Alphabet’s Waymo Accuses Uber of Stealing Self-Driving LiDAR System

Google parent company Alphabet’s self-driving Waymo car division today filed a lawsuit [PDF] against Uber, accusing the company of stealing its self-driving intellectual property.

In blog post shared this afternoon, Waymo explains that employees of Otto, a self-driving trucking startup recently acquired by Uber, allegedly stole technical information from Google’s autonomous car project, something it equates to “stealing a secret recipe from a beverage company.”

Specifically, former Google employee Anthony Levandowski, who co-founded Otto, is accused of stealing 14,000 confidential files that included data on the laser-based radar system used in Waymo vehicles. Waymo conducted a forensic investigation of Levandowski’s former computer after accidentally receiving an email of Otto’s LiDAR circuit board, which closely resembled Waymo’s design.

We found that six weeks before his resignation this former employee, Anthony Levandowski, downloaded over 14,000 highly confidential and proprietary design files for Waymo’s various hardware systems, including designs of Waymo’s LiDAR and circuit board. To gain access to Waymo’s design server, Mr. Levandowski searched for and installed specialized software onto his company-issued laptop.

Once inside, he downloaded 9.7 GB of Waymo’s highly confidential files and trade secrets, including blueprints, design files and testing documentation. Then he connected an external drive to the laptop. Mr. Levandowski then wiped and reformatted the laptop in an attempt to erase forensic fingerprints.

According to Waymo, its LiDAR system is “one of the most powerful parts” of its self-driving technology. Waymo’s LiDAR system works by bouncing millions of laser beams off of surrounding objects to create a 3D picture of the world for detecting and avoiding objects.

Alongside Levandowski, Waymo says other former employees who now work for Otto and Uber downloaded other confidential files ranging from supplier lists to manufacturing details.

Waymo is asking for an injunction against Otto and Uber to stop the misappropriation of its designs, and it is asking for the return of all trade secret information and for Otto to cease infringing on Waymo patents.

As Google and Uber fight over self-driving car patents in an increasingly competitive market, Apple is rumored to be quietly developing its own autonomous driving system for use in third-party vehicles.

Apple was originally said to be working on its own full-fledged vehicle, but later scaled back its plans and refocused on autonomous driving software after internal staff restructuring. Apple has reportedly given its car team until 2017 to “prove the feasibility” of a self-driving car system.

Tags: Uber, Alphabet, Waymo
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Apple Says iOS 10.2.1 Update Has Significantly Reduced Unexpected iPhone 6 and 6s Shutdowns

For the last several months, iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, and 6s Plus users have been dealing with a problem that causes their devices to unexpectedly shut down, an issue that Apple now says it has successfully addressed in the latest iOS 10.2.1 update, released to the public on January 23.

In a statement provided to TechCrunch, Apple says that the iOS 10.2.1 update has resulted in an 80 percent reduction of unexpected shutdowns on the iPhone 6s and a 70 percent reduction of unexpected shutdowns on the iPhone 6.

With iOS 10.2.1, Apple made improvements to reduce occurrences of unexpected shutdowns that a small number of users were experiencing with their iPhone. iOS 10.2.1 already has over 50% of active iOS devices upgraded and the diagnostic data we’ve received from upgraders shows that for this small percentage of users experiencing the issue, we’re seeing a more than 80% reduction in iPhone 6s and over 70% reduction on iPhone 6 of devices unexpectedly shutting down.

We also added the ability for the phone to restart without needing to connect to power, if a user still encounters an unexpected shutdown. It is important to note that these unexpected shutdowns are not a safety issue, but we understand it can be an inconvenience and wanted to fix the issue as quickly as possible. If a customer has any issues with their device they can contact AppleCare.

According to Apple, the shutdown issue that is solved by the iOS 10.2.1 update is separate from the problem that caused it to recall a select number of iPhone 6s devices. In that case, Apple said some batteries had been overexposed to “controlled ambient air” during the manufacturing process, resulting in the need for a physical battery replacement.

