Tech Hangover: The upcoming Xbox Series X is an absolute unit

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We get it, you have a life. There’s no way you can read all of the day’s news in one single shot, let alone visit every web page, which is why we’re here to help. Well, sort of.

There’s a ton of tech news we weren’t able to cover throughout the day (hey, give us a break, we’re a small independent outfit), so to help you stay up to speed with everything we didn’t get to, we rounded up some of the biggest stories, which should help you keep up to date. Hence the tech hangover. 

Here’s some tech news you probably missed out on today (and when we say you, we mean us, but also…you).

Inside Xbox Series X: the full specs 

There’s a been a bunch of news and leaks circling around the upcoming Xbox Series X and now we have some concrete proof on what Microsoft has in store for us.

This is it. After months of teaser trailers, blog posts and even the occasional leak, we can finally reveal firm, hard facts on Xbox Series X. We visited Microsoft’s Redmond WA mothership in the first week of March, we saw the unit, handled it, played on it and even constructed it from its component parts. – EuroGamer

TikTok Told Moderators: Suppress Posts by the “Ugly” and Poor 

So essentially TikTok is censoring posts on the platform, something they’ve said they would never do.

The makers of TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing app with hundreds of millions of users around the world, instructed moderators to suppress posts created by users deemed too ugly, poor, or disabled for the platform, according to internal documents obtained by The Intercept. – The Intercept

Cyber-Attack Hits U.S. Health Agency Amid Covid-19 Outbreak 

Man, what a time to be alive.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department suffered a cyber-attack on its computer system, part of what people familiar with the incident called a campaign of disruption and disinformation that was aimed at undermining the response to the coronavirus pandemic and may have been the work of a foreign actor. – Bloomberg

Apple fined a record $1.2 billion by French antitrust authorities 

Yikes, that’s a big bill. Sure, it’s not going to put a dent on Apple’s bottom line, but still, that’s a big chunk of change.

French antitrust authorities ordered Apple on Monday to pay a 1.1 billion euro ($1.23 billion) fine for anti-competitive behavior. – CNBC

Beats announces $149 Powerbeats with 15 hours of battery life

The previous version of Powerbeats was already a solid option. Now with longer battery life and a cheaper price point – sign me up.

Apple’s Beats brand is launching the new Powerbeats 4 earbuds. They’re actually just called Powerbeats without a number tagged onto the end. Like past versions, these use a neckband design, though the cable now runs behind the ear. – The Verge

Universal Makes Movies Now Playing in Theaters Available for Digital Rental 

So yea, this whole Coronavirus thing is officially a big deal.

Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures said it is making its movies available to watch at home while they are still in theaters, a massive change from Hollywood’s long-established business model that could upend the industry if other studios follow suit. – WSJ

And in just case you missed some of our stuff earlier, here’s what you may have missed:

• Here’s everything we know about the Xbox Series X
• Uber Eats will waive delivery fees for local restaurants due to the coronavirus
• Alphabet has started rolling out its site for free coronavirus screening
• CDKeys is blowing one-year memberships to PlayStation Plus for just a whack
• These killer noise-canceling headphones from TaoTronics are down to just
• One of Anker’s best wireless chargers is down to just right now
• Score this VAVA 8-in-1 USB-C hub for just (normally )
• Many popular household items on Amazon are out of stock as delivery times increase
• Become a data analytics pro with this 12-course bundle for just
• Due to coronavirus, Apple Card holders can skip their March payment without penalty

Notable Mentions

To Track Coronavirus, Israel Moves to Tap Secret Trove of Cellphone Data 

Big Tech Swallows Most of the Hot AI Startups 

Grocery delivery apps see record downloads amid coronavirus outbreak

The NYC subway’s new tap-to-pay system has a hidden cost — rider data 

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Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.