Geek News

Space How much are you willing to pay to become an astronaut? From heavy-hitters to newcomers to the space tourism scene, here are the most recent commercial space programs that would love to take you out of this world—for a… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2K1FV8Q"

The US Department of Justice has reportedly opened an antitrust investigation to determine whether AT&T, Verizon, and mobile industry group GSM Association (GSMA) colluded to prevent consumers from easily switching carriers with devices that support eSIM, according to The New York Times . All four major carriers received requests for information about the investigation, according to CNBC . The Times reports that the DOJ "demanded" details from the three over potential steps taken to impede the adoption of eSIM, which lets wireless customers switch carriers without requiring a physical SIM card to be inserted. AT&T and Verizon are accused of working with GSMA to develop standards that would allow them to keep devices locked to their... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HR3VuM"

Chinese technology company ZTE issued a statement today in response to the US government’s banning of American exports to the company. The US Department of Commerce says ZTE didn’t uphold a plea agreement after the company pleaded guilty last year to illegally shipping US equipment to Iran and North Korea. The department specifically says the company still gave employees who acted illegally full bonuses, despite saying it wouldn’t. Additionally, only four senior staffers were fired out of the 35 who reportedly violated the law, Reuters reported . Now, four days after the ban, ZTE says it tried to comply with the US and invested “tremendous resources in export compliance.” It says, “the Denial Order will not only severely impact the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2F4pQvd"

Environment Little changes can make a big difference Don’t let the scope of the problem get you down. Here are concrete things that you (yes, you!) can do to help make the world a better place. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2HGUyQv"

Huawei may be effectively banned in the US, but if you’re really interested in snagging the impressive P20 , the company just announced that the new devices will be coming to neighboring Canada next month. According to Android Central , the Huawei P20, P20 Lite, and P20 Pro will be available through several Canadian telecoms, including Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido, Virgin Mobile, Koodo, and Vidéotron, on May 17th. Huawei has not confirmed pricing on these devices, but the P20 currently starts at €649 in Europe. Our senior editor Vlad Savov gave the premium P20 Pro high marks on its sleek design, huge battery life, and a camera that could eat the Pixel 2’s lunch, especially for low-light photography. While the devices do have the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HhmFGI"

Environment And it doesn’t have to smell. If you think composting is a dirty, unpleasant activity, that’s far from the truth. It can be really fun, like one big science experiment. Here’s how to get started:… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2HfU1l5"

If you want to buy one of the recent Star Wars or Marvel Cinematic Universe films on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon, you’re out of luck if you’re not a member of Amazon Prime. The online retailer has reserved a number of the home releases for the two franchises exclusively for purchase by Prime members. Amazon has made some items exclusives for Prime members before, using the exclusivity to drive customers toward signing up for the $99-per-year membership. We’ve reached out to Amazon to see how long this will last. As of now, The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, Ant-Man , The Avengers, Captain America: First Avenger, Winter Soldier, and Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vo l. 2, Iron Man 3, Spiderman: Homecoming, and Thor : The Dark... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2F4bDOX"

Space Happy birthday to the best space telescope ever! Love, PopSci. It’s pretty amazing even with low-tech binoculars or higher-tech telescopes. But to really appreciate the scale of the nebula, check out this new view of the nebula just… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2JYexIF"

AT&T will be launching a “skinny bundle” of television channels that will only cost $15 a month, according to The Wall Street Journal . This would make the offer, which does not include sports, one of the cheapest available for live streaming TV. The deal, to be called AT&T Watch, was announced by chief executive Randall Stephenson on Thursday when he testified during the AT&T-Time Warner antitrust trial . Stephenson brought up the new product to counter the Justice Department’s argument that AT&T continues to raise prices on its traditional DirecTV satellite service. The included channels were not specified, but Stephenson said that AT&T Wireless subscribers would receive AT&T Watch for free. The service should be launched within the next... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2F4GfzU"

Gadgets The end-of-week dispatch from PopSci's commerce editor. Vol. 45. My job is to find cool stuff. Throughout the week I spend hours scouring the web for things that are ingenious or clever or ridiculously cheap. Often times, these… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2qM8i2H"

Today's Deal: Save 75% on War for the Overworld !* 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/2HD0zh2"

Nintendo’s new cardboard creation experiment Labo is out today, but if you had concerns about your Toy-Con kits breaking or wearing out (because, well, they’re made of cardboard), fear not. Nintendo is selling replacement parts for nearly every piece of the Toy-Con kits over at its online store , as spotted by IGN . Parts range from $1.99 for more reflective stickers to up to $13.99 for the cardboard robot body, with plenty in between for other pieces and parts. Our games editor Andrew Webster noted in his review that the Labo kits are surprisingly durable , and the Labo apps are apparently pretty helpful in guiding DIY repairs, too. The option to buy outright replacements without spending the extra money on a whole new kit seems like a... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HA7zez"

Eastern Arsenal They're robotics wingmen for China's carrier pilots. China is flying helicopter drones on its warships. The military plans to fly drones on carriers, pair drones with manned fighters, and export stealth attack drones. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2HfYUP1"

