Juno’s misbehaving engine means a change of plans around Jupiter
Three months ago, the Juno probe ended a years-long journey when it settled into orbit around Jupiter. Everything’s just peachy with Juno’s cameras — as evidenced by these magnificent photos — but it turns out its primary Leros 1b engine is having trouble. In preparation for a burn that would put Juno into its final orbit around the gas giant, the team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory punched up a sequence of commands late last week and saw (via telemetry) that a pair of helium check valves weren’t working correctly.
“The valves should have opened in a few seconds, but it took several minutes,” said Rick Nybakken, one of Juno’s project managers. “We need to better understand this issue before moving forward with a burn of the main engine.”
That maneuver was originally slated to take place on October 19, but with questions lingering around the engine’s performance, Juno won’t be able to pull off the move until its next close-range flyby on December 11. As fraught as all of this sounds, NASA was quick to reassure everyone that the science wouldn’t suffer as a result of this schedule shift. In fact, since the mission staff doesn’t need to worry about pulling off the so-called period reduction maneuver, Juno’s full array of sensors and instruments will be ready to collect data as it whizzes by Jupiter.
Once Juno does slip into that tighter orbit, though, it won’t need to rely on that questionable engine anymore — it can use its smaller thrusters for fine-grain movement. If Juno ultimately can’t pull off that crucial burn, though, scientists will lose out on the sort of data and up-close images that inspire further study and capture imaginations. What a shame that would be.
Source: NASA
Increased encryption will help keep porn browsing private
Thanks to boosts in visibility when it comes to search and web browsers, you’ve probably noticed more websites (like Engadget) switching to HTTPS, which uses encryption to secure the connection between browser and server. Despite benefits to privacy and security most adult sites, even larger ones, haven’t rolled it out across their domains, but the Washington Post points out there’s a new industry push to change that.
The Center for Democracy and Technology, as well as the adult industry trade group Free Speech Coalition issued a brief (PDF) explaining why now is the time for members to switch to HTTPS. using secure connections can help your Google ranking, prevent others from changing the content on your site (like ads), increase privacy for readers, help pages load faster and make censorship harder to implement. (Of course, like with Netflix, anyone watching the connection could still see what site you’re connecting to, just not exactly what data is being transferred.)
Industry giant Mindgeek is an FSC member, and its streaming site Pornhub says it is working on enabling secure connections (in a forum post dating back to 2014, one admin suggested privacy-conscious browsers access the site’s videos via Thumbzilla.com which does use HTTPS) Still, the majority of porn sites don’t use the technology everywhere, and FSC communications director Mike Stabile told me that legacy systems can be part of the problem. Although porn distribution has often pushed forward internet technology like secure credit card payments, “it also means that older companies that rushed into online distribution and sales early may still be using legacy systems that are still functional, but need updating.”
As Stabile put it, “Because we’re such a unique industry, made up of both well-known older brands and bootstrapped performer start-ups, and everything in between, we’ll need different systems and flexibility. It’s wonderful that CDT is not only lending an assist, but doing so without stigma.”
Source: Washington Post, CDT
President Obama calls for a plan to deal with extreme space weather
As President Barack Obama’s administration enters its final stages, he’s paying more attention to what’s going on way, way above us than expected. Just days after the president outlined his vision for landing humans on Mars by the 2030s, he issued an executive order calling for a plan that would help the country — and the systems that power it — cope with seriously bad space weather.
Now, fine: solar flares and geomagnetic storms probably haven’t disturbed your life too much so far. The thing is, they could, and our collectively deepening reliance on technology means these natural, regular events have the potential to do some serious damage.
“Space weather events, in the form of solar flares, solar energetic particles, and geomagnetic disturbances, occur regularly, some with measurable effects on critical infrastructure systems and technologies,” the order reads. “Extreme space weather events — those that could significantly degrade critical infrastructure — could disable large portions of the electrical power grid, resulting in cascading failures that would affect key services such as water supply, healthcare, and transportation.”
