A totally new energy source in slow moving rivers
Today on In Case You Missed It: University of Michigan researchers spent years creating a water-harnessing river turbine to create electricity, called the VIVACE. It’s the first time electricity appears to be effectively generated in slower rivers rather than oceans, but that’s because the developers used physics to get turning turbines to agitate the water enough to create more energy for their neighboring cylinders. It’s an as-yet prototype but a promising new development in the realm of water-powered electricity.
If you’re interested in the giant balloon video from China, that’s here, and the JibJab app can be downloaded from an app store. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Apple fuels TV service rumors with cable exec hire
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has hired Peter Stern (second from right), a former executive at Time Warner Cable. The paper believes that Stern will be working under Eddy Cue on the firm’s “cloud services,” whatever those may be. It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but it’s interesting to note that Stern was believed to be negotiating with Apple in the early days of its TV project. The paper also says that Stern feels that the business model of the set-top box is outdated and that the future of TV is apps. That’s a sentiment shared by several of his new colleagues, including Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Of course, Stern has also developed a reputation for increasing Time Warner’s customer base by placing an emphasis on customer service. It’s entirely plausible that he’s simply a promising executive who is being poached for a role within Apple’s growing services team. After all, with Apple Music and iCloud, Apple is developing a business that collects subscription revenue for its products, much like a cable company. That’s an area where Stern has plenty of experience and a track record that could have caught Cue’s eye.
Then again, a more fanciful reading of the situation could be that, as a cable insider, Stern would make a perfect negotiator. Apple’s long-mooted streaming TV service has struggled because the company couldn’t make deals with the TV world. CBS chief Les Moonves believes that Apple gave up because cable businesses were too wedded to their existing business model. Other reports suggest that Apple’s refusal to share customer data was the biggest roadblock, while others reported that the company struggled to develop a compelling $40-a-month bundle.
If you wanted to be even more fanciful, you could note that Tim Cook’s Apple has shown a willingness to buy in experience, wholesale, in areas where it’s weak. The firm splashed out $3 billion on Beats Electronics in order to get at the headphone firm’s subscription music arm. The platform was developed by one of the record industry’s biggest players, Jimmy Iovine, who personally intervened to get big names like Taylor Swift and Drake to sign up with Apple Music. Perhaps the hiring of Stern is the first in a series of deals that’ll demonstrate to the world that Apple remains deadly serious about upending the world of TV.
Source: WSJ
Draft BBC Charter sets the stage for a subscription service
A few months after its White Paper, the UK government has published the first official draft of the next BBC Charter. The crucial document, which sets out the broadcaster’s funding, corporate structure and general approach to programming, comes with a few crucial changes. After all, it’s been a decade since the last Charter was drawn up — a lot has changed in that time, both politically and inside the media industry.
Protecting the licence fee
The licence fee is divisive among the British populace. Some see it as an outdated form of funding which penalises infrequent viewers. Others believe the mechanism is vital to the BBC’s success as a public service broadcaster, removing it from the whims of advertisers and giving it the freedom to take creative risks. The new BBC Charter will ensure the licence fee rises with inflation over the next five years, starting in 2017. The government believes there are “drawbacks” to the system, but admits it’s still the best way to fund the broadcaster over the next decade or so.
BBC to disclose staff wages
Gary Lineker, host of Match of the Day. Credit: Joel Ryan/Invision/AP
When the White Paper was introduced, it came with an explosive proposal: that the BBC disclose every staff member earning over £450,000. The hope was that such an order would make the BBC more transparent, exposing high-earners and how its money is being spent. Today, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport has gone further, dropping the threshold down to £150,000 instead. That means more presenters and journalists will be caught up in the public disclosures. The Guardian suggests the lower brackets could catch employees such as Fiona Bruce, Jeremy Vine and Claudia Winkleman, alongside larger stars such as Gary Lineker.
A change in governance
Under the new proposals, the BBC Trust will be abolished. The independent governing body will be replaced by a new BBC Board made up of 14 members, of which nine will be appointed by the broadcaster itself. The chair will be selected through a government-led process, while the final four will be chosen as representatives for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. In addition, the BBC will be held to account by Ofcom, the UK’s media watchdog. The regulator will review any proposed changes by the BBC to its core services, as well as complaints submitted by viewers.
