Wednesday 5 April 2017

The Morning After: Apple's Mac Pro apology

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It's Wednesday, April 05, 2017.

Hey, good morning! 

Welcome to the middle. Apple is sorry about its Mac Pro, and promises something big next year, while in other mea culpa news, the makers of Mass Effect: Andromeda will release a bunch of fixes both this week and in the coming months. Rounding it off, we took a closer look at Sonos’ new Playbase speaker -- possibly the only speaker you'll need in your living room.

The only speaker your living room needs
 

Sonos Playbase review
 

Sonos Playbase review<br />   

As with most everything Sonos does, the Playbase is both excellent and expensive, according to Nathan Ingraham. It might not be for everyone, but the combination of top-notch sound quality, versatility and simple setup makes it an extremely compelling speaker for the living room.
 

The next one will be a ‘complete rethink.’
 

Apple is sorry about the Mac Pro
 

Apple is sorry about the Mac Pro<br />   

The last new Mac Pro was announced back in 2013, and not much has changed much since. The iconic shiny object proved a difficult fit for its pro users, and as a consequence, Apple is apparently fundamentally rethinking its top-end computer series and everything that comes with it.  You won't see any of these products for a while, however. That's because Apple's engineering team is apparently still working to design a system that can easily and efficiently be upgraded -- the biggest issue many had with the current Mac Pro.
 

In other Mac news...

Apple is making an iMac with pros in mind
 

Apple is making an iMac with pros in mind<br />   

When you think "pro desktop," you probably don't think of the iMac. You can get one with a pro-quality display and a high-end (consumer) processor that will do the job for many tasks, but you probably wouldn't buy one for massive 3D modeling or video projects. Apple would like to change your mind soon.The company's Phil Schiller has promised that there will be iMac configurations made "specifically with the pro customer in mind" later in 2017. And, before you ask: no, this doesn't mean a touchscreen.

It starts on Thursday, but it's going to take months to complete.
 

How BioWare will fix 'Mass Effect: Andromeda'

How BioWare will fix 'Mass Effect: Andromeda'

The internet's reaction to Mass Effect: Andromeda has been pretty negative. Whether the game's pitiful user ratings on review sites are actually representative of what most players think is a question for another day, but it's fair to say that the game had more than a few technical issues at launch. Animation glitches, framerate drops and other bugs have marred the launch, as have general complaints about gameplay oddities. Things got so bad that BioWare promised an update last week and a patch arrives this Thursday that "addresses technical fixes" like crashes and improves performance, and also adds further tweaks to gameplay and in-game systems.
 

We'll finally know what Project Scorpio has under the hood.

Microsoft will unveil the next Xbox's specs on Thursday
 

Microsoft's mid-generation successor to the Xbox One, known as Project Scorpio, was in no shape to try beating Sony's PS4 Pro to market, but it's rumored to be a far more powerful system. Just how much beefier has been confined to rumor and isolated reports, but soon we'll have the official word on Scorpio's technical guts ahead of its planned full reveal at E3 2017. Microsoft plans to announce the full specs this coming Thursday.

Keep your helipad clear.

DARPA tests out an electric X-Plane 

DARPA tests out an electric X-Plane 

In the future, DARPA figures planes with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability will fly further and faster than current hover-capable aircraft. The agency just announced some progress on that front, with the completion of tests on a sub-scale version of its XV-24A. While the plan is to put a hybrid turboshaft engine and generators in the full-size 12,000-pound plane, this unmanned 322-pound demonstrator tested out its design with 24 electric motors aboard.

TNF just doesn’t have the same ring to it
 

Amazon picks up streaming for Thursday night NFL games
 

Amazon picks up streaming for Thursday night NFL games<br />   

While the NFL will continue to broadcast Thursday night football games on its NFL Network, CBS and NBC, its partner for streaming will change this fall. The league has sold internet rights to Amazon for a reported $50 million, well above the $10 million Twitter paid last year after a bidding war including that also included YouTube and Facebook. While Twitter streamed the games for free via its apps and website, Amazon plans to make them available on the internet just for Prime subscribers.
 

But wait, there's more...

1. Zoe Quinn's 'Crash Override' book about fighting online hate arrives September 6th

2. Invasive, self-destructing iOS hack is even worse on Android

3. Netflix reveals 'The Defenders' arrival in security footage

4. Graphene sieves are a cheaper way of making saltwater drinkable

5. Samsung's in-house OS is a security nightmare

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 4 April 2017

All-in-One Cloud Contact Center -- Live In Action

All clouds are not created equal. PureCloud is the next-generation, all-in-one cloud contact center solution that helps you manage multichannel customer interactions as one single conversation.

We'll be going LIVE every Thursday at 2pm ET / 11am PT this month with subject matter experts who will focus on the functionality and questions that matter to YOU!

Experience the Simplicity of PureCloud:

  • Supervisor experience: Get insights you need to deliver great customer experiences
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  • Agent experience: Give the heroes that run your contact center one easy-to-use tool to manage all communications - phone, chat, email, social and more

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Regards,
Christine Taylor
Genesys

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The Morning After: Aol's new name and Switch's new problem

Engadget Email Newsletter

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It's Tuesday, April 04, 2017.

Hey, good morning! 

Apple’s dreaming up its own graphics chips for future iPhones, SEALs are using brain-zapping tech to learn and train faster and our parent’s parent company has decided to give Aol a new name, after buying Yahoo. Call it Oath. 

New chips.
 

