Alphabet fights ‘toxic’ comments with machine learning

If you’ve spent any time at all on the internet, you know that finding civil conversation can be a real challenge. Whether on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or your favorite news site, trolls can often dominate and derail the conversation. Today, Alphabet company Jigsaw has announced that it is using its machine learning chops to combat the problem. Perspective, which launches today, is an “early-stage” technology using machine learning to identify “toxic” comments. Furthermore, publishers will have access to an API to include this technology on their sites in the hopes that it’ll lead to better conversations.

To train Perspective, Jigsaw pointed it at hundreds of thousands of comments that were identified as toxic by human reviewers. From there, the machine learning software would look at other comments and score them based on similarities. As with all machine learning systems, Perspective gets smarter and more accurate each time it finds new examples of toxic comments and every time humans guide it and correct things that it may mis-identify.

Jigsaw hasn’t just been testing and training Perspective in its own labs — the company says it has partnered with The New York Times to test it. Currently, the NYT has moderators who review every single comment before it is posted; that team has to review about 11,000 comments every day. But that desire for manual review means that the publication only has comments open on about 10 percent of its stories. Through working with Jigsaw and Perspective, the NYT’s moderation team can go through comments more quickly and open up comments on more articles.

Perspective isn’t the only tool Jigsaw is working on to make the internet a more hospitable place, either. Last year, the company let any news organization sign up to use Project Shield, a tool that defends against DDoS attacks. As useful as that may be, Perspective could be something that impacts the way people view publications and news sites every day — provided it works, of course. Here’s hoping the NYT and Jigsaw have some hard data to share about how Perspective has impacted the site’s comments section soon.

Source: Google blog

Nintendo Switch will launch without a Virtual Console

With the Switch launch only eight days away, Nintendo has finally broken its silence on what online features gamers can expect at launch. Disappointingly, the gaming giant revealed that early adopters won’t be able to dip into the game company’s vast back catalog, with Nintendo confirming that the Switch’s Virtual Console service won’t be there day one.

In a bid to appease fans, Nintendo has revealed that the F-Zero inspired indie racer FAST RMX will be arriving on the eShop day one, alongside two entries in the Shovel Knight series. Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment is the game’s latest campaign which will be a timed exclusive for the Nintendo Switch. Alongside this, Yacht Club Games will also be bringing Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove to the eShop for launch – which serves as a collection of all the existing series content to date.

In addition to these last-minute launch titles, Nintendo has confirmed that 2017 will see over 60 different ‘Nindie’ games hitting the eShop on Switch. The Kyoto-based company has revealed that it will talk more about the flurry of new indie titles coming to Switch during a video presentation next Tuesday.

Gamers who have already added funds to the eShop on 3DS or Wii U will be pleased to learn that their balance will carry over, thanks to Switch’s use of Nintendo Network IDs. The announced also revealed that Switch’s home screen will include a News feature, updating gamers on the latest additions to the eShop and other Nintendo-related news.

Unsurprisingly, Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch will require a day one update in order to access the eShop. Thankfully, the update will download in the background, meaning that your precious Zelda time won’t be interrupted. While we have yet to play the new Shovel Knight campaign, I was thoroughly impressed with how well FAST RMX ran on the Switch at a recent preview event. For any early adopters looking for an enjoyable racer, FAST RMX looks to be a solid choice.

The lack of Virtual Console at launch may be disappointing, but with only five games previously announced for March 3rd, at least the Switch’s bare-bones launch lineup just got considerably bigger.

Apple Has at Least Five Different Groups Working on Wireless Charging Ahead of iPhone 8

Apple is widely expected to launch its first iPhone with wireless charging capabilities later this year, but rumors remain conflicting about whether the feature will be based on inductive technology, which would require a charging pad or puck, or a truly wireless long-range charging solution.

Apple recently joined the Wireless Power Consortium, a group of over 200 companies backing the Qi wireless charging standard, perhaps signaling that it is leaning towards an inductive solution. After all, the Apple Watch uses Qi, albeit a tweaked version that only works with Apple’s own charger.

Qi, pronounced “chee,” is capable of scaling from less than 1 watt to more than 2,000 watts of power, making the standard more than adequate enough for charging any smartphone. Its backing members include Samsung, LG, HTC, Qualcomm, Dell, Canon, Sony, Huawei, Apple supplier Luxshare, and others.

