A ‘Star Trek’ Holodeck in Steam VR was inevitable

Let’s face it: if you grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, you probably see virtual reality as just a stepping stone toward the Holy Grail of simulation, the Holodeck. It’s no surprise, then, that Reddit users illogical_cpt and Bradllez have found a way to bring the Holodeck to VR. Thanks in part to work from Psyrek, they built a Holodeck grid for Steam VR that serves as an extremely appropriate background while you’re between games. It’s not going to be as vast or immersive as the “real” thing, and you’ll need a compatible headset (like the HTC Vive) to even give this a try. Still, it’s a pleasant reminder that science fiction and reality are much closer than they used to be.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Steam (1), (2), Reddit

Microsoft shows what it learned from its Tay AI’s racist tirade

If it wasn’t already clear that Microsoft learned a few hard lessons after its Tay AI went off the deep end with racist and sexist remarks, it is now. The folks in Redmond have posted reflections on the incident that shed a little more light on both what happened and what the company learned. Believe it or not, Microsoft did stress-test its youth-like code to make sure you had a “positive experience.” However, it also admits that it wasn’t prepared for what would happen when it exposed Tay to a wider audience. It made a “critical oversight” that didn’t account for a dedicated group exploiting a vulnerability in Tay’s behavior that would make her repeat all kinds of vile statements.

As for what’s happening next? Microsoft is focused on fixing the immediate problem, of course, but it stresses that it’ll need to “iterate” by testing with large groups, sometimes in public. That’s partly an excuse for its recent behavior — surely Microsoft would be aware that encouraging repetition is dangerous! However, Microsoft is right in that machine learning software can only succeed if it has enough data to learn from. Tay will only get better if she’s subjected to the abuses of the internet, however embarrassing those may be to her creators.

Source: Official Microsoft Blog

Advertising’s hottest surveillance software is surprisingly legal

You may have heard that the FTC this week sent out a dozen strongly worded letters to apps using the SilverPush framework. The FTC politely told twelve app developers that they needed to let users know that SilverPush was collecting data and selling it to third parties.

SilverPush responded two days ago by issuing a statement claiming it no longer uses the “Unique Audio Beacons” (UAB), and has “no active partnership with any US-based developers.”

Well, if this is true, then perhaps SilverPush should remove UAB as a core product from its website — and from the heart of its business model, as well.

SilverPush is in a predicament of its own making. That’s because, in the interest of serving advertisers, the company has created and implemented spying technology that goes above and beyond most modern surveillance tools.

If you’re online and come across a SilverPush advertiser, while the ad drops its tracking cookie on your computer, it also emits an (inaudible) Audio Beacon sound. If your phone or tablet has any app that uses the SilverPush software development kit on it, your device will be “listening” for the advertiser’s Audio Beacon. If you’re watching TV, commercials from SilverPush’s ad partners will also emit their own identifying tones for your devices to hear.

Then, it identifies what ads you’re looking at while matching the information with your phone, tablet, and computer, and you as the user. German anti-virus security company Avira analyzed the SilverPush tracking code and found an upsetting level of detailed data being collected and sent insecurely back to SilverPush. This included “the exact ID of the device, the Wi-Fi router MAC address, details about the device’s operating system, and best of all – the user’s phone number.” Because of this, Avira’s security software now detects SilverPush as Trojan malware.

Co-founder Mudit Seth told press in 2013 that SilverPush identifies a smartphone device (as in, its user) “through 50 parameters, based on data collected through ad exchanges, app owners and advertisers.” So if someone looks at sites that sell plane tickets, later they’ll be shown airfare ads on a different device, within a game, or on social network.

With this, the company claims it has the most accurate cross-device tracking tool in the business. The service it delivers to advertisers is to create a complete and accurate up-to-the-minute profile of what you do, what you watch, what sites you visit, all the devices you use, and more.

It’s like having someone look over your shoulder pretty much all the time, anxiously waiting for you to look at a product so it can tell its advertising clients what you’re seeing. SilverPush runs in the background of apps, so you’ll never know it’s there. Repulsively, it also runs when the apps aren’t in use.

