Geek News

Samsung today announced timing for its new DeX Pad , the company’s docking device that transforms a Galaxy smartphone into a PC-like workstation. It’ll go on sale on May 13th for $99.99 in retail stores, although preorders open today on Samsung.com . Any order of the Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus through Samsung’s website will also come with a free DeX Pad. As a reminder, you can set your phone flat on the Pad to use it as a trackpad or keyboard. The S9 supports external displays up to 2K resolution, and Samsung says it has signed up between 30 and 40 partners to make DeX-optimized applications, including Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XV , Microsoft Office, and some Adobe products. Go live your untethered life. Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qniPRZ"

YouTube is facing a new complaint from a coalition of consumer advocacy groups that claims that the popular video website has broken children’s privacy laws by collecting information on underage viewers in order to sell ads, according to a report in The New York Times . The complaint claims that YouTube is in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires YouTube to get consent from parents or guardians before it collects any data on children 13 years old or younger. YouTube already provides a separate YouTube Kids app for younger users that bans targeted advertising, but many children apparently use the regular app anyway. (YouTube’s terms of service require users to affirm that they are above the age... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H8NpYV"

India is getting the burgundy red model of the Samsung Galaxy S8, as spotted by SamMobile . The new color is part of a series of moves Samsung India is making to increase the appeal of the older S8 and S8 Plus phones after the launch of the newer S9 and S9 Plus. Samsung India cut prices for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus earlier this month, presumably because they cost nearly as much as the S9 and S9 Plus. Anyone with around 57,900 INR ($891) to spend would probably prefer the newer, better-specced model. The burgundy red version was already available in South Korea , where it was first launched just months before Lunar New Year. The color still isn’t available elsewhere. The S8 in burgundy has the same specs and design as the original S8. T... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2uZ56FB"

Today, Facebook announced a new research initiative partnering with seven prominent nonprofit foundations to study the effect of social media on elections. Under the new initiative, social science researchers will propose research projects for peer review. If the proposal is approved, the researchers will receive the anonymized data from Facebook and accompanying funding from the foundations. Crucially, Facebook “will not have any right to review or approve their research findings prior to publication,” although it may have influence over which projects are approved. In an accompanying Facebook post , Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that the effort was intended as a response to the Russian influence campaigns that targeted the 2016... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2IACh4b"

Apple announced a new iPhone X leather folio , which comes out tomorrow. It’s a $99 leather phone case that was “specially tanned and finished” in Europe. The case has an outer flap to cover and protect the screen. Apple also announced red versions of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus today . When you buy a Product (RED) device or accessory, an unspecified percentage of the proceeds will go toward The Global Fund HIV and AIDS grants. The grants focus on preventing mothers from passing on the virus to their babies. Last year, Apple also released a red model of the iPhone 7, which was also associated with HIV and AIDS charity. In China, however, the RED branding was noticeably missing , and the phones were just marketed as red-colored phones, with no... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qgDEy3"

Apple is introducing new red models of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus today. As with the iPhone 7 models announced around the same time last year, Apple is working with Product (RED), an organization that campaigns to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa; an unspecified portion of proceeds from sales of the phone will go to the charity. Unlike last year , the red iPhone 8 models have a black front panel. The Product (RED) iPhone 8 and 8 Plus join the existing space gray, silver, and gold models in the lineup. Last year Apple discontinued the red variants of the 7 and 7 Plus once the 8, 8 Plus, and X were announced in September, meaning these new models may only be on sale for less than half a year. Apple is taking preorders for the new phones from... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2ExnRPM"

Animals The eyewear can help us understand the puffin perspective. Puffins don’t need sunglasses. Despite the glare off the shining sea and snow, these lil birds have managed to survive for many years without the aid of fashionable… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2qfxC0Q"

Two weeks ago, Acer announced the first tablet running Chrome OS . And today, HP is announcing the second — and it’s a lot higher end. It’s called the Chromebook x2, and it’s very much designed to go after the iPad Pro. It has a 12.3-inch screen (the larger iPad Pro has a 12.9-inch screen), docks with a keyboard cover, and supports stylus input. The big benefit here is that the full package is available for much, much cheaper: the Chromebook x2 costs $599 in its base configuration and comes bundled with the keyboard cover and stylus. The iPad starts at $649 for the (smaller) tablet on its own, and you’ll have to spend $1,067 if you want the 12.9-inch model with a keyboard and pen. So if you’re thinking about using a tablet (with a... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GIQmQt"

