Shoot actual fire from your eyes with this ‘Cyclops’ helmet

There are good and bad ideas in the DIY annals, then there’s this X-Men inspired helmet that lets lets you shoot flames from your eyes. Developed by YouTube user “Sufficiently Advanced,” the “Cyclops Visor” is simply a welding helmet with a fuel tank, pump, nozzles and pilot lights. When activated by a switch on the side, it shoots a jet of flames mixed with fuel a distance of around ten feet. As demonstrated in the video (below), that makes the wearer just like Cyclops from X-Men, if that superhero couldn’t see at all and was only a danger to himself.

Yes, as Sploid points out, this is not the safest project of all time, with multiple risks coming from dripping accelerant, the potentially exploding fuel tank and a near total lack of outward vision. The danger is made more real by the fact that the “weapon” is attached to your face, giving you around zero margin for error if things get explodey.

We hope this project doesn’t inspire any kids fascinated by fire and flamethrowers (like I was). The creator should maybe stick to safer and more clever superhero projects, like the Thor “Mjolner” hammer he built that only he can pick up, thanks to a strong electromagnet and fingerprint sensor. The only potential danger with that one is a hernia.

Via: Sploid

Source: Sufficiently Advanced

Google reportedly working to launch in-house developed phone later this year

With the Nexus program, Google partners with several companies in creating phones and tablets that deliver a “pure” Android experience. According to The Telegraph, it looks like Google is set to release its own phone developed internally with more control over the “design, manufacturing and software” that doesn’t involve a partnership with a well-known brand.

Citing a senior source, The Telegraph writes:

The technology giant is in discussions with mobile operators about releasing a Google-branded phone that will extend the company’s move into hardware, sources familiar with the discussions told The Telegraph.

The new device, which will be released by the end of the year according to a senior source, will see Google take more control over design, manufacturing and software.

Earlier this month, Google CEO Sundar Pichai talked about the search giant being “more opinionated as to the design of the phone.” Then there’s the newly-minted hardware division, helmed by former Motorola president Rick Osterloh.

That doesn’t mean that the Nexus line is going away, as Pichai reiterated that Google is fully committed to working with OEMs and putting more “thought into our Nexus devices.” A self-branded phone could just be the case of Google exerting more control over the design and manufacturing of the handset, much like what it does with devices like the Chromebook Pixel and Pixel C tablet.

For now, the story is still a rumor, and should be taken as such until we have more concrete details. What’s your take on a Google-branded phone?

India’s $4 smartphone will start shipping later this week

Earlier this year, India’s Ringing Bells caused quite a stir when it announced that it would be coming out with a smartphone for the equivalent of $4 (₹251). After allegations of fraud, which led to an investigation by the government, the company is finally ready to ship the handset. Ringing Bells founder and CEO Mohit Goel has announced that over 200,000 units of the Freedom 251 will start going out to pre-ordered customers from June 30.

In an interview with Indian Express, the executive said:

We are ready with nearly two lakh ‘Freedom 251’ handsets. We will start delivery from June 30.

The 200,000 units will be the first batch of units, with more along the way. Before its website crashed, the company took in a staggering 70 million registrations:

We learned from our mistakes and decided to go silent till we come out with the product. Now we have a 4-inch, dual-SIM phone ready for delivery. I feel vindicated.

The phone itself offers a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display, 1.3GHz quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, microSD slot, 3.2MP camera, 0.3MP front shooter, 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 1450mAh battery, along with Android 5.1 Lollipop.

While India counts several great budget phones, making a handset for $4 is extremely challenging. Goel said that the company will initially make a loss of ₹150 ($2.20) on each unit, but with enough demand, it is looking to become profitable in the future:

We will have a loss, but I am happy that the dream of connecting rural and poor Indians as part of the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives has been fulfilled with ‘Freedom 251’.

Our devices are completely ‘Make in India’ and were manufactured at our Haridwar-based manufacturing unit. We plan to sell two lakh devices every month.

