Koov is Sony’s answer to Lego Mindstorms

Governments and educators around the world want to teach kids coding at an early age, so many corporations are eager to help — for a price. The latest company jumping into the trend is Sony, which just launched Koov “digital native blocks.” It’s the first product for Sony’s new Global Education division and a big part of its STEM101 (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) endeavor. Sony describes Koov as a “robot building educational kit made up of [translucent] blocks and a microcontroller,” much like Lego’s Mindstorm and WeDo 2.0 kits.

Sony says that the kits encourage learners to “‘Play’ by building with 7 kinds of translucent blocks, ‘Code’ by controlling the assembled figure through the program software, and ‘Create’ by embracing their creative side and imagination.” Other details are scant, including what the product even looks like. However, the video below shows a visual style programming language with motor controls and “if-then-else” logic, along with WeDo-style vehicles that kids can build. Another video called “stories” features a student building a guitar out of Koov blocks and then playing it as part of the “create” learning process.

To develop the kits, Sony teamed up with a Japanese company called Artec Co., which is developing the product. Sony, meanwhile, supplies the software, tech know-how, and marketing muscle. Koov will arrive sometime this summer as the first product from Sony Global Education. However, Sony has said it’s just the “make” element of its “think, make and feel” program, so we can no doubt expect similar announcements down the road.

Source: Sony

Amazon’s first live show is QVC for the YouTube generation

Now that Amazon has its own private fashion labels, it’s launching its its first ever live TV show called Style Code Live. Hosted by a trio of reality and fashion show personalities, the show looks like a youth take on QVC’s home shopping channel. The hosts and their guests will offer fashion and makeup advice, while viewers will be able to buy the corresponding products from a carousel under the video player. “We’re live, interactive, and covering the latest trends in fashion and beauty each weeknight — with guest experts, celebrities, and viewer tips,” producer Terrence Noonan told Variety.

Amazon hasn’t yet said which products it’ll feature, but it seems a no-brainer that it will peddle its new own-brands like Scout + Ro and Society New York. As a live show, it features real-time chat, letting viewers pose questions to guests and hosts. Guests, as you might expect, include fashion bloggers and YouTube stars like Tati Westbrook, and upcoming episodes feature pop star Meghan Trainor and actor Keri Russell. The 30 minute show, which will air five days a week starting today at 9PM ET, is obviously targeted at a specific niche, but you have to admit that it’s a genius way for Amazon marry its streaming and and shopping services.

Style Code Live: Meet The Hosts

Meet our #StyleCodeLive hosts: Lyndsey Rodrigues, Rachel Smith and Frankie Grande

Posted by Style Code Live on Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Via: Variety

Source: Amazon

Sony finally hands out free game codes for its 2011 hack

If you were one of the 70 million Sony customers affected by the 2011 Sony hack, and took the time to fill in a lengthy claim form following the intrusion, now is the time to check your inbox. Since March 2nd, Sony has been compensating PlayStation Network, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment account holders as a result of a class action settlement against it in 2014. On offer are free download codes for a number of PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PSP games, as well as a handful of themes.

What you can claim depends on which services you were signed up to at the time of the attack and the choices you made at the start of last year. If you grabbed a free game as part of Sony’s “Welcome Back” promotion shortly after the attack, you’ll get one more, if not, you can pick two up now. The list includes games like inFamous, LittleBigPlanet and God of War HD Collection but they’ll only work on your PS3 or handheld. Sony also offered account credits or a free PSN subscription if the titles on offer didn’t appeal.

Sony will be glad to put the $2.75 million class action suit behind it and move on. For gamers, the time to enjoy the free games has probably passed but at least the company finally made good on its promise.

Source: Twinfinite

Steve Wozniak Weighs in on Apple-FBI Dispute

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has backed Apple in its fight with the FBI over the agency’s request that it unlock the iPhone at the center of the San Bernardino shooter investigation.

Wozniak appeared yesterday on late-night TBS talk show Conan to share his thoughts on the high-profile case, asserting that the FBI had “picked the lamest case they ever could: the two phones owned by the people who aren’t even convicted terrorists and have not one link to a terrorist organization.”

Verizon turned over all the phone records and SMS messages. So they want to take this other phone that the two didn’t destroy – which was a work phone – and it’s so lame and worthless to expect there’s something on it and to try and force Apple to expose it.

The FBI has asked Apple to create a version of iOS that would both disable passcode security features and allow passcodes to be entered electronically, allowing it to then brute force the passcode on the device. Wozniak explained the inherent danger of the agency’s request by recollecting his early coding days.

A couple of times in my life, I tried writing something like a virus that could spread itself between Macintosh computers. And each time I threw away every bit of code I’d written. I was so scared inside, because you do not want to let something like that out. Once you create something like that, there’s a good chance hackers will get into it.

