Geek News

You'd think that smart door locks and home security systems would regularly work in harmony, but that's not really the case. More likely than not, you'll have to remember to check the lock after the fact. Not so if you have August's Smart Lock Pro -- the company has forged a partnership that integrates Protect America's home security hardware. You can now use Protect America's Alexa skill to automatically lock the door when you arm the security system, so you hopefully won't have to test the resilience of your system by giving thieves an easy entrance. You can also use Protect America's app to toggle the lock instead of August's, which could help if you're winding things down from the night (or just don't want two separate icons). The tie-ins won't always be needed if you're using proximity-based locking, but they could be very helpful if others in your household need to arm the system, or you're already inside and want to lo...

DIY Taking a good picture of our little satellite pal is harder than it seems, but a little prep makes a big difference. Get the best possible shot of the moon with a few photographic tips and a little preparation. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2BGd30e"

Want a way to pick up a bulk of Rockstar Games' back catalog and help a good cause? Then head over to Humble where donating $1 or more will get you Grand Theft Auto III , GTA: Vice City and the grisly stealth game Manhunt . Bumping up your pledge to $8.13 adds Bully: Scholarship Edition , GTA IV , GTA: San Andreas , L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3 to your haul. And finally, if you drop $15 or more you'll snag all of the above plus Max Payne Complete , comprised of all three Max Payne games and the third's post-release add-ons. If you need an audio reminder of one of Max Payne 3's best moments, peep the YouTube embed below. The promo runs through February 12th, so if you're looking to score a deal, you should donate sooner rather than later. However much you pledge it'll go toward supporting The Rainforest Alliance , a conservation group made up of farmers, scientists and more. For the past 30 years, the Alliance has worked to bolster biodiversity and ensure ...

To date, messaging with Alexa has meant sending screeds using Amazon's in-house system, which doesn't do you much good if your recipient doesn't have an Echo speaker . You won't have to be quite so selective from now on, however, as Amazon has added support for SMS messaging through Alexa-capable devices connected to Android phones (there's no word on iOS). You can explicitly tell the voice assistant to "send an SMS," but it will also pick SMS automatically if you message a contact that doesn't have an Echo. There are some catches outside of the Android requirement. Not surprisingly, you can't use this to text 911 , participate in group messages or send MMS -- there's only so much you can do when you can't actually see the chats. You'll still be reaching for your phone most of the time, then, but this could be helpful if you want to let a friend know you're on your way while you're racing out the door. Via: TechCrunch Sou...

During last year's E3, BioWare unveiled its next colossal project: Anthem , a sci-fi shooter that looked to rival Activision's Destiny 2 . But a week ago, sources told Kotaku that the game, originally slated to arrive in 2018, would be pushed back a year due after its development fell behind schedule. Electronic Arts denied that reason but confirmed that, yes, Anthem won't come out until early 2019. 'It's not a delay,' EA CFO Blake Jorgensen told the Wall Street Journal. Instead, it's a strategic move to launch the game in a quarter with less competition. Instead, EA will release a new Battlefield game in October 2018. Opening today's earnings call, CEO Andrew Wilson said (PDF) "Excitement for Anthem is building, and we're deeply invested in delivering a great new experience with this game when it launches in Q4 FY19." As Polygon points out , Wilson didn't offer any other information about the upcoming Battlefield , not even...

Samsung's head honcho was found guilty of bribery last year and its vice-chairman stepped down due to "unprecedented crisis," but that didn't affect the Korean conglomerate's cashflow at all. In fact, the company did very well in the fourth quarter of 2017 and the year as a whole: it posted a $14 billion operating profit for the quarter and $50 billion for 2017, thanks mostly to its strong memory and display business. That dwarfs its $7.9 billion operating profit for the fourth quarter of 2016, though that year's earnings were admittedly tainted by the Note 7 fiasco. One of the biggest reasons why Samsung's display division did so well in Q4 2017 is Apple, whose exclusive orders for the X's OLED displays helped it offset the rising won. It's been a while since we've seen the company's mobile division become its top earner , though, and that definitely didn't happen in the fourth quarter. Samsung's mobil biz earnings were do...

