Geek News

Last year, Amsterdam limited Airbnb rentals to no more than 60 days in a calendar year but that is about to be halved according to a report from DutchNews.nl . The city's executive board agreed to the proposed shortened limit today and housing alderman Laurens Ivens said, "I recognize that reducing the length of time is not the solution to city congestion but it will reduce the problems caused by tourists in some areas and will make it less inviting to use your home as a way to earn money." Amsterdam isn't the only city to impose rental limits on Airbnb hosts. London set a 90-day limit last year and Paris has set a maximum of 120 days per year. New York state has had a long-standing law against short term rentals, making any rental less than 30 days illegal. And in 2016 it took that a step further, declaring ads for short term rentals , like those posted on Airbnb, Kayak and others, also illegal. New York has butted heads with Airbnb a few times, as has San Fr...

You don't need an elaborate crime ring (or a government agency ) to write malware that spies on others -- sometimes, just one person can be responsible. The US Department of Justice has charged Ohio resident Philip Durachinsky with 16 crimes for allegedly writing malware, nicknamed "Fruitfly," that gave him unfettered access to the PCs of "thousands" of individuals and institutions between 2003 and January 2017. Reportedly, he not only stole sensitive data to use for fraud and blackmail (such as logins, embarrassing chats and medical records) but took screenshots, logged keystrokes and spied on people through their webcams. The DOJ also alleged that Durachinsky used victims' PCs as a kind of malicious search engine. Fruitfly would alert him when users typed in words associated with porn, helping him save "millions" of images and take "detailed notes." The charges (which mostly cover violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and ...

After facing backlash for remaining tight-lipped over Logan Paul's controversial Aokigahara forest video, YouTube has finally spoken. The company has limited the social media star's ability to earn money from its platform, starting by cancelling his lucrative Google Preferred ad deal. Google's Preferred program allows brands to publish ads in the videos of the top five percent creators on YouTube. So while Paul can still monetize his videos, he won't be earning the same money per click like he used to. In addition, YouTube has also put Paul's original projects for its ad-free streaming service on hold, including the sequel to his dystopian sci-fi film The Thinning. It was supposed to launch on YouTube Red later this year, but now it's unclear whether it will ever be released. His character's fate in Red comedy Foursome also remains unclear, since YouTube has chosen not to feature him in season four. Paul was heavily criticized for posting a video sh...

If you're a regular Amazon shopper, you're probably aware of the virtual Dash buttons on the site's homepage. The site will auto-generate buttons that allow you to re-buy your most recently purchased items with one click. You can also create your own Dash buttons. Today, Amazon announced the Virtual Dash Button Service (VDBS) , a developer kit that will allow third parties to create Dash buttons and display them inside their own devices with screens. Amazon also announced that new companies have joined Dash Replenishment. The program measures the supply and use of consumables; when you're running out, it will automatically reorder more of whatever it is you're using. HP is now developing printers that automatically reorder ink, while 3M is working on air filters that can order their own replacements. Kenmore's new line of appliances will automatically reorder supplies, such as air filters and laundry detergent, while illy's new coffee maker (that is now ...

Senator John Thune, chair of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has sent Apple CEO Tim Cook a letter with questions about the company's decision to slow older models of iPhones, Reuters reports. In December, Apple admitted to slowing older iPhones in order to prevent spontaneous shutdowns and later reduced its battery replacement price to $29 as way of apology for its lack of transparency. According to Reuters , Thune's letter asked if the company had considered the possibility of free battery replacements or rebates for those who had replaced them prior to when the reduced cost was put into place. He also asked if Apple had notified customers of the slowdowns and if there had been similar strategies used with older iPhones. Apple has faced quite a bit of backlash over the slowdowns. French officials opened an investigation into the practice this week and dozens of class-action complaints have been filed against the company in the US. In his letter, Thu...

A quick trip to Asus' off-site location at CES 2018 revealed routers, gaming PCs, the NVIDIA Big Format Gaming Display and its new bezel-hiding kit . That last one helps gamers (or productivity hounds seeking an edge) to link monitors together, while also using optics to hide the seam where each bezel meets. There are no filters, software or effects at play here -- it's simply an optical device that refracts light around the monitors' plastic edges. So how well does it work in practice? That depends on your expectations. It's in no way a competitor for the seamless bliss of extreme widescreen curved monitors that can truly envelop gamers in another world. But, it does hide the seam and, with time, could eventually fade into the background of many games. The blurry lines where the monitors meet aren't that much worse than a car's A-pillar, however, at first, they stick out considerably. We'd need an extended play session to figure out if they remain no...

