Geek News

Google has supported Rich Communication Services (RCS) for a while now, hoping to bring features like group chat, high-res photo sharing and read receipts to all Android users. The company made a big push to expand RCS support on Android last year, and carriers have been slowly adopting the standard and preloading Android Messages to the standard app load out. Now, Google says that it's convinced 43 carriers and device makers to add native support for the messaging protocol. The widespread adoption of RCS will likely help Google compete with Apple's iMessage, which has had similar features for a long time. As TechCrunch notes, Google is now pushing the business uses of RCS, which enables companies to send messages with things like boarding passes, financial fraud alerts and package notifications. The RCS standard can also allow suggested response buttons, like "Open in Maps" to find a nearby Walgreens or "View station map" from Virgin Trains. Goog...

Airbnb is offering discounts on Nest products — specifically the smart home company’s popular thermostats and Nest Protect devices — for top-rated “superhosts” as part of a new initiative to better reward the top hosts on the service. Nest is the first of what Airbnb envisions as a wider store for discounted smart home devices for superhosts, offering a 30 percent discount on Nest thermostats and Nest Protect devices globally. The discount program should be rolling out later this spring alongside other changes for superhosts, including a new profile badge, free travel vouchers, and other perks. Airbnb also announced some major changes to its platform today in addition to the superhost perks, including a new hotel-like service called... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2oqV89l"

Today, the FCC voted to move forward with a proposal to open up communications spectrum beyond 95 GHz . In a statement, it said that spectrum above this range has been thought to be at the edge of what's usable, but now it wants to provide different levels of authorization to use the spectrum to, as Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement, "promote innovation and help put this spectrum to its best use." Pai noted that some might skeptical as to whether spectrum above 95 GHz can actually be used, but he added, "The point is that we must be open to new technologies that haven't even been developed. And while we don't know precisely how far the laws of physics will permit us to go, we do know there's potential and interest. Engineers and entrepreneurs need to have the ability to push the envelope." Today the @FCC is "Moving On Up" by taking steps to more efficiently use #spectrum above 95 GHz. It has my support. #OpenMtgFCC — Mignon Cl...

Save up to 80% in the Rebellion Publisher Weekend as part of this week's Weekend Deal*! Celebrate Rebellion's 25th anniversary and save on your favorite franchises like Sniper Elite and Zombie Army. *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2GC7FhC"

Arecibo Observatory, which is the second-largest radio telescope in the world, is under new management . A group led by the University of Central Florida will take over the operations of the telescope from the National Science Foundation, which was considering shutting down the observatory. The telescope's fate had previously been uncertain . Back in 2016, the National Science Foundation announced that it was exploring different options in regard to Arecibo. There wasn't enough funding to continue supporting the telescope, so the NSF was looking at partnering with other organizations, scaling back or shutting down Arecibo entirely. That same year, the observatory was the first to capture repeating cosmic radio bursts , which have helped us understand the nature of our galaxy and the universe around it. This murky situation was made much worse by the events of Hurricane Maria . The hurricane decimated the region of Puerto Rico in which the telescope is located, also called A...

If wearing a Fitbit on your wrist is too difficult, maybe you should consider a fitness tracker on your face. Eye insurance provider VSP Global is launching a pair of smart glasses today called Level that keep track of a wearer’s movement. They pair over Bluetooth to a companion iOS / Android app. A frame costs $270, which doesn’t include lenses. The inside of the glasses is relatively simple and what you’d expect. There’s an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer that work together to track steps, distance, calories burned, and total activity time. It charges over a magnetic connector and should last about five days on a single charge. There are three different frame styles available in four different colors: black, tortoise, slate,... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2sO7UEo"

Save 60% on Stellaris as part of this week's Weekend Deal*! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2EZZ1fS"

Play Call of Duty®: WWII Multiplayer for free this weekend until Sunday at 1pm Pacific. Get the full game 35% off or the Digital Deluxe for 25% off!* Call of Duty® returns to its roots with Call of Duty®: WWII - a breathtaking experience that redefines World War II for a new gaming generation. Land in Normandy on D-Day and battle across Europe through iconic locations in history's most monumental war. Experience classic Call of Duty combat, the bonds of camaraderie, and the unforgiving nature of war against a global power throwing the world into tyranny. *Discount offers end February 28th at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2sLKbot"

By the mid-90s, Saturday morning cartoons were a blur of occasionally brilliant animated comedy and a ton of trash made to sell toys. One rose above the rest for sheer novelty: ReBoot was one of the first shows anywhere to be completely computer-generated, and it was set within a computer, turning programs and viruses into heroes and villains. It was kinda wild, a futurist TRON-for-kids that pushed young viewers to think about technology. Revival - happy Netflix just released a trailer for a new ReBoot television show...and it looks like a far cry from the original. Reboot: The Guardian Code starts off in live-action at a high school where a few teens get thrown together in a secret room, while elsewhere a hooded hacker stereotype plucked from a stock photo cackles gleefully in front of a slew of bargain-bin keyboards and computer parts. It quickly becomes clear that the show follows a sucked-into-the-video-game premise, looking much like a Disney channel series riffing on last...

Save 65% on Sudden Strike 4 as part of this week's Weekend Deal*! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2EKg5XH"

Today's Deal: Save 40% on Blitzkrieg 3 !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Saturday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2GC39Qo"

After a year in development, Google is flipping the switch on “RCS business messaging.” Essentially, it means that brands can text more multimedia-rich messages to Android users. The idea is that instead of just getting an SMS from a random five-digit shortcode telling you that your hotel room has been booked, you get something much more useful. Something like a message showing the hotel’s address, a picture of your room, and quick-reply buttons that let you jump right into a chat with somebody in the lobby so you can start hustling for that suite upgrade. That’s the idea , anyway. But if you’ve been following the long and winding road that is either Google Messaging apps or Rich Communication Services (the RCS mentioned above), you know... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2ojKUs6"

Hunt Showdown is Now Available on Steam Early Access! *EARLY ACCESS GAME* Hunt: Showdown is a competitive first-person PvP bounty hunting game with heavy PvE elements, from the makers of Crysis. Set in the darkest corners of the world, it packs the thrill of survival games into a match-based format. via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2HD7RhT"