Apple is known to test many different technologies behind closed doors, some of which never see the light of day. Reuters today, citing “a person with knowledge of the matter,” said there are still “at least five different groups” working on wireless charging technology within the company ahead of new iPhones.

Just three months ago, Apple was said to have more than 10 different iPhone prototypes under development, so it could be experimenting with different charging solutions for future devices; however, with iPhone 8 production expected to begin relatively soon, Apple has likely already finalized the hardware.

Apple will reportedly begin production of its upcoming iPhones as early as next quarter, so the first part leaks will likely begin to surface over the next few months, which should give us a better idea of what to expect.

Apple is rumored to launch a 5.8-inch iPhone with an edge-to-edge OLED display, alongside updated 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models, in September. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said all three iPhones will feature wireless charging, while some reports have said only the OLED model will be capable.

Tags: wireless charging, reuters.com
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Samsung Plans Small Scale Relaunch of Refurbished Note7 Phones Later This Year [Updated]

Samsung plans on selling modified versions of the troublesome Galaxy Note7 device in emerging markets later in 2017, according to Hankyung [Google Translate]. Samsung’s reported intention is to minimize as much monetary loss as possible by “transforming” the returned products, refurbishing them, and reselling them in the Indian and Vietnamese markets.

The new Galaxy Note7 devices will include a low-capacity battery to get around the explosive troubles of the original devices, and could show up as soon as June 2017. The new battery capacity is said to be around 3000 to 3200 mAh, instead of the 3500 mAh of the first set of defective Note7 smartphones. In January, Samsung’s official investigation concluded that the battery was the source of the Note7 fires.

Samsung claims to have recovered 98 percent of the 3.16 million Note7 units that were previously sold, and of those devices it got back, 200,000 were reportedly used in experiments that led to the identification of the battery as the source of the company’s woes. Now Samsung has about 2.5 million Note7 devices left on its hands, leading to the smartphone maker’s decision to modify, fix, and resell as many as possible.

Although the company hopes to further prevent loss following the Note7 recall, it has been estimated that the smartphone’s recall cost Samsung $2.3 billion. To further make up for that disaster, the company has begun looking to the future and new reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S8, and perhaps a larger-screened Galaxy S8+, will officially be unveiled on March 29 at an event in New York City (via Ars Technica).

After that unveiling, the smartphone will go on sale on April 21. The Galaxy S8 will include a number of feature additions that are also rumored for the iPhone 8, like a bezel-free display and no home button. Following in the footsteps of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the new Samsung smartphone will lack a headphone jack as well.

Update: Samsung has spoken to Gadgets 360 claiming that the report of a refurbished Galaxy Note7 relaunch in India is false: “The report on Samsung planning to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in India is incorrect.” The company specifically mentions only India in its statement, so it’s unclear whether or not the modified Note7 devices might appear in other markets.

Tag: Samsung
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Jeep launches Renegade Desert Hawk SUV, limited to 100 models in the UK

Jeep has taken the wraps off a desert-inspired, limited edition version of its popular Renegade crossover SUV. Called the Renegade Desert Hawk, the new model, limited to just 100 in the UK, is based on the top-of-the-range Trailhawk edition, but comes with its own bespoke Mojave Sand colour finish.

• Jeep Renegade 2015 first drive: Compact SUV with big potential

The exclusive paintjob is available alongside returning finishes of Alpine White, Anvil and Black. Other features exclusive to the Desert Hawk include 17in black alloy wheels and various decals on the bonnet and around the vehicle.

Underneath the bonnet is a 2.0-litre MultiJet diesel engine that kicks out 170hp and this is paired to a nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard. The Desert Hawk also comes with Jeep’s Active Drive Low off-road system with 20:1 crawl ratio, Selec-Terrain system, which lets you choose from different terrain types including sand and rock and 8.7-inch ground clearance.

Inside not much has changed from previous Renegade models; you’re given a 6.5in TFT colour display with Uconnect software installed – no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto here – in the centre console and rear reversing/parking camera, GPS navigation and Bluetooth as standard.

We had some brief hands-on time with the Desert Hawk at Braunton Burrows in North Devon, where were able to test its off-road capabilities by driving it over sand dunes. When in sand mode on the Selec-Terrain system, the Desert Hawk maximises traction above all else.