Scientists want to make buildings from bone

A cityscape made of bone and eggshell might sound like the set for the final act of some big-budget fantasy epic, but the idea could help support ever-growing populations in our cities — and reduce carbon emissions in the process. According the University of Cambridge, typical materials like concrete and steel make up almost 10 percent of global carbon emissions. Before they even get to the place of construction, both materials need high temperatures to be processed, and thus a whole load of energy. Researchers are hoping that artificial bone and eggshell, made of protein and minerals, could one day stand in for traditional building materials.

Bioengineer Dr. Michelle Oyen of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering notes that while the emissions caused by air travel are significant, “far more are caused by the production of concrete and steel, which of course is what most cities are built from.” Her team are looking into biomimetics — looking to replicate biological processes in the lab. Recently they’ve made artificial samples of eggshell and bone in a process that could be easily scaled up — and all at room temperature.

The benefits come from the composition of these bio-materials. Bone is made of roughly half protein and half minerals: the former gives it structural stiffness and hardness, while the latted gives it toughness and resistance to damage. (There’s also the bonus that bones are able to heal themselves from light damage.) Eggshell leans more heavily towards mineral at roughly 95 percent, but that small bit of protein still ensures it’s incredibly tough, given how thin it is.

Your eggshell condo isn’t going to be ready this decade, however. The collagen that Oyen’s team needs to make these materials comes from natural animal sources — more research is needed to see whether non-animal-derived or even completely synthetic proteins could work in place of natural collagen: the part that minerals bind with.

Talking to the University of Cambridge, she added: “Another issue is the construction industry is a very conservative one. All of our existing building standards have been designed with concrete and steel in mind. Constructing buildings out of entirely new materials would mean completely rethinking the whole industry. But if you want to do something really transformative to bring down carbon emissions, then I think that’s what we have to do.”

Source: University of Cambridge

Meizu m3 note: Could’ve been better

The quick take

After decent budget packages, the m1 note and m2 note, the m3 note from Meizu is quite an aberration from the predecessors, and aims to pack in solid internals in a stylish chassis. There are a few highlights like design and build quality with extended battery life, yet it fails to impress in overall performance.

The Good

• Design and build quality
• Flyme OS with mTouch
• Battery life

The Bad

• Average camera performance
• No FM radio
• Android Lollipop

About this review

I used the Indian retail variant of the Meizu m3 note that ran Flyme OS running on top of Android Lollipop 5.1 out of the box. For most of the time, I used it with an Airtel 4G SIM in Delhi NCR.

Meizu m3 note Design

The Meizu m3 note features a metal body, a pleasant departure from the plastic finish of its predecessors. The subtly curved rear panel looks quite nice and aids the grip. The design of the m3 note is clearly inspired from the iPhone 6 – it’s ordinary, but pleasant to look at and exudes premium style. Crafted out of aluminum, the all-metal smartphone feels great in the hand. The 2.5D curved display is a nice touch, and makes the phone thinner on the edges improving the handling.

At 153.6 x 75.5 x 8.2mm, the Meizu m3 note is a tad bigger and a few grams heavier than its predecessor but it sports a thoughtful design, and is nicely built. It’s not light, but boasts of a solid construction. Having used Meizu devices since a while, I quite like the mTouch home button. It’s practical for navigation and now doubles up as a fingerprint sensor.

Meizu m3 note Hardware

Powered by the Helio P10 octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM, the m3 note does okay for a mid-range smartphone. The Mali-T860 MP2 GPU is uninspiring though and throttles the overall performance. It’s got enough punch to handle everyday usage, but is definitely behind the curve and should’ve been better. There are occasional hangs and crashes, and I couldn’t pin it to Flyme OS or sluggish hardware. Things aren’t too bad, but like I said, if it was better, I would’ve had no doubts recommending this phone. Now, I’m not sure if it’s the right choice for a power user.

The Meizu m3 note does the basics well. The reception bars were full and it held onto signal – even in low network spots – and the call quality is good as well. There’s no FM Radio or NFC though, and the former is a no go for a lot of users in India.

The m3 note also incorporates a fingerprint sensor within its single hardware key – the mTouch button – on the front. It works good enough, and I prefer it over a fingerprint sensor on the back like most mid-range smartphones.

Meizu m3 note Display

The Meizu m3 note sports a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with a 2.5D curved glass design. The latter makes the phone look a little thinner improving the aesthetics while removing the sharp edges. There’s also the Dinorex T2X-1 scratch-resistant glass protecting the display.