All of this information is compiled into a machine-learning massaged profile on you, along with device information and other details, to create a dossier that SilverPush’s parent company SilverEdge tells its advertising clients is both “immediate and accurate.”

When the Center for Democracy in Technology (CDT) first raised the alarm about SilverPush last November, the internet reacted by being predictably angry and creeped out. The CDT elaborated on the technology’s implications saying:

“For example, a company could see that a user searched for sexually transmitted disease (STD) symptoms on her personal computer, looked up directions to a Planned Parenthood on her phone, visits a pharmacy, then returned to her apartment,” the letter stated. “While previously the various components of this journey would be scattered among several services, cross-device tracking allows companies to infer that the user received treatment for an STD. The combination of information across devices not only creates serious privacy concerns, but also allows for companies to make incorrect and possibly harmful assumptions about individuals.”

With this in mind, the FTC’s letters to developers this week seem tepid. It seems the only thing the FTC might take action on is that SilverPush is doing all of this this without a “we collect your information and share it” note to users. This is a surprisingly mild reaction to technology that’s so invasive, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg here.

But maybe “just the tip” is all the FTC can see (it certainly didn’t seem to acknowledge the company’s internet ad surveillance practices). When the CDT’s letter started making a few headlines last November, SilverPush hustled to pull detailed information about its product off the Internet. A researcher who was examining code in the company’s demo apps grabbed screencaps as SilverPush pulled its YouTube channel, all of its Library videos, and its “help” page on Google Plus.

The company has given the impression that it’s only doing business in India. This was echoed in its statement to press this week, saying that it’s not currently working with US-based devs.

Which is weird, because the company announced its expansion into the US market in 2013, when SilverPush received 1.5 million in seed funding from Dave McClure’s 500 Startups and IDG Ventures. That was followed by a couple years of press citing the company as based in San Francisco, plus the company’s LinkedIn page saying they’re based in SF, the Philippines, and Guragon.

Making it even more difficult to get clarity on the situation, SilverPush was quoted in the CDT’s November letter to the FTC saying, “SilverPush’s company policy is to not ‘divulge the names of the apps the technology is embedded.’”

Well that’s convenient. Though in the years before that, SilverPush was pretty happy to brag about its clients and connections to press outlets interested in writing about the company.

Two years ago, SilverPush told press that the company “is now serving mobile ads in six countries for 50 global brands including Google, Dominos, Samsung, Candy Crush, Airtel, P&G, Kabam and Myntra.”

In a 2014 feature about its Audio Beacon technology, TechCrunch reported that “some SilverPush advertisers (including Procter & Gamble and messaging app Line) are already using these capabilities, as are ‘a few’ mobile publishers (mostly game developers). It works on both iOS and Android.”

Just one year before that, SilverPush’s founder didn’t mind naming the ad networks it partnered with. In an interview with Business Standard, Hitesh Chawla explained rattled off names that included MoPub (acquired by Twitter), and that SilverPush had ad inventory from publishers / app makers Facebook and Angry Birds.

The 2013 article explained that SilverPush bids for this inventory through ad exchanges. “We process a billion ad requests a day for India alone; now, we are starting in the US as well,” Chawla said.

So those apps that tell you they need to use your microphone in order to use the app at all, even when you’re not sure why? Yeah, those are now an out-of-control problem.

The FTC’s letter hinted that SilverPush is naughty to do the spying for companies and data dealers while the apps are off, and that it should really look at the FTC’s 2013 Mobile Privacy Disclosures guidelines — which are sadly only just suggestions — for behaving better toward users.

But what’s particularly troubling is that among the many egregious issues here, the only real problem the FTC seems to have with SilverPush is that the apps using it aren’t telling users they’re being spied on. You know, like when you’re required to agree to Terms that make you uncomfortable (or wonder if you’re being exploited) in order to use an app. For this, the company could be in violation of section 5 of the FTC Act (Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices, .pdf).

That’s right: Apparently if any of these apps would just put a few lines about using your microphones to sell amazingly detailed data about you to third parties somewhere in their 6,000-word terms of use, then it’s all greenlit. We reached out the FTC to help clarify the issue and what action it planned to take, but so far we haven’t heard back.

