ICYMI: Floating wind farm, autonomous robot delivery & more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Delivery company Starship Technologies will begin testing sidewalk-scooting autonomous delivery robots next year in London and the U.S. They can go up to 4 miles-per-hour and carry about 20 pounds worth of whatever it is you’ve ordered. Scotland’s coast will be home to Europe’s largest offshore wind farm. And Georgia Tech researchers are studying fire ants to try to engineer self-healing materials.
Volkswagen pushes back against latest EPA allegations
Volkswagen has disputed new allegations that it installed software that circumvented emissions testing on several small SUV models sold in the United States. In a written statement released Monday evening, the company said “no software has been installed in the 3-liter V6 diesel power units to alter emissions characteristics in a forbidden manner.”
Microsoft’s Surface Book is near impossible to fix yourself
If you took one look at Microsoft’s unique Surface Book and guessed that it’d be an absolute bear to fix… you guessed well. The do-it-yourself repair crew at iFixit has torn down the hybrid laptop, and it’s just as tough to repair as the Surface Pro line despite the larger two-piece design. Just about everything is glued or soldered, and the “upside down” circuitry means that you’ll usually be yanking out the whole motherboard to access parts. About the only thing you can realistically replace is the solid-state drive, and that’s provided that you can get the system open. The inaccessibility isn’t completely surprising — Microsoft had to slim down that oddball shape somehow, and fused-together components are usually how you do it. Still, this may be a disappointment if you were hoping to keep the Surface Book in tip-top shape without paying someone else to fix it.
Source: iFixit
Apple, Google and Others Form Coalition to Push Technology in Financial Sector
A handful of technology giants — including Apple, Amazon, Google, PayPal, and Intuit — have announced a partnership in the formation of the Financial Innovation Now coalition (via Re/code). The group aims to promote tech-friendly policies and changes within the financial services sector in Washington, D.C. Those behind the group will work to alter the political debate on relevant issues like tech security, mobile payments, and fraud prevention in the favor of its partners.
“A technological transformation is going to make financial services more accessible, more affordable and more secure,” said Brian Peters, executive director of Financial Innovation Now. “The challenge in Washington is making sure policy-makers understand that, and they’re comfortable with it, and they don’t apply old rules to new technology.”
Thanks to the growing popularity of mobile payments solutions like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and PayPal, the companies behind such services are positioning themselves as part of the future in financial services discussions in Washington, since they’re more part of the conversation than ever before. The partnership also intends to work together to achieve blanket improvements for each individual service in topics like user security and authentication, faster payment processing, and “access to basic financial services for the two billion people in the world who are underserved.”
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Discuss this article in our forums
Google’s VP of design rips into Windows 10 on Twitter
Shortly after recording his first podcast, Google’s vice president of design Matias Duarte has publicly slammed Microsoft and Windows 10 on Twitter. After the latest episode of Joshua Topolsky’s Tomorrow went live, Duarte tweeted that he had tried the Surface Pro 4 with Windows 10 — and that in his opinion, it felt like “XP with a flat design skin.” Needless to say, this triggered quite a response from the Twittersphere, and Duarte quickly followed up with: “Windows 10? More like Windows 10 years ago!” The tweets were partly sent in jest, as he later described them as “overly clever tweetbait.” However, Google’s design lead clearly has some issues with the way Microsoft’s desktop OS has evolved. Specifically, Duarte claims he has “no beef” with how Windows 10 looks, and is instead disappointed with how it works. As far as he’s concerned, the functionality is similar to the now ancient Windows XP: “I understand that’s a feature for many,” he later tweeted. “Not for me!”
Report: Google isn’t opening a NY retail store after all
What could have been: the space designated for the first Google shop
Google has long been rumoured to be planning its own shop front in New York City and possibly beyond, but now reports suggest that these plans have been scrapped. According to Crain’s New York Business, Google is looking to sublease a property that it had been planning to use for its first store.
Google products:
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
The NY Google Store was to be located at 131 Green Street in SoHo. The company has reportedly already sunk around $6 million into renovating the building. Expenses include redesigning the layout, building a sunken area to make the ceilings look taller and exposing the building’s brickwork.
Google is said to be looking to sublease the property for just $2.25 million, suggesting that the company is keen to end the project rather quickly. However, it is not clear exactly why Google decided to abandon the project.
The closest that Google comes to a retail store is in London, where the company has a branded section located inside a Currys PC World store on Tottenham Court Road. It was thought that Google could use physical store locations to help generate additional consumer awareness about its products, especially its Chromebook range and possibly even side-projects like Google Glass. This strategy could have been used to build a stronger brand image and help define the company as a hardware as well as software business, along the lines of Apple or Samsung, both of which operate retail stores in the US.
