Brian Barrett

Fresh off the successful release of Zack Snyder's Justice League, we'll soon be getting the director's latest project: Army of the Dead, about a group of mercenaries that attempts a heist in a zombie-ridden Las Vegas. In a sense, Snyder has come full circle. His directorial debut was 2008's Dawn of the Dead, an entertaining reboot of the original George Romero classic from 1978.

Army of the Dead started out as a joint project between Universal Studios and Warner Bros. back in 2007. But like so many films, it got stuck in development hell until Zack Snyder signed on as director in 2019. Netflix picked up the distribution rights from Warner Bros. soon after.

Per the official premise:

Enlarge / What a docking of Boeing's Starliner to the International Space Station will look like. (credit: Boeing)

About five weeks have passed since Boeing updated the status of its Starliner spacecraft, with the company saying it was "evaluating" a new target launch date for its next mission. This test flight of Starliner, which will not carry crew, is destined to launch on an Atlas V rocket and dock with the International Space Station for about a week before returning to Earth.

Despite the lack of an official update, it now seems likely that Boeing and NASA are targeting late July or early August for this test flight. This is largely due to traffic at the International Space Station rather than the readiness of Starliner itself. Two NASA sources said the vehicle is "close" to being ready, with only a few small tests to certify the spacecraft for flight remaining. Starliner is therefore expected to be ready to fly by early summer.

Traffic jam

The primary issue is the availability of space station docking ports fitted with an "international docking adapter," which are used by SpaceX's Crew Dragon, Cargo Dragon 2, and Starliner vehicles. There are presently two such ports on the station, and for NASA, the priority for access to these ports are crew rotations followed by supply missions. So the question becomes when the Starliner test flight can find an open slot on station.

Enlarge (credit: Tesla)

Tesla has jacked up the price of its solar roof, which integrates solar panels directly into roof tiles, Electrek reports. A 12.3 kW system that Electrek priced at $54,966 last summer now costs more than $70,000, according to Tesla's online calculator.

Customers report that Tesla is not only raising prices for future solar roof installations—it's demanding more money from some existing customers whose panels haven't been installed yet.

"Tesla has reneged on its solar roof contracts and has raised the prices for people (like me) who have already signed contract with them," one Ars reader told us. "For example, they are asking for an additional $21,000 for my project from about $66,000 to $87,000."

Enlarge / This cute little pig has obviously seen some things that iOS users will no longer be allowed to see on Discord.

Discord users who access the Discord app through iOS will now face restrictions on adult content that go beyond those for other platforms. The gaming-focused social networking app—which lets users create public or private servers to chat via text, image, voice, and video livestreaming—announced this week that "all users on the iOS platform (including those aged 18+) will be blocked from joining and accessing NSFW servers. iOS users aged 18+ will still be able to join and access NSFW communities on the desktop and web versions of Discord."

That NSFW designation can be set by the server owner or by Discord itself, in keeping with community guidelines requiring the label on "adult content." Individual channels within a server can be designated as NSFW without imposing limits on the full server, but an entire server may be labeled as NSFW "if the community is organized around NSFW themes or if the majority of the server’s content is 18+," the company said.

Discord has set up an appeals process for server owners to challenge an NSFW designation. Individual users can also contact Discord if they were accidentally identified as minors during an age-verification process. But that age change will still be meaningless on iOS, where users of all ages will be barred from NSFW content.

Enlarge / State Capitol building in Olympia, Washington. (credit: Getty Images | traveler1116)

The Washington state legislature has voted to end limits on municipal broadband, and the bill lifting those restrictions now awaits the signature of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee. The state Senate passed the bill Sunday in a 27-22 vote, and the state House passed it on February 23 by a vote of 60-37.

"This bill reverses decades of bad policy—Washington was one of only 18 states with a STATE LAW prohibiting some local governments from offering broadband directly to the public," Democratic Rep. Drew Hansen, the bill's lead sponsor, wrote on Twitter. "Long overdue. Thanks to the BIPARTISAN group of Senators who stood up for public broadband today!!"

The Senate vote went mostly along party lines, but one Republican (Brad Hawkins) voted yea and three Democrats (Steve Hobbs, Mark Mullet, and Lisa Wellman) voted nay.

Enlarge / A Yemeni khamsiyat (top left), a Spanish real (top right), and a shilling minted in the American colonies (bottom) from the 17th century. (credit: Associated Press)

According to historian and metal-detector enthusiast Jim Bailey, the handful of 17th-century Arabic coins unearthed at sites across New England could be remnants of an infamous pirate's last big score—or, to put it another way, money stolen from a ship full of religious pilgrims during a horrific mass murder at sea.

