Toyota’s concept for the next generation has a 3D-printed dash

Toyota is looking to the future of car ownership with its latest concept, the uBox, which it created in collaboration with graduate students at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research. The carmaker imagines uBox customers as entrepreneurs and members of “generation Z” — the vehicle is designed to be fluid, transforming from a recreational vehicle into a kind of mobile office via a reconfigurable interior.

Owners would be able to customize the vents, dashboard display fixtures and door trim with 3D printing, plus there would be an online hub for people to share their designs. The uBox has a curved glass roof and 110-volt sockets along the inside and outside of the vehicle so Gen-Z-ers can power their electronics, too.

Don’t expect to see the uBox at your local dealer any time soon — the project was meant to help students learn the ins and outs of car design and manufacturing. However, Toyota may integrate some of these ideas into future designs, Toyota spokesperson Brian Watkins told Automotive News.

Source: Toyota

The original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy is returning to theaters

If you yearn for the heady days when you could watch the original Star Wars movies in theaters, you’re in for a treat. Alamo Drafthouse (a very big fan of classic movies) has arranged screenings of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in special locations over 20 cities over the course of August, starting in 7 cities on August 6th. These are the tweaked re-releases from 1997 (sorry, no despecialized versions here), but they’ll give you a hint of what it was like to see the adventures of Luke, Leia and Han in their initial format.

Just be prepared to act quickly and clear out your schedule. Alamo starts pre-orders on May 4th (naturally), and each screening will show all three movies back-to-back — you might want to gulp down an energy drink before you go. These kinds of marathons are par for the course for the theater chain, but Star Wars is bound to create even more of a frenzy than usual.

Via: Entertainment Weekly

Source: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Software Safeguards Coming to Protect Against Potentially Dangerous USB-C Cables

The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) today announced the launch of the USB Type-C Authentication specification, a software protocol that will serve as a line of defense protecting USB-C products from non-compliant USB-C cables that are potentially able to damage a device.

With the USB Type-C Authentication specification, computers and other devices with USB-C ports will be able to confirm the authenticity of a USB device or USB charger, verifying elements like certification status and power flow, along with ensuring no malware is present.

Using this protocol, host systems can confirm the authenticity of a USB device or USB charger, including such product aspects as the descriptors/capabilities and certification status. All of this happens right at the moment a wired connection is made – before inappropriate power or data can be transferred.

USB Type-C Authentication empowers host systems to protect against non-compliant USB Chargers and to mitigate risks from maliciously embedded hardware or software in USB devices attempting to exploit a USB connection

The USB Type-C Authentication specification comes after some non-compliant USB-C cables were able to damage electronic devices. Google engineer Benson Leung spent weeks testing USB-C cables sold by Amazon after a third-party cable he bought destroyed his Chromebook Pixel, making it his mission to highlight the risks of non-compliant cables.

Leung’s work led Amazon to ban third-party retailers from offering USB-C cables that do not adhere to the standard specifications issued by the USB-IF, and it’s also led to the creation of the protections announced today.

Key characteristics of the USB Type-CTM Authentication solution include:

– A standard protocol for authenticating certified USB Type-CTM Chargers, devices, cables and power sources
– Support for authenticating over either USB data bus or USB Power Delivery communications channels
– Products that use the authentication protocol retain control over the security policies to be implemented and enforced
– Relies on 128-bit security for all cryptographic methods
– Specification references existing internationally-accepted cryptographic methods for certificate format, digital signing, hash and random number generation

Apple began using USB-C with the Retina MacBook, choosing the standard because it allows both data and power transfer through a single connector. USB-C is appealing for its universality, but because USB-C cables can transfer more power than traditional USB connectors, non-compliant or faulty equipment can damage electronic devices by providing too much power.

The Retina MacBook already has safeguards built in to protect it from non-compliant cables, but the new USB Type-C Authentication feature will offer another layer of protection should Apple choose to implement it. Current machines will only charge from third-party USB-C power adapters if they comply with the USB Power Delivery specification, and if too much power is detected, the USB-C ports on the MacBook will shut down.

