Lexus’ hoverboard ‘is like floating on a cushion of air’
The Lexus hoverboard is real, folks. It’s not computer-generated imagery you’re looking at, and it’s not smoke and mirrors. In fact, what looks a lot like smoke emanating from below the Japanese luxury brand’s hoverboard is actually caused by the liquid nitrogen required to keep the ‘board’s insides cool. How cool, you ask? Put it this way: liquid nitrogen freezes at -346 degrees Fahrenheit. Ice cold, baby.
If there is a bit of tricky deception in the video you see above, it’s that the superconductors Lexus is using in its hoverboard will only cause the machine to lift off surfaces that are magnetic. In other words, a skatepark full of concrete won’t work. For that matter, in true Back To The Future style, neither would water… even if you’ve got power.
Does any of that techno mumbo-jumbo even matter, though? What we have here is a real-life hoverboard that doesn’t look like a poorly conceived high-school science project (no offense to Hendo, featured in the video below). The Lexus hoverboard is beautiful, with bamboo decking, a carbon fiber base and, let’s be honest, that awesome special-effects-style smoke.
Ross McGouran, a professional skateboarder, seems to agree with our assessment of the merits of the Lexus hoverboard. In a new video from the automaker that you can watch above, McGouran compares the hoverboard to regular skateboards and says riding Lexus’ invention is like floating on a cushion of air. Which sounds equal parts difficult and amazing. We look forward to more from McGouran and Lexus.
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Filed under: Misc, Transportation
Source: Lexus (YouTube)
Twitter’s new dashboard simplifies your account security
Twitter unveiled a new data dashboard for users on Wednesday. Its aim: to make managing privacy and security settings across all your devices much easier. The controls, which are accessible at Twitter.com under the main Settings menu, will allow you to manage account access, edit the list of blocked users and see what data is being shared with third-party apps. That way if you notice that your account is being accessed by a device in a city you’ve never been to, you can quickly change the password. Or, better yet, you can enable two-factor authentication from the same screen.
[Image Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Source: Twitter
Android M will have native visual voicemail support
According to a report from Android Police, Android M will finally bring visual voicemail to Android. Carriers will have to implement support for Google’s service in order for it to work. French carrier Orange and T-Mobile US are already planned to include support in the final Android M release.
The Android dialer now has a tab for voicemail and shows all available messages for playback. The visual voicemail features works for T-mobile at the moment and hopefully, more carriers will eventually be supported. Visual voicemail does make it a lot easier to manage and listen to your voicemails, and having this feature directly implemented in your phone app (instead of having a carrier’s app to the same job) makes it even more convenient.
Source: Android Dev Preview Issue Tracker
Via: The Next Web
Come comment on this article: Android M will have native visual voicemail support
HTC’s Mo Versi confims HTC One M8 will be getting Android M update
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Given HTC‘s recent financial troubles and a knack for being unpredictable, you could have been forgiven for thinking that the future Android M updates could be in doubt for HTC’s older devices. HTC One M8 owners, at least, can breathe a sigh of relief as HTC’s VP of Product Management, Mo Versi, confirmed on Twitter today that the HTC One M8 will be getting Android M update.
@sonsonnetwork @HTCUSA Thanks Pierrette! Appreciate your support. Yes, the M8 will receive the M OS update.
— Mo Versi (@moversi) June 30, 2015
Naturally, no timeframe was given, though we’re going to go out on a limb and guess HTC won’t be promising a 90 day window this time – but for many, the promise itself is more than enough. The next question of course is when Android M is going to be released, which according to last year’s release should be sometime around the end of October or early November. Given this timeline, and even assuming a 90 day delivery, HTC One M8 owners shouldn’t expect an update before February, and of course plus a few months if you have a carrier variant – we’d love to be wrong though.
What do you think about the HTC One M8 getting Android M? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Twitter via Phone Arena
The post HTC’s Mo Versi confims HTC One M8 will be getting Android M update appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
T-mobile launching the HTC Desire 626s, Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime and Core Prime next week
T-mobile will launch three affordable devices on July 22nd for its customers. The smartphones include the brand new HTC Desire 626s and the existing Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime and Core Prime. The HTC Desire 626s was officially announced today, and it will come equipped with Android 5.1 Lollipop with Sense 7 UI. The specs include:
- 5-inch display (720 x 1280 pixels)
- 1.1 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 210 processor
- Adreno 204 GPU
- 1 GB RAM
- 2 MP front-facing camera
- 8 MP rear camera
- 8 GB of internal storage (with Micro SD expansion up to 32GB)
The Desire 626s will be priced at $169.
Unlike the HTC Desire 626s, the other two Samsung smartphones aren’t new. They also have slightly lower specs than the Desire 626s, same for the price; The Samsung Grand Prime will cost $189 and the Core Prime at $139.
