Elon Musk’s AI initiative opened an online dojo

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the artificial intelligence you coded in your garage probably doesn’t have the type of resources behind it that Google used to make DeepMind a fearsome Go competitor. That’s what the Elon-Musk-backed OpenAI Gym is for. It’s in open beta right now, and available test environments include Go on 9×9 and 19×19 boards, a ton of classic Atari games and robot control simulations, among others, with more to come.

The firm says it launched this is because progress made in reinforcement learning lags for a few reasons. Firstly, OpenAI notes that existing, open-source testing environments lack diversity and are difficult to set up and use. What’s more, there’s a dearth of standardization, which makes reproducing the tests — key for any sort of academic research — between different projects in an apples to apples way pretty hard to do.

Want in? The Python-based environments apparently are compatible with algorithms written in “any framework,” including Tensorflow and Therano. But if you’re looking to dominate the leaderboards you might be disappointed: OpenAI says it’s worried less about your high scores and would rather see the generality of your technique when you upload your results.

Via: OpenAI (1) (Twitter)

Source: (2)

BT is raising prices for (almost) everyone in July

If you enjoy BT’s phone, broadband or TV services, you can expect those packages to get a little more expensive in the coming months. According to The Guardian, the provider has announced a series of inflation-busting price increases, which will its see standard broadband rise from £13 to £15 and its £25-per-month superfast fibre connections go up by an average of £2.05 from July 3rd. However, BT says it will boost download allowances by 20 percent to make up for it.

From July, monthly line rental direct debits will rise one pound to £18.99 (a 5.5 percent increase), although the Basic £5 rental package for low-income households will stay the same. Call prices have also been been increased across the board, with fixed cost landline calls rising 11.3 percent to 19 pence, UK landline and 0870 numbers jumping from 10.24p to 11p and Anytime UK Calls getting a 55 pence increase to £8.50 a month.

It could be argued that BT is inflating prices to recoup some of the money it is paying for Premier League football rights. Together, BT and Sky spent a record £5.14 billion on securing coverage for the next three seasons. However, BT’s Sport package isn’t immune from the price increases, as the company will charge broadband customers £6 instead of the normal £5 from July.

Last year, BT announced its new pricing tiers in July and then rolled them out in September. However, with an expensive Premier League season set to kick-off at the end of August and a fresh commitment to expanding fibre broadband across the UK, the company appears to have brought its annual hike forward to help finance it all.

“We realise that customers never welcome price rises, but we have again ensured that low-income customers avoid increases. And we continue to highlight money-saving options for all customers,” says John Petter, BT Consumer CEO. “We have also done our best to ensure that all of our customers will get more value if their price is going up, and we know they want faster speeds and better online security from their broadband.”

Source: The Guardian

‘No Man’s Sky’ lore comes from classic sci-fi and comics

“We always said we shouldn’t have a narrative, but we should have a lore,” says No Man’s Sky mastermind Sean Murray. And honestly, with a procedurally generated universe that’s staggeringly gigantic, it’d be impossible to create a traditional video game story with things like cutscenes. But to make the world feel more alive and less like a giant empty sandbox, Murray says the team at Hello Games turned to artist Dave Gibbons of Watchmen fame and scribe James Swallow who worked on the writing for Star Trek and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

What’s more, their contributions to the supplemental materials that come with certain versions of No Man’s Sky influenced the development team to consider how things worked in the game proper. Like landing gear on a ship, for instance. Knowing all this makes the game’s PlayStation 4 limited edition being currently sold out on Amazon and the $150 iam8bit “Explorer’s Edition” on PC not including the comics sting a bit more.

Source: PlayStation Blog (EU)

Will.i.am’s next wearable is available to pre-order

Rapper, singer and entrepreneur William Adams, best known as Will.i.am, is ready to unleash his next smartwatch on the world. It’s called the Dial and is available to pre-order from Three in the UK, starting at £22 per month with a £49 upfront fee, or £25 per month with a one-off, £19 payment. That’s right, you’ll need to take out a new, separate contract to use this wraparound wearable. Unlike most smartwatches, however, it doesn’t require a tethered phone. That’s because it comes with a Three SIM card inside, allowing you to call, text and access the internet with nothing but what’s on your wrist.

The Dial is being touted as a “voice-first” device with its own virtual assistant, called AneedA. Like Siri, Cortana and Alexa, the idea is that you can ask for information and execute tasks while your hands are full. How AneedA compares to those alternatives is, for now, a mystery. Three says it has the ability “to learn and tailor responses to each consumer” and “make traditional mobile search irrelevant.” Big claims, which we’re skeptical of given the performance of its previous wearable, the Puls. In early 2015, the press called it a “wearable nightmare” and “riddled with problems.”

