Technology

Un enfant atteint du cancer, à l’hôpital Armand-Trousseau, à Paris, le 16 mars 2021. CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP Pour lutter contre les déserts médicaux, les députés ont adopté, mercredi 2 avril, un article phare d’une proposition de loi transpartisane, visant à réguler l’installation des médecins sur le territoire. L’examen du reste du texte est prévu début mai. « Six millions de Français sont sans médecin traitant, huit millions de Français vivent dans un désert médical », a martelé Guillaume Garot (PS), à l’initiative de la proposition de loi depuis 2022 avec un groupe transpartisan (plus de 250 députés cosignataires, de LR à LFI). Cette inégalité crée un « sentiment délétère pour notre République qui a failli dans...

At an event in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, Donald Trump unveiled a new set of planned tariffs that are being described as “short-sighted,” and having “no basis in logic,” and being compared to Great Depression-era policies. Holding a giant poster board blowing in the wind, Trump announced staggering new taxes on products coming into the US from abroad. Among the 60 countries listed, tariff rates ranged anywhere from 10 percent to nearly 50 percent: 34 percent for China, 46 percent for Vietnam, 20 percent for the EU, and 49 percent for Cambodia, among others.The US is the world’s biggest importer, bringing in trillions of dollars of goods every year. Relatively little is produced in the US, and the eye-watering taxes will impact supply chains across industries: tech products and gadget...

It’s perhaps no surprise that Nintendo opened its Switch 2 Direct with Mario Kart World, a Switch 2-exclusive launch title that’s a sequel to the original Switch’s most popular game. But it was more of a surprise that the Direct’s second segment, instead of focusing on the console’s specs, was all about Nintendo’s Discord-like GameChat system – a system that seems to show that Nintendo is finally catching up with its online services.For playing with your pals, GameChat looks like it could be a lot of fun. You can join a shared call with your buddies and play games together or hang out and share screens of the games you’re playing separately. The Switch 2’s onboard microphone picks up your voice for voice chat, and you can use the Switch 2 Camera accessory, which is designed to sit next ...

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)is shutting down after more than 20 years of hosting its annual challenge for writers. In a video and an email sent to community members, the nonprofit organization explains that it can no longer continue “after years of financial struggles.” As shown in the video, NaNoWriMo interim executive director Kilby Blades details how participation and fundraising in the program have decreased in recent years. The NaNoWriMo site will remain online for “as long as possible,” though it will no longer formally host its writing challenges.“We recognize that the closure of NaNoWriMo represents a huge loss to the writing community, and that grief over this outcome will be exacerbated by the challenges of the past sixteen months,” NaNoWriMo’s email to the communi...

The Switch 2 is here — well, almost. Nintendo took the wraps off its new console during its latest Direct event, providing us with a closer look at the $449.99 console ahead of its release on June 5th.In many ways, the sequel is a generational leap from the original console / handheld hybrid that rocked the gaming world over eight years ago. Nintendo is building upon the successful foundation it laid with the original Switch by offering a larger screen, more internal storage, and magnetic Joy-Con controllers that can operate like mice. It’s also introducing some new features, like GameChat, which lets players make voice calls, screen share, and video chat.Below, we’re taking a closer look at the on-paper differences between the Switch 2 and its various predecessors — specifically, the o...

After years of rumors, Nintendo has finally announced a release date for the Switch 2. The long-awaited successor to the Switch will be available on June 5th for $449.99, bringing a handing of games and accessories along with it. It will be available for preorder in the US from select retailers starting on April 9th, as both a standalone console and as a limited-edition bundle with Mario Kart World for $499.99.As predicted, the Switch 2 features a larger 7.9-inch LCD display, with support for 1080p resolution and HDR, 256GB of built-in storage, and up to 6.5 hours of battery life. The Joy-Cons are bigger, too, and now magnetically attach to the console instead of relying on a pair of sliding rails to snap into place. They also offer mouse-like functionality with select games, and the ri...

Before this morning, I knew I was going to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 but I didn’t know when. After watching Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct today, in which a purple block traced the GameCube’s stylized “G” logo, followed by high-res footage from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and F-Zero GX and an announcement that they’ll be playable at launch, I realized I’ll be doing my damndest to get it on day one. It was the cherry on top of a stellar presentation that made the console’s $449.99 price tag way easier to swallow.GameCube games are coming to the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) subscription’s Classic Game Library feature, which the company is now shortening to “Nintendo Classics.” It lets you play games from the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. Like the Game Boy and Nintendo 64 game collectio...

Thunderbird’s developers are planning to compete with Gmail and other email providers by offering paid “pro” tier services, including @thundermail.com email addresses and new services such as an appointment scheduler, file sharing tools, and some “Thunderbird Assist” AI features. You can join a beta waitlist by going to thundermail.com, which is the domain for the email addresses, along with an option for @tb.pro.Thunderbird managing director Ryan Sipes announced that the services are in the works in a post on the Thunderbird Planning discussion group last Friday. However, it seems pretty early in development, and there are no announced tiers and pricing, though Sipes said there would be both free and paid tiers. “It is our goal to eventually have a similar offering so that a 100 percen...

Last week, Apple announced that lossless audio and ultra low latency would be coming to the AirPods Max with USB-C. It was a pleasant surprise for owners of Apple’s over-ear headphones, which have fallen behind the AirPods Pro in recent years when it comes to offering new features. Unfortunately, the company seems to have hit a snag in releasing the firmware update necessary for the AirPods Max to unlock these newfound capabilities.Firmware version 7E99 was supposed to arrive early this week alongside iOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4. But late in the day yesterday, Apple added a “coming soon” asterisk next to the AirPods Max on a support site that lists each device’s latest firmware. Both MacRumors and 9to5Mac reported on the delay.There’s no official word on what’s behind the hold-up, b...

Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, is laying off about 16 percent of its workers. In a memo posted to the company’s website, CEO Matt Mullenweg says he’s making the change to “protect Automattic’s long-term future.”Before the layoffs, Automattic’s website listed the company as having 1,777 employees. The company has since decreased its employee count to 1,495, meaning around 280 staff members were affected by the job cuts.“We have reached an important crossroads,” Mullenweg writes in his memo. “While our revenue continues to grow, Automattic operates in a highly competitive market, and technology is evolving at unprecedented levels. To support our customers and products, we must improve our productivity, profitability, and capacity to invest.”