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Smart cities of tomorrow will run on information, with various pieces of connected urban infrastructure all sharing data amongst themselves. But what sharing information amongst the citizenry? That's where the Soofa Sign, a community bulletin board for the 21st century, comes in. The Sign is designed to serve as a standalone information-sharing platform and boasts a 42-inch solar-powered e-ink display. Community members can post messages and announcements at each Sign using the kiosk's open CMS, which also tap into the municipal transit system to display pertinent information like upcoming bus arrivals as well as social media feeds. A series of Soofa Signs were recently installed throughout Las Vegas' downtown "Innovation District" as part of a six-month pilot program with the city. They've been placed at the stops for the Downtown Loop free shuttle and relay wait times for passengers. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadge...

The law is pretty firm when it comes to drunk driving -- the consequences are obvious. Now, officials are turning their attention to drunk droning . New Jersey has just approved a bill that, if signed by Governor Chris Christie, would make it illegal to fly one under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Operating a drone with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8 percent of more (the same legal limit for driving a vehicle) would be considered a disorderly offence under the new rules, and would carry a $1,000 fine and up to six months in prison. There's been no shortage of drone crash stories in the news in recent times -- one of the most famous being the 3AM crash land on White House grounds in 2015, thanks to a drunken mishap . Even the army can't get it right. So it's no surprise companies are offering crash insurance for the devices. The bill, which was approved 65-0, also aims to outlaw other shady drone practices, such as knowingly endangering someone's life or...

HTC planted its flag in the premium virtual reality market this week at CES with its announcement of the Vive Pro , a higher-resolution version of the original Vive headset with built-in headphones and a wireless adapter for cordless play. The Vive Pro is a natural next step for HTC and its partner Valve, and the new features make perfect sense this many years into the product’s lifespan. None of those individual features will revolutionize the VR market. But together, they could notably impact HTC’s primary competitor, the Facebook-owned Oculus. HTC and Valve have competed with Oculus and its Rift headset pretty much since the dawn of modern VR. For the last few years, both platforms have aggressively vied for market share in the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DgeXqU"

LG launched its mobile payment system in South Korea last June and Yonhap News reports LG Pay is finally on its way to the US. The US expansion is reportedly planned for sometime during the first half of this year and might be launched under a new name -- LG Wallet. Android Police actually spotted an LG Wallet app in the Play Store a few days ago, but it has since been removed. LG has some catching up to do if it wants to be a competitor with Apple and Samsung. Samsung released its mobile payment system in 2015 and it's now available in 21 countries while Apple Pay is supported in 25 countries and regions . Android Pay , meanwhile, is available in 17 countries . At launch, LG's payment system will be available on G7 and V40 premium phones in the US and next year, LG will expand the system to its mid-range phones. Via: Yonhap News via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2EuNql9"

Last year was when talking to a smart speaker started to become the norm , but surprisingly, LG has struggled to replicate the same success with its CLOi series commercial robots. Ahead of LG's CES show, I talked to its Head of Research for Life Robots, Jaewon Chang, who updated on the company's robot trial service in South Korea's Incheon International Airport. Since deployment in July, each of the five Guide Robots has interacted with around 2,500 people. However, only a quarter of travelers used voice interaction, with the majority preferring the touchscreen mounted vertically on the robot's chest. Likewise, just as few people let the robots guide them to their destination. Chang needs to find a way to boost those figures -- and make us learn to trust these big friendly robots. "There are still psychological barriers in using voice recognition and also following robots around for directions," Chang said. "They feel this awkwardness and some degre...

Lyft isn’t just a ride-hail company nipping at the heels of its rival Uber. It also fancies itself a think tank with big ideas about the future of transportation. The company’s co-founders, John Zimmer and Logan Green, have released policy papers predicting the end of personal car ownership in major cities by 2025, and calling for more people to carpool by charging a fee to those who don’t. This evening, Zimmer is holding a “fireside chat” at CES where he plans to stake out his next big position: households in the US should sell their second cars. The idea of “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage” has been synonymous with American prosperity since Herbert Hoover used it as a campaign slogan in 1928. Since then, it’s an idea... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2mi4vqG"

Health gadgets aren’t just for the young. The elderly population is a growing business opportunity, and the category of “aging tech” now includes everything from smart hearing aids to connected toolkits for relatives with dementia. It’s an important area with plenty of problems to solve, but some of the biggest problems with caretaking are social , and the highest-tech gadget won’t do a thing if your grandmother refuses to use it. Everyone grows old, but Americans are growing older more quickly. The number of Americans over 65 will double by 2060, according to a 2016 report by the Population Research Bureau , and the elderly are living longer, too. According to the Society of Actuaries, if a woman lives past 65, she will, on average, live... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DgFDba"

