EPA plans more real-world emissions tests in light of VW’s cheating
Car makers like Volkswagen should have an even tougher time cheating on emissions tests than they first thought. The Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that it’ll include considerably more real-world diesel emissions tests as part of its improved inspections. The on-the-road testing isn’t as sophisticated as what you’d find in the lab, but it should reduces the chances that companies will fudge results. Moreover, vendors won’t get a chance at optimizing for the EPA’s new tests — it’s keeping its exact methodology a secret.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: New York Times
Doctors breach the blood-brain barrier for the first time
Our blood-brain barrier is a highly selective membrane specially designed to only allow very specific molecules access to our grey matter while keeping everything else out — regardless of whether they’re invading foreign bodies or potentially life-saving medicines. That’s no longer the case. Doctors from Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital have recently managed to temporarily jiggle the barrier open using directed ultrasonic waves and keep it open long enough to deliver chemotherapy drugs.
Via: Motherboard
Source: The Globe and Mail
New wireless earbuds conform to your ears in 60 seconds
Finding the right earphones is tricky business. Your options are basically limitless and everybody has their own favorite brand or shape. The only problem is, where half the world might love a particular kind the other half could hate it. Startup Revols says it’s because our ear shape is just as unique as our fingerprints. With this in mind, the company has developed a Kickstarter campaign for its wireless earphones that use gel-filled tips to mold specifically to your ear. All you have to do is place them in, click a button on the company’s companion app and let the tips work their magic. Once set, they’ll harden to keep their shape. The seemingly simple design and execution has seen the company already reach its crowdfunding goal of $100,000, with 59 days to go.
Source: Kickstarter
Tim Cook: iPad Pro Will Replace Notebooks and Desktops for ‘Many, Many People’
Ahead of the launch of the iPad Pro, Apple executives have been doing a series of interviews to drum up excitement and interest in the device. Earlier today, The Independent published an interview with Tim Cook where he shared his thoughts on the Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro’s target market.
This afternoon, The Telegraph published a second interview where Tim Cook spoke further on his vision of the iPad Pro as a PC replacement and how tablets are subsuming the PC market. According to Cook, the iPad Pro will serve as a replacement for a notebook or desktop computer for “many, many people.”
“I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?” […]
“Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones.”
Cook also said the iPad Pro will be highly appealing to artists and other creatives, pointing towards the ease of use of the Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro’s sound system, two features he also highlighted in his earlier interview with The Independent.
According to Cook, sales of the new Apple TV were “very strong,” a sentiment he echoed for the Apple Watch, which will “set a new record this quarter.” Cook also said Apple doesn’t have plans to introduce sensors or other health features that would cause the FDA to get involved with the device. He didn’t rule out the possibility of other products that require FDA approval, like apps.
We don’t want to put the watch through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) process. I wouldn’t mind putting something adjacent to the watch through it, but not the watch, because it would hold us back from innovating too much, the cycles are too long. But you can begin to envision other things that might be adjacent to it — maybe an app, maybe something else.”
Tim Cook’s interview, where he also speaks on the iPad mini 4 and device cannibalization, the health benefits of the Apple Watch, and the possibility of an Apple subscription service is well worth reading over at The Telegraph.
Apple’s iPad Pro will go on sale online on Wednesday, November 11. Pricing for the iPad Pro starts at $799 for the entry-level 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model is available for $949, and a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model is available for $1,079.
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Fallout C.H.A.T. Comes Just In Time To Hype Fallout 4 [App Review]
In case you weren’t aware, Bethesda is dropping a pretty hefty title this week: Fallout 4. In preparation for the grand reveal, they have been working tirelessly to hype the new game and one of those #hypebeast efforts includes the new app, Fallout C.H.A.T.
Overview
Fallout C.H.A.T. is essentially an image generator that allows users to, well,
(Make & Ship)
Fallout-themed emoji-based images to their friends using basically any app on your phone. The app is fairly straight forward; you open it up and it basically has a built-in keyboard that you can use to make text or insert emoji. Once you have a creation you’re willing to share with the world, you click the “OK” button, pick the app you want to send it with and you’re off to the races. There are also a decent number of GIFs that you can choose from to share with your friends if you so choose.
Summary
Ultimately, there’s not a lot to say about this app. It’s definitely a thing and it’s definitely here to make you excited about Fallout 4, which is available starting tomorrow. My biggest criticism is that it came as a standalone app rather than a keyboard app like its iOS counterpart. There was probably some sort of launch restriction that led to this happening, but it’s disappointing either way. It’s especially disappointing if you’re on Marshmallow and find yourself needing to grant permissions to access your internal storage to every new app that you want to send a Fallout C.H.A.T. image with (I ran into this problem on Facebook Messenger).
That said, there are a lot of fun images and GIFs in Fallout C.H.A.T. and I have no problem sharing them with my Fallout-loving friends!
