HoloFlex is the world’s first flexible holographic smartphone
The HoloFlex is the closest thing we’ve had so far to a holographic truly flexible phone. Move the display to see 3D objects from different angles and bend the phone to change the angle further.
What’s the catch? This display, created by Queen’s University researchers, is still in early development hence the 160 x 104 resolution image. But you can see where this is going and it’s very exciting. Although the Amazon Fire Phone created a similar effect, at high resolution, and nobody seemed to care. But this offers a lot more and in a new way.
This display, uniquely, is flexible meaning you can play Angry Birds by bending the screen to pull back and let go to fling the bird, as an example. It also means people can look at the same image from different angles to see it differently, like a real object as it sticks out of the screen.
Technically this is a 1920 x 1080 flexible OLED but images are rendered into 12-pixel wide circular blocks projected through a 3D printed microlens, totalling 16,000. The result is a screen that literally comes out at you to create that stereoscopic image.
All this isn’t simple so the handset is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with Adreno 430 GPU and 2GB of RAM running Android 5.1.
“By employing a depth camera, users can also perform holographic video conferences with one another”, says the university’s Dr. Vertegaal. “When bending the display users literally pop out of the screen and can even look around each other, with their faces rendered correctly from any angle to any onlooker”.
READ: Huawei P9 review: The flagship and the folly
Amazon wins its first BAFTA with ‘Transparent’
Amazon doesn’t have the volume or breadth of exclusives to compete with Netflix, but it does have a few standout originals that are slowly winning mind share for Prime Video. At the BAFTA TV awards last night, for instance, the company took home the International category for Transparent. The show beat out Narcos, the drug-fuelled crime drama from Netflix, as well as Spiral and The Good Wife. Netflix had also been nominated in the Radio Times Audience Award for its documentary series Making a Murderer, but lost out to the BBC period drama Poldark.
It’s the first BAFTA Amazon has ever won. Transparent has picked up plenty of awards elsewhere, however, including two Golden Globes (best actor and best comedy), five Primetime Emmy Awards and one Screen Actors Guild Award. It’s widely considered to be Amazon’s best show, edging out fellow successes Mozart in the Jungle and The Man in the High Castle. The company has commissioned a slew of other series, but few have gained the traction or critical acclaim needed to change the public’s opinion of Prime Video. These awards are, therefore, an important way for the company to legitimise its efforts and attract new viewers.
Netflix, meanwhile, is still waiting on its first BAFTA. Beasts of No Nation came up short in February, while its occasional TV nominations — which include House of Cards and Orange is the New Black — have failed to win in recent years. Still, the selections are an acknowledgment of Netflix’s output and the strides it’s taken to compete with traditional TV broadcasters. With such a large catalog of shows, it seems inevitable that the company will eventually take home its own BAFTA. Maybe next year?
Source: BAFTA
Twitter blocks US spies from analyzing your tweets
There’s more tension between tech firms and the US government, as Twitter has reportedly blocked spy agencies from a service that helps them root out terrorists. According to the WSJ, the social network cut off the government from Dataminr, a company that analyzes every public tweet sent. Though Twitter doesn’t own the service (it has a five percent share), it does provide it with unique access to its central data line. Neither Twitter nor Dataminr have confirmed the details publicly, but unnamed intelligence officials have corroborated the story.
Dataminr examines hundreds of millions of tweets every day and correlates them to news sources, geographic locations, market information and other data. It then sells the information to news agencies, stock brokers and other companies. For instance, Dataminr helped the New York Times find significant tweets during the Brussels terrorist attacks for its live blog. It also reportedly gave US intelligence services information about the same attacks 10 minutes before the general public found out.
Twitter quite rightly declining to serve as extension of US spy agencies. https://t.co/iKpVTC11D3
— Jameel Jaffer (@JameelJaffer) May 9, 2016
Twitter said in a statement that it “never authorized Dataminr or any third party to sell data to a government or intelligence agency for surveillance purposes.” However, a venture capital arm of US intelligence called In-Q-Tel has reportedly invested in Dataminr and other social media analytics firms. As part of that, Dataminr allowed certain spy agencies to mine tweets as part of a pilot program. When that ended, Twitter forbade the company from using its data, fearing the “optics” of being too closely associated with intelligence activities, according to WSJ sources.
