PornHub built a $1,000 twerking, robot butt
If there’s one website that knows how to combine technology and savvy public relations stunts, it’s PornHub. The company behind the WankBand is gearing up to launch another piece of hardware in the form of TwerkingButt, an adult toy that promises to set a “new benchmark in sexual stimulation.” Which is a ten-dollar way of saying that it’s a robotic butt that vibrates when it’s plugged in. Thanks to CyberSkin technology, the unit will even warm itself to a temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit to match that of a human body.
Once you’ve sat down and the doors are locked, you can pull out your smartphone and use it as a remote control for the device. There’s plenty of things for you to tweak, too, including the massage speed, vibration and even the twerking rhythm if you opt for the more expensive edition of the device. In addition, the deluxe version comes with a VR headset, although the company isn’t talking specifics about what content will work with your new toy, or how. What we do know is that it took PornHub and Topco, its manufacturing partner, four years from start to finish to refine the technology for human use. If that’s enough motivation for you to try one, then you can pre-order the regular model for $699 or, if you want the additional features, the deluxe box with “twerking technology” for $999.
Oh, and the answer to the question that you’re all desperate to ask is: Yes, there is an anal cavity for you to insert yourself inside. We just couldn’t think of a clear enough euphemism to just casually slip that in.
Source: PornHub
Vortex lets kids program their own robot buddy
Sphero, the ball-shaped robot, inspired a new generation of toys that aren’t only fun, but can also be used as educational tools for kids. Vortex, pictured above, is one of these. Created by DFRobot, a company that’s been selling open-source hardware since 2008, Vortex is being revealed today via Kickstarter, with the goal being to raise $50,000 through crowdfunding. Vortex, which is small enough to fit on the palm of your hand, is described as a smart and responsive device that’s meant to inspire incredible fun and creativity — and that it does. It’s not nearly as fast as the Sphero 2.0 or Ollie, but Vortex wants to shine in other specific areas, namely its multiplayer and Arduino features.
To make programming and playing easier, Vortex is going to have companion apps for iOS and Android, which will let your kids (ages 6 and up recommended) learn basic robotics and coding by way of a colorful and easy-to-use interface. “With Vortex, DFRobot wants to bring back the joy of tinkering to the next generation and boost STEM education among children, even from an early age, DFRobot CEO Ricky Ye said to Engadget in an interview. “For the most part, toy technology has actually not changed much for decades. We’re challenging this with a smart robot that children can enthusiastically play with, while also learning about programming and robotics.”
Part of what Ye mentions is also about making Vortex accessible to people. With that in mind, the Kickstarter page is set to offer a single Vortext for $69, which includes the robot, a pack of stickers to play games and a golf set. If you want two, then that’ll be $119 — a small saving compared to the price of one unit. DFRobot says it expects to ship the Vortex later this fall.
Filed under: Misc, Robots, Science, Mobile
Source: Vortex (Kickstarter)
ICYMI: Tortilla tunes, Russian selfie safety and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Some genius decided to engrave a record into an uncooked flour tortilla and the thing actually plays. Russians keep doing such risky things for selfies that the government just launched a selfie safety campaign. And Google’s Street View is being taken to a whole new level with an algorithm that stitches together frames to create seamless tours.
Today’s bonus video is for those of you who are missing Game of Thrones real bad: Watch the intense White Walker battle scene in green screen to see how the editors made it all happen.
If you come across any similarly interesting videos, we’d love to see them! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under: Cameras, Displays, Misc, GPS, Handhelds, Science, Internet, Google
Facebook lets you choose what appears in your News Feed
If you’re a regular Facebook user, you’ll know that the posts that appear in your News Feed are visible because of an algorithm. It’s part of the company’s mission to reduce post overload, but it can often mean that you’ll miss updates from some of your friends. In May, Zuckerberg and co. began testing a new feature that let users choose what they see in their feeds, but it was only available to a select few. From today, however, the new set of controls are rolling out to all.
So what’s new? Firstly, Facebook wants you to choose who you’ll see first when you open its apps. In the News Feed Preferences, you can select the profile picture of a friend, family member or your favorite page and their updates will be loaded before the rest of your timeline.
For those friends or pages who you probably should have removed eons ago, two updated features let you better control what you see from them. You can now zip through friends and pages and choose who you want to “unfollow,” allowing you to keep up appearances without having to suffer through numerous photos of cats, uninformed rants or needy status updates. Now it’s a handy list, you also can re-add friends that you feel might deserve a second chance.