While the earth has generally been pretty lucky, there’s a surprisingly long history of earthbound systems being disrupted by magnetic disturbances and charged particles from space. The famous Carrington event of 1859 started when a large burst of solar plasma — called a coronal mass ejection — caused a huge geomagnetic storm. While certainly pretty (aurora were visible as far south as sub-Saharan Africa), NASA points out that telegraph networks took the event pretty hard:
“Even more disconcerting, telegraph systems worldwide went haywire. Spark discharges shocked telegraph operators and set the telegraph paper on fire. Even when telegraphers disconnected the batteries powering the lines, aurora-induced electric currents in the wires still allowed messages to be transmitted.”
Geomagnetic storms stemming from coronal mass ejections fouled up telegraph service again in 1882 and 1921, and the one of the worst case scenarios mentioned by the president has already happened. It was actually fairly recent, too: Canadians of a certain age might remember that an intense solar storm knocked out power to all of Quebec for between 9 and 12 hours in 1989.
The order tasks government agencies — from NASA to the Departments of Commerce, Energy and Homeland Security — to figure out more intelligent ways of predicting and responding to space weather. That’s a tall order, but the short term goals laid out are more specific: the Secretary of Energy has design a plan to test devices that could lessen the effects of a magnetic disturbance on power grids, then report back to a new Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation Subcommittee. Until then, don’t worry: you can keep tabs on current space weather conditions right here.
Source: WhiteHouse.gov
AT&T’s insurance plan will soon repair busted phone screens
If you have insurance on your phone and smash the ever-loving tar out of the screen, you normally have to file a claim, pay a deductible and wait for a replacement device. Bleh. AT&T and its insurance provider Asurion, however, are trying something a little different. As of November 15, people paying to insure their phones can shell out $89 to — schedule permitting — have a technician repair that display that very day.
Same-day repairs definitely aren’t guaranteed, but the plan could work well for people who can’t go without their phones or don’t have the time for the traditional trade-in process. You stand to save a little money, too: the usual deductible for a high-end smartphone fluctuates between $150 and $225 depending on what it is, so just under $90 doesn’t sound like a bad deal for potentially speedy service.
There are a couple caveats you should know about, though — for one, the new plan only applies to certain smartphones. If you have an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus or SE, you’re in luck. Ditto if you own Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S5 or Galaxy S6. You might notice some very popular omissions from that list, namely the most recent iPhone and Galaxy S devices, but that’s probably because the requisite parts are more pricey or tougher to come by. Beyond that, the screen replacement plan is only set to launch in 14 markets come November 15; you can check out the full list (plus markets launching down the road) below.
Via: AndroidPolice
Source: AT&T
German officials: Tesla shouldn’t say ‘Autopilot’ in its ads
Just days ago, Germany’s Federal Motor Authority sent letters to Tesla owners warning them that their cars’ “Autopilot” feature is strictly there for driver assistance, not driver replacement. As it turns out, those letters were just the opening salvo. According to a report from Reuters, the German government is asking Tesla to stop using the term “autopilot” in its advertising entirely out of concerns that people misinterpret its purpose.
To be absolutely clear, your Tesla will not drive you around town on its own… yet. A Tesla spokesperson maintained that the word “autopilot” has been used in the aerospace industry for years in reference to systems that assist pilots in flight, and that the company has always been clear that people still have to pay attention to the road.
Still, it’s not hard to see what German authorities are concerned about. After all, Tesla is clearly heading down the self-driving path: CEO Elon Musk said last year that he was aiming to have fully autonomous cars ready in 2018, though he later seemed to shy away from his claim. It’s completely feasibly to expect that some people, especially those who don’t follow advances in technology as closely as we do, could get a little confused. Thanks to near-constant coverage and announcements, it’s pretty common knowledge that Teslas can auto-steer to keep the cars running at a steady speed in the same lane, automatically change lanes when the turn signal is engaged and parallel park by themselves.
With any luck, some new changes to Tesla software should help make things more clear. An update issued last month disables the Autopilot mode if the driver keeps removing their hands from the wheel. It’s also worth noting that domestic authorities are probably keeping a close eye on Tesla’s response to this situation; a draft regulation released by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles in September prohibits advertising cars that can sort of drive themselves a la Teslas as “autonomous” or “self-driving.”