Facebook is vetting local publishers that appear in this section Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DgrKd2"

Apple is outsourcing its Chinese iCloud operations to a local firm in southern China starting on February 28th, as spotted by 9to5Mac . The move has been known since last year when Apple announced its partnership with the firm, but the exact date was confirmed today. The firm is called Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD). It’s based in Guizhou Province and supervised by a board ran by government-owned businesses . In emails to mainland Chinese customers, Apple says that the move enables “us to continue improving the speed and reliability of iCloud and to comply with Chinese regulations.” But there’s also the chance that closer ties with the Chinese government might mean more regulation, which Apple has a record of abiding closely to in the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2EtCMuH"

When the story trailer for Where the Water Tastes Like Wine dropped in August, it featured the voice of one of the most prolific and famous singers of the past forty years -- and no one noticed. Sting, the lead singer and bassist of the Police and a successful solo artist in his own right, voices the wolf in Where the Water Tastes Like Wine , which basically makes him the narrator of the entire game. Developers Dim Bulb Games and Serenity Forge revealed the voice cast today and it includes a lineup of gaming's heavy hitters, including Dave Fennoy (Lee in Telltale's The Walking Dead ), Cissy Jones (Delilah in Firewatch ) and Kimberly Brooks (Ashley Williams in Mass Effect 3 ). And then there's Sting. Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a surreal, poetic journey through American legend and fantasy, featuring hand-drawn art and original folk music. It spans a century of US history, introducing players to a vast cast of drifters, fortune tellers and magical creatures --...

Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine has squashed rumors that he's leaving his post as Apple Music chief -- and leaving Cupertino altogether -- in August. At a Q&A event held to promote The Defiant Ones, the HBO documentary delving into his partnership with Dr. Dre, he announced that there's still more he'd like to achieve in the streaming biz. "I am committed to doing whatever Eddy [Cue], Tim [Cook] and Apple need me to do, to help wherever and however I can, to take this all the way," he said, contradicting Bloomberg's report that he hasn't been getting along with services chief Eddy Cue. According to Iovine, most of his stocks vested long ago and he's not delaying his departure only because he's waiting for the rest of his stocks (a tiny portion, he said) to vest in August. He admitted that his contract is up that month, but he insisted that his time with Apple wouldn't end when that contract expires. As for how long he'll stay with ...

Soul Electronics has debuted two new in-ear headphones at CES with gait analysis that are built specifically for runners. The Run Free Pro Bio and Blade both come with built-in sensors and an accompanying app that will tell you on the fly if your running form is off and how to correct it, says the company. While you are running, the headphones’ sensors track a host of different parameters integral to good form and preventing injury: cadence (steps per minute), step length, step width, vertical oscillation (how straight you are), head tilt angle, stance / flight time, shock, maximum leg force, balance, and consistency. If any of these fall outside an optimal range, the app’s digital trainer will tell you in the headphones what to adjust... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2DgZyH3"

Ingestible technology -- the stalwart theme of medical sci-fi -- has been in the works for decades, but now researchers are closer than ever before to taking it mainstream thanks to successful trials of gas-sensing capsules. The swallowable sensors, designed by RMIT University in Australia, could revolutionize the way gut disorders and diseases are diagnosed and treated, offering a potential game-changer for the one-in-five people worldwide who will suffer from gastrointestinal problems in their lifetimes. The capsule is the size of a vitamin pill and works by detecting and measuring gut gas in real time, then sending data to a mobile phone. Trials have uncovered bodily mechanisms never seen before, including what could be an entirely new immune system . "We found that the stomach releases oxidising chemicals to break down and beat foreign compounds that are staying in the stomach for longer than usual," said study lead and capsule co-inventor Professor Kourosh Kalantar-z...