We put our foot to the floor to maintain momentum and the Desert Hawk was able to carry us over the dunes without a worry. Considering the sand was incredibly soft as well, it was impressive stuff.

If you fancy getting your hands behind the wheel of a small SUV that’s as comfortable on-rad as it is off it, then the Desert Hawk is available to buy now for £28,995.

This is what the Nintendo Switch is like out of the box

With just over a week to go before the Nintendo Switch hits stores, Pocket-lint has had the chance to check out the console in our testing labs.

We’ll need more time with it for our full, in-depth review but we decided to film a few initial thoughts which you can watch below.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a game to play on the system at the time, but got to feel how it works when docking and undocking, and how the Joy-Cons clip on and off. Neither of these options were available to us when we first went hands-on with the Switch at Nintendo’s London preview event.

We’ll be playing games on the Switch over the next few days, so make sure you come back often. We’ll be posting reviews and thoughts on the entire shebang next week.

The Nintendo Switch will be available globally from Friday 3 March. It costs £280 in the UK, $300 in the States. Games range from £40 to £60 and we have a full list of all the confirmed titles here.

You can also check out our additional coverage by using the links below:

• Nintendo Switch: Release date, price, specs and everything you need to know
• 5 Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first, and one well worth the wait
• Nintendo Switch vs PS4 vs Xbox One: Which should you choose?

FCC filings reveal Google is working on a wireless 4K set-top box

Google has applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop and launch a ‘4K wireless TV box’, which will likely be a successor to the company’s Nexus Player.

A search for the official filing reveals that Google’s 4K box will support both 5GHz and 2.5GHz bands and will support 4×4 5GHz 802.11a/n/ac Wi-Fi, along with Bluetooth 4.1. Google’s box will also, as the name suggests, be able to transmit 4K content to a compatible 4K TV wirelessly, without the need for an HDMI cable.

There’s no mention of price or release date, but Google already has some images of the new device, as well as a user manual, but these are to be kept confidential until at least 180 days after the FCC filing was granted, which takes us to August. It means there’s a good chance the box will show face at the company’s annual I/O conference, which takes place from 17-19 May 2017.

Google’s box will undoubtedly run on the Android operating system and we expect it will have full integration with Google Home and Google Assistant. It’s not clear what services the box would offer, but considering only a few can deliver 4K content in the UK, such as Netflix and Amazon, we expect them to be onboard at least.

The implementation of Google Assistant will help set the box apart from its main competition, such as boxes from Roku, but the Nvidia Shield already offers Google Assistant support built in.

• Nvidia Sheild TV (2017): The daddy of 4K HDR media streaming

Regardless, the filing confirms Google is working on something at least, hopefully we’ll get some updates soon.

Chrome Canary adds support for MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar

Chrome could soon follow in the footsteps of other apps (like the Microsoft Office) that recently introduced support for the Macbook Pro’s LCD strip. Google has just released version 58 of the experimental Chrome Canary build, and it now works with the laptop’s Touch Bar. Its implementation seems to be simpler than Safari’s — according to 9to5Mac, it has escape, forward and backward, new tab, bookmark and refresh buttons. It also has a search and a URL text box that activates your browser’s URL field when you tap it. However, the search bar doesn’t have word prediction, and you won’t find any playback controls when you play video or audio files

[Image credit: 9to5mac]

Canary is the first stop for experimental features like this — it can be a bit buggy, but you can run it alongside the usual Chrome. Since Touch Bar support came out as part of Canary 58, it’ll likely roll out with version 58 of Chrome’s stable browser, as well. It could look a bit different when it does become more widely available, though, depending on testers’ and developers’ feedback.

Source: 9to5Mac

British scientists film massive rift in Antarctic ice shelf

The 1,500-foot-wide crack across Antarctic’s Larsen C ice shelf has grown by roughly 20 more miles since December. It’s now around 110 miles long, and based on satellite observations this month, an ice berg as big as Rhode Island could break away from Larsen C within weeks or months. A team of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey who’ve been monitoring ice shelves have captured the growing chasm on film to show us what it actually looks, as you can see in the video after the break.

It’s still unclear why the rift grew so quickly in recent months. There’s a lot of evidence that climate change contributed to Larsen C’s thinning, but ice shelves normally produce icebergs every few decades anyway. Whatever the reason is, the calving could accelerate the flow of glaciers stoppered by Larsen C into the ocean. It’ll be like popping out a wine bottle’s cork and letting the contents pour out. That’s what happened when icebergs broke away from the Larsen A and Larsen B ice shelves in the past.

