Car headlights of the future won’t blind other drivers
Carnegie Mellon’s work on headlights has made an appearance here before, where it’s near-future smart headlights would parse raindrops and ‘cancel’ them out, projecting light around the rain drops, substantially improving visibility. But that’s just one of many tricks that the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute’s smart headlights are now capable of. The newest iteration’s feedback system continuously looks at what your headlights are doing, processing and thinking about how to shine better. To start, the system detects vehicles headed towards the car and disables the range of light that’s directed at the oncoming driver, even on high-beam settings.
Future work, reported in the Scientific American, will attempt to add GPS data that will adjust the direction of headlights, illuminating the route you’re heading on, making your lane appear brighter than the others. The new system, apparently the size of a smaller footlocker, can also detect and track obstacles traveling up to 80 kph, like an errant deer as close as five meters from the headlights, although how this gets parsed (whether it would activate an auto-breaking system or something else) would depend on car manufacturers themselves if they decide to integrate something similar. For now — and for a few more years — these headlights are likely to remain research prototypes.
Filed under: Transportation, Science
Source: Scientific American
Scientists spot runaway galaxies
It’s well established that runaway stars and planets are a cosmic reality, but runaway galaxies? Yes, amazingly enough, those exist. Scientists have discovered at least 11 galaxies moving so quickly (up to 6 million miles per hour) that they’re escaping the gravitational tug of their host clusters. Most likely, these wayward celestial bodies are the result of three-way interactions — a small elliptical galaxy tied to a larger counterpart will fly off into space when another big galaxy gets close enough. It could take a long time before astronomers have a better sense of how common stray galaxies might be, but it’s already apparent that the universe is messy at its grandest scale.
[Image credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team]
Filed under: Science
Via: Gizmodo, EurekAlert
Source: Harvard-Smithsonian CFA, Science
[Poll] What went wrong with the Nexus 6?
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We reported a few days ago that Google‘s earnings call basically pointed out weakening Nexus device sales relative to the prior month, and that it was primarily due to the Nexus 6 and its inability to compete at the same level as the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. Now, before you get the wrong idea, by no means is anybody saying that the Nexus 6 is a bad device – in fact, it’s widely accepted as one of the best Android devices to date, and we’d definitely agree. But it should be fairly obvious that it doesn’t have the same appeal as the Nexus 5 did, and we wanted to ask you, our readers, what went wrong with the Nexus 6? Or perhaps worded differently – why didn’t you buy a Nexus 6? Which of course means its poll time:
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
At the end of the day, Google probably doesn’t mind too much what happens to the Nexus devices it launches, as long as there are enough for its developers to take advantage of, but it’s always good if the devices sell well too. We’ll have to see if Google changes its tune this year when they inevitably launch a new Nexus smartphone.
Feel free to let us know your opinion in the comments below as well.
The post [Poll] What went wrong with the Nexus 6? appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Google says Nexus 7 pulled from Google Store, buy the Nexus 9 instead
Now that Google has come official with this news, it is time to announce that Google is no longer going to be selling the Nexus 7. That’s right, for all intents, the 7-inch Android tablet that has been the benchmark of Google’s vision for Android in a tablet, is no more.
Over the weekend, Google rather silently pulled the Nexus 7 from the online store, leaving just the Nexus 9 when searching for a tablet in the Google Store. Official word, as reported by Engadget, is that there is still some inventory around the stores and carriers, but their emphasis is now on the Nexus 9, built by HTC.
If you are still considering this tablet, which we recently put side-by-side the iPad Mini 3 in a little shootout, you best not waste any time. Head to stores like Amazon, which still have stock starting at $165.00.
The Nexus 7, as mentioned, has been a fairly solid device for most users. Indeed, everyone we know that still has their original 2012 version of the tablet, are still huge fans of the ASUS built device. Even if, like my own 16GB model, it has a few issues. Sadly, in more recent developments, many Nexus 7 users of both the 2012 and 2013 models, have been experiencing near complete device failures, be sure to read up on that before you spend your cash.
As the Nexus 7 comes to its end, let’s pay homage to it by bringing you our initial device review and a few highlights from its time with us. (That sounded pretty morbid, we still use our Nexus 7 tablets, and love ‘em, but we have to admit that the specs are a little dated, obviously, and we just might consider buying something a little newer if we were buying now ourselves.)