That there are multiple issues causing iPhone shutdowns explains why many iPhone 6 users also complained of problems after the iPhone 6s recall, and why the iPhone 6s issue seemed more widespread than Apple suggested in the recall program. There were even rumors that Apple was planning an iPhone 6 battery exchange program, something Apple quickly refuted.

The shutdowns solved by iOS 10.2.1 are reportedly caused by uneven power delivery from older batteries, which can trigger an emergency shutdown on an iPhone. Apple has tweaked its power management system to reduce shutdowns, but some users may occasionally still have problems, so Apple has also created a way to auto-restart without needing to connect to power. The auto-restart feature is available on the iPhone 6 and 6s in iOS 10.2.1 and will be added to the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus in iOS 10.3.

A new battery info screen will also be added to iOS 10.2.1 in the next few days, letting customers who need to replace their battery know that it’s not functioning as expected. The warning, which will be in the Battery section of the Settings app, will only be displayed to customers who need new batteries.

When iOS 10.2.1 was released, Apple did not include a mention of a fix for the iPhone 6 and 6s in its release notes, giving it time to quietly collect data on the shutdown issue before making an official announcement. Customers who are experiencing shutdowns on their iPhone 6 or 6s devices should upgrade to iOS 10.2.1 if they have not done so already.

Related Roundup: iPhone 6s
Buyer’s Guide: iPhone (Neutral)
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Facebook is inserting ads midway through videos

Facebook’s ambitions for video have been pretty explicit. And now the social network is (officially) introducing a way for its publishing partners to get paid for them. Rather than front-loading ads the way YouTube and so many others do, these will appear in the middle of videos, according to Recode. Said sales pitches will be 20 seconds long, can’t run until a video has been playing for at least 20 seconds and must be spaced two minutes apart.

Live video won’t be left out either. If a publisher has at least 2,000 followers and has hit 300 concurrent live viewers in a “recent live video,” they’ll be able to insert ads as well — assuming the broadcast has been running for at least four minutes and has 300 viewers.

As far as revenue split goes, like the rumors predicted, publishers will net 55 percent of proceeds while Facebook grabs the rest. That’s quite a bit different versus the social network’s ad split for instant articles where the publisher would get between 70 and 100 percent of the cash.

With Facebook pushing into the TV space, expect to see even more of this in the future as it tries courting additional professional video producers.

Source: Recode

AMD’s latest Radeon driver doesn’t support 32-bit version of Windows 8.1

Why it matters to you

With the launch of this new driver, AMD isn’t supporting its cards installed in systems based on the 32-bit version of Windows 8.1.

The latest driver for AMD’s Radeon graphics cards is out and the big news surrounding its release is its lack of support for the 32-bit version of Windows 8.1. This doesn’t appear to be an error on AMD’s part or whoever posted the release notes, as a search for a new 32-bit Windows 8.1 driver only leads to Crimson ReLive Edition 17.1.2 released on February 8 and not the 17.2.1 driver released on Thursday.

Crimson ReLive Edition 17.2.1 is optimized for Sniper Elite 4 and For Honor. According to AMD, the new driver boosts the performance of For Honor by up to four percent on the Radeon RX 480 8GB card compared to the previous 17.1.2 driver. The company also claims up to five percent better performance in Sniper Elite 4 running on the same card. Multi-GPU DirectX 11-based profiles were added for these two games as well.

More: AMD’s new Ryzen chips are available for pre-order today, but you might want to hurry

As for the fixed issues presented with this new driver, Crimson ReLive Edition 17.2.1 addresses five specific game-related problems:

For Honor:
PCs using multiple AMD graphics cards experienced game crashes when switching to fullscreen or accessing menus during gameplay.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive:
With Radeon Chill enabled, the game provided incorrect default slider values.
DayZ:
When Radeon ReLive Instant Replay/Recording was active, the game would crash. DayZ also caused the feature to work incorrectly.
Grid Autosport:
The game would hang when players enabled the advanced lighting graphics option.
Civilization VI:
Disabling shadows in the game on Radeon HD 7900 products would corrupt shadows.

