Enhance your resume with 9 Big Data training courses (90 per cent off)
For companies big and small, knowing how to manage data is essential for getting an edge over the competition. That’s why Big Data is emerging as one of the fastest-growing fields in the tech industry, and employers are looking for experts who know their way around data clusters.
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The Big Data Bundle includes nine courses, but here are a few of the bundle’s highlights:
- Learn By Example: Hadoop and MapReduce for Big Data Problems: Learn the Big Data fundamentals as you build search engines and recommendation systems from the ground up
- From 0 to 1 : Spark for Data Science in Python: Use Spark to sort through data, run complex algorithms, and more in one intuitive environment
- From 0 to 1 : The Cassandra Distributed Database: Create databases that keep pace with scaling data growth using the Cassandra Query Language
- Flume and Sqoop for Ingesting Big Data: Learn how to input data from a variety of sources into one central database
With more than 60 hours of training, the Big Data Bundle will give you a solid foundation in the Big Data basics. Plus, this course bundle is designed to bolster your resume with hands-on training using the industry’s best tools.
The Big Data Bundle normally retails for £898.92, but Pocket-lint readers can save over 90 per cent off, getting it on sale for only £59.40 ($45 USD).
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It’s official: LG takes the wraps off its LG V20 Nougat-loaded phone
LG has officially announced the successor to its V10 smartphone: the V20.
LG is live at Pier 27 in San Francisco, where it holding an event to announce the LG V20. LG USA’s Frank Lee took the stage to show “the newest iteration” in LG’s V series. He said LG examined what consumers liked and needed, and then it built upon the V series to make a phone for “storytellers” (not just celebrities and influencers — anyone). With the V20, it wants to help everyday people embrace the “spectacular”.
LG
The LG V20 features a metal body, which LG described as a lightweight aluminium with a light silicon-based material (the same as what’s on aircraft), and a thin bezel. It also has MIL-STD 810G drop protection, which means it should withstand some water ingress and up to 4ft-drops.
The V20 also has Steady Record 2.0, which analyses each frame to minimise unintended hand movement and then applies it to the overall video, and it’s capable of 4K video capture and playback. To complement this, the V20 offers Qualcomm Audio, which combines a Quad DAC with high-quality speakers and sensitive mics. Speaking of Qualcomm, the V20 has the Snapdragon X12 modem that supports 600Mbps download speeds.
LG said the V20 is the only phone in the world to include a 32-bit Quad DAC from ESS, and it’s the first phone to have ESS’s HyperStream 2 audio technology. And thanks to three mics built into the chassis, the V20 has a HD Audio recorder, which allows you to adjust gain and frequencies. To go with these high-quality audio specs, LG said consumers will get a pair of B&O Play H3 headphones with each V20 purchase.
Going back to the camera, other features include an improved manual video mode, such as ISO, shutter speed, microphone volume, and more. It’s the first smartphone to integrate a high-quality wide-angle lens on the front and rear of the phone. Not only do you get two cameras on both front and back, but also support for Hi-Fi audio capture (as well as VoLTE, though the latter is only supported by select carriers).
LG and Google have already confirmed the LG V20, the newest member of the V series, will be the first device to launch on Android Nougat right out of the box, as well as Vulkan API support for 3D games. Here’s everything we know so far about the LG V20, but be sure to check out Pocket-lint’s feature on the device for more information about pricing, release date, and features:
- LG V20: Specs, release date and rumours
LG
If you want to know even more about the LG V20, LG on Twitter has asked consumers to add LG Mobile on Snapchat (@LGUSAMobile) in order to see the LG V20 in action. Also, if you tune into the company’s Facebook Live at 5:55pm PST, you’ll get a closer look at the LG V20 (the playback video — embedded below — should remain on LG’s Facebook page once the stream ends).
This story is breaking. More details to follow. Refresh for updates.
Google hits back at claims of sub-par Chrome battery life
Google isn’t buying Microsoft’s claims that Chrome’s battery life is terrible. The search pioneer has posted a video showing the battery life improvements between last year’s Chrome 46 and the just-launched Chrome 53, and it’s clear that Google is taking a dig at Microsoft testing that favored Edge. The result shows the newer browser (conveniently running on Surface Books, like in Microsoft’s clip) offering 2 hours and 12 minutes of additional runtime when streaming Vimeo footage non-stop. It lasted a healthy 10 hours and 39 minutes, which might be enough to get through your favorite movie trilogy.
Just as with Microsoft, though, you won’t want to accept the results at face value. This isn’t an apples-to-oranges comparison — Google and Microsoft are using different video services, and Microsoft also touches on web surfing power consumption that isn’t mentioned here. They’re both choosing tests that play to their browsers’ strengths, and your real-life experience is bound to produce different results in both cases. The only definitive conclusion is that the latest Chrome release is more battery-friendly than the version you were using several months ago. It could be worth revisiting Chrome if you were burned by its previous energy demands, but something tells us this won’t change many minds.