A subscription service
It’s long been rumoured that the BBC wants to set up a subscription service. While much of its funding comes from the licence fee, it’s keen to look at alternate forms of revenue (consider the iTunes style BBC Store, for instance). A subscription service could be used to boost its commercial revenue, especially in markets such as the US. The new Charter states that the BBC “may develop, test and pilot such a service, with the approval of the appropriate Minister.” In the previous White Paper, the government stressed that a subscription model couldn’t be used to “top up” or replace any service already supplied by the licence fee. Such an offering would, therefore, need to offer entirely new features or content in the UK.
A radio switchover
Justin Bieber in the Radio One Live Lounge. Credit: BBC/Bryony Shearmur
Many people still listen to BBC radio the old-fashioned way. The government is keen for the industry to go digital, however, and leave the analogue airwaves behind. While a timeframe hasn’t been set for a switchover, the possibility is still very much on the table. In the new BBC Charter, it states: “The BBC must use all reasonable endeavours to co-operate promptly and in good faith with any department of the UK Government involved in the planning or implementation of a digital radio switchover.” A new agreement would need to be drawn up by the BBC and the government, setting out funding and signal coverage requirements.
Looking ahead
Here’s a common scenario: You live in the UK and love The Great British Bake Off. One week you’re travelling abroad, either on holiday or a business trip, only to discover that iPlayer isn’t accessible. It’s a real pain, and the UK government knows it. To solve the problem it’s asking the BBC to look at whether “portability of on-demand programme services” would be possible for viewers who are “temporarily outside the United Kingdom.”
A verification system would be required, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has asked whether a similar system could be used to close the so-called “iPlayer loophole” in the UK. It’s all blue sky thinking at the moment, but it’s not hard to see where the government is going with this — tying the licence fee to your BBC ID would, theoretically, stop the people who currently watch iPlayer without a valid TV licence. The BBC’s findings will need to be submitted to the government before December 31st, 2020. (So don’t expect any sweeping changes in the next few years.)
The BBC’s response
Tony Hall, Director-General of the BBC. Credit: EON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images
Tony Hall, Director-General of the BBC, calls it a “hard won charter” that will support a “strong and creative BBC the public believes in.” He’s mostly in favour of the new BBC Board, after campaigning for a better split between BBC and government-appointed members. “The BBC is a public service broadcaster – not a state broadcaster,” he said. “I am glad they have reconsidered.” He’s less impressed with the decision to out staff members earning over £150,000, however.
“Our position on talent pay has not changed and all major broadcasters have questioned the merit of the proposal. The BBC is already incredibly transparent and we publish what we spend on talent pay – a bill which has fallen in recent years. The BBC operates in a competitive market and this will not make it easier for the BBC to retain the talent the public love. Ultimately, the BBC should be judged on the quality of its programmes.”
The draft Charter will be debated in parliament this autumn. Once the finer details have been ironed out, it’ll be presented to the Privy Council — a body of advisers that help the Queen with political matters — for approval. The document will then come into force starting on January 1st, 2017.
Source: Draft BBC Charter
B&O Play speakers get Google Cast multiroom support
In its battle to cover consumers’ homes with connected speakers, B&O recently began outfitting its gear with Google Cast functionality. Operating like a Chromecast does on your TV, the company’s speakers can directly pull music from the streaming service you’re using instead of either your smartphone or tablet. That’s on top of its existing AirPlay, DNLA and Bluetooth support. After initially allowing owners to Cast their music to individual speakers, B&O confirmed today that the technology has been opened up to work seamlessly with the other B&O speakers in their multiroom setup.
While Sonos is seen as the go-to brand for multiroom speakers, Google Cast has slowly gained the support of other popular speaker makers. Harmon Kardon, Vizio and Philips are all utilizing the standard, giving Google’s streaming technology a much needed boost. Sonos, on the other hand, has gone the other way, opening up to support control directly through Spotify and the Amazon Echo. B&O says both the Beoplay A6 and second-generation Beoplay A9 are already compatible, while its soundbar and other networked speakers will gain multiroom support via a software update.
ESA’s Gaia satellite mapped a billion stars in the Milky Way
The European Space Agency launched the Gaia satellite and its one-billion-pixel camera to space back in 2013. Gaia has been mapping the Milky Way ever since, and now the ESA has released a 3D map featuring over a billion stars — we’ve never seen 400 million of those before — based on the data it collected from July 2014 to September 2015. As you can see above, it shows how dense a billion stars look. Don’t dwell on those weird lines cocooning the structure too much: they’re merely artefacts from the way the satellite scans the galaxy.
