Geek News

If you blew through all of the latest season of Black Mirror when it came out just before the new year and need your science fiction anthology fix, your ship has come in. Amazon's new series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams is live now with ten episodes to feed your hunger for wild, imaginative stories that question reality and/or humanity. Of course, the BBC-produced series aired in the UK back in October, so it's about time it made the jump to the US. (It's also now live for viewers in Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Latin America, Spain and Turkey on Amazon, and will air on the Space channel in Canada and Stan channel in Australia). Electric Dreams has an incredible cast (Anna Paquin, Janelle Monáe, Bryan Cranston, Greg Kinnear, Vera Farmiga, Terrence Howard, Benedict Wong, Steve Buscemi and many others) and is executive produced by a similarly-impressive lineup including Ronald D. Moore ( Battlestar Galactica ) and Maril Davis ( Outlander ) along with Cranston ...

After a few years away (at least in the US) Ford's midsize truck, the Ranger, will return for the 2019 model year. Just unveiled ahead of the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, it's one of two new models that Ford is releasing that includes automatic emergency braking. Other driver assists like lane keeping and adaptive cruise control are also available, but the one we haven't seen before is a sort of "cruise control for off-road" called Trail Control. Between 1-20 MPH on rugged terrain, it takes over acceleration and braking individually on each wheel while the driver just steers. This edition of the "T6" Ranger has been on sale elsewhere in the world since 2011 , and arrives with the company's latest technology inside, like Sync 3 with links to Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa, plus the FordPass Connect WiFi hotspot. Source: Ford via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2AYIR09"

Many hybrid watches only resemble classic timepieces on a superficial level. If you want a watch with a true mechanical movement, you have to forego modern conveniences. Ressence wants to fix that with its newly unveiled Type 2 e-Crown Concept . The watch, designed with the help of Nest co-founder Tony Fadell , only requires conventional setup when you initially set the time. From then on, a paired iPhone app can automatically set the watch to one of two time zones using its namesake e-Crown. If the power reserve runs out or Daylight Savings Time kicks in, you don't have to use the old-fashioned setting mechanism unless you want to -- you just have to tap on the watch face. The design uses both kinetic and solar power to keep running, and it'll even automatically open shutters to reveal the solar cells when the battery runs below 50 percent. You can't buy this exact watch. As the "concept" name indicates, it's a technology demonstrator. Ressence does plan...

X-rays aren't just for investigating artworks or photographing black holes. NASA scientists just used them to demonstrate a new technique: Navigating the stars. In an experiment, equipment mounted on the International Space Station measured radiation beamed out from distant neutron stars in millisecond pulses -- and by timing their arrival, future spacecraft could find their location from deep space. Source: NASA via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2EEpPyh"

We hope you weren't depending on Project Fi to stay in touch while abroad this weekend. Subscribers to Google's wireless carrier have reported that international data hasn't been working in many places around the world, including Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India and Japan. Some users have reported temporary success by switching into and out of airplane mode or rebooting their phones, but it hasn't lasted for longer than 2 minutes. We've asked Google for comment, although its team is already aware of the problem. The outage has lasted for roughly a day as of this writing. This kind of downtime would be frustrating for anyone, but it's particularly irksome for Project Fi subscribers. One of the perks of the service is its straightforward, affordable approach to data: you pay the same $10 per 1GB as you do in the US, so you're not shelling out a small fortune just to share your winter vacation on Instagram. Outages on this scale appear to be few and far...

You won't have to wait nearly as long for the third season of Cosmos as you did for the second . Fox has announced that Cosmos: Possible Worlds will premiere worldwide in spring 2019, with Fox itself airing the show in the US and National Geographic broadcasting it elsewhere. And yes, the familiar gang from the 2014 series is back. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will host, with Ann Druyan taking charge. Seth MacFarlane, Brannon Braga and Jason Clark will return as executive producers. The team isn't saying much about the overall focus of Possible Worlds , but they're promising to cover "previously uncharted territories" and hint about a "virtually infinite" number of worlds and stories to explore. Don't expect a carbon copy of A SpaceTime Odyssey , then. With that said, we'd expect some familiar themes to return. Both previous seasons covered the universe at virtually every possible scale, drew attention to influential (if sometimes u...

