Geek News

The US military's Project Maven is getting some help using AI to interpret drone footage from a not-entirely-unexpected source: Google. The company has confirmed a Gizmodo report that it's offering TensorFlow programming kits to the Defense Department as part of a pilot that helps Project Maven process the glut of drone footage quickly. Google stresses that the machine learning technology is involved in "non-offensive uses only," and that it's flagging material for "human review." This isn't helping with drone strikes, then, but it has still raised concerns inside Google's ranks. According to Gizmodo sources, some Google staffers were "outraged" that the company would contribute AI tech for drone operations. Others, meanwhile, said it prompted ethical questions about the subjects machine learning should cover. This doesn't involve killer robots , but it may be uncomfortably close for some. A tipster for The Verge added tha...

If you've donned a VR headset and immersed yourself in a proper virtual reality 'experience,' you might have seen chills, thrills, and...not too many people at once. Today, Intel released a demo showcasing a software solution to the crowd problem the company created with The Glimpse Group. The demo part of the Intel Arena Project, as it's named, situates the viewer in the middle of a big basketball stadium with 2,500 fans in the seats, most of which are individually rendered. Functionally it's a proof-of-concept to show such a population can be rendered in a VR experience, but the collaboration is also publicly releasing the software and process documentation to help creators build their own large-scale virtual reality scenes. Glimpse Group elaborated on the demo during an Unreal design event promoting the engine's new Datasmith feature, which was used in the Intel Arena Project. The demo itself is a bit of an ad showcasing the Intel hardware that was used to...

Google announced today that Gboard for Android is getting a handful of new languages including Korean and both traditional and simplified Chinese. The company said that those have been the most requested languages for Android -- they're already on Gboard for iOS -- and they join 20 others that are rolling out to Gboard for Android now. Gboard launched in 2016 and it now supports over 300 language varieties. You can check out a full list here . Google said that while a few of the newly added languages are some of the most widely-spoken, it's also working on including others like Manx, Maori and the Fulani alphabet Adlam that are not as well known. The new languages are rolling out worldwide and should be available within the next few days. Source: Google via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2G1Eypa"

Amazon hasn't had much of an answer to Netflix's numerous animated shows, but that should change in the near future -- and it's even 'borrowing' from Netflix in the process. The internet giant has ordered its first half-hour animated series, Undone , with BoJack Horseman alumni Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy at the helm. It'll also have the executive production work of BoJack 's Noel Bright and Steven Cohen, with A Scanner Darkly 's Tommy Pallotta rounding things out. The series will revolve around Alma (played by The Maze Runner 's Rosa Salazar, above), who discovers a "new relationship with time" after a near-fatal car crash and uses this to learn more about the truth behind her father's death. Life in Pieces ' Angelique Cabral is also signing on as Alma's sister. The show is characterized as a "dramedy," so you can expect a somewhat more serious tone than BoJack 's tale of a washed-up anthropomorphic h...

If you were a fan of the original God of War , then chances are you're pretty hyped about the reboot. If you're planning on playing the Sony-exclusive game but haven't picked up a PS4 yet, then you may want to check out the Limited Edition God of War PlayStation Pro bundle . This will launch on the game's release date, April 20th, and retail for $400 in the US and $500 in Canada. You can pre-order it now . The bundle will contain a customized PS4 Pro console, a matching Leviathan Gray DualShock wireless controller, a physical copy of the game and extra digital content. It's a good looking console, and it's hard to beat that price considering it matches the cost of the regular PS4 Pro without a game. The road to God of War has been long . Sony announced almost two years ago that the stagnant franchise would receive a much-needed refresh in the form of a sequel. You can see a trailer for the game here ; pre-orders for the game include a $130 collector's ...

Mercedes has been testing smarter headlights, and now it appears they're no longer just a concept. Daimler announced today that these futuristic headlamps will be available in top of the line Mercedes-Maybach S-Class vehicles. These smart headlights are equipped with the equivalent of a digital projector, which can control how and where the light is thrown. The sensors on the car can determine when and how bright the headlamps should illuminate, preventing drivers from blinding pedestrians or people in other vehicles. The headlamps can also project information onto the road. You can read more about our experience with these smart headlights, which have a resolution of over a million pixels each, here . It should be noted that this is an incredibly small production line, but purchasers of vehicles equipped with these headlamps can expect to take delivery of their cars during the first half of this year. It's going to be awhile before this tech makes it down to regular vehic...

Last month, Amazon launched its Whole Foods delivery service , allowing Prime members in some Austin, Cincinnati, Dallas and Virginia Beach neighborhoods to order Whole Foods groceries through Prime Now and have them delivered within two hours. Today, Amazon announced that the service has expanded to select areas of Atlanta and San Francisco. Customers in those regions can order produce, bakery items, dairy, meat, seafood, flowers and everyday staples through Prime Now. San Francisco customers can also order alcohol through the service. Whole Foods delivery is available from 8AM to 10PM and doesn't cost any extra as long as orders are at least $35. However, if you'd like your order within one hour, you can pay an additional $8 for that quicker turnaround. Fast delivery was the next logical step in the Whole Foods-Amazon integration and Amazon says the service will reach more cities throughout the year. Source: Amazon via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2FtMyBf...

