Saturday 22 July 2017

The Morning After: Weekend Edition

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Saturday, July 22, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to the weekend. We’ll take a look back at some of the big stories from earlier this week, plus key updates like NASA’s tips for viewing a solar eclipse.

Getting the weekend started early.

DC security robot says everything is fine, throws itself into pool

Don't read too much into this, but a security robot face-planted into an indoor fountain inside of a Washington, DC office building.

Important information.

NASA doesn't want you to go blind during the solar eclipse

Please, for the love of god (and your eyesight), do not try to make your own eclipse glasses. Buy a pair, and make sure they're less than three years old with lenses that are in good shape. The much-celebrated full solar eclipse is just one month away for those in the continental United States, and NASA really does not want you to go blind when it finally happens.

Phones, tablets and accessories

The best smartphones and mobile gear for students

We imagine many of today's college first-year students already have phones, but for those of you who've earned an upgrade, we crammed five into our back-to-school guide, including some budget options. Other recommendations include an external battery pack and a fast microSDXC card.

One of the largest marine surveys ever.

Missing Malaysia Airlines flight search yields valuable seafloor data

The massive search for MH370 since 2014 has not located the lost airplane or its occupants. As a result of the effort, however, researchers have now released detailed topography data for 710,000 square kilometers of Indian Ocean seafloor. The maps they generated with sonar have at least 15 times greater resolution than the ones that existed before the search.

A new space filled with old names.

The traditional sports world is taking eSports into the mainstream

It's odd to think that eSports still hasn't reached its full potential. The NBA, NFL, ESPN, NBC and many others have taken notice though, and now they're looking to cash in. Street Fighter, FIFA, Rocket League and Overwatch are moving in next to traditional sports, and fans are asking for more.

Meet the Ataribox

Atari's new console will come in two suitably retro editions

The first new gaming system from Atari in over twenty years will be available in two colors, include an array of ports (HDMI, USB and SD card) and… well, we don’t know much else. The Ataribox appears to be more capable than Nintendo’s nostalgia-bait systems, but an email to interested buyers stopped at revealing some design details.

It’s the biggest independent-film production ever, with a budget of $180 million

Luc Besson on ‘Valerian’ and his return to bold, inventive sci-fi

Luc Besson to Engadget: "I'm back! Honestly, The Fifth Element was a nightmare to do, because, at the time, special effects were old-fashioned, it was before we went digital. Every time I wanted to use a green screen, it took like six hours. It was really painful. This one ... because we prepped a lot, it was easier. Longer, but easier. The Fifth Element has 188 shots with special effects; Valerian has 2,734. It was less painful, but technology has made it easier for a director. You just have to specifically be very precise about what you want, and you need to have a good time to do it."

But wait, there's more...

1. Microsoft shows off a Nest-like thermostat based on Cortana

2. Disney's immersive 'Star Wars' hotel is a Jedi dream come true

3. Google Glass is back

4. LG's friendly robots will help travelers at Seoul airport

5. This Japanese VR arcade put me inside 'Mario Kart'

6. 'The Defenders' Comic-Con trailer features punching, heroes

7. 'Pokémon Go' is getting Legendary monsters for its birthday

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Friday 21 July 2017

The Morning After: Like Netflix, but just for 'Stargate'

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Friday, July 21, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Is it Friday already? We have big news from Comic-Con featuring Will Smith and Stargate. Also, a deep dive into the cautionary tale of LeEco and a date for the Galaxy Note 8 is revealed.

The next Note.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 unveiling happens August 23rd

Last year, Samsung released the excellent Galaxy Note 7, which had just one tiny problem: a tendency to overheat and melt down. Now, after investigations and even a Fan Edition re-release, we’re close to seeing the company’s next attempt at a large-screened cellphone. It just sent out invites for a launch event August 23rd, where we’re expecting to find out everything about the Galaxy Note 8.

It may not last much longer.

Inside LeEco's spectacular fall from grace

LeEco's fall from grace has been astonishing. Once hailed as the "Netflix of China," the daring startup and its then-outspoken founder were bold enough to challenge Tesla and criticize Apple as "outdated." But in recent months, the company has faced a series of setbacks and may be reaching its breaking point. Former employees told Engadget that LeEco shuffles funds between its subsidiaries to mask losses.

Worth a trip.

Google Street View takes you aboard the ISS

Since there's no gravity, the astronauts make use of surfaces in every direction, so the Street View in space truly spans 360 degrees. But that's not all: Google included info nodes for the curious to learn more about the station's technical machinery and points of interest.

Is Richard Dean Anderson busy?

'Stargate Origins' will launch a new MGM streaming service

MGM is asking CBS All Access and Star Trek Discovery to hold its beer, announcing plans to launch an all-Stargate subscription streaming platform. Stargate Command will be the “official” destination not only for older content but also a brand new Stargate Origins show launching later this year.

But who?

Elon Musk’s Hyperloop plan is verbally approved by someone somewhere

Elon Musk tweeted that he has “verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop.” The only problem is that, apparently, no one has told the governments of those cities about it. There’s some indication he may be talking about the White House, but for now, we’re waiting for a more “formal” approval.

‘Bad Boys’ meets ‘D&D.’

Netflix drops the full trailer for David Ayer's 'Bright'

This movie may have cost Netflix as much as $100 million, so hopefully it’s worth it. Bright stars Will Smith and Joel Edgerton are a pair of cops, but the twist here is that one of them is an orc. In this world, elves and magic are just part of the deal, which may entice viewers to check it out when the movie launches December 22nd.