It was a slow week until Google decided to attempt another fix for Android messaging and Nintendo made the entire staff fall in love with cardboard . Nilay’s still on paternity leave, but Dieter and Paul are grateful to be joined again by technology editor Natt Garun to help explain it all. We also jumped on the hot-button issues like the Russian ban of Telegram and how Alexa Skill Blueprints aren’t Turing complete. And, of course, Paul’s weekly segment “Ring-a-ding-ding” has all the insightful Bluetooth MIDI accessory commentary you crave. 1:20 - Chat for Android 20:48 - Telegram 29:22 - Nintendo Labo 37:41 - Amazon Skill Blueprints 41:09 - Motorola G6 43:44 - Paul’s Weekly Segment “ Ring-a-ding-ding ” 46:39 - New free Spotify 48:51 - RIP... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2Hi0XhN"

Animals Welcome to the neighborhood, fire ants! Sure is hot out today! “There’s always winners and losers, and it seems that some of the organisms that are doing well and may do well into the future are the venomous species,” says Isabelle… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2F3tTIe"

I’m here to quell your health concerns: staring at a screen doesn’t damage your eyes. They won’t make you go blind, and your doctor isn’t going to worry about your health if he or she hears that you’re spending a lot of time in front of them. However, you might feel uncomfortable after a long time in front of a backlight, and you might even experience the symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome, a fancy name for the eye strain and discomfort monitors can cause. You could try adjusting your entire monitor and desk setup to remedy your pain, or you could use moistening eyedrops. The 20-20-20 rule also exists, which dictates that after 20 minutes of screen staring, you should stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Take a break. Those... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2Ja697K"

DIY Without hurting yourself more than your opponent. Understanding how to throw a punch—before you go all John Wayne on a bad guy—will prevent you from hurting yourself more than whatever you’re swinging at. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2K2Ggba"

To your health! Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qOABwN"

Environment Light pollution makes it hard for many people to appreciate the stars. The Lyrids are one of the year’s most impressive displays of shooting stars, and though most Americans can stand outside and spot a few streaks, the vast majority won’t… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2HMsoRB"

AT&T has steadily improved its prepaid phone plans over the past few years, and today, it’s making a few more additions and improvements. The highlight is a new 8GB plan that costs $50 per month, but comes down to $40 per month if you enroll in automatic monthly payments to renew service. While that might not be possible for all customers, it’s not a huge ask since many people will be using the service as a regular, monthly plan anyway. The new 8GB plan more or less replaces the 6GB plan that AT&T used to sell for $45 ($40 with auto pay), though customers will still be able to get it in stores if they want. As long as you’re getting the discount though, there’s no reason not to upgrade, since the new plan has an extra 2GB of data and no... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qLoBgh"

Apple’s efforts to diversify its reliance on Samsung as an iPhone display manufacturer has reportedly hit problems. The Wall Street Journal reports that efforts to get LG Display’s OLED screens into the iPhone production line have hit manufacturing issues. Apple is reportedly divided on whether LG will be able to succeed as the second source of OLED displays for the iPhone. Analysts have been warning for months that Apple is i n “urgent” need of finding another iPhone OLED supplier besides Samsung. Apple currently uses Samsung’s OLED displays for the company’s iPhone X model. The reliance on a single supplier means Samsung controls pricing on the displays that Apple is buying — and there’s no other alternative at the moment. LG returned... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2F2RdWx"

Sharp just put a price tag and European delivery date on its 70-inch 8K television already out in Japan and China: €11,199, sometime before April is done. That’s a month later than Sharp had originally scheduled. For what it’s worth, the European price for Sharp’s LV-70X500E television translates to about $13,800 (including tax). But so far, Sharp isn’t including the US of A in its 8K TV plans. Sharp 8K TV launches end of April, 11,119€ 8k cams are out there & there is upscaling. If you want bigger screens, 8k is the way to go #IFA18GPC pic.twitter.com/FJxD0sE9ef — Nicole Scott (@Nicole_Scooter) April 20, 2018 Of course, you’ll need to stop and ask yourself if the premium you’ll pay for an 8K TV in 2018 is a smart use of your trust... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HiecPg"

I’ve never been to Panama, but apparently its rainy season runs from May to December. If you’re a PC gamer that happens to be planning a trip there sometime later this year, then, does Alienware ever have the accommodation for you. Room 2425 at the Hilton Panama has a nice view of the beaches that you won’t be spending any time on, alongside a 65-inch 4K OLED TV, an Alienware PC with a Core i7-7800 and a GTX 1080Ti, Xbox One Elite controllers, an Oculus Rift, an Alienware laptop hooked up to a 34-inch ultra wide monitor, a racing chair, interactive lighting, and some weird beanbag thing with an Alienware logo on it. And two beds. Echale un vistazo al #Alienware Room en el Hotel @HiltonPanama ¡El primero de su tipo! p... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2F1ZaeR"