Month: August 2020

COVID stimulus package: 6 benefits a new bill would offer that the executive actions can’t

If Congress does pass another stimulus bill, here’s what else you could get, in addition to another direct payment.


Sarah Tew/CNET

President Donald Trump may have signed four executive actions last week, but another stimulus package is very much supported by Congress and the White House — if only they could agree on a total cost. The fact that Trump blamed the Democrats in a tweet on Friday for “HOLDING THIS UP!” seems to indicate his support for a bill that’s broader than what was covered by his executive order and memoranda suggesting consideration of an eviction moratorium, a payroll tax deferment and lesser enhanced jobless benefits. Another rescue package is also expected to provide a second stimulus check of up to $1,200 for qualified Americans. 

“The lives and livelihoods of the American people as well as the life of our democracy are at stake,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement earlier this week. They added that they were open to return to the negotiation table as soon as the Republicans are ready to meet them halfway on the total cost. 

The prospects of Congress passing another economic stimulus

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Fortnite maker Epic Games battles Apple and Google over app store ouster

Epic has filed lawsuits against Apple and Google after its Fortnite app was jettisoned from the App Store and Google Play. The issue: The 30% fee that Apple and Google get on each purchase.

Image: Epic Games

Epic Games is probably best known for the virtual battles players have in its hit game Fortnite, but the company is gearing up for a real-life battle against two of the tech industry’s biggest guns.

This week, Epic filed lawsuits against both Apple and Google after its Fortnite app was booted from their respective app stores for violating specific guidelines. A multi-player, shoot-em-up, survival game, Fortnite is free but offers in-app purchases. And therein lies the issue.

Apple and Google each get a 30% cut of every purchase in their app stores, whether apps or in-app features. Arguing that this cut results in higher costs for users, Epic tried to circumvent the app stores by selling V-Bucks for in-app purchases for Fortnite directly to customers.

Apple said that move was a violation of the App Store guidelines, so it removed Fortnite from the store, prompting a lawsuit from Epic. Google also pulled the game from Google Play for similar reasons, triggering a suit

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2020 Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge review: Half-million-dollar flex

The Black Badge doesn’t have to be painted black.


Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

The Wraith is Rolls-Royce’s full-size, grand touring coupe. It measures 207.4 inches from nose to tail, and sports a 122.5-inch wheelbase. The design leads with the vertical slats of Rolls”http://www.cnet.com/”phantom grille” and follows up with a sweeping roofline that flows smoothly and near seamlessly from the base of A-pillar to the rear decklid. The proportions and sparse sculpting and detailing lend the Wraith a heavy, solid appearance — as if machined from a solid block of steel — that is backed up by both the quality of its construction.

It’s an imposing machine, both figuratively and physically.

Like

  • Super smooth V12 performance
  • Bespoke ultra-luxurious cabin
  • Unique amenities you’ll only find on a Rolls-Royce

Don’t Like

  • Cabin tech is a decade old.
  • Exterior design is a tad dull.

The Black Badge package adds $50,000 to the Wraith’s $330,000 starting price, bringing both performance upgrades and styling tweaks to the party. In addition to a torquier engine tune, there’s also a throatier exhaust (which you can still barely hear in the Roller’s coffin-quiet cabin), a set of 21-inch carbon-alloy composite wheels and a more dynamic Sport setting for the standard self-leveling

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The 2020 Perseid meteor shower is still going strong: How to watch the show

Some 2019 Perseids, as seen from Macedonia.


Spaceweather.com/Stojan Stojanovski

It’s mid-August, which means the annual Perseid meteor shower is active, and will be until Aug. 24. The Perseids are one of the best, brightest batches of shooting stars, and it feels like we could really use them now to add a bit of wonder and distraction into these pretty dismal times we’re living through.  

This famous shower comes around this time every year as the Earth drifts through a debris cloud left behind by the giant comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Bits of dust, pebbles and other cosmic detritus slam into our atmosphere, burning up into brief, bright streaks and even the occasional full-blown fireball streaking across the night sky. 

Technically, the 2020 Perseids peaked on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 11 and morning of Wednesday, Aug. 12, but that doesn’t mean the show is over. Far from it, actually. 

The popularity of the shower is a combination of the fact that it’s one of the strongest, with up to 100 visible meteors per hour on average, and it’s coinciding with warm summer nights in the northern

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Top 5 Tablets for Business Professionals

Different professionals often need different hardware. Find out if one of these five tablets might may fill your workday niche.

Tablets have long occupied an odd middle ground between smartphones and laptop computers. Larger screens mean the devices are better for consuming media and playing games, but a lack of a full-fledged operating system means tablets are likely to underdeliver for heavier computing tasks.

That’s not the case in 2020, with a multitude of tablets available that can fill a vital role for different types of professional users–in some cases, even replacing a work laptop entirely. If you’re in the market for a new tablet, these five options are each suited to one or more business niches, and could be your must-have device for getting work done on the go.

Apple iPad Pro

Image: Apple

Apple has been pushing hard to make the iPad Pro a new option for laptop owners, and there are a lot of features in the 2020 iPad Pro that make it a potential choice, especially for those who wish MacBooks would get a touchscreen. The iPad Pro can reportedly outperform many PC laptops, it has great peripherals like the Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard case, trackpad,

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2020 Audi Q7 review: The strong, silent type

The Q7 always keeps a stiff upper lip.


Craig Cole/Roadshow

The Audi Q7 SUV is as quietly confident as ever. For 2020 it gains some important under-hood upgrades, fresh technology and mildly enhanced styling, alterations that further refine this already-solid vehicle. 

Like

  • Swift and easy-to-use infotainment system
  • Comfortable, high-quality interior
  • Eerily hushed inside
  • Pillow-soft ride

Don’t Like

  • Dearth of center-console storage
  • Soft throttle tip-in

Nuts and bolts

The most significant change is found right behind that large, single-frame grille, which has also been upgraded with some bright vertical slats for a more distinctive look. The soulful supercharged V6 of previous model years has been replaced by a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine. A 2.0-liter turbo I4 is still the standard engine, but this optional V6 delivers 6 more horsepower than its predecessor, topping out at 335, but provides way more torque, 369 pound-feet in total. That’s an increase of 44 lb-ft compared to what the 2019 model could muster.

Augmented by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, this single-turbo V6 is a smooth operator, almost free of vibration and nearly silent. Even though it has to fight against 5,082 pounds of SUV, it can still whisk the Q7 to 60 mph in a fleet

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