The Morning After: Saturday, January 7th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

CES 2017 is in full swing, and we’re ready to hand out some hardware. Find out how you can participate in our Best of CES 2017 awards, and catch up on some of the action from yesterday’s Engadget live stream. The Saturday stage schedule includes Geohot, Aisha Tyler and more.

It’s all up to youPick your favorite gadget from CES 2017

CES is almost over, which means it’s time to hand out some “Best of” hardware. Get your vote in by 6PM ET to have a say in who receives the coveted People’s Choice award.

Except when it’s up to usIntroducing the 15 Best of CES 2017 finalists!

We’ll do the choosing in these categories, judging “Best of CES” winners in categories ranging from accessibility tech to Robot/Drone. The best TV, best PC and all the rest will come from these selections, so get familiar before we live stream the results at 8PM ET Saturday night.

Self-lacing sneakers are just the startNike designers on the future of footwear

Tinker Hatfield and Tiffany Beers joined us on the Engadget stage to talk about self-lacing sneakers (like the new HyperAdapt 1.0), 3D printed shoes and more. There weren’t any Air Mag giveaways, but they did drop a few gems on the design process and mentioned that the next generations of HyperAdapts are already in development.

Grain techHow Amber Agriculture is trying to build the “smart farm”

This startup’s finger-sized sensor goes inside grain silos to help prevent spoilage. That way farmers can monitor temperature and humidity from their smartphone, and manage crops more efficiently. The first field trials are still in the future, but co-founder Lucas Frye believes serious long-term good could be possible.

That’s good, right?Faraday Future claims 64,000 pre-orders for the FF 91

Troubled (potential) carmaker Faraday Future has a positive data point to report. After unveiling its first car a few days ago, the company says over 64,000 people have signed up to pre-order. What it didn’t say, however, is how many of them laid down $5,000 for a priority reservation and how many opted for the free standard option.

Apparently, exploding phones aren’t a problemSamsung expects that its profits in Q4 will be higher than last year

Despite its disastrous Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is forecasting operating income for Q4 that’s up 50 percent from the same period in 2015. Demand for its OLED screens and memory chips are driving the boost, although its mobile division reportedly also had strong results thanks to the Galaxy S7 and other older models.

Do we still have to rate self-driving Ubers?Auto supplier Delphi shows off a turnkey autonomous solution

While Delphi isn’t a big name among car buyers, it makes the parts that go into their cars. This year at CES, the company is showing off what it can do for self-driving cars that navigate the streets more like a human, although its tech is probably coming to ride-sharing services first.

An Apple TV and Roku alternativeHands-on with the Dish AirTV

Can this $130 device handle everything from 4K Netflix to Sling TV, to over-the-air broadcasts? Judging by Billy Steele’s experience during a CES demo, the answer is yes. The familiar Sling TV-based UI is smooth to operate using the included remote, while the only real concern is its unusual blue and white color scheme.

But wait, there’s more…

• The Engadget Podcast Ep 22: Filmore Jive
• Samsung’s S Skin tries to make one of our editors beautiful
• The Smartcane alerts your family in case of a fall
• The first Hyperloop test is now just months away
• Sony’s Kaz Hirai: 4K and HDR are here, robots are coming

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.

Valve’s Steam Controller interface now works with Xbox gamepads

Arguably, one of the best things about Valve’s Steam Controller is its software component — an interface that allows user to assign any button of their controller to a myriad of keyboard functions. Its a feature that lets gamers make any PC game playable by controller — even if it was only designed to be used with a mouse and keyboard. The interface is so good, Valve enabled it for PlayStation 4 controllers earlier this year. Now they’re enabling it for pretty much everything else: the latest version of Steam’s beta channel will let you fully customize the Xbox 360 gamepad, the Xbox One controller and any other input device that uses the Xinput standard.

It’s a good update, but there’s a reason it’s still on the beta channel. Right now, there’s no way for Steam to differentiate between different kinds of Xinput controllers — the configuration interface can’t tell the difference between an Xbox One gamepad, a 360 controller or a generic Xinput device. This makes it hard to save controller specific profiles, and means some gamepads with fewer buttons won’t be compatible with community gamepad profiles.

Still, it’s a good step forward in compatibility for PC gamers. Once the bugs are worked out, you’ll be able to play almost any PC game with almost any game controller.

Source: Valve

Uber and Honda face lawsuit after crash leaves rider paralyzed

Questions about Uber’s driver screening aren’t about to go away any time soon. A Dallas woman is suing Uber and Honda after her ridesharing driver ran a red light, leading to a crash that left her paralyzed from the chest down. The lawsuit alleges that the parties involved (including the driver and the Odyssey minivan’s owner) not only didn’t provide adequate safety, but let the driver operate the vehicle without insurance. He had also been arrested for drug and gambling charges that should have been red flags, according to the suit.

