Ten competitions humans fought against machines

In 1981, science essayist Jeremy Bernstein wrote a piece for The New Yorker that touched upon a historic backgammon game two years earlier, in which reigning champ Luigi Villa lost to a computer. It was the first time an artificial-intelligence program had defeated a world champion at a board or card game. In the essay, Bernstein wrote: “What does this mean for us, for our sense of uniqueness and worth — especially as machines evolve whose output we can less and less distinguish from our own?” He might have asked that decades ago, but the question is now more relevant than ever. Google’s AlphaGo recently won four out of five matches against Go master Lee Sedol. And that’s just the latest example: In the intervening years since Villa’s loss, humans have challenged numerous robots and programs. Let’s take a look back at the most memorable of those competitions.

Google Now can block publishers you don’t read

You can already tell Google Now to stop showing you stories on certain subjects, such as an annoying political candidate or a rival sports team. But what if you want to purge an entire site from that long list of info cards? You’re about to get that chance. Some users have noticed that Google Now is giving them an option to block entire publishers, regardless of content. If you’re irked by a tabloid cluttering your feed, you can banish it forever. It also lets you avoid broader topics, too, such as US politics or sports. The feature doesn’t appear to be available everywhere just yet, but sit tight — it’s likely coming to your device soon enough.

Via: The Next Web

Source: Reddit

We’re live from Apple’s ‘Loop You In’ event!

Nothing brightens up a dreary March day like the promise of some shiny new hardware, and Apple should have us covered there. Tune in at 1PM ET/10AM PT for some sweet liveblog action from Apple’s “Loop You In” event in Cupertino, and be sure to stick around for some hands-on impressions as soon as the presentation winds down. Need a quick refresher? We expect to see a smaller iPhone and a more compact iPad Pro this morning, not to mention a series of software updates that span across Apple’s hardware line-up. Our fingers are also crossed for some mention of a new Apple Watch and more juicy tidbits about Apple’s ongoing fight with the FBI, but we’ll just have to wait and see. Join us, won’t you?

Tim Cook starts today’s Apple event with some words for the FBI

“We will not shrink from this responsibility.”

That’s how Apple CEO Tim Cook started today’s live “Loop You In” event, with a message about privacy, security and encryption. Cook said that Apple has a responsibility to protect its customers’ data, noting that many people view their mobile devices as extensions of themselves.

His words were aimed at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Apple has consistently and publicly refused the FBI’s order to unlock the iPhone 5c used by one of the shooters in last December’s San Bernardino terrorist attack. The FBI and Apple are locked in a legal battle over the issue.

“We built the iPhone for you, our customers,” Cook said today. “And we know it is a deeply personal device. … We need to decide, as a nation, how much power the government should have over our data and over our privacy.”

Cook said that Apple owes it to the United States itself to protect citizens’ data. This builds on previous arguments Cook has made against the FBI’s demands: He’s previously called the order to unlock the iPhone 5c “unconstitutional” and “bad for America.”

On the flip side, the Department of Justice has called Apple’s rhetoric in this case “corrosive.”

Get all the news from today’s iPhone event right here!

Apple’s ‘Liam’ robot takes apart your iPhone for recycling

Apple has come under fire for its use of conflict minerals in iPhones (so have many other device manufacturers, to be fair). Today, the company revealed how it aims to reduce its environmental impact. It comes by way of “Liam,” a robot that disassembles old iPhones into their core components. The tungsten from the device’s alert module will become a cutting tool, for example, while the silver contained therein is used for solar panels — possibly including the ones powering the company’s Thailand operations.

This is all in addition to using solar, wind and hydro power as much as possible to push toward an overall more sustainably powered company. When you consider that Tim Cook says there are a billion Apple devices in the world, and more being made every day, environmental responsibility at that scale is incredibly important.

Get all the news from today’s iPhone event right here!

Apple Watch gets a price cut to $299, along with new bands

It’s been just over a year since Apple announced the Watch, but we’re not getting a new model just yet. Instead, Apple used its “Loop You In” event to announce a few new bands. The most dramatic change in style comes from the new nylon straps with a unique “four-layer construction.” Leaks suggested they’d be something like the military-inspired “NATO” bands popular in the ’70s, but instead they’ll arrive in a range of neon colors: blue, pink and orange.

There’s also a new yellow Sport band, and teal and red leather bands. Probably the most awaited new strap, though, is the black Milanese Loop, which people have been asking for since launch day. (Full disclosure: I bought a super-cheap third-party one from Amazon and it’s been great).

The nylon bands will cost $50 (£39), while the leather and Milanese Loops will stick to the tried and tested pricing for those ranges. As for the Watch itself: it’s being reduced down to $299 (£259) from the previous base price of $349 (£299).

Get all the news from today’s iPhone event right here, and follow along with our liveblog!

