Geek News

Remember how Amazon and Microsoft unveiled a team-up that would let Alexa and Cortana talk to each other by the end of 2017? As you might have noticed, that didn't quite work out as planned. Thurrott has pointed out that the voice assistant crossover still isn't available as 2018 begins. It's not clear why, either. Both Amazon and Microsoft have said that they expect to say more "soon," but that's no guarantee of news at CES or another imminent event. The team-up promises to greatly simplify voice control in the home. You could issue commands to an Echo speaker that take advantage of Cortana's access to Office- and Windows-specific features, while you could use Cortana to access the many, many skills Alexa offers. In short: instead of having to remember which AI helper to use at any given moment, you could settle on one. It's also a defensive measure. Both Amazon and Microsoft have to worry about competing platforms. Google is the most direct t...

Apple is no stranger to acquisitions. Back in 2014, it bought the company behind TestFlight , a system that lets iOS developers get their app out to tens of thousands of beta testers ahead of launch. Now the company has purchased Buddybuild , a company that helps app developers test and manage their apps on the iOS platform. The startup says that it has joined Apple's Xcode engineering group and is accepting no new customers, though the service will remain available to existing ones. The free starter plans and Android customers will lose access as of March 1st of this year. Apple confirmed the acquisition to TechCrunch , as well. Buddybuild will remain in the same offices for now. "We've always been proud to be a Canadian company, so we're also pleased that we will be staying right here in Vancouver — a hotbed of developer and engineering talent," the team wrote on its announcement blog post . Via: TechCrunch via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2CfPK...

LG's TVs have taken home our Best of CES Award for three years running and in 2018 it's ready to take on all comers once again . As with all home electronics of the current era, the company's new TVs are AI-ready with its ThinQ technology , but you'll probably be more interested in their support for third-party smart home services like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The top of the line OLED TVs will have its new "Alpha 9" processor inside that's not only powerful enough for AI, but also ready to push video at high frame-rates of up to 120FPS. The chip also claims better color performance and "four-step process of noise reduction" although we'll be interested to see if it can be disabled to avoid any artifacts or motion-smoothing type impact on picture quality. There's no word yet on the OLED display prices, but if you'd rather stick to LCD technology that will likely be cheaper, LG's Super UHD lineup will have a similar Al...

You knew Kinect peripherals weren't long for this world when Microsoft stopped producing the Kinect in October, but it's still a sad day. The company has stopped making the Xbox Kinect Adapter that lets Xbox One S , Xbox One X and Windows PC users attach the depth-sensing camera without the presence of the original Xbox One's proprietary port. Microsoft wants to focus its efforts on "higher fan-requested gaming accessories," a spokesperson told Polygon . In short: there wasn't exactly rampant demand for an adapter to support a peripheral that had effectively been declared dead. As it stands, many of those who wanted the adapter already have it. Microsoft gave the adapter away for free for 8 months after the launch of the Xbox One S, and started selling it in April for $40. And if it wasn't already clear that you had to hurry to get one, major retailers like Amazon and Microsoft itself have listed the adapter as out of stock for months. This still c...

A supermassive black hole can mass more than a million times that of our Sun; these astronomical entities seem to lie at the center of all massive galaxies. They've been theorized as the gatekeepers to galaxy growth and star formation for a while now, as they pull in all the cold gases in a galaxy that can be used to make more stars. A new study from a team at the University of California Santa Cruz shows a relationship between the gas cooling rate (or quenching) of galaxies with the size of their black holes. The researchers measured the different wavelengths of light coming from nearby massive galaxies with data from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Massive Galaxy Survey. This allowed the team, led by Ignacio Martín-Navarro, to create a historical snapshot of the gas cooling rate of the early Universe. Comparing galaxies and their rate of new star formation, the team found that the quenching in any given galaxy is more efficient, and thus takes place earlier, in galaxies that cont...

Airbnb may have just dodged a bullet. A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled against major American landlord Apartment Investment & Management Co (AIMCO) in its lawsuit accusing Airbnb of helping tenants violate their lease agreements through unapproved short-term rentals. The judge determined that Airbnb was protected by the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet services against liability for the content posted by their users. It's the tenants that are responsible for the rule-breaking listings, the court said, not Airbnb for hosting them. AIMCO sued Airbnb in 2017 after some of its tenants in upscale LA apartments complained about Airbnb tourists making noise, damaging property and putting residents at risk. It hoped to bar Airbnb from listing any of its properties. Airbnb already has terms of service that requires rental hosts to obey lease agreements and local laws, but that clearly hasn't stopped some customers. Airbnb is unsurprisingly happy with th...

