Honda unveils first hybrid motor without heavy rare earth metals
Honda pledged to reduce its use of rare earth metals a decade ago, and the automaker took another step towards that goal this week. It unveiled its new hybrid motor that was co-developed alongside Daido Steel, another Japan-based company. The new motor doesn’t use heavy rare earth metals like dysprosium and terbium, instead relying on magnets from Daido Steel that cost 10 percent less and weigh 8 percent lighter than the previous components. In fact, the automaker is the first to develop a hybrid motor that doesn’t use the heavy metals. Honda says the new engines will reduce its reliance on the pricey rare earth metals that are primarily supplied by China.
The new hybrid motors will make their debut in the compact Freed minivan this fall, a vehicle that’s already on the road in Asia. Honda also noted during the announcement that not only would cutting out the rare earth metals save money, but it would also reduce the potential for price fluctuations on the materials it uses to build the engines. The new motors don’t nix rare earth elements entirely though, as the new version still has neodymium which is found in North America, Australia and China.
Source: Reuters
Google’s Project Fi offers fast data when you travel
Starting today, Google Project Fi subscribers who use data abroad can expect between 10 and 20 times faster data connections thanks to a new deal with Hutchinson Whampoa, the parent company to Three in the UK.
While Fi has been hammering down mobile costs for domestic use in the US, it had been hampered by limited browsing while abroad. Previously, Google had limited roaming speeds to 256Kbps to ensure a reliable service for users travelling abroad before the deals were in place.
In addition to providing faster data in 135 countries for the same $10 per GB fee as in the US, Google recently boosted the wireless reception of the service for customers and removed the requirement for an invitation. You will still need a Fi-compatible phone though.
On Three’s side of things, it’s a move that makes a lot of sense — it already offers its UK customers roaming that’s included with your regular package in a host of countries, so adding another US carrier to the list can only improve its appeal to potential customers.
Source: Android Blog
Georgia Tech’s DURUS robot has a more natural human-like stride
Last time we saw the DURUS robot walking like a human, it was still doing so relatively flat footed. The folks at Georgia Tech’s AMBER-Lab have improved the robot’s movements to incorporate even more human-like heel strikes and push-offs. As you can see in the video below, the new range of motion gives DURUS a more natural stride, and the ability to wear some sweet sneakers. Until about a week ago, the robot shuffled along flat footed before getting a pair of new metal feet with arches soles. After some tweaking of the algorithms and a few falls, DURUS now strides like the rest of us.
“Our robot is able to take much longer, faster steps than its flat-footed counterparts because it’s replicating human locomotion,” said director Georgia Tech’s lab and engineering professor Aaron Ames. He explained that the new behavior makes strides towards the eventual goal of having DURUS walk outdoors.
DURUS has springs between its ankles and feet that act like elastic tendons in humans. The springs allow the robot to store mechanical energy from the heel strike to be used when the toe pushes off the ground. As you might expect, this makes the system very efficient with a 1.4 cost of transport, a common measure of robotic locomotion. Compare that to the 3.0 cost of transport for other humanoid robots and you can see the kinds of upgrades Ames and the students at Georgia Tech are making. Ames also said that updates like this one to DURUS could mean big improvements to robotic devices like prostheses and exoskeletons.
Source: Georgia Tech
9 ways to automate tasks on iOS – CNET
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Taylor Martin/CNET
It may be a little daunting, but Workflow is one of the most useful applications you can install on an iPhone. With simple automations, it reduces multi-step processes to a single tap and makes some actions that weren’t previously possible on iOS, such as downloading and extracting ZIP files, quite simple.
Knowing where to start with Workflow (currently $2.99, £2.29 or AU$4.49) is half the battle. Here are some helpful automations to get you started.
Track expenses
Tracking expenses isn’t a difficult process, but it’s time consuming and monotonous. Using the Send Receipts workflow, you can quickly backup any photos you’ve taken of receipts to Dropbox and email them to your boss with the tap of a button.