Its successor has one more trick to win you over: free music streaming. The service, powered by 7Digitial, has over 20 million tracks that you can listen to ad-free. There’s no extra subscription and no promotional period to worry about. The data you spend streaming is written off too, so you’ll never hit your monthly data cap while listening to Scream & Shout. Such a bonus, while welcome, probably won’t be enough to make this smart cuff a hit. Few consumers in the UK are interested in taking out a second contract, even if it has the star power of someone like Will.i.am behind it.

Samsung Gear 360 launches in Korea alongside Galaxy J series

Samsung has launched the Gear 360 in South Korea for 399,300 Korean Won, or the equivalent of $350. The 360-degree camera is now available for purchase online in the country, and will be heading to over 450 stores starting from May. At launch, the Gear 360 is compatible with the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge, and Galaxy S6.

The Galaxy J5 2016 and the J7 2016 have also made their debut in the country, and will be available for 290,000 Korean Won ($253) and 363,000 Korean Won ($318) respectively. The Galaxy J5 features a 5.2-inch 720p display, quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 SoC, 16GB storage, microSD slot, 2GB of RAM, 13MP camera, 5MP front camera, LTE, and a 3100mAh battery.

The Galaxy J7 shares the same specs, with the main differences being a 5.5-inch 720p display, higher-clocked 1.6GHz CPU, and 3300mAh battery.

Galaxy Note 4 already receiving May security patch in India

Samsung is already rolling out the May security patch to the Galaxy Note 4 in India. The update comes in at 378.38MB, and there isn’t much in the way of what’s new according to the changelog, which only mentions the usual stability and bug fixes. What is interesting though is the Android security patch level, which is listed as May 1 2016.

The phone picked up the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update earlier this month, and has received an update with the April security patch just four days ago. If you’re on the Galaxy Note 4 in India, be sure to head into your device’s settings to download the latest update. As for what’s fixed in the May security update, we’ll have to wait for Google to formally announce it next week.

Microsoft is using synthetic DNA to store data

Microsoft’s data might be intact for thousands of years to come, now that it’s looking into DNA storage as an option. The company has purchased 10-million-long oligonucleotides (DNA or RNA molecules) from San Francisco startup Twist Bioscience. According to IEEE, Redmond converted a chunk of data into DNA nucleotides — G’s, A’s, C’s and T’s — and had Twist make 10 million synthetic DNA strands with the sequences it specified. The startup doesn’t actually have access to the data, since it doesn’t have the key, and the only way to decode it is through DNA sequencing.

Microsoft partner architect Doug Carmean said the initial test phase “demonstrated that [the company] could encode and recover 100 percent of the digital data from synthetic DNA.” However, he admits that they still have a ways to go to create a commercially viable product. Scientists have been exploring the use of DNA for data storage for years. Back in 2012, Stanford researchers created rewritable DNA storage inside living cells. In the same year, a Harvard team stuffed 704 terabytes into a gram of DNA.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Twist Bioscience

Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 review: Lose the wires but not the cash

Wireless earphones are a dime a dozen, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to choose one. On the contrary, making sure that you nab a hit instead of a miss can take some know-how. We’re hoping that we can help on that front with our headphone coverage.

I was glad to accept one such promising headset from a company who knows wireless communication – Plantronics. That name may be more recognizable with the Voyager Bluetooth earpieces, but if you weren’t aware, Plantronics also makes some solid headphones.

Today, we’re taking a look at a brand new release, the BackBeat GO 3. Plantronics has had some time to refine the line, so let’s find out if they’re the perfect pair for you.

Design

The BackBeat GO 3 isn’t a departure from the typical wireless in-ear method, especially the sport-ready ones. It’s two earpieces bridged by a short cable, which is meant to route around your neck.

We studied the human ear to create earbuds with a natural stable fit that also seal in bass and block out noise – Plantronics

But the similarity ends when you gander at the earpiece design. The housing has the common capsule shape, but the eartips are oriented at a sharp angle. There is also a peculiar loop at the top. This is Plantronics’ method for a better fit. You insert the earpieces at an angle, so that the eartip follows the orientation of your ear canal. The loop (flexible) rests against your inner ear to help support the fit. These are designed with active use in mind, and it would be a shame if they fall out.

The GO 3 have a little more style than their predecessor. We’re still looking at a plastic build, but you’ll get different cap finishes to choose from: Cobalt Black, Copper Grey, Granite Black. Our review unit is the Cobalt Black. The colored part is a smooth glossy finish, while the black portions are a rubbery-like material.

A nice thing is that the GO 3 have a sweatproof nano-coating. But be careful, because this isn’t the same thing as being waterproof. Plantronics says it’s resistant against light rain, humidity, and of course sweat. A drawback is that the finish catches lent like no tomorrow. I tried my best to keep them clean for this review.

The cable is 2 feet in length and has this semi-flat shape. It’s a rubbery material as well, and really nice feeling in hand, but it’s a little on the thick-side for me.