Source: Reuters
From the Editor’s Desk: Winners and losers
The ever-changing smartphone market is hard to track, and sometimes predictions go overboard.
With the Galaxy Note 7 officially dead and close to buried, focus has shifted from talking about the product and recall itself over to what the short- and long-term impacts will be for Samsung. We know the immediate financial impact on Samsung Electronics will total at least $5 billion in losses for just the next few quarters, not to mention the unknown loss of sales on other phones and the loss of good will toward the company when it comes time to launch its next big phone.
Samsung’s in a tough spot, that’s for sure. But for a company as big as Samsung Electronics — not to mention Samsung as a whole — this isn’t going to ruin it forever or have a long-lasting impact. Galaxy phones will continue to sell, new products will come out and eventually it will get past this rollercoaster couple of months surrounding the Note 7. It’s easy to exaggerate just how bad this will be for Samsung, but I’m convinced the real pain will be short lived over at Samsung HQ.
These phones aren’t going to sell just by being there; they have to be great products themselves.
On the other side of the coin, many words have been typed this week speculating as to which company has the most to gain in the wake of the Note 7’s final recall. Apple is a clear choice for many. Some say LG’s V20 is ready to steal the show in the “big, expensive phone” segment. Others say this is a godsend for the folks in Google’s hardware division launching the Pixel XL this very week.
Apple really didn’t need help selling phones; even with the Note 7 in the market it was going to sell the iPhone 7 Plus faster than it could make ’em. The LG V20 still isn’t actually available, and only one U.S. retailer has even given us pricing info (AT&T at $830, oof) despite the impending launch on October 28; that is of course some seven weeks after announcing it. And then there’s Google, which is clearly trying harder to sell the Pixel and Pixel XL to a wide market than it ever had with a Nexus phone.
As I’ve said many times this week, Google is fighting an uphill battle in terms of simple brand awareness and consumers associating the Google name with high-end smartphones — and that’s absolutely still the case even with the Note 7 off of the market. Losing the Note 7 in the $800+ smartphone range certainly creates a vacuum to which several companies can step in and sell additional phones, but that doesn’t mean phones will sell just by being there. Google, LG and everyone else still has to make great phones and tell an interesting story to get people to drop this kind of money today. So far the Pixels look wonderful, but that doesn’t mean they’ll step in and steal all of the Note 7 sales by default.
A few more thoughts as we wrap up another week in the Android world:
- It’s Pixel launch week, which means we’re just a couple days away from shipping notices for those first pre-orders. My “quite black” 32GB Pixel should be here on October 20. Can’t wait.
- On Wednesday I’ll be down in San Francisco for LeEco’s big launch event, which is really the company’s first attempt to explain to the U.S. just what it is and the kind of products it makes.
- LeEco is a giant Chinese (based there, but very much multinational) company that most people haven’t even heard of — that’s a tough battle to fight with entrenched companies that have been doing business in North America for years.
- I’m extremely excited by Project Fi group plans. People constantly point to the “high” cost-per-gigabyte data rates, but I think that’s getting in the way of people just trying this awesome carrier that’s so simple and easy to use, which also offers excellent service.
- My Under Armour Band broke last week, so I’ve been back using the Samsung Gear Fit 2 — it’s a great fitness and daily activity tracker, plus a little extra. I miss the week-long battery life from my UA Band, and the Fit 2 also kind of sucks at tracking my soccer matches.
- If you live in the Pacific Northwest I hope you made it through the stormy conditions up here okay. People on the coast really took it hard.
That’s it for this weekend. More fun coming in the next week.
-Andrew
Universe may hold 10 times more galaxies than once thought
The observable universe was already incomprehensibly big, but it now looks to be even bigger. Astronomers have determined that are likely about 10 times more galaxies than previously thought, or between 1 trillion to 2 trillion. We just don’t have the technology (or physical proximity) to detect them all, according to the researchers. They reached the conclusion after converting Hubble Deep Field images into 3D to study the number of galaxies at a given point in the universe’s history, and using mathematical models to infer the possibility of galaxies that we haven’t spotted. Simply speaking, the volume of galaxies seen over time doesn’t make sense unless there are many we aren’t aware of.