A hat with speakers.

Atari introduces the Speakerhat

And ‘Multiplayer mode.’

But wait, there's more...

1. Intel's $79 USB stick plugs image-based AI processing power into your PC

2. Microsoft's Q4 earnings: Surface, LinkedIn, and cloud revenue are bright spots

3. VFX company files injunction to block three Disney blockbusters

4. Sears will sell appliances on Amazon as its retail stores dwindle

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Thursday 20 July 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Thursday -- July 20, 2017

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

Headline Scan
Facebook Launches 'Discover Growth' Global B2B Ad Campaign
Trump's Plan to Make Government IT Great
A New Service Model
Major Tech Firms Pressure FCC to Stay the Net Neutrality Course
Vendor Exposes Millions of Verizon Customers on Amazon Cloud
Free AI Chatbot Goes to Bat for Beleaguered Consumers
With Echo Dot at Bat, Amazon Scores Prime Day Home Run
Consumers Are Ready to Embrace 'Futuristic' Payment Tech
Amazon's Echo Show: The Future Is Here
The 3 Crucial Stages of an Effective Content Marketing Strategy
Nanorep CTO Amit Ben: Chatbots Should Be Useful, Not Human

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Today's Story Highlights

Facebook Launches 'Discover Growth' Global B2B Ad Campaign

Facebook on Wednesday launched "Discover Growth," a global ad campaign
targeting B2B marketers. The 30-day U.S. ad campaign, which will target
direct-response marketers as well as traditional brands, will run both
on and off the Facebook platform. The on-platform campaign reportedly
will consist of one ad per day on Facebook, Instagram and the Facebook
Audience Network.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84685.html

Trump's Plan to Make Government IT Great

The American Technology Council, which President Donald Trump
established this spring by executive order, has four years to rebuild
the federal government's information technology structure. A massive
reboot of both hardware and software will be necessary to bring
government computers up to modern standards. The effort will force many
government agencies to shift years of floppy disk and other outdated
storage technologies to the cloud.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84681.html

A New Service Model

People concerned about automation killing jobs might look at Helpshift's
strategy and similar automation approaches. By enabling businesses to
build help or support into mobile apps, these new models are re-
inventing support to get the job done. Sure, they provide automated
support in lieu of conventional agents, but they do so at a level where
it often can be uneconomic to position live agents.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84683.html

Major Tech Firms Pressure FCC to Stay the Net Neutrality Course

The Internet Association, which represents 40 leading technology
companies -- including Facebook, Google, Amazon and others -- on Monday
filed comments with the FCC, urging it to maintain Net neutrality
regulations enacted during the Obama administration. The rules have
created a level playing field that has helped fuel innovation in the
broadband Internet space, according to IA.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84680.html

Vendor Exposes Millions of Verizon Customers on Amazon Cloud

Verizon, the largest wireless carrier in the U.S., has confirmed that
data belonging to about six million of its wireless customers was
exposed after the information mistakenly was allowed to remain
unprotected on an Amazon cloud server. The disclosure follows reports
that an engineer at Nice Systems allowed the data of 14 million Verizon
customers to reside on an Amazon Web Services S3 bucket.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84676.html

Free AI Chatbot Goes to Bat for Beleaguered Consumers

DoNotPay, an AI-based chatbot app created to help fight parking tickets
in the UK, now addresses roughly 1,000 consumer concerns and is
available throughout the U.S. as well as across the pond. The app's
creator, Stanford student Joshua Browder, announced the expansion last
week. Powered by IBM Watson, DoNotPay has about 1,000 bots capable of
tackling a variety of legal and service issues.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84677.html

With Echo Dot at Bat, Amazon Scores Prime Day Home Run

Amazon has hailed its third-annual Prime Day promotion as its single
biggest global shopping event ever. Held earlier this week, it garnered
an estimated $1 billion in sales, surpassing year-ago sales by 60
percent and beating the company's prior Black Friday and Cyber Monday
records. More members joined Prime on this year's Prime Day than on any
other single day in the company's history.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84670.html

Consumers Are Ready to Embrace 'Futuristic' Payment Tech

As many as 80 percent of U.S. residents support frictionless payment
methods and technologies, suggests a survey of 1,000 consumers Viewpost
published this week. Among its other findings: Nearly 51 percent of
survey participants were paid electronically through direct deposit, and
83 percent of respondents believed paper checks would be eliminated
completely within the next 20 years.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84672.html

Amazon's Echo Show: The Future Is Here

Amazon recently launched its Echo Show, which brings a visual screen to
its smart speaker device. I wonder whether we're ready to start living
in what seems like a futuristic Star Trek world. The Echo Show
experience is sort of like having a laptop sitting on your table -- one
that uses AI, allows you to speak to it, speaks back to you, and shows
you relevant things on its screen.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84669.html

The 3 Crucial Stages of an Effective Content Marketing Strategy

There are three key stages of implementing a content-based lead
generation strategy -- content development, targeting and prospect
nurturing -- that marketers should take into account. However, they
often focus on one stage more than the others, missing out on
opportunities for optimization. That is one of the findings of a new
study from NetLine, a B2B content syndication lead generation network.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84666.html

Nanorep CTO Amit Ben: Chatbots Should Be Useful, Not Human

"When you provide service, it can be either completely general, or
contextual -- which means it's different for different demographics,"
said Nanorep CTO Amit Ben. "Personalized service means that you get to
the most fine-grained resolution possible. It's self-service that can be
catered and adjusted dynamically to each person experiencing that
service."
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84662.html

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