With the decision, Twitter is following other Silicon Valley companies like Apple in distancing themselves from the NSA and other surveillance services. Apple resisted an FBI order to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, for instance, saying it was a slippery slope that could decrease security for everyone.
However, US spy agencies reportedly aren’t pleased with the decision, as they have become increasingly dependent on social media analysis to root out terrorists. Former NSA deputy director John C. Inglis told the WSJ, “if Twitter continues to sell this to the private sector, but denies the government, that’s hypocritical. I think it’s a bad sign of a lack of appropriate cooperation between a private-sector organization and the government.” The American Civil Liberties Union disagrees, however, as deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer tweeted that “Twitter quite rightly declining to serve as an extension of US spy agencies.”
Source: WSJ
Karhoo takes on Uber with a price-comparing taxi app
Since Uber launched, taxi-booking companies have scrambled to create their own mobile-first services that give customers plenty of options, but ultimately lock customers to their fleet of drivers. A new entrant, Karhoo, launches as yet another of those types of apps, but it’s playing things a little differently from Uber and its rivals. It’s signed up 80,000 drivers of licensed black cabs, minicabs and executive cars (a third of which are in London) to provide a price comparison service for taxis across the UK.
Unlike Hailo and Gett, which exclusively deal with black cabs, and Kabbee, which currently partners with private car companies, Karhoo operates an open platform that lets any company (except Uber) connect their own systems to the app. In London, ComCab — provider of licensed taxis and black cabs — has already plugged into the service, as has Addison Lee, KV Cars, Swiss Cottage Cars and Mornington Cars.
When launched, Karhoo determines a user’s location and shows the availability of cars in their area. Journeys can be sorted by price, estimated time of arrival or type of vehicle, if there’s a need for luxury or a few additional seats. Because its system enables real-time data sharing, Karhoo can also tell supporting cab companies where demand is, allowing them to direct their fleet to wherever is busiest.
One key thing Karhoo has over Uber, however, is that it also provides the ability to pre-book a taxi, whether it’s on the same day or up to a year in advance. That’s something that Transport for London (TfL) considered forcing Uber to do in the capital, but later decided against it.
Although Karhoo is launching in London today, the company plans to expand to New York and Singapore by 2017. It predicts that within a year it’ll allow customers to book through its app in 100 cities across the world.
Having a large number of vehicles on its app is one thing, but Uber has managed to squeeze its traditional counterparts by offering good service at a low price. Customers will ultimately decide whether Karhoo’s (and its partners’) service is up to scratch, but taxi companies may have just got a leg up in their fight against their app-based rivals.
Source: Karhoo
Engadget UK giveaway: Win an LG G5 and HDTV courtesy of Virgin Media
Of all the new smartphones launched this year, LG’s G5 is by far the most audacious. With two rear-facing cameras and a wacky, removable bottom bezel that can we swapped out for LG’s “Friends” accessories, the G5 is nothing if not different. And thanks to Virgin Media, we’ve got one to give away this week, with the added bonus of a 32-inch LG LED HDTV if a free flagship wasn’t enough. In fact, it’s the same deal currently available on Virgin Mobile right now: Pick up an LG G5 on any pay-monthly contract before May 31st, and get a free TV to boot. As per usual, you can enter the competition via the Rafflecopter widget below… after you’ve read the rules, that is.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the UK, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) LG G5 and one (1) 32-inch HDTV.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. LG, Virgin Media and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honour warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until May 13th at 11:59PM BST. Good luck!
