UC Berkeley researchers built a wall-jumping robot
Meet SALTO: a powerful new wall-jumping robot built by researchers at UC Berkeley. According to SALTO’s makers, the diminutive, one-legged hopper not only has the “highest robotic vertical jumping agility ever recorded,” but also the ability to link together multiple jumps in quick succession.
SALTO stands for saltatorial locomotion on terrain obstacles, and the motion of the mechanical jumping leg was modeled after galagos — small jumping primates native to Africa that have stretchy tendons in their legs that allow them to store energy and jump with more force than if they only used their leg muscles alone. The galago is so agile not only because it can make a big leap, but also because it can essentially wind up its legs into a crouched position in mid-flight and immediately leap again upon landing. So, as soon as SALTO jumps, it is already set to jump again, which allows for what designer Duncan Haldane compared to a sort of robotic parkour:
At just 100 grams and 26 centimeters (10.2 inches) tall when fully extended, SALTO can jump a little bit more than one meter (3.3 feet) high in a single leap. Adding a second jump gets the robot up to about 1.21 meters (3.97 feet) high and while other robotic jumpers like UC Berkeley’s own JumpRoACH can get higher, they still need a moment to power up before jumping again. According to Haldane, that ability to string together quick movements would make SALTO a useful tool in urban search and rescue environments where uneven terrain and obstacles could become stepping stones. But if they ever put SALTO legs on an Atlas robot, then we’ll start to worry.
Via: UC Berkeley
Source: Science Robotics
Apple Music has 20 million paid subscribers
Apple says it added three million Music users since September, bringing its total subscriber count to 20 million. Furthermore, VP Eddy Cue tells Billboard that 60 percent of those are new customers who haven’t purchased an iTunes song in the last year. By contrast, Spotify announced it had 40 million users in September, after adding 10 million premium subscribers in a six month period.
As before, Apple is using exclusive artist deals to drive users to Music. “Chance the Rapper, who we put on Apple Music exclusively, hit the top 10 on the Billboard charts [from streaming alone] and I can’t recall that being done before,” said Cue. Such deals are controversial with fans and the press, however, and artists like Kanye West (who has done his own exclusive deals on Tidal) have railed about it.
Unlike Apple, Spotify has a free, ad-supported subscription tier that it uses to drive premium subscriber growth. As of June, the company said it had 100 million total users, including non-paid subscribers. Apple has its own built-in advantage, of course, as Apple Music is already installed on every new iPhone sold. Both companies offer $10 individual subscriptions and a $15 family plan for up to six users.
While the growth of both Spotify and Apple Music has been dramatic, Cue points out that there are still only around 100 million paid streaming music subscribers globally. “There’s a lot of growth opportunity,” he says. The jump is good news for the music industry, too, as it pushes total paid streams per artist northwards.
However, the RIAA continues to complain about streaming, despite the fact that YouTube said yesterday that it paid $1 billion to the industry for ad-supported (non-subscription) streaming alone. In total, music industry revenue rose 3.2 percent in 2015 to $15 million, and based on Apple and Spotify’s growth, should push even higher this year.
Via: 9 to 5 Mac
Source: Billboard
Ulysses 2.7 Brings Touch Bar Support, macOS Sierra Tabs and More to Popular Writing App
German developers The Soulmen today released a new version of popular writing app Ulysses, bringing Touch Bar support, Tabs in macOS Sierra, and a host of other new features and performance improvements.
From Wednesday, users launching version 2.7 of the award-winning app on Touch Bar equipped MacBook Pros will see new contextual functions for Ulysses in the OLED strip, bringing the ability to assign markup tags directly while they write.
Ulysses 2.7 now also includes tabbed windows in macOS Sierra, making it possible to switch between multiple open texts within the same window.
Elsewhere, Ulysses now offers full support for the TextBundle format outside its iCloud library. TextBundle combines Markdown text and all referenced images into a single file for convenience, and Ulysses now allows writers to use images when working from Dropbox or other storage providers.
The latest update also makes it easier to switch from Evernote to Ulysses, by allowing users to import ENEX Evernote export files containing multiple notes, upon which individual sheets are created for each note.
In addition, a new Reading Time writing goal has been added to the existing options (number of characters, words, or pages), while a number of more general improvements, bug fixes, and stability enhancements have also been implemented in the latest version of the app.
Ulysses 2.7 is available for MacOS and iOS on the Mac App Store and App Store respectively, and is a free update for existing users. The Mac app costs $44.99, while the universal iOS app costs $24.99.
Tags: Ulysses, Touch Bar, The Soulmen
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Fitbit close to buying Pebble’s software assets, Time 2 and Pebble Core could be canceled
Fitbit could scoop up Pebble for under $40 million.
Fitbit is reportedly getting ready to acquire Pebble’s software assets. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg notes that the deal is valued at under $40 million, and will include hiring Pebble’s software engineers as well as the company’s IP — its watch operating system, watch apps, and cloud services:
The purchase price is less than $40 million, and Pebble’s debt and other obligations exceed that, two of the people said. Fitbit is not taking on the debt, one of the people said. The rest of Pebble’s assets, including product inventory and server equipment, will be sold off separately, some of the people said. An announcement is imminent, the people added.
Pebble’s latest watches — the Time 2 and Pebble Core — will be canceled as a result of the sale, and customers that have ordered through Kickstarter will receive refunds. If the sale goes through, Pebble’s engineers will relocate to Fitbit’s offices in San Francisco, and the company’s offices will be closed. Fitbit reportedly rolled out job offers to several of Pebble’s software engineers, although it looks like most hardware engineers and interface designers will be let go.