Webpass, the wireless home broadband company that Google Fiber acquired in 2016, is exiting the Boston market. The Verge received a reader tip on the situation and a quick look around revealed that Boston is no longer listed as a current Webpass market on the company’s website. (It still appeared as recently as December .) Reached by phone Tuesday evening, a Webpass customer service representative confirmed that the company has stopped accepting new customers in Boston. And in a statement, Access — the Alphabet subsidiary that runs Google Fiber — also confirmed the news. “As with any acquisition, we’ve spent some time evaluating the Webpass business. As a result of our analysis, we’ve made the decision to wind down Webpass operations in... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2nmXeXY"

Though Microsoft has been rolling out Edge to more devices, iPad users have been left waiting. But it appears that the browser will finally be making its debut on the iPad sometime soon. As Neowin spotted, Sean Lyndersay, an Edge program manager, tweeted that the iPad version will be previewed through Microsoft's TestFlight next month and should see a wide rollout soon thereafter. Shh, don't tell anyone, but the iPad version is in internal testing and looking great. It'll take a little longer to bake, so we're going to roll out it to our TestFlight users early next month and get feedback from them before making it widely available. Thanks for using Edge! — Sean Lyndersay (@SeanOnTwt) January 25, 2018 Microsoft began testing Edge for Android and iOS last October and while it launched those versions almost two months later , it did so without support for the iPhone X's aspect ratio . That took a couple of more weeks. Though there's no date yet for an ...

Animals They're ugly as sin, but they could help us live longer. Naked mole rats have unusually long life spans in and out of the lab, but we don't know why—yet. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2Eq7HJM"

Teen YouTube is a strange place to the over-30 set, populated with pranks , game streams and possibly most inscrutable of all, challenge videos. YouTube challenges basically ask people to film themselves doing some hard or ridiculous thing, like flipping a water bottle onto a table or eating spoonfuls of ground cinnamon. Some have even garnered some mainstream fame -- The Tide Pod challenge has been making headlines lately, if only because it's so dangerous. One particular group of challenges that's been growing in popularity are the ones where people "try not to" do things like laugh, cry or get annoyed. However, that last one may get a little more attention if Hasbro's viral video-inspired Don't Lose Your Cool game takes off. The idea of the "try not to get mad/annoyed" challenge is that participants film themselves watching a video on YouTube designed to be as anxiety-inducing as possible . Of course, the entire thing is on the honor system, ...

Technology It focuses on cybersecurity and uses machine learning. Chronicle is an intriguing new player on the cybersecurity block. Here's what we know about how it could be using AI to fight cyber attacks. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2BF3zmd"

Want to see how well Tom Clancy's fictional world of spies, soldiers and terrorists translates to streaming services? You now have a date to mark on your calendar, although it'll be a while. Amazon has announced that Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan will premiere on August 31st, and it's already offering its Super Bowl trailer to show what the fuss is about. As mentioned back in 2016, the series depicts an untested Jack Ryan (played by The Office 's John Krasinski) as he takes his first CIA field assignment and discovers a "new breed" of global terrorism -- it wouldn't be a Tom Clancy story if it were just a routine op, would it? The trailer definitely gives a feel for what to expect. This is classic spy thriller fare with gunplay, explosions and sex galore -- not that you'd expect a nuanced, tender drama given the subject matter. It does look promising, though, and the involvement of Lost 's Carlton Cuse (as executive producer) and Imitation Game ...

