US Army’s new anti-drone gun blasts UAVs from a kilometer away
Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey successfully concluded a demonstration of its new anti-UAV platform recently by, you guessed it, blowing a pair of airborne drones clean out of the sky from a kilometer away. However, unlike other anti-drone weapons like the Phalanx or C-RAM systems which throw walls of hot, explosive lead at incoming threats; or the laser-based HEL-MD, this new weapon takes a more old-school approach: lots of big friggin’ bullets.
The as-of-yet unnamed weapon was developed as part of the Army’s Enhanced Area Protection and Survivability (EAPS) Technology Objective at the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Center. As such, it’s been temporarily dubbed the EAPS ARDEC gun. It employs a pair of 50mm Bushmaster cannons mounted atop a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT). These batteries fire 10-round bursts of unpowered steel projectiles wrapped in a tantalum-tungsten alloy liner that shred inbound UAVs, mortars and rockets.
Each projectile can be passively steered while in flight using a radar command signal to ensure that it hits. “In order to minimize the electronics on board the interceptor and to make it cheaper, all the ‘smarts’ are basically done on the ground station,” EAPS project officer Manfredi Luciano said in a statement. “The computations are done on the ground, and the radio frequency sends the information up to the round.”
The final demonstration occurred on August 19 at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. During the demo, the system shot down two Griffon Outlaw drones. The gun is still in its prototyping stage though ARDEC is looking into adapting the technology into future weapons systems.
[Image Credit: American Photo Archive / Alamy]
Source: US Army
Toyota aims to build autonomous car around 2020
Toyota believes that it can make human inputs largely unnecessary from highway drives in vehicles by 2020. To prove what the company can do, the Lexus GS Highway Teammate concept shows the tech in action right now.The race is on to get increasingly sophisticated forms of autonomous driving technology on the road, and brands like Tesla are bringing these solutions to some drivers now. But as one of the world’s largest automakers, it’s no surprise to see Toyota competing in the field, as well. By 2020, the company thinks a person could be largely unnecessary for freeway trips. With a suite of tech called the Highway Teammate, a modified Lexus GS is already showing what’s possible.
Using a combination of millimeter wave radar, LIDAR, and cameras, the GS gets a full view of the road, and software processes all of the info to make decisions. The result is a ride on the freeway without human interaction. The system can merge, change lanes, make passes, take curves, and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles. Accurate map data is a necessity to make this work, so the system currently only being tested on Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway.
While Highway Teammate might not be the best name, it accurately communicates the way Toyota thinks of the tech. The company is making big investments in artificial intelligence to assist drivers, not completely replace them. You can see the system in action in the video below, and the second clip’s gravely serious narrator explains the company’s idea of having a fully connected road someday.
HP’s dorky ‘Star Wars’ laptop is impressive in its attention to detail
Depending on how you feel about Star Wars, either you’ve had enough of the gimmicky merchandising tie-ins, or you intend to buy all the things until the new movie comes out on December 18th. For our part, we don’t know whether to be amused or excited by this special edition Star Wars laptop from HP. On the one hand, a notebook covered in images of Stormtroopers and the X-wing Star Fighter Guidance System, with Aurebesh lettering replacing English, is even dorkier than your typical gaming rig (and that’s saying a lot). On the other, the Star Wars notebook is so committed in its dorkiness that it’s hard not to be impressed by HP and Disney’s attention to detail.Slideshow-324978
It all starts with the packaging. Even before you lay eyes on the laptop, you’ll be greeted by a large box covered in Darth Vader’s image, with a smaller box inside (also decorated with Darth) that houses all your cables and whatnot. Both boxes have a magnetic close, with the smaller of the two bearing the words “You don’t know the power of the dark side” underneath the flap. The notebook itself is protected by foam inserts shaped like an Imperial starfighter. If you’re into Star Wars (and of course you are), you won’t want to throw the packaging away.
As mentioned earlier, the 15-inch notebook is covered in images of Stormtroopers and the X-wing Star Fighter Guidance System, with a textured, distressed finish on the lid meant to make the system feel “battleworn” (HP’s words, not mine). Even the touchpad is decorated with the heads-up display from Luke Skywalker’s Death Star trench run. Then there’s that Aurebesh font, with the words “Galactic Empire” emblazoned across the hinge. This is also a good time to mention the matching accessories: a neoprene laptop sleeve and a wireless mouse. They don’t come in the box, but I have a feeling more than a few of you will choose to go whole hog.
It’s really the software, though, that made me realize how thorough HP and Disney-owned Lucasfilm were in designing this. Boot up the machine and you’ll see that even the standard Recycle Bin has been replaced with a Death Star icon. From there, you can replace typical system sounds (like inserting a USB drive) with various Star Wars beeps and boops (think: R2-D2 or the lightsaber sound). There’s even an Aurebesh system font. All that’s not counting all the content HP pre-loaded, including 1,100-plus images including themes, galleries, screensavers, wallpapers, behind-the-scenes photos, storyboards, movie posters, classic photos and set and costume designs. Additionally, HP pre-loaded a Marvel Star Wars comic, various movie trailers and excerpts from select e-books.