"It's a new history of a nearly perfect crime," Bailey told the Associated Press.

Bailey found a handful of Colonial-era coins and musket balls, along with a shoe buckle, buried beneath a fruit orchard in Middletown, Rhode Island in 2014. Amid the English and Colonial-issued coins, Bailey noticed something unusual: a coin as weathered and tarnished as the rest but engraved in Arabic. It turned out to be a Yemeni coin called a khamsiyat, minted in 1693.

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

Today's Dealmaster includes a return of the best price we've tracked for Logitech's MX Master 3, our favorite wireless mouse for everyday use, which is currently down to $80 at Staples when you use the code "79674" at checkout. You can also use this code to take $20 off the Mac version of Logitech's MX Keys, a wireless keyboard we've previously recommended. Elsewhere, our roundup also includes a low price on a set of Panasonic's Eneloop rechargeable batteries, ongoing sales on several Xbox and PlayStation games, deals on Google Nest smart home products, and more. You can check out the full list below.

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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  The teaser image on this event's invitation looks like Apple Pencil scribbles, perhaps supporting the idea this will be an iPad-focused event. [credit: Apple ]

Apple will host its first product unveiling event in more than five months, the company announced Tuesday. Invitations that went out this morning state that the event will take place at 10:00 am PST on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.

Many people didn't learn about this event from the invitation that went out this morning. Rather, they learned hours before when Siri began answering the question "Hey Siri, when is Apple's next event?" with "The special event is on Tuesday, April 20, at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA. You can get all the details at Apple.com."

As has become the custom, the event has a tagline: "Spring Loaded." The taglines usually harbor subtle clues about what products might be updated or how, as well as the general theme of the event.

Enlarge (credit: Google)

It sure seems like "Google Play Movies & TV," Google's video content store, is on the way out. Late last year, the Android version of the Play Movies & TV app was rebranded as "Google TV," and now, Google is announcing (via 9to5Google) that on many smart TV platforms, Google's purchased video content will be accessible from the YouTube app. The transition will start June 15, when Google says the "Google Play Movies & TV app will no longer be available on Roku, Samsung, LG, and Vizio smart TVs."

Google kills product

• Google is killing “Google Play Movies & TV” on smart TVs
• Google is killing the Google Shopping app
• Google’s VR dreams are dead: Google Cardboard is no longer for sale
• Ex-Stadia developers dish on Google’s mismanagement and poor communication
• Google closes Stadia’s dedicated game studios after less than 2 years

View more stories Like any Google service transition (we are experts at this by now), this move comes with some caveats. Google notes that all your old purchases will be available on YouTube, but new purchases made on YouTube don't support family sharing across family-member accounts. The Google Play TV watchlist also won't be making the jump. Additionally, there are several forum complaints already saying that the YouTube app on certain platforms lacks the surround sound audio or HDR support that Play Movies had.

Google Play Movies & TV launched in 2012 (previously, it was "Google Movies") as a way to buy and rent professional, Hollywood-style video content through Google's ecosystem. It launched as part of the unified Google Play ecosystem, alongside the Google Play app store, Google Play Books, Play Music, and Play Magazines. Google Play Magazines eventually became Google Play Newsstand and shut down in 2018 in favor of the revamped Google News. Google Play Music died in 2020, and users were pushed to YouTube Music. That makes two dead Google Play brands so far.

Enlarge (credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Facebook is allowing its oversight board to rule on moderation decisions relating to content that remains on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. Previously, the only rulings the board could issue were to restore content that moderators had removed.

The Facebook Oversight Board was established last year in response to concerns that the social media company wielded too much unchecked power over what content appeared on its site. Current board members include several law professors, executives from think tanks and nongovernmental organizations, a former US federal circuit judge, and the former prime minister of Denmark. The board is managed by an independent organization that the company seeded with $130 million.

To appeal a post, a person must have an active Facebook account and must have exhausted the company’s appeals process. At that point, the user can take their petition to the oversight board.

Enlarge / What's missing from this console profile shot in April 2021? A compatible expansion drive for next-gen game storage. (credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

On Monday, Sony posted a bulletin to PlayStation 5 fans letting them know about a sweeping new system update, meant largely to touch up the game console's menu interface. The blog post includes a long-winded notice about one update that, for some players, won't seem like much of an update at all: "cold storage."

