Kapture: Part Wearable Microphone, Part Time Machine
What if you could mix wearable tech, spy gear and a dash of audio-only time travel? You’d have Kapture: a wristwatch-sized microphone that’s always listening to the world around it.
Kapture stays constantly connected to your smartphone and activates with a tap, so saving a recording of the past 60 seconds is as simple as flicking your wrist. As one of those weird kids who used to bring a tape recorder to school to document his days, Kapture instantly struck a chord with the young Michael Fisher inside me – but as it turns out, Kapture is a quirky little device.
Is the privilege of acoustic time travel worth the Kapture’s hardware handicaps (and its steep price tag)? Join me for the latest MrMobile video to find out!
Go forth and socialize!
- YouTube
- Le web
- Snapchat
Elon Musk’s SolarCity will sell roofs made of solar panels
Imagine a roof designed to absorb the sun’s rays as a source of energy.
We’re not talking about a roof with solar panels attached to it as an afterthought, but rather a roof entirely made out of solar cells. SolarCity, a clean energy company that Tesla is trying to acquire and that entrepreneur Elon Musk serves as chairman over, is currently developing such a technology, according to Musk, who revealed the project during SolarCity’s latest earnings call.
During the call, Musk announced that SolarCity will unveil a “solar roof” and emphasised that Tesla/SolarCity plan to go after the roof industry with the new products — right after Lyndon Rive, SolarCity CEO, referred to two new products that’ll be unveiled before the end of the year, which is when the Tesla and SolarCity merger is expected to close.
“It’s a solar roof, as opposed to modules on a roof,” said Musk. “I think this is really a fundamental part of achieving differentiated product strategy, where you have a beautiful roof. It’s not a thing on the roof. It is the roof.”
Musk suggested customers will be able to customise their roof design, and that they simply won’t receive a bundle of solar shingles. It’s therefore unclear how this will work, but more details should come out after the merger.
What is SolarCity and why is Tesla buying it?
If Tesla Motors has its way, when you go shopping for your next electric vehicle, you might walk out of the store with a home battery and a new roof for your house made up entirely of solar cells.
Earlier this month, entrepreneur Elon Musk announced that one of his companies, Tesla, plans to buy another one of his companies, SolarCity, because their customer bases already overlap and combining their resources is a “blinding obvious” step in the right direction. Wall Street, on the other hand, is a little skeptical of the merger. Here’s everything you need to know, including what it means for your future.
What is SolarCity?
SolarCity is a San Mateo, CA-based company. It provides energy services, such as the designing, financing, and installing of solar power systems. Elon Musk, who is mostly known for SpaceX (an aerospace manufacturer) and Tesla Motors (an electric vehicle manufacturer), which are two companies he founded and currently serves as CEO over, co-founded and is the chairman of SolarCity.
The New York Times said Musk is the largest SolarCity shareholder, owning 22 percent of the company run by his cousin, Lyndon Rive. SolarCity’s shares have dropped 60 percent so far this year, as it missed the consensus earnings forecast for three out of four quarters. It’s begun focusing less on installation growth and has instead ramped up loan programs to homeowners buying solar panels.
What is Tesla Motors?
Tesla Motors is a 13-year-old company co-founded by Musk and named after inventor Nikola Tesla. It designs, makes, and sells electric cars and battery products, including the Powerwall home battery designed to be paired with rooftop solar systems. The Powerwall stores excess energy produced from your own solar generation (so that energy not used at the time will be available later).
The Powerwall can also store power when electricity from the power grid is at its cheapest rate (off-peak), and with all this stored energy, it can juice up your house. From a 0.2kWh fridge to a 2.3kWh washer, the 7kWh or 10kWh Powerwall will keep stuff running.
Why is Tesla buying SolarCity?
Tesla announced in early August that it plans to buy solar energy firm SolarCity for $2.6 billion in an all-stock deal. The two companies want to scale their battery and solar energy operations. Tesla first offered to acquire SolarCity in June. The deal is not complete but should close in the fourth quarter of 2016. Reuters reported that Musk and Rive have recused themselves from voting on the outcome of the deal.
