David Lumb

    Contributing Editor

    David J. Lumb is an NYC-based tech journalist. He avidly searches for burritos that will meet his Southern California-grown standards.

  • An ‘Alan Wake’ TV series is in the works

    The 2010 mystery-thriller game Alan Wake was deliberately designed like a television series, splitting the plot into episodes capped with cliffhangers and other tropes. So it only makes sense that the idiosyncratic title may finally get adapted for TV, though the endeavor is still in its very early stages.

  • Apple iPhone Xs will come with dual SIM capability

    At Apple's fall event today, the iPhone Xs is certainly stealing the show, and not just for sharper screens and cameras. As rumors anticipated, the new devices will finally get eSIM technology, which had been available in iPads and Apple Watches but not the company's smartphones. That's not all: The Xs will also get the ability to juggle dual SIMs.

  • Apple is about to ship its 2 billionth iOS device

    Apple kicked off its fall event for iPhone and Apple Watch with a big statistic: The total number of iOS devices the company has shipped is about to reach 2 billion. The device giant had previously announced that it had topped a billion active devices, including Mac and Apple TVs, back in January 2016. Today's number simply includes all iPhones and iPads that have ever shipped, which is a different, but still impressive, stat. It still trails Android, which Google CEO Sundar Pichai claimed powered 2 billion active devices in July 2017.

  • OKCupid users can choose a pronoun to display in their profile

    Online dating service OkCupid now allows its non-binary and LGBT users to choose their pronoun. Once they've selected their gender(s) from their profile, they can either select from a trio of options (she/her, he/him and they/them) or type in their chosen pronoun. Once entered, it will show up in the 'details' section alongside gender and sexual orientation for others to publicly see.

  • Finally, an app for people who don’t know how to Google ‘salmon recipes’

    Imagine: You're trying to make do with whatever's left in your fridge or you've just found a choice (or cheap) cut of meat at the grocery store. You could just Google the ingredient(s) and see what recipes pop up, but that's low-tech thinking for simpler minds. Why not harness the power of machine learning, AI and other buzzwordy tech to do it for you? The new app PixFood promises to do just that: It recognizes a photo of a single ingredient and suggests recipes with step-by-step instructions for your culinary adventures!

  • Nerf adds 'Fortnite' blasters to its foam arsenal

    Blizzard made waves earlier this year when it announced Nerf guns were coming based on those found in its colorful hero shooter Overwatch, but that's not the only game getting licensed foam blasters. Today, Hasbro and Epic Games announced that Fortnite-themed Nerf guns are coming, too.

  • PSVR mystery adventure ‘Déraciné’ arrives November 6th

    These days, FromSoftware is known for its grim Dark Souls and Bloodborne action games, and the upcoming Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice isn't disabusing us of that notion. But before the latter hits stands next March, the game maker has partnered with Japan Studio with another treat for us: Déraciné, the PSVR adventure game about a boarding school mystery, is coming out on November 6th for $30.

  • Physical copies of 'Jurassic World' come with an AR baby raptor experience

    The franchise hype leading up to the theatrical release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom earlier in the summer included a slew of AR and VR games. Unsurprisingly, there's another on the way to celebrate the film's home release on September 18th through the Facebook and Messenger mobile apps: An in-store display featuring the film's Indoraptor antagonist, and an insert slipped into physical copies that boots up an interactive baby version of the beloved Velociraptor, Blue.

  • Uber app tweak shows how you'll swap between calling a car and a scooter

    Uber has stated its intentions to include scooters alongside in its retinue of transportation options, and last week, news emerged that they're planning on building their own models alongside bike and car rentals. How the company plans to integrate all those offerings has been unclear, and will likely be difficult. But today, Uber revealed how users of its app will toggle between all their offerings with a feature called Mode Switch.

  • British Airways website hack exposed customer financial data

    While we've gotten used to regular data breaches, it's been awhile since news of one hit the airline industry. But customers who booked flights on British Airways' website or app between 22:58 BST on August 21st and 21:45 BST on September 5th had their personal and financial data compromised due to a cybersecurity breach. The company's post announcing the event unwaveringly stated that anyone who made a booking in that time frame had their information stolen.