Amazon is expanding Alexa’s ability to send messages by allowing it to send SMS text messages to any phone, instead of just messaging other people through the Alexa app, via TechCrunch . The new feature only works for Alexa users with an Android device that also have the Alexa app installed. To set things up, navigate over to Conversations tab, then “Contacts,” then “My Profile,” then switch the “Send SMS” feature to on. There’s no word as to when or even if similar functionality will be available on iOS devices. By default, asking Alexa to send “a message” will cause the device to first try to send messages to the Alexa app, assuming your recipient has it installed and configured, and will only send through SMS if that option isn’t... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2BEyH58"

Axios recently reported that it had discovered a document that revealed something very interesting: The Trump administration was considering a government-run 5G network. According to the memo, this was in order to fight China's upcoming dominance in the wireless 5G space, and would ensure a safe network for self-driving cars, AI, VR and other cutting-edge technologies. This kind of state-run network is completely antithetical to the administration's public stance on deregulation and privatization. It even prompted FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to come down strongly in opposition. It turns out, however, that the document was outdated , and the Trump administration strongly denies it ever seriously considered such a proposal. Which is great news for fans of deregulation of course, but there was no reason for them to worry in the first place: Because it never could have happened anyway. In fact, there are countless reasons why a government-run 5G network would never fly in the US, e...

Ever wanted to run in virtual reality without smacking into a real wall? You'll have a chance shortly. Survios has revealed that its VR foot racing game Sprint Vector launches February 13th for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. The sci-fi runner stands out with a unique control scheme where you pump your arms to run, and your head to turn. In theory, you can get a feel for what it's like to race at breakneck speed without having to actually, well, sprint. The title includes both single-player and multiplayer play across 12 tracks, complete with Wipeout -style power-ups and eight players you can customize with skins (including a free Olympics-themed pack). Some of the gameplay will seem familiar, then. VR is definitely the hook -- it just happens to be one helluva hook that fundamentally changes the experience. Source: TriplePoint via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2FtV4wp"

Last month, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) subpoenaed cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and the company Tether, which has launched a popular coin of the same name, anonymous sources told Bloomberg today. Tether claims that all of its coins are backed by US dollars held in reserve or other fiat currencies , although it hasn’t provided hard evidence to confirm this. Tether’s current market capitalization is $2.2 billion, according to CoinMarketCap.com , driven by the recent surge in cryptocurrency prices. Both firms have the same CEO, Jan Ludovicus van der Velde, although little else is known about him. Although Tether lists Bitfinex as one of the main exchanges it’s integrated with, Bitfinex omits Tether from the dozens... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2BFr7am"

When I saw Asus’ Blue Cave router, which was announced last May and is now going on sale, I assumed the unique carved-out shape must enable some innovative new way of amplifying Wi-Fi signals to better blanket a home. But it turns out, it’s not for that at all. It’s just a hole in a square designed to look cool. And while I’m glad Asus went out on a limb and made a weird looking router, even Asus seems to acknowledge that it was a lot of work for nothing. Just read this quote from Alsa Lo, networking product manager at Asus, describing the various hurdles engineers had to overcome just to put a purely aesthetic hole in a router: Most high-performance routers use external antennas to get the best Wi-Fi performance. To achieve Blue Cave’s... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2nuOiz0"

The red giant π1 Gruis is 530 light-years away, and it's reaching the end of its natural life. Soon, scientists think it will become a planetary nebula. But before it dies, astronomers are using π1 Gruis to shed light on some of the secrets of stellar phenomena. Now, using the most detailed images of a distant star ever captured, scientists have confirmed existing theories about giant stars in the late stages of their life. The results were published in Nature . The image in question was captured in December by ESO's Very Large Telescope , which is in fact an array of four different telescopes. Using the four telescopes in concert, astronomers were actually able to view granulation patterns on the surface of π1 Gruis. This, in turn, led to confirmation of existing theories about the surfaces of giant stars. Stars use convection, which is the process through which heat is transferred due to the movement of molecules, to transfer energy. Scientists theorized that stars as lar...

