ICYMI: Reinvented wheel and drones that can evade
Today on In Case You Missed It: Stanford is teaching drones how to avoid either existing obstacles or ones that come in the form of an attacking human. It all works in real-time, which is why the video of the technology in action shows a fencer sparring with the drone. German students have created a wheel that works like a robotic bicycle chain, morphing its shape from round to triangular — whatever is needed to get over obstacles in its path.
Please watch the video from YouTuber Useless Duck Company for a Nintendo laugh. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Snapchat debuts ‘Bitmoji’ stickers for your messages
Back in March, reports surfaced that Snapchat shelled out $100 million for Bitstrips, a company that makes personalized comic strips based on your personal avatar. As you might expect, those illustrations were destined for the ephemeral messaging service and today they’re making the debut. The technical term for the cartoonish chararcters is actually Bitmoji, and to make yours, you’ll need to download an app by the same name.
Once you do so, you’re free to create that comic book version of yourself to use in your snaps. Link your account with Snapchat and you’re free to use the images with the social photo and video app. What’s more, if the person you’re sending the message to also cartooned themselves, you’ll be able to use theirs as well. The Bitmoji are available for use in chats, too. Now there’s one more way to spice up those disappearing messages with some personal flair.
Source: Snapchat
The Tinder movie no one asked for is happening
Tinder has been used to market movies like Ex Machina before, but we can’t think of any with plots that revolve around the app. That’s about to change with Warner Bros.’ Worst Tinder Date Ever, a movie from the Friends with Benefits writers Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, according to THR. The story from revolves around a Tinder date that turns into a disaster that (of course) draws the main characters together by the end. So, it’s like a modern take on You’ve Got Mail, if the Hanks/Ryan characters just wanted to have sex.
Tinder itself doesn’t appear to be involved with the film, and there’s no word on whether it will be R-rated, as the right-swiping app itself is now verboten to under-18 users. Considering that there’s a movie coming about emojis, it’s hard to believe that there’s not already a Tinder-based movie, which is ripe as a plot contrivance and used by millions of people. There will no doubt be keen interest in the casting.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Government requests for Google data reached new highs in 2015
Governments around the world sent Google 40,677 requests for user data in the second half of 2015, the highest figure the search company has ever posted in its Transparency Report. That’s also a significant jump from the 35,365 requests Google saw during the first half of last year (January through June). Similarly, user accounts the company was asked to provide data on reached a record high, 81,311, compared to 68,908 in the first part of 2015. Google was one of the first companies to provide a transparency report around government data requests, starting in 2009, and since then it’s spurred others to do the same.
“We’re pleased with some of the improvements we’ve seen in surveillance laws,” Google’s Richard Salgado, Legal Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security, wrote in a blog post. “The European Commission and the United States recently agreed on the Privacy Shield agreement, which includes new undertakings covering procedural protections for surveillance efforts. Earlier this year, President Obama signed the Judicial Redress Act into law, which Google strongly supported.”
While the number of data requests has steadily risen over the years, Google has actually reduced the amount of data it’s given out for those requests. In the second half of 2010, the company provided data for 76 percent of requests, but it’s held steady at around 64 percent since 2012.
Not surprisingly, the United States led the pack in terms of data requests, with 12,523 made during the second half of 2015. Google provided data for 79 percent of those requests, across 27,152 accounts. Germany was in second place with 7,491 requests, and France came in third with 4,174.
Source: Google Transparency Report, Google
NBA announces two original shows that will stream on Twitter
Earlier this month, a Recode report indicated that Twitter was in talks with the NBA and Turner to bring more sports video to the social platform. Today, the league announced the deal what will bring two “live original programs,” or TV-style shows, to Twitter, video content that will be exclusive to the social network. Details are scarce for now, but the first will be a weekly pre-game show while all the NBA is saying about the second “to-be-determined show” is that you’ll only be able to watch it on Twitter. If you were hoping for live game action, you’ll certainly be disappointed… for now.
In addition to the original programming, the deal also includes more video on the whole for Twitter, Vine and Periscope from the NBA. What it doesn’t offer is the key piece that most basketball fans want: live games. Recode reports that Twitter was interested in streaming game action, but it looks like it couldn’t get a deal done with the league and Turner (who owns the rights to NBA games) that included the activity on the hardwood. Another interesting tidbit is that you won’t have to be logged in to watch the streams when they make their debut. We’d surmise the premiere of both will coincide with the new season that begins in October.
