Geohot will sell a semi-autonomous driving kit this year

Legendary iPhone and PlayStation hacker George Hotz (aka “Geohot”) isn’t wasting time translating his DIY self-driving tech into something you can buy. His Comma.ai startup plans to release a semi-autonomous driving kit, Comma One, before the end of 2016. The $999 upgrade combines its camera with your car’s existing front radar (read: it won’t work with every vehicle) to relieve you of some control during your drive. It’s “about on par” with Tesla’s Autopilot, Hotz claims, and reportedly good enough to take you from Mountain View (conveniently, Google’s HQ) to San Francisco without touching the steering wheel or any pedals.

The secret, Hotz adds, is that Comma One gets data from its video feed. “Even Tesla isn’t doing that,” he says. And importantly, it’s using commodity components that should help it get to market quickly. The entrepreneur notes that many would-be rivals don’t even have hardware to show, let alone a concrete plan to ship products.

It’s easy to remain at least a bit skeptical. Comma.ai is moving very quickly, and Hotz is quick to admit that the Comma One would only arrive this year in “very limited quantity” at best. You’ll probably have to wait until 2017 to retrofit your car, and it’s hard to say how well Comma One will work when it’s ready. If it comes anywhere close to the hype, though, it’ll be a big deal — it’s a readily available, vaguely affordable add-on that will give you a taste of the self-driving future without forcing you to buy a new car.

Source: TechCrunch

Messages in iOS 10: How to Use Emoji Replacement and Prediction

In iOS 10, Apple is making it even easier to use emojis with an all-new replacement and predictive system that replaces key words and phrases with relevant emoji characters. Although still short of a full-featured search functionality — which many have asked for — the new emoji replacement ability turns text messages into emoji-filled communications that are fun alternatives to basic blocks of text.

Using Emoji Replacement

To insert a few emojis into texts for yourself, follow these steps:

Open Messages.
Tap on the person you want to chat with.
Type a message as normal, but don’t hit the send arrow yet.
Long-tap on the Globe icon to bring up your list of installed keyboards, and choose “Emoji.”
Tap any orange-highlighted word directly in your text message to turn it into an emoji. If no highlighted words appear, Apple didn’t find any potential emoji replacement opportunities in your message.
Tap the send arrow when you’re finished.
Some emojis have multiple potential keywords, and for these you’ll be presented with a pop-up box where you choose the emoji you want to use. The word “confused,” for example, is associated with both the “confused” and “neutral” faces.

Using Emoji Prediction

Emoji predictions also begin as you type your message out, thanks to the predictive text box in the iOS keyboard. Follow these steps to make sure you have the setting enabled, and then start sending out emojis faster than ever.

Refer to the image above for Steps 6-8
Open Settings and go to “General.” Then scroll down to “Keyboard” and tap it.
Scroll down to the bottom of Keyboard settings to find “Predictive,” and toggle it on if it isn’t already.
Open Messages and navigate to the person you want to chat with.
Type a word connected to an emoji, like “Happy,” “Beach,” or “Sheep” to see its related emoji pop up in one of the three predictive text boxes.
Tap the emoji to replace the typed word with a character.
Keep typing out your message, and tap the send arrow when you’re finished.
This predictive feature has the potential to be used as a search function for simply-titled emojis, mainly emotional ones like “Sad” or things related to the weather, but complex characters are still tough to propagate. Words in the ballpark of “Smiling Imp” and “Information Desk Woman” never successfully call up the relevant emojis, but as long as you’re searching for basic characters emoji prediction is yet another useful and fun feature addition in iOS 10’s new Messages app.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Evening news briefing: September 13, 2016

Samsung may cap Note 7 batteries at 60%, Lenovo delays its Tango phone, and some good news for Canadians!

I meant to get up out of this chair today, but the news wouldn’t quit. As Samsung was busy announcing controversial OTA updates for the remaining Korean Note 7s that have yet to be replaced, it was also putting up and taking down an IMEI checker site to help people figure out which version Note 7 they have.