And here’s our problem of the ages: Intimate and individual privacy violations at scale, agreements we don’t understand, and that “Agree to our Terms” mistakes compliance for informed consent, all enacted by companies doing everything possible that’s technically not illegal.

Meanwhile, our shadow profiles — our doppelgangers in the clouds, who invisibly bleed out our secrets and personal moments for pennies on the dollar — only grow more monstrous with the privacy they take.

MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Pad & Quill Woodline iPhone Case or Roll Top Leather Backpack

For this week’s giveaway, Pad & Quill, the maker of premium MacBook, iPhone, and iPad cases and other accessories, is graciously offering its Woodline iPhone cases and Roll Top Leather Backpack as prizes to the lucky winners.

The Woodline iPhone cases are made of real hardwood, which is polished and scratch-resistant, with a polymer core. The cases are thin, coming in at just .9 millimeter thick, and allow access to all ports and buttons. Four wood choices are available: American Cherry, Rosewood, Premium American Walnut, and Zebra Wood, with retail prices ranging from $49.95 to $59.95. The Woodline cases are available for the iPhone 6/6S and iPhone 6 Plus/6S Plus.

The Roll Top Leather Backpack is made of full-grain tumbled American bridle leather with hand-pounded copper rivets. The roll-top closure weatherproofs the backpack and it can accommodate laptops up to 15 inches. The backpack has a 25-year warranty and each bag is hand signed by the artisan who crafted it. Available in chocolate, black, or whiskey colors, the Roll Top Leather Backpack retails for $319.

Six winners will be chosen. The first four winners can choose one Woodline Case in the color of their choice for the iPhone 6/6S or iPhone 6 Plus/6S Plus. The last two winners can choose one Roll Top Leather Backpack in the color of their choice.

To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter your email address. Your email address will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and provide prize shipping information. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveawayThis contest will run from today (March 25) at 12:00 pm Pacific time through 12:00 pm Pacific time on April 1. The winners will be chosen randomly on April 1 and will be contacted by email. The winners have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address. The prizes will be shipped to the winners for free.

Tags: giveaway, Pad & Quill
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Zer0: Simple, challenging, and addictive [review]

There’s something addicting about number puzzle games. As always, the Google Play Store has an astounding amount of games under this category, but the most recognizable names in this genre

Galaxy S7 second opinion — the nicest phone I can’t stand to touch

There’s so much to love here — but that can’t keep me from putting down this phone.

One of the cool things about a major phone launch is watching as the Android Central editors all draw their own conclusions from personal experiences. We generally agree on things like camera quality, overall performance, and the technical capabilities of each handset, but whether we actually want to use any given phone is usually a fascinating internal conversation. It’s the kind of thing that leads us to write things like second opinions on phones, because any good review is a healthy mix of objective and subjective analysis.

For what it’s worth, I think Phil’s review gets a lot of important things right about the Galaxy S7. In fact, if you keep reading you’ll undoubtedly see me draw a lot of the same conclusions. There’s one big thing about this phone that I’m unlikely to get over anytime soon, and it’s going to make recommending this phone difficult for me.

I just can’t stand holding this phone.

How we got here

Watching Samsung’s design language change over the last two years has been incredible. The shift from all plastic to glass and metal isn’t an easy change to make, and it couldn’t be more clear that Samsung is learning fast and making changes as quickly as it can. The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge were impressive, beautiful phones that felt oddly sharp when you gripped the corners. Nothing about the design was a deal-breaker, but as a first-generation design there was room for improvement. And, no, I’m not talking about the alignment of the holes on the phone.

You can still tell it’s a Samsung phone by looking at it, but the number of tiny design refinements is impressive.

The Galaxy Note 5 came next. Samsung rounded out the back and smoothed the metal down a bit, and with the exception of a stylus design flaw that was fixed later, this phone felt like a solid improvement on the design of the Galaxy S6. Despite being glass on both sides, my Note 5 has survived by my side for quite a while, and looks just as nice as it did on the day I took it out of the box. As long as you like big phones, Samsung really nailed this one.