The Canadian government is partnering with AI firm Advanced Symbolics to try to predict rises in regional suicide risk by monitoring social media posts. Advanced Symbolics will analyze posts from 160,000 social media accounts and will look for suicide trends. The company aims to be able to predict which areas of Canada might see an increase in suicidal behavior, which according to the contract document includes "ideation (i.e., thoughts), behaviors (i.e., suicide attempts, self-harm, suicide) and communications (i.e., suicidal threats, plans)." With that knowledge, the Canadian government could make sure more mental health resources are in the right places when needed. Canada isn't the only one turning to technology in order to provide better support for those considering suicide or to prevent suicides from happening. In November, Facebook began a global rollout of its AI suicide prevention tools that reach out to users who post content that could be a sign of suic...

Spotify is no stranger to facing lawsuits accusing it of offering unlicensed songs , but the latest could prove to be very costly. Hollywood Reporter has learned that Wixen Music Publishing, which manages the song composition rights for artists ranging from Neil Young to Zach de la Rocha, has sued Spotify for copyright damages of at least $1.6 billion. Wixen claims that the streaming service is using tens of thousands of songs without proper licenses and the compensation to match. The plaintiff had already objected to proposed $43 million settlement in another case in May, so this wasn't coming entirely out of the blue. We've asked Spotify for comment. However, it hasn't been sitting idle. The company has questioned whether or not Wixen actually has permission from its artists. It may be allowed to negotiate on behalf of musicians, but that doesn't mean it's allowed to sue on their behalf. Spotify could also try an argument it has used in another lawsuit, wh...

As we close out one year and welcome another, Amazon has a few stats for us to better reflect on how we spent 2017 -- evidently by sending each other a colossal volume of stuff. The company announced today that Prime members shipped over 5 billion items using the service this year. The company announced the statistic today along with a few notes trumpeting Amazon products. Notably, among all manufacturers and categories, the Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot were the best-selling products purchased by Prime members in the US. Shocking nobody, the trendy Instant Pot was the most gifted item on Amazon's Wedding Registry, as well as the most Wish Listed item; Accordingly, the Instant Pot Cookbook was the book Prime members gifted all year. Amazon spent 2017 building out Prime's non-shipping features, too, like reserving early film screenings for members. It also added more content to its video service, which has at least won some critical notice, snagging three Golden Globe nomi...

Just how much money do tech companies shelter from taxes ? Quite a lot, according to the Dutch. Newly published Netherlands regulatory filings show that Google shielded €15.9 billion (about $19.2 billion) in 2016 using the popular "Dutch Sandwich" tax trick, saving it about $3.7 billion in taxes. The maneuver involves shifting revenue from an Irish subsidiary to a Dutch firm with no staff, and promptly moving the funds to a Bermuda mailbox owned by another Ireland-listed company. And this practice isn't slowing down -- Google moved 7 percent more cash through this approach in 2016 than it did a year earlier. Google defended the practice in a statement to Bloomberg , reiterating its position that it "pay[s] all of the taxes due and [complies] with the tax laws in every country we operate in around the world." The statement is technically accurate, as it's honoring local laws. However, the statement sidesteps the main concern: that companies like Google,...

Last week, CNBC reported that Amazon had big plans for its online ad business in 2018 and was looking into moving its advertisements beyond its own sites and products. Now it appears that Amazon is also interested in placing more ads on Alexa, according to CNBC sources . The company has reportedly been talking to major retailers like Procter & Gamble and Clorox and has been sussing out whether potential clients would be willing to pay to have their products placed higher in user searches done via Echo devices. There are apparently a number of promotional options on the table right now and CNBC says a few are already being tested. For example, users who previously bought Clorox product Pine-Sol may get an Alexa suggestion to buy another Clorox product, such as disinfecting wipes. Another ad option might be to have Alexa suggest a certain brand's products when a user asks the virtual assistant for help cleaning a particular mess. Amazon's rules currently limit what ki...

Mobile gaming has come a long way. Over the past few years we've gone from simple distractions like Snake , Words With Friends and Doodle Jump to full-on narrative experiences crafted specifically for Android and iOS devices. What's more, at least a few traditional console game developers have shifted entirely to mobile at this point, and, in a bit of a reversal, they've ported their games to consoles. By 2012, game-design toolsets like Unity and Unreal made a charming indie designed for mobile devices indistinguishable from one you'd play on a PlayStation or Xbox. As such, for the purposes of this list, we're focusing on games that have been released within the past five years. Console ports While it's impressive that Rockstar Games fit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas onto mobile phones, you'll need a gamepad to get the best experience. There are plenty of those available, sure, but chances are you won't have one on you while you're waiting...

Rideshare company Lyft is has been working to make autonomous cars a reality lately. The company's pilot in Boston recently launched , thanks to a partnership with nuTonomy . Now Lyft has extended its partnership to nuTonomy's parent company Aptiv, to give rides to folks attending the Computer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 9th through the 12th. Attendees won't be able to grab a self-driving car to anywhere in Vegas, of course; this is still a point to point affair with more than 20 pre-defined routes and destinations. Aptiv will provide the automated driving vehicles while Lyft will take on the dispatch. The idea is to show how Aptiv's technology can deal with complicated driving environments. Last year, the two companies offered rides on a simple 6.3 mile loop of city streets and highways. The rides during this year's CES can be requested from the Las Vegas Convention Center's Gold Lot, and they'll get an "informative exhibit...