Microsoft is releasing the source code for its original Windows File Manager from nearly 28 years ago. Originally released for Windows 3.0, the File Manager was a replacement for managing files through MS-DOS, and allowed Windows users to copy, move, delete, and search for files. While it’s a relic from the past, you can still compile the source code Microsoft has released and run the app on Windows 10 today. The source code is available on GitHub , and is maintained by Microsoft veteran Craig Wittenberg under the MIT license. Wittenberg copied the File Manager code from Windows NT 4 back in 2007, and has been maintaining it before open sourcing it recently. It’s a testament to the backwards compatibility of Windows itself, especially... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qgK3J5"

Gesture interface company Leap Motion is announcing an ambitious, but still very early, plan for an augmented reality platform based on its hand tracking system. The system is called Project North Star, and it includes a design for a headset that Leap Motion claims costs less than $100 at large-scale production. The headset would be equipped with a Leap Motion sensor, so users could precisely manipulate objects with their hands — something the company has previously offered for desktop and VR displays. Project North Star isn’t a new consumer headset, nor will Leap Motion be selling a version to developers at this point. Instead, the company is releasing the necessary hardware specifications and software under an open source license next... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H5dnwx"

Apple will reportedly introduce a new color to its iPhone 8 and 8 Plus lineup tomorrow: red. The new color is part of the company’s partnership with (RED), an advocacy group dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS in Africa. MacRumors reports that it has viewed a memo from Virgin Mobile, which says that Apple will announce the phone option on Monday, April 9th. The memo reportedly notes that the phone will be available for preorder, but that it doesn’t specify if this will include an iPhone X edition. Product Red was founded in 2006 by U2 frontman Bono and ONE Campaign activist Bobby Shriver, and licenses its name to other private companies to highlight efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in eight African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2uUSS0x"

In December, word broke that Chinese ride share service Didi Chuxing would be launching its first overseas expansion in Mexico . According to Reuters (via Engadget ), the company has launched a website to recruit drivers and passengers in the city of Toluca, and the app will reportedly go live later this month. A Didi Chuxing spokesperson wouldn’t comment to Reuters on the timeline for the app’s launch, but said that its operations will begin “very soon.” The company has also released a pair of advertisements touting the service in Toluca, which invite drivers to apply for the service . To help entice drivers to sign up, Didi says it won’t take a service charge through June 17th, 2018. After that point, the company will charge a 20 percent... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qiczK7"

British audio company Ruark Audio has just introduced its first connected wireless speaker called the MRx. Compatible with the company’s R2 Mk3 “all in one” music system and its R7 Mk3 radiogram, the MRx features Ruark’s trademark modern design, and also ushers in the company’s new “Link” app , which it alluded to last summer. The MRx comes with capabilities and specs seen in other Ruark products, and builds on them. It’s got a stereo pair of 75mm full-range neodymium drivers that are newly redesigned and powered by a high-fidelity dual channel amplifier. On the back is a four-way selector switch that allows for the MRx to be used as a solo device or part of a stereo pair. Regarding connectivity, it has an integrated Bluetooth receiver... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2GJPMCg"

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Disney opened its impressive, immersive Pandora: The World of Avatar park last year, allowing visitors to go to go and experience the world of James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar . Disney announced that it’s making a rather cool addition to the the park: a towering, walking mech suit that will be piloted by actors. The 12-acre park features its own story set a generation after the film, in a place called the Valley of Mo’ara, where tourists are brought to the planet via a company called Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE). They get to explore the planet’s ecosystem and even take control of an Avatar to fly a wild Banshee . Now, they’ll get to encounter an actor operating the giant robotic suit, known as the Pandora Utility Suit, who will “tell... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EsURbZ"

Last month, we came across a new phone case, which combines the style of a classic Nintendo Game Boy with actual playability. It comes with a handful of classic games like Tetris , Tank , Frogger , and others, and it’s certainly aimed at a nostalgic audience. It looks like a classic Game Boy: a D-pad, a pair of A/B buttons, and buttons to turn it on, reset the gameplay, make a selection, and turn the sound on and off. And, of course, it has a square monochrome LCD display that mimics the original Game Boy’s screen. The problem is, I can’t really figure out what the point of it is, other than to play Tetris . The case is called the Wanle Gamers Console For iPhone , designed for everything between the iPhone 6 and X. I grew up playing a Game... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qfhQ5o"