US regulators: Google’s self-driving car AI ‘can be a driver’
US regulators say Google’s self-driving car can be considered the driver under federal law — a big step towards approval for self-driving cars to take to the roads. Safety regulators apparently told Google of its decision last week. Google submitted a proposed design for a self-driving car back in November, which has “no need for a human driver” The response from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was that will “interpret driver’ in the context of Google’s described motor vehicle design as referring to the [self-driving system] and not to any of the vehicle occupants.”
The regulator said: “We agree with Google its [self-driving car] will not have a ‘driver’ in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than one hundred years.” Google, and many car companies are looking to free up safety rules that are slowing down testing and the eventual roll-out of autonomous vehicles. As Reuters notes, California has draft rules of a steering wheel and licensed driver in all self-driving cars.
It’s not all easy driving from here, however. There are still rules that require braking systems activated by foot control inside the vehicle, as well as “whether and how Google could certify that the [system[ meets a standard developed and designed to apply to a vehicle with a human driver.”
“We agree with Google its [self-driving car] will not have a ‘driver’ in the traditional sense that vehicles have had drivers during the last more than one hundred years.”
Google told the NHTSA that human controls could paradoxically be a danger, if passengers attempt to override the car’s own judgements and driving decisions. Rules about steering wheels and brake pedals would have to be formally rewritten before cars without them would be allowed on the roads, and changing the law will take months, if not years. Last month, the government agency said it may waive some vehicle safety rules to better enable self-driving cars on the roads, promising to write guidelines for these vehicles in the next six months.
Source: Reuters
Google Maps update: improved reviews, no voice call interruptions and more
Getting places is no easy task, which makes Google Maps one of the most important apps we can find on our smartphones. We have become pretty familiar with this app, as it rarely changes and we use it so much. But guess what? There’s a new update for it!
There won’t be any obvious changes waiting for you when you update Google Maps to version 9.20, but there are some very welcomed additions packaged in there. You’ll probably enjoy at least one of these, so let’s dig in and show you what the goods are.
Avoid navigation directions during calls
Isn’t it annoying when you answer a call in the middle of your commute and the Google Maps lady just keeps talking over your conversation? No more!
There’s a new option in the settings, allowing you to turn off turn-by-turn directions while on a phone call. Just go to ‘Navigation settings’ and toggle the option that reads “Play voice during phone calls”.
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Photos now linked to reviews
Google Maps allows you to add photos and reviews of places, but so far these have lived in different realms. The latest update links your photos and reviews to allow for a better explanation of your experience. What this means is that if you add photos, these will appear next to your review of that specific spot.
Adding spots to your Timeline
Have you checked out your Google Maps Timeline? Most people I talk to have no idea about it, but it is a neat little feature that allows you to keep track of the places you have been to on any specific day.
The only issue is Google is not always the most accurate when it comes to determining where, exactly, you are. This issue can now be alleviated by the ability to manually add spots to your Timeline. Maybe you stopped by a friend’s house, who happens to live next to a Starbucks and Google Maps think you made a pit stop for some coffee. Just go ahead and edit!
Wrapping up
Want in on the fun? You have two options. The first is to simply wait until the new Google Maps rolls out to your smartphone. The only issue is this can sometimes take a few days, as these updates usually roll out in phases. Your second best bet is to download the APK file from the link below.
Enjoy!
Download Google Maps version 9.20.0 APK
Update Google Maps from the Google Play Store
LG teases G5’s ‘Always On’ display
While the G5 teaser GIF LG’s mobile division posted on Twitter doesn’t say much, it has enough info to tell us that the device will have an “Always On” display. According to Android Authority’s sources, the flagship phone will have a screen that is literally always on. Other phones with ambient screens like the Moto X and the Nexus 6P only show pertinent info on screen (only the pixels needed to show, say, a notification lights up) when you perform specific gestures.
The publication says the G5 won’t have an AMOLED display and will instead have a full screen version of the LG V10’s second, smaller screen. If you recall, the V10 has a small strip of display on top with app shortcuts. It’s unclear what elements the Always On screen will have, but as you can see above, it has the time, date and can show if you have calls, emails or texts.
Another thing we’d love to know is the device’s battery life, since the screen would obviously consume energy all the time. We’ll know more about the phone when it launches on February 21st, though the manufacturer might be calling the “Always On” function something else by then. Samsung has trademarked the term “Always on Display” for the Galaxy S7, which will presumably sport an ambient screen, as well.
잠들지 않는 Play
LG G5
Always ON
#LG #LGG5 #G5 #AlwaysON pic.twitter.com/11BKsUlFJb— LG Mobile (@LG_Mobile_) February 10, 2016
Source: LG Mobile
Always-on display confirmed for the LG G5
Tonight, it was confirmed that the upcoming LG G5 will have an always-on display.