As for other fixes, there are three that address DXVA H.264 encoded video corruption (Radeon GCN products), locked memory clocks (Radeon R9 380 Series), and the AMD FreeSync technology mode’s inability to enable itself (all products). Two other fixes attack problems with Radeon ReLive — one that addresses flickering when recording in full screen with Windows Media Player or Power DVD and one that returns GPU information back to captured videos.

On the known issues front, there are seven outstanding general and game-specific problems and seven issues stemming from Radeon ReLive. Here are the game-related issues AMD still needs to fix:

For Honor:
In systems with four Radeon cards installed, the game’s menu may experience flickering or will fail to render after performing a task switch.
Sniper Elite 4:
AMD FreeSync technology mode may not work with this game.
Sniper Elite 4:
Image cropping may occur when supersampling is enabled.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive andWorld of Warcraft:
These games may experience flickering or performance issues the first time they are launched with AMD FreeSync enabled.

For customers using Radeon ReLive, the issues they may encounter could include conflicts with the Xbox DVR application, a failure to install on systems using an auxiliary power unit, and game freezes if recording with Radeon ReLive while the Vulkan API is in use. The Hyper-V feature in Windows may need to be disabled too.

Here are the links to the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.2.1 driver downloads:

Windows 10:
64-bit
32-bit
Windows 8.1:
64-bit
Not available
Windows 7:
64-bit
32-bit

Toshiba enables higher storage, smaller devices with 512Gb 3D flash memory chips

Why it matters to you

Toshiba is cramming a lot of storage onto one very small hard drive, so it could show up in all manner of devices, and decrease the space take up by storage in a system.

The persistent shrinking of flash storage continues, as Toshiba has announced that its 512 gigabit 3D flash memory chips are now shipping out to manufacturers the world over. Production began earlier this month, with expanded mass production scheduled to begin in the second half of 2017.

The new Toshiba memory chips, called BiCS3, were announced in July 2016, though only entered limited production with Toshiba partner Western Digital in early February. Much like other 3D memory chips, BiCS3 chips stack the cells vertically, which is what makes them capable of such large-scale storage. The 512Gb chips equate to 64GB of storage space, which could mean larger capacity and smaller form-factor storage solutions in the future.

More: Transcend uses 3D Flash storage technology in its SSD230 solid-state drive

Although Toshiba isn’t the only company to be developing 3D memory solutions, it’s laying claim to the highest capacity in the smallest footprint. The 64-layer design of BiCS3 chips represents a 65-percent increase in capacity per unit chip over previous 48-layer, 256Gb designs, we’re told.

This has wide-reaching ramifications for the industry, as today flash memory is used in almost every small-form-factor device that requires onboard storage. Smartphones, tablets, solid-state drives, USB drives, games consoles, and other devices all make use of it. Adding greater capacity to single memory chips means we should see greater storage space in future devices, as well as a reduction in their footprint, which in turn leads to smaller, leaner hardware for us all.

Some of the first devices to benefit from these news chips, however, will be Toshiba’s own SSDs. The BGA line will feature 16 of these chips, offering roughly 1TB of storage space, and are expected to see usage in small-scale PCs, as well as lightweight laptops. Samples of these drives will begin shipping out in April, according to Anandtech.

NASA wants to 3D print habitats with metal extracted from Martian soil

Why it matters to you

By building from materials already found on Mars, NASA can save money and pave the way for further space exploration.

NASA wants to send a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s. In the meantime, the agency is working to cut costs by lightening its payload as much as possible. To that end, scientists are studying the various ways to make goods on Mars rather than carry materials there.