Source: Google Chrome (YouTube), Chrome Blog
LG’s new V20 wants to be the all-in-one flagship the G5 wasn’t
When LG unveiled its hardy V10 last year, it was… well, it was a little weird. With a beefy body, a double-selfie camera and a tiny second screen, the V10 was the result of LG being a little weird. Lo and behold, the phone did surprisingly well around here. Then the G5 happened. Being the first modular smartphone to sell at massive scale, the G5 represented LG fully embracing that weirdness. It was also gutsy, ambitious and ultimately disappointing — the company even admitted the device “failed to generate sales” after replacing some high-level mobile execs. Ouch. Now, though, LG has revealed the V20, and it might succeed where the G5 failed because it isn’t nearly as imaginative.
Put another way, the V20 is not modular. The leaked renders that made the rounds before today were spot on, but people (including us) misinterpreted what that button on the phone’s right side was. It’s for popping V20’s metal back plate off so you can swap out its 3,200mAh. It’s a lot like opening a powder compact, an analogy LG couldn’t get enough of.
The V20’s foundation is mostly the same high-powered stuff we got with the G5 — there’s the usual Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM, not to mention the same two-camera setup that pairs an 8-megapixel wide-angle sensor and a 16-megapixel standard sensor around back. LG also decided to release the V20 with a 5.7-inch Quad HD screen, 64GB of storage (up from the G5’s 32GB) and a shiny new build of Android 7.0 Nougat, all squeezed into a sturdy, aluminum alloy frame. Two potential issues right off the bat: the phone’s removable back means it can’t be waterproof, and its face is highly reminiscent of the BlackBerry Z10. Surely LG could have drawn inspiration from a more successful phone. Still, the V20 feels much, much more premium than the G5 did.
So, what else is new here? Well, the second, smaller display picked up a few new features along the way, the like the ability to display longer signatures. The screen itself is also brighter than the V10’s, and you can enlarge notifications that roll in, but there’s a good chance you won’t love it now if you didn’t before. On the software side, the V20 is the first Nougat phone with the ability to search deep in apps you’ve installed instead of just pre-loaded Google apps. It’s one of those things that should’ve been part of core Android for a while now — too bad LG announced the feature after we played with the phone.
Beyond that, there are a lot of audio and video improvements. LG updated its Steady Record feature to make on-the-go footage come out much crisper, thanks in large part to Qualcomm’s gyro-based electronic stabilization. The phone’s dual camera array is also helped by three forms of autofocus — laser, phase detection and contrast — to identify targets even faster in both photos and video. Video effects that ape traditional film and some impressive Hi-Fi audio recording chops make it clear the V20 is trying to be a real production powerhouse.
And while you had to buy extra hardware to coax the G5 into playing high-quality audio — hardware that wasn’t even available everywhere — the V20 does it just fine out of the box. LG representatives didn’t go into a ton of detail about how the V20’s “Quad” DAC works, short of mentioning how it cranks up volume, minimizes distortion and supports lossless music files. Still, the effect was clear: I tried running some tracks downloaded from the Google Play Store through the V20 and a pair of someone else’s expensive Audeze headphones and the difference in volume and punchiness was a pleasant surprise.
As first impressions go, the V20 leaves a pretty good one. It’s a solidly-built device that took parts of what made the G5 special and mashed it up with features that improve things people do every day. At the same time, it feels as though every decision LG made here was the safe choice. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s true that Innovative products — even ones that, like the G5, weren’t properly polished — influence our expectations for the future. In the meantime, though, safe bets can still pay off big, and LG has done some good work here. Stay tuned for our full review soon.
Microsoft might launch a Slack-like app called Skype Teams
Slack better watch its back.
Microsoft owns Skype, and it doesn’t like that Slack is currently dominating in the messaging software space for large teams, so the company is reportedly getting ready to do something about it. According to MSPowerUser, Microsoft is developing a new messaging software that offers much of the same functionality found in Slack. The project is called Skype Teams, and it’s geared toward businesses, large teams, newsrooms, and more.
These types of organisations, including Pocket-lint, already use Slack on a daily basis, which probably upsets the people behind Skype, as that chat app has been around a lot longer and offers more premium features like video calling. But Skype Teams could lure Slack users away. It supposedly looks like Slack and offers Slack features such as channels, private messaging for groups, file sharing, and support for emojis and GIFs.
Skype Teams will also offer Threaded Conversations, allowing users to respond directly to a comment. And, of course, thanks to the foundation of Skype, users will also be able to start video chats in both channels and private messages. Keep in mind, according to TechCrunch, Microsoft once considered buying Slack for as much as $8 billion, but Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and CEO Satya Nadella were unconvinced by the idea.
Instead, they wanted Microsoft to bulk up Skype with Slack-like features. And now it looks like that’s the route Microsoft ended up taking.
Live like a king with this dick bidet
Men, ask yourselves, “is my cock really as clean as it could be?” I mean, you wash your hands after using public restrooms (or at least you should, you filthy bastards) so why wouldn’t you give your Rob Thomas a quick cleaning while you’re at it? With this new high-tech urinal you’ll be able to do just that.