The Galaxy S7 looks like a continuation of the lessons learned with the Note 5. It’s compact compared to the other Galaxy S phones — hold it up next to an S5 if you want to be truly impressed — and features not only a pleasantly curved back but a front glass panel that melts right into the frame to complete that nice round feel all the way across the phone. You can still tell it’s a Samsung phone by looking at it, but the number of tiny design refinements is impressive.

So … many … smudges.

The hardware

Actually holding the Galaxy S7 is a different story. This phone doesn’t feel like the Galaxy Note 5, despite looking like they are made of nearly identical materials. The phone feels softer, as though there’s a coating on the glass and metal that doesn’t exist on the Note 5. After using it for more than a few minutes, a buildup of finger oil coats the back the phone. I find myself constantly wiping the phone down to tolerate using it, and while some of that is to be expected with glass it is noticeably worse on the Galaxy S7 than it ever way on the S6 or Note 5.

More than feeling soft, the phone actually is soft. Rene Ritchie, our Editor in Chief over at iMore, called it “glass-tic” in the way it didn’t feel like a nice glass body, and I think that’s close to how I feel. It’s fragile, and not in the “it turns out phones bend if you try to bend them” way. I’ve had this Galaxy S7 for a little over a week now, and the phone is covered in little nicks and marks on the metal rim of the phone and the metal around the camera on the back. I’ve managed to scratch the back of the phone in more than one place already by putting the phone in the same pocket as my keys, which is extra frustrating for someone who doesn’t own metal keys for the home or vehicle. I use a fob for my car, and my phone for my home, which means the key ring was what scratched the back of this phone while it was in my pocket. Meanwhile, my Note 5 has been dropped half a dozen times since I got it and is almost always in the same pocket as my keys. Not a scratch.

Gorgeous, but not unblemished.

I’ve dropped the Galaxy S7 a few times, but never from any great height. The only think I can say for sure is that I’m fortunate to not have broken the glass on the phone yet. A quick search online will reveal that I am lucky in that regard. While my personal experiences and the personal experiences of those around me can hardly be considered evidence of any grand problem, the phone seems remarkably fragile. Which is a shame, because the rest of the phone is actually pretty great.

As fingerprint sensors go, this can easily be counted among the best.

Samsung’s displays are still in a class of their own — no other manufacturer comes close. The Galaxy S7 doesn’t offer an appreciable difference in quality over the Note 5 in most situations, but things like jumping to super brightness mode when outside happens faster. If you look real close, you’ll see a slight color shift in some viewing angles on the S7 that don’t exist on the Note 5, but only when looking at something white, and only if you’re really looking for it.

The fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S7 is another example of being just slightly better than its predecessors. While Samsung’s fingerprint sensor isn’t nearly as easy to set up as the Nexus 6P, once you’ve set it up correctly the experience is remarkably similar. The only thing that would make the experience better would be a better unlock animation from Samsung, but that’s a small thing to complain about. As fingerprint sensors go, this can easily be counted among the best.

Performance is an interesting thing to measure on this phone, for a couple of reasons. Any time there’s a processor split between regions, people want to see if one is better than the other, especially when so many hardcore enthusiasts wanted to be disappointed with the Snapdragon 810 last year. The new architecture of the Snapdragon 820 promises a whole lot of performance with none of the heat issues from the previous generation. Heat dissipation is absolutely not a problem with this phone, even when doing things like screen recording while playing games on the Gear VR for extended periods of time, but the phone isn’t any faster than the Galaxy Note 5. Apps launch consistently with the same load time, browsing isn’t any faster, and the games play the same. That decrease in heat means a decrease in power consumption, though, and that is a much bigger deal on phones like these. The Galaxy S7 will easily outperform something like the Nexus 6P when it comes to launching Vainglory or playing Ingress, but against the Note 5 the improvement is more about the energy required for the phone to be that capable. That may not be what the benchmark crown wants to hear, but it’s significant in its own way.

No, I’m not putting a case on my phone.