While the Retina MacBook is the only product that currently offers USB-C functionality, Apple may choose to offer USB-C ports in additional machines in upcoming updates scheduled to take place across 2016.
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Kenmore 72583 review – CNET

The Good The Kenmore 72583 gas slide-in range has the looks of a commercial appliance. The oven has some cool cooking features designed to get food to you faster.

The Bad This nearly $2,900 range’s performance was all over the place. For example, a roast chicken was slightly undercooked, but cinnamon rolls were charred to their baking sheet.

Problems include uneven baking, slow broiling and

The Bottom Line If a slide-in gas range is what you’re after, skip the Kenmore 72583. Instead, consider the KitchenAid KSGB900ESS, a slightly cheaper option with a better performance.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

Do you have a favorite celebrity chef? Do you have strong feelings about that ice cream machine on Chopped? Do you love the haughty but lovable way Mary Berry pronounces “layers” on the The Great British Baking Show? You might be a “prosumer,” a marketing term you often hear appliance manufacturers use; the buzzword combines “professional” and “consumer” to describe avid home cooks who take their meals seriously and want professional-level appliances and tools to match their passion for cuisine. Popular brands are going after this group of potential customers by building ranges that have the appearance the professional-grade appliances you see on TV with a much lower cost than five-figure models.

Kenmore wants to scratch the itch of aspiring chefs with its Kenmore Pro line, a group of kitchen appliances “designed to show off one’s inner gourmet.” Unfortunately, the Kenmore 72583 range is a poor ambassador for the Pro collection. This 30-inch-wide, stainless-steel gas range’s unsteady performance is more amateur than professional (looking at you, uneven baking and tricky oven controls). Kenmore has decked out this model with a couple of cool features, like the Accela-Heat cooking mode that eliminates the need for preheating, but the bells and whistles just aren’t loud enough to drown out the issues I had with this range.

The $2,899 Kenmore 72583 isn’t up for the intense cooking its intended audience of home cooks will put it through. You’re better off with a model like the KitchenAid KSGB900ESS if you want a slide-in gas range. And Kenmore has made good gas ranges; if you don’t mind a freestanding model, consider the $1,400 Kenmore 74343 gas range.

This Pro range needs some practice (pictures)
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This Kenmore sits pretty in the kitchen

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

The Kenmore 72583 has all the physical features we’ve come to expect on ranges inspired by their commercial counterparts. The 30-inch-wide slide-in model is covered in stainless steel and topped with continuous cast-iron grates that makes it easier to scoot pots and pans from one burner to another. There are five burners on the cooktop, including a center oval burner for cooking with a griddle or oblong pot. Unlike the electric Kenmore 97723 range that completely eliminated oven and burner knobs, the Kenmore 72583 relies on them for both oven settings and oven temperature. There is a small touchscreen panel on the front of the range, but its functionality is pretty limited. The Kenmore 72583’s capacity is small on paper: only 5.1 cubic feet, which is a lot smaller than similar units such as the KitchenAid KSGB900ES (6.5 cubic fee) or Samsung NX58H9500WS (5.8 cubic feet). I never had any problem fitting my large baking sheets into the range, so don’t let this oven’s size turn you away — there are more troubling features that make the 72583 less appealing.

BAFTA winner ‘Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture’ hits PC Thursday

You really should check out the Rapture. The Chinese Room’s celebrated exploration game, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, lands on Steam for PC on Thursday, April 14th, at a price of $20 (£16). It debuted on PlayStation 4 in August and we took it for a spin live on Twitch that month. For a game set in a small abandoned village, it’s filled with drama and adventure as players attempt to uncover the mysteries hidden in the rural land.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is also a certified award-winner: It picked up BAFTA awards in the Audio Achievement, Music and Performer categories last week. Plus, the game made it to our list of titles we loved in 2015, which is the real award.