The official LG Mobile account on Facebook posted a GIF (seen above) that shows a silhouette of the G5 with its display lightly illuminating to show the time and select notifications. This technology, dubbed as giving a device an always-on display, allows you to see specific notifications without having to actually touch your phone. Ever reach for your phone to see what the notification light is trying to tell you about only to be disappointed? That’s what an always-on display solves.
It looks like LG tested the technology for itself in a device released late last year. The company’s V10 had a secondary display which dimmed to a visible state even when the primary display was off. The V10 used an LCD display, and it’s expected that LG will retain that for the G5; however, AMOLED displays do perform better when an always-on display is present. AMOLED displays make it possible to show only the pixels needed while LCD displays have to illuminate the entire panel to show anything.
The LG G5 will be unveiled for the world to see at MWC 2016 in Barcelona on February 21.
Source: LG Mobile (Facebook)
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[Deal] Best Buy is knocking $50 off the Nexus 6P in Matte Gold, throwing in an extra $25 gift card
Looking to save some cash on a Nexus 6P? Best Buy is offering a solid $50 discount on the Matte Gold variant of the device, bringing the 32 GB down to $449 and the 64 GB down to $499. That’s about as good of a deal that we ever see on the 6P, especially in its newest color.
In case that cash discount wasn’t quite enough for you, though, Best Buy is also tossing in a $25 gift card that you can use on anything else the electronics retailer sells. While that gift card doesn’t put any cash back in your pocket, it does make this the best deal we’ve seen on the 6P yet, all things considered.
Hit the link below to place an order.
source: Best Buy
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Best Buy is knocking $50 off the Nexus 6P in Matte Gold, throwing in an extra $25 gift card
LG G5 always on display teaser does the rounds
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For the longest time, LG‘s flagship smartphones have played second (or third, or fourth) fiddle to Samsung’s Galaxy S devices, but have always been very impressive in their own right. In particular, LG always tries to incorporate little features that might differentiate it from its competitors. For its next device, this is manifesting as the LG G5 always on display, and a teaser gif was posted from LG’s official Facebook account earlier today:
As you might imagine, an “Always ON” feature would allow the device to keep notification and time information on the screen with minimal battery power which is possible thanks to OLED technology (lighting up part of the screen while keeping the rest off). We’ve seen iterations of this like the Active Display on Motorola devices, which lights up the display when the device is picked up, but none have tried to keep the display on constantly due to battery concerns.
Whether this means LG has a sufficiently large battery in its LG G5 remains to be seen, but the Korean outfit presumably thinks they’re on to something with this latest gimmick. Thankfully we’ll only have to wait till the 21st to find out all about their new device.
What do you think about the LG G5 always on display? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Facebook via The Verge
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Latest Windows 10 update comes with a change log
Microsoft is currently rolling out the latest Windows 10 update, and it now has an update history that makes it easier to keep track of the platform’s changes. This build comes with key improvements that will fix a lot of issues, including the Edge browser’s. Researchers discovered in January that the websites you visit during private browsing are as easily recovered as the URLs you visit on a normal tab. InPrivate browsing should prevent that from happening as it promises not to save any data, that’s why the update has removed its ability to cache visited URLs.
The latest build also patches up a security problem in Edge and even in Internet Explorer 11 that allows dubious websites to run malicious codes and install malware. In addition, it fixes any authentication issue, adds the ability to install multiple apps simultaneously and repairs the flaw that executes code remotely when malware is run. You’ll get the update soon if you haven’t yet, but feel free to read the full change log first if only because you can.
Via: The Verge
Source: Microsoft
‘Operator’ is a font designed to make coding easier
While many of us bristle at the sight of Comic Sans (this writer included), coders have an altogether different view of typefaces and how they’re presented. Thus, Operator Mono, the new font from one of the highest-regarded typeface-creators that was forged to make life easier for the folks who build the websites you visit. “In developing Operator, we found ourselves talking about Javascript and CSS,” founder Jonathan Hoefler writes. While the blog post about typography and font faces can come off as a bit pretentious, it’s clear that the team paid attention to how the likes of brackets, commas and semicolons are spaced and how they appear in back-end coding environments.
The idea is to help a programmer easily identify an extra parentheses or an errant “I” where a “1” belongs amid thousands of lines of code. Operator Mono achieves this with color and italics for the characters that are more important to developers than a typical writer. Oh, and it costs $200 if you like it well enough. Should you want a behind the scenes look at the font creation process, take a gander at the video over at the source.
Source: Hoefler & Co.
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