As a result, PlayStation 5 is now five months out from its launch while continuing to lack something kind of important in a game console: a way to add functional storage space, which is required to play any PS5 game you own.

Call of Duty, call of download

Last year's new consoles, the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, have a ton in common as far as hardware is concerned. As just one example, they lean on a new generation of internal storage—rated PCIe 4.0 and connected via the NVMe protocol. With this jump, read and write speeds increase dramatically, and that has been part of the latest next-gen gaming sales pitch.

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  Polestar is adding two new variants to the Polestar 2 lineup. [credit: Polestar ]

On Tuesday morning, Polestar expanded its line of battery-electric vehicles with two new versions of the Polestar 2 fastback, both of which should be cheaper than the fully loaded $59,500 Polestar 2 Launch Edition we tested last summer.

In the next few weeks, the automaker will start offering a simplified version of the dual-motor Polestar 2. It says that this version should have an EPA range of 240 miles (386 km). That should increase if you option it with the Plus Pack, which adds a slightly nicer interior (using the WeaveTech fabric from the Launch Edition); more speakers for the sound system; heated rear seats, steering wheel, and wiper blades; and perhaps most importantly, a heat pump.

The addition of a heat pump means that the Polestar 2 can warm or cool the cabin with less draw from the 78 kWh battery pack, and Polestar says that at ambient temperatures between 40-60˚F (4.4-15.5˚C) it can add up to 10 percent to the car's range.

Enlarge / A nurse practitioner named Heidi Johnson administers a vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. (credit: Tom Williams / Getty Images)

On Tuesday morning, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a release acknowledging that an extremely rare clotting disorder was associated with the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine. The problem is actually less than a one-in-a-million issue; in data from the US, where 6.8 million doses of this vaccine have been used, there have only been six instances of the clotting problem detected.

Because the clots call for an unusual treatment, however, the organizations are calling for a pause in administering the shot. This will provide them with time to ensure the medical community is aware of the appropriate treatment.

This is not the first vaccine to create extremely rare clotting issues. They've also been seen following use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The problem appears to be caused by the harmless virus (an adenovirus) that carries a single gene from SARS-CoV-2 in order to elicit an immune response.

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  Roku's latest budget-level 4K media streamer, the Roku Express 4K+. [credit: Roku ]

Roku on Tuesday announced its latest 4K media streamer, the Roku Express 4K+. In addition, the streaming-device maker launched a new optional voice-remote upgrade, the Roku Voice Remote Pro, a lightly updated version of its two-in-one Smart Soundbar called the Streambar Pro, and a Roku OS 10 software update for its family of video hardware, audio devices, and Roku TVs.

A new 4K HDR streamer for $40

Starting with the new streamer, the Roku Express 4K+ will cost $40 and replace the current Roku Premiere player when it starts shipping in mid-May. It has the similarly small and slightly curved design of the existing Roku Express, but now it can output 4K HDR video instead of basic 1080p. It won't support Dolby Vision HDR—that, along with Dolby Atmos audio, will remain limited to the high-end Roku Ultra—but it will support HDR10 and HDR10+. (The latter will also arrive on the Ultra via a software update.) Like other Roku players, it also supports Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit for direct streaming and Siri (or Home app) control, respectively, from an iOS device or Mac.

Roku says the Express 4K+ has a more powerful processor that supplies performance comparable to that of the $50 Roku Streaming Stick+, as well as more internal storage space than the Premiere. Also included is a voice remote with TV controls, again similar to the one found with the Streaming Stick+. The Express 4K+ adds support for dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (the Premiere only had less robust single-band wireless) as well as Micro USB Ethernet adapters, though it won't have the 2x2 MIMO wireless tech of the Streaming Stick+ for better handling crowded Wi-Fi networks.

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  Microsoft's latest Surface PC: the Surface Laptop 4. [credit: Microsoft ]

After recent leaks suggested an imminent arrival, Microsoft has officially launched the latest entry in its line of Surface PCs: the Surface Laptop 4.

The new laptop starts at $999 and will be available to purchase in the US, Canada, and Japan as of today, with shipping beginning on April 15. Microsoft says more markets will follow in the “coming weeks.” In the US, those who buy the Surface Laptop 4 through Microsoft or Best Buy before April 15 will get a pair of Surface Earbuds headphones bundled in at no extra cost.

Familiar hardware

As for the device itself, the Surface Laptop 4 is more of a refinement than a reinvention of the previous Surface Laptop 3, which launched in late 2019. That laptop’s build quality was generally well-regarded, and the design here is more or less identical to before.