I just picked up a Vivo phone , laid my thumb on its screen and voila: I unlocked it. That might not sound like much, but titans like Apple and Samsung have reportedly struggled to squeeze fingerprint sensors beneath their own displays. And yet here I am, with a prototype phone from a company most have never heard of, touching a finger to glass and watching a phone come to life. What's really impressive is how conceptually elegant this setup is. The whole thing is made possible by a Synaptic CMOS sensor -- which is basically just a very tiny camera -- laminated to the back of an OLED panel. (LCDs are a no-go because of their backlights.) The light from the OLED display itself illuminates your fingerprint, which the sensor "sees" and checks against the print stored on the phone. Of course, none of this will matter to the people who actually try it. Aside from the fact that you can't actually see the sensor, it works just like you'd expect it to. That's not...

Apple's Mac password troubles aren't over yet. Users have discovered that it's possible to change Mac App Store preferences in macOS High Sierra using any password. You do need to login as an administrator, which is supposed to unlock preferences, but you're allowed to use any password you like if the preference is locked and you need to get access again. Other sections still require a correct password. We've asked Apple for comment on the apparent bug and will let you know if it can provide a response, although we've learned that this shouldn't expose users and that it should be fixed with the upcoming macOS 10.13.3 update (the fix is already present in the beta). It's not going to be a serious issue when an intruder needs admin-level access, but it could be a concern if an attacker already has those privileges. They could loosen your password restrictions for downloads (say, to go on a shopping spree without your consent) or force automatic upda...

After a tease at the end of 2017, JVCKenwood has spilled the beans on its head units (yes, plural) with wireless Android Auto support. Its core JVC brand has unveiled two models, the DVD-equipped KW-V940BW and disc-free KW-M845BW, that let you keep your Android phone in your pocket while using its in-car interface on your center stack. They also support Apple CarPlay, as the image above suggests, aas well as JVC's WebLink (for controlling apps like Waze, YouTube and Yelp). Music fans can control Spotify, iHeartRadio and Pandora directly from the receiver or stream music from up to five phones with a "DJ" feature. Both models have relatively basic resistive (pressure-based) 6.8-inch touchscreens, four 50W outputs (or three 4V pre-amp outputs) and one backup camera input, although this keeps the prices relatively low: the V940BW sells for $700, while ditching DVD lowers the M845BW's price to $600. If you want to splurge, the company's Kenwood brand is offering ...

For the Perfect Strangedroids discussion panel on Wednesday, Engadget hosted a trio of robotics experts.. Sabri Sansoy, CEO and Chief Roboticist of Orchanic; Nader Hamda, Founder and CEO of Ozobot; and Stu Lipoff, IEEE Life Fellow and President of IP Action Partners all took the Engadget stage at CES 2018 with senior editor Andrew Tarantola moderating. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2DjSuJB"

Vortx is ridiculous. It's a cube that you place on your desk, next to your PC or laptop, and it blows hot or cold air in your face, depending on what's happening on-screen. The air responds dynamically to the action: If you're running through the fiery hellscape of Doom , the fan blows hot and fast, but if you're watching a YouTube video about climbing Mount Everest, it shoots out gusts of frigid air. So, yes, it's ridiculous -- but it's also really cool in action. Developers don't need to add any special software to their games or videos for Vortx to work. Its Environment Experience algorithms read the on-screen action all on their own, meaning Vortx syncs automatically with major games like Destiny or Overwatch , or any YouTube video. Founder Timothy Sun says there's a lot going on in an experience like Overwatch , so Vortx can't respond to every single detail, but it still definitely works with that game. Vortx is available for pre-order now...

On the first official morning of CES, Carol Staninger stopped and started her motorized wheelchair through the cavernous Sands Expo and Convention Center, trying -- sometimes failing -- not to clip the herd of eager attendees who overlooked the octogenarian at chest height. A service elevator took Staninger, with gray hair, a pale-yellow jumper and silver brooch, to the show floor. She politely received a flyer from an over-perfumed woman representing a French shoe company. She consulted her flip phone to find the rest of the team. And eventually, Staninger arrived at her booth in the trade show's startup section, opposite an electric-skateboard showcase and a Korean company selling iPhone cases with embedded stun guns. "I have arrived," she said to her team. More than 170,000 people from 150 countries are at this year's CES, but it's rare to see an 82-year-old startup entrepreneur. For Staninger, president of Ancer LLC -- a blend of her name and her two chil...

It's been just short of a year since I locked eyes with Harmony, RealDoll's first sex robot , at her home in Southern California. It was an arresting experience that has remained cemented in memory. In that moment, I suddenly understood the uncanny valley, a theory posited by roboticist Masahiro Mori, nearly half a century prior. It attempts to explain the feeling of revulsion and eeriness that human onlookers experience when they encounter an artificial life-form that appears nearly, but not quite human. Today, she's ventured out of the dimly lit R&D room at Abyss Creations to meet me at CES. On the eve of her debut, Harmony has ventured to the hotbed of consumer electronics with a new face, an updated AI and a few new friends. When I first met Matt McMullen, Harmony's creator and human chaperone, he planned to launch what I've called the world's first commercially viable sex robot in late 2017. Harmony's AI would be customizable via an accompanying...

