Tuesday 31 January 2017

Editor's Pick: Silicon Valley Up in Arms Over Proposed H-1B Overhaul


David Jones
Jan 31, 2017 11:06 AM PT
Silicon Valley is in an uproar over a proposed new executive order that would overhaul existing foreign worker visa policies. The Trump administration's goal apparently is to prioritize the hiring of American workers and change the way U.S. companies can recruit skilled professionals from other countries. Policy should "prioritize the protection of American workers," the draft reportedly states. [More...]

More Picks:
BlackBerry, Microsoft and the Ever-Smarter Connected Car
BlackBerry last week announced that its turnaround was finished, and Microsoft finally provided some information on its new connected car deliverables. One strange thing was that after CEO John Chen excitedly pointed out that BlackBerry had displaced Microsoft in Ford, he then announced a strategic initiative to work more closely with Microsoft on BlackBerry's own market-leading QNX car OS. [More...]
Hackers Targeted DC Police Cams Days Before Inauguration
A ransomware attack darkened the video surveillance system of the District of Columbia's police department eight days before the presidential inauguration of Donald J. Trump. Video storage devices for 70 percent of the CCTV system reportedly were unable to record anything between Jan. 12 and Jan. 15, as police techies scrambled to combat malicious software found on 123 of 187 networked video recorders. [More...]
Can the TV Industry Sustain Falling Prices?
Every year in advance of the Super Bowl, there are big sales on TVs, and this year is no exception. It also could be a milestone, as TVs could be bottoming out. TV prices are near a record low, yet sales continue to slip. In the long run, that won't be good for the industry or consumers. There was an "abrupt weakening of global demand for TV sets," IHS Markit concluded last year. [More...]
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The Morning After: Testing out Gap's virtual changing rooms

eng-daily-newsletter

It's Tuesday, January 31, 2017.

Hey, good morning! 

Over the last 24 hours, you might have missed electronic glasses that auto-focus for you, Google’s $4 million contribution to immigration organizations, and Gap’s augmented reality dressing room app. 
 

An infrared distance meter adjusts the malleable lenses in just 14 milliseconds.
 

Electronic glasses auto-focus on what you're looking at
 

Electronic glasses auto-focus on what you're looking at<br />   

They're not pretty, but prototype eyeglasses from University of Utah scientists could make progressive lenses obsolete for older people. Using electronically-activated lenses and infrared distance meters, they can focus automatically on whatever you're looking at, whether it's far or close up. Once perfected, the device could eliminate the need for multiple pairs of reading or driving glasses for folks with presbyopia or farsightedness.
 

There's also a graphics boost for PS4 Pro owners.
 

The 'Fallout 4' visual upgrade demands a monster PC
 

The 'Fallout 4' visual upgrade demands a monster PC<br />   

Fallout 4 is already a good-looking game (insofar as a nuclear wasteland can look good), but Bethesda is about to kick things up a notch with its High-Resolution Texture Pack that will add an absurd level of visual detail for PC players. You’ll need a meaty setup to do it justice, however: The developer recommends at least a 2015-era desktop Core i7 chip, 8GB of RAM, and a monster graphics card -- you should have either a GeForce GTX 1080 or (until Bethesda pulled mention of it) the as-yet unreleased AMD Radeon RX 490. Oh, and 58GB of storage hanging around for all that new art.
 

Google isn't the only tech company raising funds.

Google donates $4 million to fight Trump’s executive order
 

In the midst of employee work stoppages and walkouts in protest of Trump’s recent executive order restricting travel and immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries, Google donated $4 million to the cause. The money came in equal parts from the company and its employees, for distribution to the ACLU, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, International Rescue Committee and the UN Refugee Agency.
 

And the Robin is no longer on sale
 

Razer buys Nextbit
 

After buying up Ouya and THX, the next acquisition on Razer’s list is ...Nextbit? The gaming PC bros have decided they need something in the mobile space and promise that this acquisition will help Nextbit deliver on its cloud-connected smartphone dreams. Nextbit immediately shut down sales of its Robin Android device, but it says updates will continue to roll out through February 2018.
 

The company’s new app dresses up a mannequin in your size.
 

