It’s official: This is what Uber’s first self-driving car looks like

Uber has confirmed it made a self-driving car, with an official photo and more.

Exactly one year ago, a different photo surfaced showing what looks like an early prototype of the self-driving vehicle Uber has just confirmed. The ride-sharing company has long hinted at its grand dream of eventually replacing drivers with automated vehicles, but it stayed mum on that leaked photo from last year. Now, however, it is being more transparent, finally confirming that it is testing self-driving cars in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Along with that confirmation, Uber published the first photo of its self-driving car. The vehicle is a hybrid Ford Fusion, and it’s been the focus of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh for quite some time. The test car is not only able to perform self-driving capabilities but also collect mapping data, thanks to sensors like radars, laser scanners, and high-res cameras.

In a blog post, Uber explained that 94 per cent of fatal car accidents involve human error, but it believes self-driving technology will result in far fewer lives lost: “These goals are at the heart of Uber’s mission to make transportation as reliable as running water.” Uber is working on getting the technology right and ensuring it’s safe for everyone. Uber has already informed local officials and law enforcement about its testing, too.

Uber added that it chose Pittsburgh as the home of its Advanced Technologies Center because of the city’s “world-class engineering talent and research facilities.” Pittsburgh is also an ideal environment for testing due to its wide variety of road types, traffic patterns, and weather conditions.

Chromebooks will soon run Android apps: Will yours get Google Play access?

Google has announced something major at Google I/O 2016: Chrome OS will soon have access to Google Play, meaning Android apps will finally be able to run on your Chromebook. That’s right. Now pick your jaw up from the floor.

The company published a blog post to explain the news, and it took the opportunity to announces schools in the US are buying more Chromebooks than all other devices combined. In the first quarter of this year, for instance, Chromebooks topped Macs in overall shipments, resulting in Chrome OS becoming the number 2 most popular PC operating system in the country.

Despite the growing popularity of Chromebooks, Chrome OS still has an app problem. Developers just haven’t embraced the platform like they’ve done with other PC operating systems, making it hard for Chromebook users to find Chrome Web Store apps. Now, however, Android developers will easily be able to get their existing apps ready to run on Chrome OS.

This is exciting news for Chromebook owners. In fact, Google has already released a full list of Chromebooks that’ll run Android apps. You can learn more about that list as well as when support will be available below.

Chromebook Android apps: What does this mean for you?

If you want to do more with your Chromebook, including run more apps, use Office files more easily, connect with a variety of apps, and do more when they’re offline, you’ll soon be able to do so. Google is bringing the Google Play app store to Chromebooks, allowing you to download and use Android apps. You’ll be able to make a Skype call, work with Office files, be productive offline, and play games like Minecraft or Hearthstone.

Chromebook Android apps: What does this mean for devs?

The same apps that run on phones and tablets will run on Chromebooks – without compromising speed or security. This is also good news for developers, as Google said they’ll be able to easily bring their apps to laptops: “All this is built on top of Chrome OS,” the company explained.

Chromebook Android apps: Will yours get Google Play access?

You can view the full list of supported Chromebooks from here. These PCs will get Google Play access and therefore be able to run Android apps.

Chromebook Android apps: When will support arrive?

Google hasn’t been too specific, but its support site said Chromebooks will gain access to Google Play “later” this year.

Chromebook Android apps: Are new Chromebooks on the way?

Google revealed its been working with partners to launch new devices “specially designed” for Google Play access. It promised to announce more details on these upcoming machines over the next few months.

What is Google Home, how does it work, and when can you buy it?

Google is going after Amazon.

Amazon last year announced a connected Bluetooth speaker equipped with a Siri-like personal assistant called Alexa. In our review of the device, which is called Amazon Echo, we praised Alexa as well as the speaker’s ability to serve as a control-center hub for all your smarthome devices. Echo eventually sold so well that Amazon has since launched three additional versions. Now Google wants a slice of the pie.

While at Google I/O 2016, Google announced an Echo-like device called Google Home. Here’s everything we know so far about it, including what it is, how it works (especially that Google Assistant feature), and when you can buy it. 

Google Home: What is it?

Google Home is a Wi-Fi speaker that also works as a smarthome control center and an assistant for the whole family. You can use it to playback entertainment throughout your entire house, effortlessly manage every-day tasks, and ask Google what you want to know.