According to IDC, the wearable segment saw a meager 3.1% YoY increase in shiments this quarter, with fitness bands accounting for 85% of the 23 million shipments. Fitbit led the pack with 5.3 million shipments this quarter on the back of Charge HR and Charge 2, but the company’s stock continues to decline on account of the slow growth in the segment. An announcement is said to be imminent, so we should hear something official soon.
Get a Ringke case for your Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P — just $5.99
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Google app update brings a dedicated news feed to your home screen
Google Now gets broken up into two feeds.
An update rolling out to the Google app breaks up the feed into two separate sections — one dedicated to news updates, and an “upcoming” section that details your personal info, including daily schedule, flight info, appointments, and more.
The app still pulls in data from Gmail, Calendar, and other sources, but all that information now lives in the upcoming tab. By default, you’ll see updates from your favorite news publications, people of interest, music, and sports teams. There’s still the option to customize your feed, and Google says that the more you use the feature, the “more tailored and relevant” it becomes.
The reorganization means that your feed isn’t as cluttered, making it easier to find relevant information. For instance, if you’re looking to find the tracking number for a parcel, you don’t have to dig through several news stories to find the information. It would’ve been better if Google defaulted to the upcoming section, but the company is looking to highlight its “interests” section, and as such the news feed is what you’ll see when you open the app.
The update is now rolling out to users in the U.S., and will be available in other countries shortly.
Square Cash plugs its virtual card into Apple Pay
The Square Cash service added a “virtual debit card” feature back in September, and tonight during the Code Commerce event, CEO Jack Dorsey announced that it’s integrating with Apple Pay. The virtual Visa debit card lets Square Cash users spend their balance anywhere Visa is accepted (legitimately), and starting today, its iPhone app can enable the card for use on Apple Pay too. If you’re not using an iPhone or Apple Watch, Dorsey said that the company does have plans to support other platforms like Android Pay and Samsung Pay.
Source: Recode, iTunes
Bloomberg: Fitbit acquisition will kill Pebble Time 2 and Core
According to Bloomberg, Fitbit is close to buying up Pebble for less than $40 million, which aligns with what we reported when info on the acquisition first came out. Since the fitness tracker maker is only interested in Pebble’s software assets and Pebble is neck-deep in debt, though, the Time 2 and Core watches will no longer be released. While Pebble 2 has already started shipping out to Kickstarter backers, the company will reportedly cancel all Time 2 and Core shipments and will issue refunds through the crowdfunding website. Pebble’s Time 2 is made of marine-grade stainless steel and has a much bigger screen than the original Time smartwatch, while Core is an Android-powered, non-watch GPS wearable for runners.
The publication has also revealed that Fitbit has begun sending out job offers to 40 percent of the smartwatch company’s software engineers. Employees who don’t get an offer will get severance packages, while those who do and who choose to work for Fitbit will move to its HQ in San Francisco. In addition, the stocks the employees own will now go towards paying debts and issuing refunds to campaign backers. Bloomberg’s sources said it’s now up to Fitbit whether to use the Pebble brand. The indie smartwatch company’s devices might really be gone for good, though. When The Information first reported on the deal, it said Pebble’s devices will be phased out after the acquisition.
Source: Bloomberg
Apple Says 35% of U.S. Merchants Accept Apple Pay
While speaking at the Code Conference today in San Francisco, Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey announced that 35% of U.S. merchants now accept Apple Pay, reports The Verge. She said that only 4% of merchants accepted the payment option two years ago when it debuted.
Bailey says the new EMV chip cards are annoying customers and have helped drive adoption. “Once you figure out you have to chip, you wait a while, you wait awhile,” she said before imitating the “BEEP” sound the chip reader makes when you can remove your card.
Apple won’t be marketing Apple Pay to take advantage of the annoyance toward EMV chips, Bailey said, instead focusing on creating new partnerships with banks and merchants. “Knocking EMV is not necessarily the way to go,” she said. “I think it’s to increase acceptance and work with great partners.”
The Cupertino company is also focusing on offering deals with retailers and banks. In November, Apple debuted exclusive holiday offers for those who use Apple Pay on the web. Promotions included one- or two-day free shipping with Adidas and 50% off a one-year subscription to The New York Times. Bailey notes that Apple has to work with partners for special offers because Apple doesn’t collect transaction data, eliminating its ability to offer promotions by itself.
Bailey says that Apple is excited by the speed of the transition to contactless payments. However, Bailey says that the challenge for Apple is that they have to match the speed of the transition to EMV chip readers. Apple has to get retailers and merchants to adopt Apple Pay at the same time they adopt EMV chip readers so that consumers can more easily see the benefit of Apple Pay.
Bailey also teased what was next for Apple Pay, saying that the company is thinking about “everything in your wallet.”
Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Square’s ‘Cash Virtual Card’ Now Works With Apple Pay
In September Square introduced the “Cash Virtual Card,” letting users of the Square Cash app create a virtual Visa debit card that allows them spend their Square Cash anywhere Visa is accepted online. Today at the Code Conference in San Francisco, CEO Jack Dorsey announced that the Virtual Card now works with Apple Pay, reports Recode.
Image via Recode
The move gives the Cash Virtual Card a physical presence, allowing users to spend their Square Cash anywhere Apple Pay is accepted. Dorsey said he’s been using the Virtual Card as his primary card for the past two months.
Square has steadily been working toward turning Square Cash into a fully fledged payment solution. The service originally started as a peer-to-peer payment system before expanding into online payments with the Virtual Card.
Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Square Cash
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