Atari’s ‘Swordquest’ comic returns without the game

Over 30 years after its original release, Atari has decided to resurrect one of its most beloved game franchises: Swordquest. Released in 1982, this ambitious gaming series was a pretty unique proposition at the time. As well as offering $150,000 worth of prizes to players who could solve all the puzzles in the game series, Atari also teamed up with DC to release a companion comic alongside each game. Now, thanks to Dynamite Entertainment, the long dormant franchise is getting a brand new run of comic books starting this May.

Swordquest was not only one of gaming’s first titles to combine fast paced action with the logic and puzzle-solving of adventure games, but also one of the few to offer substantial real-world prizes. Unfortunately, thanks to Atari’s financial problems, the fourth game in the series was never released, leaving gamers with unsolved puzzles and an unfinished tale.

The upcoming comic series uses this real-world tale as its inspiration, telling the story of Swordquest super-fan Peter Case. With the last game in the series never seeing the light of day, it crushed the comic’s protagonist, but after having to move back in with his mother, Peter rediscovers all his old Atari stuff – but with a fantastical twist.

The series will be co-written by Chad Bowers and Chris Sims, writers of both Marvel’s recent nostalgic X-Men ’92 series. The artwork comes from Batman ’66 artist Scott Kowalchuck, as well as featuring a special pencilled cover variant drawn by the artist of the original DC series, George Perez.

Dynamite Entertainment’s first issue of Swordquest is out this May, featuring four variant covers and costing just 25 cents.

Source: Polygon

Verizon will pay $350 million less for Yahoo

Despite two massive security breaches, which affected over a billion user accounts, Verizon still wants to make Yahoo its own. Early reports suggested that the carrier has been seeking to reduce its $4.83 billion offer by $250 million, but the two parties announced today that they have agreed on the slightly higher figure of $350 million.

Under the new agreement, Verizon has agreed to take on some responsibility for the damages incurred as a result of the two Yahoo hacks. The company will pay 50 percent of any financial charges levied by government investigations and in any third-party lawsuits. However, Yahoo will be on the hook for any damages resulting from shareholder lawsuits or the SEC probe that was opened earlier this year.

Late last year, Yahoo announced that in August 2013, attackers stole data linked to more than one billion accounts. It followed an announcement in September that 500 million user accounts were impacted in a hack dating back to 2014. While the two incidents aren’t thought to be linked, Yahoo has come under fire for not promptly disclosing news of the security breaches.

Verizon says that the acquisition, which is now valued at $4.48 billion, should be completed in the second quarter, making it “one of the largest portfolios of owned and partnered global brands” with additional help from AOL.

Source: Verizon

The Future IRL: Deliveries via robot

Your online delivery habit is facing a growing problem: the rising number of packages needing delivery, combined with a projected deficit in truck drivers (PDF). But that’s the issue a company like Starship Technologies is trying to solve. It just started testing a delivery robot in US cities (though the company has been overseas for a few years, already) and is hoping both its design and cost win over any skeptics worried about a robot that knows where they live and what kind of food they like.

Don’t miss the next episode of Future IRL on March 7th, when we’ll be looking at the future of virtual reality.

University offers course to help sniff out and refute ‘bullshit’

Not only is fake news everywhere, but its purveyors call genuine news fake, making it doubly hard for the average person to know what’s real and what’s Inception. For example, President Donald Trump recently made up a terrorist attack in Sweden, and when the nation’s former PM called bullshit, he said the refutation itself was “fake news.” Luckily, there’s now a course at the University of Washington, “Calling Bullshit in the Age of Big Data” that helps you find bad information and show others why it’s bad.

The instructors, Professors Jevin D. West and Carl T. Bergstrom, jokingly write that “we will be astonished if these skills do not turn out to be among the most useful … that you acquire during the course of your college education.” They add that the intention is not to be political, as “both sides of the aisle have proven themselves facile at creating and spreading bullshit.”

The intention, then, is to arm students (and the public if they want) with the tools to combat a scourge of misinformation that’s aided and abetted by social media. The 160-seat class filled up within minutes of being posted, but it will be videotaped and possibly made “freely available” on the web, the listing says. The syllabus details all 12 lectures, with links to the (free) reading materials in case you want to audit the class in a serious way.

Some of the lectures include a study on why people ignore the “correlation is causation” dictum, “statistical traps and trickery,” “predatory publishing” in science and the art of “refuting bullshit.” In the latter class, you’ll learn why “quantitatively skilled professional scientists won’t always convince your casually racist uncle on Facebook.”