This is your daily reminder that *cough* triple-BAFTA-winner *cough* Rapture is coming to Steam THIS THURSDAY: https://t.co/evxilSBAwi

— The Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom) April 11, 2016

Source: The Chinese Room

The complete list of Siri commands – CNET

There’s a lot you can do with Apple’s virtual assistant — and some things you can’t do. For example, while Siri can send texts, search Twitter, and open up your front-facing camera, she can’t adjust your device’s volume (something OK Google can do).

Apple hasn’t published a complete list of Siri commands, though you can find a fairly comprehensive guide to Siri’s abilities inside Siri herself (open up Siri and say “Help” to see what she can do). So here’s our unofficial guide to Siri commands and questions.

Hey Siri

There are a few ways to get Siri’s attention.

• Press and hold the home button to activate Siri and issue her a command or ask her a question.
• If you’re using Apple’s Earpods, press and hold the center button to activate Siri and issue her a command or ask her a question.
• If you have Hey Siri enabled, say “Hey, Siri” when your iPhone is plugged in and charging, followed by a command or question.

The basics

• Call or FaceTime someone. Ex.: “Call Sarah,” or “FaceTime Mom.”
• Call an emergency number. Ex.: “Call 911,” or “Call the fire department.”
• Check voice mail. Ex.: “Do I have any new voice mail?” or “Play the voice mail from Mom.”
• Text someone. Ex.: “Tell [name] I am on my way,” or “Tell [name] I am going to the store.”
• Send an email. Ex.: “Send email to [name] about [subject] and say [message].”
• Hear your messages or emails read aloud. Ex.: “Read my new messages,” or “Check email.”
• Set a timer. Ex.: “Set the timer for 10 minutes.”
• Check the weather. Ex.: “What’s the weather like today?” or “Do I need an umbrella?”
• Check stocks. Ex.: “What’s Apple’s stock price?” or “Where’s the NASDAQ today?”
• Conversions (of all kinds). Ex.: “How many cups are in a quart?” or “How many dollars are in a Euro?” or “How many pounds are in a stone?”
• Calculate tips. Ex.: “What is a 20 percent tip on $68?”
• Solve math problems. Ex.: “What is 234 divided by 6?” or “What is the square root of 16?”

Phone/Settings

• Take a picture.
• Take a selfie.
• Turn on/off [Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular Data, Airplane Mode, Do Not Disturb, Night Shift]
• Increase/decrease brightness.
• Open [app].
• Designate contacts as relationships. Ex.: “My mom is Sandy Jacobsson,” or “Timmy Jacobsson is my brother.” Once a relationship is established, you can say relationships instead of names (e.g., “Call my brother,” instead of “Call Timmy Jacobsson”).

Scheduling and reminders

• Schedule or cancel a meeting. Ex.: “Schedule a meeting with [name] tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.” or “Cancel my 5 p.m. appointment.”
• What appointments do I have tomorrow?
• Set location-aware reminders. Ex.: “Remind me to remember my keys when I leave,” or “Remind me to feed the dog when I get home.”
• Find out the date and day of the week of holidays. Ex.: “When is Easter?” or “When is Labor Day?”
• Set alarms. Ex.: “Set an alarm for 1 a.m.” or “Set an alarm for six hours from now.”
• Delete/turn off all alarms. Ex. “Delete all alarms” or “Turn off all alarms.”
• Check the number of days between dates. Ex.: “How many days until October 6?” or “How many days between April 3 and June 16?”
• Find out what time it is in another city. Ex.: “What time is it in Tokyo?”

Search

• Define [word].
• What is a synonym for [word]?
• What’s the etymology of [word]?
• Find photos. Ex.: “Show me photos from last week,” or “Show me my selfies,” or “Show me photos from Tokyo.”
• Search Twitter. Ex.: “What’s Kylie Jenner saying?” or “Search Twitter for [keyword].”
• Find specific notes or emails. Ex.: “Find my note about [keyword],” or “Find emails about [keyword].”
• Find your friends (if you have “Find My Friends” set up). Ex.: “Where is Ron?” or “Who is near me?”
• Find pictures of [keyword].
• Find apps. Ex.: “Get the Twitter app,” or “Search the App Store for word games.”

