Tech Digest daily roundup: Dyson introduces weird face mask/headphones combo
Wearing a face mask in public has gone from a peculiar sight to an everyday occurrence in the past two years, but people may still not be ready for Dyson’s latest invention. The company, better known for bagless vacuum cleaners and hand dryers, has unveiled a headset designed to purify the air and protect the user from pollution. The device, called the Zone, doubles as a pair of headphones and filters micro particles out of the air through a visor that covers much of the face including the mouth and nose. The company says the device removes 99pc of particles before creating a pocket of clean air to breathe. Telegraph
Dyson has announced its most unusual product yet; a wearable air purifier with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones built in. An initial reveal of the Zone headphones – the first headphones Dyson has released – doesn’t come with many specifics about cost or battery life, nor how much the headset weighs. But the company says that after more than six years in development the device has moved from being something with a snorkel-like mouthpiece and a backpack to the gadget unveiled today – with a release aimed before the end of this year. Sky News
Facebook pushes climate sceptics towards increasingly extreme disinformation and conspiracy groups, a human-rights body’s research suggests. A report released Wednesday by Global Witness found Facebook’s algorithm amplified doubts rather than nudging people towards reliable information. Facebook says its systems are “designed to reduce misinformation”. Researchers created two users – climate sceptic “Jane” and “John” who followed established scientific bodies. They then tracked what Facebook’s algorithm suggested to both accounts. Jane soon saw content denying man-made climate change, including pages calling it a “hoax” and attacking measures to mitigate its effects. BBC
Anyone that’s owned a PlayStation will be familiar with PS Plus and PS Now. Both are subscriptions offering downloadable game titles you can play on your console, but neither are perfect. A recent report suggested that Sony was working on a revamped version of PS Plus. And today, Sony has confirmed that the update is coming in June, offering more value and over 700 new games. The rebooted subscription sort of combines the existing PS Plus and PS Now services. The end result looks something similar to Xbox Game Pass. Sony has kept the PS Plus branding for this updated service, but PS Now will be discontinued when it launches. Stuff
Mental health problems such as stress, sleep problems, burnout, social phobia and anxiety are highly prevalent in top video-gamers at a level comparable to other professional sports, according to a new study. Researchers at the universities of Winchester and Chichester say that improving the mental health of those taking part in esports should be made a priority as it is with other sports such as football. The study looked at 313 competitive university student esports athletes who play either Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant or Rainbow Six Siege. All three games are multi-player, competitive, first-person shooter games, with the aim of out-performing the opposition team. Yahoo!
Tong Zou tries to avoid thinking about the amount of money he has lost. The 33-year-old had his life savings wiped out when a cryptocurrency exchange went disastrously wrong for him. “It just makes me more depressed about it,” he tells Sky News. “I could have invested it in real estate. I could have put it in stocks. “So far, nothing’s been found. It sucks.” Mr Zou had trusted his money with Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Quadriga CX, whose co-founder then died apparently with the password to his clients’ funds. Sky News