Animals It's like, how much more black could this be? We wanted to know more about these birds’ super-black plumage and how it works. What mechanism do these feathers employ to be so effective at absorbing light? via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2D0EmHo"

Niantic is ending Pokémon Go support for Apple devices incapable of upgrading to iOS 11. Older iPhone models, like the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C, will be affected by the incoming update, coming February 28th. If you have a phone without iOS 11, you won’t be able to access your account, use your pokécoins, or use items in your bags. According to the developer, the reason for dropping support is simple: “This change is a result of improvements to Pokémon Go that push the application beyond the capabilities of the operating systems on such devices.” Niantic has been steadily making improvements, like additional catchable creatures and weather systems , to the game since its initial release in July 2016. Its most notable update as of late added... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2ErWxCQ"

Fully autonomous cars won't be allowed on the streets until they're safe , but how will we know when that happens? The American Automobile Association (AAA) is trying to figure that out by testing self-driving cars powered by Torc Robotics "Asimov" system. The aim is to gather information and develop safety criteria that could be used by any company developing self-driving tech. "By creating a blueprint for automakers to follow, we hope to build public trust in technology," said AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah CEO Tim Condon. A recent AAA survey found that 75 percent of Americans are skeptical of self-driving cars, and as a driver-focused, independent organization, the AAA feels its well-placed to help build up that trust. Torc Robotics, meanwhile, is one of the early pioneers of self-driving, having placed third in DARPA's 2007 Urban Challenge -- back when self-driving cars were a bit more bulky . The Asimov system has been cross-country...

The FBI's stance on phone encryption hasn't changed even if the President fired former director James Comey. At a cybersecurity conference in New York, current chief Christopher Wray has reiterated that the agency failed to access the content inside 7,775 devices within the fiscal year that ended on September 30th, 2017 despite having the proper warrants. That's over half the number of devices the FBI tried to crack open within that period, making encryption, according to Wray, a "major public safety issue." Wray urged the private sector to work with the government in finding "a way forward quickly," insisting that the FBI isn't interested in peeking into ordinary citizens' devices. The bureau just wants access to the ones owned by suspects. That pretty much echoes Comey's position during his time -- if you'll recall the FBI asked tech titans to create a backdoor into their software and phones in order to give authorities a way to o...

The rain has finally stopped in Las Vegas, so we’re back out here for another day of gadgets, tech, smartphones, robots, and best of all, cars. Our reporters are meeting up with a ton of car companies for their rides of the year, so stick around for a first look at the future of transportation here at CES 2018. Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2Euistp"

Telegram offers several ways to access its encrypted message service on laptops and PCs: There's the pared-down web version, a Mac offering, and the all-encompassing desktop app . Now, thanks to a major update , the desktop version is ready to supersede its counterparts. The revamp brings with it a consistent material design, new animations, and custom themes (following on the heels of their introduction on iOS ). The latter let you sprinkle some color on your messaging bubbles -- much like Messenger's web version -- and include a third-party night mode for your after-dark convos. As frequent users will be aware, Telegram offers server-client encrypted messaging and end-to-end encrypted private chats. The desktop app's existing features include syncing messages from the mobile app, and the ability to switch between typing chats on your phone and desktop. Plus, you can send the usual barrage of attachments, including pics, documents, and videos. How Telegram finds the ...

Huawei doesn’t just make smartphones and laptops ; it’s also getting into mesh Wi-Fi. Yesterday at CES, the China-based company announced a hybrid whole-home Wi-Fi system. Like other mesh Wi-Fi systems, Huawei’s Wi-Fi Q2 system aims to send a stable signal through a large home or an estate. There are two options: a base and two satellites, which would rely on G.hn PLC technology to deliver gigabit data over electrical, telephone, and coaxial wiring, or a hybrid three-pack, which relies on both wired and wireless connections. Huawei claims that installation can be completed within five steps, and that the Wi-Fi Q2 system can provide connections speeds of up to 1867 Mbps, which is a pretty wild number considering that the average global... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2Fm3O8y"

The CES show floor officially opened yesterday, and suffice to say Team Engadget was kept very busy. As the day began, we divided our time between all the big booths (think: Sony, Samsung, Intel, LG, etc.). But, we also had to leave the Las Vegas Convention Center and make our way over to the Sands, which is home to CES's increasingly important startup section. That's where we tend to find unexpected gems each CES. The above recap includes just a sliver of what we saw yesterday -- you can find all our coverage here , and be sure to stay tuned in. After all, we still have two full days left on the show floor. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2CLd7gJ"

Jimmy Iovine says he isn’t going anywhere. During an interview at the Grammy Museum, the Apple Music executive said he has no plans to leave after the last of his shares from the sale of Beats Electronics to Apple will vest in August, as has been reported by multiple outlets. “The bottom line is I’m loyal to the guys at Apple. I love Apple, and I really love musicians. That’s why those articles annoyed me, because it had nothing to do with reality. It made it out to be all about money,” Iovine said, according to Variety . Iovine, 65, said he wants to help streaming scale properly before he slows down. Apple Music has 30 million subscribers, while Spotify has 70 million paying subscribers, leaving plenty of room for both services to... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2CXUZDz"