Here’s the part where readers skip down to the comments section and tell me to just put a case or skin on the phone and I’ll be happy. Guess what, you’re wrong for several reasons. First, the thin cases that make the phone still feel somewhat close to the shape Samsung intended aren’t protecting you from the things that are wrong here. Even if the corner damage was safe due to a layer of plastic, those cases are incredibly susceptible to particulate invasion, which means sand and grit and all manner of other grossness would get in between the plastic and glass and scratch everything up anyway. Ask anyone who was told to “just put a case on” the old iPhones with glass backs, which frequently resulted in more damage over time because they weren’t properly cleaned on a regular basis. It also doesn’t make sense to slap a giant case on this phone, as it removes the thing that makes the phone special in the first place. It’s sold as a small phone, and I’m not going to turn it into a large phone to keep it safe.

The software

Marshmallow TouchWiz is surprisingly good. It’s snappy, visually appealing, and doesn’t get in the way of Google’s core features. Now on Tap lives in the home button so everyone is free to keep ignoring it until it stops being entirely useless, notifications behave like they should, and Marshmallow core features like Doze actually work. The Galaxy S7 doesn’t Doze quite as well as the Nexus 6P, averaging about 3% battery drain over 9 hours instead of 1.2%, but it’s noticeably better than it used to be.

Most of the things that drive non-TouchWiz users crazy can be replaced. The Launcher still doesn’t sort alphabetically on its own, the included keyboard still throws out email addresses from your contacts when completing normal sentences, and Samsung still thinks the app drawer belongs on the far right of your screen. All of this is easily replaced with whatever you want, leaving only the notification tray for you to deal with. If you’ve been paying attention to the notification tray in the Android N Developer Preview, you’ll see that Nexus users will soon be telling everyone how awesome this thing Samsung has been doing for quite a while now is on their phones thanks to Google.

The things I wish Samsung would change are the things it seems mostly disinterested in changing.

The only thing that confuses me about the software on the Galaxy S7 is the always-on display. It is, without exception, the most useless form of always-on display that exists today. Telling the time is the only thing it does that makes any sense. Last year, Samsung’s Edge Display gave me a glance at the time, emails, who called or messages from my closest friends and family, and even the stocks if I was so inclined. This year we get the time, and nothing else of value. There’s no way to see what notifications actually are when they come in, the calendar widget doesn’t actually do anything, and there’s no way to personalize anything unless you want a silly wallpaper instead of something useful. It’s beyond bizarre, and not worth the 1% to 3% battery you lose by having it on.

More than anything, the things I wish Samsung would change are the things it seems mostly disinterested in changing. I’m using a Verizon Wireless version of the Galaxy S7, which means the phone is full of Verizon apps that I’m never going to use and have to hide because I can’t uninstall them. It also means security patches are going to come late for this model, when Euro versions of the phone already seem to be getting them in a timely manner.

We’ve called for unlocked versions of these phones more times then I can count, but I’m going to do it again. Samsung needs to sell versions of their phones in the US that they control from top to bottom, and they need to do it now.

The camera

There was little doubt that Samsung was going to once again top the charts with the camera in the Galaxy S7. Samsung has been making this a priority for a long time now, and in this generation you get a camera that launches almost instantly and focuses even faster. Samsung’s Camera UI hasn’t changed much, save for the addition of some new camera modes by default, and that’s a good thing. Samsung’s UI ensures all of the important things are a single tap away, and leaves as much of the screen as possible open to seeing what you’re shooting.

Not a ton has changed about the way Samsung processes color or detail from the previous generation of sensors, which is a big deal when you consider the significant differences in sensors between the last year and this year. For images to come out as similar as they do between the S7 and the Note 5 is impressive, but as we’ve said in reviews the real differences can be found in low-light situations. The Galaxy S7 doesn’t handle low light quite as well as the Nexus 6P, but takes pictures so much faster that you’re more likely to get the shot you want with Samsung.

This is especially true when capturing photos of things in motion, something the S7 does well even in low light. Getting a picture of something in motion is tough, and getting a great low light shot is tough. Getting both is incredibly complicated, but something you can do with ease in most situations on the Galaxy S7. It’s a fantastic overall camera, which is exactly what you expect when using a Samsung phone nowadays.

The bottom line

I love what the Galaxy S7 is capable of. I love the way it behaves in the Gear VR. I love the consistently amazing photos I get from it. I love the way the battery crushes what the S6 was capable of, getting me 14 hours of use consistently on Verizon Wireless. It’s like Samsung took the Note 5 and shrunk it down, adding little bits of polish along the way, which is awesome.

