Monday 6 March 2017

The Morning After: Typos and laser tag

Engadget Email Newsletter

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It's Monday, March 06, 2017.

Good. Morning.

Welcome to your Monday. We have wrapped up our coverage of MWC (all things mobile) as well as GDC (all things gaming) over the weekend, played laser tag with a smartphone, and learned that you can screw up an anti-harassment bot with typos. The big events aren’t over, either: SXSW kicks off later this week. We'll be there.
 

It knows.

AI continued its world domination at Mobile World Congress
 

AI continued its world domination at Mobile World Congress<br />   

It was hard to ignore the normalization of artificial intelligence at this year's MWC. When it comes to the intersection of smartphones and AI, Motorola had the most surprising news at the show. In case you missed it, Motorola is working with Amazon (and Harman Kardon, most likely) to build a Moto Mod that will make use of Alexa. But it was certainly not the only company tapping AI for new features -- and headlines.
 

Smart garbage cans are here.
 

The game is trash

The game is trash

Maybe you’ll litter less.
 

Plus augmented reality.

Play laser tag in the real world with this smartphone attachment
 

Play laser tag in the real world with this smartphone attachment<br />   

Laser tag is fun, but in order to do so, you have to go to a special venue, get specialized equipment and basically block off the entire day. With the Inceptor, however, you don't have to. This little accessory combined with a game called Father.io essentially changes any smartphone into a mobile laser tag machine, without the need for a plastic toy gun attachment.
 

William Gibson called. He wants his dystopian sci-fi future back.
 

The cyberpunk revolution begins with video games
 

The cyberpunk revolution begins with video games<br />   

The GDC showcases the latest projects from studios around the world, offering a first-hand look at the themes and trends driving the industry forward. This year? It's all about cyberpunk. Walking among the flashy, flickering and noisy booths and all the surrounding events, the pattern becomes clear -- a significant portion of these games have a strong sci-fi vibe, many of them dealing with the idea of futuristic corporate overreach and gritty technological espionage, reflecting the times we live in.
 

But wait, there's more...

1. Typos are kryptonite to Alphabet's anti-trolling API

2. Facebook tests out a dislike button

3. Here's what happened at GDC 2017

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Friday 3 March 2017

Editor's Pick: GIT CEO Adriana Gascoigne: More Women in Tech Means More Problems Solved


Vivian Wagner
Mar 3, 2017 7:12 AM PT
Prior to founding Girls in Tech, Adriana Gascoigne was one of very few women working at a startup. "I'd look around the room every day and see that there was a huge problem of representation. I knew we needed to change the culture of the company to recruit more women and benefit more women, but we also needed diversity in product development ... to make a better product," she recalled. [More...]

More Picks:
FCC Reverses Course on Internet Privacy Rules
The Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday issued a joint statement following the FCC's temporary stay of data security regulations. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and FTC Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen issued the statement to address the FCC's decision, in essence, to overturn rules designed to bolster broadband consumer privacy. [More...]
Twitter Adds Heft to Anti-Harassment Toolbox
Twitter on Wednesday announced that over the next few months it will roll out changes designed to increase the safety of users, including the following: Its algorithms will help identify accounts as they engage in abusive behavior, so the burden no longer will be on victims to report it; and users will be able to restrict their tweets to followers for a set amount of time. [More...]
Time to Get Serious About IoT Cybersecurity
Both companies and individuals will have incredible opportunities ahead with the Internet of Things. IoT is starting to combine with AI, cloud-based services, and many other new segments, creating a very fertile growing field. However, it also poses a growing threat for security. A secure IoT framework does not yet exist. That's where the new IoT Cybersecurity Alliance comes into play. [More...]
YouTube Jumps into the Live TV Streaming Fray
YouTube has jumped headfirst into the growing market for live streaming television with the announcement of YouTube TV, a service aimed squarely at cord cutters. The $35-a-month service will offer live sitcoms, dramas, news and sports from ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, CW, Telemundo and other networks. It will include local TV stations offering news and sports in broadcast areas where customers live. [More...]
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The Morning After: Roborace's efforts to fill a starting grid with robots

Engadget Email Newsletter

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It's Friday, March 03, 2017.

Good morning! How's that weather?

Friday has arrived -- and so will your Switch preorder if you’re lucky. Read our thoughts on its most important launch title, and while you’re at it, gaze at the prettiest Windows Phone that’s now turned Android, and how Roborace is turning robots into racecar drivers.

