Airbnb is eyeing an international payment app

Airbnb is taking its all-inclusive aspirations one step further. Now, the short-term rental service is close to buying mobile payment app Tilt for $10 to $20 million, according to The Information. For the uninitiated, Tilt’s wrinkle is that it can process cross-currency payments — which should help with Airbnb’s international expansion plans. And as far as what users will notice, it sounds like people will be able to split the bill on a room rental in the future. If you’re looking to outfit your rental pad with augmented reality area rugs, that’s the other Tilt, Tilt Textiles.

As the publication notes, the application itself will likely be shuttered and Airbnb will take advantage of its tech, and “many” existing employees will be offered jobs within the company.

Source: The Information

Classic FM to host weekly show on orchestral video game music

Final Fantasy. Skyrim. The Legend of Zelda. These and so many other video game franchises offer beautiful, sweeping scores for players to get lost in. Unfortunately, however, they’re not always known or appreciated by people outside of the gaming community. Recognition is improving through live concerts and awards, but there’s still a long way to go. The latest effort to champion and broaden its appeal is a new radio show on Classic FM. It’ll be hosted by Jessica Curry, co-founder of British game studio The Chinese Room and composer of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and will focus on symphonic video game music in particular.

The programme will run for six weeks, starting on April 22nd. It’ll be broadcast every Saturday from 9pm to 10pm, with the option to listen online, through DAB and FM radio, and the Classic FM app.

So, I’m very, very (over) excited to announce that I’m going to be a new presenter on @ClassicFM!!! Presenting a show on video game music 🎶 https://t.co/dBiVa69XXw

— Jessica Curry (@jessicacurry2) January 25, 2017

It’s not the first time a radio station has shown an interest in video games. The BBC commissioned ‘The Radio 1 Gaming Show,’ presented by YouTuber Julia Hardly almost a year ago. BBC Radio 5 live also has a programme called ‘Let’s Talk About Tech,’ which regularly dives into video game news and analysis. Few shows focus on gaming music, however, and the composers and musicians behind them. A few podcasts have taken up the slack, such as The BGM Show, but their listenership is typically small. Classic FM has the chance to do something different, educating a large, casual audience who may have tuned into the programme by chance.

Source: Classic FM

Jawbone Leaves Users in the Lurch as Customer Support Goes Silent

Owners of Jawbone products have been met with a wall of silence from the speaker and activity tracker company’s customer support, it was reported on Wednesday.

Customers told The Verge they had contacted Jawbone in recent months or weeks about faulty products and had not received any response, while calls to the company’s support number are being continually met with automated messages about busy lines.

The company’s support Twitter account hasn’t tweeted since December 21, 2016, and the Jawbone Facebook page does not respond to comments left by frustrated customers, with many of the comments apparently hidden from public view. Meanwhile, review aggregator website Trustpilot.com currently gives Jawbone an average one-star rating.

Jawbone did not respond to requests for comment regarding its lack of customer support, despite the fact that the company’s products are still available to buy through Amazon, if not Jawbone’s own website.

Reports that the company has been struggling to stay afloat date back to May of last year, when it ended production of its UP line of fitness trackers and sold its remaining inventory to a third-party reseller at a discounted price.

At the time, Jawbone denied claims that it was going out of business and said it was focusing on advanced sensors to sell to other wearable makers, but recently both the head executive of product and the chief financial officer left the company.

According to a report in the Financial Times, Fitbit attempted to buy Jawbone last year, but it only offered a fraction of the $1.5 billion valuation the company had at the beginning of 2016. Jawbone and Fitbit have also been involved in a series of lawsuits over patents and trade secrets over the last year.

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Apple Has ‘Constructive’ Meeting With India About Local Manufacturing Opportunities

Apple on Wednesday said it appreciated the “constructive” dialogue it had held with officials from India regarding the expansion of its local operations in the country.

Earlier this month, reports indicated that a high-level meeting would be taking place between the two sides, with Apple seeking concessions from the Indian government if it agreed to manufacture products locally. That meeting now appears to have taken place, although in a statement given to Reuters today, Apple offered little hint as to the outcome of those discussions.

“We’ve been working hard to develop our operations in India,” Apple said in a brief statement. “We appreciate the constructive and open dialogue we’ve had with government about further expanding our local operations.”

Apple was said to be going into the meeting looking for a number of tax and other incentives, including long-term duty exemptions, but the Indian government recently appeared to push back against those demands, suggesting that it would review its entire mobile manufacturing policy instead.

However, the government’s IT ministry offered the most recent indication that the government was willing to listen to Apple, saying it would consider any requests for incentives with an “open mind”.

In a report by The Times of India last month, Apple was said to be looking into building an iPhone manufacturing plant in Bangalore, with Wistron as a partner. Earlier this week it was revealed that Apple had tapped Wistron as its first major supplier in India for this year’s iPhone 8.

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Researchers design sensors that can detect single protein molecules

Carbon nanotubes promise to lead to some exciting new breakthroughs in computing, but researchers at MIT are now putting them to use in medicine and chemical engineering as well. According to a new paper published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, MIT engineers have modified carbon nanotubes to create instruments sensitive enough to detect a single protein molecule as it is secreted by a cell.

