Geek News

Last March, we bid farewell to Mad Catz , the world’s leading manufacturer of gaming mice and controllers, that looked like the offspring between a Michael Bay Transformer and medieval torture device. According to CNET , a Chinese holding company largely comprised of former Mad Catz factory workers has purchased Mad Catz’s assets and branding and is resurrecting the accessory manufacturer . The revitalized Mad Catz is set to release several new products at CES this year. The company is showing off three for now: a new wireless version of its popular RAT mouse, the RAT Air , along with a new Strike 4 keyboard and Freq 4 gaming headset. The RAT Air is the standout here. It looks to be roughly on par feature-wise with the RAT Pro X, the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2EV8FNL"

Mesh WiFi pioneer Eero has laid off 30 employees in a bid to "focus on its core business". The company, which launched in 2015, has played a pivotal role in changing the face of home WiFi with products that blanket spaces in coverage , designed to replace old-school systems of routers and extenders. TechCrunch reports that the lay-offs equate to around 20 percent of Eero's total workforce. According to a statement by the company, it seems the move follows a potentially financially-driven decision to scrap a new project. "Over the past year we explored several related projects, and we've now made the tough decision to eliminate one new project in favor of greater focus on our core business," it read. Eero, which has been at the forefront of mesh WiFi, hasn't been short of capital since its arrival to Silicon Valley, raising $90 million at its start and a further $50 million in May 2016. But it's seen significant competition in its time, too, wit...

Microsoft has partnered with Johnson Controls to build a thermostat. The software giant first unveiled the Cortana-powered thermostat last year , complete with a translucent touchscreen display. Dubbed GLAS, the thermostat will track indoor and outdoor air quality and adjust temperatures accordingly. It also uses Cortana to display information and enable voice control. The striking translucent display means the thermostat will fit into many different environments and rooms, but it will come at a price. Johnson Controls is revealing today that the GLAS will be available for preorder in March for $319. That’s more than the $249 for an Ecobee with Alexa integration or rivals from Nest, but you’re probably paying the extra for the translucent... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2ESsIwq"

It's more capable than before in nearly every metric. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2CV5p4J"

Next week personal phones will not be allowed in the West Wing. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2qpxfTU"

The OnePlus 5T has been given a new lick of paint for the start of the year in the form of a white coat with a matte finish. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2lVMPlI"

The limited edition white colour goes on sale globally later this month and will cost the same as existing models. via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2lVMtLU"

Microsoft didn't have much luck in the digital music realm, from the Zune to its Groove Music service. At the end of 2017, the company switched all of its existing Groove users over to Spotify and shut Groove down. But now it turns out the move came with an unforeseen complication, as reported by Neowin . Cortana, Microsoft's smart assistant, can no longer recognize individual songs. Previously, users could use the song identification feature by pressing Cortana's music icon while a song was playing. But now, because Cortana doesn't have the Groove library to check songs against, it says "Song unrecognized" and informs the user that the feature has been retired. Jason Deakins, a Microsoft software engineer, discussed the issue in response to a Twitter user. Hi John. What you are seeing is expected. Due to the shutdown of the Groove Music service Cortana music recognition has also been retired. — Jason Deakins (@JasonDeakins) January 3, 2018 It makes se...

OnePlus is today launching a new color for the 5T smartphone , called Sandstone White. The white model joins the Midnight Black color option that has been available since the 5T’s initial launch in November of last year. Beyond the lighter hue, the white model also features a different texture than the black version (hence the “Sandstone” name). It will be available in an 8GB RAM / 128GB storage configuration starting on January 9th at 10AM ET on OnePlus’ website for $559. Eagle-eyed observers will note that this version of the 5T is largely identical to the special edition Star Wars: The Last Jedi branded model released in India in December, minus the Star Wars branding and wallpapers. The white paint has a matte finish with a slight... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2E6LHlz"

Land Rover and its family of Range Rover vehicles are known for rugged luxury. You can drive through a river in the woods during the day, rinse it off, and drop it with a valet at the opera that night. It appeals to a demographic that's more interested in the Burgundy region of France and postcards than Burning Man and DMs . So to appeal to the tech CTOs instead of the Wall Street CEOs the company introduced the Velar, its "avant garde" Range Rover. Starting at $50,000, the new high-tech Range Rover -- with a plethora of displays and features -- keeps the driver and passengers connected while pampering them in plush seats with enough room to drag your gear to the beach, mountains or even a certain festival in the desert. To highlight its new focus on technology, the Velar features Land Rover's new Touch Pro Duo dual-screen infotainment system in the center dash. With it you can adjust the climate control, change drive modes, and choose media from the bottom scree...

Chinese company 90Fun is releasing a smart suitcase that’s designed to automatically follow you around so your hands are free. Named the 90 Fun Puppy 1 (which I take to mean it will follow you around like a puppy), the suitcase can constantly follow you or it can be summoned via a remote control. The company worked with Segway, known for producing the infamous two-wheel scooter, to add a “gravity adaptive system” on the 20-inch suitcase, which helps the bag balance itself as it rolls. The Puppy 1 isn’t the first suitcase that claims to feature an autonomous driving mode: the Cowarobot R1 suitcase also has built-in sensors to help it avoid falling over or bumping into stuff. The 90 Fun Puppy 1 will be on sale later in 2018, though... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2AoCMtv"

DIY Take control of tab overflow. As you wander around the internet, you might open a tab or two. Or three. Or three dozen. Don't get overwhelmed—these browser extensions can tame the overflow. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2lUGQwn"

When 2017 began, we knew that ransomware  was going to be a major topic. However, who would have foreseen the impact of both WannaCry and NotPetya?  WannaCry hit the world on May 12, infecting more than 230,000 systems in over 150 countries. In the process, it caused havoc in the UK’s National Health Service, using the EternalBlue exploit that was part of the Vault7 leak of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) offensive tools. The impact was huge, causing many disruptions around the world and highlighted the importance of patching systems with security updates.  Was the lesson learned? The answer is no. Shortly after WannaCry, we were introduced to NotPetya in late June, this time escalating out of the Ukraine and quickly cascading around the world, impacting system after system. This caused major issues with energy companies, transportation, medical, power grid, bus stations, airports and banks.  The financial gain from both variants of ransomware w...

Are you ready to ditch the bought-and-paid-for PC on your desk in favor of a subscription to a remote computer? via CNET News "http://ift.tt/2EU8t1p"

In 2016, Tesla managed to ship 83,992 vehicles, narrowly missing its target of pushing 90,000 cars out of its front door that year. Now, the company has revealed its 2017 figures , saying that it produced 101,312 Model S and Xs between January and December. That figure doesn't include the new mass-market Model 3, of which the company was able to crank out 2,425 in the fourth quarter. Which, itself, is a big bump from the meager 260 it made when production began in Q3 . Tesla says that it has spent the last three months addressing the "production bottlenecks" on the Model 3 line, and production will now rise sharply. From a slow start, the company believes it now has the capacity to knock out 1,000 Model 3s each week, and 2018 will see even bigger milestones. The projection for the current quarter is that it will produce around 2,500 a week, and be producing 5,000 a week by the end of Q2. Tesla has always set ambitious goals for vehicle production , like when Elon Mus...