Enlarge / Artist's rendering of the Mission Extension Vehicle-2 (foreground) docked to a client satellite. (credit: Northrop Grumman)

A large, passenger van-sized spacecraft sidled up to an active, 6-ton satellite on Monday afternoon about 36,000 km above the Earth's surface. Slowly, ever so slowly, the distance between the two vehicles closed.

There was nothing wrong with the satellite, which is 17 years old and owned by Intelsat. All the while, on Wednesday, it continued actively delivering broadband and other media services across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. But it was running desperately low on fuel to maintain its position, and Intelsat would have soon had to send the vehicle to a "graveyard" orbit.

So Intelsat contracted with Northrop Grumman to test its new life-extension services. That led to the launch of Northrop's "Mission Extension Vehicle-2" last year, which used fuel-sipping electric propulsion to approach the orbit of Intelsat 10-02 and dock with the active satellite on Wednesday. As a result of this pairing, the satellite will now live on for five more years.

Enlarge / Udelv hasn't announced details about its forthcoming Mobileye-powered delivery robots—such as who will help Udelv build them—but they are expected to look something like this. (credit: Udelv)

I've written before that Mobileye, an Intel subsidiary since 2017, is among the most formidable and underrated players in the self-driving sector. The Israeli company is the leading supplier of the chips, cameras, and software that power today's driver-assistance systems—a couple of years ago, Mobileye claimed 70 percent market share. The company is hoping to enjoy a similarly dominant position in the emerging market for fully self-driving systems.

On Monday, Mobileye announced that its self-driving technology stack would be branded Mobileye Drive. Mobileye says the technology will be "a turn-key self-driving system ready for commercial deployment at scale." A Mobileye Drive system will have 13 cameras, three long-range lidars, six short-wave lidars, and six radars. It will be powered by Mobileye's EyeQ 5 processors.

Mobileye says the technology will be ready for commercial use by 2023. That would be a big deal if true, but I can't help being skeptical. Over the last five years, a number of major self-driving companies have announced optimistic launch dates and failed to meet them.

Enlarge (credit: WISA WOODSAT)

Late last year, we were extremely skeptical of reports regarding a plan for wooden satellites that seemed confused about what could be gained from using the natural material. But a wooden satellite looks like it might get to orbit later this year, via a project we can fully endorse. It's a bit of silly advertising by a plywood manufacturer that will ensure that a student project gets sent to space.

The project, based in Finland, is called the WISA WOODSAT, and it has taken a bit of an indirect route to orbit. The design is based on a CubeSat format called Kitsat, which is intended for student projects. If the goal is simply to expose students to what it takes to make a compact satellite (the design is a 10 cm/side cube), the satellite can be built using cheap, easy-to-obtain hardware. But it can also be made using space-rated materials and sent to orbit.

The WOODSAT started out as more of the former, with students around the country contributing different parts to a CubeSat that was then taken aloft by a balloon. But now, with an opportunity to go to orbit, another version is getting an upgrade to survive the harsh environment.

Enlarge / RIP HomePod, 2021. (credit: Jeff Dunn)

Apple is working on multiple new products to replace the recently discontinued HomePod and to bring Siri and Apple services into living rooms, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Debby Wu and Mark Gurman.

One of those products would be a device that combines the TV-streaming box and gaming features of the Apple TV 4K with a HomePod-like smart speaker, as well as a camera.

The device would allow users to stream TV shows, videos, music, and films using the same apps that are already available on the Apple TV. It would also act as a Siri-enabled smart speaker, and it would enable video conferencing on the connected TV.

Enlarge / RMS at LibrePlanet 2019, approximately six months before his resignation from the FSF's board of directors. (credit: Ruben Rodriguez)

The Free Software Foundation's board of directors issued a statement today regarding the controversial return of Richard M. Stallman (RMS) to its ranks. Stallman also released a statement.

The controversy in brief

RMS has never been known for personal tact or diplomacy, but his 2019 decision to defend MIT computer science professor Marvin Minsky was the beam that broke the camel's back. Minsky was a sometime associate of notorious pedophile and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein; Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre stated under deposition that she had been directed to sleep with Minsky when she was 17.

In the attempt to defend Minsky, RMS declared it "morally absurd" to call statutory rape "rape," and he spun an elaborate scenario regarding the likelihood that Giuffre—whom RMS had never met—would have "appeared entirely willing" to Minsky.