CalDigit Announces New Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Storage Devices

Today at the 2016 NAB Show, CalDigit announced four new storage products utilizing the latest Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 Type-C technologies.

The first is the CalDigit T8, a Thunderbolt 3 RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and JBOD storage solution with 8-bays offering capacities up to 48TB with 3.5” HDDs and 8TB with SSDs. The device’s dual Thunderbolt 3 ports deliver up to 40Gb/s bandwidth, while dual USB-C ports work with Type-C computers like the 12-inch Retina MacBook.

The new T8 features speeds of up to 1440MB/s with SSDs, two fans for cooling and a full-size DisplayPort connector on the back of the unit that enables users to connect a 4K monitor at 60Hz to the storage device. CalDigit has not released pricing for the T8 yet, but it will be available in late 2016.

The second is the CalDigit U6, a 6-bay USB 3.1 Type-C RAID 0, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD storage solution that features USB 3.1 for up to 10Gb/s throughput. Like the T8, the U6 has a USB-C connector that is compatible with any PC, Mac, or Chrome computer with Type-C ports. The U6 will start at $1,399 MSRP for the 12TB version in late 2016.

Likewise, the CalDigit AV Pro 2 is a new single-drive storage solution featuring USB 3.1 Type-C for connectivity with the 12-inch Retina MacBook and other Type-C computers. The successor to the original AV Pro features capacities up to 6TB and 1TB with SSDs, and speeds of up to 200MB/s with 3.5” HDDs or 430MB/s with SSDs.

Meanwhile, the T4 RAID will be upgraded with Thunderbolt 3 later in 2016. Pricing for the AV Pro 2 and T4 RAID has not been announced.

Apple is widely expected to release its first Mac notebooks with Thunderbolt 3 later this year. Unlike Thunderbolt 2, the technology functions over a USB-C port, meaning that the next-generation Skylake-based MacBook Pro, and possibly the MacBook Air if not discontinued, should be equipped with both Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C.

Tags: USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, CalDigit, Thunderbolt
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Autonomous car self-drives 1200 miles through Chinese traffic, voice commands used

As self-driving car tests go a 1200 mile trek across the congested roads of China has to be one of the most challenging. Despite those possible difficulties the self-driving car completed the epic journey.

The autonomous car was being tested as part of a push to create a more self-reliant car system by 2020. This vehicle was made and tested by Ford’s partner in China, Chongqing Changan Automobile.

The journey took a total of six days, starting in Chongqing and ending in Beijing. The car was equipped with radar and camera systems to allow it to drive itself.

According to the automaker the car was able to carry out automatic lane cruising meaning it could speed up and slow down with other cars. It also managed lane-keeping and changing on varying roads. There was also assisted driving during congestion. The company also said the car was able to speed up and slow down based on road sign recognition as well as voice commands from in the car.

Most of these technologies have been shown off before. Indeed many of them are available in cars on the road today. But to carry out a 1200 mile journey through unplanned eventualities in a real world scenario is an encouraging step towards and more intelligent self-driving future.

That future is planned to arrive by 2020.

READ: Hoverboard and jetpack spawn extreme Flyboard Air

IMAX wants to host your indoor cycling sessions

If you live in in the heart of a city, it’s hard to enjoy biking outside… not unless you like weaving through traffic. IMAX might have the next best thing, though. It’s testing IMAXShift, an indoor cycling experience that promises to be more interesting than pedaling at the gym. The effort ultimately amounts to a cycling class in front of a giant screen, but IMAX argues that this could be a big motivator — instead of riding either indoors or in a dreary urban landscape, you can travel along the Hawaiian coast or through the Solar System. There are even promises of “music-reactive visuals.”

The company is setting up an initial cycling theater in Brooklyn, with reservations opening up on April 25th. It’s clear from the pricing that this is more of an occasional treat than part of a daily routine, mind you. It costs $31 per ride (you get a second ride for free as a new user), and a monthly membership with unlimited access and guest credits costs a whopping $325 per month — you’d better really, really like IMAX to choose this over a gym membership. It’s less awkward than strapping on a VR headset at home, though, and it’s not as daunting as trying to navigate city streets.

Source: IMAXShift, PR Newswire

AI-powered cameras make thermal imaging more accessible

As cool as thermal cameras may be, they’re not usually very bright — they may show you something hiding in the dark, but they won’t do much with it. FLIR wants to change that with its new Boson thermal camera module. The hardware combines a long wave infrared camera with a Movidius vision processing unit, giving the camera a dash of programmable artificial intelligence. Device makers can not only use those smarts for visual processing (like reducing noise), but some computer vision tasks as well — think object detection, depth calculations and other tasks that normally rely on external computing power.

You’ll have to wait for companies to integrate Boson before you see it in products you can buy. However, its mix of AI and compact size could bring smart thermal imaging to gadgets where it’s not normally practical, such as home security systems, drones and military gear. You may well see a surge in devices that can recognize the world around them in any lighting condition — even in total darkness.