Meanwhile, Apple has a big day, launching iOS 10 — though it wasn’t without its own problems — and OnePlus got caught up in a bit of a controversy of its own.

To be honest, I feel a little bad for Samsung. The company has been criticized of mishandling this recall process, but the scale is enormous, and the logistics equally so. On the other hand, we’re hearing from people still having trouble returning their phones to carriers or getting replacements when promised, which is quickly exposing the sometimes frayed relationship between manufacturers, carriers, and their customers.

Lenovo’s Tango-powered phablet delayed until later this fall

The giant Phab 2 Pro, which Lenovo debuted earlier this year at Lenovo Tech World, was supposed to debut this month. Instead, the company has delayed the augmented reality-powered device until later this fall.

The company hasn’t revealed much about the delay, nor has it offered another launch date. Lenovo merely updated the official Phab 2 Pro page to say “coming this fall.” You can sign up to receive a notification when the phone launches, but be sure to read through our preview beforehand.

Google launches ‘Preview Program’ for early Chromecast updates

Those who want to be the absolute first to get Chromecast updates can enroll in the Preview Program, and will be able to see new features before anyone else. The updates are still considered to be stable, but users are encouraged to send in feedback. More

Exploding Samsung phone which injured NY boy was not a Note 7

Instead it’s emerged the boy was using a Samsung Galaxy Core, a mid-range phone with a removable battery. The phone in question was originally reported via the New York Post to be a recalled Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung will release an over-the-air update to limit recalled Korean Note 7s to 60% battery

The OTA will go out early morning Korean time on September 20. We don’t yet know whether the update, which will only affect recalled Note 7s with potentially dangerous batteries, will eventually hit other regions. When asked about any plans to deploy such an OTA in the United States, a Samsung spokesperson told AC:

“Samsung is continuing to work with the CPSC and our carrier partners to develop and evaluate solutions that are best for US Note7 owners. No action will be taken without the approval of the CPSC. Customer safety remains our top priority.”

Meanwhile a report by Samsung to Korean regulators blames a production error which “placed pressure on plates” in battery cells for the phone’s battery faults. More

Samsung takes down Note 7 IMEI checking site

The link doing the rounds earlier today for checking that your Note 7 is safe now redirects to Samsung’s local support site.

Android Pay now supports Santander, Ulster Bank, Natwest and RBS in the UK

The only major banks yet to launch Android Pay are now Barclays, which has its own NFC-based payment app and has said it’s not interested, and TSB, which has told customers it’ll be launching Android Pay in the coming weeks. More

Here’s a really crappy photo purporting to show the Google Pixel XL

Twitter user @usbfl has posted the pic, which just about confirms the presence of buttons and a display in the larger of the two HTC-built phones (codenamed Marlin). Hooray!

Toronto cab riders get free Wi-Fi

Canadian carrier Telus has partnered with Co-op Cabs to provide free in-taxi Wi-Fi throughout Toronto. Starting this week, a number of Co-op cabs (which has one of the largest fleets in the city) will offer free Wi-Fi, rolling out to the rest of the vehicles by the end of the year.

Twitter will stop counting media and usernames as part of 140-character limit next week

Twitter will reportedly make one of the biggest changes to its user experience since its inception in 2006 on September 19. According to sources close to The Verge, Twitter will stop counting links, media, and usernames as part of its 140-character limit next week, which will allow for more room in Tweets without compromising the core tenets of the service. It remains to be seen whether Facebook will follow suit.

Pokemon Go got a big update this weekend, and you should care

Your mom, sister, brother, cousins and that one weird uncle probably play Pokemon Go, and this weekend’s update adds one more reason to keep coming back to the popular mobile game: a buddy system. More

Honor 6X gets certified in China

We know nothing about this dual-camera, fingerprint-equipped phone, but given the numbering it’s reasonably likely it’s either a follow-up to the Honor 5X, or some big-screened cousin of the Honor 8. It’s worth remembering we’re talking about the Chinese market here, where the Honor 5X has been available since December 2015. So maybe it’s time for a successor.