Navigation

• Take me home.
• What’s traffic like on the way home?
• Find [driving, walking, transit] directions to [destination].
• How do I get to [destination] by [walking, bus, bike, car, train, etc.]?
• Where is [business name]?
• Where is the nearest [business type]?
• Find out how long until you arrive. Ex.: “What’s my ETA?”
• How much does gas cost right now?

Entertainment

• Sports updates. Ex.: “Did the Tigers win?” or “What was the score the last time the Tigers played the Yankees?” or “How did the Tigers do last night?”
• Info about a sport or sports team. Ex.: “What basketball games are on today?” or “Get me college football rankings” or “Show me the roster for the Red Wings.”
• Find movie times and locations. Ex.: “What’s playing at Regal L.A. Live?” or “What are some movies playing near me?” or “Is [movie name] playing near me?”
• Find out what song is playing in the room (through Shazam). Ex.: “What song is this?”
• What’s the synopsis of [movie name]?

Music/Apple Music

• Basic controls: Play, pause/stop, skip/next, play previous song.
• Play [artist] or [song name] or or [album].
• ‘Like’ the song you’re listening to. Ex.: “Like this song.”
• Shuffle my playlist.
• Choose the next song. Ex.: “After this, play Wildest Dreams.”
• Find chart-toppers from certain years. Ex.: “Play the top songs from 2013.”
• Play songs that are similar to the one you’re listening to. Ex.: “Play more like this.”
• What song is this?
• Buy this song.

Travel

• Check flight status. Ex.: “Check flight status of [airline and flight number]”
• Find restaurants and make reservations. Ex.: “What’s a good Chinese restaurant near me?” or “Make a reservation at Baco Mercat for 7 p.m.” or “Find a table for six in San Francisco tonight.”
• Find a business’ hours. Ex.: “How late is [business name] open?” or “Is [business name] open right now?”
• Learn about the area you’re in. Ex.: “What’s the nearest museum?” or “Where am I?” or “What bridge is this?”

Random tips and tricks

• Find out what airplanes are currently flying above you. Ex.: “What airplanes are above me?”
• Roll a die or roll two dice.
• Flip a coin.
• What is your favorite color?
• Tell me a joke.
• What does the fox say?
• Knock knock.
• Who’s on first?
• Why did the chicken cross the road?
• What is zero divided by zero?

6 easy ways to speed up Windows 10 – CNET

Windows 10 may be practically brand-new, but it still suffers from some typical Windows performance issues — especially if you’re running it on an older machine. Here are some quick, easy ways to improve your PC’s performance on the new operating system without swapping out your hardware. (Most of these tricks will also work on older versions of Windows.)

Go opaque

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Windows 10’s new Start menu is sexy and see-through, but that transparency will cost you some (slight) resources. To reclaim those resources, you can disable transparency in the Start menu, taskbar, and action center: Open the Settings menu and go to Personalization > Colors and toggle off Make Start, taskbar, and action center transparent.

No special effects

Making the Start menu, taskbar, and action center transparent is one thing, but Windows 10 still has a lot of other snazzy, built-in special effects. To really go bare-bones on the special effects, right-click the Start button and click System.

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Click Advanced system settings to open the System Properties menu, and then, under Performance, click Settings…

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

This will open the Performance Options menu. In the Visual Effects tab, either choose Adjust for best performance to turn off all unnecessary animations and special effects, or choose Custom: and deselect the visual effects you think can live without. When you’re finished, click OK to apply your changes.

Disable Startup programs

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

If your PC is taking a long time to boot up — and you’ve enabled Fast Startup and everything — you may have too many programs starting up when you turn your computer on. To fix this, right-click on the Start button and click Task Manager. Click the Startup tab (click More details if you don’t see the Startup tab) and peruse the list of programs that start up with your computer. If you see a program that doesn’t need to be there, right-click it and click Disable. You can also arrange the list of programs by Startup impact, if you’d like to see the programs that are taking up the most resources (and time).

Find (and fix) the problem

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Windows 10 has a built-in performance troubleshooter that can help you find and fix any problems that might be affecting your PC’s speed. To open the troubleshooter, right-click on the Start button and click Control Panel. Go to Troubleshooting and under System and Security, click Run maintenance tasks.

