Engadget - Turning pro in the NBA with an NFT

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It's Tuesday, April 20, 2021.

Don’t forget — Apple’s Spring Loaded event is today, and we’ll cover everything that’s announced starting at 1 PM ET. And if you miss the event? Don’t worry, our live recap starts at 2 PM ET right here.

It’s 2021, so of course college athletes can’t just turn pro — they have to mint an NFT. That’s what Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs did, announcing he’ll enter the NBA draft and launching an auction for a crypto token commemorating his iconic game-winning shot from the men’s basketball tournament last month.

The NFT manages to navigate the odd landscape of college athletics, where Suggs couldn’t directly profit from his own highlight, but instead points to an artwork inspired by the pose he struck after the shot. The animated artwork will also reward its new owner with a signed pair of the shoes Suggs wore that day, so even if NFTs crash and burn, there will be a physical collectible to remember the moment. At last check, the high bid was over $1,200 with two days left in the auction.

— Richard Lawler

Fitbit's $150 Luxe is another attempt to make a stylish fitness tracker

It looks nicer than the Charge 4 but doesn't have GPS onboard.

Fitbit is back again, with another bid to make a classier, more luxurious fitness tracker, elevated from the plastic rubberized bands of yesteryear. With the $150 Luxe, the clue is in the name. There are metallic finishes, subtler color palettes and, alas, no GPS. It's compatible with both iOS and Android devices and will also work with Google's Fast Pair to make syncing with your phone much less of a pain. This, however, appears to be the only new feature from Google since it completed its acquisition of Fitbit in January. Continue reading.

Musk: Data recovered 'so far' shows Autopilot not enabled in Tesla crash

Investigators said they're 'certain' no one was behind the wheel of the Model S.

This weekend, two men aged 59 and 69 died when the Tesla Model S they were in left the road, hit a tree and caught fire. As KHOU 11 reported, investigators say their bodies were found in the front passenger seat and back seat, and Constable Mark Herman told reporters that investigators are "100 percent certain that no one was in the driver seat driving that vehicle at the time of impact."

This raises the question of whether this is an example of someone (mis)using Tesla's Autopilot or beta Full Self Driving Mode, a level two driver assistant that isn't supposed to drive the car on its own without someone at the wheel.

While Tesla has not commented publicly on the crash, Elon Musk sent one tweet on Monday directly addressing it, telling a supporter "Your research as a private individual is better than professionals...Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled & this car did not purchase FSD." Despite Musk's tweet, there have been examples of Tesla owners with Autopilot enabled while either incapacitated, inattentive or out of the driver's seat. The investigation continues. Continue reading.

NASA's Ingenuity becomes the first aircraft to fly on another planet

The helicopter’s historic first flight went off without a hitch.

NASA has confirmed that the Ingenuity Mars helicopter completed its initial test flight, making it the first aircraft to fly on another planet. The machine climbed to an altitude of 10 feet at 3:34 AM ET, hovering in place for 30 seconds before touching back down on the surface of Mars.

Mars' gravity is about a third of Earth's, and because the planet has a very thin atmosphere with just 1 percent of our planet's surface-level pressure, the basic rules of flight are different. NASA hopes to arrange a second flight as soon as April 22nd. Continue reading.

EA announces 'Apex Legends Mobile,' with regional betas starting this month

And a new season is incoming.

On Monday, Respawn offered the first look at what it calls one of the biggest updates yet for Apex Legends. A new trailer gives a peek at what appears to be the next character to join the roster, Valkyrie, who will be arriving alongside the new Legacy season.

They also announced Apex Legends Mobile, a battle royale game designed specifically for touchscreens. There will be streamlined controls and, according to Apex Game Director Chad Grenier, "thoughtful optimizations that result in the most advanced battle royale combat available on a phone." The first regional beta tests take place later this month on Android in India and the Philippines with a few thousand players. Continue reading.

What's on TV this week: 'Mortal Kombat'

Plus the season finales of ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and ‘For All Mankind.’

This week, HBO Max pulls another feature film from the Warner catalog on the same day it hits theaters, but this isn’t just any old movie — it’s Mortal Kombat. Even if this game adaptation doesn’t have the impact of the first movie in 1995, it should be interesting at least. Other key releases this week include MLB The Show 21 (now available on Xbox and to Xbox Game Pass subscribers) or a trio of high-profile Netflix launches: Stowaway, Shadow and Bone and Life in Color with David Attenborough. Continue reading.