The nanometer-thick carbon nanotubes naturally glow or fluoresce when exposed to laser light, but in order to turn them into sensors, the research team had to first coat them with materials that can bind to target molecules. In this case, the researchers coated the nanotubes with chains of DNA called aptamers. When the target molecule binds to the DNA chains, the nanotube’s glow changes in a measurable way. The “sensor array” can be set up on a microscope slide and when a bacteria, yeast or human cell is placed inside the array, the sensors will detect the presence of the target protein.

Although the researchers have only tested the system with two different proteins so far, they believe the system could lead to new breakthroughs in biopharmaceutical treatments as well. Other researchers are already working on ways to re-engineer a patient’s own cells to secrete beneficial proteins and the new MIT sensor array system would be crucial to testing those treatments, as well as studying viruses, neurotransmitters and quorum sensing — the process by which bacteria colonies communicate.

Via: MIT News

Source: Nature Nanotechnology

Chinese manufacturers dominate in India as local handset makers retreat

Chinese manufacturers have all the momentum in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market.

Chinese brands now account for over 46% of the smartphone market in India, with the likes of Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and Lenovo pushing out local handset makers. According to data compiled by Canalys, 28.1 million smartphones were shipped in Q4 2016, with Samsung taking the number one spot. Samsung has the lion’s share of the market at 22%, followed by Xiaomi at 11%, and OPPO at 9%.

The growth has come at the expense of Indian brands Micromax, Intex, and Lava Mobiles, which saw their collective market share decline from over 30% in Q4 2015 to just under 11% in 2016. The sales figures in the last quarter were particularly affected by the India’s demonetization, in which the government banned high-value notes, wiping out 85% of the currency in circulation. The shortfall in cash led to a decline in sales for local vendors, who primarily rely on brick-and-mortar stores to push phones.

Local handset makers had a 30% market share in Q4 2015. In Q4 2016, that number decreased to 11%.

While overall sales decreased by as much as 17% last quarter, Counterpoint Research noted that the Indian smartphone segment crossed 300 million sales over the course of 2016, a YoY increase of 18%. If we look at the yearly sales figures, Samsung is leading the pack with a 25% share, followed by Micromax at 11% and Lenovo (including Motorola’s sales) at 9%.

The figures highlight the predicament faced by local handset makers as they try to compete with their Chinese rivals. The likes of Micromax and Intex were able to weather the initial influx of Xiaomi and Lenovo relatively unscathed as these brands focused on online sales. But the entry of OPPO and Vivo has led to local brands losing a lot of ground in the offline market.

Micromax, in particular, hasn’t released a compelling phone in a long time, and its current offerings don’t come close to what’s on offer from Chinese brands. Samsung also lost a few percentage points over the course of the year, but the company’s Galaxy J series has once again turned out to be a moneymaker.

Xiaomi and Lenovo are winning online; OPPO and Vivo are winning offline.

Xiaomi crossed the $1 billion revenue mark in India last year, with the company’s Redmi Note 3 turning out to be one of the best-selling devices of the year with over 3.5 million sales. The company is looking to continue the momentum this year with the Redmi Note 4, which has a better design and improved internals.

Heavy marketing spend combined with a strong offline presence contributed to OPPO and Vivo’s massive increase in sales last year. Both brands sell primarily offline, teaming up with thousands of brick-and-mortar stores to promote their handsets. Vivo bagged the lucrative title sponsorship rights for the Indian Premier League, the country’s premier cricketing league, and OPPO launched an ad blitz that featured prominent Bollywood celebrities.

It looks like we’ll see much of the same this year as well. Lenovo has announced that it wants to be the second-largest smartphone vendor in the country, and is launching phones at a steady cadence to get there. Xiaomi is similarly off to a great start, with the brand already netting over 250,000 sales for its Redmi Note 4.

Latest Galaxy S8 leak suggests ‘infinity’ display, 3.5mm jack, and a desktop dock

Bezel-less “infinity display,” 3.5mm jack, iris scanner, and DeX.

Yesterday, we heard that the Galaxy S8 will be the first phone to be powered by Qualcomm’s 10nm Snapdragon 835, with the handset expected to go on sale in the month of April. Citing anonymous sources, The Guardian has revealed additional details about Samsung’s upcoming flagship, stating that the phone will feature a bezel-less “infinity” display.

According to The Guardian, the Galaxy S8 will be sold in variants with screen sizes between 5.0 and 6.0 inches, much like the Galaxy S7. However, unlike last year, both variants will sport dual curved screens, with the “infinity display” taking up most of the real estate at the front. Samsung will likely get rid of the home button altogether, and move the fingerprint sensor to the back of the phone.

The iris scanning tech that debuted on the short-lived Galaxy Note 7 is also making a comeback, and the Galaxy S8 will retain the 3.5mm jack. The camera at the back is said to offer “built-in object recognition,” and the phone is likely to come with 64GB of storage as standard, along with a microSD card slot, USB-C, and an AI assistant.

