, would themselves serve the military after the movie wrapped. Gary Sinise, who played Lt. Dan, formed the Gary Sinise Foundation to aid returning service members, while Michael Conner Humphreys, who played Tom Hanks' character as a child, would sign up for the Army and be deployed for 18 months in Anbar Province, Iraq. Twenty-five years after the film's release, Mark Strassmann talked with Sinise and Humphreys about the film's impact on their lives.