But I can’t hold the damn thing, and that’s a problem. I’m constantly concerned about it breaking now, and it sucks that I would rather grab for my Note 5 or Nexus 6P because I don’t have to worry about those phones slipping out of my hand or being damaged simply by existing in my pocket. This is undoubtedly the best phone Samsung has ever made on the inside, but what’s the point if I can’t enjoy the experience?

Amazon teaches you how to build an Alexa-powered device with a Raspberry Pi

Amazon has published a guide for how people can build and test their own device powered by its Alexa Voice Service, which allows hardware makers to build its virtual assistant into their devices. With this new guide, Amazon tells you how to get Alexa Voice Service up and running with a Raspberry Pi.

From Amazon’s GitHub page:

This project demonstrates how to access and test the Alexa Voice Service using a Java client (running on a Raspberry Pi), and a Node.js server. You will be using the Node.js server to get a Login with Amazon authorization code by visiting a website using your computer’s (Raspberry Pi in this case) web browser.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for obtaining the sample code, the dependencies, and the hardware you need to get the reference implementation running on your Pi.

Of course, to get started, you’ll need a Raspberry Pi 2 circuit board, which you can find on Amazon for about $37. You’ll also need additional hardware, including a microSD card, a micro-USB power cable, and a microphone. Once you’ve got everything set up, you’ll be able to request music playback, set an alarm, ask general knowledge questions, and more.

What is the Raspberry Pi?

Verizon rolling out Wi-Fi fixes for the Galaxy S7, S7 edge

Verizon is now pushing out updates for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The updates correct Wi-Fi issues that these phones may be experiencing, and changes the software version number to MMB29M.G930VVRU2APB5 for the Galaxy S7 and MMB29M.G935VVRU2APB5 for the S7 edge.

Here’s what you can expect from these updates:

This software update improves Wi-Fi connectivity on Marshmallow OS, and fixes issues including:

• Trouble connecting to the internet
• Frequent data disconnections
• Problems while loading files or web pages

Verizon also says that the update contains “Android security updates,” though following the update, your phone will still be on the February Android security patch.

If you haven’t already received an update notification, you can check for it manually. To do so, simply head to your Settings, About device and then check for the update.

Get Casio’s Smart Outdoor Watch from the Google Store for $499

Casio’s Android Wear-powered Smart Outdoor watch is now available from the Google Store. The rugged smartwatch is ready to face the elements, and features a number of built-in apps, like ViewRanger and Runkeeper, for outdoor activities. You can grab it now for $499.99.

The Casio Smart Outdoor Watch is built for activity, featuring 50-meter water resistance, along with endurance against drops, shocks, vibrations, and more. It also has two display modes, one that uses full color and the complete set of Android Wear features, or a monochrome minimal mode, which only displays the time and date, in order to extend battery life.

You can grab the Casio Smart Outdoor Watch in two colors from the Google Store. One is the standard Orange, while the other is the Google Store-exclusive Olive.

See at Google Store

Developers can submit their Android Experiments for a chance to go to Google I/O 2016

Google wants to see what developers can come up with in new and innovative software for the Android platform. It has announced a contest where entries submitted to the Android Experiment site will be judged by a panel of Google team members, and the top three winners will get a free trip to San Francisco to attend the 2016 Google I/O conference on May 18-20.

Android Central got to see some examples of the unique apps that developer have already submitted to Android Experiments in February at Mobile World Congress 2016. With the new Android Experiments I/O Challenge, those developers could get a lot more attention for their projects. Google says it is looking for a number of things from Android Experiments:

• Creative uses of Android’s new or distinctive features
• Projects that explore how we interact with our devices, in small and big ways
• Unique visual aesthetics
• Projects that inspire other developers
• Surprise us – we want to see the amazing things you’re cooking up

Developers have until April 13 to submit their entries into the Android Experiments I/O Challenge. In addition to the top three winners getting the Google I/O trip, five runner-ups will win a Nexus 6P, The contest itself is open worldwide except for a few countries (France, Italy, Quebec, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea and Sudan).

Enter the Android Experiments I/O Challenge