Amazon tells customers to throw out unsafe ‘hoverboards’
As a popular destination for self-balancing “hoverboards,” Amazon needs to take its safety responsibilities seriously. The retailer has already pulled some models from its store until it can be proved their batteries and chargers are reliable, but now it’s taking the unusual step of telling a small number of owners to throw them out. In an email, Amazon has warned US and UK customers that their hoverboard has been deemed “unsafe” and that they should “dispose” of it immediately.
In correspondence shared with Engadget, Amazon told one UK customer that his RioRand self-balancing scooter did not come equipped with a compliant UK plug. He was advised to hand it in at a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) location and would receive a full refund. UK retailers Tesco, Argos and John Lewis have stopped selling hoverboards altogether.
With the popularity of hoverboards rocketing, Chinese manufacturers have helped flood the market with near-identical models that may not have passed consumer safety checks. In the UK, authorities have seized more than 15,000 self-balancing scooters at sea ports, airports and postal hubs over potential fire risks linked to internal batteries and cut-off switches, chargers, plugs and cabling. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is also investigating reports of fires and is seeking to determine whether the two-wheelers are safe.
Apple shutters Topsy, the social analytics firm it acquired in 2013
Apple is shutting down analytics firm Topsy Labs two years after snapping it up for over $200 million. Unlike Hopscotch, though — the mass transit directions and guides it bought in 2013 and shuttered in September — it’s not quite clear what Topsy’s technology was ever used for. The San Francisco firm created tools that allowed users to search and extract data from Twitter and other social media services. Those include keyword trackers and products that can determine whether a particular topic is being talked about positively or negatively on social media.
Due to the nature of Topsy’s work, it’s very much possible that Apple used its technology to improve the search function on iOS. As 9to5mac noted, Cupertino introduced “proactive” search with iOS 9 that enables Siri, Calendar and other third-party applications to conjure up more accurate results. Unfortunately, we might never know for sure what Topsy’s role at Apple was, as the firm has already said goodbye on Twitter.
We’ve searched our last tweet.
— Topsy (@Topsy) December 16, 2015
EE recalls every free Power Bar it ever gave out over fire risks
If you own one of EE’s free Power Bar chargers, we have some bad news. After issuing a partial recall on selected units in August, the company announced today that it’s asking for every single portable charging unit to be handed back. Tests reveal more models may be susceptible to overheating and could pose a fire risk.
“If you have a Power Bar, you should stop using it straight away and hand it in to one of our stores,” says EE on its website. “We are taking this action because we are aware of a very small number of further incidents where Power Bars have overheated in circumstances that could cause a fire safety risk.” If you return your free charger, EE says you’ll be given a £20 voucher to spend on accessories.
When the free Power Bars first became available in April, the UK operator gave out more than one million units in just four days. However, a medical student was left with nasty burns after one exploded while charging, so the company requested that 500,000 Power Bars sporting the model number E1-06 be returned. With additional reports of overheating, the carrier has today decided that the safety of its customers comes first, so it’s abandoning the initiative altogether.
Source: EE
Large Hadron Collider may have detected a new particle
The rejuvenated Large Hadron Collider might have achieved another breakthrough… provided everything lines up, that is. Two teams of CERN scientists have detected an excess of gamma ray pairs that they suspect might represent the radioactive decay of a previously unknown particle. The data is far from conclusive (there’s a 1 in 93 chance that it’s nothing), and the researchers don’t expect to have enough data until they present at a convention next summer. However, it’s rare that two groups notice the same anomaly — that’s frequently a sign that something’s up.
What could it be if it’s not just a fluke, then? It might be a large particle that has decayed in steps, or a relative of the legendary Higgs boson. The most exciting possibility is that it’s a graviton, the massless theoretical particle that governs gravity in quantum field theory. If any of these is true, the discovery could shake up our understanding of physics. The Higgs boson was the key to filling out the commonly accepted model of how the universe works. Whatever this is, if it’s anything meaningful, would go beyond humanity’s current understanding.