What we liked:
- Fallout
- Pipboy
- It has cool GIFs
Where it comes up short:
- Not a proper keyboard app
- Doesn’t play well with permissions sometimes
The post Fallout C.H.A.T. Comes Just In Time To Hype Fallout 4 [App Review] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Shares ‘A Great Big Universe’ iPad Pro Ad Ahead of Launch
Apple today launched a new ad for the iPad Pro, entitled “A Great Big Universe.” The ad depicts a gorgeous and detailed close up of the solar system, which zooms out to show that it’s actually being displayed on the iPad Pro’s Retina display. According to The Verge, the ad will premiere on TV tonight during Monday Night Football.
There’s a great big universe in the new iPad Pro. It’s the largest iPad ever and takes your creativity and productivity to an epic scale.
The new iPad Pro ad comes just two days before Apple will began accepting orders for the device. This morning, Apple announced orders would begin online on Wednesday, November 11, with the iPad Pro available in stores later in the week.
Pricing for the iPad Pro starts at $799 for the entry-level 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model is available for $949, and a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model is available for $1,079. The iPad Pro is available in the three signature iPad colors: Space Gray, Silver, and Gold.
Apple will also be allowing customers to order the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, the two accessories that are designed to be used with the iPad Pro. The Apple Pencil, a pressure-sensitive stylus, will be available for $99 while the Smart Keyboard is priced at $169.
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Google Hangouts for web is getting a nifty update
If you currently use Hangouts on the web, you’ll be happy to know that Google is pushing out a new update.
A Google representative posted about a new Hangouts version for web on the Google+ social network. The update is guided at improving the overall experience for users. A few tweaks have been made in order to simplify the experience. Fernandez’s exact words were, “to focus less on where to click and more on what to say.”
With the soon to be released version of Hangouts for web, videos will process more quickly and quality will be much sharper. It will also bring a more immersive full-screen experience for video calling and easier navigation. Google has also made it easier than ever to invite friends and/or family to your calls. And just in case your don’t like the new update, Google has made it possible to go back to the old version by clicking on “original version” in the settings menu. The update will be hitting countries all over the world in the coming week. Let us know when you get it in the comments below.
Source: Eduardo Fernandez (Google+)
Come comment on this article: Google Hangouts for web is getting a nifty update
Facebook Messenger makes it easier to share photos in new update
Facebook Messenger is one of the most downloaded apps in the Play Store. Today, a new update makes it even easier to share your favorite photos to your loved ones.
Facebook Messenger became popular because of its quick and straight-forward way of messaging your friends and/or family. A new update is coming to the Play Store shortly making it faster and easier than ever to share your best pics. Photo Magic will recognize your friend’s faces in your camera roll and recommend these pics to share. With this enhancement, Facebook tries to solve the issue of having to dig through hundreds of meaningless photos to find the one you’re looking for. In order for the feature to work, you must first grant Facebook Messenger the permission to access your photos, which may cause a few of you to opt out.
The feature sounds quite handy, but we’ll save our final thoughts for after we test it. The new version is rolling out to Android users in Australia today with the remainder of the world coming shortly. iOS users will get the feature update in a few days time.
Via: The Verge
Come comment on this article: Facebook Messenger makes it easier to share photos in new update
The HTC One X9 is going to be HTC’s next flagship powerhouse
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While the HTC One A9 is a great little device, it wasn’t exactly the “hero” device that everyone was expecting – unless its superpower is camouflage. While most of us would have expected the HTC One M10 (or whatever its name ends up being) to be the proverbial hero, it appears that HTC isn’t quite done with the 9-series devices yet. According to a leaked teaser on Weibo, HTC is gearing up to release a device called the HTC One X9, which is quite possibly going to be the hero we deserve, but not the one we need right now.
Pictured above, the HTC One X9 is rumoured to have a 5-inch Quad HD display, Snapdragon 820 or Helios X20 chipset, 4GB RAM, 3,500mAh battery and either 64 or 128GB storage. The device is also sleekly designed, but doesn’t appear to have metal everywhere as the One A9 and One M9 does – at least, not on the front of the device. The teaser also seems to make reference to “city smarts”, which seems like a relatively arbitary and vague reference to make, but we’ll have to wait and see what HTC meant by this. Odds are we won’t be seeing the device till early next year so get comfortable.
What do you think about the HTC One X9? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: nowhereelse.fr via Phandroid
The post The HTC One X9 is going to be HTC’s next flagship powerhouse appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Google just released new AI software that can learn faster
Google is ignoring everything the Terminator franchise taught us and is releasing “TensorFlow”, open-source software that helps computers learn quicker than ever before. The software is a branch of artificial intelligence called “machine learning,” tech that has already found a home in Google Search, Google Photos and Gmail. Tech-giants, like Google, Facebook and Amazon are all working with machine learning to better the services that they offer like smart search, ad targeting and product recommendations. Machine learning is now shifting into a complex realm where researchers are creating computer models that can see and even understand what it’s looking at.
Via: The New York Times
Source: Google
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