Geek News

As the Winter Olympics continue (expect plenty of speedskating, bobsled, hockey and freestyle skiing), we're ready for the return of The Walking Dead . There's also a new Metal Gear game out, Survive , and Thor: Ragnarok is ready for streaming from most video on-demand services if you need another hit of the MCU after Black Panther . Star Wars Rebels is back on Disney XD, and BET is airing a miniseries about the Death Row record label. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed). Blu-ray & Games & Streaming Thor: Ragnarok (VOD) Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time Mom and Dad An Actor's Revenge (Criterion) The Hero (Criterion) The Station (PC, PS4, Xbox One) Old Man's Journey (Switch) Run Dorothy Run (PS4) Tiles (PS4, Xbox One) Symmetry (PS4, Xbox One) Deadbolt (PS4) Metal Gear Survive (PC, PS4, Xbox One) Armored Warfare (PS4) Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet (Xbox...

Sony definitely isn't the first name you think of when you're looking for a ride, but that might change soon in its native Japan. Nikkei has learned that the tech heavyweight is leading an alliance of taxi companies (Checker Cab, Daiwa Motor Transportation, Green Cab, Hinomaru Kotsu and Kokusai Motorcars) in the creation of an AI-powered hailing platform. The algorithmic system would dispatch taxis more effectively by studying a host of conditions like traffic, weather and events. It might send a horde of drivers near the end of a concert, for instance. There's no word on when this would be ready, or whether Sony hopes to offer the service outside of Japan. It may seem odd for Sony to chase after cabs when ridesharing services like Uber are quickly taking hold, but it doesn't have much choice. Japan has a ban on using private cars for ride hailing services, which largely kills the ridesharing business model. This gives Sony a toehold in the transportation world wi...

Google keeps making the web easier to use with its Chrome browser, from filtering ads on the desktop to getting rid of pop-ups and redirects on Android. The company just made sharing messy URLs nicer, too, thanks to the latest version of Chrome on mobile, v64 . Now when you grab a long, complicated web address, Chrome will trim off the unnecessary bits from the end. That way, you won't muck up a chat with a whole bunch of personal tracking info at the end of an Amazon link, for example. To get the new streamlined URL feature, you'll need to use the Chrome Share menu, accessed via the three vertical dots at the top of your browser screen. Some links need the extra info to get you to the right position on a given page, though. If that's the case, you can still copy URLs manually to share with your buddies. Via: Android Police Source: Google Play via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2GsVy6E"

Amazon's latest Prime Video production won't just rely on star power to reel you in -- it should also appeal to science fans. The internet giant is teaming with France's Studiocanal on Radioactive , a biopic covering the work and romance of pioneering radioactivity scientist Marie Curie (and by extension, Pierre Curie). Produced by Persepolis ' Marjane Satrapi, it's the adaptation of Lauren Redniss' graphic novel Radioactive and will star Gone Girl 's Rosamund Pike. The star of the show may be the science itself, however. Satrapi notes that Radioactive will explore the discovery of radioactivity, including the Curies' "humanist" approach and the long-term consequences (both good and bad) of exploiting its behavior. It might follow the path of movies like The Imitation Game , where science and technology are more than just backdrops for a typical drama. Studiocanal will distribute the movie in Australia, France, Germany and New Zealand,...

PlayStation VR's adorable murine tale Moss finally has a release date . Next Tuesday, February 27th, you'll be able to guide the big-eared rodent Quill along her adventure on your PlayStation 4 . When it debuted at E3 last year, developer Polyarc (made up, in part, of former Bungie and Rockstar Games alums) promised the mouse-scale adventure would be out by holiday, but the game was delayed until this spring. If you're curious how it'll play before you drop hard-earned cash, there's a demo version available as part of the free PSVR demo disc on the PlayStation Network Store. Need more convincing? Maybe the new trailer below will do the trick. Source: PlayStation Blog via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2EEb2nC"

Weeks ago, Snap opened up an in-app Snapchat store to sell merch, which appeared to be an attempt to open up a new revenue stream. But it looks like it will offer more than just dancing hot dogs. During yesterday's NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles, Snap held a concert that doubled as a sneaker drop for yet-unreleased Jordans. Technically, fans couldn't buy the shoes on site -- they had to scan a QR code that then allowed them to purchase a pair of the AJ III Tinkers, which are slated to go on sale March 24th in Snapchat's merch store. Sneakerheads are used to using apps to pick up shoes, so it makes some sense to lure them into using the in-app storefront. But it's also a hint that Snap likely has more planned than just hot dog merch -- and will probably roll the product releases in with other events that combine ephemeral events with e-commerce. And maybe also have a Snapchat filter tie-in, like so: Introducing A/R Jordan. That iconic '88 dunk like you...