Reduce the Boot Menu Time-out

When your computer starts up, the boot menu is displayed for a certain amount of time before the operating system loads. This gives you time to do things like start Windows in Safe Mode. You can shave a few seconds off your startup time by changing the boot menu time-out, which is set to 30 seconds by default.

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

To do this, right-click on the Start button and click Control Panel. Go to System > Advanced system settings, and, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Next to Time to display list of operating systems:, change the value from 30 seconds to 10 seconds and click OK.

Restart your PC

Is speeding up your computer as simple as…restarting it? Maybe. Restarting your PC clears out its memory and stops any processes that might be taking up resources. Also, shutting down your computer is not the same as restarting it — shutdown is affected by Windows 10’s Fast Startup, which saves a snapshot of your PC and its processes in a hiberfile for faster boot-up. Restart is not affected by Fast Startup, so if you have Fast Startup enabled, restarting your PC is the only way to fully clear the memory and shutdown processes.

How to disable the iPad Pro’s True Tone display – CNET

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Sarah Tew/CNET

One of the differences between the iPad Pro models is that the smaller tablet is equipped with a feature Apple calls True Tone. In fact, there’s currently no other Apple device that features this new technology that dynamically adjusts the overall temperature of the iPad’s display to match ambient lighting.

For example, if you’re using the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in a room that’s full of yellow lighting, the screen on the iPad will adjust itself to take on a more yellow hue. The same can be said about white lighting, or natural sunlight — regardless of the color temperature, the iPad Pro will do its best to replicate the light. Apple claims the small adjustment makes it easier to look at the screen, going so far to compare it to looking at a sheet of paper on its website.

But the feature isn’t going to be for everyone, and thankfully Apple has included a quick setting to disable True Tone.

9.7-inch iPad Pro True Tone settings

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Open the Settings app on your iPad Pro, then tap on Display & Brightness. Just below the brightness slider and a switch to enable or disable auto-brightness, you’ll find a switch to disable True Tone. It’s on by default, so to turn it off slide the switch left to the Off position.

Of course, should you decide you prefer True Tone after turning it off, you can always repeat these steps to re-enable it.

Share Dropbox files with your Facebook Messenger friends – CNET

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Jason Cipriani/CNET

Facebook has spent a lot of time beefing up app integration inside its Messenger platform, adding support for services ranging from Uber to payments to goofy animated images to lighten the mood.

On Monday, Dropbox and Facebook announced Messenger users now have the ability to easily share files stored in the cloud-storage service using Facebook’s messaging platform.

In order to use the new feature, make sure your Android or iOS device has the latest version of the Dropbox [Android | iOS] and Facebook Messenger [Android | iOS] applications.

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The process for sending a Dropbox file using Facebook Messenger.

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

With both apps updated, the next time you’re in a conversation and want to send a file, tap on the “More” button (three-dot icon just above the keyboard). Find and select Dropbox from the list of services, and tap on Open. The first time you select Dropbox, you’ll have to grant permission for Facebook Messenger to access your files. Once that’s done, select a file you want to send and let Dropbox do its magic. A few seconds later, Messenger will open with the selected file attached to your conversation.

The recipient receiving the file can view the file in Messenger, or open it in his or her Dropbox account.

Facebook states that the feature is rolling out, so if even after updating you don’t see Dropbox listed as a service, keep checking the list.

Grab an unlocked Verizon Galaxy Note 4 for just $299 at eBay

If you act quick you can snag an unlocked Verizon Galaxy Note 4 for just $299 at eBay. The listing is for a brand-new Note 4, model N910V, with 32GB of storage and will work on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. While not the latest offering from Samsung, this is still quite a deal and makes for a great choice for just about anyone. The Note 4 does offer a microSD card slot to add more storage space, and the ability to swap out the removable battery.

As of right now, only the white variant is left at the $299 price. If interested, be sure to act quickly as we have no idea how long this deal will last.

See at eBay