Via: Android Central
Come comment on this article: T-mobile launching the HTC Desire 626s, Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime and Core Prime next week
HTC’s Jeff Gordon claims all OEMs shipping Snapdragon 810 phones are using v2.1 of the processor
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor is arguably the most controversial component for mobile devices ever designed and released. Before any devices actually hit market with the flagship CPU there were rumors and accusations about overheating problems with the chip, and we’ve seen a ton of damage control to try and play down those issues.
The latest twist in this mobile phone soap opera is that all manufacturers are reportedly using an updated version of the Snapdragon 810 processor. OnePlus says they’re using v2.1 of the processor in their upcoming device, and Sony has mentioned that their Xperia devices are using the slightly improved version of the chip. This newer version supposedly fixes the overheating problems and doesn’t have as many issues with clock speed throttling, but according to HTC’s own Jeff Gordon, every OEM that’s offering a Snapdragon 810 device is using v2.1 of the processor. That includes the HTC One M9.
He clarified in a tweet that the M9 has already been using the newer spec, which raises the question of if the newer version of the chip makes a huge difference. And regardless of whether or not it does, we’ve got a ton of manufacturers that are marketing their devices in a slightly shady way trying to mitigate the bad press that’s been associated with the Snapdragon 810.
Hopefully Qualcomm keeps this in mind when they release a newer flagship processor for 2016.
source: Jeff Gordon (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: HTC’s Jeff Gordon claims all OEMs shipping Snapdragon 810 phones are using v2.1 of the processor
ZEISS VR ONE will soon support the Samsung Galaxy S6
The ZEISS VR ONE is a virtual reality headset aiming to give users a much improved VR experience thanks to their superior lenses. Just like the Google Cardboard it uses your phone to do everything. What makes this one different from a basic Cardboard is the overall build quality. One problem is it uses a tray system that you put your phone inside before sliding it into the device. That means unlike the Google Cardboard the list of phones it supports is unfortunately very small.
The good news is the phones it does support currently are all the biggest sellers and another will soon be added. ZEISS have announced they are soon to release a tray that fits the Samsung Galaxy S6.
If you would like to purchase the ZEISS VR ONE it cost $129.00 and you get a choice of one tray. If you would like any additional trays they cost $9.90.
Source: Slashgear
Via: Androidcommunity
Come comment on this article: ZEISS VR ONE will soon support the Samsung Galaxy S6
How to Encrypt Your iOS Device’s iTunes Backup
If you connect your iOS device to your computer to back up your data instead of using iCloud, some of your most private data is not backing up. For security reasons, by default, an iTunes backup will not include saved passwords, Wi-Fi settings, website history, or Health data.
You can save information like passwords and website history in an iTunes backup if you encrypt it, which is an option that Apple offers. Encrypted backups are not the default option, but for those of you who want to be able to save more comprehensive backups to your computer, we’ve created a tutorial that walks you through encrypting iTunes backups and removing that encryption.
If you back up your iOS device using iCloud, you do not have to follow any steps for encryption, as iCloud backups are automatically encrypted for you.
JXE Streams: A special tribute to Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata
Above all, video games are meant to just be one thing: Fun for everyone.
– Satoru Iwata, 1959-2015
The gaming industry mourned the passing of Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata this week, sharing his many memorable quotes and creating touching pieces of art in his honor. Iwata was consistently beloved in a fickle and volatile industry, often winning over players with his joyful approach to gaming. Iwata joined Nintendo as a developer in the 1980s and helped create Earthbound, Kirby, Balloon Fight and other major titles, before rising to the role of President in 2002. Iwata was the first Nintendo president not related to the company’s founding Yamauchi family. In recent years, Iwata led Nintendo through releases of the Wii, 3DS and Wii U, and laid out plans to dive into mobile gaming and launch a new console, the NX. He delivered much of the company’s news in (super adorable) “Iwata Asks” interviews and Nintendo Direct live streams, some of which featured him as a puppet, as Robot Chicken-style claymation, or gazing longingly at bananas.
Today, we tip our hats to Iwata with a special Wii U live stream where we’ll play some of our favorite Nintendo games and talk about the good old days. We kick off with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at 3PM PT / 6PM ET right here, on Twitch.tv/Joystiq or on the Engadget Gaming homepage. Join us — and bring your memories.
Emailing your members of Congress just got much easier
It’s supposed to be easier to email Congresspeople than it is to pick up the phone, but that’s not always how it works in practice. Just ask anyone who has navigated convoluted web forms just to voice opposition to a bill, for starters. You won’t have to put up with those technical hurdles after today, though. The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s new Democracy.io site helps you email House and Senate representatives without having to dig around their sites. You can even email all of your politicians at once, if there’s a concern that stretches across both legislative branches. There’s no guarantees that officials will listen when you fire off your messages, but you’ll at least get to say that you exercised your civic responsibility.
[Image credit: TTarasiuk, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: EFF
Source: Democracy.io
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