Source: Virgin Media
Opera’s free VPN for iOS offers more control over your browsing
Opera’s fondness for virtual private networks isn’t limited to the desktop. The browser maker is releasing a free VPN app for iOS that should give you more control over how you surf the internet. It’s helpful for usual VPN tasks like dodging corporate site blocks and regional content restrictions (shh, don’t tell Netflix), but Opera sees it as particularly handy for the privacy-conscious — it gets rid of advertisers’ tracking cookies and makes you that much more anonymous. You can only pick from one of five simulated locations for the VPN (Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK and the US), but hey, it’s the first free VPN app for iOS from a well-known tech company. Right now, just having that option is a big deal.
Source: Opera
OneDrive App Update for iOS Brings ‘Peek’ and ‘Pop’ Support
Microsoft has updated its OneDrive app for iOS with new ‘Peek’ and ‘Pop’ support for owners with 3D Touch-enabled devices.
The 7.1 update to the cloud storage app means iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users can now get instant previews of file and folder contents using a lighter press, while a deeper press ‘pops’ open the uploaded content.
Other changes to OneDrive include a new-look interface and a new feature that lets users shake their device to let Microsoft know if they are having issues with the service.
Last week, Microsoft began sending out email alerts to OneDrive users, warning holders of free 15GB accounts that their storage would be reduced to 5GB on August 10.
The 5GB limit has been in effect for new accounts for a while now, but Microsoft reneged on plans to force the reduction upon long-time subscribers, who were later given the option to keep their extra free space after widespread complaints.
OneDrive is available as a free download for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Tag: OneDrive
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Apple Maps Introduces Transit Data for Sacramento, California
Apple Maps has recently been updated with the introduction of all new Transit information for the city of Sacramento, California, which will let iPhone users in the city navigate using public transportation options like buses, subways, commuter rails, and more.
Transit routing became available within iOS 9 with a limited number of supported cities at launch. Since then, Apple has worked at expanding support for the public transportation feature of its first-party Maps app, now encompassing 16 cities around the world and 30 cities within China.
Including Sacramento, Transit directions can be found in Austin, Sydney, Baltimore, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Toronto, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. Over the past month alone Apple has released a rapid collection of cities with Transit support, including Montreal, Portland, Seattle, New South Wales, and Rio de Janeiro, ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
(Thanks, Ram!)
Tags: Apple Maps, Transit
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Starry Wi-Fi Station review – CNET
The Good The Starry Wi-Fi Station has a touchscreen that makes setting up and managing the device simple and easy. The router has solid performance.
The Bad It’s expensive but is severely lacking in features. The Network Health feature is largely a gimmick, and many of the router’s hardware components are not activated at launch.
The Bottom Line The Starry Wi-Fi Station may be the most user-friendly router ever, but it otherwise doesn’t do any more than network hubs that cost half as much.
Starry caused a big splash back in February when it promised a revolutionary new wireless Internet service. That service isn’t here yet — it’s scheduled to launch later this summer in Boston. In the meantime, the company’s Starry Wi-Fi Station router, which works just fine with any plain, old broadband service, has arrived.
This router is the newest in the procession of “routers for dummies” — products like the Eero and Google OnHub, made for those intimidated by the home network setup process. For advanced users like me — those who like having browser-based controls and meticulous network setup options — find products like these to be oversimplified and generally lacking.
But if you’re confused by networking terminology like WAN, LAN, SSID, DNS, 802.11ac and MIMO, these products are well worth checking out. And from that perspective, the Starry Wi-Fi Station is a success. If you want a solid router that is as easy to use as programing your alarm clock, you’ll love it. But that simplicity comes at a steep price: The Starry Wi-Fi Station costs $350. (It’s not available in the UK or Australia, but its US price translates to about £245 or AU$475.)
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The Starry Wi-Fi Station comes with a speaker and a mic for future voice-command features.
Josh Miller/CNET
What does the Starry Wi-Fi Station do?
As a Wi-Fi router, it connects to an Internet source (such as a broadband modem) and then shares that connection with multiple wireless devices, such as your laptop, your iPad, your mobile phone. All Wi-Fi routers do this.
The Starry supports the dual-band quad-stream (4×4) setup of the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, meaning it has a top Wi-Fi speed on paper of 1,733 Mbps, which is the fastest to date. It supports all existing Wi-Fi devices on the market.
