Geek News

All week, the tech world has been piecing through rumors of a potentially catastrophic flaw in an entire generation of processors — but with all developers subject to a non-disclosure agreement, there were few hard facts to go on. Now, new details have emerged on how severe and far reaching the vulnerability truly is. ZDNet is reporting that two critical vulnerabilities — dubbed “Meltdown” and “Spectre” — affect nearly every device made in the past 20 years. The vulnerabilities allow an attacker to compromise the privileged memory of a processor by exploiting the way processes run in parallel. The result, one researcher told ZDNet , is that "an attacker might be able to steal any data on the system.” Intel chips have been at the focus of... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2lS2FwD"

It may have been a rough 2017 for Tesla , but the Palo Alto-based automaker can boast about hitting one projection it made last year: more than 100,000 of its vehicles were delivered in the year. Tesla announced Wednesday it delivered 101,312 Model S and Model X cars in 2017, a 33 percent rise over its 2016 figures. For the fourth quarter, Tesla reported 29,870 cars delivered. The Model S led with 15,200 finding customers, followed by the Model X at 13,120. The Model 3, which only recently started reaching a significant number of customers , tallied 1,550 deliveries in the quarter. Despite that, Tesla reported a 9 percent bump in deliveries over the third quarter and 27 percent jump over the fourth quarter in 2016. Tesla also said in its... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2lR5QEN"

Tesla built as many Model 3s in the last month as it did in the first four months of production. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2CNEw2A"

Commentary: Shipping early is still not okay. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2ClWU1c"

We've challenged the top case makers to a drop-off to see which one can protect an iPhone X from the highest drop. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2CN4Auz"

The Chinese and Canadian companies join forces to advance self-driving technology. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2CP0wKr"

If you've ever wanted a more precise analysis of your hair, if you want to add a little tech to your hair care routine, or if you just don't trust your hairstylist, Schwarzkopf has you covered. Henkel Beauty Care and its Schwarzkopf Professional brand are launching a hair analyzer that can supposedly give you a much more detailed assessment on the health of your hair. Using near-infrared and visible light sensors, the device can measure moisture level, inner hair quality and true hair color and can help your hair care professional come up with a personalized color and care plan. We've seen tech make its way into the hair care realm more and more in recent years. Withings and L'Oreal came up with a smart hairbrush that can tell you when you're brushing too hard and Dyson's Supersonic hair dryer has a microprocessor that keeps tabs on the temperature of the air it's pumping out. L'Oreal has also turned to VR in order to train new hairstylists. Schw...

FCC chairman Ajit Pai has canceled plans to appear at CES next week, missing the show for the first time in five years and what would have been his first appearance as head of the commission. Pai was scheduled to appear next Tuesday, alongside the FTC’s acting chairwoman, Maureen Ohlhausen, as part of a “candid conversation” moderated by Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro. Shapiro supported Pai’s move to reverse the 2015 net neutrality rules, so it’s not like Pai would have been in for a tough interview here. The FCC declined to comment on Pai’s cancelation. The CTA announced the cancelation in a brief email, writing, “Unfortunately, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is unable to attend CES 2018. We... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2EQvGBy"

Apple set a $1 billion budget to secure new original shows back in August and have quietly secured several star-laden productions since. The tech giant just acquired another series, and it's timely. Octavia Spencer ( Hidden Figures , The Help ) will star in Are You Sleeping? , a show based on Kathleen Barber's novel of the same name about a woman whose father's grisly murder is explored in a true crime podcast. Are You Sleeping? will pry into our societal obsession with true crime media like podcast Serial and show American Crime Story . Naturally, the former's creator and producer Sarah Koenig will consult on the series, according to Variety . Are You Sleeping? is created and written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman ( The Good Wife , Justified ) and produced by Reese Witherspoon's company Hello Sunshine. That makes the second Witherspoon-involved production snagged by Apple after it bought a TV drama written and created by her and Jennifer Aniston back in No...

That major security flaw attributed to Intel chips might not be so Intel-specific after all. After hours of silence, Intel has posted a response denying some of the claims about the exploit, which is believed to revolve around identifying content in an operating system kernel's protected memory space. The chip giant shot down reports that the issue was unique to its CPUs, noting that it's working with AMD and ARM (not to mention multiple OS makers) to create a solution -- sorry, you're not safe because you have a Ryzen rig. It also reminded people that the performance hit of the fix would be "workload-dependent," and shouldn't be noticeable for the "average computer user." The company also asserts that this isn't a flaw, but rather "software analysis methods" that could potentially grab sensitive info from computing devices. It doesn't appear to have the ability to corrupt, delete or modify data, Intel added, although that woul...