[Image credit: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images]
Source: New York Times
The next Ford GT has a Gorilla Glass windshield
Corning, the firm that’s famous for making the glass for your smartphone that never, ever breaks, has now signed a deal with Ford. The firms are teaming up to produce a new windshield glass for next year’s Ford GT that promises to be thinner, lighter and tougher than anything that’s gone before. The Gorilla Glass hybrid (two capital Gs, one lowercase h) will not only be seen up front on the new ride, but also to replace the glass that normally sits on the engine cover window.
When it comes to cars, weight is king, and the lighter a car is, the more efficient and better-handling it can be. The reason for all of this hullabaloo is that this new glass will knock upwards of 12 pounds from the weight of the GT with no discernible downside. The pair also promise that, unlike that smashed smartphone in your bottom drawer, the windshield can withstand anything the road throws at it. In the included clip, you’ll see balls of ice being fired at the window by a high power cannon and, amazingly, survive.
Right now, this sort of gear will only be available on the most expensive of Ford’s sports cars, but if successful, that’ll change. As with most things in the automotive industry, high-end technology eventually trickles down to the sort of whips that regular folks can afford.
Via: SlashGear
Source: Ford
Google’s self-driving car project to become its own company under Alphabet, report says
A new report coming by way of Bloomberg says that Google’s self-driving vehicle project could soon turn into its own company under Alphabet, citing a person familiar with the matter. The report is unconfirmed, but the publication says these plans will come to fruition sometime in 2016.
This rumor also sheds some light on how Google plans to make its driverless car project profitable. As a stand-alone business, the self-driving cars would act as rides for hire, similar to how Uber operates. However, it seems that Google’s self-driving cars would be limited to college campuses, military bases, and corporate office parks initially:
“Google’s autonomous vehicles have logged more than 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) on public roads, mostly around San Francisco and Austin, Texas, making these cities logical places for launching a service, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. The fleets – which would include a range of large and small vehicles — could be deployed first in confined areas like college campuses, military bases or corporate office parks, the person said.”
The report lines up with news we have heard in the past, such as Google deploying its driverless car project to Austin, Texas as well as news that it would be a good candidate for a spin-off company in the future. However, if the self-driving car project were to become a standalone company under Alphabet, it might be under much more scrutiny than it has been before.
Alphabet is cracking down on the spending habits of subsidiaries, requiring companies under its umbrella to pay full price for resources. With that in mind, it’s not particularly clear how this would affect the self-driving car project. There’s a definite indication that it would need to figure out ways to become profitable, and offering rides for hire could be a good possibility.
source: Bloomberg
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Google: Android Pay coming to Australia in 2016
Android Pay has been exclusive to the US market, but that will be changing in 2016. Google today announced plans to bring its mobile payment service to Australia in 2016 in partnership with financial institutions like Westpac, Bank of Melbourne, Bank of South Australia, and many more.
Google’s mobile payment service will support Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards issued by its launch partners in Australia, but the search giant will offer support for more further down the line.
The company’s Australian blog noted that Android Pay will be available to use at many locations in the country, including big chains like McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, Domino’s Pizza, Crust Gourmet Pizza and other well-known companies. It’ll also work with some other local companies, but that’ll take a bit longer for businesses to get on board. Additionally, users will be able to use Android Pay to checkout on mobile applications, such as Catch of the Day.com.au, EatNow.com.au, and more.
We’ll no doubt hear more news as well as more supported financial institutions and retailers as we get closer to an official launch date.
source: Google
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YouTube to receive background downloading and pause buffering
As part of Sundar Pichai’s talk at the Google for India press conference, he has unveiled some new features for YouTube that are designed to help avoid streaming problems associated with questionable data connections.
Pichai announced that YouTube will soon be updated with two new offline features. The first option builds on YouTube’s offline feature that is available in India, allowing users to configure set times when videos will be downloaded in the background for viewing at a later date. This is designed to empower users to only download lumps of data when costs are cheaper or connections are stronger.
The second improvement has been made to YouTube’s pause buffer. The tweak means that a video will continue to fully buffer even if the viewer hits pause. Furthermore, the video will continue to download even if the user switches away from the YouTube app. A system notification is displayed once a video has buffered to 100 percent, so you can simply wait for a download to finish and won’t have to worry about infuriating interruptions.
See also: Sundar Pichai talks new internet initiatives for India
We don’t have a release schedule for these YouTube updates yet, but as they were announced in India and are targeted at countries with patchy network connections we can probably expect these regions to see the update first.