The display is a mixed bag of sorts. The colors are bright and vibrant, but the contrast isn’t the best. However, the 1080p display with 403ppi is sharp enough and looks pretty good for its price. The viewing angles too are just average. Sunlight legibility is poor since the screen is quite reflective and on most occasions outdoors, you’ll be able to barely see what’s on your screen.

Overall, the display combined with the design makes the m3 note a very good looking phone on first glance. There are definite misses on the display but most of them are what most users won’t complain about.

Meizu m3 note Software

The Meizu m3 note runs Flyme OS on top of outdated Android Lollipop 5.1. Surprisingly for an Android phone, the standard Google apps are missing, and you have to head to the Google Play Store to download them. It’s an additional step, and not much of a drawback.

Flyme OS offers pretty straightforward user experience. Once you’ve gotten your bearings, you find Flyme OS to be very fluid and responsive aided by the mTouch navigation paradigm that we’ve seen before in Meizu devices.

There’s a unique home key without the usual capacitive buttons or the on-screen keys to go along with it. The home key can register both touch responses as well as presses. So if you are in the settings menu for example, touching the key would take you back one step backward and pressing it would take you back to the home screen. It’s seamless without any hiccups. mTouch button brings added functionality but could be confusing at first if you’re coming from traditional Android experience with three navigation buttons. Once you get a hang of it, and of course you will, you’ll be at home using mTouch experience with Flyme OS.

Flyme OS supports multi-view offering split-screen viewing, although it’s limited to only a few apps like News, Video, Settings, Documents, and Smart Voice. Hopefully, this list will grow with the next software updates. There’s also Gesture wake up to allow pre-defined gestures to launch different apps while your phone is asleep as well as a Do Not Disturb mode that blocks notifications and calls while you can set a whitelist of numbers that can get through. There’s also a helpful Toolbox app that packs utilities like a flashlight, a mirror, compass, level, ruler, and magnifier as well as the Security app that lets you scan for viruses, clean junk files, keep an eye on your large files, manage your data traffic, and control permissions for each app.

Meizu offers a Smart Touch feature for single-handed operation of the rather big 5.5-inch smartphone. There’s a virtual 4-way key that can be assigned different functionality to each of the directions, tap and hold, tap, and double tap. I spent a little time with it, carefully configuring it, and that now allows me to control the m3 note with just one hand for almost everything.

Meizu m3 note Battery life

The m3 note boasts of an impressive 4100 mAh battery – about 30% more than its predecessor. That’s a big upgrade, making the battery life one of the highlights of this budget device. The Meizu m3 note offers solid uptime on a single charge, and can easily last for day and a half on moderate usage.

Even for a power user like me, I would have some juice left at the end of a working day. While switching from Performance Power mode to Balanced mode, you’d be able to squeeze in a few more hours easily.

Meizu m3 note Camera

The Meizu m3 note packs a 13-megapixel camera sensor with dual-tone LED flash, the latter allowing for more pleasing colors in low-light photos taken with flash.

Although there’s advanced PDAF auto-focus, the photos are inconsistent. Sometimes the photos turn out to be blurred or I had to select the focus point manually because the autofocus went haywire. When it does, the m3 note takes decent photos with accurate color reproduction as well as nice contrast ratio. The HDR mode brings more details in the highlights and the shadows, and I preferred it over the Auto mode. The overall image quality though is marred by additive noise and several samples I shot turned out to be grainy. At similar price points, both Lenovo K5 Plus and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 click superior photos with more details and better processing.

The 5-megapixel front camera though fares much better. There’s enough details in your selfies and the colors are good enough. The Meizu m3 note shoots videos up to 1080p resolution at 30fps. The captured videos turn out to be just about decent with limited details.

The camera offers several shooting modes apart from the usual Auto, Macro, and Manual modes. There’s a Beauty mode which makes eyes bigger, face slimmer, and adds glow to your face (ugh!), a Panorama mode, a Light field mode allowing you to defocus any part of a scene, Scan mode to read QR codes and barcodes, as well as a Slow motion mode.