Maybe it’s that HP showed me the Star Wars laptop alongside its new gaming notebook, or maybe it was just the cheesy red keyboard backlighting, but I initially expected specs more in line with a gaming rig. It turns out, that while you can configure this with discrete graphics, it’s more or less a mainstream notebook with an extremely nerdy facade. It starts with a sixth-gen Core i5 processor, with Core i7 available as well. At the highest-end, you can get it with 12GB of RAM and a 2TB hard disk, not to mention that NVIDIA GeForce 940M GPU. The display can be upgraded to a Full HD touchscreen as well. So, while some of you will end up with a decently fast machine, others of you will probably be settling for integrated graphics, a middle-of-the-road CPU and a modest amount of memory.
Star Wars fans can pre-order the laptop tomorrow for $700 (with an expected shipping date of November 8th), while the sleeve and mouse will be available for $40 apiece.
WhatsApp for Android will use Google Drive to back up your data
The more we rely on our smartphones for every facet of our lives, the more risk there is of losing important data if your phone gets lost, stolen or destroyed. Android already has some backup services built in, but the massively popular chat client WhatsApp has just announced a partnership with Google to make sure its 900 million users don’t lose anything important to them. Starting today, WhatsApp users on Android will have the option to back up their entire WhatsApp history right to Google Drive. The backup will include chat histories, voice messages, photos and video, and you’ll be able to restore all of that data to a new phone when you set up WhatsApp.
Unfortunately, as with many new Google features, this one will be coming by the ever-popular gradual rollout. This is a particularly long one — Google says the feature will become available over the next few months. Once it’s available, you’ll find the option in WhatsApp’s settings. Why it’ll take so long isn’t clear, so you’ll have to just start checking your app periodically if you want to take advantage of the new feature.
Apple Seeds Third OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming OS X El Capitan update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, just over one one week after releasing the second OS X 10.11.1 beta and a week after the public release of OS X El Capitan on September 30.
The new beta, build 15B30a, is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer Center.
The first beta of OS X 10.11.1 introduced support for a range of new emoji included in Unicode 8, like cheese wedge, taco, burrito, popcorn, middle finger, unicorn head, and more. Other betas appear to include under-the-hood fixes that are not immediately apparent.
It is not clear what the first update to OS X El Capitan will bring to the new OS aside from updated emoji, but it’s likely to be a minor update that includes bug fixes and performance improvements for issues encountered following the operating system’s official release. According to Apple’s release notes, the beta offers stability, compatibility, and security improvements.
Barnes & Noble debut Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK
Barnes & Noble and Samsung on Wednesday announced the latest in a collaborative electronic book reader effort. Specifically, the pair introduced the Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK, a $250 eReader with a 9.6-inch display.
Available immediately, the tablet runs Android under the hood and features 16GB internal storage with microSD expansion card slot (up to 128GB). The rear houses a 5-megapixel camera while the front offers up a 2-megapixel lens for selfies and video chat.
The aforementioned 9.6-inch screen has a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution image; it’s larger than the more expensive Tab S2 Nook but considerably lower resolution.
The Galaxy Tab E NOOK comes loaded with a suite of Microsoft Office apps and also includes access to a number of Google apps. Like other NOOK devices, this one comes with free NOOK Cloud storage, lifetime in-store support at Barnes & Noble, and the ability to read NOOK Books free inside of B&N retail stores.
Purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK from Barnes & Noble
The post Barnes & Noble debut Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Virgin Mobile’s latest move lets customers stream music without affecting data
Virgin Mobile USA has revealed a new feature for its prepaid plans which lets customers stream music without having it impact the data plan. Dubbed “data-free” streaming, it allows for unlimited access Pandora, Slacker Radio, and iHeartRadio.
The move is similar to what T-Mobile does for its Music Freedom feature in that it frees up customers from stressing about data usage. Music is one of the more popular ways to chew threw monthly data; the three services are some of the bigger names in the space.
Virgin Mobile customers can receive the data-free streaming for any of the carrier’s three plans. The $35 option includes 1GB of monthly data and includes unlimited talk and text. For $45, subscribers can jump to 3GB of data while the $55 plan gives 8GB of high speed internet.
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Barnes & Noble announces new Galaxy Tab E NOOK with special trade-in program
Barnes & Noble announced today that they are expanding their lineup of NOOK devices with a new 9.6-inch device from Samsung, the Galaxy Tab E NOOK. The new tablet reader will sell for $249.99 retail. As part of the launch, Barnes & Noble is conducting a special Trade-In/Trade-Up promotion that offers a credit of up to $200 towards the purchase of a new NOOK device for customers who trade in certain NOOK, iPad, Kindle or Samsung devices.