The device itself has interchangeable bases available in various colours and finishes (such as metal and fabric, allowing you to match it to your decor). Underneath that swappable shell there is a speaker that can playback songs and allow Google Assistant to talk to you. It appears to be pretty small, as a Google executive was able to easily hold it in one hand while unveiling Google Home on stage.

Also, at the top of the device, there is a display with four small LEDs. You’ll use these apparently to interact with the device. As for buttons, there are none at the top (just dual microphones that listen for your voice). There is a single mute button on the shell.

Google Home: How does it work?

Music and video playback

Because Google Home is a Wi-Fi speaker, it can stream music directly from the cloud. Google said it will deliver rich bass and clear highs – all from a compact form factor. With it, you can access songs, playlists, albums, artists, and podcasts from your favourite music services just by asking with your voice. Or, if you prefer, you can send music from your Android or iOS device through Google Cast.

That last bit is important because, with Google Cast support, you’ll be able to use Google Home to control other connected speakers in your home. You’ll even get multi-room playback, meaning you can add one or more Google Home devices to a group of speakers in order to blast tunes throughout your house. But that’s not all: Google Home will let you control your video content.

Let’s say you want to watch the latest episode of Jimmy Fallon or some sort of cat video on YouTube… Just issue a voice command to Google Home, and the content will appear on your HDTV (again, thanks to Google Cast support).

Smarthome hub

Google Home can be a control center for your entire home, because it has access to the Google Assistant (see below). It will let you do the basics like set alarms and timers and manage to-do lists and shopping lists. It will also connect your smarthome and support popular network systems. That means you will be able to control smart lights, switches, doors, etc (including Google’s own Nest products).

Google plans to work with developers so you can control things beyond the home too, such as booking a car, ordering a dinner, or sending flowers to a loved one. And the best part is you will be able to do this with just your voice.

Ask Google

Speaking of your voice, Google Home will let you ask Google anything. You can ask for the weather or check facts on Wikipedia. You will have access to Google’s 17 years of search experience. That allows you to ask specific questions such as “How much fat is in an avocado?” or “What is Draymond Green’s jersey number?” Those types of questions will stump Amazon Echo and Siri, but not Google.

And because Google Home has Google Assistant (see below), you can be conversational and ask follow up questions like “Where did he go to college?” Google Home will be able to connect the “he” pronoun to your previous question about Draymond Green or whomever in order to serve up an accurate answer. You can even ask complex stuff like “What was the US population when NASA was established?”

Google said Google Home will give you immediate answers each time.

Google Home: What is Google Assistant?

Google announced at Google I/O 2016 a new Siri-like bot that is an extension of Google Now. It’s called Google Assistant, and it basically improves the two-way conversation experience of Google Now thanks to AI and machine learning.

These advances basically add context to your questions. For instance, when you say “OK Google” followed by “What’s playing tonight?”, Google Assistant will show films at your local cinema. But if you add “We’re planning on bringing the kids”, Google Assistant will know to serve up showtimes for kid-friendly films. You could then say “Let’s see Jungle Book”, and the assistant will purchase tickets for you.

You can even ask “Is Jungle Book any good”, and then the assistant will display reviews, ratings, and a trailer. Notice Google Assistant is able to string your questions together in order to determine context and serve up the right information. It can do basic stuff like retrieve your travel itinerary, daily schedule, commute time to work, package delivery information, and more.

Google Home isn’t the only device with access to the Google Assistant however. You’ll also be able to use the asistanr with Android N devices and your Android Auto head unit. Here’s how Google explained its new assistant:

“The assistant is conversational – an ongoing two-way dialogue between you and Google that understands your world and helps you get things done. It makes it easy to buy movie tickets while on the go, to find that perfect restaurant for your family to grab a quick bite before the movie starts, and then help you navigate to the theater.”

You can learn more about Google Assistant from here.

Google Home: When can you buy it?

Google said Google Home will be released “later this year”. You can go to the Google Home website to register for notice updates.

The Wirecutter’s best deals: $100 off Bowers & Wilkins’ Zeppelin speaker

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read their continuously updated list of deals at TheWirecutter.com.

You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Street price: $700; MSRP: $700; deal price: $600

While this is an expensive speaker, a $100 discount makes the price slightly less painful. We haven’t seen a single drop on this speaker until this sale, so it’s good to see such a significant drop.

