Samsung Galaxy S6 Plus to launch in next few weeks, report indicates
Samsung will introduce a Galaxy S6 Plus smartphone in the coming weeks, according to oft-reliable blog SamMobile. The device, which is alleged to feature a 5.4-inch or 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display, should also feature the dual-curved edges like those found in the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Specifications are purported to include a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor and 32GB internal storage. As for the cameras, we are told to look for a 16-megapixel rear shooter and 5-megapixel front-facing unit.
It is not yet clear where the Galaxy S6 Plus might be offered or whether it will be available in all traditional markets. Also unknown is what sort of price point we could be looking at.
The post Samsung Galaxy S6 Plus to launch in next few weeks, report indicates appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google is developing A.I. to count the calories in your food photos
I am from a family of foodies, and I also have many foodie friends. We just love food and we love to take pictures of food to share with those who share the same passion. A major downside for loving food is consuming too many calories, which is a major problem in the U.S. We have access to thousands and thousands of ingredients and most of us have no idea how many calories are in each ingredient. A single tablespoon of peanut butter can contain up to 200 calories! Not only is it difficult to try to memorize ingredients and their calorie content, it is also extremely difficult to judge serving size as there is no standard to adhere to. Trying to count calories is extremely difficult and also extremely inaccurate.
10 years ago if you wanted to keep track of your calories, you kept it in a food diary and then you would have to go and look up how many calories were in each item that you consumed. Fast forward to today and we have apps where we can input our intake and the app will have the appropriate caloric info, but again this is based on an individual’s ability to assess serving size. It’s an improvement but it is not an exact science by any means.
In comes Google to save the day. Google has been working on developing artificial intelligence, and it has been a relatively secret program until now. According to Popular Science, their latest A.I. involves counting calories in food photos. At the Rework Deep Learning Summit in Boston, Google revealed that they are developing a project called Im2Calories. This project involves lots of math and algorithms that can analyze caloric content in food photos. Fortunately you will not need a high-end camera to make this work, and standard resolution photo qualifies to be analyzed.
The true genius behind this project is that it should get better with use, and that process is called “deep-learning”. Rather than have programmers input information into the project, A.I. should take over and should improve on its own. Google has yet to reveal when this technology will be available, but during the presentation it was shown to estimate calories on pancakes, eggs, and bacon, which is a very common American breakfast. I would like to see health insurance companies invest in this technology as well, in hopes to help us make better decisions about our food choices.
The post Google is developing A.I. to count the calories in your food photos appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Download the Google Photos Desktop Uploader to back up your photos with ease
The new Google Photos app is a great way to keep all of your pictures and videos backed up to the cloud. Not only does the service offer up tons of new features and improvements over Google’s previous Photos application, the company is also letting you back up all of your photos and videos for free. Although there are a few caveats that come with the term ‘unlimited storage’ in this case, Google is still providing a great way for users to easily store important media in the cloud.
The mobile Photos application is convenient, but what if you have the majority of your photos saved on your computer? If you have more than a few images that need backing up, we’d suggest trying out the new Google Photos Desktop Uploader application, which is now available for download on both Mac and Windows computers.
Read more: A quick look at the new Google Photos app
To grab the application, head over to photos.google.com/apps and click ‘Desktop Uploader’ on the left-hand side. Once the app is downloaded and installed, the setup process is quite easy. Simply log in to your Google account, and you’ll be presented with this folder selection page:
From here, you can select which folders Google Photos will automatically upload to the cloud. If you don’t see your desired folder on the list, just click the Add button and navigate to the correct one. Similar to the setup process on the mobile application, you’ll also be able to choose the size in which your photos and videos are uploaded. Remember, photos have a 16MP cap, and videos have a maximum resolution of 1080p, so be sure to keep that in mind before choosing the “free unlimited storage” option. If you want your photos to keep their original quality, select the “Original” upload option.
Once you’re done with this page, all you need to do is wait for your photos to back up to the cloud. If you need to add or remove folders after completing this process, just reopen the Photos app on your desktop and alter the list, just like you did before.