Lastly, there’s a new Page suggestion tool that will automatically suggest pages based on your previous Likes. This is similar to Twitter’s tailored suggestions, which recommends people you might want to follow based on who you’ve just added. Facebook says that the updated News Feed controls will roll out on iOS devices today and arrive on Android and the official website “in the coming weeks.” If you’ve been crying out for a more personalized timeline, your voice has finally been heard.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/132961281?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Facebook
Source: Facebook
These are our favorite video game soundtracks
Music can tame the most savage beast, but when you’re slinking around a cargo ship as a super spy, playing cowboy or making your way toward a massive mountain in the distance, sometimes you don’t want calm. You want dirty, wistful or haunting tracks to fit the action onscreen. The best video game scores stick with you long after you turn the TV off, though, and that’s what we want to highlight here. We’re pretty big fans of how they’ve progressed throughout the years from simple beeps and boops to full-blown symphonic masterpieces that’ve traveled through concert halls around the world. Just below you’ll find the scores the Engadget Gaming crew’s most fond of and one that we don’t particularly care for but felt like calling attention to anyhow. Have a favorite of your own that didn’t make the list? Hit the comments below.
Did any of our picks match yours?
[Image credit: WIlliam Hook/Flickr]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
T-Mobile widens roaming as it becomes the third biggest carrier
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure recently said he was tired of T-Mobile’s “Uncarrier bullshit,” but that BS has almost certainly helped it displace Sprint as the nation’s third-largest carrier. T-Mobile’s preliminary earnings report shows that it added 2.1 million new customers this quarter, giving it 58.9 million in total. As of May, Sprint had 57.1 million customers after adding 1.2 million in the previous quarter. Depending on Sprint’s performance over the past few months, T-Mobile might sprint ahead of it by next quarter. As if that isn’t enough, Legere also announced the company’s latest Uncarrier move, and it’s sure to make Claure “mad, bro.”
T-Mobile is extending its Simple Choice plan to include calling in Canada and Mexico as part of what it’s calling “Mobile without Borders.” Simple Choice already allows users to text and use data in well over 100 countries, but the addition of calling to the plan means that you’ll be able to use your phone as if you were at home from anywhere in the continent. If that sounds a little familiar, that’s because AT&T recently announced it plans to create a “North American Service Area” after the purchase of Mexican carrier Nextel goes through. Unfortunately, AT&T’s North America forgot about Canada, meaning T-Mobile’s roaming deal seemingly tops AT&T’s before it’s even launched.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, T-Mobile
Source: T-Mobile
T-Mobile Now Offers Unlimited Talk, Text and 4G LTE Data in Canada and Mexico at No Additional Charge [iOS Blog]
T-Mobile has announced a new “Un-carrier” move called “Mobile Without Borders” that enables customers with Simple Choice postpaid and prepaid plans to send and receive unlimited phone calls, text messages and use 4G LTE data in Canada and Mexico at no additional cost. The extended three-country plan will be available starting July 15 in select Canadian and Mexican markets.
T-Mobile customers with Simple Choice plans will be able to make unlimited calls to and from the United States to any number, including landlines and mobile phones, in Mexico and Canada, alongside unlimited text messaging and the full monthly allotment of 4G LTE data they would normally have in the U.S. at no extra charge. Music Freedom is included while roaming in Canada or Mexico.
Canadian and Mexican residents looking to take advantage of this T-Mobile promotion are out of luck, as Simple Choice customers must reside in the U.S. and primary usage must occur on T-Mobile’s network in the U.S. The carrier also warns that Simple Choice plans are not intended for extended international usage. Data Stash will be available for use while in Canada or Mexico later this year.
Coverage in Canada includes Banff National Park, Bay of Fundy, Brampton, Burnaby, Calgary, Edmonton, Gatineau, Halifax, Hamilton, Kitchener, Laval, London, Longueuil, Markham, Mississauga, Montreal, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Quebec City, Regina, Richmond, Saskatoon, St Johns, Surrey, Toronto, Vancouver, Vaughan, Victoria, Whistler, Windsor and Winnipeg. Coverage in Mexico includes 117 markets.
Starting next Wednesday, customers that sign up for a new Simple Choice postpaid or prepaid plan will automatically be enrolled in the Mobile Without Borders program. Existing Simple Choice customers can opt-in online, by phone or at a T-Mobile store for free. T-Mobile customers on promotional or legacy plans can add Mobile Without Borders for $10 per month. Mobile Without Borders business plans are also available.