The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Bluetooth Speaker is our luxury pick for the best home Bluetooth speaker. Seamus Bellamy and Brent Butterworth wrote, “Our blind listening panel awarded the Zeppelin a near-perfect score. In testing, it made well-worn favorites and fresh tracks that we’ve been digging of late absolutely crackle with life. That it also comes with the ability to function as an AirPlay speaker is icing on the cake. The speaker’s shape and size might not work for some people, but after a few weeks of using the Zeppelin Wireless, we stopped noticing its presence except when it was filling our apartment with gorgeous sound. The Zeppelin Wireless is definitely a luxury item, but if you want to spend around $700 on a wireless speaker, it’s worth it.”

Sennheiser GAME ONE Gaming Headset

Street price: $170; MSRP: $170; deal price: $130

We haven’t seen many good sales on this particular headset, with the best one being a brief sale last month for $128 through Newegg. This $130 deal is close, though it’s only available on the black model.

The Sennheiser GAME ONE is the upgrade pick in our guide on the best gaming headset. Dennis Burger said, “Sennheiser’s GAME ONE may cost more than most are looking to spend, but its spacious sound, stunning bass performance, and noise-cancelling mic make it worth the premium for serious gamers.”

BenQ HT1075 Home Theater Projector

Street price: $700; MSRP: $1,000; deal price: $630

We’ve featured a couple of deals on new models of this projector for $650, and this sale drops $20 off of that price. We’ve seen some substantial drops on refurbished models as well, hitting a low of $517 once, but those tend to be rare.

The BenQ HT1075 Home Theater Projector is our previous pick for the best $1,000 projector. Our new pick is the HT2050, but we still think the HT1075 is an excellent purchase. Geoffrey Morrison said, “The BenQ HT1075 has one of the best contrast ratios in its class, more realistic color than the competition, and is brighter than some projectors that cost three times as much. For the price, it’s truly the best in this range.”

D-Link DAP-1650 Wi-Fi Extender

Street price: $90; MSRP: $90; deal price: $60

Here’s a great deal on this Wi-Fi extender from D-Link. It has a shorter range than our main pick, but this sale makes it $40 cheaper. It’s the best price we’ve ever seen on this product, beating the previous low by $5.

The D-Link DAP-1650 is the runner-up pick in our guide on the best Wi-Fi extender. David Murphy said, “Unlike our main pick, it can also be used as a wired access point, if you don’t mind stringing Ethernet cable from your router to your extender. As an extender, its long-range performance isn’t as good as our pick’s, but it’s great as an access point.”

Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.

The Navy’s new cloud network forms a tactical ‘kill web’

The US Navy is deploying a “tactical cloud” network that will tie together targeting data acquired from a range of sources in the sea, sky and space to form a lethal “kill web,” the U.S. Naval Institute reports this week. The network will essentially allow any aircraft, ship or submarine to draw targeting information from any other instrument in the cloud and extend their own range when launching weapons against surface targets.

“We call it the tactical cloud,” Rear Admiral Mark Darrah, who heads up the the Navy’s Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation program said at this year’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition. “We’re going to put data up in the cloud and users are going to go grab it and use it as a contributor to a targeting solution.”

The cloud-based solution was actually developed as a response to “the increased sophistication of adversary networked sensor systems.” Or, in other words, events like a simulated attack by Russian jets last month prove America’s naval and air superiority is under threat.

“It’s about [the enemy’s] ability to reduce the amount of space I have to operate in by tying their capability together and force me to operate from a farther distance from a threat,” Darrah explained. In one scenario demonstrated at the exposition, Darrah showed how military space assets could share data with F/A–18s, a sensor aircraft, an unmanned Triton drone, an attack submarine and a Littoral Combat Ship. While the setup is similar to how carrier strike groups currently share information, the new network offers a much more fine-tuned solution and could integrate with new weapons and UAVs in the future. Let’s just hope the Navy got those anti-hacking countermeasures up and running.

Ancient mega-tsunamis hint at cold Martian oceans

3.4 billion years ago, a meteorite smashed into the northern plains of Mars, where an ancient ocean once stood. Its impact threw up a massive wall of liquid water that scarred the surrounding landscape with backwash channels as the water poured back into the Martian sea. A few million years later, after the Red Planet had cooled significantly, another huge chunk of space rock tore into Mars — however, this time, the resulting tsunami was made of ice blobs that simply stuck wherever they landed rather than return to the sea.

The difference in tsunamis isn’t simply a result of a cooling planet, they’re evidence that Mars’ early water works were capable of sustaining life, according to a newly released study from the Center of Astrobiology, Madrid.