It’s also unclear who will produce the new shows, but as Recode points out, Turner lends a hand with the league’s digital content, including apps and the web. The outlet also reports that Twitter isn’t paying the NBA for the shows, and instead the two will share ad revenue from the videos. This isn’t the first time the two sides have worked together though, as Twitter debuted 360-degree video during the NBA Finals. The social network also has an agreement with the NFL what will allow it to stream Thursday Night Football games this fall.
Via: Recode
Source: NBA
Kia to Release CarPlay Software Update for Select 2014 to 2017 Models
Kia has announced that CarPlay and Android Auto will be available as free software updates for a wider range of select 2014 to 2017 model year vehicles equipped with UVO3 or a compatible navigation system.
The new U.S. models eligible for the CarPlay update specifically, in addition to the 2017 Sorento and Sportage, include the 2017 Forte, 2015-16 Optima, 2015-16 Optima Hybrid, 2015-16 Sedona, 2014-16 Soul, and 2015-16 Soul EV.
The CarPlay software update will be available for download by the end of July on the UVO Home website. Kia said it will notify customers signed up for email notifications via UVO Home when the software is available for download.
Kia’s other CarPlay vehicles include the 2017 Cadenza and 2017 Forte5. Its parent brand Hyundai offers CarPlay in the 2016 Sonata, 2017 Elantra, and 2017 IONIQ. Kia also sells select models with CarPlay in Canada and other regions around the world.
The software update is notable given that it involves a number of older 2014 and 2015 models, further proving that automakers are capable of offering CarPlay in properly equipped older vehicles if they choose to do so. Unsurprisingly, however, most brands have limited CarPlay to their newest models only.
BMW, Nissan, and Ford are among the newest CarPlay partners, leaving Toyota and Mazda as two of the largest automakers that have yet to adopt the software platform. Apple periodically updates a list of available CarPlay models on its website.
Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tag: Kia
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Netflix Faces ‘Unexpected’ Loss of Subscribers Due to Monthly Price Increase
Earlier this year, Netflix reminded its oldest users that the terms of its grandfathered pricing — which kept these subscribers at the $7.99 level for two years — would be coming to a close sometime in the second or third quarter of 2016.
In a recent letter to the company’s investors, CEO Reed Hastings remarked on the unfortunate churn of its subscriber base who reacted “unexpectedly” to the impending price increase.
The loss of grandfathered pricing places these older users at a new $9.99/month charge for the company’s popular streaming service, which Netflix sees as an agreeable compensation for its noticeable uptick in consistent, original programs like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards. These shows debuted in 2013, and the $9.99/month price for new subscribers began just the next year, in 2014. Users can choose to stay at $7.99/month if they wish, at the loss of HD video streaming.
Due to these abandoned users, the company’s stock fell 15 percent before its second quarter earnings report, shared yesterday. In the report, Netflix noted that it expected to add about 532,000 subscribers in the United States and 2.10 million internationally in Q2 2016 (just under a 2.5 million goal), but came up short on both goals. The company ultimately netted 160,000 new customers in the U.S. and 1.52 million overseas, landing under 1.7 million total in the quarter.
“Gross additions were on target, but churn ticked up slightly and unexpectedly, coincident with the press coverage in early April of our plan to un-grandfather longer tenured members and remained elevated through the quarter,” said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings in a letter to investors. “We think some members perceived the news as an impending new price increase rather than the completion of two years of grandfathering.”
As the price hike began to near in the spring, Hastings admitted that users googling and researching the increase in their subscription cost appears to be consistent with the churn the company has seen this quarter. Despite Netflix’s increase in programming, “Whatever the price is for something, people don’t like for it to go up,” Hastings admitted, while still claiming that the new price tiers are “working great” for new members.
Tag: Netflix
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Harvard’s battery tech takes cues from vitamin B2
A team of Harvard scientists on a quest to find an organic molecule that can be used to make non-toxic, low cost flow batteries found their answer in vitamin B2. By making just a couple of tweaks to riboflavin’s original molecule, which converts carbs to fuel in our bodies, they were able to design one that can be used to store energy harnessed by solar and wind sources. The same team previously worked on a battery that uses a type of organic molecule called quinones and ferrocyanide (a food additive) instead of typical electrolyte. They decided to find other molecules that could lead to a version with better capacity, however, and were inspired by B2’s capabilities.