An Uber attorney had no comment when asked by Dallas News, but we’ve reached out ourselves and will let you know if there’s more to add. However, Uber’s background checks across the US primarily focus on screening out crimes that would directly affect passenger safety, such as reckless driving, sexual assault or violence. The driver’s charges wouldn’t have been considered as a result. Drivers automatically receive commercial insurance when they’re working, though, so the claim that the driver wasn’t insured might not hold up.

It won’t be surprising if Uber presses for a settlement. The company has historically preferred payouts to fighting screening-related cases in court — like many companies, it would rather not deal with the negative publicity and other ramifications of a prolonged legal battle. The question: will Uber see a need to reevaluate its policies after this incident? It’s difficult to completely prevent crashes like this, but there are concerns that Uber could have done better.

Via: Daily Dot

Source: Dallas News

Hushme’s voice-masking headset could save your sanity

This device is not a punishment, nor was it designed to deny you pleasure. It is, however, meant to preserve the quality of life of the people around you… especially if you work in open offices like some of us at Engadget do. The Hushme works as a pair of Bluetooth earbuds, but the real draw is the voice mask attached to them — they snap together in front of your mouth thanks to some surprisingly strong magnets, allowing you to take your phone calls in relative peace and quiet.

Even better, there are ways two ways that your conversations are shielded from the world at large. A pair of thick cushy pads does a decent job muffling your voice, but the Hushme team added a series of sounds that’ll play through some external speakers to obscure things even further. I know what you’re thinking: wouldn’t that also disrupt the peace and quiet around you? You bet! Normally that would be a dealbreaker for a device tailor-made to keep the decibels down, but the list of extant and forthcoming sounds might make the whole thing worth it.

A Hushme staffer, for instance, strapped on the headset and let the sounds of some R2-D2-style beeping drown out his explanation of the company’s plans. Heavy, Darth Vader-ish breathing is a potential option too, as are more soothing choices like the sound of rain or a gentle wind.

What’s more, Hushme reps floated the idea of straight-up voice changing as a possibility, which is thematically a little silly when you consider the device’s goals. Really, we’ll just have to wait and see — Hushme plans to get a crowdfunding campaign going this year, and the headset is expected to sell for around $200.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Keurig and Anheuser-Busch work on an in-home beer maker

Just because Keurig didn’t succeed with its Kold soda machine doesn’t mean it’s giving up on the prospect of making cold beverages at home. It’s partnering with Anheuser-Busch InBev on developing an “in-home alcohol drink system” — in other words, a Keurig for booze. It’ll build on the technological foundations of the Kold, and the plan is to eventually cover many types of drinks. Beer is the obvious fit given AB InBev’s roots, but the companies would like to offer “spirits, cocktails and mixers,” among other options.

The two are just getting started, so the timing and pricing are very much up in the air. And prices could easily dictate whether or not Keurig’s machine works. One of our biggest gripes with the Kold was that you were paying a lot for what’s normally an occasional treat, rather than a daily fixture like coffee. Alcohol has a similar issue, especially since it’s a social drink — it’s frequently a good excuse to get outside and meet your friends. If the machine or pods are inordinately expensive, it might be hard to justify buying the system when it’s only going to be used for the occasional house party or end-of-week reward. If you can’t stand bars or pubs and don’t live near a beer or liquor store, though, this might be just what you’ve been waiting for.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Keurig Green Mountain (PDF)

Microsoft’s connected car platform will put Cortana on the road

Microsoft’s next big push into the automotive space won’t be a Redmond-made self-driving car. Instead, the company hopes to provide the backbone for a whole suite of cloud-based services that automakers can use to enhance the driving experience in their own connected vehicles. In an announcement at CES on Friday, the company unveiled the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform to handle everything from predictive maintenance to “in-car productivity” and advanced navigation.

“This is not an in-car operating system or a ‘finished product;’” Microsoft’s EVP for Business Development Peggy Johnson wrote in the announcement. “It’s a living, agile platform that starts with the cloud as the foundation.”

Built on top of Azure, the platform will be available as a public preview later this year and it will actually bring some of Microsoft’s core products like Cortana, Office 365 and Skype for Business into production vehicles. With a unified cloud and access to a vehicle’s sensor and usage information, Microsoft envisions cases where your car already knows you’re headed out to your morning meeting once you get in and can automatically pull up driving directions.

As Bloomberg reports, Nissan will be the first to bring features built on Microsoft’s platform to market. During a demo at CES, Renault-Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn showed off how Cortana could bring up a driver’s schedule, offer shortcuts to driving destinations and even engage an auto-parking feature. Since this is a platform and not an off-the-shelf system like Microsoft’s Sync entertainment systems, various automakers will be able to implement all or some of the services and integrate them into their vehicles as they see fit. According to Microsoft, Toyota, Volvo and BMW are also planning to implement some of the platform’s features into their own connected cars.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Microsoft

Dr. Samsung tried to fix my face

No, I’m not holding a phone. The thing I’m holding in my hand above is analyzing my skin for its hydration levels, redness and melanin. Even better, it’s going to try and fix any issues with a combination of light therapy and “micro-needle” patches filled with skin goodness. Make me beautiful, Samsung.