Gap envisions a future with augmented-reality 'dressing rooms'

<p>Gap envisions a future with augmented-reality 'dressing rooms'</p>

Until recently, technology has never played a major role in Gap’s business strategy. But as the company struggles with declining sales, it's trying to find creative ways to engage with customers. That's where Gap's "DressingRoom" app comes in. Built in collaboration with Google and San Francisco-based startup Avametric, it uses augmented reality to let shoppers "try on" clothes without having to step into a store. After you add information such as her height and weight, DressingRoom places a virtual 3D model in front of you and lets you see how different items would fit. Then, the company hopes, buy them.
 

Guerilla’s next big Sony exclusive looks good
 

Four hours with 'Horizon Zero Dawn'
 

Four hours with 'Horizon Zero Dawn'<br />   

Jessica Conditt took a four-hour trip into the robot-dinosaur-infested world of Horizon Zero Dawn and came away very impressed. On the PS4 Pro, it will render in not-exactly 4K 2160p checkerboard, and debuts a brand new engine “with built-in tools for artificial intelligence, physics, logic and world-building.” The player’s character, Aloy, is on a quest to learn about her mother in the remnants of a long-dead, technologically reliant society, but all we know so far is that it’s going to be a long wait for the game’s February 28th release date.
 

Only three teams qualified for a vacuum-sealed run
 

Hyperloop pods finally hit the test track
 

This weekend in Texas, 27 teams put their Hyperloop pods to the test. After qualifying through the Hyperloop Design weekend, their actual prototypes took a run on SpaceX’s 1.25-kilometer test track. Only three teams passed all the tests and got a chance at a run with the track depressurized and vacuum sealed, sending their magnet-levitated boxes flying at over 50km per hour.
 

But wait, there's more...

1. What's on TV (other than the Super Bowl): 'Powerless,' '24: Legacy' and 'Santa Clarita Diet'

2. Study offers best evidence yet that we're in a holographic universe

3. Meet Gita, your personal cargo robot from the makers of the Vespa

4. Explosions may be the answer to mass-producing graphene

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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Monday 30 January 2017

The Morning After: 'Resident Evil 7' is the scariest VR game out there

eng-daily-newsletter

It's Monday, January 30, 2017.

Hey, good morning! 

Welcome to Monday morning. Needles in eyes, strict immigration orders, and survival horror in virtual reality. Today has some bite.
 

Boss Sundar Pichai asked employees to fly back to the US ASAP.
 

Google recalls staff following Trump immigration order
 

Google recalls staff following Trump immigration order<br />   

The President’s executive order that bans almost all citizens from Iran, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Yemen from entering the country is making tech execs move fast. Google’s Sundar Pichai told overseas employees to fly back to the US as soon as possible, or risk not being able to get back at all. The immigration order also saw companies like Apple and Microsoft rush to help employees stranded following the restrictions.
 

Surgeons were able to perform a difficult eye procedure with some robotic help.
 

Surgery bot makes highly precise eye injection possible
 

Surgery bot makes highly precise eye injection possible<br />   

For the first time ever, a team of eye surgeons was able to inject a thrombolytic drug directly into a patient's retinal vein to dissolve a blood clot. It was a success, despite the fact that the vein is as thin as human hair, thanks to a surgical robot developed by researchers from KU Leuven, a university in Belgium. The scientists created a robot that can help a surgeon insert the needle precisely and then hold it perfectly still. They also designed the tiny 0.03 millimeter needle necessary for injecting the drug into the tiny vein. 
 

The newest 'Resident Evil' is scary-good, even outside of VR.
 

'Resident Evil 7' is the most terrifying VR game on the market
 

'Resident Evil 7' is the most terrifying VR game on the market<br />   

Resident Evil 7 is a very different kind of survival horror game. Capcom has moved the series to a first-person perspective, even adding a virtual reality component (at least on PS4) to make it all the more jumpy and scary. It’s also really, really good. Jessica Conditt (who came down with VR sickness when she played the demo last year), was won over by the final product.
 

Still looking for a wearable?
 

LG”s new smartwatches looks subtle and might be pretty cheap
 

LG”s new smartwatches looks subtle and might be pretty cheap<br />   

LG’s Watch Style is the latest piece of the company’s hardware to leak ahead of any official fanfare. LGs rumored budget model is expected to launch in early February, but the images suggest it won’t at least look too cheap, thanks to some (faux) silver and rose color options, paired with matching leather straps. We’re expecting to hear more next month.
 

But wait, there's more...

1. Vinyl record production gets a much-needed tech upgrade

2. The After Math: Shady deals

3. Hybrid cars can save fuel through nature-like algorithms

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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