Samsung has never been quiet about promoting its partnerships with the Olympics (which extends to the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea), but now it's trying out new gadgets in the sports world. The company's Netherlands branch is sponsoring two Dutch short track racers and equipping them with SmartSuits -- a new sensor-packed outfit intended to augment their training. Each SmartSuit has five sensors that feed live body position metrics down to the millimeter back to the national coach's Galaxy S8 smartphone. There, a custom app ingests the data and calculates each racer's body position as they make turns on the ice. The coach can use the app to send a vibrating buzz to the suit's wrist -- say, as a prearranged signal to adjust position. These are training-only suits, so you won't see the Dutch skaters don them in PyeongChang when the Winter Games start on February 9th, 2018. They're tailor-made for each athlete, so don't expect them to show up in ...

There will be countless amazing TV technology innovations debuting at Consumer Electronics Show this year. These won’t be among them. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2ClbTIS"

An overwhelming majority of EV buyers are choosing to lease their cars rather than buy them. But why? via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2CCgXfv"

Feast your eyes on what is soon to be the most powerful operational rocket in the world. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2Cx50HM"

We've found the running theme for TVs at this year's CES: built-in voice assistants . Hisense has revealed that some of its 2018 4K TVs will include Amazon Alexa, letting you control both the set itself and your smart home. You can change inputs, stream online radio or turn on your lights without budging from the couch. Hisense isn't saying much about the TVs themselves, but it does note that a 100-inch laser TV will be one of those receiving the Alexa treatment. You should hear more about Hisense's lineup by the time CES kicks off. However, it already notes that it's making "significant investments" in voice control, including a remote control, a mobile app and already-announced Alexa gear including an air conditioner and dehumidifier. Like most of its immediate rivals, it's making a big bet that AI helpers will be important across much of its product line -- TVs are just the star attractions. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2...

Intel is responding to claims that the company’s processors have a security bug, and software fixes could slow down PCs . Reports this week have suggested that a security flaw in Intel processors, and allegedly not AMD ones, has led to a redesign of Linux and Windows kernels to protect against a hardware flaw. “Recent reports that these exploits are caused by a 'bug' or a 'flaw' and are unique to Intel products are incorrect,” says a statement from Intel. “Based on the analysis to date, many types of computing devices — with many different vendors’ processors and operating systems — are susceptible to these exploits.” Intel says it’s working with AMD and ARM in a strongly worded statement , despite AMD engineer Tom Lendacky previously... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2CBjfvZ"

Did you know that your browser can be tricked into mining cryptocurrency like BitCoin without your knowledge? Apparently, there are scripts floating around out there on various servers and website plugins that can hijack your web browser and use its CPU for mining purposes, even after the browser window is closed . Yikes. Opera version 50 releases tomorrow at 10 AM CET, and it includes with cryptocurrency mining protection built right into its ad blocker software. As TechCrunch notes, this isn't the most efficient way for folks to mine cryptocurrency, but it could be useful at scale. There are already extensions for Chrome and Firefox that block the scripts, but this is the first time a major browser enables it by default with an ad blocker. Opera added the feature in its beta release candidate for the current browser a few weeks back. Via: TechCrunch via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2lQmjd8"

About 10 percent of Apple's iPhone users would rather switch batteries than pony up for a new phone, a financial analyst says. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2ESiaxh"

Aptiv, formerly known as Delphi, has teamed up with Lyft to offer self-driving shuttles to a variety of destinations around Las Vegas. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2CNuNJw"

Environment And just how bad is it? Yes, a bomb cyclone sounds pretty bad. But you probably don't need to be as freaked out about winter storm Grayson as that term would have you believe. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2CAprEn"

I suppose it's better that the first internet-inspired meme to hit theaters will be the Slender Man instead of Grumpy Cat (whose movie was straight to video, chumps!), but creepy copypasta from the internet's teenage days sounds like a terribly thin base for, y'know, a feature-length production. But some industry exec's kid probably got spooked from a Slender Man thing once and idea-strapped Hollywood decided to spend money adapting web-bred spoopiness into a horror flick. Behold, the trailer for Slender Man . It looks...well, like a lot of the low-budget horror the film industry craps out in hopes of scoring the next Paranormal Activity . Slow tracking shots of woods with haunting music, lost girl, spooky shadows, desaturated hospital shots, quickly-edited monochrome clips of disturbing things like maggots and artificial insemination (?). And then, at the end, a shadow of the titular tall boy himself. Why not mine the dregs of late-2000s SomethingAwful forums for...