Why don’t we see them? It may be a combination of our limited technology with the evolution of the universe itself. We can only do so much to account for redshifting (the light effect as objects move further away) and interference like cosmic gas, and that’s before accounting for the ever-changing nature of the cosmos. At least the data may help answer a key riddle. The shrinking number of galaxies supports the theory that galactic mergers are shaping the universe, radically reducing the overall galaxy count as more and more collisions take place.
It could be a long while before it’s possible to directly verify these calculations. There may need to be a dramatic improvement in telescope technology. And remember, even the 2 trillion figure likely doesn’t represent the whole universe. The very nature of light limits our ability to see the whole of existence — it’s possible that there are many, many more galaxies lurking out of range.
Via: Washington Post
Source: Hubble Space Telescope
The game that makes drone warfare personal
Killbox is a game that creates humans out of brightly colored 3D shapes, only to slaughter them in the most dehumanizing way: a drone strike. And not just any drone strike — the game is based on the first real-life UAV mission ever carried out in an unofficial warzone.
Killbox has a heavy-handed message delivered in a direct, uncompromising fashion. It’s a two-player game; one person embodies a sphere in an simplistic yet idyllic farming landscape. This player cruises along pathways to collect tiny white motes that emit a pleasant sound whenever the 3D ball rolls over them. There are no instructions, but the objective is clear: Collect as many motes as possible. The sphere rolls along the flat green grass and down pathways lined with balls of soft white light, passing other bright beings that appear to be frolicking, playing and dancing around each other. Larger pear-shaped creatures wander around the area, changing colors with an adorable sound every time the player’s tiny sphere runs into them.
And then, without warning, an ominous buzzing sound fills the air. Boom. A large, black plume of smoke rises from a crater directly in front of the decimated house, blobs of color lying prone among the wreckage. The air turns a deadly shade of purple.
Zoom out. The player is transported miles above the carnage, viewing the town just before it’s bombed. The second player is now on the ground, happily rolling around the town. Static and the chatter of supporting UAV pilots fills the headphones as a black panel on the right side of the screen prompts the player to test out the controls, moving a reticle around the area where the bomb will undoubtedly fall. Below, the spheres and pears bounce around happily as the player adjusts the hit box and eventually initiates the launch command. Boom.
By the end of the game, there’s no question about the creators’ feelings regarding remote-controlled warfare. A black screen overtakes the game, stark white text offering a simple summary of the United State’s real-life, first-ever bombing campaign outside of a warzone in North Pakistan in 2004. Four people were killed, including two children.
“We were looking into all these different stories, like the psychology of the drone pilot, all the crazy, messed-up stuff that surrounds it,” says Killbox programmer Albert Elwin on the IndieCade show floor in Los Angeles. “It’s all really dark and depressing — it’s absolutely in some ways a difficult project to work on because you get kind of consumed by the reality of it.”
Since 2004, the US has conducted more than 400 drone strikes across Pakistan alone that have killed up to 4,000 people, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Hard statistics don’t exist in the world of UAV warfare, but the Bureau estimates between 423 and 965 civilians have been killed in unmanned strikes on Pakistan, including as many as 207 children.
Before starting work on Killbox about one and a half years ago, Elwin hadn’t thought much about UAVs or drone strikes. He knew they existed, that the United States was bombing areas in the Middle East using remote-controlled devices, but it wasn’t a pressing matter to him.
And then American artist and anti-drone warfare activist Joseph DeLappe approached Elwin and his friends in Scotland, where they were starting a game developer group called Biome Collective. DeLappe wanted to create a video game about the dehumanizing horror of drone strikes, and Elwin’s team dove in, researching the ins and outs of UAV operations and figuring out the best way to tell that story.
“I was kind of aware [of UAV strikes] but I didn’t know what the reality was, so working on this project I’ve learned and discovered the horrific things that have gone on and are going on today,” Elwin says. “In some ways it’s getting worse, as well.”