It's that time of year again: Tax season! But don't fret, with all the intelligent services being offered now, there's less to worry about than ever. The Intuit TurboTax app and web interface let you complete your taxes without even leaving the house -- but you can if you use the mobile app and can even finish later on your PC. The household name in e-filing services has also launched its TurboTax Live feature this year. Now you can get virtual assistance from a network of certified tax preparers, just in case you hit a snag or really want to get the most out of your refund. There's even an Alexa Skill to check the status of your refund. So this week, TurboTax has provided us with a set of Sonos One smart speakers so you can keep track of that money just by asking, plus a gift card for TurboTax Live support which can give you some assistance maximizing your refund while minimizing any potential issues. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below...

Netflix has released the first full trailer for its Lost in Space remake , and it definitely isn't a retread of the 1960s TV show... or the 1998 movie, for that matter. While the core premise remains intact (the Robinsons have been stranded following a colonization mission gone wrong), much has changed in the past few decades. It's not just the modern special effects or the grittier (if still family friendly) tone -- the show is tinkering with important characters. The most obvious change is to Robot, which now has alien origins and is potentially dangerous, not just the friendly helper from before. You also get to see the radical change to Dr. Smith, who's played by Parker Posey. Showrunner Zack Estrin noted to EW that his version of Lost in Space will answer some questions about Smith that weren't addressed the first time around, such as why the doctor is there and why the Robinsons would keep someone the audience knows is duplicitous. Netflix debuts the new ...

You can officially add Toyota to the list of manufacturers dropping diesel from their passenger car lineups. The brand has confirmed that it's phasing out diesel passenger vehicles in Europe over the course of 2018, starting with cars like the Auris you see above -- your only choices for the hatchback are a modest 1.2L turbo 4-cylinder or 1.8L and 2.0L hybrid solutions. The company will keep diesel commercial vehicles like the Hilux truck, Land Cruiser SUV and Proace van to "meet customer needs," but that's as far as it goes. Toyota said the death of diesel was due to "strong customer demand" for hybrid versions of its cars. About 41 percent of cars sold through its European branch were hybrid models, while diesel represented "less than" 10 percent. This isn't so much a bold move as it is a pragmatic one: if hybrids are on the rise (sales jumped 38 percent year-on-year) while diesel is almost a rounding error, why keep diesel around? The ...

If you're an Xfinity internet customer in the northeast, it might be worth running a speed test. Comcast just announced that it's bumping download speeds for internet users in a total of 14 northeastern states, from Maine down through Virginia. Each of the four internet tiers Xfinity offers will increase, though by how much will vary. The two higher-speed "Blast" and "Performance Pro" options increase from 200 and 150 Mbps to 250 and 150 Mbps, respectively. The basic "Performance" tier, meanwhile, jumps from 25 to 60 Mbps, and the modest "Starter" tier moves from 10 to 15 Mbps. Comcast says that customers' bills won't change after these increases go into effect, and with this increase, 80 percent of Xfinity internet customers have speeds of 150 Mbps or more. We may not have affordable gigabit internet in the US yet, but that's not bad, and it's hard to complain about getting more download bandwidth for free. Unfortunate...

Hoverboards are ridiculous. They serve no purpose other than signaling that your laziness is only outpaced by your willingness to spend disposable income on fad gadgets. But if you insist on being piggybacked atop a rolling pedestal like a discount Paul Blart, you do you. Just know that it might as well be on one that also transforms into a robotic sidekick and carries your bags for you. First revealed at CES 2016 , the Segway Loomo is a $1,700 hoverboard. It operates much like those that came before it. You step onto the self-balancing platform, lean forward to accelerate, lean back to slow and reverse. But unlike its predecessors, turning the Loomo is done by pressing the knees against the unit's center, leaning left and right, which I found to be a far more intuitive method than lifting and pressing the footpads. The Loomo is surprisingly stable, even when leaning back to stop quickly, though the company does insist that users wear a helmet while riding. It took me only aro...

Satellites could soon remain in orbit for years on end thanks to new technology that turns air molecules into propellant. A European Space Agency ( ESA ) team has developed an electric thruster that collects molecules from the top of the atmosphere and gives them electric charges so they can be accelerated and ejected to provide thrust. This could create a new class of satellites able to operate in orbit for long stretches. Current technology means that satellite missions are limited by the need for on-board propellant. ESA's GOCE gravity mapper, for example, managed to operate for five years thanks to an electric thruster that minimised air drag, but it still relied on 40kg of xenon -- once that was depleted the mission ended. A host of companies, including NASA , ViviSat and The China National Space Administration have already demonstrated some in-space refuelling capabilities, but this is obviously a much more elegant solution. The new electric thruster, developed for test...