Team member Timo Prusti said this demonstrates that “it is possible to handle the analysis of a billion stars.” Since they only used preliminary data to make this map, though, it only indicates the distances and movements of around two million stars. They got those numbers by combining information Gaia sent back with data gathered by the ESA’s Hipparcos satellite, which operated from 1989 to 1993. The team plans to release a second map in late 2017 showing the positions, distances and motions of all 1.1 billion.
Gaia will set its sights on remote galaxies, planets and even asteroids in the future. Hey, its camera is powerful enough to see an object on the moon that’s the size of a human nail from way back on Earth. Might as well use it to the fullest. However, even its impressive camera can’t detect some celestial bodies. Science says astronomers want to develop and deploy an infrared version of Gaia that can detect even faint dwarf stars and see through dust clouds.
Via: Science
Source: ESA
Leica unveils the Sofort instant film camera
With Kodak and others trying to make film cool again, Leica has jumped into the fray with an instant camera, the Sofort. It uses Fuji’s Instax format, and Leica has even decided to release its own brand of film, available in black and white or color. The German company designed the body itself, though it’s very … un-Leica like. If anything, Fuji’s own retro-styled Instax camera has a more Leica-esque look.
The camera is equipped with an optical viewfinder, like classic Leica’s of old. It does have some modern touches, with different scene modes including “party,” “selfie” and “macro.” The black & white film will likely run €14 (about $17) while the color pack should cost €12 ($14) for 10 photos. You can also use Fuji’s Instax film.
Knowing this is Leica, you may be bracing yourself for the “red dot” tax on the Sofort. The camera apparently does run a high-ish $300, which is less than I was expecting. However, the very similar Instax from Fuji runs $175, and the Impossible Project’s Polaroid-like I-1 camera, which uses the classic, larger-format Polaroid 600 format film, also costs $300. I think the latter camera, frankly, captures the nostalgic fun of instant photography better than Leica’s oddly-styled model.
iOS 10 Carrier Updates Causing Issues for T-Mobile Users in U.S., Telstra Users in Australia
The combination of upgrading to iOS 10 and installing the latest carrier updates appears to be causing issues for some T-Mobile and Telstra customers in the United States and Australia respectively, crowdsourced information suggests.
A number of T-Mobile and MetroPCS customers claim that once their iPhone loses service temporarily, the device is unable to reestablish a cellular connection unless it is fully restarted or network settings are reset. The issue appears to have started after the latest 25.1 carrier update on iPhones running iOS 10.
MacRumors reader GCHASE1995:
Anyone on T-Mobile that has done the carrier update to 25.1, have you been getting no service? I can’t get service at all. I can get it, if I reset network settings. Then if I lose service I can’t get it back.
Reddit user Hitokill:
I am in the same boat as many others. If I can stay connected to the LTE network the 25.1 update is fine. However, I work in a building with certain areas that have no coverage. Once I walk in those areas and lose signal, then walk to an area where I normally have full bars I can’t get it back on no matter what I do (hard reset, Airplane Mode, etc…) The only fix I found was going into settings and Reset Network Settings. Totally sucks but that is basically what I have to do. T-Mobile rep said he did something on his end too, but didn’t fix the issue when it came back.
Meanwhile, several Telstra customers in Australia report that Visual Voicemail no longer works after updating to iOS 10 and installing the latest carrier update. “I have no indication that a voicemail has been left and nothing shows up in the voicemail section,” wrote one user. “Voicemails are definitely being left though.”
It is unclear if Apple is aware of these issues, but they will likely be resolved in a future software or carrier update.
Tags: T-Mobile, Telstra
Discuss this article in our forums
iPhone 7 Keynote Game ‘Oz: Broken Kingdom’ Launches in App Store
Showcased during the September 7 Apple event as an example of the iPhone 7’s upgraded A10 Fusion processor, the mobile RPG Oz: Broken Kingdom today launched in the iOS App Store for free. The game features a turn-based combat system with characters based on L. Frank Baum’s novel, including Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion and a new heroine named Ophelia Shen.
Developed and released by Nexon M and This Game Studio, Oz: Broken Kingdom has players collecting and upgrading over 100 unique abilities during a story mode that spans seven regions of the land of Oz, “including the now dangerous Munchkin countryside, perilous halls of Glinda’s Castle, and the many shadowy lands beyond.” Players will battle both small minions and epic bosses as they progress through the single-player mode, focusing on leveling up abilities in the three areas of strength, nature, and magic.
