Wednesday, 8 February 2017

The Morning After: Everyone gets a robot (someday)

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Wednesday, February 08, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

It’s the middle of the week, and we’re here to help. Besides a brand new episode of The Future IRL, we have a new record broken by Tesla and a 5,000-year-old beer recipe.

Super sharp, super slow

Sony’s latest smartphone camera sensor is capable of 1080p 1,000fps video

If you, like Dave Chappelle, believe everything is better in slow motion, then we have good news. Sony just announced its latest camera sensor for smartphones, which is capable of recording HD (1,920 x 1,080) video at 1,000fps, which it says is about 8x the speed of any other chip. Plus, it can pull this off without producing any of that wobbly jello-like distortion effect.

Even if you don’t want to know how it works (high-speed DRAM is involved) you can probably expect to see this, or something like it, in your next iPhone / Pixel / etc.

You get a robot, YOU get a robot, EVERYBODY GETS A ROBOT

The Future IRL: Everyone gets an R2D2

Our latest episode of The Future IRL is here, as host Kerry Davis investigates how real domestic robots are quickly catching up with your dreams.

And it looks like CTF is here to stay

‘Overwatch’ starts testing a server browser

PC Overwatch players who stay on the cutting edge can try out a new “server browser.” That way players can not only create new game types, but they can also get strangers to drop in and play. Of course, it’s also testing out a few new hero tweaks, and Capture the Flag is becoming a regular feature.

A lifetime of 1TB cloud storage from Zoolz is down to just $39.

The name is earned

Tesla Model S breaks acceleration record with Ludicrous Mode

In Motor Trend testing, no production vehicle had ever broken 2.3 seconds to go from 0 - 60mph -- until now. The Model S P100D hit 0-60 mph in 2.275507139 seconds, faster than even the 2.5 seconds Tesla itself promised.

“Computer, enhance”

Google shows how AI can sharpen faces in low-res images

The Google Brain team has published a paper showing how its neural network can learn from images, and apply that information to guess and upscale fuzzy low-res pictures of someone’s face. Similar technology is already in use to improve image compression on Google+, but in the future, it could help turn a pixelated mess into something usable.

Nintendo is getting easier for indies

The developers of ‘TumbleSeed’ cold-called their way onto Nintendo’s Switch

Game designer Greg Wohlwend calls TumbleSeed a “rolly roguelike” where players guide a seed up a mountainside. Along the way they’ll dodge deadly holes and dangerous creatures, but the real first challenge was getting access to Nintendo. The developers are pleased to reveal the company is much more accommodating for the indie scene now, so hopefully, we’ll see more games like this for the Switch.

But wait, there's more...

1. Three years later, 'Grand Theft Auto V' hits 75 million shipped

2. Archaeology of Food students at Stanford made beer using a 5,000-year-old recipe

3. Logitech turns your car into an Amazon Alexa controller

4. Twitter's diversity and HR heads are leaving the company

5. Fox's crime drama 'APB' attempts to tackle the complexities of privatizing law enforcement

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.

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Tuesday, 7 February 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Tuesday -- February 7, 2017

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Silicon Valley Firms Lock Arms Against Trump Immigration Order
Ode to Sprint: Somebody Calls You, You Answer Quite Slowly
Snap Seizes the Moment
Does Avaya Have a Post-Chapter 11 Prayer?
Amazon to Build $1.5B Prime Air Cargo Hub in Kentucky
EC to Take a Hard Look at E-Commerce Practices
Wireless, Telecom and Pay TV: The Future Is Coming Into Focus
Calling Facebook Customer Service? Beware of Fraudsters

Today's Story Highlights

Silicon Valley Firms Lock Arms Against Trump Immigration Order

At least 127 United States companies -- including Apple, Facebook,
Twitter, Google, Intel and other tech giants -- filed a friend of the
court brief in a lawsuit the state of Washington brought against
President Trump, which argues that his executive order to halt the entry
of refugees and all travelers from seven Muslim nations would inflict
significant harm on U. S. businesses.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84284.html

Ode to Sprint: Somebody Calls You, You Answer Quite Slowly

As I write this, I'm listening to twangy guitar music that calls up
vague images of big spiny cactus, dust, and a riderless swaybacked
horse. Lots of dust. I've been listening to the same few bars for 43
minutes and counting. Every few seconds, the music is interrupted by
this: "We apologize for the wait. We are currently experiencing higher
than normal volumes and long hold times. ..."
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84283.html

Snap Seizes the Moment

Snap last week filed for a $3 billion IPO. The company's private market
valuation is $17.8 billion, but investors reportedly have valued it at
between $20 billion and $25 billion. "Twenty-five billion dollars is
just nuts, but that's the market we're in," remarked Rob Enderle,
principal analyst at the Enderle Group. "This could provide an
opportunity for the big gambler investors," he suggested.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84281.html

Does Avaya Have a Post-Chapter 11 Prayer?