Apple will dump Imagination, design its own iPhone and iPad GPUs
 

Apple will dump Imagination, design its own iPhone and iPad GPUs<br />   

Even if you haven’t heard of Imagination Technologies and its PowerVR graphics processors, if you own an iPhone or iPad then you’re using its technology. Yesterday, the chip company announced that Apple plans to change that and has notified Imagination that at some point in the future, it will design the mobile graphics hardware on its own. Making the switch could be complicated since Imagination floated the possibility of patent infringement, but stay tuned.

You might want to be careful about docking your Switch for too long.

Nintendo Switch owners report yet another issue: warping
 

Nintendo Switch owners report yet another issue: warping<br />   

The Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling console in the company's history, sure, but it hasn't been all roses. Gamers have already encountered significant problems with the dock and Joy-Con controllers. Now, the Switch that has some warping woes. Some users are reporting that their machines are noticeably bowing, particularly after being used in docked mode. Some speculate that this could be because the console works harder while outputting video, so it gets hot enough that internal components are more likely to expand. On the plus side, the bending doesn't seem to affect the Switch's functionality.
 

It’s done.

Trump signs bill rolling back FCC internet privacy rules
 

Trump signs bill rolling back FCC internet privacy rules<br />   

With the stroke of a pen, the president undid privacy rules created by the FCC last year, potentially allowing ISPs to sell customer data including their browser history without asking first. Consumer rights groups are up in arms about the move, but after it had passed the House and Senate, its fate was pretty much assured. The new FCC chairman says he wants to work with the FTC to implement new regulations, claiming the Obama-era regs disadvantaged ISPs versus Google and Facebook. The problem is that until and unless that actually happens, customers and their data are pushed back beyond square one.
 

Tests with "Seal Team Six" and other units are promising so far.
 

Brain zapping helps US Navy Seals learn faster
 

Brain zapping helps US Navy Seals learn faster<br />   

The Navy wants soldiers who can concentrate better and learn faster, and it's looking at a controversial piece of tech to do that: transcranial electrical stimulation. It has been testing a passive brain-stimulating device from Halo Neuroscience with "a small group of volunteers" from Seal Team Six, the group that killed Osama Bin Laden, and other units, according to Military.com.

We just work here.

Yahoo and AOL are part of Verizon's new 'Oath' brand
 

Yahoo and AOL are part of Verizon's new 'Oath' brand<br />   

Yesterday, Tim Armstrong announced that “Oath: A Verizon Company” will be the umbrella brand covering AOL properties (like Engadget), and Yahoo. Reportedly, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer will not be under that umbrella, but otherwise we don’t know much. What we do know, however, is just how many jokes the internet can make about “Oath.”
 

Also: change horses into zebras

‘Reverse Prisma' AI turns Monet paintings into photos

‘Reverse Prisma' AI turns Monet paintings into photos

Impressionist art is more about feelings than realism, but have you ever wondered what Monet actually saw when he created pieces like Low Tide at Varengeville (above)? Thanks to researchers from UC Berkeley, we can get a close guess. Using "image style transfer" they converted his impressionist paintings into a more realistic photo style, the exact opposite of what apps like Prisma do. The team also used the same AI to transform a drab landscape photo into a pastel-inflected painting that Monet himself may have executed.

Anyone within WiFi range could peek into your intimate moments.
 

This connected vibrator's camera is disturbingly easy to hack
 

This connected vibrator's camera is disturbingly easy to hack<br />   

While your microwave definitely isn't spying on you, it's always important to make informed choices about which connected devices you bring into your home. Case in point: the $249 Svakom Siime Eye, WiFi-enabled vibrator -- which comes with a built-in camera for livestreaming and, according to security researchers, an interface that can be easily hacked by anyone within wireless range. The "hack" is remarkably simple, because the smart dildo creates a wireless access point with the easily guessed default password of "88888888". Anyone picking up the signal can simply tune into the video stream. 
 

But wait, there's more...

1. PicoBrew tries to make countertop beer brewing affordable

2. Computer programmers can still qualify for H-1B visas

3. What's on TV: 'Rogue One,' 'Archer,' Louis CK and 'Chewing Gum'

4. With Amazon Cash, you can shop online without a bank card

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 3 April 2017

Editor's Pick: Galaxy S8 vs. iPhone 8: Winning Has Little to Do With Phones


Rob Enderle
Apr 3, 2017 10:33 AM PT
The new Samsung Galaxy S8 has launched, and its target of choice is the as yet unlaunched Apple iPhone 8 Anniversary Edition. These phones are critical for both companies. Apple survives largely off the iPhone today, and Samsung is trying to recover both from its burning phone problem and from its top executive being arrested on bribery charges. Neither firm can afford a big loss to the other. [More...]

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Salesforce Offers AI-Powered CRM for Financial Advisors
Salesforce this week announced Financial Services Cloud Einstein, an AI-based CRM tool for financial advisors. It gives users a holistic view of each client's household and wealth ecosystem and lets them leverage Salesforce's AI technology to seek out new business opportunities. Einstein Opportunity tracks clients' sentiments, competitor mentions, and overall engagement. [More...]
Prank Responsibly: April Fools' Gags That Missed the Mark
The Internet is a minefield on April 1, with tech companies getting in on the April Fools' act in weird, wonderful and often woeful ways. The line between a successful prank and one that leaves users sighing, or worse, is micron-thin, and the boost to one's reputation -- or knock on it -- can hang around for some time. This year, we've rounded up some of the Internet's worst April Fools' pranks. [More...]
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