Kaixiang Lin, a team member and one of the study’s authors, said they considered “about a million different quinones” but ended up developing a whole new class of electrolyte material. He also added that it’s simple to make and can be manufactured in large quantities for cheap. Flow batteries store energy in solutions kept in tanks, you see. The bigger the tank, the larger the amount of energy it can hold, so this molecule could lead to high-capacity batteries. Lin and his fellow researchers plan to study their creation more closely, but they’re also still on the lookout for other organic molecules that can outperform it.
Source: Harvard, Nature Energy
Withings Launches $100 ‘Thermo’ Contactless Thermometer for No-Hassle Readings
Announced earlier this year at CES, Withings today officially launched its latest connected health device, Thermo, a contactless thermometer approved by the FDA that “yields the most precise temperature possible” for parents looking to diagnose not only their children, but themselves.
With a connected app, which syncs to Thermo firstly through Wi-Fi but defaults to Bluetooth if Wi-Fi is unavailable, the company aims to track anyone’s rough patch of sickness with temperature logs, medicine reminders, and a symptoms tracker all available for each user.
Thermo claims its “clinical accuracy” comes from HotSpot Sensor technology, which uses 16 infrared sensors to take more than 4,000 measurements and readings in one swipe of the device on a sickly individual’s forehead. After finding the hottest point of contact, the Thermo detects changes in temperature and displays its highest reading on the digital screen of the product’s handle, with convenient LEDs for easy visual confirmation of a normal, elevated, or high temperature based on the user’s age.
Using revolutionary HotSpot Sensor™ Technology, Thermo uses 16 infrared sensors to take over 4,000 measurements to find the hottest point. Thermo sweeps over the forehead and measures from the temporal artery — considered the best way to detect temperature changes, as the blood that circulates there comes directly from the core of the body.
Thermo is a game changer. Now a fast, simple, no-contact gesture yields the most precise temperature possible, and automatic sync with the dedicated app also allows you to track temperature readings, get reminders, and input related symptoms/medications right on your smartphone.
The biggest advantage of the new connected thermometer is that it doesn’t require direct contact with skin to successfully read a person’s temperature, which means, unlike traditionally invasive designs, Thermo avoids contact with potentially unsanitary body fluids like saliva and ear wax. Withings said this advantage makes Thermo “the most sanitary way to take anyone’s temperature.”
All of these readings are subsequently wired into the connected Withings app (supporting up to 8 family members), which accounts for a patient’s age, fever history, and symptoms, guiding users to the best potential path for treatment. After temperature is determined on Thermo, a touch sensitive pad on the device’s LED readout lets users toggle through family members to assign each reading. Push notifications can also be set up, so the app will remind users to take consistent readings throughout the day.
Thanks to a partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital, parents can also get even more in-depth information on what kind of medication and dosage amounts they should look into if fevers run high enough to need a doctor visit. In order to keep track of everything happening during a period of illness, they can also mark down specific notes — like how the sick family member is feeling — to provide a more robust view of an individual’s sickness when talking to a doctor.
Thermo is available for $99.95 and can be purchased exclusively both in Apple Stores and on Withings.com. For those who invest in the company’s new thermometer, the Withings Thermo app is available for free on the App Store now. [Direct Link]
Tag: Withings
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Nintendo’s market value has doubled since Pokémon Go release
Nintendo’s shares soared another 14.4% on Tuesday, with its market cap more than doubling to $42.5 billion (4.5 trillion yen) since the launch of Pokémon Go on July 6. To put the numbers into perspective, Nintendo is now worth more than Sony, which has a market value of $40 billion.
Pokémon Go is now available in 35 countries, and has already overtaken Twitter and Tinder when it comes to daily active users. Speaking to Reuters, a fund manager at an asset management firm in Japan said that the game will further boost Nintendo’s stock:
Virtual reality and augmented reality have been a focus of the market but hardly anyone was expecting Nintendo in this area. Suddenly Nintendo has become an AR-related stock. Under my rough estimate, the sales from Pokemon GO and upcoming related gadgets will boost net profits by 50 billion yen. Based on that assumption, Nintendo is traded at 30 times profits, which is not unreasonable.
The Japanese gaming giant has also announced that it would be launching a NES Classic Edition, a mini replica of the NES that comes with 30 pre-loaded games. The console will debut in the U.S. in November for $59.99, which includes one NES Classic controller, an HDMI cable, and an AC adapter.
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