The Onewheel has always been an exhilarating ride. When you step onto the board and lean down on the nose, there's a rush of adrenaline as you wait for the electric motor to kick into gear. You are, for a split-second, trusting that the board will carry you forward and build the momentum necessary to keep you upright. Just carving is joyous, too, as you lean on the heel or toe edge to guide the board left or right. As an extreme sports plaything, it's a unique and immediately joyous experience. But as a serious mode of urban transportation? That's a tougher sell. Earlier this week, Future Motion announced the Onewheel+ XR. It's a successor to the Onewheel+ (which I thoroughly enjoyed riding last year) that doubles the range to somewhere between 12 and 18 miles. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test these claims during a test ride in the Las Vegas Convention Center car park (a rundown test would have taken a fair number of hours, not to mention a huge stretch of fr...

Taking in imaginary worlds or a gripping immersive video via VR can elicit strong reactions, and a startup called Looxid Labs wants to know how your brain reacts to all of it. To that end, it built the unimaginatively-named LooxidVR system, a phone-based VR headset that packs two eye-tracking cameras and six EEG brainwave sensors. Now, I know what you're thinking: there's no content out there making use of this kind of data. It's not hard to imagine potential experiences, though, like a game that modifies its own difficulty based on your stress reactions or a VR video that with narrative paths that branch in response to your brain's whims. All of that is theoretically possible, but that's not the big picture Looxid is concerned about. The team is more focused on turning LooxidVR into a research tool with powerful implications for business and health. That latter industry is easily the most interesting, particularly since LooxidVR seems like a potentially grea...

It's difficult spinning up a car company basically out of thin air. Byton is not only trying to accomplish that, but it's going against over 100 years of automotive history by highlighting the the car's interior over the horsepower and handling. Yes, other luxury automakers also tout the poshness of their interiors, but Byton has decided to go even further: It hopes to lure customers with an SUV it refers to as a " smart device ." You know, like your phone. The centerpiece of this plan is the massive 49-inch Shared Experience Display (SED, for short). Nothing else the Byton Concept offers either inside or out demands your attention like that giant screen. It's the center of the company's entire business plan to create a "smart intuitive vehicle." Naturally, I wanted to see if it's worth the hype. Initially, the demo of the car also involved actually being driven around in it. Journalists are typically not trusted behind the wheels of mul...

When Panasonic announced the GH5s earlier this week , it was clear that the company created it with one simple goal in mind: to be the best 4K prosumer video camera on the market. The GH5s is being billed as the ultimate low-light shooter and a direct competitor to the king of the category, Sony's A7S II . One of the most notable features of the new camera is its 10.2-megapixel dual ISO, multi-aspect sensor, which is half the resolution of Panasonic's 20.2-megapixel GH5. But while the GH5s may shoot at a lower res than its flagship sibling, Panasonic says that actually helps the chip handle low-light sensitivity much better. The GH5s can handle up to 51,200 native ISO and 204,800 extended, though you should probably stay around the 25,600 mark if you want to get the crispiest night shots. And since this is designed to be a video camera first and foremost, there's support for Cinema 4K (4,096 x 2,160) at up to 60fps (with a full sensor readout), 10-bit HDR and up to 240fp...

We met Reflexion and its Edge screen last year , and even then we were pretty taken with the idea: a Whac-A-Mole-style test for athletes that improves coordination and helps spot concussions after a big hit? It's uniquely odd, but valuable nonetheless. This year, the team is back with an essentially final version of its 6-foot long display, and it has one crucial trick its predecessor didn't: you can fold it up and squeeze it into a backpack, perfect for high school coaches who need to lug these things to games. The Edge has the added benefit of being a little fun: you're meant to stand in front of the big capacitive screen and touch lights that pop up as quickly and as accurately as possible. Writers aren't usually known for their prowess at sports, and a quick test confirmed that I'd be a lousy football player. As it turns out, I have great peripheral vision and I'm roughly as good at hitting targets with my left hand as I am with my right. (As a life-long ...

We've announced our Best of CES finalists so now it's time for you to cast your vote for your favorite gadget at CES 2018! Just head over here (or below) to pick your three favorite items from our pool of finalists. You have until 6 PM ET tomorrow, January 11th, to get your votes in. Pick your 3 favorite gadgets from CES 2018 Pick your 3 favorite gadgets from CES 2018 Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2AN4RuV"