Geek News

Crusaders of Light is Now Available on Steam! Crusaders of Light is a high-quality cross-platform MMORPG available on Mobile, Tablet, and PC with over 300 hours of gameplay! Adventure together with friends in real-time to defeat epic bosses and unlock legendary gear. via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2oUkBbw"

Space Plus: new insights into the planet’s interior. Jupiter is a giant and familiar world to us all, but new observations show that there’s a lot more to this planetary leviathan than meets the eye. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2FrlmA4"

Gadgets A solid emergency backup battery that's worth its extra heft. With enough juice to fully charge a MacBook Pro, this 1.6-pound battery pack is worth a little extra weight. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2oRK466"

Science Hint: You don't have to discover something, but it could help. There are a few different ways to put your name down in the history books, along with scientists and inventors. Which way will you choose? via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2HhFTY9"

Snap is about to undergo another round of layoffs, with this one seeing a cut of around 100 engineers, according to Cheddar and CNBC . While that’s a small portion of Snap’s total headcount — around 3,000 people — it reportedly represents about 10 percent of the company’s engineering team. The cuts are expected to come within a week and will be the first focused on engineering. Snap hasn’t commented on the report. This is the fourth round of layoffs at Snap in the past year, though the first three were much smaller, affecting a dozen or so people each. The cuts come amid struggles during Snap’s first year as a public company: the service has seen a slow growth rate compared to services like Instagram, which has rapidly expanded its user... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HhlpP5"

Developers looking to get a jump on upcoming Android features have a small set of blessed hardware to choose from with Android P: the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. Eventually, Android P will ship on new phones from other manufacturers, along with the handful of handsets that third-parties bother to update, but there are a couple Android mainstays that won’t get to enjoy this marvelous future: Google’s Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P phones, and the oft-forgotten Pixel C tablet . As Ars Technica confirmed with Google , those devices won’t be getting Android P when it’s released fully. Also, as Android Police notes , there’s no Developer Preview image for the Nexus Player, which came out in 2014, so it might be done getting updates as well. ... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2oSaG7j"

Technology The company's QLED television lineup takes aim at controlling smart homes and displaying info. Samsung's new QLED TVs have a built-in digital assistant and… via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2He2g0A"

With the first developer preview of Android P out today , we’re getting our first look at the visual refresh that Google was rumored to be working on a few months ago. This is an extremely early build of the software, so it’s very likely that more changes are on the way — and some of what’s here might look different come the next preview. But even this barebones developer preview 1 makes clear that Google is taking things in a rounder, more colorful direction. The next developer preview of Android P is expected sometime in May, so that’s the next opportunity we’ll have to see additional changes to Android as it appears on Google’s Pixel devices and other products. Here’s what’s new in today’s initial release: The clock moves to the left... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HdIqTg"

UnitedHealthcare has added the Apple Watch to its UnitedHealthcare Motion program, which incentivizes employees under UnitedHealthcare insurance with money rewards if they meet their daily step goals, via CNET . Previously, the company has supported a variety of other fitness trackers, including Fitbits, Garmin devices, and Samsung activity trackers. Users can get an Apple Watch Series 3 through the program — you’ll have to pay tax and shipping upfront — and can then apply the money you earn through the program toward paying off the rest of the device (after which the money is put toward either your health savings account or health reimbursement account). Employees participating in UnitedHealthcare Motion can earn a couple bucks a day... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2tsh6yy"

Amazon is now offering Prime discounts to Americans enrolled in Medicaid. American adults with Medicaid will now only have to pay $5.99 a month, down from the usual $12.99 monthly rate (or $8.25 a month if you choose the $99 annual option). There are about 35 million American adults currently enrolled in the health insurance program for low-income individuals, according to 2017 data . As noted by CNET , the discount marks Amazon’s effort to reach lower-income consumers after already having profited off middle-income and high-income folks. To qualify for the discount, visit Amazon.com/qualify and upload a photo of your Medicaid card or EBT card to activate the discount. Every 12 months, you’ll have to verify you still have your Medicaid or... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2oQNHcB"