Running the workflow opens an image picker, where you can select all the receipt images from a business trip or other purchases. Those images will be uploaded to a preset Dropbox directory, a new email draft will be created with a Dropbox link for the uploaded images, the dollar amount (which you will need to set manually) and a description of what the items are. All you need to do is dress up the email with a few dad jokes and press send.
AirDrop recent screenshots
I take a lot of screenshots, and one of the easiest ways to get those screenshots transferred over to my Mac is using AirDrop. Using the AirDrop Screenshot workflow, the most recent screenshots will automatically be selected and sent using AirDrop to whichever nearby Apple device you select. The number of screenshots can be set before running the workflow.
Alternatively, you can edit the workflow to individually select screenshots by swapping the Get Latest Screenshots action with Select Photos and navigating to the Screenshots album after running the workflow. Once you select the images, choose your Mac with the AirDrop share menu and the images will appear on your Mac in a few seconds.
…then delete those screenshots
Once you have all your screenshots on your Mac, you might want to quickly delete them from your iPhone or iPad to free up space. Using the Delete Screenshots workflow, you can do exactly that in one fell swoop.
Before you run the workflow, choose how many of the latest screenshots you want to remove, click the play button at the top to run the workflow and choose whether you want them to be automatically or selectively deleted. Keep in mind, if you have a large number of screenshots selected, deleting them selectively — one by one — will take a very long time, and the workflow will not stop running until you finish deleting them all.
Share your availability
Taylor Martin/CNET
The Share Availability workflow takes a look at your calendar for a selected date, finds the times where you have no appointments and composes a new text message with the times that you’re available. From there, all you need to do is choose a recipient and hit Send.
Direct download links for Dropbox files
When sharing files with a Dropbox share link, you’re taken to the Dropbox website where you can login to add the files to your personal Dropbox or download them to your computer.
If, however, you want to share a direct download link to a file you have saved in your Dropbox (meaning the file will automatically download when someone visits the link), add the Direct Dropbox Link workflow from Workflow Directory.
This workflow can also be useful for sharing GIFs or pictures from your Dropbox on Twitter, in forums or even on Facebook.
Download any file
When it comes to downloading files you normally can’t with iOS, the File Downloader workflow is the answer. This workflow lets you temporarily download files to your iPhone and upload them to any of your cloud storage accounts, such as Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive and more.
Say, for instance, someone shared a ZIP file with you from Dropbox. Normally, there isn’t much you could do with that link from your iPhone. You could, however, pass that Dropbox link through the Direct Dropbox Link workflow, then open that URL with the File Downloader workflow to add it to your iCloud Drive or Google Drive accounts.
Turn websites into PDFs
To turn any text or a web page into a PDF, add the Make PDF workflow to your collection. Whenever you want to save a site or text into a PDF, hit the share button, select Run Workflow from the share menu and select Make PDF.
A preview of the PDF will appear, which you can then share and send or share as you normally would with iOS.
Get EXIF data for images
By default, there is no way to view EXIF data for images on iOS, though there are plenty of third-party apps which allow you to view and edit the EXIF data. But if all you want to know is when or where you took a photo, use the Image Details workflow.
To use it, open the Photos application and select an image. Tap the share button, select Run Workflow, and tap Image Details. The device with which you took the photo will be listed, as well as the resolution of the image and the time and date it was taken. When you press OK, you can view where the image was taken in Apple Maps (assuming location data is present) or exit the workflow.
Expand URLs
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Taylor Martin/CNET
I’m almost always wary of clicking on shortened links. Many people use them for analytics and tracking purposes, but they’re commonly used for more nefarious reasons too.
If you’re unsure where a shortened link might take you, copy it, open the Workflows app and run the Expand URL workflow. The full, expanded URL will be copied to your clipboard and displayed at the bottom of the workflow page. You can then open Safari and paste the URL if everything looks fine or avoid it altogether without opening a link that might have taken you to somewhere on the web you never intended to be.
Bonus: Bend the rules
What makes Workflow so compelling is not only that it extends the capabilities of the iPhone or that it allows third-party apps to intermingle with native apps and features in unique ways, but it also allows people to collaborate on workflows. There is even a subreddit dedicated to the Workflow community.
