Wednesday 13 December 2017

The Morning After: Mortgaging your house to buy Bitcoin

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Wednesday, December 13, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

It's the middle of the week and some of us are mortgaging our homes to get into Bitcoin. Meanwhile, SpaceX's recycled spacecrafts get together, Apple's new iMac is coming and we open nominations for the Best of CES 2018. Yep, the Consumer Electronics Show is just around the corner, and we're looking for the best tech to be found in Vegas.

It’s just about that time of year.

Engadget is once again presenting the official Best of CES awards

CES is just around the corner, and we’re getting ready to try out all the latest gadgets. We’re also pumped to be hosting the official Best of CES awards for the fifth year in a row. Just as in years past, our team of intrepid editors will search out the cream of the crop, nominate a group of finalists and later select the winners. Oh, and you, too, will have your voice heard through the People's Choice award. Want to know more? Head over to our awards hub. Oh and if you’re part of a company who wants to submit a product for consideration, you’ll find instructions for that, too.

There’s a reason it’s called the Bitcoin bubble, folks.

People are mortgaging their houses to buy Bitcoin

Bitcoin is sitting at $16,674 at the time of writing, after rocketing from $1,000 to more than $19,000 in the course of this year. Those types of eye-catching numbers (and the resulting media hype) are bound to draw the interest of casual folk. But, unless you’ve got money to burn, most analysts will tell you the same thing: steer clear of the hyper-volatile currency.

Still, it seems some people aren’t paying heed. A bunch of wannabe investors are even going so far as to take mortgages out to buy bitcoin.

One is a serious VR contender.

Samsung vs. Acer Mixed Reality headsets: Which handles VR best?

The big VR story this year isn’t another headset from Oculus or HTC -- it’s Microsoft’s entry into the space with Windows 10 Mixed Reality devices. They promise to be cheaper and easier to use than the Rift or Vive, thanks to a bit of help from HoloLens’ 3D tracking technology. Acer’s was among the first we saw in action, and it was a promising example of what an inexpensive VR headset could look like. Samsung, meanwhile, was late to the party with HMD Odyssey, but it also gave us a glimpse at high-end Mixed Reality headsets. Now that we’ve spent some time with both (along with HP’s headset earlier this week), it’s time to decide which handles Mixed Reality best.

Its first pro desktop in years is almost here.

Apple iMac Pro goes on sale December 14th

If you like your Apple hardware incredibly powered, you’ve been waiting on this. Apple’s new iMac Pro will launch mid-December, with prices starting from $4,999. That ‘starter’ model ships with an 8-core Xeon processor, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of solid-state storage and a Radeon Vega Pro graphics chipset with 8GB of RAM. And it all scales up from there.

Almost ready for tourists

Blue Origin tests Crew Capsule 2.0

The latest rocket launch from Blue Origin featured a second generation of its capsule equipped with “the biggest windows in space.” The Jeff Bezos-backed company has said it could start space tourism trips as soon as next year, and giving passengers a good view for their money will be critical. This flight only had equipment and a test dummy onboard, but all went well -- check out the video here.

The number-one-selling EV in the world gets a much-needed makeover.

The 2018 Nissan Leaf gets a semi-autonomous upgrade

The Nissan Leaf is the top-selling electric vehicle in the world. Sure, Tesla and Chevy get all the hype with the Bolt and Model 3, but with more than 290,000 cars sold, Nissan’s little electric car is the one people are buying. But after seven years without a design refresh, Nissan has finally gone back to upgrade the original for 2018. We took it for a spin.

Nearly 40 senators signed a letter asking Ajit Pai to abandon the proposal.

Senators make last-ditch effort to halt the FCC’s net neutrality vote

The FCC votes this Thursday on its proposal to remove net neutrality protections, and while it's all but certain that the commission will vote in favor of the proposal, some still haven't given up trying to convince the commissioners to change their minds -- including 39 senators. They apparently signed a letter addressed to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai requesting that he reconsider: “We write to urge you to abandon your reckless plan to radically alter the free and open internet as we know it,” the Democrats wrote. “Your proposed action will amount to the largest abdication of the Federal Communications Commission’s statutory responsibilities in history.”

But wait, there's more...

1. Google finally integrates Duo on Android call screen

2. Steve Bannon and Breitbart spent months trying to sabotage Twitter

3. Amazon Prime Video will stream in HDR10+ on Samsung TVs

4. Watch SpaceX launch a reused capsule on a recycled rocket

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Tuesday 12 December 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Tuesday -- December 12, 2017

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

Headline Scan
New B2B Payments Platform Reaches Across Borders
Feds: Cloud Cybersecurity Benefits Now Outweigh Risks
The Strange Bedfellows That Make Sales AI Work

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Today's Story Highlights

New B2B Payments Platform Reaches Across Borders

Nanopay has unveiled a new platform that will let companies process
business-to-business payments between bank accounts across borders. The
platform is currently in private beta. It will become generally
available in February, initially enabling cross-border payments between
Canada and the United States. Cross-border payments with India and China
will be added in Q2.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/85000.html