There’s also an Arena mode, where players can create and join guilds with friends, collect companions to fight in battles, and ultimately challenge other players in real-time Arena battles in a player-vs-player mode. Throughout these PvP sessions, each player will climb or fall down a rankings leaderboard, and earn rewards to make taking out opponents easier.
“In Oz: Broken Kingdom, we’ve not only reinterpreted the land of Oz but expanded its lore,” said Scott Blackwood, Founder and Head of Product at This Game Studio. “Players will explore a new take on Oz, one brought to life with stunning detail and brimming with fierce enemies at every turn.”
“The experienced team at This Game Studio realized a tremendous opportunity when they took this globally relevant brand and reimagined it in a way that would resonate with today’s mobile gamer audience,” said Lawrence Koh, General Manager at Nexon M. “We knew when we first saw the game in early development that it was going to exceed player expectations on everything from graphics, fresh content, and most importantly, fun gameplay.”
During the iPhone 7 event last week, This Game Studio co-founder Heather Price noted that the studio was “able to do things visually on the iPhone 7 that were simply not possible before.” Price listed features like real-time reflections, weather effects, and environmental destruction abilities that all benefited from the boosted processing power of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Other bonuses from Apple’s new smartphone include responsive haptic feedback taps during gameplay, a wider color gamut, and a more immersive audio experience thanks to the iPhone 7’s stereo speakers.
Although optimized for the iPhone 7, Oz: Broken Kingdom is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models running iOS 7 or later, and is also available on the Google Play Store on Android devices. The game is free-to-download [Direct Link], but includes a handful of in-app purchases.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: App Store
Discuss this article in our forums
PlayFusion Lightseekers for iOS and Android: Toys to life is not dead, it’s only just beginning
With Disney’s withdrawal from the toys-to-life game genre questions were asked on whether the bubble had burst for videogames that interact with physical toys. However, not only are Lego Dimensions and Skylanders still going strong, with both having significant updates in time for Christmas, there’s a new kid on the block.
Lightseekers is a smart action figure-driven game from Tomy and PlayFusion for iOS and Android. And while the toys may look like plus-sized Skylanders, there is more going on in the tech and the game here.
Perhaps the biggest difference to other toys-to-life rivals is with the technology. Rather than portal powered near-field-communication of Amiibo, Skylanders and Lego Dimensions, Lightseekers characters connect directly to a dedicated game via Bluetooth Low Energy. Not only does that eliminate the need for a portal peripheral but the toys themselves are freed from their static base.
Standing around seven inches tall they are impressive to see. Each limb is fully articulated and invites hands of any age to pose and play with the painted finish heroes. They also light up in numerous places as you progress through the game.
As your on-screen energy depletes the lights change from green to orange to red. Get too low and your toy character starts speaking to you too, warning that you need to retreat. There’s also vibration interactions, although these are yet to be shown in detail.
The videogame side of Lightseekers runs on iOS and Android tablets (PlayFusion hasn’t released exact requirements yet). The app is free, but will need a Start Pack to play. These are planned for release in spring next year in the US with a target price of $69.99.
The on-screen action is also quite different from the brawling and puzzle solving of Skylanders or endless fetch quests of Lego Dimensions. Drawing on talent involved with Runescape, Tomb Raider and Street Fighter, there is a triple-A feel to proceedings.
This offers more of a strategic experience than being able to memorise and mash buttons. You must upgrade your character and their weapons to enhance progress and dispatch enemies. Those weapons come in physical form as well. Place one in the hands of your toy and it’s instantly available in the game. Like the figurines the weapons also light up to depict action in the game.
One thing currently missing in the game is simultaneous multiplayer. At launch, Lightseekers will offer a range of asynchronous multiplayer options but two players can’t play together at the same time — something Disney Infinity was heavily criticised for initially too. Perhaps this style of multiplayer will suit the tablet players who may not want to be online or together at the same time to play, but that remains to be seen.
The final piece of the puzzle is a card game. Unlike Battlecast, the Lightseekers card game works as a physical game without the need for the tablet. While you’re playing though, the cards can be scanned into the app with some impressive AR visualisation to give your character enhancements, or even add in a helper to fight alongside you.
Gameplay is a combination of action-adventure and role play with a smattering of puzzles and minigames. So far there have been three races revealed: Tyrax, a reptilian race of experts when it comes to magical technology. Mari, who are water creatures and wield powerful storm magic. Then there are the Umbron who are the first enemy you meet in the game. They also have magical powers.