Some HTC phones banned from sale in Germany
HTC is facing a sales ban on handsets sold through Deutsche Telekom AG, after a German court granted an injunction request against the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer. This ruling is likely to compound HTC’s financial problems, which have been hindered by poor smartphone sales this year.
The case was filed by Acacia Research Group LLC, a patent licensing firm based in Plano Texas. Acacia had issued a suit against Deutsche Telekom over standard essential patents related to voice coding technology last year. The group has licensing deals with Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Huawei and others over these standard technologies, but not with HTC. It is not clear if HTC and Acacia are actively participating in licensing discussions or not.
Deutsche Telekom has confirmed the ruling but states that sales of its HTC devices are still currently available through its online shop. The carrier says it is working with HTC to minimise disruption to consumers.
HTC smartphones:
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This news is just the latest in a year full of disappointment for HTC. Although HTC saw a boost to its monthly revenue in November following the launch of its new One A9 smartphone, it is still facing a situation where revenue is 40 percent lower than last year and the company is struggling to break even each quarter. HTC has already announced a 15 percent reduction in its workforce and is preparing to launch new products, such as the Vive virtual reality headset, to diversity away from stiff competition in the smartphone market.
See also: HTC’s monthly revenue reaches six-month high in November
The injunction is expected to take effect later this month, although HTC has said that it intends to launch an appeal.
Apple’s New Taiwanese Lab May Focus on OLED and Micro-LED Display Technology
Taiwanese website DigiTimes has published a new report corroborating rumors that Apple is developing flexible OLED technology for future devices, including iPhones and iPads, at its newly discovered factory in northern Taiwan.
The report, citing sources within the Taiwanese supply chain, claims Apple has recruited a team of R&D engineers from local companies including AU Optronics and Qualcomm subsidiary SolLink, echoing a Bloomberg report from earlier this week.
Last month, Japanese website Nikkei reported that Apple plans to switch to OLED displays for iPhones starting in 2018. The report said LG Display and Samsung Electronics will likely share a large portion of the OLED panel production, with LG already planning capacity upgrades for high-volume organic light-emitting diode production.
Apple’s current LCD supplier Japan Display is also reportedly in negotiations with Apple about securing OLED orders for future iPhones, in an effort to compete with LG and Samsung. The joint venture between Hitachi, Sony and Toshiba reportedly plans to begin mass production of OLED panels in early 2018.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will continue using TFT-LCD display technology for iPhones for at least the next three years, lining up with the 2018 timeframe claimed by other reports. Kuo also said Apple manufacturer Foxconn is preparing to invest in advanced TFT-LCD production lines for mass production in 2018.
While multiple reports suggest Apple is moving towards OLED displays for iPhones, including DigiTimes, the Taiwanese website shared a second report claiming Apple may focus on micro-LED technology at its secretive Taiwanese factory. The report does not specify if the technology would be used for iPhones or other future devices.
Micro-LED displays eliminate the need for backlighting unlike traditional LCDs, and allow for improved color gamut in addition to higher resolution. However, the technology suffers from low yields when used in a TFT manufacturing process and therefore is difficult to mass produce. […]
However, it is still too early to know whether Apple plans to use micro-LED displays for existing or new applications. Apple is showing signs of moving toward OLED for most of its small- to medium-size products as early as 2017-2018 based on emerging developments in the display industry.
Apple acquired micro-LED display maker LuxVue Technology in 2014. Back in December of 2013, LuxVue raised $25.2 million in funding to pursue the display technology, and the company also filed several patents on micro-LEDs. At the time, one of LuxVue’s investors said the company had “a technical breakthrough in displays.”
OLED displays generally have brighter colors and deeper blacks, and no backlight increases power efficiency, but the panels can also have shorter lifespans and higher manufacturing costs compared to LCD technology. Apple has reportedly been “consulting with display makers” about OLED technology to eliminate potential drawbacks.
Samsung’s flagship lineup of Galaxy smartphones have long used AMOLED displays, but iPhones have stuck to various LCD technologies since the original model launched in 2007. The first and only Apple product to feature OLED display technology is the Apple Watch, but the 1.5-inch to 1.7-inch screen is only a fraction of the size of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus.
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