Just reading a few of the listed books and articles would probably make us all better people. Examples include a chapter in Carl Sagen’s 1996 book The Demon-Haunted World called “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection,” a Guardian article about why Ted Talks are “a recipe for civilizational disaster” and Factcheck.org’s How to spot fake news. Much of the course also deals with “big data” and statistics, and how, for instance, “data graphics can steer viewers toward misleading conclusions.”

The course starts up in the spring semester at the University of Washington (March 27th) with classes each Wednesday. There’s no word on where the public will be able to find the video lectures, but we’d expect them to eventually post the information on the course syllabus website.

Via: Recode

Source: University of Washington

Starbucks’ $150 Ember mug will keep your coffee at the perfect temperature

Why it matters to you

This smart mug means you can enjoy every hot drink secure in the knowledge you won’t scald your tongue or find it’s gone cold.

You know how it is. You order your fave brew at your top coffee shop, then kick back to enjoy it. At the start it’s too hot to touch, a sip serving to helpfully burn your lips, tongue, or throat. Or all three.

So you leave it a while. Returning to it, you’re disappointed to find it’s lukewarm and undrinkable.

Clearly having had enough of scorched taste buds and cold coffee, the folks at Ember Technologies decided to build a solution.

After much testing and tasting, the team came up with the Ember, a stylish temperature-controlled mug that lets you keep your hot drink at a constant temperature of your choosing for up to two hours on the go, or all day long when used with its accompanying charging coaster.

The high-tech mug is evidently proving a hit with Starbucks’ clientele, as the drinking device has already sold out on the coffee giant’s website. And considering it costs the same as around 80 tall coffees, that’s kind of impressive. Yes, Ember’s $150 price tag makes it a pricey purchase, but if you’re a dedicated coffee drinker who prefers to breathe easy with your brew rather than race to enjoy it before it turns tepid, then this particular smart mug could itself be a smart buy.

More: Digital Trends’ pick of the best coffee makers you can buy

Seven years in the making, the Ember uses a series of sensors and heating rings to warm the drink, and a wax-like heat-absorbing substance in the walls of the mug to help quickly bring it down to the ideal temperature, before keeping it there.

To prep your drink for consumption, all you do is twist the dial at the base of the mug until the digital readout shows the ideal temperature.

Alternatively, you can set the temperature using the accompanying smartphone app. Once the drink’s ready, a notification pops up on your display.

How does the Ember smart mug sound to you? Consider it an over-priced gadget for a nonexistent issue? Or have you already placed your order? Sound off in the comments below.

Watch this amazing dog-drone help to promote a small town in Japan

Why it matters to you

People are finding a growing number of ways to make use of drone technology, and this flying dog surely must be a first.

Forget flying pigs. The honorable citizens of a small town in Japan now have their very own flying dog to marvel at.

Keen to attract tourists to its own part of the world, the town of Oji, located about 250 miles west of Tokyo, thought it’d be a cool idea to fix a quadcopter to its famous canine mascot and then stick it in a promo video highlighting local attractions.

Cutesy mascots are everywhere in Japan, with many places using them to entertain residents and promote local sights. But Oji’s is surely the first to have had rotors attached.

Legend has it that the dog, Yukimaru, once belonged to a historic Japanese figure called Prince Shotoku, who lived during the seventh century. When the prince’s beloved pet pooch finally keeled over, he buried him in the town’s Daruma Temple.

The video works on the premise that Yukimaru has come back to life and fancies exploring his old stomping ground to see how it’s changed. Certainly drones weren’t invented when he was last around.

More: Watch Japanese cops use a net-equipped drone to catch a rogue quadcopter

So Yukimari takes us on a whistle-stop tour of Oji’s sights, which, besides Daruma Temple, include Yamato River, Yukimaru Road, and Hobata Shrine. There’s also Mount Myojin, atop which couples can ring the Bell of Eternal Lovers and enjoy panoramic views of nearby Nara.

While it may look as if computer trickery was involved in some of the video’s sequences, RocketNews24 insists it’s all genuine (though the dog isn’t real … you did realize that, right?). And as if to pre-empt any calls for Yukimaru to prove that he really is a flying mascot and not the result of a computer animator’s careful work, the team behind the contraption has posted an additional video showing the mechanical mutt close up.

Want to see more of Oji’s Yukimaru mascot? Then check out his very own Facebook page here.