Feds: Cloud Cybersecurity Benefits Now Outweigh Risks

Many federal government IT managers used to be wary of the shortcomings
of migrating to cloud technology because of potential data security
problems affecting email, business systems, personal data records and,
especially, national security operations. However, after the federal
"cloud first" initiative's six-year effort, there are signs that federal
IT managers have changed their assessment.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84998.html

The Strange Bedfellows That Make Sales AI Work

At some point, the discussion about artificial intelligence and sales is
going to mature. Too many people still think AI for sales will resemble
C-3PO, a bumbling assistant that gets in the way more often than not, or
the Hal 9000, subverting the sales process in ways that endanger the
very existence of the sales person. As the discussions mature, the
reality is becoming clearer.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84999.html

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The Morning After: We're going back to the moon -- maybe

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Tuesday, December 12, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

This Tuesday, one Engadget editor attempted to become an Instagram star. (Spoiler: without money, it’s harder than you’d think.) We have the best gift ideas for the console gamer in your life. We also take issue with the FCC -- and we’re not alone.

Have faith?

Ataribox pre-orders start this week, without any game details

We don’t have a price, release date or list of game titles for this retro console, but discounted pre-orders will start this week. Want to be first in line? Sign up on the site for an email alert and keep an eye on your inbox.

Clear as mud.

Hypocrisy at the FCC and the illusion of transparency

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai trumpets “transparency” at every turn, but only the telecoms seem satisfied by his explanations.

Everything new to watch this week.

What’s on TV: ‘Mr. Robot’ and ‘PUBG’

This week, it’s time for the season-three finale of Mr. Robot, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds just launched in the preview program on Xbox One. You can also keep an eye out for the Okami HD remaster, Yooka-Laylee on Switch and Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk.

Social media stardom is harder than it looks.

I tried (and failed) to become an Instagram guru

The rules are pretty simple: Set up an Instagram account and use whatever (legitimate) means to push my following as high as possible. I'll scour every how-to, every online guide, and learn from the master himself, Vaynerchuk, and it'll be a piece of cake. (Narrator voice: It was not.)

Make the right choice.

The best gifts for a console gamer

If you’re in the market for a new system, the Xbox One S, PlayStation VR, Nintendo Switch and 2DS XL all made it into our holiday gift guide, for different reasons. We even dug up the best accessories available, no matter which platform you prefer.

Oops.

Bungie’s next ‘Destiny 2’ update backtracks on DLC mistakes

When Bungie rolled out its "Curse of Osiris" DLC, Destiny 2 players who didn’t pay up found themselves locked out of certain in-game activities. A new update rolling out today is reverting most of those changes and nerfing the Prometheus Lens weapon that has wreaked havoc in PvP.

‘Red Rocks’ - Dave Chappelle.

Trump signs directive ordering NASA to return to the Moon

Yesterday the president signed Space Policy Directive 1, which orders NASA to lead an “innovative space exploration program” that sends astronauts to the Moon and, “eventually,” Mars. The plan is to partner with aerospace companies who have already begun work on their own, but it may take years to come to fruition.

But wait, there's more...

1. Facebook's ticker is no more

2. Tech pioneers tell FCC: "You don't understand how the internet works"

3. Microsoft offers developers a preview of its quantum computing kit

4. Google brings 'Star Wars' and 'Stranger Things' augmented reality stickers to the Pixel

5. New standard sets a baseline for HDR on PC displays

6. Google app experiments push the limits of phone photography

Our mailing address is:
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You are receiving this email because you opted in at engadget.com.

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Monday 11 December 2017

Editor's Pick: The Tech Wars of 2018

The Tech Wars of 2018

Rob Enderle Dec 11, 2017 10:57 AM PT
	We are coming up to the end of the year, and it's a good time to look forward. Stepping outside of politics and the obvious war between the Democrats, Republicans and common sense, there is the war between Amazon and Google, which likely will redefine the growth of digital assistants. There's also the war between Intel and Qualcomm in the personal computing arena. [More...]

More Picks:

Feds: Cloud Cybersecurity Benefits Now Outweigh Risks
Many federal government IT managers used to be wary of the shortcomings of migrating to cloud technology because of potential data security problems affecting email, business systems, personal data records and, especially, national security operations. However, after the federal "cloud first" initiative's six-year effort, there are signs that federal IT managers have changed their assessment. [More...]

Microsoft Goes All In With Kubernetes
Microsoft has launched a raft of new Kubernetes-related projects, demonstrating its growing commitment to the technology. Among them are a new version of its experimental Azure Container Instances for Kubernetes, the Virtual Kubelet. Microsoft also entered a collaboration with Heptio on a new disaster recovery solution. The Virtual Kubelet builds on Microsoft's earlier ACI announcement. [More...]

Cool Effect
Dreamforce is a bit like a holiday feast in that there are usually leftovers to savor. One of the stories that didn't get enough attention was Salesforce's path to becoming a carbon-neutral company. Time to savor it. Salesforce has made a monumental effort to switch to green electricity generation and ensure that its buildings and business processes are as light on the planet as possible. [More...]

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