Fred Argir, Chief Digital Officer for Barnes & Noble, says:
“We’re excited to give our customers even more ways to experience reading and entertainment with the addition of the Samsung Galaxy Tab E NOOK and its spacious large display. We’re proud to partner with Samsung to give Barnes & Noble customers a comfortable, convenient way to enjoy their favorite reading, movies and TV shows on a number of devices and sizes to fit their needs. We invite customers to visit their local Barnes & Noble store to learn more and take advantage of the limited-time promotion to trade in an earlier NOOK device to trade up to one of our wonderful new NOOK by Samsung tablets.”
The Galaxy Tab E NOOK features a 9.6-inch display running at 1280 x 800 resolution, 16GB of internal storage that is expandable via microSD, comes with a 5MP rear facing camera and 2MP front facing camera, and with Samsung’s overlay, provides multi-window capabilities for multi-tasking purposes and runs a full version of Android. The Galaxy Tab E NOOK falls in the middle of the product line in between the high end Galaxy Tab S2 Nook and the lower end Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK 7.0.
The special Trade-In/Trade-Up program runs through November 7th. Credits received for devices that are traded in can be used toward the purchase of any NOOK device, not just the Galaxy Tab E NOOK. Previous versions of NOOK devices will garner a $50 credit. Other devices from Samsung, Kindle and Apple may result in a credit of $25 up to $200 depending on the device. Customers do have to visit a Barnes & Noble retail location to take advantage of the program.
To place an order for the new Galaxy Tab E NOOK, hit the source link below.
source: Barnes & Noble (Galaxy Tab E NOOK product page) (press release)
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Sony smartphone division may be back on the chopping block
Early in 2015, Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai announced plans to return the electronics giant to profitability. However, his plans at the time did not include any mention of the smartphone lines of business leading many to conclude the company may exit the smartphone and mobile devices market. Despite producing highly rated smartphones, Sony has struggled to turn a profit on them and has not enjoyed much success in the market, gaining only 1% market share in the U.S. and not much better in other markets. A new statement from Hirai indicates 2016 could be the make or break year for the smartphone division.
Despite the initial absence of smartphones in Hirai’s long-term plans to turn the company around, Sony came back over the summer with a new advertising campaign and a new commitment to the division. Interest in keeping that business afloat seems to be waning quickly. According to Hirai’s statement,
“We will continue with the business as long as we are on track with the scenario of breaking even next year onwards. Otherwise, we haven’t eliminated the consideration of alternative options.”
During July, Sony had to lower its forecast for the smartphone division to a 60 billion yen ($500M USD) loss for the year, down from an earlier 39 billion yen ($325M USD) loss estimate. Even as their mobile communications division continues to struggle, Hirai has led other parts of the company back to profitability. Those successes may have bought Hirai a little time to turnaround smartphones, but the clock definitely seems to be counting down on the division.
What do you think Sony could do to turn things around?
source: Reuters
Come comment on this article: Sony smartphone division may be back on the chopping block
Synaptics has announced ClearForce technology, coming to devices in early 2016
Huawei already has a Force Touch-esque product in some markets, but Synaptics plans even bigger things.
Regardless of one’s feelings on Apple’s 3D/Force Touch, it has been presented as a new way of interacting with devices ranging from a computer to a smartphone to even a wrist-worn wearable. Huawei already took a similar solution to town with one of its devices, but now it seems Synaptics is about to give the pressure-sensitive medium an even bigger boost: ClearForce technology.
According to the company, ClearForce “enables OEMs to differentiate smartphones by providing customers with new dimensions in user interfaces such as speed scrolling, zoom, gaming, and text or photo editing by applying variable force with a finger or stylus.” The press release then goes on to mention that “Synaptics has been working closely with leading global OEMs and LCMs to deliver this new dimension in touch with force-enabled smartphones expected to ship in early 2016.”
“With a rich history in force technology dating back to 1996, including over 60 granted and pending patents worldwide, Synaptics’ third-generation force-sensing solution, ClearForce, enables global OEMs and LCMs to differentiate smartphones — with tablet, wearables, and automotive manufacturers to follow. Variable force creates numerous opportunities to invent new user interface capabilities and increases productivity for touchscreen applications.”
Force Touch as it appears on the Apple Watch. Will Synaptics’ solution offer a superior level of input?
The press release then goes on to list the specific implications of the soon-to-be-sold solution:
- Variable speed scrolling
- Picture zoom and panning
- Function preview and selection
- Continuously variable gaming control functions
- Unlock and wake up
- Right-side mouse click behavior (open contextual menus)
- Line thickness control while drawing (e.g., when writing Chinese characters and creating artwork)
- Image editing (brightness, contrast, saturation)
- Upper case and symbol selection (to bypass keyboard mode changes)
The possible uses of ClearForce are quite varied to say the least, and it will be of particular interest to see how Android OEMs and software developers take advantage of the enhanced usability it provides. Of course, one of the big questions that remains to be answered is just what toll – if any – this new feature will take on the devices using it. Apple’s iPhone 6S has become ever-so-slightly more bulky as a result of the added components needed to imbue its phones with the Force.
What’s your take on this? Are you excited by ClearForce and the potential it may unlock, or are you decidedly against the newfangled “push to touch” technology?
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