What makes the Starry different from traditional Wi-Fi routers?
- The router has a unique design, shaped like a 7-inch equilateral triangle standing on one of its sides, with the base measuring 3 inches wide. It sure looks unlike any router I’ve seen, though some of my colleagues thought the router actually looked ugly.
- On the front it has a 3.8-inch touchscreen used for both the initial setup process and ongoing management of the router. (Most other routers don’t have a screen at all, but this feature has been seen before on products such as the Securifi Almond.) This screen also displays what Starry calls the “network health score,” Wi-Fi network name and password, currently connected devices and some other information. You can tap or swipe on the screen to switch between different info pages or run an Internet speed test.
- On the back, the router has only two network ports (as opposed to five on most others) one for the Internet connection (WAN) and the other for one wired client (LAN), such as a desktop computer or Roku box. This means if you want to connect more than one wired client, you will need to get a switch or a hub in order to add more ports.
- The router has a mic and a small speaker. Neither of these is currently used for anything. In the future, however, according Starry, the ability to support voice commands will be added via a software update.
- With a focus on simplicity, the Starry is designed to be managed via a free mobile app on Android or iOS devices. Advanced users may lament the lack of a browser-based setup interface, though Starry says the company might add that sort of expert mode in the future.
- Starry says the router is Internet of Things-ready (IoT) with built-in support for home automation wireless standards, such as ZigBee. Again, this feature is not live at launch and and will be released as software updates in the future.
Is it really that easy to set up?
Yes. The setup process was dead simple. You just plug the Starry into the power, connect its WAN (Internet) port to a broadband modem, and turn it on. After that, via the touchscreen, you can pick a name and password for your Wi-Fi network from randomly generated options or type them in yourself. And that’s it.
Can you easily customize its settings?
Not really. Once the setup process is done, other than turning the Guest network and the 5Ghz band on or off, you can’t use the touchscreen to customize anything else, even the network name and the password. All you can do is view information and reset the router to its original factory settings, then restart the setup process from the beginning.
If you want to customize its settings at all, you will need to use the Starry mobile app. To use this app, however, you will first need to register an account with Starry, which allows you to manage your home network even when you’re out and about. In return, from then on the router will be connected to Starry at all times. And even then, its potential for customization is limited. For example, you can’t choose a name for the 5Ghz band; the router automatically takes the name of the 2.4Ghz band plus the “_5” suffix. Similarly, the guest network would have the suffix “_Guest.”
What information is collected by Starry via the Wi-Fi Station?
According to Starry, it collects throughput usage, “network health” score, speed tests, connected device types and router configuration. It then stores the configuration state of the router and telemetry data (speed test, throughput, ping, etc.) so that it can display the graphs to the user via the touchscreen or the mobile app. It also collects data around how users use the device, such as which screen on the mobile app they spend the most time using, and so on.
Toyota cracks magnesium batteries for longer lasting smaller devices
Scientists working at Toyota Research Institute North America have cracked magnesium as a material for batteries.
This is a very big deal as it means lots of advances in battery tech. By using magnesium, which doesn’t degrade like lithium-ion, the battery will last longer. On top of that there is no need to create shielding for the electrolyte, like in current lithium-ion batteries, meaning it can be made for cheaper. It’ll also be less impactful on the environment.
Of course what most people want is battery life enhancement, which this should offer too as it can be far smaller with way more density. So if you had a similar sized magnesium battery to current lithium-ion, you’d get a lot more life. Magnesium has far more capacity thanks to the number of electrons it has over current offerings.
As batteries become more prevalent, powering our phones and even cars, lithium is becoming more finite and more expensive. It won’t last forever or remain affordable so alternatives, that can actually work better anyway, are most welcome and sought by companies.
At the moment this is still in the laboratory developmental phases. The company says we shouldn’t expect to see it in our phones and cars for sometime yet as this will need to undergo a lot more development and testing.
READ: Future batteries, coming soon
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