Last week, hackers stole around $534 million worth of cryptocurrency XEM from Tokyo-based exchange Coincheck, and now, Reuters reports, the hackers behind the heist are trying to sell the stolen cryptocurrency. Jeff McDonald, vice president of the NEM Foundation, the company behind XEM, told Reuters that he had tracked down an account holding the coins and those in possession of the stolen XEM were trying to sell them on six different cryptocurrency exchanges. "He is trying to spend them on multiple exchanges. We are contacting those exchanges," said McDonald. He also told Reuters that he couldn't yet determine how much of the stolen coins had already been spent. According to reports from Japan Today , whoever was behind the Coincheck hack initially transferred the stolen coins to a single digital address and then further dispersed them to nine other addresses -- a move believed to be an attempt to make the stolen currency harder to trace. After the hack, Coinchec...

Fans of Léon: The Professional , The Fifth Element , Lucy and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets have reason to get excited. According to Variety , French auteur Luc Besson is in talks with Netflix for a multi-picture deal. According to the site's sources, the movies will be called Netflix Originals and will have $30 million budgets. If the deal goes through, says Variety , then Netflix would also be able to purchase rights to the EuropaCorp film library, which includes Taken , Taxi and Transporter film franchises. Sources say that the talks were initiated by Netflix as a simple partnership, but the scope may have broadened to include purchasing a stake in the company, which is based in Paris. Netflix has acquired one other company, Millarworld , which was founded by comic book maker Mark Millar, who created the Old Man Logan and Kingsman series, now successful films. Besson is not the first director to work directly for Netflix, either, as both Martin Scorsese ...

In a move that will bring unbridled joy to social media managers and influencers everywhere, Instagram is now allowing business profiles to schedule posts, the company announced on its Business blog today. Currently, the feature only works for photos, not videos, and it’s only available through third-party social management tools for now. This means that if you want to get your hands on scheduling features, you have to pay for subscription services like HootSuite, Sprout Social, or any one of the companies working as a Facebook Marketing Partner or Instagram Partner. Post scheduling has never been available until now, despite third-party companies’ best efforts to advertise such features. The only tools around have been ones that let... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2BDOJMR"

Facebook started rolling out its messaging app for kids last December, offering a standalone app with parental controls built right in. The app is available on iOS and Android Fire tablets, and allows children under the age of 13 to chat with approved contacts. As you might imagine, however, child advocacy groups have taken issue with it. In a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood express concern that "this new app will undermine children's healthy development." Adults have a hard enough time managing online relationships, said the letter. Younger children, then, are "simply not ready to have social media accounts." Kids, the letter stated, don't really have a full understanding of privacy and what to (and not to) share online with others. It cites studies showing that media use by teens is linked to depression, decreased life satisfaction and body image issues. An app expressly for the under-13 set will likely increas...

iPhone users will a get a handful of new capabilities when Apple releases iOS 11.3 this spring, one of which is sure to be welcomed by parents with an iPhone X. With the introduction of Face ID, some processes got a little easier for iPhone users, but parents who approve their children's purchases through the Ask to Buy feature have been a little irritated with the system. That's because while Touch ID-enabled iPhones let parents use their fingerprints to approve a child's purchase request, the iPhone X has been forcing parents to input their password each time . However, that's about to change because it appears iOS 11.3 will allow Face ID for purchase approvals. While testing iOS 11.3 beta, 9to5Mac found that while the first Ask to Buy request still required a password, the system then asked if the user would like to enable Face ID for future Family Sharing approvals. Clicking "Enable" then sets that up and a password is no longer required. Other feat...

The state of Missouri has signed a deal with Virgin Hyperloop One to investigate if it's worth building a high-speed link between three of its biggest cities. A team of interested parties will examine the feasibility of constructing a route between Kansas City, Columbia and St Louis, parallel to I-70. That will include looking at the engineering challenges, as well as the potential economic benefits of such a route. The donkey work will be carried out by Hyperloop One, alongside infrastructure engineering firm Black and Veatch, as well as the University of Missouri. It's thought that the route would connect five million people, and bring the journey time between the three cities down to under half an hour. Right now, it would take you just under four hours, give or take traffic, to take I-70 from Kansas at St. Louis. Such a route would seem to be a relatively easy one to navigate, since the highway has already cut a fairly easy path between the cities. The terrain isn...