The man who was arrested last month in conjunction with the Kansas swatting incident that resulted in a fatality has now been charged. Tyler Barriss was arraigned in a Kansas court today and hit with three charges -- giving a false alarm, interference with law enforcement and involuntary manslaughter -- the latter of which carries a maximum prison sentence of 36 months and a fine of up to $300,000. The swatting hoax that Barriss was allegedly behind occurred last month and is believed to have been instigated by an argument over a Call of Duty game. One player, who is believed to have been Barriss, threatened to swat another. That person then provided an address that wasn't his own. Barriss has been accused of making a call to police saying that someone had been shot at that address and a hostage situation was ongoing. When police arrived, Andrew Finch, who was not involved with the Call of Duty game, was shot by an officer. Barriss was arrested a couple of days later in Los ...

There's so much news at CES, it can be hard to filter out the noise and find what matters. Thankfully, Engadget is here to help. A collection of your favorite editors got together toward the end of the show to have a conversation about the big trends and the announcements that excited them most. And, of course, Richard Lawler talked about TVs. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2FBtSgi"

French company Enhancia has been working on the concept for its MIDI ring for over a year, and it’s finally coming to Kickstarter in March. The tiny accessory, worn on the index finger of your right hand, allows a user to trigger musical effects like pitch bends or vibrato by making specific movements while playing a keyboard. The ring, which is lightweight and made out of a soft plastic with a metal accent, communicates with a hub that is connected to your computer. The hub both charges the ring and also tells the ring which effects are mapped to which movements. There’s also a standalone piece of software and a plugin, which can be used with a Digital Audio Workstations, like Ableton or Logic. The ring’s sensors track three specific... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2Dc6zvG"

Looking back on a very eventful CES Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2mqygG2"

Netflix isn't the only streaming service getting some George Clooney-produced goodness. The popular actor/producer is also bringing Joseph Heller's satirical novel Catch-22 to the small screen, this time via Hulu . According to Deadline , the six-episode series will be written by Luke Davies ( Lion ) and David Michôd ( War Machine ) and star Clooney, who will also direct along with frequent collaborator Grant Heslov ( Argo ). According to Deadline , Clooney will take on the role of antagonist Colonel Cathcart in the show, who keeps raising the number of missions men like protagonist Captain John Yossarian must go on in order to finish their tour of duty and go home: the un-winnable situation the title has become synonymous with. Deadline notes that Clooney and Heslov's Smokehouse Pictures will executive produce, as well, along with Anonymous Content. This will be the first full television series based on the novel, which had a 1970 movie starring Alan Arkin and a tel...

Earlier today, Hawaiian residents got a disturbing alert on their phones and on television : a missile inbound island, and people should take shelter immediately. The notification was quickly confirmed to be false, and Hawaii outlets are reporting that it was sent in error . The alert, which read “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL,” alarmed residents , who posted screenshots of the notification on Twitter. The notification was quickly labeled a false report: Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard a screenshot of the alert, saying that it was a false alarm, and that she had confirmed with officials that there was no danger to the island. Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency likewise... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2EElfAc"

A few minutes ago, phones across Hawaii received the above alert claiming a "ballistic missile threat inbound," but according to state officials it isn't true. It's unclear what caused the message to go out, but we'll have more information as it becomes available. Developing... NO missile threat to Hawaii. — Hawaii EMA (@Hawaii_EMA) January 13, 2018 HAWAII - THIS IS A FALSE ALARM. THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE TO HAWAII. I HAVE CONFIRMED WITH OFFICIALS THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE. http://pic.twitter.com/DxfTXIDOQs — Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) January 13, 2018 There is NO missile threat. https://t.co/qR2MlYAYxL — Governor David Ige (@GovHawaii) January 13, 2018 Source: Hawaii Emergency Management Agency via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2mzbZ9I"

As addiction rates for illicit drugs has skyrocketed in the United States, many turned to Google to try and find places where they can find help — only to run into new issues. An entire industry has emerged online to advertise addiction treatment centers through the search engine, sometimes using deceptive tactics. Now, TechCrunch is reporting that Google is putting its global rehab advertising efforts on hold. Last year, a Verge report examined some companies used Google to take advantage of the its business listings to deceive addicts looking for care. Following that report, Google pulled ads against a number of rehab-related terms. Last week, London’s Sunday Times reported (via TechCrunch ) that Google profited from similar lead... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2D9X6Vb"

Today's Deal: Save 50% on Town of Salem !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2DtarFI"

Squirt some conductive gel on your skin, place a lightweight headset on your noggin and, according to a number of companies at CES, there's barely a limit to the types of self-improvement you can achieve. You can improve your sleep or your athletic performance, or lose weight. You might relieve nausea or even aid depression. And with almost no effort on your part. Many of these gadgets use tDCS -- transcranial direct current stimulation -- to mildly stimulate or suppress neurons firing in certain areas of the brain. It's a straightforward mechanism that has been heavily studied in connection with everything from math skills to post-stroke rehabilitation. There is much we still don't know about how the brain functions, and tDCS research is not conclusive -- it merely correlates electric shocks with improvements in conditions without our understanding why. Yet when it works, it's a noninvasive, relatively cheap clinical treatment that's fairly safe, beyond potenti...