Amazon's next move in the fashion world could be a mirror that shows how outfits will look on you without you having to actually put them on. GeekWir e reports that the company has been granted a patent describing just that sort of technology. Using mirrors, screens, displays, projectors and cameras, the system is able to combine a person's likeness with virtual images and present a blended-reality reflection that shows them in a variety of virtual background settings and wearing virtual outfits. Though Amazon has been met with some resistance by the established fashion world, the company has charged forward, delivering quite a few fashion-focused products in recent years. On the retail side, Amazon has launched its own fashion label and its own Stitch Fix-like at-home clothing trial service . On the technology side, Amazon has developed an app that can tell you which of your outfits is more stylish and algorithms that can spot trends and design stylish clothing based o...

Savvy eBay sellers are recouping some of their iMac Pro costs by selling off the rare and coveted space-gray keyboards and mice. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2lQ9AaG"

A UK police force is exploring ways to let residents report crimes on their Amazon Echo speakers. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2lQ9zn8"

Technology Air travel has become incredibly safe. Aviation experts say that the recent streak is simply a part of trend going back years. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2E23Von"

Apple's delayed HomePod is coming to challenge smart speakers from Amazon and Google. The device will use Siri as its intelligent assistant front end, and is supposed to sound pretty good to boot. Now, according to a report at 9to5Mac and confirmed on our own iPhones, Siri includes a new ability to play you a podcast when asked what the news is. The feature appears in the latest iOS beta, 11.2.5, which is available for developers now. When you ask, "Hey Siri, give me the news," you'll get a daily news podcast from The Washington Post . You can also ask Siri to use Fox News , NPR or CNN . If you activate Siri with the Home button, you'll only get a list of top headlines from Apple News (if installed) or, as noted by 9to5Mac , a list of headlines from Safari. This is how Siri operates if you don't have the new beta, too. While Apple's upcoming HomePod has physical controls, voice control will be the main way to interact with one, making this an ob...

Despite the insane stakes, this year's Blade Runner 2049 lived up to (and in some ways surpassed ) the paradigm-shifting original film. The sequel created its gritty futuristic look with the help of plenty of visual effects, but building settings isn't all the film pulled off with digital wizardry. A shocking moment comes with the kinda-return of ( *spoilers* ) Sean Young's replicant Rachel, who looks like she hasn't aged a day. The company behind that VFX trick just released a trailer giving a peek at exactly how they did it. The Moving Picture Company recreated Rachel through a combination of procedures, including bringing back Sean Young and scanning her in, combining that with archival footage from the original film to create a digital double, then animating it on top of a motion-captured stand-in actress. As Gizmodo pointed out, it's not a new series of techniques, but the company made a more convincing (and less creepy) young Rachel than earlier efforts...

It doesn't hurt that the government incentivizes such purchases. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2AiEr3G"

NASA's past, present and future are all on symbolic display in a heroic logo designed to celebrate its 60th birthday in 2018. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2CC1blx"

Getting WiFi to every corner of your home is made much easier these days with a mesh network , which uses a specialized router and individual nodes that can configure themselves. Companies like Netgear , Samsung and ASUS all have kits of varying price that can help you make one in your own home, but you generally have to purchase a whole new set of devices to make it work. Now, ASUS is offering AiMesh , a system that uses your current ASUS routers to create a mesh network without pricey extra hardware. Since you're using routers that you already own to create a mesh network, you can decide which one is the primary and which will act as nodes. You simply find the router with the best capabilities, drop it in a central location, then use the built-in software to configure the network. AiMesh is available as a free firmware update, which adds support for the protocol to your router. Currently, the ASUS RT-AC68U, RT-AC86U, RT-AC88U and the RT-AC3100 routers can handle the update...