Samsung is making a tradition out of unveiling C-Lab projects at major trade shows , and CES 2018 is no exception. The tech giant is introducing a trio of experiments, starting with its unique S-Ray speaker (above). The makes directional audio portable -- you can listen to your tunes anywhere you go without the potential discomfort of headphones or subjecting everyone to your musical tastes. Samsung is teasing multiple models, including a smartphone cover and a neck-worn speaker that comes across as a less intrusive version of LG's Tone Studio . The other two projects are health-oriented. The Relumino smart glasses turn Samsung's earlier Gear VR visual aid into dedicated eyewear. Pair the glasses with a smartphone and they'll translate video from a built-in camera into easier-to-see pictures on their display. They can filter or invert colors, increase clarity and eliminate blind spots without requiring bulky headgear. Samsung hopes this could let those with poor eyes...

Last year, Twitter trumpeted that it scored the rights to livestream the Golden Globes...pre-ceremony red carpet show. You know, where all those nicely-dressed celebrities are asked pressing questions about things, and they answer, and the interviewer coos at their success/struggles/relationship/divorce/look. Well, you can still see that online this year, but you'll have to go to that other social media dumpster to watch it: Facebook snagged the livestreaming rights to the Golden Globes red carpet pre-show this Sunday, January 7th. The pre-show will air live on the official Golden Globes' Facebook page from 6pm to 8pm ET and feature additional content, like 360-degree videos. More stuff will be uploaded to @goldenglobes on Instagram, while the service's @Instagram account will have stories hosted by red carpet host Laura Marano. It wouldn't be a surprise if having both platforms handy to post content swung the livestreaming bid in Facebook's favor over Twitter....

EA and Ghost Games know Need for Speed: Payback got a rather cold reception on launch, and they're continuing to rehabilitate its image -- in this case, by bringing back a feature from the previous game. The creators have revealed that they're adding an online free roaming mode to the game sometime in 2018, echoing a feature from the 2015 Need for Speed release . You can technically roam around now while waiting for a lobby to fill up, but this should let you drive to your heart's content. The feature will be free for everyone, the team said . It's not certain if this was always in the cards or an after-the-fact addition. However, it is an acknowledgment that dropping a major online feature of the previous game probably wasn't the greatest idea. NFS games aren't typically known for deep, thought-provoking single-player storylines, so Payback only had so much to do if you'd finished (or just didn't care for) its solo mode. While this isn't ...

YouTube star Logan Paul is facing major backlash over a video he recently posted on his YouTube channel. In it, he and a few of his friends who are traveling through Japan enter the Aokigahara forest near Mount Fuji claiming to be documenting the "haunted aspect of the forest," as Paul says in the video. But the forest is well known for being a place where many people go to commit suicide. While in the forest, Paul's group comes across a body and not only does the video show the body (with the face blurred out), Paul and his friends are shown laughing and making jokes. Once outside of the forest, Paul says to the camera that his jokes aren't a reflection of how he feels but are a coping mechanism and he comments that suicide, depression and mental illnesses are not a joke. Logan Paul and his friends laughing and smiling after discovering a dead body http://pic.twitter.com/azY7EAiuC4 — JhbTeam (@JhbTeam) January 2, 2018 The video has since been removed, but Pa...

Fans of Netflix's take on Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events , rejoice: The show's second season will be available on March 30th. The streaming service dropped a trailer teasing the next batch of episodes fronted by Neil Patrick Harris' menacing and dentally-challenged Count Olaf. Okay, that didn't tell us much (aside from hints for eagle-eyed fans of the books). But we do know that nerd icon Nathan Fillion and Arrested Development and Veep 's Tony Hale will show up among several other guest stars, according to Deadline . And, of course, we'll see a return of NPH and the inimitable Patrick Warburton as Snicket himself. The second season will cover books five through nine, while a theoretical (aka still unconfirmed) third season would adapt the final four novels. Via: Deadline Source: Netflix (YouTube) via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2DRw01x"

Apple now has $29 iPhone battery replacements available as an apology for its approach to handset slowdowns . But do you need to wait until your iPhone actually slows down before paying for a fresh power pack? Apparently not. MacRumors has confirmed an iGeneration report that Apple will replace the batteries on iPhone 6 or newer models whether or not they pass the usual diagnostic test (which recommends a replacement if the battery falls below 80 percent of its original capacity). In other words, you can go ahead if your phone just isn't lasting as long as it used to. Some iPhone owners who jumped on the replacement program during its initial weekend had been denied fresh batteries, since their power packs were otherwise healthy. They shouldn't have a problem throughout the rest of the discount period, which ends in December. The no-strings-attached gesture is clearly part of Apple's mea culpa : you can get a fresh power pack if you're even slightly worried. A...