Nexus 7
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- Nexus 7 (2013) review (video)
- New Nexus 7 official: specs, features, availability
- Apple iPad Mini 3 vs Google Nexus 7 (2013): pocket-sized tablet comparison
- Nexus 7 (2013) vs Nexus 7 (2012): by the numbers
- Android L preview factory images arrive for Nexus 7 (2013) Wi-Fi and Nexus 5
- Some users reporting Nexus 7 brick issue on Android 5.0+ Lollipop
It is not a sad day, folks, it is just the next step in the evolution of Nexus tablets as Google discontinues selling the Nexus 7 in the Google Store. Do you think there will be a 2015 version of the Nexus 7 launching later this year?
Someone got Android Wear running on Samsung’s Gear 2 watch
Don’t despair if you bought Samsung’s Gear 2 smartwatch, only to realize that you wanted the Android-powered Gear Live instead — there might be a solution in the works. XDA tinkerer biktor_gj has successfully loaded Android Wear on the Gear 2 after four months of work. It’s in a very rough state, as you might imagine. Only touch and rudimentary Bluetooth support are working right now. Android Wear doesn’t have an open source project the way that regular Android does, so any support for audio, the motion sensor and other features will likely be tricky to implement. Biktor is hopeful that he’ll get those working, however, and even this crude port is proof that your smartwatch isn’t necessarily limited to its original software.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Samsung
Via: SamMobile
Source: XDA Developers (1), (2), (3)
Interactive exhibit honors women in game development
There’s a new interactive video game exhibit at The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment (MADE) in California, and it’s not showing off just any game-related material. No, it’s putting a spotlight on the accomplishments female game developers — eight women who worked on influential titles, in particular. Those include Roberta Williams (King’s Quest), Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter III) and Kim Swift (Portal). According to the museum’s announcement, the exhibit aims to raise awareness about women’s contributions to the industry, as they can be easy to overlook in a male-dominated field. “Women are not some oddity in the video game industry,” MADE founder Alex Handy told Kill Screen. “We hope this exhibit helps to highlight that fact for the next generation of game developers.” The exhibit has been open since the 12th and will run throughout the summer.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Kill Screen
Jay Z says his Tidal music service is doing just fine, thank you
Jay Z re-launched Tidal with a lot of fanfare, but how well is his artist-owned streaming service doing so far? Just fine, if you ask the man himself. As part of a flurry of Twitter posts, Mr. Carter revealed that Tidal has “over 770,000″ subscribers to date. He also scoffs at the idea that Tidal is solely about pampering wealthy artists who want a larger cut — the rapper argues that Tidal’s $60 million in equity value pales in comparison to the billions in musical net worth at rivals like iTunes and Spotify. Every artist on Tidal gets a 75 percent royalty rate, Jay Z says, not just those with a direct stake.
Tidal is doing just fine. We have over 770,000 subs. We have been in business less than one month. #TidalFacts
– Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Tidal pays 75% royalty rate to ALL artists, writers and producers – not just the founding members on stage.
– Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015
Of course, the stats don’t tell the full story. It’s not clear how many of those customers were around before Tidal’s star-studded reboot, and how quickly the company is growing. And while 770,000 users is respectable number for a fledgling operation, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to incumbents. Spotify has 15 million paying customers at last check, for example. Jay Z isn’t fazed by the numbers, though. He’s quick to note that it took years for the established online music services to get as big as they are today, so there’s little doubt that he’s in the streaming business for the long haul.
[Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Source: Jay-Z (Twitter 1), (2), (3), (4)
Android Authority this week
Android fans, it’s been a lively week in the world of mobile technology. Sony took everyone by surprise by announcing the new Xperia Z4 in Japan, though truth be told there’s not much new about the device; Xiaomi introduced the latest in a series of affordable blockbusters on Wednesday, the $200 Mi 4i; LG continued to reveal details about the G4, due to launch on April 28; OnePlus restarted the Cyanogen OS 12 update and announced it’s finally dropping its invite system; and Google launched a new version of Android Wear and the Project Fi wireless service.
Inside AA HQ
This week, Rob and Gary visited ARM in London to check out the chip designer’s latest innovations. We’re already brought you a close look at the Cortex A72 chip, and a whole lot more is coming next week.
For next, we’re looking forward to going hands-on with LG’s latest and greatest, the leather-bound G4. While there may not be many surprises left in store, we still can’t wait to see how the G4 stands against the S6 and other hot Android devices that came out thsi season. Our Ash Tailor will be in London to take the G4 for a spin.
Besides our regular weekly giveaway, this week we brought you a new sweepstakes, courtesy of Opera Software. To stand to win a Galaxy S6 Edge, just head over here and follow the instructions to get your sweepstakes tickets.
The Friday Debate Podcast
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Comparison: Developers, what are the differences between the Play Store and Apple’s App Store?