Wozniak’s views are relatively unsurprising given his work for the San Fransisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit organization that Wozniak co-founded and which aims to protect individual rights in matters of technology. You can watch his comments on the case in full in the video below.

Apple’s opposition to the order that would require it to help the FBI break into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone will face off against the government in court on March 22.

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.

Tag: Apple-FBI
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Google Photos for iOS Adds Live Photos, iPad Pro Support

Google has released an update to its Google Photos iOS app that adds support for Live Photos, the camera feature available to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus owners that captures sound and motion just before and after the moment a still photo is shot.

The official support means users can now store, view and organize Live Photos separately from their device’s Camera Roll inside Google’s app. Once uploaded to a Google Photos account, Live Photos are assigned a Live Photo icon and can be brought to life within the iOS app using a pressure-sensitive 3D Touch gesture.

The update also brings added support for the Split View multitasking feature native to iOS 9, allowing photos in the app to be perused alongside other apps on iPad mini 4, iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro devices.

In addition, Google Photos now supports the native 2732×2048 resolution of the iPad Pro, where previously the app would scale up on the device’s 12.9-inch screen.

Elsewhere, navigation in the app has been improved so that users spend less time flipping “hamburger” menus, while cache usage has been reduced on devices that are running low on space.

Google Photos is a free download on the App Store for iPad and iPhone. [Direct Link]

Tag: Google Photos
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Hero Smart Appliance Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Hero

It can be hard to remember to take your medicine, whether you’re on fluoxetine or Flintstones vitamins. A new smart device wants to use technology to help you keep up with your meds.

Ten cartridges hold medicines inside the Hero Smart Appliance.

Hero

The Hero Smart Appliance is a medication dispenser that lets you schedule when it will dole out your pills. The Wi-Fi connected device will also monitor how much medicine you have left, send alerts when it’s time for a refill and notify you when a user has taken their medicine (useful if, for example, more than one person uses the machine or if you’re monitoring another person’s usage). The Hero became available today for online pre-ordering for $399 (about £280 or AU$540); the Hero company expects the retail price to be about $999 (£700 or AU$1,345).

It’s pretty easy to operate the Hero. After you enter your name and connect the Hero to the Internet, you type in the name of your medicine, how many doses you need to take and at what time you need to take them. You put your pills into a little container that goes inside the Hero, and it will dispense them into a cup at the appropriate time. You can also access your medicine off-schedule if need be.

More health technology

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• Did Under Armour shove too much health into its $400 box?

The Hero company said the smart appliance could find a lot of use for caregivers who have to monitor another person’s medication usage because of the scheduling ability and app notifications. An automatic dispenser could make it easier for someone caring for an older parent, for example, and give them one less thing to worry about. The Hero could also be a boon for folks who take multiple pills and have a hard time keeping things straight — it’s a big step up from those plastic pill holders you can grab at the pharmacy. And even if you only take one pill, the app can help you remember to take it when you should and, in the best-case scenario, stay healthy.

Price is going to be a huge obstacle, however, in getting the Hero to the people who could most benefit from it. There are also limitations on how much medicine can be stored in the device (a maximum of 10) and the type of medicine (pills only, no liquids). The Hero company is exploring options, including Medicare reimbursement in the US, that could help keep costs of the unit down. And the product has a huge responsibility to make sure it keeps all those pill cartridges organized and dispensing the right medicine at the right time.

Features

• App is available on Android and iPhone
• Alerts delivered via text message or email
• Can be used with vitamins

Think 4K is good? Wait until you see the 2016 Olympics in 8K with 22.2 sound and VR

The 2016 Rio Olympics will not only be a showcase for human physical achievement but for tech too. The Olympic Broadcasting Services has confirmed it will record and air 8K video coverage with 22.2 channel surround sound as well as VR.

Over 130 hours of the total 7,000 hours of footage shot will be in 8K Super Hi-Vision meaning 7680 x 4320 resolution pictures. These will be broadcast across the globe to Japan where it can be enjoyed by anyone who has shelled out the £100,000 for the only commercially available 8K TV, made by Sharp. The 22.2 channel immersive audio will only be broadcast with the 8K signal to Japan.

The idea here is for Japan to get in test runs of 8K broadcasting ahead of its hosting of the Olympics in 2020. That event is also expected to feature holographic displays on events as markers, unlike anything used before.

The broadcast company OBS will also be downscaling to 4K as well as testing High Dynamic Range and Wider Colour Gamut recordings. It’s not expected to air any of this footage though. The entire event will be shot in Full HD with 5.1 surround sound for general broadcasting.