An interesting addition is a new desktop dock called DeX, which is said to offer a Continuum-like experience. By placing the Galaxy S8 on the dock, you’ll be able to transform the handset into an “Android desktop computer,” allowing it to be connected to a monitor, keyboard, and other hardware. Android isn’t great as a full-fledged desktop replacement, and it’ll be interesting to see how the South Korean company tackles the issue.

Overall, the Galaxy S8 is definitely turning out to be a very interesting device. The Guardian claims that the phone will be unveiled sometime in late March, with availability kicking off in April. What do you guys think of the latest leak?

BeatMoovz preview: The crazy wearable that adds a soundtrack to your life

Character Options might have stolen the London Toy Fair, at least where adults are concerned. It demonstrated a wearable wristband that prompts special effect noise and/or music as you move.

The bands, which cost £49.99 for a pair and will be available from June, look much like fitness trackers or the LED devices often found at Coldplay gigs. However, they dispense of many of the normal tracking sensors and focus purely on motion.

That’s because they link, via Bluetooth, to a smartphone or tablet with one of two apps installed. The first is an audio board with up to 40,000 sound clips that play with certain movements and motions.

Pocket-lint

The second app is an interactive graphics generator that can feed different visual effects to a big screen via an output on your mobile device or, presumably, through wireless screen mirroring.

Both apps are included as free downloads, making the overall price of BeatMoovz very reasonable.

Multiple BeatMoovz bands can be linked with the apps too, so extra users can join in. Or you can wear two on your wrists, two on your ankles to make your limbs musical instruments.

Pocket-lint

In our demo, the inventor of BeatMoovz showed us how to create dance music by simply waving and flicking his wrists. But more exciting for us, as old-school kung fu movie fans, is that you can switch to a soundboard of cheesy karate effects, or robotic noises. It’s basically like having Police Academy’s Michael Winslow follow you around making innapropriate, funny noises.

We were told that anywhere up to a thousand people can be wearing BeatMoovz and interacting at once, although we’re pretty sure our Bluetooth devices can’t handle that many connections. But the point was that this could go down as well in a nightclub as an after school club for the kids.

It’s definitely good to see a tech toy that isn’t just for the sprogs.

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Dell unveils 2-in-1 Latitude and Chromebook laptops for schools

This year marks a first for Dell’s education-focused computer family: 2-in-1 laptops. Like the company’s other computers destined for schools, the Dell Latitude and Chromebook 11 Convertibles are built to withstand classrooms and student abuse. They both sport the same basic design — rubberized shock protection for falls, sealed keyboards to handle spills and lots of rounded corners — but one runs Windows 10 and the other is powered by Chrome OS (we’ll let you guess which is which).

As with most convertibles — including Dell’s recent XPS 13 2-in-1 — the new 11-inch laptops can be used in a traditional mode, folded in a tent formation, or have their screen wrapped all the way around like a tablet. Stylus-wise, they support Dell’s optional Productivity Active Pen. The Latitude 11 Convertible will be powered by Intel’s seventh-generation Pentium and Celeron chips, while the Chromebook model runs sixth-generation Celerons.

Dell also redesigned its 11-inch and 13-inch Latitude and Chromebook laptops with a slimmer, more minimalist look. They’re also built to withstand falls and spills, and they’ve received the requisite processor upgrades over the last generation. Once again, the Windows versions will get more CPU options, with seventh-generation Intel Pentium and Celeron chips for the Inspiron 11 and newer Core i5 processors for the Inspiron 13. The Chromebook variants, meanwhile, are stuck with sixth-gen Celerons (the Chromebook 13 also has a Core i3 option). All of the company’s new education laptops will be available on February 7th, and we’re still awaiting pricing details.

In other news, Dell also announced two new Interactive Touch 4K displays, a 55-inch and 86-inch model. They follow in the footsteps of the company’s 70-inch 1080p touch display, and they’re meant to offer more options for educators who want to have a large collaborative screen for their classes and meetings. They pack in DisplayPort and VGA connections for plugging in computers, as well as the expected HDMI ports (three for the 55-inch and four for the 86-inch). They’ll be available on March 30th for $5,000 and $11,000, respectively.

Amazon club gives your kid a science toy every month

A well-made educational toy can do a lot to foster curious young minds. But what if you’re not sure where to start shopping, or wonder which toys are appropriate at your kid’s age? Amazon is taking an unusual step to help out. It just launched a STEM Club that delivers one pre-selected science, tech, engineering or math toy to your door each month in exchange for a $20 subscription fee. The internet retailer gives you a choice of age ranges (3-4, 5-7 and 8-13), and promises to pick only the best toys from “top trusted brands.” Shipping is free, too.

This isn’t going to suit everyone. Amazon is promising an eclectic mix of toys ranging from “robotics to natural sciences,” but there will undoubtedly be desirable toys that cost a lot more than $20. Look at it this way, though: if you’d rather buy a chemistry set or math game for your little one instead of the latest doll, you now have an easy way to make that happen.

Source: Amazon