Is Avaya on the road to financial recovery? What will happen to business
partners and customers if it is not? The company last month filed for
Chapter 11 protection for itself and some of its United States
subsidiaries -- a move that makes it "the first major established
technology company that's dying as a direct result of the cloud,"
according to Ian Campbell, CEO of Nucleus Research.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84282.html

Amazon to Build $1.5B Prime Air Cargo Hub in Kentucky

mazon, which has moved forward aggressively in recent years to take
control of its retail distribution chain, this week announced plans for
a $1.5 billion Prime Air cargo hub in Kentucky. Amazon already employs
more than 10,000 people at 11 fulfillment centers in the state. The
company received about $40 million in government incentives to base its
new air cargo hub in Hebron.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84280.html

EC to Take a Hard Look at E-Commerce Practices

The European Commission on Thursday announced three separate
investigations into online pricing and other sales practices that may
have breached EU antitrust rules. The EC investigations will assess
whether consumers were able to enjoy cross-border choice when it came to
buying video games and consumer electronics, and making hotel
accommodations online.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84279.html

Wireless, Telecom and Pay TV: The Future Is Coming Into Focus

Wireless, telecom and pay TV -- including cable, satellite and Internet
services -- are all on a growth trajectory, but each company is taking a
different path. That means comparing them will be more difficult going
forward. In the past, the companies in these sectors in many respects
looked the same and offered nearly the same basic services. Looking
forward however, things appear very different.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84275.html

Calling Facebook Customer Service? Beware of Fraudsters

Googling for a Facebook customer support phone number may connect users
with fraudsters. A fraudulent number reportedly appeared not only as top
result in a Google search, but also as a featured snippet -- that is,
highlighted in a box at the top of the search results. An investigator
who called the number, posing as a Facebook customer who had been locked
out of his account.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84276.html

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The Morning After: Vizio's TVs are watching what you watch

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Tuesday, February 07, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Did you watch the Super Bowl on a Vizio TV? There’s a chance it may have been watching you too, while LG drops some more G6 hints and Google keeps tweaking Maps.

If you have a Vizio TV, it’s probably snitching on what you watch

FTC fines Vizio for not telling customers it's tracking what they watch

About a year and a half ago, Vizio revealed the existence of Inscape, a program that uses technology embedded in its TVs to monitors what’s on screen and phone home the data. It sold the data to third parties, who could use the owner’s IP address to track activity across devices and gather other personal details.

Now, the FTC is fining the company $2.2 million because it didn’t explain to customers that the tech was in their new TVs, and pushed it to older sets without properly informing their owners either. If you have a Vizio TV, go into its settings and make sure “smart interactivity” is disabled so that you’re opted out of its scheme.

More tidbits

LG promises a ‘Big Screen’ for its upcoming G6

Next month we’ll meet LG’s new flagship phone. With the Samsung Galaxy S8 delayed, maybe the G6 has more of an opportunity to take off. The invite to its event does even more to hint at an extreme lack of bezels, but we’ll find out everything February 26th.

There’s always something new

New Google Maps tabs flip between driving directions, restaurant info and bus stops

The latest tweak for Google Maps brings shortcuts for some common activities. Just hit the correct icon at the bottom and it’s ready to help you deal with traffic, catch a bus or find somewhere to eat. That pretty much covers it, right?

A lifetime of 1TB cloud storage from Zoolz is down to just $39.

Hurry, before the copyright police arrive

An entire 'Pokemon' game is playable inside 'Minecraft'

This Minecraft add-on recreates the Pokémon experience with incredible detail. It apparently took 31 months to build, and the effort looks like it was worth it. Even if you’re not a Minecraft player, there’s a video so you can see how much is possible.

S-1

What Snap's IPO tells us about Spectacles' future

Filing to go public can reveal a lot about a company (see Vizio above). In the case of Snap Inc., it reveals that those slick Spectacles are a long way from becoming a profitable product. That’s not a surprise, given their limited availability, but if you’re thinking about investing (with a stock purchase or by putting a couple of hundred bucks into an accessory), then it’s important to check out the details.

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