Toy drones have been cheap and plentiful over the past few years, but it's really hard for new products to stand out from the pack when they need to keep the price down and can't throw in premium features like a 4K camera . But that hasn't stopped Spin Master from trying new things with its Air Hogs line: At this week's Toy Fair , the company is debuting its first motion-controlled model, the Supernova. It's not quite DJI's Mavic Air , but it's still got some sweet moves to show off in a more kid-friendly form factor. The Air Hogs Supernova is a small quadcopter uncased in a light, spherical plastic cage open enough to allow the propellers to lift the toy, but enclosed enough to keep small fingers away from the spinning blades. It's not entirely foolproof -- at least once when I grabbed the sphere my fingers sunk in a little deep and hit the blades. It hurt for a few minutes, but didn't leave any lasting damage. It's recommended for kids age...

It took a few days, but Apple already has a fix out for a bug that caused crashes on each of its platforms. The company pushed new versions of iOS, macOS and watchOS to fix the issue , which was caused when someone pasted in or received a single Indian-language character in select communications apps and Apple software like Note, Safari and the app store. Using a specific character in the Telugu language native to India was enough to crash a variety of chat apps, including iMessage, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook Messenger, Gmail and Outlook, though Telegram and Skype were seemingly immune. Developing... Source: Apple via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2FjjRER"

As a cranky, childless adult in her late thirties I've largely missed the boat on personal transportation trends like Razor scooters, Heelys and hoverboards . This year Razor manages to combine all of those things into its new Turbo Jetts e-skates: It's the sort of thing that your inner child will love, even as your adult self screams, "Get off my lawn!" The hard plastic skates go over your existing footwear, and will snap over shoe sizes youth 12 to adult 12. One of the skates has a removable lithium-ion battery , which you'll wear on your dominant foot. Neither skate is particularly heavy and, while not exactly petite, they're still small enough to be stowed away in a bag or backpack for a day at the playground or office. The battery lasts for about 30 minutes, though it's really dependent on the weight of the person wearing them: Smaller children might be able to squeeze a few more minutes out of them, while adults pushing the skates' max weigh...

This weekend, NASA's Opportunity rover spent its 5,000th day on Mars. While that is a feat in and of itself, it's even more impressive when you consider that it was only planned to last 90 Martian days, or sols. Both Opportunity and its companion rover Spirit were launched towards Mars in 2003, landing on two different parts of the planet in January 2004. Neither were expected to make it through Mars' harsh winter though, which lasts about twice as long as ours and is severely lacking in light, but NASA's team discovered that pointing the rovers towards the north and towards the sun was enough to keep them powered through the winter. Further, making sure the rovers were on north-facing slopes each winter helped to keep them going for years longer than they were ever intended to function. Spirit got stuck in the Martian soil in 2010, preventing it from pointing its solar panels towards the sun. And NASA eventually decided to let it go , ceasing all communications wi...

At this year's Toy Fair in New York, Hasbro announced HasLab , a new program that aims to bring to life special creations like a massive, four-foot long recreation of Jabba the Hutt's sail barge. The company is taking inspiration from platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, too: in order for the barge to become a real for-sale production item, Hasbro wants to gather 5,000 $499 pre-orders by midnight on April 3rd. If the project reaches its funding goal, Jabba's Sail Barge (or The Khetanna if you're a Star Wars geek) will come with a 64-page booklet with behind-the-scenes details, set photos, interviews and blueprints of the actual set piece in the film as well as production information on the toy. The barge also comes with a 3.75-inch scale Jabba the Hutt and soft cloth sails for the top of the sand boat. The barge itself is on display to media at the toy fair and looks even bigger than that GI Joe aircraft carrier that came out a while back. It's incredibly...

Mega Man fans were likely excited to hear that the next chapter in the venerable video game franchise, Mega Man 11 , is slated for a release sometime this year. At the same time, Capcom announced plans to release two new Mega Man Legacy Collection compilations. Now we've got a date for their release on Nintendo Switch: May 22, 2018. The first bundle brings the first six Mega Man games together, letting you shoot, slide and jump your way through the classic titles. Capcom also added a new save (almost) anywhere system so players can try tricky sections without having to worry about distant save points. In addition, there's a new rewind feature that lest you just back up a bit before a catastrophic mistake. Mega Man Legacy Collection also has a big gallery of concept art and box design, including the original Mega Man box art. There are songs from each game, too, and a challenge collection. Regular or golden Mega Man Amiibo toy owners will be able to access eleven extra fa...

