Wednesday, 21 February 2018

The Morning After: Spotify might be making their own smart speaker

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It's Wednesday, February 21, 2018.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Hi there! Watching the PyeongChang Winter Olympics? Been watching them in VR? We have. We also have news of a Burnout comeback (The Best Driving Game) and Amazon brings its Prime rewards to Whole Foods shoppers.

This is how the robot revolution starts.
 

Boston Dynamics' robots won't be held back by puny humans

Boston Dynamics' robots won't be held back by puny humans

Are you looking for the exact moment robots decide to turn on their human creators? You might want to mark this day on your calendar. Boston Dynamics has posted video of a SpotMini test where it gauged the bot's ability to adjust to interference -- in this case, from a pesky human.

It needs hardware.

Spotify might be building a smart speaker of its own
 

Spotify might be building a smart speaker of its own<br />   

Spotify might be working a smart speaker, according to new job listings. "Spotify is on its way to creating its first physical products and set up an operational organization for manufacturing, supply chain, sales and marketing," one ad states. So far, it has relied on other products like Google's Assistant, Amazon Echo and Sonos One to stream its service. However, Apple recently launched its HomePod speaker with only native Apple Music support, showing Spotify's need to take action on its own hardware.

The ads show the new operations manager, senior product manager: hardware production and project manager: hardware production and engineering would be handling manufacturing and supply for the new product. It all sounds like it’s closer to being made, whatever form it takes.
 

Rivals like NextVR have set the bar much higher.
 

If NBC can’t improve its VR Olympics coverage, it should just stop
 

If NBC can’t improve its VR Olympics coverage, it should just stop<br />   

If you're watching the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics on TV like a normal person, you may not realize there's another option. Steve Dent tested the VR waters with NBC, here’s how he fared.
 

Improved graphics, 60 frames per-second and that sweet, sweet online mode.
 

'Burnout Paradise' is back March 16th with a $40 4K remaster 
 

'Burnout Paradise' is back March 16th with a $40 4K remaster <br />   

Burnout Paradise was one of those rare racers that transcended its genre and was just so good. If its recent 10th birthday had you feeling nostalgic, then we've got good news: Come March 16th, you'll be able to hit the streets of Paradise City once again, with the complete original soundtrack, and all 150 cars and eight main expansion packs -- including the Big Surf Island premium DLC. Burnout Paradise Remastered will run in native 1080p on PlayStation 4 and Xbox hardware, and EA promises 4K resolution and 60 frames per-second on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X.

Five percent return on purchases at both Amazon and Whole Foods.
 

Amazon will reward Prime members for shopping at Whole Foods
 

Amazon will reward Prime members for shopping at Whole Foods<br />   

Amazon says its Rewards Visa will now offer users the same level of reward when they shop at Whole Foods as they receive at Amazon itself. Eligible Prime members will now receive a flat five-percent bonus on all purchases at Whole Foods, just as they do online. By comparison, shopping beyond Amazon's universe will net you two percent back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores and a single percent elsewhere.
 

Whether or not it's easy is another matter.
 

Modders turn Nintendo Switch into a full-fledged Linux tablet
 

Modders turn Nintendo Switch into a full-fledged Linux tablet<br />   

For all of its Nintendo customizations, the Switch is ultimately a tablet running a garden variety NVIDIA Tegra processor -- and that means it can potentially handle the same software as other mobile devices. To prove that point, the fail0verflow team has shown a Switch running honest-to-goodness Linux. The touchscreen, networking and accelerated 3D graphics are all functioning, but you're not about to run Steam games on it (many Linux apps aren't built for ARM-based chips), but you could theoretically use the Switch as a basic computer.
 

But wait, there's more...

1. HoloLens adds mixed reality to a Japanese national treasure

2. Existing EV batteries could be recharged five times faster

3. Google Pay is the new Android Pay

4. The ESA says preserving old online games isn't 'necessary'

5. Netflix: 'Stranger Things' directors aren't leaving the show

6. Jessica Jones confronts her anger in new season two trailer

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, 20 February 2018

The Morning After: Mars 5K

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It's Tuesday, February 20, 2018.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

This morning we’re serving up Apple updates, some information on Elon Musk’s next big tunnel plan and a check-in on a very long Martian road trip.

Small, but big.

The Big Picture: A trapped atom is visible to the naked eye

The Big Picture: A trapped atom is visible to the naked eye

This photo, Single Atom in an Ion Trap, just won the grand prize in the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) science photo and imaging contest.

Get ‘em while they’re hot.

Apple updates all of its operating systems to fix app-crashing bug

Apple updates all of its operating systems to fix app-crashing bug

Remember that single character message that’s capable of crashing chat apps on Apple devices? As promised, updates are now available for macOS, iOS, tvOS and watchOS that fix the issue and allow you to communicate using Telegu (a language native to India) in peace.

Not so boring this time.

