Verizon’s HTC One M8 slated to get Marshmallow update on March 7

Verizon owners of the HTC One M8 smartphone should mark Monday, March 7 on their calendar. HTC says that’s when it will start rolling out an over-the-air update for that phone to Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

The news about the update comes from the usual source: HTC’s Mo Versi on Twitter:

Verizon HTC One (M8) Owners! Marshmallow OS coming on 3/7! TA received today – Great work @arpu31

— Mo Versi (@moversi) March 4, 2016

The Marshmallow update was previously released for Sprint’s version of the HTC One M8 in late January.

Source: Mo Versi (Twitter)

DeepDrumpf: The Donald Trump AI spoof bot America needs

“I’m what ISIS doesn’t need.” That may sound like a quote from Republican presidential candidate/real estate tycoon Donald Trump, but it’s actually from an AI-powered Twitterbot named @DeepDrumpf. Developed by Bradley Hayes, a postdoc student at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science Lab (CSAIL), the bot pores through Trump’s speeches and debate transcripts, using deep learning techniques to recreate his language one letter at a time. (Engadget’s Aaron Souppouris used similar methods to build a neural network that recreated this site’s writing style.) The results are sometimes incoherent, but that only makes DeepDrumpf seem more like the real thing.

We have to make the United States. They can’t do it. Because I’m going to pay for the country.

— DeepDrumpf (@DeepDrumpf) March 3, 2016

You have comedian John Oliver to thank for the bot’s name — one of his recent segments tore apart Trump and pushed for the use of his ancestral name, Drumpf. Hayes says he was inspired by an existing bot that managed to recreate Shakespeare’s prose, as well as a report that Trump spoke at the level of a fourth grader, which made his language easier to analyze.

“The algorithm essentially learns an underlying structure from all the data it gets, and then comes up with different combinations of the data that reflect the structure that it was taught,” Hayes said.

While there are only a few true DeepDrumpf gems at the moment, it’ll likely get better over time as it analyzes even more of Trump’s rhetoric. Hayes says he’s considering building bots for other political candidates, and eventually they might be able to have automated debates on Twitter.

Via: The Guardian

Source: MIT

SpaceX will attempt to another launch and sea landing today

SpaceX has been trying to launch a Falcon 9 rocket tasked with carrying a communications satellite for over a week now. After a few scrubbed attempts, the company will give it another go this evening. Today’s launch is planned for 6:35PM ET at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Similar to previous tries, SpaceX hopes to successfully deploy the SES-9 satellite before landing the rocket at sea. Thus far, the company hasn’t been able to nail the landing after three attempts — the last of which was foiled by a landing strut failure.

Elon Musk & Co. aren’t optimistic about completing the maneuver this time either. In a press release about the launch, SpaceX noted “given this mission’s unique GTO profile, a successful landing is not expected.​” However, it does mean that, success or failure, there’s sure to be a livestream worth watching when the launch actually happens. Hopefully another boat won’t venture into the safe area later today. You can follow along here when the time comes.

Source: Space.com

Best iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus cases: Treat your new Apple devices

Apple’s latest smartphones – the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus – are available all around the world and you can pick up either from multiple retailers.

Not much changed in terms of design compared to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, if you ignore the extra colour and different aluminium, but a few things are different elsewhere.

The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus both arrived with a new camera, faster processor and new display technology that Apple is calling 3D Touch. As the design is almost identical, you still get the lovely slim, metal build the iPhone 6 was praised for, which is both good and bad.

A great design means you probably won’t want to cover it up but unfortunately smartphones don’t have the best reputation for handling knocks and drops. So if you want to ensure you don’t end up with a bruise and battered iPhone after a few days, keep reading.

We have rounded up the best iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus cases we have come across so far to keep your new Apple device safe and protected. We will be updating this feature as more catch our eye, but for now, check out the gallery to see the case options available to look after your iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus.

HTC 10 amazingly revealed in hilarious Twitter one-upmanship

While us mere mortals scrape at the earth for tiny morsels, two of Twitter’s most prolific leakers have swung in and given us a veritable feast of HTC 10 leaks.

For those who follow the business of leaking smartphones via Twitter, there are two names fighting for supremacy. In one corner you have Steve Hemmerstoffer going by the name @onleaks and in the other corner Evan Blass tweeting under the name @evleaks.

These leakers extraordinaire have had plenty of spats in the past, but both have also delivered a rich supply of nuggets when it comes to future devices. The revealing of HTC’s forthcoming handset emerged in hilarious fashion however. 

We reported earlier that @evleaks had dropped the name HTC 10 into play. We’d previously heard the codename HTC Perfume and we’d seen HTC using the “power of 10” tagline on its teaser campaign, but HTC 10 was a new name.

Then @onleaks revealed a number of photos of the HTC 10 in the wild: they’re typical leaker photos of a prototype device, out of focus and with the identification stickers obscured. They appear to be shot with a backdrop of a brown mattress with no sheets. Talk about glamour.