Apple iPad 2017: News and rumors

Why it matters to you

Apple may be planning a new iPad range in 2017, with a brand-new screen size included

You’re forgiven if the Apple iPad has slipped your mind. Apple hasn’t treated its tablet line with the same excitement as the iPhone for a while, and those that already own an iPad are usually pretty happy to continue using the one they have, without upgrading it regularly.

Get ready for something new in 2017, though, as rumors are spreading we’ll see three new full-size iPad models introduced, including one with a new screen size. A new Apple Pencil stylus and a new iPad Mini may also join them.

More: iPhone 7S and iPhone 8 rumors

Here’s everything we think we know about Apple’s 2017 iPad range so far:

March launch event?

Apple is likely to update its iPad range soon, and rumors are telling us the company will hold an event in March 2017, where all the new models will be revealed. In 2016, an Apple event took place on March 21, where it introduced the iPhone SE, and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. This year, if the event does take place, it may bring the iPad Pro 2 in a new 10.5-inch size, plus an updated version of the iPhone SE with more internal storage space.

It’s also possible Apple may have its impressive, futuristic new campus ready by March, and the expected iPad event may be the first to take place there.

Samsung may swap out the Galaxy Note 7’s hot battery to sell you a safe, refurbished version

Why it matters to you

If you’re missing the Galaxy Note 7, and are prepared to forgive its past mistakes, a refurbished model may be coming along

The Galaxy Note 7 doesn’t have the best reputation, probably because of all the fires and explosions, yet Samsung reportedly believes it can give the device a new lease of life and resell it as a refurbished model, presumably at a lower price. Rumors about the move have spread for a while, and reports consistently repeat much of the same information, which may mean Samsung’s ready to try and claw back some of the money invested in the Note 7.

When is it likely to happen? Samsung may release its refurbished Galaxy Note 7 phones in June, according to a report from a South Korean source; but how will anyone be able to trust they won’t explode again? The battery, which was the cause of the problem, will apparently be swapped out and replaced by a smaller cell, dropping the capacity from 3,500mAh to either 3,000 or 3,200mAh. This would reduce the space taken up by the battery inside the Note 7, another contributing factor in the device’s problems.

More: Samsung reveals the official reason for the Galaxy Note 7’s failure

It’s not the first time we’ve heard much of this. At the end of 2016, another report from South Korean outlet The Investor, said Samsung might be considering selling refurbished Note 7 smartphones beginning in 2017. The information came from an anonymous industry source, who said, “Samsung has not made a final decision yet, but it will likely sell the refurbished Note 7 units next year.

Both reports say Samsung will sell its old Galaxy Note 7 handsets in emerging markets, namely India and Vietnam. It may have difficulty re-introducing the phone into markets where the phone was heavily recalled, and carriers may be wary about taking on a refurbished device with such a strong stigma attached to it. However, if the price is right, we have a feeling many will be prepared to ignore that.

More: After killing the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is now looking to reduce its environmental impact

Samsung may be driven to re-release a fixed up Note 7 for several reasons. The massive cost involved in developing, building, releasing, and then recalling the phone is enormous, and it’s mentioned the company may still have 2.5 million Note 7 phones hanging around its warehouses. Clawing back some revenue would ease the financial pain. Additionally, Samsung has environmental targets to meet, and those don’t involve throwing out millions of smartphones. Rebuilding a safe Note 7 to sell on the remaining inventory would avoid this problem.

Nothing has been made official by Samsung yet, but the rumors certainly suggest the company is considering a refurbished Galaxy Note 7. If you’re given the chance, would you buy one?

Article originally published 15-11-2016. Updated on 02-21-2016 by Andy Boxall: Added in further rumors regarding a refurbished Galaxy Note 7

Meitu’s T8 smartphone uses dual-pixel technology to improve your selfies

Why it matters to you

Meitu’s T8 phone packs innovative camera features that will make your selfies look better than ever.

Meitu, a Chinese smartphone company, achieved worldwide infamy with the augmented reality beautification app of the same name. But it’s hardware isn’t half bad, either. It made a splash with the powerful V4 last year, a capable smartphone at a bargain price point. And on Tuesday, Meitu announced the T8, the “world’s most sophisticated selfie phone.”

