Geek News

Space TESS will give us a new view of our galactic neighborhood. There is some good news on the horizon for astronomers, astrophysicists, planetary geologists, and people who just like learning neat things about far-away worlds. It's… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2quUEAO"

I’m happy for you, Pixel and Nexus phone users, because Google enabled wireless Android Auto for you this week. Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P devices running Android Oreo or higher are compatible with the new feature, which automatically loads Android Auto on your car display when you get in the vehicle. You don’t need to take your phone out of your pocket or plug it in; it automatically connects over Wi-Fi. So far, the support appears to only be for devices in North America, and the only head units that work wirelessly are available from JVC and Kenwood. These companies introduced their compatible head units at CES this year. Google says it expects “more products to roll out throughout the year,” however,... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2quuMFg"

The drone’s engines are running, and I have 30 seconds to twist the red safety switch on top of the metal control panel, hold the blue button, and then press the green button to launch the drone. It was like playing a high-tech Bop It , and the payoff was sending a nearly seven-foot-long autonomous fix-winged aircraft zipping off its metal runway and into the sky. I’m at drone delivery startup Zipline’s new test site in California’s Central Valley to check out the new vehicle it was unveiling: a white-bodied, red-winged, battery-powered glider with a 10-foot wingspan that’s designed to air drop packages of medical supplies midflight. The buttons are on a metal control box mounted to a clear plastic shield that stands between my face and... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2IUEBTT"

Gadgets Catch up on all the technology gossip without all the hype. Keep it real with your tech rumors. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2Jkrgp0"

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has received a second application to test fully driverless vehicles on public roads, and the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the applicant is Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet. Waymo is already testing fully driverless cars with no human safety driver behind the wheel on public roads in Arizona, so it doesn’t come as a huge shock that the company would be interested in performing similar tests on its home turf in California. A spokesperson for Waymo confirmed the application to the Chronicle . A DMV spokesperson acknowledged a second application has been received but declined to name either company until their approval. California began accepting applications for... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GXU74Z"

Google today announced a pair of new artificial intelligence experiments from its research division that let web users dabble in semantics and natural language processing. For Google, a company that’s primary product is a search engine that traffics mostly in text, these advances in AI are integral to its business and to its goals of making software that can understand and parse elements of human language. The website will now house any interactive AI language tools, and Google is calling the collection Semantic Experiences. The primary sub-field of AI it’s showcasing is known as word vectors , a type of natural language understanding that maps “semantically similar phrases to nearby points based on equivalence, similarity or relatedness... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GWaMBE"

Environment And that could mean trouble. The ocean currents that help warm the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America have significantly slowed since the 1800s and are at their weakest in 1600 years,… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2IUMMiL"

Technology A lot of information came out this week. Here are the important sections in easily-digestible chunks. Yes, Facebook tracks you when you're not logged in. No, your phone does not listen to you through your microphone. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2Hk2tDb"

Over the course of an accumulated 10 hours spread out over two days of hearings, Mark Zuckerberg dodged question after question by citing the power of artificial intelligence. Moderating hate speech? AI will fix it. Terrorist content and recruitment? AI again. Fake accounts? AI. Russian misinformation? AI. Racially discriminatory ads? AI. Security? AI. It’s not even entirely clear what Zuckerberg means by “AI” here. He repeatedly brought up how Facebook’s detection systems automatically take down 99 percent of “terrorist content” before any kind of flagging. In 2017, Facebook announced that it was “experimenting” with AI to detect language that “might be advocating for terrorism” — presumably a deep learning technique. It’s not clear... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EJF4ph"

The blogs have activated , and they say a cheaper HomePod might be in the works. That sounds like a reasonable expectation. Apple would hopefully reduce its smart speaker’s price eventually, especially considering that it might be selling fewer than 10 HomePods a day in some retail locations. But still, Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI doesn’t think we should get excited about a cheaper option anytime soon. His most recent report says Apple could sell between 2–2.5 million HomePods this year, with a million of those coming from the first month’s demand. He also pushes cheaper HomePod rumors aside by saying Apple is just “mulling” over a lower-cost speaker, which could mean he hasn’t heard of the company fully committing to a specific model just... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EJ06EI"