Google’s Nexus 9 tablet slashed to £200 in the UK
If you’d had your eye on a new Nexus device but missed out on the recent round of smartphone sales, today’s new Google tablet deal might be of interest. Just days after the Nexus 6 price was slashed to £304 (normally £479), the WiFi Nexus 9 is enjoying similar treatment, with the 16GB model now setting you back £200 instead of the usual £319. Amazon and Argos are both hosting the deal, which also includes a £100 discount on the 32GB model, but Google has not reflected the price change on its own store.
Motorola and Google have teased sales in recent months, suggesting that both companies are managing stock levels ahead of a likely Nexus hardware refresh in the coming months. Google bucked from tradition with the launch of the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 by removing the huge subsidies that earlier flagship devices had enjoyed, which is probably why we’re seeing bigger discounts now we’re enjoying summer. Given that Google has not mirrored the price change, we can only presume that today’s deals are time-limited or are in place until the allotted stock runs out. That means you’ll likely have to move quickly if you’re wanting to grab HTC’s first Nexus tablet while it’s affordable.
Standalone scanner keeps your prints out of hackers hands
The ease with which hackers seem able to access password secured computer systems including airlines, major corporations — even the White House — it’s little wonder that the security community is scrambling for alternatives. But even biometric locks that scan our irises, faces, and fingerprints can be broken if they’re connected to a compromised computer. That’s why Synaptics has developed a fully self-contained fingerprint scanner.
It’s called Match-in-Sensor fingerprint authentication technology and is based on a System on Chip (SoC) architecture. That means that every function, both input and output, happens on a single microprocessor within the unit itself. Nothing goes through the host computer’s processor (which can easily be compromised through hardware hacks and system malware) unless the user specifically authorizes the device to use its Match-onHost function. Either way, Synaptics touts this new system as easier, faster and more secure to use than conventional passwords. The company’s press release states that the new technology is “currently sampling with key OEM partners” but there’s no word on when it’ll actually arrive on your phone.
Huawei’s Honor 7 took one week to reach 9 million pre-orders in China
Huawei has just released some interesting figures regarding the recent launch of its Honor 7 handset. Despite only being launched in China last week, Huawei has reported that the Honor 7 has managed to record more than 9 million pre-orders.
That’s a lot of handsets, especially if you consider that the globally available HTC One M9 managed 4.75 million sales in 3-months. Furthermore, up to the end of June, Huawei has sold more than 20 million smartphones in 2015. Huawei is understandably expecting a favorable response when it releases the affordable Honor 7 in Europe later this year.
The full press release is below.
HONOR 7 9 MILLION PRE-ORDERS IN CHINA LAYS FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS IN EUROPE
Major milestone for Honor, the newest smartphone brand of Huawei
The smartphone honor 7 was launched in China last week and has already received orders for 9 million units, just one week following the launch. This makes it the first Honor product to generate the highest demand in such a short time, confirming the huge interest from the ecosystem (consumers, fans, partners, media) around the Honor brand.
The new metal smartphone, which offers a fingerprint sensor and a 20-megapixel camera, provides a unique user experience and has garnered interest from fans and users alike in China. The honor 7 enriches the Honor product family, by adding high-end handset within a smaller form factor. It is expected to be under a lot of Christmas trees this year given the huge interest it is showing.
The honor 7 reinforces the existing Honor product family, including honor 6+, honor 6 and honor 4X, which remain smartphones that stand out in the industry:
- honor 6+: known for its unique parallel dual-camera technology, which can capture wider aperture photography for real DSLR feeling
- honor 6: described by digital natives as the coolest phone with the Top1 innovative chipset in the world at the time of launch
- honor 4X: loved by gamers thanks to its immersive, quick-response gaming on the go, with its strong signal technology, large high-contrast 5.5-inch screen, and unrivaled octa-core performance
Honor, a world’s leading smartphone e-brand launched in 2013, has made its presence in 74 markets with an excellent reputation worldwide, and has successfully implemented its “For the brave” brand strategy. Over 20 million units of its devices has been sold in 2014, and 20 million units in sales in 2015 to date (as of end of June), showing how fast the brand is growing and how the demand is building year-on-year.
‘We are very excited about this regional success and believe that honor 7 will see a great response from users in Europe too, later this year. As a new flagship product of the Honor product family, honor 7 is bringing further innovation at an affordable price. Feedback from the community is very positive, which reaffirms our commitment to our customers and our focus to deliver products that always exceed users’ expectations,’ commented Frank Yao, Managing Director WEU, Honor.
Source: AndroidCentral
Come comment on this article: Huawei’s Honor 7 took one week to reach 9 million pre-orders in China
AIVAnet 