Apple TV updated with folders, dictation and Siri for App Store

Today at Apple’s “Loop You In” event the company had plenty to announce, including an update for its Apple TV. The fourth version’s headline features are its App Store and new Siri Remote, and its next update will make both of those easier to use. Consistent with what we’ve seen in recent beta tests, Tim Cook just announced that an update arriving today will add folders, dictation, Siri voice search for the App Store, access to users’ iCloud Photo Libraries,and support for Live Photos.

Developing…

Get all the news from today’s iPhone event right here, and follow along with our liveblog!

The ability to enter passwords by voice should make logging in on the TV much easier, and live with Apple TV considerably more pleasant. Of course, most of Apple’s bragging was focused on the tvOS App library, which Cook says is up over 5,000 apps right now and includes selections like the NCAA March Madness app with picture-in-picture.

Apple announces iPhone SE, a faster 4-inch iPhone for $399

There’s a lot of love out there for the tiny iPhone 5S — Apple says it sold over 30 million of them last year — but there’s no doubt that its 2013-era hardware is getting rusty. Enter the iPhone SE, Apple’s first concerted effort at building a small phone in the age of big smartphones. It looks pretty much the same as the iPhone 5S, but it packs in the more powerful A9 and M9 chips from Apple’s current flagship, the iPhone 6S. There’s also an upgraded 12 megapixel camera with Live Photos and 4K video, as well as Apple Pay support (the 5S had Touch ID, but lacked the secure hardware for Apple Pay). The iPhone SE starts at $399 (£359) for the 16GB model — Apple’s cheapest iPhone pricing ever — and there’s also a 64GB model for $499 (£439).

With all of that additional hardware comes several other features from the 6S: “Retina” front-facing flash; hands-free Siri commands; and support for faster LTE and 802.11 AC Wi-Fi speeds. Unfortunately, there’s no 3D Touch support in the SE, but I’d imagine that hardware would be difficult to fit into such a tiny case (and Apple has to leave something exclusive to its top of the line phone).

Apple says the iPhone SE’s hardware upgrades make it twice as fast as the 5S when it comes to CPU performance, and its GPU speeds are three times faster. And while I’d worry about what all of that hardware would mean for battery life, Apple says it has “improved” battery performance compared to the 5S.

While rumors suggested that the iPhone SE might get a curved-edge design similar to the iPhone 6, Apple really didn’t change much from the 5S. The only noticeable difference now is that the edges are matte instead of polished, which will hopefully make them less scratch prone. Given that Apple is probably focused more on wowing us with the next flagship iPhone, it makes sense for it to basically recycle an existing design. (As an iPhone 6S user, I’ve honestly missed the compact feel of the 5S.)

The iPhone SE is particularly interesting because it marks the first time Apple has plugged in faster hardware into an older iPhone case design. Instead of just keeping older iPhones around to sell at a lower cost, Apple actually had to design and build an entirely new device. Its price is also intriguing, since it’ll likely appeal to people who refuse to deal with cellphone contracts anymore.

Apple introduces a smaller iPad Pro starting at $599

As rumored, Apple has been working on a smaller version of last year’s iPad Pro. Today, at its “Loop you in” event, the company revealed the new 9.7-inch tablet. Similar to the 12.9-inch model, this iPad Pro comes with a Retina screen and, of course, is compatible with the Apple Pencil. The display’s resolution is 2,048 x 1,536 and features TrueTone technology, which adjusts the screen’s brightness depending on the color temperature of ambient light around you. Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, says it has the lowest reflectivity of any tablet.

Aside from weighing less than a pound, Apple’s 9.7 iPad Pro is also packing a 12.1-megapixel camera with a TrueTone Flash and 4K video-recording capabilities, an improvement compared to the 12.9-inch Pro.

The smaller iPad Pro, which packs the same A9X chip as its big brother, will start at $599 with 32GB of storage, and $749 for 128GB. And, for the first time ever, Apple’s going to have a 256GB mobile device, though you’ll have to shell out a hefty $899 for that model if you’re interested. You’ll now also have a Rose Gold option, much like the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. There’s a keyboard case for the Pro 9.7, too.

Developing…

Get all the news from today’s iPhone event right here, and follow along with our liveblog!

Source: Apple

Apple iOS 9.3 update available today with ‘Night Shift’

During its “Loop You In” event, Apple announced that iOS 9.3 would finally be available to all starting today. The new version of the operation system adds the color-temperature changing Night Shift, Notes with Touch ID and password support.

The News app also got some love with trending topics. CarPlay is updated with better Maps and an easier way to select music.

The operating system has been available to developers and any users that opt-in to beta test the latest version of iOS. So the none of the features are much of a surprise. But, if you’re not in the mood to mess with your iPhone experience using a system that’s not quite ready for primetime, soon you’ll be able to set

Today’s event introduced the new iPhone 5SE which is available for order now.

Get all the news from today’s iPhone event right here, and follow along with our liveblog!