Predictably, the T8’s highlights are of a photographic nature. Meitu claims it’s the first smartphone to feature a dual-pixel 12MP, f/1.8 aperture front camera, meaning one that splits 100 percent of the sensor’s pixels into phase and contrast data. (Traditional smartphone cameras use less than 5 percent.) Light from the lens is sent to two image senors which independently adjust to focus, resulting in superfast autofocus and superior low-light performance.

More: Meet Meitu, the Chinese photo-editing app now taking the world by storm

That’s not the only selfie trick the T8 has up its sleeve. It features Magical AI Beautification, an artificial intelligence that detects different faces, skin tones, and even genders and ages. Based on that analyses, the AI applies filters that whiten teeth, eliminated baggy skin, smooth breakouts, and add “radiance” on a per-subject basis. Perhaps more impressively, it’s capable of real-time beautifying multiple faces in videos in real time.

The T8’s rear camera, meanwhile, is no slouch. It’s a 21MP model with autofocus, optical image stabilization, and a bevy of features besides. A proprietary noise-reducing processor helps to clear away distortion. Smart fill light automatically focuses images “with sharpness,” even in low light. And a dual-color temperature flash calibrates to natural lighting conditions.

The T8 packs more that cameras, of course. It boasts a “full metallic body” that weighs just about 170 grams, measures 158 x 71.5 x 9.3mm, and features the same smooth edges and “[…] hexagonal shape that Meitu devices are famous for.” In terms of internals, the T8 sports a 5.2-inch AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a ten-core 2.3GHz MediaTek Helio X processor paired with 4GB of RAM. Under the hood’s a 3,580mAh fast-charging battery and 128GB of internal memory, and other highlights include a fingerprint sensor, Hi-Fi audio chip, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Bluetooth 4.1 radio, and a USB Type-C connector.

More: Here’s how Samsung’s dual pixel image sensor raises the bar for mobile photography

The T8 also ships with the latest version of Meitu’s operating system: MEIOS3.5. It includes features such as password-protected albums and apps, a backup manager, a secure “find my Meitu phone” feature (a la Apple’s Find My iPhone), and a smart private home screen function that shields your home screen from prying eyes.

The T8 will launch on February 21 as an online exclusive. It’ll ship to Chinese customers in the weeks following, followed by regional retailers like Tmall, suning.com, and jd.com beginning February 22.

Spending spree: Samsung rumored to have $1 billion put aside to buy AI companies

Why it matters to you

One of the world’s biggest technology companies wants to spend at least $1 billion on tech related to the biggest tech trend at the moment

Samsung may be about to embark of an epic spending spree acquiring companies dedicated to artificial intelligence. A report from South Korea, quoting an anonymous executive from Samsung’s U.S. offices, says it has a $1 billion budget put aside for buying up exciting firms working on AI.

The massive sum won’t only be used for acquisitions, but also to invest in companies involved in AI. Although there’s no question a billion dollars will buy you plenty of talent and tech, it’s still only a fraction of the $8 billion Samsung recently spent acquiring Harman International. However, while the two may not initially seem connected — Harman is best known for its in-car infotainment systems and other audio/visual equipment — it has divisions hard at work on AI projects, smart cities, and voice control. These are all key applications for AI and machine learning technology.

More: Everything we think we know about the Samsung Galaxy S8

The Harman deal hints at Samsung’s deeper interest in AI and the companies working on it, but there has been plenty more overt evidence. The most obvious is Samsung’s acquisition of Viv Labs, an AI company from the team behind Apple’s Siri, plus the many references to its own AI assistant coming soon, which we currently known as Bixby. Additionally, through its Catalyst investment arm, Samsung contributed to SoundCloud’s recent funding round, focusing on development of its Houndify AI platform. Joining the Catalyst program is Samsung Next, a $150 million fund for startups specializing in VR, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence.

Samsung has also spoken officially about its interest in buying up AI companies. In mid-2016, Samsung’s head of software research and development told Bloomberg, “We are actively looking for M&A targets of all sorts in the software area. We are open to all possibilities, including artificial intelligence. Intelligence is no longer an option. It’s a must.”

Samsung’s head of home appliances repeated a similar line during a CES 2017 interview. “We will continue to make efforts to develop technology and products that can really read the minds of the consumers, so they don’t even have to move a finger when the want to do something,” the executive is quoted as saying by the Financial Times.

This is the first time we’re hearing about a possible number attached to Samsung’s interest in AI, and it’s large enough to show the depth of its intent. Our first look at Samsung’s big artificial intelligence push may come with the Galaxy S8, which is expected to feature Bixby, an AI assistant to rival Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.