NASA wants your help hunting for asteroids
“Asteroid hunters”. It sounds like Hollywood blockbuster / straight-to-DVD ‘classic’ that probably already exists, but now you, yes you, can be one… albeit from your PC. NASA has launched a desktop app that recruits civilians to help identify asteroids from telescope photography, helped by a special asteroid algorithm. Scientists announced the desktop app at SXSW during in a panel discussion where they elaborated on how muggles citizen scientists were helping their efforts to identify and tag asteroids. The app is another collaboration between NASA and Planetary Resources. (It’s apparently all under a Space Act agreement, which is the coolest act we’ve heard of in a while.)
The app is able to detect asteroids thanks to an algorithm that specifically sniffs out asteroids from images taken by Earth-based telescopes. Apparently the sheer volume of images being captured these days makes it impossible for astronomers to verify all detections by hand. Here, computers are doing the heavy lifting, filtering down to the images that warrant further investigation. “The beauty of such archives is that the data doesn’t grow stale, and with novel approaches, techniques and algorithms, they can be harvested for new information. The participants of the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge did just that, probing observations of the night sky for new asteroids that might have slipped through the software cracks the first time the images were analyzed,” said Jose Luis Galache of the Minor Planet Center.
Amateurs can even take their from their telescopes and analyze them with the application. The application can tell them whether a matching asteroid record already exists and can report new findings to the Minor Planet Center, which confirms and archives any new discoveries. You can start the hunt by downloading the program here.
Filed under: Science
Source: Asteroid Hunter, NASA
HTC’s Fun Fit fitness tracker app is now available at the Play Store
If you’ve been thinking that your fitness routines have been missing a competitive edge, HTC may well have the answer for you with it’s latest app to be published to the Google Play Store, Fun Fit. This health and fitness app connects to Facebook, which means you can share your stats with your FB buddies to help push each other to new limits. We have the download link and more details after the break.
As you can see from the image above, the Fun Fit app tracks your steps and calculates the amount of calories burned while you exercise. All you have to do is keep your smartphone on your person, either in your bag, in a pocket or strapped to your arm. Logging in is done by entering your Facebook details or the guest login, and after that the app will ask you for some personal details such as age, height and weight.
Features:
- Daily activity history: Step counts, distance, calories burned and time
- Fun: Facebook friend interaction and information sharing
- Charts: Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly records
- Personalized settings: Daily goals, height, weight and metric/imperial units.
The Fun Fit app is available in the Play Store, and surprisingly enough, it’s compatible with a fair selection of smartphone and tablet devices. Both my Galaxy S5 and Tab S 8.4 were able to download and install the app with no problem, although I’m not sure about taking my Tab S out for a jog. Still, it’s a nice touch from HTC. One limiting factor is that your device must be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or above. You can install HTC’s Fun Fit fitness tracker app by scanning the QR code below or just clicking on the Google Play Store link.
Come comment on this article: HTC’s Fun Fit fitness tracker app is now available at the Play Store
BlackBerry introduces the Porsche Design P’9983 Graphite
If you tuned into the BerryFlow podcast earlier, you would have heard mention of the Porsche Design P’9983 Graphite being introduced but now BlackBerry has gone ahead and officially announced the device. Although it fits in line with the already existing P’9983, the Graphite edition takes luxury a bit further and offers ‘exclusive graphite-metallic colored elements and the finest, hand-wrapped leather on the back door cover’.
Upcoming API will allow any third-party app to serve information through Google Now
Google is working on an API for Google Now that will allow any third-party app to display information through the service.
Bloomberg: Microsoft not investing in Cyanogen after all, but a deal is still possible
Microsoft has decided not to invest in Cyanogen at this time, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
Back in January, the Wall Street Journal reported that Cyanogen was in the final stages of securing a new investment round worth around $70 million and that Microsoft would be one of the investors participating in the round.
If a new report from Bloomberg is accurate, Microsoft has passed on the opportunity to invest at this time, though Satya Nadella’s company may still be interested in a “commercial deal” that would put its software onto Cyanogen devices. Microsoft and Cyanogen reportedly held talks about such a deal, but it’s unclear how things will unfold now that the investment is no longer on the table. The companies declined to comment.
Even without Microsoft, Cyanogen managed to raise around $110 million, in a round that values it at $500 million, according to the report.
Cyanogen is effectively trying to fork Android, and that requires finding alternatives to Google’s apps and services, from email, to mapping, and productivity. The startup hopes to attract partners looking to establish a stronger presence on Android, free of Google’s constraints. So far Cyanogen has only teamed up with small players, like Nextbit, SwiftKey, and most recently Boxer. A deal putting Microsoft’s apps on Cyanogen devices would be a real coup for the startup founded by Steve Kondik and Kirt McMaster.