Big trouble in little OnePlus

Android Central has learned that OnePlus went through a developer exodus early this summer, forcing the consolidation of its two software programs, OxygenOS and HydrogenOS, into a single team. It’s unclear whether this will affect the quality of OnePlus software going forward, but either way, OnePlus says they’ll arrive more quickly. More

LG V20 is a big deal for Canadian LTE

The LG V20 is the first phone that supports Wind Mobile’s upcoming LTE network, which is based on the newly-created unified Band 66. But whether that means Wind’s network is launching in the coming months remains to be seen. More

Google Maps for Android (and Android Auto) now shows speed limits

In cities where the feature is supported, Google Maps for Android now shows speed limits, something that was a long time coming. According to Android Police, the toggle is server-side, but it appears to be slowly rolling out to all users in cities where speed limits can be enforced.

Apple launches iOS 10

Apple launched the latest version of its mobile operating, iOS 10, with a long of fanfare and more than a few problems. More

That’s it for tonight! See you in the morning.

Spigen’s AirPods Strap ensures you won’t lose Apple’s new AirPods

You can soon buy an accessory to make Apple’s wireless AirPods not-so wireless.

When the AirPods were announced last week, the internet was quick to note rather humorously that the headphones looked like electric toothbrushes when sticking out of one’s ears, but a California-based company has developed a new product that makes them look like regular earbuds. This upcoming product could even help users from losing the pricey $159 headphones.

Spigen has introduced something called AirPods Strap (patent pending), which are currently available for pre-order for $10. It’s a “tangle-free” cord attachment that affixes to the bottom of each earbud. They won’t get in the way of the AirPod’s microphones, and Spigen said they’ll “keep your AirPods in place around your neck, in your pocket, or anywhere you can hang a strap”.

As you can see from Spigen’s product images, the AirPods Strap takes away that cable-free look and seems to keep the earbuds safely together. If this interests you, although it does take away from the whole purpose of buying cable-free earbuds, the AirPods Strap is listed as having a release date of 17 October. You can pre-order it from Spigen and Amazon starting Tuesday.

Apple’s AirPods should be available to buy by then, too. The wireless headphones feature Apple’s new proprietary W1 chip, allowing them to easily pair, activate Siri with a touch, and automatically pause playback on removal. You can read more about the headphones from here.

Edward Snowden explains why Obama should pardon him

Edward Snowden laid out the reasons he should receive a pardon from President Obama in an interview with the Guardian, saying that while his actions as a whistleblower were technically illegal, they benefited citizens of the United States.

“I think when people look at the calculations of benefit, it is clear that in the wake of 2013 the laws of our nation changed,” Snowden told the Guardian. “The Congress, the courts and the president all changed their policies as a result of these disclosures. At the same time there has never been any public evidence that any individual came to harm as a result.”

Snowden is having a busy week. A biopic about his life before and after he leaked classified documents detailing the NSA’s global surveillance systems hits theaters on Friday, and on Monday two of the most prominent human rights organizations in the United States launched a public campaign to convince Obama to Pardon Snowden. He is currently living in exile in Russia.

The ACLU, which acts as Snowden’s legal adviser, on Monday launched a petition seeking 60,000 signatures in support of granting Snowden clemency. As of publication, it has more than 57,000 signatures.

“There are laws on the books that say one thing, but that is perhaps why the pardon power exists — for the exceptions, for the things that may seem unlawful in letters on a page but when we look at them morally, when we look at them ethically, when we look at the results, it seems these were necessary things, these were vital things,” Snowden told the Guardian.

Obama is unlikely to pardon Snowden, as he has just months left in office and his administration has not shown leniency when it comes to whistleblowers.

Source: The Guardian