The glaciers flowing into Larsen C are enough to raise global sea levels by a centimeter — much, much more than the usual three millimeters they rise every year. Scientists can’t say how quickly the glaciers will flow into the ocean after the calving, but they’re keeping a close eye on the expanding rift for now.

Via: USA Today, Nature

Source: British Antarctic Survey

48 hours with the Nintendo Switch

Is the Switch more like the Wii, Nintendo’s ambitious and wildly successful console which unearthed a whole new audience of casual gamers, or the Wii U, the half-baked followup that even the company’s hardcore fans never truly adopted? That was the main question I had in mind as I started testing the new console this week.

After spending a few days with the Switch, it seems to fall somewhere between those systems. It doubles-down on the best aspect of the Wii U — the ability to game away from your TV screen — and its intriguing hardware has plenty of potential for developers. But Nintendo undoubtedly still has much to prove before the system’s launch on March 3rd.

Even though I’d already had a chance to play the Switch at preview events, I was still excited to get it up and running at home. Nintendo holds a particular place in my geek heart; the NES was my first true technology obsession, and most of my childhood was spent plopped down in front of the TV playing games with my brother and friends. So, in many ways, opening up the Switch reminded me of getting my hands on the NES and SNES for the first time. It wasn’t just nostalgia; it was the feeling of expecting something completely fresh from Nintendo.

The Switch makes an odd first impression. It looks more like a lopsided tablet than a game console because, well, that’s what it is. At its core, it’s simply a very powerful slate with a customized version of NVIDIA’s Tegra X1 mobile processor inside. Most of the time, you’ll be holding it with the two Joy-Con controllers attached to its sides, which makes it a bit awkward to wield with one hand. That’s not much of a problem, though, since it balances nicely when you’re gripping it with two hands like a game controller.

The tablet portion of the Switch looks like a nondescript Android device from the front, but once you get it in your hands you’ll notice it’s pretty thick (15.2 millimeters) compared to today’s mobile devices. At the top there are volume and power buttons, a headphone jack, and a Game Card slot. Nintendo gave up on optical discs for this console — they really have no place in a semi-portable device — and is instead relying on tiny cartridges that look a lot like 3DS and DS cards. There’s also a small vent for the system’s heatsink at the top, which emits a bit of warm air when things get busy (you can hear the low hum of a fan if you put your ear up to it).

At the bottom of the Switch is a USB-C port for charging and a pop-out kickstand. The console comes with 32GB of storage, but you can also expand it to your heart’s content with microSD cards, which plug into the slot hidden underneath the kickstand.

Nintendo is no stranger to unusual controllers, and the Switch’s Joy-Cons certainly continues that trend. On their own, they look like two miniaturized gamepads with analog sticks, four face buttons, two buttons along the sides and two hidden buttons along their flat edges (which are only visible when they’re disconnected from the Switch or a Joy-Con Grip). The Joy-Cons also differ slightly depend on their orientation: the left one has a minus button next to the analog stick and a tiny flat button for taking screenshots quickly. The right controller, meanwhile, has a plus and a button for getting you back to the home screen.

While odd, the Joy-Cons are clearly part of the Switch’s magic. They’re Nintendo’s most versatile gamepads yet: When connected to the console they serve as solid portable controllers. But when they’re attached to the Joy-Con Grip, they mimic a more traditional game controller. You can also use them separately in each hand, which could be useful when you don’t have much space to work with. And finally, you can hand one off to a friend to go head-to-head in a multiplayer game. The latter mode will undoubtedly take a bit of getting used to, but a tiny and uncomfortable gamepad is better than none, right?

It doesn’t take much to get the Switch up and running. Soon after you turn it on, you just have to log into a WiFi network and setup a user account. You can choose from a handful of images for your account, or if you’re not tired of Nintendo’s tiny avatars yet, you can create a Mii from scratch, pick a pre-made Mii or transfer one from an Amiibo. If you’re setting it up in handheld mode, the console eventually prompts you to continue the process on a TV, but I chose to do that later.