Source: FLIR, MarketWired (Yahoo)

‘BioShock’ creator takes on ‘The Twilight Zone’ interactive drama

Ken Levine, best known as the mastermind behind Take-Two’s BioShock series, is working on an interactive live-action film based on The Twilight Zone, Wired reports. Levine will write and direct the project, and audience members will be able to control the actions of certain characters using technology from Interlude. That’s the company currently rebooting WarGames as a short drama produced by Her Story creator Sam Barlow.

Levine is still working on his next, secret game with publisher Take-Two, while the Twilight Zone film is more of a side project for now. It’s still in early stages — Levine and Interlude have a rough outline and they’re about to dive into writing and the logistics of an interactive script, Wired says.

“Playing my games, you can probably tell Twilight Zone is something I grew up with,” Levine tells Wired. “They speak to a larger truth. They’re morality plays, fables, and often they’re about a character who is going through an experience that’s central to their life but also speaks to a larger part of the human condition.”

Irrational Games, Levine’s studio and the home of the BioShock franchise, closed up shop in 2014. Around that same time, Levine was tapped to write the script for a remake of Logan’s Run, but those duties were eventually passed to Deadpool producer Simon Kinberg.

Levine has a decidedly twisted sense of storytelling and he’s not afraid of dense narrative arcs or wild theories. With The Twilight Zone, we’re expecting something introspective, retro and Lovecraftian, possibly with a refreshing saltwater aftertaste.

Source: Wired

Google won’t face Supreme Court fight over book scanning

After many years, Google’s efforts to scan out-of-print books for online searching is officially in the clear. The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal over Google’s victory in a legal dispute wit the Authors Guild, effectively determining once and for all that the book scanning (which focused on excerpts) represents fair use rights. The Guild had contended that Google’s move violated copyright and potentially hurt profits, and would have had the internet giant pay damages.

Not surprisingly, the Guild isn’t happy with the Supreme Court’s choice — it calls this a “colossal loss” and insists that the appeals court was “blinded” by Google’s attempt to portray itself as rescuing lost books for the public good. The statements are a bit melodramatic (many of these titles are unlikely to return to print before they reach the public domain), but they do point out that the concerns over digitizing books aren’t quite over. Although Google appears to have walked a fine line, the worry is that other outfits might not be quite so scrupulous.

Source: BBC, Authors Guild

Podcasts are now available in Google Play Music

Perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets of the last six months has come to pass: Podcasts have officially been added to Google Play Music for Android and on the web. This comes right as predicted last week, when an internal NPR memo tipped the launch date. Fortunately, Google’s doing something rather clever with its podcast launch. Just like the activity-based radio stations that Google added after buying Songza, you’ll be able to browse a variety of podcast “channels” for when you’re not sure exactly what you feel like listening to.

A few examples Google gave us include “Learn Something New,” which includes podcasts like Stuff You Should Know and How To Do Everything, and “Laugh Out Loud,” that features shows like Marc Maron’s WTF and Chris Hardwick’s The Nerdist. Beyond the station-based interface, you’ll of course be able to subscribe to various podcasts to have them download automatically or send you notifications when they release new episodes. There’s also a “top charts” section broken down by subject matter.

We haven’t had a chance to try the new app yet, so it’s hard to say how it’ll compare to third-party options for podcasts on Android like Pocket Casts. But if you’re already using Google Play Music (or someone who prefers sticking with one app for all your audio needs), this is a feature worth investigating. The station-based discovery feature is a somewhat unique take on podcasts and sounds like it’ll be worth checking out when you want to find new shows. Unfortunately for iOS users, you’ll have to wait — Google says it’s focusing on Android for now.

Source: Google

iPhone SE Remains in Tight Supply at Apple Stores and Online

Nearly three weeks after the launch of the iPhone SE in the U.S. and eleven other regions, availability of the new 4-inch smartphone remains limited.

iPhone SE continues to be out of stock at Apple Stores in a number of major U.S. cities, including most or all locations in New York City, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Denver, Portland, Raleigh, Seattle, and Washington D.C.

Apple’s web-based Personal Pickup tool shows that the smartphone remains in tight supply in many other international cities, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, Montréal, Paris, Rome, Sydney, and Toronto. Most models are currently available on a ship-to-store basis only.

MacRumors forum member Channan writes in “How do I get an iPhone SE?”:

All the Apple stores within 300 miles of my location are also all sold out of the model I want. I check every 64GB silver model except Sprint, since the rest are all the same.

I have to buy from an Apple Store because I want to trade my 5s in and get the SE on a payment plan. Some carriers had them in store but that just isn’t an option for me.

Meanwhile, online availability of the iPhone SE remains backlogged into May, with new orders estimated to ship in 2-3 weeks in the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, and many other countries.

iPhone SE shipping estimates slipped to late April soon after the smartphone launched on March 31. Nevertheless, while extended delivery estimates are anecdotal evidence that iPhone SE sales may be promising, they are not a measurable indicator of exact supply and demand.