This is the Nintendo Switch’s hit.
 

'Breath of the Wild' is the best 'Zelda' game in years
 

'Breath of the Wild' is the best 'Zelda' game in years<br />   

Nintendo has changed Zelda a lot for its Switch incarnation -- arguably the most since the series debuted. With a bigger world, exploration key to your progress, and weapons that you’ll need to keep an eye as they degrade, it’s a different spin on Link’s journey through Hyrule. But despite all that, Aaron Souppouris says that it remains unmistakably a Zelda game.

It can’t do much without it.
 

Don’t forget your Nintendo Switch's day-one update
 

Don’t forget your Nintendo Switch's day-one update<br />   

The Nintendo Switch can't do much out of the box. It can play game cards but that's about it. So, if you're getting a Switch tomorrow, you really should connect it to the internet and grab the day-one update, which adds support for the eShop, friends list and social-network. Fortunately, the update is a fast one.
 

Reboot without fear
 

Microsoft tries something new to stop poorly-timed Windows Updates
 

Security updates are very important, but an operating system that reboots itself or gets stuck in a lengthy patching process at the wrong time isn’t what anyone wants. Windows Update has caused that exact problem in the past, but Microsoft is testing out a way to avoid such problems in the future. Now, an icon in the Windows Settings page will show if your system is up to date, if it’s not, then you can schedule a time to update or snooze the update process for three days.

How to master computer science, minus the student loans.
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How to master computer science, minus the student loans.

A new challenger enters
 

LG’s prototype VR headset is a bulky Vive alternative
 

LG’s prototype VR headset is a bulky Vive alternative<br />   

At GDC 2017 Nicole Lee tried out LG’s SteamVR headset and came away “suitably impressed.” It may not have a sleek design (yet), but its flip up eyepiece could be convenient during long VR sessions. It also has a camera lens for pass-through viewing and nicely-designed wand controllers. It seems like a viable Vive alternative, but there’s no way to know how far away LG is from putting this into production.

Try a smartwatch with real watch hands
 

The MyKronos ZeTime is a different kind of hybrid timepiece.
 

One big problem with smartwatches is that users often have to choose between long battery life and an always-on screen to constantly display the time. The MyKronos ZeTime gets around that by slapping real watch hands on the face of a smartwatch. It uses a proprietary OS to display notifications and messages from your phone and can last three days on a charge. The device will launch on Kickstarter later this month for $199.

Trinity and NuAns will try to go global once again.
 

The makers of the most stylish Windows Phone embraced Android

The makers of the most stylish Windows Phone embraced Android

NuAns’ classy Windows phone tied okay(ish) tech specs with Windows Phone software that no-one wanted. Fortunately, it came with customizable two-tone covers that used different materials and finishes to make one surprisingly gorgeous phone. That phone, however, never made it out of Japan. This time, the company’s back with the same design aesthetic, but with Android 7.1, a full HD display, faster processor and a more competent camera. The team is now looking to bring the Neo Reloaded to crowdfunding soon.

Want to get away?

Amazon’s server outage was caused by a typo

We all make mistakes sometimes, but usually ours don’t bring down internet services around the world. Earlier this week one of the East Coast Amazon Web Services data centers suddenly had an outage, and the company explains it happened when a tech tried to take a few billing servers offline. Because of a mistyped command, “a larger set of servers was removed than intended.” Even worse, some of the systems hadn’t been rebooted in years, and took longer than expected to validate and run safety checks before they were usable again. 

Roborace’s push to fill a starting grid with robots

The journey to build driverless race cars

The journey to build driverless race cars

One of the biggest challenges for Roborace’s Chief Design Officer Daniel Simon was an emotional one. For years, automotive design has revolved around some obvious fundamentals. A car needs a cockpit, for instance, and a steering wheel and pedals. But with the Robocar, Simon had an opportunity to break almost every design rule in the book. That’s just the start of the challenges facing a road race that involves no human drivers.

But wait, there's more...

1. Chevy is the first major car company with unlimited LTE data

2. Gmail's size limit on incoming attachments grows to 50MB

3. Huawei P10 MWC 2017 camera test

4. LG G6 MWC 2017 camera test

5. Mike Pence used AOL email for state business while governor -- and yes, it got hacked

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.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.
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