You’re also instructed to remove the Joy-Con controllers from the side of the slate, which involves hitting their release buttons (located below the triggers) and pulling up. That’ll likely be the trippiest aspect of the setup process for new users, since you can still control the console when the Joy-Cons are held separately in your hands. Anyone who’s used to the Wii’s controller and nunchuck combo should get used to it quickly, though.

The Switch’s most unique feature is its ability to instantly switch between portable and TV gaming modes. To connect it to your TV and charge the console, you just need to drop it into the Switch dock. That device, which comes in the box, houses connections for power and HDMI, as well as a USB 3.0 port. The dock doesn’t look like much — it’s basically just a hollow plastic tray — but it serves its purpose. Connecting and disconnecting the Switch is painless, since the tablet just slides right in. Nintendo also built in a small tray that routes the cables through the back of the dock, which is a nice touch for neat freaks.

The Switch’s home screen is fairly simplistic at this point. There’s a marquee for the games you have installed, and on the bottom of the screen there are icons for news, the Nintendo eShop, a photo album, controller configuration and settings. The news sections seems like it’ll be a useful tool for keeping gamers informed, but unfortunately the eShop and the Switch’s online features aren’t available for testing yet. Nintendo says we’ll have access to them closer to the console’s launch, but that’s not exactly heartening news when March 3rd is only a week away.

The only game I was able to test was a physical version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It felt a bit odd plugging a cartridge into a flagship Nintendo console once again — I thought I was done with that in the ’90s. I got over that initial weirdness when I remembered why solid-state media can be so great. Zelda launched in around five seconds, and there wasn’t any lengthy install process to sit through. Yes, that’s technically the same experience we had decades ago, but it seems almost utopian after the long installations and loading screens I’m used to from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

I can’t say much about Breath of the Wild yet, but I can confirm that it is very much a Zelda game, albeit one that doesn’t look like anything you’ve seen before. Notably, it also performed a lot better than it did at preview events, where I noticed stuttering and occasional slowdown while it was connected to the dock. I wasn’t expecting much from the Switch’s graphical capabilities, but there are plenty of moments where Breath of the Wild is just strikingly beautiful.

The game worked equally well in TV and portable modes, and I never had any issues switching between them. And if you were wondering how much portable Zelda you’ll be able to play at once, I’ve got a disappointing answer: 2.5 hours. That’s not a huge deal if you’re gaming around the house, but if you’re going on a long trip you’ll want to consider some backup power options (luckily the Switch can charge over any USB-C cable).

I typically relied on the Joy-Con Grip, which comes with the Switch, while gaming on my TV. It’s basically a plastic shell that the Joy-Con controllers slide into, and it transforms them into a something resembling a normal gamepad. I had my reservations about how well it would work, but the Joy-Con Grip ended up being a solid way to enjoy Zelda. The analog sticks were smooth and responsive, and even though the face buttons are a bit small, they feel good when you actually press them down. The only downside is that you don’t get a true directional pad when using the Joy-Con Grip.

Nintendo also has a Joy-Con Charging Grip available separately for $30, but I think most people will have no problem manually charging the controllers by plugging them into the slate while its docked. For hardcore gamers, there’s also the Switch Pro controller. It’s a lot more like a traditional gamepad, and it’s certainly better than Nintendo’s Wii and Wii U iterations, but at $70 it’s probably too pricey for most.

When it comes to the display, the Switch is a huge improvement over the Wii U’s dim and grainy gamepad. At 6.2 inches, it’s the same size as the Wii U display, but it sports a much sharper 720p resolution. While the display was bright and bold indoors, it didn’t fare well outdoors. It was no match for sunlight of any kind, and the screen’s high reflectivity was an issue even when it was cloudy. I had a hard time making out anything during dark portions of Zelda, and I couldn’t see myself actually enjoying the game even when I could see what was happening. This is one issue that could really hurt the Switch: Nintendo is selling it as a console that you can take outside to play with your friends. But what good is it if nobody can see anything?

The best thing I can say about the Switch at this point? It let me live my dream of seamlessly moving from gaming in my living room, to gaming in bed. Sure, it’s a different experience playing Zelda on my 55-inch OLED TV with surround sound than it is playing on a tablet. But sometimes, you just want to be lazy. And I can imagine it being very useful for people who want to play games, but don’t always have time to sit on their couch. Now you can enjoy console-quality games practically anywhere — as long as you avoid the sun.

Check back for our full review of the Switch and Breath of the Wild next week.