A new smartphone device allows people to easily measure their blood pressure without a cuff squeezing their arm. It’s still too early to tell if the tech works accurately, but if it does, it could enable more people, especially in developing countries, to check if they’re at risk for heart disease. The device, described in a study published today in Science Translational Medicine , consists of a 3D-printed case attached to the back of a smartphone. When a person presses a finger on a button-like sensor, an app is able to calculate blood pressure, according to the study. But the device was tested on so few people — the vast majority of them with normal blood pressure — that it’s impossible to say whether its measurements are accurate,... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2D8SfiW"

Nexus Media News East Coasters could see more than a foot. Just days after Winter Storm Riley slammed the East Coast, another nor’easter is on its way. Winter Storm Quinn is expected to deliver heavy snowfall. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2D7NRkj"

Gadgets Don't let dead batteries, dirty socks, or bad headphones ruin your vacation. 19 must-have travel items you won't want to leave at home. Read on. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2FlrzS4"

Google just dropped the developer preview of Android P , the next version of its mobile operating system. Google has traditionally hid an easter egg inside these previews as a hint to what the codename of the OS will be called, and Android P is no exception. So far, features on the Android P seem to emulate a lot from Apple, such as the bubble-like notifications look borrowed from iOS and notch support for all the newly announced Android devices that have been copying the look iPhone X made mainstream. But most jarring of all is the P easter egg, which straight up looks like an upside down B from the Beats logo. The easter egg opens up to a red backdrop, but as you scroll up and down, the colors change and the P gets bigger and smaller in... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2tl9qxY"

Over the past few days, users with Alexa-enabled devices have reported hearing strange, unprompted laughter. Amazon responded to the creepiness in a statement to The Verge , saying, “We’re aware of this and working to fix it.” As noted in media reports and a trending Twitter moment , Alexa laughs without being prompted to wake. People on Twitter and Reddit reported that they thought it was an actual person laughing near them, which can be scary when you’re home alone. Many responded to the cackling sounds by unplugging their Alexa-enabled devices. Twitter user @CaptHandlebar was one of the first to report experiencing this back on February 22nd: So Alexa decided to laugh randomly while I was in the kitchen. Freaked @SnootyJuicer and I... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2I9aI2z"

You’re all aware of the smartphone notch takeover . The Essential Phone launched with a notch, then the iPhone X made it mainstream, and now, nearly all phone manufacturers think the notch is the future of phones. Here’s the thing, though: these random Android phone makers haven’t been able to make their notch phones run seamlessly because the OS isn’t designed for that segmented screen — or at least it hasn’t been, until now. The freshly announced Android P has “display cutout support,” aka notch support. Developers will be able to test how their full-screen apps work with notches through the tools Google is releasing today. This is good and useful because a few of these notch iterations have looked horrible, mainly because the software... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2G2w3tM"

Google has just announced the Android P developer preview, which is almost exclusively focused on back-end features that primarily concern, you know, developers. Most of the user-facing features won’t be announced until the Google I/O conference in May. But we’re on the lookout for things that look different, and the above screenshot of the Quick Settings panel and notifications drawer definitely drew our eye. This part of the UI can look wildly different depending on which version of Android you’re using. Google’s panel looks different from Samsung’s or LG’s, for example. But if you’ve been using a Pixel, you can’t help but notice the rounded corners and borders around these UI elements. Right now, in Oreo, these bits are squared off... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HbhjYM"

Health Researchers think the molecule might be better at keeping up with evolving bacteria. Researchers at IBM are working on a synthetic molecule that works in a novel way to attack a bacterium and kill it from the inside out. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2oQzmwW"

With its next major release of Android, Google will prevent apps from using your smartphone’s microphone or camera whenever they’re in the background and not actively being used on screen. The move is another attempt to lock down consumer privacy and eliminate any remaining paranoia over Facebook or other apps secretly listening to your conversations and serving up relevant advertisements. Sorry, conspiracy theorists. Android O already took steps to make it more apparent whenever apps asked for mic and camera permissions, and Google is continuing to bolster those efforts with P. “To better ensure privacy, Android P restricts access to mic, camera, and all SensorManager sensors from apps that are idle,” Google announced in today’s blog... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HduWH8"