In a conference call with investors in June, Musk explained that when Tesla tries to sell someone the Powerwall it almost always has to answer questions about solar: “So then not being able to sell them solar directly at Tesla stores is quite inefficient. As you look ahead to [selling] the Model 3, a $35,000 car, well that same person at the same moment we could sell them roughly an equivalent value of solar panels and a Powerwall, effectively doubling the sale at that time, and then putting it all in at the same time,” he explained.
“This may seem counterintuitive to a lot of people, but I think it is so obvious that something should be done,” Musk added. “Blindingly obvious.” In other words, he sees Tesla buying SolarCity as common sense because the two companies’ customer bases overlap.
Is Wall Street against the merger?
Although SolarCity’s installations have gone up (the company now has 275,000 customers, up from 168,000 a year before), its debt is still among the highest in the industry. It has more than $6 billion in liabilities – and half of that is debt. Goldman Sachs called SolarCity “the worst positioned name” in the residential solar industry, and as Bloomberg noted, Tesla could be trying to bail it out.
Also, Tesla is currently ramping up production for the release of the Model 3 electric vehicle in 2017, so it’s basically burning through cash as you read this. In fact, The Wall Street Journal said Tesla burns 50 cents for every dollar in sales. SolarCity is even worse; it burns nearly $6 for every dollar in sales. The report therefore dubbed the merger of the two businesses a “hairbrained scheme”.
What does the future look like?
If and when the merger closes, Tesla will be able to capitalise on the clean energy industry, as it can then hawk us solar panel systems, home batteries, and electric vehicles all from the same storefront. To demonstrate the possibilities that could open up if the two companies came together, Musk revealed a project that SolarCity is currently working on during its latest earnings call.
Musk said SolarCity will unveil a “solar roof” and emphasised that Tesla/SolarCity plan to go after the roof industry with the new products – right after Rive, SolarCity CEO, referred to new products that’ll be unveiled before the end of the year, which is when the Tesla and SolarCity merger should close: “It’s a solar roof, as opposed to modules on a roof,” said Musk.
“I think this is really a fundamental part of achieving differentiated product strategy, where you have a beautiful roof. It’s not a thing on the roof. It is the roof,” he added, while noting customers will be able to customise their roof design, and that they simply won’t receive a bundle of solar shingles. It’s therefore unclear how this will work, but more details should come out soon.
‘Quantum Break’ reaches Steam on September 14th
When Microsoft vowed that it would resume releasing games on Steam, it wasn’t making an idle promise. Microsoft and Remedy have announced that Quantum Break will reach Steam on September 14th for $40. You won’t get anything special for your patience (just all the updates released since launch), but that’s not the point — the big deal is that you won’t have to shop at the Windows Store to get a PC copy. If you were worried that Microsoft would use Windows Store exclusives as part of a bid to dictate the future of PC gaming, you can relax.
If you are looking for something special that day, you’re in luck. Remedy will also be launching a Timeless Collector’s Edition of the game in retail stores that includes a physical copy as well as a making-of Blu-ray disc, a making-of book, the soundtrack on CD and two posters. The odds are that you bought the game months ago if you’re a big Quantum Break fan, but hey — this is a good way to either show your appreciation or avoid a massive download.
Source: Xbox Wire, Remedy Entertainment
You can now message President Obama on Facebook
President Obama is no stranger to social media, and now the leader of the free world is making it even easier to reach him on the world’s largest social network. In a Facebook post today, the White House announced you can now send them a note via Messenger, exactly as you might send a message to friend.
Of course, since this is the president we’re talking about, there’s actually one or two extra steps you’ll need to take to make sure your message gets though. Users hoping to send the President a note will need to head to Facebook.com/WhiteHouse or find the White House on the Messenger app to start a thread with the President’s new chat bot. After a fun fact (“The President reads ten of these messages every night.”), you’ll be asked to enter your message, confirm the text and then add your contact information. If you’re lucky, your message will get make it into the President’s batch of ten must-reads, just don’t try hitting him up on BBM.