If you have any questions about Google Photos or the new Desktop Uploader app, be sure to let us know in the comments below. And if you haven’t yet, check out our video walkthrough and setup of the new Google Photos mobile app! Have you tried Photos yet? If so, how are you liking it?
WWDC 2015 Decorations Going Up at Moscone Center Ahead of Monday’s Keynote
Apple is set to kick off its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday with a keynote event that begins at 10:00 a.m., and as it does every year, the company has begun decorating the Moscone Center in San Francisco where the conference will be held.
As of this afternoon, work crews have begun placing the iconic Apple stickers on the outside of the building, while also preparing to begin erecting banners in the lobby of Moscone West. As can be seen in photos shared by MacStories, the first leaves of the logo are visible.
In a few hours, we’ll likely see the first banners for the 2015 event, which may sport the tagline “The epicenter of change.” Apple will continue decorating the center throughout the week, adding additional signage both inside and outside.
Oftentimes Apple’s banners reveal hints on upcoming operating system changes, suggesting potential names and feature sets, but those revelatory banners will likely be kept under wraps until later this week. In 2014, we didn’t see signs for iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 until Friday.
This year’s keynote will include the debut of iOS 9 and OS X 10.11, along with a new streaming music service, a revamped version of iTunes Radio, a new Apple TV set-top box, and a rewards program for Apple Pay. For more details on what to expect, make sure to check out our WWDC roundup.
Apple plans to provide a live stream of the WWDC keynote on the Apple TV and through its website. MacRumors will also provide live coverage of the event for those unable to watch, both on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumors Live Twitter account.
Review: The Twelve South HiRise is an Ideal Stand for Apple Watch [iOS Blog]
Twelve South is an accessory company that’s known for its high-quality stands for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, so it’s no surprise that it was one of the first to announce a dock for the Apple Watch.
The Twelve South HiRise for Apple Watch follows in the footsteps of the company’s other HiRise docks, offering an Apple Watch storage and charging solution that’s attractive, well-designed, and suitable for use in a wide range of locations, from a desk in an office to a nightstand in a bedroom.
I’ve been using the HiRise for Apple Watch for over a week now, as have a few of my colleagues both at MacRumors and TouchArcade, and the universal consensus is that it’s a great stand, albeit with a premium price tag.
HiRise for Apple Watch is made from brushed metal and is available in black or silver to match the finishes of the Apple Watch Sport and standard Apple Watch. It also matches the company’s HiRise products for other devices, if you happen to own any of those.
Read more 
Comcast’s new Chief Product Officer hails from Xbox, Nike
As Comcast keeps trying to turn around the negative reputation that it (and the rest of the pay-TV industry) has, it has a new Chief Product Officer to help. Enter Chris Satchell, who comes from Nike where he was the Consumer Technology Officer working on products like the FuelBand. According to Satchell, Nike ditched that gadget because sensors proliferated in other devices, and it chose to focus on building systems to track and handle its customers workout data. Other than the distinctive light up bangle, Satchell also previously worked at Microsoft where his work included leading its XNA game development program through the Xbox 360’s early days, plus talking smack about Nintendo and Sony on the side.
He once said Sony should “copy Xbox Live a little more closely”, advice he can now bring to Comcast’s next-gen cable boxes and apps. They could probably use a dash of that style, not to mention the performance, although the X1 has some impressive features like cloud DVR and the talking guide it just rolled out. Now that Sony has a TV service of its own, he may find them as competitors once again — to go along with Sling, Apple and the rest — we can’t wait to hear what he has to say then.
[Image credit: Web Summit/Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Comcast (1), (2)
Instagram is opening its advertising floodgates
Today Instagram announced sweeping changes to its 18-month old advertising scheme in an effort to monetize all those loyal sets of eyeballs. The company is essentially opening its platform to advertisers big and small, rather than the “select” partners it’s been pairing with during the past year and a half long pilot project. The plan is to push ads in more formats that are targeted towards people with relevant interests. All that means is that as it rolls out, the next Sponsored post you see is probably based on what IG (and its owner Facebook) think you like.
