Fastest-ever production drone is also one of the smartest

As a rule, the fastest drones tend to be either prototypes or one-off homebrew models. Even the quickest off-the-shelf drones are pokey in comparison. Teal, however, doesn’t think you should have to compromise. It’s launching a namesake drone that it claims is the world’s fastest production drone. At 70MPH, it’s so fast that it could outrun cars on the highway… within its maximum 2-mile range and 20-minute flight time (using a high-endurance pack), anyway. And no, it’s not as dangerous as it sounds. The Teal drone is stable in high winds (up to 40MPH in testing), touts high-accuracy GPS and comes with multiple modes to accommodate rookie pilots.

Crucially, this isn’t meant as a one-trick pony. On top of a 13-megapixel, 4K-capable camera, Teal packs NVIDIA’s Tegra TX1 (a beefy processor for a drone) and a software platform that encourages third-party apps. If you can imagine a flight mode, you can probably implement it. There are built-in apps for command and control flying, racing and a follow mode like you see on some camera drones. Also, Teal promises support for future modules that add radar-guided avoidance, thermal imaging and vision-based positioning.

If you suspect that this no-compromise design won’t come cheap, you’re right. It’ll cost you $1,299 to pre-order now, although you will get the high-endurance battery if you make your move before August 15th. Should everything go according to plan, early orders will arrive by the holidays. That’s a lot to pay and a long time to wait. Look at it this way, though: a DJI Phantom 4 officially sets you back $1,399, and it flies at ‘just’ 45MPH. While it does last longer at 28 minutes of air time, Teal may be the better buy if you’re a thrill junkie, a budding programmer or both.

Source: Teal Drones

DARPA wants modular chips for its killer robots

To add smarts to machines, you need to design circuits and chips, a time-consuming and costly business. The US military’s skunkworks arm, DARPA, wants to change all that with its new “CHIPS” program. The goal is to put entire circuit boards on modular chiplets, then tile them together to make a device. That would allow feats like “identifying objects and actions in real-time video feeds, real-time language translation, and coordinating motion on-the-fly among swarms of fast-moving unmanned aerial vehicles,” DARPA said in a blog post.

Each chiplet would perform a specific function like data storage, computing and signal processing. Those could then be assembled in a mosaic configuration on an “interposer,” or tiny circuit board, to perform specific functions. In addition to making it easier to design and add logic to robots, drones and other machines, the devices would potentially be faster and more efficient, since the overall circuit size is smaller.

A US Navy drone swarm takes flight.

Another problem DARPA’s trying to solve is the cost and complexity of intellectual property (IP). Using a standard circuit board often requires the manufacturer to buy multiple patent licenses for unneeded functions. The US Department of Defense thinks that if chiplets are separated by function, it would reduce costs by limiting the required IP. “This should be a win for both the commercial and defense sectors,” DARPA’s Dr. Daniel Green asserts.

Though DARPA wants the tech for military and security use, it says the chiplets would be useful in the commercial, non-killer-robot sector, and it need private companies to help make it happen. “Key to the success of CHIPS will be standards and interfaces, and this means we will be working with a community, not all by ourselves,” says Green. To facilitate that, it has posted a request for information (RFI) to get ideas from industry experts for chiplets that could be built at existing semiconductor foundries.

Source: DARPA

‘Pokémon Go’ Delayed in Japan Due to Leaked McDonald’s Sponsorship Details

Niantic has decided to postpone the launch of Pokémon Go in Japan today, due to an unexpected email leak that revealed details about the company’s rumored sponsor partnership with food chain McDonald’s. A source close to the company confirmed the delay to TechCrunch, referring to a specific email chain between Pokémon Go’s creators and McDonald’s as the reason behind the move.

The two companies — in addition to The Pokémon Company and Nintendo itself, presumably — believed that the all-but-confirmed launch of Pokémon Go in the country would create a hype that “would overload the game” for a lot of its players, not just within Japan. The creators of Pokémon Go now hope that a restructured, less publicly expected launch will prepare the game’s servers for an influx of players in the country that will undoubtedly be quite high.

When Pokémon Go does launch in Japan, it will be the first territory to introduce sponsored retail partnerships, which aim to lure players to restaurants like McDonald’s in order to generate revenue for both Niantic and the corporate food chain. According to these sources close to the launch, all 3,000 McDonald’s locations in Japan will be turned into gyms where players can battle opposing teams to take over the location, or train their Pokémon with teammates if they’ve already conquered the gym. It’s unclear if any locations will be PokéStops instead of gyms.

The debut of Pokémon Go in Japan is now said to be “imminent,” with a report from Nikkei suggesting the new launch date could be as soon as tomorrow, July 21. Over the weekend, the game launched in Canada and 26 countries across Europe, and it’s already been available in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Japan will mark its first launch in Asia, with an expected rollout to other countries in the region in the coming weeks.