#HTC10 (prototype specs) 5.15″ QHD / SD820 / Adreno 530 / 4GB RAM / 12MP / USB Type-C pic.twitter.com/I8P0Mjlz8M

— OnLeaks (@OnLeaks) March 4, 2016

No sooner had @onleaks revealed the handset’s design through these photos, when @evleaks swings in with what looks like a full rendering of the HTC 10 from all sides.

This wonderful show of leaking one-upmanship serves us up a full design reveal of HTC’s next handset.

.@OnLeaks Can I play too? pic.twitter.com/aIRC8Zd9Y5

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 4, 2016

We’ve seen the chamfering on the rear before, but both sets of images appear to confirm USB Type-C. The front of the handset looks very much like the HTC One A9, but with capacitive controls flanking the fingerprint sensor in the centre beneath the display. We saw capacitive controls like this on the One X9, but as many will have feared, there’s no BoomSound speakers.

Both sets of photos also appear to reveal some aspects of the software, with what appears to be a redesigned messenger and dialler app icon. We suspect that HTC will continue to remove bulk from Sense 8.0, which this phone should launch with.

On the display of the @evleaks render we have the location New York and the date of 19 April, which may well be a potential release date.

It now feels like we have a full picture of HTC’s forthcoming handset. We’ve been tracking the leaks for many months and you can read up on the rest of the story right here.

READ: HTC 10: What’s the story so far?

Samsung Galaxy S7 buyers can claim their free Gear VR

When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones, it offered a pretty nice enticement to pre-order buyers: A free Galaxy Gear VR headset and six-game bundle worth $150. If you plunked your money down or are planning to do so before March 18th, you can now claim your goodies through a new portal on Samsung’s website. All you need to do is select the carrier or retailer you bought it from and follow the instructions. Verizon buyers can pick a Gear S2 smartwatch valued at $300 instead, while T-Mobile users get a free year of Netflix on top of the Gear VR, a $120 perk.

Sprint customers will be sent the Gear VR directly, while everyone else will need to wait four to six weeks to receive their goodies. You’ll need to supply the phone’s EMEI, WiFi info and a picture of the receipt. In our review of the consumer Gear VR, we called it a “no-brainer” for owners of Galaxy devices, and we’d say that applies if you’re thinking of getting a Galaxy S7 device too. It’s better than plunking down $600 on an Oculus Rift or $800 on a Vive VR and then deciding you actually hate virtual reality.

Via: Android Central

Source: Samsung

The best 24-inch monitor

By David Murphy

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read the full article here.

After spending 50 hours researching 19 different monitors and testing six finalists, we recommend the 24-inch Dell UltraSharp U2415 to most people looking for a large computer monitor right now. It has the best picture quality of any 24-inch display we tested, indistinguishable from perfection thanks to its factory-calibrated IPS screen.

Who this is for

For most people, a 24-inch monitor hits the sweet spot of size and price. Most 24-inch monitors these days have 19201080 screens, but we prefer the slightly less common 19201200. A 19201200-pixel monitor with a 16:10 aspect ratio gives you more vertical space than a 1080p monitor with its 16:9 proportions. The taller screen makes a big difference for most office work, Web browsing, and gaming. You’ll still have black bars when you watch movies, but you’ll probably have those on a 1080p monitor, too. If you’re still using a monitor smaller than 20 inches, give your eyes a break by upgrading to our pick.

How we tested

Our i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer costs a small fortune but offers incredible accuracy. Photo: David Murphy

The Wirecutter’s Chris Heinonen helped design our monitor testing process, which relies on two measuring devices: a $1,200 i1Pro 2 spectrophotometer from X-Rite and a $170 Spyder4 Pro. We customized tests in the CalMAN 5 software calibration suite to measure each monitor’s maximum and minimum brightness levels, gamma, color temperature, and color accuracy.

Most people don’t change their monitor settings, so default performance is critical. We measured each monitor on its default picture mode as well as on its sRGB mode where applicable. For each test, we adjusted the monitor’s brightness to 140 cd/m—a good value for everyday use—and set the contrast as high as it could go without losing white details. We left every other setting at the default value. We then used each of our finalists for a few days to get a feel for their features.

Our pick

Dell minimized the UltraSharp U2415’s bezel, creating the illusion that the monitor’s panel ​is bigger than its actual dimensions​. Photo: David Murphy

Dell’s UltraSharp U2415 is the best 24-inch monitor for most people because its factory-calibrated display looks practically perfect, its 19201200-pixel resolution gives it 11 percent more screen space than a 1080p monitor offers, and its ultrathin bezel makes its screen feel bigger and look better than monitors with thicker bezels. Its stand lifts, tilts, pivots, rotates, and swivels, so you can position the screen exactly where you need it. Equipped with HDMI and DisplayPort connections as well as five USB 3.0 ports, this monitor gives you more flexibility than most other models for anything you do at your desk. Other 24-inch monitors have a subset of these attributes, but no other has them all. The U2415 also costs hundreds less than most monitors with comparable display quality.