Today's Deal: Save 75% on Battlefleet Gothic: Armada !* 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 Friday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2tso6f0"

As it has for the last couple years, Google is releasing a developer preview of the next version of Android in March. Before you ask, no, we don’t know the name beyond “Android P.” Another thing we don’t know is just how big the user-facing changes will be this time around, as this preview is mostly focused on the changes that will affect developers. In fact, Google VP of engineering Dave Burke is calling this “an early baseline build for developers only,” so definitely do not go flashing your main phone with this and assume it will be usable day to day. The feature that will probably garner the most discussion is built-in support for a notch cutting into the display at the top of the screen. (Google’s term for it is “display cutout... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2oQi96F"

Microsoft is planning to include more artificial intelligence capabilities inside Windows 10 soon. The software giant is unveiling a new AI platform for developers today, that will be available in the next major Windows 10 update available this spring. Microsoft’s new platform will enable all developers that create apps on Windows 10 to leverage existing pre-trained machine learning models in apps. The platform will enable developers to create more powerful apps for consumers running Windows 10. Developers will be able to import existing learning models from different AI platforms and run them locally on PCs and devices running Windows 10, speeding up real-time analysis of local data like images or video, or even improving background... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2tvQ7Cr"

Samsung has announced that its modular TV, The Wall , that it showed off at CES earlier this year will be available to buy this August. No price has been announced yet, although it seems safe to say that it’ll be up there as one of Samsung’s more expensive TV sets. The Wall uses MicroLED technology, which Samsung claims offers similar picture quality to OLED displays but with better lifespans. Samsung is also highlighting the modular nature of The Wall; since the entire display is made up of smaller MicroLED panels, The Wall can be almost any size that customers want, whether that’s a massive 146-inch display like the one that Samsung showed off at CES, or some more unique aspect ratios like 4:3 or even 1:1, depending on your particular... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FkErHQ"

Duo, Google’s take on Apple’s FaceTime, is getting video messages today in an update. The feature allows users to leave voicemail-style selfie videos for any user who misses or declines a call on Duo. The messages can be 30 seconds in length, and they’ll also automatically disappear after a day, although recipients can download the videos to their camera rolls for posterity. Unlike Google’s Allo, which has struggled to find a purpose in the crowded text-based messaging marketplace, Duo’s video-focused purpose has helped it find an audience on both iOS and Android. The app is the 17th most popular social networking app on Apple’s App Store, while Allo sits at No. 93, while Duo on Android has long since passed the 100 million download... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2I6hMwJ"

Northgard is Now Available on Steam and is 25% off!* Northgard is a strategy game based on Norse mythology in which you control a clan of Vikings vying for the control of a mysterious newfound continent. *Offer ends March 14 at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2G6vrDC"

CHUCHEL is Now Available on Steam! CHUCHEL is a comedy adventure game from the creators of Machinarium, Botanicula and Samorost. Join the hairy hero Chuchel and his rival Kekel as they will be facing numerous puzzles and challenges in their quest to retrieve the precious cherry! via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2Fmku3m"

‘You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means’ Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2G43DQ7"

Science Myths about migraines have been greatly exaggerated. Recent authors have acknowledged there is little evidence to suggest that trepanning was meant to cure headaches. So where did this persistent idea come from? via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2Ib9gfW"

Samsung just unveiled its 2018 lineup of QLED 4K TVs at an event in New York City. The company remains the world’s leading TV maker, and while this year’s sets make modest improvements to picture quality — mainly black levels — the major focus is intelligence and smart home control. The new QLEDs (never, ever to be confused with OLED) ship with Bixby and offer voice assistant capabilities right out of the box. And they also act as a centralized hub for Samsung’s SmartThings smart home platform, giving you on-screen control over all SmartThings-compatible gadgets. The 2018 QLED lineup includes the Q9, Q8, Q7, and Q6 (in descending order of price and image quality). Samsung still hasn’t given up on pushing curved TVs, as each series will... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2HdQJhJ"