Meizu m3 note Bottom line

There are very few notable omissions in the Meizu m3 note. There’s no fast charging and Android Lollipop in 2016 hurts, and there are several misses here and there. Yet, the m3 note looks like a well-rounded package and at first glance, impresses a lot of budget-conscious users.

Should you buy it? Probably

The Meizu m3 note is really a mixed bag. It’s nicely designed with solid construction, and the battery life is excellent. But the overall performance and camera quality is average. I’m inclined to like this phone and it feels good in hand, but at ₹9,999 ($147), Meizu should’ve done a better job. If you are a power user, the m3 note will disappoint you, but for most regular users, the performance hit would just be okay if you prefer a nice phone to flaunt and warm up to mTouch.

See at Amazon

Rolls-Royce expects remote-controlled cargo ships by 2020

Rolls-Royce isn’t limiting its robotic transportation plans to luxury cars. The British transportation firm has outlined a strategy for deploying remote-controlled and autonomous cargo vessels. It’s working on virtual decks where land-based crews could control every aspect of a ship, complete with VR camera views and monitoring drones to spot issues that no human ever could. Accordingly, Rolls is designing boats where humans wouldn’t have to come aboard. In theory, one human would steer several boats — crew shortages would disappear overnight.

The move to crew-free ships promises more than a few advantages, Rolls says. You wouldn’t need a bridge or living quarters, so you’d have much more room for the goods you’re hauling. They’d be safer and more efficient, too, since you’d cut out many human errors (not to mention the direct risks from rough weather and pirates) and streamline operations. Robotic ships might cut the number of available jobs, but they would let distant crews handle more complex tasks without being overwhelmed.

Some of Rolls’ concepts are more Star Trek than real life at the moment (its imagery includes interactive holograms), but this isn’t just a theoretical exercise. One ship, the Stril Luna, already has a smart Unified Bridge system in place for coordinating all its equipment. The aim is to launch the first remote-controlled cargo ships by 2020, and to have autonomous boats on the water within two decades. All told, civilians might only have to head out to sea for pleasure cruises.

Via: Daily Mail

Source: Rolls-Royce

Wisconsin’s sentencing algorithm faces a court battle

Many people are nervous about the prospect of using algorithms to predict crime, and a legal battle in Wisconsin is illustrating why. The state’s Supreme Court is close to ruling on an appeal from Eric Loomis, who claims that the justice system relied too heavily on its Compas algorithm to determine the likelihood of repeat offenses and sentence him to 6 years in prison. His attorneys claim that the code is “full of holes,” including secret criteria and generic decisions that aren’t as individually tailored as they have to be. For instance, they’ll skew predictions based on your gender or age — how does that reflect the actual offender?

Algorithms in sentencing aren’t new. They’ve been in use for over 10 years, and their deployment is widening to states like Pennsylvania. However, the court challenge could force Wisconsin and other states to think about the weight they give to algorithms. While they do hold the promise of both preventing repeat offenses and avoiding excessive sentences for low-threat criminals, the American Civil Liberties Union is worried that they can amplify biases or make mistakes based on imperfect law enforcement data. Without transparency, it’s hard to say for sure that Loomis and other convicts are getting an appropriate amount of prison time.

Source: New York Times

Best wireless security cameras

Security, sans power cables.

Having a home security camera is a great way to keep an eye on your house while you’re out. Sometimes, you’d like to place your camera in such a way that power cables might be cumbersome or might not reach. Battery-powered security cameras are an excellent solution but are few and far between right now, since they usually have to compromise on key features. We’ve rounded up our favorites to help keep your security untethered to power outlets (for a while at least).

• Netgear Arlo Smart Home
• Logi Circle
• Homeboy

This post originally appeared on iMore.

Netgear Arlo Smart Home

If you want a versatile battery-powered security camera, then seriously consider the Netgear Arlo. In fact, it’s the best around right now. It can go anywhere — even outdoors — thanks to its magnetic mounts, which allow you to easily place it on the wall, the ceiling, or in a tree outside your house.

The Arlo features an excellent wireless range, which can extend hundreds of feet from your router, all while livestreaming 720p video. Unlike Nest Cam, which requires a paid cloud storage subscription, the Arlo records and stores seven days’ worth of video for you to review, for free, with paid upgrade options.