For now at least, it looks like Google is going to have to continue to rely on third party high-street stores to push some of its wares.
Sony’s pricey noise cancelling PS4 headset launches next month
Sony already offers a varied range of official accessories for the PlayStation 4, but in-ear headphones have mostly been shunned in favor of on-ear headsets. The good news is that if you’ve been waiting for a pair of branded buds, the company is finally ready to step up to the plate. With its new In-ear Stereo Headset, Sony will debut its noise-reducing AudioShield technology, adding more immersion to your gaming sessions, while filtering out any unwanted background noise during your daily commute.
Slideshow-338483
Source: Sony Europe Blog
Contradictory Samsung Galaxy S7 camera rumors surface
New devices of course mean new rumors, but not all of them end up coming to pass. We have two reported camera specifications for next year’s Samsung Galaxy S7 to bring you, but surely only one of them, if either, will end up being correct.
The first report suggests that Samsung will try to make use of Sony’s latest high-end Exmor RS IMX300 image sensor. The IMX300 features a 25-megapixel resolution and a very fast 192-point hybrid autofocus system. This is the same sensor that powers Sony’s latest flagship Xperia Z5 range, which currently tops the DxOMark camera benchmark.
For Samsung, having a best in class camera in its flagship smartphone will be a big selling point, and Sony would also likely be interested in the deal to secure more shipments for its prospering image sensor business.
See also: Feature Focus: up close with Sony Xperia Z5’s camera
The second rumor points to Samsung using one of its own Isocell image sensors for the Galaxy S7. The big difference this time around is that the company may be looking to increase the sensor light cell size in the Galaxy S7 in order to improve camera performance, rather than opting for another increase in pixel resolution. The Isocell sensor in question is said to feature 12 megapixels, while the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ make use of 16 megapixel modules. Samsung is also said to be integrating dual-photodiode technology into its new sensor, allowing the pixel cells to double up for phase detection auto focus duties as well.
Samsung flagships 2015:
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
Samsung isn’t opposed to mixing and matching camera components in its smartphones. Both a Sony Exmor and the company’s own Isocell sensors made their way into different Galaxy S6 batches, but specifications like resolution are matched to ensure consistent camera features across devices.
Do you have a preference about which image sensor you would like to see go into the Samsung Galaxy S7?
The BBC wants to right Hollywood’s ‘Golden Compass’ wrongs
The Golden Compass was a critical flop, but thankfully Philip Pullman’s epic trilogy of fantasy books, His Dark Materials, is being given another shot on TV. The BBC has commissioned an eight-part series based on the complete works, which will be made in Wales by Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema. The story begins with Lyra, an orphan that lives in a parallel world and finds herself quickly swept up in a mystery surrounding strange “Dust” particles. She eventually encounters Will, a boy from our world, and the pair go on an epic adventure spanning countless worlds and creatures. A TV mini-series should give the producers more space to explore the characters and their relationships. One concern, however, is the budget — aside from Doctor Who, the BBC hasn’t delivered many fantasy TV shows on the level of, say, Game of Thrones. His Dark Materials covers a dizzying number of locales that, without the proper funding, could be rather tricky to pull off.
Via: Variety
Source: BBC
Humble Mobile Bundle 16 is live with all-new games
Humble Mobile Bundle 16 is now available, featuring a collection of six games with more to be added further down the line. As per the norm, users will have the choice to pay $1 or more to receive three games or the above the average price for a total of six games.
In the $1 or more tier are Rocket ROBO, Block Legend, and Outwitters. The above the average tier will get you all of those games in addition to Ys Chronicles 1, Space Marshals, and ALONE. Since there isn’t any specific theme with this bundle, genres are all over the place. For instance, Space Marshals is a top-down shooter, Block Legend is a JRPG with a puzzle aspect, and ALONE is a journey of survival.
As is usual with the Humble Bundle, you can choose how to split your donation between the Humble Bundle team, the game developers, and charities. This time around donations will go to two charities, DirectRelief and WorldReader. The former focuses on providing medical services to those that don’t have access to doctors, and WorldReader looks to empower families by providing free digital books all over the world. Both are great causes to support!
The bundle will last two weeks, and additional titles will be added halfway through. With that in mind, if you pay the above the average price, be sure to check your account for more games in a little over a week.
Anyone plan on snagging any of these titles?
Come comment on this article: Humble Mobile Bundle 16 is live with all-new games
AIVAnet 