Energy Unbuilding an atomic giant. Unbuilding an atomic giant, from cooling it to burying it. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2FxHhWD"

If you're part of the Windows Insiders Fast Ring (or have opted to skip ahead), you'll find the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17074 available to download. Of note is the addition of Quiet Hours, which functions similarly to the Mac Do Not Disturb feature. You can set your own schedule, during which you will only receive notifications from people and apps in your priority list. The feature will also automatically switch on when you're playing full screen DirectX game and when you're duplicating your display. There are quite a few other improvements included in this build; many focus on the reading experience within Windows 10. There are new grammar tools for both EPUB books and Reading View on websites. Additionally, Microsoft Edge has a new look for reading across EPUBs, PDFs and other documents, as well as syncing reading progress and notes across devices. The build also includes support for custom audio in EPUB. The build adds an option to never save passwords...

There were some pretty wild prototypes at CES this year, like LG’s rollable TV and Razer’s smartphone / laptop combo . It’s the type of stuff that’s interesting to see, but you’re not supposed to have it in your home anytime in the near future. However, there are plenty of CES products that are available for preorder now, like the GoPro Fusion and the Ryze Tech Tello Quadcopter . We’ve rounded up a few products from the show that you can already buy. Now let’s get to deals. To celebrate CES, headphone maker 1More is offering an exclusive 30 percent off sale for readers of The Verge (use promo code VERGE30 ). Also, if you’re in the market for a TV, Samsung is discounting some great models right now and the GoPro Hero 6 is down $100 for the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2EDvLaQ"

Amazon devices have taken root in our homes with almost alarming speed, but the tech giant hasn't gotten everything right. Back in 2014, Amazon released the Fire Phone , an ambitious smartphone that remains the company's biggest hardware flop to date. The comapany has never confirmed how many Fire Phones it sold, but considering Amazon took a $170 million write-down in October of that year, it's fair to say the device bombed. While the Fire Phone was a punchline and a commercial failure, it did lead to good things — eventually. In a conversation with Engadget at CES, Sandeep Gupta, Amazon's Technical Program Manager for Fire TV, suggested that the teams and processes built to make the Fire Phone reality also made possible the impressive hardware ecosystem we now see. "Building the phone was sort of a trial by fire," Gupta said before groaning at his pun. "It was a very intense product, and we learned so much. And the teams we built from the Fire Phon...

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. CES 2018 is over, and the Engadget team is heading home. Keep an eye out for wrap-up coverage this weekend, but first, take a look at some of Friday's highlights and other prominent stories from last week. Ok, Google. Google won the voice assistant popularity contest at CES Google's CES 2018 booth isn't for a guy that's been working tech shows for over six years: it was to demonstrate exactly what's possible with voice assistants for people that didn't realize they probably already had one on their smartphone. Congratulations. Presenting the Best of CES 2018 winners! Relive the big wins -- and stunning upsets -- from Engadget's Best of CES awards. Now with USB-C This might be the Game Boy's ultimate form The aluminum-hewn Project Ultra GB might be the hardware you need to break out your old Game Boy hits. It accepts the original cartridge while keeping the dimensions of the Game Boy Pocket and those i...

The rise of the electric car promises a cleaner future. Arcimoto CEO Mark Frohnmayer believes that we can do more to reduce our footprint by not just removing trash from our air but also using smaller vehicles built using fewer materials. The $11,900 Arcimoto three-wheeled EV is the result of his desire to lower his co2 emissions and the cut down on the space a daily driver takes in the world. At CES, I had the opportunity to get behind the... well, not the wheel. I sat behind the handlebars and whipped the tiny EV around a Las Vegas parking lot. Meant for quick jaunts around town, the two-seater Arcimoto won't be much help on a trip to Costco. But for the majority of the single person trips around a neighborhood for the truly adventurous, it could replace a second car. Arcimoto calls their car the FUV (fun utility vehicle). On the road, the Arcimoto, even at slow speeds is exactly that. It's peppy acceleration and quasi-motorcycle feel without the worry of tipping over, cr...