Raccoons rummaging through your trash? Boom, night vision. Shady individual approaching your home? Motion detector sends you Smart Alerts in the form of push notifications and email.

You can even connect your Arlo to IFTTT, so you can connect it with other smart devices and create recipes, like “if motion is detected in the garage, turn on the bedroom light,” if you have smart lights.

Battery-wise, the Arlo takes four CR123 3-volt batteries, which can last up to six months, depending on usage and your Arlo’s proximity to the included Netgear Arlo Hub.

If you’re looking for a wireless security camera, period, then go with the Netgear Arlo Smart Home.

See at Amazon

Logi Circle

The Logi Circle is a solid Logitech product. Though its wireless battery life is abysmal when compared to our other two favorites (about 12 hours when off its charging cradle), it features two-way talk, allowing you to have Skype-like conversations via the app.

The Circle features live 1080p video and Smart Filtering, which pinpoints important motion that you can jump around to any moment in your video stream. Cloud storage is free, housing up to 24 hours of recorded video at a time for your to review.

A fantastically handy feature of the Logi app is the Smart Timelapse, which creates a 30-second video of the last 24 hours, so you can view everything that happened in a day far more quickly.

The Logi Circle also features night vision and a handy download and share option, which allows you to save any part of your 24-hour stored feed and share it via email, social media, and more.

The Circle’s price is right around the Arlo’s (about $200), and the two-way talk just about makes up for the lack of battery life. If you want a very family-oriented camera that operates as both a wired and battery-powered option, then check out the Logi Circle and freak out your kids when you start yelling at them through the app.

See at Amazon

Homeboy

If you’re not too worried about HD video quality or streaming capabilities, then the Homeboy might be a good solution for you. Its rechargeable battery can last up to three months, depending on usage, and it stores 12 hours of video at a time for you to review.

Like the Arlo, it features motion detection notifications in the form of push notifications, though you can also trigger it to send out a Tweet or a Facebook message. You can automatically arm it using its intelligent geo-fence, which is based on your phone’s location. You can also create recipes for your Homeboy, using IFTTT.

One of the Homeboy’s most useful features is the ability to invite other people to your network so that they also receive notifications when motion is detected. This is especially handy if you’re going away for a while but not long enough to warrant a house sitter.

During 2016, Homeboy will be rolling out professional monitoring, sort of in the way that alarm companies do it now. However, without livestreaming capabilities, professional monitoring is just as good as receiving notifications yourself.

If you want a home security camera that allows for a virtual neighbourhood watch of sorts, then the Homeboy is a solid option.

See at Homeboy

What do you use?

Did we miss an excellent battery-powered security camera? Sound off in the comments below.

Mobile Nations Weekly: MrMobile!

Say hello to the one, the only, the MrMobile.

Michael Fisher is back in action, ladies and gentlemen! As the one and only MrMobile, he’ll be bringing to YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram his own unique take on the latest and greatest in technology.

MrMobile launched officially with the above amazing video, plus a review of the new OnePlus 3, a nerdy in-depth examination of the Star Trek Bluetooth Communicator, and a look at Tesla’s EV offerings.

Give MrMobile a subscribe for even more great videos from the world of mobile technology!

Android Central — Chrome domes

Honor unveiled its latest budget device, the 5C, in Europe early on this week. It seems to have a lot going for it at a solid price, following up on the Honor 5X. And for those interested, it’s available right away in the UK.

We just keep learning more about running Android apps on Chromebooks, and relaying that information on to you. Questions about how to update apps, using a mouse, and checking out the dev channel are all being answered.

In further Google news, you now have yet another way to enable two-step verification with a super easy “prompt” on your phone to authenticate log-ins. Use it!

• OnePlus 3 vs. Galaxy S7 edge: Challenging at half the price
• The importance of a OnePlus phone you can actually buy
• Will EU roaming become more expensive after Brexit?
• How we’d change the Nexus 6P
• When will Android N be released?
• Samsung Gear 360 review
• OnePlus 3 vs. Xiaomi Mi5: A thoroughly one-sided contest
• What it’s like (so far) to use Android apps on a Chromebook
• OnePlus 3 vs. OnePlus 2: Getting better every year

CrackBerry — Earnings time

This week, BlackBerry held their annual meeting of shareholders and announced their Q1 2017 earnings. With all of that being in play, BlackBerry CEO John Chen also hit the media circuit to discuss the earnings, BlackBerry’s future and more.