You may be wondering how to charge these little puppies. There’s a notch on the right earpiece’s cap which pops it off. When you plug it in, you’ll see a glowing red LED to indicate that it’s charging.

Something neat and unique that Plantronics offers with the BackBeat GO 3 is a charging case. Although, it’s not included and costs an extra $30, but I think it’s pretty valuable. It has a nice, weaved construction and its own charging cable within.

An indicator on the front can tell you how much charge the case and the earphones have left (tap on it to get a three-tick indication). To charge the case’s battery, there’s a microUSB port on the side.

Usability

The BackBeat GO 3 come with a standard array of silicone eartips: small, medium, and large pairs.

Once you find the right eartips, the earpieces are really easy to don. The angle of the stems guides you and makes the tips go deep in the ear canal. This helps with the seal and sound isolation. I give these guys a thumbs up for fit.

I wasn’t as fond of the cable in use, though. It’s a little stiff/thick, so if there’s slack (like in my case), the cable touches your face when you turn your head. I found that if you can collapse some of the cable together behind your head, then it’s fine. Only thing, Plantronics doesn’t include a clip to do that. Other than this complaint, the fit was secure. The earpieces don’t go anywhere with movement.

The setup was super easy. Merely power the GO 3 on (by holding on the middle remote button) and it starts up in discover mode. Then just find it in the mobile device’s Bluetooth settings and viola. The remote has your typical volume up/down and play/pause buttons. But you can skip/back the track by holding on the volume buttons, or toggle Google Now with the middle button. There’s also a microphone, to take calls.

Plantronics pegs the GO 3’s battery life about 6.5 hours of playback, which is somewhat average. To compare, the Jaybird X2 (that we also reviewed) bests it with 8 hours. But, if you spring for the charge case, you have an advantage. The case has enough capacity to get the GO 3 through two full charges.

Sound

Plantronics says that the GO 3’s acoustics are delivered by custom dynamic drivers a custom audio codec, resulting in vivid, high-res tunes. Is it as good as it sounds?

That depends where you’re coming from. Most users, who buy sub-$100 headphones, should be plenty satisfied. As advertised, the GO 3 does pull a good amount of detail. The whole spectrum also has a fantastic balance. All the frequencies play their part and don’t shyly hide from view.

It’s just, when you focus on the details of the delivery, you can nitpick. For instance, there’s a lack of sub-bass (that low frequency, deep bass), so you’re missing some impact when those notes hit. The mid-bass does have a nice delicate punch (if that makes sense) that helps it along. I think the mid-range could use some fullness as well.

But don’t get me wrong, everything certainly sounds good. I was particularly impressed by the soundstage. It satisfyingly surrounds you. I’m just not feeling the music’s impact or depth as much as I would like.

Final Thoughts

Plantronics certainly built a solid pair of Bluetooth earphones here. They’re not perfect, but I would definitely put them among the top wireless earphones to recommend. A lot of that has to do with the price. The BackBeat GO 3 go for a pretty competitive price of $99 (without the charging case). For what they are, that’s a good value to me – the design/build is great, the fit is impeccable, and battery life is decent. I think that Plantronics can do a bit better in the sound department, but it’s acceptable at the price-point.

Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 product page

Test drive the PC-optimized ‘Forza 6: Apex’ on May 5th

Last September, Microsoft released Forza Motorsport 6 for PC and Xbox One to feed the ultra-realist gamer’s need for meticulously-detailed racing. But back in March, Microsoft announced a re-release of Forza 6 specially crafted to run on Windows 10 (and only Windows 10 — sorry Xbox One owners). On May 5th, Microsoft will unleash Forza Motorsport 6: Apex’s open beta for players to enjoy all summer, with a full release at an undisclosed later date.

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So long as your rig can handle the Windows 10 and DirectX 12 system requirements to play, Apex promises stunning graphics in up to 4K resolution. Neither the beta nor the game will feature multiplayer nor can Apex players race with Forza 6 owners, although you can compare your car’s livery with your friends’, if that’s your bag.

Apex will feature 63 cars and 20 track configurations of six locations along with wet and night versions of each. While that’s a paltry number of vehicles compared to Forza 6’s lineup of 450 automobiles, Apex’s beta is free…and neither Microsoft nor Turn 10 Studios have stated when it will end.

Source: Turn 10 Studios

ESPN Classic on-demand videos head to Roku and Apple TV

Sports fans with ESPN Classic on demand might spend the next few weeks glued to their screens. The company is giving them access to over 600 hours of archived programming. That means hundreds of hours of old basketball, football, X Games and other sports you’d usually watch on ESPN — even “classic” ones people still talk about decades later, like Muhammad Ali’s fights — via the WatchESPN app. WatchESPN is available for a bunch of platforms, including Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Xbox One. But if you want to watch events you might have only heard from your parents, you’ll have to bust out an Apple TV or a Roku.

Source: ESPN