Every year, high school seniors in South Korea take a national college entrance exam called suneung that will essentially determine the rest of their lives. This isn’t an exaggeration. Unlike the SATs, which only play a small part in college admissions, the idea of suneung is battered into students’ heads as the determining factor of how successful they’ll be in a deeply hierarchical society. That’s why it makes sense that Samsung is releasing a smartphone that can’t connect to the internet, so students don’t get distracted and can focus on studying. The Galaxy J2 Pro has the bare essentials of a smartphone. You can text and make calls with it and take photos with the 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera. There’s also an... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2ISAQhG"

Apple may start iPhone 6S Plus production at a new factory in southern India to lower the model’s price, local media outlet The Economic Times reported today. It may start manufacturing in Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, in two weeks. By setting up a local factory, Apple aims to slash Indian iPhone prices, as a response to government policies that tax foreign phones. India’s government raised tariffs on smartphones from 15 to 20 percent in February, forcing Apple to seek new measures to drop its prices and stay competitive. Local manufacturing could cut prices by 5–7 percent, according to the report, if Apple manages to make all iPhone 6S Pluses sold in the Indian market domestically. If prices drop that low, iPhones could become... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2Hyhejf"

Today's Deal: Save 40% on Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ !* 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 Sunday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "https://ift.tt/2GWbMKj"

HBO’s Silicon Valley still has more steam to tell more stories about the rise of a little tech startup known as Pied Piper. The network announced yesterday that it’s renewed the show for a sixth season. The show is currently airing its fifth season. In its opening credits this season, there’s a timely Easter egg about Facebook , showing the company logo in faux Cyrillic letters. The Easter egg is present in every episode, and it’s oddly well-timed with Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s face-off in Congress. Still, the show has so far been silent about other prescient issues the tech industry faces, such as the gender wage gap and widespread reporting of sexual harassment , even after the #MeToo... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H1iuL2"

It’s been some time since we’ve seen a flashy new virtual reality title. But Defector , a new Oculus Rift exclusive from Wilson’s Heart maker Twisted Pixel , is here to remind us that there’s still plenty of exhilarating, over-the-top concepts VR has yet to adequately explore. The game puts players in the shoes of a Mission Impossible -style spy who must outmaneuver a global crime syndicate, all while going undercover, shooting bad guys, engaging in fist fights, and — as the trailer makes clear — pulling off ludicrous stunts like driving a car out of the cargo bay of a flying airplane. The plot may not be all that original. And in my short time with the game’s demo earlier this month, I can reliably say that Defector is more an homage and... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GYY0Cs"

Volvo has announced its first all-electric commercial truck, called the FL Electric , as reported by Autoblog . Manufacturing and sales of the truck, meant for urban distribution and waste management, should begin in Europe next year. The trucks can accommodate between two and six lithium-ion batteries with 100–300kWh, giving a range of up to 300 km (approximately 186 miles). It will be able to fast charge in one to two hours via DC or overnight with AC. Aside from green perks, Volvo says these trucks will also help companies be more efficient. They can be used in indoor terminals and environmental zones. Because the trucks are much quieter than their diesel counterparts, they can also theoretically be used at night in populated areas... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2IS6qfs"

Environment Nestlé: 1. Michiganders: 0. On April 2, Michigan approved Nestlé’s controversial bid to bottle hundreds of thousands of gallons of Great Lakes water. A few days later, they stopped sending water… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2HvjOXj"

Acer teased a new Chrome OS desktop back in January at CES, and today, we have more pricing release information. The Acer Chromebox CXI3 is now available for preorder, and it costs $297.99 for the most basic variant, as spotted by AndroidPolice . As we heard at CES, it has three Intel Core processor options: the Intel Celeron 3865U, Intel Core i3 (seventh-gen) 7130U, or the Intel Core i5 (eighth-gen) 8250U. The basic version has 4GB of RAM, but you can select up to 16GB of RAM. The eighth-gen Intel Core version costs $744.99. There are three USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and one USB-C 3.0 port. There’s also a port for an HDMI cable, LAN for Gigabit Ethernet, headphones / microphone, and a microSD card slot. It comes with a vertical... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EIBTym"