The agency teamed up with University of Central Florida (UCF) professor Sudipta Seal to study Martian soil (regolith) and, hopefully, devise a way to extract metals that could then be used to 3D print a human habitat.

“The regolith on any rocky planet is composed of metal oxides,” Kevin Grossman, a UCF graduate student and NASA intern working on the project, told Digital Trends, “and by electrolyzing them, we can essentially convert dirt into pure metal and oxygen.”

More: Two organizations tackle saving Earth and settling Mars … via Kickstarter

Known as molten regolith electrolysis, the process involves melting soil by heating it to almost 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Oppositely charged electrodes on either side of the molten matter then separate the metals from oxygen as each material is pulled toward its preferred electrode.

“Both of these materials are imperative to the colonization of Mars or the moon,” Grossman said. “Oxygen is important for a variety of reasons, the most obvious being that humans like to breathe. The less obvious application for oxygen is as the oxidizer for the propellant needed for said humans to return to Earth.

“This project is focusing on the metal being 3D printed into structural components or small tools,” Grossman continued. “However, future projects may focus on refining the alloy products into base metals such as pure silicon, which will enable the production of electronic components in space.”

Through this research, NASA hopes to promote massless exploration and “in-situ resource utilization” (ISRU), the principle of living off the land instead of lugging resources through space.

“ISRU is not a new concept,” Grossman said. “It has been understood by every explorer and settler in human history, we’re just doing it on the grandest of scales.”

Much of the cost of space missions depends on the weight of the rocket and the goods it carries. As such, the lighter the launch, the more affordable the mission and the more that can be spent on science. With molten regolith electrolysis, astronauts can leave metals — and even a lot of oxygen — on Earth, instead of using metals extracted from Martian soil to manufacture habitats, tools, and equipment while there.

“The added benefit of additive manufacturing from this project also greatly reduces the need for human labor to start the colonization process,” Grossman said. “We can send robots ahead of us to begin construction of human habitats so our colonists already have a comfortable place to stay. A sort of Chateau de Mars, if you will.”

Google files patent for an LED-glowing, motion-sensing power cord

Why it matters to you

Patents don’t always lead to products but Google presents an elegant solution to an everyday problem.

Big tech firms file weird patents all the time and Google is no exception. Recently, the Mountain View, California, company filed a patent for a particular kind of power cord — one with an accelerometer and motion-sensing lights.

Filing a patent doesn’t necessarily mean a product will end up on store shelves, sometimes it’s just a preventative measure to get a leg up on the competition. But the patent published on Thursday describes a device that solves a common and pernicious problem some of us face on a daily basis.

You’re in bed, the lights are off, you’re about to fall asleep and you remember you forgot to plug in your phone. Wonderful. Now you have to fumble for your nightstand, grab your phone, and light up the screen to find your power cord. The patent aims to put an end to this minor annoyance, by putting a series of accelerometers and LED lights directly into a USB Type-C power cord.

More: Google’s Perspective tool helps clean up those ugly internet comment sections

“A user may have many power cords used for various different devices in a particular location, and the different cords are often difficult to distinguish, particularly in dim light and when the cords are tangled and jumbled together,” the patent reads, painting a moving portrait of a struggle we all face.

The cord described in the patent is able to help out by lighting itself up when it detects your clumsy human hands. The LEDs are in the plug end of the power cord and would provide enough light to illuminate not only the cord but the outlet on the device you’re trying to plug in.

It’s bizarre but this patent application provides a window into the industrial design processes at work in major tech companies. Even if this little idea never gets used by Google, they will rake in licensing fees when someone else attempts to make this kind of power cord. It’s a common-sense solution to a minor, but common, irritation and that makes it an excellent design to patent.

Crowdfailing: $179 Tiko 3D printer joins growing list of high-profile Kickstarter flops

Why it matters to you

Despite raising a massive $2,950,874 on Kickstarter, creators of the Tiko 3D printer have revealed the project has crashed and burned.