Specifically, “direct response” ads will now integrate action buttons that will prompt viewers to click through and buy, subscribe, or install whatever the ad is hawking. Instagram hinted at this feature back in March but made it official today. On the back end, Instagram is granting advertisers more granular data on users than the standard age, gender and location metrics they previously had access to. It’s using demographics and interests, plus the data businesses have about their customers.
Filed under: Internet
Via: ReCode
Source: Instagram
Japanese robot moves heavy objects by putting its back into it
When you need to move something but it’s too heavy to lift off the ground, most of us default to one of two strategies: find someone stronger, or shove it along the floor instead. Researchers from the University of Tokyo’s JSK Laboratory are now teaching robots to do the latter. The latest version of its HRP-2 is able to analyse an object, say a heavy crate on tiny rollers, and try different methods of exerting force. Much like a human, lower force strategies mean pushing or pulling with its hands, while higher strength methods include leaning in with a single shoulder or its back. The robot will monitor each attempt and automatically switch to increasingly higher force strategies if it finds the object still isn’t moving. Depending on its progress, the HRP-2 will also alter its footwork to ensure it doesn’t fall over; a slow-moving object might require shorter steps, for instance, to make sure it’s not caught off guard by a sudden change in resistance. It can’t replace your local moving company (yet), but it’s nice to see a robot finally putting its back into something.
[Image Credit: University of Tokyo/JSK Laboratory]
Filed under: Robots
Source: IEEE Spectrum
Exploit can control older Macs even after they’re formatted
There’s a new vulnerability that could let evildoers control your Mac, even after you format the system drive. Discovered by OS X security expert Pedro Vilaca, the exploit targets older machines after they wake up from sleep mode. The problem is that security normally protecting the firmware isn’t activated immediately after certain models wake up, leaving them briefly exposed. And unlike other vulnerabilities that require physical access to a machine (like ThunderStrike) an attacker would be able to plant such an exploit remotely via Safari or other means.
To pull it off, they’d first need to get root OS X root access via a malicious website, email attack or other vector. After a carefully designed program is planted, it could wait for the Mac to sleep (or force it to sleep), then flash the firmware when it wakens. Once inside, the malicious “rootkit” would be difficult to detect and delete compared to regular malware, surviving even re-installs or formatting. Though tricky to use on a large scale, the exploit could be used by attackers to gain “epic ownage” on individual targets, as Vilaca put it.
You could probably… trigger this, all remotely. That’s pretty epic ownage.
Vilaca updated his original post to point out that the vulnerability’s seriousness, saying it “appears to be an effective zero-day” problem. He confirmed that the bug works on a MacBook Pro Retina, MacBoook Pro 8.2 and a MacBook Air, with all models running the latest BIOS software. However, machines newer than about a year old appear to be immune to it — possibly because Apple already knows about the issue and patched it, according to Vilaca. Also, even though the exploit is now out there, it would be trickier for attackers to implement than something like Heartbleed. Vilaca doesn’t consider the disclosure irresponsible, saying that “the goal is to pressure them to fix their firmware.” We’ve reached out to Apple for comment on the matter.
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Internet, Apple
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Pedro Vilaca
Chlorine leak injures five at Apple data center
It hasn’t been the best week for Apple. After a small fire broke out at its Arizona facility, it’s now dealing with a chlorine leak at its data center in North Carolina. Catawba County Emergency Services swept in with a HazMat team yesterday and five employees were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Apple admits the workers could have been exposed to fumes after the chemical, used to clean its cooling systems, was spilled inside the building. All of the employees have since been discharged from the hospital and Apple says they should be able to return to work today. “The spill was quickly contained and poses no threat to anyone else at the facility,” an Apple spokesperson told WSOC-TV.
[Image Credit: David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images]
Source: WSOC-TV
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