Like every other major tech company, Google has designs on being the first to achieve quantum supremacy -- the point where a quantum computer could run particular algorithms faster than a classical computer. Today it's announced that it believes its latest research, Bristlecone, is going to be the processor to help it achieve that. According to the Google Quantum AI Lab, it could provide "a compelling proof-of-principle for building larger scale quantum computers." One of the biggest obstacles to quantum supremacy is error rates and subsequent scalability. Qubits (the quantum version of traditional bits) are very unstable and can be adversely affected by noise, and most of these systems can only hold a state for less than 100 microseconds. Google believes that quantum supremacy can be "comfortably demonstrated" with 49 qubits and a two-qubit error below 0.5 percent. Previous quantum systems by Google have given two-qubit errors of 0.6 percent, which in theor...

Last year Google revamped its Street View cameras to help us better map the real world, now it's taken the technology to a much more magical land. From today, you'll be able to explore inside 11 Disney Parks, getting an on-the-ground glimpse of all its castles, rides and attractions, including the captivating Avatar- themed world of Pandora . It'll also definitely prove popular when the Star Wars area opens up next year. Now if only the imagery was available in real time, so we'd know whether to bother lining up for Splash Mountain or not. Source: Google via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2Fl9RtE"

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to Tuesday! Is the future of transportation a front-loading car that drives itself? Renault hopes so, and that's just the start of the (actual) excitement coming from Geneva's big auto show . Also: a different House of Cards and a Roland's new drum-beat machine that tries to capture the musical magic of machines past. It's part ride service, part mass transportation and fully crazy. Renault's EZ-GO electric car is ridesharing for the masses The Geneva Motor Show starts today and kicks off with a mass of crazy concepts and high-end vehicles not meant for the suburbs or the cities. At least, not this decade. Renault's driverless concept electric car, the EZ-GO, is a Level 4 autonomous urban EV with a top speed of just 30MPH. Six passengers enter through the massive front door and can see everything (and be seen) thanks to huge swathes of glass on the sides and roof. We took an early tour. The EV racer will d...

The art of burning fuel seems like it would be infra dig, or beneath the upper-class folks who regularly tool around in an Aston Martin . That's why the maker turned up to the Geneva Motor Show with the Lagonda Vision, an emission-free electric concept car of the future. Aston has decided to revive the Lagonda marque, with the bold claim that it will become the world's "first zero-emission luxury brand." Although that's easier said and done if the only vehicle you produce is a brand new electric supercar. Because there's no whacking great V6-or-8 engine taking up space, the car has been redesigned to be shorter and lower than other rides. With the batteries and drivetrain built into the floor, the company claims that four adults, each one two meters tall, can luxuriate inside the well-appointed cabin. Lagonda's concept interior, meanwhile, was designed in partnership with David Snowdon and uses cutting-edge composites. But the carbon fiber and ceramic...

While we patiently wait for Audi to unveil the production version of the upcoming e-tron SUV, the automaker has decided to flood the roads of Geneva with camouflaged prototypes. The company also showed off a prototype during the unveiling of the A6. Like the ones on the street, it looks like a giant QR code. The e-tron is Audi's badge for its upcoming electric vehicle line. It was previously used as the name of its plug-in hybrid A3 . Meanwhile, the new 311-mile range electric SUV will get a proper unveiling in August of this year. For now, if you happen to be in Geneva, keep an eye out, with 250 on the road, they should be easy to spot. Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2I2Znkp"

Not to be left behind in the concept car parade of the Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai unveiled its Le Fil Rouge EV concept. It's bigger than you would expect from the Korean automaker, but also prettier. While the automaker didn't share anything about the performance of the car other than it's an EV, the design of the vehicle is a good indicator of the future of Hyundai's line up. The car is "the cornerstone of Hyundai design," according to Hyundai VP of design SangYup Lee. The interior is equally impressive with a wood-heavy wrap-around dash for the driver and passenger and a 21.5-inch panoramic display. Of course, a long dash goes great with a long car. It's unlikely this car will ever come to market, but if this is an indicator of what to expect from the Hyundai lineup in the future. Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2H72KWs"

Porsche continues to target Tesla. After taking a swipe at the Model S, X and 3 maker last week, the German automaker just surprised us in Geneva with the Mission E Cross Turismo SUV (even though Porsche calls it a CUV, a cross utility vehicle). Watch out Model X. While we don't know much about the crossover, Porsche did say it is investigating putting the car into production. Considering that the SUV and crossover market continues to grow, don't be surprised to see this vehicle in showrooms right after the Mission E hits the road. Like the Mission E -- and really all Porsches -- the Cross Turismo will be quick. With two electric motors, the all-wheel-drive, 600 horsepower vehicle will go from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in less than 3.5 seconds. For comparison, the Model X reaches that same mark in 6.2 seconds. With the I-Pace , Model X and now the Mission E Cross Turismo, the electric-SUV-that-goes-really-fast market is getting crowded. That's great for people...