- Versus: Jon takes a close look at the Nexus 9 vs the iPad Air Mini 3
- Opinion: Nirave argues that HTC and Sony have made a costly mistake with their 2015 flagships
- Opinion: Matt’s counterpoint to Nirave’s piece: maybe we expect too much from our phones
- Tech talk: ARM revealed details about the Cortex A72, and you can get a primer here
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
Xperia Z4 controversy
- Sony Xperia Z4 officially unveiled – Snapdragon 810, 3GB RAM, 5.2-inch display
- Why the Xperia Z4 makes perfect sense… for Japan/
- Xperia Z4 – what’s new and why Sony, why?
- Sony’s REAL flagship could land next month
- Build your own Xperia: How would you improve the Sony Xperia Z4?
LG G4 teasers
- LG shows off the ‘professional grade’ camera inside the LG G4
- LG G4 will hit retailers on April 29th in South Korea
- New LG G4 teaser video shows off the device’s leather back
- LG releases another video showcasing LG G4 UX 4.0
- The leather back could make the G4 more expensive than we thought
OnePlus One rollout and invites
- OnePlus halts CM 12S rollout to add new ‘OK OnePlus’ feature
- OnePlus One says farewell to invites, but they will return for the OnePlus 2
- Cyanogen OS 12 rollout resumed, new build includes bug fixes and “Ok, OnePlus” hotword
Android Wear new features
Project Fi is here
- Google’s wireless service is official, dubbed Project Fi
- T-Mobile CEO John Legere formally announces partnership with Google for Project Fi
- Google releases two Project Fi videos to help you check your data usage, manage calls and texts
Xiaomi Mi 4i: what do $200 buy you?
- Xiaomi Mi 4i official: 5-inch Full HD, Snapdragon 615 for just $200
- Xiaomi Mi 4i closer look: picture gallery and videos
Sound off
We always want to hear your feedback. Whether it’s criticism or praise, feel free to tell us what you think about Android Authority’s content, design, and community. Comment here or get in touch with us on our social channels:
Happy Sunday!
‘Gears of War’ looks like the next game to get an Xbox One remaster
Like it or not, ports of classic games to the latest consoles are still all the rage… and Microsoft appears eager to cash in on the trend. Both Kotaku and Polygon report that Microsoft, Black Tusk Studios and Dirty Bomb‘s Splash Damage are working on a remastered Xbox One version of at least the first Gears of War game. It’s not certain just how far this update to the cover-based shooter will go, but it supposedly includes both improved in-game graphics (such as sharper textures and improved lighting) and “reworked cutscenes” courtesy of animation studio Plastic Wax. This sadly wouldn’t be a genuinely new game, then, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the leaks are on the mark. Gears of War was one of the big money-makers for the Xbox 360 in the console’s heyday, and it’d likely attract plenty of gamers with fond memories of blasting Locust drones.
Apple Watch Impacts iPhone Battery Life… One Way or the Other
With the launch of the Apple Watch on Friday, the first wave of consumers have received their Apple Watches. Our forums are abuzz with activity surrounding Apple’s newest device. While there were initial concerns about the Apple Watch’s battery life, reports seem to indicate that the Apple Watch, itself, has no problem lasting a full day.
However, there have been mixed reports about the impact the Apple Watch has on iPhone battery life. The Apple Watch needs to be paired to an iPhone for full functionality. The iPhone connects to the Apple Watch via bluetooth and Wi-Fi to feed it data and notifications throughout the day.
Some users have found a notable improvement in iPhone battery life with the addition of an Apple Watch. This suggests the act of offloading notifications and quick interactions to your Apple Watch, could make your iPhone battery last much longer.
The best unexpected but /now/ obvious surprise to having the Apple Watch is plenty of battery life on the iPhone after a full day out!
— Dan James (@Daniel277) April 26, 2015
However, several other users have noticed a significant drain on their iPhone batteries in early usage with the Apple Watch.
Apple Watch battery life: 16-20 hrs. iPhone paired with Apple Watch: seemingly zero hours
— Jacqui Cheng (@ejacqui) April 26, 2015
Former Engadget editor Ryan Block had as similar experience and pinpointed the Apple Watch Companion app as the culprit. John Byrne also puts some blame on the Companion App, saying that force-quitting the app seemed to help at least a bit. A discussion thread in our forums provides similarly mixed results, with one user blaming his battery drain on checking email on the Apple Watch. Due to the inconsistency in reports, it seems that either a software bug or particular usage pattern could be a culprit.
AIVAnet 