“Our paper provides very solid evidence for the existence of very cold oceans on early Mars,” principal investigator and visiting Cornell professor, Alberto Fairén said in a statement. “It is difficult to imagine Californian beaches on ancient Mars, but try to picture the Great Lakes on a particularly cold and long winter, and that could be a more accurate image of water forming seas and oceans on ancient Mars.”

What’s more, those icy lobes could provide key insights into whether Mars ever hosted life. “Cold, salty waters may offer a refuge for life in extreme environments, as the salts could help keep the water liquid. … If life existed on Mars, these icy tsunami lobes are very good candidates to search for biosignatures,” he continued. To that end, the researchers hope to conduct follow-up studies of the Martian terrain and identify areas of the northern plains for further investigation.

Via: Science Daily

Source: 47th Lunar Planetary Conference (pdf)

US Navy to arm its submarines with ‘Blackwing’ spy drones

The Navy recently announced its plans to deploy an armada of stealthy spy drones from AeroVironment aboard its submarines and UUVs. Specifically, the Navy is going with the small-form “Blackwing” UAV, a four-pound flyer with a 20 inch wingspan that collapses down to fit into a 3-inch diameter launch tube. It will use its array of electro-optical and infrared sensors as well as its anti-spoofing GPS capability to act as the submersible’s remote eyes and ears.

The Blackwing grew out of a 2013 Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program dubbed, Advanced Weapons Enhanced by Submarine UAS against Mobile targets (AWESUM). It was developed to counter recent advancements in anti-ship ballistic missile and similar “anti-access, area denial (A2AD)” technologies by America’s favorite frenemy, China. There’s no word on specifically when the Blackwings will be deployed, but given China’s recent aggressive posturing in the South China Sea — not to mention Russia’s arctic overtures and its revitalized sub fleet — the Navy can’t get these drones soon enough.

Via: Defense Tech

Source: AeroVironment

Rhapsody’s VR app is a hub for live music videos

The tech world is obsessed with virtual reality. It should come as no surprise, then, that music-streaming service Rhapsody wants a piece of it as well. The company took a step forward today by introducing Rhapsody VR, an iOS and Android app that offers access to 360-degree videos from music concerts. The content is free for everybody to watch (preferably through a headset like Google Cardboard), meaning it’s not limited to people who subscribe to Rhapsody.

Right now, there are only nine videos available on the app, but a Rhapsody spokesperson tells Engadget new ones will be added each month. VR experiences like these aren’t completely new, but the more 360-degree music concerts we get to enjoy, the better. Your turn, Spotify.

Source: Rhapsody

Purism introduces privacy-focused 2-in-1 tablet

If you’re looking for a high-end tablet that also doubles as a laptop you’re usually in the market for a Microsoft Surface Pro or the Apple iPad Pro. Purism thinks there needs to be a third option. One that’s packed with open-source software and won’t share your private data with giant tech companies. With that in mind, it announced the Librem line of tablets starting at $599 that are currently available for pre-order on Indiegogo.

Like their laptop predecessors, the Librem 10 and 11-inch tablets are running free and open source software and are targeted at users that want more privacy than is available from major manufacturers. Both devices run PureOS 3.0 Linux and have privacy protecting services like Tor, HTTPS Everywhere and ad blocker Privacy Badger pre-installed. The company is working towards getting both devices QubesOS (the OS of choice of Edward Snowden) certified.

On the hardware front, the Librem 10 uses an Intel Atom processor while the more powerful 11-inch version runs on a Core M. Both ship with a keyboard dock and can be attached to external monitors. To further its dedication to security and privacy, both devices have hardware shutdown switches for the camera, Bluetooth, WiFi and microphone.

Purism CEO Todd Weaver told Engadget that the company wants to sell its privacy and security focused computers to everyone, not just the slightly paranoid. He said, “our end goal is targeting the every day computer user and providing them with an alternative.”

But, the company’s long-term goal is to build a smartphone with all the security and privacy elements found in its other products. Weaver said the tablet is part of an evolution to getting a phone out there. The biggest obstacle to that happening right now is the cellular system not being secure enough for Purism.

In the meantime, the Librem 10 will set you back $599 while the 11-inch Librem is currently available for pre-order for $999. After the crowdfunding campaign that price will go up to $1,299. Purism says both tablets will ship in September of this year.

Source: Purism