Killbox plays with the dehumanizing aspect of drone warfare in a literal way. The characters aren’t human at all, even when players are controlling the happy, frolicking balls on the ground. However, using spheres and pears as protagonists forces the player project human characteristics onto the geometric shapes. The adorable sounds and playful setting further drive home the human-like innocence of the spheres and the feeling of loss when it all explodes in a thick black cloud. This point is solidified when the player acting as the UAV operator realizes that there was actually another player on the other side of the screen, rolling around the village, collecting white motes.
In Killbox, players create the human connection to these shapes, right before actively, knowingly destroying everything with the press of a button from a sterile, static-filled void. It’s shockingly effective.
“People are starting to realize that you can use games for more than entertainment,” Elwin says.
ARCHEER VR Headset for smartphones up to 6.5″: A solid alternative to Google Cardboard (review)
Oculus, Samsung, HTC, Microsoft, Sony and Google have all made a huge push into the virtual reality space. They’re all predicting realistic visualizations and sounds in a headset are going to be the next wave of media that is going to take over the world. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are supposedly great headsets, but need powerful PC setups to take advantage of them. The cost is prohibitive to most with the headsets costing over $500 alone.
Google offers its own Cardboard which is literally just a piece of cardboard folded into a viewer with two lenses and a magnet. Cardboard is cool in concept but is arguably a pricey option for a piece of paper. However it does allow you to experience VR, not to nearly the level of the Vive or the Rift, but it is a cool experience nonetheless.
Instead of investing $15 into paper, you can grab alternatives to Cardboard such as the ARCHEER VR Headset for smartphones with displays up to 6.5″. It costs just $5 more and even comes with a Bluetooth controller for a more fluid experience in the VR world.
Let’s check it out.
Design and Usage
The ARCHEER VR Headset is a plastic viewer that is compatible with phones from Android and iOS. It’s a box where you place your smartphone into the holder and fold it up so you can see your phone magnified by the two glass lenses.
Even though ARCHEER claims this viewer can fit phones with displays up to 6.5″, it’s more likely that the largest phone you can use with this is one with a 5.7″ display. The LG V10 and Nexus 6 certainly will not fit, so make sure you check the dimensions of your phone before you grab this headset. I used the headset with the Moto Z and Samsung Galaxy S7 edge without issue in the ARCHEER VR Headset.
The headset comes with a comfortable strap that stretches to fit very comfortably on your head. It’s easy to adjust with VELCRO straps and should fit most head sizes, including those with abnormally large heads like me. The lenses are adjustable too since all people have different distances between their eyes. (This setup is not good for those who wear glasses.)
The compatible VR apps, which there are quite a few available in the Google Play Store, split your display into two, and the VR headset brings them back together in one large image when you look through the lenses. If you haven’t experienced VR before, it’s rather inspiring to see where this content is headed. When you turn your head, the video moves with it giving you an immersive experience. It really does feel like you’re in another world. For those who get motion sick, this is the type of experience that will make you feel queasy. For the rest of you, you will find VR rather fun. Especially when it only costs $20.
The ARCHEER VR Headset also includes a Bluetooth controller that helps you navigate through menus, or play games with compatible VR apps. The controller uses two AAA batteries that are not included in the box. It’s easy to pair the controller – just pair it like you would any other Bluetooth device. Once paired you can navigate menus with the joystick. A mouse cursor pops up on your display as soon as you move it. It’s a nice add-on even though most of our gadgets use built-in Li-Ion batteries.
The ARCHEER VR Headset is very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The padding on the front with the comfortable head strap make this experience far superior to Google Cardboard.
Summary
Content for VR still has a long way to go before people will adopt it en masse. However experiencing VR is still possible with the content that is available, and it is breathtaking if you’ve never seen it in action before.
The ARCHEER VR Headset with a Bluetooth remote is a great way to dabble in VR without splurging on an expensive Vive or Rift and PC setup. It’s only $19.99 at Amazon for AndroidGuys’ readers when you use the discount code SSHNJEMK at checkout.
Best BlackBerry Phone
Looking for the best BlackBerry phone to buy? Right now, it’s the Priv, which is still the best phone with a physical keyboard.
Best overall
BlackBerry Priv
See at Amazon
BlackBerry’s first phone running on Android was a bold attempt to buck the latest smartphone trends. In a world dominated by slabs of aluminum and glass, BlackBerry went with a slider design to incorporate a physical keyboard and a soft-touch back that’s great for maintaining your grip.