  • 'PUBG’ launch on Xbox brings Sanhok map, but no War Mode

    Bluehole celebrated the full launch of PUBG 1.0 out of its preview phase on Xbox One by adding the small map Sanhok, which debuted on PC back in June, and a special Event Pass. Unfortunately, players will have to wait for War Mode, which will only be available on certain weekends and for special events, starting in mid-September.

  • TSA plans wider expansion for 3D luggage-scanning machines

    The TSA had already planned to expand its pilot program using specially-designed CT scanners to screen airline passenger luggage from tests in Phoenix and Boston to major airports in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington-Dulles. By the end of 2019, they envisioned spreading 145 of these machines in security checkpoints across the country. But it seems the tests have gone so well that the agency is increasing its order to 200 scanners in the next year, the TSA chief told Congress today.

  • Uber gives drivers emergency button and conceals passenger locations

    Uber has added more safety features for passengers and drivers in the last few months, like alerts for trusted contacts and a button to quickly contact emergency services. Today, the company unveiled a roadmap for additional features -- some they're implementing now and others they expect to roll into the platform in the future, from checking in on rides with strange activity to adding voice commands for drivers.

  • Prison survival game 'Scum' no longer includes neo-Nazi tattoos

    Days after prisoner survival game Scum came out in Steam Early Access, players discovered their criminal characters could be given Nazi-related tattoos. Today, its publisher Devolver Digital scrubbed the customization options from the title and apologized.

  • This driveable Bugatti Chiron is made out of 1 million Lego blocks

    Lego's Bugatti Chiron Technic kit is a stylish recreation of the sports car at ⅛ scale. But what about making one at 1:1 scale? The wholesome toy company teamed up with the automaker to create a life-size model of the performance vehicle out of Technic blocks. And it works! The recreation drives itself, though its "engine" made of over 2,300 Lego set motors ekes out an estimated 5.3 horsepower. That doesn't quite reach the blistering speeds of its real-life version, the but the Lego Bugatti Chiron is a pretty neat execution of a dream to build a car completely out of bricks.

  • Twitter will also label issue ads under its new advertising policy

    Back in May, Twitter laid out its upcoming policies to improve transparency for election-related ads aimed at US citizens leading up to the midterms this fall. In addition to rules dictating how advertisers must present themselves on the platform, the social network is requiring them to certify their identity and prove that they live in America. While news organizations can petition Twitter to be exempt from these restrictions, everyone else who wants to advertise election-related material -- including, now, on hot-button issues -- must be certified by the social network by September 30th or their advertisements won't go up.

  • Netgear and Harman Kardon’s smart speaker doubles as a WiFi repeater

    An unlikely partnership between router maker Netgear and audio company Harman Kardon has resulted in a smart speaker that does just a little bit more than its competitors. The Orbi Voice isn't just another Alexa speaker, it's got serious sound pedigree and it acts as a WiFi repeater too, spreading internet while it's pumping tunes.

  • 'Spelunky 2' brings more thrilling adventure in 2019

    The Indiana Jones-styled roguelike Spelunky is a modern classic indie game that's been around for the better part of a decade in various releases across multiple platforms and console generations. We knew a sequel was coming, but had no idea when. Out of nowhere, developers Mossmouth and Blitworks have dropped a trailer and revealed the game is coming sometime next year.

  • ‘Mr. Robot’ will end with its fourth season

    It's official: The upcoming fourth season of hacker drama Mr. Robot, set to premiere in 2019, will be its last. Series creator Sam Esmail told The Hollywood Reporter that despite considering a fifth season (and moving the writing staff to New York), he decided to conclude the show with the next one. Accordingly, the fourth season has reportedly been expanded from eight to twelve episodes.

  • ‘The Walking Dead’ season one is out on the Switch

    Earlier today, Nintendo revealed a bunch of new indie games are coming to the Switch (including the excellent Into The Breach). But the news wasn't over: The first season of Telltale's graphic adventure/guilt simulator The Walking Dead is available today on the hybrid console in North America, Europe and Australia for $20. Season two and the side story A New Frontier will both arrive on the system later this year.