The latest update to Chrome OS' Canary test channel should make multitasking on a Chromebook easier. Now, in addition to split-screening two native Chrome OS apps on your machine, you can run a Chrome OS app and an Android app side-by-side or two Android apps. It should be mentioned that Canary is pre-alpha software and isn't exactly stable, as 9to5 Google notes , so maybe don't try this out on your daily driver. This could be a sign that Chrome OS tablets and Chromebooks with detachable screens are en route. The video below from Chrome Unboxed , however, shows the feature running on a Samsung Chromebook Pro which suggests it'll work on existing convertibles too. Via: 9to5 Google Source: Chrome Unboxed via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2ocupOJ"

At this rate, there might not be much mystery left to the Galaxy S9 when Samsung reveals it on February 25th . WinFuture and Evan Blass have posted a flood of leaked images and details that appear to confirm key features of the S9, particularly its cameras. Sure enough, the larger (6.2-inch) S9 Plus should have dual 12-megapixel rear cams that will give it a clear hardware advantage over the 5.8-inch standard S9 -- your choice won't boil down to screen size like it did with the S8 . The WinFuture scoop also outlines the capabilities of those cameras. Much like the W2018 , the rear camera on the S9 (or main rear camera on the S9 Plus) should have the option to switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures depending on the shot you're aiming for. You could pick f/1.5 for low light or macro shots, or switch to f/2.4 when you want more of the scene in focus. The S9 Plus' secondary rear camera would be locked at f/2.4 and would be intended more for zoomed or portrait photos. ...

Alphabet's health science company Verily has announced a wide range of projects, from developing smart watches made for medical studies to mass-producing infected mosquitoes to curb their population. Scientists from the division have a new endeavor: Assessing heart disease risk by staring into patients' eyes. In a paper (PDF) published today in the Nature journal Biomedical Engineering , researchers explained their method: An AI algorithm evaluated eye scans and, after refining its model with machine learning, was able to predict cardiovascular risk factors like age, gender and blood pressure. This could lead to easier and potentially quicker analysis than a blood test with roughly the same accuracy as current methods., The study isn't without limitations, given that it only surveyed eye images with a 45-degree field of view. More research would resolve whether the model needs to be adjusted for larger or smaller photos, and a larger data set than what the researc...

That the $20 WyzeCam worked as well as it did is still kind of a surprise. It's no wonder then that the Amazon alums who created it have been working on a sequel: the WyzeCam v2 . It'll still cost $20 when it starts shipping at the end of February, but don't let yourself be fooled by its almost-unchanged design — version 2 packs a handful of handy extras. For one, there's an improved CMOS sensor inside that matte white body, which should help produce crisper images in your 1080p live feed — even when using the WyzeCam in night vision mode. Sound quality should be better too, thanks to a more powerful amplifier and an audio chip tweaked to better resist interference. The WyzeCam 2's real value, however, lies in its improved intelligence. Unlike the original, version 2 can highlight people and objects moving in front of the camera -- with the first model, you'd get a motion alert and have to sit through motion-triggered clips to figure out what was happening....

Twitch is temporarily putting the brakes on its new rules for hate speech, harassment and sexual material. The livestreaming service has postponed the enforcement of new rules from February 19th to March 5th in order to "better explain some sections" in the wake of feedback. The company hasn't explained just what those sections are (we've asked Twitch to elaborate), but there's a good chance it's addressing both streamers' oversight of their viewers as well as acceptable clothing. As Polygon explained , streamers like Forsen are worried that Twitch's call for a "good faith effort" to stop viewer-instigated harassment could put them on the hook for whatever fans do, no matter how little the streamer is involved. That's not likely what Twitch intended (this is mainly to prevent streamers from encouraging or willfully ignoring harassment), but the language doesn't explicitly state that. Likewise, some streamers have complained tha...

Samsung was awarded a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office last week for what it's calling a "flying display device." The patent, spotted by LetsGoDigital , was filed for in 2016 and describes a drone-like device with a screen that could be capable of streaming video, like, for example, broadcast television, but, as The Verge points out, it could also presumably be used as a hovering advertisement display. According to Samsung's patent, the flying screen would be supported by four propellers and could have features like voice recognition, a vibration system, an obstacle detection unit with a camera or a sensor as well as gyro, motion and accelerometer sensors. And the display could be a range of devices, including a tablet, a laptop or a mobile medical device. Additionally, the proposed design shows that the drone could be able to track a users' eyes, head or hands and would be able to be controlled based on movements of those parts. The system may...

The end of Microsoft's Windows Phone project has been a long time coming, and now there's another nail in the coffin. Microsoft is ending support for all push notifications for Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8.0 starting Tuesday, February 20th. According to Microsoft's blog post , in addition to the discontinuation of push notifications, live tiles will no longer be updated and the find my phone feature will not work. It's important to note that this doesn't apply to newer devices. "Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8.0 have reached their end of support dates, and thus services for these versions of Windows will be discontinued over time," according to the release. Windows 8.1 phones will continue to have notification services. Windows 10 Mobile phones are still fully supported, though Microsoft is no longer building new features for the platform because it's no longer a "focus." Via: The Verge Source: Microsoft via Engadget R...