Robot autopsy shows Pepper’s head may be replaceable
Don’t worry, the gruesome image (above) of SoftBank’s Pepper isn’t part of Elon Musk’s robot takedown plan. It’s actually a teardown by Japanese website Nikkei showing exactly what makes the emotion sensing ‘bot tick. The head came off the body easily enough, but Pepper probably won’t get an “easily repairable” score as Nikkei’s technicians had to drill to get it apart. Once it cracked the cranium, however, it confirmed that yes, Pepper has Intel inside — an Atom processor, to be exact. The site theorizes that since the head detaches easily from the body, SoftBank might let users upgrade just by dropping in a new one with a different CPU.
Other Pepper organs aren’t located where we have them — its microphone “ears” are near the top of its head and its speakers are on the side, for instance. Meanwhile, one eye is a depth sensing camera that picks up infrared signals that are transmitted by the other eye. (The depth sensing camera used by Pepper is an ASUS part, by the way.) You can hit the source to see the rest of the parts and pieces, but if you shelled out the price of a compact car to get one, we certainly wouldn’t try it at home.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Nikkei
Shyp helps reverse a tech trend by hiring contractors as staff
Tech companies like Uber may be fighting tooth and nail to keep their workers as contractors and avoid dealing with costs like insurance and taxes, but Shyp isn’t having any of that. The shipping service has announced that it’s treating all of its couriers as full-fledged employees, with all the benefits and covered expenses that come along for the ride. As the company explains, this isn’t about thumbing a nose at anyone. Instead, the focus is on “owning” the whole experience and improving what you get. It’s only really possible to offer better supervision and training to dedicated staff, Shyp’s CEO says. Also, he’s betting that this will pay dividends down the road as you deal with more committed, experienced couriers.
Shyp isn’t the only company making this transition. Instacart recently flipped some of its grocery delivery people to employee status, for example. However, it’s the highest-profile example of a growing backlash against the tendency to rely on contracted workers for on-demand internet services. Although contractors are cheaper and more flexible (many ridesharing drivers operate in their spare time), they’re not as likely to stick around or work consistent hours — bad news if there’s a spike in business. Employees, as expensive as they can be, make it easier for tech firms to accommodate your demands.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Wall Street Journal
Source: Shyp
Dubai building will be entirely 3D printed, right down to the furniture
The uses for 3D printing are seemingly endless. We’ve seen the tech used by doctors, to build cars and for construction. While parts of a building have been 3D printed before, the United Arab Emirates National Innovation Committee is working to use the method for an entire office building in Dubai. Working with WinSun Global and a few other companies, the committee plans to use a 20-foot tall 3D printer to make everything on-site rather than fabricate the pieces and have them transported for assembly. WinSun Global has already printed a six-story apartment building and a house in China. As you might expect, the structure is small, measuring 2,000 square feet.
According to 3DPrint.com, the project with use Special Reinforced Concrete (SRC), Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP), and Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GRG). Heck, even the furniture that’s going inside will be 3D printed in addition to both the interior and exterior walls. Using this method of construction, the office building is said to be ready in “just a few weeks,” and should cut labor costs by 50-80 percent and construction waste by 30-60 percent. “Office” is being used to describe the structure, but it’ll be used for a variety of purposes, including exhibitions as part of the Dubai’s Museum of the Future that’s slated for a 2017 opening.
Filed under: Misc
Source: 3DPrint
NASA’s New Horizons captures images of mysterious spots on Pluto
As the New Horizons spacecraft preps for its inspection of Pluto on July 14th, NASA provided a status update with some interesting info. First, new color images show a series of spots along the dwarf planet’s equator. The evenly-spaced spots are about 300 miles (480 kilometers) in diameter, or about the size of the state of Missouri. Due to the spacing and size, scientists are unable to determine their origin for the time being, but that could change as New Horizons moves in for a closer look. Another thing researchers will be looking for as the spacecraft makes its approach? Clouds. Should Pluto have them, they can be used to track the speed and direction of the planet’s winds.