Furthermore, you can share your workflows with other users. Or you can download workflows from the Gallery within the app, the unofficial Workflow Directory or directly from other Workflow users, and tweak and mold each of those workflows to suit your needs.
If you like what a workflow does but not the way it finishes or shares the output, change it. For example, the Expand URL workflow is great, but it only copies the expanded URL to the clipboard. To improve the workflow, I added a step which provides a text preview of the URL and asks whether you want to open the URL or cancel.
To get the absolute most out of Workflow, you should not only find the workflows which appeal to you, but take the time to personalize them by creating workflows for specific contacts or your favorite apps.
How to turn on AR mode after you’ve turned it off in Pokemon Go – CNET
All you need to do is find a Pokemon.
Alina Bradford/CNET
There are times when it’s a good idea to turn off Pokemon Go’s augmented reality feature. Turning off AR switches off the cool graphics and gives you a plain background. It also allows you to catch a Pokemon without aiming your phone’s camera at it.
Turning off AR mode is helpful when Pokemon appear in people’s houses. You really don’t want strangers to call the cops because you’re standing in front of their house pointing your phone at them. Unfortunately, you can only turn AR on or off during a battle, so you might find yourself stuck with the wrong settings.
So, to turn on AR you’ll need to find another Pokemon. Tap on the Pokemon to engage it and the AR toggle will pop up in the upper right-hand side of the screen.
Make sure to toggle the AR switch before you capture the Pokemon or you will be stuck without AR mode until you find another Pokemon to battle.
- Find more tips for new Pokemasters at our Ultimate Guide to Pokemon Go.
Don’t miss your chance to save $50 on the Amazon Echo
Right now, Amazon Prime members can save $50 on the Amazon Echo, dropping the price to just $129. If you are not a Prime member already, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial to take advantage of the deals that Amazon is offering today. For those not familiar with the Echo, it is Amazon’s smart speaker that can play your music, respond to voice commands and much more.
Amazon has been adding new features and functionality to the Echo each week, so if you are interested but don’t want to pay the full price today is your day. This deal, which is part of Amazon’s Prime Day is only good for today, July 12.
See at Amazon
Amazon Echo
- Read our updated review
- Get the latest news
- Join the discussion
- Download the Echo app
Amazon
Sphero BB-8 is $28 less for Prime members today!
Have you been eyeing Sphero’s BB-8 but waiting for it to drop in price? Well, Amazon Prime members can pick it up today for just $97, which is a $28 discount on it. If you don’t already have a Prime membership, you can sign up right now for a free 30-day trial to get in on the discounts. The BB8 is controlled by an app on your phone, and it has authentic movement just like what you see from the character in the movie.
In addition, you can control this with your voice or set it to autonomous and let it go explore on its own. If you’ve been wanting to add this BB-8 to your house, don’t wait too long. This deal is only good for today, July 12, as part of Amazon’s Prime Day.
See at Amazon
These are the people playing Pokemon Go
Massive numbers of people from nearly every walk of life are out in search of Pokemon right now.
As you may have noticed, we’ve published a non-trivial number of articles recently on the new game Pokemon Go. It’s a little different from our usual Android coverage, but there are several good reasons for it. The most important is simple — there are so. many. people. playing this game and looking for instructions on how to use the individual features in the game.
Who are these people, though?
If you ask folks who aren’t playing the game, you’ll undoubtedly hear something negative about the folks currently obsessed with Pokemon Go.
- Longtime Android Central reader Acelucero75 says “I guess we’re all four year olds.”
- Donatoadc was a lot less polite about their thoughts.
- Phd210 seemed to think Pokemon Go was only for a small fraction of the Android Central readership.
- Erik Johnson isn’t a fan, but figured it was good for all the fat kids who would play the game.
- He’s also pretty sure anyone who is over 15 and plays this is a loser.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with not liking a game — especially one that isn’t really a part of your personal culture and wasn’t something you enjoyed while growing up — a lot of the comments I saw about what the assumed demographic for this game was seemed off. I couldn’t disagree with these folks without something more than anecdotal evidence, so I went to Baltimore’s beautiful Inner Harbor at sunset to see who was playing this game.