Facebook users have continuously worried that the social media platform’s mobile apps, including Instagram, listen in on our conversations. It’s such a widespread concern that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had to address it in a congressional hearing on privacy this week, where he called the notion a “conspiracy theory.” I hate to break it to everyone, but as far as we can tell, Facebook’s eavesdropping is a myth. Although I understand why the myth exists. People see eerily exact, targeted ads — sometimes about things they just discussed with friends — and they have to question what’s really happening behind the scenes. How does Facebook know what I’m talking about, and why am I getting served these ads at this exact moment? It’s not... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GZctCn"

Gadgets Ditch the stock Instagram filters for something more sophisticated. Smartphones take good pictures, unfortunately, they all look the same. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2EHP4Q5"

Gmail on the web is getting a big update in the coming weeks with a new design and features, but Google is also introducing a new Confidential Mode. The Verge revealed the new design earlier this week , alongside features like quick reply to emails, the ability to snooze emails until later, and a new sidebar to place calendar appointments side-by-side with messages. We’ve now learned Google will also introduce Confidential Mode, which lets Gmail users stop recipients from forwarding certain emails, or restricts the ability to copy, download, or print them. Google will also let Gmail users require a passcode to open emails, which will be generated via SMS, or set an expiration date on sent emails. The features are very similar to some... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2JGxD60"

Medium’s release notes are known for their trolls, with previous updates including jokes, song lyrics, and even a faux pasted Slack conversation . Now, the team is back at it again with update notes that parody Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony in front of Congress this week. The notes detail an exchange between a representative and Medium, where the representative asks about specific bugs like bookmarking leading the page to refresh or “ignored post IDs aren’t being passed down in GET requests.” In 2016, The Verge ’s Silicon Valley editor Casey Newton took a trip to the Medium offices to drink and write iOS release notes with the team. The team told him at the time that they were cognizant that some of their sillier notes didn’t... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GUgTKV"

Comcast has announced that later this month it will offer the ability to include a Netflix subscription to new and existing Xfinity cable packages. Comcast initially added Netflix to its set-top box , the Xfinity X1, in 2016, and then Netflix added 4K streaming to the platform in 2017. Comcast doesn’t detail how the subscriptions will be priced but says “a variety of initial offers” are coming this month that include a Netflix subscription. These offers will vary depending on the market, and if you choose a plan with Netflix, any Netflix-related billing will be handled by Comcast, meaning there will only be one bill and statement for customers. Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HmXdi0"

Facebook Stories may not have reached the heights of Instagram or Snapchat when it comes to things like people actually using the feature, but that isn’t stopping the social media company from continuing to add to it. Now, it’s adding a new AR doodling feature and Instagram’s looping Boomerangs, via TechCrunch . Of the two, the AR doodling — which Facebook calls “3D drawing” — seems like the biggest feature, letting users draw 3D images with AR on the real world. It looks like a natural extension of the drawing tools that Snapchat first made popular but taken to a more immersive level. Devotees of Facebook Stories (I’m sure there are some of you out there) might remember that Facebook actually added looping GIFs to the in-app camera last... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2vaqx6G"

Published today, a two-year study of Android security updates has revealed a distressing gap between the software patches Android companies claim to have on their devices and the ones they actually have. Your phone’s manufacturer may be lying to you about the security of your Android device. In fact, it appears that almost all of them do. Coming at the end of a week dominated by Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional hearings and an ongoing Facebook privacy probe, this news might seem of lesser importance, but it goes to the same issue that has drawn lawmakers’ scrutiny to Facebook: the matter of trust. Facebook is the least-trusted big US tech company , and Android might just be the operating system equivalent of it: used by 2 billion people... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qtjY9C"