Nick Cooper, producer on Lightseekers, showed us the different stages of developing the toys and the challenge of making them look really good. “In a game we would normally handle things with textures, in toys you have to cut in and define the model to pick out the individual bits of the model,” he said.
There’s obviously quite a journey here to get the Lightseekers action figures looking as good as they can. Working through the different iterations there has been a lot of effort and creativity on these characters. This results in figures that not only tick the tech boxes but also feel great to hold and look fantastic.
But did Lightseekers have to make big compromises on the toy elements to include all the technology at a price point that was affordable?
“There’s always a compromise either from manufacturer and paint or the model point of view. But we’ve been pushing from day one on all the things we want to get in,” said Cooper.
“We’ve over spec’d the toys to build in extendability so we have features that will have gameplay generated for them in the future. This is a game as a service and will be updated weekly.”
Interestingly, Cooper identifies that these updates are not just on the side of the app but also “how players use the digital action figures and the variety of accessories”.
Hearing Cooper talk, there’s an interesting tension here. These are videogame guys making a fresh foray into the world of toys. “The gameplay is the bit I get truly excited about,” he revealed during our chat. It’s therefore an important piece of the story that PlayFusion has a heavyweight toy partner in the form of Tomy.
This not only gives the company a ready-made route to market but means it can draw on Tomy’s experience in getting the most out of toy manufacturing.
“One of the main things is if we’re going to be going into the digital action figure business, these are toys as well as props for a videogame. It was very important that they stand and can be posed in heroic ways. When someone puts the game down, these are fully articulated figures that can be played with.”
As the conversation took a turn towards the playability of the action figures it underlined how this space is still strongest with a younger audience – those who are still happy to play with action figures on the living room floor.
Here though we find another tension. PlayFusion has ambitions to broaden the toys-to-life genre for older players. However, the decisions around the cartoon-like nature of the toys and the initial focus on tablet devices will skew it younger.
Mark Gerhard, co-founder PlayFusion, described the approach to platforms. “It’s tablet or phone at the start and then we’ll move to other platforms after that. We think there’s a big opportunity to do a really compelling action adventure on mobile and tablet.”
The rhetoric of ageing-up kids technology may make sense in the boardroom but is in danger of diluting the focus and delivery for the core younger audience. The Wii U suffered in this way, with Nintendo suggesting the console had something for older hardcore gamers as well as families.
It will be intriguing to see how the demographic for Lightseekers shakes down but until the console version is available it feels like this will be most successful for those tablet-native youngsters who haven’t really graduated onto a console – there are certainly plenty of them.
To spend too long fussing over these negatives is to miss the point though. Lightseekers looks like it will be the most integrated approach to action-figures and videogames to date. Add to that Tomy’s impressive smart toys and the card game and it all comes together in a videogame experience that is in-depth and long lasting.
It’s a very strong start, and with more innovations promised Lightseekers will certainly shake up the toys-to-life genre when it releases.
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.
Mobileye bailed on Tesla over Autopilot safety concerns
The head of driver-assistance system maker MobilEye has said that the company ended its relationship with Tesla because the firm is “pushing the envelope in terms of safety.” That’s the controversial quote that CEO Amnon Shashua gave to Reuters explaining why its years-long partnership was axed just when it began to bear fruit. Unfortunately, a fatal collision between a Model S and a box truck on a Florida highway this June made MobilEye reconsider its position.
Given how instrumental MobilEye was in developing Autopilot, it’s a surprise to see Sashua effectively talk down his company’s product. He added that the technology is “not designed to cover all possible crash situations in a safe manner,” and that Autopilot is a “driver assistance system and not a driverless system.” Tesla, naturally, shot back and said that it had never described the Tesla Model S as a self-driving car, with its website describing Autopilot as a “convenience feature.”
At the time of the split, there was some back-and-forth between Tesla and MobilEye, with the former saying that the latter couldn’t keep pace with its rate of innovation. The company has also received opprobrium from other corners of the self-driving world, such as George Hotz, who is running his own autonomous vehicle startup. At a presentation at TechCrunch Disrupt this week, the Comma.ai founder said that MobilEye felt that “Tesla was too innovative and it scared them.”
MobilEye will hope to move beyond Tesla in the near future, since it has partnerships with a wide variety of other car manufacturers. While its technology won’t be appearing in Elon Musk’s next generation of vehicles, it will pop up in cars from BMW and will work with Intel and Delphi on other projects.
Source: Reuters
AIVAnet 