“Tiko is the 3D printer you’ve been waiting for,” reads the tagline on Tiko’s 2015 Kickstarter campaign. “Simple, accessible, and dependable, all for a pledge of $179.”

Sadly it turns out that you’ll be waiting a lot longer for it, while that “dependable” description can also be discarded. And that $179 investment isn’t sounding such good value, either.

That’s because Tiko, the “Unibody 3D printer” is the latest casualty in a spate of high-profile Kickstarter 3D printer projects. Despite having raised a whopping $2,950,874 against a $100,000 funding goal, the printer’s creators have taken to Kickstarter to reveal that the project is, for all intents and purposes, cancelled. Although the creators claim to have shipped 4,100 printers out (a total of 16,538 backers pledged money) it seems that’s where it might end.

More: Inside Indiegogo’s plan to circumvent crowdfunding failures

“We had no idea how difficult it would be to go from a prototype to mass production,” Tiko’s creators wrote in an update. “We learned along the way, but most mistakes were costly and irreversible. Our greatest mistake was committing to inventory too soon. We didn’t realize it at first, but by ordering components in bulk, we had backed ourselves into a corner. Design flaws appeared, and we were trapped. By the time we understood our predicament, it was already too late. We were in too deep, and there was no turning back. Our cheerful mission to empower innovators had become a struggle to survive.”

Now, the team says it is speaking with investors, but acknowledges that “these discussions cannot be rushed. It’s a lengthy process, and it could take months for us to reach something conclusive.” They promise an update at some point in the future.

It’s just the latest in a terrible run of crowdfunded 3D printers which, for reasons of both price and features, sounded almost too good to be true — and then turned out to be exactly that.

“If you go through the top 20 crowdfunded 3D printer campaigns and examine who succeeded versus who didn’t, there’s not a huge success rate for the top campaigns,” Michael Armani, CEO and cofounder of 3D printing company M3D, which raised $3.8 million on Kickstarter, told Digital Trends. “We’re observing the industry going to chaos. It’s one company after another that’s going down. A lot of people say we should be happy as one of the survivors, but the truth is that I’m sad. I’m really disappointed to see so many companies failing. Kickstarter has really become the wild west in a lot of ways.”

While companies like M3D have delivered on the promise of affordable 3D printers, Armani is correct in observing that crowdfunded 3D printers are looking like an increasingly toxic investment for backers. Any time you get into a tech “race to the bottom” things aren’t looking good — and, sadly, it seems that this is the paradigm we’re stuck in right now.

The mismanaged Tiko is just the latest example of that effect. And its out-of-pocket backers are the victims.

Golf Pad’s Link system lets you track your game without draining your phone

Why it matters to you

The Link upgrades Golf Pad’s existing Tags by removing the need to be connected to a smartphone.

Back in 2015, Golf Pad ran a highly successful Kickstarter campaign for its Tags system. Now, the tracking product is used by thousands of golfers around the world. As an Android-only system, though, iPhone users have been left out. Golf Pad’s new Link system is their answer.

The biggest difference between Link and Tags is its compatibility with both iPhone and Android phones. Better yet, Link keeps track of the entire game without needing the phone to be on the golf course. Each swing is recorded to the Link and when the golfer’s phone is in range, the data will automatically sync up. By removing the need for constant connectivity, the Golf Pad Link becomes a much freer experience.

More: Boost your swing with new Powerband BOA Boost golf shoe from Adidas

Essentially, the Link is a small, wearable device that clips to a user’s belt or fits in their pocket. Besides recording golf swings, it also contains high-accuracy location sensors. Using GPS and GLONASS satellites simultaneously, the Link is able to a get a consistently accurate reading. This has the added benefit of saving phones from having to use a lot of their precious battery power. With a single charge of the Link’s battery lasting two rounds of golf, there is no worry of it running out halfway through.