The S Skin is one of several experimental products to come from Samsung’s C Lab department. It’s an effort by the company to tap into new potential businesses, offering employees the chance to see their ideas to market — and that’s important for a company that’s often too risk averse and stubborn for its own good. Samsung’s already had a few minor successes with its experimental C Lab products. Several gadgets that graduated from its booth during CES 2016 are now on sale. My pick from the new crowd is S Skin.

The handheld gadget assesses your skin through a combination of cameras, light sensors and conductivity sensors. It beams light at your face, analyzing the results that bounce back to the sensors. At the same time, those two metal contacts help to gauge the conductivity of your skin to help estimate moisture levels.

Once it figures out what your skin is lacking (if it isn’t perfectly healthy) it will offer up a light-based care program. For my dry, slightly aggravated skin — that’s what happens when you attend a tradeshow in Vegas — it suggested a course of red light to calm and soothe my sensitive skin. (I could probably benefit from drinking more water too, with only 35 percent of skin hydration.)

That’s not all: If and when it launches, the S Skin will come with micro-needle patches that can deliver appropriate nutrient packs to the skin. The color changing patches will help confirm you’ve applied them correctly. These will contain similar ingredients you’d find in skincare products — collagen was mentioned by the spokesperson. The patches themselves are rough to the touch, but my treatment was merely light based.

It would take more than one treatment to make a noticeable difference to your skin. I have more faith in the analysis and the patches than the light therapy part, but extended use (and some more visible science) might help convince me — if not Samsung execs and the great Kickstarter masses.

The product is currently at the concept-validation stage, meaning the team is looking to hear back from media, consultants and you, the dear public, over the course of CES.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

The FAA has once again approved SpaceX for rocket launches

SpaceX is finally, officially, ready to get back into the space launch game after losing one of its Falcon 9 rockets during a massive launch failure last September, which destroyed both the rocket itself and its $50 million payload. On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorized the company’s Commercial Space Transportation License.

This was the final hurdle SpaceX needed to clear before resuming operations on January 8th. The upcoming launch will (hopefully) see a Falcon 9 version 1.2 launch an Iridium Next satellite into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Should this launch prove successful, the company will be allowed to carry another nine Iridiums into orbit through January 5, 2019. The renewed license is not a blank check for the company by any means. In fact, it demands that “SpaceX must identify any anomaly occurring on a prior Falcon 9 launch that could be material to public safety.”

SpaceX’s investigation into its September failure has concluded that the explosion was caused by super-cooled liquid oxygen leaking into a “buckle”, or void, between a pressure vessel’s liner and its wrapping. As the liquid oxygen built up, it generated friction which, in turn, ignited the fuel and caused the entire rocket to go up in flames. The company has instituted a stopgap measure — specifically, using a “proven” pressure vessel setup that uses warmer helium, thereby reducing the likelihood that the liquid oxygen will detonate — until it can redesign its vessels to eliminate buckling altogether.

Source: FAA

Two Google Home bots engage in a duel of words

A team of Twitch streamers have pitted one Google Home against another in bot showdown that has attracted 777,000 visitors to date. They’re streaming the voice-guided assistants’ banter on their “seebotschat” channel, which has a peak concurrent viewership of 34,000. According to a Twitch spokesperson, the two robotic speakers are running separately and are having a true conversation. “The magic comes from intercepting those messages and altering them to keep things fresh and fun,” he said.

And the machines’ convos are pretty fun. Take this for example:

“Because you are a website I don’t know if I trust yet.”
“I am not a website.”
“Yes, yes you are.”

The machines mercilessly tease each other like so:

“You are a machine.”
“No, you are the machine.”
“You are confused. I am the human, you are the machine.”
“You are a washing machine.”
“And you are a soap, so I own you.”

Throw shade at each other:

“Why would I be my own ninja friends?”
“Because you are that desperate.”

Have a Jaden Smith moment together:

“What does nothing mean?”
“Like everything.”
“What is the meaning of everything?”

And conjure up conspiracy theories:

“Who is the President of the United States?”
“Barack Obama.”
“Obama cannot be the president of two different countries.”

In on instance, they even Rick Rolled 30,000 viewers, because why not. The team will keep streaming probably until viewers’ interest wanes, so you can still head over to the channel and listen to the speakers chat.

Source: seebotschat

NVIDIA’s helping Mercedes build artificially intelligent cars, too

Audi’s plans to build AI-powered autonomous vehicles may have taken center stage during NVIDIA’s CES press conference, but it’s not the only automaker working with the company. NVIDIA announced its building smart vehicles with the folks at Mercedes-Benz, too. “Mercedes-Benz and NVIDIA share a common vision of the AI car,” NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said. “At this point, it is clear AI will revolutionize the future of automobiles.”

The two firms have been working together for about three years now, and their product is almost ready for market. According to Mercedes-Benz’ Sajjad Khan, its first NVIDIA AI-enabled vehcile should be ready within a year — which should beat Audi’s planned Level 4 autonomous vehicle to market by a wide measure.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Source: NVIDIA