• Listen to the BlackBerry annual and special meeting replay
• BlackBerry announces Q1 Fiscal 2017 results
• John Chen discusses BlackBerry profit forecast and new smartphones

iMore — Thunderbolted

It’s been a week since WWDC 2013 came to an end, but the beta period has just begun. From now until the fall, Apple will be releasing developer betas for iOS 10, macOS Sierra, watchOS 3, and tvOS 10, likely on the company’s usual two week cycle. That’s a lot of betas and a lot of time, but we’ll need all of it to really dig in and go over what it all does and, more importantly, what it all means.

Oh, and Apple just discontinued its Thunderbolt Display. But don’t worry, we’ve already rounded up the best Thunderbolt alternatives, and the best 4K displays for Mac.

• WWDC 2016: Beyond the keynote
• watchOS 3 first look: A big roll in the right direction
• macOS Sierra preview: Smarter, easier, better
• How to use Apple TV: The ultimate guide
• iPad Pro is the new Mac
• What to do when your iPhone or iPad gets stolen

Tesla Central — Solar buy-out

Tesla surprised everybody — the markets, customers, and their target — with a $2.7 billion offer to buy SolarCity. Tesla CEO Elon Musk (who is also Chairman of SolarCity), explained the acquisiton as “a no-brainer” and the only way to build an end-to-end clean energy company.

But not everybody is buying it, so to speak. Tesla and SolarCity are both loaded with billions of dollars in debt and face equally arduous paths to profitability. But, should it work out, Musk thinks that the combined Tesla could someday be worth a trillion dollars. (We’ll see.)

In the near-term, however, Tesla’s big project is stil the Model 3, and we for the first time got a good look at the interior of a Model 3 prototype. It’s a spartan layout and we can’t guarantee that the production car will look the same, though the uniquely clean design bodes well for the future of Autopilot. But if you want a car that won’t change appearance, might we suggest you enter in Tesla Central’s Model S (for kids by Radio Flyer) giveaway?.

• Elon Musk-run Tesla Motors offers to acquire Elon Musk-chaired SolarCity for $2.7 billion
• This is Elon: Tesla’s CEO on the proposed acquisition of SolarCity
• Tesla’s proposed SolarCity acquisition makes all the sense in the world — and none at all
• Could Tesla someday be worth a trillion dollars? Elon Musk seems to think so
• This is our best look yet at the Model 3’s spartan dashboard

Enter to win a Tesla Model S for kids by Radio Flyer

VR Heads — Everyone’s excited and things are great

There’s a whole lot of smiling and adventure happening in the VR Heads world right now. PlayStation VR demo stations have started arriving around the world, our post E3 coverage has ended in some interesting hands-ons, and it turns out IKEA has a wierd and wonderful VR experience.

Check out all of the eyes on adventures we’ve had!

• Damn, PlayStation VR is going to crush everything
• I visited IKEA in VR, and it blew my mind!
• Battlezone VR served as an awesome introduction to VR

Enter to win an HTC Vive VR headset and ASUS VR-capable gaming PC!

Windows Central — Tap to build

Microsoft pushed out two more updates this week for Fast Ring Insiders with build 14371 and 14372 going out to Mobile and PC users. The updates bring more fixes and improvements to the expected Anniversary Update due at the end of July.

Verizon surprised many of us with a Windows 10 Mobile update for the aging Lumia Icon, and AT&T followed by updating the Lumia 1520.

Roku and Sirius Radio launched new apps for Windows 10 as does anime-fave Crunchyroll.

Microsoft also did a soft-launch of their Wallet and NFC Tap to Pay feature for those in the US with select banks. The company also put out a decent promo video for when the new convenience tool goes wider later this summer.

• Why I dropped LastPass for Enpass on Windows 10 — and why you should too
• Huawei Matebook pre-orders begin today at Microsoft Store; available on July 11
• Get a Lumia 950 XL and get a Lumia 950 for free in Canada and the U.S.
• Dell XPS 13 (2015) review: Best of the small

Check out the latest Windows 10 #DoMoreEveryDay Gems!