This drum machine recreates the 808’s features in your browser
We’ve seen drum machines and synthesizers that are playable in a browser before, but now one of the most iconic instruments has a more detailed web version. The HTML-808 and HTML5 Drum Machine made a virtual TR-808 easy to use with the likes of Chrome, Firefox and others. Debuting this week on 808 Day, the io-808 offers a lot more of the design, knobs, controls and functionality that the real drum machine employs. io-808 is the work of Vincent Jackson (a DJ whose real name is Vincent Riemer) using the Web Audio API to mimic the sounds of the physical 808. Sure, sounds aren’t direct from samples, but they still sound quite good, especially for messing around in your cubicle at work.
Jackson also laid out some directions for folks who aren’t as familiar with how the 808 or other drum machines work. This means that the io-808 can serve as an educational tool as well as a toy for aspiring musicians who are looking for a bit of nostalgia. He also says that more features are on the way, including a play mode and the ability to adjust the time signature from a straight 4/4 beat.
As Fact Magazine points out, there’s are also a web-based version of the TR-303 and an HTML-909 from the creator of the HTML-808. If you want to make some noise with some pretty legendary gear, you can do so free of charge with just your computer. However, if you are looking to grab the physical instruments, Roland’s AIRA line revived the 808, 909 and 303 back in 2014 with modern interpretations of the drum machines that range from $400 to $600 each.
Via: Fact Magazine
Source: io-808
Researcher finds huge security flaws in Bluetooth locks
Security research Anthony Rose just wanted to try out his Bluetooth range-finding setup. While wandering in his neighborhood, he noticed a lot of Bluetooth locks popping up and decided to do some sniffing of those “security” gadgets (read: capturing packets being sent between devices). “I discovered plaintext passwords being sent that anybody could read. I couldn’t imagine I was the only one that could see this,” Rose told Engadget following a presentation at last week’s Def Con security conference.
Rose then purchased 16 Bluetooth-enabled door locks. With the help of his partner Ben Ramsey, he found that across the board, security was either non-existent or seriously flawed. “I never imagined that I would come across 12 of the 16 locks that I bought having either no security or poorly implemented security,” Rose said.
Of those security-impaired locks, four of them sent plaintext-passwords. They were the Quicklock Doorlock, Quicklock Padloock, iBluLock Padlock and Plantraco PhantomLock. The QuickLock brand was especially troubling because Rose could change the admin password and lock out the user. The only way to reset it is to remove the battery which can only be accessed when the door it’s attached to is open.
Four other locks were prone to replay attacks (when validated data is played again or delayed in transmission). Those were the Ceomate Bluetooth Smartlock, Elecycle Smart Padlock, Vians Bluetooth Smart Doorlock and Lagute Sciener Smart Doorlock. Some of these locks even claimed that encryption was being used. Which really doesn’t matter if you can capture, store and later send out passwords.
Rose and Ramsey were also able to hijack the “encrypted” with “patented cryptographic solutions” of the Okidokey Smart Doorlock by changing the third byte in its unique key to 00. The lock gets confused and opens. The researcher contacted Okidokey and instead of replying to his email, the company shut down its site. But the doorlock is still available on Amazon.
He also found that the Danalock Doorlock had a hard-coded password and that the Mesh Motion Bitlock Padlock could be impersonated (known as device spoofing) with a Raspberry Pi that would trick the device’s cloud server to send out a password.
This is all extremely troubling when you realize that these pieces of technology are all that stand between a burglar and the inside of your house. With a long range antenna, some of these locks could be open from half a mile away. Someone trying to jimmy your front door would arouse suspicion. If that same person just walked up and opened the door, there’s a good chance neighbors would believe everything was above board.
Rose’s team only tested 16 locks. But the Bluetooth-enabled security market continues to grow which concerns Rose. “In most cases convenience their top goal because they’re trying to sell a product. Security usually ends up being a second thought in these cases,” he told Engadget. It’s equally worrisome that only one of the companies he contacted replied to his findings. He had expected at least half to get back to him.