Elon Musk gets Hyperloop digging permit in Washington, DC

It's preliminary, but this time he has it in writing.

Ages eight and up.

Air Hogs' Supernova packs motion controls in a kid-friendly drone

Air Hogs' Supernova packs motion controls in a kid-friendly drone

At this week's Toy Fair, Spin Master is debuting its first motion-controlled Air Hogs model, the $40 Supernova. It's not quite DJI's Mavic Air, but it still has some sweet moves to show off in a kid-friendly form factor.

And revealed it before a fix is available.

Google found another bug in Microsoft’s Edge browser

Google found another bug in Microsoft’s Edge browser

Google’s Project Zero team found a bug that would let hackers bypass the Edge browser's security features and place malicious code within the memory of the target computer. It notified Microsoft of the issue 90 days ago and, following its policy, has now made its finding public. The only problem? Microsoft hasn’t put out a patch to fix the problem yet.

But wait, there's more...

1. The WyzeCam gets a smarter sequel that still costs only $20

2. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus dual cameras detailed in latest leaks

3. What's on TV: 'Thor: Ragnarok,' 'Metal Gear' and 'Walking Dead'

4. Hasbro's first HasLab toy is a replica of Jabba the Hutt's barge

5. A new form of light could power next-gen quantum computers

6. NASA's Opportunity rover sees its 5,000th day on Mars

7. Amazon backs Marie Curie biopic starring Rosamund Pike

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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Monday, 19 February 2018

The Morning After: Connecting water purification to more electric cars

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It's Monday, February 19, 2018.

Hey, good morning!

Welcome back! We hope you had a great weekend. We’ve been playing with some cool dinosaur toys (we’re grown-ups, I promise), hearing about Tesla’s next power grid experiment, and the end of free Wikipedia data for developing countries.
 

A hybrid of wind power and Tesla batteries.
 

Tesla starts its latest smart-power-grid experiment in Canada
 

Tesla starts its latest smart-power-grid experiment in Canada<br />   

Tesla's experiments with smart-power grids are headed further north. Canada's Nova Scotia Power recently finished setting up a pilot project that will use a combination of Tesla's Powerwall 2 home batteries and utility-grade Powerpack batteries to create a more reliable wind-power system. The Elmsdale-based Intelligent Feeder Project fills gaps in the electrical grid by topping up the Powerpacks whenever a nearby wind-turbine system generates excess power and delivering that stored energy to local homes (including those with Powerwall 2 batteries) when there's an outage or the turbine system falls short.
 

Say hello to the new Kamigami robots.
 

Mattel's 'Jurassic World' dino-bots are surprisingly realistic
 

Mattel's 'Jurassic World' dino-bots are surprisingly realistic<br />   

Mattel's last STEM robot was a DIY lady bug. Now, the toy company is aiming for something bigger with its new Jurassic World bots. You'll still have to put them together first, but what you end up with is a complex robo-dino with realistic movement. And, just like before, they'll also help kids bone up on their STEM chops. Sneaky hidden learning!

Low awareness and falling data prices led to the shutdown.
 

Wikipedia ends no-cost mobile access for developing countries
 

The Wikimedia Foundation launched Wikipedia Zero in 2012 with the hopes of democratizing information through a simple concept: Cellular carriers in developing countries would offer access to its crowdsourced knowledge without charging data fees. However, it appears to have run its course. The organization has discontinued Zero with plans to phase it out through 2018. Wikimedia has stopped forming new carrier partnerships and will let its existing alliances end over time. There has apparently been a "significant drop off" in involvement since 2016, Wikimedia said, and that participation is necessary to keep Zero alive.
 

Fewer vulnerabilities than last time around.
 

Air Force security hackathon leads to record payout
 

Air Force security hackathon leads to record payout<br />   

The US Air Force's second security hackathon has paid dividends... both for the military and the people finding holes in its defenses. HackerOne has revealed the results of the Hack the Air Force 2.0 challenge from 2017, which led to the  discovery of 106 vulnerabilities across roughly 300 of the USAF's public websites. Those discoveries proved costly, however. The Air Force paid out a total of $103,883, including $12,500 for one bug -- the most money any federal bounty program has paid to date.
 

Mine the oceans for lithium without hurting the environment.
 

Water purification could be the key to more electric cars
 

Humanity is going to need a lot of lithium batteries if electric cars are going to take over, but there’s only so much lithium to be gleaned from conventional mines. So let’s mine the ocean.  Scientists have outlined a desalination technique that would use metal-organic frameworks (sponge-like structures with very high surface areas) with sub-nanometer pores to catch lithium ions while purifying ocean water. The approach mimics the tendency of cell membranes to selectively dehydrate and carry ions, leaving the lithium behind while producing water you can drink. Win, win? While the concept of extracting lithium certainly isn't new, this would be much more efficient and environmentally friendly.
 

But wait, there's more...

1. Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on DJI's Mavic Air

2. The best portable SSD

3. Website follows journey of Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster through space

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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