Behold, the Urinary 2.0! This smart urinal is packed with sensors that monitor your stream and activates the cleaning mechanism as soon as you stop. The urinal will spritz soapy water on your hog for three seconds before a hand dryer-esque blower dries your nethers. What’s more, the wash cycle cools the spray in the summer and warms it in the winter because dammit, you deserve to be pampered every now and again. And, best of all, for those of you not hung like donkeys, the urinal will adapt its aim to spritz you right in the family jewels, not on your pants.
The Urinary 2.0 is currently in its prototype phase, though its Spanish development team — comprised of biochemist Eduard Gevorkyan, economist Ivan Giner and business coach Miguel Angel Levanteri — are currently in talks to sell their patent to another company for €680,000, or about $765,300. The team is also working on a version for the ladies as well. That means we could be just a few short years away from seeing these full-service piss pots in public restrooms across the globe! Just remember to forgo the hot wax undercoating. It’s a total ripoff.
Airbnb claims Santa Monica ban violates the Constitution
Airbnb isn’t done with lawsuits over home rental laws it doesn’t like — not by a long shot. It’s suing Santa Monica over municipal code that effectively bans “vacation rental” services through severe restrictions (you have to be home and obtain a business license, for example) and reporting requirements. For one thing, it claims that the rules violate multiple aspects of the US Constitution. They’re allegedly a violation of free speech by dictating what content people can publish. Airbnb also claims that they infringe on search and seizure rights (and the Stored Communications Act) by requiring the disclosure of sensitive customer info without legal procedures, and tread on due process rights because they’re both “vague” and don’t notify you of potential lawbreaking.
The lawsuit goes on to assert that the city is violating the Communications Decency Act’s safe harbor protections, which prevent companies from being liable for the content they host. Santa Monica requires that rental outfits both screen would-be renters and take down illegal listings, putting companies like Airbnb on the hook no matter what users do.
The allegations are an expansion of those made in the lawsuit against San Francisco, and clearly up the ante. For all intents and purposes, Airbnb is claiming that Santa Monica is un-American by preventing you from renting your home outside of very specific circumstances. Whether or not the court sees things that way is another matter, though. San Francisco officials maintain that they’re only regulating the platform, not the content, and it won’t be shocking if Santa Monica offers a similar defense. There’s a real possibility that Airbnb will either lose or strike a compromise.
Source: Consumerist
Oscar De La Hoya’s service starts streaming big fights
After retiring, boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya has become one of the most powerful people in the sport. His Golden Boy Promotions firm launched in January not just to represent boxers and set up fights, but also to get them in front of viewers the way they watch today: On the Internet. In two weeks, viewers can watch the world championship match between Canelo Alvarez and Liam “Beefy” Smith via pay-per-view livestream on any device they want. Finally, boxing is entering the modern reality of sports enjoyment.
But it won’t just be a broadcast of the pugilist pair pummeling each other live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Viewers get pre-fight footage they’ve come to expect, like behind-the-scenes looks at both boxers’ training camps in the week leading up to the stream. For the $55 digital entry fee, fans also get the option to watch three other title matches co-billed alongside the main event.
If you want to watch a boxing match live, the usual method has been a sizeable pay-per-view cost routed through a cable company or HBO. But streaming straight from Golden Boy Promotions’ site could be a tectonic shift in the sport, allowing viewers to bypass the hassle of subscription services and just watch straight from whichever device is convenient. It’s certainly more convenient for De La Hoya’s company: Alvarez’s match with Amir Khan netted $30 million in revenue from pay-per-view buys, but half of that went to cable and satellite providers, according to ESPN.
The Canelo-Smith match is on September 17th, with the first fight streaming at 3:20 PM ET and the main show starting at 9:00 PM ET.
Source: Golden Boy Promotions (press release)
Apple’s high-end wireless earbuds may not ship with iPhone 7
The long-rumoured death of the iPhone’s headphone jack has left everybody wondering: What’s going to become of Apple’s EarPods? Well, they’ll probably go wireless, but according to one analyst, they won’t come with your iPhone. They’ll be sold separately — and they might be expensive. KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple will announce a pair of high-end “AirPod” earbuds tomorrow as a premium accessory for iPhone 7 buyers. They won’t come in the box like Apple’s current earbuds, he says, and may not even use Bluetooth.
According to Kuo, Apple may have designed a “Bluetooth-like communications chip” with more strict limits on power consumption. This same low-power chip may also be used to communicate with smart car systems and other home accessories. The Analyst even goes as far as to name Taiwan Semiconductor as the company he believes developed the chip.
So, if Apple’s wireless answer to removing the headphone jack is going to be a premium accessory, what about the average user? Not to worry: Kuo believes the iPhone 7 will bundle in a pair of lighting-connector compatible earbuds or, at bare minimum, a 3.5mm to lighting adapter. Even so, take this report with a grain of salt — Kuo has a strong history of getting these kinds of predictions right, but we won’t know for sure until tomorrow.
Source: Apple Insider, Digital Trends
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