Each Link system comes with one wireless reader and 15 lightweight tags that screw into the ends of your golf clubs. Every tag has its own identity, so once it is paired with a specific club, Golf Pad will recognize it with every use.

Before each swing, just tap the Tag to the Link to begin recording. The reader will vibrate to confirm that a successful and an optional confirmation tone can play from your phone. Additionally, users with an Apple Watch, Pebble, Samsung Gear, Android Wear, or Magellan smartwatch can get the confirmation directly on their wrist.

Once a stroke has been made, a number of statistics are tracked automatically. These include club distances, strokes gained, shot dispersion, fairways hit or missed, greens in regulation, distance trends, scoring analysis, course strategy, and putting. After a couple rounds with the Link, the Golf Pad app will begin making recommendations on which club should be used. The app uses a sophisticated algorithm based on distance, temperature, humidity, and more to make its choices. The more you golf, the smarter Golf Pad becomes about your performance.

Golf Pad Link is currently available on Kickstarter for $139. For anyone who already uses the Tags, the Link reader can be purchased separately for just $99. With the Link almost doubling its pledge goal, shipments are expected to go out this coming May.

The Best Unlimited Data Plan: Verizon vs. T-Mobile vs. AT&T vs. Sprint

In February 2017, something miraculous happened: Almost every major carrier in the U.S. announced revamped, tweaked, or entirely new unlimited data plans. Verizon, the nation’s largest in terms of total subscribers, brought back uncapped data for the first time in more than five years; T-Mobile and Sprint, both of which offered unlimited data before Verizon’s announcement, removed throttling schemes from their respective plans; And AT&T, the nation’s second-largest carrier, made unlimited data available to customers who don’t pay for DirecTV or U-verse.

But just because all four major carriers now offer “unlimited” data doesn’t mean that the plans are equal. Beyond subtle (and not-so-subtle) variations in pricing, there’s fine print to consider. Some plans slow the download speeds of subscribers who exceed a data limits. Others impose caps on certain forms of traffic. And still others omit basic benefits like tethering.

More: AT&T vs. Verizon vs. Sprint vs. T-Mobile: Who has the best individual plan?

We’ve broken down each of the major four carriers’ plans down to their essentials to see which offers the most bang for your buck.

Our pick

T-Mobile One Unlimited Plan

It’s tough to choose a winner among four imperfect unlimited data plans, but one stands above the rest. We think that T-Mobile offers the best value for your money.

Why we chose it

T-Mobile’s One plan is more than just an unlimited plan. Sure, subscribers get unlimited music and high-definition video streaming and 10GB of tethering data. But they also get benefits that other carriers don’t offer. T-Mobile One customers get texting and data in 140 countries around the globe. Thanks to Binge On, they get the option to stream standard-definition videos without worrying about contributing to their throttle cap. And every Tuesday, subscribers get discounts on fast food, Lyft rides, movie tickets, and more.

More: AT&T executive calls out Google Fiber — “Pardon our dust”

And that’s to say nothing of T-Mobile’s excellent network. OpenSignal’s latest rankings put it among the top in terms of speed, and a forthcoming expansion this year promises to drastically improve its rural coverage.

For $70 a month, there’s no better unlimited plan out there. Verizon comes close. Its unlimited plan’s pricing ($80 for a single line), terms, and geographic reach rank best in class. But T-Mobile’s extras — in addition to its plan price’s included taxes and fees — put it over the finish line.

Carrier
Price
Throttling cap
Tethering
Other extras
T-Mobile
$70-$180
28GB
10GB
T-Mobile Tuesdays, international data and calling
Verizon
$80-$200
22GB
10GB

Sprint
$60-$190
23GB; music throttled to 1.5Mbps, gaming throttled to 8Mbps
10GB
Plans start at $50 a month until 2018
AT&T
$100-$260
22GB
N/A

In the next few pages, we’ll go over all of the details of each carrier’s Unlimited plan.