Finally, researchers using telescopes on the ground and NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory confirmed that Pluto’s atmosphere didn’t freeze. For years, it was believed that the planet’s atmosphere would freeze onto the surface and disappear before it could be closely examined. Using the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instrument, New Horizons is already gathering data on the environment around the planet. The tech is designed to relay data to scientists on the ground info about Pluto’s escaping atmosphere by detecting ions. With those details, it can also be determined how quickly the atmosphere is escaping. The spacecraft is less than 9.5 million miles (15 million kilometers) from the Pluto system and its working just fine, so in less than two weeks, we should have some pictures look more like the artist rendering above.
Filed under: Science
Source: NASA
Play ‘Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’ on your Wii U
At long last, you can play one of the best Legend of Zelda games (often considered the best) on your Wii U. Nintendo has released a Virtual Console version of Ocarina of Time for its latest TV console on the eShop, giving you an easy way to relive Link’s classic time-traveling adventure without taking your dusty old Nintendo 64 (or original Wii) out of storage. You might not relish the thought of plunking down $10 for a 17-year-old game, especially if you’ve already bought it twice, but it beats watching a groundbreaking title fade from memory.
Source: BusinessWire, Nintendo
Plex urges users to change their passwords following recent forum hack
If you’ve ever signed up to be a member of the Plex forums, now may be a good time to change your password. Plex yesterday announced that the servers on which its blog and forums are hosted have been breached, leaving IP addresses, private messages, email addresses and encrypted forum passwords vulnerable. The company says that only forum members are affected, and everyone’s credit card and other payment data is completely safe.
Because of this data breach, the Plex team is strongly suggesting that everyone change their passwords. If you happen to visit the website while logged in with an affected account, you’ll automatically be redirected to the Change your password screen. The company sent out an email this morning to warn affected users of the attack. The email reads:
Dear Plex User,
Sadly, we became aware this afternoon that the server which hosts our forums and blog was compromised. We are still investigating, but as far as we know, the attacker only gained access to these parts of our systems. Rest assured that credit card and other payment data are not stored on our servers at all.
If you are receiving this email, you have a forum account which is linked to a plex.tv account. The attacker was able to gain access to IP addresses, private messages, email addresses and encrypted forum passwords (in technical terms, they are hashed and salted). Despite the password encryption measures, we take your privacy and security very seriously, so as a precaution, we’re requiring that you change your password.
Be sure to choose a strong password, never share it, and never re-use passwords for different accounts! Even better, use a password manager (1Password, for example) to manage a unique password for you. Access to your Plex account will be blocked until you do so.
Please follow this link to choose a new password.
We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but both your privacy and security are very important to us and we’d rather be safe than sorry!
We will post more detailed information on our blog shortly. Thanks for using Plex!
The Plex Team
If the company reveals any more information about the attack, we’ll be sure to update you. In the mean time, be sure to change your passwords.
Chevrolet intros “Active Phone Cooling” system to keep your smartphone from overheating
If you’ve ever played music or charged your smartphone in your car on a hot summer day, you’d know that it doesn’t take much for your mobile device to heat up quickly. And now that vehicles are starting to come with wireless charging pads built in, that will only add to the overall toastiness of your device. That’s why Chevrolet has created a technology called “Active Phone Cooling”, which is essentially an air conditioner built specifically for your smartphone.
Read and watch: Beyond Android: a look at the Chevrolet Volt battery
The new system will be implemented on vehicles that come with wireless charging on board, including the 2016 Impala, Volt, Malibu and Cruze. The idea behind the tech is quite simple – your phone sits on a small wireless charging pad underneath a vent that shoots cold air on your phone. It’s simple, and from the sounds of it, quite effective.
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Active Phone Cooling will only operate when the driver turns on the HVAC system, so you’ll need to have the A/C on in order for it to cool your smartphone. It should be noted that each one of these vehicles support both PMA and Qi wireless charging standards, so you’ll be able to use the new tech with any smartphone on the market that supports wireless charging.
Leaked Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus Cases Give Us an Idea on Design
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We recently found out that Samsung plans a super-sized version of the Galaxy S6 Edge, simply calling it the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. New leaked photos have hit the interwebs that display cases for the S6 Edge Plus, as well as the Galaxy Note 5 giving us an idea on the designs.