Apple has not disclosed official iPhone SE sales figures, and early speculation is mixed. A recent CNBC report claimed that Apple received an initial 3.4 million iPhone SE pre-orders in China, while KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and analytics firm Localytics described first weekend sales as “lackluster.”

Prospective iPhone SE buyers should also visit local Apple Authorized Resellers, which in the U.S. includes AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart, and many other carriers and retailers. Apple Stores may also replenish limited in-store iPhone SE stock each day, so call ahead.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Tag: Apple retail
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‘Reserve Strap’ Suspends Shipments of All Orders Due to Apple Watch Accessory Port Policy Change

It’s been a while since Reserve Strap last updated its customers on the status of the device’s shipping estimates, but a recent change to the Apple Watch’s accessory port functionality in watchOS 2.0.1 has essentially left the band defunct and unable to ship to those who pre-ordered last summer.

In each of the band’s design mock-ups, the device would have connected to the accessory port on the bottom side of the Apple Watch casing to provide up to an estimated 30 hours of extra battery life. But, as developer Lane Musgrave mentioned in a recent blog post, a lesser-known update in watchOS 2.0.1 has blocked off third-party band manufacturers from taking advantage of the accessory port to fuel the abilities of “smartbands.”

The three iterations of Reserve Strap

Beginning with watchOS 2.0.1 an unexpected change to the Apple External Accessory Protocol disabled the functionality of Reserve Strap. Until this change, Reserve Strap functioned perfectly–extending the battery life of Apple Watch by over 150% in many cases allowing users to keep their Watch charged for up to a week.

Specifically, this bug interferes with the communication between accessories and Apple Watch. For the time being, Apple has suspended use of this port until they unveil an official MFi program for Watch. In keeping with their wishes we will also be suspending shipment of all orders until Apple supports development of smartbands.

The developers note that any user who has yet to upgrade to 2.0.1, and seemingly doesn’t plan on doing so in the future, can still take advantage of Reserve Strap. The company will ship a device to those customers “in the next few weeks.” It’s also encouraging users to send an email to the Apple Hardware Evangelism team, and submit feedback on Apple.com, to spread awareness about the lack of an official Apple Watch smartband MFi program.

In March, Reserve Strap also announced the “Reserve Strap LTE,” which would allow users to bypass the Apple Watch’s need of a Bluetooth-connected iPhone thanks to a micro-SIM card & low power WiFi hotspot built directly into the band. Since the LTE version of the Reserve Strap uses a hotspot to connect to the Apple Watch and wouldn’t necessarily require connecting through the accessory port, it could possibly move forward as a full-fledged product, but it’s in very early R&D stages at this point.

The company is hoping that an MFi program will launch soon, and looks to a recent patent filing by Apple as a potential indicator of such a move. The patent describes a series of strap designs that have embedded electronic devices — including batteries, displays, and GPS sensors — that all connect to the Apple Watch’s diagnostics port, hinting that the company could be opening the floodgates to third-party smartband developers in the future.

Given that Apple just launched a new array of bands, and has yet to suggest smartbands could be coming to the first-generation Apple Watch, it’s likely such a feature would debut on future versions of the device, such as the Apple Watch 2.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Tag: Reserve Strap
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Best Buy Pulls 12-Inch MacBook, Fueling Hopes for April Refresh

Electronics retailer Best Buy has quietly removed all 12-inch MacBook models from its U.S. online store this week, fueling anticipation that Apple will refresh the ultra-thin notebook lineup in the near future.

The authorized reseller now lists all 12-inch MacBook models as “no longer available” on its website, whereas they were previously available for purchase or in-store pickup as recently as this weekend.

Select MacBook Air models are also on sale for $150 off, potentially signaling that a broader Mac refresh could be imminent. Most current machines are historically due for an update, and appropriate Intel Skylake processors are now widely available. However, it should be noted that Best Buy frequently offers sales on Apple products.

Last month, reference of an early 2016 Retina MacBook, which has yet to be released, was discovered within OS X’s System Image Utility application, spurring hopes that Apple will refresh the 12-inch MacBook by late April.

Apple has historically used the “early” model identifier for devices that launch during the first four months of the year, so Best Buy removing 12-inch MacBook stock is yet another indication that Apple may refresh the notebook within the next two weeks. If the refresh is in May or later, a “mid 2016” model identifier will likely be used.

Our Mac Buyer’s Guide indicates that it has been 374 days since Apple released the current 12-inch MacBook on April 10, 2015, so it would be appropriate timing for a refresh. The notebook will likely be powered by Intel’s low-power Skylake Core m3-6Y30, Core m5-6Y54, and Core m7-6Y75 processors.

Related Roundup: Retina MacBook
Tag: Best Buy
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook (Don’t Buy)
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