Internally, the BlackBerry Priv runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core 64-bit processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (microSD expansion available). It’s got a massive 3410 mAh battery and supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 as well as Qi and Powermat wireless charging on most models.
Running on Marshmallow, BlackBerry attempted to keep a mostly stock Android experience while certainly adding their own flourishes, including BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry Hub, and something called the Productivity Tab. These are entirely optional features, but reassuring for those BlackBerry users migrating over to the world of Android for the first time. Then there’s BlackBerry’s focus on privacy and security. Your data is encrypted via proprietary mechanisms, and the DTEK security app adds another layer of protection to make sure your device is never compromised.
As BlackBerry’s first Android flagship, the Priv was quite expensive when it first released back in November 2015. While it may have lost a bit of luster compared to 2016’s flagship releases, at a lowered price point it’s a great option for folks who were interested in the past but couldn’t justify the full price.
Bottom line: With its physical keyboard and top-notch Blackberry security features, the Priv is a unique and powerful option in the Android marketplace.
One more thing: The Priv is available on AT&T and T-Mobile, but won’t work on Sprint or Verizon networks.
Why the BlackBerry Priv is the best
Unlike any other flagship on the market.
BlackBerry went all out in their design and execution of the BlackBerry Priv. It instantly stands out from the crowd due to its amazing physical keyboard and design.
It’s got enough power to handle most everything, and packs in valuable features including expandable storage via microSD, wireless charging, and some of the best security features found on an Android phone. Sure, at this point there really isn’t much competition for the Priv, but it will likely take some keen innovation or
Best for less
BlackBerry DTEK50
The DTEK50 is a solid entry-level phone that provides the security associated with the BlackBerry name without distracting too much from the experience of using an Android device.
The first of BlackBerry’s Android devices to be designed and built by an outside company, the DTEK50 includes decent hardware specs for its price point and a serviceable camera. Just keep in mind that this is an entry level device — more than serviceable for all your business-related needs (it’s a BlackBerry, after all), but lacking on the specs needed for gaming and other resource-hogging applications.
Bottom line: The DTEK50 is a solid phone with a focus on security that will be appealing to some. And at $299, it’s certainly not going to break the bank.
One more thing: The DTEK50 features a customizable Convenience Key, which can be mapped to quick launch an app with a single press and acts as a mute button when you’re on call.
More: BlackBerry DTEK50
See at Amazon
Conclusion
With just two BlackBerry phones currently on the market, the Priv clearly stands out as the best available so far if price is no issue. The DTEK50 remains a solid budget option for those who often do work from their phones and appreciate BlackBerry’s attention to keeping your business and personal data secured.
Best overall
BlackBerry Priv
BlackBerry’s first phone running on Android was a bold attempt to buck the latest smartphone trends. In a world dominated by slabs of aluminum and glass, BlackBerry went with a slider design to incorporate a physical keyboard and a soft-touch back that’s great for maintaining your grip.
Internally, the BlackBerry Priv runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core 64-bit processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (microSD expansion available). It’s got a massive 3410 mAh battery and supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 as well as Qi and Powermat wireless charging.
Running on Marshmallow, BlackBerry attempted to keep a mostly stock Android experience while certainly adding their own flourishes, including BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry Hub, and something called the Productivity Tab. These are entirely optional features, but will be reassuring for those BlackBerry users migrating over to the world of Android for the first time. Then there’s BlackBerry’s focus on privacy and security. Your data is encrypted via proprietary mechanisms, and the DTEK security app adds another layer of protection to make sure your device is never compromised.
As BlackBerry’s first Android flagship, the Priv was quite expensive when it first released back in November 2015. While it may have lost a bit of luster compared to 2016’s flagship releases, at a lowered price point it’s a great option for folks who were interested in the past but couldn’t justify the full price.
Bottom line: With its physical keyboard and top-notch Blackberry security features, the Priv is a unique and powerful option in the Android marketplace.
One more thing: The Priv is available on AT&T and T-Mobile, but won’t work on Sprint or Verizon networks.
AIVAnet 