A distant runner-up

Dell’s UltraSharp U2412M hasn’t aged badly, but it lacks many new features and the factory calibration of our top pick. Photo: Michael Hession

If the U2415 is unavailable, we recommend the Dell UltraSharp U2412M. This model’s default picture quality is better than that of other uncalibrated monitors, and it has some of the same features we love in our primary pick, including a 1200p resolution, excellent adjustability, VESA support, and a great warranty and premium panel guarantee. However, it lacks a factory-calibrated mode and HDMI, has USB 2.0 ports instead of USB 3.0 connections, and uses pulse width modulation to dim the backlight.

The upgrade pick

If you already have a 22- or-24-inch IPS display, save up for the 27-inch Dell UltraSharp U2715H, which is both bigger and better. Photo: David Murphy

You won’t find any 24-inch monitors that are better than the U2415. If you have more money to spend, you should get our 27-inch pick, the Dell UltraSharp U2715H. This 25601440 monitor has a bigger screen and more working space than a 24-inch, 1200p monitor. For Windows users, it’s a better choice than a 4K monitor, because it doesn’t have any app display-scaling issues (and you don’t need to spend as much money to play games at high settings on it).

The budget pick

ASUS’s VS239H has good color accuracy for its price, but among other deficiencies, it lacks almost all of the awesome adjustability of our pick’s stand. Photo: David Murphy

If you need a decent but cheap monitor, get the ASUS VS239H. It’s a pretty good 23-inch, 19201080 IPS monitor that usually costs less than $150, but you give up a lot to get to that point: Its screen has 11 percent fewer pixels than our 19201200 primary pick, its colors are less accurate, and it has very limited adjustability, no DisplayPort connections, no USB ports, and an ugly on-screen display. Still, it looks a lot better than the other monitors in its price range, which tend to use lower-quality TN (twisted nematic) panels.

Wrapping up

The best 24-inch monitor is the Dell UltraSharp U2415, which has the best picture quality of any display we tested. The UltraSharp U2412M is a distant runner-up, as it has the same 1200p resolution but lacks factory calibration, USB 3.0, and HDMI. If you have more money to spend, we recommend our 27-inch pick, the 2560×1440 Dell UltraSharp U2715H, and if you’re on a budget, we recommend the ASUS VS239H-P, which is the cheapest good IPS monitor available.

This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Major League Baseball takes Snapchat to the dugout during games

Snapchat isn’t new to sports coverage, but with Major League Baseball this season, the social channel is making a big push at the ballpark. The collaboration between the app and the league kicks off next Friday (March 11th) when MLB will allow players to use cellphones in the dugout for the first time. Before, during and after Spring Training games, players will be permitted to post their own snaps and selfies. Oh yeah, there’s a special selfie stick for the occasion: the SnapBat. Yes, really.

The partnership between Snapchat and MLB isn’t limited to pre-season action on the diamond. Coverage of Opening Day, the All-Star Game and postseason matchups is also in the works for this year and beyond thanks to a multi-year deal. We’ll be curious to see how it goes next week, and there’s several ways to take in the action. There will be a day-long curated Live Story to cover the festivities as well as plenty of content on player and team accounts.

Via: The Verge, Yahoo

Source: Major League Baseball

Five reasons why crowdfunding projects fail

Engadget was an early proponent of crowdfunding and has helped many exciting gadgets become a reality. The only downside of this is that my inbox now overflows with Kickstarter and Indiegogo pitches looking for similar treatment. In 2015 alone, I received almost 1,400 emails relating to campaigns on those two websites. It may be a chore to get through them all, but it’s also given me plenty of time to pinpoint what makes a successful campaign. So, before you quit your day job, save yourself some heartache.

Apple Support Has Responded to Nearly 100 Tweets Per Hour So Far

Apple’s new support account on Twitter has quickly gained momentum after launching on Thursday morning, surpassing 125,000 followers in just over 24 hours. The account has over 2,750 tweets as of writing, meaning that Apple’s support team has responded to nearly 100 customer tweets per hour so far.

Keyhole, a real-time social media analytics website, provides a closer look at the Apple Support account. The data shows that the account, and related tweets, have already generated over 124 million impressions, with 44.6% of users viewing the tweets from an iPhone. 77% of the account’s followers are male.

Apple joins a growing number of companies, ranging from retailers to banks, that provide customer service on Twitter in 140 characters or less. A customer can send a tweet to @AppleSupport, and an Apple Advisor will typically reply with a generic message that requests the user send more details via Direct Message.

We’re always looking for new ways to help you get the most from  products. Meet @AppleSupport! https://t.co/YhdvY44PPS

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 3, 2016

The account will respond to customer inquiries every day between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific, and it will also share tips, tricks, and tutorials related to Apple products and services. Apple support continues to be available on the web, or by phone, email, or scheduling a Genius Bar appointment.

Tag: Twitter
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