Huawei gets temporary reprieve from US import ban

Huawei can take a bit of a breather with the US Department of Commerce granting the company a 90-day reprieve to an import ban against them. The company gets a Temporary General License that allows them to engage with U.S. vendors on a limited basis. This means, Google can continue to provide software updates to Huawei for its Android phones and Huawei’s component suppliers can deliver on their previously-made orders. It also helps out telcos needing to find alternative solutions to Huawei products.  

Last Thursday, the agency put Huawei on its Entity List as a response to alleged sanction breaches the company has done with business conducted in Iran. This meant vendors in the US couldn’t work with the company. Suppliers like Google, Intel, and Qualcomm have announced that they would comply with the order. But with the reprieve, Huawei will be able to work with its partners temporarily and it’ll give the company time to find alternative sources to its US-made components. The company is already reportedly working on shipping its alternative mobile OS soon. The Department of Commerce can opt to extend the license beyond August 19th. 

Source: Android Police 

Apple refreshes MacBook Pro, brings 8-core configuration to the laptop for the first time

Apple just pushed out a refresh for its MacBook Pro line with faster 8th- and 9th-generation Intel Core processors, marking the first time this line gets the 8-core configuration. These MacBook Pro models also get a revised keyboard design to address the issues users were facing. You can expect the 8-core configuration on the 15-inch version of the MacBook Pro. It promises to deliver two times the performance of the quad-core MacBook Pro and 40 percent more performance than the six-core MacBook Pro. The revised keyboard design, on the other hand, is coming to the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar. Apple won’t say if this new design will make its way to other Butterfly keyboard-carrying models, like the MacBook Air. 

The 13-inch Touch Bar model starts at $2,399 with a new 2.4GHz 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor that can be boosted up to 4.1GHz. Meanwhile, the 15-inch Touch Bar model with the 2.3GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor comes in at $3,699. You can check out the new models over at this link. 

Source: 9to5Mac 

You can get ‘The Sims 4’ for free on the PC until May 28th

If you haven’t sprung on getting The Sims 4 since it came out, then this special deal is for you. The base game is available for free via Origins for PC users. Head to the Origin client or their online storefront to claim the game. It’s going to be available for free until May 28th. And no, it isn’t a demo version, you get to keep the game after the promo is done. Of course, the expansion packs will still need to be purchased. 

Source: Polygon 

Disney’s ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ spin-off series might welcome two ‘Civil War’ characters

Looks like we will be seeing two MCU characters heading to the Falcon and the Winter Soldier spin-off on Disney’s upcoming streaming service. Announced last year, Disney+ will be getting releasing this six-part series with MCU actors Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprising their roles as Falcon and the Winter Soldier, respectively. And it looks like they might be joined by two characters from Captain America: Civil War. It’s being reported that Emily VanCamp and Daniel Bruhl will be reprising their roles as Peggy Carter’s niece Sharon and villain Zemo, respectively. Now, we’re going to keep our eyes peeled for any updates in the casting or the show itself. Directed by Kari Skogland and produced by Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige, the Falcon and the Winter Soldier is tipped to premiere in August 2020. 

Source: Digital Spy