However, there will be virtual reality footage captured. The opening and closing ceremonies plus one event per day will be available to watch in VR. This will be available to watch via a download of the content.

The Rio Olympics Games 2016 will run 5-21 August.

READ: BMW Vision Next 100: The ultimate driving machine of the future

All Amazon Fire TV devices now have the major UK catch-up apps

If you prefer to catch-up on TV shows instead of watching them as they air, Amazon’s latest announcement might be of interest. After bringing all major UK broadcasters to the Fire TV, the company has turned its attention to the streamer’s smaller sibling, the Fire TV Stick, confirming today that the HDMI dongle now supports BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5. It doesn’t matter which Fire TV or Fire TV Stick model you own, they now all feature catch-up apps provided by the UK’s biggest broadcasters. Add to that support Amazon’s own Video service, Netflix and other major streaming services and you’ve got yourself a few reasons to skip your traditional TV box entirely.

Source: Amazon UK

Prosecutors Ask Judge to Review Pro-Apple Ruling in New York Case

The U.S. Justice Department yesterday appealed a New York federal judge’s refusal to force Apple to help investigators unlock the iPhone of a suspected Brooklyn drug dealer.

Last week, magistrate Judge James Orenstein ruled that the FBI lacked the legal authority to force Apple to bypass the iPhone’s passcode, and that the prosecution’s use of the 1789 All Writs Act was an unconstitutional overreach.

On Monday, Reuters reported that prosecutors are now hoping to overturn the ruling and yesterday’s filing to the court of U.S. District Judge Margo Brodie is the official first step in such an appeal.

“In light of the debate that has recently come to surround this issue, it is worth briefly noting what this case is not about,” the Justice Department’s court filing said. “Apple is not being asked to do anything it does not currently have the capability to do.”

All of Apple’s pre-iOS 8 operating systems allowed for extracting data from a passcode-locked device. Apple has used that capability dozens of times, in response to lawful court orders like the one sought here, with no claim that doing so put customer data or privacy in harm’s way.

Apple may perform the passcode-bypass in its own lab, using its own technicians, just as it always has, without revealing to the government how it did so. Therefore, granting the application will not affect the technological security of any Apple iPhone nor hand the government a ‘master key’.

The All Writs Act is the same act that the agency has revived to order Apple to unlock the iPhone at the center of the San Bernardino shooter case, which Apple has requested to be vacated. However, the device in the California investigation is an iPhone 5c running iOS 8, which Apple cannot unlock without creating special software. In contrast, the New York case involves an iPhone 5s running iOS 7.

As noted in the filing, Apple has complied with cases involving iPhones running iOS 7 and earlier versions of the software, partly because the company is able to retrieve data from such devices without having to unlock them. But in a statement Monday evening, Apple made clear its specific issue with the FBI’s invocation of the All Writs Act, and reiterated its belief that misuse of the Act, passed in its current form more than 100 years ago, threatens public privacy.

Judge Orenstein ruled the FBI’s request would ‘thoroughly undermine fundamental principles of the Constitution’ and we agree. We share the Judge’s concern that misuse of the All Writs Act would start us down a slippery slope that threatens everyone’s safety and privacy.

Apple CEO Tim Cook believes that use of the All Writs Act signals a disregard for established legal procedures and that any ruling should come from Congress, while Apple has repeatedly warned that forcing it to create software that could unlock devices running iOS 8 and later would set a dangerous precedent.

Apple’s opposition to the order that would require it to help the FBI break into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone will face off against the government in court on March 22.

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.

Tag: Apple-FBI
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Opera Mini’s new Video Boost will help you cut down on buffering times

Opera Mini for Android has been updated with a slate of new features intended to help users cut back on their data consumption — particularly where mobile video is concerned. The headlining feature of Opera Mini 15 is Video Boost, which Opera says will reduce the size of video data to cut down on your loading time and buffering while viewing over mobile data. Of course, the latest update to Opera Mini also includes some other notable feature additions and tweaks:

• In high-savings mode, Opera Mini will automatically turn off data compression when it detects Wi-Fi,to take full advantage of the high-quality internet connection. Crowded Wi-Fi? Simply turn data savings back on under the savings summary.
• Opera Mini now lets you re-size images in the browser before you upload them to the web. Re-scaling an image – say, from 2240×1680 to 800×600 pixels – reduces the file size, so that you can save data and increase the success rate for uploads on poor networks.
• With the new thumbscroller feature, scroll down to bring up a side scroll bar on the screen, for easier navigation on long articles and webpages.

If you’re interested in checking out Video Boost, you can enable the feature by tapping the savings summary in the app’s settings menu. From there, check the box next to Video Boost to enable smoother viewing. Users can also check out a running count of how many videos have been optimized.