This couple decided to take a walk around the harbor after work, and have been playing Pokemon Go from Day 1. The guy noted that this was his favorite area to walk for the game because he loves the designs for the water-type Pokemon a lot, and would rather catch those. This isn’t someone living in his Mom’s basement, he has a job and a healthy relationship and a life.
These two were angrily commenting on how frequently Niantic’s servers were going down when I stopped them to talk. The 31-year-old to the right grew up with Pokemon, and has had a lot of fun getting out and exploring the city a little more than usual with her friends.
There isn’t a single person in this photo younger than 22, and all of them were wandering around playing together. They caught my attention when one of them shouted “Oh, shit! There’s a Dratini over here, son!” And no less than 15 people who had been playing the game in the surrounding area wandered over to catch it. All adults, having a good time with friends, and sharing the game with others. A woman who had just left a bar with a friend that was playing the game explained that she thought no one over 18 was playing this game, but seeing nearly everyone in the Harbor playing made her want to install it on the spot.
This couple had been walking around the Baltimore Convention Center when I arrived in the city and made their way to the Inner Harbor because of all the Lure Modules that had been installed on all the PokeStops in the area. The man on the right is 51 years old, and has been playing video games “from all the way back in the day” with his friends. He says he’s never seen anything quite like this, and loves how amazingly diverse the players out in the real world are.
Not one of these people could tell me what a Nexus phone was.
These are people I found willing to let a random stranger take their photo within a 20-minute span. The number of people excitedly playing this game is incredible, and quickly put to rest any arguments about the quality or age of person playing Pokemon Go. As I left the Harbor I saw three police officers on bikes. Two of them were cautiously watching as people ran between the Pokestops, unsure of what to think of the activity. The third explained out loud that this actually started during his shift on Friday, and there had never been so many people in this area in the evening before without an event happening somewhere nearby.
By far the most amazing part of all this is how few of these people ever go to tech blogs for news about anything. Not one of these people could tell me what a Nexus phone was, or which Samsung phone got the latest updates. These are people playing a game, having fun, and looking to share those experiences with other people. Personally, I’m looking forward to giving those people new things to read.
Pokémon Go
- Requirements to play Pokémon Go
- The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
- How to play without killing your battery
- Be careful where you download from
- Join our Pokémon Go forums!
T-Mobile is offering free Galaxy On5 or Galaxy J7 for all lines on select plans
T-Mobile is offering up free Samsung Galaxy phones to all lines on qualifying plans as part of its latest promotion. Customers who are on the 6GB or 10GB family plan will be able to get a free Galaxy On5 or Galaxy J7 through 24 bill credits. Each line on the plan will be eligible for the promotion, and it applies to new accounts and existing customers on these plans.
From T-Mobile’s announcement:
Plus, with this epic deal, families can get 4 lines with up to 6GB of LTE data per line – 24GB total – for just $30 a line per month. Adding a line is just $20 more per month. And, absolutely everyone in the family can get a brand new Samsung Galaxy On5 – which normally sells for $140 – after monthly service credits during 24-month no-cost finance agreement. That means, you’ll see a credit for the cost of the free phone on your monthly wireless bill, and after 24 months, you’ll have paid nothing for the phone, except sales tax, and will owe nothing more.
Data-hungry families also can get up to 10 gigs of high-speed data per line for just $40 a line for the first four people in the family, and just $30 for everyone else. Plus, everyone can get a Samsung Galaxy J7 per line on us, which normally sells for $240. And, those gigs go even further on the Un-carrier network, since the kids will be able to stream all the music and video they want from their favorite services without burning their high-speed data with Binge On and Music Freedom and roll forward any unused data for use up to a full year later with Data Stash, up to 20GB per line.
The promotion begins on July 13, and T-Mobile just states that it will be available for a limited time, with no specific end date mentioned. Will you be taking T-Mobile up on this offer for any lines on your account? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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