Thanks to Pokémon Go’s success, Nintendo’s market value has more than doubled since the game launched earlier in July. The company is now worth $42.5 billion, and it even broke the single-day trading record in Tokyo last Friday when $4.5 billion worth of stock was traded. Nintendo’s new valuation now puts it ahead of Sony, which has a market cap sitting around $40 billion.

Tag: Pokémon GO
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Canon’s New MAXIFY Printers Support AirPrint on Mac and iOS

Canon has announced that its series of five new MAXIFY inkjet printers support AirPrint, including the MB5420, MB5120, MB2720, MB2120, and iB4120 models.

AirPrint enables wireless printing from iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac without having to install additional software or drivers. The technology is supported by dozens of printers sold by Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, HP, Lenovo, Lexmark, Panasonic, Ricoh, Samsung, Toshiba, Xerox, and other manufacturers.

Canon’s MAXIFY lineup of all-in-one printers are designed for home or small office use, with built-in copying, scanning, and faxing capabilities alongside cloud-connected features through the free Canon PRINT app. The all-new printers retail for between $149.99 and $399.99 on Canon’s website based on U.S. pricing.

Tags: Canon, AirPrint
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Sony Xperia X Performance now available from Unlocked-Mobiles

If you’re looking at channels to purchase the Sony Xperia X Performance, you’re also in luck should you shop at Unlocked-Mobiles in the UK. The retailer has just shared with us that stock for the X Performance is now available for shipping. Priced at £599.98 (including VAT), this premium handset packs a punch and will be more than capable of handling anything you throw at it.

Available in black, the Xperia X Performance comes with LTE support, a 5-inch 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, Snapdragon 820 processor, 23-MP main shooter to capture those moments, and a 2700mAh battery. As an added bonus, the device is SIM-unlocked, meaning you’ll be able to throw a SIM card from any network in the UK.

See at Unlocked Mobiles

BBC’s new hub app brings together all your favorite content

The BBC has launched a new app for iOS and Android that acts as a hub to bring together online iPlayer content, weather forecasts, recipes and more all in one place. While a myBBC account is required so the BBC can more conveniently track your use of the new app, it serves as your new centralized hub for all things BBC. Whether you’re wanting to catch-up on your favorite original series or wish to check out tomorrow’s forecast, you can do all this with BBC+.

As noted by the BBC in its own coverage, the corporation hopes the launch of BBC+ will help avoid a situation where consumers become confused with multiple apps for different types of content. This isn’t the only move the BBC has made to consolidate content into a single offering. The corporation recently shut down BBC Newsbeat and moved all content to the BBC News umbrella. When firing up the BBC+ app for the first time, you’ll be asked to choose at least three topics from a rather lengthy list.

This enables the app to curate an “at a glance” geed that will help keep you in the loop without requiring multiple menu entries to find content covering numerous topics. The myBBC connection brings with it a few neat features, one being the ability to save tracks heard on shows that can be listened to at a later date. Head to the Play Store to download BBC+ and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Sky Kids app now has offline viewing to help with school holidays travelling

Sky Kids for Android and iOS now offers offline viewing. You can download the shows and films available on the application to keep children entertained over school holiday trips and beyond.

Customers with either a Sky Go Extra, Sky Multiscreen or Sky Q subscription can download programmes for their kids to watch when there is no internet connection.

These include series from Nick Jr, Boomerang and Cartoon Network, including Top Cat, Paw Patrol and Adventure Time.

Of course, parents with the above accounts can already download children’s programming on the Sky Go application itself, but Sky Kids puts all that content in a neat and handy place. It also presents it in a format that youngsters will appreciate and find easier to navigate.

• Sky Kids app ‘Buddies’ bring TV and on demand fun to the little ones
• Sky Q features coming to Sky+, here’s what to expect in Homepage refresh

In addition to offline viewing, the Sky Kids app now also includes a Sleep Mode feature. The app can be set to turn off when it has been used for a set amount of time. It will warn a child five minutes before closing down.

The app is available on Google Play and the iTunes App Store and will work over 3G and 4G connections, as well as Wi-Fi. It can be used by any Sky customer with a Sky Family or Variety bundle. However, downloads are only available to those with Sky Go Extra, Sky Multiscreen as well.

Sky Q customers can use all features of the app.

At internetmatters.org parents can find all the advice they will need to keep their children safe online. Designed specifically for parents, the site offers a wealth of up-to-date, unbiased information and advice about how to deal with online safety. Parents can learn about the latest issues and technologies, get great tips on how to talk about online safety with their children and get the best advice on dealing with issues and taking action. Created with experts, Internet Matters provides detailed information, but also signposts to best-in-class resources from individual expert organisations. Our goal is to ensure parents can always access the information that they need, in a format that is clear and concise.