The four locks that the team couldn’t hack were the Noke Padlock, Masterlock Padlock, Kwikset Kevo Doorlock and August Doorlock. But he did note that the earlier versions of the Kwikset could be opened by jamming a screwdriver into the keyhole, while another researcher at this year’s Def Con was able to crack the August.
Rose says he will continue testing not only Bluetooth door locks, but other connected devices as well. When asked if he’d seen any locks on the market he would add to his front door, Rose replied, “absolutely not.”
Source: Merculite
The ‘Final Fantasy XV’ season pass includes six DLC packs
Final Fantasy XV is hurtling toward a finalized release date of September 30th for both Xbox One and PlayStation 4, so there’s still plenty of time left to decide what console you want to play on and which edition you’re going to purchase.
If you’ve yet to put any money down on the release, you might want to consider going digital going forward, as Square Enix has announced the Digital Premium Edition and Season Pass upgrade available for preorder today, which contains access to six additional packs of digital content.
The Digital Premium Edition of Final Fantasy XV will come with the six different DLC packages: the Booster Pack, Episode Gladio, Holiday Pack, Episode Ignis, Episode Prompto and a less interestingly-named Expansion Pack. All of these, Square Enix notes, are working titles at present, so they’re subject to change.
Additionally, there are different items available for players depending on the console chosen for preorder. For instance, Xbox One buys will receive a Noctis male and female costume for avatars as well as a Carbuncle pet prop. In addition, PlayStation 4 buyers will get a Final Fantasy XV “Big Bang” theme in addition to a Digital Mini Sound Track and a Digital Premium Edition Original Theme.
If you’re looking to pick up the Final Fantasy XV Digital Premium Edition, the entire package will cost you $84.99. If all you need to do is upgrade, you can do so for $24.99 to grab those six additional DLC packs.
Via: Gamasutra
FCC loses its bid to protect city-run broadband
If you were hoping that the FCC’s efforts to protect municipal broadband would survive telecoms’ attempts to destroy it, we have bad news. A federal appeals court has shot down an FCC order that preempted laws banning city-run internet access in North Carolina and Tennessee, prompting both states to file lawsuits. According to the decision, the Commission was overriding state rights without legal authority. While the FCC interpreted a clause in the Telecommunications Act (that it must “encourage” a timely rollout of broadband) as giving it permission to step in, the court sees it as insisting that cities must expand their internet options. There has to be a clearer mandate, the judges say.
To no one’s surprise, the FCC is less than enthusiastic about the ruling. It’s still looking over the decision, but Chairman Tom Wheeler already believes the lost appeal will “halt the promise of jobs, investment and opportunity” that municipal broadband offers.
This doesn’t eliminate city broadband by any stretch, but it will let at least some states limit attempted rollouts. And unfortunately, that’s a win for incumbent internet providers that could hurt competition. Many (including Wheeler) have complained that laws like those in North Carolina are the result of cable and phone monopolies effectively writing their own regulations though intense lobbying — they want to avoid competing against cities that may well offer higher speeds, lower prices and wider coverage areas. Unfortunately, your best choices for real competition may come down to rare, privately-owned newcomers like Google Fiber that can afford to play by the existing carriers’ rules.
Source: FCC, Consumerist
‘Gwent: The Witcher Card Game’ beta delayed to October
At E3 2016 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developer CD Projekt Red announced that it’s working on a standalone Gwent title for Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4. It was supposed to enter closed beta for the former two platforms in September, but players will now have to wait until October 25th to get their hands on the virtual card game. In a statement, the studio said it still needs a little more time to work on Gwent before it feels comfortable letting the public play.
“We know we can make a first impression only once, and want to be sure everything is ready before we blast off,” CD Projekt Red said. “Delivering a good game is more important to us than keeping a deadline. Still, that doesn’t mean we don’t realize that delays can be disappointing, and we apologize for making you wait.”
You can still register for the beta on Gwent’s site, and you can check the game out earlier if you’re attending Gamescom from August 17th to August 21st. CD Projekt will let people play one round of Gwent for the first time at the show floor two months before the beta starts, and you can always play it in The Witcher 3 as well.
Source: PlayGwent
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