Cyanogen is trying to have its cake and eat it too. Its Android-based operating system is only interesting to manufacturers and users as long as it ships with Google apps, so, at least for now, Cyanogen has to play within the limits imposed by Google. At the same time, by pre-loading Cyanogen OS with non-Google apps and services, the company is laying the foundation of an OS that is free of Google, for better or worse. That’s a difficult undertaking but the potential payoff may be worth the effort.
Pioneer Shipping Android Auto Unit for $700
Cars and phones have been courting each other for years, by letting you make and answer calls just by speaking to your vehicle, or play music from your phone seamlessly in your automobile just by using Bluetooth. However, the two crucial aspect of our lives are moving closer and closer to making it an official union, and Pioneer’s AVH-4100NEX is just more evidence of things to come.
The seven inch resistive touchscreen can connect with your iPhone 5x/6x or your Android device running Lollipop (if you’re lucky enough to even have it yet!) to allow you to navigate, play music and make calls. Once you’re connected to your vehicle, every touch on the screen is actually interacting with your device sitting next to you.
The head unit will cost about $700 for the low end, and up to $1,400 on the higher end. As far as future developments go, both Panasonic and Kenwood are due to release similar tech later this year.
Source: Amazon
Via: Android Central
Come comment on this article: Pioneer Shipping Android Auto Unit for $700
The FAA doesn’t like you posting drone footage on YouTube
Thinking of posting that sweet drone footage online? You might want to be careful about it. The Federal Aviation Administration is telling at least one hobbyist, Jayson Hanes, that his aerial robotic videos run afoul of regulation because they’re on YouTube. Hanes is allegedly flying “commercially” (and thus faces more stringent rules) due to his choice of site, strongly implying that YouTube’s ads are at fault. If so, it’s a sketchy argument. Hanes hasn’t made any money from his clips, and there’s no obligation to collect revenue on Google’s video service.
The FAA tells Motherboard that it didn’t explicitly mention ads in its notice to Hanes, and that it’s investigating what prompted the warning. However, there isn’t a lot of room for alternative explanations — the issue was with YouTube, not the content. Even if the alert was just a mistake, though, it emphasizes just how fuzzy the line is between personal and professional drone use. The FAA may need to refine its proposed drone rules if it wants to avoid punishing fliers who merely want to share their adventures with others.
Source: Motherboard
Deal: SanDisk memory for up to 47% off on Amazon today
Even when the biggest Android manufacturer seems to be moving away from supporting expandable storage, support for microSD cards remains a must-have feature for many users worldwide. If you’re looking for a microSD card (or other type of flash memory, for the matter), you may find Amazon’s today Gold Box deal interesting.
Amazon is discounting select SanDisk memory cards and sticks by 20% to 47% today. This isn’t the greatest memory deal we’ve seen on Amazon Gold Box, but if you need a good microSD or a memory stick now, it may be just what you need.
Here’s what you can score, or check out the full list:
- SanDisk Ultra 32GB UHI-I/Class 10 Micro SDHC Memory Card Up to 48MB/s $12.99 (24%)
- SanDisk Ultra 64GB UHI-I/Class 10 Micro SDXC Memory Card Up to 48MB/s $24.99 (29%)
- SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB UHS-I/U3 Micro SDHC With 4K Ultra HD Ready $31.99 (20%)
- SanDisk Extreme PRO 64GB UHS-I/U3 Micro SDXC Memory Card Speeds Up To 95MB/s With 4K Ultra HD Ready $62.99 (21%)
- SanDisk Ultra 64GB Class 10 SDXC Memory Card Up To 40MB/s-SDSDUN-064G-G46 $25.99 (28%)
- SanDisk Ultra 128GB Class 10 SDXC Memory Card Up To 40MB/s $52.99 (34%)
- SanDisk Ultra 16GB Compact Flash Memory Card Speed Up To 50MB/s $19.95 (29%)
- SanDisk Cruzer CZ36 128GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive $27.99 (47%)
- SanDisk Extreme PRO CZ88 128BG USB 3.0 Flash Drive Speeds Up To 260MB/s $89.99 (31%)
As always, the deal is valid until tonight at midnight PT. Happy shopping!
Yahoo wants you to forget your password, announces ‘on-demand’ password-free logins
Yahoo’s new “on-demand” system will tie your mobile number with your Yahoo account, sending you a unique verification key every time you want to login to your account.
Yahoo wants you to forget your password, announces ‘on-demand’ login service
Yahoo’s new “on-demand” system will tie your mobile number with your Yahoo account, sending you a unique verification key every time you want to login to your account.
AIVAnet 