When it comes to the S6 Edge Plus’s case, it doesn’t look much different from the regular version. The Galaxy Note 5 case on the other hand shows us cutouts on the bottom indicating a spot for the S-Pen. These images come from MobileDirect, a Romanian accessory company and we thank them for the leakage.
Let us know your thoughts about the images above. Who’s getting that Galaxy S6 Edge Plus?
Source: Phonearena
The post Leaked Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus Cases Give Us an Idea on Design appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
CoolStream Duo Bluetooth receiver review
One of the hardest things about switching to an Android phone from an iPhone is that you’ve already invested so much into the apps and accessories, and switching to Android means having to start over. The Coolstream Duo alleviates a little of that pain, by allowing you to connect to iOS centric devices via Bluetooth.
Coolstream Duo overview
The device itself features a 30 pin iPod/iPhone connector, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an internal battery, and an on/off power switch. The internal battery and 3.5mm jack are nice features because they allow you to remove the Coolstream Duo from it’s appointed dock and take it on the go for wireless Bluetooth audio streaming in your car or to your favorite pair of wired headphones or even your computer speakers at work. Unfortunately, the one thing they don’t allow for is to use the device for hands-free calling. This is strictly designed to stream audio.
Coolstream Duo setup
The device is super easy to get up and running. First and foremost, you need an iPod/iPhone dock. I had to fish mine out of a box in the garage. I hadn’t used it in a couple of years because I have to mount it under a cabinet and I’m pretty sure my landlord doesn’t want me drilling holes in his cabinets. Once you have your dock ready, plug the device into the 30 pin connector and leave it on the dock for at least 3 hours to ensure that the battery gets a proper charge. When the device is fully charged, you can expect 5 continuous hours of battery life. Once the device is plugged in, search for Bluetooth devices from your phone and select the Coolstream Duo. The device will pair automatically without any need to enter a pin number. Now you’re ready to stream your music. Just open up your favorite music app and enjoy.
Coolstream Duo use
The one downside to the Coolstream Duo is that you are unable to control the music through the dock. You’ll have to control the music from your phone. In my case, that’s ok. At home, I always have my phone handy and I have a very short commute to work. I rarely change the song that I’m listening to in the car. You may, however, take issue with it. The best part about the Coolstream Duo is that you can now use your Android device with your old iOS equipment.
What we liked
- Bluetooth on iPod docks
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Battery life
What could be better
- Ability to change a song through dock
- Needs a microphone for handsfree calling
- A micro USB auxiliary charging port would open this up to more buyers
Coolstream Duo overview
If you have an old iPod 30 pin dock or even a 30 pin charger, then the Coolstream Duo is a great option to bring life to your non-Bluetooth equipped iPod docks and headphones. If not, then it’s probably best to look at your other options. You can purchase the Coolstream Duo for $29.99 from their website or on Amazon, where it has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on over 830 reviews.
Do you have a Coolstream Duo? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
The post CoolStream Duo Bluetooth receiver review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
CyanogenMod teases new Gello browser
Yesterday a member of the CyanogenMod team teased Google+ followers with news that a new mobile browser is close to being released by the team. Named Gello, the browser is based on Chromium open-source code and Joey Rizzoli says the new browser will be open-sourced as well. There are a lot of third-party browsers out there, but developing their own means CyanogenMod could provide their own alternative to Chrome in their ROMs as well as on devices from Cyanogen or their partners.
The new Gello browser appears to come with a healthy helping of customizations and features. If these features make it to the official release, users will be able to control items like tab animations, site-level privacy and security, rename downloaded files and select where they are saved to, and save sites for offline reading. The Gello browser also appears to have a night mode and an immersive mode. Gello may have an ad blocker built in as well.
There is no official release date and apparently Gello will only be able to work on newer, more powerful mobile devices. You can check out a video demonstrating the new browser below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
source: Joey Rizzoli (Google+)
via: Android Police
Come comment on this article: CyanogenMod teases new Gello browser
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